A/N: SHE LIIIIIIVES! -Audience screams.- HOW CAN THIS BE! SHE WAS SUPPOSE TO BE DEAD! WHY ELSE WOULD SHE NEVER UPDATE!
Hi. -wave.- ...I'm alive! YAY! I know I know, I am possibly the worst updater ever, I know. Stone me, tar and feather me, I deserve it. -hangs head.- But really, sorry for not updating! I've been too busy basking in the fantasy land that is summer vacation, asking it nicely to never leave... highschool's gonna suck. What demented person ever decided that a school should be that big! I hope I don't get lost.
This chapter was posted without being beta-d, and I'm posting this late at night, so I haven't had the chance to reread it myself (just want to get the damn thing up!) so I dunno how it is... I daresay it's one of my longer chapters. I wrote about two-thirds of it and realized I was grazing 2800 words, the whole thing is a good 4300. Ah well, the more the merrier!
I am listening to "The Speed of Sound" by Coldplay. Quite addicting. Makes me want to dance, although I can't. Good song to space out to, too, I can write well enough to it. I suggest it. Or anything by Mates of State, they have a really calm sound, good to zone out to.
Dedication: Because she dedicated one of her stories to me, I had to return the favor. :) This to Olivia, the dearest of all Canadia dwellers. She rocks, totally. We have the most interesting convos, the inside jokes are blowing my mind. You blew my mind, Liv, there is now a large hole in it, it was blown out. Now go eat some greens, you yak, maybe some jam. I hope I confused at least one person with that.
Ch. 8 "Fairy Tales"
The sound of a few hundred people talking at once—a sound I hadn't heard in about a week—exploded in my ears as I stepped into the Great Hall.
I winced. "Ow."
Veronica looked at me and laughed. "Yeah, not the prettiest sound you'll ever hear," she agreed. "But you do tend to get used to it."
"I think I forgot how to get used to it," I muttered, looking down the Gryffindor table for an empty section. After another week in the hospital wing, Madame Hart finally told me I could leave. I guess she was a little glad to get rid of me, as I kept running off on her. That last time I almost got caught, but Sirius noticed James and I sneaking back in, and he faked a feinting spell to distract Madame Hart. He's a real sport. I left that white hell with a few bruises on my stomach, and a light one on my cheek, but those would just have to heal naturally. Madame Hart still embraces the immune system's natural healing process.
It was my first day out, and Veronica and I headed to the Great Hall, as lunch had just started. I got a chorus of "Lily!"s from my house table, and a few from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The Slytherin table's attitude, however, was entirely different. They all turned and looked at me—some with confused faces, some with surprised, some with blank, bored ones, and others with such cruel, all-knowing smirks that I looked away. My stomach began to feel very hot and I just wanted them all to stop staring at me. Veronica coughed, and I looked at her. She was looking at me worriedly, and it was obvious that she noticed too. But, her being Miss Optimistic and all, decided to ignore the Slytherins' sudden interest in me, and instead steered me protectively over to our house table.
We sat down next to a few of our roommates, and they greeted me warmly. Patricia Easley smiled at me, her plump, rosy cheeks being squashed against her tiny eyes. She always was the happy one, whose exaggeratedly cheerful manner often made me want to hit her over the head with a book. It's one thing to look at the world with a positive light, but to act as if the whole world was made of rainbows and sunshiny meadows was a whole different matter.
"Welcome back, Lily," she chimed at me. "We missed you." She reminded me a bit of a feminine Pillsbury doughboy, but with blonde curls and a pink-tinted face.
"Hello, Patricia," I responded, smiling a bit for her sake.
"Yeah, the dormitory was rather quiet with you missing," Maura Tristen, a brunette with bangs and an overbite added. I smiled at her too, even though I knew what she said was a lie. I never talked in the dormitory; all I went in there to do was read or sleep.
"I hope you're alright," said Carmel Doegood. "It was terrible what happened to you." Carmel was a supermodel-thin strawberry-blonde, whose diet seemed to include only apples at lunch and dinnertime. She was rather popular in our school, and the only reasons seemed to be her overly slim figure and enormous breasts. She was an all right person, occasionally making small talk with me now and then, but she had a reputation of being a bit of a party animal, and would sometimes stumble up to ourdorm at two in the morning, drunk, right before running to the bathroom and throwing up the enormous amounts of alcohol she had consumed.
"Oh don't worry about me, I'm fine," I answered lightly. "I was a major tomboy when I was young, I'm used to a few scratches." Veronica stared at me, but I ignored her.
"A few scratches?" Maura repeated condescendingly, in that high-pitched voice of hers. "Honey, from what I heard, you got more than a few scratches."
"Just as long as you're okay," Patricia added hastily, trying to keep the peace. Her eyes lingered on Maura cautiously as she said it. "We're just glad you're back."
"Right," I said, fake-smiling at Maura. "But you know, Maura, you can't always believe what you hear."
Maura shrugged innocently, but I knew better. She always has been a bit snobbish, and is addicted to gossip. "Well, you were in the hospital wing for a pretty long time," she commented, glancing at me through her dry bangs, looking like a little five-year-old who's tricking her mom into buying her an expensive doll for Christmas. She had that same "I'm innocent" kind of vibe. I resisted the urge to wrinkle my nose.
"Well, Maura, how do you know I was in the hospital wing?" I shot back sweetly, talking to her like a little child. But hey, she had it coming.
"Well where were you, then?" she pressed. This girl was too used to getting what she wants.
"Maybe I was on vacation," I shot back lightly, saying the first thing that came to mind.
"We would have known if you were on vacation, Lily."
"You don't have to know everything, you know." That touched a nerve. Maura's arms tightened and she glared at me.
"Lily," Veronica scolded softly. I smirked to myself, but left Maura alone. It was fun enough messing with her, even if just for a minute.
I leaned back in my seat, smiling to myself at the look on Maura's face, the look she wore when she hadn't gotten all she had set out for. In this case it was finding out exactly why I was in the hospital wing, for whatever childish, trouble-making reasons she had up in that head of hers. I knew Maura well enough to be slightly wary; it was in her nature to be sly and unpredictable, to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. But I wasn't afraid; I knew how to deal with her. As long as I kept my eye on her, she couldn't get too out of hand.
"Look," Veronica whispered in my ear. I glanced up from my sandwich, and followed her gaze. About a third of the way down the table sat the Marauders. The most noticeable was Sirius, who was kneeling on his seat and flailing his arms above his head in my direction, in an over exaggerated wave to get my attention. I grinned.
"He's insane," I heard Veronica mutter.
"He has too much spare time," I corrected, giving Veronica half my attention, as the other half was busy waving down Sirius, gesturing that he come sit near us. He saw what I was doing and hopped out of his seat, making his way towards us.
I turned to Veronica. "You're not going to run away again, are you?" I asked, barely paying attention to the words I had said. I instantly regretted them. I hadn't meant to taunt her, but by the look on her face she thought I had been patronizing. I wanted to explain that I was only checking that she wouldn't disappear on me, as that had become common for her as of lately when the Marauders were around. But before I could, Sirius had appeared and sat down across from me (after shimmying between Carmel and Maura, that is, but they didn't seem to mind). He smiled at me. I could feel a few glares on my back as he did it.
"Lily," he greeted happily. I nodded politely, and was pleased when Sirius acknowledged Veronica rather warmly. The two weren't enemies, but they weren't exactly close either, as Veronica can be shy.
"And how are we doing today," I asked him, grinning slightly.
"Pretty peachy," Sirius responded, while taking note of the number of side-glances Carmel had been feeding him. I could tell he was about to make a move on her,but I cleared my throat. Sirius' eyes darted in my direction, shifted back to Carmel's profile and lingered there, before completely turning to me and giving me his full attention. "You missed a lot of classes," he informed me.
"I know," I said a bit regrettably. "But I did all the homework. Is there anything I missed?"
Sirius shrugged. He was clearly the wrong person to ask. "Nothing's really happening... Kaner started a new potion, though, but it's nothing to worry about; he exaggerates the difficulty of everything he shows us."
Kaner was the Potions professor; he was a tall, gangly man with chalky skin, thin lips, and a long, angular face. He liked to stand behind students and loom over their shoulders, staring intently at what they were doing until they became so flustered they usually messed up. He had a thin, watery voice, and never bothered to raise it so every student in his classroom could understand what he was saying.
"It's a new kind of sleeping draught," Veronica said to me, a little less quietly than she usually would have; I could tell she was getting used to Sirius. "It's more permanent than what we've done before, can last at least a week."
"Is it hard?" I asked, interested. While my lessons might have bored me at some times, overall I was still fairly enthusiastic about them.
"Eh," Sirius easily replied, rolling a shoulder for emphasis. "Easy enough. But you have to remember to never stir in a clockwise motion, if you do it too much the drinker can go into an extremely deep sleep, which can cause hallucinations and heart complications—Hey James!"
I swallowed a bite of my sandwich too quickly. Sure enough, James Potter was walking up the table towards the three of us. I heard Carmel suck in a breath. He reached our part of the table and sat next to Sirius, as Carmel moved over to make space for him. "Hey Veronica, Lily," he said, nodding his head to both of us in turn. Veronica smiled; I took another sip out of my goblet.
He and Sirius launched into conversation, and I went back to my lunch. I could feel Veronica looking at me but I ignored it, until she bent down to my ear and whispered, "Don't be rude."
I sputtered. "What was I doing?" I quietly retorted, not to disturb the conversation going on across the table from us.
She gave me a look. "You didn't say hi to James."
"I was thirsty!"
"It was rude."
"So what!"
"So you admit it was rude."
I huffed. "Fine, it was rude. But who cares, it's just James." I felt a bit bad saying it, as I was starting to give him more respect now that I knew him better, but I didn't want Veronica to know. I turned my back on her and continued eating, although I could feel the look she was giving me through my robe.
More time passed, and Veronica and I sat through it in silence, her sitting there staring at nothing and me devouring my food, determinedly thinking of nothing. James and Sirius seemed to take no notice of us, until James rolled up his robe sleeve and looked at his watch. "Time to go," he said promptly. My hand stopped in midair; I had been reaching for another sandwich. I frowned when I felt my stomach growl.
James took notice. "Don't worry," he said to me, hoisting his school bag on his shoulder. "We'll come down early for dinner and you can eat as much as you want." I grinned.
"Come on, then," Sirius said impatiently, having already started for the door. "Don't want to miss Potions."
"No, why would we want to do that," I said sarcastically, which made James laugh. I smiled again, and couldn't help but feel Veronica look at me again.
We went out of the Great Hall, through the entrance hall, and down the dungeon stairs. We entered the Potions classroom, maneuvering myself around the hoard of students making their way inside, and I immediately set off, looking for a seat, assuming Veronica was behind me. I picked a table on the left, close to the wall, and turned around, expecting Veronica to be behind me. I didn't see her anywhere near me. I was a bit taken aback at her absence, then looked around and spotted her across the room, looking at me with the same curious expression I was sure I too was wearing. I huffed a bit, upset that we had gotten separated, and chided myself for wandering off. I wanted to walk over to her, but before I could someone else—a Ravenclaw—took the only seat next to her, and the ones around her were filling up too quickly. I was stuck.
I narrowed my eyes. Brilliant, Lily, I thought. Your first class out of the hospital wing and you don't even get to sit next to Veronica. I stole another glance at her and saw that she wasn't too distressed about it; she was happily chatting with the Ravenclaw she was seated next to as she set up her cauldron, so I decided not to dwell on it. I can suffer one class period without my best friend, can't I?
And it's not even that I completely depend on her, I thought as I too began to unpack and set up my things. I just like to have the reassurance that there's always one person in the world that I can turn to. We don't have to be attached at the hip, eye, and spleen, but having her there physically as well as mentally does have its advantages. A person always should have that one other individual they can count on completely, and it can just come as a shock when you realize that other person also has a life, one that doesn't always pertain entirely to you. Yes, I thought as I unpacked my last bottle of salamander blood. That sounds about right. I glanced one more time at Veronica and felt as though I had just explained all the wonders of the universe. I smiled.
"Well you look happy to see me."
My head snapped up, mind ripped from its thoughts, and I stared into the profile of James Potter, who was calmly setting up his equipment right next to mine. He glanced my way, and grinned slightly at my bemused expression. "Only seat available," he explained, still smiling. "I would've sat with Sirius, but he seems to be quite content without me." He gestured to the far corner of the room, where Sirius sat with his arm around another Ravenclaw, whispering things in her ear, causing her to giggle madly and accidentally graze her fingers over his arm numerous times.
"Just met her, too," I heard James say, and found he was still speaking to me. "I think she's new, but that didn't stop him. Practically pounced once he laid eyes on her. He always was up for a challenge." His smile grew. "I don't think he even noticed that his nonchalant actions left me without a seat."
"Well what about Remus and Peter?" I asked. "Can't you sit with them?" I actually didn't have any problem with James sitting near me; I was surprised when I found myself implying that he move.
"Remus isn't in this class," he explained, "and Peter just wasn't up for N.E.W.T. Potions."
"Does that mean he didn't feel like it or his grades weren't good enough?"
"That would be answer numero dos," James said with another grin, and returned to setting up his cauldron.
"Oh." I looked down. Suddenly I felt awkward, like I wasn't suppose to be there, standing next to James. It was almost as if I wouldn't feel better until I was halfway across the room, facing the other direction, so I wouldn't have to look at him anymore. It wasn't that I was mad at him, I just didn't feel right. I felt stupid asking such simple questions, questions I probably could have figured out on my own if I had kept quiet. I knew James liked the kind of person who was witty and bright, and wasn't afraid to better him at something, and I felt sad almost because I knew I failed to appear as that person.
Stupid thoughts, I scolded myself, still keeping my eyes down. Who cares if I didn't seem witty and bright, I don't have anything to prove to anyone.
A door at the front of the room opened, and Professor Kaner strode in from his supply room. The class quieted, and everyone instantly leaned a bit forward in their seats, ready for the professor's soft voice.
"No more talking," he said smoothly, although there was no need. "You know what to do, begin."
I glanced around. I, for one, had no idea what to do. I coughed slightly, and my stomach began to feel especially heavy when I saw everyone else immedietly pick up where they left off, not saying another word, each one intent on the potions they were brewing, which were fairly mature, and I fully understood how far behind I was.
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I didn't dare ask Professor Kaner for help—he'd probably say it was my fault I didn't know what I was doing—and there wasn't even a book I could refer to; I assumed the lecture had been mainly verbal.
James, fortunately, noticed my uneasy air; he took pity on me and began muttering directions out of the corner of his mouth, and soon my potion was the same light blue as everyone else's, and had the same thick texture. I gave a silent sigh of relief, smiling to myself as I stirred the potion. There was no doubt in my mind that if James hadn't been there, I would have gotten a zero for the day, which was not exactly at the top of my to-do list.
"Thank you, James," I said to him, once the end of the class period was drawing near and the class had begun to put away their things. I turned fully to him, so full of gratitude that I hadn't failed for the day that I might've hugged him right then and there if I didn't have my hands clenched at my sides. "If it hadn't been for you..."
"Don't mention it," James said easily, waving a hand in the air as if to brush the thought away. "It was just one Potions class." He grinned at me. "You think about school too much, Lily."
"And you don't think about it enough," I retorted, finding myself quirking a smile back. Any other day I might've told him off for saying that to me, but I didn't think it was right for me to deeply thank him one minute then lecture him the next.
James laughed. "Just glad I could help you out," he said. The bell rang and he headed towards the door, glancing back at me one last time.
I watched his mop of black hair—I just then realized how black it truly was—go through the door, on its way to the common room, no doubt, to relax for an hour before Charms.
"Lily." I looked to my left. Veronica was standing there, ready to go, arms crossed, staring at me with that know-it-all expression of hers. She arched an eyebrow amusedly.
"There's no need to look at me like that," I mumbled as I slung the strap of my bag over my shoulder and hurried to the door.
I exited the dungeon room and hurried for the stairs, not bothering to see if Veronica was following me. I reached the entrance hall and was halfway up the marble staircase before she appeared at my side, grinning widely at me.
"That James is a fine fellow," she chirped, practically skipping up the stairs. "I wonder if he's still single," she added as an afterthought.
"Well it's really none of my business," I snapped. "Or yours."
"I know," she said, shrugging. "But still. Girls really do seem to like him. But then again I can't blame them, he is rather handsome, and he's not at all bad to talk to—"
"Well if you're so in love with him why don't you two just elope right now," I said angrily, turning on my heel and marching to the common room rather quickly.
"Just don't get so emotional," Veronica chided lightly, jogging slightly to keep up with me. I was still in one of my moods and made no attempt to slow my pace. "I wasn't saying you yourself had to marry him or anything..."
I flushed. "I know, sorry," I said, finally making an effort to slow down. Veronica gave a small smile of relief.
"And by the way, I think he still is single. He stopped his crash-dating phase after he declared his undying love to you in the Transfiguration corridor last year, remember?" She giggled at the memory.
"Yeah," I laughed, smiling with my mouth but not my eyes.
"Yeah. He is an odd one, isn't he? Falling in love at sixteen, and with a girl he barely knows."
"Oh I doubt it's real love," I said, walking a bit faster than I had a moment ago.
She shrugged. "You never know with boys like him, though. Maybe it is love." She suddenly laughed. "I think I'm concocting my own little fairy tale here."
"I don't think I'd mind living in a fairy tale," I commented, stopping in front of the Fat Lady, the portrait that covered the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. "Unicorn," I said, and having given the right password, the portrait gave away and Veronica and I entered the common room. The heat of the fire instantly hit my face, and I inwardly smiled. Veronica came up behind me, scanning the room for an empty couch. "That whole 'happily ever after' thing certainly doesn't bother me," I added, grinning.
"Nor I," she agreed, laughter in her voice. "But where in the world are we going to find us Prince Charmings?"
"Hey Veronica, Lily," James greeted, passing us as he crossed the common room. His hazel eyes seemed to glow in the firelight.
"Hello!" I called back, a little too enthusiastically. I realized I had been waving at him, and brought my hand down sharply. Bad hand, I caught myself thinking, and I was mad at myself all over again. I huffed a bit, and was brought back to reality by the sound of Veronica laughing.
A/N, read this people: I keep asking this question, but no one is answering me! For all you readers out there, I am calling out to you! I need advice. I am stuck. This story has a pothole the size of West Virginia. And a pothole does not equal more chapters. Pothole equals no more chapters, or at least very boring ones.
My problem: I need advice, suggestions, whatever, on what to do with this story. Because I am stuck. Majorly. -Sad face.- The character I introduced in the chapter "Him"—the man who attacked Lily—is confusing me. I have no idea what to do with him, how to reintroduce him, etc. A man cannot just attack the main character, then never come back again; I have to bring him back somehow, or at least Voldemort, and that's what I'm stuck on... I don't know how. So, help? If you have any suggestions, by all means, GIVE THEM TO ME.
Onto the rest of this A/N. We have established some more aspects to this story. I introduced more characters, changed the view of Lily's relationships with Veronica and James... the usual. I also feel Lily's a bit more mature in this chapter... is it just me? After that attack, I think her state of mind would change to be a little more mature, though, so to me it's natural. I feel like I have to explain everything because the relationships I established are changing slightly, and they are able to miss, and we don't have the brightest bunch here on FF... but that's ok!
I love reviewers:D