A few hours later, Lily and James were driven to the Ministry of Magic. As
both of them were tired, after having a few hours sleep and then being
woken up again, the drive was pretty much in silence.
And this silence allowed Lily to think.
How could she even be thinking of breaking up with Danny?
They'd been together forever. . . They were like one unit. . . Sure he got jealous, but it was only because he loved her.
And, what? She was going to throw that away so she could go out with James for a fortnight, then he'd find somebody else he fancied and all would be over?
No. No, that wasn't going to happen. It wasn't fair.
She stared out of the window, not paying attention to the scenery that flew by.
Maybe that was what was wrong. She and Danny had been together for so long. . . It was natural that her head had been turned. . . right?
Whatever. She'd just have to spend less time with James. Or insist that she only wanted to be friends with him, because. . . She did like him. Even if it was only as a friend.
"Lily?" James interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced towards him to find that the car had stopped and that he was stood with the door open, his hand outstretched to help her out. "We're here," he explained. They went through the usual requirements to get into the building - got badges in the telephone booth, got their wands checked. - and then made their way to the room they had been called to.
They found Dumbledore there, who was rocking backwards and forwards on a chair and staring at the ceiling, whilst a tall man with a long black moustache looked at him disapprovingly over the top of the file he was reading.
Then he snapped the file shut when he realised Lily and James had entered the room.
"James Potter? Lily Evans?" he asked, whilst Dumbledore smiled warmly at them. "Come in, sit down. . . Shut the door, boy, yes. . . No, I'll lock it. . ."
Lily and James both sat down on uncomfortable wooden seats, not saying anything.
"Right," the dark haired man said quietly, sitting behind a cluttered desk. "As you have been told on your previous visit, Dumbledore here wishes for you two to join the Order of the Pheonix. You know all about that, right?"
"Yeah," James replied, whilst Lily nodded her head.
"Right. Well, as we're trying to keep it a secret, so hardly anybody knows. Not even here at the Ministry. But anyway. The reason that you are both here is so we can run several tests on the pair of you, just to make sure you can be trusted, and that you aren't working for the Dark side."
Dumbledore rolled his eyes. "All precautionary things," he explained. "No matter how much I insist you can be trusted, they won't listen to me."
A few minutes later, Lily and James were led away. For the rest of the day, they were fed truth serums, had several spells and charms tested on them, and had strange machinery scan their brains and such things.
By the time they were allowed to leave, both were exhausted.
"God, that was awful. . ." Lily groaned, as she climbed back into the Ministry car, next to James.
He shrugged, but nodded. "Hmm. Well, it wasn't THAT bad."
"Oh, stop trying to keep up your macho image," she smiled, rubbing her eyes. "You're knackered and you know you are."
James hesitated, then grinned. "Yeah. I am pretty knackered, actually. It was the spells, I think."
"Yep. And to think, we have to do all this again tomorrow."
"Fun."
"I know."
James yawned, running a hand through his hair. Then he smiled pleasantly at Lily. "So anyway. You never said last night, what's happening with your parents? Divorce still going ahead?"
Lily sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Dad moved out a few days ago, actually."
"Yeah?"
"Yep. It'll be so weird going home at the end of the year."
James nodded. "But you'll get used to it," he reasoned.
"I s'pose. . ."
James suddenly groaned and put a hand to his stomach. When Lily looked at him questioningly, he sighed. "I'm starving," he explained. "Dinner will still be going on at the hotel, right?"
"I think so."
"Great. Come eat with me, yeah? I don't wanna look like a little loner, sat at one of those tables on my own. . ."
Lily laughed. "You're pathetic."
"Gee, I love you too."
At that moment, the car pulled up outside the hotel and, after thanking the driver, Lily and James climbed out.
~*~
Danny strolled leisurely out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.
He frowned when he saw Mattie waiting for him, who was sat on his bed and his elbows on his knees, glaring at him.
"What?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows. "Why're you looking at me like that?"
Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Don't tell me you don't remember what you did last night."
Danny blinked, not realising anybody else would have known about the girl. "Uhm. . . Are you talking about me going to Hogsmeade and getting drunk?"
"No," Mattie replied curtly, standing up. "I'm talking about whatever blonde bimbo you hooked up with and brought back here. How could you DO that?"
"She wasn't blonde, actually," he shrugged. Mattie threw him a look of disgust. "Lily's my friend, I hope you know."
"And I'm your best mate."
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "And you go on and on about not being able to trust her. . ."
"I was drunk!" Danny exclaimed defensively.
"Doesn't matter. You were planning on sleeping with some random girl anyway, you said so before you left the Common Room last night," Mattie muttered.
Danny frowned. "Oh. . ."
"You're seriously sad, mate."
"Okay, okay," Danny snapped, pulling some clothes out of his trunk. "You've made your point. And I don't feel too pleased about it myself, okay? So give me a break. And. . . You're not going to tell Lily, are you?"
Matt snorted. "I think you're pushing your luck-"
"No, I'm really sorry about it!" Danny insisted. "Aw, don't tell her. Come on, you've got to help me out. I'd do the same for you, and you know it."
Matt ran a hand through his hair. "And what about this girl, eh?"
"What? Oh, her? Don't worry. . . She won't say anything."
~*~ Hey hey hey. Thanks for all the replies, people. Hehe. Passed 100. Made me very happy, that did. In other news. . . My computer is totally messed! Ugh. I actually had this ready Sunday night but. . . Well, yeah. Anyway. Here it is. I'll try and update again soon!
And this silence allowed Lily to think.
How could she even be thinking of breaking up with Danny?
They'd been together forever. . . They were like one unit. . . Sure he got jealous, but it was only because he loved her.
And, what? She was going to throw that away so she could go out with James for a fortnight, then he'd find somebody else he fancied and all would be over?
No. No, that wasn't going to happen. It wasn't fair.
She stared out of the window, not paying attention to the scenery that flew by.
Maybe that was what was wrong. She and Danny had been together for so long. . . It was natural that her head had been turned. . . right?
Whatever. She'd just have to spend less time with James. Or insist that she only wanted to be friends with him, because. . . She did like him. Even if it was only as a friend.
"Lily?" James interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced towards him to find that the car had stopped and that he was stood with the door open, his hand outstretched to help her out. "We're here," he explained. They went through the usual requirements to get into the building - got badges in the telephone booth, got their wands checked. - and then made their way to the room they had been called to.
They found Dumbledore there, who was rocking backwards and forwards on a chair and staring at the ceiling, whilst a tall man with a long black moustache looked at him disapprovingly over the top of the file he was reading.
Then he snapped the file shut when he realised Lily and James had entered the room.
"James Potter? Lily Evans?" he asked, whilst Dumbledore smiled warmly at them. "Come in, sit down. . . Shut the door, boy, yes. . . No, I'll lock it. . ."
Lily and James both sat down on uncomfortable wooden seats, not saying anything.
"Right," the dark haired man said quietly, sitting behind a cluttered desk. "As you have been told on your previous visit, Dumbledore here wishes for you two to join the Order of the Pheonix. You know all about that, right?"
"Yeah," James replied, whilst Lily nodded her head.
"Right. Well, as we're trying to keep it a secret, so hardly anybody knows. Not even here at the Ministry. But anyway. The reason that you are both here is so we can run several tests on the pair of you, just to make sure you can be trusted, and that you aren't working for the Dark side."
Dumbledore rolled his eyes. "All precautionary things," he explained. "No matter how much I insist you can be trusted, they won't listen to me."
A few minutes later, Lily and James were led away. For the rest of the day, they were fed truth serums, had several spells and charms tested on them, and had strange machinery scan their brains and such things.
By the time they were allowed to leave, both were exhausted.
"God, that was awful. . ." Lily groaned, as she climbed back into the Ministry car, next to James.
He shrugged, but nodded. "Hmm. Well, it wasn't THAT bad."
"Oh, stop trying to keep up your macho image," she smiled, rubbing her eyes. "You're knackered and you know you are."
James hesitated, then grinned. "Yeah. I am pretty knackered, actually. It was the spells, I think."
"Yep. And to think, we have to do all this again tomorrow."
"Fun."
"I know."
James yawned, running a hand through his hair. Then he smiled pleasantly at Lily. "So anyway. You never said last night, what's happening with your parents? Divorce still going ahead?"
Lily sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Dad moved out a few days ago, actually."
"Yeah?"
"Yep. It'll be so weird going home at the end of the year."
James nodded. "But you'll get used to it," he reasoned.
"I s'pose. . ."
James suddenly groaned and put a hand to his stomach. When Lily looked at him questioningly, he sighed. "I'm starving," he explained. "Dinner will still be going on at the hotel, right?"
"I think so."
"Great. Come eat with me, yeah? I don't wanna look like a little loner, sat at one of those tables on my own. . ."
Lily laughed. "You're pathetic."
"Gee, I love you too."
At that moment, the car pulled up outside the hotel and, after thanking the driver, Lily and James climbed out.
~*~
Danny strolled leisurely out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.
He frowned when he saw Mattie waiting for him, who was sat on his bed and his elbows on his knees, glaring at him.
"What?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows. "Why're you looking at me like that?"
Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Don't tell me you don't remember what you did last night."
Danny blinked, not realising anybody else would have known about the girl. "Uhm. . . Are you talking about me going to Hogsmeade and getting drunk?"
"No," Mattie replied curtly, standing up. "I'm talking about whatever blonde bimbo you hooked up with and brought back here. How could you DO that?"
"She wasn't blonde, actually," he shrugged. Mattie threw him a look of disgust. "Lily's my friend, I hope you know."
"And I'm your best mate."
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "And you go on and on about not being able to trust her. . ."
"I was drunk!" Danny exclaimed defensively.
"Doesn't matter. You were planning on sleeping with some random girl anyway, you said so before you left the Common Room last night," Mattie muttered.
Danny frowned. "Oh. . ."
"You're seriously sad, mate."
"Okay, okay," Danny snapped, pulling some clothes out of his trunk. "You've made your point. And I don't feel too pleased about it myself, okay? So give me a break. And. . . You're not going to tell Lily, are you?"
Matt snorted. "I think you're pushing your luck-"
"No, I'm really sorry about it!" Danny insisted. "Aw, don't tell her. Come on, you've got to help me out. I'd do the same for you, and you know it."
Matt ran a hand through his hair. "And what about this girl, eh?"
"What? Oh, her? Don't worry. . . She won't say anything."
~*~ Hey hey hey. Thanks for all the replies, people. Hehe. Passed 100. Made me very happy, that did. In other news. . . My computer is totally messed! Ugh. I actually had this ready Sunday night but. . . Well, yeah. Anyway. Here it is. I'll try and update again soon!