A/N-AHHHH! THE MUSHROOM MAN IS STALKING ME!!! Oh ha! Hello! Okay, to the
point. That took way too long! Sorry! You don't want the excuses I have, do
you? DO YOU???
Utterly thanks to:
~Loony bout Lupin-Thanks! Maybe you should update? Hehe!
~LiLy*eVaNs*PoTTeR2-Nasty! Bbq ribs in bread! Sick! Thank you though! Enjoy!
~Jennifleur-More Fat Lady? Hmmm. Did you like her, a lot? I see if I can fit her in the next chappie ;-) Hope you like this chapter!
~Sunkissed-Moonlight-Yes! They do make everything seem so simple, don't they? Thanks tons!
~FiFtH MaRaUdEr ChIk-Your name is cool to spell! It's nice to know you like it! Could you pweety pweeze update your story??? I love it! Thanks! And enjoy!
~Bombshell-Thanks! Oh poor, poor you! Evil children, eh? Haha! I hope you'll like this chappie!
~Pencil Scrapings-Oh goodie! You liked it! That's all I can say for now! Enjoy!
~Agloechen-Thanks! I'm sort of in the process of making them better friends, but we'll see! I hope you'll like this chappie!
~Crazyinluv-Your cafeteria sound AWFUL! I mean, shouldn't the people ask what we actually don't gag on? Thanks though! Enjoy!
~Crazyblonde-Thanks! Hey, I read your story, very well done! I don't usually read H/D fics, but yours is really excellent! Hope you'll like this chappie!
~Harryforeva- Hiya! Thanks for the review! Please read this chappie ;-)
~Dancincheerchik- Thank you! Thank you! Bouncy chicken nuggets! That made me laugh! I guess I'm lucky I don't have them! Mine are always looking like they had just made them, not cooked. Geez, they should know better!
~Diana-It's okay that you haven't reviewed! I'm busy, too. Isn't everyone now? Thank you anyway! Enjoy!
~lghtAngel- Here's another chappie! Hope you're happy! Enjoy! And thanks!
~Anna L. Black-Thank you! I really hope that you'll like this!
~Volume-Wow! Loads of reviews! It was scary! But thank you! I'm glad you like it! You should be 'o2rm' now!
~Tangerine-Speedo- Thanks! You'll adjust to the site, no worries there ;-) I'm honoured to be the first author for you to be reviewing! Haha! I read your bio and, yeah, you're right! We sound alike, sorta! Enjoy!
~Spunky Melon- I love your name! So cool! No no! I don't think I have the wonderful writing skills, I think it's you who does! Your story rocks! Thanks and enjoy!
~Black Slytherin Girl-Nah. You're not gross! I do that too! I like to mix the milk (which is very nasty, mind you!) to the spaghetti and mash in some mashed potatoes. Let the nasty people unite! Haha! Enjoy!
!@#$%^&*()
Lily yawned as she got out of her bed on Saturday morning. The girls' dormitory was quiet since the rest of the girls were still sleeping in. Lily stretched, went into the bathroom and started the water for a nice shower.
After about ten minutes of showering and drying off, Lily combed out her hair in front of the large, ancient-looking mirror, gazing at herself. She never thought that she was pretty at all. She found her smooth red hair as ugly as sin, and her eyes a tad to green. Lily stopped combing all of a sudden. She had stopped her brushing because she had heard an unexpected, soft 'clunk' in the corner of the tiled bathroom.
Lily laid down the worn hair comb on the hard marble tile next to the nearest sink. Her amazing green eyes darted around the room quickly, looking for the source of the noise. She saw absolutely nothing at all.
Then another abrupt 'clunk' sounded again, this time more near Lily. She moved back into the firm wall cautiously, becoming more scared each second. Who knew what was lurking in the castle?
"Who's t-there?" Lily stuttered.
"It's me," A very familiar voice said near her ear.
Lily whipped her head around and replied hesitantly, "James?"
In a blur of motion, James' head appeared in midair, scaring Lily, almost to death. She gave a yelp and fell on the cold, hard floor.
"Don't scare yourself even more, Lily," James chuckled, his whole body appearing suddenly.
A soft, strange cloak fell to the ground behind James.
"How'd you get here? And what in the world is that?" Lily asked him, staring at the unusual piece of material lying in a bunch on the floor.
"Oh! That's just the Invisibility Cloak my father handed down to me," He began, waving at the cloak carelessly.
"Really?" Lily said, obviously amazed, "I heard about those in some book I read lately! It said that they were extremely rare and very well made and-"
"Whoa! What did you eat for breakfast? A dictionary?" James responded, holding up his hands.
Lily snorted.
"No. Now that you mention it, I haven't even had breakfast yet," She said, still sitting on the tiles.
He held his hand out for her to get up off the tiled floor, and Lily accepted it gratefully. She gazed at him with her green eyes, suddenly looking awestricken.
"And why are you here?" Lily asked uncertainly.
"Well, I, er, I just wanted to see you, undetected," He said, and started to grin, "But I guess I blew my cover."
"Okay . . ." Lily said slowly, "Wait! Did you, did you see me take a shower?"
"No! Of course not! Why would I?" James answered hastily.
"Well, with your history . . ." Lily smiled, turning to pick up her brush.
But Lily trusted James. If he said he didn't, then she believed he didn't. Now, on the other hand, if James were to say he ate a llama, she probably wouldn't.
"Oh, shuddup!" James said harshly.
"Oh! Jamie-poo! It's so true! I mean, just how many girls have you gone out with since the tender age of 6?" Lily asked in a high-pitched, flattery voice, very like the one of Leslie Trecas.
James shuddered.
"Please, Lily! Don't do that!" He said in a whiney tone.
"All right, then," She replied sympathetically, walking out of the Gryffindor girls' bathroom.
James picked up his Invisibility Cloak and followed obediently behind her into the dormitory. Lily put away her brush and her wet towel away in a drawer in her small bedside table. James quietly sat down on her creaky, old-looking bed, taking in his surroundings.
He had never been in the Gryffindor girls' dormitories, surprisingly. James wasn't at all surprised by the fact of it being way neater than his dormitory. The boys' rooms were waded with so many robes and towels that you could hardly distinguish the burgundy carpeted floor from the Hogwarts cloaks.
Lily brushed her wet hair away from her eyes. Her hair looked almost brown now, since the water had darkened it. She sat down on the bed beside James, not saying anything at the moment.
Silence was the only thing heard in the dormitory. The rest of the Gryffindor girls were sleeping peacefully, not making a single sound. Why should they wake up? It was Saturday, for heaven sake!
"Oh! I just remembered! It's a Hogsmeade weekend!" Lily exclaimed suddenly, but softly enough not to wake anyone.
"You just remembered?" James teased with a grin.
"Yes! I don't get all worked up about shopping like most girls do!" She retorted, gesturing casually with her hand at the other slumbering girls.
"I see that," He replied, still smiling.
"Who are you going with? Anyone special?" Lily asked, leaning back on the bed comfortably.
"I can't go."
"Why not?"
"I have detention, unfortunately," James said, with a sad grin on his face.
"What did you do this time?" Lily inquired, jabbing a waggling finger in his chest jokingly.
"Well, I stole Davies boxers and made them a portrait," He said slowly.
Lily burst out laughing.
"That was you?" She giggled.
"Who else would it be?"
"You're completely right! I have to admit, it was an ingenious idea!"
"It was," James grinned.
"It was," Lily echoed.
A movement came from the bed next to Lily's. A grumpy looking Audrey sat up sluggishly and rubbed her eyes.
"Lils?" She asked groggily, squinting her eyes to look at both Lily and James.
"Yes?" Her friend answered.
"Oh, is the shower fre-who's that?" Audrey stopped, rubbing her eyes wearily again.
"It's James," James jumped in.
"James Potter?" Audrey managed to squeak out.
"That's me," He smiled at her.
"Oh," She muttered uncomfortably.
"It's okay, Aud!" Lily laughed, "He won't bite!"
Audrey quickly hopped out of bed and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her lightly. Lily and James heard the soft pounding of water against the shower's floor.
"Well. That was odd," James said truthfully in the silence.
"Audrey's not a morning person, I suppose," Lily answered, shrugging her shoulder carelessly.
"I better get to my detention," James said, looking at his watch, "I'm almost late anyway."
"Go then! Don't waste your time with me!" She said with widened eyes.
'I can never waste time when I'm with you, Lily.' James thought as he jumped off the bed, heading toward the door.
He turned back to Lily and said sheepishly, "Uh, can you come down the stairs with me?"
Lily looked at him with a confused expression on her face.
"Sure. But why?"
"The stairs will turn into a tube, since I'm a boy," He answered, smiling.
"Wouldn't that be fun, though?"
"Maybe."
Lily hopped off her old bed and followed James out the door. The spiral staircase immediately transfigured into an amazing looking stone tube.
James yelled in glee as he flew down the pipe. Lily laughed at his antics but in the meantime, slid on the stone and fell, sliding down the transformed stairs.
She shrieked, expecting to fall on the hard Common Room floor. Instead, at the end of the tube, she landed on something very soft and squishy.
All the while, Lily had had her eyes shut. She opened them and saw James' soft hazel eyes. She blushed and turned her gaze away from his face. She was lying right smack on top of James Potter.
"Fancy seeing you here," He whispered with his popular Potter grin.
"Oh yes," She replied, smiling too.
She rolled of him in embarrassment and stood up. She brushed herself off and held out her hand to James.
He was surprised. Lily offering her hand to him? He inwardly grinned.
James took her hand and stood up as well.
He met her clear green eyes and said reluctantly, "I have to go."
Lily nodded.
"Don't want to make the professor mad!" She said in a mock-disappointed voice.
"Yep! I'm off!" James said as he strode to the Portrait Hole.
He waved to Lily, who was standing alone in the empty Common Room, gazing at him. She waved back and he left.
Lily sighed and fell down in a common red chair by the fireplace.
~~**~~
The weather in Hogsmeade was cold, and snowy, much to the inhabitants' surprise. The Hogwarts students were roaming about, gathering Christmas gifts and stocking up on supplies. The day of Christmas was approaching very fast, making everyone hustle and bustle around for presents.
Lily shivered in the cold and wrapped her Hogwarts cloak closer to her body. The softly falling white snow was going down her neck, making her wet and chilly.
Audrey was with her, chatting merrily and gazing in shop windows. Her long brown hair was covered in white fluff (A/N-a.k.a. snow) and her brown eyes were darting around, taking in the new snow.
Lily wasn't paying any attention to Audrey's pointless chatter. Her mind was on James, who was in detention at the moment. She inwardly blushed as she thought of the 'Incident of the Tube'. That's what Lily had called it, because she was so embarrassed. She was sure that it was absolutely normal for James to have a girl on top of him in the Common Room.
"Lils?" Audrey asked her.
Lily's thoughts snapped back to reality. She looked at Audrey's concerned face.
"Yeah?" She answered.
"Are you okay?" Audrey said looking at her friend with big, brown eyes full of worry, "You're not usually like this."
"I'm fine!" Lily replied, smiling.
"No, you're not!" Audrey shook her head.
"I am!"
"Nope!"
The two Gryffindor girls walked along the rows of decorated shops, quarreling jokingly. Further along the road, they passed a grungy looking bar with an old, cracked, wooden, swinging sign that said 'The Hogs Head'. They both peered on the inside, though a dusty window and saw scary looking people in black cloaks, which were discussing something very loudly.
"-But he said that the fireplace would be raided!" A deep voice grunted hoarsely, taking swig of a yellow liquid.
"You can't raid a fireplace, idiot!" Another man's voice retorted.
"Well, it's what HE said. But he is getting old, all crippled and shrunken- " The first man said bluntly but was cut off.
"He better not hear you say that!" A sharp female's voice said.
Lily turned away from the dirty window and whispered to Audrey, "Let's get out of here."
Audrey nodded and they scurried away from the entrance of 'The Hogs Head'. They walked a few minutes until they came to a stop where many students were milling about. A wooden house with mold and planks hanging off it was sitting on the top of a small hill. Many people, mostly Hogwarts students, where standing by a fence, pointing at it with interest. It was the Shrieking Shack.
"Isn't it freaky?" An unfamiliar voice said behind Lily.
Lily turned and saw a handsome, brown-haired boy with sparkling blue eyes. She judged he was about sixteen years old.
She smiled and replied, "It is pretty scary."
The boy nodded and gazed at the shack again.
"It's said that maniac ghosts live in it, ripping up the place with their own bare, cold hands," He said, being a bit over dramatic in Lily's opinion.
'Too many science-fiction books,' Lily thought, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, that's stupid!" Audrey said indignantly.
The brown-haired boy raised an eyebrow at her and replied, "How so?"
"It just is! First of all, ghosts can't rip anything! They can't even hold a candle! Second . . ." Audrey went on.
Lily stared at the Shrieking Shack. Audrey was right. Ghost couldn't do that much damage. She figured it was some sort of creature, but didn't really care. She slumped down on the snow-covered grass on the edge of the hill. Lily looked around her, bored. Audrey and the blue-eyed boy were still arguing about what tore up the Shrieking Shack. Not Lily's idea of fun.
Something wet and freezing hit the side of Lily's face, sliding down into her cloak. She looked around for the person who threw the snowball, but only saw Audrey and the boy, still chatting, a few Hufflepuffs and two Ravenclaws.
"Hi Lily!" A cheery voice said next to her left ear.
She quickly turned her head but saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. Then she remembered.
"James?" She called uncertainly.
"Yeah?" The voice said.
Lily could hear him smile under the Invisibility Cloak.
She grinned and said in a singsong voice, "Where are you?"
"Right here," He answered and uncovered himself from the cloak.
Lily smiled and patted the ground beside her, mentioning for him to sit. James' hazel eyes twinkled and he shook his head.
"I'm not supposed to be here," He said, "I'm in detention." He winked at her.
"Oh!" Lily said understandingly, playing along.
There was a shuffle of feet and Audrey was standing in front of her, frowning.
"Talking to yourself, Lily?" She asked.
"No, just, er, humming to myself," Lily replied.
She turned her head to see if James had covered himself back up. He was nowhere to be seen. Lily knew he must have been laughing under the Invisibility Cloak. The thought made her smile inwardly.
Lily got up from the soaking ground and said, "Ready to do some shopping?"
Audrey looked at the ground and shook her head.
"Is it okay if I go somewhere with Travis?" She asked Lily with puppy dog eyes.
"Who?"
"Travis. The boy I've been talking with," Audrey said, gesturing to the blue-eyed, brown-haired boy that was sauntering up behind her.
"Oh, sure!" Lily said.
Audrey looked relieved.
"Thanks!"
"Welcome," Lily murmured as her friend walked back to 'Travis'.
She seriously didn't mind her going. Audrey hadn't been with a boy in so long anyway. Plus, she could roam around with James if she wanted.
"Lily?" James' unsure voice came.
Lily looked back at the Shrieking Shack, which was where the voice had come from. James stood there, not hidden in his cloak, with his messy black hair and his hazel eyes illuminated in the darkening sky's light.
"Yes?" Lily answered James' call.
He moved toward her in the cold snow, his Invisibility Cloak in one hand. James caught up with her and grinned.
"Need a shopping partner?"
"Yep!"
James grabbed her arm enthusiastically and dragged her down the street, grinning all the way. He turned and looked at Lily with his lovable eyes and smiled.
It was then that Lily was sure that she was the luckiest girl on earth.
!@#$%^&*()
A/N-Oh! How good of you to read it! I made it long, to make you happy. It was terrible, wasn't it? Please review! You know, I just noticed something! The title of this story is very stupid! Don't ya think? 'Unwanted Duties' **tsk tsk** What WAS I thinking??? I dunno.
For the I Really Really REALLY Hate Homework Club-
Last questionino- What is the grossest food your cafeteria sells?
Fried chicken-1
Bbq pork ribs in bread-1
Chicken leg (with plastic and blood, hehe!)-1
Soggy grilled cheese-1
Cooked but still gooey cookie bars-1
Shrimp poppers-1
Chili- ΒΌ
Potato Soup-1/4
Broccoli-1/4
Cheese-1/4
Bouncy chicken nuggets-1
Pasta with sauce with stuff that cannot be explained ;-) -1
Coleslaw-1
Mushy and Gushy Lasagna-1
Next questionino (another brilliant idea from Sunkissed-Moonlight)- Why do you think teachers ALWAYS cover up half the projection from the overhead projector with another piece of paper?
Thanks!
OH NO! HERE COMES THE MUSHROOM MAN AGAIN!!!
~CaRm~
Utterly thanks to:
~Loony bout Lupin-Thanks! Maybe you should update? Hehe!
~LiLy*eVaNs*PoTTeR2-Nasty! Bbq ribs in bread! Sick! Thank you though! Enjoy!
~Jennifleur-More Fat Lady? Hmmm. Did you like her, a lot? I see if I can fit her in the next chappie ;-) Hope you like this chapter!
~Sunkissed-Moonlight-Yes! They do make everything seem so simple, don't they? Thanks tons!
~FiFtH MaRaUdEr ChIk-Your name is cool to spell! It's nice to know you like it! Could you pweety pweeze update your story??? I love it! Thanks! And enjoy!
~Bombshell-Thanks! Oh poor, poor you! Evil children, eh? Haha! I hope you'll like this chappie!
~Pencil Scrapings-Oh goodie! You liked it! That's all I can say for now! Enjoy!
~Agloechen-Thanks! I'm sort of in the process of making them better friends, but we'll see! I hope you'll like this chappie!
~Crazyinluv-Your cafeteria sound AWFUL! I mean, shouldn't the people ask what we actually don't gag on? Thanks though! Enjoy!
~Crazyblonde-Thanks! Hey, I read your story, very well done! I don't usually read H/D fics, but yours is really excellent! Hope you'll like this chappie!
~Harryforeva- Hiya! Thanks for the review! Please read this chappie ;-)
~Dancincheerchik- Thank you! Thank you! Bouncy chicken nuggets! That made me laugh! I guess I'm lucky I don't have them! Mine are always looking like they had just made them, not cooked. Geez, they should know better!
~Diana-It's okay that you haven't reviewed! I'm busy, too. Isn't everyone now? Thank you anyway! Enjoy!
~lghtAngel- Here's another chappie! Hope you're happy! Enjoy! And thanks!
~Anna L. Black-Thank you! I really hope that you'll like this!
~Volume-Wow! Loads of reviews! It was scary! But thank you! I'm glad you like it! You should be 'o2rm' now!
~Tangerine-Speedo- Thanks! You'll adjust to the site, no worries there ;-) I'm honoured to be the first author for you to be reviewing! Haha! I read your bio and, yeah, you're right! We sound alike, sorta! Enjoy!
~Spunky Melon- I love your name! So cool! No no! I don't think I have the wonderful writing skills, I think it's you who does! Your story rocks! Thanks and enjoy!
~Black Slytherin Girl-Nah. You're not gross! I do that too! I like to mix the milk (which is very nasty, mind you!) to the spaghetti and mash in some mashed potatoes. Let the nasty people unite! Haha! Enjoy!
!@#$%^&*()
Lily yawned as she got out of her bed on Saturday morning. The girls' dormitory was quiet since the rest of the girls were still sleeping in. Lily stretched, went into the bathroom and started the water for a nice shower.
After about ten minutes of showering and drying off, Lily combed out her hair in front of the large, ancient-looking mirror, gazing at herself. She never thought that she was pretty at all. She found her smooth red hair as ugly as sin, and her eyes a tad to green. Lily stopped combing all of a sudden. She had stopped her brushing because she had heard an unexpected, soft 'clunk' in the corner of the tiled bathroom.
Lily laid down the worn hair comb on the hard marble tile next to the nearest sink. Her amazing green eyes darted around the room quickly, looking for the source of the noise. She saw absolutely nothing at all.
Then another abrupt 'clunk' sounded again, this time more near Lily. She moved back into the firm wall cautiously, becoming more scared each second. Who knew what was lurking in the castle?
"Who's t-there?" Lily stuttered.
"It's me," A very familiar voice said near her ear.
Lily whipped her head around and replied hesitantly, "James?"
In a blur of motion, James' head appeared in midair, scaring Lily, almost to death. She gave a yelp and fell on the cold, hard floor.
"Don't scare yourself even more, Lily," James chuckled, his whole body appearing suddenly.
A soft, strange cloak fell to the ground behind James.
"How'd you get here? And what in the world is that?" Lily asked him, staring at the unusual piece of material lying in a bunch on the floor.
"Oh! That's just the Invisibility Cloak my father handed down to me," He began, waving at the cloak carelessly.
"Really?" Lily said, obviously amazed, "I heard about those in some book I read lately! It said that they were extremely rare and very well made and-"
"Whoa! What did you eat for breakfast? A dictionary?" James responded, holding up his hands.
Lily snorted.
"No. Now that you mention it, I haven't even had breakfast yet," She said, still sitting on the tiles.
He held his hand out for her to get up off the tiled floor, and Lily accepted it gratefully. She gazed at him with her green eyes, suddenly looking awestricken.
"And why are you here?" Lily asked uncertainly.
"Well, I, er, I just wanted to see you, undetected," He said, and started to grin, "But I guess I blew my cover."
"Okay . . ." Lily said slowly, "Wait! Did you, did you see me take a shower?"
"No! Of course not! Why would I?" James answered hastily.
"Well, with your history . . ." Lily smiled, turning to pick up her brush.
But Lily trusted James. If he said he didn't, then she believed he didn't. Now, on the other hand, if James were to say he ate a llama, she probably wouldn't.
"Oh, shuddup!" James said harshly.
"Oh! Jamie-poo! It's so true! I mean, just how many girls have you gone out with since the tender age of 6?" Lily asked in a high-pitched, flattery voice, very like the one of Leslie Trecas.
James shuddered.
"Please, Lily! Don't do that!" He said in a whiney tone.
"All right, then," She replied sympathetically, walking out of the Gryffindor girls' bathroom.
James picked up his Invisibility Cloak and followed obediently behind her into the dormitory. Lily put away her brush and her wet towel away in a drawer in her small bedside table. James quietly sat down on her creaky, old-looking bed, taking in his surroundings.
He had never been in the Gryffindor girls' dormitories, surprisingly. James wasn't at all surprised by the fact of it being way neater than his dormitory. The boys' rooms were waded with so many robes and towels that you could hardly distinguish the burgundy carpeted floor from the Hogwarts cloaks.
Lily brushed her wet hair away from her eyes. Her hair looked almost brown now, since the water had darkened it. She sat down on the bed beside James, not saying anything at the moment.
Silence was the only thing heard in the dormitory. The rest of the Gryffindor girls were sleeping peacefully, not making a single sound. Why should they wake up? It was Saturday, for heaven sake!
"Oh! I just remembered! It's a Hogsmeade weekend!" Lily exclaimed suddenly, but softly enough not to wake anyone.
"You just remembered?" James teased with a grin.
"Yes! I don't get all worked up about shopping like most girls do!" She retorted, gesturing casually with her hand at the other slumbering girls.
"I see that," He replied, still smiling.
"Who are you going with? Anyone special?" Lily asked, leaning back on the bed comfortably.
"I can't go."
"Why not?"
"I have detention, unfortunately," James said, with a sad grin on his face.
"What did you do this time?" Lily inquired, jabbing a waggling finger in his chest jokingly.
"Well, I stole Davies boxers and made them a portrait," He said slowly.
Lily burst out laughing.
"That was you?" She giggled.
"Who else would it be?"
"You're completely right! I have to admit, it was an ingenious idea!"
"It was," James grinned.
"It was," Lily echoed.
A movement came from the bed next to Lily's. A grumpy looking Audrey sat up sluggishly and rubbed her eyes.
"Lils?" She asked groggily, squinting her eyes to look at both Lily and James.
"Yes?" Her friend answered.
"Oh, is the shower fre-who's that?" Audrey stopped, rubbing her eyes wearily again.
"It's James," James jumped in.
"James Potter?" Audrey managed to squeak out.
"That's me," He smiled at her.
"Oh," She muttered uncomfortably.
"It's okay, Aud!" Lily laughed, "He won't bite!"
Audrey quickly hopped out of bed and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her lightly. Lily and James heard the soft pounding of water against the shower's floor.
"Well. That was odd," James said truthfully in the silence.
"Audrey's not a morning person, I suppose," Lily answered, shrugging her shoulder carelessly.
"I better get to my detention," James said, looking at his watch, "I'm almost late anyway."
"Go then! Don't waste your time with me!" She said with widened eyes.
'I can never waste time when I'm with you, Lily.' James thought as he jumped off the bed, heading toward the door.
He turned back to Lily and said sheepishly, "Uh, can you come down the stairs with me?"
Lily looked at him with a confused expression on her face.
"Sure. But why?"
"The stairs will turn into a tube, since I'm a boy," He answered, smiling.
"Wouldn't that be fun, though?"
"Maybe."
Lily hopped off her old bed and followed James out the door. The spiral staircase immediately transfigured into an amazing looking stone tube.
James yelled in glee as he flew down the pipe. Lily laughed at his antics but in the meantime, slid on the stone and fell, sliding down the transformed stairs.
She shrieked, expecting to fall on the hard Common Room floor. Instead, at the end of the tube, she landed on something very soft and squishy.
All the while, Lily had had her eyes shut. She opened them and saw James' soft hazel eyes. She blushed and turned her gaze away from his face. She was lying right smack on top of James Potter.
"Fancy seeing you here," He whispered with his popular Potter grin.
"Oh yes," She replied, smiling too.
She rolled of him in embarrassment and stood up. She brushed herself off and held out her hand to James.
He was surprised. Lily offering her hand to him? He inwardly grinned.
James took her hand and stood up as well.
He met her clear green eyes and said reluctantly, "I have to go."
Lily nodded.
"Don't want to make the professor mad!" She said in a mock-disappointed voice.
"Yep! I'm off!" James said as he strode to the Portrait Hole.
He waved to Lily, who was standing alone in the empty Common Room, gazing at him. She waved back and he left.
Lily sighed and fell down in a common red chair by the fireplace.
~~**~~
The weather in Hogsmeade was cold, and snowy, much to the inhabitants' surprise. The Hogwarts students were roaming about, gathering Christmas gifts and stocking up on supplies. The day of Christmas was approaching very fast, making everyone hustle and bustle around for presents.
Lily shivered in the cold and wrapped her Hogwarts cloak closer to her body. The softly falling white snow was going down her neck, making her wet and chilly.
Audrey was with her, chatting merrily and gazing in shop windows. Her long brown hair was covered in white fluff (A/N-a.k.a. snow) and her brown eyes were darting around, taking in the new snow.
Lily wasn't paying any attention to Audrey's pointless chatter. Her mind was on James, who was in detention at the moment. She inwardly blushed as she thought of the 'Incident of the Tube'. That's what Lily had called it, because she was so embarrassed. She was sure that it was absolutely normal for James to have a girl on top of him in the Common Room.
"Lils?" Audrey asked her.
Lily's thoughts snapped back to reality. She looked at Audrey's concerned face.
"Yeah?" She answered.
"Are you okay?" Audrey said looking at her friend with big, brown eyes full of worry, "You're not usually like this."
"I'm fine!" Lily replied, smiling.
"No, you're not!" Audrey shook her head.
"I am!"
"Nope!"
The two Gryffindor girls walked along the rows of decorated shops, quarreling jokingly. Further along the road, they passed a grungy looking bar with an old, cracked, wooden, swinging sign that said 'The Hogs Head'. They both peered on the inside, though a dusty window and saw scary looking people in black cloaks, which were discussing something very loudly.
"-But he said that the fireplace would be raided!" A deep voice grunted hoarsely, taking swig of a yellow liquid.
"You can't raid a fireplace, idiot!" Another man's voice retorted.
"Well, it's what HE said. But he is getting old, all crippled and shrunken- " The first man said bluntly but was cut off.
"He better not hear you say that!" A sharp female's voice said.
Lily turned away from the dirty window and whispered to Audrey, "Let's get out of here."
Audrey nodded and they scurried away from the entrance of 'The Hogs Head'. They walked a few minutes until they came to a stop where many students were milling about. A wooden house with mold and planks hanging off it was sitting on the top of a small hill. Many people, mostly Hogwarts students, where standing by a fence, pointing at it with interest. It was the Shrieking Shack.
"Isn't it freaky?" An unfamiliar voice said behind Lily.
Lily turned and saw a handsome, brown-haired boy with sparkling blue eyes. She judged he was about sixteen years old.
She smiled and replied, "It is pretty scary."
The boy nodded and gazed at the shack again.
"It's said that maniac ghosts live in it, ripping up the place with their own bare, cold hands," He said, being a bit over dramatic in Lily's opinion.
'Too many science-fiction books,' Lily thought, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, that's stupid!" Audrey said indignantly.
The brown-haired boy raised an eyebrow at her and replied, "How so?"
"It just is! First of all, ghosts can't rip anything! They can't even hold a candle! Second . . ." Audrey went on.
Lily stared at the Shrieking Shack. Audrey was right. Ghost couldn't do that much damage. She figured it was some sort of creature, but didn't really care. She slumped down on the snow-covered grass on the edge of the hill. Lily looked around her, bored. Audrey and the blue-eyed boy were still arguing about what tore up the Shrieking Shack. Not Lily's idea of fun.
Something wet and freezing hit the side of Lily's face, sliding down into her cloak. She looked around for the person who threw the snowball, but only saw Audrey and the boy, still chatting, a few Hufflepuffs and two Ravenclaws.
"Hi Lily!" A cheery voice said next to her left ear.
She quickly turned her head but saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. Then she remembered.
"James?" She called uncertainly.
"Yeah?" The voice said.
Lily could hear him smile under the Invisibility Cloak.
She grinned and said in a singsong voice, "Where are you?"
"Right here," He answered and uncovered himself from the cloak.
Lily smiled and patted the ground beside her, mentioning for him to sit. James' hazel eyes twinkled and he shook his head.
"I'm not supposed to be here," He said, "I'm in detention." He winked at her.
"Oh!" Lily said understandingly, playing along.
There was a shuffle of feet and Audrey was standing in front of her, frowning.
"Talking to yourself, Lily?" She asked.
"No, just, er, humming to myself," Lily replied.
She turned her head to see if James had covered himself back up. He was nowhere to be seen. Lily knew he must have been laughing under the Invisibility Cloak. The thought made her smile inwardly.
Lily got up from the soaking ground and said, "Ready to do some shopping?"
Audrey looked at the ground and shook her head.
"Is it okay if I go somewhere with Travis?" She asked Lily with puppy dog eyes.
"Who?"
"Travis. The boy I've been talking with," Audrey said, gesturing to the blue-eyed, brown-haired boy that was sauntering up behind her.
"Oh, sure!" Lily said.
Audrey looked relieved.
"Thanks!"
"Welcome," Lily murmured as her friend walked back to 'Travis'.
She seriously didn't mind her going. Audrey hadn't been with a boy in so long anyway. Plus, she could roam around with James if she wanted.
"Lily?" James' unsure voice came.
Lily looked back at the Shrieking Shack, which was where the voice had come from. James stood there, not hidden in his cloak, with his messy black hair and his hazel eyes illuminated in the darkening sky's light.
"Yes?" Lily answered James' call.
He moved toward her in the cold snow, his Invisibility Cloak in one hand. James caught up with her and grinned.
"Need a shopping partner?"
"Yep!"
James grabbed her arm enthusiastically and dragged her down the street, grinning all the way. He turned and looked at Lily with his lovable eyes and smiled.
It was then that Lily was sure that she was the luckiest girl on earth.
!@#$%^&*()
A/N-Oh! How good of you to read it! I made it long, to make you happy. It was terrible, wasn't it? Please review! You know, I just noticed something! The title of this story is very stupid! Don't ya think? 'Unwanted Duties' **tsk tsk** What WAS I thinking??? I dunno.
For the I Really Really REALLY Hate Homework Club-
Last questionino- What is the grossest food your cafeteria sells?
Fried chicken-1
Bbq pork ribs in bread-1
Chicken leg (with plastic and blood, hehe!)-1
Soggy grilled cheese-1
Cooked but still gooey cookie bars-1
Shrimp poppers-1
Chili- ΒΌ
Potato Soup-1/4
Broccoli-1/4
Cheese-1/4
Bouncy chicken nuggets-1
Pasta with sauce with stuff that cannot be explained ;-) -1
Coleslaw-1
Mushy and Gushy Lasagna-1
Next questionino (another brilliant idea from Sunkissed-Moonlight)- Why do you think teachers ALWAYS cover up half the projection from the overhead projector with another piece of paper?
Thanks!
OH NO! HERE COMES THE MUSHROOM MAN AGAIN!!!
~CaRm~
