Dwelling on Dreams (A Marauders Fan Fic)

N.E.W.T.s and Leaving Hogwarts

This is for alanadavis123 for getting me to update again... I kind of thought you ought to get a dedication... :P

Everyone was worried about Cassie Jones. She wandered around the castle aimlessly, and although she sat in lessons, talked to her friends and ate her meals, it seemed as if something was missing, something very important. More often than not if someone happened to look at her, she would be sitting silently, staring into space, even when surrounded by her friends. Although she smiled at them, she never paid full attention to their conversations, her work was good, but not as good as it had been before, and her Quidditch suffered terribly.

Cassie’s condition was taking its toll on Sirius and Lily most of all, but it affected everyone from teachers to first years. Lily and Sirius devoted their time to her, as much as was possible, and their friends understood. Caught between the two of them, James found himself torn between worrying about Cassie and being angry at her for taking up the time of his best friend and his girlfriend.

A naturally cheerful girl, no one in the castle had ever seen Cassie succumb to sadness, let alone the level of near depression she had sunk to. She went through her days robotically, and when, after a month or so, she finally woke up to the world around her, just in time for the Easter holidays, she was shocked by the realisation that she barely remembered anything of the previous term; entire conversations, scandals, couples and Quidditch matches had passed her by as she grieved for her parents; the snow had melted and was replaced by lush green grass and breezy showers as the world woke up, bringing Cassiopeia Jones with it.

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“James I need you to help me,” Lily called after lunch one day.

“What with?” he asked kindly.

“I need to get into Slughorn’s office.”

James eyes widened in surprise. “Doing something against the rules are we Evans?” he asked as a frown crossed Lily’s face.

“No of course not! I would never- I need to give him something, but I don’t him to know that it was me.” James whistled teasingly and Lily slapped him lightly. “Not like that James! I just want to give him a present; he’s been my favourite teacher… well after Professor McGonagall but you know what people would say… especially the Slytherins…” Lily trailed off.

“Relax Evans! I’ll help you; here let’s do it now.”

“Now?” she repeated incredulously.

“Why not? Slughorn won’t leave the Great Hall for another half an hour,” James replied, leading Lily down to the dungeons.

“Wait!” she protested. “First I need to actually get what I’m going to give him,” she said, making James change direction and follow her up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

James waved his wand at the door to Slughorn’s office and it swung open, leaving Lily open-mouthed. “You’re brilliant you know,” she said with a small smile and making him blush and ruffle his hair.

“Thanks,” he said embarrassedly. “But maybe, just for once, we can save it for later,” he said, pinning a leer on his face instead.

“You’re disgusting James,” Lily laughed as she pushed past him and looked round Slughorn’s office. It was cosy but messy, old books left lying around, bottles of ancient wine stood in a glass fronted cupboard behind Slughorn’s desk, his cloak hanging on the door and swinging slightly.

Lily strode over to the old oak desk which stood in one corner of the room, piled high with papers, Potions essays and books, a curious green hourglass standing on the shelf behind it beside a number of other artefacts.