Chappie 47: As Time
Marches On
The summer held many more fun parties in store for the gang as the
sixth year came closer and closer. It
was getting closer and closer to the day when Emia would again be separated
from her friends, and from Sirius.
Soon enough, that day came.
Emia, crying, was forced to Floo from Aunt Brunhilda’s fireplace, after
hugging her sister for what seemed like forever. The twins would be separated yet again by
their parents, parents that both twins had come to resent.
The scarlet steam engine hooted merrily in Platform 9 ¾ as Lily
encouraged James to hurry.
“Come on, James, we have to get up to the prefect’s compartment
sometime this year!” she yelled exasperatedly.
“Okay…calm down, Lils, honestly…not that big a deal.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remus, Peter, and Sirius were hurrying towards the train as departing
time clicked closer and closer.
Panting heavily, they jumped up into one of the cars and searched for
their usual compartment. They found
their compartment, but they found it occupied by some lovely Gryffindors
girls. The seventh year, Lasombra Tigre
herself, was there, and there were three fifth years as well.
Lasombra was just saying something to the girls when she looked up as
they were interrupted. “Oh, Sirius,” she
said with her heavy accent, “how have you been?
I’ve missed you.”
Sirius looked slightly taken aback, but switched into his usual
flirting mode anyway. He sat down next to
her, and answered politely, “Oh, I’ve been just fine, and you?”
Miss Tigre smiled her lovely grin and batted her lashes, saying, “I’ve
been simply dying without you.”
Sirius looked like he would start drooling on the upholstery any moment
now. Remus and Peter swooped down to
pull Sirius up and leave the compartment, when not only Sirius, but Lasombra
and the three fifth years protested.
“Guys, come on, Lily and James vowed to spend the whole ride in the
prefect’s compartment, and I have nobody better to talk to than some of my
fellow Gryffindors,” Sirius stated stubbornly.
Remus and Peter sighed, and let him stay.
Peter sat down with Sirius and the girls, but Remus left to find Avia.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
With a heavy heart, Emia Valmont trudged up the remaining steps to
How very wrong she was. As she
walked up the last step, a person hurriedly came down, and a collision ensued.
Emia, after falling into the dirt and scattering all of her belongings,
looked back at the person irritably.
Well, at least they’re not still
running, she said to herself.
No, indeed, the person had stopped.
And the person had turned around.
It was a boy, Emia’s age, a very handsome one at that. His bright blonde locks cascaded around his
face, for they were quite curly. His
mischievous emerald eyes could be seen through his ringlets though, and those
eyes intrigued Emia.
He moved back towards Emia, and helped her up, and began to collect her
belongings with her. “I’m terribly sorry
about that,” he said softly.
Emia smiled warmly. “No really,
it was my entire fault.”
He looked up at her with a grin.
“No, really…takes two to make a collision.”
Emia laughed. “Yes, I suppose it
does.”
Emia stuck out her hand.
“I’m Emia Valmont, do you go to school here?” she asked, pointing back
to the building.
“I’m Philippe, and um…yes, I do.
Wow…I didn’t realize you were magical, I thought you one of the
townspeople down there. A lot of people
come up from the town sometimes…and I don’t think I’ve seen you around school
before. What are you, a seventh year?”
“Sixth. And I don’t get out
much. What year are you?”
“Seventh…but hey, I’ve got to go.
I’ll see around…Emia.”
Emia slowly arose with all her belongings, and responded, “I’m looking
forward to it, Philippe.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The scarlet steam engine stopped, and people begin to disembark. Remus gently shook Avia, waking her up from
the sleep she had fallen into against his arm.
“Oh, are we here?” she asked, mid- yawn.
“Yup, here hon, here are your robes.
You need to go change really quick.”
“Okay,” without much of an argument, Avia headed towards the restroom.
Meanwhile, Sirius and Peter had just had a rather animated conversation
with the four girls.
Miss Tigre had been anything but subtle in her flirting with Sirius,
but he was rather enjoying it.
“So, Sirius, would you like to go out sometime?” she asked, batting her
dark eyelashes, and enticing Sirius with her lovely eyes.
“It’s a possibility,” he whispered softly as all thoughts of Emia were
left behind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The petite redhead disembarked from the train, James quickly in
tow. He kept stepping on her heels, he
was following so close. Every time he
did so, Lily would swirl around irritably and scold him furiously.
James looked curiously at her after she turned around. Something about Lily was different. This wasn’t the Lily he knew and loved, the
Lily in front of him was mean.
“Lily, are you okay?” he asked softly.
“Of course I’m okay!” she screeched.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know…you just seem…different…today.”
“I’m tired…no, you know what, James?!”
At this, Lily swiveled around to face James, hands on her hips.
He looked almost bored as he drawled out a “what?”
“This just isn’t working for me anymore.”
James definitely didn’t look bored anymore. His eyes opened in shock, following the
redhead as she marched quickly to the carriages.
“Lily, wait! What?”
“You heard what I said,” she called back.
“But, why? Aren’t you going to give me a
reason for calling off something that’s lasted for two years?!”
“Maybe.”
“MAYBE?! Care to be a little more specific?”
James asked irritably, following Lily into one of the carriages.
“Fine. James, I’ve spent the entire
past two summers with you, I spend all the year with you.”
“So?”
“I’m suffocating, James. We knew
this day would come…it couldn’t have lasted forever. One of us would eventually have been dissatisfied, I guess it just turned out to be me.”
“But…what about our Prefect duties, we’ll be forced to work together.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean making out…all we have to do is talk, and I
hope we can be friends,” she replied coolly.
James’ eyes widened at her audacity. “Well, Lily, I don’t really feel
like being your friend right now.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“YOU WHAT?!” Avia screeched as soon as Lily coolly told her the news. “What the hell did you go and do that for?!”
“He was getting on my nerves, Avie.
I’ve spent every single day this summer with him, and I just don’t see
the point anymore.”
“Lily, you know you’ll marry him…what’s the point in breaking up?”
Lily just looked irritably up at Avia over her trunk and Avia shut up.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In the months that passed, Lily and James became even more irritable
towards one another. James didn’t speak
to Lily in any way, and had taken to calling her “that bloody redhead” in
conversations, especially when she was in the room.
Lily was being very difficult, only talking to James when she could say
his name snidely.
None of the gang really supported the way they were acting, but Remus,
Sirius, Peter and Avia were just too scared of the wrath of the two if they
said a word.
So they didn’t say a word, and kept their real feelings to themselves.
In Hogsmeade one late November evening, Remus smiled to Avia over the
table. “Avie, what do you think will
happen to Lily and James?”
“They’ll end up together, we all know they will…those two have been
inseparable since they met, and I think that soon Lily will come to regret her
decision.”
He smiled again at her, and replied, “You’re probably right.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Emia walked down a corridor in Beauxbatons, loaded down with books and
her book bag. Not being able to see over
the tower of books in her arms, she collided into someone.
She looked up into the caring face of Philippe. “We’ve really got to stop doing this,” he
said with a smile.
She chuckled and replied, “Yes, if you want to meet me, you could just
ask…instead of scattering my belongings everywhere.”
He blushed and began helping to collect her things. “Well, Emia, um…could I meet you sometime?”
Emia’s eyes widened. Was he
asking her out? Well…what about
Sirius…but they were never officially dating, Sirius refused to commit before
she left for school. “Um…sure.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sirius draped a lazy arm across the back of the crimson common room
couch, and around a certain girl.
A certain seventh year, Lasombra Tigre.
“So, Miss Tigre,” he whispered suggestively in her ear.
“Yes?” she asked softly.
“What are you doing this Friday, December fifth?”
“Why?” she asked, looking coyly up into his face, suggesting that she
knew precisely why.
“I’d like to take you to Hogsmeade.”
“I’d be delighted.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*