Disclaimer: Characters and settings are property of J.K. Rowling. What you don't recognize is mine. And I wish I owned the Marauders (specifically Sirius and Remus) but most unfortunately, I do not. Also, the song 'Hands Up' is copyright of (according to the CD I found it on) J. Kluger, P. Vangarde, and N. Byle. I know it's kind of a silly song, but I thought it fit the part and I think it's funny. So if you don't like… tough beans, 'cuz I'm not changing it.
And this is at the request of moony128: Okay, the story started in November of the group's sixth year (the year was 1972, although it's February now, so it's 1973)… and no, I never wrote their previous years, although I may or may not do so at some point. A basic recap: James is fruitlessly trying to win Lily's affection, but she's not to open of the idea of dating him… so he's planned a great Valentine's treat for her, which is a disaster (in more than one way)…
X-X-X-X-X
"Valentine's Day is tomorrow," James told Remus merrily.
"Mm-hmm."
"You haven't asked me what I'm planning in four days."
"That's because I gave up four days ago." Remus was carefully writing out his Charms essay in neat, scripted handwriting. "You're not going to tell me. And you're trying to goad me into asking. By the way, it's not working."
James made a face at this, and then leaned over and looked at Remus's homework. "Moony, it's Friday. Why are you doing that?"
"So I don't have to do it on Sunday, like you'll be doing." He finished the last word with a flourish and rolled up the parchment, a satisfied look on his face. He shot James a critical look. "You know something? I'm actually surprised with you. I mean – this silly diary thing has gone on long enough – but you haven't asked Lily out since Christmas – at least, not that I know of – and since Audrey, you haven't dated or flirted with a single girl." Remus frowned. "Which is very unusual for you."
"Maybe I've changed."
"Maybe you're on drugs," suggested Sirius, entering the room with what looked suspiciously like glittery pink lipstick on his face. He smirked. "Needless to say, I now have a date for tomorrow," he added.
"I figured." James got up from the desk on which he was sitting. "So who was it?"
"You'll never guess."
"Janine?"
"Give me a break. She's going with Rennet." He added something under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "Traitor" or possibly "Bastard" or maybe both.
"She's not, actually." Remus was idly flicking through his Herbology text, searching for something. James marveled at how quickly he'd switched from Charms to Herbology. He already had at least three inches written for his Herbology essay. "She told me she plans to skip the Hogsmeade trip."
James gave him a horrified look. "She can't! I need her there to tell me Lily's reaction to my plan!"
"Why don't you just ask one of the other girls? Or better yet, ask Lily herself. Or even better – don't go through with it." Remus closed his book with a sigh. "I don't think this will deter you, but really, James – this is getting ridiculous. The roses every year isn't that bad. Whatever you're planning, it can't be good. And chances are, it will only make her hate you more."
"No, it won't." Sirius looked confident. "It was my idea, after all."
"That's what worries me."
Now Sirius looked insulted. "It's a good idea. Anyway," he added, "I'm going with Noelle Donahue."
"Noelle Donahue? Haven't you dated her before?" Peter emerged from the bathroom, toweling his hair dry.
"Yeah. But I convinced her to give me another chance." Sirius grinned wolfishly. "I won't tell you how."
"Good. I don't need anything to give me nightmares tonight."
"That's right. Because Petey has a date tomorrow and needs his beauty sleep!" Sirius pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Aww. Our little boy's all grown up."
"Shut up," Peter said, going red. He climbed into bed. "And anyway, it's not like this is my first date or anything."
"Of course not, Peter. Don't wet the bed getting nervous tonight." Peter scowled as Sirius guffawed at his own comment. James and Remus rolled their eyes.
Remus turned to James. "I doubt you've changed, James. But you have toned it down, and I want to know why."
"I'm taking your advice, is all. Lying low until I get to know her better. Anyway," he added with a lopsided grin, "after tomorrow, there's no way she'll be able to resist me."
X-X-X-X-X
Lily glanced casually at Janine, who was listlessly watching her friends run about getting ready for the following day. She felt bad for her friend. This was probably her first Valentine's Day since she was thirteen without a date.
Jen wasn't as disposed to be as sympathetic. "You had only about a million offers," she pointed out sensibly. "It's your own fault. And now you've gone and told everyone that you want to stay by yourself here at the castle, and you'll look like an idiot if you don't."
"I'm not upset or anything," Janine protested.
"You're taking this Sirius thing too far," Jen continued with brutal honesty, marking pages in her Glamour Charms book. "What do you think of this color, by the way?"
Janine bent over the book, examining it. "That red? No, no, no." She shook her head, chewing her lip. "A subtle pink would look nice on you. Matches that peachy-golden complexion, you know?"
"If you say so," Jen replied dubiously, and marked the page. She looked at Janine. "So what is it about Sirius Black that makes you feel as if you're doomed to become a nun?"
"I never said I was doomed to become a nun."
"Well, you're certainly acting like it. What do you say? Shall we enroll you in a nunnery? Are you going to take a vow of celibacy?"
"Shut up, Jen." Janine rolled over onto her back and stared at the top of her four-poster. "I really am fine, you know. I'm not upset at all."
"Very good. Again, with more feeling."
"Shut up, Jen."
Lily sighed, and both girls turned to glance at her, along with Marlene and Alyssa. "You are upset. But why? I mean, it doesn't make any sense. Frankly, if I were you, I'd be proud. You managed to keep Black ensnared for two and a half months, which is a record. Congratulations to you."
"Lily, be nice! Her feelings are sensitive right now." Marlene dropped onto Janine's bed, grinning. "Poor baby. Did the big bad Casanova hurt your feelings?"
Janine grabbed a pillow and whacked Marlene with it. Of course, Marlene retaliated, and Jen and Alyssa soon joined in. Lily hung back, watching with a small smile on her face.
What I said was true, though. I don't think Sirius Black has ever paid that much attention to any girl. It was bound to end at some point.
I hadn't expected it, though. I mean, she really did seem like she could keep him. But I know that isn't the first time they've fought. Sometimes it's stupid things, sometimes it's not.
Why does it matter? They broke up a few days ago. But she's not over it.
Which is weird. I'd have expected her to bounce back by now.
Lily watched Jen shriek with laughter as Alyssa grabbed her ankle and both of them went tumbling to the floor. Sadly, Jen grabbed Marlene at the last minute and dragged her down as well. Grinning triumphantly – having momentarily forgotten her problems – Janine stood up on her bed unsteadily. Lily watched them for a few more moments, and then glanced out the window curiously.
Strange… Potter hasn't embarrassed me or anything recently. No roses, either.
I mean, it's not a big thing, or anything. He's only been doing it for the past two years. Before that, he hated me. It was a lot simpler then.
James hated me because I was smart and know-it-all. I hated James because he was a royal pain in the arse – and he still is. But what changed?
What the hell does he see in me, anyway? Nobody changes feelings overnight. It's just not normal. You can't start loving someone all of a sudden.
…Can you?
Lily looked to where her four friends were engrossed in a pillow fight.
Janine used to hate Sirius, and he used to hate her. I mean, they never met up without fighting, unless it was on the Quidditch pitch. So how did they get together? It was all of a sudden. Nobody really expected it.
So what about James, then? Is that how it's going to be for the pair of us? What if I suddenly fall in love with him?
No, that would be too weird. I just spend so long hating him. It's like a second nature to me now. He used to prank me all the time; I'd retaliate – usually not as well, but I'd still retaliate – and the cycle continued. But he doesn't do that anymore. There's none of that mutual loathing anymore. Instead he spends his time sending me silly items and declaring his love and embarrassing me…
Lily glanced out the window again, finally admitting to herself that she was waiting for an owl. Potter usually has given me roses by now. But he wouldn't ask me out until tomorrow morning. No, of course not.
Is he not sending roses this year?
Not that I care, or anything…
Lily paused. By now, she'd gotten so used to James sending her roses and silly gifts that were often meant to embarrass her that it would have been strange if he hadn't. A pillow thumped into her chest, and she looked up to see Janine still standing unsteadily on a bed, brandishing her pillow with a cry of, "Stand and fight, ye mangy cur!"
Lily stared at her, and then wound up and launched the pillow back at Janine. It wasn't a particularly hard throw, but her friend pretended it was and flailed wildly, before landing with a soft thump on her back, just on top of Jen, who screeched loudly for her to "move her fat arse."
"I do not have a fat arse. I have a very cute arse, thank you."
"Well move it!" Janine crawled off her friend and grinned at Lily.
"You ought to be a Beater."
"What, and get up on a broomstick? No thanks; not for me." Lily plopped on her bed. "I'll leave that to you guys…"
Janine stood up, clapping her hands together. "Okay then! It's the night before Valentine's, and I think it's time we had a major gossiping session. Any volunteers to go with me to get the food?"
Marlene leapt to her feet, and Lily said, "Okay, go for it. We'll move the beds and clean up the place and get everything ready."
"Be back in a few!" Janine grabbed Marlene's arm and dragged her out the door. Lily looked around and clapped her hands.
"All right, troops, let's get to work!"
X-X-X-X-X
Within twenty minutes, the five beds had been pushed together, making a sort of large bed. All the curtains were pulled closed, the pillows were comfortably lining the bed, the five girls were spread out, food dispersed between them, the lights were out but for a few floating candles that were kept carefully out of reach of the curtains, and Jen was talking.
"…Alexia Walsh. I mean, really. She's sort of… mousy, don't you think?"
"Somebody's jealous…" Janine said with a grin, stretching her legs. "Toss a Chocolate Frog over here." Marlene did; Janine popped the whole thing in her mouth, chewing lazily. "Why don't you ask him out?" She hooted. "That'd be funny, actually. You asking Remus out. In front of everyone. It'd be fantastic."
"And if he said no?"
"Pretend it's a huge joke. Say something like, 'Man, I fooled you!' Men are stupid. He'll believe it." Janine prodded Alyssa with a delicate foot. "Unless our resident blonde has a problem with it."
"You can have him." Alyssa fingered the mammoth pearls around her neck. "Can you believe Davy? This thing must have been so expensive…"
"You know, our love lives – with the obvious exception of Janine's nonexistent one – are nowhere near as interesting as Lily's."
"My love life?" Lily scoffed. "Please. I don't get a love life. Potter makes sure of that." She sighed. "Oh, dear. I've just invited a barrage of questions, haven't I?"
"I mean, really, Lily, we've been telling you for years he's not so bad, but let's be serious now. Could you just go out with him so that he'd bloody shut up?" Jen took a swig of Butterbeer.
Lily sighed. "I just find it difficult to believe that after four years of hating each other, he's suddenly fallen in love with me. I don't know. Am I being too much of a bitch?"
"Yes," Janine said at once, just as Marlene said indignantly, "Of course not!" The two girls exchanged looks; Janine's smirking, Marlene's irritated. "Don't be silly, Lily," continued Marlene. "It's perfectly fair for you to assume the worst."
"She doesn't know him," rebuked Janine, her smirk gone. "I mean, really. You see the surface, but you have no idea what's inside. He's not a bad guy, Lil."
Lily looked thoughtful. "All right, well, I suppose I don't doubt that. If he were really all that awful, he'd be in Slytherin, wouldn't he?" There were murmurs of assent. "But he's always… so prat-ish. I mean, it's stopped now, but once he's dated me, then what? Then he goes back to his old ways? Pardon me for saying so, but I find it difficult to believe he's changed that much. Maybe I'm being unfair to him, but I don't really think I have any reason to think for even a moment that this isn't some silly act to get into my pants, you know?" Her friends stared at her. "It's just a thought. I can't help feeling that way. There are too many years of hating Potter to suddenly fall in love with him like that. Maybe he has changed. But then again, maybe he hasn't and it really is all an act."
"The only way to know is to go out with him, isn't it?" Alyssa rolled over onto her stomach. "Well, let's analyze this. What has James done for you over the years? Yes, I suppose he's embarrassed you countless times with silly displays of affection and all that, but really, Lily… he doesn't realize how silly they are. He thinks he's being sweet."
"And to some degree, he is," added Jen. "I mean, if a guy did all those things for me, I'd be flattered."
Lily frowned, chewing on her lip. "You guys really think I should go out with him?"
There was a pause. Then, "Not if you really don't want to. All we're saying is, maybe you should reevaluate the glass through which you've been looking at James. He may be a prat on the outside-"
"He's a prat on the inside, too, trust me," interrupted Janine. Marlene stuck her tongue out at her and continued.
"-But he can't be all that awful. Can he?"
"I suppose not." Lily twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "This isn't to say I'm going to go out with him, or anything. I'll just… think about it. Maybe get to know him better before I make judgments. Okay?"
Janine looked surprised. "You really would?"
"It can't hurt, I guess." Lily sighed. "So long as nothing too bad happens tomorrow."
X-X-X-X-X
"Well, have fun," Janine said gloomily, watching her friends rush about, swapping jumpers and scarves, each trying to look their best for their respective dates.
Lily stopped in the act of handing her red hat to Marlene and said, "Oh, this is silly. I'll break my date with Andy, and you can spend the day with me. No point in you hanging about the castle all day, making all the younger students miserable."
"No, you go and have fun," she insisted, pulling her Potions text towards her. "I'll sit and read. Really, I'll be fine. Truly, I will be." She looked Lily in the eye. "Don't you trust me?"
"It's not that, I just-"
"Here!" Alyssa brandished a green and white hat, and tossed it to Lily. "Wear this, it'll match perfectly!" Lily gave her a thankful smile and placed it on her curly red hair, gesturing to her outfit. "How do I look?"
Janine's eyes swept over her, looking critical. "Very Slytherin," she admitted at last. "All that white and green."
"Is it awful?"
"No, it's fine. You look all right, just you look very… Slytherin. Forget it; it doesn't matter." She waved a hand. "Have fun on your date."
"I'll try, so long as Potter doesn't mess things up for me." Lily waved, and walked out the door, shaking her head when Janine waved listlessly back. Her other friends followed her, all headed for their respective dates.
"You look nice," Andy said with a smile. "Ready to go out and have some fun?"
"Yes." Lily tugged absently on her scarf. "Let's go, then." She allowed him to drape an arm casually about her waist as they walked down the winding path to Hogsmeade. They continued in silence, until Lily said, "So… just because I have to know, what made you decide to ask me out?"
Andy shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. You're pretty, and you're nice. You're smart, too. I mean, why not ask you out?"
Lily shrugged, too. "Well, I don't know. Most guys just don't seem to ask me out."
"That's because they're all scared of James Potter," Andy replied matter-of-factly. He gestured to the fading ring around his right eye. "Of course, I don't let a little fear deter me."
"No, you don't," Lily teased, stepping out of his hold and grabbing his arm, as though sizing up his muscles. "But then, a big, strong lad like you shouldn't be scared of a skinny, underfed thing like Potter."
They laughed; Andy stopped first. "Speak of the devil…" Andy jerked his head to them. "I take back my previous statement – I am scared of Potter, and I really don't want to go into Madam Puddifoot's now."
For outside the door of the tiny coffee shop stood James, hands stuffed in his pockets, glaring at the pair of them. Lily shot him an uneasy glance. "Well, that's all right. We can go to the Three Broomsticks and get a Butterbeer."
"You sure?"
"Oh, yes. I don't really like coffee much, anyway." They quickly separated from the other pairs migrating towards the tiny shop and headed back to the pub. Neither of them saw James smirk and quickly leave the doorway the moment they were out of sight.
X-X-X-X-X
"You're a genius, Padfoot," James huffed at his friend, removing his jacket quickly and tossing it aside. "And thanks for letting us use the back entrance, Rosie."
"No problem," Madam Rosmerta replied, bustling past the tiny back room behind the bar. She winked at him. "So long as you don't tell anyone I let you use it."
"'Course not." James turned to Sirius, who had an arm thrown over Noelle's shoulders and was nuzzling her cheek. "Everything ready?"
"Yep. Moony's out there, by the way. Wormtail's not."
"You know, I've always wondered about those silly little nicknames," Noelle said with a giggle. Sirius nuzzled her neck, now.
"Ask us no questions, and we tell you no lies," he mumbled, his voice muffled. She giggled again, wrapping an arm around his neck. James barely managed to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. He quickly reached for his costume, taking a few deep breaths. She'd better appreciate this.
X-X-X-X-X
"I knew we'd have a better time over here!" Lily shouted, her voice going above the loud chatter of the Three Broomsticks. Andy grinned as he sat at their table, holding out two mugs of Butterbeer.
"Yeah, and we can enjoy our date without Potter breathing down our necks, right?"
"Exactly!" Lily toasted him and drank deeply from her tankard. She set it down with a contented sigh. "Wow, that feels good."
"Sure does," Andy agreed. "Listen, Lily, I wanted to tell you that-"
"Well, hello." Both of their heads shot up, and Lily's heart sank. She should have expected something like this. Sirius Black stood next to their table, pinning a girl – Noelle Donahue – to his side. She was giggling madly, her blue eyes sweeping over Lily and Andy, as though sizing the pair of them up. Sirius was grinning at Lily in a rather devious sort of way that immediately put her on her guard.
"Hello, Black." Andy didn't bother to disguise his irritation at being interrupted, and Lily sighed. "Do you need something?"
"Yes." Noelle spoke now, still giggling in between her words. "We need you."
"Why?"
"Because, Cobalt, she said we do. And we do. So are you going to come, or are we going to have to force you along? Don't worry," Sirius added, looking at Lily. "We'll bring him back. We just want to have a chat with him, that's all."
Lily opened her mouth; Andy smoothly cut her off. "If you think you're going to scare me off, you're in for a surprise. By the way, what happened to Janine?"
Sirius scowled, marring his handsome features. "That's none of your damn business, Cobalt. Now come along. We're not trying to scare you off. I want to damn talk to you, that's all!"
Andy frowned, and Lily nudged him with her foot. He glanced at her. "It's all right. If James comes over here, I'll send him packing, along with a sharp reprimand for this. So long as you come back."
"I will," Andy swiftly promised, standing up. He glowered at Sirius and Noelle. "Lead the way."
Lily sighed as she watched them disappear towards a tiny door near the corner of the bar. They walked through it, and the door snapped shut. She leaned back in her chair, wondering just how long it would take James to show up and try to insert himself in Andy's chair.
X-X-X-X-X
He flipped through the magazine, stopping once more on the pictures of the five girls. "They're lovely," he commented smoothly. "Very lovely."
"Yes, they are," agreed a hooded man.
"It's a pity, but it must be done." He looked up. "Is everything ready?"
"Everything is ready."
"Good. Put the plan into motion." The hooded man swiftly nodded. "Dismissed." He left.
Again, he looked back at the magazine. He slowly looked at each girl, and then turned to the last page, the page with the petite redhead, drawing his finger slowly down the moving picture of her. As was customary with all model photos, the girl winked and waved at him. A cold smile spread across his mouth. "Quite a pity indeed…"
X-X-X-X-X
"Are we allowed to be in this back room?" Andy asked nervously.
"Yes, we are," Sirius snapped impatiently. "Noelle, watch the door." Sirius dragged Andy out the door, ignoring the other boy's protests. He slammed Andy up against a lamppost, which effectively silenced any complaints he might have had.
"First of all," he snarled, "Do not mention Janine in my presence. Second of all, don't even get any ideas about going onto her when I'm through with you. Third, do not get any ideas about Lily. You ought to know better, Cobalt, but I suppose not all sixteen-year-olds can be as smart as the others. Fourth, you are not going back to your date." Andy opened his mouth, and Sirius added with a smirk, "I lied about letting you back." He mumbled something, and cords sprung from his wand, tightly lashing Andy to the lamppost.
Immediately, the Hufflepuff boy began to fill the afternoon with obscenities, but seeing as most people were in the pub or in other shops at the moment, nobody took any notice. "Last thing," Sirius added with an even wider grin, and produced spell-o-tape from his pocket. Quickly and efficiently, he taped Andy's mouth shut. "Happy Valentine's Day," he added, walking back into the Three Broomsticks, ignoring Andy's struggles. He slung an arm around Noelle's shoulder, shutting the door and stopping the cold wind from coming in. "C'mon, babe. We have a show to put on."
X-X-X-X-X
Lily frowned into her Butterbeer. James had still not come by, and it had been nearly ten minutes. And where was Andy? Surely they had finished their talk by now. She could see Jen, who was across the room with her own date, glancing anxiously down at her. (Alyssa and Marlene were at Madam Puddifoot's with their respective dates).
And then the lights suddenly flickered off.
There were gasps all around the room, mingled with, "What's going on?" and "What's happening?" And then a light quickly switched to the top of the bar, where Sirius was perched, Noelle leaning against him. Everyone stared. Where the hell is Andy now? Surely they didn't manage to completely scare… Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as Sirius began to speak.
"Sorry to interrupt your Valentine's Day, ladies and gentlemen, but I have here a very special Valentine from a very special guy to a very special girl."
Lily felt an instead feeling of foreboding.
"Just who is this lucky lady, you might ask? Well, she's right over there – yes, the pretty little redhead – Lily Evans!" It was a like a spotlight had switched onto her exact position – actually, one had (Noelle was pointing her wand at Lily, still giggling like she always seemed to be).
Lily's feeling of foreboding intensified.
"And so, ladies and gents, trolls and hags, I give you… James Potter!" He quickly removed his wand from himself and pointed it to the edge of the bar, where James was standing. Lily, who had just taken a drink of Butterbeer to hide her flaming cheeks, choked.
He was dressed in lurid pink robes with huge red hearts patterned all over, his cheeks a bright red. He gave her an embarrassed wave, and stood up, holding a magical purple microphone to his mouth. Soft music started playing in the background, and Lily felt her stomach drop.
Oh, God. Oh God, no. If there is a God, James Potter will NOT sing for me in front of the entire upper classes of Hogwarts and then some.
James opened his mouth.
Oh, God, he is going to sing. Make him stop, no. What was wrong with the roses he sends every year?
"Hands up
Baby, hands up
Give me your heart
Give me, give me your heart
Give me, give me
Hands up
Baby, hands up
Give me your heart
Give me, give me your heart
Give me, give me all your love…
All your love…"
People were starting to snicker around the room. Lily sank low in her seat.
"Angel Face,
I love your smile,
Love your ways,
I like your style,
What can I do,
To get closer to you?"
As if this weren't bad enough, another spotlight appeared on – Merlin forbid – Sirius, wearing a curly red wig and a skirt. People erupted into hysterics as he opened his mouth and began to sing in a falsetto.
"Don't think twice,
Or count to ten,
Don't take advice,
Don't ask me when,
Just on my way,
Simply kiss me and say..."
"Tell me this is not happening," Lily whispered, as people started to point at her. "Oh, my God, this is not happening…" The pair began to sing together again.
"…Hand up,
Baby, hands up,
Give me your heart,
Give me, give me your heart
Give me, give me,
Hands up,
Baby, hands up,
Give me your heart,
Give me, give me your heart,
Give me, give me all your love…
All your love…"
"This is the most embarrassing day of my life," Lily moaned. "Please, God, be merciful, let me die right now…" James was singing again.
"With your head,
Up in the sky,
Every day,
You're walking by…
Why don't you ever start looking at me?"
Sirius opened his mouth, to the obvious amusement of the onlookers, for they roared with laughter at his falsetto voice again.
"Stop that game,
Don't waste your time,
All though your dreams are matching mine,
No use to play hide and seek for a week…"
"Hands up,
Baby, hands up,
Give me your heart,
Give me, give me your heart,
Give me, give me,
Hands up,
Baby, hands up,
Give me your heart,
Give me, give me your heart,
Give me, give me all your love…
All your love…"
"Let me be your Romeo,
Your wonder boy…
And your super champ…
Let me take you to the Milky Way,
On a holiday,
(On a holiday)…
Follow me, (follow me),
Why don't you follow me?
(Why don't you follow me?)
Just on my way,
Simply kiss me and say…"
"Hands up,
Baby, hands up,
Give me your heart,
Give me, give me your heart,
Give me, give me,
Hands up,
Baby, hands up,
Give me your heart,
Give me, give me your heart,
Give me, give me all your love…
All your love…"
The music faded, and by now, Lily was almost completely under the table as the people around her roared with laughter, each pointing her out to their neighbors. Lily caught sight of Remus, looking sympathetic, and Jen, who was torn between looking highly sympathetic and rather like Christmas had come very early. James was grinning at her while Sirius smirked and Noelle had given up giggling for hysterical laughter.
She noticed, with an even worse feeling of dread, that Jen held a spun-glass ball in her hands… Oh, God, it's a Memory Keeper, I'm never going to live this one down…
And just as Lily was contemplating all the possible ways that she could destroy the thing before anybody saw it, the world exploded.
X-X-X-X-X
Janine aimlessly perused her Potions textbook, attempting (rather unsuccessfully) to read the tiny print before her. Upon realizing she had read the same sentence eleven times and not taken in a word of it, she thought it a good idea to close it now…
A loud banging erupted on her door, and Janine was jerked out of the unbelievable boredom of sitting in the dorm by herself. Curiously, she went to the door – none of her dormmates would ever have knocked – and opened it. A first-year girl looked beside herself, her eyes curiously roving all over the room, as if determined to find out whether or not the sixth-years' dorm was any better than the first-years', as Janine had smartly informed them all on the first day of class that it was. (This was a lie).
"Janine, Janine, your brother's lookin' for you, he's sayin' somethin' awful's gonna happen and he really needs you there!" She said all this very fast.
Janine had long since learned to take anything her brother said seriously. Shoving the girl out of the way, she sprinted down the steps, nearly tripped over the last ones, and came to a stop before Perry, who was wildly gesticulating to a group of first and second years who looked somewhat panicked and somewhat dubious.
"What's wrong, what's wrong?" As the only upperclassman who had stayed behind, Janine felt a sense of authority fill her, and she drew herself up to her full height (5'7").
"Look!" Perry was pointing out the window. Janine peered out, and felt her stomach drop.
The normally gray-February sky was tainted orange, and smoke was billowing in the direction of Hogsmeade village.
X-X-X-X-X
James gasped, coughing, as he shoved a plank of wood off his back. Damn, I think I must have broken at least a billion ribs…
"You haven't got a billion ribs in your body, idiot!" Sirius was crawling towards him, a long, bloody scrape running down the side of his face. He was holding his side, and when he removed his hand from it, it came away red. A coldness filled James's veins.
"Padfoot… Pad… you're bleeding…"
"What's going on?" Sirius hissed, but was interrupted by a loud laughter. He froze and turned to the doorway – a cloaked figure stood there, pointing a wand in the general direction of the pub-goers.
"Well, well, well… trapped like peas in a pod. How sad." James frowned. The voice stirred a very distant memory of his, but he couldn't quite locate it. "Shall we get them?"
A taller man stepped forward, his face too shrouded in a cloak. "Let's get them."
James shrugged his robes off anxiously – he was dressed normally beneath him, and thus wouldn't attract so much attention – and reached inside his jeans pocket for his wand, training it on the shorter of the two – the woman. Beside him, he saw Sirius target the man. "Count of three, Padfoot."
"Right."
"One…"
"Two…"
"Thr…"
"STUPEFY!"
Startled, James leapt to his feet, and saw Lily Evans wiping a grimy hand across the blood on her cheek. The shorter Death Eater – for James was now certain that's what they were – flew off her feet, but was not stunned. The man whipped around and growled low in his throat.
"It's the Mudblood. Remember not to kill her." The woman got to her feet, spitting blood onto the dust and wood covered floor of what had previously been the Three Broomsticks. James saw, out of the corner of his eye, Madam Rosmerta, cowering behind her counter, but still gripping her wand in shaking hands. Good. She can protect herself, then. He nodded imperceptibly towards her, and turned to face his attackers. Both were focused on Lily, who was shaking with rage and gripping her wand.
"You'll regret that, Mudblood." The woman spat blood aside, and let her hood fall, revealing dark hair and dark eyes. "You'll regret that."
"Bite me."
"I may do that, little girl," replied the male Death Eater, advancing. James decided to take action.
"Diffindo!" The man shot off his feet to avoid the spell as the woman whirled. Her face triggered a memory, although James couldn't quite place it.
"Potter," the woman spat. "And look, it's Black, too. It figures that you two would try and save the Mudblood. How noble." Without another word, she raised her wand and snarled, "Crucio!"
Both Sirius and James flung themselves to opposite sides. James landed hard on his stomach, knocking the wind from him, but Sirius rolled to his feet and hissed, "Reducto!" The woman screamed and flailed; a hole appeared in the corner of her cloak as she barely managed to evade the hex. She scowled at Sirius.
"Serpensortia!" A black snake shot out of the end of her wand and slithered towards Sirius, who yelped as it bared sharp fangs at him. James chanced a quick glance at Lily, who was busy dueling with the male Death Eater, who had yet to reveal his face.
"Stop fighting, girl, it does you no good," the man snarled. Blood tripped from his hood.
"James!" Lily shouted across the wrecked room to him, her eyes never leaving her opponent's. At any other time, James would have been thrilled to be called by his given name, but this fact did not register at the moment. "Get the younger students out of here!" James whirled around, and saw that some of the younger students were tentatively huddled behind tables and chairs. Where the hell are Remus and Peter? I swear I saw Jen King here, too…
"You heard her – go!" James bellowed, not willing to leave his best friend and crush alone with a pair of clearly experienced Death Eaters. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Remus slink along the wall – Thank God, there he is – and gently push a younger student. That was all it took – the small boy fled out the door. Neither Death Eater took notice.
"Imperio!" James flung himself around just in time to see Sirius blasted off his feet and into a wall by the spell. Remus, who was halfway towards the door, spun and froze as Padfoot shakily got to his feet, his hands trembling. The woman smirked wildly. "Couldn't dodge a snake and a curse, could you?" She waved her wand; the snake started for Remus, whose eyes flew wildly to it. "Well, now, Black… go catch the redheaded Mudblood and bring her here." Involuntarily, Sirius's feet began to move, although his face held a vacant expression. James looked at his wand anxiously. He didn't want to hex his friend. So he did the only other thing he could do.
He launched himself at the woman, seizing her wand, and snapped it in half swiftly. Sirius swung around, the glazed and vacant expression disappearing from his face. The woman screamed a very loud scream as James pulled his fist back and slammed it into her stomach, taking her breath away. Her fingernails scrabbled at his arm viciously, and he could feel the marks begin to bleed, but he focused his eyes on her face as he hit her, again and again…
"Expelliarmus!" James flew across the room, his wand flying in the opposite direction. Sirius lunged for it; the male Death Eater got there first. Lily took advantage of the situation to shove Remus out the door with a snap of, "Get help!" before whirling, bringing her wand up. Then she froze.
The female Death Eater, who James still vaguely recognized but could not place, was pointing her wand threateningly at him James. He lay on the ground, his glasses a few feet away, his vision hazy, staring up at her as she pointed her wand down at him. "Move and I'll kill your speccy boyfriend," she snarled. Lily's eyes flashed, whether from fury at being foiled from throwing a hex or at the insinuation that she'd date James. He fervently hoped it was the former. "Now put your wand down."
Slowly, very slowly – Don't do it! James's mind screamed, but of course she couldn't hear him – she bent over and placed her wand on the floor. Her curly red hair threatening to escape the engraved clip keeping it out of her face; her pale skin was bruised and blood dripped from a cut above her eye, and she looked livid.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Lily's head snapped around as a spell whooshed at her – and past her, hitting the wall as the woman jerked away from James. He stared. Janine – looking amazingly clean – stood in the doorway, her eyes flashing. Dumbledore and McGonagall stood behind her.
With a crack, the pair of Death Eaters apparated.
James let loose a sigh of relief and slumped against the wall, surveying the wreckage. Thankfully, all of the students, but for Lily, Sirius, Janine, and, of course, himself, seemed to have left.
Lily shook her head. "I thought you couldn't apparate from Hogwarts," she whispered. "I always assumed that included Hogsmeade."
"It does," Dumbledore replied gravely, gently moving Janine out of the way as he came to help Lily. McGonagall moved swiftly towards him, bending down and peering into his face. "Up you get, Potter," she murmured softly.
"Then why didn't the wards work?" Sirius asked loudly. He was leaning against a wall, holding his side. Janine wove her way through the wreckage and stood before him. At the moment, in his stooped position, their eyes were level. Gray eyes met blue, and a look of understanding passed between them. Sirius straightened momentarily and leaned against his ex-girlfriend – possibly no longer an ex – gratefully. He looked at Dumbledore. "Sir?"
"They must have been tampered with. In these times, such wards must be strengthened." He nodded to McGonagall. "The staff should be put to dealing with that."
"Please, sir…" Everyone looked at Lily, who was fishing James's wand from where the male Death Eater had left it. She came over and handed it to him; he took it with relief, and grabbed his glasses from nearby, jamming them onto his face. "The villagers are going to need help rebuilding the Three Broomsticks, and I thought…"
"It is a kind thought, Miss Evans, and I will have announcements put up, asking for any students who wish to volunteer their free time to help rebuild. I'm afraid, however, that it is more than just the Three Broomsticks…"
"Was anybody…?" Janine trailed off. Dumbledore looked at her gravely.
"Seven. Four students, three villagers." Sirius, whose arm had been wrapped around her shoulders, tightened as Janine looked down. "We must deal with our wounded. Are you well enough to walk, Lily?" he added kindly.
"Yes sir." Lily looked down at James. "You all right?"
James nodded, although the pain in his ribs was coming back now. "Yeah," he finally ground out. For a moment – just for a moment, but it was there – a look of sympathy flashed through the redhead's eyes. Then she nodded.
"Good. Because we'll need to help the teachers get any injured back to the castle."
James nodded tiredly, pocketing his wand. For the moment, it was over.
X-X-X-X-X
A/N: Woohoo, new chapter! I hoped you guys liked this one – I realize it was a bit silly, but come ON, people, it's James Potter. What did you expect him to do, especially when Sirius is helping him? Anyway, here are the notes…
#1: Okay, super-duper-uber-mega-big-important note! THIS IS A TURNING POINT IN THE STORY! Things begin to change between our favorite redhead and our favorite prat (or second-favorite, if you prefer Sirius…) So be prepared for some MAJOR changes in attitude coming up now!
#2: Yeah, I didn't send this one to my betas. Sorry, I was lazy, and I wanted to get this up before I forgot. Besides, this week is Homecoming week at school, so I'll be pretty busy most of the rest of the week… which means no time to write at all this week or this weekend. Sorry, but that means you guys'll have to wait a while for the next update…
#3: Reviewers! Yeah, I love you guys! This time, a total of… (dun dun dun!) 30! Thanks, guys! I love you all – although I'd LOVE having more reviewers, so please tell all your friends about this story! Reviews are SERIOUS motivation for writing… and yeah, I could have waited longer and gotten more reviews, but I was eager to get this up. I expect to see a billion reviews before the next update, okay! (I'm kidding, though a billion reviews would be NICE…) …Here are your individual responses…
cilverblood – Yeah, I'll work on making him more prattish, but I can't make any promises – it's going to be hard. Especially seeing as the whole attitude of my main characters are about to change… anyway, sorry about the semi-cliffie from the last chapter – I hope this makes up a little for it!
Padfootz – I'm sure I've told you this, but I LOVE your name! Keep reviewing!
invisible2u – Heya! Yeah, I WISH school was going well for me… another Snape plushie for you! (Someday, I'm going to HAVE to draw pictures of these plushies for all of you guys to see… whenever I get the time, I will. Anyway…) Hope you liked this chapter!
wounded-angel – I'm glad you like the story! Yeah, I totally agree – they can't SUDDENLY jump into bed with one another, that's just too weird. I mean, they're a far cry from sleeping together, and I'm on chapter 20! No worries, it'll happen EVENTUALLY… but I can't say when. Keep reading!
californiagurl – Don't worry, I'll never quit this fic – it's too much fun. And I kind of do know what you mean about pushy friends – Gosh, mine are SO annoying sometimes. "Ooh, who do you like? Tell me tell me tell me!" Oy vey. Very annoying. I'm glad this is one of your favorites. Thanks for the review!
Kyo-grli91 – Yeah, it is too Sirius/Janine centric. I'm trying to bring it back to Lily and James… but it's so HARD when you love Sirius so MUCH!
Oliverwoodschic – Oh my gosh, your review was LONG… I LOVED IT! I absolute love long reviews! (And yes, accents are MEGA-hot!) And I'm SO thrilled that you're a big Sirius/Janine fan… I am too! (Granted, I write the story, so I'm biased). Anyway, thank you SOO much for the review! (Someday, I am going to write a short story about Janine's non-existent brother Ben… teehee).
DobbyGrl – I'm trying to get 'em out as fast as possible!
no name – I know some people say that James was a Seeker, but JKR did say in an interview that James was a Chaser. And yes, she may have changed her mind since then, but I prefer him as a Chaser because it created some bigger differences between James and Harry – and I always figured Harry to be more like Lily than he is like James, personality-wise. So I want to make him as different as possible. Anyway, I'm glad you like the story!
little pink sock – I absolutely LOVE your name, too. It's so awesome! Anyway, yeah, the Quidditch WAS sort of pathetic… I promise the final will be better. :) Anyway, please keep reading – and I'm glad you like Sirius/Janine!
nebulia – OMG, yes… it IS a bloody soap opera, isn't it?
Granger-gurl-rox – Yes, I loved the line "wank off jerk," too… it seemed so positively… JANINE… it's like, you guys are ignoring each other, but she just HAS to throw that in there to be all insulting and everything. And I loved his reaction to it, too… keep reading, okay?
BeCkY6 – Ugh, school… the bane of everyone's existence. I know how you feel. But thanks for the review!
milky way bar – ooh, I love Archie comics – but so many of my friends are uneducated and haven't heard of them, and I'm like, WHAT THE HELL? They ROCK!
Celina K2 – Don't worry, I'd NEVER throw tomatoes at you. And don't worry, for the first Quidditch-packed chapter (it was like chapter 2 or something…)… it took me like a billion rewrites to do it semi-well! Oh well, the Quidditch matches WILL get better… even if I have to kill myself rewriting them. Keep reviewing!
katmiester – Reviews can NEVER be too long. And I'm really glad that you don't think the OC's were Mary-Sueish… I was so worried that they were. And thanks for calling me a great writer, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)… And honestly, I have no idea what I've planned for Sirius/Janine, but I HOPE it will be something that others don't usually write when they do a Sirius/OC pairing… anyway, keep reading! And I love your reviews – the longer the better!
YamiClara – yeah, it IS turning into a S/J story… which is why I'm trying to change it. But I'm glad you like the story, so keep reading!
Admiral Lily – thanks for the review. Yeah, writing is getting harder and harder… especially when you're so tired that writer's block is ten times work. But yes, we WILL persevere!
Spikora – Okay, yeah, I've got to agree… thinking of Voldemort looking at Witch Weekly IS weird… but there's a REALLY good reason for it… I just have to come up with it :) Keep reading to find out!
reckless-patience – No worries, I'll keep writing so long as people keep reading and reviewing!
WoWgirl22 – I'm glad you like it!
Jamessgurl – Oh my gosh, your review was GREAT! I love reading reviews like that! And I'm glad you like S/J… when I first started the story I was like, "Oh gosh, what if people hate them?" But you don't, and that's great! Keep reading!
moony128 – Yeah, guys ARE stupid. I hope that thing at the beginning helped you. Anyway… yeah, James is sort of an idiot, isn't he? But he's getting better… and, well, in light of recent things, maybe Lily won't see him as SUCH a prat and realize he's a better guy, seeing as he sorta-kinda saved her life… I guess you just have to see some things for yourself… anyway. Read on!
pokie4389 – Well… Andy is tied to a lamppost. There we go. Keep reading, okay?
Mg-Nashisko – Thanks for the review! And don't worry, I'm working on the next chapter, and I have a long weekend coming up soon, so I might get more done then.
SeCrEt LiLy – Thanks for the review – it's always great to find people who love the story. Know something stupid? I spent so long, after I posted the first chapter, being like "OMG, people are going to hate it…" and they don't! So it's great to read a review that says you like the story and characters, etc… keep reading and reviewing!
SillyGillie – James IS a helpless case. But it makes him so funny, don't you think?
MercuryEclipse – Wow, I didn't think I was THAT good… I'll read your stories as soon as I have time, I PROMISE!
shan – I always have a whole lot of fun writing these stories… so keep reading and reviewing, okay? I'll update ASAP…
Nastytoiletknome – lol, great name. Yeah, I'll update as soon as I can… keep those reviews coming, okay?
#4 – Um… I think that's it. Next chapter: …Hell if I know. Okay, seriously – The mysterious 'Tom' problem comes back to haunt our favorite Gryffindors, Lily gets a mega-attitude makeover and begins to see James in a new light, Janine and Sirius are all happy (for a little while, more drama to come!) Andy sulks a lot (thought mostly off-screen, he's not around much) and… uh… well, I can't think of anything else, so that'll have to do for now!
Anyway, tonight's my school's Homecoming, so I've got to finish getting ready – love you all! Leave me happy reviews, make me glad…
XOXO Peaches