Title: Light
Author: Amelia Bedelia
Chapter Thirteen: Kisses amid Other Things
AUTHORS NOTE: Chapter thirteen. I'm pretty annoyed right now, but not as much as I was earlier. Read the bottom for further explanation.
Chapter Thirteen: Kisses amid Other Things
"Gerroff, Moony! I need my beauty sleep," Sirius mumbled as he had the morning before, shielding his face from the blinding light with a pillow.
James walked out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth.
"Pafoo! Et uhp!" he hollered, flecks of spit shooting at Remus and Sirius.
Remus raised his eyebrows at James. And, with large amounts of drama, wiped his face clean. "I beg your pardon – I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat it again without the toothbrush in your mouth this time?"
James narrowed his eyes, walking to the sink to spit any excess toothpaste out of his mouth.
"Sirius," James said clearly, opening the door that led down to the common room, ready to run, "There will never be enough sleep in the world to fix your beauty!"
James bolted out of the room just before Sirius shot straight out of bed. "Get back here, James!"
Laughing, James ran downstairs. He hopped gracefully up and over the couch while Sirius, on the other hand, managed the "up" part but didn't quite make it over on his feet. He did, however, manage to gain some ground as James wasted precious time laughing at him.
"Hullo, James, Sirius," Lily said as they ran around the chair she sat in.
"Hi, Lily – bit busy now…" James panted. He managed to get Sirius on one side of Lily's chair and himself on the opposite side, behind her.
Lily pulled up her feet carefully so they wouldn't get trampled on by Sirius, who seemed to have only one target.
"Look, there's Bella!" James shouted, pointing at the girls' staircase.
Sirius spun.
James used this time to run out of the common room and, presumably, to the Great Hall.
Lily laughed as hard as she could, clutching her side.
Sirius glared at her and flopped onto the couch, crossing his arms. It was then, though, that he realized all he had on was flannel pants and no shirt. Several younger girls were staring avidly at his bare chest.
Slightly embarrassed, Sirius walked back to get dressed, only to come back down with Remus and Peter behind him.
Lily continued laughing for several minutes afterwards with an odd chuckle when you'd least expect it, as they waited for the other girls to come downstairs.
Not more than five minutes later, Bella skipped down the steps.
"You know," she said, "I think I'd rather slide down."
Breanna ran down after her. "I think I'd have to agree with you there, Bella!"
They laughed and left to the Great Hall. Sure enough, James was already sitting down, eating.
Sirius, taking advantage of the distraction, now hit him in the back of the head. But he hit him a bit harder than planned – or did he? Because James' head was thrown forward and landed in the plate of food.
What a sight it was.
He sat back up, revealing scrambled eggs all over his face. A few had also fallen down his shirt in the process.
James stood up and began dancing around, attempting to rid his shirt of eggs.
Apparently, the eggs were still very hot.
Lily couldn't handle much more laughter. Tears of mirth ran down the side of her face. She sat down in James' place and rested her elbow on the table. But it didn't land on the table – it fell in his plate of eggs.
If anything, this just caused Lily to laugh harder.
Things wound down a bit afterwards. Everyone found their spots and began eating just as the mail arrived.
The Daily Prophet dropped on the table in front of James. He paid the owl for the newspaper everyday. Normally, that was the only piece of mail in front of the Marauders.
James unraveled the newspaper. One glance at the headline and his face paled. He swallowed hard.
"Shit."
Lily looked over at James' disbelieving face. "What? What is it?"
James ran a shaky hand through his hair and began reading aloud.
"'On January 6th, there was an attack at the Ministry of Magic. Due to this unfortunate and unexpected attack, stricter security will be enforced in the Department of - ' "
"James, hurry up! Was anyone hurt?"
James scanned through the article and quoted a few lines. "'Twelve Ministry workers were reported dead at the scene of the crime and three missing.' And there's a list here. James read down the column of people who died. "No one I know. And - " James stopped in mid-sentence, shaking. " 'The three people missing are as follows: Gabriella Starnmen, Charles Roysen, and Cecilia Roysen.' "
There was a silence so deafening, Lily was almost about to cover her ears from the noise. And it wasn't only from their table but the others as well.
Several people watched Breanna's expression to this news. She seemed to be the only person whom this attack had affected personally, and she seemed to be taking it surprisingly well.
It looked as if it took all of the strength she had to swallow and speak. "So, Voldemort attacked last night and my parents are either held hostage or dead." She nodded a few times, trying to act as if everything were fine, as she had said.
She carefully picked up her glass of milk and sipped it daintily. But after the bittersweet taste drained down the back of her throat, Breanna dropped the glass on the floor, shattering the silence, as well as the glass, and sobbed into her hands.
Remus wrapped his arms securely around Breanna, allowing her to cry freely into his shirt.
Both Bella and Lily teared up a bit as well, wiping tears from their eyes and refusing any help from Sirius or James.
Standing up, Remus helped Breanna to the Hospital Wing.
Sirius looked around helplessly. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked, quietly.
James cast him a look that specifically told him not to speak – and Sirius obeyed without another thought.
"I can't believe it," Bella whispered through her tears. "They were probably just working late a-and…" she stopped speaking.
Lily nodded, silent tears rolling down her face.
James noticed this and began to wipe them away with the pad of his thumb, but Lily swiped his hand away from her.
"I can handle this myself, James," she said, hurriedly wiping her face with the back of her hand.
James sat back, hurt. "Alright," he muttered, quietly.
Lily didn't move, feeling guilty all of a sudden. He was only trying to help. "James, I'm sorry. I just – well, first my parents and now, most likely, Breanna's and I feel like everything's caving in on me now! I feel so – so – helpless!"
James nodded, picking up his book bag and swinging it over his shoulder. "I understand. I don't have to take care of you like you're a child. I-I'm just going to go. I'll see you all later."
With a quick glance at the newspaper, he took off.
"Lily," Sirius said from across the table. She glanced at him, looking a bit cold and frightened. "He really cares for you. I'd be careful about what you might say. He takes a lot of things personally, especially with his good friends."
Slowly, Lily nodded. "Thanks. I'll remember that. I should apologize or something. I didn't mean to get him angry."
"Lily, just go talk to him before class. It's no big deal," Bella said.
"You're – you're sure?"
"Positive," Sirius replied, smiling kindly.
Lily
nodded and smiled as well. "Am I overreacting?"
"Yes, Lily, you are," Bella said without a hitch, "but that's just what happens when you're in love," she joked.
Lily chuckled. "Oh, hush," she muttered.
(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)(%) Breanna (%)(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)
"Breanna, come on. Just have Madame Pomfrey clear up your face a bit. She won't ask questions, I promise."
Remus attempted to pull Breanna to the Hospital Wing, but she wouldn't budge from her chair in the back of the library.
"No, Remus, I'm fine! Really, just - " she wiped her eyes and began searching for something else to talk about. "Have you read a good book recently?"
"What? Breanna, listen - "
"Remus! I have to get my mind on something else. Please," she begged. "Help me."
Tears pricked up in her eyes and Remus gave in. "Ok, something to distract you."
"Yes. Anything."
Remus paused. "A-anything?"
"Anything at all."
Well, there was something he had been screaming at himself to tell her, but never could. Now was his chance. "Alright, but first you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else."
She rolled her eyes, the old Breanna coming back. "You've known me for years. Have I ever slipped to anyone that I was secretly friends with you? Seriously, Remus, think about what you just said."
He smiled and shook his head. "I guess not. Ok. Uh, here goes. I, uh – Breanna, I'm - "
"Remus, relax. Whatever your, er, secret – it's safe with me." She placed her hand on his arm, gently, giving him confidence.
He blushed slightly. "Breanna, I'm not really sick when I say I am. And I'm not really home taking care of my mother either."
She nodded, giving him a slight questioning look. "So, where were you?"
Remus swallowed. Maybe he shouldn't tell her. It could ruin all chances he ever had with her in the first place. She could be angry with him for not telling her sooner!
Sure, it could. But would that really happen?
"Breanna, I'm a werewolf."
"Mmm-hmm."
Remus gaped at her. "Did you hear me correctly?"
"Yes, Remus, I did, a-and, to tell you the truth, I sort-of already knew."
"You – what?" Remus' look of astonishment did not change one bit. "How?"
Breanna sighed, the look of sorrow disappearing briefly from her face. "I had my suspicions. I mean, did you really expect me to believe that you left once a month – every month? I'm not as stupid as I look."
Remus' look of astonishment dropped, he took on a look of seriousness. "You could've fooled me."
"Remus!"
"I'm joking," he said, chuckling softly. His eyes were focused on his hands.
No one spoke.
Bravely, Remus turned his gaze upward, staring deeply into Breanna's hazel eyes.
She swallowed. He had never looked at her like this before.
"Breanna, there's one other thing that you don't know."
"Yes?" she whispered, barely managing to get the words out, focusing on his face, merely inches from her own.
And with little warning, he leaned in, securing a place for his lips on top of hers.
For a moment, Breanna didn't know how to react. But soon, a feeling of want surged through her veins and she put her hands on the back of his head, urging him to close what space remained between the two.
Remus' reaction had been very similar to that of hers, shocked by his own braveness. But as she pulled him closer, his nerves inside of him seemed to vanish completely and, gently, he deepened the kiss, heart racing.
Reluctantly, they broke apart, slightly red in the face and breathing like they'd run a marathon.
"Well," Breanna whispered, smiling, "I can't say I was really expecting that bit of information."
"I've been waiting since day one to kiss you," Remus whispered back, gazing intently back into her eyes. "I've had to hold back for six, incredibly long years."
"I'm glad you didn't hold back any longer. I wouldn't have been able to stand it myself."
And with that said, Remus pulled Breanna carefully onto his lap, stroking her cheek absent-mindedly. "So, are we 'official'?" he asked, grinning up at her.
She nodded and craned her neck, losing herself in another breathtaking kiss.
!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~Lily~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
"James?" Lily asked quietly. "Can I, uh, sit here?"
James shrugged and moved his bag that had been in the seat next to him.
Lily slid into the chair. "I'm sorry, James. I didn't mean to snap at you this morning."
"Whatever," he muttered, folding his arms across his muscular chest that Lily seemed to be noticing more now than before.
"I was just feeling overwhelmed," she explained, turning in her chair to face him.
He shrugged again, looking at the opposite end of the classroom.
"James," she pleaded, tears sounding evident in her soft voice, "I'll be sad at points in my life – sometimes thinking I don't need anyone – but, truth is, I do need someone. I want you to be by my side through everything. Please," Lily whispered, "James, look at me."
Silently, James turned back to Lily. He raised a hand and brushed away the tears, just as he had earlier, although this time she let him finish his job.
He smiled at her. "I'll be there, Lily. Through thick and thin."
She smiled back through her watery eyes and reached for his hand, giving it a small squeeze.
"Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, laughing, trying to ignore the pleasant feeling creeping up his arm from her soft touch.
Lily laughed as well, sitting back and thinking about how lucky she was to have James with her.
!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!* Later *!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!
"James! You there? Come on, Prongs, buddy, where are you?"
James scrambled up, flinging open the trunk that he was resting on. Breanna, sitting wrapped in Remus' arms on his bed, followed James as he threw the trunk open.
"Damn it. Where's that mirror?" He tossed objects around the dormitory, obviously searching for something important.
Lily, leaning against James' trunk as well, had moved away, a bit frightened from his sudden movements, and Bella was leaning on Sirius' trunk next to Lily, laughing softly.
"Ah," he said, sounding relieved. "Found it. Sirius, you still there?" James questioned, sitting back next to Lily and looking at the mirror.
"Yeah, I'm here," Sirius' voice responded, echoing throughout the crowded room. "Where were you? You told me that you'd have the mirror, waiting for me!"
"Well, your detention started over an hour ago! I thought you had forgotten about us!"
Sirius made an obvious sound of annoyance. "Professor Sonetra was watching me the whole time! She finally left, but it's only a matter of time until she comes back."
"What's your punishment?" Bella asked. She climbed onto James' bed, leaning over his and Lily's shoulder, at the mirror.
"She's got me cleaning a mess in the Potions room – without magic. Professor Crayzl was all soft on the girl whose seventeenth cauldron exploded this year and he didn't make her clean it! I swear, that Potions teacher is too soft for his own good. It was holding some acid type concoction. But, anyway, I'm stuck cleaning the dungeon, because that girl got away with this mess."
"At least it's not bed pans again," Remus supplied, hopefully, at the other end of the room.
Breanna laughed and snuggled deeper into Remus' chest, smiling, and lacing her fingers through his.
Lily rolled her eyes and snatched the mirror from James' hands. "Sirius, you better finish that quick and get up here soon. Those two are starting to make me sick to the stomach," she joked, pointing an accusing finger at the couple Sirius couldn't see, but knew about. "We've tried everything to get them to take a break from each other and nothing's working!"
"Did you try Operation House Elf?"
"We – what?" Lily looked next to her at James to see if he had any idea what this code that Sirius was speaking of was. He nodded his head.
"Yeah, we did that one," Lily said, looking back at Sirius. "I think."
"How about Code Seven?"
Another nod from James. "Yeah, I guess that's another one we've tried," Lily said.
Sirius raised an eyebrow, thoughtfully. "Tent one-oh-one? The Library Maneuver? Orange Duck?"
Lily didn't even bother asking what any of this nonsense meant. It would probably be better for her sanity that way. "Did it, did it, did it," James said, ruffling his hair.
Remus stuck his tongue out at James and Lily in a childish manner. "We defeat all Marauder plans!" he said, hugging Breanna tighter.
"Yeah, well you came up with half of them!" James pointed out, a small smile crawling onto his lips.
"My point exactly," Remus said, grinning.
Sirius sighed, audible through the mirror – and stopped in the middle of it. "Shit," he whispered. There was a ruffling noise and the next thing Lily saw was the inside threading of Sirius' shirt.
No one in the room said a thing as a door, from Sirius' end, not theirs, creaked open.
"Mr. Black, how are we coming along here?" It was Professor Sonetra. "Tut, tut… Barely a dent from when I last left. At this rate, you could be here well into tomorrow."
Heels clicked along the floor. "Yes, you'll be here until midnight at the least, I say. Not even halfway done, I - "
She didn't finish her sentence. There was a soft, strangled noise. "M-Mr. Black – finish your d-detention. Go back to your dormitory when you're d-done." A swooshing sound, more heels clicking, a slam of the door, and Sirius pulled out the mirror again.
"Did you see the way she was acting just now?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course, Sirius! We saw everything through your shirt," she said, sarcastically.
Sirius stuck his nose straight up in the air. "Well, you don't have to snap at me about it! I just won't tell you then."
"Sirius," Bella complained, stealing the mirror from Lily and bringing it to the spot just in front of his school trunk, "what did Sonetra do?"
He didn't move for a minute, obviously thinking something over and then spoke. "She walked in all high and mighty, you know, like she always does, but just then – I don't know how to explain it. Like she was all of a sudden some coward. And she was holding her arm, like it was burning or something."
"B – Burning?" Breanna piped up, looking away from Remus for the first time in hours. "On her arm?"
"Yeah," Sirius said. He pulled out his wand.
"Sirius, what on earth do you think you're doing?" Bella shrieked. "You're not supposed to use your wand!"
"Breanna," Remus whispered, looking down at her, concerned. "You all right? What is it, sweetie?"
She was breathing very fast now, hand on her chest.
"Come on, what's wrong? Breanna!" He shook her shoulder now and she seemed to jump back into reality.
"She – I - " Breanna stood up abruptly and grabbed the mirror. "Sirius – get up here. I have something I need to tell you." She glanced around the room as well. "To tell you all."
Sirius nodded and started to run up to the dormitory. Not even a minute passed and Sirius was back in the dormitory, breathing heavily. "What – is – it?" he panted.
Breanna had managed to calm down a bit in the time it took Sirius to run up to the room. "Professor Sonetra – she's a Death Eater!"
"She's a – a what? What's a, uh, Death Eater?" Lily asked, looking around the room confusedly.
"Death Eater," James said, quietly, on the other side of Lily. His arms were wrapped tightly around his knees, chin resting on top. "They're the other things, aside from Voldemort, of course, that you would never want to meet. His most faithful supporters," James summed up, staring out of the window in deep thought, apparently.
"Wait a minute," Sirius cut in, joining Bella on the floor next to the trunk she was leaning against, "how do you know Sonetra's a Death Eater? Just because her arm hurt?"
"Every Death Eater has the Dark Mark inscribed on their skin, given by Voldemort himself once they join his ranks."
"So, it just started hurting now for no reason whatsoever?" Lily asked, trying to absorb all of this information at once.
"You see, that's just the thing. It burns. Not just at anytime, though. When it burns, Voldemort is calling them. And it is then that most destruction is caused in the world."
"And how, pray tell, do you know all of this?" Bella asked, astonished by Breanna's knowledge of the dark side.
"My - " she stopped, looking down at her hands again. "T-they told me. They fought the Death Eaters a lot at the Ministry."
No one said anything, knowing exactly whom Breanna was talking about – her parents.
Lily looked over at James. He was rocking back and forth, eyes scrunched up as if he were in immense pain. His knuckles had turned white from gripping at his legs around him so hard. And then, without warning, he let go of himself and tossed up his dinner on the floor.
Lily pulled out her wand immediately, cleaned the mess as quick as she could, and dragged James out of the room without a second thought about it. "We're going to the Hospital Wing," she told the others, shutting the door behind her.
James stumbled down the steps, clutching onto anything he could so that he would not to fall down flat on his face. Lily was one of the most common things he held onto so he wouldn't lose his balance. But once they reached the common room, James threw himself on the couch, holding his stomach and keeping his eyes clamped shut, which obviously didn't help walking down the stairs.
A few second years, the only ones left in the room, glanced up from their last minute homework and wandered over, curious.
"Who's that?" a boy asked, trying to peek over the side of the couch.
"Get to your dormitories," Lily said in a deadly calm voice, shooting sparks out of her wand at his feet. The other second years stopped walking, unable to see who was lying on the couch.
"Whoa, we just wanna know what - " another started, but Lily cut him off.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for disobeying a Prefect. Get to your dormitories," Lily hissed, "now."
They scurried from her, afraid of what she might do next. She heard a few doors slam closed.
"James?" Lily whispered, shaking him slightly. "Wake up."
She knew this would have no affect whatsoever on him. And it didn't, for he just continued rolling around on the couch.
And then he rolled to the side, hurling once again.
He didn't move this time, lying perfectly still. Lily could see small beads of sweat running down the side of his face, eyes still closed, though not as tight as they had been earlier.
"James?" Lily whispered, tentatively. "Are – are you all right?"
He shocked her by pulling out his own wand and cleaning his vomit, sitting straight, breathing hard. Lily looked up into his blue eyes. There were tears forming. "Lily," he croaked out, his voice hoarse as if he hadn't used it in a century. "I could see them. Everyone. Even her parents."
"James, slow down. One detail at a time. Now, what did you see?" she asked, half of her wanting to know the answer, the other half dreading it just as much.
"I saw Voldemort. And the Death Eaters. A-and Professor Sonetra."
Lily was confused. "But, how could you? You said your – er - " Lily lowered her voice even though it seemed like none were around to hear her – "gift was to know when danger was near you."
James swallowed, looking almost as confused as Lily. "Last night, I had a dream. But I found out this morning – it wasn't a dream. It was real – all of it. I saw everything as I did now, but only fainter. With Voldemort and everyone!" He was saying this all fast as if Lily were about to break him off and say she didn't believe him. "I knew it was him – I just knew somehow – but I couldn't see his face. It wasn't clear – no one's was. And they broke into the Ministry – killed all the people as they said in the newspaper. My stomach hurt during the dream and when I woke up in the middle of the night, I had a headache. I was sure everything was a dream then. But this morning, my fears were all confirmed. And just now, the same thing happened. Though more vivid."
He swallowed. "I think my so called 'gift' has expanded," he told Lily, running a hand through his hair as he always did when he was nervous. Lily was beginning to like these small traits about him instead of loathe them like she used to. "Now that I've figured out at least part of my 'gift', my brain is understanding and letting the full 'dark detector' come straight at me and this 'gift' has sharpened. I know, not only when there's something dark around me, Lily, but whenever there's anything dark, period! I can see it."
Lily stood up, walking around the room. "You can see it? You saw their little - " Lily fumbled for the words – "gathering?"
"I'd hardly say little, Lily," James whispered, burying his face in his hands. "And I only saw the points where dark curses were used."
"Used?"
He nodded.
"James," Lily spoke, sitting next to him on the couch, "what did you see?"
He swallowed, paling. "Sonetra. She spoke to Voldemort at the beginning. S-she told him how Bella and Breanna are my friends now. And he – he just grinned."
Lily swallowed a lump in her throat. "Now their families will be endangered also?"
James nodded again. "I can't believe it," he mumbled, trying to hide his tears from Lily by wiping them on the back of his hands while his head was bent, facing away from her.
"It's alright, James. Everything will - "
"No, Lily," he cut in softly. He swallowed. "That wasn't all that happened. After she talked to Voldemort, he started to torture – to torture – Lily, he - "
"He has Breanna's parents, doesn't he?" she asked, tears threatening to fall.
And slowly, for the third time, James nodded. "He wanted something from them. Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on her mum first. But she wouldn't tell – s-so he, uh…"
Lily closed her eyes, letting the tears flow freely. "What about her dad?" she asked.
"Same thing." James wrapped his arms around her slowly as she crumbled into him, sobbing. He let her cry everything out on his shoulder. "The vision ended there." He pulled her closer as if to protect her from some unknown force.
"Come on, Lily," he said, leaning away from her. "Wipe away those tears and let's - "
He froze and then curled into a ball again, backing from Lily, looking like a poor, defenseless child. James started to shake as he had before, eyes shut and sweat dripping from his face.
Doing some quick thinking, Lily ripped off the bottom piece of her school uniform and dabbed it on his face, wiping the sweat away.
Please don't make him suffer like this, she thought, worried for his health. Let him have a normal teenage life while he can!
As if her prayers were answered, James rolled off the couch, hands and knees on the floor, and had a coughing attack as if he had just been choked.
At least he's not throwing up, Lily thought, patting him gingerly on the back.
"What happened?" Lily asked, helping him up.
"That other woman, the one who was missing, she resisted. They killed her, too."
Lily swore. "At least you're not puking anymore," she spoke, trying to fill the empty silence.
James shrugged, still pale in the face. "I think I'll eventually get used to this 'dark detector' thing after something happens each time, and the pain won't bother me as much anymore."
Lily shook her head and stood up. "You shouldn't have to get used to anything."
James looked over at her quickly. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you shouldn't have to be adjusting your life because of this stupid gift you've got!" Lily said, red in the face. "It's not fair to you. You're not even an adult yet!"
James shrugged. "Things happen and you can't help them."
"But you're a child! James, you shouldn't have had your parents die at such a young age, Dumbledore shouldn't have told you about your ancestors!"
James grabbed onto her shoulders, stopping her in mid-rant. "Lily. Stop." He swallowed, feeling very aware of his hands which were still on her shoulders. "No, it's not fair that things like this happened to me at such a young age, but I've learned to cope with them! I'll be fine."
"That's just it, James!" she said, stepping away from him. "You shouldn't have to!"
"Look, I've got you guys as friends, I'm fine. As long as I have someone to rely on, I'll be just as happy as the next person."
"But, James!" she stopped and waved her hands around in the air, making a motion to stop. "Look, let's just forget it. I'm sorry. Shall we join everyone else upstairs?" she asked, motioning toward the steps.
James nodded and walked slowly on shaky legs, slinging his arm around Lily's neck, not trusting himself to walk without any help. "Don't tell them anything."
"I won't," she promised.
Before they even reached the stairs, however, five pairs of eyes met them.
"Hey," Breanna said, "we were wondering if you forgot us!"
James and Lily each gave nervous laughs. "Madame Pomfrey – she gave me a – uh, pepper-up potion."
"Yeah," Lily agreed, quietly.
Sirius laughed. "Sure, Prongs. Then where's the steam coming out of your ears?"
James looked at Lily quick, begging for her to help him out. "Oh, you caught us!" she said, laughing.
James froze, horror running through his veins. She wouldn't tell them – would she? Especially after he had just told her not to!
"James decided he was fine once we reached the infirmary. But, as you can see," she said, pointing to his arm around her neck, "he's still finding it hard to walk. I think he just chickened out," Lily laughed, pinching his cheek as if he were a small baby.
And James laughed along. Not only was he glad that Lily had covered for him, but he was starting to feel happier with her joking around. His mood seemed to lighten a bit.
"Anybody up for chess?" Remus asked, pulling out the chessboard and setting up the pieces.
"I'm in!" Sirius said, bounding over.
"Uh – I'll just watch tonight. You know," James said, patting his stomach, "I don't want to ruin your chessboard or anything."
The rest of the night was spent in silence except for the occasional, "Damn it!" from Sirius or "Yes!" from Remus. Breanna would cheer for Remus, Bella would laugh at Sirius goofing around, and Peter would watch from the sidelines, being the referee. Lily and James didn't speak to each other, but sat together on the couch in a comfortable silence.
Every now and then, James would find himself watching Breanna, thinking of how bad her day tomorrow was going to be. Well, if they ended up finding her parents' bodies, that is. Enjoy it while you can, he thought, miserably.
James tore his eyes away, as he did each time, and began to feel guilty. He knew her parents were dead. But if he told her, she'd be suspicious as to how he even knew in the first place, and then everyone would ask questions. Lily was the only one who knew everything.
That, also, brought up another problem. If they found out he had told her first, they would feel left out at not being able to have been told first, especially Sirius and Remus, in this situation.
But for some reason, something deep underneath everything, beyond his mixed up thoughts, all of his trust now laid in Lily. He felt comfortable and at ease around her. It was a different feeling talking to Lily and telling her his worries and problems.
Of course, Remus or Sirius would have been able to do what Lily did and listen to his problems. But she was different – she gave feedback. Just today, James had said he would get used to this 'gift', and Lily told him how she felt about his 'gift'. She spoke her mind around him, and not always what he wanted to hear. It was the truth.
Though, when it all came down to it, James had told Lily – his best friend for three days – his deepest secrets, some he hadn't even told Sirius – his best friend for sixteen years. Lily was in the same situation as all of his other friends; their family's lives were in danger. But, still, James had told her first. Why?
He glanced over at Lily on the opposite end of the couch he sat on. She looked back at him and smiled kindly. His insides melted as he returned the gift.
Well, that's why, James answered himself, sarcastically, and sighed inwardly. I must love her a hell of a lot.
!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!* Later *!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!
The next morning, the Daily Prophet came as usual. But no Ministry letter came, as both James and Lily had been expecting, for Breanna.
The morning was filled with James and Lily trying to speak about what had happened the night before – without actually speaking. And let me tell you, it was not easy. The rest of the group, however, did not notice their odd glances to each other as they were watching Professor Sonetra throughout breakfast.
"I wish I knew what happened last night," Sirius muttered, keeping his eyes on the laughing teacher. He scowled.
Breanna rolled her eyes and went back to her food. "Well, whatever it was, she sure is happy about it."
James squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, running a hand through his hair.
The day passed, surprisingly enough, without much incident. Whenever someone mentioned something about Breanna's parents or Voldemort in general, she would be in denial about everything, convincing herself that her parents must have escaped to somewhere unknown to others.
James even began to wonder whether what he'd seen was real or not. Maybe he could see into the future. James shuddered. The thought of having that kind-of power would overwhelm Lily more than James, most likely.
The group passed from class to class without anything unexpected. Of course, Peeves the Poltergeist managed to cause havoc among the third year students during their Transfiguration class, but that wasn't as uncommon as one might think. It happened on a daily basis at the school of witchcraft and wizardry.
After dinner, Remus and Breanna had disappeared. It didn't take a genius, though, to realize they wanted time alone. Even Peter understood without extra explanations as to why they had left without telling where they would be.
Bella and Sirius played chess twenty-nine times, Bella winning each and every time. But the only reason Sirius continued playing was that he was too stubborn to say he couldn't beat a girl. Both Lily and James took much pleasure out of watching the pair argue fruitlessly. But, alas, on the twenty-fourth game, Bella was too tired of playing and purposely let him win.
By eleven, the sixth years, excluding Breanna and Remus, had finally gone to bed and Remus and Breanna strolled up to their separate dormitories, grins plastered on their faces.
"Moony," James whispered as he walked in the silent room, "where have you been, young man?"
Remus chuckled. "That would be for me to know and you to – well, not to find out…"
James laughed. "Aw, Remus, what were you doing out with Breanna so late? Don't make me owl your mother! She would not be happy, goodness no…"
"Prongs, shut up."
James huffed, indignantly. "I beg your pardon! And get that smile off of your face – you are in big trouble!"
Remus laughed again. "Good night, James. See you in the morning."
James smiled and rolled over. "'Night."
But James must've been too scared to sleep that night. He lay awake in bed until the crack of dawn, thinking over his recent discoveries. For example – he now knew when there was danger coming and what was happening. And another, he had realized how beautiful Lily had gotten since the beginning of their six year feud. The latter thought seemed to play in his mind a lot more than the first.
And due to his cramped thoughts, not a wink of sleep was left for him.
Friday arrived. Not many people were laughing anymore. The owl finally came. They had found Breanna's parents. Dead.
She tore out of the Great Hall, ignoring Remus' protests to wait for him. He ran after her.
Bella cried, as did Lily. But it didn't come with as much of a shock for Lily as it did for Bella. James finally had his moment to comfort Lily and make up for two days before.
"This is beginning to become a daily ritual," Lily whispered into his ear, so softly that only he could hear.
James melted, enjoying the feeling of her warm breath running down his neck. "What do you mean?" he whispered back, hugging her to him tightly.
"This crying deal." Lily chuckled softly and buried her face in his shoulder. "Think about it. I've cried almost everyday since Monday. Honestly, I'm really getting sick and tired of it."
James nodded, rubbing his hand up and down her back, comforting her. "I agree."
"It's just – everything is stupid," she finally blurted out, heaving out a large sigh.
"Excuse me?" James asked, chuckling. "Everything is – stupid?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed, backing away from him now. "My parents died, and then Breanna's parents, and now you - " she pointed her finger at James, not speaking. "You know," she finished, softly.
James nodded. "Yeah. I know."
Breanna was found in the back of the library by Remus. The two, together, missed the morning classes entirely, something Remus would have, originally, never done, but at lunch, Breanna came out of her cocoon, eyes bloodshot and nose running. Nobody spoke of that morning.
Friday slowly turned into Saturday and both Bella and Sirius were bouncing off the walls, driving their roommates crazy. Literally.
"Bella, I swear, if you do not sit down right now, I will not help you prepare for your date tonight," Lily yelled, angrily.
Bella immediately stopped jumping on her bed and sat down obediently. "Lily, how many times must I tell you, it's not a date?"
"Sure," Breanna mumbled from the other side of the room, playing with her bed sheets. "And Remus and I hate each other."
Bella stuck her tongue out in a childish manner, not daring to say anything more just in case she were to hurt Breanna by accident in any way. You never knew what could hurt someone when their emotions were running haywire.
"Bella, you're going on a date tonight."
"It's not a date!" she protested, throwing her arms into the air.
"Well, we'll see what you're thinking after tonight," Lily said, smiling. "Oh, look," she said, making a big deal out of checking the time, "It's almost noon."
Bella took a pillow and buried her face into it. "Five hours!" she shrieked, repeatedly, giddy.
Lily and Breanna only needed one glance at each other in order to burst out in peals of laughter.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=Sirius=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Guys," Sirius whimpered, "what exactly are you supposed to wear on a casual, but yet sort-of dressy outing?"
"Outing?" Remus laughed. "How about date?"
Sirius glared at Remus in response to his question. "I told you, she doesn't like me that way," Sirius muttered, looking downcast.
"And I told you that she does feel the same way you do!" James persisted, annoyed by Sirius' comments. "Look, tonight, you just go, have fun, and relax!"
"And don't spend all of your time in Quality Quidditch Supplies - "
"Or at Zonko's - "
"Or in Honeydukes!"
Sirius was overwhelmed by these sudden outbursts and suggestions. "Um… All right…"
"Unless, of course, Bella wants to go there."
Sirius scratched his head. "So only go to the places Bella wants to go?"
"Exactly," James said, tossing a small rubber ball up and down.
|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+| Bella |+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|
"Now, you can always wear a skirt with this blouse," Lily said, pulling out an outfit.
"Lily – I don't care about what my outfit is – I need to know what I'm going to do with my hair! It's so limp. Curls don't work, and I can't leave it down."
Breanna grinned. "I know exactly what to do."
She leaped off of her bed and out of her silent mood, and pushed Bella into a chair.
Lily smiled. "Now will you let me show you some outfits?"
Bella nodded, content.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=Sirius=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
It was nearly four o'clock by this point, and Sirius was still panicking.
"So what am I supposed to say to her again?" he asked, nervous.
"Sirius," Remus groaned, "we've already told you about seventy-two times. Plus, you've been out with nearly every girl in this school, why should this be any different?"
"Well," Sirius confessed, "I never really talked to them."
James rolled his eyes, now tossing the same rubber ball at the wall repeatedly.
|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+| Bella |+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|
Bella bit on her lip, nervous. "So I'm supposed to act all giggly and laugh at nearly everything he says, even when it's not even remotely funny?"
Lily nodded, lying on her bed with her elbows propping her up. Breanna had been working diligently on Bella's hair, putting things up, pulling it back down, twisting it around, and finally, she pulled out a pair of scissors.
"Oh no you don't, missy!" she exclaimed. "I am not letting anyone near my beautiful hair with a pair of those nasty things!"
"Relax, Bella! Just a few cuts here in the front and - "
"No! A few cuts to you is like shaving me bald!"
"Oh, please!" Lily called, standing off of the bed. "It won't be that bad!"
Breanna nodded avidly. "Just the front. It'll look fine when your hair is down, too. I promise."
Bella eyes darted back and forth between the two girls. "If you're sure…"
Breanna squealed and jumped on it. She pulled a few strands from her hair down, and at each strand that was snipped, she closed her eyes, holding her breath, whimpering.
Finally she was done. "Take a look," Breanna said, holding up a mirror to her face.
Bella gasped. Was that her looking back in the mirror?
Her hair was braided at first and then Breanna had curled it around the source of hair, making it look like a bun on the back of her head. She then pulled pieces of the front of her hair down from each side, the pieces she had cut, adding the slightest curl to them.
"Jeez, Breanna," Bella said, astonished, "have you ever thought about a career in hair styling?"
Breanna blushed and took this as a very large compliment. "Thanks."
"Oh, no you don't!" Bella said, throwing her arms around her. "Thank you!"
"Come on, now!" Lily urged, pushing her towards the door. "Don't be late for you date!"
Bella glared at her again, but a smile managed to appear anyway. "Thanks," she said.
"Go, Bella! It's nearly five!" Breanna said, pushing her toward the door.
And slowly, Bella opened it. "Ready or not, here I come."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=Sirius=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sirius was bouncing back and forth on his feet, juggling his weight from side to side, pretending as if he were a boxer warming up for his next match.
"Come on, Padfoot, you can do this," James said, opening the door. "Don't talk about sports, pranks, or anything she wouldn't like. Compliment her as much as you can. And you should pay for all of her foods and drinks. You're the gentleman here, Sirius."
He froze for a moment, and then turned his gaze to the two boys, helplessly. "Guys – I don't have any money."
James rolled his eyes and stuffed a large amount of money from his own bag into Sirius' hand. "I expect my money back before the end of the year."
"Absolutely, Prongs," he mumbled, looking at the generous gift. And then he tucked an item into his pocket.
James laughed. He knew he wouldn't be getting any of his money back before they graduated. He never got any money back from Sirius. But he was his best friend.
Both Sirius and Bella went running down the steps at the same time, grinning broadly.
"Y-you, uh, you look beautiful."
Bella blushed as his eyes roamed up and down her front. She had decided on wearing nice black pants with a simple T-shirt and a jacket to pull over, adding black high-heeled shoes. She topped it all off with the simple, one-diamond necklace he had bought her for her birthday. Really, all in all, she looked gorgeous.
She nodded back. "You do too."
He smiled as she analyzed his outfit. He had chosen to wear a pair of black pants and a white button up shirt. He cleans up pretty nice, Bella agreed.
"My lady," Sirius said, holding out his arm to her.
She laughed shrilly and looped her arm around his, walking out of the door.
Giggles, that had once been quiet, now erupted in each staircase.
|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+| Bella |+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|
"So, where do you want to go first?" Sirius asked, gesturing towards the shops after he tucked the invisibility cloak safely in the hidden passage.
Bella thought. "Honestly, I want to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies to - "Sirius' jaw dropped. "You want to go there? I thought you would have wanted to go to – to – some place more, uh, feminine," he said.
"More feminine? Sirius," she said, putting her hands on her hips, "I'm not your average girl. And Quidditch is not a masculine sport. Do I make myself clear?" she asked.
Sirius swallowed, grinning angelically. "Yes, Bella," he said, forgetting everything his friends had told him.
She laughed at his look. "Good. Now, let's go inside," Bella said, losing all of her friends' advice.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=Sirius=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Did you see that lady's face?" Sirius asked, laughing. They had just visited Zonko's and bought a fresh supply of Dungbombs.
"She looked as if she were about to explode!" Bella said, stepping into The Three Broomsticks. She tossed her bags down onto the floor next to her chair and sat down next to Sirius.
"I'll go grab us some drinks," Sirius said, leaping up.
He soon came back with a butterbeer in each hand and set one down in front of Bella.
They sat in the comfortable silence, sipping their drinks for several minutes. Until, it seemed, like Sirius had forgotten something.
"Here," he said, pulling out the item in his pocket and opened it to reveal drawings. "You never got a chance to look at them all."
"Oh, yeah," she whispered, sliding in closer to Sirius, gazing down at each picture.
Sirius' heart sped up. This was it. He was going to tell her how he felt. He had to. There wasn't a better time.
"Bella, I have some more in here. In the back, see." He flipped several pages and there, on the top, was a picture of Bella in black in white.
She gasped. "It's beautiful, Sirius!"
He chuckled nervously and flipped to the next page. Another picture of Bella was staring up at her, but this one was in color.
She stared in awe as, page by page, Sirius revealed more pictures of her, or pictures of himself and her. He finally reached the last page, heart beating at twice it's normal speed.
"Sirius," she whispered, looking up at him when he closed the book at last, "what does this mean?"
He leaned in, catching her by surprise, kissing her. He felt as if, finally, he didn't have to carry a huge burden on his back any longer. She could make everything in his world better. His search was over. Done. He'd found her.
She gave him entrance to her mouth, enjoying the kiss. She had been waiting for years to share a kiss like this one. It was so perfect. Like nothing could ruin it. It was funny how, in the kiss, she could feel each and every one of his emotions. He was happy, nervous, scared. And it was strange that, for the first time in her dating career, this was the first person whose emotions were clear. He honestly liked her. And not only because of her looks.
They leaned back, gazing into each other's eyes. Nothing in the world could interrupt them. There was a dome of happiness surrounding the two, smiles on both faces.
"Bella," he whispered back, leaning in so that his forehead rested on hers, "I love you."
The world stopped spinning. Bella felt a jolt in her stomach. Sirius leaned in to give another kiss, but she stopped him. "Wait, I – Sirius, I – I can't. Stop," she whispered, standing abruptly from her seat, grabbing her bags, and running out of the door, tears streaming down her face.
Sirius sat back in his chair, stunned. He had thought about this before. How would she react? And this was his worst thought of how she'd react. And his nightmare came true.
Numbly, Sirius rested his head in his hands, tears trickling to the bottom where everything had fallen out.
|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+| Bella |+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|
Bella raced up to her dormitory, out of breath from running nonstop, and threw herself on her bed, tears running constantly out of her eyes.
She had run away. He was there, within her grasp, and she ran away.
Bella choked on her sobs, wiping her nose and tears on her arm.
Lily and Breanna ran over to her, rubbing her back softly.
"Shh, Bella, what happened?" Lily asked with her eyebrows creased in worry.
"He – it's my fault!" she yelled into Lily's shoulder, holding her tight.
"No, Bella," Breanna said soothingly, "you didn't do anything wrong."
"Yes, I did," she said, much quieter now. "He – don't talk to me, please," she whispered, sniffing.
Breanna and Lily glanced at each other nervously. "Are you sure, Bella?"
She nodded, pushing away from Lily's grip. "I need to be alone."
Lily watched Bella nervously, worried about what she might do alone, and allowed herself to be dragged out of the room by Breanna.
Bella crawled up to her pillow and pulled out her diary, opening it to her last page.
I finally had my first "date" with Sirius. And it went as bad as it could have gone.
It started out perfect, though. We strolled up and down the streets, going in stores as we pleased. And he laughed nearly the whole time. His laugh is perfect. It's gorgeous. He's perfect – he's gorgeous! Nothing's wrong with Sirius Black. I'm the one who's mental.
We went to The Three Broomsticks. He ordered us drinks and showed me the rest of his pictures he drew. They were of me. Nearly forty of them in the back - all of me. That had to have been from previous years! They were each dated with little numbers in the corner. One, I saw, was dated in the first year! I asked what it meant, even though I knew perfectly well what it meant. He kissed me. It was the most wonderful ten seconds of my entire life. I wouldn't trade anything for that moment in time.
And then I ruined the whole thing. He told me he loved me. And those are the words I've been waiting for since the first day I spoke to him this year – since the beginning of my dating career! But coming from any other boy's mouth, it sounds like they would be lying or making a joke out of it. When Sirius said those three words, it sounded too real. I was scared of a commitment I would make without thinking about it. If I said those words right back and things didn't turn out as I wanted them to, I know I would cry myself into oblivion. So I ran away. I ran from love.
I'm too scared. I should have said the same thing back and now I'm kicking myself for it. I shouldn't have run off like that. I bet he's thinking I'm some kind of a deranged person. And it's my fault.
Bella held her quill against her face, thinking desperately. She lowered it one last time.
I'm going to do something about it.
She stuffed her quill back in her diary and ran out of the dormitory, out of the common room, ignoring Lily's and Breanna's cries of astonishment.
She tore around the corners and down stairs, hastily wiping her eyes. She had to find Sirius – she had to explain.
There was the witch; the entrance to Hogsmeade. Her eyes were so blurred, she almost didn't see someone standing outside of the statue. But she caught herself, managing not to collide into the man beside the statue.
And even though she stopped in time, his hands reached out to steady her.
Bella gasped as she looked up into the face of Sirius. And broke into sobs.
"Sirius, I'm so s-sorry!" she said, trying as hard as she could not to give in and cry on Sirius, but at the same time, not to run away. "I c-couldn't!"
"Bella, get yourself under control," he whispered, wiping her tears gently. For a guy whose heart had just been broken, he was holding up remarkably well. "Now, talk again. Is everything ok? What happened?"
She shook her head. "Sirius, I didn't mean to run away like that. I should have told you. Look," Bella said, talking slower, "I wasn't thinking when I ran away without any explanation."
Sirius shrugged. "I understand."
Bella raised an eyebrow. "You – you do?"
He nodded. "You just don't love me. I understand. I understand completely."
His voice was turning cold now. Bella shivered. "No, Sirius." Tears were forming in her voice again. "You don't understand."
He nodded. "Maybe we just weren't meant to be." He moved to brush past Bella and walk away.
But instead, she turned Sirius around and held him in front of her. "Listen, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want to be a – a couple or anything. I just…" Bella swallowed, trying to find the right words, slowly dropping her hands to her side. "I think that you were moving too fast for me to keep up back there in The Three Broomsticks."
Sirius stood, unmoving. And then, as if it were a joke, he chuckled softly. "So, can we just pretend that bit back there never happened, then?"
Bella smiled, most of the tears dispersing. "How about we start over from the point where you showed me your pictures, ok?" She straightened up and stood in front of Sirius, acting. "Sirius, what does this mean?"
He smiled, gazing down at Bella. "Is it my turn to act?" he whispered, as if they were on a stage with a large audience watching them.
She nodded.
Sirius bent down, covering her lips with his own. Bella's back began to arc as she fell into the kiss, and he put one hand underneath her gently, holding her up, and ran the other through her hair that had, by this time, been taken down.
Slowly, he pulled her back up, releasing his grip from her. "Bella, I really, really like you."
She smiled. "That'll work."
"Wait a minute," Sirius said, holding his hand up. "That wasn't a very good answer. Let's do this again."
Bella's eyebrow shot into her hairline. "What?"
"Come on, we have to act out again." Sirius stood in his position, waiting for her line.
She shrugged, starting over. "Sirius, what does this mean?"
He gave her another kiss, nearly twice as long and twice as deep this time. "Bella, I like you," he said, pulling her back to her feet.
Bella shook her head at him, confused. "What was the point in - "
"Wait – one more time!" he said, pulling her back to him and swooping in, giving her another kiss. He let go, cradling her in his arms. "I hate you, Bella," he said, grinning.
She laughed, now understanding his meaning for replays. Bella walked up close to Sirius, body against body. She could feel his heart pounding, as if it were her own. She could feel his blood pulse through his body as if they were one. And they were. "I hate you, too, Sirius," she whispered, pulling his lips down to meet hers in the middle.
AUTHORS NOTE: HA! They're FINALLY together! ::grins:: Took forever to actually get to this point. ::shrugs:: But maybe there'll be breakups later! However, I have gotten a threat from one of my good friends that used to go to my school that if I kill off any characters, break any up, or anything along the lines of that, I will pay dearly. In other words, I may not be around to finish the story. :) But who knows… There could be MAKE-UPS!
By the way, still open for thoughts/prank ideas, if you want to give me any. I'm ALWAYS open to suggestions!
Oh yes, and I'm going to keep the title Light. Most of the people said they liked Light, so I'll just probably try to get the name of the story somehow in the writing more. But thanks everyone for the help!
REVIEW SECTION:
Lily_Among_the_Thorns_89: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
TotallyStellar: Yes, fluffy James and
Lily… Hmm, not here, but it'll come later, possibly sooner… We'll see! Thanks
for reviewing!!!
Jessica: It's not a BAD cliffhanger!!! A bad one is when you have someone plummeting to their death and the chapter stops. :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
Kantomon: Yeah, you have a good point about Peter. I'll try and add a bit more of him into the story, as much as I hate him. But I don't think it'll be much more. ::shrugs:: And the ahead of time posting might not be happening much anymore because I'm going back to school and all and there are no more chapters to post ahead! Thanks for reviewing!!!
High?D: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
Smudged: Thank you! And thanks for reviewing!!!
HiddenAngel12: Yes, outstanding is the highest rating, I kinda mixed the two up. ::blushes:: Thanks for the rating and reviewing!!!
Blackcandy: Glad you like the length because I don't think I'll be shortening them anytime soon! :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
Agentalika: Glad you liked the Midnight Buffet! :) I really liked that too; basically a time for the friends to just relax having no where to go and such. Thanks for reviewing!!!
Val: Hey! OMG I REALLY want to thank you for all that help with the idiotic flamer and everything. They were driving me NUTS!!! And, I don't know if you'll read this before the review I wrote back, but I am NOT – I repeat – NOT the flamer. I know you were thinking it and I don't blame you! All the clues they gave led to me, but seriously – was this flamer thinking we wouldn't figure out what they were doing? But thanks for EVERYTHING – including reviewing! :)
Parselmouth Majere: Love the name, just had to say! :) And thanks for reviewing!!!
Dieselbaby: Yes, I'm keeping it Light! :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
*~*Princess*~*: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
Caitlin19: It's ok! But thanks for reviewing!!!
Mleh: James/Lily romance? Hmm… That's a possibility… But I highly doubt it! :) Evil… Thanks for reviewing!!!
Cheeky Girl: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
LilyMarie: Hmm, might come sooner… or later… Thanks for reviewing!!!
Vamperfly: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
United Loser of America: ::snickers:: LOVE the name!!! :) Glad you liked the chapter! And the Light comment about how it's not used much in the story, I think that since I'm keeping Light, I'll try to add more along the lines of Lily thinking about what her mother said or something. Thanks for reviewing!!!
Lexie02: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
SVZ: Glad you liked the little line at the end. I started wondering after I posted the chapter whether it was too cheesy or whatnot, but I don't know. ::shrugs:: Bunch of people have complimented me so I guess it's ok! :) And, jeez… you have some good thoughts and guesses on what'll happen in the future… Thanks for reviewing!!!
I Love Lemons/FEAngel258: Alright, I won't worry with sending back the Dr/Hr story. I keep forgetting about it, though, because it's in a separate folder in my e-mail so I just forget about it. ::writes on sticky note and puts on forehead:: Ok, I'll remember now. :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
Bluegro: TROLL?!? :) ::laughs:: I'm sorry, but reading your review again making fun of my friend. That was hilarious… Thanks for reviewing!!!
Hermione101888: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
April: That's a good idea! Thanks for reviewing!!!
Ohepelss Oramtnci: Ooh… I just now realized what your name says! ::grins:: Hopeless Romantic!!! HA HA! Am I right? :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
Shayley Rain: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
Starblaze: Banned! OMG!!! :) And the Breanna/Remus action came! As well as Sirius/Bella! Ya like? :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
MegHarts: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
Lucky_719: ::laughs:: Thanks for reviewing!!! :)
Natalie: Thank you! And recently I've been posting once every two weeks, some sooner, some later. But my school starts up tomorrow so it might slow down a little. ::shrugs:: We'll see. Thanks for reviewing!!!
Poetbrit: Thanks! Let's see… Ideas… Well, which era/which couple do you want to write about? Tell me in your review and I'll try to help you out! Thanks for reviewing!!!
kIWi45: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
Snowlily: Yep, I'm staying with Light! Thanks for reviewing!!!
Jenna: You like the staircase? Thank you! :) And thanks for reviewing!!!
Star*: Thanks! And I'm keeping Light! :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
Michelle: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!
Tribal Leader: Thanks! Glad you like the story! Thanks for reviewing!!!
Ktsprstr78: Review for the sake of reviewing. :) Nice, Katy. Thanks for reviewing, then!!!
Sezzie: HA HA!!! LESS than a week! :) But thanks for reviewing!!! And I have
to ask you, to check – do you think I'm the stupid flamer on your website? I
know I talked to you on AIM and told you it wasn't me and then, coincidence
beyond coincidences, that flamer posted a notice making all of their "clues" to
point to me!!! And I SWEAR it's not me!!! I just need to hear from you that you
believe me. Thanks for reviewing!!!
TriGemini: Thanks! I think Remus'
secret might come soon… :) And thanks for reviewing!!!
Izzy-bh: Glad you like the length! :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
James-Padfoot: Thanks! And thanks for reviewing!!!
VoldemortsIlleditimateChild: Thanks! And the story's not over until the greasy haired git sings! :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
Tapaidh Sidh: ::laughs:: Yes, I loved the ladies and gentleman bit, too! You can
thank the "old geezers" part from my brother because he always says that. Just
the other day my little sister asked what a geezer was and my brother was
trying to explain what a geezer is, but at the time telling her when to use it
and not to use it. It was HILARIOUS! :) Thanks for reviewing!!!
AMSMAGICWIZARD: ::rolls eyes::
Thanks, Dad… :) And the scar isn't supposed to be something relating to Harry.
JEEZ! GET WITH THE PROGRAM! ::laughs:: And thanks for reviewing!!!
NEXT CHAPTER: Let's see here… James has a vision and a small bet is made between the group. ALSO, a prank is formed…
Also, I just wanted to add this. A story I was reading got flamed a little while ago. A few other people and I that were reading the story defended the author and this flamer "flamed" back, insulting everyone who defended! Basically, things were said and it got to the point where people said that the flamer was scared to tell their real name and too cowardly and all. So the flamer responded saying they'd tell everyone if they asked. So we did, just because. And so this flamer impersonated ME! How can someone stoop that low and, especially, think they wouldn't get caught??? Basically what I wanted to say is anyone who was a part of that whole thing, I am NOT the flamer - I REALLY wanted to make this clear to everyone and anyone. And it also took me nearly five hours to just get back on the computer calmed down and everything. This morning I felt like I would BREAK the computer or swear to high heaven at anyone I spoke to, so I'm even lucky I've calmed down at this point. I didn't think I would until much later!
But, yes, just wanted to say I am not the flamer!
Thanks for reviewing and supporting me, everyone!
Yours truly,
Amelia Bedelia
