© Ariana Veelagrace and Clara Maplewood, years 2000-2002
Lily
Chapter 59
Two weeks had passed since the Quidditch match. Despite the team's predictions, it had not started snowing during the game. No, the clouds held their peace until everyone was already back in the castle, enjoying dinner immensely, at which point the skies let loose with a violent yet beautiful blizzard that lasted four days.
Hagrid was constantly occupied with maintaining the Hogwarts Express, which would be needed to transport the students home for the winter holidays. On the day that the students were scheduled to leave for home, the snow-spangled giant burst shivering into the Great Hall during lunchtime. Fang skittered in behind him and curled up underneath the High Table.
"Brrrrr! 'S cold enough out there t'give a snow dwarf the sniffles! Hand me that pitcher o' mead, wouldja, Headmaster?"
Professor McGonagall gawked at Hagrid's disorderly conduct, but Dumbledore remained quite calm as he passed the pitcher. "Things going well, Hagrid?"
The huge man took a gulp directly out of the pitcher, wiped the back of his sleeve across his mouth in lieu of a napkin, and smacked his lips in a very satisfied way. Professor McGonagall looked pale. "Goin' great, Dumbledore, sir. But I dunno how much longer we c'n keep it up – this snow's goin' ta turn ta rain, an' that'll freeze over, then we'll 'ave a right mess on our 'ands if it happens too soon, eh?" Another gigantic guzzle from the pitcher of mead, and he rose again. "Well, gotta be gettin' back out there. Can't 'ave a frosty train, right? Er, listen, mind if I leave Fang 'ere for a bit? 'e's jus' getting' over a cold, so the snow's not doin' 'im much good."
Fang assumed Hagrid's position in the chair and began eating from the golden plate before him. Professor McGonagall watched the spectacle for a stunned second, then got up, threw her napkin pointedly onto the table, and strode out with a look of disgust on her face.
All four of the Marauders watched McGonagall walk away, then exchanged glances that seemed to contain sincere awe.
"What?" Juno inquired, looking from one to the other.
Remus shook his head. "It's the same every time McGonagall meets up with Hagrid or Fang. They annoy her more without trying to than we have in our entire lives of trying."
"We sort of look to them as role models," James explained.
"Shining examples," Peter chimed in, "of irritation. Except for one thing."
Sirius beamed. "We've got the map, and thus, a way to get in and out of Hogsmeade illegally."
Lily thought for awhile, then addressed them collectively. "If you have the map, that puts them at a relative disadvantage, right? So you have even less of an excuse for not getting under McGonagall's skin as much as them."
"Hmmph!" Sirius put on a haughty face and got up from the table. "I don't have to stand here and be insulted!"
"That's right; you can go anywhere and be insulted."
He grinned at Lily's scathing comment, leaning over the back of his chair. "Ah, but I don't have just anywhere in mind." Sirius pointed towards the Hufflepuff table. "You see that girl over there? I'm asking her to be my dancing partner at the Christmas dance." Without another word, he walked off and disappeared somewhat when a gaggle of first years went past.
Remus was still craning his neck around, trying to see the girl. "Nope…I don't see her. Do any of you?"
"No."
"Maybe she's invisible."
"Or imaginary."
"I guess Padfoot's got himself an imaginary girlfriend!" This concept drew some brief laughter, which died off into a decidedly awkward silence, though Lily couldn't understand why it was awkward.
Remus was looking pointedly at James, who cleared his throat and turned to Peter. "So….have you asked anyone yet?"
"Mm-hmm," Peter said through a mouthful of tuna fish sandwich. He swallowed and kept going. "Remember Gilderoy Lockhart? He moved, so I asked that Ravenclaw girl he was going with, Jessica."
"And she said yes?? Hmm, guess there's no accounting for taste," Remus joked.
Peter scowled. "You should talk, Moony. Do you have a date yet?"
"Wait, I'm confused," Lily interrupted. "There's not a ball, is there?"
"No, Madam Rosmerta's having a Christmas dance at the Three Broomsticks, and you're not really allowed in if you don't have a dance partner. Floating mistletoe and all that," Peter laughed.
"It's supposed to be a great party." Remus looked across the table at Juno. "Would you mind going with me?" She gave him a look somewhere between lead-melting and plague-bearing. "Just as friends," he added hastily.
Juno appeared to be thinking it over. "All right, sure. But I'm bringing a weed-whacker for the mistletoe."
The conversation rolled on. Lily drummed her fingers on the tablecloth absentmindedly and glanced out the window at the cascading snow. Sirius must have set up housekeeping at the Hufflepuff table, because he wasn't back yet. She noticed how quiet James had become as soon as the subject jumped to the Christmas dance. Feeling somewhat foolish, she turned her head a little to look at James, but immediately turned back around with a jump in her stomach. He had definitely been looking at her.
That evening, the Hogwarts Express left in perfect working order. Hagrid himself was on it, magically-bottomless buckets of hot water ready in case the train started freezing up. The sun had already set by the time it pulled out of the station, so all of the exhausted students made their way to their dormitories.
Well, all but one.
Lily wasn't sure if it was against the rules, seeing as it was the winter holiday, to be out of bed at night. She wasn't even sure if she cared. A curiosity had suddenly seized her about the towers at Hogwarts. If you looked at the castle from the outside, they were as numerous as upside-down icicles, clinging to the larger spires, but it had occurred to her that the only one she had ever seen from the inside was the Astronomy Tower.
A sound echoed from down the hallway – it sounded vaguely like the screech of automobile tires and someone yelling an obscenity. She flattened herself against the wall and waited for whatever it was to go by. Peeves the Poltergeist was zooming backwards down the hall, spitting curses at the large blue monster truck that was chasing him. Lily stifled her laughter. Kipper was certainly shaking things up around here.
She kept walking, looking for a set of spiral stairs. The Astronomy Tower had spiral stairs leading up to it, so why should another tower be any different? It must have been a good ten minutes before she saw one. She checked the banister for the characteristic moon-and-star symbol that signified the Astronomy Tower and was delighted to see that she had indeed found a new tower. For a second, Lily hesitated, her foot already on the first step. This was not like the impulsive Lily that many would deem her, but time and unpleasant experience had forced her to learn caution. Honestly, she thought. What could happen? Nobody could Apparate or Disapparate in Hogwarts, and she had checked plenty of times to make sure she hadn't been followed. Even if someone had followed her, what were they going to do, steal from her? She could fend for herself.
After a slightly dizzying climb, Lily found herself on a circular wooden landing in a low room with three large windows. The first one, the one immediately in front of her, looked out over the greenhouses and the Forbidden Forest. The one to her left showed the ice-covered lake, shining like a mirror in the moonlight, and the deceptively calm Whomping Willow. Presently, the huge tree, looking almost irritated, shook its branches free of snow. Everything seemed to be sleeping dreamily under a blanket of crushed diamonds. This, it seemed, was how the Christmas holidays were meant to begin. With an irrepressible beam of contentment, she turned to see the third window, and instead saw James Potter materialize.
"James!" she said, a little louder than she had intended. Then, quieter, "What are you doing here?"
He grinned. "Following you. I just figured you'd probably get into some kind of trouble, knowing your history."
She couldn't help but smile back. "I guess you could call me a work in progress. Have you ever been up here before?"
"No, believe it or not. I knew it was here, of course, because of the map, but Sirius actually put the map together. I just juiced it up; the moving dots and everything."
"Oh."
They looked out the third window. It was tilted upwards so that the North Star was in its upper left-hand corner, and you couldn't see anything out of it except the stars. James broke the silence. "Yeah, Sirius said that this tower had the best view in the whole school." He shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"I sort of like the view from my dormitory window. You can see some of the buildings in Hogsmeade from there, you know."
"Really? Huh." Silence again. He took a deep breath, then let it out. "Listen, Lily…you know that Christmas dance Madam Rosmerta's planning?"
"Mm-hmm." Lily tried to act like she didn't know where this was going.
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me."
Right, she thought. He couldn't mean it as a date, so she reminded herself not to misinterpret James's words. "Sure, James." She could pretend it was a date. Maybe that would be as good as the real thing.
A few silent seconds later, Lily felt James's hand hesitate, then settle over hers on the window ledge. "I was also wondering if you'd like to go as more than just friends."
(A/N): Please review! We love them and we only got a few for the last chapter. *Grins evilly* And who knows, maybe chapter 60 will be out sooner if you do.