Previously: James is enjoying his popularity on Valentine's Day. Sirius introduces him to Silvanah Vane. James is flirting with her until he sees Lily. Silvanah is jealous, but Lily is apathetic as she dismisses James. Marlene is clearly loving Valentine's Day since she gets to receive free chocolate from her admirers. Lily is surprised to see that she was sent cards. One of them is an anonymous poem, but she annoyed that James sent her an obnoxious Valentine's Day card.
Chapter 43: Anniversary
Lily did all she could to block out the distant roar of the crowd that echoed from the Quidditch pitch and focus on her Potions essay. She felt a pang of longing – she liked watching Quidditch games, she really did – but like she had told Alice when her friend had fruitlessly tried to get her to accompany her to the Quidditch final (Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor), Lily simply did not have it in her to watch Potter show off. She already had to put up with him at meals, in the corridors, in the common room, and in class – she refused to give Potter another second of her time, even if she had to sacrifice watching the Quidditch games.
But there was another reason why she was avoiding people: Today, exactly one year ago, Bellatrix Black had murdered Professor Stoughton.
Even though an entire year had passed, Lily could not bring herself to tell any of her friends about what had happened. It felt strange that Hagrid and Petunia, two people whom Lily had not expected to turn to for comfort, knew exactly what had happened while Alice, Marlene, and Mary had all remained blissfully ignorant. Alice may have noticed that Lily was different at the beginning of the year when Lily could see the Thestrals when nobody else could – but still, Lily had remained silent. After all this time, how was she supposed to explain to her friends that she was the one who had reported to Dumbledore the events that had transpired last year in the dungeons?
Severus had suspected that something was wrong with Lily in the months that followed Stoughton's murder, but their years at Hogwarts had changed them too much for them to be able to discuss it with each other. Try as she might to keep their friendship from falling apart, Lily knew that a divide had grown between them that could not simply be patched up as if it had never happened. With each passing day, Mulciber and Avery snagged a little bit more of Severus and dragged him farther and farther down the steep slope created by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
And Potter …
As infuriating as he had become over the last year, Lily could not erase the image of James Potter skipping stones across the lake as everybody else had gathered together to mourn Stoughton's death. Despite all that had happened between them, she was able to glimpse – even if it was only for the briefest moments – a boy who had showed her kindness and compassion when she needed it most. In that treasured hour, he was not the arrogant, boastful Quidditch player who mercilessly bullied Severus and countless others. He was not the clever but infuriating Transfiguration prodigy who was determined to one-up her in everything they did. And he was certainly not the kid who had relentlessly tried to get her on a date to Hogsmeade no matter how many times she turned him down.
He was just James.
Lily had caught glimpses of that boy over the years: he was the boy who had picked a fight with a bunch of Slytherins simply because they called her "Mudblood"; he was the boy who she had witnessed motivate the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team without ever having to put down the opposing team; he was the boy that Alice had introduced her to in Madam Malkin's shop all those years ago.
But for reasons that Lily could never hope to understand, Potter had locked that boy away somewhere very deep inside him. Now, instead of remembering the hug that they had shared following Stoughton's death, the only thing Lily could see when she looked at him was the poor Ravenclaw girl he had humiliated with the Tickling Charm for no reason other than that he could. Now, instead of reflecting upon their shared moment on the beach with a fond smile, Lily was forced to accept that Potter had taken that special memory as a license to harangue her into a date.
And that made Lily angry.
Every time that boy shows some maturity, he just has to go and ruin it! Every – single – time! Lily thought viciously as she slammed her book shut with more force than required.
When she noticed that the cheering from the Quidditch pitch had ceased, Lily realized that the game must have ended. She had no clue who had won – nor did she really care at this point. With a deep breath to steady her warring emotions, she leaned forward to pack up her things so that she could rejoin Alice and her other friends in the Great Hall – but then she froze.
Beneath her book was a slip of parchment, and Lily lightly pulled the piece of parchment out from under her book to read it.
If roses were red and violets were blue,
I'd take us away to a place just for two.
You'd see my true colors and all that I felt.
I'd see that you could love me and nobody else.
The handwriting was vaguely familiar, and with a start Lily realized that it was the same handwriting that had written her the anonymous Valentine's Day card – which ruled out Potter, who had sent her a different, much more obnoxious Valentine's Day card, and Severus, whose handwriting was smaller and more cramped. Underneath it was another slip of paper that read:
I'm standing by the troll statue just outside the library.
Taking a deep breath, she quickly packed the rest of her things into her bag under the watchful eye of Madam Pince before hurrying out of the library with the two pieces of parchment clutched in her hand. Upon her exit, Lily curiously looked around. At first, nobody seemed to pay her any attention – save for a vaguely familiar boy with dirty blond hair who was staring directly at her and standing at the far end of the corridor … right by the troll statue.
Lily cautiously approached the boy. From the distance, she was unable to place his face to a name, but as she drew closer, she realized that she knew the boy. She had shared a train compartment with him on her very first ride to Hogwarts, way back before she had ever set foot inside Hogwarts. Flashing back to the Sorting and the train ride when Alice had introduced her everybody, Lily scrambled to place a name to the familiar face – Terry, Terry Abbott.
"Did you write these?" she asked, stopping several feet away from him. She held out the pieces of parchment, and a faint blush started to creep up past Terry's ears.
"Yeah, I did. Sorry if they're a bit cheesy. I've written quite a few – my mate Olly finally convinced me to start sending them to you," said Terry, nervously scratching his nose. "He figured that since I've developed a … y'know, a crush – Merlin, that came out wrong – Sorry, I'm no good at this sort of thing – I was just wondering if, y'know, if you'd might like to go out to Hogsmeade with me – only if you're interested, that is …"
Here, Terry trailed off, looking at Lily hopefully. The faint blush that she had noticed earlier had developed into bright red blotches.
"I'm so sorry, Terry – I'm already booked for the last Hogsmeade visit this year," said Lily, and at that, Terry's face fell.
"But …" she added, and Terry looked at her expectantly, "If you send me a couple more of those poems over the summer, you could convince me to grab a Butterbeer with you at the Three Broomsticks during the first Hogsmeade visit come our fourth year."
Terry's eyes lit up as if he could not believe his ears, and Lily made a split-second decision to lean forward and give him a quick peck on the cheek. As she stepped away, Terry brought his hand up to brush his fingers across where Lily had kissed him.
"Of – of course, I can write you more … more poems," he said breathlessly.
"Great," said Lily, flashing him a brilliant smile. "I can't wait to read them."
Terry returned the smile, and Lily turned to walk away, though this time there was an added spring in her step. When she reached the end of the corridor, she glanced back to see Terry excitedly talking to another boy from Hufflepuff, and Rawlings's words floated back to her:
If you let yourself stay stuck in the past, then everything that Stoughton and people like him have died for … it'll all have been for nothing. Remember this: they died so that you could live.
Lily watched as Terry's friend clapped him on the back good-naturedly before wrapping his arm around Terry's shoulder and dragging him to the opposite end of the corridor, towards the Hufflepuff common room. That had to be Olly, the friend who had prodded Terry into asking her to Hogsmeade.
I'll make sure to live for both of us, Professor Stoughton, Lily thought, smiling to herself as she headed to the Great Hall, where her friends no doubt waited for her.
~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 1974 ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
Two for two, James thought. I've won 100% of the Quidditch finals that I've played.
When Alexandra had caught the Snitch right from under the Ravenclaw Seeker's nose, cementing their place as the 1974 Inter-House Quidditch Cup Champions, the Gryffindor fans had cheered so loud that James could not hear what any of his teammates had said to each other when they had all landed on the ground. The only time the crowd cheered louder was when Mark Wood got down on one knee to propose to Riley Wallows in front of the entire school, which, while unexpected for many people present – including Riley herself – was no less exciting.
James's good mood had grown to a point that he and Sirius (Remus and Peter had already started a game of chess) had volunteered to get more food from the kitchens when it was revealed that several students (nobody was quite sure if it was a group of Ravenclaws or a group of Slytherins) who were bitter over Gryffindor's second win in two years had ruined the food that Vallender and his friends were planning to use to celebrate their team's win. Several people had cautioned them to be careful, but James was not worried – in fact, he relished the opportunity to jinx the students.
"Do you think Evans was impressed with that performance?" asked James as they strolled through the corridors in the direction of the kitchens.
"I hate to burst your bubble, mate – but, uh, Evans didn't watch the game at all," snorted Sirius, throwing his arm over James's shoulders and punching his stomach in a brotherly way.
"What? I thought she liked watching Quidditch?" said James.
While his good mood did not come crashing down per se, it still fell by a large margin.
"Oh, I'm sure she enjoys Quidditch loads, if what McKinnon said is true – it's just you she doesn't like," Sirius explained. He emphasized his point by poking James in chest before continuing, "But you know who would enjoy you? Silvanah Vane."
"Sirius," groaned James.
"What? There's plenty of reasons to date a chick like that. Let's see … she's hot; she's smart; she's got a naughty side – believe me, James, that'll definitely be an upside in the future, if you catch my drift – and … oh, yeah – she's actually interested in you. And she's not the only one. There's plenty of lonely witches in Hogwarts if you know where to look."
"Sirius …"
"I'm being totally honest, mate – you're being a bit daft. Try as you may, the fact remains that Evans – is – just – not – that – into – you. Personally, I think that she's too stuck-up for you. She does have her moments, I'll give her that, but –"
"Sirius!"
The curse came from out of nowhere. James barely had enough time to push his friend out of the way before ducking to avoid the streak of orange light that ruffled his hair as it passed before hitting a statue of armor, leaving a sizzling hole where it had struck. Although James was quick, he was not quick enough to duck for the second curse. However, he was able to avoid the brunt of it: the next streak of orange light brushed his left arm, sending him stumbling backwards until he fell flat on his back. James glanced down at his arm – the curse had left a singed hole in his robes and had given him a nasty burn that was already starting to blister.
Thankfully, Sirius was already in action. As soon as James had alerted him, his friend whipped out his wand without missing a step and sent a jinx straight at the source. A loud crack sounded through the air, and their attacker was sent flying before crashing to the floor in a messy heap.
"Look, James – we've got an admirer," jeered Sirius. He viciously sent another jinx at the bundle of robes, adding in a taunting voice, "What do you want this time, Snivellus? Care to know what shampoo we use? You could do with an extra bottle – or a dozen."
Snape struggled to his feet.
Glowering at Sirius, he spat, "And you could do with an extra brain, Black. Sectumsempra!"
Snape slashed his wand in a wide arch, and Sirius stumbled backwards and gasped as an invisible sword cut across his left arm, slicing through the fabric of his robes and leaving a deep wound in its place. Snape watched as Sirius stared at his arm, unable to contain his sickening glee.
"Petrificus totalus!" roared James, now on his feet and furious.
Snape's arms and legs instantly snapped to his sides as he toppled over sideways. James quickly kicked his wand aside and, with his wand still pointed directly at Snape's face, crouched so that he could look his enemy directly in the eye. Sirius stood behind him, keeping a close eye out for any other Slytherins who might have been lurking out of sight while simultaneously trying to stem the blood dripping from his arm.
"What's the matter, Snivellus? Kneazle got your tongue?" taunted James.
Although the Body-Bind prevented him from speaking, Snape's eyes said it all. The pure hatred that James saw in Snape's frozen face would have normally resulted in James laughing and adding another jinx or two to Snape's predicament to add insult to injury, but even James himself was surprised that he instead returned Snape's glare with his own – which was when James noticed a piece of parchment sticking out of Snape's pocket.
Curiosity peaked, James leaned over and snatched the parchment. Noticing that Snape's gaze had taken on a nervous edge when the Slytherin noticed that he was interested his pocket, James smirked as he unfolded the parchment and silently read Snape's cramped handwriting.
"What's this?" he quietly asked. "These look like spells – did you come up with these all on your own, Snape? Impressive – I think I'll just keep this … if any more of your grease gets on this, it'll wipe off the words. All that hard work – wasted."
James tucked the piece of parchment into his own pocket, and his smirk deepened when he noticed that Snape was looking at him with real fear in his eyes before he coldly added, "Let's see how good you really are at inventing spells."
Scanning the list of spells, James found one that looked rather promising: Levicorpus.
Snape, who was still under the effect of his Full Body-Bind, was hoisted into the air, where he gently swayed back and forth, upside down and completely at their mercy. Although his legs pressed together to prevent his robes from falling over his head, the outer edges did rise slightly, revealing skinny ankles and no socks. Neither James nor Sirius could contain their laughter at Snape's predicament, and they doubled over, clutching each other for support.
"Brilliant," snorted Sirius. "Which one should we –"
He never got to finish his sentence because just then, a familiar-looking streak of bright blue light came from out of nowhere and struck him solidly in the hip, sending Sirius sprawling. A second jet of light – this time red – followed the first jinx so quickly it appeared as if they had been sent at the same time, and with a loud bang! Sirius was suddenly wandless. Before James could do anything, he felt the unknown assailant press the tip of their wand against the back of his neck.
"Let him go, Potter – don't think I won't jinx you too."
Holding up his hands in surrender, James slowly turned around to find Lily's wand two inches away from his nose – and Lily herself looked absolutely livid.
"Evans! How lovely to see you again," said James, quickly covering his nervousness with a cheerful grin. In his chest, his heart skipped several beats.
In his periphery, he could see Sirius struggle to get back to his feet. His friend was no longer laughing; instead, he was glaring at Lily dislike written all over his face – although it was nothing compared to the contemptuous look Lily was giving James.
"You have five seconds to let Severus down," she said, pressing her wand under his chin to emphasize her point.
"Y'know, Evans – although I enjoy our little chats, don't you think that we should slow down a little bit? I want to make sure that we really make the most out of our relationship."
"Five."
"Don't get me wrong, Evans – your passion is commendable–"
"Four."
"– but you need to take it down a couple of notches –"
"Three."
"– otherwise you're going to completely wear me out."
"Two – Sirius Black, you better sit your sorry ass back down!"
Sirius, who had been trying to covertly sneak up on Lily, froze when she pointed his own wand at him while still keeping hers trained firmly on James, never once letting her glare waiver from James's face – James, though, could only feel the butterflies zooming around in his stomach when he realized how close he was standing to Lily.
Sirius caught James's eye, silently asking him what to do. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, James slowly shook his head at his best friend and closed his eyes in defeat.
"Fine – you win this round, Evans."
He exhaled slowly before turning around, and with a wave of his wand, Snape crashed to the floor for the second time that day. Another wave and an added whisper of "Finite incantatem," resulted in Snape being released from James's initial curse. With a jerk from Lily's chin urging him to get away as quickly as possible, a now red-faced Snape scrambled to his feet, snatching up his wand before he quickly darted into the nearest side corridor. Only once James witnessed his robe disappear around the corner did he turn back to Lily.
Apparently satisfied, Lily lowered her wand, and James released the air in his lungs that he had not realized he was holding in.
"Now that we've gotten past all that … unpleasantness – could I interest you in a dinner at Three Broomsticks, Evans?"
Lily's only response was to roll her eyes and curl her lip in utmost contempt before she turned to Sirius, who was still standing in the same place he had been standing when she threatened him. After a brief moment of consideration, Lily stuck her arm out to offer him his wand.
"There you go, Black – try not to hex me when my back is turned, will you?"
Sirius scowled at Lily and snatched his wand from her outstretched hand before leaning closer to her face as he sneered, "I'll do my best – no promises, though."
Author's Note: I did not write that poem. It came to me through the wonders of the Internet.
Another Note: I moved up when Lily and Terry Abbott started dating because I wanted Lily to date at least a couple of different … shall we call them "personalities" before she and James finally got together.
Remember that at this point, Sirius does not like Lily – at – all. I've always found the relationship between the two of them to be interesting because it's not like what James and Lily have. I always thought they would have had a relationship similar to Harry and Hermione, so that evolution is also going to be a part of this story. (Though *obviously* James/Lily first)
