So, I know people are going to kill me once they read this but I will make my wrongs right I promise!
Ok, just read...
Ever heard the phrase 'Sparks Fly' ? Or the song now you mention it? (I don't listen to Taylor Swift, it was just the song Jade was humming at that moment.) That was one way to describe the days events.
We were in Charms practicing Incendio Charms, most of us, without much success. Sirius had already had his hair set on fire five times, though twice it was done intentionally by James.
"Right, wands down!" shouted Professor Flitwick as loudly as he could muster. "I don't think I was thorough enough in explaining the charm to you, because so many seem to be having trouble with it." He cast his eyes in Sirius' direction, who quickly gulped and stared at the wall.
"Hold out your wands!" he commanded. "Think warm thoughts! And, the command... Incendio!"
A small flame erupted from the end of his wand, to the effect of a muggle cigarette lighter.
"Don't forget, you control the flame, lose concentration for one moment and..."
"YAHHH!"
"And I see Mr Black has just given us a helpful demonstration of the consequences. Now get to work!" Professor Flitwick said running to Sirius' aid.
While Professor Flitwick quenched Sirius' hair for the sixth time, James walked up to where I was sitting with Jade, grinning.
"Was that you?" I asked him.
"What! No of course not... why would you think that?" he said a mock hurt expression on his face.
"Maybe due to the other two occasions where you set his hair alight?"
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm an angel, really!" he said earnestly staring at Jade.
"Its no good James, Jade knows what an idiot you are and she isn't going to tell Lily otherwise!" I sighed.
"Don't mind him James, I'm sure you're an angel really!" she grinned quite blatantly taking the piss.
"Nothing, like Moony here though, he's a saint." he said jerking his eyebrows.
"Save it James." I said bluntly.
"Oh fine." he said walking over to Sirius.
"So, anything on the James/Lily front?" she said once James had left.
"He stared at her all during breakfast, and transfiguration and history of magic, and herbology, suffice to say... every other class before this."
"Its sad really." said Jade in deep thought.
"What is it?" I said expectantly.
"Well, my brother Alan was in love with a girl once. She hated him, loathed him but he never gave up. They were in the park together, she wanted to tell him it was over... and there was... there was..."
She teetered at the end of the sentence unable to finish. Her eyes had grown wider and glassy at the memory.
"A werewolf. He went for them and... Alan died for her." she stuttered.
I gasped. My chest had grown tight. A creature just like me... Destroyed Jade's brother's life and love forever. I could never tell her now... How would she take it?
"I'm sorry Jade, I never even realised you had a brother."
"Its fine, I have three actually. Well, two..."
"No, really I'm sorry..."
"Forget it!" she said smiling again. "Its given me an idea..."
She crept under a table nearby Lily's. She pulled out her wand and closed her eyes in concentration.
"Incendio maximus!" she whispered.
Her wand burst into a powerful flame and she held it up to the bottom of Lily's robe.
The effect was immediate. James who had been staring at Lily solidly for the last ten minutes, sprung into action. He ran to her, grabbed an abandoned rag from the corner and began to smother the flames.
Lily who hadn't even noticed that she was on fire, leapt back in surprise.
"Get off me James Potter!" she said indignantly.
"But Lily you're on fire!" he said continuing to smother the flame.
He patted the rag on her robe a few more times before removing it. He stood up gasping and rubbing his hands which were burnt and chapped.
She stared incredulously at him and what almost looked like a caring glance crossed her face. He tried for a smile but quickly removed it when he saw what he was getting in return.
"I don't need you to look after me Potter! I can take care of myself!" she said adamantly yet stuttering slightly.
"But Lily..."
"Hey don't you 'but Lily' me! I don't care what you do Potter, I detest the very ground you walk on and nothing is going to change that!"
Then she stormed off.
I looked at Jade, who shrugged and simply said," Sparks Fly!"
After the fiasco of the Charms lesson, Lily spent the remainder day trying to avoid James.
"She's nervous." Jill told me knowingly as we left Charms. "She really appreciated what James did, but she doesn't want to show it. She's weirdly afraid of loving him because it denies her morals."
I seemed to spending more time with Jade then I was with any of my other friends those last few days. James was busy flinging himself at Lily at every opportunity and Sirius and Peter mostly took it that I wanted to be alone with Jade so they let me be.
"I know." I replied. "Did you see how she looked at him after he'd stopped the fire?"
"Yes I know. The sweet adoring look which only passes her face once every blue moon."
"By the way, that was a nice bit of skulduggery you did there! Only, how did your brother make you think of it?"
"He saved her, the girl he loved. Once he died, she didn't leave our house for days and she never got married. She fell in love with him because of the beautiful gesture he made. Bad timing though..."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."
"Its fine Remus! He was a pig anyway! And I have two other brothers to spare!"
"Are they at Hogwarts?"
" They both are, Andrew and Jack, twins in seventh year."
"Griffindor?"
"Naturally! I'm muggle born though so its not really a family thing."
"Really?"
"You sound surprised. You're not prejudiced are you?" she teased.
"No, its just struck me... I hardly know you. I mean, we're friends but I've only known you for 6 days."
"I know, its like we were made for each other." she smiled.
I stared into her perfect eyes. My eyes traced the delicate freckles on her nose and I breathed in the sweet smell of her hair. I may have only known her for 6 days, I had counted each one and savoured it. There and then I knew I had fallen for her. Completely and entirely.
She smiled back at me, her eyes lighting up and little dimples appeared on her cheeks.
I blushed rapidly and said, "Lets get dinner."
"Its tomorrow! How am I not supposed to panic!" Jade said breathing rapidly.
"You'll be fine!" I said. "Your last few practices have been perfect, you'll pass with flying colours!"
"Maybe, maybe not, oh why god dammit! Why do we have to do the dumb subject!"
"Well..."
"It was a rhetorical question! Oh sorry, I'm just snappy! I think the best thing for me now is sleep." she said rubbing her eyes. "See ya, stranger."
"Bye." I mumbled quietly.
I too was growing tired but seeing James, Sirius and Peter approach I sat up in my seat.
"Hey Moony! All ready for the test tomorrow?" greeted Sirius.
"Pretty much, I think Jade is too, though she seems to think otherwise."
"You're gonna a miss your little study buddy, aren't you? "he teased.
"No, I'll still see her. We're pretty much friends now."
"Friends? Don't give me that, I saw the way you looked at her! You like her, don't you?" he said knowingly.
"Just as a friend! Honestly!"
He gives me the look. The look, the Sirius look, the 'I know exactly what you're thinking and why you're thinking it' look.
"Fine... Maybe I do a little."
"Then ask her out!"
"No, its not like that. She's different, she might take it the wrong way... she is friends with Lily after all..."
"Yeah, you're right Remus." said James. "Wait for the right moment, when you know her better."
I smiled.
"I take it someone's had a little success in the Lily area of things." I said grinning.
"She laughed at me."
"What? Is that good?" said Peter confused.
"No it was more a sort of exasperated laugh, like she thought I was funny."
"How and where?" said Sirius.
"I was picking up her things for her and I tripped over my own feet. That laugh..." He trailed off.
"And why are we not celebrating exactly?"
"Well... it was great! Until... she told me to piss off."
"Ah, there's the catch!" said Sirius rolling his eyes.
"Hey, let me hope here!" said James grinning.
"Why hope, when there's no hope?" Sirius said. "Face it man, with this devotion stuff you're just gonna make her think you're desperate!"
"But I am! I've liked her ever since third year, you think I'm going to let her go? Go off with someone else? No way, man, no effing way!"
Wednesday ; location ; transfiguration classroom; subject ; the test.
It was weirdly, the thing that had brought Jade and I together, and the more I thought about it the stranger it seemed that I'd only known her for six days, well seven now. I felt like I'd always known her, somehow, somewhere, maybe like she said, we were meant for each other. Kindred sprits, if you believed in that sort of thing.
She looked slightly nervous as she approached her usual seat. I knew quite a bit was riding on this test. She'd told me, if she didn't pass that she would have to drop to remedial Transfiguration for her O.W.L. which her mother would not be overly pleased about.
I breathed out and sat down next to James, who as usual was unconcerned by the prospect of a test. He was strangely clever, though he didn't apply himself thoroughly. Getting high test results was not a thing that concerned him and he only really tried in the subjects he liked. Transfiguration, however, didn't exactly fall into that category.
Lily, at the desk in front of us, looked a little more flustered then usual, her disposition usually being a calm unconcerned one where tests were involved. She fidgeted uneasily and kept twitching unnaturally in our direction.
"What's up with her?" I whispered to James who turned his head abruptly.
"Dunno, maybe she's nervous." he suggested sounding uncertain.
"Lily, nervous?"
"I know doesn't fit, does it?"
But he was ignoring me now and staring at Lily instead.
Now she sat even more awkwardly and started combing her fingers through her hair, as if she knew he was looking at her.
"What do think is wrong?" he said concern engulfing his face.
"I'm not sure like she's been cursed or something, isn't it?"
His eyes widened and he stared at me, inhaling deeply.
"She hasn't... has she?"
Seeing the look of panic in his eyes I told him a reassuring lie.
"Its just nerves, relax..."
But even I couldn't relax now, she was definately acting strange, and it was a scary strange at that...
I spotted Professor McGonagall coming around to check our spells and I quickly snapped out of it. Jade... I forgotten completely! I turned around to give her a supportive smile. She gave me a thumbs up back so I took it that it had gone well.
"Righty-o wake boys and show me your spells sharpish!" Professor McGonagall said briskly.
I quickly pointed my wand at my quill and said "Equilibrium!"
My quill turned quite rapidly into a normal brown chopstick.
"Excellent! Potter?"
James shook slightly distracted, before stammering,"Eq-q-q l-l-l-ibrium..."
His quill faltered in the air as if considering becoming a chopstick, before transforming into a delicate red rose and falling slowly through the air onto Lily's knees.
There was a short pause.
"Hmm, it seems Potter has better things on his mind then chopsticks! Well, I will give you partial credit for turning it something! And I will remind you Potter my classroom is not the place to pick up girls! Do you understand me?"
"Ye-yes miss." he said meekly blushing while Sirius and the other boys laghed their heads off.
Lily just stared at him her hand over her mouth. She seemed on the verge of crying but, something stopped her. She took one last glance in his direction before slipping the rose in her bag and turning away.
After class...
"Wow I thought you were in for it mate!" spluttered Sirius.
"Yeah me too!" said James breathlessly.
"Brilliant." I said simply.
"I know, she like it I saw her face... do you reckon I have a chance?"
"Mate, you've just proved that, miracles happen." Sirius said grinning.
"Thanks guys!" he said smiling."I really feel great now! Like before, after Snape cursed me. When she was nice to me, almost. It like dreams became reality..."
We rounded the corner, only to see to figures pressed together againist the wall in a passionate embrace.
"Jesus!" whispered Sirius, "its Snivelly! Did the blind girl finally agree to go out with him?"
Looking closer, we saw a flash of the copper hair we all knew too well.
It was Lily.
Fine... Bang, I'm dead! I will make it right I swear! It needed a twist, ok? Let me give into the temptation to ruin everything!
Don't let this disaster stop you from reviewing!
