Author's Note: I'm sorry that this chapter is sooooo short, but, I promise, the next few are super long. I couldn't resist. In the next two chapters, I screw with James and Lilys' relationship even more. It is sooo fun. This chapter is a bit weird, and if you don't understand anything, just let me know. Yay! I finished chapter seven. But you can't read that yet. It's the best chapter so far. This is also dedicated to you, crazylily, because you are still my only reviewer. Anyone else who reviews – tell your friends. Tell them to tell their friends. Tell them to tell them to tell their friends… Please Read and Review.
Chapter four – Dress to Impress
"So, you guys up for Hogsmeade next weekend?" Enid loved Hogsmeade. It was practically all she ever talked about, save Ashton Lockhart, Sirius Black, and James Potter, though with all of Lily's drama, she had stopped mentioning him so much.
"I don't know…" Lily started to object, but Lydia cut across her, "Come on, Lils. You are hardly gonna run into James in Hogsmeade with all of the other students there."
Lily turned crimson at the mention of James' name, but softened; "Well…"
"Please!" Christine begged.
"Alright," Lily sighed, "But if we do see him, I'm holding you three responsible."
"Yay!" all three girls chorused happily.
It was Saturday (after Lily and James' kiss on Monday) and Lily had been successfully avoiding James until and after Thursday, when they had had to present their Charms project. As soon as they finished presenting, the bell for lunch had rung, and Lily had disappeared before James could say anything to her.
Now, she was using all possible tactics to avoid him (spies, Tracking Charms…) but, he was using all of his possible tactics to find her (like the Marauder's Map), so it was hardly a fair battle.
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James was talking to Sirius in their dormitory, when he looked down at the Map. "She's down in the Common Room," he said, not moving.
"So, you gonna go talk to her, or what?" Sirius asked.
"I dunno." James reached for a Quidditch magazine from the pile on his bedside table.
Sirius slapped James' hand away from the magazine pile, staring pointedly at him.
James broke, "I should go talk to her, shouldn't I?"
Sirius nodded and prodded James towards the door. They both checked the Map once more, and it read that Lily was still in the Common Room. "But," James procrastinated, "What do I say to her?"
"Shut-up and go, Prongs. You can figure that out on the way."
James grumbled moodily to himself all the way down the stairs.
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Lily was now doing homework with Enid at a big wooden table. Well, she was doing homework, and Enid was just rambling on about how much she despised Potions.
Lily's back was to the stairwell, while Enid's chair was facing it. Enid was still rambling; "And then Snape just sweeps round the dungeon (have I mentioned that I hate the dungeons too? – They're cold) insulting everyone and… Oh!" she said, looking up.
"Oh what?" Lily asked suspiciously.
James knew that Enid had seen him and Lily hadn't, so he motioned for Enid to leave and mouthed 'please' at her.
Enid saw and understood, "Oh, I forgot. I have to meet Lydia in the library. Se ya." She scurried away.
Lily shrugged to herself and kept working. James approached her chair cautiously, not wanting to spend any more time with a donkey's head.
"Hey," he said.
She jumped and turned around. "Oh!" she said quietly, "I thought you would be in detention. Without giving James time to answer, Lily hastily shoved her books back into her bag and got up, walking quickly towards the staircase leading to the girls' dorms.
"Wait, I just want to talk to you!"
She didn't stop, and was half way up the stairs before, "Accio Lily!" Lily shrieked as she shot backwards towards James. He dropped his wand and, though his 'seeker' skills, caught the screaming Lily.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Lily yelled once he had put her down.
"I told you; I need to talk to you!" James shouted back.
"I don't want to talk!"
"Too bad. Look, I don't know what I did; was it the kiss?"
"No," Lily answered, slightly quieter, "The kiss was good. Really good, in fact." She blushed.
James grinned cockily and said, "Really?"
"No, it's that you did!" she was shouting again, "You're so immature. I can't like you, or even hate you. You're so frustrating!"
"But the kiss was good?"
"Yes. UUGGGGHHHHHHH… What does that have to do with anything?" Lily asked, still rather red.
"Well…" James stepped towards Lily and pulled her closer to him. He had to bend his head (being oh so very, very tall – and hot) to reach her mouth, but he didn't mind. James kissed Lily, and she sort-of kissed him back. He was happy.
Then James pulled away leaving Lily standing in front of him, stunned.
"So, d'you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?" James was grinning.
Lily had finally pulled her mind together (somewhat), but was still standing, her mouth tingling from the kiss.
"Do you?" James asked again.
"Lily slapped herself across the forehead and yelled, "No!"
James' grin faded fast, "But…"
"No buts; didn't you listen to me? You're so..." she paused, as if searching for the right word, then finding, "AAAAGGGGHHHHH… I hate you James Potter!" (A first-year had just started into the room in time to hear Lily yell. She was so scared by this that she turned and ran back the way she had come.)
James and Lily were oblivious to this, however. Lily turned on her heel and ran up the stairs after the little girl, leaving James to stare after her.
"Prongs..." Sirius, who (along with everyone else in the dormitories) had heard everything (teens can yell pretty loudly when they choose to), and knew that there was nothing he could say to his friend.
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Lily slammed the door to her room and leaned against it. Was it possible to hate and, almost, like someone at the same time? It seemed like every time she and James got close to getting along, he would go and kiss her, and screw everything up. 'Are all boys this confusing?' Lily asked herself.
She really needed to get out of the tower, but she had a sneaking suspicion that James would still be in the Common Room, so she couldn't go that way.
The girls' dormitories overlooked the Quidditch pitch and the broom shed while the boys' dorms overlooked the lake and grounds.
Lily's eyes looked out of the window and the broom shed and an idea ran through her mind. Now, Lily was slightly afraid of heights, but, other than that, she wasn't half bad at flying. She had even been considering going out for the Griffindor Quidditch team this year.
Lily pointed her wand at the broom shed and said, "Accio school broom". In a few seconds, one of the standard school brooms was whizzing through the conveniently unlocked shed door, and through the air, towards her window. Lily quickly unfastened the catch and let the window fall open. The broom came at her through the window. Lily reached out her arm and caught it, easily.
She put the broomstick just under the window ledge (outside the window) and commanded it to 'hover' there. Then, she gracefully extended her legs until she was sitting on the sill and, closing her eyes, slid onto the broom.
Being a dancer made balancing on a broom come easily to Lily; it was only the 'height' part of flying that usually messed her up. Try as she might, Lily could never understand how James could pull off all of those spectacular nose-dives when looking for the snitch. BBRRrrrr…
Lily began a slow descent, and then gradually sped up until she touched down on the bank of the lake furthest from the castle. There she sat and thought until she collapsed into tears.
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Even though Sirius felt bad about ditching James right after their Wednesday afternoon classes, he wondered through the halls, searching. Finally, he came to a stop outside the library, and entered. He found what he was looking for at one of the smaller tables, in the corner of the room.
"Hey," Lydia smiled as she looked up at Sirius, "What's up?"
Hogsmeade," he said, curtly, "You wanna go with me?"
"Yeah, that would be nice," Lydia motioned for Sirius to join her at the table.
"Okay, so, we meet at the Three Broomsticks at noon?" he suggested, taking a seat next to her.
"Sounds good," Lydia said, searching for a topic, "So, how's James?"
"Ah, I take it Lily told you what happened?" Lydia nodded, so Sirius said, "Well, ever since then, he's been a bit mopey, but he's gonna be fine. He's probably with Remus and Peter by now."
"And, do you think it's as obvious to them (Lily and James, I mean) that they totally fancy each other?" Lydia asked seriously.
Sirius shook his head; "So, does Lily really like him."
"Enid, Christine, and I think so. And even if it is true, she would never, ever, ever, admit it. She's shy about stuff like this."
"Well, I think James knows he likes her, but he never admits it either."
"Weird couple. So, see you Saturday?"
'Yeah, see you Saturday," Sirius got up to go, paused, turned back to Lydia, gave her a quick kiss, and left.
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Oh Saturday morning, before breakfast, Lydia and Enid sat, talking to Lily in front of the fire (or lack there of).
"Lily. You like him; we know it, you know it, heck, I think everyone in the castle knows it! Now, you can either sit around pretending, or you can do something about it."
Lily didn't answer so Enid said, "She's right, Lils. Not quite how I would have worded it," here, Enid shot Lydia an exasperated look, "But… It's true, and you know it."
"Oh My God! You're right. I do like him!" Lily exclaimed, "But what can I do; I turned him down?"
"That's easy; make him jealous. We can start now, before Hogsmeade. I told the guys I would meet them in Hogsmeade so you guys can come too."
Before Lily could open her mouth to object, Lydia blurted out, "Oh, about that: I have to meet Sirius in the Three Broomsticks at noon."
"Again?" Enid frowned, "And you said you'd go with us."
"If Sirius Black asked you out, you'd say yes too!" Lydia frowned back, "But, now, let's go do something with Lily's hair." She gestured at Lily's tight, boring ponytail.
"And clothes," Christine pointed out, from where she had been listening, on the stairs, making them all jump. "I'm thinking more skin, tighter, and GREEN," she said, like a stylist might do.
"And make-up," Enid added, 'Come on; let's move!"
Lily frowned and stuck out her tongue at her friends, "First ofall, there is nothing wrong with the way I dress, do my hair, or apply make-up!"
Lydia gave Lily's outfit a once-over (Lily was wearing loose jeans that clung nowhere, an ugly, grey top, and a – okay, kind of cute – jacket), and said, "Actually, there kind of is. Do you want to impress James, or don't you?"
"Fine, but my demands are that I don't wear a skirt or dress of any sort, AND, that you tell me exactly what you're planning to do before you do it. Oh, and, I don't want to look like a hooker, so nothing too bright, slutty, or make-uppy. And…"
They didn't let her finish, instead, they just shepherded her up to their dorm and set to work.
Peter, who had been listening to most of this, gleefully ran of to tell James, who didn't take it so well. "If she likes me, why couldn't she have just told me then? Does she just expect me to let her choose when I like her? I refuse to let her do this to me! She turned me down and now she expects me to just pine for her until she's in the mood! I am not going to be used like this, and I deftinately won't fall for whatever they have planned for me! I'm going for a ride," he thundered to his friends, "I'll be back in twenty." James grabbed his broom from the end of his bed and stormed off. Sirius decided to let James cool off a bit before explaining his plan to him, so he just told Remus and Peter while they waited.
Author's Note: See, short. But you can still review, even if it's only to say you hate the shortness. I need ideas people! Please click the beautiful shiny button below, and REVIEW! I don't have a violent nature – honest!
