I would like to dedicate this chapter to PottersLittleSister. You're amazing! And now FAMOUS!!!!! yayy!She has reviewed and PMed me a lot this week, and she's been keeping me company through PM's. She has a really cool story called This Is Sirius. It's about Harry and his best friend Lily. It's a really good story so check it out! If you want me to dedicate a chapter to you, all you have to do is REVIEW of course, and tell me a really good Lily and James story to read. It's really easy. After this chapter's reviews with HOPEFULLY great L/J stories included, I want to have a poll on which story is the best, if you've read them.
From now on, all sentences in ITALICS are going to be somebody's thoughts. You'll be able to recognize the person who's thinking them too. It won't be that hard. I'll tell you whose thinking it sometimes too, I just find it a little pointless if you know who is thinking it.
The bright sun was peaking through the blinds illuminating a young girl's flaming red hair. It was splayed out behind her like an angel. As she lay on the couch with a surprisingly fluffy, comfortable pillow, and a really soft blanket. It smelled really good too. It was a distinct "guy scent" and it smelled sogood. Like cookies smelled to a little kid on christmas.
The redhead's eyes fluttered open revealing sparkling green emeralds. She let her eyes sweep the room and recognized she was in the common room. Lily could feel another person's presence in the room and she saw him.
James was laying there on the couch next to her with his hand on his chest and his mouth slightly opened. Now she remembered the context of last night. She had sprained her ankle on one of the bloody puddles. 'That would explain the sharp throbbing in my ankle,' Lily thought.
Using her newly discovered talent she looked at her ankle and thought the incantation 'Episkey.' She jumped a little when she felt the muscles realigning themselves in her ankle. She still wasn't used to the whole wandless magic thing. Cupcake rather, as the codename suggested.
She groaned aloud when she realized it was Friday. Looking at her watch she determined it was five o' clock and it was time to get up anyways. Walking over to James' limp body she poked him hard in the stomach. Once that didn't work she tried his leg, arm, elbow, funny bone, cheek, lips, nose, and chest. No result. Or so she thought.
"James," she whispered, "Pssstt."
No response......
"James," she said in her normal voice.
"Go away Sirius," he mumbled into the pillow.
Realizing that he told Sirius almost everything, and people HAD to tell the truth when they sleep, she decided to have some fun.
Clearing out her throat to try out her new man voice she started with a simple question. Sitting on his legs she pretended to act professional. She stole his glasses (she likes to wear glasses even though she has good vision she thinks that they bring out her eyes more. Even though they don't need to be she insists on it,) and put them on the brim of her nose, pretended she had interview cards and went on with the questioning.
"Whens your birthday?"
"March 27th,"
"Who's your best friend?"
Knowing the obvious answer she just went to the next question barely registering his answer.
"Sirius Black,"
"Who's your favorite teacher?"
"Professor Quiggley," (A/N That's the DADA teacher.)
Interesting, very interesting. Lily thought stroking an imaginary beard, she assumed it would have been McGonnagal since that was his best subject, and the detentions she gave him and Sirius were only to hide her favoritism.
"What's your parent's names?"
"Marie and Mark Potter."
M&M that must have been cool. Having your husband/wife have the same initial as you making both of them together a candy bar.
"Who do you fancy at this very moment." she asked in a childish voice.
"Lily Evans."
Lily took a sharp intake of breath. She had been expecting that answer. It just made it so much more real that he said it aloud.
"Do you love her?"
"Forever and Always," he said simply.
Changing the subject hastily, she decided to confirm some more suspicions.
"What would you do if Snape kissed Lily?"
"I'd beat him to a bloody pulp, then I'd blend the pulp and dig a really deep hole to dump it in." James said in a dead serious voice, even though he seemed to be sleeping.
This truly scared Lily at his hatred for her old best friend, and how much she realized he loved her.
"Is Remus a werewolf?" she whispered even though she already knew the answer.
"Erm,"
"And you're an unregistered Animagus that takes form of a stag right?"
"Uh,"
Well those were some of the most personal questions she could have asked him, and so she figured it was only natural for him to not immediately answer. She couldn't really think of anything else to ask so she started talking about herself.
"Well since you wont remember any of this when you wake up I'm going to tell you some things nobodyknows about me. Ok hhhmmm.... Well there is the fact that I am afraid of leaves. They just freak me out. I mean some of them have really point edges, they grow on trees and/or bushes that have thorns and love to poke you, and they just fall anywhere they please. Incuding my hair which they never seem to want to untangle from.
"My sister Petunia wantsto be a witch. She wrote to Dumbledore when she was 12 demanding for acceptance. I had a brother," Lily took in a deep breath. This was deathlypersonal in her opinion. Not even Lauren knew about it. There were pictures in the house, but Lily just told them it was one of her friends when they were a baby but couldn't remember who it was. "But, he died. He had brain cancer, and nobody knew what it was, nor the cure for it. So he just died. He was only five months old. I was four at the time. I can't remember him much. I only remember he used to have the cutest little dimples on his chubby cheeks." Lily took a shaky break and wiped a stray tear of her face. That was harder than she thought it would be. She was talking to a sleeping person and thought it was near impossible to do, she would never be able to say it to somebody who was awake of all things. She decided she didn't want to say anything else to personal incase she just completely broke down in memories about Kaleb.
"Erm my favorite color is green, of course. I have a horrible temper, as you may or may not have noticed. I hate roses, they make me sneeze. My favorite candy is Ice Mice, but I like Honeydukes chocolate too. I told you about my fear/hatred of leaves. I truly love Amityville Horror even though it scares the crap out of me," After about five more minutes of pointless ramblings she heard a snort coming from James after she said something about how Mr. Ollivander scared her in first year when he just kept demanding her to try different wands.
"James," she said sternly, "Are you awake?"
Not answering, forgetting that he was supposed to answer every question as a sleeping person was, he just laid there.
"James!"
"Hey," he said groggily, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"Morning." she said cheerily.
"Why are you so chipper?"
"Oh no reason. I'm just really relieved."
"'Bout what?." he asked as if he didn't know, "Also Do you think you could, oh I don't know, return the circulation to my legs?"
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Lily rushed to get off of his legs which were now tingling pins and needles to avoid the first question.
"S'ok. Hey, what time is it?"
"Erm, five 'o eight." she said promptly.
James' expression rejuvenated he tore the blanket off and practically jumped off the couch.
"And why are you so suddenly happy?"
"It's time to go running," he said simply.
"Running? It's five AM. You know the one that sounds like yam without the 'y'."
"Yeah I know. I run every Monday Wednesday and Friday morning."
"Why?" she asked wrinkling her nose, "You'll get all sweaty before classes even start."
"That's what Anti-Persperation & Simple Cooling charms are for. You should come some time."
"No thanks but I'll pass. I don't fancy running very much. I don't really see the point of it. Apparation is faster, so are brooms for that matter." Lily said scrunching her face up at the word 'brooms'.
"What the problem Lily? I thought you liked flying," James inquired curiously.
"Correction. I like watching other people flying. I just don't think they're safe enough for me to get on. If you haven't noticed I have the worst hand-eye coordination in the school."
"Psh. No, you're obviously forgetting Gladys Palmerton."
At this Lily snorted. Gladys was a fifth year Hufflepuff who tripped on air, ran into walls, AND got hit in the face with something or other, at least, twice a day. It was kind of sad how really clumsy and uncoordinated the poor girl really was.
"Fine, second most uncoordinated."
"That's more like it, but you are going flying with me sometime," James said smugly.
"No I'm not. What in the name of Merlin gave you that idea. Most people, like yourself before about forty five seconds ago, thought that I loved flying and I just denied that."
"Because," James said in a sing song voice, "You aren't going upstairs to change until you agree to go running AND flying with me. See what you get yourself into? Talking to me at five in the morning. Psh."
To prove Lily could handle not being allowed upstairs she just summoned her uniform down from her dorm and charmed her dirty clothes to swap with her clean ones.
" Ha. See I don't really need to go up there. It would just be nice to you know primp myself for dear Severus. " she said sarcastically, "Yes I really should just stop talking to you shouldn't I?" she asked dryly after he squirted a bit of mud at her from his wand, "but really James. MOVE."
"No I don't think I will." he said leaning against the banister on the girls staircase.
"Really, I think you will."
"What are you going to do Evans? Push me away? Yeah right. If you even tried to I'd just pick you up and carry you away."
"Even I'm not foolish enough to do that at five AM." Glaring at him playfully.
Suddenly James was hanging upside down by his ankle in front of the girls' staircase.
"Evans! Put me down!" James said wriggling around by his ankle, robes flipped over his head.
"Nope, you might want to be a bit quieter. Not all girls are morning people like I am. Silencio." she teased twirling her wand in her fingers.
Now James was upside down and with non functioning vocal cords. This sure is a good morning. Lily thought to herself.
Skipping up the staircase at the halfway point, she turned around to watch James trying to yell what looked like obscenities. Starting to feel a little bad, she took the silencing charm off, then waved her wand and thought Libracorpsus so she could hear James' scream as he fell to the ground in a rumpled heap.
"Your gonna get it Evans!" James yelled staggering around, still dizzy from all of the blood going to his face.
"Oh I'm so scared." Lily laughed as James tried to get up the staircase.
The stairs obviously turned into a slide just like Lily predicted they would. What she didn't predict though was the she'd be sliding down as well.
Screaming all the way, Lily landed, of course, on top of James.
"Sorry," she muttered as she hastily stood up.
James just lay there for a few seconds.
Starting to walk up the staircase again Lily asked, "James, aren't you going to, like, I don't know get up anytime soon?"
"Of course!"
"Then why are you still laying on the ground?!"
"Nice view," he said simply.
"What in the world are you----" Lily started, realizing what he meant by view (AKA her derrière) "Ugh! I can't believe your tact!" Lily exclaimed stomping up the stairs with fresh emotion.
About forty minutes later Lily snuck back down to the common room. Really she only went up stairs to put on the little bit of makeup she owned. Namely mascara, and light eyeliner.
She decided she would go to the balcony. Lily hadn't been there in a while. Not since before Halloween.
Lily loved the balcony. It was one of her most favorite places in all of Hogwarts. You got a perfect view of the Quidditch Pitch, the Black Lake, the forest, and it was the perfect place to spy on people. For example best friends that don't tell you their going out with the hottest guy in Hogwarts! -cough-Lauren-cough-
The balcony was where a lot of her firsts happened. Her first fight with Lauren, her first time seeing a shooting star, her first kiss, and her first breakup with the guy that gave her her first kiss. So many memories were made here.
Today was the day she was going to have another first. This was the day she was going to use, her newly acquired/stolen from Morgan, Omnoculars (The Original Version), to spy on James Potter jogging around the grounds.
Putting a cushioning charm on the railing to rest her elbows on and took her place. Omnoculars pressed to her face, she went into super spy mode, that wasn't secret.
At first it was all really boring. He was just stretching and such. Then for some stupid reason he took off his shirt in the 40 degree weather! Personally Lily thought the boy was bloody crazy as he pointed his wand at himself and cut his sweatpants making them into gym shorts. Yeah, it's official. James Potter has officially crossed the border to pure insanity.
After a half hour of "James watching" as Lily so cleverly called it, she started to get bored of staring at his incredibly body. The girls, who she caught spying from behind some of the trees that lined the forest by the pitch, ruined her happy mood and turned it into jealousy. SHE could be down there giggling and pointing like them. Then James would've smiled and waved at her. The fact that he said he fancied her just this morning as he was sleeping made it slightly better. Slightly.
Still in her jealous mood Lily walked down to breakfast without the girls. There she saw Sirius and Remus sitting alone at the Gryffindor table making their sausage and bacon fight eachother. (Peter was sitting at the Hufflepuff table with Monica)
"So whose winning?" she asked nobody in particular.
"I AM!" They both shouted at the same time.
Using her eyes Lily made them start attacking the boys instead of each other. By the end of it each of them were just as convinced that it was the other that attacked them.
Deciding to intervene with the petty fight Lily said, "Don't you think it was weird if both of you made the stupid pieces of meat attack the other at the same time?"
Staring blankly at each other, then at Lily they said, "What's your point?" in unison.
Letting out an exasperated sigh Lily just sat there shaking her head while she eavesdropped on people's conversations around her. So far she had learned that Summer Andrews, a fifth year chaser on the Ravenclaw quidditch team had a huge zit on her nose, a rumor that Dumbledore was secretly dating McGonnagal, a rumor that James was going out with a very pretty girl named Chloe that was on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team as a chaser. So far she didn't hear anything interesting so she decided to take a short walk around the lake and give the giant squid some toast. There were still two hours to class and she had nothing to do. She woke up an hour earlier than she anticipated.
Four hours after Lily's walk around the lake she entered the Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom, it was a double period today and Lily was exited, as always for class to begin.
"Today, we will be practicing duelling," Professor Quiggley said happily. "Silently. First one to get hit, losesm"
At the word silently, the class groaned knowing this was going to be hard.
"Going first will be Morgan Monroe and Remus Lupin," Professor Quiggley said cheerfully, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Morgan and Remus walked awkwardly to the front of the classroom, bowed, and began to duel.
Three minutes later and a couple well aimed hexes later, it was over. Remus won by getting her with a cutting hex to the right arm. It devastated him to do it. In reality he was trying to miss her so she didn't get hit. Well that plan didn't work out to well. He got his passing grade and went to sit glumly in the back of the classroom while Morgan went to the Hospital Wing to get her arm fixed.
By the end of the period almost everyone had gone. Sirius had gone up against Narcissa, winning victoriously over his cousin. Peter battled Lucius, and lost within the first forty five seconds, blasted Conjuctivus Curse, thought Peter. Lauren had gotten to battle Bellatrix and they both hit their target at the same time resulting in a tie. Kylie and Logan, and Alice and Frank both battled as well. Kylie lost, suprisingly. Logan was just better, there wasn't any particular reason she lost, just skill. Alice won against Frank, but you could tell neither of them were doing their worst. After a few more Slytherins Lily and James were the only ones left. Lily had been jealous all day. If there was one emotion Lily hated the most, it was jealousy. It represented weakness. Here James was soaking it all up still winking, and grinning at smiling girls. Not like he didn't always do this, today Lily just seemed to notice.
"Last but certainly not least," the professor started "Miss Evans and Mister Potter if you will."
Lily got out of her desk now angered by the jealousy bubbling inside of her. She was angry at James. This out to make the duel a lot more interesting. James seemed to notice the fire in her eyes, and became afraid. Very afraid.
When they got up to the front of the class James whispered something in Lily's ear, "What's got your knickers in a twist Evans? You look like an offended hippogriff." Which was evidently the wrong thing to say. If nothing was wrong now, there sure was going to be by the end of class.
"You may begin."
"Ready Potter?" Lily sneered uncharacteristiclly.
"As always Lily Dearest," he said to the class more than here. Her eyes flash and she sent out a Densaugeo (Teeth Growing Jinx) that James had to roll on the floor to avoid. By the time he was back up on his feet he barely had time to cast a sheild charm, therefore deflecting two stunners.
With both of their sheilds properly in place both competetors got into the game. There were stunners, jinxes, hexes, and curses flying all around them. It wasn't until five minutes later Lily remembered her wandless magic advantage. Smiling to herself, she sent out a few nice little charms his way. Not expecting this, James was hit with two charms of Lily's own invention. The "Touchless Charm" which made you able to feel nothing but spells that are cast on you, which is including their own self in the 'no feeling' category. It made you go almost completely alone. Without your sense of touch you can't really be sure what's a dream or reality. Also the "Shocking Charm" which shocks the opponent with a mild force.
James recieved the Touchless Charm first and panic aroused in him for the first time in the duel. He couldn't feel the ground it 'felt' like he was floating on nothingness. The only think he felt was Shock. Literally. Lily's shocking charm hit after he let his guard down. Even thought technically the duel was over they kept fighting. Despite the several attempts from Professor Quiggley and other classmates, the duel went on. They just learned to deflect and ignore any stray attempts to summon their wands not keeping their eyes off eachother.
Five minutes until class was over, the duel was going on fifteen minutes. Curses were being taken if they were recognized as not that much of a threat, to keep thier posistion, and not to show any bit of weakness they barely moved, except for the whole walking in a circle thing.
Lily was sporting a nice gash on her cheek for barely a second before she hit herself with a Healing Charm using her wandless magic. Lily could heal her injuries James could not. LIly carelessly threw a Healing Charm at James hitting him square in the chest, healing all of his outside, visible injuries.
This angered James making him put more effort into the fight at hand, proving he could beat her himself without her petty pity.
Getting mildly tired Lily decided to bombard him with bird to peck at him, "Avis!" followed by an "Oppungo!" sending multpile birds with sharp beaks attack James. James exploded all of the birds with a shash of his wand.
While James was distracted and slahsing up at the birds, Lily hit him with a perfectly aimed stunner to the chest.
Then everything went black.
A/N: Ok, that was the only actual duel I've written that wasn't like a few sentences. I don't really know how to write duels that well. So I'm sorry if it's not what I hoped it was. Again, I'd just like to thank PottersLittleSister for PMing me every day, and reivewing of course. Next chapter goes to reviewer who gives me a good story to read!
Love you!
Brittney/Sirius' Sweetheart