A/N: Yes, I'm updating again. Because, it's still thunderstorming, and I'm in a good mood. We had some more votes for Lupin, for many of the same reasons. You guys sure do like the guy. I think he's a mystery. That's what I like about him. Anyhoo…to answers of how much longer this story is going to be…I just finished writing all the chapters. There's going to be four more after this. And maybe an epilogue, but I'm not sure. Hope I'll update again today! And as always, read and review.
Chapter Forty-Four: The Quidditch Cup
"James, you need to eat." Lily urged. James was looking tense and excited, and kept pulling out a playbook, flipping through it, scribbling something else down, and then tucking it back away, only to bring out when another thought struck him.
"What?" James asked, obviously absorbed in his thoughts.
"Eat. You piled all of that food on your plate, and you're not even touching it." Lily said, more clearly and taking James's book away from him.
"Hey!" he protested.
Lily shook her head and pointed to his plate. "Eat, and then you'll get it back. Besides, you know these plays like the back of your hand."
James grinned at her before forking liberal amounts of eggs into his mouth.
"I don't see how you tolerate him." Sirius joked. "The way he eats, it's enough to be ashamed of."
As the words came out of his mouth, so did bits of bacon, and Lily couldn't help but laugh.
James finished his breakfast and then held out his hand to Lily.
"I don't much care for dancing right now." Lily teased.
James frowned. "Well can I have my notebook back, then?"
Lily grinned and then handed him his book back, and he dived into the contents again like a madman.
"This is sure to be an interesting match, eh?" Sirius said as he took a seat in the stands next to Lily in their usual group. Jacob and Grace had even graced them with their presence and support by wearing gold and maroon.
Lily nodded. It was a beautiful day for Quidditch, it was sunny, cool enough to be comfortable, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
Madam Hooch blew the whistle after the captains shook hands, and the most anticipated game of the season began.
The game began slowly, it was the Quidditch Cup, after all, and each team was matched, player by player, in skill level. Except, Lily grinned, James. He was unbelievable on the Quidditch pitch, and no one could take that away from him.
That's probably why it was James to score the first four goals, enthusing the Gryffindor stands, while reeking havoc among the Slytherin stand, as loud hisses were made at every goal James scored.
Getting down by a few points seemed to discourage the Slytherins, but it also made them more eager to play dirty. Madam Hooch began calling fouls left and right, and the penalty shots only resulted in Gryffindor scoring more points.
The score was soon ninety to zero, and Slytherin was becoming furious.
The captain, Andrews, a burly sixth year with several missing teeth even took the beater's bat from his teammate to hit a Gryffindor chaser with it.
Another foul was called again, and the Slytherin stand went into an uproar.
Madam Hooch waved them off as James was asked to take the penalty shot was taken. The familiar swoosh of the quaffle through the hoop made the Gryffindor lead hundred to zero.
Lily could look at the way James was now flying, with a harsher grip, that he was becoming more and more frustrated with the opposing team and just praying that their seeker caught it soon.
He would have no such luck; for the next choice foul the Slytherin team had planned out would make any chances of the Gryffindor seeker to catch the Snitch evaporate into thin air.
Michaels, the Gryffindor seeker, had started to speed faster on his top of the line broom, the Snitch was in his reach, when one of the Slytherin beaters charged head on into where he was flying, sending a loud crunch of broken bones echoing throughout the stadium. Slytherin beaters were naturally gigantic compared to swift Gryffindor chasers.
James turned as he heard the noise and saw Michaels fall helplessly through the air. Before he could even think, he sent a spell Michaels's way.
"IMPEDIMENTA!" he cried, not even realizing he was doing magic without a wand.
Michaels fell slowly through the air and landed on the dew covered grass with a soft thud, leaving the audience to stare at James in amazement, they had only ever seen the Headmaster do magic without his wand, after all.
James zoomed down to stop by Michaels when he landed.
He was still out cold, most likely from the collision than the fall. Madam Hooch called Andrews down after conjuring a stretcher for Michaels and sending him on his way to the Hospital Wing.
She scolded Andrews for at least five minutes before awarding Gryffindor two penalties and James was told to take the shots.
His aim was perfect, and Gryffindor was awarded another twenty points, bringing the score up one twenty to zero.
James called the reserve seeker, Gaunt, a small third year girl, over to him once the goals were made, she approached him quickly, but timidly.
"I need you to just distract them from getting the Snitch. If you can get it, great, but I think just distracting them till we get three more goals will be the best thing." he ordered, voice booming against the wind.
She nodded and flew off, and James and his fellow chasers began to fly together, stealing, and then passing the quaffle to score another goal.
James through her a thumbs up, and the girl smiled and began to make a beeline to a 'pretend' snitch. It worked, the Slytherin seeker began to follow her, and James and his teammates had enough time to score yet another goal.
Gaunt tried to make another beeline, but the Slytherin seeker seemed to have caught on, and began searching the sky for the snitch himself.
James knew they would have to score quickly again, or else they would loose the match for sure.
The quaffle was passed to him, and he began to dart Slytherin chasers left and right, as well as bludgers that were aimed at his head.
He threw the quaffle through the hoop right as Madam Hooch blew the whistle.
Slytherin had caught the Snitch, but Gryffindor had won. The entire stadium but Slytherin erupted into cheers. James had never felt so good, especially knowing that when he landed, Lily would be waiting for him.
"Ms. Evans, your work has been rather astounding." Professor McGonagall complimented. "I'm impressed; it seems that you've won your battle with Transfiguration."
Lily grinned. "I think I'm just getting to it, Professor."
Professor McGonagall gave her a rare smile. "I'm expecting good results on your N.E.W.T.S."
Lily sighed. "I'm praying for good results on them"
"You'll do fine." Professor McGonagall replied, with her rare kind support. "Transfigure these pieces of parchment into quilts."
Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes in order to become concentrated; she didn't need to mess up now.
She opened her eyes suddenly and looked at the parchment on the table and thought of the spell, and to her relief, the parchment unraveled into a large, colorful quilt.
"Good, Ms. Evans. I have a few more things for you to Transfigure, then you may be dismissed. Our next meeting will be the second day after N.E.W.T.S, I want you to focus on just those tests for now, however, so I think it's best we have a break."
Lily nodded as she prepared herself for the next task.
"Mr. Potter, you are performing excellently." Professor Latham commented on that Saturday morning after the Quidditch up.
"I love Defense Against the Dark Arts, sir." James replied with a smile.
"Well that is apparent." the Professor remarked as he took off his glasses and cleaned them off with his sleeve before putting them back on. "Let's go to the faculty lounge, I believe they have a boggart problem in there."
James nodded excitedly and eagerly followed Professor Latham to the faculty room.
The room was empty, except for Professor Flitwick, who smiled broadly at James before leaving.
"Nice charm last Saturday, Mr. Potter. Excellent wandless magic."
James blushed. "Thank you Professor. I just did what was necessary."
"And that's what will make you a great wizard." Professor Flitwick replied energetically as he gathered his papers. "I'll see you in class on Wednesday."
James nodded before turning his attention back to Professor Latham.
"Where's this boggart?" he asked.
Professor Latham smiled at him before pointing to a cupboard. "Right here."
James nodded and began to clear his head. "Alright."
"You know what to do." Professor Latham stated as he flung the cupboard doors open.
James opened his eyes and saw Lily, laying in front of him, eyes wide open yet so cold and lifeless, dead.
James's throat began to get chocked with tears as adrenaline pumped through his veins.
Wait. He took a moment to think. Lily was in her lessons with McGonagall right now. She was safe. He ignored the voice in his head that asked 'could you be sure?' and took a deep breath.
"Riddikulus!" he shouted moving his fingers magically.
Lily's body popped up and turned into a show girl, dancing to and fro. James laughed, Lily would never dance like that. He heard Professor Latham join in beside him, and soon the boggart was gone.
"So, your greatest fear is loosing Lily Evans?" he asked conversationally.
"Yes, sir. I love her." James replied.
Professor Latham nodded then smiled. "It's good to have that kind of love in these times. You hold on to her, James. She'll be very important in your future."
James nodded as he gained a completely new respect for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"We're done here, I'll send you an owl, and our next meeting won't be till after N.E.W.T.S, so study hard." Professor Latham said before ushering James out of the faculty lounge.
"Thanks Professor Latham, good night." James waved before making his way back to the Heads' Quarters, because even though the image of Lily sprawled dead on the floor wasn't real, all he could think about was how he wanted to wrap his arms around her and keep her away from danger.
"Lily?" James called into the Head's common room.
Lily appeared from her bedroom door. " James?"
James caught sight of her and rushed to her, enfolding her in his arms.
"James, is everything alright?" she asked, worriedly.
James nodded as he continued to hold her.
"I just needed to see you, to hold you." he replied quietly.
Lily kissed his cheek. "How were your lessons?"
James broke away. "I did well, I saw Flitwick…I fought a boggart."
Lily raised her eyebrow.
"How did that go?"
James took a breath and looked up at Lily before looking to the floor. "It turned into you."
"You're most frightened of me?" Lily asked, she was really starting to worry now.
James sighed and shook his head. "No, you were…you were sprawled on the floor, your eyes were wide open…you were dead, Lily."
Lily's eyes watered, it never seemed to amaze her how much James cared for her, and just knowing that his worst fear was loosing her in this war made her love for him grow even more.
Lily wrapped her arms around him, this time.
"It's okay, James. I'm here, I'm breathing." she smiled into James's shoulder. "We'll be okay."
James rubbed her back as he held her. "I know, I know…it's just sometimes…thinking about what could happen…it's so unnerving, yet things like death happen all the time out there, and I don't know if I'm ready to face it."
"I'm not either, James. We'll have to grow together. We'll go out into the world together, and we'll make it James, we will."
MORE HUGS TO prongs1, 2005girl, MissMrprk, and hoolihoopgrl131!
And as usual, to my beta.