I own nothing.
**
Chapter 12: I Need You
[Sometimes When We Touch, by Dan Hill]
December 24, 1977
The whistle blew on the Hogwarts Express and Lily raised her hand to wave at Sirius, Remus, and Peter. She stood there until the train had pulled out of sight and then turned to go back to the castle. She heard a muffled curse beside her.
"Merlin damn your hair, Evans," James grumbled. "Can't you tie it up in the wind?"
"Then it wouldn't be half as pretty," Lily replied loftily. "Now explain to me why you're here?"
"Shut up, Evans. This mess isn't my fault."
"You couldn't have gone with Sirius?"
"No. Andromeda doesn't very much like me since I put frogs in her bed. Oh, and the dead snake."
"When was this?"
James suppressed a smile. "Summer before sixth year. Just before we visited you, actually."
Lily shook her head. "Sometimes I think you're a three-year-old sixteen-year-old."
"That's silly! How can I be three and sixteen at the same time?"
Lily mock sighed in derision. "Well, I think we both know the blame really lies with Foibles for convincing Maria Danes to go home with him. I'm sure Clara won't miss her."
James snorted. "She'd follow Snape if he asked her to."
Lily shuddered. "I can't…I can't understand that. I could never-I could never sleep around like that."
Lily glanced at James. He was staring straight ahead, his face a blank mask.
"Sometimes, Lily, the only means of comfort is sex."
Lily frowned. "Are you referring to something specific?"
"No. I'm just saying that even the best people sometimes turn to physical pleasure to forget things. It's the second-best kind of sex."
"Oh, boy. You have classifications?"
James nodded. Lily was silent.
"Oh, all right. Tell me."
"The best sex is obviously with someone you love and who loves you back." James held open the doors to the school for her and she nodded her thanks as well as her agreement to his statement.
"The second-best is sex between friends. No strings attached. You know the reason and you know nothing will come of it. You're doing it for comfort or to prepare yourself for something better.
"But the second-best sex can turn ugly, especially if one of the people has a boyfriend or girlfriend. It's even worse if one of the people falls for the other person."
"Is there more?" lily asked.
"Of course. The third-best sex is…well, hot sex."
Lily coughed and James looked as if he was trying not to smile. They were walking down the passage to Gryffindor tower.
"It's true. Hot, passionate, sex. Between people who hate each other."
Lily raised an eyebrow again.
"That's my system. Sirius is the other way round. He thinks the third is the best, than the first, and then the second. Peter has no clue what we're talking about. Remus agrees with me."
Lily shook her head slowly. "You have everything figured out," she said softly. "And I'm like Peter. I don't know the difference."
"Well, use an example. Remus and Sunny were obviously number one. Sirius and Ana were number two--"
"Sirius and Ana went out?" Lily said sharply.
James froze. "Er…not really. Sixth year. They had a fling while Amy and I were going out."
Lily nodded. "All right."
"Maria and I had a purely physical relationship."
"Number three."
James nodded. "Amy and I had second-best sex turned ugly. She fell for me. I didn't fall for her."
Lily hesitated before asking her last question.
"And…?"
"I'm still waiting for the first-best-sex of my life," James said solemnly, turning to face her. He gave the password to the Fat Lady and they stood in front of the open portrait hole, staring at each other. Lily dropped her gaze first and went into the common room.
He followed behind her wordlessly, but Lily could feel his eyes on her back all the way up to her dormitory. She felt a hot flush over her entire body and knew, without a doubt, that nothing good would come of the conversation they had just held.
**
December 28, 1977
Lily breathed in cold, fresh air and blew it out, watching it rise towards the white sky. It would snow soon. She rubbed her gloved hands together and began walking around the lake again.
She came back to the place where she started and noticed that James was walking towards her. He had traveled around in the other direction. She waited for him to meet her and then turned and began walking with him.
A comfortable silence lay between the two.
"I'll race you back to where we started," Lily said when they had reached the halfway point.
James looked at her impassively. Lily blushed. He knew she was trying to draw him out. She could tell. A slow smile spread over his features.
"Okay. Do you want a head start?"
"I'm not a weakling." She grinned at him and then took off running.
"Hey! You cheated!" he yelled after her. Lily just smiled and ran faster. He was behind her the whole time and she looked back to see how close he was. He was only about ten meters away when she tripped and fell flat on her face.
He erupted into laughter and Lily scowled. She shrieked as something cold went down her back.
"JAMES POTTER!"
The smile melted off his face and his features hardened. The expression would have scared her if she didn't know that his eyes were teasing. "I'm afraid you asked for it, cheater," he said softly, his words carrying across the empty grounds.
"Not on your life," Lily answered, just as quietly, throwing a snowball she had in her hand straight in his face. James ducked and it went flying through the air, hitting a tree and leaving a small patch of snow on the otherwise clean bark. He scooped up some snow and she took off running, making a snowball as she went. Something hit the back of her head and she turned, running backwards, and aimed her snowball at James's chest. It hit dead on.
Lily would have been smug if she hadn't tripped again and fallen onto her backside. James pelted her with three snowballs in quick succession.
"Can we join?"
Lily and James looked to the side and saw a group of Ravenclaws standing on the side. They were an assortment of first, second, fifth, and seventh years. Lily saw some Hufflepuffs heading down from the castle.
James grinned. "Or course. Girls against boys."
"Now, James. That's not very nice," Lily said mockingly. "We'll count off. Ones are me, twos are James."
The rest of the students quickly counted off. The Hufflepuffs had arrived and they also counted off. Each team, headed by Lily and James respectively, had fourteen people on it.
"Get ready to go down," James smirked.
"Don't be too cocky," Lily smirked back. "We start in five minutes."
"Three."
"Four."
"Two."
"Three."
"Gotcha."
"Damn," Lily said. "Fine. Three minutes, you cheater. That was some mean negotiating."
Three minutes later, while Lily was still strategizing with her team, a snowball hit one of her teammates, a Ravenclaw seventh year, in the head. She dusted off the snow and glared in the other direction.
"Oi! Prat! You want to sleep alone tonight?"
A chorus of jeers erupted from both teams and a boy turned bright red. Lily took advantage of the other's team's inattentiveness and began to pelt them with snowballs.
What followed was the best snowball fight of Lily's life. Halfway through the numbers began to dwindle and some couples went off alone together. Lily cloak had fallen off at some point and she searched for it, shivering. She finally found it and performed a quick drying spell on her clothes. As she was putting it on, she saw James running down behind Hagrid's hut. Lily followed him.
He was looking for something, she saw, as she bent down to scoop up some snow. She snuck up behind him and stuck it down his shirt.
"Aiyyyyyy!" he yelled, straightening up right away. Lily jumped back and laughed.
"Damn, Lily. That was cold! I'm missing my gloves. Some first year ran off with them back here."
Lily gave him an incredulous look. "When?" she asked, looking at his almost blue hands.
"Er…about fifteen minutes in," he said sheepishly, wiping beneath his nose.
"James…we've been out here almost two and a half hours."
James winced. "I know. The warming spell wore off about ten minutes ago."
"Silly boy," Lily said, taking his hands and placing them in her cloak. James glanced at her eyes and she met his unwaveringly.
"They're still cold," he whispered after a moment, licking his chapped lips.
Lily hesitated for only a second before drawing his hands under her jumper and her t-shirt. She shivered as soon as his freezing hands met her hot skin and she drew in a sharp breath, jumping. James moved closer to her and kept his hands still, looking very intently at her face, which she struggled to keep blank. This was surreal. She had a boyfriend and she had just put another man's hands in her shirt, while Sirius had hardly even gotten there. Yet…strangely, this felt more right than anything Sirius had ever done with his hands.
James's hands inched higher until they were just skimming the bottom of her bra. Lily took a deep, startled breath and her eyes flew to his. His hazel irises were absolutely serious as he looked down at her, a question in his eyes. Lily's breathing sped up and her mouth went dry; her heart raced. She made a slight movement with her head, not really sure whether it was a nod to say yes or a shake to say no, and felt his hand cover her breast.
"Oh god," she murmured, pressing her face into the soft fabric of his jumper and placing her hands around his waist, within his cloak. James thumb flicked over her nipple and she gasped at the sensation of his rough skin chafing her through the satiny fabric. A soft sound escaped from her mouth and on instinct, she pressed her pelvis against his, gasping as she felt his reaction.
She froze and looked at him. His hand continued to move lightly over the soft swells of her breasts and over her curves, but his other held her completely steady. She was glad for the support. Her knees were already jelly and if he kissed her, as it looked like he was about to do, she would collapse.
His was staring at her lips and unconsciously she licked them. She pressed herself hard against him and he gasped slightly, his mouth opening, and she felt his further reaction to her movement. Experimentally, she moved her hips against his and James closed his eyes in bliss and stilled his hand under her shirt, reciprocating her action with his own movement.
Something pressed against her inner thigh and she had a pretty good idea of what it was.
She stood on her tip toes and looked him in the eye. Her lips were just centimeters away from his and she could taste the mint on his breath.
"Lily…" his voice came out in a harsh whisper. "I need-we can't do this. Sirius would…"
"I think we're already pretty guilty," Lily said thickly. She inched closer and her breath mingled with his.
"I mean…I can't stop myself," James rasped, clearing his throat. The back door to Hagrid's hut opened and James pushed her away and slid his hands out from under her shirt, leaving her feeling cold and bereft. He pulled his cloak shut and looked up guiltily at the burly man in the door.
"James. Lily. These yer gloves? Some firs' years ran into my hut and left 'em here."
"Those are mine," James said, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat again and took the gloves from Hagrid's huge hands.
"Would you like a spot o' tea?" asked Hagrid eagerly.
James nodded but Lily declined hastily. Hagrid asked her if she was sure and she still said no. The tension in the air would be too much for her to take. She wasn't exactly sure what had just happened; but in five minutes, she had gone farther with James than she ever had with Sirius. She needed time to think, time to plan what the hell she was going to say when she talked with James, as she inevitably would.
"Right then. If yer sure, Lily."
"I'm sure," Lily said shakily, glancing up and meeting James's eyes. They had darkened slightly and she quickly turned away and began walking towards the castle, knowing she was being rude but hardly caring at all.
"Something happen, James? You two looked spooked," she heard Hagrid ask, before his door shut with a snap.
Halfway to the castle Lily collapsed on the ground and cast a quick warming spell on herself. She sighed and spread her legs and arms out, making a snow angel. It was getting dark out and she could see the moon faintly.
What just happened? She asked herself. Did we just…? Oh, lord. Am I stupid or just completely lacking common sense? But…it felt good....
Lily turned on her side and a shiver went up her spine as she remembered just how good it had felt. She never felt anything so intense in her life. It made her feel so damn guilty she could barely focus. Sirius hadn't cheated on her, despite his reputedly fickle nature. She had done the unthinkable and cheated on him, with his best friend, no less.
She didn't know how to deal with something like this. She'd never had this type of problem before. It was strangely…exciting, but nerve wracking at the same time.
He wouldn't kiss me. He wouldn't do more with me.
Somehow, that made Lily's feelings for James intensify.
WHAT?
NO! I do not under ANY circumstances have FEELINGS FOR JAMES POTTER. Lapse of judgment-no, lapse of GOOD judgment...that's all it was.
"Lily?"
He seemed to have given up all pretense of using her surname to address her. She would have welcomed this before but now it just scared her.
Nooooooooooooo…
"What are you doing?"
"I'm lying in the snow. Isn't it obvious?"
"Not particularly. Why are you lying in the snow?"
"I'm thinking."
"About what?"
Lily shot him a look and he winced.
"Yes, yes. Very loaded question."
"Do you want to talk about this rationally, James?"
"Can we talk about it irrationally?"
Lily took a deep breath. "I put your hands under my shirt."
"Because they were cold," James said. "You didn't want me to-" He flushed.
"And then…you moved your hands higher."
"Yea," he whispered.
"We didn't mean for it to happen."
"That doesn't make it any better Lily," he said sharply. James would be rather torn up about something like this, Lily reflected, because Sirius was, in every way that mattered, his brother.
"I'm going to tell you the truth." He sat next to her. "I wanted to-no, I needed to touch you like that. You don't understand Lily. When you grabbed my hands and put them on your waist it was like this bloody shock shooting from my hands into my blood." He shook his head. "What did you expect me to do? Hold still? Of course not. So I moved closer and I…moved my hands slightly. I don't know if you've ever felt that kind of need."
Lily blushed to the roots of her hair. "I have."
"Right," James said, almost bitterly. "Right."
Oh God. He probably thought she was some sort of scarlet woman now. "So now what? Since you've just felt me up."
James glared at her and leaned so close she could see the gold and green flecks in his eyes. "You put my hands in your shirt," he whispered softly, "and you think that a boy that's fancied you for four years and imagined what's under that shirt for two wouldn't try to touch you? Excuse me if I think your logic is just a little shoddy. You didn't push me away. You didn't tell me to stop and the sounds you made sure as hell didn't tell me you were even trying to stop me. In fact, I think you wanted me to shag you right up against the wall of Hagrid's hut."
Before she knew what she was doing, Lily raised her hand to slap him. He caught her wrist and shook her arm slightly.
"Don't dare slap me, Lily. You don't have the right."
"What do you mean, I don't have the-"
"'Oh, James, you look so much more boyish when you smile like that, Oh, James, thank you so much, My, James, you've certainly grown up some, Oh, James, I'm so glad you helped me…'" James said in a high falsetto. His voice switched to a harsh whisper. "You've been leading me on since bloody September first. Don't even try to-to-"
"I have not!" Lily said hotly.
"You kissed me, Lily!"
"I was mad out of my mind with fear! Have you been harping on that stupid kiss since then? That's pathetic, James. All you ever do is think about yourself. You're really no different from fifth year, are you? You're still your arrogant, selfish, pricky self. Just because you stopped hexing Snape doesn't mean you're a better person. You need to grow the fuck up!"
James went white, paler than she'd ever seen him, and clenched his fists. His eyes were very bright and he took a deep breath. He stared at a point far off in the distance and smiled tightly at her.
"All right Lily. All right then."
With that, he left her in the snow, very confused, and very, very cold.
**
December 31, 1977
The next four days passed in a hazy blur for Lily. She hadn't spoken to James at all and New Year's Eve found her sitting in the Heads' bath soaking and staring off into space. There was a sick, guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach and every time she breathed she felt as if she was underwater.
Her nails, which had always been rather long and shapely, were bitten to the quick and ragged from the amount of biting she had been doing. Never before had she been nervous enough to bite her nails.
Sirius had been so good to her. Despite his image as a man-whore and a player, he had never cheated on her. She would have known. Somebody would have told her.
Then again, he'd never really done anything but snog her.
Lily started and some water splashed over the edge of the bath. She had never thought that before.
"Sirius is a good boyfriend," she said aloud to the empty bathroom. Her voice sounded eerie in the steamy air.
Nagging doubts began to fill her mind. He never talked to her about anything. She knew next to nothing about his family and less about his life. She knew that he liked peanut butter and strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce and that he hated vanilla. She knew…
…that he never told her anything. He didn't tell her how the Marauders stayed with Remus on the nights of the full moon. He didn't tell her what was going on between him and James. He wouldn't tell her when he had a bloody test in Advanced Transfiguration.
And James…
"Stop!" she said firmly to herself. She wasn't going to compare them. She'd never had any problems with Sirius until James…
….until James felt her up. Everything about James was so confusing. He wasn't supposed to grow up…he was supposed to stay a prick so she would never feel guilty about hurting him…and she had hurt him.
He had been right. She had been leading him on. She had not meant to, but ever since that first train ride something had changed between them, and she had not meant to make him think she was interested.
She had, though. She had made him think she was interested.
Imagine that. YOU ONLY PUT HIS HANDS IN YOUR SHIRT, you TART!
She felt a suspicious burning in her eyes. She was a tart. She had cheated on her boyfriend, Sirius-bloody-Black, whom every girl in the school wanted. She was such an ungrateful person, so-
"Fuck."
Lily gasped and looked up. James's voice had drifted through the half-open door.
She wasn't exactly surprised. Subconsciously, she had been expecting him.
"God damn stupid homework. Stupid fireplace. Can't stay lit for twenty minutes."
She heard the scraping of a chair being pulled out, the sound of a rucksack dropping to the floor, and the muffled thump of a body falling into an armchair. Quietly, so as not to disturb the water too much, she got out of them bath and step onto the charmed tiles. They were warm. She picked up an everlastingly fluffy and hot towel and wrapped it around her body.
There was a muffled curse outside and the door to the bath slammed open, revealing James Potter with ink stains all over his hands, arms, and face. Lily caught her breath and wrapped her towel tighter around her body.
"Da-" James cut himself off as he noticed her and went pale.
"I-I was-"
"I'm going to g-go," he stammered, shutting the door and quickly backing out.
Lily looked after him absently and began to dress herself in slacks and a plain white t-shirt. She put her towel over the rack to dry and opened the door to the Heads' Commons slowly.
James sat on the floor near the fire, propped up against an armchair, with books and papers spread all around him. He still had ink all over his hands but it was gone from his face and arms. He wasn't working on anything, just staring into the dancing flames.
"Scourgify," Lily said quietly, flicking her wand at his hands. James didn't move.
"Thanks," he said without moving his head.
"It's nothing," Lily returned.
James took a shuddering breath. "I didn't know-I didn't come here to look at you-I-"
"I know," Lily cut him off. "I know."
"I don't want to hate you, Lily," James said, almost desperately. "Please. Don't make me hate you."
"I don't want you to hate me either," Lily whispered. "I don't. I just don't know how to deal with this."
"Then I don't think we should talk to each other, Lily," James said stiffly. "I really don't."
Lily opened her mouth to protest but the look on his face was absolutely final. Defeated, she walked out of the portrait hole and made her way back to Gryffindor tower. She picked up a book from her bedside table and began to read.
Gifts of a Soul-Searcher
1.) Reading of auras
2.) Ability to spot the disingenuous
3.) Reading of strong emotions
4.) Reading of souls
Basic Soul-Searching
Basic soul-searching consists of two elements: the fundamental gift of soul-searching and intense concentration for a beginner. Once basic searching is mastered it will be almost second-nature to a soul-searcher.
1.) Choose a subject-it is best to begin work with animals because their minds and souls are less complex than human ones. Their auras are stronger than the average human's.
2.) Place your hands in the air around the subject. DO NOT TOUCH THE SUBJECT'S SKIN OR CLOTHES. Adding these elements to a searching will be incredibly confusing to a beginner.
3.) Concentrate hard on the person and drag you hands across their torso in the air. It should feel as though you are dragging you hands through a substance. The feeling will depend on how open the subject is.
People of dark moods will have a very cold aura that is darkly colored. People of good moods will have light, breezy auras, which-
Lily shut the book with a snap and threw it across the room. She didn't feel like reading about happy people.
She turned onto her side and cried herself to sleep.
**
January 1, 1978
Lily and James sat on opposite ends of a bench in the Hogsmeade station and stared at the ground. Both looked up quickly when the sound of the train pulling in filled the air. Students began to pour out, many laughing and smiling. Lily spotted Sirius striding towards their bench, his trunk floating behind him, with Remus and Peter following at a run. Lily and James stood up.
Sirius's eyes were bright against his pale face. His long, dark hair was windblown. He looked absolutely gorgeous.
"Sirius," Remus began, "Don't-"
Sirius drew back his arm and punched James in the jaw. There was a sickening crack of breaking bone and James staggered backwards against the bench. Lily gasped.
"You thought I wouldn't know, is that it?" Sirius whipped his head around and looked at Lily. "You thought I wouldn't know, Lily?"
"How do you-"
Sirius threw a piece of paper at her feet.
The words were written in a strange-almost other-worldly-font. Lily read aloud.
"At 3:49 p.m. on December 28, 1977, the relationship between Sirius Phinaes Black and Lily Ciara Evans ended when James Godric Potter placed his hands in an inappropriate-What the hell is this, Sirius? Who sent this to you?"
"Ciara?" asked Peter softly
"It's Irish," Lily snapped. "Well, Sirius?"
"Fuck this, Lily. You don't have the right to ask me anything." He turned to James and ignored her. "You're my fucking brother, James. How the hell could-"
"Who sent this to you, Sirius?" Lily asked, her voice rising in pitch. The idea that someone had watched her and James made her feel sick. It made her feel violated. "I asked you who you hired to watch me!"
"I didn't ask anyone!" Sirius bit out. "The spell automatically-"
"A spell?" Lily shrieked. "You cast a spell-"
"The Betting Charm!" Sirius exploded, throwing up his hands and running them through his hair. Thankfully, the platform had emptied.
Lily had trouble breathing. "A bet?" she asked faintly. "You made a-a bet?"
"No, Lily. I randomly cast a Betting Charm." Sirius said with a roll of his eyes.
Lily faced James, who was beginning to develop a bruise on his jaw. "Did you know?" she asked.
James spat blood onto his palm and glared at Sirius. "Of course I did."
For the second time in a week Lily raised her hand to slap James but he caught her wrist again and step forward until his face was inches from hers. "Why the hell are you going to slap me when he made the bet?"
Lily opened her mouth to tell him exactly why but couldn't. If she said Because I care more that you didn't tell me she would never be able to live it down. She said nothing instead but stepped away from James and face Sirius again, who was glaring at them intensely.
"I want to know everything," she spat. "Now."
Sirius stared at her before nodding. "Fine," he muttered. He motioned to Remus and Peter, who looked reluctant, and then to James, who shook his head.
"No. I refuse. Just tell her."
"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.
"This is the only way," Sirius snapped. "Now do the fucking spell."
James sighed and stepped forward before placing his wand on Lily's forehead. Sirius placed his at her left temple. Remus walked around and placed his at her lower back. Peter put his wand to her right temple. They now formed a square around her.
"What are you-"
"Memoria meus."
"In hic loco."
"Ostende."
"Nunc."
It felt as if a giant hand had grabbed her entire body and was pulling her backwards. A strange heat was spread across her skin, starting under each wand that was touching her body. A great shock went through her and she stopped moving abruptly. She stumbled but a hand on her arm held her upright.
She looked around. It was daytime and students were milling about. The scene looked faded, as if it were a picture that had been stored in a box for a long time. There were small patches of snow melting in the sun.
Which was strange, since she couldn't feel any heat.
It had to be right after the Easter holidays. A few meters away stood Sirius, James, Remus and Peter.
Right next to her stood Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter. Lily jumped.
"What the-" She cut herself off. Her voice was breathy and sounded--transparent, as if she didn't exist.
"It's not a well-known spell," said Remus. "Rowena Ravenclaw left the workings of it in her bedchambers. James finished it."
Lily looked around again. "Can you-"
"Nobody can see you," said Sirius irritably. "Now listen. That's what you wanted." He put a hand on the small of her back and pushed her forward until she was right next to the younger versions on the Marauders.
"Let me get this straight," Sirius said. "You want me to stay with a girl for six months and not cheat on her?"
"Yes," said James. "It'll teach you how to have a steady relationship."
"Oh yes, Prongs. You're so good at that," said Remus dryly. "This is wrong."
"It's all harmless fun," said James dismissively. "We'll pick someone suitable for Sirius. Someone he could actually fall in love with."
"And what do I get?" asked Sirius. "If I win?"
"A girl," said James.
Peter was fiddling with his wand. "Collopromio."
Sirius whirled around. "A betting charm? Good idea, Wormtail." He turned back to James. "That isn't enough."
"You get a girl, three Galleons, and Prongs will walk out naked on the Quidditch pitch during a match painted red and gold."
A piece of parchment appeared in the air and the information was recorded in the same font on the letter Lily had held earlier.
"Well, Wormtail. Aren't you just being crafty?" said James. "I'm not doing that."
"You have to," said Sirius. "The spell will make you."
"Okay. I'm beginning to have a bad feeling about-"
"And we get a galleon each and you have to walk out painted red and gold naked at a Quidditch match if you lose the girl before six months is up," finished Peter.
"The girl?"
Remus snorted. "If we're going to be fair just make it Lily Evans. James loses the girl he fancies to Sirius, who breaks up with Lily and loses his dignity on the pitch."
"You idiot," hissed Sirius, as more words appeared on the parchment. "Do you realize what you did?"
Remus paled. "Oh, shit. Prongs-I didn't think-"
James's face was strangely emotionless. "I'm over her," he said after a moment. He looked at his friends. "I really am!" he insisted after his friends looked at him disbelievingly.
"Fine." Sirius paused and a thoughtful look passed over his face. "Does this mean I can shag Evans?"
Lily squeezed her eyes shut and flushed. She hated being talked about like that. James's hand on her arm tightened.
"We're going," said the real James loudly.
"Wait," Lily protested. "I want to-"
"Only if she'll let you," said the old James. "Don't force her. Actually, let's add that to the bet. You can't sleep with Evans until six months have passed."
Sirius mouthed soundlessly at James, who began walking up to the castle.
Lily turned her head to look at the real James, who was looking away. He put his wand to her forehead and the other boys placed theirs in the appropriate places.
"Memoriae finis."
"Videre vidi."
"Prope conspectus."
"Ad praessens."
**