...Winding Path...
By Zetta
Summary: James Potter's had a rough year, and when he decided he needs a break from being an Auror, Albus Dumbledore comes up with an interesting proposition....
Characters: James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Sybil Trelawney, Taura Sinastra, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, and more!
Rating: PG-13
Sybil and Lily settle down for a chat about friendship and men... Remus and Peter make their way up to visit Sirius and James... And what's all that about a dinner at Hogwarts...
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thank you so much for your continuing reviews. You have no idea how much it means to me. I have never gotten so many reviews before, and I feel so honored
that it makes me tear up... I've been having a bit of a tough time with college and with life in general, and though I'm not good about saying it, I really do appreciate your support. Between
your wonderful reviews and the fantastic news that book 5 would finally be released, I'm slowly managing to get back into this. Please forgive me for the delay, and thank you so much for your
support!!
Please also note that I re-wrote much of the prologue because I was rather unhappy with it-I'd appreciate all comments on it!
Chapter Five
Sybil had been distant lately.
She'd been distant before, plagued by her "visions" from dreams and from however she chose to inspect the future, but it had never been quite the same. Usually that meant that on the occasions that they ran into each other in the halls, Sybil would act quite oddly, going on and on about her visions.
But this time, Lily had seen her twice, and Sybil had offered her a terse smile and kept on walking.
At the staff meeting the previous day, Sybil had taken Lily's normal seat next to James and let her sit on the couch with Taura. Afterwards, she had just gone right up to her quarters and told the stairs not to let anyone up. Even Taura had commented upon her odd behavior when Lily had mentioned it.
Lily was frowning as she slowly made her way down the hallways. Classes were done for the day, and Sybil had not come down for dinner. Lily hadn't seen her all day long, and the two usually made it a point to see each other at least once- it went back to the days when they hadn't had any other friends, and had needed to see each other to remind themselves they weren't alone.
Something was very wrong if Sybil had gone two days without doing more than giving her a stiff nod as she raced past her in the hallway.
Lily got to the little area where Sybil's room was, and commanded the steps down. She'd had classes earlier in the day, so the steps came down immediately, bringing with them a rush of warm, scented air. Lily climbed up the ladder, a little grateful for the heat- the rest of the castle was quite chilly.
Sybil was seated at a table by the window, her eyes staring deep into the crystal ball in front of her. She made a motion with her finger, indicating for Lily to wait a moment, and for a full minute, she did not speak.
Lily was used to it, and went to make tea over the fire. By the time she'd poured them each a cup, and took a seat across the table from Sybil, the other woman was looking up and studying her with her wide eyes.
"Hey," Lily greeted her, sliding a cup across the table.
Sybil took it, her long, slim fingers wrapping all the way around it. "Lily," she said, nodding her head slightly. "I knew you'd visit soon. I forgot to start the tea earlier."
Lily shrugged. "No matter. How was your day?"
Sybil stared at her but remained quiet.
There were times when she did not like to deal with small talk, and this, apparently, was one of those times.
Lily sighed. "Is something wrong, Sybil? I've barely seen you lately, and I don't know what's wrong."
Sybil looked down at the steaming cup of tea. "I have seen things," she murmured. "I don't like them."
Lily fought back another sigh, this one of relief. So it was just another thing like *that*. She'd been worried that it was something important.
As if reading her mind, Sybil looked up again, her eyes full of worry. "Believe me, Lily. I don't say this to frighten you, but... You have to stay away from James Potter."
Lily blinked. "That might be rather difficult, since his classroom is next to mine."
Sybil didn't blink- she didn't look away, either. "Something terrible will happen if you get close to him. I don't know what exactly, it's all very unclear."
Lily studied Sybil for a long moment, feeling truly annoyed, but not wanting to offend her best friend. "Do you like James, Syb?"
Sybil closed her eyes. "He has a haunted past. It clouds his mind. I don't, not really."
Lily was disappointed, and a little unsettled. Sybil's opinion meant a lot to her, and to hear that she didn't like the man that Lily was so very interested in... It wasn't odd that Sybil didn't like someone, but usually, she would make some sarcastic comment about why when she didn't... not allude to some psychic experience. "Why not?"
"I've seen bad things about him," Sybil answered.
Lily sat back in her chair. "In the crystal ball?" she asked, annoyed. "Isn't Divination an interpretive sort of thing?"
Sybil met her gaze, her eyes suddenly rather frosty. "In my dreams, Lily. I saw such horrible things, in my dreams. It was as bad as when the Dark Lord struck against my parents. Lily, you must stay away from him, or you're going to die horribly."
Despite the fact that she was so wary of Sybil's predictions, Lily still felt a shiver rush through her- it wasn't a pleasant experience being told that she would die a gruesome death. But the fact remained that Sybil had made countless predictions before, and there was absolutely nothing that made this one special.
Except that it was the first that she'd ever said that Lily would die too.
"Sybil," she said quietly, shifting and giving her friend a long look. "You know I love you and you're my best friend, but I'm not going to stay away from him. He's a perfectly nice guy, and I like him a lot. I'm not saying that I'll go out of my way and jump into bed with him or anything, but I'm not going to avoid him on the basis of a few silly dreams. You probably just ate something that didn't sit well, and it gave you weird dreams."
Sybil looked away, clearly still worried. But she nodded slightly. "Very well."
"Are we okay?" Lily asked tentatively. "Because I wanted to ask you if you'd like to join us in Hogsmeade this weekend. Taura's looking to buy some new robes for the coming holidays, and James told me that a few of his friends would be in for the weekend." She gave her a grin. "You do remember Remus Lupin, right?"
It brought a smile to Sybil's face. "Yes. Your crush of so long."
Lily laughed. "Well, last I saw of him, he was still very handsome... And Sirius said that he's still single."
Sybil nodded a little, unable to hide the shy grin she still got when she was thinking of a man. Lily thought it was very sweet. "Fine, I'll come. But if I somehow end up getting stuck alone with Black, I swear I'll do something quite drastic."
Lily nodded and grinned. "Excellent. I swear we won't leave you. Now, I wanted to ask you a favor... Martin Goyle was making fun of a few little first years the other day. Could you do me a favor and tell him you've foreseen his gruesome death?"
Sybil studied her for a long moment, shaking her head. "The Inner Eye is not meant to be used as a joke or revenge. However, since you asked so nicely... Rampaging Hippogriffs or a tragic broom accident?"
*..:..*..:..*..:..*..:..*..:..*
Taura giggled at the bar, and Sirius glanced up, sending her a bit of a longing look. He also tried to send her a mental message: Save me! Save me! Save me!
He wasn't sure what was worse. The look Remus was giving Taura that she was returning, the quiet flirting that James and Lily were taking part of, or the fact that even Peter had found a woman to chat up-though she was even shorter than he was, and about twice as wide as she was tall.
Sybil did not look pleased by any of it either, and he decided it was probably the only thing they had in common- dislike of any situation in which they were the third wheel- or in this case, the seventh and eighth.
According to James, Sybil was supposed to go for Remus or Peter, leaving Lily for James (when he was "ready"), and Taura for him, Sirius.
It wasn't working, and it hadn't worked last time, either.
Sirius was getting more than a little irritated. He took a long drink of his beer and gave Sybil a terse smile. "So," he said in the friendliest way possible, remembering that last time they'd talked, she'd walked out on him. "How's the weather been?"
She looked at him, looking mildly irritated. "Cold. It's getting colder." She went back to looking out the window.
Ouch. Well, that wasn't very friendly.
Lily was smirking across the table. "It does seem a little icy in here, doesn't it?"
James gave Sirius a more sympathetic look. "Want another beer?" he offered.
"Sure," Sirius said, and sent him a scowl. "And you're buying."
James slid out of the booth, and Sirius followed his example, and the two went up to the bar.
"I'm not liking this habit of yours," Sirius informed him, letting his annoyance show. "She may be Lily's friend, but she's damn obnoxious, and weird."
James snorted. "The same could be said about you. And how can she be obnoxious? She's barely said a word all night!" And then, to Albert, the aging barkeeper, he added, "Four more butterbeers, please."
Sirius leaned on the bar and looked over at Remus and Taura, who were engrossed in a conversation. "I don't get it," he complained. "Moony even looks sick, yet she's all over him."
The flirting couple was standing with nearly a meter of space between them, but that was still close, wasn't it? Minor detail that even he and James were standing closer. Frowning, Sirius inched back a bit. James didn't notice.
James dug some gold out of his pockets and set it on the counter. "It's the wounded thing," he explained. "Women run to him for it."
Sirius took in James's face. James still looked very tired, and there was much tension in his every move. Obviously, he was still in the "wounded" category as well, because Lily was damn near all over him.
Of course, then he remembered James telling him about the conversation Lily and he had had where they decided to not move any further for a while, and Sirius decided that wounded wasn't always a good thing.
They fell quiet until Albert returned and handed them their mugs. "You want to sit next to Lily this time?" James asked, clearly not wanting to switch seats.
Sirius sent him a smirk. "Gee, thanks for offering. I think I will."
It wasn't necessary, as Taura and Remus returned then too, and Taura slid in the booth next to Lily. Remus sat next to her, and that left only the two places next to Sybil. "On second thought," Sirius murmured, sliding the drinks onto the table. He slid in and sat next to Sybil and across from Taura. James got stuck on the outside, across from Remus, and as far from Lily as was possible.
Sirius rationalized splitting them up with no problem- Lily had said that she wanted to wait a while, hadn't she? And Remus and Taura weren't even dating, right?
But somehow, he knew he didn't have a chance in hell in either woman's case.
The hours passed by, and they all had a bit more to drink- and then a little more, and a little more…
But as the hour grew late, the women began exchanging looks that could mean only one thing: They were ready to go home, and none of the males in the group were going with them.
Taura was the one to finally give up. She pushed Remus out of the booth and pulled Lily out with her. "Come on, Syb," she sighed. "It's late, I'm tired, and if I drink anymore I'm going to end up with one helluva hangover in the morning."
Not that it was a bad thing, but as giggly as Lily was, it appeared that she would already be having one of those hangovers.
Sirius and James slipped out of the booth and let Sybil out, and then the three men sat back down again.
"Good night," Lily said with a wide-eyed look on her face. She'd just tried to take a few steps and had been startled when her legs hadn't gone exactly where she'd thought they were going.
Taura snickered at her, then glanced at the men at the table. "Night, gentlemen and Sirius."
"Night ladies," Remus said politely, looking very amused. The others echoed it, though Sirius gave Taura an annoyed look.
"I foresee a lot of vomiting in the morning," Sybil said, straight faced as they began trying to help Lily walk.
Surprised she had a sense of humor, however pathetic it was, Sirius snorted with laughter.
Lily scowled. "Oh, shush up, Syb. I'm just a little dizzy, that's all."
"She'll be making friends with the porcelain goddess come morning," Taura agreed. "Even I'll admit to foreseeing that."
Much to the amusement of the three men, Lily sent a rude gesture in her direction before they giggled their way out the door.
James shook his head a bit and finished off his drink. "Charming group, don't you think?"
"I was quite interested," Peter said as he joined them, sitting next to Remus and across from Sirius. He carried with him a bottle of whiskey. "Would you believe that that woman nearly beat me up because I said I didn't want to sleep with her?"
The other three exchanged looks. "No," they said together.
Peter snorted. "Well, it's true. But she was kind of annoying and clingy, so I didn't."
Sirius took the bottle from Peter and began filling everyone's glasses. "Likely story."
Peter sneered at him. "At least I didn't have to sit around on my ass, like a dick, and talk with Sybil."
Sirius nearly growled. "Sod off, you little-"
"Such language," James said automatically, stopping them. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Then he winced. "Probably not, eh?" He took a long drink.
So did Sirius. His mother had been dead for some time now, but it was still a rather tasteless comment. If it had been from anyone but James, he probably would have said so.
"You've been rather quiet tonight, Sirius," Remus observed to change the subject, swirling his drink around. "Anything the matter?"
Sirius shrugged. "Feeling a bit deprived, and very ready to find a woman, but that's about it."
"Thanks so much for sharing," Peter grumbled. "You make it sound like you have a woman every night, and it's killing you not to tonight."
Sirius smirked slowly. "You met Rosmerta, Albert's daughter? She's twenty years old, from the Highlands, and has frequented my apartment every night for the past week."
"Congratulations," Remus said, looking annoyed- he did not approve of sleeping with a woman if she was nothing more than a fling. "That's a fabulous thing- will you add another notch to the bedpost?"
Sirius would have likely told him yes, but noticed James was pouring yet another shot of fire whisky into his glass. He frowned. "Planning on getting rip-roaring sotted, Jim-Bo?"
James shrugged. "Possibly. Haven't decided quite yet. Depends if you and Remie-Poo are going to keep at it all night."
Remus grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "Depends on if Petie-Pie is going to keep his mouth shut and not help me."
Peter scowled at the nick name, just as much as the other two had- of course, he still had to come up with a good name for Sirius, and there wasn't much that flowed together properly… "Depends if ickle-Siri's gonna shut his trap or not."
Sirius shrugged. "Unlikely."
"I concur," Remus said with a grin.
"I wish otherwise, but I'll drink to that," James said, raising his glass.
The others followed suit.
"So what's the deal?" Peter asked, setting his mostly empty glass down- he didn't really like whiskey, but the other three preferred it, unless there was good beer available- and the Three Broomsticks was not known for anything but Butterbeer, so… He looked over at James. "Why're you so depressed today. Sirius said you were getting better."
Sirius kicked him under the table as James gave them all an amused look. "How sweet. You're all checking up on me." He set his drink down and leaned back against the seat, drumming his fingers on the table. "Got a letter from the solicitor today," he said, deciding to oblige them and let them in on the secrets of his unhappiness. "One of the ventures dad went in on before he died hit the pay dirt. I've got to go into London of the winter holidays and get it taken care of."
Peter was puzzled. "That's a good thing though, isn't it?"
James nodded a bit. "Just reminded me a bit too much of Dad. He told me a little about the investment, but I wasn't paying attention- we were watching a Quidditch Match between Puddlemere and Wimborne. It was a week before..." James trailed off, sighing.
Sirius scowled- he still believed that James should have played Quidditch instead of being an Auror, but that was life, wasn't it? He concentrated on the subject at hand. "Is it a bad thing that you remembered him?"
James emulated Remus and began swirling his drink as he thought about it. Finally, he shrugged, leaning back against the booth. "Probably not. No, because, well, I miss him. Yes, because it still hurts pretty bad when I do remember him."
"It's not gonna be sunshine and daisies," Remus said practically. "It's been, what, three months? Considering everything, you're doing damn good to be this well off."
James shrugged. "Well. Maybe. 'Course, there's more to it than that."
"What else?" Peter asked, puzzled.
James paused to take another drink, then gave Sirius a slightly amused, slightly annoyed look. "I don't like sitting on the sidelines very much. All that's been going on with Voldemort, it's driving me mad that I can't do anything."
Remus nodded a little. "Been reading the paper lately, have you?"
Peter gave Sirius a look as well, then frowned at James. "Or was it listening to Sirius blabber on and on?"
James shrugged. "Probably a bit of both." Sirius fought a smirk back. He was glad to hear that was paying off after all... James continued. "But the thing is, I don't want to go back, not yet. I don't like the fact that I'm not out there doing something, but I don't think I could deal with it if something… Well, if something like last time happened. Yet *not* doing anything is just as bad."
Sirius frowned. "You talk to Dumbledore about it? He's probably got something you could do."
James shrugged. "He's done a lot for me already. I don't want to bother him."
Sirius wouldn't let him finish that thought. "He'd be happy to do something like that for you, Jimmy-boy. Aside from the rather disturbing fact that there aren't many who would volunteer to help, he knows you're loyal to him, and that's all he needs from you. Ask him and I'm sure he'll come up with something for you to do."
James shrugged and sighed. "I probably will." They fell quiet for a while, then James looked up with a small grin. "So, have I always been such a blathering prat?"
Snorts of laugher. "Certainly," Sirius assured him. "Haven't I always told you that?"
Peter laughed. "If he believed everythign you told him, he'd have-uh, I don't know, had to do a lot of dumb things."
Sirius gave him a friendly sneer. "Nice one, Pete. First class."
Peter flushed a little.
James rolled his eyes and took a drink, and Remus looked to Peter, changing the subject. "How's the new job going?"
"New job?" James asked with a frown.
Peter looked a little nervous. "I'm, uh, working for the Ministry now. It's kinda boring, but, hey, it pays." He laughed nervously. His friends weren't surprised by the unease of his tone and laugh- he was always in danger of losing his job, and therefore, was never one to talk much about it. This was no exception, as he quickly looked at Sirius. "How 'bout you?"
Sirius shrugged. "Bagged three a week ago, but that's about it- they've apparently figured out we know where their meeting place is, and found a new one."
"That always stinks," Remus said dryly.
Sirius shrugged, averting his eyes. "I never like it when the bad guys wisen up."
"I meant to ask you," Remus said suddenly, sitting back. "Did you all get the invitation to dinner over Christmas break with Dumbledore?"
Sirius blinked. "I'd forgotten about that- yeah, I did. What's it all about?"
Peter shrugged. "I got one too- I'm not real sure."
"You've got the Dumbledore connections," Sirius said to James, frowning. "What is it?"
James shook his head, frowning. "I didn't get an invitation, so I'm more lost than you are."
Peter dug in his pocket and a moment later, pulled out a crinkled envelope with a gold seal on it- it was not the traditional Hogwarts seal that Dumbledore used, but his personal one, a phoenix rising from the ashes.
James took it from him and opened it, frowning even more as he skimmed the short invitation.
Dear Mr Pettigrew,
I should like to request your presence at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the 26th of December, at five o'clock in the evening. Dinner will be served, followed by a meeting in which I shall explain my purpose to you and those gathered.
I sincerely hope to see you once more. Please send a reply within a few days.
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and Holder of Various Other Fancy Titles.
James snorted. "That's Albus alright. Short, to the point, and leaves you utterly clueless."
"Why weren't you invited though?" Remus wondered with a frown.
James shrugged. "It's just as well- I'd planned on going out to the solicitor and the cemetery around then. I need to see that everything is being taken care of properly."
The other three exchanged worried looks, clearly wondering if a trip to see the graves of his family was a wise idea- it would be Christmas time then, an emotionally trying time already, and the grief was still very new...
James sighed and gave them each a long look, telling them not to fret for him. "Don't worry," he said patiently, purposely mis-understanding their concerns in hopes of lightening their spirits. "I promise I won't egg any graves, and I'll leave the paint at home."
Surprised by the rather light-hearted response, the other three grinned.
A small step towards normal was always worth a grin.
kellie: Sorry for the delay, but I've finally updated!
Moony: Glad you're liking that Sybil's in it. As to Arabella being older than Lily and James, well, I go back and forth- if she's as old as I see her portrayed in the first book, there aren't
all that many ways that I cna think that Lily and James would get to know here- so, the idea of some kind of aging potion makes things a lot more interesting.
bridgits: I UPDATED! :o) Thanks for reviewing- Twice!!
Nicole: Glad you liked the vandalism scene, and glad you felt for poor Jamesie.
Musicizdbest: lol- is stuff that happens fast bad? :o) Wow, you read it all at once? I'm honored! :o) Especially honored for all of the extra reviews!
Julie Jewelrannah: Glad you "love this story"!
Preppygirl: Sorry, I got slow!
Slytherin Sweetheart: More embarassing situations? I'll work something out, I promise... Maybe. And Sybil's situation will be revealed as I get more towards the end.
sammi: Glad you like the story, sorry for the delay in updates.
Aileron: What, you don't like sexy!snogging!James? :o) lol- glad you like the way he's portrayed, but I'll warn you that he'll probably get mushy later on. I'm a sucker for mushiness. You're
reading the chapters out of order? Wow, that's unusual. :o) I don't think i could handle doing that with *any* story... Glad you're liking their professions, and thank you very much for
reviewing twice!
Got Harry?- lol, glad you like the chapter. Sorry it took me so long. It's not because I was trying for perfect, but because of my issues... lol, glad you enjoyed!
Lavender- lol, glad to hear from you. Thank you for your compliments, but I'm really not pleased with how the first chapter turned out, so yeah... :o) And I know it's awful- I'm thrilled that
I'm a bitch to him! Well, I've got a reason for James being the DADA professor, and it'll make predictable sense later on. lol, you started to believe I sucked? What made you stop? lol, I'll talk to
you later. Thanks for reviewing!!
thewalrus- I'll try to work on Sybil's character, but I'm really trying to make sure it's not all about her- it's an L/J story, but she's an important char. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll
certainly try to work on that!
Iris cream- lol, short reviews are cool, so thanks!
Rider of Rohan- Lord of the Rings fan? Cool beans. :o) Glad you liked "Cupid". It seemed like something a young girl would name her first own, so... :o) As to "mudblood"
with a lowercase letter, I did that on purpose- it's supposed to be written that way on the wall, with the lowercase letter. I know it was supposed to be capitalized because it was at the beginning of
the senteance. Hope I haven't turned you off the story forever!
alexz- lol, glad you're enjoying.
Twisted Rose- Glad you're liking!
mogliecat- Ah, a reviewer from other stories! Thanks for checking this one out! Glad you like the way it's going, and hope you continue enjoying.
Emily Woodmark- AGlad you're liking!
Quack Quack 88- lol- I don't know about perfectly done, but thank you very much. lol, "No one could have written this as well as you did." *blushes* I feel special... :o) Glad St.
Lily is gone. Please feel free to let me know if she returns!
Jemi Fal- Another review for me? I feel special! Glad you wanted to cry - I mean that in a good way- and glad you're glad the new chapter came out.
mooncancer- lol, sorry for the delay on the update, but I'm working as fast as I can. I'll try and hurry up the romance, but no promises!
BluMoo- Glad you're feeling sorry for Sybil... We'll see how long that lasts. *wicked grin* Anyway... I think likeable is a word... I'm too lazy to check right now though. Thanks for reviewing!
Again, thank you all so much for reviewing. I really appreciate your continued support, it truly means a lot to me. I can't believe I've gotten this many reviews!
:o)
If you're planning on gracing me with a review for this chapter, here are a few things I was wondering about...
-Does Sirius's frustration but acceptance of the situation at the bar work out okay? I want to be clear that he's a bit annoyed at being shoved aside by his friends, but willing to put up with it.
-What did you think of the male bonding at the end? Was that believable? Did their conversation make sense? Is James's healing making sense? Is it going at a good speed? Is everything going smoothly between them?
-Did the ending play out okay? I wasn't sure about ending the chapter in the way it turned out, but I wanted it to be somewhat light-hearted.
-I'm interested in comments about how James is dealing and should be dealing with his grief- any advice on what he should be feeling right about now?
-What about when he goes to see the graves of his family? I'm also interested in opinions on when you think he would be ready to look for a relationship with Lily.
Any comments you want to make are more than welcome! Please!!!
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