Last Chance
Chapter Seven: Common
Lily hated herself. She hated herself and her resolve to be nicer to James. What did it matter if she ignored him all year? It's not like it would affect her in the long run. It's not like she was ever going to see him again after the school year ended.
The carriage went over a bump in the road causing its inhabitants to be jostled around. Lydia slid into Remus, who in turn fell against Lily, who (much to her dissatisfaction) fell quite literally into James's lap. She pushed herself away from him, crossed her arms, and turned her head in the opposite direction.
James laughed. "You know, Lily, you're even cuter when you're angry." She glared at him. "And for no good reason, I might add."
Lily stuck out her tongue. Juvenile. "I have a very good reason, thank you very much."
"Oh, really? What is that?" James leaned his head against his hand and looked at her expectantly.
By now, the others had started to pay attention to James and Lily's conversation. They too watched her, waiting for an answer.
"Well…um…" Lily knew she didn't really have a reason. She never did. Never had.
"Exactly." James said, his point made.
The rest of the carriage ride passed quietly. The eight passengers watched in silence as they approached the school.
When their carriage stopped at the foot of the stairs that lead to the castle, the group disembarked. Lily was unhappy with the fact that James offered to help her down from the carriage. She was even more unhappy that she accepted his offer. And utterly appalled that, when he took her hand, she felt a slight flutter in her stomach.
They were carried into the Great Hall by the throng of students flowing through its doors. The hall was decorated as it usually was, the houses's banners hung above their tables, and the empty plates and goblets sat, waiting. The staff, with the exception of Hagrid, the game keeper, and Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor house and the Transfigurations teacher, sat at the high table at the end of the hall.
James and Sirius led the Gryffindor students to their table and took their seats. The marauders sat on one side of the table and the girls sat across from them. Lily of course found that the only open seat was across from James. Figures, she thought bitterly.
When the mass of students had settled into their seats, the doors of the Great Hall burst open. Every head turned toward the doors as forty small children nervously edged into the room led by Professor McGonagall. The first years followed McGonagall to the front of the room where she placed a four-legged stool and an old wizard's hat in front of the high table.
McGonagall stepped back as the hat began to sing:
I may not be young or new,
but a wise old hat I am.
I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat;
I can outsmart any man.
Just place me on your head
and very soon we'll see
in which house you might belong,
and where you ought to be.
Perhaps you'll be in Gryffindor,
where dwell the brave and chivalrous.
Or perhaps in Ravenclaw,
where ready minds make progress.
You may belong in Hufflepuff
where patience is a virtue.
Or yet maybe in Slytherin
where the cunning will be nurtured.
Just pick me up; don't be afraid!
I've not been known to bite.
Just let me look inside your mind.
I know which choice is right.
The hat fell silent as claps and whistles echoed through the hall. The first years looked relieved that all they had to do was try on a hat.
McGonagall stepped up to the stool and unfurled a roll of parchment. "When I call your name," she said, "you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." The new students shifted a bit closer together. "Aarons, Michael!" She called.
A small boy with long dark hair stepped forward and slowly sat down on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat upon his head and stepped back. Michael Aarons sat, shivering slightly, on the three legged stool, waiting for the hat to come to a decision.
He only had to wait a moment before the Sorting Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
McGonagall removed the hat form the boy's head and he hopped off the stool. Michael trotted over to the Gryffindor table to a din of claps and hollers from his new house-mates. He walked along the side of the table and took a seat next to Peter.
James leaned around Sirius and Remus, and extended his hand to the newcomer. "Welcome to Gryffindor, Aarons."
"Thanks." He said.
"I'm James Potter," James said, "and this is Lily Evans." He gestured to Lily who gave a friendly smile. "We're Head Boy and Girl; if you need anything you can come to us or a prefect." He nodded to Remus and Lydia.
Remus offered Michael his hand, "Hello, I'm Remus Lupin." Michael nodded.
"And I'm Lydia. We're the Gryffindor prefects." Lydia grinned.
The rest of the group introduced themselves and turned their attention back to the sorting.
"Tonks, Nymphadora!" said McGonagall.
The scrawny little girl grimaced at the sound of her name. She stalked over to the stool, her appearance earning her many surprised looks. She had royal blue hair with piercing yellow eyes.
Nymphadora sat on the stool and crossed her arms. McGonagall lowered the hat to her head.
The sorting hat had hardly even touched her head before it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius grinned as the little girl approached them. "Hey, Nymphadora!" he yelled.
She looked up and glared at Sirius. "Sirius Black!" she shouted, her hair simultaneously turning an unnatural shade of red. She ran over to them and smacked Sirius upside the head.
"Is that any way to treat your cousin?" Sirius said
"It is when he's an idiot." She muttered.
James looked at the girl curiously. "Tonks, right?" he turned to Sirius, "As in your metamorphmagus cousin?"
Sirius laughed. "Yup. Pain in the ass if you ask-" but he was cut off by another smack. "Ow!"
"So these must be your friends." Tonks said, looking around. "I really don't know what you lot see in him." Sirius glared, earning laughs from the rest of the group. "Oh, you know I'm only kidding, Sirius." Her hair slowly changed to a bubblegum pink.
Sirius grumbled something that sounded like, "You'd better be."
Nymphadora sat down between Sirius and Remus, and once again their attention was on the sorting as "Ulrich, Sarah!" became a Hufflepuff.
Next up was "Wilkins, Jonathan!" who became a Slytherin. Then finally "Zoran, Myra!" was sent to the Ravenclaw table. McGonagall rolled up the parchment, collected the stool and the Sorting Hat, and left the hall again.
"Every year it seems as though the sorting ceremony gets faster." Daniela sighed.
Michael gasped as tons of food suddenly appeared on the empty dishes before them. "How the-"
"What's wrong?" Lily asked.
"Where did the food come from?" He had been alarmed by the appearance of the food.
"Oh." James chuckled, "The house elves sent it up from the kitchen. It's directly below us you know."
"But how?"
Sirius looked at the boy, confused. "Are you a Muggle born?" he asked.
"I'm not sure." Michael scratched his head.
"How can you not be sure?" Madeline said
"Well, just after I was born my dad left my mom. She isn't a witch but I don't know anything about my father. He could have been a wizard, but I'll never know."
"Maybe Dumbledore could help you find him." Remus suggested.
Lily nodded, "Yeah, James and I could take you up to his office sometime this week."
"Really?"
"Sure." James shrugged.
"Thanks!" Michael grinned and began to load his plate with food. Sirius's mouth was already stuffed full of peas and mashed potatoes.
The group quickly learned to call Nymphadora by her surname rather than her first name, because every time she was called Nymphadora she glared and her hair grew a bit redder.
When everyone had eaten their fill, Professor Dumbledore stood and gave a small speech. He told the students that Quidditch tryouts would be held in two weeks's time, and that Dungbombs had been added to the list of forbidden items that Filch, the caretaker, had nailed to his office door.
"Yeah, And we're the reason that three quarters of that list exists." Sirius laughed.
"I would like to introduce the Head Boy and Girl for this school year. Would you please stand for us Mr. James Potter and Miss Lily Evans?" Dumbledore said, turning his clear blue gaze on them. He clapped as James and Lily rose from their seats, stood for a moment and then sat back down.
"I do believe that it is now time for bed. Prefects please show the first years the way to their appropriate common rooms and dormitories. Off to bed!" Dumbledore turned away from the high table, made his way down a small set of stairs and over to the Gryffindor table.
"Hello Professor." Lily said when he reached them.
"Professor Dumbledore." James held out his hand as he always did, and Dumbledore shook it.
Professor Dumbledore led Lily and James up numerous moving staircases to the third floor and stopped in front of a stone gargoyle.
"Non proditor." Dumbledore said. The statue jumped aside, revealing a doorway and a spiral stone staircase.
Lily and James followed Dumbledore through the arch and onto the stairs. The staircase spiralled upward, taking its passengers up to the Headmaster's office.
Once inside the office Dumbledore motioned to the two chairs that sat waiting before his desk. "Please, sit." He said kindly before taking a seat behind the great desk. Lily and James did as they were told.
"Is there anything you wish to discuss before you assume your duties?" Dumbledore asked.
"No sir." James said.
Lily raised her hand slightly. "Actually, I'd like to know why you chose us."
Dumbledore settled back in his chair and laced his fingers together. "There is much that I cannot yet tell you. I know that you hate to hear it, but you will know in time, when you are ready. What I can tell you is that Voldemort is on the rise, and his Death Eaters are moving into the open. They are killing anyone and everyone that stands in their way. One of the many reasons that I have chosen the two of you to serve as Head Boy and Girl is because that, in the event that the school is attacked, I believe that you will do what is right for both the school and the students."
James nodded gravely, "Absolutely. We'll do everything we can to help."
Dumbledore looked to Lily, who nodded in agreement. "Good. Now I have a proposal for you. There is an organization called the Order of the Phoenix; we work against Voldemort. I wondered if you might like to join.
Lily needed no further explanation. "I'll join," she said immediately. James too was eager to join the fight against the coming darkness.
"Now, one last thing. Do you think that any of your friends would like to join the Order?"
"Ha," James said, "Sirius and Remus will, definitely. But I'm not sure about Peter. He seems a bit…off, lately."
"I'm sure that Madeline, Lydia and Daniela will want to. I might even be able to recruit Alice and Frank."
"Excellent. If they wish to join please bring them here on Wednesday night at six o'clock."
"Yes, sir." Lily and James said together.
Dumbledore smiled and fixed James with an amused gaze, "About the Gryffindor Quidditch team, will we be winning the Cup again this year?"
James grinned. "Absolutely, Professor. The team will be practicing at the very least twice a week. I've already scheduled tryouts, and I'll be posting the schedule in the common room tomorrow morning."
"That's what I like to hear."
James and Lily rose from their seats and bid the headmaster goodnight. Lily had already stepped onto the staircase when Dumbledore called out to James.
"Yes, Professor?" James said as he turned back.
Dumbledore was standing behind him. He placed his hands on James's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "We must always listen to our hearts; even the paths they take are painful. Do not give up.
"I understand." James said.
"Goodnight." Dumbledore said before turning and re-entering his office.
James turned slowly and made his way down the stairs. Lily was waiting at the bottom, looking impatient. "Come on. I'd like to get some kind of sleep before classes start tomorrow."
James nodded and followed her through the corridors to their new dormitories.
When they first set foot in the common room, Lily gasped; James grinned. The large circular room was decorated entirely in Gryffindor colours. There were Gryffindor and Hogwarts banners all around the walls. There were two extremely comfortable scarlet chairs and a scarlet sofa in front of a grand fireplace. The soft carpet was golden and above the fireplace was a painting of Godric Gryffindor.
"Wow." Lily breathed.
"What do they do when the head students are from different houses?" James wondered aloud.
They crossed the room and climbed a spiral staircase that took them up to a balcony that overlooked the common room. At either end of the balcony was a door, and each door had a plaque. The door to the right said 'Lily' and under her name was a carving of a beautiful calla lily. The door on the right read 'James' and had a carving of a quaffle with the Gryffindor lion etched into it.
"Goodnight, James." Lily said as she reached for the doorknob. But she was stopped by a hand on her wrist.
James spun her around and pushed her up against the door. He leaned in as if to kiss her but instead, he whispered in her ear. "I'm not giving up on you, Lily. I'll never give up." He let go of her and she turned around to face him.
"James, I-" But he was already gone, leaving Lily alone on the balcony, her heart pounding so hard that she thought for sure that it might just explode from her chest.
[A/N]: You all know that I love reviews, so please leave me a few. :]