(A/N Woo! Chapter 20! And to the reviewer that said the end of 19 sucked [who didn't leave their name, btw] there is a reason that she became a trifle less spunky. I'm sure you've all cottoned on by now about Lils. Her sort of docile attitude is explained later. And just because she wasn't walking around threatening to beat the shit out of someone doesn't mean she lost her spunk. Characters grow, and she was spending an evening with the man that she loves, would you be a smart-ass about it? Even if you would, my Lily wouldn't. If you think this fic has gone sour, stop reading it. Also, you didn't tell me what you thought was so awful about chapter 19. You know what that makes your review, right? A flame. Not constructive criticism, but a flame.
To shortnsassy- No worries, that is not the conception of Harry ^_~. I didn't mean to make it sound like that, I'm referring to a different part of the story line
To Lunamoon7- Nope, not because she's an animagus…that particular meaning will be revealed in up-coming chapters, though.)
Lily awoke to the sound of 'My Lover? No…more than that.' James' breathing, and pressed a gentle kiss to his collarbone. As she came further into consciousness, she froze. 'Oh god. I slept with James. I slept with James. I slept with James.' Her thoughts looped endlessly as she slipped silently from the bed, dressed, and darted from the dorm.
She made in into her dorm, and her bed, before collapsing. She waved her wand and cast a silencing charm, to ensure that she wouldn't have people barging in on her. She curled around the stuffed unicorn that Kaleb was so fond of teasing her for, and tried to place why she should feel guilty. Instead of guilt, Lily felt a profound sense of wholeness…like she was finally complete.
Back in the boys' dorm James awoke to an empty bed. Sleep-dumb, he searched the bed for Lily, even down at the waaaaaay end of the bed, where the shadows obscured everything. She wasn't there. His heart constricted painfully. 'Oh, god. No…not again…not this time.' This scene was all too familiar for James. At the end of fourth year, James had begun seeing a sixth year girl named Lauren. She had been everything to him, and he fancied himself in love.
At their three month anniversary, James presented this girl with a claddagh ring, similar to the one he had given Lily. That night the pair had slept together. The next morning James found the ring on the nightstand, and Lauren was nowhere to be found.
Frantically, he checked the nightstand for a ring. 'Well…it isn't there…that might be a good thing.' He reasoned.
Just then the door to the dorm opened, and Peter, Remus, and Sirius entered the room. Remus looked at James quizzically. "You just getting up, mate?"
Sirius frowned, and approached James' bed. He checked beside it, and sure enough, a set of clothes were puddled unceremoniously on the floor. James was extremely fastidious, his clothes were always folded and put away before bed. He gave the air a delicate sniff, just to be certain, and his eyes widened.
"You and Lily shagged!" He accused.
James flopped back on the pillows, and stared dreamily at the canopy above him. "That isn't any concern of yours, Black." James said.
"But you did! Hey, she isn't here now. What'd you do, scare her off, Prongsie?" Sirius said, and cuffed his friend on the top of his head.
James shut his eyes tightly, and didn't respond. Sirius, fortunately, got the idea, and he sobered immediately. "Aw, man. I'm sorry, mate." He really seemed sincere.
Back in the girls' dorm, Kaleb had just flopped on Lily's bed. "So, did you have fun after we left?" She asked, poking the redhead goodnaturedly.
"You could say that…" Lily drawled, arching an eyebrow. "I…um…James and I…we…well…" At this point Lily buried her face in her pillow. "I slept with Jamie."
Kaleb must have jumped about a foot in the air. "You did what?! Are you…are you regretting it?" She asked gently, her hand absently stroking Lily's ankle.
Lily looked up from her pillow, and she tried (and failed) to conceal her beaming grin. "No! Not in the least! That's what is so weird…I feel so…happy. Like there was a part of me that had been missing, and it's back again. Does that make sense?" She asked, cuddling the pillow.
"I wouldn't know. Never been in love, m'self. But why are you in here, then? Shouldn't you be over with Jamie?" Kaleb asked.
Lily waved her hand absently. "Oh, he won't be up yet."
Kaleb grinned her trademark wicked grin. "Tire him out, did you?"
"Kaleb!" Lily squeaked and she threw the pillow at the brunette. Once she got over the shock, she smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Hey, I think I left my presents over there, I'm going to go get them. Be right back, ok?"
Kaleb nodded. "Sure. See you in a few."
Sirius Black nearly jumped out of his skin when the door to the dorm opened, revealing a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Miss Evans. "Oh, sorry. I didn't think you lot would be up yet. I just came over to collect my presents. I must have left them here." She explained, flashing a smile.
James sat up, having pulled on a shirt and pants. "So that's it, huh? You were just coming in to get your books and then sneak back out again?" He asked coldly.
Lily's expression when from content to puzzled. "Well, yes. I thought I'd start in on some reading and let you sleep. Why?"
"Maybe we should give them a minute…" Remus suggested, and he ushered Sirius and Peter out of the dorm. The door clicked shut behind them, and the dorm room was silent.
"What's that all about?" Lily asked, as she stacked her gifts neatly on top of each other. She was clearing away the discarded wrapping paper when James answered.
"Why weren't you here when I woke up?" James asked, his voice suddenly tiny.
"I got a little freaked out." Lily admitted. "I was planning on saving…that…for my wedding night. I just wanted to go sort things out. Why? You…oh, Jamie…you thought I…" Lily sat on the bed next to him, and wrapped her arms around him.
James clutched the slight girl to him, leaning his forehead on her shoulder. "You weren't here, and it was just like…just like before…and I thought that you…that you had left me…" James was inwardly cursing how pathetic he sounded.
"James, I wouldn't ever do that to you. You know that, right? I just needed a moment to think, I didn't think that you would be up until a while later." Lily stroked his unruly hair, and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
The events of that night hadn't been mentioned all throughout the following week, and we rejoin the friends at dinner on a Friday night.
"I'm starving, I could eat a Hippogriff." Lily exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Kaleb's waist.
"I'm not sure they serve hippogriff here, love." Kaleb replied, as she rolled her eyes.
"Funny." The group sat in their usual seats, and as the food appeared a rather wolfish grin appeared on Lily's face. "Shepherd's pie, oh how I love you!"
She picked up the fork sitting next to her plate and suddenly dropped it as she yelped. "Ouch! What the hell…that's hot!" She said, looking at the burns on her hand.
Quizzically, Kaleb touched the piece of silverware. "Lils, it's practically ice-cold."
All the color promptly drained from Remus' face. "Lily, come with me now." He said urgently, and caught the protesting girl by the arm as he hauled her to her feet. "We're going to see Dumbledore."
(So that was Chapter 20, I bet we all know what Remus has to say, right? Expect 21 to be out soon.)
To shortnsassy- No worries, that is not the conception of Harry ^_~. I didn't mean to make it sound like that, I'm referring to a different part of the story line
To Lunamoon7- Nope, not because she's an animagus…that particular meaning will be revealed in up-coming chapters, though.)
Lily awoke to the sound of 'My Lover? No…more than that.' James' breathing, and pressed a gentle kiss to his collarbone. As she came further into consciousness, she froze. 'Oh god. I slept with James. I slept with James. I slept with James.' Her thoughts looped endlessly as she slipped silently from the bed, dressed, and darted from the dorm.
She made in into her dorm, and her bed, before collapsing. She waved her wand and cast a silencing charm, to ensure that she wouldn't have people barging in on her. She curled around the stuffed unicorn that Kaleb was so fond of teasing her for, and tried to place why she should feel guilty. Instead of guilt, Lily felt a profound sense of wholeness…like she was finally complete.
Back in the boys' dorm James awoke to an empty bed. Sleep-dumb, he searched the bed for Lily, even down at the waaaaaay end of the bed, where the shadows obscured everything. She wasn't there. His heart constricted painfully. 'Oh, god. No…not again…not this time.' This scene was all too familiar for James. At the end of fourth year, James had begun seeing a sixth year girl named Lauren. She had been everything to him, and he fancied himself in love.
At their three month anniversary, James presented this girl with a claddagh ring, similar to the one he had given Lily. That night the pair had slept together. The next morning James found the ring on the nightstand, and Lauren was nowhere to be found.
Frantically, he checked the nightstand for a ring. 'Well…it isn't there…that might be a good thing.' He reasoned.
Just then the door to the dorm opened, and Peter, Remus, and Sirius entered the room. Remus looked at James quizzically. "You just getting up, mate?"
Sirius frowned, and approached James' bed. He checked beside it, and sure enough, a set of clothes were puddled unceremoniously on the floor. James was extremely fastidious, his clothes were always folded and put away before bed. He gave the air a delicate sniff, just to be certain, and his eyes widened.
"You and Lily shagged!" He accused.
James flopped back on the pillows, and stared dreamily at the canopy above him. "That isn't any concern of yours, Black." James said.
"But you did! Hey, she isn't here now. What'd you do, scare her off, Prongsie?" Sirius said, and cuffed his friend on the top of his head.
James shut his eyes tightly, and didn't respond. Sirius, fortunately, got the idea, and he sobered immediately. "Aw, man. I'm sorry, mate." He really seemed sincere.
Back in the girls' dorm, Kaleb had just flopped on Lily's bed. "So, did you have fun after we left?" She asked, poking the redhead goodnaturedly.
"You could say that…" Lily drawled, arching an eyebrow. "I…um…James and I…we…well…" At this point Lily buried her face in her pillow. "I slept with Jamie."
Kaleb must have jumped about a foot in the air. "You did what?! Are you…are you regretting it?" She asked gently, her hand absently stroking Lily's ankle.
Lily looked up from her pillow, and she tried (and failed) to conceal her beaming grin. "No! Not in the least! That's what is so weird…I feel so…happy. Like there was a part of me that had been missing, and it's back again. Does that make sense?" She asked, cuddling the pillow.
"I wouldn't know. Never been in love, m'self. But why are you in here, then? Shouldn't you be over with Jamie?" Kaleb asked.
Lily waved her hand absently. "Oh, he won't be up yet."
Kaleb grinned her trademark wicked grin. "Tire him out, did you?"
"Kaleb!" Lily squeaked and she threw the pillow at the brunette. Once she got over the shock, she smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Hey, I think I left my presents over there, I'm going to go get them. Be right back, ok?"
Kaleb nodded. "Sure. See you in a few."
Sirius Black nearly jumped out of his skin when the door to the dorm opened, revealing a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Miss Evans. "Oh, sorry. I didn't think you lot would be up yet. I just came over to collect my presents. I must have left them here." She explained, flashing a smile.
James sat up, having pulled on a shirt and pants. "So that's it, huh? You were just coming in to get your books and then sneak back out again?" He asked coldly.
Lily's expression when from content to puzzled. "Well, yes. I thought I'd start in on some reading and let you sleep. Why?"
"Maybe we should give them a minute…" Remus suggested, and he ushered Sirius and Peter out of the dorm. The door clicked shut behind them, and the dorm room was silent.
"What's that all about?" Lily asked, as she stacked her gifts neatly on top of each other. She was clearing away the discarded wrapping paper when James answered.
"Why weren't you here when I woke up?" James asked, his voice suddenly tiny.
"I got a little freaked out." Lily admitted. "I was planning on saving…that…for my wedding night. I just wanted to go sort things out. Why? You…oh, Jamie…you thought I…" Lily sat on the bed next to him, and wrapped her arms around him.
James clutched the slight girl to him, leaning his forehead on her shoulder. "You weren't here, and it was just like…just like before…and I thought that you…that you had left me…" James was inwardly cursing how pathetic he sounded.
"James, I wouldn't ever do that to you. You know that, right? I just needed a moment to think, I didn't think that you would be up until a while later." Lily stroked his unruly hair, and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
The events of that night hadn't been mentioned all throughout the following week, and we rejoin the friends at dinner on a Friday night.
"I'm starving, I could eat a Hippogriff." Lily exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Kaleb's waist.
"I'm not sure they serve hippogriff here, love." Kaleb replied, as she rolled her eyes.
"Funny." The group sat in their usual seats, and as the food appeared a rather wolfish grin appeared on Lily's face. "Shepherd's pie, oh how I love you!"
She picked up the fork sitting next to her plate and suddenly dropped it as she yelped. "Ouch! What the hell…that's hot!" She said, looking at the burns on her hand.
Quizzically, Kaleb touched the piece of silverware. "Lils, it's practically ice-cold."
All the color promptly drained from Remus' face. "Lily, come with me now." He said urgently, and caught the protesting girl by the arm as he hauled her to her feet. "We're going to see Dumbledore."
(So that was Chapter 20, I bet we all know what Remus has to say, right? Expect 21 to be out soon.)