The Quidditch Match had all of Hogwarts excited. The massive stands were filled with so many people and there was so much yelling and exuberant cheering in the air that Sirius was sure that Gwen would break her neck as she strained to take it all in. Her eyes were wide in delight as she looked around and then she looked back at him and flashed him a grin. Her brown curls were loose again and as she turned they flashed in the sunlight with mahogany highlights and Sirius smiled.
At these times Gwen reminded him of an exuberant child at Christmas time opening her first present. So different from him…
"They're coming out! It's James!" Gwen said breaking into his thoughts and she pointed as James and the rest of the Gryffindor teams flew onto the field in the scarlet robes. "This is so exciting… I can't wait for the match to begin…"
Raven had her boots back on and she was stomping them loudly as she clapped and yelled with everyone else. But under her breath she kept chanting something and Gwen finally asked her what it was.
"Oh nothing, it's a muggle song. It's sung by Queen." Raven said as she watched the field. "It goes, "We will, we will rock you!" You have to do this certain clap or pounding to go with it."
Raven sang the phrase and demonstrated pounding her boots into the stands flooring but Gwen wasn't interested she looked confused for a moment then voice what bothered her. "Wait… a queen sings this song?" Gwen asked looking confused
"No… A group called Queen sings it"
"A group of Queens… but why do they want to sing it?"
"Oh… never mind. Look it's the Ravenclaws!" Raven pointed across the field and Sirius saw that is was. The opposing team burst onto the fields from the opposite side of the stadium their own purple and black robes billowing in the wind. They made their go-around and the Ravenclaw stands burst with cheering and applause. As they made their go-rounds Gwen smiled.
"I know her!" she shouted to Sirius over the crowd as she pointed to a petite redhead who took her place with the rest of her team. "Her name's Danae Allen. She lives in the village a little ways from my home in the meadow. She often walks up the path to go to the wishing well every evening at sunset. Oh, James is in for it now… Danae is wicked fast on her broom. I've seen her practice…"
"Never underestimate, James. Since he's joined the team he's never lost a match and always caught the snitch. At least at every game I've ever been to."
"I only said that Danae would give him a run for his money. I never told you I believed either one would beat the other. But let's see… maybe Potter will slip up. Maybe not… I do hope not…" she said then cast a worried look to the field as the teacher, a Madam Hooch flew onto the field.
She was a wizened witch with graying hair, which was spike up around her face. From far away Gwen couldn't see her eyes but she knew they were a bright yellow shaped almost like Kismet's eyes. Cat eyes. The whistle's shrill sound split the air and the fifteen brooms sprang into the air. The Quaffle was tossed and the Bludgers flew out in their maniacal way. The Snitch flew into the air and then with a quick swivel around James' and then Danae's head it disappeared into the sky with a quick flash of gold.
"Let the game begin!" shouted the announcer and Gwen watched in amazement as the brooms took off. "It's Gryffindor in possession of the Quaffle…"
Gwen watched the entire match in awe as the brooms became blurred mirages and she lost count of the points between them until the announcer mentioned the score again. "And Ravenclaw leads 40-30. Gryffindor had better catch up soon."
"Where's James?" Gwen asked and then looked at Sirius who pointed and handed her the binoculars he had been using to watch the game.
"Up there. He usually stays out of the way so he doesn't get in the way of the Chasers or hit by a Bludger by mistake." He told her and then turned back to the action of the game.
Gwen focused her eyes on him and then smiled as she saw his concentrated stare as he scoured the air for the snitch. He dodged a rogue Bludger and then his head snapped to attention. Gwen saw the glint of gold but for a moment held her breath as she tried to focus on the glint she had seen. Then James was off after it. It was the Snitch!
"He's seen the Snitch!" Gwen said and she followed him with binoculars for a moment before handing them to Sirius so he could get a better look. Her heart started pounded harder as she watched James sped his way through Chasers and dodged Bludgers. Then Danae came up beside him, her eyes also intent upon the Snitch.
For a while they rode shoulder-to-shoulder, then the Snitch veered sharply off-course. James quickly adjusted and brought his broom around following it and as he did he knocked into Danae. Danae then moved off course only to come back sharply ramming into James. James came back and rammed into her.
Then the snitch went straight up. James jerked his broom swiftly and then he and Danae were headed straight up. The Snitch dodged this way and that then headed straight down. Danae and James followed quickly on its tail. And for just a moment Danae edge in front of James and reached out with her hand for the Snitch. But a careening Bludger went for her hand and she pulled it back and pulled up short to just barely miss being hit.
James saw his chance and then he leaned down and race towards the Snitch with what Gwen was almost sure was a smirk of confidence. His hand reached out and with a quick snatch he grabbed up the Snitch out of the air. Then he drove straight up and he let out a yell of victory. The crowd went wild and Gwen jumped up with the others screaming just as loudly if not louder than everyone else.
"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" The announcer shouted over the hub of the crowd. "POTTER GRABS THE SNITCH! AND THE GAME IS OVER! 180 – 40… Oh, too bad for Ravenclaw and such a close game…"
Jumping up and down she laughed with joy and then leapt at Sirius and hugged him tightly even as he was enthusiastically yelling and clapping with the others. For a moment his arms closed around her and Gwen felt safe and protected but then the world intruded and Raven poked her in the back.
"Come on! Let's go meet him at the entrance! Oh, Gryffindor is going to party tonight!" then with a wave and a grin Raven raced down from the stands and Gwen smiled at Sirius and Remus who followed her down. Then she stopped as she raced after them.
Turning back she looked to where Lily stood quiet as ever. Her hair was loose and the wind blew it this way and that. But her eyes were on the Quidditch field and she didn't seem to mind her wayward strands.
Stepping up beside her she saw that James had landed and was being swarmed by the other Gryffindors, player and spectators alike. He still held the Snitch tightly in his hand raised over his head and he laughed as his friends lifted him onto their shoulders and escorted him off the field.
Lily smiled then and slowly she blew a kiss to James as if she was alone. "Strange isn't it? He's not so hard to like when he's just being himself…" she murmured then looked up at Gwen and then blushed. "Thought I was alone. Raven doesn't usually notice me missing until later and Sirius and Remus… well, you know the guys."
"You really, really love him don't you, Lily?"
"I don't want to. Sometime he can just be so… annoying and hurtful. And he thinks its funny. He's so… immature sometimes. Like when he suspended Snape in the air. Mind you Severus is still a mean person but…well, sometimes he just acts so callously. And then there are times…"
"When you see the good in him. There's a lot of it, Lily. He just… doesn't know it. Don't take too long, Lily. For all you know you might end up losing him before you really know him." Gwen smiled and then putting her hand on her shoulder squeezed reassuringly before turning to leave.
She had just taken the first step when Lily called her back and she turned to face her. "When you saw… did you… that is, did you see who I married? Was it… was it James?"
Gwen looked down at the floor she remembered the vision she had had. In her mind she knew that there was no doubt about it she had seen James but if she told Lily she would balk. No one liked being told they had no say in their future. I mean look at her she had run away and was planning to disobey her mother a second time already.
"I don't really know… and it doesn't matter. Lily, it's your future, your decision. If you marry James or Severus or… whoever, it's your choice. I have nothing to say in it. My prophecy is only a guess and anything I saw could be changed as far as I know." She looked solemnly at Lily then smiled. "Now, come on… Raven's gonna definitely notice we're missing by now."
She turned and walked down the stairs and when they had reach the bottom of the stairs Lily stopped her again, this time by taking her hands in her own and smiling.
"Thank you, Gwen. For listening, for paying attention, for just being you, thank you. You are a very special person, Gwendolyn Dacha Gene Epiphysis Farr. And I know you have done so much by just knowing me. Thank you." Lily looked at there hands then grinned. "And I'll make you a promise. I won't marry Severus."
Gwen laughed and then smiled. "Glad to know it. Now come on… If we hurry there might still be some pumpkin juice left. If we're lucky." Gwen winked and the two girls headed off to join the rest of the screaming and yelling Gryffindors.
Gwen ran up beside Sirius just as he thumped James on the back and Remus shook his hand. Sirius, seeing her, smiled as he turned to her. "There you are. I was worried you'd run off without me." He grabbed her hand and took her away from the crowd towards the pumpkin juice bowl, as she turned back to watch as James grinned at Lily and showed her the Snitch.
"Caught it." He said and Lily nodded shyly looking at Gwen quickly then back to him.
"Yeah, you did." Lily murmured and Gwen grinned and satisfied turned to follow Sirius.
A/N: OOOO... I love that part! Sorry if I went a little off course in the story but I couldn't help it. I know that it isn't until their last year that Lily and James start dating but I thought what if long before that they already knew they loved each other? And plus... I am such a romantic... So sue me. They belong together and we all know it. Besides Gwen's like me. She can't help but meddle. Or as Raven would put it. "Help them find the right path." Please keep reading and review...