Author's note: I'm back!!!!!!!!! Only to be away for another two weeks.
Um.... Yeah.... ....I haven't updated since November, which I hated doing dearly.
I don't think I've ever had so much writer's block on any piece before.... So
it's been writer's block and the demand from people to update my other two
fics, which are doing extremely well..... knocks on wood But two weeks ago,
I got my inspiration back to finish this chapter... and I have to say it's my
best one yet! Not to mention my longest chapter ever! And I hope it's an
enjoyable one! So now that I'm back into the swing of things, there should
be an update within the next 3 or 4 weeks... just pray that I don't hit
writer's block for a good long time!
Oooh, and please review!
Disclaimer: What sounds familiar belongs to JK Rowling. What doesn't sound familiar belongs to me.
Chapter 11- Lots and lots of snow!
At seven the next evening, the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into Platform 9 3/4. They usually would have arrived by five, but with another impending snowstorm, the train had to take precautions for the safety of the 800 students riding. And sure enough, all 800 scrambled off the train, reunited with their families for the Christmas holidays. At least most of them. Ashley groaned as Platform 9 3/4 emptied out and she and her group were still waiting expectantly for whoever was to pick them up, supposedly Ashley's parents. Lily and Alaina, arms linked, dropped themselves down on the ground, not wanting to remain standing. But to their dismay, Jonathan took them by the arms and swept them back onto their feet.
"Don't sit on the ground unless you wants cold bums—ow!" he said as Alaina started hitting Jonathan on the arm as hard as she could. Lily laughed as Jonathan let go of them to rub his arm.
"Who in your classes, do you hit so much that you've only gotten stronger than in August?" Jonathan asked sulkily.
Lily saw Alaina's eyes become unfocused for a few moments, and then returned to normal. "Nobody.... I suppose it's just all the essays we have to write."
Jonathan looked unconvinced. "You're hiding something from me."
Alaina feigned innocence. "I wouldn't lie to you; you're my big brother, after all."
"No; you would." Jonathan replied crossly.
Camille and Lily looked at each other nervously and Aruba sighed. "Guys, this is no time for fighting, honestly. There's no fireplace in nearby areas, no portkeys and we're too young to apparate," Aruba said as she sat on the steps of the Hogwarts Express.
"And my home is way out and we haven't any Muggle money to use a taxi," Ashley added.
Silence fell over the group for a while, then Lily came up with an obvious idea. Gathering up her stuff, she said, "The Platform's barrier is bound to seal itself soon so we'd better clear out. And hadn't anyone thought of the Knight Bus? Ernie's a bit of an odd driver but will get us where we need to without hesitation."
Ashley grinned. "Lily, you're brilliant, as usual." But as the group assembled off the platform, a tall, handsome man, unmistakably Ashley's dad, came running their way with another man trailing behind him. The other man........... Lily was sure he looked very familiar........
"Daddy!" Ashley squealed as she dropped her bags to give her dad a hug. The rest of the group smiled and watched as the other man walked over to them. "Sorry we took forever. Michael over there had never been to King's Cross before, so it took me a while to teach him how to get here," he explained in a tenor-baritone voice. He paused a moment upon seeing Lily, but then turned to the father-daughter scene.
Camille leaned in towards Lily. "Do you know him?" Camille whispered. "No, but he looks awfully familiar. I can't nail it..........." Lily answered with a pained expression on her face.
Jonathan smiled smugly. "I know who he is," he said proudly. Lily turned to Jonathan. "Then tell us who he is," she demanded. Jonathan smirked at her. "I'm not saying anything."
Alaina looked at her big brother furiously. "Don't you even try to hide something from my best friend," Alaina warned through clenched teeth. Lily frowned. "Guys, we'll probably find out in a few minutes, I guess." She said as she sighed in resignation.
"Lily, are you a Gryffindor or not? Honestly......... fine, it's Charles Potter, father of the infamous James Potter. Can't you see the resemblance between the two?" Jonathan pointed out. Lily though on it. James's prominent features were that he was tall, nearing six feet, had hazel eyes and messy black hair that stuck up in the back. His father surpassed James's height by two or three inches and his hair was dark brown instead of black. "Well, I must be still out of it....." Lily murmured in realization.
Everyone proceeded out of the station and towards two taxis waiting for them outside. Once everyone settled into their seats, Michael took Ashley's hand. "Charles and I have to go back to the Ministry as it's a very busy time. You can take care of things from here, right honey? You're just driving over to the Leaky Cauldron, then using Floo Powder from there to get home."
"There won't be any problems, I promise. See you tonight," Ashley confidently said, giving her dad one final hug.
Due to snow, they reached the Leaky Cauldron in an hour and had to wait a half hour on a line to use the Floo Network. But Lily felt that it was absolutely worth it. Lily had visited Ashley two years ago, but the family estate never failed to put her in awe. It was a five-level, light blue mansion with a circular driveway, handsome brown polished entry doors, impressive Corinthian columns, and two semi-circular windows for every floor. And Ashley had a whole floor to herself. Fifteen minutes upon arrival, the girls all assembled into Ashley's bedroom, which was more than enough space for all of them. Alaina timidly followed Lily, since she didn't know the other girls very well and Jonathan had a room to himself.
"Just leave your stuff here for now......... the house elves will come in while we're eating dinner," Ashley announced as she covered her growling stomach.
Aruba gazed around the room's golden yellow walls and ceiling in amazement. "Who can think about dinner? Your room, your house of course, is lovely......" she said dreamily.
Lily remembered that it was Aruba's first visit. "Don't you live in London? It's such a beautiful city," Lily asked in surprise.
"Living in Grimmauld Place is no fun, especially when one lives two doors away from the Black family," Aruba sighed as she reluctantly followed the girls down to dinner.
Camille gasped. "I've heard things about the Blacks. And I say it's no wonder Sirius acts the way he does. His family is very much into the dark arts and supports the idea of only letting purebloods attend Hogwarts."
"And that's why Sirius is constantly here around break. The Potters live next door," Ashley pointed out, smirking at Lily.
Lily sighed. "I know he's your neighbor........ he told me last night. I wonder why you didn't tell me the last time I visited?"
A chorus of oohs erupted from the other girls, even from Alaina. "Lily Potter has a really nice sound to it, doesn't it? What a good match the two of them are!!!" Camille teased, as she knew James better than any of the other girls.
Lily turned red in the cheeks, but didn't say a word.
Nothing eventful happened again until the next morning, when Ashley's mother entered the dining room. She was a slightly plump petite woman with soft brown eyes and a dazzling smile. And at the moment, she had her long, coarse hair in tiny cornrow braids with highlights of red mixed in, a show of her Christmas festiveness. She was one of Lily's favorite adults; Lily was absolutely fascinated with the Jamaican accent she had managed to maintain and she had an exuberant, lively personality. One could never get depressed around her and if by strange occurrence one was, she'd cheer one back up in a minute, even without having to resort to magic.
"Good morning, girls!" she greeted exuberantly, walking towards them.
A chorus of hellos and greetings of Happy Christmas Eve went back to her. Ashley grinned. "Mother, you are hiding something from us.... I can tell by the look on your face......... is there something special we're doing tonight?"
Mrs. Freedman bent down to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Perhaps. Where is that boy Jonathan? It has to do with those four boys in your year.... ..... Elena's son James is one of them."
Lily suddenly lost her appetite as butterflies developed in her stomach. "They're next door, aren't they?" she asked. Groaning, she leaned back in her chair and covered her face with her hands to hide her blushing.
Misunderstanding the situation, Camille turned to Lily. "Come on, Lily. Those boys aren't so bad. They are part of the reason why life is so interesting," she reasoned.
But Lily only groaned louder and sank further more into her chair, the urge to run away building up. Perhaps it would be best to do that. However, she felt as though she were rooted to her seat and couldn't move. Her reaction to Camille's statement gave the other girls ideas other from what had really happened. But only one was brave to voice out her thoughts. "Lily!?! You two didn't...... do it..... did you??"
Appalled at that thought, Lily sharply brought her head up. They thought that she and James had slept with each other???? It was a ridiculous thought, first of all. The night in the hospital wing was the first night they had ever slept in the same room and they slept in their own beds.
Before she could protest though, Camille spoke again. "Okay, in two years' time, they'll get married and have three children........umm........ one will be a boy, then a girl, then a boy. Sirius will be the godfather of the first, Remus will be the godfather of the girl and Peter will be the godfather of the baby of the family. Lily's going to give birth to James's children!!!!!" she predicted excitedly to everyone else at the table. All the girls except Alaina and Mrs. Freedman burst into giggles.
"Good morning everyone," Jonathan said, strolling into the room, still in his pajamas and messy morning hair. The giggles quieted down as the girls greeted Jonathan back.
"Good morning Jonathan. Come now and eat breakfast," Mrs. Freedman greeted.
"Well, that's what I'm here for," Jonathan chuckled as he took a seat next to Alaina.
As he reached out for juice, he glanced over at Lily, who definitely was the least cheerful person at the table. Before he could ask anything, she stood up and ran up to Alaina's room.
"Lily could use a cheering charm right about now; I hope she knew we were just joking." Aruba said worriedly.
Mrs. Freedman shook her head. "She just needs some time alone. Then someone can go up and talk to her.......... Soon though. Elena Potter and the boys are coming over in five hours and the house needs to be prepared for our cozy little party. Lily ran three flights of stairs and locked herself in Ashley's room. Once inside, she sank down to the floor and curled up into a ball. Then she let the tears and sobs come. What kind of friends did she have? Them talking about she and James having children........ no...... that was too much. She wouldn't do that, despite what everyone else thought. But then again, there had been the night in the hospital wing....... And he had respected her for the most part. James Potter, acting somewhat mature? Yes, there was still hope. But honestly, Lily giving birth to his children? Further more, having relations with him????? Lily clenched her fists harder at the thought. She continued crying for the next half hour, until somebody softly knocked at the door.
Lily's anger flared. "Go away, whoever you are! What kind of friend are you?"
"The clueless friend. It's Jonathan.... You want to talk?" Jonathan consolingly offered on the other side of the door. It was true that Jonathan wasn't there when the others teased her, Lily thought as she wiped the tears away from her face. There was no doubt she looked like a mess.
"Hey! I can just apparate!" Jonathan said suddenly. A second later, Jonathan was standing at Lily's side.
"Good morning, Lily," he said solemnly with a small bow, hoping to make her smile. Lily instead broke into tears and threw herself on him to give a hug, grateful for his presence.
Surprised by Lily's reaction, he nearly fell back. "Lily! Calm down....... Shhhh......" he said soothingly, holding her as she cried. Over the next hour and a half, Lily told Jonathan what happened that morning and what her thoughts and feelings were.
"But you don't know what to think about James," Jonathan said as Lily finished her story.
"Why are things between James and I the way they are?" Lily said, clearly distressed.
"Lily, practically everybody who knows you thinks you're very admirable in all sorts of aspects. James has just gone a bit overboard. But honestly Lily, he's been like for the past four years, so I hear. Just try to see beyond what you know and perhaps you'll see an entirely different person in him." Jonathan softly suggested. He then looked down at Lily, who silently buried her head in his left shoulder, only moving to stifle her sobs.
"Do you have something to tell your official unofficial brother?"
Amidst the sobs, Jonathan could sworn he heard Lily laugh a little. Okay, he had made some improvement. Lily's body tensed up as if preparing to say something, but moments later, her body relaxed.
"May I tell you later? I think that taking a walk by myself will do me some good right now," Lily said a minute or so later, drawing her head off Jonathan's shoulder. Jonathan tried to look at Lily straight in the eye, but she was looking out one of the windows that gave a view of Ashley's backyard. Jonathan silently sighed. He didn't feel like waiting, but that's what Lily wanted. "Sure, I can wait."
Twenty minutes later, Lily stepped out onto the front steps of Ashley's home. Already, her mind began to clear, which she wanted it to do. Yesterday's snowstorm had been cleared off the roads and now large mounds of white, glistening snow were scattered along the two front lawns on the street. Every so often, as Lily wandered away from Ashley's home, a gentle wind would blow, causing snowflakes to dance through the air in a show that never failed to take Lily's breath away. It was also very quiet; she only heard the wind and her own soft footsteps on the road. What had happened two nights ago with James........ she had gotten into the same bed as him, he didn't touch her despite the fact that it was quite impossible to do so as the beds weren't built to hold two teenagers.... And..... it actually had been kind of fun talking to him. She had felt safe, she could perhaps trust him......
Suddenly, she was aware that the wind and her footsteps weren't the only ones she heard. She was quite sure she had heard another pair of footsteps behind her. Taking a glance behind her shoulder, she didn't see anybody, but she already knew who it was. Slowly she turned around and gazed straight ahead. After a few seconds, she took two steps forward and reached her arms up until she felt a fabric brush softly against her fingers. Sensing that she had found the hood, she tugged it back. James's hazel eyes looked down at the young woman standing in front of him. He was relieved to see Lily smiling. Christmas Eve was not an ideal day to die.
James let out a laugh as he proceeded to take off the rest of the invisibility cloak. 'You have really sharp sense, Lily," he said amusedly.
Now it was Lily's turn to laugh. "You take any chance you have to use that invisibility cloak of yours and I know that you came here either late last night or this morning. And, you're the only person I know that owns an invisibility cloak."
James grinned. Besides having sharp senses, she had a quick mind. God, he loved that about her. "Oh, Happy Christmas Eve by the way," James greeted.
"Same to you."
Lily then took note that James wasn't wearing a winter coat. Wasn't he cold? She was all bundled up, and yet was shivering a little. "You should go home, James. It's no fun being sick over the holidays, trust me," Lily advised.
James shook his head. "I'm in no rush to go home, and I'm not cold either."
Lily laughed in disbelief. "You are insane!!!" Wanting to check for herself, she took off one of her gloves and grabbed one of James's hands. James had to restrain himself from laughing as Lily examined his warm hand. "The invisibility cloak was rather warm, and it hasn't worm off yet," James explained, looking down at Lily's hand with his. Sighing, he clasped his hand around hers.
"It is you who should be heading back over. Your hands are like ice," James noted.
Lily blushed at the gesture, but shook her head. "What I really need to do right now is take a walk. It's been working well for me so far."
James pondered on that for a moment. Yes, walks were always good, but there were other things that worked better. "How about you come over to my house for a while? Everyone's still sleeping and I could use some help waking Sirius, Remus and Peter up. I think laughing will do you much better than a walk........ don't get me wrong though; walks are good too," he offered, although he knew that more than likely she would say no. Lily, however, politely consented.
James's order in waking up his fellow Marauders: Peter (extremely easy) Remus ( a bit difficult) Sirius (practically impossible)
Waking the guys up was almost always amusing. As James and Lily approached the Potter household, James let go of Lily's hand. Lily could hear a babbling voice coming from the front door, but she couldn't see anybody. James rushed over to the door and hastily put his hands over a gold knocker on the door. "Bloody hell Jeremy! Keep quiet!" James said harshly.
Who was Jeremy?
"Ouch! D—n it Jeremy, that hurt!" James yelled as he nursed his wound. Concerned, Lily ran over to James to inspect what had happened. James's hand had several teeth marks all around the center of his palm. Lily's eyes fell upon the knocker, which had the image of a butler who looked amazing real. Jeremy's eyes settled on Lily, now noticing her. "Ah Master James! You've brought home a female!" Jeremy said delightedly. He focused his attention on Lily. "Just to let you know, I hear that the Potter men like it rough!"
Lily gasped in disgust and James angrily whipped out his wand. "You'll regret that you had said that!" James threatened.
Jeremy merely chuckled. "Underage wizards are not allowed to use magic off school grounds," Jeremy said defendingly.
James's voice hardened. "Just to let you know, I'm no longer underage. I've been seventeen for quite a while." Jeremy scowled and the front door opened. James pocketed his wand and curtly nodded. "Thank you, Jeremy," he said, regaining some of his composure.
James gestured for Lily to enter. Lily shot a nasty look at Jeremy before entering the house. Lily turned sharply towards James once inside. "What in the heck was with that?" she demanded. James tried to not look startled by her sudden question. "All I know is that he's been around for a couple of generations. My great-grandfather was the only one who was able to control Jeremy. Unfortunately, nobody knows how he did it. I'll have to admit though...... I think that's the first comment of that nature that he's ever said," James confessed.
After handing Lily's coat, scarf, and mittens to a house elf, James led Lily upstairs. Lily glanced around as they walked up the polished wooden stairs. And she thought the Freedman residence was beautiful. Maybe it was the fact that James's house had belonged to the family for generations, but it had a much more cozy, warm atmosphere. In truth, it was reminiscent of Hogwarts with portraits of family members and ancestors all over the walls. Lucky for Lily and James, a majority of the people featured within the portraits were still sleeping. At the top of the stairway, there was a magnificent chandelier with perhaps hundreds of teardrop crystals and candlesticks hanging.
James turned to Lily upon reaching the top and saw that her gaze was transfixed on the chandelier above them. "Lily," he called gently.
Reluctantly, Lily broke her gaze away from the sparkling crystals and looked at James. An apologetic look appeared on her face. "I'm sorry; I couldn't help it........ I've been here for a few minutes and it's all very interesting......"
James shook his head. "No, it's alright. Most people who've visited before have had the same reaction. Peter's mum, when she first visited four years ago, she couldn't stop looking at the chandelier. She eventually fell back and tumbled down the stairs. Yeah.......... That was New Years' Eve...... we spent New Years Day at St. Mungo's, keeping Mrs. Pettigrew company while the healers took care of her," James said, not even trying to hide his laughter.
Lily raised an eyebrow. She didn't think that was very funny, but it was probably one of the moments where you had to witness it for yourself. Then she noticed that a serious expression appeared on James's face. Changing subject, he motioned for Lily to follow him. "I need to get some things from my room to wake these guys up."
As Lily followed James through the east corridor, she wondered why she had followed James at all. She could have easily told him that she would have preferred to just go back to the Freedman residence. Surely, something amusing was going on there. After all, a party would be held later on in the afternoon...........
Humiliation rushed through Lily's body as she stopped short in the corridor. She had completely forgotten...... and she still needed to talk to her friends and Jonathan and get ready for the party. At the same time though, it would be rude to leave James so suddenly.
What to do, what to do.....
James stopped walking and opened the door to his bedroom. James's bedroom was clean for the most part, except for his Hogwarts and Quidditch uniforms, carelessly lying on his four-poster bed. As James walked over to his desk to look for something, he glanced back at Lily, who was hesitantly standing at the doorway. "Lily, if we're going to get any work done, then you'd better get over here," James said to her, turning away from the desk drawer he was rummaging through.
Lily tore her eyes away from a family portrait positioned directly across from James's bed and looked at James crossly. "The only reason why I came here was for some amusement, which you recommended. You're the only one of the two of us who will be waking up your best friends," she answered as lightly as possible.
James was surprised by the sudden change in Lily's mood. What had just happened?
"Well, come in and close the door behind you at the very least," he suggested. He really wasn't up to arguing at the moment. A few seconds later, James heard the door click closed and Lily approaching him from behind.
"So, how do you wake up your best friends?" Lily asked, glancing down at James's drawers of miscellaneous objects. James let out a small laugh. "All Peter needs is a good kick. Kicking him anywhere works well since he's a light sleeper. Remus...... Peter and I usually drag him out into the hallway, but I think we're going to have to do something more than that this time. Food is the best way to wake Sirius up. But since he's such a heavy sleeper, it's going to take a lot of food to wake him up." James pulled out several long pieces of string from a drawer and wrapped them around one of his hands. "After waking up Remus, I'm going to have to take a trip down to the kitchens to get food. If I used the Summoning Charm to get the food, my mother would throw a fit," he added.
Lily frowned. "So fearless at school, yet when you're at home, you're afraid of your own mother......" James shook his head. "You don't EVER want to see my mother mad."
"You wouldn't like to see your best friends mad either, Prongs," a voice spoke from behind the two of them.
Lily whirled around and saw Sirius standing at James's doorway, which was now open. Remus and Peter were standing. James laughed as he turned around to face his best friends. "Of course I don't like to see you lot mad. I like to see you lot awake."
Sirius grinned. "Do you remember the last time you tried to wake us up?"
Remus, Peter and James all broke into laughs. "That was the best snowball fight ever! Of course, none of you were good enough to beat me, no matter how furious you were!" James declared.
A broad smile spread on Lily's face.... She could feel a challenge coming on. "Okay then, James, you've got yourself a challenge!"
James turned to Lily, who he'd forgotten once his best friends entered the room. "Sorry?"
"I've had my snowball fights as well and just to let you know, I've never been defeated."
"Is that so?"
Lily nodded, trying to look as intimidating as possible. Which was not a very easy thing to pull on James Potter.
James stared back at her for a couple of moments determinedly, then ran towards her. Lily let out a small squeal and ran past the other Marauders and out the door, James following not too far behind.
Disclaimer: What sounds familiar belongs to JK Rowling. What doesn't sound familiar belongs to me.
Chapter 11- Lots and lots of snow!
At seven the next evening, the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into Platform 9 3/4. They usually would have arrived by five, but with another impending snowstorm, the train had to take precautions for the safety of the 800 students riding. And sure enough, all 800 scrambled off the train, reunited with their families for the Christmas holidays. At least most of them. Ashley groaned as Platform 9 3/4 emptied out and she and her group were still waiting expectantly for whoever was to pick them up, supposedly Ashley's parents. Lily and Alaina, arms linked, dropped themselves down on the ground, not wanting to remain standing. But to their dismay, Jonathan took them by the arms and swept them back onto their feet.
"Don't sit on the ground unless you wants cold bums—ow!" he said as Alaina started hitting Jonathan on the arm as hard as she could. Lily laughed as Jonathan let go of them to rub his arm.
"Who in your classes, do you hit so much that you've only gotten stronger than in August?" Jonathan asked sulkily.
Lily saw Alaina's eyes become unfocused for a few moments, and then returned to normal. "Nobody.... I suppose it's just all the essays we have to write."
Jonathan looked unconvinced. "You're hiding something from me."
Alaina feigned innocence. "I wouldn't lie to you; you're my big brother, after all."
"No; you would." Jonathan replied crossly.
Camille and Lily looked at each other nervously and Aruba sighed. "Guys, this is no time for fighting, honestly. There's no fireplace in nearby areas, no portkeys and we're too young to apparate," Aruba said as she sat on the steps of the Hogwarts Express.
"And my home is way out and we haven't any Muggle money to use a taxi," Ashley added.
Silence fell over the group for a while, then Lily came up with an obvious idea. Gathering up her stuff, she said, "The Platform's barrier is bound to seal itself soon so we'd better clear out. And hadn't anyone thought of the Knight Bus? Ernie's a bit of an odd driver but will get us where we need to without hesitation."
Ashley grinned. "Lily, you're brilliant, as usual." But as the group assembled off the platform, a tall, handsome man, unmistakably Ashley's dad, came running their way with another man trailing behind him. The other man........... Lily was sure he looked very familiar........
"Daddy!" Ashley squealed as she dropped her bags to give her dad a hug. The rest of the group smiled and watched as the other man walked over to them. "Sorry we took forever. Michael over there had never been to King's Cross before, so it took me a while to teach him how to get here," he explained in a tenor-baritone voice. He paused a moment upon seeing Lily, but then turned to the father-daughter scene.
Camille leaned in towards Lily. "Do you know him?" Camille whispered. "No, but he looks awfully familiar. I can't nail it..........." Lily answered with a pained expression on her face.
Jonathan smiled smugly. "I know who he is," he said proudly. Lily turned to Jonathan. "Then tell us who he is," she demanded. Jonathan smirked at her. "I'm not saying anything."
Alaina looked at her big brother furiously. "Don't you even try to hide something from my best friend," Alaina warned through clenched teeth. Lily frowned. "Guys, we'll probably find out in a few minutes, I guess." She said as she sighed in resignation.
"Lily, are you a Gryffindor or not? Honestly......... fine, it's Charles Potter, father of the infamous James Potter. Can't you see the resemblance between the two?" Jonathan pointed out. Lily though on it. James's prominent features were that he was tall, nearing six feet, had hazel eyes and messy black hair that stuck up in the back. His father surpassed James's height by two or three inches and his hair was dark brown instead of black. "Well, I must be still out of it....." Lily murmured in realization.
Everyone proceeded out of the station and towards two taxis waiting for them outside. Once everyone settled into their seats, Michael took Ashley's hand. "Charles and I have to go back to the Ministry as it's a very busy time. You can take care of things from here, right honey? You're just driving over to the Leaky Cauldron, then using Floo Powder from there to get home."
"There won't be any problems, I promise. See you tonight," Ashley confidently said, giving her dad one final hug.
Due to snow, they reached the Leaky Cauldron in an hour and had to wait a half hour on a line to use the Floo Network. But Lily felt that it was absolutely worth it. Lily had visited Ashley two years ago, but the family estate never failed to put her in awe. It was a five-level, light blue mansion with a circular driveway, handsome brown polished entry doors, impressive Corinthian columns, and two semi-circular windows for every floor. And Ashley had a whole floor to herself. Fifteen minutes upon arrival, the girls all assembled into Ashley's bedroom, which was more than enough space for all of them. Alaina timidly followed Lily, since she didn't know the other girls very well and Jonathan had a room to himself.
"Just leave your stuff here for now......... the house elves will come in while we're eating dinner," Ashley announced as she covered her growling stomach.
Aruba gazed around the room's golden yellow walls and ceiling in amazement. "Who can think about dinner? Your room, your house of course, is lovely......" she said dreamily.
Lily remembered that it was Aruba's first visit. "Don't you live in London? It's such a beautiful city," Lily asked in surprise.
"Living in Grimmauld Place is no fun, especially when one lives two doors away from the Black family," Aruba sighed as she reluctantly followed the girls down to dinner.
Camille gasped. "I've heard things about the Blacks. And I say it's no wonder Sirius acts the way he does. His family is very much into the dark arts and supports the idea of only letting purebloods attend Hogwarts."
"And that's why Sirius is constantly here around break. The Potters live next door," Ashley pointed out, smirking at Lily.
Lily sighed. "I know he's your neighbor........ he told me last night. I wonder why you didn't tell me the last time I visited?"
A chorus of oohs erupted from the other girls, even from Alaina. "Lily Potter has a really nice sound to it, doesn't it? What a good match the two of them are!!!" Camille teased, as she knew James better than any of the other girls.
Lily turned red in the cheeks, but didn't say a word.
Nothing eventful happened again until the next morning, when Ashley's mother entered the dining room. She was a slightly plump petite woman with soft brown eyes and a dazzling smile. And at the moment, she had her long, coarse hair in tiny cornrow braids with highlights of red mixed in, a show of her Christmas festiveness. She was one of Lily's favorite adults; Lily was absolutely fascinated with the Jamaican accent she had managed to maintain and she had an exuberant, lively personality. One could never get depressed around her and if by strange occurrence one was, she'd cheer one back up in a minute, even without having to resort to magic.
"Good morning, girls!" she greeted exuberantly, walking towards them.
A chorus of hellos and greetings of Happy Christmas Eve went back to her. Ashley grinned. "Mother, you are hiding something from us.... I can tell by the look on your face......... is there something special we're doing tonight?"
Mrs. Freedman bent down to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Perhaps. Where is that boy Jonathan? It has to do with those four boys in your year.... ..... Elena's son James is one of them."
Lily suddenly lost her appetite as butterflies developed in her stomach. "They're next door, aren't they?" she asked. Groaning, she leaned back in her chair and covered her face with her hands to hide her blushing.
Misunderstanding the situation, Camille turned to Lily. "Come on, Lily. Those boys aren't so bad. They are part of the reason why life is so interesting," she reasoned.
But Lily only groaned louder and sank further more into her chair, the urge to run away building up. Perhaps it would be best to do that. However, she felt as though she were rooted to her seat and couldn't move. Her reaction to Camille's statement gave the other girls ideas other from what had really happened. But only one was brave to voice out her thoughts. "Lily!?! You two didn't...... do it..... did you??"
Appalled at that thought, Lily sharply brought her head up. They thought that she and James had slept with each other???? It was a ridiculous thought, first of all. The night in the hospital wing was the first night they had ever slept in the same room and they slept in their own beds.
Before she could protest though, Camille spoke again. "Okay, in two years' time, they'll get married and have three children........umm........ one will be a boy, then a girl, then a boy. Sirius will be the godfather of the first, Remus will be the godfather of the girl and Peter will be the godfather of the baby of the family. Lily's going to give birth to James's children!!!!!" she predicted excitedly to everyone else at the table. All the girls except Alaina and Mrs. Freedman burst into giggles.
"Good morning everyone," Jonathan said, strolling into the room, still in his pajamas and messy morning hair. The giggles quieted down as the girls greeted Jonathan back.
"Good morning Jonathan. Come now and eat breakfast," Mrs. Freedman greeted.
"Well, that's what I'm here for," Jonathan chuckled as he took a seat next to Alaina.
As he reached out for juice, he glanced over at Lily, who definitely was the least cheerful person at the table. Before he could ask anything, she stood up and ran up to Alaina's room.
"Lily could use a cheering charm right about now; I hope she knew we were just joking." Aruba said worriedly.
Mrs. Freedman shook her head. "She just needs some time alone. Then someone can go up and talk to her.......... Soon though. Elena Potter and the boys are coming over in five hours and the house needs to be prepared for our cozy little party. Lily ran three flights of stairs and locked herself in Ashley's room. Once inside, she sank down to the floor and curled up into a ball. Then she let the tears and sobs come. What kind of friends did she have? Them talking about she and James having children........ no...... that was too much. She wouldn't do that, despite what everyone else thought. But then again, there had been the night in the hospital wing....... And he had respected her for the most part. James Potter, acting somewhat mature? Yes, there was still hope. But honestly, Lily giving birth to his children? Further more, having relations with him????? Lily clenched her fists harder at the thought. She continued crying for the next half hour, until somebody softly knocked at the door.
Lily's anger flared. "Go away, whoever you are! What kind of friend are you?"
"The clueless friend. It's Jonathan.... You want to talk?" Jonathan consolingly offered on the other side of the door. It was true that Jonathan wasn't there when the others teased her, Lily thought as she wiped the tears away from her face. There was no doubt she looked like a mess.
"Hey! I can just apparate!" Jonathan said suddenly. A second later, Jonathan was standing at Lily's side.
"Good morning, Lily," he said solemnly with a small bow, hoping to make her smile. Lily instead broke into tears and threw herself on him to give a hug, grateful for his presence.
Surprised by Lily's reaction, he nearly fell back. "Lily! Calm down....... Shhhh......" he said soothingly, holding her as she cried. Over the next hour and a half, Lily told Jonathan what happened that morning and what her thoughts and feelings were.
"But you don't know what to think about James," Jonathan said as Lily finished her story.
"Why are things between James and I the way they are?" Lily said, clearly distressed.
"Lily, practically everybody who knows you thinks you're very admirable in all sorts of aspects. James has just gone a bit overboard. But honestly Lily, he's been like for the past four years, so I hear. Just try to see beyond what you know and perhaps you'll see an entirely different person in him." Jonathan softly suggested. He then looked down at Lily, who silently buried her head in his left shoulder, only moving to stifle her sobs.
"Do you have something to tell your official unofficial brother?"
Amidst the sobs, Jonathan could sworn he heard Lily laugh a little. Okay, he had made some improvement. Lily's body tensed up as if preparing to say something, but moments later, her body relaxed.
"May I tell you later? I think that taking a walk by myself will do me some good right now," Lily said a minute or so later, drawing her head off Jonathan's shoulder. Jonathan tried to look at Lily straight in the eye, but she was looking out one of the windows that gave a view of Ashley's backyard. Jonathan silently sighed. He didn't feel like waiting, but that's what Lily wanted. "Sure, I can wait."
Twenty minutes later, Lily stepped out onto the front steps of Ashley's home. Already, her mind began to clear, which she wanted it to do. Yesterday's snowstorm had been cleared off the roads and now large mounds of white, glistening snow were scattered along the two front lawns on the street. Every so often, as Lily wandered away from Ashley's home, a gentle wind would blow, causing snowflakes to dance through the air in a show that never failed to take Lily's breath away. It was also very quiet; she only heard the wind and her own soft footsteps on the road. What had happened two nights ago with James........ she had gotten into the same bed as him, he didn't touch her despite the fact that it was quite impossible to do so as the beds weren't built to hold two teenagers.... And..... it actually had been kind of fun talking to him. She had felt safe, she could perhaps trust him......
Suddenly, she was aware that the wind and her footsteps weren't the only ones she heard. She was quite sure she had heard another pair of footsteps behind her. Taking a glance behind her shoulder, she didn't see anybody, but she already knew who it was. Slowly she turned around and gazed straight ahead. After a few seconds, she took two steps forward and reached her arms up until she felt a fabric brush softly against her fingers. Sensing that she had found the hood, she tugged it back. James's hazel eyes looked down at the young woman standing in front of him. He was relieved to see Lily smiling. Christmas Eve was not an ideal day to die.
James let out a laugh as he proceeded to take off the rest of the invisibility cloak. 'You have really sharp sense, Lily," he said amusedly.
Now it was Lily's turn to laugh. "You take any chance you have to use that invisibility cloak of yours and I know that you came here either late last night or this morning. And, you're the only person I know that owns an invisibility cloak."
James grinned. Besides having sharp senses, she had a quick mind. God, he loved that about her. "Oh, Happy Christmas Eve by the way," James greeted.
"Same to you."
Lily then took note that James wasn't wearing a winter coat. Wasn't he cold? She was all bundled up, and yet was shivering a little. "You should go home, James. It's no fun being sick over the holidays, trust me," Lily advised.
James shook his head. "I'm in no rush to go home, and I'm not cold either."
Lily laughed in disbelief. "You are insane!!!" Wanting to check for herself, she took off one of her gloves and grabbed one of James's hands. James had to restrain himself from laughing as Lily examined his warm hand. "The invisibility cloak was rather warm, and it hasn't worm off yet," James explained, looking down at Lily's hand with his. Sighing, he clasped his hand around hers.
"It is you who should be heading back over. Your hands are like ice," James noted.
Lily blushed at the gesture, but shook her head. "What I really need to do right now is take a walk. It's been working well for me so far."
James pondered on that for a moment. Yes, walks were always good, but there were other things that worked better. "How about you come over to my house for a while? Everyone's still sleeping and I could use some help waking Sirius, Remus and Peter up. I think laughing will do you much better than a walk........ don't get me wrong though; walks are good too," he offered, although he knew that more than likely she would say no. Lily, however, politely consented.
James's order in waking up his fellow Marauders: Peter (extremely easy) Remus ( a bit difficult) Sirius (practically impossible)
Waking the guys up was almost always amusing. As James and Lily approached the Potter household, James let go of Lily's hand. Lily could hear a babbling voice coming from the front door, but she couldn't see anybody. James rushed over to the door and hastily put his hands over a gold knocker on the door. "Bloody hell Jeremy! Keep quiet!" James said harshly.
Who was Jeremy?
"Ouch! D—n it Jeremy, that hurt!" James yelled as he nursed his wound. Concerned, Lily ran over to James to inspect what had happened. James's hand had several teeth marks all around the center of his palm. Lily's eyes fell upon the knocker, which had the image of a butler who looked amazing real. Jeremy's eyes settled on Lily, now noticing her. "Ah Master James! You've brought home a female!" Jeremy said delightedly. He focused his attention on Lily. "Just to let you know, I hear that the Potter men like it rough!"
Lily gasped in disgust and James angrily whipped out his wand. "You'll regret that you had said that!" James threatened.
Jeremy merely chuckled. "Underage wizards are not allowed to use magic off school grounds," Jeremy said defendingly.
James's voice hardened. "Just to let you know, I'm no longer underage. I've been seventeen for quite a while." Jeremy scowled and the front door opened. James pocketed his wand and curtly nodded. "Thank you, Jeremy," he said, regaining some of his composure.
James gestured for Lily to enter. Lily shot a nasty look at Jeremy before entering the house. Lily turned sharply towards James once inside. "What in the heck was with that?" she demanded. James tried to not look startled by her sudden question. "All I know is that he's been around for a couple of generations. My great-grandfather was the only one who was able to control Jeremy. Unfortunately, nobody knows how he did it. I'll have to admit though...... I think that's the first comment of that nature that he's ever said," James confessed.
After handing Lily's coat, scarf, and mittens to a house elf, James led Lily upstairs. Lily glanced around as they walked up the polished wooden stairs. And she thought the Freedman residence was beautiful. Maybe it was the fact that James's house had belonged to the family for generations, but it had a much more cozy, warm atmosphere. In truth, it was reminiscent of Hogwarts with portraits of family members and ancestors all over the walls. Lucky for Lily and James, a majority of the people featured within the portraits were still sleeping. At the top of the stairway, there was a magnificent chandelier with perhaps hundreds of teardrop crystals and candlesticks hanging.
James turned to Lily upon reaching the top and saw that her gaze was transfixed on the chandelier above them. "Lily," he called gently.
Reluctantly, Lily broke her gaze away from the sparkling crystals and looked at James. An apologetic look appeared on her face. "I'm sorry; I couldn't help it........ I've been here for a few minutes and it's all very interesting......"
James shook his head. "No, it's alright. Most people who've visited before have had the same reaction. Peter's mum, when she first visited four years ago, she couldn't stop looking at the chandelier. She eventually fell back and tumbled down the stairs. Yeah.......... That was New Years' Eve...... we spent New Years Day at St. Mungo's, keeping Mrs. Pettigrew company while the healers took care of her," James said, not even trying to hide his laughter.
Lily raised an eyebrow. She didn't think that was very funny, but it was probably one of the moments where you had to witness it for yourself. Then she noticed that a serious expression appeared on James's face. Changing subject, he motioned for Lily to follow him. "I need to get some things from my room to wake these guys up."
As Lily followed James through the east corridor, she wondered why she had followed James at all. She could have easily told him that she would have preferred to just go back to the Freedman residence. Surely, something amusing was going on there. After all, a party would be held later on in the afternoon...........
Humiliation rushed through Lily's body as she stopped short in the corridor. She had completely forgotten...... and she still needed to talk to her friends and Jonathan and get ready for the party. At the same time though, it would be rude to leave James so suddenly.
What to do, what to do.....
James stopped walking and opened the door to his bedroom. James's bedroom was clean for the most part, except for his Hogwarts and Quidditch uniforms, carelessly lying on his four-poster bed. As James walked over to his desk to look for something, he glanced back at Lily, who was hesitantly standing at the doorway. "Lily, if we're going to get any work done, then you'd better get over here," James said to her, turning away from the desk drawer he was rummaging through.
Lily tore her eyes away from a family portrait positioned directly across from James's bed and looked at James crossly. "The only reason why I came here was for some amusement, which you recommended. You're the only one of the two of us who will be waking up your best friends," she answered as lightly as possible.
James was surprised by the sudden change in Lily's mood. What had just happened?
"Well, come in and close the door behind you at the very least," he suggested. He really wasn't up to arguing at the moment. A few seconds later, James heard the door click closed and Lily approaching him from behind.
"So, how do you wake up your best friends?" Lily asked, glancing down at James's drawers of miscellaneous objects. James let out a small laugh. "All Peter needs is a good kick. Kicking him anywhere works well since he's a light sleeper. Remus...... Peter and I usually drag him out into the hallway, but I think we're going to have to do something more than that this time. Food is the best way to wake Sirius up. But since he's such a heavy sleeper, it's going to take a lot of food to wake him up." James pulled out several long pieces of string from a drawer and wrapped them around one of his hands. "After waking up Remus, I'm going to have to take a trip down to the kitchens to get food. If I used the Summoning Charm to get the food, my mother would throw a fit," he added.
Lily frowned. "So fearless at school, yet when you're at home, you're afraid of your own mother......" James shook his head. "You don't EVER want to see my mother mad."
"You wouldn't like to see your best friends mad either, Prongs," a voice spoke from behind the two of them.
Lily whirled around and saw Sirius standing at James's doorway, which was now open. Remus and Peter were standing. James laughed as he turned around to face his best friends. "Of course I don't like to see you lot mad. I like to see you lot awake."
Sirius grinned. "Do you remember the last time you tried to wake us up?"
Remus, Peter and James all broke into laughs. "That was the best snowball fight ever! Of course, none of you were good enough to beat me, no matter how furious you were!" James declared.
A broad smile spread on Lily's face.... She could feel a challenge coming on. "Okay then, James, you've got yourself a challenge!"
James turned to Lily, who he'd forgotten once his best friends entered the room. "Sorry?"
"I've had my snowball fights as well and just to let you know, I've never been defeated."
"Is that so?"
Lily nodded, trying to look as intimidating as possible. Which was not a very easy thing to pull on James Potter.
James stared back at her for a couple of moments determinedly, then ran towards her. Lily let out a small squeal and ran past the other Marauders and out the door, James following not too far behind.