Disclaimer: I own no rights to Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be filthy rich. If I did, I would probably be in living in a cabin in Colorado, painting the scenery. Instead, I'm a starving SoCal student with a penchant for Starbucks Vanilla Lattés. Enjoy!
Chapter 5: Fool Me Once, Shame on You
Sirius Black hummed to himself as he tossed lacewings into his brew. A love potion was a simple thing to make; the only difficult thing was measuring the potency. Too little and they might as well hold hands. Too much…Merlin, help us! After measuring the right amount, he stirred the potion vigorously and watched it change color, from a rich, dark blue to a brilliant crimson. After checking the temperature, he performed a heating charm on the cauldron and left the Room of Requirement. He was anxious to leave. He had plans for tonight. Plans that couldn't be canceled. Walking briskly down the steps, he didn't notice someone creeping out the nearest broom closet.
Chuckling silently, Severus Snape had eased his way out of the closet, waiting for Sirius' humming to fade away. He paused to look around. After a couple of seconds, he bounded across the hall and swung the door open, half expecting to see something forbidden, like bottles of Firewhiskey or Veritaserum.
Instead, he found a small-sized pewter cauldron in the middle of the room bubbling cheerfully. Against the wall, there stood several vials of ingredients and herbs for potions. Sneering at his surroundings, Snape paused to look at the book closest to him. Bookmarked with a quill was a recipe for a love potion.
"Do not use raw Lust Leaf consecutively for three days. May potentially prolong effects upon subject," he read. "For best results, use in potion."
A quick thought came to mind and he searched for the leaf or concupiscencia potentus. The main ingredient in a love potion, how trite! Should he be fought with his own medicine? After all, he is one of the bloody Marauders, or whatever they like to call themselves. How much is too much for our good friend? He smiled and dunked the lot into the potion. Grinning at the thought, he turned and left the room.
ooo
"Should we use it on her again tonight? I know she's been having dreams about James. I can feel it. If it were anyone else, she'd tell us." Danae whispered, looking to Alice. They were in the library, the night before their Hogsmeade trip. It had been a week and they were nowhere near getting Lily to realize her feelings for James.
"I don't know, I remember Remus saying something about three days in a row. I don't remember though…" Alice said thoughtfully.
Twirling a strand of hair absently, Danae sat up. "Hmm, could it mean that it'll have its full effect after the third day? You should check with Remus. Did he ask questions about you using it?"
Alice shrugged. "I'll try and find him. He's tricky, that one. If he wanted to, he'd disappear completely. It wasn't awkward asking him, but what was odd was that he never questioned why I needed it."
"Curiouser and curiouser," Danae mused.
Alice turned to look outside. The luminous moon shone out like watchful eye. "I don't think it'll do any harm, will it?"
"I suppose not." She looked at the clock. "It's almost time to meet Lily. Let's go."
ooo
Sirius was in the library when Danae and Alice passed by. They look suspicious, he thought. There's something going on. He was about to pull off the invisibility cloak when he saw her for the first time that day. He'd been waiting for an hour, wasting the ink and parchment he had brought for this certain occasion. She hadn't shown up. When he looked up again, she was there, smiling sheepishly as she adjusted her spectacles.
"Sorry, I was reading and completely lost track of time. So where were we?" She flipped through her book. "Oh yes, the Centaur Conquest of 1299. Turn your books and we'll start from there."
She waited patiently for the second years to open their books. Persis Weston was beautiful in every sense, she was smarter than he dared to imagine and had ignored Sirius since their first year at Hogwarts. That made her irresistible. It wasn't because he viewed her as a potential conquest but that she simply wasn't interested in him. Taking to books rather than boys, she spent her time tutoring younger years in Transfiguration and History of Magic.
Sirius smiled and eased into his chair as she continued talking. He had come to her once, claiming he needed "help" and she had cleverly dismissed him, asserting a pressing appointment, losing neither her tact nor her composure. His jaw had dropped when she walked away. No one had done that to Sirius Black. Ever. It was refreshing.
ooo
A dull throbbing on her temples had woken her up. It was early and Lily was in no mood to wake up. After having such great dreams in the past, she had never had a headache after waking. She found this to be strange. As she dressed for her date with Amos, she recalled her dreams about James.
"I came as quick as I could," James grinned. "Do you know how hard it is to escape your own party?" His hair was disheveled, as usual, and he still wore his Quidditch uniform. He smelled like grass, butterbeer, soap, and ...James. She had to have him.
Lily walked towards him and smiled. "I missed seeing you afterwards. Yes, I actually went to your Quidditch game. It was…interesting. But what was the crowning glory was seeing you strip off your shirt for your victory lap. And you know those Quidditch pants are going to be the end of me…."
Her eyes twinkled mischievously. She pointed towards her bed, "Head Girl's orders. You know what to do…"
ooo
"Sirius had better come through. The specifics were that it would be a mild potion and we would both have our memory modified. No memory, no guilt, right?" James said, glancing in Andromeda's direction. He felt as though he was trying to convince himself. Would Lily really believe this? Despite the flirting in the past, she has to know that he has feelings for her. Or does she?
"That's true. After all, Sirius is reliable. If anything, it's one of his better qualities…," She mused, trying to sound cheerful. She was nervous; she felt like throwing up. Her problem wasn't James; James certainly wasn't bad-looking for what she was about to do. But he wasn't Ted. He didn't have Ted's smile or his knowing grin when something was funny. It just felt unnatural, like she was being misplaced.
Hogsmeade had been thrust upon them, too early for both people's taste. The last week had been the usual banter, but with a nerve-wracking undercurrent. To know that they wouldn't be in control of themselves was disconcerting to the both of them. They did their best to try to cover their fears with jokes and other nonsense with the Marauders. It had worked so far. James kept a close eye on Lily and Amos the whole week. They seemed friendly, almost playful. It killed him.
They now sat in the Three Broomsticks, nursing a butterbeer each and whispering in hushed tones. They were alone. Peter went off with his girlfriend; Remus and Alice were in Honeydukes. Sirius said he'd stand by if anything happened but Sirius did have a tendency to wander about. After a couple minutes, Sirius appeared, walking in briskly and sat next to James.
He cleared his throat. "It's ready. I left it to simmer for three solid days. It should be pretty mild, so no worries there, right? Here are the vials, each of you take one. It should last for an hour or so. As for me, I have James's cloak and I'll be here in case anything, er, naughty, happens. Good luck!" He waved good-bye and headed for an empty corner with a good view of the whole room.
No sooner than when Sirius had left, Amos and Lily walked in., pausing a little to take in the scene. James turned to Andromeda, not daring to look at them lest he betray everything they worked for.
Amos looked for a spot where they were visible to everyone. It had to be perfect. Not necessarily for her, but for what it would bring to him. Lily Evans was a hard commodity to come by and, Merlin, he'd make his date worth it. If things went smoothly, he might even try to take her to his bed. Picking a table close to James and Andromeda, he made sure James saw him kissing Lily's hand before he sat down.
Seeing the pair sit down, James grew anxious to start. "Andromeda, could we now? Please?"
Lily had never accepted anyone's advances without some doubt. James had always admired her for being cautious. It proved her maturity and strength of mind. This time was different. She looked like she was having a great time. This was wrong. They were wrong for each other. It was breaking his heart. Good God…
Her heart was aching; it was too much for her. Andromeda wanted an outlet, something to distract her from the ache of not having Ted by her side. She was scared to love him. He was different from everyone she'd met. She would waste away and die if he ever left her. Any outlet of distraction would suffice. Even this one.
"I think so too….Cheers!"
They both started to drink their butterbeers, finishing in a couple of seconds. They looked at each other anxiously but nothing happened. Nothing happened until…
"Come here, love! Have I told you how bloody beautiful you are?" James smiled lazily at Andromeda. He pat his lap, waiting for her. She followed eagerly, taking full advantage of her position to give him a kiss. His mouth opened for her and their tongues met shyly, at first, then became more demanding. She stifled a small moan and ran her fingers in his hair, enjoying its wonderful softness. She rained kisses on her neck, and he shivered through his chuckles.
Lily was completely unaware of what was going on. She talked to Amos animatedly, chatting about nothing in particular. However, she began to feel different. She ignored it at first but it traveled up through her body like quicksilver. She began to feel warm pulses in her head and coursing through her body. Her eyes felt hot. Everything began to take a rosy tint…
"Lily? Where are you going? Why are you—" Amos stammered, looking as she stood up.
She didn't hear his protests. Instead, she walked over to James, oblivious to the dark haired beauty on his lap. She tapped him on the shoulder and looked at him expectantly, hands on her hips.
"Excuse me James, I think that spot belongs to me."
ooo
Severus Snape hated charm. Charm had won his spineless mother's heart and destroyed her life. Love was a fault, a lapse of common sense and, above all, a weakness. His mother had been weak. She had succumbed and married the most detestable cretin of a man. Severus wasn't proud of his father, he wanted nothing more than to leave their miserable home and never think of them again. Damn charm.
Men with charm were silent killers, sucking the vitality from every young girl they'd cross. Men like Sirius Black and James Potter were dangerous, therefore, deserving of pain. With that thought, he smirked and continued reading
"The red blossom of Concupiscencia Potentus is a highly effective flower used as a mild painkiller, sedative and may also be used for love potions. However, when used for love potions, it may extinguish itself in the more resistant person if given another source of energy, such as another person experiencing the same effects. Consequently, the potion will focus the stronger subject affections on the new person…"
ooo
Andromeda moved over James and suddenly stopped. She felt alone, abandoned, and cold, as if buckets of ice had been thrown on her. She stood up and looked at Lily then James. A flood of realization came back her and she ran for the door, ashamed and furious at herself.
James watched her leave, completely unaffected. When she left, he turned back to Lily, eyes smoldering naughtily.
He pulled her down and whispered in her ear. "What are we going to do now?"
She smiled.
"I've waited for this for so long. Well, it hasn't been that long. Do you remember last night? I believe I followed all the Head Girl's orders, am I right?"
James kissed her, savoring the feeling.
Lily grinned. "You have no idea, James. I believe your points might win us the House Cup this year. Care to make more?" She toyed with his zipper.
Amos stood dumbfounded during this whole performance and came back to reality at the sight of Lily on James. Her words came back to him, haunting him. Last night...Head Girl's room...hasn't been that long. He strode over to James, seething. "Potter!" he growled, "Don't you dare touch her. I swear on Merlin's beard I will…"
James chuckled, "I'd like to see you try, Amos. Lily's made her choice. Haven't you, Love?" He pulled her in for a kiss.
Amos felt his fists twitching. He wanted to punch the silly smirk off of James' face, but it wasn't wise in front of Rosmerta and half the school. Besides, Amos Diggory did not pursue women like a desperate man. They came to him. Always. Swearing revenge, he stormed off, pushing Danae out of his way. She looked at him, disgusted and turned to find Lily as uninhibited as a veela on a on a ship full of sailors.
"Lily! What are you doing!" Danae cried. She dropped her bags and pulled Lily to her feet.
Lily laughed and threw her arms around Danae, "Danae, this is incredible! Oh, James and I have so much to talk about. Did you know he feels the same way I do? I had no idea—"
"Lily, we need to go. We have, er, things to talk about."
She playfully pushed Danae, sighing. "We always have 'plans', don't we? Danae, when are you going to realize that I was meant to be with James. Like he was saying last night, he was talking about how wonderful life would be if--"
Lily stopped talking, suddenly feeling speechless. Danae took the opportunity to drag Lily out of the Three Broomsticks and towards Hogwarts. "Are you insane Lily Evans! After going on about James being the most revolting specimen of a wizard, I find the both of you snogging away in front of everybody! Merlin! Tell me what's wrong! Oh—excuse us Severus."
Danae had bumped into Snape, who was scuttling over to the Three Broomsticks. Lily turned, dazed and bewildered, to look at Snape. Suddenly, she stood, frozen in place and staring into Snape's eyes. Her vision turned from a rosy glow to stony gray. What she saw in Snape's eyes haunted her.
Coldness. Hate. Revenge. Biting sarcasm shielding complete fear. A dark-haired, undergrown boy hid under his bed. Tears of rage and panic fell from his face. A thick, sloppy man grabbed the boy's collar and tossed him towards the wall, fists ready. In the corner, a woman cried uncontrollably.
Her jaw dropped and she ran for the castle, shuddering and shivering.
"Lily!" Danae called weakly. She had no idea what was wrong with her friend. Part of her was delighted that James and Lily had resolved their feelings, but having Lily and James snogging as if they were in a broom closet was not in her plans.
"Alice! Lily's gone mad. James and Andromeda were together, snogging, then Lily just up and left Amos to steal James!"
"Dear God "Remus muttered and ran towards the Three Broomsticks. Alice and Danae looked after, puzzled, and ran to Hogwarts to catch up with Lily.
ooo
Remus swung open the door, looking for James. Nothing. Peter tapped him on the shoulder, looking around cautiously.
"James and Sirius went off to look for Andromeda. She could hurt herself in her, uh, condition. I stayed behind to let you know. Let's go search around Hogsmeade. Oh, and keep your journal out. They promised to write if they found her first," he whispered.
No sooner than he'd spoken, James's neat handwriting started to appear.
"HQ"
They looked at each other in relief and left the Three Broomsticks, heading for the Shrieking Shack, or, as they lovingly called it: "Headquarters."
ooo
"Sirius, nothing I do is going to change the fact that I cheated on Ted. Why did I do this? Of all the idiotic things you could think of!" Andromeda cried bitterly.
Sirius flinched and took his bashing. It was his fault after all. He made them do it and wasn't there to stop them from making themselves look like fools. He wandered off while they created enough gossip to last till their seventh year.
They now sat in the Shrieking Shack, in the common room. Created from years of studying spells and transfiguration, it was a haven before their monthly adventures. Almost exactly like the Gryffindor common room, scarlet couches were scattered all over and large decorative rugs covered the stone floors. A Gryffindor banner graced the wall above the fireplace and pictures of the Marauders were displayed proudly on the walls. James sat in front of the glowing fire, ashamed and distraught at this new situation. He would never be able to win Lily now. They sat in silence until a whoosh of wind drew their gaze to the door.
Remus stood at the threshold, relieved. Peter soon followed. "You've found her! We came as soon as we could. How are you feeling Andromeda?"
She shuddered. "Cold. Very cold."
Sirius cleared his throat and moved towards Andromeda. "Prongs, Moony, Wormtail, let's finish this." They all grabbed their wands and circled Andromeda. Focusing on her, they shouted in unison. "Disembogue!"
She slumped to the ground, eyes closed. They moved her to a sofa and waited for her to wake. They needed four people to counter the potion; otherwise, it might have lingering effects. After a couple of minutes, Andromeda yawned and blinked. Her rosy vision had disappeared. She felt tired, sleepy and heartbroken. Sirius hugged her. "Sorry cousin, those feelings will go away. If you'll give me a second, I'll erase your memory. Are you fine with this?"
Andromeda sighed, "Yes, Sirius, I am. I don't want to remember anything. I just want all of this to go away."
Peter turned to face them. He was keeping guard. "Padfoot, I don't think that'll happen right now. Snape is coming this way."
They looked at each other. Snape had tried to catch them before. What made this time different was Andromeda. If he could prove they were all alone with Andromeda, he could try to pin something on the Marauders to get them expelled.
James stood up. "Follow me." One by one, they Disillusioned themselves and left through the back door before Snape made it to the front door.
ooo
It was a tough day. This Hogsmeade trip was certainly one to remember. Sirius was snoring peacefully in his bed. Peter was curled up in the covers, despite it being a warm night. Remus couldn't sleep. Today's events were whirling around in his head. He had realized something today and it had to be done. He was scared. He needed to talk to James about it; James would know what to do.
"Prongs? Are you awake? I think Alice deserves to know. After all, I've never felt this strongly for someone. I have this mentality that if I keep someone close, they're just going to hurt more when I tell them. I know you, Peter, and Sirius didn't care when you found out but that's just it. I'm not in love with you guys and I honestly think she has real feelings for me. I tried to keep her at arm's length but its getting harder to lie to her. I can't do it. What do you think, James?"
Silence.
"James?"
ooo
Danae sighed and traced the pattern on her pillow. She couldn't sleep.
"Girls?"
She heard mumbles.
"Alice, Lily, I think that it's time to tell Graham. He's asking questions that are beyond me. It's getting harder. I keep my answers as vague as possible without lying to him, but I know it'll backfire. Christmas is coming up and I want to tell him, no regrets, with all the truth out. I just don't know how."
"Tell him what you need to without overwhelming him. He'll learn everything in time but what he needs is you. He needs to see that you're the same person you've always been…just with magic." Alice said, turning to face Danae.
"Lily, and you?"
Silence.
They rushed downstairs, expecting to see Lily sitting next to the fireplace. Nothing. Nothing except three Marauders in their pyjamas.
"Do you know where--?"
"No, and do you—"
"No."
Peter spoke hastily. "Sirius? Did you perform the counter spell on James?"
Sirius shivered at the realization. "No."
Alice remembered Remus's words. "Remus, what did you say about the third day when you gave me that, um, thing?"
He looked confused. "I said that after the third day… the effects can be prolonged to a whole day or possibly more." He shifted around, uneasy. "Er, who did you dream about?"
Alice bit her lip, looking away. "Well, it wasn't for me…it was for Lily."
Sirius looked into the fireplace, "So, let me get this straight." His voice cracked. He looked haggard, hair disheveled. "Lily and James were snogging away for no apparent reason today. No reason except the fact that he's under a more powerful love potion than I thought and Lily is lusting for James because of the side effects something you girls gave her. And now we can't find them. Where could they be?"
Author's Notes:
Chapter 5 is by far one of the longest chapters I've written. I also realize you may have questions about things that seem confusing…it'll all be explained in Chapter 6. Sorry for not updating sooner, I just recently learned that Psychology and Rhetoric papers do not write themselves. But I'm done with my first semester, I'm registered for spring semester and I have nothing to worry about. Expect the next chapter to come a little sooner than this one. Happy holidays and here's a little sneak peek of what's coming up.
Teaser for Chapter 6
Quidditch Finals have come! Amos seeks revenge against James for a wounded ego. Remus has something to say. Sirius has his heart broken—or does he? A visit from the newlywed Weasleys, revelations about Snape, Lily's thoughts and confessions from both sides. Stay tuned!
Btw, I need to give kudos to all the lovely people who have reviewed my story. You have no idea how good it feels to have people think your work is semi-decent. You have been nothing but supportive, and your comments are downright flattering to a humble college student trying to be something great. Your comments keep me writing hint: write more reviews:)
Thanks so much to: GypsyBeLLs, Blabbering Beauty, Alqualyne, gray eyed girl, jerseygurl88, irina, sazen, jj00, Blue Eyes At Night, cxigner, Jessie Flower, angel-dolphin1, Tomoe, Sneha, Kritikitty, Avalon, Girl of the shadowed wate, and Janet
Last thought: Just thought I'd give kudos to the guys. Thanks go out to Jack Johnson and "Mediocre Bad Guys," Josh Kelley and "Home to Me" and John Mayer with "Great Indoors"/ "Not Myself." The Rolling Stones, Glassjaw and Thursday were also a big help.