James and Lily: It Took A While

The Fifth Chapter

Chapter Five

~~~~~~~~~

The next morning I arose early again, and remembering my 'dead' book, I decided I'd head to the Owlery to mail a letter to my parents, asking them to send me another copy. Dodging Peeves, I raced up the stairs to the Owlery but stopped mid-stride when I heard low voices coming from inside. I tiptoed closer to the tower and got as close as I dared.

"Well do you have a better idea?" It was Snape again.

"Uhhhh..." Mulciber really couldn't help being stupid. He simply followed Snape around, you could tell.

"Well what if we did this all by ourselves? Then HE would know we can do anything he asks of us. We'll really be able to prove ourselves! This friend of yours-are you sure he's trustworthy?" Avery argued. At least he had a mind of his own.

"Avery, he's the most trustworthy man I could think of, and if Malfoy can't help us, no one can."

Malfoy... I felt like I'd heard that name somewhere but couldn't recall where or why. I was pretty sure he wasn't a student at Hogwarts, at least, not anymore.

"He'll be able to keep us posted on what HE is up to amongst other things. We just have to keep this quiet until we have something set in stone and have heard ban from Malfoy. You haven't mentioned this to anyone have you?"

"Nope." Avery saluted mockingly, while Mulciber shook his head, ever the obedient robot.

"Good. I am worried about Evans. I think she may-"

Trying to get closer to the window, I had stumbled and fallen, managing to cause the entire world to hear me and draw all attention to myself from those in the immediate vicinity. Snape was through the door of the Owlery in a second, with Avery and Mulciber behind him.

I scrambled to my feet, and pulled my wand out of my pocket. I had Mulciber and Avery both disarmed within seconds, their wands flying over the edge of the railing, but I had heard Snape was being trained in Occlumency and Legilimency by some relative. I had no idea why he'd every be interested in that sort of thing, but figured it would be useful to have in situations like this. He was probably-literally-reading my mind right now. Anticipating my spells, my actions. It was kind of creepy.

Avery and Mulciber had bolted down the stairs, most likely running for their wands, which had fallen over the railing and down to the castle grounds. But I'd like to pretend that they were running because they were scared of me. Let's go with that.

Snape threw a disarming charm at me, which I blocked. I threw one straight back, which he seemed to block almost before the beam of light left the tip if my wand.

"Tarantellegra!" I shouted, but he blocked that too. Nonverbal spells, Lily, nonverbal, I reminded myself.

Finally I shot an impediment jinx and managed to actually hit him, but it only lasted about twenty seconds, barely giving me time to cross the floor over to the stairs. Before I knew it, a jet of red light flew over my shoulder and hit the wall. I whirled around and thought, 'Stupefy!'

But he blocked it. I ran up the stairs to get a better aim, but he shot another stunning spell at me just as I reached the top step. It hit me square in the chest and I keeled I over forward. Then I blacked out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Evans?"

I woke to the sound of owls. Hundreds of owls. I could see them flying around above me, spiraling, twisting, floating. Then I saw a hand materialize in the middle of the owls, and I grabbed it. I was pulled to my feet and was able to get a good look at who had woken me-James Potter.

"Um, thanks," I said awkwardly.

"Sure," he said, before asking the question I DIDN'T want him to ask. "What the heck happened to you?"

"Oh um... I must have tripped on my way to use one of the school owls," I lied, and not very convincingly. "I was sending a letter to my mum to ask for a new BOOK because my old one got DESTROYED somehow." Maybe I could make him guilty.

From the look on his face, I could.

"Evans... I'm sorry about that, okay? Bailey and Stella decided to do it, and when they put their minds to something, they are going to DO that something. This time they wanted to destroy your book. I'm sorry."

Wow. James Potter had just apologized to me like a normal human being. Maybe coming of age had knocked some sense into him.

"Thanks," I repeated.

"I don't believe that that was what happened though."

"Well, it was," I said lamely.

He nodded. "Well class starts soon," he said awkwardly.

"Shoot! How long have I been out?" I walked quickly over to the Owlery exit.

"There's ten minutes until class starts."

"Shoot!" I repeated myself, and practically flew out the door.

"Evans!"

"What?" I stopped, one foot one the first stair and turned around.

"Does this mean you'll go on a date with me because I saved you?"

"Keep dreaming, Potter!" I yelled jokingly as I flat out ran down the stairs. But strangely, I wasn't annoyed.

I didn't see him, Sirius, Remus, or Peter for the rest of the morning.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I ignored Snape in the corridors for the rest of the day, and carefully avoided Avery and Mulciber, both of whom I knew wouldn't be afraid to start a duel in the middle if the corridor with a mob of people around. I stayed near Elle and resolved that I WOULD figure out what they were doing soon and do my best to stop it. And I would have to do it alone because Remus didn't believe me and I doubted anyone else would.

~

At lunch the next day, Elle and I sat with Potter, Sirius, Peter, and Remus, and mainly because most people didn't want to be friends with those who were associated with Remus, due to the rumors the Slytherins had spread. The only difference was that Potter, Sirius, and Peter seemed to know what the rumors were.

It wasn't half bad sitting with the boys who had teased me the last six years of my life. They were actually kind of funny. And James and Sirius weren't 100% as antagonizing as they had been their whole lives. Which was surprising and very uncharacteristic of them, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. James didn't ask me out again, and he seemed to be keeping his distance from me. He appeared to have wised up and figured out how to give a girl space. I was grateful. It had gotten really awkward in the Owlery and I had no idea why.

All six of us walked to class together, laughing and talking. Just as we stepped over the threshold to Transfiguration, Sirius tripped James, causing us to laugh even harder. James jumped up, embarrassed, but still laughing, and shot a jinx at Sirius, who dodged it just in time for it to hit a fifth year behind us. The fifth year immediately sprouted antlers and ran off crying towards the hospital wing.

"Shoot, go, go, before they realize it was up. We're close enough to be suspects," Sirius said. Practically falling over themselves, they hustled into the classroom trying to control their laughter, but they weren't doing a very good job of it.

Elle and I took a seat in our usual spots across the room from them.

"They're actually really funny," Elle said.

"You're right..." I trailed off. This was very odd. I wondered what they could be planning, and if it could possibly have anything to do with the fact that they had all disappeared yesterday morning...