Disclaimer: This simply delish, dawlin' mastapiece ain't mine. Isn't it precious, though?
The Wind Through My Hair
James had lead her up stairs to the actual house, which was on the 5th floor of the book store. You went near a rather tall, ornate window with a gold frame, twisted in an intricate pattern. The window overlooked the bustling streets of diagon alley, and the store across the street, Whimsical Wands. That particular wand store was outrageously expensive, but their wands were not quite as popular as Ollivander's. Ollivander's had, after all, been there for a while and were renowned for their wand-making skills.
James had stood by the window and held his wand in some general area (it was probably more precise, but Lily did not know what exactly had to be done in order to access the Potters' living quarters), and said something in French (or she assumed so), catching words like "Potier" and "Ouvre."
"Just a bit of a safety precaution. You know...parents a bit paranoid," he said embarrassedly, after a really grand, marble staircase spiraled slowly down from the ceiling and a space to climb through at the top appeared. Lily was not really bothered with the safety precautions, as he called them. She was too speechless to really say anything. The staircase was so large and really very elegant. Probably worth hundreds of galleons, just in the fancy, dark wood railing itself.
James began climbing the staircase a bit cautiously, as if he was waiting for her approval. Lily hadn't moved, only staring at how it had made such a wonderful entrance. She shook herself out of her reverie, however, when she realized James was giving her an anxious look. "You alright?"
"Yeah, just fine," Lily only managed. She began to climb the staircase, but could not keep in her enthusiasm. "That was really great, James! Wow, I reckon this staircase just about tops any of the others at Hogwarts, really. Though, I suppose you hiding the staircase to your home is sort of like security?"
James seemed slightly uncomfortable talking about it, but answered all the same. "Too right. My parents...well, they're about known pretty well, so they think they ought to put in something like this, if you know. Bit of a hassle if I do say so myself, but then, it's better than nothing, I suppose."
They continued walking up the stairs, which seemed to last for some time, until finally reaching the top and entering an extravagant, high-ceilinged room with a very, very large chandelier dangling above them, at least bigger than the average person's bathroom. The walls were dark brown, but the room was so large, the dark walls hardly made it feel anything close to confining. There was a nice Persian rug in the middle of the room, under a coffee table which was surrounded by comfy looking couches and chairs. A few of the walls had book shelves on them, and there was a large fireplace with a roaring fire lit. It gave Lily the distinct impression of a Library. For some reason, finding James constantly living in something of a place of quiet and order made Lily amused. It was no wonder James was never even near the library at school. He must've been right sick of it.
There was a pool table among various others things scattered about the room, but James did not wait for Lily has he walked briskly through the room and into one of the many doors leading out. He opened one to the far left by the fireplace, and went in. Lily followed him, not wanting to be left alone in such a large house. However, she'd have to go back and hang about in that room a while. It gave her a cozy feeling, and made her really comfortable and sleepy.
The next room they went through was not large at all, but the size of a normal kitchen. It wasn't really enclosed, but more open than anything. There was no doors, just the kitchen was there, and you could walk away from it and be in the den the next second, or the door leading to some other room in a another. The kitchen seemed to be the heart of the house, and you could anywhere from there. Really great idea, considering Sirius and James were constantly in need of food and could access it from anywhere in the house. In fact, now that Lily really looked at it, the rather large room was circular, and in the middle was the kitchen bar and counters. You just went off from that to any of the doors which enclosed it.
"You're room will be any of those three rooms on the right. You can choose what you like. They're all pretty much the same, but with different decorating. I'd avoid the shocking pink one if I were you; Gave me nightmares when I had to sleep in there while my own was being renovated," said James. Lily turned to the very right of the kitchen to find three identical doors in a row.
"AGH!" Sirius yelled. It appeared as if, while opening the door to enter the room they were in, he had lost concentration in the large trunk he was levitating, and it drop on his foot. "EVANS! What in the bloody name of Merlin have you got shoved in this trunk?! It's heavier than anything I've ever carried in my bloody life!" he sputtered, all the while trying to shove the trunk off of his oxygen deprived foot.
"Oh, well don't be worried Black, it's only got everything I own in there," she replied. dripping with sarcasm. "I would have left about half of it where I ran away from, but you know, it'd be a bit hard to come back and get it all later."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "You must have used one heck of an expanding charm on this trunk to cram everything you own in here. No wonder it's heavier than Hagrid," he said. "So, where do I drop this load?"
"I've yet to choose a place to sleep, thanks to your dramatic entrance into the room, but I suppose any will do," Lily said.
"I think you should choose the middle room," said Sirius. "By far the best."
"It isn't that lurid pink one that James was warning me against, is it?"
"Nah, that's the one on the left. This ones just beyond the very best. You've got to stay in this one." said Sirius.
"Alright then," said Lily, moving towards the middle room and opening the door, only to walk into a very cold, stone dungeon looking room. "Er...is this what you usually like, Sirius?" she asked, uncertainly.
James and Sirius were sniggering. Though the joke had not been that amusing, Lily had a tendency to take things very seriously and literally, never really thinking it may be a joke. In this case, she still had not realized Sirius had only tried to trick her, and she still thought that he honestly liked that room the best. Granted, he was a fairly good actor, but still...
"Evans, I was only joking. This room is decorated mainly for James weird uncle, Lester. He seems to like dank, moldy sleeping areas. Hey, someone has got to," said Sirius.
"Oh. Well, then I supposed I'll be staying in that other room," said Lily going for the room on the right, trying to avoid the pink room at all costs.
"Ah, no, Evans. I don't think you will. I've got that room under mighty Sirius rule already, so you'll have to choose one of the other two. Really, though, I'd prefer anything to that ghastly pink mess Jamsie's mother calls a guest room."
"That grey piece of work I'd just seen wasn't exactly heaven either. Really...I suppose I'll at least take a peek into this 'horrible' pink room you two hate so much. Can't hurt," Lily said, as she reached for the door and opened it. She looked in, and her eyebrows shot up. She'd been expecting the worst, but this was really not what she had expected. It was not that bad. On the contrary, it was undoubtedly much nicer than her old room, and could give the Head's room at Hogwarts a run for its money. There was a king sized bed in the middle of the room with extremely light pink and white comforter an sheets, as well as a canopy above it, draped with lace. The tall windows were decked in the same light pink and white droopy curtains, and the carpet was simply just another shade of pink, more reddish-pink than anything else. There was a polished wood dressed before the bed, with a nice looking mirror on it, and several other drawers as well. Inevitably, it was more girly than Lily would prefer; Okay, so it was the most girly room anyone could imagine, but Lily was a girl, and she didn't mind the pink at all. She shrugged and walked in, pretty happy with the room she ended up with.
"You can put my stuff in here, Sirius," said Lily, as she jumped onto the bed, which, I might add, was the most comfortable thing she'd ever laid on. Lily turned to look at them, and saw a an expression of utter, and complete disgust on their faces.
"You can't honestly say you want to stay in here, do you? It's absolutely appalling!" said James.
"Ugh. I think I might barf up daisies if I stay in here much longer," said Sirius, genuinely feeling slightly ill from all the pink surrounding him.
"Oh, boys, it's not as bad as you made it out to be. Really, James, this pink isn't tacky at all! It's matching with everything!" said Lily.
"Well, I guess you can only expect that from girls," muttered Sirius darkly.
"Expect what?" snapped Lily.
"Expect that your sort would be attracted to gaudy decor such as this," said James, while making hand motions to show her was talking about the room.
"You are just tasteless! I'd like to see your room and how 'nice' it is in comparison to this!" Lily said.
"Fine, then. Follow me. You can see for yourself-- it won't be hard to prove you wrong. Anything looks good in comparison to that trash," James said.
Sirius rolled his eyes, again. "Although I can spot the obvious sexual tension between you two, and that you're trying to sort it out by going to James's room and shagging yourselves senseless, I'd like to remind you, Jamesie-poo, that you and I had arranged a nice little bit of Quidditch before Miss Evans came along."
"Fine, fine, let's go then. Evans, you up for a round? It'd be a little more fun with more than two people playing," said James.
"Er..."
"Let's go then, don't want to keep the sky waiting, do we?" asked Sirius, not patient enough to wait for her answer. Besides, who in their right mind said no to a game of Quidditch? Lily would have, had she been given an option to do so. She was not so good at flying, even with that short period in time when she was given lessons from James.
James sped off to a closet, which revealed several dustpans, an actual broom to sweep the floor with, and at least five racing brooms. He grabbed three and dashed back to them, throwing one to Sirius, as he caught it in midair without an problems, and one to Lily, who did not catch it quite so easily. The moment James had gotten rid of two of the brooms he'd been holding, he jumped onto the broom remaining while running, and zipped around the room a few times. Sirius did the exact same immediately after catching his own. Lily stood nervously in the middle of it all, placing her broom gingerly on the ground and placing her hand over it. According to How to Fly Safely and Not Get Injured 100%, Even While Riding Through a Hurricane, this was the only, and approved way to start. "Up!" Lily said. The broom slowly, very slowly, wobbled up, level with her hips. She then cautiously climbed into it and closed her eyes, trying to think of something that would make the broom rise.
So, just as she had with lesson with James, she thought of the wind all around her, rushing past her and zipping her all around, exactly like Sirius and James were managing at the moment. Of course, Lily did not seem to recall being jerked off her own broom and onto the ground, because she could not seem to control the broom. Which is exactly what happened as Lily shot into the air and sent flying like mad all around the room. Sirius looked at her, impressed, thinking she was doing this on purpose, while James slapped his forehead. Not again, he though miserably. How hopeless as flying could she get?
Lily was gripping tightly onto the handle, trying to think fast before she crashed into something valuable, or injured herself severely. Maybe if I move the direction of the handle, it'll change directions! thought Lily as the broom continue to fly around in circles. She jerked her hands to the left, a bit more forcefully than she'd intended to, and went lurching straight for a closed door.
"Ahh!" Lily said, preparing to hit headlong into the door. However, she hit the door only slightly before it flew open with a bang, and she heard Potter yelling "Ouvre la porte Potier!" She zoomed into the first room she'd seen, with the fireplace and persian rug, and here there was much more space to go flying around in. James could be seen flying in swiftly after her, trying to get a hold of her and bring her out of control broom down to earth again. He thought has hard as he could, to try and catch up with her. What if she crashed into one of his father's rare artifacts from Thailand or such? He'd be in a bloody mess is that happened. Faster, faster! He willed te broom to go, as it sped up considerably, and he began to catch up with Evans's broom.
Unfortunately, James will was a bit too strong, as he crashed into the back of her broom and they both tumbled headlong into a large, oriental lamp sitting on a small table. The lamp fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces, then turned into a mix of colorful dust before it even hit the ground. Lily and James both fell on the ground with a resounding thump, brooms nearly knocking them in the head. James rubbed the back of his head in pain and winced as Lily groaned for her injuries as well.
"Ugh...that was painful..." said Lily.
"Ah! My dad's vase! Ah, no...this can't be good." said James. He looked to Sirius despairingly, and hoping he had some sort of plan in mind, but only saw that Sirius was not looking at him, but at the door, and with a look of discomfort on his face.
"No. This cannot be good at all," said a man in the doorway. For a brief moment, there was utter silence, and James graced his features with an unreadable expression.
"Well, James, I suppose you'll be cleaning up this mess from your foolish horseplay and then, you'll get yourself washed up for dinner. There will be no Quidditch for you for a week, of course, and I expect next time I arrive home from a long trip away from home, I'll find my son dressed properly enough and not in such a state when arrive," he said curtly, and as if speaking to James as if her were a child being scolded.
Lily looked from father to son and found a surprising difference. They could not have been anymore different from each other. If Lily had to imagine James's father, this was definitely not it. The man standing before her could have easily been Frank Longbottom's father, who apparently had very strict parents; but not James, the infamous troublemaker. This man had jet black hair as his son did, but it was not unruly and windswept. On the contrary, it was neatly parted with a very strict line, and too groomed for comfort. His plain navy blue robes were press ironed, and his shoes were spitting clean. His face was similar to James, except there was lines in his face from the years, and no playful glimmer in his eyes; only stone cold seriousness could be seen.
And, to even greater surprise, James replied quietly, "Yes sir." That was possibly the most obedient Lily had ever heard him. There was no sarcasm in his voice as he said it, or no mocking tone somewhere in his words. Just simple enough, and yet it blew Lily's mind to pieces. She'd thought he'd be some rebelling teenager- but he was not. His voice had taken on a very controlled sound, and he immediately stood up straighter and a different aura took him. It was more humble, more saddened, or scared. It reminded Lily of a young boy still afraid of his father after he'd broken some rule. Which, Lily reminded herself, he had just done.
Mr. Potter gave Lily a sweeping look and nodded, acknowledging her presence before walked out of the room. "Wash up for dinner James. And change your clothes. I think brushing your hair a bit goes without saying as well," he said without sparing his son so much as a second glance. As he walked out, even Sirius had a slight little-boy look to him. Mr. Potter was very intimidating. Lily herself felt ashamed to have broken something in someone else's home when they had so graciously invited her to stay.
James heaved himself up and sighed in a defeated sort of way. He did not lift his face and did not meet neither Lily's nor Sirius's eyes. His eyes were averted to the ground as she bent down and began to pick up the large, broken shards of what used to be a lamp. Lily stood there, puzzled, confused, and feeling very awkward. She felt like she had missed something crucial from the abrupt change in James attitude; it went swiftly from joyous and happy to that of a depressed and sad little boy. Lily especially felt left out of the loop because Sirius seemed to know exactly what was going on as he gave James a pitying look and bent down to help pick up the broken glass.
Lily went to her room and began to unpack her clothes. She hated unpacking more than anything. In fact, packing was no problem at all for her; it always gave her the feeling that she was going somewhere exciting, or just somewhere different. But unpacking always made her feel as if the adventure was over, and it was simply back to the dull pace of normality again. However, this particular time, Lily did not mind unpacking just a bit. The adventure was far from over, and she had to get ready for dinner in the Prestigious House of Potier, as their official family title, more of a slogan really, said. Lily decided that a pair of nice pants and a normal shirt ought to do, as it was only James's house. James and Sirius were two of the most laid-back people she had ever met in her life, and she couldn't imagine a very formal dinner. So, donning some relatively casual black pants and a white shirt, she went through the door James had instructed her to go through. There were at least 5 different doors in her room, and she couldn't begin to fathom where they all lead. But enough experience told her not to meddle, as she'd most certainly get lost in the gigantic house.
The door bought her back into the many-sided room with the kitchen in the middle, and there, James and Sirius were waiting for her. "Took enough time," said Sirius testily. "I'm starving, and wanted to leave without you. But James, ever the gentleman, insisted we wait; didn't want you getting lost."
"Oh, well, thanks for not listening to Sirius," Lily said, to a rather subdued James.
"Sure, no problem," he said. James took the lead and began to walk toward another indistinguishable door, and lead them through it, walking right into a rather grand dinner table. Another chandelier decked the small-sized room (in comparison to the others, anyways) with light. The table was large and round, made of ivory with painstaking detail on the wood legs and rim. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were already seated next to each other. Sirius took a seat next to Mrs. Potter, James next to Mr. Potter, which left Lily the seat across from them.
"Good Evening," said Mr. Potter, formally.
"Good evening to you as well, Mr. Potter," Lily said, trying her best to be her most polite. She was feeling a slight uneasy under his gaze. Mrs. Potter looked as pleasant as ever, smiling, and was quite the stark contrast sitting next to her husband who looked extremely serious.
The house elf walked in, with a very large tray of food. Lily was surprised that the elf was not even staggering or stumbling beneath the weight, but walking with a mild skip, as usual. "Smelly has masters' dinner! Enjoy!" she said. Lily almost jumped out of her seat in surprise after recognizing the elf's face, and then having her beliefs confirmed after the elf smoke her name. Smelly promptly skipped out again, humming a little off-key.
"Ah, this looks delicious. I suppose we can all begin then," said Mr. Potter, addressing the matter as if it was a daily business meeting. James looked pained at how formal his father was acting, and, now that Lily noticed, Mr. Potter was dressed up as well. Lily looked at what they were all wearing, and was suddenly painfully aware that they were all far from casually adorned. James hair was still as messy as ever, but he was wearing expensive looking dress robes. The same could be said for Sirius. Mr. Potter was wearing what looked like a very starched and ironed bit of plain black robes, and Mrs. Potter a nice evening dress. Lily tried not to think about what clothes she was wearing, and ignore the feeling of stupidity.
James timidly picked up his knife and fork. He sliced his steak into a bite-sized piece and placed it into his mouth. Lily's jaw almost fell open; never, in her life, had she seen James Potter actually slice his food and chew it. She had only ever seen him inhale. She turned to look at Sirius disbelievingly, but he was doing that as well. There was absolute silence at the table, except the clink of silverware, and Lily felt as if the silence should not be disturbed.
"So, Lily, was it? I don't believe we've met before. I'm James's father," Mr. Potter said. Lily almost rolled her eyes, but stopped herself. Of course she knew by now that he was his father. Lily then realized she was supposed to reply, but could not think of anything to say. He already knew her name, so what now? She was spared the trouble.
"Your surname's Evans, is it? Yes, I don't think I've heard of that family name before. Muggle-born, I presume?" he asked. Lily nodded mutely. "You look to be Irish. Where's you family line from?"
"Yes, we are Irish, though I suppose we've got a couple of other nationalities in there. And you sir?" Lily asked, afraid. He had a sort of power about him that made you feel inferior.
"Well, my mother was Asian, but my father was French. Which would explain why our lot look far from French. My wife's Asian as well, but we've still been carrying Potier, or Potter, as some call it, as the last name." Lily did not know what else to say besides nod and smile politely.
"Which reminds me, James. I'm off to France for another business trip in a few says. Seems the French Ministry is having a bit of problems with our own, saying the European Magic Alliance favors Hogwarts over Beauxbatons," said Mr. Potter.
"What? But, dad, you've only just come home! I've not seen you for more than two minutes!" James protested, bursting out angrily. It was quite the change.
"Silence, James. I expect Yes Sir, next time. I come home to visit my family, and I expect respect from my own son, is that clear?" He said sternly.
"But--" James began, but stopped at the stern, cold look his father was giving him. James nodded, looking downcast, and muttering, "Yes Sir."
"How long will you be gone, dear?" Asked his wife, looking slightly angry as well as alarmed.
"I don't really know. I'll probably be back before the end of holidays. Let's move onto other topics, shall we?" His tone clearly suggested they had closed the subject. Everyone complied, and stopped talking, but they did not say anything else throughout dinner. James finished early, though there was still food left on his plate, and excused himself, getting up abruptly from the table.
"Good night, everyone," he muttered.
"Wait, James. We'll meet in my study at the usual time? We've not talked in ages, and I'd like to know what is going on in my son's life," said Mr. Potter. James nodded and left without another word.
When dinner ended, Lily went to her room and threw herself on that fluffy pink bed, her body was left splayed there as she fell asleep before she even realized it. So much had happened, she could hardly believe it. Lily had not known there were so many hours in a day.
A/N: ah, well, finished with that bit. Next chapter were will be more interesting that the last two have been. Hoped it was okay and I didn't put you to sleep. Seriously, I hope this is up to scratch. Review, or else! =D P.S. Thanks to all the people who have already reviewed! I owe my story to you! Remember... more reviews make me more dedicated to write! Muahaha! The more the reviews, the quicker you receive your chapter! I am so evil.
