Chapter 27: Snowball Soldiers
--------- 3 Days Later ---------
Calista sighed. She hated tutoring, but Marcus Goyle's parents were determined he pass, so they paid her well. And it was just Astronomy.
"OK," she said, "that will do it for tonight."
"Whatever," Marcus said carelessly. Calista wanted to smack him across the face, but restrained herself.
"Next week, ok?" she asked
Marcus just shrugged, gathered his books, and sauntered off. Calista gave serious consideration to hexing his back, but she heard footsteps behind her and figured it was Madame Pince, so it probably wasn't a good idea.
"Ungrateful brat," she muttered.
"Don't you just hate those?" She spun around. Her heart lifted and a small smile played across her lips.
"Remus! What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.
"I just wanted to see you," he said.
Calista stared at him blankly. He wanted to see . . . no way. Remus reached out and touched a lock of her lank hair, the grabbed her roughly and pulled her into a kiss. The thrill ran up and down Calista's spine as she kissed him back. She really couldn't afford to take this kind of risk. She was being watched, and she knew it.
She broke away from Remus and looked around. "We can't do this here," she said fervently.
"Why are you so afraid for us to be seen together?" Remus asked.
"How can you not be?!"
"Look, Calista," Remus moved toward her, "I don't understand exactly how we got to this yet, but here we are."
He said `us.' He thinks about us as together. Ooohhhh. . . As happy as that thought made her, Calista had to stop this conversation before it went any further.
"What about your friends? And mine? Can you just imagine what everyone will say?"
Remus' face went cold. "I didn't think you lived your life on what others think." He brushed past her and swept out of the library. Calista watched him go, dying to run after him. She hated this. Remus was the bright spot in her life, yet she couldn't let it shine unless they were hidden in that moldy old shack. She had to escape this life. The question was how to do it?
Remus left the library, his face burning. Why had he bothered seeking her out at all? The crazy idea had popped into his head at the last minute, and now look what had happened. And to think, he had actually considered asking her to Hogsmeade. . .
He was running late. He ran down to the entrance hall and saw everyone already there, waiting for him. The twins, Sirius, James, Lily, and Peter.
"Sorry I'm late," he huffed.
"Where have you been, mate?" Sirius asked. "We've been looking everywhere for you!" His voice was harsher than normal, and taking a quick glance at James and Lily, Remus thought he knew why. They were very affectionate together; not overly cuddly, but enough so the world knew they were together again. His heart went out to Sirius, yet he also felt his dear buddy Padfoot needed to move on already.
"Everyone ready to go now?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, let's blow this pop stand," Autumn said in her fake New York accent. Everyone laughed; her accent was atrocious.
"Hey!" Autumn said. She tried her best to look offended, but it didn't work and she broke into hysterical laughter, leaning on Remus for support.
"Autumn," Lily said quietly, "you have enough problems speaking regular English, don't go into American. Our ears can't take it." Everyone stopped and stared at Lily.
"What?" she said, looking around at them all. "I can tell a joke, can't I?"
Everyone burst into laughter, silently welcoming what seemed to be the return of their Lily. James wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders and shot Remus the happiest of looks. Remus smiled back, very happy for his friends. But his mind was still on the strange girl he'd left upstairs. . .
Calista watched them go down the path towards the village together, all of them as happy as one could be. She felt her heart burn as she watched that silly Autumn girl lean on Remus as she laughed. Did no one else notice how she flipped her hair, trying to catch his eye? Why didn't someone say something about it?!
Because no one knows about you, her mind whispered, and if they did, they'd think it was a joke. Remember, Calista, you are still nothing to the world.
"Right," she said to herself. There were footsteps behind her again, and she decided to leave. She gathered her books to her chest and hurried out of the library, keeping her head down.
She entered the hallway and was thrust into the bustling throng of students, most making their way to the entrance hall to go to Hogsmeade. She allowed herself to be jostled about by the people who never noticed her anyway.
She looked up to see Severus Snape standing at the end of the hall. Oh God, not today. It was too late; he had already seen her and was clearly waiting for her. It was times like this she thought almost longingly of the knife Narcissa had given her. She had spent too many hours in dark corners with Severus Snape not to think of it. However, she would play her part. For now.
"Afternoon, Severus," she said coolly.
"Hello, Cali," he sneered. He had taken to calling her that lately, and it annoyed her to no end. She tried not to shudder as his eyes traveled up and down the length of her body. She knew now why he had waited, and wondered if there was any hope in avoiding it today.
"Not today, Severus."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Not today?" he mocked her. "In case you've forgotten, you don't particularly have a choice in the matter."
"Why are you making me do this," Calista asked in a low voice. "I'm part of this now. How much longer do you expect this to go on?"
Severus smiled a horrible, cold smile and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"You are my gift from the Master. It is through my grace you live at all." He took her hand and not so gently led her into a dark, empty classroom. Calista did her best to force Remus' face from her mind. It gave her hope to think that one day, school would end. Maybe this would end too, someday. There was always hope.
~~~@~~~~~@~~~~@~~~~~~@~~~
The snow crunched under the feet of the Marauders and Co. as they entered the village. Sirius and Spike were entertaining the group with impressions of various teachers. They were walking down the main street trying to decide where to go, when the decision was unanimously decided by the boys. With one voice they cried out:
"ZONKO'S!!!"
There was a mad stampede as they hurtled toward the prankster's Mecca. Lily and Autumn were left standing in their dust with very amused expressions on their faces.
"That's ok," Lily called halfheartedly. "We'll just wait here!" The only answer she received was the tinkling bell as the door to Zonko's swung closed. Lily turned to Autumn.
"We're never going to see them again, are we?"
Autumn laughed and put her arm around Lily. "Who needs `em? We'll just wander until James comes to his senses and tries to find you. The other boys will follow eventually. How about a butterbeer?"
"Perfect!" Lily cried. "I'm freezing! I'll be a Lily-cicle before long."
"A what?" Autumn laughed.
"You know. Frozen Lily. Human popsicle. Where have you been?" Lily rubbed her hands together and wished she had thought to bring her gloves. Autumn laughed, even though her teeth were also chattering from the cold
"I bet James would have a great time with a Lily-cicle," she grinned. Lily's jaw dropped as she stopped to stare at Autumn, who doubled over laughing from the look on her friend's face. "You should see your face," Autumn choked out. "It's great!"
"Oh. My. God!!" Lily smacked Autumn on the arm with each word, but she was smiling. "You are as bad as the boys are sometimes!"
"Who, me? NEVER!" Autumn tried to pull off her look - at - innocent - me face and failed miserably.
Lily scooped up a handful of snow, threw it at Autumn and the snowball fight was on. They shrieked and laughed in the middle of the road, tossing fistfuls of snow back and forth.
"Oi! The girls are having a snowball fight without us!!" Lily glanced up to see Spike leaning out the door to Zonko's. "Hurry up, men!" With that, Spike charged headfirst into the fray and joined Lily in pelting his sister with snow.
"Hey! Two on one! No fair," Autumn cried.
"Since when are you chicken?" Spike grinned.
"Oh, bring it on, tough guy," Autumn challenged. Spike winked and was about to retaliate when a large snowball hit him in the side of his face. They turned to see Remus, James and Sirius running at them, gathering snow as they ran. In seconds it had become an every-man for himself free for all. They took up the entire street with their snowball fight and soon, people from other houses and even a few villagers had joined in the fray.
In the midst of the madness, James made his way over to Lily and grabbed her hand. He grinned and put a finger to his lips, then silently led her away from the chaos into a narrow alley.
"Come with me," he said softly. "I have something I want to show you." Lily laughed and latched onto his arm as he led her away from the main village and into the hills.
"OK, James, where are we going?" Lily asked for the hundredth time in 10 minutes.
"WOMAN! Be patient!" James laughed.
"But it's coooold!" Lily jumped up and down hugging herself.
James laughed and pulled Lily into his arms. "Better?"
"Hmm," Lily pretended to think. "Could be warmer."
"Really," James said as he leaned towards her.
"Yeah."
"Is this helping?" he whispered against her lips.
"Mmm-hmmm," she murmured. Lily pulled James even closer and gave herself over to his kisses. They spread out from her center like ripples on a pond, making her head spin and her limbs go deliciously weak.
"Weren't we going somewhere?" she asked when they finally broke apart.
"Actually, no," James said. "I just wanted to get you to myself for a bit."
"So, you make me walk in the cold for hours and hours?"
"We walked for ten minutes!!" James exclaimed! "Wuss!"
Laughing, Lily pushed James backwards on the snow but he grabbed her wrist at the last second and pulled her down with him. They tumbled together into the snow, laughing like children.
"I wanted you alone because I wanted to give you something," James said as they calmed down.
"What is it?" Lily asked.
James reached into his pocket. "I just want you to have this," he gently took hold of her hand," so you remember that you aren't alone anymore." He dropped a small silver ring with the initials L & J engraved in fancy script. On the inner band of the ring was another inscription: I love you always. ~James
Lily felt happy tears spring to her eyes as she slid the ring on her right hand. She knew she had found an amazing person in James, something she had never expected.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Of course," James whispered as he nuzzled her neck.
Lily smiled and kissed James again as light snow began to fall around them.
The brave snowball soldiers trooped into the Three Broomsticks, desperate for something warm. Spike, Autumn, Sirius and Remus sat at a large table by the window and ordered a round of butterbeers.
"Anyone notice we lost a couple people?" Remus asked as he shook several inches of snow out of his hair.
"You mean James and Lily?" Autumn said. "I buried them alive under the snow."
"Shut up!" Remus tossed his napkin in her general direction.
"Seriously," Sirius said.
"They snuck off during the war," Spike said.
"Oh." Sirius became very interested in examining his drink, which of course everyone noticed but all were too tactful to mention.
Autumn cleared her throat. "So. . ." Naturally, she couldn't find anything to say. The silence was thick and uncomfortable. Sirius stared into his glass, Autumn fiddled with the napkin Remus has tossed her, Spike's lips twitched, and Remus played with a loose thread on his robes.
"So . . . what did you guys get at Zonko's?" Autumn finally asked.
"Oh, man!" Spike cried. Sirius and Remus broke into laughter.
"We left our stuff there to join the snowball fight," Sirius said. He looked much more relaxed all of a sudden. He and Spike rose from their chairs, Spike chugging his entire butterbeer in one gulp.
"Now you're going to burp," Autumn grinned at her twin. Spike just winked at her.
"We'll be back," Sirius said.
"We'll miss you," Remus joked. Sirius paused and glared at his friend.
"Eat dirt, Moony."
"That's it?! That's the best comeback you could come up with?!" Remus cried to their retreating backs.
"Well, that was fun," he commented after they had made their exit.
"Here's to the randomness." Autumn raised her glass.
"Cheers," Remus smiled. He clinked his glass with Autumn's and took a swig of butterbeer.
"So, what are your plans for the holidays?" Autumn asked.
"Loaf about the castle and pretend to look cool. You?"
"Pretty much the same thing," she said. "Spike and I decided to have a peaceful Christmas, instead of dealing with the annual family reunion."
"Peace? At Hogwarts?" Remus raised an eyebrow at her.
"Hey, I can dream," Autumn said defensively. Remus chuckled and leaned back in his chair. He surveyed Autumn momentarily.
"You're staying to keep an eye on Lily." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah," she admitted. "I won't breathe until school is over."
"You're a good friend," Remus said quietly.
"I try to be," she said. Autumn looked Remus in the eye, and another silence fell; but this one was very different from the one before. Remus broke his gaze away from her and took another sip of his drink. The talk turned to simpler things, and they stayed together in the warmth of the bar enjoying each other's company.