Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter or Harry Potter related copyrights.
"A bit windy, but sunny with lots of clouds, cool, but not cold, a perfect day for Quidditch!" announced team captain James Potter as he stood on the threshold of the Gryffindor changing room.
The team just groaned behind him.
"Bloody hell! It's bloody seven bloody a.m. bloody Potter!" groaned one of the beaters, a burly fourth year named Stan Dingup.
"The match doesn't start for hours," complained the other beater, a sixth year named Phil Rogers.
"And it's only Ravenclaw," the keeper, a fifth year named Laura Menges, pointed out.
"It's only Ravenclaw?" asked James theatrically. "Only Ravenclaw?! We didn't beat Slytherin with confidence; we used our skill and dedication…"
"As I recall," said one of James' fellow chasers, a sixth year named Ken Smithy. "Your dedication was severely lacking the two weeks before that particular match because you were in detention during every practice."
James' excited mood dampened immediately. He glared at Ken and said, "As I recall, I still managed to score seventy hundred points that game to your forty."
"Let's break it up fellas," said the final chaser, Sarah Davies, a talented fourth year. Everyone knew about the rivalry between James and Ken; they worked well together on the pitch for the sake of the team, but outside the game, they were the worst of enemies.
Begrudgingly the pair separated as the brave fourth year stepped in between them.
"Alright, anyways, I called you all here this early because I thought we could get one more practice in before the game. I had a dream last night about this amazing new plan and I think we should try it out," announced James.
The team groaned.
"James, we are the best team Hogwarts has seen in years. We will squash Ravenclaw and beat Slytherin again in April for the Quidditch Cup," Laura assured him.
"Yeah, can't we all get some sleep now and come back at ten?" asked the quiet seeker, a third year named Amy Cadals.
"No! Come on team, let's get out there!" said James trying to excite them.
"Will someone please go find Lily Evans? She'll distract him long enough for us to escape," commented Phil good-naturedly.
"You wish Phil," said James. "But I refuse to be distracted!"
"Look there she is!" shouted Stan as he pointed.
"Where?" asked James as he whirled around to see where Stan was pointing.
"My point has been proven," said Phil as the team laughed.
"Let's go people, now!" growled James who was angry that he had been so easily played.
Slowly the Quidditch team picked up their brooms and went onto the pitch. They all perked up once they were in the air however, and once James had taught them the play from his dreams, which was actually exceptional, they were totally pumped up for the game.
"Nice work guys!" said James as they all landed on the ground. "It's nine now, so I want you all to shower and go eat. I'll meet you back here at 10:30 to stretch and the match is at eleven."
The Gryffindors followed their captain's orders and by 10:45 they were all back in the changing room.
"Alright, I want everyone to stretch; in ten minutes we'll head onto the pitch and do that thing where we fly around the stands and everyone cheers for us," said James as he began to stretch.
"Aye aye captain!" said Stan and Phil in unison as they saluted him.
Eleven minutes later the team stood together in front of the door to the pitch muttering to themselves, rubbing their broomsticks, and shifting their weight uneasily. Even though it was "only Ravenclaw", all of the players had the same pre-game jitters that they had when they went up against Slytherin.
"Alright team," said James as he waited for his team to be called out onto the pitch. "We can do this. We are the best. So just go out there and play your hardest; do not show any mercy! Especially since if we lose I owe Sirius twenty galleons and I have to do anything he tells me to do for a day; now if I have to do such a horrible thing, know that I will schedule each and every practice at five a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings or on Friday and Saturday nights. So, unless you want to give up your social lives and your beauty sleep, I suggest that you kick some Ravenclaw ass!"
The team cheered. James' pep talks might be unusual, but they were highly effective.
A moment later, the Gryffindors were called out of their changing room. They mounted their brooms and circled the pitch, performing tricks for their adoring fans. Of course, James led this charge seeing as he now had someone very special to impress sitting in the stands.
"He's showing off for you, you know," said Sirius to Lily as James performed very difficult tricks on his broomstick.
"I know," said Lily as she grinned and blew a kiss to James.
Sirius looked over at Marlene, who was sitting next to him and rolled his eyes. Marlene smiled and squeezed Sirius' hand.
Finally both teams landed on the ground. James shook the hand of the Ravenclaw captain, a seventh year named Alan Rickman.
Then the referee, the Flying Instructor Madame Grenite, blew her whistle and threw the Quaffle up into the sky. The players all kicked off from the ground and the game began.
Three hours later, the game was still going on. The score was 220 to 190 with Gryffindor in the lead, but not by enough for James to feel comfortable. The Ravenclaw team was much better than he, or any of the other Gryffindors, had expected.
"Step it up a bit guys!" called James to his teammates, in what he hoped was a calm tone.
Stan and Phil waved their bats at him and then rushed off to hit the bludgers with renewed vigor. Sarah saluted him and then flew underneath the Ravenclaw chaser that was in possession of the Quaffle.
Recognizing the play she had set up, Ken dashed in front of the chaser and then circled him, making it extremely difficult for the poor guy to throw the Quaffle, or even fly straight. Eventually, the chaser tried to throw it and Ken expertly intercepted it. Then he dropped it to Sarah, who threw it to James who had pulled back.
James caught the ball and then rushed off to the Ravenclaw goalposts before any of the opposing chasers had a chance to even turn around. Unfortunately, James' shot was blocked by the Ravenclaw keeper.
James groaned and ran his hand through his hair; he was starting to get tired and he had a feeling that the rest of the team was too. He hoped that Amy caught the snitch soon.
The keeper threw the Quaffle to one of the chasers and James sped after her.
And so play continued for another hour, and the snitch still was no where in sight.
"I wonder how much longer this will go," said Lily absently as she watched the match intently.
"Not much longer I hope," said Marlene. "It's getting irritating just watching them go from one end to the other."
"They are pretty much evenly matched," commented Peter. "It's surprising."
"Who knew that any of those nerds actually did something other than read?" asked Sirius rhetorically.
"I wouldn't make fun of the Ravenclaws if I were you Sirius," said Lily with a smile. "Remus might just throw you off the edge of the stands."
"Why?" asked Sirius, totally clueless.
"Vicky was a Ravenclaw," Marlene stage-whispered to her boyfriend.
"Vicky…? Oh yeah, the Crazy spiky-headed rainbow-haired weird American chick," said Sirius with a chuckle.
"Now he's really going to throw you off the stands," said Peter with a grin.
"Crazy-headed rainbow what?" asked Lily.
"That's what James called her the first time he saw her," explained Sirius. "He was just having a bit of fun, but she took it rather badly… especially after he charmed a mound of green sludge to fall on her head; he said that she needed another color on her rainbow head."
"Oh so that's why she hates him with a passion," said Lily. "It's kind of strange that he doesn't learn from his mistakes."
"What do you mean?" asked Sirius.
Alice explained by saying, "Lily first started despising James when he called her 'Carrot Top' a few weeks into first year and then dipped the ends of her pigtail braids into his inkwells in every class he sat behind her in."
"Well, Lily it is fun to dip hair in ink and your hair kinda is the color of carrots…" said Sirius, defending his friend.
"That doesn't give anyone the right to call me 'Carrot Top'," said Lily stubbornly. "And I was really sensitive about my hair color back then. My sister Violet's red hair had darkened to a nice auburn by then, but mine was still the color of, well, carrots. And all of my friends and my other sisters had nice blonde hair or brown hair and I always stuck out."
"I've always wanted to be a red head," said Alice wistfully. "There are far too many blondes in this world."
"Too many brunettes too," said Marlene as she fingered her brown locks. "I'd like to stand out for once."
"It's bloody annoying," said Lily firmly.
"You know you love the attention," teased Marlene.
"I do not."
"You do too," said Alice with a grin. "You love it when guys notice you."
"Okay, moving onto some topic less girly and uncomfortable because you're talking about guys noticing my best mate's girlfriend," said Sirius. "How about Quidditch?"
"We've been watching Quidditch for like," Lily paused to look at her watch. "Four hours now. Let's talk about something else."
"How about that essay that McGonagall assigned? The one about what animagus you would be?" suggested Alice.
"Yeah, for once she actually assigned something kind of fun. I can't wait to do that spell on Monday to see what I would be. I think I would be a fox; the book I used for the essay said that foxes symbolize 'feminine magic, wildness, cunning and intelligence,' all of which describe me perfectly," finished Marlene with a smirk.
"What about you Alice?" asked Remus.
"I thought I would be a bear because I'm really protective of my friends and family and I would not hesitate to 'attack' if they were threatened. Also, according to Marlene's book, bears represent 'gentle strength and dreaming' both of which I think describe me," replied Alice. "What did you decide Remus?"
"Oh… I didn't pick anything yet," said Remus.
"I think you'd be a dog, maybe a nice golden retriever or something like that," said Alice as she looked at Remus intently. "You are a really loyal and faithful friend and you give good advice. The book said that dogs symbolize guidance."
"No fair, you just did Moony's essay for him, pick mine now," said Sirius pouting.
"You'd be a tiger," said Marlene definitely. "They are fierce, brave, strong and they live in the now, just like you. Oh and they are very passionate animals."
Sirius growled and swept Marlene up in a passionate kiss.
The other Gryffindors just rolled their eyes and turned back to their conversation.
"What about you Peter?" asked Alice. "Did you pick an animal yet?"
"Oh, uh, no, not yet. I'm such a procrastinator I probably won't even start the essay until Monday morning," he said nervously.
"Hmmm, I think you would be a wolf," said Alice.
Sirius, having heard this, detached himself from Marlene and snorted. "You think Peter would be the wolf?"
Alice and Marlene looked at Sirius strangely. Peter, Lily and Remus all glared at him.
"Yeah, why not?" asked Alice. "He's loyal, very stable, he perseveres and he always seems to outwit the Slytherins and teachers pretty easily. The book says all those things are represented by wolves. I think it suits him."
"I agree," said Lily. "I think Peter would make a good wolf."
"What about you Lily? I think you're the only one we haven't classified yet," said Remus.
"Lily won't tell us what she picked," interrupted Marlene. "But I think she would be a Phoenix; they are known for overcoming impossible odds, and rising again after terrible things happen."
"I disagree; I think she would be a rabbit. She thinks quickly, lets go of her fear in tough times, and she is humble and alert," said Alice.
"Hmmm, I think she would be an otter," said Remus. "I didn't pick anything yet, but I have done some research and the book I looked at said that otters represent grace, mischievousness, helpfulness, curiosity, adventure, and laughter."
"How about a horse? Remus was saying the other day that they symbolize freedom, swiftness, grace and dignity," said Peter.
While the others were talking about her, Lily watched the Quidditch game, especially James, intently, seeming as if she didn't even heard the comments of her friends. Sirius, however, was watching Lily during this time, and he saw that they meant a great deal to her. He also saw something else; he saw that there was a reason she was holding back in the conversation. She had a secret and he wanted to know what it was.
"I think she would be a bird," said Sirius as he still looked at Lily, trying to judge her reaction. She was startled. He went on, "I think that she wants to escape from certain parts of her life, she wants to be able to just fly away and leave everything behind. And sometimes she feels as if she is like a bird trapped in a cage; just there to be displayed and kept from doing what she is really meant to do. Isn't that right Lily?"
The other Gryffindor seventh years were torn between staring open-mouthed at Sirius, who was spouting deep philosophical sentiments, and Lily who was still avoiding all of their gazes.
"Look Amy's spotted the snitch," said Lily, who had a tough time keeping her voice even. Sirius' remarks had struck far too close to the truth.
Everyone stood up as the two seekers went after the snitch. It was close, but finally Amy caught it by jumping off of her broom. This was, of course, pre-planned. The team had gotten together at the beginning of the season and decided that if the race to the snitch was ever really close, that the team would surreptitiously gather under Amy and she should jump off of her broom and one of them would catch her. It is a tribute to Amy's faith in the team that she did just that, and her trust was not wasted; she was only ten meters below her broom when James grabbed her out of the air.
James seated her in front of him on his broom and then steered the two of them around the stands, Amy cheering and lifting the snitch high above her head.
Lily was the first one of the group to run out of the stands. Marlene, Peter and Alice attributed it to her wanting to congratulate James, but Remus and Sirius were more observant and they exchanged glances over the heads of Peter and Alice, each wondering why Lily was acting so strangely. With a nod they tacitly resolved to find out what was bothering her.
"Congratulations James!" shouted Lily as she pushed through the crowd to find him at the center.
"Lily!" said James as his face brightened up immediately. He took her in his arms and spun her around. "We won!"
"I know," she said grinning as he put her back on the ground. "You were brilliant!"
"Yeah we were," said James oh-so-modestly.
"I was talking about you," said Lily.
It didn't seem possible, but James' smile got bigger.
"I'm going to go shower and then I'll meet you back in the common room," said James as he slowly released Lily.
"I'll be there," promised Lily.
--
"They are so happy together," Marlene commented as she watched James and Lily over in a corner of the Gryffindor common room talking all by themselves while the rest of the common room celebrated the Quidditch victory.
"Two years ago he would have been in the center of that mob where Ken and Stan are," said Alice.
"And she would have been here talking with us," added Marlene.
"About how annoying he was no doubt," said Alice.
"Ummm."
"You and Sirius make a lovely couple too," Alice pointed out. "I do believe that you are his first official girlfriend. And when it comes to Sirius that certainly counts for something."
"I like him a lot; I really do. He makes me laugh and he carries my books and opens doors for me and walks me to my classes even though sometimes it means that he'll be late to his own class. We've only been dating a few days, but it's been so wonderful," said Marlene with a goofy grin on her face.
"I'm happy for you Marly, really I am," said Alice. "I just wish I had someone special like you and Lily do."
"Why don't you date Remus or Peter? That would be so convenient since they're all best friends and we're all best friends," suggested Marlene.
"For one, something like that would never happen; it's just too much of a coincidence. I think it's amazing that just you and Lily are dating guys who are best friends never mind adding me to the mix. And two, I don't like either of them as more than friends. And three, Remus is still pining after that Vicky girl, the American one who was locked up with Lily. Although he told me at the Quidditch match, when I asked about her, that they had lost touch. Peter then added that in her last letter she had written about a boyfriend and he was too crushed to write a reply and she hadn't written another letter," Alice confided in her gossip-loving friend.
"Poor Remus," said Marlene.
"Yeah, he seemed to really like her, and I thought she really liked him back. It seemed to me that he was the only one she really talked to or hung out with. She never sat with the Ravenclaw seventh year girls, or anyone else really, at meals," stated Alice.
"Well she didn't exactly fit their stereotype; the girl had different colored hair every other day."
"She did hang out in the library most of the time though."
"Only when she was with Remus."
Alice said, "I thought they kind of made a cute couple. She seemed so outlandish, even though she was so shy, and he is just such a normal, all-around great guy."
"You're right; I would have liked to see her bring out his wild side," Marlene told her first friend.
"Just like James has brought out Lily's?" questioned Alice.
"Oh, Lily had that wild streak long before James. She ran off on a trip throughout Europe all on her own; if that doesn't say wild and crazy I don't know what does," remarked Marlene.
Alice looked thoughtful for a moment and then tried to verbalize her thoughts, "I've been thinking about what Sirius said earlier today, about Lily being a bird that is trying to escape. I think he was right; I mean, she just up and left last summer, and she is always running as if she was trying to run away from something."
Marlene slowly said, "I agree. I think, well, with her past who wouldn't want to run away? I can understand why she feels so trapped too."
"Sometimes I wonder how she gets up in the morning," muttered Alice.
"Enough of this depressing stuff! More gossiping! Now what have you heard about the breakup of Jillian Hendert and Mark Laflam? From what I have heard it was rather public, but I missed it," said Marlene downheartedly.
"Well, I got a front row seat," said Alice with a mischievous smile. "Let me tell you all about it…"