Ch. 6: Chanceux
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: Hello, loves! Sorry it's been so long my updating. It's Homecoming week, and since I'm so full of school spirit, I'm active in everything. I'm sure some of you understand. Anyway, I will write this now and try my hardest to get it posted ASAP! Thanks to you who reviewed!
(Oh, and unspokenpurity, you're too kind! Thanks so much for your review! It's so weird that your screen name, Unspoken Purity, was my AIM screen name for an entire year! Just a little background info.)
To you, Crafty Rabbit!
…
"Prooooongs," a voice whispered above him. He could feel a jabbing pain in his side and half-opened one eye lazily. "Prongs, m'boy, time to get up…"
"Mmmno," James protested, shutting his eye once more and turning on his side. He hid his face in his pillow sleepily. "Go 'way, you git."
"Go away? Git? Let me think about that," the voice replied, louder this time, but only just. "How about no."
James felt the stabbing in his side increase pressure, and jerked out of its way. However, by jerking out of the line of fire, he soon found himself in the air and suddenly collided with the hardwood floor. He groaned, knowing full well that it was much too early to even be thinking about waking up. Realizing now, as the cold air brushed against his skin, that it was impossible to go back to sleep, he stood.
"Why do you do this to me?" he said to the voice, turning around and rubbing his eyes to see none other than Sirius Black himself, alone, holding a lantern that glowed in the dark room. "How'd you get in here?"
Sirius stared at him for a second and replied, "How d'you think? I walked up to young Tenderfoot there and said the password."
It was James's turn to stare. He looked at him, dumbfounded. "How d'you know the password? It's the first day; I haven't seen you since we made it."
Sirius laughed and sat down on the bed. "C'mon, Prongs, I may have been born yesterday but I stayed up with you all night." James's confusion was apparently visible on his face as Sirius looked over his shoulder at him. "Chanceux, I don't know how many times you've said that to me in the past… I don't even know how long. I was making fun of you for knowing French. You told me that it would come in great handy in the future, and that very same day, everything that could go wrong, did. You got a 'T' on your Charms test, McGonagall gave you three weeks' detentions, Snape attacked you from behind and sent you to the hospital wing with a broken arm, and when you came back, you made a fool out of yourself in front of Evans and the entire school by charming the lot of the Slytherin table to stand up and dance, when it backfired on you."
Sirius wasn't looking at him, and James's mouth fell open.
"See?" Sirius said, turning fully around to look at him. "I know." He tapped his temple with his finger and smiled.
"How do you remember that?" James asked, perplexed. The memories of that day came flooding back into his mind like a waterfall, and he just shook his head. He couldn't believe Sirius just remembered something like that.
Sirius shrugged and answered in a nonchalant tone, "Just do." He paused. "So, Prongs, how was your first night here in this lovely dormitory?"
"Lovely," James replied contentedly, sitting back down on the bed next to Sirius and smiling.
"Ooo, did something… happen, Prongsie?" Sirius asked, smiling in a questioning way. James couldn't help but grin as he watched Sirius. How Sirius ever got along getting up as early as it was, James had no clue, because even though it was hardly dawn out, he was awake and lively as ever.
James shook his head. "No, nothing happened, Padfoot, we didn't even talk much, but she didn't yell either. Hey, come see this." James stood, trying to change the subject. He walked over to his fireplace, definitely taking in how cold the hardwood floor felt beneath his toes. He picked up the same picture he had told Lily about last night and shoved it into Sirius's hands, who had followed him over.
Sirius laughed a barkish laugh, at which James grinned. "Remember that?"
"Yeah, I remember that," Sirius responded jovially, grinning from ear to ear as he handed the picture back. "I was actually considering doing that to you this morning to see if you remembered. I can't believe you've still got this picture, Prongs."
"Well," James retorted, falsely becoming very serious. "It's not like I wanted a constant reminder of what a terrible bloke you've been these past years. The house elves kept it."
"Oh yes, and since I'm such a bloke I think I'll…" Sirius ran back to James's bed and grabbed the photo frame off his nightstand. James watched him turn around with a glint in his eye as he said, "take this picture and show Miss Evans just how much you fancy her, eh?"
Sirius started toward the door. James stared in shock. Did that bloke just say what I think he just said?
"Oh, Lily…" Sirius said in a singsong voice, staring at James as he walked through the door with the portrait behind his back.
"That…. idiot…" James said. He bolted out of his door.
…
"Oh, Lily…" Someone called out, their tones ringing throughout her large room. She recognized the voice, but she couldn't distinguish who it was. It definitely wasn't Potter. He was probably still asleep, being the lazy bum he was. Lily had been up for nearly an hour now, after showering in a large, luxurious marble bathroom (which she had discovered earlier this morning behind a small and plain wooden door), she had already dried her hair and gotten dressed. She sighed and continued to brush her hair at her vanity. Wait, she thought, stopping mid-brush. Then who is it…?
Suddenly, a figure burst into her bedroom, unannounced and unwelcome. Lily turned in her seat. She heard a crash as another figure jumped on the first, knocking it over, and both figures landed in a heap on the floor.
She recognized the two figures instantly. James Potter and Sirius Black, Lily thought, gaping at the two wrestling on the floor over something. Go figure.
"What—" Lily began, standing up and walking over, making a grab at what the two boys were wrestling over. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do. James began to fight more furiously for it, flailing his elbows about. Thus, Lily herself got knocked to the floor.
"Oof!" she exclaimed as she hit the floor with a light thud. Luckily, the rug took most of the impact, not her. "Potter! Black!" she screamed, beginning to become infuriated. "Get out of my room!"
"But Lily," Sirius called out, choking slightly now that James had victoriously gotten him on his stomach. He was now sitting on his back, holding both of Sirius's arms behind his back. Lily merely watched, becoming more and more amused by the second as Sirius jerked and bucked, trying to get James off his back. "We're having so much fun here, really, you should come join us." At this, James pulled on Sirius's arms and Sirius grinned a mischievous smile. Lily felt the corners of her lips twitch upward. "C'mon, mate, get off me, you have what you want!"
Lily saw the look of triumph on James's face and almost started giggling at the sight of his askew glasses and pinstriped pajamas. Almost. She stopped herself just in time, forcing her face into a look of disgust.
"If you two don't mind, this is my private quarters. It would be appreciated if you took your… wrestling… elsewhere." she said, standing and brushing off her uniform skirt and robes. She ushered them both out of her room (only after James ushered a quick apology, his ears slightly red). Sighing, Lily turned on the heel of her uniform oxford shoe and caught her reflection in the mirror. She stared at herself for a second, and then it hit her.
"How the hell did Black get in?"
…
"You are an idiot," James said, half-furious, half-joking as he looked sidelong at Sirius, who was grinning like a maniac. They were back in James's room now. Sirius was resting in one of his best friend's huge, comfortable chairs. His head was leaning over the back so James could see his face from where he was standing, which was at his wardrobe, and (having already showered seconds before) was now putting on his uniform.
"Yeah, but I'm a fun idiot," Sirius protested, still smiling. James slid his sweater over his shirt and tie carelessly. "Admit it, you would be in such a ruff without me. You'd probably be over there, right now, finding some way to woo her with your astounding abilities at being a dolt."
"Sod off, Black. For your information, I have more distinguishable qualities other than being a dolt. How could she resist me, I've got it all: charm, wit, brains, dashing good looks. Oh yeah, and a complete dog for a best mate…" James rolled his eyes in the mirror as he slid on his robes. "Why do you hate me?"
"Go on, Prongs, she was smiling!" Sirius protested. He still hadn't lost that cocky grin.
James stopped trying to clasp his robes together and whipped around. "She was?"
"Oh, yeah," Sirius responded lightheartedly, the grin gone. He was now looking at his fingernails as if it were the dullest topic in the world. "Yeah, but she stopped just before she yelled at us."
"Really." James replied, wanting to believe what Sirius said was true, but something in his gut was telling him it wasn't. "Well, either way, you're still an idiot. I can't believe you would go and show her that." He motioned toward his nightstand, where James had put the picture back in his drawer out of sheer cautiousness. James grabbed his book bag and began to walk out the door. Sirius followed, and they strode into the common room.
"I wasn't going to show her, Prongs. Do you really have that little faith in me? And after all these years, I thought you were my friend…" Sirius sighed dramatically, and James couldn't be angry anymore.
"Ah, whatever. It's over now. Don't do it again, or I'll let Moony bite that tail clear off that sorry arse of yours in two weeks." James retorted, referring to the full moon. Sirius laughed his bark-like laugh at this, and James grinned. They saw Lily, who was sitting at one of the chairs, reading a book. James's heart fluttered and he stopped, feeling wonderfully sick and still gloriously happy at the sight of her. With a sudden stroke of brilliance, he spoke.
"Hey, Lily, want to come down to breakfast with us?" he said, trying not to sound too eager or hopeful.
…
Lily looked up from her book, an old Muggle classic she had found on her bookshelf: Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. She had read it an innumerable amount of times, and yet always found it endearing.
"Well… sure, why not," Lily said, placing a bookmark at the beginning of chapter two and standing up. She grabbed her book bag and started over toward the two boys. "I guess if I am going to be coerced into spending time with you, James, then I guess Sirius comes with the package."
"Yes, he does," Sirius replied, chuckling slightly. "Rumors will fly, Lily-kinns, you know that?"
Lily sighed. She knew. Of course rumors would fly; they always did. "It happens to the best of us," she replied simply. Live and let live, Lily told herself quickly, though she couldn't suppress the worried feeling that was building up inside her. She hated rumors, almost more than she hated discrimination and bullying. "Let's go."
And off they set, out the Common Room door. Tenderfoot growled at their arrival, and waved them off with a swish of his tail. Sirius winked at him.
"That reminds me," Lily said, turning to Sirius, who was on her left. James was on her right. They both looked down at her. "How did you get in? You didn't tell him the password, did you?" She turned to James.
"Don't be ridiculous, Lily, Prongs here didn't even see me after the feast, even though he should have. You missed the greatest party…"
And Sirius started on about this party, which had apparently occurred in the Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory last night. He went on for half the walk down to the Great Hall. Lily was at a loss as to how Sirius was so awake right then if he had been partying the night before.
"Of course, without you there to keep me sane, Prongs, we went and found ourselves a bit of firewhi—"
"That doesn't answer my question. Did you guess the password?" Lily didn't want to hear about their night of festivities anymore.
"It was… shall I say, Chanceux, Lily," Sirius replied, staring at her with a smirk, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. James laughed right out.
Lily must've looked as bewildered as she felt, because James said, "It means luck in French. Something mum taught me before—"
James looked away just then, so she turned to Sirius for an explanation. He shook his head in the slightest way when their eyes met, and then grinned.
"Yes, I don't know how many times he's said it to me before, always referring to one thing."
Lily felt James whip around quickly from her right. She didn't look up at him.
"And that is?" she inquired innocently.
"Why, what else but Quidditch?" Sirius said, not looking at her, but at James. Their eyes met over her head and she rolled her own eyes toward the ceiling.
"Is that all boys ever talk about? Bludger this, Quaffle that… It just never gets old for you, does it?"
"Aw, go on Lily, you can't tell me you don't like Quidditch," James said, sounding disappointed. She looked at him and saw a fire in his eyes that must've come when the topic of his favorite sport arose.
She smiled innocently. "Just because I don't spend every waking moment dreaming about new Quidditch tactics or talking about the sport whenever I can, doesn't mean that I don't love it with as much a passion as either of you."
At this, James grinned wildly. Lily noticed then that they reached the Great Hall doors, and pushed one open.
…
James could not believe his luck today. Lady Chanceux was really pulling for him this morning; especially when Lily agreed to come down to breakfast with them. He was surprised that she even considered the option, taking into the fact that Sirius was often a handful and the two of them together was an unrivaled comedic duo. Or, at least, that is what people had told them over the years
James stepped before Lily and held the door open for her and Sirius both to pass through. He held his arm out and bowed as he leaned against the door, doing his best impersonation of a Muggle doorman that he could. Lily chuckled slightly as she passed through with a suave-sounding, "Thank you, my good man." Sirius even flicked a Knut at him, which caused Lily to laugh more. He loved the sound. It made his brain even fuzzier than it already was; James surprised himself at being able to walk over to the Gryffindor Table with Sirius and Lily without tripping.
The table was nearly empty—they were either very early or very late. James wouldn't be able tell the time right then if it was blinking neon pink right before his very eyes.
"Oh, there's Alice and Emmeline… I really have to talk to them. I'll see you two around." And with that, Lily was gone. Finally, James could breathe, if only just.
He sat down with Sirius, Peter (who was happily chomping on a piece of toast) and Remus, who had been sitting not far from Alice Webster and Emmeline Vance, looking at a sheet of paper. He was eating a kipper. James grabbed for one and missed completely, hitting (and almost knocking over) a glass of pumpkin juice. His body just didn't want to cooperate with his brain, as blissfully blank as it was at that point.
"What's up, Prongs?" Remus asked looking up at last from the piece of paper that he was holding. James barely took it in to be a near-full class schedule, with Remus Lupin, Gryffindor, Year 7 written across the top. "Feeling particularly dense today, or what?"
"To some extent," James heard Sirius reply. "Didn't you just see who walked down to breakfast with us, Moony?"
"No, I was busy looking at our schedules. Here," he said, passing each Sirius and James identical slips of paper. James took it, but didn't look at it.
"I did. What'd you do, mate, pay her, or curse her?" Peter joked from beside Remus. James smiled contentedly.
"The latter, Wormtail, because I'm so devious," James replied, just as jokingly. His eyes wandered down the table until they found Lily's conspicuous head of dark red hair. He smiled even more broadly she saw her laughing at something Frank, who had just sat down next to Alice, said.
Apparently, Remus had followed his gaze. "Well, that can be expected, can't it? They live together now."
"That sounds so weird," Sirius said suddenly, swallowing a mouthful of cornflakes. "Prongsie and Lily-kinns are living together. It's like hell has frozen over, or pigs are playing Quidditch—well, I guess if you don't count the Slytherins..."
Remus and Peter laughed openly at this. James, seeing the humor in this as well, decided Sirius was right. "Too true. And one day, it'll be without the looming obligation of Head Boy and Girl duties." James winked and laughed, pushing it off as a joke, but praying that one day, it might be a reality.
…
"Ugh," Lily said, almost spitting out her porridge as she glanced at her schedule. She scrolled down her list with a sigh. "Look what I've got… Double Charms, Double Potions, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and then… Transfiguration! I didn't even want Transfiguration! I barely scraped an O.W.L. in that class…"
"Quit complaining, Lily, at least you got your O.W.L. in that class," Alice retorted. "Think of how many people didn't."
Lily shrugged. Forgetting her porridge, she grabbed a piece of toast and buttered it. "So Emmeline, how was your first night back?"
Emmeline looked up from her own schedule and grinned. "It was alright. I'm deadbeat, though. Alice and I stayed up for hours… The dorm's pretty empty without you, Lily. Why didn't you come back up?"
Lily smiled. "Well, for one, my dormitory is so captivatingly breath taking that I couldn't just leave it at the drop of a pin. Not that I didn't miss you, but really, you must come see it. That is, if James doesn't mind you guys knowing the password, which I'm sure he won't. Guess who snuck in this morning?"
"Who?" Alice, Emmeline, and even Frank asked simultaneously.
"Sirius Black, can you believe? I'm sitting at my vanity, brushing my hair, when all of a sudden I hear someone calling my name, and then they burst into my room. Potter and Black, I mean. They were wrestling on my floor over what I think was a picture or something... It was the weirdest thing." Lily glanced down the table at them. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all laughing jovially. Sirius and James high-fived.
"And you came down to breakfast with the both of them today, Lily. Very smooth," Alice said sarcastically.
"What?" Lily had no idea why that was a bad idea. After all, weren't they friends?
"Well, if it wasn't already that a lot of people didn't like you becoming Head Girl, now the lot of James's and Sirius's, shall I say, 'fan clubs', will be at your throat for the next week."
"Why?" Lily was still completely bemused.
"Oh, go on, Lily. You're in the top five of our class, I thought you would already have this all figured out. What do you think it looks like when a boy and a girl, or two boys and a girl, show up together late for breakfast?" Emmeline explained. Lily blushed.
"That's not even funny, Emmeline. Don't even joke about that. You know I wouldn't—"
"Oh, yeah, sure, I know you wouldn't, but the female population, hell, probably half the male population, too, of Hogwarts doesn't." Emmeline replied calmly. Frank snorted. Lily blushed, now beginning to regret coming down with James and Sirius this morning.
"Well…" Lily started. "Rumors… do happen."
And with that, she arose, and headed off to Charms alone.
…
"Did you hear?"
"No, what?"
"Lily Evans, you know, the Head Girl? She came down to breakfast this morning with James Potter and Sirius Black!"
"No way! Do you really think…?"
"Yeah! Saw it myself."
"Wow, I never thought she of all people—"
"Shut up, there she is!"
Lily blocked out the sound of the three fifth-year Ravenclaws who she just passed in the hallway. She forced herself to ignore it, and succeeded greatly. Nosing around is for people who don't have lives of their own. She remembered the quote that her mother had once said whilst scolding Petunia for snooping in Lily's room, looking for who knows what. She might have been looking for a diary, perhaps, or any other form of sincere, physical evidence that she was normal. Lily didn't know. Right now, all she cared about was getting through her first day back.
She held her head high as she walked into Professor Flitwick's Charms classroom. The small professor greeted her happily.
"Hello, Ms. Evans! How are you feeling this beautiful morning?" His voice was high-pitched and almost squeaky, but it seemed to fit him well. He was so small that he had to sit on piles of books to position himself in visibility to the classroom over his desk.
"I'm just fine, Professor. How are you?" Lily lied, putting on a smile. She always did this around her teachers… it got old after a while.
"I am doing splendid, Miss Evans. I am so looking forward to our first class of the year! Before you ask, we'll be starting off reviewing what we went over last year. I'm sure you can let your mind wander today. Oh, and I must say, congratulations! Head Girlship, that is a very heavy honor!"
"Thank you, Professor," Lily replied, smiling modestly.
"And you too, Mr. Potter! I never saw it coming."
Lily spun around, only to come face-to-face with none other than James Potter. He smiled at her, looking gentle, almost? Lily couldn't tell, because in the next second, he was talking to Professor Flitwick.
"Nor I. However, Professor Dumbledore insisted…"
Lily sighed inwardly and took a seat near a window. She looked out it. Professor Flitwick was right; it was a beautiful fall day. She couldn't wait until her first break, after lunch, to go and take a stroll.
…
James, deciding to be bold, sat down in front of Lily. She didn't even notice, however, until he spoke up.
"Don't worry about what people are saying about you, Lily." He smiled, feeling his stomach flip-flop as her green eyes focused on him. The classroom started to fill up around him, but he didn't notice. "You know, they shouldn't be saying anything about you anyway."
Lily shrugged. "Nosing around is for people who don't have lives of their own," she responded, half-smiling. "I know. My sister, Petunia, is just like them."
James wondered why she told him this, but decided not to question it. He tried to press it a little further. "Oh? I didn't know you had a sister." This was a lie. James knew that Lily had a sister. He knew that she was a Muggle, and didn't like Lily because she was a witch.
"Yeah. She's awful. Despises me, she does, and has ever since I got my Hogwarts letter." When she said this, Lily looked back out the window. James knew then not to press it any further.
"Oh. Well, I wish I could feel your pain." He meant it, too. "I've got 3 brothers, and yeah, they're a bunch of gits sometimes, but, in a sense, he doesn't really count."
She looked at him and smiled. It was a genuine smile, one that made his heart hammer and his stomach twist into more knots than he could count. He loved it, so, so much. "Oh? What are their names?"
The bell rang just then. He noticed Sirius slide in, quickly followed by Peter. It was then that James noticed that Remus was sitting beside him. James chuckled happily.
"Their names? Sirius, Remus, and Peter." James grinned, liking the intrigued and happy expression on Lily's face, and turned around when he heard Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice fill the classroom.
"Welcome back, everyone, welcome back! Don't worry about getting out your books, we will just be reviewing some of the things we covered last year. Now, if you would all take out your wands. Who can tell me…"
…
Author's Note: Oh gods, I'm sooooo sorry about the delay! Don't be mad! I +heart+ you all! I hope you liked this one. I know I did. R/R, por favor!