Days in Avalon

Chapter Thirty: One Day I'll Fly Away

The next morning, everyone began to feel the pressure of mid-year finals come up. Before anyone knew it, finals were here and hitting the students hard inside the walls of the school. Outside of Hogwarts, a huge blizzard struck the school the week of finals. As everyone worried over exams, a few students managed to find some fun in the pool of chaotic seriousness.

On the night before everyone would be taking their first exams, James, Sirius, and Peter had some how managed to have several dozen firecrackers go off in the library, the great hall, and every common room precisely at eleven thirty at night. As the firecrackers went off, several hundred different red, green, gold, and white streamers littered the rooms along with balloons and confetti.

"How is it that you were able to pull it off," asked Felicia to her boyfriend while she laid across the couch.

"Aww…love, you know a great wizard never reveals his secrets," said Sirius with a grin, as he looked up at Felicia from the floor.

"He bribed the house elves and had them plant the firecrackers," said Andy suddenly without looking up from her Transfiguration book as she sat in one of her favorite comfy chairs. "And the expression is 'a great magician never reveals his secrets', Blackie," she added.

"I'm sorry did anyone ask you for your remarks, Sparky?" said Sirius playfully. Andy simply pulled out her wand and pointed her wand at Sirius's head, stilling reading her Transfiguration book.

"Okay, okay, I get the hint," stated Sirius before turning back to his Defense Against the Dark Arts book.

Lily tried to mask the giggle that wanted to be let out, as she sat next to her friend in one of the other comfy chairs. At the same time, she looked over toward the fireplace where James was sitting next to the hearth, suppressing a laugh as well. James suddenly had the feeling of being watched when he looked over at Lily. He gave her a smile that caused her stomach to feel different. As if she had swallowed a jar of butterflies. She smiled back at him before she turned back to the book in her lap.

'Why does that happen when ever he smiles at me like that? It's not like I fancy him or anything. He's just a friend. Nothing more and nothing less. Yes…that's all it is. So it should be easy to stop thinking about him. Merlin there I go again! Come on Lily. You need to concentrate on your studies and not James…I mean…Potter.' thought Lily to herself. She shook her head slightly to rid herself of thoughts of James and went back to studying for her exams.

By the end of the exam week, everyone was almost completely burnt out and greatly welcomed the Christmas break. Thanks to Professor Flickworth, the students were able to make there way from the castle to the train station so they could go home for the holiday. Some of the students did stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas holiday. Among them were Lily, Karen, Andy, James and Sirius. The five of them didn't really spend that much time together as a whole, until Christmas day.

As Christmas morning arrived, James was awakened to the sudden spurts of water hitting him the face.

"What the bloody hell…" he mumbled as he opened his eyes to find Sirius hold a small muggle water gun pointed right at his head.

"Time to wake up, Prongs," said Sirius brightly.

"Where did you get that?" asked James as he put on his glass and stretched out his limbs.

"Moony gave this to me as a present. It looks as if he gave you one as well," said Sirius before he climbed back into his bed where a pile of presents laid at the foot of his bed. "Happy Christmas, James!"

"Happy Christmas, Padfoot," said James as he saw his own pile of presents at his foot of the bed.

He began to open them all one by one and saw that Remus had indeed sent him a muggle water gun along with a book on different flying tricks for advanced flyers. As he opened up the rest of his presents he found that his parents had sent him a couple of new sweaters and a gold pocket watch that would tell the correct time and where all his loved ones were, to which he could add more hands to by simply pointing his wand at it and think of the name he wanted in it. He also had received a new broom servicing kit from Peter, along with some chocolate frogs. Sirius had given him a new supply of dungbombs, along with a variety of other practical joke items. Andy had given him a few cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, and a few other sweets. She also gave him a new supply of her various magic dusts, along with a book that told him how to create some of her basic powders with a written warning attached to it.

James,

This is for the use of your dastardly marauders at your discretion, with two exceptions. One: You are not to use these works on any of my friends (especially Lily, Kelly, and Karen. Felicia is okay) Two: You are not to let Sirius get a hold of, touch, look, or even breath on this book. (If I find out that he has done any of these, I may be putting a little surprise in your bed and clothes James Potter!)

Happy Christmas (and mischief)

Love from,

Andy

(Magical supplier of fellow delinquents)

James laughed a bit at Andy's note before he went on to his last present. Needless to say that he was surprised to see that it was from Lily. When he opened the fairly large present, he saw that she had given him a starter kit for battling against the Dark Arts. In the kit was a sneakoscope, a small foe fog mirror, and various other Dark Arts detectors.

'Wow', whispered James. He saw that there was a note attached to the present, and quickly read it.

Dear James,

Merry Christmas! I knew from our talks that you were interested in working against the Dark Art. So I figured that this would help you get started. Well…I hope you enjoy this present, and get a good use out of it.

Your friend,

Lily Evans

Sirius noticed James staring at his present, and couldn't help but laugh silently at look on his friend's face.

"Oy! What did you get there, James?" said Sirius after a few moments of silence.

"Huh? Oh, uh…just a present from Evans," said James as he put it on top of his trunk along with the rest of his presents.

After opening presents in their room, the two of them met the girls down in the great hall and had a wonderful Christmas lunch and dinner with the rest of the students that stayed over, as well as the staff. As an added bonus to the festivities, James and Sirius took it upon themselves to belt out a few carols loudly, trying to impersonate some of the Hogwarts ghosts that usually float around the castle singing merrily. Many of the students and staff enjoyed their little impromptu performance, especially when Lily and Andy charmed their clothes to turn into little green elf outfits (including the pointy shoes with bells), and Karen charmed their voices to make them sound like the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz.

By the end of the fest everyone was grabbing his or her sides from laughing too hard, including Professor Dumbledore. After wiping away of few tears that slipped out from their ducts, Professor Dumbledore waved his hand, causing everything on the tables to disappear and returned James and Sirius to their original state.

The next day, many of the students slept in before they ventured out onto the grounds for some fun in the snow. By mid-afternoon, Lily could be found alone on the couch in the common room, reading a new book that she had picked up when she was at Hogsmeade.

"Good evening, Ms. Evans," said James from behind Lily.

"Hello James," said Lily, looking up to see his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," he said casually, as he walked around the couch and took a seat on the coffee table in front of Lily. "Just...around. You?"

"Reading if you don't mind?" Lily responded as she went back to her book

"About what?"

"None of your business," she said with an eyebrow raised.

" 'A Journey Into the Clouds'," said James aloud as he craned his neck to see the title of the book. "I remember that book. I read it when I was eight and got my first broomstick."

"Well good for you," she said nonchalantly.

"So why are you reading a book about flying?" asked a now curious James

"Because it seems interesting to learn about," said Lily with a shrug. She closed her book, since she knew this was going to be a conversation James would want to continue on.

"But you know how to fly. I remember watching you fly around with the rest of us during first years flying lessons."

"Yes…"said Lily as her cheeks turned a slight ting of pink. She sat up more properly to face James before she continued a subject she was not all to eager to discuss. "But if you remember correctly I barely passed. I was one of the worst students in that class. I'm a terrible flyer."

"Oh come on now. That's just rubbish. Everyone knows Pettigrew is the worst flyer," joked James

Lily laughed at his remark for a moment. "You've obviously haven't seen me fly recently."

"Well if you'd like...I could teach you what you're doing wrong," offered James shyly.

Lily smiled at him. The same smile that caused his stomach to do back flips and his heart to swell up into his throat.

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks," said Lily sincerely. "Besides if Kelly and Andy haven't helped me out by now, I doubt you would succeed."

"Never say never Lils," said James as an evil smirk came across his lips. Before Lily knew it, James had jumped up from his seat and sprinted over to the staircase.

"Huh? Wha-James where are you going?" called Lily.

"You'll see," replied James before he disappeared behind the door to the boy's dormitory. A few moments later, Lily heard him coming down the stairs two broomsticks in his hands and his winter jacket.

"What are those?" asked Lily nervously as she eyed the brooms

"Come on, go and grab your coat," said James ignoring her question. He placed the brooms next to the stone wall as he put his coat on and began to button it up.

"James, what are those?" she asked again.

"Broomsticks. What do you think they are?" said James as if she were mental.

"Why do you have them?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm going to give you a flying lesson," he said brightly.

"Excuse me? Are you mad?" she asked as she gave him a quizzical look.

"Some may think so," James replied with a shrug.

"Do you really think I'm going to flying with you now in the middle of winter?" Lily asked with her arms folded in front of her.

"Yes," he replied simply.

Lily stared at him for a moment out of pure shock. "I was wrong. You're not mad. You're bloody nuts!"

"Come on Evans," said James getting tired of her questions. He pulled out his wand and pointed it toward the girls' dormitory. "Accio Lily's coat." A few seconds later, Lily's coat came flying down the stairs and into James's awaiting hand.

"JAMES!" shouted Lily.

"LILY!" he mimicked. Lily saw that there was no hope in arguing with James on this subject. She reluctantly took her coat and put it on along with her hat and gloves.

"Trust me," said James as he handed over Sirius's broom to her. "Now come on before it gets to late."

About twenty minutes later, Lily found herself standing in the middle of the frozen Quidditch pit, that she and James were currently thawing part of it out.

"What in the world are we doing out here. It's bloody freezing!" exasperated Lily as she stood on the frozen ground.

"Lily Evans such language," said James as he placed the brooms on the ground.

Lily gave him a look that told him 'now was not the time to test her'. "James couldn't this have waited until it warmed up a bit?"

"Yes, I suppose," said James as he ruffled up his hair a bit. "But when that happens, the pit is booked solid."

"Oh well then," sighed Lily. "What a shame." She quickly turned around and began to head out of the pit before James grabbed a hold of her arm to stop her.

"Nice try there, Evans, but it is not going to work," he said brightly. He then steered her back toward where the brooms were and placed a warming charm on her before doing the same thing to himself.

"Why do you have to be such a wanker?" said Lily looking menacingly at him.

"Part of my personality," he said with a smile, to which Lily rolled her eyes at. "All right now...hold out your hand and say 'up'!"

Lily sighed in frustration as she glared at James. She then stood next to Sirius's broom and held out her hand above it. "Up!" The broom simply gave a feeble roll and stayed on the ground. Lily then looked up at James with a tired look on her face.

"See I told you I was terrible," she said as she walked over the broom and away from James.

"You're too tense," said James as he grabbed a hold of Lily once more and pulled her back toward the broomstick. "You need to relax," he added as he looked into her eyes. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. "Here try this."

He placed her back over to where she was a few moments ago, next to the broom. He placed out her hand over the broom and stood behind her. "Now close your eyes," he said softly next to her ear.

Lily complied as she listened too James's soft voice begin to empower her with something.

"Now imagine yourself someplace warm, like on a tropical island. You're lying on the nice warm sand, listening to waves crash against the shore. You feel at peace with yourself. You feel like you can do anything you set your mind to. As you feel yourself rise above the sand slowly. As the higher you go, the more free you feel," said James as he continued to speak in his soft tone. He could see that Lily was beginning to relax more and more as he continued to talk, which he was still amazed he was still able to do. He had only been this close to her a few times, but every time he got a hint of Lily's fragrance, his mind began to wander away into a world were Lily was his.

"As you continue to climb, you open your eyes and see the beauty around you. And you begin to feel that nothing can go wrong at all. But when you look down…you see a broomstick lying there on the ground. So what do you do? You stick out your hand and say 'up'!"

Lily listened to his words, and began to feel calm again, like she always does when James's is this close to her. She envisioned herself just as James had said, and done what he said. Suddenly, Lily felt something hit her hand as she held on to it. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the broom was now in her hand, ready to take her into the sky.

"See…I told you. You can do anything," said James softly again. Lily looked over her shoulder and was caught under James's spell once more. She felt herself being pulled toward him. James knew where this would lead too quickly. He pulled away from Lily as he went over to get his broom. Lily shook her head a bit, to rid of herself of her confusing thoughts, once she realized James was not next to her anymore.

The rest of the lesson went as it had gone when they were in first year. James told her to mount her broom and kick off from the ground and hover in the air a bit. She did as he said, but ended up going a bit to high than she would have liked. But unlike before in first year, James was there to quickly grab a hold of her broom to steady her, and lowered her back to ground. Just low enough for her feet to barely touch the ground. They flew around the thawed out part of the pit for a bit, until Lily was able to do it on her own. She was able to get a good foot off the ground and fly around without James's guidance. In all her years at Hogwarts, she had never felt as happy in the schools Quidditch pit as she did at that moment.

James couldn't help but smile at Lily's progress and how happy she looked. When he looked at his watch, he saw that they had been out for quite a while. He looked too the sky and saw that the sun was beginning to set in the west.

"Okay Lily, I think that's enough for right now," said James.

"No way. I'm having way to much fun," laughed Lily.

"Come on Lily. We've been out here for almost three hours, and it's starting to get dark," said James as he shook his head slightly.

"Three hours! We've been out here for that long?" said Lily as she landed on the ground softly. "Wow. I didn't think we've been out here that long."

"You're really coming along, Lily," said James as he looked at Lily's face.

"Well, I had a pretty good teacher," said Lily as she smiled brightly at James. He stomach began to feel that all to familiar feeling again as he smiled back at her. When he caught a glimpse of his broom, another idea came into his head.

"Lily, do you want to head right away? Or are you up to seeing something?" asked James.

"We don't have to go in just now," said Lily. "What is it that you want to show me?"

"Well…it's kind of a surprise," said James as he mounted his broom. Lily looked at him curiously as he held out his hand for her.

"You want me to get on that broom with you?" said Lily a little unsure.

"Only if you want to," said James warmly. Lily bit her bottom lip as she had a mental battle with herself. James watched in anticipation as she wagered her own personal battle. A few moments later, he found her reaching out for his hand and pulled her toward the front of his broom, where she got on.

"Now close your eyes," he said over her shoulder. Lily turned her head with an eyebrow raised. "Humor me, okay?"

Lily let out a small chuckle before she closed her eyes. She felt James wrap one of his arms around her waist, to make sure she didn't fall off, while his other hand grabbed the handle in front of her. Soon she felt them both lift off the ground and slowly rise higher into the twilight sky.

She could feel James's breath on the back of her neck. Normally she'd find this disgusting, but now…the small puffs of air sent warm chills down her back. Never in her life had she felt something so…

"Lily...open your eyes," said James softly.

She did as she was asked and saw a sight she'd never seen before. A sight that she now understood, why James loved to fly so much. What was before her was the castle covered in snow with the mountains just beyond the now frozen lake. The sky had now turned a pale pink with a hint of purple, as the sun set behind the mountains. The sight was unbelievable, and she could only imagine what it must look like in the spring.

"Oh my...I've never seen the castle like this before. It's so pretty," gasped Lily. James grinned widely at the look he could see on Lily's face.

"I'm glad you like it," he said. Just then, a cold wind blew in there direction, and James quickly steered the broom back down toward the ground. Once they landed, James helped her off the broom.

"Thank You…" said Lily as she looked up into James's eyes. "for everything."

"Your welcome," he said softly as he looked at her.

James wanted to divert his eyes from the dizzying smile she was giving him, but he couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from her face. He looked into her bright green eyes, and began to feel some type of force pulling him into her green pools. Lily could feel the same force once again pulling her toward his hazel eyes. In the back of her mind, she realized that this has been happening quite a lot lately and that it usually led to nothing, but awkwardness. She figured that this is what would happen now, but she still couldn't resist this cosmic force willing her to lose herself in this boy's presence.

James on the other hand, had lost control the moment he gazed into her eyes. The color and shape of her eyes, the shape of her face, the pale tint of pink in her cheeks, the softness of her lips...all of it spellbound him. He raised his hand to brush a small piece of hair out of Lily's face, and traced a small line with his finger along her cheek, while his thumb ran along her lower lip.

"James…what are you…" whispered Lily.

He couldn't take it anymore. He quickly covered Lily's lips with his own in a simple soft kiss. He was tired of the near misses that occurred. As he kissed her, the sensation of Lily's soft lips was more than James could ever imagine.

Lily was needless to say startled by the kiss, but quickly became lost in the warm simple feeling of his lips.

'Wow, I never thought a simple kiss could feel like this', thought Lily. 'Everett's kisses are nothing like this. OH GODS…EVERETT!'

James had the urge to deepen their kiss, but was quickly pushed away. He stared at Lily who was flushed in the face and has breathing as if she had just run a mile. But when he saw the tears start to form in her eyes, his heart nearly broke in two. "Lily?"

"I'm sorry," she said quickly before she ran out of the Quidditch pit and back to the castle. Leaving a confused and hurt boy in the cold.

Disclaimer: How many times to I have to say it? I only own this story and the characters I made up. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.