Disclaimer: See previous chapters. CAUTION: Super long chapter!!!
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December 15, 1974..about three months later....
"Alright!" cried Professor Sinistra as the exhausted sixth year Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's piled onto the Astronomy Tower. It was midnight, and it was a Monday.
James, Sirius, and Peter were leaning against the back wall, half asleep. Lily, Katrina and Nicole were up front, ready to work, although they were equally as tired. Lily kept glancing over at Nicole's watch, indiscreetly, and then tapping her shoe on the ground to express her impatience.
"What are you doing?" Nicole asked. The class hadn't settled down yet.
"Where is she? It's 12:15." She said in an annoyed tone.
"Maybe she fell asleep." Nicole said in the midst of a yawn.
"I highly doubt that." Lily shot back. "She knows we have class now."
"Lily, whatever." Nicole said, waving her hand in the air. It was too late, and she was too tired to put up with it for the hundredth time that month.
Lily just shrugged. She glanced at the boys in the back, trying to stay awake. She caught James' eye and he smiled back.
He was still seeing Narcissa, sort of. He kept denying it when Lily was around, but if you asked Narcissa, she'd tell you they were engaged. At least that was the message Lily got whenever they spoke. Lily was forced to tutor her as well. Professor Flitwick said that she was having some problems grasping certain concepts, and since Lily was the best at Charms, naturally she had to do it. She would correct her essays, and help her with the content of them. They practiced practical Charms, as well as the more advanced ones. Lily minded at first, her jealousy getting the best of her. But after speaking to Narcissa, and apologizing for the incident in the bathroom, they became rather friendly. Lily even gave Narcissa some advice on how to handle James. Needless to say the experience was quite surreal for the both of them, considering Narcissa knew how Lily felt about him. Lily tried telling herself repeatedly that it was just a crush...a four month long crush.
Nicole glanced back, expecting to see Remus, but to her disappointment he was nowhere to be found. He hadn't been around all day.
"Where's Remus?" she asked, turning back to Lily.
"I don't know. He's not there?" she asked, averting her attention back to her.
"No." she said, looking a bit worried. They had officially become a couple, and were steadily seeing each other for the past three months. "Where do you think he went?"
"I don't know Nic. He tends to disappear now and then anyways. Maybe he's in the library." She said, taking another glance at her watch.
"No. I haven't seen him all day, or last night. He disappeared right after dinner. Come to think of it, he does to his little disappearing act about once a month. Last month his grandmother had pneumonia. On our one month anniversary he had an urgent doctor's appointment and was gone all weekend." She said, whining as she spoke.
"You guys had an anniversary?" she asked, chuckling. "Don't you think that's a little-"
"Lily, please stick to the topic." She said, putting her hand up to silence her. "Ugh, anyway, I am a little worried."
"Why? He's been doing it ever since we came here, and you're worried about it now? If it was anything serious don't you think we would have found out about it?"
"I guess you're right."
"Unless.." Katrina chimed in.
"Unless what?" Nicole asked, turning to her.
"Maybe he's..uh..meeting someone." Katrina said, watching Nicole's eyes grow wider.
"What? You mean like a girl?" Nicole said, slightly louder than a whisper.
"Nicole, if the guy were cheating on you, you'd know. Besides, you two are way to sickening to begin with, and I mean that in the nicest way. He doesn't have the energy to two time you. And another thing, he's gone more than one day, unless he's having an affair with a Unicorn from the Forbidden Forest, I'm pretty sure you're ok. Now can we stop talking about this, its way too late." Lily said, trying to calm down her friend.
"Fine." She said, and folded her arms.
~"So when should we leave?" Sirius asked James from the back of the class.
"Soon, right before the end. We'll sneak out somehow." James said, glancing up at the moon. It was full. He thought about Remus waiting for them. They were late as it was. It was more difficult to sneak out when they had Astronomy at midnight.
"Everyone! Settle down, settle down!" the professor screeched. Professor Sinistra was a relatively young woman in her mid thirties. The late night classes were not her cup of tea either, but it was when learning would be most beneficial to the students, she reasoned. "Tonight we are going to observe specific constellations in the sky. We are going to discuss the elements of Astrophysics in relation to the stars. Now you will all need-"
Professor Sinistra's instructions were interrupted by a series of loud, running footsteps coming up the stairs. A feminine shadow was climbing the stairs two at a time, and stopped at the top to catch her breath. She was lucky that this class required no textbooks, or else she might have passed out. She collected herself quickly, still panting, and casually took her place in the back of the mob.
"You're late Miss Renton." She said, sternly.
"Yes, I'm sorry Professor." She said, catching her breath. She spotted Lily and shimmied her way to her.
"Now that we are all here," the professor said, glaring at Diana, who just shrugged to everyone else, "you are going to work in groups of three. I will display these images through the telescope for you. Here is a list of all the constellations you will be observing. I want you to take down their shape, what they represent in ancient philosophies, and their technical significance and definitions." She said this as she passed out worksheets to the entire class. Most of them groaned.
"Now, now, none of that." She hissed. "Now the first one we are going to discuss is the constellation of Orion's Belt.."
"Where were you?" Lily hissed at Diana. Diana just put her finger over her mouth and began copying notes. Diana had been trying extra hard to keep up her grades this semester, she couldn't afford to slack off and lose her prefect status. That, and she didn't want to talk about it. Lately, Diana didn't want to talk about a lot of things.
"....OK to start off, Orion's belt has 3 major stars. They would be: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Here I will describe each star..."
"So Katrina," Nicole whispered. "How are you and Peter?" Katrina and Peter had been casually dating on and off for a little while, ever since the Ball.
Katrina shook her head from side to side, suggesting uncertainty. "Alright." She whispered back. "He's sweet, you know. Not really my type though."
"....It is said that the stars in the sky are labeled Orion in honor of a great hunter, son of Neptune and the Nymph Eurayle......"
"So Prongs, that Slytherin still giving you problems?" Sirius spoke, jotting down anything he could absorb.
"Ugh, please don't get me started on her." He said, shaking his head. "You know Evans is tutoring her now?" he said, baffled.
Sirius nodded. "She told me."
"I don't know Padfoot, I feel a little bad. I don't want to hurt her or anything."
"Lily or Sliverton?" Sirius asked, looking at James.
"Uh..Silverton, um, Narcissa." He said, correcting himself.
"Ah. Well if you're going to end it, you had better do it soon. Especially if.." Sirius noticed James looking at Lily, who was taking copious notes.
"...Your eyes are starting to wander." He said, looking back and forth between the two. It was so obvious to Sirius that he hoped James would get the hint already.
"Well, you know I'm not one to like steady relationships." James said, shrugging himself off.
"Maybe you just haven't met the right girl." Peter said, absentmindedly. James thought about this for a moment.
"...According to Greek mythology Orion died being stung by a scorpion. He is set such in the sky that he sets in the west while his slayer, the Scorpius, rises in the East..." Sinistra continued.
"I didn't miss anything did I?" Diana asked, yawning.
"Not really. Just the discussion about Remus' disappearances." Lily said, not taking her eyes off her paper.
"Oh, not here again? You know what else I've noticed?" Diana said, stopping her writing.
"What?" Katrina asked.
"The other three aren't around either."
"How do you mean?" Nicole asked.
"Well, whenever Remus is away, they usually disappear for a couple of hours. Coincidence? I think not." She said, inquisitively.
"Hmm, this is very true." Lily said, as if realizing it for the first time. Then she paused. "Orgy?" she said, smirking.
"Oh yeah." Diana said, and they laughed.
"Whores." Katrina said.
"The worst." Nicole chimed in.
"...The next star we are going to discuss is the Dog Star, or Sirius as it is often called...."
"That's you Padfoot." James said, smirking. A few people turned to look at Sirius, and he stood up and bowed in return. Sinistra did not find this amusing at all, so she continued as if noticing nothing.
"....Sirius is actually the brightest star in the sky. It is nine light years away, not particularly close. Its cycles were closely followed by the ancient Egyptians....."
Diana turned around to look at Sirius, who just raised a mischievous brow at her. She shook her head at his cockiness before smiling secretly to herself. Sirius just kept staring, even though she had turned. They were standing and he got a very clear view of her from the back of the tower. His eyes firmly placed on the curves of her hips, watching her sway with every word she wrote.
"....The Greeks named the constellation Sirius, "the Scorcher" as they believed the Dog Star was responsible for the hot weather and listlessness that plagued them in the summer months.."
James couldn't take his eyes off Lily either. Her hair gleamed in the moonlight, flattering her fair skin beautifully. She tuned a couple if times to glance at him, and noticed his eyes dart back to the paper he wasn't writing on. She felt his eyes, watching her ravenously, memorizing her every move. Her step, the way she played with her hair. All of these movements were exquisite to him. Every time she bit her lip, thinking carefully, he grew weak. Then James realized it, and it took him slightly by surprise. He wanted Lily Evans. He wanted her badly.
"I'm doing it." James said, out loud and not realizing it.
"Huh? What?" Sirius jerked his head up.
"I'm breaking up with her this week, officially." He said, extremely sure of himself.
"Well that was quick." Peter said. "Why the sudden change?"
"Let's just say my, uh, eyes have wandered over to something else." He said, still looking at Lily.
"Well it's about bloody time." Sirius said. "I figured one of you was going to burst."
"What?" James asked, a bit annoyed.
"Oh come on, it's so obvious Prongs. You've wanted Lily for months." Peter said.
"No I haven't." he protested.
"Oh please. The sudden guilt, the wandering eyes. If you hadn't done something about it by Christmas I would have locked you two in a room so that you could get it over with." Sirius said.
"Fuck you." James said, still defending himself.
"If I could I would, my friend." He said.
"You know that makes you a fag right?" James said.
"If liking the way I look makes me a fag, then you are the Queen of the Cock Sucking Fairies, bitch."
The class halted. Sirius had said this louder than he should have. Professor Sinistra stopped talking and shot the two disrupters an unpleased glare. Students erupted into laughter and chuckles, including the girls.
"What just happened?" Diana asked, after she was done laughing.
"I think Black and Potter just came out." Lily said, smirking. They looked behind them to see that the cheeks of both boys were beat red.
"That's enough, that's enough!" Sinistra cried. She looked at her watch to see that it read 1:00. "Class dismissed. We will continue this next week." She said, shaking her head.
The girls grabbed their things and walked over to the boys.
"I am so proud Black." Diana said, smirking. "Really I am." She put her hand over her heart.
"Yes, we knew you'd come around and declare your love." Lily said. "It's sweet."
"Shut up." They said in unison.
"Oh, sensitive." Diana said, putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder. She winked at him and let her arm drop on it's own.
Diana and Sirius had gotten along reasonably well lately. As long as neither of them went out of their way to make the other miserable, they remained friendly. Diana realized after the first few weeks that she liked it better that way. And Sirius occasionally helped her in Divination. Trelawney had made them become partners to stop the fighting, and it had worked. She didn't mind, and he used any excuse to be around her. The funny thing was that Diana never really needed help, but asked him to do it anyway. She realized that he made her laugh, something Lucius never did.
"Well should go, it's late." Nicole reminded them. They made their way down the stairs. When they got to the bottom the boys paused. They had a different agenda and had no intention of going back to the common room. The girls proceeded but turned around when the boys didn't budge.
"What are you lot standing around for?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow. "The common room is this way." She said, pointing down the hall.
"We'll uh, be up later." James said, hoping it would be sufficient. It wasn't.
"Later? Why, where are you going?" Diana asked, hugging her parchment closer to her chest. She sounded like a little schoolgirl.
"Uh, a walk." Sirius said. They weren't very good liars. The four girls just looked at each other. Now more eager than ever.
"A walk?" Diana repeated. She shook her head. "Listen if you want, you can have your little gang bang in our dorm. Me and Lily have a video camera."
"Ew, you are sick Renton." James said, making a face. "And what the hell is a video camera?"
Lily found this terribly amusing. "It's uh...never mind." she said, not knowing how to really explain it. "Well, have fun chaps, and use protection."
All three of them made a face, even though they knew they were joking.
"That's right. And try not to be too messy about it. Those stains are incredibly difficult to remove." Diana said.
"Ugh!" they yelled, shuddering at the thought.
"That's so nasty Renton." Sirius said, not removing his scowl.
"I know." She said. Then they waved goodnight and the girls went up to the common room and to sleep. The boys slipped outside under James' cloak. Peter, the rat, slipped under the Whomping Willow and pressed the knot. The stag and the dog, James and Sirius respectively, followed through the passageway to the Shrieking Shack. Remus was there. They stayed there the remainder of the night, keeping Remus company through his secret monthly torture.
*The Next Day.....
They had all gathered to go to breakfast. They were tired because they hadn't gotten much sleep and classes started at 8:30. They dragged their feet and plopped down on the benches, eating whatever was in their field of vision. Sirius got up and brought them all coffee. It had become habit by now.
Remus was back. The moon weaned just enough so that it was no longer full, and Remus could become himself again. Each time it was over he spent the next month dreading when it would come again. He also knew that at some point he would have to tell Nicole, or she might figure it out on her own. The thought chilled him. After all this time he realized how in love with her he actually was.
They were woken up slightly by the sound of the mail arriving. The screeching of the owls startled them, but woke them up just the same. Two letters were plopped in front of Diana and Lily. James was given the Daily Prophet, which he cut in half with Sirius.
"What's it say?" Lily yawned as Diana opened her letter. She read it to herself.
"It's from my Mum and Dad." She said, casually. "They want to come and see me play on the 22nd. My dad has that week off." She said.
"Are you staying here for the holiday Renton?" Sirius asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Well, they said I could but when they get here they might ask me to come back with them. Oh I am so not in the mood for that." She said. "Are you?"
"Yep. My Mum and Dad are taking a holiday in Egypt." He said.
"On Christmas?" Lily asked.
"I've been to Egypt. It's a beautiful country." Diana said, folding the letter in half.
"Oh yea, when?" James asked, still reading.
"Well I've been there with my Mum a bunch of times. She's scouted players for Puddlemere United, and we visit my family-"
"You have family in Egypt?" Sirius asked. "You don't look Egyptian."
"I know. I look like my dad. I am actually 1/16 Egyptian, so it's really not that much. I just have a great grandmother there and some third cousins or something. My mother was actually born in Argentina, so-"
"Oh, a Latina." James mockingly said. Diana chuckled.
"Hell yea. Where do you think this ass comes from?" she jokingly said. Lily snorted.
"Oh yea, because Figg is really Hispanic." She said, sarcastically.
"Figg?" Remus suddenly joined in. "You're mother's last name is Figg?" he suddenly became very interested.
"Yes." She said, as if it was common knowledge.
"As in the Ravenclaw Figgs?" he asked, and stopped eating.
"Oh he's a smart one." Lily said, and looked at Diana.
"I don't understand. You're a Gryffindor." Sirius said.
"I know, but my Mum wasn't. She was a Ravenclaw. Actually, my whole line was in Ravenclaw. It's one of those things where, if my dad was a wizard, he'd be a Gryffindor, so that's why I was sorted here."
"Ok, but why does Remus know that?" James asked.
"I read about them, in Hogwarts, a History. They were one of the first families sorted. In fact, as I recall, Aurora Figg was the cousin of Rowena Ravenclaw."
"Holy shit." James said. "You're related to Rowena Ravenclaw?" he found this terribly fascinating. Lily knew all this so she wasn't the least bit fazed.
"More or less." She said, casually and continued eating. "They moved to Egypt when the threat of Salazar Slytherin came about, you know, that whole thing. They were chased out so, that's how they became Egyptian. So you see, it's really nothing."
"Actually I can sort of see the Egyptian. It's in your eyes." Sirius said.
"Is that a compliment?" she asked. He nodded without looking up. "And what about my eyes?"
"Oh it's nothing really. They are just sort of cat like, that's all. Not by much but, well, I can't explain it." he said, shaking his head. "Mysterious I guess."
"Do you hear that Lily? Black thinks I'm mysterious." She said, amused.
"Yea well don't take it to heart. You are just as plainly British as the rest of us. The only thing mysterious about you is the fact that you happen to own half the cats in the U.K." Lily said.
"Huh?" James asked.
"So I have a lot of cats at home. What's so mysterious about that?" she asked, defensively.
"Exactly." Lily said, and stole a piece of her toast.
"So you like cats?" Sirius asked, hoping to get to know her more than he already did.
"Oh I love them." Diana smiled at his question. "I have four of my own at home."
"Well that's not that many. What are their names?" Sirius asked. He had improved greatly on his conversation skills.
"Well, there's Persephone, Eurydice, Aphrodite, and Isis, my favorite."
Sirius chuckled at the names.
"I know. She's insane." Lily said.
"So tell me-" Sirius began.
"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Diana asked, looking past him. Lucius had motioned her over and she quickly got up and went over to the Slytherin table. He got up and met her half way. He kissed her and then took her hand. He sat him next to her and whispered something in her ear.
"Why didn't you come back last night?" he whispered.
"I had class. And I was tired." She replied.
"I was waiting for you." He said, and caressed her thigh with his index finger. She shivered.
"I'm sorry." She said, and covered his hand with hers.
"I suppose now you will have to make it up to me." He said, and kissed her neck. She blushed.
"Now? Its too early." She said, as she felt him run his finger down her back.
"No, not now, but tonight though. I plan on keeping you after hours." He said with a sly smile. She returned it.
"I guess so." She said, as she proceeded to get up.
"Oh, and Arabella.." He said. She turned. He never addressed her by any other name.
"Yes?"
"Bring the skirt."
She smiled, nodded and made her way back to the table, and a very jealous Sirius Black. As soon as she got there the bell had rung and people began to get up and go to their respective classes. The day went just like any other day: Homework, assignments, etc. It was after classes, when Lily had to tutor Narcissa, when something actually happened. They met in the library every day at 3:00.
"Hey Lily." Narcissa said, in a relatively cheerful tone.
"Hi Narcissa." She said, and smiled. "Did you finish that essay on incantations I asked you to do for me?"
Lily gave Narcissa extra homework to do, with the permission of Professor Flitwick. She was becoming more and more like a teacher every day.
"Yep." She said, and handed it to Lily. She surveyed it, briefly, nodded and put it with her other pieces of parchment.
They were working for about a half and hour when they both noticed James walk in. He didn't notice them though. He was returning a book and went quickly to an aisle looking for another one. It was when he spotted Lily's scarlet hair through the bookshelf that he saw them. Shit, he though. She was with Narcissa.
James decided at that moment that it was now or never. He had a dream about Lily the previous night, one he did not plan on having. One that made him sweat. One that made him cry out. It jolted him awake so fast that he was breathing in and out heavily, grasping for air. He went to the bathroom and sat on the cold, hard tile, thinking about her, her lips, her tongue, her eyes, her intoxicating emerald eyes. It was too much. He never went back to sleep.
I have to end it, I have to end it now, he thought. He made up his mind, then walked over to their table.
"Hey ladies." He said, cheerfully, although he felt himself overheat.
"Hi Potter." Lily said, staring at the parchment in front of her.
"Hi James." Narcissa said and smiled.
"Uh, Cissa, can I talk to you for a minute?" he said, trying not to stutter.
"Of course honey." She said, and pushed her chair back.
Honey, he thought. Oh God. This was going to be difficult. They went behind a bookcase on the other side of the library, near the restricted section. He was about to speak when she silenced him with her mouth. Clearly, she had misread him.
"No, Cissa wait." He said, when she had pulled away.
"What? This is not what you took me back here for?" she asked, and poked him playfully. He let out a reluctant chuckle.
"Um, actually-"
"You know James, I've been thinking.." she started.
"Yea?" he asked, afraid of what she was going to say.
"We've been dating for, what, three months now?"
"Um, I suppose." He said, squirming.
"Well, don't you think that we should take this relationship to the next level?" she asked, twirling her hair, but not in a cute way, in an annoying way.
"What do you mean?" he asked, and leaned back on the bookcase, feeling like his knees were going to come out from under him.
"Well, we have made love, more than once." She said.
Made love? James thought. His breath was getting shorter. "Yea but-"
"Do you love me James?" she asked, out of the blue. He just stared at her, not having a legitimate answer for her.
"Um...uh...well..." he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. She was growing impatient.
"Well, do you?" she asked. She was starting to squirm as well.
James took two deep breaths before answering her. "Listen...Narcissa. The reason I asked you back here was to tell you-"
She put her hand over her mouth. "Cissa..." he said, seeing that she was already getting upset. She knew what was coming.
"No, don't." she said, fighting back tears. " I know what you're going to say."
"I just think that, maybe, uh, maybe we should take a little break for a while." James chose his words carefully. "I care about you, I do, but, I think we maybe a little much for each other right now. I don't want to hurt you so I am ending it now, for our own good."
She started to cry. "but.." Her lips were quivering. "But, I love you." She said, in between sniffles.
"I love you too but-" he stopped. He couldn't believe a lie like that came so easily to him. He was mortified and knew he would never live that down. And Narcissa would always remember him saying that, always.
"So then? Why do we need a break? I'll tell you why, it's YOU that needs a break isn't it?" she said, getting angry now. "You think that just because you're James Potter that you can just fuck anyone you please. You know what? Fine! Leave me here, leave me all alone, you obviously don't care about anyone but yourself."
"Now listen-"
"I have listened. Good bye James." She said, and ran back to Lily.
"What the hell happened to you?" Lily asked, looking up from the essay she was proofreading. Narcissa had very loopy handwriting, a kind that was difficult to read. She had to squint to understand it.
Narcissa sat down. "He..." she paused, fighting back tears again. Lily saw James grab a book and dash over to the checkout counter. He glanced one last time at the table before bolting for the door.
"...broke up with me!" Narcissa cried, extremely loudly. The she broke out into a flood of uncontrollable tears. Lily had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at how pathetic she was. People were starting to stare so Lily knew she had to do something to correct the situation before they were kicked out.
"Oh sweety." She said, pretending that she cared. Well, she did care, but she was more relieved than concerned about it. She engulfed Narcissa into a sympathetic hug and shushed her until she stopped crying. Out of the corner of Lily's mouth crept a small smile. So, she thought. James Potter is single again..
That Night..about 1:00am...
James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were in the common room, alone. They were each surrounding a table with a bunch of papers on it. In the middle laid an open book. It was the red one, Diana's book, and the one about Maps.
"This is really frustrating." Peter said.
They had been at it since before dinner. They were trying to figure out a way to create their own map. One that would get them through Hogwarts undetected. The one that would get them to Hogsmeade and back in a fair amount of time. It was a complicated task, and an ancient one at that. They were unfamiliar with the process, so there was much research involved.
"I don't get it. How does it know when there is someone coming?" James asked, flipping the pages of a library book about maps in general."
"Magic, you dumb ass." Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. He felt he hadn't blinked in over an hour.
"So is this going to be just of Hogwarts, or are we doing Hogsmeade too?" Remus asked.
"Just Hogwarts." James answered. "Everything else is too advanced. Besides, that's all we need. That and the passages to Hogsmeade. Any luck with that Peter, by the way?"
Peter's job was to try and find the passages to and from Hogsmeade. He wasn't very good at it, and had gotten nowhere. He had given up after only a few weeks, and spent the rest of the time raiding the Hogwarts Kitchens.
"Uh...no not yet, but I'm close." He lied. James knew it too, and decided to take matters into his own hands.
"So Prongs." Remus started, trying to keep himself awake. "I, uh, heard about Silverton. What a shame." He said, shaking his head in fake dissapointment.
"Yea, she, um, didn't take it that well I heard." Sirius said, trying not to laugh.
"Oh shut up, both of you. It was the most dreadful thing I have ever had to do." He said, trying to retain some integrity.
"Bullshit, like you've never broken up with a girl before." Peter said.
"That's not the point Wormtail. She was different, and not in a good way. At least all the others knew where they stood with me." He said, cockily.
Sirius just glared at him. "Oh my god, you are a prick. See I knew that eventually you were going to attract some wacko and I was right. She'll come back to haunt you, my friend, mark my words."
"Who are you?" James asked, flabbergasted. "Where the hell did my lying, cheating, two-timing friend go? I swear ever since this year you have done a complete 180 on me, and without warning might I add. What has gotten in to you? You have been totally antagonistic to me when it comes to girls, and that's what I used to love about our friendship. You know, the fact that we..felt the same way about certain things."
"People change." Remus said.
"No they don't." James said.
"Yes they do." Peter said. "Just look at how Sirius feels about Diana."
"So they get along now, so what." James said.
"And look at how you feel about Lily." Remus said.
James was at a loss for words. This was true. "Yea, well..ok I guess you're right. Happy?"
"Yep." Sirius said.
Suddenly they heard a door open and close quickly. Their heads jolted up and the sound. They usually worked on it when no one was in the common room, and had to pretend to do homework.
Lily stepped out, tired and in her pajamas. She was holding a book in her hand and seemed to be a little taken back when she saw the boys downstairs, and working.
"What are you four doing up?" she asked, her voice a bit raspy. She looked at the clock on the wall. "It's after one."
"We know." James said, not looking up. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"I couldn't." she said.
"Why not?" Sirius asked.
She shrugged. "What are you working on?" she asked, interested. She plopped down the stairs.
"Uh.."James started. "Stuff."
"Ok then." She said. She wasn't really listening anyway. "I'm just going to read down here ok? I hope I'm not in the way."
"You're not." Remus said.
Then they heard the door to the common room open. Diana walked through, tired but in a pleasant mood nonetheless. They just stared at her. She was wearing a skirt, the black one from the first day of school.
"It's late Renton." Sirius said. She stopped.
"Yes I know." She said.
"It's after one." Lily pointed to the clock. Diana looked at it and nodded.
"So it is."
"Where did you guys go this time?" she asked.
"Oh, we just..grabbed a bite that's all." She said, airily.
James and Sirius started to chuckle.
"And which one were you?" James asked, with an impish smile across his face.
"Sorry?" she asked, turning to face them.
"What he means is..." Sirius started, still laughing. "Were you doing the grabbing, or the biting?
She scowled, but it quickly turned into a smirk. "What do you think?" she asked, somewhat rhetorically.
"Hmmm." Sirius said, pretending to think. "Neither."
"Neither?" she said, tilting her head to the side.
"No. I would think you are more of the sucking type of you ask me. Your mouth looks like it can swallow a lot of-"
"And on that note." Remus began, getting up, trying desperately to get Sirius to not finish that sentence. "I'm going to bed."
"Yea me too." Peter said, and yawned. They both went upstairs. Sirius threw down his quill and closed the book.
"Me too." He said, pushing the chair out from under him. "Coming Prongs?" he asked.
"Yea I just want to finish this first." He said.
Sirius nodded.
"I'm tired Lily, but I'll talk to you tomorrow alright?" Diana said, heading for the stairs. Lily nodded and shooed her off.
"Goodnight Black." She said when they were both at the top of the stairs.
"Goodnight Renton." He said.
"Oh, and by the way." She said, halting for a moment. He stopped and looked at her. She inched up closer to his face. "You were right about the sucking part."
He said nothing, but he didn't know if she should be annoyed or aroused. She smiled, somewhat evilly, and walked into her dorm, closing the door behind her.
"Whoa." Was all he could get out. He didn't know how much longer he could stand it. So instead, he went to his dormitory, and made his feeble attempts at sleeping, most unsuccessfully.
Lily and James were downstairs alone. Lily was reading while James was studying. It was James who noticed they were alone first, and became a little nervous at the thought. He stopped what he was doing and turned to see her head in a book.
"What are you reading?" he asked, trying to break the deafening silence. Her head propped up instantly.
"Oh, just some Muggle book my Dad sent me." She said, shrugging.
"Well, what's it called?"
"Gone With the Wind." She said, somewhat embarrassed.
"Isn't that a movie?" he asked, fully turning around.
"Yea, but the book is so much better." She said, flipping through the pages. He nodded.
"So, uh, what are you doing up this late?" he asked, again.
"I told you I couldn't sleep. I would read in my room but I didn't feel like searching for a candle so I just came down here. I like it down here anyway." She said, and cracked a smile.
"You know we have practice in a couple of hours right?" he said, slightly changing the subject.
"Yes I know." She answered, sighing. "It's ok, I can do it."
"Oh I know you can." He said, getting up from his chair and making his way over to the couch. There is an uncomfortable pause for a minute, and Lily opened her book again.
"So..." he began, running his fingers through his hair. "I guess you heard about me and Narcissa huh?" she looked up again.
"The whole school heard James." She said. "And you do remember I was in the room right?"
"Oh right." He stupidly said. "So Lily?"
"Yea?" she asked.
"May I?" he asked, pointing to the spot next to her on the couch.
"Why?" she looked at him, uncertain. He sat down anyway.
"Um." he began, not knowing how to phrase his words.
"Is there something you want to tell me James?" she asked, impatiently closing the book and tossing it aside.
"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to hide it.
"Well you are speaking very inarticulately to me. That's not like you." She said.
He smiled. "No I guess not."
"I'm going to bed now Potter. Goodnight." She said, and proceeded to get up. He watched her climb the stairs, a little disappointed. Then again, he didn't know why he wanted to talk to her anyway. Then he remembered.
"Hold on Evans." He said. She turned around. "I remembered what I wanted to ask you." He said. She rolled her eyes and walked back down the steps.
"What?" she said when they were face to face.
Then, without thinking he grabbed her by the waist and forced her to his lips. She put her arms around his waist and kissed him back. The kiss was blazing, long and passionate. It lasted for a minute when Lily reluctantly pulled away.
She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.
"What?" he asked, insecurely. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction.
"Nothing." She said, and turned. He grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. "It's just that, well...you've been practicing this, haven't you?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, and let go of her.
"You've thought about it, I can tell." She said, still smiling.
"I have not." He lied.
"It's ok." She said. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said, and tapped his shoulder.
"Talk about ruining the moment." He said, and put his hands on his hips.
"I didn't ruin anything." She said, plainly. "But I will tell you one thing."
"Oh yea what's that?" he asked, amused by her casual attitude.
"You Mister Potter.." She said. "Well, it was a little weak, but, you certainly know what you're doing."
"Weak?" Now he was getting annoyed.
"It's ok, you can try again, some other time." She said, from the top of the stairs. Then she gave him a flirtatious wink, and went into her dormitory. When she closed the door she let out a loud but satisfied sigh. That prominent smile never leaving her face.
James didn't know what to make of that. It had certainly worked out differently than he had expected. He shook his head and put his hands on his hips. Lily Evans was different. She was special, and he knew it. He was smiling too, and he made his way to the stairs and to his dorm. Sirius was wide-awake but said nothing. He looked at James briefly and noticed immediately his change in mood.
"What?" Sirius asked, curiously.
"Nothing." James said simply. "Women."
Sirius smiled at his friend, and immediately understood.
"Women." He repeated, as they laughed at their common misfortune.
*~~~(See I told you it was long, but I explained a lot of things that needed to be explained. I finished it at 4am, by the way. Anyway, thanks everyone. Cookies and lollipops to all!!! I don't have time on this chapter to thank you individually, but soon. Thanks, and review!)~~~~~~
December 15, 1974..about three months later....
"Alright!" cried Professor Sinistra as the exhausted sixth year Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's piled onto the Astronomy Tower. It was midnight, and it was a Monday.
James, Sirius, and Peter were leaning against the back wall, half asleep. Lily, Katrina and Nicole were up front, ready to work, although they were equally as tired. Lily kept glancing over at Nicole's watch, indiscreetly, and then tapping her shoe on the ground to express her impatience.
"What are you doing?" Nicole asked. The class hadn't settled down yet.
"Where is she? It's 12:15." She said in an annoyed tone.
"Maybe she fell asleep." Nicole said in the midst of a yawn.
"I highly doubt that." Lily shot back. "She knows we have class now."
"Lily, whatever." Nicole said, waving her hand in the air. It was too late, and she was too tired to put up with it for the hundredth time that month.
Lily just shrugged. She glanced at the boys in the back, trying to stay awake. She caught James' eye and he smiled back.
He was still seeing Narcissa, sort of. He kept denying it when Lily was around, but if you asked Narcissa, she'd tell you they were engaged. At least that was the message Lily got whenever they spoke. Lily was forced to tutor her as well. Professor Flitwick said that she was having some problems grasping certain concepts, and since Lily was the best at Charms, naturally she had to do it. She would correct her essays, and help her with the content of them. They practiced practical Charms, as well as the more advanced ones. Lily minded at first, her jealousy getting the best of her. But after speaking to Narcissa, and apologizing for the incident in the bathroom, they became rather friendly. Lily even gave Narcissa some advice on how to handle James. Needless to say the experience was quite surreal for the both of them, considering Narcissa knew how Lily felt about him. Lily tried telling herself repeatedly that it was just a crush...a four month long crush.
Nicole glanced back, expecting to see Remus, but to her disappointment he was nowhere to be found. He hadn't been around all day.
"Where's Remus?" she asked, turning back to Lily.
"I don't know. He's not there?" she asked, averting her attention back to her.
"No." she said, looking a bit worried. They had officially become a couple, and were steadily seeing each other for the past three months. "Where do you think he went?"
"I don't know Nic. He tends to disappear now and then anyways. Maybe he's in the library." She said, taking another glance at her watch.
"No. I haven't seen him all day, or last night. He disappeared right after dinner. Come to think of it, he does to his little disappearing act about once a month. Last month his grandmother had pneumonia. On our one month anniversary he had an urgent doctor's appointment and was gone all weekend." She said, whining as she spoke.
"You guys had an anniversary?" she asked, chuckling. "Don't you think that's a little-"
"Lily, please stick to the topic." She said, putting her hand up to silence her. "Ugh, anyway, I am a little worried."
"Why? He's been doing it ever since we came here, and you're worried about it now? If it was anything serious don't you think we would have found out about it?"
"I guess you're right."
"Unless.." Katrina chimed in.
"Unless what?" Nicole asked, turning to her.
"Maybe he's..uh..meeting someone." Katrina said, watching Nicole's eyes grow wider.
"What? You mean like a girl?" Nicole said, slightly louder than a whisper.
"Nicole, if the guy were cheating on you, you'd know. Besides, you two are way to sickening to begin with, and I mean that in the nicest way. He doesn't have the energy to two time you. And another thing, he's gone more than one day, unless he's having an affair with a Unicorn from the Forbidden Forest, I'm pretty sure you're ok. Now can we stop talking about this, its way too late." Lily said, trying to calm down her friend.
"Fine." She said, and folded her arms.
~"So when should we leave?" Sirius asked James from the back of the class.
"Soon, right before the end. We'll sneak out somehow." James said, glancing up at the moon. It was full. He thought about Remus waiting for them. They were late as it was. It was more difficult to sneak out when they had Astronomy at midnight.
"Everyone! Settle down, settle down!" the professor screeched. Professor Sinistra was a relatively young woman in her mid thirties. The late night classes were not her cup of tea either, but it was when learning would be most beneficial to the students, she reasoned. "Tonight we are going to observe specific constellations in the sky. We are going to discuss the elements of Astrophysics in relation to the stars. Now you will all need-"
Professor Sinistra's instructions were interrupted by a series of loud, running footsteps coming up the stairs. A feminine shadow was climbing the stairs two at a time, and stopped at the top to catch her breath. She was lucky that this class required no textbooks, or else she might have passed out. She collected herself quickly, still panting, and casually took her place in the back of the mob.
"You're late Miss Renton." She said, sternly.
"Yes, I'm sorry Professor." She said, catching her breath. She spotted Lily and shimmied her way to her.
"Now that we are all here," the professor said, glaring at Diana, who just shrugged to everyone else, "you are going to work in groups of three. I will display these images through the telescope for you. Here is a list of all the constellations you will be observing. I want you to take down their shape, what they represent in ancient philosophies, and their technical significance and definitions." She said this as she passed out worksheets to the entire class. Most of them groaned.
"Now, now, none of that." She hissed. "Now the first one we are going to discuss is the constellation of Orion's Belt.."
"Where were you?" Lily hissed at Diana. Diana just put her finger over her mouth and began copying notes. Diana had been trying extra hard to keep up her grades this semester, she couldn't afford to slack off and lose her prefect status. That, and she didn't want to talk about it. Lately, Diana didn't want to talk about a lot of things.
"....OK to start off, Orion's belt has 3 major stars. They would be: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Here I will describe each star..."
"So Katrina," Nicole whispered. "How are you and Peter?" Katrina and Peter had been casually dating on and off for a little while, ever since the Ball.
Katrina shook her head from side to side, suggesting uncertainty. "Alright." She whispered back. "He's sweet, you know. Not really my type though."
"....It is said that the stars in the sky are labeled Orion in honor of a great hunter, son of Neptune and the Nymph Eurayle......"
"So Prongs, that Slytherin still giving you problems?" Sirius spoke, jotting down anything he could absorb.
"Ugh, please don't get me started on her." He said, shaking his head. "You know Evans is tutoring her now?" he said, baffled.
Sirius nodded. "She told me."
"I don't know Padfoot, I feel a little bad. I don't want to hurt her or anything."
"Lily or Sliverton?" Sirius asked, looking at James.
"Uh..Silverton, um, Narcissa." He said, correcting himself.
"Ah. Well if you're going to end it, you had better do it soon. Especially if.." Sirius noticed James looking at Lily, who was taking copious notes.
"...Your eyes are starting to wander." He said, looking back and forth between the two. It was so obvious to Sirius that he hoped James would get the hint already.
"Well, you know I'm not one to like steady relationships." James said, shrugging himself off.
"Maybe you just haven't met the right girl." Peter said, absentmindedly. James thought about this for a moment.
"...According to Greek mythology Orion died being stung by a scorpion. He is set such in the sky that he sets in the west while his slayer, the Scorpius, rises in the East..." Sinistra continued.
"I didn't miss anything did I?" Diana asked, yawning.
"Not really. Just the discussion about Remus' disappearances." Lily said, not taking her eyes off her paper.
"Oh, not here again? You know what else I've noticed?" Diana said, stopping her writing.
"What?" Katrina asked.
"The other three aren't around either."
"How do you mean?" Nicole asked.
"Well, whenever Remus is away, they usually disappear for a couple of hours. Coincidence? I think not." She said, inquisitively.
"Hmm, this is very true." Lily said, as if realizing it for the first time. Then she paused. "Orgy?" she said, smirking.
"Oh yeah." Diana said, and they laughed.
"Whores." Katrina said.
"The worst." Nicole chimed in.
"...The next star we are going to discuss is the Dog Star, or Sirius as it is often called...."
"That's you Padfoot." James said, smirking. A few people turned to look at Sirius, and he stood up and bowed in return. Sinistra did not find this amusing at all, so she continued as if noticing nothing.
"....Sirius is actually the brightest star in the sky. It is nine light years away, not particularly close. Its cycles were closely followed by the ancient Egyptians....."
Diana turned around to look at Sirius, who just raised a mischievous brow at her. She shook her head at his cockiness before smiling secretly to herself. Sirius just kept staring, even though she had turned. They were standing and he got a very clear view of her from the back of the tower. His eyes firmly placed on the curves of her hips, watching her sway with every word she wrote.
"....The Greeks named the constellation Sirius, "the Scorcher" as they believed the Dog Star was responsible for the hot weather and listlessness that plagued them in the summer months.."
James couldn't take his eyes off Lily either. Her hair gleamed in the moonlight, flattering her fair skin beautifully. She tuned a couple if times to glance at him, and noticed his eyes dart back to the paper he wasn't writing on. She felt his eyes, watching her ravenously, memorizing her every move. Her step, the way she played with her hair. All of these movements were exquisite to him. Every time she bit her lip, thinking carefully, he grew weak. Then James realized it, and it took him slightly by surprise. He wanted Lily Evans. He wanted her badly.
"I'm doing it." James said, out loud and not realizing it.
"Huh? What?" Sirius jerked his head up.
"I'm breaking up with her this week, officially." He said, extremely sure of himself.
"Well that was quick." Peter said. "Why the sudden change?"
"Let's just say my, uh, eyes have wandered over to something else." He said, still looking at Lily.
"Well it's about bloody time." Sirius said. "I figured one of you was going to burst."
"What?" James asked, a bit annoyed.
"Oh come on, it's so obvious Prongs. You've wanted Lily for months." Peter said.
"No I haven't." he protested.
"Oh please. The sudden guilt, the wandering eyes. If you hadn't done something about it by Christmas I would have locked you two in a room so that you could get it over with." Sirius said.
"Fuck you." James said, still defending himself.
"If I could I would, my friend." He said.
"You know that makes you a fag right?" James said.
"If liking the way I look makes me a fag, then you are the Queen of the Cock Sucking Fairies, bitch."
The class halted. Sirius had said this louder than he should have. Professor Sinistra stopped talking and shot the two disrupters an unpleased glare. Students erupted into laughter and chuckles, including the girls.
"What just happened?" Diana asked, after she was done laughing.
"I think Black and Potter just came out." Lily said, smirking. They looked behind them to see that the cheeks of both boys were beat red.
"That's enough, that's enough!" Sinistra cried. She looked at her watch to see that it read 1:00. "Class dismissed. We will continue this next week." She said, shaking her head.
The girls grabbed their things and walked over to the boys.
"I am so proud Black." Diana said, smirking. "Really I am." She put her hand over her heart.
"Yes, we knew you'd come around and declare your love." Lily said. "It's sweet."
"Shut up." They said in unison.
"Oh, sensitive." Diana said, putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder. She winked at him and let her arm drop on it's own.
Diana and Sirius had gotten along reasonably well lately. As long as neither of them went out of their way to make the other miserable, they remained friendly. Diana realized after the first few weeks that she liked it better that way. And Sirius occasionally helped her in Divination. Trelawney had made them become partners to stop the fighting, and it had worked. She didn't mind, and he used any excuse to be around her. The funny thing was that Diana never really needed help, but asked him to do it anyway. She realized that he made her laugh, something Lucius never did.
"Well should go, it's late." Nicole reminded them. They made their way down the stairs. When they got to the bottom the boys paused. They had a different agenda and had no intention of going back to the common room. The girls proceeded but turned around when the boys didn't budge.
"What are you lot standing around for?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow. "The common room is this way." She said, pointing down the hall.
"We'll uh, be up later." James said, hoping it would be sufficient. It wasn't.
"Later? Why, where are you going?" Diana asked, hugging her parchment closer to her chest. She sounded like a little schoolgirl.
"Uh, a walk." Sirius said. They weren't very good liars. The four girls just looked at each other. Now more eager than ever.
"A walk?" Diana repeated. She shook her head. "Listen if you want, you can have your little gang bang in our dorm. Me and Lily have a video camera."
"Ew, you are sick Renton." James said, making a face. "And what the hell is a video camera?"
Lily found this terribly amusing. "It's uh...never mind." she said, not knowing how to really explain it. "Well, have fun chaps, and use protection."
All three of them made a face, even though they knew they were joking.
"That's right. And try not to be too messy about it. Those stains are incredibly difficult to remove." Diana said.
"Ugh!" they yelled, shuddering at the thought.
"That's so nasty Renton." Sirius said, not removing his scowl.
"I know." She said. Then they waved goodnight and the girls went up to the common room and to sleep. The boys slipped outside under James' cloak. Peter, the rat, slipped under the Whomping Willow and pressed the knot. The stag and the dog, James and Sirius respectively, followed through the passageway to the Shrieking Shack. Remus was there. They stayed there the remainder of the night, keeping Remus company through his secret monthly torture.
*The Next Day.....
They had all gathered to go to breakfast. They were tired because they hadn't gotten much sleep and classes started at 8:30. They dragged their feet and plopped down on the benches, eating whatever was in their field of vision. Sirius got up and brought them all coffee. It had become habit by now.
Remus was back. The moon weaned just enough so that it was no longer full, and Remus could become himself again. Each time it was over he spent the next month dreading when it would come again. He also knew that at some point he would have to tell Nicole, or she might figure it out on her own. The thought chilled him. After all this time he realized how in love with her he actually was.
They were woken up slightly by the sound of the mail arriving. The screeching of the owls startled them, but woke them up just the same. Two letters were plopped in front of Diana and Lily. James was given the Daily Prophet, which he cut in half with Sirius.
"What's it say?" Lily yawned as Diana opened her letter. She read it to herself.
"It's from my Mum and Dad." She said, casually. "They want to come and see me play on the 22nd. My dad has that week off." She said.
"Are you staying here for the holiday Renton?" Sirius asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Well, they said I could but when they get here they might ask me to come back with them. Oh I am so not in the mood for that." She said. "Are you?"
"Yep. My Mum and Dad are taking a holiday in Egypt." He said.
"On Christmas?" Lily asked.
"I've been to Egypt. It's a beautiful country." Diana said, folding the letter in half.
"Oh yea, when?" James asked, still reading.
"Well I've been there with my Mum a bunch of times. She's scouted players for Puddlemere United, and we visit my family-"
"You have family in Egypt?" Sirius asked. "You don't look Egyptian."
"I know. I look like my dad. I am actually 1/16 Egyptian, so it's really not that much. I just have a great grandmother there and some third cousins or something. My mother was actually born in Argentina, so-"
"Oh, a Latina." James mockingly said. Diana chuckled.
"Hell yea. Where do you think this ass comes from?" she jokingly said. Lily snorted.
"Oh yea, because Figg is really Hispanic." She said, sarcastically.
"Figg?" Remus suddenly joined in. "You're mother's last name is Figg?" he suddenly became very interested.
"Yes." She said, as if it was common knowledge.
"As in the Ravenclaw Figgs?" he asked, and stopped eating.
"Oh he's a smart one." Lily said, and looked at Diana.
"I don't understand. You're a Gryffindor." Sirius said.
"I know, but my Mum wasn't. She was a Ravenclaw. Actually, my whole line was in Ravenclaw. It's one of those things where, if my dad was a wizard, he'd be a Gryffindor, so that's why I was sorted here."
"Ok, but why does Remus know that?" James asked.
"I read about them, in Hogwarts, a History. They were one of the first families sorted. In fact, as I recall, Aurora Figg was the cousin of Rowena Ravenclaw."
"Holy shit." James said. "You're related to Rowena Ravenclaw?" he found this terribly fascinating. Lily knew all this so she wasn't the least bit fazed.
"More or less." She said, casually and continued eating. "They moved to Egypt when the threat of Salazar Slytherin came about, you know, that whole thing. They were chased out so, that's how they became Egyptian. So you see, it's really nothing."
"Actually I can sort of see the Egyptian. It's in your eyes." Sirius said.
"Is that a compliment?" she asked. He nodded without looking up. "And what about my eyes?"
"Oh it's nothing really. They are just sort of cat like, that's all. Not by much but, well, I can't explain it." he said, shaking his head. "Mysterious I guess."
"Do you hear that Lily? Black thinks I'm mysterious." She said, amused.
"Yea well don't take it to heart. You are just as plainly British as the rest of us. The only thing mysterious about you is the fact that you happen to own half the cats in the U.K." Lily said.
"Huh?" James asked.
"So I have a lot of cats at home. What's so mysterious about that?" she asked, defensively.
"Exactly." Lily said, and stole a piece of her toast.
"So you like cats?" Sirius asked, hoping to get to know her more than he already did.
"Oh I love them." Diana smiled at his question. "I have four of my own at home."
"Well that's not that many. What are their names?" Sirius asked. He had improved greatly on his conversation skills.
"Well, there's Persephone, Eurydice, Aphrodite, and Isis, my favorite."
Sirius chuckled at the names.
"I know. She's insane." Lily said.
"So tell me-" Sirius began.
"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Diana asked, looking past him. Lucius had motioned her over and she quickly got up and went over to the Slytherin table. He got up and met her half way. He kissed her and then took her hand. He sat him next to her and whispered something in her ear.
"Why didn't you come back last night?" he whispered.
"I had class. And I was tired." She replied.
"I was waiting for you." He said, and caressed her thigh with his index finger. She shivered.
"I'm sorry." She said, and covered his hand with hers.
"I suppose now you will have to make it up to me." He said, and kissed her neck. She blushed.
"Now? Its too early." She said, as she felt him run his finger down her back.
"No, not now, but tonight though. I plan on keeping you after hours." He said with a sly smile. She returned it.
"I guess so." She said, as she proceeded to get up.
"Oh, and Arabella.." He said. She turned. He never addressed her by any other name.
"Yes?"
"Bring the skirt."
She smiled, nodded and made her way back to the table, and a very jealous Sirius Black. As soon as she got there the bell had rung and people began to get up and go to their respective classes. The day went just like any other day: Homework, assignments, etc. It was after classes, when Lily had to tutor Narcissa, when something actually happened. They met in the library every day at 3:00.
"Hey Lily." Narcissa said, in a relatively cheerful tone.
"Hi Narcissa." She said, and smiled. "Did you finish that essay on incantations I asked you to do for me?"
Lily gave Narcissa extra homework to do, with the permission of Professor Flitwick. She was becoming more and more like a teacher every day.
"Yep." She said, and handed it to Lily. She surveyed it, briefly, nodded and put it with her other pieces of parchment.
They were working for about a half and hour when they both noticed James walk in. He didn't notice them though. He was returning a book and went quickly to an aisle looking for another one. It was when he spotted Lily's scarlet hair through the bookshelf that he saw them. Shit, he though. She was with Narcissa.
James decided at that moment that it was now or never. He had a dream about Lily the previous night, one he did not plan on having. One that made him sweat. One that made him cry out. It jolted him awake so fast that he was breathing in and out heavily, grasping for air. He went to the bathroom and sat on the cold, hard tile, thinking about her, her lips, her tongue, her eyes, her intoxicating emerald eyes. It was too much. He never went back to sleep.
I have to end it, I have to end it now, he thought. He made up his mind, then walked over to their table.
"Hey ladies." He said, cheerfully, although he felt himself overheat.
"Hi Potter." Lily said, staring at the parchment in front of her.
"Hi James." Narcissa said and smiled.
"Uh, Cissa, can I talk to you for a minute?" he said, trying not to stutter.
"Of course honey." She said, and pushed her chair back.
Honey, he thought. Oh God. This was going to be difficult. They went behind a bookcase on the other side of the library, near the restricted section. He was about to speak when she silenced him with her mouth. Clearly, she had misread him.
"No, Cissa wait." He said, when she had pulled away.
"What? This is not what you took me back here for?" she asked, and poked him playfully. He let out a reluctant chuckle.
"Um, actually-"
"You know James, I've been thinking.." she started.
"Yea?" he asked, afraid of what she was going to say.
"We've been dating for, what, three months now?"
"Um, I suppose." He said, squirming.
"Well, don't you think that we should take this relationship to the next level?" she asked, twirling her hair, but not in a cute way, in an annoying way.
"What do you mean?" he asked, and leaned back on the bookcase, feeling like his knees were going to come out from under him.
"Well, we have made love, more than once." She said.
Made love? James thought. His breath was getting shorter. "Yea but-"
"Do you love me James?" she asked, out of the blue. He just stared at her, not having a legitimate answer for her.
"Um...uh...well..." he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. She was growing impatient.
"Well, do you?" she asked. She was starting to squirm as well.
James took two deep breaths before answering her. "Listen...Narcissa. The reason I asked you back here was to tell you-"
She put her hand over her mouth. "Cissa..." he said, seeing that she was already getting upset. She knew what was coming.
"No, don't." she said, fighting back tears. " I know what you're going to say."
"I just think that, maybe, uh, maybe we should take a little break for a while." James chose his words carefully. "I care about you, I do, but, I think we maybe a little much for each other right now. I don't want to hurt you so I am ending it now, for our own good."
She started to cry. "but.." Her lips were quivering. "But, I love you." She said, in between sniffles.
"I love you too but-" he stopped. He couldn't believe a lie like that came so easily to him. He was mortified and knew he would never live that down. And Narcissa would always remember him saying that, always.
"So then? Why do we need a break? I'll tell you why, it's YOU that needs a break isn't it?" she said, getting angry now. "You think that just because you're James Potter that you can just fuck anyone you please. You know what? Fine! Leave me here, leave me all alone, you obviously don't care about anyone but yourself."
"Now listen-"
"I have listened. Good bye James." She said, and ran back to Lily.
"What the hell happened to you?" Lily asked, looking up from the essay she was proofreading. Narcissa had very loopy handwriting, a kind that was difficult to read. She had to squint to understand it.
Narcissa sat down. "He..." she paused, fighting back tears again. Lily saw James grab a book and dash over to the checkout counter. He glanced one last time at the table before bolting for the door.
"...broke up with me!" Narcissa cried, extremely loudly. The she broke out into a flood of uncontrollable tears. Lily had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at how pathetic she was. People were starting to stare so Lily knew she had to do something to correct the situation before they were kicked out.
"Oh sweety." She said, pretending that she cared. Well, she did care, but she was more relieved than concerned about it. She engulfed Narcissa into a sympathetic hug and shushed her until she stopped crying. Out of the corner of Lily's mouth crept a small smile. So, she thought. James Potter is single again..
That Night..about 1:00am...
James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were in the common room, alone. They were each surrounding a table with a bunch of papers on it. In the middle laid an open book. It was the red one, Diana's book, and the one about Maps.
"This is really frustrating." Peter said.
They had been at it since before dinner. They were trying to figure out a way to create their own map. One that would get them through Hogwarts undetected. The one that would get them to Hogsmeade and back in a fair amount of time. It was a complicated task, and an ancient one at that. They were unfamiliar with the process, so there was much research involved.
"I don't get it. How does it know when there is someone coming?" James asked, flipping the pages of a library book about maps in general."
"Magic, you dumb ass." Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. He felt he hadn't blinked in over an hour.
"So is this going to be just of Hogwarts, or are we doing Hogsmeade too?" Remus asked.
"Just Hogwarts." James answered. "Everything else is too advanced. Besides, that's all we need. That and the passages to Hogsmeade. Any luck with that Peter, by the way?"
Peter's job was to try and find the passages to and from Hogsmeade. He wasn't very good at it, and had gotten nowhere. He had given up after only a few weeks, and spent the rest of the time raiding the Hogwarts Kitchens.
"Uh...no not yet, but I'm close." He lied. James knew it too, and decided to take matters into his own hands.
"So Prongs." Remus started, trying to keep himself awake. "I, uh, heard about Silverton. What a shame." He said, shaking his head in fake dissapointment.
"Yea, she, um, didn't take it that well I heard." Sirius said, trying not to laugh.
"Oh shut up, both of you. It was the most dreadful thing I have ever had to do." He said, trying to retain some integrity.
"Bullshit, like you've never broken up with a girl before." Peter said.
"That's not the point Wormtail. She was different, and not in a good way. At least all the others knew where they stood with me." He said, cockily.
Sirius just glared at him. "Oh my god, you are a prick. See I knew that eventually you were going to attract some wacko and I was right. She'll come back to haunt you, my friend, mark my words."
"Who are you?" James asked, flabbergasted. "Where the hell did my lying, cheating, two-timing friend go? I swear ever since this year you have done a complete 180 on me, and without warning might I add. What has gotten in to you? You have been totally antagonistic to me when it comes to girls, and that's what I used to love about our friendship. You know, the fact that we..felt the same way about certain things."
"People change." Remus said.
"No they don't." James said.
"Yes they do." Peter said. "Just look at how Sirius feels about Diana."
"So they get along now, so what." James said.
"And look at how you feel about Lily." Remus said.
James was at a loss for words. This was true. "Yea, well..ok I guess you're right. Happy?"
"Yep." Sirius said.
Suddenly they heard a door open and close quickly. Their heads jolted up and the sound. They usually worked on it when no one was in the common room, and had to pretend to do homework.
Lily stepped out, tired and in her pajamas. She was holding a book in her hand and seemed to be a little taken back when she saw the boys downstairs, and working.
"What are you four doing up?" she asked, her voice a bit raspy. She looked at the clock on the wall. "It's after one."
"We know." James said, not looking up. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"I couldn't." she said.
"Why not?" Sirius asked.
She shrugged. "What are you working on?" she asked, interested. She plopped down the stairs.
"Uh.."James started. "Stuff."
"Ok then." She said. She wasn't really listening anyway. "I'm just going to read down here ok? I hope I'm not in the way."
"You're not." Remus said.
Then they heard the door to the common room open. Diana walked through, tired but in a pleasant mood nonetheless. They just stared at her. She was wearing a skirt, the black one from the first day of school.
"It's late Renton." Sirius said. She stopped.
"Yes I know." She said.
"It's after one." Lily pointed to the clock. Diana looked at it and nodded.
"So it is."
"Where did you guys go this time?" she asked.
"Oh, we just..grabbed a bite that's all." She said, airily.
James and Sirius started to chuckle.
"And which one were you?" James asked, with an impish smile across his face.
"Sorry?" she asked, turning to face them.
"What he means is..." Sirius started, still laughing. "Were you doing the grabbing, or the biting?
She scowled, but it quickly turned into a smirk. "What do you think?" she asked, somewhat rhetorically.
"Hmmm." Sirius said, pretending to think. "Neither."
"Neither?" she said, tilting her head to the side.
"No. I would think you are more of the sucking type of you ask me. Your mouth looks like it can swallow a lot of-"
"And on that note." Remus began, getting up, trying desperately to get Sirius to not finish that sentence. "I'm going to bed."
"Yea me too." Peter said, and yawned. They both went upstairs. Sirius threw down his quill and closed the book.
"Me too." He said, pushing the chair out from under him. "Coming Prongs?" he asked.
"Yea I just want to finish this first." He said.
Sirius nodded.
"I'm tired Lily, but I'll talk to you tomorrow alright?" Diana said, heading for the stairs. Lily nodded and shooed her off.
"Goodnight Black." She said when they were both at the top of the stairs.
"Goodnight Renton." He said.
"Oh, and by the way." She said, halting for a moment. He stopped and looked at her. She inched up closer to his face. "You were right about the sucking part."
He said nothing, but he didn't know if she should be annoyed or aroused. She smiled, somewhat evilly, and walked into her dorm, closing the door behind her.
"Whoa." Was all he could get out. He didn't know how much longer he could stand it. So instead, he went to his dormitory, and made his feeble attempts at sleeping, most unsuccessfully.
Lily and James were downstairs alone. Lily was reading while James was studying. It was James who noticed they were alone first, and became a little nervous at the thought. He stopped what he was doing and turned to see her head in a book.
"What are you reading?" he asked, trying to break the deafening silence. Her head propped up instantly.
"Oh, just some Muggle book my Dad sent me." She said, shrugging.
"Well, what's it called?"
"Gone With the Wind." She said, somewhat embarrassed.
"Isn't that a movie?" he asked, fully turning around.
"Yea, but the book is so much better." She said, flipping through the pages. He nodded.
"So, uh, what are you doing up this late?" he asked, again.
"I told you I couldn't sleep. I would read in my room but I didn't feel like searching for a candle so I just came down here. I like it down here anyway." She said, and cracked a smile.
"You know we have practice in a couple of hours right?" he said, slightly changing the subject.
"Yes I know." She answered, sighing. "It's ok, I can do it."
"Oh I know you can." He said, getting up from his chair and making his way over to the couch. There is an uncomfortable pause for a minute, and Lily opened her book again.
"So..." he began, running his fingers through his hair. "I guess you heard about me and Narcissa huh?" she looked up again.
"The whole school heard James." She said. "And you do remember I was in the room right?"
"Oh right." He stupidly said. "So Lily?"
"Yea?" she asked.
"May I?" he asked, pointing to the spot next to her on the couch.
"Why?" she looked at him, uncertain. He sat down anyway.
"Um." he began, not knowing how to phrase his words.
"Is there something you want to tell me James?" she asked, impatiently closing the book and tossing it aside.
"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to hide it.
"Well you are speaking very inarticulately to me. That's not like you." She said.
He smiled. "No I guess not."
"I'm going to bed now Potter. Goodnight." She said, and proceeded to get up. He watched her climb the stairs, a little disappointed. Then again, he didn't know why he wanted to talk to her anyway. Then he remembered.
"Hold on Evans." He said. She turned around. "I remembered what I wanted to ask you." He said. She rolled her eyes and walked back down the steps.
"What?" she said when they were face to face.
Then, without thinking he grabbed her by the waist and forced her to his lips. She put her arms around his waist and kissed him back. The kiss was blazing, long and passionate. It lasted for a minute when Lily reluctantly pulled away.
She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.
"What?" he asked, insecurely. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction.
"Nothing." She said, and turned. He grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. "It's just that, well...you've been practicing this, haven't you?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, and let go of her.
"You've thought about it, I can tell." She said, still smiling.
"I have not." He lied.
"It's ok." She said. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said, and tapped his shoulder.
"Talk about ruining the moment." He said, and put his hands on his hips.
"I didn't ruin anything." She said, plainly. "But I will tell you one thing."
"Oh yea what's that?" he asked, amused by her casual attitude.
"You Mister Potter.." She said. "Well, it was a little weak, but, you certainly know what you're doing."
"Weak?" Now he was getting annoyed.
"It's ok, you can try again, some other time." She said, from the top of the stairs. Then she gave him a flirtatious wink, and went into her dormitory. When she closed the door she let out a loud but satisfied sigh. That prominent smile never leaving her face.
James didn't know what to make of that. It had certainly worked out differently than he had expected. He shook his head and put his hands on his hips. Lily Evans was different. She was special, and he knew it. He was smiling too, and he made his way to the stairs and to his dorm. Sirius was wide-awake but said nothing. He looked at James briefly and noticed immediately his change in mood.
"What?" Sirius asked, curiously.
"Nothing." James said simply. "Women."
Sirius smiled at his friend, and immediately understood.
"Women." He repeated, as they laughed at their common misfortune.
*~~~(See I told you it was long, but I explained a lot of things that needed to be explained. I finished it at 4am, by the way. Anyway, thanks everyone. Cookies and lollipops to all!!! I don't have time on this chapter to thank you individually, but soon. Thanks, and review!)~~~~~~