The Parents Who Died

The Parents Who Died: Part IX of Tale #1

When we were innocent

I’m falling even more in love with you

Letting go of all I’ve held on to

I’m standing here until you make me move

I’m hanging by a moment here with you

--Lifehouse, “Hanging by a Moment”

Lily woke up from a surprisingly dreamless sleep to find that it was no longer noon, but apparently after sunset. It was quiet all but for Padmavati's quiet breathing as she took her daily nap...

She paused her train of thought. Wait. That wasn't Padmavati... Padma's breathing was quieter than that, and her snores came out as sporadic snorts. This was heavier breathing and snores coming from the throat rather than nose. And that smell. A smell of cologne tickled her nostrils. Mmm What? Since when did Padmavati wear cologne?

Still drowsy and befuddled with sleep, she opened her heavy eyelids. Her clothes were the robes she wore everyday, not a nightshirt, and her hair was spread around wildly, some under her, some pressed against her face. And it smelled like...watermelon? What the heck? Why would her hair smell like watermelon?

Confused and weary, Lily turned her head over and discovered that her hair had not only decided to wash itself with watermelon shampoo, but had dyed itself black too. And it was messy. And it was attached to some guy's head...

"Oh my God," Lily said dryly. James Potter was snoozing comfortably beside her, arm thrown over her hip and head resting on her chest.

As she watched, he apparently attempted to fluff up what he thought was a pillow but ended up grabbing her in...um...an inappropriate place. Her immediate reaction was an impulsive kick at him, and he snorted and fluffed his pillow more forcefully.

"James, that is NOT a pillow you're grabbing at," Lily snapped, shaking him off (which required much more force than she would have thought). She finally managed to get him off of her and he went flying off the bed with a loud smack and a subsequent groan.

Lily sat up, flinging her hair over her shoulders and straightening her robes. She gathered her mussed hair in her hand and peered over the edge of her bed to find James scrunched up between the beds with a look of pain on his face. “What the—?” he groaned, peering up at her through squinty eyes.

“No one violates me like that, Potter,” Lily said venomously. “Even if they are asleep.”

He sat up, eyes still at half-mast, and rubbed his head. “Violate you? Excuse me, Miss Stay-With-Me-Or-Else-They’ll-Get-Me! I was on your bed on your orders.”

Lily’s face fell for a moment, frozen in place, before she actually laughed heartily, and James looked even more confused. She rolled off the bed, making sure to tread on him, and went searching for her shoes. “I’m fully aware of that, Potter. I appreciate you not questioning my sanity through it all, too. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“What are you on about then?” James asked grumpily, sitting up and leaning against Padmavati’s bed, still rubbing his head.

“Ha,” Lily said softly, peering under her bed and discovering her shoes. She pulled them out and sat down on the floor, leaning against her bed, opposite James, to pull them on. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked at him. “I’m not a pillow, Potter,” she said simply.

He frowned, still confused, as Lily slipped on her shoes, making sure her legs were crossed, because she felt she’d been violated enough without having James peering up her skirt today too.

“Should I ask?” he said, fingers still massaging the back of his head.

Done with her shoes, Lily sat up and glanced at him. “No, you shouldn’t.” Her eyes peered quizzically at him. “Why are you rubbing your head?”

“I seem to have knocked it on your dresser when I, ahem, fell off your bed.”

James was surprised when Lily leaned forward at him, her face drawing closer, and for one insane moment he thought she was going to kiss him, but her lips stopped inches before they met with his and they were far above the hopeful target. No, Lily wasn’t about to kiss him, and even though he was slightly disappointed, he busied himself with noticing that she had golden flecks in her eyes. He was brought back into reality, though, as her icy fingertips made contact with his face.

“That’s going to be one big bruise, Potter,” she said softly, her breath brushing nicely against his face. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her cold finger against his burning face.

“I’d forgotten that was there,” he said wearily, “what with this new knot forming on the back of my head thanks to you.”

Lily pulled away from him, leaning back on her haunches, but still a lot closer to him than she’d begun at. Her eyes were clouded as she peered absently into space. She pursed her lips. “Kaye.”

“Beg pardon?”

“Padmavati saw us!”

James blinked slowly at her. “I’m lost, but feel free to carry on.” He began patting the carpet wildly. “Where’re my glasses?”

Lily grabbed them off the dressed blindly and handed them to James.

“Thanks.”

“We’re screwed, Potter,” Lily said sharply, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “Can’t you see it?”

“How are we screwed? And please stop shaking me, as my head hurts enough already—”

Lily stopped, but looked almost tearful.

James was startled. Lily Evans? On the verge of tears? Then again, she had been crying a few hours ago when she’d been beating up Sirius—

“Oh,” said James in understanding.

Lily nodded. “See? Padmavati saw us.”

“Oh.”

“And now there’re rumors flying all over the school that we slept together, because not only did we leave the common room together, but you carried me out of the common room and Padmavati and Lydia saw you lay me down in bed. And not leave my room. And for all I know,” Lily continued wildly, beating her bed in frustration, “they could have walked in on us while you were using my cleavage as a pillow!”

James had been on the verge of being comforting to her again, as he was still rather sleepy and achy and in no mood for smart quips, but he stopped in mid-consolation. “I was using your cleavage as a pillow?” 

“Why do you think you ended up on the floor with another knot on your head?”

He gently touched the back of his head with a new meaning. “Oh. Ohhh ” he said softly, but growing louder. “Ohhh!”

Lily peered at him, perplexed. “Oh what?”

“Damn it!” James cursed loudly, getting to his knees and following Lily’s suit with beating the beds. 

“What?” Lily asked wildly.

“I was that close to undressing you and I was asleep!”

He received his second punch for the day, only this time on his opposite cheek. He crumpled backwards as Lily knelt over him, resonating anger.

A belated smile spread across his face, weaker than the one planned would have been. “I was kidding, Lily,” he said painfully, cradling his head. “I didn’t think that would merit another punch.”

Lily’s hand, still arched in the air from the punch, quivered as it went down to rest at her side. She stared at him, glasses askew, hair messier than ever, eyes watery in pain, and cheek all puffed up from Kaye’s punch, and immediately felt awful. 

“Oh,” she said eloquently. She paused, then leaned forward, prying his hand from off his cheek and studied his wound. “Well, you’re going to be balloon-face for a while now.”

“Thanks to the two ladies most wouldn’t think punches likely from,” James muttered.

Lily grinned at him. “Punches not likely from me?”

He paused, eyes glistening with pain as her deliberated her face. “Well maybe likely from you.”

“Thanks—”

“But never Kaye.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t know she was a brown belt,” Lily said, laughing softly as she considered his bruise. “She could have, of course, gone up more, but she went off to Hogwarts—”

“You knew she knew tae-kwon-do?” James sputtered.

“I’ve been sharing a room with her for six years now, Potter,” Lily said, getting to her feet and brushing her bottom off. “I see her practice every week or so. She’s pretty good.”

“And you didn’t warn me?”

“I figured you deserved it.” She held out her hand to help him up.

He took it, and it was all Lily could do to ignore how nicely their hands molded together. She pulled him up. “What belt do you have, then?”

“Me?” Lily laughed. “I don’t do tae-kwon-do.”

“Then where’d you get an arm like that?” James rubbed his cheek to emphasize.

He was surprised to see a shadow fall across Lily’s face. She paused a moment before answered. “I used to play baseball with my dad. My aunt from America told him about it, and he was psyched for it after. He loved it.”

“Oh. Sorry,” James said quickly.

Lily shrugged, turning and eyeing the door from where she stood. “Somehow I’m afraid of leaving this room,” she said, abruptly changing the subject.

“Rumors spread quite fast in Hogwarts,” James agreed.

“Rumors? Lies.”

“Lying rumors.”

“Like I would sleep with you.”

“Well,” James said, fighting a smile because it would hurt his cheeks and because he didn’t want to get punched by Miss Baseball-Arm again, “technically you did, Evans.”

“You wish.”

“All my wishes came true moments ago when I woke up on the floor next to your bed, Lily,” said James in a singsong voice, nudging her.

“With a knot of the back of your head, James,” Lily replied in the same, mocking singsong voice, nudging him back.

“Because I used your cleavage as my pillow, Lily.”

“And got punched in the face.”

“Good point. Subject dropped.”

Lily sighed, falling back on her bed in defeat. “That still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to go out there. You know even Padmavati’s warped rumor was changed into something worse.” She paused and rolled over, head propped up on her elbow and facing him. “But what else am I supposed to do? I can’t stay in here with you my whole life. Besides, Padmavati and Kaye sleep here too ” She groaned, letting her elbow slide out from under her and burying her face in her blankets. “I am literally and figuratively screwed. I am so screwed. Heck, even what’s screwing me is about me being screwed!” She picked her face up, hair forming a static red glow around her face, and looked up at James. “I’m screwed.”

His face surprisingly serious, James sat down on the edge of Padmavati’s bed, absently picking at her baby blue blankie (she always covered her bed with it in the mornings, Lily knew, because she claimed it gave her good luck). “I wonder if the teachers heard about it yet ”

“Oh, God,” groaned Lily, very loudly for just a groan. Her face snuggled up into her comforter again, voice coming out muffled when she continued. “I didn’t even think of that.”

Vaguely, lost in thought, James continued sifting over Padmavati’s bed, fingers trailing over her Winnie the Pooh nightlight and Piglet pillowcase. “My chances of Head Boy are ruined. They’ll take my Prefect badge for sure.”

Lily sat up to quickly she hit her head on her bedpost. “They can’t do that!” She paused, suddenly, looking at James with narrowed eyes and a renewed interest. “Did you just worry about losing chances of being Head Boy? Out loud?”

“Of course I’m worried about being Head Boy. It’s in the family. Dad was Head Boy. Mum was Head Girl. Grandpop was Head Boy. Great Grandpop was Head Boy—” as he went on, his voice started breaking. “It’s in the family, Lily! I remember a cousin, Bert, who didn’t get to be Head Boy, and my uncle still speaks ill of him and he’s been dead for five years!”

Lily’s eyes widened. She’d had no idea. “What the hell do you goof off so much, then?”

James actually cracked a smile, looking up at her over the rims of his glasses. “I know how far I can take it, Evans. And we’re careful. Just because we have a history of Head Boys doesn’t mean that my dad hasn’t given me the greatest ideas for causing trouble and Sirius’s dad was even worse.” His fingers went back to assessing Padmavati’s bed. Lily saw his Adam’s apple bob up when he swallowed loudly. 

“But you can get away with so much. Why wouldn’t you be able to get away with this?”

James laughed, as though Lily had made a joke.

“What? What’s funny?” Lily demanded, gripping her bed tightly in the apprehension of it all.

His eyes peered over his glasses again, shrewdly, and this had the affect of aging him five years. “You mean you don’t know?”

Lily narrowed her eyes as she gently shook her head.

“Prefect code of conduct, Evans. The first rule: no sexual relations on school grounds. Why it’s first, I don’t know. I guess it’s because we’re such a high-rated school and high-rated people tend to consider it the greatest shame. Or it might be the prefect bathroom makes relations easy. Maybe it’s an infraction on the responsibility sheet. I don’t know. But that’s one of the most-enforced rules. They take rumors lightly, mind. But if they hear about this from so many people ” James paused. “God, the more I think about it, the worse it gets! I may not seem like the most responsible guy in the world. I might not seem to care that much. But when it comes to family honor especially when family is slowly kicking the bucket—” his voice pitched here, “—I have to be Head Boy. And I can’t be Head Boy if my prefect badge is taken ” 

As he spoke, Lily’s eyes got wider and wider and wider. She’s never seen James so worried before. She’d never heard his voice crack so many times. He kept wetting his lips, his fingers dancing wildly over the fabric of Padmavati’s bed, and he looked like he was about to collapse in a nervous breakdown.

“I didn’t know ” Lily said softly. “It seems kind of strange. Are you having me on?”

“No,” James snapped, glaring at her. “Is it so hard to believe I actually care about something other than sex?”

“Yes,” said Lily, then quickly, at James’s glare, “no.” She hesitated. “I mean yes.” 

James blinked very slowly at her, the muscles in his jaw casting waves across his face.

She explained. “What else was I supposed to think? It’s all you talk about!”

“Then how do you explain my average almost surpassing yours?” James asked tightly.

“A fluke!” Lily sighed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. “How was I supposed to know you were something other than a perverted, annoying little trouble-maker set out to break havoc upon Hogwarts right when you entered?”

“My grades!” James snipped. 

“I never paid attention to your grades! I was too busy trying to ignore you!”

James heaved a heavy sigh before turning back to his bed. “Well, know you know, okay? Know my deepest, darkest secret: I care. I care so much that I almost don’t tease and poke fun at girls over sex. I care so much I almost don’t do the same with my friends. I care so much that Sirius had to knock me over the head one day with a book and say, ‘Wake up and smell the daisies, James! You don’t have to work so hard. It’s a gift. You have the teachers under your thumb until you do something that embarrasses them or brings shame to Hogwarts, which we won’t do!’” He frowned. “Well, look where I am now. I didn’t do anything for once. Yet the rumors are probably spreading so fast, considering our statuses, that it’s probably already left Hogwarts!”

Lily swallowed hard, feeling the color drain from her face. “Gee, thanks, James,” she said hoarsely. “I was worried enough before you joined me ” She moaned, falling sideways on her bed and curling up in a ball. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it to her. “What if Petunia hears? She’ll think she was right ”

“What if Dad hears? He won’t believe me over everyone else considering the many little things I’ve lied over and gotten proved wrong over ” His fingers roved over the bed more forcefully now.

They stayed in silence for a while, both hardly daring to leave the room with newfound realization of having their badges wrongfully taken from them by a phantom McGonagall perching outside the door.

“You know,” said Lily quietly, “just us walking out the room together, ruffled like this, would be incriminating.”

James responded with his stomach growling. “And I’m hungry and it’s dinnertime, too. I missed lunch ”

Now that he mentioned it, Lily noticed that her own stomach was turning about itself without anything in it. She hadn’t had lunch either.

“That’s it,” she said suddenly, sitting up and tossing her pillow aside. “We didn’t do anything. Why the hell would they believe the—the entire school,” she paused here for her voice to stop wavering, “over us?” She paused, eyeing James, before fixing herself, “Over me?” She began brushing her hair back into place with her fingers. “My reputation is unassailable—”

Lily was cut off when she noticed James giving her a half smile. “Until now,” he finished.

“For fictitious reasons!” She pushed herself off the bed, working at smoothing the wrinkles out of her clothes. “We’re leaving this room, Potter. It’s supper time.”

“We’re?” James said lazily. “I’m quite comfortable here, with hopes of my rep being is place, thanks.”

“Yes, we’re,” Lily said firmly, grabbing his arm and tugging at him. “And if anyone, you, because you’re on Padma’s bed anyway.”

James allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, if somewhat reluctantly. He looked down at Lily with dubious eyes. “You sure about this? You, of all people, are willing to leave this room with me and face the rumors?”

Images of laughing faces and pointing fingers and McGonagall bright red slipped through Lily’s mind before she shook it wildly, trying the jog the images out of place. “Yes, me, of all people. We’re innocent, Potter. You were ” She paused here, feeling her face redden as she was about to give a compliment. “You were only being nice to me. You only—only held me when I needed it because no one else would ” Her voiced shook through the entire duration of the last sentence.

James peered down at her curiously, thoughtfully, before a tiny, kind smile slipped carefully across his lips (his cheeks were still mighty swollen). “No problem on that part, either, Lily,” he told her quietly. He glanced way from her and at the door. Lily saw his chest rise and fall as he took a deep breath. “All right. We can go. We didn’t do anything. The teachers won’t expel us for something we didn’t do. They won’t take away our badges. Dumbledore knows me. He’d believe me ”

“So we’re going to dinner?” Lily asked warily.

“Together?”

“And to face the whole school of red and smirking faces that believes a complete lie?”

They looked at each other. “We’re in this together, Evans,” James commented. “Are you going to kill me for doing this to you?”