Chapter Four. A Firecrab.
(p.o.v.) Lily Evans.
Next three days, Sheena, Maria and Victoria spend trying to figure out what to do to cheer me up. That I did not need. Victoria went on to recruiting guys I should data. Maria made me join the Chocolate Frog Cards Guild – which I didn't regret – but she also made me join the Outside Community Club – that involved going out to different places and helping out the community. They had to be supervised by a parent or a teacher and everyone had to have parental permission if they were under 17. Sheena was the best though or I should say the worst, she hit me with her famous Cheering Charms everytime I wasn't smiling or wasn't smiling wide enough.
Sooo, between running away from Victoria-recruited suitors, going to all the meetings of Maria's clubs, fitting that between Quidditch practice, Charms Club, doing my own homework – oh, not to forget Head Girl duties, and being able to smile convincingly brightly every time Sheena was so as not to be hit by Cheering Charms, I didn't have time not to notice that Potter really had given up on me.
A sudden worry-free evening on a Friday on the first October week made me realize that. Well, the fact that Potter had actually come up to see me, did that. But aside from classes, occasion glimpses in the hallways or in the common room and Quidditch practice, I had not seen Potter at all.
"Good afternoon, Evans," he spoke bringing me up from my Ancient Runes assigned reading.
"Oh, hi," I said rather lamely wondering how come he looked so good today and even smelled of perfume. It made me smile when I realized he was drenched in perfume. "You might want to lessen the doze next time."
"Ahh, that, I think Sirius purposefully but some in my soap-potion," he laughed and collapsed in a chair across from me. "Listen, I was – err – wondering… you know its Friday and everything. And I fancied a walk out on the grounds-"
"Sure," I said before I realized I meant that I'd go on a walk with him! I never agreed to go anywhere even remotely date-like with him. I began rereading – or at least pretending to – anyway to cover up my embarrassment. But I started fancying this walk, before he spoke again.
"Really? Oh, well, I thought I might have to ask one of the prefects to cover my shift. Thanks very much, Lily," he stood up during his speech, leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
That covered my new embarrassed and gawking look; thank God he decided to give me a peck. A peck? I called after him, "James?!"
He turned around, very surprised.
"When is your shift?" I had to cover up myself again.
"After supper, which would be in 20 minutes, really sorry for the short notice. Thanks a bunch – err – Lily…?" He said uncertainly.
"You're welcome, James," I said, covering up another slip-up, calling him by his name. How many times am I going to screw up today?! "Who are you going out with anyway?"
"Well – uh – not going out, going to go ask out… But – uh – you think Emily likes me?"
Emily Rogers, the Keeper on our team. She was stunningly pretty, helped very much when she smiled at an opposite team's Chaser, it made those guys drop the Quaffle before one of my Bludgers would ever hit them. She was much prettier then me, what am I talking about. Emily was the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts, James the most popular guy, they'd fit. "Why shouldn't she, but I'd lay off the cologne."
He grinned at me and said, "I'll see what I can do about the smell before I go ask her."
When he was safely up in his dorm, I tore off to find Victoria and Maria or even Sheena, who's probably going to shower me with Cheering Charms if I don't wrestle her wand from her first. I found them in the dorm, sitting on Maria's bed with Sheena apparently out on her prefect shift. Sheena had a shift at the same time with Potter, would she… I smacked myself. Sheena does not like James Potter, no where close and why was I worrying about her liking him or not! I had to worry about Emily! WHAT?!
But all the same, I burst into the dorm and sparing a second to check only us three were in there I half-yelled (at the last second lowering my voice) at them, "James Potter is going to ask out Emily Rogers!"
They definitely caught the fact that I didn't want that to happen.
Maria frowned, "Emily Rogers? The Keeper? The girl in charge of the Community's trip to St. Mungo's? The one who's mum is a Children's Healer."
Victoria at the same time babbled, "Is that why he was soaked in cologne? But, they wouldn't look good together! She's too pretty for him! And they are both dark haired! That would look horrible, they look like brother and sister more then a couple! Gross!"
"I don't care! Why's he doing that!?"
They began two absolutely gibberish long reasons why. Victoria's was plain stupid, because they were both popular – popular people go out, of course! Only she elaborated for three minutes before Maria halted her. Her reason was because James was simply looking for someone who's as good as I am, and since he fancied me – yada yada yada… he'd want somebody who's the best or at least seems to fit that title. I had to stop her. That was even more nonsense then her sister. Only right then:
Sheena burst into the room, "I just saw Potter and Rogers kiss in the common room!"
Three of us stared at her and I screamed, "WHAT!?"
"I came back with a lost first year, imagine they still get lost – oh, sorry, Lily – yes, yes, and they came out of the portrait hole and she gave him a kiss on the lips after we passed in-"
I jumped on her, "Did he like it? Did kiss her back? Are you sure it was her who started the kiss and not him? SHEENA! Answer me! Or I'll jinx you!"
That made her stop gaping at me because she was surprised I cared and start talking, "Well, how should I know if he liked it! I didn't ask! And, yes, he did kiss her back. He even pulled her around the waist up close – " My spirits hit the bottom of my stomach and I felt very envious. I knew I was envious as Sheena described with every damn detail how he kissed Emily Rogers. And after she was finished I would truthfully admit I wanted to be kissed by James Potter. "Oh, and yes, it was her who started the kiss."
Maria laughed. I stared at her, she explained. "Lily Evans, you can't tell me now you don't care about him. You may have not cared. But now you do!" Maria threw her hand up in triumph.
I opened my mouth to say I didn't care, but instead, I spoke, "What do I do?"
Victoria answered, "Same thing that he just did to you, make – him – jealous."
Sheena grinned and asked, "Who's our guy?"
Victoria pulled out a book with photographs of guys in our seventh year, "Let me worry about that." And we flocked around her, forgetting about my shift. James Potter, you're going down!
(p.o.v.) James Potter.
"How was the date?" Padfoot asked the next day at breakfast too casually and quite in the earshot of Eva- Lily. Well, she did call me 'James' why can't I call her 'Lily'? People don't need permission to call each other by their first names. Besides, Moony says "Calling someone by their first name brings them closer, where as using someone's last name is more formal and gives the two people more personal space and takes away most of the warm feelings…" He said a lot more, but that much I needed to get the point.
"All right, I suppose, she kissed me the moment we were out of the portrait hole."
"I hope you're a good kisser, Emily will spread the word."
Moony disagreed, "It doesn't matter, seeing that James is the top of the cool here, she'll always think he's a good kisser, unless he displeases her in other then kissing."
Padfoot nodded and took a savage bite of toast, Moony didn't eat at all, just sipped his pumpkin juice. It was full moon tomorrow – he never ate anything the day before. Lost his appetite.
On Monday, I spotted Evans – not alone, but with Sean Duke. I nearly tripped over my feet staring! I didn't stop staring when Padfoot nudged me nor when Moony said I'm going to screw up the plan if I allow myself to be jealous. But what was she doing with the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain! What was I not good enough!
I wanted to shout that I'm a better quidditch player in any position then him! And definitely a better Chaser! That she'd be better off testing her flirting skills on me… She was only testing her flirting skills, right? I'm way better looking then him! Okay, may be that was overbearing. But I'm no worse! If I take off my glasses, then I'll be better looking then him by a mile! A hundred miles!
"Prongs, you're going to make Duke's robes set on fire if you don't stop scowling at him like that," Moony warned me.
But I wanted to set Duke's robes on fire with my glaring… Set Duke's robes on fire… I grinned and punched Padfoot, who mocked a hurt expression but seeing my grin realized I was about to do something out of order and I wanted him with me.
Moony made a disapproving vexed sound at us.
"What!" I asked him, "You want me to sit here and watch her flirt with him? I don't think so."
Padfoot helped, "What would you do if a girl you liked was flirting with the biggest jerk you ever knew?"
Moony looked worried that Duke really was the biggest jerk, and he didn't want Lily to be flirting with a jerk.
Padfoot's adding, "I hear he doesn't treat girls right."
That did it, well, overdid it, because Moony joined us. We went off to a corner and I was about to send a ball of fire at Duke's robes, when Moony caught my wandhand.
"Are you mad? Do you know how many people are going to witness this?" He said cautioning me.
"Oh," I murmured and instead set to making Duke's robes burst into flame.
"Do it when his hand is in his pocket," Moony whispered, "And let it spread from the pocket, it'll look less suspicious."
Padfoot just stared at Moony, "You know, Moony, that's very thoughtful, we should take you along with us more often."
But Moony didn't pay him any attention he said "Now!" when Duke put his pocket. And I heated the robes hotter and hotter until they started to burn.
Lily noticed it a moment sooner then Duke himself, well, it's about as hard to notice that the person you're talking to has burning robes as notice that your own robes are burning, so that was quite expected. She wasn't stupid, she started to look around for a reason why perfectly fine robes began to burn – I was suspicious she was looking for us.
And we didn't make much of an attempt to hide, after all, it was quite all right to be hanging around the class you have in 15 minutes, right? But she rounded on us anyway, glaring.
Only Moony beat her, he spoke, "Duke! Have you been nicking firecrabs from Magical Creatures? That's a detention! I'll inform Filch immediately after class."
Duke, Lily, Padfoot, Wormtail and me gapped at him, although for some different reasons. Duke knew he didn't steal any firecrabs. Lily wasn't sure which was true. And the rest of us didn't know what to say at Moony's quick thinking!
Lily evidently figured out that Duke didn't steal any firecrabs, because she cornered us an hour after we came back from super about this. Definitely because she wanted me included, and I had taken Emily out on a stroll again – or more like she dragged me out on one.
"Black, Lupin, Petegrew and Potter!" she came toward us from the girls dormitories, "You have detention!"
"For what!" Padfoot yelped evidently forgetting out 'firecrab' incident.
"For setting Sean's robes on fire – " she pointed at me and Padfoot " – for lying to me! That's a good way to loose your prefect's badge, Lupin – " she glared at Moony " – and for keeping this secret from me! – " Wormtail got his bit.
"Your proof?" Moony asked, "I merrily assumed Duke stole a firecrab, he just came back from Magical Creatures class."
"Lily," I said pouting, "I wouldn't set an innocent student's robes on fire! Or for that matter put a firecrab in his robes. But, yes, proof?"
"And I was absolutely ignorant of any goings on!" Wormtail raised his hand.
"And I!" Padfoot raised his. That left me and Moony facing Lily in a temper.
"You," she pointed at me, "did it because you didn't want me to date Sean or for that matter flirt with him. You persuaded your friends to help you and Lupin to cover up for you."
"That's the motif, and to tell you the truth, I had a very good mind to do something to separate you and Duke there," I told her truthfully. And Padfoot continued, "He's got a reputation for mistreating his girlfriends! And with whoever set his robes on fire, the guy deserves worse."
"So you deny that you set Sean's robes on fire?" she asked me. "That you were jealous and you set his robes on fire?"
Not good. What do I tell her?
A/N: Mwuahahahaha!
