James spent the night in the Marauders’ dorm, Eternity and Charlotte convincing him that Lily might murder him in his sleep if she found him in the Head’s Dormitory.
“She was angry enough that we were there!” Eternity said in a slightly affronted voice, “I had to spell your door so she couldn’t get into your chamber- I think she was saying something about giving your broom to the Whomping Willow.”
James gasped in horror and Charlotte said in a melancholy voice, “Well, I suppose it was better this way. If you had led her own much longer, I think she might actually have cursed you there in front of everyone.”
The group winced, knowing of Lily’s long list of hexes- many used on James before. Eternity sighed, “We’ll just have to think of something…”
})i({
“BLACK!” Eternity roared, stomping out of the lake a few days later, “Why in hell did you bloody do that!”
Sirius had his back to her and Eternity charged at him, jabbing him in the chest as she walked around in front of him, “Do you ever watch where you’re going you sodding wanker! I was just standing when you just shove me in without a second glance!”
Suddenly realizing that the young man hadn’t moved she waved a hand in front of his face, an exasperated expression on her face, “Black! Black?”
Sirius lifted his arm and pointed over the grounds, a dumbstruck look on his face. Eternity her body filling with an unpleasant sensation that must have been dread, turned. Her mouth fell open and for once she couldn’t come up with some kind of insult. A minute later Charlotte rushed up behind her, “Oh no- you’ve seen it too! Come on, we have to make sure James doesn’t see-”
“James doesn’t see what?” replied a voice amicably from behind.
“Oh, nothing James!” Remus, running up behind Charlotte said smoothly, “Here, let’s go back up to the castle and, uh, go to the library! And- read…right, read! Let’s go Prongs!”
Remus grabbed James by the elbow but the other boy laughed and pulled away, “Aw, it can’t be that bad guys! Let me see-”
“NO!” Eternity and Sirius cried, suddenly snapping out of their daze and fighting to hide James’ view…too late. Charlotte leapt aside as James fell to the ground in a dead faint. Sirius and Remus hurried picked him up as Peter scurried over from wherever he had been and tried to help, “What happened?”
“Later, Wormtail!” Sirius snapped, “Come on, we have to get him back to the Marauder dorm- he might try to kill himself this time.”
“You don’t mean that literally do you?” Charlotte asked in an alarmed voice as Sirius nodded, “Oh yes. He threatens to whenever Lils has been particularly hard on him, but the shock of seeing that… He might not even need to commit suicide- that sight may have killed him! Moony- desperate times call for desperate measures: where’d you hide the firewhiskey? We need to get him drunk!”
Sirius, Remus, and Peter dragged the other unconscious boy toward the castle, already planning how they were going to slip a forgetfulness draught into his drink. Eternity and Charlotte watched them for a minute before turning again. A silent tear dripped down Charlotte’s face, “Do you think we’re wrong, Eternity- do you think she doesn’t really love him? But it was going so well!”
“And trust her to mess it up- we have to do it all over again! Come on; knowing them they all will get plastered and pull some stupid prank…” Eternity said bitterly as she turned her back. Charlotte watched her storm off before beginning to follow, the image of Lily passionately kissing Aaron Simmons burned into her mind.
})i({
Lily waltzed up toward the castle a few minutes later, humming happily to herself. Could she have ever plotted a better way to get revenge? And she had just received another letter from the Half Blood Prince- oh, who she wished she knew who it was. Well, it couldn’t be James; he was a pureblood after all. It did make her wonder about the Prince’s ego, to grant himself such a title, but she shrugged it away. The best part was that Potter couldn’t know about it at all- he wouldn’t even know about his competition! She smiled smugly, giving herself a mental pat on the back as she strolled toward Ophelia, “Creeping willow, dear…” (a/n: ‘love forsaken’ in flower)
Ophelia’s normally expressive face showed nothing as she swung aside and Lily walked in slightly apprehensive. And it seems for good reason- there stood Eternity, arms crossed, foot tapping, her face as impassive as Ophelia’s, “What are you doing.”
“Getting back at Potter! I’ve finally had it- he needs a taste of his own medicine!” Lily said defiantly as Eternity glowered, “What happened to all your ideals Lily? What about last year!”
Lily bit her lip but didn’t shift her gaze, “I’ve changed since last year…”
“You call hitting him below the belt ‘change’ when it’s something you never would have done before?” Eternity laughed somewhat sadly, “Oh Lils, don’t you see! You’re sinking to ‘his level’ as you so fervently said only last year! And this time, you’re putting your own emotions on the line- don’t you know you’re only going to make yourself an emotional wreck again!”
“I can take care of myself, Eternity!” Lily started rather angrily when her friend interrupted, “You know what? I don’t think you can this time- you’re digging yourself into a hole. A deep hole. And when you finally want to get out of it, let me know.”
Eternity walked past the other girl and out the pathway. Ophelia swung shut just as Eternity punched a wall and yelped as she massaged her knuckles, “Oh, she’s going to ruin everything! For two years, I’ve been here trying to get them together! If I don’t fix it all soon, Forever and Always are going to show up!”
“Who’re Forever and Always?” a voice suddenly questioned behind her and Eternity spun, whipping out her wand before slightly relaxing, “Oh, it’s you Black… They’re- they’re my older sisters.”
Sirius smiled winningly, “Aw, they can’t be that bad!”
“And how do you think of your siblings?” Eternity raised an eyebrow as he grimaced and slung an arm around her shoulders, “Touché, my dear.”
She shrugged him off, “I wasn’t kidding before- call me my dear again and I’ll make sure the world will forever be free of the spawn of Sirius Black!”
})i({
Several hours later, Eternity and Charlotte stood outside the Marauders’ dorm, clad in their pajamas. Eternity looked as though she’d rather be anywhere but here, “Charlotte- don’t go in there!”
“Why ever not?” Charlotte chuckled and knocked, right next to where someone had burned,
‘The Marauders Room: Enter At Your Own Personal Risk ~ Unless You’re A Girl- We Like Girls!’
Eternity simply looked disgusted, the look on her face clearly voicing that she was afraid the room was somehow contaminated, and cringed away from the door as it banged open loudly, “Hey guys look! It’s- GIRLS!”
Sirius hopped up and down happily, Peter copying him as always, as Charlotte laughed and Eternity looked like she would be sick, “Oh, shove it! We need to figure out a plan before all my- our work goes down the drain!”
“Did you just say all of your work, Eternity darling? How is it all your work?” Sirius drawled when the girls sat down gingerly on what looked to be the cleanest bed as Peter suddenly tripped and flew into a pile of clothes several feet high and disappeared.
Eternity glared, “I’ve put more work into this than you will ever know, Black.”
“Back to Black, are we? Haven’t I told you before that it’s insulting?”
“Sirius, please.” Charlotte intervened as Remus also spoke, “We’re here to plan, not to bicker among ourselves as small children do.”
Sirius looked slightly put off as Eternity turned businesslike, “Alright, what have we got?”
“Well,” Remus stated sadly, “We’ve only got Sirius’ back up plans right now- Operation Have Lily Snog James Senseless and Make Him Finally Shut Up and Operation Lock Them in a Broom Closet.”
“Operation H.L.S.J.S.M.H.F.S.U. and Mission Flower Power for short, I suppose?” snorted Eternity.
“Okay… Well, I have a plan.” Charlotte grinned at Remus, “What I think we should do is…”
The girl pulled the other three into the huddle as Peter was still M.I.A. and whispered. Sirius yelled loudly, “It can’t be done! Are you insane!”
“No, that’s you Padfoot.” Remus stated absently, “This could work! Great idea Charlotte!”
Only Eternity noticed her blush. At that moment, Peter appeared from the mountain of clothing, a sock still stuck to his head, “What’d I miss?”
“The new plan… we’re going to leave them alone.” Eternity said slightly dubiously, “But, Remus, what if it doesn’t work? They need to be together- they have to!”
“Don’t worry Eternity,” Sirius said helpfully as the girl began to pace, “This is so crazy, it has to work- that’s how the universe goes!”
Suddenly Eternity stopped pacing and stared out the window, “Is that Lily with- a stag?!”
})i({
After Eternity stormed off, Lily sat in front of the fire, watching the flames lick hungrily at the air. Traitorous thoughts flew through her mind- was Eternity right? No! She couldn’t be, she couldn’t! Lily bolted to her feet, swaying almost as though she was drunk.
“I just need some air, yes, I think I’ll go out by the lake for a few moments! Get out of this dreadfully high tower, feel the ground beneath my feet- exactly what I need!” she voiced loudly, as though trying to prove to her friends and herself that nothing was wrong, nothing was even the least bit odd! She resolutely set off down the hallway, waving goodbye to Ophelia as she went.
The statue watched her go for a moment and shook her head, “She loves him.”
})i({
The girl stood out by the lake, shivering slightly in the cold night air. Lily rubbed her arms, the pale moonlight bathing her ivory limbs in soft light. Suddenly she heard a small noise behind her and spun, wand already lit in her hand before she gasped, “Oh!”
Before her stood the handsome stag that had rescued her only a few weeks ago! She walked carefully over to it, hand out, “Please, come here…”
To her utmost surprise, the stag did! He gently touched his nose to her palm and the girl giggled at the somewhat wet, yet warm touch. Her other slim hand reached up to stroke his neck idly as those hazel eyes, sparkling with keen intelligence watched her.
“Thank you again, for saving me…” she murmured as her hands traveled along his thick fur and she said absently to herself, “It’s almost as though you understand me- those eyes, they’re so much more intelligent than deer back home!”
The great animal shook its head and she bit back a laugh, “Of course, you’re not a deer!” and snickered as the stag did a very good impression of vanity.
Suddenly, Lily realized the time, “I have to leave now, to go back to the castle- would you be here again, tomorrow perhaps? Can you do that?”
She laughed rather bitterly, “It’s not as though you can understand me… but maybe. Until tomorrow, hopefully!”
She dashed away, back up the castle as the stag disappeared into the forest. And, despite what Lily may have believed, she returned to the lake the next night, and the night after that, and the night after that- to find a great black stag, his bronze colored antlers gleaming in the moonlight, waiting for her every time.
Though Lily never noticed; high above her, the Fates smiled.
A/N: Review my lovelies... By the way, this should be the last for a while- it was the last prewritten chapter. Between finishing schoolwork and Christmas break (during which I will be deep in hibernation and too sleep clogged to do anything but eat and then sleep some more) I may not have time to update. I'll try, honest! ^-^ And, my new saying, stolen from Gossip Girl, the most wonderful of all trashy teenage girl novels:
You know you love me...
A/N 2.0: More slight edits...
Write a Review Let Yourself Fall: Chapter Six: Below the Belt
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