Chapter 6: Hogsmeade
"James." James Potter could practically envision Lily Evans' almond shaped emerald eyes narrow as she hissed his name- low, sultry, breathless… "JAMES!"
A jet of green light shot through the pitch darkness. James dropped with a grunt and rolled aside, the curse striking where James had been standing just the moment before. He wished that he could at least illuminate the atrium with his wand but he could not afford to give away his position. From the ground, James shot several curses of his own before sliding back in the direction of Lily's voice. More flashes of green light struck the spot that James had once been.
A hand reached out and gripped his robes. The faint scent of strawberries was the only thing that kept James from stupefying the person who had latched desperately onto him. "Lily," he breathed quietly so that their attackers could not hear them.
"James," she responded, his name coming out as a relieved sigh. "I've found the way out! We need to draw the Death Eaters over to the south side of the atrium and head out the west entrance. Once outside I can summon the portkey that will take us to our rendezvous point."
James plucked Lily's hands from his robes to squeeze it reassuringly. They couldn't afford to talk too much in fear that the Death Eaters locate their hiding spot. He reached into his pocket and felt around until his hand closed around a cluster of tiny balls. "Get ready to sprint." James whispered before he chucked the cluster towards the south end of the atrium. "Go!"
An explosion sounded across the lobby floor, illuminating the dozen Death Eaters prowling about the perimeter with their skull-like masks and pitch black robes. James panicked as their location was revealed to the group, but then he noticed two curious things. One was that though he could clearly feel Lily's hand within his own, he could not see her in front of him. The other was that even though he was not moving, he could clearly see him and Lily sprinting off towards the north end of the atrium. Before James could so much as react, Lily was tugging him out the door as the Death Eaters were chasing after their doubles.
"Lily, you are brilliant, you know tha-?" James laughed in disbelief, but his words were choked off as he felt a twinge from his naval pull him away from the atrium.
As soon as the world stopped spinning, James and Lily were abruptly torn apart. "Oh thank heavens you are safe!" McGonagall was crying with relief as she took Lily by the shoulders and led her towards the kitchen table where a giant slab of chocolate sat. Dumbledore did the same with James, but led him into the sitting room where Mr. and Mrs. Potter sat waiting.
"James!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed as she leapt up from the couch and embraced her only son. Mr. Potter was quick to follow.
James blushed but accepted their love without complaint. From over his mother's shoulder he caught Lily's eye. She was staring at him with a strange emotion that glistened in those green depths. Mrs. Potter looked up at that moment and caught James' line of sight.
"Lily," Mrs. Potter said softly. Lily blinked. "Lily, please, come here."
Lily slowly pushed herself away from the table and walked towards the Potters in the sitting room. As soon as she was within reach, Mrs. Potter immediately tucked her under her arm and pulled her husband and son into a bone crushing embrace.
"Lily, you are brilliant."
"Lily, you are clever."
"Lily, you are wonderful."
Lily's eyes watered as each member of the Potter family praised her. It seemed she hadn't seen her own family in so long. She missed her parents and her sister.
A slight cough from the doorway redirected the group's attention to Professor Dumbledore. "Ah, love, the greatest of all magic! But I fear I must borrow James and Lily for just a moment."
Mrs. Potter dropped kisses onto both Lily and James' foreheads before releasing them to Dumbledore. "James, we will see you soon. And Lily, keep an eye out for one of our owls." James waved goodbye as Lily smiled shyly up at the Potters.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans," the Hogwarts Headmaster greeted his two Heads as he lead them into a study. "I have a portkey ready to return you to your Head dorms, but before you go, let me first congratulate you on a most successful mission. I've noticed you have found the map?"
"They're after Giants!" James said incredulously. Lily, who did not know giants existed until a few hours ago, nodded and pulled out a rolled up scroll from her knapsack.
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed and he hummed in contemplation as he unrolled the map. "I see. Right you are. Lucky for us, giants do not readily trust humans. To approach them and win their alliance takes patience and respect. Trust me when I say that what you've discovered will save many lives. Now if you could please tell me the events of your scouting mission, I would very much like to hear about your accomplishments."
James and Lily looked at each other, their hands reaching to clasp one another in support. They returned to their dorms an hour later, drained yet grateful for returning safe. Together they climbed up the steps that lead to their individual rooms where Lily would veer right and James left. Instead, the two paused and looked at one another. The next moment, James was led into Lily's room where they methodically changed out of their robes and climbed into bed. After they had arranged themselves under the covers, James stretched out his arm, Lily tucked herself into his side, and James went to stroke her back comfortingly.
Two hours later, Lily woke up screaming. James whispered into her ear and rubbed her back until she fell asleep.
One hour after that, James woke up hyperventilating in a cold sweat. Lily pressed her palm against his chest and ran her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep.
It was a ritual they had established after their first gruesome Order mission. 3 people died that night. Ever since then, whenever they completed a mission for the Order, they spent the following night together, supporting one another.
The following morning, Lily woke up to an empty bed. That wasn't unusual. James liked to wake up early to work out. It also gave Lily the privacy she needed to recollect her thoughts from the previous evening and compose herself for that day. She slipped out from her covers and completed her morning stretches before walking down to the Great Hall to meet her friends for breakfast.
There was excitement buzzing in the Great Hall that morning. The front entrance doors were wide open, letting a fresh breeze whip across the House tables. Professor McGonagall manned the front entrance with a list Lily compiled of all the students who turned in Hogsmeade permission forms. The Great Hall itself was decorated with giant pumpkins, flying bats, and the orange and black streamers the Prefects set up the morning before.
"Please return by 7:00 tonight for the Halloween Feast." Lily could hear McGonagall tell the students that wanted an early start in Hogsmeade. Lily felt the butterflies in her stomach at the mention of a day in Hogsmeade with a certain person.
Dorcas smiled knowingly at Lily. "Are you really wearing that to Hogsmeade today?"
Lily looked down at her outfit: jeans, boots, jumper, scarf and earmuffs. "Why, what's wrong with it?"
"You look so conservative. Show a little skin!" Dorcas teased while pulling at her scarf.
Lily gripped it tightly to her chest. "No! I don't want to show any skin at all! It's cold outside!"
"Then at least put your hair down." Mary fingered Lily's ponytail disdainfully. "Your hair is so beautiful when it's down."
Lily swatted Mary's hand away. "It's windy out, I don't want it blowing in my face."
Marlene teased, "Well I guess you'll just have to walk around with a pucker face all day so James actually knows you're interested in him."
"Oh come off it." Lily started spreading jam on her toast a little too forcefully.
"Relax." Dorcas said, reaching out to pat Lily's arm. "You're going to have a great time today."
"And if you don't, just leave and find us!" Marlene reassured.
Lily took a bite of her toast and looked around the Great Hall. She choked as she saw Amos Diggory stand up from the Hufflepuff table and walk straight towards her. Lily looked alarmingly at her friends in a silent plea for help.
"Lily," Amos said a moment later. "Are you ready to go?"
Lily visibly deflated. In all the failed attempts Amos had in asking her to Hogsmeade, Lily never answered yes, though she never answered no either.
"Amos, can't you see she's eating? Give her some space!" Marlene cut in.
Amos blushed and tripped backwards. "Oh, right, sorry Lily."
Lily swallowed her toast and faced Amos straight on. "Listen, Amos. I'm sorry I never answered your question, we always got interrupted, but I was never intending to go to Hogsmeade with you."
Amos started stuttering in embarrassment, "R-really? N-never thought to- why not? A-are you going with s-someone else?"
Lily sighed, Amos looked quite pitiful standing there. It didn't help that they were drawing attention from the nearby tables. Even the marauders were staring, James especially. "It doesn't matter if I am going with someone or not, Amos. What matters is that I am not going with you." Lily winced, that didn't sound quite the way she intended. "What I mean to say Amos is that I don't think of you that way to want to go to Hogsmeade with you." Lily bit her lip, she should probably stop talking at this point. She was only digging a deeper hole.
Amos frowned. "Alright then." With a resigned sigh, Amos turned and walked away.
"But if you ever want to take me, Amos, I would say yes!" Marlene called after him. That seemed to lift his spirits as he straightened a little more when he walked. The girls flashed incredulous looks in Marlene's direction. "What? He's fit! I'd take it."
Lily giggled and turned back to her breakfast. She was very aware of James staring down the table at her. He was making it very hard for her to swallow. After a few agonizing bites, James stood up and approached Lily.
"I come in peace." James said once he was standing behind her, lifting his hands in the air. "Please don't turn me away like you did Diggory."
"Shut up and sit down." Lily hissed at him in embarrassment. Others were beginning to look, including a scowling Amos Diggory.
James smirked and sat down next to Lily. "So when you told Amos you weren't going to Hogsmeade with him because you didn't think of him that way, does that mean you think of me that way?"
Lily's blush stretched across her face and neck. "I wouldn't be so confident."
James' smile widened. "I know for a fact that you enjoy confidence. That was why you were never interested in Amos."
"And you think I'm interested in you." Lily crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"I know you are." James brought his face closer to Lily's so that the girls around them couldn't hear. "It's just convincing you of it that's the problem."
"So that's your goal today? To convince me that I fancy you?" Lily asked skeptically.
"No, not at all." James said. "I will not convince you. You're going to need to do that yourself."
"Hm." Lily said. Her heart was racing with excitement. She reached forward and drained her glass to mask her feelings.
"Shall we?" James asked once Lily put her glass down. Lily nodded and linked her arm with James.
"Have fun," Mary called after them.
"Make good choices!" Dorcas shouted.
James could feel Lily shaking at his side as they made their way past the Hogwarts gates. "Don't tell me you're cold."
Lily blushed up at James. "Just nervous."
"How can you be nervous after everything that we've done together?" James laughed out loud.
Lily nudged him playfully with her hip. "Don't laugh, whenever we're together there are a lot more distractions we need to be worried about."
"Distractions, eh?" James paused as they neared the town. He bent down close to Lily and said, "I can give you distractions."
Lily's heart skipped a beat. But it wasn't what Lily was expecting, for James just grabbed her hand and pulled her down the walking path towards town. Being Halloween, Hogsmeade was decorated in all kinds of decorations from enlarged jack-o-lanterns to cobwebs dripping with real spiders. With so much to look at, Lily's nerves calmed down and soon she was gripping James' arm in delight.
Together they took a lap around the town, peeking in shop windows and munching on Madame Camilla's Crunchy Popcorn. Once they rounded back to the fountain that marked the entrance to town James asked, "So Lily, what would you like to do next?"
"Hm," Lily thought, twirling in a circle with her arms opened wide as the leaves fell around her. "I don't mind what we do, as long as it's not Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop."
Both James and Lily paused to gag.
James turned to survey the town when he noticed an unusual group of people heading towards The Three Broomsticks. Lily hopped down from the fountain and stood by his side. "Hey isn't that Rookwood? I thought he graduated a few years ago. What is he doing here? And with those Slytherins?" Lily asked.
"How do you feel about getting a butterbeer?" James asked, still eyeing the group entering the pub.
"Let's go." Lily said. She took James' offered hand and took off towards the pub.
The pub inside was crowded and not a table was empty. James and Lily squeezed their way to the bar. As James ordered their drinks, Lily scanned the tables. A table at the far end of the bar had six Hogwarts students removing their cloaks. The wizard that was with them removed his cloak to reveal a vibrant colored vest and festive orange robes. When the wizard looked in her direction, she recognized him immediately to be Rookwood. His long black hair was greased into a ponytail and his dark facial hair was styled into a pointed goatee. Lily curled her lip, they were too far away to eavesdrop
"It looks like Rookwood is pretty well off. Look at his robes!" Lily exclaimed once James turned around with both Butterbeers in hand. Indeed Rookwood was very well dressed with shiny dress shoes to match his bright robes. "He must work for the ministry if he has the gold to afford that."
"Or he has a rich family." James countered, scowling into his drink.
Lily sipped from her glass. The table they were spying on all leaned their heads in closely together. "Listen, I've got to use the loo. Can you hold this for a minute?" Lily handed James her barely touched butterbeer and walked towards the bathroom. As she passed, she inconspicuously slowed down to catch some of their conversation.
"-has Dumbledore had his army patrolling the castle?" Muttered Rookwood.
"No, just his annoying Heads." Said a Slytherin Lily did not recognize.
"Good because we have something planned for winter hols." At this, Rookwood lifted his head up to look around and Lily quickly hurried into the bathroom.
Lily's heart was racing fast. What were they going to do during winter hols? Who was planning it? Why did it matter who was patrolling the castle? And who exactly does he think Dumbledore's army is? Lily counted silently to 100 before exiting the loo. Lily could not eavesdrop as she swept by Rookwood's table on the way out for they were laughing boisterously at something one of them had said.
James handed Lily her butterbeer back and she finished it quickly. "I think we've heard enough, James. Let's get out of here." Lily placed her empty glass on the counter and headed out the door. James meanwhile looked wistfully at his half-full drink and hastily gulped the rest of it down to follow Lily outside.
She lead him out past the town to where a twisted path lead up to the Shrieking Shack. Together they sat on a log and looked up at the foreboding shack. "So what did you hear?" James asked.
Lily didn't answer right away. "Do you really think Rookwood works for the ministry?" Lily asked eventually.
James shrugged. "Wherever he works, he is obviously here trying to get information. And he's close enough to those Slytherins to get some answers."
Lily bit her lip. "You're right, he was asking questions. He wanted to know if Dumbledore's army was patrolling the castle because he has something planned for winter hols. Do you reckon it could be dangerous for muggleborns to leave Hogwarts this winter holiday?" Lily asked.
James was quiet for a minute. "I think we should let Dumbledore know what we heard and let him make that decision." James then turned to look at Lily directly. "But I do know it will be dangerous for you. Voldemort knows that you're working with Dumbledore. If he wants more information, all he has to do is get ahold of you while you're on break. He would never try anything while you're here at Hogwarts."
Lily's stomach shifted uneasily. "I have to see my family though. I've missed them so much."
"I don't know Lily. Maybe you should stay with me and my family instead." James said cautiously.
Lily smiled sweetly at James. "That's wonderful of you to offer, but I have to see my family, too."
"Then let me go with you." James insisted.
Lily laughed. "We still have another month til hols. Let's see how it goes and then decide."
"I'm not changing my mind." James said stubbornly.
Lily giggled and grabbed his hand. "Right, well I would like to visit Honeydukes before we go back to the castle. Will you walk me there?"
"I'll do one better." James smirked mischievously and hoisted Lily onto his back despite her shrieks. "Onward!" He cried and galloped towards the candy shop.
"It's almost 7:00, we should probably head back inside." Lily and James walked back up to the castle hand in hand.
"Lily," James said and abruptly stopped walking. Lily turned questioningly towards James. Slowly, as if he was waiting for her to protest, he pulled both her hands forward so that they rested on his shoulders. His own hands then dropped to her waist. "I want to say this before we go inside. I was really looking forward to spending today with you, Lily, and you didn't let me down. I had a wonderful day with you today. One of my best yet, actually."
Lily was clutching desperately to his broad shoulders as her knees were so weak, she was unsure that her legs could support her weight. "I did, too." Lily said, her voice coming out much breathier than she intended.
James had pulled out the band that tied her hair back and admired the way the wind lifted her red locks into the air. One hand cupped her face, his thumb stroking her jawline and occasionally her lips. The other pressed against her lower back in a soothing circling motion. "Seeing as we are heads, it would be wise for us to not be late for the Halloween Feast."
Lily closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into James' palm. At this moment she didn't care much about the Halloween Feast-she was very reluctant to move. Her day had been so perfect, this moment was so perfect, she did not want it to end. Lily's eyes flickered back to James. In the small amount of time that Lily had closed her eyes, James' face had inched closer. His eyes were locked on her lips. Lily's breathing became fast and shallow. Her mouth parted in anticipation.
"Remember what I said before?" James whispered. Both of his hands now were in her hair. Lily was finding it very hard to speak and only managed a whimper. She could feel James smile. "I can't convince you of your feelings, Lily. This is where I draw the line." Lily abruptly looked up, this is not where she thought their conversation would be heading. "Do you remember the first time I kissed you?" James continued, "I was trying to convince you then. Obviously that did not turn out well. So now it's your turn. When you're ready, show me. Until then, I'll be here."
James paused, searching her eyes. Lily could see the hope shining in his eyes, hoping that she would make the leap and close the distance between them. Lily really wanted to, but she was crippled by fear. Fear of what? She could not say. When nothing happened, James dropped his hands and took a step back with a sigh.
"James, wait!" Lily cried out. She tugged on his arm and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. "I really had a great time today. I guess I'm just not ready yet. I need more time."
James chuckled and wrapped his arm around Lily's waist to lead her inside. "I'm not going anywhere, Lily. You're worth waiting for."
James and Lily sat separately for the Halloween Feast. Lily was nervous her face would never return to its normal pale color after the interrogation her friends gave her. After the feast, the Marauders followed James and Lily up to their shared dorm. Once inside, James pulled the snitch from out of his pocket, absentmindedly letting the snitch flutter around and then snatching it back as he continued to carry on the conversation with his friends. Lily did her best trying to ignore the whole lot. Really, talking about Quidditch and the like didn't interest her at all.
Flutter. Flutter. Snatch. Flutter. Flutter. Really, now! Lily had read the same line in her book at least 4 times over. She lowered the book slightly to peer at James and his friends over the cover. They were so wrapped up in their debate between the Harpies and Puddlemore that they had completely forgotten Lily was in the room. Lily smirked and watched James' movement carefully.
"So what if the Harpies captain is a two time Quidditch World Cup holder. Puddlemore has an unbeatable defense." James argued confidently, still letting the snitch flit away before snatching it back. He tossed it away again. "They've been undefeated for the past tw- hey!"
James froze mid-leap as he really took stock of the situation. One second he was catching his snitch and the next Lily was twirling the snitch between her fingers. "Constant vigilance, Potter." Lily imitated their friend from the Order. James stared at her dumbfoundedly.
"Bloody hell." Sirius breathed. "Why haven't you joined the Quidditch team?"
"Even Sirius can't steal the snitch away from James." Peter piped up.
Remus smiled over at Lily and James who was just now sinking back to the floor.
Lily yawned and stood up from the couch. "The sport bores me." She said nonchalantly, tossing Remus a wink. She flicked the snitch towards James who just barely managed to catch it.
"More like she can't ride a broom." Remus snorted as Lily opened up the door to her room.
Instead of blowing up in a typical Lily rage, she turned around and smiled at the group before closing the door behind her.
James leaned back into the back of the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. "Wow. Did that really just happen? Wow."