Howdy! This chapter is a little darker so there isn't as much humor as usual. I couldn't really make it too humorous, but there are lighter parts. And also, there is something you won't be expecting so let me know what you think…I also made a mistake on Emmeline's eyes which are blue, not gray in my last chapter (I was really tired when I wrote). Only like four more chapters until the end of fifth yearcannot wait! Then onwards to sixth and seventh! Anyways, read and enjoy! Remember to review and let me know what you think of my jab at drama! –PhoenixPlume
Ch. 9 News
The Marauders entered the Great Hall late, because it was a Saturday morning. The sound of the daily post reverberated throughout the Great Hall. James searched for his owl (Quaffles) and noticed that many students were opening Daily Prophets. "Strange," he thought, as he made his way along with Sirius, Remus, and Peter to the Gryffindor table, his eyes lingering on a certain red-head.
Lily had just untied the Daily Prophet, when Alice and Emmeline heard an audible gasp escape the masses of students and teachers in the hall.
"Girls," whispered Lily, her green eyes heavy with fear, "Look." She pointed to an article titled, "Mass Murder of Muggleborns by Self-Declared Dark Lord." Emmeline's blue eyes grew wide with shock at the headline and the grotesque image of a skeletal mask with a cavernous mouth issuing forth a snake. The sign of this powerful dark lord.
"Oh my God," she cried. She turned to an anxious Alice. "Do you realize what this means?" Alice could only nod as she faced Lily. She noticed the strained look in Lily's normally very expressive eyes. Her eyes gave her the appearance of one who had just lost a friend.
"Are you okay, Lily?" asked Alice with worry.
"How can anyone want to kill off a group of people because of their blood?" she demanded, standing as she faced the entire Gryffindor table. She pushed out her chair and sprinted out of the Great Hall. Many of the Gryffindors were astonished at her reaction, since the majority of the students were either dealing with it quietly at the table or rejoicing (Slytherins). The surprised Gryffindors looked over at Lily's stalwart friends who were exchanging apprehensive looks.
"Do you think she'll be alright?" As if to answer their question, Albus Dumbledore, who happened to be passing by their table, said, "Miss Evans is in shock and probably just needs to be alone. Everyone deals with shock differently." The girls nodded, fretting about their friend nonetheless. James wasn't so easily put off. He jumped out of his chair, giving Quaffles a bit of a biscuit which the owl nibbled gratefully. As he began making his way swiftly to the exit, Emmeline and Alice leapt out of their places to apprehend the impetuous youth.
"James, she needs to be alone. Lily deals with stuff like this in her own, alone kind of way," Alice said in the calmest voice she could muster.
"And you're not exactly her favorite person," added Emmeline, bluntly as ever.
"Someone needs to make sure she doesn't go do something dangerous," James stated, his usually arrogant voice toned down to something only the Marauders had ever heard: concern. James could float his way through classes and Quidditch, but when it came to people he loved, he'd do anything, be it rash, to help them.
Emmeline laughed sarcastically, "This coming from the king of breaking rules! I must remind myself to give you more credit for your regard of Lily."
Alice took in the emotion in James' hazel eyes, "James, Lily really needs to come to grips with it herself." At the word "grips," Emmeline started hyperventilating. She had tried to hold it in before, but now she just couldn't take it anymore.
"Why is this happening? This psychopath just wants to kill me, Lily, and other people like us because of our blood? It's so…so…"
James sighed, "It's sick. Some purebloods, like the Slytherins for instance," he scowled in the Slytherins' direction, "Want to rid the wizarding world of Muggleborns, to make it "pure" of dirtiness."
Alice patted Emmeline on the back as Emmeline started to cry uncontrollably. Emmeline was so used to everything being in her control, but she had lost even that to this psychopath.
Sirius came over to where they were standing, and placed his arm protectively around the crying Emmeline. He was happily surprised when Emmeline burrowed closer to him. She whispered, "Thanks for being here for me, Sirius." He smiled, blind to all the envious glares Emmeline was receiving.
"Hate to be the one to break up this, um, moment," coughed James with accustomed laughter reappearing in his eyes, "But, I just wanted to let you know, I'm going to do some stuff I need to do. See you later." Emmeline and Sirius nodded as they headed back toward the Gryffindor table, Emmeline sitting where James had been, and Alice going off to find Frank.
Meanwhile, Lily was racing through the oak doors towards the Quidditch pitch. She didn't stop running until she had secured a school broom, which she mounted expertly. Unbeknownest to most of her house, or for that matter, her school, Lily was quite a capable flyer. In times of great emotional stress, she liked to fly on her own, knowing that it was one of the few ways she could release some of the anxiety that had built up in her hectic life.
As Lily zoomed through the air, she dwelt on her troubles. So far, her worries were: doing well in school and making her parents proud, trying to come to some sort of truce with her sister, Petunia, avoiding James Potter, being a good prefect, and, now, not getting horrifically murdered by this powerful assassin trying to rid the wizarding world of people like herself. Lily sighed as she lazily laced in and out of some low-hanging clouds. Despite what was going on outside of the safe haven of Hogwarts, she had to smile; flying made her feel like she was on top of the world, which, of course, she was, in a more literal sense. She was narrowly grazed by the Whomping Willow but made a sharp turn to safety that launched her even higher into the sky. She was day-dreaming without a care in the world when she was jogged out of her imagination by none other than worry #3, James Potter. "Darn!" she thought to herself as she watched the messy-haired boy come after her.
"Evans!" called James, as he followed her strange path through the cloudy sky. Lily smiled mischievously to herself. Up here, she could out-strip him anytime. Her light-weight made her very speedy. She looked back, and grinned impishly at him, a face he had often seen when she was with Alice and Emmeline, but never with him. He surged towards her, but she dived downwards, as if she were a seeker who had found her golden snitch. James laughed and tailed her, but Lily pulled up at the last minute, her laughter tinkling like bells through the wind as she distanced herself from James. After a while, Lily streaked towards earth again, feeling much rejuvenated from her flight. James, seeing her descent, followed.
"How come you never told anyone you can fly like that?" he inquired brusquely. His abnormally large ego had taken a beating that day. He had been out-flown by a girl who had never played Quidditch in her life.
"Unlike you, Potter," laughed Lily, "I don't flaunt my abilities to everyone I exchange words with."
James looked a little put out at this. "Well, I am the best player on our team, as you well know." An evil grin took residence on his face. "That's why you come to the games, Evans dear."
Lily rolled her eyes at him, but merely undid the hair-tie in her wavy, red hair that had fallen out in wisps around her face, making a fiery halo. James couldn't help but watch in admiration as she redid it.
"So, anyways, Evans. I have a proposal for you."
Lily glared at him. "This better not be asking me out, Potter."
"I'm hurt, Evans. You know, I'm not so bad. In fact, I'm pretty darn sexy."
"You're head is too big for my taste," responded Lily dryly. However, her curiosity got the better of her. "What is it, Potter?"
"Are you sure you want to hear it now?" asked James, realizing that Lily was curious and likely to do anything to find out now. "What do I get if I tell you?"
"I'm sure that whatever the proposal is, I'll be helping you, so spit it out," replied Lily, reading James' face correctly as he began running his hands through his unkempt hair. He was thinking, "Darn it, why does she have to be so smart?"
"Okay, Evans. Will you replace the current Seeker on the Gryffindor team?"
Lily looked up at him in surprise. "WHAT?"
"Will you go strut your stuff for the Gryffindor Quidditch captain and ask him if you can replace the current Gryffindor Seeker?"
"You have got to be kidding me," Lily responded, studying James' face for a sign of a joke.
James smiled at her disbelief. "Nope. Quidditch is one the few things I don't kid about."
"Why Seeker? Don't we need a new Keeper too?"
"Because you're the perfect build for a Seeker. And you're faster on a broom than I am. And the broom you were on was terrible, no offense."
Lily said, "And I was still faster. It isn't my broom—it's the school's."
"That explains why. Anyways, you'd make a great Seeker."
"But I don't want to have to spend more time with you!" Lily let out in frustration.
"That's just one of the benefits," declared a deep, rich voice. Sirius Black and Emmeline joined the two wind-blown adolescents, who, as usual, were fighting. "If you're with him, you'll get to see me too." Emmeline gave him a look. He quieted down immediately. Lily had to laugh. James could be heard mumbling, "Whipped."
"You remind me of a dog, Sirius. And Emmeline's your owner," Lily observed with amusement.
James and Sirius exchanged glances. Sirius pouted while James laughingly added, "All you need now is a leash, Padfoot." Sirius buried his face in the crook of Emmeline's shoulder.
"At least she loves me."
Emmeline laughed, "Don't be such a baby, Sirius." He looked down at her with puppy-eyes. She lightly slapped him on the shoulder, but as she stepped away, he captured her in an affectionate embrace.
"Gotcha," he exclaimed, his gray eyes gleaming devilishly.
Suddenly realizing the strangeness of the whole scene, Emmeline inquired, "Why are you two together?"
"She can't stand being away from me for too long," explained James smugly.
Lily rolled her eyes. "No, it's the other way around, Potter. I was…." Her voice trailed off.
"She was flying!" exclaimed James at Lily's decrescendo in explaining what she had been up to. "And man! Can she fly! I joined her and she's really fast! She's faster than I am!" Although Emmeline didn't seem astonished, Sirius certainly was.
"Wow," acknowledged Sirius, turning to a flustered Lily, "How come you aren't on the team then?"
"Because—because….I DON'T WANT TO!" shouted Lily in exasperation. Why was everyone so adamant about her being on the ruddy Quidditch team?
"But Lils," began Emmeline encouragingly, "You know Alice and I have always told you you'd be great."
"Yeah—see!" exclaimed James breathlessly, "I'm not the only one who thinks you're an amazing flyer!"
"Ugh," Lily groaned, she was getting a headache. "It's not that I don't like flying, it's just that I don't want to get killed by a bludger (at this Sirius looked highly affronted, "I'm a very good beater!") and I don't want to get whammed into a Slytherin (Emmeline and James both shook their fists at imaginary Slytherins) and I don't want to fall behind in my classes!"
Remus and Peter entered the scene. Hearing the last part, Remus asked, "What's this about falling behind in your classes, Lily? You're the best in our year!"
Lily gave him a fleeting smile, but didn't have to explain because James, who was growing rather impatient and irritable, answered for her. "Evans can fly! Like—really fly! She'd make an excellent Seeker but she doesn't want to lose her class ranking!" (he said this as if it were unthinkable).
"Well, Lily," began Remus, "Quidditch won't get in the way of that! James and Sirius are some of the brightest in our year, after you, and they still play Quidditch." Lily gave Remus a look that clearly stated, "Traitor."
Emmeline, seeing that Lily's red-head temper was about to explode, decided to calm things down a little. "You don't have to join, Lils. But just think! You'd be a much more well-rounded person! And you know that they do take that into account when they pick Head Girl."
Lily actually considered this. Emmeline had a good point. "I'll think about it." James positively glowed at this statement. "I said THINK, Potter. THINK. I know this word is foreign to you, but 'think' means 'consider,' not 'do.'"
"Thinking is better than 'no,'" replied James, glancing at Sirius, who was still holding Emmeline. He wished he were in the same position with Evans…
"Isn't it dinner time?" demanded Peter, bringing everyone back to reality. Lily was absent-mindedly twirling a red streak in her lily-white (A/N: yeah I know but I couldn't resist!) fingers.
"Hm?" she murmured, turning to the direction the noise came from.
James grinned at her, "Dinner time, Evans. Is the phrase foreign to you?" This dig earned him a glare from said red-head.
Emmeline pulled away from Sirius, and linked arms with Lily. "Why don't we go return that broom to the broom shed?" Lily nodded automatically, having returned to her thoughts. So much had happened that day.
As the two girls walked away, James asked the air, "Why doesn't she fall for my charm?"
Remus coughed, "Hmmm…it's this aura you have. It kinda exudes this um…over-confidence that gets to her."
"Well! I can't help it if I'm the sexiest, smartest, most talented guy in this castle!" replied James defensively in a way that showed his friends that he truly believed this. Remus chortled, knowing exactly why Lily hadn't fallen for Jamesyet.
Sirius patted James on the back with sympathy. "After me, Prongsie-boy." Sirius turned around, as if he thought someone had over-heard. Seeing Remus', James', and Peter's inquiring expressions, he said in a low voice, "Emmeline. She doesn't like me to act too vain."
Remus laughed. "Your relationship won't last long then!" Sirius looked at him with wounded pride, transforming into Padfoot and jumping on the werewolf. Seeing this as a sign to transform also, Peter transformed into a rat and scurried up James' leg, which sufficiently convinced him that it really was time for dinner. James shook off the fur-ball and headed back to the castle. Remus and Sirius (back in his human form) followed thereafter. Lastly, Peter scampered after them, huffing at the exertion of his transforming and jogging.
That night, Lily couldn't help but think about the events of the day. The whole Quidditch thing was so out of the blue. Did Potter really mean it when he thought she could play Seeker? She sighed. Would she fall behind in schoolwork? She couldn't let that happen. But it would be fun to fly more often, other than when she felt like she was going to keel over and die. That was another thing. This Voldemort psycho wanted to kill her, Emmeline, and other Muggleborns. There had to be some way to prepare themselves for his attack. They only lived once, after all…
REVIEW! (YOU KNOW YOU WANNA!) I love y'all very much and it'd be cool if you loved me back and showed it by reviewing! THANKS! -PhoenixPlume