Cruel Summer
The first half an hour in the shopping centre was fairly uneventful as Lily had to generally help and take care of the four Purebloods that were quickly driving her insane with their constant whining and goings on. Apparently, dustbins and baby buggies were the strangest things that they had ever laid eyes on in their lives, and were seriously contemplating whether to either curse them into oblivion, or run like Hell. They could tell that the Head Girl was getting aggravated by their peculiar behaviour, seeing that she kept snapping or shooting glares at them; glares that promised agony of the utmost kind.
But they really couldn't help it. This whole situation was new and weird to them; it was odd when you saw a thing that looked like a human body, but which didn't have a head, and was standing in the shop window, clad with all kinds of strange, Muggle fashion.
Sirius had decided to stay a fair distance away from Lily after he had voiced his disgust that dead Muggles shouldn't be paraded in shop windows. He was thinking of the morals, he truly was, and he didn't really know what he had said wrong until the Head Girl growled out the fact that they weren't real.
`How was I supposed to know?!' he had shot back.
`I don't know!' Lily shrieked, flailing her arms in frustration, `With a bit of common sense!'
Sirius cast Rachel a sharp glare as she had snorted and mumbled something under her breath.
Ignoring his look, Rachel looked at her best friend and smiled sweetly, `Don't worry about them Lils…can we go into some more shops now?'
James watched his girlfriend dubiously; he had decided to walk alongside Sirius and Peter, knowing full well of Lily's temper and the fact that he was sure it was going to burst sometime soon. He definitely didn't want to be close by when that happened…or to be the cause of it. Lily pressed her lips together, took a deep calming breath and nodded silently at Rachel.
`Oooh,' Rachel beamed, pointing to a large shop to the left, `let's go into that one!'
Sirius followed the girls gaze as she started to walk towards `River Island'.
`Hey! I want to go in some shops too, you know! Not all the stupid girly ones!'
`Look Sirius,' Lily sighed in exasperation, her anger suddenly having evaporated, `we'll look in here, then I'll take you to Ann Summers, okay? I'm sure you'll find something in there that's more to your liking.'
The Marauder frowned at the slight smirk of her face, glancing at James and from his expression, realising he didn't know what the shop was either.
`It better not be another clothes shop! We've been to 40 million already and it's only been half an hour.'
Lily chose to let the annoying whine slide that time as she smiled and replied, `No, it's not a clothes shop…not exactly anyway.'
Sirius paused, `I don't trust you, Evans.'
`Oh, I'm so hurt,' she answered sarcastically as the five of them walked inside, being dazzled by the overhead lights until they got used to it.
A shop assistant fixed her beady eye onto them as they entered the shop; apparently not used to witnessing a shrieking blonde girl rummaging through the stacks of clothes. Lily flushed slightly in embarrassment, turning to James and telling him to take Sirius and Peter over to the other side of the shop where the male section was. Hopefully she could get some control over Rachel without having to worry about a bored and restless Sirius as well.
`This is such hard work,' she thought out loud as Rachel pulled different garments from the rack and babbled to herself.
From the corner of her eye, Lily noticed the shop assistant becoming more and more anxious as Rachel seemingly destroyed the display order by putting the clothes back into the wrong places.
`Rache?' Lily said, nudging her, `See anything you like?'
Rachel looked up at Lily; her eyes bright and clear through the shopping rush, and held out an armful of garments.
`Everything's sooo amazing!'
`Oh dear,' Lily thought, looking at her friend with concern.
`Erm…hey Rache?' Lily asked the Gryffindor as she started delving into the shelves again, `erm…maybe you should calm down, you know…there's plenty of time.'
Rachel laughed shortly and then continued, ignoring the Head Girls warnings completely. Rolling her eyes, Lily paused and then looked at what her best friend had selected. Tops of all different styles and colours overloaded her arms; trousers with drawstrings, zips, chains, some with patterns, some without; skirts that zipped at the front, the back, the sides, some with belts, some that had buttons which wrapped around; about four pairs of shoes were held in her fingers, and Lily was sure she got a glimpse of a red Pashmina in there as well.
Her head swam as she took in her best friends' choices of attire. It was as if she had walked past the shelves and pulled every random item into her arms…which Lily thought could be the actual truth.
Across the room, the three boys were slowly looking through the large amount of different clothes. Surprisingly enough, Sirius had actually picked up a couple of items that he thought `may' fit into his careful choice of clothing. It was only a blue shirt and a pair of jeans, similar to the ones James had lent to him, but at least he was starting to appreciate Muggle clothing somewhat.
James thought it may have something to do with Lily saying that he looked attractive in the clothes, and if she hadn't…he probably wouldn't even be bothering to look at them.
Sirius' voice snapped James out of his thoughts, `How does this look?'
James turned slowly and looked horrified at his best friends' serious question. Sirius was holding a black shirt against his chest and had moved his shiny black hair over it, to see if it suited.
`How the hell am I meant to know?' James asked, his eyes wide at the uncomfortable situation.
Sirius rolled his eyes and looked back at him expectantly, `Come on Prongs, you know about all this stuff.'
After James' silence, Sirius glared at him, `It's not like I'm asking you out! Just say whether it suits me!'
`No, it doesn't!' the Head Boy snapped back.
Sirius' glare dropped fast into a hurt expression, and he whined, `Yes it does.'
`Then why did you ask me?' James asked, sighing in angered exasperation.
Sirius looked like a child that had just had his candy taken away from him. James, scared to think that he might develop Chibi eyes and start bawling right in the shirt section, looked at him with a guarded expression.
`I only wanted a second opinion,' he muttered, then adding quickly, `not yours Wormtail.'
Peter glared at him, muttering under his breath. Sirius chose to ignore him and turned back to James; dumping the clothes he had picked into his best friends arms. James was too astonished for his brain to form words, as Sirius turned around again and selected something else.
Meanwhile, Lily was trying - but failing miserably - to calm Rachel down. She was sure that the Gryffindor's father, who happened to be paying for this little escapade, would not be pleased with the money his daughter was going to drain out of his `Wizard & Muggle Together' account. Lily glanced quickly at a few racks of different trousers, but nothing really caught her eye enough to buy it. She had to have that bond with the clothes that she bought; she couldn't just buy any old random stuff, which her best friend was currently doi…
`Rachel!' Lily shouted, glaring, `You can't be serious!'
The Gryffindor girl looked around at her and smiled sheepishly, saying, `Come on Lil, I have to try on the stuff before I buy them, you know what I'm like with sizes…I never seem to get the right one.'
`You can't possibly expect me to wait for you while you try everything on…it'll take forever! No Rachel, I'm serious, I'm not!'
The girl before her gave her a pout that the most spoilt child in the world would be proud of.
`You're mean Lily Evans.'
`No Rachel, I'm realistic. Now come on…buy the stuff so we can leave…I'm sure the guys are bored out of their minds.'
A loud whine made them both turn around in the direction the sound came from.
`Pppllleeaasseee Jaammeesss!'
`No!' Lily heard her boyfriend say forcefully.
`Pppllleeaaassseeeee!'
`No Sirius!'
Lily looked back at Rachel, whose eyes were shifting quickly back and forth between her and the door of the girls changing rooms.
`Wait here,' the Head Girl said pointedly.
Walking towards the sounds of arguing Marauders, Lily saw the strangest sight that she probably would see where James and Sirius were concerned. An unfortunate pair of stonewash jeans was being tugged backwards and forwards between the two black haired boys; Sirius whining loudly as James tried to pull the helpless garment from his grasp, and not succeeding in the slightest.
`Let the jeans go, Sirius!'
`Noooo…I want to try them onnnnn!'
`Guys come on, don't fight,' Peter piped up.
`Shut up!' James and Sirius said in unison, their glares biting into the small Marauder and making him flinch.
The struggling ensued as they both managed to grab hold of a leg each, tugging even harder as their glares of anger spurred the battle on further.
`Give them to me!' James barked at his so-called best friend.
`No, you bastard! I want to try them on!'
`For Christ's sake, Sirius!'
`What the hell are you two doing?' Lily yelled at them.
Rrrrriiiipppp!
A wash of silence flooded the room as the two boys slowly turned to the furious red-head over from them. James' mouth opened and closed attractively like a goldfish as he tried to find something appropriate to say. Nothing, however, came to mind.
`Look what you've done you stupid idiots!'
Sirius promptly dropped his leg of material and it plopping gently to the floor.
`I-I didn't do it!' he said quickly, `James started it!'
The poor jeans that had been ripped in half, laid with one leg haphazardly on the floor, and the other in James' white-knuckled grasp. What was going to happen now? Were they going to get arrested but the Muggle Policemen?
`Oh, shut up Sirius!' Lily bit back at his childish attempt of an excuse, `half of those jeans were in your hand when they ripped; giving you joint responsibility!'
The two Marauders looked at each other guiltily. James didn't know what to say to his girlfriend as she stared menacingly at him. She had gone from the girl-he-loved to fire-breathing-dragon in 2.3 seconds flat, and to tell the truth, it scared James to Hell.
`Honestly! What were you thinking? I can't go anywhere with you two without you both embarrassing me or something! Why do you have to be so selfish?!'
James frowned; not really knowing where she was going with this. He glanced at Sirius quickly, noticing that he apparently didn't know or care either, as he kicked the ripped jeans with the toe of his black boot.
The Head Boy could vaguely feel the Muggles eyes on them as Lily stood there and yelled obscenities at them; and he flushed lightly at being told off like a little boy by his girlfriend.
`God woman!' Sirius shouted, drawing James' attention back to him, `Come up for breath already!'
James cringed as he watched Lily's face contort from utter shock then fast into red, hot anger. Her green eyes flashed madly, her auburn hair seeming to crackle with electric as she fumed dangerously.
However, James knew that it wasn't electric that was pulsing through her veins; the immense anger that she was experiencing could quickly lead to some unlawful magic-using if they weren't careful.
`You-will-pay-for-those-jeans,' Lily growled; her voice unnaturally low and husky through the suppressed anger.
Sirius looked at her as though she had sprouted another head, and asked incredulously, `Why would I want to do that? I'm not going to be buying them if they are ripped, am I? It's not like I could wear them in that state!'
`You will pay for them Sirius,' she ground out, `you will pay for them and then we will leave.'
`No! I don't think I should!'
James watched tentatively, as Lily clenched her fists; looking about ready to punch him around the face if he didn't cooperate. Sirius noticed this too and began to back off a little.
`Erm…' he began, his eyes flickering between her fists and back to her face, `I think it would be best if they were paid for but…I don't think I should pay for it all you know. James also did it…you said it yourself Lils'.'
James turned quickly to Sirius, `What?! No!'
`Come on James…accept your responsibility,' he said, glaring at him.
`Yes, you should James,' Lily agreed, her voice changing again as she set her eyes on the Head Boy, `you were both involved.'
`But…' James whimpered, being cut off by Lily's hard glare, `…fine.'
Lily bent down quickly, picked up the second half of the jeans that resided on the floor and thrust them hard into Sirius' chest; startling him from her venom.
`There you are,' she said sweetly, her eyes betraying her anger, `off you go, both of you.'
The two boys looked at each other and then walked reluctantly to the pay desk where the shop assistant stood. Lily watched them with sadistic amusement as they explained their feeble excuse to the Muggle woman about how the jeans came to be as they were; who - Lily could tell - didn't believe them in the slightest.
After rounding up Rachel, her arm full of clothes, and making her pay for them with force, they had finally left `River Island' and were now walking down one of the massive isles of the Shopping Centre. With shops either side of them, there had been some commotion when Rachel had wanted to go into them all; earning a sharp yet venomous glare from Lily, she reluctantly became silent.
After going inside `Freespirit', a shop that Lily loved, she had bought some items herself, which she was quite pleased about. The shop was expensive, but the clothes in there were great and she had purchased two tops and a pair of `RoxyLife' Jeans. She was also quite proud of the fact that she had only spent about 10 to 15 minutes browsing; much to the dismay of Rachel, and the surprise of the three Marauders.
`Lily, where's that shop you said that you were going to take me to?' Sirius asked, causing her to grin slightly.
`We're on the way to it now, Sirius,' she said, glancing up at James as she spoke.
`What sort of shop is it exactly, Lil?'
The Head Girl turned to Rachel's question telling her in no uncertain terms that she would see when they got there. James looked at his girlfriend as she walked next to him, holding a shopping bag in her right hand. A question made its way into his mind as he remembered her ranting in the `River Island' shop.
`Hey Lil, when exactly have we embarrassed you before? You said that we had, you know, when you were shouting at us.'
Lily turned her face to look at her boyfriend closely, then turned back to look in front of her as she walked. After a silence, James began to think that she was deliberately ignoring him, but she spoke finally.
`You seem to have forgotten a certain club incident, Potter.'
James frowned at her answer, and then understanding flooded his features as he remembered.
`Oh,' he said simply.
The night flashed back into his mind as he remembered watching her dance with some Muggle guy, his body pressed against hers, as his fingers gripped into her hips; sliding hands along the soft flesh that he found. James remembered the searing jealousy…the intense need to put the Muggle boy in his place and drag Lily off with him.
In fact…that's exactly what I did…
James didn't regret it one bit however, but he wouldn't tell his girlfriend that piece of information. He recalled that he couldn't stand watching the display across the room, but he couldn't drag his eyes away either; in fear of what the two might do if he did. He didn't blame the boy for being caught up with desire for her; he knew that Lily had looked undoubtedly appealing that night. That was why he got jealous, right? Wasn't it? But maybe it was something else…his love for her maybe? But…was he in love with her then? He had to be…
He remembered the feeling though…the heartbreaking feeling of the palm of her hand meeting the soft skin of his face…
`Oh exactly,' she replied shortly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
James looked back at her, his eyes gliding over her delicate features…her soft red lips…lips that slid against his skin, causing gasps to escape his throat…her verdant eyes…filled with passion as she looked at him…her creamy, soft skin…supple and silky as he plundered it with touch…
`I love you, you know Lil'.'
Lily looked up at him, her eyes meeting his, slightly startled at the public declaration. She smiled a gentle, welcoming smile, `I love you too, James.'
He wound his hand into her left, bringing it up to his face and softly pressing a kiss to her knuckles; her skin smooth as honey as his lips met with it. Smiling, he released her hand from his face but held it securely in his larger one as they walked. Sirius' voice brought them back to their surroundings.
`What?' Lily asked, missing his question.
`Isn't that the shop?'
The Marauder pointed to the large neon sign that hung above the entrance; indicating the shop `Ann Summers'. Lily's smile melted into a mischievous smirk and she nodded at him.
`Well, what are we waiting for then?' he frowned.
`Nothing,' she answered sweetly, `we're right behind you Siri'.'
Glancing at her quickly, they walked to the entrance of the purple coloured shop, the feathers and the tubs of what looked like oils making the Head Girl grin wider.
He's about to get the shock of his life…
The shop was quite dark as they entered it, the low lights causing them to look around in surprise.
`Have fun, Sirius,' Lily grinned and dragged James by the hand around the corner; leaving the two Marauders standing there. Rachel had apparently vanished off, probably buying more stuff. Sirius' curiosity got the better of him as he peered further into the shop. He could see things on racks and walls; strangely shaped items, and drapes of material catching his gaze. Walking down one side, Sirius left Wormtail as he began to explore. The shelves were full of bottles and tubs of different substances, which were labelled strangely.
`Cherry massage oil?' Sirius asked himself softly, `hmm…wonder what that's like.'
A grin flew across his features as he imagined buying that for Amiya…and maybe using it on her.
I'm sure she'd love that…
To his interest, there were all different kinds of colours, flavours and smells, and he picked some up; seeing what they were like. Moving along the wall, he noticed a group of bottles labelled `Chocolate Flavoured Paint'. Sirius frowned, he had heard of paint before in Muggle Studies and how they used it to `decorate' stuff…like their weird two-storey houses.
But why would they want it flavoured? Hmm…it doesn't make sense…
Picking up the bottle of `paint', Sirius read the description on the side. `Chocolate flavoured body paint; heightens your pleasure with extraordinary tastes. Free paint brush.'
The Marauder blinked, thinking out loud, `That's weird…pleasure?'
He placed the bottle back onto the shelf carefully, gazing thoughtfully at all the other items. After he had looked at the shelves, he moved on further, coming up to a rack that looked like to be female Muggle clothes. They were labelled `Bed Clothes' and seemed to be a pair of shorts that went with a small top with two straps. What caught his attention was the writing that looked to be sewn onto the garments.
`Angel by day' was written across the front of the top and the shorts had been displayed so that the back was visible, also reading `Devil by night'. Sirius' eyes widened as he took in the sight of the female bed garments; staring with mixed shock and amazement that Muggle Girls actually wore this sort of stuff.
`Damn,' he laughed, grinning like an idiot.
He stepped past more racks of bed clothes, walking further into the depths of the shop. Sirius noticed a wall on the other side that had all different bits and pieces on. He made his way over slowly; his eyes widening more as he made out what was hanging on the walls. A laugh bubbled from his throat as he saw these objects that were labelled `key rings' and they were in shapes of teddy bears and there was even a moose version. What had made the Marauder laugh however was that the normally innocent items had rather large phallic objects on the front of them. One version of the teddy bears also had tiny leather clothes and in his paw he carried a black whip. Looking across the display, his eyes rested on a pair of pink fluffy hand-cuffs, and down further to a few funny items like `Cream filled Cocks' or extra small condoms, which Sirius thought would barely even fit on his little finger…thank god.
They're just a joke right? I hope so anyway…I feel sorry for the guy that has to buy them…
Sirius laughed loudly at the thought. His eyes roamed over sex-dice and other obscenities that his Wizard mind could barely comprehend.
`This place is amazing,' he said softly, looking around further.
The Kama Sutra and other sexual books stood propped up proudly on a shelf, and he spotted a book named `100 different ways to pleasure your Girlfriend'.
`I should get that for James,' Sirius said to himself, grinning, `he probably needs the help.'
What caught his eye next was two large velvet drapes that obscured another entrance; the deep purple velvet giving the appearance of thick, sultry passion. His curiosity rose another notch as he thought about what surprises may lay beyond the parted veil. The material was heavy and sexy as he pushed further inside; the darkness drawing him closer; making him want…something. The faint lights were enticing, lying inside the darkness as though it held them captive, and certainly not the other way around.
Sirius stepped into the dim light; more clothes catching his attention, and this time he seemed a little more interested.
`This stuff is like what Amiya wears,' he breathed, reaching out to touch the silky underwear that lay in his line of vision.
Blacks and reds assaulted his eyes, weaves of lace and satin; everything that his testosterone craved. He could imagine the complex materials teasing and caressing soft, warm female flesh as she wore it. His fingers running over her smooth thighs and her soft chest as the fabric brushed the tips of his fingers. Sirius found himself breathing faster; his mouth suddenly dry with desire. What was it about this stuff? It held him as tight as a spell; his mind hazy as his tongue swept out to moisten dry lips.
A feminine voice tugged him back down to reality suddenly, `Can I help you with anything, Sir?'
The Marauder turned around quickly, coming face to face with a petite Muggle girl, who from the name tag she wore was called Jessica. She couldn't have been much older than Sirius himself as he took in her slight appearance and soft features; her long dark blonde hair resting at the small of her back.
Sirius choked out a reply after he paused, `Erm…no thanks, I'm fine.'
`Are you sure?' she asked, looking at him with renewed interest, `You look a little lost.'
He paused again, `I'm okay. I'm just browsing…for my…girlfriend.'
`Oh, right,' the girl said, backing off from the tall, black haired boy, `well…if you need me, I'll be just out there.'
Sirius watched the blonde girl as she walked with through the draped entrance; leaving him alone once more with the female Muggle underwear. He paused again, looking over all of the different kinds and imagining the Slytherin in them. He grinned at the thought.
`James! You're doing it wrong!'
Sirius turned around quickly towards the back of the room where a curtain flapped as movement passed behind it. He frowned at hearing Lily's voice, wondering where her and his best friend were.
`Well, I don't know how to do it,' James' voice answered, `I'm a guy…guy's don't have to do this stuff!'
`It's not rocket-science!' he heard her snap at him, `There are two little clips, that's all!'
James sighed in exasperation, `It's all…fiddly.'
`Oh, for gods sake,' she grumbled under her breath.
Sirius moved towards the sounds of their voices, not realising what exactly they were doing behind the curtain. Reaching for the soft purple material, he pulled it back and revealed his best friend and his girlfriend…trying on clothes apparently.
`Oh my god!' Lily shrieked, covering her bra as she spotted Sirius gawking at her like an idiot, `What the hell are you doing? Get out!'
James looked at his best friend, pushed him out of the cubicle and pulling the curtain across them again. Sirius was silent as he was pushed out, the shock of seeing James' girlfriends' bra-clad chest seeming to shock him into no words.
`God, you're such an idiot, Sirius!' Lily snapped at him through the curtain, Sirius finally managing to speak again.
`Hey, sorry Lils'…I didn't know what you were doing.'
`Yeah, well say something next time, before you come barging in like that!'
Sirius grinned, `If it's any consolation…you have a great chest, Evans.'
`Hey, I resent that, Padfoot,' James said in slight sarcasm.
There was a pause before the Head Girl spoke with a sigh, `Just shut up Sirius.'
Sirius could tell she was slightly flattered by his comment.
Sirius had waited for them to come out of the cubicle, and they had had a quick look around at the underwear again before moving over to the other side of the room. They stepped up to a display that had a large warning attached to it, `Warning - 18 years or older'. Lily blushed slightly as the boys frowned and looked at the shelves. After a pause their faces split into large grins and they chuckled, looking at the Head Girl.
`Now we know why you love this place,' Sirius said, laughing, `it just keeps getting better and better.'
`Shut up,' she answered, her face touched with a soft red tinge.
The two boys looked back over the shelves, taking in all of the…`women's electrical equipment' and grinned lewdly. Their eyes grew wide as they took in the different sizes, shapes and colours, until Lily couldn't stand their comments any longer and pulled them away. Finding Rachel by the pay desk, purchasing more items, they tugged her out of the shop and found Peter outside.
`Didn't you go in?' Sirius asked him, watching with amusement as Peter silently shook his head.
After looking around a few more shops, Lily took them for something to eat; protesting against Sirius' pleas for McDonald's until he got so irritable, she gave in just to shut him up.
`I've heard about it in Muggle Studies,' he said, his eyes glittering with excitement as they entered, `they said it's meant to be really good!'
`It's fattening, Sirius,' Rachel said tediously as though he was the biggest idiot on the planet.
The Marauder frowned in irritation, `Why do you girls worry about that kind of stuff? It's so stupid!'
`You don't have to, Sirius,' Lily replied, `because you're so skinny.'
`Hey! I'm not skinny!' he exclaimed, `These stupid Muggle clothes make it look like that! I have muscles! I'll show you them when we get home, Evans!'
`Please don't!' she said quickly, earning a glare from the Marauder, and sighing because he was back to hating the clothes again.
They ate slowly, talking about various things - Rachel; about her clothes - and left soon after. They only had about half an hour left, so Lily decided to go to the information centre and pick up some leaflets for their assignment.
They made it back to the large Muggle clock with a couple of minutes to spare, as Rachel and Sirius had wanted to stop at one of the sweets stalls; making Lily worry that they would be late. The Professor counted all of the students, assuring that they were all present and that none were lost. Fortunately, everyone had turned up safely, with a few being a couple of minutes late. But the Professor had accommodated for this circumstance and had made sure that the Porkey's could be activated by him and not by a specific time.
Holding the glove in their group, the Professor activated it with a quick spell, and they felt the tug pull them into the thick, swirling material; the Muggles totally oblivious to their actions. They arrived quickly into the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, all glad to be home and in their normal environment and able to use magic…to a certain degree anyway.
Lily and James trudged up the wide staircase towards the Head Common room, the exhaustion of the day making it evident in their eyes and movements. They dropped the shopping bags hastily onto the floor of the common room and walked over to the sofa together; revelling in the silence that only tiredness could create. Flopping down onto the sofa cushions, James looked up at Lily and she smiled warmly at him.
`Come here,' he said gently, holding his arm out to her.
The Head Girl moved towards her boyfriend as he grasped her arm, pulling her down towards his body, and kissing her lazily; soft and slow. He brushed his fingers down her face gently as they just gazed at each other; weariness making their eyes gentle and subtle.
`I love you, Lil,' he said to her, as she kissed him soundly again.
`I love you too,' she answered quietly, as James pulled her down to rest against his chest.
They laid together, James' fingers playing against the curve of her shoulder as she closed her eyes and sighed. Quickly, slumber took them away; exhausted yet sated for now in a warm embrace, and letting the calm wash over them as one, which they knew would be forever.
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