Disclaimer: Anything that rings a bell belongs to J.K Rowling
Chapter 7: Into the lion's den
Lily turned sharply onto the second floor of the boys' dormitories, momentarily taking in the short corridor that housed the four doors.
She started quickly towards the closest one on the left, just as she caught sight of a tall figure with dark hair and she groaned, hurrying towards her destination.
Her haste was unnecessary though as she realized it was just Frank Longbottom, the seventh year's blue eyes twinkling in amusement, "Lily?"
"Frank. I was just-"
"No. No explanation needed. No judgments here." Frank smiled knowingly and made his way towards the spiral staircase that led to the common room, disappearing in quick strides before Lily could get another word out.
Lily huffed in frustration, dragging the same air into a deep calming breath. The only thought that comforted her was that it had been Frank that had seen her, he wasn't one to spread rumours about her visiting the boys' dormitories at eight in the evening, and the only person he was likely to share the information with was Alice Burke and she didn't seem to be much of a gossiper.
Well Lily hoped that she wasn't.
She straightened up, and rapped curtly on the door, taking in the name plaque that framed it and following an audible procession of footsteps, it flung open, and she glanced down at the brunette boy in front of her, his only greeting a cocked brow, followed by a squeal somewhere behind him.
Lily glanced over his shoulder at the source of the sound, which was a blonde twelve-year-old who seemed to be crouching behind his trunk to hide his bare chest, a hard feat considering he was easily the tallest boy in the room and she bit back a laugh.
"Evans."
She knew the voice and shouldered past Walter Brown who had opened the door for her and walked to the middle of the room where Nathaniel Fairbrother sat on his bed, his red hair so much like hers that people had thought that he might be a relative.
The only thing she had in common with the little weasel though, was that they both were muggleborns. She placed her hand on her waist and stared severely down at the boy, "You were meant to report downstairs half an hour ago."
Nathaniel shrugged; a troublesome amount of haughtiness on his young face that brought back memories of a taunting bespectacled boy who flicked flobberworm mucus into her hair in second year, "We're not going. And before you say that we have to, Dukes checked, and it isn't compulsory to attend this… sleepover thing yougirlsarranged."
He said girls like just uttering the word might make him break out in hives and Lily bit her tongue, remembering what her mother always said about catching more flies with honey, "I know it isn't compulsory, it's just that you'll miss all the fun. And you'll regret it."
"We'll live." Lily glanced at the boy who spoke and prevented an eye roll.
"Cornfoot, there'll be lots of sweets-"
"I hate sweets. They're horrid for the teeth." He jumped up from the bed, his silky royal blue pyjamas bringing out his eyes.
"Well, they'll be activities! Fun activities-"
"Highly doubt it." Silas Dukes glanced away fromHogwarts a History; his black hair falling into his dark eyes in a way that was so reminiscent of Severus, Lily's heart gave a pang. "It seems like a gross waste of time."
"Plus, there'll only be girls there." Lily narrowed her eyes at Fairbrother, knowing exactly where he got that information from, "I'm not spending my Saturday night playing dress up and painting each other's nails."
Because lying on your bed and staring at that stupid quidditch poster is any better? Instead of voicing her thoughts she tried to think of the best way to get these boys downstairs.
"Will the Siren be there?" Lily turned to the Irish lilt, Finbar Canavan stood furthest away from the door, he had thick dark hair that contrasted well with his pale cheeks.
"The what?"
"He means Aiza Shafiq. And she won't be. I checked." Brown spoke from the door, "She's going for some party and Dawson won't be there either so it would be just Evans and that short girl that's always bumping into things. Remember last week when she-"
"I don't know where you get your information from, but Aiza will be there!" Lily snapped, just barely keeping her civility.
These boys were almost as annoying as Potter and co. in their first year. If McGonagall hadn't been so impressed by this idea Lily would have just left them to do whatever it is that silly little boys did on Saturday nights.
"Well, that changes things." Fairbrother finally straightened off his bed, his light brown eyes glancing over Lily, "Is that what you're wearing?"
She ignored the snickers and glared at the boy, straightening up to show off her green flannel pyjamas with pride. It had been a gift from Marlene two Christmases ago and had a heating charm on it and little gold unicorns that danced about, "It's a pyjama party."
"Oh, say it isn't so. Please say sixteen-year-old girls don't go to bed like that!" Brown moaned in disbelief, he was quickly becoming one of her least favourite boys, how on earth was his older brother, Samuel, so charming in comparison?
"Don't worry Walt, Evans is very much an exception to the rule." Lily took a deep breath at the voice, feeling her nerves snap just by his presence. "Nothing but tiny shorts and see through tops in real life."
She turned and her words were startled away by the sight of a shirtless James Potter.
He leaned against the door, he's bare shoulder pressed into the wooden frame, cushioned by a lean coil of muscles and Lily quickly raised her eyes and clamped them on his hazel orbs which were free of his usual spectacles. Somehow, they were lighter, so bright, almost like honey… and just like a fly… Lily was caught.
He straightened off the door frame but remained at the entrance, the little drops of water that slipped from his hair was bright in the lamplight behind him, his shower fresh scent permeating the room as she pulled her eyes away from the thin trail of hair on his abdomen that disappeared beneath the waist of his black track pants.
Lily fought off a blush as she mused over his previous statement. Potter never had a girlfriend; he was much too immature for one. Something he clearly displayed during their shouting match on Thursday. They had stayed clear of each other since and Lily could have gone another few weeks without seeing those abs again. She blanched in shock at her thought, fixing her eyes back on his.
"I suppose you're accustomed to the night-time attire of sixteen-year-old girls?" Her voice was unusually husky due to the dryness that descended upon her throat and she swallowed uncomfortably.
"Very much so. I could write books." Lily was positive that he was bluffing… he had to be… "You boys' not heading down?"
Almost as if he had shouted at them like a drill sergeant the six boys jumped up and made their way downstairs and Lily glowered at the shirtless buffoon, the distraction that was his well-formed upper body broken by her annoyance.
Just then she spotted a light red scar that hinted on his chest, "What happened there?"
Her curiosity outweighed her need to storm away from the infuriating boy and he shrugged, and Lily had to stare at the stupid quidditch poster on their left so she didn't ogle the way those thin, strong muscles coiled at the action, "Rough night."
He didn't elaborate and Lily dare not ask. Rough night? Scratch marks on his chest? Apparent knowledge on how a teenage girl dressed to sleep…
She dashed forward and willed herself to not stop at the fact that he still did not move. She held her chin straight and ensured she looked unfazed as she slipped through the narrow space that he allowed her, arms like lava where they brushed her own, and her hair momentarily fluttering across his slightly damp chest.
The heating charm on her pyjamas must have been malfunctioning, it was the only logical reason that her blood seemed to prickle beneath her skin.
All aggravation she felt was purely because there was a human being dumb enough to hook up with James bloody Potter.
She shoved through the door and crossed the common room to the Girls' staircase, realising only halfway up that she didn't tell Potter that she didn't need his help. That the boys were already going to go downstairs, and she had the situation perfectly under control and there was absolutely no reason his shirtless chest needed to make an appearance.
"Lily? Oh good. Do you know where I left my diamond studs, I feel like the sapphires are too much." As she entered her dormitory all Lily's anger at James Potter dissipated at the sight that was her dark-haired friend.
Aiza wore a sapphire blue mini dress that clung to her curves like a second skin, contrasting beautifully with her tone and her hair fell over her bare shoulders in silky curls, her considerable décolletage on display with the deep neckline of the dress.
The white silk robe that she threw on the dress matched her stilettos and Lily gulped guiltily at the amount of effort her friend had made to get ready. She couldn't possibly ask her to stay now…
Lily watched as Aiza puckered her lips at the mirror… it was actually an uncharacteristic amount of effort.
Aiza never fussed much about her clothes because everything she owned was beautiful and therefore interchangeable, but there was something about the way she kept pushing her hair behind her ear and then pulling it forward that made the confident girl look nervous.
"Lily?"
Lily walked to Aiza's bed which was closest to the bathroom. Their usually neat room was untidy, considering Aiza had been getting ready for the party and Marlene ready for her date with Andy, whilst Mary and Lily had been unable to clean up after the two as they were down in the kitchens most of the day preparing the treats for tonight. "You clipped them onto your scarf, so you won't lose them."
"Of course!" Aiza gasped, grabbing her scarlet and gold scarf that was loosely tied around a bed post, the dainty diamond studs glinting at Lily from her seat across the room.
Her eyes flickered through the room, the five beds arranged neatly, three opposite the two which sat on either side of the bathroom. One of those two was Aiza's, the other being Judalia Devon's, which was draped closed, a normal occurrence.
"Lucky sent a letter specifying that nobody is to where blue, can you believe the little bitch? Godric, if my mother hadn't threatened to marry me off to Balbinus Blishwick I wouldn't even go…is everything alright? Are those little hooligans annoying you already?"
Lily sighed, fidgeting with one of the ten dresses Aiza threw on her bed thinking that it was just one hooligan that was annoying her and wondering if Aiza knew who Potter had been with, and if she did know why she hadn't told her.
She brushed her fingers over a black satin dress, wondering how Potter managed to keep his hair so dark, remembering the way it clung to his neck in straight wet strands that made Lily think of the comforting feeling of ink seeping into parchment.
"Lily!" Aiza huffed and she snapped her head up, jumping off the bed and pushing away the thoughts of the troublesome boy.
"Do you think I can borrow this?" Lily grabbed from her friend's trunk one of the silk night dresses that Aiza always slept in, it was a light pink one that just about covered Aiza's bottom but would be a decent enough length on Lily.
"Erm… sure. Take it!" Aiza laughed, glancing at the mirror, and tying the white silk robe at her neck, her pretty brown eyes caught Lily's and she stilled, turning around with a frown, "Why do you want it?"
Lily shook her head, letting the material slip over her hands, "Those little idiots didn't want to come if you're not there. They call you 'the siren' by the way!"
Lily's statement which would garner offence to any other girl instead brought a beaming smile to Aiza, "Really?"
"Yes. So, they're going to want to leave if you're not there so I thought maybe…" She sighed and stared down at the stupid pink nightie.
"You're going to seduce a bunch of first years-"
"No!" Lily squealed, "I'm just…. They're going to stay! Not because Potter told them to but because they'll want to! Because…"
She let out a frustrated growl and unbuttoned her pyjamas. Godric all her morals and values were thrown out the window but she'd rather walk downstairs half naked than let him believe that those boys were down there because he asked them to be.
"Oh stop!" Aiza grabbed the nightie from her, shaking her head down in amazement, "You hate these things, you know you can't use a bra with it?"
"No…but it doesn't look like that when you use it…" Aiza always managed to look beautiful in them, not slutty or desperate, just beautiful.
"Because I'm about a cup size smaller than you and I apply a concealment charm so certain… areas aren't visible."
Lily glanced down at the material, her insides squirming, sure she could use a concealment charm… but… there was just something so wanton about leaving the room without a bra… Petunia would skin her alive if she heard… well she would have back when she cared.
"Fine." Aiza shrugged off her white robe and Lily quickly waved her hands at her.
"No, no, no! It's fine, I'll do it. You go for your party-"
"And leave you and Mary to fight off those little rats. I wouldn't put it past them to try and prank you two to try and impress the older boys… and it's just a stupid party-"
"But your mother-"
"Never mind my mother." She slipped out of the dress fluidly and snapped off her bra, swinging the night dress over her head, the movement so clearly portraying her characteristic decisiveness that Lily knew there was no use trying to talk her out of it. "And maybe when the little snots are asleep, I'll sneak over there, the party won't be in full swing till ten at the earliest."
Lily grabbed the girl into a tight embrace. It was amazing to think that when they first met in their first year, Lily was sure that they could never be friends because she was positive Aiza was the most selfish person she ever met. Now five years later and a hundred fights over things so insignificant they were now just forgotten memories; Aiza was sacrificing her own needs for Lily's.
Lily knew why she had gotten all dressed up; Aiza's cousin Lakshmi Jadhev was one of those purist bigots. She didn't go around cursing muggleborns and preaching blood superiority, but she was quite exclusive when it came to the invites for her birthday party. It can't be a coincidence that every pureblood over the age of fourteen was invited, yet somehow not a single muggleborn made the list.
Knowing this Lily knew that Mulciber would be there, and Aiza was probably getting all pretty for him and Lily had to bite her lip to not say anything because Mulciber was vile and Aiza tried so hard to be tough and uncaring, and tried to be less than she was for some unknown reason, stifling her own light by cavorting with that sickening prick.
"We better get down there whilst Mary still has hair on her head. What possessed you to do this, Godric only knows."
Lily didn't respond has her gaze fell on the closed drapes at her side. She walked towards it.
"Lily-" Aiza hissed but she ignored her.
"Erm… Jude… er… Judalia?"
Lily really didn't know what the girl preferred to be called; it was Professor Dumbledore who had called her Jude on the first day of school. He had asked Lily to meet him in his office where he made the introduction. All he had told her was that Jude Devon was a new student and he would appreciate it if Lily helped her get settled in.
He never said anything about her not being able to speak, or choosing not to speak, because surely if she was unable to, he would have told Lily.
In the month that Judalia Devon had been here, she had never uttered a single sound.
Not a snore or a sneeze or a sigh.
Her fleeing the Great Hall the other day was the most amount of emotion that Lily had seen on the girl.
Stranger still was the fact that none of the teachers seemed to mind that she never attended classes. Lily knew that she went down for private Potion lessons on some afternoons, but other than that, when Lily told McGonagall that Jude refused to leave the bed on the first day of classes, the transfiguration mistresses just thanked Lily for reporting it, as if it were not odd and against school rules.
"Let's go." Aiza hissed but Lily pushed her hand through the slit in the drapes and drew them open.
Dark eyes flickered to hers and Lily swallowed, she would never admit that the girl unsettled her. Aiza complained about her constantly and Marlene and Mary seemed to forget that she existed, but Lily always spoke to the unresponsive girl, hoping for a reply one day.
Maybe Potter was right… maybe she was too nosy…
Jude turned her face up to Lily and she couldn't believe how Black had thought she was a boy. Although her features were somewhat drowned out by her paleness and expressionless, her face was very feminine.
"We're having a pyjama party downstairs." Lily glanced at the track pants and shirt, which seemed to be the girl's uniform, "And we'd love it if you came. There'll be cupcakes and chocolates and if you want something a little more savoury there'd be pies and my mother sent these quiches…. Anyway, we'd be playing games. Charades!" Lily added excitedly, "I'm sure you'll be great at that!"
Lily laughed, hoping the girl didn't take it as an insult, her expression didn't change as she stared vacantly at her, and Lily swallowed, "So… come when ever-"
"Yeah, yeah, she gets it." Aiza pulled Lily back and the drapes fluttered closed behind her, "What are you doing." She hissed.
"Shhh." Lily hushed, hoping the girl didn't hear Aiza, speaking only when she was out of the dorm, "Thursday was the first time I saw her out of the room Aiza, and considering what she heard I would hate for it to be her last time. Don't you feel the least bit guilty about it?"
She rolled her eyes, "She's the one that was eavesdropping, it's not my fault." Lily huffed and Aiza groaned, "I have no patience for attention seekers anyway!"
Lily stopped at the most ironic sentence she might have ever heard as her tall friend pushed through to the common room, her skimpy pink silk nightdress floating about her.
She sighed, carrying on down the steps to what was evidently going to be a long and trying night.
Thanks for reading - hope you enjoyed the James/Lily moment!
Kalina