Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any names, places, or things from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.
Did You Find What You Were Looking For

Chapter 10: Keeping Score

By: Taiyourshoes
The Saturday following the first week back at school came at long last. Most of Gryffindor could be found in the fields surrounding the lakes, to take full benefit of the fleeting summer weather. However, there were at least four who were still in Gryffindor tower, and those four were, of course, planning something deviant.

James Potter sighed. "You just aren't getting it. If we manage to enchant ALL of the transfiguration books, we still run into the snag that we may actually find ourselves with a hundred something seventeen-year-old slugs on our hands, with even more lower classman TRAMPLING over them."

"Yes, or a creepy kid with a wand prodding the poor blokes," Sirius offered, remembering what happened to a slug he saw once in a similar disposition.

The Marauders were sitting around a table in the corner, talking at their leisure since, to their knowledge, everyone was elsewhere on the castle grounds. Peter Pettigrew was fidgeting in his seat, which gave the impression that he either had to use the bathroom or was anxiously waiting for James or Sirius to say something hilarious to laugh at. Typically, he'd just had too much sugar. Remus Lupin was leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he sent some sparks up to create a sort of firework display. Sirius Black had his face cupped in his hands in a dashingly bored way— a look he'd mastered at the age of eleven. And James Potter was twirling his wand between his fingers as he stared out into nowhere, that nowhere aimed out the window towards a group of girls sitting under a tree below. If he concentrated hard enough, he could make out a girl with her red locks pushed behind her ears as she bent over her potions essay.

James certainly hadn't seen a lot of Lily Evans lately. Aside from classes and detentions, it seemed she'd made herself always out of his reach. He couldn't very well desert his friends in her favor, and she wouldn't make a casual bit of interaction possible with her constant library visits and time spent in her dormitory.

Oddly enough, James could have sworn Lily'd been staring at him all week throughout their detentions (which consisted of cleaning off the marble staircase and pickling various animals for Professor Brewsteem). And whenever they were heading back to Gryffindor tower she'd appear to wait for him before shaking her head and hurrying back to the commons alone— which she'd do invariably.

Maybe she wanted to tell him something? Ask him something? Perhaps she even wanted to have him out for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?

But instead she'd just stay silent during detentions while casting him curious glances. The one time he'd even heard her speak over the last three days was when she'd asked him if he knew anything about Demiguises. How random was that?

Well, James decided, I'll just have to make a little more of an effort to see her.

"Gentlemen," James said aloud, "maybe we can think better in the sunshine. Anyone up for a visit to the grounds?"
Lily Evans emitted a small yawn while squinting down at her potions text. She found herself rereading sentences again and again as her mind kept wandering up the stairs to Gryffindor commons, where James and his friends had stayed back when the rest of the house agreed to do their homework outside.

For the past three days she'd tried to ask him whether or not he had an invisibility cloak, but then she'd realize how stupid it would sound if it weren't true. She didn't want to appear to be grabbing at snitches without a broom or anything.

That and she kept thinking about that day third year when she'd seen James with Abigail O'Brien. Even the memory put her in a sour mood.

But, Lily wondered miserably, why would it do that?

She liked him at the time, but she hadn't loved him. And, if her memory served her correctly, she hadn't even liked him THAT much. Lily had simply found him more interesting than most anyone else, that's all.

Lily inwardly groaned at the prospect that she'd been like every other Potter-crazed loon in the school, except worse. After all, no one else had caught James in the library. Just poor Lily Evans, looking to see if she could find James to tell him that she... she...

Lily frowned as she realized she couldn't remember what had been so important, but was suddenly distracted by a large shadow blocking the sunlight on her paper.

"Afternoon, Evans. Essay coming along well?"

She cringed slightly at the sight of the four Marauders before her, each with their eyes focused on her. Remus Lupin was giving her an apologetic smile, Peter Pettigrew looked a bit overexcited, and Sirius Black had quite an evil look about him. As for James Potter, Lily immediately noticed his mischievous, though all the same curious, expression on his sharp features.

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily groaned, realizing that this encounter could lead to nothing good.

"Well, while I was brainstorming I realized what positively smashing weather we're having, and then the thought struck me: we SHOULD be playing Quidditch!" James propositioned with false excitement. Lily was reminded of a car salesman who once tried to sell her father a dangerously old looking van.

"How does this concern me?" Lily asked, fearing the answer.

James appeared to deliberate the point. "It occurs to me now that I've NEVER seen you play Quidditch."

"I'm afraid of heights!" she defended.

"Exactly," James winked. "I am simply trying to help you concur your fears by playing the most exciting game ever invented."

A few of their peers, who had long-since looked up from their work to watch the spectacle before them, gave rooted cheers of agreement.

Lily rolled her eyes, putting down her essay and quill as she got to her feet. James offered her a hand, which she took hesitantly. He was still smiling that same mischievous smile that Lily well knew could get her into trouble.

"I don't have a broom," Lily admitted, softening.

"I've an extra one," James rallied.

"I'm terrible at flying and I lack all coordination necessary to get a ball into a hoop," Lily said quickly in a pleading tone that plainly said she didn't really want to go in the air under any circumstances.

"You're coordinated enough to slap me square on the cheek if I get too prattish. I think you'll be fine."

Lily laughed a bit at this, thinking hard for her next thread of defense. "I... I might fall."

"And I," James declared, beaming, "will be there to catch you."

With a last sigh, Lily nodded, which caused quite a few Gryffindors to applaud and woot loudly.

This, Lily thought, should be against the rules.
The one and only time Lily had ever been on a broom (which had been in first year when there'd been a flying lesson) she'd cried when the broom started levitating too high. Fortunately, Lily didn't cry this time, but she certainly let out quite a few whimpers.

"If you're scared, the broom isn't going to go very high," James reminded, laughing from his place ten or so feet above her.

"Oh, how tragic," Lily grumbled, knuckles going white due to her ridiculously firm grip on her broom. She dared a glance down at the ground fifteen feet from the soles of her shoes, which to Lily, looked to be at least five miles. Beneath her she could see Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew mounting their brooms, Peter a bit more hesitantly. Remus Lupin stood under a tree not far off, shaking his head in disbelief while smiling ever so slightly. At his feet were a Quidditch set, snitch, quaffle, and bludgers included. Lily shivered.

"You don't plan to let the bludger out, do you?" she asked, glancing up at James, who quickly swooped down beside her with ease. He only had one hand on the broom, the other mussing up his hair.

"'T'would hardly be a game of Quidditch otherwise." James turned to the other seventh and sixth years in the air, all of whom had volunteered to be part of the game. "What do you blokes think, should we let the bludgers out?"

"Definitely!" Sirius called as he circled the pitch. Many others called out their agreement in unison.

"Fine," Lily relented scornfully. "Tell my family I loved them very much."

James chuckled. "I'll be sure to relay the message. Moony, let the quaffle and the snitch go. Save the bludgers for when Miss Head Girl has a firm handle over her broom."

Remus gave a wave of his wand and the snitch and quaffle was released.

"Now, Evans," James reminded, "don't go too fast if you aren't ready to, and turn if you're nearing anything that might hurt to collide with."

"I can remember that," Lily grimaced. "It's putting all that into practice that's the problem."

He nodded. "I think she's ready." James flashed a smile at Lily, who had suddenly gone very pale. "Release the bludgers!"

And with a wave of Remus's wand, the game began.
James was finding it very hard to concentrate on the game when Lily wasn't that far from him, actually giggling whenever she put on a spurt of speed. She wasn't bad at flying at all, really. He'd definitely seen worse.

"And the quaffle goes to Evans, Black, Pettigrew, back to Evans... Potter comes up in an attempt to take the quaffle and—Oh! Ran INTO the quaffle instead of catching it. Bad luck..." Tabitha Hawkins was commentating below, her memory back to normal and her love for Quidditch reaffirmed. She'd always been very into the game, and would have gone out for the team if the spot for Seeker had opened.

James, rubbing his head from where the quaffle had hit him, dared another glance at Lily, who was smiling as she did a little loop in the air. It wasn't HIS fault he ran into the quaffle; she'd distracted him.

James had never seen her THIS happy. He'd needed a good excuse, he felt, to ask her to spend a little time with him— maybe to get to know her better. And of course, Quidditch came to mind. He'd never seen her on the field before, after all, and had always been curious about how she'd do at his favorite game.

And although she didn't seem to be very good at passing off the ball, catching it, or scoring, she seemed to be enjoying herself very much.

Lily Evans caught his gaze and went still for a minute, a curious expression on her face. Suddenly a rare grin came to her as she winked at him, then suddenly dove past him to intercept the quaffle.

James, laughing to himself that his ladylove so obviously knew him too well and could win at any game with him, went after the quaffle once more.
Quidditch wasn't so bad... Lily wasn't the best, but flying was so much fun! She felt as though, in a dizzy, euphoric spiral she was zooming between players to either catch or drop the quaffle. Lily hadn't even come NEAR a bludger.

Well, not yet anyway.

Lily flattened her body against the broom and, though she should have been paying attention to the game, thrusted herself through the air, narrowly missing a sixth year Ravenclaw girl with glasses whom Lily vaguely knew as something Cunningham, as she was a beater on the Ravenclaw House team.

This, Lily would later realize, was a turning point in her life. Though that might be an exaggeration.

"...and Evans dives at beater Trista Cunningham, who retaliates with a bludger and—"

Lily heard the sickening CRUNCH as a bludger hit the back of her head, whirling her into hazy unconsciousness.

"Is that even allowed?!" a voice asked in disbelief.

Lesson learned: never mess with a beater, on accident or otherwise.
James barely had time to register what it was that fell past him, barely had time to hear a few shouts and screams as Tabitha Hawkins announced something about a blow to the head, when Lily hit the ground with a massive thud.

He supposed she DEFINITELY had reason to hate flying now; gravity too, for that matter.

Calling a time-out, James sped down to the field where people were already crowding around. Lily lay on the ground, a little bit of blood oozing from the cut on her forehead where her head met with her broom.

"Hospital wing?" Tabitha Hawkins suggested, kneeling beside her fellow Gryffindor. James stood stock still, watching in horror as a few people tried to wake her up using spells and slaps to her face.

James nodded after a minute of their attempts, agreeing to take her up to Madam Pomfrey himself

Bugger.

With a sigh, James pushed through the crowd and bent beside Lily, picked her up delicately, and made his way up to the castle.

When he was almost to the end of the Great Hall, concern etched all over his face that Lily would never speak to him (or possibly anyone else...) again, he felt Lily stir slightly, her eyes fluttering as if she were dreaming.

"J...James?" she whispered, confused, before her head fell limp and she went silent.

What ever she was dreaming about, he was in it, and she didn't seem angry! She was ALIVE and had fantasies about HIM.

...even if she was unconscious.

Score one for team Potter?
Taiyourshoes: Now I have to say the following for two reasons. First, MissMrprk might KILL me if I don't and Second, I really appreciated this more than most things that reach my inbox. Thanks Sarah, for your beautiful boxes of motivation, inspiration, and friendship. Here's what you said, in case you forgot:

You are opening a bag and inside you see a whole lot of motivation from me! and a receipt that says no returns. (Taiyourshoes: That is so sweet!!!)

...

A couple minutes ago a UPS truck pulled up to your house and asked you to sign for some orders. You asked what they were and he said, just sign please and you can find out for yourself. You found yourself in your front yard with a truckload of pretty boxes. You opened the first one and gasped! There was a lifetime supply of motivation! You go to the next box and you open it up and gasp! There was a lifetime supply of inspiration! You looked in the next box and gasped! There was a lifetime supply of friendship! You then opened all the boxes and found yourself so happy and motivated you decided to go write a chapter of Did You Find What You Were Looking For! And then when you were just opening the door you saw a card. It said:

Gottya something. Hope ya like it! (Taiyourshoes: I do, very much, in fact!)

Sarah, I love you! And thanks, Heidi, for your motivation as well.

Other special thanks goes to STARBORN, who came to read my story from hpDOTcom, where I was posting this story for a while. I did get off my arse and it resulted in about six pages and ideas for chapter 11. Thanks again, guys, couldn't get through writer's block without you!

I'm going to write chapter 11 now, and I give EVERYONE permission to E-MAIL me SILLY if I forget/don't want to update. might not be pleased, but she/I'll write.

Fondly,

Tomfoolery (which is an hpDOTcom thing, don't ask.)