This chapter is dedicated to all these people who guessed right about where James' cloak is.
Cookies and Milk to you all!
(Just to let everyone else know the cloak is under Lily's bed in her dorm. After James chased her out of his dorm, she never returned it!)
Lily Bell
Anarane Anwamane
Sandra-Jo
The last vampire
Freakyfroggurl22
Phoebe369
Kavi Leighanna
Phoenix
Michelle
Captain Oblivious
KT
Hpfrek13
Misskittyfantastico12889
Goddesgaia
Theocgurl
Sakura52953
Merchic_kto
FairySprinkles
MegHarts
Miss_mags_ak
Marauders Lil Girl
144
On with the story!
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Chapter 17 ~ Lana Price
"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.
~ H. Jackson Brown Jr.
"Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I loved, I did not say so."
~ David Grayson
"Sir, I'd like to ask you something," Lily said as she stepped into the headmaster's office for the second time that day.
"Certainly Miss Evans," he replied warmly.
"Since the Christmas hols are only a day away, I was wondering if I'd be able to leave the castle for a while. I need a vacation from everything and… and since I have no family to go home to… I was,"
"You were wondering if I'd let you go somewhere, if I knew of any place you'd be aloud to go." Lily nodded, dumbfounded. Dumbledore just seemed to know everything! "As a matter of fact, I do. You gather some things together by the time everyone leaves and I'll let you go there."
"Thank you sir!" Lily said graciously.
She began walking to the Great Hall, deciding she'd try to eat something. She saw Mollie and Remus sitting down and talking quietly.
"Hey guys," Lily said. She now felt better after finding solace in the song.
"Lily!" Mollie jumped when she saw her. "You seem better," she said more normally.
"Yea, well… I need to try and look at this in a good way."
"Lily," Remus started off. "Mol and I were talking…" he paused and looked at her cautiously. "We think you should tell James." Lily sighed. She knew they would react this way. If she were in their position, she'd say the same thing. But, the fact was… she wasn't.
"Guys… I can't tell him… at least not right now. I'm going away for Christmas. Hopefully by then, I'll figure out a way to tell him. Somehow…"
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"Nononono NO!" James screamed at his reflection in the pond. "I don't love her! She was just a friend that I lost! I DO NOT LOVE HER!
Yes! You do! His mind screamed at him. You just said it! It may not have been your head, but your heart, you still thought it, said it… whatever! Don't you get it?
"NO! I don't get it! She's my enemy! She's a bookworm! A know-it-all for god's sake!"
Haven't you heard that love springs from hate? And the fact that she's smart just adds to WHY you love her!
"I don't, I don't! I won't admit it!"
You lips may not speak those sacred words, but your heart has already decided for you. You heart has spoken. Its mind is made up. Remember that you are stubborn, but your heart is thrice that. You can't change fate.
James stormed out of the pond, his face contorted in anger. He grabbed his wand and muttered a drying spell. He then placed his robes on and changed into the stag again. This time he ran as though Voldemort himself were hot on his tail.
When he reached the outskirts of the forest, he transformed into himself again. He began to walk up to the castle for dinner. One thought was nagging at the back of his mind. If he didn't love her, then why in Merlin's name did he say it?
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Lily was up in her room, searching through her belongings. She was looking for only the necessities of her things that she would need. Her clothes were strewn all over the place, not a bare spot on the floor. When all of her clothes were together, she made a grab for her diary, which was placed in her drawer. She noticed that on the small self underneath it, there was a package. It was wrapped in Christmas paper.
Curious, Lily grabbed for it and read the name tag. To James, from Lily. It was her gift for him.
Ha! I almost forgot about this! Will he want it now?! She thought sarcastically. Automatically, her hand dropped the package into her duffle bag.
There! Done! By this time tomorrow, I'll be away from all the troubles in the world!
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"Sir, where will I be going?" Lily asked, bags at her side, preparing to leave. "What's the plan?"
"The plan, my dear, is that, since you want privacy, we'll put a spell on you to make you look like a totally different person. You'll be going under the name Anna Price and staying at a cottage near the southern most tip of England, alongside the beach," he explained.
"Why all of the secrecy?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"Because Miss Evans, I cannot be caught letting a student off grounds without proper supervision, unless it is summer. That's why this cottage is close to a wizarding family that vacations here every Christmas. They have as son that goes here and you wanted secrecy. You are to say that you are coming from The Salem's Withes Institute for Young Wizards and Witches. Is this all understood?" he questioned.
"Yes sir," Lily said quietly.
"In about a minute, this portkey will take you to the cottage. Do have some fun?" he said, handing her a muggle pen. "When you wish to return, all you have to say is "take me home" while holding the pen and it will bring you strait to here. Good luck Lily," he said, fading away as Lily began to spin rapidly.
When Lily regained her balance, she noticed she stood outside of a quant little cottage, with the wind blowing through her now short, black hair. It seemed that the spell Dumbledore had spoken of had taken affect along with the portkey. She walked up the tiny steps leading to a beautiful wraparound porch. She noted that to the left of her cottage was a slightly larger cabin.
Must be the other wizarding home, she thought.
Once inside the house, Lily walked into a foyer. The floor was covered with slate stones, a mirror hung on the wall. She looked into it and drank in her new look. Her hair was cut in a cute layered haircut, only about an inch there, and it was now black. Her face was darker, instead of her fair look. It was tan and spotless. She also noticed that she was about half a foot taller, reaching up to 5 foot 8.
"Not a bad look," she said aloud, noticing that she had an American New England accent. She then continued in and noticed that there was a little eat-in-kitchen with muggle appliances.
"He knows everything! The old coot!" Lily said affectionately about the headmaster.
She toured throughout the entire house. It had one master bedroom and a guest bed. A living room was equipped with a television set, radio, and piano.
"That dear old man DOES know everything!" she exclaimed, running her hands over the keys of the piano. She continued looking through the house. There was one other bathroom besides the one in the master bed. There was everything she could have ever needed in her entire life. It was perfect.
She walked back outside after putting all her luggage in the bedroom. The ocean smelled wonderful. She could tell a storm was coming, but didn't really give a damn. She kicked off her shoes and socks, shrugged off her robe and transformed her clothes into something more beach going, a pair of cut-off jeans and a low cut tank top. The sand ran through her toes and she sighed. It felt good. She walked over and sat down where the tide was washing up to shore.
The wind blew in from the water, bringing with it the strong scent of the ocean. The sky darkened with storm clouds as a storm moved in closer. Forks of lightening flash the sky every once in a while, bringing more light to the now almost darkened sky. The wind picked up and the water became more choppy, coming up to shore and running over her bare feet, leaving them freezing with it's departure and making the sand soggy. Large droplets of rain began to fall, wetting the rest of her body, slowly at first but picking up speed. Soon she was soaked to the bone and the air not only smelled of the salt from the water, but also of the rain falling. Her skin started tingling with the numbness from the cold, but she just smiled because it felt good.
Thunder rolled right over her head and then a huge clap sounded as the whole sky lit up. The water now contained about five foot waves out about 30 feet off shore. They died down when washing up on shore, just reaching Lily's feet. The rain kept on falling harder as she looked out at the water and saw how empty it is. Normally it would be covered with sea gulls; but they left in the wake of the storm, the minute the wind picked up. It was exhilarating and rhythmic, the water lapping at her feet and soaking her from above, the sounds of the waves and thunder and lightening; almost calming. She felt free.
"Hey! Aren't you cold?" a voice called from the cabin next to hers. She woke out of her reverie and turned towards the voice.
"That damned old coot!" she cursed under her breath. There, up on the front porch of the house next door was James Potter himself. "NO! I'M FINE J-" she yelled back, almost adding his name but then remembering who she was supposed to be.
"INVITE HER IN!" she heard a voice from inside the house.
"You wanna come in?" he asked politely.
"Naw…" she began to say, but was cut off.
"Nonsense, come on in!" James said invitingly, motioning with his arms.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, she thought with defeat as she rose from her position and began sloshing to the larger of the two houses.
"You look absolutely dreadful darling!" exclaimed a stately looking woman in her early 40's. She had a welcoming, motherly look about her. She quickly whipped out her wand and conjured a towel.
"Mom!" James said urgently.
"It's okay," Lily said instantly, accepting the towel and beginning to dry her short hair. "I'm a witch."
"You are?" James asked curiously.
"Yea, I go to… The Salem's Withes Institute for Young Wizards and Witches," she said, almost slipping up. "I'm in my sixth semester," she explained, trying to sound foreign. With the look she got from the both of them, she elaborated, "Sixth grade, semester, year?" There faces plainly said Oh!
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Chelsey Potter, nice to meet you."
"L-Anna Price," Lily said, still slipping up.
"So, Lana, you're from America?" James asked intently.
"Yea, but I came here for a break," she explained.
"Are your parents in the house?" Chelsey asked curiously.
"No, they… they died a while back," she said somberly. She couldn't find any reason to make it up; they thought she was someone else. So she told the truth.
"Oh, are you in that house by yourself?" she asked, once again being the motherly figure. Lily only nodded. She couldn't help but get the feeling that James was starring at her. "Well then it's settled! You're staying here!"
"No! It's quite alright! I'll be fine… really," Lily implored.
"Nope! It's final. James, MICHAEL!" she yelled. A man walked in with brown chocolate eyes and messy brown hair. "Could you guys go over next door and get her luggage? She'll be staying here." They both nodded and walked out with dignity showing in their stride. Mrs. Potter ushered Lily inside and into the kitchen. She put on a kettle and set out some crumpets.
Lily sat down and took in the woman. She had long flowing black hair and the sparkling blue eyes that Lily knew oh-so-well. She wasn't tall, but she wasn't short either. She had an aura around her that said: mess with me and pay! She walked confidently.
"Would you like some tea?" broke through her thoughts. Lily could smell the tea from where she was and her stomach churned.
"No thanks," she said politely, trying to hide her disgust.
"Are you alright?" Chelsey asked, probably using her mother's intuition to see her emotions.
"Just a little nauseous," Lily said. It wouldn't hurt, she thought. "You know the normal side effects of pregnancy."
"YOU PREGNANT???" Mrs. Potter asked in shock.
"Yes'm."
"And you're how old?"
"Sixteen."
"Dear me! How far?"
"Only about a month."
"Are you alright?"
"Not really." By this point Lily didn't care that she was its grandmother, she just needed someone to talk to. "You see… the father doesn't know. I thought that I loved him… and well vise versa. But it was obvious that he didn't return the feelings. He said that what we did was a mistake, but I know it wasn't. I loved him… I still do."
"You poor dear, you're definitely staying here then," Mrs. Potter said sympathetically. "Most boys your age are still immature and don't know what to do when they're in love," she said wisely.
"Not all of us are!" James said, walking in. "Lana, I'm sorry about that prick. He must be really stupid, to just forget about you like that."
Hah, Lily thought, wait till you find out that you are 'that prick'.
"Thanks, but like I said, he doesn't know," she explained.
"Why don't you tell him sweet heart? Just to let him know?" Mrs. Potter asked kindly. Lily tried to calm her nerves. THEY DON"T KNOW! She berated herself.
"I didn't tell him because I still love him… I don't want him to feel pressured to be with me. I want it to be his choice… not his guilt. You wouldn't understand," she said stiffly. For some reason she just couldn't talk right. Tears were coming to her eyes. "Ca-can you show me to my room please?" she asked even more meekly.
"Of corse."
Chelsey motioned towards Mr. Potter and he took hold of Lily's shoulder. She hadn't even known he was there. He led her back a hallway and into a room. Had Lily not been so emotionally drained from that small encounter, she would have noticed how beautiful the room really was. He sat her down on the bed and closed the door behind him.
"I know who you really are," he said in a deep voice. "And I know why you're here."
Great! He knows he's gonna be a grandfather! Lily thought sarcastically.
"Albus hasn't told me all the details, but I know most everything," he said, making her fears vanish. Some things were left in confidence.
"Thank you… for keeping this to yourself," she said timidly.
"No problem. And if you need anything… anything at all… feel free to call upon me," he said, giving her a quick reassuring hug. With that, he left the room and left Lily to her own devices.
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Knock, knock came from the door to Lily's room. She lifted her head from being buried in her pillow to look at it. Knock, knock it went again. She sat up and wiped the tears away.
"Come in," she said feebly. James entered and sat down on her bed uncomfortably.
"Are you okay Lana?" he asked stupidly. "Wait, of corse you're not okay. The real question is: do you want to talk about it?" he asked, looking at her nervously.
Yea… talk to you about you. That makes sense! Lily thought sardonically.
"Why are you so interested anyway?" she asked, trying to sound like it didn't mean anything to her and failing miserably.
"You… you remind me of someone. I know it's kinda stupid cause I just met you and all… it's just my first impression of you made me think of… of a friend of mine," he explained, his voice surprisingly small.
"I did?" Lily asked, now intrigued.
"Yea. You see, she and I got in a sort of fight at the beginning of the month and it still hasn't been resolved. I feel kinda bad. No, strike that, I feel REALLY bad," he said, staring at his hands in his lap.
"You can talk to me, ya know?" she said. She knew she shouldn't be prying into his personal life. If he knew it was really her he wouldn't be talking to her at all. But right now she didn't really care. He needed to talk to someone and she guessed his mom wasn't a good choice right now.
"I can tell. I feel like I could trust you with my life. She… she means the world to me… but I ruined it. I… I said some really stupid things."
"Then you should apologize! If you feel really bad, just tell her how you feel. Maybe she'll understand," Lily said, knowing he was talking about her.
"You didn't see her face when I said that she… she was… oh never mind! You just didn't see her face. She hates me now for sure," he said exasperatedly, his head in his hands.
"I'm sure she doesn't… if you mean as much to her as she does to you than she's just probably hurt. She probably thought you meant it… You didn't mean it, right?" James shook his head in the negative. "Okay, then she should understand."
"I… guess you're right. I could give it a try. I do have something I was planning on giving her for Christmas… it could be an "I'm sorry" gift!" he said a little more cheerfully. "You know… you should tell this guy that you're pregnant. Maybe he'll understand," he suggested carefully.
"Maybe he will… I was thinking of telling him… I just need some time to myself… get my thoughts gathered. Thanks James… really"
"No prob. And thank you… maybe this Christmas will turn out good after all," he said as he departed from her room.
"Yeah, maybe it will," she said quietly to herself.
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Wow! I'm done with another chapter! It's only been about two weeks since I've updated! I hope you all like this chapter… it was kinda hard to write Lily as a different person. You did get to see some of James' emotion. Now the question is… what will Lily do with it? I'll leave that to you guys to guess about and just move onto my thank-you's.
Muse ~ I never really said she was never gonna tell him. She's overreacting and I think it is how any woman would react in this position. I'm sorry if you don't like how it's going… but as you've noticed, she's begun to consider telling him.
Smiley Mary ~ good calculating… if they're supposed to die at 23, how can they die when their 20?
Starbeam13 ~ Thank you for the long review… you have the right questions… but should I answer them. One will be answered in this story, but another will happen in the sequel…of which I'm already planning. Well, hope you enjoyed!
Vicki Ryan ~ No, he wasn't spying… he's just got this way of knowing things.
Misskittyfantastico12889 ~ Why thank you, I'm blushing!
Koma ~ Thanks, I'm glad that you like my description of James' thoughts.
Amelia Bedelia ~ WOW! Your ideas are wonderful! I can't believe how much thought you put into it. I DO like your idea… I may end up using it. I dunno tho… we'll c.
hpfrek13 ~ you didn't sound stupid. I do that all the time. And don't worry about talking too much… you haven't seen some of my reviews.
PeRkieGuRL ~ I won't ever let them go. And thank you.
MegHarts ~ no… ur not insane… u got it rite!
PuDdLe Of MuD ~ all u have to do to get italics and bold is to type it in as you write and when you got to save it, in the save type as selection, click on web page. It'll stay bold and italic when you post it.
Anarane Anwamane, Star19, freakyfoggurl22, Lisa Meunier, lilynjamesAAF, s1lver-3yes, Marauders Lil Girl, dreamer, Agloechen, kcchristian, Lily Bell, slate07, ShorTi, SdRockGirl, Sandra-Jo, icevampire108, Sailorsunandchildofthesun, the last vampire, tyme, Phoebe369, Kavi Leighanna, phoenix, Michelle, Captain Oblivious, KT, goddesgaia, ProngsMoonyPadfoot, theocgurl, Sakura52953, merchic_kto, Rachelle, Annieboo92, FairySprinkles, Golden Snidget, angel-dolphin1, Steph, miss_mags_ak, hinkypunk2, elvencherry07, and 144.
Frances
PS I've decided not to worry about a beta-reader… I'll just make sure to read through this and fix them myself… Sorry fariesofthewood.