Disclaimer: ALL HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and the respective publishing companies. I do own Jenn Parksen, Lori Wilson, and Monica Sinclair as well this twisted version of the plot. This is, of course, a simple Fan-Fiction that I have written in order to retain some semblance of sanity and dignity.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 5: From the Heart
"We'll have to work it out bit by bit," Sirius replied with sudden insight. "However, I think we all need to sleep on it for the night. I am tired and could use a long nap after such a small meal." James snorted at this and kicked Sirius under the table. Sirius flashed a grin at him and then stood up.
"For once, Sirius is right," Lily agreed as she too stood up, pulling James with her as she had not let go of his hand.
Lori said goodnight and walked slowly from the table, Remus not far behind her as he headed to the boys' room. Sirius helped Jenn up, and with her hand in his he walked her to her room, their heads bent together as they spoke softly to each other.
Lily stood hesitantly for a second before she stepped up closer to James. She looked up into his eyes and searched their depths for a moment before she turned her attention to his hand that she still held in hers. Lifting it she closed her eyes and brought his hand to her face, turning it so that his palm lay against her cheek. She trembled slightly at the warmth of his touch.
James felt as if he couldn't breath, trapped like a startled deer, he had watched wide-eyed as Lily brought his hand to her face. Slowly he allowed his other hand to rise up and cup her chin gently. Lily tipped her head up ever so slightly and opened her eyes to look into his once more and James felt himself drowning in their green depths.
Warmth flooded through both of them as they stood close together. Awareness of the room around them faded as they stood frozen; lost in the emotions they shared with their eyes. Neither one of them noticed Sirius glance at them on his way back to the boys' room. Sirius paused outside the door for a brief second, before he stepped inside and closed the door softly.
Lily rose up onto her tip toes and softly pressed her lips to James's as her eyes fluttered closed once more. Electricity rushed through them both as James kissed her tenderly back. Lily's hands moved to his neck of their own accord and she felt herself press closer to him. His hands encircling her as they moved from her face to her waist. The kiss lasted for several minutes before they both leaned back to catch their breath.
James was the first to open his eyes and his breathing, already erratic, caught in his chest as Lily opened her eyes slowly. He couldn't remember her ever looking lovelier than she did at that moment. Impulsively, he took her hand in his and led her over to the chairs that sat before the fire. Sitting down first, he gently pulled her down so that she was sitting on his lap. Gently he kissed her lips once more, before he softly kissed her eyes and moved his lips to kiss her neck. He felt her tremble in his arms and lifted his head so he could look her in the eyes once more.
Lily was lost; with her eyes closed she drifted in the tidal wave of emotions that James had called forth from deep in her soul. Everything that had happened was forgotten in a heart beat. Nothing existed except for James and the feelings he evoked in her with each touch, each kiss. She felt James pull back and opened her eyes to meet his and what she read in them shook her to her core. Never had she imagined that James cared so deeply for her, had in fact once told herself that he had no heart. How wrong she had been, she knew now that she had found something very special in James.
Leaning forward, with her eyes locked on James's eyes, Lily softly brushed her lips against his and then moved so that her breath brushed teasingly against his neck and ear. As goose bumps rose along his arms and neck, Lily closed her eyes and whispered his name softly.
"James."
Lily then pulled back slightly and let her eyes find his once more, and then slowly she began to whisper once more. When James tried to stop her, she placed a single finger over his mouth and shushed him, so she could finish.
"I never thought there was more to you, shush, please, let me finish. I never once thought there was more to you then the pranks you played on the other students. I thought you shallow and vain; always putting on airs… as if you owned the world. I didn't want to know you; I wanted you to disappear completely and leave me in peace. I need you to know that I was wrong. If I had not been so stubborn and full of myself it might not have taken me so long to realize that there was so much more to who you are. For that, I am sorry; I know now how wrong I was."
Lily drew a ragged breath and leaned forward to brush another kiss on James's temple, before bringing her arms up to curl around James's neck as she spoke once more in his ear.
"I love you, James, more then I ever thought possible."
James shivered as he held Lily tight against him. His heart was pounding desperately while his spirit soared at Lily's tender confession of love. For so long he had hoped to make her love him and had long since given up on convincing her of the truth of his love for her. To have earned it now, after all the terrible things that had happened, was in his eyes a miracle. The only revelation that came close to comparing to it was the love that Sirius had found with Jenn.
"Oh, Lily," James cried softly as he continued to hold her close. He could feel tears falling as he held her close, and sat her up just enough so that he could see her face. Tenderly he wiped them away with one hand before gently kissing her lips once more. Almost instantly the kiss turned passionate as the electricity raced through them once more; the knowledge of their shared love igniting a maelstrom of emotions and feelings that left them gasping for breath.
Reluctantly they broke apart and simply held each other close, Lily leaning her head on James's shoulder while he rested his chin on top of her head, their arms wrapped around each other. Moments later they were fast asleep in each others arms.
Voldemort stood under a tree cloaked in the shadows as he watched those in the clearing moving skittishly about the bonfire that burned brightly in the mist of the early morning forest. For three nights now he had been working on his plans to attack the castle. There were only two more things he needed if his march on Hogwarts was to be successful; one was to double the size of his dark followers and the other was to get his hands on the book. He could not take a chance of the book getting destroyed during the attack, too much depended on him getting that book.
This meant he would have to put off attacking the castle for several more weeks. His faithful followers among the students and staff would be leaving the castle in two days time, and were not allowed to return until after the winter holidays. Voldemort was unnerved by the delay this caused, frowning he proceeded to go over the plan in his mind searching for a way to move sooner. But again he came to the same conclusion; he had to have the book before he could destroy the school.
The fire in the middle of the clearing flared green as two death eaters tossed a heavy bundle into the flames and fell back as the flames roared higher. Several feet from where he stood, Voldemort could see the frightened unicorn that stood chained between two trees struggling to free itself from its bonds. Voldemort smiled coldly at the beast before slipping further into the shadows. The unicorn was the final ingredient for the potion Voldemort was brewing and it would be three days before it could be added to the cauldron that sat hidden among the flames of the magical fire.
Satisfied that all was going according to plan, Voldemort winked out of sight as silently as he had appeared an hour earlier.
Sirius was the first one up in the morning; he stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom so that he could take a shower and brush his teeth. Still half asleep he got dressed and glanced over expecting to see James sprawled across his own bed. To his surprise James's bed hadn't been slept in at all. Of course, James could have made his bed before leaving the room but Sirius had never known James to make his bed even at home. Silently, Sirius moved to the outer door and opened it carefully, glancing around he searched for any sign of James.
When he didn't see him right away, Sirius stepped out into the room and walked towards the chairs by the fireplace. As he drew near he caught sight of Lily's red hair draped over the arm of the chair directly across from the fireplace. Curious now, Sirius slipped around the chair and found James and Lily both curled up on the same chair, with their arms wrapped around each other.
Sirius smiled widely to himself at the sight of them sleeping in each other's arms and stepped softly backwards so he could warn the others not to wake them. Halfway back to his room the outside door opened and Sirius felt his smile fade as Professor McGonagall and Auror Moody stepped inside the room. Sirius froze where he was, unsure of what to do.
"Good morning, Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall announced crisply.
"Morning Professor," Sirius replied out of habit, his eyes flickering between McGonagall and the chair where James and Lily lay sleeping still.
"Where are the others? Still sleeping?" she asked.
"Yes," Sirius answered politely while edging between McGonagall's view and the chair. Mad-Eye noticed his behavior and let his magical eye drift lazily over to the chair so he could determine what Sirius was trying to hide. To his amazement he found James and Lily sleeping in the chair and he frowned as he let his normal eye flick between Sirius and the chair.
Sirius noticed Moody's frown and paled when he realized that Moody could probably see James and Lily where they sat. Professor McGonagall noticed Sirius grow pale and immediately suspected something was up. She frowned at Sirius and noticed that he had moved to stand in front of one of the chairs and caught sight of Moody's expression when she turned slightly.
Stiffening she narrowed her eyes and flicked them back to Sirius's white face. "Go wake the others, Mr. Black," She snapped. She watched him jump and hurry off to the boy's room to wake Remus. Once he was gone from the room McGonagall took several quick steps forward so she could see what Sirius had been trying to hide.
McGonagall stopped the moment James and Lily came into view. With a quick glance she took in their sleeping forms and noted that they were holding onto each other even in their sleep. James hair was messier then usual and Lily's looked wild where it was draped over both James and the chair. Conflicting feelings rose in McGonagall's chest as she watched them sleeping. She was surprised to see them turning to each other in comfort, and she was angry that they would have slept together, and worried that something more may have happened. She turned back to Moody and found him smiling at her.
"Don't be angry with them, Minerva, with everything that has happened, it is only natural that they should need to find comfort in each other," Moody whispered in his gruff voice.
McGonagall waved his comments aside and moved back to his side. At that moment Remus and Sirius stepped back out of the boy's dorm and walked over to knock on the girl's door. Voices called out from inside and Sirius announced that they had guests. A moment longer and Sirius followed Remus to the table to sit down.
Moody moved over to sit next to the boys while McGonagall sat down across from him. Five minutes later Lori and Jenn shuffled out of their room and joined them at the table. Lori looked around for Lily and was about to ask where she was she saw Sirius shake his head slightly. The four students sat in silence while McGonagall gave them each a look in turn. Finally McGonagall turned her gaze back to Sirius and watched him squirm for a moment before speaking.
"You might as well go and wake them Mr. Black."
Sirius gave a startled jump and then nodded as he stood up and walked over o the chair where James and Lily still slept in each other's arms. Carefully, he gave James's shoulder a shake and whispered to him that McGonagall and Moody where there to speak with them. James opened his eyes groggily and seemed to have forgotten where he was.
When the words finally sank in he gave a startled jump similar to the one Sirius had given earlier and worried what Professor McGonagall was going to say about him and Lily being found together like this. Looking down at Lily still asleep in his arms, James let his thoughts wander back to her words of the night before and felt a sudden warmth flood through him. Tenderly, he shook her awake as Sirius turned and walked back to the table where the others waited.
"Mmm?" Lily mumbled as she stirred.
"Wake up, Lily," James whispered softly. "Professor McGonagall and Moody are here."
Lily opened her eyes and looked into James's while she blinked away the sleep that clouded her mind. She pushed herself up and sat there on his lap for a moment longer, before she rose gracefully and then reached out to take James by the hand. With a gentle tug she had him on his feet and she looked up into his eyes for a long minute before she smiled softly and turned to face the table.
Five pairs of eyes stared at Lily and James as they made their way to the table. Four ready smiles flashed at them as their friends watched them. Moody sat silently, his magical eye twirling as it searched the room and his normal eye fixed firmly on the couple walking towards him. He didn't smile but he had a definite twinkle in his normal eye. McGonagall wore a slight frown but there was a gleam of happiness in her eyes that was unmistakable.
Professor McGonagall conjured up to more chairs and gestured at the two to join them at the table. James held Lily's chair for her as she sat down and then took his seat next to her silently. As soon as he was seated, he felt Lily's hand slip back into his own. He flashed her a quick smile and then all six of the students turned their attention to the two adults that sat with them.
"Now that we are all here, I need you to tell us exactly what took place last night," Professor McGonagall commanded not unkindly.
James, Sirius, and Remus exchanged glances with each other and then each of them looked to Lily and Lori. No one spoke and of the six students, only Jenn showed no signs of nervousness at the question. Her sightless eyes focused firmly on the table in front of her while her ears followed the traces of emotion in the voices and sounds around her.
Intuitively she knew James and Lily had grown closer since everyone had said goodnight earlier that very morning. She knew McGonagall was both pleased and worried about something and Moody fidgeted constantly with suppressed excitement and with a deeper sense of what Jenn thought was protectiveness towards herself and the other teenagers. Jenn sensed Sirius shift closer while Remus was twitching his foot nervously under the table.
AN: This will be the last chapter for this story for a while as I've had no motivation to finish editing the story. Hopefully, I will muddle through a few more chapters soon though, if only to get them over and done with so that I can post the rest of this story. ~ Jenn