A/N: I know! It's been WAY too long. But my sophomore year of school started, and I'm trying to pull myself out of summer mode. I'm sorry, though! Chapter six is already started and should be up soon. And I started work on the last chapter. I'm pretty sure you're going to like it.
One last thing to share before we continue.
In my other author's notes, I never really told how... slanted Lily's point of view actually is. In my story, she's in denial, and nearly everything she "tells" us is going to be the way she sees it. And we all know how our own account of events can be different from the real thing. Also, the tug (which I'm sooo excited everyone likes it so much!) is now permanently stuck in Lily's emotions. It doesn't come and go anymore, it is always there.
Now, onto chapter five! Hope you enjoy it! - Chrissa
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Gravity
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A week later, my inner detective was seriously intrigued. The tug was still present (I had an inkling it would never really go away), but I was becoming calloused to it. Honestly, I was almost to the point of embracing it.
"Lily, can you just leave it alone?" Natalie looked at me over the cover of her book, her slim frame settled nicely into a chair in my common room.
"But my theory-"
"Is wrong," she said testily. "I've told you already that it's none of your business what Remus and I talk about." A pink tinge touched her porcelain cheeks. "You shouldn't have been snooping anyway." Her eyes narrowed in distrust.
"I said I was sorry," I answered quietly. "But still," I said, gaining some volume, "I think you and Remus are conspiring against me." She rolled her eyes and went back to her leisure reading.
"You're paranoid."
I most certainly wasn't paranoid. My theory was valid in every way. Thanks to Remus, I had lost Gryffindor ten points for my library excursion. Remus was also arguing with James the other day. And, if he knew about the paper, he must be using it to talk to Natalie, or least get information on me from her. And she has been pestering me about James. So it makes perfect sense that they're working with James to get to me. If he's stooped low enough to work with Gravity, he can work with his comrade and my best friend too.
I mean, he, James, can't do the job directly anymore. He "started over," remember? He's trying to get the suspicion off of him.
All in all, I am very open with my theory.
To Natalie anyway. She can tell the other two criminals for all I care. Then they'll know I'm onto them.
My pocket hummed and I gave Natalie an accusing glare. She snorted derisively.
"No, I didn't tell him you'd have it with you." Her tone was haughty. "Why don't you read it aloud? I'm sure it will further confirm your... theory."
"All right then," I said, matching her cadence. I opened the scroll and read:
Lily, Dumbledore wants us to report to his office as soon as possible. I'll wait for you by the gargoyles.
Natalie chortled as I cinched my eyebrows together. "What? Did you expect him to give up? According to you, he's not only enlisted myself and Remus in his 'prank of the century,' as you call it, but he's also got Gravity in on the job." She sighed sarcastically. "Well, after all that trouble, he might as well give up now, right?" She laughed loudly as I grumbled, sending James a response.
I'll be there in a few minutes. Thanks.
Well, just because he's against me, that doesn't mean I shouldn't be polite. What's that old saying? Oh yeah: "Kill them with kindness."
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"Miss Evans, Mister Potter! A pleasure to have you."
"The pleasure is ours, Professor," James said pleasantly, plopping down in a chair as if it were his favorite. For all I knew, it probably was. He'd been up here enough to have picked one. I was just about to roll my eyes when Dumbledore's expression caught them. He smiled warmly at me, his blues eyes almost apologetic. I returned the grin half-heartedly and sat down.
"Well, now that the pleasantries have been exchanged, I'd enjoy it very much if you'd share your plans as of yet," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair. The statement was aimed at me, but James answered before I could exhale.
"We had the seventh years vote on a theme, sir, and the majority was for a masquerade. This got me thinking." He pulled a lengthy sheet of parchment from his bag that I'd never seen before and laid it on the table. "Since everyone will be in different costumes, with all those colors, it's bound to get a little hectic. But I thought if we used some simple decorations, it would be easier on the eyes." He pointed to a long, scribbled list in the margins of the parchment. One line was circled several times. "I thought the best idea for the Great Hall would be to make it look like one of those black and white Muggle moobies."
"Movies," I corrected, somewhat impressed as I allowed myself to pour over his notes.
"That would mean black and white decorations, right, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling.
James nodded. "And gray, if possible." He laughed at himself.
Dumbledore looked over the lists and diagrams scribbled on the papers serenely, as if he had written it himself. "I'm surprised, Mr. Potter, at the amount of effort you've put into this event."
"I'm just as surprised as you are, Professor," I interrupted sincerely. "But may I ask how we'll be getting these supplies?" I looked at the long list of props James had researched. "Is it possible to get help from the Muggle Studies classes? I'm aware that they have some of these items in storage for practical lessons."
"I'm sure that could be arranged," Dumbledore said. "But there is something missing from this list."
"What?" James asked immediately, looking over it with concern.
"Food." Dumbledore smiled. "The house elves in the kitchen can take care of the main courses, but I'm sure you'd all like something special." He scribbled something on a scroll and handed it to me. "Use this to charge your purchases to the Hogwarts account." It was a note, stating our purpose in Hogsmeade, with a spindly signature on the bottom.
"Purchases, sir?" James asked with a slight grin.
"Yes, the ones you get from Hogsmeade."
"Hogsmeade?" I sputtered incredulously.
Dumbledore nodded. "I suggest you leave now before another storm rolls in." He looked out the window at the passing clouds as James gathered his things. "And take your wands. You might need them."
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"James, would you please stop dawdling?" I huffed, shifting my bag from one shoulder to the other and straightening my shorts. The collar of my shirt fluttered in the wind.
"Just a minute," he said hastily, waving away my impatience. He gazed hard through the window display at Zonko's, absentmindedly digging around in the back pocket of his jeans. Tug. I grumbled, watching him finally make a decision and walk towards the door. "I'll be right back," he called.
"No way, James Potter," I snarled, fed up with his antics. "We have work to do!" I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him towards Honeydukes.
"But it will only take a minute!" he whined pathetically, losing the cool he usually carried and exchanging it for a new, younger facade. After a minute, he glanced at the shop and seemed to remember something. His attitude reversed, and when he stood a little straighter, I let go of his shirt.
Technically, I had no choice. He was much too tall.
Making sure I still had a hold on his attention, I brought up decorations. "I had an idea for the centerpieces." We rounded a corner. The streets seemed lonely without the foot traffic of the students.
"What's a centerpiece?" he asked, nodding politely to several passersby.
"Something substantial you put on the center of a table for decoration," I answered, paying more attention to his charisma with the strangers. I shook my head and mentally went through a checklist. Money for lunch, check. Dumbledore's signature, check. Wand, check.
"Well, what's your idea?" James prompted. I put my head back in the conversation.
"It's simple really. Not very expensive, but not cheap either. Let's just say it won't wipe out the whole event fund." He waved to an elderly man walking by, acting like some sort of celebrity. He lowered his hand, brushing mine in the process. I shivered and my voice faltered. "Erm, and, um.."
"Cold?" he asked. I looked at him and shook my head, but the look in his eyes did not go unnoticed.
You know, it's terrible that when his back is turned, I remember his arrogance and his prank. But once he looks at me...
"You were saying?"
"Oh, yes. Well. I was thinking we could have a pile of Chocolate Frogs underneath a few floating candles..." I trailed off. He was walking a little ahead of me, and his jeans fit him very well...
"Lily, are you alright? You don't seem to be able to string a sentence together," he chuckled, slowing his pace. I laughed lightly, feeling a blush paint my cheeks, but I continued.
"But instead of famous wizards on the cards inside, we can put Muggle movies stars on them."
James mulled it over as we entered Honeydukes. "I like it. It's sort of... unexpected."
"Movie magic," I said with a small grin, "usually is unexpected." He smiled and headed to the counter to see what could be done about the Chocolate Frogs.
Meanwhile, I looked around the store, thinking idly as I poured over the shelves of sweets. Maybe James was being genuine... What if Natalie was telling the truth... But what was Remus doing if she was? The only person who could know for sure was probably Sirius Black. He was James's and Remus's best friend, and James had mentioned how Sirius "tends to notice little things..."
Hmm. When did I start calling him James?
Potter, Potter, Potter!
"The owner said he'd order the Frogs for us, but we'll have to conjure the cards ourselves." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Anything else?"
I sighed, fumbling with the parchment from Dumbledore. "Well, we could order some Every Flavor Beans..."
"Sounds good." He took the paper from Dumbledore from my hands. "And some Honeydukes chocolate... And licorice wands." He looked around at the candy curiously. I laughed in spite of myself.
"Whatever you want. Just not the whole store." I checked my watch. "When you're done, we should have just enough time for lunch and convincing Madam Rosmerta to send us some butterbeer."
"Lunch?" He looked surprised and confused.
"Well, yeah," I said, shrugging. "I'm not going to pass up a meal in Hogsmeade no matter how good the food at Hogwarts is." He nodded slowly as he returned to the counter, his eyebrows sewn together in thought. Suddenly I froze.
Lunch? With Potter?
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I drained the last drops of my butterbeer and set the bottle on the table. The plate from my sandwich lay empty, as well as the conversation before me. James (Potter. Potter.) looked steadily at the tabletop, his expression somewhere between disbelief and frustration. The slip of paper stating our large order of butter sat crumpled in his pocket. In the long run, today, Saturday, was a good day. But sitting here with him put a lot of things in perspective. Madam Rosmerta walked by, and Potter ordered us another round of drinks. I found myself lost in a precarious area of thought.
I thought I knew him. I thought I knew him better than anyone. Only I could see the proud and conniving person he really was. The faces of his friends would run through my head and I would wonder, if they possibly knew him better than I did, why they bothered with him, why they followed him. It never occurred to me, until just this second, that maybe I only knew him by face value. Maybe there was something more.
Suddenly curious yet still in need of conversation topics, I looked at Potter thoughtfully and asked him the first thought that came to mind. "What's the catch?"
He blinked. He narrowed his eyes. He opened his mouth a few times. He did everything but answer.
"Your friends stick by you through everything," I pressed on, pushing a twinge of embarrassment aside. "They take detentions for pranks you do on your own. They speak of you highly, and you do the same. None of you have reputations as horrible as they should be, and I'm assuming that's because you watch out for each other. Is there some sort of exchange for that kind of loyalty?" I leaned forward and put my head in my hands. "What's the catch?"
A minute or so went by before he himself leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I suppose you could say there's an... exchange..."
"What is it?" I leaned a little closer, feeling Gravity play it's game. My eyes flittered dangerously over his lips, but I hurriedly set them back on his eyes. Hazel. The type of hazel that changes shade, and tint. They flashed, slightly more golden than before, as he smirked and leaned back. He laughed to himself. Tug, tug, tug.
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," he said jokingly. I closed my eyes and sighed, getting a feeling that Gravity was laughing right along with him. I took a deep breath, but a little frustration still seeped out as I spoke.
"Very funny. How I enjoy your gracious wit. And let me guess. You're laughing with me, not at me." I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat.
He frowned but continued. "It's not big secret or anything. We're just... really good friends. Loyalty for loyalty." He shrugged.
I crossed my arms. "There has to be more to it," I said stubbornly.
"No, there doesn't," he answered. I opened my mouth to retort but he stopped me. "Look, I know you think I'm some horrible, twisted, arrogant twit-"
"Not twit, con artist," I interjected. "And I don't think that, I know it." My earlier revelation was beaten to a mere consideration by my stubbornness.
"No, Lily. You don't know. That's just the thing. You spend your time analyzing my every move like they're deliberate. They aren't. I'm not a rotten person, I just don't think things through all the way. I act on impulse. I have friends because they enjoy my company," he said, anger rising. "And I happen to enjoy theirs! You act like I'm a future Death Eater and you haven't even learned my favorite color. What happened to starting over? I thought we were becoming friends. Honestly, Evans," I winced at the use of my surname. "I don't know why I have to point this out to you, but you should know by now that I'm not the same person I used to be." He took a breath, calming himself. Several townspeople were looking curiously at us. "Lily, I have to go." He threw a few sickles on the table and stomped out into the spring breeze.
I sighed as the chatter of other customers resumed. The stubborn part of my brain was silently guffawing at agitating Potter. But the rest of me...
Let's put it this way. If I was charged in a court of law for being a complete prat, I would've plead guilty.
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I checked a lot of places. But it was like hunting for dry land after a tidal wave; he was gone. Zonko's was empty. The girl at the counter in Honeydukes said he'd come through but had left some time ago. Many of the other stores were empty, too. After a half hour of searching I gave up and decided to walk back to the castle alone.
Passing Honeydukes a third time on my way out of the village, my ears tuned in to a panicked scream on a nearby street. Several other people turned towards the noise, but others walked on. I stopped, listening hard to the noises around me. Another scream, this time closer. My eyes widened as the scream hit a fevered pitch. That time, everyone heard.
The crowd was running before I could flinch. The screaming continued, magnified by what seemed like hundreds of other voices. Glass shattered and my pulse quickened. I nearly forgot that my wand was tucked inside my bag, but I never had a chance to reach for it. A terrified boy shoved me out of his way, his strength heightened by adrenaline. I tripped over myself and hit the ground, my own voice adding to the shouts. I glanced up as the boy's frame hit the ground as well, but unlike me, he wasn't clumsy. Another jet of green light sailed past my head.
Hogsmeade was under attack.
Blindly, I got to my feet and tried to run with the crowd, away from the attackers, towards the forest surrounding the town. Anywhere was safer than here. The crowd parted, and my heart soared: a pathway to safety was clear.
Then something grabbed me by the waist. The air that was trapped in my lungs flushed out. The ability to scream was momentarily lost, but I still had my legs. I kicked as I was pulled into Honeydukes and into the storage room. Whoever had a hold on me let me go, and I screamed, berating him with curse words and punches, even attempting wandless magic to no avail. He placed a Silencing Charm on me, then locked the door. He finally turned around, unaffected by my attempts to hurt him. He pulled a strand of shoulder-length black hair out of his gray eyes, and I stiffened.
"Lily, please, calm down." He took the spell off me.
I spluttered for a moment, my throat sore from previous screams, but the name I uttered was unmistakable.
"Sirius?"
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A/N: September 5th is my sixteenth birthday! WOOT! Happy Birthday to me:)