A/N: I have the next chapter sooner than first anticipated! Not sure if I'll have chapter 13 that soon however. I'm rather fond of this chapter, especially the beginning. I suppose I enjoy Snape's interaction with just about anyone!
X Green and Gold
If one were to ask who Severus Snape's favourite person was, Bellatrix Black certainly wouldn't be anywhere near the top of his list. Yet there he was, on a Friday morning, talking—or rather, stuck with—the beautiful eighteen-year-old. He wasn't hungry, and neither was Bellatrix apparently, causing Severus to seriously regret not heading to the Great Hall anyway.
Bellatrix crossed her legs and smiled. Her smile was rarely graceful or elegant; instead, it was iniquitous and mysterious, which attracted many of the males of Hogwarts. Though it may have drawn some, her sour nature was a turn-off to many, including Severus. He sat in the deep green armchair across from her, staring at a spot on the floor.
"Severus, I hope my…cousin isn't giving you anymore trouble," Bellatrix said.
"Sirius will most likely never abandon an opportunity to provoke me," said Severus, not looking up.
"Well, I hope you try to give that blood-traitor a taste of his own medicine," said Bellatrix, more of a demand than a wish.
"I do," snapped Severus. "I handle myself quite—"
"Don't give me that rubbish. I've heard things, but nothing as horrible as what I heard happened to you last year," said Bellatrix with a large smile.
Severus felt his blood boil. That was the last thing he wanted to recall, and yet it continued to be a topic of discussion this year. After that summer day, his hatred for Potter and Black increased tenfold and he knew from then on that nothing would change his deep-rooted hatred for the boys whose goal was to make his life a living hell. Despite his fruitless attempts to strike first, the two idiots were one step ahead of him nine times out of ten.
"You have the ability to hex Sirius into a puddle if you wanted to," said Bellatrix. "Why linger?"
"He's been on the end of several well-placed hexes on my part, Bellatrix," said Severus coldly. "Potter as well."
"Ah, Potter," said Bellatrix, an impious smile appearing on her face again. "Now that boy is probably the most disgusting blood-traitor I've ever come across. At least Sirius was of a family whom are proud of their blood; the Potters, on the other hand, would let a Muggle have a picnic on their arses just to prove how…accepting they are. They may be well known, but they are so…blind to the influence they could obtain. Yet they give it up for the sake of peace and harmony." Severus could have sworn Bellatrix gagged. "Soon they will understand that they are on the losing side, the side that won't stand a chance. The Dark Lord's side will win. Actually, we are already winning."
Severus didn't reply to her; it was just more coaxing for him to fully support his cause. The powerful, brilliant man who Bellatrix and some other Slytherins kept raving about until they were blue in the face; the man who he still didn't know whether or not to stand by; yet, the man who could give Severus the respect he craved…deserved. The acts his followers created, however—the murders, attacks, kidnappings—were not so glamorous.
"Oh, the prefect meeting is after the Quidditch match tomorrow," said Bellatrix offhandedly. "The plans for the ball are coming along rather well, though we still need a group to perform after the orchestra numbers."
"Right," said Severus not paying attention. "Whatever."
"Are you just sour because you don't have a date?" Bellatrix asked.
"This ball is a while away. Is it so exceptional that I don't have a date yet?" said Severus, glaring at the rug.
"Severus, you can't get a date, anyway," Bellatrix laughed. Severus narrowed his eyes at the woman across from him. "Have you ever even had a girlfriend?"
"No."
"Been kissed?"
"That's none of your damn business."
"Well that's certainly a 'no'. Don't fret, maybe someone will think that twitchy walk of yours is cute," Bellatrix snickered.
"I don't have a twitchy walk!" said Severus angrily.
"Oh don't give me that. You walk like an injured spider or something," Bellatrix leered. "But I suppose you do have that tall and lanky look that appeals to many girls. It works for my cousin…"
Severus snorted. How dare she compare him to Sirius Black? Though they were both rather tall (Sirius was still taller), the Black gene pool seemed to produce exceptionally beautiful children with perfect hair, features, and natural aristocratic style…unlike the Snape family, which ran to very prominent noses, lank hair and sallow skin. Severus didn't consider himself ghastly, but he certainly wasn't attractive. His features were rather strong, not subtle and elegant. His father's excuse was, "at least you don't look like some bloody pansy".
"What are you trying to do?" asked Bellatrix, giving Severus a lazy look of alarm. "Want to pierce a hole in that rug with your eyes? What's it done to you?"
"Shut up," Severus growled, who didn't realize how much hate was behind his eyes as he stared at the rug. Bellatrix merely smiled and briefly gave a look of acknowledgment to a seventh-year passing by.
"I can get you a date if you'd like. I can pull some strings…" said Bellatrix smugly.
"No, I'd rather go alone than with some girl I'd probably hate and attempt to hex to oblivion," Severus said softly. "Thanks for your concern."
"I'm sure I can try to get a guy to go with you if you…swing that way," Bellatrix muttered but burst out laughing from the look of pure horror on Severus' face.
"I am not amused in the slightest," Severus said, standing up and leaving the common room.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of!" cackled Bellatrix, though he was out of the door before he could hear anymore of her ridiculous ideas. I swear, Bellatrix Black is mad.
XXX
Lily was walking with Emmeline to the Great Hall for a bite of lunch. The corridor was very crowded: a big huddle of first-year girls were giggling and eyeing a couple of fourth-year boys, a third-year couple held were holding hands and moving slower than flobberworms, and it seemed as the entire fifth-year class were trying to nurse their rumbling stomachs.
"Guess…who I'm going to ask…to the ball…oh sorry," panted Emmeline, accidentally bumping into a seventh-year.
"Who?" asked Lily as she hastily pulled a strand of hair out of her face.
"Remus," said Emmeline. "I think I may have a shot. Didn't you say to me once before that he may like me?"
"Erm, yeah, I'm pretty sure. He always starts to blush when he's around you, and you've liked him for a while. I'm sure he'll say yes. Oh, you two would be adorable together," said Lily excitedly.
"I hope he says yes. I'll ask him tomorrow. All the seventh-years told me I should ask as soon as possible so that all the good ones aren't taken," said Emmeline. The two of them finally seated themselves in the Great Hall. "I mean, imagine being stuck with someone like Snape. Yuck!"
Lily shrugged her shoulders as she tipped the salad onto her plate.
"I agree," said the voice of Sirius who seemed to Apparate next to the two girls. With him, of course, were James, Remus, and Peter. Marlene was right behind the boys and sat next to Lily. "When he and his date are on the dance floor, she'll be slipping all over the place with all that grease dripping from him. Poor girl will have grease all over her robes. Who would want to be seen in public with that arse?" Sirius said nastily.
"I don't know, Black. You guys pay so much attention to him, I wouldn't be surprised if any of you had a secret crush," said Marlene with a smirk.
"Oh ho ho, McKinnon," said Sirius, pointing a steamed carrot at her on his fork. "You should be glad I'm such a gentleman or you would be in the hospital wing right now."
"Ah yes, Sirius Black, what a gentleman," murmured Lily over her goblet.
"Well, Wormtail has got himself a date," said Remus, clapping the watery-eyed teenager on the back, causing him to grin.
"Oh really?" asked Marlene hungrily.
"Calm down, gossip queen," Lily muttered to Marlene. "Who are you going with, Peter?" asked Lily.
"Persephone Portman, she's in her fifth year. I asked her this morning between classes. I would have asked her in the common room if it wasn't so crowded," said Peter proudly, as though he had just tamed a hungry lion.
"I'm happy for you," said Lily. "I hear she's a very sweet girl."
Peter then began rambling on about how he never had a date before. Lily and Remus tried to hold in their laughter as he began to panic about which cologne he should wear: the cologne that nearly killed Sirius because he was allergic to one of the ingredients ("Do you think she'll be allergic to it too?")…or the one that smelled better but made Peter itchy ("Nobody would want to kiss me with nasty red blotches all over my neck, would they?").
"There must be some sort of mistake," said James sourly. "How did you get a date before me?"
"What? Is it a crime for your friend to have a date before you?" asked Lily curtly, stabbing her fork into her food harder than necessary.
"I don't believe I said that, Evans," said James evenly.
"You should be happy for your friend, not disappointed," said Lily. "It's not his fault you're a sore loser."
"I'm not being a sore loser," said James cheerfully. "Congratulations, Wormtail. You will go to the ball with a great date. Not a total arse like some people are."
"Yeah, I sure feel sorry for the girl that has to go to the ball with you, Potter," said Lily, her green eyes filled with spite. "She'll be in the same boat as those unfortunate people you just referred to. She'll probably think someone performed the Engorgement Charm on your head and be too afraid to even dance with you."
"I don't know why you're acting so high and mighty, Evans," said James nastily. "You're the one going to the bloody ball with one of the biggest prats—"
"He is not a prat, Potter," Lily said, her fork clanking loudly as she placed it next to her plate of unfinished food. "You're just jealous."
"Jealous? Of what exactly?" James laughed coolly, though it didn't reach his eyes. He folded his arms across he chest, his hazel eyes blazing into hers through his black-framed glasses.
"You're jealous of Alexander because he is taking me to the ball," said Lily.
"I don't give a damn about who is taking you to that stupid ball," retorted James.
"That's the biggest load of bollocks I've ever heard!" yelled Lily.
"Will you two stop it?" asked Emmeline quietly.
"No!" shouted Lily and James. Sirius nearly spit out his water as a laugh tried to make its way up his throat while Peter looked at the two with an amused smirk.
"Why don't you get a date before insulting others'?" said Lily.
"You say that as though it's a challenge," laughed James arrogantly.
"You are so…ugh! No girl would want to go to the ball with a conceited toad like you anyway!" cried Lily, standing up and storming out of the Great Hall, too annoyed to notice that she wasn't very full. As she walked around the ground floor corridors to no specific destination, she noticed that, for the first time, James didn't call after her.
XXX
Severus Snape sat with his legs reclining on the table in front of him, his ankles crossed, reading a textbook he checked out from the library about archetypes in dreams. He turned to the last few pages of the book until he saw the word "Index" in black ink on the thin, yellowing page. Running his finger along the first page of the index, he found what he was looking for: Anima/Animus, 49-53. Flicking through the somewhat thick tome, he reached the section on Animas and began to read. The fact that he was reading a book so closely related to Divination bothered him, not to mention the fact that he was actually listening to what a character in his dream told him to do. Albeit, he was intrigued by what he found:
The Anima and Animus serve as psychopompi, or soul guides, to the vast areas of our unacknowledged inner potential.
Before he could read further, the sound of high-heeled shoes hitting cold stone got louder and louder from the outside of the door. Severus quickly stashed the book into his bag and watched the door silently. Seconds passed and the door opened, revealing an auburn-haired girl who looked taller than usual. He looked down and noticed that she was wearing high-heeled black shoes which he assumed was stylish among Muggles.
"You're late," Severus said to Lily, drumming his fingers along table full of books and parchment.
"I'm sorry, I continue to get turned around down here," Lily said, setting her satchel on the table and pulling out her books, placing her quill and parchment neatly across the dusty ebony wood surface. "And before that, a few little Slytherins decided to fling green and silver confetti on me. Merlin, I hate the way people behave before Quidditch games. Running amuck all over castle and hexing students of the competing house."
"Just so you know, there is still some confetti in your hair," said Severus, causing Lily to practically claw at her red tresses for the obscene pieces of silver and green.
After giving up, she sat in the chair already placed on the other side of Severus. "Do you mind if I take my shoes off? I love them, and they are normally very comfortable…they just aren't that great for walking around a thousand-year-old castle."
"Sure, whatever," said Severus with a dismissive wave of his hand.
She took off her shoes swiftly, exposing red-painted toenails set against light peach toes. The skin on her feet was a faint pink from walking. He rolled his eyes as she began to wiggle her toes and let out a sigh. "The woes of trying to stay in touch with Muggle fashion."
He watched her toes squirm for a moment longer before saying, "Alright, would you like to start or do you want to see if your toes can do a jig?"
Professor Slughorn had given his NEWTs students a long sheet of parchment full of questions about various plants and herbs used in various antidotes. Severus usually had no problem doing homework, but this work was so incredibly tedious that poisoning Slughorn didn't seem like such a bad idea.
"Nothing in my book says anything about the affects of sneezewort when mixed with boiling pomegranate juice and spiders. And how would that help the antidote anyway? It's fine without it," said Severus angrily as he quickly sifted through his Advanced Potions book as well as a few books he checked out from the library.
"Oh you're on that one still?" asked Lily.
Severus looked up at Lily over a large green leather bound book. "Yes…"
Lily sat up straighter in her chair. "Well I suppose I just know the answer to that one because during the summer when I was at Flourish and Blotts I stumbled upon—"
"Get on with it, please," requested Snape, rubbing his left temple with his index and middle finger.
"I'll speak at the speed I wish to speak at, thank you very much," Lily bit back.
Severus narrowed his eyes at Lily. He hated back talk, but if it meant explaining something to him… She clarified that the sneezewort helped reduce the side affects to the antidote and though it wasn't necessary, it was often used, though many argue whether or not it makes a tremendous difference or not.
"Thanks," he muttered, quickly filling the tip of his quill with ink and began to write.
"No problem," Lily said. "You know, I'm actually glad I have a lot of work to do tonight. It helps get my mind off other things…" Lily trailed off.
Severus didn't say anything and carried on writing.
Lily blurted out, resting her chin on her open palm, "Potter was horrible today."
Severus' ears perked. "Was it a new experience for you? Because that isn't out of the ordinary."
"No," said Lily. "But he gets jealous far too easily. He is so…bigheaded."
"Again, that is hardly news," Severus said.
"He wasn't always like that. He was always very outspoken, but he used to be sweeter, kinder," Lily said, a sad crease appeared between her brows. "But now…"
"Now? He has always been the way he is now!" Severus said heatedly. "He was always arrogant, rude, insolent—"
"But—" Lily started.
"However Potter acted towards you in the past was most likely a façade," Severus snapped.
"I wouldn't say that. He is just different around you than he is around me," Lily said.
She was right, of course, except Severus couldn't admit that. He opened his mouth to reply, but Lily spoke before he got a chance. "I'm sorry, I keep on discussing things that aren't related to school."
"It's fine," said Severus quickly, wanting to continue insulting Potter.
"No, we should get back to work," said Lily quietly.
After what felt like a lifetime, they both completed the worksheet and moved on to their Defence theory…as usual.
"I'm seriously thinking about reporting Professor Elroy to the headmaster. Either she just really likes written work, or—" Lily started.
"Or she can't perform a single spell," interrupted Severus. "Even I could teach that class. Such incompetence…"
Lily chuckled, her laugh almost sounded haunting. The dim lighting (which she had complained about earlier) absorbed into her skin so half of her slightly dimpled cheek cast a shadow. "You wouldn't be able to teach an entire class by yourself. You don't have the credentials. But I'm starting to think that Professor Dumbledore was really desperate with this one. He can't seem to hold on to a teacher for more than a year," said Lily.
"No, he can't. But if I wanted to just do theory, I could have taught myself all this," said Snape frankly.
"Someone is confident about classes," said Lily dryly. "Can't say that about the rest of the time."
"Excuse me?" Severus hissed.
"You're excused," said Lily brusquely.
Severus glared at the girl across from him, not appreciating her cheek in the slightest, especially when she was about to address his confidence…or the lack thereof.
"What do you mean 'the rest of the time'?" Severus asked.
"Well, you aren't exactly epitome of self-assurance are you?" Lily said simply. "You're usually confident when it comes to anything edifying…socially on the other hand…"
"My social life is none of your business," he snarled. "Yet, you continue to bring it up in nearly every conversation we have. I wouldn't hesitate to call off this entire studying arrangement you were so keen about."
"No!" Lily said quickly. "It's fun."
"Not for me," said Severus.
"I'm sorry, alright," said Lily. Severus stared at her vacantly.
They were quiet until Severus pulled out his Arithmancy textbook. "Were you good at maths as a child?" Lily asked.
"Yes, I was," Severus said shortly.
"Did you go to a Muggle primary school or were you taught by your parents?" asked Lily.
Severus hesitated before answering, but figured his answer wouldn't give away anything vital. "I went to Muggle primary school but was later taught at home."
"I was horrid at maths," Lily said with a reminiscent smile. "I was much better with puzzles and non-math-related problem-solving. That's why I'm taking Ancient Runes. I didn't have to take it but I just love it. Decoding and such."
"There is decoding in Arithmancy too," said Severus.
"I thought there was a hint of Divination in Arithmancy," said Lily. "You don't seem like the Divination type."
"There is more reason in Arithmancy. It involves the magical properties of numbers. Divination consists of crackpot gypsies speculating future events based on the position of tea leaves and seeing a spot of fog in some ball," said Severus. "Pardon me for being somewhat sceptical."
"That subject never really interested me, either. I enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures and I was going to take it too. But I wanted some free time in my schedule so I decided against it. A lot of people are sticking to it, though," Lily said.
"Well I for one didn't enjoy seeing Professor Kettleburn getting bits and pieces of his body stung, bitten, bloodied, or removed every lesson," Severus said. "It's a pointless class, unless they are all interested in doing something related to magical creatures when they are out of Hogwarts."
"But it was still an entertaining class. What about that time when he warned us that unicorns preferred females? He said that it was alright if he approached it because he was an expert but when he approached it, the unicorn chased him for about ten minutes," Lily said. "That was probably the highlight of fourth year."
"Though it was amusing, it wasn't enough for me to continue taking the class for another two years," Severus said, the corners of his mouth perking ever so slightly.
He glanced up at Lily and noticed she was smiling fondly at him. He frowned. "What?"
"You should do that more often. I'm sure you have a pleasant smile," said Lily. A second later, she was stuttering. "B-but, I suppose I just like smiles. I—I enjoy teeth," Lily blurted out.
"You enjoy teeth," Severus reiterated.
"Yes…you know…the way they are all hard and…square? Yes, yes…the way they are all square…and stuff," Lily rambled lamely. "Unless you have rounded teeth, but they still have a bit of a squarish look to them."
Severus was dumbfounded. What is this girl inhaling?
"You're a nuisance."
"I know."
XXX
The Gryffindor changing rooms were draughty the next morning. The late November weather brought an extremely cool wind, causing the Quidditch players to shiver or jog up and down in place. James was pacing quietly; a clench of nervousness he couldn't seem to dispel twisted his stomach. He was always particularly worried during the first game. Why the first game was so late this year, he didn't know, but felt like complaining to Dumbledore about it after the game. To his right stood Elphias Doge, quietly muttering to himself and stretching his arms. Marlene was trying her best to get the team pumped up by singing, but stopped when Elizabeth threatened to hex her. The rest of the team were making small talk amongst themselves.
"Merlin, can't even get a team excited anymore, can you?" Marlene complained.
"Well maybe it's the fact that Hagrid sings better than you do," said James with a smirk. Marlene stuck her tongue out at him.
"I'm a fabulous singer…my mum says so," Marlene said.
"Well, your mum should be slapped," said James.
Marlene scowled and walked away, beginning to sing again. The other Beater, Rilo Adams, and Chaser, Melissa Blake, shivered in the corner, looking just as nervous as James felt. William was flexing his fingers and straightening out his gloves. The sounds of hundreds of students approaching caused his stomach to feel weak again. Loud chatter, feet hitting the spectator stands, singing, and laughing met his ears.
"Okay," said Elphias. "Get your brooms. Let's get out there."
The team grabbed their brooms and walked outside in an organised line, the overcast weather greeting them with a strong gust of wind which meant that this would be a tough game. They were the first ones out on the grassy field and cheering and whistling was heard throughout, though boos and hisses along with it.
"And here are the Gryffindors: Moss, Blake, Potter, Moore, McKinnon, Adams, and Doge!" said the announcer, Yara Pruneburg, a loud seventh-year Gryffindor.
James searched the Gryffindor side of the stadium and his spirits immediately rose as he spotted Sirius, Remus, and Peter's faces painted red and gold. The boys were jumping up and down like maniacs, yelling enthusiastically, even in a nearby first-year's face (he began to scream himself…out of fright). James laughed and immediately searched for Lily. It took him a while but he finally saw her next to Emmeline and Alice. To his pleasure, she had accepted Alice's dare to wear shimmering gold face paint.
"And the Slytherins: McGerr, Rosier, Turpin, Meltzer, Grey, Black, and Amthia!" yelled Yara.
The Gryffindors began to boo loudly, though many in the crowd were cheering and waving green and silver flags. Their captain, McGerr led the pack. Her curly blonde hair bounced in the breeze. Behind her was Evan Rosier, simply smiling, and James felt his temper rise.
Madame Hooch appeared and barked, "Captains, shake hands." McGerr and Elphias shook hands speedily. "Players, mount your brooms, and"—she blew her whistle—"go!"
The balls were released and James took off, quickly received the Quaffle from Elizabeth and headed for the hoops.
"And there goes our favourite Chaser, Potter, with the Quaffle," said Yara. "He sure looks a bit cuter this year, doesn't he, girls?"
"Ms. Prunesburg…this is a game, not a bathing suit competition!" barked Professor McGonagall, seated next to her.
"Sorry, Professor," said Yara, though many girls in the audience were heard cat-calling.
James saw Evan heading in his direction so he quickly passed the Quaffle to Melissa before diving slightly to avoid him.
James glared at Evan. "Your captain must be mental to have you on the team. What'd you do? Screw your way in?"
"Shut your mouth, Potter, or you'll regret it," Evan spat, flying down the field, James on his tail.
"—Ooh, and Turpin intercepts Moore's pass to Blake. He's looking for someone to pass to. Where's Rosier? Ah there he is, and he receives the pass and—Potter bumps Rosier, trying to make him loose his hold on the Quaffle!" Yara announced.
James was, indeed, shoulder to shoulder with Evan and, just his luck, a Bludger was headed right towards Evan's arm.
"OUCH! The Bludger hits Rosier's arm and the Quaffle falls! But it's caught by Potter!" Yara shouted.
With the Quaffle securely under his right arm, he sped all the way to the other side of the field, narrowly avoiding a Bludger at one pont, and threw the ball into the lower hoop.
"AND POTTER SCORES! Gryffindor leads 10-0!" Bertha yells. James pumped his fist in the air and the Gryffindor supporters in the crowd went wild while the Slytherins booed.
Slytherin gained possession of the Quaffle and Turpin passed to McGerr, but Elizabeth intercepted and zoomed down the field. Just as James was expecting her to pass the Quaffle, a Bludger zoomed in their direction, hitting her funny bone and causing her to drop it.
"THAT WAS DELIBERATE, HOOCH!" yelled Yara
"Hush!" McGonagall warned.
Several loud boos were heard but Madame Hooch yelled, "Continue the play! Continue the play!"
Elizabeth rubbed his elbow and continued to play, albeit more aggressively.
"Potter doesn't look very happy about that one. I still say that was a foul! Meltzer knew exactly what he was doing!" said Yara matter-of-factly. McGonagall rubbed her temples.
Rosier was already on the other side of the field by this time and threw the Quaffle into the upper hoop. Marlene just missed it.
"ROSIER SCORES! TEN POINTS TO SLYTHERIN," said Yara. Marlene circled the hoops despairingly, cursing to herself silently.
"S'alright, Marlene!" yelled Elphias.
"And Blake has the Quaffle now—watch out! Blake has dropped the Quaffle! WAIT! Potter caught it! He is going towards the hoops but…OUCH…that looked painful."
A Bludger hit James ankle, but he clutched on to the red Quaffle and threw at the centre hoop, but the keeper caught it.
"AMTHIA HAS BLOCKED THE THROW! Amazing save, really!" said Yara. The Slytherins cheered.
"Now Rosier has the Quaffle again. He's doing pretty well for his first game, eh? Potter looks like he has it out for him though. They're neck to neck! Wait a sec, folks; Rosier's grip on the Quaffle has loosened. Potter grabs the Quaffle but—OI! FOUL!" Yara barked.
"Calm down, girl!" chided McGonagall, but she seemed rather angry herself.
Evan had elbowed James deliberately in the side, hitting his ribs hard. James seized his side and groaned, falling to the ground. Luckily, he was only seven or eight feet in the air, but the impact of his body on the hard ground hurt this back and neck. The Gryffindors bellowed and yelled obscenities.
Madame Hooch blew her whistle shrilly, halting the game. "Are you alright?" she asked him.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," James groaned as the rest of the team flew down to see if he was okay. He saw Evan and Turpin laughing together nearby.
"What happened?" asked Blake, but Hooch was about to answer that for him.
"Penalty shot to Gryffindor due to cobbing!" Madame Hooch said loudly (amplifying her voice wasn't at all necessary). "Take it, Potter."
James flew up to the hoops, closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath. Madame Hooch blew her whistle and James threw the Quaffle as hard as he could into the lower hoop. His arm nearly fell off, but he made it.
"POTTER SCORES! 10-20 GRYFFINDOR!" Yara shouted. The Gryffindor supporters went wild. "He sure is cute when he pumps his fist like that—it's alright, Professor! It's just an observation. Alright, looks like Doge and Adams are doing a hell of a job getting those Bludgers away from their players and—wait! Moss has spotted the Snitch! Black sees it too and is now on his tail! They are both almost there! Wait, a Bludger seems to have thrown Black and Moss off course. Better luck next time, you two."
James intercepted the Quaffle between Turpin and McGerr and ducked as a Bludger zoomed in his direction, courtesy of Grey. He passed to Melissa who dodged Meltzer and scored on Amthia immediately.
"Another goal for Gryffindor! Good job, Blake!" said Yara. "And Slytherin is in possession. McGerr is streaking up the field. Wow, she looks really determined, folks. She's brushed off all the Gryffindor players, and Grey and Meltzer are doing a good job of keeping the Bludgers away from her."
James flew as fast as he could towards McGerr but was blocked by the Slytherin Seeker zooming in front of him.
"And McGerr shoots and—McKinnon blocks the throw, recovering from her last mess-up!"
Marlene stuck her tongue out at Yara and looked livid from the comment, though excited to catch the Quaffle.
"And Slytherin is in possession once more," Yara announced. "Turpin passes to Rosier who looks like he is about to pass to McGerr— Oi! Potter intercepts the pass! He's going towards the Slytherin hoops. Amthia better watch out. He ducks Turpin, swerves around Rosier. Uh-oh! A Bludger is going straight towards Potter! Doge deflects the speeding Bludger and Potter keeps going. Potter scores once more! And the crowd goes wild!"
The game became more and more violent as the game went on. The game had to be halted three more times for fouls and bad behaviour (mostly between Marlene and Evan). Fifteen minutes passed and Slytherin scored thrice more, tying the score.
James narrowly missed getting hit by a passing Bludger as he headed towards Turpin, who was now in possession of the Quaffle; but immediately stopped as he saw William zipping after Black, higher and higher into the sky. They had seen the Snitch.
"Come on, William! Catch up!" yelled Doge. The rest of the team was also distracted by the two Seekers and looked up.
"Moss and Black see the Snitch! Their arms are outstretched…they're shoulder to shoulder! MOSS CATCHES THE SNITCH! MOSS CATCHES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
William flew down to the grassy bottom looking breathless but pleased as he held his Snitch-filled hand in the air. The Gryffindors cheered and yelled as the Slytherins booed and gave the Gryffindors not-so-friendly hand gestures, causing Professor Slughorn to approach many students and restrain them.
James flew down and gave William a manly hug and pat on the back, Doge and Adam did the same. The girls, however, showered William's face with kisses and squealed.
The team headed to the changing rooms and James quickly took off his Quidditch uniform and put on his black robes with the initials "JP" in golden embroidery over the left breast. After a minute or two, Sirius and Peter entered the Gryffindor changing rooms.
"You were great, Prongs," said Peter, who was looking at James as though he was Merlin himself.
"Well, you sure improved since the last practise," said Sirius, the red and gold paint dripping from the cold sweat on his face. "I had a pouch of Galleons betting on you. If Gryffindor lost, then I would have had to kill you."
"Well, that's lovely, Sirius," James said. "It feels great to know who my real friends are."
"Oh, I think you may find this interesting," said Sirius. "Florence was sitting behind us and when you fell you should have heard her! 'Oh, that looked so painful! I hope he is alright. Should he be taken to the hospital wing?'" Sirius said, imitating her voice…badly. "I swear, the bird was about to have a heart attack. Anyway, let's go to the common room. I'm…meeting someone there."
"Who?" asked Peter curiously.
"Your mum. I invited her to the castle and we're going to have a merry ol' snog in the common room, Peter. You didn't know?" said Sirius, putting on a solemn face.
Peter looked like he was about to die from shock.
"Honestly. Your mum should keep you more informed," said Sirius. As Peter looked more and more dumbfounded, Sirius and James laughed heartily. "I'm just joking, Wormtail! Are you truly that thick?"
"Of—of course. I knew that. See: ha ha," Peter said, though neither Sirius nor James were convinced.
They walked across the grassy grounds, into the Entrance Hall, and up the marble staircase, making their way to the Gryffindor common room. On the way up, Lily was descending, passing the three boys without much acknowledgment. James ruffled his hair and stopped walking.
"Evans," he called, Sirius and Peter stopped as well. "Evans!" he called again as she continued to walk. "Hey, wait!"
Lily halted and turned around. "What is it, Potter?"
"Looks like you're going the wrong way. Would you care to join me in the common room?" James asked politely.
"I'm busy," Lily said shortly.
"With what?" James asked shrilly. "It's a Saturday morning!"
"Well, unlike you, I have responsibilities to attend to. There is a prefect meeting right now and I have to be there," Lily explained.
"Oh, right. Remus wanted me to tell you that," Sirius muttered in James' ear.
"Well…you can meet up with us after," said James promptly.
"I may be busy afterwards, too," said Lily. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Lily walked a few more steps before turning her head over her shoulder. "Oh. You played well today, Potter," she said, and continued to walk.
Those eight syllables were all it took to feel warmth from his chest to his toes. He stared after her with a small smile on his face, his eyes following her as she walked quickly down the hall. Sirius hit him in the back on his head. "Come on. Evans can wait. There are better things to look forward to in the common room."
"Like what?" James asked.
"Like snogging Peter's mum," said Sirius.
The boys entered the common room. Sirius made a beeline to some brunette reading the paper by the window while James was bombarded with praise and butterbeer from fellow Gryffindors. The mob followed him to the couch he sat on and he sat there, soaking in the admiration and saying "thanks" every once in a while.
"Budge over, Potter," said Marlene, sitting next to James on the couch with a goblet of warm butterbeer in her hand. "Good game, eh?"
James nodded and heard a loud "excuse me, excuse me" from nearby. Through the crowd came Florence, her wavy blonde hair tied back into a ponytail. She had a large grin on her face that turned into a grimace as she saw Marlene sitting next to him. "Um…do you…mind?" she said coolly.
Marlene glanced around before looking at Florence again. "Are you talking to me?"
"Well, unless there is someone else on this couch, yes, I'm talking to you," Florence said sharply.
Marlene stared at Florence but reluctantly stood up and walked over to Alice and Emmeline. Florence flopped down on the couch and crossed her legs. "You were brilliant today, James," she said softly.
James grinned. "I know." They laughed and Florence rested her hand on his chest. He felt his chest burn but ignored it.
"You're funny, James," Florence said. "And a bit fit too."
"Why are you stating the obvious, Florence?" James said, running his hand through his hair and giving her a toothy grin.
"No, really, is it from Quidditch?" Florence asked, a glint appearing in her brown eyes.
"Yup, I think so," James said. Florence licked her lips slightly and James almost started laughing at the ravenous look on her face.
"So, who are you going to the ball with?" Florence asked, parting her glossed lips and pouting a bit to feign a look of innocence. He noticed that her hand was now off his chest and resting on his knee.
"Good question," James said. Florence giggled and moved her lips to his ear. Her breath tickled his ear and made him feel slightly dizzy.
"I don't have a date either," she said huskily, touching his hair with the pads of her fingertips. "Just so you know. I've been asked, of course, but…I turned them all down."
"Why?" James asked hoarsely, playing along with her flirtation.
"Because they weren't my type. And not nearly as attractive as…others, either," Florence said, biting down on her bottom lip and looking into his eyes, continuing to lightly scratch his scalp, sending odd chills down his spine.
"Well, would a tall, hazel-eyed, amazingly good-looking young man be better?" James asked.
"I certainly think so," Florence said, that gleam back in her eyes, so that it nearly glared off his glasses.
He knew what she was expecting him to do. She wanted him to invite her to the ball. But what about Lily?
Forget Lily! She's already going with Alexander, anyway! said half of him. The other was struggling to come up with reasons not to ask Florence to the ball.
She's a seventh-year!
So what?
She may be horrible at snogging.
That's not what I hear.
She has…loads of earwax.
Rubbish!
What if you stick your tongue in her ear though?
Erm…
"In that case…I'd be honoured if you would go with me to the ball," James said, smiling broadly at her.
Florence didn't return the smile, instead she moved her face closer to his and placed a very quick, wet kiss on James lips. "Of course I'll go with you." She smiled at him; the impish look on her face causing his dignity to self-destruct. He kissed her back, moving his hand to the back of her head and pulling her closer. Their lips parted and Florence panted slightly as she straightened out her knitted vest and skirt.
"You're a good kisser, James. There'll be more where that came from." Florence winked, stood up, and walked to the staircase of the girl's dormitories. Only five seconds after she left the couch, he noticed the people looking at him curiously, though some had knowing looks. Suddenly, a large hand was on his arm and pulling him to a corner of the common room.
"You guys really couldn't wait to be somewhere more intimate, could you?" Sirius whispered, beaming at his friend.
"Oh, as though you ever do," James scoffed.
"She was practically on top of you, Prongs!" Peter pointed out.
"Well, you know how it is. She just couldn't get enough of me…who could?"
"Lily," Peter said.
James cursed silently under his breath.
"What are you so upset about?" Sirius asked disbelievingly. "What does she have to do with anything?"
"He still likes her, doesn't he?" Peter asked this of Sirius rather than James.
"Well he has an interesting way of showing it," Sirius said, smirking like no tomorrow. "What gives, Prongs?"
"I don't know…" James said truthfully. "Does that mean I don't like Evans anymore?"
"It means something. Either you're over Lily or you're just a horny bastard…the latter wouldn't be anything new," Sirius said. "We'll know for sure tonight."
"Why tonight?" asked James.
"Its simple, really," Sirius started. "If you start moaning Florence's name while you're wanking, then you're over Lily. If you're moaning Lily's name like you do every other night, nothing has changed." James punched Sirius roughly in the arm. "What?" Sirius laughed.
"I don't see what's so funny about that," James hissed, narrowing his eyes at Sirius.
"Well, you're pretty obvious, Prongs. It's actually pretty distracting," Peter said, ignoring James' reddening face. "I mean, I'll be having a completely normal dream about…flying without a broomstick or eating a zillion pumpkin pasties without being sick and then I'll hear Lily's name out of nowhere."
"Shut your fat mouth, Peter," James growled.
"Hey, hey, hey…don't get your knickers in a twist because the kid was stating the truth," Sirius said, resting his elbow on Peter's shoulder.
James refused to talk to Sirius or Peter for the rest of the morning.
XXX
The prefect meeting was more heated than usual. They had to decide on a band to play at the ball and after what seemed like hours of arguing and whining (the latter courtesy of Narcissa Black); the Hobgoblins were chosen to perform after the classical numbers. Lily was pleased about the decision and left the prefect meeting with a spring to her step. As she walked down the fifth-floor corridor, she spotted Alexander talking to a few of his Ravenclaw friends.
"Alexander!" Lily called. Alexander turned towards Lily and made his way over towards her. His friends snickered.
"Hi Lily," Alexander said conversationally. "Gryffindor played well in the game today."
"Yeah, I was impressed," Lily said. "I'm usually not so enthusiastic about Quidditch."
"I know what you mean. I'm a big Quidditch fan but I prefer football…but that's a bit hard to play here," Alexander said. Lily nodded.
"My dad is crazy about football," Lily said with a faint smile. "Or just crazy in general. Either one will do."
Alexander chuckled.
"Are you coming along or not, Alexander?" yelled one of the boys.
"Coming, coming," Alexander said over his shoulder. "I should go now. We need to talk more often."
"I agree," Lily said quickly.
Alexander gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and whispered, "I'll see you around."
Lily nodded stupidly and gently touched her cheek as he jogged down the corridor to meet up with his friends again. She mounted a nearby staircase surrounded by paintings on the wall supporting it. One painted woman, wearing eighteenth-century garb, followed Lily through various frames, looking at Lily as though she was a particularly ugly but interesting animal.
"What?" Lily exclaimed as the woman was starting to bother her.
"What year is it, dear?" asked the woman, her voice incredibly snooty-sounding and her towering wig moving with her lips.
"Erm—1976," Lily said.
The woman snorted, her wig nearly falling off. "No wonder your outfit is so atrocious! Merlin, have you ever heard of something called style, dear?"
"This coming from a woman with whale bones clutching her ribs and hair taller than her body…" Lily murmured before continuing to climb the stairs, a distant cry of "Well I've never in my life!" reaching her ears.
Lily walked down the sixth-floor corridor and searched for a staircase with fewer portraits. She passed by an adjacent, windowless corridor and heard faint whispering near the end of it. Her natural curiosity got the best of her and she tiptoed down the corridor, even despite her bad luck with corridors that year. The voices became gradually clearer and harsher, making her press her body against the dark, stone wall. Peeking an eye around the corner, she saw Bellatrix and Narcissa Black talking to each other rapidly about twenty feet away. It's odd for them to be on this floor, Lily thought.
"I knew that you talking to him wouldn't work!" Narcissa scoffed.
"Well, I'm usually very gifted in the art of persuasion, Cissy," Bellatrix retorted.
Cissy? Lily nearly laughed.
"Yeah, sadly it usually only works if you are about to remove an article of clothing," Naricssa drawled.
"Very funny, Cissy. You know that's not true!" Bellatrix growled. "He's just too…something. At this rate he will never be sure."
Narcissa sighed. "Why are we here?" she asked.
"The Ravenclaw common rooms are on this floor and I'm meeting one of them…Head Girl duties…don't ask," Bellatrix explained.
"Well the girls and I were going to do makeovers, and—" Narcissa started but was interrupted.
"You think makeovers are more important than this?" Bellatrix asked dangerously.
"That's rich, coming from someone who preferred to take a nap than help me write a letter to Lucius asking questions about the Dark Lord," Narcissa snapped.
"Fine, we're even," Bellatrix whispered.
"Don't stress about this too much. He'll come around sooner or later," Narcissa said.
Lily heard feet shuffling and ran down the passage as quickly and quietly as she could. As soon as she reached the main corridor, she slipped into a broom cupboard. After hearing the girls' footsteps fade away, Lily emerged from the small, dusty cupboard and made her way straight to the Gryffindor tower. She knew that their conversation involved Voldemort in some way, but didn't know what to think. Were the Blacks interested in joining Voldemort or was it pure curiosity? She has heard of many who were rather intrigued by him and believed that some of his ideas were brilliant, genius even, but wouldn't join him despite that. She wouldn't be very surprised if the Blacks were interested in joining. Lily also wondered who "he" was.
"Levé le baton," Lily said to the Fat Lady, and entered the very noisy common room. Red and gold streamers were hanging from the ceiling and lying on the floor; some were even draped over children.
She noticed that Remus was already in the common room and was laughing with the rest of his friends. Sirius glanced over at her and whispered to the boys, causing James to peer at her over Sirius' shoulder. Lily decided to avoid any confrontation and went to her dormitory, pleased to find Emmeline, Marlene, and Alice (whose face was buried in her pillow on her four-poster bed) already there.
"Kill me, Emmeline…" Alice said into the red fabric, her voice very muffled. "Kill me now. Go on, get out your wand."
"What happened?" Lily asked.
Emmeline sighed. "Frank is taken."
Lily went over to Alice and rubbed her back consolingly. "I'm sorry, Alice."
"What's worse is the fact that when she approached him she let out the most unattractive sneeze in existence," Marlene said with a hint of amusement.
"DON'T REMIND ME, MARLENE!" Alice roared.
"Who is he going with?" Lily asked.
"Femblugm Fenular," Alice muttered into her hands.
"Excuse me?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "I didn't quite get—"
"Fairblossom Finola!" Alice wailed then made noises of frustration to her pillow.
"So it looks like you and I are the only people taken. Luminus is going with me to the ball," Marlene said to Lily. Alice cursed, Emmeline sighed pensively.
"I thought you were going to ask Remus, Emmeline," Lily said.
Emmeline shook her head and made a face. "He's taken, too, just asked out yesterday. I shouldn't have waited so long."
Lily opened her mouth, ready to sympathise with her friend, when Marlene interrupted.
"Guess who else is taken, Lily," Marlene said.
Lily took off her vest and shirt while making a wild guess. "Potter."
"Right-o, my friend. But guess who he is going with."
"I don't know…Mrs. Norris?" Lily asked. Marlene chuckled; Alice moaned in her pillow.
"No…Florence," Marlene spat.
Lily's hand was on the zipper of her skirt and she froze briefly before shaking her head. "Oh. Well, I'm not very surprised."
"They were kissing on the couch and everything. Oh! And you should have heard what that tart said to me. She told me to get up so she could sit next to Potter and suck his lips off," Marlene ranted. "I did the right thing and kept my temper in check, but if it had been any other day…"
"Oh please, Marlene," Emmeline chuckled. "Must you be so overdramatic?"
"Hey, at least I'm not carrying on like Alice," Marlene snapped. Alice groaned louder. "Honestly, Alice, It's not as though he doesn't like you. Someone just asked him first, and Frank isn't the type to say no to a sweet girl like Finola…"
Lily listened to Alice wail about Fairblossom with Marlene and Emmeline as she changed into more comfortable clothing. "So they were snogging in the middle of the common room?" Lily asked, sitting on Alice's bed.
"Yep, it was disgusting. I was starting to wonder whether they were kissing or eating each other alive," Marlene said.
"Oh please, that's exaggerating just a tad," Emmeline said. "It was a few kisses. But everybody was watching them and they didn't seem to mind. The public displays of affection at this school are going overboard."
"I'm sure you wouldn't think so if you had Remus Lupin snogging you," Alice said rudely.
"Alright, Alice," Emmeline glared. "That's enough. Don't put your bad mood on me!"
Lily didn't understand girls sometimes. They comfort each other one second then the next, one wrong thing is said, and they are at each others' throats or giving cold shoulders.
After Emmeline and Alice's mini-fight, Lily grabbed her satchel and lay on top of her comfortable red-and-gold covers, closing her curtains slightly. She took out all of papers and books and looked them over. Her eye caught the paper Severus had looked over a couple of days ago and a faint smile reached her lips. Lily wondered what he would say about the strange behaviour of girls. He'd probably say something along the lines of "I don't care a whit about girls…leave me alone and let me finish my reading", Lily thought. She laughed.
"What's so funny in there?" she heard Marlene ask.
"Nothing," Lily replied.
Lily was still rather surprised that Severus had agreed to study with her in the first place. She didn't know why she was so intrigued by him. Was it the fact that she was interested in someone who was such an intellectual? And why did she always want to get to know more and more about him? Unfortunately, he didn't want her to know anything about himself. But what did he have to hide? He was a gifted, almost certainly privileged pure-blood who probably made his parents proud. Sure, he was unpopular, but he didn't seem to care very much. What was he so afraid of exposing? Lily figured that she would never truly get to know him as much as she wished to.
A/N 2: Thanks for reading. If you can, I'd appreciate some reviews for chapter 11 for how the beginning of the Anima dreams was for my readers. I'd like to know what they think. As usual, please review. Fic writers gobble that stuff up and they are greatly appreciated for inspiration, motivation, and constructive crit.