The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

Into the Inn of Borthwick's Close

Lily Evans stepped out of the women's toilet by the platforms and ticketing hall at Waverly Station in Edinburgh. The open air station was cold, and she was glad that she'd found an enchantment for their jackets and gloves that would keep them warm, the way clothes fresh out of a laundry dryer felt. She could feel her nose tingling with the cold air and her fake pinkening. She stepped out and looked about, sunlight streaming through the high glassy ceiling. The smell of coffee from a nearby stand filled her nose as she stood, waiting, her breath coming out in small puffy clouds.

James stepped out of the men's toilet a moment later, looking about as he walked down the platform to where Lily was. He patted his palms together and huffed warming up as he approached her. "Bloody hot for winter, inn'it?" he joked. She smiled and took his hand and the pair of them walked out into the morning air and up the sloping drive to the road. High overhead, they could see Edinburgh Castle's silhouette against the pale whitish-blue sky, the rocky cliff that it stood on pronounced against the gray sky above, birds circling about it's turrets. James thought it looked rather a lot like Hogwarts, and he said so.

"I suppose it does," Lily replied, leading the way.

Together, they walked down the road to a steep stairwell that wound about, higher and higher, lined with stout stone walls that came up to their knees and thick brush that leaned in with spindly branches that looked like fingers attempting to grab on. "No wonder they call it High Street," James said when they reached the top to come out onto Edinburgh's main road, feeling slightly out of breath, "I feel like we were climbing forever."

"It was rather steep," Lily agreed, also out of breath.

"Could've used my broom," James smirked. "Would've done the job a lot quicker than these knobbly knees did." He wagged his leg at Lily, who laughed.

"Oh stop it, I love your knobby knees," she said, pushing him playfully.

The stones in the street were uneven and rough-hewn, with gaps between them that seemed to have collected a good deal of little things muggles frequently drop, like small coins and other bobbins. Dirty snow collected in the gutters and little streams of rain flowed ever downward toward Holyrood Castle at the far end of the city. James and Lily's mittened hands fit together as they walked, passing ornate churches and loads of shops with tartans and biscuits in the windows, a swords shop, and an apothecary shop with a sign that advertised it had been in business for centuries. Muggles milled about, bundled up and pink-faced, looking rather miserable to be out in the cold morning weather, but James didn't mind it so much. It felt nice to be somewhere besides home or Hogwarts, somewhere alone with Lily, where they could simply do whatever it was they wanted to do - like real adults.

He smiled at her when she wasn't looking.

They crossed a large bridge, which afforded them an even lovelier view of the castle, and they stood looking up at it for some time, James's arm around Lily's shoulders, before they walked on. Lily pulled James into one of the cafes they passed, saying she was dying for some hot breakfast, and they took seats by the window overlooking the square and ordered food and tea.

When the waiter had left with their orders, James murmured, "Evans. I didn't get any muggle money."

"It's alright," Lily replied, "It's your birthday, you ought not to be buying anything, should you? I've got the money we need."

"But Evans --"

"Potter, I mean it. I've got this taken care of."

James ceeded. He didn't have much way to fight anyway, it wasn't as though he had any muggle money to pose an argument. Galleons wouldn't get him far here, he reckoned. He felt a gentle kick under the table and looked up.