Chapter Twenty-Eight: All Together Now
Eleanor Rose was the first of many students in the weeks to come. It seemed almost daily that some student or other got a letter telling them that a friend, sibling, parent, aunt or uncle was the next casualty. Slytherin House remained unmarred. Prefects and older students did their best to support the younger students in this time. Lily made sure to check in with every student who had lost a loved one in Gryffindor. She was not alone in this.
Lily came into the Gryffindor Common Room the Friday night before the first Hogsmeade trip to see a still haggard looking Remus giving chocolate to a few students who they knew had lost family members. He gave her a grim smile but kept his attention with the eleven-year old boy who had found out his father was missing that morning. Lily saw that Eleanor was munching on some chocolate that she was positive came from Remus.
"Evans, come sit." Sirius patted the spot next to him on one of the couches by the fire. Marlene sat on his other side and Alice was in an arm chair. Peter was sitting on the floor reading a book about Herbology. "I have it on good authority that you haven't asked about Hogsmeade yet."
Lily glared at Marlene who scowled. "You think he wouldn't tell Sirius the moment you asked? Why do you always think that I'm the one who tells him things?" There was a bit of a snap to Marlene's voice.
"I'm sorry, you're right." Lily leaned into Sirius a little bit. He wrapped his other arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
"He'll say yes." Sirius said softly. Lily made a noise and then turned to look at him and Marlene. She hated the fact that she really wanted to ask him. What bothered her more was that she kind of wanted him to ask but knew that he wouldn't. Sirius nudged her gently in the ribs and nodded to the portrait hole.
James smiled at them as he came over. "I was coming to check in on some of the students. Though it looks like Remus has things well in hand." Remus nodded to James. He had moved to a group second-year students who had a handful of family members missing or dead. "Is his entire bag full of chocolate?"
"We'll have to restock for him tomorrow." Peter said as he turned the page in his book. "He's down to his last few. Padfoot checked earlier. The chocolate from our trunks has mysteriously vanished also."
James nodded as he sat down in front of the fire cross-legged. "We'll make sure to stock up tomorrow."
Lily looked between the three boys. Remus came over to join them. He had a piece of chocolate in his mouth. He sat down on the floor in front of Lily and offered her a piece. She couldn't resist a piece of her favourite chocolate from Honeyduke's.
"How many bars do you have left, mate?" James asked trying to look into Remus's bag.
"Enough." Remus said as he broke off another piece. "I don't need you lot to buy me chocolate. I'll be fine."
"It's not a question of need, Moony. If you're going to keep the spirits of Gryffindor up, we feel it's our duty to keep you stocked. Right, Prongs?" Sirius grinned.
"Why do I feel like this discussion happens more than it should?" Marlene asked from her spot. "Remus, just let them buy you chocolate."
Remus scowled at her. He pulled out a book and proceeded to ignore them. The fire crackled in front of them. The windows rattled as the wind picked up. Somewhere off in the distance thunder cracked. The group sat quiet, enjoying each other's company. Marlene rest her head on Sirius's shoulder. Alice had her feet tucked up under her in the armchair, both hands holding a mug of tea.
Groups of younger students went off to their dormitories together. No one really wanted to be alone right now. Peter was telling Alice about something interesting about one of the plants in the book. Lily let her head rest on Sirius's shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment.
Sirius nudged her awake. Alice and Marlene had gone off to bed, so had Peter. Remus was sitting in Alice's vacated armchair. "Lilyflower, you've gotta wake up if you're going to sleep in your own bed."
James was standing beside the fire looking at his watch. "I'm starting to think that you're the bad influence on me, we're going to be roaming the halls in the middle of the night again." He winked when she scowled at him.
Lily let Sirius steady her as she stood up. She was still half asleep. She heard Sirius mutter something about a map to James. "We'll be fine Padfoot. Thanks, mate." James clapped Sirius on the shoulder and then steered Lily towards the portrait hole. "You're not going to pass out on me are you?"
The girl stumbled through the portrait hole. James caught her by the waist. "I can carry you if you'd like. Over the shoulder or bridal style, the choice is yours."
"Ha ha, funny." Lily covered her yawn as she steadied herself. She looked up at James and smiled softly, "I think you're doing a great job, thank you for coming to check on Gryffindor."
James ruffled his hair up. "Thanks. I think you're doing a bang up job yourself. Now if only we could do half as good a job as Remus is doing."
Lily blushed and bit her lip. She thanked him quietly. They were a corner from the Heads dorm when Lily grabbed James's hand and pulled him to a stop. There was a little alcove with windows that looked out over the lake. Though, you couldn't see much tonight with the storm going.
"James," Lily took a deep breath and looked up at him. She steeled all of her Gryffindor courage. "Would you want to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow, with me?"
James's heart stopped. Lily Evans was asking him, James Potter, to Hogsmeade. "On a date?"
Lily's eyes widened. "You're right it was stupid. Sorry." She turned quickly on her heel to flee to the Heads' dorm.
James grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him. She spun into him. Her hands landed on his chest to steady herself. "Lily, I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you tomorrow." James grinned down at her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "You have any idea of how long I've been waiting for this? I'm dreaming, aren't I?" He pulled back from her and placed his hands on her arms.
"You're not dreaming." Lily laughed. She booped his nose with a finger. "You're such a dork."
"But I can be your dork." James grinned as they walked the remaining space to the dorm. He let Lily go ahead of him through the portrait tunnel. All the while with the stupidest grin on his face.
Lily shivered as she climbed out of bed. Clouds covered the sky and she could see the trees swaying in the wind. Today would be chilly. A warmth filled her when she remembered that she was going to go to Hogsmeade with James. Certainly that would keep the October wind at bay.
On the other side of the wall James was rapidly talking to Sirius about Lily asking him to Hogsmeade the night before. Sirius covered a dramatic yawn in the two-way mirror. "Mate, I told you she was coming around. Just don't muck it up today." This sent James into another panic attack. Remus popped his head into the mirror to try and calm him down. Sirius handed him the mirror with a you talk to him, you're so much better at calming him down.
James heard Lily's door close out on the landing. He heard her leave through the portrait tunnel. He ruffled up the back of his hair and glanced around the room for something worthy of a first date with Lily.
Lily speed walked to Gryffindor Tower with a handful of shirts. She ignored Sirius and Peter as she hurried to the door to the girls' dormitory. She took the stairs two at a time and let herself into the seventh-year dorm.
"Lily, we need to get ourselves a set of those dumb mirrors like the boys have." Marlene groaned as Lily sat down on her bed. The blonde pulled the pillow over her head.
"Look, I'm going to Hogsmeade with James. I need you to pick out a shirt for me." Marlene sat up and nearly tipped Lily off the bed.
Alice came out of the loo and mumbled a good morning to Lily. Mary and Dorcas were a little frosty to Lily as they left dormitory. "What's their problem?"
Marlene snorted. "Mary has a thing for James and she is all out of sorts that the two of you are getting together. She'll come around eventually. But you asked him and he said yes!" The girl bounced on her bed and pulled Lily into a hug. "So what are you planning on wearing? I'm pretty sure that it's going to rain."
Lily held up the shirts. She had decided against the green one because she wore it so often. Alice thought about the fact that she wore it on the first date with Colin. Marlene clamored off the bed and rummaged through her trunk.
"Wear that gray sweater and this." The girl held up her prized possession, a dark brown leather jacket worthy of some of the muggle rock icons.
"I can't wear your favourite jacket, what will you wear with Sirius?" Lily pulled on the long sleeve gray sweater Marlene had chosen.
"Nothing?" Alice laughed as she rummaged around for her favourite blue sweater. She was bouncing around herself. "I'm so excited to get to see Frank!" Alice grabbed Marlene's hands and swung her around the center of the room.
Lily sat down at breakfast beside James. She could feel the buzz of electricity between them. He knocked his knee into hers and smiled. "Alright, Lily?" She smiled back at him.
It was the first morning in two weeks where not a single student received a letter with bad news. Everyone was excited about the Hogmeade outing. Even the first- and second-years who wouldn't be going knew that they would be able to get the good seats by the common room fires today with all the upper students out of the castle.
"So, Peter's my date today?" Remus grinned at his friend. Peter was incredibly excited about having someone to spend the day with.
"I say we meet at the Three Broomsticks in the afternoon." Everyone seemed to agree with Sirius's plan. Peter and Remus took off first, Alice joined them saying she couldn't wait another moment to see Frank. Lily, James, Marlene, and Sirius casually made their way out to the grounds towards the path that led to the village.
Sirius had his arm around Marlene's waist, her hand was in his back pocket. It was common knowledge that they were together. Some people whispered about James and Lily walking with them. They walked a little behind the couple. James ruffled his hair up no less than fifteen times between the castle and the village.
"I was thinking we could stop at Honeyduke's first?" James asked shyly. Lily didn't think she had ever seen him this nervous before. A group of third-year Hufflepuffs flew by them, scarves waving. One bumped into Lily from behind and sent her tumbling forward. James caught her around the waist. "Oy, watch where you're going!"
James held his arms around Lily's waist a little longer than necessary. Sirius and Marlene had turned around when James called out and laughed. They continued on their way leaving, James and Lily behind.
"Get a room, Potter!" A group Ravenclaw boys from the Quidditch team laughed as they passed the two Heads.
"I guess the cat is out of the bag." Lily smiled and turned around as James dropped his arms. She reached for his hand and raised her eyebrow asking if this was okay.
Heads turned as the pair made their way into the village. Whispers passed from one student to the next. James got pats on the back as they walked into Honeyduke's. Lily could feel the coolness from some of the older girls. She kept her chin up. James had to poke her in the side to get her attention.
"What kinds should we get?" Lily picked out a dark chocolate with almonds and then a milk chocolate with caramel. "Okay, get more than two, Lily. My treat." James's arms were loaded up with multiple bars of every flavour. He made sure to get extra of the ones he knew Remus liked best.
"You've got plenty there, I don't need more than this." Lily blushed a little as she grabbed a third bar. James rolled his eyes and grabbed two more of each kind she held. He grumbled something about never having enough chocolate. Lily was a little taken aback when the cashier rang up their purchase. She moved to put some back but James stopped her. He pulled out a pouch filled with Galleons and Sickles.
A gust of wind blew Lily's hair across her face as they exited the sweets shop. They walked straight into none other than Snape. He had been lurking just outside of Honeyduke's. James felt Lily tense. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Severus. Alright?" James tried to smile at the other boy. Snape sneered and brushed past them. He didn't say a word.
James led Lily down the main street. They had gone past a handful of shops before he felt her relax. "Thank you." James squeezed her hand again.
"What do you want to do?" James asked. Lily waved to Frank and Alice who were window shopping across the street. James hesitated with his next question. "Do you want to go to Madam Puddifoot's?"
Lily pulled a face at him. "Why don't we just go for a walk? Maybe get away from all the gossips who are watching me — us."
James laughed and led her down a side street past some robes shops and a little place that sold tea leaves. They followed the path towards the Shrieking Shack. They settled into an awkward silence. Both trying to think of what to say. Lily didn't want to talk about school. James had so many things he wanted to talk about but was worried of scaring her off.
"Tell me about your family." Lily blurted out. She was very aware of how sweaty her hand was becoming.
A gust of wind rustled the trees and sent the beautiful leaves of red and orange flying. Lily wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. She let go of James's hand and spun around in the clearing. Fall was her favourite season. October her favourite month. Halloween her favourite holiday.
"Alright you loon, come sit and I'll tell you all about my family." James laughed as he sat down and leaned against a tree. "Argh — the ground is wet."
Lily laughed and whipped out her wand. She charmed the ground around the base of the tree dry. James turned around so that she could get his pants. She giggled when she saw the patch of mud on his trousers. James patted the ground to make sure it was dry before he sat down a second time. He pulled Lily down to sit between his legs.
"This okay?" Lily nodded and laced her fingers between his. She leaned back into his chest and let him wrap their arms around midriff. "I have a brother named Sirius. He's adopted — ow! Okay, okay! Just for the record though, he is family."
James told Lily about his parents. Lily hadn't realized that his father was the inventor of the Sleakeazy's Hair Potion. James told her about the grandparents whom he had known briefly before they passed. His parents had had James later in life so most of his relatives were older, distant, or dead. James in turn asked about Lily's family.
The girl fidgeted for a few moments. James waited patiently. He traced little circles on the backs of her hands. "I have a sister, Petunia. You know that. She's nineteen and getting married to this awful walrus of a man. Actually, I guess she's married now. She didn't want me at the wedding."
Lily was guarded at first but when she realized James was attentive and actually interested in learning about her muggle family she opened up more. She didn't give too many details about her father's diagnosis. Her family was well off, not near as well off as the Potters but they didn't hurt for things often.
"What made you change your mind?" James leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. He could smell Lily's shampoo. He didn't know what the scent was but it smelled really good.
"I don't know." Lily turned a little so she could see his face. "Remus and Sirius actually had more to do with it than I think."
James scowled. Of course his friends had something to do with. He was positive Alice and Marlene had done a lot of steering themselves.
"Remus told me. What you did in May last year." Lily watched his face carefully. "That was really a turning point I think."
Lily noticed that James had gone really still. She could tell he was trying to choose his words wisely. "What exactly did Remus tell you?"
"I know about Remus's condition. I've known for years. And I would never out him if that's something you're worried about." Lily's eyebrows knit together confused. James had to know if he had stopped Snape last year. "He told me you put yourself in danger to prevent Snape from seeing him transformed."
James ran his hand through his hair. "How come you've never said anything?"
Lily had the barest hint of a smile on her face. "Because, like you, I love Remus and I think he deserves to be here just like any other student."
James thought he might cry. He wrapped his arms tight around and pulled her into his chest. His lips crashed into hers. For a moment there was no one in the world but the two of them. Lily felt that heat spread through her. Everything seemed to click.
Their bubble burst when Sirius's muffled voice yelled at them from James's pocket. "Prongs! You better be dead or snogging Evans. You two are late for butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks. Shake a leg!" They snogged for a few more minutes before Sirius yelled at them a second time.
James boosted Lily to her feet and stood up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her to hug her from behind. He gave her one more kiss on the side of her face before she pulled him back towards the path. The awkwardness they had experienced earlier in the day had vanished. When they re-entered the village, they did so hand in hand.
"You two are the worst." Sirius grumbled as Lily and James found the table at the back of the Three Broomsticks. "Here we all are, wondering what's happened to you. I thought you were dead."
Lily couldn't keep a straight face, she burst out laughing. She slid into a seat beside Remus and James scooted in beside her. Madam Rosmerta was already bringing over two butterbeers for them. She tittered about how she never thought she would actually see the day that Lily Evans was coming in with James Potter. Lily couldn't help the blush that crept across her face.
"Lips a little swollen there, Lil. What have you been up to?" Marlene wagged her eyebrows at her best friend. James kicked her under the table. Marlene kicked back.
Alice wandered in not long after them. She informed them that Frank had been called back to work. The little brunette used some very colourful language to describe how she felt about this. Sirius pushed his mug towards her and whispered it was firewhiskey. Alice took a generous sip before sitting down beside him.
"I'm legal — if I want to drink firewhiskey then I'm going to drink firewhiskey." Sirius scowled at Lily who looked like she was about to say something. "Maybe if you were on time."
Lily rolled her eyes and took a sip of her butterbeer. She swiped a pasty from the plate on the middle of the table. She was starving. James's leg was pressed flush with hers under the table and she could feel the butterflies fluttering around in her belly.
As the afternoon wore on, the Three Broomsticks began to empty of Hogwarts students. The seven seventh-years laughed as they shared stories and poked fun at each other. Lily couldn't remember what it was that she had been worried about. Finally, they paid their bills and made their way out into the street. The wind howled through the main street angrily. Lily was the first out the door. She didn't see what happened but she remembered hearing the thunderous crack.