Disclaimer: Yes, yes…they aren't mine. And never will be. But a girl can
dream, right?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Let's see,' said James, gazing down at his timetable later the next week. "Gosh, I can't even remember my schedule. It's been such a tiring first couple of weeks. Ummm, I have Potions with the Slytherins next…rats."
"Quite literally," muttered Sirius walking quickly next to James through the dark, busy corridor. Charms had just ended, and the pair waved goodbye to Lily and Remus as they headed toward their respective classes. Sirius got to his next classroom and said goodbye to James until the met again in Transfiguration next.
Potions went fairly well without much trouble. James tried hiding himself in the corner, but Sophie Welles managed to spot the vacant seat next to him and planter herself there. Luckily, the Professor was only lecturing on certain mystical ingredients, so it didn't involve James having to communicate with Sophie at all. Nonetheless, the Ravenclaw tried her best to touch, rub, and grope the poor Gryffindor throughout the entire class period, subsequently forcing James to run out of the classroom as soon as the professor dismissed them.
His next lesson was Transfiguration. Sirius, who had arrived to the class earlier, saved James a seat in the back and the two began to start their work for the day. Professor McGonagall was refreshing their memories by making them all turn quills into combs again. As most people completed this task without very much difficulty, she moved them onto the far more difficult task of changing rocks into crystals. Only James managed it, producing a large handful of crystals by the end of the lesson. He was rewarded by not required to do the assigned homework, which seemed to irritate Sirius for some reason.
"Stupid git," he said, as they were walking down to the Great Hall for lunch. "Just 'cause you're so clever, you get let off homework." James laughed.
"Don't worry about it, Sirius. I'll probably end up doing yours for you anyway."
"Damn right."
"What's going on?" said Remus, who had been talking to Peter, when James and Sirius approached their spot at the table. "James's is going to do our homework for us? Ooh, goody."
"Is this true, James?" came Lily's voice from behind, and she sat down next to James. "Feel free to do all of mine too. That would surely make my day."
"What on Earth's this?" said James, laughing. "James Potter-does-your- homework-for-you day?'
"If you're volunteering –" Peter began, but he stopped talking immediately, because he was too busy laughing, and it was apparent to everyone in the Great Hall why. Everyone turned to the direction that Peter was look at, towards the Slytherin table.
What they saw was Snape bunny hopping towards the Slytherin table. He had been hit with what was undoubtedly the leg-locker curse. Everyone at the surrounding Gryffindor and Hufflepuff table were doubled up with laughter.
"What happened to Snapey boy?" Sirius asked, holding back his laughter.
"So-Sophie Welles," whispered Juliet, who had been sitting at the table for quite some time now.
"What did she do to him?" said James, still chuckling.
"Leg-locker," said Juliet, with a wry smile. "Git was insulting you again," she motioned to James.
"She's a weird one, but pretty funny that she defended you, Jamesie" said Sirius. "Anything she can do to protect the love of her life, the father of her child! I'm just glad to see the rat is being punished."
James threw Sirius a nasty glare, but continued to grab a sandwich off the silver platter. "About time the rat is being punished." He laughed.
~*~
One classes were finally over, the friends gathered one again in the hallway and headed back up toward the Gryffindor Common Room. All except James, who was attending the Quidditch Captains' meeting out by the Quidditch pitch. James was not the captain the team, but an assistant. If he managed to continue his great Quidditch efforts, he would most likely replace the seventh year captain, Anton Avery, and be the Gryffindor Captain next year. But all assistants were required to attend the meetings also, just in case the captains cannot attend.
Sirius, Remus, Lily, Juliet, and Peter entered the Gryffindor wing and whispered the password to get beyond the Fat Lady. Once inside, they flopped onto the couches and chairs and began to do their homework.
By two-thirty that next afternoon, the Gryffindor sixth years made their way down to the Quidditch pitch for their flying lessons. They weren't exactly lessons, since they learned how to fly second year, but it served as a 'physical education course', or a poor excuse for making the Hogwarts students exercise, instead of pulling pranks on each other. Unfortunately, this was another class that the Gryffindors shared with the Slytherins, and they were already there, waiting for them.
James could also see the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, Anton Avery, to whom he gave thumbs up – Anton returned the cordial gesture – and Graham Roberts, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, talking to Snape and laughing. Madam Hooch, who was overseeing the lesson, was waiting impatiently as the Gryffindors came onto the field with their brooms. As she had done the previous years before, Madam Hooch instructed the pupils to stand next to a broom each and kick off, hard. Sirius was having fun racing with Remus and Juliet as they were floating high towards the clouds on their brooms. James was busy talking and flying with Anton, while Lily stayed closer toward Hogwarts. She wasn't that particularly fond of flying, but she did find it thrilling sometimes to be high in the air, away with the birds and being away from all the pressures of school on the ground. Half and hour went by and just as Madam Hooch was about call everybody down to reconvene before they were sent up again, there was a shout behind her.
Thomas NeMander was lying on the ground, practically screaming his Slytherin head off, and evidently in a great deal of pain. He was moaning and groaning as Gryffindors and Slytherins began lowering down from midair to see what was the matter. She instructed Anton to keep watching over the lesson, and she took Thomas off to the Hospital Wing. James hovered next to Sirius in the air, with Lily just behind them.
"What happened to him?" he asked Sirius.
"Dunno. He probably fell off his broom."
"Oh, that's alright then," said Lily. "All little mud and grass won't hurt the Slytherin. Be good for them." Sirius and James grinned. Suddenly, Remus shouted to them.
"James!! Sirius!! Lily!! Behind you!!' James turned and saw a ripple of light flying straight at the three of them. He knew immediately where it was from. He dived, and so did Sirius. Lily was too slow. The light, whatever it was, hit her full on, and she was thrown directly off her high- flying broom.
"Lily!!" cried James and Sirius simultaneously. She fell, at least twenty feet, and hit the ground, with a sickening thud. She was unconscious and pale. Juliet gasped loudly.
James flew towards Remus in a hurried state. He had a feeling the Slytherins had something to do with the shot of light, and how it was probably meant to hit him off his broom. Unfortunately, that plan backfired and it sent Lily flying off of hers.
"Remus, you and Sirius deal with Snape and the others. I'll take Lily up to the Hospital Wing." Remus looked more than willing. James watched him swoop down to where Sirius was; he had one fleeting glance of Sirius, Remus, Juliet and Anton Avery approaching the Slytherins, wands bared, before he sped down to help Lily.
Most of the Gryffindors were crowded around her, but James took charge. It was lucky he was so strong from Quidditch. He managed to lift Lily onto his broomstick and took off towards the castle. He was not very experienced in sharing a broomstick, especially with an incapacitated being, but he got up to the castle very quickly. He dismounted, and kicked open the door into the Entrance Hall. It was empty. He just about managed to carry Lily up to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey was talking seriously to Madam Hooch about Thomas NeMander.
"He wasn't hurt at all, I don't know – Potter! What are you doing?" she said, spotting James.
"Lily," he gasped, placing her down on one of the beds. "Fell off her broom."
"And you carried her all the way up here?" asked Madam Hooch, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Flew – to the castle – carried her here," James replied, still short of breath. "She's unconscious."
"Potter, stay with her. You! Come with me." Her last remark was directed towards Thomas NeMander, who was looking highly pleased with himself, and certainly not injured. He grinned when he saw Lily. James would have hit him, but under the watchful eyes of Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey he merely glared at Thomas. This was nothing compared to Madam Hooch. She looked livid, and she pulled Avery out after her roughly.
"You can stay here with Lily, James" said Madam Pomfrey. "She should come round in a few minutes. That was very noble of you, carrying her up here like that." James shrugged.
"Couldn't leave her lying there, could I?" he said, grinning
"No," replied Madam Pomfrey, smiling with a knowing look on her face. "No, of course not, dear." She strolled off to her office.
Presently, Lily woke up. She looked a little dazed, especially when she turned to see James' face above her.
"You awake, Sleeping Beauty?" he asked her, smiling, referring back to a Muggle fairy tale she once read him.
"James?" she said dazedly. "Where am I? What happened?"
"Hospital Wing," he told her. "You fell off your broom, and was unconscious for a while."
"What?! How?"
"Snape, I think. They used Thomas NeMander to get Madam Hooch out of the way."
"Why?"
"I don't think they were trying to aim at you. They were probably trying to knock me or Sirius off. Didn't help that Sophie put him in a leg-locker curse because of me."
"Yeah," said Lily laughing. "Ow," she added, clutching her leg. She ran a hand over her leg, trying to soothe the pain.
"You all right?" James asked concernedly. "You fell nearly twenty feet."
"Yeah, I'll live. Just my leg that hurts. Definitely going to be limping for a while."
"I suspect that Madam Pomfrey can fix that in a flash. Give you some nice, yummy, scary-colored potion to drink and you'll be on your way back on the broom in no time. Yeah, here she comes." Madam Pomfrey was approaching Lily's bed with a goblet of something in her hand.
"Here you are, dear," she said kindly. "Drink this, and the pain should stop in a few minutes. I'll go get something to wrap your leg for now too. The potion will make you drowsy in about half an hour, though."
Lily took the goblet, and drained it in one large swallow. She them pulled a face that James though made her look like a Slytherin. She blinked her eyes a couple times and shook her head.
"Nice?" he asked her innocently.
"Hardly."
~*~
Meanwhile, before Sirius or Remus could inflict any more damage to Snape, they had placed some well-put curses on Snape and his now non-existent clothing, Madam Hooch had returned and promptly punished Snape and Thomas for their stupid ploys. She detailed everyone about Lily's state and proceeded to give Snape and Thomas detentions for the next two weeks. She gave Snape an extra glare and detention for not wearing enough clothing to class, as she eyed him with only his boxers on. Sirius couldn't help but stifle a loud laugh.
Sirius, Remus, and Juliet were more concerned about Lily. After class was dismissed, they all went to the Hospital Wing to see how their friend was doing. They found her sitting up in bed, with the potion having run its course.
"Are you alright, Lily?" asked Sirius seriously.
"Fine," said Lily, whose leg was now better, and practically looked like normal.
"Did you get Snape?" asked James. Sirius and Remus grinned guiltily. Peter smiled.
"Of course we did," said Sirius. "I don't think he'll be trying to knock people off their broomsticks for a while."
"It was probably a good thing that you brought Lily up to the castle, James," said Remus. "You looked ready to put the Cruciatus curse on Snape." James smiled wryly at Remus' comment.
"You brought me up to the castle?" said Lily, stunned. "I thought it was Madam Pomfrey."
"Nah," replied James, smiling again. "I wasn't going to leave you lying there. Had to get you up here quickly."
"How did you?"
"On the back of his broomstick," said Peter. Lily was still looking amazed.
"Er, thanks, James," she said, unconsciously blushing
"Anything for a lady," he said courteously.
"So you wouldn't carry me up here, if I got injured?" said Sirius challengingly.
"Course I would. You're close enough to a lady." Everyone laughed.
Some time later, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.
"Come on you lot, out! Lily needs some rest! I think you should probably stay in overnight, dear. You can have two people to stay with you for a while longer, but no more." Lily nodded, and pointed to Juliet and James, who sat down in two chairs next to her. Sirius and the rest left for Gryffindor Tower.
As Madam Pomfrey went back into her office, Lily yawned loudly.
"You wanna try going back to sleep, Lily?' James asked. "That potion's drowsiness effects seem to be kicking in again."
"Yeah, I'll see you – you la –" She fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.
"C'mon," James whispered to Juliet. "Let's go back to the Tower." Juliet nodded mutely, and after James had thanked Madam Pomfrey, the two of them left the Hospital Wing and headed for Gryffindor Tower.
"That was really nice, you know, James, what you did for Lily," said Juliet, in the hallway, as they walked back up to the Common Room.
"Thanks," replied James. "Still, I would have helped anyone in that situation, even Sirius."Juliet laughed.
"How did you manage to carry her all that way?"
"She's very light."
"Or you're very strong."
"Bit of both, I guess," said James, grinning
"Sirius's right. You're too modest a times. Geez louise."
"You could be right. But what would you prefer, modest James or egotistical James?"
"Point taken." Laughing, they reached the portrait hole, and said the password to the Fat Lady. Sirius noticed Juliet and James enter the Common Room and promptly stood on the couch.
"Here he is, ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted. "The hero!" James laughed.
"Same old Sirius," he muttered into Juliet's ear. She laughed again.
"Aha! What is this?" said Sirius, in a mock serious tone. "Saving one fair damsel from ugly rats and then whispering sweet nothings into another fair damsel's ear? Thou disgusteth me, Sir James of Potter." James dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. Times like these when Sirius was about the funniest person in the world, in James' eyes.
"And now thou laughest at my quibbles," Sirius continued, in the same tone. "I challengeth thee to a duel!" He had said the magic words. James whipped out his wand and cried "Rictusempra!" again, through his laughter, before Sirius could move out of the way. James continued laughing, but he wasn't the only one now.
It would have undoubtedly been a funny sight, entering the Gryffindor common room at that point. Sirius was lying on the floor, hardly able to breathe from his uncontrollable laughing, and everyone around him was laughing as well. James finally managed to contain himself long enough to mutter the counter-curse, but then he burst out laughing again when he saw Sirius' face.
"They ought to get rid of that damn laughing curse," he said with mock disgust. "Bane of my existence."
"So – so – sorry, Sirius," James gasped, just managing to contain his laughter. "But you did challengeth me to a duel."
"Note to self," said Sirius. "Never challenge James Potter to a duel again."
"Note to self," said Juliet, joining in. "When falling off a broom, make sure James Potter is around to get special treatment. Especially if I'm Lily." She smirked, but noticed James' sudden change in facial expression.
"Note to self," said Remus. "Your friends are mostly insane."
"Note to Remus," James laughed, recovering from thought of Lily. "YOUR friends are completely insane." They continued in this vein for quite a long time, until Sirius eventually persuaded everyone to shut up and get some sleep.
~*~
A/N: And there goes chapter 4. Phew.
So much to do…huge AP bio test, Hon English research paper, and everything else. ::Sigh::
Thanks for reading! Review if you'd like! Take care!
~ Stellar
Vielen Dank…thistlemeg, Seshat, and Quinn for your reviews! They are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading my story!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Let's see,' said James, gazing down at his timetable later the next week. "Gosh, I can't even remember my schedule. It's been such a tiring first couple of weeks. Ummm, I have Potions with the Slytherins next…rats."
"Quite literally," muttered Sirius walking quickly next to James through the dark, busy corridor. Charms had just ended, and the pair waved goodbye to Lily and Remus as they headed toward their respective classes. Sirius got to his next classroom and said goodbye to James until the met again in Transfiguration next.
Potions went fairly well without much trouble. James tried hiding himself in the corner, but Sophie Welles managed to spot the vacant seat next to him and planter herself there. Luckily, the Professor was only lecturing on certain mystical ingredients, so it didn't involve James having to communicate with Sophie at all. Nonetheless, the Ravenclaw tried her best to touch, rub, and grope the poor Gryffindor throughout the entire class period, subsequently forcing James to run out of the classroom as soon as the professor dismissed them.
His next lesson was Transfiguration. Sirius, who had arrived to the class earlier, saved James a seat in the back and the two began to start their work for the day. Professor McGonagall was refreshing their memories by making them all turn quills into combs again. As most people completed this task without very much difficulty, she moved them onto the far more difficult task of changing rocks into crystals. Only James managed it, producing a large handful of crystals by the end of the lesson. He was rewarded by not required to do the assigned homework, which seemed to irritate Sirius for some reason.
"Stupid git," he said, as they were walking down to the Great Hall for lunch. "Just 'cause you're so clever, you get let off homework." James laughed.
"Don't worry about it, Sirius. I'll probably end up doing yours for you anyway."
"Damn right."
"What's going on?" said Remus, who had been talking to Peter, when James and Sirius approached their spot at the table. "James's is going to do our homework for us? Ooh, goody."
"Is this true, James?" came Lily's voice from behind, and she sat down next to James. "Feel free to do all of mine too. That would surely make my day."
"What on Earth's this?" said James, laughing. "James Potter-does-your- homework-for-you day?'
"If you're volunteering –" Peter began, but he stopped talking immediately, because he was too busy laughing, and it was apparent to everyone in the Great Hall why. Everyone turned to the direction that Peter was look at, towards the Slytherin table.
What they saw was Snape bunny hopping towards the Slytherin table. He had been hit with what was undoubtedly the leg-locker curse. Everyone at the surrounding Gryffindor and Hufflepuff table were doubled up with laughter.
"What happened to Snapey boy?" Sirius asked, holding back his laughter.
"So-Sophie Welles," whispered Juliet, who had been sitting at the table for quite some time now.
"What did she do to him?" said James, still chuckling.
"Leg-locker," said Juliet, with a wry smile. "Git was insulting you again," she motioned to James.
"She's a weird one, but pretty funny that she defended you, Jamesie" said Sirius. "Anything she can do to protect the love of her life, the father of her child! I'm just glad to see the rat is being punished."
James threw Sirius a nasty glare, but continued to grab a sandwich off the silver platter. "About time the rat is being punished." He laughed.
~*~
One classes were finally over, the friends gathered one again in the hallway and headed back up toward the Gryffindor Common Room. All except James, who was attending the Quidditch Captains' meeting out by the Quidditch pitch. James was not the captain the team, but an assistant. If he managed to continue his great Quidditch efforts, he would most likely replace the seventh year captain, Anton Avery, and be the Gryffindor Captain next year. But all assistants were required to attend the meetings also, just in case the captains cannot attend.
Sirius, Remus, Lily, Juliet, and Peter entered the Gryffindor wing and whispered the password to get beyond the Fat Lady. Once inside, they flopped onto the couches and chairs and began to do their homework.
By two-thirty that next afternoon, the Gryffindor sixth years made their way down to the Quidditch pitch for their flying lessons. They weren't exactly lessons, since they learned how to fly second year, but it served as a 'physical education course', or a poor excuse for making the Hogwarts students exercise, instead of pulling pranks on each other. Unfortunately, this was another class that the Gryffindors shared with the Slytherins, and they were already there, waiting for them.
James could also see the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, Anton Avery, to whom he gave thumbs up – Anton returned the cordial gesture – and Graham Roberts, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, talking to Snape and laughing. Madam Hooch, who was overseeing the lesson, was waiting impatiently as the Gryffindors came onto the field with their brooms. As she had done the previous years before, Madam Hooch instructed the pupils to stand next to a broom each and kick off, hard. Sirius was having fun racing with Remus and Juliet as they were floating high towards the clouds on their brooms. James was busy talking and flying with Anton, while Lily stayed closer toward Hogwarts. She wasn't that particularly fond of flying, but she did find it thrilling sometimes to be high in the air, away with the birds and being away from all the pressures of school on the ground. Half and hour went by and just as Madam Hooch was about call everybody down to reconvene before they were sent up again, there was a shout behind her.
Thomas NeMander was lying on the ground, practically screaming his Slytherin head off, and evidently in a great deal of pain. He was moaning and groaning as Gryffindors and Slytherins began lowering down from midair to see what was the matter. She instructed Anton to keep watching over the lesson, and she took Thomas off to the Hospital Wing. James hovered next to Sirius in the air, with Lily just behind them.
"What happened to him?" he asked Sirius.
"Dunno. He probably fell off his broom."
"Oh, that's alright then," said Lily. "All little mud and grass won't hurt the Slytherin. Be good for them." Sirius and James grinned. Suddenly, Remus shouted to them.
"James!! Sirius!! Lily!! Behind you!!' James turned and saw a ripple of light flying straight at the three of them. He knew immediately where it was from. He dived, and so did Sirius. Lily was too slow. The light, whatever it was, hit her full on, and she was thrown directly off her high- flying broom.
"Lily!!" cried James and Sirius simultaneously. She fell, at least twenty feet, and hit the ground, with a sickening thud. She was unconscious and pale. Juliet gasped loudly.
James flew towards Remus in a hurried state. He had a feeling the Slytherins had something to do with the shot of light, and how it was probably meant to hit him off his broom. Unfortunately, that plan backfired and it sent Lily flying off of hers.
"Remus, you and Sirius deal with Snape and the others. I'll take Lily up to the Hospital Wing." Remus looked more than willing. James watched him swoop down to where Sirius was; he had one fleeting glance of Sirius, Remus, Juliet and Anton Avery approaching the Slytherins, wands bared, before he sped down to help Lily.
Most of the Gryffindors were crowded around her, but James took charge. It was lucky he was so strong from Quidditch. He managed to lift Lily onto his broomstick and took off towards the castle. He was not very experienced in sharing a broomstick, especially with an incapacitated being, but he got up to the castle very quickly. He dismounted, and kicked open the door into the Entrance Hall. It was empty. He just about managed to carry Lily up to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey was talking seriously to Madam Hooch about Thomas NeMander.
"He wasn't hurt at all, I don't know – Potter! What are you doing?" she said, spotting James.
"Lily," he gasped, placing her down on one of the beds. "Fell off her broom."
"And you carried her all the way up here?" asked Madam Hooch, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Flew – to the castle – carried her here," James replied, still short of breath. "She's unconscious."
"Potter, stay with her. You! Come with me." Her last remark was directed towards Thomas NeMander, who was looking highly pleased with himself, and certainly not injured. He grinned when he saw Lily. James would have hit him, but under the watchful eyes of Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey he merely glared at Thomas. This was nothing compared to Madam Hooch. She looked livid, and she pulled Avery out after her roughly.
"You can stay here with Lily, James" said Madam Pomfrey. "She should come round in a few minutes. That was very noble of you, carrying her up here like that." James shrugged.
"Couldn't leave her lying there, could I?" he said, grinning
"No," replied Madam Pomfrey, smiling with a knowing look on her face. "No, of course not, dear." She strolled off to her office.
Presently, Lily woke up. She looked a little dazed, especially when she turned to see James' face above her.
"You awake, Sleeping Beauty?" he asked her, smiling, referring back to a Muggle fairy tale she once read him.
"James?" she said dazedly. "Where am I? What happened?"
"Hospital Wing," he told her. "You fell off your broom, and was unconscious for a while."
"What?! How?"
"Snape, I think. They used Thomas NeMander to get Madam Hooch out of the way."
"Why?"
"I don't think they were trying to aim at you. They were probably trying to knock me or Sirius off. Didn't help that Sophie put him in a leg-locker curse because of me."
"Yeah," said Lily laughing. "Ow," she added, clutching her leg. She ran a hand over her leg, trying to soothe the pain.
"You all right?" James asked concernedly. "You fell nearly twenty feet."
"Yeah, I'll live. Just my leg that hurts. Definitely going to be limping for a while."
"I suspect that Madam Pomfrey can fix that in a flash. Give you some nice, yummy, scary-colored potion to drink and you'll be on your way back on the broom in no time. Yeah, here she comes." Madam Pomfrey was approaching Lily's bed with a goblet of something in her hand.
"Here you are, dear," she said kindly. "Drink this, and the pain should stop in a few minutes. I'll go get something to wrap your leg for now too. The potion will make you drowsy in about half an hour, though."
Lily took the goblet, and drained it in one large swallow. She them pulled a face that James though made her look like a Slytherin. She blinked her eyes a couple times and shook her head.
"Nice?" he asked her innocently.
"Hardly."
~*~
Meanwhile, before Sirius or Remus could inflict any more damage to Snape, they had placed some well-put curses on Snape and his now non-existent clothing, Madam Hooch had returned and promptly punished Snape and Thomas for their stupid ploys. She detailed everyone about Lily's state and proceeded to give Snape and Thomas detentions for the next two weeks. She gave Snape an extra glare and detention for not wearing enough clothing to class, as she eyed him with only his boxers on. Sirius couldn't help but stifle a loud laugh.
Sirius, Remus, and Juliet were more concerned about Lily. After class was dismissed, they all went to the Hospital Wing to see how their friend was doing. They found her sitting up in bed, with the potion having run its course.
"Are you alright, Lily?" asked Sirius seriously.
"Fine," said Lily, whose leg was now better, and practically looked like normal.
"Did you get Snape?" asked James. Sirius and Remus grinned guiltily. Peter smiled.
"Of course we did," said Sirius. "I don't think he'll be trying to knock people off their broomsticks for a while."
"It was probably a good thing that you brought Lily up to the castle, James," said Remus. "You looked ready to put the Cruciatus curse on Snape." James smiled wryly at Remus' comment.
"You brought me up to the castle?" said Lily, stunned. "I thought it was Madam Pomfrey."
"Nah," replied James, smiling again. "I wasn't going to leave you lying there. Had to get you up here quickly."
"How did you?"
"On the back of his broomstick," said Peter. Lily was still looking amazed.
"Er, thanks, James," she said, unconsciously blushing
"Anything for a lady," he said courteously.
"So you wouldn't carry me up here, if I got injured?" said Sirius challengingly.
"Course I would. You're close enough to a lady." Everyone laughed.
Some time later, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.
"Come on you lot, out! Lily needs some rest! I think you should probably stay in overnight, dear. You can have two people to stay with you for a while longer, but no more." Lily nodded, and pointed to Juliet and James, who sat down in two chairs next to her. Sirius and the rest left for Gryffindor Tower.
As Madam Pomfrey went back into her office, Lily yawned loudly.
"You wanna try going back to sleep, Lily?' James asked. "That potion's drowsiness effects seem to be kicking in again."
"Yeah, I'll see you – you la –" She fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.
"C'mon," James whispered to Juliet. "Let's go back to the Tower." Juliet nodded mutely, and after James had thanked Madam Pomfrey, the two of them left the Hospital Wing and headed for Gryffindor Tower.
"That was really nice, you know, James, what you did for Lily," said Juliet, in the hallway, as they walked back up to the Common Room.
"Thanks," replied James. "Still, I would have helped anyone in that situation, even Sirius."Juliet laughed.
"How did you manage to carry her all that way?"
"She's very light."
"Or you're very strong."
"Bit of both, I guess," said James, grinning
"Sirius's right. You're too modest a times. Geez louise."
"You could be right. But what would you prefer, modest James or egotistical James?"
"Point taken." Laughing, they reached the portrait hole, and said the password to the Fat Lady. Sirius noticed Juliet and James enter the Common Room and promptly stood on the couch.
"Here he is, ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted. "The hero!" James laughed.
"Same old Sirius," he muttered into Juliet's ear. She laughed again.
"Aha! What is this?" said Sirius, in a mock serious tone. "Saving one fair damsel from ugly rats and then whispering sweet nothings into another fair damsel's ear? Thou disgusteth me, Sir James of Potter." James dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. Times like these when Sirius was about the funniest person in the world, in James' eyes.
"And now thou laughest at my quibbles," Sirius continued, in the same tone. "I challengeth thee to a duel!" He had said the magic words. James whipped out his wand and cried "Rictusempra!" again, through his laughter, before Sirius could move out of the way. James continued laughing, but he wasn't the only one now.
It would have undoubtedly been a funny sight, entering the Gryffindor common room at that point. Sirius was lying on the floor, hardly able to breathe from his uncontrollable laughing, and everyone around him was laughing as well. James finally managed to contain himself long enough to mutter the counter-curse, but then he burst out laughing again when he saw Sirius' face.
"They ought to get rid of that damn laughing curse," he said with mock disgust. "Bane of my existence."
"So – so – sorry, Sirius," James gasped, just managing to contain his laughter. "But you did challengeth me to a duel."
"Note to self," said Sirius. "Never challenge James Potter to a duel again."
"Note to self," said Juliet, joining in. "When falling off a broom, make sure James Potter is around to get special treatment. Especially if I'm Lily." She smirked, but noticed James' sudden change in facial expression.
"Note to self," said Remus. "Your friends are mostly insane."
"Note to Remus," James laughed, recovering from thought of Lily. "YOUR friends are completely insane." They continued in this vein for quite a long time, until Sirius eventually persuaded everyone to shut up and get some sleep.
~*~
A/N: And there goes chapter 4. Phew.
So much to do…huge AP bio test, Hon English research paper, and everything else. ::Sigh::
Thanks for reading! Review if you'd like! Take care!
~ Stellar
Vielen Dank…thistlemeg, Seshat, and Quinn for your reviews! They are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading my story!