The Prestige
James woke with a dull pounding in his head and groaned as he tried to sit up.
"What happened?" he asked whoever was helping him. He wasn't sure. All he knew was he was wet and his head hurt.
"I Stunned you," said a familiar voice. Lily Evans? What was she doing there? James opened his eyes to find her watching him with an apprehensive look in her green eyes.
James groaned again as she helped him stand. It was raining, and from his best guess they were on top of the Astonomy Tower. His broom was lying nearby. "Why?" he asked, stretching it out and hoping it encompassed all of the many things he needed to know at that moment.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, and she put his arm around her shoulder and helped him stagger toward the door, Summoning his broom--what was that doing up there?--with her wand. "It seemed the best way to give you the antidote."
"What?" he said. He felt stupidly monosyllabic, but couldn't help it. It was like he was wrapped in cotton and trying to fight his way out of a fog bank at the same time.
Lily smiled, as if trying to calm him. He wasn't panicking, he was just confused. "Sirius gave you a potion, and you were about to jump off of the Astronomy Tower."
James glanced back at the dark, rainy night. "In the middle of a storm? What the hell did he give me?"
As they made their way down the stairs, she began to explain just how he'd ended up there. By the time they got to the bottom, James wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, to congratulate or be furious with his friend. Then he remembered some of the things he had done, and he decided that sticking Sirius in a book for the day was nowhere near equal to what Sirius had done to him.
They were just about to step out into the corridor when James stopped and touched Lily's arm. "I'm sorry," he started, but she interrupted him.
"For what?" she asked, but she didn't look at him, and he was worried he might have ruined any chance with her by acting so thick all day.
"For what happened on the lawn," he replied with an embarrassed cough. "And I think it happened up there as well?"
She nodded as she stepped into the corridor. "Yes, it did, but it's not your fault. It was the potion." She turned to walk away, and he followed with a sigh.
"Lily, wait." She turned her head toward him, but kept walking. "Look, the thing is, the potion just let me do and say things I might have wanted to say and do, but wouldn't let myself, right?"
She nodded again, this time with a small smile that he didn't quite understand. "Yes. Which begs the question of why you wouldn't let yourself do and say some of those things if you've really been thinking them for so long."
James swore under his breath, and Lily smothered a laugh. "You're enjoying this!" he accused.
She stopped and took his hand. "We'll talk later. Right now you're still groggy, and you need to sleep."
He glanced down in surprise. "So where are we going?" he asked, but he didn't let go of her hand. It was rather nice; maybe he hadn't blown it after all.
"Back to Gryffindor," she replied. "Remus and Peter will be glad to know I've found you."
"Remus and Peter," he murmured. An idea was starting to form. "Hey Evans, would you be willing to help me with something else?"
She made a face. "It depends. I don't want to have to Stun you and force a potion down your throat again."
"No, I want to get back at Sirius," James replied. He grinned and a sly smile broke out across her face as well, encouraging him. "I gave him a potion too, but it was nothing like this. I think he deserves a bit more, don't you?"
"I think I can help you then." She laughed, and still holding her hand, James leaned over and impulsively kissed her once more. Her eyes widened as he stepped back.
"Didn't the antidote work?" she murmured. James squeezed her hand.
"It worked," he assured her. "That was for real." He pulled her along with him, eager to get started on the plan quickly developing in his mind. He tried to put all thoughts of stopping to snog the life out of her from his thoughts; there would be time for that later, after they talked.
"Says the prince of April Fool's," she murmured, and the teasing tone of her voice drove him over the edge. Maybe they couldn't talk right then, but he could show her he meant it. He stopped, turned, and pulled her to him, claiming her mouth once more. Just like on the lawn, she gasped and tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her, and she gave in. They edged toward the wall, until James had his back pressed against the cool stone, his arms wrapped around the beautiful girl in front of him.
"I'm no prince," he murmured. "But I am such a fool for not saying anything sooner." To his embarrassment, she burst into laughter, and after a rueful grin acknowledging how ridiculous his last statement sounded, he nodded and joined her. Soon they were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their faces as they slid down the wall and collapsed on the floor. Lily laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.
"I do hope you meant it this time James," she said softly. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."
"You would?" he asked. He didn't know why he sounded so surprised: she had just kissed him back, after all. She had stopped him from seriously injuring himself and given him the antidote as well. Maybe it was something he should have done sooner.
"We'll talk later," she repeated, standing up. "You need to rest, just to make sure you're straight again."
"I'm fine," he laughed. "Really. I have an idea for Sirius, though. Let's go to the hospital wing instead. I think it will work better there."
"Tell me what you've got in mind," she said, once more slipping her hand into his. And he did, hoping it worked, because it would be the best April 1st ever if it did.
* * *
"Black." James croaked. "Get your arse over here."
Sirius walked slowly to James's side and knelt next to the bed, his heart racing. Had he done this? Was this really his fault? Had James been so enchanted that he'd lost all reason and jumped from the top of the Astronomy Tower in the middle of a storm?
As if to accentuate his guilty thoughts, a loud crack of thunder made him jump. James winced and closed his eyes. "Bloody lightning," he murmured.
Sirius did not know what to say. He glanced back at the others, who looked far more somber than he'd ever seen them. This was certainly not a time to joke around even if he had wanted to. He turned back to James.
"Hey Prongs," he said softly. "What the hell happened? You didn't really…you know, jump off the Astronomy Tower in this storm, did you?"
James eyes flashed open. "Of course I did. And it might have even worked if I hadn't been hit by lightning. Bloody lightning," he repeated.
"Er…why?" Sirius asked, slightly confused. "It's not exactly the best idea you've had when it comes to crazy stunts."
James nodded, wincing in pain. "I know, but I couldn't help myself. It was like that all day. I just did whatever I wanted to do. And I wanted to fly, so I did." He frowned. "I still don't really know what came over me."
Sirius whirled around. Peter was facing the other way, as if he couldn't bear to watch. Remus was covering his mouth, and Lily was glaring at him so hard he thought his insides would freeze. "Didn't you tell him?" he said as softly as he could.
Remus cleared his throat as he shook his head. "He was unconscious until not long ago. We haven't had a chance."
James struggled to sit, and Sirius turned back to him, helping him up as James swore from the effort. His face looked like hell, and he scratched at his immobilized arm in irritation. "What are you talking about, Padfoot? What didn't they tell me?"
Now it was Sirius's turn to swear. He tucked the blankets around James, trying to come up with an answer, but he couldn't. A part of him wanted to confess right there, but another part wanted to wait, even keep it secret. And a small part of him wanted to get back to his potion. "We'll talk about it later, when you're feeling better."
James coughed, and it didn't sound good. Sirius felt his heart skip a beat again. "I don't know when that will be, Sirius. Madam Pomfrey said I punctured a lung. She's waiting for someone from St. Mungo's." He paused. "I don't want to die, Padfoot."
Sirius just stared at him, all thoughts of his potion forgotten, then grabbed James's hand and squeezed it hard. "You are not going to die, James. I will not let that happen. I will walk to St. Mungo's myself if I need to and find the best Healer there is. And if they can't save you, I will learn how to do it myself."
"Thanks, Padfoot." James smiled weakly, lowering himself back down to his pillows as if he were too exhausted to sit up any longer. "I just wish I understood why this happened. I barely remember going up there. Why would I do something so stupid in the middle of a storm?"
Behind him, Lily cleared her throat, her meaning clear: tell him, or she would. And he should be the one to tell him. It was his mistake, after all.
"James," Sirius began, his voice cracking. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I think it's my fault." The confused look on his friend's face almost broke his heart. "I gave you a potion at lunch. It was supposed to loosen your inhibitions, let you follow your dreams a bit and give in to your impulses without worrying so much. I guess it went too far." He hung his head, unable to look James in the face.
James was silent for a long time. "Why would you do that?" he finally asked. The guilt almost crushed Sirius. What had he been thinking? How could he have not seen it, not thought ahead to what might happen?
"I--" He stopped, his throat too tight to continue. He coughed, trying to clear it, but it was like the words were stuck. Remus stepped up next to him and offered him a goblet of water. He took it gratefully, gulping at the liquid in a desperate attempt to calm his nerves. But a strange feeling came over him, and he swayed. Remus steadied him, taking the goblet back.
"Better?" he asked.
Sirius nodded, confused. He glanced around, trying to remember where he was and what he was doing there. He glanced down and saw James watching him with a funny look on his battered face.
"Are you all right?" James asked. And it all came back to him: the potion he'd given James, Remus dragging him from the dungeons, finding James near death from a flying accident. Merlin, his best friend was lying in bed grievously injured because of something he'd done, yet James was still asking if he were okay. Sirius had never felt so guilty and ashamed before.
"I think so. What was I saying?"
"You were about to tell me why you gave me that potion," James reminded him. Sirius wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his friend's lips. He frowned, shook his head, and tried again.
"I just thought you needed to relax, Prongs," he said. "You've been too busy, too worried lately. Too wound up. I was going to follow you, make sure you didn't get in trouble, only…" He trailed off as he remembered where he'd been all day.
"Only you had to study?" James asked, sounding oddly bitter. "Remus said you were in the potions lab all night. On a Saturday."
"I was," murmured Sirius, looking off into the distance as it all came back to him. "And I spent all afternoon in the library. I got a note saying I was failing Arithmancy. So I redid all my charts for the year. I finished my Charms essay. I studied for Transfiguration." He stopped. "What the hell got into me?"
Sirius stood up and started to pace, trying to figure it out. "I gave you the potion at lunch. I was going to stay with you, keep you safe, but then I got the owl from Professor Wenlock about Arithmancy." He stopped and stared out the window, trying to understand. Slowly it came to him. "Which was right after I drank the juice you'd poured for me."
Whirling around, Sirius found James sitting up and grinning. In fact, they were all smiling and smirking, and it was then that it hit him: he'd been played as well.
"You gave me a potion too," he accused, pointing a finger at James. "To make me study all day."
James nodded. "I did. It seems we were thinking exactly the opposite of one another: I thought you needed to get serious about your schoolwork, while you thought I was working too hard."
Sirius snorted. "I spent the entire day in the bloody library. I wrote ten feet of parchment for Flitwick. I turned down Anastasia Harrison to brew a Memory Potion for Slughorn. That's just cruel, Prongs."
James raised his eyebrows in return. "And I punched Thomas Kirke in the face, kissed Lily on the lawn, ditched Remus and Peter--who were good enough to try and keep an eye on me--to run through the Forest to Hogsmeade."
Sirius stared at him. "You went to Hogsmeade? You punched Kirke? You kissed Evans?"
"I did." James nodded. "And then I got pissed playing Wizard's Wheel before I came back through the mirror tunnel, which was when I decided I needed some fresh air and headed up to the Astronomy Tower with my broom."
Any indignation Sirius felt at his own misfortune evaporated immediately as he just continued to gape at James. It didn't even compare. James had suffered far, far more. Sirius felt like a terrible friend and had no idea what to do to make up for it, if he even could.
"I don't know what to say, James," he said, standing at the foot of the bed and shrugging helplessly. "It's my fault. I got a ton of work done thanks to you, and you've got broken bones and a punctured lung because of me. I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do."
James was nodding, but his face was unreadable. He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed his wand. He waved it at his leg and the cast disappeared. Sirius frowned. James held his eyes, his face still blank as he Vanished the wrapping on his arm. Then he removed the bandage from his head, murmured another spell, and the bruises and swelling went away. Sirius couldn't help it: his mouth just about hit the floor.
"What the hell?" he whispered. "Are you mad?"
James stood up, looking in perfect health. He did not cough from the effort or stumble from a broken leg. He did not smile, either, as he slowly walked over to Sirius, his face still an unreadable mask.
James held out his arms and embraced him, then whispered in his ear. "Got. You. Good."
He stepped back and finally cracked a grin. Sirius gaped at him again, then at the others, who were all covering their mouths, obviously trying not to laugh.
"You're taking the piss," Sirius said, still stunned. He pointed at each of them this time, his hand shaking as the adrenaline rushed from his system. "All of you, the whole time. You knew."
Remus inclined his head, and Lily sketched a teasing bow. Peter looked away, obviously too embarrassed to face him. "You were supposed to be my partner!" Sirius exclaimed. "Did you even try to stop them?"
Peter turned back and gave him a pointed look. "Not when James really did try and jump off the Astronomy Tower. No, I didn't. I told you something would go wrong."
Sirius looked at James. "That was true? Except for falling?"
James nodded rather grimly. "It was all true, actually. I'm lucky I didn't get in trouble in the village. And I'm very lucky Lily wasn't so furious with me that she let me sneak off on my own and plunge to my death."
Lily shrugged. "Head Girl duty and all that."
"So he really kissed you?" asked Sirius, trying to get back into familiar territory and failing. "And I missed it?"
Lily came over and took James's hand. "You should have heard what he said."
"Let's not talk about that," James said with an embarrassed cough. "I wasn't myself."
"I suppose I'll have to thank you someday, Black," said Lily, and Sirius felt his blood run cold at the thought of Lily Evans thanking him for anything.
"That's quite alright," he murmured, shaking his head. "Don't even mention it."
They all laughed, and Sirius finally joined them. He'd been had, and it'd been quite good. And he had to admit, he probably deserved it.
"We should get going," Remus said softly. "Before Madam Pomfrey comes back."
"Does she know?" Sirius asked. The others took out their wands and cleaned up the bed, leaving it good as new before they all headed toward the doors. "She's not in on it too, is she?"
"Sort of," said James. "We didn't tell her everything, just that we wanted to play a little joke on you." He glanced sideways at Sirius. "She said, and I quote, 'Well, do what you must. He's probably earned a good scare!'"
"Brilliant," muttered Sirius. "Even the professors are against me. You should have heard McGonagall and Slughorn. They both thought I'd gone mental when I told them I was doing extra work on a Saturday night."
"You had gone mental," Remus pointed out. "They were right."
"It still stings," said Sirius as they walked down the corridor toward Gryffindor. It didn't really, now that he thought about it, but he was going to play the wounded victim anyway to see if he could garner at least a little bit of sympathy.
"Wait until Flitwick gets your essay," James laughed. "And your charts! What are you going to do with those? Hand them in anyway?"
Sirius shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe I'll save them for when I need them. I still have a Memory Potion down in Slughorn's classroom, too."
"At least you'll remember everything that happened today," Peter replied, earning a round of groaning laughter from everyone.
"Oh, I won't forget," Sirius said, giving James a challenging look. "I owe you. All of you."
"Padfoot!" James exclaimed. "I'd say we're just barely even after all the things you've pulled on us over the years."
"Like what?" demanded Sirius.
"The stuttering spell," said Peter immediately.
"The tap dancing spell," added James.
"The facial hair," said Remus.
"Having to speak Russian for a week," said Peter.
"Jinxing my jumpers to tickle me all day," said Remus.
"The love potion you slipped me last year," added James. "Shall we go on?"
Sirius laughed. "No, you're good. My crimes are many, I admit. So we'll call it even then." Although in his mind he was already imagining one last prank, something bigger and better than all the little ones he'd managed.
They came to Gryffindor and gave the Fat Lady the password. She seemed pleased to see them all together and safe. Remus and Peter stepped through, but James and Lily stayed back. Sirius turned to them with a questioning look.
"Not coming back yet?" he asked as innocently as he could.
"Er, no," said James, and he sounded only slightly embarrassed. "We sort of need to talk about what happened today. And tonight." Lily was watching him, clearly amused at his discomfort.
"Apparently I am annoying, arrogant, bossy, and irritating as hell," she told Sirius, who couldn't help but snigger, until James gave him a pained look and he stopped.
Sirius stepped over to her and kissed Lily on the cheek. "But you are also brilliant and beautiful and quite good at saving my best friend from himself. You're welcome."
Lily burst out laughing. "I didn't actually say thank you, Sirius."
"You will." Sirius winked. "Someday."
"Stop flirting with her," James said, putting a protective arm around her shoulder. She leaned against him, and Sirius could see that something had really changed between them. "Or I'll dock you points."
Sirius laughed as he stepped back into Gryffindor. "I'd like to see you try, Prongs. It'd give me a good reason to try out that Shrinking Charm."
James sighed. "You're impossible."
"So are you. Don't stay out too late." As James and Lily began to walk away, hand in hand, Sirius called out down the corridor one last time. "I'm glad you're all right, James. Really."
"Thanks, Sirius," he replied. He glanced down at Lily and squeezed her hand. "Me too."
They headed off down the corridor, hands intertwined, bodies close. So James had finally loosened up enough to tell her, and even in his potion-addled state, she'd believed him. Not everything had gone so badly, then. In fact, as he crossed the common room, Sirius couldn't help but grin to himself.
"You're welcome, Prongs," he murmured. "Glad I could help."
He sat down with Remus and Peter, who were telling anyone who would listen about the scene in the hospital wing. But his mind was elsewhere. He wondered how Flitwick would react to his Charms essay, where he might find Anastasia Harrison--and how he would get them all back before the end of the year.
Because he would. James had got the girl, but Sirius always had the last word.
* * *