For the second time this term and, they all hoped, for the last time the Marauders had reconciled. The four days just before Easter Holidays were bliss. The Slytherins found their common room in disarray two mornings in a row. When three Hufflepuff second years were caught out after curfew, they swore it was because a disembodied voice in their dormitories had told them that they were haunted. And that Sirius Black was a great shag. Then there had been a strange slapping noise and a groan. They had run downstairs in fear for their lives. Severus Snape also had an awfully horrible time; an ever present, ever enthusiastic Sirius Black kept James Potter's morale high and hexes flying. Lily rolled her eyes at James a la Remus and occasionally shot him a look of disapproval. These looks, strangely, almost always stopped James. And, of course, everyone noticed the way Sirius and Dorcas kept smiling at each other and then looking away quickly.
The morning before holidays were to begin, there was an attack on a Hufflepuff third year's family. He disappeared at breakfast. That night, Dorcas had taken Sirius by the hand and lead him up to his own bed. She had performed an imperturbable and then they repeated what they had done the night of the attack on the Idles. Just as quickly, she had left him and he had fallen asleep, feeling unburdened.
She met him in the common room the next morning, expressing a wish to talk to him before either of them left for home. They had ducked into a corner and she gave him that half-smile.
"I like what we're doing," she said quickly.
He nodded. "Me too."
"But, I really don't want to be your girlfriend," she said. "I want to be able to see other people, but I want to keep doing this."
"You mean shagging?" he was confused. Girls never wanted this.
She nodded.
Sirius didn't know exactly what to say. Had Dorcas just told him she was going to use him for sex? The way a bloke used a girl. He placed his chin in his hands.
"So, let me get this straight," he said slowly. "We're just going to shag? And if I want, I can shag someone else?"
"Only if I haven't claimed you for the night," she shrugged.
"Can I claim you for a night?" he asked, the words sounding more suggestive than he meant them too.
She pondered for a second and then nodded. "I think that would only be fair."
"And if one of us, well you, decides to date someone exclusively then…?"
"Then we end it," she said simply.
"Can I tell people about this?" he asked.
"Which people?"
"Oh you know, James, Remus, Peter…" This entire conversation felt awfully strange to him. He looked around the room to make sure no one could hear them discussing their sex agreement.
"You can tell them," she nodded. "But just them."
"Are you going to tell anyone?" She looked almost unnaturally calm, especially in the middle of this conversation.
She shrugged. "Probably not." Then she smiled. "Do you really care if I tell the entire school?"
Sirius scratched his head. "I guess I don't," he said.
She smiled wider and tipped her chin up. Then she held out a hand and he shook it. It felt odd to shake the hand of a girl he'd shagged twice already.
Lily took the Knight Bus to Bristol from Hogwarts. The trip was far longer than it should have been because there were about fifty other students dropped off before Lily's stop. Lily, however, didn't notice. Her mind was filled with thoughts of James Potter. Since that night in his room, she had not been able to get him off of her mind. He had called her Lily. When the conductor, a squat and rather hairy witch named Portia, had called out her stop, Lily had jerked out of her thoughts and charmed her suitcase to follow her out of the bus. Being of age in the wizarding world sure had its perks.
Her parents, a smiling redheaded man and a green-eyed woman wearing a paisley dress, were waiting for her.
"Mum, Dad," she beamed as she came off of the bus. She walked towards them, set down the trunk with a flick of her wand. She embraced both of them tightly; happy to see her parents again.
"Hullo Lily," George Evans smiled down at his daughter. "Rather nifty trick you've picked up."
"Oh the trunk," she shrugged. "It's nothing really."
"I sure wish it was nothing to me," he laughed. "Don't you Ruth?"
The woman laughed. "Yes I do. How have you been, Lily darling?"
"Wonderful," she said; James' smirk still floating around in her head.
"Well I imagine you've had a very long journey," her mother said, gently stroking Lily's hair. "You're probably exhausted."
Lily nodded. She was.
"Can you do that thing to your bag again and bring it to the car?" her father asked excitedly.
Lily laughed and shook her head. "What if someone sees, Dad?"
He frowned. "Alright," he frowned and leaned over to pick her luggage up. They walked to a parking lot at a nearby supermarket and reached an old brown hatchback. George put the suitcase in the back of the car and opened the back door for Lily. She smiled and sat down behind the driver's seat.
The entire way back Lily answered her parents in one word answers. She kept seeing James' hazel eyes light up when she had called him by his first name. She watched his lips form her name.
When they had pulled into the driveway of a modest two-level green-shingled home, George Evans stopped the car, turned off the engine, and pulled the keys from the ignition.
"Before we go in Lily," Ruth said. "We need to tell you something."
"What?" she asked.
"Petunia's engaged," her father said.
"To that complete wanker who was here at Christmas?" Lily said passionlessly. "What was his name? Victor…Virgil…Vermin?"
"Vernon," Ruth said. "And don't use that word, darling."
"Tosser would be a better choice," George said under his breath.
Lily giggled. It was something James would have said.
"Both of you stop it," Ruth said, though a slight smile had appeared upon her face. "He is going to be a member of this family. We have to at least try to be friendly."
"Moving on," George said. "He and Petunia have both requested that you refrain from using magic around the two of them, Lily. I'm not telling you that you have to do what they ask, but I feel you should know what they think about it."
"I'll do what I please," Lily said; too absorbed in her own world to give any real to Petunia and Vernon's stupid prejudices.
"Good for you," George smiled.
"Lily," Ruth turned over her seat. "Just be careful, alright?"
Lily didn't use magic during those two weeks, but it had nothing to do with Vermin or Petunia. She simply didn't need to. Her days were filled with day dreams about more normal conversations with James Potter. Her nights were filled with different kinds of dreams. Lily was shocked the first time she woke up in a sweat after James had loved her in her imagination.
"This is so typical," she thought, exasperated. "The minute he gives up on me, I fall head over heels in love with the bastard. This is completely his fault."
"We've picked a date," Petunia said during Easter dinner, her bony hand resting on Vernon's thick forearm. Lily was going back to Hogwarts the day after tomorrow and had rather mixed feelings about seeing James again. "August 15th."
"That means I have to be there," Lily thought angrily.
"And Lily," a fake smile crossed her face. "I hope you won't be too disappointed that I didn't choose you as a bridesmaid. I just felt I should give Marge some sort of offering."
"I'm not disappointed at all," Lily said as she took another bite of ham and thought of running her hands through James' messy black hair.
Petunia laughed weakly. Vernon frowned. "Anyway," Petunia continued. "We'll be having the wedding at Vernon's parents' house. And everything will be pale pink and there will be lace everywhere. And…"
"Can I bring a guest?" Lily asked suddenly.
Petunia looked at Vernon and smiled. "You know, Lily," she had that saccharine look on her face again. "I'm just not sure we'll have enough food for more guests…"
"Petunia," George interjected; giving his 20-year-old daughter a look he had probably stopped using when she was 15. "I think it would rather nice for Lily to have a friend around to help her celebrate your marriage."
Petunia inhaled quickly and Vernon grunted. "Very well then, perhaps we can squeeze in one more. If they're willing to stand during the ceremony."
Lily smiled and went back to her food; dreaming about the mayhem James could cause at Petunia's wedding before he took her to the side of the house for a furious snogging session.
It was quite a nice fantasy, really.
"You're telling me pork pies," James exclaimed as he caught his snitch.
Sirius shook his head. "That's what she said."
The two were sitting in James' room at the Potter mansion in Godric's Hollow. It was the largest bedroom on the 2nd floor, situated at the end of the hall. A large, carved mahogany four-poster bed stood in the center of a room painted a warm cream color. A desk and chair of the same wood stood in front of a huge window looking out over a large lawn beyond which was an expanse of forest. The wall opposite the window was completely covered with posters celebrating the Montrose Magpies, James' favorite Quidditch team. James was lying on his back on top of the very expensive-looking blue velvet coverlet on his bed throwing and catching his snitch. Sirius was lounging on a blue chair in the corner opposite the door and next to James' untouched-looking bookshelf.
"I still can't believe she shagged you that night," James sat up.
Sirius grinned. "Right there on the sofa in front of the fireplace."
"Remind me never to sit there again," James said. "No wonder you were so keen to make up with us the next morning."
"I'm sorry you don't understand the way it makes a bloke feel," Sirius said with an evil glint in his eye.
"Just because I haven't actually shagged a girl doesn't mean I can't imagine what it's like," James said defensively.
"Especially what it's like with Evans," he smirked. "Do you think that she's got red hair...you know…everywhere?"
James threw the snitch at Sirius. It hit him hard in the chest.
"Well do you?"
"Shut up Sirius," James lay back down on the bed; allowing his thoughts to drift to Lily Evans and the hair on her naughty bits.
After he had been silent for awhile, Sirius laughed out loud. "You're thinking about it, aren't you? Do I need to leave so you could have a wank about it?"
James left his imagination and returned to his room with Sirius. "Oh get over yourself," he growled. "You're not nearly as witty as you seem to think you are. Have you noticed that Dorcas Meadowes doesn't want to talk to you?"
"At least I know what color the hair on her naughty bits is," he winked back. "And I got to check a second time."
"You truly are a toffee-nosed arsehole, Sirius Black," James laughed.
"Well, Mr. Potter," he said. "Exactly what are you?"
"I don't care. Evans doesn't hate me. So I don't care," he smiled at the thought as Sirius threw the snitch at his head.