Chapter 15: A Relaxing Weekend?
Thursday seemed to rush past Lily and Friday was soon upon her. She dreaded having to leave Hogwarts as she was just getting settled in. She was taking as many wizarding things that she could in her trunk to remind her of the world that she was leaving behind, if only for a weekend.
Marlene thought she was being extremely melodramatic, but it couldn't be helped. The combination of leaving her house only to go to a wedding where she was clearly not wanted made her weekend arrive much quicker than normal.
Her mother had indeed written to her as Professor Dumbledore had said and she informed Lily of the short notice. It turned out that Petunia had gotten engaged to Vernon in the middle of April of Lily's sixth year. Lily's parents had no idea of this. Petunia skilfully hid the ring from her family and they continued on with their normal lives. That was why Petunia had been going off to Vernon's house so much during the summer, only coming home to torment Lily.
But this was not the whole reason why Lily was giving three days notice. Petunia had sprung the announcement to Lily's parents shortly after Lily had left for school. They were scandalized that Petunia would do such a thing without their consent or their help. Lily's mother was especially hurt because her first daughter was getting married and was preparing it without her mother's help. Lily also knew that her parents secretly disapproved of Vernon, but they did not say anything to Petunia, so long as he was making her happy, they would have to accept him. Truthfully, he was a pompous (Yes, even more than James) pig with no manners and terribly dull. It was obvious that Mr. and Mrs. Evans were upset, but they didn't cancel or postpone the wedding to better fit their schedules.
Mrs. Evans had asked Petunia if Lily had known about the wedding and if she was invited. Petunia had assured her that she was, but Lily was left in the dark until the fateful day when Dumbledore called her into his office. Since she was in such shock, Mrs. Evans didn't push the situation any longer and trusted in her eldest daughter's word. Not until they were going over last minute guest lists, did Lily's mother see that she was not on the list. Petunia assured her that it was just a mistake and assured her that Lily was invited. But, knowing the spitefulness of the two sisters, mother Evans knew better. No doubt, Lily's mother was extremely angry and her father was incredibly disappointed. Mrs. Evans immediately wrote to Dumbledore (using an owl that Lily had bought them so they could contact her in an emergency; he was small, but efficient and Lily was sure that her father was quite fond of him,) asking him if Lily could possibly be excused for the weekend to attend her sister's wedding. Shortly after, she owled Lily and told her of the sudden situation herself.
Dear Lily,
I know this is short notice, Hun, but Petunia's getting married. She got engaged in April of last year, can you believe it? Please don't be angry with us for not telling you, your father and I didn't know about it until you left for school. Petunia assured us you were invited, but it turns out that she wasn't entirely telling the truth. (Lily rolled her eyes when she read this)
I'm sure Professor Dumbledore has told you already about getting out of school for the weekend; he already confirmed back that you would be flowing over, or whatever he called it.
Again, Darling, I'm sorry for the short notice. Petunia has been in a right state lately over the wedding. You really can't blame her, but I'm apologizing for your sister anyways.
Since it is such short notice, I've bought you a dress to wear; nothing fancy, but it'll have to do. You'll see it when you get here, I'll make any needed adjustments myself if there are any needed. I would have also let you bring a date. Lil, but again, too short notice. I'm sure that there was some boy you wanted to bring along; I guess we'll just have to meet him a different time.
Anyways, Hun, I think that everything is covered; we'll talk it about it more when you come home.
Miss and love you,
Mum
Lily re-read the letter once more before levitating her trunk down the stairs. Classes had ended just five minutes before and she was to meet Professor McGonagall in the Common Room in ten minutes. She trudged downstairs gloomily and sat down on the armchair facing the fire after setting her trunk down in front of her. She closed her eyes with a pained expression on her face.
…………………………
"Check."
"What? That's not a check."
"Is too, see?"
Peter and Sirius were in a heated chess game. It had only taken five minutes, but Peter currently held Sirius in a difficult check that he could not find a move to get out of. His pieces were shouting insults at him and ruining his concentration.
"OH WOULD YOU SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!" he roared at the chess pieces. This only caused them to shout louder at how obvious the move was and that he should just give in while he still had some of his dignity left.
James and Remus were watching from the side lines as Sirius and Peter were both staring at the chess pieces in agony. If you looked closely, you could see the drops of sweat materialising out of their skin and slowly rolling down their faces. Peter was perspiring because of the tension of winning a game; Sirius was perspiring because of the tension of losing it. Peter had barely ever won a match of chess; that's why everyone asked him if he wanted to play. If Sirius lost this game, he would never live it down.
"Damn sodding piece of arse, what do I move?" he growled in frustration. If this went on any longer, he would start pulling his hair out.
"Come on, Padfoot, it's right in front of you, think!" shouted Remus from his left.
"Well, maybe I would be able to if you would bloody shut up!" he retorted.
Remus rolled his eyes but shut up anyways.
James was sitting forward in his seat, totally focused on the game until a small, yet distinct spot of red appeared in the corner of his eye. Knowing that shade of red all too well, James jerked his head towards the direction of the colour. And of course, just like he was expecting, there sat his beloved Lily Evans. His focused mind was instantly turned to mush as he met the sight of her. She was sitting in an armchair looking quite distressed, but beautiful as always. He turned back to his friends and saw they were already looking at him.
"Go on then, we'll tell you how it ends," said Remus, smirking at him. "It's not like they'll miss you much anyways, no offence," he added.
"SHH!" said Sirius, not taking his eyes off the chess board. His eyes were scanning frantically around the board, looking for some kind of clue.
James smiled gratefully at Remus and smirked at Sirius and Peter. He got up from his chair and walked up to Lily. He sat down across from her but she didn't seem to notice.
He sat there watching her with furrowed eyebrows and an expression of confusion on his face until she fidgeted and opened her eyes.
Lily looked up and was a little shocked to see James staring at her like he was. He was slouching into his armchair, looking very relaxed and laid back, but the expression on his face made him look worried, confused, but overall, very attractive.
Lily's breath caught in her throat and she just stared back at James, her expression probably matching his. Neither of them said anything, but clearly, they both had questions.
"Hi, James," said Lily finally.
"Hey, Lils. Why do you look so…stressed?" he asked.
"Like you have to ask," she said, sighing. "I really don't want to leave," she groaned.
"Don't worry about it, Lily. It's just a weekend. If you can't handle a weekend, how do you ever handle the summer break?" he asked her.
"We've had this conversation before, James," she sighed again. "This time Petunia is getting MARRIED," Lily said, frustrated and drained of energy.
"Yes, and I still fail to see how your sister getting married is such a bad thing," he said, equally frustrated and drained.
Their conversations had been very much like this one since their day of skiving. James would ask what was wrong, Lily would answer, James would be confused, Lily would explain, James would be even more confused. They seemed to be going around in circles and not making any progress at all.
Despite history repeating itself, Lily tried to explain once again. "You see, she meant to not have me there. She scheduled the wedding in October so that I wouldn't be able to come but, she hadn't thought of Dumbledore. She deliberately did not invite me and told my mum that I was. I think I know when I'm not wanted," she said, closing her eyes once again.
"So, are you angry at Petunia for not inviting you, are you angry that it's so short notice, or do you not want for your sister to be happy?" he asked her.
Lily thought for a moment. Was she really angry at Petunia? No, I'm not angry. I'm hurt. It took her a while to realise what she was feeling. She was hurt that Petunia hadn't invited her. If Lily was getting married, she would want Petunia there no matter how much they resented each other. It didn't quite make sense, but they were sisters. Lily knew it would feel right if Petunia was at her wedding.
"I'm not angry," she said. "I'm hurt," she echoed her thoughts to James.
Lily was looking down into her hands. She was fiddling with her robes and he could tell this was a delicate subject. Never before when they talked about Petunia did Lily look as vulnerable as she did now. He was sure that if he looked into her eyes, he would see pain and love for her sister, no matter what she told him.
"I didn't think I would be because we fought so much, but it does hurt when your own sister doesn't want you at her wedding," her voice was even and her eyes were dry, but James could tell that Lily was hiding her feelings very well. He didn't say anything and let her continue.
"I want her to be happy, who wouldn't for their flesh and blood? But why does she have to be so…vile? Why can't she just try to be friendly to me? I'm not asking her to start lending me her clothes or anything, but maybe just cut down on the glares and snarky comments? Is it that hard?" she was now looking past James, staring out the window just past the other Marauders.
Just at that moment when Lily had stopped speaking, Peter gave out a loud shriek. The whole Common Room turned to look in the Marauders' direction. Peter was dancing around Sirius, pointing at him and laughing. Remus was chuckling off to the side and started to open a book to read. Sirius was cursing the chess pieces and was pulling at his hair.
James felt a tinge of annoyance towards his friends in that moment. He was about to reply to Lily's comment only to be interrupted by Peter's loud shrieks. He could now be heard chanting, "I beat Sirius! I beat Sirius! I finally beat Sirius!"
"Pettigrew! Will you keep it down, please!" came the stern voice of Professor McGonagall. James opened his mouth to respond to Lily once again, but was cut off by McGonagall. "Ms. Evans? If you are ready?" she asked. Lily nodded and started to rise out of her seat.
"I'll be right there, Professor," she said.
McGonagall nodded and walked out of the Common Room. James was standing too now and was about to say something when Lily hugged him, quite suddenly, in front of everyone in the Common Room. James was so shocked, he didn't move.
"Thank for listening, James. See you on Sunday," she whispered in his ear. Then, quite swiftly, she pecked him on the cheek and was out the door.
James just stood there with his mouth slightly hanging open and eyes staring straight ahead. He looked quite funny. That was not fair of her. She can't suddenly hug him like that, he wasn't ready! Her breath left tingles on his skin and his neck was warm. And then, when he was already shocked enough, she had to go and kiss him on the cheek? How the hell did that happen?
"James…? Prongs?" said Remus, snapping in his face.
James shook his head slightly.
"Where'd Lily go?" he said furrowing his eyebrows.
His three mates were standing around him, looking at him with concern. "Are you okay, James? Don't you remember anything?" asked Sirius.
"Of course I do. I left you guys to sit with Lily, where'd she go?" he asked again, looking around his mates to see if Lily was hiding behind them.
"James. That was five minutes ago. You sat down, you talked, McGonagall came, Lily got up, hugged you and left," said Remus, recounting James' own experiences to James.
James looked like an owl blinking rapidly with wide eyes.
"How do you know what I was thinking, mate?" he asked Remus with eyebrows raised.
Remus shook his head and closed his eyes. He rubbed his temples as Sirius and Peter were staring at James like he was a loon.
"What? What the hell is going on?" asked James, looking between his three friends.
"James, you weren't thinking about Lily hugging you, it really did happen," said Remus' tired voice. (The full moon was tomorrow night and he needed sleep.)
"She's hugged you before, mate. Why is it so unbelievable this time?" asked Sirius, sitting down in Lily's chair.
"Wait, what? So you're saying that actually happened? That I didn't go off into some fantasy dream of mine and thought that up myself?" he asked, resuming his seat across from the seat occupied by Sirius.
"James, what else happened? Why are you overreacting over a hug?" said an annoyed Sirius. James was acting stupid and he was in an impatient mood after losing to PETER.
"She kissed me," he said quietly, not looking at his friends. It seemed that he wasn't talking to them at all.
The three friends perked up. "What was that, Prongs?" asked Peter.
James still did not look at them and didn't answer. Instead, he touched his cheek where Lily had pecked him suddenly. He brought his hand in front of his face and looked at it thoughtfully.
"James…" said Remus.
"Hmm?" he replied, still looking at his hand like it was a new, wonderful creature.
"What did Lily do that was so different this time?" asked Remus carefully, like he was trying to coax a child into giving him his favourite toy.
"I think she kissed me," he said, finally looking at them.
"You think?" asked Peter.
"Yeah, see, I'm not totally sure it happened."
The three of them looked at James for a second, and then burst out laughing.
"You should see your face right now, Prongs! You look high!" howled Sirius.
"He's high on LOVE, Sirius!" cackled Peter.
"Guys, leave him alone," said Remus, wiping his eyes. "The poor man is whipped," he said chuckling.
James gave no reply to his friends' mockery. Instead, he smiled, too happy to be annoyed at his friends. In fact, he didn't care if he was whipped as Remus put it, as long it was to Lily. He just sat back in his chair and smiled at his friends with one thought running through his mind. Lily kissed me.
…………………………
Lily darted out of the Common Room as fast as she dared. She was blushing so hard that she looked like she had an excruciating sunburn. She almost ran McGonagall over with her levitated trunk, she was going that fast. Luckily, she stopped herself before she rammed into her Head of House and mumbled a quick apology. McGonagall made no reply and started walking briskly in the direction of Dumbledore's office.
The walk towards the Headmaster's office was relatively quiet leaving Lily to her thoughts and embarrassment.
Why had she done it? Truthfully, she didn't quite know. Her body just didn't seem to obey her and that's why she moved so fast. It was a hug, quick whisper and kiss, then straight out the door. She shook her head to rid herself of the inward embarrassment going on inside her head.
She tried to think of reasons why she could have done it. Maybe it was because James looked so damn sexy and she couldn't contain herself? No, cause I would have jumped his bones right then and there, not given him a pesky kiss on the cheek. Maybe because he was listening to her when she really needed it? No, he always does that; he would have a kiss at least five times a day. Maybe because…
Lily kept running possibilities through her head, when she finally came across one that made her heart ache for him. It also seemed like the most obvious one and Lily mentally hit herself in the head for not thinking of it sooner.
She did it because she would miss him terribly even for only a weekend and being away from him would be like pouring even more crap onto a full plate of disaster. Her closeness with James caused her to get used to his presence. Not that she didn't want to spend time with Marlene or anyone else, she did, but there just wasn't a…completeness of Lily when James wasn't around.
If James was not with her, she would miss his scent that would always make Lily want to curl up and sleep. It was such a comforting smell and made her feel relaxed. She would miss his enchanting laugh that would make her want to laugh along even if what he was laughing at wasn't in the least bit funny. She would miss his dashing smile that made her heart thump and brain turn to mush. She never got like this in the summer, but she was more hooked than she ever was before.
When she was not with him though, she wouldn't be that bad because she knew that she would see him in a couple of minutes anyways. The wait wasn't that bad as long as she had something to distract her. But this time, it would be for two days and Lily wasn't sure if she would be able to do it.
She sighed out loud as she walked along. McGonagall looked back to her but continued walking and didn't say a word. Lily let her eyes roam around the castle walls and the portraits that were shooting her friendly smiles. She made sure that her trunk did not stray anywhere and that it was clear distance of McGonagall.
Finally, what seemed like an extended walk, the student and teacher arrived at the Headmaster's office. McGonagall said the password—Ginger Snaps—and the gargoyle leaped aside to show the spiralling staircase that lead to the magnificent room where they would find the wise wizard.
The two of them stepped onto it and waited patiently as it rose to reveal the door. McGonagall knocked politely and opened the door when Professor Dumbledore's voice beckoned them to enter.
"Good evening, Lily," he said, folding his hands and smiling at the Head Girl.
"Good evening, Professor," she replied as Professor McGonagall left the room. She put on a fake smile that made it seem like she REALLY wanted to go to this wedding.
"I trust that you are prepared to go home?" he said with twinkling eyes.
Lily hesitated a bit and answered with, "Hogwarts will always be my home, sir."
Professor Dumbledore nodded. "As it is to many other students and myself. I don't know if I will ever be able to part with it. Anyways, come along, your parents are expecting you," he said.
He stood up from his desk and walked towards the fireplace. He threw the powder into the roaring fire and it instantly turned a brilliant green.
"I expect that you have experienced Flooing before?" he asked, getting another sack of Floo powder.
Lily nodded and gulped. Last time it was with Marlene's family while going to Diagon Alley. It was not one of Lily's favourite ways of travelling.
"Excellent. Now I will send someone to gather you from your house on Sunday after lunch. I'm sure that it will be enough time?" he asked, levitating Lily's trunk over to him.
"Yes, sir," she replied. She walked over to Dumbledore as he placed her trunk into the fire leaving a space where Lily was to stand. He then handed her the sack of powder.
"Keep this safe as it will be for your journey home. I could always send some more on Sunday, but it would be best to keep this one," he said.
Lily nodded and started moving into the green flames.
"Oh and Ms. Evans," said Dumbledore, stopping Lily before she shouted her destination.
"We rarely omit people from school, occasionally for a death in the family. But as you are Head Girl, I trust that you are responsible. So as this does not happen often, please do have fun," he said, smiling at her.
Lily smiled and thanked the old man and was somewhat surprised that Dumbledore knew that she was utterly depressed about going, but again what didn't Dumbledore know?
Dumbledore chuckled like he knew what Lily was thinking again and let her get on her way.
"Until Sunday, Ms. Evans," he said smiling.
Lily nodded and shouted, "The Evans' Household!"
With a swishing sensation, Lily stumbled into her parents' fireplace.
…………………………
"OH LILY!" A soft hand grabbed Lily out of the fireplace as she coughed out all the ashes that got into her mouth. Her eyes were burning and she could only see blurred images in front of her face. Lily saw from the corner of her eye, a blurred image of her trunk being lifted out of the fire and onto the living room floor. Then, she felt warm arms wrap around her and she found herself comparing them to James'. They weren't as warm and strong as she liked, but they were comforting all the same. She then recognized her mother's scent and hugged back.
"Hi, Mum," she finally got out.
"Hello, Lily, dear!" her mother let go of her and Lily rubbed her eyes so that she could see better.
"How are you, dear?" her mother asked, brushing her robes of soot.
"I'm fine, Mum. Where's Daddy and Petunia?" she asked, finally able to see again.
"Petunia's over at Vernon's and your father's sleeping. I'm afraid that this wedding business is exhausting him," said her mother in a tired voice.
Lily looked at her beautiful mother. She had Lily's same green eyes, but blonde hair like Petunia's. Her hair was slightly greying but it was hardly noticeable. Her mother's face was gentle and caring; just like a mother's face was supposed to be. But as Lily looked at her mother now, she saw wrinkles that were not present before and her eyes were drooping at the corners. Her smile seemed worn out and her eyes didn't crinkle like they normally did. Her mother looked so tired and worn out, Lily just hugged her again.
"How are you, Mum?" she asked from over her mother's shoulder.
"Oh, Hun. I'm fine, just tired is all. I've been up all night helping Petty with wedding preparations, you know how she is. Everything has to be perfect. I still can't believe she's hidden it from us for so long," finished her mother in a whisper.
Lily let go of her and smiled. "I know. You should rest. I'm just going to go and unpack my things," she said, levitating her trunk.
Her mother took a sharp intake of breath and then started laughing. "I keep forgetting you can use magic now. It's quite useful, Lily," she said laughing again.
Lily smiled again and walked upstairs. She guided her trunk into her room, careful not to make any noise not to wake her father. She set her trunk on the floor and looked on her bed. There was a beautiful black dress lain out on top of it. It was a simple halter dress that flared out at the bottom. Lily held it up in front of her and smiled. It was very simple, but her mother knew what she was doing. It was a beautiful dress and Lily had the urge to try it on.
After changing into it, Lily stood in front of the mirror to look at herself. The dress fitted her perfectly and the silky fabric slipped on her slim figure. The black contrasted with her pale skin, her fiery red hair and startling green eyes. Lily's looked away from the dress and looked at her face. Her hair was messy and dirty from the Floo, and her eyes looked tired. She messily tied her hair back and walked downstairs to show her mother.
She stopped midway down the stairs and she noticed her father was awake. She hadn't heard him leave the room and walk downstairs. From a distance, she noticed his fatigue, very similar to hers and her mother's. Her father was a tall man with brown hair with many grey flecks and blue eyes. He had a long face, much like Petunia's, although it looked much better on her father than her sister. He was reading an old newspaper at the kitchen table and his eyes seemed to be slowly closing.
"Hi, Daddy," she said cheerfully as she stepped downstairs.
Her father looked up at her and looked a bit startled for a second. Then, his face broke out in a huge smile and moved towards Lily to hug her.
"How are you, Honey?" he asked, giving her a bear hug and kissing her cheek.
"I'm fine, Daddy. How about you?" she asked him.
"I'm quite fine myself. Is that the dress you'll be wearing for Petunia's wedding?" he said, looking at Lily's dress.
Lily nodded. "How does it look?" she asked him and her mother.
Mr. Evans smiled down at his youngest daughter and nodded his approval. "It's beautiful," he answered.
Lily turned to look at her mother. She had been cooking dinner but had stopped when Lily came downstairs. She had a small, gentle smile on her face.
"Lily, Hun. You look great," replied her mother.
"Thanks, Mum. It's a beautiful dress, thank you," said Lily.
Her mother nodded as her father went to sit at the kitchen table.
"You girls are growing up so fast, I don't know what I'm going to do," said her mother returning to the dinner. She sniffled and Lily went over to hug her.
"Aw, Mum. Don't cry. Me and Pet will always be here," Lily said.
"I know that, Hun. But your father and I won't," said her mother.
Lily froze. Her heart gave a painful thump in her chest and she tasted bile in her mouth. Her throat seemed tight and she was having trouble breathing. She knew what she had to tell them, but she didn't know if she was ready. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. She desperately wanted for James to be there.
As she thought about James, she got a boost of confidence and swallowed the bile slowly coming up. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
"Mum, Dad. I have to tell you something," she said with a shaky voice.
Her parents turned to her with a look of concern on their faces.
"What is it, Lily?" Lily's mother asked.
"I think we should sit down," said Lily.
Now her parents were really scared. They glanced at each other and gave Lily their undivided attention.
"Yes?" asked her father.
Lily gulped and sat down across from them.
"Okay, I'm not sure if this is an appropriate time to tell you this, but you have to know."
Her parents were holding each others hands and were looking at Lily anxiously.
Lily swallowed again and continued on. "In my other world, there is dark and evil magic as well as good…" she started.
The next hour, Lily told her parents about everything that was going on in her world. She told them of what kind of danger her and her parents were in just because they were not magical. She explained to them the mysterious deaths that had been happening were linked directly to Lord Voldemort. She told them about the aurors that were trying their best to catch the Dark Lord, but so far it seemed hopeless. Lily explained that Hogwarts was the safest place for her to be since Dumbledore was the only wizard that Voldemort was afraid of and that he wouldn't dare to attack the school. And with much difficulty, she told them that there was a chance that her parents could be attacked.
Her mother had a stream of tears running down her face and her father was comforting her. Lily was finding it difficult to keep her tears in and desperately wished for James, not for the last time.
"So, because of this Dark Lord and his threats on us, I am scared of what he will do to…" Lily choked. She couldn't say it. She closed her eyes as a few tears leaked out. "If something were to happen, I just want to make sure that you knew," she said, he voice incapable of remaining even.
"Honey, come here," said her dad, standing up.
Lily ran to her father and wrapped her arms around him. She cried into his shirt with her mother rubbing circles on her back. She wouldn't know what to do if her parents died. She snuggled her face deeper into her father's shirt and sobbed even harder. She didn't want to lose them. No matter how much she was away from her parents, she always loved them deeply and would miss them when she was at Hogwarts. She felt so guilty this year when she had become so caught up with her own James problems that she didn't take the time to write one measly letter to her parents asking them how they were. She completely disregarded the fact that her parents had endured so much for her to become a witch and she couldn't even think of them that often.
Her father was stroking her hair and kissing her head. He let go of her and her mother took over. Lily started crying all over again as she thought of the tiredness her mother's face showed. Mrs. Evans soothed her and told her everything was going to be alright and that she should stop crying.
"Don't cry, Lily. It'll be okay, we'll get though it," she said. Lily looked up at her mother's kind eyes, much like her own and saw that there was still a steady flow of tears coming down her mother's face.
"I-I'm sorry, this is my entire fault. If only I hadn't gone to Hogwarts—,"
"Hush, Lily. This is not your fault in any way. This is all this Voldamurt's fault, not yours at all. If something does happen, don't you ever think that it was your fault, you hear me?" said her mother sternly.
Lily didn't know if she could promise that but nodded anyways. She closed her eyes and hugged her mother once again.
"Now, stop crying, Honey, and go change out of that dress. You have to wear it tomorrow," said her mother, letting her go.
Lily nodded and wiped her eyes and nose. She almost forgot she was still wearing the dress, it all happened so quickly. Mrs. Evans resumed making dinner although none of them really felt like eating anymore.
Lily quickly changed and ran back downstairs. She was determined to spend as much time with her parents this weekend, enjoying taking time away from homework, Head Patrols, worrisome crushes and just spending time with her family.
…………………………
James got up groggily on Saturday morning. He had Quidditch practice soon and their team needed it. They had a new chaser and beater both in fifth year. They were good, but still not quite good enough. The first Quidditch game of the year was two weeks away and Slytherin was playing Ravenclaw. That meant that Gryffindor was playing Hufflepuff the week after. Hufflepuff was usually easy to beat, but they also got new players and they were pretty damn good.
James put on his glasses and checked the time; 8:19. Practice was at nine and it was past eight so he was allowed to wake Sirius up now.
"Psst. Sirius, wake up. Quidditch practice soon," he said quietly, shaking his best mate awake.
Sirius grumbled and rolled over, ignoring James.
James rolled his eyes and tried again. "Sirius, wake up!" he whispered urgently.
"Go'way," he grumbled, swatting James.
"QUIDDITCH PRACTICE. VERONICA WILL BE THERE," he said in a loud whisper.
Sirius opened his eyes but didn't sit up. That was a change. "Veronica? Where?" he asked.
"Down at the Quidditch pitch. And shut up, Moony's sleeping."
The full moon was also tonight and their werewolf friend was exhausted. He always slept for the whole day on weekends and slept through most of his classes on weekdays. James looked at his mate and saw big purple bags hanging under his eyes. His face was pale and thin and he seemed twice his age, lying there in his four poster bed. James turned away and grabbed his broom from his trunk.
Sirius and James walked down to the Quidditch pitch in silence and awaited their team members to arrive. They had three practices a week until their first game and they needed them.
Sirius had a new partner, Jonathon Jenkins. He was a good beater although his aim was a little off. Sirius had to do some serious work with him to get him hitting straight.
James was chaser with Angela Johnson and a new fifth year Gary Colts. Angela and James still had to get used to Gary's flying style like they were with the previous chaser who had graduated the year before.
The other players, however, were old to the team and were still excellent. Thomas Wood was a sixth year that could save almost anything. James was sure that he would make captain next year when James graduated. Then there was the seeker, Rebecca Myers. She was in fourth year and could see basically anything in any kind of weather. She was truly a gift from Merlin to the Gryffindors, and although she was shy, she was a crazy Quidditch player.
James and Sirius flew around the pitch until they started to see figures in red and gold come walking towards them. They saw them mount their brooms and fly towards Sirius and James.
"Morning," yawned Angela as she flew up to James and Sirius.
They nodded towards her and greeted Thomas Wood who had joined them shortly after.
Soon enough, the whole team was there, flying around the Quidditch Pitch. James gathered them together and explained that day's practice plan. He told them to split up into their groups (the Keeper would go with the Chasers and the Seeker would go on her own) and practice with them.
James smiled at his team but his mind was on something else. It was Saturday, meaning that it was Petunia's wedding day, meaning Lily was having one of the worst times of her life. He sighed deeply because when Lily wasn't around, he would feel depressed and empty and he would have to do something to distract him.
Since he was supposed to be practising with his team, he flew towards the chasers. Angela passed him the Quaffle immediately and he zoomed towards the hoops. Thomas was not expecting James to come out of nowhere and panicked. James swerved and—swoosh! The Quaffle flew straight through the centre hoop. Angela and Gary whopped as James flew back and smiled. They had just discovered a new play.
…………………………
"And do you, Petunia Evans, take Vernon Dursley as your husband?"
"I do," came Petunia's girlish, high pitched voice.
Lily stifled a yawn and kept the smiley, happy expression her face as she tuned out the wedding. It was the dullest wedding Lily has ever been too, she hoped that hers would not be like this. But, she had to admit that Petunia actually looked nice and genuinely happy.
Lily glanced beside her at her mother and father. They had spent last night just talking and catching up with each other. But her father, having been very tired that day, went up to bed early and let Lily and her mother have some girl talk. Lily told her about James and how she always liked him. Her mother knew all about James' feeble attempts to ask her out as Lily had always complained about him in her letters. Her mother shook her head at her daughter but smiled and laughed all the same. "I don't understand you, Hun," her mother had said to her. Lily laughed along with her and mother and daughter talked well into the night.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Lily looked away as Vernon snogged her sister. She was afraid that if she looked, she would either laugh out loud or gag. (I know it's mean, but Lily couldn't help it.) She did not want to find out which one would happen.
When the music started again and the crowds starting clapping politely, did Lily look back towards her sister. The happy couple were walking down the aisle and out of the church. Lily's mum and dad followed out after the wedding party to greet the guests. Lily quickly went after her parents, not wanting to be left alone.
All this wedding business reminded Lily of James and her heart would give jolts through her body. Her pulse would quicken and she would heat up just by thinking about him. The absence of James would make every little thought or reminder of him ten times bigger. Every time she saw a dark haired boy around her age, she would imagine it was James until she glanced back at him and it was a different person all together that she has never met in her entire life.
She really had to do something about this because it was getting out of hand. She would have to confront James, maybe ask him out? Lily immediately regretting thinking that as her heart pumped like crazy and she blushed deeply. She shook her head and walking aimlessly around the church until her parents would leave for the reception.
But why was it so wrong that Lily should ask him out? There was nothing wrong with that, was there? But what if he already got over me and it'll just be awkward? Then, what happens? Lily tried not to think about what she would do if James didn't like her anymore. She'd be so regretful that she never said YES to him the years before. She'd be forever heart broken and depressed. Also, their friendship would never be the same. James would be embarrassed and awkward, Lily would just be too sad to even be in the same room as him. She shook her head again and scowled. Honestly, she was supposed to be relaxing and NOT thinking about James. She sighed and walked back to the entrance where her parents were waiting.
…………………………
"Good practice, team. See you Monday," said James. He dismissed the team from inside the Quidditch locker room. It was a productive meet after all; Jonathon finally got his aim perfected with help from Sirius and the Chasers had developed three new plays. James was satisfied with the work today, but the distraction was now gone.
Once the team left and James was walking back to the castle with Sirius, he wasn't happy. Knowing that he would not see Lily when he got up to the Common Room made his stomach sink. He would be reminded of Lily wherever he went; the oranges and red of the leaves would remind her of her vibrant hair; the sun would remind him of how her eyes would shine.
Knowing James for most of his life, Sirius knew that James was not happy that Lily was not at Hogwarts for the weekend.
"Cheer up, mate. It's already Saturday, she's coming back tomorrow," said Sirius, patting him on the back.
James sighed and nodded solemnly. "I know but I still miss her," he told Sirius.
Sirius rolled his eyes at his hopeless friend. "For Merlin sake, James. Just ask her out. She has to be crazy if she hasn't seen you've changed," said Sirius.
"Just because she's seen it, doesn't mean that she ready to accept it or that she likes me back," he replied. (Sirius and James still thought that Lily didn't like James because he was immature, but we all know that that isn't true.)
"James, trust me on this one. She likes you back. You can see it when she's with you," said Sirius.
James shook his head. "You don't know that," he said.
"Oh, but I do," said Sirius.
James looked at him curiously, urging him to continue.
"Remember when Lily and I were partners in Potions?" asked Sirius. James nodded, furrowing his eyebrows in jealousy. "Don't you remember her shooting you looks all through class?" he asked.
James was confused and shocked at the same time. That class was last week. He had been extremely jealous of Sirius that day because Slughorn had partnered Lily with Sirius while he was stuck with Peter.
"Don't tell me you didn't notice it," said Sirius, shocked.
James shook his head. "I was too busy glaring at Slughorn. You were probably wrong anyways," said James.
"No, I'm pretty sure I was right. Unless she enjoyed looking at Peter or she was fascinated with the wall behind your head, she was looking right at you. Sometimes I had to physically pry her eyes from your handsome face," said Sirius, smirking at James.
James rolled his eyes at his mate. How could he have missed that? He knew that Sirius wasn't lying because he would never lie to James about Lily. But…
"Why didn't you tell me this before, Padfoot?" he asked suddenly.
Sirius scratched his head. "Probably because it slipped my mind," said Sirius shrugging.
James eyes bulged out. "It slipped your mind? I've been obsessed with Lily for seven years, and something like this slips your mind?" asked James.
Sirius scratched his head again, looking off into the distance.
"Or maybe it was because Lily got embarrassed every time I caught her looking and I didn't want to embarrass her further by telling you," he said thoughtfully.
James stared at Sirius. Now he knew Sirius wasn't lying. He was a prankster, yes, but he would never make up anything that had to do with James, Lily and their feelings (unless it was for a plan to get them together).
The two best mates entered the Gryffindor Common Room together and found Marlene in one of the armchairs reading a book. James instinctively looked around for Lily before remembering that she was not there. He frowned again and took a seat near Marlene.
"Morning," said Marlene looking up from her book.
"Morning," grumbled James.
Marlene cocked an eyebrow. "What's up with him?" she mouthed to Sirius.
"Lily," he mouthed back.
Marlene understood and smiled sympathetically at James, which he didn't catch. She grimaced at Sirius, meaning that something had to be done with James and Lily, and returned to her book.
James grumbled again and stood. "I need a shower," he said, going towards the staircase. The two of them watched as James stomped up the stairs and Sirius sat down in James' spot. He sighed deeply and shook his head at the stairs where James had now disappeared.
"That boy is hopeless," he said looking at Marlene.
Marlene smiled again and closed her book. "If that's his worst, he's got nothing on Lily," she said.
"Oh, no, no, no. James at his worst is lying down in his bed just looking at his ceiling all day. He won't talk, eat, sleep, get up, anything," said Sirius, shaking his head again.
"That's better than having a child around you, she won't ever shut up," said Marlene, shaking her head like Sirius.
They both sighed heavily.
"Oy, where's Remus?" asked Marlene curiously.
Sirius didn't look up at her. "He's not feeling well," he replied casually.
Marlene furrowed her eyebrows. "Remus gets sick a lot, doesn't he?" she asked.
Sirius now looked up at her. He seemed a bit worried, Marlene thought it was for his friend's health. "Yeah, weak immune system," he replied unconvincingly.
Marlene suspected something but let it drop. She resumed to her reading and Sirius announced that he would check up on Remus and James.
…………………………
Lily sighed and put her chin in her hand. She was sitting alone at her table watching the rest of the guests have fun at the reception. Since she was not part of the wedding party, she was not allowed to sit at the front table with her parents, which left her sitting with annoying aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. Currently, they were all on the dance floor leaving Lily to her thoughts, once again.
"Would you like to dance?" said a large man to Lily. He was holding out his hand to her. Lily guessed he was a relative of Vernon's.
"No, thank you," she declined politely. She meant to give him a polite smile along with her answer, but it might have come out as a grimace as he made an offended face and stalked off to his family.
When he was gone, Lily sighed and placed her chin back onto her hand. There were corny love songs playing and Petunia was dancing with Vernon in the centre of the floor. They were looking at each other adoringly and Lily grimaced again. She couldn't help but think of James in this situation, she would probably be looking at him in the same way if he was here. She wrote a quick, scribbled note, left it on her mother's plate at the front table and left.
Lily walked outside into the cold weather of autumn. She wrapped her thin sweater around her arms and walked towards the nearest bus stop. She was walking a bit slowly because she was wearing uncomfortable high heels that were a bit too small. She shivered as the wind swept past her and blew her wavy hair around. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave after all, she thought to herself. But when the image of a warm fire, hot chocolate and the television popped into her head, Lily smiled and continued walking.
She didn't know how long it took her to get home, but when she did, Lily saw that the lights were not on. She shivered involuntarily; Lily never liked being home alone. She took off her shoes painfully and ran upstairs to change. She placed her new dress in her closet carefully and changed into the baggiest, warmest pyjamas she could find.
When she got back downstairs, she turned on the light and looked around. The kitchen was messy from last night because Lily's parents didn't have time to clean anything up this morning or yesterday. Everything looked normal, so she turned on the TV and let her mind go blank.
A/N: Sorry for such a long delay...this chapter is kind of weird and hard to write. Also, it was a busy week so don't blame me please. :)
I know it's kind of a crappy chapter, but it's long. Hopefully something big will happen soon, but I can't promise anything. Haha.
So you know the drill, REVIEW. Thanks...if you review, I will update.
THANKS 3 XD