Author's Note: You know, I'm beginning to think that I just have real problem with updating sooner. It's horrible, but it seems I just can't help myself.
Jersey Princess: Thank you so, so, soooooooo much--not only for your extremely kind reviews but also for putting me over the hundred review mark! Keep reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!
Windowseat Wonderer: Yes, finals and writer's block are completely killer. But the Sims 2 is fun, though it has to be said, extremely addicting. Thanks, and I hope you like this chapter!
easilyamusd987: I'm glad you discovered my story and that you like it! Here's a new chapter that I hope you like just as much!
sweetsoutherngal: Computers can be really stupid sometimes (I know the feeling). But all in all I'm glad you found a way to read my story, even if it was hard! I love LJ stories too, which is why I love writing this story so much! Thanks and I hope you like this chapter!
Stoptheinsanity: Thanks! I really am trying not to let school stop me from writing, but it gets hard sometimes…hopefully I'll get better at it! I'm really flattered that you like my characters so much, it's nice to get reassurance that you aren't writing a really dumb story!
midnite12: Glad you liked it, and good suggestion (if only I hadn't written that part yet)! Hope you keep reading, and thanks!
kris250: Now I feel bad because it took me so long to update this time! Please keep reading & loving my story though, and thanks!
KTSweep08: Did you really think that part was funny? I'm kinda bad at writing funny lines, but every once in a while I'll think up a good one. Anyway, YES, the Sims 2 is so addicting it's almost scary…thanks and hope you like this chapter!
Lady of Masbolle: Oh, thanks so much!! blushes (I reread my story and I can see what you mean about my improving writing!)
Chapter Fifteen
The rest of the winter holidays were nearly as enjoyable as they always had been; perhaps more so in Lily and James' case, since they were spending it together. Nobody, however, the one thing that made it less enjoyable was the looming threat of Voldemort and his supporters.
As everyone had expected, all of the traditional holiday parties had been cancelled. One thing no one could figure out was whether they had done it out of respect for those lost or if the people who usually held them were just afraid to mark themselves as targets. Nevertheless, people outside of Hogwarts could feel Voldemort's terror enveloping all of them, silently and slowly. Lily had remarked on something rather interesting to James one night while they were sitting in front of the fire. She had been staring into the flames for a few minutes, and finally she had looked up to speak.
"I wonder what it's like out there," She mused suddenly, and James had initially no idea what she meant. "Outside of Hogwarts right now, I mean," She added.
"Er…cold?" James suggested, though he knew it wasn't the answer.
"No, I just mean…well, I suppose we sit here all day inside, protected by Dumbledore, and we hardly ever pay much attention to the fact that there's a hell-bent mass murderer out there," She said. James shrugged.
"Well, I guess it's just we've gotten used to it," He replied, "It was really shocking at first, but not so much anymore. We know he's there and what he wants to do."
"How could you ever get used to something like that?" Lily asked, and James noticed the fire in her eyes wasn't just coming from the reflection of the fireplace, "What if it was one of your friends or family that died, wouldn't you still be shocked by it? How do you think Frank feels? I'll bet you he's not used to having his dad dead."
"I don't suppose so…but…"James trailed off.
"I only mean to say," Lily interrupted, "What's it going to be like when we don't have these walls and Dumbledore protecting us?"
James had found this conversation rather disconcerting, and he had gone to bed that night feeling very restless indeed. He had had very odd dreams; ones that he couldn't make head or tail of what was going on. All he could make out were blurry figures and muffled shouts. He had never had dreams like this before, and he desperately wanted to know what was really going on for some reason. Nevertheless, other things occupied his mind, including the increasing Quidditch practices, and he all but forgot about his odd dreams.
With one thing and another, it was the middle of January before anything remotely interesting occurred.
---
It was a relatively normal morning; classes had long since resumed and it had finally stopped snowing lately. Everyone was in the Great Hall eating breakfast, and the owls carrying the morning post had just swooped in. Much to her surprise, a tawny owl dropped a large pink envelope at Lily's place. She picked it up and read the front, which said her name (in ludicrously flourished silver cursive).
"What's that?" James asked, reading the front over her shoulder and frowning slightly, "And why is it so bloody pink?"
"I have no idea," Lily said, turning it over and beginning to open it, "It doesn't say who it's from."
She pulled out the contents, which turned out to be two pieces of paper, which were the same shade of pink with the same silver lettering, only less flourished. She quickly read what the first piece of paper said, and her jaw dropped open.
"What does it say?" Sirius asked, leaning over the table to try and read it.
"Erm…it's from my sister," Lily said, "She's…well, she's getting married." A long, pronounced silence followed these words. Everyone looked at each other, not sure what to say.
"That's…well, that's great," Remus finally said, rather half-heartedly.
"No, it's not," Lily said.
"Oh, come on Lils, you have to be at least a little happy for her," James added, though he didn't sound like he meant it either.
"No, I'm not, because she's getting married to a red-faced, neckless elephant named Vernon," Lily said, beginning to reread the invitation, "And she wants me to be a bridesmaid. I'm surprised she even invited me."
The bell rang and everyone got up from the table, Lily gathering up the pink invitation and shoving it carelessly into her bag. James threw a quizzical look at Anna, who shrugged.
James certainly thought Lily was acting strangely. He knew that she and her sister didn't get along very well, but he thought she might be a little happier about her getting married. Then again, he had never had a brother or sister, so maybe it wasn't something you could just assume things about.
As he walked down the passageway to the dungeons, towards the Potions class, with Lily, he noticed that there was definitely something wrong with her. Her face was set in a position reminiscent of lockjaw, and she was walking rather fast. She threw her bag down when they got into the classroom, and while she tried to be nice and cheery about everything, he could tell she didn't mean it. After asking her several times what was wrong and not getting any answer, he gave up and hoped that she'd tell him on her own.
---
After dinner, Lily had had enough of James staring at her like she was a time-bomb, so she had slipped off to the library to study. She knew it was only a matter of time before somebody found her, and so she took advantage of the time. However, instead of studying, she kept thinking about Petunia's wedding and the disaster it was sure to be.
Lily was not so unhappy that her sister was getting married, or that it was Vernon she was marrying. He may not be the most tolerable person in the world, but at least her sister was happy with him. No, the thing that really bothered her was that she knew if Petunia had been given the choice, Lily would not have been invited at all. She was sure that her parents had forced Petunia to invite her, which made Lily considerably less enthusiastic than she normally would have been.
Just as she was sitting there, staring at the wedding invitation again, there was a noise to the left of her. She looked over to see Sirius sitting on the ground beside a large amount of books. He was swearing (rather loudly for being in a library) and kicking the books around while getting up from the ground. Lily realized she would rather not talk to Sirius at this point, feeling so unhappy, and she almost started gathering her things when he noticed her. To her dismay, he strolled over and sat across from her, apparently oblivious to the fact that she was not in her best of moods.
"Good evening, Ms. Evans," He said, sounding ridiculously proper.
"Er…hi," Lily said, shoving the wedding invitation under her books. The last thing she needed was to discuss her problems with Sirius.
"You seem to be dismayed about something," Sirius continued. Lily sighed, and this time she really did start gathering up her things.
"It's nothing, I'm just frustrated about…about this Transfiguration stuff," Lily lied, hoping her would leave her alone. When he didn't, she tried again, "I was just leaving, though."
"Why would you leave? I can help you with it," Sirius said, pulling the book towards him. Unfortunately, doing this, he revealed the pink invitation, which had been hidden, and he looked at Lily, puzzled.
"Oh, hahahaha, I wonder how that got there!" Lily said, and she realized too late that her voice sounded unnaturally high-pitched, and Sirius could easily tell she was lying.
"Hmmm. Are you sure there's nothing else wrong with you? Other than Transfiguration, I mean," Sirius said, frowning slightly.
"I--no, no, I'm…fine," Lily stammered, trying her best to smile brightly.
"Okay, because…well, if you were having trouble with someone in your family," Sirius said pointedly, "You're sitting across from the expert in that field."
"Right, what is that supposed to mean?" Lily snapped at him, finally losing her patience. Sirius looked a little shocked for a moment, then got up.
"All right, well, if you really don't like me that much," He said sourly, "I'll just leave you here to sulk and feel sorry for yourself for the rest of the night."
He started walking away from the table, and Lily felt a horrible feeling in her throat. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was feeling bad about what she had said, and turned in her chair.
"Sirius!" She called at his retreating figure, "I'm sorry. Really, I am." He turned around, appeared to be thinking about whether to rejoin her or not, and finally walked back to the table and took his previous seat.
"So there's something wrong with your sister, I take it?" Sirius said immediately.
"Well…" Lily paused. Did she really want to get into this? She'd never even told James about the problem with her sister--but for some reason, she started blurting everything out, all the way from the day she got her Hogwarts letter to her sister calling her a freak to the wedding invitation.
And, when she was done, she didn't feel nearly as upset as she had been before.
---
"Potter! There you are, I've been looking for you for nearly an hour now!"
James turned and saw Professor McGonagall standing a ways down the corridor, looking slightly frustrated.
"There are some people to see you in the Headmaster's office, Mr. Potter," She continued, not moving, obviously waiting for him. James groaned inwardly--he had just been looking for Lily and had been about to try the library. However, Professor McGonagall was getting more agitated by the second and James reluctantly walked towards her and followed her up to Dumbledore's office. When they had arrived at the stone gargoyle, she said the password, ("Chocolate Frog!") and went with him up the spiraling staircase, all the way into Dumbledore's office.
"Mr. Potter, good evening," Dumbledore said, standing up as he entered, smiling grandly. James noticed that to the left of Dumbledore stood another person, wearing a badge on their robe which had had a broomstick and the letters, "I.Q.A." Before James could even speak, the man had descended on him like a culture, shaking his hand and introducing himself.
"Hello, Mr. Potter, I'm Thomas Branahan, English representative for the International Quidditch Association," The man said, shaking his hand very energetically. Dumbledore gestured to the chair in front of his desk, and James, feeling confused, sank into it. The man also took a seat to the left of the desk, and, almost immediately, Thomas Branahan started talking.
"We're so glad to have you here, Mr. Potter, really we are. You see, we've been watching your Quidditch career here at Hogwarts very closely, very closely indeed, and of course, we've noticed a remarkable strength at the sport," He said very quickly, "And we got word that there was an opening on one of the teams, and, well, you were at the top of our list for new recruits!"
"Er…I don't really understand what you mean," James replied, "Are you saying you want me to leave Hogwarts?" He heard Professor McGonagall let out a derisive snort at this.
"No, no, no, Mr. Potter, of course not. We only mean to say that, if you're interested, you would be welcome on the team. Your skills would be an extremely valuable asset to the English league as a whole, and we could draw up a contract as early as tonight if you'd like," Thomas Branahan said, and James started to feel a little dizzy with all the new information.
"Mr. Branahan," Dumbledore began, "Wonderful though it is that you wish to recruit James so quickly, I think he would need more information and a little more time to consider your offer."
"Well, that's why I've brought all these papers with me," Branahan continued, pulling out a huge pile of paper, "They outline all the physical and mental requirements of our league, as well as the legal matters and an explanation of what the job would be like." James sat there, feeling paralyzed, until he realized that everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to say something.
"Oh…oh, right, that's really great," James said, taking the pile of papers of the desk and staggering under their weight, "I'll…I'll have a look over these and get back to you on it."
Branahan's face fell slightly; James could tell he was disappointed that he hadn't been able to sign him up on the spot. Nevertheless, he straightened himself out and stood up, shaking Dumbledore's hand and James'.
"Mr. Potter, take your time with those forms," He said as he was about to leave, "But I can tell you honestly--the life of a Quidditch player is the most exciting you could dream of. Traveling the world, making huge amounts of money, gaining international fame, and that's only the beginning!"
After he had said farewell and left, Dumbledore stared at James analytically. James thought that that whole conversation had sounded like an over-enthusiastic sales pitch, and was still wondering how in the world he was going to get through all of these papers.
"James," Dumbledore said (after staring at him for what felt like a very uncomfortably eternity), "I am extremely happy that you have been given this opportunity."
"Thanks," James said numbly, knowing that this was sure to lead to something else.
"But I would like you to carefully consider the drawbacks of being a Quidditch player for your career," Dumbledore continued, "Exciting and intriguing though it may seem, you need to realize the sacrifices people make to live that way."
"Yeah," James said, not knowing what Dumbledore really meant.
"Think about this carefully," Dumbledore said, apparently in a last attempt to make him understand, "Lots of things will change if you choose to take this job."
Five minutes later, James was walking the corridors, back to Gryffindor tower dazedly. Some of what had just happened seemed to sink in. He could play Quidditch for a job if he wanted. But why didn't Dumbledore think it was a good idea? After all, it was something James loved to do, and he would make lots of money at it. Why was it so much worse than any other job?
When he reached the Common Room, he found it nearly deserted, which was surprising, since it was only eight thirty. He sunk into a chair by one of the tables and tried to read through the heaps of Quidditch information he'd been given, but he could feel exhaustion creeping in. Finally, he went up to his dormitory and fell asleep, deciding to keep this whole ordeal to himself until he'd figured it out more.
---
Meanwhile, Lily and Sirius were still in the library, discussing their family problems. Sirius, Lily had learned, was no stranger to alienation by his relations. He had told her all about his family, and she had realized that he really was an expert on the subject.
"So, even after all of that, you still seem upset," Sirius said, "I thought you'd feel better by now."
"Oh, I do," Lily said, sighing, "It's only…I feel bad now, because I've never really talked about this with James or anything. Plus I've been kind of hiding from him since dinner."
"Really good hiding spot," Sirius said sarcastically, "Only I seemed to be able to find you all right."
"That's only because you fell over that pile of books," Lily said.
"I was hiding from Filch, he though I set a dungbomb off in the Entrance Hall!" Sirius protested.
"And did you?"
"…"
"Well?"
"That's not really the point, Lily," Sirius said, "Anyways, back to this James thing--why don't you want to tell him?"
"Because…because I feel like he wouldn't really get it or something, you know?" Lily said, "I mean, I've always heard about how great his family is, and he doesn't have any brothers or sisters, so…" Sirius paused for a moment.
"The last thing James would do if you told him," Sirius said, "Is not understand. Didn't you hear what I just told you? He and his parents let me live with him for two summers because I ran away! Why would you ever think that he would…judge you or something?"
"I'm not worried he'd judge me," Lily said indignantly, "I just don't know if he'd get it."
"Yes, you are afraid that he'd judge you," Sirius replied, "Because that's exactly how I felt about discussing it with my friends for the first time." Something sparked in Lily's brain.
"And I suppose that's the way Remus felt before he told you about his problems?" She said, smirking, and she saw Sirius go slightly pale, and she continued, "Sirius--he told me."
"Bloody hell, Evans, don't scare me like that," Sirius said, "I thought you'd found out about it by yourself. Nobody's supposed to know! But yes, that's probably how he felt too."
"Well," Lily sighed, "I guess I'd better go find James and have a long chat with him."
"Yeah, that's the right thing to do," Sirius said, nodding, "I mean, he'd never keep anything that important from you, so it's only fair if you do the same."
"THERE YOU ARE!!!" Came a shout from behind Sirius, and they both saw Filch emerging from one of the rows of bookcases, looking positively furious, and coming right at Sirius.
"Well, Ms. Evans," Sirius said, jumping over the table, "It's been lovely having a chat with you this evening, but I fear I must depart." And with that, he tore out of the library with Filch in hot pursuit.
Lily smiled to herself as she gathered her things up, feeling much better. She walked back to Gryffindor Tower and was slightly disappointed that James was nowhere to be found. She considered going up to his dormitory, but in the end decided against it, since he was probably sleeping, and, anyways, she could tell him in the morning.
As she lay awake in bed, she realized that Sirius wasn't as bad as she had always thought, and that it was true: James wouldn't keep something like this from her. Little did she know that he was hiding something from her at that very moment.
Author's Note: Well, that chapter feels a little pathetic to me, but I'm running out of ideas to fill the story in with. I do have some major things I'm going to put in the story, it's just nothing felt right in this chapter, so I had to resort to some stuff to fill in the blanks and make a chapter. Oh well, at least it's an update, right? I don't know what was wrong with me this time round, I've just been lazy. Anyway, like I said before, I hope you don't hate me for taking so long. (Oh, and Happy late Thanksgiving to all you North Americaners!!!)
THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS--I'VE GOT OVER A HUNDRED REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!! J
