Nothing On Earth

Chapter Twelve

April 13th, 1912

9:45 AM

R.M.S. Titanic

The general room was abuzz this morning. It was no louder and no less rowdy than it normally was, but there was an unspoken excitement among many of the passengers that caused it to seem different than usual. For instance, quite a few of the more unpleasant characters seemed to be in a more sociable mood and the children were less wild, as Remus had yet to trip over one walking in the doorway.

Remus hadn't the faintest clue as to why the sudden change had come. They weren't supposed to be docking for at least another four days and the breakfast this morning hadn't been that great...Still, something had gotten everyone excited and he was planning on figuring out what had very soon.

He spotted James sitting with Jack Dawson over in one of the corners, and he moved toward them.

James had come back from his dinner in first class at around ten last night and had showed up in the general room still wearing Regulus's suit. He'd made a great show of his victorious return by recounting the night's events and imitating the first class passengers he had seen, much to the enjoyment of the children who were still awake at the time. Once he'd finished soaking up his glory, he and Remus had walked back to their cabin, where Remus had been forced to listen to his friend go on and on about Lily.

He had been stunned to learn how fast (and how risky) James's relationship with Lily was growing (he'd tried to kiss her twice? She'd seen him half-naked?), and the need to stop their liaison in its tracks was becoming overwhelmingly strong. It was as though James had completely forgotten that Lily was marrying a murderer who wouldn't hesitate to get James out of his way.

Unfortunately, James was completely ignoring his previous knowledge about Malfoy and was plowing headfirst into a whole field of trouble. Before Remus could bring up this problem to his friend, however, James had already retired for the night.

Remus was still awake at midnight when Sirius knocked on their cabin door. He was being plagued by his conscience for what he had told Malfoy that night, and he and Remus had had a long talk in one of the stairwells about it.

"What else could I have done, Moony?" Sirius whispered despairingly after relaying the whole story about his betrayal. "They're suspicious enough as it is - they would have killed me if I hadn't said something!"

Remus patted his friend comfortingly on the shoulder.

"You did what you had to, Padfoot. You know that James and I would've done the same thing if we were in your situation."

"But - But I was - we were planning on betraying him anyway...I would've done it even if Malfoy hadn't prompted me. Does that still make it right? Was this even right to begin with?"

"Of course it was right!" Remus responded brusquely. "It's for his own good - "

"I kept telling myself that, but James can decide what's good or not for him too! It's a bit rich coming from me, but we were too rash! We should've confronted him and let him decide - "

"Sirius, have you seen him when he talks about her? He's too blinded by his - his - " Remus stumbled, trying to think of a word to describe James's feelings for Lily. It wasn't love; it couldn't be love. But whatever it was, it went beyond simple friendship and was deeper than lust, "by his emotions that he can't see what's going to happen if he continues it! I warned him not to get too attached, Sirius, I honestly did! But he didn't listen and that's why we had to interfere! Don't you see? James would let himself get killed because he was too thick to realise that Malfoy isn't ignoring him and Lily anymore!"

"Remus, mate! Come sit and please tell Jack what an idiot he is!"

James's voice cut into Remus's memory and severed it for the time being. He forced a grin on his face and slid into the seat next to his friend.

"What did poor Jack do to offend you now?" Remus asked, looking at the blond American, who simply rolled his eyes. "Did he tell you that you like an alley cat that's just been run over by a lorry? Well, sorry mate, but you always look like that."

Jack laughed and James scowled, bringing a lighted cigarette to his lips. Remus frowned; he hadn't seen James light one of those foul things up in a few days. He supposed he had Lily's presence to thank for their previous absence.

"So, what's got everyone here so excited?" Remus continued cheerfully, ignoring the smoke James had blown in his direction. "Did someone die overnight?"

"I wish you had," James grumbled, taking a long drag on his cigarette.

"I've got no idea," Jack answered, shrugging as scribbled on his sketchpad. "I got up a bit late this morning and missed a good part of breakfast...I bet Tommy or Fabrizo know something though. Do you want me to find 'em and ask?"

Remus waved his offer off.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough...Anyway, where did you disappear to last night? You missed Mr. Egotistical's return from the land of the beautiful."

Jack continued on with his doodle for a bit before he answered. "I went above decks to have a smoke and think. The stars were really nice last night...Met this girl...She was really something..."

"Not another one," Remus groaned.

"You're one to talk, Moony. What about Sigrid and her English lessons?" James asked, chewing on the end of his cigarette with a knowing look on his face

Remus felt himself colour and tried to babble an explanation for himself. While Sigrid was very pretty and a nice girl all together, the frustrating language barrier and her very large and imposing father were not helping the relationship between the two of them at all. Also, whenever they talked, there was always the knowledge that Remus probably never see Sigrid again after Titanic docked; her family was moving to Minnesota and he was staying in New York. At least Remus had the sense to not start a serious relationship he couldn't be in.

"Oh, shut it," James replied, cutting off Remus's babbling. He took on last drag on the cigarette before putting it out on the surface of the table. "So, Dawson, what does this 'really something' girl look like?"

Jack frowned and scribbled one last thing in his sketchpad before handing it over to James. Remus leaned over to have a look at it as well - he'd seen Jack's other drawings and liked the young man's work.

The girl on the paper was, as the American had put it, really something. She had long, dark curls that were blowing freely around her elegant face. Her eyes were shinning with an incredulous look and her mouth was slightly open, as though she was about to ask a question. Her shoulders were bare and a lone earring was hanging from her ear.

"That's...well, that's really good, Jack." Remus complimented at last.

"Thanks."

James suddenly jabbed a finger at the drawing.

"Wait a second...I know who she is! She was at dinner last night...Rose Dewot-Baker or something."

"Dewitt-Bukater," Jack corrected, reaching over and taking the sketchpad away from James. He tried not to look too eager as he continued. "Was she...er...interesting? Nice?"

"No," James snorted, not noticing the obvious disappointment that had come across Jack's face. "She was really stiff and quiet. Kinda just sat there and stared...Then again, her fiancé's a right arse - "

"Everyone's fiancé is a right arse to you," Remus muttered, rolling his eyes.

James was about to reply (probably over the fact that Lily's fiancé was more than an arse) when someone called his name from across the room. He looked over his shoulder hopefully and Remus followed his gaze. James's expression, if anything, brightened and Remus grinned.

"Prongs, you charmer...Keep this up and you'll have to start beating the girls away with a mallet."

"Oh, shut it," James said again as he stood up. He walked a few paces before bending low and scooping a little blonde girl into his arms.

The girl - Aileen Kiernan, if Remus's memory served him correctly - shrieked in excitement and the large, gaudy hat she was wearing slipped down her face and over her eyes. James titled it back upwards, a grin on his face, and bounced her in his arms.

"Well, how's my favourite girl today? Are you behaving yourself for your poor mum?"

Yesterday, James and Lily had eaten breakfast with Aileen and her mother. Mrs. Kiernan was travelling alone, having just recently been widowed, and was planning on meeting her brother in New York. James, being the bleeding soul he was, had offered to watch her for a few hours so Mrs. Kiernan could have some time to herself or get some much needed rest. Mrs. Kiernan gladly accepted, having been at her wit's end.

Aileen captured a place in James's heart the moment her mother left them alone. The girl was a ball of energy and James had spent most of their time together playing games or chasing her around the general room. The only time either of them had sat still or taken a rest during that period was when Lily had offered to braid Aileen's hair. The hat that was now perched upon her blonde curls had once been Lily's and she'd given it to the younger girl as a present when her mother had come back.

"Yes, James!" Aileen giggled, an adorable smile crossing her face.

"Are you sure about that?" James asked, arching a black eyebrow playfully. "I may just have to ask your mum...Good morning, Mrs. Kiernan."

James shifted Aileen in his arms so he could speak to her approaching mother properly. Mrs. Kiernan, like her daughter, was blonde, but it had already begun to grey in a few places and her face had a very worn look about it. She didn't look as exhausted as she had yesterday, which Remus thought was a good sign.

"And good mornin' to you, Mr. Potter," she replied in her thick Irish accent. "I hope Aileen didn't interrupt you."

"Interrupt me?" James replied, setting the girl down as she began to squirm uncontrollably in his arms. "Nah, I'd never consider her an interruption...She's too sweet for that."

Aileen was currently tugging at James's trousers for attention and looked to be quite annoyed that her new friend was ignoring her.

"I want to thank you for watching her yesterday...You and Miss Evans got her settled right down."

James frowned at the mention of Lily and Aileen's tugging became more persistent. Finally, after a few more words said between him and Mrs. Kiernan, he looked down at the little girl.

"D'you need something, Aileen?"

"Jaaameees," she whinged, a pout forming on her lips. "Where's Miss Lily? I don't see her and I want her to do my hair again!"

James considered her briefly before bending down to her level and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I...I don't know whether she'll be coming today, Aileen...She had to go back to first class."

"But she's coming to the party tonight, right?" Aileen asked hopefully.

"A party?" James repeated, his brow knotting in confusion. "What party?"

"Is that what everyone's so excited about?" Remus asked, looking at Mrs. Kiernan for confirmation.

She nodded. "Some of the boys from home are going to play their pipes for everyone tonight and a few others have volunteered their instruments as well."

"How come I didn't see you volunteering your piano skills, Potter?"

James shot a dark glare over his shoulder in Jack's general direction.

"It's bein' held here 'bout an hour after dinner. Drinks and lots of dancin', of course...Wanted to celebrate before observing the Lord's Day tomorrow," Mrs. Kiernan continued, gently tugging on her daughter's shoulder. "Come on, missy...Let's leave Mr. Potter be."

"Miss Lily told me she was a really good dancer and I want to see! You'll get her to come, right?" Aileen pleaded, her eyes big and round like a puppy's. She had already learned how to play James like a harp. "Please, James?"

James stood and looked down at the girl, an unreadable expression on his face. After a brief hesitation, he replied, "Sure, Aileen."

The girl's face broke out into a grin as her mother pulled her away. She waved at James before the two of them walked out of the general area and James stared after them, his face a strange mix of emotions.

"A party..." he murmured contemplatively.

Remus recognised the warning signs too late. Before he could stop James from doing something stupid, James dashed away toward the stairs.

***

"Prongs, do you know how dangerous this is? Malfoy's not sitting and twiddling his thumbs any more - "

"I know, I know, Padfoot!" James exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I'm not stupid - "

"You could've fooled me," Sirius responded crossly, folding his arms over his chest. His brow was knitted in anger and his eyes had narrowed to hard, blue silts. "Whatever scheme you may have come up won't work. You're just going to get yourself and her into more trouble - "

"Will you just listen to me for once?" James snapped. They were talking in a shadowy corner on the poop deck, having moved there after James had quite literally run into Sirius on the stairs. It was just as well that they had found and talked to each other now, rather than later - it gave Sirius more time to come up a better excuse than the one James had hastily concocted. "After what Remus told me you did - "

"I didn't have a choice!"

James huffed exasperatedly and pulled his coat tighter together. The weather had gotten increasingly colder since they had left Southampton and there were mutterings among the crew about icebergs, but James hadn't seen one yet. It was rumoured that Captain Smith had steered the ship a bit further south than normal, as a precaution, but James believed he'd needn't have bothered - iceberg season was nearly over with and few ships actually ran into them anymore anyway.

"I know you didn't have a choice, mate, believe me. But after what you did, I figured I had to be more careful and cunning. Bring out the Slytherin in me, so to speak," James replied, cracking a grin when Sirius shuddered in undisguised disgust. "So I devised a clever little plan and you're a vital part of that, as always."

Sirius sighed and leaned against the wall, obviously relieved that James wasn't mad at him. "What do you want me to do?"

"Lie to Malfoy."

"Well, you've once again shocked me with your cleverness, Prongs! Lying to Malfoy...I would've never thought of that on my own! Please, continue to enlighten me with the progressing wisdom of your plan!"

James glared. Sirius must have one hell of a hangover if he was still this irritable at eleven in the morning.

"Well, before you lie to Malfoy, you need to go up there," he pointed to the first class area just above them, "and lie to Lily."

"She's up there?" Sirius asked, following James's finger and looking suddenly quite panicky. "Now?"

James shook his head.

"She will be in a few minutes. I paid a steward to go fetch her about a half an hour ago. Told him to say that you wanted to talk to her out on the deck and to escort her to this point," he explained, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What you need to do is stage a conversation with Lily, just in case someone followed her, and then walk off a few minutes later. I'll handle it from there."

"I suppose I'll have to come with some creative excuse when Malfoy interrogates me tonight, then?" Sirius asked, standing up straight again as James nodded. "All right...Against my better judgment, I'll do this."

"Good! Now, get up there and act like...er..."

"A Black?"

James shrugged and Sirius rolled his eyes. He clapped James on the shoulder before walking over toward the stairs. At the base, he paused and turned to look back at him, a pondering expression on his face.

"What makes you think that this steward that you found won't go running to Malfoy once he's done his job for you?"

James smirked.

"Let's just say that he's from a family that would love to see Lucius Malfoy get his comeuppance."

***

Bill Weasley couldn't believe he had agreed to do this. It had to be the stupidest thing he'd ever done in his life and if his mother ever found out about it, she would skin him alive. But he was doing it all the same, despite all of his misgivings.

When James Potter had first approached him in a corridor and requested a favour from him about an hour and a half ago, Bill's first reaction had been to tell him to sod off and find someone else. Sure, it was a rude response, but Bill's first impression of Potter had been one of a troublemaker of the worst sort and it wasn't in his interest to associate with that kind of people. Bill had begun to walk away and then Potter had appealed to the one fixation that Bill couldn't say no to.

"If you help me out, you'll be able to take a hit at Lucius Malfoy!"

It was a well-known fact that the Weasleys and the Malfoys had never gotten along for as long as they had known each other. They were both two of England's oldest families and their feud was almost as old as they were. It had just gotten worse as the years progressed, though no one really remembered how it had started.

Lucius Malfoy and Bill's father, Arthur, had been the ones to finally push it over the edge. They'd known each other for only a brief time, yet that was still enough to foster the great loathing that was shared between them now.

Bill had been eight years old when the feud hit rock bottom. His father had killed the Malfoy's younger brother in self-defence and when the courts ruled him innocent, things started rolling down hill for the Weasley family.

After the trial, Arthur was fired from his position at the Ministry, which said that they didn't want a murderer working for them, but both his father and uncles agreed that Malfoy and his influence had something to do with it. But they weren't worried; Arthur would be able to get another job and even if he didn't, they still had the family fortune to rely on.

Then, two months later, Arthur had gone to the bank to withdraw some money. The problem was that there was no longer any money in any of Arthur's accounts. Strangely, only Arthur's accounts at the bank had been affected, but when all the relatives had gone to check their assets, property rights and deeds could not be located, had been lost, or simply disappeared from their files.

Overnight, the Weasleys went from one of the richest families in the nation to paupers. Bill's parents had to sell their manor house and all their fine things to ensure that they could have a suitable life even without the fortune. Arthur had been sure things would look up; he would get another, well-paying job and until then, his brothers would help support him. Both plans never worked out in the end - no employer would hire someone who had enraged the Malfoys and Bill's uncles turned on them, not wanting to bring Malfoy's wrath upon them as well. His family eventually sunk into the worst state of poverty.

When the news broke, the press had had a field day. They blamed it all on Arthur, claiming he had gambled the entire fortune away over the years or attacked Molly, saying she had been irresponsible and spent it all on herself, to "stuff her fat face" as one of the nastier articles had stated. It was the biggest scandal in recent years and although so much attention had been focused on it, no one seemed to connect the Malfoys to any of it, even though they had ended up with an extraordinary amount of the Weasleys' old property.

Lucius Malfoy was the reason why his father had to work as a milkman, why his mother worked day in and day out as a seamstress, and why Bill himself had to forgo the best education England could offer to help support his four brothers. He was the reason why the Weasley name no longer commanded honour or got snickers in response.

So even though James Potter might be up to no good or be the worst sort of criminal, Bill had turned right around and accepted his offer. For as far as Bill was concerned, anything he could do to bring that bastard Malfoy down just a notch would be worth the risk.

It also didn't hurt that he was getting six pounds out of the deal either.

***

Petunia took a sip of her tea, listening to the countess blather on about some formal party she had attended ages ago in London. Lady Duff Gordon's comments were no better, as they usually consisted of which nobles were buying her clothing and lingerie designs this season. Neither women had offered up any delectable gossip for them to discuss and Petunia was rather disappointed, for the last time she had talked to one of these ladies, there had been a startling amount of talk to choose from.

There was never enough good gossip to mull over these days. It was as though everyone had decided to live good, clean, pious lives from now on. But that was a simply prosperous idea; no one had fun living a life full of virtues and no one had fun talking about a virtuous life either.

However, because of the scarce amount of new gossip, Petunia was always forced to drag up the topic of Lily's upcoming wedding. It had been a wonderful thing to discuss at first, but now that she had told the same thing over and over again, it was getting dreadfully boring. She'd lost count on how many times she'd mulled over every detail with her tea mates, and now she dreaded her turn at gossip instead of actually enjoying it.

Petunia supposed that the discussion would be a bit less boring and more interesting if Lily actually wanted to say something for once, but her sister had never liked talking about the wedding and as the date kept getting closer, she kept tightening her lips further.

But this behaviour was nothing new. Lily was never one to talk at teatime and when she did, her topics brought such disbelieving stares that she stopped almost instantly. Petunia was constantly being embarrassed by her sister's lack of socialisation and misconduct in general whenever they sat together. Lily had picked up such awful habits over the years - chewing her nails, slouching, and smoking (which Lucius had thankfully stopped before it escalated) just to name a few. Her actions had revolted every other man she'd met and it was a wonder how someone as wonderful as Lucius could've decided to marry her.

With the way things were going, however, it would be a wonder if there still would be a wedding in July. Lily and Lucius's fights were getting worse as the wedding neared and the whole voyage on Titanic seemed to have increased the tension between them, though it had been meant to be a relaxing trip. Petunia could easily trace the blame to this problem, however.

James Potter was ruining Lily's life. It seemed that ever since he had stepped in the picture, Lily had become increasingly miserable and despondent, while Lucius's temper had been tested to the breaking point. Potter was the cause of all Lily's problems, and it was his fault that Lucius and Lily had had that terrible fight last night. It was his fault that Lily had a horrible bruise marring her face this morning. He was doing more damage to her sister than Petunia had previously though imaginable.

Potter needed to be eradicated from Lily's life. He was like a tick, feeding off Lily as if his life depended on it, and Petunia would be the one to pick him off and crush him under her heel.

"Ah...pardon me ladies..."

Petunia looked over the Countess's shoulder where a young steward was standing, shuffling his feet nervously. She sniffed, noticing his uniform was that of the third class. He had red hair and freckles...a Weasley, obviously.

"Can we help you?" Petunia asked, glaring at him. He didn't belong up here; no Weasley belonged in the first class anymore. If anything, her glare made him more uncomfortable, but his confidence didn't seem to waver as much as it should've.

"Bill?"

Petunia tore her eyes away from the young Weasley and stared incredulously at her sister. What was she doing, associating with stewards and a Weasley at that? It was even worse than that despicable Potter!

"What're you doing here?" Lily asked politely, ignoring Petunia's menacing stare and fixing Weasley with a warm smile.

"Oh...er...I've been sent with a message for you, Miss Evans," Weasley responded, bouncing on his toes. He was a poor example of proper steward behaviour, that much was certain. "Mr. Sirius Black wants to see you out on the Promenade deck. Says he's got something to say to you and I'm supposed to escort you."

Lily's expression darkened significantly. Petunia smelled a story. Lily and Black had been on good terms before the voyage, and now her sister could barely stand to be in the same room as him. Petunia supposed it had something to do with Black joining with whatever Lucius and Tom Riddle were doing, but she didn't see why Lily had to be upset about it. After all, she accepted that her fiancé was...well, engaging in some questionable business without compliant.

"Why must Mr. Black see Lily in private?" Petunia asked out of concern for her sister. If Black was up to something, Petunia wanted to be around to hear it. "Can't he come inside and give her this message?"

"I don't know ma'am. He just said that he wanted to see Miss Lily alone...Probably very important, I presume...Then again, I'm just a simple Weasley, so you probably won't listen to my opinion anyway," Weasley finished scathingly, boldly returning her gaze.

Lily hid her snickers with one gloved hand and Petunia pursed her lips in annoyance. The nerve of that boy...

"Your family always did have a problem with recognising their betters," she shot back, reaching for her teacup. Weasley's smug expression slid right off his face and Lily fixed her with an icy glare. "But go ahead and take her. Just make be back before we go to lunch at one-thirty...Lucius won't like it if she's late."

***

"I apologise for my sister's behaviour, though it really won't do much good. She's really not very polite to anyone."

Bill looked over his shoulder at her as they walked out onto the B-Deck Promenade, a surprised expression on his face. They hadn't spoken much during their walk out onto the deck simply because Bill had asked her to hurry, and talking and hurrying didn't go well together. Instead of taking the normal way up the deck, Bill had led her through a long corridor of staterooms and then up the aft first class staircase. When she'd asked, he said it took less time then walking on the Promenade, which Lily really didn't believe, but didn't voice her opinion of it.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Evans. I'm quite used to it by now," Bill replied, leading her toward the stern. "A lot of the other stewards think they can bully me because of it, but the last one who made fun of my family got a black eye."

"You can call me Lily, if you like," she responded, grinning. This was the most amusement she'd had all morning. "I don't care much for being proper, if you can't already tell."

"All right...Lily," Bill muttered, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks.

Silence enveloped them again as they walked further down the deck, passing very few people as they went. It was brighter than it had been in the reception room, but a chilly breeze had come up, the air its coolest since they had left Southampton. Lily wished she'd thought to stop at her stateroom to get a coat and hoped Sirius wouldn't keep her outside for too long.

She frowned at the thought of Sirius. What was so important that he needed to talk to her in private? Why did he need to talk to her at all even? She was hardly his closest acquaintance; if he had a problem, why didn't he go running to Lucius and Riddle instead of her?

"Bill, do you have any idea what he wants to speak to me about?"

"Er...no," Bill replied quickly. There was something about his tone and the way his face flushed that made her think he actually did know what Sirius wanted. "He...just approached me on the deck this morning and asked if I'd want to run an errand for him, which was to find you and tell you that he had something to say."

"I see," Lily muttered as they approached the end of the promenade shelter. She could see Sirius's tall form leaning against the rail separating the first and steerage classes. His body language simply screamed boredom and he currently looked involved with examining his fingernails...typical Black behaviour. "I believe I can make it from here, Bill. I'm sorry that you had to be pulled away from whatever you were doing for this..."

"It's no problem, Miss Lily," Bill replied, his blush increasing. "I - I wasn't doing anything much anyway."

They stopped at the end of the enclosed promenade and Lily stuck out her hand. Bill shook it, gave her an encouraging smile and tipped his hat to her before turning and walking away.

Lily took a deep breath and set her face into a frown as she walked over to where Black stood. He straightened as she neared, looking irritable, though there was a small smirk on his face.

"What do you want Black?" she asked, halting in front of him. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look formidable.

"You know, I do believe that that Weasley boy is starting to fancy you," Sirius responded, ignoring her inquiry and looking over her shoulder at Bill's retreating figure. "If you're not careful, you'll have another one after you and old Lucius won't like that, will he?"

"Bill does not fancy me!" Lily exclaimed indignantly, feeling herself colour at the thought. Sirius raised an eyebrow challengingly and his smirk grew wider. "Oh, you - you...I knew this would happen! You'd drag me out here just to make fun of me and make it a complete waste of my time! I could be - " she paused, noticing the sudden, intense look on his face, "w -what?"

"What happened to your face?" he asked, pointing to her cheek. Something suspiciously close to concern crossed his face before it disappeared. "That looks like a bruise..."

"It's nothing," Lily responded quickly. She looked away from him and at her feet. "I - I ran into a door last night, that's all."

She hated it when people asked her about her bruises or scratches. It made her feel vulnerable and weak, but most of all, it made her feel guilty. Guilty that she couldn't stand up for herself and tell them that Lucius was the cause, not a fall down the stairs or a run in with a door. Guilty that she couldn't just admit to them that her fiancé was a cold, heartless man who hit her and threatened her life. Guilty that instead of telling the truth about everything, she had to lie and cover up for Lucius. She had to blame herself instead of her overbearing fiancé and his violent fists.

But that was hardly the worst part of the experience. Easily the most painful part came when the questioner would look away, satisfied with her answer, and ignore the pleading look in her eyes, her helplessness of the situation. They could pester her for the truth if they wanted; they could see past her feeble lies and excuses if they wanted, but they never did. They never wanted to look deeper in and discover the truth that they knew was lying somewhere in her.

Even if they did continue to ask, however, she would never admit the truth. She was frightened to admit that Lucius hit her, frightened of what the results would be to both herself and the person she had admitted the truth to. The first and only time she had opened up to someone, her friend had died death two days later and she had received three broken fingers in return.

Lily didn't want to admit it either. She knew it was a common experience; Petunia often sported a bruise from Vernon, but never nearly as often as Lily did. Admitting would mean she was weak, that she couldn't take care of herself...and she didn't want to pitying looks, the soft, treacherous whispers behind her back.

She could take care of herself. She was strong. No one needed to know...

"...You ran into a door?" Sirius repeated, his eyes and tone sceptical.

"Yes! I wasn't looking where I was going and - oh, what does it matter anyway?" she demanded angrily. There came that stubborn denial again, that wouldn't let her back or break down. "I didn't come out here to talk about my face! What do you want to tell me?"

"Oh...er...Can we move over here to talk about it?" he asked, looking rather uncomfortable suddenly. Without waiting for an answer, he gently grabbed her by the elbow and led her to a small corner near the separating railing. It was far more secluded than the open deck, with ship machinery, a bench, and railings boxing them in. Sirius backed her to the railing, blocking her from view.

"What's this all about?" she repeated wearily, growing tired of all the games he was playing.

He stared stonily at her for a moment, arms crossed over his chest, and then he spoke, his tone tense.

"I'm not doing this because I want to, you must understand. I owe him a favour and I'm a man of my honour, despite the way I come off as a careless git."

"You're not making any sense. If you've dragged me away from tea for a game of riddles, I'm going to be - "

"Oh, don't pretend you're upset about missing tea. I know you better than that - you hate teatime and always will hate teatime, no matter what you say."

She glared at him, hating him for knowing her so well. She hated herself, too, for still enjoying and liking his company, even when she shouldn't.

"Anyway, I'm not the one who really needs to talk to you," Sirius continued, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the poop deck. "He does."

Lily stared at him, wondering if he had finally gone mad, and then -

***

Lily's face paled after his hint and she suddenly looked stricken.

"Oh, no...No, no, no!" she cried, taking a step away from him and bumping into the railing. "I can't - I mustn't talk to him!"

Sirius stared at her, taken aback by her refusal. He'd thought she be overjoyed to see James again, thought she'd nearly leap over the rail in excitement...He'd never imagined she would actually refuse to talk to him.

"What do you mean you 'can't'?" he asked before he could stop himself. "You sure as hell didn't have a problem with seeing him yesterday."

"You don't understand! Lucius found out about yesterday and he - he..." Lily's hand flew unconsciously to her bruised cheek and suddenly, Sirius knew the cause behind its sudden appearance. He recalled the murderous look Malfoy had had on his face when he'd gone stomping off to confront Lily last night and a painful stab of guilt went through Sirius, reminding him of yet another person that had been hurt because of him. "A - and I just can't see him! For his sake and mine...It's not worth the risk - "

"Do you know how much trouble he went through to talk to you for five minutes? He dragged me out of bed so I could put up a farce for your fiancé, the man I work for now!" Sirius replied angrily. "Don't you think he knows that things were going to get harder after last night's dinner? That's why he went through all the trouble of hiring the Weasley boy and reminding me of all my damn favours! He obviously has something important to tell you, Miss Evans, because Potter never plans anything."

"It's not like I don't want to see him!" Lily exclaimed, turning away from Sirius and looking out over the dark blue ocean. "I've been dying to see him all morning. I can't stand being away from him and I don't know why...I feel so...so alive when I'm with him." She put her face in one shaking hand and shook her head slowly. "But Lucius - Lucius...He has spies everywhere and if he finds out, James will be in more trouble than I want to think about. And...And he won't be very happy with me, either. Besides," she looked over her shoulder at him, her tone cynical, "you'll probably go run and tell him everything once I agree, so what's the point of even trying to talk to him?"

"I won't," he declared. "I told you, I'm a man of honour. Though it's against my will entirely, I'm going to respect Potter's wishes and keep my mouth shut about your little meeting today."

"I've been gone far too long already. He's probably sent Snape to look for me."

Sirius frowned. It sounded like she was making up excuses for staying away from James.

"I'll do you both one more favour and lure Snape away if he comes near, all right? If there's one person I hate more than Potter and Lupin, it's Snape," Sirius vowed. "Now, please just go and talk to him so I can go eat my lunch with some peace of mind."

Lily turned around and observed him carefully with her bright green eyes. He'd always found them slightly unsettling, especially when she stared at him for a long time.

"Where is he?" she asked finally, sighing resolutely.

"Just below us," Sirius said, pointing over the railing again. "You've just got to stand here and he'll talk to you. You're fiancé's already doing a very thorough job of keeping Potter in the third class. He's gotten yelled at four times already."

"You promise you won't tell Lucius?"

"I told you I won't, but you can't stay long. Just listen to what he says and leave, all right?"

She nodded, looking slightly puzzled, and he turned, walking out of their hiding place. He hurried along the starboard side of the deck and as soon as he entered the enclosed promenade area, he saw that Lily was correct in her assumption. Snape was already prowling the deck a bit further ahead and advancing in his direction.

Sirius sighed and marched forward, intent on intercepting Snape before he got any further along or at least stalling him for a good while so Lily and James could talk without being found.

"Well, if it isn't our good friend, Black," Snape stated, a sneer crossing his features. He stopped as Sirius approached.

"What're you doing out here, Snape? Aren't you allergic to sunlight?" Sirius snapped in response, angered by Snape's condescending tone.

"I'm simply investigating a claim made by Mrs. Dursley concerning yourself and Miss Evans...Considering your past history with the girl, I felt it best that I take a look into the situation."
Sirius cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Well, for you information, all I did was have a talk with her, but it's no use going to check up on her. She got mad at me and stomped off around the port side."

"What did you tell Miss Evans that upset her so?"

Sirius began walking in the opposite direction, hoping that Snape would follow him, and the other man did so, falling for the ploy.

"Oh, just something I heard from one of my sources. You remember Remus Lupin, don't you? Well, he doesn't like the idea of Evans and Potter either, and he told me what Potter's next plan to try and seduce Evans was. It's a cunning plan, which is rather uncharacteristic of Potter. You'd think he was trying to bring out the inner Slytherin in him..."

***

James wished Sirius would stop taking his sweet time with talking to Lily and go away already. The deck hands were starting to get suspicious and James had been forced to smoke three cigarettes to make it look as though he was actually doing something. They all seemed to think he was up to something (of course, they were correct in that assumption) and every five minutes or so, one of them would walk over his way or shoot a suspicious glare in his direction. James supposed these must've been the crew who had been paid off by Malfoy - surely no other crew members would waste time checking up on a passenger who had been harmlessly smoking for fifteen minutes.

James was currently leaning on the railing with his fourth cigarette in hand, directly below Sirius and Lily. He could hear their voices, but there was too much distance and noise for him to understand or catch any of the words. When he looked up, he could also just barely see them. Sometimes he caught a trousered leg, a twirl of a navy skirt, or the flash of her hair...

It was torture to be so near her and not be with her. Her absence had been unbearable and now, being so close but still too far away, was driving him insane. Every moment Sirius wasted, James got more and more desperate to see her face, to touch her skin, to hear her laugh...

He didn't know why he felt this about her; it was the most complex and incomprehensible feeling he had ever had for anyone. How could he feel so empty when she wasn't with him? Why did she affect his moods at the drop of a hat? Why had he never felt this way about other girls? Was he - was he...

No. He couldn't be. He'd only known her for three days at the most; it was impossible for him to be -

"James?"

James snapped to attention and immediately looked up. Lily was leaning over the railing above him, a look of trepidation on her face.

"Lily!" he exclaimed, dropping his cigarette in surprise. Her face softened when he spoke and a smile flittered across her features. "It sure took you two long enough!"

She frowned and cupped an ear with her hand. "What? I can't hear you!"

"I said, it sure took you two long enough!"

"I do hope that a shouting match isn't your idea of discrete either!" she laughed, obviously not hearing a word he'd just said.

James laughed too, an elated feeling flowing through him. Why was it that the very sound of her voice made him so light-headed and carefree?

"Just hang on!" he called, hoping she could hear him. "I'm going to climb up to you!"

After a moment, she nodded in confirmation and stepped away from the rail, obviously trying to avoid drawing attention to herself. James looked over his shoulder and, after spotting no nosy deck hands, walked over to a nearby piece of machinery. It was a large, square platform that was at least two feet taller than himself, and it covered about half of the distance between his and Lily's decks. James hopped onto a bench propped against the side and made a grab for the ledge. After a few tries, he got a good hold and hoisted himself up onto the surface.

Lily was watching him out of the corner of her eye as he stood on the top of the platform, checked over his shoulder once again, and made his way over to the well deck. He made a grab for the last rung of the railing with one hand and he barely reached it, even on his tiptoes. Once both of his hands were on the rung, James began to climb up the well deck wall. His shoes slipped often on the sides, making the job of climbing more difficult than it already was, and his grip was never tight enough, which made changing rungs a very unpleasant experience. Though he had his troubles, he somehow managed to pull himself up to Lily's level speedily.

There was hardly any room for his feet, but he had worked on smaller window ledges, higher up in the air than this, so it was only a slight inconvenience for him. Since the ship structure was to the left of Lily's corner and he really didn't want to expose them even more than he'd already done, he shimmed along the rail until he was safely back in the corner, face-to-face with Lily.

"Now I know how Romeo felt when he had to climb Juliet's balcony," James huffed, trying to catch his breath and noticing the amused look on her face. Climbing usually didn't wear him out that much; he was probably getting out of shape.

Lily laughed, her face lightening even more. James wished she would laugh more often. He loved it when she did so.

"I suppose we're rather like Romeo and Juliet, aren't we? Two different people forbidden to be together because of a stupid feud..." she stated softly, setting her gloved hands on top of his. "Juliet even had a fiancé that had some part in keeping her away from Romeo, didn't she?"

"Ah, but Romeo kills him in the end anyway, right before he snuffs it himself...But I hope we're not going to be killing ourselves any time soon," James responded, looking away from her face and down at their hands. Her hands were so much smaller and delicate than his, but when he took one hand and held it in his, it fit perfectly despite the size differences. He glanced up at her after observing their interlocked hands for a few more moments and asked, "How come you didn't visit me this morning? I know you couldn't have wanted to stay for tea that badly."

"I know and I'm sorry," she whispered, her fingers stroking the top of his hand softly. James frowned, noticing the light tone of voice and that she didn't seem very sorry at all for not showing up. "I wanted to, James...B - But Lucius found out about yesterday and he - he...I don't know how he could've found out..."

"I'm afraid that may be my fault," he responded. "I blabbed a bit to Sirius last night. He was prompting me and I just automatically answered because I was so used to him. I didn't think and, being the bastard Sirius is, I'm sure he went off and told Malfoy every little detail. He didn't do anything...did he?"

Lily's face clouded over once again and she looked away, biting her lip.

"N - No," she muttered at last, her voice timid and shaky. "He yelled, but he always yells and...oh...don't do that - "

James ignored her weak protest and reached out, gently grabbing her chin. She flinched involuntarily and he slowly guided her face the other way so the opposite cheek was showing. A thrill of shock went through him.

A large, reddish brown bruise disfigured her right cheek. Her face powder had covered most of it up well, but James didn't know how he couldn't have seen it before. It was horrible; it didn't belong there, splashed violently against the creamy white of her skin. It was a sign of brutality, something that didn't belong on such a loving person like Lily.

"Lily," he breathed, feeling alarmed, ashamed, and angered all at once. He let go of her chin and laid a hand gently on her injured cheek. She winced as his fingers trailed softly over the bruise, revealing the pain it caused. "How...what..." Realisation washed over him suddenly, his face and tone hardened like rock. "He didn't..."

"I - I...It was my fault, James. A door - "

"A door? A door did this?" James repeated harshly, rage suddenly coursing through him. His eyes narrowed and she suddenly looked frightened. "Last time I checked, doors didn't have fists!"

"That's...That's what happened, all right?" she cried angrily, reaching up and wrenching his hand away from her cheek. She dropped it quickly, as if it was something dirty, and her eyes lost the frightened quality, turning dark and angry. "I wasn't paying attention and I ran into a door! He didn't...he would never - "

"Oh, don't stand up for him, Lily!" James replied, irritated at her sudden denial. She lifted her hand from his and backed away from the rail just a bit, as if he was longer appropriate to stand by. "There's no reason to defend him if he's - "

"Lucius doesn't hit me!" she hissed, turning away from him, but not before he caught the furious tears in her eyes.

A stab of guilt went through him, but it was quickly replaced by another dose of fury and misunderstanding. What did she think she was playing at, lying to him? James had seen enough beaten women to know the difference between an accident and someone's fist! How could she stand up for him if he was doing something that horrible? She was being so stupid...

"Don't lie to me, Lily! He's an evil bastard that isn't fit - "

"I'm not lying!" she exclaimed, looking over her shoulder to give him an icy glare.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know what's happening! He's - "

"You are the most rude, incorrigible, idiotic - " she interrupted furiously, having trouble finding the right words to describe him. "If all you wanted to accomplish by meeting me was to slander my fiancé a bit more, then go back to steerage! I don't have to deal with your - your absurdity any longer!"

James gaped at her back and then shot back hotly, "You certainly didn't have a problem slandering good old Lucius yesterday and the day before!"

"And what I said and did yesterday got me in trouble!" Lily exclaimed, twirling back around. She looked just as furious as he felt. Her cheeks were flushed a vivid red, enhancing the bruise even more, and she was breathing heavily. "What Lucius and I do in private is none of your concern! I don't even know why I bothered telling you in the first place! Why don't you just leave me alone and go back to where you belong, in steerage!"
"Don't refer to me like that, you infuriating - stubborn - " James growled, glaring at her. It was hard restraining all the angry words her wanted to throw in her face; no one had made him so furious that he went speechless in a very long time.

"What, steerage?" she asked nastily, forcibly reminding James of her sister. "In case you've forgotten, that's what you are! I don't know why I even concerned myself with someone like you. You're always prying, always sticking your nose in someplace you don't belong - "

"You bloody hypocrite! You're no better than those other first class snobs! I don't know what I was thinking, befriending you! Usually, I don't take to cowardly, shallow, and utterly pathetic people!" he yelled, his temper getting the best of him and the furious words spilling out in a gush. Her face became as hard as stone, and her shoulders began to tremble in anger. "I should've let you jump, you ungrateful, horrid..."

"Shut up!" she shrieked, stomping the deck like a spoiled child. The tears were back and were making tracks down her cheeks, but James didn't feel any sympathy toward her. "You don't know - you couldn't possibly understand - "

"Only because I'm steerage scum, right? I wouldn't know a thing about horrible husbands-to-be or being miserable or anything else that went wrong in your perfect little life because I'm not good enough to be miserable - "

Abruptly, Lily turned on her heel, stomping out of the corner with as much dignity she could muster. She began to walk away from him, her head held high and snootily.

"Fine! You go ahead and go back to him!" James shouted at her back, enraged. She didn't respond verbally, but her pace quickened as she tried to get away from him. The few bystanders on the Promenade deck looked between the two of them, shocked the emotional display. "I don't care! I never cared about you and your petty problems! I never want to see you again!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

And without another glance at her hurriedly retreating back, James climbed down the rail and dropped the rest of the way to his deck, not caring about the landing, hurting his knees or any pain at all. He pushed past approaching deck hands, ignoring their feeble protests and reprimands. He walked through the steerage area, taking no notice of the other passengers or feeling nothing other than anger. Finally, when he came to the empty stern, he threw himself onto a bench, and violently pulled out a cigarette out of his pack.

Only after the cigarette was half-finished and he had calmed down to think rationally did he allow himself to bury his face in his hands and let a few hot, livid tears pass from his eyes.