The remainder of the train ride was quite uneventful... that is,
aside from the heated debate between Lily Evans and James Potter during the
Prefect meeting. It seems that *he* found it an amusing idea to torture
the poor first years, and *she*... well, she just didn't. Nearly half an
hour had gone by with them yelling at each other on the ridiculous subject
before something quite unexpected happened.
"Oh, that's rich, Potter! Don't you remember when you were a first year, how scared you were?"
"I was never scared, Evans. If I had been pranked, I would've had a good laugh and idolized the bloke who got me; maybe get him back. But, I was never the victim. Apparently the Potter name is well respected."
"You are impossible! Just because you... ugh! You are such a smut, did you know that?" Lily ranted, frustrated. Her face was red from yelling. There was a slight pause in which Lily and James stared intently at the other.
"You're so cute when you're mad, did *you* know *that*?" James flashed Lily one of his handsome smiles and more than a few of the other girls fainted. Lily just gawked, her eyes wide with confusion and James giggled cutely at her expression, earning exaggerated sighs from the girls who were still conscious.
"Well... I..." Lily was flustered. She blinked and turned from the others in the car, trying to get a moment to think of a witty comeback. In that short time, James crossed the compartment and stood beside her. When Lily spun around, she was face to face with the popular Quidditch player.
"You..." Lily started, but was cut off when James brought his lips to hers, letting all of his new found feelings for her funnel into that one kiss. All the girls left in the car held their breath.
James pulled his lips back and then rested his head on her shoulder. "I missed you." He whispered into her hair.
-SMACK!-
"Arg! Dammit, Evans!" James reeled away from Lily, who apparently couldn't decide whether she should be frowning or smirking, so her face bounced between the two every couple of seconds.
"Prick," she muttered and exited the compartment, leaving James kneeling on the floor, holding a hand to his quickly reddening cheek.
In that case, the ride was by no means uneventful in any sense of the word, but it paled in comparison to the events of the Great Hall later that night, which were... eventful.
Veteran students of Hogwarts filed into the hall, soon followed by the tiny first years, who had a ghastly pallor from anxiety. The Sorting Ceremony went off without a hitch, accompanied by a good deal of polite applause and cheering, but not without a few yawns of boredom. It did finally end, however, and Dumbledore rose and said a few words. After he finished with his normal notices, his eyes twinkled with mirth.
"I daresay that for quite a few years now, we have not had the pleasure of a serene Welcome Back Feast, for some reason or other..." His eyes undoubtedly flicked over to the four Marauders who were, at the time, taking turns poking Lily. "So I advise all of you students, especially those who aren't used to this... *tradition*, to enjoy your meals... while you can." Dumbledore's voice was hinting at a threat, but full of delight and many of the older pupils (sans the Slytherins) chuckled at the end of his speech. The first years looked around with concern and the more *mature* professors scoffed, but the food appeared right then and everyone began eating.
"It's raining." Remus observed as he glanced up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, which was bewitched to reflect the weather outside.
"Huh, so it is." Sirius replied, also craning his neck to watch the stormy ceiling.
"Imagine that," James added, unable to keep the amusement form his voice. Lily looked at him with suspicion out of the corner of her eyes.
"What are you guys up to?" She growled. She already wasn't in a good mood from the incident on the train.
"Us?" Sirius put on the most innocent face he could muster. "How could we possibly be up to something?"
"Yeah, Lily, it's the very first day back. How could we have something planned already?" Peter's eyes were darting comically all over the place.
"That's never stopped you before..." Lily mumbled, looking between the four Marauders, then to the ceiling. Dinner did go fairly quietly until dessert, when Sirius excused himself.
"I've got to go to the loo." He explained after downing his goblet of pumpkin juice. He returned quickly with a triumphant expression.
"Finally learn how to do it right, Black?" Lily mused. Sirius cringed at the use of his last name, but laughed off the joke and began stuffing himself with pie.
A roll of thunder reverberated through the hall, succeeded by a flash of lightening. Seconds later, a sheet of water fell from the ceiling, a pounding rain followed, emptying the clouds directly above the Slytherin table!
Slytherin girls shrieked and the boys spluttered, trying but failing to yell at the Marauders. Occupants of the other houses laughed and clapped appreciatively. Lily watched the situation critically and leaned over to James, who was sitting beside her and trying to look nonchalant.
"Not your best work," she whispered into his ear. He turned to face her, eyes alight with mischief.
"Wait for it..." he replied and again twisted in his seat to watch the spectacle. Lily too looked back to the Slytherin table, wondering what in the world she was supposed to be waiting for.
Suddenly, the drenched Slytherins stopped moving, then, almost like robots, straightened up and formed a line. They raised their arms dramatically and...
"Singing in the rain, we're singing in the rain! What a glorious feeling, we're happy again..." A unanimous chorus of Slytherins sang, their faces depicting mystification and anger. The rest of the hall was doubled over in fits of giggles, until Dumbledore dismissed the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors over the continuing serenade. Lily had to wait a moment for James as he shared a few words with the Headmaster, and they left the Great Hall. As they were the Gryffindor Prefects, they showed the way to their house's common room and, amidst hooting and hollering, revealed the password (pumpkin pasties).
It took forever to get the students to their dormitories (everyone was feverishly discussing the plight of the Slytherins), but when Lily threatened to deduct house points, the room cleared out and she was left alone with the Marauders, all beaming with pride.
"Why did you do that?" She asked crossly and seated herself near the four by the fire.
"Why do we ever do it?" James replied and laughed sleepily.
"Do you ever answer a question seriously?" Lily snapped back, clearly annoyed.
"He can't," Sirius defended, "because he's not Sirius, I am!"
Lily rolled her eyes and the other three Marauders groaned. Remus reached over and smacked Sirius upside his head.
"Ouch! Remmy-poo..." Sirius whined.
"That joke is so corny. I suggest you just shut it." Remus answered. This obviously was not the first time Sirius has tried the pun.
"Well, at least how did you do it?" Lily prompted. Sirius held up a phial.
"Mixed some of this pixie dust powder with water, chant a few simple charms and... voila! A cabaret affair, hosted by our friends the Slytherins." He explained. There was a silence in which Sirius, Peter and Remus reveled in their genius, Lily mulled over the plan, and James was searching his brain for something that he was sure he forgot.
"Oh!" James exclaimed out of nowhere. "I just remembered, Dumbledore wants us to meet him in his office now, he told me before we left the Hall." Lily looked at James through squinted eyes. "Oh, come of it, Lily. It's not like that's the cover story and I'm really just trying to sneak you off somewhere to shag."
Lily's eyes widened, as if that scenario hadn't crossed her mind, and the statement that was supposed to ease her, had the opposite affect.
"Erm..."
"Just come on." James sighed and grabbed Lily's wrist on the way to the portrait hole. The two walked in silence, James still dragging Lily by the hand, all the way to Dumbledore's office. They didn't stand there long enough to begin guessing at candy related passwords, for Dumbledore himself greeting them in the hallway.
"I just got back as well." Dumbledore said quietly. Lily always found it strange that someone so soft spoken could be so powerful. "Whoever caused that whole mess in the Great Hall kept all of your professors quite busy." His eyes twinkled with the news. It was hardly a secret that the Headmaster had favorites, and that James was among them. It seems that his own school time antics were not unlike those of the Marauders, and he always anticipated their next prank. Sometimes, after a prank had been pulled, he could be heard mumbling, "It's been tried before...," or "that was bloody brilliant!", but only when there weren't other professors around. He had to, after all, keep up his professionalism in front of them.
"So... er, Professor Dumbledore, sir," Lily started with a business- like air. Dumbledore waved off the comment with a muttering of something about excessive formality, and Lily continued. "What is it you called us here for?"
"That," Dumbledore whispered, a rare look of true concern portrayed in his eyes, "is a very private matter which will have to wait until we are within the confines of my office." He turned to the gargoyle, uttered the password (licorice wands), and escorted his Gryffindor Prefects in. "Lemon drop?" he offered, to which both teens said a polite no, and the three sat in a semi-awkward silence as Dumbledore unwrapped a few and popped them all in this mouth at once.
"Professor?"
"Ah yes, I believe you're in need of an explanation."
"It would be preferable."
"Right, then," Dumbledore took his last sucks on the candies and went on in a dignified way. "I've got quite the proposition for you. Before I can tell you anything about it, you must know the severity of the danger you will come across if you accept. Are you willing to risk your safety for the betterment of wizard-kind?"
The room was completely silent. Dumbledore looked between James and Lily, who were looking very confusedly at each other. Lily drew a deep rasping breath and looked meaningfully at Dumbledore. Her voice shook with fear and uncertainty.
"What is it exactly that you need us to do?"
*** A/N: Is that a cliff hanger? Sorry about that, but this is a pretty long chapter... but it did take a long time to get up. What do you think? And don't worry, it won't get too dark, I'll still put in some comedy and romance! So, ya think I could get... 6 reviews for this chapter, is that too much to ask? I love long reviews, and critiques, but really if you have anything (relevant) to say, I just want to know if you're reading and perhaps liking it. Find any mistakes? Tell me! Oh, and if anyone cares to try to name the chapters, go ahead, b/c I'm too lazy to do so. If no one wants to name 'em, they may just stay as default chapters.
MorphManiac: OMG! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Sorry it took so long! WOOHOO!!
TeenTypist: Hehehe, spiffy. Thanks!
LilyandJamesLover: omg! Do you know how long I danced because of that review? Could become a favorite? AHH! That's so exciting! So, would you rather I center it more around the romance then? Because I was going to try and have it kinda balanced between that and the war versus evil. I dunno... I wanna try to have both in the story. Hope you continue to enjoy it!
J.E.A.R.K.Potter: Thanks, I don't know if this classifies as a hurried update, but I tried!
"Oh, that's rich, Potter! Don't you remember when you were a first year, how scared you were?"
"I was never scared, Evans. If I had been pranked, I would've had a good laugh and idolized the bloke who got me; maybe get him back. But, I was never the victim. Apparently the Potter name is well respected."
"You are impossible! Just because you... ugh! You are such a smut, did you know that?" Lily ranted, frustrated. Her face was red from yelling. There was a slight pause in which Lily and James stared intently at the other.
"You're so cute when you're mad, did *you* know *that*?" James flashed Lily one of his handsome smiles and more than a few of the other girls fainted. Lily just gawked, her eyes wide with confusion and James giggled cutely at her expression, earning exaggerated sighs from the girls who were still conscious.
"Well... I..." Lily was flustered. She blinked and turned from the others in the car, trying to get a moment to think of a witty comeback. In that short time, James crossed the compartment and stood beside her. When Lily spun around, she was face to face with the popular Quidditch player.
"You..." Lily started, but was cut off when James brought his lips to hers, letting all of his new found feelings for her funnel into that one kiss. All the girls left in the car held their breath.
James pulled his lips back and then rested his head on her shoulder. "I missed you." He whispered into her hair.
-SMACK!-
"Arg! Dammit, Evans!" James reeled away from Lily, who apparently couldn't decide whether she should be frowning or smirking, so her face bounced between the two every couple of seconds.
"Prick," she muttered and exited the compartment, leaving James kneeling on the floor, holding a hand to his quickly reddening cheek.
In that case, the ride was by no means uneventful in any sense of the word, but it paled in comparison to the events of the Great Hall later that night, which were... eventful.
Veteran students of Hogwarts filed into the hall, soon followed by the tiny first years, who had a ghastly pallor from anxiety. The Sorting Ceremony went off without a hitch, accompanied by a good deal of polite applause and cheering, but not without a few yawns of boredom. It did finally end, however, and Dumbledore rose and said a few words. After he finished with his normal notices, his eyes twinkled with mirth.
"I daresay that for quite a few years now, we have not had the pleasure of a serene Welcome Back Feast, for some reason or other..." His eyes undoubtedly flicked over to the four Marauders who were, at the time, taking turns poking Lily. "So I advise all of you students, especially those who aren't used to this... *tradition*, to enjoy your meals... while you can." Dumbledore's voice was hinting at a threat, but full of delight and many of the older pupils (sans the Slytherins) chuckled at the end of his speech. The first years looked around with concern and the more *mature* professors scoffed, but the food appeared right then and everyone began eating.
"It's raining." Remus observed as he glanced up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, which was bewitched to reflect the weather outside.
"Huh, so it is." Sirius replied, also craning his neck to watch the stormy ceiling.
"Imagine that," James added, unable to keep the amusement form his voice. Lily looked at him with suspicion out of the corner of her eyes.
"What are you guys up to?" She growled. She already wasn't in a good mood from the incident on the train.
"Us?" Sirius put on the most innocent face he could muster. "How could we possibly be up to something?"
"Yeah, Lily, it's the very first day back. How could we have something planned already?" Peter's eyes were darting comically all over the place.
"That's never stopped you before..." Lily mumbled, looking between the four Marauders, then to the ceiling. Dinner did go fairly quietly until dessert, when Sirius excused himself.
"I've got to go to the loo." He explained after downing his goblet of pumpkin juice. He returned quickly with a triumphant expression.
"Finally learn how to do it right, Black?" Lily mused. Sirius cringed at the use of his last name, but laughed off the joke and began stuffing himself with pie.
A roll of thunder reverberated through the hall, succeeded by a flash of lightening. Seconds later, a sheet of water fell from the ceiling, a pounding rain followed, emptying the clouds directly above the Slytherin table!
Slytherin girls shrieked and the boys spluttered, trying but failing to yell at the Marauders. Occupants of the other houses laughed and clapped appreciatively. Lily watched the situation critically and leaned over to James, who was sitting beside her and trying to look nonchalant.
"Not your best work," she whispered into his ear. He turned to face her, eyes alight with mischief.
"Wait for it..." he replied and again twisted in his seat to watch the spectacle. Lily too looked back to the Slytherin table, wondering what in the world she was supposed to be waiting for.
Suddenly, the drenched Slytherins stopped moving, then, almost like robots, straightened up and formed a line. They raised their arms dramatically and...
"Singing in the rain, we're singing in the rain! What a glorious feeling, we're happy again..." A unanimous chorus of Slytherins sang, their faces depicting mystification and anger. The rest of the hall was doubled over in fits of giggles, until Dumbledore dismissed the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors over the continuing serenade. Lily had to wait a moment for James as he shared a few words with the Headmaster, and they left the Great Hall. As they were the Gryffindor Prefects, they showed the way to their house's common room and, amidst hooting and hollering, revealed the password (pumpkin pasties).
It took forever to get the students to their dormitories (everyone was feverishly discussing the plight of the Slytherins), but when Lily threatened to deduct house points, the room cleared out and she was left alone with the Marauders, all beaming with pride.
"Why did you do that?" She asked crossly and seated herself near the four by the fire.
"Why do we ever do it?" James replied and laughed sleepily.
"Do you ever answer a question seriously?" Lily snapped back, clearly annoyed.
"He can't," Sirius defended, "because he's not Sirius, I am!"
Lily rolled her eyes and the other three Marauders groaned. Remus reached over and smacked Sirius upside his head.
"Ouch! Remmy-poo..." Sirius whined.
"That joke is so corny. I suggest you just shut it." Remus answered. This obviously was not the first time Sirius has tried the pun.
"Well, at least how did you do it?" Lily prompted. Sirius held up a phial.
"Mixed some of this pixie dust powder with water, chant a few simple charms and... voila! A cabaret affair, hosted by our friends the Slytherins." He explained. There was a silence in which Sirius, Peter and Remus reveled in their genius, Lily mulled over the plan, and James was searching his brain for something that he was sure he forgot.
"Oh!" James exclaimed out of nowhere. "I just remembered, Dumbledore wants us to meet him in his office now, he told me before we left the Hall." Lily looked at James through squinted eyes. "Oh, come of it, Lily. It's not like that's the cover story and I'm really just trying to sneak you off somewhere to shag."
Lily's eyes widened, as if that scenario hadn't crossed her mind, and the statement that was supposed to ease her, had the opposite affect.
"Erm..."
"Just come on." James sighed and grabbed Lily's wrist on the way to the portrait hole. The two walked in silence, James still dragging Lily by the hand, all the way to Dumbledore's office. They didn't stand there long enough to begin guessing at candy related passwords, for Dumbledore himself greeting them in the hallway.
"I just got back as well." Dumbledore said quietly. Lily always found it strange that someone so soft spoken could be so powerful. "Whoever caused that whole mess in the Great Hall kept all of your professors quite busy." His eyes twinkled with the news. It was hardly a secret that the Headmaster had favorites, and that James was among them. It seems that his own school time antics were not unlike those of the Marauders, and he always anticipated their next prank. Sometimes, after a prank had been pulled, he could be heard mumbling, "It's been tried before...," or "that was bloody brilliant!", but only when there weren't other professors around. He had to, after all, keep up his professionalism in front of them.
"So... er, Professor Dumbledore, sir," Lily started with a business- like air. Dumbledore waved off the comment with a muttering of something about excessive formality, and Lily continued. "What is it you called us here for?"
"That," Dumbledore whispered, a rare look of true concern portrayed in his eyes, "is a very private matter which will have to wait until we are within the confines of my office." He turned to the gargoyle, uttered the password (licorice wands), and escorted his Gryffindor Prefects in. "Lemon drop?" he offered, to which both teens said a polite no, and the three sat in a semi-awkward silence as Dumbledore unwrapped a few and popped them all in this mouth at once.
"Professor?"
"Ah yes, I believe you're in need of an explanation."
"It would be preferable."
"Right, then," Dumbledore took his last sucks on the candies and went on in a dignified way. "I've got quite the proposition for you. Before I can tell you anything about it, you must know the severity of the danger you will come across if you accept. Are you willing to risk your safety for the betterment of wizard-kind?"
The room was completely silent. Dumbledore looked between James and Lily, who were looking very confusedly at each other. Lily drew a deep rasping breath and looked meaningfully at Dumbledore. Her voice shook with fear and uncertainty.
"What is it exactly that you need us to do?"
*** A/N: Is that a cliff hanger? Sorry about that, but this is a pretty long chapter... but it did take a long time to get up. What do you think? And don't worry, it won't get too dark, I'll still put in some comedy and romance! So, ya think I could get... 6 reviews for this chapter, is that too much to ask? I love long reviews, and critiques, but really if you have anything (relevant) to say, I just want to know if you're reading and perhaps liking it. Find any mistakes? Tell me! Oh, and if anyone cares to try to name the chapters, go ahead, b/c I'm too lazy to do so. If no one wants to name 'em, they may just stay as default chapters.
MorphManiac: OMG! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Sorry it took so long! WOOHOO!!
TeenTypist: Hehehe, spiffy. Thanks!
LilyandJamesLover: omg! Do you know how long I danced because of that review? Could become a favorite? AHH! That's so exciting! So, would you rather I center it more around the romance then? Because I was going to try and have it kinda balanced between that and the war versus evil. I dunno... I wanna try to have both in the story. Hope you continue to enjoy it!
J.E.A.R.K.Potter: Thanks, I don't know if this classifies as a hurried update, but I tried!