Chapter 5 Nightmares

The sun was up, shining brightly over Lily's window. It was a Saturday meaning no school, no classes, no need to get up early except for the breakfast. If only food could be magicked out of thin air but as they say life isn't always a bed of roses.

Lily reluctantly got up from bed and got ready. What was the point of a Saturday when not having to get up early was just not an option, she thought. While going downstairs she peeped into James' room. He was still asleep maybe dreaming about her.

What was that…I am going crazy.. I could really do well with some sleep.. I am not thinking right…

Dining hall was busy as usual. She saw Ralph and sat besides him. He kissed her on the cheeks.

"Good morning love,", he said, "How was your night?"

"Well, no Alice to shriek at the middle of the night hearing even the slightest flutter outside the window and no tension of getting up early to stand in the bathroom queue,.. hmmm…. I guess fine only.." she laughed, "how did u sleep?"

"Well no Lily to snuggle into…hmmm… I guess bad.." he pouted. Lily gave him a light kiss on the lips and started eating.

"O.K…. ermm…. Ralph, I wanted to ask you something." She said.

"Hmmm…". He said between eating.

"Would you mind if I started the Ball with James. He is the Head Boy you know. So it's a tradition. I just need to start the Ball with him." She asked reluctantly, testing the waters. "After that I'm all yours." She added flirtatiously.

He didn't say anything for a while. Lily tried to read his expression but his face was blank.

"Alright, if you must." He didn't sound very pleased with the idea of that Potter boy come as close as within 1 meter of the distance with Lily. "But do not come any closer to him than necessary and if he tries to do anything I myself will jinx him to oblivion."

"Roger Boss." They both laughed.

Gryffindor went to the Potions class. Today they had double potions with Slytherin.

"Oh ! Double potions with those slithery snakes." Sirius grimaced. "I so wish to crucio all those spineless cowards to death one day."

"Be careful with what you wish padfoot. Your brother is also is that very house." Said James.

"yeah yeah I know. Mommy's pet, best son adhering to all the ridiculous pureblood Black traditions. Fucking coward." Sirius was seriously not in a very good mood today and the double potions with Slytherin was just adding to the fire.

"Why do we have to study potions", Alice was also not a fan of potions.

"C'mmon Al potions are fun and Professor Slughorn is an amazing teacher. There is nothing not to like about potions." Said Lily. She wasn't Professor SlugHorn's favorite student for no reason.

"Ok class, now keep quiet." Prof had entered the class. "Welcome kids. It's a very good day today to start with a very tricky potion and also it very crucial from the Newt's point of view." There was a fairly audible sigh from the students.

"Who can tell me what advaitum does?"

As usual one hand rose up in the air. Alice rolled her eyes. "Can't u keep it down for once." She scowled.

"Don't u want the points Al." asked Lily. She knew Alice would never say no.

"Ok ok go on. But remember I hate you."

"Well Ms. Evans. No surprises there". He was smiling. He really liked her for her natural instinct towards potions. She was a very gifted witch. Inspite of being a muggle-born she was at the top of his class.

"Advaitum is a very strong potion used for enhancing the mental prowess. But it's very tricky to brew. Can get fatal if not made properly and excessive use can lead to madness." She said this all in a single breath.

"Very right indeed. 10 points to Gryffindor." Slughorn shouted getting a few grimaces from the Slytherins. "So, today we will learn to brew advaitum. The ingredients are in the cupboard. So make pairs all of you."

Lily paired up with Remus, Alice with Frank and James with Sirius.

"How was your summer Lily." Asked Lupin while grinding the almonds.

"It was alright. Missed school but. And then I have an angel of a sister who daily wishes me curses. So you know I really 'enjoyed' at home." Replied Lily. "How was yours?"

"Well ok only nothing very exciting except for the week that I spent with these guys at James' place."

Her pulse raced a little at the mention of his name.

Whats wrong with me…

"Sorry what?" asked Lupin at the sudden change of Lily's expression.

"Oh nothing." She started stirring the liquid in the cauldron. It was visibly blue now.

"What do u reckon Moony is talking to Evans about." Asked James. His eyes not once leaving the two. And poor Sirius was practically doing the potion assignment alone.

"Prongs if you brew this potion correctly and then take it yourself I think you yourself will figure it out. Now concentrate on the knife that you have in hand. Look at everyone else. They have blue flames and we have no potion in the cauldron yet." Sirius was very irritated. This sudden Lily mania of Potter was not doing him any good.

The class finally ended and the students submitted their potions to the professor. Lily-Remus got an 'O' and Potter-Black got an 'A', very respectable from both their standards.

James rushed towards Remus and asked him, "So you talked to her about me."

"No. Was I supposed to?"

"Oh Cmmon Remus this is perfect. You have a great opportunity to lay some groundwork for me you know." He almost pleaded.

"Well incase you haven't noticed James I get to have only two hours with her in one whole week to lay some ground work and you guys almost stay together. So don't you think that you can do this much better yourself."

"But she hates me. She doesn't even want to start the Hawks ball with me."

"Well I don't think I can help Prongs because she is a very smart witch and she very easily sense it if I tend to do anything of this sort. But if it makes you feel any better she was visibly pleased to hear your name when I accidentally mentioned it while talking to her." He smiled.

James was on cloud nine after hearing this. So she doesn't hate me after all.

Nothing much happened throughout the day. And everyone went to sleep.

It was dark and someone was calling her name. Someone was crying. Lily got up and started walking towards the sound. It was calling her name. She kept on walking till she reached the end of the corridor. There at a distance was a faint light coming from a window. She came out of the house and started walking towards the light. The cries were getting softer now and no one was calling her name but it was calling something else now. She kept on walking till she reached a door. She clicked it open and entered the little hut. It was shimmering in the faint blue light coming from a cradle a distance. Lily walked over to the cradle. The baby was quiet now. Lily looked at the kid. It was sleeping like an angel. She wondered whose kid was this. It was emanating a glow like none other. It was the most divine baby she had ever seen. She picked it up. The baby opened its eyes. They were the most beautiful pools of green she had ever seen with the blackest hair falling all over the place. It was smiling.

Then suddenly everything went dark and someone snatched the kid from her arms. It started crying. Lily struggled but could not fight that force. She was falling and falling ….and then something grabbed her.

"Lily! Lily. Calm down. It's alright. Everything is alright. Relax." James was sitting by her side trying to calm her down. He heard screams coming from her room calling out "leave him, leave him". He rushed to her room to find her screaming in her dream.

"They took him away, they took him away. "she was still crying.

"Relax Lily. No one is here. You are in Hogwarts in your room. No one can hurt you here. Just calm down." He was trying his best but apparently it wasn't enough.

"I want to see Ralph." She said between her sobs. She was visibly shaken.

Although James didn't want to do it, he called Ralph. Ralph spent the night with Lily calming her down. And there was James getting a sleepless night imagining all the sorts of things that they might be doing.

Morning came. Lily came out of the room to go to the bathroom. James was already sitting on the couch in the common room completely dressed up. He hadn't slept all night.

"Where's Ralph?" he tried to act totally nonchalant.

"He left sometime back." She said. Somehow she was feeling uncomfortable with what happened yesterday. She was feeling uncomfortable with the fact that Potter saw her in that condition, totally defenseless and weak. Moreover she feared if he knew anything about the dream that she had. She had not told anyone of the dream yet. Not even Ralph. It was the most vivid dream ever. It felt so real and so personal. She didn't know what to make of it.

"Hey Evans, can I ask you something?"

'oh no, not about last night, not about last night.' She was praying in her head.

"What happened last night? I mean what was that they were taking away and who were 'they'? You were deeply scared you know."

'Ah there you go.' She thought.

"Well it was just a horrid nightmare. Nothing more. Don't think much about it. "she waved it off.

"Ok if that's what it is. You take care. Bbye." He went to have breakfast. He ruffled his hair as usual and this caught Lily's attention. She couldn't help but wonder at the uncanny resemblance of his hair to the kid's in her dream. It couldn't be….