You know what bored fanfiction writers do with their Friday nights? They make up a soundtrack for their story and listen to it while they (attempt to) proofread it. I'm sorry Sarah McLachlan couldn't make it on the list but I make up for it through Tori.
Aurora Black: Siren - Tori Amos
Sirius Black: High and Dry - Radiohead
Lily Evans: Head Over Feet - Alanis Morissette
Arabella Figg: Dizzy - Goo Goo Dolls
Aaron Lestrange: So Wrong - Stabbing Westward
Remus Lupin: The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
Lucius Malfoy: Ava Adore - The Smashing Pumpkins
James Potter: How Soon is Now? - The Smiths
Severus Snape: Rumors about Angels - Diary of Dreams
Mary Tudor: Yoo Hoo - Imperial Teen
Winifred Wilkes: Cruel - Tori Amos
I think all of these songs say a little something (or A LOT of something) about the people I gave them too, some of them are new, some of them I've posted but I assure you they are all good (well to me anyway).
* * *
~ Secret-Keeper ~
By: Oy! Angelina
* * *
"So what are you guys planning on doing while at Hogsmeade?" Sirius demanded as he and the other Marauders awoke Saturday morning and began to casually dress themselves for the day.
"I don't think we're going, actually." Remus confessed. "I mean, it's not like we haven't been there a million times with the school."
"Or without." Peter referred to all their unscheduled visits through the tunnels. "After four years of wandering out there practically once a week I guess the novelty's starting to finally wear out."
"And with Lily helping the faculty chaperon, it's not like it would be all that much fun for me to go if you all aren't there." James shrugged.
"You could always have a round of Butterbeers with Snape and talk about Lily." Peter offered as a joke.
"Actually, James can't since Snape's a Prefect as well." Remus pointed out.
"Well that certainly shot down my afternoon." James smirked, before turning to Sirius. "I got an idea. Since most the school will be gone anyway, how about we get in a little practice for you on the Pitch?"
Sirius finished pulling his shirt over his head and eyed his friends.
"Do I look like Serpen Nott to you all?" Sirius demanded with a grin. "Because I'm desperately trying to figure out why you're speaking to me as though I'm some thick git who wouldn't know if a flight of stairs were slipping out from beneath my feet."
"What are you going on about, Mate?" Peter asked innocently.
"'Golly gee, Padfoot, Hogsmeade sure is suddenly lame. Not that it has anything to do with the fact you can't come along because of your probation, but if it did we'd all be clever enough to devise some excuse to stay with you out of pity without making it seem like that. Fancy a game of Quidditch?'" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Sod off the lot of you, have a great time, and be sure to bring me back something sweet and flammable. Preferably not all in the same product."
"That's not it." James protested. "Honestly, it's as dull as the History of Magic. . ."
Sirius walked up to James and started to pinch his cheeks as though his friend were a small child.
"It's so adorable you think you can lie to my face like that, Prongs, it REALLY is." Sirius cooed, before releasing James and addressing all his friends. "I appreciate the gesture, Mates, I honestly do, but I'm the one being punished here. You're not abandoning me or anything of the like so go have fun in a clear conscience all of you."
"We really don't mind Sirius." Remus insisted.
"Oh I know that, Moony, but I do. You and James go stroll about with your pretty girlfriends while Wormtail hits on everything single and otherwise in my stead." Sirius raised his eyebrow to Peter. "Think you can manage that? I'm a tough act to follow."
"I'll remember everything you taught me." Peter nodded dramatically.
"And keep in mind a stiff slap across the face isn't a rejection, merely a clue to rethink your strategy." Sirius reminded.
"Perhaps we should go before Peter received anymore sound advice." Remus grinned.
"I'm serious about the Quidditch though." James assured Sirius. "If you're interested, I'll get word out to the rest of the team and applicants that there's going to be a practice after Hogsmeade."
"You're the captain unless you want me to start running the team for you." Sirius said casually, but James could tell Sirius would really appreciate the gesture.
"We'll do that then." James decided with a grin as he and the rest of their roommates made their ways to breakfast.
* * *
As soon as they reached Hogsmeade with the rest of their school, it seemed that the 6th Year Gryffindors were splintering off to amuse themselves for a bit. Peter, Gwen, and Millicent headed off to Zonko's to see what was new on the shelves while Cassidy darted off to the Quidditch supply shop in town to see about a new pair of boots since hers were little more than foot-covers at this point. Remus and Arabella strolled down towards Honeydukes giving off the impression that they wanted to be alone for a while, leaving Lily and James on their own by default.
"We'll meet up with them all at the Three Broomsticks later." James figured casually. "That's how it always seems to work out anyway."
Meandering along High Street while holding hands, Lily and James casually kept an eye on things around them while holding up their own conversation.
"I heard you were planning to call a practice after we get back to the school." Lily commented, causing James to nod.
"Yeah, we've got Ravenclaw to start thinking about and they're always wicked brilliant in their strategies." James's tone made it hard to tell if he was concerned or impressed by this.
"You've come up with a few good ones." Lily observed supportively.
"I'm nothing if not wily." James grinned deviously before throwing his arm around Lily's shoulders. "About the only way I could land a proper girl like you."
"You make it out to sound like you had to engineer some grand plot just to get me to date you." Lily laughed.
"Weren't you there?" James teased. "I was going out of my skull trying to sabotage you and Sirius getting together for a bit because I didn't want you taking my best friend from me then I spent the rest of the time trying to keep anyone from stealing you away!"
"You were working against Sirius because you thought I would come between you two? Why?" Lily gaped.
"Oh, I'm going to regret this conversation." James laughed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Keep in mind this was when I only casually knew you. We had something of a boys' club going, no one was seeing anyone seriously or anything and I thought if Sirius ended up with you it would ruin everything. Part because he'd be hanging about you all the time and part because I thought you'd be a pain as a Prefect. You're not by the way. Still I guess I was just jealous at the thought of Sirius not being my best mate like he's always been."
"That's sweet in a twisted, evil kind of way." Lily chuckled. "What was your grand scheme?"
"Well, Sirius was my mate and I didn't want to openly act against him and I had nothing against you so I didn't want to hurt or embarrass you, never mind that happened regardless of my intent." James mused. "So I figured I'd just make you acutely aware of how much of a juvenile, obnoxious, flirty prat Sirius was and figured that would drive you off just fine."
"It's funny how I thought you were the bigger git of the two for the longest time." Lily pointed out with amusement.
"Positively hilarious." James sarcastically replied. "I was beside myself with laugher when I realized I had fallen for you and proceeded to cut myself off at the knees at every turn I attempted in winning you over."
"Well, lucky for you that you had good intentions at heart otherwise karma would probably still be seeing fit to mucking things up for you." Lily guessed.
"Yeah, I'm glad things seemed to work out for the best." James nodded contently. "Sirius seems fine and free like always, Remus and Arabella have each other and Peter's not complaining about much of anything so I reckon it's all's well that end's well."
"Provided you defeat Ravenclaw?" Lily questioned.
"Oh we'll win!" James insisted cockily. "I can take us a long way with a few brilliant tricks up my robe sleeve and with any holes in my plans I can rely on the team to improvise our way to victory. I think Cassidy proved that to us with Hufflepuff!"
"Yes, that was very impressive." Lily kept her smile on her face and felt a little sour she hadn't bothered to become a decent player at Quidditch.
"I reckon Cassidy will be a pro player after Hogwarts." James wagered. "She's got the skill and the dedication for it."
"What about you? You're really good as a Captain and an excellent Chaser." Lily protested.
"Play professional Quidditich?" James thought this over. "I might have a shot. You'd want to be seen about with a jock?"
"You're not just a jock." Lily huffed.
"Well I wouldn't be putting much else of my talents to use." James noted. "My family line would rise from the dead if they found out their last member was content to taking Bludgers to the head as a life's work. No, I think I'll be an Auror, maybe work my way up through the ministry that way."
"I think you should just do whatever you want, not what you think your family name demands." Lily advised.
"I know. I want to be an Auror, of course I wouldn't mind being the Minister of Magic." James confided with a grin.
"The Minister of Magic? Not ambitious in the least." Lily joked, wondering if James could actually pull off being the most politically influential Wizard in Britain.
"Well, that's a few lucky breaks and a long ways off." James admitted. "Of course, if I do manage to pull it off, you want to be the power behind the throne?"
"Mrs. Minister of Magic?" Lily laughed over the idea. It seemed positively mad to think a Muggle-born witch could go so far in the Wizarding world as to end up with one of its most important people.
"Nice ring to it." James approved smirking.
"You have a funny manner of proposing to a girl." Lily teased.
"We don't have to get married if that's what's bothering you." James ran with the joke. "You could be the woman I live in sin with if you fancy that better. Since I'd plan on being a capable Minister and an honest politician, I would need something scandalous for my career keep things interesting."
"Well, I think a Muggle-Born wife would manage more than enough uproar." Lily decided.
"One of the first things I'd change." James assured.
It was a funny sort of moment that followed after their conversation with James and Lily smiling at one another. It was mad to be talking about marrying someone after dating them for only two months. They had no idea if they'd be successful in lasting as a couple any more than they did about James's political prospects.
Still, talking about being together in the future, changing the Wizarding World as a team was reassuring in a way both Lily and James could genuinely appreciate.
Even if it was meant only in jest.
"So, what should we do now?" James questioned.
"We could head to Honeydukes." Lily suggested.
"Actually I was still on whether or not we should get married for the sake of my political career but if you're adamant about living in the now . . ." James finished joking. "But, seriously, we can do that."
Catching sight of a group of younger year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs in the midst of what appeared to be a heated exchanged, Lily reluctantly pulled herself out from under James's arm with a sigh.
"Actually I have to go be a Prefect at the moment." Lily reported.
James took note of the scene unfolding as well.
"Want me to go break it up?" James offered.
Lily scowled at this.
"I think I can handle things without the Minister of Magic stepping in." Lily rolled her eyes with a smirk.
"How about I meet you at the Quidditch shop then?" James relented, swallowing quite a bit of his chivalrous pride.
"That would be great." Lily kissed James on the cheek before walking off in opposite directions.
* * *
Although he hadn't asked him to, James had left Sirius with his Invisibility Cloak in case he wanted to sneak out to Hogsmeade regardless of McGonagall's restrictions. Sirius had no intention of disobeying the Head of his House like this since she had been pretty lenient about enforcing his punishment most of the time by letting him attend the Quidditch games, House parties, and school socials like he had been doing in the past few weeks. Even now, though she wouldn't allow him to go to Hogsmeade, Professor McGonagall lifted his confinement to the dormitories for the afternoon to stroll about the castle and grounds. Granted, it's not like there would be a whole lot of people aside from 1st and 2nd Years to socialize with but it was a thoughtful gesture all the same.
After everyone was off for Hogsmeade, Sirius breezed through his homework for the weekend since there was no one present to distract him (or, more appropriately, for him to distract) and committed himself to a long walk around the castle and ground which were relatively empty. Exceptionally extroverted people like Sirius Black found feelings of loneliness to creep upon them faster and harder than others.
For a while, Sirius had begun to strike up conversations with the people in the paintings until some daft knight grated on his patience with ramblings of quests and calling him a "scurvy cur" no matter how many times he insisted on being addressed as "Sirius". Nearly Headless Nick was good enough to keep him company for a bit before he had to leave to send out his request to join the Headless Hunt for that year. Peeves found him on the second floor near the Charms classroom not long after that, much to Sirius's disappointment.
"My, my, what have we here?" Peeves gleefully bobbed around Sirius. "The seriously cracked, Sirius Black out for a stroll without his scruffy Potter in toe?"
"Bugger off." Sirius suggested with a sigh, in no mood for Peeves's usual game of mad-libs.
"Why so cross?" Peeves demanded with a smile that told he was going to probably answer his own question. "Fair-weather friends leave you out in the cold?"
"I'm fine thank you." Sirius insisted as he walked off. To his disappointment, Peeves followed along.
"A popular lad like you content to be on your own? You speak as though I died yesterday!" Peeves cackled manically, amused with himself. "I think the boisterous blabbing Black could use a bit of attention that a cranky, codger caretaker would be happy to provide."
Before Sirius could even open him mouth to this, the obnoxious poltergeist started bounding off the walls of the hall, smashing in mirrors and pictures in spite of their protests and tipped over a vase and suit of armor for good measure. Surrounded in clattering noise and sudden disarray, Peeves floated through the floor laughing as Sirius went pale.
Not even willing to attempt explaining things to Filch, Sirius turned to the nearest painting with an apologetic look.
"I hope you'll tell Filch what really happened once he gets here?" Sirius asked the young girl who had been gather flowers as she examined her splintered frame with a distraught look.
"Oh you can count on that!" The girl assured in a huff. Sirius bowed quickly and dashed up the nearest flight of stairs he could find.
After placing enough distance between himself and Peeves's rampage, Sirius found himself in one of the upper towers of the castle. He was pretty sure that Divinations was taught up there, but since he had never attended a class on the subject he wasn't entirely sure and wished he had thought to bring the Marauder's Map with him as a reference. Nosing around the corridors rooms, Sirius happened upon a conservatory that was evidently located in that wing if Divinations was not. It had been so long since his first and last visit there two years ago that he had forgotten it was there at all.
Stepping into the room occupied only by various musical instruments, Sirius wagered this was where they stored any equipment they brought out to serenade dances and celebrations. A grand piano in the center of the room drew Sirius's eye and a smile as he went over to inspect it. Sirius uncovered the keys and tapped a few of them, listening to see if it was tuned.
Satisfied with the sound, Sirius sat himself in front of the piano, flexed out his hands and warmed up with Bach's Fugue in G minor. He smiled as he played, thinking of sister, Aurora as he worked the keys.
She had taught him to play when he was about six one summer, a request from their parents to give him a hobby that didn't require them to purchase new furniture or clean something out of his other sister, Acontiae's hair. Aurora caught Sirius's attention with the piano as it allowed him to make loud noise and get praise for it, a very attractive arrangement for an active young boy. He played with her for hours almost every day and found he had an ear for it.
It had disappointed Sirius greatly when she returned to school since he would miss playing with her and was tempted on giving up all together until their Father sat with him to play. He had been the one to initially teach Aurora and neither Celestine nor Acontiae had much an interest for music so Empyrean Black was more than happy to spend positive, quality time with his son on something they could both enjoy. They practiced, upon Sirius's insisting, all of Aurora's favorite songs.
He knew them by heart now.
Absorbed in memory and melody, Sirius didn't even take notice of the presence in the doorway.
"You know what I did with my Valentine's day?" Florence Copia asked rhetorically as she entered the conservatory.
Sirius couldn't hide his surprise at seeing her there. No longer feeling particularly inspired by Bach at the moment, Sirius switched over to a darker, more somber piece, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Yet another melody he knew reflexively, Sirius could afford to have his eyes follow Florence as she circled the room around to him, running her fingers across the polished surfaced of the instruments she passed in a coy manner.
Florence didn't have much height to her but filled out appealingly in most other places. Her face was round and pretty with black curls bobbing around as a frame for it. She reminded Sirius of painted dolls Celestine liked to keep.
Beautiful, expensive looking, and frail.
But mostly just hollow where their heart should be and empty in the head.
"I read this Muggle play by a man named Shakespeare." Florence answered her own question as she strolled casually. "It was a story about two people from rival Houses who meet at a party and fall in love in spite of all the conflict inherent of their situation and go on to have an affair under the noses of all their friends and family."
"I read it." Sirius reported, still playing. "They killed themselves in the end for no good reason if I recall."
"I suppose that sort of thing is romantic to Muggles." Florence shrugged as she examined the strings of a double base.
"I suppose." Sirius repeated unenthusiastically.
"Anyway, I thought of us." Florence finished as she approached Sirius and the piano. "I've been feeling nostalgic lately. Maybe it's just the season."
"I don't know why you would." Sirius countered. "If memory serves, we were neither in love nor are we presently dead by our own hands. Of course if you care to remedy the situation, go on ahead, I'll be right along."
"Catch you on a bad day, Sirius?" Florence raised her eyebrow.
"My days typically drift from 'fine' when you take to discussing matters of the heart with me, Florence." Sirius commented. "It's my fault really. I simply can't get past the irony of you not possessing one."
"That was harsh." Florence chided with a frown.
"Those glaring truths can be." Sirius agreed.
"Do I get to throw stones too?" Florence inquired.
"If you care to." Sirius relented.
"I didn't come here to fight." Florence declined. "I heard you playing from the hall; I always thought this was one of your more charming, lesser known talents. I really just wanted to talk."
"About us." Sirius nodded, keeping up with the conversation.
"Don't you ever think about me sometimes, Sirius?" Florence asked smoothly as she watched his hands move purposefully over the keys.
This question provoked Sirius to smile and chuckle to himself as the played.
"Yes, sometimes." Sirius admitted. Florence had only just begun to smile herself when Sirius added. "And then I wake up in a cold sweat and my friends want to know why I'm screaming so very loud."
"It wasn't that bad." Florence protested unappreciatively.
"Well, it wasn't that good either." Sirius replied.
"I don't recall you complaining." Florence glared. "And I certainly didn't DRAG you off behind the greenhouse and FORCE you to kiss me, now did I? And that's just to name ONE time and ONE place, mind you."
Sirius continued to play without missing a note, but he was beginning to strike the keys harder now as his expression lost its amusement.
"THAT wasn't the part I had a problem with." Sirius corrected. He bitterly thought back to that winter during their 4th Year and resented Florence for making him do so after all the effort he traditionally invested in forgetting about it.
"You lied to me, Florence."
"That's not really fair." Florence decided. "The worst you have me on is misleading you."
"Still, I didn't need that and I don't think I deserved it either." Sirius stated his case. "I know we weren't formally involved or anything of the like, however a certain amount of loyalty . . . certain amount of HONESTY is something I expect of any girl I'm with. I don't like not knowing where I stand in a relationship."
"Would it make you feel better if I told you I preferred the time I spent with you?" Florence questioned as she moved to brush Sirius's bangs out of his face. Sirius jerked his head away from her gesture and swatted her hand away with the nearest one of his own. The melody dropped slightly as he did this.
"No. It wouldn't. I don't need your critiques and comparisons." Sirius informed her curtly as he stopped playing in the middle of the piece. "I also don't need to be performing for you either: musically or otherwise."
Florence cocked her head slightly to the side as she watched Sirius Black without his usual carefree air. It was always so odd to see the class clown become so suddenly somber and humorless.
"I didn't know, at the time, it would have even bothered you all that much." Florence confessed. "I really don't know why it does even now."
Slamming the cover shut over the keys, Sirius set his icy blue eyes on the Slytherin girl.
"Guess." Sirius urged through his teeth as he stormed out of the conservatory.
* * *
As was a usual habit of Winifred Wilkes, she chose to keep her cousin, Severus, company as they patrolled the streets of Hogsmeade, unblinking and aloof.
"I thought you'd like to know that Mary's plotting against Evans." Winifred stated ambivalently as she inspected her cloak for lint.
"Tudor's always plotting against Evans." Severus replied coolly. "Any particular reason this time about or simply the usual issues of inadequacy Mary grapples with?"
"She's still bitter about being bathed in leeches during the Potions brawl without touching a single red hair on Evans's head." Winifred informed. "It doesn't help that Black belittled her and Aaron by using Evans and Potter as a point of comparison."
"Black has a habit of inviting misfortune onto the heads of those around him rather than his own." Severus scowled before turning to his cousin. "Why you're telling me this?"
"I thought Evans was your pet project." Winifred shrugged.
"She has Potter to watch her back." Severus reported dryly.
"Amongst other things." Winifred added, earning her a distasteful look from Severus.
"You socialize with that loosely moral Copia too much." Severus chided.
"What would you know about Florence's lose morals?" Winifred prompted quizzically.
Severus's black eyes met Winifred's own dark set.
"Enough to say it's unbecoming to emulate her." Severus advised vaguely.
Winifred appeared to accept this answer without further inquiry.
"Do I strike you as the sort to walk in anyone's shadow?" Winifred asked possibly in a rhetorical manner.
"Other than my own?" Severus attempted to clarify.
"Ah, but that's a conscious choice on my part." Winifred grinned, undaunted by the implications.
"Regardless, you should start standing on your own two feet without my supervision." Severus urged.
"I stand fine on my own." Winifred assured before nodding to the Post Office next to them. "Now why don't you go mail that letter you didn't think I noticed in your robes and I'll walk about well and unattended."
Severus's eyes narrowed on Winifred and her reference to his reply to Aurora Black. Offering a small wave, Winifred strolled in the opposite direction. She didn't lower he hand as she crossed paths with Serpen Nott who was too engrossed in his conversation with Regius Avery to notice Severus's or her own presence until Winifred grasped a hold on his brown ponytail and gave it a sharp, painful tug. Hollering out in pain and shock at Winifred's juvenile attack, Nott glared at he walking off while rubbing the back of his head. Avery followed his gaze with a more amused than sympathetic expression.
"What did you do to her?" Avery demanded with a toss of his blonde hair.
"Me? Wilkes has been out to get ME for a bloody month!" Nott whined as he readjusted his hair. "That daft bitch doesn't need a reason to be nasty to me!"
"I'm sure Winifred has her motives for antagonizing you, Nott. Probably akin to the one's you've provided for me."
Turning Nott found a particularly cross looking Severus staring down at him. Avery had the sense to step off to the side and leave Nott to sort out his own loud-mouthed affairs with the Prefect and his cousin.
"You're going to hex me, aren't you?" Nott guessed.
"Most likely, yes." Severus nodded grimly.
* * *
What was it about Slytherin that made them so condescending no matter the age?
Lily attempted to be nice about whatever the disagreement was and not point fingers at any one side. Simply requesting they make their ways off in opposite directions and do what they can not to cross one another's paths, Lily found the Hufflepuff children to be accommodating and the Slytherin slightly less so. She could have honestly wrung the neck of that 3rd Year Slytherin after her cocky comment of "Anything for our Prefect's girlfriend", but managed to retrain herself otherwise as she decided the important thing was they had listened to her.
Besides, it was probably older girls like Mary Tudor who was grooming the younger ones to be so particularly unpleasant.
Crisis adverted; Lily made her way over to the Qudditch supply shop where she had promised to meet up with James. As a couple other Hogwarts students examining their purchases exited the store in a clatter of the doors chimes, Lily overheard the distinct voices of James and Cassidy talking in low and urgent tones just near the door.
Lily knew it would be completely horrible of her to eavesdrop on their conversation, but that didn't stop her from pressing her back up against the wall near the entrance and stick her foot out to catch and prop the door open just enough for her to hear their conversation. Since she couldn't see them from where she was, Lily doubted there was much a chance of them spotting her either.
"I just wished you would have mentioned it to me." James spoke. "I'm not saying you can't talk about it, but I'd like to have my note cards in order before questions start getting asked of me."
"Yer not the one whose reputation would be ruined by all this." Cassidy replied. "If anything, it might raise the suave Mr. Potter's popularity a bit."
"Please, that's the LAST thing I care about and you know it." James sounded exasperated. "I'm worried about you and I'm worried about Lily."
Lily blushed slightly at the mention of her name and the sudden acquisition of James's bad habits regarding personal privacy.
"Why do ye think she'd care?" Cassidy demanded defensively.
Lily wasn't certain whether she was agitated because she was taking this as slander against Lily or if she was sincerely concerned Lily might be affected by whatever it was they were talking about.
"She probably wouldn't if one of us explained it to her." James guessed. "Lily's not the type who'd judge someone over such an, er, intimate detail of their life."
Intimate detail?
"At least yer hoping that's the case." Cassidy sighed.
"You don't honestly think she'd stop speaking to either of us over something like this?" James's tone was one of disbelief. "Come on, this is Lily Evans. The most compassionate, understanding, accepting witch on the planet. If she can overlook so many of Snape's nasty character flaws to get along with him, I very much doubt she's going to give either of us a second glance on this."
"Yeah, but she's also the proper, respectable sort of girl too." Cassidy observed. "Look, I'm a big admirer of Lily and think yer probably right about her but some people turn their nose up to this sort of situation. Wizards still get riled over it and who even knows how the Muggles feel on the topic. We just don't know where Lily's morals begin and end on this."
"Well, I can say that I don't reckon Lily would look at you any different, Cassidy." James replied sympathetically.
"I doubt it too." Cassidy agreed. "So ye gonna tell her?"
"Once it becomes an issue, but not before." James exhaled audibly. "I find myself in possession of too many secrets sometimes Cass, and they're not always mine."
"Fer what its worth, Potter, yer the only guy whose always done right by me." The smile could be heard in Cassidy's voice.
"That means a lot, Cassidy." James replied sincerely.
"Go on then, ye prat." Cassidy urged teasingly. "Quit talking with yer ex and start waltzing about with yer love."
"Well, I'll see you at practice then tonight." James promised as he waved goodbye to Cassidy as he started toward the exit.
Uncertain of what to do with herself since she wasn't accustom to pretending she wasn't listening to the conversations of others, Lily put forth her best effort not to look guilty about something and stepped into the store, near colliding with James.
"There you are!" James said brightly as he took her hands. "Handle everything alright?"
"No problems here." Lily smiled at James, though it felt like a nervous one.
Hovering in the doorway, James looked down at her.
"Well what do you want to do now?" James opened himself off to suggestions.
"Um," Lily struggled for one to give him. "We could just follow along High Street towards the mountain for a bit. The weather's nice for a walk."
"Sounds grand." James agreed as he put his arm around Lily and headed off as he had indicated.
* * *
In Hogsmeade there were numerous spots for young couples to visit. Sharing a cozy table in the corner of the Three Broomsticks was always popular as well as feeding one another fresh made chocolate from the Honeydukes Sweetshop. Zonko's joke shop was always a popular source of amusement and hiking to the top of the mounting at the end of High Street offered a grand view of the burg below.
The Shrieking Shack was not a typical choice for a nice boy to bring a nice girl to.
Of course Remus Lupin did such in clear conscience since she didn't find all that much typical about either himself or Arabella.
Though he still felt the two of them were very nice.
Seated on the rotting floor of the dusty first story, Arabella and Remus had a sack full of Honeydukes sweets between them that they periodically dipped into whenever they found their mouths empty. Arabella was working an orb of hard candy around her mouth with her tongue while Remus invested himself in whatever chocolate he could find while rummaging.
Remus had spent the greater portion of his and Arabella's valentine's evening explaining his lycanthropy in detail to her. Arabella had asked a few questions here or there, but listened mostly in awe. Remus understood how someone could find the tale of his life amazing. What he couldn't understand was how someone would still want to speak with him after hearing it.
Then there was Arabella Figg.
Remus questioned her sanity a bit more now than ever.
Still, Arabella hadn't rejected him and behaved completely normal around him, save for the occasional curiosity or question about his curse. Remus never took any offense to this, though, since she never meant anything more by it than just trying to understand him better. That's probably why she had had an interest in seeing the Shirking Shack after he explained it was where he spent nights under the full moon. He truly believed the introduction of Arabella Figg was one of the fleeting bits of good luck to pass into his life ever since he'd become a werewolf.
It's so hard not to completely love someone who can find out the worst thing about then look you in the eyes, smile, and mean it.
"So there are no ghosts in here at all?" Arabella glanced around casually. She almost sounded a bit disappointed by this. "I've been terrified of this place for years, there had better be ghosts."
"None that I've found, though I reckon I would have chased the lot of them out if there were." Remus informed while being genuinely amused.
"Bugger, now I feel like a dizzy cow." Arabella grumbled. "It sounds completely mad to me that you're the scariest thing in this place."
Remus just smiled.
"I just don't understand how someone could be afraid of you." Arabella shook her head as she popped another piece of candy in her mouth, muffling her speech. "Or any werewolves for that matter. I mean, they're still human aren't they? How can any self-respecting wizard treat them like monsters?"
"Because most are." Remus rationalized. "There's a lot of stigma that comes with being what I am, some from ignorance or blind fear with sheer bigotry rounding out the rest. A lot of people don't cope with it as well as I do and just give up on trying to be human about it."
"Bollocks to that!" Arabella snorted in appalled tone. "Bloody Hell! Most people, if they ever get bit at all, are adults when it happens, you've had to deal with this practically your entire life! What excuse could they possibly have?"
"Maybe it's because this has ALWAYS served as normal for me." Remus shrugged. "The only life I really remember is one as a werewolf, I imagine that suddenly becoming one after a lifetime of Ministry-approved normalcy would be quite a shock. I can't pretend that I'd be as adjusted to the whole thing as I am now if I had been no different from any other young Wizard only to find myself with lycanthropy one night."
"I suppose I didn't think of it like that." Arabella mumbled in an embarrassed voice. Remus just smiled at her.
"No it's alright." Remus assured. "It's pretty hard to understand at face value unless you're in my position."
"How do you do that?" Arabella marveled.
"Pardon?" Remus sought out more chocolate.
"Just be fine with it all." Arabella stated. "I never hear you feeling sorry for yourself; you're traditionally nice to everyone even though half of them would probably stop speaking to you like the pack of prats they are if they found out about your condition, and you almost never get riled about a single thing."
"I reckon I just get all my rage out over the full moon so there's not much left afterwards." Remus mused. "Primal passion and poor impulse control has its cathartic merit."
"Passion and action on impulse sounds like it might have some fun to it." Arabella's teased with a flirty grin.
"Possibly, but not under those circumstances." Remus smirked and shook his head as he finished his chocolate.
"What would you have done if you hadn't been accepted to Hogwarts?" Arabella switched back to making serious conversation.
"My parents would have gotten the Ministry's approval to home school me." Remus replied. "They had been doing it before then anyway and we had pretty much anticipated that I wouldn't be accepted anywhere for my formal education. I was fine with it, wouldn't be the high-quality education I'm fortunate to have now but I'd manage some sort of equivalency in becoming a full Wizard. When I got my enrollment letter from Hogwarts, we thought there was a mistake and my parents explained my situation to Professor Dumbledore since they figured he simply didn't know but he did and was still willing to take me on."
"Well, I'm glad you were accepted here." Arabella smiled.
"Me too." Remus smiled back. Leaning over the sack of sweets, Remus moved to kiss his girlfriend until she stifled a laugh. Pulling back quizzically, Arabella was grinning madly.
"You sure know how to set the mood, Remus." Arabella teased as she gestured to their creepy love nest. Remus blushed a bit as he grew suddenly awkward.
"Oh, right, I'm sorry - " Remus quickly apologized for his improper behavior. Arabella rolled her eyes and decided to lead in instead if he was going to be such a wanker about it. Meeting her mouth against his, Arabella and Remus shared their sweetest kiss in the most literal of senses.
Pulling away, Arabella brushed Remus's gray dusted bangs from his eyes.
"You're so gullible, Remus."
"I get that a bit."
* * *
Winifred deposited the stray hairs she had wrenched from Nott's head into a clean handkerchief and strolled Hogsmeade feeling particularly satisfied with herself at Nott's anguish.
Existing and impending.
She had been gracious enough to offer him the chance to apologize after those comments about her and Severus back on Valentine's Day. Nott would probably live longer and in far less pain if he didn't cast stones at people who could throw a with truer and harder aim. Now anything that happened to him was his own fault, not hers. After all, it wasn't like she was the one who ordered up a fresh batch of just deserts for Nott.
Winifred just planned to force-feed them to him.
Out of the corner of her dark eye. Winifred spied Walden Macnair standing off in an alleyway between two buildings. Curious about his presence, Winifred detoured herself off the road through Hogsmeade and approached her Housemate. If Winifred had to guess, she'd assume Macnair had found some stray animal to terrorize. As she entered the alley, Winifred saw it was the Gryffindors Gwen McGinnis and Millicent Meeks who were being blocked from leaving.
A stray would stand a better chance.
Macnair glanced over his shoulder nonchalantly at her, undaunted by her unanticipated arrival.
"Something I can help you with, Winifred?" Macnair demanded.
Winifred really didn't need to ask but she felt she might as well anyway.
"What are you doing?"
"Just chatting it up with a couple single girls." Macnair reported. Winifred could hear the smile in his voice.
Macnair was the type of degenerate who liked to torture animals. Not because it served any purpose or necessity, but just because he had the power to do it. This wasn't limited to animals; it was anything smaller, more vulnerable than himself. Macnair validated his esteem by bullying the weak. Winifred suspected he was capable of more than tormenting girls like McGinnis and Meeks, more sadistic games of domination, if he didn't have to worry about Aaron Lestrange, Mary Tudor, and Severus. All three possessed some variant of integrity that despised that sort of thing.
Winifred was beyond disgusted presently.
"Go 'chat' with some different girls." Winifred coldly suggested.
"Sod off, Wilkes." Macnair order in a bored tone.
She felt her fingertips graze across her wand. Winifred knew she could make Macnair back down without probably raising it. If she didn't do it herself, she'd simply drop either Severus or Heilsing's name to scare him off.
Of course, Winifred liked to think she wasn't her scariest when hiding behind her cousin.
"Did you know Hogwarts school issued uniforms have a fireproofing charm cast on them as a precaution?" Winifred knew there wasn't anything physically intimidating about manicured fingernails and expensive earrings, but she always had creepy and cold-blooded to play off of.
"What?" Macnair questioned irritably at the girl's bizarre question. He turned away from McGinnis and Meeks to stare hard at Winifred.
"I was saying everything issued through the school is flame retardant." Winifred repeated herself. "Thing is, Hogwarts doesn't bother to issue shoes with the uniforms. Not much of a fuss raised over footwear so long as it isn't open toe and is black."
"Where you going with this?" Macnair hissed, fed up with Winifred's babble.
"I'm just saying I know fashion and product. Those are knock-off dragon-hide dress shoes on your feet at the moment. The scale pattern is supposed to be on an upward diagonal right not left but they're indistinguishable otherwise." Winifred informed as she pointed at them. Macnair inspected his footwear quizzically.
Meeks and McGinnis were eyeing her strangely, evidently wondering if they just traded out assault for insanity. Winifred decided to arrive at her point.
"See, while Norwegian dragon-hide IS fireproof, that Black Asp imitation IS NOT. Neither is that oily polish you use to shine them up every morning, you can tell by the pungent odor that is similar to lamp oil." Winifred noted. "Even a child's charm like Bluebell Flames would be enough to instantaneously ignite your shoe and have its molten material churning into every pour of the flesh under it."
Even a dense prat like Macnair could catch on to a threat like that.
"You wouldn't dare." Macnair challenged, watching Winifred's hands for her wand.
"No, I wouldn't." Winifred agreed as she smiled at Macnair. "But Meeks and McGinnis look like they might."
Macnair turned to see the Gryffindor girls had their wand points aimed at his feet. Glancing between the poised Meeks and McGinnis and the unmoving Winifred, Macnair didn't appear all that tempted to see if Winifred was bluffing. Scowling while making feral noises, Macnair stormed past Winifred and out of the alley, nearly colliding with Cassidy Kinkade who was probably looking for the two girls.
Winifred watched for Kinkade's move.
"What are YOU looking at?" Macnair barked at the tall, dark complexioned girl.
"That brick wall there." Kinkade replied shortly, crossing her arms. "Then something beastly and dumb dragged its knuckles over here to block my view."
Winifred was impressed with Kinkade's retort. She was also impressed with Macnair's restraint in walking off instead of throwing a punch at Kinkade. Stepping into the alley, Kinkade started to eye Winifred.
"What are ye doing here?" Kinkade demanded.
"Offering fashion tips." McGinnis interjected as she returned her wand to her robes. Kinkade raised an eyebrow as she turned to Meeks.
"Mr. Macnair was making his presence. . . well, imposing." Meeks explained. "Miss Wilkes persuaded him to leave."
"Why did ye do that?" Kinkade turned back to Winifred, the girl's tone was more confused now than the accusing one she had started out with.
Winifred smiled and shrugged before she walked back out onto the streets of Hogsmeade without saying another word.
"Well, thanks, I guess." Kinkade muttered uncertainly behind her before turning back to McGinnis and Meeks. "What the bloody hell are the pair of ye doing in an alley by yerselves anyway! I thought Pettigrew was with ye."
"Peter forgot his coin pouch at the counter in Zonko's and went back for it." McGinnis explained.
"Good, I'll bludgeon him with it!" Kinkade promised crossly.
"Oh, come on Cass!" McGinnis whined. "It's not like he put Macnair up to it!"
"Yes, really, we're fine Cassidy." Meeks insisted. "Let's just go meet up with Peter."
Winifred couldn't help but notice how different Gryffindor truly was from Slytherin at that moment. Kinkade was worried about the other girls, not disappointed or inconvenienced as girls in her House would be in a similar situation. Kinkade had actually THANKED her for stepping in where a Slytherin would have told them to bugger off and mind their own affairs.
So this was the difference between friendship and companionship.
Winifred considered investing deeper thought into this until she decided to go back to her plotting against Nott.
* * *
On the outskirts of Hogsmeades, Lily and James leaned against a rock with the afternoon sun pouring over them. Although spring was still a month off, the air was warmer than it had been all winter making for a pleasant, perfect day to be out of the castle. Lazily leaning into one another while holding hands bother Lily and James relished in the on the perfect moments life had so few of.
"Did you hear that Arabella knows about Remus now?" Lily asked James, breaking the comfortable silence between them.
"Yeah, I'm glad she figured it out for herself." James nodded. "I didn't want to break Remus's confidence but I hated Arabella not knowing. Probably best it worked itself out like this. You remember her on Valentine's, Remus will always know that she knew he was a werewolf and still was mad about him regardless."
"They're wonderful together." Lily praised. Seeing an opening to hint at his relationship with Cassidy and all its secrecy Lily added.
"It's unfortunate that Remus felt he had to hide something like that from Arabella. He should have just trusted that if Arabella really loved him that she could cope with any secret he had, no matter how bad he thought. It's impossible to know for sure how someone will react unless you ACTUALLY give them the chance to react to it."
James sighed, leaning against the rock while closing his eyes. Lily noticed he was trying to keep his expression blank but the slight flicker of conflicted thoughts crossed his face. Gently he started to stroke her long hair as he hugged her against him with his other arm.
"Well it all had less to do with her as it did with him." James explained, leaving Lily to wonder if he was being literal or speaking in metaphors. "I don't think it was so much that he didn't trust her as it was he was still trying to figure it all out for himself. Some people need more time than others to sort out their feelings about the event of their life."
Lily sighed to herself. Wanted to keep harping on the subject until James confessed something to her. Deciding it was too perfect of a day to waste pumping her boyfriend for information; Lily figured she could always ask later when they had gotten back to that school.
"Pity Sirius couldn't be here." Lily commented.
"Yeah, pity he couldn't be perched on this rock behind us couching me on how to unhook your bra with one hand and offering to show me how." James snorted a laugh.
Lily had to join James in his chuckle over something so typically Sirius.
"He is horrible, isn't he?" Lily agreed with a smile. "Has he ever even had a serious girlfriend?"
"A few steadies here or there." James recalled. "Either the novelty wore off for him or Sirius just wore on them. Sirius needs someone to be fascinated by and a girl needs the patience of a saint to survive Sirius. I imagine he'll outgrow most of it eventually, just probably not anytime soon."
"So he's never even come close?" Lily questioned.
"Well, the most involved relationship he had I didn't much care for." James's voice had a slightly bitter note to it.
"Why?" Lily was curious now as she peered up at James.
"Well. . ." James seemed to be mulling over whether he should tell Lily or not. Lily decided she would kill James if he started keeping any more secrets from her. "I'll tell you, but it's not really public domain. Aside from Remus's condition, this is one of the better kept secrets in Hogwarts."
"Alright." Lily agreed as she waited attentively for James to go on.
"In our 4th Year, over Winter Holiday, there wasn't a Yule Ball to tempt people with that year so most of the school went home and there were only maybe a dozen of us at most staying over. Sirius, Remus, Peter, and myself were the only Gryffindors at Hogwarts for Christmas." James began. "Well Florence Copia was around too. Her and Sirius would flirt a bit here or there because that's just what they do. I didn't think anything of it until I heard a 6th Year Ravenclaw, Bertha Jorkins, talking about Sirius kissing Florence behind the Herbology Greenhouses."
"I heard that when I got back to school." Lily followed along. "I thought Bertha was just embellishing things like she tended to, especially considering how much Sirius seems to hate Slytherins and it's not like he and Florence even seemed to speak to one another all that much."
"Well there's a reason for that." James went on grimly. "Sirius hexed Bertha for her big, blabbing mouth so word wouldn't get around, gave her a stutter if I recall for a bit. Still, it ended up getting back to Snape."
Lily raised her eyebrow to this.
"Why would Severus Snape care if - " Lily paused halfway through her sentence. "You don't mean Florence and Severus were seeing one another?"
"The rest of this story is mostly logical guesses since none of the three parties involved care to discuss it but this is how I understand things, for whatever that's worth." James cautioned Lily on how seriously to take his word on the matter.
"So YOU think something was going on with Florence and Severus?" Lily pressed, curious to see what James had deduced.
"If I had to wager, I'd say yes. Sirius said something to the effect during a very vivid rant, but I don't know how much of it is credible since he was angry and tends to blame Snape for things whether or not he's got a part in it." James nodded. "The way I figure, Florence was seeing Snape not long before break but started messing around behind his back with Sirius over holiday. I'm not sure why she did it, probably her version of a very cruel joke."
"That's horrible!" Lily scowled at the thought before a look of pity fell over her face. "No wonder Sirius and Severus hate one another so much. Did Sirius know?"
"Judging from his reaction to the whole situation, I'd say no." James informed. "Besides, I don't think Sirius would try to get at Snape like that. It's really low to try and steal someone's girlfriend, even if you don't like them. No, this didn't help matters much between them though because I think Snape thought Sirius did it on purpose and they were well on their way to hating one another irreparably anyway at this point."
"I never saw Severus Snape going with someone like Florence Copia." Lily confessed, not seeing the appeal for either.
"I wouldn't have figured it either." James admitted. "But Copia likes to run with those intellectual crowds, probably because she's not all that bright herself, pardon me for saying. She's usually off with some Ravenclaw boy. I reckon it's probably a self-esteem issue. Like if some smart chap likes her then that makes her smart too. Probably why she liked Snape since he's pretty sharp when he's not being a git and it's probably why she went after Sirius, he's a git but he's brilliant."
"But why would Severus be interested in her?" Lily failed to make the connection. She had never really thought Severus was all that interested in anyone to be friends with, let alone to date. And Florence Copia had little to offer aside from a suggestive reputation and a pretty face. Still, it gave Lily an idea of why he was always so guarded around her, suspecting she might be another Florence Copia.
"I don't know Florence all that well, but apparently she's fairly charming when she tries to be. Doesn't hurt that she's attractive and flirty." James started guessing. "She's also friends with his cousin so he'd probably know her pretty well. Maybe he saw something that the rest of us missed. Or maybe he was just being a typical guy about something for once."
"All this bad blood because they were kissing the same girl." Lily shook her head at the complexity of it all rooted in such a small thing.
"Well. . ." James started but abruptly refused to finish his sentence.
"Well what?" Lily wondered what James was holding out on her with.
"I probably shouldn't say." James adverted his eyes from Lily. "The rest becomes major speculation that I don't really have anything to support it with. It's just my own opinion."
"What is it?" Lily urged.
"Um, well, I don't think it was JUST kissing." James flatly said.
Lily stared at James and the implications of these words.
"You're not suggesting - " Lily started blushing so deeply that she couldn't finish the sentence properly. Florence had a promiscuous reputation and Sirius was a professional bachelor, but that didn't mean anything necessarily. And Severus, well, Lily just assumed he was above that sort of thing with his introversion and aloof nature. "Do you think it was with Sirius or Severus?"
"Could be both, one or the other, maybe neither at all." James shrugged. "As I said, this is just MY opinion."
"Why is that your opinion?" Lily asked.
"Lots of little things, that are more gut feelings than facts, but the only event I can offer up is when I walked in on an argument the two of them were having when I was sneaking off to the kitchen under my family cloak." James replied with a disturbed look. "Snape. . . I've never seen him so furious. He was beside himself; screaming at Sirius, completely without his usual detached, icy composure. I don't know exactly what they were yelling about because I didn't feel right listening in so I kept walking on."
"And you can only think of one scenario that would make YOU that upset with someone." Lily finished.
"Basically." James nodded.
"Even if something did happen like that. . ." Lily uncomfortably spoke about her friend's personal lives. "I don't know why they would be bothered that much themselves. I serious doubt either Sirius or Severus would want Florence if she was playing them off each other like that."
"Guys tend to get riled about that sort of thing, even easy going ones like Sirius and coldly logical ones like Snape." James attempted to explain the typical male mind to Lily. "It's a territoriality thing. Men don't much fancy the idea of girls their going with being off with other guys."
Lily could understand how, if that was what happened, someone could get so furious. If she was sleeping with someone and found out he was off with some other girl, Lily knew she would be livid. Conversely, even if she, herself, wasn't sleeping with the person but found out he had with another girl, she'd probably feel equally betrayed.
"Girls don't like it very much either." Lily muttered a little more bitterly than she had intended as she thought of Cassidy. "So, in YOUR opinion, what do you think happened between those three?"
"I'd rather not give it if that's alright." James blushed slightly as he mumbled his reply before adding. "Well, like I said, that's major speculation on my part. For all I know, neither of them were doing anything more than snogging Florence. In fact, if I had to bet, that IS probably all there is too it."
"I don't think we should worry about it anymore." Lily decided. "I mean, it happened years ago and it's not like it's really much of our business anyway."
"Absolutely." James agreed, climbing to his feet. He held out his hand to help Lily up. "Want to head to the Three Broomsticks?"
"Yeah, that would be great." Lily smiled as she walked off with James towards Hogsmeade, hoping that the most complicated parts of their relationship were far behind them.
What was it about perfect moments that made the so fleeting and few?
* * *
Sirius pounded a few sharp raps on the Gameskeeper's hut before waiting for the reply if there was to be one. His little run in with Florence had sent him back to the dormitories but after thrashing about and growling unintelligible angry things lost its appeal, Sirius decided that he didn't want to be alone with his own darkly turned thoughts. After a half moments lingering, the door opened and the gigantic Hagrid stepped into the doorway.
"Why 'ello there, Sirius!" Hagrid greeted brightly as he laid eyes on Sirius. "Off yer probation are yeh?"
"I've got a day's reprieve." Sirius admitted with a guilty smile. "Since it's already been about a month since you extended me that invitation for tea, I decided it was long past due to take you up on it."
"Right glad yeh did that!" Hagrid beamed as he gestured for Sirius to enter his home.
Sirius smiled and nodded as he stepped into Hagrid's hut, thoroughly amused by the quaint and oddly proportioned accommodations to meet the Gameskeeper's large size. Seating himself at the oak table as he was gestured to, Sirius folded his hands politely in front of him as Hagrid poured them both tea.
"I must admit that I hadn't expected to find you here." Sirius stated before sipping his tea. "I'd have thought you'd be at Hogsmeade with the rest of the school."
"Usually I'd pop in fer a bit, yeah." Hagrid nodded before gesturing to a boarhound pup sleeping on the armchair. It was so still, Sirius hadn't even noticed it when he had surveyed the room. "That's Fang there, just got him so I still need to be work'n on bond'n with him. 'e'll make a grand dog. Dogs'er probably the loyalist creatures yeh can find, Muggle and Wizard alike."
"I like dogs too." Sirius grinned madly at this before straightening up a bit. "I'm sure James would have come along with me if he wasn't off at Hogsmeade with the rest of the school."
"Oh, don't worry 'bout that. I saw yer friend when he had tah help me weed out some gnomes which have been causing a bother fer Professor Sprout and her Greenhouses." Hagrid reassured. "Told me that he landed himself in hot water fer ridding his broom in the school. I must admit I was more than a bit surprise to not hear that yeh were a part of that."
"Well, if I wasn't in so much hot water already I probably would have." Sirius admitted with a mischievous grin over the mere idea. "It's not really a stupid idea unless I'm a part of it."
Hagrid chuckled deeply over this, shaking the air along with his massive form.
"Ey, I bet yeh would 'ave." Hagrid agreed. "Yeh must be a close-knit group of friends tah be willing tah take so many chances fer one another. Yeh, James, the Lupin boy, and Pettigrew I mean. Yeh all proved that back on New Years."
"All the same, I don't think I needed to almost get half of them killed to prove it." Sirius admitted guiltily. "They're good not to hate me for it. Almost wasn't sure if Remus would ever get around to forgiving me for a while there."
"But he did, didn't he?" Hagrid raised his eyebrows.
"Eventually, yes." Sirius nodded.
"Well there yeh go there!" Hagrid smiled at the boy. "Says a lot about yeh and Remus right there. Not only that he's a good and forgiv'n man but that yer the sort of friend worth forgiv'n. I imagine if yeh weren't an exceptional friend the rest of the time, Remus would never 'ave come around. Yeh should probably stop beating yerself up over this since yer the only one who still seems worried by it."
"It wouldn't be much of a penance if I wasn't the one who felt the guiltiest about it, now would it?" Sirius noted.
"Probably not." Hagrid confessed, seemingly unsure of what to say next so he merely extended his tea pot towards Sirius in a gesture to pour him a fresh cup.
"Bloody grand game of Quidditch, wasn't it?"
* * *
Back from Hogsmeade, James followed Lily into her dorm room, attempting to squeeze in as much time as he could with her before he had to run off to coach practice. Seated on her bed, Lily began puller her shoes off her feet while James paced about the floor listlessly.
"You keep a lot of secrets James, you know that?" Lily commented out of the blue. James wondered what brought this on as the peered at her over the rim of his glasses.
"It's come to my attention." James smirked. "Any reason in particular you're bringing this up?"
"I want to hear a secret that's yours." Lily demanded with an amused expression. "Not one of Sirius's or Remus's or Professor McGonagall's, or some random person on the street. One that's all your own that people don't know about."
James started laughing.
"I don't really have any." James confessed. "The lives around mine are far more entertaining, I assure you."
"Oh come off it." Lily rolled her eyes. "A man who owns an invisibility cloak doesn't get to pass himself off as mundane."
"What do you want to know?" James laughed, nit sure what she was getting at.
"How about something scandalous?" Lily suggested. "If I'm going to be Mrs. Minister of Magic I'll need an inventory of all the skeletons in your closet."
"Same goes for you, Luv!" James shot back. "I don't want some dark secret of yours biting me in the arse in the midst of my career."
It was Lily's turn to laugh.
"Me? What could I possibly have done that would be scandalous?" Lily gaped as he little game backfired.
"You tell me." James urged. "Come on, what's something you don't think you can tell me?"
"Oh I can think of a few things!" Lily chuckled vaguely.
"Well you tell me one and I'll tell you one of my own." James offered. "In spite of recent valentine's day gestures, I don't think you have a halo on your head."
"I don't know if this is a good idea." Lily sighed as she thought about how bad this game of truth or dare could turn out.
"Lily, there is NOTHING you can tell me that will change me feelings about you." James promise with a gentle smile. "I love you Lily, it's a package deal of all your virtues and vices. I mean, if I could take you going to the Yule Ball with Snape without making a scene. . ."
"That's just it." Lily broke in, causing James to halt his sentence. "Probably the only thing I wouldn't tell you involves Severus. Do you still want to know?"
James was fairly sure he didn't.
"Yes." James replied blankly.
"When you and I first kissed and I thought you were just saying and doing all those things to keep me distracted from the party downstairs, I ran off to the Prefect's bathroom." Lily started off. "Severus found me there and insisted I go along back with him to his room. I didn't feel particularly inclined to go anywhere else so I went along with him."
"That's where you were that night? Snape's room?" James's expression paled slightly.
"Nothing happened, James." Lily assured quietly, meeting his eyes. "We talked a bit, I nodded off, and Severus read. Nothing more impressive than that."
"You feel asleep in his room?" James repeated numbly. The idea of Lily going to the Ball with his rival had been a near maddening prospect but to know she was off in his room, let alone after hours, was enough to torment James with the sheer possibilities of what might have transpired. It didn't matter that this all happened before he and Lily were even dating, it was still shocking.
"Okay, you're breaking your word here!" Lily scowled in a huff. "You're acting differently towards me. So which are you going to believe: me or whatever twisted fantasy you're concocting in your mind?"
"You; naturally." James relented, shaking off his perturbed feelings like a cold draft. "It's just. . . well, it's not what I expected to hear."
"That's why they're called 'secrets' James. Because you don't expect them of a person." Lily noted.
"Did you and he ever - ?"
"JAMES!"
"I WAS GOING TO SAY KISS!" James insisted as the blood rushed to his cheeks. What Lily was implying was certainly something James DID NOT want to know even if it did happen.
"No." Lily shook her head. "Nor did we ever come close to it from my perspective. Severus and I were just friends."
James sighed, feeling relieved. Snape might be cold and withdrawn but if he hadn't tried anything ever with Lily in all the times they were off and getting on well with one another and had enough opportunities to attempt something with her, then James had no reason to sweat over where Lily spent one night away from Gryffindor.
Still, James would have welcomed a memory charm cast on him right about then.
"Well, what's your horrible secret that I get to be appalled over?" Lily pressed.
"Give me a minute, I have to rank them in order of which is the most foul." James joked as he thought it over. Considering all the things he had done in his life, James finally isolated the single most scandalous thing he had done.
"I'm an illegal Animage."
"You're an illegal Animage at seventeen?" Lily eyed James skeptically. "Come on now, James! Wizards and Witches spend half their lives trying to manage something like that."
"Hey, I spent nearly four years working on it!" James insisted. "It may not have been half my life but that didn't make it any small task to pull off."
"James, if you achieved becoming an Animage by the age of sixteen under the noses of the entire administration and ministry, you'd probably be the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." Lily decided.
Crossing her arms while she studied James, Lily was waiting for him to tell her that it was all a gag. James disappointed her by just shrugging and running his hand through his hair as he flashed an awkward smile.
"Well, I DID have a bit of help." James admitted modestly.
"You're serious then?" Lily's expression dropped from one of skepticism to one of awe as she began to believe James was telling her the truth.
"Yes." James nodded. "I could prove it by showing you, but I don't think you'd much care to have a stag in your bedroom."
"Stag?" Lily questioned the choice in animal before she suddenly recalled an early morning in November.
It was the same morning where she and Arabella had been out taking pictures near the Forbidden Forest when a stag had wandered out seeking attention. Probably reacting to the quizzical look over her face, James's suddenly sheepish expression told Lily that the friendly buck they had encountered was probably far more than it seemed.
"Oh!" Lily's eyes went wide with indignation, as she started pulling pillows from her bed and threw them at James. "Oh you sneaking, little git! And here I thought the worst I had to look out for was you and that cloak of yours! You just stood there listening to Arabella and I pouring our hearts out to one another, talking about YOU, while I just kept on stroking you like the ignorant cow I was!"
"Hey there!" James caught the first two pillows with both his hands but took the third to his face as he ran out of hands. Ducking the fourth one with his glasses askew, James dropped the other two and darted over to Lily around the waist, pulling her onto the bed with him. James kept Lily hugged against his chest as she thrashed about trying to get at him.
James couldn't help but laugh.
"Do you appreciate how ridiculous it is for you to be upset with me over this?" James demanded between his chuckles. "I mean, you didn't say anything that I couldn't have GUESSED at, we're DATING now, and you STILL stroke me from time to time!"
James had to tighten his grip as Lily started struggling even more, which in turned, warranted more laughing on his part.
"There's no statute of limitations on violating someone's privacy James!" Lily broke out laughing, finding it hard to keep on being cross with her boyfriend.
Giving up on breaking free, Lily stopped fighting against James's hold. Easing his grip, James kept his arms around Lily, hugging her on top her bed as he peered down at her.
"You're not really mad, are you?" James wanted to be certain.
"I suppose it would be something of a moot point if I were." Lily admitted with a smile. "Still, you're a horrible, devious boy."
"Oh you knew that coming into the relationship." James grinned.
"Yes I did." Lily nodded. "I love you all the same."
"I love you too." James returned as kissed her cheek. "I love my sweet, FORGIVING girlfriend."
"So I'm snogging the most brilliant student at Hogwarts in probably a century." Lily mused to the ceiling with a goofy smile. "I've certainly done well for myself!"
"Well if you were inclined to do more than snog, all that talk about stroking has put some wicked ideas into my head." James raised his eyebrows to Lily in a suggestive manner, causing her to laugh out loud.
"I bet they would, you randy prat!" Lily agreed, amused. "But you have Quidditch practice in twenty minutes."
James gave off a frustrated sighed and rolled his eyes as this evidently had slipped his mind.
"Bugger it!" James declared as he latched onto Lily tighter, nuzzling into her neck. "I'm the Quidditch Captain, I make all the decisions. And I've decided to stay in her and snog you until you're too weary to remind me of my schedule."
Half a moment later, James found himself standing on the stairs outside Lily's closed bedroom door.
"So the Quidditch Captain's GIRLFRIEND makes all the decision now, is that it?" James demanded through the wood with a laugh.
Making his way into the Boys' dormitories, James passed the male members of his team who were all fully dressed for Quidditch, brooms in hand.
"There you are, Cap'!" Sirius smirked. "Been looking for you. You're not even dressed yet?"
"Yeah, well your fearless leader will be right with you once he takes a cold shower!" James promised under his breath as he rushed past the team.
All the older boys started laughing, leaving Bill Weasley to raise a quizzical eyebrow.
"Now why would he shower BEFORE practice?" Bill wondered. "I mean, he's only going to get all dirty during it and need to take another one later on!"
Sirius smiled down at Bill and ruffled the younger boy's hair.
"I'm going to like you." Sirius complimented
Not quite catching why that was exactly, Bill still smiled at the other boy's praise.
* * *
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For those of you who have a curiosity about the Slytherin mind, you'll probably get a kick out of the next chapter since it's mostly about them (I know I know, bad Oy! Angie, this is supposed to be a Lily and James fic.) Well don't worry, the Gryffindors we all know and love are still going to be a part of it. I just thought I should mention that don't expect Chapter 27 to be the usual, fluffy light-hearted romp with House Slytherin in has been (What fanfic do you think you've been writing, Oy! Angie?)
Oh did I mention spring break is on the way for both Oy! Angie and our Hogwarts bunch?
WOO HOO
Anyway, here's a song for James "Prongs" Potter in honor of how much the idea of him has probably ruined me for other men.
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Building a Mystery
By: Sarah McLachlan
* * *
you come out at night
that's when the energy comes
and the dark side's light
and the vampires roam
you strut your rasta wear
and your suicide poem
and a cross from a faith
that died before Jesus came
you're building a mystery
you live in a church
where you sleep with voodoo dolls
and you won't give up the search
for the ghosts in the halls
you wear sandals in the snow
and a smile that won't wash away
can you look out the window
without your shadow getting in the way
oh you're so beautiful
with an edge and a charm
but so careful
when I'm in your arms
'cause you're working
building a mystery
holding on and holding it in
yeah you're working
building a mystery
and choosing so carefully
you woke up screaming aloud
a prayer from your secret god
you feed off our fears
and hold back your tears
give us a tantrum
and a know it all grin
just when we need one
when the evening's thin
oh you're a beautiful
a beautiful fucked up man
you're setting up your
razor wire shrine
'cause you're working
building a mystery
holding on and holding it in
yeah you're working
building a mystery
and choosing so carefully
'cause you're working
building a mystery
holding on and holding it in
yeah you're working
building a mystery
and choosing so carefully