Disclaimer:- My Polyjuice potion was a dismal failure so I'm still not J.K. Rowling in any way, shape or form and I can't lay claim to any of her fabulous creations
Chapter Three:
Drunken Stupidity
The rest of our fifth year passed normally and quickly enough. Sirius and Florence's relationship flourished. James continued to ask me out, (For those of you who are interested I have now turned him down 627 times.) and every member of our year, even the Marauders, studied seriously for our O.W.L.'s.
One difference is that the animosity between the Marauders and Severus Snape had, if possible, increased. I knew that Remus had told them what happened on the train and, as Sirius' family were still a delicate subject, Severus reaped the result alone. I could understand how they felt, seeing our irrepressible Sirius so shaken had affected all the Gryffindors. However, after one particularly ugly incident, after our Defence Against the Dark Arts theory exam, I lost all patience with them. Or, more specifically, James. After all he was the ringleader. Not that Remus escaped unscathed. He had to suffer a full-blown Evans hissy fit that evening while I informed him what a sorry excuse for he prefect he was. Remus "Moony" Lupin tried to tell me he was so absorbed in the book he was reading, he hadn't noticed the events unfolding around him. I advised him, more than a little curtly, that he fooled no-one he was reading by holding a book in front of his
face.
Soon, too soon for me, I was arriving at Kings Cross Station, and heading back home for the summer.
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The first term of our sixth year continued in much the same way. Sirius and Florence received a week of detentions for being caught in a compromising position, by the lake, after mid-night. James vowed Sirius was never borrowing his invisibility cloak again after that.
Speaking of James, by the Christmas holidays I had turned him down 752 times. This included November 12th, when I turned him down 34 times in one day. If I thought that was bad, it was nothing compared to the next term.
On our first day back after the Yule break the next Hogsmeade weekend was posted. Valentines Day!
From the moment James saw the notice he was insufferable. He would ask me out every time he saw me. Over breakfast, lunch and dinner, in the common room, while I was studying, even in notes during lessons.
It was driving me nuts, and I could have sworn I was losing my mind. The moment anyone shouted "Lily," I automatically said "No!" If somebody dared laugh at that I threw them in detention. I started eating only one meal a day to avoid the Great Hall, and studying in my Dorm to evade the common room. As for James, I couldn't stand the sight of him. I tried to keep away from him at all costs. He was turning me into a recluse.
Then, on Tuesday 10th February, things came to a head. As I entered the Great Hall that evening for dinner I noticed everyone pointing and giggling at me.
Ignoring them I found a free place opposite my best friend, Amy Monbury. Amy was a scarily intelligent girl with long dark-brown hair and plain features, except for her hypnotic blue eyes. Right at this moment she was smirking.
"What's with you?" I asked, suspecting that I really wasn't going to like the answer. "For that matter, what's with everyone?"
Amy didn't say a word, but her smug grin grew as she pointed up towards the roof.
I looked at her warily and slowly raised my head.
The enchanted ceiling showed a clear night with a near-full moon. Beautiful really, until I spotted the stars. They were too bright, too close together. My eyes widened in shock as I realised why. I must have read the celestial message fifty times:
Lily Evans, will you go out with me? – J.P.
Staggered and pale I dropped my head to look at Amy, my mouth hanging open wordlessly.
"Written in the stars," she laughed. "You have to appreciate the levels involved here."
"Appreciate the levels?" I said in disbelief. "Appreciate the levels? This has gone too far!"
"Lily calm down," Amy commanded. My astonishment was wearing off and rage started to course through me. Colour was flushing my face and I was turning a rather unsightly shade of purple.
"Calm down Lily," Amy repeated, seeing the warning signs of one of my tempers. "It's not as bad as all that," she continued. "You should be flattered. It must have taken ages to do this. Personally, I think it's rather sweet that he thinks you're so amazing. That none but you will do for the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain.
"But we really can't blame him, not when he's been bewitched by the beauty of the delectable Miss Evans," she chortled, knowing she had averted the storm that had been brewing.
"No I suppose not," I smiled before my voice hardened. "But this has to stop, and it ends here."
I got up and walked with focus towards the Marauders. Amy followed, probably to make sure I didn't hex him in full view of the faculty.
"Potter," I growled.
"Evans," he stated with delight as he twisted in his seat to face me. I glowered at him and his face dropped. "You're not going to accompany me to Hogsmeade, are you?"
"No James, I am not," I confirmed. "And now this has to stop. I'm not going to go out with you, ever. I don't like you as a human, let alone anything more. So, stop this. You're driving me crazy. I swear the next time you ask me out I'll hex you into the next millennium.
"Just leave me alone, ok?"
Not waiting for his reply I stalked out of the Great Hall with Amy hot on my heels. Before I was out of earshot I heard Sirius saying – "Bad luck Prongs. Now if you want the advice of an expert….?"
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So Saturday dawned after three days of peace, as James had avoided me since Tuesday evening. I stretched out, savouring the relaxed feeling that only came with weekends, and turned my head to read the clock. There was an envelope propped up against it.
I pulled myself out of my covers and swung my legs over the side of my bed, so I was perched on the side. I picked up the envelope and pulled out the card inside.
It was a simple design. A majestic stag in a field on lilies, absolutely beautiful. Slowly I opened it, and wasn't surprised to see the curly, fluent writing of James Potter. It read simply:
Lily,
Sorry! I didn't mean to upset you,
James.
I smiled in spite of myself. A warm glow was filling me and I couldn't place why. Tenderly I returned the card to its envelope and hid it at the bottom of my trunk for safe keeping. My fingers lingered on it sentimentally. I was beginning to scare myself now.
As I pulled on my jeans and top I probed my own feelings. Was I falling in love with James Potter? No, said a little voice inside my head. It's just that this was such an incredibly kind thing to do, and you didn't think Potter was capable of it. You underestimated him, and you like that because there maybe hope for him yet.
I was satisfied with this answer and proceeded to float down to breakfast.
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Hogsmeade was bustling with students, most of them coupled off and giving each other flirty looks over Butterbeer, or making out on street corners.
By 4 O'clock I was bored. Amy had spent the day with Martin Coaltrain on a date, so I had spent it reading by the Shrieking Shack.
If you didn't want to be disturbed the Shack was the best place to go. The village believed it was haunted by vicious ghosts. It wasn't, but the rumour was encouraged to keep people away, to stop them finding out the poltergeists were actually Remus Lupin in werewolf form.
I tired of reading after a while, and so I was now dawdling up Hogsmeade High Street, considering returning to the castle.
"Lily," a hushed voice said.
I looked around wildly for the source of the whisper.
"Lily, it's me. I'm under the invisibility cloak."
"Potter?"
"Yeah. Lily I need you help," I nearly died of shock. James Potter was pleading. "Please come with me to the Hogs Head. Please Lily. I don't know who else to ask."
"Okay," I agreed, and turned to head back down the street.
As we got closer he pulled off his cloak. He looked pale and worried as he beckoned me to hurry.
I ran the last few meters and James hustled me into the dark, dingy bar. A farmyard smell hit me, assaulting my senses, my nose wrinkled involuntarily. My eyes adjusted to the gloom and I saw the dirt that thickly coated every surface, including the floor.
If the place itself didn't put you off, the patrons would. All of them were dressed in dark, grubby clothes and most had their faces covered. I strongly suspected it was a hag sat in the grimy bay window. I certainly wasn't comfy here and was glad to feel James close behind me.
"It's Sirius," he muttered, extending an arm over my shoulder and pointing to a slumped figure in the corner.
We made our way to him quickly. I took the glass out of his relaxed grip and sniffed it.
"Fire Whiskey," I breathed. "How many has he had?"
James sat down next to Sirius and ran his fingers through his messy black mop. I hadn't ever seen him like this, nervous and unsure of what to do All his arrogance and cockiness had fled him.
"He left me at mid-day to send a letter to Andromeda. He said he'd meet me in Zonko's in half an hour. I've spent the rest of the afternoon looking for him.
"I'm sorry for getting you into this Lily but Peter stayed with Remus at Hogwarts. I think he wanted some help with his charms, and Moony was tutoring Florence anyway."
"Remus is helping Florence study – on Valentines Day!" I exclaimed. "No wonder Sirius is depressed."
"Do you think he'll be alright?" James asked me and I thought I detected I slight tremor in his tone.
"He'll be fine after a nights sleep," I reassured him. "I've got a better question. How are we going to get him back up to school?"
James looked at me, his gorgeous eyes locked with my green ones. I was more than a little disconcerted to feel my stomach do a back-flip.
For his part, James looked nervous, as if he were about to confess a terrible crime.
"I thought, maybe, we could take him back via one of the secret passages." Once again he ran his fingers through his hair. "Please Lily. McGonagall will kill him if she catches him like this. She still hasn't forgiven him for being caught by the lake with Florence."
"All under the cloak, I presume?"
"Yeah. Are you agreeing then?" he sounded hopeful.
"Do I have a choice?!" I sighed. James just flashed me a grin.
It was slow work. Sirius was slumped between us, with an arm round each of our shoulders. James led us down towards the other end of Hogsmeade as we desperately tried to keep the cloak over us. It took us nearly an hour to reach the turnstile that marked the edge of this wizarding community.
Once there we pulled off the cloak and I stuffed it unceremoniously into my bag as James lowered Sirius to the ground.
"Next time I see Sirius reaching for desert I'm going to hex his mouth shut," I complained.
"Too right Evans," James laughed. "I'm putting him on a strict diet."
James started shaking Sirius, first gently, then more vigorously. After ten minutes he gave up, and accepted he was out for the count.
"Where's the tunnel entrance?"
"Over there," he said pointing at towards the hills. "At the back of a cave. At least we don't have to haul his weight up the hill."
"Oh," I said, my eyebrows raised. "And how were you planning on doing it?"
"Like this!"
He pointed his ward at Sirius and muttered "Mobilicorpus." Sirius was pulled upright by invisible strings and hovered a couple of inches off the ground. His head lolled to one side, his mouth hanging open and a small amount of drool beginning to work it's way out.
"That," I said, pointing at Sirius' floating form. "Is the most disturbing thing I've ever seen."
We made our way up the hill, laughing and joking. I was astonished how easy he was to talk to and, despite the grim sight of Sirius hanging in the air silhouetted by the dying sun, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
By dusk we had reached the cave. James lowered Sirius to the ground and we both let out wands. I dropped to my knees and started trying to wake our inebriated friend, while James seemed to be searching for something. After a few minutes in tapped a rock with his wand and muttered an incantation.
A hole, just large enough for one person to drop through, appeared it the floor. It looked dark and small down there and I felt a little knot of fear.
"Don't worry, it opens out below," James reassured me, and I realized my trepidation had shown on my face.
"I'll go down first. You can lower Sirius down to me and then you can come down."
"Okay," I said, resolving to myself that I was going down into the tiny hole. "Um, James, where does this lead?"
"Behind the mirror on the forth floor. Ready?"
"Uh-huh," I nodded.
We moved Sirius close to the aperture and James dropped through it. I sat Sirius' unconscious body on the edge and started to gently lower him down to James.
"Got him Lily," came James' clear voice from below. "Okay, you next."
I knelt on the edge and started to lower myself down until I was hanging at arms length. I took deep breaths with my eyes closed to work up the courage to drop into the abyss. Suddenly I felt strong hands gripping my waist.
"I've got you Lily," James comforted. "Let go."
I did and as he guided me down, I instinctively put my hands on his shoulders.
"Thanks," I said.
"You're welcome."
Neither of us made an attempt to move. Magic seemed to have bound us to that spot, staring into each others eyes. I don't know how long we stood like that, it could have been a minute, or a hour. All perception of time disappeared when I was falling into those hazel pools.
A moan broke the silence. James and I jumped apart, both reddening. Another moan filled the chamber and I suddenly remembered the reason we were here
Sirius swore and I knelt down on one side of him. James did the same on the other.
"How're feeling Padfoot?" James asked.
"Who dropped the anvil on me?" Sirius replied groggily, his speech slurred. "Merlin, I feel awful," and with that he vomited, forcing me to jump back quickly to avoid it. As the odour reached me I had to fight the urge to retch my self.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Sirius mumbled over and over again.
"It's okay, better out than in," I said in a falsely cheerful voice. I pointed my wand at the mess. "Scourigify"
It disappeared and I, at least, felt better. James and I pulled Sirius to his feet. He swayed unsteadily for a moment before starting to fall. Both of us grabbed him and pulling his arms around us we started down the tunnel.
"Just warn me if you're going to puke," I told Sirius.
We mainly travelled in silence, Sirius occasionally proclaiming what a great best friend James was, and that I was an angel who should give said best friend a chance, or repeating how sorry he was over and over again. Then, every so often, we'd have to stop while Sirius' body expelled more of the alcohol he'd poisoned himself with.
After a while James checked his watch.
"Damn, Moony's going to kill us. We should be there by now," he mumbled.
"Be where?" I asked suspiciously. "It's a full moon tonight. You shouldn't be anywhere with Remus."
Before James could answer me, if he was going to answer me (which I seriously doubt), Sirius started muttering darkly under his breath. He wouldn't respond to either me or James, and we couldn't understand his drunken ramblings, so we ignored him.
After what seemed like hours we reached the end of the passage way. I propped Sirius up while James fished about in his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said softly tapping it with his wand.
From that point lines spread out like ripples in a pond, joining, interconnecting, and filling the whole page. I looked at James enquiringly.
"Map," he explained. "It shows where everyone in Hogwarts is. We don't want to walk out of here, straight into a Professor do we?"
He had a point I assented. When James gave the all clear we pushed the mirror open and clambered into the corridor.
"Right," said James while studying the map. "Mrs Norris is in Filch's office with him, Peeves is in the charms department…… What the hell?!"
"What's wrong," I asked, panicking slightly.
"Snivellus! He's in the Entrance Hall, heading into the grounds. "What's he up to?"
I started to say I thought we had more important things to worry about than Severus Snape, when Sirius swore both venomously and loudly. James and I gaped at him and he blanched.
"What's up Padfoot?" James queried. "You gonna be sick again?"
"No," he answered in barely a whisper. "James I think I've done something really stupid."
James raised his eyebrows at him and locked Sirius' grey eyes in a penetrative stare. Sirius withered under that look and turned even whiter.
"Well?" James demanded.
"I think I might have told Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow!"
A/N: Thanks to LupinLover99, ShaddowMoony, Jen, duj, Black Emerald, marron, marauding-seriously, Crystal for your wonderful reviews, you have no idea how much they mean to me. To everyone else please, please, please, please review. All feedback is appreciated. Take care, Gem
