CHAPTER 2
Two years later...
A small crowd was thronging at the bulletin board of the Gryffindor common room to see what the Head Girl Lily Evans had posted in it. At the other side of the room, two girls were laughing openly at the situation: Lily couldn't go through with all that racket of people.
"That's the best you can do, just watch how your friend tries to go through all that people in vain", grumbled Lily with sarcasm, when she finally reached them. "The best."
"You are being over dramatic again..." sighed Alice from her sit. "When you matured, why didn't you also get rid of that dramatic tendency?" she asked with fake innocence and a hint of a mocking smile on her face.
"Well, that's one of the downsides of being Head Girl, isn't it?" said Grace, who had gotten up and was trying to fix Lily's hair a bit. After going through that racket, the ponytail Lily had that morning was destroyed.
"What are you guys doing on Saturday?" asked Lily, ignoring her friend's commentary.
"I told Frank I'd go with him to Hogsmade" answered Alice absent-mindlessly.
"That leaves only the two of us going alone, then, right?" Grace asked Lily.
"Yes, but...I was thinking, that maybe that guy with chestnut hair and hazel eyes, who you supposedly don't like, had invited you to go with him?" replied Lily, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
Grace glared at her. "He hasn't invited me, and if he did, I'd have to tell him no because I don't like him. I- don't- like- him," she said with hostility, and looking at both of her friends, who seemed to find something funny in the conversation.
"Maybe they won't invite you this time, Grace, but I don't think Lily will escape 'Mr. Look at me, I'm the best Potter", as she noticed how he was walking towards the table they were sitting at.
This time it was Lily and Grace who were laughing as Lily shot them a glare before she stood up to run away from there.
"Hey, Evans! I was looking at the Hogsmade poster and I was wondering if--"
"No, Potter!" she cut him off before he could finish. "I'm off to the library", she told her friends before disappearing from the common room.
"But...we are done with our homework already!" exclaimed Alice.
"It's probably her new tactic to get rid of him", said Grace calmly as she stood up to follow her friend and pretended that the guy with the confused face in front of him didn't exist.
The girls were heading towards the portrait when they bumped into Sirius and Remus. Grace greeted them both but Alice only greeted the latter, ignoring Sirius', "Hello".
"Why does she act like I don't exist? Alice has seen me, so it's not like I'm invisible or something.." Sirius stared at the girls until they were out of the common room, with a puzzled face. Some moment at the past year, every time he talked to Alice all he received was silence.
"I hate people not answering when I talk to them".
"Just say you hate that she doesn't answer you" clarified Remus. "Lily said no again, didn't she, James?" he asked his other friend who had sat down and was doing some homework.
"She didn't even let me ask her this time. She saw me, said "No, Potter!", and ran away to the library", replied James looking up from his parchment. "What's up with him?" he asked then, pointing at Sirius.
"Alice has ignored him again."
"What did I ever do to her?" asked Sirius quietly, more to himself than to his friends.
"Before last year, you were the one who ignored her all the time", James reminded him.
"But I don't do it anymore!" said Sirius.
"Well, now you know how she felt", finished Remus, patting his back.
oOo
According to Alice, one of the best privileges of being Head Girl was the bedroom they gave you. A bedroom big enough to have two or three more beds, with a huge window that had a view to the lake, and its own bathroom. The bathtub was probably not as magnificent as the one at the prefect's bathroom, but at least she didn't have to share it. And of course, being one of the best friends of the Head Girl gave carte blanche to enjoy all those privileges. And they could talk about everything they wanted to without worrying about people overhearing.
"The weird thing is, that he hasn't asked her in four weeks" said Grace, who was laying down on a couch close to the bed. "Maybe he is finally growing up..."
"For Merlin's sake, it's James Potter we are talking about!" exclaimed Lily from the bed. "He'll never grow up, he's just like Black."
"Point for Lily," said Alice, who was sitting at the windowsill, a bit to the right of Grace.
"Let's leave Black's talk for later, because we need to talk about that too, Alice. Like I said before at the library," carried on Grace, ignoring Alice's grunt when she heard Sirius' name. "I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to give Potter a chance."
"Grace, don't even think--"
"He is Head Boy, you are Head Girl, and you are going to have to talk a lot this year whether you like it or not..." Grace went on, "And honestly, with all the Potter talk I'm beginning to think that maybe deep down you--"
"Don't say it!" protested the red-head, suddenly sitting up, "It's the most stupid thing in the world, what you were about to say, so forget it," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Fine, whatever you say, but you can't deny that the boy has changed a lot since last year, and for good."
"I agree with that," said Alice."He may be immature and arrogant, but he has gotten even hotter this year. He is still not as hot as---What, is there something on my face? Why are you both looking at me like that? she asked, when she saw the weirded out faces her friends had.
"I meant he doesn't clown around as much, pays more attention at class, and doesn't commit as much atrocities as before. Maybe one or two pranks at the Slytherins, but not if they didn't prank them before," explained Grace." Maybe it's time to see if he has matured at the sentimental area too and maybe you are not just some whim caused by hormones, Lily."
"And how does she know what pranks do or do not James and his friends play?" Lily asked Alice, who was staring at Grace very interested.
"I have no idea...but I like the idea of giving him a chance..." answered Alice, then gave a little jump and walked over to sit beside Grace. "It would be like some sort of...experiment" she told Grace, acting all excited as if Lily wasn't there.
"Stop planning stuff in which I will be at stake," said Lily, standing up.
"Yeah, I think we can call it an experiment", agreed Grace with a mischivious grin on her face.
"What will James Potter do when Lily Evans finally accepts."
