The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

Teacups and Time Travel

Teacups and Time Travel

The house elf that cleaned the girls dormitory that night didn't know what to do when she snuck into Lily Evans' dorm room to collect her laundry. She stared through the dark to the boy the lay asleep across the foot of Lily's bed, her ears wiggling uncomfortably. She looked over her shoulder at the corridor, half expecting someone else to be there, but there was no one, and she inched slowly over and took hold on the toe of the boy's trainer, shaking his foot and leg persistently. "Sir... sir, there isn't to be any boys in the girls dorms! There isn't!" When she got no reaction, she clicked her fingers, disapparating from by his feet and onto his chest and she pawed at his cheeks, "You is needing to be waking up, mister! You is not to be here!" She prodded at him.

James groaned and pulled himself out of sleep. He stared up at the elf standing on his rib cage and he sat up, making her tumble onto the bed beside him. Lily moaned in her sleep as the elf hit her leg and he caught the elf up before she could scramble and actually disturb Lily.

"Oh you naughty, naughty boy, being in the girls dormitory! There is being detentions and punishments galore for things like this!" She looked agonized. "You is lucky it is a house elf that is catching you! And her a prefect!"

"Shhh, will you?" James hissed, glancing at Lily. "We aren't doing what you think, alright? She's just sad. Her - her -- boyfriend's been sent to Azkaban." James supposed boyfriend was probably the most accurate term for Jasper Odair. Lily obviously loved him still - she'd basically said as much when she'd cried into his arm, when she'd said that everyone she loves gets taken away... when she was worried about being a jinx... James's heart had broken for her.

"Sent to Azkaban!" gasped the little elf. "But isn't you her boyfriend?" she looked fearful.

"No... no I'm not," James said, though the words stung. "I don't reckon Evans would notice if I got sent to Azkaban anyway. No. It's Jasper Odair that I mean."

"The Hufflepuff boy? Was he being a bad boy and sneaking into girls dormitories as well?"

"No," James replied. "Bleeding hell, they won't send somebody to Azkaban for having sex. I hope. Gods alive, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin would be permanent residents there by now if they did."

The elf looked appalled.

"Sorry - shouldn't have told you that. I s'pose that was a bit more information that you're needing."

"A bit sir, yes," the elf nodded.

"My point is that Evans just needed some company and... and I'm just here for her, that's all. She fell asleep when I was comforting her before and I moved her here to the bed so she'd be more comfortable. I'm just being her for her. That's all." He held up his hand to swear an oath to the elf.

The elf sighed, "Well, I is warning you, if you is being caught up here by the wrong people you is being sent home with no return of coming back to Hogwarts!" the elf said.

James shrugged, "It's worth it knowing Evans is alright." Besides, he knew McGonagall would never let him be expelled. And besides that, who the bleeding hell was going to come around to Lily Evans' dorm and look in on her? The head girl this year was a Hufflepuff, and Lily Evans was the Gryffindor prefect herself. There really wasn't anyone else to catch them.

The elf slid down off his lap and scrambled for the laundry hamper's bag and, with a fleeting glance back at the boy in the girl's dormitory, she tugged the door shut and ran off.

James sat there on the end of the bed for several long moments in silence. He stared at his trainers, then stood up and stuck his hands into his trouser pockets. He went over to the window sill, where he'd deposited his jumper before turning into the stag earlier, and he stared out the window a moment as he gathered up the jumper, absently folding it over his arm as he watched the silhouettes of thestrals popping up over the Forbidden Forest.