The TOP ALE ATE SHOES OF WHIP In the Winter
Okay, this is, in fact, the final part of this story. Sort of. There may be an epilogue.
Anyway, I'd love if you would review, since I currently only have like 4 reviews. So, yes, please do that.
Disclaimer: Not mine. See what I just did there? I did what many authors like to do. They just write "I own nothing" or "Not mine" for their disclaimer. Other authors (and I rather admire them) spend time coming up with creative ways to say their disclaimers (I'm not talking about myself, if you're wondering). Still other authors, meanwhile, tend to write that no one ever reads disclaimers anyway, or they ask if anyone reads their disclaimer. However, I believe that people do still read this. If you read my disclaimer, leave me a review about it. I'll give you a nice gift. And love. Lots and lots of love. My eternal affection and gratitude. Yeah. Enjoy the story with characters and settings that I do not own.
Sirius was scared.
No matter what he had told James about having a plan, and despite his confident and fearless facade, Sirius was extremely frightened. He had angered Lily on many occasions in the past six and a half years, but he had never approached her on what the whole school knew was her most touchy subject: James Potter.
However, he had seen James approach her on said touchy subject, and he had witness many of those exchanges, and he had carried James to the hospital wing after almost every one of the aforementioned conversations with Lily.
Merlin, she was scary.
But he had promised James.
Damn his best mate.
No, wait, he liked James. James was cool.
Damn Lily Evans.
Actually, he liked Lily, too.
Damn James' incredible love for Lily.
There we go. Had James not loved Lily, the last six and a half years would have been so much easier.
However, back to the situation at hand, he had to convince Lily to give James a chance.
'Maybe I should make a plan, like I told James,' he thought. 'Nah, I'll just wing it.'
But then he remembered what happened when he didn't approach Lily with a plan.
(Which, of course, was almost always)
'Alright,' he thought. 'What I said to James kinda made sense...since Lily is confused and I am determined, all I have to do is-"
"Hi, Sirius!"
'Damn, it's Lily!'
"Err...Sirius, what are you doing?"
'Lie, Pads, lie, damnit! LIE! LIE!'
"I'M NOT SNEAKING OUT AFTER CURFEW!"
'Lie better, dumbass.'
"You've got this look like...you're concentrating really hard on something..." Suddenly, Lily looked worried. "Sirius, are you okay?"
"I'M NOT MAKING UP A PLAN TO TRY TO-" 'Lie, Sirius, you idiot, lie. LIE. LIE!' "-CONVINCE YOU TO-LIE! LIE! LIE, SIRIUS, LIE!"
"SIRIUS!" yelled Lily. When that didn't work, she slapped him.
"Thanks, Lils."
"Anytime..." Lily still looked worried and puzzled.
"So...Lily..." Sirius began.
"Oh, boy..."
"What's his name?"
"Sirius-"
"You like ME? Oh, no! But-"
"Sirius, that's not what I meant-"
"-what about Prongs? Oh, poor James-"
"I don't fancy you!"
"-he'll be heartbroken-wait, did you say you don't fancy me?"
"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"
"Well, then, what is his name? If it's not me and it's not James, then who is it? It had better not be a Slytherin! Damn, when James hears you don't like him, he'll be so sad! Who is it, anyw-"
"SIRIUS YOU BLOODY KNOW GOOD AND BLOODY WELL THAT I BLOODY FANCY JAMES BLOODY POTTER YOU BLOODY ASS!"
"...That was kind of loud."
"Yeah. Good thing we're in a deserted corridor."
"Wouldn't matter if we were in a crowded Gryffindor Common Room or the Great Hall at the Welcoming Feast."
"And why is that?"
"Well, because everyone will know soon anyway."
"WHAT? YOU BETTER NOT TELL ANYONE!"
"It's not me you should be worrying about."
"But there's no one here who could have heard me! Who would-JAMES! When I get through with him-"
"Lils, James isn't going to tell anyone. He doesn't have to. Everyone at this school has working eyes."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, for starters, you're kinda bad at hiding it. Pretty much only James wasn't able to guess."
"WHAT!"
"Yeah. Oh, and, also, there's your date with James this weekend."
"Oh, yeah, where are we going, by the way? I mean, I'M NOT GOING OUT WITH JAMES THIS WEEKEND!"
"Right, sorry. I forgot, you still have to discuss that date with James at your meeting tonight."
"Yeah, it might be next weekend, but-WAIT, NO, I'M NOT GOING OUT WITH JAMES! Don't piss me off, Sirius!"
'Right, bad idea if you want to convince her to go out with James,' thought Sirius. "Sorry, darling."
"You better be..." muttered Lily.
"Right, well, anyway, I think I should tell you the truth."
"Finally."
"I'm here to convince you to give James a chance."
"No."
"Why not?"
"What if he doesn't fancy me enough? What if he leaves me?"
"Do you really think he would do that?"
"I have no idea what James is capable of."
"So...you don't want him to hurt you, is that it?"
"Yes."
"Why not?"
"W-w-why not? Are you kidding me? Do YOU like being hurt?"
"No."
"Well, then of course I don't want to get hurt! He has no right-"
"Doesn't he?"
The question was so quiet that Lily was almost sure he hadn't asked.
"Wh-what do you mean? Why would he?"
"Oh, I don't know. Have you ever thought about how James felt whenever you rejected him?"
Lily looked at her feet. "Many times."
"It was so horrible, to see him hurt like that. It was especially bad when he thought you'd say yes. He'd come up with some insane idea that made him think you'd say yes and get all worked up and excited and there'd be this twinkle in his eye..." Sirius sighed, turning to the floor as well. "He was always so happy...and we all knew you'd say no, no matter hard he tried...Remus and I, and Pete, too, we tried to convince him. To talk him out of whatever crazy plan he'd concocted. We told him to get over you, but he was so happy, nothing could make him believe us...he just...and then...and then, we'd have to help him, naturally, I mean, what are best mates for, right? And...and we'd have to watch...have to watch him strike out...we'd have to see him try so hard and...fall...so hard. You might not have noticed, Lily...but, every time you said no...he was so hurt...at your hands. And, now," Sirius slowly looked up into Lily's eyes. "you...you have the nerve to say that he can't hurt you?"
"I'm so sorry, Sirius...I...I never knew..."
"Don't apologize to me, Lily, you know what you need to do. He should be in the Heads' Common Room."
"Sirius, I'm sorry, but...this doesn't change things. I still can't go out with James-"
"Of course you can. It's really a matter of will."
"Well, then, I won't go out with James."
"Why not, Lily? C'mon, you know you want to!"
"As true as that may be, that's not going to work."
"Oh, come on, Lils! Be the bigger man-er...person!"
"How does going out with James make me the bigger person?"
"Well, you're-erm-doing a good deed! Yeah, that's it!"
"And what exactly is that good deed?'
"Humor a child, Lily. Humor us. Go out with James. Just...just give him a chance. Do it for all of us, Lily. James has tried so hard for six years, and Remus and Peter and I...well, we've had to watch him get hurt for six years. Don't do this to us, Lils. Just, please, give him a chance."
Lily considered for a good amount of time, and Sirius waited. Very patiently. And silently.
Finally, Lily made her decision.
"Okay, Sirius. I'll do it. I'll give James a chance."
Inside his head, Sirius began yelling and cheering and celebrating and doing his happy dance, while remaining cool, collected, and nonchalant on the outside.
"Err-Sirius?"
Well, maybe he hadn't been cool and collected on the outside.
"Sorry, Lils, for that disturbing sight. So...I convinced you, then?"
"Yes. What you said really hit home. Also, I really, really wanted to." She blushed.
"Yeah, but, if James asks (or Remus or Peter asks, for that matter), then we say that I convinced you."
Lily laughed. "All right. But let me get this straight: my only obligation is to go on one date with James?"
"Well, knowing Prongs, he'll screw up his first date with you...and probably his second, as well. So, I guess you'll have to go on three dates with him."
"Sadly, I wouldn't really have it any other way."
"Okay, then, it's settled, three dates with James. He'll be in the Heads' Common Room, waiting for you."
"Waiting for me? Why?"
"Well, you know, you've still got to have that meeting with him to discuss the Hogsmeade weekend...you know, in your common room, later tonight, just the two of you-"
"Oh, Merlin! I totally forgot about that! Gotta go, Sirius, thanks for your advice, bye!" Lily gave him a quick hug and ran away.
Sirius smiled after her. 'Oh, yeah,' he thought, 'I'm good. James is SO going to buy me that motorbike.'
Lily reached the Heads' Common Room in a quarter of an hour, out of breath and clutching a stitch in her side.
Ignoring his questions about her health, tardiness, and mental faculties, Lily just sat down on the couch, gesturing to him to sit down beside her while desperately trying to catch her breath.
"Hogsmeade," she wheezed, "should definitely be this weekend."
"Okay..." said James, looking at her worriedly. "Y'know, Lils, I think maybe you should stop to catch your breath first-"
Lily waved frantically at him, trying to tell him to stop speaking.
"Hogsmeade," she repeated. "This weekend. And you. Are going. With me."
James was quite pleasantly surprised. That is to say, he was quite surprised, and the surprise was quite pleasant.
However, he was able to contain his surprise and joy much better than Sirius.
"Err-James?"
Or maybe not.
But it didn't really matter if Lily saw him doing his happy dance, because now, he had finally gotten the girl.
"Well...erm...that's great, Lils, I'd love to go with you. Now that that matter's settled, we should move on. There are other things we need to discuss at this Heads' meeting-"
"James?" Lily cut in, timidly. "I hope you don't mind my interrupting, but, this whole discussion and meeting and Head duties thing...is that what you really want to be doing right now?"
James grinned devilishly.
"Not at all."
And with that, he kissed her.
And, technically, this is
THE END