A Simple Sweetness (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
scarvesnhats Day 10)
Oct. 11th, 2005 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosie_ruesTitle: A Simple Sweetness
Rating: Gen
Disclaimer: They're not mine *pouts*. I'm just borrowing them.
Wordcount: 1115
Prompt: Summer was gone and the heat died down
And Autumn reached for her golden crown
I looked behind as I heard a sigh
But this was the time of no reply.
Time goes by from year to year
And no one asks why I am standing here
But I have my answer as I look to the sky
This is the time of no reply.
-Nick Drake, Time of No Reply
Notes: Pre-slash. Sixth year. Lily waits for the Marauders after a full moon. I struggled with this prompt so the influence isn't obvious. It's semi-there, though. Apologies for the lateness - I was going to catch up tonight but one of my housemates brought home Dangermouse on DVD. So, um, apologies if Peter Pettigrew sounds like Penfold ;)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Lily had made cocoa.
It wasn’t much of a gesture but she’d got up before dawn to creep down to the common room to do it and it wasn’t as if she could do much else. She wasn’t one of them. She couldn’t run with them.
If any of the four of them had dared laugh at her for waiting she would have huffed and lectured about how modern witches were perfectly capable of anything a wizard could do, thank you very much. Here, in the warm, ancient quiet of the old tower she could feel the faint ghosts of more archaic emotions, of what it meant to wait and trust.
It had been the Fat Lady, befriending a bewildered little Muggleborn, who had once told her that it took as much courage not to act. “Those boys,” she’d said with a sniff. “All bravado. They’re not brave, dumpling. They’re just pretending.”
Lily, who had forgotten the password and wasn’t sure if she was more terrified of the lurking dangers of a Hogwarts night or of being caught, had said, “But everyone thinks they’re brave.”
“They don’t know what brave is,” the Fat Lady had said firmly. “Boys never do. They just run around and shout to pretend they’re not afraid. Those of us who wait and watch and pretend that all is well with the world…” She’d shaken her head, her corsets creaking ominously.
“That’s old-fashioned,” Lily had said, with all the omniscience of an eleven year old.
The Fat Lady had just smiled and launched into a story about her friend Violet’s feud with the Bloody Baron.
The cocoa was getting cold. Lily muttered at it, waving her wand, and then wobbled over to the window. She was feeling increasingly all-overish.
It was raining, thrumming against the glass and washing the walls with water. She leant her forehead against the window and squinted but she couldn’t even see the Willow. She’d just have to wait.
She made her way back to the sofa and collapsed into the corner. It was a comfortable sofa, this. She never got to sit on it. It was usually full of Sirius Black. That was still a surprise, being friends with the boy who’d caused a riot in their very first class by refusing to sit next to ‘that Mudblood because she’s probably infectious.’
And there was Peter, wily little Peter, who tried so hard to pretend he didn’t adore James. Lily didn’t think there were enough witticisms in the world to conceal that loyalty, undeserved though it might be.
She’d always assumed she knew Remus. She’d never even suspected he had a secret, let alone one so unnerving. She wondered, vaguely, what other secrets he hid. There were times when something crossed his face, something she would have called loneliness if he hadn’t been a Marauder.
Rain made such a lovely noise. She’d much rather stay here all day and listen to the rain. Classes seemed rather daunting. Breakfast seemed rather daunting. She wasn’t even sure she’d cope if Sirius kicked her off the sofa.
There was a creak and the portrait hole swung open.
Peter tumbled through first. He darted across the room. “Cocoa! James! Sirius! James! Sirius! James! Lily made cocoa! Cocoa!”
Oh, god, Lily thought desperately. Too much rat.
Sirius strode after him. He eyed her balefully for a second before he scooped up a mug and went to glower out of the window. “Ta, Evans.”
“Any time,” she said and blinked at how her voice creaked.
James let the portrait fall closed and stood still, gazing at her. She looked back, blurry-eyed, and couldn’t stop herself from smiling. He came to her, all controlled force and silence, and looked down, his eyes dark and wide.
“Cocoa!” Peter squeaked, slurping it up.
“Are you okay?” James asked.
She sometimes wondered if he could be like this all the time, all his restless energy focussed. It would be terrifying.
“I’m okay,” she croaked and felt her throat convulse. “I – achoo! Ah-ah-achoo!”
The sneeze tore through her, throwing her back in her seat, wet-eyed. As she fell back she could see he was still watching her.
“Slytherin flu,” Sirius said, still glaring out the window.
“No it’s not,” Peter said. “If Lily’s got it, it’s Gryffindor flu.”
James smiled, a quick quirk of his lips, and said, “Get Pomfrey.”
Peter bounced up, spilling cocoa.
“She won’t be back yet,” Sirius said. “She’ll still be out there.”
Lily curled back in the corner of the sofa. She wanted to go back to bed but here came another sneeze, tearing through her.
“Then we’ll take her ourselves,” James said firmly. “Should get there at the same time.”
“And Sirius can check that Remus is okay,” Peter added.
James looked puzzled. “We know he’s okay. We just saw him.”
Peter shrugged. “He always checks.”
Sirius swung round, fierce and cold, but then shrugged.
“Ups-a-girl,” James said, pulling at Lily’s hand.
“I can’t,” she said. “Fuzzy legs.”
“Padfoot! Get your arse over here.”
Sirius came over, quirking his head. James didn’t say anything but after a moment they bent over Lily.
“Arms up,” James said.
It was an effort but she lifted them obediently. A broad shoulder was shoved under each arm and they stepped forward, their arms sitting across the back of her thighs.
“Lift,” James said and she was hoisted up. After a bewildering moment, she found herself sitting on their arms.
“Alright, Evans?” Sirius said.
“Never better,” she managed. “If either of you even thinks of doing something inappropriate we’ll be in negative points until Christmas.”
“You wound me,” James said and Sirius murmured, “Such gratitude.”
Peter darted ahead to open the portrait hole. Lily, who was embarrassingly close to tears, closed her eyes and hung on.
She roused briefly when they reached the Hospital Wing and deposited her on a bed, mainly because James was arguing with Pomfrey.
“…not leaving her here with a load of Slytherins.”
“Mr Potter, whatever you are implying, enough!”
“But-”
Lily huddled back against the pillows and watched Sirius slide away to the side-ward.
“And for your information, Mr Potter, I currently have forty-three Slytherins, twenty-nine Ravenclaws, twelve Hufflepuffs and three Gryffindors in the influenza ward. Now will you please remove yourselves before you get infected.”
“We’re going,” James said calmly.
“Where’s Mr Black?”
There was a brief silence and then Peter said, “He went down for breakfast. I don’t think he appreciated James waking him up for this.”
No, Lily thought as she slipped thankfully into sleep. She might not be a Marauder but she could keep their secrets. Then, hazily, Hang on, that’s almost a third of the school…
Rating: Gen
Disclaimer: They're not mine *pouts*. I'm just borrowing them.
Wordcount: 1115
Prompt: Summer was gone and the heat died down
And Autumn reached for her golden crown
I looked behind as I heard a sigh
But this was the time of no reply.
Time goes by from year to year
And no one asks why I am standing here
But I have my answer as I look to the sky
This is the time of no reply.
-Nick Drake, Time of No Reply
Notes: Pre-slash. Sixth year. Lily waits for the Marauders after a full moon. I struggled with this prompt so the influence isn't obvious. It's semi-there, though. Apologies for the lateness - I was going to catch up tonight but one of my housemates brought home Dangermouse on DVD. So, um, apologies if Peter Pettigrew sounds like Penfold ;)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Lily had made cocoa.
It wasn’t much of a gesture but she’d got up before dawn to creep down to the common room to do it and it wasn’t as if she could do much else. She wasn’t one of them. She couldn’t run with them.
If any of the four of them had dared laugh at her for waiting she would have huffed and lectured about how modern witches were perfectly capable of anything a wizard could do, thank you very much. Here, in the warm, ancient quiet of the old tower she could feel the faint ghosts of more archaic emotions, of what it meant to wait and trust.
It had been the Fat Lady, befriending a bewildered little Muggleborn, who had once told her that it took as much courage not to act. “Those boys,” she’d said with a sniff. “All bravado. They’re not brave, dumpling. They’re just pretending.”
Lily, who had forgotten the password and wasn’t sure if she was more terrified of the lurking dangers of a Hogwarts night or of being caught, had said, “But everyone thinks they’re brave.”
“They don’t know what brave is,” the Fat Lady had said firmly. “Boys never do. They just run around and shout to pretend they’re not afraid. Those of us who wait and watch and pretend that all is well with the world…” She’d shaken her head, her corsets creaking ominously.
“That’s old-fashioned,” Lily had said, with all the omniscience of an eleven year old.
The Fat Lady had just smiled and launched into a story about her friend Violet’s feud with the Bloody Baron.
The cocoa was getting cold. Lily muttered at it, waving her wand, and then wobbled over to the window. She was feeling increasingly all-overish.
It was raining, thrumming against the glass and washing the walls with water. She leant her forehead against the window and squinted but she couldn’t even see the Willow. She’d just have to wait.
She made her way back to the sofa and collapsed into the corner. It was a comfortable sofa, this. She never got to sit on it. It was usually full of Sirius Black. That was still a surprise, being friends with the boy who’d caused a riot in their very first class by refusing to sit next to ‘that Mudblood because she’s probably infectious.’
And there was Peter, wily little Peter, who tried so hard to pretend he didn’t adore James. Lily didn’t think there were enough witticisms in the world to conceal that loyalty, undeserved though it might be.
She’d always assumed she knew Remus. She’d never even suspected he had a secret, let alone one so unnerving. She wondered, vaguely, what other secrets he hid. There were times when something crossed his face, something she would have called loneliness if he hadn’t been a Marauder.
Rain made such a lovely noise. She’d much rather stay here all day and listen to the rain. Classes seemed rather daunting. Breakfast seemed rather daunting. She wasn’t even sure she’d cope if Sirius kicked her off the sofa.
There was a creak and the portrait hole swung open.
Peter tumbled through first. He darted across the room. “Cocoa! James! Sirius! James! Sirius! James! Lily made cocoa! Cocoa!”
Oh, god, Lily thought desperately. Too much rat.
Sirius strode after him. He eyed her balefully for a second before he scooped up a mug and went to glower out of the window. “Ta, Evans.”
“Any time,” she said and blinked at how her voice creaked.
James let the portrait fall closed and stood still, gazing at her. She looked back, blurry-eyed, and couldn’t stop herself from smiling. He came to her, all controlled force and silence, and looked down, his eyes dark and wide.
“Cocoa!” Peter squeaked, slurping it up.
“Are you okay?” James asked.
She sometimes wondered if he could be like this all the time, all his restless energy focussed. It would be terrifying.
“I’m okay,” she croaked and felt her throat convulse. “I – achoo! Ah-ah-achoo!”
The sneeze tore through her, throwing her back in her seat, wet-eyed. As she fell back she could see he was still watching her.
“Slytherin flu,” Sirius said, still glaring out the window.
“No it’s not,” Peter said. “If Lily’s got it, it’s Gryffindor flu.”
James smiled, a quick quirk of his lips, and said, “Get Pomfrey.”
Peter bounced up, spilling cocoa.
“She won’t be back yet,” Sirius said. “She’ll still be out there.”
Lily curled back in the corner of the sofa. She wanted to go back to bed but here came another sneeze, tearing through her.
“Then we’ll take her ourselves,” James said firmly. “Should get there at the same time.”
“And Sirius can check that Remus is okay,” Peter added.
James looked puzzled. “We know he’s okay. We just saw him.”
Peter shrugged. “He always checks.”
Sirius swung round, fierce and cold, but then shrugged.
“Ups-a-girl,” James said, pulling at Lily’s hand.
“I can’t,” she said. “Fuzzy legs.”
“Padfoot! Get your arse over here.”
Sirius came over, quirking his head. James didn’t say anything but after a moment they bent over Lily.
“Arms up,” James said.
It was an effort but she lifted them obediently. A broad shoulder was shoved under each arm and they stepped forward, their arms sitting across the back of her thighs.
“Lift,” James said and she was hoisted up. After a bewildering moment, she found herself sitting on their arms.
“Alright, Evans?” Sirius said.
“Never better,” she managed. “If either of you even thinks of doing something inappropriate we’ll be in negative points until Christmas.”
“You wound me,” James said and Sirius murmured, “Such gratitude.”
Peter darted ahead to open the portrait hole. Lily, who was embarrassingly close to tears, closed her eyes and hung on.
She roused briefly when they reached the Hospital Wing and deposited her on a bed, mainly because James was arguing with Pomfrey.
“…not leaving her here with a load of Slytherins.”
“Mr Potter, whatever you are implying, enough!”
“But-”
Lily huddled back against the pillows and watched Sirius slide away to the side-ward.
“And for your information, Mr Potter, I currently have forty-three Slytherins, twenty-nine Ravenclaws, twelve Hufflepuffs and three Gryffindors in the influenza ward. Now will you please remove yourselves before you get infected.”
“We’re going,” James said calmly.
“Where’s Mr Black?”
There was a brief silence and then Peter said, “He went down for breakfast. I don’t think he appreciated James waking him up for this.”
No, Lily thought as she slipped thankfully into sleep. She might not be a Marauder but she could keep their secrets. Then, hazily, Hang on, that’s almost a third of the school…