Harry Potter or any other characters associated with the book are the sole property of J. K. Rowling. Any original character created solely for this story belongs to me, Little C.
Reviews, comments and even flames are welcome. By the by this is the only chapter that actually has a name, I thought it very appropriate for some part of this chapter. A big thank you to my beta reader Dorothy.
The Things We Never Did or Said, Chapter Seven a.k.a. The Very Last Prank
Lindsey and Lily were sitting at the top of the marble staircase looking down at James, Sirius, Remus and Peter moving around the entrance hall taking measurements of every single stone on the floor or poring over numerous sheets of parchment.
They had no clue what the boys were up to and they hadn't been told when asked to serve as lookouts. They both sat huddled beneath James' invisibility cloak with wands at the ready watching for humans, animals and ghosts.
So far they hadn't seen anything.
"I wonder what they are up to," Lily said in a hushed voice.
"Probably no good," Lindsey answered.
She had no idea why she and Lily had been recruited as look-outs since it normally seemed to be Peter's jobbut from the look of things, they all needed to be down there.
It was the day before their last day and Lindsey hoped they weren't doing anything that would get them in trouble, because it would be a cold day in hell before she covered for them again. However, being hidden by an invisibility cloak might mean she and Lily would remain unnoticed.
"That should do it," Sirius said satisfiedeyeing the floor.
"You sure that it's going to be random," James said to Remus. "Don't want them to figure out the pattern."
"It's set to randomize every hour," Remus said. "That should keep everyone on their toes."
Lily got to her feet and walked down to the four boys, Lindsey following her.
"What are you doing?" Lily asked as she joined them at the bottom of the marble stair.
"Preparing a fun filled day," James said.
"Your definition of fun is entirely your own," Lily said crossing her arms over her chest, "for all I know it might be fatal for someone else."
"I would hardly call this fatal," Remus said as he stepped on a stone and a sound like bluebirds twittering was heard.
"You've Hexed the stones to give off sound when stepped on." Lindsey said.
"Correct," Sirius replied. "Actually they are Hexed to do more than just give off sounds."
"Such as?" Lily asked curiously.
"Let's just say that today would be a good day to wear undergarments," James said.
"That's cruel," Lily exclaimed.
"If directed at a specific person it is cruel," Remus corrected. "If it can happen to anybody it is just bad luck. And today not even Lady Luck will be lucky."
And as if to demonstrate what exactly they had doneJames took several steps backwards, placing his weight on a stone that gave off a roar like a lion, then another which sounded like a train whistle. Some he stepped on remained silent. However the fifth stone he stepped on had him hanging upside down in the air, his robe hanging down over his face.
"I'm sure Snivellus will appreciate that one," Sirius said with a sneer.
Lindsey grabbed hold of Lily's hand in time to prevent her from smacking Sirius upside his head.
Sirius, James, Remus, Peter and Lily were sitting in the Great Hall eating lunch. Lily was eyeing her goblet carefully. After the boys had finished with the entrance hall they had Enchanted the goblets in the Great Hall to spew whatever people poured into them. Just like the entrance hall, it would occur randomly. They hadn't told her or Lindsey about it and Lindsey had received a rather wet surprise when she had poured herself some juice.
"I think it is safe," James said, "though I would duck."
"I'm surprised no one has come for your blood yet," Lily said looking around the hall, "but the day is still young."
"A couple of egos might be bruised but no one has really reacted badly," Remus said. "Most people seem to take it for what it is; a bit of harmless fun."
"And the only grumpy people who haven't reacted at all are the Slytherins," Sirius said.
"To be perfectly honest I think they have frowns etched onto their faces," James said.
"I just hope Lindsey isn't plotting revenge," Remus said, "she didn't look too happy when she stormed out of here. Thank Merlin she wasn't one of the ones turned upside down in the entrance hall."
"I wouldn't worry, she just got a bit scared is all," Lily said reassuringly and poured pumpkin juice into her goblet but recoiled in surprise as the juice was jettisoned upward with a small bang and rained down over a group of sixth year Hufflepuffs.
"Sorry," she whispered sheepishly to the drenched group.
They nodded understandingly but looked at bit miffed as they wiped juice from their faces. Both James and Remus were looking at the goblet in shock. The goblet was vibrating.
"Get down!" Remus shouted and they ducked down under the table a split second before the goblet exploded with a ringing sound.
"It shouldn't have done that," James said cautiously picking up a piece of the goblet for closer inspection. "Could we have miscalculated?"
"While you two geniuses try and figure it out," Sirius said, "I'll be looking for Lindsey, to see if she is okay."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Lily asked.
"No," he said, "you just stay here and help those two solve the mystery of the exploding goblet."
James and Remus shot him a nasty look as he left the Great Hall.
Outsidethe sun was shining in a cloud-free sky and the birds were singing in the trees. It didn't take him long to find Lindsey; she was sitting on a rock near the cliffs looking out over the lake.
"I'm not mad," she said as he came up to her.
"That is good to hear," he said.
"But there's a fine line between a joke and scaring people," she said looking at him over her shoulder.
"In my opinion," he said sitting down on the ground, "they are mostly the same, both get the heart pumping."
She agreed with a nod and got up from the rock and walked over to the edge of the cliff.
"At the risk of sounding overly-sentimental," she said, "would you catch me if I started to fall?"
"I would," he said and joined her at the edge. "And when I caught you I would never let you go."
An odd expression settled over her features.
"Why do you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?" he askedbewildered.
"Making promises life won't let you keep," she said. "Whatever you promise today will be of naught tomorrow."
"Is this related to your parent's death or do you know something the rest of us don't?" he asked.
"You don't need to be clairvoyant to know that life isn't what you make it," she said, "it's just a series of events leading inevitably to your death. So what is the use of making friends, falling in love, being happy when it won't last?"
"Because if we didn't do that, those series of events would be very few and hollow," he said. "No one can promise to live or love forever but what matters is that we try. Besidesdeath might not be the end, but the beginning of another adventure. When the veil pulls back maybe all those that have gone before us will be there waiting, ready to welcome us with open arms."
"I didn't know you where such a romantic," she said.
"I'm not," he said. "This kind of talk creeps me out."
"I'm happy you wanted to make me smile," she said sincerely, "in doing so I got to know the real you, which isn't much different from the person I thought you were. Still, I'm grateful. And I would like to take the next step, but I'm not sure about you."
"Do you want to know what I feel?" he asked.
"If you care to tell me," she said.
"I would claw my way out of the deepest circle of hell just to see you smile," he said truthfully and pulled her close to him.
Lindsey was resting her head in Sirius' lap as they enjoyed the silence in the empty Gryffindor common room. The skin on her face felt taunt and itchy after being out in the sun all day but she ignored it, it would be gone in the morning.
"What are you going to do once we leave Hogwarts?" Sirius suddenly asked.
"I'm going to live in the Muggle world," she said, "I'm going to work as liaisebetween the Muggle and Wizarding world."
"Really!" Sirius said surprised.
"I'm only good at Transfiguration and Charms," she said, "and I'm Muggle-born so I thought it made the most sense at the time."
"So you're not going to join the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters?" he asked.
"I just told you that I don't have that kind of power," she said. "My visions might be helpful but it's not like I can control them and if I ever had one in a battle they'd blow me to smithereens."
"I'd protect you," he said. "You know I would."
"They need people like you more than they need me," she said, "because I'm guessing you are going to join the fight."
"I am," he said, "so is James, Remus, Lily and Peter."
"Peter!" Lindsey said sceptically "He doesn't know the right end of a wand unless you tell him. What good could he do?"
"There is nothing really wrong with Peter, besides the fact that he is a bloody coward," Sirius said shrugging his shoulders.
"Are you really sure this is what you want to do?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't I want to join the fight against the darkest, most feared wizard of our time?" he asked.
"Are you doing it just to look cool?" she asked sitting up.
"No, I really want to fight him to keep those I love safe," he said sincerely, "although it would definitely annoy my family."
"Have you ever met someone that has been involved in a war?" she asked him.
"Not really, no," he said. "Have you?"
"My father's father," she said, "he participated in D-Day." Sirius looked confused. "World War II." Sirius still looked confused. "Big Muggle war in the 1940's."
"Oh, that," he saidthough Lindsey strongly doubted he knew what she was talking about.
"Anyhow," she said, "I was afraid of my grandfather, he was a nice man, but I was afraid of the haunted look in his eyes and he reeked of whiskey."
"So the man liked to drink," Sirius said.
"He drank so he didn't have to feel," she said, "he drank because he wanted to forget the horrors of the war. To forget the destruction, the suffering, the killing, everything he had done."
"That won't be me," he said, "if that is what you are worried about."
"You can't go into a war and expect to be the same," she said. "War changes you."
"So you are telling me that I can't fight for our freedom?" he asked.
"That is not what I'm saying," she said, "I'm just afraid that I won't recognise you when all this is over I'm afraid a stranger wearing your face will return."
"That won't happen," he said, "I promise that no matter what I will return to you as I am."
"There you go again with the promises," she said.
"If a promise is broken then that promise was never meant to be made in the first place," he said heatedly, "promises that are held are the ones that are worth the effort."
"Will you make the effort?" she asked her voice wavering.
"Anything for you," he said.
Lindsey looked up at him and realised that regardless of what she had told Lily just a few days ago her heart had decide for her what to do.
"Will you take a risk with me?" she asked.
"What risk?" he asked.
"Fall in love," she said breathlessly.
"I already have," he said and pulled her close for a kiss. Lindsey wasn't sure what she felt as Sirius deepened the kiss, but she guessed that ecstasy was a good as word as any.
They heard people entering the common room and pulled apart, trying to act as though nothing had happened as Lily, James, Remus and Peter joined them.
James threw her a leather pouch and as she caught it, it made a clinking sound. Puzzled, she opened it and looked inside.
"Six galleons?" she asked confused. "What for?"
"Those are the coins we bet on whether Sirius would actually make you smile or not," James explained. "You did smile before the 'deadline' but it was Sirius and no other that had to be the source of the smile. So technically none of us won."
"But why are you giving it to me?" she asked.
"Because that it the only fair option," Remus said, "we shouldn't have bet on it and we should have stopped this prat from ever bothering you."
"I don't know about the last thing, Remus," Lily said, "from where I'm sitting it looks very much like it was the best thing that could have happened."
"Get out of here," Peter said with a smile, "you are dating?"
"I wouldn't go that far," Lily said eying them and Lindsey felt herself blushing.
"I see what you mean," James said, "odds are that Moony here gets married before Padfoot even pops the question."
"Hey!" Remus said sounding slightly offended.
"What was up with the exploding goblet?" Sirius suddenly asked. Whether he was deliberately trying to change the subject or not Lindsey didn't know but she was grateful for it.
"Not a clue," James said, "fortunately it was an isolated incident."
"Far as we could figure it had some prior instability," Remus said.
"How long is this spell going to continue?" Lindsey asked.
"It will dissipate around midnight," James said.
"While we are on the subject of spells," Lily said, "why did you guys decide to become Animagus?"
"Did Lindsey tell you that?" James asked.
"Yes, but it wasn't that hard to wrap my brain around it," she said, "did you do it because of the challenge or did you have another motive?"
James, Sirius and Peter all looked at Remus who had suddenly gone very pale except for bright red spots on his cheeks which made him look as though he had a fever. He took a deep breath and looked directly at Lily.
"I'm a werewolf."
Timeseemed to stop for a moment as the confession hung in the air. Lily got up from where she had been sitting and over to Remus who had got up from his seat. For what seemed an eternity Lily just looked at him then embraced him. A strangled sob escaped Remus as he put his arms around her in relief at her acceptance. Lindsey even saw a tear fall down his cheek.
The next morning they found their trunks packed and they left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the seventh and last time. The carefree summer of their youth had come to an end and the dutiful autumn of their adulthood had just begun.
To Be Continued...