Chapter 5-Stronger Than a Butterbeer
"Please Mum?"
"Sure honey,"
"Oh! Ple- what did you just say?" Lily asked surprised.
"I said of course you can go,"
"But..." Lily said confused, "But I want to go to a party,"
"Yes I know,"
"In London,"
"Yes I know,"
"It's Sirius's,"
"Yes I know,"
"Why aren't you stopping me?" She was so confused. Lily had gone to her mother to try to persuade her to let her go to Sirius's house-warming party in his new flat in London. He was infamous for his wild parties, and expecting to have to beg her parents, she could not understand why she was allowed to go.
"Do you want me to say no?"
"YOU CAN'T SAY NO! YOU JUST SAID YES!" Glaring at her mother's teasing smile she ran upstairs to reply to James's letter.
She made it longer than her previous letters, despite having nothing to say. Content with rambling, she talked about anything and everything, before sending it to him.
*************
Sirius flicked James's letter away............ after reading it obviously. Despite now having his own flat he was sitting on a kitchen counter as he waited for his friend to return. Casually he watched James struggle in with shopping bags, not bothering to help him.
He rummaged through the bags that James had brought in, only pausing when he was asked:
"Why are you still here?"
"Free food," he managed to say through a mouthful of sandwich, while James watched his friend eating his lunch indignantly.
"Can't you go back to your flat or something?" Grabbing what was left of his lunch form Sirius, James stalked off to his room.
"You got a letter from Evans," Without breaking stride James span around and walked back over to Sirius. Looking at him expectantly he waited for his letter,
"Oh, I threw it over there somewhere," he pointed vaguely over the other side of the room. "Don't bother, you're not missing much,"
"YOU'VE READ IT? YOU'VE READ MY PRIVATE LETTER?"
"What's your point?" James rolled his eyes and opened his letter.
"It's not one of her best, bit rambley but not all that bad I suppose," he added.
But James was not listening. Lily had just written to him. Voluntarily. And she had written more than a line, more than a page judging from her writing. It seemed as though she had written more but had changed her mind and only sent the first page as it ended half way through a sentence that she had hastily crossed out and signed, underneath, Lily. She was coming to Sirius's party and she had written to him.
He practically floated for the rest of the day.
***************
"What do you think of this?" Lily asked her sister holding a black dress.
"No. Too slutty,"
"How about this?"
"No. Too slutty,"
"This?" Asked Lily, holding up a huge woolly jumper and an old pair of ripped jeans.
"No. Too slutty,"
"Are you looking at all or are you just going to keep saying that all night?"
Petunia retorted and it turned into a huge argument. Eventually, fed up of their bickering, their parents joined in. They told Lily that she would not be going to the party and they were both grounded until told otherwise. Petunia and Lily stormed upstairs: Petunia, to phone up and complain to Vernon, Lily to grab her wand and bag and apparate to Sirius's.
Just outside his, Lily listened to the music pounding from outside, she took a deep breath and walked in.
At once the noise hit her like a brick wall. There was very loud music and the noise of people chattering. She spied Sirius and waved to him, but seeing he was chatting up a very pretty girl she tried to find someone else to talk to. She greeted her friends but walked off as she saw James. Sitting next to Remus on a couch he looked as happy as she felt. He hadn't joined in with the rest of the party. He just sat, occasionally sipping his drink and looking dismal. Joining them, she noticed Remus looked ill.
What a happy place!
She got herself a drink, sat next to James and tried to make conversation.
"Hi," was all she could think of.
"Hey Lily,"
"What's up?"
"It's nothing. What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing,"
They sat in silence for a few painful minutes, each stealing glances at the other while pretending not to notice, until James sighed and stood up to get a drink. She needed another so she went after him.
"Why are you getting your coat?"
"Because ......it's........cold........outside," he replied as though he was explaining to a child. Her expression changed from curiosity to hurt, she had only asked him a question. He shook his head and swore.
"I'm sorry Lily. I think I need something stronger than a Butterbeer,"
"Oh, thank god, me too!" she grabbed her bag and followed him.
***************
They wandered around until they found a small bar, just off Diagon Alley. James ordered their drinks and they sat in a quiet corner, drinking in silence.
"Penny for your thoughts," James said, watching her over the edge of his glass.
"I'm thinking......... I want to get so pissed,"
"Me too!" He waved for the bartender to bring them more drinks.
Judging from their happy faces, he guessed they had planned on getting very drunk and tried to put them off.
"You won't find the answer in the bottom of a glass," he told them.
"Yeah, but it's worth a look!" James whispered to Lily, who giggled causing the barman to wonder what he had said to her. They quickly drank their drinks and started on shots. Lily was starting to feel dizzy but was determined to get completely drunk. The first drinks were having no effect on James and it was driving him mad. Sure, it came in useful if he was having a drinking contest with Sirius but when he wanted to get pissed out his head it took him ages.
Looking around, all that Lily could see was a few (slightly blurry) customers, the bar and a vending machine. She never smoked, but she was so stressed it seemed like a good idea. She went back to James and lit a cigarette; he looked surprised but did not comment. Everything about her was surprising him. When he had heard that she would be going to Sirius's party, he would never have thought that he would be sitting in a bar, getting drunk with Lily Evans. Much less that she smoked.
"So, why did you look so depressed tonight?" he asked her. She snarled and stubbed out her cigarette.
"It's so stupid, it was just a family fight, that really got to me." She moaned dramatically. He nodded.
"You have a sister right?"
She paused, thinking of Petunia's bitchy comments before she'd left.
"No."
He knew she was lying but did not remark, it was obvious he had touched a very nervy nerve.
"How about you?" she asked.
"Same," Now it was James's turn to lie, but he did not want to bother her with his problems.
***************
Hours later, and Lily was completely drunk and on her third pack of cigarettes. James was still doing shots and they were starting to get to him. He smiled but stopped. Someone had to be able to think....almost clearly.
"We should be going," Lily looked up surprised, but saw his reasoning.
"Where are you going?" she slurred.
"I'm going to kip at Sirius's, but first I'll take you home."
***************
After an hour on the train, Lily was falling asleep on James's shoulder. She felt so bad, her head was spinning and she could barely see. Finally they arrived at their stop and were walking up to her house when Lily remembered that she was supposed to be in her room. Unfortunately she could not tell James this as her voice didn't seem to be working, all that came out was an indistinct blur.
He knocked on the front door and waited for one of her parents to answer.
"LILY! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?" Her mother said "Thank you for bringing her home James. Where did you find her?"
Lily had been dragged inside and the door was slammed in his face before he got to say goodbye.
"Please Mum?"
"Sure honey,"
"Oh! Ple- what did you just say?" Lily asked surprised.
"I said of course you can go,"
"But..." Lily said confused, "But I want to go to a party,"
"Yes I know,"
"In London,"
"Yes I know,"
"It's Sirius's,"
"Yes I know,"
"Why aren't you stopping me?" She was so confused. Lily had gone to her mother to try to persuade her to let her go to Sirius's house-warming party in his new flat in London. He was infamous for his wild parties, and expecting to have to beg her parents, she could not understand why she was allowed to go.
"Do you want me to say no?"
"YOU CAN'T SAY NO! YOU JUST SAID YES!" Glaring at her mother's teasing smile she ran upstairs to reply to James's letter.
She made it longer than her previous letters, despite having nothing to say. Content with rambling, she talked about anything and everything, before sending it to him.
*************
Sirius flicked James's letter away............ after reading it obviously. Despite now having his own flat he was sitting on a kitchen counter as he waited for his friend to return. Casually he watched James struggle in with shopping bags, not bothering to help him.
He rummaged through the bags that James had brought in, only pausing when he was asked:
"Why are you still here?"
"Free food," he managed to say through a mouthful of sandwich, while James watched his friend eating his lunch indignantly.
"Can't you go back to your flat or something?" Grabbing what was left of his lunch form Sirius, James stalked off to his room.
"You got a letter from Evans," Without breaking stride James span around and walked back over to Sirius. Looking at him expectantly he waited for his letter,
"Oh, I threw it over there somewhere," he pointed vaguely over the other side of the room. "Don't bother, you're not missing much,"
"YOU'VE READ IT? YOU'VE READ MY PRIVATE LETTER?"
"What's your point?" James rolled his eyes and opened his letter.
"It's not one of her best, bit rambley but not all that bad I suppose," he added.
But James was not listening. Lily had just written to him. Voluntarily. And she had written more than a line, more than a page judging from her writing. It seemed as though she had written more but had changed her mind and only sent the first page as it ended half way through a sentence that she had hastily crossed out and signed, underneath, Lily. She was coming to Sirius's party and she had written to him.
He practically floated for the rest of the day.
***************
"What do you think of this?" Lily asked her sister holding a black dress.
"No. Too slutty,"
"How about this?"
"No. Too slutty,"
"This?" Asked Lily, holding up a huge woolly jumper and an old pair of ripped jeans.
"No. Too slutty,"
"Are you looking at all or are you just going to keep saying that all night?"
Petunia retorted and it turned into a huge argument. Eventually, fed up of their bickering, their parents joined in. They told Lily that she would not be going to the party and they were both grounded until told otherwise. Petunia and Lily stormed upstairs: Petunia, to phone up and complain to Vernon, Lily to grab her wand and bag and apparate to Sirius's.
Just outside his, Lily listened to the music pounding from outside, she took a deep breath and walked in.
At once the noise hit her like a brick wall. There was very loud music and the noise of people chattering. She spied Sirius and waved to him, but seeing he was chatting up a very pretty girl she tried to find someone else to talk to. She greeted her friends but walked off as she saw James. Sitting next to Remus on a couch he looked as happy as she felt. He hadn't joined in with the rest of the party. He just sat, occasionally sipping his drink and looking dismal. Joining them, she noticed Remus looked ill.
What a happy place!
She got herself a drink, sat next to James and tried to make conversation.
"Hi," was all she could think of.
"Hey Lily,"
"What's up?"
"It's nothing. What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing,"
They sat in silence for a few painful minutes, each stealing glances at the other while pretending not to notice, until James sighed and stood up to get a drink. She needed another so she went after him.
"Why are you getting your coat?"
"Because ......it's........cold........outside," he replied as though he was explaining to a child. Her expression changed from curiosity to hurt, she had only asked him a question. He shook his head and swore.
"I'm sorry Lily. I think I need something stronger than a Butterbeer,"
"Oh, thank god, me too!" she grabbed her bag and followed him.
***************
They wandered around until they found a small bar, just off Diagon Alley. James ordered their drinks and they sat in a quiet corner, drinking in silence.
"Penny for your thoughts," James said, watching her over the edge of his glass.
"I'm thinking......... I want to get so pissed,"
"Me too!" He waved for the bartender to bring them more drinks.
Judging from their happy faces, he guessed they had planned on getting very drunk and tried to put them off.
"You won't find the answer in the bottom of a glass," he told them.
"Yeah, but it's worth a look!" James whispered to Lily, who giggled causing the barman to wonder what he had said to her. They quickly drank their drinks and started on shots. Lily was starting to feel dizzy but was determined to get completely drunk. The first drinks were having no effect on James and it was driving him mad. Sure, it came in useful if he was having a drinking contest with Sirius but when he wanted to get pissed out his head it took him ages.
Looking around, all that Lily could see was a few (slightly blurry) customers, the bar and a vending machine. She never smoked, but she was so stressed it seemed like a good idea. She went back to James and lit a cigarette; he looked surprised but did not comment. Everything about her was surprising him. When he had heard that she would be going to Sirius's party, he would never have thought that he would be sitting in a bar, getting drunk with Lily Evans. Much less that she smoked.
"So, why did you look so depressed tonight?" he asked her. She snarled and stubbed out her cigarette.
"It's so stupid, it was just a family fight, that really got to me." She moaned dramatically. He nodded.
"You have a sister right?"
She paused, thinking of Petunia's bitchy comments before she'd left.
"No."
He knew she was lying but did not remark, it was obvious he had touched a very nervy nerve.
"How about you?" she asked.
"Same," Now it was James's turn to lie, but he did not want to bother her with his problems.
***************
Hours later, and Lily was completely drunk and on her third pack of cigarettes. James was still doing shots and they were starting to get to him. He smiled but stopped. Someone had to be able to think....almost clearly.
"We should be going," Lily looked up surprised, but saw his reasoning.
"Where are you going?" she slurred.
"I'm going to kip at Sirius's, but first I'll take you home."
***************
After an hour on the train, Lily was falling asleep on James's shoulder. She felt so bad, her head was spinning and she could barely see. Finally they arrived at their stop and were walking up to her house when Lily remembered that she was supposed to be in her room. Unfortunately she could not tell James this as her voice didn't seem to be working, all that came out was an indistinct blur.
He knocked on the front door and waited for one of her parents to answer.
"LILY! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?" Her mother said "Thank you for bringing her home James. Where did you find her?"
Lily had been dragged inside and the door was slammed in his face before he got to say goodbye.