Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Chapter 25: First kiss
The attack on Emm made it to the Daily Prophet, but not the front page. There were other attacks, more gruesome, that the unknown dark lord was responsible for. The image of the skull with the snake had been left in some form at each of the attacks. For some it was like Emm's - the image on a glowing piece of paper. At others the image was floating in the air over the bodies. The Daily Prophet labeled it as a Dark Mark, and that is how it came to be known.
Although the chills Lily had felt were fading away, her headaches still plagued her. She became very good at masking her symptoms from her friends and pretending that everything was fine. She spent a lot of time outdoors now that April had come bringing warmer spring weather. She couldn't stand to be inside more than was necessary. Something in the castle would eventually trigger the images of soot and broken glass that had been haunting her.
She still struggled in her DADA class, despite the weekly tutoring sessions with Professor Riddle. Lily sensed that he was becoming impatient with her, like he was expected something from her that she couldn't produce. She wondered what it was she was doing wrong because she excelled in all of her other classes, even Potions.
As the end of April came Remus had to make another trip home. She noticed that Potter and Sirius were more subdued than usual and they spoke in hushed tones. After James told Lily how Remus' mum was sick again, she felt the sensation that he was not being honest with her.
"What do you suppose they're up to?" wondered Lily.
Marlene snorted and said, "Probably up to no good as usual." She was still smarting from the April Fool's joke Sirius had pulled on her. He had hexed her so that pudding would spray out of her nose. She, in turn, had transfigured his nose into a pig snout.
As the afternoon grew late Lily saw the two boys in the common room whispering back and forth. Potter got up and left the common room. Lily, curious to see what he was hiding, decided to follow him.
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The day of the full moon was a little awkward for Remus. It was the first one where James and Sirius openly knew the truth. They tried in vain to keep Remus' spirits up. Remus, however, had the familiar feeling of dread and fear about the upcoming transformation. The worst part wasn't the extreme physical pain he went through - it was the loss of control. He was ashamed about the monster he became every month and was terrified that he could inflict the same pain on another human.
As he left to go to the hospital wing Sirius and James watched in frustration. They hated to see their friend in so much pain and yet they couldn't stand by him that night because they would be put in danger. Sirius decided to focus his attention on plans for future pranks on Slytherins. James, on the other hand, decided to sneak outside to sit by the lake.
Not only was he upset about his friend, but he had received a letter from his father that morning at breakfast. Usually his letters were light-hearted and filled with jokes, however his latest letters had been more serious. James looked out over the lake and saw the fading sunlight dancing off the calm water. It amazed him how still the water was, however after a few minutes he saw some ripples form signaling the Giant Squid poking one of his tentacles through the surface. As James watched this he heard the soft rustling of footsteps approaching.
"Potter?" inquired the voice he instantly recognized. He didn't respond right away. He felt her sit down on the grass next to him. "Are you alright?" she asked.
James put on one of his grins though it seemed a bit forced. He turned to her and said, "Hey Evans! I'm fine."
Her startling green eyes searched his and she shook her head. "I don't think you are. Something's bothering you. What is it?"
His eyes widened in surprise. How could she always read him so easily? "Well, erm-" he stuttered, thinking of what to tell her. He couldn't break his promise to Remus so he focused on the other thing that was bothering him. "You got me there, Evans. I got a letter from my dad this morning."
"Did something happen at home?" she asked.
James shook his head. "No, it's more the tone of the letter. Usually he's joking around however the past few letters have been pretty serious."
"What are they about, if you don't mind my asking?" she queried.
"I don't mind," he said. "My dad is an official at the Ministry of Magic, rather high up. Usually he works at the Ministry and oversees the aurors who track down the bad wizards. Lately, as you know, there have been more attacks due to that dark wizard and his followers. The number of attacks is increasing and my dad told me that he's going to start working with the aurors in the field to help capture this wizard."
Lily studied his hazel eyes and sensed worry. "It sounds dangerous," she said.
James nodded. "It is, but my dad's a very talented wizard," he said with a bit of pride.
Lily smiled and said, "Then he can take care of himself. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to be out here worrying."
James returned her smile and stood up. "You're right. I should go and find Sirius. He's probably finding trouble right now, and I wouldn't want to miss it," he said with a grin.
Lily laughed and took the hand James offered to help her stand. As she got to her feet she lost her balance and stumbled. He caught her from falling forward and they ended up face to face, barely a foot from each other. Their breath caught as they gazed into each other's eyes, and Lily felt a trickle of warmth flow through her veins as a blush crept into her cheeks.
James couldn't tear himself from her eyes. They were so pure and green. He almost felt himself regressing into the speechless boy from last fall who couldn't speak a clear sentence to her. He fought to keep the confident James Potter afloat and did the first thing that he could think of - he pulled her forward and kissed her. It lasted barely a few seconds however James could have sworn he heard some Filibuster Fireworks firing in the distance. When he pulled back he watched her shocked face slowly form a dreamy smile. Like on Valentine's Day, he could once again feel his heart trying to pound out of his chest.
"Slumming, Potter?" came a sneering voice from behind them. James and Lily turned to see Lucius Malfoy standing about 10 feet away from them.
James clenched his fists. "Shut up, Malfoy!"
The blond boy smirked and said, "You're a blood traitor, Potter! I shouldn't have expected anything less from a Gryffindor." He glanced over at Lily. "I suppose you could have some fun with her, however I would suggest keeping a bar of soap with you so you can clean off the Mudblood filth she'll get on you."
James stepped threateningly toward Malfoy. "I said SHUT UP!"
"Potter," Lily said as she grabbed his arm. "Please, let's just g-"
Malfoy cut her off. "It doesn't matter anyway. She won't last long with that dark wizard around. Maybe he has the right idea-"
James didn't let him finish. He tore himself out of Lily's grip and charged at Malfoy, tackling him and throwing him to the ground. The boys threw punches and wrestled on the ground until Malfoy was able to grab his wand and throw a hex at James that resulted in a large bruise on his forehead. James was left in a daze as Malfoy pulled himself up and rushed back into the castle.
"Potter!" Lily ran over to him and knelt by his side.
James slowly sat up, feeling like his head was ringing.
"Are you okay?" she asked, looking him over to see if he was hurt.
He shook his head a little to clear it and nodded. "I'll be okay. What about you?" When he didn't hear her answer he looked up at her and saw that she was staring at his robes. He looked down and saw that the front had been torn during the fight.
"What is that?" she asked.
When he looked down to his robes again he noticed a gleam of light reflecting off of the ring his father had given him for Christmas. As his father had instructed he had worn the ring on a chain around his neck constantly. He kept it hidden under his robes. It had become such a habit that he had forgotten that he was wearing it. 'It must have fallen out when the robes tore,' he thought.
"This?" he asked her, lifting the ring for closer inspection.
Lily nodded, seeming transfixed on the jewel.
"My dad gave it to me for Christmas. It doesn't fit yet so I wear it like this," he said.
"Where did your dad get it?" asked Lily in an intense whisper.
James shrugged. "It's been in my family for years. That's all I really know about it." He saw her shiver a little and realized the darkness from the evening was bringing a chill. "We should get back inside. You look like you're getting cold."
They headed inside, but instead of following James to the common room Lily told him she would be up later.
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A few minutes later Professor Riddle opened his office door in response to a knock and invited the guest inside. He instructed the guest to sit as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a small box. He opened the box and took out his silver serpent tie tack with the emerald eye and put it on as he sat down behind the desk. The guest waited patiently until a gleam came from the eye of the serpent.
"Now," started Professor Riddle. "What have you learned?"
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Yeah, another short chapter, but hey! James and Lily had their first kiss! I tried not to make it too overly dramatic - after all, they're only 11. What do you all think?
Thanks to the latest reviewers: sweetie513, Remus'sweetie, Watermelon!, and itsme63.
Next chapter: Okay, so James kissed Lily - next we will see his reaction shortly thereafter, and we'll find out how Lily feels about James. Oooooh, and we are getting VERY close to some major stuff with Riddle. Leave me a review, and maybe I'll leave you a Christmas present by posting the next chapter before the holiday (wink).
Cheers!
MsNorris