Without Warning

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The Hangovers

Lily awoke with a snort.

Not just any run-of-the-mill snort, either. A tremendous, gargantuam oh-god-I'm-just-waking-up-from-a-nightmare snort. Hence why, of course, it had woken her.

Though she wished it hadn't.

"Oh god," she groaned, as she rolled onto her back and tried to remember how on earth she had gotten herself into this fateful situation. Slowly, the events of the night before began to trickle back into her memory. They were a rather blurry mess, but she was still able to recall some moments.

Such as drinking two bottles of Firewhiskey.

"Oh god," she announced more heavily as her headache began to sink in.

"Gooooood morning, sunshine!" A sugary sweet voice rang out through the dormitory. Indigo was awake and ready to prey on Lily's delicate state of grace. Great.

"No morning, please. And certainly no good sunshine, either…actually, put a hold on the light in general, thanks," mumbled Lily, keeping her eyes firmly shut whilst she spoke.

"Sorry missy, no can do. Afterall, we're leaving today!" Indigo swished back Lily's bed curtains fervently. Or rather, Lily heard Indigo swish back her bed curtains fervently – she was still far too reluctant to open her eyes.

"I think I'm still drunk," she murmured, her head spinning.

"Well, lucky for you I put my stunningly intoxicated brain to the test last night and brewed a hangover potion. It'll be ready in a couple of mintues. Merlin knows why you'd need one though, by the look of it, you were completely sober last night! No, not drunk at all! I mean, Lily Evans and heinously drunk just don't go in the same sentence, do they?"

Lily sighed. It was far too early (by her calculations) to play along with Indigo's sarcastic warbling.

"Alright. Give it to me straight. How and with whom did I make an idiot of myself last night?"

"Ooh," Indigo winced. "I'd say your weapon of choice was Firewhiskey, and your target being the one and only Mr James Potter's general direction."

Lily's eyes flew open.

"No," she said, scrambling to sit up right. "Anyone but him! Merlin, I'd take Gilderoy even, just tell me it wasn't Potter!"

"It was Potter."

"Indigo!"

"What? This is not my fault, O Drunkard of the Night."

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"Believe me, I tried to! You were a rampaging drunk … It was very frightening." Indigo shuddered for effect.

Lily gaped. "Oh god, I…shit, I ... Okay." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright. What did I do, exactly?"

"Well," Indigo began. "You made a general burbling idiot of yourself, but that's about it. Oh, and you fell on him…and, come to think of it, on the floor a multitude of times – oh and you made Sirius Black snicker uncontrollably on a number of occasions..." Indigo paused to observe Lily's horrified expression. "Hmm. That about covers it - apart from when you fell unconscious on an armchair and Potter had to lift you onto a conjured stretcher for me...Yep, that's it. Oh - and you drooled on him. Good night, don't you think?"

Lily had her head in her hands. "What, in your oh-so-humble opinion, would be the most effective way to top myself?"

"Hmm..." Indigo stroked her chin as she pondered. "Definitely death by glorious amounts of food."

Lily turned slightly green. "Don't mention that word! I can't eat - Oh god, I won't be eating for at least a good week," Lily groaned, clutching her queasy stomach.

"Exactly. Death by food would be an excellent way of repaying me."

Lily swallowed hard and frowned. "I'm sorry Indigo, it was all very ... stupid and...and immature of me."

"Oh don't punish yourself so much, Lil! We've all done it at some point, remember?"

"Mmm," Lily agreed, remembering Indigo's stint back in third year. "Where's Grace and Phoebe?"

"Eating," grinned Indigo with a devilish twinkle in her eye.

Lily threw herself back down on her pillow and groaned loudly.

***

"Hit me."

Sirius threw another card down onto the table as the scenery outside their window whirled passed.

"Hit me," James repeated, listlessly looking out at the fading Scottish countryside. Lily had been avoiding him. He knew this because he'd gone looking for her on a number of ocassions and hadn't found her. Which was weird seeing as they were on the train - there were only a certain number of places you could hide...

"Er, you've already lost, Prongs," Remus pointed out.

"Shush, Moony! It's fun making him accept a losing streak for once in his life - look at that forlorn expression!" Sirius grinned as he hastily pinched James' cheek. James swiped it away.

"Yet it doesn't seem to break any other norms - such as you accepting defeat for once, as well..."

"How can I break a norm if I'm still winning?"

Remus sighed and looked out the window too.

Sirius pretended not to notice this. "Where's Pete?"

"I'm not too sure," replied Remus hurriedly.

A little too fast, Sirius noted. Suspicious. Very suspicious.

Sirius glanced up from the card house he was making. "So Moony...brilliant weather to be going home to, huh?"

"Yes, very nice..."

"Good to be going home?" Sirius asked as he innocently took a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Mmm, it's alright, I suppose..."

"Where's Peter?"

"With Dorcas..."

The pumpkin juice currently residing in Sirius' mouth sprayed out onto his card house, the window and the front of James' robes.

James looked up momentarily from his moping stupor, only to realise he was now covered in regurgitated pumpkin juice. He turned back to the window.

Sirius' eyes were the size of dinner plates. "Do...Dorc...us Meadowes?"

"I...I...I I I...yes! But you must promise not to say anything because Peter is trusting me with this and...I...damnit, Sirius, you tricked me!" Remus accused.

"But...Dorcas Meadowes?!" Sirius was in awe.

Remus sighed. "Yes, Padfoot, Dorcas Meadowes. He was with her last night. She's Ravenclaw. Prefect. Nice girl, actually. Very -"

"I know who she is, Moony!"

"Oh?"

"Of course. That cow deducted house points from me - just the other day! I oughta..." Sirius spluttered, thinking furiously. "Oughta...ought-"

"Oughta do nothing? Sounds good to me. Look, Sirius, don't mock Pete so much, alright? She's nice, he's nice - they're nice. And-"

"Moony, he is fraternising with the enemy!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "What?"

"She took house points from Gryffindor, Moony! Have you even been listening to what-"

"Yes, I have. The thing is, you have points taken from you all the bloody time and you weren't even planning any...any revenge upon her until you found out that Peter-"

James turned from his window and watch their argument continue. It was like a match of some kind - a game of tennis, even. The ball couldn't quite stay in one person's court long enough to manoevre a spectacular shot - or in this case, James realised, a finished sentence.

"Oh that's not the point - you reminded me, that's all..."

Remus flushed crimson. This was his way of dealing with anger. Emitting it through furious colourisation of the facial area.

"What do you think, Prongs?" Remus stared at him pleadingly.

"Oh don't even bother asking him! He's Lilified at present!"

"Padfoot," began Remus. "You actually have a term for-"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. So Prongs, what do you think?"

"You just said not to ask him!"

James stared in awe at the both of them. Never had he heard so many cut-overs and interruptions in a conversation. Though, he decided, Remus and Sirius probably argued like this all the time - James had just never paid such attention to it before. It was like they had been reading each others' minds.

Unspoken understandings. They were like...like...

"Olmarredcoop."

A silence followed James' statement.

"I don't understand the language of pathetic bastard, Prongs," prompted Sirius.

"Funny, 'cause you certainly speak it," mumbled Remus in reply.

James removed his hand from over his mouth and repeated what he had just said. "Old married couple. You two quarrel like my Great Aunt Nancy and Uncle Bob."

Remus and Sirius stared at him.

"You're bonkers, mate," said Remus, backing away slowly.

"Shh, don't communicate with it," interjected Sirius, throwing James a disgusted look.

***

"I can't believe you managed to evade the wondrous James Potter for the whole ride!" Indigo exclaimed as she dragged her tunk off the carriage and out onto the platform.

"Oh don't be so suprised - I may be hungover, but I haven't lost my mind. Shielding charms are great inventions," Lily sighed smugly as she too dragged her trunk to a halt on the platform.

She placed it down gently on the concrete ground and then straightened herself up to look at her best friend.

"Owl me, okay?" Indigo was suddenly serious, her hazel eyes wide and brazen.

The atmosphere of Hogwarts had disturbingly shrivelled away as Lily and Indigo stood in Kings Cross station. The reality of the world at large, once again, was slapping them in the face with a large cold fish. It was...smelly.

"Of course I will," Lily smiled weakly and pulled Indigo into a hug. "If anything happens...y'know, like...like Voldemort stuff, I -"

"Don't say his name!" Indigo hissed into her ear.

Lily sighed. Being a Muggle, she'd never really come to grips with the fact that a stupid name could insight so much fear into someone. 'Maths Pop Quiz' on the other hand...

"Sorry..." she apologised, pulling back from their embrace and holding Indigo by the shoulders. "But, y'know, if that kind of stuff happens, let me know as soon as possible, okay? I feel so isolated when I'm at home. We don't have floo, and I don't get the Daily Prophet, so..."

"I will. Let's hope I won't have to, but...yes, of course I will."

"Good...Thanks." Lily smiled. "Well...I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, I'll see you at Apparition Registration," Indigo grinned fleetingly.

"Bye," Lily grinned back and then turned, heaving her trunk and readying herself for the trudging journey to meet her mother.

"Lil?"

She looked back over her shoulder to see Indigo looking slightly awkward. "I...um...Love ya, "she smiled.

Lily snorted. "Love you too, seeya later..."

For some reason, both girls had a funny feeling about the end of the school year. With their last year at Hogwarts fast approaching and the Wizarding World being run amok, anything was possible. Hogwarts shielded them from so many frightening current events, yet it was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the fact that they were now living in wartime. People feared that a mere goodbye could become the last goodbye, an 'I love you' becoming nothing but a bittersweet reminder of a loved one lost forever.

"Lily!"

She sighed and turned to see a swathe of golden curls bouncing towards her.

"Oh, Hi Grace! Look, I'm in a bit of a hurry, but I must apologise for last night - I was a total wreck. Have a great summer, and we'll have to catch up soon - owl me! Otherwise I'll see you at registration, okay?"

"But...I...it's just...you..." Grace stopped herself. This was hardly an appropriate time to bring up such crap. Besides, it certainly seemed that Lily loathed James Potter now more than she ever had. "I...yeah. You have a good summer too, Lily. I'll seeya."

"Bye!"