As requested in many reviews, you get to know who the mysterious boy in the last chapter was. Enjoy and please: REVIEW!
"I just can't believe he said that to me!" I roared, when my friends landed back on the ground after their wicked Quidditch match. As expected, James' team had won, even though it was him and Alice against Frank, Marlene and Sirius.
"You gave him the business," Sirius said, swinging his arm over my shoulder and pulling me closer to him. "I don't think he'll come back." I poked him in the side so he would let me go, but he grinned and pulled me even closer, whispering in my ear: "Let's get out of here, yeah?"
I pushed his face away, but he kept coming back for my answer. That is, until James decided it was enough, tackled his best friend, and they started wrestling. I laughed along with the others.
"Who was that, anyway?" Alice asked Remus once James and Sirius collected themselves. They looked like they wanted to continue, but I grabbed James' hand, put his arm around my shoulders and snuggled closer to his body. He grinned widely and pressed a kiss in my hair before sticking out his tongue at Sirius.
"That was Raphael Costo, our neighbor. A real jerk, but because he has 'the looks' - " James punctuated his words by forming two quotation marks in the air with his fingers, " – he comes home with a different girl every week."
"Sounds like a jerk," Alice decided.
"Looks like a jerk," Frank growled, tightening his grip on Alice's waist.
"Is a jerk," the three Marauders decided in unison.
"Sounds like Black," Marlene shrugged, causing another wrestling match.
In about five minutes, Sirius sat on top of Marlene, pinning her arms on the ground with his hands, and pinning her legs together with his legs.
"Say you're sorry," he threatened, as Remus held her hands and Sirius moved his hands in the air to tickle her.
"No!" She tried to free herself, but – sweet Merlin – Remus had an iron grip. "Lupin – let go!"
"Nope," he laughed. "You insulted Padfoot big time."
"Say you're sorry," Sirius repeated himself, his hands coming closer with every word.
Marlene laughed like a madman in the prospect of being tickled. "Never!"
"So be it…" Sirius sighed dramatically, putting his hands or her sides and started moving his fingers.
"Black – stop – get off! – you moron – stop it!" she laughed, trying to kick him off her body.
"Say you're sorry!" he said for the third time, moving his fingers to her belly.
"No! – I'd – rather – kiss – you!" she gasped, laughing loudly. She looked a little purple, from the lack of proper amounts of oxygen.
"What was that? Repeat yourself, prisoner!" Sirius grinned, clearly very pleased with himself.
"I'd rather – kiss you!" Sirius stopped tickling her.
"Is that so, Miss McKinnon?" he asked, putting his hands each on another side of her head on the grass, his head leaning down.
"Uh-hu," she did, suddenly gaining the upper hand and turning the both, so she sat on top of him. She didn't waste any time, and pushed her lips to his in a demanding, wanting way.
There were 'oooh's' and high-fives with the boys and 'aaaaah's' and melting hearts with the girls. When Sirius and Marlene broke apart, they grinned at each other.
"Well, Black, I must say you're a good kisser," Marlene decided, running her tongue over her own lips.
"That's something else where Costo and I differ from each other," Sirius said, shaking his head like that would help him clear it.
"I don't know, Black, I think I'll have to find out," she winked, standing up and letting him alone on the grass. "Come on, girls," she said to us.
"Like hell you will!" Sirius shouted from his spot on the grass.
The following days, Sirius and Marlene had trouble keeping their hands to their selves, Alice and Frank were always whispering and stealing little kisses from each other, James and I were decorating the house for Christmas, and Remus was lonely.
I was standing on a chair, decorating a window with a tinsel and James was steadying me with his hands on my hips. "I feel sorry for him," I said to him, looking at Remus, who was feeding ducks in the garden with his wand.
"I know. Sirius and I have managed to get dates for him in the past, but Remus never went because of his – you know – his furry little problem," James shrugged. He handed me another tinsel, which I magically hung up.
"Still. Everyone deserves someone who loves them," I continued. "Maybe we have to invite some girls from school to the dance."
"Maybe." He helped me hop of the chair, picked it up and set in by another window. "Talking about the dance, you have a dress, right?"
I remembered the elegant, green dress hanging in my room Sirius and I bought in Hogsmeade. I completely forgot about it.
"Yeah, why?" I asked, confused.
He handed me a glass Christmas ball and shrugged. "I don't know. Just… What color is it? How long? How – "
I was Levitating the piece of decoration when his words dawned on me. "James Potter! Stop interrogating me immediately! You'll see it on the party!" I ordered, waving my wand threatening. Doing that, I lost control of the glass Christmas ball. It fell to the ground, breaking in a thousand little pieces. "Shit," I muttered.
"No problem," James laughed. "I'll clean it up." When he released my hips to grab his wand, I lost my balance and landed with my hands in the razor sharp shards.
"Ouch!" I yelled in pain.
"Lily! Good Merlin! Are you alright?" James asked, taking my face in his hands, looking very concerned.
"I would feel better if you'd help me out of this shards," I replied simply.
"Right." Knowing my hands were hurt, James picked me up and carried me in bridal style to the living room, laying me down on the sofa.
"Mum? Mum, where are you?" James yelled. He got an answer, but not from his mum.
"Your mom is in the Hospital." Raphael's eyes fell on me. "What happened?" he asked.
James growled. "Nothing. Go back to your room, Juggins."
"She's hurt," Raphael snarled, before taking my hands and grabbing his wand. I pulled my hands back.
"Don't," I hissed.
"Don't what, little girl? You're hurt. I'm going to help you," he said, smiling fake-friendly.
"Don't touch me. I don't trust you. Go away," I said, pulling once again back.
"Juggins, leave her alone." James sounded murderous.
"She needs help," Raphael replied.
"I know you're a stupid idiot, Juggins," Marlene's voice said, "but if you don't stop harassing my best friend, you'll know why the McKinnon race is called aggressive."
"I'd listen to her if I were you," Sirius said, appearing by her side.
"Fine," Raphael sighed. "Clean your mess yourself."
Once Raphael disappeared around the corner, Remus kneeled in front of me and healed my hands. "What happened?" he asked.
"Stupid accident. I was standing on a stool, when I lost my balance and tripped. I fell on the floor, where some shards lay," I replied.
"It was my fault," James said. "I let her fall."
"Because I broke a christmas ball. It wasn't not your fault," I protested.
"It looks like it's going to be alright," Remus said, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "The wounds are healed."
"Thanks," I muttered. "Why is Raphael staying here, anyway?"
"Juggins is the son of our neighbors," James explained. "Every summer, he stays here for a couple of weeks when his parents are travelling for their work. In those few weeks he's terrorizing every single person that dares to show his face in this house."
"Why 'Juggins'?" I asked.
"I came up with it," Frank said. "Last time I stayed here, Juggins was bullying a six-year-old, so I decided it was time to bully him a little."
I opened my mouth to ask something else, but Sirius cut me off. "Before you ask," he said, "we already told Dorea and Charles, so they know, but their hands are tied, because Juggins' father has a high spot in the Ministery. He could fire James' dad in a heartbeat."
"Sucks," I decided.
"Tell me about it," the rest said in unison.
What I let Lily say about her dress, is completely true. I really forgot the dress, the dance, the midnight-kiss,… In the following chapters, I'll make it up to you, promise!