Chapter Six
Disclaimer: Harry is not mine. Sorry. None of the others are either.
Lily closed her book….the noise had died down considerably. For hours now the whoops and shouts and occasional shrieks had resonated through the common room, penetrating the quiet of the dormitory. She'd left, unnoticed, when James entered, escaping the madness of the celebration. Now, however, it seemed reasonably calm.
Walking down the flight of stairs, she noticed how empty the room felt, having been so previously full of activity. A few people sat near the fire, chatting and laughing, sometimes pausing to watch a game of wizard's chess, where a few more students had gathered around. Certainly not the booming celebration that she'd heard hours before.
"Where have you been?" James was sprawled languorously in a chair, observing her.
"Reading."
"Feeling antisocial?"
"Not particularly. I didn't want to watch you wallow in your success."
"I didn't do much wallowing tonight."
She moved to sit across from him, opting for the floor rather than the chair. She glanced at the slowly emptying room, knowing how secluded they appeared, sitting away from the heart of things.
"Where are your comrades?"
A soft smile flickered across his lips, "Reveling."
"Why-" she began, but stopped, deciding it wasn't important. His eyes settled on hers.
"It gets repetitive, Lily," he said simply.
"Constant repetition tends to make life stale," she said quietly, "but we all have routines."
He studied her for a moment, before nodding and saying, "That's somewhat inevitable, but I like to take a break from time to time."
Lily smiled gently, drawing her knees to her chest, "How's your head?"
"Better," he laughed, "I think my pride may have suffered more." He rubbed the back of his head, his fingers brushing the sensitive knot that had formed.
"It will heal," she offered, resting her chin on her knees. It made her look incredibly childlike, he thought. Her hair fell to her shoulders, framing her face. The warm light from the fireplace gave her skin a vibrant glow. She was so beautiful….
"So, when do things go back to the way they were? Between us, I mean?" He said it as lightly as possible, but she knew he was serious.
Her smile faltered, "Don't ask me questions like that, James."
"Questions you don't know the answer to?" He saw her brows furrow and relented, "Alright, Evans."
They sat in silence, listening to the crackling of flames from the fireplace, Lily wearing a somber expression and staring at the floor. Most of the remaining students had given up for the night. Only two third-years remained, the only other people in the room.
"What is it?"
She glanced up, his voice breaking her from her thoughts. "Nothing, just thinking."
"That's vague."
"Yes."
"Care to tell me what about?"
"Not really." Lily leaned against the base of the chair. Her brain seemed to be working in overdrive. How long before it shut down, she mused. "Can I ask you something?"
"You'd ask if I told you 'no'," he smiled, "so go ahead."
"Don't you ever feel like you're wasting your time here?" She sat up straight, "The whole world is falling apart and you're doing essays. Somehow that seems a bit trivial to me, in the scheme of things…"
James stared at her silently, making her feel awkward at her outburst. She sighed, "I don't know what to think anymore…It just doesn't feel right, with everything that is going on, and people just ignore it. Why am I the only one that can see there is something wrong here?" She fell back against the chair, exhaling slowly.
"Open your eyes, Lily. There a quite a few people, besides you, who are thinking exactly that same thing," James said, "Don't think you're alone, here."
"It doesn't seem to bother you," she said, harsher than she intended. Damn it, Lily, she thought, he's listening to you and you're being an arse. Good job.
"Well, we don't all wear our emotions on our sleeves," he told her, raising his eyebrows.
"Sorry, it just plagues me everyday."
"You're worried," he said.
"How astute, James."
"About your father."
Her eyes widened, her body becoming rigid, "Glad to see the Ministry could provide such wonderful conversation topics," she said coldly, "How much information does your father relay to you?"
"Lily, it's not like that. You know that."
"I do. But I also know that having someone like my father in league with the Ministry must seem very interesting," she spat, her anger not towards James, but rather at the situation.
"What your father does is very brave, Lily." He looked at her softly, watching as she curled her hands into fists.
"He's….a…bloody…fool." Her eyes focused on his, "It's not brave, it's suicidal." She dug her nails into the palms of her hands. "Gathering information like some sort of secret service agent…. the fact that he's not a wizard isn't going to cover him, it's just another danger!"
"He's not going to do anything stupid. I don't think he'd risk that. Not when he has you, and well, your family."
Lily's expression turned from anger to disgust. "Family? How comforting. Mum's in denial and my sister," she massaged the bridge of her nose, her head aching fiercely, " she's not exactly concerned with any of it."
"When was the last time you talked to him?"
"Talked? It's been too long…the last letter he wrote is from over two months ago."
"It's hard to-," he began, but she shot him a glare.
"I know that."
"I'm sorry. Not my place."
"Why am I even talking to you about this?" she muttered. She closed her eyes, her headache throbbing painfully. She needed to go to sleep, to quit mauling this about.
"Don't carry this around by yourself, Lily. It will only make it harder to deal with."
"Damn you, since when do you care about other people's feelings?"
James smiled, " I am human. There's compassion in here somewhere."
Lily sighed, letting out a quiet laugh. "Ok…alright." She studied him wordlessly, and then reached out to take his hand. "Thanks." James responded by giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Good night, Evans." He rose to his feet, offering her a weary smile before climbing the steps to his room.
~~**~~
A/N: So, that's chapter six. I realize that the only characters in it were James and Lily, and that it was extremely short, but I really think this chapter was an important one. Just a quiet moment between the two of them before the storm. I don't know why James seemed so…well…depressed at the end of the chapter, but I guess it'll work itself out later. So, review if you'd like. Wow, this sense of melancholy has really settled on me. Sorry for the lack of lightheartedness in this chapter. That is the way life goes, though. The good times with the bad and all that. Till next chapter….
Disclaimer: Harry is not mine. Sorry. None of the others are either.
Lily closed her book….the noise had died down considerably. For hours now the whoops and shouts and occasional shrieks had resonated through the common room, penetrating the quiet of the dormitory. She'd left, unnoticed, when James entered, escaping the madness of the celebration. Now, however, it seemed reasonably calm.
Walking down the flight of stairs, she noticed how empty the room felt, having been so previously full of activity. A few people sat near the fire, chatting and laughing, sometimes pausing to watch a game of wizard's chess, where a few more students had gathered around. Certainly not the booming celebration that she'd heard hours before.
"Where have you been?" James was sprawled languorously in a chair, observing her.
"Reading."
"Feeling antisocial?"
"Not particularly. I didn't want to watch you wallow in your success."
"I didn't do much wallowing tonight."
She moved to sit across from him, opting for the floor rather than the chair. She glanced at the slowly emptying room, knowing how secluded they appeared, sitting away from the heart of things.
"Where are your comrades?"
A soft smile flickered across his lips, "Reveling."
"Why-" she began, but stopped, deciding it wasn't important. His eyes settled on hers.
"It gets repetitive, Lily," he said simply.
"Constant repetition tends to make life stale," she said quietly, "but we all have routines."
He studied her for a moment, before nodding and saying, "That's somewhat inevitable, but I like to take a break from time to time."
Lily smiled gently, drawing her knees to her chest, "How's your head?"
"Better," he laughed, "I think my pride may have suffered more." He rubbed the back of his head, his fingers brushing the sensitive knot that had formed.
"It will heal," she offered, resting her chin on her knees. It made her look incredibly childlike, he thought. Her hair fell to her shoulders, framing her face. The warm light from the fireplace gave her skin a vibrant glow. She was so beautiful….
"So, when do things go back to the way they were? Between us, I mean?" He said it as lightly as possible, but she knew he was serious.
Her smile faltered, "Don't ask me questions like that, James."
"Questions you don't know the answer to?" He saw her brows furrow and relented, "Alright, Evans."
They sat in silence, listening to the crackling of flames from the fireplace, Lily wearing a somber expression and staring at the floor. Most of the remaining students had given up for the night. Only two third-years remained, the only other people in the room.
"What is it?"
She glanced up, his voice breaking her from her thoughts. "Nothing, just thinking."
"That's vague."
"Yes."
"Care to tell me what about?"
"Not really." Lily leaned against the base of the chair. Her brain seemed to be working in overdrive. How long before it shut down, she mused. "Can I ask you something?"
"You'd ask if I told you 'no'," he smiled, "so go ahead."
"Don't you ever feel like you're wasting your time here?" She sat up straight, "The whole world is falling apart and you're doing essays. Somehow that seems a bit trivial to me, in the scheme of things…"
James stared at her silently, making her feel awkward at her outburst. She sighed, "I don't know what to think anymore…It just doesn't feel right, with everything that is going on, and people just ignore it. Why am I the only one that can see there is something wrong here?" She fell back against the chair, exhaling slowly.
"Open your eyes, Lily. There a quite a few people, besides you, who are thinking exactly that same thing," James said, "Don't think you're alone, here."
"It doesn't seem to bother you," she said, harsher than she intended. Damn it, Lily, she thought, he's listening to you and you're being an arse. Good job.
"Well, we don't all wear our emotions on our sleeves," he told her, raising his eyebrows.
"Sorry, it just plagues me everyday."
"You're worried," he said.
"How astute, James."
"About your father."
Her eyes widened, her body becoming rigid, "Glad to see the Ministry could provide such wonderful conversation topics," she said coldly, "How much information does your father relay to you?"
"Lily, it's not like that. You know that."
"I do. But I also know that having someone like my father in league with the Ministry must seem very interesting," she spat, her anger not towards James, but rather at the situation.
"What your father does is very brave, Lily." He looked at her softly, watching as she curled her hands into fists.
"He's….a…bloody…fool." Her eyes focused on his, "It's not brave, it's suicidal." She dug her nails into the palms of her hands. "Gathering information like some sort of secret service agent…. the fact that he's not a wizard isn't going to cover him, it's just another danger!"
"He's not going to do anything stupid. I don't think he'd risk that. Not when he has you, and well, your family."
Lily's expression turned from anger to disgust. "Family? How comforting. Mum's in denial and my sister," she massaged the bridge of her nose, her head aching fiercely, " she's not exactly concerned with any of it."
"When was the last time you talked to him?"
"Talked? It's been too long…the last letter he wrote is from over two months ago."
"It's hard to-," he began, but she shot him a glare.
"I know that."
"I'm sorry. Not my place."
"Why am I even talking to you about this?" she muttered. She closed her eyes, her headache throbbing painfully. She needed to go to sleep, to quit mauling this about.
"Don't carry this around by yourself, Lily. It will only make it harder to deal with."
"Damn you, since when do you care about other people's feelings?"
James smiled, " I am human. There's compassion in here somewhere."
Lily sighed, letting out a quiet laugh. "Ok…alright." She studied him wordlessly, and then reached out to take his hand. "Thanks." James responded by giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Good night, Evans." He rose to his feet, offering her a weary smile before climbing the steps to his room.
~~**~~
A/N: So, that's chapter six. I realize that the only characters in it were James and Lily, and that it was extremely short, but I really think this chapter was an important one. Just a quiet moment between the two of them before the storm. I don't know why James seemed so…well…depressed at the end of the chapter, but I guess it'll work itself out later. So, review if you'd like. Wow, this sense of melancholy has really settled on me. Sorry for the lack of lightheartedness in this chapter. That is the way life goes, though. The good times with the bad and all that. Till next chapter….
