Hey to all my faithful reviewers. I'm sooooooooooo sorry for not updating since, like, December, BUTI happen to have a good reason! I was very very ill since January and only now have I gotten my illness under control. I should be updaating about every week or two from now on, but since I'm very unhappy with some of my chapters - namely 2 up to about 9 - I will be doing a complete revision of the story! This chapter is not my best but it'll have to do for now! Thanks a million and PUHLEAZE PLEEEEEEEEEEASE REVIEW!
Hogwarts Castle was wreathed in misery. Black drapes obscured every window. In the Great Hall, the tables were bedecked in black tablecloths, the House tapestries that hung on the walls hidden behind yet more, thick black veils. The school was in mourning for the tragic loss of Rianna Teris, a Ravenclaw.
' Lord Voldemort viciously slaughtered her. '
This thought kept running through Lily's numb mind, who had known Rianna personally. The pain was almost too hard to bear. Lord Voldemort. Death Eaters. It was all a blur…Lily only remembered waking up in the hospital wing a few short hours ago, aching all over. In the bed next to her, James had still lain deep in slumber. The memories had come rushing back…of Bellatrix and the stone cellar…and James. James Potter. Her saviour.
Eventually, he too had left the land of Nod and they had sought out Professor Dumbledore and Lady Lasair. In the warmth of Dumbledore's office, all had been explained to them. They had escaped from Lily's subconscious dimension through the power of the strange rose Dust and had remained in a comatose state in the hospital wing for the better part of three days, recuperating from the deplorable ordeal. They had then risen from the depths of sleep in time for Rianna's funeral.
As though drawn together, James and Lily had remained very close the past few hours, holding hands and embracing every so often, the pain and fear still evident in their eyes.
And now, they were seated in the Great Hall, clothed all in black, James with his arm around Lily's waist. Dumbledore stood before the mass of students, his gaze sombre, his eyes unusally bright in the dim light.
'' My students. We are gathered here today to witness the life of Miss Rianna Teris. She was a wonderful person to behold; charming and full of life and vibrancy, Rianna made her House proud. A noble, clever Ravenclaw, who just happened to, unfortunately, become the unwitting victim of Lord Voldemort,''
The crowd of students drew breath as one. As Dumbledore paused, James slowly searched the hall, his eyes falling upon the Ravenclaw table and the students seated at it, some of whom were sobbing uncontrollably. Then he lifted his head, his face stony, as Dumbledore continued.
'' Please, as a mark of respect, let us all stand and raise our glasses to Rianna,''
Everyone stood immediately; the hall was filled with the scraping of chairs and benches as they were pushed back. As one, on Dumbledore's cue, the school raised their goblets and, with a low, reverent, resounding echo, simply said, '' To Rianna,''.
'' Rianna, as you all know, was killed by Lord Voldemort. Let us not allow her death to have been in vain…Voldemort meant it as a warning, and as a warning it should be interpreted. We all need to stand together as one and fight against this evil, this cowardice. We should do it for Rianna, and the countless others who died at his hands. We have to do it for ourselves. And, above all, we MUST fight it for peace. ''
Bowing his head, Dumbledore paused. Then he looked up and let his gaze alight on James and Lily.
'' In times that are hard, we must look to eachother for comfort and solace…and let love overpower our fear,''
Dumbledore stepped down from the podium, allowing Professor McGonagall to take his place.
'' Those of you who wish to pay their last respects to Rianna may pass through this door to my left, where her body is lain. I must ask for silence and courtesy as you prepare to queue up,''
As the students of Hogwarts rose to line up, Lily and James, staying close to eachother, made their way up the hall in a slow, respectful procession and into the chamber to the right of the staff table.
This particular room was shrouded in black; even the portraits that usually graced the walls had been concealed behind yet more dark wraps. Floating white candles lit with slivers of dancing blue flames cast an eerie glow upon the raised podium in the centre of the room. A wicker casket was placed carefully on a lofty slab of white marble at the heart of the dais. James walked forward, his head bowed, Lily at his side. A gathering of Ravenclaws encircled the casket, their faces grave with sorrow and regret.
Lily didn't know how long they stood there, James and herself. Even as the crowd slowly dwindled away and the room emptied, they stood there, in silence. Eventually, James turned and tugged on Lily's hand and they slipped out of the room. The castle appeared deserted; dark had crept upon it in the lapsing time, relieved only by strips of moonlight that shone weakly through the veiled windows.
The Common Room was quiet, the crackling of the fire in the grate and muffled whispers of somewhat disheartened conversations the only noise in the stillness. When James snapped the portrait-hole shut, Sirius and Bailey, who had been curled up on the couch, quickly made their way over.
'' Oh, Lily…you're awake…and James…'' began Bailey tearfully, drawing Lily into a rib cracking embrace. Sirius shifted from foot to foot awkwardly.
'' Dumbledore told us what happened. Well, briefly anyway. When Rianna was…well, he called us into his office. We…er…we missed ya mate,''
James smiled fleetingly as Sirius clapped his shouder gruffly.
'' We were all so worried…we thought maybe You Know Who might've…well…how are you both? '' added Bailey in a whisper as all four of them seated themselves on the Gryffindor couch.
'' Um…ok, I guess. Madam Pompfrey mended most of our wounds and that,''
Bailey and Sirius nodded understandingly.
Lily stood up, motioning for James to do the same.
'' Look, if it's all the same to you, I would like to talk to James in private,''
Sirius nodded emphatically.
'' Yeah, yeah, of course. You can use our dorm, there's no-one in it. ''
Bailey looked as though she was about to protest, but, at a sharp look from Sirius, fell silent.
'' Thanks,'' James said heavily, entwining his hand with Lily's as they crossed the room and began ascending the stairs.
As they did so, several people stopped what they were doing, just staring at the two of them.
' Obviously the school knows something about what happened to us,'
Lily stopped walking, about to say something to the many avid fans she had suddenly acquired, but thought better of it as James gently tugged at her hand. They had drawn level with the staircase to the boys' dorms and she followed him up, into the fourth room from the left.
Inside stood seven four poster beds, hung with curtains the deep red of Gryffindor. Lily knew immediately which bed was his. Stacks of Quidditch paraphernalia lay sprawled across the floor, overlapping with the contents of his suitcase, which was propped up against the bedpost, the Potter family crest visibly stamped onto the side of it. Posters of Quidditch teams and Championship League charts were tacked to the wall. Books on Sages and their powers were settled on his dresser, their covers tatty, fading titles peeling away with age.
Lily sat herself on the chair facing his bed, opposite him, and breathed in deeply.
'' James…there's something I have to tell you. When Gabrielle…and Professor Dumbledore told us that inhaling the Dust allowed me to use my love for life as a catalyst to collapse my subconscious dwelling … they were lying.''
James frowned, his eyes searching. Lily looked down at her hands, which were twisting nervously in her lap as though they had a mind of their own, and gulped.
''James…it wasn't my love of life that freed us….it was my love…for…for…for you,''
Lily didn't dare look up, frightened of what she'd see. It was only when she felt two gentle fingers tip her chin and tilt it up that her eyes met with James'…and she sharply drew in a breath at the depth and intensity of emotion on his face.
'' Lily…I will ask you this only once. Are you sure? '' James whispered hoarsely, his eyes bright with feeling.
Lily nodded.
''Yes.''
'' Lily…'' James' voice broke, before she was enveloped in his arms and he was kissing her face feverishly, beautiful, light butterfly kisses of adoration. Lily slid her arms around his neck, her fingers sinking into his thick hair, her breath catching at his affectations.
'' James…'' she moaned, pushing delicately against his chest. He pulled back, confused.
'' Lil…do you not want…we can stop, whatever you want…''
Lily closed her eyes.
'' No…I do want to, I just…I need…I just need to be held,''
James nodded as Lily's voice broke, and he gently lifted her from the chair into his arms, stroking her hair. Lily, tears spilling from her eyes at the love and tenderness with which James was holding her, turned her face into his shoulder, breathing in his now familiar scent. Pine and soap and a hint of something she would never be able to describe as other than just James.
'' I need you so much, Lil. You're my whole world,'' he whispered quietly into her ear on impulse.
Lily lifted her head, kissing the hollow of his throat and eliciting a deep sigh from him as she whispered back in return.
'' I love you James Potter,''
And, for the first time in James' life, he finally, truly felt content.
When Lily opened her eyes, it was morning. She was still in James' arms, lying next to him on his bed. They must've fallen asleep the night before. Lily sighed, bringing her hand up to cup his face. He was still sleeping, but she couldn't resist touching him, when he was so close. He made a slight noise in his slumber, moving his arm to pull her in closer to him, tightly pinioning her to his side. Lily smiled, then wriggled her hips in a vain attempt to get free.
'' James…James…'' she poked him in the shoulder.
A slow smile crept across his face and he opened his eyes drowsily, murmuring in protest.
'' James, let go of me,''
He shook his head, pouting.
'' But I don't wanna,''
Lily laughed, then, as she went to kiss the tip of his nose, found herself flat on her back with James above her, his knees gripping her hips.
'' James! ''
'' You'll have to appease me first,'' he teased, bending his head and leaning in for a long, slow, passionate kiss.
What little resolve Lily had had quickly dissolved as James' lips met her own. His hand slid up her side, his other tangled in her hair and he pressed his hips into her own, a guttural moan escaping his throat. Lily responded in zest, twisting her head away so that her lips had access to his neck and her hands roamed over his chest, toying with the clasp on his robes.
The intense longing inside James rose within his blood as he felt Lily's delicate hands unknot his tie and he matched her newfound passion with his own, his hands tracing burning paths all over her body, his lips tasting the soft creamy skin of her collarbone.
Lily pushed against James' chest suddenly and he pulled back, panting.
'' We've gotta stop James. As much as I want to, we're moving too fast,'' she said in an undertone, regret evident in her tone.
James leaned back, nodding.
'' Yeah…yeah. I guess,''
Lily sat up, frustratedly running a hand through her hair.
'' Oh, it's a mess and if anyone sees me coming out of your dorm they'll think we had sex last night! ''
James grinned, then forced his smile into a grimace at the look on Lily's face.
'' Yeah, that'd be awful,'' he said hurriedly, as Lily frantically began to tie her hair back, without much success.
'' Here, let me,''
Lily eyed him doubtfully, but turned her back to him all the same as she felt his hands lift her hair. Surprisingly, a few seconds later, Lily ran a hand over her ponytail and found her hair smooth and silky, without any knots.
'' Where'd you learn to do that? ''
James grinned sheepishly.
'' Uh…well, my mum used to get me to do her hair in the mornings as she ate breakfast cos she was always late for work otherwise. ''
Lily chuckled appreciatively.
'' Awww, so you were the daughter she never had,''
James lightly rapped her shoulder with his knuckles.
'' Hey! I'm all man,''
'' I know, I know,'' Lily agreed, her eyes mocking, as she slipped off his bed. '' Well, I'm going to go now…before everyone wakes up,''
She was almost at his dormitory door when a strong hand reached out and held the handle, so she couldn't turn it.
'' James….'' Lily wheedled, turning around.
'' Just one kiss,'' he pleaded, puppydog eyes in use. Lily grinned, then reached up and pulled his head down to hers. Surprisingly, it was different to the previous kisses. Gentler, more tender, sweeter. Mournfully, Lily broke the kiss and turned to the door.
'' Til breakfast,''
'' Til then,'' he echoed, and, as Lily glanced back over her shoulder, she had to admit, James Potter looked like he was the cat that had got the cream.
REVIEW!NOW!
