Chapter Twelve
James sat next to a, still, unconscious Lily. He hadn't moved since he had set her down in that bed nearly three hours ago.
Lily, I'm sorry. I was a prat. Please be ok, James had pleaded silently. God, if you really do exist, I will give you anything if let her be okay. I know what went into that cauldron. Just make sure she's okay and I will do anything you ask. Even give her up.
Fifteen minutes after making his silent pledge he was asleep. He held her hand in his, and laid his head next to her on the bed, still sitting in the chair Madame Pomfrey had let him use.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Errrg," Lily's head was pounding. Why was there so much damn light? She briefly contemplated asking someone to turn it off when she noticed the messy head next to her hand.
"James," she whispered. His head came up like a jack-in-the-box.
"Lily? Are you okay? Is something wrong? Can I get you anything?" the questions came shooting out before he could stem the flow of concern.
"Ack, you're too loud."
"Sorry," he said quietly.
"What were you doing with Snape in the dungeon? Alone?"
"James, we were working on Potions. I wanted to be ready."
"You could have asked me, or one of the other Marauders. Sirius is good at potions, and Remus isn't bad either."
"But James you were still mad at me, I knew if I asked one of them they would say something to you. And well, I just didn't want you to know. I'm sorry."
"Lily, will you forgive me?"
"What for? You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who lied to you."
"For not believing you and not telling you the truth."
"What truth? You've always been perfectly honest with me."
"No, I haven't. You see, when we were in second year, you were helping me with Charms, and well, geez this is hard, I kind of really liked you."
"James you were twelve years old. Besides I left."
"Yeah, but I never told you and I kinda regretted never telling you that I did."
Lily had to smile at that. It was sweet that he was admitting something like that. A seventeen year old boy telling her he had been embarrassed about liking her when they were little.
"Lily?"
"Yes James?"
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Where had that come from? Lily just sat in silence. She couldn't think of anything to say to that.
"Er, well just think about it." James was a little disappointed, but At least she didn't look repulsed by the idea, he thought. She just needs to think about it. After all, she had looked rather stunned by his announcement.
"Well, you are kind of cute," said Lily, feeling a blush rise up her cheeks. "And even though you were kind of an ass when I was younger, now I think you've grown up a little bit. I guess what I'm saying is, why not? What the hell, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" And with a smile, she fell back asleep.
James sat by her side. She looked peaceful and calm and a slight smile played at her lips as she slept. James smiled. Even as a chubby kid, she had been pretty. After all, you don't have to be skinny to be pretty. James hated that you had to be a waif to be considered gorgeous.
At that moment, Professor McGonagall burst through the door and saw Lily sleeping on the bed with James by her side.
"Mr. Potter," she spluttered. "What are you doing in here? You should be in bed. You have classes tomorrow. You also have Head Duties to attend to, and since Mademoiselle is indisposed you will have to attend them yourself. Now come with me, I have several matters to discuss with you.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
James spent the next hour in a meeting with the Dumbledore and the other Heads of Houses. During which time they discussed disciplinary matters, and several incidents with a loose vacuum cleaner on the third floor.
"The thing needs to be destroyed," claimed the Hufflepuff Head of House.
"The dratted thing keeps dodging all the curses and potions, sucking them up, Lindsey," said Dumbledore.
"You could just trap the thing and leave it to rot," interjected James, when the conversation came to a halt, as the professors contemplated their options.
"And how pray tell would we do that?" asked a very irate McGonagall.
"Simple, Professor Dumbledore said that the vacuum likes to clean, so we leave a pile of dirt at one end of the corridor for it to suck up, as a distraction. Then, we leave a small trail of dust, or mud, to an open door and another pile of grime in the room. And when it goes to clean up the mess we lock it in. Since I don't believe that it has any magical powers in its own right, other than being animate it should work, and eventually it will tire out. And in the event that it doesn't, I don't see how it would be a problem to leave it locked away."
"You know what James, I believe that is an excellent suggestion. Present it to at the next Prefect Meeting and sort out the: who, what, where, when, and how. I dare say that this will be over in a matter of days."
Up Coming: Lily gets better. Our little love birds go on a date. The prefects battle the rabid vacuum.
James sat next to a, still, unconscious Lily. He hadn't moved since he had set her down in that bed nearly three hours ago.
Lily, I'm sorry. I was a prat. Please be ok, James had pleaded silently. God, if you really do exist, I will give you anything if let her be okay. I know what went into that cauldron. Just make sure she's okay and I will do anything you ask. Even give her up.
Fifteen minutes after making his silent pledge he was asleep. He held her hand in his, and laid his head next to her on the bed, still sitting in the chair Madame Pomfrey had let him use.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Errrg," Lily's head was pounding. Why was there so much damn light? She briefly contemplated asking someone to turn it off when she noticed the messy head next to her hand.
"James," she whispered. His head came up like a jack-in-the-box.
"Lily? Are you okay? Is something wrong? Can I get you anything?" the questions came shooting out before he could stem the flow of concern.
"Ack, you're too loud."
"Sorry," he said quietly.
"What were you doing with Snape in the dungeon? Alone?"
"James, we were working on Potions. I wanted to be ready."
"You could have asked me, or one of the other Marauders. Sirius is good at potions, and Remus isn't bad either."
"But James you were still mad at me, I knew if I asked one of them they would say something to you. And well, I just didn't want you to know. I'm sorry."
"Lily, will you forgive me?"
"What for? You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who lied to you."
"For not believing you and not telling you the truth."
"What truth? You've always been perfectly honest with me."
"No, I haven't. You see, when we were in second year, you were helping me with Charms, and well, geez this is hard, I kind of really liked you."
"James you were twelve years old. Besides I left."
"Yeah, but I never told you and I kinda regretted never telling you that I did."
Lily had to smile at that. It was sweet that he was admitting something like that. A seventeen year old boy telling her he had been embarrassed about liking her when they were little.
"Lily?"
"Yes James?"
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Where had that come from? Lily just sat in silence. She couldn't think of anything to say to that.
"Er, well just think about it." James was a little disappointed, but At least she didn't look repulsed by the idea, he thought. She just needs to think about it. After all, she had looked rather stunned by his announcement.
"Well, you are kind of cute," said Lily, feeling a blush rise up her cheeks. "And even though you were kind of an ass when I was younger, now I think you've grown up a little bit. I guess what I'm saying is, why not? What the hell, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" And with a smile, she fell back asleep.
James sat by her side. She looked peaceful and calm and a slight smile played at her lips as she slept. James smiled. Even as a chubby kid, she had been pretty. After all, you don't have to be skinny to be pretty. James hated that you had to be a waif to be considered gorgeous.
At that moment, Professor McGonagall burst through the door and saw Lily sleeping on the bed with James by her side.
"Mr. Potter," she spluttered. "What are you doing in here? You should be in bed. You have classes tomorrow. You also have Head Duties to attend to, and since Mademoiselle is indisposed you will have to attend them yourself. Now come with me, I have several matters to discuss with you.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
James spent the next hour in a meeting with the Dumbledore and the other Heads of Houses. During which time they discussed disciplinary matters, and several incidents with a loose vacuum cleaner on the third floor.
"The thing needs to be destroyed," claimed the Hufflepuff Head of House.
"The dratted thing keeps dodging all the curses and potions, sucking them up, Lindsey," said Dumbledore.
"You could just trap the thing and leave it to rot," interjected James, when the conversation came to a halt, as the professors contemplated their options.
"And how pray tell would we do that?" asked a very irate McGonagall.
"Simple, Professor Dumbledore said that the vacuum likes to clean, so we leave a pile of dirt at one end of the corridor for it to suck up, as a distraction. Then, we leave a small trail of dust, or mud, to an open door and another pile of grime in the room. And when it goes to clean up the mess we lock it in. Since I don't believe that it has any magical powers in its own right, other than being animate it should work, and eventually it will tire out. And in the event that it doesn't, I don't see how it would be a problem to leave it locked away."
"You know what James, I believe that is an excellent suggestion. Present it to at the next Prefect Meeting and sort out the: who, what, where, when, and how. I dare say that this will be over in a matter of days."
Up Coming: Lily gets better. Our little love birds go on a date. The prefects battle the rabid vacuum.