Deck His Halls
Part One – Not All Roses Have Thorns
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: Today is Sunday, December 3, 2006, and as of yet I have absolutely no sign that my dear, sweet Mommy plans on getting me anything but socks in my stocking. However, nothing is hopeless. We must hope for everything. (Though I'd settle for only James: Lily's a prude.)
Author's Note: It occurred to me earlier that this story isn't very Christmas-y and some of my readers may doubt my summary. Currently, the Land of Hogwarts is plowing through November. December will start with Part Two. I've gotten things pretty well worked out in my mind. This chapter won't be as long as the others, I'm sorry. Chapter Three will be the end of Part One.
Thank You: While I'm delaying what is sure to be an under-par chapter, I'm going to go ahead and thank Fadeaway Windwaker for my most specific review. I'm glad you like my James. Most people do, though I'm not exactly an expert at prying into the male psyche. Elizabethknowsall, thanks so much for the review and please keep up with your Lily/James story. CluelessWanderer, you're a doll. Is this soon enough for you?
Emerald eyes opened to a crimson surprise. Resting comfortably, as though it belonged there, upon the ivory pillow next to her cheek was a bold, red rose. Lily sat up, swung her bare feet onto the cold wooden floor, and pulled her messy curls up into a tight ponytail.
"Ariel," she said, lifting the flower between two fingers. The girl in the next bed let out a loud snore. "Ariel!" Her open mouth closed, she shifted, and began to snore again. "ARIEL!" At last, one sleepy blue eye opened upon the world.
"Mmhmph?"
"There's another one."
Ariel seemed to gain some interest. She propped her elbow up on her pillow and rested her head heavily on her hand. Her pale lips parted and let out a fascinated yawn. "Is there a note?"
For the first time, Lily looked back down at her pillow. It was empty. She scanned the flower, as though expecting to find something written along the slender stem. At last her eyes fell upon a small, white scrap of parchment half-way concealed beneath her freckled foot. She picked it up and held it close. "For my Lily amongst roses," she read.
Ariel snorted, "Aren't roses supposed to be better than lilies?" Her friend furrowed her brow as she stared at the note, her lips silently re-forming the words. For my Lily amongst roses . . . Across the room, Jasmine—her face covered in a slimy green potion, eyes protected by a silky mask—murmured in her sleep.
"Maybe it's about color," Lily said thoughtfully. "Lilies are white and roses are red."
"So he's racist, now?" Ariel didn't seem impressed. She slumped out of bed and slouched over to her trunk. Her uniform, clean and pressed and folded neatly, was wrinkled by the time she got it on. "A racist stalker who isn't afraid to break-and-enter while you're in your bed. Who knows? He could be watching us now . . ."
Lily's uniform was perfectly straight, sharp, and strict. She smoothed a flowery-scented potion in her hands, raked her fingers through her hair, and coaxed it up into a tight, McGonagall-esque bun. "I don't think he's a stalker . . ."
"Going soft on me, Lil? And here I thought I could depend on you."
They continued to argue all the way down to the great hall. Lily took her usual place as prefect at the end of the table, and Ariel sat beside her. "You're the one getting married before you even graduate."
The blond pouted, "I'll be seventeen this summer! I'm of age! What do you care what I do?"
"I don't."
Ariel laughed, nudging Lily in the ribs. "They were right about you in third year, weren't they? You're a lesbian, and you're lusting after me."
"Shove it, Ari."
"Aw, admit it, Lils. I think it's sweet. I always wondered what it'd be like to be with a bird."
"Why don't you try being with a bloke, first?"
"Li-ly, it's okay. Don't be ashamed. I accept you."
"Ariel . . ."
"Aw, you're turning red! Admit it! You're in love with me!"
Everyone in the Great Hall at that ungodly hour in the morning had turned to stare. Lily, enraged at this undermining of her authority, had turned a shade to match her hair. The hand that gripped her fork was trembling. "Ariel Thompson, Merlin help me I will—Bloody hell!"
A great, tawny owl swooped through the window and into the Great Hall, dropping a plump rose directly into the golden bowl before Lily, splattering her dignified uniform with porridge. She shook her hands, her mouth open in awe as Ariel, sniggering, lifted a napkin to dap at Lily's cheeks. "Stalker," she announced in a cheerful sing-song voice. "Lily's got a stalker!"
Recovering herself, Lily dug through the spoiled porridge for a note, but the heat and moisture had made the ink run. It was completely illegible. "I'm beginning to think someone out there really, really hates me," she muttered through gritted teeth.
The obnoxious delivery of roses and notes that always seemed a way to become unreadable continued through Herbology, Ancient Runes, and a double lesson of Potions. By the time Lily took her seat between Ariel and Polly at lunch, she was so annoyed that her always-perfect hair was frayed and sticking at odd angles out of her bun.
"Lily flower—"
"Save it, Potter."
"Alright, but I think you ought to know—"
"I don't want to hear it!"
Jasmine's over-obviously swaying hips paused behind the irritated sixteen-year-old. Her perfectly manicured nails plucked a piece of porridge out of Lily's hair, her practiced, fluttery giggle danced over the Gryffindor table, and she continued on her way to sit amidst the Quidditch team.
"Never mind," James returned to his pot pie as Lily glared into her blood pudding. "Say, did you manage to figure out . . ."
"No," Ariel replied hastily, because Lily looked as though she were going to explode. One could almost see steam rising from her ears; hear the whistling of her irritation.
"Well, if you do . . ."
"I'll tell you where I burry his body," Lily promised, just as the same tawny owl from breakfast swooped through the Hall and dropped a flower directly into her pudding. Her pale hands shot forward and grasped the note just before the broth could soak through it.
"Well," Ariel said, reading over her shoulder. James rose out of his seat and bent over the table with interest. "He's creative, isn't he?"
"What's it say?" Polly, who had been silent since Lily sat down, looked up.
"Same thing as this morning: To my Lily amongst roses."
"Racist," Ariel announced.
"Lame," James frowned.
"Roses are the symbol of love," Lily said slowly. "Maybe he means he . . . loves all the other girls and not me?"
Polly snatched the note out of her hand. "Honestly, Lily, I thought you were supposed to be smart." The three of them were silent. "It's a compliment. He means you're different."
"Oh."
Ariel and Lily rose in uniform, slung their bags over their shoulders, and started for Care of Magical Creatures, leaving James looking thoroughly worried. "Sirius?" The handsome boy looked up from a conversation with Remus. "We have got to do something."
Remus's eyes glittered, Sirius rubbed his hands together, and Peter squeaked with excitement. "What did you have in mind?"
Author's Note: I severely dislike author's notes at the end of a chapter, but I had to do it. This isn't exactly how I meant to end this chapter, but I didn't want it to drag on, either. I have a feeling Chapter Three is going to be the most eventful so far. Excited yet? Good, now go review.