Title: The Doppelganger
Team: Caerphilly Catapults
Position: Chaser 1
Round: QL Daily Finish the Lyrics Competition
Prompt: Beautiful Eyes
Additional Prompts used: NA
Scamander's Case: Grindylow, female
Prompt: (dialogue) "Let me catch my breath before I vomit"
Gather Your Party: Fighter number 1
Prompt: "Never scare me like that again!" - alt: Creature: Centaur
Bejewelled: Bumblebee Jasper number 3
Prompt: (dialogue) "I can't underestimate how terrified I am right now."
Irish Appreciation: number 28
Prompt: Darren Clarke – [colour] bright green
Writing Club: Colour theory number 24 (Pokemon) Nurse Joy; Room of requirement number 9
Prompt: (word) doppelganger; (dialogue) "That's the last time I listen to you!"
Word count: 1913
Betas: Ikuni
A/N Set in an AU where pairings and even family trees may be massively different. There is no evil Voldemort in this universe and therefore none of the prejudice present in canon. Allow your imagination to run wild with this series of tales
Sirius was ready to meet Lily for their first date. He was excited and nervous. He'd been longing for this since their fifth year of Hogwarts and she'd finally agreed. All it had taken was for James to finally admit that he was gay. Still, there were no hard feelings amongst any of them, as Lily adored her son Harry and wouldn't swap him for anything. Sirius was extremely fond of Harry, too.
As his godfather he made it his mission to help Harry get into as much mischief as possible, so much so in fact, that Sirius was surprised she had agreed to this date at all. He waited anxiously outside the theme park, Wonderland, that he managed. The park was owned by his cousin Narcissa and her husband Severus, and was probably why Lily thought he might have grown up a bit. He fidgeted with his hair and the hem of his jumper. He had gone to great lengths this morning with his hair to ensure it was the opposite of James's windswept messy head of hair. His shoulder length hair was straight and neat. He looked up from the hem of his jumper and saw a beautiful, red-headed woman with amazingly bright green eyes approaching him. She smiled at him as she noticed him watching her and he grinned broadly in return. Her red hair shimmered in the early afternoon sun and her bright green eyes sparkled as she drew near.
"You look amazing," Sirius breathed, as she came to a halt in front of him, causing her to blush.
"You look good too, Padfoot," Lily smiled.
"Shall we go in?" Sirius asked. "We don't have to wait in any queues."
Sirius led the way in through the magical entrance at the side gate of the park.
"I can't believe you're actually responsible for managing all this," Lily said, her bright green eyes wide with wonder, as she and Sirius wandered through the magical section of the park.
"Of course I am," Sirius said, proudly puffing out his chest. "And I do a very good job of it too."
"Oh, I don't doubt that you could be good at anything you set your mind to," Lily remarked. "I just meant that I really didn't think you'd be mature enough to handle such a responsibility. You were always such a prankster in school; it's hard to imagine you changing much."
"There was a very veiled compliment in there somewhere, but I'll take it," Sirius said, flashing Lily a big grin. "Besides, you must have thought I'd changed. I've been asking you out throughout school and you always said no and now you've finally said yes!" Sirius said, pumping his fist in the air.
"To a date," Lily said rolling her eyes, "not to marriage. I don't think you need to get so excited."
"I can get as excited as you want," Sirius said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Sirius Arcturus Black, I hope you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting," Lily said, looking stern.
"I only meant I'll be as excited as you are about any rides we go on."
"Sirius!"
"Park rides, obviously. Honestly Lily, get your mind out of the gutter." Sirius grinned broadly while Lily gave him a disapproving look. "So where do you want to go first?"
"Let's do the Muggle section first. I always loved going on the rides when my mum and dad would take me and my sister to Blackpool."
"Your wish is my command," Sirius said, standing to attention and saluting. "Follow me, Lils."
Sirius led the way towards the magical gateway that separated the magical section from the Muggle section.
"What ride do you want to go on first? We can use the fast-track line so we don't have to wait in any queues."
"That one," Lily said, pointing to the biggest roller coaster, pulling Sirius towards it. Sirius led the way to the fast-track lane and showed his pass. Within minutes they were seated on the train and pulling the harnesses down into place. Feeling very apprehensive, Sirius sucked his stomach in and pulled the harness down until it was uncomfortably tight. "Are you scared?"
"What? No! Of course not!" Sirius said, his voice a little higher than normal.
"You are. It'll be fine. Look at me, Sirius," Lily said, and Sirius looked into her beautiful green eyes.
"I can't underestimate how terrified I am right now."
"You'll be fine. You're a Gryffindor and Gryffindors are brave!"
"Yeah! Yeah, we ARRRRGH!" Sirius yelled as the ride started to move and climb to the first drop. Sirius screwed his eyes shut as the car jerkily climbed higher and higher. The car gave a violent shudder and there was the metallic sound of metal grinding on metal and the car slid backwards before catching on the mechanism again. The car continued its jerky climb; suddenly the car gave another violent shudder, there was a clunk as Lily's harness sprang loose for the connector and a heart-stopping scream as Lily was thrown from the car and plummeted towards the ground…
Sirius's heart was in his mouth and everything seemed to be in slow motion. He watched as Lily seemed to fall in slow motion towards the ground. Then he realised that she was falling towards the ground in slow motion. He could just make out her wand in her hand before the car went hurtling at high speed down the first drop of the roller coaster. He was so desperate to get to Lily and make sure she was alright, he considered Apparating off the ride, but he had clamped his own harness down so tightly he couldn't twist enough to Apparate, which was probably a good thing. Hurtling round the roller coaster at speed it would likely be extremely dangerous to try it. After what seemed like a lifetime the ride finally arrived back in the station and with shaky legs Sirius heaved himself out of the car. He slipped through the employees' door and into the restricted area of the roller coaster. He quickly applied a Disillusionment charm to himself.
"Lily?" he called out. He couldn't see any sign of her. If he had imagined her slowing her descent and imagined seeing her wand then her body would be lying on the ground beneath the first drop but there was no sign of her. Sirius could hear a lot of commotion going on behind the door. The riders who had been behind him and Lily in the car must have told the operators of the ride that someone had fallen out of the ride. "Lily?"
"Sirius? I'm over here," Lily's disembodied voice came from behind the operator's booth. Sirius slipped over to her.
He took her hand and they Disapparated back to the Magical section of the park. Before Sirius collapsed onto the ground.
"Sirius?" Lily said.
"Let me catch my breath before I vomit," Sirius said. He did look slightly green. "Never scare me like that again! I thought you were going to…"
"Sirius," Lily said firmly. "Sirius, look at me." Sirius looked into Lily's bright green eyes; her expression was calm. Far too calm Sirius thought for someone who had just plummeted thirty feet to the ground. "I'm alright. I'm unharmed. I'm here."
Sirius took several deep breaths before letting out a shaky laugh, "That's the last time I listen to you!"
Lily laughed and her laugh was beautiful and melodic to Sirius's ears. Merlin he was glad that he could still hear it and her laugh had not been wiped from the earth forever more.
"That was some fast wand work," Sirius finally said.
"Well, I was always good at fast wand work," Lily smiled.
"Oh yeah?" Sirius grinned at her. "Care to show me?"
"Sirius! I meant at school."
"No wonder James believed he was straight for so long,"
"Sirius! Get your mind out of the gutter," Lily admonished.
"Shame. It's nice in this gutter."
"That's the last time I listen to you!"
"Touche!" Sirius said as they both laughed again. "What shall we do now? Do you want to get something to eat? Or a cup of tea to calm the nerves?"
"You mean your nerves? I'm fine. I want to actually get on that roller coaster."
"You just fell off it! In fact, I'll probably need to go and get that ride checked to make sure it's safe."
"It's fine Sirius. I don't think I pulled the harness down properly when I was reassuring you. I never heard it click into place."
"I'm still having the ride checked and the operators should be double-checking that everyone's harness is properly secured. I feel sick at what would have happened if you hadn't been so quick thinking and so quick with your wand work."
"Perhaps we should go and get a cup of tea," Lily said.
Sirius led the way to the little wizarding café. Inside the café was very busy.
"Why don't you go and grab a seat," Sirius suggested, "and I'll get the tea and perhaps some of their delicious cake."
Lily gave a nod and went in search of a seat while Sirius got the tea and cake. He paid the witch at the counter and carrying the tray of tea and cake he looked around for Lily. He spotted her red hair at a table in the corner of the café and made his way over.
"I'm glad you managed to find us a table, Lils," Sirius said, setting the tray on the table. "I wasn't sure if you'd manage to find one." Sirius looked up across the table towards the red head, but it was not Lily. This girl was younger than Lily, and instead of Lily's bright green eyes, this girl had bright brown eyes, although they sparkled and snapped with the same kind of fire as Lily's. "Oh! I'm sorry," Sirius exclaimed, "I thought you were someone else."
"You thought I was Lily?" the girl asked, with an amused expression on her face.
"How'd you know?" Sirius marvelled.
"You said 'I'm glad you managed to find a table, Lils' so I guessed that was a nickname for Lily."
"Hmm…you're smart and sassy like her as well as being her doppelganger. Apart from your eyes. You could be her double when she was your age."
"Sirius," Lily called to him from a few tables over. "Wrong table."
"I've realised," Sirius replied. "But in my defence Lils, she's your doppelganger."
Lily came over to the table and the girl's companion arrived with their tray of goodies.
"Wow! Ginny you've got a doppelganger!" said the blonde-haired girl with the tray.
"It's uncanny, isn't it? Apart from the eyes," Sirius replied, picking up his own tray. "Sorry to have bothered you." Carrying the tray Sirius followed Lily back to their table.
"I can't believe how much she looks like you. If you'd been the same age you could've passed for twins," Sirius said as he sat down.
"Are you calling me old, Sirius?"
"No…I just meant…that is I…"
Lily laughed merrily again, "I'm just messing with you but I think we interrupted a date." Lily said, glancing over at her doppelgangers table.
The red-headed, Ginny, was leaning in towards her blonde companion. There was a soft smile on her face as she said something to her and the blonde-haired girl laughed cheerfully as they leaned closer together as another red-head stomped up to the table…
