A/N: Hello lovely readers! How are you? This is my first Jily fic, which is strange, because of all the OTPness, but such is life. I hope you like it, because I think I want to carry it on, you know? I dunno, I started writing this because of many reasons, the main one being my ability to procrastinate like hell. Homework can be saved for a later date. If only we were assigned to write a 10,000 word fanfic, and I would probably do it. Maybe.
We'll see where it goes from here, I guess. Tell me what you think, if you don't mind?
Disclaimer: Every single thing is owned by Queen Rowling. I only wish I was her. All the fluffy stuff is mine. Some credit can be given to my playlist, too. How many ideas you can get from a cup of coffee and a Taylor Swift/Beatles track is insane.
-Chapter One-
Moving On
"Day by day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon, everything is different." - Calvin and Hobbes
Had he heard right?
He couldn't have. Snape wouldn't have said that.
But he had.
His eyes flashed to Lily for a second, and he saw an expression he hoped he would never, ever see the redhead wear again. The absolute hurt that crossed her face was unbearable. He faltered for a moment, so consumed with rage at the ugly, greasy boy. He waited for her reaction before doing anything drastic. The hurt he had seen seconds ago had vanished.
"Fine. I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash my pants if I were you, Snivellus." Nope, that wasn't enough punishment for what he had said.
"Apologize to Evans!" he yelled, pointing his wand at him, every curse and hex he knew sprinting through his mind.
"I don't want you to make him apologize! You're just as bad as he is!" This caught him off guard. He was helping her, wasn't he? Doing the right thing?
"What?" his voice came off higher than he intended. "I'd NEVER call you a – you-know-what!"
"Messing up your hair because…" her voice trailed off, his thoughts consuming him. This had all gone wrong. Very, very wrong. This was the part where she ran over to him, thanking him for standing up for her, commenting on how brave and handsome he was, how she had secretly loved him since first year, and such. But instead, the angry redhead was yelling at him, telling him how much she despised him, and how little she thought of him "… You make me SICK." She turned and began walking away.
"Evans! Hey, EVANS!" He was about to chase after her, and see if she was okay, but thought better of it. He wasn't exactly Lily's favourite person at the moment. Well, neither was Snivellus, so what did it matter? Instead, he played up to the 'I-don't-care-she's-just-a-dumb-girl' act.
"What is it with her?" he suspected he wasn't doing an all too good job. Sirius answered him, sarcastically, as usual, and he changed his non-chalance into anger, which he directed at Snape.
"Right… Right," he flicked his wand, and the Slytherin went flying into the air, hanging upside down by his left ankle. "Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?" there was a round of laughter, and of groans, it was a sure fact no one wanted to see that much of him. He couldn't help but notice the group of Lily's friends that had sat by the lake a few minutes ago had gone.
"Don't worry guys, I would never put you through that," he joked, addressing the group of fifth-years and others that had gathered around, as if it were a show of sorts. "It might be mortifying for Snivelly here, but it would probably scar the lot of you, too." He flicked his wand again, and Snape flew through the air, following wherever the wand pointed. Everyone found it rather amusing when he dunked him headfirst into the reedy lake.
When he had had his fill, he dropped the boy, at his feet this time, disarmed him so he wouldn't try anything, snarled, "Don't ever use that word again. Not to Evans, not to Trice, not to anyone." He threw his wand back at him in disgust, and stalked off into the castle.
That prat. That arrogant, self-centered, prat. It was his fault Sev had said what he had said! If he wasn't outright bullying him, then he wouldn't have even… but still, that word should have even come to his mind. She was only trying to help! They were best friends. 'Were' being the operative here. Even if he was the scrawny little boy that she had met in the playground when they were nine, the one who told her she was a witch, she wasn't having him call her that.
"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her."
The sentence ran around her head, emptying it from everything except itself.
"... Filthy little Mudbloods like her."
She could feel her chest tightening up, and a lump in her throat rising.
"…Mudbloods like her."
She was in the dormitory now, so crying was okay. She had about five minutes, she reckoned, before the others came to find her, so she let the hot, little tears fall freely onto her lumpy pillow. One of the first things Sev had told her is that being a witch with no particular wizarding background didn't mean anything. It was your talent that defined you, not your blood heritage. What a liar.
He had been acting funny for ages, ever since he starting hanging around with Mulciber and Avery. The two were both burly, scary sixth-years, with no real brains between them, but certainly enough brawl to make up for it. She had always complained about them, but he never listened. It was probably them filling his head with all this crap. He was a half-blood! His dad was just as much a muggle as hers. Bet he never told them that. Bet he told them he was a wonderful pureblood from a wonderful lineage, his mother had come from the Prince's, a supposedly old, pureblood line and such…
The thought of him made her stomach clench uncomfortably. She was so hurt, so angry, just so…
A soft rap came from the door. "Lily, are you okay?" came a voice from behind it. "Can I come in?" she mumbled loudly, not even sure what she was meant to be saying, but the visitor took the sound as a yes.
"Aw, sweetheart," crooned the voice as she saw the ginger girl curled up on the four-poster bed. She closed the door behind her and made her way over to the large bed. Lily knew who had come to see if she was okay, and wasn't surprised it was she, really.
Alice Bones was an elder, sixth year Gryffindor, and was much like a mother hen to the six fifth-years that occupied the dormitory. Well, a mother hen to the four friends, the other two, not so much.
"You okay?" she asked again, stroking Lily's red mane. Her had gave a slight shake.
"Sweetie, don't listen to him." She began, "He's just up his own, and, to be honest, it's absolutely ridiculous he even used that word, since he's a half-blood himself!" Alice was very patient, very sweet, and very rarely flew off the handle. This, however, was an occasion she allowed herself to be mad. "He's got nothing you don't! He is always second best to you, The Great Queen of all things Ginger, even with magical blood! It doesn't even matter! Git, he's just jealous because Slug-o gives you the attention, you can see it in his eyes he's just dying for old Slughorn to give him the same treatment you have! Hell, he likes you more, and Snape's in his house! The slimy prat, don't worry, Frank will sort him out." The redhead could not stop herself from laughing at the thought. Frank Longbottom was a tall, skinny, rather nerdy sixth-year. He was also currently Alice's boyfriend. The thought of the two in a fight was hilarious.
"Hey! He could beat him up!" she defended weakly, giving in and laughing herself. The prefect rose from her fetal-like position and looked up at the girl.
Alice was very pretty, like a fairy. But really, everything about her did scream the word. She was a slender, petite, and pale girl. She had a sweet, circular face, with dazzlingly bright, almost amber eyes. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows contrasted well with her pale blonde hair, for they were a dark brown. Her spiky hair was cut short, like a pixie, and regularly gelled to stay even, for it had a knack for springing up, out of place, especially her fringe. She looked like a girl you just wanted to pick up and put in your pocket. She probably could fit, as well.
"Of course he could Alice." She added sarcastically, just to show her she was okay and was still able to be the cheeky girl she usually was, and that Snape's comment hadn't hurt as much as it really had. The elder didn't fall for it though.
"No, no, no. Don't get all snarky with me. I know you too well," she reminded her. "What kind of mother do you take me for?"
"A fake one, who is only a year older than us."
"Well, if I was your real mother, would I be doing a good job? It's not easy looking out for you lot, you know!"
"This is what happens when you raise four teenage girls, Mum."
"Am I doing a good job though?" she pressed.
Lily pretended to think about it for a while. "Well, your okay," she let on, "but you haven't been as good to us as you ought. Remember in Second-Year when you yelled at us all because we came to find you, and you were under the stairs in the Entrance Hall making out with that Ravenclaw?"
"Not my finest moment of mother-hood, I will agree."
"Not you're finest." She repeated, with a small smile on her lips.
"Hun," the blonde began again, but the Prefect just gave her a look as to say, 'you don't have to'. So she didn't, for her sakes. "I love you," she added, changing the route of her sentence.
"I know. Love you too," she sighed as though it was reluctantly said. But really, no one could not help but love sweet little Alice Helena Bones.
The two embraced shortly, then the latter yelled out "GUYS! YOU CAN COME IN NOW!" which caused Lily to genuinely chuckle. She did love her friends.
Seven or so girls crammed into the room, all-rushing over to hug the girl in question.
No surprise, Bethany Colebrook got to her first. Bethany was her first friend here at Hogwarts, technically.
The two had met on the train, and even though she was sitting with the socially awkward Snape, she still slumped down next to her and said, "You're a ginger."
It was instant friendship, of sorts. Lily had returned the grin the other was proudly wearing, and said, "You're a brunette."
"Well, technically. But not for long!" she grinned wider.
Utter incomprehension emanated from her face.
"Watch!" she commanded as she screwed up her face and concentrated hard. Lily was beginning to think the poor girl mad. But she had been very wrong.
"Ta-dah!" she finished, as her hair changed color, from the deep, chocolaty brown it had been, to a bright, aqua blue. It had also grown several inches, and now reached her waist, curling into loose ringlets at the ends.
The ginger looked slightly stunned, whilst Snape's eyes carried on staring stonily in front of him.
"…Wow," was all she could think to say.
"Metamorphagus," she laughed, pointing to her head.
"Nothing really special," Lily replied, pointing to her own.
"Bethany May Colebrook, but you can call me Beth." She grinned as she held out a tiny hand.
"Lily Evans. But you can call me Ginger." She replied, taking her hand and shaking it.
The other nodded to herself. "I knew I was a good judge of character."
"What?"
"I knew I was a good judge of character," she repeated. "I knew I'd like you." she carried on, grinning that same wide, bright grin.
"OI GINGER! WHAT WAS THAT?" the angry girl screeched at her best friend. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TEMPER, HEY? WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE HIM ONE IN THE JAW?" she glared viciously. Lily could only laugh at the girls red face, which contrasted awfully with her short evergreen bob she was sporting today.
"Don't you laugh at me, Evans!" she snapped.
"Sorry, Bumble," she muttered in response, grinning up at the angry girl.
"Shut up, don't go using your Third-Year nickname because you want me to forgive you. I'm still mad."
Bumble had been invented when the two had spent the summer together, and when Lily had also grown bored of calling her friend a plain and common nickname. She decided on shortening it further until it was just 'Bee', but obviously wasn't happy with the name she had thought up of. Still, it was better than calling her Beth along with everyone else. Then, on a random day they had been 'adventuring', they came across a bee's nest. Needless to say the simple 'Bee' Beth had acquired soon became 'Bumblebee', and then just 'Bumble', for the whole thing was rather a mouthful.
"I don't doubt it!" Really, the look in Beth's ever changing eyes –which were now a mysterious, dark shade of purple-, was rather frightening. Well, it would be to anyone who didn't know her as well as she did.
"Why didn't you hit him? I don't understand!"
"Violence only leads to more violence."
"He's lucky Potter got a hold of him before I could," she growled.
Lily truly did love Beth.
"Stop fantasizing about killing Snape you psycho," a voice from behind her groaned. She shoved the pale, slender Metamorphagus out of her way.
"Lils, you okay?" the voice asked, this time standing in front of her. "I thought up of so many terrible things to call him, but, me thinks I'll just stick with 'slimy, greasy, snot-nosed, ugly, ridiculous, pretentious, awkward, greasy-'"
"You said that already," the prefect interrupted.
"Well he is. Have you seen that hair?" she made a look of disgust, and carried on with her list "-greasy, unhygienic, rude, bitter, arrogant, selfish, stupid, pathetic TWAT." She finished.
Lily rolled her eyes, but gave her friend a hug nonetheless. Serena Hinds was one of those girls you had to get to know well before she started acting normal around you. She wasn't shy or anything, she just liked to focus herself on her studies, and preferred to keep herself around people she trusted fully. It seemed she was close enough to everyone in the room to act like herself, or she wouldn't have moved Beth so forcefully, or listed profanities about a boy she hardly knew. The Prefect spluttered as the girl's straightened mane of dry and usually mad curly hair attacked her face.
"Sorry!" she muttered as she let go, running a hand through and securing it in a loose knot at the back of her neck. Lily just stuck out her tongue.
The rest of the visitors all came up to her in turn and listed all the things the could about why they hated Snape to no end, and no matter what ever he did, he would, from this day on, be a prat forevermore. The conversation slowly turned into one of boys in general, until they were all sick of every single one.
Mary MacDonald, a dainty, dark haired fifth-year, who gave off the appearance of a China doll, was the first to break out the Chocolate Cauldrons.
The poor girl who was currently with Reginald Cattermole, a seventh-year Hufflepuff, was again worried about the impending end of year. They had just finished their O.W.L.S, and that was as good as. It wasn't just an end of year for her though, because in this year her dear boyfriend would be leaving for the Ministry, to work in the Magical Maintenance Department.
She was thrilled for him, no doubt, but she was worried he would up and leave her for some older, sexier Ministry worker with curves and a license to Apparate. No matter how many times the girls told her that he would never do that, mainly due to the fact he doted over her like anything.
It was also common knowledge that she was way out of his league, for he wasn't that much of a looker, and his brains… Well, he was a Hufflepuff. That kind of comparison was saved for (if) the break-up period did ever come. Always save your best offence as a defense.
"But what if there's this one who looks like me, but she smells better or something, or has a better chest, or…"
"Mare, love, hush. No girl here has ever tried to make a move on him-" Alice started.
"Because they know I'm with him!" she cried.
Beth snorted. "Trust me, with girls like Kitty in our school, I doubt they would care if you were married or not." She was known for not being Kitty Modrick's biggest fan.
"You think we need to get married? I'm fifteen!"
"Mary. Calm down. That boy loves you. He's not going to ditch you because some better offer came along. Now, if you're done depressing the rest of us single girls with the perfectness of your relationship, I'd like to carry on about how much I loathe that absolute git Fabian Prewett." Hestia grumbled.
"That sentence would be a whole lot more convincing if you didn't fancy the pants off him, McKinnon."
"Oh yes Marlene, because you don't want to shag my twin brother, which I do find extremely disturbing, since I have been your best mate since first year." She retorted to the pretty blonde girl sitting opposite her. The lot had made an almost-circle, spanning over two beds.
Marlene went beetroot red. "I don't!"
"Course not," chimed in Serena.
"Oh Cory, you have such amazing arms!"
"You must work out so much!"
"No one would ever tell you're related to Hestia! How did you get so good looking?"
"Shut up, you slags."
"Love you too!" they all chorused.
Desperate to change the subject, the blushing blonde turned to Lily. "How's it going with Potter? Today marks your what, thousandth-time-asking-out-and-getting-shot-down-instantly anniversary?"
"I lost count after the first month," the redhead admitted. "But for a Wednesday it's going pretty good. He's only asked me, like, seven times so far. I just hope he caught on with the little speech."
"The squid one, the Hippogriff one, or the big-headed can't get off his broomstick one?" Alice laughed.
"Every single one I've ever dished out to him, the smug dick."
"Aw, ickle Lilykins, wouldn't you be upset if he ever did give up on you and went off to stalk another helpless girl?" Beth taunted.
"Please don't get my hopes up," she moaned. "But I would feel guilty for the poor girl."
"In all seriousness though Lily," she pressed.
"In all seriousness, I think you might have had some funny Cauldrons. I promise you guys now, that I will never, ever go out with James Bloody Potter."
"Hear, hear!"
None of the girls were at dinner. Well, none that James particularly wanted to see. He scanned the room, his hand running nervously through his black mop.
Stop it! He thought. Evans doesn't like it!
She wasn't here, so what did it matter?
He couldn't kid himself.
He kept glancing furtively over at the double doors, waiting for the usual group that consisted of Lily and her friends. He wasn't planning on asking her out or anything. He just genuinely wanted to see if she was okay.
A few minutes later, the Sixth-Year, Marlene Brown, came through the doors. She didn't stay long; she just grabbed a few plates filled to the brim with assortments of the spread the house-elves had cooked up today.
He turned to his three friends sitting around him.
"Be back in a minute, yeah?"
He didn't wait for their reaction. Walking hurriedly to catch up to the blonde, he thought about how glad he was it was she and not Alice. Sure, she looked all sweet an innocent, but when you pissed off one of her friends or her, she would murder you without a second thought. Not literally of course, but Merlin, her glare was terrifying.
"Brown! Hey, Brown!" he called after her, as she climbed the stairs, levitating the plates.
"Potter?" she asked, not turning, so she wouldn't loose her focus on the mountains of food. She stopped walking.
Catching up to her, "Lot of food for a tiny thing like you, don't you think?" he asked.
"Shut up," she grumbled, rolling her eyes and continued walking.
"What?"
"No, I will not tell Lily something from you."
"How did you know I was going to ask?"
"You only speak to me if a) you want me to ask/tell Lily something from you, because she is more mad at you than usual, and your smart enough not to mess with her when she is in that mood, or b) you missed when the next Qudditch practice was, or you want to see if I will try some weird formation or ploy you thought up of. I usually know it's to do with Lily when you compliment me first. Hint, it doesn't warm us up to you. It makes us want to punch you in the face. From, every normal girl in my and Lily's dorm."
"…When you say 'normal', you mean the seven of you that never leave each other's side if possible?"
"Yes, precisely."
"How come it works with every other girl in the school but not you lot?"
"Because we aren't a bunch of hormonal bints," she stated coolly.
"That's not particularly nice, now is it?" he scolded.
"Nope. But, I never said I was." She turned to him. "Be seeing you, then." She saluted with her hand that didn't hold her wand, and walked over to the staircase, catching it just before it left.
"Is she okay though?" he called after her.
"Ask her later," she replied.
"Helpful." She didn't hear him, so he turned and retraced his steps back to the Marauders.
"So how is the lovely Miss Evans? Charmed you followed her over-eating friend to ask her about her, I'm sure?" was Sirius's greeting.
"Shut up, Padfoot."
"Oh, someone's grouchy. She pissed off with you? How unreasonable!"
"Don't make me hex you, mate."
"I'm just messing with ya, Prongs," he taunted, taking a large bite of the gargantuan chicken leg he was eating.
"Nice," complimented Remus sarcastically, raising his eyebrow at the display. Sirius winked at him dashingly as he swallowed.
"Don't worry about it, Prongs. She'll come 'round," was Peter's suggestion to the whole ordeal.
"Get a new line, mate."
"Sorry," he shrugged, turning back to his plate with gusto. He turned back to the other two, who were fighting over manners.
"-It's just that they are there for a reason!"
"But it's such an effort, Moony!"
"How you get girls, I will never know. They should be disgusted by your lack of-"
"Jealous, are we?"
"Sorry to interrupt the lovers quarrel here," James started. "But Wormtail is actually giving me better advice here," he gestured to the chubby boy, who looked up at the three, his mouth filled, gravy trickling down his chin. "I think you ought to be ashamed."
"…To be honest, mate, I don't know what to tell you."
"It's not that we don't care," Remus added quickly, defending Sirius's poor comment. "It's that we think you shouldn't really be complaining. You got rid of Snape, right? And that's a start, right?" he nudged the boy next to him.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, course, listen to Moony, he's always right." He rushed, returning to his meal.
"You think?"
"Definitely." They both said, effectively ending the conversation. Even with the assurance of his friends, he still didn't feel any better about today.
"Oi, lazy arses! Look what I brought!"
Greetings like this were common. You'd think that a load of girls calling each other sluts and whores and all other profanities would cause them all to send hexes every which way, but really it made them all just that bit closer. It was lovely when you reached that part in friendship where you could call the other a particularly offensive word and have them butt a worse one back. It was strange. But still, it was lovely at the same time.
Girls were weird.
"Finally!" cried Lily. She jumped up from her bed and pushed her way to the blonde with the plates of food. "DIBS THE PIE!" she yelled, before anyone could even open their mouths.
"Piss off, Ginge. I get some too!"
"Do one, Bum, its key-lime!" she was almost salivating. She hurriedly grabbed several slices of the delicacy, conjured a tissue, and took a huge bite. "Merlin! This is GOOD!"
It was by this point the green haired girl pounced on her, successfully knocking the pie out of her grasp.
"Oi!"
"Give me some!"
"Never!"
The two fought over the already bitten slice.
"Get up both of you!" they turned their heads up to the small girl glaring at them. "Stop fighting over some goddamn food and thank Marlene for bringing it!"
They hung their heads. "Yes, Alice." They turned to the group of bewildered girls crowding the plates. "Sorry, Marlene. Thank you for the food."
It was silent for about half a second, before they all burst into laughter.
"Share the pie, okay?"
"Sure," Lily grunted, shoving a slice over to the expectant Metamorphagus opposite her.
"Little birds in their nest agree," was her reply. She had a habit of saying that. Whenever her or her roommates fought, it would be a quick but stern telling off, then just that line. None knew the real meaning of the line, but then again, they doubted even Alice knew what it meant.
"So," Mary began as she bit into her sausage, "see anyone on your way down?" she was over the brief panic attack that the thought of loosing Reg had caused her, and was back to her usual carefree nature.
"Nah," she replied. "Potter stopped me though." She flicked her eyes over to Lily, "Wanted to see how his darling Lilian was doing," she put on her most pathetic, cheesiest voice for the delivery.
"Tell him his 'darling Lilian' is fine, no thanks to him."
"Duly noted, honey."
The Prefect rolled her eyes.
"What dumb compliment did he give you this time?" inquired Serena.
"Told me I was tiny. He's slipping," she commented.
The bespectacled girl laughed. "He asked me why I straightened my hair. 'Serena, sweetheart, why do you straighten your hair? I'm sure having an afro would be highly satisfying.'" She said in a very good imitation of him. "It's slipping, definitely. He's just getting more pathetic by the minute. Hopefully this means he'll start actually talking to Lily without having to do it through us."
"Why would you wish that upon your friend? Have you no soul?"
"We have had five years of 'Can you ask Lily this?' or 'Can you tell Lily that?' We deserve a break, woman!"
Lily threw the last of her potato at her. The pie was too good to waste.
"Li-ly!" she whined. "I washed my hair yesterday! You know how long it takes to do it!"
"I'm sorry, when did you turn into Celestina Warbeck?"
"When my new hit single, Charm Your Way To Me, reached the top of the UK wizarding charts!" she did yet another impression, this time in a girlish, giggling, let-me-rip-my-ears-out voice. She stood up on the bed.
"We-e-e-e-ll!" she began the song, in a deep, soulful tone.
"You walked right into my life,
And cast a spell on me…" Truthfully, she did have a fabulous voice. Even now, as she mocked the warbling voice of the singer, she still sounded fabulous.
"…A-and that's how I know-oh!"
"I know!" the girls on the bed joined in, as her backing crew.
"A-and that's how I know-oh!"
"I know!"
"That's how I know…
You charmed your way to me.
Oooh, you charmed your way, to-oo…
Me-ee-ee-ee-ee!" the lingering last note rung through the small room, and the six others all clapped vigorously. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week!"
"I didn't know you sang, Serena," inquired a voice from the doorway. Serena dropped to the bed from where she was standing. All heads turned to the intruder. "Oh, hi." Remus Lupin laughed.
"Remus!" they all cheered. Of the Marauders, Remus was the favourite.
"What you here for, handsome?" Beth quizzed.
"Prefect details," he answered. A few of them groaned. "Aw, sorry girls, as much as I'd like to stay and listen," he winked over to Serena, "a man's gotta do what a mans gotta do."
"And what is that exactly?"
"Meticulously plan studying hours around this weeks patrol schedule." He grumbled.
"We've just done our O.W.L's!" cried Mary.
"But we have N.E.W.T's next!"
"See, Remus, this is why we love you. Now if you would just admit your hidden feelings for Sirius, you could join us in our little gossip chats and eat Chocolate Cauldrons like a regular girl."
"Merlin, you have no idea how tempting that is, Hestia."
"Since we're so nice," she started, fishing around the several striped candy bags, "You can have the last Cauldron." She picked up one, and chucked it over to him.
"It's not the last, is it?"
"Nope. But we're saving them for another crisis like the one today."
"Oh yeah," he stepped into the room, "you okay, Lils?"
She nodded sweetly at him, before handing him the schedule that was mapped out on her bedside table.
"Great. Do I really have to patrol with Alexia?" he grumbled as he looked over the timetable.
"Sorry, sweetie. Go complain to someone who cares. I have Carrick. I refuse to feel sorry for anyone except myself."
"I'll ask Jo later. I'm pretty sure she likes me," he grinned, "I'll ask if we can patrol together, yeah?"
"If you can do that, then I promise to never tease you about your secret relationship with a certain Marauder ever again."
"I'll have to do it then," he hugged her quickly, and waved to the girls still on the bed. "See ya, ladies!"
"…Wait!" Alice called after him.
"Mmm?" he mumbled, head sticking out from behind the door.
"This is the girl's dormitories."
"Well spotted, love."
"How did you get up here? Is there something you're not telling us?"
"Ah, innocent children," he said in a patronising voice, "You have no idea how easy getting up these stairs is." With that, he left.
"He's definitely a girl," declared Lily, plopping back down in her original seat.
"Rise and shine!"
Sleeping was nice. Waking was not.
"Get up, Ginge. We have Reeves this morning. He'll kill us if we aren't at class dead on nine," Bethany grumbled.
"Mhhgh," Lily moaned, turning over and pressing her face into her slightly damp pillow. "Piss off. Lily sleep."
"Do you want a detention?"
"Yes."
"Get up!" she grabbed the sleeping girl's arm and hauled her out of her warm covers.
"AAGH!" she rolled off and landed with a thump on the floor. "Merlin, Bumble!"
"Go have a shower." She commanded. Lily rose and walked over to the door leading to the bathrooms.
"I hate you."
"Love you too, sweetie." She replied as the door slammed angrily on her face. The redhead hadn't registered today's style yet. Ah, well, its not like she wasn't going to see it later.
The shower was turned on, and the Prefect impatiently waited for the water to heat up. Screw it - it was ice cold. She waved her wand once and watched as the water quickly started to steam. She smiled to herself.
Washed and ready, the two left for the Great Hall. All the others had already gone down.
Todays style was a long; candyfloss pink and white do, with a neatly cut fringe. It curled perfectly near the ends, while the rest of it was either straight or slightly wavy, and just about reached the Metamorphagus's tiny hips. It was lovely, especially due to her change in skin-tone, which she had ever so subtly darkened, making her more tanned than pale.
"I thought you said you would stay pale for me?" she asked as they descended the stairs to the Entrance Hall.
"Honey, I'll go back to vampire-ism tomorrow. But honestly, I cant be a sheet today! Not with this hair!" she pointed to her very obvious locks, and held them up against Lily's face. "See? I would literally be a ghost!"
She sighed. "Who are you trying to impress?"
The newly tinted pink eyes flashed to Lily's green ones. "No one."
"Oh really? So you just happen to go all out this past week, making yourself look absolutely fabulous, for no apparent reason?"
"A girl can't look pretty for herself?"
"They can," she conceded, "But you can't."
Bethany huffed. "Merlin, why do you have to know me so well?"
"Because that's what best friends do." She laughed, as she pushed open the door. "Tell me who it is later, I can't go into a catatonic state just yet; I'm starved."
The pink eyes rolled, and the two walked through the large crowd to meet the few sitting on the end of the Gryffindor table.
"Good morning, my sweets!" Alice greeted them, as they sunk down onto the low bench.
"'Morning!" Lily replied, and Beth just saluted. The former grabbed a muffin and poured herself a coffee.
Her coffee was a tradition, and also one of the only reasons she woke up every morning. The coffee the house-elves made was good. Like, really good.
She guessed it was probably an addiction. Well, it wasn't healthy, at least. She couldn't function without her regular dose of caffeine. The outcome of sleeping in too long and missing it was awful. It was the main reason why everyone made an effort to wake her up in the morning, or if there was no hope, going down themselves and bringing it back up to her.
Cream and two sugars.
They all knew the score, but still, it wasn't as good if they did it. It didn't taste right if it wasn't her hand adding in just the right amount of cream, or stirring the sugar cubes in at a precise angle so that it would melt slowly, filling the bitter liquid with its sweetness.
"Hello?" a hand waved in front of her.
"She's in the zone, don't disturb her! The dreaded 'Day-That-Must-Not-Be-Repeated' may be repeated!" Hestia snapped.
Her comment made the redhead laugh. "Was I really that bad? You talk like I was Him or something!"
She didn't need to define who 'Him' was. Merlin, everyone knew. He had been about the papers a lot recently, with new attacks on Muggles or Muggleborns, and the occasional Ministry worker that went missing.
"Trust me, if He had to face off with you on that day, you would have won."
They all laughed.
Deep down, they were all scared witless. Even the purebloods, like Alice and Hestia and Beth. They were all so close to Muggleborns, like Lily herself, and could be considered blood-traitors, which to Him equaled about as lowly as a Muggleborns. So all they could do was laugh about it, because the truth of the matter was all too unbearable.
"You make me feel awful about myself, y'know. Its like you expect me to turn into some big, angry monster!"
"You're not one already?" a voice behind her joked. Not needing to turn around, for she knew the voice far too well - more than she wished, actually.
"Oh har, har, Potter. You make me laugh."
"Glad to hear it, sweet cheeks." He joked, sliding in next to her, as a blushing Third-Year moved out of the way.
"Really?" she asked the small girl, bright red from head to toe now. "Do you have no respect for one of your Prefect's sanity? Do you want her to rip her hair out before the bell has even rung?"
She shook her head furiously, as though Lily were some kind of monster.
"Now, Evans, what did we say about scaring the kids? It won't do at all well when we have out own."
"Oh, go find some other girl to harass, it's too early for me to think up of another long-winded rant about how much I hate you," she snapped.
"If it's that hard to think up, then I'm guessing you don't really hate me that much?"
"Keep the dream alive, yeah?"
"Will do."
She rolled her eyes. "Leave and let me drink. Apparently I'm murderous without it." She shot the girls around her a look before turning back to him. "And I'm sure even in that thick head of yours, you know that murderous means someone who is fit to kill. And when someone who is fit to kill is aggravated, they may just do it. You don't want to die yet, do you, Potter?"
"Not without you realizing you really love me, no."
"Well then go."
His face brightened up, "So there is a chance you will realize?"
"I didn't say that."
"You're not denying it though."
"Actually, for some weird reason, I was trying to be kind. I guess I shouldn't try anymore, because either way you act like a total prat." She huffed before beginning again. "No, there is no chance I will ever realize these fake feelings you have made me feel in your head. I don't like you, I never have liked you, and I never will like you."
"Keep the dream alive, yeah?" he repeated her, only with much less venom behind it than she had added. Before she could retort with an angry remark, he got up, winked at her coyly, and sauntered off down the aisle, back to his friends.
"I bloody hope I never have to see that boy again," she grumbled before sipping moodily on her coffee.
Lily's wishes were far from fulfilled.
"Evans and Potter," the moody Professor said, as he carried on with his list.
She knew it was going to be a bad day. She could tell. After already having one encounter with the Gryffindor this morning, she was ready to Avada Kevadra herself. Now she was working with him in Defense Against the Dark Arts, a class she already hated – but that was mainly due to the teaching. They never had a consistent teacher. Sacked, died, resigned, mysteriously missing, were all the norm for the teachers of this specific class.
This year, they had been left with Professor Reeves, an old, grouchy man with tufty, white haired sideburns and a shaped white moustache. He wasn't the worst they've had, sure, but he wasn't the best, either.
Him pairing her with James didn't add to her liking of him.
"It must be fate," he laughed as he dropped his stuff down next to her.
"Oh give it a rest."
"Give what a rest?" he asked her innocently. "I was just commenting on the fact he paired us two together, you see, it is very interesting."
"No, its not. It's him getting revenge on me for not doing that assignment on werewolves last week."
"And it's also him rewarding me for handing it in early and far more detailed and longer than any other's in the class."
She glared at him, which he returned, before she dropped his gaze and turned back to the Professor as he demonstrated what they would be studying today.
"… We will be practicing disarming and shielding-" the class groaned. "There is nothing left in the curriculum!" he snapped. "There are mere days left until the end of term! So, instead of note taking, I thought you would rather do something practical. If that isn't the case, please open your books to page-"
The whole class made a loud rumble as they stood and began to send hexes to their respectable partners.
"Well, at least I won't get in trouble for 'accidentally' shrinking your arms now," Lily muttered.
"You know what else you won't get in trouble for?" her eyebrow raised skeptically, "Kissing me," he winked the same as he had done this morning.
She quickly shot a hex at him, and laughed until she had to stop and breathe, before returning to her fits. She had caught him off guard, no doubt, but the look of utter bewilderment on his face as he flew back into the piles of unused desks and chairs was all too much.
"Ah, see, this is why I find you hot," he replied as he got up nonchalantly and brushed himself down.
All traces of laughter were wiped from her face. "I liked you better when you were flying into the pile of furniture. Though, I would have preferred it to be a tank of Grindylows, if I'm being honest. But, I take what I can get." She raised her wand at him again.
"Going to hex me?" he taunted.
Merlin, she hated him. How was it that only he could make her furious? Furious enough to yell at him in a crowded room, draw her wand at him in the Library, or even punch him one in the stomach? Naturally, she would have wanted it to be in his jaw, or temple, but they were in Third-Year and he was going through a growth spurt, while she stayed miniscule. Why was it only him that could draw out these emotions with the slightest provocation?
Well, that was unexpected. She usually raised her wand at him, but they were always empty threats. She would never intentionally break the rules. He was even surprised to hear her say she never handed in her homework. Almost as surprised as he was, handing it in.
It's not as though it had been har though, really. His best friend was a werewolf, and he, along with the other two Marauders, ventured the castle grounds and Hogsmeade every full moon with him, just so he didn't have to do it alone. The foot-long parchment was nothing.
He got up from his awkward position, and his back gave a jolt. That would definitely leave a mark. He shrugged it off. It wasn't as though he couldn't claim Lily had given him a hickey on his back... He would have to work on that.
Not that he lived to annoy Lily to no end, though.
...He couldn't help it. It was the only way to get her attention. Being nice to her didn't work. He had tried, but her laugh made his insides turn to jelly, and her smile gave him this strange feeling in the bottom of his stomach.
It didn't work for him, anyway. He wasn't so sure about her. She just seemed to hate him. A lot.
The redhead was from him, leaning on to the table they had shared for support. She was nearly crying from laughter. Damn.
She looked pretty when she laughed.
Really, she looked pretty all the time. But, just sometimes, this little… pang in his chest reminded him that 'yeah, that's her, I'm going to make you look like a prat now, because of her'. It used to happen a lot. Now, it was just when she really looked good.
He took this as a good sign at first, because liking her wasn't exactly fun. Constant rejection, constant fighting, constant hating, not exactly what you want from a girl you wanted to take to the Three Broomsticks.
Soon enough, he knew it wasn't him stopping liking her.
It was like he didn't need reminding as much anymore.
So, that's why, whenever he got the chance, he would annoy Lily. Purely because he wanted a rise from her. He loved seeing the anger flash in her eyes, the way her upper-lip stiffened when she thought of something horrible to say back to him, and the way only he could really infuriate her.
He knew it was childish, he knew it was stupid, but then again, so was he.
"To the Headmaster! I will not tolerate behavior like that in my classroom!"
"In all fairness, sir, it won't be yours for much longer."
"Get out! Both of you! Out now!"
James stared at her incredulously as they both exited the class.
"Merlin, I'm impressed, Evans."
She glared at him. But really, she was just fighting a smile. "What? He isn't going to be there at the end of term, and he knows it. That's why he's so scared of us doing anything wrong. Ten sickles says he's a quitter."
"You're on, El Gingero."
Her eyebrow raised and her eyes tightened. "What did you call me?"
"El Gingero. Spanish."
"No, its not. It's just 'El' in front of 'Ginger' and added an 'o' on the end."
"Exactly. That's how everything is in Spanish, right?"
Her green eyes rolled to the ceiling before she walked ahead of him.
"What? It is!"
"No its not! Stop being ridiculous! That's like saying because we're British, you have to add 'Cheerio!' at the end of every sentence, and find a way to work in 'crumpets' every five minutes!"
"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot I was talking to the Great Queen of Everything, Mrs. Shut-Up-I'm-Right-Even-When-I'm-Wrong!"
"But I'm right!" she shrieked.
He did know she was right. In fact, he spoke rather good Spanish, thanks to the classes he was forced to go to as a kid. But it didn't matter, because this was much more fun.
"Oh, yeah, of course you are! Are you sure you want to admit it? Because its not like you criticize everything I do, just so you can yell out 'I'm right! I'm right!'" he said this in a poor imitation of her voice. "And it's not as though you force yourself and opinions onto people, no no. "
"I don't!" she yelled.
"Really?" he laughed. "You did not just say that."
"Oh because you're Mr Perfect, Quidditch player, I-Do-What-I-Want-When-I-Want, as if you have your own rules specially formulated for you and your pathetic little gang!" she bit her lip, "Sorry that was rude."
He actually did a double take. What? It was Snape all over again.
She hardened her glare. "I shouldn't lug the other three down with you."
There it was. The world made sense once more.
Not that he couldn't deny the last comment hadn't hurt him. He knew she liked Remus and Sirius, Remus from Prefect duties, and Sirius for Merlin knows. He wasn't really sure if she knew Peter all that well, but he knew she probably liked him more than himself.
He was about to snap back at her, when Professor McGonagall came bustling out of a classroom to their left.
"What is this?" she yelled, louder than Lily had before. The latter dropped her glare as soon as she finished, and lowering her head in shame.
"Sorry, Professor," she mumbled.
She looked down at her. "Why aren't you two in lesson? And why are you screaming like a bunch of hooligans?"
"We got sent to Dumbledore," James began. "We just sort of…" he gestured between the two. It wasn't uncommon knowledge to know the two could hardly stand each other.
"Why did you get sent out of class, may I ask, Mr. Potter?"
"Um… Well, Evans may or may not have tried to hex me, which I may or may not have deflected, which may or may not have accidentally struck Professor Reeves, sending him into a fit of uncontrollable leg movement."
From the corner of his eye, he saw Lily smirk slightly.
McGonagall was just shocked.
"Off to the Headmaster's office indeed! I expected better of you, Miss. Evans!" Lily's smirk vanished. "Now be off with you!" she shooed, clicking her tongue impatiently. "And no yelling in the corridors!"
The pair were silent he rest of the way to Dumbledore's office. They knew all too well if they started to speak, they would end up shouting at each other once more.
They reached the Gargoyle that protected his office.
"Chocolate frogs!" he announced to the statue. Merlin, she knew he was crazy, but talking to an inanimate object?
"Oh don't give me that look. Enter the right password and he'll let us in."
"You would know, wouldn't you?" she snapped.
"Considering I do, then yeah, I'd say I know, because I know I know."
"That doesn't even make sense."
To her surprise he laughed. "Nah, it doesn't, does it?"
She rolled her eyes. Why did he have to be a prat when she didn't want to argue, but almost bordering on nice when she didn't?
Did she just think that? James Potter wasn't nice.
"You gonna help, or what?"
She blinked at him and shook her head slightly. "Um, what?"
"Help. Open the door. In front of the gargoyle." As if to make it more obvious, he flapped his arms around the general direction of the ugly thing.
"Well I don't know the password, do I? You're the expert on getting in trouble here."
For a sentence meaning to be horrible, she was completely taken aback when he grinned at her.
"Aw, Evs, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"
"Don't call me that."
"Anything for you, Carrot Top."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not." He flashed her another crooked grin.
"Of course you're not, birds nest." His eyes narrowed before she began again. "Now how did you say this thing opens? A password?" he nodded. "Well that could be anything!"
"Not really. It has to be a sweet of sorts," she questioned him with her expression. "Well, every time I've been here, which is a lot, as you so rightly pointed out," the grin returned, "it's always been a sweet of sorts."
"Quite right," an aged voice from behind them said. The two both turned to see the Headmaster himself standing there.
"Oh, hello, sir." Lily began, "We, uh…"
"We were sent to your office, sir."
"From Defense Against the Dark Arts,"
"Yeah," the two filled in each other's gaps.
A slight smile played on Dumbledore's aged face. "As I have been informed so by Professor McGonagall."
The two lowered their gaze.
"Now, if you two don't mind, I think this conversation would be better if it continued in my office." The two, who were standing rather close, for them anyway, separated quickly. He nodded to them both slightly, before entering the password, ("Licorice Wands!") and watching the gargoyle spring away.
The two followed silently as he led them up the winding staircase.
When they reached his office, he conjured up two chairs on one side of his desk, and then took his usual seat on his large chair, on the other side.
"Sit, if you please." He gestured to the two chairs.
They both complied without a second thought.
"Now, if you could please tell me what happened truthfully, without turning on the other." The smile at his lips became more prominent.
Lily began, speaking quickly. "Well, sir, we," she gestured to herself and James, "were partners in Defense, and we were doing hexes and such, and he was being annoying," he opened his mouth to argue, but a glare sent his way by the speaker silenced him. "And I hexed him, then laughed for a while, then he got all huffy, and we started doing the work, then he was being more annoying, and he isn't really that good at deflecting, and I don't know why he chose to deflect it in a classroom anyway, but then Professor Reeves got hit, and" she motioned with the arms to the whole room, "is what came out of it."
He nodded politely to her. "And, Mr. Potter, could you please explain what happened after you left the classroom?"
James nodded "Evans was being all high and mighty as usual," he glared at her this time, "and then started getting annoyed at me because I called her 'El Gingero', and apparently it isn't real Spanish when you add and 'o' to the end of everything, and an 'El' in front, which I, funnily enough, happen to know, because I'm pretty much fluent in the language," her eyes widened. They were met with another glare. "But no, she's always right, yada, yada, yada, and then she starts going ballistic at me, and Minnie comes out," this time the Headmaster sent him a funny look. "Sorry, not with the Marauders." He shook his head and smiled, "-and McGonagall came out, and she starts yelling and both of us, even though she," he pointed at Lily like a five-year-old would, when they blamed something on someone else, "was the one who started it!"
"I was not!"
"You were!"
"Wasn't!"
"Was!"
"Wasn-"
"Ahem." The Headmaster cleared his throat. Both students looked at him rather guiltily before lowering their gaze respectively. "Are you done?" they nodded. "Thank you. Now, you will both be receiving detention tonight, at 5pm." They looked up. "It is not my doing, however, which I am inclined to tell you. Professor McGonagall was the one who issued it, due to your behavior in the hallways."
The pair where expecting it really.
"And as for your behavior in class," Lily bit her lip. "I cannot see reason to why he sent you both here. You were clearly doing as instructed, and it is not your fault if a deflected jinx hits someone else once in a while." He smiled warmly at them, which they both returned. "You may go." Both still smiling, they got up.
"Thank you, Professor," Lily said, and walked towards the door.
"Yeah, thanks, sir," James called after.
The door closed behind them.
"Should we go back to class?" she asked him.
He raised his upper lip in a disgruntled way. "Do we have to?" he whined.
"I hope not. I was just wishing you'd suggest something ridiculous so I could blame you for my cutting class."
"That's my girl, Evans," he winked at her.
"I'm not your girl."
"Not yet."
"I thought we covered this, this morning?"
He ignored her question. "What do you want to do?"
"What?"
"We can do anything at all. Except like fight dragons or apparate to Egypt or something really hard."
"Damn, because I really wanted to fight a Norwegian Ridgeback!" she replied, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "What makes you think I want to spend my time off lessons with you, anyway?"
"Didn't you just say you were going to blame me? That does kind of entitle the fact I should be with you, or the blaming on me would be pointless."
She glared. He smirked at his intellect.
"So, what'll it be? Back to a class with a teacher that hates you, or roaming the castle with an extremely good looking chap?"
"Well," she pretended to think, "I could choose either…" He nodded, his full of mock seriousness. "But I could also not choose either."
The totally blank expression on his face actually made her smile a bit.
"See ya 'round, Potter." She turned on her heel and left.
The first time Lily had really been upset was the time when she found this little place.
Now, it was just a place for her to go when the Common Room became too loud, the gossiping Sixth-Years flooded the Library so she could not do her homework, or –on the rare occasion- when she was truly sad.
Today, her visit was for none. It was purely her refraining from an inevitable argument.
That surprised her. She must be maturing.
She wandered outside the Entrance Hall for a while, making sure no one was following her. One in particular, actually. She didn't know what she would do if Potter found this place. The thought made her shudder.
She snuck across the grass, as discretely as a girl with hair as bright as hers could.
She reached the Lake quickly, and slowly straightened up. No one could see her now, exactly.
The familiar spot of rock that was almost like a cliff, jutted out. She ducked under the wet stone and climbed into the hollowed out centre. It wasn't wet in there like the outside. The waves lapped up at such an angle, completely soaking the outside, but keeping the cavern on the inside dry as anything.
Crammed in the familiar space with nothing to do but think, she went over the events of the past day.
She hadn't spent much time thinking about her fight with Sev. She knew if she dwelled on it too much, she would just burst into tears, no matter where she was.
Thankfully, she hadn't had much time to dwell on it. Potter, being a prat as usual, had stopped her from thinking about it too much this morning, but she couldn't deny she had cried herself to sleep last night, even after the long chat with her girlfriends.
The tears fall, and even though they are streaming down her face like anything, it is some time before she finally notices. She doesn't do anything about them though.
He watched her go, and it was some time before he woke up from his trance.
What just happened?
He was so confused. She was bloody bipolar, that was the only explanation. One moment, yelling at him, next: stony silence, then what… Joking? Flirting? Teasing? What was that little exchange they had just had?
He hadn't moved his eyes from the staircase she had long before descended.
What did she mean she 'could also not choose either'?
What?
She was mental. Crazy. Unstable.
…Amazing.
His feet moved, with the vague idea of following her. It was more than just seeing her; it was also the fact to prove that he knew every centimeter of the Hogwarts grounds.
He stopped. Why should he follow her? Like she knew a part of the castle he didn't. He knew this place like the back of his hand!
The very notion that she knew a nook or cranny he did not was preposterous.
Stupid, pretty, mental Evans.
A/N: What's your verdict, ey? I live for your reviews and critiques of my writing! Wait, that does make me sound rather desperate, doesn't it? I'm not going to lie though, honestly is the best policy and all that jazz. Please drop in and tell me what you thought, even if it is to just tell me to give up on my dreams of writing and go back to reading other people's work.
Patiently waiting-ly yours,
Ruby
