A/N: After reading a lot of comments on both sites regarding the last chapter, I have some bad news for you. You will NOT like this chapter (heck, I don't like it much myself… but it is written, none the less). The book scene with Lily, I've actually been that girl who has to read aloud from something I was caught doing (which was mortifying, to say the least!). Just thought that I'd share that with you. I've also been that girl who accidentally went into the boys' bathroom (played that off nicely though). To my minor readers, thanks for listening and there is just a lot of language here and a little crude humor. It's fairly safe to read, but not totally. So, back to the story. You will hate me for doing this to our lovely couple. I am sorry.
Disc.: The plot is mine, the errors, yes, but not the characters.
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Chapter Twenty Six
James had gotten his hands on that book two day before and he hadn't come out of his room since. He hadn't been able to talk Lily into reading it to him, who turned beat read anytime anyone mentioned it, but she had thrust in into his hands in hopes of sending him on his way. It had worked. James hadn't left his room in two days, thankful it was a weekend and the boy wouldn't be punished. Despite reading through the night, he was only two thirds of the way done on the second afternoon. He was starved, certainly, and Remus had cut him off from Sirius smuggling food in to the room.
"You have to put the book down some day, James," Remus said. "Just put it down and go eat."
"No," James called from under his covers. "The minute I put it down, you're going to snatch it up. I only got it from Lily because she had finally had enough of me. As it is, the minute I am done with it I have to give it back so she can finish it."
"I won't take the book," Remus lied. He knew he would, the minute James put the book down, because he desperately wanted to read it. Everyone wanted to read the book. As it was Sirius was pawing at the covers trying to get underneath to read as well.
"I don't believe you," James said as he tried to push Sirius away from him. Sirius managed to climb under the blanket with James and snuggled up against his best friend.
"Ooh, feeling a bit randy aren't we, James," Sirius chuckled as he moved away from the boy.
"This is not a group activity," James said as he glared at Sirius.
"Not the way you're going, brother," Sirius laughed. "Remember, the clean up spell is scrubify or something like that."
"Scourgify," Remus said grinning. "Anyways, you'd better give your body a break. It's not good to be that worked up for so long without a break here and there."
"Oh, I've braked, thanks," James said grinning. Remus glanced at the tee shirt laying haphazardly on the bed next to James and gagged.
"Please wash that before you wear it," Remus said. James laughed.
"I'm not going to wear it," James said. "It's your shirt."
"What?" Remus said with his mouth hanging open. "You used my shirt? You owe me a new shirt, dude. I don't want that one back, ever."
Remus and Sirius left James alone in the dorm room with the book. James continued to read, but was distracted by the rumbling in his stomach. He couldn't remember the last thing he ate. Sighing, he climbed out of bed and rummaged around in his trunk, hoping to find something to eat. While there was something that perhaps once had been edible in there, James didn't think he was quite hungry enough to eat something furrier than Remus on a full moon and he vowed to clean his school trunk out properly.
"Once I am done with this book," James said aloud as he pulled open his back pack. At the bottom he found the box of chocolates that Severus had stupidly given Lily. "I'd hate to see these go to waste, and Severus would never poison his dear Lily. Pathetic." James laughed as he opened the box and took one of the chocolates.
It tasted as good as chocolate cauldrons ever tasted. He waited, to see if perhaps he would be poisoned, but James felt fine. One by one, James ate the chocolates while he read. He reached to grab another one to find the box was empty. James tore his gaze away from the book to the box to find it was, indeed completely empty. He hadn't realized he had eaten every last one.
"What is that?" James wondered as he saw some small, tight handwriting in the corner of the box. He brought the box close to his face trying to make out the chicken scratch scrawled in the box. "I wonder what Lustierus Totalius Slytherin means."
"Hey, James," Sirius said coming in the room holding a plate under his shirt. "Don't tell Remus but I managed to sneak you something."
"Hey, have you ever heard of Lustierus Totalius Slytherin?" James asked. Sirius frowned as he placed the plate down on the bed.
"What?" Sirius asked. James handed the box to Sirius to read. Sirius read it silently twice before reading it aloud, "Lustierus Totalius Slytherin."
Right there, at Sirius' speech, James went completely rigid and fell off the bed. Sirius stared at him for a good second in shock. Jumping up, Sirius left the bed and went to James' side where the poor boy was breathing hard, as if trying to catch his breath. Sirius patted his cheek a few times, trying to get James to snap out of it.
"James?" Sirius asked with a bit of fear in his voice. James' eyes shot open wide and the boy jumped up as if the ground was on fire. "Are you ok?"
"Ok? I feel GREAT!" James said loudly. Sirius looked at him, concerned. James' eyes looked a little vacant despite the ridiculously large grin on his face.
"Do you think you might want to take a break from reading and go down to the great hall for lunch?" Sirius asked slowly.
"That sounds FANTASTIC!" James said loudly. He snatched up the book. "I have to give this to what's her name, anyways."
"Lily," Sirius said slowly.
"That's the chick, yup," James said. He practically skipped from the room, whistling, while Sirius chased after him.
"Are you ok? You seem a little weird. When have you not known your girlfriend's name?" Sirius asked.
"Who?" James asked as he started humming.
"Lily, your girlfriend," Sirius said. "You've been chasing her for years."
"Oh, Miss Goody-two-shoes, right," James said as he hummed louder. "I am SO over her. Dating her just won't do."
"Wait… What?!" Sirius exclaimed as they entered the great hall. James was practically singing now, the loud sound of the doors drawing the attention of many of the students. "Think about what you're saying, James."
"Oh, I have," James said as he approached Lily. She looked up at him in surprise, sitting between Remus and Alice.
"James you've immerge from your hibernation. Finished already?" Lily teased. James smirked.
"Nope," James said. "I don't need this anymore. I plan on getting the real thing."
"Really?" Lily said slightly surprised. James threw the book on the table, knocking a few cups over.
"Yup," James said laughing. He turned his back to Lily. "Hey! Hey! Narcissa! Fancy a little one on one Quidditch practice in the broom closet? You can so ride my broom and hell, I'll let you touch the golden snitches a bit."
"What?!" Lily said jumping up in outrage. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Oh, right," James said. "The girlfriend thing."
"Damn straight," Lily said crossing her arms.
"Babe, I don't know how to say this to you," James started. "So I am just going to say it: I think you are a controlling, uptight, frigid bitch. So is Narcissa, but she's going to let me fuck her, so I think I've got to follow my… uh… heart."
"What?!" Lily asked as her face went from embarrassed to completely murderous in a matter of a few gulping breaths.
"I thought you were supposed to be smart," James laughed. "I don't like you. We are through."
Lily stood there, her fists clenched angrily at her sides as James walked over to the Slytherin table and without a further word, took Narcissa by the hand and practically dragged her from the great hall. Lily looked at Sirius then at the book.
"I…" Sirius started. Lily sat down quickly, taking deep gasping breaths. Alice patted Lily's shoulder.
"Shh, it's going to be ok," Alice said. She shot Sirius a look.
"Lily," Sirius said as he sat down in front of her. "I don't know what happened. One minute he was fine and then the next he was like this. Could it be an effect of the book?"
"I've read it three times straight through," Lily said as she continued to take deep, gasping breaths. She was about to hyperventilate. "I've never acted that way!"
"Shh, Lily," Alice said as Remus took up rubbing her arm. "Do you want to maybe go for a walk?"
"No," Lily said. "I think… I think I'm going to go throw up."
Lily jumped up and bolted out of the great hall and into the first girls' lavatory. She barely made it into the first stall; her arms encircling the porcelain throne before she heaved all of the food she had eaten that day right back out. She coughed and gagged, tears streaming down her face. With great force, Lily heaved until she saw sparkling white flashes of light.
"Honey, are you ok?" Alice asked as she leaned over and touched Lily's shoulder.
"No," Lily said angrily as she pulled a piece of toilet paper off the roll and wiped her face. "I knew I should have never trusted him. I knew he'd break my heart."
"That wasn't James, Lily," Sirius said as Lily pulled herself off the floor and headed over to the sinks to wash her now sweaty face and rinse the vomit from her mouth. "James loves you."
"Funny way of showing it," Lily said bitterly as her hands shook under the water.
"I don't know what came over him," Sirius said. He looked at Remus for support.
"Lily, James loves you," Remus said. "I don't know what is up with him right now, but we will get to the bottom of it, ok?"
"He's out there," Lily said pointing to the door. "He's there with her, that Slytherin bitch."
"Slytherin," Sirius said. "Of course."
"Of course what?" Remus asked.
"He ate the chocolates Severus gave Lily," Sirius said. "He ate every one of them and then there was something written at the bottom of the box."
"What?" Remus pressed. Sirius shook his head.
"I'm not repeating it, in case it was an incantation," Sirius said. "I don't want to say it and then have you lot out screwing Slytherins left and right."
"I'd appreciate it," Alice said quickly.
The group stood with the box in the middle of the seventh year boys' dormitory. Lily had confirmed that it was, indeed, Severus' handwriting. She shook with anger and hurt, Remus holding her up from collapsing to the floor.
"Severus must have known you wouldn't eat the chocolates," Remus said gently. "After all, ten years being your friend would have known that you'd not eat them. You and I haven't been friends as long as you and he were friends, and I know better."
"I'm going to kill him," Lily cried angrily.
"Who, James?" Sirius asked. Lily shook her head, tears streaming down her face again.
"Severus," Lily said as she pushed Remus away. She ran out of the boys' dormitory, through the common room, and out of the portrait hole. She knew Severus would be where he always was, the Slytherin common room. She ran to their doorway and used her head-girl password to enter.
Several people looked up in shock to see the Gryffindor standing there, wand out, and tears streaming down her face. Severus looked up at her, unconcerned. He smiled his trade mark smile and stood, casually closing the book he was reading.
"Shall we talk in my chambers?" Severus said in his smooth voice. Lily crossed her arms and jerked her head. She followed him to the boys' dormitory, slightly surprised that they had their own little rooms instead of the communal rooms like Gryffindor.
"What did you do to him?" Lily demanded as the door shut.
"To who?" Severus asked as he casually leaned against his bed post.
"You damn well know who, Severus," Lily said angrily. "What did you do to James?"
"I didn't do anything," Severus smirked. Lily narrowed her eyes at him, her wand pointing at him.
"You'd better tell me or I swear I'll have you believing you are a kitten for the rest of my life," Lily threatened. "Drinking milk, eating mice, the whole works."
"I'm telling you the truth, Lily. I didn't do anything to James," Severus said casually. He smirked at her. "You did."
"What are you talking about?" Lily demanded as she stepped closer, the tip of her wand poking Severus in the shoulder.
"You gave him the chocolates," Severus smirked as he brushed her wand away from his shoulder. "You did, not me."
"Me?" Lily said shaking her head. "You knew I wouldn't eat them! You knew I would pass them along to him."
"I planned on him sharing them with the other seventh year Gryffindor boys, but it seems like he must have gotten a little greedy," Severus laughed. Lily's hands shook with fury.
"What was in the chocolate, Severus, and you'd better tell me the truth," Lily threatened as she stepped even closer. Severus placed his hand on her shoulder to keep her from coming any closer.
"You sure like to invade personal space, not that I mind," Severus laughed. "Imagine what people would think if they saw how close you are to me right now."
"I wouldn't be with you if you were the last man on the earth! I hate you!" Lily yelled at him.
"Maybe I won't tell you what I know then," Severus said slightly affronted.
"You'd better," Lily threatened. She grabbed his arm and jerked up his sleeve. "Unless you want me to announce to everyone about this. I'm sure your fellow Slytherins wouldn't mind much, but imagine the rest of the school. And your Dark Lord. What would he say to your unhealthy obsession with a Mudblood?"
"Ooh, you've got a nasty side, don't you?" Severus said no longer smiling as he pushed his sleeve down over his forearm.
"Try me, Severus," Lily threatened. "What was in the chocolate?"
"A lust potion," Severus said quickly. He looked quite annoyed. "But not any lust potion, the most potent lust potion in the wizarding world. One drop and he's a goner."
"How much?" Lily growled at him. "How much did you use?"
"About five hundred times that, double concentrated, double boiled," Severus said looking away.
"Two thousand times the normal dose," Lily said as she figured up the math.
"Per chocolate," Severus said meekly.
"What! What in the hell did you think would come of that?" Lily yelled as she lost control of her temper.
"I thought you'd have no one to turn to but me," Severus said. Hot tears were streaming down Lily's face and she had begun pacing angrily.
"I hate you," Lily swore at him angrily every few minutes.
"I meant well," Severus promised.
"You're a sick fuck," Lily swore at him. "I'd kill you if you were even worth going to Azkaban for."
"Thank god I'm not," Severus said under his breath.
"I hate you," Lily said pacing some more. She turned to look at him. "Is there an antidote?"
"No, because of the incantation," Severus said. "It activates the potion."
"Did you send me the bloody heart?" Lily asked suddenly. Severus looked at her, confused.
"No, why would I?" Severus asked.
"Why would you poison my boyfriend? Because you're sick and twisted, Severus," Lily snapped. She started to walk out of his room, turning to look at him. "I hate you, but you will make this up to me, do you hear?!"
"I hear you, woman," Severus growled back at her. Lily slammed the door to Severus' chambers and headed through the Slytherin common room, only pausing momentarily to see James fawning over Narcissa Black right there in the open. Lily felt a wave of fresh anger and nausea over take her, sending the girl to the nearest girls' lavatory to throw up again.
"Don't worry. No one ever comes in here," a voice whispered. Lily looked over to see Moaning Myrtle sitting on the paper dispenser. "Vomit away."
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End note: Ok, I haven't put one of these as of lately, but I did want to say this. Stick with the story, even if it goes from bad to worse, ok? Trust me, and my notes, that everything works out in the end. Should you want to send me hate email, my email address is Konflickted@yahoo.com... Now, for me… I am off to change my name and move to Mexico before some of you show up on my door. I will now be known as Senora Kai. Not really.
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