Chapter 18: Bonding
Saturday, September 24, 1977

"James, it's six-forty. Time to get up," I said, shaking his arm. He groaned and pulled the blanket tighter around him, since he already had it over his head from when I first started this ordeal ten minutes ago. I got up at six-twenty because he asked me to make sure he's up at six-thirty. I'm up and dressed even though I'm not the one that has to go to Quidditch practice at eight.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm too good for him.

I pulled at the sheet, which only made him pull it tighter. I groaned loudly. This is ridiculous. "I'm thirty seconds away from taking desperate measures," I warned him, climbing on the bed next to him, grabbing an extra pillow. I got another groan in response. The wand in my boot is my last resort. I'm going to do this the Muggle way, first.

"All right, you asked for it," I said with a sigh.

Then I started to attack him with the pillow.

He jumped up with a surprised yell but I didn't give up. He grabbed a pillow to retaliate. The pillow fight went on for about five minutes before he threw his pillow aside, grabbed mine, then pulled me down on the bed. He supported himself over me with a smile on his face. I couldn't help but notice he wasn't wearing a shirt. Thank you, Quidditch, I thought to myself, noticing his sculpted build.

"What was that for?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.

"You said to wake you at six-thirty. I woke up extra early to dress and wake you so I could eat breakfast with you. I could have slept in but I'm a nice person that wants to make sure her boyfriend makes it to Quidditch practice on time after a healthy breakfast. But you were being difficult."

"Difficult? Me? Never," he said, still grinning.

"You were," I chuckled. "You got lucky that I decided to do it the Muggle way, first."

"Oh?" he asked, a spark of curiosity flashed in eye.

"Yeah. The other option was a blast of Aguamenti to the face."

"I'm glad you did the pillows, then." He reached for his glasses. "Although you had the advantage," he said as he positioned them on his nose. "I was flying blind."

"Aim really isn't involved when the pillows are this large and fluffy," I laughed.

He bent down and kissed me. "Thank you for waking me," he said softly before continuing the kiss.

"Anytime but don't make it so hard next time," I warned him. "Go get dressed. We need to go get food."

He jumped up off the bed. "At least you don't have a black eye," he said with a wink over his shoulder as he walked into his bathroom.

I glanced in the full-length mirror and sighed. My hair, which I painstakingly put into a French braid that morning, was closely resembling a poodle. I sent the girls a message via the pendant to just meet me here and ran back to my room to fix it.

As I was finishing tying it off I heard a lot of noise downstairs. I laughed to myself. They may have more energy than kids after three helpings of candy floss at a fair but they definitely give life a bit more color.

I skipped downstairs to see everyone minus James sitting around and laughing around the Common Room.

"Where were you? We thought you two were supposed to meet us at the Gryffindor Common room!" Sirius said as I came in the room.

"Hey, I told you guys to meet us here instead, didn't I? I had some problems getting James out of bed this morning. He should be down soon."

"He was always difficult on Saturday mornings," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"Then why, may I ask, did he schedule practice for eight in the morning on a Saturday?" asked Dorcas, who was obviously exhausted herself. Her head was hanging over the back of the chair at the study table.

"Because it was the only time I could get today," James answered, coming down the stairs and rubbing his eyes. "At least you didn't wake up to a pillow to the face," he added, looking at me.

I heard Sirius, Peter, and Remus try to hide their laughter.

Dorcas groaned, "Wanna bet?" She glared at Emmeline.

"You nearly hit me!" she declared in her defense.

"Well, there better be waffles at breakfast," Dorcas mumbled.

"It would be a crime if there wasn't!" Sirius exclaimed, leaving the portrait hole. We all followed suit.

Remus and I were back in the stands as the team flew overhead doing drills. Peter still had detention and had to go straight from breakfast.

I turned to him. "Are you excited for today?" I asked.

"Very much," he answered with a smile. "I just have to remember to go to the Hospital Wing after practice," he added.

"How come?"

"I take a potion every day for a week prior to the Full Moon. It helps make things more... comfortable, for lack of better terms."

"Ah, Wolfsbane?"

"How do you know about it?" he asked, taking his eyes away from Marlene for the first time since she emerged from the locker room so he could look at me.

"I'm good at potions, remember? Besides, remember when we had to do that paper on 'night creatures' for Defense a few weeks back? I remember seeing it in one of the books in the library. Something about how it makes the werewolf less violent during the Full Moon."

"Yeah, it does help. I don't rip myself apart nearly so much," he said, rubbing his arm. I knew he was covered in scars from head to toe, and the am he rubbed had some that were fresh within the last few months. "Having the guys there helps, too."

"I'll bet. Everything is easier with friends around. Even friends like those clowns." I pointed to the team.

"They definitely make things interesting," he added with a chuckle.

"Just thinking, going to the Hospital Wing isn't exactly 'first date' material. Why don't I walk up with you now. That way you have more time with Marlene later. I can send her a message that we're going," I concluded, pointing to the necklace.

"That would be perfect!" he said, lighting up. "We could leave for Hogsmeade immediately after she's done with practice!" He hopped up. "Well?" he asked, looking at me. I was still sitting and staring at him.

I started to laugh. "Okay, okay, keep your shirt on. Let me just send the message." I pointed to my pendant with my wand.

M-
Remus and I ran off to take care
of something so he doesn't
cut into the date. We'll be back before
practice ends!
-L

I had to be discrete, since I knew Dorcas and Emmeline would get the message as well. They didn't know about his lycanthropy and until Remus says otherwise, I'll keep it that way.

About half-way to the Hospital Wing I felt my pendant burn.

L-
Ah! His vitamins, yeah?
I follow! See you two soon!
Thanks, love!
-M

"Just heard back from Marlene. She's calling them your 'vitamins' so Dorcas and Emmeline don't figure anything out."

He chuckled a little. "I have to admit, I was shocked on how well you two have kept the secret."

"We couldn't do that to you! This is a big deal, and definitely on a need-to-know basis. It's nothing against Dorcas and Emmeline but really, they really don't need to know. I know them. They will begin to worry about you, even though you've been doing this for so long, and they don't need the extra worries N.E.W.T. year and you don't need them fussing over you every month."

"My thoughts exactly," he said, smiling at me. "Luckily the guys know better than to feel sorry for me and you and Marlene accept is as a part of me. For that I am thankful."

"Anytime," I said, returning his smile. We arrived at the Hospital Wing.

Madame Pomfrey approached us without question and handed Remus a small vial. "You usually come earlier than this," she said. "Try and be consistent, please."

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," he said, downing the vial like you would a shot of Firewhiskey. He shuddered as he returned the empty vial to Madam Pomfrey. "That never gets easier. Don't know a good way to charm it to make it taste better without it messing up the potion itself."

"At least it is just a small dose every day?" I said, trying to be encouraging as we left to head back to the Quidditch Pitch.

"I wish that made a difference. It lingers for hours. Nothing covers it up."

"Well, don't go trying to kiss Marlene, then. She may not enjoy it as much as she should," I said with a wink.

"I'll probably get some peppermints or cinnamon or something at Honeydukes when we arrive. Mask it a little."

"Did you just admit that you plan to kiss Marlene?" I punched him playfully in the arm.

"I'm admitting that I'm not ruling out the possibility," he said, rubbing his arm. "Merlin, Lils, you have quite a punch."

"Oh, shut it. I barely hit you." We laughed.

"I am so glad you and James are finally together," he said after a while.

"How come?"

"Cuts the tension. Before this year you could cut the tension between you two with a knife. Now I can actually hang out with all my friends without needing to keep my wand ready."

"Were we really that bad?"

"Horrible. Then when you were apart James was driving all of mad because he was completely head-over-heals for you and we never heard the end of it."

I blushed. I never knew that my and James's behavior prior to this year was quite unbearable to those around us or that I was causing so much trouble for James's heart. "Sorry, mate."

"What's done is done. Now I don't think I've ever seen you two happier. You're like my sister, Lils," he said, wrapping is arm around my shoulder. "Always have been. James is like my brother, so it's natural that I want you both happy. The fact that it happens to be together is just an added bonus. Although..." he trailed off

"Although, what?"

"James is still annoying when you aren't around. Always gushing about you."

"Well, there isn't much I can do about that. At least he's happy."

"Thank Merlin for that!"

We approached the Quidditch Pitch as our friends were exiting the locker room. "Wow, we have good timing!" I said to Remus. Then I saw James coming out of the locker room. I glanced at Remus and he waved his hand, as if telling me "go on," and I ran up to James. I knew Sirius saw me coming as I leapt on James's back.

"Merlin, Lily. Give a guy a warning!" he said through a laugh.

"Oh, please, I'm like, half your size. You can handle it. Besides, Sirius saw me coming and I know he was trying to let you know."

"I did, Prongs," Sirius said. "What do you think the pointing was for? Didn't you noticed that I wasn't even looking at you?"

"I thought you caught sight of a girl you wanted to approach," James said, shrugging. I held on so his shrug wouldn't knock me off his back. "And if I'm right about that and you were signaling to Lily here in that sense, I think I should let you know I'm going to be selfish and not sharing."

"Ew!" Sirius and I said in unison, causing anyone within distance to laugh and take notice.

"What did you say?" Dorcas asked, approaching with Emmeline and Marlene.

"He just implied that I was pining after Evans!" Sirius exclaimed.

"So? She's hot," Dorcas said with a shrug.

"Dorcas!" I exclaimed in shock. "I'm spoken for."

"I know, just don't see how a guy pining after an attractive girl, taken or not, could deserve an 'ew' reaction like that," she explained.

"Dorcas! That's like shagging my sister!" Sirius said with a shudder.

"Okay, now I see how that's gross," she said, shuddering, too.

"Funny you should mention that," James said with a smile. "Lily was telling me recently how she viewed you as the annoying little brother." I felt my face grow hot, so I hid my face behind James.

"Oh, really?" Sirius said, a sly grin appearing on his face. He took out his wand and hit me with a Tickling Charm.

"AH! NO FAIR!" I started screaming. James was suddenly having a hard time holding me, and for good reason. I was squirming everywhere.

"Okay, Padfoot. You proved your point, you're the annoying little brother. Could you please stop the charm before your best mate drops my best mate?" Dorcas said, pulling out her wand with a grin. "Because I'm not above the same thing."

"Fine," he said, releasing the charm on me. I had my head resting on James's shoulder, huffing and puffing and trying to catch my breath. "You ruin my fun, Dorcas."

"Anytime," she said, putting her wand away. The grin on her face was priceless.

Once I caught my breath I turned my head towards Marlene. "Remus is over by the entrance to the Pitch," I told her. "Might as well get the day started?" I winked at her.

"Awesome! I was wondering where he was. See you all at dinner!" she said as she ran off that way. She stopped briefly and turned around long enough to say, "Maybe," before running over to Remus.

"They're so cute!" Emmeline said to Dorcas.

"You three are ridiculous," Sirius said, shaking his head.

You could barely see Dorcas wave her wand before Sirius was on the ground, laughing hysterically from the Tickling Charm.

Dinner came and went with no sign of Remus and Marlene. Dorcas, Emmeline, and I couldn't stop our silly grinning all through dinner.

Now James, Sirius, Peter, and I were in the Library working on homework. Still waiting on the post-date news.

Well, I was waiting but I was more concerned with my Transfiguration homework.

"I will never pass my Transfiguration N.E.W.T." I moaned, slightly muffled from the fact that my face was pressed into the aforementioned textbook.

"Lils, you're fine in Transfiguration. You got an O on your O.W.L. You'll be fine," James assured me from across the table. Sirius was next to me. We realized early on that we study better this way. Less distractions and temptations.

"Barely," I said. "My water goblet during the practical was still fuzzy. Of course, you couldn't tell unless you touched it but still. He let me redo it after I pleaded."

"You were fine at 'Fera Verto' in class," Sirius said, confused. I noticed Peter's face shared the same confusion.

"She freaks out during finals and major exams," James said, not looking up from his Transfiguration textbook.

"I do not!" I exclaimed. "Just the practical."

"Just breathe, Lils," James told me, putting his hand on mine. "You still have several months before N.E.W.T.s, so relax."

I closed the Transfiguration textbook and put it away. "I can't look at this anymore. I'm going to do Potions homework," I said as I pulled out my Potions textbook. I started scribbling down the ingredients we were assigned to look up for Monday's class. "Oh, no," I moaned.

"What?" Sirius, James, and Peter asked in unison.

"We're brewing Amortentia on Monday," I groaned.

"I thought you girls liked that sort of thing," Sirius said. I hit the back of his head.

"The real kind of love. This stuff isn't real. Merlin, girls freak out over this stuff. Class is going to be nuts on Monday, and girls are going to try and sneak it out."

"So...?" James asked. "I don't accept anything from girls I don't know," he said with a smug grin.

"We have rounds Monday night, brainiac. We had to switch so you'd be free Tuesday."

I think James suddenly found my wavelength because he groaned, too.

"What's Tuesday?" Sirius asked. I hit him again over the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for? I understand the first hit but seriously? Do I deserve this abuse?"

"It's the Full Moon, you tosser!" I hissed at him.

"Okay, I deserved that one, too."

We all laughed. Suddenly I felt my pendant warm up. I pulled it out of my jumper.

Marlene's back!
We're in our dorm!

I pushed everything into my satchel and leapt from the table. "Gotta go! Girls' night!" James, Peter, and Sirius stared at me for a second before the realization hit.

"About bloody time," Peter mumbled, putting his books away. The other guys were doing the same.

"You're coming, too?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, yeah?" Sirius said. "We haven't seen Moony all day."

"Girls aren't the only ones that talk about dates, you know," James said with a grin.

"What has he told you?" I asked Peter and Sirius.

"Marauder's pact. We can't say anything or we'll have to kill you," Sirius said flatly.

"You do understand that I was at these events, correct?" I asked him.

"Yes, but I'm still not saying anything. Please don't hit me," he said, holding up his messenger bag in defense.

I rolled my eyes. "Not worth it right now, the girls are waiting." I bent over and gave James a quick kiss. "See you tonight."

With that I was off to the dorms.