"What's the time?"
"11.30. We should probably be getting up,"
"No don't! I'm comfy."
"Its almost noon. We've wasted half the day doing nothing,"
"I wouldn't call this wasting,"
"I have to get up."
"Well go on then," Lily said after a pause.
"I can't,"
"Lazy git,"
"Its not… just that, if I'm going to get up then I need the half of me you're lying on." James explained.
"Oh. Oh well, what's the rush?" she asked settling herself back down again.
"Lily?" There was a sharp knock at the door. "Lily are you still in there?" At the sound of her mothers voice, Lily looked around to warn James, only to find that he had disappeared.
"What do you want?" she called out.
"Petunia and I are going shopping and your father's at work," she replied opening the door. "So you'll be on your own all day, are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Yes."
"Oh," she said peering anxiously at her daughter, "You look a bit pink, are you coming down with something?"
"No mum." She said biting back a giggle as James began to kiss her stomach.
"Are you sure you feel all right?"
"Yes mum I'm fine." Lily said firmly trying desperately to control the smile that was twitching at the edge of her lips. "Its nothing a bit of sleep won't fix,"
"Ok then. Are y-"
"I'll see you when you get back. Goodnight!" Lily called out, making a point of rolling on her side so that her back faced the door. Only when they heard the front door slam shut did James reappear- looking slightly dishevelled and a bit out of breath.
("When your face is full of duvet, breathing becomes an issue," he explained)
"I am going to kill you!" she told him laughing. "Now she's going to think I have some weird disease!"
"I doubt it!" he replied ducking a swing from Lily's pillow.
"You don't know my mum." She said darkly. "Now you see why I have to get out of here! 'Do you think you'll be alright on your own?" she mimicked. "For gods sake, I'm moving out next week does she really not think that I can handle myself?"
"She's probably just worried about you,"
"Yeah? Well all she's doing at the moment is driving me insane."
"So... why is she going out with your sister?" asked James, trying to change the subject.
"A dress for her bloody engagement party,"
"Your sister's getting married?" James asked, as though the whole thing was an absurd joke. "Who to?"
"The fat berk you met at Christmas. He only asked her a few days ago," Lily snarled staring at the ceiling. "She's planning her wedding already and it's all I've heard about all week. If it's not the flowers, its bloody music and if it's not the bloody music, she's found the perfect place. Even if she's not talking she tries to make her ring catch the light so people will notice it. Don't why she bothers," she muttered sullenly, "Bloody thing looks like it came out gumball machine,"
"Oh,"
James cursed himself and wondered why on earth he had to change the subject. At least talking about her mother was reasonably safe territory, now they were on to engagements and rings and weddings, she'd probably be talking about babies next; it was all far too terrifying for James to even contemplate.
"Why don't you come round mine?" he asked. "Come on, you can get some lunch, get out the house for a bit and get your mind off things. Why not?"
"Excuse me, but I have a life! I do manage to drag myself out the house occasionally!" she retorted.
"I know, so don't get prickly just because you're pissed off with your sister,"
"Sorry,"
"Are you coming or not?"
"I would but I promised my mum I'd help her make dinner tonight,"
"So? You don't have to stay that long, you could easily be back in time,"
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"What's the time?" Lily muttered sleepily.
"9 o'clock. I guess you missed dinner. If you hurry, you might be able to catch breakfast," James chuckled
"Oh yeah, ha ha ha," she laughed sarcastically, "You do realise my mums going to have my head on a plate for this don't you."
"Don't worry! Few days and you won't have to worry about her anymore,"
"Yeah….. about that….."
"What?" James asked cautiously.
"Are you sure that place isn't too big for us? I mean it would be so much cheaper just to get-"
"Look- it doesn't matter how much it costs, you loved that place didn't you?"
"Well yeah it was great, but-"
"Then we'll get it,"
"We only needed one bedroom, what the hell are we going to do with the others!"
"Don't worry about it, we'll think of something," he assured her. "Really!"
James was saved from whatever scathing reply Lily, no doubt had waiting, by a voice yelling from the floor below. "JAMES ARE YOU UPSTAIRS?"
Rolling his eyes in a very Lily-like way, he shouted back, "YEAH WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"ITS AB- CAN YOU COME DOWN HERE? I CAN'T KEEP SHOUTING!"
"NO! I'M IN BED, YOU COME UP HERE!" James shouted.
"What the hell are you doing?" Lily asked in an unnaturally high voice. "What am I supposed to say when she sees me?"
"Morning?" James suggested sarcastically.
"How about: Hello Mrs Potter, you know how you thought I went home after dinner last night, well I didn't, I came up here to shag your son?" she snapped.
"Good point. Just duck down like I did and she won't see you,"
Since this was the only plan they had time for, Lily had to suffer the indignity of a mouth full of mattress while James discussed something or other with his mother. Just when she was beginning to see what James meant about breathing becoming a problem, she heard him finish their conversation.
"Jamie, can you stop being such a lazy sod and get up soon please," Mrs Potter asked, "That is if its all right with Lily," she said, a smile twitching at the edge of her lips, which turned into a full blown laugh as Lily emerged from the top of the cover blushing as red as her hair.
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"Morning," Lily called out as she walked through the door.
"WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN?" Her mother's voice screamed from the front room.
"I went out," she said wearily, knowing that it would be a while before her mum was finished. She walked in and came face to face with her mother looking furious and Petunia looking smug.
"THAT'S IT! YOU WENT OUT? THAT'S ALL THE EXPLANATION I GET?" her mother screamed, now turning an unpleasant shade of purple.
"It isn't unheard of for an eighteen year old to go out for the night,"
"WOULD IT HAVE KILLED YOU TO HAVE LEFT A NOTE?"
"Why? Unless it involved a wedding you wouldn't have bothered to read it. I'm not a little kid anymore, you don't need to know exactly where I am and exactly what I'm doing every second. Believe it or not I CAN look after myself!" Lily replied, her voice shaking with anger.
"FOR ALL I KNEW YOU COULD HAVE BEEN LYING DEAD IN A DITCH!
"Stop exaggerating! And don't pretend you were so concerned. I wasn't hiding, if you'd bothered looking for me, you would have found me."
"If we didn't care what happened to you we wouldn't have been up all night worried sick," Petunia said sweetly.
"As if!" Lily spat at her sister, "You couldn't give a shit about me,"
"LILY! LANGUAGE!" her mother looked as though she was seconds away from having a heart attack.
"Just piss off and leave me alone."
"Mum was going spare when you didn't come home last night," Petunia started,
"YOU COULD HAVE DIED!" their mother interrupted shrilly, "It happens all the time!"
"Yeah? It'll never happen to me. I'm not that lucky." Lily answered.
"Oh that's nice! That's all you think of your family is it? WHERE ARE YOU GOING NOW?" She screeched as Lily started walking upstairs.
"I'm going to start packing."
"You're not moving until next week,"
"The sooner I can pack the sooner I can leave this place."
"Well if you're that eager to leave why wait until next week to move out? Why don't you just go now?"
"Because the house isn't ready until next week!" Lily answered promptly.
"Lily, that wasn't a question!"
Lily stared at her mother as though she couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Her mother had just kicked her out. The one who never shouted, and called her 'dear ' way too much had just thrown her out.
"What?"
"I think you heard her," Petunia countered.
"Fine."
As she ran up the stairs, she heard her mother say, "We never had this trouble with you Petunia,"
Lily could handle being shouted and screamed at, she probably deserved it, but being compared to her sister was way below the belt.
Everything seemed to have gone very quiet, she barely heard her own footsteps as she ran up the stairs, or her bedroom door slamming, or the gunshot crack when she disapparated.
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"I'LL GET IT!" James yelled and bounded to the front door. "Lily!"
"Hey," she croaked and flung her arms around him.
"Missed me that much?" he asked smirking slightly.
"Don't get smart." She said into his shoulder. "Can I stay here a while please?" she asked looking up.
"Er……yeah course," He wanted to ask why, but it could wait. "Come in, everyone's in the kitchen,"
"Everyone?" Lily repeated suspiciously. "What do you mean- Oh god," she groaned. "Don't you ever go home?" she asked as they walked in to the kitchen.
"What's she doing here?" Sirius asked, looking at James.
"What are you doing here?" she asked ignoring his question.
"Sunday lunch," Sirius explained simply.
"That's pathetic!"
"Lily's staying here for a while," James explained, trying to avoid a fight.
"Oh. Why?"
"I'll explain later," Lily told him. "So is there anyone hiding here? Remus maybe? Or perhaps you've got Peter lurking in a corner?"
"I wasn't hiding!" Sirius retorted indignantly. "I was helping, which is more than I can say for you,"
"I've just arrived!"
James sighed and resisted the urge to bang his head against the table. It could be a very long day.
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Lily was sitting outside when she felt someone standing behind her.
"You to- oh sorry. I thought it was James,"
"Nah, he's still tiding up," Sirius told her. "So why are you here? Really?"
"To see my favourite Marauders obviously," she smiled.
"Apart from that?" he asked sitting down beside her.
"I… er… I stayed round here last night and forgot to tell my mum- she went psycho and chucked me out," she admitted.
"She did?" he asked in surprise, "Did she really mean it? People say stupid stuff in an argument," he told her wisely.
"I think so. But it wasn't just her- my bitch of a sister as well. She just sat there looking like Christmas had come early, just nodding and looking really smug. Its just I can't believe that she kicked me out, she actually threw me out,"
"Yeah? Well join the club, we've got jackets,"
"You too?"
"In a way. Last summer. Like you said- mother went psycho and brother just sat and looked smug,"
"You have a brother?" Lily asked amazed that she had never known that.
"Yeah," he admitted.
"Did she mean it?"
"Who?"
"Your mum. Did she mean what she said?"
"Don't know," Sirius told her honestly, "I didn't stay long enough to find out,"
"So that's why you moved in here?" Lily asked.
"Yeah," he admitted. "Didn't really know where to go, so I caught the bus and came here,"
"They should make this place into a haven for runaways," Lily joked.
"I reckon she did, I was always a disappointment," he told her.
"You! Why!" Lily refused to believe that Talented, Popular, Good-looking and (however much he tried to hide it) Intelligent were so bad.
"Ah yes," he chuckled after hearing her reply, "But I was a Gryffindor, every single Black for generations has been a Slytherin. I was always the……" he searched for the right word, "Embarrassment."
"I'm sorry," said Lily without really knowing why she was apologizing. "Do you miss having a family?"
"Nah I've still got one, it's just much smaller than it used to be. Anyway I've got an army of cousins I still see and I've still got the Marauders. I don't need anyone else."
"Fair enough. What were they like?"
"Lets see….. my mother was a bitchy old bag, my dad was a pure-blood fanatic, well they all were really," he added.
"What about your brother?" Lily asked curious about the family she had never realised Sirius had.
"He was… well he was my little brother wasn't he." Sirius said and gave a ghost of a smile.
"Do you reckon you'll ever go back?"
"Not in a million years. I'm well shot of that place. What about you?"
"Doubt it. But……..I don't know, maybe. Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead,"
"Now you know why I'm here, why are you here? You're supposed to be living it up in London, not hiding in the country washing up,"
"Free food, better than anything I can cook," he smiled. "Someone to talk to I guess,"
"Well unless you've been lying for the last seven years, you've got a million people you could be talking to,"
"Yeah but its Sunday,"
"So?"
"Sundays a family day. Everyone goes back home,"
"Except us," Lily smiled slightly.
"Except us," Sirius agreed. "Look- you want some advice?"
Lily nodded.
"Go back and talk to her," Sirius said. "Chances are-you'll regret it if you don't, you'll just more bitter and pissed off at the whole thing,"
At this Lily looked interested.
"So does that mean you-"
"Sky's clear tonight," Sirius interrupted suddenly looking up.
"Yeah," she sighed. Evidently their conversation was over. "Sirius-for what its worth- I don't think you're an embarrassment,"
He smiled at her, "Thanks."
"I mean- you are sometimes. But generally you're alright," she grinned.
"Way to ruin a moment Evans," he grinned back. "And to think, I was almost feeling sentimental too."
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"Hi mum. Look, I'm sorry about the other day- really sorry! I shouldn't have shouted at you and I wish hadn't, but we all say stupid stuff we don't mean don't we? I shouldn't have said that I hated my family because, well, because you're not so bad really!" Lily had it almost off pat now. And now all she had to do was just to walk up to her own front door and say it.
Her mother answered the door. "Lily? Thank god! What are you doing here?"
'I'm sorry about the other day,' her brain was prompting her, but all she managed to stammer was "I- I er- I just came to get my stuff," she said coldly and walked in. Why did she have to say that? She'd gone there to apologize not fight.
"Oh I see. So where are you living now?"
"In a box on Oxford Street. It's not bad, a bit draughty but I've managed to avoid getting mugged or murdered for the last two nights, what's another four?"
"Lily please don't be like that,"
"Like what? Apparently you were worried when I went out for the night but you can throw me out onto the streets without a care in the world,"
"I've told you I'm sorry. People say the most ridiculous things when they're angry without really meaning them,"
"So I've heard. Look I-"she stopped and shook her head. "I didn't come here to start fighting again, I just came to pick up my stuff."
"And I can't persuade you to stay?"
"No. I really should be getting back- I don't want anyone to nick my box," Lily replied and walked out, walking as her luck would have it, straight into her dad.
"I'm sorry about your mother and all that," he told her "I did try to turn her around, but you know how she is,"
'Yeah I know how she is- a pushover' Lily thought. 'Nice to know just how much you fought for me.'
"Well thanks for trying anyway Dad," she said aloud.
"Where are you living now?"
Lily decided that she was going to charge the next person who asked her that.
"In a flat with a friend from school. You remember Sirius don't you?"
Her father's eyes narrowed. "Tall lad? Long black hair? Bit……wild?"
"Yeah that's him," she told him brightly.
"Likes parties and …. drink a lot?" he asked remembering when she'd come home drunk after a night at Sirius's.
"You missed out girls," she told him helpfully. His eyes widened.
"Sirius? I thought it was James?" he asked looking confused.
"It is. Oh- by the way, if James calls I'm still living here, but I've just gone out." She replied with a conspiratal wink.
"So if it is still James, why aren't you living there?"
"Don't get me wrong his place is nice enough, but you can't really relax with parents hanging around can you?"
"No?"
Lily shook her head; "Still there's no danger of that at Sirius's."
"No?" he asked in a strangled voice.
"Nah he moved out on his own last year. No parental supervision there, that's for sure!" she laughed. "So we can do: Anything. We. Want," she emphasised, enjoying the look on her dad face as she did so.
"How……" he squeaked, his voice an octave higher than usual, "How nice."
"It's cosy what with there only being the one bedroom and the little bed (Her father turned a shade paler) but we manage," she said cheerfully and turned around to go upstairs.
That should give him something to bloody think about.
The false smile that had been plastered across her face disappeared as she walked up the stairs and out of sight from her father, a false bounce in her step.
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"Did you do it?" James asked.
"Nope. I got to the front door, picked fight with my mother, hinted at some bizarre threesome to my dad, don't even get me started on that! And then it gets even better- I bitch-slapped my sister!" Lily said, pacing up and down James's living room.
"Still, at least you made it to the front door. That's more than he's managed to do in the last year," James pointed at Sirius.
"I'd argue but its true," he shrugged. "Either sit down or pace up and down somewhere else, you keep walking in front of the TV,"
"What's he watching?" Lily stopped pacing to ask James.
"Some police thing- hes playing detective. He keeps trying to guess the murderer and keeps getting it wrong,"
"Well at least someone's having fun. WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO?"
"Can you two keep it down!"
"NO!" Lily shouted.
"Give it another day or two," James advised. "Once you've calmed down try again,"
"But what if I bottle out?"
"Just say you left something behind. Again,"
"You know there's a million other rooms in this house you could be arguing in!"
"We're not arguing!" Lily snapped.
James began to speak but was interrupted by Sirius shouting at the television.
"SHE'S LYING! I've got it! James! JAMES! I KNOW WHO IT WAS!"
"Don't get your hopes up, that's the third time he's said that," James whispered to Lily. "Who was it?"
"The postman." Sirius said triumphantly.
"Nope," Lily said smugly.
"As if you know who it was," he muttered and turned back to the TV.
"The butchers wife. Her husband was cheating on her with the girl in the pub, so she killed them," Lily said and then ducked as the TV remote flew threw the air exactly where her head had been seconds before.
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Hope you liked it. Thank you to everyone who said all the nice things about Unmasked (If you havent read it do it now!) that I havent got round to thanking yet.Please review! (Itll take you 2 seconds. Thats all. Please!)
Leo