chapter 10: Lessons in Life
"So everything's set?" James whispered to the other Marauders as they padded through darkened halls.
"Yup, it'll be a blast!" Sirius replied. The four boys chuckled in anticipation.
"Well, here's my turnoff." James said, going into a smaller hallway. "See you guys in the morning, and don't forget the ribbon!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Peter shrugged, and the boys parted ways, the other three going off to the Gryffindor dorms.
James walked up to the unicorn statue, and patted its horn amicably. *No matter how many times I'll do that this year, it still feels weird,* he thought, trudging through the opened space as the statue slid aside. He caught a quick glimpse of red hair running up the stairs; *Lily,* he thought instantly, followed by a head of long black hair. *Hang on...long black hair? What the hell?* Without thinking, he tried to race up the stairs to Lily's room. He got about halfway up when he hit an invisible barrier and the stairs behind him slid into a ramp. He fell face-first and promptly slid all the way down and into the opposite wall.
"FU-dge!" he exclaimed angrily. He sat up, thankful that no one had witnessed his inglorious fall. "Okay, so I can't go and find out right now," he muttered, rubbing a newly forming lump on his head. "When she tells me, though, it had better be good." Walking grumpily into the bathroom, he brushed his teeth.
James headed up the stairs, changed and got into bed. He lay there for a moment in silence, until it was punctuated by a fit of giggling from the other room. James groaned. *Oh NO!* he thought, and tried to muffle the sound by stuffing his head under his pillow. Needless to say, it didn't work. He lay in bed and tried to ignore the conversation. That is, until he heard the sounds of crying. He sat bolt upright, fumbling for his wand. He heard a second voice, soothing the crying one, and he relaxed marginally. *I only care because I can't sleep,* he thought firmly. Suuure, came the mocking reply. *If this was the middle of the day, I wouldn't care at all!* he declared to himself, and it was as if he heard a kind of chuckling from far off. Right, James. Keep telling yourself that, if you need to give yourself a reason to care. *What?* he thought, slightly confused, but it seemed that the other awareness had gone.
"Okay." James said, getting out of bed and pacing around his room. "I have officially gone insane."
"Very good, dear." the mirror wheezed sleepily.
* * *
Despite her late night, Lily woke up early the next morning. She looked down at the sleeping form of Aria next to her. *Oh man,* she thought wryly as she got up and searched for her workout clothes. *I made a huge mistake. She'll probably run back to all her friends and tell them everything. It'll be all over the school by nine o'clock.* Lily sighed, got changed and headed out the door. She walked down the steps to get to the Common Room and was about to go out the passageway, when she was halted by a voice.
"Who was that?" the voice said.
Lily whirled around to see James staring intently at her from an armchair close to the fire. There were dark circles under his eyes. "You look like shit, Potter," she observed critically.
"Thanks to you in part!" he shot back.
"Well, aren't we just a little ray of sunshine this morning." Lily said sarcastically, sitting down on the armchair across from his.
"You and your...friend kept me up last night! I didn't sleep at all, I feel like crap and we have a Potions test today!" James was definitely grumpy.
"Well, why didn't you come up and tell us, then?" Lily asked.
To her surprise, James averted his eyes and looked almost embarrassed. "I, er, tried...the staircase turned into a ramp and I slid back down."
Lily chuckled. "No, you can't come up to my dorm. Why didn't you owl us, or floo your head over..."
Now hearing these more sensible ideas, James tried (and failed) to regain the upper hand. "You keep saying us, who was it? We're not allowed to have anyone spend the night, you know!"
Lily's eyes narrowed. "For your information, Potter, she was almost raped by a student. She was so frightened she didn't want to go back to her dorms so I let her stay here. You think Dumbledore is going to reprimand me for doing that?" she shot back.
"R-raped? By who?" James looked stunned.
"None of your business." Lily said curtly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm already late."
"She can't have been that traumatized if you were giggling together," James grumbled.
"Well, girls who have almost been raped have some similar experiences, you know. I was merely making her feel better. I'm sure you have no idea," Lily said caustically, already out of the doorway and impatient to leave.
"Yeah, yeah...WHAT?" James yelped, but Lily ignored him; she was already gone. She ran down to the Quidditch Pitch and did her usual 8 laps, her mind churning. *As soon as I'm done, I'd better go back and talk to Aria. Let her know I won't put up with any garbage.* She finished her laps faster than usual, ran to her workout room, grabbed her sword and began a pattern dance twice the speed than normal. She finished quickly, did a martial arts pattern dance and raced back to her dorm just as dawn was breaking over the horizon.
Running through the common room, she rushed up to her room and breathed a sigh of relief. Aria was still there, sleeping peacefully. "Aria, wake up," she said, shaking her gently by the shoulder.
"Hmmm...wha...wonder bunny...grnzz..." Aria said, oh so coherently, and turned over.
Lily frowned. "Aria, get UP!" she said loudly, and hauled her upright.
"Oh...Lils....five more minutes..." Aria's eyes flickered open, then closed.
Lily's patience snapped. "ARIA!" she shrieked, promptly dumped her on the floor and shot a jet of ice-cold water at her.
"YAAAAAAGH!" Aria jumped up, eyes wide open. "Yeah, Lils, I'm awake. What's so urgent that you need to talk to me this instant?" She stared at Lily, slightly bemused.
"Look, Aria. I'm not gonna put up with any shit. Anything I told you stays between you and me, got it? I made a mistake last night, so I'm just gonna act like it never happened. I suggest you do that too." Lily turned away, ignoring Aria staring at her in shock.
"Lily?" she asked softly, reeling almost as if she'd been slapped.
"What? You're just going to betray me, like everyone else did," Lily said curtly. She took two steps out the door onto the balcony above the common room.
"Wait," Aria said quietly. Almost against her will, Lily stopped. Aria stepped out to face her. "Why are you so convinced I'll betray you? Just because you had some friends who did, doesn't mean I will."
"How do I know that?" Lily snapped.
"You don't. It's called trust!" Aria exclaimed. "Look, I trust you, even now that you've said some really hurtful things. I thought you trusted me too, but I guess not. You should have faith in people, Lily." Aria's eyes shone with barely-repressed tears.
Now it was Lily's turn to be shocked. "You-you trust me?" She sounded almost incredulous.
"Yes, Lily, I trust you. I'm sorry that you don't trust me. I'll go get my stuff." Aria turned and went back into the room.
Lily stood on the balcony, feeling as if she had just been hit on the head with something very hard. A voice broke her out of her reverie.
"She's right, you know. You should trust people." Lily looked down at James, sitting casually in an armchair.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to eavesdrop?" she snapped.
He smirked. "She tried...it didn't work."
Lily searched for a satisfactory response, though her wits seemed to be swimming in mud. "Well, tell her to try harder!" she shot back weakly.
His grin spread even wider. "So, Lily...about what you said this morning..." he started, but Lily whirled and fled back into her room.
"What?" Aria asked the moment she saw her. "Aren't I leaving fast enough for you?"
Lily fumbled for words. "Look, Aria...I...I don't know what to say."
"Then say 'Good-bye Aria, I never want to see your ugly face again.'" Aria said with an air of false bravado. "I guess 'friends forever' means nothing to you," she added quietly.
"Aria...I'm sorry. I should have trusted you." Lily said as she desperately tried to make amends.
"Too late now," the other girl muttered bitterly and stood up to leave.
"Aria, I know I said some really mean things but I didn't want to get hurt again! You made me realize that I need to trust people and I shouldn't assume a stereotype from some people's cruelty. I mean, you showed me what it's really like to trust. It just...struck me, just like that, that I can't go on living the way I was. It was killing me, inside. But now, I felt last night what it was really like to have a close friend! It was like a part of me was complete! And now..." Lily took a deep, shuddering breath, "I've ruined it all."
Aria turned to face her. "What made you say all that other stuff?" she said softly.
"I...I don't know. Fear? Anger? My own messed-up psyche?" Lily scrubbed at her face angrily. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Aria's eyes filled with tears, as well as Lily's. Before they really knew what they were doing, the two girls flew into a hug, tears streaming down both their faces. After a long moment, they broke apart, almost embarrassed.
"So do you still want to be friends?" Lily asked carefully.
"Are you insane?!? Who else could keep you laughing like me?" Aria, trying to lighten the situation, made a noble pose. Lily chuckled.
"Awww...how sweet!" James cooed from downstairs.
"Shut up, Potter!" the two of them yelled in unison. Laughing, their arms around each other, they headed off to breakfast.
"But Lily, about...morning...AARGH!" was all James could get out.
* * *
"Hey guys!" James bounced over to where his friends were sitting, his happy mood regained.
"Hey Prongsie, you ready?" Sirius asked, smirking evilly.
"Yup, all set. Where's the ribbon?" Remus thrust a little scrap of pink ribbon at James.
"Charmed and ready," said Peter excitedly.
James looked in scorn at the ribbon in front of him. "Couldn't you have a found another color than pink?"
Sirius shrugged, "Hey man, you take what you can get. You don't think I just happen to have ribbons lying around somewhere, do you?"
"You never know with you, Siri," James said nonchalantly. Remus and Peter snickered.
"Hurry up, all the Slytherins are already eating!" Sirius said, brushing off James' previous comment.
Taking a deep breath, James focused on the Slytherin table and carefully, slowly, tied a simple knot in the ribbon. The other boys eagerly waited in anticipation of mayhem.
Nothing happened.
"What? I thought you said you charmed this thing?" James said, astonished and just a tad angry.
"Hey, we did! We followed the instructions in the book exactly!"
"Not quite," interrupted a dry voice.
The four boys whirled around to see Lily standing next to them. "Go take your charming self elsewhere, Evans." Sirius snapped.
Lily ignored him, "If you had read the book fully, you would have read the footnote on Arabian string magic." Lily said, grabbing the scrap of ribbon out of James' nerveless hands.
"Yeah? So? Sorry if we don't read every book cover to cover. Unlike some, we have a life." Peter said angrily. Again, Lily ignored him. Instead, she tied a quick knot in the ribbon.
Mayhem. Utter mayhem.
Fireworks erupted from beneath the Slytherins' chairs and zoomed around the room, lifting some of them in the air. Dungbombs erupted from nearly every plate of food, spattering everyone, and as a finishing touch, Snape gave a squawk and turned into a giant chicken. He began to flap around madly as Malfoy twitched and turned into a huge cockroach. Students screamed as he began to scuttle around and many climbed onto chairs and tables. Snape-the-chicken rushed at Malfoy-the-cockroach and began to frantically peck at him. Others screamed encouragement:
"Go on, Snape, eat him!"
"Are ya chicken?"
"C'mon Malfoy, you have six legs to his two!"
"Use your feelers!"
"How...what...why...?" Remus stuttered. The other boys merely stared. Lily smiled and turned to walk away.
"Wait! How did you do that?" James said, starting up after her.
"Arabian string magic is based on weaving," she said. James looked at her blankly. "Meaning it can only be used by a female. Unless you have some estrogen floating around your system, there was no way that spell would have worked for you, whether the charm was set correctly or not." She easily ducked a bowl of flying cereal. It promptly hit James in the stomach instead. Seeing his incapacitated state, Lily turned again.
"How...did you...know...what we...were doing?" he wheezed, clutching his stomach.
"Just taking a leaf out of your book," Lily smirked. "My mother never did teach me not to eavesdrop." Turning around once more, she sauntered towards the Ravenclaw table, grabbed her friend (*Aria* a dim corner of James's mind noted) and headed off to class.
"Oops," he muttered, and headed back to his friends. Sirius had scrambled eggs strewn through his hair, Peter had a piece of bacon over his ear and Remus was absolutely covered in orange juice. "Not too bad, eh guys?" he asked, smiling.
"Yeah. Just great. Other than the fact that Evans did our prank for us." Peter snarled.
James shrugged. "Arabian string magic is girl's magic, guys. We could never have done it ourselves, then all that work last night would've gone for nothing."
"Better that then have her show us up," grumbled Sirius.
"What do you have against her?" James asked quizzically.
"WHAT DO I HAVE AGAINST HER!?! Prongs, have you gone completely round the twist? SHE bewitched our hair in third year; SHE went out with Malfoy before we even had a chance; SHE expected us to comfort her when we warned her about him; SHE ignored us and our pranks for the past four years; and SHE is one of the most infuriating creatures on the planet!" Sirius raged.
"You're still sore about the hair thing?" Remus asked, slightly puzzled.
"Uh, YEAH! She threw our own prank right back in our faces and it didn't come out for a week! We looked like fools!" Peter snapped.
James held up his hands for calm, even as food flew overhead and the teachers tried to regain order. "Guys! Relax! Why are we fighting about Lily?" James said quizzically.
Peter turned on him. "Oh, on a first name basis now, are we? She gave you a chance but she never gave one to us?" he growled.
"I have to work with her, you know! I'd rather we not be at each other's throats!" James snapped, his temper finally getting the better of him.
"CALM DOWN!" Remus shouted. The other boys stared at him in shock. "Look, the full moon is in a few days. If we want to go explore, we'll have to stay together! So our prank was screwed, so what? Look at the chaos!"
Almost as if noticing it for the first time, the boys turned in shock to McGonagall trying to un-transfigure Snape and Malfoy, while food was being flung everywhere. As if on cue, a pot of oatmeal dumped on the professor's head and she shrieked bloody murder.
"Hey...yeah!" Sirius exclaimed, his mercurial temper shifting back to happy. "Look at that! It would have worked if we were girls!"
"I'll leave that one to you, Padfoot." Remus said dryly.
"Look, all of the professors are gone and we have Potions now. C'mon guys, we can plan our next prank!" James exclaimed.
The four Marauders, reunited once again, ducked flying food as they raced out of the Great Hall. Everything seemed fine, but tempers seethed just below the surface. That same argument would continue in full and then, no one would intervene.
* * *
"So what's on the schedule for tonight, Professor?" Lily asked Professor Aquila as they prepared for their next Dueling club lesson.
"Well, mostly martial arts for tonight. No wand work, a little staffs if they're up to it." The professor ticked the items off her fingers as she listed them.
"What are we starting with?" Lily asked lazily, making all the tables move away with a wave of her wand.
"Karate. You know, how to fall, basic punches and kicks, all that. You can teach them that- you're better at it than me."
Lily turned to gape at the other woman. "W-what? I could NEVER be better than you!"
The other woman chuckled. "Figlia, you're practically my equal! My better in some things, this being one of them. You need some self-confidence."
"Yeah, but every time I get a little confident you dump me on the floor." Lily joked. The two laughed as students began to trickle in. Once everyone was assembled, Lily stepped up onto the dais.
"We won't be doing any wand work tonight." Some students groaned. "No need to sound so cheerful," Lily said sarcastically, "instead, we'll be starting martial arts, namely Karate. I know some of you may have done this before; whoever has will go with Professor Aquila. Everyone else will be with me."
As she stepped off the dais, she was nearly overwhelmed by the crush of people moving towards her. Most of the muggleborns went with the Professor, but the ones from wizarding families obviously had no clue. Surprisingly, it was almost a half-and-half division.
"Okay!" she shouted as the room went quiet; she could see the professor speaking, but couldn't hear a word she said. *She must have put a sound barrier dividing the room, smart,* she thought idly. "The first thing is to learn how to fall."
"Really, Evans, do we have to learn that?" Snape said from the front row. Without saying a word, she stalked over to him and promptly threw him on the floor. "Ow! What the...." He trailed off when he noticed her glaring at him.
"Trust me, Snape, you will definitely hit the floor. If you want to hit it as hard as possible, fine by me," she said icily, then stepped back onto the dais. "Now, the proper way to fall is to slap the ground, whichever way you fall. It sounds stupid, I know, but it takes the pressure off you and onto your hands, and you will be up quicker. Now, everyone will get in a line and I will throw you. You will fall, and will slap the ground." No one moved. "Preferably this century..." Lily said impatiently.
Aria stepped up. "Throw away, Lils," she said confidently.
Lily gave her a wide smile, and tossed her gently over her hip. She winced at the smack Aria made, and heard the dull thud made by her hands. "Good, Aria, but you want to slap the ground right as you hit the ground, not after." She beckoned to the other students. "After this, we'll move on to punching..." she said tantalizingly. The line formed immediately.
Lily lost count of the number of people she tossed, but she made sure to vary her throw each time. When James finally stepped up, she gave him a smirk.
"Easy throw or hard one?" she asked, and he opened his mouth to reply. "Too late." she said wickedly, grabbed him around the wrist and flipped him onto the floor, all in one smooth movement. Amazingly, he still smacked the floor with his hands. "Good, Potter," she said, slightly surprised.
"You know, that did actually work..." he trailed off, but moved quickly out of the way as a Ravenclaw girl hit the ground. Lily was back to business.
After she had tossed everyone on the ground, commented on people's falls and repeated the exercise, she deemed it appropriate to move on. Many of the students were rubbing bruises when she had finished.
"Good, everyone!" Lily said happily. To everyone's disbelief, she actually smiled. The moment quickly passed as she began barking orders. "I want everyone to make four lines across the room. Spread yourselves out evenly; make sure there is enough space between you and the person in front of you." To her surprise, everyone did just that, even the Slytherins. "Okay, when you start your punch, form your hand into a fist. You want to hit with your knuckles; otherwise you'll break your fingers. Bring both fists up to your chest." She demonstrated, and nearly laughed out loud at the uncertain actions of the students following her. "You'll start the punching exercise with your right hand held slightly in front, knuckles out, fist up."
"Fist up?" she heard someone exclaim.
"To punch properly, you do not simply stick your fist straight out. Twist your wrist as you move your arm forward until your arm is partially extended and your knuckles are facing forward. Doing it this way gives it more power and ensures you don't break your arm. When you retract your arm, you twist your wrist again until you are in the starting position. Repeat again with your left hand. I'll demonstrate, slowly." Lily slowly extended her right arm in a correct punch, then her left. "Okay everyone. Right punch!" Students uncertainly copied her gesture. "Left...right! Left...right! Everyone got the hang of it?" She was reassured by enthusiastic nods. "That means we go faster! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right! Left! Put some force into it! Right! Left! Right! Left!" Lily stopped chanting the rhythm as she walked around inspecting punches.
"Twist, Pettigrew! Don't just punch straight! Keep in time, Malfoy! Good, Lupin! Good, Figg! Very good, Fawcett! Excellent, Dawson! Put some more force into it, Bellevue! Potter...." She stopped at James, who looked completely confused.
"Lily, I don't get it." She sighed, and turned her back to him.
"Put your arms on top of mine."
"What?!?" he yelped.
"Put your hands...on top of my fists." she said slowly. She heard the onrush of air as he stepped closer, and his hands, surprisingly gentle, folded over her own. She took a deep breath, suddenly nervous. "Okay, follow my movement." She then demonstrated the punch movement, his hands following hers.
"Oh. I get it now." he said as she repeated the left fist. "I wasn't starting correctly." She paused as a thought struck her. *I am being held in Potter's arms. Oh my fucking god.* Lily tensed and quickly stepped out of his grasp, shocked at the sudden gust of cold air that swept across her back. James acted as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Now show me." she ordered, trying to regain her calm. He demonstrated and she nodded her approval. "Good, go back to the exercise." He got back in rhythm as she continued inspecting punches.
"Hey, Evans, help me the same way you helped Potter!" exclaimed a Slytherin boy, leering at her.
"You were doing it just fine a moment ago." she said sweetly. "Unless you need some more help with falling?" The boy quickly went back to the exercise, as she continued to criticize.
"Good, Black! Again, some more power, Finnegan! Very good, Johnston! Good, Harris! Keep in rhythm, Russell! You too, Kingsley!"
* * * As they went through blocks and kicks the same way, everyone began to get a bit tired. Lily called a rest break, and took a quick glance over at the Professor. She was teaching her students some of the fancier throws, so Lily deemed it appropriate to continue.
"Okay guys! Time for some more fun!" she said, and everyone looked in her in disbelief.
"Evans, your idea of 'fun' is my idea of torture," said a Ravenclaw as he massaged a bruise on his knuckle. There were murmurs of assent.
"Don't worry; this is fun, really." Everyone still looked skeptical. Using her wand, she summoned the many punching cushions from around the room. "Everybody partner up, and then each pair get one cushion." Looking slightly more hopeful, the students rushed up to get the punching cushions.
"Now, instead of just punching and kicking empty air, now we get to practice against something a little more solid: the punching block." There were smiles among the students. Some looked excited. "Obviously, one partner attacks and one partner holds the cushion. We will switch, though, so no need to fight about who goes first. You hold the cushion with your right hand holding the horizontal strap, like so," she demonstrated, "and your left hand holding the vertical strap. Stand with one foot forward and one foot sideways; this will keep you balanced so you don't fall over. And, those attacking..." she grinned wolfishly. "Don't hold back. All I ask for the pattern to be is punch, punch, kick. I don't care how you do it, as long as you hit the cushion. I want some force in these blows! Okay, go!" Students moved into action. Some seemed eager, others seemed to be hardly trying at all.
"HOLD IT!" Lily roared over the noise. Somehow, everyone stopped. "Some of you seem to be holding back, like Pettigrew here." She motioned the shorter boy forward. "Hold this cushion." she ordered, and he did so, albeit slightly reluctantly. "Now, I want all of you to attack like this. Ready, Pettigrew?" He barely nodded.
Lily threw herself into the exercise. Punch, punch, kick was executed in a blur as Peter staggered back under the force of her assault. She varied the blows, varied the order, and stopped, just as suddenly as she had began. "If you had stood correctly, Pettigrew, you would not have moved," she noted dispassionately, hardly breathing hard at all. He looked at her with resentment, nodded, and slipped back into his place in line. "Just as hard as I did," she reminded the students. "Those holding the cushion, it'll be your turn in a moment." The students seemed to hold their breath, waiting for a signal.
"Go," she said quietly, and the resulting flurry of movement was astounding. Lily strolled around the room, hardly making a comment, just watching everyone throw themselves whole-heartedly at the cushions. She even smiled at Marcy, a shy Hufflepuff, beating the cushion so hard that she was making a dent in it.
After a few minutes, when those attacking began to flag, she called a halt. "Switch!" she called, and those previously holding the cushion handed it over with some glee. After everyone was ready, she called out "Go!" once more. Again, everyone threw themselves, without any restraint, at the punching blocks. Aria was slowly forcing her partner back, and Lily corrected the other girl's stance quickly. Sirius was punching the block without any problem, as was Remus, so she moved on. Malfoy had gone back to the old style of punching again, and she sighed.
"Malfoy, stop." she ordered. He paused, and turned to look at her, a sneer gracing his features. "You're punching wrong," she said simply.
"Oh, really?" he said silkily. His eyes glittered with malice, and he took a swing at her, which Lily easily dodged. "Something wrong, Evans?" he said, breathing hard. "Too cowardly to face me?"
Lily's eyes narrowed. "No." she said warningly. "Too smart." She turned around to walk away, and was surprised by his hands fastening around her throat. *Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!!* her mind roared at her.
"You little bitch..." he hissed. Lily dug her nail into the soft part of his wrist, loosening his grip, before grabbing him from behind her and throwing him to the floor. Drawing her wand, she pointed it at his throat.
"One more word, Malfoy, and you'll be hexed so hard not even the school nurse will be able to cure you," she snarled. "I don't waste time on filth like you." He said nothing, merely stared back at her with hate in his eyes. His partner helped him up, glaring at Lily as well. Without another word, she moved on. No one else saw this encounter. No one else, that is, except for one James Potter.
* * *
"Okay people!" Lily yelled. The room quieted. "That's enough for tonight. You'll probably be sore tomorrow, so go soak those muscles!" she said, and hopped off the dais. At once, the room burst into a flurry of chatter.
"Did you see the dent in my cushion?"
"Evans said my kick was great!"
"I knocked you back, didn't I, Matt?
"Agh, shut up!"
"That was an awesome class!"
"Yeah!"
"See you Evans!"
"Bye Lily! See ya tomorrow!"
The students slowly trickled out of the room, leaving Lily alone, or so she thought.
"Why did Malfoy attack you?" James asked softly, startling her. She whirled, wand in hand, and relaxed when she saw who it was.
"Geez, Potter! What is it with you and sneaking up on me?" she asked.
He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm waiting..."
"I can take care of myself, you know," she snapped, Banishing the cushions to the far end of the room.
"I know all too well, Lily. I'm still waiting, though," he said, tapping his foot.
"Look, Potter, why do you care?" she asked. Her question seemed to have caught him off guard.
"I don't really know...I guess I care because..." he looked down at the floor. "Because I care what happens to you!" he said, all in a rush, his cheeks coloring slightly. Lily stepped back a step. "In a strictly professional sense, of course." he amended quickly.
"Oh. Well, I just told him he punched wrong, that's all. He had a bit of a hissy fit." she said, shrugging it off.
"Some hissy fit." James muttered.
"I don't care. In fact, I enjoy taking the pompous git down a notch or two." Lily shrugged.
"Whatever you say. And about this morning..."
"I get the bathtub first!" Lily announced, racing out of the room. James looked after her with a sigh.
"Why does this always happen to me?" She heard him ask no one in particular, and laughed as she ran off towards their dorms…
Later, both had bathed and were sitting around the common room fire, working on homework.
"Lily, you can't avoid me forever. What you said this morning..." he said suddenly, laying down his quill.
Lily looked up from her Potions essay. "What did I say?"
"You said girls who had almost been...uh, raped had similar experiences. Meaning you have almost been raped."
"Oh. That." Lily said weakly. *Great, how am I going to get out of this one,* she thought worriedly.
"Well? It's been bugging me all day!" he exclaimed.
"Again, Potter, why do you care?" she asked wearily, rubbing her temples.
"Again, Lily, I care because it affects you and your work!" She took a quick glance at him and was startled by the intensity in his eyes. Come on, tell him! the voice in her mind suddenly piped up. *Why do I hear voices when I'm most confused?* she wondered idly, but was quickly brought back to the question at hand.
"Potter...I...er..." she stammered. Finally, she decided on a suitable answer, and regained her composure. "Quite honestly, I'm surprised you don't remember. Let's just say it involves a certain Slytherin, some Gryffindor girls and some Gryffindor boys, okay?" James looked like he wasn't satisfied. "Don't ask me for details, Potter. I've got way too much going on already."
"But-" Lily got up from her desk, carrying her parchments.
"Goodnight, Potter." As she headed up the stairs, she heard him sigh.
"'Night, Lily."
As she reached her room, she threw her books down and sat on her bed with a groan. You should have told him, you know. the voice said reproachfully. *But you're a voice! In my head! How do you know anything?* she thought furiously. As usual, it didn't reply.
"I have officially gone insane." she announced to no one in particular.
"That's the spirit, dear!" exclaimed one of the portraits cheerfully.
* * *
When both were asleep, each dreamed the very same dream, though they never knew.
Two translucent figures, each indistinguishable, floated in an endless sea of black. They seemed to be talking about...something, something very familiar, and important.
"-humans are so stubborn!" exclaimed one.
"Patience. We cannot prod too much, mine thinks he's going insane. I hope he's joking," soothed the other.
"Mine as well. At least the Beautiful one has helped her; she actually has begun to trust again."
"He saw the Frost attack her today."
"Will that help?" the first one said hopefully.
"Perhaps, he certainly felt enough rage and anger to ignite a bonfire."
"She was so close to telling him too!"
"Again, patience. All will come in due time. Though I hope he remembers sooner than later!" The second voice sounded slightly exasperated.
A third figure entered the scene, this one darker and blacker than the others.
"It goes well?" it asked. All sense of friendliness had disappeared.
"The prophecy will be maintained," said the second one stiffly.
"I ensure the same on my end," the dark one said.
"Very well. The appointed time and place, still?" inquired the first.
"Yes. I-why are they here?" the dark one asked angrily, gesturing towards the dreamer.
"Oh, oops," said the first mischievously.
"Our mistake," said the second, making a shooing motion in the dreamer's direction.
"I must even it out on my end!" said the dark one pompously. "I must-"
All is blackness. Not even the tiniest bit of light shows through. The dreamer is floating, floating in an endless sea of raven hue.
Well, how's that for an ending! Hope you guys enjoyed; please tell me what you think by leaving a review. They inspire me to write SO MUCH! Uh, yeah. Anyways, your gift for this chappie is...*dum dum dum...* A punching block! Reduce your frustrations on a hapless piece of foam and plastic! Comes pre-dented from previous use. *lol* Okay, time for reviewer thanks:
SummerRainForever: Well, being outside the door wouldn't really work...but don't worry, he'll hear the whole thing soon (even if Lilsy is being a bit reluctant at this point).
moonlitangel: Uh, yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Again, writer's block! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! At least this chappie came out sooner, tho.
Star19: Thanks for the compliments! I'm glad you like. This update did come out sooner than my last one...
WolfMoon: *sighs with relief* Thank goodness...it woulda been REALLY hard to write from a hospital bed. Though 'something' isn't very reassuring either! Glad you love!
Anarane Anwamane: Thanks a lot!
izzybell4life: This chappie definitely had a lot of L/J goodness! Wow; 'Amazing and incredible'? *swoons* I have a HUGE grin on my face right now!
i o u a name: Thanks! I'm goin', I'm goin'...tell me how you like this chappie!
vamperfly: Hiyas! Thanks SOSOSOSO much for helping, and your ideas for the chappie title really helped...gave me some good ideas. Anyhoo, you already know that you're AMAZING (hopefully) so there isn't much more that I can say! *lolz*
KasOfDaSea: I'm happy that you like! Yeah, I thought that Lily had suffered enough iciness, but she had a bit of a relapse in this chappie *grin*. Oh well: makes the plot interesting! I'll keep going till the end, don't worry.
joyce: Thanks! Uh, this isn't really soon, but faster than the last chappie! Hope you like this one just as much!
Meg: Awww, thanks! I'm glad you like reading it, and I'll try to keep it up!
liz valentine: *gasp* Need...air...Yeah, good ol' Aria, even when Lils totally bitches at her, she just keeps trustin'. Hand over the five bucks! *grin* no, not really. that would have been kinda predictable, Jamesie listening. Don't worry, he'll find out soon...*cackles*
NiNaPoP: Thanks a bunch! Hopefully you haven't waited for too long!
Rei: After reading your review (and some others), I realized that it was pretty rushed. That's why, in this chappie, I tried to have Lily berate herself for spilling it all so easily. In my mind, she was trying to comfort Aria and, not having very much experience in that kind of thing, did almost anything to keep Aria's mind off her whole encounter, without really thinking about it. I know it doesn't really repair the damage, but I hope you'll keep reading anyways.
Miss. Lady: Thanks for the suggestion! He will find out soon, just in a different way. Glad you like!
Cremia: Thanks a lot! I really tried to make the storyline unique, cause I have read a TON of fics that are all practically the same. I tried to hurry, but my muses didn't come through till just recently.
shortnsassy: I know, ain't it all sweet? I like when Lily's showing James the punches this chappie, and she suddenly realizes she's in his arms! Awww...
reader: AAAAAAAGH! *runs away and cowers in a corner* No! Don't hurt me! Just read this chappie and tell me what you think!
Silver Mist4: Yeah, I know! Originally, Aria was going to be Arabella, but after OotP...well, they're still related anyways! Yeah, I like her name too! Well, Jamesie's trying to find out what happened, but Lily's kinda pissed he doesn't remember. It'll be soon, though...and completely different that what you'd expect!
GypsyBeLLs: I'm glad that this fic makes you feel emotional! Ooh, thankee, FOUR LINES OF REVIEW!! WOOHOO!!! Enjoy this chappie!
ice princess12: Yup, new friend for Lils. She won't be friends with the Marauders for a while I'm afraid...they're STILL holding grudges to what she did to them, completely missing the point that they started it all! Oh well. Guys and their poor, bruised egos.
Dragon Pearl1: Yay! Hope you enjoy! Ugh, how evil of the person who took Dragon Pearl! There there, no need to pout, just read this chappie and be happy! (Oh man, that has got to be some of the worst poetry in the WORLD!!!)
LilyChica78: Thanks a lot! Yup, finally getting to the good stuff!
Goten-Lupin: Thanks for the compliments! I won't rest until the fic is done! *strikes noble pose*
LillyNyx: Yay! Glad you still like! Yeah, she can't be icy for much longer. The other students are starting to notice it too.
kat6528: I agree with EVERYTHING you said! Here it is, the new chappie!
SHIZBIK (IMP): Uh, I was a little confused by your review. Review what, exactly?
Gold Phoenix: Next story? What next story? Again, confused...sorry! Hope you like!
bookworym: Oh, no fear of that! Enjoy!
PoTtErSPaYnE: Have I ever mentioned that I love your name? Thanks for the compliments! *blushes*
Lady Laffs-a-Lot: Aww, thanks! I'm glad you think it's original. Hope you love this chappie too!
brunet-barbie-84: Thanks a ton! Yup, Lily friendship goodness. Here ya go, more to read!
sodapopgirl703: Wheee! *rolls on her own funky rolling computer chair* Race ya! *lol* I'm going, I'm going...pause the music, babe, 'cuz this new chappie ROX! (I hope...)
SiNg SoNg24: Wow, the best fanfic you ever read? *cries tears of joy* Thanks so much! Enjoy this update!
Sana Wolf: Thanks, glad you like! Yuppers, friends for Lilsy. I'm still writing, don't worry! Enjoy!
Andufeniel: Cool, a jig! Glad you liked the last chappie so much; hope this one is just as good!
bloodbunny: Aww, thank you! See, I wrote more! Yeah, I know...they're starting to feel it, and their resident voices seem to think so too! (Oops, I think i just gave something away...*lol*)
Agloechen: Yeah, I'm sorry. *sniffles* This chappie is a mite sooner, sorry about the wait!
angel-dolphin1: Thanks a bunch! Yeah, but Malfoy and Snape are supposed to be greasy gits, so not much I can do about that!
Anonnymous: Thanks sosososo much! I'm glad you love it so much, it makes all my efforts seem worthwhile! Laughing is good; do it more often! I hope this chappie helps you laugh too...please enjoy!
x-Danii-x:Sorry about that last wait. Jet lag gets kinda annoying. Yes, Malfoy hit the floor. Again. *snickers* Yeah, he is an asshole. Well, people are starting to give a damn now...though she really doesn't want them too. Yup, stupid prats. Most guys I know are.
Phedre no Delauney de Montreve: Oooh, funky name! I like! I know, I missed you! Glad you like the new writing; hope this chappie is just as awesome and rates a...um...110%? *looks hopeful*
Jessica Messenger of the Devil: Don't worry, I'll do just that!
harper92: Ooh, glad you like the bubbles! Enjoy your new punching block! Oh yeah, ROMANTICNESS!!! *grins sappily if such a thing is even possible* :-D Yeah, it was kinda fast, but in my mind, Lily was trying to comfort Aria and she didn't have very much experience in the whole matter so she was ready to do a lot to keep her calm and her mind off the whole incident. I'm glad you like it! Well, I probably won't have as much time to address everyone once school starts, but I know I love getting recognized by authors, so I try and take the time to thank everyone who made the effort to review. Maybe I'm just weird; who knows? Thanks, though! ;-D
FEAngel258: Aww, thanks! Yeah, I thought it was the right time for Lily to meet a friend. WHAT?!?!? YOU DON'T FEEL SPECIAL?!?!?*bounces over and starts chanting*FEEL SPECIAL FEEL SPECIAL FEEL SPECIAL FEEL SPECIAL!!!*coughs* Do you feel special yet? Hope you like this chappie!
MarryMeJames: Yeah, I got that from a couple of other reviewers too. But like I explained, Lily was trying to comfort Aria in any way she could. She didn't really have very much experience in this kind of thing. But that's true what you said. Yeah, they're sorta friends now. Much better than before! ;-) Yeah, I never thought about Aria in that way...hmmm...
kimi: I'm glad you liked! Hope this chappie is just as good!
PsYcHo-Me: Thanks a bunch! Aww, I'm glad you liked it; hope you liked this chappie too! When's the next chappie of Levart Emit coming out? Yes, I missed you...*sniff* :-D
funbun007: Ooh, hooked? Hehehe...*lol* Aww, thanks for the compliments! *blushes* Hope you like this chappie!
high?d: I'm glad you love it! Enjoy the new chappie!
Charmed Faeire: Thanks! Yeah, I figured it was time for her to finally spill. Hope this chappie was interesting; things really start to heat up soon!
*******: Hmm...interesting idea. I hadn't really figured that into the fic, because really they're not mean, just holding a grudge from a while ago. Hope you like this chappie!
Jamsie-lover: I'm sure you don't suck at writing! Try it! Thanks for the encouragement!
and last but not least (last of 4 pages of reviews...:-S ;-) amber: Wow, I'm glad you like this fic so much! Enjoy this chappie; things will start to get interesting soon...
Well, don't forget to tell me what you think! I love getting reviews-they make my day!
Next chappie: Prefect's meeting and some other...er, 'interesting' moments!
Much luv,
eventergurl88