Author's Note: Thank you very much to my readers and reviewers. I hope you enjoy reading Chapter Fifteen!
Chapter Fifteen
The Marauders' Map
James stayed clear of the Hospital Wing and put a lot of effort into spending as much time as was humanly possible with Lily. He could not have her doubt him again. He had not lied, at least not about his feelings for her. He loved Lily. But he did not reveal to her his feelings for Narcissa. What he said was much less than a crush was in fact a thousand times stronger. It pained him to be away from Narcissa, to be unable to steal glances at her during meals or to run into her in the hallways. What was only a day of separation felt a year to him. It was a consolation that he had Lily with him, but it was not nearly enough.
Narcissa, too, was suffering the same pain. Madam Dolley had done wonderfully, healing her injury overnight, but she was unable to move her arm at all and it was throbbing numbly. She lay in the Hospital Wing through the weekend, receiving several visits. But there was not even a peep from the person she wanted to see the most. It was torturous, as if the thrill of living had gone right then and there.
Monday morning was a blessing to them both. Narcissa was finally free of that overly hygienic Hospital Wing and was back in the throng of breakfasters in the Great Hall. James saw her instantly, flocked by several of her girl friends at the Slytherin table, some of whom were sneering in his direction. It was just like them, to fawn over their injured housemates as if they were dying and to use that as a reason to direct fury and insults at the Gryffindors. James wished Narcissa would look at him, but she did not. He could not catch so much as a glimpse of the beautiful blue eyes he missed so much.
He took a seat, between Lily and Severus, and helped himself to some eggs and bacon. He was trying to suppress his desire to look at Narcissa, and was trying his hardest to focus on what Lily was saying, but it was difficult. Narcissa was fine now, he could see her, and talk to her, and hold her…
His thoughts were broken by the owls, as they flew into the Hall to deliver the mail. He turned his attention back to his food. He rarely received mail. And, expectedly, he didn't. Sirius, on the other hand, received a note from a familiar owl. He sighed as he took the neatly rolled up piece of parchment, tied with a green and silver ribbon, in his hands. He rolled it over between his fingers and saw a label.
For James. Later.
He looked around and saw Narcissa smile at him. He raised his eyebrows at her and was about to untie the ribbon when he saw her shake her head vigorously.
A private letter…? He thought, with a bit of disdain. Still, he decided to fight off his curiosity and pocketed the note. Obviously, Narcissa wanted him to give it to James later when Lily was not around in order to avoid suspicion. But Sirius would not be surprised if Lily still found out. James had seen the letter, had read that it was for him, and was now visibly restless.
"James, are you alright?" Lily asked, noticing that James demeanor had changed all of a sudden.
She was answered with a grin as James scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
Deep inside him, though, was a shock of lightning coursing through his system. Narcissa had sent him a letter. He could not wait to read it. He could not wait to be away from Lily.
"Are you going to tell me what she wrote?" Sirius asked. They were in Defense Against the Dark Arts and hardly paying attention. Remus was taking notes anyway; they could copy from him later.
"No!" James replied in a half-whisper.
He tugged at the ribbon, untying it, and placed it in his pocket. He unrolled the parchment and held it protected against all eyes except his own.
I missed you, James…
His heart ached, reading only the first few words. And he could not look away from them. Her handwriting was so lovely. And he felt as though he could hear her saying those words, as though he was touching her hand as she wrote them.
Could we meet tonight, midnight, at the foot of the Astronomy Tower?
There is something we need to discuss. And I honestly have missed you terribly…
He ran his fingers over the words. Of course he would meet her tonight. With his Invisibility Cloak, it would be an effortless trip from the Gryffindor Tower to the Astronomy Tower.
Ask Sirius to pass your message to me in the Great Hall.
I hope you will say yes.
Lovingly yours…
Narcissa
His lips curved into a smile that gradually broke into a grin. Mine, he thought. He would see her tonight, and he would look into those mesmerizing eyes of hers, and then he would kiss her…
"James Potter! That had better be related to our discussion or I'll---"
Their professor stopped short as James stuffed the parchment into his mouth and swallowed it, coughing as he did so. Sirius, who was seated right next to him, burst into laughter.
"I have half a mind to give you detention, Mr. Potter… But seeing as how the distraction is gone, I believe we can get back to class." The lesson continued and James thumped his fist against his chest, forcing the parchment down before he choked on it. Sirius was still sniggering beside him and he nudged his best friend hard in the ribs.
The four of them were sitting on their beds in the Gryffindor dormitories. They still had an hour before dinner was to be served in the Hall. James had just relayed the contents of the message from Narcissa to his friends.
"Go meet her, if you want," Sirius said, absently pulling at a loose thread on his robes.
Remus was frowning. "I think you should stop this, James."
"You're no fun, Moony," Peter answered. "I think this is great!"
"Two-timing is not great," Remus muttered, but he was obviously not in the mood to argue.
"Hey," James said, calling his friends' attention. "I need the Map."
They all looked at him questioningly. "You don't need that, you'll get through with just your Cloak," Sirius said. He had a feeling he knew what James needed the Map for.
"It won't be for me," James said. Sirius felt a rock sink down to the bottom of his stomach.
"We are not allowing you to give it to Narcissa," he said sternly.
"Come on, Sirius."
"He's right, Prongs," Remus said. "We aren't supposed to trust anyone with that Map. It's only for the four of us. You're making enough of a mistake, letting her see the Cloak."
"I just don't want her to get caught," he argued. "We'll get it back, of course."
"How are you so sure she'll give it back? She could show it to the Professors. Or, worse, to the other Slytherins," Remus retorted.
"I trust her," James insisted.
"If Prongs trusts her, I do, too," Peter piped in.
"See, Wormtail's on my side. Padfoot?" James said, looking intently at his best friend.
"Okay," Sirius said halfheartedly. Remus' frown deepened.
At the Great Hall, Sirius went straight to the Slytherin Table. Narcissa was already there, seated alone, and she was waiting for him. He held the Map in his hands and was glad that there was no one around Narcissa to overhear what they would be talking about.
"He said yes!" Narcissa exclaimed, a smile on her face. It was not even a question.
"Of course he did," Sirius grumbled.
"You are upset about this." Again, it was not a question.
"No, it isn't that," he said, his heart breaking at the sad tone of her voice. "I just hope the two of you know what you are doing." He sat on the bench beside her. "We – James, Peter, Remus, and I – are going to trust you with one of our greatest secrets."
Narcissa blinked. "And what is that?" The curiosity was obvious in the glitter of her eyes.
Sirius showed her a blank piece of parchment and, at first, she was puzzled. "I can't show you what it does, not here. You'll find out later. Before you leave your room tonight, just touch your wand to this, and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' And when you are finished, say 'Mischief managed.' And that's all there is to it."
"What is it?" she asked taking the parchment carefully into her hands, as if it might suddenly spring to life. "And why are you giving it to me?"
"You'll see. It's all James," he said. "We trust you because James trusts you." He kissed her forehead as he stood up. How he wanted to hate her, to scold her because what she was doing was wrong, but he loved her more than he would have if she had been his twin. "Be careful."