So What Am I So Afraid Of?
Chapter Seven: Night Fights
Early Saturday morning, the Gryffindor Quidditch team could be found gathered together in the Great Hall, listening to James describe the components of a well-balanced breakfast that would lead the team to victory. Most team members, however, seemed to still be asleep.
Despite the team's sluggish showing at breakfast, it seemed James really had prepared them for the match. Lily sat in the stands, clutching her scarf against the chilly October winds. To her left, Quinn and Remus were chatting energetically, possibly unaware that they were even at the Quidditch match. Lily was left with Bree, a big Quidditch fan, who was jumping up and down, shouting at various players, and hurling insults at unsuspecting Ravenclaws.
"Hey, Gillian! Why not have McGonagall play seeker instead? She'd be a helluva lot faster than you!"
Lily couldn't help but laugh at her rambunctious friend, yet she soon found herself getting swept into the action.
Two hours into the match, the scoring had been minimal. Gryffindor only led by 70-40, and, as a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, many less-than-enthusiastic spectators were losing interest in the game. The match soon ended on a more impressive note as Gillian and James both drove towards the ground within seconds of each other.
"GO, JAMES!" Lily stood shouting, surprising everyone around her, including herself. She watched anxiously, unable to tell if James would reach the Snitch first. Sirius unexpectedly saved the day by slamming a bludger toward the plummeting seekers. James, hearing its approach, swerved expertly. Gillian was knocked way off course though she managed to stay seated on her broom.
"Go, James, go! Hurry, hurry!" Lily resumed shouting, hardly aware of what was coming out of her mouth. She watched breathlessly as James snagged the Snitch out of the air, simultaneously ending and winning the game.
In one large wave, the school flooded into the Great Hall, prepared to devour their lunch. The Gryffindor table was obnoxiously loud, and the Marauders, naturally, wasted no time in planning for their first official House Party of the year.
"Okay, James, you'll slip into Hogsmeade and order the necessary drinks," Remus delegated over lunch. "I'll go down to the kitchens and persuade the house elves to provide some party food, and Sirius…"
"Be sure to give him a relatively simple task," Bree interrupted. "He can't handle much more."
"Ignore She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. That's her clever way of saying 'Congrats on the Quidditch win, Sirius'," Sirius advised Remus, glaring down the table at Bree.
"Then, Sirius, you get to arranging the common room and hanging up whatever decorations you see fit. We'll meet in the dorm to make sure everything's in order at five." Remus slid off the bench, smiling at Quinn and heading towards the door with James and Sirius.
Lily jumped up, startling Bree and Quinn, and followed the boys out the door. "James!" she called after him.
James stopped on the stairs, giving her a chance to catch up. "What can I do for you, my Head Girl?"
Lily shuffled her feet a little, unsure of how he would react to the request she was about to make. "Look," she started, uncertainly, "I know you Marauders usually drink at these parties…"
"You want me to get rid of the alcohol?" James asked, stopping her mid-sentence.
"No, no, I wouldn't expect that. Sirius would overthrow me with guerrilla warfare. I was just wondering if maybe you'd do me the favor of not drinking tonight. I mean, I don't mind the parties. But us being the Heads, we have a responsibility to maintain some kind of order, and I just think it would be a lot easier if you weren't impaired. You know the old 'Two Heads are better than one'," Lily finished lamely.
"Of course, Lily, not a problem," James said, shocking Lily. Then with a grin, he continued on to Hogsmeade.
"See you tonight!" Lily yelled to the practically empty corridor.
By the time Lily, Bree, and Quinn made it to the common room that night, it seemed every other Gryffindor was already there. Sirius had found it fitting to hang crimson and yellow streamers from what appeared to be every inch of the ceiling. Large colorful banners hung from the walls, featuring the faces of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Quinn quickly gravitated toward Remus, with a shove from Bree and Lily. The remaining two weaved through the crowd toward the fireplace, joining a large group of older students. Bree jumped into conversation with Andy Lauphan, a popular sixth year.
Easily bored, Lily resigned herself to patrolling the party. After an hour, the most exciting events of Lily's evening had been confiscating a trick exploding Butterbeer and separating two randy second years.
The evening soon livened up, however, when Lily found Remus and Quinn standing about five feet apart, shouting at each other.
"It'd be one thing if you had an excuse," Quinn screamed, her face turning an unflattering shade of scarlet.
"I don't know what you expect me to say," Remus sounded as though he was trying to maintain his calm, but he looked exasperated.
"How about: 'Quinn, I'm canceling on you the week before our first date because…'"
"It is not that simple, Quinn. I don't have a straightforward explanation for it," Remus sighed.
"You just don't want to go with me, do you?" Quinn cried.
"Not if you're going to act like this, I certainly don't," Remus yelled at her.
'Ouch,' Lily thought. 'Way-wrong answer.' And she wandered off, looking for anywhere else to go.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long until Lily stumbled into another very similar battle. She found Sirius and Bree staring at each other near the refreshments table and decided to go defuse the situation as quickly as she could.
"Would you kindly watch where you're stomping?" Bree hissed as Sirius ran into her from behind.
"I can't help it that you block most of the table, Bree-normous," Sirius shot back.
"You know what, I've had about enough of you," Bree said, advancing on Sirius and drawing her wand.
"Prove it," Sirius challenged, pulling his own wand from his robes.
"Expelliarmus," Lily shouted, reaching up to catch both wands. "You two couldn't possibly be that stupid, could you?" Neither shifted the stares from one another to make eye contact with Lily. "Go to bed! Both of you! Now!" And she watched as they trudged up their separate staircases.
As far as Lily was concerned, this was the worst party in Gryffindor history. Most everyone seemed to be having a good time, but her mind swirled with the images of the arguments she'd witnessed. Making her way to the refreshments table, she tried to find something that appealed. Dillon Brewer handed her a red glass. "What's this?" she asked, sniffing it.
"Firewhiskey for the exhausted Head Girl," the fourth year answered smugly. And without giving herself time to reconsider, Lily downed it. And within half an hour, four more.
By the time Lily ran into James, she was having a great time. Quite literally running into him, Lily threw her arms around James's neck for balance. "Hi, James!" she sang.
Having more than enough experience with Firewhiskey, James didn't need to be told what was wrong with Lily. He just looked at her, his face a combination of anger and disappointment.
"You know what, Lily. I'm through with you."
(AN: Hi Guys, it's Cali. This story has been out of circulation for a long time, despite my previous chapter's promise of a coming update. When I decided to come back to it was hard to get this story going again because I couldn't remember where I was going with it. (My previous chapter told me that I had plans for a Quidditch match at least.) But here's an update, and I would realllly love it if you guys would REVIEW PLEASE! I am so glad to be back. Love, Cali Oh and PS: Sorry if the 'Bree-normous thing was incredibly lame!)