1Chapter 7: A Christmas Party at Alice's
Sorry it took so long! I'm going to Girls Camp on Tuesday through Saturday so I'll have no time to update then. Sorry (like it makes a difference from any other time though...) ANY WHO! I'll just let you enjoy the seventh chapter of A Walk In Your Shoes, Literally.
ENJOY!
Oh, and the disclaimer: I don't own anything except the outrageous stunts that Sirius pulls. :D
AGAIN, ENJOY!
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Lily awoke to the sunlight filtering through the window. Too close to the window. She was too close to the window. She groggily realized she was on the over-large windowsill in a room with green walls. That's weird...she vaguely remembered falling asleep in the blue room on a bed...
Lily's heart skipped a beat. She jumped up and could almost cry when a swish of red hair fell in front of her face in messy curls.
"YES! AAAAALIIIIIICE! ALICE! I'M BACK! I'M FINE! I'M NOT JAMES ANYMORE!" Lily yelled, running through the long, seemingly never-ending hallway until she reached the sky blue room. She pounced on the bed and woke her friend who was dressed in short shorts and a faded purple t-shirt with a logo for the weird sisters on it. Alice stared at her a second before splitting into a grin.
"Lily? Or James?"
"Alice! It's me Lily! The counter-spell thingy worked! I'm back to myself!"
"Only for today, remember?" Alice reminded her. But Lily's euphoria could not be swayed and she bounded into every room jumping on its inhabitant and 'accidentally' kneeing Sirius' eye.
"Sorry Sirius!" Sirius' mouth dropped open.
"Prongs would never call me that! So it is you Lily!" he gave her a bear hug as everyone began to stumble into the gray room, rubbing the sleep away from their eyes. All of them were in interesting pajamas. Lily had been wearing a blue shirt with matching long blue flanal pajamas. Remus looked about the same, except his were gray and looked a bit ragged with something illegible written on the front. Sirius was in a spare shirt and his boxers, as was Frank and James because Lily had found no pajama bottoms in the things she had packed.
"James, I may regret this, but—" she jumped up and hugged him.
"I'm so glad we're back to normal," she whispered, tears almost coming to her eyes, this time for real, "even if it is only temporary." she added grimly. She then pulled away and attempted a smile. He copied her.
"So...how about some breakfast then we can get in the pool?" Alice suggested. Everybody immediately dispersed.
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After a breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, and bacon and orange juice, the seven of them changed into their bathing suits. They were into the pool ten minutes later, with the exception of Peter, who did not like to swim, until Remus shoved him in. He came up sputtering water and glared at Remus, then doggy-paddled to the edge and hanging on for dear life. Lily rolled her eyes at him then dove into the exceptionally warm water. When she broke the surface, she took a deep breath, feeling refreshed.
"I love swimming." she stated, to no one in particular, though one did regard her with a small smile as he watched her flit in and out of the water, diving and jumping, and watched the curve of her body slither slowly down, under the water.
"How 'bout you lot get in tha' hot tub," said a woman dressed as a maid as she entered the large room. "You wont wan' 'o waist all that hot woter and let I' jus' sit there, do you?" She put her hands on her hips, but a large grin gave her away.
"Of course! That's a brilliant idea Charlotte. Well you heard her! Let's go!" Everyone drug themselfs out of the warm pool and lowered themselfs into the steaming tub of water.
"I'll 'ave Jeremy come 'round later and get you all towels and such. Misses, Misters," She said bowing to Lily and Alice, then the boys, then leaving the room.
"She's to gorgeous to be cleaning your house Alice." said Sirius, eyeing the backside of the maid. James put them all out of their misery by backhanding him.
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"And now Lily, it's time for you to pick your dress. I had my mum pick out a few designs. Now I know everyone says you look breathtaking in green but I want to try a few experiments with different colors and all, if you don't mind." Lily shrugged, not thinking she had much choice otherwise. "Now...how about this blue one?" She held up a gauzy midnight blue dress that trailed the flore and had diamonds embedded along the cleavage line. Lily gave a nervious gulp and raised an eyebrow. "A bit much?" Alice asked. Lily nodded her head vehemently.
"How about for you?"
"No, I've already got my dress picked out. Its...pink."
"I have nothing against pink. It's just that when I wear the color people have the sudden urge to vomit."
"Oh, I hardly think so. Very doubtful indeed, but lets continue anyways." They went through many more dresses and hundreds of color combinations, until–
"Oh darn. I just knew green would come out to be the winner." Alice pouted. They decided on a dark green dress that had a very low neckline, but was backed with a lighter shade of green fabric, so that it was a little more modist. It draped over her figure perfectly and dragged an inch or two on the floor. It had long, tight sleeves, and a line running directly under her breasts so that it sort of had an early 1800's style. "And I was so hoping we could try something new."
"Are you kidding, Alice? It's beautiful!" Alice smirked.
"James will think so."
"GAH! Why wont you all leave it be!"
"Oh, hush, Lily, James will look absolutely charming in dress robes, so if you are to dance at all you should look like the charming couple I know is in there somewhere."
"Alice...that made no sense and you said charming twice."
"Your point being?"
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"Oh bugger Padfoot, look who just walked in. I cant believe it." James grumbled, his jaw set and his teeth clenched in distaste. A man with dark, neat hair had just entered the ballroom and looked tidy and well cut in his dress robes.
"You mean ol' Julie showed up? Oy, this party gonig to get really interesting." Sirius replyed, with a malevolent glint in his eye.
"Not here, Pads. I don't want to ruin the Warrington party. They have been really nice to us remember? And if you get them mad they'll stop feeding you." Sirius gulped and pulled at his boy tie, lop siding it even more then it was before. "Anyway, where is Lily? I want to see her."
"I don't know, but girls always take hours to put on their makeup and such. Oy, look out, Jamie's coming this way." He and James quickly adorned fake polite smiles as the tall eighteen year old boy made his way over to them.
"Ah, cousin, and honorary cousin." Julian said with distaste towards Sirius. But he just rolled his eyes with that evil smile on his face. James however, replaced his smile with a sneer.
"How are you doing Julian. Why, I haven't seen you in months. That old crackpot Winters paying you enough to be his hand servant?" Julian instantly reddened.
"I am his assistant if thats what you mean, James. And let me just tell you—Oh I say, is that a goddess?" James and Sirius spun around and James couldn't help but smile. Lily had entered the room. She spotted him, waved, and begun to make her way over, parting ways with Alice so she could dance with Frank.
"James, Sirius! You both look very nice and cleaned up. And how is this?" she asked, indicated Julian.
"Remembered how we mentioned old Julie the other day at breakfast Lily?" said Sirius, swinging an arm around her shoulders. A disgusted look passed over her face until she gave him a cold half-polite smile. "Oh, yes, now I remember. If you will excuse us." She said, pulling James and Sirius toward the food table. "That's Julian?" she whispered to them as she filled a glass cup with punch. James nodded soberly, as if he had just discussed someone's funeral.
"Pity he's so ugly, don't you agree Lily?"
"I have to say I do. He doesn't at all seem carefree like you. But then again, he's only your cousin, not as if he's your brother or anything. Oh merlin, he's coming over." She looked down, pretending to pick up a plate.
"May I have this dance? Though I fear I don't even know your name." He said, bowing to her and extending his arm.
"You dumb-skull, I just said it five minutes ago when we were talking. And she's just about to eat." said Sirius.
"Really? Because I believe the only name that fits you is Aphrodite."
"How...quaint." Lily replied. "But my name is Lily."
"Ah...well...that'll do too." and he yanked her onto the dance floor, trapping her into a very bad version of a waltz. James looked as if his head would explode. Sirius had his head cocked to one side and was commenting out loud on how red Lily's toes were turning. At the end of the song, James claimed her and stole her away before Julian could react. They shyly began to dance.
"Oh, James, I'll pay you not to step on my toes. I believe he's bruised them beyond repair. Then again," she said, a little more flirtatiously then she had anticipated, as he dipped her, "I don't think I'll have to worry about anything. You are a superb dancer!"
"Yes...all those ministry parties taught me something. If you and your partner cant dance, then you're both going to end up with only half of your toes connected to your foot, but if at least one of you can dance then there is still hope. I, however, was the one who had to learn. Those old geezers couldn't dance if there pathetic lives counted on it."
"Eww...you had to dance with old people?"
"It is a frightening concept, isn't it?" They laughed. Julian glared from the side lines. Sirius pretended to stretch and 'accidentally' elbowed Julian's drink all over the front side of his robes. He yelled out and reflexively grabbed a napkin.
"Happen a lot, does it?" Sirius asked before joining Remus and Peter, who were talking to some other guests who were friends of Remus' father. Julian glared and made a mad dash for the bathroom. Lily and James watched him go with relief.
"Thank you for...rescuing me, for lack of a better term, from your cousin. He makes me sick." Lily said, sticking her tongue out for emphasis. James laughed at her childish antics. He leaned close to her face and whispered,
"Anytime."
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"So...James...I'm kind of considering giving you that kiss. I mean it couldn't hurt could it? James?" Lily turned to look at him. He had feinted. They had just entered the balcony and as the wind had twirled around them, playing with their hair and the hem of Lily's skirt, they watched the stars make their fantastic appearance and performance. Lily laughed, in spite of it all.
"Oops..." she muttered out loud. She had just begun to pick up his shoulders when someone walked by and stepped on James' stomach. James' reaction would have been funny if Lily hadn't been glaring at Julian. He made a noise between a gasp and a lurching grunt.
"What was that for!" Lily yelled. Julian shrugged.
"He's just bothersome; has no sense of propriety or respect for his elders."
"And you consider yourself his elder? You must be really old." By now the three of them were alone on the balcony as everyone had migrated inside. Julian roughly grabbed her arms.
"You, missy, have no room to talk. I am in line to become minister!"
"I thought you cleaned up after some man name fall or spring or something."
"It's Winters. And he is also in line to be minister!"
"In what place is he? Cant be first, cant be second, oh, is he twentieth in line to be minister? Its going to take a while for you to get there you know. And besides, I wouldn't vote for you if someone paid me!" Lily shouted back into his face. He turned bright red.
"Ugh...Lily? What happened?" James sat up, startling Lily and his cousin. "Last I heard was you saying you wanted to kiss me. Julian?" He said squinting at the tall man. Julian reached down and punched James in the face. James hollered out in pain. Julian turned, satisfied, to face Lily, only to get a face full of wand. "Where were you hiding that?" he said suggestively.
"I take it you've never seen how skilled our Lilikins is with a wand, have you Julie?" said Sirius, who they saw standing with his back up against the wall. Julian spun around and regarded him for a few seconds before turning back to Lily. Before she knew what was going on, he tugged her towards him and he kissed her.
A strike of lightning split them apart. Lily's body began to glow as a voice boomed,
"YOU HAVE NOT KISSED YOUR TRUE LOOOOVE! NOW YOU MUST CHANGE BACK!" Lily felt her body feelings extremely light. But before she changed back she threw her wand in Julian's direction and shouted, " CONJUNCTIVITIS!" He screamed and grabbed his eyes as his lids began to crust together.
"Wow...Lils? I know what you meant when you said you were so white you were florescent but this is pushing it!"
"Sirius, what's going on—AHH!" Lily screamed out in pain and doubled over in pain. James writhed on the floor and after a few excruciatingly-painful-to-watch-seconds their outburst ceased and as Lily crumpled to the floor James' body went limp.
"MOOOOOOOONYYYYYY! WOOOOORRRRMTAAAAIIIL! COME HERE, QUICK!" Sirius was at their side in seconds. Remus and Peter rushed outside, looking confused and alarmed, until they saw their best friend and the lifeless red head. Remus got to them first and dropped down on his knee's, whipping his wand out of his robes and pointing it at Lily, shouting, "Ennervate!" She hardly twitched. "ENERVATE!" She stirred and opened her eyes.
"Ennervate!" Sirius said, pointing his own wand at James. The poor boy sat up and reached blindly for his glasses which had fallen off onto the ground. When he put them on he groaned and with one hand held the side of his head. With the other, without even looking, he grabbed Lily's hand.
"James?" James asked, causing the rest of the marauders to gasp. Then he groaned and mumbled, "oh darn...we've changed back."
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OY! I was gonna write more but was like OH WELL I have to go do something else...I've been on every once and while today, any spare time I've been writing/packing/babysitting/singing/and eating. I haven't really had any meals today. For breakfast I ate an eight pack of Reses Fast Brake. Then for lunch I had Chicken A' La King on toast. And I haven't eaten dinner yet so...sorry if I'm boring yall! I'm just bored myself with absolutely no reading material whatsoever nearby. AHH!
Denierure