The Truth Of The Heart
Summary: Lily Evans has always, ALWAYS hated James Potter. So when they become Head Boy and Girl, nothing could be worse. But could working with him change Lily's opinion? Has she been ignoring the truth in her heart all along?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this….except a few minor characters, so please don't sue me, JKR, 'cause I have nothing you want….unless you're into human flesh (you're not, are you?)
A/N: Thanks to ALL of you who reviewed, because you all rock my socks ENORMOUSLY!
-&-
Chapter 33: Christmas Shopping'"What on earth are you doing here?!" Lily sprang off the sofa and hurried over to the newcomer. "Why are you – how'd you get in?"
"Lily?" Emma and Sapphire had come up behind her. "What's going on?"
"Em, Saffy meet Madeleine, a.k.a. Maddie. She's James' little sister." On seeing their blank expressions, Lily hastily elaborated. "She doesn't live here – she goes to a Muggle school and gets private coaching in magic. Long story. Maddie, this is Emma and Sapphire, my friends."
Maddie flashed a brilliant grin at them and shook hands. "Hi."
"What are you doing here?" Lily exclaimed again, looking Maddie up and down.
"Giving my big brother a heart attack." Maddie grinned. "No, actually, since James is staying at school over Christmas and there's some sort of…party? thing coming up, Professor Dumbledore wrote to say it would be nice if I could stay until Boxing Day, to 'socialise with others my own age.' So here I am."
Lily looked around briefly, and then turned to Maddie, her eyes glinting with unusual mischief. "I take it James doesn't know you're here?"
Maddie smirked back. "Oh, Jamesie-poo has no idea. There is no escape from the dreaded little sister." The two exchanged a look of mutual understanding.
"Anyway," Lily said, covering her grin with a more casual expression, "do you want me to introduce you to the other fifth-years?"
"Oh no, it's okay," Maddie said jauntily, although Lily thought this might have been more an air than a real tone. "I can make my own way." She turned round and headed towards a group of fifth-years, all of whom were staring openly at this newcomer and her apparent familiarity with the Head Girl. A few minutes after introducing herself, she was lounged in a chair, discussing Celestina Warbeck. Lily smiled and returned to her own corner with her friends.
Ten minutes later, James himself climbed through the portrait hole, looking distracted, and headed directly for the boys' dormitory. Lily saw him, and felt an uncharacteristic smirk tug at her lips. Now was her chance to repay a little of the debt she owed him.
"James!" she called. She flashed a glance over her shoulder at her friends, warning them to keep a straight face. "Over here!"
Both James and Maddie looked round at her; Maddie's expression became an evil grin as James crossed over to Lily, having still not seen his sister.
"What is it, Lily?" he asked vaguely. "I have to go find Pad-Sirius, and Pete's gone missing as well -"
"Oh, nothing," Lily said innocently. "Just thought you should know that we have a new member of Gryffindor."
"Good, that's great," James said hurriedly, running a hand through his hair and looking towards the stairs. "If that's all - "
"I just thought you should, you know, welcome them," Lily said, her eyes on Maddie. "I mean, just to make them feel at home, since you're Head Boy."
"Mmmhmm," James said. Lily heard a choked cough behind her, and knew that Sapphire was trying not to burst a rib laughing.
In the end, James sighed, giving in to Lily's supposedly pleading stare. "Alright, alright," he said, sounding almost exasperated, "for your sake, I'll say hello. Where are they?"
"Hello, Head Boy, sir," a voice said from behind him.
"I know that voi -" James said slowly.
The entire Gryffindor common room burst into laughter as James suddenly wheeled around, his mouth hanging open, to come face-to-face with his little sister, who was wearing an angelic smile and looking as though butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
"Y – you – what are you doing here?" he spluttered.
"Why James, aren't you pleased to see me?" Maddie feigned hurt.
"What are you doing here?" James demanded again.
Maddie groaned. "That is the fifth time in ten minutes that I've been asked that. I'll repeat myself: Professor Dumbledore invited me to come and stay until Boxing Day for your ball thing, so I could 'improve my social life.'"
"Y – you'll be here for over a week?" James looked horrorstruck, and Lily laughed until the tears poured down her face at his tone.
"No, duh," Maddie said sarcastically. "Now, if you don't mind…" She gestured at her new friends, who were in fits of giggles, and walked back to them, calling merrily over her shoulder, "See you later, James!"
James turned back to Lily, still looking shocked. "I thought I was safe from her here," he said, in a hollow voice. "My life is over." Groaning, he walked off upstairs, leaving Lily to dissolve into laughter once again.
-&-
The next day was the long-awaited Hogsmeade trip, and it was with a definite sense of anticipation that Lily pulled on a pair of jeans and a turtleneck, before heading down the breakfast with her friends. The hall was already full of students chattering about the prospect of a day out in the village.
Finding seats across from James, Sirius, Peter and Remus, the girls began eating, discussing plans.
"Looking forward to today?" Emma asked cheerily, leaning forward to kiss Remus on the cheek.
"Mmhmm," Sirius said, through a mouthful of bacon.
Emma looked disgusted.
"Oh," she announced, clearly trying to change the subject. "Did I mention that the boys are coming with us when we go robe shopping?"
"We're going robe shopping?" Lily asked blankly.
"We're going shopping?" Sapphire said in a horrified voice.
"Remind me why we agreed to do this?" James muttered, in a tone that was perfectly audible to everyone else.
"Because," Remus muttered back, equally audible, "you're too nice and loyal to leave a lone Marauder, i.e. me, on his own in a clothes shop full of girls."
Emma rolled her eyes and turned to Sapphire. "So what exactly did you think we'd be doing in Hogsmeade, if not shopping of some sort?"
"I don't know," Sapphire mumbled.
"Well, I need to buy Christmas presents," Lily said, matter-of-factly.
There was a chorus of "Me too"s.
"So, why not make it easy for me?" Sirius asked jovially. "What do you all want?"
'Think of what you THINK I'd like, and then buy anything but that," Emma said at once. "I dread to think what your idea of a present will be if it's a prank of some sort, especially when you consider it to be appropriate."
"Haha," Sirius said sarcastically. "It's nice to know you trust me to make the right decisions when necessary."
"Only a fool would trust you to do that, Sirius," Emma said. Sirius huffed and chose not to respond, as James snorted and Remus coughed into his cereal. Lily watched Sirius absently as he eyed the last breakfast muffin left on the plate in front of him. Just as he had established that no one else appeared to be have any interest in it, he reached out…only to see James' arm swoop in from nowhere and grab it.
"Hey!" Sirius protested, fingers grasping fruitlessly at empty air. "That was mine!"
James smirked, clutching the muffin in one hand as he took a drink. "You snooze, you lose." Ignoring Sirius' pout, he tore off a piece and lifted it towards his mouth…
"James?'"
James lowered his hand and looked at Sirius warily. "What?"
"You're mean."
James rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He raised his hand again…
"James?"
"What?"
"Won't you share it with me? Since we're bestest friends?"
"No." He lifted up the muffin again.
"James?"
"WHAT?" James exploded. "All I want is to eat my muffin in peace, and I can't, because you KEEP STOPPING ME! And don't try that pitiful puppy look on me, I'm a guy, not one of your fan club!" he added, glaring at Sirius.
"I didn't say anything!" Sirius said injuredly.
"I did," another voice said. James swivelled to see Maddie behind him.
"What?" he said tiredly.
"What're you eating?" She leaned on his shoulder. "Is that a muffin?"
"Yes," James muttered.
"James," Maddie said in a warningly sing-song voice. "Are you or are you not a Quidditch Captain? And did you or did you not spend more or less your entire life training to get to where you are today? What did Mum tell you about eating healthily? You should be eating something like," she pointed at a container of muesli, "that."
James made a disgusted face. Maddie gave him a Look, and Lily, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Emma, Sapphire, and all of Maddie's friends standing behind her, began to snigger uncontrollably.
"You know what the solution is," Maddie told him calmly. She held out her hand. "Come on, hand over the muffin."
"NO!" two voices shouted in unison. James and Sirius glared at each other before turning back to Maddie.
"That's MINE!" James cried, as Maddie snatched at the muffin. "Get your own!"
"If he can't have it, I should!" Sirius roared, swiping at James' hand too.
Maddie stopped trying to get the muffin, and folded her arms sternly. "Look at you. Head Boy and Quidditch Captain, and you're behaving like a baby." She took a step back.
"What is with you?" James demanded. "Every time I have food in my hand, you turn up! Yesterday, I came down with a Chocolate Frog and you suddenly popped up and took half of it off me. Today, I get a muffin, and you're behind me. Do you have me on a radar system or something?"
"Yeah, right," Maddie said sarcastically. "Like I have nothing better to do. I'm going to get ready for Hogsmeade."
"Wear something warm," James said unthinkingly. "It's cold today."
"James!" Maddie hissed. "Stop trying to be Mum! Don't embarrass me in front of my friends!" Shoving him in the back, she walked off, then stopped, and came back.
"I forgot…" Deftly, her hand twisted into his, and the next thing James knew, his little sister was walking away with a muffin in her hand. His muffin. The last muffin.
"Thanks!" she called cheerfully over her shoulder.
James turned back to the others, who were all keeping determinedly straight faces. "My life was so peaceful at school," he said mournfully. "Now there really is nowhere left to run."
It was too much. The table shook as six people burst into laughter.
"You and Maddie are a one-of-a-kind pair!" Lily said, wiping her eyes. James scowled at her, and then looked up the table. Abruptly, he got up and strolled down the length of it, before almost snatching a place of muffins from under the noses of a bunch of first-years, all of whom stared, eyes wide, as he made off with them.
"James!" Lily scolded. "That wasn't very nice! In fact, it was downright mean to those poor first-years!"
"Well what Maddie did wasn't very nice! In fact, it was downright mean to me! But are you telling her off? Do I see any kind of Head-Girl reprimand on your lips? No. So I'm fully justified!" and with that, James took an enormous bite of his muffin to end the conversation, leaving Lily to roll her eyes at the ceiling.
-&-
After breakfast, the seven of them left for Hogsmeade, teeth chattering as they stepped into the frosty air. Huddled into their cloaks, they joined the multitudes of students walking towards the village. Soon, they had separated into three groups: Emma and Remus, walking together at the front, and Sapphire and Lily a few metres behind. At the back lagged James, Peter and Sirius, discussing something in low voices. It was a peaceful time, and Lily was having great fun talking bout aimless things with Sapphire.
Sirius, however, was not feeling quite so peaceful. He had been having an inner battle with himself for a while now, over whether or not he should ask Sapphire to the ball. Most of him doubted that she would even say yes…so really, was there any point? There was only the smallest of chances that she would even consider it…
I'll do it, he decided, hoping that he would not back out of his own resolution. I'll ask her some time this morning…eventually…
Trying to take control of himself, he attempted to listen to James' words, but his attention was soon suspended as he watched a tall figure break away from a group nearby and head in Sapphire's direction. He saw the hooked nose and grimaced. It was Leon Wilkes, one of Sapphire's not-so-secret admirers.
Honestly, he thought disgustedly, as Leon inserted himself neatly in between the two girls, Lily looking put out as she was pushed to a side. Some guys just don't know the meaning of being polite
God help me if I ever act that desperate.
Distantly, he watched as Sapphire' face looked annoyed at the interruption. She said something sharp and moved away, but Leon caught her arm and asked her something in a low voice as Sapphire tried to shrug him off. Finally, she stopped and shook her head hesitantly. Leon said something, wearing a hopeful expression, and after a moment, Sapphire leaned closer towards him. A stab of curiosity shot through Sirius as Leon said something into Sapphire's ear. She looked up at him, tilting her head as if in thought, but slowly nodded her head.
All of a sudden, the pieces seemed to fall together in Sirius' head, and he felt his mind freeze as he understood what was going on.
Leon's just asked her to the Ball, he realised. And she's said yes. The bottom seemed to drop out of his stomach, and he swallowed hard, staring at the ground. The tiny voice that had taken residence in his head to tell him that maybe, just maybe, he had a chance with her had closed up shop and disappeared. All that remained was reality, as cold and hard as the air hitting his face.
It's a wake-up call, he thought grimly. In his mind, he scanned over the multitude of beautiful girls at his beck and call who could be potential trophy dates. I'm just as capable oh having a horde of followers, he thought harshly. If she can pick a date out of them, I bloody well can too – and at least mine won't have a deformed nose!
He stopped at the image of a pretty Asian girl, James' words echoing back.
'She's got beauty and brains. She'd actually be worth your time.'
He looked around.
How convenient.
"Madhura," he muttered, and lengthened his strides to catch up with her, walking arm-in-arm with her two friends. She was only a little way in front of him, and he soon fell into step with her.
"Madhura, hi," he said, smiling at her and her friends, being careful to acknowledge all three of them, unlike a certain other person he had recently watched.
"Hi Sirius," she responded, looking at him questioningly.
"Listen, I was wondering," Sirius said quickly. Although he was determined not to look at Sapphire, instinct told him they were catching up with her. "Would you like to, uh, go to the Ball with me?"
Madhura looked him up and down, apparently considering, before catching her friends' eyes. Finally, she looked back at him. "Well, I was sort of planning to ask Ar -" she broke off as she looked at a dark head further off, "but I guess I'll go with you." She smiled at him, and Sirius felt himself smile back. It was nice to know someone so genuinely honest.
"So where and when shall I meet you?" he asked.
Madhura began to say something, but Sirius had inadvertently looked to the front, where Sapphire and Leon were within a few feet of them, within hearing range. To Sirius' horror, as his eyes fell on them, Sapphire raised her hand and slapped Leon full in the face. "Fuck off," she told him, in an even voice. "Crawl back into whatever hole you came out of."
And with that, the pieces fell apart again. That was no Ball date, Sirius realised. More dismaying was the truth that was testified by the girl next to him.
I've just lost any chance I had.
He looked back at Madhura, who was watching him expectantly. "S-sorry?" he managed, as they drew up right behind Sapphire and Lily. "I didn't quite catch that."
"How about meeting me outside my common room at about seven? Then we can walk to the Great Hall together."
"Y-yeah," Sirius answered vaguely. "That's okay."
"See you then," Madhura said. She smiled at him again and moved off, as Sirius turned round to the front again…and straight into Sapphire's shocked face.
For one second, he hoped against hope that maybe, just maybe, she had not heard his exchange, but the expression on her face threw that idea straight into the bin. They stared at each other for a frozen moment, Sirius trying with all his might to communicate anything that would contradict what he knew she was thinking. But Sapphire's face had gone blank, and as the crowd in front began to move again, she turned on her heel and walked off to catch up with Lily. Sirius was left with nothing to do but groan silently at his own stupidity.
Meanwhile, Sapphire, stalking on ahead, was rapidly losing her concentration on whatever it was that Lily was talking about.
It was only an infatuation, she told herself sternly. That was all it ever was. I don't even like him.
So why does it hurt so much?
-&-
Soon enough, the village of Hogsmeade was flooded with students. Christmas lights twinkled in almost every store window, and the snow beneath crunched as they stepped through it. It was like a scene from a Muggle Christmas card come to life, and Lily sniffed the air as the scent of pine wafted past. She spun on her heel to face the others, clapping her gloved hands excitedly as the Christmas spirit infused her. "Ok, so what shall we do first?"
Emma smiled to see her best friend grinning as happily as a child on Christmas morning. "Robes first," she replied, "since I don't think any of you really want to do that. This way, we'll get it done and you won't spend the whole day dreading it." Without waiting for agreement, she linked arms with her friends and maneuvered them in the direction of Gladrags, the boys following behind dispiritedly.
With a tinkling sound, the door swung open, and all seven people trooped into the warmth of the shop. Lily shook the snow off her coat, and looked around the shop floor. Already, there were several groups of giggling girls clustering around the store displays and racks of clothes. It was the first time Lily had ever seen anything but robes, cloaks and hats in the store, and she thought it looked decidedly odd, full of dazzling arrays of Muggle formal wear as it was.
Emma needed only a few seconds to take stock of her surroundings before she grasped Sapphire and Lily and dragged them towards a rack of dresses. Sapphire and Lily looked almost pathetically back at the boys as they were taken, but could not be helped. Uncomfortably, the boys loitered in the doorway for a while until a shop assistant took pity on them and directed them to the men's clothing.
It was amazing, Lily thought, yawning as she followed Emma, how many different ways people could come up with of designing the same piece of clothing. The colours around her had to be every shade of the rainbow, and yet she was feeling more confused than impressed at the onslaught f tones and textures. Eventually, however, the lure of the shimmering fabrics drew her in, and she was content to lend her opinion as Emma flitted from dress to dress, holding them up against her friends and exclaiming in approval or disgust. Soon enough, all three girls had stacks of dress slung over one arm.
As they headed towards the fitting area (another new addition, Lily noted) Remus, James, Sirius and Peter turned up, looking intensely bored.
"Finished?" Emma asked brightly, as she counted the number of garments she had.
"Yeah," Sirius mumbled. He and the others gestured at identical bags, which presumably held suits.
"You were quick," Sapphire said. Her tone made it quite clear that she wished she could join them.
"Yes, well," James said sarcastically, "it's so difficult to make a choice between suits. You could get a black one, or… another black one, or how about… another black one. There's such a difference."
"Ok, ok, we get the point," Emma said. "Well, now that you're here, you can sit down and give us your opinion on our clothes."
"Great," Remus muttered, although he sat down anyway. Finding a changing cubicle each, the girls began the long, arduous process of trying on clothes.
Emma, naturally, was the first person to find something she liked. After deciding against a silvery dress with a strange bit on the back that Sirius told her looked like a fish fin, she came out in a sheer red dress, made of satin. Held up by thin straps, it fell straight to the floor, hinting at curves. Emma examined her reflection, turning to the side and smoothing the dress over her hips.
"What do you think?" she asked questioningly. Looking round, she focused on Remus behind her on the sofa, his mouth hanging open. "Do I take that as a yes?" she asked, almost shyly.
When Remus made no response, James leaned over and closed his mouth firmly, before nudging in him the side. Recovering from his stupor, Remus quickly got up and walked over to stand beside Emma.
"The dress is nice," he said slowly. "But to be honest, I don't care what you wear, Emma. Just being there with you is enough." He bent down and gave her a brief, unexpected kiss. "I'm going outside for some air, alright? Choose whatever you like best."
Emma blushed in pleasure as he walked away. "This dress it is, then," she said, almost to herself, looking at the mirror once more before going back into her cubicle.
In contrast, both Sapphire and Lily were both having rather more difficulty in finding something they liked. After trying on four dresses, each in a different shade, Lily decided against them, on the basis that one was too tight, one too loose, one too frumpy, and one too revealing. Frustrated, she stalked out of the fitting rooms to face Sirius and James, both lounged on the sofa (Peter had followed Remus).
"I hate shopping for clothes," she stated, in a tone of false calm. "I am dumping these and going out to find something else."
A few minutes after she had disappeared, James too stood up. "I'm fed up," he said. "At least out in the shop you can watch other silly students worry over how their legs look like car park pillars." He kicked his bag over. "Do us a favour and look after the bags, Padfoot." Without giving Sirius a chance to protest, he too was gone.
Meanwhile, Sapphire was not faring much better than Lily. A cream gown, a red dress, and a greeny-blue affair of silk had all been discarded. Picking up her fourth dress, she examined it, watching the way the pink silk caught the light, simple cream embroidery adding a touch of stylish elegance with peach flowers, and felt a ray of hope. Maybe this would be the one…
Two minutes later, the delicate garment lay in a crumpled heap in a corner, where Sapphire had unceremoniously tossed it after deciding that the colour didn't suit her.
Growing irritated with Emma, for talking her into this, and herself for being talked into it, Sapphire pulled on the final dress, and stared at herself. It was, for the most part, a deep midnight blue, with one shoulder a full sleeveless fit, and the other a thin strap. From there, it fell straight down until the bottom, where one side flared out diagonally in strips of blue from dark to light.
It looked alright, she decided. More or less passable. Turning, she looked at the side view. Still, I should go and check in the big mirrors – better lighting there. She shoved the curtain of the changing room aside and crossed over to the waiting area, looking at herself in the mirror.
"How do I look?" she mused quietly. "Good enough for her Highness, the Queen of Fashion?"
There was a short pause, and then, all of a sudden, came a low male voice. "You – it looks lovely."
Sapphire swivelled to face none other than Sirius, sitting alone on the sofa, watching her with a strange expression. A few seconds of silence passed as she opened and closed her mouth soundlessly.
"Well, I certainly won't be buying this one, then," she snapped finally, before walking back to her cubicle.
Forget it, she thought, as she put her own clothes back on. I'd rather go naked than go in something he's approved. I'll find something else. Easily.
Won't I?
When she came back out, there was no one left on the sofa, and she walked back into the main shop to see Emma and Lily going through yet another rack of dresses."…stupid, Em,' Lily was saying. 'I'll just transfigure a dress I already have into something suitable. We're wasting time."
"What's going on?" Sapphire asked, putting all her dresses back onto the rail.
"Lily can't find anything," Emma replied. She eyed Sapphire. "And what happened to you, missy?"
"Uhm…" Sapphire had the best intentions when she said the next thing. "I'm…going to come and get it…later…so I don't carry it around and…and drop it." She looked around the shop for a change of subject. "Why's only James here?"
"The others are outside," Emma replied briefly. "Come on you, we're finding you something."
"Just pick anything," Sapphire said exasperatedly. She thrust her hand in and lifted out a random hanger. "Like…I dunno…this."
Lily stared at the dress for a moment. "It's pretty," she said, reaching out to touch it gently.
"What? I was only joking…" Sapphire looked at the dress she was holding. At first glance, it was nothing special. A simple dress of green satin, with slim straps and a body that pulled in at the waist and then flared out. Certainly nothing that was radically different to any of the other thousand and one dresses. But, as Lily held it up against herself, Sapphire realised why Lily was so captured by it. It was nothing special, but it suited her. Perfectly.
"It's lovely," Emma said. She circled the dress, and then turned over the price tag and winced. "As long as you're wiling to spend the rest of your life on the streets."
Lily looked at the price tag and shook her head. "I can't afford this." She looked wistful as she put it back on the rail. "It doesn't matter. I can transfigure my white dress and it'll look fine."
"So I'm the only one buying anything now?" Emma looked at their empty hands. "You two are hopeless."
She paid for her dress, and they exited the shop, dragging James away with them. Outside, having agreed to meet up again at the Three Broomsticks in an hour and a half, everyone went their separate ways to begin the arduous process of present-buying.
For Lily, the main problem was not what to get anyone, but how to get it without them seeing. She walked into the bookshop at least three times, only to see Remus, Sapphire, and – surprisingly enough – Sirius in the shop at different times. Peter was both the easiest and one of the hardest people to buy for. She had no idea what he would like, and wondered about it for a while before giving up and buying him a box of Honeydukes finest fudge. Sirius too, was a puzzle. Lily debated over chocolate (before remembering how hyper he got on sugar), a joke book (before deciding he didn't need any more cheesy jokes) and a prank handbook (before realising that a) he was dangerous enough without it, and b) he had probably done most of them already). Eventually however, she gave in to the inevitable and bought him something she knew she would regret later – a discount card which gave the owner a discount off any item bought in any joke shop, valid for a year.
Sapphire and Emma were relatively easy to shop for. She bought a set of three friendship necklaces, each with a third of a ring as the pendant – the idea, as the shopkeeper explained, was that rings went on forever, whereas hearts could be broken. Convinced, Lily paid and left the shop. As she came outside, she saw Emma leave the bookshop and darted across and in before anyone else could get there. Inside, she found the perfect present for Remus: 101 Things to Do When You're a Creature of the Night. The book was filled with humorous suggestions, and Lily thought it would definitely put a different spin on things for him.
Now there was only one person left. James. What on earth was she supposed to get him? After checking out the Quidditch shop and joke shop, she lost heart and wandered along aimlessly, hoping for inspiration as she window-shopped.
After a while, she looked up and realised that Sapphire was doing exactly the same thing across the street.
"Hey," she said, walking over. "How's it going?"
"Not so good," Sapphire said. "I've got one present left to buy, but I – I don't -"She stopped and bit her lip.
Lily eyed her friend. "What's up?" she asked.
Sapphire fiddled with her fingers, looking uncomfortable, for a moment. "It's – it's Black," she burst out. "I don't know if – should I even bother buying him anything?"
Lily looked at her friend for a long moment. "Well I don't know if I'm qualified to comment, seeing as I have that problem with someone else…but if you've bought everyone else something, then you should get him something too – I mean, whatever you think of him, it's not nice to be left out."
"Yeah, I guess," Sapphire mumbled. She stuffed her hands in her pockets. "So, who's your problem present person?"
"James," Lily muttered quietly. "I have no idea what to get him – or even what's appropriate to get him."
Sapphire looked thoughtful, but then shook her head. "Sorry, can't help you – I probably know less about it than you. How about…something from your past? A photo or something? Something to commemorate your time at Hogwarts?"
Lily's face lit up suddenly. "The past…that's it! Saffy, you're a genius!" She turned and walked off quickly, calling a "See you later!" over her shoulder.
Shrugging, Sapphire turned her attention to her own problems. Sighing, she pushed open the door of the shop she was outside, figuring that she was just as likely to get lucky here as anywhere else.
The shop was an assortment of various, random curios, and Sapphire wandered from one display to another. The owner came out from behind the cash desk: a tallish blonde witch in her early thirties, with about seven scarves of varying shades of purple draped around her neck.
"Can I help you?" she asked cheerfully.
"I…don't know," Sapphire answered vaguely. "I need to get a gift for someone…only I don't know what to get…or what's sort of…suitable."
"Ah, a difficult case, eh?" The witch winked. "Well, when I'm confused, I find there's only one way forward. Close your eyes, reach out, and pick. Let your heart guide you, not your eyes."
Sapphire shrugged again. "I'm so desperate I'll try anything." She shut her eyes, reached forward, and touched something that was cool and smooth beneath her fingertips. Opening her eyes, she saw a strange kind of crystal ball, with white fog swirling inside. Not bothered about what it was, she promised to read the leaflet, paid, and left the shop, hoping for a quick spell in Honeydukes before she met the others again.
-&-
James was the first person to arrive at the Three Broomsticks, having dodged Maddie and her requests – or rather, demands – for money for the third time. Wallet intact, he opened the door with his foot and walked in.
The warmth hit him at once, bringing life back to his hands and face, and over the sounds of cheerful students having a good day out, he looked around for any of his friends, determinedly ignoring the giggly waves of some sixth-year Gryffindors.
He didn't see anyone…but he did see something else. Tom was seated at the bar…but he wasn't alone. Serena was standing in front of him, hands on hips.
Carefully, James edged over to an empty booth and dumped his three bags on it, watching Tom and Serena out of the corner of his eye. For some reason, the sight was making him uneasy, even though Tom didn't seem the type to cheat on anyone.
It's not the 1800s, he reminded himself sternly. Boys are allowed to converse with more than one girl. Still, there was a gut feeling that he couldn't quite place…
As he pretended to busy himself with his bags, he saw Tom touch Serena lightly on the waist and say something. She laughed (almost snidely, James thought) and walked off, leaving Tom alone, idly playing with the handle of his tankard of Butterbeer.
Deciding that he couldn't play around with his bags any longer, James went up to the bar on the pretext of ordering a drink.
"Alright, Tom?" he asked, watching Madam Rosmerta get sidetracked by a demanding patron (who also appeared to be more than slightly drunk).
"Yeah. You?"
"Cold, but yeah, alright," James answered, leaning on the bar top.
"Been up to Christmas shopping?" Tom asked, nodding at the booth where his bags lay on the table.
"Yeah. Have you already got it done?"
"More or less." Tom grimaced. "It's just hard to find a present for Lily. It's our hundredth day anniversary on Christmas Day, so I have to get something special."
"How nice," James said blandly. "She hasn't mentioned it to any of us."
"Ah well." Tom gave him what James assumed to be a superior look. "Matters of a serious relationship, you know…no one likes to publicise these things."
James shrugged. "True," he said mildly. "Cheers, Rosie!" he called, as Rosmerta set his drink down and moved away, giving him a smile over her shoulder.
"So, any idea what I could get her? You know, since you're her friend and everything?" Despite his casual tone, James heard the slight inflection and grimaced inwardly.
You know, I really wasn't aware of our relationship to each other until you clarified it so well.
"No idea," he said, keeping his face carefully blank. "Sorry, can't help you very much."
"Yeah, I guess…since you're not really in the same position…" Now the look on his face was definitely smug.
"Mmhmm." The door swung open. "Oh, Sirius is here. See you later, Tom."
"Bye," came the reply.
There was still an air of uneasiness hanging over James as he made his way over, but as Sirius' dulcet tones broke across the pub to him, "Prongs! Whatcha get me?" he knew he would have to shelve his concerns for another day.
-&-
A/N: Sorry for ever-long delays between chapters - life seems to catch up with me very suddenly. Hopefully you all liked Deathly Hallows - definitely ended the series with a bang! Anyway, only one chapter more until the Ball and Drama with a capital D…
So, how about a review?