That Night

That Night

By Kyra

"Potter passes the Quaffle to... Black! Has heaven turned upside down?" Celeste, Lily's best friend, barked as commentator at the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff game. "Apparently our fearless leader is using the rare, yet effective, Beater Pass Diversion! I don't believe it! Black scores, bloody hell!" Celeste grimaced as McGonagall shot her a furious glare. "I mean, hot dog!" Celeste corrected, "That one hundred and forty to Gryffindor, and one ten to Hufflepuff!"

James turned to glance at Sirius, who was doing a lap around the stadium. "Get your arse down here, Black!" He shouted as a Bludger zoomed past his head. "Shit!" he exclaimed, ducking. Instantly, the second Beater, Alana Smith rumbled by, smacking the ball away from him. "BLACK!" James barked, nose diving toward the Quaffle.

Suddenly, Celeste's voice broke his concentration. "The Snitch!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, bolting upright. All play stopped at that moment. The game had gone on for six hours, and all the players were exhausted. If someone would just get the Snitch, they could rest.

Lily Evans was the first to see it, but the Hufflepuff Seeker, Gregory Damia, was right behind her. As Lily dove, James watched her, terrified out of his mind. "LILY! PULL UP!" Celeste screamed, her voice thundering down on them. Something caught James' eye. A bit of gold... Lily had passed the Snitch!

Opening his mouth, James began to shout, but then he realized that Damia had passed it too. At the last second, Lily muttered something under her breath, and the broomstick bounced in the air, sending her shooting back up, backwards. She did a spin, and launched her hand into the air. Red hair flying, Lily soared upwards, the golden ball captured in her deft fingers.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Celeste screamed, her eyes wide as she bounced up and down. Sirius hooted from somewhere behind James, but his eyes were locked on Lily. She seemed paler than usual, and was she shaking?

Before he could even begin to think about flying over to her and asking if she was all right, she tottered. Seconds later, she tumbled off the broomstick and began to plummet the hundred and twenty feet to the ground. Breath in his chest, heart in throat, James kicked his feet and swept toward her. He was too far away, he couldn't make it, and he knew it. Before he realized what was happening, he had Lily in his arms, and his broomstick was smoking.

Dumbledore came racing across the field to where James had landed. Madam Pomfrey, the young school nurse took the girl from the young man's arms, and started off to the infirmary, muttering something about overexertion. Numb, James saw Sirius' arm come around him, and faintly heard him as he said, "She'll be all right now. Can't believe you just did that."

People were clapping him on the back, shaking his hand. Somewhere in the crowd, James saw Remus, grinning broadly, and Celeste mauled him, thanking him through her tears. But James was numb. He'd just watched Lily nearly plummet to her death, and suddenly, he felt powerless. Sure that dive had saved her, but what if he hadn't gotten there?

He already knew what Sirius would say, "But you did!" When James asked him, in their dorm, he just gave a half smile, and replied, "James, I watched you when you went for her. Like a bat out of hell! It was amazing! James, someone wanted you to save her, and that's what you did. Be glad she's alive, instead of splattered all over the pitch." Shuddering, James tried not to imagine Lily's entrails showered all over the field.

"I need to get drunk," James muttered, throwing clean robes over his freshly scrubbed body.

A smile spread over Sirius' features as he replied, with his usual presumptuous air, "Nothing better!" When James shot him a glare, Sirius gave him a mock pitiful look, and finished, "Gryffindor House parties will get you drunk and then some!" Together, the two seventeen year olds moved down the staircase to where the party was raging.

~

"Gimme a minute, here," James hiccuped, swaying his hand at Remus. "Man, there's three of you!" the drunk laughed. Remus rolled his eyes, causing James to topple backwards. "Don't do that!" James snapped, "One at a time!" he continued, pointing to the three Remus' with each word.

Remus reached over to steady his friend, saying, "James, you cannot hold your liquor."

"Hah!" James laughed, swinging his hand again, sending a shower of brandy all over the floor. "I can too! See!" He shoved the glass into Remus' path of sight. "Me, holding liquor!" Maniacal laughter bubbled from his thin frame, and he staggered a few feet, before righting himself, and calling out to his friend, "Remus, old chap! I am SO drunk!" Again he subsided into a fit of sniggering.

But this fit got the best of him, and he tumbled over, much to Remus' displeasure. Before he could right his drunken friend, James had passed out. With Sirius' help, Remus and Peter managed to get James to his bed, and tucked in.

"Never seen him this bad..." Peter whispered as they left the room.

Nodding, Remus shut the door. "Real concerned about Lily," the young man replied.

Next, Sirius spoke, "He'll be fine tomorrow, a hangover'll do him good." Remus rolled his eyes as Peter sniggered behind his hand.

"Hey, look! It's Lily!" Remus interjected as they walked into the common room.

The girl wasn't as pale as she was at the match, and she was beaming. "Where's James?" she asked, "I heard what he did... Bat out of hell, huh, Sirius?"

A sheepish smile on his face, Sirius nodded, then said, "We put your knight in shining armor to bed. He got mighty drunk, thinking he was going to lose you."

Lily nodded, her red hair swishing back and forth with her movements. "I'll grab a drink and go up, see if I can work out some of that tension..." she trailed off, winking at Sirius. The young man smirked and stepped aside for her to make her way to the food.

~

Halfway through his drunken doze, James felt a warm hand on his bare arm. It moved up to his shoulder, and then down to his chest. Sighing in relief, he slipped his hands out and pulled her tight. In the dark, he helped her pull off her robes, and slid her along the length of him. Kissing her slowly and softly, he caressed her bare form, moving on top of her slightly.

Too dark to see anything, James felt his way, moving with her sighs, and gasps. Something was different, she was less vibrant, less inviting to him. But nearly dying would probably do that to someone. Afterward, he fell asleep, but she moved away, got up and dressed. Leaving the room silently, she slipped out just before the guys came up the stairs.

~

"You'll never believe it, Celeste," Karen was saying as Lily slipped into the room. "I went up to talk to my brother, but he wasn't up there, and I saw one of the dorm doors ajar, so I went in. Remus was in bed, right, so I went over to ask him where my brother was. Next thing I know, he's got me in bed!"

Lily stopped dead in her tracks, and stared at Karen Joseph. "Remus Lupin?" she questioned. Karen nodded, "I was just with Remus in the common room, he wasn't in his room..." Celeste's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Which bed was it?"

Karen thought a moment, "Where yours is, Lily," she responded, looking around the room.

Instantly, Celeste and Lily stared at each other. "Oh, god!" Lily cried, sinking down to the floor, pale, and near tears. Celeste rushed over to pull Lily into her arms.

"That was Remus' last year," Celeste explained. "He and James traded so that Remus could be near the window." She didn't add that they'd switched so Remus could gauge the moon.

Eyes wide, Karen gaped at the girls. "I slept with James Potter?" she asked, incredulously. "Incredible!" Celeste shot her a look, and she fell silent.

Lily sobbed against her best friend, clutching her face, not bothering to stop the flow of tears. Over and over, she tried to get up, but Celeste pulled her back, saying that nothing would be accomplished by barging in and yelling at a man in a drunken stupor. Silently, Lily agreed, and soon, cried herself into a fitful sleep, while Celeste held her close all night.

~

Downstairs, Lily sat in the armchair, waiting for the Marauders. They were late coming down, but after the night before, and Lily felt tears coming again, they would be. The common room was crowded with far more people then Lily would have wished, but she didn't care anymore.

Around eight, she heard Sirius' familiar footfalls, and the Marauders turned the corner from the stairway. Apparently Celeste had already told Sirius, because his eyes were filled with grief as he glanced to her. Instantly, Remus, Peter and Sirius slowed down so that James was the first one she greeted.

"How could you?" she demanded, her eyes flickering silver green. James looked stunned. "How could you!" she almost screamed, stamping her foot. The whole common room stopped and stared.

Within seconds, Sirius was between them. "How could I? What?" James asked, his eyes bewildered.

Lily rolled her eyes, and took a step forward. "Bastard," she muttered through clenched teeth. "How could you sleep with her!" James' eyes filled with confusion. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Lily launched herself at him, "DO YOU DARE TO TELL ME THAT YOU DIDN'T DO IT? DO YOU DARE!"

Sirius caught her mid-leap and held her at bay. Inadvertently, James took a step back, and stared at her in shock. "I don't know what you're talking about, sweetie..." he whispered, mentally hailing the events of the night before.

Desperate, he glanced to Sirius, then Remus, then Peter, who all nodded confirmation. Sickened, James stumbled backwards, gripping the nearest table. "How could you?" Lily whispered, staring at him with unforgiving emerald eyes. Sirius still held her, though she had stopped struggling against him. "ANSWER ME!" she screeched, trying to duck under Sirius' arms.

But the man caught her. She fought against him, trying to claw her way toward James. "I don't remember anything!" James yelled over the commotion. "What am I supposed to do?" he begged, gripping the chair until his knuckles turned white.

Finally, Lily stopped flailing and looked directly at him. "Say good-bye James," she whispered.

"No," James said, shaking his head in defiance.

But Lily stamped her foot, and said, "It's over. I can't be with someone like you."

Now, James felt his legs give out, and he tried desperately to hold himself up with his arms. "Someone like me," he uttered, "Lily, I'm not like that... You know me!"

"I thought I did... But apparently not," she finished, and stormed from the room, out of the portrait hole and away from him forever.