A/N: I found my original copy of the last scene, so I rewrote a tiny bit of it. I doubt you can even tell the difference.
Chapter 15: Hormones & Nerves & Teen-Age Excitement
"Don't it feel like sunshine after all?" Jimmy Eat World
Sunday, October 26th, 1979
"So what else do you think we should do?" James asked his fellow Marauders who were seated around a table in the Heads room planning for All Hallows Eve.
"You know Lily, I love fireworks," Sarah said rather loudly from across the room. All the Marauders looked at her and Lily swatted at her arm.
"Shh! Sarah!" Lily reproved.
"Fireworks?" Sirius suggested. James chuckled and Remus smiled. Peter nodded.
"Anything else?" James asked. No one said anything. "All right. Then I conclude this meeting of the Marauders!" James said and hit his hand against the table.
Peter got up first and made to leave when Sirius' voice stopped him. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Sirius asked.
"Uh, nowhere," Peter managed to mumble before quickly making his exit.
"What's gotten into him?" James
Remus shrugged. "I don't know. He's been going off alone lately. Maybe to be with Ember?" he suggested.
"Does he still think that we don't know about her?" James asked him.
"No idea. He's been even quieter than usual," Remus said.
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Thursday, October 30th, 1979, Celebration of All Hallows Eve
Everyone was dancing and having fun. The common rooms had been rearranged so there was a large space for people to dance in and mill around. They had food in each common room and drinks. Each common room was open to any student, regardless of their house.
"Lily, this was a great idea!" Kirsten yelled as she tried her best to be heard over other voices and music.
"Thanks!" Lily said and smiled. It was a good idea. Instead of having one large ball or dance, she and James decided to make it more informal and have 4 smaller ones going on at once. Lily spotted Sirius at the table with the drinks on it, she immediately cornered him. "What are you doing? Spiking the drinks?"
Sirius laughed. "Of course not, that was done within the first ten minutes of the party! I'm just getting some more, Lilykins."
Lily tried to give him a look, but ended up giving him a smile.
"Have you seen Sarah?" he asked.
Lily shook her head. "No, I lost her. Or she deserted me. I'm not sure which. Why?"
"She owes me a dance," Sirius said before joining the mob of people dancing.
She made her way to one of the unoccupied couches and sat down.
Someone's looking for you.
Sarah? Where did you go?
I was all over. James is looking for you.
Really?
Yes.
Well Sirius is looking for you. He says you owe him a dance.
Ugh. He likes me. Did you know that?
Aw Sarah! Going into his mind isn't half as much fun as finding out the old-fashioned way! You're just ruining it for yourself.
I'd rather know than wait to find out. So when James asks you to dance, you're going to say yes, right?
What? Sarah! Stop it!
I'll take that as a yes. By the way, he thinks you look very pretty tonight. I have to agree. You look fantastic.
Sarah would you please stop? I don't want to know!
But I'm preparing you!
I see him.
Be nice he's nervous. But I don't think you'll have too much of a problem doing that. I'll think you'll have a much harder time restraining yourself from shagging him right in the middle of the room.
SARAH! I SWEAR I'M GOING TO-
-Toodles! Have fun!-
-Sarah? Sarah! Come back!
Lily looked around the room, and sure enough, James Potter was headed straight towards her. She immediately averted her eyes so he wouldn't see that she was looking for him. Lily twisted the ring around her finger.
"Care to dance?" James asked her. She looked up and took his outstretched hand. He led her to the middle of the crowd. The people were packed tightly together. They began to dance, and his body was merely centimeters away from hers. She could feel the adrenaline rushing though her veins.
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Friday, October 31st, 1979, All Hallows' Day
"Go to bed Lily," Sarah moaned as she turned in her bed.
"Sorry," Lily whispered as she crept into her room. It was 2:30 am. The party had gone on forever, and she had to help clean it up. With the prefects. And James. James…Lily thought as she crawled into bed, not even bothering to take of her clothing.
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He was the only thing she could think about. It was driving her crazy. Him and the kiss he gave her on her forehead. She touched the spot on her forehead. It seemed to burn at her touch. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of him. Everyone else was talking around her. She nodded occasionally, trying to make it look like she was paying attention. She wasn't really. Not with him taking up every inch of her hormone-ridden brain.
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He was watching Lily out of the corner of his eyes. She was reading a letter. Suddenly, she started laughing.
"What's so funny?" James asked, curious.
"Oh, just my sister, Petunia. She and her boyfriend are finally engaged."
"Congratulations. Do you like him?"
"No. But then again, my sister and I haven't gotten along in ages, so I think they're a perfect match for each other."
"What is so funny though?"
"Petunia. She can't make up her mind about anything. It would be a disaster if her tablecloths didn't match the napkins perfectly. And the balloons. She can't make up her mind who to invite, although it seems like she's inviting every person she's ever talked to," Lily said, scanning the letter again.
"When is it?"
Lily shook her head. "She doesn't say…weird. Ah, I'm supposed to be a bridesmaid if I'm able. What a joke."
"Why?"
"Because we've barely spoken for the last couple of years. If she ever utters a word to me, it's mean to insult."
"I don't understand. Why would she do that to you?"
Lily dropped her voice, "Because I'm a witch…because I'm different."
"That's why she hates you? That's absurd."
"That's my sister. Now you know why we don't talk. We used to be able to. We were friends. She was the bright one, I never did that well in school, I was always causing trouble unlike her. But then once my parents knew why I was so different, they treated me like they did her. There wasn't just Petunia and her little trouble-causing sister. There was Petunia the average girl, and Lily, a real live witch. Which do you think our parents paid more attention to?" Lily raised her eyes to stare into his.
"You," James said quietly.
Lily shook her head. "It's not like I tried to take it. I felt rather embarrassed, like I was on display. My parents showed me around, saying I had gotten into a brilliant boarding school. And oh how the praises came to my mum and dad for being such great parents. Petunia was pushed off into a corner. Not that they didn't love her, but they could finally put their finger on what was so different about me. They embraced me more. And Petunia hated me for it. She still does to this day."
"Lily that's horrible. It's not your fault at all," James said.
"Sometimes I feel like it is," Lily whispered. James embraced Lily, holding her close, trying to understand.
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"Come on in," James waved them all towards him after an extremely exhausting practice.
"I can't believe tomorrow is our first game!" Sarah said excitedly, walking next to Lily.
"Don't remind me, I'm nervous enough already," Lily replied.
"Alright, good practice everyone," James said once everyone had gathered around him. "As you all know, tomorrow is our first game against Hufflepuff. They've gotten better since last year, but they're still not as good as us. I want you to be serious about this game. Don't just play it off as no big deal. I want you all to get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast tomorrow morning. The game starts at 12, be ready at 11:30. OK?" he asked and looked around. No one said anything. "Ok, practice is over."
"Thank Merlin," Sarah muttered.
"Shh! Sarah!" Lily whispered and shoved her a bit.
"What? I'm exhausted!" Sarah replied. "And hungry. We better not have missed dinner."
"I doubt it, James would never miss dinner."
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"Doesn't the sky look lovely tonight?" James asked Lily. She looked up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, it was a clear night, and all the stars were visible.
BANG
A firework exploded above them.
"James!" Lily exclaimed.
BANG BANG
And the fireworks show continued. Everyone in the Great Hall was mesmerized by the brilliant display of color being showed right above their very heads. Any student that wasn't lucky enough to be in the Great Hall, rushed to it to see what all the excitement was about.
And once everyone was inside the Great Hall, the real show ensued. Eggs came crashing down into the faces of unexpecting** upturned faces and bits of blue and orange confetti fluttered from the sky, sticking to everyone's face and other parts that were drenched in raw egg. It happened so fast that no one could anticipate the attack. Except for the end of one table that coincidentally held the Marauders, Lily, Sarah, and Lane. (Remus wasn't able to persuade Cassidy to join them.) A pie whizzed past half of the tables and hit Snape square in the face. He picked up some food and flung it as far as he was able to. It hit a first year at the next table. He then picked up some of his food and flung it back at Snape and his friends helped him. It turned into a full-flung food fight right in the middle of dinner.
Lily stood flabbergasted at the sight going on before her. Somehow, none of the food had been able to touch her. She went to go help stop the fight when James grabbed a hold of her arm. "Do you really want to go out there?" he questioned her.
"No," Lily sighed. "Make it stop James! Do you know how much trouble we're going to get into!?" she exclaimed.
"Relax, no one knows that we did it. Do you see any sign that says 'Courtesy of the Marauders?' No, you don't. We're fine. And how exactly are we supposed to stop oh, 300 unruly, food-fighting kids?" James asked her.
Lily glared at him and returned to her seat. There really was nothing she could do. She was only one person. And James wouldn't help her. James was right. Damn him.
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Saturday, November 1st, 1979
Lily clutched her hand to her stomach. "I can't do this. I'm going to be sick."
"Lily, you'll be fine," Sarah told her. "We've got to go." Sarah followed the rest of the team out of the locker room, but Lily stood frozen at the entrance. "Come on Lily, the match is going to start!"
Lily shook her head. "I can't. I really can't."
James appeared at Sarah's side. "What's wrong?"
"I can't play today," Lily told him.
"Go on ahead," James told Sarah. She nodded and caught up with the rest of the team. "Why can't you play, Lily?" he asked her.
"I think I'm going to be sick. And I can't play. I'm horrible at quidditch. Why am I on the team?" she moaned.
"Lily, you're a great player. You'll be fine. It's just nerves. Just go out there and forget about the crowd. You made the team. You're good enough to be on it. No one else is," James told her.
"What about Zoë ? Why don't you let her play instead of me? She's really good, I know she'll do great," Lily suggested.
James placed one hand on each of her shoulders and looked at Lily straight in her eyes. "Listen, you're an excellent quidditch player. I don't know why you didn't try out before. Anyone would've put you on the team. I know you can do this. I believe in you, Lily"
Lily thought for a moment, and then nodded.
"Good, then let's go play," James said. They walked onto the field and met up with the rest of their teammates.
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"Did you guys see that pass!?" Lane shouted from the Gryffindor stands.
Cassidy rolled her eyes.
"I saw that! Look at Lily go! I never knew she could fly so well!" Remus shouted back. The noise in the stadium was deafening. "GOAL! LILY GOT A GOAL!"
Lane shouted for joy. "YES! GO LILY!"
Cassidy crossed her arms. She wasn't enjoying herself at all. This is so boring. I don't know why I agreed to come. Perfectly nice day that's ruined now. Stupid match.
"LILY! WATCH OUT!" Lane screamed as a bludger when whizzing past her leg by mere centimeters.
"What's going on?" Peter asked as he made his way into the stands and sat down in the seat next to Remus.
"Where were you?" Remus asked Peter.
"Around. Who's winning?"
"We are! You should see Lily! Her and Sarah are fantastic together! GO JAMES!" Remus yelled as James began to fly around the stadium at a dangerously fast speed.
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"Ooh! I think James sees the snitch!" Lia yelled.
"No! We're going to loose!" Celia moaned.
"It's not the first time," Lia pointed out.
"True."
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"Sarah just thinks she's all that," Adalyn said bitterly.
"She is pretty good though," Kalia said.
"Shut up Kali," Adalyn told her.
"Sarah's pretty hot," Bryce commented.
"SHUT UP!" Adalyn yelled, drawing quite a bit of attention from her fellow Ravenclaws and a few dirty stares.
"Lily's a good chaser. I never knew she played," Kalia said.
"Me neither," Bryce said.
"She probably slept with James to get onto the team," Adalyn muttered.
"Actually, no. They were barely even on speaking terms when she made the team," Kalia informed her.
Adalyn sighed in frustration, "You're not helping, Kali."
"Ah! Addy! Did you see that!? Did you? Sarah just passed it to Lily and Lily scored! She barely missed the bludger flying her way again!" Kalia exclaimed.
Adalyn sat down in her seat and crossed her arms. "I'm not going to watch."
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"YES! GO GARRET!" Lia yelled as he flew past the Hufflepuff stands.
"GO! GO! GO!" Celia yelled. They held their breath in excitement as Garret made his way to the hoops at the opposite end of the stadium. Garret threw the ball, but was blocked by Sirius.
"NO!" Lia moaned.
"Sarah has the quaffle again," Celia said. "Now, Lily, Sarah, Lily…geez they're really good."
"I know! Ugh. This isn't fair. We're loosing," Lia complained.
"And Sarah just scored again!"
"Look!" Lia told Celia, pointing to James, "do'you think he sees the snitch?"
"Ah, this isn't looking so good," Celia commented.
"Not at all."
"He's got it!" Celia shouted.
"NO! WE LOST!" Lia yelled.
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"YES! LILY! WE DID IT!" Sarah yelled as they started for the ground.
Lily smiled. I did it. I was ok. I actually scored!
The noise was deafening, especially from the Gryffindor section. The Slytherins didn't bother to respond to the Gryffindor win, except from a few boos and taunts.
All the players were landing. Lily skimmed the pitch and saw James on the ground, holding the snitch in his one hand, grinning. She could hear some of the spectators yelling her name in congratulations. As soon as Lily's feet touched the hard ground, she was off running in James' direction. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
The entire stadium was quiet. No one dared to breathe and no one said a word. Their eyes were transfixed on the two. It was the moment everyone had waited for. Not even one Slytherin dared to break the perfect silence.
I've died and gone to heaven. Was all that James could think. He wrapped his arms around Lily's waist.
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"What's going on?" Adalyn demanded as she rose from her seat to look around.
"Shh!" Kalia scolded and pointed to James and Lily in the middle of the pitch, kissing.
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As soon as Lily's brain caught up with the rest of her body, she knew something was wrong. Either it was because A) There wasn't one thing being shouted after Gryffindor had just won or B) She was somehow kissing James Potter. She broke away from him, and looked around. Everyone was staring at her. She could feel the heat rising to her face.
She found Sarah, who smiled at her and whistled. Sirius started to clap. Suddenly, the whole stadium burst out in shouts of hysteria.
"Looks like James won more than just a match!" Adam, the commentator for the game said.
If possible, the cheers from the spectators got even louder.
Lily felt James wrap his arm around his waist, which she had lost when she broke away from him, and he started to lead her away from the pitch.
"I knew you could do it," James whispered in her ear.
And it was all Lily could do to hold herself back and not snog him right there.
"Don't find love, let love find you.
That's why its called falling in love.
You don't force yourself to fall,
You just do."
**So apparently, "unexpecting" isn't really a word in my computer's dictionary. But it's my story, my words. So:
Unexpecting - not expecting or anticipating, not paying attention
Reprove-censure somebody: to speak to somebody in a way that shows disapproval of something he or she has done (I used that word right! Whoo-hoo!)
A/N: So there you have it. Chapter 15. What did you think?
I'm writing about Lily & James getting together when I just dumped my bf. How ironic. (I've been single for 2 weeks and 5 days! Yea! Lol No one's ever been this excited to be single.)
Could you please maybe, possibly try to answer some of these questions in your review? They'd help me out a whole lot for future chapters, and they let me know what you like/don't like about this story and things I can fix. =]
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