A Marauder's Life For Me
Chapter 6
Less than three weeks later, Lily and her parents stood on Platform 9 ¾, gazing at the Hogwarts Express. People were scurrying around here and there like the white rabbit from Alice In Wonderland, loading their trunks onto the train and saying their goodbyes. After another moment of staring at the scarlet steam engine, Lily turned to her parents.
"I guess this is goodbye until Christmas," she said.
"I suppose it is," Karen Evans said, hugging her daughter tightly.
"Make sure to send us lots of mail," Richard Evans said.
"I will, Dad," Lily replied, letting go of her mother and hugging him.
Lily stood there in her father's arms for a few moments, trying to grasp everything about him that she would miss over the next couple of months. Little did she know that James Potter was standing not that far away, watching her. Just then, the Hogwarts Express's whistle blew, giving the warning to everyone on the platform that it would soon pull away from the station.
"I have to leave," she said quietly, letting go of her father, stepping back a pace, and looking at both of them. "I'll miss you."
"We'll miss you too, hun," Karen said, hugging Lily once again.
"I love you," Lily said to both of them as she walked towards the train.
Lily was ten feet away from the edge of the platform when the train began to move. Her eyes widened and as she began to run after it, somebody stuck out their hand to help pull her up. Lily grabbed the hand, which swung her up off the platform and onto the train. The force of the pull, however, caused Lily to knock into the owner of the hand, knocking both him and her over.
When Lily finally managed to get all of the hair out of her eyes, she was able to take in her surroundings. The train was traveling at full speed now, and Lily was lying on top of someone, the person who had helped her onto the train.
Lily sat up and turned to face the person who had helped her up, just as said person tried to sit up. The result: Lily and Remus's heads knocked, the force of which pushed them both back to the ground.
"Ouch," they said together, both rubbing their heads.
When the spots disappeared from in front of their eyes, each focused on the other.
"Thanks," Lily said quietly, trying to stand up and tripping on a bolt that stuck up off the floor, causing her to fall back on top of Remus with an 'oof!'
Lily and Remus stared at one another, neither moving, Lily still on top of him. They looked into each other's eyes until a voice was heard, one that was coming ever closer.
"Moony? Evans? Did we interrupt something?" Sirius Black asked as both he and James came down the train, stopping where Lily and Remus were in the corridor.
Both Lily and Remus scrambled away from one another, stumbling to get up, blushing profusely. Once they were up, they were consciously brushing dust off their clothes, looking anywhere but at Sirius and James, or at one another.
"So we did interrupt something, then?" James asked, grinning broadly.
"No, you didn't," Lily said, her head snapping up and her eyes meeting James's. "Remus just helped me up from the platform and we fell over… into a very compromising position."
"Yeah, right," Sirius chimed in. "Like we're really going to believe that."
"You should," Remus said, finally speaking up and facing his friends defiantly. "Come on, Lily."
Lily gave Sirius and James one last look before leaving down the corridor with Remus. They headed down the train towards the Prefects' compartments; both Lily and Remus had been made Gryffindor 5th year Prefects that summer. Upon finding an empty compartment, the two sat down opposite one another and began to talk.
"Sorry about back there," Lily said again. "I really didn't mean for that to happen. I'm too damn clumsy!"
"You're not clumsy, Lily," Remus said, smiling at her. "We all have our moments."
"Mine just happen more often than everybody else's," she laughed.
There was a silence in which Lily yawned, got up, and took the seat next to Remus. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and as the train went over a particularly bumpy section of track, Lily slipped and her head ended up in his lap. She opened her mouth to apologize once again, but he just put a finger across her lips to silence her.
"It's okay," he said, smiling at her again. "You're tired, just rest."
Lily tried to rest this way, but she kept wriggling around to find a spot that was comfortable for her. Finally, she gave up and just sat up in her seat next to him. Remus, who had been watching this and smiling to himself, finally found a way that would ensure that she was comfortable.
"Come here," he ordered.
Lily looked at him, puzzled. She then stood up, looking unsure of what to do.
"Sit," he said, shaking his head with a smile.
She took the seat next to him again. Remus, who was sitting in the corner of the compartment, pulled her into his lap so that she could lean her body against the wall, but at the same time, make herself comfortable against him. After another minute of wiggling, she settled down, smiled at him, and closed her eyes. Within minutes, she was asleep, contentedly, in his arms.
Remus stared out the window, knowing that he couldn't move to get something without waking her. Half an hour later, there was a knock on the compartment door.
"Come in," Remus said quietly.
In walked Kat, Meaghan, and Daria, whose smiles became grins the moment they set eyes on Remus and Lily. They sat down on the bench opposite the two, and looked at him expectantly.
"So when did this happen?" Daria asked, her eyes twinkling.
"It didn't happen," Remus said pointedly. "It just sort of … happened."
"When did you ask her?" Kat asked.
"Ask her what?" he questioned, looking confused.
"Ask her out, silly," Meg said, giggling slightly.
"OH," Remus said, comprehension dawning on him. "I never asked her out. We're not … that close."
"Not that close?" Daria asked, shaking her head. "Not that close my ass! You'd go out with her as soon as she brought up the question."
"Well, besides that fact, that's not what's – "
"So you admit it!" Kat said, pointing a finger at him. "You do like her!"
"What guy in Hogwarts doesn't? Anyway, that's not what happened. She just couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep, and … this is coming out wrong," he finished, trailing off.
All three girls giggled as Remus blushed again, trying to recover from his blunder. After trying to start his explanation three more times and not getting anywhere, he changed the way he was going about things.
"You know, I don't tease you like this!" Remus exclaimed, trying to hide his blush with mock-anger.
"I know," Meg said, nodding her head in agreement. "But teasing you is fun because we know you'll never retaliate."
"Are you sure about that?" Remus asked, pulling his wand from his pocked and smirking in a way that was much reminiscent of Sirius and James.
Just then, Lily shifted in her sleep so that she was snuggling more against Remus than the wall. However, she leaned in such a way that she slipped and almost hit her head on Remus's trunk, which was sitting on the floor by his feet. Thanks to his quick reflexes, though, he caught her right before her head hit the trunk. This whole series of actions was enough to wake her up.
"What's going on?" she asked blearily, sitting up straighter. "Where am I?"
Daria giggled and motioned to Meg and Kat, both of whom got up and headed towards the compartment door.
"We'll just leave you two alone now," she said, grinning, and shut the door behind her.
"They've been acting really weird today," Lily said, looking at Remus.
"Yeah, well, I think I know why," he said with a half-smile.
"Care to enlighten me?" she asked, grinning at him while moving so that she could make herself comfortable again.
"Well," Remus began, blushing slightly, "I get the impression from the conversation we had while you were asleep that they think we should go out."
"And what do you think?" Lily asked him.
"What do I think?"
"Yes."
There was a pause in which Remus thought about it.
"I think – well, I know - I'd go out with you anytime, but that's just me," he concluded, looking at her. "How about you?"
"I'd like that," Lily said, smiling at him.
"So, it's official?" Remus asked, smiling at her. "You'll go out with me?"
"Yes, Remus, I'll go out with you."
Remus gave Lily a huge hug and pulled her back onto his lap and put his arms around her. She turned around to smile at him and he caught her by surprise, kissing her. When he pulled away, both were grinning. Just then, the door to the compartment opened, and in walked Sirius, James, Meg, Daria, and Kat, with Peter bringing up the rear.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" Sirius asked, his eyebrows raised questioningly.
"Nothing really important," Lily said, looking at him.
"Really?" Meg asked, being much like Sirius, followed his train of thought. "Because I would say you're hiding something."
"Why would I hide something, Meg?"
"Oh, no reason, just that you don't want everyone to know you and Remus are dating, perhaps?"
Lily turned around and looked at Remus for a moment before bursting out laughing. Seconds later, Remus began to chuckle as well.
"Lily and I dating?" he asked. "Meg, where would you come up with such a ridiculous thought?"
"I think she's on to something, Moony," James piped up. "Are you hiding something?"
"No, Prongs, why would I hide something from you? Marauders don't lie or hide things from their best friends," Remus replied.
"Then why are you sitting on his lap, Lily?" Peter asked.
"Because I felt like it," Lily shot back, facing him defiantly.
"I say she's in denial," Sirius said, smirking. "Who agrees with me?"
Everyone's hands went up except Remus's and Lily's. Lily looked at Remus again, shaking her head.
"Wouldn't I be the first person to know if I was lying?" Lily asked, staring specifically at Sirius.
"Yes, but of course you wouldn't admit it to us if you didn't want us to know," he said, grinning.
"Oh, I give up!" she said, throwing up her hands before leaning back and relaxing on Remus's shoulder. "Think whatever you want, but know that you're wrong."
The conductor's voice echoed throughout the train, letting the students know that they would be arriving at Hogsmeade Station in five minutes' time. Sirius, James, and Peter left to change into their school robes, leaving Daria, Meg, Kat, Lily, and Remus in the compartment. Lily still had her head on Remus's shoulder and her eyes were now closed. Remus was talking with Daria, Meg, and Kat as the train slowed down, coming to a stop in front of Hogsmeade Station. Remus watched the other three girls exit the compartment, leaving him alone with Lily for the first time in about three hours.
"Lily?" he asked, shifting slightly.
"Yeah?" she responded, her eyes still closed.
"We have to help usher people off the train and into the Great Hall," Remus said, pointing to the badge pinned to the front of his robes. "We're prefects, remember?"
"Damn," Lily mumbled, moving for the first time in about an hour, standing up, and stretching. "Do we really have to go? Can't we just stay here?"
"No, sorry," Remus replied with a smile at her as he got up. "No matter how much I'd rather stay here, we have to go."
Lily sat back down again and motioned for Remus to do the same. He looked at her questioningly before doing so.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hold you hostage from doing prefect duties," Lily said with a smile. "I just … should we let the others know that we're going out?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Prongs will be angry when he finds out, but I expected that. I can handle him. The question is do you want the others to know?"
"Yes and no," Lily said, smiling slightly. "I want to be able to tell them all the juicy details, but yet, I want to take the secret with me to the grave."
"I've felt that," Remus said. "You just have to decide which you want more."
There was silence for a moment as Lily debated whether or not they should tell their friends. Finally, she came to a decision.
"How about we keep it a secret for now, but we tell them eventually?" she asked. "That way, we have time to ourselves, but I get to tell the girls things in time."
"Fine by me," Remus replied with a grin. "And Lils, juicy details?"
"It's just an expression," Lily said, shrugging her shoulders and grinning. "And you, Remus, Lils?"
"Well, I figured since we're going out, your boyfriend has a right to call you Lils rather than Lily," he replied, grinning just as much as her.
"Okay," she replied.
They sat there for a moment, looking at one another as if forgetting everything else around them. The longer they stared at each other, the wider their grins became. Finally, Remus walked over and sat down next to Lily.
"Don't we have to go?" she asked as he looked at her, mere inches away.
"We do, but now that I'm here – " Remus replied, stopping his sentence as he leaned in and kissed Lily.
"We have five minutes at most," Lily said, looking down at her watch.
"Five minutes it is, then," he replied, smiling, and kissed her again.
Five minutes later, Remus and Lily stood up, trying to fix their hair and clothes before leaving the compartment for the castle. Lily had conjured two mirrors, and was trying to brush her hair and do something to hide her swollen lips. A minute later, they were running up the lane to the castle doors, and after entering the castle, trying to catch their breath.
They opened the doors to the Great Hall in time to see Professor Flitwick exit with the Sorting Hat and stool in hand, on the way to return them to Dumbledore's office.
"We missed the Sorting," Lily whispered to Remus.
"Yeah, well, we aren't on time," he replied, grinning at her.
Together, they entered the Great Hall and slipped into seats at the Gryffindor table. There were only two seats left, and they were right next to the Marauders. When they sat down, the heads of the three Marauders and the fifth year Gryffindor girls turned to face them.
"Where were you?" Sirius hissed, looking at the two of them suspiciously.
"We were – " Lily began, but was saved the trouble of inventing where they were by Professor Dumbledore standing up to make his beginning-of-term speech.
"Good evening, students, and welcome back to another wonderful year at Hogwarts. For those first years that have just been sorted, welcome to Hogwarts! I'm sure you'll have a great time here, like the rest of the students and staff. Now, for my start-of-term announcements. First, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. Second, Hogsmeade is only open to third years and above, all of whom must have their permission slips signed by their parent or guardian. Third, there is to be a Winter Wonderland ball sometime in December, most likely Christmas Eve, for fourth years and above. Those are all my announcements for now, enjoy the feast!"
As Dumbledore sat down, food of all types appeared on the tables and chatter broke out in abundance.
"A ball!" Kat exclaimed, excited. "That means we get to bring dates!"
"Speaking of dates," Sirius said, turning to look at Remus and Lily, who were seated next to one another, "where were you?"
"We were – " Lily began, only to be cut off by Remus.
" – Helping solve a problem with some of the second years," he said, grabbing the plate of steak and dishing some for himself before passing it to Meg.
"What type of problem?" Daria asked, grinning at the two.
"Well, one of them had a cat they wanted to take to the feast with them, and another – stupid Slytherin – had let loose a snake on the train to scare the younger students – he was a sixth year – and then made us help him find it again! What a jerk!" Lily ranted, waving her fork in the air.
"No more forks for you, Evans," James said, grabbing the utensil out of her hand.
"Give it back, Potter," Lily growled, her anger rising rapidly.
"No," James said simply, holding it just out of her reach.
"What do you expect me to eat with if I don't have a fork? My hands?" Lily asked, her voice growing ever louder.
"It's not hard," Sirius said, looking at her.
"Maybe not for a pig like you," she said, rounding on him. "Give it back."
"No," James said again, taunting her.
"Uh oh," Remus said softly, knowing what was coming.
Until now, the Gryffindors' heads had been going back and forth between James and Lily as if watching a tennis rally. However, they stopped when Lily drew out her wand and pointed it at James.
"Give me my fork," she said slowly, her left hand extended, palm up.
"Tut tut, Evans," James said, completely unfazed by the wand pointed in his face. "You know hexing other students isn't allowed."
"Well, in your case, I'll make an exception."
"What're you going to do to me? Turn my hair blue?" James asked, remembering what she had done to him last year.
By now, both were standing on opposite sides of the table, their fight going unnoticed by any other the teachers, but none of the Gryffindors.
"No," Lily replied, lowering her wand so that it was at James's waist height, "but I will make sure you never have any children."
James's eyes widened as he quickly dropped the fork on the table and sat back down. Lily, angry but satisfied, grabbed the fork and took her seat once more. Chatter broke out amongst the rest of the Gryffindor table after a few seconds, with the exception of Lily and James, who spent the remainder of the feast in silence. It seemed that things were back normal between the two of them once again.
A/N: Here's another chapter for your reading delight. Hope you enjoy - please read and review!
Astronomylover