Chapter 36: On the Road
The winter weather was starting to settle in, and I had to get up to shut my window. I spotted James doing his pre-match routine outside. Yes, today was the Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor match. This year, the Gryffindor team was on fire, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that we were going to win the House Cup. I sat down in front my homework, and just sat there, not wanting to start it again. I needed a break.
The week after the funeral was a lot better than the days before. I felt better, and consequently, so did everyone else around me. I still missed my parents, but there was nothing much I could do. I spent the week after the funeral catching up on homework, and getting missed lessons from my friends, who'd been dutifully attending the classes, so I could get the work. I talked with the professors, and by the end of that week, I was all caught up, so I was back in class fairly quickly.
The entire school had pretty much figured it all out. We didn't know who leaked the information, but I really didn't care that much. The week I came back into school, people were offering condolences, and I was flattered that people were genuinely sorry for me. I didn't really want their pity, but knowing they cared just made it better. The Slytherins really never bothered us for a while, once again, a reason unknown. But James seems to have a fair idea why, because he gets this knowing look in his eyes whenever he sees Snape. I didn't want to question the look…he'd tell me if he thought it was important enough.
And then there's Snape. He's been giving me weird looks lately. I don't know what it is, but ever since I hung him by an ankle and literally broke down in tears right in front of him, he's been giving me these weird looks and I didn't know why. I didn't really talk to James about it, but I had the feeling he'd picked up on them anyway. These weird looks were indescribable. I couldn't even read them anymore, because he'd become a totally different person. He seems more closed up than ever.
A knock came at my door.
"Hey, Lily, are you ready to go?" Marlene asked, poking her head into my room. I nodded and quickly brushed my hair.
"Yeah, I'm good now, let's go." I said, following her down the stairs.
"Alex and the rest of the Marauders are outside the Portrait." She told me.
"I'm glad you didn't tell them the password." I sighed in relief. She gave me a small smile.
"Lil, they already know the password." She told me, shaking her head slightly. I crinkled my nose.
"I'll talk to James about changing it later, then." I frowned. We went through the portrait hole, and just as she said, Alex, Remus, Peter, and Sirius were outside, talking.
"Hufflepuff's going to lose by at least 200, guaranteed." Alex said.
"Oh definitely, they haven't been doing so well recently, and with Gryffindor in better shape than it's been all year, they're no match for us." Remus added.
"I don't even think they'll be getting too many goals in, I say three at the most." Sirius said, and the other boys nodded in agreement.
"Can we take this fascinating discussion to the match, please?" Marlene asked, rolling her eyes. Out of all of us, she was the only one who didn't follow Quidditch religiously.
"Actually, the Hufflepuffs know how to change their game based on the players' strengths. Their plays are really flexible like that. This match won't difficult for Gryffindor, but they can't just sit back, either. Especially since the Hufflepuffs have the best keeper." I told them. Marlene sighed loudly.
"Not you, too." She groaned.
"Lily-flower's always been a Quidditch follower." Sirius smirked. "I mean, I'm sure you love Prongs' toned body, huh?" I turned red.
"I'm sure you enjoy it more, Sirius." I told him, raising my eyebrow.
"Uh, guys. Is there something you need to tell us?" Peter asked, wearing an amused smirk.
"Yes, Sirius and James are gay. They are moving to South America to start a new life." I told him, miraculously keeping my face straight. Sirius sighed dramatically.
"You caught us! I'm sorry, Moony, I can't keep this in much longer! I love you, but I love James so much more! He always gives me what I want! I'm sorry Lily-flower, I'm sorry for stripping you of Prongsie! Our forbidden love is too much to ignore! Please forgive us!" He announced loudly, falling to my feet and grabbing on to my leg. I giggled.
"Sirius, get up, the match is about to start!" I told him, rolling my eyes just the slightest. Remus and Peter exchanged a wary glance.
"Remus, aren't you commentating again? Aren't you supposed to be down there already?" Alex said randomly, turning to Remus. Remus slapped a hand to his forehead.
"Oh man, I can't believe I forgot!" He shouted in disbelief. "McGonagall's going to have my neck!" He raced downstairs and out of sight.
"Well, now it's just us five!" Sirius said cheerily. Alex and Marlene exchanged a glance and looked back at Sirius.
"Actually…" Marlene started. I groaned.
"Don't leave me with these two!" I begged. She gave me a sheepish smile.
"Sorry, Lily, but after the last time…" She glanced at Sirius. "Never again." She said before leaving with Alex. They waved a goodbye.
"Now I'm stuck with you two." I muttered dejectedly.
"Lily, you sound so disappointed!" Peter said, smiling mischievously.
"Yeah Lily-flower, you should be happy! Come, come!" Sirius gave me a smile identical to Peter's and linked his arms with mine and Peter's. I groaned again. "Please, please, save those noises when you're with Prongs." Sirius said. I kicked him. We made our way down stairs, all while Sirius was humming some song. Then, he seemed to decide humming wasn't enough. "We are the champions, my friend! We'll keep on fighting til the end! We are the champions, no time for losers, we are the champions-"
"Sirius!" I barked.
"It's a good song!" He defended.
"Yes, yes, as much of a decent singer you are, there have been too many songs." I reprimanded him.
"Yeah, you started singing that wizard muggle song on the way to Dumbledore's office again!" Peter pointed out.
"And McGonagall caught you, and yelled at you!" I reminded him. "Honestly, singing the Wizard of Oz on the way to see Dumbledore…" I muttered, shaking my head. "Why didn't I think of that?" I wondered. Sirius smirked.
"Because I've got a lot up here!" He said proudly, tapping his head.
"By 'a lot', I think you mean a lot of empty space." Peter muttered. I laughed.
"Why are you all against me?" Sirius sighed dramatically. I hit him on the upside of the head, but then regretted it, because he yelled, "ABUSE!" causing many heads to turn. It seemed to happen much too often when he was around.
"Oh, be quiet! You're so dramatic!" I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.
"No! Don't break the chain!" Sirius yelled in horror. I rolled my eyes. We walked the rest of the way in near silence, since Sirius kept humming different songs.
"Welcome to the Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor match!" Remus started, and I was just grateful Sirius decided to keep quiet, and actually listen for once. We were going to sit next to the Hufflepuffs originally, but they kicked us out since we were Gryffindors. We debated sitting with the Ravenclaws, but we figured they wouldn't be as interested in the match. We didn't even consider the Slytherins, so that left us with our own house. We found Marlene and Alex, who were nice enough to save us some room even though Marlene wasn't too keen on it. "And the match begins!" Remus called out. "Chaser Potter takes the Quaffle, weaves through Hufflepuff chasers, dodges Bludger, passes to another Gryffindor chaser….and GOAL!" Remus yelled. All the Gryffindors started cheering. "Score's 10-0 Gryffindor, and we're not even three minutes into the game. It seems as though this match will be in Gryffindor's favor!"
"This is great. We're definitely going to win Quidditch cup this year!" Marlene said happily.
"And with these four," I pointed to Sirius and Peter, "in check this year, we'll probably get the House Cup, too!" I smiled.
"Pretty nice way to leave the school, huh?" Marlene said with a nostalgic smile. I didn't really want to think about that. The thought of leaving the school kind of scared me. I've been through so much with this school; I honestly didn't want my days here to end. And truthfully, I was kind of scared of what was out there. Being in the real world, during an almost full-fledged war! Inside Hogwarts, we were safe.
"Wow, and the score's already 30-all!" Remus yelled, bring me out of my reverie. "This is one of the most fast-paced matches we've seen this year!" It was true, the match was moving along quickly. And it was crazy how many goals were already scored. "Oh wow, is that the Gryffindor seeker going for the Snitch already?" Remus yelled in disbelief. I quickly located John flying towards the Hufflepuff Goals. The Hufflepuff seeker was on the complete other side of the pitch. There was no way she was going to get there first. The snitch moved up, and John followed it. It kept travelling up, and up, and he kept extending his arm. He leaned forward just a bit more, and his broom went just a little bit forward, and the Snitch was in his hand! "The Gryffindor seeker caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins! 180-30! This puts Gryffindor in a great position, for the Quidditch cup and the House cup!" Remus yelled appreciatively. Marlene and Sirius both cheered, and hugged me. Marlene immediately pulled away, realizing Sirius was there, but Sirius picked me up.
"We won!" He said happily. I rolled my eyes.
"Good job, Sherlock. Now put me down!" He put me down and looked at me confused. Alex, Marlene and Peter's expressions were just as confused. "You know Muggle songs, but you don't know Muggle literature?" I asked Sirius. Peter laughed.
"Padfoot…and books…yeah right!" He said. Sirius pouted. I rolled my eyes.
"You can't win here, you know it's true!" I told him, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm going to go find James." I announced. I quickly weaved through the people, who were too busy talking with their friends to notice me bumping into them. I quickly walked off the area, and back near the school where the locker rooms were. I threw open the door and walked in. James was right there. And without a shirt. I gulped. My eyes raked over his toned chest and stomach. Yes, I do love Quidditch very much. James looked up.
"Oh, hi Lily. Didn't see you there!" He said, giving me a big smile. He walked over to me, looking absolutely like a God, and hugged me. He forgot he didn't have a shirt on. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I wasn't complaining.
"You guys did well today. Congratulations!" I replied, struggling a bit to keep my eyes locked with his.
"Thanks." He was still grinning as broadly as ever. I found it hard to concentrate on him, when every part of my upper body was pressed against his bare chest. I couldn't stand this much longer.
"James?" I asked quietly. He raised an eyebrow. "Can you please put on a shirt?" He laughed.
"Am I making you nervous?" He asked with a cheeky grin. I didn't answer; only started to turn red. He pushed me up against the closest wall. "I don't think you want that." He smirked. I had to stop myself from shaking my head.
"Someone's going to see us." I muttered, running a hand through his hair.
"Nope. Everyone left. I gave my after-match talk, and they all immediately left. I stayed back to take a quick shower." He smiled. Well, in that case…
I put my lips to his and he wasted no time in getting his tongue in my mouth. My hands moved down from his hair to his neck. His hands, too, traveled lower, down to the hem of my shirt. My hands moved down to his bare shoulders, and roamed around that area. He hands slipped under my shirt and he put them around my bare skin, and backed me farther into the wall. He started kissing down my neck. I let out a soft moan when he hit a particularly sensitive spot.
"You know, it's definitely not fair that I keep my shirt on while yours is off." I told him, giving him a mischievous smile. He looked up at me, obviously very surprised.
"Are you sure?" He asked. His fingers were moving around slowly around my stomach area. I smirked at him again.
"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have said anything." I assured him. That seemed to be all he needed. In one swift movement, my shirt was off and on the ground. It was like a feeling I'd never experienced before. His warm, strong body was pressed against mine, and his arms were wrapped around me, his scent completely enveloping me. His warm breath tickled me as he kissed my neck for a little bit before returning to my mouth. I slid my hands down to his chest and he let out a low, guttural moan. He pulled away quickly.
"Lily Evans," He said, completely breathless, "you're going to kill me one day." He muttered. "We need to stop now, though. Otherwise I won't be able to." His eyes looked over my body a few times, and I felt myself go red, suddenly a little self-conscience.
"Have I ever told you how much I love Quidditch?" I asked him seductively, now looking over his body. He shook his head mutely, and his eyes momentarily glazed over. I grinned mischievously again.
"Like I said, one day, you will be the death of me." He muttered as he bent down to pick up my shirt on the ground and handed it to me. It was kind of wet.
"How'd it get wet?" I asked him.
"The ground's wet. I just took a shower, remember? The water must've splashed every where as I got out." He decided. I was about to put it on anyway, but he stopped me. "No, it's cold outside! You're going to get sick!" He walked over to his bag, and pulled out one of his own shirts and threw it at me. I caught it, and looked at it. It was the blue shirt I bought him for Christmas last year. I looked back at him. He rolled his eyes. "It's not going to bite. It is the one you bought me!" He reminded me.
"Oh, I know." I muttered, putting it on, as he put on a shirt himself.
"Don't get me wrong, I like that shirt, but honestly, it looks better on you." He said, running a hand through his hair. I rolled my eyes.
"Thanks. Now come on, pack up your stuff. We should get going. The others will probably wonder where we are." I told him with a small eye roll. He packed up the rest of his stuff, my shirt included, and put it in his bag. He put the bag on his shoulder, and held my hand as we walked out. We walked across the lawn to get to the other side of the school. In a quick motion, James removed his hand from mine, and then quickly put it around my shoulder, pulling me closer to his side. I gave him a confused look, but he wasn't looking at me. He was glaring at something ahead. I followed his line of sight and inwardly groaned. It was a few Slytherins: Snape, Avery, and Crabbe. We met in the middle, and everyone looked really mad. Well, except for me. I probably looked really confused. For a few seconds it seemed as though nothing would happen, but I saw Snape's hand twitch towards his pocket. Within a blink of an eye, Snape, James and I had our wands out and pointed at each other.
"You bastard." Snape muttered, keeping his eyes on James. James' nostrils flared, and I had the feeling that the only thing holding him back was the fact that he was Head Boy. I lowered my wand, and more forcibly, James'.
"Put your wand down." I told Snape forcefully, while still trying to force James' hand down. I glanced back at James, and gave him a warning look.
"You can't tell me what to do!" Snape snarled.
"On the contrary! I have authority over you, and therefore can tell you what to do. Now put your wand down before I take off points or give you a detention." I threatened. He flicked his wand, and before I could do anything, James was thrown off his feet and flew backwards. "Idiots!" I muttered under my breath. I looked behind me to make sure James was fine. He just seemed to be knocked off his feet. "Twenty points off Slytherin for attacking the Head Boy! And I think another detention, since you are a prefect!" I yelled at him. Snape merely glared. James appeared by my side again. "Are you okay?" I asked him quietly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He murmured back. I took James' hand and walked around them. When I turned back around, they were walking in the direction opposite from us.
"They honestly just can't leave us alone, can they?" I vented angrily.
"Don't let it get you." He said, rubbing my back encouragingly.
"Oh man!" I stopped abruptly. James gave me a confused look.
"Today's the first Slug Club party!" I said, slapping my palm to my forehead. James looked at me confused. "I'm obliged to go, I told him I thought it was a great idea two weeks ago!" I explained dejectedly. "And you're coming." I added. He was invited, but he avoided talking about it for a week now.
"What? I don't want to!" He whined. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"You're coming, whether you like it or not." I repeated.
"Alright, fine. But I'm not going to like it!" He pouted.
"Yeah, well me too, but I'm going anyway." I told him with a small eye roll.
"SIRIUS!" I yelled. "YOU LOOK GREAT. NOW LET'S GO!" He was in the bathroom, spending time on his hair, longer than I had taken to get ready! After I put on my black dress, I came downstairs into mine and James' common room, and I saw James, Peter, and Remus, all dressed up…and playing Exploding Snap. They explained Sirius was working on his hair, and they got tired of waiting.
"Merlin, woman! Calm down!" He muttered, opening the door. He rolled his eyes. I growled a little, and he stepped back in fear. I grabbed his arm, threw the comb out of his hand and on to James' bed, and dragged him to the door. "NO! NOT MY COMB!" He yelled. I hit him on the head, and started dragging him behind me down the stairs. James, Remus and Peter were rolling around in laughter, watching the scene. I took a deep breath. I was going to need a lot of patience for tonight.
"Oh, get up you three! The sooner we go there, the sooner we can come back!" I told them. They didn't respond. I took Sirius' arm once again, and dragged him to the other side of the common room, and out the portrait hole.
"Why me?" He complained.
"Because you were closest." I snapped. "Okay, I'm going to give them one minute…if they're not out before then, we're leaving with out them!"
"This is James," Sirius scoffed. "Wherever you go, he'll follow you around like a lost puppy." I was about to retaliate when James climbed out of the portrait hole, indeed looking kind of confused. He face brightened when he met my eyes. I started to laugh, and I looked at Sirius. "You see?" He gestured James with a wild hand motion. James looked between us, even more confused than before. I shook my head. Remus and Peter came climbing out.
"YES! We're all here, let's get moving!" I told them all. James put an arm around my waist and we walked down the steps, with Remus, Peter, and Sirius on our tail. "Do you think the Slytherins will be there?" I whispered to James. We hadn't told Remus, Peter or Sirius about the Slytherin mini-attack we had earlier today. Remus would try to make us tell Dumbledore, and Sirius would probably want to go strangle the Slytherins for even attacking James.
"I don't know, possibly. You know how Slughorn is, he likes people with connections. And most of the Slytherins have that. I mean, the only reason Padfoot and I were invited was because of our families." He pointed out. Remus and Peter were only coming because we were dragging them along. They didn't seem to want to come.
"What are we talking about?" Sirius whispered, creeping up next to me. I jumped up slightly.
"Don't do that!" I screeched, and hit him on the shoulder.
"Ow, that hurt!" Sirius whined, rubbing the spot where it hit him. I quickly looked behind me.
"Wait, where'd Remus and Peter go?" I asked Sirius and James.
"They probably did run, I thought I heard them talking about it earlier." Sirius explained. I rolled my eyes.
"They got all dressed up for nothing!"
"It took them like two seconds." James told me.
"Why'd it take you longer?" I asked.
"Because he wanted to look good for you!" Sirius snickered.
"Yeah, and what's your excuse?" James retorted. Sirius stuck his tongue out at him.
"Oh man, why's it so cold?" I shivered. James pulled me closer to him.
"Because the Slytherins are cold, vile people. Therefore, so is their 'dungeon'." Sirius said, looking around as though some monster might jump out at him. James swung open the door to Slughorn's classroom.
"Lily! Lovely Lily! Come, come!" Slughorn boomed. Sirius snickered. I elbowed him in the stomach. His gasp of pain made Slughorn notice him. "And look, you've brought Mr. Black and Mr. Potter!"
"Hello, Professor!" Sirius said, giving Slughorn a broad smile. Suck-up! I waited for James to say something, but he didn't. I looked up at him. His mouth was set in a straight line, and he was staring straight ahead. I followed his line of sight and he was watching Snape. Snape's expression was identical. This staring showdown was seriously creepy.
"Come, come, Lily - and you, too, Severus! - There're people I want you to meet!" Slughorn boomed. I looked at James, and he dropped his arm from my shoulder. I looked at him pleadingly, and he gave me an encouraging half-smile. Snape came over to us, and Slughorn started leading us to the other side of the room. They were older wizards. "These people, Lily, may help you become a Healer, if you choose to go to that path." Slughorn told me. I rolled my eyes. Slughorn always wanted me to be a Healer, but I was too interested in becoming an Auror. "Same with you, Severus." He added. Snape, a Healer? No, he'll be pursuing a career in the Dark Arts, aka Death Eater.
"Hello, Horace! Are these the two you mentioned?" One of the stouter wizards asked. Slughorn nodded proudly.
"This is Lily Evans." He said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I stifled urge to roll my eyes.
"Nice to meet you!" I said politely, giving the old Wizard the most angelic smile I had. Slughorn then left me with the wizard, dragging Snape somewhere. I wanted to beg Slughorn to not leave me here. Instead, the Wizard launched into a large description of his job. I tuned him out for the partially, since I had to make sure I said "oh" and "that's interesting!" and "definitely" at the right places. I just hoped that someone would rescue me soon.
"Lily, we need to get back!" Sirius said, coming up to me almost an hour later. I threw him a grateful look.
"I'm sorry, sir, it appears it's our curfew. It was nice meeting you." I told the wizard. He smiled in response and turned to talk to the person next to him. I walked away with Sirius, and when we were far enough away from him, I sighed in relief. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said to Sirius, hugging him quickly.
"It was kind of funny, watching you and your reactions to him droning on, and him being oblivious to it all." Sirius chuckled. "Let's get out of here."
"Yeah, we should. Wait, where's James?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. Sirius rolled his eyes, and simply pointed. I followed where he was pointing, and he was at the food, with Snape. I smacked a hand to my forehead. "Stay here?" I asked Sirius. He nodded. I walked forward to James, and they both turned to me when they saw me coming. "James, we're leaving." I told him.
"Good. And it's nice to see that the elderly wizard has stopped molesting you." James muttered, looking darkly in the direction of where I was before. I rolled my eyes.
"He was not molesting me!" I told him, a smile tugging at my lips. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, shut up. Let's go!" I muttered, taking his hand.
A/N: And that was the longest chapter I've written in a REALLY long time. Hoped you guys liked it :)
PS: Sorry for getting this in so late, FF wouldn't let me update, and I'm sure most of you are experiencing these problems, too! :P
(and you all have S0phfeist to thank for this update!)
Until next Friday,
Love,
SAM :)