It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

Twenty-One

"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." - Dr. Seuss

     Sunlight entered the boys' dormitory, streaming through the glass windows, shattering across the stone floors. It revealed seven students in various stages of sleep the morning of their last first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

     "Rise and shine!" 

     Lily shot up off the cold flooring in a state of confusion and pain. She stared at the walls, slightly blurry from her hangover, and searched for her friends, trying to piece together what happened the night before. She had no memory of going to sleep the night before, and all the memories before that had a fuzziness to the edges. What the hell? 

     Charlie was curled in a ball on the floor beside the redhead, hands pressed over her ears and looking rather pale. "No, no, no," she complained in a hoarse voice. 

     "Come on, Riggs," James prodded her shoulder with his foot. He was the culprit of the cheery yelling. 

     James Potter had always been a morning person; he was able to rise with the sun at ease. And, shockingly, he had remained the most sober the night before, leaving him the least hungover this morning. 

     She refused to open her eyes. "Go away," Charlie complained. 

     James snorted before grabbing one of her biceps and tugging her to a standing position. "It's your last first day, Riggs. Can't miss it." 

     "Watch me," she muttered, stumbling out of his grip. Her head pounding with each individual stomping of her foot. 

     James stepped forward to deal with another one of his friends. "Come on, Evans."

     Lily was even worse than Charlie. Her stomach felt as if it were revolting against the whole of her body, and a marching band seemed to be dragging its way across her brain. 

     "I can't," she whined. 

     "You're Head Girl," he reminded her gently. "You have to."

     She shook her head, burying her face in the crook of her arm, refusing to leave the fetal position she had taken up. "Tell them I'm sick."

     James sighed. "You were fine last night."

     "Sickness comes on fast."

     "You did this to yourself," he said with a smirk. 

     She jabbed a finger at him without lifting her head. "Because of you, so, really this is your fault."

     James took the opportunity to grab her extended arm and pull her to her feet. He gripped her shoulders to make sure that she remained steady. Her green eyes locked on him, hazed with sleep and hungover-ness. 

     "What are you doing?" She demanded quietly, staring at him wide-eyed.

     He removed his hands immediately. "Nothing," he insisted, before turning his back and walking over to start on Peter.

     Charlie watched the two's bizarre encounter. "Come on, Lils," she said, waving her wand, sounding as if she had been hit by a truck. "Let's go get ready."

     "Where's Marlene?"

    They both looked over to see her curly, blonde hair draped over the edge of Sirius' bed. "Marls," Charlie attempted to raise her voice but failed. "Let's get movin'."

     Her curly head popped up for a moment before sinking back onto Sirius' shoulder. "No," she whined, dragging out the syllables. 

     "We'll leave you," Charlie threatened. Lily leaned against the door looking rather green.