Chapter 13
Monday. The first day of the delegation proper. Lily and James, as well as all the other students, woke up, feeling jittery and nervous. They dressed, had breakfast, and proceeded to the conference hall and sat down on the desk with the respective name of their school placed on top of it.
Lily and James, though they went downstairs at different times, arrived at the hall at exactly the same time. They both sat down, not saying a word to each other. A few minutes later, other students started filing in.
"Okay, Evans, listen," James said. "You and I both know that we want to win this, so, even now, we have to get a good start. We should not argue, and we should remain focused. If you want, you can have a motivation," Although it pained him to say it, he added, "Just…think of something that really, really makes you happy. Like…..Jake, for example. Use that, focus well, and we'll be able to do this".
Eager to lighten the mood, Lily laughed genuinely for the first time. "Potter, relax. This is a competition, not war. But you've got a point. No fighting during the delegation, understood? Don't even think of acting stupid and causing me to yell my head off, okay?"
"Now who's acting like a military general? But, seriously, are you insinuating that I act stupid and am the one responsible for all the fights?" James said.
"Yes".
"Evans….are you insulting me? I mean it; if you continue insulting me I'll-------"
"You're breaking your own rule," Lily pointed out. "No fighting remember? And for the record, I was not insulting you. I was merely reminding you to stop doing what you seem to do best: annoying the hell out of me".
Silence reigned for awhile, then James said, "Okay, wait, did we just have our first semi-decent conversation?"
"Hmm, I guess we did. I think our brains got damaged when we cast that spell yesterday," Lily said. Suddenly, everyone was silenced as Miss Vallarie took center stage.
"Welcome, students, to the Annual Wizarding Student's Delegation! Now, without further ado, let us now have the first event of the day: A debate. Our topic? Should Veritaserum should be banned from usage unless without Ministry approval? I will give all of you time to decide what team you'd like to be. You may work, together, or apart. To those who are on the positive side, stay on my right, and to those on the negative, to my left".
She waved her wand and seats appeared on either side. For the next five minutes, there was much commotion as the students hurried to go to their sides. Finally, everyone was silenced again. Lily and Ryan were on the positive side, while James and Rachel were on the negative. They drew lots, and, surprise, surprise, Lily and James were the two to do the opening arguments.
Lily said an impromptu but well-thought out speech, as did James. It all seemed very formal and proper, at first, but then, the arguments started.
"So, Miss Evans," James said, "You're saying that Veritaserum can only be applicable to use only when there is a Ministry approval?"
"Yes".
"But, haven't you thought of the scenario that, in an event where, let's say, there's someone after you. You catch that person, and want him to confess what he's doing, and the only way is to use Veritaserum. Are you saying that you should deprive ordinary citizens of using a potion to possibly save their lives, for example, just because they don't have Ministry approval? Absolutely ridiculous," James said.
"Well, Mr. Potter," Lily rebutted, "Haven't you also thought that it is quite unlikely for random people to find that they have stalkers? And besides, Veritaserum is not the only way to get the truth out of someone. There are spells too. And furthermore, why would ordinary wizards and witches carry Veritaserum in their pockets when, it is a highly complex potion to make, and the price of this is very expensive and often sold only in black or underground markets?"
At this, the judges wrote something in their clipboards. It looked as if they were quite impressed by the two Hogwarts students.
Knowing that it was an excellent point, James tried to fight back. "But, in the event that someone does know how to brew a Veritaserum potion, why deny them the chance to use it for good?"
"For good? Please. What if that someone was using it for darker intentions? If without approval from the Ministry, it would cause a complete mishap, especially in the hands of a common civilian".
"Civilian?" James retorted. "Why are you talking about ordinary witches and wizards like this is some espionage case? And speaking of which, don't tell me that those wizard agents who are sent on the said cases can obtain information merely by spying and spells. They need a strong truth potion, and I doubt that the Ministry authorizes them".
"Actually, if you did your reading, you would find out that the Ministry does authorize those agents to use Veritaserum, seeing as the Ministry is the one who sends the said agents out on the missions in the first place".
That seemed to stump James. Yet, for the sake of his pride, he couldn't bear to back down. As a result, he ended up saying something that really didn't make any sense for the side he was on. "But….don't you realize that, if…uh…..Veritaserum and spells aren't the only ways to get information out of someone. There is also a simpler way called asking someone".
Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy. Not only did Lily subtly make that same point just a while ago, but he had just made a point that benefited the Positive side.
"Alright, Potter, I'm not sure what you just said since that looked like it benefits my side, not yours. But, alright, fine". Lily said. The other delegates were definitely interested right now. "Let's have a test, to satisfy both my side's opinion, and your claim. I'll ask you one question, but with a twist. If you lie, my wand will give a red light, and if you're saying the truth, it'll turn blue. Here's the question. Who do you like?"
She wasn't really sure why she had asked that, really. It just slipped out. But still, she was curious since he had been acting sort of odd lately. Not that he wasn't always odd, but that wasn't the point.
Everyone in the room waited with baited breath. Damn, James thought, I can't admit that I like her in front of all these people. Thinking wildly, he said the first thing that came into his mind. "I plead the fifth amendment". He smiled smugly at the redhead, thinking that he had gotten the best of her.
Unfortunately for him, Lily did know what the Fifth Amendment was. "Potter, you can't plead the Fifth Amendment because, one, we are in a debate held in a conference hall, not in a criminal case held in a court of law. Two and more obviously, we are in Rome, thus making United States laws null and void, so I suggest you stop trying to invoke U.S laws in Rome, stop stalling, and answer the question".
Ugh, this girl is good, James thought despairingly. Aloud he said, struggling to keep his cool, "How'd you know that?"
"My father is a lawyer. And it just so happens that I'm very interested in his work, which had also involved studying American laws. But that's besides the point. Answer my question".
Knowing it was no use, James opened his mouth to, well, lie, but at that moment-----CLINK!
Ms. Vallarie rang the bell. "Alright, delegates, time is up. Thank you for the ….uh…..very…..interesting argument. Let's have the next pair, please". And so it progressed.
When they were called for a short break, Lily went over to James and hissed as if it really mattered to her that she knew, "I will find out who you like even if it's the last thing I ever do".
"I wonder how you'd feel if you knew it was you?" James wondered as he joined Ryan and Rachel.
..------..
Finally, it was the last activity of the day. The whole day was dedicated to the debate, and a few minor activities. After lunch, they had all headed back for the afternoon activities. Then, they had listened to a talk on good leadership, and had other fun activities as well.
Ms. Vallarie came up on stage. "Now, for the final activity of the day. We will have a Muggle activity called a Trust Fall. This will test your trust in your fellow Head, as we believe that trust is a key component to cooperation, and good leadership. It's a very simple activity; all you have to do is turn around and start to lean backwards, as if you're falling. It is imperative that you trust your partner to catch you. The rest of the hour will be done for that, and by tomorrow, we will have a demonstration by each pair. Begin".
With that, everyone paired up with their partners and started to practice. Some people, like Rachel and Ryan for example, were able to do it, albeit a few minor mishaps, but some were not. Really, you'd be surprised at how little trust some people have in each other. Like Lily Evans and James Potter for example.
"Potter…you had better catch me!" Lily warned through gritted teeth as she turned back on James. Kind of wanting to get back at Lily, and as if possessed by some annoying Sirius demon, James snapped into annoying prat mode.
"Hmm, and what if I don't? It might be possible that my hand just slips…..and….makes you land into the cold, hard, marble floor!" James taunted. He didn't really mean that, seeing as he liked Lily, but, as mentioned before, he was possessed by an annoying demon.
Strange.
"Would you just shut up and catch me already!" Lily said, annoyed.
"How can I catch you if you haven't even fallen yet?" James pointed out.
"You know what? This is hopeless. Why don't we switch places?" Lily suggested.
"Fine. But you'd better catch me, understood?" James said as the two switched places.
"I'll try. But I won't promise," Lily said evilly.
"EVANS! Would you just quit it with the remarks and get on with it already!" James said.
"How can I do that if you haven't even fallen yet?" Lily said, imitating James's words.
Sometimes I wonder why I like this girl, James thought. Aloud he said, "Come on; let's just do this, okay?" Just as he was about to lean backward, Lily cried, "STOP!"
James turned to look at her. "What?"
"I just realized that I couldn't possibly catch you. I mean, look at me, I'm a healthy-sized human being whereas you….well, let's just say I might not be able to catch your fall!"
"Are you saying that I'm fat?" James said, thoroughly insulted.
"Hmm, I guess so, yes," Lily said, folding her arms.
"Evans, why the hell aren't you cooperating? This could affect our standing for the competition, you know," James informed her.
"I'm not cooperating, Potter, because I don't trust you. Just like Ms. Vallarie said, trust is a key component in cooperation and good leadership. And in case you haven't noticed, I have trust issues involving you," Lily said.
"How can you quote her perfectly? I can't even remember half the things she said!" James said, looking surprised.
"I listen, Potter," Lily told him succinctly. "Which is more than I can say for you".
Before he could retort, a bell rang. "Alright, everyone, that's enough. Please get some practice for this activity, and we will have the demonstration tomorrow. That is all for today. Be here at the same time tomorrow. Thank you, and have a nice day," Miss Vallarie said.
As soon as the doors opened, the students left, chatting excitedly, their conversations mostly revolving around the interesting start of the debate by Miss Lily Evans and Mr. James Potter of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
