The Patronus Charm- A Lily and James Fanfiction

Chapter Forty-Two: A Star Lit Night

Dedicated to: FrancescaGrech4, for her amazing ideas. I'm using some more of them next chapter, since they were too good not to use :D Thanks!!

"It's Friday!" Sirius cheers loudly. He sprints down the corridor, knocking the little first years off their feet.
"Black! Stop running!" I protest.
"Come and get me, Evans!" He taunts like a child wanting to play tag.
"Sirius! There's rules! No running in the corridors!"
"Perfect little Head Girl. Gonna be goody-two-shoes for the rest of your life? Live a little." Sirius darts around the corner.
I kick my sneakers off. Sprinting, I chase him down another corridor. "You're so dead, Black!" Suddenly, I crash into something hard. I look up to see James.
He shakes his head. "Oy, Sirius! You've corrupted my girl."
"No way! You corrupted her while you slept with-"
James' face turns bright red. "Enough!" He thunders.
"Aww, is little Jamsey all mad?"
I roll my eyes. Marauders. Boys. Sometimes I hate them, but you can't live without them.
"I did not!" James protests from some inappropriate comment.
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Liar!"
"Idiot!"
"Four eyes!"
"Oversized doxy!"
"Dragon dung!"
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN'S BEARD! WOULD YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP!" I yell.
James and Sirius stare at me in disbelief.
Sirius' bottom lip starts to shake. "Lily yelled at me!" He fake cries.
"Shut up, Black."
Quickly, his pouting face turns to a smirk. "I've heard that before. In fact, when Vanessa came into my room two nights ago, I-"
"No! No! No! I don't wanna know. Nope. Definitely not. Not in a billion trillion googolplex years!!!"
Sirius pauses, looking confused. "Googolplex?"
I slap my hand to my face. "Sirius, it's a really really big number."
"Ohhh."
"I hate the wreck the moment, but the train leaves in five minutes." Alice says as she enters the corridor. A frown grows on her face. "What is he thinking about?!?!" She shrieks.
"Who?" I question.
"Sirius! He's got this look in his face! It means he's thinking and when Sirius starts thinking, things go wrong!"
Sirius looks hurt. "That was mean. Not every time I think something goes wrong."
I pause to think about it. Sirius thought that drenching us in cold water during winter would make us into snowmen. Instead we got hypothermia... That third year... Sirius thought that the Louvre was was spell... Okay. Sirius thinking is a bad thing.
"I come up with good pranks. Remember the pea soup prank?"
"That I do." Remus confirms as he walks up with a slightly pudgier Peter. "You got us detention for a month straight. We cleaned pea soup off the ceiling for weeks."
"It was worth it when Snivelly got it!" Peter says gleefully.
I press my lips together and follow the group towards the train station. Even if he hurt me in the past, I still don't agree with calling him names. In the end, is it really that different from calling me a Mudblood. To James, yes. But I don't know...
James hands me my shoes and we head out to the platform. We board the train and put our trunks on the overhead racks.
"So, what's everyone doing?" Alice asks curiously.
"I'm staying with the Potters." Sirius declares.
"Same." I nod.
"I'll go home and visit Mum and Dad. Then, I likely hang out at Potter Manor." Remus decides with a shrug.
"I-I have to go home and...help my mum." Peter says awkwardly. Something's off... Oh, well. Peter's mum is a rather demanding sort of lady. He's a good friend, so if something is bothering him, he'll mention it.
"How about you, Alice?"
"I'm going home and I'll get to spend some time with Frank. Mum wants me home. She thinks we're going to elope if she doesn't keep an eye on me."
"And risk the wrath of Mrs. Longbottom?"
"Hell no! Besides, the wedding is tentatively set for next November. I mean we're young and all, but there is a war going on and I worry about Frank."
James nods. "I'll be fine. Moody's taken a liking to him. Moody only likes the best of the best."
"James, when will you propose to your lass?" Sirius asks with a smirk.
James' eyes connect with mine. "No one says lass, Sirius. Besides, we'll get married when we're ready." James declares with an easy smile.
Us? Married? We're only eighteen... Nah, it'd be a few years down the road if it ever happened.
"Someone's making plans." Alice teases with a wink.
I roll my eyes and sit between James and Alice.
"The World Cup is coming up." Sirius says mournfully to James.
"It's in Canada this year." Remus comments.
"Yeah... Moose Jaw."
"Why do they have weird names there?" Peter questions.
"I dunno, Peter." I say sarcastically. "I bet Liverpool sounds pretty weird to them too."
"I wish we could go, but it's in Canada and the tickets are sold out." James says disappointedly.
"Mum would never let me go. The whole elope thing." Alice mutters.
"Same." Peter sighs.
"You're going to elope? With who? Blinky?" James teases.
Peter turns bright pink. "N-no I-I m-meant the first p-part." He stutters.
We all start laughing.
"A funeral and a wedding..." Sirius trails off, sounding unusually serious. "That's going to be a hard break, Lily..."
I close my eyes. "I just miss them." A tear leaks out and falls onto my hand.
"Sorry."
"Sirius, it's fine." James says softly. He holds my hands between his. We'll be there for you, Lily, if you want."
"Thank you."
"Let's do something." Sirius says.
I look up. "What?"
"Let's hex the Slytherins!"
I shake my head. "Hexing people for no reason isn't okay."
"James?"
James frowns. "Lily is right."
"I'll do it with Peter. Coming?" He demands to Peter.
Peter eagerly gets to his feet and leaves the compartment with Sirius.
"Lily, my mum wants to see you. Should she come to the funeral?" Alice asks nervously.
"As long as she can dress like a Muggle, sure." I rest my head against James' shoulder.
"Sleep if you can." James suggests. "You've barely slept this week."
Slowly, sleep overtakes me.
.....
"Lils. We're at King's Cross." James says, shaking me awake.
"We're going to your house right?"
James chuckles. "You can hardly call Potter Manor a house."
I roll my eyes. Big ego. "Alright, fine. Your mansion."
"Yes. Dad wants to go for Chinese food tonight."
"Really?"
"Yeah... He thought something...different would be good."
I nod. "I know the feeling. Change is good when something like this happens."
"You're not invited, Sirius." James says quietly to Sirius.
Sirius frowns and says." Okay. I have to get some stuff from Diagon Alley anyways. I'll be back around eleven."
We gather our stuff and apparate.
As usual, we land in the field close to Potter Manor. I glance over at James. There's blood on his hand.
"Lils, I splinched." He groans.
Quickly, I unlock my trunk and search for my potions kit. Essence of Dittany. Where is it? I fling a bottle of Draught of the Living Death to the side.
James catches it with his good hand. "Why do you have a bottle of Draught of the Living Death in your trunk?"
"I made it during potions class and I thought that it could be useful..." I continue searching for the bottle. "Found it!" I exclaim proudly as I unstop the bottle and dribble some on his wound.
James hisses in pain. Under his breath, he curses so badly that a sailor would blush.
"James, there's a lady present." I tease lightly.
James looks around. "I don't see one." He smirks.
"Glad you're back to normal. Get up. We're going to be late."
James gets up and grins. "We're going on a date."
"Huh?"
James rolls his eyes. "A date. Not a History of Magic date though."
I close my eyes. "Isn't your dad waiting for us?"
James shakes his head slightly. "Nope. He's actually at the hospital with Mum... I lied, because Sirius would have come with us."
I sigh. "James... My parents are being buried tomorrow. I don't think this is a good night for a date." I protest.
"No. It's the perfect night for it. Why not do something fun tonight, enjoy yourself? Tomorrow is going to be a hard day. Don't worry about it until tomorrow. Please? For me?"
With those words, my heart melts. "Alright. Let's go to your house and get changed."
"It's a manor."
I tilt my head slightly and glare at him. "Don't wreck this moment."
"Won't dream of it."
I look over at him. "Okay, now, you've really wrecked the moment." I state. "That was cliché."
James shakes his head. "Come on."
I run through the tall grass towards the manor house. Potter Manor is a stunning place. James once told me that it's been in the family for at least a century. The manor sits on a beautiful hilltop, about an hour out of London.
"How many secret passageways are there in the manor?" I ask.
Slowly, James counts on his fingers. He pauses and then frowns. "Seven that I know of. I bet my father knows a few more. He grew up in that house."
"Wow. Mine had zero." I say sarcastically.
"You and Petunia are selling the house?" James gently inquires.
I nod. "Yes."
"Lily, if you want to keep the house, my father and I could work out a way... We could buy it."
I cringe slightly. I know that James loves me, but it's hard being in a different social class at times. He wants to help, but it only reminds me that I'm so different from him. He grew up in a manor house; I grew up in a questionable neighbourhood. He has money. I think I have about thirty Galleons left and that's all, until Petunia sells the house. "I don't want to keep the house." I admit honestly. "There's too many memories... And V-Voldemort was in my house. He murdered them in my living room..."
James takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Lils. I didn't think it through."
Reluctant tears pool in my eyes. I don't want to cry, but the onslaught of memories is haunting...
James unlocks the gates and leads me into the garden. He gestures to the flowers. "Mum used to adore this garden. She spent hours each spring planting flowers. Dad couldn't bear to see them wilt, so the house-elves take care of it."
"They're very pretty."
James nods. "Mum would like them. I'm thinking about taking a picture of them and bringing it to her."
"That would be nice." I say hesitantly. Admittedly, I don't know what to say about his mum being in the hospital like this. I never know how he'll react to some comments. His temper was short before this, but now it's worse than ever.
We enter the house and wordlessly James carries the trunks up the stairs.
I close the door of the room I'm staying in and change my clothes. The room is the same room I've stayed in since Christmas. It's nice, but it's not the same as being home. I close my eyes. It's home for now... James is all I have left in this world now...
I don't have a home. After Hogwarts, I don't know where I'll go. I wish I could believe that I'll be with James forever, but life has recently taught me that good can last. Robert Frost wrote a poem called Nothing Gold Can Stay and it's the truth. Nothing good and pure lasts, eventually it all fades away...
"Lils? Are you okay?" James asks from outside my door.
I tug my blouse and open the door. "Yes."
Slowly, James' smile disappears. "What's wrong?"
"Do you know the muggle poem Nothing Gold Can Stay?"
James nods warily. "Jack Frost?"
"Close. Robert Frost."
"Where is this going?" He asks hesitantly.
"The poem talks about nothing pure lasting forever... It's true. My parents. Your mum. My relationship with Tuney... Us..."
"Lily, I love you. Nothing is going to change that."
"Up until this week, we were broken up and I thought you didn't love me anymore." I point out.
James looks at the ground. "I'll never stop apologizing for what I did. But I never stopped loving you. It would take more than either of us could imagine to take that away. Nothing's going to change that." James grabs my hand. "The magic world has brought a lot of pain, but there's good. You have amazing friends. You've got me..."
I let go of his hand and throw my arms around his neck. "Thank you."
"I'll be there tomorrow too." He smiles slightly. "Shall we go?"
"We shall." I say with a grin.
He guides me down the hallway and into the upper part of foyer.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
The evening air is chilled, but still pleasant. I gaze at the beautiful flowerbeds. Dorea would be so pleased...
With an easy flick of his wrist, James unlocks the gate.
Flash! Flash! Cameras click and swarms of reports crowd us. "James Potter! Are the rumours true that your mother is unable to continue her work?!?"
"Lily Evans! Is it true that you and James Potter called off your relationship and just got back together?"
The calls of the reporters grow louder.
A scowl settles on James' face. "No comment." He's clearly annoyed. He grabs my hand tightly.
"Is it true that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed your parents, Lily?" A tall lady with awful glasses and blond hair asks bluntly. I recognize her from somewhere...
I grimly press my lips together.
"She has no comment." James says sternly, as he pushes our way past the obnoxious swarm of indignant obtuse reporters.
Finally, we break free and James turns. "You are trespassing, so unless you wish to have charges pressed against you, leave." He says harshly. He nods to me and we apparate.
We land in small quiet neighbourhood. "Godric's Hollow." James says with a smile. "I wasn't actually planning to take us here, but..."
I frown. "But what?"
"Well, I wanted to make sure the reporters thought we were gone. We were actually going to have a picnic in the field, but we'll have to wait now..."
"It's fine. It's a charming little place. Isn't this the birthplace of Godric Gryffindor?"
"Yeah."
We walk down the street. The streetlights cast a slight glow on the streets. The sun is starting to set. The sky is a golden hue and the town is slightly and still.
"I've always wanted to live somewhere with history. I used to wanted to live in France. The French wizards were quite brilliant."
James nods. "Why don't you want to live in France anymore?"
I shrug. "Funds, my friends, you, and I wouldn't have have much of a reason to come back."
"Why?"
"My parents are dead. We'd likely have broken up. Long distance- even as far as magic goes- is really hard. Voldemort wants my head on a platter."
James sighs. "That's a rather grim outlook on life. These days, I think Voldemort wants a lot of people's heads. Don't worry about that tonight. For once, let's just be teenagers, madly in love for the first time."
"Okay."
We tour the streets, looking into the tiny shops. There's a grocery shop, a butcher, a barber, a candy shop, and a pub.
"Beautiful place." James comments.
"It's so quiet. I love the countryside."
"I've never lived in the city. I mean, I've stayed in the Leaky Cauldron and at your house."
I have no reply to that.
.......
"I think they'll be gone." James says softly.
"Finally. I hate reporters."
James chuckles softly. "It's all part of dating me, love. The reporters, the cameras, and the lack of privacy. It doesn't help that Mum's condition hasn't been released to the public."
"If the Ministry releases it, it will only cause more fear. Voldemort removed one of the head Aurors in Britain. What's next?" I state.
"I don't honestly know."
"Yeah... Me either."
"Let's go."
We apparate back to the field. Luckily, the reporters are long gone. I warily look around to double check.
"I think we're safe." James guides me into the middle of the field.
"Whose land is this?"
James grins. "Some farmer. Don't worry. I'm a Marauder."
Not for the first time, I shake my head, trying to figure out why I decided to date a Marauder. "Alright, but we get into trouble I'll kill you."
"You seriously don't have much faith in me, do you?"
I shrug. "I've been trapped in a swamp for hours, because of you..."
"Fair enough." James admits with a wry grin. "Just trust me."
We sit down across from each other. The sun is almost gone. Dark is overtaking the last of the golden light.
"Are you hungry?" He asks softly.
"A bit."
He pulls his wand out of his pocket. "Accio picnic basket." A basket flies towards us from Potter Manor.
I quirk an eyebrow. "I thought the wards don't allow things to be summoned or to pass through the boundaries with magic?"
"I can do it, only because I'm a Potter." James pushes his glasses up his nose. Then he quickly opens the basket. "There's two sandwiches or we can just have dessert."
"I'll have a sandwich, please."
James hands me a sandwich wrapped in plastic. "For all the magic in the world, there is no spell to wrap your sandwich." He laughs.
"But you can wrap your presents?" I state questioningly.
"I mean, you could use it to wrap your sandwich, but it'll look like a box when it's done."
I try to picture that and start giggling.
"You're cute." James comments.
I smile at him. "Usually, teenage girls like to be called pretty or beautiful."
"Why call you one when I can call you them all?" James wraps a arm around my waist. "You're the sweetest, smartest, most beautiful girl I've ever met, Lils. I love you."
I lean across and kiss him.
Our sandwiches are forgotten in the grass.
It's a perfect simple kiss. We cling to each other and all I can think is that I deeply love James. Nothing else matters in this moment. We continue kissing; becoming more passionate.
We break apart, gasping for breath. "I love you, James."
"I love you too."
I lie down on the grass. Carefully, James lies down next to me, wrapping his strong arm around my waist. I know I'm not the prettiest girl in the world, but when he holds like he's never going to let me go, I feel like I am. I rest my head on his shoulder.
Silently, we watch the stars and enjoy this moment of quiet companionship.
Suddenly, a voice booms. "What the hell are you kids doing on my land?!"
Merlin!
"I'm calling the cops!"
James gets up quickly and winks at me. "Shall we?"
"Damn right we shall!" I grab his hand and start running through the field.
........
AN: hey guys what did you think of that? It took a long time to write, because I wanted to add more, but the chapter got too long and would have taken a lot longer to write. So there's a part two... actually it's just another chapter about their spring break. :D