Chapter Fifteen

December the Eleventh, Nineteen-Seventy-Seven

"Sirius, standing there isn't going to make her wake up any faster --"

"If she hadn't been so bleeding stubborn and just left when I'd told her to, she wouldn't be like this," a male voice said -- Davie hadn't opened her eyes, but she recognized Lily's and Sirius' voices immediately. "Did Madam Pomfrey say when she'd --"

"Why aren't you lot in class right now?" Davie groaned quietly, squinting a bit in attempts to adjust to the light in the room. Even though her vision wasn't completely clear, she could just make out the fact that James, Remus, and Peter were seated around her as well, and that it was definitely morning. "Did we win? Where did they --"

"Dumbledore came by, said we could stay a while today after he found out what happened," Lily interrupted gently; he face was pale, and she looked tired, though not as off-color as Sirius. She bore a comforting smile. She did not, however, assuage Davie's concerns about the outcome of the confrontation. "It's -- well, it's not every day one of your best friends has an Unforgivable Curse cast on them --"

"It's not every day yet," Davie huffed. "But with the way things are going --"

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked in concern, cutting her off mid-sentence as though he didn't particularly want to have to hear what had happened to his girlfriend reiterated. Davie looked up at Sirius and laughed weakly; the act made her chest ache a bit.

"I'm right knackered, that's how I'm feeling," she said with a faint grin, and the lot of them managed a laugh as well. "But all things considered, not badly at all. I thought I'd died --"

"Not funny," Lily interrupted sharply. "You could have died if two of them hadn't stopped the curse --"

"I knew who they were," Davie said quietly, her expression suddenly going far less bright. "I heard their voices and I'm sure, I've heard them before --"

"They're Slytherins, obviously," James said, rubbing his forehead and leaning his elbows on his knees as he sat in the chair. "So we're going to see them around."

"You mean -- they weren't caught?" Davie asked in a disappointed voice. "I thought we would have had them for sure --"

"Oh, you did?" Sirius asked irritably; there were few times he asked to be taken seriously, and indeed few people he asked to do so, but in his mind, when he had take n the trouble of worrying so severely over Davie, she ought to at least be a bit chipper about things. "That's why you went and opened your mouth, is it? Thought we had them? Couldn't clear off like I asked --"

"If I hadn't taken it, we all might have been killed!" Davie retorted, shakily forcing herself to sit up in her hospital bed despite the fact that her arms felt more like they were made of limp spaghetti than of solid bone. "If I had cleared off and they hadn't used that blasted curse on me, they wouldn't have run off!"

"I don't care, Davie -- bloody hell, you're not an Auror yet --"

"Fine, then I'm practicing," Davie interrupted resolutely. "It was bound to happen to me at some point at the rate things are going."

Sirius crossed his arms, brooding silently for a minute, before standing up and starting towards the door. "Fine, since you obviously don't need anyone's help, I'll just go to class, shall I?" he huffed as he stormed across the room, to everyone else's chagrin. However, before he stormed clear out the door, he stopped in his tracks, and though he didn't turn around, he paused to murmur apologetically.

"I'll be back with lunch since you can't even get up. Don't go anywhere," he said almost inaudibly before storming out the door.

And Davie certainly did not go much of anywhere for that day, even after her friends had already decided to leave for their classes. For a girl who had rarely been left alone long enough throughout her childhood to have a bruised shin or a broken finger, the Cruciatus Curse was unsurprisingly debilitating.

A bit before noon that day, when Davie had just about exhausted her patience with counting holes in the ceiling, the infirmary door creaked open. Davie looked up, expecting to see Sirius, but instead --

"Snape," she said suspiciously, groping around her bed to find her wand before he held out his hand, dropping his own wand on the floor next to him, in plain sight. Davie eyed him suspiciously, wondering what would possibly move him to do it -- she was almost sure he had been among those responsible for the attack the previous night. Why was he not just finishing the job?

"I want you to get out," she said hoarsely. "For all I know, it was you who put the curse on me and you're here to tie up loose ends --"

"You owe me your life, Maddux," he said stiffly. "I'd show a little more gratitude if I were you."

Davie's forehead wrinkled in thought as she tried to remember exactly what she had heard before she lost consciousness - she knew someone had disarmed her attacker, and that it hadn't been any of her friends, or Sirius. She remembered the familiar voice chiding the Death Eater --

"You," she said in realization, looking up at Severus questioningly. "You stopped him."

"I couldn't stand to listen to her," Snape said stiffly, and Davie immediately understood what he meant - Davie had clearly heard Lily scream at the sight of her bet friend being tortured, and only Davie would completely grasp Severus Snape's inability to continue watching.

"And here I thought it was because we were friends," Davie laughed frailly.

"We're nothing of the sort, in case recent events have been insufficient in informing you. I've forgotten about last summer," Snape replied stoically, and Davie smiled sadly.

"I'd figured that on my own, thanks," she pointed out matter-of-factly. "But thank you, anyway."

Snape nodded stiffly, then glanced around as though making sure there was absolutely no one around. "You're lucky. Mulciber's a powerful wizard, he could've killed you --"

"I suppose this is strictly off the record, is it?" Davie said in a serious tone, lowering the thin sheets that were sitting over her in the infirmary bed, showing that Davie was still in the same clothes as the previous evening -- her jumper was dirty and had holes worn in from where she had fallen. She looked absolutely wretched, actually. "Nothing you'd want me telling the others."

"That's your decision," Snape replied, "but you have no proof except for a bunch of robes left in a hole in the ground - they'll call you pathologically paranoid and cart you to St. Mungo's. You'd be better off being grateful you're alive at all."

"Who else stopped Mulciber, then?" Davie asked curiously. "I heard two voices --"

"Digby."

Davie froze - was Snape joking? Romnic Digby, the first boy she had dated, the first boy she ever held hands with, the first boy she had ever kissed, was a Death Eater. She knew that Romnic had recently started following the same crowd as Severus, but this certainly did not occur to her as the reason Digby hadn't written her even once for the entire summer. "I-- I don't -- Romnic isn't --"

"He is, don't be so surprised," Snape said, rolling his eyes at Davie's expression of clear and tangible shock. "Digby's a Death Eater, and a bleeding dedicated one at that. "

For a good twenty seconds, Davie could say nothing - she could only blink wordlessly at Snape, who had no problem with it; Davie talked a great deal too much for his taste to begin with. However, being friends of a sort with her for an entire summer imparted upon him the knowledge that she simply did not stay quiet for long.

"So, you don't want me to tell anyone what you did?" Davie asked quietly. "If I tell them you saved me, you could be vindicated for --"

"I certainly don't need to be vindicated in the eyes of anyone here," he sneered, leaning forward and tucking his wand back into his pocket. "You won't say a word."

"No one?" Davie asked. "Not even --"

"Especially not her."

"Actually," Davie began, "I was going to ask about Dumbledore. But if the fact that you did something heroic is so humiliating that not even Lily can know --"

"It's nearly as humiliating as the fact that I spent the entire summer being friends with you."

At this, Davie was struck dumb again - surprisingly, she didn't look as if she was going to cry, but rather like she felt a great deal of pity for Severus Snape. Recovering slightly, Davie opened her mouth to speak when the door moved again. This time, it was Sirius looking inside.

"Roast turkey and potatoes, that should -- Snivellus." he said, cutting himself off when he saw who else was in the room; Sirius, understandably, possessed great suspicion about Severus Snape, even without having overheard the conversation in the room. "I can take over from here, Snape. I don't want Davie losing her appetite when I've only just brought her lunch."

Severus merely glared, sweeping out without another word while Sirius walked over to Davie's bedside, carrying a plate of food. She drew herself up quietly, unsure of how to speak to him after their earlier confrontation. Sirius, however, was very closely scrutinizing Davie's face, and in fact did note the off-colour expression on her face.

"What'd the prat say this time?" Sirius asked, setting the plate down with a clatter on the bedside table. "I'm this close to killing him, Davie, and don't you --"

"The way you carry on, you'd think Snape was responsible for everything bad happening in this school," Davie said, pursing her lips slightly. "We can't even prove who attacked us in the woods yesterday --"

"Well, you can't expect me not to be worried with scum like him coming around with no one to make sure he doesn't try anything!" Sirius retorted, banging a fist down on the bedside table so that the plate and flatware gave a loud clink. "We know what his sort is like --"

"Well --" Davie stammered. "Well, why does it matter? I'm just another girl you're dating anyway --"

"I've dated you longer than I've dated anyone else, Davie, are you that thick?"

"So?" Davie asked. "What's that supposed to say to me?"

Sirius paused, unsure of how to answer the question considering the hopeful undertone with which Davie had asked it. What was she expecting him to say? Of course, he had some idea what Davie wanted to hear -- it was something a great many girls wanted to hear from Sirius Black as a matter of fact. Moreover, he did want to say it, but in a situation like the present, his pride simply would not allow it.

"Would you just eat already?" Sirius murmured under his breath, pushing the plate towards Davie who looked a bit crestfallen at the lack of an answer. "It's getting cold."

With a sigh, Davie reached over and took a small forkful of potatoes into her mouth, musing on the fact that Sirius Black was completely and utterly hopeless.

Meanwhile, Lily was sitting in the library working on an Arithmancy essay; James had come along as well, saying he needed to work on the same assignment, but he had really done little work on it all the entire time they had been in the library, instead glancing at his girlfriend from time to time as though he were about to ask her something, but always thinking better of it.

Lily, of course, was shrewd enough to catch on very quickly but at least gave James a chanced to get his wits about him -- this was certainly very unlike James Potter, being this jumpy and nervous. If any of the other girls in school had seen him this way, Lily was quite unsure of how they would react. She giggled a bit to herself, but kept herself focused on her assignment.

"Lily," James piped up suddenly, and it was clear he was nervous because his voice was punctuated by a very uncharacteristic, very un-James-Potter hitch in his throat. Lily suppressed her laughter and looked up from her essay.

"Yes?"

"Are you busy?"

"…is that some sort of joke?"

"Oh, bugger," James muttered, mussing his hair nervously and scratching the back of his neck. "I was going to ask you something."

"Then why don't you go ahead and ask it already?" Lily laughed quietly. James mumbled something inaudible, and Lily tapped her ear to indicate that he needed to speak up. He repeated himself, but not any louder than the first time, causing Lily to laugh quizzically.

"Oh, alright then," James said, letting out a breath. "Lily, you know, we've been -- well, we've been an item for a good while now."

"It'll be three months in four days," Lily grinned knowingly. "So what are you getting at?"

"Well --"

"Yes?"

"Well --"

"Yes?"

"Iloveyou --" James said quickly, clearing his throat and giving his hair another ruffle. Lily smiled calmly at him, hinting that she knew he'd say something of the sort. "Lily, I love you," he said quietly, pushing away the textbook he'd been pretending to read, then leaning over and clasping Lily's hand. "I love you, I love y--"

"I heard you, James," Lily laughed, placing her hand on top of his and grinning. She kept her voice low to keep from drawing attention from Madam Pince, the school librarian. "And I love you too."

"You do?"

"Are you going to make me repeat myself, James Potter?"

"You love me too?"

"Yes."

James gave a loud whoop and pumped his fist into the air, immediately drawing Madam Pince to their table, her vulture-like nose wrinkled with nostrils flaring, glaring down at the two teenagers.

"Vile, horrible children -- defacing the institution of the library -- making it your love nest --"

What else Madam Pince had to say about them, they did not wait to find out as James grabbed Lily by the hand and pulled her away from the library, the pair of them laughing giddily, not noticing that Madam Pince was not the only one to have overheard their exchange.

From behind another nearby shelf of books, Severus Snape slammed the book he had been reading back onto the shelf, swiping furiously at his eyes, his jaw clenched tightly. Potter -- James, pompous, full-of-hot-air Potter -- was, in Severus Snape's mind, not capable of properly loving anyone, especially not Lily Evans. Not his Lily. Potter was making the tie between himself and Lily far too inextricable, and the fact that Black had somehow managed to also remain in Davie Maddux's good graces only inflated their egos. It had to be stopped.

***

A/N's

As homage to all the Lily/James fans, they are yet again the first -- this time, to say "I love you." And yet again, Snape is displeased. And of course, yet again, Davie and Sirius are a bit slow getting their feelings out. I think you can tell this is a huge hint as to what is going to happen next.

Also as a note, this story is going to span from the MWPP era all the way to the Second Wizarding War, but it won't be as long as that makes it sound because there will be massive time jumps from time to time.

Thanks to Padfoot'sPixie for the long review this time! I sort of agree, Davie ought to have stood up to those girls in the Great Hall, but she hasn't truly come into her own yet. Strange thing she is, able to stand up to Death Eaters, but not to girls gossiping about her. But she'll grow more of a spine in time!

Also thanks to PadfootCc for favoriting! Much appreciated and hope you enjoy!

Anyway, next chapter - more action, more Sirius/Davie conflict, more fluff. Not necessarily in that order, but you get the point. Tee-hee! Until then, cheers!