Nothing
A/N- This Chapter is dedicated to TT, I must give her credit from one particuar line which involves a pun and Remus's pet name.
Musical Inspiration: Alexz Johnson (yet another pop CD belonging to my little sister)
Note: I hate this chapter. I was brain dead… sorry about the wait but I really didn't want to post it because it sucks.
(I'm far too tired to make review responses but I love all who reviewed to death. Thanks so much. (: )
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing, Nothing? Or Nothing, Nothing?"
Merlin, Sirius could be a pain in the arse at times.
"Nothing as in nothing."
"Ah, but my dear friend 'Nothing' is a completely different concept then 'Nothing' or NOTHING."
Scratch that- he was constantly a pain in the arse. Ever since the Marauders had stumbled upon James and Lily having a some what civilized conversation they considered the feuding pair to be a couple, an 'item' one might say. In his dreams.
"Padfoot, sod off."
"Getting defensive, are we?" Sirius inquired, raising his eyebrows in such a way that forced Remus to have to stifle a chuckle erupting from his throat.
"I wouldn't be laughing, Remus. Seeing as you too are guilty."
That wiped the smirk off his face. It was as though his lopsided grin had been made of chalk, and Sirius was brandishing an eraser. "I haven't a clue what you're getting at," Lupin replied stiffly, straightening his back and making his statement sound final. Many would've been intimidated, Sirius and Peter found it all the more reason to begin a rant.
"You, in the broom cupboard…" Sirius began.
"…during lunch…" continued Wormtail.
"… after class…" They were alternating lines, James though this resembled the habits of an old married couple but kept his comments to himself in fear of the taunting to be redirected to him.
"…before class…"
"…last trip to hogsmeade…"
"…the trip before that…"
"…snogging that girl…"
"…shagging that girl…"
"They don't call you Moony for nothing for nothing, eh?" James piped in, causing Sirius to snort and slap him on the back in appreciation for his contribution. Remus looked just about as amused as a mass murderer might.
He had said the word. "Nothing, you say Sir Prongs? What type of nothing were you referring to?"
Back to square one.
--
Once again, he had tracked her. It was the fourth time that day, each time Lily had narrowly escaped the situations James forced her into. This time he had cornered her –literally. She had been innocently strolling to the library in hope of returning a book when he pounced on her, metaphorically, giving her no way to escape.
"Nothing." Lily repeated strenuously, the conversation had only just begun but she despised the direction it was headed. She had only hoped that James wouldn't be able to catch on to her peculiar behavior, if only she hadn't blurted out the comment about him earlier.
"Evvvvans," James pleaded, he didn't want to resort to begging but it seemed to be affecting her, more so annoying her. He would crack her, that was for sure.
"Stop pestering me." Her eyes flashed with fury, she wasn't about to admit that she had stolen a map and caused a great fiasco.
"Show me what's in your bag."
"NO, you prick. Go crawl under a rock and cease to exist or…something."
"I know you're hiding something from me."
"It's nothing!" According to Sirius's definition that particular pronunciation of 'nothing' symbolized guilt, ensuring the fact that if the person was too keen on hiding something then it meant that the 'nothing' was a very secretive 'something'. In this case James suspected evidence, evidence which would direct him to his precious, the map. It was either that or a stash of tampons. Both options seemed appealing to James, if there was a way to get into Lily's bag he was up for it.
"If it's nothing then why won't you show me?"
Lily hated it when he had a point. "I don't wan to rummaging through my personal belongings!" she screeched defensively, clutching her pale hands in anguish.
"Why not?" James asked with an act of innocence. Lily almost couldn't bear to deprive him of access. Almost.
"Because I said so." She retorted in a matter of fact voice, glaring all the while.
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
Lily was the one to end the immature sequence, she resentfully undid the clasp on her messenger bag and emptied the contents into James outstretched arms. One book. James was disappointed, he had been hoping that it would hold secrets which he could learn to unleash and eventually use to his advantage. But no, Lily had to be the dull being she was and carry a drafty book about Poly Juice Potion around. He sighed begrudgingly but began leafing through the pages nevertheless.
That very same day Lily had placed the map in her robes for safe keeping, having expected the very same behavior that James was displaying to occur. She was very thankful now, and with a dismissive wave she left him to consult the book further. "Just return it to the Library when you're done inspecting," she called over her shoulder. He had just saved her a chore, she was long done with the book and had been meaning to replace it for quite some time and now she had gotten Potter to do her dirty work, it was sheer brilliance.
"Derrick writes to us, 'I wanted to impress my girlfriend with my potions skills so I brewed up a poly juice potion for her birthday. I thought she'd find it funny if I tested it out on myself and made it look like I was her! I used a piece of her hair, and sure enough it worked. On my way to enchant her with my flashy looks I encountered her ex! To my surprise he lunged in and kissed me! He thought I was my girlfriend and was trying to get back together with her. I was so appalled that I…"
The letter went on and on, James didn't bother to finish reading it. A perfect plan had dawned upon him, a poly juice potion would enable him to search through Lily's things more vigorously without seeming inconspicuous. If he could only turn into her for an hour he was sure he could get to the bottom of things. All he had to do was get his hands on a bit of poly juice potion, it may not have been the simplest of tasks but he was sure that it could be accomplished with a bit of help from his mates. Already, his mind was breeched with tactics.
--
Lily was fuming, she was shocked that her surroundings didn't burst into flame. He had gone so far as to request to see her bag. Did it not occur to him that people often didn't like others nosing through their every possession constantly? It was bad enough that a few weeks back he had stolen her diary- or so she reminded herself. He was a snooping meddler, and she detested the fact. How did he learn to be so persuasive anyways? It wasn't that he was a great debater, any comeback or reasoning he would think of could be abolished by a second year. It was the way he said it, his tone of voice, his facial expressions, the way he made you feel as if he'd love you forever if his standards were met…
Had Lily wanted to she could've bitten his head off, thrown an overwhelming stream of insults in his direction and given a tantrum. But for some reason, and it wasn't a sign of maturity, she had given him exactly what he wished for. Not that it would help him at all, really she shouldn't be fretting about giving him access to a public book. It was the fact that he had been so bold as to ask her straight forward if he could shuffle through her things as though it wasn't a big deal.
It was clear that he thought her actions suspicious, he was no longer oblivious to the crime which had taken place right beneath his own nose. Should she make it seem as though somebody else had stolen the map, or leave things as they be and let James eventually accuse her. It was a definite toss up, she valued both her trust with James and her conscience. Would she be able to sleep at night if she made it seem as though somebody else had taken it? She had been able to gradually get over her emotional breakdowns which she'd experienced thanks to her theft.
That very night both her and James minds were active, both were fixed upon making things right. Just, both had a different perception of what was correct.
A/N- No inspiration. I'm finding it had to think of something more to add to this chapter without seeming repetitive, I've got a plan for the next chapter if that is of any comfort though…
Reviews are very appreciated, feedback on how I could improve the chapter would be helpful… if the story is lacking a component then inform me of the problem and I'll attend to it.