When You Wish Upon a Star

When You Wish Upon a Star
by Christabell

Chapter Ten: Of Potterlets and Seekers

“Mel... I...” she looked up, urging Lily to continue. “I was such an idiot to dump him. Just being in class with him today has shown that. I still like James.”

“Well, tell him!” Melanie exclaimed. Lily looked at her sadly.

“I can’t. I can’t go out with him.” Melanie gave her a skeptical glance.

“And why the hell not? You obviously like the guy, and don’t even try to tell me that he doesn’t like you because that would be absolute bull. What’s holding you back?” Lily emitted a loud sigh.

“Because he hurt me, and could so easily do it again. I just don’t know anything right now.” Melanie studied her for a bit, and began to talk again, her enthusiastic attitude deflated.

“I suppose you’re right. If you ever want to talk about it, you can tell me, okay?” she asked kindly. Lily nodded.

“Oh crap!” she said suddenly, jumping up. “I need to go talk to Dumbledore!” Seeing the blank, confused look Melanie had on her face. “You must have heard about me teaching Divination, right? Well, I think I should probably run it by him before I take over one of his classes.”

“I suppose you’re right. Go on then, and good luck.” Lily grinned at Melanie as she ran out the door. She made found her way to the office she had entered with James only the day before. She uttered the password and walked in carefully, making sure that Dumbledore was not in the middle of anything.

“Ah, Miss Evans. Back again?” She nodded.

“I’m not quite sure if you heard about what happened with Divination today.” The old man smiled gently at her.

“Professor Augur came to see me only minutes ago. You just missed her. But I assume you are wondering what I will do about this, right?” Lily nodded once again. “That’s what I thought. Mz. Augur is no longer a professor. She resigned, and I’m afraid that I currently have no teacher for Divination. I’m afraid I will have to cancel that class...” he trailed off, looking pointedly at her.

“Oh no! Don’t do that. I taught the class today once Professor Augur left, and I would love to continue it if I may have your permission.”

“Of course you may. I was only waiting for you to ask, my dear. Now, let’s move ahead and start planning an arrangement. I will pay you, just like I pay the other professors for their work. You will not, however, be expected to attend staff meetings. I think I can arrange the schedule so that you will have three classes to teach. The first class will be third and fourth years, the second one will be fifth and sixth, and the last will be the seventh years.” Lily glanced at him shocked.

“I... I didn’t mean that I wanted to be paid. I’m not going to be doing anything that is hard for me. And how will I manage to teach three classes? I still have to attend my own!” Dumbledore laughed at Lily’s apprehension.

“Don’t worry about anything. Where there is a will, there’s a way,” he said, repeating the common muggle phrase. “I happen to have a time turner that you may borrow for this school year. I’ll show you how to use it, and it will work out splendidly. And for the money...”

“I feel bad accepting your money,” Lily interrupted.

“But you shall not work for free. Hmmm... Do you have a vault at Gringots?” he questioned.

“Yes, I do. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I know that you do not want money, but someday, you might need it if you are in a financial crisis. I shall have your total paycheck distributed into a separate vault, and have a key placed inside your own vault.” Lily looked amazed. “I won’t take no for an answer. Besides, even if you find no need for this money yourself, I’m sure it will come in handy for when you have your own children. They do tend to be quite expensive. Though I’m sure Mr. Potter’s money could cover both of you very well. His family is very rich you know...” His eyes twinkled at this suggestion, and pushing his chair back, stood up. “I will have the time turner mailed by owl to you soon. Good night, Lily.” She got up, and walked back to Gryffindor tower, almost in a daze. She had just reached the portrait when the meaning of Dumbledore’s words sunk in.

“Oh my god!” she screeched out loud. She entered the common room, only to be bowled over by James. He fell right on top of her, much like the position Sirius and Arabella had been in hours before. Lily glared at him.

“Ermm... I’m sorry, Lily?” he said hesitantly.

“No, James Potter,” she shouted. “I will not have your little... your little Potterlets, not now or later.” She pushed him off her. “And I don’t need your money either! I’m making enough by myself. I don’t care what that man thinks!” James stared at her as she looked menacingly at all the other occupants of the room. “I don’t care!” She stalked up to her empty dorm room, and flopped onto her bed. “The nerve of him. I don’t want to have any Potterlets.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the common room, it was still dead silent. James got up slowly, the look on his face resembling one of a confused child.

“I never said anything about her needing money. Or about having children with me... What the hell could have brought that up?” he questioned. Then, in the corner, Sirius began to snicker. Remus joined in, and soon, everyone else had.

“Oh god, James! You should see the look on you face.... when she said... and then... Potterlets! That girl is brilliant. I could kiss her!” Sirius exclaimed, laughing so hard he fell of his couch. He promptly got back up, trying his best to stay upright.

“You better not. Everyone knows I got one mean slap, and I’m not afraid to use it!” Arabella retorted. Sirius faked a whimper.

“Oh dear me... my girl friend is going to kill me. I can picture the headlines now... ‘Death by Slaps: Crazed Girl Kills Her Secret Love.’ I love it!” Arabella glared at him, and strode towards him.

“So you think you can get away with that, do you?” Sirius grinned.

“Yup. One of the many perks that comes with being your boyfriend,” he responded.

“Well we could just end that... There wouldn’t be any perks, would there?” Sirius grabbed the back of her head and pulled her into a searing kiss, forcing her onto the couch. Minutes later, they separated, gasping for air.

“You still want to end it?” Sirius asked innocently. “Well fine.” He moved to get up off the couch, feigning anger, but Arabella brought him back down.

“Siri, you know I didn’t mean it... Don’t go,” she protested. Sirius sat back down, locking lips with her immediately.

“PDA, PDA!” Peter shouted. Nearly everyone looked confused. “Public Display of Affection? Ever heard of it? No? Well just look at them!” he said sarcastically. Unnoticed by the laughing crowd, Remus slowly slipped up to Lily’s room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lily, what was that all about? I mean, all James did was trip. He wasn’t trying to press money on you, though he has enough to, and he certainly wasn’t asking you to go get it on with him. I don’t get it. Why did you do that?” Remus asked, confused.

“Remus, I know that James didn’t do that. It was Dumbledore’s fault.” Remus gave Lily an odd look.

“What do you mean? I’m sure he didn’t tell you to go have little “Potterlets” with James.”

“Yes he did... well, more or less. We were discussing my paycheck....” Remus cut in.

“You mean you’re really going to teach Divination? And get paid for it? That’s great!” He leaned over to give her a friendly hug.

“But I don’t want to get paid. It’s not like I’m rich or anything, but really. I don’t need to get paid to do something that is second nature for me. Especially when I’m only a student. But Dumbledore insisted that my money get placed in a special account at Gringots for when I have children. Then he suggested that James could help us out there, because with his money, our children would have nothing to worry about. Can you believe it?” Remus looked at her, turning red before bursting into laughter.

“That is the funniest thing I have ever heard. Dumbledore practically allowing you go get it on with James. That certainly explains quite a few things that you were yelling about.” Lily looked at him thoughtfully.

“I suppose I better go talk to James. He must be wondering what he did.”

“That he is. You should have seen him after you left. He was pretty upset.”

“Well, I’d best be off. I must go search the school for James.” Lily moved to get up, but Remus placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Give him another chance, Lily. I... I know James really well, and he has never cared about a girl as much as he cares about you. It’s killing him that he can’t have you. I would know... everything he’s around Sirius, Peter or I, all we hear about is you. How he was so much of an idiot and how he regrets it now.”

“Maybe he should have thought about that before he lied to me. Yes, it’s true I still like him, but I can’t change what he did, and I don’t think anything will work out between us in the future.” Lily’s voice was strong, but her eyes gave away her pain.

“I know, Lil. I’m sorry I pushed it. But I’m not really the one you should be telling this too. Go find James, and talk to him. I think it would help both of you. I’m not saying that you have to do this now. Just tell him sometime soon.” Remus removed him hand from her shoulder, and smiled sympathetically as Lily walked away. He sighed heavily before getting up and following her down the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several weeks passed, all with the common theme of Lily avoiding James, other than the necessary contact regarding their Head Girl and Boy duties. Lily had received her Time Turner from Dumbledore the day after she had talked to him, and had immediately started teaching her classes. She found she loved it, and was very pleased to find out that nearly everyone, save a few stubborn Slytherins, enjoyed her classes as much as she did. The only hitch was that she felt awful assigning reports, or holding exams, knowing how much she hated them herself. Finally, Dumbledore had buckled down, telling her the minimum amount of exams and quizzes that she would be required to give. Knowing she had a specific number that she had to assign made the whole process a lot easier.

She had indeed gone to Hogsmeade with Chris, and found that it was amazing. She had never seen anything like it, and Chris had laughed at her childish curiosity with everything she saw. James had been there too, and she had noticed him sending

Lily looked at the calendar posted on the wall in the Gryffindor common room. Quidditch tryouts were that afternoon, and she found herself nervous as could be. She would be making her flying debut at Hogwarts, and several of her persistent admirers had already informed her that they would be there, rooting her on. She dressed warmly, and picked up her Comet 05 broomstick. It was the latest model that had been sold on the market, and Lily had purchased it as quickly as she could. As she walked out to the Quidditch Pitch, she felt a chill run up her spine as a sudden wind picked up. Though it was only mid-October, the cold weather had been present for the past week already. She reached the Pitch, and stopped as she saw James. She had nearly forgotten that he would be one of the judges.

“Hey, I’m James Potter, one of the Gryffindor chasers,” he began.

“And the best damn Quidditch Captain that this school has ever seen!” added Sirius. James grinned at him.

“Well, that too. Alright, all you Quidditch hopefuls come over here!” James shouted. About 3/4 of the group moved over next to him. “And what are you doing here?” he questioned the remaining few. One scrawny boy, who looked to be about a second or third year spoke up.

“We’re here to cheer Lily on! She’s the best!” he said animatedly. James glanced over at the blushing girl who was staring at the grass.

“Well, if it’s alright with her, then you can go sit on the bleachers and watch. Lily?” She nodded.

“It’s not going to be that interesting, but you’re welcome to sit there.”

“Thanks a bunch, Lily!” the same boy piped up. “You’re the best!” Lily groaned.

“Why me?” she muttered under her breath. Any further thought was cut off by James.

“Okay, let’s have the seekers and beaters go with Sirius Black and Mike,” he said pointing to his best friend and a sixth year with brown shaggy hair, threatening to cover his eyes completely. “And the chasers with me. We need to pick one seeker, one beater, and one chaser. Good luck to you all.” Lily and four other Gryffindors made their way over to the two boys that James had pointed too.

“Alrighty then,” Mike said. “Let’s start with the seekers. How many of you are there?” Three hands rose, including Lily’s. “All you need to do is catch the Snitch once I release it. I’ll time you and look at your technique. That’s all there is too it. How about you go first?” he said, pointing at random. Soon everyone had gone except for Lily. “Your turn, Lily.” She smiled shakily at him, and picked her broom up. “Ready?”

“Ready as ever,” she responded. She flew upwards, and Mike released the Snitch. Lily glanced at it for a couple of seconds and took off. She never took her eye off it, and soon she was able to find its pattern. A minute later, she found her legs wrapped around the broom handle, both arms extended as far as they could go. She leaned forwards an inch more and felt her left hand clasp the cool, golden ball. Her feet touched the ground, triumph written all over her face. Numerous cat-calls and whistles rang out from the stands, and Lily noticed that everyone was staring at her.

“What?” she questioned.

“Good God, but you’re amazing!” Sirius proclaimed. “I mean, I’ve never seen anyone at Hogwarts catch the Snitch that quickly. A minute and nine seconds. That’s.... that’s incredible!” he stuttered.

Soon the chasers and beater had finished their tryouts as well, and the group huddled together in anticipation.

“We’ve come to our conclusion. It was pretty hard, and there were a lot of great players here. Before I read off these names, I want to let you know that anyone who didn’t make it should tryout next year. Don’t be discouraged. You all did really well. Alright, for Chaser, we have Kathleen Spinnet,” he said. A pretty girl with curly blond hair grinned widely as her friends congratulated her. “For Beater, Travis Sanders, and for Seeker, Lily Evans. Good job you guys. You deserved this.” Lily felt like she could jump up and down for joy. She had made the team and she knew there wasn’t any favoritism from James or anyone else.

“Congratulations, Lily,” James said softly. “I didn’t know that you were that excellent.”

“Thanks, James.” An awkward silence fell. “James, I know that I haven’t really talked to you much in the past few weeks. It’s just been really... strange, I guess. We need to talk. Come on,” she said. She led him inside, up the stairs, and next to the Gryffindor Common Room.

“Thank you.” James looked confused.

“For what?” he asked.

“Just look,” was all Lily would say. The door opened, and Lily led him up the numerous stairs until the reached the tower she had found on her first day. “We need to talk.”

“I know.”

“First, I want to apologize for what I did in the common room a while back. Dumbledore suggested, while talking about my paycheck for teaching, that your money could help me out with our kids. I just flipped out once I realized what he was saying, and you happened to be there. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I wish I had known that soon - I’ve been thinking that I did something incredibly wrong. It’s been awful for me these past few weeks. I... I hate not being around you, not being able to talk to you,” James confessed.

“Same with me. I still like you a lot. But how the hell do you expect me to trust you now? You were my first boyfriend, my first kiss, the first person to ever tell me I was beautiful, and you lied to me.” Lily’s voice was strong, but her eyes gave away her pain. “You said that you was protecting me until you found the right time to tell me everything, but how do I know that was true? How do I know that it’s not another lie? I don’t...” she trailed off, tears forming in her eyes. “I want to trust you, but I don’t know how.” James pulled her closer to him, giving her a tentative hug, his embrace growing stronger when he felt Lily sink into his chest.

“I am so incredibly sorry. I thought that what I was doing was right at the time. I didn’t think that it would end up like this. I didn’t want to hurt you...” he said, kissing her forehead gently. “Please believe me.” Lily looked up through her watery eyes, as her lips found their way to his cheek.

“I do believe you, James.” She wrapped her arms around him slowly as he dried her tears.

“Lil, will you... will you...?” James stumbled over his words.

“Yes, I will,” Lily responded. “Promise you will never do something like that again?”

“I promise.” James picked himself up off the floor and offered a hand to Lily. They walked down the stairs, their hands still intertwined, and as they reached the door, James placed a gentle kiss on Lily’s lips. “I promise.”