Dancing In November

By Capucine

Chapter Two

Lily woke early the following morning. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded into the bathroom, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail and donning the customary black robes. She opened the window and let the brisk autumn air play over her face.

She felt oddly light-headed—but then, she often felt that way in the morning, before all her anxieties had caught up with her. It was a Saturday, though, which meant no classes. For once, she was glad. No classes meant no pretension. Not as much, at least.

Turning away from the window, she washed and refilled the water dish of her owl, Egg. The bird regarded her with an interested eye, but made no comment.

Replacing the water dish, Lily glanced at the clock. It was far too early for breakfast, but she had no pressing urge to study or even read. She wandered back over to the window.

It was quite a nice view. It overlooked the grounds, with the Quidditch pitch off to the left and the forest bordering the right. In the predawn fog there wasn't much to be seen, but on a clear day, she could have watched a match from this room and seen every play.

Sometimes, Amos would be up at this time, practicing his flying, circling the goalposts. He had always wanted to beat James Potter in the worst way. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. She needed to stop letting him invade her thoughts.

Her heart leapt in her chest as she caught sight of a figure in midair over the golden hoops. She could feel it racing, thought her whole body was being jolted by its intensity. Then she caught a flash of red as the figure turned and raced exultantly down the field.

Red.

Not yellow.

She sighed in relief and turned toward Egg's cage again, thinking to let the owl out, but she was barely halfway across the room when she turned sharply on her heel again and stared out the window.

Red.

James.

She narrowed her eyes. As if he knew he was being watched, James let off a bit of energy and went speeding through the hoops as if he was a human Quaffle.

After a few seconds, Lily opened Egg's door and let him out. The bird clambered ungracefully from her hand to the window ledge and flapped his way into the air.

She half expected the bird to go toward the pitch, but only because she was finely tuned to irony. Instead, Egg flapped determinedly off to the Forbidden Forest. She watched him until he was nothing more than a distant brown speck in the mist.

Without thinking, she meandered downstairs, trying to be as silent as possible. She could hear the snores coming from the dormitories. In a way, she missed dormitory life, missed the companionship. But she wouldn't have given up her room, not when it came down to it.

She pushed open the double doors of the castle and walked out into the cool, dewy air.

It was cold, but she didn't mind.

*

James took a sharp dive to let off some steam, pulled up inches from the turf, and landed neatly. He leapt off the broom and unlatched the leather trunk that held the Quidditch balls. He gripped a club and tore open one of the Bludgers' bindings. Furiously, it flew high into the air and then came spiraling back towards him. He gave it a good solid whack and sent it shooting off through a goalpost.

He kicked off from the ground again and played a fiery one-on-one game with the irascible Bludger.

Since he had received the captainship over the summer, he'd felt it wise to become as proficient at each position as possible. He'd been getting up early to come out here—even earlier than Amos Diggory, who'd always wanted to beat James and would (in James's humble opinion, of course) never succeed—to practice.

Sometimes he thought he'd matured too much for his own good. Honestly.

*

Lily wandered onto the springy grass and climbed the stands. She watched James battle with the Bludger, hoping he didn't get killed in the process. She jerked her mind out of its semi-awake state. Had she just hoped something negative wouldn't happen to James Potter?

She shivered, and withdrew her bare hands into her sleeves.

*

A ray of pale light arced across the field, glinting off the golden hoops. James swung around in midair, squinting at the rising sun. He grunted as the forgotten Bludger grazed his right arm and caught it with his left. Wrestling it to his side, he guided the broom to the ground with his legs, his hands both occupied with the struggling Bludger.

At last, he secured the enraged Bludger in the trunk and straightened up. He looked up, only to glimpse a pale face watching him detachedly from the stands.

Lily.

He picked up his broom and jogged over, leaving the trunk lying forlorn in the grass. He had to climb all the way to the top of the bleachers to reach her, and she didn't look inclined to meet him halfway. Finally, he stopped in front of her, offering a hand to help her up.

She took it, and he swore violently before turning back to her. "My God, Lily," he said, picking up her other hand and trying desperately to warm the freezing limbs. He dropped them for a moment to undo the clasp on his cloak, wrapping it around her shoulders. She shivered and leaned against him.

*

She tucked her hands inside the scarlet cloak and huddled into his chest, tangibly feeling the warmth of his body spreading to hers. She felt him hesitate, then wrap his arms around her.

It felt good to be taken care of again.

Which didn't mean she needed anyone to take care of her. Lily was an outspoken feminist and believed wholeheartedly in independence, in the truth that women don't need men.

Still, they're nice to have around.

And it felt good to be taken care of again.

For a moment, she even forgot that her comforter was James Potter. And when she realized it, she also realized that—for a moment—she didn't care.

This wasn't going to be so bad after all.

*

Author's Note: Yay! Chapter Two at your service. It's a bit shorter than One but I just thought that was a good place to stop up there, so... but next chapter will be extra long, because I'm planning to do the Thanksgiving Carnival then. Standard disclaimers apply, of course.

Once again, thank you all so much! I can't tell you how happy these reviews make me...

It's a bit shorter than One but I just thought that was a good place to stop up there, so... but next chapter will be extra long, because I'm planning to do the Thanksgiving Carnival then. Standard disclaimers apply, of course.

Once again, thank you all so much! I can't tell you how happy these reviews make me...

LilyE: Heehee! I wrote! And I hope I got it up in time...

WolfGurl18: Thanks! And yay! Cookies! Sugar high, here I come!

Fiery Phoenix: Yeah, I wouldn't have thought Amos would be so bad either... but then, I didn't think James would be a jerk in his fifth year, and according to Rowling he was. People can change, I guess. Thanks for respecting my author rights (oooh, it feels so cool to say that!) and for your input! Keep reading!

Sarah: Aaah, thank you! I got this up as soon as I could... hope you enjoy it!

Agloechen: Yeah, it was just the prologue that was present tense. Everything from Chapter One on will be in past tense—so I's glad you like that way better! Thanks for your review!

Cricketlover: Thanks! I'm definitely shooting for something unique... here it is! Enjoy!

Shukhftgpoteerharry: Yes, I definitely know what you mean about fics that drag on and on. Thanks for your support and keep reading!

Twelvegrimmauldplace: Thanks! And yes, this ship is the best. No competition!

Senna: Don't worry, Lily'll get happy again! Hee, I use that phrase all the time—about something rocking my socks... enjoy Chapter Two!

Lj4ever: Heh, I love your penname. And thank you so much! ::blush::

Princess Pixie Ice: Heehee yes! I've run out of Skittles now so I'm working on SweetTarts instead! I'm beyond help, honestly... thanks for your support and keep it up!

Review, por favor! I'm a happy bunny...