Stag and Flower
Chapter 5: Relations and Revelations
Lily woke up early Halloween morning. She knew the Marauders were planning something; they always play a prank on Halloween. She wasn't going to let it happen, though, not while she was Head Girl.
She got dressed quickly and sat on the couch in the common room, waiting for James. She would follow him around all day if she had to. Almost an hour later, he emerged, dressed and ready for the day. He seemed only slightly surprised to see Lily sitting there.
"Waiting for me, Evans?" he asked. "Finally come to your senses? Come to ask me to Hogsmeade?"
"Not a snowball's chance in hell," she said flatly.
"So you want to keep an eye on me then."
"I won't let you ruin my happiness with some stupid prank."
"Happiness? This wouldn't have anything to do with Pellerin, would it?" James asked darkly.
"Maybe, but that's none of your business."
"It is, too," said James, childishly.
"How so?"
James opened his mouth but couldn't find anything to say so he closed it.
"That's what I thought." She walked over to the door, opened it and said, "After you."
He obliged and Lily followed. When they arrived in the Great Hall, they went their separate ways to sit with their friends. When Lily sat down, she asked Meredith if she knew anything about the Marauders' prank.
"No, Remus is very careful not to say anything to me."
"I still can't believe he's a Marauder. He seems so responsible," said Lily.
"Well, he actually comes up with most of the pranks but he lets Potter and Black take the credit. They get more detentions than he does," Meredith said sounding slightly proud.
"That is certainly true."
James sat down beside Sirius, across from Remus and Peter.
"What's up with you and Evans?" asked Sirius.
"Nothing. She just doesn't want us pulling anything today." The four friends looked at each other and laughed.
"Yeah right. It's Halloween. How can we not do something?" laughed Sirius.
"I know right," said Remus.
After a few more minutes of laughing, the four put their heads together and started planning.
The day passed quickly for Lily. Having every class with James and Sirius proved to be an advantage, if only for one day. She sat close enough to hear what they were saying but far enough away to look natural. But she never heard a word about the prank. Eventually, she gave up.
When there was only five minutes left in Potions, a young Ravenclaw entered the classroom.
"Yes?" asked Professor Slughorn jovially.
"Professor Dumbledore asked me to give these to the Head Boy and Girl." She motioned to two scrolls in her hand.
"Lily. James." They stood, walked to the girl, took the scrolls, and returned to their seats.
Lily tapped the scroll with her wand and it rolled open. She read:
Dear Miss Evans,
I am requesting a meeting with you and Mr. Potter. I understand you have a free block next period. If you are willing to give it up, I would greatly appreciate it if you came to my office.
Sincerely yours,
Albus Dumbledore
Postscript: I've been craving Chocolate Frogs lately.
"What?" Lily whispered. She had no idea why the Headmaster would give such a random piece of information but she had always known he was a little…off.
When James sat down he tapped the scroll with his wand and it opened. The letter was from the Headmaster asking him to meet next block.
"He didn't give you the password?" asked Sirius who was reading over James' shoulder. They had both been to the Headmaster's office on many occasions over the past six years.
"No."
"Well, maybe he's meeting you in the hall or something."
"Maybe." James wasn't too worried about it. He just wanted to know what Dumbledore was going to tell them. The bell rang and James and Sirius started out of the classroom.
"I'll wait in your common room. What's the password again?" asked Sirius.
"Gillyweed."
"Great. See you."
"Bye."
James took his time getting to Dumbledore's office. When he arrived, he was surprised to see Lily wasn't there yet. He dropped his things against the wall across from the gargoyle and went to face it.
"Sugar quill."
Nothing happened.
"Lemon drops."
Nothing.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans!"
The gargoyle was still as ever.
Lily was walking around aimlessly trying to find anyone who might know where Dumbledore's office was. The silence was disturbed by someone yelling, "Drooble's Best Blowing Gum!" Someone nearby. (Lily found a certain pleasure in busting people in criminal acts.)
Lily passed a corridor and saw James standing in front of a statue of a gargoyle.
"Potter!" she called, walking towards him. "Why are you shouting about sweets to a statue?"
"Oh, Evans! I was just trying to get into Dumbledore's office," he said flashing a smile.
Something clicked inside Lily's head and she said, "Chocolate frogs."
"By George, the girl's got it," the gargoyle replied before jumping aside. Lily and James stepped onto the moving staircase.
"I wonder what he wants?" asked James, looking at Lily.
"You could wait about thirty seconds and find out," she said fiercely, not even glancing at him.
When they reached the top, Lily knocked on the door.
"Enter," said a voice from the other side.
Insert description of Dumbledore's office here
"Please sit."
"Gillyweed."
The door opened and Sirius entered the Head common room. He walked over to the couch and lay down.
After a minute or two, he heard the door open and, from his position on the couch, saw Katherine walk in, muttering to herself. She didn't seem to have noticed Sirius and when she passed he heard her say, "Where the hell is she?"
Katherine walked into Lily's room and disappeared into the bathroom. Sirius got up, walked over, and leaned against the doorpost. Katherine walked over to the balcony pausing for a moment to breathe in the October air. When she turned and saw Sirius, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Black," she breathed her hand on her chest. "Don't do that to me."
"Do what?" he asked innocently.
"Why are you here?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"I could ask you the same question."
"I'm looking for Lily. We were supposed to be studying. Do you know where she is?"
"She and James had a meeting with Dumbledore. I could study with you," he suggested.
"No. I'll be fine. Tell Lily to meet me in the library if she has time before supper. If you see her, that is." She walked out of Lily's room thinking, "God, Black is hot."
Sirius stood there thinking, "She's pretty."
He quickly regained himself and walked out of the room to see Katherine walking out into the hall. He jogged a little to catch up with her. He called out, "Frenchie?"
She swirled around and said, "What?"
"Go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday." It was more of a statement than a question.
"No," she snorted.
"Why not?"
"Grow up enough to at least call me by my real name and ask me a real question and then we'll talk." And she walked away. "What did I just do?"
James sat down in front of Dumbledore and glanced at Lily who was also seated but faced forward. He turned his head back when he heard the headmaster begin speaking.
"I think we need a good way to take the war off the students' minds. Do you have any suggestions?" He looked between Lily and James before she spoke up.
"A Yule Ball. I know we usually only have one during the Triwizard Tournament but it would be fun."
The three sat in silence for a moment as the other two thought.
"That would be great," said Dumbledore finally. "But most of the students don't have the appropriate dress robes."
"There are a couple of good shops in Hogsmeade."
Again, there was silence in the room. Dumbledore turned to James.
"You haven't said one word since you arrived, Mr. Potter. What do you think of Miss Evans' idea?"
"Well, it's great but what about the younger kids. Originally, the Yule Ball was only meant for students in fourth year and above. It wouldn't be fair if only the older students got to 'take the war off their minds'. We'd have to arrange something for the midgets I mean younger ones, too."
"Too true, Mr. Potter," he said overlooking James' comment.
"A party then. You know a casual get together. They can eat and drink or whatever," said Lily.
"That sounds marvelous. Well, it's settled then. You two can plan the ball and the party with the help of whoever will give it. Good luck and I think a progress report in about three weeks will be good. You may leave."
"So…" Meredith prompted at dinner that evening. Lily had just finished describing her meeting with James and Dumbledore. Meredith was excited but Katherine seemed unfazed. She was staring at her plate of untouched food as if trying to set it on fire.
"Katherine? Are you okay?" asked Lily trying to help Meredith.
"What? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing," she said finally looking at her two best friends.
"Nothing my ass," said Meredith.
"What's wrong Kat?" asked Lily
"I just had a run-in with…someone."
"Who?"
"Black."
"Black?" asked Meredith. "Do I need to go hex him into oblivion for you?"
"Meredith!" said Lily, sounding absolutely appalled. "Head Girl, right here."
"No you don't have to do anything. I was the one that screwed up not him."
"What happened?"
"He asked me to Hogsmeade."
"Wow, girl, you sure are popular with guys. First Pettigrew and now this?"
"Yeah well I said no again."
"You said no?"
"To Sirius Black?"
"Yeah and don't make me feel worse than I already do."
"Why? Do you like him?"
"I don't know. I mean what's there to like. He's irresponsible, immature, unpredictable, hilarious, smart, spontaneous, gorgeous, and absolutely- oh, no. What am I saying? This can't be happening. I mean. Black?" She finished by looking down the table to where he was sitting with three laughing Marauders.
"It isn't so crazy. I mean most girls fall for him within three seconds of meeting him," said Meredith.
"Thank you for comparing me to 'most girls'," Katherine said sounding depressed.
"But it took you six whole years to fall for him."
"I'm not falling for anyone."
"Obviously," said Meredith sarcastically. "I really believe that after the little spiel you recited about him."
"Shut up."
"You should go talk to him."
"She said no?" Remus asked his best friend
"Yes. Would you please leave me alone now?" asked Sirius while his friends laughed.
"Ho, ho. Black's fall from grace," said James.
"Shut up."
"I thought I'd never see the day."
"Shut up."
"Black?"
"I said shut up!"
"Sirius. It's me." He felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder and turned to see Katherine standing behind him.
"Sorry, Fr- I mean Katherine. I thought you were one of my loser friends," he said composing himself.
"It's okay," she said smiling at the sound of her name on his tongue. It sounded so natural and she liked it more when he said it.
"Did you need something?'
"Yeah. I wanted to tell you that I've changed my mind. I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you. But try and pull anything and I will personally have Meredith hex you straight into next week."
"Completely understandable," replied Sirius. Katherine leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.
"See you tomorrow."
Sirius turned around smiling.
"'I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you'," Remus mocked in a high-pitched voice.
"Hey, Moony, guess who I am. I love you, Katherine," James said in a deep voice. Sirius hit James in the arm. Hard.
"Oh, oh. Look at the Slytherin idiots," Peter said. The other three boys looked across the hall where every Slytherin had stood up on the table. Silence fell across the room and they dropped to their knees, landing in puddings and other deserts. They began bowing deeply to where their noses touched the dishes then came back up with chocolate or whipped cream covering their faces. They chanted as one, "All hail the Lions. All hail the Lions."
Every Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor burst out laughing. James looked down the table to where Lily, Katherine, and Meredith were sitting. Meredith and Katherine were practically falling out of their seats laughing so hard and even Lily couldn't suppress a giggle or ten.
When the jinx was lifted, the Slytherins wiped off their clothing and faces and stomped out of the Great Hall.
The next morning, Lily met Katherine and Meredith in her old dormitory. They walked down to the Great Hall discussing their dates and the coming day.
"You might want to go ahead and buy your dress robes today. You know, while the selection is still good," said Lily as they sat down for breakfast.
"You think Remus, Sirius, and Micheal would mind?" asked Meredith.
"We could do it after our dates. Like walk around for a while, eat lunch, split up with the boys then meet at the shop," suggested Katherine.
"Sounds good," said Lily.
"Yep," said Meredith.
Lily saw Sirius walking toward them. He stopped behind Katherine and Lily nodded in his direction. Katherine turned around and smiled.
"I'll see you guys later." She stood up and walked out of the Great Hall. Meredith left next, arm-in-arm with Remus. Lily waited almost thirty minutes before remembering that she was supposed to be meeting Micheal in the Entrance Hall. She got up quickly and raced to the doors. Micheal was leaning against the arm rail of the marble staircase, looking positively pissed. (A/N: Don't you love my alliteration!)
"Micheal," Lily said. "I'm so sorry. I forgot that I was meeting you in the out here."
"It's okay. Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yes."
The walk down to Hogsmeade was silent. Neither Micheal nor Lily could think of anything to say. Finally they reached High Street.
"There's a new teashop," Micheal said. "It just opened this past summer. Madam Puddifoot's. Do you want to go check it out?"
"That's sounds good," Lily said trying to sound cheerful.
They walked into a door nearby and Lily almost fell over.
Pink. Lots of pink and lots of lace. It looked as if Valentine's Day had come early. Red hearts hung from the ceiling and played light feathery music. Pink chintz chairs were arranged around small round tables covered in doilies.
"Petunia would love this place," Lily thought. She glanced at Micheal and by the look on his face he liked the teashop.
"I like it," he voiced. "Do you?"
Lily had to use every fiber of her being to suppress a resounding, "NO!"
"Of course," she finally answered and took a seat with him in the corner.
"Hey, Lily. Why are you here so early?"
Lily had just entered the Three Broomsticks then sat down in the booth with Remus and Meredith. They had only been in Hogsmeade for two hours.
"I ditched Micheal. Told him I had to study."
"Why?" laughed Remus.
"He is the most boring person on the face of the planet. We didn't have anything to talk about. If that didn't kill me, then the place he took me sure did. Madam Puddifoot's. It was like being inside a wedding cake. A very tacky, frilly, scary, disgusting wedding cake."
Remus and Meredith just stared at her. The only time they had ever heard Lily get so angry over something it was about James. Sirius and Katherine joined them a minute later.
"Padfoot, where's James?" asked Remus, after a quick lunch.
"He was angry at us for leaving him. You know Peter had remedial Charms. So James just stayed in his dorm. I think he's coming down for drinks. Here he is!"
James walked through the door and over to the others.
"Hey, guys."
"Well, that's our cue," Lily said standing up. "We're going shopping for dress robes. Bye Remus, Sirius."
Meredith and Katherine kissed their boyfriends and left with Lily. James sat down feeling even more depressed than he had done before. He started thinking about everything she had ever said to him. "Grow up!" "Immature idiot!"
"Arrogant prat!" James had always wanted Lily to like him for who he was, everyone else sure did. But maybe he needed to change to win her over. Was he willing to change for Lily? Well, that wasn't really a question. He would do anything for Lily. And maybe he didn't really need to change at all. Maybe that better, more mature man was hidden deep inside him somewhere. He had certainly sobered up a little since his parents' death and maybe now all he needed to do was act his age. And even his closest friends, the Marauders, had told him he was arrogant. Mature and humble. That was easy. James could do mature and humble…maybe.
"Prongs?" Sirius brought him out of his reverie.
"Oh, sorry guys. I was just thinking," James replied.
"About?" Remus prompted.
"Things."
"Evans?"
"Maybe."
"Listen, I think you might be wasting your time. It's obvious she doesn't like you," said Sirius looking very apologetic.
"She does. She just doesn't know it yet. And I know exactly what I have to do to convince her."
"Oh?" asked Remus.
"Yes. And, sorry guys, but in order for my plan to work, I can't do anymore pranks."
"Please tell me you aren't seriously considering abandoning everything you have ever stood for. You can't leave us. We refuse to let you go, especially over some girl," said Sirius.
"Firstly, you've no room to talk about liking girls too much. Secondly, Lily is not just some girl. She is MY girl. My one and only. Thirdly, I'm not abandoning the Marauders. I'm just taking a break from pranking. Well, most pranking. I'll take on Snivellus anytime, anyplace. He deserves it and Evans can't argue with that. He calls her a mudblood everyday in class," James finished with a scowl.
"I don't know, James-" Sirius began.
"Look. I know what I'm doing…kind of. And if it doesn't work than I'll give up on her and we'll dedicate an entire week to nothing but skipping classes and attacking the entire student body with jokes, pranks, and jinxes. Okay?"
"Make it two weeks and you've got a deal," replied Sirius.
"Lily, get your skinny butt out here right now!" Katherine called through the changing room door. She and Meredith had already purchased their dress robes and were now waiting on the indecisive Lily.
"I look ridiculous," she called back staring at her reflection in the five-way mirror.
"We cannot trust your opinion. Let's go. Now," Meredith replied.
The door opened and Katherine and Meredith's jaws dropped.
"I told you. I'm going to change. I just won't go to the Yule Ball," Lily said taking the looks on her friends' faces as a bad sign.
"You are going," said Meredith.
"And you are wearing this dress," said Katherine.
"You look fabulous."
"Really?" asked Lily.
"Yes," her friends said simultaneously.
