Chapter 13, The Surprise

"Lily, whatever- your- middle- names is-" James came storming down the boys staircase.

"Halley Kathryn"

"Why do you have two middle names?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, why do I have green and purple dots all over me?" he yelled so loud made the whole house look towards them.

"Because I wanted to see if you would make a good Barney," Lily was working on her transfiguration homework and hadn't looked up at all.

"A good who?"

"Barney, he's a muggle character for little kids, now if you don't mind I'm trying to concentrate, Transfiguration isn't my best subject."

"Well I do mind, put me back to my right colors!"

"You have to see Madam Pomfrey about that, she knows how to get rid of it."

James groaned and walked out the portrait hole.

"Urg, Rin I can't do this, help!" Lily whined giving her the puppy dog eyes.

"Coming, oh Transfiguration and Anamgi, I never even started, and we have to hand it in tomorrow, splendid, just splendid. Sorry Lily, but I can't help," Catherine told Lily pulling out parchment and starting to write something very fast.

"Dur, why didn't I think of this before?" Lily asked herself walking out the portrait James walked out of a few minutes earlier, a piece of parchment in her hand.

"James, I need your help, the library is closed, and I don't know anything about Anamigi's," Lily said walking through the doors.

"Why should I help you, you turned me into a walking piece of moldy broccoli."

"Because you're not Snape," Lily said simply.

"Where did that come from?"

"I saw him in the hallway coming and asked him for help, you know since he's the best in potions, he said 'get lost you filthy mudblood'. So, will you help me?" Lily asked very hopeful.

"Yes," James sighed, "here give me the parchment." Lily handed him the parchment, and he scribbled some things down on it, and handed it back to lily. "Just don't use the exact wording, McGonagall would notice."

"Of course, thanks so much, you're a lifesaver," Lily hugged him and walked out the door.

"Rin, I got our answers!" Lily whispered walking through the portrait hole.

"How?"

"James, here, don't copy anything exactly though," she told her placing the parchment in the middle of them.

"Done! Looks good, I feel so evil, that's the first time I ever cheated," she whispered to Catherine who was on her last sentence.

"Looks good, hope it'll pass," Catherine said to herself, putting it in her Transfiguration book.

"I'm going to the Prefects bathroom, I ran into Snape on the way to the Hospital wing, and I think I got some of his grease on me," Lily told Catherine walking up to her room, and putting on a swim suit. You can never be too sure someone won't walk in on you. "You want to come?"

"Yeah, why not, the place is so pretty anyway, oh, can we put a lot of bubbles in it this time. Bubbles are so much fun, they're like clouds," Catherine said getting hers on.

"Yes, Rin, we can put a lot of bubbles, like we always do," Lily said smiling walking out the door with her robe on.

"Yay!"

"My, you're very energetic today," she giggled.

"I know," Catherine replied giving her a huge grin.

"Irish Spring," Lily said to the portrait, and it opened to reveal a huge pool, with about twenty different taps. Catherine had memorized which taps set off all the foam and perfume water, so she ran to turn them on. After a few minutes of waiting the pool was filled with tons and tons of bubbles. More bubbles in fact, than there was water.

They pulled off their robes, and jumped in. "Rin, you may have put too much bubbles in, I'm floating back to the top."

"Uh… right I'll just go put in some more water then," she turned the closest facet and bright blue water came pouring out.

"That's better, hey look," Lily scooped up a clod of foam in her hand and blew it. It floater all the way over to Catherine and landed on her head.

They started to have a bubble war, blowing the bubbles all the way across to the other one. They only stopped when they heard the portrait open, but they couldn't see who it was because the bubbles were floating all over the place.

"Who's there?" Lily and Catherine asked at the same time.

"It's just James, Sirius, and Remus," Lily said dully.

"How do you know it's us, you can barely see anything, whoa-" there was a loud splash, "see I just fell in."

"James, I could spot your hair a mile away."

"Oh."

"Shouldn't you be in the Hospital Wing?"

"No, whoa-" another splash, James had just fallen in, "she put this stuff all over me, and it smells horrible. I had a very hard time to get her to let me leave," he explained. The bubbles were starting to settle down.

"What's with all the bloody bubbles anyway?"

"Hey, they're not bloody, I have a fondness for bubbles, it's not my fault. Ow, watch it Remus, you just fell on me!" Catherine shouted.

"Sorry, but I can't see a thing!" everyone heard.

"Accio!" Lily whispered, and her wand zoomed into her hand. "Evansio!" the bubbles that were floating in the air vanished in a second.

"Much better," James said, "I thought I was going blind."

"What time is it?" Lily asked.

"About eight, why?" Remus answered.

"Okay, Rin, I'm gonna go back, I want to try and finish The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, you coming?"

"Yeah, why not."

"They both started to get out, "Er… Lily don't you want us to turn around or something?" James asked.

"Don't matter, you can look if you want to," Lily tried getting out. "Great, I can't get out, oh yay, I did it!" she yelled running for a towel.

"Good thing we decided to wear swim suites, they looked so hopeful, when you told them they could look," Catherine giggled walking over to Lily.

"Sorry boy, but you can never be too sure no ones going to walk in on you," Lily smiled, "honestly, you thought I would get out with you all looking at me naked. Use your brains, that is if you have any," Lily wrapped her robe, and walked out with Catherine.

"Lily," James called.

"Yes," she said tuning around.

"Meet me after dinner tomorrow, I have a surprise that you're going to love, okay."

"Okay," they left without a backward glance.

"What do you think he's planning?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know, probably something like sneaking off to Hogsmede," Lily answered.

"Who's going to Hogsmede?" Penelope asked, they had just entered the room.

"James told Lily to meet him after dinner, he said something about a surprise that she'll like," Catherine told them.

"Oh, what do you think it will be?"

"I don't know, I'm going to get the bubbles out of my hair," Lily told them walking into the bathroom, she was smiling and blushing.

"She's defiantly going to like this surprise," Lily heard them talking, as she washed her hair.

"That's better, night guy," Lily said jumping in her bed and closing the hangings.

"Night," everyone said.

"Are you excited about today?" Catherine asked all giddy.

"Why would I be?" Lily asked

"Tonight, James's surprise," they were walking down the corridor to the Great Hall.

"Oh, I guess. Potions today, right?"

"Right, Sourculdron is going to make us finish our veritaserum."

"Great, just what I want, people to know my secrets," Lily said sourly.

"It's not like I want them to either, but we need the grade, well at least I do."

"Pass me the cereal."

"Wow, Lily Evans isn't eating toast today," Catherine joked passing Lily the cereal.

"Yes well…."

"C'mon we are going to be late to Sourculdron's class, you know how he gets," Catherine said standing.

"Yeah, coming."

"Ah, Miss Sugarsweets, Miss. Evans what a pleasure that you actually decided to attend my class," the Professor drawled.

"What the bell didn't ring, did it?" The next second she heard a 'berrrrrriiiiiinnnnggg'.

"I was scared there for a second, I'll just be sitting down now," Lily said with a sigh of relief moving towards a seat.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken Miss. Evans, you're going to be the first person we test the Veritaserum on, please make your way to the front of the class."

"Damn," Lily muttered, her face was turning red and her temperature rose to what she thought was 200 degrees Fahrenheit. She was never a person who could talk or sit in front of a class filled with people.

"What?"

Lily didn't answer she completely choked. She sat on the stool and her leg was bouncing involuntary. When she tried to hold one leg down, the other leg would start to involuntarily shake, and her eyes started to twitch.

"Please drink this potion," the Professor told her kindly, she read the name, Severus Snape, Good, Snape's good in potions, at least I know I'm not going to choke to death, she thought as she took a small sip.

Everyone was watching, she stopped twitching slowly, and her eyes started to fog over in a dazed expression.

"Good, Miss. Evans, why were you twitching so much?" Professor Sourculdron asked her.

"It's a nervous reaction when I'm in front of a large number of people, most notice it when I sit, when I stand it is not as noticeable," Lily answered looking at no one in particular her eyes glazed over.

"Okay," she said scribbling something down on a clipboard. "Now tell me, what is your deepest secret?"

"That's an invasion of privacy! You can't, it'll put her in danger more than she already is!"

"Mr. Potter please be quiet, Miss. Evans answer the question."

"Voldemort is after-" she began

Not a moment later there was a huge explosion of dungbombs and the class was running outside. Lily just sat there and talked, not aware of her surroundings.

"That was close," James sighed in relief.

"Yeah, but did you have to use my entire stock?" Sirius whined.

"Yes, it got everyone out just in time, didn't it? I didn't even hear a word that she said.

"C'mon we have to get Lily out of there before she permanently smells like dung," Catherine said walking back in, a look of disgust upon her face.

When they went back in Lily was still sitting on the stool, the same as they left her.

"Lily how do we take the potion off you Lily?" Catherine asked her.

"You don't it wares off after about three hours, it would take lesser if I drank the reversal potion," she said, her eyes still fogging over.

"Great, how are we supposed to explain this to the teachers, let's go to McGonagall," Remus suggested grabbing one of Lily's arms, she really couldn't walk properly.

"Good idea Moony," James agreed grabbing her other arm and heading up to the Transfiguration room.

"Come on Sirius, Rin," Remus yelled to the two of them.

"Mr. Potter, what happened to Lily?" Professor McGonagall asked when they came through the door.

"Professor Sourculdron fed her Veritaserum and didn't give the antidote, we were wondering if you had any?" Sirius asked following them.

"Why did she let the class out so early?"

"Someone threw an entire case of dungbombs in the middle of class. Oh how I wish it were me," Sirius explained dreamily.

"Well, you'll have to go up to the Headmasters office, I believe he has the antidote," she told them calmly.

"We'll be off then," James said turning around, "Professor!"

"James, what happened to Miss. Evans?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"We were testing our Veritaserum and someone set off a pack of dungbombs and we never got the antidote. She can barely walk." Remus explained.

"Ah, come up to my office, Minerva will you please come to my office after this class, I have something I wish to tell you," the Headmaster asked.

She nodded in response, and continued teaching. Everyone had started to make their way to the Headmasters office.

"Please sit Miss. Evans in the chair, I will fetch the antidote," Dumbledore told them, walking to a closed cupboard and pulling out a black substance.

"Mr. Black please pour some of this down her throat, she should wake up in a minute," Sirius did as he was told and within a minute Lily was back to conciseness.

"Who set off the dungbombs? I know it was one of you, so there is no point in lying," the Headmaster asked surveying everyone in the room.

"I did, but only because she was going to make Lily say something that could put her in danger of Voldemort, and she wouldn't listen when I told her not to. She just said 'continue Miss. Evans'," James explained so fast that the words were barely audible. "It's understandable that she wouldn't listen to a student, but I had to do something," he finished.

"Well then in that case, there will be no detention and you are still Head Boy, also fifteen points to Gryffindor for helping to keep a fellow pupil safe. Although I will have to deduct five points, seeing as you filled the entire potions class with dung."

"You actually understood him Professor, I couldn't hear a word after 'I did'," Catherine said amazed.

"Well, when you have him in here so many time talking so fast, one gets used to it," he smiled with the familiar twinkle in his eyes.

"What?" Lily asked, she couldn't hear a single word that was uttered from his mouth.

"You almost said why Voldemort was after you," James said, turning to look at her.

"I did? Oh no, what do you mean almost?" Lily was looking quizzically from James to Dumbledore, and back.

"I set off dungbombs and got the entire class and Sourculdron out before you said too much."

Lily couldn't say anything she was in shock.

"Professor Sourculdron, although I don't know how much longer she will be a Professor," Dumbldore said looking at the door, "yes, well, on you go, I believe you have Charms."

Everyone had a look of glee on their faces as they left. Sourculdron was going to get fired, everyone had waited for this wonderful day to come, everyone but the Slytherins. They liked their head of house, she managed to make them win the house cup for the last six years in a row.

"Miss. Evans may I have a word?" Dumbledore asked as she was about ot leave.

"Yes Professor?"

"The have just found the last of the Green Flame Torches. It is located in the Department of Mysteries, the torch is very dangerous, so they put it behind a door that will remain locked. I thought it would be good if I told you."

"Thank you Professor," Lily walked out the door, and found the others waiting at the bottom.

"Well, there's no point denying it, Rin, I'll tell what this is all about later, James thank you," Lily gave James a hug. "I'll tell you to Remus, you look awfuly confused. James, they found one of the Torches, probably the last one, it's behind a locked door in the Ministry of Magic," she told them.

"Why is it behind a locked door?"

"Sirius it's dangerous, what would you do? Legend says it's very dangerous, worse than death, and yet wonderful, humans cannot understand it, and it has more force than nature itself. No one has understood it," Lily explained.

"Oh."

"You're ten minutes late," the tiny Professor Flitwick squeaked.

"Sorry, Professor Dumbledore wanted to see us."

"Very well Mr. Lupin, take a seat we're practicing the Invisibility charm, pair up," he ordered.

"Who gets Peter?" James asked, "I had him last."

"Me," Sirius said glumly walking over to Peter, he never could do the simplest spells.

"Moony, looks like me and you today, huh," James pointed out slinging his arm around Remus's shoulder and walking into the middle of the classroom.

"There will be no desert today, do to some mishaps in the kitchens, it should be fixed around eight o'clock, if you wish you may come back then," Dumbledore announced.

"You wanted to see me?" Lily asked smiling.

"Let's go for a walk around the lake," James told Lily walking out the doors, "c'mon, it's nice out."

"Nice out! It's like ice! I don't even have a cloak!" Lily yelled when she took her first step out the door.

"Come here," James walked closer to her, and handing her his cloak.

"But you'll freeze," Lily pointed out, James just shrugged and started walking.

"The cold frees you're mind, well at least mine, c'mon, and if I catch a cold I wont blame it on you. Promise."

"Fine, but here, well share," Lily opened the cloak and James went close to her.

"Smell the air, it smells so clean. Everything looks so clean," Lily said looking up at the sky.

"Lily."

"Yes, James," she looked down only to receive a face full of snow.

"Oh, no, you're asking for it," she got another face full of snow. "Bring it on!" she yelled throwing a clump of snow at the only thing that wasn't white.

"Hey, argh, that went down my shirt!" James yelled running over to her and stuffing a snowball down her shirt, receiving a very loud scream.

"Cold, cold, cold, cold," Lily was chanting pulling out her shirt and shacking it to get the snow out. "You're going to pay for that Potter!"

"Really, and how do you plan to do tha- ow!" He just got hit in the back of the head with a snowball.

"So this is what brain freeze is," James joked throwing another snowball at her. No one noticed all the streamers being hung up and the gigantic balloons floating all over in the Great Hall.

"Okay, I think we're wet and cold enough now," a panting James said, it was true, he was soaked from head to foot, and his lips were black and blue.

"I agree, let's go back to the common room and dry up," Lily suggested.

"Yeah," they both started to walk toward the Gryffindor tower, robes dripping and shivering.

"Warmth!" Lily exclaimed running to the fire when they got there.

"Heat!" James would have thrown himself in the fire if Lily hadn't caught him.

"I'm going to get changed."

"Yeah, good idea."

They both went up to their own dormitory and changed, Lily had to dry her hair with a towel because James smashed so many snowballs on her head it was soaked from root, to the very last waist length tip.

"Where is everyone?" Lily asked walking down the stairs in a lose shirt and pants.

"Great Hall, its 8:15. I'm hungry, all the snow has made me hungry," James answered.

"Yeah, I'm coming too," Lily said following.

They walked down to the Great Hall in silence; James had an anxious look in his eyes, like he was waiting for something spectacular to happen. When they reached the oak doors that separated the corridor from the dining area, James nearly jumped, and Lily got butterflies in her stomach, though she did not know why.

James pushed the doors open and Lily heard hundreds of people screaming "Surprise!"