Two updates in two days :D
A new start.
The same day that the fireworks had gone off in the great hall Lily, Alice, Mary and Marlene were sitting next to the lake under some trees in the shade.
''It was quite good though wasn't it?'' Marlene said fairly.
They were talking about the days earlier events, none of them were particularly impressed with what the boys had done but like Marlene had said the display had been quite good. They didn't actually have confirmation that it had been the boys prank but really who else could have pulled it off.
''It would have been better without the stink bombs.'' Mary said,
''Mm and if we'd had some warning that it was going to happen.'' Alice added,
''And if it wasn't inside and we weren't eating at the time.'' Lily finished,
''Yeah but discarding all that the fireworks were quite nice.''
''I guess it was one of their better ones.'' Mary said,
''Yeah and no one got hurt at least.'' Said Alice.
Lily nodded in agreement not saying anything, she knew that James wouldn't just give up on all the pranks even if he had been made head boy. It was good at least that no one had been hurt like Alice had said; it looked like they had even charmed the fireworks to miss people's heads. That was quite responsible, well it wasn't really, if they were being responsible then they wouldn't have done it in the first place. But she couldn't expect him too give up doing pranks, not after six years of it, and if it wasn't doing any harm to anyone then maybe she wouldn't mind. Lily's mind was spinning; she had just decided that she didn't mind the marauders doing pranks, that can't be right she told herself. Maybe her head had been damaged in all the bangs from the fireworks. She had always hated their prank that was just how it worked, how it always had worked. She couldn't just stop finding it annoying and stop shouting at James for it. If that happened it would be like, well, like giving up after six years, all that would have been for nothing, all those arguments. She thought about that for a while, she wasn't quite sure how long. Maybe it wasn't giving up but more like moving on. They were growing up, leaving the past behind. It was a new year, a new start.
During the time she had been thinking and had come to her rather unsettling conclusion, Mary had started to work on some homework, Marlene had began dipping her feet in the lake and Alice was lying on the grass with her eyes closed. Lily yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. She pulled her bag over towards her and took out her own homework and quill before moving over to join Mary in the shade of the trees to finish the essay.
Severus Snape was lurking in the corridor next to the entrance hall. He was waiting for Lily to come back up to the castle, he knew she was down near the lake with her friends, he had seen her earlier. He wanted to talk to her. Potter had done another prank, surly it would go back to how it had been now. He knew Lily had stared to believe that Potter had changed but now he'd blown it, now she wouldn't want anything to do with him. A small smile creped on to his lips, when Lily saw the truth about Potter she would want to be friends again, he knew it might take a while but in the end it would go back to how it had been. She knew really that he hadn't meant to call her a mudblood, it had just slipped out.
Back in the Griffindor common room the marauders were lounging in the almost deserted common room.
''Why are we in here and not outside in the nice hot weather?'' Remus asked,
''Because Prongs is hiding from Lily.'' Sirius said grinning evilly,
''No I'm not,'' James said defensively, even though really he was, ''I just need to finish this and its hard to concentrate outside.''
Sirius snorted, ''since when did you concentrate for homework?''
James looked up, ''why would I be doing homework on a Saturday?'' He help up the piece of parchment that he had been working on, ''this is for quidditch practice.''
Sirius frowned and snacked the parchment from James ''we haven't even got a keeper yet, why are you planning practices?''
''I haven't done anything for the keeper I need to see them play first, and have we got a detention next Saturday for anything?''
Sirius looked blank, ''I don't think so, why?''
''Tryouts.'' James said simply.
''well come on then,'' Remus said ''lets go outside and you can tell everyone else on the team when tryouts are.''
James groaned ''or we could just stay up here and wait until they come up.''
'' I thought you weren't hiding from Lily.''
''I'm not.'' James said getting slowly to his feet to follow the others out of the common room.
As they entered the entrance hall James saw Mark Phillips, the other beater just leaving the corridor that lead to the great hall.
''I'll catch you up.'' he said to the other three boys before jogging down the corridor to catch up with Mark.
''Come on,'' Marlene said, ''I don't want to go up there all on my own.''
She was trying to persuade the others to come with her to get her potions book from the common room where she'd left it that morning.
''Marley your seventeen, your old enough to walk up to the common room on you own.'' Mary pointed out laughing at her friend.
''Yeah but I might get kidnapped and taken away on the long walk up there.''
''Trust me Marley, they'd bring you back.'' Said Alice who was still trying to relax in the sun.
They all laughed apart from Marlene who chucked some grass at Alice in retaliation.
Mary who was still laughing along with Lily said, ''and even if they didn't I'm sure we'd live.''
Lily laughed even harder as Marlene threw even more grass at Mary indigently.
''Lily, you know you love me.'' Said Marlene.
''Mm,'' Lily said in an amused tone.
''Come with me, pleaseeeee.''
''Only if you stop nagging'' Lily said allowing Marlene to pull her to her feet.
''Your to kind Lily.'' Alice said smiling at her.
James had just caught up with Mark as he entered the next corridor.
''Alright James?'' the sixth year said.
''Yeah, you?'' and without waiting for an answer he continued ''just wanted to let you know that quidditch tryouts are next Saturday at 11 o'clock.''
''So the teachers didn't catch you then?'' Mark said.
James assumed he was talking about the fact he wasn't in detention next Saturday for the firework prank, ''I don't know what your talking about.'' He said with a wink.
Mark laughed ''see you Saturday then.''
''Yeah.'' James said as he turned to go and find his friends.
He walked back down the corridor; he thought the others would be under the birch tree in the grounds, which was where they normally sat. He made his way down the corridor to the grounds but stopped when he saw Lily and Marlene walk past though the entrance hall, they were laughing. He thought that this would probably be a good opportunity to make sure Lily wasn't too angry with him and he needed to tell Marlene about the quidditch tryouts. He made his way to the end of the corridor and watched the two girls laughing as Lily pulled some grass out of Marlene's hair. He was about to call out to them when another voice beet him to it. Snape was walking towards them, ''Lily'' he said again more quietly. James stiffened angrily but he stopped himself hexing Snape, Lily wouldn't thank him for that. He decided to see what Snape had to say before acting.
''I told you before,'' Lily said all traces of a smile gone from her face, ''I don't want to talk to you.''
''But wait, I was right about Potter. He's not going to change, we can be friends again.''
Lily eyes were murderous, ''we can't be friends, get that in to your thick head, and I don't want to be your friend. It's got nothing to do with James, I don't want to be your friend.''
There was silence for a moment and Lily turned away to face Marlene so Snape couldn't see her face, but James could, a tear made its way slowly down her face.
''But-'' Snape began but he was cut off,
''Don't you get it,'' Marlene said angrily looking at him, ''she doesn't want anything to do with you, she doesn't need you anymore. Just go away.''
Snape ignored her, ''but Lily it's like I said he won't change,''
''it's got nothing to do with you.'' Lily said turning to face him after wiping the tear off her face, ''you don't know that, you don't know anything about him, so how can you tell that he hasn't already changed.''
James blinked stunned, Lily was defending him, andthat wasn't the only thing that surprised him, Lily was arguing with Snape about him and he didn't feel smug or even pleased about it. In fact he felt terrible, it was after all his fault they weren't friends anymore and now Lily was in so much pain over it. If he hadn't been such a prat in their fifth year then none of this would have happened. He sighed and continued to listen to the conversation.
Anger crossed Snape's face ''listen,'' he began,
''No you listen,'' Marlene said apparently she'd had enough ''Lily doesn't need you and even though you might find it hard to believe she doesn't want anything to do with you so why don't you do us all a favour and GO AWAY.'' She finished loudly.
Snape looked at Lily for a moment but she didn't say anything, ''fine.'' He said harshly.
Marlene turned to Lily as he walked away and she pulled her into a tight hug and said something quietly into her ear although James was too far away to hear it.
Lily and Marlene turned to go back outside apparently forgetting what ever they were going to do. James backed into the corridor so they didn't see him as they walked past. He waited for a minute before following them back outside to find his friends.
It was strange he thought as he walked outside, last year he would have loved for Lily to argue with Snape over him. But now, now he thought he would have much preferred none of it to have happened. The words Lily had said came back to him 'how can you tell that he hasn't already changed' did that mean that she thought he'd changed? Had he changed he wondered and if he had how was he supposed to know.
He had reached to birch tree where the other three sat, he joined them and said abruptly ''do you think I've changed?''
''What do you mean?'' Remus asked curiously.
''Me,'' he said, ''do you think that I've changed.''
Sirius sat up and looked to where they had just seen Lily and Marlene walk past, ''have you had an argument?''
''No well not really, but that's not the point, do you think I've changed?'' he asked, he knew that his friends would give him an honest answer.
''Yeah, I guess.'' Sirius said with no hint of a joke in his voice, he could see that this was bothering James. ''But not in a bad way, and not suddenly. You're more, mature I suppose but at the same time your not boring and you didn't just become mature suddenly it's been happening for a while. Is it important, your still you.''
James grinned suddenly a lot more relaxed, the way he saw it if he could still be him and have Lily as a friend then it was okay.
Remus frowned, ''so what happened then, how can you not really have an argument?''
''Well it wasn't me arguing,'' he said slowly ''in fact they didn't even know I was there. I was coming out of the corridor and Snape was there arguing with Lily and Marlene.''
''And you didn't do anything?'' Sirius said surprised.
''I'm getting there, I was going to but then I thought that Lily might not appreciate it so I didn't. But they were arguing about me, sort of.''
''how can they sort of been arguing about you?'' Peter asked.
''Well Snape wanted to be friends with Lily again and he thought she would as well because we did another prank.''
''that's stupid.'' Sirius said bluntly,
''I know, but, well to cut it short Lily said that snape didn't know anything and that the prank hadn't hurt anyone so she asked him how he knew that I hadn't changed, and then Marlene started shouting at him.'' He finished.
They were silent for a moment before Peter said, ''so if Lily was defending you then why aren't you more happy about it.''
''because, she looked so upset about, I want her to like me but not if it means she's upset.''
Remus smiled and Sirius grinned lying back down on the grass ''it'll be fine Prongs,'' Remus said ''Snape upset her not you and no one made her defend you.''
James thought about this for a moment Remus was right.
When Lily and Marlene reached the other girls next to the lake they sat back down next to them and Lily closed her eyes blocking out the sun.
''Did you get your text book then Marley?'' Alice asked sitting up, when she saw Lily's tear streaked face her mouth dropped open in shock, ''Lily what's wrong'' she said moving over to sit next to Lily and putting an arm around her shoulders. Mary got up as well to move closer to the small group.
Lily wiped he eyes ''nothing, I'm fine.''
''Lily,'' Alice said sternly,
''Its nothing I just had and argument with Sev-Snape, that's all,'' she said correcting herself quickly.
Alice squeezed her shoulders, ''that's not nothing Lily'' she said gently.
''They sat in silence for a while each thinking, then Marlene said abruptly ''I still didn't hit him.''
Lily smiled slightly, ''you can next time, then he might go away quicker.''
The others smiled as well, ''what was it about?'' Mary said quietly.
''James'' Lily groaned ''and I was defending him, I think my head might explode soon if anything else happens,''
The other laughed; they sat by the lake for the rest of the day occasionally speaking but mostly sitting in silence just enjoying each other company.
A/N
Hello people :D
Even though it sounds slightly arrogant when I say this I really like this chapter I think Snape adds something to it… other than himself.
What do you think?
Thank you too all my reviewers and everyone who added the story to alerts :)
I wanted to ask which character you think I write the best and which is your favourite?
Two chapters in as many days I think that deserves a review don't you?
Yeah… I don't think I have anything else to say.
So… Ciao :D