A Cup Affair

Chapter Eight

Hello, my friends! Sorry for the late hour; I'm travelling and my computer refused to turn on. Here I bring the next chapter, hoping it will be of your liking.

Twitter has finally returned to Brazil, so if you'd like to follow me there, just go to @/psc_07_ and we can chat :) I'm also on tumblr as maraudersinparadise.

Well, here we go!

"Tell me about Friday. What did you do on Friday?"

James sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was sitting by the table with his training kit. Lily Evans sat in front of him, recorder and notebook set and ready to listen to what he had to say. Between them, a plentiful breakfast – Lily had told the others to go to the restaurant below and let them alone to enjoy room service as they talked.

"I spent the day at home, nursing a hangover, with the other three," James replied, making himself a cup of tea, "we ate, slept, ate again, and then we helped Moony. Sirius and I returned to my home, where we found Moody."

Lily took note of something and stared at him again.

"Then tell me about your Thursday," Lily asked.

"Well, it was the day the squad was announced."

"Yes, I recall that."

"Well, then. I was with my parents and Sirius when it was announced, lunching at their place. I stayed a bit longer, then I went to the Leaky Cauldron with Sirius, where The Daily Prophet interviewed me. Peter and Remus met with us there. We drank two doses of Firewhisky and then headed back to my home, until I was called to come here, got my credentials and returned home again. I showed the others my credentials, then Wormtail, Padfoot and I went to a party."

"Remus didn't go?" Lily inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"He wasn't feeling very well, being close to the Full Moon and all. He stayed at my house, since he was already there."

"And you took your credential to this party?"

"Uh, yeah, I did. Every player did."

"Can you tell me everyone who handled the credential?" Lily asked, pulling a paper from a folder. James frowned.

"Me, obviously. Suppose Moony, Wormtail and Padfoot too...can't think of anyone else," he finished with a shrug.

"And who gave it to you?"

"Nobody exactly. It was transfigured at the moment, so I was the first one to touch it."

Lily nodded, wrote some more and looked at other papers. James ran a hand through his hair, grabbed a few more bacon stripes and ate until Lily sighed.

"Now would be an excellent time for you to tell me what you were really doing on Friday night, Potter," Lily said finally. James gulped.

"I was helping Moony."

Lily sighed again and scratched her closed eyes in a clear sign of tiredness. James cleared his throat.

"It'll do me no good asking how, right?" Lily assumed.

"Sorry."

"Potter, I'll...advise you once more...it's not wise to stick to a doubtful alibi on an investigation where you're the only suspect."

It was James's turn to sigh. He ruffled his hair again and ate a piece of waffle.

"I get it, Evans. But it's...it's not...I'm not the only one involved in this."

Lily shook her head and stopped the recorder.

"Go get ready while I organise this. Apparently, I've got a Quidditch training to watch."