Throughout Hogwarts’ illustrious past, the Head Boy and the Head Girl made a connection, a friendship, a comradeship: not a date. So news of James’ and Lily’s upcoming rendezvous in Hogsmeade had reached the entire school, it seemed, before Lily was even able to open her heavy eyelids the following morning.
“Lily!” A squeal came from afar. Yet this time Lily did not question who called to her. She knew. Getting up lazily and throwing on her brown, cotton robe, she opened her bedroom door and walked through the Head’s common room toward the portrait hole. Lily then slowly pushed open the portrait as if she was tired, though she knew she secretly wished to further test Dorcas’ patience.
“He asked you? James asked you and you said ‘yes’? You said ‘yes’, to a question of going out with James Potter?” As Dorcas rushed through her questions, Lily did not listen for she knew what Dorcas was saying and did not wish to respond. Lily merely nodded her head and tried to close the portrait once more. She was much too tired to care for Dorcas’ questioning. Dorcas, however, managed to catch the door in just enough time to stop it from shutting.
Dorcas’ usually pale face was flushed with pink. Lily assumed that this was Dorcas’ first stop this morning.
Trying to change the subject, Lily asked, “Where’s Marlene?”
“Oh, you know Marlene, probably sleeping or at breakfast or something.” Lily’s face hardened at this comment. She did not like it when Dorcas insulted Marlene. Lily began to realize that Dorcas’ insults were happening more often.
“Don’t say that Dorcas, it’s not nice.” Lily said with intensity and much more force than she had intended. But what could Lily do? It was rather early in the morning and she had not expected Dorcas’ fairly unwelcome visit.
Dorcas’ mouth dropped at this comment. She huffed slightly, then turned on her heel and walked out through the portrait hole.
“Ouch,” said a voice behind Lily. Lily quickly turned around. There stood James Potter, merely a few feet away from her, a slight smirk upon his soft, pink lips. Lily blushed, pushing some stray hair behind her now scarlet ear. Yet, as she did this, she felt a scar on her temple. It was rather deep and as far as she could tell, not going to heal any time soon. Right, she recalled, OAF. The birds. The blood. The pain. It all came flooding back to her. She clenched her jaw as she thought about the previous day’s incident. Yet how can I be standing next to him? And how can he be smiling like that? As if he hadn’t done anything? Lily tried to hold her composure as she looked at James.
“Hmmm?” She questioned.
“I’ve just never heard you talk to Dorcas that way before. Serves her right,” He mumbled this last part.
“I beg your pardon?” Lily titled her head at James, squinting slightly.
“It’s just, Dorcas is such a pushy person. I was just happy to see someone stand up to her…” James’ voice trailed off. Lily knit her eyebrows in thought. Was Dorcas usually this cruel? She could not recall. Lily looked back at James and saw a grin upon his face.
“Oh, dear. What is it this time?” Lily rolled her eyes at James’ smile.
“I like your pajamas.” Lily looked down and saw that she was still in her night clothes. Another shade of scarlet flushed over her cheeks, replenishing her slowly whitening face. She grabbed her robe and clenched it tighter around her, folding her arms over her chest.
“Right,” Lily mumbled, “I’m just going to get changed now.” She rushed past James, not glancing at him, though she could tell he watched her the entire time. As she titled her lower body slightly to avoid running into the couch, her hip hit the corner of the armrest and sent her flying to the ground. Oh, brilliant! Perfect timing, Lily. Once again, you show your clumsiness to Potter.
Lily beat the ground with her fist and stood up slowly. Though James was once again by her side, hand offered to her, she refused it and pushed herself off the ground using the very armrest that had tripped her.
“You all right?” Though when Lily looked at James she noticed a slight grin at the corners of his shapely mouth, his question seemed sincere.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Lily said, darting into her dormitory and out of his sight.
She closed the door quickly and leaned against it. The cold wood felt soothing to her hot back and neck, warm from her embarrassment. She quickly pulled her uniform on over her head and went into her bathroom to brush her teeth, hoping that James had not smelled her morning breath from across the room.
As she scrubbed her molars, she contemplated the fact that she could have sworn that her doorknob seemed oddly loose. Spitting out the toothpaste into the sink, she shrugged off the notion, accepting it to be her imagination.
After completing her short morning routine of grooming, Lily glanced at the mirror. She turned her head to the right so as to aim her left side at her reflection and glanced at the scar on her temple. A small gasp left her
She had not expected a drastic change to the scar that now resided on her left temple, but she at least expected a slight improvement. Instead of seeing an improvement, though, she noted that the spot where the birds had attacked her (though she considered it an attack by James, for he was the villain that had conjured the flock) Lily thought her scar, rather heart-like, she noted, had deepened and become a more vibrant scarlet through her restless night of nightmares involving James’ usually beautiful mouth turning into a beak and bighting her.
Lily shuddered as she remembered her terrible dreams. This was the first time she had ever considered James to be much more than just mean: he seemed evil throughout her nightmares.
Lily shook her head as if to rid her mind of her frightening thoughts and headed towards Winston’s portrait to go to breakfast. But right before she left, she glanced back at James’ door, not sure what she expected to find. A pair of devil horns? Or perhaps a skull etched into the Snitch that floated on his bedroom door? As a shiver ran down her spine, Lily just about ran out of the Heads’ common room, as if her imaginary skull were chasing her.
Lily darted through Winston’s portrait and into the hall as quickly as she could manage. Unfortunately, she ran into yet another large body as she rounded the corner of the small hallway.
With a loud yelp, Lily, once again, began her clumsy tumble toward the stone floor. But this time, the body she ran into caught her by the waist and flipped her around as if the two of them were involved in an intense Tango and her dance partner had dramatically dipped her.
“Ah, I knew that you’d fall for me sometime, Lils,” Sirius Black said smugly, gray eyes sparkling like clouds before a thunderstorm.
Lily’s face grew warm with not only embarrassment, but also with the fact that being in the arms of Sirius Black felt entirely unnatural and, honestly, quite uncomfortable. She screwed up her face with disgust.
That seemed to clue Sirius in on her feelings and he slowly began to lift her up, saying, “That’s not the reaction my charm usually receives.”
“Charm? I believe the characteristic you are referring to so humbly is arrogance,” Lily shot back as she pushed her way out of Sirius’ muscular grip.
“Ouch,” Sirius mumbled, gripping his heart as if Lily had just stabbed him in the chest, “you really know how to hurt a guy.”
Lily rolled her eyes dramatically and lifted her leg to step away from Sirius and toward the Great Hall, but Sirius gently grabbed her arm and said, “Though I suppose I have to be nice to you now, don’t I?”
Lily knit her eyebrows and turned to face Sirius, her question clear in her eyes.
“Well, now that you and James are dating, you’ll be like a… like a…” Sirius raised his eyes toward the ceiling and then quickly threw them down to face Lily, “like a sister-in-law! Can you believe we’re going to be siblings?”
Lily quickly decided that she would not deny the fact that she had accepted James’ invitation to Hogsmeade. She chose, instead, to barely give Sirius the chance to torture her with his jeering, and replied, “I’m still trying to accept the fact that you’re part of the Human Race. But I suppose the test results aren’t back yet?” Lily raised her eyebrows at Sirius, who had already let go of her arm, and began walking away.
“I’ll see you down in the Great Hall then?” Sirius cried after Lily. She glanced over her shoulder quickly and saw a huge, bright grin upon his face.
Lily merely shook her head in mock disappointment, a small smile on her face. She did not interact with Sirius that often and she did know of his unfaithfulness when it involved females, but she had to admit he was extremely fun to talk to.
Lily was so focused on the amusing conversation Sirius provided that she only questioned his presence in the Heads’ corridor as she reached the entrance of the Great Hall. Why in the world was Sirius outside the dormitories? she asked herself. Well, I know just the person to ask. Lily immediately began heading for James who was conveniently sitting near Dorcas and Marlene. Dorcas seemed to be talking with James.
When Lily reached her friends, Dorcas cut-off her thought mid-sentence and turned to smile at Lily as she sat down. Lily did want to know what Dorcas had been talking about, but her curiosity about Sirius was stronger. So, instead of looking at Dorcas, Lily immediately turned to face James, who sat across from her.
But before Lily began speaking, she noted the slight uneasiness about James; his eyes were downcast, eyebrows knit as he bit his lower lip.
He hardly seemed to notice her presence until she said, “James, I’m curious about something.”
James looked up quickly, his eyes startled and filled with seemingly unnecessary guilt.
“Don’t looked so shocked,” Lily retorted, “I am merely wondering why your dear friend Black was lurking about outside the Heads’ room.
James eyes grew oddly wide at this comment. “Why? Did he do something? Did he try to get in? Or did he talk about the- ouch!” James’ hurried sentences were cut off by his random yelp. Yet he glanced up at Dorcas and then stared at Lily, waiting for her to reply to one of his many questions.
“No,” Lily said flatly, “just more of his usual harassment.” James’ face loosened a little, as if this comment, of Sirius pestering Lily, relieved him.
“Oh, I sent him up to get my books for me. He had to go get his and I asked him to get mine as well.”
“And the password?”
“January 30- it didn’t seem like a crime to tell him.” Just as James said this Sirius arrived in the Great Hall carrying only one set of books and looking rather disgruntled.
James looked at Sirius and asked, “Was a single date really that hard to remember.”
Sirius sneered at James and said, “You can just use my set today. Besides it wouldn’t have mattered if I had or hadn’t remembered the date anyway. The password has changed.” Sirius sat down with a grunt. “Oh, Evans, what’s the name of your pet hamster?”
Lily and James looked at each other at the same time and said, “What hamster?”
“I’ve never had a hamster… or any pet for that matter. My dad’s allergic to just about every animal. Where in the world did you get that idea anyway?” Lily continued.
“Stupid Winston,” Sirius mumbled.
Lily’s smile grew wide and James began to chuckle.
“Serves you right,” Lily said, laughing lightly as well. She exchanged a pleasant look with James and then turned down to her food.
Deep in thought, Lily did not notice Marlene’s presence at first. Lily unconsciously stared at her. Marlene’s face was scrunched into an upset and exasperated look. Her usually bright blue eyes were downcast and it looked as if she were just about to cry.
Lily quickly shoveled in the last bites of her wheat toast and announced, “Well, I’m off to the library to finish up some last minute Potions. Marlene, would you mind helping me?”
Marlene looked up, slightly astonished to be addressed after being ignored for so long. Though her breakfast plate was empty, she still held up her fork as if she could not put it down. “Sure,” she stammered quietly as she got up from the long wooden table.
Marlene walked slowly next to Lily without saying anything. As they finally exited the Great Hall Lily decided to begin the conversation.
“Marlene, is something the matter?” Lily asked. They were both subconsciously headed toward the library.
“Yes,” Marlene sighed as if one thousand pounds were being lifted off her chest. “I do not like Sirius.” Marlene’s sudden change of subject startled Lily. What did that have anything to do with Marlene’s depression? Lily did not know what to say, and therefore said nothing, hoping that Marlene would continue.
But Marlene did not. “I don’t understand,” Lily continued.
Marlene stopped and turned to Lily with piercing eyes. “I didn’t think anything of it until that one day when you said you were continuing OAF because of my fancying Sirius, but I don’t! I haven’t for a long time. And of course Dorcas would know that.” Marlene was rambling now, staring off at some distant memory. “Yet she lied to you. She seems completely obsessed with getting back at James.”
Guilt rushed throughout Lily as she heard this. She had been so focused on OAF, on herself, that she had disregarded the wellbeing of her friend; a person who had helped her without question whenever Lily needed help. Marlene had been anguished with this truth for so long.
But Marlene did not understand. This no longer involved her or Sirius. “Marlene, I am not continuing OAF because of you. Not anymore, anyway.”
Marlene’s head turned abruptly toward Lily. “Then why are you still doing this, Lily? Has James really hurt you that much that you must do this to him? You should have seen him when he came down to breakfast. Lily, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy, and you only said ‘yes’!” Marlene was pleading for Lily to stop her scheme. But she still could not understand.
Slowly, Lily pulled her hair away from her left temple and gestured to it. “You see this?” Lily asked, pointing at the gash. “James did this to me yesterday.”
Lily felt as if Marlene stared at the scar for hours upon end, and Lily watched Marlene’s facial expression the entire time. Slowly, Marlene’s composure changed. At first her eyes held questions, much too many too ask, and then nothing. Her eyes became blank slates.
The only sound that then left Marlenes mouth was a small, “Oh.” For a few moments, the two girls merely stood by each other, not saying anything. Lily wanted to give Marlene time to comprehend why she still longed to get back at James. The truth was that the bird attack was by far the worst and most-hurtful prank James had ever played on her. Perfect timing, Lily thought grimly
“Lily, I’m so sorry! I’d no idea. I fully support you now. I don’t care what Dorcas lies about anymore! What in the world happened?” Marlene’ s apology came out in a rush of thoughts.
Lily gestured for Marlene to finish their last few steps to the library. They then sat down on two comfortable chairs in the back of the library, and Lily explained the whole story.
__________
It had been a few hours since Lily had discussed the bird incident with Marlene. The pair had talked straight through lunch, refining the details of what Lily was supposed to do on her date with James’. Dorcas was not invited to this meeting. Both Lily and Marlene had agreed that her presence was not needed. They could easily complete their mission without Dorcas, for both had thought she had become too infatuated.
Lily had skipped dinner to work on some last minute Transfiguration homework in the library and then she intended to head back to the Head’s Room.
After packing away all her parchment, Lily walked through the deserted corridors and then found Winston sitting in his portrait. His canvas still looked blank, just like the first day she met him.
“Good evening, Miss Evans,” Winston sang.
“Good evening, Winston,” Lily replied.
“Hmm… let me see. What is the name of James’ younger sister?”
“What? Um… he doesn’t have one.” Lily surprised herself as she sputtered out this answer very quickly and without much thought.
Winston nodded, a small smile playing on his lips, and then opened.
Lily was still slightly dazed as she walked into the Head’s common room. She had not anticipated that question to be so easy. Although, she can’t say she had completely defied Winston’s orders; she had made slight attempts to get to know James better. Well, now she intended to understand James to her full potential; she wished for just enough information to crush him.
In her bewilderment and rush of thoughts, Lily absentmindedly headed toward the sofa and sat down, as she did any time she needed to relax. After experiencing a day filled with such intense happenings, Lily needed to calm down a little.
As she fell to the couch, she did not hit the soft, comfortable cushion as she had expected. Instead a lumpy and rather hard surface covered the couch.
Too tired to care, she assumed James had left some sort of object on the couch, and leaned back to more thoroughly situate herself.
What Lily did not expect, was for the sofa to protest to her weight. It began to heave and rumble, and then it let out a squeaky groan.
Lily jumped abruptly and moved toward the other end of the couch as a strange being began to come from the depths of the plush cushions.
Lily gasped as a dark, somewhat furry ball appeared. As a neck and arms followed it, Lily socked the human in the shoulder.
“James!” Lily shrieked. “What in the world are you trying to do to me? Scare me to death?”
James’ head had come from beneath a velvet scarlet blanket that matched the dark red color of the couch. James squinted as the bright light of the fire grazed his eyes and lit up his hazel orbs.
The two were situated in a rather unconventional position. James was leaning back awkwardly against the armrest of the couch while Lily sat atop his lap. Both froze for a second and looked at each other, James with a solemn face and Lily was a confused grimace.
James then jumped up, kicking Lily off of him and onto the other side of the couch, and sat up abruptly. “Lily, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t quite aware of my surroundings yet. I thought-” James cut off his notion mid-sentence.
That could not keep Lily from being interested. “Thought what?”
“Well… I thought I was dreaming. It’s not everyday that you wake up with the girl-of-your-dreams on your lap, you know,” James said, a small smile on his face.
Lily did not reply, not knowing how to respond. They sat in silence for a moment, both slightly uncomfortable with James’ last confession.
“Can I ask you about the… our… date?” James finally asked, breaking the frightening silence. Lily was glad to hear something so familiar. This notion helped her zone in on her goal, on OAF. She had never seen James Potter this way before, so…. Vulnerable! She wanted to laugh at the thought. This is the James she needed to properly crush him.
Lily turned her head towards James, who now sat far away at the other end of the couch, and smiled. “Of course,” she said, chipper.
“Well,” James began, “I was thinking that we could leave as early as possible, just so we have the full day to do everything.” James’ spoke with haste out of excitement.
“Everything?” Lily asked, genuinely curious.
A large grin sparkled across James’ face, “Just wait and see what I’ve got planned.”
OAF: Operation April Fools by The REAL Weasley Twins
Chapter Notes: Whew! Finally finished! Sorry about the wait. I did not expect to write quite so much for this chapter. I do hope you enjoy this one!
Chapter Endnotes: I hope to power out the next chapter, but I'll see how things go. Lots of stuff going on!
Thanks for reading and keeping faithful!
~George