Chapter 4: Surprises
Lily awoke the next morning to find a bundle of packages at the foot of her bed.
“Presents!” she yelled, waking up the rest of the dormitory.
“Happy Bir-bir-birthday, Lils,” Yves said, failing to stifle a huge yawn. She stretched and moved to sit on the end of Lily’s bed.
The other three girls wished Lily a “Happy Birthday” and then promptly went back asleep. It was, after all, a Saturday.
“C’mon then, open them!” Yves said excitedly.
Lily reached for the first package. It was large and wrapped in purple paper. She ripped off the wrapping and inside was a leather-bound photo album. On the first page was a photo of Lily, Petunia and their parents, taken that summer on holiday. That was before all the arguments started.
Below the photo was a message:
To dearest Lily,
To remind you of our great love for you.
The remainder of the pages are for you to fill with memories of your last year at school.
Happy Birthday!
Love Mum and Dad.
Lily shut the book and passed it to Yves.
“That’s a nice picture,” Yves said, looking at the faces of Lily’s family. She poked it. “Except it’s one of those strange Muggle pictures that doesn’t move. How funny!” She paused and looked up at Lily.
“Lils? What’s that matter? Is it not good?”
“Oh no it’s great, its just I wish Rose was in the picture…” she trailed off.
“Your sister?”
“Yeah, I know she died a long time ago now, but, well…if she was around, everything would be ok again at home.”
“Did something happen with Petunia? Is that why you’ve been so distant?”
Yves always had the amazing ability to detect what was on Lily’s mind. “She left home this summer. I never told you because it hurt my parents so much and I wanted to forget about it, but she decided she couldn’t take any more magic and the way my parents were proud of me for it any longer. So she left. Went to live with her boyfriend, as far as I know. If Rose were, here, she’d sort it all out.”
“You never really talk about her. Maybe it would help.”
“You’re the only person I’ve mentioned her to at Hogwarts. Well, except Potter.”
Yves looked shocked. “Potter?”
“At the end of last year. It was 10 years since Rose had died, and James saw me looking down. I told him to go away but you know what Potter’s like…”
“Persistent doesn’t quite cover it.”
“Exactly. So I opened up. I was in a vulnerable state, that’s all. Felt really stupid about it afterwards.”
There was a silence as the two girls thought to themselves. Then Lily smiled.
“Well, these presents aren’t going to open themselves,” she said. “Pass me another one.”
The next was a silver bracelet in the shape of a snake that wove its way around Lily’s wrist as she put it on to form a perfect fit.
“Its from Charlotte,” Yves remarked as she read the card.
The next few were from other friends of Lily’s: a large box of Bertie Botts from Alice, a green scarf from Rachael, and a Grow-It-Yourself baby Perfuma kit, which claimed to grow into a plant which could be used to make ‘the most tantalising of all perfume odours. The boys will go wild’ from Sirius and Remus. She wasn’t sure whether to trust that one, it looked remarkably like the plant they had bred last year, which caused orange spots to sprout like wildfire all over your face.
“Here’s another one, Lily,” Yves said, passing over a small box tied with a ribbon. “Its from James.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it says ‘To Lily my love, together soon, never apart’ on the box.
“Ah,” Lily said, smiling despite herself. “That boy will never change…”
She opened it. Inside was a gold, heart-shaped locket on a chain, with the letters L.E inscribed on the front.
"Wow that’s beautiful!” Yves said. “He really outdid himself this year. Do you think it opens?”
“Maybe,” Lily said nonchalantly. “Who’s the last one from?”
“Oh that’s mine. Here.” Yves passed her a soft parcel wrapped in silver paper. She tore off the paper and out flowed a silky, sky blue dress robe.
“Oh Yves, its wonderful!” Lily exclaimed, tossing James’s present to one side. “Thank you so much!”
“No problem, Lils. I thought you’d like it. Do you mind trying it on later? Only I’m famished!”
“You and your stomach!”
***
James sat down at the table at breakfast next to Sirius. He had already put bacon, sausages and a boiled egg on his plate and started eating before he realised that there was silence between the Marauders.
Sirius sat with his jaw set, staring across the table at Peter who was deliberately avoiding his gaze. Next to Sirius, Remus was looking between the two with a confused expression on his face.
“What’s got you three so riled up? You were all gone by the time I woke up,” James asked.
“Some people never went to sleep,” Remus said. “If only they would tell me why…”
James looked puzzled. “What’s going on?”
“Its not something that can be discussed in public,” Sirius said, still staring at Peter, who thus far had refused to look up from the table.
“Well then, after breakfast, we’re taking a walk. No secrets, remember?” James said, looking from Sirius to Peter.
“Sure,” they said simultaneously. Sirius averted his gaze and turned to James.
“On a slightly different note, where did you get to last night?”
“Ah… that. Well, you’ll only laugh, but since when has that stopped me telling you anything?”
Sirius smiled. “Go on.”
“I went to the kitchens to give the house elves Lily’s birthday present, so they could put it with all her others at the end of her bed. I usually give it to them eariler in the day, but i left it a bit late this year. Only, they weren’t in the kitchen at that time of night. You know, I never really thought about where they sleep.”
“You’re right, I just assumed they were always based in the kitchen,” Remus commented.
“So when I gave up hoping that I would bump into one in the hallway, I went for Plan B.”
“And that is?” Sirius asked.
“Get Lily’s present to her room myself…. Without falling down that silly slide.”
“How on earth did you manage that?”
“You forget, Padfoot, that I am the Lord of Great Ideas.”
There was a distinct sound of people snorting into their breakfast plates. James pretended to not hear it.
“So anyway, I levitated the present into the dormitory.”
“Levitated? Up all those floors?” Remus asked, unbelieving.
“Yeah, and I can tell you, it took a while. Once the stairs bent round, I couldn’t see where I was leading it. It kept bumping into the wall and coming crashing down the stairs. I hope its still in one piece…”
“But you managed it?”
“Eventually. I dropped it outside the door. I hope a house-elf put it with the other presents… A couple of people came down the boys’ staircase so I had to hide: looks pretty dodgy, a boy standing at the bottom of the girls’ staircase with a wand…”
“Yeah, you’ve been trying to figure out ways to get up those stairs for years, Prongs.”
Sirius looked puzzled. “So that’s where you were? And you took the map and the cloak while you looking for the house-elves?”
“I had the cloak but I couldn’t find the map. I thought you had it, I had to make do without.”
“No, I specifically remember finding it gone when I woke up,” Sirius said, turning to Peter. “Which means, out-of-bed-boy number 3 must have had it, eh Wormtail?”
Peter finally looked up. “Well, I’m a Marauder too, you know! You three act like I can’t be trusted to use it by myself!”
“The point is you can’t, Wormtail. Not when you go sneaking around and getting yourself caught up in dangerous situations with potential Death Eaters!” Sirius whispered angrily.
Remus and James looked at each other, as if for clarification that they weren’t the only one who hadn’t a clue what was going on.
“I think its time you two told us what the hell you’re on about,” James said, putting down his knife and fork and standing up. “You coming?”
The other three stood, and they all exited the Great Hall. “Where to?” Remus asked. “Whomping Willow?”
James nodded. “I’ll get the cloak. Just in case.”
***
Lily and Yves were walking towards the Quidditch pitch to watch the Ravenclaws’ training session. Yves was obsessed with their Keeper, Michael Younge, and no matter how often Lily told her it was traitorous to Gryffindor to watch an opposing team practice, her Saturday mornings just weren’t the same without ooh-ing and ah-ing over the Ravenclaw Keeper.
“You don’t have to come, Lils,” she was saying. “I don’t want to drag you here on your birthday.
“It’s ok, I’m used to it by now… Hey look, it’s Potter. I’d better go and thank him for my present.”
“Really? Thank Potter?”
“Yeah, let’s treat him. I’m in a good mood. You go on ahead, I’ll see you there in a bit.”
She left Yves to wander towards the delights of Michael Younge, and began to walk over to the Whomping Willow, where James, Remus and Sirius were standing, seemingly waiting for something to happen.
As she approached, the gentle moving of the Willow’s branches stopped as the tree seemed to freeze. Lily walked a little faster, curious now.
The three boys were ducking under suspended branches towards the trunk of the tree. Then, amazingly, Sirius disappeared into the tree itself. Remus followed him. Lily began to run.
“James!” she shouted, as she reached the branches.
He turned round; he was half way down what Lily could now see was a hole between two roots. His face was one of surprise. Then his expression changed.
“Lily, move!”
Lily momentarily looked confused, before she was hit in the back by something large. The branches were moving again!
She was thrust forward and smacked into the tree trunk. James grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her towards him just as another branch swung forwards in an attempt to sweep her away again. James’s grip was firm, however, and he pulled her through the hole. They fell tumbling into darkness.
Lily breathed heavily. James was on top of her.
“Sorry,” he said, getting up and brushing dust off his clothes. He helped Lily to her feet.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Follow me, you’ll soon see,” James replied.
Love Conquers by dumbly_dorr
Chapter Notes: Author's Notes:
Its the morning after the night before, and still noone knows what happened to Peter. And Lily turns 18. What does James give her for her birthday? Please read and review! thank you!