B/A/N- Well, I hope you guys all like it, and thank you all again for the amazing support I have been receiving from you all!  It means so unbelievably much to me!

 

Chappie 46: Party Time

 

“So, Sirius…uh…how has your summer been going?” Emia asked nervously.

 

“Oh…just great.  And yours?” Sirius asked with an equally nervous air.

 

“Wonderful…Avie and I are having a great time together.   I missed her so much in France.”

 

“Just her?” Sirius asked with a grin, some of the ice breaking in their conversation.

 

“Well, no…I did miss Lily a bit, too,” Emia said with a laugh, knowing that Sirius wanted her to say she missed him the most out of everyone.

 

Sirius looked down at the floor sadly in response.  “Mm…hmm…”

 

“Okay, fine.  And I missed you, Siri.   I missed you quite a bit.”

 

“Yay!” Sirius happily exclaimed, smiling down at Emia and giving her a hug.  “Tell you what, Emie; we have some catching up to do.  How about I grab us some punch and we can go talk on Lily’s couch?”

Emia smiled.  “Be glad to, Siri…thanks.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lily and James quietly prepared the food, side by side in the kitchen.  Peter had gone outside already, so Lily and James were alone.

Lily looked up at James with her piercingly green eyes and asked, “Can you see yourself with me two years from now?”

James was carefully cutting cheese, and felt the knife slip and pierce his finger.   “Lils…why are you asking this?”

Lily felt herself get discouraged.  “Just answer the question, James…please.”

“Well, yes, of course I can.  We’ve been together for almost two years, haven’t we?”

“Yes…yes, we have, James.”

“And it’s been good hasn’t it?”                                                      

“Well, of course it has.  It’s had its ups and downs, but so does everything else.”

“Exactly.  But as far as other teen relationships go, I’d say ours is one of the better ones, and there’s no reason we won’t be together for another two years…hell, even longer.”

“You’re right, of course…I just…I don’t know, I get insecure sometimes.”

“Insecure? You? What do you have to be insecure about, Lil?” James was really concerned now.  Lily had never mentioned any insecurity to him before.

“Well, oh, I feel so stupid for saying this…for talking about this with you.”

“I won’t laugh, I promise.”

“Okay…there are so many girls out there out for the famous James Potter.  All of them want his adorable grin, and unmanageable hair to run their fingers through.  And when I look at them, I just think…they’re prettier than me, or look at that one, she’s so skinny, especially compared to me…do you know what I mean?”

“Um, I think so…I’ve never compared my weight to a girl’s before, though.”

“Oh, shush.  You’re not even trying to be serious here!” Lily exclaimed, slapping James on the arm lightly.

“No, no, I’m sorry.  I’ll be serious.”

“You can’t be, he’s already hitting on Emia in the living room,” Lily said lightly, putting some hors’ de’ oeuvres onto a tray. 

“Lily, come on.  No more stupid Sirius/ serious jokes…what else did you have to say?”

“Oh, nothing…don’t you worry about it!” Lily said cheerily, giving James a quick peck on the cheek before taking the tray of hors’ de’ oeuvres out to her guests. 

It was time to play hostess for Lily, put James was left with some questions.  Putting them to the back of his mind, James grabbed another tray of snacks and went out to Avia and Remus, since Lily was already attending to Emia, Sirius, and Peter.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the backyard-

“Remus…our relationship has definitely had its ups and downs, hasn’t it?” Avia asked absentmindedly, tracing her finger along the surface water in the pond in Lily’s backyard.

“Well, yes, Avie.  But we’re still close and we’ve pulled through it all!  Isn’t that saying something?”

“Yeah, I guess it is.  Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you hadn’t been bitten?” Avia asked in almost a whisper that floated on the breeze.

“Of course I do.  I always have.  There’s only so much I can do about it though, you know?  I’ve chosen to accept my present and move on to the future, rather than dwell on the past.”

“You’re right…you’re right, of course.  But sometimes I just wonder…life was so much easier, so carefree.  Do you think we’re meant to be together?”

Remus choked a bit on his punch.  “Avie…what is this, random questions day?” he joked.

“I’m just thinking…maybe you were sent to me.  Maybe there’s a reason I happened to notice you in 4th year, when our classes were getting difficult, and I needed the support more than ever.  Maybe there’s a reason we had that party in the common room, and no chairs were left but your lap.  Maybe there’s a reason.”

Remus’ eyes glazed over a bit.  How can one person be so unbelievably trusting?  She never fails to amaze me…

“But Avie, I’m the reason you’ve been bitten.  You know that I care for you, but I have to face the reality.  Some boyfriend I am…I’m the reason that you’re a werewolf.”

“But you didn’t mean to!” Avia protested, drawing her blue eyes up to face Remus’ careworn face.  “I know you would never have bitten me if you could control it, and you can’t.”

“You know, Avie…you are one of the first people that ever found out I was a werewolf.  From my own lips, I mean…some people can guess why I’m gone once a month, and why the Hospital Wing always has that curtain cutting off a bed once per month.  Some people can guess.  But you were told by me…and that’s because I trust you with all my heart, Avie. I…”

“Yes, Remus?” Avia’s playful sapphire eyes seemed to beg Remus to continue.  “What is it?”

“I love you, Avia.”

Avie smiled happily, her eyes seemed to glaze over, and she opened her mouth to reply.  “I love you too.”

Believe it or not, that was the first time Remus and Avia had said those three special words.  With all the turmoil of their relationship, finding out Remus was a werewolf; James’ family turmoil last summer, Avia becoming a werewolf, Emia leaving for France…it had just never come up.  Now that the turmoil and difficulties were starting to settle, they finally had time for each other…time to say what they had been longing to.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inside the house, the rest of the gang was taking out some Muggle board games.  Well, actually, Sirius was.  Sirius was also the one buried in a pile of board games and coats and various other Muggle items. 

“Oh, Sirius!  I’m so sorry! We don’t clean out the hall closet very often!” Lily exclaimed.

S’okay, Lil,” was the muttered response from the bottom of the pile.

Emia and James went over to help Sirius, while Lily sat down to talk with Peter.

“So, how are you, Pete?”

“I’m alright, Lil, thanks for asking,” responded the blonde boy.

“So, Pete, pardon me for asking this, but I was just overly curious…didn’t your father pass away near the beginning of 4th year?”

“Before it began, yeah,” Peter replied somewhat distantly.

“And you said your mother died too, correct?”

“Yes, she passed away awhile ago…last summer, actually.”

“So who do you live with now?”

“My grandparents…it’s okay…it’s just…different, I guess.”

“That’s understandable, there’s a big generation gap when you live with people that much older than you are.”

Peter nodded slowly.  I hate living with my grandparents…I miss my mum so much, I wish there was a way to bring her back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sirius happily bounded around the house that evening as delectable smells radiated from the kitchen.  Lily, Emia and James had been whipping up dinner for the past hour and a half or so, and it was almost done.   Sirius excitedly ran out to the backyard to alert Remus and Avia about dinner, and then went back inside to hang out with Peter for awhile.

“So are you two excited?” Emia asked conversationally.

“About what?” James asked in a distracted manner.

“Sixth year…you two will be prefects again, I presume.”

“Yeah, we got the letters a week ago.  It should be fun…but we’re still missing you, girl.  How’s Beauxbatons going?”

“It’s so bloody boring…all of my friends are totally lame, all they do is hang out in the Library or talk about the boys there.”

“Are there any cute boys there?” Lily asked with interest while James grunted with jealousy.

“Not nearly as cute as they make them at Hogwarts,” was Emia’s sad response.

“Well, of course,” Lily answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  She turned to James and ruffled his hair affectionately.  “There’s no way they could make them as cute as they do at Hogwarts.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After a delicious traditional luau dinner, the gang decided to dance.  At least the twins decided to dance.

“Hold on a sec,” Lily said.  “I’m going to go hook up Pet’s phonograph, and we can have some music.”

“Muggle music?” Sirius asked in awe.

“Yes, Siri…some of the Muggle music of today’s actually pretty good, y’know.” Lily said simply.

After a couple minutes, some familiar music floated out of the phonograph which was now in the living room. 

“Hey, I know this song!” Avia exclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s pretty popular in the Muggle world nowadays,” James replied.

“It’s getting’ late have yer seen my mates,

Ma tell me when the boys get here,

It’s seven-o-clock and I want to rock

Wanna get a belly full of beer.

My old man’s drunker than

A barrel full of monkeys

And my old lady she don’t care,

My sister looks cute

In her braces and boots

A handful of grease in her hair.

So don’t give us none of yer aggravation

We’ve had it with yer discipline,

Saturday night’s alright for fightin,

Get a little action in...”

Sirius danced along with the music, and Emia, much to his delight, danced with him. 

Avia and Lily were dancing together in the middle of the room, while the remaining three Marauders talked together.

“…Get about as oiled as a diesel train

Gonna set this dance alight,

‘Cause Saturday night’s the night I like

Saturday night’s alright, alright, alright…”

Sirius moved closer to Emia and she didn’t back away.  Some of the old feelings that she was hoping she had put away were flooding through her once again.  Oh my gosh, he’s so close…it’s been a long time since we’ve been really…close like this.  I’m so nervous…do I smell okay?  Oh Merlin, what if my make-up’s running down my face or something?  Agh! Okay, Emie…breathe….in…out…good…

Sirius, meanwhile, was just as nervous as Emie, if not more.  It’s been a really long time since we’ve been close, he thought to himself wistfully.  Oh man, I’ve missed her so much!  Bloody hell, what am I supposed to do?  Would she slap me if I tried to hold her?  I really hope not…

As the music played on, Emia and Sirius were closer than ever.  And much to Emia’s delight, Sirius gingerly placed his hand on her waist.  Emia smiled, as if to encourage him, so he placed his other hand on her waist as well.  She gently moved her arms up his forearms, surprised at how easy this was.  All of the anticipation, all of the nervousness was fading away.  Their bodies moved together like old friends, and it shattered what nerves and awkwardness remained between the two.

The remaining members of the gang just watched in awe at Emia and Sirius…they were just so perfect together.

“…Well they’re packed pretty tight

in here tonight

I’m looking for a dolly who’ll see me right,

I may use a little muscle to get what I need

I may sink a little drink and shout out “She’s with me”…”

“You’re with me, aren’t you, Emie?!” Sirius shouted giddily as the two moved together.

“As with you as I can get,” was Emia’s smiling response.

“…A couple of the sounds that I really like

Are the sound of a switchblade and a motorbike…

At the mention of a motorbike, Sirius smiled slyly down at Emia, who blushed…remembering the bike he had made sure to fix up, and all of the trips to the Astronomy Tower.

“…I’m a juvenile product of the working class

Who’s best friend floats in the bottom of a glass.”

(Elton John, 1973- “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”)

All of the gang just stared in awe at Sirius and Emia, who had stopped dancing but were looking into each other’s eyes. 

“Wow, you guys dance pretty well,” Remus said softly. Everyone else murmured their agreement.

“Thanks,” said Sirius quietly while Emia blushed a little.

“Tell you what, guys,” said Peter, standing up.  “Lily, James, I’ve had a blast, thanks so much for inviting me, but I have to walk back to my grandparents’ house, and they don’t want me walking too much after nightfall…never know what creeps are lurking out there when the moon comes out!”

Lily and James stood up.  “Yes, of course,” Lily smiled, leading Peter to the door, and quickly grabbing his hat and other belongings.  “Have a safe walk, Pete, don’t get hurt or anything!”

“Thanks for coming!” James pitched in.

“Yes, thanks so much for coming, Pete! We’ll definitely see you when school starts!” Lily smiled, as she ushered Pete down her front walk.

“Alright! Bye Lil! Bye James! Bye everybody!”

A “Bye, Pete!” was chorused by all the remaining people and Peter sauntered casually down Lily’s street.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As Peter turned the block, an icy cold voice came from the shadows.  “Good evening.”

Peter turned frantically to see who was there and he could see a cloaked man standing on the corner.  But this is a Muggle neighborhood, Peter thought frantically.  Why would there be any cloaks or creepy voices around here?

The cloaked man looked in his direction imperiously.  “Well, tut, tut…no response…that’s impolite.”

“Uh…I mean, good evening, sir…but I really must be going.  I have to get to my grandparent’s house before my 10 pm curfew, it’s already 9:30, sir, and it’s quite a ways to walk.”

With that, Peter turned cautiously and began to take a few steps toward his grandparents.

“Oh…but I know you, Peter,” came the response.

Peter felt the icy cold of the voice penetrate through his body, desperately grasping his heart…giving him goosebumps and chills…the mere presence of this…thing…radiated…evil.

“H-How do you k-know my n-name?” Peter asked nervously, stuttering the whole while.

“Oh I’ve been watching you for quite awhile,” the icy voice continued, as the cloaked man began to circle the blonde boy.  “Peter Pettigrew.  You’re one of the Marauders of Hogwarts.  The rat…how appropriate considering what you are going to do for me.”

Peter felt some courage swell up in his soul, he wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing.  “W-why should I h-help you?! I don’t even know who you are.”

The circling stopped, and the cloaked man backed up towards a wall, into the moonlight. “That’s quite true,” he continued with the same cold demeanor.  “But I daresay you’ve heard of me…”  With that, two hands as white as snow with longer fingers than Peter had ever seen before reached up to the hood of the cloak, pulling it down.

Blonde hair met unkempt ebony.  Red snake-like slits met cowardly brown as the moment stood still.  “I am Lord Voldemort,” the icy voice said, quite unnecessarily.

“W-why d-do you w-want me?” Peter asked, shaking.

“You are quite right of course,” the voice continued silkily.  “What could a shaking pathetic wimp like you provide for me, the most powerful wizard in the world?  Well, there is one thing…do the names James Potter and Lily Evans ring a bell?”

Peter’s eyes widened.  “J-James and L-Lily?  W-what…I c-couldn’t d-do that!”

Voldemort sneered.  “Oh you can my little rodent.  And you will, after I tell you what is in it for you.”

Peter looked thoughtfully up at the menacing face.  “W-well?  W-what is i-in it f-for me?”

Voldemort looked down at the chubby boy.  “I believe you dislike living with your grandparents, don’t you?”

Peter nodded.

Voldemort continued.  “Well, I know a spell…would you perhaps like to live with your mother again?  She could be of great service to me…and this would put you and your mother in the highest rankings of my servants.”

Peter looked wistfully.  On one hand, he had his friends and staying with his annoying grandmother for the rest of his life, on the other, he had his mother and Voldemort, and a life of power…the choice was not to hard to make for Peter Pettigrew.

“I’ll do it,” Peter said with an evil grin.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sirius and Emia, meanwhile, were making themselves comfortable in a swing in Lily’s backyard.  Lily and James had gone to do the dishes, and Remus and Avia remained in the living room chatting, not taking eyes off of one another.

Sirius draped an arm idly over the back of the couch as he relaxed.  Emia sighed with contentment as she felt Sirius’ arm go from the bench to her back.

The blonde looked up to Sirius with a smile.  “Siri, you mean so much to me,” she whispered.

Sirius smiled down at her.  “You mean more to me than you know.”

“Exactly how much do I mean to you?” Emia asked coyly.

“Well, this is just a little bit of a reminder,” Sirius said huskily, lowering his head to catch his lips with hers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lily scrubbed a pan while James worked on cleaning out the cups. 

James looked up at the gorgeous redhead and asked quietly, “Lily, you were telling me about your insecurities earlier today, and I just want you to know something.”

Lily looked up to meet his eyes curiously.  “Yes, what is it?”

“You should know that I love you.  And that if I really love you, like I really do, then I don’t see other girls.  I don’t care how thin they are, because anything thinner than you is too thin, Lily.  You’re perfect.”

Lily’s eyes glazed over, but she swatted him playfully.  “I’m hardly perfect.”

James met her eyes with his, and leaned his head down.  “You’re perfect to me,” he uttered before kissing her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

B/A/N- More Lily/James stuff to come…more on Peter and Voldie…and yet another trip back to Hogwarts, the special school where magical things occur!  Oh, and you were wondering what will happen between Siri and Emie?  Well, you’ll find out more about their relationship when you come back next time for…BAD COMPANY!

 

 

 

 

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