Chapter 41: Hills
"I can't believe you agreed to do this, Lily…" James said, shaking his head.
"Neither can we." Marlene and Alex replied in unison.
I, Lily Marie Evans, have agreed to go on a double date on Valentine's Day.
Sirius pretended to have a heart attack when I agreed, and proceeded to run around the Gryffindor Common Room, screaming that the world was ending.
"You know, maybe we should just stop figuring out why, and enjoy this?" James suggested. I nodded gratefully.
"Yes. So where are we going?" I asked, linking hands with James.
"I thought we decided Pudifoot's?" Alex asked. Marlene and I started laughing.
"I don't quite think we'll be allowed in there." I confessed to them.
"What'd you do?" James asked, a proud, wide smile on his face.
"We walked in, deciding to have lunch or something," I started.
"And then we made fun of the waiter." Marlene added.
"And then we started covering the place with pink and silvery paint." I finished.
"That's actually a really good idea! Why haven't we thought of that?" James asked rhetorically. My eyes widened at the thought of them actually using it.
"But you can't because we already did. It would make it unoriginal." I explained to him quickly.
"Good point…" He said, but I didn't miss the mischievous glint in his eyes.
"So back to the original question, where are we going?" Marlene asked.
"I think we'll do the picnic that we did on our first date, Lily." James suggested.
"Sounds great." I agreed.
"You two okay with a picnic?" James asked them. They both nodded. "Misty?" James called out. The little house elf appeared in front of us with a pop! "Misty, can you please prepare a picnic for us? I'll call out again when we're ready." James asked. She nodded mutely and disappeared with a pop!
"Is she okay?" I whispered to him. She was usually so much more upbeat than that!
"She's still recovering. She's so used to taking care of them, and watching after them." James explained quickly. I hope she feels better soon. Maybe I could visit her some time.
"Alright, so off to Honeydukes?" James asked.
"Yes, come on, don't you owe Remus some chocolate?" I asked him. He nodded.
"For what?" Marlene asked.
"He took over my patrolling for a week, so in exchange, I promised him the one thing he can't resist: chocolate." James replied with a grin. "It's sort of a win-lose situation. It's worth the extra time, but I spend less time with Lily this way."
"I know how you feel. Marlene will go off patrolling, and then I'm left like that, with nothing to do!" Alex agreed.
"Did you hear about the last Quidditch game?" James asked him.
"The one the Irish played in? With us?" Alex clarified.
"That one, yes! How'd it go? It completely went by me!" James replied. At that point, I decided to tune out their conversation.
We were all careful to give James extra time to sleep and do work ever since he came to the conclusion that Snape loved me. Just yesterday, when we reluctantly asked him about it, he agreed it might have been the lack of sleep and all the stress that made him think like that, so we were all relieved.
No one still brought up the topic of the Order of Phoenix yet. I was itching to bring it up, but I always backed down at the last second. I didn't want to bring it up in front of Marlene and Alex just yet, I thought I'd ask James first. I really needed to talk about this. It's been on my head for weeks now, and I can't stop thinking about it. The more I think about it, the more I want to join. It sounds great, the entire idea of it. And then being in such close contact with Dumbledore, even after we leave Hogwarts, makes me feel a lot safer.
"Lily!" James said, and I realized this had been the third time he called my name.
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking." I said quickly, a slight blush creeping on my cheeks. We were in front of Honeydukes.
"Which candy do you think Remus would like best?" James asked as we entered.
"James, it's obviouslychocolate!" I laughed, rolling my eyes a little.
"Yeah, but which one! There are so many to choose from!" James complained, looking down the chocolate aisle.
"Which one's his favorite?" I asked.
"I don't know! He's always hid it from us!" James pouted.
"Just pick it randomly." I suggested. He shrugged, and went along the chocolate aisle, picking up every 5th type of chocolate.
"Okay, I think we're good." James said, glancing down at his full arms. I took some from him.
"It's crowded, we'll wait outside." Marlene said. They left quickly and I wondered if I should bring it up. I looked around. There were way too many people here, and it was fairly quiet. I couldn't risk being overheard! I put the chocolate I had down on the counter as James brought out his wallet. The cashier bagged the candy and James gave him the money. He picked up the bag, and took my hand in his other hand. We weaved through the crowd to get back outside. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were with Marlene and Alex.
"Oh, good, you're here! Take this! It's payment for patrolling for me." James said. Remus' face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Thanks!" He said happily, and walked back to the direction of the castle.
"Can we borrow the Cloak?" Sirius whispered to James. He nodded and smoothly handed Sirius the Cloak. He quickly walked away with Peter, and they turned a corner.
"They're going to try to figure out where Remus is hiding his chocolate stash?" I guessed.
"Yes." James confirmed. "But they will fail because he's too smart for that, and they're too stupid to realize that. They'll be arguing even when we get back." James shook his head.
"You know, I had it all wrong for all this time. You're the normal one; they're the insane ones." I said.
"I'm not sure, Lily. I still think it's Remus." Marlene said.
"Me too." Alex agreed.
"He's too obsessed with Quidditch. Sirius is….Sirius…and Peter, well that's self-explanatory. That only leaves Remus." Marlene explained.
"When you put it that way…" I started.
"Lily!" James objected, feigning offense. I rolled my eyes.
"Come on, where shall we go next?" I asked, looking around.
"I need to drop something off at Three Broomsticks. My mum's good friends with the barmaid there." Alex said. I giggled and elbowed James.
"James used to have a crush on her." I told them, raising my eyebrows at James.
"Who told you that?" James demanded, turning red.
"Sirius." Marlene and I answered at the same time.
"I was there when he told us." She explained.
"Well I don't anymore!" He said, his color slowly returning back to normal color. We laughed.
"I think that's obvious." Alex said, looking towards me, causing James to look positively flustered. If someone told me, this time two years ago, that James Potter would turn red and be flustered, I'd tell them they were crazy. But, ever since he entered my life, it's changed so much.
"Come on, let's make fun of all of the gross couples, guys!" James suggested, in an obvious attempt to change the subject.
"James, if you haven't realized it, you and Lily are probably number one on that list." Marlene laughed, and Alex nodded in agreement.
"Wait, what?" James and I said together, exchanging a glance.
"You two are known for not being able to keep your hands off of each other." Alex said, starting to walk towards the Three Broomsticks. Well, as true as that is…
"But…still!" I said, not really making sense.
"You guys are joined by the hip!" James retorted. They exchanged a glance.
"That's not nearly as bad as being known for always touching each other." Marlene said. I silently agreed. It's not.
"Over half the school thinks you've already slept with her!" Alex added.
"Well, technically that's true," James started. Marlene looked at me with wide eyes. "Just not in the way they think it is." He finished quickly.
"Exactly." I shook my head. The things people assume. "Sirius is probably behind all this." I said.
"He probably is." James snorted. We reached the Three Broomsticks. Alex took something out of his pocket.
"It'll be quick, you can stay here." He told us. He walked in, and within a few seconds, walked right out. "Okay, now that I've done that," He started.
"I think we can eat lunch." James finished. "Where shall we go?" He asked me and Marlene. We shrugged.
"Anywhere." I answered.
"I have just the spot." Alex said, gesturing closer to the castle, and looking at Marlene.
"Perfect." She replied.
"Where?" I asked.
"Right by the lake." Alex answered. James and I grinned at each other.
"What happened there?" Marlene asked as we walked towards the castle.
"Besides the infamous incident after O.W.L.'s? It was the day after our first date." James said.
"Everyone else left, and it was just us." I added.
"I remember that day clearly. It was when everything was still somewhat normal." James sighed.
"Normal? That was the day after a bunch of Slytherins attacked us!" I scoffed.
"True…" He muttered.
"I think this looks good." Alex said, looking around. We were right across from the trees where James taunted Snape.
"Misty." James called out loud. Misty appeared with a small pop!
"Here!" She said quietly, handing James the basket. She left before we could say 'thank you.' We sat down and James started passing out the food.
"I love Hogwarts food." Marlene said through mouthfuls.
"Yeah, I'm going to miss it when we leave." Alex agreed.
"Isn't it so sad to think, that in half a year, we'll be out of here?" I sighed.
"We've spent seven years here…that's a good portion of my life that I can remember." James agreed, taking another bite of his sandwich.
"Going out there…"I started, looking towards the gates of Hogwarts, "It'll be different. And scary."
"Not being under Dumbledore's protection is terrifying." Alex agreed. "That's the one thing I'll be most afraid of." If we were to join the Order of Phoenix, we would most definitely be under Dumbledore's protection.
"Any idea what you're going to do after you leave?" I asked them. They exchanged a glance.
"Not particularly…" They started. They exchanged another glance. There was something weird about it…
"Oh." I said, deciding to ignore it.
"And you two?" They asked. I hesitated. That Auror idea I had wasn't so good anymore, next to the Order of Phoenix idea.
"Auror." James replied automatically. "I've always wanted to be one."
"Same." I shrugged. It wasn't a lie. It just was no longer my ambition to become an Auror. We ate in silence for just a little bit, listening to the birds chirp, and the distant laughter of students.
"It's just going to feel so weird, knowing next September, we won't be getting on the train to come here again." Alex sighed, putting his plate aside.
"We won't be sitting in any of their classes anymore." Marlene added, adding her plate on top of Alex's.
"We won't have to do homework anymore." James added happily.
"You didn't even start doing that until fifth year!" I said, rolling my eyes.
"Yes, but before then, it didn't even count!" James defended.
"Very true. I did the same thing." Alex said.
"While Lily sat in the corner of the Common Room, doing essays weeks before it was due." Marlene teased, sending them into laughter.
"I did not!" I huffed. "The earliest I did an essay was one week in advance." I muttered quietly. James shook his head as he rounded up our plates.
"Always the over-achiever." He murmured. I stuck my tongue out at him. We cleaned up our food, and neatly put everything back in the basket. "Misty?" James called out. She appeared in front of us with a pop!
"Yes-hic-Master?" She giggled, swaying from side to side. I groaned.
"She's drunk!" James whispered to me, confirming my fears. "Misty, why don't we take you back to the kitchens?" He asked.
"You two can come, if you want." I said, turning to Alex and Marlene. They shrugged.
"Sure." Marlene said. James took Misty's hand in one of his, and then held the basket in the other as we walked towards the castle. We passed many people who gave Misty weird looks, since she was still swaying and hiccuping. Her eyes were glossy and she kept giggling.
"We should have visited her more often!" James groaned as Misty tried to escape once more. The corridors were empty and we were walking quickly, so we reached the kitchens in no time. I stepped forward to tickle the pear as Alex and Marlene watched in awe. We entered, and were immediately greeting by one of the elves.
"Hi, James-oh." The little elf said. "What happened to Misty?" He asked, his eyes widening.
"Can you please take care of her, and make sure she stays away from the Whiskey?" James asked him.
"Of course!" He squeaked, taking Misty's hand and leading her into the corner of the kitchen.
"Okay, Common room?" James asked, turning to us. We left the Kitchens, and I figured, right now, in the corridor would be a great time to bring it up. But I'd have to be quiet about it.
"James, do they all know you?" Marlene asked, before I could say anything.
"Yes, I've been actively coming here since 1st year!" James said proudly.
"How'd you find it?" Alex asked.
"Fabian and Gideon." James and I answered at the same time.
"Wait," He said. "How'd you know?"
"I figured they probably told you about it. It's pretty difficult to guess by yourself. Unless you've opened an early edition of Hogwarts: A History. Which, you haven't." I said. He laughed.
"True."
I glanced at James as we passed through the corridors. I took a deep breath. Come on, Lily, it's not that hard.
"James?" I whispered. He gave me a questioning glance. I took another breath. "I've been thinking about the Order of Phoenix your parents mentioned." I said slowly. He stopped in his tracks, but quickly resumed walking once more. He didn't respond for a while, and I was worried. Was he mad? Did he not like the idea? Maybe he's just thinking. But he's probably assuming the worst. Maybe he's been thinking about it, too.
"We'll take Moony, Padfoot, and Wormtail up to the Room of Requirement tonight." He whispered to me. He didn't sound mad. That was good. Maybe this would go smoother than I expected! James told the portrait the password and we stepped through. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were sitting on the couch in the common room, talking.
"I'll see you later, Lily." Marlene smiled, glancing at Alex and then glancing at me. I grinned. I knew what this meant.
"Bye." I replied with a wink. James and I walked over to the three on the couch.
"We're going to talk about it, today, in the Room of Requirement." James told them, barely above a whisper.
"Now? or Later?" Remus asked.
"Directly after dinner." James replied, glancing at the clock behind us. They nodded. I took a breath. This was hopefully going to go smoothly.
Over dinner, I only made myself more nervous. By the time we left the Great Hall, I could hardly contain myself. It took every ounce of my self control to stop myself from pushing past everyone and dashing up to the Room of Requirement as quickly as possible. The others seemed to be in no hurry, and we, unfortunately, fell well behind the crowd to go upstairs. I tried to keep myself busy by listening to their conversation, but I just couldn't concentrate. All the excitement and curiosity had built itself up in the last few weeks, and the thought of being able to finally discuss it was so nerve-wracking! I tried breathing deeply, inhaling, and exhaling, extremely slowly. Finally, after what seemed like hours, we arrived at the seventh floor.
"Alright, I'll open the room." James said, and then proceeded to walk in front of the wall much too slowly, in my opinion. Finally, after the door appeared, James opened it, and I walked quickly into the room. It was an exact replica of his room. I couldn't help but push my excitement aside, to just be here for him as he got used to it. "That's funny…I didn't quite ask for this." James muttered.
"The room gives you what you want, James, and maybe you actually wanted this." I said lightly, gesturing the room. We sat next to each other on the floor, our backs against the bed. Remus, Peter, and Sirius sat across from us. We gave James a few minutes to compose himself, and concentrate on the matter at hand.
"So. The Order of Phoenix." James started. "We haven't really talked about it too much, actually. Just once or twice."
"Once or twice? Prongs, you wouldn't shut up about it!" Sirius said, shaking his head. Good! Then he'd understand my excitement!
"I haven't been able to keep my mind off of it, either." I admitted.
"What?" James asked sharply.
"I've been thinking about it a lot…and I want to join." I said slowly. James blinked at me.
"You…want….to join?" He asked carefully. I raised my eyebrow.
"Yes." I replied, nervously laughing a little. He averted his eyes and sat back against the bed, and ran a hand through his hair. I looked at Sirius, Remus and Peter. They looked worried.
"I…" James started. He took a breath. He looked at me again. "Don't want you to." He finished. My eyebrows shot up.
"Excuse me?" I demanded.
"I don't want you to." James repeated, looking me right in the eye. He had a different look in his eyes. Something told me he was going to fight for this. And I didn't like it.
"And why not?" I replied harshly, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Because you can't." James replied, unfazed by my tone.
"And why is that?" I asked, raising my voice and narrowing my eyes.
"It's just…" He said, raising his own voice.
"I swear, James, if this has anything to do with me being a girl," I started, flaring my nostrils slightly.
"No, of course it doesn't!" He cut me off loudly and quickly. "You just can't join!" He snapped.
"And why not, James? Why not? What do I have to lose? I have nothing!" I yelled back, digging my nails into my palm, trying to keep from crying.
"You have me!" He shouted. "Is that not enough?"
"I thought you'd understand!" I said, clenching my jaw. "I thought you'd agree, I thought you'd want to join, too!"
"I do! I don't want you to join!" He yelled again, almost completely red in the face. I stood up.
"You can't tell me what to do." I sneered. He stood up, too. "I want to join, and I was hoping you'd understand. But, I guess not." I paused. "I'm not a sideline person, James. I will do whatever I can to help, to fight." I looked at him. "And I'm not letting you get in the way of that." I finished determinedly. I spun on my heel and crossed the room to leave, tears swimming in my eyes, threatening to fall.
A/N: Well. Not gonna lie, that was TONS of fun to write.
Review please?
Love,
SAM :)