Playing Matchmaker

by bunny chan

Lily and James had an impression that their friends are playing matchmaker with them. Lily decides to play matchmaker, too, and hatches a little plan. but what happens if things don't turn out the right way? my try at a romance story again! LJ [do

Playing Matchmaker

bunny chan

  '… Black, Evans, Potter and Flear. Be ready by your next free hour,' Professor McGonagall said crisply, walking out of the Gryffindor common room briskly. The four said students gaped.

  'Y- You've got to be kidding!' Sirius managed to stutter. 'Me? In a tuition class? M- My dad'll MURDER me!'

  'McGonagall's gone, moron,' James said.

  'I know that well!' Sirius snapped. 'But me! In a stupid tuition class just because I fail my Arithmatics!'

  'Hey, relax! I fail that, too. So did Lily and Sara,' James said glumly, pointing at the other two shocked fifth-years. Lily was looking at where McGonagall was last in bewilderment and Sara was gaping like a little goldfish, still in shock.

  'Cheer up!' Remus said. 'You didn't fail Divination.'

  'The reason no one failed is because all of us are smart. We just make up stupid omens and the professor just laps all of that – like a dog,' James said, sticking his tongue out to show what he mean. Sirius gave him a weak smile.

  'Fail arithmatics?' Lily stuttered blankly, when James and Sirius went to the two girls. 'I actually fail arithmatics?'

  'You aren't the only one,' Sirius said dimly.

  'I actually fail m- maths?' Lily stammered, as if not hearing Sirius.

  'Maths?' James asked.

  'Arithmatics,' Sara said automatically. 'I can't believe it! We have to get extra classes with that horrid Professor Kipling!'

  'What are you complaining at? You two are both muggle-borns! We're wizard-borns!' Sirius said sourly.

  'So? That doesn't give you any rights to be better than us in everything, does that?' Lily snapped.

  'No, but still…'

  'When's our next free hour?' Sara sighed wistfully.

  'After lunch. Imagine that. I might throw up everything I eat, after learning that,' James said flatly. He paused for a moment. 'Actually, I feel like throwing up now. Thinking of the idiot who failed me makes me sick enough.'

  'Yes, and I'm sure you'll throw up your dessert as well?' Lily asked. 'If so, you can give it to me. That'll save you trouble from throwing up extra.'

  'Oh, really? Maybe I shall consider throwing up on that first,' James said pensively.

*

  '— So 5673 is equals to 659 after…'

  'Boring,' Sara said dully, slumping her head onto the table.

  'Ditto,' Lily said, also dropping her head on the wood.

  'The boys seemed to enjoy it,' Sara said.

  'They're bonkers,' Lily muttered, turning to where James and Sirius were seated. Lily blinked. James was staring in her direction and he had just turned away, when Sirius prodded him. 'Definitely bonkers,' Lily said again, firmly.

  'Well that's too bad, cause I feel like killing Professor Kipling right now,' Sara said, scratching her quill on the table.

  'Don't. Wood is precious these days,' Lily said.

  'It isn't!' Sara retorted.

  'It is! The news all say so!'

  'Yes, but not in this wizarding world, remember? Lily, get your facts straight! We're in the other world!' Sara said impatiently.

  Lily blinked again. There! James was staring in the girls's direction again!

  'Hey, Lily? Lily? What are you staring at?' Sara said, waving a hand before Lily.

  'Nothing. And yes, I do remember that we're in the other world, but wood is still important!' Lily said.

  'Keep quiet and copy the sums!' Professor Kipling snarled. The two hurriedlly picked up their quills and started copying what's on the chalkboard.

  'It's all your fault. You started scratching the table,' Lily hissed.

  'My fault? You were the one who started babbling on wood,' Sara countered.

  'You made me do it! You knew I was always against vandalisme!'

  'Yeah, you and that word should never ever get together!'

  'It's all your fault!' Lily whispered.

  'Shut up or that downy professor'd hear you!' Sara hissed.

  'Let her! She's such a moron she could even die whilst writing up sums!' Lily said.

  'QUIET!' Kipling yelled. The girls silenced at once.

  'It's all her fault,' both muttered to each other.

-*-

  'So this sums up to this and that equals to this?' Sirius said, showing James his parchment.

  'Yeah. Er, huh?' James said blankly.

  'This sums up to this and that equals to this, right?' Sirius repeated.

  'No! What's all these this and that? Use numbers!' James said.

  'I am showing you my parchment!'

  'Yes and your writing is like a chicken scratch.'

  'Grr… I'll just ask the girls. They're bound to be smarter than you are!' Sirius said huffily, getting up.

  'I wouldn't say so. They just got scolding from Kipper,' James grinned. 'Which all sums up to the reason that they are NOT good in this.'

  'Anyone's better than you, if you don't tell me how to do this dumb fractions!' Sirius yelled.

  'BLACK! FRACTIONS ARE NOT DUMB!'

  'Yes, yes. Fractions are smart, and they can't even think for themselves, right?' Sirius said, repeating Kipling's favourite quote.

  'Psst! It's fractions are smart and they can think for themselves!' James whispered, when Kipling swelled up like a tremendous bull-frog.

  'Fine. Whatever. Professor, I was just about to ask if we're allowed to sit next to them girls? Cause Potter isn't being much help here,' Sirius said. Kipling stared at the girls on the other side of the room.

  'Very well, Black. You may sit next to Flear and Evans may move to your seat,' Kipling said after some thought.

  'What? Sirius, look what you've got us into!' James hissed.

  'Calm it, Jimmy!' Sirius said. He then louden his voice, 'Professor, I was wondering if I may sit next to both of them because they're smarter and Potter is too much a dunce. Do you think that can be arranged?'

  'Since Potter is dunce, Black, Evans might be more of a help to him since she is pretty good. Flear is a dunce and since you are such a genius yourself – as claimed – you may have the pleasure of teaching her something,' Kipling said.

  'But Evans is a genius! Say, why don't you just give me one tiny-itsy-bitsy-mini chance?? Please? You're a professor! You should give your students chance, shouldn't you? Huh? Huh?' Sirius demanded.

  'Quit it. Neither of us are sitting next to you!' Sara said in annoyance, twisting her face angrily.

  Ring!!!!! The bell that once started the saying "Saved by the bell" saved the students now. They hurriedly packed up their things and rushed out without even bothering to thank the professor for her kind thoughts on giving them extra lessons.

  'You want us to sit with you?' Lily said. 'I think not, Sirius Black. That'll be the end of the world.'

  'Well how about James, then?' Sirius said.

  'I am very happy in my own seat,' James said flatly.

  'And Professor Kipling called me a dunce!!! Honestly, what sort of teacher is she?? Once I learn how to activate those curses on voodoo dolls, she'll be the first person to get it from me!' Sara swore, putting her right hand forward and to her heart.

  'What are you doing?' Lily asked.

  'I'm vowing to myself,' Sara said. 'Or hadn't you noticed?'

  'I notice it quite fine, Sara Flear, that you are making a fool of yourself,' James said, looking around to see if there's anyone nearby who'll laugh at them.

  'Fair enough, Potter,' Sara said sarcastically. 'I remembered noticing something back in that class…' her voice faded when she saw Lily staring blankly at her satchel.

  'What?' James said, curious in what Sara has to say. 'Hey Lily, can you help me with those last few questions? They're pretty tough…'

  'Sure,' Lily shrugged.

  'Well I notice a certain friend of mine looking at someone!' Sirius said loudly.

  'Who?' James asked.

  'You.'

  'Me what?'

  'You. I saw you looking at someone.'

  'Who?'

  'Does the word flower ring a thing to you?'

  'Yes, there was a flower on Kipper's table,' Lily said blankly. 'What are you talking about?'

  'How I saw a certain someone making eyes at another certain someone,' Sara said voluntarily.

  'This is confusing!' James exclaimed. 'Which of you are talking about what and to whom???'

  'They're better off murmuring their unknown facts to themselves. C'mon James, I'll help you with some fractions,' Lily muttered, recalling the James had asked her how to do a couple of fractions.

  The duo walked off, arm-in-arm towards the Gryffindor common room. Sara and Sirius saw them marched out of the room and disappeared out of sight.

  'Ssh!' James hissed, pulling Lily through a secret passageway, once he was sure they were out of sight.

  'Mmpf?' Lily's muffled voice asked. James had covered her mouth to prevent her from making too much noise.

  'I know those two Flobberworms are up to something. Ssh!' James whispered.

  They were going through a dark tunnel which is slimy and wet. Lily felt sick in the stomach as she tried to imagine what creature lives in this horrible stinking sewer. Knowing the muggle sewers contain rats, she dreaded to think what lives in a wizard sewer. She turned to James.

  'Flobberworms?' she whispered. 'You called Sara and Sirius a flobberworm???'

  'Considering their state of minds when I saw their faces, I'd say so. Keep quiet! I need my ears at full attention!'

  Puzzled, Lily stared at the gap of hole that was on the ground. To her surprise, she could see Sirius and Sara directly beneath it, talking to each other. She raised her eyes at James, who seemed busy with what his friend was doing that he didn't notice her.

  Was James jealous of Sirius? Or did he like Sara? Or did he tell Sirius he liked Sara and was afraid that Sirius would tell Sara that? These questions and more ran through Lily's fifteen-year-old-mind.

  'What exactly are we doing? Eavesdropping isn't a really good habit,' Lily whispered to her partner in crime.

  'I want to see what they're doing! Keep quiet!' James said.

  'Aah, I see…'

  'What?' James asked irritably.

  'You're jealous!!! You liked Sara, don't you?' Lily asked cheekily. James turned to her for a short moment.

  'What?!'

  'You liked Sara! That why you've been staring at her during our Arithmatics class! And now you're here because you're worried that—'

  'Say whatever you want, Lily. I shan't care,' James muttered, returning to eavesdropping the two below. Lily wasn't ready to give up this easily. She meant to find out what this boy have for her friend. Somehow, it felt important, because Sara is her friend. Her best friend.

  'C'mon, James, tell me! How bad have you had in for her?' Lily asked.

  'Don't bother me now! I have to listen!' James said, swatting her off.

  'I'm not a fly, Potter. Tell me!! You can listen to them later. Look, McGonagall's coming and they wouldn't say anything of importance before her,' Lily said impatiently.

  True enough, McGonagall was now addressing both Sirius and Sara at the moment and don't look much of a hurry to leave yet. Besides, Sirius and Sara looked pretty busy, too.

  'What do you want, Lily?' James asked, turning to her impatiently.

  'How much have you had for Sara Flear?'

  'Not a tiny bit, lady. Is that all?'

  'You're not going that easily, Potter. Why are we here?' Lily asked.

  'To listen what those two idiots there are planning.'

  'Planning?' Lily repeated dumbly. Somehow, this hadn't yet appeared in her dictionary. 'What are they planning?'

  'If you would've let me pay them closer attention, I would've a full answer for your question,' James said, turning to the two students below, who had began their talk again.

  'What are they planning? Why are you so concern? What has Sirius and Sara got to do with anything? Why am I here?' Lily asked curiously. 'Are you lying to me? Are you ever going to answer me?'

  'Lily Evans, if you go on rambling, I swear, you will find yourself turned into an earwig,' James threatened, hoping that it'll shut the girl up. It did.

  'So we do it as planned?' Lily could hear Sara's clear voice saying.

  'Exactly. It's definitely proof-proof,' Sirius said. And the two left.

  'What was that?' Lily asked finally, when Sirius and Sara had left.

  'If you hadn't started questioning, I'll have a full story for you,' James said.

  'What's the part story, then? And why did you drag me here??'

  'Because I want you to see how good your best friend is. And how good my best friend is. Listen here, Lily Evans, those two are trying to get us together without us noticing it,' James said in a whisper. Lily nodded understandingly. 'They're trying slowly, but surely. Trust me. I don't fail my Arithmatics before and neither do you. Why do we suddenly fail in our fifth year?'

  'Because we turned stupid?' Lily suggested helpfully. James stared at her.

  'No! It's because those two changed our answers! I don't understand why those professors never keep an eye on us. Or separate us, like in the muggle school. Sara changed your answers and Sirius changed mine. And since they're naturally stupid in arithmatics, that wasn't any problem at all,' James said.

  'Okay… So at this point of the year, we needed tuition if we fail, since we have our OWL to take,' Lily said.

  'Exactly. Now I don't know what on earth they're planning about because you and your big mouth disrupted me!' James scowled.

  'Sorry. I never expected that. I mean, Sara was nice and she was normal,' Lily said.

  'So's Sirius. Do you know when they started planning this?'

  'When?'

  'Since last Christmas. They haven't got anything better to do and they thought we could be their experiments in Potions. You know how wonderful those two are in Potions,' James said.

  'Top in class,' Lily chirped. 'How did you know of all these? You eavesdrop them???'

  'No. I heard it all by accident when Sara sneaked into my dorm to discuss with Sirius,' James said bluntly.

  'So… what are we going to do?'

  'Live with it or disrupt it. I was trying to do the "disrupting" when you bombarded me,' James said accusingly.

  'No need to get all touchy…'

  'Oh, fine.'

  They paused for a moment.

  'I have an idea!' Lily said brightly. 'We'll play matchmakers, then! They're trying to mix their potion, right?'

  'Yes…'

  'How about we mix our potions, too? I'm sure this rings a bell to you,' Lily said, grinning broadly at the idea.

  'What is it?' James asked.

  'Look, we will make them fall in love! We will set them up, but with some help, of course. We'll just work two on two, like them!' Lily said.

  'I'd decided that I'll go blur at this moment. Give me an example, please,' James said.

  'You know how you look almost like Sirius?'

  'Yes.'

  'And how I look almost like Sara?'

  'Yes…'

  'And how we can both imitate voices?'

  'You surely don't mean that!!!!' James exclaimed, his eyes widening at what Lily had in mind. Lily giggled cheekily.

  'I sure do!'

*

  'Sara?' Sara turned.

  'What do you want, Sirius? The plan isn't even in action yet!' Sara said. 'And where's James?'

  'James, uh, went to his dorm,' Sirius said. 'I want to tell you that, um, I love you.' Sara rolled her eyes at the boy.

  'Sirius, get real! You're not kidding, are you?' Sara said.

  'Nope. I really really love you! And, er, from all these times we knew each other, I don't think I can live without you,' Sirius said in a rather stammering way. The redhead raised her eyes.

  'Oh, really? Just yesterday, after that horrid Arithmatics class, you told me that you hadn't any feelings for me, Sirius Black,' Sara said. 'Are you sick?'

  'Um, y- no! No, I'm not sick!' Sirius said. 'Er, meet me at the Cliff Robin tomorrow at 5, okay?'

  Sara sighed. 'Whatever. I still suggest you should get some sense in you.'

  The boy left the room and caught a squeal of delight from a very happy girl. Grinning at himself, he left.

~*~

  'Sirius?'

  'Whaddyou want, Sara? Can't you see that I'm trying to balance these cards?'

  Sirius was busy balancing a pack of Exploding Snap cards, one on top of the other in a huge line, trying his best to hold the magic and yet add a card to the top, which is really a hard work to do.

  'You're mad. Anyway, can I see you at Cliff Robin tomorrow at five in the evening? Oh yeah, bring your broom, too, kay?'

  'Yeah, yeah. Be off with it. Remember, we had to get them to eat the poisoned porridge tomorrow, kay?' Sirius said without looking. And the door was shut.

*

  'Do NOT eat your porridge. Do NOT eat your porridge. Do NOT eat your porridge,' James chanted. Lily, too, was walking alongside him, holding her head tiredly.

  'You can stop that, Potter, cause you're giving me a headache. Just exchange your porridge with theirs, get it?' Lily said.

  'Swap porridge with Sirius. Swap porridge with Sirius. Swap porridge with Sirius…'

  Lily groaned.

  'James, do shut up!!! I have to think of a way to how to creep behind them unseen!' Lily said pleadingly.

  'I have an Invisibility Cloak. What's your plan, anyway, to ask them to meet at Cliff Robin at five in evening?' James asked blankly.

  'You have an Invisibility Cloak? Why didn't you say so earlier!!!' Lily said, clapping her hands joyfully. She then dropped into a barely audible whisper. 'I'm planning to push them – no!! I'm planning to push Sara!! – from the cliff. And since I told Sirius to bring his broom, he'll have to save her! And they'll fall in love!'

  'Lily, don't think like a naïve kid,' James groaned. 'Romance don't come just like that!'

  'It usually works,' Lily snapped, not pleased with the adjectives James had chosen to describe her.

  'We'll try it, still, right after our Arithmatics lessons,' James said. 'I'd better bring my broom in case Sirius is stupid enough to forget it and you push Sara down without thinking. You can be really daft at most times.'

*

  The pounding moment came and Sara Flear waited patiently at Cliff Robin at five in the evening. She was staring blankly at the green pastures below her and enjoying the wonderful breeze when someone threw a tiny rock on her head.

  'Ouch! Who did that? Come out!!!' Sara demanded. Sirius dropped onto the ground on his broomstick.

  'Sheesh. What do you want me for?' Sirius asked boringly.

  'You were the one who invited me out, nitwit. And why did you bring your broom?' Sara asked.

  'You asked me to,' Sirius said in confusion. 'I thought you wanted a broomstick race.'

  'No!'

  'All the same, we can discuss about getting James and Lily together,' Sirius said, grinning.

  'Yep!' Sara grinned.

  Somewhere in the air was a hidden person. No, scratch that. It's two people. Lily and James were behind the Invisibility Cloak, hovering more than a million feet off the ground. They were really far from the cliff, to see the whole picture perfectly.

  'So when are we going to knock Sara down?' James asked. Lily seemed to know what she was doing, although her idea to get two people to love each other is rather childish.

  'When the wind's a little stronger,' Lily replied. Just as if the wind was asking her to hurry it up, it blew fiercely.

  'Now?' James suggested.

  'Yep.'

  'You'd better hold me tight. You can fall off yourself, y'know,' James said warningly to Lily.

  'I'll be fine! Just get at them!' Lily said impatiently.

  James lowered his broom and got ready to dive. With a swift lift off, the broom soared into the strong gust of wind and was headed towards the two talking fifth-years, who still hadn't noticed anything. What can you notice in an empty space of air? Nothing.

  James was going at a rather high speed, struggling against the strong wind. It had decided to change its course of blowing and figured that fighting against James Potter, Lily Evans and James's broomstick would be funner than trying to pretend to blow Sara Flear down.

  So when James turned to ask Lily if they should continue this, he got his horror of the moment. Lily was completely swept off his broomstick (for not holding tight, no doubt) and was blown off the slender broom and was falling near the cliff.

  'Lily!' James cried, as he tried to catch Lily. The redhead desperately stretched her arm to reach for her friend, just as the wind took a stronger blow. Lily was blown very far from James.

  'Help!!!' Lily yelped.

  James hurriedly stuffed his Invisibility Cloak into his robes pocket and glanced desperately around to see if Sirius would have noticed this. He did, and was mounting his broom. Sara was yelling at James something, but the wind had completely drowned it off. From the look on her face, most probably the sentence would be 'You idiot!!! Flying a broom in a wind like this!!! Look what happened to Lily!'

  'James, help me!!' Lily yelled loudly, her hands were clinging desperately on a dead branch growing from a rock.

  'YOU IDIOT!!!!!! HELP HER!!!' Sara yelled. The wind had brought James her voice.

  James struggled over the wind to reach Lily, as did Sirius to help. After a long twenty minutes, James finally caught hold of her hand. Lily clung tightly onto his arm as her red hair flapped in the wind disturbingly.

  'Achoo!' James sneezed. 'Why didn't you tie it up neatly??'

  'I'm at brink of death, Potter! Is that all you can tell me???' Lily yelled, grabbing James's robes.

  'Um… Hang on tight, then!'

  'I am NOT interested in dying this early yet! I'm only fifteen! And fifteen year old girls don't die at this age!' Lily yelled.

  'Hang on and I'll help you up!' James said, pulling Lily with one hand, the other hand gripping a firm hold on his broomstick. It wouldn't do for them to fly off just like that and, as Lily had said, fifteen year old wizards and witches do NOT die at this age.

  'Need help, Prongs?' Sirius called, finally pulling his broom near them with difficulty.

  'What does it look like? Help me!!! I don't want to die!' Lily yelped. James gave a final heave, hoisting her onto his broom.

  'Actually, things look pretty okay now. I'd better go to land before I'm swept off, too,' Sirius said. He then went back to where Sara was waiting anxiously.

  'Hey!!! Padfoot!!!!' James yelled. Unfortunately for him, "Padfoot" had already reached land and was urging Sara to leave before she, too, was blown off.

  'I don't feel like fighting that monster gust anymore,' Sirius said bluntly.

  'Fat lot of help you are. Lily, you okay?' James asked. The wind had dropped into a gentle, mild breeze. Lily looked rather shaken and her teeth were chattering.

  'I never want to do it anymore,' Lily said slowly, her lips turning blue.

  'Gee, your lips are turning blue, Lily,' James commented.

  'I don't care. I'm just thankful I didn't really knock Sara down. She would've died, being so near to those sharp ends,' Lily said, her teeth still chattering.

  'You're cold.'

  'Who wouldn't be in that nasty wind? Oh, bother! It's gone normal again! What a prankster!' Lily scowled, shivering in her thin school robes.

  James said nothing but landed them on Cliff Robin. He helped Lily down gently and made her sit on the floor.

  'This is horrid,' Lily said. 'Stupid stupid wind! I'm never ever playing matchmaking any longer with Sirius and Sara!!'

  James hugged her and placed his lips upon hers gently. Lily froze in place. She blinked blankly at James when he pulled away.

  'What…?'

  'Warmer now?' James asked.

  'W… hat?!'

  'Are you warmer?' James asked. Seeing that Lily was still a little blue, he kissed her once more and hugged her even tighter than before.

  'James, what are you doing?' Lily cried, when the boy pulled away for the second time.

  'Warming you up. I heard from dad it was the best way to warm one up,' James said easily. Lily stared at him incredously. James had a feeling that from the look on Lily's face, she will: a) Slap him. Or b) Kill him. Or c) Push him down the cliff.

  But Lily did nothing of that sort. She kissed him.

  'Thanks. I never never wanted to try anything on Sirius and Sara any longer. And I don't want to play with that wind. He's horrid,' Lily said, crying a little to forget the little scene. She hugged James tightly and he patted her awkwardly.

*

  'I don't get it,' Sara said in Arithmatics class the next day. She was sitting next to Sirius because Professor Kipling decided that James and Sirius and Lily and Sara talk too much in their friend's company. She had changed their places.

  'It's weird. I don't get it either,' Sirius said blankly. 'You invited me to that Cliff to talk about the DADA project, right?'

  'Right, and Lily and James happened to be there, right?' Sara said.

  'Yes, and how come neither of them ate their porridge? Those stupid Flobberworms took it instead of the poisoned one!' Sirius muttered.

  'I don't know…'

  'Black! Flear! Stop talking!' Professor Kipling yelled.

  'Sheesh! Maybe we should've fed her the poisoned porridge instead of throwing it,' Sirius muttered to Sara. The girl giggled.

  'Yeah! That way, she'll turn into a Redcap for us to hand in to Professor Grynd!'

~*~

  'What do you think they're planning for us again?' Lily whispered.

  'Maybe they're planning to kill us,' James whispered back.

  'Black! Flear! Stop talking!' Professor Kipling yelled.

  'I kinda wished we invited her to the cliff. I would've pushed her down and not regret a single thing about it,' James muttered.

  'Forget it. I'm not playing any stupid matchmaker, with this teacher and her fate or Sirius and Sara,' Lily groaned. 'I'm not doing ANYTHING that has got to do with Cliff Robin! Hah. Naïve idea, huh, to get killed?'

  'I take that back…'

  'And a very naïve idea huh, that you kissed me?'

  'No. You kissed me, too.'

  'Oh. Yeah.'

***

AN: Face it – no, admit it! – I'm getting terribly bad at this, huh? I was once told it was a very stupid idea to push the girl off the cliff, get the hero to help, the romance ensues and blablabla! Actually, I think no one had probably even heard of that. I dreamt that all up one beautiful night when I was doing paperwork. *groans* I should really stop dreaming, huh? And yes, for those who don't understand, Lily and James got the wrong impression on Sirius and Sara. They were actually trying to do their DADA project. To Bec, if you're reading this, then it's a good sign that my Emotional day is nearly ending and that I found my old self back ^_^ She wasn't dead!!! She was just sleeping! She's back!! She's back!!! Um, anything else? You can email me, then. Please, please, please!!!! Review for me!!!!!! I need to know if she's still dead and I'm still alive!!!! Please?

   bunny chan