CHAPTER 10-Falling Snowflakes
“Regulus? And the Lord “ er “ what was it “ er, You-Know-Who? But Lily, from what you said they didn’t actually say his name, did they? So, it could be a “ a stupid game or something. Don’t jump to the worst conclusion.” Alice tried to keep a sensible side to the conversation.
The two girls were in their room, sitting on Luna’s fourposter. It was just past midday of the last day of the year and Lily had finished telling Alice about her midnight adventure. They had both tried to find Luna but she had mysteriously disappeared. And, unlikely though it may seem, Sirius had too.
“I don’t think so, Alice. They sounded scared of him, like they were afraid to mention his name. But, even if it has nothing to do with,” Lily paused uncertainly “, with You-Know-Who, it still is important. Don’t you think I should tell Dumbledore?”
“No. No, not yet. At least, I think you should discuss it with James first “ and then decide.”
Lily agreed wholeheartedly with her. She didn’t feel completely sure about the information she’d gathered and she did not want to point her finger to someone who might be utterly innocent and clueless.
“And anyway, that Lord-Thingy person is causing enough trouble as it is,” said Alice, levitating Lily’s ponytail. “Two missing Ministry members, three Muggles dead, tighter than tight security in the blooming castle and Quidditch season shortened! I told you that the final’s only a few weeks away?”
“A few million times, yes,” muttered Lily wearily; she had heard nothing else from members of the teams, fans and teachers. But she wasn’t paying attention to her friend’s ramblings. The conversation from last night kept coming back to her. She felt almost convinced that there was something dark and, at the very least, something to be answered for. And then there were those girls, the sisters…with those familiar voices…
“Anyway,” continued Alice, a sly grimace on her face. Lily frowned suspiciously. “Before Regulus Black did a “ well “ Black and interrupted you, you and Nat must’ve been having fun. What’s happening, Evans? Do we like the little fifth-year?”
Lily scowled and pushed Alice off the bed. “You make me sound like some sort of scarlet woman, you idiot. And, as a matter of fact, nothing happened. Because I didn’t want it to.” She crossed her arms. Alice grinned.
“But Nathaniel, I presume, did?’”
“I never said that.”
“He did! Oh, I knew it, I knew it! I knew it since the time I caught him oggling at you when you were in the Library last year! I am so good at this! I knew it, I knew it, yes, yes, I knew it!” Alice got up from the floor and started doing a little jig around the bedroom. Shirley Malkin came in at that moment but, on seeing Alice, she rushed out alarmed. Lily was shaking her head.
“Alice, stop acting like a fool “ ”
“I knew it, I knew it, yes, yes, I knew it!”
“Alice “ ”
“I knew it, I knew it, yes, yes, I knew it!”
“LILY!” Lily jumped a foot in the air and Alice fell over her own feet and from the floor “ once again “ turned to Luna, who looked as though she had just come of the worse (or the better) of a wrestling match. “Lily, come down. It’s Black. He tried to climb up to the girls’ dormitory. Again.”
Lily shook her head. Alice looked ready to explode. She’d even stopped her little number.
“Have you two not heard me yelling? I must have used every swearword in existence. And not only from the English language,” Luna continued proudly.
“THAT is IT! I’ve had it with both of you!” Alice shouted, giving Luna and Lily a fright. “Luna, I am not as blind as a bat. I do have eyes and I do use them “ sometimes “ and even if I didn’t it would be extremely difficult not to realise that YOU and Sirius have been getting off with each other since almost the beginning of the year!” Lily looked at her with amazement. She had not been privy to that startling bit of information. “Don’t look at me like that, Lily, me and Remus said nothing to you and the others because we knew that sooner or later you would let it slip and we wanted to know how long these two would go on at it in secret!”
There was silence for a while. Then Luna’s small, quiet voice was heard. “Sorry.”
“That’s completely alright.” Alice answered with dignity, hugging her friend playfully. Lily just watched, wordlessly. “Oh, get a grip, Lily. We didn’t tell you and Peter because you’re both so naïve that you would have spat it out first chance you got, if not on purpose.”
Lily still watched mutely.
“So, James knows then? That was why he kept looking at me funnily all year! I wondered about the extra-special merry Christmas he gave me a minute ago. And we haven’t been getting off with each other all year. It’s only ever been a snog or two. Maybe a few more at Christmas.” This was all said without embarassment. Luna was used to such behaviour.
Suddenly something registered in Lily’s brain. She snapped up. “Did you say, James? As in James Potter?”
“Oh, yeah, he got here a little while“”
Lily ran from the room and down the staircase, momentarily forgetting it was not, in fact, a staircase. As she slid, unorthodoxly, into the common room, only one thing came into her mind.
“Damn you, Potter.”
“Hey, why is everything always my fault? Padfoot did the slide thing, not me!” said a familiar voice and a smiling James Potter gave her a helping hand. Lily took it, giving Sirius, who was chortling freely, a murderous look. She patted down her school robes and a thankful smile at Potter.
“So. You’re back.”
James grinned at her roguishly.
“Yes. I am.”
Winter at Hogwarts was an important business. Apart from the necessary Christmas decorations “ which Hagrid and Professor Flitwick arranged surpassingly “ it was one of those times in the year that most students felt the need to forget they were at school. Jokes and tricks were played with alarming frequency, some involving nothing more than a fanged Frisbee, while others leading teachers to actually throw themselves into the ten-foot snow to save many simple-minded first-years. Strangely enough, the Marauders were not the centre of these misdeeds; rumour had it that the four seventh-year boys had become soft and were now giving up their position as supreme rule-breakers to any who were willing. Sirius Black soon put this rumour in its place; Donald Allen, of Ravenclaw, was found standing, in the middle of the night, in the deep snow, shivering for all the warmth Professor Sinistra’s undergarments provided. For some odd reason, he had completely forgotten who had brought him there.
“So what’s been going on here? Besides kids being found buried in snow, I mean,” said James as he, Remus, Peter and an innocent-looking Sirius walked through the snow-covered courtyard. Around them, other students were making their way to the lake for the annual, unofficial snowball throwing contest. It was Remus that answered the question.
“Really, James, you’re expected to know that the world around here stops when you’re not with us! Whatever could happen?” Sirius sniggered and patted Lupin on the back. James smiled; he enjoyed it when Remus let go of his serious manner from time to time.
“C’mon, Moony, don’t bite!”
“Was that supposed to be a joke?”
“Oops! Wow, that was thoughtless.”
“Surprising?”
“No, not really. But, come on, what happened? Give me all the juicy gossip!” Sirius snorted and fell over a stray branch, head spattered with white ice. He shot up instantly and narrowed his eyes. Just a little in front of him was a group of three girls; Lily Evans, Alice Vance and Luna Davies, whose mittens were suspiciously wet-looking. He growled and ran forward, aiming a ball of snow at Luna’s head. She swooped down just in time; all around yells of delight were heard.
“SNOWBALLERS! GET SET! GO!”
James shot in front, throwing a well-aimed ball at the head of Hufflepuff prefect Amos Diggory. He didn’t have time to see if it met its target; a huge, rolling snowball was heading for him, compliments of Bridget Smyth, the equally huge Hufflepuff Beater. Yells could be heard from left and right; even the timid first-years had joined in, expertly throwing small balls of ice at the considerably older “ and dumber “ students. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Lily, green eyes twinkling, having so much fun her face seemed to glow. His knees began to buckle; that girl had the worst possible effect on him. Yet he couldn’t help watching her; red hair escaping its protective wooly hat, scarlet coat unbuttoned, exposing her somewhat to the cold but making her look more like a playful child than ever. He felt himself just standing there, staring at her; all he wanted to do now was to go to her, pick her up and “
“James! James!”
He turned his dazed eyes to the voice; it was Lily. A silly smile crept onto his face.
“Duck, James, duck!” She was yelling and laughing at the same time and James was still in his little daze when cold snow suddenly flew to his face. He span around and swore loudly at Sirius. “Stop making a bloody fool of yourself, Prongs! You look like a lovesick pup!” James shook his head exasperatedly and approached Lily slyly from behind.
“You’ve got to aim first, Evans! I’m surprised your mate hasn’t taught you how to throw a Quaffle yet!”
Lily laughed. “Alice? She can barely teach herself anything, she’d never be able to teach me! And no one else has ever tried!” She knelt down to avoid a ball of snow sent by a passing red-head (one of the notorious Weasleys no doubt) and pulled James down with her. They both rolled up their own snowballs. “So, Potter? Are you going to teach me then? When no one else has ever succeeded?”
James grinned and winked. Lily smiled herself, noting how much more cheerful she’d become since he’d returned. She raised a hesitant gloved hand and wiped the lenses of his glasses that were drenched with melted snow; his dark eyes glinted as she did. “I’m sure I’ll manage, Evans. Though my technique might be damaged slightly. I think my body’s gone all shivery.”
“From the cold?” Lily whispered; the shouts around seemed to have been muted. James laughed and held Lily’s hand against his cold face; he could feel her trembling.
“You could say that,” murmured James, his own fingers shaking like mad. He felt oddly exposed in this wintery scene. From behind were the tall trees of the Forbidden Forest; straight ahead were the lit up windows of Hogwarts Castle, twinkling colourfully against the dark sky; and there they were, Lily and James, knelt together on the white ground, hand in hand, each wondering what was happening between them.
Suddenly, a snowflake fell from the blue sky, landing in the tiny space between James’s red nose and Lily’s pink one. Lily giggled awkwardly; Prongs chortled, thankful of the distraction. The rest of the crowd was brought to their attention; they weren’t alone anymore. Everyone had stopped their snow fight. They had all formed tight groups, protecting themselves from the cold, looking upwards at the falling flakes. Sirius and Luna were leaning on each other’s shoulders, Lupin and Alice were reaching up to catch the falling snow, Peter and a couple of first-years were Charming it to land in different colours. Lily and James stood up together, a little further away from the others, taking in the delightful sight. James held his grip on Lily’s hand; she didn’t relinquish her own.
“It’s like the stars are falling,” said Lily quietly.
“Falling to meet their angel,” answered James. “And mine.”
A/N: Ah, the perfect chapter for the best time of the year “ a little present from your favourite author *grins and winks to all*! I hope you enjoyed it I prepared it especially for the Christmas season. Originally, it would have been another chapter but I thought I’d wish you my own Merry Christmas this way! What about giving me my own presie? A review and a “Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”? (that’s my attempt at giving you a subtle hint to review *I’m rolling my eyes right now at my stupidity*!)