A/N: This chapter is completely dedicated Ajremy9898 for the fabulous suggestion concerning James' shenanigans. Thanks so much! (Some more of her great suggestions will be popping up in the next several chapters, so you all can thank her for curing my writer's block).
Got to 14 reviews last chapter, 12 favorites, and 40 story alerts. All you readers rock! Love you!
Remember to Read and Review, especially if you have any ideas for the story my lovelies.
I've also had someone ask about doing fan-art for the story. If anyone wants to do some you don't have to ask, just go ahead! I know I do my fair share of fanfic inspired art, so by all means go ahead. Makes me happier than…like…anything. Yay.
Disclaimer: Yea….um…still doesn't own HP. Unless someone wants to sell me James and Lily…maybe Draco and Hermione too? No, okay yea I'll just write now.
Lily POV
The week following my discussion with James in the Astronomy Tower passed very quietly, almost too quietly for my taste. Quiet when applied to the Marauders usually entailed a massive prank or some kind of stunt that would leave everyone desperately missing the peace that went on during their long hours of planning. The knowledge that one of their famous pranks was coming, coupled with the threat that James had left me with concerning winning back my trust, left me more than a bit jumpy, as if the Marauders were going to be behind every corner waiting for me.
Of course, this never actually happened, but being careful seemed only natural. However, as the week passed without a single event I began to relax my guard. This didn't come at a better time either. The library had seemed like the ideal spot for surprising me with an apology or idiotic message, so I hadn't been able to get much work done during any of my visits, leaving me with three essays, four chapters of reading, and one astronomy diagram to draw that had not yet been completed.
I knew that James would get to me at some point, so it seemed logical to forget all about him for a bit that Saturday afternoon and focus on my studies. If there was anything that I could never doubt it was my logic, so this helped draw my attention away from the impending doom, as I liked to call it, which would be his attempt at earning my trust.
It took me until about noon to finish the majority of my work. I considered finishing the last few chapters of reading I had and then taking my lunch in the kitchens at a later time, but I had done that just about every day during the last week in hopes of avoiding James, Sirius, Remus, or Peter during our lunch hour. If I was capable of doing my work without scanning the room ever few seconds then it was perfectly fine for me to just go down to the Great Hall and eat my lunch.
'If nothing has happened yet,' I thought to myself, 'then maybe nothing will. Perhaps he's decided to do something on a smaller scale so not to embarrass me.'
I sat down at the Gryffindor table and immediately began pilling food onto my plate. I guess the mashed potatoes looked particularly good in that moment because while looking at them, I failed to notice the sudden silence that the Great Hall had adopted. Reaching for the bowl of carrots, I noticed a group of second years sitting a few seats down from me who had suddenly become very interested in staring at me. Thinking at I had something caught in my hair, I lifted my hand to smooth down my fiery locks. It was then that I saw it.
Conjured only moments ago, for I had not seen it when I walked in, was a message hanging in the air between the floating candles that graced the ceiling in the Great Hall. Written in a familiar script were the words:
James Potter is a fool for Lily Evans. And he loves her. Really he does.
Though it was slightly mortifying to have every eye in the hall on me, it was somewhat of a relief to know what James' 'trust gaining stunt' was. It was also a blessing that this was all that it involved….
…as if that was some kind of signal, that thought of thank Merlin this is all he's doing, lover boy himself jumped onto the table, wand in hand. I could see him mutter something to himself, and then when he cleared his throat, the entire hall somehow heard the noise.
'Sonorus charm,' I thought to myself. Oh could this get any better? Now the entire student body would be part of our conversation. Just what I wanted, for everyone to know my business.
"Can I have everyone's attention please?" James started. "Everyone? Lovely. Right, so about a month ago I was a total prat to the most wonderful girl in the world, Lily Evans. Does everyone know Lily?" He paused for a moment, scanned the table for where I was sitting, and quickly moved down the table to stand right in front of my plate. "This is Lily for any idiot that doesn't know. Now, yea, I was being a prat, and then I realized my prattish ways and went to apologize to the love of my life. But funny thing is, Lily doesn't trust my intentions anymore! So I told her, I'll make you trust me, my sweet Lily-Flower."
He looked down at me then. "Lily, I know that you love me and I know that I love you, and I need you to know that I really do love you so we can be together again. What person not consumed by love could stand up in front of this tough crowd and carry on and on about his love for a fabulous read head named Lily Evans? I'm willing to look like a fool in front of everyone so that you can know I will do anything to get you back. Trust me again Lily?"
I struggled to keep a smile on my face as I responded in a steely tone. "I can think of several people that can stand up in front a group and say ridiculous things that are most certainly not in love with me…or are you saying that Sirius is pinning for my affections as well?"
"Come on Lils can you blame him, everyone loves yo…."
I cut him off with a quick hand motion and pressed on. "Furthermore, I've seen you do things like this before that had nothing to do with your "love" for me. How would this be helpful getting my trust back if I've seen you do it countless times before on meaningless nonsense?"
James' smile faltered.
"I appreciate the effort, I know it's not every boy's cup of tea to confess emotions in front of other people, but I know you better than that James. It might help me realize how you feel, but this isn't something that puts you out of your comfort zone. You look like a fool every time you do one of your pranks. That's hardly something that makes me trust you to do anything for me." And with that I pushed out of the bench, grabbed my bag, and walked quickly out of the Great Hall, attempting to tune out the whispers that followed me.
"Why couldn't he have just tried harder? He's making it so difficult for me to cave in."
As I reached the corridor directly outside the Hall, my pace increased until I was back to the library. Leaving that sanctuary was one of the worst mistakes I had made all week.
.
.
.
The rest of the weekend passed with no more attempts from James. In fact, I hadn't seen him since the event in the Great Hall. His absence on Sunday wasn't that noticeable. Some days none of the Marauders would show for any of the meals. But when he wasn't present at breakfast on Monday I began to wonder about his whereabouts.
When he didn't show for Potions, my curiosity peaked, especially considering all three of his companions were present for the lesson. I held my tongue for the time being though. There was no reason for me to seem like I cared too much if James was sleeping in.
When he missed Transfiguration, his favorite class, I really did begin to worry. After the class had adjourned, I walked over to Remus before he could join his other comrades.
"Er…Remus?"
He turned around as he pulled the last of his parchment into his bag. "Yes Lily?"
"I was wondering where James was today. Have you seen him?"
Remus paused before he answered. "He's um, up in the dorm. I believe he was sleeping and listening to some of Sirius' records when I left for breakfast."
"Oh, is he sick?"
A clouded expression crossed his features before he responded. "In a way, I guess he is Lily."
"Has he visited the infirmary then?"
"It's not….really something that can be cured with potions, heart break." And with that final thought he turned and left me with my thoughts.
I had to find James.
