A Little Bit Of Magic Chapter 8
It was six in the morning, and Kira had somehow managed to get up and was hunting around for her broomstick in the dark dormitory. She had almost given up, when she found it under Dana's bed. Strange.
Well, damn, that was my excuse gone; now I have to venture out to the icy quiddich pitch. Whoever invented morning trainings should be shot. Or maybe cursed. Or even better, tied to a broom, a forced to fly around in the dark, feeling snowflakes fall on their face. Grrr.
She trudged down the stairs, and saw something that sort of woke her up. Two bodies lying on the couch, just sleeping, as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do in the middle of the common room. It was then that Kira saw something that TOTALLY woke her up. Red hair attached to the female body. Lily's hair.
It can't be though, thought Kira. It must be Tara trying out a new colour. Or Tara has taken polyjuice potion to turn into Lily, or Lily's long lost twin, who seems to have made a detour on her way to the family reunion. Or, maybe, just maybe, perhaps shockingly, it was Lily. But then, who was the guy?
Kira was now curious. Very curious. Lily's hair covered he partners face, so she couldn't make out who it was. Quiddich forgotten, she edged closer. She now had no doubt that Lily owned the female body, as her flower bracelet was clearly visible on her left wrist. Kira smiled to herself, remembering how Lily wore that bracelet everywhere.
She always did cute things like that. Which is why it is such an event to find her asleep in a guys arms. With Tara, something like this was an everyday occurrence, but not Lily!
A murmur caused Kiri to glance back to the couch. Lily had shifted a little, and had exposed her partner's head.
Kiri didn't make it to quiddich training that morning. She was taken to the hospital wing after fainting in the common room.
Later....
"Look at them!"
"Aren't they cute?"
"Is that really who I think it is?"
"I wouldn't have ever thought it, him and Lily"
"Nice one James mate, but how'd ya do it dude? Charming Lily like that?"
Although Lily was still half asleep; it was only 12:15, after all, she felt anger boiling up inside her at the cocky remark she heard. She was sure it had come from Sirius.
Boys are so immature. What Kiri saw in Sirius she would never know.
Hang on…thought Lily …Sirius!...What's he doing near to where I am sleeping?....where am I sleeping?.....wait…Sirius said…..JAMES!!!!!
"What Darling?" A sleepy voice replied, sounding very close
Lily sat up very quickly, and quickly figured that was a huge mistake since her head was spinning, as she tried to make sense of it all. Then she saw him.
"What are you doing here?!" Lily yelped
"I dunno." James said "Do you really expect I'd know where I am, who I'm with, and why I am after a wild night like last night?"
Lily jumped up. What are you talking about? A wild night? I don't know why I was on the couch with you, but it wasn't because of any 'wild night'. I'm not my best in the mornings, but I can be sure of that. Why would I be with you at a gathering or a par…oh. No. Ah. I'll be going. Now.
And with that, Lily Evans, ran out of the common room, up to her dormitory, the slamming door was heard from down below.
James settled down again, to go back to sleep, when a few moments later he was feeling very uneasy, like someone was watching him. He opened one eye, and saw almost the entire population of Gryffindor staring at him
"What?"
Later....
"Mate". Sirius prodded the still sleeping James. "C'mon Prongs dude. Wake up". There was still no response. Sirius sighed, and looked around, his eyes coming to rest on a giant pillow in the shape of a cow. A few spells later, and the pillow cow was performing complex gymnastic movements all over James, singing We Will Rock You. Not surprisingly, James open an eye.
"Finally. Ok, just wondering what the time is"
"What! you woke me up to ask…that?"
"Well, you have a watch don't you"
"So do you!"
"What I presume you are suggesting is that I shift my neck and surrounding muscles down far enough so my wrist will come into view. Like no thank you"
"It's 2 bloody O'clock. Happy?"
"As a Larry in mud."
"A what?"
"It's a muggle expression, OK. Kiri taught it to me. Means as happy as can be.
"OK…Why was knowing the bloody time so important anyway? I was asleep, you know"
"Oh yeah. It's just that Johnny Silvereye wanted you and a few other less quiddich obsessed to meet him in the far north tower at around oh, 2pm."
"What? Now?"
"According to your watch, yep"
"Well, come on, let's go"
"Correction, James. You move. I think I'll just lie down on this nice couch and sleep. I didn't miss training this morning. So run Prongs, run.
Later....
"Blah, Blah, Blah." Exclaimed James as he escaped from the North tower with Kiri and the team's beater, Brad. "You would honestly think we had missed a game the way he was carrying on, not just one lousy training session."
"Yeah, I reckon!" Sighed Kiri "That guy is just too obsessed with that sport. It must be unhealthy. I though I was bad with softball before Hogwarts, but even dreaming about matches, wearing softball bat earrings, and keeping a coaching manual for when I coach a team, doesn't compare to what he does….Well it doesn't!"
"Yes…"
Anyway, don't worry girlie," Brad spoke "I'm sure a lot of lads would dig lasses who give their full attention to a sport. At least you won't turn into a stalker with your mind on other things. Still, did you know he polishes his broom for like three hours each night, only using these phoenix feather brushes, worth like twenty gallons each? Think how many bottles you could get for that?"
"Think he may be worse than you, Kiri" James grinned, and then quickly stopped when he was slapped
"Yeah, I'm serious." Brad insisted "Me mate, his name be Jerry Lane, says the smell of broom polish wafting from his corner could kill a buffalo in an instant. And I believe him."
There was a silence and this information was absorbed. Even though Brad was the one who had said it, the proposition sounded very reasonable. Mad, in normal circumstances, yet reasonable now. Wise men never underestimated the power of broom polish.
"But did you hear him though? Going like 'I'm disappointed. Very disappointed. Do you want to win the quiddich cup? You better pull those multi coloured socks up you lot. Do you want to win the quiddich cup? Because I do! And I am willing to do anything for that piece of metal in my hands. I deserve It., and I though we did. Not after today though. Do you want to win the quiddich cup? I would've though that was a stupid question, but now I am not so sure. Those pitiful excuses. Oh I slept in. Oh I fainted. Oh I found myself in a comprising position with an apple and a donkey. NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Do you want to win the quiddich cup? Yes, win. It's not good enough that we are a good team. I want to be the best, and that will never happen if you don't come to trainings.' Seriously who does he think he is?"
"Who knows James, who knows?" Kiri said. "Hey, Brad, Why did you miss training, by the way? Were you drunk again?"
Brad stopped, a redness appearing on his cheeks, that was usually unseen. "Oh. That. It's a long story. I just wish the magic world would just stick to its own creatures like unicorns and dragons, and stop letting muggle farm animals interrupt our way of life."
There was silence for a second, and James and Kiri turned to look at Brad.
"Anyway. That be as it is, nothing can change he past. Nothing legal, anyway" Continued Brad uneasily "Since there's no need to ask you, James, where you were, since the entire common room saw you, Kiri, what's your excuse?"
"Um...mine is slightly more normal," She started, sneaking a glance at Brad, who she was certain muttered 'normal is boring' under his breath, "I got up, with all intention of going out to the pitch, when I saw Mister Seeker here in an interesting position, with my best friend, who up until yesterday had a blind hatred for him. I was a little shocked, and lost consciousness."
"Whoa matey. You fainted from seeing his and that red haired chick's performance? Have you been exposed to anything? Come with me, I'll show you the real world!"
"A real world involving a lot of vile drinks? I like my world as it is."
"Ah, you just reminded me, I have a special delivery to collect from the house elves. And I'm telling you, these rumballs better be worth it, for what they made me do with that box of apples. So long"
Brad slipped down a passage way and disappeared, leaving James and Kiri a little dazzled. They walked in silence for a few minutes, both unsure whether to comment on the morning's performance. Finally, James spoke up.
"So, I guess you heard about what your friend did when she realised where he was…"
"Um, yeah. Tara told me about that. Well, you know Lily, she's so shy"
"That's just it" Sighed James. "Do I know her? I thought I did before. Christ, I thought I knew her the moment I met her, before I even started at Hogwarts. She was the most stuck up, prissy, snobbish girl I had ever met. The first thing she ever said to me was 'I'm not purple'. Screamed it more like. Can you imagine? I'm no being to doubt if that first impression was wrong."
"Lily isn't all like tha..." Kiri started
"No. Listen. If this is what she wants me to see, let it be. She seems that determined to let me only see one side of her. And I don't even know if that's real or fake. And at times just to taunt me, she lets he see a glimmer of her other side. Like at the concert we all went to, or that party last night. She just seemed so different, so at ease. But it's just an illusion, isn't it. It's not real. It can't be, judging from the way she acted this morning."
"That must have been awful" Kiri said softly
"Not in the way you'd expect, like being rejected in front of the entire house population. Awful in the sense I though I had finally gotten through to her last night, but when I woke this morning, it was like last night had never happen. Well except for the whole Lily being next to me, which wouldn't happened if last night hadn't happened, but yeah"
"And what would you have rather? That last night didn't happen, and Lily didn't open up at all, or everything happened as it did?"
James was silence for quite a time, thinking over Kiri's question. He sighed, shook his head, and tried to put his feelings into words
"I guess this morning confirmed everything. She only likes me when she's drunk. I don't know if it was a good or bad thing, to have everything given to me so clearly. Before I though I maybe stood a chance, but I guess now, I'll get on with my life, and try to forget she existed. Still. How can I? When she showed a piece of her un-hostile self last night, was it to remind me of what I would never have?"
This time Kiri could not think of a response. She looked at James. He really did have it bad for Lily. His facial expression said it all.
"Don't worry about me, ok" James said, pulling himself together "Plenty more hot fish in the sea, as Sirius says"
"Sirius said that?" Kiri asked sharply
"Um…now I come to think of it, it may have been Pater. Or Remus. Or even me"
"James…"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up"
With that, they arrived back at the Gryffindor common room, and disappeared into their separate dormitories, each with a lot to think about, none of which was triggered by Johnny Silvereye's Lecture.
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champtennis Thanks for all your reviews! It's really awesome you took so much time to review every chapter. Thank you. Boris is a weird name, I agree
tori-black Let's burn all the peanut m&ms. Or better yet, urn the machine, so they never are made again
CrazyStarz – Arg, school day after tomorrow. Bad. Very bad.
buccaneerbabe14 – lol, I remember when we wrote that review. Very nice, well rounded, constructive review, I must say. Or did I write that part? Who knows. But it was fun. That was so long ago thought!, I've been so slack!
MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus – Glad you like this story! The cuteness wasn't destined to last for long though……( and of course, no one, even wonderful reviewers can mess with destiny!)
RurouniMarion – Did you enjoy the rest you read? Thanks for the review, my name-linked reader