By Sweet 16 Movie Buff!
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N.E.W.Ts came the first week of May. The teachers had been preparing the seventh-years since the end of the Christmas holiday in preparation for these Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. Similar to O.W.Ls, the tests were given two a day for a week until all subjects were covered. The week after, Toby, Carly, and Jillian were enjoying cruising through their classes before finals in June.
Sirius and Jillian had decided to keep up the pretenses that Mitra had set to avoid another cycle of vicious and debilitating rumors, even though it seemed that Mitra and her clique's rumor mill had been torched after the Howler. Still the two waved greeting to one another in the halls, and spent their evenings writing back and forth with Sirius's two-way parchment. It was this way that Jillian found out about the Alder Cauldrons tour that summer.
'I'd kill to have tickets,' Sirius had written dreamily. 'Alder Cauldrons, Smashing Pumpkins, and Vampire's Kiss all playing on the same stage, I'd be in heaven.'
'Smashing Pumpkins is a Muggle band isn't it?'
'Don't know, there might be a Muggle band with the same name. All I know is that they rock harder than any other band I know. It would be one bloody fun concert.'
Sirius's addiction to Alder Cauldron's was contagious; she had borrowed his album at least fifty times since first listening to it. The conversation had given Jillian an idea, an idea that had cost her budget for the next two months. Much to her relief, her idea had become a reality the week after N.E.W.Ts had finished.
As Jillian opened her mouth to take another bite of biscuits and gravy, the owl post arrived. She watched carefully as owls swooped over the Gryffindor table, dropping letters and newspapers to students. A large sleek black owl flew past Sirius and James, dropping something by Sirius's hand.
Jillian smiled and returned to her breakfast.
"What did you get, Padfoot?" James asked nodding to the starry blue envelope with his name written in gold letters.
"Dunno," he frowned, swallowing a bite of his sausage.
"Well open it," Wormtail said excitedly. It would figure the simple appearance of a letter would stimulate the twitchy boy.
Still frowning, Sirius slit open the envelope and a pair of tickets fell onto the table. His heart racing, Sirius picked them up. Rookwood Amphitheater, Stratford-Upon-Avon, July 22nd, Row E, Alder Cauldrons, Vampire's Kiss . . . He let out a whoop and quickly picked up the second letter the owl had dropped, this one written on simple school parchment.
Dear Sirius,
I hope this is what you were looking for. Carly's dad works for the WWN, so he pulled a couple of strings for me.
Enjoy the concert,
Jillian
"Padfoot?" James was glancing at him concernedly.
"She got us tickets, Prongs," Sirius's eyes practically glowed, flourishing the slips of paper. "Second row, center stage."
"Sod off!" James snatched them up and stared down at them.
"Tickets to what?" Remus asked, glancing around the fruit bowl.
"Only to see the concert event of the millennium," Sirius beamed. When Remus raised an inquisitive brow, he elaborated, "Alder Cauldrons, Smashing Pumpkins and Vampire's Kiss are touring this summer. Jillian was able to pull a miracle and got tickets."
"That's nice."
James and Sirius's jaws dropped, "Nice? Nice, Moony? Alder Cauldron never tours. Vampire's Kiss hasn't toured together for three years, and it's just nice?"
"I guess you liked those tickets then, huh, Black?" asked a voice from behind them.
James and Sirius turned in their seats and Remus and Peter merely looked up to see Jillian standing there, her pack on her shoulder.
"I could kiss you right now, McKee," Sirius told her.
At that moment the bell clanged the beginning of classes and Jillian laughed, "Maybe later."
"And I don't think either of them would have really minded," James confided out of the corner of his mouth to Remus.
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Jillian was clearing away the remnants of her Truth Serum ingredients, pleased with the result. Professor Mortensen had insisted that his students review making their potions, particularly the ones they had scored poorly on, and for Jillian that had been her Truth Serum.
This time she had ignored Severus Snape as he made snide remarks about her parentage and other less desirable qualities and had made a decent potion. Quite pleased with her work for the day, Jillian scooped up the unused bit of leeks and made her way to the wastebasket in the front of the class. As she turned back to return to her seat, Lucius rudely shouldered past, stuffing something into her hand.
"Apparently you still haven't learned what manners are, Malfoy, or that unsightly thing you call your face might have gone away," she quipped.
"Sod off, Muggle-born," Lucius snapped, before returning to his seat. Jillian shrugged before returning to Toby, who was stifling laughter into her arm. Carly had her lips firmly pressed together as she determinedly tried not to smile.
"Miss McKee," Professor Mortensen growled dangerously, "For your tongue, five points from Ravenclaw."
"Sorry, professor."
"At least you're getting better," Toby muttered. "I remember our first year you couldn't put together a retort if your life depended on it."
Jillian nodded absently, unfolding the parchment he had handed her. A simple line was scrawled across it.
We have business to finish. Meet me at the top of the stairs after class.
She scanned the class for Lucius; he sat reclined in the back of the class with two other Slytherins, watching her. She nodded to him, and he dipped his head cordially in understanding.
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"What do you want, Lucius?" she hissed, ten minutes later as they stood hidden in the shadow of an alcove.
He seemed apparently unscathed by her tone as he leaned against the wall, studying his fingernails. "In December you said we would finish our . . . debate, later."
She eyed him warily, "Yeah?"
"Well, here it is May and I am still standing as are you, so apparently our business isn't finished, is it?"
"I've been busy," she said through clenched teeth, glancing quickly out onto the hall to see if they were attracting any attention. No one seemed to care. "I've been on a rather tight watch since Christmas."
"So I've noticed," he remarked dryly, "Black welcome you back into his flock, did he?"
"Last time I checked, no."
"Pity. I'd hate to die a virgin."
Jillian resisted the strong urge to slap that cocky smirk off his face; "Your point?"
"We let a duel settle our differences. No seconds, just us."
"When?"
"Next Friday, five o'clock. At a place of my choosing."
"Why of your choosing?" she asked, glancing out at the hall again. There were few students about and she was very much likely going to be late for her next class.
"Because, McKee, I know of a place where we will not be interrupted, simple as that. Do we have an accord?" he offered her his hand.
She slid her hand into his, her eyes never leaving his, "We have an accord."
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Sirius dreamed again that night.
He and Jillian, wearing the silk gown she had worn only once before for him, stood amongst a throng of people, Alder Cauldrons jamming on the stage before them. Music swirled around them; the pounding of the bass shook the floor. The heavy air pressed in on all sides, baking the crowd in a sauna of sweat and body heat. He didn't care, Alder Cauldrons was playing for them in the flesh and Jillian was at his side, safe and jiving to the rhythm as she did so often in Connections.
But where was she?
Sirius looked over to see Jillian drifting away through the people, her hands above her head as she moved. There was a look of frustration on her face as she tried to push back towards him, but she was caught.
He dove through the crowds, calling her name. He had to get her out of there. Mosh pits were dangerous. If she was pulled under she might be trampled to death. He had to pull her out.
Her screams tore through the music, cutting off the chorus of "Pressure". He could see her being pulled down into the pit, the faces of the teenagers changing, morphing into white masks with slits for nose and eyes. Gray robes billowed, pushing him away.
No, no not this again.
He had to wake up, but he was hypnotized as the Death Eaters circled around her, blocking off any means of escape. He watched helplessly as they performed the Cruciatus Curse, twisting her body into odd angles, kicking her with feet and fists like iron. One prodded her with a glowing white-hot beam from his wand.
She screamed and screamed and screamed . . .
Then with a flash of green light all was silent. The Death Eaters vanished in a whirl of fog, leaving her alone and motionless in the center of the floor.
"Jillian!"
"Sirius! Wake up! Sirius!"
James's voice . . . Someone was shaking him, but all he could see was her body. She was alive, Merlin she had to be alive . . .
"JILLIAN!" Ugly scorch marks on her face . . . Bruises swelling around her neck . . .
"Sirius!"
"Sirius snap out of it, it's just a dream!"
Sirius gasped for breath as he opened his eyes. James, Remus and Wormtail hovered over him, all with looks of concern on their faces. He rolled over to the night table, and was able to brace himself over the washbasin just before vomiting up his stomach's contents.
James put a comforting hand on his damp back as he hacked up the last of the bile in his throat, his shoulders shuddering as he panted.
"Padfoot . . ." James let his voice trail off. "You're soaked."
Remus told him quietly, "Sirius, you need to calm down."
"Merlin!" he choked out, before collapsing back onto his pillow. "I . . .I saw her die. I saw her . . ."
"Wormtail, where's the Map?" James asked. "Sirius, relax. Just relax, I'm sure Jillian's still asleep. Here, see for yourself."
He showed Sirius the map, pointing to the Ravenclaw Tower and the dormitory where Jillian's mark lay still. Sirius closed his eyes, fighting back tears of relief. She was alive. Safe and alive.
"I take it this wasn't the Snivellus dream?" Remus asked quietly, deadly serious.
Sirius sat up in bed, bracing his elbows on his knees, "I've been having the same dream for months. Except . . .except this is the first time she's ever stopped screaming."
"Maybe you should explain from the beginning," James suggested, handing Sirius a glass of water, which he accepted gratefully.
And so he did. Telling in detail everything he could ever remember about that horrible nightmare and the ones before it. He explained how each one was different in its own way: the torture and what she wore, that too was always different. After he had finished, there was a long moment of silence. Sirius didn't dare look at them, afraid of what they might say.
"Have you told Jillian about this?" Remus breathed, his voice hushed in astoundment.
"No! She'd think I was bleeding cracked," Sirius raked his fingers through his hair. That was the last thing he needed: someone thinking he was a few birds short of a real coo-coo's nest.
"Or in love with her."
Three pairs of eyes turned to Peter, making him twitch uncomfortably under their stares.
"What did you say?" Sirius breathed, not quite sure whether to toss a pillow at the rat or hex him for the mention of it.
"Not-not-not-thin-thin-thing," he stammered.
"You said I was in love, Wormtail."
"Come off it. Padfoot? In love?" James joked lightly, darting a look at Sirius. Peter giggled nervously, rather glad James had jumped in to save his skin. The look on Sirius's face was partially murderous, partially offset.
"Perhaps you should tell her, Padfoot," Remus said at last, crawling back into bed, "Maybe hearing her say she won't go hunting Death Eaters will make you feel better."
"But - "
"Tell her, Padfoot. You need to get some sleep, as do the rest of us," James agreed, clicking off the light.
Sirius lay awake for the longest time in bed, afraid to go to sleep and see Jillian lying there alone. He didn't love Jillian in that way. His concern for her was nothing but friendly. That was all they were, just friends . . . but as he laid there in bed pondering what Wormtail had said, there were things that only she could do for him.
James or Remus or Peter couldn't make his senses buzz with the slightest touch. None of his friends looked like angels when they were sleeping. None of them had the sense of when something was bothering him.
No. He couldn't be in love. He couldn't be in love with her. She was just his friend.
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Jillian couldn't concentrate on her Potions essay. Her mind kept wandering, she kept thinking about that one Alder Cauldron's song she'd been humming in Charms, kept wondering what Sirius was doing.
"Let's talk to him, hey Chocoball?" she asked the cat, who sat cleaning himself on her trunk. He only glanced up at her, before returning to a particularly stubborn spot on his leg.
Smiling, Jillian pulled out the two-way parchment, ink and quill. The paper was blank. She dipped the quill tip in the ink and wrote, 'Hey, Sirius? Sirius, are you there?'
She glanced at the clock; it was ten after six, he would be in the Gryffindor common room, doing his homework, or whatever he did before they'd pen. This was odd. He'd never hesitated to answer her.
Again she tried, 'Sirius?'
Just as she was about to swipe the page clean, words began to form on the page, words in Sirius's hand.
'Jilly? Are you still there?'
Jillian's heart leapt back into its position in her chest. Quickly she scrawled, 'Yeah. Are you all right? You seem a little out of it.'
'I've been having some trouble sleeping.'
'Bad dreams still?'
'How do you know this stuff?'
Jillian smiled. 'I just know you, Sirius. Would you care to tell me about it?'
She half expected him to say something witty, something to say the subject was closed, but there was a long space before he wrote again. It was almost as if he strongly was considering her question seriously. Then he wrote something she hadn't expected.
'Will you promise me something, Jilly?'
Frowning, she hesitantly penned, 'Promise you something? Like what?'
'Promise me that you won't do anything stupid.'
At this she laughed at loud. The last person she would have expected to ask her if she was going to do anything stupid would have been Sirius.
Still chuckling, she wrote, 'You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that, Sirius Black. I mean, do something stupid like fail my finals? Fat chance of that happening. Or . . . do something stupid like go wading in the lake . . .'
'Like chasing after Death Eaters.'
The smile on her face fell. Did he know about her duel with Lucius? But how could he, she hadn't even told Toby or Carly about next Friday.
'Jillian? Will you promise me that you won't go gallivanting off after Regulus and his lot? Please, for my sake.'
She hesitated. He sounded so earnest, so desperate. Was that the reason he wasn't sleeping? After another moment, she sighed, 'You know me, Sirius. I won't do anything that stupid unless you're around.'
She could almost hear him laughing. 'Thanks, Jillian.'
'No problem.'