-Chapter Nine: The Solution
By Natali
Lily, relax, she coached herself. It's just a penis.
That, unfortunately, had Lily giggling, and James broke off their kiss to frown at her.
"What the bloody hell was that for?" he snapped. "There is absolutely nothing funny about anything down there, I'll have you know. So that better have been-"
This, of course, set Lily off even more. She thought about the fact that she was fondling James, and laughing right in his face. But of course, he didn't know what she was laughing about, which made the whole situation a whole lot funnier.
She laughed, James groaned to himself, mentally kicking himself. You're such an idiot. She's probably toying with you and just couldn't help but laugh right in your face, you idiot. You stupid, stupid idiot.
"I don't think this is a good idea," James forced out, somehow gathering enough self-control to push himself off Lily's bed.
Well, that sobered Lily up.
"No, wait, don't go. I wasn't laughing at you," she said, her voice a few notches higher than normal. "I'm sorry, I-I started to think, you see, about the fact that I'm actually really nervous, and I was telling myself to relax a tad, that it was `just a penis', I believe was exactly what it was because I don't want to be a total disappointment to you, you see, I've never really gone much farther than heavy making out even with all the guys that wanted to. All the guys at Hogwarts were such gits and prats, and disgusting, horny freaks that just wanted to use me as somewhere to stick themselves." She ran ahead of him and blocked his way to the door, still rambling.
"Here's something you might not have known about me. Annabel was always spreading rumors about me-Lily is such a great romp in the sheets, Lily gives anything with two testicles head, Lily has 101 different positions she uses, Lily is a whore, et cetera. I always encouraged it, to some extent-hey, who wants their Most Beautiful Witch to be a virgin, right? I was consumed with winning that title."
"Do you think I'm a disgusting horny freak?" James muttered.
Lily blinked a few times before she figured out what he was talking about. "What? No, of course not, why would you think that? Well, you're a bit horny sometimes, but I don't find you disgusting or freakish in the least."
"Well, that boosts my male ego."
Lily smiled. "I was rambling, wasn't I?"
"You seem nervous."
"Can't be helped, can it?"
"Nope."
Lily sighed. "I want to do this, really, I do. But I won't lie in saying that I want to take it slow."
"We can take it as slow as you want," James said, kissing her. He was slow and meticulous, and didn't seem ready to move any faster.
"I meant a little faster than that, actually," Lily laughed. There was a knock behind her.
"You're kidding me. Who the bloody hell is it?" James snapped.
"Albus Dumbledore."
It was like lightning had struck between them. They broke apart instantly, righting themselves. Two minutes later, Lily opened the door, extremely embarrassed.
"Hi."
"You forgot your cloak," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. "I thought I'd bring it to your personally, Lily."
"Thanks. Is that all, Albus?"
"For now. Oh, and by the way, my source discovered what exactly the transaction between your father and Victor was."
"So soon? We just talked about this two hours ago."
"Yes, well, they're expedient lot," Dumbledore chuckled. "Your father had seen magic one day when he was in his early teens and had become obsessed with it because he wanted that kind of power. In order to do that he needed a wand. Naturally, he couldn't waltz up to Ollivander's and ask for a wand-imagine, a Muggle asking for a wand! Besides that, he didn't know where to look.
"So after several years of searching, your father found a man willing to give him a wand-Victor. The wand did actually work, only he couldn't use it because he was not a wizard. For some reason, your father was convinced that even though he was a Muggle, that did not have to stop him from achieving that power he so greatly desired."
Dumbledore had long ago entered and sat down on the foot of Lily's bed. James sat in a chair and Lily leaned against one of the walls, absorbing all the information.
"And Victor wanted his youngest daughter in return for the wand, though my father put in the condition that if I found my `true love' before my 18th birthday, I would be allowed to go free," Lily interjected. "Not much of this is news to me."
"No, I didn't think it would be. However, I did discover something that might interest you."
"What's that?"
"Victor is a squib. That's why he could offer your father a wand. He'd never been able to use his own."
Lily raised a brow. "So? That just means he has to do his dishes by hand."
"And that you have the power to kill him-or at least that you can taunt or torture him into releasing you."
Lily turned that thought over in her mind for a moment before responding. "He'll probably take my wand away, don't you think? He must know that he's a squib and that I'm a witch. Therefore, I could do much harm to him. I may not have a very high opinion of the scum, but I can admit he's no idiot."
Dumbledore smiled at her as if he knew something she didn't.
James caught on.
"You don't need a wand," James mumbled. He stared, awestruck at Dumbledore. "Anything you can do with a wand you can do without one. That's what Dumbledore means."
For a second, Lily couldn't breathe.
"Are you sure he's a squib?" she spoke, barely above a whisper.
"Down in the registry and everything.
Lily folded her arms, still unconvinced. "I would still rather not go over there, if I could help it. Or at least, not bound by an agreement my father made. To gloat maybe but not to fulfill my dad's end of the bargain."
"I can understand that," Dumbledore said. "But I can't do anything about that part of things. Victor really was quite thorough when he had your father sign the contract-of which I have a copy, by the way."
"So do I. My father left it to me in his will, in order for me to find out," Lily growled. "He was, actually. But it doesn't say anything about my being forbidden to do things to him with magic, or trying to find a way out."
"Correct," the headmaster nodded.
James, who'd been silent for the most part, spoke up now. "So, that's really all there is to it, isn't it? Just poke him with the sharp end of a quill until he agrees to let you go. Dumbledore can draw up the precise wording and have it ready for you."
"I'd rather not go at all," Lily sighed. She shut her eyes. "Fine. Let's do this then."
*~*
A/N: (*Takes a deep breath and prepares to repeat herself*) I've been sick since Monday. Yes, it's late. Yes, I don't feel well. No, I'm not begging forgiveness because I don't feel good. I'd thought about skipping this week entirely.
But lucky for you all, I woke up at 3 am this morning, and am wide awake. With nothing else to do, I wrote.
Yes, I know it's disgustingly short, but there's a reason for this. I didn't want to get into something without being able to go in depth. Besides, I wanted to mark the difference between this chapter and the next chapter because certain events will take place.
Now, questions. Will Lily and James ever finally shag each other? Gosh, we can only hope so. I'm frustrating myself as a matter of fact. Will Victor die an ugly and painful death? Well, duh. I'm all for happy endings, and I'm about as predictable as the weather (ha ha, gotcha!). Why doesn't Lily realize she's in love with James? Um… Because it would be a terrible story if on the second day she moved in she realized her love for him and they lived happily ever after, the end, that's it. Also because I like to torture you all. But in all seriousness, it's just how it goes isn't it? You don't wake up one day and realize you love some guy you've only known for a short time. It's a gradual thing.
Read and review, berate me for writing such a short chapter. Just review.
Cookies to anyone who can make me laugh. I'd like a good sore throat remedy as well. Something besides gargling with warm water and salt (I wonder, is that a Cuban thing?).
Natali K. A.
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