Chapter 15

"So what are you doing for your birthday Lils?" asked Ellis the next day. After having told and re-told the story of her trip to London, with details of every potion and spell they had used, Lily was glad to be able to talk about something else.

"Well I erm..........." To be honest, what with Halloween and the burning incident she hadn't really thought about her birthday at all.

"I think we should have the traditional 18th birthday piss-up," Ellis continued.

"A piss up?" asked Isabelle.

"Yes. You know, a lot if booze and bitching and stupid drinking games,"

"Elle I don't know. Can't we just......." Lily started.

"Good. I knew you'd love it," she interrupted.

"I'll tell people today," offered Mia.

"Well that's sorted then," said Ellis looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

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"It's too late for you. You've got lessons tomorrow, now go to bed!" Ciara snapped at a group of first years, who looked terrified at the attention they were receiving.

"But it's Sunday tomorrow! We ain't got lessons on a Sunday,"

"Are you calling me a liar?" Ciara asked, her eyes flashing.

"No miss!" and they scurried off upstairs. Ciara sighed and leant back into a chair.

"Isn't power a wonderful thing?" she laughed. The girls were getting ready for Lily's party in the Gryffindor common room. They had discussed using Lily's private room, but decided against it. There was much more space in the common room.

Lily was there along with Isabelle, Ciara, Ellis, Mia, Kara, Darcy and a girl called Rachel. Mia informed her that Rachel was one of Ellis's greatest friends and had invited her even though Lily hardly knew her.

Elle poured out a shot of fire whisky for everyone and made a toast to 'Lily's 18th birthday. Happy B-Day Lils!'

"Now, we all know what we get like when we're drunk so I have come prepared," Ellis told them. She handed a blanket and pillow to Ciara who was infamous for collapsing when drunk.

"And special for Lily" Ellis declared as she threw a small box over to her.

"Cheers Elle!" she replied grinning.

Soon they were playing the stupid drinking games that she had promised. They had altered the traditional game of Truth or Dare, to only truth. They sat round in a circle and a wand was spun in the centre. Whoever it pointed at when it had stopped spinning had to answer a question. It was complicated by having sparks shoot out the end at regular periods, every time it shot sparks at you, you had to drink a shot.

It landed on Ellis first but fortunately for her did not shoot any sparks. Lily, remembering the story James had told her of the awkward moment in the Hospital Wing, and how Sirius had been very sarcastic about her, decided to ask something that had been bugging her since Halloween.

"I've got one! What is it with you and Sirius?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Ellis replied innocently.

"You're not another one of his girls are you?"

Isabelle glared at her, as though daring her to answer.

"Not exactly," she replied, carefully wording her answer.

"What do you mean?" The girls asked, now sensing a prime piece of gossip. (It was at this moment that Lily noticed with dismay that she was turning into her mother.)

"Well.......like I said.......there's a first time for..........everything," she smirked.

Seven gasps later, and they were all ready to hear every detail.

"You were the very first?" Darcy asked astonished.

"You were the first one to shag Sirius Black, the best bloody shagger in the school?" someone asked. It could have been either Mia or Kara.

"The very same!" Ellis replied grinning.

"When?" asked Lily, sighing as red sparks shot at her.

"Drink and I'll tell you!" After watching Lily have a shot she continued. "Isabelle, please stop giving me the evils, it was a long time ago!"

"WHEN?" asked Lily trying to ignore the sparks.

"Drink, drink, drink, drink!" they chanted.

"Now tell us everything!" commanded Rachel.

"Fourth year, after a ball, god bless the Room of Requirement!" she toasted. They all laughed and joined in her toast.

"Okay, so who's next.........I SWEAR YOU'VE FIXED THIS BLOODY WAND QUINN!" Lily shouted as yet again sparks shot out at her.

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Two hours later and they were all very drunk. They had found out things about each other that they didn't want to know and were sitting in silence. Ciara had passed out half an hour before, and Lily was hanging upside down over the arm of a chair making full use of Ellis's gift.

"Lily will you put that out? It's making the room stink?" Ellis moaned.

"Fuck off," Lily sighed as she blew puffs of smoke around the room.

"You're such a lady!"

"I want to play a game," Ellis whined ten silent minutes later.

"Why?" asked Lily, "You can't take your drink,"

"Can!"

"Can't!"

"Can!"

"Prove it!"

Ellis suggested a shot comp with the rest of the bottle. Ten minutes later, the bottle was empty and they were both in hysterical giggles.

"Oh god! I am horribly drunk!" murmured Lily. "I think I'll go home now. Yeah," she got up and staggered up to the stairs leading to the dormitories.

"Er.....Lils? You don't live here!" Mia told her.

"I don't? Where am I supposed to be going then?" Lily asked completely confused.

"It has stairs," Elle volunteered.

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Unfortunately in their drunken dazes, none of them remembered that Hogwarts have almost a hundred staircases and the one they were looking for was in a room, not in a corridor.

"I don't know Mia, it looks a bit big,"

Mia had come running back to tell them that she had found some. The stairs in the Entrance Hall were extremely wide and very high. Lily was very uncertain that that was the way to her room. Then suddenly she recalled where it was.

"I know, I know!"

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Lily was starting to have a bad influence on him, James decided. It was a Saturday night and he was alone in his room doing work. As the noises outside grew so distracting he stopped to wonder what it was, just as Lily tumbled into the room. Hastily shoving his glasses back into his pocket he got up to help her up.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Hi James!" she whispered coyly. "I am now!"

"Er....good," he turned back to finish what he was writing. It was no good talking to her if she was completely rat-arsed. Huffily she stared at his turned back and stalked upstairs to collapse on her bed. Struggling to take off her robes, she grabbed to first things she could find to sleep in. This happened to be a very small pair of pjs, which would have been fine, if she had not decided to complete the look with her Halloween princess hat.

She lay in a half awake daze for almost an hour, before deciding to get up.

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James was terrified.

He had been asleep for almost an hour when a shadow appeared in his doorway. Instinctively he'd reached out for his wand.

"Hi James!" it giggled. James tried to strain his eyes to see into the dark.

"Lily? It's two in the morning! What are you doing?" He had muttered a spell to turn the lights on so he was able to see her. "Still not sober huh?" he said as he saw what she was wearing, and how much she was wobbling as she gripped the doorframe for support.

"Lily just go to bed," he had told her. Immediately she had brightened up and to his dismay climbed in next to him. He had tried to wake her up, to tell her to go back to her room, but she had passed out, and would not be awake for hours.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

So he did the only thing he could think off. Scrabbling around to find the small mirror, he always kept near him. Though it was not for vanity, he looked straight into and whispered for Sirius.

"Padfoot!" When there was no answer he tried again.

"Padfoot! Sirius Black you lazy sod GET UP!" Suddenly, eyes half open, Sirius appeared.

"What?" he snarled. James shifted the mirror so that Sirius was able to see the unconscious half-naked Lily, sprawled across his bed.

"Nice work!" Sirius smirked, suddenly awake.

"It wasn't me you fool! She's pissed and she's just collapsed. Do I just take her back to her room?"

"Oh no, no, no! You do not want to go into the girl's rooms. It is incredibly embarrassing and......ugh! Not pleasant," he grimaced.

"So what do I do?" James asked desperately.

"Just go to sleep!"

"Thanks!" James replied sarcastically, "If only I had thought of that!"

"If you're going to be like that!" Sirius growled and shoved his mirror under his bed.

"Git!" James sighed as he put his mirror away. No doubt Sirius would have no trouble in returning to bed, but then he wasn't Sirius. Sighing he grabbed a blanket and got himself comfy on their sofa.

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Lily awoke with a start, and alarmed, found that she had no idea where she was. Desperately trying to retrace the events of the night before, she tried to work out where she could be. She remembered going to bed, and then.............and then she had gone to see James. Shit! This must be his room, so she must be in his bed.

Oh no! She couldn't have! Surely she would remember, she wasn't Sirius for god's sake! Where was he? There was a dent in the pillow next to her so he must have been there sometime during the night. Clutching her head she struggled up. She felt like hell, and wobbled out and across the landing to her own room.

Once dressed, in something more sensible than a vest top and princess hat, she staggered down the stairs, having discovered that she was still in time for breakfast.

"I really must learn the sobering charm," she thought to herself. Her mind was racing. How was she going to face James? What was she supposed to say to him? To everyone else? Would James have told the Marauders already? Would she be known as that drunk girl that slept with James Potter?

She could have jumped for joy when she saw him asleep across their sofa.

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"Really? Siruis wouldn't have done that!" Isabelle said. Lily had just finished telling them about finding James on his sofa.

"He's such a gentleman!" Ellis said.

"Remind me never to have a piss up for my birthday!" Isabelle groaned. She had become 'slightly' depressed after finding out that not only Ellis, but Darcy, Kara, Mia and Rachel had also dated her boyfriend. So she had drunk and drunk and was now regretting it.

"I feel like shit!" Ellis told them having gulped down a mug of coffee.

"Well, I hate to say I told you so........." Lily replied smugly.

"Don't look at me like that Evans! You're feeling just as shitty as the rest of us!"

Lily however was feeling much better than her friends. Her relief had overcome her hangover and she felt like she was ready for anything.

'Well......perhaps not quite everything' she realised as the Marauders strutted into the Hall.