GNA: *cries* This chapter was impossible! I kept editing and editing but it
never got better...it was like my worst nightmare come true!
GNL: If your worst nightmares came true, you would be dead.
GNA: Good point. Well, I can only say that if you are still looking forward to this chapter after all this time passed you are a most true reader/reviewer. *claps despite tears*
LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ LJLJLJLJLJLJ
CHAPTER ELEVEN: QUIDDITCH
James woke to a cool breeze, and the mutterings of Sirius and Peter. It was morning, and he felt strangely rested. The weather outside testified his mood; on the lawn he could see, from his un-shut curtains, a clear, cool, spring-like morning, and bright sunshine shone on his face.
Potter didn't move, but Sirius and Peter noticed he was awake.
"Potter, I find you absolutely sad; you rescue the one person you hate most, yell at your best friend for his mistakes, then have a nice long chat with the headmaster of Hogwarts about it like it were the weather!"
"Speaking of which, it looks absolutely fantastic outside. . ." said James, his voice a little rough but completely normal, better than he had sounded in weeks, months. Sirius blinked.
"You. . . alright, mate?" he asked.
"You know Sirius, Dumbledore is brilliant."
"Prongs," Black's voice was completely blunt. "Get over whatever little emotional epiphany you've had and tell me what the hell happened."
To that, he shrugged, stretched, and ruffled his hair, saying "What's the rush?"
"Well, we have a Quidditch game in twenty minutes-"
"THE GAME!!" he yelled in a panicky voice, only then realizing that Sirius wasn't wearing the normal school uniform. "Where are my Quidditch robes!" He jumped out of bed, ripped his trunk open, and threw his books out of the way, making Sirius run for cover on the other side of the room..
"Whoa! Watch it Prongs!" Peter exclaimed, as a book barely missed his head. "Look under your bed."
James threw himself under the bed and emerged with his bright red Quidditch uniform, his face smudged with dust.
"Thanks Wormtail!" he called, sprinting down the stairs into the Common Room. He skidded to a stop by the portrait hole and turned around, spotting a red head.
"Hey Evans! Are you coming to the match?" called James.
"Don't I always Potter?" she replied.
At this, he grinned and sprinted down to the Quidditch pitch, praying that his team wouldn't heckle and jeer him mercilessly for being late.
LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ
"This is it!" James said. "What we've been working for all year! We've got . . ."
"Talent" whispered Sirius.
" . . . Talent," said James.
"Dedication..." Sirius muttered.
" . . . Dedication," said James.
"And . . ."
"And if you don't shut up Sirius I am going stick a biting teacup in your boxers."
The Quidditch team laughed, nervously spinning their brooms in their hands.
"Now I know this is a big game, but I have confidence that you will all play your best. They may be as good as us, but we have something they don't; brains. Now lets get out there and show those slimy Slytherins what Quidditch means!" the team whooped and ran out onto the field, as the Hufflepuff some called Tim voice boomed over them, announcing their names, laughter as he said "The gorgeous and talented Andromeda Black, and a roar of approval when "James Potter, captain and seeker," was heard.
Madame Hooch walked out briskly, and said "Captains, shake hands." Lucious Malfoy and James walked toward each other, and shook hands like they were out to kill, which they were.
Madame Hooch spoke again, talking around the shrill whistle clamped in her teeth.
"Teams, mount your brooms." She kicked open a set of Quidditch balls, blew her whistle, and the game began. James bounded into the air, leaving all nervousness behind. He was confident they would win, and didn't mind showing it by doing a lap around the field, while the crowd roared. He halted in front of the Gryffindor stands, searching for the red speck. He finally saw Lily in the very center, and he flew in closer.
"Glad you could make it!" he yelled to Lily. She rolled her eyes, but they suddenly grew large.
"Potter, look out!" James glanced back and saw a bludger flying at him, hit by MacNair. He rolled on his broom, and felt his hair ruffled as it glanced past. The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs all said, "Ooh!" before cheering again. Lily was glaring at James.
"What kind of Captain are you!" she yelled, as Tim announced the score: 10 to 0, Slytherin.
"Get out there Potter!" James grinned cheekily and flew off, his hair whipped back from the speed.
An hour later, James looked shocked and bedraggled. The score was 40-0, Slytherin, and he had no idea how it had happened; their team was obviously superior. He called a time-out.
"What is going on up there!" he yelled at his worn-out team, whom winced. "This is the most pitiful I have seen you! EVER! Now you get back up there and show some improvement, or blood will be shed! Do you understand!"
The team nodded. James sighed, and mussed his hair distractedly.
"Look, here's what we'll do. Bagman, Black, I want you to beat the Slytherins into a pulp-"Sirius and Ludo looked at each other with evil in their eyes, "-But only by playing by the rules, of course. Frank, tighten up defense and get Black and Bagman to stay closer to the goals, like in drills. Wood, Andromeda, get your lazy butts moving! I expect to see some points up there, and soon. Now, get out there! We are not going to get this close to the Quidditch cup and lose it! AGAIN."
The team kicked off again, and the game resumed. Soon the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams were soaked in sweat, despite the high speeds and a slight breeze. The Slytherins were miles ahead, approximately 50 miles to be exact, but despite that fact they were getting down and dirty. Already James had to pull a reserve out because Wood was hit in the head with a bludger, hard.
James was getting desperate to find the snitch, but the weather was making it nearly impossible. The sun was slowly arching it's way over the sky, glaring off the landscape and blinding James, and thick clouds could be seen coming over the Forbidden Forest, pushed by the breeze. He cursed under his breath when Slytherin got another ten points. Gryffindor had yet to get ANY. James flew around the stadium again, trying to catch a glimpse of gold in the hazy sunlight, but he couldn't see a blasted thing. Thunder boomed in the distance even as he looked, and a sudden gust of wind knocked him off course . . .
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Two hours later, everyone was exhausted and soaked. A fierce storm had broken over Hogwarts, and James still hadn't found the snitch. As he flew high above the game, he noticed Malfoy diving toward the ground. James instantly flew towards him, afraid that he might have seen the snitch. The wind and rain ripped at the two as they sped headlong towards the ground. James painstakingly made his way closer, when he noticed that Lucious was pulling up from the ground. James kept flying towards it, and pulled up at the last second.
Everyone was hesitantly cheering, but they couldn't tell if they had actually caught the snitch or not, and if they had, who was holding it.
Lucious was glaring at James, obviously angry about his greater display of Quidditch prowess. Malfoy's feint had been good, but James' had been absolutely fantastic. He growled at James and flew back in the air, James following.
The crowd groaned in disappointment. Everyone was soaked to the bone, and several were even trudging back up to the castle. The events in the next few minutes, though, would halt anyone else from leaving, as the game went from dirty to downright filthy . . .
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
"And Wood, just recovered from the last bludger, is hit yet again by Parkinson!" yelled Tim enthusiastically. Wood had been hit in the head again, and he flew down in a zigzag fashion. James groaned. The reserve came back up, looking completely exhausted. The game had been going on for another hour, totaling up to 4. James ground his teeth.
"Where is the blasted snitch!" he muttered, casting about in the rain. Still, nothing. As he looked about, he realized that the stands were rather emptier than they had been. Worried, James looked to the place where Lily had been, and was proud to see that she was still there, sopping wet and cheering.
"She's insane." He said, and sped by her place. He grinned when he heard her cheer. Obviously, house spirit overrode old enmities in this situation. The game continued on.
"Black tosses to Black, who passes back to Black, OH, Who is blocked by LeStrange! That's right, Gryffindor, still no goal for you! Better tell Potter to get a move on!"
The crowd roared at James. He winced.
"Now Slytherin has the ball-Flint, Avery, and Nott seem to have an unbeatable chemistry out there, eh? Unfortunately, Gryffindor doesn't seem to have the same BANG."
At that moment, MacNair hit Ludo Bagman with his beater stick, and the two started pounding at each other. Unfortunately, Bagman was only a second year, and he was soon ready to fall off his broom from the volley of attacks. Madame Hooch blew on her whistle furiously, and realizing they weren't going to stop, mounted her own broom, still blowing the whistle. She barely made it up to the fray before Ludo slipped off his broom. He started falling, and James and the Gryffindor team lunged forward. Potter raced down, reached out, and managed to grab his arm. He yanked upwards as his broom jolted, and Andromeda Black flew underneath them as they landed. Bagman looked the worse for wear: he had a split lip, numerous bruises, and he was favoring one leg. He limped off the field, Andromeda helping him.
"Like I said," said Tim, "no BANG."
Sirius, frustrated with the game in general, flew up to Tim and yelled at him.
"YOU WANT SOME BANG, TIM! I'LL GIVE YOU BANG!" He u-turned, and flew straight at Malfoy, the closest Slytherin. He wound up, and punched him in the jaw. Madame Hooch blew her whistle again, shaking her head as Malfoy shook his head furiously, spattering blood on Sirius.
"Well! It looks like a penalty for Slytherin AND Gryffindor! Now, now Black, no need for rude gestures like that!"
McGonagall coughed loudly.
"Righto! First up, Slytherin!"
Avery took the quaffle, and Frank clenched his fists. Avery threw and-
"Another 10 points for Slytherin team, bringing up the score to 120, 0. Lets see if Andromeda Black can make a better attempt at BANG than-Right, Professor. She's setting up, better ignore that blood, Malfoy, and-YES! Points for Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor stands roared, cheering Andromeda's name as she did a quick victory lap. Sirius flew over and bear-hugged her, whooping.
"Back to earth, Gryffindor! The score is still 120 to 10, Slytherin, but the weather is absolutely smashing, don't you think Professors?"
McGonagall glared at him, water dripping on her face from her hat, while the others merely sniggered or smiled bemusedly.
LJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJH
James, flying very high above the Quidditch pitch, blinked. Looking around, he realized the rain was letting up greatly, and the sun was peeking on the horizon.
"Now, it looks like only another hour until the sun sets, with the score leaning staggeringly toward the big S. In fact, it looks like the only way they can win the Quidditch cup is if Potter can catch the snitch before sun sets, so no pressure!"
James gave the thumbs up, still looking around. As the sun slowly sank, everything was lit with a golden glow. The snitch would blend right in. He called another time out.
"Time out for Gryffindor!" The Slytherins flew down with the other team, looking much more energetic than their bedraggled and beaten contenders.
"Look, we are exhausted." Said James to his team, who looked like something the cat dragged in, "and we need a break. Frank, pull out your reserve, and you too Black's." The three groaned at him. "Look, it's only for a few minutes. I'll switch off in a while, so we can really win this thing. I need you to be at your best so they can't get any more points.
"But Potter, you don't have a reserve! What will you do?" pointed out Wood's reserve.
"I'm fine, I'm not injured. Now go, you three, and the rest of you, get a move on. We cannot let them get any more points!"
Black, Black, and Longbottom disappeared, and seconds later, the reserves came out.
"All right team, this is it. If we let them get to 160, we're, frankly, screwed. If we don't see the snitch before sunset, well, that just won't happen. Now here's what we'll do . . ."
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Lily sat in the stands, wringing out her hair in an empty space in front of her. Alice was doing the same, and taking off her cloak and twisting it tightly and shaking it out. Evans sat back, her head much lighter.
"Wonder what Potter's strategy is-get as few points as possible so he looks like a hero when he gets the snitch?"
"No," said Alice, "I think it's more like Frank is having a bad time of blocking the quaffle and James can't see the snitch in this weather. Really, Lily, where's your house spirit!"
"I have more than SOME people!" she snipped as two sopping girls in front of them got up and left.
"Oh, come off it Lily, this game is taking ages, we're all soaked, AND we're losing horribly."
"Shut it."
"Right. Wonder what they're talking about down there?"
"Who knows . . . Oh! They're coming back up!"
The two started cheering loudly, jumping up in excitement.
"And here come the teams!" roared Tim. "Looks like Black, Black, and Longbottom are taking a quick break from the game!"
James, still flying high, lost focus on the voice, as he looked around frantically, checking the height of the sun every now and then. Malfoy was tailing just a ways off, waiting for Potter to find the snitch for him. The two watched each other warily, Malfoy still bleeding a little and making him look paler than usual. Lucius started taunting James, flicking his hand at MacNair, who nodded.
"Well it looks like the dream team just had a wake-up call, eh, Potter?"
"Shut up, Malfoy." Spat James, still searching. Suddenly he groaned; the score was 150 to 10. Without the other teammates, they had absolutely fallen apart. James flew down, gesticulating at the reserves. James pulled Frank and the Blacks back in, apologizing for taking them out of the game.
"It looks like the whole Gryffindor team is up there now! Lets see how much BANG-right once again, Professor! Slytherin is, surprise surprise, in possession of the quaffle."
Malfoy sniggered as James flew back up into heights that a sane person would be sick at, still looking around. The golden glow had intensified as the bottom scoop of the sun touched the lake.
"Surprised, Potter? You shouldn't be. Your team IS rather horrible; even you can't say it isn't-Longbottom! It's no wonder you're losing. He couldn't block a ball if his life depended on it. And Black! He's too busy attacking people to even help!" James grit his teeth and glared, but kept looking.
"I'm amazed your team even made it this far, Potter! Either YOU, their perfect seeker and captain," he spat menacingly, "is off being a prat, or you're trying to snog that mudblood." He laughed cruelly when he saw James eyes narrow, and his hands grip his broom handle so tightly they were white about the knuckles.
"Do not talk about Lily that way." He ground out, his attention finally snapping towards Malfoy.
"Why shouldn't I? It's the truth. That is what she is, a dirty, stinking, disgusting mudblood whore-"
James lunged forward with both hands, ready to strangle him. As he reached forward, a bludger came hurtling behind him and hit him in the back, and MacNair stood holding the beater stick and laughing.
"Bloody Hell! Potter, grab your broom!" yelled Tim as James arched his back in pain and started falling, his hands reaching out into space. The whole of the Gryffindor team raced forward on their brooms, but James was too high and falling too quickly. The only person near enough to stop him was Sirius, but he was a hundred feet directly beneath him . . .
WHAM
Fifty feet from the ground, James ran into Sirius and the two tumbled to the ground, landing in the slush with a thwack. The crowd hushed as Sirius pulled himself out of the muck slowly, and then realized James wasn't moving. He started shaking him by the shoulders, yelling for Madame Hooch . . .
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
James cracked his eyes open a sliver, but all he could make out was a white buzzing. The first thing he could distinguish from everything else was that he was lying in something cold and wet, his back was on fire, and that his shoulders were being shaken rather violently, and he felt a slap.
"James! Bloody hell, James, wake up!" yelled Sirius. His eyes slowly adjusted, and he realized he was lying on his back, in the mud of the Quidditch pitch, and several scarlet-clad figures and a spiky-haired witch were leaning over him worriedly. He groaned. He turned his head slightly, trying to accustom himself to the pain, and he realized that it was getting rather dark. The golden glow had completely faded from the landscape, and it was being replaced with a milky luminescence as steam rose from the sopping ground.
"Help me up!" he said, and 10 hands reached down and pulled him up slowly. He touched his back, but pulled back sharply. A huge, tender bruise had risen there, and James could tell it was scraped slightly, probably from running into Sirius' broom. The worst pain came from his backbone though; every time he turned his back or even his head the fire would come back and he would start to double over.
"You alright mate?" asked Sirius worriedly.
"Y-yeah, I'll be fine."
"Potter, I cannot let you play if you are seriously injured. Are you sure? Do you even know how far you fell!" said Madame Hooch, looking up at the sky and back down again.
"Yeah, I think I'll be fine. Now-ow-someone get me my br-oh, thanks Frank." He took his broom from Frank, who had been holding it out expectantly. He took hold of it, swaying for a moment as he lost balance. The crowd cheered again when they saw him get on his broom. Malfoy and the Slytherin team were staring open-mouthed as he flew slowly back up, gaining speed as he went. James Potter had fallen from the height of the North Tower, but he was still going to play!?
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Potter was calling up 5 years of Quidditch training at this point, glaring at anything that moved to find the snitch. Only a few minutes were left before sunset, and if he didn't find it now, the Slytherins would undoubtedly win. Unfortunately, those five years were being wasted on keeping on his broom. The pain in his back was astounding, and whenever he moved, a jolt of pain would carry through his spinal cord, making it difficult to even fly.
James suddenly recalled a story his father had told him from his own Quidditch days; one of their important team members had had a nasty fall, and hurt his back. He kept on playing, though, and ended up losing control of arm movement. From that game on, his arms would involuntarily spasm, and he ended up getting in serious trouble with the Minister of Magic for "inappropriate gestures" at a job interview.
James laughed bitterly. Hopefully, it would not go to that extreme. Or, at least he could only lose control of his ears, which would make a good icebreaker at parties . . .
Suddenly, Potter caught a glimpse of gold out of the corner of his eye . . .
"WAIT! POTTER HAS SEEN THE SNITCH!" roared Tim as James sped away, straight at MacNair's turned back.
"MACNAIR'S TURNING AROUND! POTTER IS CLOSING, CLOSING . . . YES! OOOH, THAT WON'T BE PRETTY IN THE MORNING MACNAIR! BUT JAMES POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS BY TEN POINTS! WHAT A TURN-AROUND! TAKE THAT, SLYTHERIN! NO QUIDDITCH CUP FOR YOU THIS YEAR! FINALLY! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A BUNCH OF BA-"
McGonagall yanked the magical microphone away from Tim, wagging her finger and yelling furiously at him.
On the Quidditch pitch, James had been engulfed in a mass of gold and scarlet, his hand still clutching the snitch in the air above him. It had been years since Gryffindor had won the cup, and now they were more than willing to yell themselves hoarse in victory, and the crowd was doing so with relish. The Slytherins came down looking beaten and angry, their own stands silent and icy, while the Gryffindors rushed to the pitch to congratulate their team players . . .
HPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPL
Lily rushed down the steps, eager to join in the celebrations, and she burst out onto the field with hundreds of other Gryffindors. The darkness was starting to strain her eyes, but the half-dusk lit up the shining brooms well enough to find them. Alice screeched with delight, and disgust, when Frank broke himself away from the other team members and hugged her, laughing.
"You are disgusting, Frank!" she laughed, wiping at her damp cloak.
"BUT WE WON!" he yelled, and shook his fist in the air as the others hooted.
Alice hugged Frank tightly, giving him such a kiss that the other members started whooping. Lily laughed at the two, and walked over to the rest of the team. As they passed on their way to the locker rooms, she congratulated them. Black winked at her, tossing his head in the direction of James. He was still mobbed, and he had a pained look on his face. In fact, that look of 'I feel like I'm dying' was quite intense . . .
"Potter, are you alright?" asked Lily a few minutes later, as James shoved the others away and walked toward her. He grinned and ran a grimy hand through his hair.
"Of course I am! Why would you think I wouldn't be!? We just won the Quidditch game!"
Lily rolled her eyes.
"If you were fine you wouldn't be stooped like that, and you wouldn't look like you were in pain. You fell almost 20 stories! Of course you're hurt, or something. Really, Potter, how dense do you think I am?" His smile faded a bit and he pondered her answer a moment.
"I don't think you're at all dense. I think that you are the least dense person I know. In fact, you are so un-dense, that I think you may have hit the nail on the head. I better go to Madame Pomfrey now." James started hobbling away. Lily knit her brows together worriedly.
"Are you alright?"
"I thought you knew the answer to that."
"Right. WILL you be alright?" He turned back and called "If I have a pretty girl to walk me to Madame Pomfrey, I will be!"
"Oh. Well, I'll just be going then-"
"No, come off it, Lily, can you please walk me to the Hospital Wing?" James asked desperately. "My back is hurting me a bit."
"Well . . .I may as well. There's no point in seeing the 'star Quidditch player' be permanently disabled." James grinned at Lily as she started walking towards the castle.
"Evans, I think you actually meant that! So that's why you wanted to walk near me . . ."
"No I didn't, Potter!"
"I could tell by the entranced look in your eyes . . ."
The two argued their way up to the Hospital wing, not noticing the mob behind them holding up the rest of the Quidditch team, hurriedly changed.
HPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPL
Madame Pomfrey was tapping her foot impatiently at the door to the infirmary, waiting for the injured seeker. She had been alerted beforehand by Professor McGonagall of the fall, and already had a vile-looking potion ready.
James felt wonderful, besides his back. He had just won the biggest Quidditch game of the year, Lily Evans had walked all the way to the hospital wing without slapping him, or hurting him in any way, and they had ended up having an almost decent conversation. At the moment, though, there was an uncomfortable silence. James thought for a moment, then thought of the perfect topic to discuss.
"You know, I hope I don't end up like someone my dad knew . . ."
By the time James was finished telling the story, Lily was laughing helplessly, mocking James' idea of wiggling ears.
"Really, Potter, how absurd!" she broke into laughter again. "Wriggling ears! I would have chosen something a LITTLE less noticeable! Maybe my toes, or a chronic eye twitch-"
"I cannot understand why anyone would EVER play such a dangerous and mad sport! Really, I have set more broken body parts than you know from that Quidditch!" broke in Madame Pomfrey, still standing, tapping her foot, and watching the two come closer.
"So what is it Potter? Arm? Leg? Neck?"
"Uh . . .No."
"Well then, foot? Wrist?"
"No-My back."
"YOUR BACK! How long have you been playing like that, Potter?! Why if I knew I would have taken you out of the game immediately-"
"What? Why weren't you told immediately?" questioned Lily.
"It seems that Professor McGonagall was set on having her house win. But If I have to set a back because of her-really, the most dangerous thing you could injure, stupid, dangerous sport, if you could call it that. . ." Madame Pomfrey marched into the infirmary, picking up various bandages and tonics on the way, and James paused embarrassedly.
"Uh, well Evans, you better leave now."
Lily set her mouth stubbornly.
"And why is that, Potter?"
"Because Madame Pomfrey will have to look at my BACK, that's why. As in-"
"Right! Yes, right." Lily was blushing crimson.
"Unless, of course, you wanted to stay!" James wiggled his eyebrows. "I AM the star of the Quidditch team-"
"Shut up, Potter. What a big-headed prat you can be sometimes!" She was still red, and blushed even more when Madame Pomfrey came back out.
"Mr. Potter, I need you to remove the-Miss Evans, are you leaving or not? I cannot allow you to stay here unless James-"
"I was just going! Goodnight, Potter. I-I expect they will have some sort of celebration up in the common room. I wouldn't want to make you, I mean, I wouldn't want to miss it. Goodnight, Madame Pomfrey."
James grinned as Lily walked off, still holding her head up.
"She's great, isn't she?" asked James rhetorically, as Madame Pomfrey "humphed," and gave hurried hurried instructions before Malfoy, MacNair, and Wood walked in.
HPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPL
Back in the common room, everyone was celebrating with food from the house elves and all sorts of Gryffindor decorations, not to mention a hundred different types of gags and tricks that Sirius had dug up from old marauder days.
It was noisy, warm, and overall, jubilant. Lily walked into the commotion with a smile, and was soon absorbed in a conversation with Alice, Frank, and Peter over the finer points of the game. It was already late, from the length of the game, but no one really cared. It was only when Tawny barged in to break up the commotion that anyone realized it was leaning towards ten, with everyone still full of adrenaline and sugar and excitement. Sirius sauntered over to Tawny, throwing an arm around her shoulder. She looked at him distastefully.
"Black, if you do not stop this, this rabble this instant I will have to get Professor McGonagall!"
"Go ahead, Tawny, but she won't care! At this moment she's celebrating with Flitwick and Sprout!" Sirius cheered as the large Gryffindor banner was brought it. "You know Tawny, I think you should have been a Gryffindor."
She glared.
"Get your arm off me this instant, Black."
"Did I ever tell you your name was funny?"
"What?"
"You know, it almost sounds like a whore name."
"BLACK!!!"
"Think about it! Tawny the whore. Has a nice ring to it . . . Huh. Maybe you were named that for a reason, eh!" He wiggled his eyebrows.
"DETENTION!"
"Aww, no need for that!" He paused and picked up a package. "Here. Have a wet-start firework!"
Tawny shoved his arm off, and sighing in relent, took the firework.
"Pervert."
"Anytime."
At that moment, James walked in, wearing fresh robes and holding himself unusually tall.
"What's up your butt, Prongs?" asked Sirius lazily, waving goodbye to Tawny.
"Madame Pomfrey put more bandages on me than is humanly possible! I can't even bend over! Look!"
He tried to bend over, but looked like he was doing an eccentric bow. He stood back up, and Ludo Bagman slapped him on the shoulder. James winced.
"Great game, Potter, really great game! Couldn't have done it without you!"
"Heh, yeah, thanks." James scowled as he walked away.
The crowd saw him, and soon he was trapped in a corner by the whole of the Gryffindor house congratulating him again.
"Someone's popular." smirked Lily, who was standing outside the tight group. James smirked back. Sirius started waving his hands in the air, yelling at everyone to "shut your ruddy traps!" They went quiet.
"Look, I hate to say it, but it's getting late and there are classes tomorrow."
Everyone looked at him with disbelieving faces, wondering what had come over him.
"But that doesn't mean the parties over! The Marauders haven't even made an appearance yet! Tomorrow is the day you will all know as –"
McGonagall walked through the portrait hole at that moment, and stood glaring (rather unconvincingly) at the crowd. Everyone scattered, leaving Sirius and an injured James in the epicenter of the mess. Peter, Frank, Alice, and Lily hesitated, not wanting to pile the wrath of Minerva McGonagall on the two unlucky Quidditch players.
"I expect the mess to be cleaned by tomorrow morning, you six. If not, then points-er, you will be severely admonished." They looked at her tersely, expecting to suddenly have detention.
"We don't want to win the Quidditch cup and lose the house cup, now do we?"
They sighed in relief, and grinning, started to clean up the mess.
HPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPL
"Where did you get all of this?" asked Lily, picking up a pile of dung bombs.
"Oh, you know . . .we have our ways." Said Sirius vaguely.
Lily knit her brows at the cryptic response, but continued cleaning. The six had been at work cleaning the common room for an hour, and it was looking much better. Most of the food had been magically disappeared, and now only the numerous other items remained. James had been given a break due to his injury, and he sat very upright in a squashy chair. He was watching the others clean with mild interest, mainly watching Lily. She looked a mess from a day out on a rainy Quidditch pitch and hard labor in the common room, with her hair knotted and face red, but James didn't mind.
He jumped when Frank patted his shoulder lightly, going up to bed. Alice then followed, and Peter. Sirius dumped the prank items onto his cloak sprawled out on the floor, and finding no more, gathered it up.
"Alright, Prongs, I'm heading to bed. You coming?"
"No, I think I'll help finish up." He responded, slowly getting up in the chair. Sirius nodded, glancing between Lily and James, and dragged his makeshift bag up the stairs backwards. Lily watched as James went around picking anything at waist-level up, and when he came across trash lying about on the floor, Lily sighed and walked over.
"You should just ask for help instead of making yourself look like an idiot." She said as James tried to bend over, but found that he couldn't.
"Madame Pomfrey has disabled me more than a crooked back would!" he grimaced. "What sort of Quidditch player am I if I can't even bend my own back!?"
"You are a perfectly fine Quidditch player, just greatly . . .inconvenienced."
"Was that a compliment, Evans!" James challenged her with a look.
"No, but I can't help it if you are decent. I'm only stating a fact."
"It can be the truth and a compliment!"
"True."
James laughed, and Lily smiled lightly.
"Now help me clean the rest of this up, Potter, instead of standing there, STARING at me."
"I wasn't staring."
"Yes you were."
"No I wasn't."
"Yes you were."
"No you weren't."
"Yes I was." Lily stopped, glaring at James. "Potter!"
"Yes, dearest?"
"Get to work. And don't call me-"her nose wrinkled- "dearest."
James grinned at her.
"But that is what you are to me, Evans."
She paused, her face blank, and dropped the trash she was holding.
"I'm going to bed."
"NO! Lily, sorry, it must be the stuff Madame Pomfrey gave me. Don't know what I'm saying. Really, I can't bend over! I need someone to help me! Please, Lily!"
"Fine. But only to make you stop begging."
Lily started to pick up the trash on the floor.
"I wasn't begging!"
"Yes, you were Potter."
"No I wasn't!"
"Yes you were!"
"No I wasn't!"
"Yes you were!"
"No I wasn't!"
"No you weren't!"
"Yes I was!" he rolled his eyes, grabbing the trash from Lily. She smiled demurely.
LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJL
A half-hour later, the common room was spotless. Even the tables, usually littered with homework and games, were neat.
"Well Evans, I do believe we are finished." James slowly sat down, able to bend a little more after the bandages loosened. He started fidgeting with his hair, messing it up and running his hand through it several times, nervously glancing at Lily, who looked in the same case he was. They sat in silence for a few moments, before Lily silently started making her way towards the girl's dormitory. Potter quickly stood up, wincing as the bandages dug into his stomach.
"Wait, Lily."
"Yes Potter?"
"I just, I was, well, I need to, uh, what I mean is-"
"Are you alright, James?" she asked worriedly, turning back. He did look rather tired, and he was paler than usual.
"No, I'm fine, I was just going to say that, uh . . ."
"Are you sure?" she walked back to where James stood. He looked extremely nervous, and kept running his hand through his hair. She sighed.
"Well, Potter, is it your back?"
"Back? Ah, no, that's just painful. But Lily, I-"
"You know, I was wondering about that." Cut in Lily, her face curious. "Why did you, James Potter, fall off your broom?"
"That's what I'm trying to say Lily!" He rubbed at his face. "I was provoked."
"Well that's not hard to do." She smirked. James looked at Lily for a moment before continuing.
"Did you hear Sirius talking to Tawny?"
"Yes."
"Well, Malfoy, that's basically what he said."
"About Tawny!"
"No-about you. I think he was trying to take me out of the game."
"Oh."
The two stood in uncomfortable silence, Lily weighing James' words and James letting out a breath. At least THAT was over. Lily glanced up at James' gaze, and looked down again. She laughed a moment.
"So it is your back."
"I guess you could say that." He chuckled too. They fell silent again.
"What is wrong with it, exactly?" she asked, extremely polite.
"Well, it seems that I bruised the bone, and it's cut slightly from falling on Sirius' broom, and it cannot be moved or it will completely destroy my nervous system, which is besides the torn and mangled tissue of my back that's oozing-but Madame Pomfrey took care of most of that."
"I don't need a detailed description, James!" she said, her hands shaking. James smiled at Lily's nervousness, still present unlike his own. After she had laughed, he didn't feel pushed, and he found himself actually staring at her, too tired to move himself if it wasn't necessary. She did look very pretty, with her hair messy and her eyes glittering and watery from yawning . . .
Lily felt herself freeze up as James smiled at her tiredly, running his hand through his hair again and dropping it at his side. There was something rather unsettling about the way he was looking at her, the way the room seemed to go silent and a ringing in her head start, the way his face was drifting closer to hers almost naturally . . . and the way she didn't mind those things at all. She had the funny feeling of missing a step, in fact, when her own eyes started to close of their own accord and the memory of him comforting her after Lott disappeared surfaced. . .
McGonagall walked in, and jumped when she saw Lily and James, their faces practically touching. Lily seemed to snap out of a trance, and slapped James, albeit weaker than she normally would have. James froze, pulled away, and turned and saw the Professor staring at them.
"W-well! I am completely shocked at the two of you! Down here in the common room, just-just-"
"I'm sorry, Professor!" cut in James, "I-I was just being a git." He grinned ruefully, stepping away from Lily. He looked at Lily, then McGonagall, then Lily again. He cursed himself mentally. "I was just going to bed." With that, he strode out of the room as quickly as possible. Lily stared after him, completely shocked at how close she had come to . . .
"Miss Evans, what is the meaning of this!" said McGonagall sharply.
"What! Oh, well, James and I were talking and-"
"No, not that! The common room! Who helped you?"
"Well, Remus and Sirius and Alice, and Frank at first, but James and I did most of it."
Minerva shook her head in wonder, and glanced at Lily.
"It is certainly-clean. You did an excellent job."
"Thank you, professor."
"Now, it is well past your bedtime, Miss Evans. I would suggest getting to bed."
"Yes, Professor."
McGonagall sighed as Lily turned to.
"I did not, ahem, interrupt-"
"Oh, Oh no! Absolutely not! Like Potter said, he was being a git." Minerva noticed how set her face looked, and surprised and final, and nodded.
"Very well then. Could you tell Potter congratulations for me?"
"Uh, yes, Professor. I-I will tell him."
Lily walked up to her dormitory stiffly, and McGonagall left.
To say the least, it was quite a way to finish the Quidditch season.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH
GNA: Ta-da! You have just experienced chapter eleven, complete with mindless fluff and Quidditch! Now wasn't that fun?
GNL: What? There was fluff? Oh-you mean the TWO PARAGRAPHS ABOUT THEM ALMOST KISSING!!!
GNL: If your worst nightmares came true, you would be dead.
GNA: Good point. Well, I can only say that if you are still looking forward to this chapter after all this time passed you are a most true reader/reviewer. *claps despite tears*
LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ LJLJLJLJLJLJ
CHAPTER ELEVEN: QUIDDITCH
James woke to a cool breeze, and the mutterings of Sirius and Peter. It was morning, and he felt strangely rested. The weather outside testified his mood; on the lawn he could see, from his un-shut curtains, a clear, cool, spring-like morning, and bright sunshine shone on his face.
Potter didn't move, but Sirius and Peter noticed he was awake.
"Potter, I find you absolutely sad; you rescue the one person you hate most, yell at your best friend for his mistakes, then have a nice long chat with the headmaster of Hogwarts about it like it were the weather!"
"Speaking of which, it looks absolutely fantastic outside. . ." said James, his voice a little rough but completely normal, better than he had sounded in weeks, months. Sirius blinked.
"You. . . alright, mate?" he asked.
"You know Sirius, Dumbledore is brilliant."
"Prongs," Black's voice was completely blunt. "Get over whatever little emotional epiphany you've had and tell me what the hell happened."
To that, he shrugged, stretched, and ruffled his hair, saying "What's the rush?"
"Well, we have a Quidditch game in twenty minutes-"
"THE GAME!!" he yelled in a panicky voice, only then realizing that Sirius wasn't wearing the normal school uniform. "Where are my Quidditch robes!" He jumped out of bed, ripped his trunk open, and threw his books out of the way, making Sirius run for cover on the other side of the room..
"Whoa! Watch it Prongs!" Peter exclaimed, as a book barely missed his head. "Look under your bed."
James threw himself under the bed and emerged with his bright red Quidditch uniform, his face smudged with dust.
"Thanks Wormtail!" he called, sprinting down the stairs into the Common Room. He skidded to a stop by the portrait hole and turned around, spotting a red head.
"Hey Evans! Are you coming to the match?" called James.
"Don't I always Potter?" she replied.
At this, he grinned and sprinted down to the Quidditch pitch, praying that his team wouldn't heckle and jeer him mercilessly for being late.
LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ
"This is it!" James said. "What we've been working for all year! We've got . . ."
"Talent" whispered Sirius.
" . . . Talent," said James.
"Dedication..." Sirius muttered.
" . . . Dedication," said James.
"And . . ."
"And if you don't shut up Sirius I am going stick a biting teacup in your boxers."
The Quidditch team laughed, nervously spinning their brooms in their hands.
"Now I know this is a big game, but I have confidence that you will all play your best. They may be as good as us, but we have something they don't; brains. Now lets get out there and show those slimy Slytherins what Quidditch means!" the team whooped and ran out onto the field, as the Hufflepuff some called Tim voice boomed over them, announcing their names, laughter as he said "The gorgeous and talented Andromeda Black, and a roar of approval when "James Potter, captain and seeker," was heard.
Madame Hooch walked out briskly, and said "Captains, shake hands." Lucious Malfoy and James walked toward each other, and shook hands like they were out to kill, which they were.
Madame Hooch spoke again, talking around the shrill whistle clamped in her teeth.
"Teams, mount your brooms." She kicked open a set of Quidditch balls, blew her whistle, and the game began. James bounded into the air, leaving all nervousness behind. He was confident they would win, and didn't mind showing it by doing a lap around the field, while the crowd roared. He halted in front of the Gryffindor stands, searching for the red speck. He finally saw Lily in the very center, and he flew in closer.
"Glad you could make it!" he yelled to Lily. She rolled her eyes, but they suddenly grew large.
"Potter, look out!" James glanced back and saw a bludger flying at him, hit by MacNair. He rolled on his broom, and felt his hair ruffled as it glanced past. The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs all said, "Ooh!" before cheering again. Lily was glaring at James.
"What kind of Captain are you!" she yelled, as Tim announced the score: 10 to 0, Slytherin.
"Get out there Potter!" James grinned cheekily and flew off, his hair whipped back from the speed.
An hour later, James looked shocked and bedraggled. The score was 40-0, Slytherin, and he had no idea how it had happened; their team was obviously superior. He called a time-out.
"What is going on up there!" he yelled at his worn-out team, whom winced. "This is the most pitiful I have seen you! EVER! Now you get back up there and show some improvement, or blood will be shed! Do you understand!"
The team nodded. James sighed, and mussed his hair distractedly.
"Look, here's what we'll do. Bagman, Black, I want you to beat the Slytherins into a pulp-"Sirius and Ludo looked at each other with evil in their eyes, "-But only by playing by the rules, of course. Frank, tighten up defense and get Black and Bagman to stay closer to the goals, like in drills. Wood, Andromeda, get your lazy butts moving! I expect to see some points up there, and soon. Now, get out there! We are not going to get this close to the Quidditch cup and lose it! AGAIN."
The team kicked off again, and the game resumed. Soon the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams were soaked in sweat, despite the high speeds and a slight breeze. The Slytherins were miles ahead, approximately 50 miles to be exact, but despite that fact they were getting down and dirty. Already James had to pull a reserve out because Wood was hit in the head with a bludger, hard.
James was getting desperate to find the snitch, but the weather was making it nearly impossible. The sun was slowly arching it's way over the sky, glaring off the landscape and blinding James, and thick clouds could be seen coming over the Forbidden Forest, pushed by the breeze. He cursed under his breath when Slytherin got another ten points. Gryffindor had yet to get ANY. James flew around the stadium again, trying to catch a glimpse of gold in the hazy sunlight, but he couldn't see a blasted thing. Thunder boomed in the distance even as he looked, and a sudden gust of wind knocked him off course . . .
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Two hours later, everyone was exhausted and soaked. A fierce storm had broken over Hogwarts, and James still hadn't found the snitch. As he flew high above the game, he noticed Malfoy diving toward the ground. James instantly flew towards him, afraid that he might have seen the snitch. The wind and rain ripped at the two as they sped headlong towards the ground. James painstakingly made his way closer, when he noticed that Lucious was pulling up from the ground. James kept flying towards it, and pulled up at the last second.
Everyone was hesitantly cheering, but they couldn't tell if they had actually caught the snitch or not, and if they had, who was holding it.
Lucious was glaring at James, obviously angry about his greater display of Quidditch prowess. Malfoy's feint had been good, but James' had been absolutely fantastic. He growled at James and flew back in the air, James following.
The crowd groaned in disappointment. Everyone was soaked to the bone, and several were even trudging back up to the castle. The events in the next few minutes, though, would halt anyone else from leaving, as the game went from dirty to downright filthy . . .
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
"And Wood, just recovered from the last bludger, is hit yet again by Parkinson!" yelled Tim enthusiastically. Wood had been hit in the head again, and he flew down in a zigzag fashion. James groaned. The reserve came back up, looking completely exhausted. The game had been going on for another hour, totaling up to 4. James ground his teeth.
"Where is the blasted snitch!" he muttered, casting about in the rain. Still, nothing. As he looked about, he realized that the stands were rather emptier than they had been. Worried, James looked to the place where Lily had been, and was proud to see that she was still there, sopping wet and cheering.
"She's insane." He said, and sped by her place. He grinned when he heard her cheer. Obviously, house spirit overrode old enmities in this situation. The game continued on.
"Black tosses to Black, who passes back to Black, OH, Who is blocked by LeStrange! That's right, Gryffindor, still no goal for you! Better tell Potter to get a move on!"
The crowd roared at James. He winced.
"Now Slytherin has the ball-Flint, Avery, and Nott seem to have an unbeatable chemistry out there, eh? Unfortunately, Gryffindor doesn't seem to have the same BANG."
At that moment, MacNair hit Ludo Bagman with his beater stick, and the two started pounding at each other. Unfortunately, Bagman was only a second year, and he was soon ready to fall off his broom from the volley of attacks. Madame Hooch blew on her whistle furiously, and realizing they weren't going to stop, mounted her own broom, still blowing the whistle. She barely made it up to the fray before Ludo slipped off his broom. He started falling, and James and the Gryffindor team lunged forward. Potter raced down, reached out, and managed to grab his arm. He yanked upwards as his broom jolted, and Andromeda Black flew underneath them as they landed. Bagman looked the worse for wear: he had a split lip, numerous bruises, and he was favoring one leg. He limped off the field, Andromeda helping him.
"Like I said," said Tim, "no BANG."
Sirius, frustrated with the game in general, flew up to Tim and yelled at him.
"YOU WANT SOME BANG, TIM! I'LL GIVE YOU BANG!" He u-turned, and flew straight at Malfoy, the closest Slytherin. He wound up, and punched him in the jaw. Madame Hooch blew her whistle again, shaking her head as Malfoy shook his head furiously, spattering blood on Sirius.
"Well! It looks like a penalty for Slytherin AND Gryffindor! Now, now Black, no need for rude gestures like that!"
McGonagall coughed loudly.
"Righto! First up, Slytherin!"
Avery took the quaffle, and Frank clenched his fists. Avery threw and-
"Another 10 points for Slytherin team, bringing up the score to 120, 0. Lets see if Andromeda Black can make a better attempt at BANG than-Right, Professor. She's setting up, better ignore that blood, Malfoy, and-YES! Points for Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor stands roared, cheering Andromeda's name as she did a quick victory lap. Sirius flew over and bear-hugged her, whooping.
"Back to earth, Gryffindor! The score is still 120 to 10, Slytherin, but the weather is absolutely smashing, don't you think Professors?"
McGonagall glared at him, water dripping on her face from her hat, while the others merely sniggered or smiled bemusedly.
LJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJH
James, flying very high above the Quidditch pitch, blinked. Looking around, he realized the rain was letting up greatly, and the sun was peeking on the horizon.
"Now, it looks like only another hour until the sun sets, with the score leaning staggeringly toward the big S. In fact, it looks like the only way they can win the Quidditch cup is if Potter can catch the snitch before sun sets, so no pressure!"
James gave the thumbs up, still looking around. As the sun slowly sank, everything was lit with a golden glow. The snitch would blend right in. He called another time out.
"Time out for Gryffindor!" The Slytherins flew down with the other team, looking much more energetic than their bedraggled and beaten contenders.
"Look, we are exhausted." Said James to his team, who looked like something the cat dragged in, "and we need a break. Frank, pull out your reserve, and you too Black's." The three groaned at him. "Look, it's only for a few minutes. I'll switch off in a while, so we can really win this thing. I need you to be at your best so they can't get any more points.
"But Potter, you don't have a reserve! What will you do?" pointed out Wood's reserve.
"I'm fine, I'm not injured. Now go, you three, and the rest of you, get a move on. We cannot let them get any more points!"
Black, Black, and Longbottom disappeared, and seconds later, the reserves came out.
"All right team, this is it. If we let them get to 160, we're, frankly, screwed. If we don't see the snitch before sunset, well, that just won't happen. Now here's what we'll do . . ."
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Lily sat in the stands, wringing out her hair in an empty space in front of her. Alice was doing the same, and taking off her cloak and twisting it tightly and shaking it out. Evans sat back, her head much lighter.
"Wonder what Potter's strategy is-get as few points as possible so he looks like a hero when he gets the snitch?"
"No," said Alice, "I think it's more like Frank is having a bad time of blocking the quaffle and James can't see the snitch in this weather. Really, Lily, where's your house spirit!"
"I have more than SOME people!" she snipped as two sopping girls in front of them got up and left.
"Oh, come off it Lily, this game is taking ages, we're all soaked, AND we're losing horribly."
"Shut it."
"Right. Wonder what they're talking about down there?"
"Who knows . . . Oh! They're coming back up!"
The two started cheering loudly, jumping up in excitement.
"And here come the teams!" roared Tim. "Looks like Black, Black, and Longbottom are taking a quick break from the game!"
James, still flying high, lost focus on the voice, as he looked around frantically, checking the height of the sun every now and then. Malfoy was tailing just a ways off, waiting for Potter to find the snitch for him. The two watched each other warily, Malfoy still bleeding a little and making him look paler than usual. Lucius started taunting James, flicking his hand at MacNair, who nodded.
"Well it looks like the dream team just had a wake-up call, eh, Potter?"
"Shut up, Malfoy." Spat James, still searching. Suddenly he groaned; the score was 150 to 10. Without the other teammates, they had absolutely fallen apart. James flew down, gesticulating at the reserves. James pulled Frank and the Blacks back in, apologizing for taking them out of the game.
"It looks like the whole Gryffindor team is up there now! Lets see how much BANG-right once again, Professor! Slytherin is, surprise surprise, in possession of the quaffle."
Malfoy sniggered as James flew back up into heights that a sane person would be sick at, still looking around. The golden glow had intensified as the bottom scoop of the sun touched the lake.
"Surprised, Potter? You shouldn't be. Your team IS rather horrible; even you can't say it isn't-Longbottom! It's no wonder you're losing. He couldn't block a ball if his life depended on it. And Black! He's too busy attacking people to even help!" James grit his teeth and glared, but kept looking.
"I'm amazed your team even made it this far, Potter! Either YOU, their perfect seeker and captain," he spat menacingly, "is off being a prat, or you're trying to snog that mudblood." He laughed cruelly when he saw James eyes narrow, and his hands grip his broom handle so tightly they were white about the knuckles.
"Do not talk about Lily that way." He ground out, his attention finally snapping towards Malfoy.
"Why shouldn't I? It's the truth. That is what she is, a dirty, stinking, disgusting mudblood whore-"
James lunged forward with both hands, ready to strangle him. As he reached forward, a bludger came hurtling behind him and hit him in the back, and MacNair stood holding the beater stick and laughing.
"Bloody Hell! Potter, grab your broom!" yelled Tim as James arched his back in pain and started falling, his hands reaching out into space. The whole of the Gryffindor team raced forward on their brooms, but James was too high and falling too quickly. The only person near enough to stop him was Sirius, but he was a hundred feet directly beneath him . . .
WHAM
Fifty feet from the ground, James ran into Sirius and the two tumbled to the ground, landing in the slush with a thwack. The crowd hushed as Sirius pulled himself out of the muck slowly, and then realized James wasn't moving. He started shaking him by the shoulders, yelling for Madame Hooch . . .
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
James cracked his eyes open a sliver, but all he could make out was a white buzzing. The first thing he could distinguish from everything else was that he was lying in something cold and wet, his back was on fire, and that his shoulders were being shaken rather violently, and he felt a slap.
"James! Bloody hell, James, wake up!" yelled Sirius. His eyes slowly adjusted, and he realized he was lying on his back, in the mud of the Quidditch pitch, and several scarlet-clad figures and a spiky-haired witch were leaning over him worriedly. He groaned. He turned his head slightly, trying to accustom himself to the pain, and he realized that it was getting rather dark. The golden glow had completely faded from the landscape, and it was being replaced with a milky luminescence as steam rose from the sopping ground.
"Help me up!" he said, and 10 hands reached down and pulled him up slowly. He touched his back, but pulled back sharply. A huge, tender bruise had risen there, and James could tell it was scraped slightly, probably from running into Sirius' broom. The worst pain came from his backbone though; every time he turned his back or even his head the fire would come back and he would start to double over.
"You alright mate?" asked Sirius worriedly.
"Y-yeah, I'll be fine."
"Potter, I cannot let you play if you are seriously injured. Are you sure? Do you even know how far you fell!" said Madame Hooch, looking up at the sky and back down again.
"Yeah, I think I'll be fine. Now-ow-someone get me my br-oh, thanks Frank." He took his broom from Frank, who had been holding it out expectantly. He took hold of it, swaying for a moment as he lost balance. The crowd cheered again when they saw him get on his broom. Malfoy and the Slytherin team were staring open-mouthed as he flew slowly back up, gaining speed as he went. James Potter had fallen from the height of the North Tower, but he was still going to play!?
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Potter was calling up 5 years of Quidditch training at this point, glaring at anything that moved to find the snitch. Only a few minutes were left before sunset, and if he didn't find it now, the Slytherins would undoubtedly win. Unfortunately, those five years were being wasted on keeping on his broom. The pain in his back was astounding, and whenever he moved, a jolt of pain would carry through his spinal cord, making it difficult to even fly.
James suddenly recalled a story his father had told him from his own Quidditch days; one of their important team members had had a nasty fall, and hurt his back. He kept on playing, though, and ended up losing control of arm movement. From that game on, his arms would involuntarily spasm, and he ended up getting in serious trouble with the Minister of Magic for "inappropriate gestures" at a job interview.
James laughed bitterly. Hopefully, it would not go to that extreme. Or, at least he could only lose control of his ears, which would make a good icebreaker at parties . . .
Suddenly, Potter caught a glimpse of gold out of the corner of his eye . . .
"WAIT! POTTER HAS SEEN THE SNITCH!" roared Tim as James sped away, straight at MacNair's turned back.
"MACNAIR'S TURNING AROUND! POTTER IS CLOSING, CLOSING . . . YES! OOOH, THAT WON'T BE PRETTY IN THE MORNING MACNAIR! BUT JAMES POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS BY TEN POINTS! WHAT A TURN-AROUND! TAKE THAT, SLYTHERIN! NO QUIDDITCH CUP FOR YOU THIS YEAR! FINALLY! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A BUNCH OF BA-"
McGonagall yanked the magical microphone away from Tim, wagging her finger and yelling furiously at him.
On the Quidditch pitch, James had been engulfed in a mass of gold and scarlet, his hand still clutching the snitch in the air above him. It had been years since Gryffindor had won the cup, and now they were more than willing to yell themselves hoarse in victory, and the crowd was doing so with relish. The Slytherins came down looking beaten and angry, their own stands silent and icy, while the Gryffindors rushed to the pitch to congratulate their team players . . .
HPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPL
Lily rushed down the steps, eager to join in the celebrations, and she burst out onto the field with hundreds of other Gryffindors. The darkness was starting to strain her eyes, but the half-dusk lit up the shining brooms well enough to find them. Alice screeched with delight, and disgust, when Frank broke himself away from the other team members and hugged her, laughing.
"You are disgusting, Frank!" she laughed, wiping at her damp cloak.
"BUT WE WON!" he yelled, and shook his fist in the air as the others hooted.
Alice hugged Frank tightly, giving him such a kiss that the other members started whooping. Lily laughed at the two, and walked over to the rest of the team. As they passed on their way to the locker rooms, she congratulated them. Black winked at her, tossing his head in the direction of James. He was still mobbed, and he had a pained look on his face. In fact, that look of 'I feel like I'm dying' was quite intense . . .
"Potter, are you alright?" asked Lily a few minutes later, as James shoved the others away and walked toward her. He grinned and ran a grimy hand through his hair.
"Of course I am! Why would you think I wouldn't be!? We just won the Quidditch game!"
Lily rolled her eyes.
"If you were fine you wouldn't be stooped like that, and you wouldn't look like you were in pain. You fell almost 20 stories! Of course you're hurt, or something. Really, Potter, how dense do you think I am?" His smile faded a bit and he pondered her answer a moment.
"I don't think you're at all dense. I think that you are the least dense person I know. In fact, you are so un-dense, that I think you may have hit the nail on the head. I better go to Madame Pomfrey now." James started hobbling away. Lily knit her brows together worriedly.
"Are you alright?"
"I thought you knew the answer to that."
"Right. WILL you be alright?" He turned back and called "If I have a pretty girl to walk me to Madame Pomfrey, I will be!"
"Oh. Well, I'll just be going then-"
"No, come off it, Lily, can you please walk me to the Hospital Wing?" James asked desperately. "My back is hurting me a bit."
"Well . . .I may as well. There's no point in seeing the 'star Quidditch player' be permanently disabled." James grinned at Lily as she started walking towards the castle.
"Evans, I think you actually meant that! So that's why you wanted to walk near me . . ."
"No I didn't, Potter!"
"I could tell by the entranced look in your eyes . . ."
The two argued their way up to the Hospital wing, not noticing the mob behind them holding up the rest of the Quidditch team, hurriedly changed.
HPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPL
Madame Pomfrey was tapping her foot impatiently at the door to the infirmary, waiting for the injured seeker. She had been alerted beforehand by Professor McGonagall of the fall, and already had a vile-looking potion ready.
James felt wonderful, besides his back. He had just won the biggest Quidditch game of the year, Lily Evans had walked all the way to the hospital wing without slapping him, or hurting him in any way, and they had ended up having an almost decent conversation. At the moment, though, there was an uncomfortable silence. James thought for a moment, then thought of the perfect topic to discuss.
"You know, I hope I don't end up like someone my dad knew . . ."
By the time James was finished telling the story, Lily was laughing helplessly, mocking James' idea of wiggling ears.
"Really, Potter, how absurd!" she broke into laughter again. "Wriggling ears! I would have chosen something a LITTLE less noticeable! Maybe my toes, or a chronic eye twitch-"
"I cannot understand why anyone would EVER play such a dangerous and mad sport! Really, I have set more broken body parts than you know from that Quidditch!" broke in Madame Pomfrey, still standing, tapping her foot, and watching the two come closer.
"So what is it Potter? Arm? Leg? Neck?"
"Uh . . .No."
"Well then, foot? Wrist?"
"No-My back."
"YOUR BACK! How long have you been playing like that, Potter?! Why if I knew I would have taken you out of the game immediately-"
"What? Why weren't you told immediately?" questioned Lily.
"It seems that Professor McGonagall was set on having her house win. But If I have to set a back because of her-really, the most dangerous thing you could injure, stupid, dangerous sport, if you could call it that. . ." Madame Pomfrey marched into the infirmary, picking up various bandages and tonics on the way, and James paused embarrassedly.
"Uh, well Evans, you better leave now."
Lily set her mouth stubbornly.
"And why is that, Potter?"
"Because Madame Pomfrey will have to look at my BACK, that's why. As in-"
"Right! Yes, right." Lily was blushing crimson.
"Unless, of course, you wanted to stay!" James wiggled his eyebrows. "I AM the star of the Quidditch team-"
"Shut up, Potter. What a big-headed prat you can be sometimes!" She was still red, and blushed even more when Madame Pomfrey came back out.
"Mr. Potter, I need you to remove the-Miss Evans, are you leaving or not? I cannot allow you to stay here unless James-"
"I was just going! Goodnight, Potter. I-I expect they will have some sort of celebration up in the common room. I wouldn't want to make you, I mean, I wouldn't want to miss it. Goodnight, Madame Pomfrey."
James grinned as Lily walked off, still holding her head up.
"She's great, isn't she?" asked James rhetorically, as Madame Pomfrey "humphed," and gave hurried hurried instructions before Malfoy, MacNair, and Wood walked in.
HPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPL
Back in the common room, everyone was celebrating with food from the house elves and all sorts of Gryffindor decorations, not to mention a hundred different types of gags and tricks that Sirius had dug up from old marauder days.
It was noisy, warm, and overall, jubilant. Lily walked into the commotion with a smile, and was soon absorbed in a conversation with Alice, Frank, and Peter over the finer points of the game. It was already late, from the length of the game, but no one really cared. It was only when Tawny barged in to break up the commotion that anyone realized it was leaning towards ten, with everyone still full of adrenaline and sugar and excitement. Sirius sauntered over to Tawny, throwing an arm around her shoulder. She looked at him distastefully.
"Black, if you do not stop this, this rabble this instant I will have to get Professor McGonagall!"
"Go ahead, Tawny, but she won't care! At this moment she's celebrating with Flitwick and Sprout!" Sirius cheered as the large Gryffindor banner was brought it. "You know Tawny, I think you should have been a Gryffindor."
She glared.
"Get your arm off me this instant, Black."
"Did I ever tell you your name was funny?"
"What?"
"You know, it almost sounds like a whore name."
"BLACK!!!"
"Think about it! Tawny the whore. Has a nice ring to it . . . Huh. Maybe you were named that for a reason, eh!" He wiggled his eyebrows.
"DETENTION!"
"Aww, no need for that!" He paused and picked up a package. "Here. Have a wet-start firework!"
Tawny shoved his arm off, and sighing in relent, took the firework.
"Pervert."
"Anytime."
At that moment, James walked in, wearing fresh robes and holding himself unusually tall.
"What's up your butt, Prongs?" asked Sirius lazily, waving goodbye to Tawny.
"Madame Pomfrey put more bandages on me than is humanly possible! I can't even bend over! Look!"
He tried to bend over, but looked like he was doing an eccentric bow. He stood back up, and Ludo Bagman slapped him on the shoulder. James winced.
"Great game, Potter, really great game! Couldn't have done it without you!"
"Heh, yeah, thanks." James scowled as he walked away.
The crowd saw him, and soon he was trapped in a corner by the whole of the Gryffindor house congratulating him again.
"Someone's popular." smirked Lily, who was standing outside the tight group. James smirked back. Sirius started waving his hands in the air, yelling at everyone to "shut your ruddy traps!" They went quiet.
"Look, I hate to say it, but it's getting late and there are classes tomorrow."
Everyone looked at him with disbelieving faces, wondering what had come over him.
"But that doesn't mean the parties over! The Marauders haven't even made an appearance yet! Tomorrow is the day you will all know as –"
McGonagall walked through the portrait hole at that moment, and stood glaring (rather unconvincingly) at the crowd. Everyone scattered, leaving Sirius and an injured James in the epicenter of the mess. Peter, Frank, Alice, and Lily hesitated, not wanting to pile the wrath of Minerva McGonagall on the two unlucky Quidditch players.
"I expect the mess to be cleaned by tomorrow morning, you six. If not, then points-er, you will be severely admonished." They looked at her tersely, expecting to suddenly have detention.
"We don't want to win the Quidditch cup and lose the house cup, now do we?"
They sighed in relief, and grinning, started to clean up the mess.
HPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPLJHPL
"Where did you get all of this?" asked Lily, picking up a pile of dung bombs.
"Oh, you know . . .we have our ways." Said Sirius vaguely.
Lily knit her brows at the cryptic response, but continued cleaning. The six had been at work cleaning the common room for an hour, and it was looking much better. Most of the food had been magically disappeared, and now only the numerous other items remained. James had been given a break due to his injury, and he sat very upright in a squashy chair. He was watching the others clean with mild interest, mainly watching Lily. She looked a mess from a day out on a rainy Quidditch pitch and hard labor in the common room, with her hair knotted and face red, but James didn't mind.
He jumped when Frank patted his shoulder lightly, going up to bed. Alice then followed, and Peter. Sirius dumped the prank items onto his cloak sprawled out on the floor, and finding no more, gathered it up.
"Alright, Prongs, I'm heading to bed. You coming?"
"No, I think I'll help finish up." He responded, slowly getting up in the chair. Sirius nodded, glancing between Lily and James, and dragged his makeshift bag up the stairs backwards. Lily watched as James went around picking anything at waist-level up, and when he came across trash lying about on the floor, Lily sighed and walked over.
"You should just ask for help instead of making yourself look like an idiot." She said as James tried to bend over, but found that he couldn't.
"Madame Pomfrey has disabled me more than a crooked back would!" he grimaced. "What sort of Quidditch player am I if I can't even bend my own back!?"
"You are a perfectly fine Quidditch player, just greatly . . .inconvenienced."
"Was that a compliment, Evans!" James challenged her with a look.
"No, but I can't help it if you are decent. I'm only stating a fact."
"It can be the truth and a compliment!"
"True."
James laughed, and Lily smiled lightly.
"Now help me clean the rest of this up, Potter, instead of standing there, STARING at me."
"I wasn't staring."
"Yes you were."
"No I wasn't."
"Yes you were."
"No you weren't."
"Yes I was." Lily stopped, glaring at James. "Potter!"
"Yes, dearest?"
"Get to work. And don't call me-"her nose wrinkled- "dearest."
James grinned at her.
"But that is what you are to me, Evans."
She paused, her face blank, and dropped the trash she was holding.
"I'm going to bed."
"NO! Lily, sorry, it must be the stuff Madame Pomfrey gave me. Don't know what I'm saying. Really, I can't bend over! I need someone to help me! Please, Lily!"
"Fine. But only to make you stop begging."
Lily started to pick up the trash on the floor.
"I wasn't begging!"
"Yes, you were Potter."
"No I wasn't!"
"Yes you were!"
"No I wasn't!"
"Yes you were!"
"No I wasn't!"
"No you weren't!"
"Yes I was!" he rolled his eyes, grabbing the trash from Lily. She smiled demurely.
LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJL
A half-hour later, the common room was spotless. Even the tables, usually littered with homework and games, were neat.
"Well Evans, I do believe we are finished." James slowly sat down, able to bend a little more after the bandages loosened. He started fidgeting with his hair, messing it up and running his hand through it several times, nervously glancing at Lily, who looked in the same case he was. They sat in silence for a few moments, before Lily silently started making her way towards the girl's dormitory. Potter quickly stood up, wincing as the bandages dug into his stomach.
"Wait, Lily."
"Yes Potter?"
"I just, I was, well, I need to, uh, what I mean is-"
"Are you alright, James?" she asked worriedly, turning back. He did look rather tired, and he was paler than usual.
"No, I'm fine, I was just going to say that, uh . . ."
"Are you sure?" she walked back to where James stood. He looked extremely nervous, and kept running his hand through his hair. She sighed.
"Well, Potter, is it your back?"
"Back? Ah, no, that's just painful. But Lily, I-"
"You know, I was wondering about that." Cut in Lily, her face curious. "Why did you, James Potter, fall off your broom?"
"That's what I'm trying to say Lily!" He rubbed at his face. "I was provoked."
"Well that's not hard to do." She smirked. James looked at Lily for a moment before continuing.
"Did you hear Sirius talking to Tawny?"
"Yes."
"Well, Malfoy, that's basically what he said."
"About Tawny!"
"No-about you. I think he was trying to take me out of the game."
"Oh."
The two stood in uncomfortable silence, Lily weighing James' words and James letting out a breath. At least THAT was over. Lily glanced up at James' gaze, and looked down again. She laughed a moment.
"So it is your back."
"I guess you could say that." He chuckled too. They fell silent again.
"What is wrong with it, exactly?" she asked, extremely polite.
"Well, it seems that I bruised the bone, and it's cut slightly from falling on Sirius' broom, and it cannot be moved or it will completely destroy my nervous system, which is besides the torn and mangled tissue of my back that's oozing-but Madame Pomfrey took care of most of that."
"I don't need a detailed description, James!" she said, her hands shaking. James smiled at Lily's nervousness, still present unlike his own. After she had laughed, he didn't feel pushed, and he found himself actually staring at her, too tired to move himself if it wasn't necessary. She did look very pretty, with her hair messy and her eyes glittering and watery from yawning . . .
Lily felt herself freeze up as James smiled at her tiredly, running his hand through his hair again and dropping it at his side. There was something rather unsettling about the way he was looking at her, the way the room seemed to go silent and a ringing in her head start, the way his face was drifting closer to hers almost naturally . . . and the way she didn't mind those things at all. She had the funny feeling of missing a step, in fact, when her own eyes started to close of their own accord and the memory of him comforting her after Lott disappeared surfaced. . .
McGonagall walked in, and jumped when she saw Lily and James, their faces practically touching. Lily seemed to snap out of a trance, and slapped James, albeit weaker than she normally would have. James froze, pulled away, and turned and saw the Professor staring at them.
"W-well! I am completely shocked at the two of you! Down here in the common room, just-just-"
"I'm sorry, Professor!" cut in James, "I-I was just being a git." He grinned ruefully, stepping away from Lily. He looked at Lily, then McGonagall, then Lily again. He cursed himself mentally. "I was just going to bed." With that, he strode out of the room as quickly as possible. Lily stared after him, completely shocked at how close she had come to . . .
"Miss Evans, what is the meaning of this!" said McGonagall sharply.
"What! Oh, well, James and I were talking and-"
"No, not that! The common room! Who helped you?"
"Well, Remus and Sirius and Alice, and Frank at first, but James and I did most of it."
Minerva shook her head in wonder, and glanced at Lily.
"It is certainly-clean. You did an excellent job."
"Thank you, professor."
"Now, it is well past your bedtime, Miss Evans. I would suggest getting to bed."
"Yes, Professor."
McGonagall sighed as Lily turned to.
"I did not, ahem, interrupt-"
"Oh, Oh no! Absolutely not! Like Potter said, he was being a git." Minerva noticed how set her face looked, and surprised and final, and nodded.
"Very well then. Could you tell Potter congratulations for me?"
"Uh, yes, Professor. I-I will tell him."
Lily walked up to her dormitory stiffly, and McGonagall left.
To say the least, it was quite a way to finish the Quidditch season.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH
GNA: Ta-da! You have just experienced chapter eleven, complete with mindless fluff and Quidditch! Now wasn't that fun?
GNL: What? There was fluff? Oh-you mean the TWO PARAGRAPHS ABOUT THEM ALMOST KISSING!!!