Disclaimer: The ownership of James Potter, Sirius Black, and his fellow Marauders as well as Lily Evans belong solely to the genius of J.K. Rowling only. Please do not sue. I'm a poor ol' college student.
Author's Note: Hi guys, I'm back! I know it's been forever and I'm sorry to disappoint, but this is only another revised version. I've been doing nothing but school and work in the past couple of years, so I didn't have the chance to continue. On a brighter note, however, I am starting to write again. Look at my profile if anyone is interested, I have an update. Oh and who knows, maybe I'll write another encounter with Lily. ; )
Encounters with Lily
James Potter was obviously an idiot, Lily Evans thought in irritation. Rubbing her temples, she glanced around the library that had briefly served as a sanctuary without arrogant, hair-mussed males who had tendencies to show off and make lewd insults towards Slytherins.
Yes, James Potter was the worst idiot in the world.
" - really, really, really sorry Evans. The whole green hair thing though - it suits you. I mean, not that your red hair didn't suit you - because it did - does. But well - er - you know, after it changes . . .back," James voice faltered at the end.
Lily ignored him, returning to the aged text of Glamour Solutions for Witches. Turning a page, she barely restrained from screaming in frustration at his mutterings of "you're not going to find it there," and finally with a breath of relief, Lily found an antidote for returning hair back to a person's natural color. Just as she was about to read the list of ingredients she needed, a robe covered arm blocked her view.
"Are you trying to get hexed on purpose, Potter?" Lily turned, scowling. "I'm trying to read."
"Yeah, well - um - "
"Spit it out. Now." Her eyes narrowed as she saw James swallow guiltily.
"Er - we charmed it to last for a week."
Lily stopped breathing for a moment. A week, they had charmed it for a week. Green. Not red. James Potter wasn't an idiot - he was a bloody moron.
"Evans? Lily? Look, I'm really sorry. Really. It was meant for Snivell - Snape but - er - Sirius accidentally poured it on you when it was knocked off- "
"Which wouldn't have happened in the first place if you just left him alone!" Lily hissed hotly, interrupting him mid-sentence. Slamming the book in anger, Lily shot up from the chair and started to gather her things. Who cared if Madam Pince glared at her? It was James' fault, any way.
"C'mon - Evans - " James muttered a curse underneath his breath, seeing that apologizing wasn't helping at all. Bloody hell, he didn't know that one of their pranks for Snivellus would end up on Lily. The plan had been fool proof - Sirius had enchanted the cauldron invisible for bludger's sake! And if not for Annabelle Lewis, it would have been a well-executed Marauder prank. Would have, he thought disgustedly. Sighing, James tried once more. "It'll only last a week. By the fifth day it'll start turning to - "
"What? A bright pink?" Lily slammed the textbook into his chest. Her eyes were flaming emeralds. "So help me Potter, if it starts turning into the colors of the rainbow before the week is up, your hair won't be any color - it'll be completely bald."
Before James could utter a reply - in anger or admiration he didn't know - Lily turned abruptly, her painfully bright green ponytail smacking him in the face.
"Damn," he muttered, "I knew we should have used Gryffindor colors."
Fifteen minutes later in the Gryffindor common room. . .
Remus Lupin whistled low under his breath. Well, James and Sirius were definitely going to be bald, he thought as Lily stormed up to the girl's dormitory. Turning back to his friends sitting on the couch, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black, he arched an eyebrow questionably at the latter.
"You charmed the hair dye to turn into the color of the rainbows?"
"No," Sirius muttered. "I charmed it to change every possible green there is. Didn't you notice it's a little more darker than in Potions' class?"
"Darker?" Peter made a choked sound. "It turned darker?"
"Bugger off," Sirius scowled. "It was fluorescent at first - now its just lime green."
Remus barely contained his laughter. "Do you mean - are you telling me that you and James -"
"Ordered it by the brightest shade?" Sirius broke out a grin. "Yeah."
Remus and Peter erupted in laughter.
"It's too bad it landed on Lily," Sirius added remorsefully, "I was ready to remember the day where Snivellus didn't have black and greasy hair."
"Don't tell us -" Remus barely managed to speak. Oh hell, they didn't - did they?
Sirius grinned lopsidedly. "Yep, we did."
He guffawed. "Hair every color green possible and clean? Ruddy damnation."
"If we were going to change the hair color of Snivellus, we were going to do the whole nine yards."
"If Annabelle hadn't raised her hand -" Remus shook his head ruefully.
The grin slipped off Sirius' face. "Yeah, it ended on Evans instead. She's been blustering every since - guess James didn't make much headway with his apology."
Peter and Remus shot him incredulous looks. Lily accept James' apology? That day would be when she spoke James' name in a sentence without the words immature and show off and that wasn't saying much.
"What?" Sirius shrugged at them. "There are miracles in this world when we need them."
"Yeah," he grinned, "especially when Lily Evans is angry as Hungarian Horntail."
Peter laughed. "I didn't even know she knew curse words."
"Probably thinks them all the time when she encounters James or me," Sirius muttered, blue eyes glowering. Abruptly, his facial expression changed to concern. "James!"
Turning, Remus saw James stepping through the portrait opening. The expression in his friend's hazel eyes were troubled. He must have had a worse time off with Lily than Sirius.
"Got threatened of being bald, huh?" Sirius asked, his tone commiserating.
James just dropped into the armchair across Remus and stared at them blankly for a moment.
"Mate?" Sirius prodded. "All right there?"
"You're asking me . . . if I'm all right?" James asked slowly. The three nodded just before he exploded. "Of course not! I was bloody threatened with my head being bald!"
His voice rang throughout the common room - turning fellow Gryffindors' heads to stare curiously. The silence thudded loudly.
"Mate," Sirius said after a moment, "your head can't be bald. I should be more worried about it than you."
"It's the principle of thing," James muttered mutinously. "I know I can't be bald – the Potter Hair is too damn unbendable to get rid of."
Remus arched a brow. "Really? We didn't notice."
James scowled. "Funny. But no, not really."
Sirius laughed. "C'mon, Jamesy boy. I'm sure if Lily did something to your hair, it would be preferable than the way it is now."
"Yeah and what way would that be, Sissy?" James asked sarcastically. "Pretty as a picture like you?"
Sirius ignored the dig and smirked. "While my hair is impeccable, dear sir, yours is just plain ugly."
James scowled again and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not 'plain ugly.'"
"Whatever you say," Sirius grinned. "Obviously that's your opinion. Why do you think Evans ignores you when you start strutting like a male peacock?"
Remus managed in time to cover his laugh. Peter didn't. Oh boy, here we go, he thought as he saw James suddenly straighten in his chair.
"'STRUTTING - PEACOCK'? I do NOT strut," James glared at Sirius.
"Right," Sirius replied lazily.
"Yeah, well, you can take that 'right' and go -" Remus barked out in laughter as James described crudely where Sirius could take his response. The latter merely grinned, blue eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Don't look so smug," James muttered to Sirius. "I'm sure Evans will make good on her threat - and if she does shave a person's head bald, it'll be yours."
Sirius stopped grinning.
"That's what I thought - " James paused, "bald boy."
He ran like hell.