November 11, 1971
"This was a great idea," said Lily with a grin as she and Draco strolled along the shore of the lake. The weather had warmed up a considerable amount since their Hogsmeade trip, and the sun now shone brightly down upon the pair.
"Yeah, we used to ditch class all the time in…um…Scotland," he said, forcing a smile to cover up his hesitation at the end of the sentence. "Do you guys do it here?"
"I personally don't, but the rest of the gang does. I know you would think that I'd do it too, being friends with the great Marauders and all, but I really am a goody-good deep down inside," she replied sheepishly.
"Think I can change that?" Draco said slyly. He stopped walking, and leaned casually against a nearby willow tree. Turning to look at Lily, he cocked his head and smirked slightly. The leaves above him rustled as he pulled her close to him so that her face was a mere inch away from his.
"Perhaps...I guess you could...." The words died on Lily's lips as Draco closed the final gap between them by pressing his lips firmly against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. Not wanting to be outdone, Draco encouraged her lips to part slightly, allowing entrance for his tongue. But as the kiss continued, something started to nag at him...There's something about the way this feels, something about the way she... It hit him as he pulled away in realization.
"Is anything wrong, Draco?" Lily asked in concern.
"I...I have to go," he mumbled, pushing past her. He was aware that this was the second time he had rudely brushed her off, but the memories that were beginning to come back to him allowed him to do nothing else but walk away. I can't do this, Draco thought furiously as he started walking back to the castle with his fists clenched tightly.
"Draco! What's WRONG?" exclaimed Lily as she finally caught up to him and grabbed his arm. Although she had been shocked at his sudden change of mood, it was nothing compared to his reaction when he turned around.
"Listen, Lily. There are some parts of my past that I would rather not relive, much less share with others. I know it may not seem like it to you, but my life is screwed up. There's nothing you or anyone else can do about it, so don't even bother. Now if you would kindly excuse me, I have to go do potions homework." He wrenched his arm out of her grip, and stormed off.
Lily groaned in frustration. "But...we don't HAVE potions homework," was all she could manage to call out after his retreating form. "And…" she added quietly when he had disappeared into the castle, "I do know."
Ginny watched the second hand of the clock slowly creep forward in her Transfiguration classroom with fixed anticipation. Five seconds left...four...three...she tensed up and quickly stuffed her books into her bag...two...one. She sprang out of her chair and out of the classroom, muttering a hurried apology to a classmate she ran into along the way. Within a few seconds, Ginny had climbed through the Fat Lady's portrait and into the common room.
Panting, she looked around. James wasn't anywhere. She uttered a groan of frustration, and moved over to a red-and-black striped armchair, on which she sat down. From where Ginny sat, she had a perfect view of the clock above the fireplace, and she watched this tensely, waiting for James to arrive. Finally, at 4:07, he surprised her with a tap on the shoulder from behind.
"Hey there," he said with a grin when she whipped around in surprise.
"James!" she exclaimed, leaping out of her seat to hug him and kiss him on the cheek.
His grin grew. "Wow, I could get used to this kind of greeting. Maybe I should be late for every one of our meetings."
"You wouldn't dare!" Ginny said with a mock gasp. She giggled, then added, "Anyway, what exactly are these 'connections' of yours?"
"Well..." he started, looking around furtively as he lowered his voice. "Don't be too loud about this. I can't have anyone else hearing about it."
"Don't tell me they're illegal!" she cried out apprehensively.
"Shh!" James responded frantically, placing a finger on her lips to silence her. "They're not against the LAW or anything...and come on, Ginny, I'm trying to help you!"
"But James..."
"Don't worry, no one will find out unless you say something."
"I won't but..."
"Okay, here's the deal. I know a few guys who aren't exactly into the most respectable kind of business; even so, they have what we want and I can get the majority of the rare ingredients from them cheaper than I could from Diagon Alley. I told them I'd meet them tonight at 10 PM. D'you want to come with me?"
Ginny bit her lip and replied, "Are you sure it's...safe?"
"Very sure. No need to worry, I'll protect you if anything comes up," he said playfully.
"But nothing WILL, right?"
"Of course not!" James said, taking a step closer to Ginny and putting his arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't let anyone take you away from me."
"Are you sure about that?" Ginny said somewhat breathlessly. Her head was spinning from being so close to him. She could smell his cologne; it was faint, but it smelled like...was that peppermint? Mmm whatever it is, it smells heavenly, she thought. "James..." she murmured as she moved closer yet to him and placed her hand lightly on his shoulder.
"More sure than...anything else..." James replied in a low whisper as he lowered his face towards hers. "Ginny..." was the last thing he said before their lips touched and everything around him faded from existence.
Ginny's eyes fluttered closed as she allowed herself to submit to the feelings that were overwhelming her. Her whole body tingled as if being shocked by a thousand mini-bolts of lightning, and she felt that she would surely have floated off the ground if she had been any more light-headed. He tastes so good...it's like...oh God I think I'm going to faint... The thoughts drifted through her mind moments before he tentatively pulled away.
"No…don't go," Ginny whispered desperately as he made to step back. The touch of his hand still lingered on her cheek, and she didn't want it to leave any time soon. Her heart was pounding wildly, and she felt her cheeks burning.
Nothing more was said between them as James lead her back over to the chair. He sat down on it, and pulled her down on his lap. Sighing happily, Ginny laid her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent once again. The fact that they were in the common room where anyone passing by could see them started to edge into her mind, but she pushed it out. Right now, nothing mattered but herself and James.
"So Ginny," said James after half an hour of silence. "How about tonight?"
"Of course," she replied. Tilting her head up, she smiled at him. "I can't wait."
November 11, 1998
"And then he took 50 points away just because I SNEEZED in class!" protested Harry Potter to one of his friends, Seamus.
"Did he really? That prat," replied Seamus indignantly.
Harry suddenly stopped in his tracks. His chest felt weird, and as he pressed his hand against his heart, he felt no answering thump - his heart had stopped beating. He leaned against the stair rail and gasped for air. His breath was caught in his throat, and he couldn't feel the rest of his body. It was as if he had ceased to exist all together. The odd occurrence lasted but a second, after which everything returned to normal.
"What's wrong, mate?" asked Seamus, looking at Harry curiously.
"N-nothing," Harry replied. "Go ahead, I'll meet you there."
His friend shrugged, and left.
Frowning, Harry raised a hand to push his glasses up. His mouth dropped in shock at what he saw: his hand was completely transparent. The faint outline of it was visible, but the rest of it seemed to have disappeared into thin air. He blinked, not sure if he had seen correctly. When he looked back down, his hand was back.
Shaking his head, Harry continued on his way. Strange things often happened to him, but what just happened definitely had to be one of the strangest.
[A/N: Before everyone starts throwing items at me, I PROMISE Ginny and James won't end up together. Our beloved Harry will continue living. I just threw that last part in because...well, I'll let you figure that out :P]