Chapter 10 ~ Morpheaus - God of Dreams
"Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win."
~ Jonathan Kozol
Even with this revelation, Lily had no clue what to do about it. The first thing she thought of was to go to Mollie. But when she thought it through systematically, she knew she couldn't. Mollie would just make fun of her. I mean really Lily, she could hear her say, and you used to hate his guts!
But Mollie would have willingly listened to her and not laughed at all, if only she could win this bet. By Thursday, the last day of the bet expanse, she was about to walk straight up to Lily and ask her. But… that would be cheating and if there's one notable attribute about Mollie Sanders, it's that she wins things, fair and square.
By morning when Mollie came downstairs, Lily was still in the common room. Mollie noticed the lost look on her face.
"Whassa matter wit you?" Mollie asked drowsily.
"Wha… oh, nuthin'" Lily replied lackadaisically, not quite paying attention to her.
"Lily, I've known you for like… ever! I can tell when something's bugging you. Ya know, like I got a physic link with you," she said, fully alert now and seeing how deep the look on her friend's face was. It was a strange mixture. She looked confused and yet… content, if that's what you'd call it.
"Mollie, have you ever completely hated something and then you see it in a new light and unquestionably adore it?" Lily chose her words wisely, not wanting Mollie to catch on to what her real dilemma was.
"I dunno, I think I have… yea, I have. You remember how I used to completely loath Quidditch, thought it was so humdrum. But then, when I played the actual game, I really began to appreciate it as an… art." Mollie explained. "Why?"
"Well… it's just I've always hated… my sister," Lily said, thinking quickly of a person that Mollie knew she really hated to try and cover for her new view of James. "And well… she's got this boyfriend now, the great ugly git, but anyways, when she's around him… she doesn't seem like the cold heartless bitch of an ice queen I know," Lily said something that was partially true. Her sister did have a boyfriend and she didn't act like a bitch around him, but that's as far as it went. She was still mean to Lily, but only when Vernie wasn't around. In fact, she acted all lovey-dovey when with him. But Lily knew that she only did that to rub it in Lily's face that she didn't have a boyfriend, or anyone for that matter.
"Petunia? Nice? You've gotta be joking!" Mollie said with a chuckle, unaware of what Lily was really troubled about.
"Yea, but I don't know if she's really as mean as I think. Has your opinion about anyone ever changed that dramatically?" she asked, trying to get someone else's outlook on the matter.
"Now that I think about it, yea," Mollie said, taking a seat across from Lily.
"Who?" Lily asked hopefully.
"Remus. Ever since we both got caught up in this little plan to help you and James, I've noticed that he's nothing like his cohorts. Sirius and James are well… Sirius and James. Rude and obnoxious, appalling and perverted and well, you get the picture. But Remus… he's actually intellectual and kinder. He's just not as… crude as those two," Mollie explained with a bit of exasperation. "But then again, he can be just as stuck-up as his comrades."
"You think James is that bad?" Lily asked.
"Well, yea! I mean, you do to, he's an ignorant pig!"
"Yea… you're right," Lily said softly, putting her head down in shame.
"Aren't I always?" Mollie asked boastfully.
At this Lily stayed silent. No Mol, I don't think you're right at all. James isn't an ignorant pig. He used to be, but now… he's changed. She thought with self-assurance in her new found sensation.
"Hey Mol, we better go get ready for the day, I mean we do have classes and whatnot," Lily tried to cover her silence.
"Yea, your right," Mollie said, now a little skeptical about the discussion they just had. She wasn't quite sure if Lily really was talking about her sister anymore.
The other girls in their dorm were already dressed and starting the days gossip on their way down the stairs. Lily and Mollie rolled their eyes at them as they passed. Yes, these two did like to gossip, but the other three, they made a daily practice of it. Once when they were in the dorm, they both burst out in laughter.
"God! How pitiable can they get?" Mollie said between giggles as she reached into her closet to get her uniform.
"I know!" Lily agreed; glad to get her mind off of James for a while.
Mollie was done first.
"Do you want me to wait for you?" she asked her friend.
"Naw! I'm gonna be down soon anyway. Just go on without me," Lily said as she waved Mollie out of the room. Once when Lily could no longer hear Mollie's footsteps she turned to her reflection in the mirror.
"How could I have let this happen? This wasn't supposed to happen!" she sighed as she plopped down onto the end of her bed. "I like him! How could I have let this happen! God! What'll everyone think? Well, everyone already thinks we're an item, except for Mollie and Remus. But what will he think? Jeez, I'm in deep now! He can't find out! That's all that's gonna happen. I'll keep this to myself. No one will find out, I'll end up going out with Amos and forget I ever had these feelings for him," she told her self without conviction. She didn't really know how hard this was actually going to be.
When Mollie got down to the common room Remus was there, looking smugger than ever.
"Hello Sanders," he started haughtily, "You've got till sundown and then Friday… we got our rewards! Or, at least one of us does."
"Yea, yea, yea Remus, whatever!" Mollie replied morosely.
"Ah, I see you've come to realize exactly who's gonna win this bet," he said cockily.
"Yea well, I guess my friend is more stubborn than I put her out to be. But, I do still have hope," she said, thinking back to this mornings exchange while giving him a contemptuous look.
"Right Sanders, right," Remus said as he walked off.
"My GOD! That guy has a LOT of nerve. But, he's still better than the other three. And he's kind of cute," she said aloud.
"I know I am! Thank you soooo much for agreeing with me and the rest of the female population," came a voice from behind her.
"Sirius! You are so conceited! I wasn't talking about you anyways!" Mollie retorted in disgust as she spun around.
"Well, who else could you have been talking about?" Sirius asked in a huffy manner.
"Oh please Black! There are many more men in this castle more alluring than you!" she said shooting daggers at him with her eyes, filled with pure hatred.
"Oh, I see, our little Mollie has a crush on Wormtail here!" Sirius exclaimed, patting Peter on the head, who had followed Sirius down the stairs, staying hidden in his shadows, on the shoulder. Peter blushed profusely and looked a Mollie shyly. (A/N: DIE PETER DIE! Sorry, outburst I have these quite often when thinking about Pettigrew) Mollie returned the look with one of utmost repulsion.
"You must be kidding!" she shrieked, staring at Sirius as though he were bizarre.
"Padfoot! How in the world could our Molliekins like Peter when she's obsessed with me!?" James asked as he strutted down the staircase.
"HEY!" came Lily's voice from the other set of staircases, "You're already taken! Besides, Mollie's a little taken away with Remus, if I do believe," she teased. Evidently, she had gotten over her self doubt as she walked up to James and planted a sweet kiss on his lips, continuing with the plan while enjoying every second of it.
This is just an act! That's all! She told herself.
Then how come you liked that kiss so much? Her annoying voice bugged her.
Because, I admit I love him k? Geesh! I'm not a saint, but to him it's just an act! She countered.
James thoroughly enjoyed this little kiss and leaned down for another, placing his arms around her waist as she snaked hers around his neck. Soon both of them had lost themselves in the kiss. The one savoring it to the last bit and the other wanting it never to end.
They were soon interrupted from their heavenly bliss by the three people to whom they had left behind. Sirius was making imitations of them. ("Oh Lily! Just one more kiss!" "How could I refuse sexy!") Peter was laughing hysterically as though it were the funniest joke in the world. Mollie was just standing there, looking at Sirius and Peter as thought they were crazed pink elephants with purple polka dots trying to fly. Every few seconds though, she would shoot knowing glances towards the oblivious "couple".
Once when they grudgingly pulled out of the kiss, they stared into each others eyes. Lily, suddenly remembering her new discovery about herself, blushed and quickly turned to Peter and Sirus.
What was that all about? James questioned himself. She never blushed like that before.
"And WHAT, pray-tell, is so funny Pettigrew?!" Lily asked frigidly and oddly formal. This shut him up at once because her eyes were ice showing her complete disgust at him. The short, chubby rat-like boy was clutching his sides laughing obnoxiously like an over excited pig. His already watery eyes were running with tears of mirth.
"Awww, Lil, lighten up!" Sirius said jovially. "He was just laughing at me making fun of you two!" He then began to make crude loud kissing noises, adding in the occasional "Oh James" or "Oh Lily".
Lily froze in mortification, her face blending into her hair. Then, deciding not to take his crap pushed her humiliation aside, trying to remove the redness from her face.
"SIRIUS MORPHEUS BLACK! YOU WILL PAY!" she screeched, her face now red, but not because of her chagrin but because of her anger.
"JAMES!" Sirius whined at his best friend. "You told her my middle name? HOW COULD YOU!?"
"Your middle name is Morpheus?" Mollie asked amid hilarity.
"Yes, and just to let you know that Morpheus was the God of Dreams, so it fits me very well!" Sirius defended, getting full of himself again.
"Sirius? God of Dreams? Okay you must be dreaming! One, you are NO god, and two, why would anyone dream about you?" Mollie said, laughing harder than ever.
"SIRIUS MORPHEUS BLACK! YOU BETTER START RUNNING!" Lily screamed as she grabbed her wand out of her robe pocket and chased Sirius out of the common room. The other three just stood there listening to Sirius' yells for "SANTUARY!" and Lily's screams of rage, "YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!"
"Well, I guess I best go and get Lily off of that dimwit," Mollie sighed, still laughing.
"Yeah, and I better go and apologize to Sirius, he's gonna hate me," James said as they began to walk out. Peter just lagged behind in James' shadow.
"God of Dreams?!" James heard Mollie utter under her breath, "What were his parents thinking? Him the God of Dreams!" James just chuckled to himself.
By the time they're first class came around (Transfiguration) Sirius and James weren't talking and Sirius had neon green hair and a sign on his back that said, My name is Sirius Morpheus Black and I am and a gay man whore who is the God of Dreams so come and get it! (A/N: yea long I know but… funny right?) Sirius knew all about the green hair, but he had no clue about the sign on his back. Lily was quite satisfied with her revenge. James was infuriated by the fact that his best friend was upset over a little name.
When they entered the classroom, Lily and James sat together to "keep up appearances" for their "little charade". Remus and Mollie sat together for lack of people to sit next to, right behind the first two. And Sirius grabbed Peter and dragged him across the room to the other side to sit with him.
Professor McGonagall looked at James first and then Sirius. She was so shocked that they weren't sitting together she didn't even notice the new hair color. Sirius and James are normally inseparable, why aren't they sitting together? She wondered. She then noticed Sirius' unusual hair color.
"Mr. Black, may I ask how your hair got to be a green color?" she asked him, looking amused and confused at the same time.
"One: you just asked it already," he replied smartly with a little bit of anger twisted in his voice, "And two: that would be Miss Evans' fault."
"Miss Evans! What is the meaning of this?" she asked shocked, generally Lily didn't do anything this eccentric.
"Sirius was being an egotistical brat and making fun of me for kissing my boyfriend, so I was just returning the favor," Lily explained calmly.
"Mr. Black? Is this accurate?" McGonagall asked severely.
"So what if it is?" he asked brashly.
"I am mortified in the both of you! Ten points from Gryffindor, each!" she exclaimed.
"But… professor! I was only retaliating!" Lily replied, standing in her defense.
"Two wrongs don't make a right Miss Evans, now please sit down," she commanded. "Now, Mr. Black, is anything else wrong? I'm wondering why you aren't sitting in your normal seat," she asked, now looking at Sirius who had taken his punishment silently, being used to that type of treatment.
"Yes Professor, but I'd rather not talk about my conniving, lying ex best friend," Sirius replied now getting angrier.
"Mr. Potter, what happened here?" she asked now turning to the other side of the room.
"Sirius just overreacted at the fact that I told my girlfriend here," James motioned towards Lily, who blushed at being referred as his girlfriend in front of the whole class, "his middle name," he said coolly.
"I see. Well, now that I know what childish antics is the rationale for the tension in my classroom, maybe we'll have a prank-free class today," the professor said, pulling out her lesson plan and starting the class after ten minutes of wasting it. The whole class groaned for they had been wrapped up in the conflict between everyone's favorite group.
"Don't complain, we wasted the first quarter of our class and you'll be lucky if I don't give extra homework because of that," she said glaring at them, her lips exceptionally thin. This shut the class up quickly.
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
The creature/man walked towards the squealing baby. He lazily kicked the woman's body out of the way with ease and pointed his wand directly at the child's heart.
"Now, you'll threaten me no more and I will continue my rise to power!" it said menacingly. "Avada Kedavra," it laughed sinisterly. A string of green light shot out of the end of the wand and hit the baby. An explosion to rival that of the atom bomb sounded. Green light now filled the room and almost as suddenly as it appeared, it retracted.
Instead of the three presences that were there mere seconds before, there were only two, the body of the woman and the now silent baby. The curse that had killed his parents had somehow not harmed him at all and instead made the evil that had possessed the house to turn into nothing but a wisp of smoke.
There was eerie silence. The child just stared at his mother's body, making attempts to get her attention. Soon it began to cry. On his once smooth forehead was an unusual lightning bolt shaped scar. It kept crying and crying and Lily now realized she was back at the house she was in just last night. She felt the need to just walk up to the baby and cradle it in her arms to try and sooth it.
She silently tip-toed up the changing table the child was on and began to whisper to him.
"Shh, shh. Be quiet Harry, calm down, please!" she pleaded as she began to stroke his back. Surprisingly, she could touch him and feel him, even if this is just a dream. She picked him up and began to rock him in her arms, starting to hum an unknown melody. The baby seemed to feel safe in her arms. He began to coo at her and grabbed for her hair.
Soon Lily heard a bang from downstairs and began to fret that it was the creature/man again. She put the baby down on the table and went to shield him from whatever it is that is entering the house. She began to walk down the stairs and saw a man kneeling next to James' dead body. He seemed to be crying.
She walked closer and noticed he looked familiar. She crept closer yet and recognized the silky black hair and muscular tan body. He may have been older but Lily would have recognized Sirius anywhere.
"Sirius?" she spoke. He didn't look up. "Sirius?" she said again, only louder. He didn't seem to hear her. She walked towards him but found that she only walked through him.
Sirius then stood up abruptly and said, "I swear James, I'll make him pay! He won't get away with this! We trusted him and he betrayed us the whole time! I will avenge your death!" He then began looking for Lily.
"LILY! LILY? Are you here?" he yelled and it echoed throughout the house. Soon childish cries met Lily's ears.
"SIRI! SIRI!"
Lily knew who it was, and it seemed so did Sirius. The baby must've recognized Sirius.
"HARRY?! Harry, you're here!" Sirius yelled gleefully as he ran up the stairs to the nursery. Lily followed, only to see what was to happen. When Sirius ran into the room, he went straight for Harry, who was now shrieking, "SIRI!" Sirius, however, didn't notice the dead body on the floor and tripped over it.
"Lily?" he questioned hoarsely. "No! Oh god! This can't be happening! Why would he do this? We trusted him!" Sirius sobbed as he hung onto the dead corpse.
"Mummy?" Harry asked timidly. "Siri! Mummy!" he said pointing towards Lily's dream self.
"Hey bud," Sirius said in fake merriment as he headed towards Harry and ruffled his hair, "Your mummy's gone for now, but I'm going to take care of you, I swear. I won't let him hurt you!" he swore.
"Black! I don' think tha's a good idier," came a booming voice from the door.
"Hagrid! I'm his guardian now, his godfather, I'll take care of him," Sirius said to the giant man.
"Black, I'm sorry but I've got orders from Dumbledore, need ter take 'Arry to 'im an e'll live wit his aunt," Hagrid explained.
"With Petunia?" Sirius said in shock, "Dumbledore's going to send Lily and James' son to some muggle home where they completely hate the wizarding world? Has he gone mad?"
"Now you listen 'ere!" Hagrid boomed, "E's not crazy! E's got 'is reasons! You know you've got to trus' 'im!"
"You're right Hagrid. Here, take him. Make sure he's safe. I won't be able to take care of him anyway," he said somberly. "And take my flying bike too; you'll have more use of it than me. I won't be needing it anymore."
"Ya sure? Tha's yur favorite objec'!" Hagrid questioned.
"Positive. The only thing important to me now is Harry and I won't be needing that bike. Besides it'll get you to Dumbledore quicker. Now take him and go," Sirius commanded.
"SIRI!!" Harry squealed as Hagrid took him from Sirius' grip. "SIRI!"
"Now Harry, Hagrid's taking you to where you need to go okay? He won't hurt you. Now be good and make sure not to forget me. Goodbye Hagrid!" Sirius said with a sad wave and with a 'pop' he was gone.
"C'mon 'Arry, yer goin' ter see yer aun'ie," Hagrid said as he cradled the tiny child in his massive arms and began to walk outside to the jumbo motorcycle on the lawn.
"Siri? Mummy? Dada?" Harry asked sorrowfully, almost as if he knew his fate wasn't good at all.
::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~::~
It was break-period and James was up in his dorm finishing up his Charms homework that was due next period. With 15 minutes left of break he finished the essay and began to head down to the common room. Once when he reached the room, he went to go relax on a sofa in front of the fire when he noticed Lily.
She was sitting at a table with papers and books spread around her. But she wasn't working on them, au contraire; she was asleep on top of them. And it was a fitful sleep. James decided to go and wake her up quickly when she began to cry.
"Lily? Lily, wake up," James said, shaking her shoulder urgently. He'd never seen her cry like this. It was a desperate crying, a crying that someone would do if they were seeing something horrible and couldn't do anything about it.
"Lily, we've got class soon," James said, hoping this would get her up.
"Harry! James! NO!" she cried out as she sat up straight.
"Lily, whose Harry? What's wrong?" James asked concernedly. He was a little curious as to why Lily would be yelling his name in her sleep.
"James? James, what time is it?" she asked when she came to and noticed her surroundings.
"Lily, what were you dreaming?" he asked her gently.
"Oh, it's nothing," she said as she wiped away the tears that she just noticed were streaking down her face.
"Lil, you were crying, it's not nothing if you were crying," he said reassuringly.
"James I'll… SHIT! I'll tell you later K? We've got class in five minutes!" Lily exclaimed as she looked up to the grandfather clock beside the fire.
"Promise?"
"Promise!" Lily said without thinking as she rushed to put her papers and books in her bag.
When Lily got to her class, she sat down next to Mollie.
"Hey Lil, what's wrong now?" Mollie asked noticing her upset face.
"Mollie, I've gotta tell you something later, okay. It's REALLY important and can't wait much longer," Lily whispered urgently as Flitwick came into the room.
"Okay."
@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$@$$
Authors Note ~ Heya guys! I am sooooooo sorry for the long wait. But to make up for it, this chapie is quite longer than the others. It's been kinda hard because I was grounded from the computer for a while and then I was going to the festival and just a bunch of crap going on. Anyway, don't you just love my last divider thingy? I thought it was kinda funny!
This chapter what fun to write, but it took forever. Next Chapter: We find out what Lily's going to tell Mollie, we find out who wins the bet and how their "rewards" go. HEHE! I'm soo evil aren't I? Well, I'll try and post more as soon as I can. Not much else to say except my thank yous! I can't believe how many people are reading this very crappy story (at least in my opinion!) Most of you said that the last chapter was A+ material. Do the same little grading system thingy for this chapter. And I'm not doing my little individual thank yous because I don't have enough time and I want to start the next chapter and post it as soon as I can.
Love ya all A LOT!
FEAngel
PS ~ REVIEW!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!