"Good luck,"
"Don't say that! It's bad luck. Say 'break a leg',"
"That's before you act,"
"Well," Lily started, "I have to go in there and pretend to a room full of examiners that I know something about Animals. I call that acting,'
James was about to argue, but thought the better of it. He had done his best to help her the night before, before disappearing off to Hogsmeade, but evidently it had not been enough.
"Fine then, break a leg," he smiled and kissed her quickly before she was called in. He tried to hide a yawn, so much that he looked like he was scowling and flaring his nostrils at the same time. He wandered back up to the Common Room, frightening a couple of second years on his way.
He found Remus, Isabelle, Ellis, Peter, Mia and, to his surprise, Sirius in the Common Room when he got there.
"You're back quickly,"
Sirius smirked at him. "I'm that good,"
"And that modest," Ellis added quietly.
"What was that?"
She replied but fortunately Sirius only heard part of her answer over some fifth year girls who had suddenly erupted in giggles. What he did catch, however, he didn't like.
"This is ridiculous," Elle decided as again very loud giggling interrupted their conversation. "Oy! You lot!" she called out to them, "For Gods sake will you shut up?"
The girls paid no attention, other than sending a dirty look at her.
"No people skills whatsoever," Sirius muttered shaking his head. He got up and went over to them. His greeting of 'hey girls' was enough to make them eat out of his hand. "Look, I'm sorry for my friend there, but do you think you could possibly keep it down slightly? It's just that we've got exams in about ten minutes time. So do you think that you could do that? Come on...........for me..........please,"
The girls looked at each other.
"Sure Sirius,"
"Yeah, sorry for disturbing you and everything,"
"We could sit outside, then we wouldn't be disturbing anyone,"
"Really? Cheers girls," he said and flashed them a stunning smile. By this time, they were practically swooning.
"See? No problem." He said sitting back down next to James.
"That wasn't people skills that was manipulation!" Ellis argued, "All you had to do was smile at them and they would have jumped out the tower if you'd asked them to,"
"All I did was ask them to move. Why they moved is up to them and nothing to do with me," Sirius reasoned.
"Don't you ever get sick of him?" Ellis asked Isabelle, who shook her head. Isabelle, still not convinced that she hadn't jinxed something, was being very careful what she said.
"I- "
But nobody heard what Belle really thought of Sirius, as Lily slammed opened the portrait and stormed inside. When asked how her exam went, she made an odd sort of grunt and scowled at everyone.
"Never EVER let me take care of anything! Ever! Not even a cat!"
"I guessing it didn't go too well,"
"Halfway through, the little fluffy piece of crap curled up and died,"
"Was it a puffskein?"
"Yeah I think so, why?"
"They do that sometimes. They don't die, they just sort-of hibernate,"
"Come on James I'm not six years old anymore, it didn't 'go to sleep' it snuffed it,"
"No seriously, look.... Remus chuck me that book would you? Cheers...see? The puffskein has been known to enter a trance like state, often described a hibernation, when it feels comfortable in its environment." James read. "You'll probably get extra points,"
Lily still didn't look convinced.
"Let me see that,"
"Sorry, can't," James snapped the book shut. "I have an exam to get to,"
James, Remus, Peter and Ellis got up and went down to the Great Hall.
"Was any of that true?" Peter asked James.
"Course not," Remus snorted. "I didn't know she was so gullible,"
"She's not," James replied thoughtfully "That's the problem,"
"So the thing died?" Peter asked.
"Yeah she killed it,"
"Then why did you tell her......."
"Because it made her feel better didn't it?"
"So what are you going to do when she expects a really good grade and doesn't get it?"
"I don't know," James shrugged, "I'll worry about that when it comes to it."
Back in the Common Room the others were discussing the same thing.
"Honestly how stupid does he think I am?"
"He doesn't think you're stupid at all. He was just trying to make you feel better that's all,"
"I suppose,"
"Why did you even take Care of Magical Creatures? You hate animals," Mia pointed out.
"Hey!" Lily protested, "I don't hate.......I....... I thought it would be a doss," she admitted. "You know get outside for a bit, anyway it beats learning from a textbook,"
"You can cheer up now,"
"Really? Why's that?"
Sirius's face split into a grin.
"It's all over!"
"About bloody time too," Lily muttered.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Where did you get all this stuff from?" Lily asked amazed at the drinks, food, sweets and decorations that had suddenly appeared in the Common Room.
"Do you really want to know?" James asked carefully.
"Was it legal?"
"Not .......... strictly," he replied hesitantly.
"Then I don't want to know," she laughed. "Still, it makes a great party,"
They stood in silence until Lily started sniffing.
"You all right?"
At that point someone found some music and they could barely hear each other. James mouthed 'be right back', ran upstairs and returned with a silvery cloak. He gestured for her to follow him and they hurried out the Common Room. Lily didn't know where they were going but James seemed to be leading them somewhere. When they bumped into Professor McGonagall and were asked what they were doing, James answered that they were just doing Heads duties before turning in for the night.
"Where are we going to?" Lily demanded.
"I'll show you when we get there,"
"That's not an ans-"
"Ssssh!"
"Don't ssh me!"
"Stay still!" James commanded and swung the cloak over them. Lily started to speak again but he clamped his hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened but she stayed silent.
The footsteps behind them grew louder and Filch hurried past them, without even a glance at them.
"Wha..... ho.... I don't get it!"
"Go and stand over there, and then spin back round," he told her. She looked at him with a mixture of uncertainty and amusement. She did what he said and turned around to find that he had disappeared.
"James?" she asked uncertainly. "James?"
"Yes?" said a voice near her ear.
"James where are you?" She asked, working hard to keep her voice steady.
"Here," he replied, now on the other side of her.
"Where are you? This isn't funny!"
"Alright! Calm down!" he said as he swept the cloak off. Lily turned to find him lazily leaning against a wall. "Good huh?"
The expression on her face proved that she was less than impressed.
"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" she yelled looking furious and holding her wand to his throat.
"Well.... go on then," he said a smirk beginning to form. Lily began a curse, nothing too serious, just enough to make him think twice before he ever tried to scare her again. But before she could finish, James had managed to take her wand and had swept the cloak back over them, just as Filch walked back past. Obviously having heard Lily's rage, he was thrilled at the thought of a student out of bed. James had to pin against Lily to stay out of his way.
"You've got to be quicker than that," James whispered in her ear.
Filch obviously heard. He span on his heel and peered around the corridor.
"Who's there?"
Lily wished he'd hurry up and leave. She was pressed against a cold stone wall and it was beginning to hurt. This puzzled her for a moment. It had been James who was leaning against the wall. Not her. He must have turned her round in the half a second it had taken him to snatch her wand and cover themselves in the cloak.
Filch eventually moved off, but Lily noticed that James stayed where he was. He shifted slightly so that their faces were barely an inch apart. He looked right into her eyes. He was so close; Lily sighed slightly. His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips and for a moment Lily thought he was going to kiss her.
But, James being James, he didn't.
He took her hand and broke into a sprint, leading her down the corridor, but smiling slightly as he did so. He knew exactly why she was annoyed with him. He'd wanted to kiss her; he knew full well that she wanted him to. At that moment, he'd have given anything he had just to stand there and snog her senseless, but he couldn't. If he'd started he wouldn't want to stop and he had other things to do tonight. There was something.... somewhere he wanted to show her before they left. Of course they could always come back, but it wouldn't be the same as sneaking out in the middle of the night.
He led her down some sort of passage and into a building.
"Where are we?" Lily asked. James shook his head and put a finger to her lips. She had to admit, if she had to stay silent, she much preferred that way than by having a hand clamped over her mouth. They walked through a large dark room and outside.
"James," Lily breathed, "It's beautiful, I never realised before,"
Having both run for the last ten minutes, they stood together catching their breath in the cool night air.
James smiled. Maybe he was shallow, maybe it was just his ego coming back into play, but he loved it when she was impressed. It wasn't his usual smirk, but a true smile, one that Lily thought he should show more often.
"So where to now?" she asked. It was too late for the shops in Hogsmeade to be open, but a few had left a light or two on, casting a glow over the street. There were no streetlights, but it was .........better, well in Lily's opinion anyway. It seemed more appropriate having a soft light that was just bright enough just enough to see by, than having harsh, glaring lights dotted up and down the street. The only thing was, it reminded her of why she had been upset in the Common Room and she felt herself starting all over again. She expected James to make a stupid comment or just to look uncomfortable like he usually did when any of the girls showed anything close to an emotion. What she didn't expect was for James to acknowledge that she was snivelling. Let alone try to comfort her.
Which, James being James, is exactly what he did. He led her over to a bench just up the street, opposite the Three Broomsticks, and sat down to face her. Lily couldn't believe how stupid she felt. He seemed to be leading her around a lot lately.
"What's wrong?" he asked, practically radiating concern and watching her seriously. She couldn't help but laugh at his serious expression.
"It's nothing really. Really!" she repeated at his disbelieving look. "It's just that it's almost over,"
"What is?"
"This. Everything. School. Hogwarts. Us,"
"Us?" he repeated, a strange expression on his face. "You think that when school breaks up, so will we?"
"Well... I don't want to think so, but it happens to everybody," she said in a rush, "Not just us but everyone. You always leave school promising to stay friends and to keep in touch but it never works. Everyone moves on and forgets. Why should we be any different?"
"We won't,"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because we won't split up just because we've left school, I promise! And anyway I won't be able shake Sirius off until the day I die, and I doubt Isabelle is any different. There you go you've still got four friends already," he joked and she smiled slightly. "Lily, things won't change,"
"But they will!" she protested. "They will no matter what you promise and swear, there are some things you can't do anything about!"
"At least let me try," he said. "Look, you know you said before about living with Sirius after schools over?"
"I was joking," she said quickly.
"Oh I know, you'd tear each other to pieces within a week. Anyway....." he continued, distracted by the thought of how long it would take Sirius and Lily to kill each other if they were stuck in a small confined space. "But......er....... I erm...oh for gods sake!" he said frustrated at not being able to say what he needed to. "Would you come and live with me?"
Lily's head snapped back round to James. "Sorry I was somewhere else for a second. I could have sworn that you just said-"
"I did,"
"I...er.... What?"
"Is it really that hard?" James asked with a nervous laugh. "You can say no if you want,"
"No."
"Oh.....ok then," he stuttered. It sounded lame, but there seemed to be nothing else to say.
"No, of course I do, is what I was going to say!" Lily replied, her eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and pure happiness. "Where though?"
"Don't worry about that," James replied looking distinctly happier. "We should get back to the castle," he added noticing Lily shiver.
"What's the rush?" she asked and rested her head on his shoulder. Instinctively he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. It seemed to be a reflex now.
"Are you serious about this?" she asked. Knowing James, he hadn't thought this through, and she was concerned that he would change his mind once he'd had time to think about it.
"Completely," he said, smiling at the thought of seeing her every day. They wouldn't have to be apart for lessons, or for holidays. There wouldn't be any interruptions from friends and they wouldn't have to have separate rooms. They both had jobs lined up for them in the ministry so chances are they'd be working together as well. All of which sounded brilliant to James.
Closing her eyes Lily could not remember feeling so happy. Not when she'd got her Hogwarts letter; or when she'd arrived and felt that there was finally somewhere she truly belonged; and not even that time with Isabelle and Ellis and she'd felt, that for the first time in her life, that she was in the right place at the right time.
She was going to live with James.
She didn't have to go back home.
She'd still see her friends.
And things weren't going to change.
With this thought still running through her mind, she began to doze.
"Lily? Lily?" he moved carefully and slowly. She'd been stressed all week, the least he could do was the let her sleep a while. Not that he could blame her, she'd hardly slept all week and it was late at night, well....more early morning really. He covered both of them in the cloak and closed his eyes.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Which is exactly how they were found the next morning. Only sometime during the night, the cloak had slipped-
James's eyes snapped open as a scream pierced the air. Lily, however took a while longer, she was never a morning person. As soon as they woke, they realised it was a mistake. Lily made a mental note never to sleep on a wooden bench again. Everything in her body was screaming at her when she tried to move. Her neck seemed permanently bent into the shape of James's shoulder and her knees refused to unbend. They seemed to have completely forgotten what woke them up; they just beamed at each other muttering 'morning'.
That is- until the woman screamed again. James was about to ask 'What's up with her?' when he realised.
The cloak had slipped off their faces, leaving just two floating heads and a pair of feet sitting on a bench.
The second scream brought Madam Rosemerta out her pub to see what was going on.
"What are you making all this fuss about, Mrs –Oh!" she said as she caught sight of James and Lily, smiling sheepishly and sleepily. "It's alright," she said to the woman. "You carry on with your shopping,"
"Are you sure?" she asked in an unnaturally high voice. "They could be dangerous. I don't like the look of that one on the left,"
Smirking slightly at James's indignant expression, Rosemerta continued.
"Oh don't you worry about him. I can vouch for him. Poor boy lost his marbles years ago-spell backfired," she added in a whisper, knowing full well that James could hear every word. Eventually the woman seemed content and tottered off to do her shopping.
"You enjoyed that didn't you?" snarled James.
"Yes I did rather. Now are you going to come inside for a drink, or are you two going to doze outside and scare a few more old ladies?" Madam Rosemerta asked.
"I wouldn't say no to a drink," Lily replied slightly more conscious and yawning.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Where the hell have you two been?" Sirius asked as Lily and James hopped through the portrait and into the Common Room. Having caught sight of themselves as they passed a mirror, they decided that it was best if they cleaned themselves up before they went up. James's hair had been even messier than usual and Lily had large bags under her eyes. They understood perfectly why the old woman didn't like the look of them.
"Nowhere. Got tired last night and went to bed," James replied.
"Oh really?" Sirius asked waving a scrap of parchment at the pair.
"Alright so we went out. What's the problem?" James replied irritably. "That reminds me, Sirius I need to talk to you,"
"Anyone want to talk to me?" Ellis asked with a smile.
"I'm sure I could think of something," Sirius sneered.
"Just run along with your little friend," she snapped back.
Lily waited until James and Sirius were out of sight and then turned to the remaining girls.
"Guess what James asked me last night," she told them excitedly.
"He asked you to marry him!"
"Come on-We're talking about James here,"
"He asked you out!"
"Yeah," Lily replied sarcastically, "After a year of dating, he asked me out,"
"He asked me to move in with him!"
Immediately there was a chorus of 'Oh my god!'.
"So what did you say?"
Lily replied by breaking into a grin.
"So you're going to live with James after Hogwarts?" Isabelle checked with an expression Lily couldn't read. "That's ...... great!"
"Are you alright? You look kinda funny,"
"No really, I'm fine .......it's just........ I'll ....... I'll see you later," she stuttered and ran out the Common Room.
"What's wrong with her?" Mia asked.
"Don't kn- ooooohhh," Lily replied as realization dawned. Lily and Isabelle had become firm friends sometime during their second year. Since then they had daydreamed of getting a flat together and finally being able to leave home for good. And she had just gone and said how pleased she was to be able to live with James......
"Fine mess you made of that!"
"Cheers Elle, that makes me feel so much better," Lily replied sharply. "Should I go after her?"
"Do you know where she is?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Say what you like, you'll never do it. You don't have the guts,"
"I already have!"
"You actually went through with it?" Sirius asked in disbelief.
"Yes I did." James replied affronted.
"You do understand what you asked her don't you? I mean it's a bloody big step,"
"I know."
"You have thought this through right?"
"Sirius, you're not going to put me off," James laughed. "No matter how much you try,"
"Oh well... I tried. If you're conscience will allow you to let your best friend starve on the street, then there's nothing more I can do,"
"You have your own flat in one of the best parts of London and a bank account full of gold! I'd hardly call that starving on the street,"
"So basically you're ditching your friend for your girlfriend," Sirius asked, pretending to wipe away a tear.
"Pretty much."
"So I guess that leaves me alone. All alone......"
"Yeah an-"
"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!" Isabelle cried out running towards them and throwing herself at him.
"Belle what's wrong?" Sirius asked urgently.
"I'm so sorry! Sure I'll live with you, I shouldn't have said no!" she said into his shoulder.
"Did you ask her to live with you?" James asked watching the scene in front of him with great interest.
"Didn't he tell you?" Isabelle asked.
"No he didn't. You have thought this through right? I mean it's a bloody big step," he asked trying to keep a straight face. "Hogwarts premier playboy settles down at last. Hearts will be broken," he warned.
"So will necks if you carry on," Sirius growled.
"So it looks like things are going to work out pretty good," James grinned. "Maybe being a grown up won't be so bad after all."
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I know I said I wouldn't put this up until I got reviews-I lied. I couldn't wait. I wanted this up before I went on holiday (YAY!) so I can write the last chapter when I get back.So here it is....please review!
cilverblood-Thank you for all your reviews! No I think I can safely say that I didn't know that, but that is kinda gross. Just hope it wasn't a relative. Trust me I was very happy too when I got a review email. I really will try and I get what you mean - but I think I've decided that I'm not too good at mushy. I am trying though!
shan-Thanks for the review. I love Sirius too, he's got to be the best character in the books.
Erin Hatfield, dis story rox SnoopyViz and MissMariel-Thanks for your reviews! I am trying to update! But I'm really happy you like the story.