-A Game of Truth or Dare-
-Chapter Four-
James' P.O.V
"Bloody Slughorn. I was this close, thisclose to kissing her, when the fat coot had to waltz round the corner didn't he!" I fumed.
"Sorry man, that sucks. Still, you have a detention now so that's me and you one, Remus and Peter zilch." Sirius gloated at Remus who was sat on his bed holding a brown leather book.
I think it's his diary.
"Sirius, you always win, closely followed by James then Peter then me." Remus complained.
"Yeah, I know." He replied smug.
Remus sighed.
Why do we alwaysget off topic?
"Guys!" I yelled to get us back on topic. "Didn't you hear what I said? Lily agreed to kiss me!" I urged them to understand how ecstaticI felt.
"Yeah I know, you said, and now you have a detention with hottie Slughorn..." Sirius sighed in mock envy.
Yeah I had no chance of getting them to understand.
Sirius and his scatter brain had no hope of understanding, though I knew he fancied the pants of that Tracy Stone, even if he didn't himself. Yeah, he reckoned that she was 'fun to flirt with' but me Remus and peter knew it was more than that. I was surprised that Remus hadn't acknowledged what I'd said, but I guess his head would be filled with Beth right now.
He adoredher.
But because of his iddy biddy little furry problem, he had said that he couldn't be with her. He was scared that if he told her the truth, she wouldn't like him, but if she did accept him for the furry creature he was, he was scared that one day he might hurt her. And then, even if he didn't hurt her and he thought those chances were slim, he would be taking away her chances of having a family because he would never want to put the curse on anyone.
He is so noble is Remus.
Putting aside his feelings for Beth to protect her. If I had to do that with Lily...
I shuddered away the thought.
Mentioning Lily brought me back to just minutes before, when I was so close to her, almost kissing her...
Why had she done it?
Why did she suddenly agree to a kiss that she so obviously didn't want? I flinched a little at the last thought. But what had made her agree? I remembered looking into her emerald eyes and saw something that looked like...
Concern.
For me?
Impossible. She had never felt that before, I knew that otherwise we'd be going out right now. But when I saw that emotion in her eyes... that was it. I know for definite now.
I'm in love with Lily Evans.
"I'm in love with Lily Evans!" I spluttered.
"So who's he shagging now? Molly? As in Molly Prewett? As in the girl in the year above us? How does he doit? How does he bloody do it?" Sirius was speculating with Remus.
The latter looked at me as if to say 'yeah, I know mate, you've told us a thousand times now shut up.'
"No I mean I'm in love with her!" I tried again.
"And Peter loves cheese, we knowdude." Sirius said.
Man did they just not get it?
I sighed in defeat. It was no wonder Sirius had just brushed off the comment and continued to colour Peter's underwear pink and yellow. I mean, how many times had I said that in the past? But this time it feels like... like I can't livewithout her.
But that's going against the marauder rules. We can't not look like the womanizing bunch we are. Were. Sighing again, I walked out of the common room which was-thankfully- empty. It always was these days. The dorm door shut off Sirius' cry of
"It's a thong!"
To which I then got peace as I stretched out on the sofa. It was a good thing Sirius had cast a mufflato charm otherwise all the guys would be awake, and Peter would be in for it. Not that he wasn't already from us three. I grinned at picturing Sirius outraged and swinging the thong around as me and Remus question Peter about it. Speaking of us, we need our next prank. Hmm. So we could-
BANG.
"I'M COMING PRONGSY!" Sirius yelled at the top of the stairs, then proceeded to rush down them to sit beside me on the sofa.
"Er-" I managed.
"PRONGS! We thought you had disappeared forever!" he hugged me squeezing all the air out of me.
"Can't breathe." I gasped, and then he let me go. Remus casually walked in and plonked down on an armchair, the said;
"Okay, 'sup dude. Tell us about you and Lily pad."
"Well-" I started but was drown out by Sirius' hysterical laughter.
"L-l-Lily pad! That's great!" he choked out.
"Er Sirius, you okay dude?"
He ignored Remus and carried on laughing. That is until I thumped him on the back
and he shut up at once.
"Thanks James pal."
"That's okay so-"I heard a little thud from somewhere behind me.
What the..?
But then Peter came scurrying in a minute later, back from his 'nap' as I had told Lily earlier. That was weird; Peter usually never made a noise when he moved.
Well, I guess you can't always be as quiet as a mouse. Or in this case a rat.
"Hey everyone!" He squeaked. As always.
"Yo man, have a seat, James is telling us about his lovely evening with Slughorn-."
"Lily." I corrected Sirius.
"Yeah, any ways, glad to see that you're back from your fuc-"
"AS I WAS SAYING, I found her being terrorized by peeves and I saved her from him." I started my story.
"From Peeves? James, you're a hero!"
I stared at Sirius until he apologised for the interruption.
"S'okay, so I was thinking about the dare game and how unlucky I was that she had practically missed two of her goes as I pulled her along this corridor to our dorm with her free hand as the other was holding the cake-"
"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAKE!" wailed Sirius.
Oops.
"Well, we gave it to Slughorn so that I wouldn't get too much of a detention-"
Sirius started to wail and cry. Really noisily. Trust me, it hurts.
"Oi! Pipe down or I won't finish my story!"
Sirius stopped.
He so loved gossip.
The woman.
"So I stopped her and we were talking a bit, then I er, asked her to kiss me. She rejected me of course and I was gutted, but the she suddenly says okay I'll kiss you once. I mean, what's that all about?" I explained.
Please someone get it.
"Well hey James," Sirius started.
Oh dear lord.
"You used the guilt trick!" he slapped my back in congratulations.
"Huh?" I asked. Oh god, another one of 'Sirius's tips' moment. You could make a programme out of these. He just spouts some random thing that he thinks is right and will help you in your life somehow. If he ever gives you a Sirius tip, be warned.
They usually-most of the time- don't work.
"What's the guilt trick Sirius?" Peter squeaked from his seat.
"Well okay, seen as though you're all begging me, I'll tell you. The 'guilt trick' is where you make a girl feel like she's done something wrong, hence the 'guilt' bit, then she feels like she wants to make it up to you and you drop hints how, or just let her come up with her own way of 'making up'."
What is up with this guy? Who would do something like that?
"James has just shown us a great example of how to do it by pretending to be upset therefore forcing guilt on Lily, to make her kiss him. But man... I mean, it's a bit harsh don't you think? And if she ever found out you were just faking... something like that could hurt her deeply."
Hey what! I never faked anything!
Thump. There it was again! That thumping noise. What was it?
Damn wait, I have to stick up for myself here.
"I never faked anything. Dude, when she said no, I... look it just really hurt that's all." I mumbled honestly.
I mean, that no crushed me.
"Oh right, well... awesome!" Sirius brightened.
Man. I yawned hugely.
"Yeah, let's go to sleep now lads, and be thankful she didn't hear this 'guilt trick' thing eh James?" Remus nodded at me.
I returned the nod as we walked to the dorms to finally get some sleep, and was insanely grateful that she hadn't heard.
Lily's P.O.V
I can't believe it.
Why?
I was soclose to kissing that messy haired marauder, when Slughorn- what superb timing the man had- walked round the corner and had spotted us. That was the upside. The downside was that, because Slughorn repelled women from all angles and had probably never had a girlfriend, he wasn't all too keen on the 'hey let's go out at midnight and snog!' type thing.
In fact, he was totally against it.
So when he had walked round the corner whistling to himself- we hadn't heard as we were to wrapped up in ourselves, him snogging me and me trying not to throw up. No I am not over doing it and I am definitely, completely not in denial- and saw us, he over reacted big time.
But because I'm Lily Evans, his star pupil I got off lightly with a detention of sorting out his papers. But James however, because he was a marauder, got the job of testing a potion- what we didn't even know what was- and sorting out different ingredients into the right containers.
Then Slughorn spotted our cake and asked where we had gotten it. James then took the cake and said;
"Here sir, take this one. It's no trouble for a great professor like you." To which Slughorn took the cake saying what a nice young man he was after all and that he could now join Lily in detention instead.
To my immense joy.
But if I was completely honest, I was glad James was going to be there. Slughorn left you alone in his sad and dingy little office, usually in the dark, and it was really creepy. Yet, along with the reason of not wanting to be alone, there was something else too. Some small feeling that was also glad to have James coming along, not just for company, more for hiscompany.
It was weird. I've never felt it before.
I sighed and rolled over on my bed. Was it just me, or was it hot in here?
I shoved back my quilt and got out of bed, walked to the dormitory door to open it a bit and let some air in... when I caught the sound of my name, almost like it was being laughed at.
"L-l-Lily pad!" it went.
Sirius.
Curious, I crept downstairs in my pyjama shorts.
Were they talking about me?
I got to the bottom of the staircase and saw James and Sirius on the sofa, and Remus in my armchair. My eyes landed on James as he thumped Sirius on his back to stop him laughing/choking , and my heart gave a little random lurch.
Stupid James, it's his fault. What were they doing anyway?
I could now only hear mumbling.
Why talk so quiet!
I crouched down and began to creep forward.
Okay Lily, just slowly move closer so you can hear them, but they can't hear/see you. That's it. Just a little more closer, quiet as a mouse...
Thump.
Owww! That damn stupid bloody uneven floor board! If you were real, I'd hex you into oblivion and further-
I stopped mid curse and looked for the marauders from behind the little desk I was using for cover. They seemed not to have heard me. Ah I see. They think it was Peter who had just come in through the portrait. Wait, I thought James has said he was asleep? That's a weird place to sleep.
Oh I get it.
Peter was out getting some and James was too embarrassed to say he was getting more than what James was himself.
Stupid sex-craved marauders. Is that all they think about? Lily! You're on a mission, now stop daydreaming! I refocused and started to eavesdrop. I mean spy. I mean listen.
Jesus Lily.
"-Peeves and I saved her from him." James was saying.
Ah yes. Good times. Not.
Hey, he can't talk about me, I didn't say he could.
I was surprised that he hadn't told them I was terrified. Well Peeves is a little scary. He is a creepy looking, mean, horrible-
"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAKE!"
Uh oh.
The cake was now in fact either on a desk awaiting to be eaten, or on a long and gruesome journey to Slughorn's stomach.
No need to tell him that.
"-We gave it to Slughorn-"
Damn it James!
I was shocked when Sirius started to cry. And I mean wailcry.
"Oi! Pipe down or I won't finish my story!" James threatened over Sirius' crying. He stopped immediately. Sometimes I thought Sirius was more of a woman for his love of gossip. Apparently, I was the only one who thought this as I had explained this theory to several of my friends who had all disagreed, sighing and staring adoringly at his manly features.
Huh, he may look manly but...
"-kiss you once." James had apparently finished his story. I had hardly heard it.
Damn my irrelevant daydreams.
"Well hey James, you used the guilt trick!" Sirius almost applauded, clapping James on the back.
What, what? What's the guilt trick? Did James use this so called trick on me?
"What's the guilt trick Sirius?" Peter squeaked.
Yeah Sirius, what's the guilt trick?
"Well okay, seen as though you're all begging me to tell you, I will. The guilt trick is where you make a girl feel like she's done something wrong, hence the 'guilt' bit, then she feels like she wants to make it up to you and you drop hints how, or just let her come up with her own way of 'making up'."
What
! I didn't know why, but it felt like my heart had sank into my stomach and was being digested like Sirius' cake.
Bullocks
.
"James has just shown us a great example of how to do it by pretending to be upset therefore forcing guilt on Lily, to make her kiss him. But man... I mean, it's a bit harsh don't you think? And if she ever found out you were just faking... something like that could hurt her deeply."
Well she has found out.
I hated it. I felt...used. How could he! How stupid was I to believe that James Potter had feelings? He is and always will be a heartless marauder.
I turned around and started back towards the dorms, not listening to anything else they said. On the way back, I tripped on that stupid, useless, patheticfloorboard again. I carried on, not caring if they heard me or not. I slipped through the crack in the door I left and collapsed on my bed feeling weak.
So James Potter had been faking huh? To get a snog from the 'hard-to-crack' Lily Evans? Was this a challenge, a game to him? I mean, even Sirius Black thought it was harsh. Sirius effing Black. Well, I'm going to show him what a game is. I'm going to mess with him like he's messed with me. Oh yes, James Potter had better watch his back.
A/N: Tad daaaah! Okay okay, I know, it's not my fave chappy either =P I promise you it'll get better though! xP Thank you so much for your reviews guys! They are awesome and encourage me to continue! Please leave some more if you're feeling kind, it'd be much appreciated! ^_^ Aaaaaand reviewers can haz a doughnut this time ;D