Chapter 28 – Birthday Bash
James and Remus were walking to the Great Hall after classes in the middle of April. "So Jamesy boy, we're off to Hogsmeade tonight," said Remus. "Seeing as how, as of today, you are officially seventeen and can legally purchase alcohol."
Lily and Carly heard the end of this sentence as the boys sat down across from them. Lily groaned and dropped her head on the table. "I wanna be seventeen now," she whined.
"You're gonna be waiting awhile Li since you only turned sixteen at the start of March," said Carly.
Lily pouted. "I hate being the youngest." She turned a half-hearted glare on James. "You better start buying my alcohol James Potter."
James, Remus and Carly started laughing. "Whatever you say Lily," James chuckled.
"What's so funny?" asked Peter as he and Sirius sat down and began gobbling up food.
"Red's being indignant about only being sixteen and therefore not being able to legally drink," replied Remus.
"Red?" asked Lily. She looked thoughtful. "Red. It's okay. Not very original but I like it."
"You know Lady Lily," said Sirius, "before I got to know you, I never pegged you as being like this."
"Let me guess, you thought I was the typical bookworm?"
"Well yeah. And you are a bookworm. I mean I've never seen anyone go through books the way you do. But then you never study, you love Quidditch and now I find out you drink too."
"I gamble as well."
Sirius looked at her in awe. "Will you marry me?"
Lily decided to play along with it. "Oh Sirius yes, yes! I love you so much; of course I'll be your wife."
Sirius kissed her hand as Lily pretended to swoon. The group burst out laughing as Lily fell off her seat. "Oops," she laughed as she sat back down.
"Sometimes I wonder about you Lily," said Carly. "I still can't work out how you can be a dancer and a Quidditch player and yet be so clumsy at times."
"Hey! I'm not always a klutz. Just sometimes."
"People let's get back to where we originally started," Remus said. "We going down to Hogsmeade?"
The boys nodded. "You girls coming to the Hog's Head with us?"
"Of course! You don't think we'd miss that do you?" replied Lily. She felt Carly kick her in the shin. Lily looked at her. "Oh I forgot," said Lily. "You don't drink."
"You've never had alcohol?" Sirius looked at Carly in shock.
"It's okay Car you can still come," James said. "You don't have to have any of the alcoholic drinks if you don't want it, sweets."
Carly smiled at her boyfriend. "Thanks Jim."
Lily choked on her food. "Jim? She calls you Jim?" Lily tried to stifle her laughter but she wasn't having much success.
"Shut up Lillian." Lily immediately stopped laughing and gave James her patented Glare of Doom.
"You know very well James Zachariah Potter that my name is Lily."
"Don't call me Jim, Lily."
"Don't call me Lillian."
"Fine."
"Fine!"
"Are you two done with your little lover's spat?"
They looked up and saw that Remus, Carly, Sirius and Peter were standing waiting for them. "We're done," they answered simultaneously. Lily smiled and looked at James, who grinned back at her.
As they reached the common room Lily asked, "So when are we going to the Hog's Head?"
"In an hour," replied Sirius.
"So go get changed and meet us back here at nine," James added.
The girls nodded and went to their dorm to change. "Lily you are not wearing that broom top again," said Carly.
"What? Why not?"
"It's James' birthday. You have to look nice."
"But I don't care how I look. And besides we're just going to the pub."
"It doesn't matter where we're going; I'm not going to let you wear it. Besides the top is tacky. I'll never know what possessed you to come up with that stupid 'My other car is a broom' statement."
"My top is not tacky!"
Carly gave Lily her Look™.
"Fine I'll wear something else."
At nine o'clock Carly and Lily met the Marauders just outside of the common room. Together they snuck down to the one-eyed witch statue and slipped into the tunnel. Just as James was about to put an arm around Carly's shoulder, Lily grabbed it and pulled him back. "What did you do that for?" James asked indignantly.
"I wanted to know if you've told Carly any of your little secrets."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh let's see. The fact that Remus is a werewolf and, oh yeah, that tiny, insignificant detail about you being an unregistered Animagus."
"Well no I haven't."
"James you have to tell her. We've been friends for over a year now, and you've been dating Carly since Christmas. She deserves to know this stuff."
"I'll tell her that I'm an Animagus soon okay? It's just never seemed like the right time. But it's Remus' decision if he wants to tell Carly that he's a werewolf."
"I can understand that. But at least tell her that you can turn into a bloody animal at will. Because there have been times when I've gone to call you Prongs but had to restrain myself. Carly doesn't question it when you guys call each other by your nicknames but if I started doing it in her hearing she'd want to know why. And she'd want to know why I understand the names. And I don't think I can lie to my best friend James."
"I'll tell her Lily."
"Thank you. Now let's party!"
The six friends were sitting around a table in the Hog's Head laughing and drinking. Carly had been alternating between butterbeer, gillywater and pumpkin juice while Lily had had one glass of dandelion wine and then joined the boys on the Firewhiskey shots. As the time approached midnight Carly decided she'd had enough. James and Sirius were bordering on drunk and Remus, Lily and Peter were incredibly tipsy. "Guys I think it's time we went back to Hogwarts," she said.
"Oh come on Carly we're just getting started!" Sirius exclaimed.
Carly whispered to Lily, "Come on Li let's go."
Lily pulled her arm back and replied loudly, "No thanks Car, I think I'll stay."
Carly huffed, got up and left the pub. "What's her problem?" James asked.
Lily shrugged and held up her pint for a toast. "To James."
"To James!" Everyone clinked their glasses and drank deeply from them then cheered.
An hour later the group of five staggered out of the Hog's Head. Lily, Remus and Peter were trying to support James and Sirius, who were blind drunk, but were having difficulty as they were extremely tipsy and also stumbling along. James looked up at Lily who, along with Peter, was trying to stop James from falling flat on his face on the cobble-stoned road. "You're so pretty Lily," he slurred. "I'm going to marry you one day."
Lily stopped and stared at James in shock. She suddenly felt completely sober. "You're drunk James."
"Only drunks and children ever tell the truth Lily," Remus commented, "and James is both." Remus broke down into laughter.
Lily glared at him and continued pulling James down the street. "I'll marry her someday," he continued to mumble.
James and Remus were walking to the Great Hall after classes in the middle of April. "So Jamesy boy, we're off to Hogsmeade tonight," said Remus. "Seeing as how, as of today, you are officially seventeen and can legally purchase alcohol."
Lily and Carly heard the end of this sentence as the boys sat down across from them. Lily groaned and dropped her head on the table. "I wanna be seventeen now," she whined.
"You're gonna be waiting awhile Li since you only turned sixteen at the start of March," said Carly.
Lily pouted. "I hate being the youngest." She turned a half-hearted glare on James. "You better start buying my alcohol James Potter."
James, Remus and Carly started laughing. "Whatever you say Lily," James chuckled.
"What's so funny?" asked Peter as he and Sirius sat down and began gobbling up food.
"Red's being indignant about only being sixteen and therefore not being able to legally drink," replied Remus.
"Red?" asked Lily. She looked thoughtful. "Red. It's okay. Not very original but I like it."
"You know Lady Lily," said Sirius, "before I got to know you, I never pegged you as being like this."
"Let me guess, you thought I was the typical bookworm?"
"Well yeah. And you are a bookworm. I mean I've never seen anyone go through books the way you do. But then you never study, you love Quidditch and now I find out you drink too."
"I gamble as well."
Sirius looked at her in awe. "Will you marry me?"
Lily decided to play along with it. "Oh Sirius yes, yes! I love you so much; of course I'll be your wife."
Sirius kissed her hand as Lily pretended to swoon. The group burst out laughing as Lily fell off her seat. "Oops," she laughed as she sat back down.
"Sometimes I wonder about you Lily," said Carly. "I still can't work out how you can be a dancer and a Quidditch player and yet be so clumsy at times."
"Hey! I'm not always a klutz. Just sometimes."
"People let's get back to where we originally started," Remus said. "We going down to Hogsmeade?"
The boys nodded. "You girls coming to the Hog's Head with us?"
"Of course! You don't think we'd miss that do you?" replied Lily. She felt Carly kick her in the shin. Lily looked at her. "Oh I forgot," said Lily. "You don't drink."
"You've never had alcohol?" Sirius looked at Carly in shock.
"It's okay Car you can still come," James said. "You don't have to have any of the alcoholic drinks if you don't want it, sweets."
Carly smiled at her boyfriend. "Thanks Jim."
Lily choked on her food. "Jim? She calls you Jim?" Lily tried to stifle her laughter but she wasn't having much success.
"Shut up Lillian." Lily immediately stopped laughing and gave James her patented Glare of Doom.
"You know very well James Zachariah Potter that my name is Lily."
"Don't call me Jim, Lily."
"Don't call me Lillian."
"Fine."
"Fine!"
"Are you two done with your little lover's spat?"
They looked up and saw that Remus, Carly, Sirius and Peter were standing waiting for them. "We're done," they answered simultaneously. Lily smiled and looked at James, who grinned back at her.
As they reached the common room Lily asked, "So when are we going to the Hog's Head?"
"In an hour," replied Sirius.
"So go get changed and meet us back here at nine," James added.
The girls nodded and went to their dorm to change. "Lily you are not wearing that broom top again," said Carly.
"What? Why not?"
"It's James' birthday. You have to look nice."
"But I don't care how I look. And besides we're just going to the pub."
"It doesn't matter where we're going; I'm not going to let you wear it. Besides the top is tacky. I'll never know what possessed you to come up with that stupid 'My other car is a broom' statement."
"My top is not tacky!"
Carly gave Lily her Look™.
"Fine I'll wear something else."
At nine o'clock Carly and Lily met the Marauders just outside of the common room. Together they snuck down to the one-eyed witch statue and slipped into the tunnel. Just as James was about to put an arm around Carly's shoulder, Lily grabbed it and pulled him back. "What did you do that for?" James asked indignantly.
"I wanted to know if you've told Carly any of your little secrets."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh let's see. The fact that Remus is a werewolf and, oh yeah, that tiny, insignificant detail about you being an unregistered Animagus."
"Well no I haven't."
"James you have to tell her. We've been friends for over a year now, and you've been dating Carly since Christmas. She deserves to know this stuff."
"I'll tell her that I'm an Animagus soon okay? It's just never seemed like the right time. But it's Remus' decision if he wants to tell Carly that he's a werewolf."
"I can understand that. But at least tell her that you can turn into a bloody animal at will. Because there have been times when I've gone to call you Prongs but had to restrain myself. Carly doesn't question it when you guys call each other by your nicknames but if I started doing it in her hearing she'd want to know why. And she'd want to know why I understand the names. And I don't think I can lie to my best friend James."
"I'll tell her Lily."
"Thank you. Now let's party!"
The six friends were sitting around a table in the Hog's Head laughing and drinking. Carly had been alternating between butterbeer, gillywater and pumpkin juice while Lily had had one glass of dandelion wine and then joined the boys on the Firewhiskey shots. As the time approached midnight Carly decided she'd had enough. James and Sirius were bordering on drunk and Remus, Lily and Peter were incredibly tipsy. "Guys I think it's time we went back to Hogwarts," she said.
"Oh come on Carly we're just getting started!" Sirius exclaimed.
Carly whispered to Lily, "Come on Li let's go."
Lily pulled her arm back and replied loudly, "No thanks Car, I think I'll stay."
Carly huffed, got up and left the pub. "What's her problem?" James asked.
Lily shrugged and held up her pint for a toast. "To James."
"To James!" Everyone clinked their glasses and drank deeply from them then cheered.
An hour later the group of five staggered out of the Hog's Head. Lily, Remus and Peter were trying to support James and Sirius, who were blind drunk, but were having difficulty as they were extremely tipsy and also stumbling along. James looked up at Lily who, along with Peter, was trying to stop James from falling flat on his face on the cobble-stoned road. "You're so pretty Lily," he slurred. "I'm going to marry you one day."
Lily stopped and stared at James in shock. She suddenly felt completely sober. "You're drunk James."
"Only drunks and children ever tell the truth Lily," Remus commented, "and James is both." Remus broke down into laughter.
Lily glared at him and continued pulling James down the street. "I'll marry her someday," he continued to mumble.