Author's Note: I know, I know I'm terrible at updating quickly. I try, I really do! This chapter isn't as emotional as the last four have been. It's more of… a sort of filler chapter. Not super important but it does build on the way Sirius feels about Lily just a bit. Hopefully it's not too bad, I felt like a rushed through it a bit but I didn't want to wait even longer to post so here it is!
Oh, and I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Jenna, EnchantedWords17, ItDidntMeanForever, and The Sky's the Limit all left me wonderful reviews! Thank you so much you guys! I really love hearing from you!
Chapter Five: The Match
The days of October slipped by quickly. I began to get really good at nonverbal spells. I had to in order to pass my classes. In fact, by the time Halloween was approaching I'd nearly mastered every spell I knew without saying it. I was quite please with myself and the professors were rather impressed as well.
I spent the majority of my time with Mary and Carter and we were often joined by the Marauders thanks to my newfound friendship with them. Every so often James would take me on a walk, just the two of us, and tell me stories about his mother. I envied the casual way he could speak about her though occasionally I'd catch a look of deep sadness in his eyes.
James hadn't asked me out once since my mother's death. I was grateful. My opinion of him had improved considerably but I certainly didn't see him in a romantic light. He was simply a friend.
Then, as November began Quidditch season started up and I began to see a whole lot less of James. The first match against Slytherin approached quickly.
"Are you ready to go yet Lily?" Mary asked a little impatiently. "Sirius and Remus are waiting to walk to the match with us."
I finished zipping up my jacket and nodded.
"Patience is a virtue," Carter told Mary. "Sirius and Remus won't mind waiting for us. We still have fifteen minutes until the Quidditch match starts."
Mary let out a huff of breath to show her irritation. Carter ignored her and headed for the door. I followed close behind and Mary trailed after us scowling. We found Sirius and Remus in the common room. Carter was right, they didn't seem to mind waiting for us. They'd started up a game of exploding snaps. A small crowd of people huddled around them, cheering them on.
As we approached the group, the whole stack of cards exploded. Half of the crowd groaned in disappointment. The other half cheered. I watched as the losers began forking over money.
Remus glanced up and caught my eye. He gave me a kind smile and nudged Sirius. He looked up too and grinned. Once the money exchange was over they stood up and walked over to us.
"Hi," Remus gave a little wave.
"Hello ladies. Ready to watch Slytherin get their slimy butts kicked in Quidditch?" Sirius asked.
We all nodded enthusiastically. He chuckled, "Then let's go!"
It was chilly outside. A cold mist hung in the air, swirled around by a light, icy breeze. I shivered violently and tugged my robes tighter around me as we took our seats in the Gryffindor section.
"You ok Lils? You seem pretty cold?" Sirius murmured to me while we waited for the match to begin.
I shrugged as another shiver trembled through me. I should have brought a thicker coat like Carter and Mary had.
"Come here," Sirius ordered. He scooted closer to me and draped an arm around my shoulders. He pulled me close to him and I curled up against his side, shielded from the freezing cold breeze. I felt a bit uncomfortable at first being so close to Sirius, but I quickly relaxed when his intense body heat burned into me, soothing away my shivers.
I noticed Remus out of the corner of my eye shooting Sirius a warning look. He pointedly ignored the look. His grip on me tightened. I was confused but I wasn't able to convince myself to pull away and face the cold. Sirius was much too warm.
The match was a good one. Slytherin put up a good fight. The two houses were tied when James caught the snitch, ending the whole thing and winning a victory for Gryffindor.
As the team hoisted James onto their shoulders his gaze scanned the crowd until it met mine. He beamed, shaking the fist that clutched the snitch in the air. I smiled back giving him a thumbs up. He looked immensely please until he seemed to notice Sirius's arm around me. His gaze darkened as his eyes flickered to his best friend.
I felt a sudden surge of guilt, which was ridiculous seeing as I hadn't done anything wrong. I was just staying warm. Still I casually shrugged away from Sirius as I stood. Disappointment fluttered briefly across his features. I quickly turned away and followed Mary and Carter as they headed back toward the castle.
The common room was crazy with a post-match victory high. It wasn't as insane as the Quidditch Cup parties I'd been to but it was still a bit wild. Sirius, Remus, Mary, Carter, and I all grabbed butterbeers and huddled together. I listened as they discussed the match, nodding absentmindedly as I watched for James.
He arrived a few minutes later. My eyes followed him as he climbed through the portrait hole. His nose and cheeks were still pink with cold and his black hair was even messier and windswept than usual. He pushed his way through the crowded room until he reached our group.
"Good game right?" James grinned with a bit of his old arrogance in his expression. He flung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him possessively.
I didn't like that. James may be my friend now but I did not belong to him. I scowled and shrugged his arm away. He dropped it without a fuss.
I sidled closer to Remus, putting a bit of space between James and I in case he tried to make another move while still high on his Quidditch victory.
Everyone knew better than to comment on my small rejection of James. Remus smiled a bit though and Mary stifled a giggle. Carter rolled her eyes and Sirius looked a bit pleased. I couldn't help but wonder what they'd do if one day I didn't reject James.
Ending Note: So what did you think? Not too rushed was it? I know it wasn't my best chapter but hopefully it still turned out ok? Let me know what you think! And if you see any spelling or grammar mistakes let me know so I can fix them! And thanks for reading!