disclaimer - I don't own anything Harry Potter
Lily looked up as James ran towards her, an urgent look on his face. “Lily,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve got to talk to you!”
“Sure,” said Lily, surprised, not moving from her comfortable seat in the Gryffindor Common Room.
James cleared his throat. “Alone,” he whispered, nodding slightly towards Thaliana, Roxanna and Jada.
Roxanna wolf-whistled under her breath, just loud enough for Lily to hear.
Lily felt her face turning red, and felt furious with herself for not being able to stop it.
She allowed herself to be pulled way from her friends and into a corner, shooting Jada an excited glance.
James took a small step towards Lily, and felt a thrill run through her body.
James spoke softly. “Lily, I want to tell you something, but you need to promise to keep it a secret.”
Lily tilted her head to one side. “Depends what it is,” she reasoned slowly.
After all, if James was going to suggest having a secret relationship, it would take more than a promise to prevent her from telling Jada.
Roxanna probably wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret for long enough, and Thaliana would try to talk her out of it. If there was one thing Thali hated, it was lies.
“Well,” he grinned slightly and Lily felt that she was going to die from anticipation.
“It’s Calista’s 13th birthday tomorrow, and I want to surprise her somehow. You’re a girl, so do you know what I should do?”
Lily’s jaw dropped and she stared at him wordlessly. James looked slightly uncomfortable. “Lily?” he asked cautiously.
“I. Don’t. BELIEVE YOU!” she screamed at him. “You are an insensitive creep! You have no feelings AT ALL! I don’t care what you do for her! Do whatever you want! Buy her a locket with your initials on it! Stay up all night and decorate the Great Hall! Make her a birthday cake higher than a Christmas tree! I DON’T CARE! I. GIVE. UP!”
With that, Lily stormed out of the Common room. Thaliana, Roxanna and Jada all gave James an accusing look and ran after her.
Sirius, Remus and Peter ran up. “What the hell did you say to her James?” demanded Sirius.
“I just asked what I should get Calista for her birthday,” said James, bewildered.
Remus shook his head. “Listen, I’m going for a walk,” he said. “I don’t care what the weather is; being inside is driving people crazy.”
James nodded. “I’d come with you, but I have to organise Calista’s birthday present, I’ve left it to the last minute,” he said apologetically.
He turned to Sirius and Peter. “You guys are going to help me… right? I’m too young to face this alone!” he cried dramatically.
Sirius rolled his eyes. “We’ll help you if we must,” he relented.
James smiled, satisfied, and Remus strode out of the room, thankful for a chance to get some peace.
Remus strolled slowly around the grounds, thinking. What could possibly be the matter with James?
Whatever James said that he had said, it had obviously upset Lily, and Remus had never seen Lily lose her temper like that at anyone but Calista.
It seems like everyone has been put under a spell or something, he contemplated. Nothing is what it used to be.
He racked his brains for an explanation for the weird behaviour of his friends. Suddenly, something occurred to him.
But that would only work if…Hold on, she mentioned that…And then that would mean… But how did she… that had to be it!!
Remus’s thoughts were busy as he walked, but suddenly he found himself on the ground. He had been knocked over by the earth beneath him moving abruptly.
Remus didn’t have time to cry out before he felt a sickening feeling in his stomach, as the ground beneath him was there no more.
Lily sat down on her bed, surrounded by her friends, who were each doing their best to comfort her.
“He’s not worth it Lily, you must see that!” Thaliana cried indignantly. “If he thinks he’s going to treat one of my friends like that-”
“How insensitive, what a jerk, how could he do that? Boys are dumb, and rude, and obnoxious…” Roxanna started to list angrily.
“-I can always jinx him Lily, should I do that? I think I should, I know this good one where-”
“-and stupid, and mean, and, um….rude, and not even slightly good looking-”
“-and then their noses turn bright purple, James would hate that, he’s so vain!” finished Thaliana, triumphantly.
“-and rude!” Roxanna finished, punctuating her statement with a fierce nod of her head.
Lily smiled a little at her friends efforts, but turned towards Jada, who had remained silent, lost in thought.
Finally, she said, “I’m not sure that what James said was to hurt you Lily. What I think, is that James is playing a game with you.”
Lily raised an eyebrow; she had been hoping for Jada to come out with some abuse towards James.
“A game?”
Jada nodded vigorously. “Yes, you know, like he’s trying to make you jealous or something…”
Lily threw her hands up in the air impatiently. “Well, what is the point in that?” she demanded. “It’s pretty obvious that I like him!”
Jada rolled her eyes. “Obvious to a normal human being maybe. James on the other hand…”
Thaliana looked outraged.
“Well, what did he go and do that for? All that will do is raise Callie’s ego. Even when we were little, it was ‘Thali, it’s funny, we’re identical twins, but I’m prettier! Even my name means “Most beautiful”’
“Maybe he really does like Calista,” Roxanna added, unhelpfully.
This, funnily enough, didn’t make Thaliana the least bit happier.
“Well, maybe-” Lily started to say, but she stopped, looking outside.
Down below, on the grounds, the ground seemed to be moving. The trees were rising and falling as if floating on the ocean, and the puddles of water were moving around on the changing slopes of the Earth.
Lily gasped as suddenly, near a tree, a large crack appeared in the Earth and moved quickly and unrelentingly, sucking trees, bushes, and mud into it’s crevice.
Then all was still again.
Lily and her friends sat gaping, speechless; this was easily one of the weirdest things that had happened; the Earth didn’t just split open!
“What. The. Hellwasthat?” cried Roxanna, her voice shaking.
“I have no idea… It looked like an earthquake, but there was no shaking!” Lily muttered, confused.
Professor McGonagall’s voice rang out though the school, magnified by magic.
“EVERYONE IS TO STAY INSIDE THE SCHOOL BUILDING, I REPEAT, EVERYONE IS TO STAY INSIDE THE SCHOOL BUILDING! ANYONE WHO IS CAUGHT OUTSIDE WILL BE PUNISHED! EVERYONE IS TO REPORT TO THEIR OWN COMMON ROOMS IMMEDIATELY!”
Without speaking, the girls simultaneously jumped off of their beds and ran to the Common Room.
When they arrived, the place was in an uproar.
Students were running around madly, trying to find out what was the matter; most weren’t even aware that something was wrong until the announcement came.
Jada spotted James and Sirius, and she sprinted up to them, followed by Lily, Thaliana and Roxanna.
Peter caught up to the two boys, his face deathly white. “I couldn’t find him, he never came back in!” he panted.
“Oh Merlin,” James murmured.
“What’s happening?” demanded Roxanna.
James looked grim. “From what I’ve heard, there was an earthquake. We didn’t feel it, because the castle is protected against them. It only hit the outside. We’re being kept in in case of an aftershock.”
Thaliana looked immensely relieved. “Well, that’s good; at least no-one got hurt.”
Sirius looked stricken. “We hope… Remus was outside when it happened!”
Lily almost choked. “What?’ she shrieked.
“Well, at least we think he is,” James told the girls. “That’s the last place we saw him.”
“Have you tried talking to a teacher?” Thaliana suggested.
Sirius shook his head. “There are none about,” he informed her.
“Well, we’ll see if we can find-” Roxanna started, but she was instantly cut off by James.
“We can’t do that, what if Remus is in serious trouble?” he protested angrily.
Jada set her face. “Well, we’ll just have to find him then, won’t we?” she said simply.
Ok, review challenge, review challenge *rustles through paperwork* AHAH! *finds it* Um, Ok... Ahem. what has been your favourite scene in this story and why? eg: James and Lily playing in the snow, Caliata and Lily's shouting match, When James almost drowned, any other scene ya liked etc... come on people, reviewing is an art form!! In other words, accept the challenge, don't just go yeah cool story, coz while that's flattering, it isnt very useful... I know, I can't always talk, my reviews often suck!! hey, I'm a learner!