Chapter 27: That's a First
"Just think about it! A year from now, we'll all be leaving. Into the real world! It's scary…but exciting at the same time!" Marlene told us all. It was breakfast, our last one before we went home for the holidays. Sirius, James, Peter, Remus, and Alex were with us, too.
"No! No! No! No! I don't want to think about that!" Sirius yelled, spraying me and James with food in the process.
"Sirius, that's gross!" I said, wiping his spit off my face.
"Doesn't matter. Today, we'll have fun. We can remember all the sentimental crap next year, when we're actually leaving, okay?" He told us all. We nodded, and he sat back down. "Good." An awkward silence came over us. We all stared at each other. "Okay, this is boring!" Sirius yelled and pouted. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, then what do you want to do, Padfoot?" Peter asked. Sirius thought for a moment.
"Well, we've thought of the you-know-what…" He told Remus, James, and Peter, obviously trying to keep in secretive.
"Sirius, we," I gestured Alex, Marlene, and myself, "Know what you're talking about. The end-of-year-"
"DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD!" Sirius yelled, looking around worriedly.
"Calm down! Everyone know about this! We've done it for the last five years!" James reminded him, putting and arm around my waist. I moved closer and smiled up at him. He kissed my forehead and returned his attention towards his food again.
"Hi, Lily!" A voice said from behind me. I twisted my head around to see who it was. Amelia Bones, the head girl, was standing behind me. I got up from the seat.
"Hi, Amelia." I replied.
"Can I talk to you outside?" She asked, pointing her thumb towards the doors.
"Okay." I agreed, and looked down at James, so he knew where he was going. He smiled at me. Amelia and I walked out the Great Hall and stopped right outside of the doors.
"Now, you probably know what I want to talk to you about." She started. I tilted my head. I did? I shook my head.
"Honestly, I don't." I told her, shrugging my shoulders. Now, she looked confused.
"Oh, well, I would've thought, with me and Diggory leaving, someone would've told you…" She said. So this was about Head business. What did this have to do with me? Unless…was it possible? I felt a little glimmer of hope. Maybe she was about to tell me I was going to be Head Girl? But, that would be wishful thinking. There were plenty of girls in our year who were equally qualified. It wasn't a requirement to be a prefect before being a Head. It was just how things worked out. I would know, since I looked through these rules when I felt, in fourth year, that I may not be prefect.
"So, I was prepared to tell you something else, but I first, I should probably tell you that you've been made Head Girl." She told me. I grinned.
"Really? That's great!" I shrieked. Finally! What I've been working for since 1st year! Amelia laughed.
"Yeah, I don't see how you didn't see that coming. Dumbledore told me he had you for Head Girl since your 4th year!" She smiled. "So, I was going to say, well, good luck next year, first of all. Second, I have no idea who the Head Boy is, but there's a possibility it might be Potter," She winked and I blushed, "So keep your fingers crossed for that. And if it's anyone but Potter, he might murder them, because you're going to share a dorm with the Head Boy next year. It's something relatively new that they set up. It's really nice, like the Gryffindor tower, just smaller." She smiled, probably thinking of the memories in there. Then her face fell. "But on a more solemn note, next year, it'll be worse. Everything. You-Know-Who's power is steadily rising, Lily. People are getting scared. Many muggleborns aren't even coming back next year. Everyone in Hogwarts is worried about their relatives. And you're not only Head Girl because you're a good leader and you're smart. It's also because you're a good fighter. You stand up to Slytherins when they say bad things to you. You're a role model, Lily. And people are going to respect that. They're going to follow your example, and you're easily the best one out there." She told me encouragingly. I gave her a weak smile. That was a lot to think about.
"Thanks, Amelia." I replied earnestly. It was nice to have a good warning about this stuff. She put a hand on my shoulder.
"You'll be great, Lily, I just know it!" She smiled.
"Thanks." I felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation for next year bubble up inside me.
"Uh, Amelia, if you're done, Dumbledore wanted to talk to you about something." Diggory said apprehensively, coming up from behind me. I almost laughed. We haven't spoken since that incident in the beginning of the year with James. Amelia left us in the Hall with a final wave. I was about to leave, too, but Diggory looked like he wanted to say something. "I-"
"WOAH!" James yelled. I looked over to him. He, Remus, Peter, Sirius, Marlene, and Alex seemed to be finished with breakfast. He strode over to us, anger clear on his face. "Where's Bones!" He demanded. Sirius snickered.
"Cool it, Prongs." He laughed.
"Oh, Merlin. I didn't take my pills this morning. I don't have the patience for jealous James!" Peter whined. Remus and Sirius laughed harder, which sent Marlene and Alex into an uncontrollable laughter, too. I rolled my eyes at them. James glared at them.
"Amelia just left because Diggory told her that Dumbledore needed to talk to her about something." I assured him. Diggory nodded vigorously. He was still afraid of James, especially after the Quidditch match, Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor won by over 200 points. James narrowed his eyes at Diggory.
"A likely story. It was obviously just a ploy to get rid of Bones!" He told us all. Remus, Sirius, and Peter were on the ground because they were laughing so hard, and Marlene and Alex were clutching their stomachs, trying to contain their laughs. I was trying to hold it in, but failing, because a few giggles escaped my mouth. Diggory was just standing around awkwardly. "What are you all laughing at!" He demanded, which sent us all into complete laughter.
"We're laughing at you, James!" I told him, trying to regain my composure.
"WHY?" He demanded once more, making Diggory quiver a little.
"Because!" Marlene laughed, but was unable to continue.
"He has a girlfriend!" I finished, going into another fit of laughter. I could see James redden.
"What? When did this happen!" James asked, looking at Diggory questioningly. James was turning redder by the second. No one answered. "Oh, stop laughing!" He snapped, clearly embarrassed. It was a few seconds before I managed to contain myself again. "When did this happen?" He asked again, now looking at me. I smiled and held his hand.
"Last week, how did you not hear?" I asked. Sirius came up from behind us and lifted mine and James' entwined hands up.
"Because of this." He said, pointing down at our hands. James turned even redder.
"Anyway," I said, turning to Diggory, since he was feeling a bit awkward.
"Oh, guys?" Peter called out.
"We're going to be outside." Alex said.
"By the lake!" Marlene added.
"Okay!" James and I replied. I looked at Remus, and tried to gesture him with my eyes to take Sirius with them. He nodded.
"Padfoot, you're coming with us!" Remus told him, dragging him away by the arm.
"But-" Sirius tired to object, but Remus just dragged him away more forcefully.
"James, isn't there something you need to say?" I asked, turning to him expectantly.
"Yes, and that is that I must go with my friends. We all know they're going to kill themselves without me there!" He told me, making a weak attempt to escape. I glared at him. "But…" He tried to object. I glared at him more. "But…" He tried objecting again. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fine…" he whimpered. He took a breath.
"Come on James, you're making this more dramatic than it has to be." I told him impatiently, longing to be outside.
"I'm sorry." He grumbled. I raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't quite hear you…what was that?" I asked.
"I'." He repeated, this time, louder, and looking Diggory in the eyes.
"Er…it's fine." Diggory replied, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. James nodded in acknowledgment. "Lily, I know you'll do great next year…so…uh, bye, I guess?" He said, sticking his hand out. James looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it. Wise idea. I shook his hand, and he left with a final wave.
"What did he mean by you'll do great next year?" James asked. I smiled evilly. He looked at me. "You're Head Girl next year, aren't you?" He guessed. I nodded. His face split into a wide grin. He took my in his arms, lifted me up and spun me around. "Congrats!" I laughed.
"James," I squealed, "Put me-" He cut me off by kissing me, while he was still holding me up. I shrugged it off, and instead wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
"GET A BROOM CLOSET!" A voice yelled, followed by a chorus of laughter. At first, I thought it was Sirius, then I mentally reprimanded myself. Black. Well, the other one. James and I broke apart and he put me down, arm still around my waist. We both landed our gaze on the origin of the voice. I was right. It was Black, Avery, and Snape. James rolled his eyes. They haven't left him alone since their win during the Quidditch Cup.
"Good morning!" James smiled cheerfully. I smiled and bit back laughter and their confused expressions. James side-glanced at me before continuing. "How did you sleep last night?" He asked politely. They looked at each other, wondering where he was going with this. Of course, I knew where he was going. Before they could retort, James continued. "Have any nightmares…girls dumping you, parents yelling at you, You-Know-Who took away your Mark, Dumbledore was named Minister, or, oh, this one's probably the worst: you got placed in Hufflepuff!" James counted off. They looked absolutely livid by now.
"You can make fun of us all you want, it won't do anything! We still won the Quidditch Cup!" Avery retorted, finally speaking up. I rolled my eyes.
"Please," James scoffed, "You can't hold our loss over our heads forever! Just until next year. When we beat you!" The three of them just laughed. This was getting boring. They were only talking. Oh my Merlin, I did not just think that, did I? Sirius was having a bad influence on me. Finally, they changed the subject to their favorite topic: Me.
"And you two, how long's it been, a year?" Black asked.
"Yes, the day after tomorrow, actually. Very polite of you to ask." James replied promptly. It only struck me now how ironic and sarcastic this conversation was. But yes, the day after tomorrow was our one-year anniversary. We were lucky enough to have it outside of school. James wanted to actually take me out. To a decent restaurant and everything. I glanced at Snape, and realized. Tomorrow was the one-year anniversary of our friendship crumbling.
"Surprised you managed to keep each other around, the both of you." Snape started furiously. "You," He gestured towards me, "This one has a big head, and you," He gestured to James and I knew what was coming before he said it, "This one's a mudblood. I really don't get it. How about you two?" He asked Avery and Black. They just snickered.
"Don't call her that!" James barked. I had the craziest sensation of wanting to laugh. Sirius was definitely being a bad influence on me.
"What are you going to do about that?" Snape asked challengingly. I decided it was time to push my new Sirius-ness out of my mind.
"Nothing. Neither of you will do anything." I told them firmly, sending warning glances in both directions.
"But Lily-flower, this was just getting interesting!" Sirius whined, coming out of no where. I blinked a few times to make sure he was really there, and not just a figment of my imagination, bring Sirius back.
"Oh man, you really are back! Just leave!" I told him, and only when it left my mouth did I realize just how crazy that sounded. I blushed. James and Sirius raised identical eyebrows at me.
"Mudblood's gone crazy!" Avery muttered to Regulus.
"SHUT UP!" James and Sirius yelled in unison. They brought their wands out a pointed it at Avery.
"Braver now that the blood-traitor's here, aren't you?" Snape sneered.
"Please! Like you would've said anything if these two weren't here!" James replied, equally nastily.
"Yes, none of us would've done anything if the other two hadn't been here. Now that we've established that, why don't we not attack each other?" I suggested, hoping it came out bolder than it sounded in my head.
"Aw, do we have to? I just got here!" Sirius whined.
"Trust me; you've been here much longer than that!" I muttered, but apparently louder than I thought, since I had five pairs of eyes looking at me quizzically.
"What?" James clarified. "Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?" He asked, putting a hand to my forehead. I rolled my eyes, took his hand off my forehead, and held it in mine.
"I'm not feeling sick. It's just that I've been thinking like him," I said, gesturing to Sirius, "Since this morning. It's driving me crazy."
"I tend to do that to the female population!" Sirius grinned and winked at me.
"Yeah, female population minus Lily." James told him protectively.
"Oh yeah? Then why'd she blush?" Sirius challenged. I could feel all five of their gazes on me. James inspected my cheeks, causing me to turn even redder.
"No! Me looking at her made her blush, obviously!" James told him. Sirius snorted.
"Please! You with your geek glasses and your mediocre hair! I made her blush!" Sirius told him defiantly. James shook his head.
"I'm going out with her. Obviously, it was me!" He argued back.
"Now guys, I'd honestly love to sit here, and watch you argue about who made me blush, but this is our last day here. That's not happening. Maybe some other day, okay?" I promised. "Now why don't we leave?" I suggested. They looked at each other and nodded.
"Sure." They replied in unison. We turned around and were about to leave, but the Slytherins seemed disappointed that their entertainment was going.
"Where d'you think you're going?" Avery sneered. Sirius turned around.
"We're leaving?" He told them, tilting his head a little.
"Oh, no you're not." He told us, taking a step forward. I rolled my eyes.
"Shut up!" I snapped. I took James' hand, and dragged Sirius away from them.
"Don't tell me what to do, Mudblood!" Avery screamed after us. I stopped in my tracks. James gave me a concerned look. I turned around, quickly making sure no teachers were around. I pulled out my wand and pointed it at him.
"Silencio!" I said, and the silencing spell hit him. His nostrils flared and he was turning redder with anger by the second. I rolled my eyes and left with Sirius in James staring after me in shock.
"That." James started, catching up to me.
"Was awesome!" Sirius yelled appreciatively.
"Don't get used to it. Starting next year, I'm going to be Head Girl." I told him, leading them outside. "I can't go around doing that."
"You can take off points, though!" Sirius said excitedly.
"I can do that now…remember, prefect?" I reminded him.
"Then why don't you use the power?" Sirius asked. I rolled my eyes.
"They'll fall out of your head one day…" I heard James mutter.
"Shut up." I said, hitting his chest. He caught my hand and kissed it.
"I love you." He said, gazing into my eyes in the way that made me melt.
"I love you, too." I replied, hoping it sounded more coherent than I thought it did.
"Guys…you're making me sick. Your anniversary is in two days. Save it?" Sirius begged. James and I laughed.
"Okay, okay." We said together. Sirius looked at us weird.
"You guys are doing that way too often." He muttered. He shook his head and continued walking towards the tree where Remus and Peter were.
"Doing what?" James and I asked simultaneously. "Oh. That!" We said together, again. The three of us burst out laughing, causing Remus and Peter to stare at us in confusion as we approached them.
"Should I ask?" Remus asked cautiously.
"Oh it's nothing, just Lily-flower and Prongs happen to be able to read each other's minds and say things at the same time." Sirius replied. "Soon they'll be finishing each other's sentences!"
"Good. Maybe some sense'll actually come out of his mouth!" Remus replied, actually looking kind of relieved.
"Or maybe Lily will start to talk like Prongs!" Peter countered, and Sirius nodded in agreement.
"Not in this lifetime!" I scoffed.
"Hey! Nothing bad comes out of my mouth!" James protested. The other three Marauders burst out laughing.
"Prongs, since we met you all those years ago, this is the break down of whatever comes out of your mouth: 50% Lily, 30% Quidditch, 15% pranks, 5 % other." Sirius counted off.
"And that other usually revolves around Slytherins and Professor McGonagall. Rarely class work." Remus clarified. I laughed.
"HEY! Prongs, Minnie is mine!" Sirius said. James just ignored him.
"I don't talk that much about Lily!" James said defensively. The other three Marauders burst out laughing again, but this time, Peter and Sirius were completely doubled over and Remus was crying. James glared at them in annoyance as he turned redder. "I don't!" He insisted, but that just caused them to laugh even more. He turned to me. "I seriously don't."
"Your red face does not concur with that statement." I told him, before bursting out into laughter myself.
"Guys, seriously? It's been like hours and you're still laughing about that?" James pouted. We were at the end-of-term feast. And yes, Remus, Peter, Sirius and I still burst out into random laughter over it.
"But it's so funny!" Sirius cried for the fifth time today. I stopped laughing enough to face him.
"It's okay…I think it's cute." I smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
"FINALLY!" Marlene yelled out. "Someone who calmed down enough to tell us," She gestured to herself and Alex, "why you're laughing!" She said in relief. The other three Marauders and I tried to tell her, but ended up laughing too much to finish.
"Okay, I'm going to try not to laugh this time. So Sirius said that 50% of what comes out of James' mouth is something about me, 30% is about Quidditch, 15% is pranks, and 5% is other. And then James was like, 'oh I don't talk about Lily that much!'" I let out a small giggle, "and then those three burst out laughing," I gestured to Remus, Peter, and Sirius, who managed to stop laughing for long enough to listen, "and then he started to turn really red." I finished. Marlene just stared between me, Remus, Sirius, and Peter.
"Right." She said, still not understanding.
"You had to be there." Sirius said, puffing out his chest.
"Dumbledore just drank his pumpkin juice. We should start." Peter said suddenly. They looked at each other and nodded. Sirius was fishing in his pockets. He glanced in my direction and tilted his head. James looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his head. Sirius crinkled his nose and bit his lip, but nodded.
"What just happened?" Marlene whispered to me.
"I think Sirius was nervous that we'd see the prank and then James decided it'd be fine since we'll end up seeing anyway, and then Sirius just agreed." I whispered back. She raised her eyebrow in amusement.
"You know them way too well." She shook her head.
"Yes, that was a perfect distraction, nice Marlene!" James smiled. I turned back around to face the Marauders and they were wearing identical smirks.
"You're welcome? Why don't you just get on with it? Dumbledore's patiently waiting." Marlene told them, jerking her thumb in Dumbledore's direction. He was happily looking towards the Marauders as she mentioned.
"1…2…3…NOW!" James whispered to the other three. At the 'NOW', they raised their wands above their heads and pointed them above the ceiling. Remus was making weird swishy movements while talking quickly under his breath, Sirius and Peter were moving their wands in straight lines while muttering other things under his breath and James was shooting spells all over the place. Soon, ribbons covered the entire area above the Great Hall, though not quite reaching the ceiling. The ones near the Slytherin table were black, the ones near the Hufflepuffs were Yellow, the Ravenclaws blue and the Gryffindors Red. Along the ribbons were words like 'Marauders rule' and 'Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail'. This wasn't much of a prank, rather a decoration.
But then, I realized the real reason for the ribbons. They were a distraction. Suddenly, the treacle tart on every table came alive…even the ones on the staff table. At the Slytherin table, they were being rather nasty, throwing themselves at the students and biting the students' ears. At the Staff Table, where most teachers were trying to catch the Treacle Tart, they were teasingly running around. There was one that approached Dumbledore, and promptly threw itself in his face. I looked behind me towards James, and I saw them nod at once. With a few swishes of their wands, everything disappeared and the entire Great Hall went silent. There was a loud BANG and above us formed the words, "Presented to you by the Marauders: Moony, Prongs, Wormtail, and Padfoot." There was a stag, a rat, a wolf, and a dog next to each of their names. On top of the stag was a lily. I turned to James and smiled. He gave me a quick kiss on the lips before waving his wand over his head, along with the other three, and making the words and animals disappear.
"Yes, once again, thank you gentlemen for that wonderful display of Magic!" Dumbledore started, and the Great Hall burst into applause. Once it died down, it continued. "Now, the house cup." The torches automatically dimmed. "In fourth place, Hufflepuff with 300 points!" There was little applause. "In third, Ravenclaw with 350 points!" A few more people politely clapped. "In second place, Slytherin with 430 points!" The Slytherins didn't look very happy, but clapped nonetheless, "And finally, for the first time in 5 house cups, Gryffindor in first, with 440 points!" Dumbledore finished, with most Gryffindors screaming and hugging their friends.
"We couldn't have done it without you, mate." Sirius said, clapping James on the back. "It was all of the Quidditch Cup points." James smiled.
"And before I let you all go, I'd like to say goodbye to our Seventh Years," I felt a weird sensation in my stomach, knowing that would be me next year, "And our Head Boy and Head Girl, Amos Diggory and Amelia Bones, thank you for your service here!" Dumbledore said, looking at the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables respectively. "And finally," Dumbledore started, and immediately, everyone got quiet because of his unusually grave tone. I knew what was coming. "I warn you all, that darkness is coming ahead. Be careful."
A/N: I hope you guys liked that chapter!
I apologize for any spelling/grammar/etc. mistakes in this one. I can't seem to read well at all today and there might have been a few mistakes I missed.
Thank you to all of you who've been reviewing/favoriting/alerting! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! :D
Until next friday,
Love,
SAM :)