CHAPTER 21..:::::.. A Rather Spanking Plan
Disclaimer: Hmm. No preferences. In that case, I shall simply assume you no longer need to hear a disclaimer.
A/N: Savvy? Sorry, I just saw Pirates of the Caribbean and I'm kind of besotted with it.
Coolcatjenny: Don't be fooled; Sirius is far from being settled down.
Snivellus: Hi, ah, yeah, I know about the whole blood thing and I know it's not entirely believable … but hey. If she was adopted into the family, I guess she was part of the family, right?
Quidditch queen: Ah, the question to be popped … so near yet so far … Muhahaha.
Inkling: Thanks, beautiful is perhaps an overstatement, but thanks anyway! I love being flattered! I would guess that maybe she was Muggleborn, but everyone calls her a Mudblood anyway because they don't know about the adoption. Therefore I guess it's not that relevant.
Templa Otmena: Aha, yes, sticking pins in the Rat himself would be great, but I doubt we would catch the slippery rodent. Besides, if it were a talisman, then he wouldn't be able to escape! Haha! I'm sick. But then again, you are too.
Mystikalolo: Thanks, glad you liked my joke. It's hard to be funny you know. Lol.
PennyP: Oh my, you caught me out. Yes, I am a Matrix stealer … but who isn't? Anyways, I love that line and it sounded to me like something that dear James would say!
Lady Rebecca: Lol, sorry about the whole bowels thing. I misspelled it, duh. Perhaps I shouldn't be doing English A level next year …
Lily Pad: Aww, thanks, glad you thought 20 was the best chapter! I was rather fond of it myself!
Szhismine: Sorry, sorry, but you must wait for the James angst … I promise you that there will be loads when I have to write … when I have to write … when the time comes. *Sobs*. Out of cannon is if it's out of sync with the story … I think, but hey, this is called fan FICTION so I don't know why people make such a House Elf about it. Thanks for not really caring about that!
Little House girl: Lol, you like Snape now? Oho, I have changed minds …
Fan of fan fics: Lol, like your name … and you know what else would be a sin? If you didn't review and give me nice long ones!!
*HITS PLAY*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*
Dumbledore sighed and lowered his hands, surveying Snape closely over his half moon glasses. "Oh, Severus," he said heavily.
Snape bowed his head, ashamed with himself.
"Why?" he asked after a few seconds.
Snape swallowed. "I cannot explain, Sir. I just felt as though I were good for nothing else."
Dumbledore nodded. "In that case, it is I who have failed you. I should have realised, Severus, and saved you from this terrible ordeal. You have done right in telling me this."
Snape's breathing slowly returned to normal.
"But," said Dumbledore slowly. "You have jeopardized many lives. That of your fellow students, mine, and your own. You must know, however, that it was terribly foolish –"
" – I know, sir," Snape interjected. "Please, give me a chance to put it right."
Dumbledore frowned. "And how, exactly, do you propose to do that?" he asked.
"I will turn spy, sir! Allow me to spy on the Dark Lord! He will never know! I could –"
"I am afraid that I cannot ask you to do such a thing," said Dumbledore sharply.
"Professor Dumbledore, forgive me, but you are no longer my Headmaster, nor my guardian outside of home. It is not up to you to allow me to do anything."
Dumbledore looked deeply at Snape. "You are sure about this?" he said seriously.
"Yes, sir, more than anything. I have betrayed you, but I beseech you, allow me to rectify my mistake."
There was a very long pause as Dumbledore thought about the proposal. Presently, he spoke in a very tired voice. "Very well, Severus," he said. "You are right, of course. I can no longer decide what is right for you, but I can help prepare you, if you are serious."
Snape nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Then, if you are, it is time for me to teach you Occlumency."
~*(~*)~*(~*)~*
Three weeks after the school term had ended, James was to be found at Sirius's house, his very own house, one he had managed to buy after his flee from his parents. James was eating a square meal that Sirius had haphazardly cooked when the room was invaded by an owl.
"Padfoot! Post!" James called through a mouthful of something that was supposed to be a potato.
Sirius came through into the small living room, frying pan in one hand and wand between his teeth. He paid the bird with his free hand and took the three letters from it.
After one look at the first one, he tossed it down onto the table in front of James. "It's for you," he said. Then he added with a smile, "She must know you're here."
"Who?" But James knew who Sirius meant and pleaded ignorance to avoid embarrassment. Sirius smirked and disappeared into the kitchen once more. James excitedly ripped open the letter and read it.
Dear James,
How are you? How is it going over at Sirius's? (Do I even have to ask?) I can only imagine what the cooking's like. It's been ages since I've seen you and I'm missing you like crazy. Do you want to meet up sometime? Owl me back with your answer and your NEWT results. I got 2 O's, one 'E' and one 'A'!
Love, Lily.
James's mouth went dry. The results. He had taken five, mostly to pursue becoming an Auror, whereas Lily had taken four. Sirius had also taken five, as he also wanted to follow up a similar career once school was over. Now was the time. School was over.
"Sirius!" he called.
Sirius appeared quickly in the doorway, a look of confusion on his handsome face. "When one calls one by one's given birth name, one detects that something is afoot."
James nodded towards the letters. "Our results," he said slowly. Sirius blinked.
"Ah. I see. Something is afoot."
He sat down very quickly and chucked James's over to him. Simultaneously, they ripped open the letters and stared for a few seconds. James's mouth dropped open as he saw the results.
Dear Mr James Edward Potter. The results of your Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test's are as follows:
Charms: Practical: 'Outstanding'
Written: 'Exceeds Expectations'
Overall: 'Outstanding'
Transfiguration: Practical: 'Outstanding'
Written: 'Outstanding'
Overall: 'Outstanding'
Potions: Practical: 'Acceptable'
Written: 'Exceeds Expectations'
Overall: 'Exceeds Expectations'
Defence Against the Dark Arts: Practical: 'Outstanding'
Written: 'Outstanding'
Overall: 'Outstanding'
Arithmacy: Written: 'Acceptable'
Overall: 'Acceptable'
Results such as these will earn you either a job in the Ministry of Magic working either as a Foreign Intelligence wizard, in the Department of Mysteries or in the Auror Headquarters. Alternatively, you may want to look into a career of Goblin Translations.
Congratulations,
The School Board.
With the speed of light, James and Sirius swapped papers and stared at each other's. Both papers were identical.
"Ha!" Sirius shouted. "I knew it! We're genius's!"
James stood up and joined his friend in dancing around the living room. "HA! WE'RE INTELLIGENT!"
"Who would have thought it?" said Sirius. "I didn't think I could get so excited about exam results!"
"Ah, yes, but you already knew you would get 'O's, though, didn't you, Padfoot?"
Sirius suddenly looked cocky and confident, his excitement hastily hidden. "Oh, yeah, I knew, of course. But, you know … it's great anyway." James smiled. "Well done, Prongs. They'd be proud of you," he added.
James half-smiled, knowing who Sirius meant. "Yeah, I know."
There was a few seconds silence.
"You know, I can think of a perfect way to celebrate."
"Really? How? asked Sirius, still clutching the letter.
James cleared his throat importantly. "I'm going to propose to Lily."
Sirius's mouth dropped open. This answer was the most unexpected thing that he had ever heard. It was also the fact that James had said it so matter-of-factly, as though it was not a big deal at all. "Y – you're … what?"
"I'm going … to propose … to Lily," he said slowly, as though Sirius were stupid and completely missing a completely rational point.
Sirius shut his mouth again and swallowed. Opening it again, he tried to understand. "Prongs – I know that we're all hyped up and everything with … these results … and being able to – to be an Auror … but … Prongs – you're only 18!"
James nodded slowly. "So…?"
"So … What if she says no?" said Sirius, trying to think of a valid reason as to why this was not a very good idea but knowing that this was not the point.
James frowned. "She won't!"
"How do you know?"
"Well, I don't … but I know I love her."
Sirius breathed deeply. It was true, they did love each other, any fool could see it, but it just all seemed too rushed. "Don't you think that it's just a bit … soon? You're not even living together!"
"Yet."
Sirius shook his head. "If … if it's what you want to do then … Prongs, I just don't want to see you get hurt. That's all."
James laughed. "I'm not going to do it yet," he scoffed. "I'd crumble and die at her feet. I need to practise for at least a month. I haven't even bought a ring yet."
Sirius nodded. "Marriage … James … wow."
James raised his eyebrows and looked a bit awkward. "Is this a hug moment do you think?"
Sirius twisted his lip. "It could be."
"I think it should be."
"Me to. It's a monumental event after all."
They hugged quickly and then laughed, Sirius loudly.
"Here, Prongs, you can have a stag night. Get it? A stag night?"
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well, hic! I think, it's hic! tastic," Lupin said in a very slurred voice, clutching a bottle of Butterbeer and slumped next to the sofa in front of the fire in Sirius's living room. They were all a little worse for wear after the tenth or eleventh bottle purchased from Hogsmead a few days before, but Sirius and James were by far the most drunk compared to Wormtail and Lupin.
"Well, I think you're hic! bloody mad, mate!" said Wormtail, slopping a little of the liquid down himself as he struggled to push himself up the stair he was sitting on, after failing to make it up to the second floor where there was a toilet.
"Please don't throw up on my carpet, Wormtail," said Sirius.
"Why is he hic! bloody mad, eh?" said Lupin, words slurring more and more. "I say congrats, Prongs."
James and Lupin clinked their bottles together, toasting. "Why thank you, Moony, my fellow chum. I think it's a rather hic! spanking plan, myself."
"Here hic! here."
"Also," said James, struggling to sit up straight. "Congratulations for our hic! results."
Everyone nodded in agreement and they all toasted bottles yet again. "I cannot … hic! believe you two get practically straight 'O's when hic! you don't really try," muttered Wormtail taking another swig.
Sirius looked faintly indignant. "Hic! What do you mean, we don't try? I opened three books the night before!"
"Prongs didn't," said Wormtail sulkily.
Drunk as he was, there was a slight soberly warning tone in Lupin's voice as he spoke. "Yeah, well, Prongs had other things on his mind, didn't he?"
Wormtail nodded apologetically. "Oh yeah."
James shook his head and breathed out loudly. "I guess I'm just hic! naturally brilliant."
"I'm not," said Wormtail sullenly. "I got one 'A', and three hic! 'P's."
"But you're a rotten drunk, Prongs," said Sirius.
James smiled and held up his bottle. "This, is also true." None of them seemed to notice the fact that Peter was obviously upset by the fact that his NEWT's were so abysmal.
Sirius sat up, struggling a little, and waved his bottle around. "OK, OK, I have an idea. Prongs, hic! I am Lily."
They all snorted with laughter.
"And you have to ask me to marry you."
James looked sheepishly at Sirius. "Look, mate, I know we're close and all that, but I just don't think of you like that."
The others continued to roar with laughter, and James straightened up. "OK, OK. Lily, will you marry me?"
"NO!" Sirius bellowed and continued to laugh. "No, wait a sec," he then narrowed his eyes and spoke in a very high pitched girly voice, attempting to sound like Lily but failing in light of his drunkenness. "Tell me why I should marry you, Jamsie."
James grinned and then, to the surprise of the others, he went an unmistakable shade of red. "Look, I hic! don't want to talk about this now."
There was an angry muttering. "Oh, come on, Prongs, don't get all embarrassed."
James hiccoughed his loudest yet and looked in danger of vomiting but controlled himself. "All right then. Lily, you should go out with me hic! because, because …" he stopped hiccoughing. "Because if I can't spend the rest of my life with you, then there's not much left for me to do with myself. Because I think that I can make you the happiest girl, woman, on wizard's earth. Because … I love you."
There was a loud silence in which James continued to go even redder, whereas the others looked at him, stunned. Presently, Sirius spoke.
"Well, I guess that's reason enough."
~*~*~*~*~*~
It took them the best part of two weeks, but the Marauders managed to club together a reasonable amount of Galleons so that James could purchase an affordable, yet beautiful, engagement ring. The lump sum of money came from Sirius, who had access to his parent's money, much to their disgust, until he was 20. Taking full advantage of this, he had withdrawn three hundred Galleons from Gringotts bank.
"You can't give me this much!" James protested when Sirius handed him an envelope.
"Shut up," Sirius said sternly. "It's not my money. Best make good use of it while we can, eh!"
Lupin had given James about fifty Galleons of his savings for which James was very grateful. Wormtail had only managed about ten Galleons, but James hadn't expected much more; Mrs Pettigrew was not rich and Wormtail had never had a job in all his life and combined with James's own savings of roughly two hundred Galleons, he had quite enough to be getting on with.
So it was with a heavy heart that James wandered along the path into the village of Hogsmead where he was about to meet Lily. In his pocket resided a gold ring encrusted with a beautiful blue diamond, called Lapis Lazuli. The shopkeeper had told James that it was very rare and women loved it. James saw that it was sparkly and had bought it at once.
She was early; James was not prepared for this; he had wanted to practice on his own. The others had helped him. ("Will you marry me might be a start," Sirius had said) but James had decided to follow Lupin's advice. Be honest. Right.
Lily was holding a bag under her arm, her green eyes were sparkling and her red hair was fanning out in the wind. She wore a lacy white top and casual jeans, but this only made James more nervous; if she looked nice then he would have a hard time concentrating, and when one proposed, he really needed to concentrate.
"Hi," she greeted him, kissing him on the cheek.
"H – hello," he said sheepishly.
Lily eyed him sharply. "Are you all right?" she asked apprehensively.
James refrained from saying what was on his mind. No, I'm not all right because I am about to ask you the biggest thing of both our lives. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."
"I wouldn't be surprised if you had a hangover. You weren't drinking with Sirius and the others last night, were you?" she asked him. It was almost as though they were already married.
"No," he lied. In truth, being drunk and practising a proposal on his friends was the only thing that would calm his nerved.
"So, shall we go and get something to drink?" said Lily.
"N – no," said James quickly. He did not want to propose in a pub. "I mean, why don't we go for a walk or something?"
"A walk?" Lily repeated.
"Yeah. We never … walk." How lame could he get?
Lily was looking slightly suspicious. "OK then …
***
It was a breezy day and Lily wrapped her other arm around her waste, the other one interlocked with James's fingers. He hoped that his hands wouldn't get sweaty.
"So … we're walking, James," she said in a slightly amused tone.
"Yes, yes, I suppose we are," he said.
Lily stopped and looked him in the hazel eyes. "All right, what is going on? You've been acting weirdly for a while now. What was the matter last night on the telephone? You didn't forget how to use it again, did you?"
"No!" said James quickly "I was tired, that's all."
"Don't lie to me, James Potter," she said sternly. "There is something the matter. I mean, I can imagine Sirius acting oddly, but that's just the way he is. But Remus is never … mysterious and Peter couldn't keep a secret if all our lives depended on it. What is going on?"
James tried to think of a random excuse, then decided against it. Be honest. "Lily … I love you. You know that, right?"
Lily grinned and flushed slightly. "Yes, I know, and I love you too, but why are you –"
" – The thing is … the thing is that … well I love you, so I was thinking of … I don't know, doing something about it. The thing is … when you love someone, like I love you, you should kind of prove it or something like that ... because you know, I love you …"
Before he knew what he was doing, James had sunk to his knee, which was currently trembling violently. He wasn't aware that he weighed that much. Lily did not figure out what he was doing at first.
"What on earth's the matter, James?" she said, concerned and bending down to his level. "Are you ill?"
"No! No, Lily, you have to stand up, you have to –"
" – What do you mean stand up?"
"Please, just … stand up, so …"
But Lily seemed to suddenly understand. "Oh, my goodness," she said, breathless and straightening up, hand running through her hair, which was blowing around her face.
"L – Lily, will you marry me?" he said quietly, as though he had lost the use of his voice.
Lily blinked, mouth open. "I … I … I – what did … what did you say?"
"You heard me," he replied, voice seeming to come back, an odd ringing in his ears.
Lily looked away for a second and then back again. "Yes."
James straightened up, flabbergasted. He had been so well prepared for her refusal and how he would deal with it if that had been the case … smile as if it didn't matter, walk away, maybe kiss her on the cheek and say it didn't matter. This was something he had not rehearsed.
"You … w – what did you say?"
"You heard me," she repeated.
James grinned from ear to ear and hugged her. She began laughing, almost hysterically, into his shoulder. She was still laughing as he kissed her, then breaking apart he began to laugh too.
"We're getting married. We're getting married," Lily repeated over and over again.
"I thought you'd say no! Are – are you serious?" he kept asking her, as though this were a dream.
"I'm saying yes! Yes!"
"Who should we tell?"
"When should we tell –"
"Is your dad going to kill me?" James asked suddenly.
"Well, yes, but … not for long," said Lily, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh, there's just so much to organise …"
"I'll do all of that!" James interjected. "You don have to worry about anything."
Lily grinned even wider and sat down on the grassy bank with a perfect view of the village. James sat down next to her and put an arm delicately around her shoulders.
"This is what married couples do," he said quietly.
Lily chuckled. "It's just like in the movies …" she said.
"In the what?" he asked.
"Never mind," she said and rested a head on his shoulder.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~ A/N: Oh, there they go … engaged … Aww. So emotional. Well, things are moving on, so this means that there will probably only be about three or four chapters left. *Sobs*. Please give me nice lengthy reviews! Love you all. XRosie