A Life Unraveled: Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
Authors Note: Still a little slow, but its brewing!
At dinner that night, James peered around the Great Hall for a particular red head to appear, though he had no idea what he would do should she actually show up. His friends went around their usual business, casting spells and charms at any unsuspecting victim at the Slytherin table. This was typically his perfect way to top off a day of magical misfit, but the events of earlier left his stomach in a not. Furthermore, Lily never showed up that evening.
When returning to the Gryffindor house, Sirius and Peter pretended to be running from Remus while yelling ' full moon, full moon!' The prank, which had been used many times before with the same results each time, had James stand out- as he slowly made his way through the halls while others ran past him in hysterics.
He followed behind the laughing bunch as they entered the common room, almost heading to their dormitory room with them. The lame from the fireplace, however, caught the dark amber hair of Lily Evans, curled up on the couch, stopping James like a stone statue that she could control.
She had her head turned the other way, probably hearing their grand entrance. As he took a step closer, he saw the bandage on her hand, as she scribbled away with her quill.
" Hi, Lily" he was cautious, gently seating himself on the edge of the couch cushion next to her. The only response from her was a rougher, faster scribbling. " Erm, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I was distracted, I certainly didn't mean to..."
" Just stop" she said without budging, " I don't fancy your lies anymore than the scar on my hand."
James twitched his nose enough to have his glasses slip a bit, " lies? No, Lily, I would never want to hurt you."
Her entire body whipped around to face him, " not that! You and your friends" there was a pause before ' friends' in a failed attempt to say a more vile term, " you don't take anything at this school seriously, and if that was not enough, you have to get in the way of those who want to do something with their lives!" she gathered her quill and book, standing up in rather of a huff, " going to end up dead, all four of you" she muttered before storming off.
James went after her, not sure what he would do- get shot down with another apology, or defend himself and his friends against her remarks. Either way, neither was going to happen. Just as he could have grabbed the back of her robes, Severus Snape stepped in, knocking his arm clear out of the way.
" Don't you belong somewhere else, Snape?" James snarled, " somewhere more dark and gloomy?" He was not fond of any Slytherins as it was, let alone one who was in the common room. He held nothing against Lily except that her exceptional grades allowed for him to be there, for the mere, and stomach wrenching, fact that he was her boyfriend.
" There's not even the slightest vermin like you in our own house" he said, possibly glowing a smile on his baron lips, beneath the outline of his greasy hair.
James jerked his arm to his side, " I find that hard to believe. Nevertheless, I was thinking somewhere more along the lines of Azkaban prison" and he went to join his friends in their dorm room.
That night, something inside him kept him from succumbing to sleep. Though the snoring of Sirius in the neighboring bed, or the kicking and whimpering of Remus in the other. Usually, in some sort of demented fashion, those would lull him into a deep sleep.
Not tonight. He could not determine what it was about the earlier events with Lily Evans that left him so mangled. Surely, Madam Promfrey would set her right- he knew from far too much personal experience. Perhaps it was her ill outlook with him, when really he was just harmless, if even a bit mental on the side.
With the cold stones under his barefeet, he traveled down to the common room in the dead of night. A fire was still roaring...and the same read haired girl sat in the same spot of the same couch. However, she must have returned from earlier, as she was now in her pajamas, and without a boyfriend.
Knowing he was likely to be turned inside out yet again, he knew this time no one would intervene. However, before her name could even leave his mind, James fell to the floor. The pain in his head from earlier in the day rendering him unconscious.