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Chapter Five: The Deal
Hogwarts was growing steadily colder by the day. As fall began to wane, the golden leaves lost their lustre, turning the grounds into a sea of orange and brown. Lily waded through, kicking large bundles of leaves, sending them spewing into the air to be carried off by the wind. She huffed and stomped all the way from the greenhouse back up the steps into the courtyard. Advanced Herbology was only the second class on her schedule for the day. She had two more left.
Lily knew it was a hectic schedule, but she was not about to change it. She intended on being fully prepared for her N.E.W.T.S, even if it meant a mortally threatening class load. Of course, she had no problems keeping up; she had always been top of her class and was quite certain that would never change.
But a ruckus in the centre of the courtyard made Lily lose her train of thought. A small group of first-year boys were chattering and laughing loudly, gathered around something. Immediately her prefect-sense began tingling. It was her duty to investigate. Puffing up her chest slightly, Lily began to stalk over to the giggling group.
A little blonde boy peered over his shoulder and spotted Lily, his eyes widening. Immediately, he jerked on the sleeve of the boy next to him and whispered urgently in his ear. This made Lily walk a little faster.
"What's going on here?" Lily approached, eyes narrowed and hands on hips.
"Nothing," two of them responded immediately in unison.
"Uh huh," she was not swayed. "What are you looking so guilty for?"
While most of the boys looked scared, one of them rolled his eyes at her. "We aren't doing anything, so could you go away?"
Lily blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. We're busy." He raised his chin and cocked his head provokingly at her. His dusty black hair swished across his forehead and the corners of his lips twitched in amusement. Well. If he didn't remind her of someone right now…Those taunting eyes…just like-
"What's going on?"
Lily's eyes flicked up from the first-year and landed on James. Speak of the devil.
The defiant boy grinned at James' arrival and took a step toward him. "Hi James," he said admiringly.
"Hello David! How's it going then?" James grinned and ruffled the kid's hair. The boy smiled sheepishly in admiration and turned back to Lily with a revitalized boldness. Something told Lily this rebellious streak may have been taught and not inherent after all…
"James, do you mind?" Lily sighed. She needed to get him out of there. There was no way this boy David was going to confess with James around boosting his mischievous confidence.
He shrugged. "Not really." He settled down on the edge of the planter and winked at one of the boys. "You need something?"
"James…" she said warningly. He simply cocked his head and raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Lily sighed, realizing he wasn't going anywhere, and turned back to little David. "Just tell me what you're hiding."
"I'm not hiding anything!" He said, folding his arms. "Snitch."
Lily's jaw dropped. How disrespectful could a kid get? "Would you like me to take points from you?"
He just glared back at her.
She was about to give the little rat detention when James opened his mouth. "Lils, the kid's harmless. They're just having fun. Now…go…run along. I'm sure you've got prefect things to take care of. Am I right?"
…Run…along? "How dare you speak to m-"
"Lily," he said as he began tossing something in the air, "just calm down. I'm sure we can work something out."
She wanted to smack him. But it was that moment that she realized James was casually flipping her prefect badge up and down with the flick of his wrist. She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. "All right, fine. Just don't make so much racket in the courtyard." And with that Lily stomped off.
Lousy James, turning every roguish first-year into a potential marauder. That was the absolute last thing she needed next year. Merlin! If she could just get that stupid badge back she could forget about him! Argh!
FWUMP.
Lily fell flat on her face, her parchment and books strewn across the floor of the corridor. In her all her silent ranting, she'd failed to notice the pile of books lying in the middle of the hall. Then, BAM!
"Ow! Bloody hell!" Lily clutched the side of her head in agony as books flew past her face. One by one, they shot through the air from within a classroom, the pages ripping and fluttering about. "What in-"
Lily pushed herself up and walked into the classroom, ducking as another book flew over her head. "What- PEEVES!"
The podgy poltergeist grinned and tossed another book her way.
"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing to Professor Flitwick's library?" Lily cried, pulling out her wand.
"Ho ho ho!" Peeves did a somersault and belched, firing more books from his mouth. "Ickle Lilykins Miss Priss Prissy Prefect to the rescue! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
In a puff of smoke, he disappeared. Lily moaned audibly and stared at the mess of books. This was going to take forever to clean up! Slowly and with a sigh, she pulled out her wand and began sending the books back to their rightful places on the shelves. Of course, she had to figure out what order they had been in.
She glanced down at her watch. The next Charms class wouldn't start for another two hours, so she had time. One by one she ordered the books neatly on the shelves, cursing Peeves all the while.
But as the pile waned, a certain book caught Lily's eye. She picked it up and dusted off the cover with her sleeve. "Crime and Punishment: An Advanced Theory of Charms in Magical Law Enforcement," she read aloud thoughtfully. Interesting. Curious, she flipped open the worn cover and fingered through the pages. There were hundreds of charms listed, from simple cheering charms to advanced body part replacement ones. But it gave detailed descriptions of each charm's usage in magical law enforcement, specifically tracking, capture, retrieval and…(Lily's eyes widened) torture.
A light bulb flickered on in the back of her mind. Hee hee hee.
"Miss Evans?" A high-pitched voice broke her concentration.
Lily dropped the book and it fell in with the sea of the others. "Erm…hello Professor Flitwick! Peeves was here and, well, he sort of destroyed your library. I was trying to clean up."
Flitwick gasped. "Oh my! Blasted poltergeist. Well thank you, Miss Evans. I appreciate the assistance."
"Oh, of course," Lily shot him her winning prefect smile, but her eyes lingered on Crime and Punishment, peering out from beneath several other books. "Erm…well I had better get to class!"
"Ah…" Flitwick looked a bit startled as Lily scrambled past him, tripping over a few books on her way as she zipped out the door.
Pausing just outside the room, Lily clasped her hands with glee. That book could be the answer to her problems...there were bound to be some good spells to use against James, and perhaps she could finally have some control over him! Smiling to herself, Lily's eyes flickered briefly back inside Flitwick's room to the pile of books before she strode off down the corridor to her next class with an extra bounce in her step.
"I'm sure we'll win it this year. We can't lose with James." Sirius took a bite of toast and had barely swallowed the lot before he stuffed more in his mouth. "The way I see it, we're undefeatable."
"'Undefeatable' isn't a word, Padfoot," Remus drawled, taking a sip of his tea.
"Morning." Peter and James plopped down at the table on either side of Remus, knocking his elbows and causing his tea to slop. Remus frowned disapprovingly and went back to reading the Daily Prophet.
A small huddle of girls passed by at the same moment, giggling and waving. Remus was oblivious while James, Peter, and Sirius flashed them winning grins.
"…Hufflepuffs, right?" Sirius whispered to James through the corner of his grin.
James nodded and turned his attention back to the table, dishing up massive amounts of food onto his plate. "I think I dated the brunette."
Peter chuckled then began fighting with Sirius for the last muffin.
"What 'cha reading?" James leaned in toward Remus, slathering his toast with butter.
"Just an article…" Remus set the paper down and stood up abruptly. "I have to get to class. See you later."
"Moony-" James frowned asRemus grabbed his bag and strode out of the Hall. James turned back to Peter and Sirius who had stopped bickering and were staring quizzically back at James. "Has he been like this all morning?"
Sirius shrugged. "I dunno, mate. It's not the…" he lowered his voice, "It isn't the full moon for another week."
"I know," James sighed. "I'll have a chat with him later."
Sirius' attention was suddenly directed just past James' shoulder. He winked and grinned. "Incoming…"
Charlotte Vane approached, flicked her Shirley Temple curls over her shoulder and pouted her lips. "Hello boys," she crooned, slipping into the seat between James and Peter.
Peter grinned, but James was less than thrilled. "Not right now, Charlotte. We're busy."
"Well I'm sure you have time for me," she simpered, pinching Peter's cheek. He blushed and nearly passed out.
"What do you want?"
Sirius was watching with interest, his chin in his hand. Florence and Helen were gazing at him intently with stars in their eyes, pouting their lips in the hopes he would look their way.
Charlotte smirked at James' bitter front. "I want," she leaned closer, "you to take me to the Yule Ball."
"The Yule Ball." James stared at her blankly and Sirius burst out laughing.
"What is so funny?" She snapped.
"Oh, nothing, nothing," Sirius waved his hand. "Do go on."
James interrupted her before she could continue. "Look, it's a bit early to find a date, don't you think? Besides, I may not want to go with you when the time comes."
Charlotte smiled and smoothed a strand of his hair as he stared dully off into space, clearly uninterested. "I know you'll come to your senses. I just wanted to let you know my intentions, as every lady should."
She slipped out of the seat, running her foot coyly along James' leg as she did so, but he remained passive. "I'll see you in class," she whispered in his ear. Her girlfriends tittered and followed her out of the Hall.
James immediately groaned as Sirius began laughing. "She took me last year. It's your turn."
"Doesn't she know I'm not interested anymore?" James snarled and flicked his toast with the knife. "Been there, done that, you know?"
"I think she's marvellous," Peter's eyes twinkled with delight.
"Well I wouldn't call Charlotte boring if that's what you mean," Sirius chuckled through a mouthful.
"Whatever. I've got better things to think about. Like Quidditch." James shifted his attention elsewhere and began daydreaming about Snitches and Quaffles.
Lily traversed the hallways, dodging the barrage of students rushing to lunch. It was difficult being a hardworking student, she sighed. She was one of very few who had to fight the flow at lunchtime to reach the library. Along the way, the buzz of chatter filtered through her ears, and she picked up bits and pieces of conversation, mostly about the Marauders, rumours of a Bogart in the Potions storeroom, and of course, the much anticipated Quidditch season.
"Gryffindor will dominate for sure this season," a young boy said to his friend.
"I don't know, Slytherin's looking good too," his friend refuted.
She pushed past a huddle of third-year girls.
"I hear James has never lost."
"Ever?"
"Mmm hmm. My roommate said that every game he's ever played, he's won. That's why he's Team Captain."
Lily's ears prickedandshe paused in her tracks,peering over slyly at the chattering girls. She pretended to be digging for something in her book bag.
The girl continued, "I'm not so sure this year, what with Slytherin's new captain."
"Oh but James is so wonderful!"
"Yes, and gorgeous! Mmm…but so is Remus."
"I prefer Sirius. He's got that roguish quality…"
Roguish quality? Lily frowned. Poor, poor naïve little girls.
"Doesn't matter, James is still the best."
"I agree. Alright, c'mon Gretchen I'm starving!"
"Okay, okay."
The small group moved away from Lily and joined the flow of traffic. Hmph. Lily shut her bag and made her way to the library, grumbling all the way. James this and James that. Why is James so bloody great? So he won a few games…and he was sort of nice looking…and he was good at pulling pranks…and he was smart…but he was a bully! And a jerk!
Then again…what did she have to rival James? Book smarts? Sure, she was intelligent enough, but not like James. He was clever and witty, and had a whole ton of common sense. Lily was just…Lily.
She sighed and pushed her way through the double doors and found a comfortable chair in her favourite nook of the library. Madame Pince greeted her warmly on the way in, which was rare for any student. Taking a load off, Lily slouched into the seat and pulled out her Arithmancy Level Three text.
She had gotten about four pages in when she noticed another student had joined her a few seats away. Remus Lupin brushed the brown hair from his eyes and flipped open his text, which he appeared to be skimming quite intently…Dare she interrupt him?
Lily watched for ten whole minutes, as he scanned the words, his brow furrowed and his mouth in a straight line. Taking a resolute breath, she shut her book and stood up, walked over to him and sat down across the way.
"Erm…hi, Remus."
His eyes flickered upward and he immediately shut his book. "Hi…hi, Lily. What are you doing here at lunch?"
"I could ask you the same..." she said, trying to be coy.
He frowned and looked at the clock on the wall. "Well I had better be going. I've got a lot to do. I'll- er-see you at the Prefect meeting tomorrow, shall I then?"
"Ah…" Before Lily could finish he had gathered his things and left. Good one, Lily, she commended herself bitterly.
But she didn't have much time to reprimand herself any longer,because as Remus exited the double doors, a hovering trolley filled with textbooks making its way inside had caught her attention. A jaunty looking house elf with an abnormally large head was flicking his hands to and fro, balancing the overflowing trolley with his magic.
"Shipment from Professor Flitwick," the house elf said importantly. One of his ears was longer than the other and it flopped about as he spoke.
Madame Pince dropped her spectacles to the tip of her nose and eyed the cart. "Oh yes. The ones to be reconditioned. I spoke to him earlier. Just take them to my office." She pointed primly to the opposite side of the library.
The elf nodded and hopped along, he and his cart drifting past Lily. She watched slyly as it passed, tilting her head inquisitively. There, teetering perilously off the front end, was Crime and Punishment in all its glory.
…Perhaps she could just…no. NO. She couldn't! She was a prefect, for Merlin's sake! She couldn't go around pilfering books like some marauder. There were already plenty of those at Hogwarts, she scoffed to herself.
Then again…was it not for a good cause? Really, she only wanted to skim it…perhaps find some useful spells to use against the forces of evil (i.e. James Potter) for the forces of good (i.e. her) and then she'd give it right back! And it was a library after all.
She shot one more glance at the cart as the elf directed it past, the book still balancing dangerouslyon the edge.
Clearly it was Fate. How could she pass up such an opportunity?
Immediately, Lily slipped her hand into her robes and felt for her wand. Casually, she headed over to the bookshelves, pretending to be interested, and as the cart hovered by, Lily discreetly jabbed her wand in its direction. Without a sound, the book slid off the head of the cart, Lily snatching it up and slipping it behind her back as the house elf passed. She quickly shot the elf a nervous grin who smiled back and continued on his merry way.
Quite stiffly, Lily sped from the library, her legs taking strides twice the normal size, and small beads of sweat forming on her brow. Once she'd burst out from the double doors, she broke into a run.
Ohmerlinohmerlinohmerlin she just stole a book. STOLE A BOOK. What if Madame Pince noticed and told Flitwick who would tell McGonagall who would tell Dumbledore who would be ashamed to have a thief as a prefect, nay, as a student, and expel her! Augh! She was doomed! Deep breaths, Lily. Deeeep breaths…eeeeee-huuuuuhh eeeeee-huuuuuh-
SLAM!
Lily was thrown backwards from the collision, and landed flat on her bum. "Ugh…ow…" Rubbing her backside, she shook the stars from her eyes and peered up.
James was standing a few paces away, leaning down to pick up Crime and Punishment.
"No!" Lily leapt from the ground and made a dive for the novel, but James already had it in the air.
He frowned and cocked an eyebrow. "Calm down. I'll clean this up for you."
All of Lily's things were strewn across the floor, but she hadn't noticed. She was leaping up and down like a child, trying to get the book from James' raised arm. "James, give me that book right now!"
The faintest smirk flitted across James' face, his eyes alight with a new mischief, and immediately Lily knew she had made a mistake. "Oh? And why is that?"
"Er…" Lily stopped grasping for the book and folded her arms haughtily. "No reason. Keep it if you like. I don't care."
"Oh. All right then." James smiled happily and flipped open the cover roughly. "Thanks."
"Gah! Careful!" Lily exclaimed, lunging forward once more. But James simply slammed it shut and lifted it casually out of her reach again.
"Ah, Lily, you are too much fun."
She grimaced and gritted her teeth. "Fine. Just start a pool of valuable things to blackmail me with." She dropped to her kneesin a huff and began scrounging for all the papers that had spewedacross the floor. But a hand in her face made her pause.
James had crouched down and was holding out the book to her.
Lily frowned. "What…you're just going to give it to me?"
James shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. I don't need it."
Warily she reached for it, then hesitated, her hand hanging just centimetres away. "Just like that?" Her green eyes were searching his.
James smirked. "Just like that."
Still wearing an obvious frown, Lily took the book, her suspicious eye still intently holding James' gaze. They both stood up and Lily quickly shoved it into her book bag, leaping back a step to ensure her safety.
"So…" Lily paused awkwardly and tilted her head. "I don't suppose you could give me my badge back as well."
James laughed. "Yeah right. I need some blackmail." He grinned.
"Right..." Lily grimaced and pulled the strap of her book bag back over her shoulder.
Then, asJames was walking away, he called back over his shoulder, "Not that I don't already have you by a string."
Lily's felt her face flush a vibrant scarlet and her fists began to shake. That…cocky…