"Maintain Consciousness"

Relient K

Our concentration it contains a deadly flaw
our conversations change from words to blah, blah, blah
we took prescription drugs but look how much good that did
well I think I had a point, but I just got distracted

Five Gryffindors, The Marauders (minus Peter) and Lily (plus one friend), sat under the much sat under tree next to the much sat next to lake. Like many students before and after them, they were bored. Lily was reading a book, leaning against the knees of her friend, Gabriella, who was braiding Lily's long, red hair. James sat on a branch that extended over Lily and Gabby's heads', periodically dropping flowers that he conjured onto their heads. Sirius was lying in the grass watching James watch Lily, and Remus was sitting next to Gabby, occasionally whispering things in to her ear that made her smile and giggle.

After the third lily fell in between pages 2 and 3 of Lily's book, she gave up reading. She had been staring at the same sentence for five minutes, anyway.

"So…" James started

"…What are we all going to do with our lives after we graduate?" Lily finished.

"A mediwitch," Gabby stated with out missing a beat.

"What job? You honestly think anyone's going to hire a werewolf?" Remus said, begrudgingly.

"I'd hire you, baby." Gabriella said to him, with a coy smile.

"That's because you two are involved! Me? I'm going to fight my parents and all those damned Death Eaters 'till I die. I'll probably die in battle, anyway. They have no right killing people I happen to like.

If I don't do that, I'll start a support group for… people."

"Normal people don't need support groups, Black. Just you."

"Thanks, a lot, Lily."

"Besides, you're just shooting the breeze with the support group thing…" She trailed off.

"I want a cookie…"

"Go for it, James."

"That doesn't make any sense, Black."

"Yea…"

"I love your eyes, Gabby."

"I can hear you, Remus. Whisper, please, we don't like mushy romance."

"Really, Evans? What's the title of your book?"

"That's off subject, Black."

"No really, what is the title of your book, Lily Flower?"

"I don't feel comfortable telling you that."

"C'mon, Lils… It can't be that bad."

"Not you too, Gabby!"

"Are you reading a textbook?"

"No, of course not!"

"Textbooks are boring."

"Yes, I know Black."

"They remind me of McGonagall's hair… Always the same blah blah blah. Twisted into a bun. Maybe she should let it loose, once in a while…"

"Stop fantasizing about her."

"How did we get on this subject, anyway…?"


Lately it just seems to me
like we've got the letters A.D.D.
branded into our mentality
we simply can't focus on anything


Three days later, studying for finals, Lily couldn't concentrate…

"Can you study?"

"Normally, but it's gotten harder and harder, the later it gets into the night."

"I keep getting distracted…"

"Me two."

"What distracts you, Lily Flower?"

"Hmm? I got distracted by that cat, and didn't catch that last bit."

because its
17, 18, 19 routine
and here at 23 it's the same old me
and that one thing of the moment
that we all happen to like will
only very temporarily
kinda break the cycle
of the double edged sword
of being lazy and being bored
we just want more and more and more
till it's all we can afford

"Why do we always do the same things?"

"Like what, Jamesie?"

"You know what I mean, Padfoot. Eat, sleep, study… The past four years, that's all I've done. Over and over and over again. It's really boring."

"Except for summer."

"Yea summer's great. The only time I don't do the same crap."

"I Like summer."

"Hi, Gabby."

"Hey, Gabbriella."

"We've never talked about break, before."

"It's not so boring…"

"James, time for Head duties."

"Coming, Lily, darling."

"Please stop calling me that. I'm not your girlfriend."

"Why not?"

She grabbed him by his ear and pulled him out of the common room by it. He was screaming and protesting all the while. She smiled. He was hers, even if she would never agree to be his. He knew it.

When they came out of the hole, she let go of his very red ear and brushed the dust off of her robes.

"Need help?" He said, as her softly brushed her shoulder.

"Thanks." She beamed.

to keep our eyes open for just one more day
to keep on hoping that we'll stumble on a way
to keep our minds open for just one more day
cause its completely up to us
to maintain consciousness

"I don't want to do this anymore. I want some action. Head duties, studying, all the same monotonous crap. Show me change, adventure! Everyone always talks about Hogwarts likes nothings ever the same. I know everything in the books; I can predict what those teachers are going to say next! I know all of the students in out year well enough to predict their moves, too. St this very moment, you're going to ask me out. I can tell even what I'm going to do!"

"What?"

"I'm going to turn you down in hopes you'll stop…"

well no one can possibly listen to this
more than 4 reps is just monotonous
we're losing interest, losing interest, losing interest

After three more weeks, finals, and a graduation, Lily finally lost interest in denying James, so she finally agreed to be his girlfriend.

Gabby died in battle, doing what Sirius wanted to do for a living. Keeping a support group… for very angry people.

Remus got a job at Hogwarts, but you knew that.

Sirius did get to do his real dream, and he died in battle, like he said he would.

And Lily and James? You know what happens to them.

because its
17, 18, 19 routine
and here at 23 it's the same old me
and that one thing of the moment
that we all happen to like will
only very temporarily
kinda break the cycle
of the double edged sword
of being lazy and being bored
we just want more and more and more
till it's all we can afford

to keep our eyes open for just one more day
to keep on hoping that we'll stumble on a way
to keep our minds open for just one more day
cause its completely up to us
to maintain consciousness