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A Jinx


MUGGLE MURDERER SENTENCED TO 150-LIFE AZKABAN SENTENCE, WIZARDING COMMUNITY REJOICES
The wizarding community celebrates a small victory today in the battle against You Know Who and his followers. The notorious Muggle Murderer, Jasper Odair, was found guilty of the murder of his father this morning during a trial held at the Ministry for Magic, overseen by the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, Bartemius Crouch. The proceedings were voted on a near unaminous Wizengamot - only seven out of over two-hundred member present opposed.
“The Ministry can only hope that the example we have made of Jasper Odair will make other aspiring Death Eaters think twice about the things that they are doing and the things they think they believe in,” Bartemius Crouch informed our reporters upon exiting Courtroom Ten this morning. “The Minister and the Ministry stand in heavy opposition to those who believe themselves to be better than muggles - who would murder a man based upon his blood status. He Who Must Not Be Named and his followers might take notice that we will find and prosecute his followers. We will crush them. We will book them. We will imprison them!”
Jasper Odair was transported to the prison immediately following documentation and was deposited in his cell, where he will pass the rest of his days.


Silence filled the Great Hall.

The Hufflepuff table was empty, Professor Viridi missing from the staff table.

Together, they were mourning in the common room, fighting to come to terms with the loss of their prefect, their captain, their hero - Jasper Odair.

Missing, too, was Lily Evans, who had locked herself in her dormitory and refused to come out.

Classes were cancelled.

When the Marauders returned from the Shrieking Shack, Remus went right to bed while the others were famished. They arrived in the Great Hall to find the news. James nearly threw up, he was so upset.

“Oh bloody hell,” whispered Sirius, staring at the Daily Prophet that Frank Longbottom had handed over to him. He lowered the page after reading the article and Peter took it up and scowled at the words. Sirius shivered and rubbed his arms, feeling a chill at the very thought of dementors.

Achlys trembled in his chest.

“This isn’t right,” Sirius said. “Something’s got to be done. Some sort of… of protest … of demonstration that we aren’t in agreement with it!”

“What’s a bunch of kids like us gonna do about it?” Peter asked, “The sentence has already been handed out.” He put the paper down on the table.

“Dunno,” Sirius murmured, “But there’s gotta be something.”

“How’s Lily taking it?” James asked Alice, concerned.

Ali shook her head, “She won’t leave her room.”

“Brilliant!” Sirius declared, “We’ll stage a lie-in! Like John Lennon and Yoko Ono!”

James waved his wand and a white box appeared and he started gathering up toast and strips of bacon hurriedly, scoops of egg and a little cup with cut up fruit inside.

“What’re you doing?” Sirius asked, looking over at James.

But James didn’t reply. He closed the box and ran from the Great Hall.

“Okay then.” Sirius turned to Peter. “So anyway - this lie-in idea… Loads of detentions, I’m sure, but who the fuck cares of that? We’ll be protesters!”

Peter stared at Sirius, “What’s involved in a lie-in, exactly?”

“We chain ourselves to our beds and refuse to eat or drink and tell the press how we feel about the shitty situation until we get our way!” Sirius said.

Peter shivered at the thought of not eating or drinking. “But, like, say, if we did a lie-in and there was maybe some chocolate or licorice wands hidden about us… that wouldn’t be so horrid, yeah, so long as none of the press sees us?”

“You’re fucking hopeless,” Sirius muttered. “Eat your damn breakfast…” he lowered his voice, “I’m going upstairs to see Moony and start the lie-in.”

Peter quickly ate several strips of bacon thinking that Sirius Black just liked the idea of being able to lie about with Remus Lupin and call himself a rebel for doing it.




Lentum calesus.”

James Potter’s sneakers adhered to the wall as he climbed over the staircase that led into the girls’ dormitories. The soles of them snapped and popped as he moved along the stucco ceiling to the corridor, then dropped down, landing on his arse. “Finite incantantum,” he said, and his trainers went back to normal as he got up and rubbed his tailbone.

The answer he got when he knocked on Lily Evans’ bedroom door was soft. “Go away,” she pleaded.

“That’s not my name, Evans,” he answered.

There was a pause.

The door opened.

Her eyes were blotchy and nearly as red as her hair. “How did you get here?” she demanded, her curiosity winning over her terrible mood.

James grinned, “I’ll never tell.”

“James.”

“I brought you breakfast.” He held out the white box. “Like Remus always says - you have to eat, you’ll feel better if you do.”

She stared at the box.

“Evans, c’mon, it’s not like I’m going to bloody poison you with a bit of scrambled eggs,” James said, exasperated.

“Thank you,” Lily murmured, taking the box gingerly. She held it between her hands and stared up at him, then glanced at the stairwell, wondering what work-around he’d managed to find.

James nodded.

She stood there holding the box, unsure what to say.

“Are you okay?” he asked gently.

Lily had cried so much already that, although she felt the urge to at the words, she couldn’t muster the tears. She looked up at James. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. I feel so helpless. Jasper doesn’t deserve this.”

James frowned down at his trainers. “I know.”

There were voices on the stairwell then, and Lily panicked. She didn’t want anyone passing about rumors - saying she’d invited Potter upstairs when she hadn’t - and so she grabbed onto James’s jumper and tugged him through the doorway, closing it quickly behind him. He stared at her, stunned by the fast movement as he stumbled over a small throw rug she’d brought from home in her trunk. He stared at her. “What --?”

“Trying to avoid rumors,” she murmured.

“Rrumors?”

“That we’re more than friends.”

“But we are more than friends, Evans,” James said. When she gave him a Look, he added, “We’re friends that snog.”

She sighed and turned away as he puckered up his lips and leaned forward, as though waiting for a kiss. He opened his eyes and peeked to see she’d gone and stood upright. “Alright, sorry. Not the time. I know. I’m nervous again. And I’m upset, too. That could’ve been any one of us.”

Lily sat on the edge of her bed. “I don’t understand, James. He’s not a murderer. He’s not a muggle-hater like they’re saying in those papers. He’s muggle-born - he isn’t even half blood, he’s muggle-born like me. Voldemort would never have a muggle-born Death Eater. It would be madness…” She hugged the post of her four-poster as James walked ver. He sank onto the bench by the window and picked up a little heartshaped pillow and spun it about in his fingers as he studied it, thinking.

“I think…” he said after a time, “...that he’s just… a victim… you know? A victim of an imperfect game of politics being had between two sides in which the good guys are… are losing… and they desire to seem more powerful than they are and they just… sack whoever the first person that crosses their paths. I think Jasper is an illusion the Ministry is playing to reinforce confidence. My dad said once that happens in politics.” He looked up at her. “I think they’re just desperate.”

Lily wiped her eyes.

“I’m sorry I don’t have a better answer. I’m sorry I can’t make the world fair for you, Evans.” James studied her. “I wish I could.” He sighed and stood up, putting the pillow down. “Eat your breakfast, Evans.”

“Are you leaving?” Lily asked, looking alarmed.

He paused, “Don’t you want me to?”

“No.”

He stood there looking at her with a bit of confusion on his face.

“I don’t want to be alone, James. Please stay.”

“Okay,” he replied and he sat down again.

Lily got up and went over and sat herself down beside him, hugging his arm and laying her cheek to his bicep. “James,” she said quietly, “Do you s’pose a person could be… could be a jinx?”

“A jinx?” he asked.

“Yes. That being close to a particular person could make people… get hurt, make people die, make people… go away.”

James leaned back to stare down at her. “Evans?”

She didn’t look up. She couldn’t. Instead she grabbed his fingers and laced hers through them, her eyes glistening. “I keep losing people.”

James’s heart ached at these words.

“I’ve lost Tuney and Alice Bell and my Father and Severus Snape and now Jasper… and perhaps Tuney’s right, perhaps I am a freak, James, perhaps it should have been me. Perhaps I’m the reason everyone keeps…” she couldn’t say the last words, her voice cracked.


“Evans,” he breathed, shaking his head, “No, love… Gods no. Don’t you ever -- please -- don’t ever think that of yourself.” He reached down and cupped her cheek with his palm and turned her face to look up at him. “Listen to me alright? I know you don’t think much of me…” the words hurt to say, “...but please believe me in this at least… You’re not a freak. And it should not have been you. None of those things is your fault. None of them.”

Lily felt a lump rise up in her throat and she shook his palm from her hand, looking away, standing up and pacing a little bit. She stopped across the room from him, her back to him.

“Evans you have no idea how much I ---”

“Stop.” She said. “Don’t say it.”

He stared at her.

Lily drew a deep breath, “Potter… I… Could you… do me a favor?”

“Anything, love.”

Her voice was impossibly quiet. “I need my stag.”

There was not even a moment of hesitation. He stood up and there was a pop and she heard the grunting honks from behind her… and there was a nudge on her back - a strong snout pressing against her spine.

Lily turned around and she fell into the stag, wrapping her arms around his neck, her face pressing into the warm fur as she knelt down, holding onto him. He honked a little deep in his throat and brought his wide chin ‘round her, resting it heavy against shoulder blade. Lily cried and cried and he stood, his tail flicking restlessly, her fingers knotted up ‘round the scruffy fur at his throat and shoulders.

“I’m afraid,” she whispered against his neck. “I’m afraid to love people anymore. I’m afraid if I do I’ll jinx them. I’m afraid I’ll lose them.”

He honked against her.

“You can’t promise that,” she whispered, knowing exactly what he was saying.