A/N: This is written for the QLFC. Beater 1 of the Tutshill Tornados, prompts are listed below.

Wish us luck! If we win this round, we can advance to the next, we made it to the finals!

Blush

Torrent

First person present tense

"Growing up? Pfft. Who wants to do that?"

ENJOY THIS STORY! IT IS AN ORDER!

DENIAL

I do not like her. I have shown absolutely no signs of liking her. So then why - why? - does Sirius always say I have an obvious crush on Lily Evans?

Ugh, I cringe to even think about it. I'm sure she has cooties, and if not that, she probably Snivelly germs or something.

And then you would think that my friends would call Sirius on the obvious crap he was spewing out. But no. It just doesn't work that way. Instead, Remus said that I think about Evans way too much. Peter said that she and I would be a "cute" couple. What did I do to deserve this treatment?!

I finally decide that I am done with my so-called friends. I can hear Sirius laughing like a stupid dog or something in the background, but I ignore him, because, even though he's laughing, it does not take away from the fact that he is an idiot. In fact, it probably makes him more of an idiot. How dare he even think that I love Evans?

Sirius decides that now it is a good time to start and sing, much to my displeasure.

"James and Evans sitting in a tree! K - I - S —"

Sirius is interrupted. Normally I would be quite thankful for this interruption, but it was done by Evans. This is only going to add to Sirius' argument that Evans and I are meant for each other because we think alike.

"Honestly, would you shut up?!" She yells. At least, I think she is. But sometimes it's hard to tell, because she's always yelling. Maybe that's just her normal tone of voice.

Because it is Evans who orders Sirius to shut up, he listens immediately. It's really aggravating.

As if Sirius' torrent of insults hasn't been enough, Evans chooses to turn on me. I put on my best innocent expression, and pray to Merlin that she isn't going to hex my pants off. Of course, I don't say this, because that would ruin my reputation more than Sirius has already done.

"Stop stuffing such stupid ideas into your stupid friends' heads!" Evans says accusingly.

Crap. This has attracted way more of an audience than I wanted. I just wanted to go get a pumpkin pastry from the kitchen, and instead, I'm listening to Evans scream in my ear. And, for some reason, my "friends" seem to think this is the appropriate chemistry for lovers.

"You think I want to be associated with loving you, Evans? There's nothing I would want less!" I raise my voice, because, for some reason, that's how I react when I'm humiliated. I am so getting Sirius back for this.

Evans glares. "I'm glad the feeling's mutual."

Now, most people would assume that this means that Evans and me are not soulmates. But not my friends. No, this obviously is further proof that I love Evans.

"Hey Evans, you should go out with James," Sirius says nonchalantly, somehow mustering the courage to open his big, fat, stinking mouth.

I glare at Sirius, making sure he knows I'm going to hex his bloody pants off and make him dance in a spotlight shortly. He simply shrugs and winks. I don't know why I hang out with him. He gets me into WAY too much trouble.

Lily immediately starts to blush. "I wouldn't go out with him in a million years!"

"Hey!" I say, suddenly offended. "I'm still in the room!"

"I don't care," she responds promptly. "You're an arrogant toerag, and you deserve to know that!"

"I'm an ar —" I am at a total loss. "If anything, Sirius is an arrogant toerag!" Sirius opens his mouth in protest. "Shut up, nobody asked you, just grow up and quit making this harder than it needs to be."

I can hear Sirius whisper to Remus, "Growing up? Pfft. Who wants to do that?"

Have I mentioned that Sirius is an idiot yet?

I turn to the red haired girl next to me, who obviously heard what Sirius said. For once I'm glad I'm not standing ground next to Sirius.

See, Evans is still just as furious as she was before, but is obviously mature enough to control her emotions.

...or not. The next thing I know is that there is a spotlight on Sirius, who is standing naked on a soapbox in the middle of the Common Room. The Gryffindors are cheering and laughing, some taking pictures. Sirius is blushing like a madman. Now, I know I should probably be helping him out, but I feel like he deserves this. I probably would've done something like this to him anyway.

I turn to Evans, both surprised but proud at her actions. She's smirking, her green eyes are sparkling with ha — Snape juice.

Despite the obvious grossness in this situation, I tell her, "You read my mind."

And she's back to glaring at me. I guess I admire her stubbornness. But still, I really don't want to get on her bad side. Something tells me that I AM on her bad side, though. Not that I care, I'm not gonna let my guard down and let Evans hex me. I'm not stupid.

"I don't care, Potter. Honestly, if you weren't so bent on making everyone believe we were soulmates, Sirius would not be so obnoxious. All this is your fault!"

And then she storms off. I turn around, only to meet the eyes of an angry Sirius and laughing Gryffindors.

"Hey, mate," Augustus, a student who only lives for girls in Seventh Year, says. "She didn't hex you. She blamed you, but she didn't hex you."

Sirius is getting down from the podium, cursing both the face and wand of Lily Evans. "Yeah, what's up with that?" He grumbles as he goes to the dormitory.

Both Peter and Remus follow, leaving me alone with a romantic pouf. At least he's not hitting on me. And I am grateful that I am not a girl.

"So?" I ask.

"She obviously likes you! She blames you more than Bla - Sirius, sorry - but Sirius is the one with the photos of him naked hung up on the walls."

I am so fed up with people telling me I'm in love with Evans. She wants to kill me, and I think she and Snivellus have a thing. So where is the room for me?

But when Augustus says that it's true, I'm inclined to believe him. After all, he never said anything about my feelings, he said that Evans likes me.

"Really?"

"I know girls, trust me. And this, this is exactly how girls act," Augustus says, a smirk flitting across his face.

Now he receives a standing ovation.

I go up to my dormitory a couple hours later, after getting the pumpkin pastries I had originally set my heart on. And, because I am such a good friend, I bring a few extras for the rest of the Marauders.

"Gee, thanks mate," Sirius says. At the sight of food, all our previous animosity is gone. I can't say that I'm surprised.

Remus and Peter are devouring the food as if they have never seen it in their life.

I realize now that it is quite easy to manipulate the Marauders if food is involved.

At midnight, we turn off the lights, our Christmas prank planned about a month in advance. I can hear Peter snoring, Remus tossing and turning, and Sirius muttering in his sleep. It's a common occurrence that I have grown used to in the past couple years. My role in this has always been the deep sleeper. But I'm not sleeping. Instead, I'm staying awake thinking about Evans.

Damn it, Augustus! If he hadn't planted the stupid thought of Evans being in love with me, I wouldn't be thinking about her! I try to damn every word in the English language, but I find that it is taking too long.

But seriously, what if Evans does like me? Does that mean I could get married one day? I mean, whenever I imagine myself with a wife, it's a strong woman who could easily fend for herself. Someone brave. Someone kind.

This doesn't describe Evans though. Evans would just be my practice until I meet the real thing. So I'm ready when I meet this dream girl.

...oOo...

The next morning, I wake up earlier than the rest of the Marauders. It's weird, because I've never woken up before the rest of them. All of them are sleeping soundly, Peter isn't even snoring!

But today is a big day. I'm going to test Augustus' theory. If Evans really does like me, then she won't turn down a date. When /I/ ask her, of course. The only reason she has been saying no is because of Sirius. And she's been insulting him and I because she wanted to help me out.

The more I think about it, the more plausible Augustus' theory starts to sound.

I take a long shower, and get down to breakfast early, without waking up my friends. I want to give them a surprise when they see Evans and I sitting together. Sirius would probably yell at me when he realizes he got cursed for nothing when he's reminded of the "traumatizing" incident when he looks at the walls of Hogwarts.

I know it's a smart decision, because Evans is always there early...and I know that because of pranks. She likes to go with Snape, who is too cowardly to come in late when my friends and I show up for breakfast.

I enter the great hall, smirking slightly because of the pictures on the walls. It doesn't make me a prat to think that Sirius deserves this, I know that.

Sure enough, Evans is sitting with Snape, the only ones in the room. Snape freezes as soon as he sees me – maybe having my wand in my hand in somewhat of an attacking position creates an aura of scariness. Or it's just Snape being a coward again. Which is quite believable.

Evans pulls out her wand, but I try to look confide — I mean, I'm entirely confident that Evans is no threat, she loves me!

"Why are you here, Potter?" Evans asks coldly.

I think, if she wants me to know her true feelings, she should lay down the coldness aspect of her tone. But, unlike Sirius, I'm smart and know when to and when not to open my mouth. That's why I've never been hexed by Evans before.

"I wanted to see you," I reply in my most grown up voice.

Snivellus looks disgusted, so I send a full body-bind curse at him. He distracts me too much.

Evans does not look impressed — in fact, she looks furious.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"

I guess she's back to screaming now. But she hasn't hexed me, so that has to mean something. I'm the only person she yells at. She definitely seems to like me.

Not me, though. I don't like her. I'm just being a good Gryffindor and giving her what she wants.

"He was distracting me from this important moment," I say at Evan's impatient look.

And...she still doesn't hex me. Augustus was definitely right.

"Important moment? How is this an important moment?!" Evans looks near hysterical. It's rather amusing.

"Stop staring into my eyes like that!" Evans says suddenly, stepping back, looking disturbed.

I don't know why she said that. I wasn't staring into her eyes!

"Sorry," I say hastily, putting my hands up. "I mean – I wasn't staring into your eyes, Merlin, you're getting more senile by the minute. It must be those books."

I think this was the wrong thing to say. Evans looks like she wants to punch me in the nose, and then throw me off a cliff while lit on fire on a wooden stake.

"Potter..." Evans seems to be warning me. I actually appreciate that. I don't really want to be hexed - or cursed...or jinxed - by Evans without a warning.

"You won't be hexing you after I tell you this...we'll be cuddling," I say.

I'm a genius at these pickup lines. I think I should write a book.

...or not. Evans takes another step back, now looking concerned.

"Potter? Do you have a fever?"

I laugh. "No, but I know this concern you have for me is a sign."

Evans looks worried. "A sign?"

"You want to go out with me, right? That's what all this is about?" I finally drop the bombshell, and await the kiss.

For selfless purposes, of course.

"What?" Evans asks in disbelief.

This is a good sign.

I shrug nonchalantly. "Do you want to go out with me? Like, be my girlfriend go out?"

Evans shrieks. "YOU ARROGANT IDIOTIC PRAT!"

She punches me in the stomach. Physically. I think she forgot that she knows magic.

But the damned punch hurts.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME, YOU CREEP!"

I don't say that I'm actually a whole meter in distance away from her.

She reverses the curse on Snivelly – I don't know why she didn't do this earlier – and drags him out of the room before he can say anything.

And now it registers that I am all alone in the Great Hall. And Evans has rejected me. Whatever, I never really liked her. Sure, she's pretty, and feisty, but she's not my type. Besides, she left me all alone here.

I'm in quite the dilemma. Everyone's going to think something is going on amongst the Marauders. I need to get back up to the dormitory.

Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time getting myself amused with the pictures of the walls as I start walking back. Getting rejected is actually really painful. Even if you don't like the girl.

And now I can't stop thinking about Lily Evans.

I don't like her. I know I don't like her.

I continue to walk through the empty hallway, thinking about how good red and green go together.

I'm thinking this because of Christmas, not Evans. Evans having red hair and green eyes is a mere coincidence.

Or not.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Lily Evans truly is the girl of my dreams. She's strong, brave, kind...crap. I think I'm in love with Lily Evans. This can't be a good thing. She's already rejected me!

But really, the worst part isn't going to be getting up to ask her again – I could do that in my sleep. Sirius is going to find out about this. And he's not going to let me live it down. Damn it.

I don't think pumpkin pastries are going to help much this time.

THE END

A/N: How'd you like it? Let me know everything you are thinking. Bad or good. Reviews, even when they are criticism, make me feel good...eventually. They help me grow, and that is the reason I joined fanfiction in the first place ;)