Summary:
Lily realizes during their Prefect patrols that she is beginning to have feelings for Remus. James is ticked, of course – but Sirius comes up with a plan. What will happen when Sirius' supposed-to-be-unheard plan causes Lily to start to fall in love with James, even though it isn't actually real? When it wears off, will Lily actually realize that she hadn't been acting all along?
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, because, I am a muggle. How sad.
Chapter One: The Dimwitted Troll
"Prongs, I am positive that that, just now, was your thirteenth sigh in the last seven and a half minutes," Sirius complained.
Remus rolled his eyes, but agreed. "It's true, James – you are acting a little depressing."
"She must've missed the train. She knows we always sit at the back, so why hasn't she come?" James asked, not bothering to look at them as he continued to scout the corridor for Lily Evans.
Sirius smirked, while Remus shot James an "Are-You-Seriously-Kidding-Me?!" look. Peter snickered.
"James, that is obviously the only reason she hasn't already passed by," Remus told James, shaking his head. How could his friend be so daft?
James looked at the rest of the Marauders for the first time since they'd been in the compartment. "Don't tell me you're denying her love for me, too?"
Sirius threw up his hands. "Pro – James. You surely cannot still have that ridiculous infatuation with Evans, can you?" he pleaded. He'd gone through too many back-fired pranks and plans to deal with James' little crush on Lily anymore.
Remus stared, bewildered, at Sirius. "Sirius, I didn't know you knew any words with more than three syllables!"
Sirius glared at him (but still slightly understood the reason he'd said that).
"It's not an infatuation! It's love!" James said defiantly to his ignorant group of friends.
"But isn't love a mutual feeling?" Peter asked, suddenly looking up from his small skyscraper of chocolate frogs to put in his opinion.
The other Marauders stared at him.
Peter flinched and looked away. "I-I mean, what I meant to say, Pro–"
Remus cut him off. "And I'm guessing your excuse is that Lily hasn't realized her incomparable attraction towards you?" he predicted.
"Of course," James said, smiling one of his infamous and charming smiles. But once he'd realized what he agreed to, he frowned. "But it's not an excuse! It's the truth!"
"Yeah, yeah," Sirius said sarcastically. "But seriously, Prongs," he started, wrapping his arm around James shoulder. James watched him suspiciously. "There are so many women, and so many less time –"he gave Remus a warning glance as he began to protest that 'so many less time' was 'ungrammatically correct.' "– and you really need to widen your horizons, mate." Sirius said this as he stretched his other arm and waved it in a horizontal manner, conveying the meaning, 'widening your horizons.'
James shrugged him off. "There is no way I am giving up on Lily, mate. And if you try any more love potions, in the means of directing my feelings towards anyone else –" he glanced at Peter, who flushed knowingly "– I will seriously give you a bloody brilliant reason to wish you were dead."
Sirius was the one who sighed this time as he sat back down next to Remus. "Ah, it was worth a try. Besides, I don't think Peter disliked those suggestive winks you gave him during fourth year Astronomy, anyways," he chuckled.
Peter's head snapped up. "No, I did!"
"You did like them?" Sirius asked, just causing him to laugh louder.
"No, I-I didn't!"
"That's a double negative," Remus pointed out.
"B-but –"Peter continued to stutter.
"Ah, I'm through with you blokes. I'll just go find her myself," James said, exasperated. He gave the Marauders one last glance, before he took off down the corridor.
Sirius sighed again. Remus' raised an eyebrow, since Sirius had just been complaining about James sighing so much.
"I think he's bloody insane," Sirius muttered.
Remus looked bemused. "That's saying a lot, since you don't think much else."
"Oh, stuff it," Sirius said.
James continued down the corridor, poking his head into the different compartments that he passed by. When he'd see a group of girls his age, he'd ask politely if they'd seen Lily. Most of the girls who actually knew Lily snorted and rolled their eyes. The ones who didn't either claimed this, or said they hadn't seen her.
All and all, it was very difficult to find Lily. James was beginning to worry that she actually had missed the train.
"Excuse me, have you seen –"James started when he reached a rather large compartment near the front of the train.
"What are you doing here, Potter," spat a beautifully familiar voice.
"Evans?" he asked rhetorically as he turned his head to see who was sitting there. When he did, he gawked (or ogled, which would be the more relative word to what James was doing).
Lily had grown a lot over the summer. Her hair was longer, she was definitely taller, and her chest was most-likely bigger (but since James was such a gentleman, he resisted clarifying this theory).
"What are you staring at?" Lily asked in a cold tone that implied he wasn't worth being asked a question.
"Why, you of course," James said charmingly.
Lily gave him a disgusted look. "Stop it, Potter."
"Your wish is my command," James said as he moved towards the seat next to her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to sit next to you, of course."
"Well, you can't."
"Just because you don't know you want me to, doesn't mean I can't, Lils."
"Don't call me Lils! And what do you mean I don't know I want you to?"
"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean," James said, still smiling.
"Ugh, Potter," Lily said, "I'm completely revolted by you."
"You can't mean that, Lils," said James, looking upset.
"Of course I do, you dimwitted troll!" Lily almost shouted, pushing him away as he sat down.
James frowned, but settled for the seat across from her.
She glared at him.
James grinned cheerfully back.
Her eyes narrowed.
His smile widened.
She finally groaned and looked away, giving up out of exasperation. It was silent for a while, until James broke the silence.
"What did you mean by I can't sit here, Lils?"
She ignored him.
"Lils?"
She still ignored him.
"Lils? Lils, Lils, Lils?"
"Quit calling me that!" she shouted angrily.
"Okay, Lilyflower, why can't I sit next to you?"
"Don't call me that either!" She growled, giving up anyways. "Okay, reason a), you're disgusting. Reason b), this is the Prefect's Compartment."
"Oh..." James mumbled. So there was a legitimate reason.
"That's right Potter. So if you don't get out at this instant, I'll put you in detention until O.W.L.s."
James sighed, but smiled as he stood up. "All right, Evans. I'll go for now, but you'll know I'll be waiting for you after the ride," he said, blowing her a kiss as he exited the compartment.
"Honestly," Lily grunted after he'd left.
As soon as James turned out of the compartment, obviously apathetic, he was almost literally run over by Remus.
"I apologize in advance!" Remus shouted, as he tried to slow down just before he hit James.
Then there they were, both sprawled across the Hogwarts Express corridor, causing curious and alarmed heads to peer out of the surrounding compartments. Including Lily's head.
"Like apologizing would've helped," James groaned.
"Potter, you dolt," Lily sighed, helping Remus up first.
"It wasn't my fault! He's the one speeding down the corridor like a bloody Niffler for a diamond watch!"
"It's true, Lily. It was my fault. And I'm sorry, James. I was in a hurry," Remus apologized again, shamefaced.
"No kidding..." James muttered, rubbing the swollen spot on the back of his head.
Remus offered his hand, and James took it. "Bloody hell," he said again.
"James, will you just grow up and stop complaining?" Lily asked coolly.
James gaped at her. "You called me James! Does that mean I can call you Lils, now?"
Lily glowered. "No, because that is not my name, Potter."
"So I can call you Lily?" James asked hopefully.
"No."
"That doesn't seem fair. You called me James."
"Life's not fair. Get over it, Potter," she said as she followed Remus back into the Prefect's Compartment.
"Hey! Why does he get to go in, but I don't? I thought that was the Prefect's compartment!" James protested.
Lily sighed. "That's exactly why he can come in, Potter. Because he's a Prefect. You're so thick."
And then she slammed the compartment door shut. Right in his face.
James gave her a hurt look through the glass paneled door, which she ignored. He then looked at Remus, who mouthed a "sorry."
The by-standers who still watched gave him sympathetic looks, but again, by-standers who were friends of Lily just glared.
"Like apologizing would've helped," James repeated in a slightly less spirited voice as he sauntered moodily away.
Thanks for reading. I'm currently writing the next chapter, but I'm thinking maybe a couple more reviews until I post it? Thanks!
Ikei.