Hi all! I couldn't wait to put up this chapter. I know you guys are
absolutely going to love it! I just wanted to say WOW! to all of the
reviews that you guys sent me over the last chapter. Absolutely amazing!
Also, I was surprised at how many of you guys actually read the disclaimer.
I hope that my sick humor about monkeys offended no one. Anyway, as it is
now my custom, I want to give a shout out to those of you that took the
time to review.
Flyingwind33 – Thank you for such awesome reviews! I think that it was time for Sirius and Faith to kiss. They have a lot of sexual tension that needs to be let out a little bit. As far as Lily and James, I hate a long drawn out love-hate relationship thing. It is the typical cliché of Lily and James fanfic stories. Oh and don't tell the monkeys, but I think that I've found a way to beat them.
Shamrock13- I'm so glad that you like my story! I hope that you continue to read it and I look forward to your reviews!
alicia weasley – Thank you for all of the reviews that you sent me! I'm so glad that you like my story so far. You are so sweet and I can tell that you are an awesome person from your reviews. Faith is my favorite character because she says and does everything to the extent that I could do in real life. She is going to get more interesting as the story grows, I can't wait for everyone to see how she turns out.
Sproxkkk- I'm so glad that you liked the chapter. I hope that you like this one better. Thanks for reviewing!
Vampchick001- Since I updated so soon I expect my cookie, preferably white chocolate macadamia, to be mailed to me a.s.a.p. I'm sorry if my evil monkeys confused you. I have a weird sense of humor and I honestly didn't think anyone would read the disclaimer. Thank you for reviewing, despite my monkey confusion.
Padfootlet- I'm relieved that you decided not to hex me. Although, I'm a little frightened of your hamsters of doom. You have to watch out for hamsters, they are sneaky little creatures that will someday have the resources to take over the world and cause a great hamster take over. Anyway, I think that I need to buy that shirt. Thanks for always reviewing. I always look forward to reading your reviews!
Padfootedmoony- That is an awesome idea. I could send the monkeys over to the party! But they are evil and will probably take over the party and drive the house elves out of the castle. Hmm......a plan is what I need. Anyway, thank you for reviewing and I'm glad that you liked the chapter. I hope that you like this one better.
Ljstagflower4e/Jctigerwolf4e – Stop or you'll make me blush, but you can keep going if you really insist. Thank you for always reviewing story. You are one of the people that I look forward to hearing from and I was a little disappointed that I didn't see your name last week. But I'll forgive you for sending such a wonderful review and keeping me on track.
Sammy Solo- Sammy Sammy! That is how I'm going to address you now lol. You are such a wonderful person! Thank you for reviewing faithfully and for giving such awesome and encouraging reviews! You are awesome and I can't wait to see your review after this next chapter.
Pigwidgeon188- I think it was time for Sirius and Faith to kiss. Thank you for reviewing and always writing such nice reviews!
Met19- I'm sorry if you were a little disappointed that I made James a seeker. I know that in book 1 he was a chaser. But in book five he was playing with a snitch and I read an interview online by J.K. Rowling after book five was released and she said that he was both. So in my story I decided to make him versatile. I mean Gryffindor is the best team in the school and they could have won more than one quidditch cup during his seven years. It doesn't mean that he may not become a chaser again by the end of the story. Anyway, thank you for reviewing and I hope that you continue to read my story.
Okay here's my disclaimer: (by rules of the monkeys) All Harry Potter related characters places, names etc belong to J.K. Rowling, not me or the evil monkeys. (They are controlling J.K. Rowling's brain! Help!) Evil monkeys are not writing this story; I am of my own free will. (They told me to say that!) There is no cause for anyone to be concerned. Evil monkeys are a figment of my imagination. (The big hairy one is holding a lethal handful of monkey dung, threatening to hit me with it if I try to get help.) Helper monkeys are not funny and should not be used as servants, dressed in diapers or used as pets for dogs. (A helper monkey has stolen my wallet and all of my money. Call the police!)
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Chapter 14: New Beginnings
The common room exploded into one big all day and all night party. Everyone had changed out of his or her robes and into more comfortable or in some people's case, more attention grabbing clothing. Lily and Liz were forced to change into 'party worthy' clothes by Faith, who looked like she was going to a New York City nightclub. Sirius, James and Peter disappeared for half and hour but returned with four cases of butterbeer, pounds of Honeydukes chocolate and candy and a variety of food that Lily figured were taken from the Great Hall dinner. Faith brought down her radio and charmed it to blare through out the room. Lily had never seen everyone so happy and enjoying themselves. People were dancing, talking and a few couples had occupied several chairs, couches and dark corners. Liz and Remus had occupied a couch near the fire and were cuddling and happily talking to one another.
"Lils this is our song!" called Faith over the music and across the room to Lily, who was talking to a sixth year girl name Ann Marie Moreno. She ran over from the dance floor, grabbed Lily's hand and led her to an open spot near the radio.
"I love disco!" yelled Lily as her and Faith began to dance. James laughed as he watched Lily dance around the floor, laughing and acting completely goofy.
"You know what this reminds me off?" said Faith. Lily shook her head. "Last summer when you stayed at my house and we snuck out to go dancing........."
"Oh yeah! And we ran into one of your dad's lieutenants from the base and we thought we were in deep trouble, but he bought us drinks instead and then had to drive us home," laughed Lily.
"Did I hear that right?" grinned James, coming over to dance beside Lily. "Did the Head Girl sneak out and get into some trouble?" Lily gave him a mischievous smirk as she continued to dance; her red hair swinging in front of her face as she moved to the music.
"I would never do such a thing. It's Faith," said Lily nodding towards her best friend who was dancing with a Daniel Tennyson. "She gets me into trouble. I'm completely innocent."
"I don't believe that for a minute, Evans," said James moving in a little closer towards Lily. Lily just laughed. James took her hands and twirled her around, making her laugh even harder. He couldn't believe that she was letting him dance with her. James continued to twirl her around the floor in fluid, graceful movements as the music blared and shook the walls.
"I didn't know you knew how to dance, Potter?" said Lily when the song had ended. James flashed a dashing grin at her.
"Well there are a lot of things you don't know about me, Evans." Lily beamed up at him. "Are you thirsty?" Lily nodded her head. He grabbed her hand and walked over to the table where the food was. He grabbed a butterbeer and opened it for her. She took it from him, downed half of it in one gulp and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand holding the bottle.
"Evans, this is a side of you I've never seen," laughed James, taking a gulp of his drink.
"Well I guess there are a lot of things that we don't know about each other," smiled Lily shrugging slightly.
"Then I guess we will have to get to know more about each other," grinned James, giving her hand a squeeze. Lily smiled at him coyly and took another sip of her drink.
A loud cheer drew their attention away from each other. Lily let out a loud laugh at the sight she saw. Faith was dancing on top of one of the study tables as people stood around it and cheered her on.
"She's bloody wild," laughed James as he watched Faith dance. Sirius jumped onto the table. Faith immediately grabbed him and they started dancing as the crowd around the table cheered them on.
"No she's not," said Lily shaking her head. Her eyes twinkled as she looked over at the pair of them. "She's fun."
"Do you want to go sit somewhere?" asked James gesturing towards an unoccupied couch on the other side of the room.
Lily nodded her head and they walked over, James leading her by the hand as they wove around people. They took a seat just as the song ended. Lily saw Sirius jump back down to the floor and open his arms towards Faith. She dramatically fell into them and he twirled her around once before he set her down on the ground. They stood there in each other's arms for a moment before making their way towards the food table. Several fifth year girls took up Faith and Sirius's empty spots on the table as the next song blasted from the radio. Lily sat close next to James, breathing in his cologne, which she thought smelled really good.
"You lot did really good today. That game was brilliant," said Lily making herself more comfortable on the couch.
"Why thank you Miss Evans," grinned James. "This team has great potential this year and I think we have a good shot at the Cup." He took a swig of his drink. "If we can keep on our game and keep the offense up then we are a shoe in for it."
"I'll have to take your word for it since I don't know all that much about quidditch strategy," said Lily, taking a swig of her own drink.
"Well Lily, my dear, you have come to the right man," said James, making himself more comfortable by putting his arm around Lily's shoulders as he prepared to go into a lecture about the finer points of quidditch.
After spending most of the night engaged in discussion of quidditch plays, head duties and some embarrassing stories about their childhoods, Lily and James felt much closer and comfortable with each other. The party had started to die down as it approached one in the morning. The music had turned from blaring rock and roll to something a bit mellower. Most of the students had given up their attempts on an all night party and decided to retire to their respective dormitories. Liz and Remus were still on the same couch that they had spent most of the party sitting on. Lily smirked as she saw them snuggling and kissing as they listened to the music flowing throughout the room. Lily noticed that both Faith and Sirius were missing from the common room altogether. Lily leaned closer into James's shoulder as he stroked her hair.
"Lily, can I ask you something?" asked James softly.
"Sure," said Lily, turning her head on his shoulder to look up at him. James took a deep breath and his free hand flew up to his hair as he nervously ruffled it. Lily smiled at him. How could she ever think that was annoying? "Um.........okay," said James settling his nerves. "Lily, these past few weeks have been amazing. I absolutely love spending time with you. I can't tell you how much I look forward to our patrolling nights together. It helps me get through the day just to know that I will get to spend some time with you that night. I love the way your face lights up when you smile or when you laugh. I love the way your hand feels as it rests in mine. I love feeling your hair through my fingers and the smell of your perfume on my clothes. You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the only thing I dream about at night. I have adored you from the moment I saw you in our first year. Except until now, I have been too bullheaded and immature to pursue you properly." James straightened up a little and looked her straight in the eyes. Lily felt a rush of warm spread through her body as he grabbed her hand. "Lily, I would be honored if you would consider being my girlfriend." Lily smiled softly up at James. "You don't have to give me an answer now, but all I ask is that you consider it."
"James, I'm considering," said Lily. "I've been considering it a lot lately actually."
"So does that mean you'll think about it?" asked James.
"I don't have to think about it. I've made up my mind," said Lily, her face becoming serious. James heart raced faster in his chest.
"And?" Lily sat up a little and looked him straight in the eyes.
"James, I would be flattered to be your girlfriend."
Lily face broke out into a broad smile as James face lightened with happiness. James reached up and caressed her cheek with his hand. He lowered his head and gave Lily the softest, sweetest kiss. Lily did not want this moment to end. Neither of them was conscious of how long the kiss lasted until the portrait entrance swung open and they heard giggling and low excited whispers. They broke apart to see Faith and Sirius holding hands and walking slowly towards the dormitory entrances; both sporting matching mischievous smirks. Lily and James looked at each other with confused expressions. She saw that beside Faith and Sirius, James and her were the only ones left in the common room. Faith and Sirius either paid no attention to them or just plain didn't see them in the dark corner of the common room.
"So does this mean that you fancy me?" asked Sirius, holding Faith around the waist.
"You wish," said Faith smiling up at him. Sirius laughed and bent forward, giving her a long, passionate kiss. Lily and James looked at each other and tried not to laugh.
"I think I better get to bed. It's well past three," said Faith when they finally broke away.
"Do you want me to come up and make sure you get tucked in alright?" asked Sirius, a look of mock concern on his face.
"No, I think I can manage just fine thanks," smirked Faith. She flung her arms around his neck and gave him one last long kiss.
"Goodnight," she said pulling away from him and heading towards the girl's dormitory door.
"Sweet dreams, love," said Sirius. The girl's door closed and Sirius stood there for a moment staring at the door, as if expecting her to pop back out of it any minute. Letting out a long and satisfied sigh, he strode over to the boy's door and disappeared through it.
Lily and James looked at each other and burst out into laughter.
"What was that?" asked Lily. James shook his head in amazement.
"I guess that means that there will be an end to the insults at meals, huh?" He bent his head towards Lily again.
Lily crawled into bed sometime around four in the morning. She was exhausted, but couldn't sleep. She lay there in bed smiling and reflecting upon the evening's events.
'You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the only thing I dream about at night.' The words were the last thing to play in her conscious mind before sleep crept into her body and covered her senses.
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Lily felt like she had finally fallen asleep when someone's humming woke her up. Lily rolled over, ready to hurl a pillow at Faith for waking her up so early. But to her surprise the humming was coming from Liz.
"Liz! What the hell! It's Sunday for Merlin's sake," groaned Faith, throwing a pillow over her head to drown out Liz's voice.
"Oh did someone stay out too late last night with Sirius Black?" asked Liz walking over and plopping herself down on Faith's bed. "Don't think I didn't see you sneak off with him."
"Oh shut it!" said Faith's muffled voice from under the pillow.
"Oh come on!" said Liz, tugging at Faith's pillow. "Don't think you can just get away with pretending to sleep. You need to tell me what's going on." Liz tugged really hard and the pillow came flying off of Faith's head.
"I wasn't pretending to sleep. I actually was until you woke me up with that atrocious humming of yours," said Faith rolling over to look at Liz. "In fact, I'm surprised that you saw anything last night. You and Remus were sitting there on the couch for most of the night snogging. I'm surprised people didn't get sick from having to bear witness to you two all night."
"Oh you are just upset because I woke you up," said Liz, laying down at the end of Faith's bed and propping her head on her hand. "Remus and I weren't snogging all night. We were simply enjoying each other's company, if you must know. He is really sweet and so smart. He is the best thing that could ever happen to me," said Liz, with a goofy smile on her face.
"That's really sweet Liz," said Lily making her presence known.
"Aw, there is the one that should be talking about last night," said Liz.
"What?" asked Faith, rolling over to look at Lily.
"I don't know what you are talking about," said Lily, blushing feverishly.
"Oh don't give me that," said Faith. "I know when you turn that shade of red that something good has happened. And from the looks of it from last night, I'm assuming that it has to do James Potter."
"We were just talking and enjoying each other's company," said Lily simply.
"Yeah right," said Liz rolling her eyes and looking at Faith. "When Remus and I decided to turn, well after one I might say, we saw them on the couch in the far corner kissing and being all lovey-dovey."
"What?" said Faith, hopping up onto her knees to get a better look at Lily. Lily covered her face with her hands, trying to hide the reddening color of her skin and the smile. "You and James Potter! Snogging in the common room!" Lily nodded her head, her hands still covering her face. Faith let out a loud laugh. "Liz pinch me, I think I've died and been brought back into an alternate universe!" Liz jokingly made to pinch Faith in the leg, but she swatted her hand away.
"Not literally! So anyway, how was it?" Lily removed her hands from her face and sat up.
"It was amazing! No one has ever kissed me like that! He was so charming and so funny and so sweet." Lily sighed. "He is a completely different person from who I thought. I actually enjoy his company. I think I really fancy him." She looked at Liz and Faith and blushed.
"Well it's about damn time!" exclaimed Faith. "I knew that you liked him. I guess all you needed was a little push huh? So are you two steady?"
"Yeah, I think so," said Lily. Faith laughed and flung herself down on her bed. She hugged her pillow and propped up her chin on it so she could talk to Lily.
"So, where did you two go? I noticed that you were gone when I came in," said Faith as Liz grabbed her pillow and made herself more comfortable on Faith's bed.
"We didn't go anywhere. We stayed in the common room. I didn't know what time it was until you and Sirius came into the common room."
"Where did you two go, getting back to my original question?" said Liz.
"We went for a walk around the grounds," said Faith, the same mischievous smirk on her face that Lily saw last night. "He knows all of these secret passageways out of the castle, so we went for a walk around the grounds."
"Well you two looked pretty cozy last night when you came in," said Lily. "Are you two steady?"
"No," said Faith shaking her head. "Are you kidding? I know the reputation he has with girls. Pursue them until you snog them, then leave them out to dry. I told him that he would have to prove to me that he was serious about me if he wanted anything more than friendship."
"Faith," said Liz in disbelief. "You can go around kissing a guy and then say that you want nothing to do with him."
"I didn't say that I wanted nothing to do with him did I?" said Faith, an edge of irritation in her voice. "All I said is that I don't fully trust him and he hasn't shown me that I am the only girl that he fancies."
"What did he say?" asked Lily concerned. Faith shrugged.
"He gave me a load of lines saying that I was the only one that he has fancied for a while and so on. He did ask me if I fancied him though."
"What did you say?" asked Liz, looking at Faith with interest.
"I said that I did fancy him a little." Lily shook her head.
"Faith that is mean," said Liz, looking at Faith with concern. "You are going to drive him mad if you keep this up."
"No, I just want to see if he is serious or not. I guess time will tell," said Faith simply. "And if he isn't, then I only wasted one night of my life with him." Lily and Liz exchanged concern glances, but both of them knew that it was no use badgering her about what she should do.
"Let's get some food, yeah?" said Lily getting up out of bed.
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James sprung out of bed, early Sunday morning. He felt terrific. Arguably the best he had in years, even though he hardly slept a wink. He grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower. When he returned fifteen minutes later, he found that he wasn't the only one in a good mood.
"Good morning, Prongs," bellowed Sirius in a deep singing voice.
"Good morning to you, Padfoot," James returned in the same deep singing voice. "Have a good nice last night mates?"
"Excellent," said Remus, changing into a jumper. "I take it that you had an good night yourself do to the superb mood you are in."
"Did you finally corner Evans into going out with you?" asked Sirius from his trunk.
"No I didn't corner her into anything, but actually yes, she did decide to become my girlfriend," said James, feeling very proud of himself.
"Way to go mate!" said Remus, walking over to shake James's hand.
"Yes congratulations," said Sirius, pulling on some trousers. "So did you have to curse her into it or was it purely out of free will?"
"The latter thank you very much," laughed James. "And you should talk, mate. Lily and I witnessed you and Ravenwood waltzing through the portrait hole last night."
Sirius's face spread into his all too familiar mischievous grin. "Well what can I say, the girl is in love with me and being the good gentlemen I am, I obliged her and showed her around the grounds." Remus let out a short laugh and James shook his head.
"Padfoot, I am astonished on what a thoughtful and considerate person you are to humor such a brilliant girl," laughed Remus. "Tell me, does your breath stink? You know from the load of dung that just spewed from it?" James, Peter and Remus roared with laughter. Sirius's eyes narrowed as he set his sights on Remus.
"You are head over heels for that girl. Everyone in the common room witnessed your nice little table dance last night," said James, pulling on a shirt. "Why don't you just admit that you like the girl and let it be instead of pulling off this act?"
"Why don't you lot just shut it, ey?" said Sirius irritably. Peter giggled loudly as he rummaged through his trunk. "What are you all gitty about? I didn't see you at all last night?"
"I-I was around," said Peter slightly nervous by being addressed so suddenly. "I was at the snack table, er, talking to some girls. You didn't see it cause you three were all busy." Sirius huffed and shook his head. Remus caught James's eye and gave him a skeptical look.
"Well whatever, mate," said Sirius throwing on his shoes. "Are you blokes almost ready? I'm wasting away here."
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James walked into the Great Hall to find that Lily was already there, sitting in her usual spot. He was so nervous as he walked over to the table. Did he sit down in his usual seat and start eating like he used to or did he sit next to her? Should he give her a good morning kiss or should he wait until she kissed him? Then a horrible thought occurred to him. What if she had changed her mind? What if she decided over the past five hours that she didn't want to be with him and that last night was a big mistake? James tried not to let the nervousness lodged in his throat show to the outside world. As he neared his usual Gryffindor spot, Lily looked over at him. Her face illuminated into a broad grin as her eyes made contact with his; he smiled, feeling very relieved for now. He walked over and sat down next to her.
"Good morning! Long time no see," he greeted, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Good morning," said Lily blushing and pushing a plate of food in front of him. "Have a good night's sleep?"
"The best I've had in a long time," said James not taking his eyes off of her. Faith and Liz exchanged smirks and tried to suppress I-knew-it grins.
"Good morning," said Remus, taking a seat next to Liz.
"The same to you," said Liz, leaning over to give him a kiss.
"What's for breakfast? Anything good," said Sirius plopping down beside Faith and immediately throwing his arm around her waist.
"Good morning to you too," said Faith sarcastically as she stirred her coffee.
"Did you get alright with out me there to tuck you in?" asked Sirius, nuzzling her neck and giving a quick kiss.
"Well I'm here and fully rested aren't I?" said Faith, pretending not to like it as much as she did.
"So that was some game yesterday?" said James trying not to laugh as Lily sent Faith a cross look. "I just hope that we didn't curse ourselves by celebrating a little to early."
"I think our team is strong. But only time will tell," said Remus, beginning to eat his food.
"So what is on the agenda today for you fine ladies?" asked Sirius, digging into his plate of food.
"Well we are studying today right?" asked Liz, looking at Remus for confirmation. "We have to finish our potions essay and transfiguration homework." Remus nodded, as he had a mouthful of food.
"Transfiguration is no problem," said James, pouring himself some pumpkin juice. "That will take two minutes to finish. But the potions essay and the herbology homework are going to take a while. Do you want to go to the library after this?" he asked turning to Lily.
"Sure. Faith and I were going to go anyway after breakfast to try and get a head start," said Lily, wiping her mouth on her napkin. She looked up at the clock. "We better hurry up or were going to miss out on all of the books we need."
Faith nodded her head and shoved a last piece of bacon into her mouth. James shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth.
"Are you coming with us, mate?" said James through a mouthful of food. Sirius gave him a cock-eyed smirk.
"What else have I got to do today." He got up and bent his arm out for Faith. "My Lady, may I escort you to the library?"
"Why Mr. Black, that would be wonderful," said Faith in a perfect Southern accent, and taking his arm. Lily laughed as a few heads turned from the other tables as Faith and Sirius carried on their dramatics loudly as they exited the Great Hall.
"Shall we?" asked James, getting up and extending a hand to Lily. Lily nodded and smiled as she took his hand.
"See you in a bit, shall we?" said Lily to Remus, Liz and Peter.
"Have fun," said Liz, giving her a small approving wink.
As Lily and James walked out of the Great Hall hand in hand, she couldn't help that some people were whispering as they passed. As Lily walked past the Slytherin table, she saw Bellatrix smiling maliciously at them from her seat. Her eyes were traveling from their interlocked hands to their faces. The smile on Lily's face faltered slightly as she saw her lean over to Rabastan Lestrange and whisper something in his ear.
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I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for Banana theater presenting "My Dad Was Not A Chimp".
Flyingwind33 – Thank you for such awesome reviews! I think that it was time for Sirius and Faith to kiss. They have a lot of sexual tension that needs to be let out a little bit. As far as Lily and James, I hate a long drawn out love-hate relationship thing. It is the typical cliché of Lily and James fanfic stories. Oh and don't tell the monkeys, but I think that I've found a way to beat them.
Shamrock13- I'm so glad that you like my story! I hope that you continue to read it and I look forward to your reviews!
alicia weasley – Thank you for all of the reviews that you sent me! I'm so glad that you like my story so far. You are so sweet and I can tell that you are an awesome person from your reviews. Faith is my favorite character because she says and does everything to the extent that I could do in real life. She is going to get more interesting as the story grows, I can't wait for everyone to see how she turns out.
Sproxkkk- I'm so glad that you liked the chapter. I hope that you like this one better. Thanks for reviewing!
Vampchick001- Since I updated so soon I expect my cookie, preferably white chocolate macadamia, to be mailed to me a.s.a.p. I'm sorry if my evil monkeys confused you. I have a weird sense of humor and I honestly didn't think anyone would read the disclaimer. Thank you for reviewing, despite my monkey confusion.
Padfootlet- I'm relieved that you decided not to hex me. Although, I'm a little frightened of your hamsters of doom. You have to watch out for hamsters, they are sneaky little creatures that will someday have the resources to take over the world and cause a great hamster take over. Anyway, I think that I need to buy that shirt. Thanks for always reviewing. I always look forward to reading your reviews!
Padfootedmoony- That is an awesome idea. I could send the monkeys over to the party! But they are evil and will probably take over the party and drive the house elves out of the castle. Hmm......a plan is what I need. Anyway, thank you for reviewing and I'm glad that you liked the chapter. I hope that you like this one better.
Ljstagflower4e/Jctigerwolf4e – Stop or you'll make me blush, but you can keep going if you really insist. Thank you for always reviewing story. You are one of the people that I look forward to hearing from and I was a little disappointed that I didn't see your name last week. But I'll forgive you for sending such a wonderful review and keeping me on track.
Sammy Solo- Sammy Sammy! That is how I'm going to address you now lol. You are such a wonderful person! Thank you for reviewing faithfully and for giving such awesome and encouraging reviews! You are awesome and I can't wait to see your review after this next chapter.
Pigwidgeon188- I think it was time for Sirius and Faith to kiss. Thank you for reviewing and always writing such nice reviews!
Met19- I'm sorry if you were a little disappointed that I made James a seeker. I know that in book 1 he was a chaser. But in book five he was playing with a snitch and I read an interview online by J.K. Rowling after book five was released and she said that he was both. So in my story I decided to make him versatile. I mean Gryffindor is the best team in the school and they could have won more than one quidditch cup during his seven years. It doesn't mean that he may not become a chaser again by the end of the story. Anyway, thank you for reviewing and I hope that you continue to read my story.
Okay here's my disclaimer: (by rules of the monkeys) All Harry Potter related characters places, names etc belong to J.K. Rowling, not me or the evil monkeys. (They are controlling J.K. Rowling's brain! Help!) Evil monkeys are not writing this story; I am of my own free will. (They told me to say that!) There is no cause for anyone to be concerned. Evil monkeys are a figment of my imagination. (The big hairy one is holding a lethal handful of monkey dung, threatening to hit me with it if I try to get help.) Helper monkeys are not funny and should not be used as servants, dressed in diapers or used as pets for dogs. (A helper monkey has stolen my wallet and all of my money. Call the police!)
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Chapter 14: New Beginnings
The common room exploded into one big all day and all night party. Everyone had changed out of his or her robes and into more comfortable or in some people's case, more attention grabbing clothing. Lily and Liz were forced to change into 'party worthy' clothes by Faith, who looked like she was going to a New York City nightclub. Sirius, James and Peter disappeared for half and hour but returned with four cases of butterbeer, pounds of Honeydukes chocolate and candy and a variety of food that Lily figured were taken from the Great Hall dinner. Faith brought down her radio and charmed it to blare through out the room. Lily had never seen everyone so happy and enjoying themselves. People were dancing, talking and a few couples had occupied several chairs, couches and dark corners. Liz and Remus had occupied a couch near the fire and were cuddling and happily talking to one another.
"Lils this is our song!" called Faith over the music and across the room to Lily, who was talking to a sixth year girl name Ann Marie Moreno. She ran over from the dance floor, grabbed Lily's hand and led her to an open spot near the radio.
"I love disco!" yelled Lily as her and Faith began to dance. James laughed as he watched Lily dance around the floor, laughing and acting completely goofy.
"You know what this reminds me off?" said Faith. Lily shook her head. "Last summer when you stayed at my house and we snuck out to go dancing........."
"Oh yeah! And we ran into one of your dad's lieutenants from the base and we thought we were in deep trouble, but he bought us drinks instead and then had to drive us home," laughed Lily.
"Did I hear that right?" grinned James, coming over to dance beside Lily. "Did the Head Girl sneak out and get into some trouble?" Lily gave him a mischievous smirk as she continued to dance; her red hair swinging in front of her face as she moved to the music.
"I would never do such a thing. It's Faith," said Lily nodding towards her best friend who was dancing with a Daniel Tennyson. "She gets me into trouble. I'm completely innocent."
"I don't believe that for a minute, Evans," said James moving in a little closer towards Lily. Lily just laughed. James took her hands and twirled her around, making her laugh even harder. He couldn't believe that she was letting him dance with her. James continued to twirl her around the floor in fluid, graceful movements as the music blared and shook the walls.
"I didn't know you knew how to dance, Potter?" said Lily when the song had ended. James flashed a dashing grin at her.
"Well there are a lot of things you don't know about me, Evans." Lily beamed up at him. "Are you thirsty?" Lily nodded her head. He grabbed her hand and walked over to the table where the food was. He grabbed a butterbeer and opened it for her. She took it from him, downed half of it in one gulp and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand holding the bottle.
"Evans, this is a side of you I've never seen," laughed James, taking a gulp of his drink.
"Well I guess there are a lot of things that we don't know about each other," smiled Lily shrugging slightly.
"Then I guess we will have to get to know more about each other," grinned James, giving her hand a squeeze. Lily smiled at him coyly and took another sip of her drink.
A loud cheer drew their attention away from each other. Lily let out a loud laugh at the sight she saw. Faith was dancing on top of one of the study tables as people stood around it and cheered her on.
"She's bloody wild," laughed James as he watched Faith dance. Sirius jumped onto the table. Faith immediately grabbed him and they started dancing as the crowd around the table cheered them on.
"No she's not," said Lily shaking her head. Her eyes twinkled as she looked over at the pair of them. "She's fun."
"Do you want to go sit somewhere?" asked James gesturing towards an unoccupied couch on the other side of the room.
Lily nodded her head and they walked over, James leading her by the hand as they wove around people. They took a seat just as the song ended. Lily saw Sirius jump back down to the floor and open his arms towards Faith. She dramatically fell into them and he twirled her around once before he set her down on the ground. They stood there in each other's arms for a moment before making their way towards the food table. Several fifth year girls took up Faith and Sirius's empty spots on the table as the next song blasted from the radio. Lily sat close next to James, breathing in his cologne, which she thought smelled really good.
"You lot did really good today. That game was brilliant," said Lily making herself more comfortable on the couch.
"Why thank you Miss Evans," grinned James. "This team has great potential this year and I think we have a good shot at the Cup." He took a swig of his drink. "If we can keep on our game and keep the offense up then we are a shoe in for it."
"I'll have to take your word for it since I don't know all that much about quidditch strategy," said Lily, taking a swig of her own drink.
"Well Lily, my dear, you have come to the right man," said James, making himself more comfortable by putting his arm around Lily's shoulders as he prepared to go into a lecture about the finer points of quidditch.
After spending most of the night engaged in discussion of quidditch plays, head duties and some embarrassing stories about their childhoods, Lily and James felt much closer and comfortable with each other. The party had started to die down as it approached one in the morning. The music had turned from blaring rock and roll to something a bit mellower. Most of the students had given up their attempts on an all night party and decided to retire to their respective dormitories. Liz and Remus were still on the same couch that they had spent most of the party sitting on. Lily smirked as she saw them snuggling and kissing as they listened to the music flowing throughout the room. Lily noticed that both Faith and Sirius were missing from the common room altogether. Lily leaned closer into James's shoulder as he stroked her hair.
"Lily, can I ask you something?" asked James softly.
"Sure," said Lily, turning her head on his shoulder to look up at him. James took a deep breath and his free hand flew up to his hair as he nervously ruffled it. Lily smiled at him. How could she ever think that was annoying? "Um.........okay," said James settling his nerves. "Lily, these past few weeks have been amazing. I absolutely love spending time with you. I can't tell you how much I look forward to our patrolling nights together. It helps me get through the day just to know that I will get to spend some time with you that night. I love the way your face lights up when you smile or when you laugh. I love the way your hand feels as it rests in mine. I love feeling your hair through my fingers and the smell of your perfume on my clothes. You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the only thing I dream about at night. I have adored you from the moment I saw you in our first year. Except until now, I have been too bullheaded and immature to pursue you properly." James straightened up a little and looked her straight in the eyes. Lily felt a rush of warm spread through her body as he grabbed her hand. "Lily, I would be honored if you would consider being my girlfriend." Lily smiled softly up at James. "You don't have to give me an answer now, but all I ask is that you consider it."
"James, I'm considering," said Lily. "I've been considering it a lot lately actually."
"So does that mean you'll think about it?" asked James.
"I don't have to think about it. I've made up my mind," said Lily, her face becoming serious. James heart raced faster in his chest.
"And?" Lily sat up a little and looked him straight in the eyes.
"James, I would be flattered to be your girlfriend."
Lily face broke out into a broad smile as James face lightened with happiness. James reached up and caressed her cheek with his hand. He lowered his head and gave Lily the softest, sweetest kiss. Lily did not want this moment to end. Neither of them was conscious of how long the kiss lasted until the portrait entrance swung open and they heard giggling and low excited whispers. They broke apart to see Faith and Sirius holding hands and walking slowly towards the dormitory entrances; both sporting matching mischievous smirks. Lily and James looked at each other with confused expressions. She saw that beside Faith and Sirius, James and her were the only ones left in the common room. Faith and Sirius either paid no attention to them or just plain didn't see them in the dark corner of the common room.
"So does this mean that you fancy me?" asked Sirius, holding Faith around the waist.
"You wish," said Faith smiling up at him. Sirius laughed and bent forward, giving her a long, passionate kiss. Lily and James looked at each other and tried not to laugh.
"I think I better get to bed. It's well past three," said Faith when they finally broke away.
"Do you want me to come up and make sure you get tucked in alright?" asked Sirius, a look of mock concern on his face.
"No, I think I can manage just fine thanks," smirked Faith. She flung her arms around his neck and gave him one last long kiss.
"Goodnight," she said pulling away from him and heading towards the girl's dormitory door.
"Sweet dreams, love," said Sirius. The girl's door closed and Sirius stood there for a moment staring at the door, as if expecting her to pop back out of it any minute. Letting out a long and satisfied sigh, he strode over to the boy's door and disappeared through it.
Lily and James looked at each other and burst out into laughter.
"What was that?" asked Lily. James shook his head in amazement.
"I guess that means that there will be an end to the insults at meals, huh?" He bent his head towards Lily again.
Lily crawled into bed sometime around four in the morning. She was exhausted, but couldn't sleep. She lay there in bed smiling and reflecting upon the evening's events.
'You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the only thing I dream about at night.' The words were the last thing to play in her conscious mind before sleep crept into her body and covered her senses.
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Lily felt like she had finally fallen asleep when someone's humming woke her up. Lily rolled over, ready to hurl a pillow at Faith for waking her up so early. But to her surprise the humming was coming from Liz.
"Liz! What the hell! It's Sunday for Merlin's sake," groaned Faith, throwing a pillow over her head to drown out Liz's voice.
"Oh did someone stay out too late last night with Sirius Black?" asked Liz walking over and plopping herself down on Faith's bed. "Don't think I didn't see you sneak off with him."
"Oh shut it!" said Faith's muffled voice from under the pillow.
"Oh come on!" said Liz, tugging at Faith's pillow. "Don't think you can just get away with pretending to sleep. You need to tell me what's going on." Liz tugged really hard and the pillow came flying off of Faith's head.
"I wasn't pretending to sleep. I actually was until you woke me up with that atrocious humming of yours," said Faith rolling over to look at Liz. "In fact, I'm surprised that you saw anything last night. You and Remus were sitting there on the couch for most of the night snogging. I'm surprised people didn't get sick from having to bear witness to you two all night."
"Oh you are just upset because I woke you up," said Liz, laying down at the end of Faith's bed and propping her head on her hand. "Remus and I weren't snogging all night. We were simply enjoying each other's company, if you must know. He is really sweet and so smart. He is the best thing that could ever happen to me," said Liz, with a goofy smile on her face.
"That's really sweet Liz," said Lily making her presence known.
"Aw, there is the one that should be talking about last night," said Liz.
"What?" asked Faith, rolling over to look at Lily.
"I don't know what you are talking about," said Lily, blushing feverishly.
"Oh don't give me that," said Faith. "I know when you turn that shade of red that something good has happened. And from the looks of it from last night, I'm assuming that it has to do James Potter."
"We were just talking and enjoying each other's company," said Lily simply.
"Yeah right," said Liz rolling her eyes and looking at Faith. "When Remus and I decided to turn, well after one I might say, we saw them on the couch in the far corner kissing and being all lovey-dovey."
"What?" said Faith, hopping up onto her knees to get a better look at Lily. Lily covered her face with her hands, trying to hide the reddening color of her skin and the smile. "You and James Potter! Snogging in the common room!" Lily nodded her head, her hands still covering her face. Faith let out a loud laugh. "Liz pinch me, I think I've died and been brought back into an alternate universe!" Liz jokingly made to pinch Faith in the leg, but she swatted her hand away.
"Not literally! So anyway, how was it?" Lily removed her hands from her face and sat up.
"It was amazing! No one has ever kissed me like that! He was so charming and so funny and so sweet." Lily sighed. "He is a completely different person from who I thought. I actually enjoy his company. I think I really fancy him." She looked at Liz and Faith and blushed.
"Well it's about damn time!" exclaimed Faith. "I knew that you liked him. I guess all you needed was a little push huh? So are you two steady?"
"Yeah, I think so," said Lily. Faith laughed and flung herself down on her bed. She hugged her pillow and propped up her chin on it so she could talk to Lily.
"So, where did you two go? I noticed that you were gone when I came in," said Faith as Liz grabbed her pillow and made herself more comfortable on Faith's bed.
"We didn't go anywhere. We stayed in the common room. I didn't know what time it was until you and Sirius came into the common room."
"Where did you two go, getting back to my original question?" said Liz.
"We went for a walk around the grounds," said Faith, the same mischievous smirk on her face that Lily saw last night. "He knows all of these secret passageways out of the castle, so we went for a walk around the grounds."
"Well you two looked pretty cozy last night when you came in," said Lily. "Are you two steady?"
"No," said Faith shaking her head. "Are you kidding? I know the reputation he has with girls. Pursue them until you snog them, then leave them out to dry. I told him that he would have to prove to me that he was serious about me if he wanted anything more than friendship."
"Faith," said Liz in disbelief. "You can go around kissing a guy and then say that you want nothing to do with him."
"I didn't say that I wanted nothing to do with him did I?" said Faith, an edge of irritation in her voice. "All I said is that I don't fully trust him and he hasn't shown me that I am the only girl that he fancies."
"What did he say?" asked Lily concerned. Faith shrugged.
"He gave me a load of lines saying that I was the only one that he has fancied for a while and so on. He did ask me if I fancied him though."
"What did you say?" asked Liz, looking at Faith with interest.
"I said that I did fancy him a little." Lily shook her head.
"Faith that is mean," said Liz, looking at Faith with concern. "You are going to drive him mad if you keep this up."
"No, I just want to see if he is serious or not. I guess time will tell," said Faith simply. "And if he isn't, then I only wasted one night of my life with him." Lily and Liz exchanged concern glances, but both of them knew that it was no use badgering her about what she should do.
"Let's get some food, yeah?" said Lily getting up out of bed.
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James sprung out of bed, early Sunday morning. He felt terrific. Arguably the best he had in years, even though he hardly slept a wink. He grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower. When he returned fifteen minutes later, he found that he wasn't the only one in a good mood.
"Good morning, Prongs," bellowed Sirius in a deep singing voice.
"Good morning to you, Padfoot," James returned in the same deep singing voice. "Have a good nice last night mates?"
"Excellent," said Remus, changing into a jumper. "I take it that you had an good night yourself do to the superb mood you are in."
"Did you finally corner Evans into going out with you?" asked Sirius from his trunk.
"No I didn't corner her into anything, but actually yes, she did decide to become my girlfriend," said James, feeling very proud of himself.
"Way to go mate!" said Remus, walking over to shake James's hand.
"Yes congratulations," said Sirius, pulling on some trousers. "So did you have to curse her into it or was it purely out of free will?"
"The latter thank you very much," laughed James. "And you should talk, mate. Lily and I witnessed you and Ravenwood waltzing through the portrait hole last night."
Sirius's face spread into his all too familiar mischievous grin. "Well what can I say, the girl is in love with me and being the good gentlemen I am, I obliged her and showed her around the grounds." Remus let out a short laugh and James shook his head.
"Padfoot, I am astonished on what a thoughtful and considerate person you are to humor such a brilliant girl," laughed Remus. "Tell me, does your breath stink? You know from the load of dung that just spewed from it?" James, Peter and Remus roared with laughter. Sirius's eyes narrowed as he set his sights on Remus.
"You are head over heels for that girl. Everyone in the common room witnessed your nice little table dance last night," said James, pulling on a shirt. "Why don't you just admit that you like the girl and let it be instead of pulling off this act?"
"Why don't you lot just shut it, ey?" said Sirius irritably. Peter giggled loudly as he rummaged through his trunk. "What are you all gitty about? I didn't see you at all last night?"
"I-I was around," said Peter slightly nervous by being addressed so suddenly. "I was at the snack table, er, talking to some girls. You didn't see it cause you three were all busy." Sirius huffed and shook his head. Remus caught James's eye and gave him a skeptical look.
"Well whatever, mate," said Sirius throwing on his shoes. "Are you blokes almost ready? I'm wasting away here."
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James walked into the Great Hall to find that Lily was already there, sitting in her usual spot. He was so nervous as he walked over to the table. Did he sit down in his usual seat and start eating like he used to or did he sit next to her? Should he give her a good morning kiss or should he wait until she kissed him? Then a horrible thought occurred to him. What if she had changed her mind? What if she decided over the past five hours that she didn't want to be with him and that last night was a big mistake? James tried not to let the nervousness lodged in his throat show to the outside world. As he neared his usual Gryffindor spot, Lily looked over at him. Her face illuminated into a broad grin as her eyes made contact with his; he smiled, feeling very relieved for now. He walked over and sat down next to her.
"Good morning! Long time no see," he greeted, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Good morning," said Lily blushing and pushing a plate of food in front of him. "Have a good night's sleep?"
"The best I've had in a long time," said James not taking his eyes off of her. Faith and Liz exchanged smirks and tried to suppress I-knew-it grins.
"Good morning," said Remus, taking a seat next to Liz.
"The same to you," said Liz, leaning over to give him a kiss.
"What's for breakfast? Anything good," said Sirius plopping down beside Faith and immediately throwing his arm around her waist.
"Good morning to you too," said Faith sarcastically as she stirred her coffee.
"Did you get alright with out me there to tuck you in?" asked Sirius, nuzzling her neck and giving a quick kiss.
"Well I'm here and fully rested aren't I?" said Faith, pretending not to like it as much as she did.
"So that was some game yesterday?" said James trying not to laugh as Lily sent Faith a cross look. "I just hope that we didn't curse ourselves by celebrating a little to early."
"I think our team is strong. But only time will tell," said Remus, beginning to eat his food.
"So what is on the agenda today for you fine ladies?" asked Sirius, digging into his plate of food.
"Well we are studying today right?" asked Liz, looking at Remus for confirmation. "We have to finish our potions essay and transfiguration homework." Remus nodded, as he had a mouthful of food.
"Transfiguration is no problem," said James, pouring himself some pumpkin juice. "That will take two minutes to finish. But the potions essay and the herbology homework are going to take a while. Do you want to go to the library after this?" he asked turning to Lily.
"Sure. Faith and I were going to go anyway after breakfast to try and get a head start," said Lily, wiping her mouth on her napkin. She looked up at the clock. "We better hurry up or were going to miss out on all of the books we need."
Faith nodded her head and shoved a last piece of bacon into her mouth. James shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth.
"Are you coming with us, mate?" said James through a mouthful of food. Sirius gave him a cock-eyed smirk.
"What else have I got to do today." He got up and bent his arm out for Faith. "My Lady, may I escort you to the library?"
"Why Mr. Black, that would be wonderful," said Faith in a perfect Southern accent, and taking his arm. Lily laughed as a few heads turned from the other tables as Faith and Sirius carried on their dramatics loudly as they exited the Great Hall.
"Shall we?" asked James, getting up and extending a hand to Lily. Lily nodded and smiled as she took his hand.
"See you in a bit, shall we?" said Lily to Remus, Liz and Peter.
"Have fun," said Liz, giving her a small approving wink.
As Lily and James walked out of the Great Hall hand in hand, she couldn't help that some people were whispering as they passed. As Lily walked past the Slytherin table, she saw Bellatrix smiling maliciously at them from her seat. Her eyes were traveling from their interlocked hands to their faces. The smile on Lily's face faltered slightly as she saw her lean over to Rabastan Lestrange and whisper something in his ear.
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I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for Banana theater presenting "My Dad Was Not A Chimp".