The two boys went out of the Gryffindor tower and down the stairs, heading
for the library. Chris was so excited and happy he almost bounced down the
steps, while James felt like a gloomy shadow. He was thinking about Lily.
He knew he would do anything for Lily, even if it meant helping her get someone else. His hope of using this situation to help himself became smaller by the minute, and when they entered the gigantic Hogwarts library, the hope seemed to have died.
"Exactly why are we here, James?", Chris asked and looked at all the big books that covered every flat surface.
"To get some inspiration", James answered. "You want to write her a love note, right? Then why don't we do it like an old master. Like this one, Shakespeare."
"A Muggle poet?"
"A Muggle? He was not a Muggle, do you honestly think a Muggle could write something like 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?", James asked and took out a big, leather-bound book covered in dust from a shelf. He handed it to Chris.
"Sit down and read, take notes."
Chris sat down with the book and started to look through the pages. After a few minutes James noticed how tiny pearls of sweat started to cover his forehead and he saw how hard Chris thought before writing anything down.
After a quarter or so, Chris shut the book and gave his notes to James.
"What do you think?"
James read:
"Hi Lily. If you would like to go on a date with me, put a ring around the answer. YES or NO. /Chris"
James looked at Chris with disappointed eyes.
"Is that the best you can do?", he asked.
"It's not good enough?", a nervous Chris asked.
"It's.... a little cold. She'll understand what you mean, but... it needs more...."
"Poetry?"
"Well, honestly, yes. I mean, it's supposed to be a love letter."
"But I can't write poetry! I don't understand a word of what this Shakespeare-guy is saying."
"Just tell her how you feel, then."
"How? What do I say?"
"Try something like...."
James stopped. Would his help reveal that he himself was in love with Lily? Would Chris beat him up? Then James realised that it didn't matter, nothing mattered but Lily, and if she got Chris' note with the YES and NO, she would feel lousy. No matter how tomboyish Lily appeared, James knew she loved romance.
"Okay, I've got it. Write this...."
The night came with a million stars that shimmered outside the high windows of Hogwarts. The full moon looked like a giant eye of God, watching the school. But the eye didn't see a certain young man with black hair and round glasses walking through the corridors.
James couldn't sleep. His mind was circling around nothing but Lily and the letter he had written to her. James had told Chris what to write, and the result had been a letter so filled with love and desire that Chris almost fell off his chair when he went through it. But to James the words were just a tiny breeze, his love rushed inside him like a wild storm.
He was heading for the kitchen to steal something to eat, hidden beneath his invisibility cloak. He had done that a thousand times, and no one had ever caught him, no one else was up this late.
Or so he thought.
As he walked down a long corridor he looked out through the windows at the beautiful moon and when he turned his eyes to look in front of him, he stopped.
Somebody was in the corridor, standing by one of the windows.
He approached the person as silently as he could to check who it was. But then the figure turned its head towards him.
"Is that you, James?"
He was about to answer, but the words got stuck in his throat. It was Lily standing there, dressed in nothing but a silky, white night gown and with her hair hanging loose down her back, like the most beautiful of waterfalls. The moon light shone in on her, showered her in silver light, and she was as beautiful as an angel. James had seen Lily in her night gown before, but never like this.
He removed his cloak and she smiled at him.
"I was hoping I'd find you here", she said. "I couldn't sleep and I wanted to talk to you."
"What is it, Lily?", he asked and came closer to her.
"It's Chris. Oh James, I'm so happy."
She took her wand, which had been lying on the window sill, and waved it in the air.
"Accio letter", she said, and immediately a white sheet of paper came flying through the air, like a very strange bird. James knew what it was: Chris', or rather his own, love letter.
Lily caught the paper with her right hand and turned to face James.
"This evening, when I went to bed, an owl came with this. It's a letter, from him. Did you know he would write to me?"
"No", James lied and tried to look surprised.
"Listen", Lily said, "I'll read it to you."
"My love. I have watched you so many times, feeling my heart burn with longing for you. There have been so many times when all I wanted to do was to put my arms around you and tell you that I love you. You are the air that I breathe, you are all I've ever wished and prayed for my entire life. But I never dared to dream that you would ever love me in return, and now, when all my dreams seem to have come true, I can hardly believe it. Can there be such complete and perfect happiness? My Lily, my wonderful flower of beauty, I love you. Dream of me tonight, as I dream of you. With all my love Chris"
As she read, James felt his love grow word for word. He had to work hard not to take her in his arms and tell her that those were his words, that he was the one who loved her more than life itself. But he didn't, he just stood there and tried to look happy for her sake.
She stopped reading and looked at him without saying a word, but in the light of the full moon he saw that her eyes were shining with joy, like stars, and that told him everything he needed to know.
Then she turned to the window and looked at the moon, supporting her chin with her hand and holding the letter in the other.
"James", she said with a voice full of gentleness, "All my life I have dreamt about a man like him. So sensitive, so romantic, but I never thought it would come true. That someone would actually write this kind of letter to me."
"Do you like it?", he asked.
"Do I like it? I love it. I love him, James. And this is all thanks to you. Without your help I would still be in bed, dreaming about something I never dared to think would happen. I hope he writes more letters, although I will be seeing him every day."
If only she knew how every word pierced his heart with the cold stab of jealousy and sorrow.
"Could you do one more thing for me, James?", she asked and came closer to him. "Could you ask him to do that, to send me letters now and then. This is the last favour I ask of you."
James swallowed hard and, loosing himself in the deep oceans of her eyes, he said:
"Sure, no problem."
Lily hugged him tightly, and this time he put his arms around her too. He touched her silky night gown and even felt her hair on his hands. He wanted to inhale a deep breath of her, but he didn't dare, and let go of her quickly not to seem strange.
"You are an angel, James", she said, "And a true friend. Can I follow you to the kitchen?"
"Actually, I wasn't going there, I just needed a walk", he said. The truth was that he had lost his appetite completely at the thought of Lily and Chris together every day, kissing and snuggling.
"Okay, but I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast, right?"
"Sure", he said. "Good night,. Lily."
"Good night, James, and thanks again."
And with that, she walked away, leaving him there. The night gown shimmered magically and she walked so silently that one would have thought she was a ghost created by moonlight.
James picked up his invisibility cloak of the floor and went back to his dormitory. When he was back in his bed he stared at the ceiling above him, thinking of nothing but Lily and the favour she had asked of him.
"Merlin, help me, he whispered", but the only answer he got was the night wind outside.
He knew he would do anything for Lily, even if it meant helping her get someone else. His hope of using this situation to help himself became smaller by the minute, and when they entered the gigantic Hogwarts library, the hope seemed to have died.
"Exactly why are we here, James?", Chris asked and looked at all the big books that covered every flat surface.
"To get some inspiration", James answered. "You want to write her a love note, right? Then why don't we do it like an old master. Like this one, Shakespeare."
"A Muggle poet?"
"A Muggle? He was not a Muggle, do you honestly think a Muggle could write something like 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?", James asked and took out a big, leather-bound book covered in dust from a shelf. He handed it to Chris.
"Sit down and read, take notes."
Chris sat down with the book and started to look through the pages. After a few minutes James noticed how tiny pearls of sweat started to cover his forehead and he saw how hard Chris thought before writing anything down.
After a quarter or so, Chris shut the book and gave his notes to James.
"What do you think?"
James read:
"Hi Lily. If you would like to go on a date with me, put a ring around the answer. YES or NO. /Chris"
James looked at Chris with disappointed eyes.
"Is that the best you can do?", he asked.
"It's not good enough?", a nervous Chris asked.
"It's.... a little cold. She'll understand what you mean, but... it needs more...."
"Poetry?"
"Well, honestly, yes. I mean, it's supposed to be a love letter."
"But I can't write poetry! I don't understand a word of what this Shakespeare-guy is saying."
"Just tell her how you feel, then."
"How? What do I say?"
"Try something like...."
James stopped. Would his help reveal that he himself was in love with Lily? Would Chris beat him up? Then James realised that it didn't matter, nothing mattered but Lily, and if she got Chris' note with the YES and NO, she would feel lousy. No matter how tomboyish Lily appeared, James knew she loved romance.
"Okay, I've got it. Write this...."
The night came with a million stars that shimmered outside the high windows of Hogwarts. The full moon looked like a giant eye of God, watching the school. But the eye didn't see a certain young man with black hair and round glasses walking through the corridors.
James couldn't sleep. His mind was circling around nothing but Lily and the letter he had written to her. James had told Chris what to write, and the result had been a letter so filled with love and desire that Chris almost fell off his chair when he went through it. But to James the words were just a tiny breeze, his love rushed inside him like a wild storm.
He was heading for the kitchen to steal something to eat, hidden beneath his invisibility cloak. He had done that a thousand times, and no one had ever caught him, no one else was up this late.
Or so he thought.
As he walked down a long corridor he looked out through the windows at the beautiful moon and when he turned his eyes to look in front of him, he stopped.
Somebody was in the corridor, standing by one of the windows.
He approached the person as silently as he could to check who it was. But then the figure turned its head towards him.
"Is that you, James?"
He was about to answer, but the words got stuck in his throat. It was Lily standing there, dressed in nothing but a silky, white night gown and with her hair hanging loose down her back, like the most beautiful of waterfalls. The moon light shone in on her, showered her in silver light, and she was as beautiful as an angel. James had seen Lily in her night gown before, but never like this.
He removed his cloak and she smiled at him.
"I was hoping I'd find you here", she said. "I couldn't sleep and I wanted to talk to you."
"What is it, Lily?", he asked and came closer to her.
"It's Chris. Oh James, I'm so happy."
She took her wand, which had been lying on the window sill, and waved it in the air.
"Accio letter", she said, and immediately a white sheet of paper came flying through the air, like a very strange bird. James knew what it was: Chris', or rather his own, love letter.
Lily caught the paper with her right hand and turned to face James.
"This evening, when I went to bed, an owl came with this. It's a letter, from him. Did you know he would write to me?"
"No", James lied and tried to look surprised.
"Listen", Lily said, "I'll read it to you."
"My love. I have watched you so many times, feeling my heart burn with longing for you. There have been so many times when all I wanted to do was to put my arms around you and tell you that I love you. You are the air that I breathe, you are all I've ever wished and prayed for my entire life. But I never dared to dream that you would ever love me in return, and now, when all my dreams seem to have come true, I can hardly believe it. Can there be such complete and perfect happiness? My Lily, my wonderful flower of beauty, I love you. Dream of me tonight, as I dream of you. With all my love Chris"
As she read, James felt his love grow word for word. He had to work hard not to take her in his arms and tell her that those were his words, that he was the one who loved her more than life itself. But he didn't, he just stood there and tried to look happy for her sake.
She stopped reading and looked at him without saying a word, but in the light of the full moon he saw that her eyes were shining with joy, like stars, and that told him everything he needed to know.
Then she turned to the window and looked at the moon, supporting her chin with her hand and holding the letter in the other.
"James", she said with a voice full of gentleness, "All my life I have dreamt about a man like him. So sensitive, so romantic, but I never thought it would come true. That someone would actually write this kind of letter to me."
"Do you like it?", he asked.
"Do I like it? I love it. I love him, James. And this is all thanks to you. Without your help I would still be in bed, dreaming about something I never dared to think would happen. I hope he writes more letters, although I will be seeing him every day."
If only she knew how every word pierced his heart with the cold stab of jealousy and sorrow.
"Could you do one more thing for me, James?", she asked and came closer to him. "Could you ask him to do that, to send me letters now and then. This is the last favour I ask of you."
James swallowed hard and, loosing himself in the deep oceans of her eyes, he said:
"Sure, no problem."
Lily hugged him tightly, and this time he put his arms around her too. He touched her silky night gown and even felt her hair on his hands. He wanted to inhale a deep breath of her, but he didn't dare, and let go of her quickly not to seem strange.
"You are an angel, James", she said, "And a true friend. Can I follow you to the kitchen?"
"Actually, I wasn't going there, I just needed a walk", he said. The truth was that he had lost his appetite completely at the thought of Lily and Chris together every day, kissing and snuggling.
"Okay, but I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast, right?"
"Sure", he said. "Good night,. Lily."
"Good night, James, and thanks again."
And with that, she walked away, leaving him there. The night gown shimmered magically and she walked so silently that one would have thought she was a ghost created by moonlight.
James picked up his invisibility cloak of the floor and went back to his dormitory. When he was back in his bed he stared at the ceiling above him, thinking of nothing but Lily and the favour she had asked of him.
"Merlin, help me, he whispered", but the only answer he got was the night wind outside.
