Hello everyone. I started this just before the New Year hoping to get it up in time. However the first chapter took me much longer than I thought and this is all I have written so far. However I will get typing and should hopefully have the next chapter up very soon but I can't make any promises because I have exams coming up and am currently writing 'The Camping Trip' at the same time. I plan for this to be a very short story as it is only set over two days. But no promises.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All the characters (save Kathy) belong to J.K.Rowling along with settings, objects and anything else you recognize from the Harry Potter series. All the dates are correct according to hp.lexicon and wikipedia.
ENJOY!
Until The Clock Strikes Twelve - Chapter One
"Shit, shit, shit!" James swore loudly as he stomped into the Great Hall and towards the Gryffindor table. Many heads turned his way as the normally, calm and collected student walked with fury down the hall. When he reached about the middle he sat down and swung his legs over the bench and under the long house table. This handsome young man looked very distressed, and the three first years that sat near him ran away from fright as James swore loudly once more and smacked his fist down upon the wooden table surface. But he was stressed with good reason.
At the moment he was dressed in black jeans and a dark blue long sleeved shirt instead of his usual red and black school robes. The shirt was undone at the neck showing off the top most of his toned chest, a gold Head Boy's badge pinned to his shirt. Pulling a mug of warm coco and a slice of buttered toast towards him his hand moved towards his head and ruffled his already messy raven hair. He closed his hazel eyes that where hidden behind his glasses as he put his head into his hands. What was he going to do? It was New Years Eve, which was one days before the start of a New Year and he still had no idea of how he was going to finally get Lily Evans to go out with him. And he needed to, he really needed to. Not only because he loved her and had so for the past two years (he'd fancied her for longer though), but because of Sirius Black. Yes, you knew he'd come into James's distress somewhere.
'I bet you can't get Evans to go out with you before the end of this year! If she doesn't, you have to have to stand up in front of the whole school and say you were blind before and now you realise your true love is for Snivellus, and not Lily!'
Stupidly he had agreed. His best friend's words echoed inside his head again and again. How was going to get out of this one?
"Evans said yes yet?" Sirius asked as he slipped into a seat opposite James, a look of pure evil on his face.
"With a face like that Padfoot, I'm surprised you're not in Slytherin." Remus said joining the group. Sirius swung out to punch Remus, but he ducked just in time. Sirius's punch hit Peter in the stomach instead as he walked behind where Remus was sat.
"OWW!"" he yelped clutching his stomach.
"Sorry Wormtail" Sirius apologised before turning back to James. "Well?"
"Do you really think I'd be sitting here instead of snogging her if she'd said yes?" James asked bitterly.
"That's a no then."
"Well done Padfoot!"
"Come on guys. It's only a stupid bet."
"Wrong!" Sirius told Remus.
"What do you mean wrong?"
"You said a bet. It's actually two."
"Two?" Peter asked, "Who's the other one with?"
"Kathy."
"Oh gawd." Remus muttered putting his head in his hands.
Kathy Steele was a fellow Gryffindor and best friends with Lily Evans. She was a Pureblood witch and distantly related to Sirius. They were also second cousins by marriage, as Sirius cousin Bellatrix Black had married her cousin Rodolphus Lestrange. Her mother was in Slytherin and a Lestrange, her father in Ravenclaw. She had grown up like Sirius being taught very strict views on Purebloods and her heritage. But she too broke away from her mother's family beliefs just like Sirius had. In many ways she was like Sirius, not that she would ever admit that.
If Sirius and Kathy were in the same room together it could be promised that they would be:
a) arguing
b) fighting
c) betting
d) daring each other
"So what did you bet?" Remus finally asked.
"The same as what I bet Prongs. Except with money rather than reputation."
"How much?" Peter asked, while James began to continually hit his head on the table.
"20 Galleons, 12 Sickles and 4 Knuts." Sirius said, "And stop doing that mate!" he added grabbing James head preventing him from hitting the table further.
"Why should I? I've already got to admit my nonexistent undying love for Snivellus."
"Giving up so easily?" Sirius grinned.
"No!" James replied.
"Good. Because Kathy doesn't take on bets with Sirius unless she knows she can win." Remus informed James, hoping to help prevent him from going back to his table heading.
"Yeah!" Peter added with encouragement. James smiled a small tingle of relief on his face.
"HEY! Whose side are you on Moony?" Sirius asked.
"Not yours, Slytherin face! OWW!"
Sirius managed to hit him this time.
Meanwhile Lily and Kathy were sitting in their dormitory which they had all to themselves this holiday.
"Admit it."
"Admit what?"
"You looooove him!"
"Do not!"
"Oh, so you know who I'm talking about then?" Kathy asked with a grin. Lily scowled as she threw a pillow at Kat who was lying on her stomach on her bed. She was lying the wrong way on her bed, her head facing the centre of the room so she could see and speak to Lily more easily. Lily was sitting on the end of her bed her feet resting on her trunk.
"Fine then. I bet you 10 Galleons that you won't say yes and snog Potter before the clock strikes twelve tomorrow night."
"But I don't have 10 Galleons!" Lily complained.
"Than you'd better win!" Kathy replied standing up and going across to Lily and shaking her hand to confirm the bargain. "Oh and one more thing." Kathy added before letting go of Lily's hand. "It has to be after the first stroke of Midnight and before the last."
"What?" Lily gasped as Kathy released her hand. "But that gives me about 12 seconds!"
"Better keep him close then!" Kathy laughed as a second pillow went flying in her direction. "Ouch!" Kat complained as it hit her. She picked it up and threw it back at Lily before sitting back down on her bed. Kathy lay back letting her feet dangle off one side while her head did the same on the other. She thought to herself in silence for a few minutes. She'd better win these bets or she'd be 30 Galleons, 12 Sickles and 4 Knuts down. If she won; 10 Galleons, 12 Sickles and 4 Knuts up. Enough to buy that new robe she had seen in Gladrags Wizardwear in Hogsmeade. She smiled to herself slightly at the thought of Sirius Black's face tomorrow night at the New Years party when he'd have to hand over his money once again to her. This was going to be a very good end to a very long year.
"Are you coming to breakfast?" Lily asked as she pulled on a black cardigan over her dark green dress.
Kathy nodded as she sat up and followed Lily out of the dormitory and down spiral staircase.
"Lily?"
"Hmm."
"You do know you look like Slytherin in black and green don't ya?" she teased
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
Lily scowled and continued walking while Kathy laughed. "Cheer up Lils." Kat said looping her arm around Lily's. "Just think, this time in two days you might have snogged James Potter."
"True..."
"I said you liked him."
"Oh, shut up!" Lily laughed as she playfully poked Kathy in her side.
"Now's your chance Prongs!" Remus said nodding in the direction of the entrance to the Great Hall. James's head whipped around, and stared hungrily as he watched Lily enter arm in arm with Kathy.
"Sit far away. Sit far away." Sirius hissed as the two girls drew closer and closer.
"Shut it Pads!" James told him, as he smiled and waved at Lily, encouraging her to sit with them.
"Hey boys!" Kat said as they stopped next to Sirius. "Mind if we join you?"
"Not at all." James said courteously while Sirius told Kat to "Piss off!"
"Such manners Black. No wonder you get all the girls. No wait! It's because you're an egotistical pig that people actually like!" Kat said slapping her head in mock amazement.
"At least I'm not TheStrange." Sirius growled back.
"Oh, very funny Black! Now you can translate French! Genious!"
Lily rolled her eyes as she slipped into a seat next to James. "We'll get used to it one of these days."
"I hope so." James agreed. "So…erm… will you erm…."
"Yes?" Lily asked, hoping he wouldn't ask her out because she would have to say no unless she wished to pay Kat 10 Galleons that she didn't own. Kathy and Sirius, who had been arguing over the last piece of bacon, stopped dead their eyes on their best friends, secretly pleading that James wouldn't ask the dreaded question.
"Would you erm... pass me the jam?"
Kathy and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their argument while Lily obligingly passed James the jam pot.
"Thanks." James said as he began to spread his toast.
Remus meanwhile had taken out his Transfiguration book and had begun to read. He had already completed his holiday homework for Professor McGonagall, of course, but he liked to keep ahead in all of his subjects. After all he tended to miss one or two days of school each month due to his transformations. He filped to the next chapter in his book, a small smile littering his face.
"What Moony?" Peter asked with curiosity.
"Just what we'll be studying next in Transfig with Minnie." Remus replied.
"Minnie!?" Lily said, bursting into giggles. "You call McGonagall, Minnie?"
"Yup!" Sirius said brightly turning away from Kat to look at Moony. "So what will we be studying then?"
"Animagi."
"Really?" James asked, pulling the book from Remus's hands.
"Yes."
"Why? Are you interested in Animagi, James?" Lily asked with curiosity. Everyone's heads snapped to look at Lily. "What? What did I say?"
"You just called me James." James said, a grin etching its way onto his face.
"So what if I did?
"You never call me James. It's always Potter. Well?" James asked excitedly, his face brightening at the use of his first name as he looked at his friends for congratulations. Remus, who had begun to eat, gave James a small smile, the type James knew meant 'don't get your hopes up'. Sirius gave James thumbs up, while Peter just drank his pumpkin juice completely oblivious to what was happening; more content with the food surrounding him.
"Well," said Lily, desperately trying to think of an excuse for the use of his first name, "I thought, seeing as we are Head Boy and Head Girl, we should be able to use each others first names, like civilised humans?" she lied, although, she had to admit it was rather a good one. However whether she sounded convincing was another matter.
"Oh." James said his face falling slightly. He bit into a roll, rather viciously trying not to look too upset. He looked up to talk to Remus and Sirius, hoping for some sympathy but a very loud "YES!" from Kathy soon changed the subject.
"I got the bacon! I got the bacon!" she sung before lowering it into her mouth.
"No fair!" Sirius complained, crossing his arms and sulking like a five year old.
"Grow up Black." Lily said a little sympathy in her voice. "And Kat. Please keep your mouth closed when chewing. You look like Black."
"Bo bot!" Kat said, her mouth still full but her voice full of disbelief at the suggestion.
Sirius laughed. "Hey being me isn't that bad! You get the looks, the girls…"
Kat raised her eyebrows at this before swallowing her mouthful. "Yeah, because I would want to be just like you for the girls?" she asked a look of disgust on her face. "Mind you. I would get all the gay guys. And most of them are pretty fit!" she said thoughtfully with a look over at a dark haired boy at the Hufflepuff table.
"Katharine!" Lily said with a laugh. "Honestly. Is that all you think about? Fit guys?"
"And what if I do? There is nothing wrong with that. Black does it all the time."
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"I do not fancy men!" Sirius shouted a bit too loudly, thus receiving a few odd looks from surrounding people. James, Remus and Peter meanwhile burst into laughter.
"So does that mean you fancy Snivellus then? He's not a man." James smirked. "Like to admit your undying love for him?"
"No but you will if you don't sort your love life out!" Sirius said standing up and storming out of the Great Hall.
"Oh." Kat said, leaning on Remus's shoulder and pretending to cry. "I wanted to be the one to make Black storm out of the Great Hall."
I hope you like it, and please review. I hate having about 200 hits and only 5 reviews. It's very off putting. I might not continue if you don't review... and yes that would be a bit of Black mail... :D