Chapter 11
I didn’t know how long I had been lying there, it seemed like hours but I suppose it could only have been a minute or two. I was sure that everyone was in the hall eating by now so I took a huge risk of transforming then and there. It was one of the most stupid things I’d done - I was an illegal animagus and if anyone had seen me I would have been carted off the the Ministry of Magic. But I still did it, I wasn’t really thinking. Luckily for me everyone was in the hall and no-one saw me change back into James Potter and slouch into the castle.
I went up the stairs as if in a dream, in a trance. I didn’t tell my feet to move, they just did. Up the stairs, to the right, up some more stairs, jump the sticky step; I wasn’t doing it, it was like someone else was controlling me. I almost laughed at that idea - no-one could perform the Imperius curse in this school.
I walked on through the corridors, past empty halls and class-rooms heading for the Gryffindor common room. I had to confront Lily I would have to tell her and force her to keep what she had seen a secret. I walked more purposefully now, praying that she would be up there. If she wasn’t I’d have to somehow get her away from her friends or pries her away from Remus. I rounded the final corner before the common room and slipped behind the portrait ignoring the Fat Lady’s query about how my run went.
As I strode into the common room I saw movement in the Marauders Corner. Lily stood up the moment I reached the common room floor, turned round and stared at me, with her green eyes flashing with rage, and her hands planted on her hips. She forced me to keep eye-contact as she walked swiftly over to me. I knew what was coming and braced myself. She slapped me hard across my cheek and I rocked back from her unexpected strength.
“Why did you keep it from me James?” I was going to reply that she wasn’t even my friend so why should I tell her but I didn’t want to be slapped again.
“I-” I had looked back up at her eyes and saw that she had her face turned away from me. She turned back when I cut off the sentence and I saw that she her eyes no longer flashed in anger but looked hurt, tears welling in the corners. I wanted to comfort her, she looked so beautiful and so vulnerable. I shook my head - she’s Remus’ girlfriend I reminded myself sternly. Collecting myself I carried on with my explanation.
“I didn’t think that I needed to tell you. I mean you and me... well we aren’t exactly the best of friends are we? I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to find out and you had no need to know. It doesn’t exactly concern you does it?” I said speaking more harshly than I meant. “It’s not really my secret either.” I added quickly eager to rid myself of my guilty feelings. Why was Lily so upset that I hadn’t told her?
“The others are as well aren’t they?” She asked looking at me with watering eyes.
“No...” I started.
“Don't you dare lie to me James Potter!” Lily screeched looking as if she would slap me again. I held my arms up in protest.
“Shhh!” I hissed.
“Oh stop being so stupid James!” Lily snapped “It’s Saturday it’s breakfast time and it’s Halloween. Do you really think that anyone will come up here anytime soon? Now tell me - Are the others Animagi too?”
“Ask them yourselves I’m sure you already have your assumptions. It’s not my secret anymore. You could perform the Crucio curse on me and I wouldn’t tell you.” Lily looked as if she would perform the torture curse on me to test my brag but didn’t. Instead she walked silently up to my room.
I stood shocked until Lily reappeared holding the get-well card from my friends in her hands.
“If that’s you,” she said pointing to the stag “Then these must be Remus Peter and Sirius. I don’t see why you aren’t the rat.”
“Look Lily I would tell you, honest.” Only to keep you from killing me I thought. Lily looked at me questioningly almost as if I had said those words out loud. “But I can’t. Talk to them, I’ve already said too much. Why did you follow me anyway? I mean why were you outside?”
“I was going for a run.” Lily said matter of factly. Yeah right I thought then my eyes swept over her jogging bottoms, trainers and sweatshirt. She wasn’t lying.
“Look Lily you have to swear that you won’t tell anyone about this. Please Lily you were never meant to find out I’m sorry but you have to keep this a secret. If this get out then I could be expelled from Hogwarts and sent to the Ministry. Do you understand why you can’t tell anyone and why I couldn’t tell anyone including you?”
Lily didn’t say anything but I could tell from her eyes that she understood. I spat on my hand and extended it to Lily. She gave me a disgusted look then laughed.
“What are you like James Potter?” she said laughingly the grey look gone from her face and her eyes sparkling merrily again. She spat on her own hand and we shook. Then Lily excused herself and went to the bathroom to wash off the spit. I just wiped my hand on my tracksuit bottoms shaking my head. Girls are too fussy I laughed.
Lily and I seemed to have made up. No. We had never really fallen out because we weren’t friends so I guess we made friends then. Lily suggested that we got changed and went to the hall to get something to eat. I protested that there wouldn’t be anything left and that I’d take her to the kitchens. She gaped at me and I explained that we were always going down there. I could see her eyed darken again so I replied quickly that we hadn’t been there in ages so we hadn’t had a chance to take her there before.
I went upstairs to change out of my tracksuit and into my robes and I saw a note on my bed. It would be from the others I read it and they said that they couldn’t be bothered to wait for me and that they’d meet me at Hagrid’s at 12 o’ clock. That gave me and Lily about two hours. I smiled - she wouldn’t take that long would she.
How wrong I was. Lily emerged back in the common room an hour later.
“Lily what took you so long?” I said exasperatedly.
“I didn’t take that long. I had to have a shower you know. You should’ve as well I hope you don’t mind me saying but you do smell a bit. Only joking James.” She added as she saw the thunder on my face. “Here hang on a bit this’ll freshen you up.” She took out her wand and pointed it at me. “Deodorise!” She said. A soft blue light shot out of the tip of her wand, smothering me Then it disappeared.
“What on earth was that Lily?” I asked.
“Oh it’s just a deodorising charm James - nothing to worry about. It saves washing and stuff you just kind of point and go, I guess.” I was about to ask why she didn’t do that to herself when she answered for me. “I can’t use it on myself because I can only do the male charm. I don’t want to go around smelling like a bloke do I?” she said laughingly.
“Guess not.” I replied then grabbing her arm I hauled her across the common room towards the portrait hole. “Come on Lily I only have an hour before I have to meet the others at Hagrid’s”
“James that’s plenty of time. You only have to eat.”
“Only have to eat?” I scoffed. Lily didn’t seem to grasp that eating was almost a religion to me. I led her down to the room next to the Great Hall and tickled the pear in the picture to gain access to the kitchens. Then I headed down the stairs into the kitchen.
“Mister Potter!” squealed Noggin rushing up to me and bowing.
“Where are your manners Noggin?” I asked with mock severity “Say hello to Lily Evans”
Noggin obviously didn’t notice the humour in my voice and turned to Lily bowing meekly.
“Nice to meet you ma’am” he squeaked.
“That's alright Noggin, the pleasure is all mine. You’re the first house-elf I’ve ever met.” She took the elf’s little hand and shook it. Noggin looked like he was going to faint with pleasure.
“Miss Evans you are very kind, oh so very kind miss,” he said bowing again. “Do you want something to eat sir? Ma’am?”
“Yes please Noggin I’ll have an English breakfast please and Lily will have...?”
“Oh um I’ll have scrambled egg on toast please if that's no problem.”
“Of course not ma’am it’s our job.” Noggin said bowing once again then scurrying off to prepare our order.
“James we shouldn’t be down here I though we were going to make our own breakfast it’s not fair on them.” Lily looked so concerned and worried that I laughed. “Don’t laugh at me James I’m serious. The poor little elves, I’m sure they have enough to do.” She said in an urgent whisper.
“Lily we aren’t inconveniencing them. They like work! Ask Noggin or any of the others. Here he comes.”
Noggin and another elf, a female I though noticing her nose was a different shape, came scurrying over laden with our food and two glasses of orange juice.
“Were do you want to sit sir?” squeaked the strange elf.
“Um Lily?” I said guessing that she’d prefer not to sit on the floor as I usually did.
“Oh I suppose we could just sit here, on the floor I mean. That alright with you James?”
“Yup” I said dropping to the floor and taking my tray from Noggin. “Thanks Noggin and-”
“Firri” squeaked the other elf.
“Well thank you Noggin and Firri for our breakfast. We will be out of your way shortly.”
“Oh sir you are not in our way!” Exclaimed Firri and Noggin as one.
“I was only joking. Thanks again.” The elves turned and trotted back to their work.
“Oh how queer they are.” Breathed Lily smiling at me. “James!” she exclaimed disgustedly as her eyes fell to my plate. It was heaped with backed beans, three eggs. two rashers of bacon, mushrooms, potato bread and tomatoes. “You pig!”
“Aww Lily come on I’m starving. I work it all off in Quidditch and running. I’m not exactly going to end up as a fat bloater!” I laughed stuffing my face with beans.
Lily let out a half disgusted, half amused snort and began to eat her breakfast.
“I still can’t believe that you ate all of that!” Lily screamed at me laughing hysterically as we walked out of the kitchen half an hour later. “You are such a pig! I didn’t think you’d eat all of your first helping but a second as well! I’m surprised you can still walk!”
“I can’t hardly.” I said waddling along behind Lily. “I think we’d better start towards Hagrid’s now else I won’t make it in time.”
Lily chuckled then turned to me and said, “We? I didn’t think you’d want me down there.”
“Oh come on Lily! The other guys love you, it was only me you didn’t get on with and I think we do now. I don’t see why you couldn’t come if you want to. We’ll only be lugging in the pumpkins for the feast tonight.”
“Oh thank-you James!” Lily said turning round and hugging me.
“That’s alright Lily, I mean we’re friends now aren’t we? You can stop hugging me now else I’m going to be sick.” I laughed somewhat embarrassed at her reaction.
We walked slowly down towards Hagrid’s hut laughing all the way down. Lily was really super I decided. I couldn’t remember laughing so much in ages, probably not this term I guessed. I suppose I just felt at ill ease with Lily around before and now we were friends everything seemed to be fine. I could tell why Remus loved her so much and why Sirius and Peter had sometimes preferred her company to mine. I’d been a right misery guts recently but that was going to change now.
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