Disclaimer: I own nothing…
A/N: Well, here it is! The first new chapter since the re-write! I hope you enjoy it!
"Mr. Potter, would you like to demonstrate how to transfigure a pig into a pork-chop?" Professor McGonagall asked on their first day back to lessons since Lily had jinxed James.
James gulped. Professor McGonagall would NOT be happy when he answered in another language. As a matter of fact, she might just give him a weeks worth of detention seeing as how he couldn't exactly explain to her why he was speaking en francais.
Lily's head snapped up from the piece of parchment she was taking notes on. This was going to be good.
"James Potter," Professor McGonagall said again. "Would you care to demonstrate?"
James gulped again. If he didn't answer, she would send him to detention. If he did, she would demand an explanation and then when she couldn't understand him, she would send him to detention. Either way, he would go to detention. Oh well, might as well take the one that would lead to more detention.
"Non mademoiselle," James said with his sweetest smile. James didn't give sweet smiles very often so he attempted to imitate Remus's sweet smile. It seemed like a better alternative than imitating Sirius's sweet smile because when Sirius used his, it usually didn't mean anything good. Apparently, his sweet smile was not enough for the professor.
"Would you care to explain why you can't demonstrate?" Professor McGonagall prodded.
"Je ne parle pas en englais," James said with a shrug. He had tried to word it as simply as possible in the hope that Professor McGonagall knew some French and that she would think he was just learning.
"In English perhaps?" The professor asked with a faint smile.
Lily sat in her seat, watching the chaos unfold. She wished Ava were there with her to enjoy it, but Ava had been mysteriously absent from class.
"Je ne parle pas en englais," James said slowly. In his mind, one of two things could happen: She could understand him and ask why he couldn't speak English or she could just give him detention. He hoped for the latter.
"Why, may I ask, can you not speak English?" Professor McGonagall asked with her eyebrows raised apprehensively.
James tried to figure out how to answer simply. In all honesty, it was just not a simple story. It had began with when he had knocked Sirius unconscious and had just snowballed. It would take atleast an hour to explain in English, but in French? Forever at the very least.
Fortunately, Lily saved him the trouble.
"Please, ma'am, I can tell you why he can't speak English," Lily said sweetly as she raised her hand. She was trying to stay as polite as possible so that McGonagall didn't give her detention too. Lily Evans? Detention? Preposterous!
"Yes, Ms. Evans?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"See, it all started when James and Sirius played a particularly cruel prank on me," Lily began.
James nodded dejectedly. That's not how it had began. It had began because he was doodling on his paper in History of Magic.
"So, I decided I had had enough of their foolish games and that they needed a taste of their own medicine. So, I jinxed James so that he could only speak in French," Lily said simply. She casually left out the part about there being no counter-jinx.
James wondered to himself why he hadn't thought to explain it that way. On the bright side, McGonagall would surely make Lily invent the counter-jinx and James would be back to normal.
"I see and when exactly did you intend to set him right?" Professor McGonagall asked.
James gasped. How could she not be assigning Lily detention!
"When he learned his lesson," Lily said with a smile. Or whenever she got around to inventing the counter-jinx…
"One last question," Professor McGonagall began, "Where did you find such a jinx?"
James smiled the biggest smile since he had last spoken English. When McGonagall heard this one, she would surely assign Lily a month's worth of detention. If Lily got off lucky.
"I invented it," Lily said with a smile. She was actually quite proud of herself. That was, after all, advanced magic.
James smiled to himself knowingly.
"So how were you going to set him straight?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Why wasn't she taking points like mad from Gryffindor and threatening suspension!?!
"I was going to invent a counter-jinx," Lily said pleased with herself. Not only had she invented a jinx, she had also managed to get herself out of what most would consider a sure shot at detention.
"Very well then, don't hold off too long, but take your time," Professor McGonagall said, grinning at Lily.
James was infuriated! If he would pull a stunt like that, he would have months of detention!
"Thank you professor," Lily said with a sweet smile. When she saw James staring at her in wonder, she just raised her eyebrows in a 'that's how it's done' fashion.
James Potter could not believe her!
"Speaking of Mr. Black, does anyone know why he and Ms. Labeau aren't gracing our presence today?" Professor McGonagall asked as she looked around the class.
Everyone in the class looked around and shrugged their shoulders in confusion.
Lily was in her dormitory, lying down on her stomach on her bed reading "Taming the Shrew" by Shakespeare. She was so happy. She rarely had time to herself, but fortunately, James had dragged Ava with him to quidditch practice so she could translate, Eliza was at practice as well, and Marie was… Somewhere. It didn't matter though. All that mattered was that she had the dorm to herself.
"Ah, beloved silence," Lily said to no on in particular with a content sigh.
Lily rolled over onto her back and looked out the window. The last rays of sunlight were streaming in through the window and she could see—wait—why did she see the quidditch pitch in the distance with no players on the field?
"Come on! I've had enough! No, don't talk! If I never hear French again, it'll be too soon," Lily heard someone scream in the distance.
NO! They were at the base of the stairs to the dormitory. Not now. She was just starting to relax. They couldn't be… She needed her R&R!
"Tais toi," Lily heard James say in response. He didn't sound too happy. Apparently, he and Ava had had this conversation many times.
"You shut up!" Ava said in an annoyed voice. She placed extra emphasis on the 'you'.
Not now!! Lily though frantically. She looked around the room for a place to hide. Her trunk was wide open. Her trunk… Lily ran over and crawled into the open trunk and somehow managed to close it over her.
"Nice one, James," Ava said exasperatedly as the stairs collapsed and they fell to the bottom.
"Je—" James began.
"I don't wanna hear it!" Ava said as she pulled out her wand and muttered something that caused the stairs to become stair-like again. She didn't know what she would do at home this summer. She couldn't bear to hear ANY more French!
James looked at her in amazement. He didn't know that was possible.
"Don't look at me like that!" Ava said in an annoyed voice before grabbing James' arm and dragging him up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs and through the door labeled "Sixth year girls" Lily sat, huddled in her trunk and listening to her best friend and the guy she liked arguing. As Lily damn well knew, the stairs would collapse when James tried to walk up them. As Lily also damn well knew, Ava knew how to by pass this charm. Why, oh why had Lily taught her the counter-charm?
Although Lily's trunk was pretty large, things were starting to get pretty cramped in there. Sure, it was the perfect place to hide, but Lily hadn't thought to take out the twenty some odd muggle novels she had packed for a rainy day. Lily winced as she heard the door slam open.
"Lily! Come out! I know you're hiding in here!" Ava screamed out as she dropped to her stomach and peered under Lily's bed. Lily had to be in here. Where else would she be?
James was currently looking around the room in shock. Not only was he in a girls' dormitory, he was in LILY's dormitory!
"Lily! I know you're here! I can see that stupid Shakespearean play wide open on your bed! Hey! Get that look off of your face you sicko!" Ava screamed out threateningly as she rolled over and looked under her own bed which was on the side of Lily's.
Lily silently cursed herself for leaving the book on her bed. Sure, she had hidden in an attempt to make them leave so she could go back to her private time, but she hadn't counted on Ava checking every nook and cranny in the room before leaving.
James looked around the room, shell-shocked. If Sirius only knew where he was... James walked over to Lily's bed and picked up her book, reading the back cover.
"James! Now is not the time to try to get useful hints on stalking Lily! Help me look!" Ava cried out as she looked under the rest of the beds. What an idiot. He did want to speak English, didn't he?
James decided to go see if she was hiding behind the trunk in the corner. It wouldn't open so he abandoned his attempt and looked elsewhere.
Lily gave a silent prayer of thanks for having remembered to magically lock the truck as she listened to Ava scream at James. Eventually, Ava had given a shriek of annoyance and stormed out the room and Lily had heard James reluctantly follow her. She reached for her wand to open the trunk.
Unfortunately, in her haste to hide, she had pocketed her wand and it was now un-reachable because she could not move.
~~Oh! A cliffie! Yay! I hope you liked it! This is my second cliffie of the story… Only you didn't know it was a cliffie last time so does that count? By the way, for those of you who asked about Ava's love life, there are some hints in the re-write of the description of her character! Oh well, I'm hoping for… Hm… Let's make it 83 reviews! Yay! So if you liked it, go REVIEW!~~
LimeJuiceTub~Remus and Peter aren't too too bright! Well, Remus is, but he's too busy being annoyed w/James to listen to Ava! Lol! I know, bad explanation… Lol! Thanks!
Queen of Zan~I think it would be funny! Lol! Actually, it would, but only ur reaction to it! Lol! Aw! You said my story wasn't crappy! I feel so loved! Lol! Don't worry, my best friends and I tell each other we love each other all the time… Lol! I swear, we're straight… We just have major Sophie syndrome! Lol!
PotterChick1~If you want, leave me ur email address and I'll translate it for you!
Aurora_Borealis~Don't worry, it's very pleasant! Lol! Yeah, who can't help be a James supporter when he's in such… Well, misery!
Chiquita-3~LOL! Actually, I've never really had that problem… Well, not in the morning because I always wear the same oldschool Sketchers to school… Lol! Bum, I know… But when I'm going somewheres other than school, that's a different story… No!! Ava can't like James! They're like brother and sister! That would be… Eww!!
Me! (no-name syndrome?)~The best? I'm sure it's not the best! ::Blush::
Andrea912004~Aww! I can't tell you! It would totally ruin the surprise!
BluedEyedDemon10~Thanks!
LightPrincess~He will eventually!
Me(Smarti_Chik13)~I tried to email you, but it wouldn't go through! Thank you! No, I haven't written before except for my other fanfics! (By the way, you should check them out ::Wink wink::! I would most recommend *The Line Between Love and Hate*… Lol!)
Queen of Zan~Yay for the re-write! Lol! Thank you!! *HUG*