Disclaimer- I own nothing, except my lack of sanity.
Chapter 4
Lily
"I swear I'm telling the truth!"
"Right," Carly says slowly. "James' Quidditch team threatened to kill you. Sure."
I am so infuriated. I ran out of the common room to escape the Quidditch obsessed fanatics and find support in my friends.
You just can't find comfort in companions these days.
"I am telling the truth! I swear on Petunia's life...okay, bad example."
"It just doesn't really make much sense though."
Sense... Sense! I was nearly mauled by a girl and a piece of wood, an alcoholic, and someone who's at least two younger than me!
"You're just disagreeing with me because I messed up your potion," I pout at Lauren.
"Lily, it blew up in my face!"
I'd rectify my innocence in that explosion but that would involve me explaining that James Potter distracted me, and Carly would have a field-day about that. Bloody wedding enthusiasts.
I carry on explaining the death threats, "Sara said she'd rip out my spleen."
They burst into laughter.
Now that's just plain cruel.
"You mean that small fifth year? Who's small. Very small," Carly emphasises.
"People look taller and more intimidating in the dark," I mumble.
"You were in the common room, Lily."
"We were in a dark corner!" I yell, "A very dark corner, damn you!"
Why can't they be the 'yes' friends who agree with everything I say? I hate opinionated friends right now. Damn them and their single-minded selves.
"Lily," Lauren sighs, "I think it'll be a good idea if you just cancel this stupid bet."
"What! Why?" I say in disbelief. "You were the one who said James would be bald by the end of the week!"
Lauren rolls her eyes. "Because the bet is somehow jinxed and a lot of bad things will, and are, happening to you from doing it. Not to mention you'll be on a lot of people's Most Hated People's list. There's already been an apparent attempted murder on you."
Ooo, I noticed the emphasis on the word 'apparent', missy! Definite emphasising.
"I will not let James Potter win, damn it!" I yell.
"Okay, Lily, you've made your point," Lauren says. "Now, for the love of Merlin, can we please get out of this closet?"
Did I not mention that? Well, we're kind of hiding in the broom closet away from James' Quidditch team. Let me rectify that: I'm hiding, and I made my friends hide also. You know the whole 'If I'm going down, you're coming with me' thing? That's applied with friends and hideaways too.
"We can't go back to the common room yet," I hiss. "They'll still be in there."
"Technically, the team isn't hunting us, so we'll just see you later," Carly says, indicating to herself and Lauren, and opens the door.
"Wait, you can't leave me!" I whine. "Don't make give you detention!"
Apparently threatening your friends with detention does not help.
"Bye Lily. Don't stress out too much," Lauren pats me on the head, shutting the door and leaving be swathed in darkness.
Well! I will not sit in this broom closet, cross-legged in a yoga position by myself. No way. I will not look like the abandoned solitary!
I will find a friend who will listen to my problems. Someone who will agree with me that this bet has the ball definitely in my court...I've never really understand that saying.
More importantly, I will find Remus Lupin!
"Reeemus," I greet the boy happily, ten minutes later in the scope of the library. He's hibernated into an enclosed corner, his face covered by a book. But I know who he is! I could recognise those bookworm-ish fingers anywhere.
Oh. Woops. It's not Remus. The broody girl removes the book from her face and points a few feet to her left, where the real Remus Lupin has already spotted me.
"Reeemus," I say again. I skip over to him and take a seat next the table he's reading, leaning my chin on the palm of my hand. "Am I glad to see you!"
I look at him and he slowly closes his book, sighing. He's making a sort of wince on his face. A wince! As if my company is aggravating!
"Remus Lupin, you better not be wincing at me," I say dangerously.
He freezes, paling, caught in the act. My green eyes are more deceptive than they may appear. "I wasn't wincing," he says weakly, "I was smiling." And now he is making a poor attempt at defending himself by making a scary smile.
I observe his face. "You de-winced that."
"De-what?"
"De-winced."
"That's not a word, Lily."
"Yes it is. I made it up."
"If people conjured up words that suddenly appear in the dictionary, then Sirius would have a whole separate dictionary of his own."
I sigh, he's right. He always gets the better of me with his wittier comments. I make another dramatic sigh and pick up his book, flicking through the pages at random.
"What do you want to talk about, Lily? James again?"
I scoff. "What do you mean, 'James again'? I never talk about James!"
I don't. I don't I don't I don't.
"You really are stubborn when it comes to the truth," Remus laughs.
I smack him with his book. If I wanted to be teased I would have just gone to Carly and Lauren.
"You'll never guess what happened, Remus."
"What?"
"Guess."
"Guess what?"
"Guess what happened!"
He rolls his eyes. "I don't know. Just tell me."
"No. Guess."
"Guessing would be unbeneficial and ineffectual. Not to mention that estimating the right answer would be unlikely to happen."
I pout. "Please?"
He grinds on his teeth. "Fine," he gives in. I have that power over the opposite sex. It's hilarious. "You," he waves a hand as though swatting at a fly, "nearly got mauled by a Quidditch team." He laughs as if the idea is absurd.
"Exactly. Did someone tell you?"
He looks at me blankly. "What?"
"I nearly got beaten up by James' Quidditch team. Threatened spleens and everything," I explain.
"You mean I was right? I was only joking."
"It was horrible, Remus," I rest my head on the table. "I hate James."
"No," he disagrees softly, "You don't."
"No, I don't," I agree.
Alright, so maybe I do have a few conversations with Remus about James. He's really the only person I can talk to about him. He's one of James' best friends after all, and I know I can trust him and whatever I tell him he won't pass on to James, but with much sighing and rolling eyes along the way. I suppose I've considered Remus a good friend ever since I found out about his...furry little problem. I wonder who started that saying. I'm sure it was one of the boys.
Finding out he was a werewolf was probably one of the best things that has happened. Well, not for Remus obviously, who went on a boring palaver of insecurities of 'I'll understand if you don't talk to me. I'm a monster' speeches.
Dumbest smart person I know.
But I just wish I found out about it earlier. And finding out about what the Marauders actually do for him, besides pull pranks and be complete pains in the arse. Well, being Animagus...that's pretty impressive.
"Lily, maybe you should just end this bet."
What! Ooo, he's going to get another literature smacking.
He puts his hands up in defence. "I'm just saying, James is really struggling."
"He is?"
He grimaces, "Most definitely. He's been hallucinating and everything. He's a psychiatrist's best subject."
"Well, maybe he'll learn his lesson then," I say smugly.
"What lesson?" Remus asks.
Er...
"I don't know."
He chortles. "You know, there is an easier way out of this pointless bet."
"Just shave off James' head now?"
He shakes his head tiredly at me. "You could just go out with him."
Oh, definite book smacking now!
"Ow, ow, aaargh! Lily!" He complains, as I hit him repeatedly on the arm
I check my watch and remember I have patrolling with James. Bloody brilliant. I won't be late though, unlike James-tardy-unpunctual-Potter.
"I'll see you later, Remus," I tell him, getting up from my seat.
He sends me a slight wave and continues reading.
I get to the exit of the library and he calls my name, "Oh, and Lily?"
I turn around. "What?"
"Don't think it is as a coincidence that you're both working together. Because it's not," he grins.
I grab a book from a nearby shelf and hurl it as his head.
James
By seven o'clock's detention, I'm barely hanging by a string. After two hours of trophy cabinet cleaning detention from McGonagall for Has-A-Face-That-Makes-You-Flinch-Filch. And two bloody hours of Sirius' singing Muggle songs I've never heard of from the radio he listened to over Remus' in the summer; I feel like I'm dying. I block my ears as I listen to the badly out of tune song by some Muggle band called 'A baa' with a song title about a loo. What could be so fascinating about singing water down a loo is beyond me. And another song by the same band called 'Dancing queer'.
God help those Muggles.
Right when I'm on my way back with Sirius to Gryffindor Tower and thinking of having an early night, I remember I've got the patrol the corridors with Lily tonight.
Bugger.
I glance at my watch.
Double bugger!
I break into a run and sprint my way to meet Lily outside the Portrait of the Fat Lady, hearing Sirius' distant shouts of, "She's got you on a leash, mate!"
Once I finally get to portrait I expect Lily to scream her head off about my tardiness again, but she just folds her arms and turns her head away as if she hasn't notice I've arrived.
"I'm sorry," I wheeze, "I had—"
"Detention with McGonagall," she cuts in. "I know."
"Have you been waiting long?" I ask.
She scoffs, "No."
"She's been waiting there for at least half an hour."
Lily glares at the Fat Lady for revealing the truth, and I try to hide back a smile. Before I get to ask why she endears waiting for me so long at these meetings, she says, "Come on then. Let's get patrolling already," and drags me by the collar.
She's cut off my air supply but I don't care, her fingers brush against the skin of my neck, and I love it when she's dominative.
"So," I begin, watching as she flings open a broom closet which is fortunately empty, "I hope my team didn't scare you too much."
We carry on walking down the corridor and she tries to look as if my Quidditch team's over protectiveness isn't disturbing.
"What did they say to you?" I ask worriedly.
"Nothing," she dismisses, then quirks an eyebrow, "What did Snape say to you?"
"Nothing," I echo, with a smirk.
If she's not going to elaborate, then neither am I.
I watch her as she peeks behind a statue for any hiding late stragglers. "So, how's your first day of the bet been?"
Hell.
"Brilliant," I lie, with great arrogance. "No problems at all."
"Oh, that won't last for long," Lily smiles, and I can't help but be worried and cower.
Suddenly I hear the sounds of giggling. We spin round, and my eyebrows rise wickedly as I spot Sirius and a brunette exiting a classroom. The second they see us, their eyes widen and they slowly, in a sort of moonwalk, rewind and go back inside as if we didn't see them.
"Um," I stumble, wondering if Lily will just let my friend pass, "Maybe we should just leave them-"
"No," she interrupts, and I grudgingly follow her as she walks over to the classroom door. There's a dramatic pause and Lily's hand moves to the door handle and...
The door won't budge.
I can't help but laugh at the situation, but Lily doesn't appreciate my humour.
"Sirius Black, open this door, right now!" She orders with Head Girl authority.
She doesn't know Sirius is the most stubborn person I've ever met in my teenage life.
"For Christ's sake, Padfoot. We both saw you."
There's more high-pitched giggling and the sound of hushing.
"Don't make me get McGonagall, Sirius," Lily hisses.
At once the door clicks with the sound of unlocking, and Lily and I exchange a grin. Then, I notice we're both so close leaning against the door that if I lower my head just a little we'll be snogging each others faces off.
Of course, that doesn't happen, because Sirius opens the door and we fall smack straight into him and his giggling brunette.
"Bad timing, Padfoot," I mumble sorely.
"I am not Padfoot! I am his evil twin...Padfeet!"
I am trying to comprehend what he's saying but before I know it, he elbows past me and Lily, dragging the giggling brunette by the hand. We watch in confusion as they sprint down the corridor.
"Get back here!" Lily screams. "Get back here so I can PUNISH YOU!"
I force myself not to get turned on.
"Why don't you just take off house points?" I ask.
"Because we're low enough in Gryffindor as it is," she grumbles.
Lily looks as if she's pondering whether to chase Sirius, but takes one glance at her shoes and shakes her head, deciding against it.
We carry on walking down the corridor and Lily flings open another closet door and hits the jackpot - it seems as if we're on a roll catching smooching couples. We watch as the couple carries on kissing for a few seconds.
I never knew a tongue could stretch that far.
What I wouldn't give to be the one doing that to Lily.
As I turn my head to the side and carry on observing, Lily makes a loud cough and the couple forces apart.
Lily gets all Head-Girl-commanding and punishes them, sending them back to their common room
Catching them two at it was such a bad mistake. The atmosphere is so tense and all I can think about is examining Lily's molars.
I get all googly eyed as I peep at her walking beside me.
"What?" she queries. "Have I got some sort of giant zit on my forehead?"
What I wouldn't give to be the giant zit she squeezes…
Lily glances down at her watch and makes a noise of surprise. "Wow, it's getting late. Maybe we should call it a night."
Oh yes; bed time. Oh how I love being Head Boy and sharing a personal common room with her, even though I don't see her much because she tries to avoid me. And sometimes I just sleep with my friends in the Gryffindor Tower and she does the same.
But lately the boys have been complaining I snore like a dinosaur.
SCREW THEM.
They don't get to share accommodations with a stunning redhead, do they? Do they, huh? Huh!
SCREW THEM ALL.
Once we're outside the portrait of the Head dorms, we both mutter the password at the exact time.
I swear its fate.
We both tumble inside the portrait, again, at the same time.
Big Mistake number two of the night. We mildly get stuck as it is a clear fact that two bodies going through one doorway will NOT WORK. A lesson to be learnt for all of you out there.
We struggle for a few seconds as our elbows and shoulders collide, but we finally make a breakthrough and pass through the portrait hole. I'm not really feeling that sleepy so I think I'll take a seat in front of the fire.
Problem is Lily has the same idea and we both plop on the same couch, making a sound of surprise as we realise the other has done the same. It may be just me, but I swear this couch just got a couple of metres smaller; so small that Lily and I are touching shoulders again.
"What are you doing sitting here?" I ask, my head straight ahead looking at the fire.
"It's a free country, James. I want to sit here. What are you doing sitting here?"
"I also think that it is a familiar territory."
I keep my head straight ahead and she does the same, because I know if I go to look at her that my gaze will eventually lower without my consent and I'll be looking at her chest and I will be inevitably be smacked upside the head again.
"How do I know that you're just sitting here because I'm sitting here?" she says sceptically.
"How do I know that you're just sitting here because I'm sitting here?" I retort.
Again, at the same time, we turn our heads to look at one another and our noses graze.
Oh Merlin.
Our noses are just hovering against each other. It's rather odd and peculiar, yet some kind of electricity sparks between us.
We're going to kiss. It's Day One and she's already taken in by the James Potter charms!
"Shit!"
Well, I wasn't planning on doing that particular thing right now.
Lily makes a panicked look and jumps to her feet. "It's late," she states, completely ignoring the nose grazing. I'm rather offended. "We should call it a night," she says as more of an order.
"Late, right..." I echo disappointedly. "Sleep…right..."
"Sleep?"
I nearly cack my Quidditch boxers at the sound of the voice. Suddenly 'Padfeet' appears from behind the couch with an unsatisfied look and me and Lily both jump at least six feet in the air.
"You've been spying on us?" I ask him, narrowing my eyes. "How did you even get in here, for Christ's sake?"
"You told me the password, fruitcake."
Damn it. I really shouldn't make the Head dorm a public place.
"You're going to sleep?" Sirius repeats. "I mean, just sleep? Nothing else?" He shakes his head, apparently appalled. "If I didn't find this old Hogsmeade chocolate bar from the floor I'd be so pissed off right now."
And on that note, my perverted friend leaves through the portrait, humming.
I'm about to defend myself from being completely separate to Sirius Black, but Lily's disappeared and I hear the sound of her bedroom door shutting with a slam.
The next day…
In my first lesson of History of Magic, I'm keeping my eyes open with toothpicks from a bad night's sleep. At least I am actually making an effort to look awake, unlike Sirius and Peter who are actually asleep.
"Padfoot," I elbow him in the stomach. He coughs up a little phlegm but carries on snoozing.
"I have chocolate sprinkled donuts," I sing-song in his ear.
He quickly opens his eyes and looks around for the imaginary donuts that are not in my hand.
"You're twisted," he says, and tries to get back to sleep.
"Padfoot, I need you to be awake to have a conversation with you," I point out, "It involves you listening and then contributing to the conversation."
"What?" He yawns.
I roll my eyes. "Are you actually listening to me or sleeping with your eyelids open?" I question him.
"Quidditch Quidditch Quidditch," Sirius says, "Quidditch Quidditch..."
Oh hell. I've gone crazy again! Every word he said was Quidditch this time! Crap! This cannot be happening! I'm going to be sent of to St. Mungo's...The madness has begun again!
"Quidditch Quidditch Quidditch," Sirius carries on, each 'Quidditch' in a different enthusiastic tone. "Quidditch Quidditch," he raises a finger at me.
"Sirius," Remus cuts in, "Please, shut up."
My eyes widen. "Moony? You didn't say the word 'Quidditch' or anything," I state.
"Sirius has been repeating the word 'Quidditch' for the last five minutes to make you believe you are insane."
Wanker.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist," Sirius laughs.
I smack him upside the head.
"Anyway, you saw what nearly happened between me and Evans last night," I raise my eyebrows.
"You mean what didn't happen," he corrects me.
It was going to happen! It was Sirius' presence which ruined it.
"I made my presence known after Lily jumped away from you, dipstick," Sirius scolds me as I voice my thoughts. "It had nothing to do with me being there."
"Well… I… You... Bugger off," I say lamely.
Professor Has-a-face-that-makes-you-want-to-hurl-yourself-into-a-Bin-ns...(that's not one of my best name modifications, I apologize) has started droning on about something uninteresting, as usual, and for once in my seven years of Hogwarts, I am going to try copying down notes in History of Magic.
Are you mad, I hear you say!
Indeed I am.
If I weren't copying notes, which I do the entire time, I would be daydreaming of...Quidditch. Yes, sad, I know.
But I have to stop thinking about that wonderful sport, where you fly high in the sky, breeze running through your hair, a sense of ecstasy reeling up inside you, all problems gone, just you and the broom and...
Good grief. Am I getting turned on by Quidditch? Maybe this break from the sport will do me good.
I nick a piece of parchment of Remus and run a hand over it to smooth it.
"What are you doing?" the werewolf interrogates me.
"I'm going to make notes," I say enthusiastically.
"You mean doodling?"
Har har. He's a riot, that one is.
"No Moony."
"You're going to write notes...to Sirius?"
Oh, he's on a roll.
"No, notes about what Binns is talking about/"
Remus quirks an eyebrow, "And what exactly is he talking about?"
Uh...Goblins? Wars?
"Goblin wars?" I guess.
"Good guess," Remus grumbles.
Bloody lucky guess.
I rub my hands together, crack my knuckles, and stretch my arms...
"What are you warming up for?" Peter's eyes me.
I redden and decide to get down to business. Grabbing an old quill from my bag I pick up the date '1543' from Binns and decided it might be useful and write it down. Although I have no idea what the date is relevant to and what exactly happened then. Who cares?
I write the word down. Number fifteen...
...Why did I write down a 'Q'?
I must be tired. I cross the letter out and try and write the numbers down again.
...Why is the quill writing another bloody 'Q'? What the hell!
I'm trying to write 15 but...aargh! What the…why is it…AAARGH!
The word 'Quidditch' is staring at me down on the parchment.
I just wrote Quidditch when I didn't want to write it in the first place.
Okay, okay, just calm down. You're overacting. How about writing your name first?
Write a J...Write a J, dammit! WHY ARE YOU BLOODY WRITING A Q! STUPID HAND! STUPID QUILL!
Shit. I've wrote Quidditch again. My name is officially Quidditch.
"Oh yeah, James," Remus snorts, eyeing my parchment, "That's really writing insightful notes."
"GAH," I yell. Not caring if the whole class looks at me at my outburst.
Insanity, party of one, your table is ready!
Lily
I cannot believe what nearly happened last night.
It was really bad.
We were so close to doing... Gah, I don't even want to think of what we might have done. That nose graze was practically electrifying. I swear you could have lit a fire or something.
It must never happen again. I have to be more careful. Much more careful.
"Talk about panda eyes, Lils," Carly says, joining a seat next to me at the breakfast table.
"Rough night in the Head dorms, eh?" Lauren snickers.
I grumble, "I hope you both get eaten by house elves." I pick up a spoon and admire my reflection, and when I say 'admire', I mean scowl and sling the spoon into a passing second year.
"I didn't have much sleep last night," I say vaguely. "By the way, the Head dorms password has been changed." I murmur the new password to them. I know I'm a hypocrite for telling them but who cares, James will never know.
"Why's it been changed?" Carly eyes me sceptically.
"James told Sirius the password, the idiot. He just appears behind the couch and makes us jump behind our skin. Practically interrupting—"
I stop dead. Interrupting what? He wasn't interrupting! There was nothing to interrupt! NOTHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
Too bad my friends had already picked up on what I was saying.
Carly smiles. "Interrupting…?"
"My quiet time," I smile back.
Ha, one nil to me.
"You said 'us'. Who were you with? James?"
Bugger. One all, then.
"Yes," I redden. "We were just sitting on the couch by the fire—"
"How romantic!" Carly declares. Sappy cow.
Lauren's eyes widen. "You mean the love seat?"
"The what?" I echo.
"The luuuurve seat," Lauren drawls.
"It's called a couch," I correct her.
"No, it's a love seat. That's the proper name," she says matter-of-factly.
"Well… I… You... Bugger off," I say lamely.
Carly impatiently taps her fingers on the table, waiting for me to go on. "So?"
"So," I echo childishly.
"So?"
"So what?"
"Jesus, Lily. What happened?"
I massage my head in thought. "Okay, if I tell you," I pause, "will you promise not to tell anyone?"
My friends' eyes widen at my serious tone and nod their heads eagerly.
"No interruptions," I say sternly.
They nod again.
"Well, we were on the couch-"
"Love seat," Lauren corrects.
"Oh, damn you!" I say tiredly, standing up ready to leave.
"Lils, I was joking," Lauren laughs, "Go on."
I pull a childish face at her and sit back down again. "We were on the couch and—"
"Did you do it on the couch? Oh Merlin!" Carly shouts.
"No! Shut up, loud mouth," I scold her. "Our..." I pause and the both of them lean in, eyes bulging, "Noses grazed."
Their reactions are baffling.
"Um, that's nice," Carly says weakly, but the look she wears is disappointed.
"Your noses...grazed?" Lauren echoes, biting her lip. "Your noses...grazed. How scandalous!"
I fling my toast at her. ""Well… I… You... Bugger off!
By first lesson of History of Magic, I am completely knackered from my night of no sleep, but I'm still managing to copy notes that Binns says because I'm good at multi-tasking.
"GAH!" I instinctively hear James shout from the back of the class.
Hehe. I charmed his quills to only write the word 'Quidditch'…