Chapter 3: Through The Looking Glass
Lily was quite on edge for the rest of the day.
That's what I get for trying to help people. She thought to herself as she sat in the Gryffindor common room doing homework. It was a bit late, but seeing how everyone had gone to bed considerably early, she had the common room all to herself. Try as she might, she just couldn't concentrate on her charms homework. She groaned as she crossed out the proper wand movement for a banishing charm for the umpteenth time that evening.
Lily was just about to finish writing it properly when a loud crash emitted from behind her, causing Lily's ink bottle to spill all over the table as a disheveled Sirius strode up to her looking out of breath and frantic.
"Lily! Oh thank Merlin and Agrippa you're here! I need your help quick!" Sirius stammered.
"This better be good Black! I'm telling you right now, you better have a good reason for barging in here and scaring the shit out of me or so help me god, you're going to find this quill," Lily motioned, dangling the eagle feather quill in her right hand, "in a place that won't make you a very happy camper." she finished sweetly.
"Fine! Fine! You can stick it anywhere you'd like! Just come help me Lily! You're the only one who can!" Sirius replied now sounding desperate.
"Ok! Ok, calm down and tell me what it is you need help with. I didn't exactly get top marks in Divination so excuse me if don't flat out read your mind."
"It's James!" Sirius cried.
"What?! NO, No way am I ever going to help that egotistical I-don't-ever-need-help-from-anyone-I-can-do-everything-myself, shriveling flobber worm!" Lily paused to catch her breath "with anything after the way he acted this morning!" she cried.
"Lily! Please!-" Sirius grovled.
"No! He can go drown himself in whatever mess he's gotten himself into. I don't care! I don't care a shit what happens to him!" Lily yelled stubbornly, realizing she had long been standing.
"But you do care Lily! I know you do! There's no point trying to deny it! that's why I asked you!"
"No, ask Remus or Peter, even Mary to help you….Remus and Peter are supposed to be his friends." Lily retorted putting emphasis on the last word.
"Lily they can't, it's the f-, I mean… you know Remus is with his mum-she's sick, and Pete went along to help….Please, Lily, there's no one else who can help him." Sirius rambled.
Lily considered him for a moment. Her expression had been steadily softening and Sirius, who had noticed kept on going, knowing that she wouldn't hex him.
"Please, Lily…I know you care, deep down inside-very deep down I know you do…Please, you're the only one who can help him. Do you honestly think I'd ask if I didn't know that for sure? You're really the only one he'll listen to." Sirius looked at her as she contemplated what he had just said. Lily opened and closed her mouth as if to answer twice before saying,
"Oh alright Black! I'll help you…But! Only because I don't want to get in trouble for knowing and not helping. So I want to make it perfectly clear that I am helping out of protest and do not in any way, shape, or form care about James Potter!"
"Ok! Ok! You don't care, I get it Lily. Now come on!" Sirius said not paying attention and pulling Lily through the portrait hole and outside into the seventh floor corridor. Sirius pulled her down four flights of stairs and then through a corridor she had never been down on the third floor. Lily kept quiet until suddenly a thought occurred in her mind.
What if James really wasn't in trouble? What if Sirius and James planned this as another on of their jokes?
Suddenly, they came to a stop right in front of an old mirror.
"Sirius," Lily began "Where exactly is he?" she asked curiously
Sirius muffled a word within a cough that was no where near coherent not meeting Lily's gaze.
"Beg pardon?" Lily replied her hands on her hips.
"Hogsmede?" Sirius replied giving her a sheepish smile.
"HOGSMEDE! SIRIUS ARE YOU MAD?" Lily screamed.
"Shhh! Keep it down! Do you want Filch or Mrs. Norris to hear us?"
Lily lowered her voice, "Sorry…but Hogsmede? You can't be serious! We can't go there! We're not allowed-"
"Come on Lily, you said you'd help and you're already here!."
"But that was before you told me we'd have to go rescue stupid Potter from Hogsmede!" Lily whined. "I don't even want to imagine what'll happen if we get caught!"
"We won't get caught. Besides, you said you'd help Lily! You promised!" Sirius shot back. He knew she hadn't exactly promised anything but prayed to god that she would be so flustered that she'd overlook that detail.
Lily let out an exasperated sigh "Ok, lets just say for a moment I still agreed to help you…" she paused "how exactly do you think we're going to get to Hogsmede?"
Sirius let out an internal sigh of gratitude that she was agreeing, and said in his most charming voice,
"Why through this of course, my dear." Sirius said motioning to a large looking glass behind him which Lily had failed to notice before.
Lily got over her shock quickly and shot Sirius a sarcastic look.
"Through a mirror?" she asked.
""What?" replied Sirius, clearly ready to make a point. "Did you think we were just gonna waltz out the front door? Sweetie, please. I am a marauder and coincidentally I like to believe that I have more style and quite frankly enough common sense not to attempt that." he finished crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"But… you cant be serious-"
" I'm always 'Sirius'" Sirius replied cutting her off.
Lily ignored the pun and went on. "Sirius. Listen to me. There is no way we can just walk into a mirror and end up in Hogsmede. It totally defies all logic in more than one way
and-" Lily stopped in mid sentence and a look of comprehension dawned on the features of her face.
"Ok Sirius, ha ha ha." Lily let out a forced laugh as Sirius shot her a look that clearly suggested she was insane. "Good one. You got me! You can come out now James!" Lily said loudly "Joke's over!" she finished, as she began peering around corners and large objects trying to discover James' hiding spot.
"Lily, stop." Sirius put a hand on each of her upper arms to stop her from moving "Listen to me. This isn't a joke. James is really in Hogsmede, he's really gonna be in trouble unless we get our arses over there and bring him back, and this mirror really will take us there."
He let go of her arms and Lily stood still.
"Sirius, I thought we went over this already, there is no way-"
Sirius interrupted her again, but this time with an exasperated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Merlin's beard! And they say you're smart! Lily you've been living in the wizarding world for almost a decade and you're the smartest witch in our year. Haven't you learned by now that especially in the wizarding world things aren't always what they seem to be?"
Lily thought for a moment. He was right. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Sirius Black was right. Things in this world weren't always what they seemed to be.
"Alright." said Lily finally, slightly hesitant. "I believe you. But, if this turns out to be some kind of big joke, you mark my words Black, I'll hex you so hard, your future grandchildren will feel it."
"And if I was actually joking just now my precious flower, I'd be shaking in my trousers…well m'dear time's a tickin' and we've already wasted enough of it dawdling."
Sirius lead Lily up the mirror's lone stepping block in front of it.
"Ok, now we just step through…Ladies first."
Lily shot him a look of hesitance. She turned to look at the mirror before her and let out a deep breath realizing suddenly that the mirror did not fog up as her breath touched its surface as normal mirrors would have. Instead the surface rippled and disfigured Lily's reflection much as still water did when disturbed. Lily let out a gasp and then shut her eyes as she walked through.
A/N: ok, does that count as a cliff hanger? I hope so!
Wow, ok, I am officially speechless. I seriously did not think I would get so many reviews so quickly on this story. You guys are really just way too nice and it's all going straight to my steadily increasing ego…just joking! I don't think I have an ego! But seriously, thank you so much to all of you who are reviewing my story, it really means a lot to me
Until the next chapter!
~Luminous Star