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To the Stands


Lily Evans stood waiting by the doorway to the dungeons, waiting and biting her fingernails. She’d been out to the Bell Towers already that morning to conjure a ring of flowers for each of them. The sunlight was brilliant and bright, glowing over the grounds with barely a cloud to break apart the blue sky, but Lily still felt heavy and sad.

When the Slytherins began to emerge from the dungeons for breakfast, she hung to one side, her eyes searching until she’d spotted Severus. Hurrying after him, Lily pushed her way among the other Slytherins and grabbed hold on his sleeve. Severus stopped short, turning quickly and withdrawing his wand as he faced Lily, then relaxing the moment he laid eyes upon her. “It’s you,” he said, surprised to see her.

Lily looked teary. “Can we take a walk together?” she asked.

Severus glanced about to see Narcissa already disappearing into the Great Hall with Yaxley and Mulciber and nodded, ducking quickly to follow Lily to the front doors and out the heavy doors to the grounds.

They walked side-by-side along the path toward the lake. Severus knew, of course, that Lily must be upset about Derek Bell. He’d known she would be from the moment that he’d heard what had happened. It was Narcissa who had heard first what had happened. An owl had come in the night for her from her sister, Bellatrix, who had told her of the trouble that had befallen her fiance in the woods. Bellatrix had mentioned in her note that she’d killed a member of the Resistance… and it was from Narcissa that the rumors had begun, spreading through the castle like wildfire. Severus had known within a matter of minutes that Derek Bell was dead.

Lily stopped when they’d reached the edge of the lake and crossed her arms. Severus stood beside her a moment, glancing over at her, waiting for her to speak. She rubbed her arms as though cold and Severus thought for a moment of pulling off his cloak and putting it ‘round her shoulders, but he felt funny just thinking of it, and kept the cloak on. “I thought you would want to talk to me or something,” he said.

“I don’t know what to say, really,” Lily said, “I just… I missed you. You’re my best friend, Severus.”

“What about the Lupin boy?” Severus asked coldly.

“He’s my friend, too, but I really needed you,” Lily said. She turned to face him and reached out her hands for his, holding them in her palms and looking down at his dirty fingernails. She turned his hands over so she was looking at his palms. “You still count me as your friend, don’t you?” she asked, looking up at him.

Severus stared into her eyes, and he nodded, breathless at the color of them. “Yes, of course,” he said lowly. “Always.”

Lily stared up into his eyes. “It’s just with all of the awful things happening lately, it’s so very obvious how short all of our lives could be, isn’t it?” she bit her lips, “I just can’t stop thinking of the fact that just two days ago, Derek Bell had his entire life ahead of him and the most terrifying thing he could think of was flunking the N.E.W.T.s, and today… he’s gone.”

“Yes,” Severus said slowly, unsure where exactly this was going. “Mortality and all that. It’s rather off-putting thinking of it.”

“I just don’t think we ought to waste anymore of our time fighting,” Lily said.

“I agree,” murmured Severus.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, hugging Severus’s stunned form to herself so that her face pressed into his neck. He stood very still in her arms. He could hardly believe that she was wrapped around him this way. She stepped back and tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear and took a deep breath.

“I, er, thanks,” murmured Severus.

Lily nodded, her cheeks rosy, looking away. “Are you going to the match later?” she asked.

Severus shrugged. He hadn’t been planning to.

“Maybe I’ll see you there,” she suggested.

“Maybe,” Severus agreed, thinking that perhaps a day watching a bit of quidditch wouldn’t be so terrible after all.




James was in the locker room at the pitch. The Hogwarts team all around him. Sirius, Remus, and Peter had snuck in to wish James good luck. He was pulling on his quidditch boots, his broomstick leaning against the bench beside him, as Sirius flung himself about James’s shoulder, his arms ‘round his neck and smashing his cheek into his friend’s unruly hair. “You’ll be brilliant mate, I know it,” Sirius announced.

“Thanks,” James said as Peter and Remus came ‘round from behind James. Sirius flung himself to the bench beside him, straddling it. Isaac Horan was across the room, looking up at them as he laced his leather gloves ‘round his hands. He looked less than amused at the group of Gryffindors. “I doubt whether you lot are supposed to be in here,” said James, nodding at Isaac’s disapproving stare.

“Let the ruddy Slytherin stare,” Sirius waved off James’s concern. “We’ve got a right to drop in and give our mate encouragement before the game.” He gave quite a rude gesture to Isaac Horan, who sneered and turned away.

“Sirius, you shouldn’t have done that,” Remus said.

“He deserves worse,” Sirius grumbled.

“Yes but you’ve had enough detentions this term, you don’t need anymore for doing that,” Remus said.

“What’re they going to do? Give me a detention on the Express?” Sirius guffawed.

“You never know,” Peter squeaked.

Sirius rolled his eyes.

Keen to change the topic, Remus turned to James and held out a hand to shake James’s. “Good luck on the pitch, mate,” he said.

James shook his hand, smirking at the formalness of the gesture in comparison to Sirius’s sloppy attack. Peter nodded excitedly, “You’ll be great! We’ll be cheering you on in the stands, you know!”

“Thanks,” James said, looking ‘round at them, glad for them and their encouragement, whatever it seemed that Horan thought of it.

“We’ll see you after,” Remus said.

“Yeah, I’ll knick us butterbeers and treats,” Peter said excitedly.

James smiled, “Sounds wonderful.”

Remus waved and he and Peter led the way out of the room. Sirius stood up from the bench to follow, then paused and looked at James. “Just remember what I said mate. Play well, that’s all he would’ve expected of you.”

James nodded. “Yeah.”

Sirius put a hand across James’s shoulder and squeezed it rather tightly, then patted his mate, and hurried to catch up with Remus and Peter to make their way up to the stands.

They had quite a job of it, too, climbing the plethora of stairs and settled themselves in, having a look about the pitch, which had been magicked to be quite an impressive sight. The stands were alternating colours of purple and gold with great banners with images of the Hogwarts crests and the Ilvermorny crests alternating about, the school flags each flying off the ramparts. A wind had blown in since morning, warm and wonderful. In the high box where the staff and Dumbledore usually sat was an impressive assortment that included the Minister for Magic and the President of MACUSA, as well as Albus Dumbledore and Randy Temple, all holding glasses of mead and talking excitedly amongst one another as they waited to take in the match.

“What’s Lily doing with him?” Sirius asked suddenly.

Remus turned to look and saw Severus and Lily in one of the boxes across the pitch from them. Several Slytherins seemed to be wondering the same thing as they looked at Severus and Lily, too, their noses crinkled up at the sight of a muggle-born too close to their pureblood area. “She mentioned she was talking to him again,” Remus said.

“Well blimey, doesn’t mean she needs to go sitting in the ruddy Slytherin section, does it?” Sirius said, “She better be careful, lest they find out she’s a muggle-born and sacrifice her or something.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Remus said, rolling his eyes.

“They aren’t exactly welcoming her with open arms, though, are they?” Peter pointed out.

Remus frowned. He didn’t like the way they were looking at her, actually, as though she were something beneath them - like an insect they wished to squash. Especially Narcissa Black, whose eyes kept flickering in her direction with a high-nosed disdain.

“We ought to go over there and get her,” Sirius said, “Bring her back here where she belongs, with the Gryffindors.” He started to stand up - Remus reaching for his robes to stop him - when a loud sound of feedback screeched through the pitch.

“Sorry… Sorry,” muttered a voice over the loudspeaker. They all looked to the booth where the commentator sat and saw Xenophilius Lovegood had taken his seat, “Forgot to turn the mickeyphone on before broadcasting, sorry!”

“Mickeyphone? Isn’t it microphone?” asked Sirius, looking about at the other two, Severus and Lily quite forgotten.

“It is,” Remus nodded.

Peter was rubbing his ears.

“Welcome everybody to the tourney that’s so infatuated us all for the entire term!” Xenophilius announced, “Ilvermorny versus Hogwarts!” His voice echoed about the stands and the students clapped heartily, whooping and shouting out names of students they were rooting for most. In the high box, the minister, president, and headmasters were all having their seats and McGonagall was setting herself in behind Xenophilius, where she would be able to keep watch over the commentary. Below, on the field, Madam Hooch was walking across the grass, her referee robes bright and freshly pressed. She waved as the students and faculty cheered, then mounted her broomstick and took off, flying a couple quick laps about the pitch to warm up.

“Look, up there.” Remus pointed to the box where McGonagall was sitting. Beside her on the bench, looking still rather pale, was Bilius Weasley. “I supposed he wanted to see the tourney for Derek,” Remus said.

Peter murmured, “I can’t imagine how terrible he must feel, having just lost his friend.”

“Me, either,” said Sirius. He look a deep breath, not wanting to even try to imagine it and turned back to face the pitch.

“Here are the Ilvermorny team, taking the field,” announced Xenophilius, reading from a sheet that McGonagall had handed him, “Captain and Keeper Jack Scout of Horned Serpent. Chasers Dawn Gleason of Thunderbird, Richie Hart, and Eric Danes - both of Pukwudgie. Beaters Andy Kimball of Wampus and Nick Shaffer of Horned Serpent. Seeker Meg Johnson of Thunderbird.” The seven players stepped out from their locker rooms and mounted their brooms, taking off, soaring up over the pitch to formation beside Madam Hooch. “They’re quick as wrackspurts, that lot,” Xenophilius Lovegood marvelled. “And now… your Hogwarts team.”

The students in the stands were positively deafening.

“Acting Captain and also Keeper, Quentin Vane of Ravenclaw. Chasers Jessica Abbot of Hufflepuff, Abby Jones, and Geoffrey Kinder - both of Ravenclaw. Beaters, Isaac Horan of Slytherin and Marty Brown of Hufflepuff. Seeker James Potter of Gryffindor.’

The boys leaped to their feet, clapping, and Sirius got onto the bench, stuck his fingers in his mouth, and let out an almighty whistle that echoed through the pitch and off the stands. “JAMES POTTER! YEAH!!!” he screamed as loud as he could.

“Quite a lot of Ravenclaws now, aren’t there?” commented Remus to Peter as they clapped.

“They were the best team this year,” Peter pointed out.

The Hogwarts team had flown up to formation beside Madam Hooch as well, and there they were all together on the pitch.

“Before the tossing of the quaffle,” Xenophilius announced, “Madam Hooch has requested the opportunity to say a few words.”

Madam Hooch raised her wand to her throat. “Sonorus,” she commanded and her voice, magically magnified, filled the stands. “Today, we play a very important game,” she said. “We have many distinguished guests in our stands. May we play with integrity and passion, the way Derek Bell would have wanted us to. Do your schools proud, all of you,” she added, looking toward the Hogwarts team and then the Ilvermorny team, “And may we all have fun.” She lowered her wand, slipping it into a pocket of her robes.

The students all clapped and cheered once again.

On the pitch, James clutched his broomstick, closed his eyes, and thought -- this one’s for you, Derek.

“Let the tourney begin!” announced Xenophilius.

James opened his eyes just in time to see Quentin Vane and Jack Scout fly forward as Madam Hooch tossed the quaffle high into the air… and the tournament began.