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Chapter 7 ~ Heavy?

I knew I was staring, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. Lily was lying on her bed, reading a book she had brought up earlier when she had been visiting me. Although reading may not be the right word, perhaps, devouring? And definitely not book. Maybe boulder was a better description. Anyway, watching her read was relaxing me; she looked so peaceful when she read. Maybe I ought to give it a try, you know… reading for fun. I really must be concussed.

'Yes Potter?' Lily turned to glare at me.

'What?' I asked confused. What had I actually done?

'I'm not a bloody television! Stop staring at me. It's creeping me out.'

'A … telyvin?' I asked perplexed.

'For Merlin's sake Potter, just stop looking at me!'

'Sorry, I didn't mean to' I apologised.

She looked at me like I was crazy and I quickly faced the other direction. No need to get her worked up.

However it was only seconds later when I felt my eyes straying over to her again. It was like they had taken on a life of their own. As much as I tried to pull them back, they kept on turning until they came to rest upon...

'Ow!' What the bloody hell was that for?' I bellowed, rubbing my nose which was swelling rapidly, and pulling off my smashed glasses, making everything go blurry. I didn't need good eyesight to imagine the smug grin on Lily's face now.

'I asked you to stop looking at me' she reasoned, as if this was a perfectly acceptable reason to lob a book the size of Peter at someone!

'You're lucky I like you, Evans' I grumbled as I repaired my glasses, and tried to sooth my burning nose.

She just laughed delicately, having already acquired another book from her bag.

After an hour of idle silence, Madame Pomfrey returned, finished healing my cuts and grazes, pursed her lips at my nose, but thought better to ask how it had happened, as Lily looked on in apparent horror. Aw, she was worried about me.

'Just a few bumps my Lilyflower, no need to worry.'

She narrowed her eyes angrily at my nickname, but thankfully refrained from throwing another ridiculous size book at me. I think I'm finally beginning to get somewhere with her.

'You two can go now.' Madame Pomfrey dismissed us hastily after quickly checking the back of Lily's head; happy to see the back of us.

Swinging her legs fluidly over the side of the bed, her blazing red hair shining in the sunlight pouring through the window, Lily wandered over to retrieve her hardback from the floor and skipped lightly over to where I was waiting by the door, giving me a slight smile as she looked up at me.

I beamed down at her, holding the door open as she stepped timidly through, her arms wrapped firmly around the book.

'Here, let me take that for you' I offered, motioning to the atrocity. She grinned manically at this, making me take a step back from this evil looking Lily, as she dropped the book into my waiting arms.

'Whoah!' I exclaimed as I struggled to keep myself from falling flat on the floor, as the boulder pulled me down, almost ripping my arms from my sockets.

Merlin! How does Lily manage to carry this around all day?

I saw her staring at me, concern and mockery evident in her features. I heaved the book back up from its place on the floor, and attempted to grin at her.

LPOV

That's odd. I think I might have actually gotten along with Potter, for the first time... well, ever.

I looked over at him and saw that he had a grimace plastered on his normally cheerful face. A small bead of sweat was gathering on his hairline, and I couldn't help but tease him.

'You alright there?' I asked, feigning innocence. He just nodded slightly back at me, concentrating on keeping his balance, as he made his way down the stairs.

'I can take it back...' I trailed off, knowing that his pride would never allow it.

'No, that's quite alright Evans. I am more than capable' he panted 'I mean, I am Quidditch Captain.' Even gasping for breath, he couldn't help but brag.

I felt a chuckle slip through my lips, not finding his comment arrogant like I usually would. What was wrong with me?

I smiled up at him, sweat trickling down his face, his glasses slowly sliding down his nose.

I have to stop being so nice, he will get the wrong idea. I chanced another glance up at him, to see that he was grinning widely. Too late.

I shifted my hair over my shoulder to shield my burning face from his curious gaze.

Once, when I peeked through the curtain of my hair, I saw him flicking his eyes quizzically between my scrawny little arms, and his quidditch toned ones, before he tensed his muscles and pulled what I am sure he thought was a intimidating, masculine face, but reminded me of an angry kitten; cute but not altogether dangerous, and I couldn't stop myself from bursting into hysterical laughter.

By the time we arrived at the great hall for lunch, Potter was hunched over, his face glowing red with sweat pouring in torrents down his face. He dumped the book on the Gryffindor table with a thud, causing a dish of bread rolls to be flung into the air.

I couldn't help but laugh at his stupidity when he glared accusingly at the book.

'What?' he asked, as I wiped away the tears of mirth.

JPOV

'You don't actually think I could carry that around all day, do you?' she asked, finally calmed.

I couldn't work out whether that was an insult or a compliment, so I said nothing and waited for her to expand.

Seeing my confused expression seemed to set her off again. I had always wanted Lily to laugh in my presence, having admired it from a distance for so long, but whenever I had imagined it, Lily was laughing at one of my witty jokes, notat me. This was just embarrassing.

'I cast a featherweight charm on it, you dolt'. She explained. I looked up at the stairs I had just dragged the monstrosity down, and threw myself into onto the bench, spearing my fork angrily through a sausage, as Lily continued giggling at me.

'You alright there Prongs?' Sirius enquired from his seat further down the table, his mouth full of mashed potato. 'You look a bit flushed.'

I heard Lily burst into fits of laughter from where she was sitting with Alice, and growling stacked my plate full of food and exited the great hall in a haze of embarrassment, grumbling incoherently to myself the whole way.

LPOV

I watched Potter stalk from the great hall, his dinner threatening to topple from his plate at any moment, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. I must have bruised his ego. He probably deserved it though.

I racked my brains, trying to think of something he had done that would excuse my meanness earlier, but came up blank.

Damn. My plan wasn't going to work if I didn't change a little bit as well.

Stupid Potter. I know he didn't actually do anything, but it always made me feel a bit better to blame things on him. I did it so often it was a knee jerk reaction.

Wondering why in earth I was actually doing this stupid plan, I gave nice Potter a point for carrying my book down seven flights of moving stairs.

I spent the rest of the afternoon lazing about in the heads common room. One of the perks of being a head was that we got our own common room and bathroom.

I told myself that I was only up here to take a look around it, familiarise myself with the place, but if I was being honest with myself, I knew it was because I wanted to see Potter and apologise for earlier.

I prided myself on being a nice person. And I know I wasn't always, (okay, practically never) nice to Potter, I was only mean when he had been, or he and his little gang did something stupid. So having excepted that I had done something mean unprovoked, I wouldn't be able to relax until he had forgiven me.

JPOV

An interesting (and helpful) point about Lily Evans is that when she is alone she talks to herself. I don't think she even realises she does it, but it did mean that over the years I had learnt a lot about her.

And this is how I came to know that she wanted to apologise to me for earlier, and that she may actually be beginning to like me. This new found information cheered me up greatly, and I was looking forward even more than I had been all summer, to rounds tonight.

I was waiting in the entrance hall for Lily, when I heard the doors open, and a cold breeze fly in and ruffle my hair. I turned around to see the redhead walking towards me, and I began grinning like a fool.

'Hi' she greeted me timidly, looking at her shoes which she was scuffing along the floor.

'Hey!' I greeted her, my hand jumping automatically to my hair, before I remembered who I was with and forced it back down again.

'S. S-s-s.' Lily attempted to speak, but every time she tried to talk, nothing more would come out.

'Lily?' I asked worried. How hard must it be for her to apologise?

'Look Potter' she rushed. 'Sorry for the book thing'. Her eyes were darting around, looking anywhere but at me, before they came to rest back on her shoes.

'Why?' I chuckled.

'You were angry at me' she stated, baffled.

'Yeah, I was angry. But not at you, never at you.' I told her, filling my words with the emotion I felt.

She looked up at me, confusion clear in her eyes.

'It was a funny prank Evans. I'm just not used to them being played on me. It came as quite a shock to be honest' I explained, trying to show her that I wasn't angry at her.

'It wasn't a prank.' She clarified.

'Okaaaaay, if you say so.' I teased 'but I do believe that hanging around with the marauders has finally worn off on you.'

I laughed as she scowled at me and stalked off toward the stairs.

'What were you doing outside anyway?' I enquired, wanting to start up a conversation and genuinely curious as to whether she would tell me the truth or not.

'Walking. It's really peaceful to just go for a wander around the lake in the evening.' Wow. She actually told me what she was feeling. I of course already knew why she liked to go on later night wanderings, having followed her on more than one occasion. No need to tell her that though.

'Yeah, it is' I agreed. I wondered how she would react if she knew that I basically stalked her around the castle, or followed her on the marauders map, and grimaced at the vivid mental image of a furious Lily brandishing her wand angrily inches from my face.

The patrol carried on much like this for the next hour and a half. Lily joking and making idle chatter, and she let me see a side of her I had never been allowed to experience before. And I don't know how it is possible, but I became even more in love with her than I had been before.

A/N: Hey guys!

Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a bit boring, and not much happens, but I had fun writing it so I thought I would post it anyway. :D

As per usual, let me know what you think!

Anna-Cate xxx