Chapter 3: The Way-Too-Many Grins of James Potter…
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! OH MY FREAKING GOD! IT WON'T BURN! It's like FREAKING indestructible. A weapon used to kill me slowly via P.A. (a.k.a. Potter Acorns). Wait…I should probably refrain from using that blessed abbreviation…it might be read wrongly…
Ok, so yeah. This journal won't freaking burn! I've tried ripping out pages, but they just keep reproducing. I've tried burning it, but it remains undeterred. I've THROWN IT OFF THE BLOODY ASTRONOMY TOWER and it won't get damaged!
Okay...so maybe the last one wasn't true, but the point is, I've tried basically everything. Well anything and everything that I've imagined doing to Potter's face at one point or another during/after being the pinnacle of his mockery and prankery. 'Kay, so maybe that last one's not a word. But I was in the flow of a mental rant and I like it and it sounds better and censoring the mind is just plain wrong.
And immoral. I mean the Nazis committed beyond horrendous acts in real life, but just imagine an army of mental-Nazis! A battalion of lined up thought-Nazis that invade your mind! And make you think of Potter! Eww not like that you bamf! Just of the way he makes me sick and how it's all his fault I have to find somebody to lend me notes from today's Muggle Studies!
Damn Potter. I bet you anything he's thought-Nazi. Or at least was one in his past life. Damn Potter and his stupid intelligence. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him.
Sound familiar? Good. Cos you're going to be hearing it a lot.
xxx
Tuesday 7:26:34 A.M.
It's mocking me. I swear it is. It's looking at me with these beady little eyes. And it's bloody smirk. And saying 'Ha-ha you fell for that one pretty well, didn't ya?' And probing me with a pitch fork. Just in case you hadn't noticed, I'm trying to give off a satanic aura for the notebook, for when, perhaps, you're ever asked associate it with an unique quality or an adjective, you'll regard it as it truly is. And not as what the media of superficial evils in society will have you trust. Maybe you'll be saying "persecution" or "the encroachment on personal dignity" or better yet, "sadism." Ha. Yes. I haven't forgotten.
Yeah, and I'm not so sure why I'm logging this with day and time in my head. Maybe I am insane. Or maybe it's a self-preservation mechanism in the final hours before reaching ultimate insanity.
"You think you've had enough yet?" says a distant voice in the other world of sin.
"What? Oh." Apparently I've over-saturated my waffles with syrup and am reaching new capacities.
"Are you alright? You've been awfully quiet and you keep looking at that notebook and frowning."
"Yeah, I'm fine Dor, just a little irritated. Can you pass me the orange juice? Thanks."
"Listen Lily, I have a great idea that might just take you get your mind of Potter."
Potter is codename for irritation, in case you didn't know. They kind of sound alike too. The codenames, I mean.
Po-tter.
Ir-ritation.
See? I bet that wasn't even on purpose either. But people don't normally notice it. But I guess that's just some people.
"I'm listening."
"Okay, so I was thinking, we could go the lake with Alice and Emmeline after DADA and do our homework outside and make hot chocolate and prepare cookies for the first day of winter. It's really nice out, and I know how much you love it cold."
Lily smiled. "Sounds good."
Dorothy grinned, "Thought so. And we should probably leave our Divination textbook and Muggle Studies books at our dorms," she continued while eating some bacon. "We wouldn't want to have to lug that around all day..especially since we probably won't need them to--"
"Wait a second! What did you just say?"
Dorothy looked at Lily curiously.
"That we wouldn't have to carry them all day?"
"No, no, the other thing," said Lily ecstatically.
"We should probably leave our textbooks at our dorm?"
"Say it again!"
Dorothy's looking at me strangely.
"What's up, Lily?"
"Umm nothing, I'll see you in divinations, yeh?"
Dorothy nodded her lovely head of hers.
Bless her! I feel like crying from happiness! I think I actually feel a tear about to transpire. I feel so bubbly, I could kiss her! Have I ever said how beautiful and marvellous I think Dorothy is?
Give me a moment. Let me just take this in. Let me revel in this stupendous feeling. It's like I'm floating in an imaginary, unconscious world full of clouds and bunnies. Isn't life wonderful? Everything is just wonderful. I can even make a list of how wonderful I think world really is right now.
These stony floors I'm stepping on are wonderful.
Not to mention these wonderful great big double doors as I exit the Great Hall.
The wonderful torchlight, lighting the way to the wonderful classrooms.
The wonderful boys ahead of me, talking amongst their wonderful friends.
The wonderfully warm cheek I just kissed on a wonderfully, random boy who is so wonderfully taller than me that I had to go on my tip-toes to kiss.
The wonderfully serene day shining at me through wonderfully big windows.
The wonderfully beautiful steps leading to the wonderful dormitory, where I plan on leaving a not-so-wonderful item.
xxx
James blinked.
James blinked again. Clears throat. "Huh?"
Sirius' mouth was semi-open and Remus and Peter were completely baffled.
"Yeah," agreed Sirius incoherently.
"What?" asked Remus.
"What about what?" said Sirius.
…(silence)…
"What?" asked Peter.
They're all delusional, James decided (himself included). There was no way Evans kissed him. No way in hell.
"So!" said James all of a sudden and continuing sarcastically, "Who's up for another class with Binns?"
Sirius barked with laughter. "Now i'n't he the bof!" (a/n: For all of you who aren't British, bof stands for 'boring old fart')
Remus grinned, "Not as much of one than Slughorn."
James smiled and put his arms over Remus and Sirius, who in turn put an arm around Peter. "Couldn't agree anymore…you bunch of bofs."
xxx
TUESDAY 8:53:03 A.M.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to officially announce that there is in fact, NO binding charm in this silly cretin of a notebook, and I have consequentially left it in my dormitory. That's right fellow neighbours, dim-witted Potter forgot that I didn't necessarily have to bring it to class. Heh. stupid wanker.
--
Lily, grinning at her own ingenuity (and that of Dorothy, bless her heart!), sat down contently at the second table to the front and got out her quills and parchments and neatly aligned them on the desk.
"Hey Lils," said a calm voice near her.
"Hey Potter," said Lily semi-distractedly, while getting her transfiguration perfectly beside her papers. Comprehension dawned and Lily's eyes widened as James dropped his messenger bag carelessly beside the chair next to hers.
"Ja-Potter! Wait!" whispered Lily frantically panicking and look at lunging over the desk as if it would somehow impede James. Ha. That's almost funny. Fat chance. "What do you think you're doing!?"
"Sitting down," replied James easily, his intoxicating cologne lingering in Lily's close vicinity. Lily immediately retreated.
"No! I mean why aren't you back there with Black and the others?" questioned Lily urgently, hastily looking around to see anyone else was noticing.
James began smirking while eyeing Lily curiously. "Just felt like it, why do you care?"
Lily ignored his question completely. "But-But, aren't-don't you hate sitting in front? You have to pay attention and stuff. And it would ruin your reputation!"
"I didn't know you cared so much, Lils," teased James with a devilish grin.
Lily narrowed her eyes at his face. He knew she had purposely left the notebook in her dorm.
Yes, he knew how to play his cards well.
She scowled and was about to offer a retort until the Professor spoke up.
"I believe we left off at the meaning of climate in predicting happiness, am I correct?"
The class groaned a 'yes' in response.
"Good, good, and I'd like to begin talking abou—
Is he actually paying attention? And why is he always grinning, huh? Just resting his hands on the stupid parchment, leaning back in his stupid chair.
"…But you know that by now! (Class laughs) Think more of the exact and intricate tasks required of—
Focus, Lily. Just ignore him. "But of course the sun's rays are the prime ingredient in.."
He has a freckle on his jaw line. It kinda gives him a slightly appealing innocence..I mean you know. In –ahem--a twisted, really unattractive sort of way.
I really shouldn't be looking at my face, he'll probably…oh crap. Great. He's noticed. And now he's smirking at me.
Lily diverted her eyes to her parchment and felt his gaze lift from her and back to the teacher.
James' arms stretched above his head as he gave a small yawn, and his clean, minty breath tickled Lily's ear.
Lily clenched her lips shut to keep from giggling and made a sound halfway from a squeak to a giggle, that was only heard by James. James curiously looked at her and landed back down on both feet.
He has pretty bad handwriting, though. How I managed to read his handwriting when he sent me messages in that journal is beyond me!
Vaguely aware of the fact that his leg was now touching her own daintier one, made her curiously blush as she saw him playing with the jet-black hair just above his ear.
And what was even more ludicrous than her flushed cheeks, was that he appeared to be ignoring her completely! And was actually focused on what the teacher was saying! He wasn't even passing notes to Sirius for heaven's sake!
Hmm..I wonder what kind of shampoo he uses. And if his hair looks like that naturally or if he needs to work on it for like an hour every morning to make it look that way.
James' quill ran out of ink, and instead of getting up, he reached across Lily so that Lily was forced to get a nice whiff of his cologne and view of his back.
I swear. I'm going to crack. Breathe, Lily, just breathe.
Bad idea, BAD IDEA! Don't breathe!
Why'd he smell so good, anyways?
Merlin, what the hell is his problem!
"OK! Now, class, pair up with the person sitting next to you and try the eye-reader at the back of the book and record you results! Emotions, and all!"
What?! What eyereader?! Damn James. It's all his fault. Now he's going to think I wasn't paying attention cos I was paying attention to him or something.
James turned his chair slightly to face Lily without straining his neck. "You want to go first, or shall I?"
How the hell am I supposed to go? How on earth could he be paying attention?
"Err.. you can go."
"'kay," James said indifferently.
James looked into Lily's green eyes, so intent on searching for the certain characteristics in their list. Lily on the other hand, swallowed hard at being this close to his face and looking into his well-known gorgeous eyes. They were the most stunning shade of hazel under his dark lashes that to look at them, and their perfect size, made Lily quite mystified and entranced—in a truly platonic sense, of course.
Just by looking at them, you'd think you could tell exactly what his emotions were. But you can't. To Lily, quite disturbingly, he seemed completely indifferent with the fact that had he been this close to her last year, he probably would have tried kissing her. But now, his eyes quite frankly stated that he could care less and would really like to get this class over with. Well, it was clear to her, in any sense. And that was it. No cocky look at all.
Suddenly, James finished writing his observations and put down his quill.
"What? You're done?"
James smirked. "You're not that hard to read, Evans."
"How so?"
James shrugged and closed his notebook. "You're just...not."
What hell is THAT supposed to mean?
Lily waited expectantly. "Well?" asked Lily indignantly.
"Well, what?" replied James uninterestedly and stuffing his books into his rucksack.
"What did you see, you nitwit!"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he replied in the midst of potential grin.
"Yes, I would! Now tell me!"
The bell rung and James slid the strap on his shoulder and began leaving. "Hmm..maybe later."
What the fuck!
"Potter! What did you see?" Lily caught up with James and was attempting to keep up with him.
James turned around and smirked. "Why do you care so much?"
He's said that like fifty times today! Does he know no other phrase?
"Because! Well…"
James smirked.
"Because I just do, okay! You make it sound as if I had a big secret or something that you now know about!"
James' sexy smirk became wider.
And then he merely turned around, and called out, "I'll see you later, Evans."
xxx
James emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist and shook some of the water off his hair. It was just after shaking his head, that he saw a red glow coming out of his rucksack, which incidentally, was hanging on his bedpost.
Smiling to himself, he walked into his closet, got dressed and jumped onto his bed and got out the notebook.
I swear to Merlin, Potter, if you don't tell me what you saw, I'll rip off your bloody head.
-LE
James smirked.
Oh really? And just what happened to my "bloody testicles?"
-JP
They got lost in transit.
Ahh, I see. Well, considering I'm suffering from all this blood loss, I imagine that I am exempt from further questioning. You know, Evans, you surprise me sometimes.
Not really. And how so?
Well for one thing, you actually initiated a conversation with me, and second, you did it using the journal I gave you—the one you're so adamant about ignoring.
Well I think a good question is why you won't tell me what you saw.
I think an even better question is what secret you think I know that you, very evidently, don't want me to find out.
"Hey Prongs, whatcha doin'?"
"Huh? Not now Sirius. I'm busy." James continued writing, smiling at the page, and then writing again.
Sirius looked at the notebook suspiciously. There was no way he was having this much fun with a stupid notebook.
Sirius casually strode next to James and when James looked up at the wall in thought, Sirius snatched the notebook.
"HEY! Padfoot. Give it back!"
"Nah ah ah," said Padfoot putting the notebook behind his back as James lunged for it. "I just want to see what you're really doing. And with my good luck, it'll be porn."
Sirius opened it in surprise and began reading.
James looked at him irately in stern defeat. "Don't you have to do your homework, or something?"
"Nope," Sirius mumbled while reading, "I can't be arsed." James rolled his eyes.
After reading several lines, Sirius looked up at James in compete seriousness. "Mate. Are you writing to yourself?"
"Of course not, you prick. That handwriting is Lily's."
Sirius looked keenly in panic now. "Oh Merlin, it's worse," he said in a deathly serious voice.
James rolled his eyes.
"You've resorted to writing to an imaginary Lily!"
James clenched his jaw and took a deep breath.
"NO. I'm telling you, mate. That is Lily."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah. It was the birthday present."
"OoOoh I want to write something!"
"Padfoot, no!"
So WHAT are you wearing right now? Something skimpy, right? Lace, perhaps?
"What?!? Padfoot! I'd never say something like that!" James lunged for the notebook, but unfortunately acquiesced to his failed attempt.
Sirius grinned mischievously and then gave a look as if to say 'Please. Has your brain been decapitated lately?'
Black?!
"HA! She saw right through that, mate."
Sirius looked crestfallen, "But how?"
Hello?
Hey Lilybily
Definitely Black.
So care to answer my question?
Not really.
"She sooo is, Prongs!"
James had nearly decided to pronounce strong disapproval to what is friend was doing. Until he gave in and looking at Sirius hopefully.
"Ya think so?"
"Know so. I mean," Sirius popped a chocolate frog in his mouth, "wry else wroud she denige irt?"
"Good point. Hey! Here's an idea. Can I talk to Lily pretending to be you?"
"Sure whatever. Just don't say anything too clean or barking, yeah? She'll know it's not me."
"Yeah, all right."
So you're wearing something skimpy right?
Black. We're not having this conversation.
Why? If you won't tell me, it's probably cos you are.
Well I guess you'll never find out, now will you.
"Shit, mate! She is!!!" yelled James ecstatically.
"What? Let me see!" said Sirius grabbing the notebook. James eagerly watched his reaction for the verdict.
"We need to get to the girls' dorm. Pronto."
James grinned. "Hold on a sec."
So what do ya think of Prongs?
He needs a good dose of ego deflating, why?
"Do not!"
Well besides that, he hasn't done anything bad on your birthday, has he?
Why do you care so much?
We're good mates, Lily.
This is Potter, isn't it?
"When did she get so bloody smart?" complained James.
Sirius grinned. "Apparently she's always been..seeing as she hasn't dated you and all.."
James through a pillow hard at Sirius' face.
Whatever Potter, I'm going to sleep.
-LP
…
Erm..
Who's LP, love?
-JP
Damn it.
Does he know? Nah, he's too stupid.
Ohhh.
Damn it.
Sweet dreams, gorgeous.
Wait for it..
Or wait, aren't we supposed to be sharing a bed?
Bastard.
Goodnight, Potter.
Now, now, no hostilities now. We would want to go to sleep angry.
Tomorrow, you are going to be dead.
I said goodnight, Potter.
Ok, ok, but can I ask you a quick one.
Lily growled.
What is it, Potter.
Can you move over to the left a little? You're sort of on my side of the bed.
…(slight pause)..
Go to hell.
So… does that mean no strip tease tonight?
…
You have no idea how much I hate you right now.
It's all apart of marriage, love.
…(slight pause)..
What? Speechless? I tend to do that to people. Or how about breathless? I tend to cause that too…
What a sick, sick mind.
Yep—there's no doubt about it this time. James Potter is definitely grinning.
A/n: How was this chapter? Thanks to all of you who left very kind reviews last chapter! It was definitely an encouragement to write more!