Disclaimer: Yes, yes…they aren't mine, and never will be. But a girl can
dream, right?
A tad bit late…just got my wisdom teeth out, so I'm quite "drugged out" and not altogether there. Lots of pain. Ouch. So quite sorry if there are some spelling errors or such.
But alas, Spring Break = lots of writing time. Ooo, I gotta think of some new plot twists. Hope you enjoy reading Chapter 6!
ALSO (MUY IMPORTANTE): Anonymous reviews are welcome now too. I am sorry, before, if anyone wanted to review and they couldn't (or wouldn't) with out logging in. So yeah…review if you would like unobstructed by the stupid "no anonymous reviews" rules now. ^-^
Enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
James' contentment after beating Ravenclaw lasted for about a week. People were still coming up to him in corridors and congratulating him. Even Ravenclaws were remarking on the quality of his flying this early in the season. James had always been an exceptional flyer, ever since he was on the team second year, but the compliments that he got for maintaining his talent were gratifying and humbly received. For the whole week, James felt as though someone had plastered a grin onto his face, because he couldn't get rid of it. Even the Slytherins couldn't think of anything obnoxious to say, partly because they were so amazed. Well, almost all of them...
"Oh look, if it isn't everybody's little hero," said Snape acidly one morning, as James was making his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Snape was with his little gang, and they were walking in an intimidating group down the corridor towards the Hall. All of them chuckled at Snape's sarcastic words. James sighed and walked past them, but Snape grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Quick as a flash, James reciprocated the action and grabbed Snape and flipped him over his shoulder. Snape landed on the ground with a thud.
"Forgot to tell you," said James amiably. "Besides Quidditch, I attend wizard defensive arts classes in the summer. For about, oh, nine years now." James turned to Snape's friends who were staring at him, and the dazed Snape, in awe. "What are you guys staring at? Come on, run along." He pulled out his wand threateningly. The Slytherins glared at him, but moved away.
"Impressive, Mr. Potter," said a voice from behind him, the door to the Great Hall.
"Thank you, Mr. Lupin. Have you had breakfast?"
"Yep." Remus smiled at James as they walked toward the Gryffindor table. Juliet was already seated with Peter and they were busy helping themselves from the large toast platter. James took a seat next to Juliet, and scooped some scrambled eggs onto his plate. Remus continued to speak.
"And where, may I ask, did you learn those impressive moves?"
James smiled and replied, "You know that my father works for the Ministry. He just thought that I should enroll in some self-defense classes, you know, just in case something happened to him or mom. That I should protect myself."
Juliet turned a curious eye, and James explained to her about how flipped Snape in the hallway. Juliet listened as James recounted the various self- defense courses he had taken as a child. As a taller man now, he was fully capable of protecting himself and others in dire situations. He continued speaking to Remus.
"And the fact I have my wand…well, that's just more help. Hopefully I can put some of this Hogwarts stuff to good use!" Everyone laughed as James checked his watch again. It said 8:57 am. James' eyes got wide.
"Oh crap, I'm late. Hey guys, I'll catch you later. Tell Sirius that too, if he ever comes down." James grabbed two lemon-cranberry scones and began racing out of the Hall. He nearly collided with four third years as he continued down the hallway, his robe sailing behind him. Remus and Peter stared at the frantic James, bewildered.
"Where's he going? Doesn't he remember his class doesn't start for another half and hour?"
Remus shrugged. "I worry about James sometimes." He chuckled.
~*~
James rushed out of the Great Hall and back towards the Gryffindor Tower. He had to go back to his room for his notebook before he headed for his tutorial session that day.
'Oh my God, I can't believe I almost forgot!' James thought frantically, rushing through the Portrait Hole and going up to his room. Jumping three stairs at a time, James slammed open the door, to find a still sleeping Sirius, and ran over to his desk. He grabbed his notebook and quietly shut the door this time.
Once leaving the Portrait Hole though, James was faced with another obstacle, hindering his mad dash to the Charms classrooms.
Sophie Welles.
Mentally sighing, James hoped to ignore or slip past the obnoxious Ravenclaw who was dawdling outside the Gryffindor Tower. James ducked his head and quickened his pace.
"Oh! James! What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?" asked Sophie loudly, smiling a bright smile and putting her hands to her cheeks.
James threw a confused glance around. "Uhh, I live here. This is the Gryffindor Tower. What are you doing here?" He continued to walk soundly out of the area. Sophie followed him.
"Oh, you know, just taking a stroll around the grounds. Are you busy?" She inquired, keeping up, much to James' dismay, to his own fast gait.
"At the moment, yes. I am really late right now."
James' apprehension and evasiveness did not stop Sophie though. In fact, his "hard-to-get" attitude only fueled her desire for him. She grabbed his hand as James recoiled in shock. She squeezed it.
"So I heard that Sirius asked Emily Hoffburg to Hogsmeade next week. I bet all they're going to do is snog. I wondering if you wanted to join them, you know, like a double date. And possibly more." Sophie batted her eyelashes and smiled at the students passing, as if to show off the fact she was holding James' hand.
James took that moment to extricate his hand from Sophie's tight grasp and answer, "Yeah, I heard that's what Sirius did, but, um, I have lots to do that day, and I don't think that would be such a good idea. Yeah, definitely not a good idea." His mother's birthday was the following Wednesday after Hogsmeade, and he had plans on finding her a gift that day. And those plans DEFINITELY did not include snogging Sophie Welles.
Sophie pouted. "Oh, but why not? I'll make it worth your while, James." She began to rub his arm, hoping to feel the muscle there.
That statement scared James even more. "Stop…I have to go…bye…" He ran down the corridor and out of Sophie's sight.
"Owl me later! I love you!" She yelled, to James' fleeting shadow.
~*~
Walking down the busy mezzanine towards they Charms classrooms, Lily Evans blocked out the loquacious people surrounding her, as she became more and more enraptured in her book. It was a Muggle tale, about some wuthering heights or such, but it was very well written. Lily continued walking slowly, avoiding the other students, as she headed for her extracurricular tutorial session.
After Dumbledore first told her about those opportunities, she received her schedule for her extra classes. There were not that many, she only chose three, but they were fascinating. Each class mainly consisted of only four or five students per each professor, and the subjects ranged from expert flying, to wandless magic, to extremely esoteric, but useful, Charms. It was awesome, and Lily couldn't get enough of it.
She looked back down to her book and was just about to turn the page when a tall figure ran into her from behind and nearly pushed her off course.
"Whoa…careful…" The figure turned around and apologized.
"Damn, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—Lily?" The astonished figure stopped in mid-sentence.
Lily looked up and found herself staring straight into James' eyes.
"James?"
"Oh geez…"
With a bemused smile, Lily replied, "Goodness James, do you always crash into people in the hallways for fun?" She closed her book and started walking again, with James following her much slower gait. He threw her a rueful smile.
"Sorry about that, Lils. Thought I was late going to the class. Hey…aren't you late too? I mean, it's about 9:15 now." He had a worried look on his face as her started to walk faster and glance at his watch.
Not speeding up from her current pace, Lily sighed and placed her hand on James' arm. "Slow down, buddy. Class doesn't start until 9:30 today, remember? There is no need to rush—we have plenty of time." James breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down.
"Oh, I think I remember what Crogh said at last week's meeting. Can't believe I could have forgotten something that important. Must have mowed down a bunch of second years trying to get to class on time." He chuckled at his foolishness as he and Lily turned down another doorway and started heading toward the empty Charms classrooms. He felt a pang of hunger, and reached into his pocket for his napkin full of scones. James pulled it out and began eating the large pastry.
Lily turned her head. "That isn't by chance a lemon scone, is it?" She peered over James' arm hungrily.
James nodded and offered her the other scone. "Tad but hungry?" he asked as he watched Lily devour the pastry in nearly one bite.
Lily smiled and thanked him profusely. "I missed breakfast this morning because I had to drop my tutee's essay back to his dorm. I'm famished!" she mumbled as she took another large bite of her scone. The pair walked in companionable silence until they reached their designated Charms classroom.
Their teacher, Professor Crogh, did not teach Charms, but the classrooms were fairly large and deserted, so that is what they used for the tutorial sessions on the weekends.
Approaching the classroom, Lily reached the door and opened it.
James didn't go in and said, "Ladies first." He stuck out his hand and waited for Lily to pass through.
Lily, holding the door, had an exasperated look on her face. "James, I'm holding the door. Just get inside." She was smirking.
"But—"
"No buts, James. Just walk through the door…please?" Lily sighed as she continued to hold open the classroom door. James smiled and bowed his head.
"Yes, ma'am." They pair entered the classroom.
~*~
"That's it. I give up. This 'witch' stuff sucks. I'm going off to work on a traveling circus." Lily grumbled as she sat down on a desk, rubbing her eyes and yawning. James walked closer to her from where they were working across the room.
"Now, now Lils. That's not the way to act. You should be excited…you are a learning all these awesome spells that ordinary wizards here at Hogwarts don't even have the chance at learning! Plus, you get to have yours truly for a partner three times a week too—brilliant, charming, and witty…Where's your spirit for knowledge?" James asked, trying to cheer Lily up from her 2- hour spell slump. They had been in the classroom for about two hours now, and the learning was getting tiring for Lily. The new spells drained a lot of her energy, due to the high levels of concentration each required for mastery.
Lily sighed, and slumped further in her seat. "Probably off hiding somewhere with your modesty." James chuckled and sat down next to her, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm tired. I can't believe we've only done two spells and I'm drained."
For the past two hours, Professor Crogh was introducing them to the various "joining" spells that were available to wizards and witches nowadays. The first spell was that of a 'binding' spell, if you will, which allowed the two people who performed the spell not to be able to be more than five feet apart from each other. Lily paired with Leslie Windsor, a Hufflepuff, for this spell. It did not seem as if it worked until Leslie tried walking to her desk but was physically unable to move when she got about five feet away from Lily. Lily too, was hindered when Professor Crogh asked her to retrieve his book. Though it seemed easy, the incantation for the spell was a difficult one. The pairs had to be in complete sync with each other for the spell to work.
The second charm was that of a 'health meter', to be able to check the vital signs of the person you are paired with. Professor Crogh said that is good for dangerous situations and travel when a wizard or witch was with an injured person.
Just as Lily was about to yawn again, Professor Crogh announced the third, and final, spell the group of five students would be learning that day. It was the Telepathy Spell. The professor asked if everyone could choose a partner—he was paired with the remaining one student—and they would stand across from each other. Naturally, Lily and James began to stand in front of the other.
Professor Crogh continued with his instructions. "Alright, now, on the count of three, the pairs must say 'Ingredior!' at the same time while pointing their wands at each other's head. Alright, ready?"
James waggled his eyebrows as he aimed his wand at Lily's head. Lily raised a delicate eyebrow in return and pointed at James' head too.
"Alright…one…two…THREE!"
The pairs throughout the room yelled "Ingredior!" and suddenly Lily felt a giant rush of energy pass through her body. There was a twinge of pain in head.
*Are you alright, Lily? *
Lily looked up in a flash to James, who was smiling. It seemed as though the telepathy spell worked, for she heard James' voice clearly in her mind. Lily laughed out loud. She replied to James via his mind.
*Doing well, Mr. Potter. Just the sudden rush threw me off balance. Gosh, this is incredibly weird. *
James nodded. *Weird yes, but quite handy at times. Hmmm, think of all the possibilities! No more note passing…making fun of people without actually saying anything…this'll definitely freak Sirius out! *
*Yeah, but not only do I have to hear you annoying voice everyday, I can now hear it unobstructed in my mind too! *
James stuck out his tongue. *Meanie.* They laughed.
After a few more minutes of "speaking", Professor Crogh told the students to say "Relinquo" to release their partner's voice. They had to follow the same procedure as starting the cast. The pairs yelled "Relinquo" at the same time, and they promptly left each other's minds. Professor said class was dismissed, and that they would meet the same time next week.
~*~
While James and Lily were busy in their tutorial sessions, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were causing trouble of their own at Hogwarts. Juliet was busy finishing her homework in the Common Room when the trio left.
They managed to sneak around some more of the castle, casually "borrowing" James' invisibility cloak of course, before the returned back in the afternoon to see James and Lily.
Sirius, during one of his detentions, managed to discover another secret passageway in between the library and the wall the to the left of its entrance. Using Peter as a diversion, the pair were touching and pushing all the stone blocks on the wall. It seemed as if their work was to no avail until one of the blocks pushed in and the wall began to move.
The wall began to shift and shape as a large block protruded out further than the others on the wall. There was a keyhole there, which probably opened the room. Obviously, since the two guys did not have the key, they could not enter. They tried hitting it keyhole and placing other objects in it to pick the lock, but it would not budge from its place. It was a very strong lock to a very strong door.
They were just about to work on the hinges of the "door", Peter's voice rang out in the near-empty hallway.
"You guys! McGonagall!"
Sirius sighed. "Dammit! Alright, Moony, help me push this wall back. It deserves another looking later. Geez, perfect timing." The pair pushed the wall back in place just in time Professor McGonagall strolled by them.
Remus and Sirius and Peter put on their most angelic faces as the professor walked by them with a raised eyebrow. Remus began whistling as Sirius brushed some dust off of his robe.
Professor McGonagall said, "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Everything alright?" They trio nodded their heads profusely.
Professor McGonagall continued down the hallway as the three began quickly running back to the Common Room to tell everyone about their latest discovery.
~*~
Having arrived back from class, James and Lily joined Juliet in the Common Room. Juliet smiled and waved and inquired how their classes went this afternoon. Lily told her about the new spells they have learned and how she wanted to join a travelling circus. Juliet laughed at Lily's new plan.
"So yeah, don't know where the guys went. Probably off getting into detention, as usual. Been sitting here trying to finish my homework. At least SOMEONE cares about their grades around here, besides you guys." She nodded in the direction of the Portrait Hole where Remus, Sirius, and Peter left about an hour before. She turned back to her essay.
Having finished their work earlier, James challenged Lily to a game of chess, since they had some time to spare. Lily agreed, warily, but sat down to play anyway.
James was crestfallen to find that Lily was better than him at chess – she told him she had had practice playing with her older sister, Petunia. Usually Lily was a mediocre chess player, lesser skilled then James, but it seemed as if she practiced a lot over the summer. She was making some good moves and was slowly beating James.
Unless James' eyes were deceiving him, he could have also sworn that Lily looked less-than-joyful when her sister was mentioned.
"Let me guess,' said James quietly. "You still don't get on well with Petunia. Does she still taunt you about being a witch?"
"It's a hate-hate relationship," said Lily, and then realizing what he had said, she said "How did you know that?" Lily has never told anyone besides Juliet the true elements about her family life, since it was private and painful. Lily was shocked to hear that James realized that Petunia taunted her at home.
"Elementary, my dear Lily. When your sister is mentioned, there is pure hatred and pain in your pretty eyes." Lily stared at him, but he seemed not to notice.
"Very clever, Sherlock," she said, grinning. She smiled a rueful smile. James bowed and they continued on the game.
Suddenly, Sirius, Remus, and Peter rushed through the Portrait Hole.
Sirius spoke up first, out of breath. "James! Jules! Lily! You can't believe what we just discovered!"
Peter nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Another secret room! Possibly a secret passageway!"
Lily looked up in surprise and interest. "Really, is that so? Where?"
Remus began explaining how Sirius has discovered that the wall next to the library but how they could not enter because it requires a key. "We were trying to pick at it, but McGonagall came by and we had to stop."
James looked up from the chessboard. "The locked door near the library? Oh, I have the key for that. Lily does too." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring. "Here, it's this key. But I doubt you'll find much. Dumbledore told us at the Prefect meeting that that is where they put the old periodicals of the Daily Prophet."
Sirius, Remus, and Peter pouted. Sirius stuck out his tongue, as Lily laughed.
Remus sighed. "Oh well. It was worth a shot Padfoot, Wormtail. Damn. New plan."
James shrugged. "Hey, that's okay. You'll find another soon. There are so many in Hogwarts." He turned back to his chess game.
Lily smiled. "Dumb move, Jamesie." James looked down.
"What? Why?"
"Checkmate, Sherlock. Anyone hungry?"
Lily got up to head toward the Great Hall, leaving James to stare at the chessboard.
~*~
Later that night, before everyone was asleep, Juliet and Lily were turning down their beds. Juliet suddenly stopped and put her hand to her head.
Lily turned. "What's wrong Jules? Is everything okay?"
"No, I forgot my homework on Remus' desk. My 'current events' project for my History of Magic class. Geez, I've got to get it." Juliet started to get changed, but Lily stopped her.
"Hey, don't change. I'll get it for you. I still have to go to the Prefect bathroom to brush my teeth anyway. I'll pick it up when I come back." Juliet thanked Lily and crawled into bed.
After taking a shower and brushing her teeth, the pajama-clad Lily headed over to the guys' dorm and knocked softly. Peter answered the door groggily. He squinted for a second before rubbing his eyes to see who was at the door.
"Lily? That you? What do you need?"
"Hey, sorry Peter. I need to pick up something for Juliet from Remus' desk. She needs it desperately." Peter ushered her in quietly and Lily walked toward the far side of the room.
James looked up from his Quidditch magazine. "Ah, what brings you here, Lils?" he asked, grinning. "Trying to entice me with your pajamas?"
She threw him a mock seductive glance. "I definitely don't need pajamas for that," she replied, laughing. Remus, who heard why Lily was here, raised his eyebrows from his desk. He walked over to Lily with Juliet's homework and the Daily Prophet.
"Is there some James-Lily flirting thing that I should know about?" he asked curiously.
James and Lily looked at year other with laughter in their eyes. James spoke up. "Hmmm. Yep."
"We're magnetically attracted," said Lily, chuckling. "Or so Lover-Boy here thinks." They stuck their tongues out at each other.
"How interesting," said Remus. "So when the flirting stops, you'll actually like each other?"
James shook his head. "Naah, it'll never stop. Nothing's gonna happen."
"So you'll never like each other?"
"Highly doubt it," they said at the same time, and burst out laughing.
Remus threw a 'Yeah, right' look at Sirius who was making kissy-noises discreetly from his bed. Luckily, James and Lily did not see that. Lily grabbed Juliet's papers and bid the guys good night.
Walking down the stairs back to her room, Lily could not help but notice the main story on the front of the Daily Prophet.
She read with shock and disbelief as the article informed that a Dark Lord and his followers yesterday night killed nine different Muggles. Apparently, the Muggles had magical children, and that the Dark Lord was doing what he/she believed was "cleansing" the wizarding community. Utterly horrified, Lily was even more scared when she read that the killings occurred about fifteen miles from her home.
'The Dark Lord doesn't know that my parents have me, right? I mean, my parents are safe. Yeah…everything is going to be fine.' Not wanting to worry herself over something that might not ever happen, Lily folded the Daily Prophet and headed back to her dorm. She tried to think good thoughts as she placed Juliet's paper on her desk. Lily leaned over and noticed Juliet's quietly breathing body.
Lily crawled under her soft covers and shut her eyes. She couldn't, unfortunately, shut out all the scary thoughts that ran through her mind.
'My parents are safe, and I am safe. I have nothing to worry about. Nothing at all…nothing at all…" Lily sighed and drifted in an uneasy sleep.
~*~
A/N: Chapter 6 over and done with. Owww…my jaw hurts. This definitely sucks. But yeah, thanks for reading my fanfic and review if you would like. If not, that is perfectly alright too. ^-^
Thanks for everything, and be safe ff.net readers! See ya later in Chapter 7!
~ Stellar
THANKS TO MY FABULOUS REVIEWERS! I LOVE YA LOTS!
SexySam – Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I wanna know how Sophie is going to react to these new developments too…things are starting to get interesting around here. She'll probably have a fit…that would be an interesting chapter to write!
Bad Gurl – Thankful for your review and input! I am trying to make James and Lily seem as realistic as possible—I want them to be nice and cool people. Yeah, Sophie really gets on my nerves…hmm, slapping doesn't sound that bad, really…^-^
Thistlemeg – Hey! Very glad that you reviewed and read! My trusty reviewer since day 1! Thanks for everything! Yeah, Chapter 4 just kind of popped out of nowhere! Seriously, James is such a nice guy in this story…I want him too! I truly wonder if guys like him exist…I sure hope so. Oh gosh, sorry your spring break is nearly over (or over by the time you read this). Yeah, just starting mine, but in total pain from my teeth. Meh. Glad you like the Quidditch Match (definitely a writer's challenge, I tell ya!) and the gradual build-up of my L/J romance. Lots of flirting first, probably. I sort of have a timeline of this story is going to turn out. Anyway, thanks for the review! ^-^
Pink – Gosh! Thanks so much for the compliment! I definitely don't deserve it! Thanks for reading my story and reviewing! I am very happy that you like it so far! Here's chapter 6! Read again soon!
Quinn – Yep, the beginning of the L/J has finally arrived! Woo-hoo…but be prepared for the long haul, it might be a while…or might not ^-^ Thanks for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it!
Skye – Thanks for the reading and reviewing! I am very happy that you like my story so far! I'll write as fast as I can think of ideas!
Quack Quack 88 – Thanks for reading my story, and I am glad you like it! The Quidditch match was quite a challenge to write, and I am glad it was realistic, they way it turned out. As for the dancing scene…that is how I wanted to portray it. I have seen the Grease scene which you speak of, but I wanted L/J to have more of a "slow-dancing amidst fast-dancers" type scene. Something special, contrasting the fast time and beat of everyone to the slowing-down of time for them. So yeah…but thanks for the constructive criticism! I appreciate it very much! Thanks for reading again.
Sirena Oculare – Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked it! I'm writing as fast as I can!
Thanks again! See you all in Chapter 7! ^-^
A tad bit late…just got my wisdom teeth out, so I'm quite "drugged out" and not altogether there. Lots of pain. Ouch. So quite sorry if there are some spelling errors or such.
But alas, Spring Break = lots of writing time. Ooo, I gotta think of some new plot twists. Hope you enjoy reading Chapter 6!
ALSO (MUY IMPORTANTE): Anonymous reviews are welcome now too. I am sorry, before, if anyone wanted to review and they couldn't (or wouldn't) with out logging in. So yeah…review if you would like unobstructed by the stupid "no anonymous reviews" rules now. ^-^
Enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
James' contentment after beating Ravenclaw lasted for about a week. People were still coming up to him in corridors and congratulating him. Even Ravenclaws were remarking on the quality of his flying this early in the season. James had always been an exceptional flyer, ever since he was on the team second year, but the compliments that he got for maintaining his talent were gratifying and humbly received. For the whole week, James felt as though someone had plastered a grin onto his face, because he couldn't get rid of it. Even the Slytherins couldn't think of anything obnoxious to say, partly because they were so amazed. Well, almost all of them...
"Oh look, if it isn't everybody's little hero," said Snape acidly one morning, as James was making his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Snape was with his little gang, and they were walking in an intimidating group down the corridor towards the Hall. All of them chuckled at Snape's sarcastic words. James sighed and walked past them, but Snape grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Quick as a flash, James reciprocated the action and grabbed Snape and flipped him over his shoulder. Snape landed on the ground with a thud.
"Forgot to tell you," said James amiably. "Besides Quidditch, I attend wizard defensive arts classes in the summer. For about, oh, nine years now." James turned to Snape's friends who were staring at him, and the dazed Snape, in awe. "What are you guys staring at? Come on, run along." He pulled out his wand threateningly. The Slytherins glared at him, but moved away.
"Impressive, Mr. Potter," said a voice from behind him, the door to the Great Hall.
"Thank you, Mr. Lupin. Have you had breakfast?"
"Yep." Remus smiled at James as they walked toward the Gryffindor table. Juliet was already seated with Peter and they were busy helping themselves from the large toast platter. James took a seat next to Juliet, and scooped some scrambled eggs onto his plate. Remus continued to speak.
"And where, may I ask, did you learn those impressive moves?"
James smiled and replied, "You know that my father works for the Ministry. He just thought that I should enroll in some self-defense classes, you know, just in case something happened to him or mom. That I should protect myself."
Juliet turned a curious eye, and James explained to her about how flipped Snape in the hallway. Juliet listened as James recounted the various self- defense courses he had taken as a child. As a taller man now, he was fully capable of protecting himself and others in dire situations. He continued speaking to Remus.
"And the fact I have my wand…well, that's just more help. Hopefully I can put some of this Hogwarts stuff to good use!" Everyone laughed as James checked his watch again. It said 8:57 am. James' eyes got wide.
"Oh crap, I'm late. Hey guys, I'll catch you later. Tell Sirius that too, if he ever comes down." James grabbed two lemon-cranberry scones and began racing out of the Hall. He nearly collided with four third years as he continued down the hallway, his robe sailing behind him. Remus and Peter stared at the frantic James, bewildered.
"Where's he going? Doesn't he remember his class doesn't start for another half and hour?"
Remus shrugged. "I worry about James sometimes." He chuckled.
~*~
James rushed out of the Great Hall and back towards the Gryffindor Tower. He had to go back to his room for his notebook before he headed for his tutorial session that day.
'Oh my God, I can't believe I almost forgot!' James thought frantically, rushing through the Portrait Hole and going up to his room. Jumping three stairs at a time, James slammed open the door, to find a still sleeping Sirius, and ran over to his desk. He grabbed his notebook and quietly shut the door this time.
Once leaving the Portrait Hole though, James was faced with another obstacle, hindering his mad dash to the Charms classrooms.
Sophie Welles.
Mentally sighing, James hoped to ignore or slip past the obnoxious Ravenclaw who was dawdling outside the Gryffindor Tower. James ducked his head and quickened his pace.
"Oh! James! What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?" asked Sophie loudly, smiling a bright smile and putting her hands to her cheeks.
James threw a confused glance around. "Uhh, I live here. This is the Gryffindor Tower. What are you doing here?" He continued to walk soundly out of the area. Sophie followed him.
"Oh, you know, just taking a stroll around the grounds. Are you busy?" She inquired, keeping up, much to James' dismay, to his own fast gait.
"At the moment, yes. I am really late right now."
James' apprehension and evasiveness did not stop Sophie though. In fact, his "hard-to-get" attitude only fueled her desire for him. She grabbed his hand as James recoiled in shock. She squeezed it.
"So I heard that Sirius asked Emily Hoffburg to Hogsmeade next week. I bet all they're going to do is snog. I wondering if you wanted to join them, you know, like a double date. And possibly more." Sophie batted her eyelashes and smiled at the students passing, as if to show off the fact she was holding James' hand.
James took that moment to extricate his hand from Sophie's tight grasp and answer, "Yeah, I heard that's what Sirius did, but, um, I have lots to do that day, and I don't think that would be such a good idea. Yeah, definitely not a good idea." His mother's birthday was the following Wednesday after Hogsmeade, and he had plans on finding her a gift that day. And those plans DEFINITELY did not include snogging Sophie Welles.
Sophie pouted. "Oh, but why not? I'll make it worth your while, James." She began to rub his arm, hoping to feel the muscle there.
That statement scared James even more. "Stop…I have to go…bye…" He ran down the corridor and out of Sophie's sight.
"Owl me later! I love you!" She yelled, to James' fleeting shadow.
~*~
Walking down the busy mezzanine towards they Charms classrooms, Lily Evans blocked out the loquacious people surrounding her, as she became more and more enraptured in her book. It was a Muggle tale, about some wuthering heights or such, but it was very well written. Lily continued walking slowly, avoiding the other students, as she headed for her extracurricular tutorial session.
After Dumbledore first told her about those opportunities, she received her schedule for her extra classes. There were not that many, she only chose three, but they were fascinating. Each class mainly consisted of only four or five students per each professor, and the subjects ranged from expert flying, to wandless magic, to extremely esoteric, but useful, Charms. It was awesome, and Lily couldn't get enough of it.
She looked back down to her book and was just about to turn the page when a tall figure ran into her from behind and nearly pushed her off course.
"Whoa…careful…" The figure turned around and apologized.
"Damn, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—Lily?" The astonished figure stopped in mid-sentence.
Lily looked up and found herself staring straight into James' eyes.
"James?"
"Oh geez…"
With a bemused smile, Lily replied, "Goodness James, do you always crash into people in the hallways for fun?" She closed her book and started walking again, with James following her much slower gait. He threw her a rueful smile.
"Sorry about that, Lils. Thought I was late going to the class. Hey…aren't you late too? I mean, it's about 9:15 now." He had a worried look on his face as her started to walk faster and glance at his watch.
Not speeding up from her current pace, Lily sighed and placed her hand on James' arm. "Slow down, buddy. Class doesn't start until 9:30 today, remember? There is no need to rush—we have plenty of time." James breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down.
"Oh, I think I remember what Crogh said at last week's meeting. Can't believe I could have forgotten something that important. Must have mowed down a bunch of second years trying to get to class on time." He chuckled at his foolishness as he and Lily turned down another doorway and started heading toward the empty Charms classrooms. He felt a pang of hunger, and reached into his pocket for his napkin full of scones. James pulled it out and began eating the large pastry.
Lily turned her head. "That isn't by chance a lemon scone, is it?" She peered over James' arm hungrily.
James nodded and offered her the other scone. "Tad but hungry?" he asked as he watched Lily devour the pastry in nearly one bite.
Lily smiled and thanked him profusely. "I missed breakfast this morning because I had to drop my tutee's essay back to his dorm. I'm famished!" she mumbled as she took another large bite of her scone. The pair walked in companionable silence until they reached their designated Charms classroom.
Their teacher, Professor Crogh, did not teach Charms, but the classrooms were fairly large and deserted, so that is what they used for the tutorial sessions on the weekends.
Approaching the classroom, Lily reached the door and opened it.
James didn't go in and said, "Ladies first." He stuck out his hand and waited for Lily to pass through.
Lily, holding the door, had an exasperated look on her face. "James, I'm holding the door. Just get inside." She was smirking.
"But—"
"No buts, James. Just walk through the door…please?" Lily sighed as she continued to hold open the classroom door. James smiled and bowed his head.
"Yes, ma'am." They pair entered the classroom.
~*~
"That's it. I give up. This 'witch' stuff sucks. I'm going off to work on a traveling circus." Lily grumbled as she sat down on a desk, rubbing her eyes and yawning. James walked closer to her from where they were working across the room.
"Now, now Lils. That's not the way to act. You should be excited…you are a learning all these awesome spells that ordinary wizards here at Hogwarts don't even have the chance at learning! Plus, you get to have yours truly for a partner three times a week too—brilliant, charming, and witty…Where's your spirit for knowledge?" James asked, trying to cheer Lily up from her 2- hour spell slump. They had been in the classroom for about two hours now, and the learning was getting tiring for Lily. The new spells drained a lot of her energy, due to the high levels of concentration each required for mastery.
Lily sighed, and slumped further in her seat. "Probably off hiding somewhere with your modesty." James chuckled and sat down next to her, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm tired. I can't believe we've only done two spells and I'm drained."
For the past two hours, Professor Crogh was introducing them to the various "joining" spells that were available to wizards and witches nowadays. The first spell was that of a 'binding' spell, if you will, which allowed the two people who performed the spell not to be able to be more than five feet apart from each other. Lily paired with Leslie Windsor, a Hufflepuff, for this spell. It did not seem as if it worked until Leslie tried walking to her desk but was physically unable to move when she got about five feet away from Lily. Lily too, was hindered when Professor Crogh asked her to retrieve his book. Though it seemed easy, the incantation for the spell was a difficult one. The pairs had to be in complete sync with each other for the spell to work.
The second charm was that of a 'health meter', to be able to check the vital signs of the person you are paired with. Professor Crogh said that is good for dangerous situations and travel when a wizard or witch was with an injured person.
Just as Lily was about to yawn again, Professor Crogh announced the third, and final, spell the group of five students would be learning that day. It was the Telepathy Spell. The professor asked if everyone could choose a partner—he was paired with the remaining one student—and they would stand across from each other. Naturally, Lily and James began to stand in front of the other.
Professor Crogh continued with his instructions. "Alright, now, on the count of three, the pairs must say 'Ingredior!' at the same time while pointing their wands at each other's head. Alright, ready?"
James waggled his eyebrows as he aimed his wand at Lily's head. Lily raised a delicate eyebrow in return and pointed at James' head too.
"Alright…one…two…THREE!"
The pairs throughout the room yelled "Ingredior!" and suddenly Lily felt a giant rush of energy pass through her body. There was a twinge of pain in head.
*Are you alright, Lily? *
Lily looked up in a flash to James, who was smiling. It seemed as though the telepathy spell worked, for she heard James' voice clearly in her mind. Lily laughed out loud. She replied to James via his mind.
*Doing well, Mr. Potter. Just the sudden rush threw me off balance. Gosh, this is incredibly weird. *
James nodded. *Weird yes, but quite handy at times. Hmmm, think of all the possibilities! No more note passing…making fun of people without actually saying anything…this'll definitely freak Sirius out! *
*Yeah, but not only do I have to hear you annoying voice everyday, I can now hear it unobstructed in my mind too! *
James stuck out his tongue. *Meanie.* They laughed.
After a few more minutes of "speaking", Professor Crogh told the students to say "Relinquo" to release their partner's voice. They had to follow the same procedure as starting the cast. The pairs yelled "Relinquo" at the same time, and they promptly left each other's minds. Professor said class was dismissed, and that they would meet the same time next week.
~*~
While James and Lily were busy in their tutorial sessions, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were causing trouble of their own at Hogwarts. Juliet was busy finishing her homework in the Common Room when the trio left.
They managed to sneak around some more of the castle, casually "borrowing" James' invisibility cloak of course, before the returned back in the afternoon to see James and Lily.
Sirius, during one of his detentions, managed to discover another secret passageway in between the library and the wall the to the left of its entrance. Using Peter as a diversion, the pair were touching and pushing all the stone blocks on the wall. It seemed as if their work was to no avail until one of the blocks pushed in and the wall began to move.
The wall began to shift and shape as a large block protruded out further than the others on the wall. There was a keyhole there, which probably opened the room. Obviously, since the two guys did not have the key, they could not enter. They tried hitting it keyhole and placing other objects in it to pick the lock, but it would not budge from its place. It was a very strong lock to a very strong door.
They were just about to work on the hinges of the "door", Peter's voice rang out in the near-empty hallway.
"You guys! McGonagall!"
Sirius sighed. "Dammit! Alright, Moony, help me push this wall back. It deserves another looking later. Geez, perfect timing." The pair pushed the wall back in place just in time Professor McGonagall strolled by them.
Remus and Sirius and Peter put on their most angelic faces as the professor walked by them with a raised eyebrow. Remus began whistling as Sirius brushed some dust off of his robe.
Professor McGonagall said, "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Everything alright?" They trio nodded their heads profusely.
Professor McGonagall continued down the hallway as the three began quickly running back to the Common Room to tell everyone about their latest discovery.
~*~
Having arrived back from class, James and Lily joined Juliet in the Common Room. Juliet smiled and waved and inquired how their classes went this afternoon. Lily told her about the new spells they have learned and how she wanted to join a travelling circus. Juliet laughed at Lily's new plan.
"So yeah, don't know where the guys went. Probably off getting into detention, as usual. Been sitting here trying to finish my homework. At least SOMEONE cares about their grades around here, besides you guys." She nodded in the direction of the Portrait Hole where Remus, Sirius, and Peter left about an hour before. She turned back to her essay.
Having finished their work earlier, James challenged Lily to a game of chess, since they had some time to spare. Lily agreed, warily, but sat down to play anyway.
James was crestfallen to find that Lily was better than him at chess – she told him she had had practice playing with her older sister, Petunia. Usually Lily was a mediocre chess player, lesser skilled then James, but it seemed as if she practiced a lot over the summer. She was making some good moves and was slowly beating James.
Unless James' eyes were deceiving him, he could have also sworn that Lily looked less-than-joyful when her sister was mentioned.
"Let me guess,' said James quietly. "You still don't get on well with Petunia. Does she still taunt you about being a witch?"
"It's a hate-hate relationship," said Lily, and then realizing what he had said, she said "How did you know that?" Lily has never told anyone besides Juliet the true elements about her family life, since it was private and painful. Lily was shocked to hear that James realized that Petunia taunted her at home.
"Elementary, my dear Lily. When your sister is mentioned, there is pure hatred and pain in your pretty eyes." Lily stared at him, but he seemed not to notice.
"Very clever, Sherlock," she said, grinning. She smiled a rueful smile. James bowed and they continued on the game.
Suddenly, Sirius, Remus, and Peter rushed through the Portrait Hole.
Sirius spoke up first, out of breath. "James! Jules! Lily! You can't believe what we just discovered!"
Peter nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Another secret room! Possibly a secret passageway!"
Lily looked up in surprise and interest. "Really, is that so? Where?"
Remus began explaining how Sirius has discovered that the wall next to the library but how they could not enter because it requires a key. "We were trying to pick at it, but McGonagall came by and we had to stop."
James looked up from the chessboard. "The locked door near the library? Oh, I have the key for that. Lily does too." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring. "Here, it's this key. But I doubt you'll find much. Dumbledore told us at the Prefect meeting that that is where they put the old periodicals of the Daily Prophet."
Sirius, Remus, and Peter pouted. Sirius stuck out his tongue, as Lily laughed.
Remus sighed. "Oh well. It was worth a shot Padfoot, Wormtail. Damn. New plan."
James shrugged. "Hey, that's okay. You'll find another soon. There are so many in Hogwarts." He turned back to his chess game.
Lily smiled. "Dumb move, Jamesie." James looked down.
"What? Why?"
"Checkmate, Sherlock. Anyone hungry?"
Lily got up to head toward the Great Hall, leaving James to stare at the chessboard.
~*~
Later that night, before everyone was asleep, Juliet and Lily were turning down their beds. Juliet suddenly stopped and put her hand to her head.
Lily turned. "What's wrong Jules? Is everything okay?"
"No, I forgot my homework on Remus' desk. My 'current events' project for my History of Magic class. Geez, I've got to get it." Juliet started to get changed, but Lily stopped her.
"Hey, don't change. I'll get it for you. I still have to go to the Prefect bathroom to brush my teeth anyway. I'll pick it up when I come back." Juliet thanked Lily and crawled into bed.
After taking a shower and brushing her teeth, the pajama-clad Lily headed over to the guys' dorm and knocked softly. Peter answered the door groggily. He squinted for a second before rubbing his eyes to see who was at the door.
"Lily? That you? What do you need?"
"Hey, sorry Peter. I need to pick up something for Juliet from Remus' desk. She needs it desperately." Peter ushered her in quietly and Lily walked toward the far side of the room.
James looked up from his Quidditch magazine. "Ah, what brings you here, Lils?" he asked, grinning. "Trying to entice me with your pajamas?"
She threw him a mock seductive glance. "I definitely don't need pajamas for that," she replied, laughing. Remus, who heard why Lily was here, raised his eyebrows from his desk. He walked over to Lily with Juliet's homework and the Daily Prophet.
"Is there some James-Lily flirting thing that I should know about?" he asked curiously.
James and Lily looked at year other with laughter in their eyes. James spoke up. "Hmmm. Yep."
"We're magnetically attracted," said Lily, chuckling. "Or so Lover-Boy here thinks." They stuck their tongues out at each other.
"How interesting," said Remus. "So when the flirting stops, you'll actually like each other?"
James shook his head. "Naah, it'll never stop. Nothing's gonna happen."
"So you'll never like each other?"
"Highly doubt it," they said at the same time, and burst out laughing.
Remus threw a 'Yeah, right' look at Sirius who was making kissy-noises discreetly from his bed. Luckily, James and Lily did not see that. Lily grabbed Juliet's papers and bid the guys good night.
Walking down the stairs back to her room, Lily could not help but notice the main story on the front of the Daily Prophet.
She read with shock and disbelief as the article informed that a Dark Lord and his followers yesterday night killed nine different Muggles. Apparently, the Muggles had magical children, and that the Dark Lord was doing what he/she believed was "cleansing" the wizarding community. Utterly horrified, Lily was even more scared when she read that the killings occurred about fifteen miles from her home.
'The Dark Lord doesn't know that my parents have me, right? I mean, my parents are safe. Yeah…everything is going to be fine.' Not wanting to worry herself over something that might not ever happen, Lily folded the Daily Prophet and headed back to her dorm. She tried to think good thoughts as she placed Juliet's paper on her desk. Lily leaned over and noticed Juliet's quietly breathing body.
Lily crawled under her soft covers and shut her eyes. She couldn't, unfortunately, shut out all the scary thoughts that ran through her mind.
'My parents are safe, and I am safe. I have nothing to worry about. Nothing at all…nothing at all…" Lily sighed and drifted in an uneasy sleep.
~*~
A/N: Chapter 6 over and done with. Owww…my jaw hurts. This definitely sucks. But yeah, thanks for reading my fanfic and review if you would like. If not, that is perfectly alright too. ^-^
Thanks for everything, and be safe ff.net readers! See ya later in Chapter 7!
~ Stellar
THANKS TO MY FABULOUS REVIEWERS! I LOVE YA LOTS!
SexySam – Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I wanna know how Sophie is going to react to these new developments too…things are starting to get interesting around here. She'll probably have a fit…that would be an interesting chapter to write!
Bad Gurl – Thankful for your review and input! I am trying to make James and Lily seem as realistic as possible—I want them to be nice and cool people. Yeah, Sophie really gets on my nerves…hmm, slapping doesn't sound that bad, really…^-^
Thistlemeg – Hey! Very glad that you reviewed and read! My trusty reviewer since day 1! Thanks for everything! Yeah, Chapter 4 just kind of popped out of nowhere! Seriously, James is such a nice guy in this story…I want him too! I truly wonder if guys like him exist…I sure hope so. Oh gosh, sorry your spring break is nearly over (or over by the time you read this). Yeah, just starting mine, but in total pain from my teeth. Meh. Glad you like the Quidditch Match (definitely a writer's challenge, I tell ya!) and the gradual build-up of my L/J romance. Lots of flirting first, probably. I sort of have a timeline of this story is going to turn out. Anyway, thanks for the review! ^-^
Pink – Gosh! Thanks so much for the compliment! I definitely don't deserve it! Thanks for reading my story and reviewing! I am very happy that you like it so far! Here's chapter 6! Read again soon!
Quinn – Yep, the beginning of the L/J has finally arrived! Woo-hoo…but be prepared for the long haul, it might be a while…or might not ^-^ Thanks for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it!
Skye – Thanks for the reading and reviewing! I am very happy that you like my story so far! I'll write as fast as I can think of ideas!
Quack Quack 88 – Thanks for reading my story, and I am glad you like it! The Quidditch match was quite a challenge to write, and I am glad it was realistic, they way it turned out. As for the dancing scene…that is how I wanted to portray it. I have seen the Grease scene which you speak of, but I wanted L/J to have more of a "slow-dancing amidst fast-dancers" type scene. Something special, contrasting the fast time and beat of everyone to the slowing-down of time for them. So yeah…but thanks for the constructive criticism! I appreciate it very much! Thanks for reading again.
Sirena Oculare – Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked it! I'm writing as fast as I can!
Thanks again! See you all in Chapter 7! ^-^