Chapter 5:
Lily after getting dressed, having breakfast and annoying James made her way outside to a waiting taxi. On their way back to their room last night Lily stopped by the concierge and asked if they knew anything about the map her father sent her. Apparently her father wanted her to go to Monkey Beach and spend the day there and then she would get her next clue.
The night before they went to bed Lily rang the company who traversed to and from Monkey Beach and booked a day. Unfortunately it was early in the morning so Lily had to drag James out of bed, get dressed and somehow persuade the kitchen staff to rustle something up for them before the restaurant was open.
Lily was this time wearing short green and white shorts with a tie up drawstring and a white singlet. Underneath her clothes she was once again wearing her dark green bikini. On her shoulder was a beach bag with two towels, sunscreen, Lily's white billabong rashi, a bottle of water and Lily's phone and purse. James wasn't quite sure why she needed her purse or the small green brick she talked into but he figured it was a girl thing. Realising that he was meant to be the boyfriend James took the bag, even though it was large and clashed with what he was wearing – Red board shorts, a baggy blue shirt and a pair of orange thongs. Lily teased him about his dress sense and that he looked like all the colours of the rainbow. She tried to get him to change but since it was annoying her he was determined to wear it – even if he agreed with her. Carrying Lily's bag he led Lily up to the small white boat. It looked like a fishing boat that had been cleaned up, painted white and expanded to fit more than three people. It was a nice looking boat, but you couldn't look at it too long or the sun that reflected off of the white paint would blind you. James had a small look and was still seeing dots when he met with the captain.
The captain was about 20 and very rugged he did have to admit. He was tanned and his hair light from constant exposure from the sun. His arm muscles shuddered as he squeezed James's hand till he heard cracking. James tried not to wince but he felt like the man had just broken his fingers. Lily didn't notice a thing she was too busily looking around at the boat, the people, the fish, the fruit and the captain once she heard James's hand crack. The captain was impeccable dressed in white board shorts that went to his knees and a pale green tank top that showed off all his muscles. James felt a tightening in his gut as the Captain looked at Lily and gave her a small peck on the cheek. James figured he just ate some bad lobster last night and ignored the feeling.
"ah you are Madam Evans and Miesure Potter I assume?" the captain asked with a posh French accent.
"yes umm… that's would be us." Lily stuttered while speaking to the man.
"Well welcome aboard, I'm Captain" he said with a brutish Scottish accent while moving his arms in a sweeping fashion showing off his boat.
Lily and James looked at each other and back to the captain confused while the Captain chuckled at their shocked expressions.
"I'm sorry I love to muck around with accents." He said in a laidback Australian accent
"What's you real accent then?" James asked warily. He didn't like this guy.
"That was it." he said again in an Australian accent.
Lily squealed and started spouting out question after question about Australia. 'Wonder why she loves the place so much?' James contemplated to himself.
They boarded the boat a few minuted later and set off towards Monkey Beach. The boat trip was peaceful. There was a slight wind that brought relief from the sun reflecting off of the clear blue sea water. The white also reflected the sun so Lily and James had to maintain their use of sun block and left their sunnies on for the entire trip.
Twenty minutes into the boat ride Captain came to visit his favourite red head and her annoying boyfriend. 'Don't know what she sees in him' he grumbled to himself. Anyway he slapped on a happy smile and handed Lily an envelope and a box her father especially sent to him to give to her. He didn't know, nor did he want to know what was in the box. For all he knew he was carrying around a bomb that was meant to go off in 2 seconds. Relieved he handed the box over to the happy girl and her boyfriend and set back off to control the ship. 'She must see something in him otherwise she would have at least let go of his hand by now' he rationalised. The minute they stepped on the ship they were like a love struck couple. The boy didn't seem to keen on him so he stayed away but the girl wasn't too bad and he couldn't help himself from flirting with her.
James wasn't happy with the Captain giving Lily a present but couldn't really say that. 'URGH the nerve of that guy. We obviously look like we're going out and he has the nerve to start hitting on her' he raged. He had been raging most of the last twenty minutes because Captain never left Lily alone. She was supposedly going out with him and he was flirting with her. However his raging didn't last long as he noticed the word Grommit written on the front of the envelope. Suddenly he felt very foolish and decided later to catch up with Captain and apologise, it wasn't Captain's fault they were like this.
Lily was ecstatic that she didn't even notice the tension around her; she didn't notice Captain quickly moving back up the stairs not turning his back on her, or James angry frown and then red cheeks. She only had eyes for the box and the card which sat upon it. Ripping it open another letter from her father fell on her lap and she leapt at the words
Dear grommet
We want you to be able to capture and remember your memories.
Love the fam
Confused she turned to the present and also ripped that open. Inside was another note which said:
You're meant to open the card FIRST!!!
Lily giggled at her father. Sometimes she wondered how he knew her so well. Normally she would have dived for the present but not getting anything letter-wise from your family was hard and so she wanted that first before she got to the material things. After forgetting the funny little note she took a proper look at her present. Inside was a box advertising a digital camera with all the trimmings including a film recording and still photos. It also included a few magical things such as moving pictures and talking pictures.
'Ha ha dad really thought I would think he brought me a camera. Though I wish he did' she thought wistfully to herself.
Opening the box expecting another box that eventually would get down to a box the size of her fingernail and opening it to find a fingernail trimming she was shocked to see a shiny new silver and red camera with all the new trimmings as described on the box.
Half an hour later Captain stopped the boat in the middle of the ocean and put the anchor into the sea. They then continued to pull out fishing wire, bait and a large bucket with water they got out of the ocean.
"What's happening?" James asked Lily when she started jumping around in her own seat. He found that since she left school she was very happy all the time and little things could set her off into a beam of sunshine.
"We're going fishing?" she said excitedly and jumped up to grab a reel of wire with two hooks and some bait.
"Fishing?" James enquired bemused by what she was doing and why she was so excited, "what's fishing?" Lily looked at him like he was an alien from Mars that just came up to her, quoted Shakespeare's hamlet and then proceeded to dance a jig in a fairy costume. After realising that he wasn't joking she sobered up and looked at him seriously. Moving into her tutoring voice she explained that fishing was a way to capture fish – yes fish as in food – so they could eat. And no you didn't just conjure them out of the air with mash potato and all the trimmings.
She then proceeded to teach James to fish.
"Ok first you put the sinker on." She said patiently while adding the round metal ball to her own wire.
"Why?"
"So it will sink." She explained simply.
"Oh" James said with a small smile at the simplicity.
"Ok how's that?" he asked proudly holding up some very tangled wire with a metal ball wrapped heavily in the blue cord.
"Umm… not bad." She lied, "but how about we use a little less fishing wire. Like this." She said kindly while showing him her own neatly knotted string. James stared for a while and copied her wire to his own and held it up proudly once again for another inspection.
"Perfect." Lily stated pleased at his now untangled wire, "Now put some bait on the hooks." She said while putting her hand into the bait bucket and pulling out some fish guts mixed with insects. James screwed up his face but if Lily could do it so could he.
"Right now you pierce a piece onto the hook." She said while James watched with fascination.
"ARGH!!! Ow, ow, ow" James yelled while hopping around waving his thumb in the air. The throbbing through his thumb wasn't that much but the shock was enough.
Lily finally calmed him down after taking a photo at his misfortune and pulled the hook out from underneath his skin. It didn't even go in far enough to require a bandaid but he wanted one anyway. So with a bananas in pyjamas bandaid on his finger they started from scratch again, this time at a much slower pace.
Finally after repeated attempts to catch a fish James felt a tug on his wire, a faint tug but a tug all the same. Excitedly he caught Lily attention over who shushed him for making so much noise and scaring away the fish.
"Sorry." He replied sheepishly, "I think I got nibbled." He said voice rising again out of excitement. Lily placed her fingers on his lips and he finally shut up. She motioned him to pull the wire up onto the boat slowly.
That two minuted was the longest two minutes James had ever felt. Seriously all the OWL exams went faster than those two minutes. Inch by excruciating inch the wire was brought up to the deck and when it finally came over the side Lily was ready with her camera.
FLASH
James was standing there chest puffed out holding a helicopter fish in the air proudly in front of the camera. He and Lily took it over to Captain to have it sized and put in the white bucket for lunch later on that day.
James was so happy. He caught a fish. He didn't care that it was a little fish, it was still a fish and he caught it. He finally found something he really like doing the muggle way, that had excitement and that got a very pretty girl's attention away from a stupid Captain of a boat.
Having caught enough fish for lunch Captain pulled up the anchor and another 30 minuted later they were sitting at a large wooden table with fruits, fish, drinks, salads and all types of Malaysian and Tropical foods lain out on the scrubbed wooden bench top. Everyone was seated at the table and surrounding them were lush trees and palms. The sand underneath their feet was a beautiful golden white and gave off small warmth to their toes. The sea was a spectacular clear blue with only minimal ripples seen as the afternoon sun reflected into their eyes.
Lily and James tucked into the food eagerly. Lily once again thanked that she was left handed and James right. She was hopeless with her right hand and was thankful that they both freed their writing hands otherwise their lunch would have been on the outside of their stomachs and not on the inside where it should belong.
Once lunch was finished and everyone had unbuckled their belts and let their stomachs flow free of constrictions. James and Lily were sitting contently resting bonelessly in their chairs, their eyes closed and hands rubbing their stomachs in pain. Lily had once again surprised James beyond all measures. She ate MORE than SIRIUS!!! Not even James or Remus had been able to beat Sirius in an eating contest and then here comes along a tiny little red head prefect who finished at least 3 grilled fish with lemon grass and basil, most of the tangy pineapple, sweet mango and creamy bananas along with 3 deserts of sugary coconut balls with red glazed cherries on top. She had him amazed. James only ate about half of that amount and that was fair amount for anyone.
While they were sitting their trying to smooth out their complaining stomachs James noticed a rustling in the trees behind them and to their left and their right. They were surrounded.
'How could I be so stupid?!' He scolded himself while Lily continued rubbing her stomach without a care in the world. Here I am completely letting my guard down for once in my life and someone surround us. I don't even have my wand near me! James and Lily figuring they were pretty safe on a secluded island left their wands in their beach bag on the boat wrapped in towels and Lily's rashi. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' Mentally hitting himself in the head. The rustling got louder and a little boy about the age of 6 went to investigate before James could stop him. Once the child passed the bushes a small shriek was heard and everyone ran to the little boy.
Peering around the bush there was the little boy with a large brown and grey monkey sitting firmly on his shoulder. The boy had a very proud and look-what-I-did look upon his face when the rest of the tourists from the boat found him. 'Of course! Monkey Island. Duh! Of course there's going to be monkeys.' James once again mentally smacking his own head into a tree. James brought himself out of his mental bashing to hear what Captain was talking about.
"This here", he said pointing to the monkey with a black patch around his eye and left ear, which was still sitting on the child, "is Monga. He's on of the younger male hooter monkeys we have on this island. Actually Monga here is considered the prince of the monkeys as his dad is the somewhat clan leader. If you do encounter Monga's dad don't try to interact with him as he is the clan leader and therefore untouchable and may bite you." He warned gravely and then slapping a happy smile on as he announced that they could feed the monkeys the scraps that they hadn't eaten.
Everyone was happily feeding the monkeys when they heard a loud cry for help. Everyone on the beach dropped turned to the sound. The little boy who found Monga was sitting with his hand clamped over his leg, looking at the sky trying not to cry, while a large brown and grey monkey ran off and up a tree. All around the child the sand was slowly changing for a white golden to a rich red of blood. James and Lily's hand sprang apart as they reached the boy. Lily looked at her right hand that was minutes ago stuck to James's while James ran forward to help.
"Get me some salt water" James commanded captain who had broken into panic and was currently running in circles. Finally having a leader showing the way at least 3 other men ran with captain with buckets, bottles and hats to collect the sea water. James clamped his hand down on the little boy's leg and stopped the flow of blood while Lily and another lady with a pink floral shirt and grey shorts grabbed his other. The men finally arrived back with the salt water James needed.
James grabbed the bottle and wet hat and started cleaning the wound warning that it might sting before he poured salt water into clean out any germs. He then softly wiped away the sand that got in the cut and dried off the little boy's leg. He then commanded a large band aid, bandage cloth and a bandage pin, then covered up the cut. Lily sat by the entire episode holding one of the little boys hands while his mother held the other. She was very impressed by James's control and medic skills; maybe he should become a healer. James then helped the little blonde boy up and made sure that he could walk fine. The boys winced a bit when he put pressure on his leg but said it only throbbed but he could walk.
After the fright of Monga's dad no-one was in much of a mood to stay and feed the monkeys anymore. They packed up and boarded the small fishing boat again. James carried the little boy while talking to him about how brave he was not to cry. Lily just lugged their things back to the boat.
Sitting on her seat the little boy joined James and her, who were once again joined.
Looking bashful her scuffed his feet and stared at the floor and said "my mummy wants me to say thank you for helping me." James ruffled his short brown hair with a no worries little man.
"Say what's your name?" James asked playfully
"Gabriele Rogers" he said proudly, "do you know that means strong in Hebrew?" he asked looking if possible more proud of his own name.
"Wow. That's pretty cool Gaby. So did you like the monkeys?" James asked good naturedly
"Yeah apart from Monga's Dad." He said with a chuckle.
James and Gaby continued to talk for the rest of the trip back, even coming onto the roof with Lily to sunbake. Lily just smiled and listen to the two of them talk about football, brownies, fish in the sea, the sun, the boat and MONKEYS. Lily was actually quite surprised at how much James knew about muggle life like that St. Kilda was waaaaayyyyy better then Essendon. Gaby happened to be an Essendon supporter and launched into another big conversation at how much St. Kilda sucked and Essendon ruled.
By the end of the trip Lily and James had Gaby's number and planned on meeting up with their little friend before leaving to Lily's home.
James was beyond happy today. Not only had he caught his first fish, played with a monkey, saved a kids life – well at least their leg - and talk non-stop about things that actually interesting him but he also had a good time with Lily. He made friends with a bloody brilliant boy and to top it off had a good day without any fights with Lily. He was surprised at how easy it was to get along with her. He didn't even have to try. It was one of the very few things he never tried in and succeeded.
James although it seemed like he didn't try actually had a pensive with him where he would put his memories in and watch his lessons over and over to get them stuck in his head. The only lessons he never needed to that was for Transfiguration and Magical Creatures. He had a natural love for Transfiguration and Magical Creatures was easy as pie. The only reason he got the marks he did was because he stays up most of the nights and studies while the rest of the house sleeps and then he sleeps in the lessons. But because of his pensive he can still sleep and will subconsciously remember the work and so still have that recorded in his memories.
The main two reasons he acted like he didn't care about school and never did any work was because 1, the girls love a rebel. Just look at Sirius he went against all family traditions and became a Gryffindor, then ran away from home and he got every girl in the school pretty much begging for his attention. And 2, it annoyed the sense out of Lily Evans. She always tried in absolutely everything, whereas he looked like he didn't. Only the marauders knew of his school dedication and they vowed to never tell anyone unless he wants them to. It was good having such good friends. Also if they told anyone their reputations would be down the toilets in minutes.
Getting into their little apartment room Lily penned a letter to Headmaster Dumbledore. She had been confused and curious at the same time as to why her and James's hands disconnected while Gaby was hurt.
Dear Sir,
Today James and my hands were separated for a few minutes. I thought you said that we would be stuck like this for 3 days.
There was a little boy and her was hurt and out hands thrust away from each other. James went and helped Gaby – the boy – and I helped to calm him down.
Can you please look into it? I would but I am currently miles away from any wizarding community.
Lily Evans
James read over her shoulder. He had not realised their hands had become detached. Instead of worrying about his hands his entire focus was on Gaby and the blood that was staining the beautiful golden sand. Now that he though about it he had used both hands to help Gaby. 'What is going on here?' he asked no-one in particular.
"James you awake?" Lily asked tentative. James had not been in a good mood that morning. She thought he calmed down after the day at the beach but when they got back to the hotel he became angry again.
"No" he chuckled. It seemed as though he got over whatever he was cranky about, "what's the matter?"
"Well I was just wondering," she rolled over to face him, "how did you know how to help Gaby?" Lily was confused first aid was a muggle practice and had never had any experience in the world of muggles, so how did he know how to stop the bleeding?
"I did pass muggles studies right?" he asked haughtily, his anger once again returning. Lily sighed and turned back over to sleep.
James was annoyed. She just assumed that he didn't know what he was talking about. I guess that was a draw back of seemingly not trying. People tending to think you stupid or incompetent. In actual fact medicine and first aid were the most enjoyable for James. He saw many advantages of knowing muggle medicine. Muggle doctors knew how to take out a piece of metal the size of a finger nail from a person's body without the person dieing or experiencing any pain. If a wizard tried anything to get out that metal most of the times they would have the victim rolling on the floor in pain. Another advantage would be that in the field when shot with a cutting curse you wouldn't have any energy left to heal yourself so being able to bandage and clean a wound would be very important. James had learnt at a young age to take the silver lining of everything he learned as he may need it one day. Growing up with two aurors ensured that everything he learnt he used to his advantage in the field.
Duplicating Lily's movements he rolled over in the opposite direction and soon dozed off.
Lily was still laying there as James's breathing calmed and he fell into a deep sleep. James had surprised her. He knew first aid, he knew what a boat was, and he knew what a microwave was. He seemed to know pretty much anything that was needed for him to live in the muggle world. Lily and the rest of the school always assumed that James's grades were paid for or that the Marauders had sneak looks at the test beforehand. Maybe, just maybe he really did it on his own. Maybe he wasn't a stupid and immature as he seemed. Lily slowly fell into a restless sleep as she let these thoughts fly through her head. It seemed that there was a lot more to James Daniel Potter then let on.
