Later that night, a stiff and tired Peter was woken by the return of James, Sirius, and Remus. He was still in the fetal position he had fallen asleep in four hours ago. He yawned and stretched, his aching muscles screaming. James, Sirius, and Remus clustered around his vacated armchair, and looked down at him with concern. "Allright, Peter?" James asked, "Were you there all that time?" The furrow already lining Peter's brow deepened as he though, "Phaw. What time is it? I feel awful." He experimentaly flexed an arm. Sirius leaned in for a closer inspection, "Whoa, Mate!" he exclaimed, "There are lines in your face where you were lying on the edge of the chair!" Peter raised his right hand to his cheek, "Really. Oh..........well. I'm off." He started for the stairs very stiffly. The three glanced at Peter's retreating back, and then followed him up to the tower dormitory.
**************************** Back in the girls' side, Lily and Alex were chatting late into the night, having a little catch-up and sharing some gossip. Lily was in the middle of telling Alex a story about what James had done for her sixteenth birthday, when their year mate, Eloise, burst in puffing. Alex was the first to speak, saying, "Eloise? What ever is the matter? Haven't you heard of knocking!?" Eloise continued to pant for awhile, then explained, "I was.....in the common room....you know...who I like. Well he was asleep there and I was watching him from a corner....and then his other three friends came.....and I had to run so as not to be seen by them." Lily heaved a sigh, "Ohh............I thought........something really terrible had happened." After changing into sleep wear, Eloise joined the three in their gossip circle where they talked into the wee hours of the morning.
******************************
For Lily the next day started early. She was up with the sun as promised the night before. Dawn was brisk in early December, but Lily lived it to it's fullest. She flung herself out of bed at the first sign of light, auburn hair flashing. She was not so eager once her bare feet hit the cold stone floor of the dormitories. Withdrawing her still-warm feet from the flagstones, she groped for her slippers. In the process she managed to waken her other groggy year mates. They were not pleased. Insults were shouted, pillows were thrown, and all around chaos ensued. Once the feathers were settled and almost everyone else back into their warm beds, Lily made her way to the prefect's bathrooms. White towels and warm water welcomed her. Torches were still ablaze in the half-lit bathroom, casting deep shadows, and making the once-merry room seem more sinister than usual. Brushing off such thoughts, she undressed and slipped into the bath, enjoying warm water and a vast supply of bubble bath.
****************************** Freshly washed and clean, Lily flew from the bathrooms to the common room. As usual, James was there, unaccompanied by his three best friends this time. He greeted Lily, his deep black hair still damp from a bath of his own. She tousled it playfully and sat beside him, enjoying his presence. He pulled her closer, and into his arms, "I love you." he whispered softly, letting the words linger on his lips and in his kisses. Later on, when the two had finished their "morning routine", the friends met up in the Great Hall, enjoying talk and food at the same time. Peter sat a little off from the group thinkning of things only known to him. Alex was the one who invited him over to the group, asking him to pass her the butter. He obliged and moved closer, still off in his own little world.
*******************************
Leif woke. In the arms of.......WHAT?????.....Lucius Malfoy???? It was too much. She fainted dead away again. Coming to several minutes later, all she saw was his face, his expression. His expression......was it concern? Or cruel humour disguised? She decided it was concern judgeing by the way he had acted lately....friendly to her. Weird. Then she realized she was in the prefect's bathrooms. Naked. NAKED????!!!! She looked down at herself, and was found to be wearing her towel. And she was what??? In the arms of Malfoy!!! She looked at him. He was also wearing a towel. Green, Fluffy, soft. Then she realized she was staring, and looked away, embarassed. Then it occured to her that she could, in fact, move. She tried to sit up, but only managed to hit the top of her head on Lucius' chin. He looked down at her, startled, then managed to speak, "Oh...." he said, "You're awake." Leif managed sarcasm and a smirk, "Yeah. I am. Good observation." She thought for a while, then spoke, "Did you.....by any chance........happen to save me?" He was looking at her now, "Yeah, I suppose." He thought some more, "Didn't you want me to?" Leif looked up at him, "Yes." she replied, "I think it was kind of brave of you." Malfoy held her gaze, "That's good. I really..........I really like you Leif." Leif started to say that he had a girlfriend, but she closed her mouth quickly, on account of Lucius Malfoy leaning down and kissing her. She had no choice but to let it happen, and enjoy it if she could.
***************************** Later, both of them dressed, and Leif thinking somewhat straighter, they met up in a nook of the common room.Leif was first to speak, "Lucius." she said, keeping her voice low, "What about Narcissa?......Don't you love her?" To her surprise, Lucius blushed, then answered, "No. I don't. I love you. She's a pureblood, I have to inter-marry." Leif was quiet, so Lucius continued, "I just want to be with you. But if that's not what you want......." He trailed off. Leif jumped on the comment, "No." she said quickly, "It's not that......"
*****************************
'Next weekend Hogsmead's weekend' read the flyer pinned to the Gryffindor bulletin. The weekend. Sweet bliss. It was a thursday, plain and simple, devoid of anything intersesting to do. The maurauders clustered at the nearest armchairs to the common room's fire. Great warmth radiated from the hearth, and many a younger student had been caught on fire, only to put put out, and then be told off, by one of the many prefects. Kayleigh and Lily were studying, Remus and Sirius were laughing, and Peter, James, and Alex leaned closer to the blistering flames in order to get warmer. Once they were toasty, they leaned back and started a conversation. The topic wasn't much and soon died out, fizzled like water thrown on fire.
A contomplative silence remained, one Peter was all to used to. The thoughts swirled in his head. No one really cared, he was the odd one out, the tag-along, the fifth wheel, and the outcast. Not really brave enough to be a maurauderer, or much of a Gryffindor. He had earned a grand total of 50 points in his six years at the school. He was a failure, an oucast, a rag-tag half-blood. Worthless at half his subjects. The silence was broken by the snap of a book in the general direction of Lily and Kayleigh. Kayleigh stood up,"I'm done." she announced. Her brown hair shook, "I might do the extra-credit.......what do you think? Do I have enough time before dinner?" James spoke up, "What?" he asked, "You didn't finish the course already?" His eyes smiled up at her, crinkled with mirth. Se half-smiled and replied, "No. And you..........are far from finishing as well." She was right, he was last in muggle-studies, and still couldn't figure out how the.....what was it called........oh yes.....the 'telemitron' worked. She was top of her class. Perfect marks........and tied with Lily. Lily was head-girl by only a percent. A fact she held above Kayleigh in many arguments.
*********************************
Back at the common room Leif was stalling, "What would they say, Lucius? Have you thought of that?" she demanded. "Ummmmm.......no." Lucius replied, "actually I haven't." Great. Just great. Lucius loves her when really she thought she was too much of an outcast to be anything much in Slytherin. This could certainly bring her up a notch or two, and also bring Lucius down. She contemplated. "They don't have to know!" He responded, cutting the tension and silence with a knife. "You're right." Leif replied, vexed with herself that she hadn't foreseen this by now, "But give me a little time, okay?" she stated softly. There was nothing more that Lucius could do than step away. Leif caught him."It's good to finally know" she wispered softly. He kissed her deeply and pulled away, his grey eyes shining, "It certainly is." he repied, and then holding her until the last second, strode away up the dank passage, blonde locks gleaming.
**************************
Lucius was restless. Sitting in an armchair with Narcissa Black on his lap, he just didn't feel comfortable anymore. Leif was his......if he wanted. She was the perfect girl, yet everyone overlooked her. People just couldn't see things for what they really were. A big game. Thats all it was. Some intricate game where your place was everything. He was sick of it. Lucius stirred. He just wanted to get up, leave the room, go somewhere quiet. The weight on his lap stilled him once again. This was wrong. All wrong. He had to get out. He moved again. "Lucius?" asked Narcissa, shifting her own weight and putting her own feet on the floor. "Lucius, are you allright?" He stuttered for a moment, "Y-yes. I just need to......need to go outside for a moment." He stood, forcing her to her feet as well. "Lucius!" she blustered indignantly, "Where are you going? We've only just sat down." Narcissa crossed her arms in disgust. He didn't bother to answer her, but instead walked away down to the common room exit, and meeting Leif there, towed her out of the door after him. All Narcissa saw was his hind end as he left up the passasge. He appeared to be pushing something ahead of him......
****************************
**************************** Back in the girls' side, Lily and Alex were chatting late into the night, having a little catch-up and sharing some gossip. Lily was in the middle of telling Alex a story about what James had done for her sixteenth birthday, when their year mate, Eloise, burst in puffing. Alex was the first to speak, saying, "Eloise? What ever is the matter? Haven't you heard of knocking!?" Eloise continued to pant for awhile, then explained, "I was.....in the common room....you know...who I like. Well he was asleep there and I was watching him from a corner....and then his other three friends came.....and I had to run so as not to be seen by them." Lily heaved a sigh, "Ohh............I thought........something really terrible had happened." After changing into sleep wear, Eloise joined the three in their gossip circle where they talked into the wee hours of the morning.
******************************
For Lily the next day started early. She was up with the sun as promised the night before. Dawn was brisk in early December, but Lily lived it to it's fullest. She flung herself out of bed at the first sign of light, auburn hair flashing. She was not so eager once her bare feet hit the cold stone floor of the dormitories. Withdrawing her still-warm feet from the flagstones, she groped for her slippers. In the process she managed to waken her other groggy year mates. They were not pleased. Insults were shouted, pillows were thrown, and all around chaos ensued. Once the feathers were settled and almost everyone else back into their warm beds, Lily made her way to the prefect's bathrooms. White towels and warm water welcomed her. Torches were still ablaze in the half-lit bathroom, casting deep shadows, and making the once-merry room seem more sinister than usual. Brushing off such thoughts, she undressed and slipped into the bath, enjoying warm water and a vast supply of bubble bath.
****************************** Freshly washed and clean, Lily flew from the bathrooms to the common room. As usual, James was there, unaccompanied by his three best friends this time. He greeted Lily, his deep black hair still damp from a bath of his own. She tousled it playfully and sat beside him, enjoying his presence. He pulled her closer, and into his arms, "I love you." he whispered softly, letting the words linger on his lips and in his kisses. Later on, when the two had finished their "morning routine", the friends met up in the Great Hall, enjoying talk and food at the same time. Peter sat a little off from the group thinkning of things only known to him. Alex was the one who invited him over to the group, asking him to pass her the butter. He obliged and moved closer, still off in his own little world.
*******************************
Leif woke. In the arms of.......WHAT?????.....Lucius Malfoy???? It was too much. She fainted dead away again. Coming to several minutes later, all she saw was his face, his expression. His expression......was it concern? Or cruel humour disguised? She decided it was concern judgeing by the way he had acted lately....friendly to her. Weird. Then she realized she was in the prefect's bathrooms. Naked. NAKED????!!!! She looked down at herself, and was found to be wearing her towel. And she was what??? In the arms of Malfoy!!! She looked at him. He was also wearing a towel. Green, Fluffy, soft. Then she realized she was staring, and looked away, embarassed. Then it occured to her that she could, in fact, move. She tried to sit up, but only managed to hit the top of her head on Lucius' chin. He looked down at her, startled, then managed to speak, "Oh...." he said, "You're awake." Leif managed sarcasm and a smirk, "Yeah. I am. Good observation." She thought for a while, then spoke, "Did you.....by any chance........happen to save me?" He was looking at her now, "Yeah, I suppose." He thought some more, "Didn't you want me to?" Leif looked up at him, "Yes." she replied, "I think it was kind of brave of you." Malfoy held her gaze, "That's good. I really..........I really like you Leif." Leif started to say that he had a girlfriend, but she closed her mouth quickly, on account of Lucius Malfoy leaning down and kissing her. She had no choice but to let it happen, and enjoy it if she could.
***************************** Later, both of them dressed, and Leif thinking somewhat straighter, they met up in a nook of the common room.Leif was first to speak, "Lucius." she said, keeping her voice low, "What about Narcissa?......Don't you love her?" To her surprise, Lucius blushed, then answered, "No. I don't. I love you. She's a pureblood, I have to inter-marry." Leif was quiet, so Lucius continued, "I just want to be with you. But if that's not what you want......." He trailed off. Leif jumped on the comment, "No." she said quickly, "It's not that......"
*****************************
'Next weekend Hogsmead's weekend' read the flyer pinned to the Gryffindor bulletin. The weekend. Sweet bliss. It was a thursday, plain and simple, devoid of anything intersesting to do. The maurauders clustered at the nearest armchairs to the common room's fire. Great warmth radiated from the hearth, and many a younger student had been caught on fire, only to put put out, and then be told off, by one of the many prefects. Kayleigh and Lily were studying, Remus and Sirius were laughing, and Peter, James, and Alex leaned closer to the blistering flames in order to get warmer. Once they were toasty, they leaned back and started a conversation. The topic wasn't much and soon died out, fizzled like water thrown on fire.
A contomplative silence remained, one Peter was all to used to. The thoughts swirled in his head. No one really cared, he was the odd one out, the tag-along, the fifth wheel, and the outcast. Not really brave enough to be a maurauderer, or much of a Gryffindor. He had earned a grand total of 50 points in his six years at the school. He was a failure, an oucast, a rag-tag half-blood. Worthless at half his subjects. The silence was broken by the snap of a book in the general direction of Lily and Kayleigh. Kayleigh stood up,"I'm done." she announced. Her brown hair shook, "I might do the extra-credit.......what do you think? Do I have enough time before dinner?" James spoke up, "What?" he asked, "You didn't finish the course already?" His eyes smiled up at her, crinkled with mirth. Se half-smiled and replied, "No. And you..........are far from finishing as well." She was right, he was last in muggle-studies, and still couldn't figure out how the.....what was it called........oh yes.....the 'telemitron' worked. She was top of her class. Perfect marks........and tied with Lily. Lily was head-girl by only a percent. A fact she held above Kayleigh in many arguments.
*********************************
Back at the common room Leif was stalling, "What would they say, Lucius? Have you thought of that?" she demanded. "Ummmmm.......no." Lucius replied, "actually I haven't." Great. Just great. Lucius loves her when really she thought she was too much of an outcast to be anything much in Slytherin. This could certainly bring her up a notch or two, and also bring Lucius down. She contemplated. "They don't have to know!" He responded, cutting the tension and silence with a knife. "You're right." Leif replied, vexed with herself that she hadn't foreseen this by now, "But give me a little time, okay?" she stated softly. There was nothing more that Lucius could do than step away. Leif caught him."It's good to finally know" she wispered softly. He kissed her deeply and pulled away, his grey eyes shining, "It certainly is." he repied, and then holding her until the last second, strode away up the dank passage, blonde locks gleaming.
**************************
Lucius was restless. Sitting in an armchair with Narcissa Black on his lap, he just didn't feel comfortable anymore. Leif was his......if he wanted. She was the perfect girl, yet everyone overlooked her. People just couldn't see things for what they really were. A big game. Thats all it was. Some intricate game where your place was everything. He was sick of it. Lucius stirred. He just wanted to get up, leave the room, go somewhere quiet. The weight on his lap stilled him once again. This was wrong. All wrong. He had to get out. He moved again. "Lucius?" asked Narcissa, shifting her own weight and putting her own feet on the floor. "Lucius, are you allright?" He stuttered for a moment, "Y-yes. I just need to......need to go outside for a moment." He stood, forcing her to her feet as well. "Lucius!" she blustered indignantly, "Where are you going? We've only just sat down." Narcissa crossed her arms in disgust. He didn't bother to answer her, but instead walked away down to the common room exit, and meeting Leif there, towed her out of the door after him. All Narcissa saw was his hind end as he left up the passasge. He appeared to be pushing something ahead of him......
****************************