I know it's been a while but I've been revising. To make up for it this is
a really loooooooooong chapter. Enjoy!
*****
Chapter 10 : Hogsmeade
James had been woken up from a well-deserved nap, but he wasn't sure what by. It was only just after 9 in the evening, but he had collapsed on his bed after a hard Quidditch practice, and gone to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Now that he had woken up a bit he could make out doors slamming outside, followed by loud voices coming from Lily's room.
'Oh great, who's hexed her now?' James had got used to clearing things up with pupils who had taken revenge, when Lily had punished them too severely. She hadn't quite found the balance yet, between fulfilling her duties and not turning into a control freak. James didn't judge her too much for this, he knew exactly where she was coming from. The only reason he knew how to handle things, because as a reformed troublemaker himself he knew what could be tolerated, and what was just down right mean. He lay awake in bed for a few moments deciding what he should do. He still hadn't really forgiven her for accusing him of jinxing her quill, on the other hand he didn't really want her to be slaughtered by the rest of the school – especially the third years, they would hex you before you could say 'Tweenager Rebellion'.
He stretched, but found his weary muscles had seized up, and he let out a groan of pain. He reached out and found his glasses lying on the bedside table, as he put them on his dark room came into focus. Suddenly he heard another yell come from Lily's room, but this time he was sure he'd heard his own name mentioned. He quickly jumped up and threw a scarlet dressing gown on, to cover up the boxers he had on – he'd been too tired to put pyjamas on.
As he opened the door to the mini-common room he found that there was already someone there. He couldn't quite make out who it was, as his eyes hadn't adjusted to the light yet.
"Lily, what's the matter? What's the racket?"
"Jamie, have you come to seduce me?" It was not Lily but Caitlin that answered.
"What?!" Now his eyes had focused he could make out Caitlin looking him up and down in his dressing gown. "Oh! No, I was asleep, just threw this on so I could come out and see what was going on."
"A likely story," Caitlin said, giving him a suggestive look. He suddenly felt very exposed.
"Anyway what's going on? How'd you get in here anyway?" he said quickly. Caitlin laughed at his feeble attempt at changing the subject.
"Lily and I were having an exchange of ideas."
"Ah!" James said, completely understanding. Girls don't row, they exchange ideas, and they certainly don't fall out, they just 'drift apart'.
"What are you doing in bed at this hour anyway? I thought you'd be out pandering to your adoring fans?"
"I know, I know," he laughed, leaning against his doorframe. Caitlin was leaning on the back of one of the armchairs. "Quidditch practice kind of wrecked me."
"Honestly boy, you've no stamina!"
"Yea? Well maybe I just put more effort into it than you!" Caitlin laughed, that was probably true. Quidditch was the only thing James had ever taken seriously in his life. He wanted to do it professionally, it ran in his family, an ancestor of his had even invented the Golden Snitch, which is where the family wealth came from. "What ideas where you and Lily exchanging then?"
"Nothing that concerns you. Although she did agree to come for a drink with me and you lot on Saturday."
"Wow," said James sarcastically. "That'll be a bundle of laughs."
"Yep!" Caitlin replied cheeringly. "See ya around!" she yelled as she skipped down the steps back to the common room.
*****
It was Halloween and James had just sat down with Sirius, Remus and Peter in the Three Broomsticks. They sat and watched all the younger pupils, laden with their bags full of newly purchased goodies, walk by them. James had grown bored of the sweets from Honeydukes, and he could now make much more interesting jokes and tricks himself, than Zonko's had to offer him. This meant that apart from a couple of new quills Remus had bought, the Marauders were empty handed.
Sirius looked hungrily at a third year's bag from Zonko's, and gave a loud sigh.
"Suppose I may get the drinks in?" he offered. "What do you want?" he directed towards James and Lupin.
"Usual" James replied. Remus shook his head indicating he didn't want anything. Sirius headed off towards the bar.
"I'll have a butterbeer!" Peter yelled desperately after him. The three boys sat in silence until Sirius returned with only two drinks in his hands, for himself and James. Peter looked huffily at him and then asked the exact question James was wondering. "What are we doing in today anyway? We haven't bought anything and we can come into Hogsmeade anytime?!"
"We are here Wormtail," replied Sirius, looking at him reproachfully and sounding uncannily like McGonagall. "Because I promised Caitlin that we would meet Lily and her here for a few drinks, and a casual chat."
"Oh damn!" burst James. "I forgot about that! Caitlin told me about it that night in my room," he remembered out loud.
"When was Caitlin in your room?" Sirius shot at him. James noticed that even Remus was looking at him in amazement.
"Well not in my room. In the private common room, she'd just come out of Lily's room, you know what I mean." Sirius seemed to grudgingly accept his explanation. James decided to quickly change the subject. "Anyway if that's all we're doing today I think I'll head on." With that he rose out of his seat and went to put on his denim jacket.
"Sit down." Again came Sirius' McGonagall like voice, only this time James could hear the humour in it. "This meeting was set up for you, so you're damn well going to attend it."
"What meeting? What you mean attend it? Padfoot no more butterbeer for you!"
"Caitlin and I devised this as a way of getting you and Lily together, so you could let her get to know the real you. You know the 'friendly' you, the 'sensible' you, the 'I've had seven butterbeers so now I'm going to try to mate with your leg' you."
"What about the 'No I didn't perform that hex, I've never even seen that dog before officer' you?" Remus added.
"Ah my personal favourite," Sirius agreed.
"Look there's no point in this! I see Lily everyday, I practically live with her! We don't get on, there's no point in trying to make us spend anymore time together, all right? AND IT WASN'T MY DOG!"
"Wait, wait, wait," said Sirius in mock surprise. "Do my ears deceive me, or is the great James Potter turning down a chance to get up close and personal with the luscious Lily Evans?" James tried to speak but was interrupted. "Quick Prongs," Sirius whispered to him. "Ruffle your hair."
James' turned round to see what had changed Sirius' mood so quickly. Lily and Caitlin had just entered the bar. James' heart skipped a beat as he took in Lily's appearance. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans, which flared at the bottom, covering a pair of dark brown, leather platform boots. She wore a knee-length, light brown, sheep skin jacket, and a purple polo neck underneath. Her auburn hair was down, beautifully cascading over her shoulders, and although she wore no makeup, the autumn wind had given her cheeks a healthy glow. In other words, she was beautiful.
"Wow," James breathed.
"Don't want to spend time with her my arse," Sirius whispered in his ear, as he put his hand on his shoulder to push him back into his seat.
After the girls sat down and Sirius got them a drink, the 'casual conversation' began. It went from topics such as subjects they were all studying, to school gossip, and even to the girls' purchases (new dress robes from Gladrags Wizardwear for Caitlin; a box of Liquorice Wands from Honeydukes for Lily to send to her mother). James didn't speak that much at all though. He was too busy trying to keep his cool. He'd never seen Lily like this before. He knew he'd liked her from the moment he saw her, sure he thought she was pretty, but he'd never really seen her out of her school robes, or without a book in her hand. Her hair was usually tied back in a loose bun, and was usually wavier. And her hands were usually marked with inkblots, but today her nails were beautifully shaped and painted a faint pink. And now he came to think about it, was that healthy glow really from the wind? Was in fact Lily Evans wearing makeup? She didn't usually.
'It's funny how you notice the small things' James thought to himself. 'She is just so...'
"...wow." James inadvertently said the last bit out loud. The conversation between the other five stopped immediately.
"What?" said Lily, bemused.
'God of all the people to speak first, it would have to be her.' James had to do some quick thinking.
"I said 'Ow'. Padfoot is hexing me under the table." He gave Sirius a glare and Sirius quickly removed his wand hand from Caitlin's hand, and pretended that he'd been jinxing James the whole time.
"Uh right..." he said awkwardly, as he glared back at James in disbelief.
"So anyway Quidditch!" James clapped his hands together as he tried to move the conversation on quickly.
"James we were talking about Lily learning to drive," said Caitlin.
"Babe, the guy's head boy. Let him talk about whatever he wants to!" said Sirius as he removed his wand hand from under the table again, and put his arm around Caitlin.
"So what? Lily's head girl. Maybe she doesn't want to talk about Quidditch?" Caitlin didn't like Sirius talking to her like she was one of the bumbling idiots that worshiped him, i.e. Peter.
"Oh right..." James trailed off. He didn't suppose Lily would want to talk about Quidditch. He knew she'd come from a muggle background, but he'd never really spoken to her about it. He didn't really know if she followed Quidditch or not.
"No, no it's alright. I don't mind." Was it just James or had Lily seemed to have brightened up slightly? She twisted round in her seat to face James. He wasn't sure if this was because she wanted to direct the conversation towards him, or because she wanted to put her back to Sirius and Caitlin who were now whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. James thought it was probably the latter. "So Head Boy and Quidditch captain? That's quite an achievement James." James looked around the table for a bit of support, he wasn't sure he liked Lily cornering him like this. Remus sat grinning at him, eager to see what he would do next, Peter was just looking eager as always – both of them completely useless. His usual saviour in such situations was – ahem – occupied. Sirius and Caitlin were obviously making up for lost time when they had been broken up, and were now snogging the face off each other right there at the table.
Unable to catch Sirius' eye James was forced to answer.
"Um yea... Head Boy was a bit of a surprise but I always expected Quidditch Captain. I've been in the team for 6 years." Lily rolled her eyes slightly, and James noticed Remus shaking his head at him over her shoulder. He at once caught his drift. "Oh but so has Caitlin," James added quickly, trying to take away the cockiness of his first statement.
Caitlin, hearing her name, broke away from her embrace with Sirius.
"What? What you saying about me?"
"That we were wondering how we were going to explain to Madam Pomfrey, when we brought the two of you in stuck together," said Remus coolly. Caitlin, for the first time, looked slightly embarrassed at her behaviour, Sirius however wiped his mouth with his hand, and cheekily shrugged his shoulders at them all. Caitlin sat forward in her seat, seemingly eager to rejoin the conversation, whilst Sirius remained leaning back in his, with his arm still resting on the back of her chair.
"What were you really saying James?" said Caitlin suddenly business-like.
"Oh I was just telling Lily about Quidditch team. She said it was an achievement for me to be Captain." He grinned at her, she had been the only other one in the running for Captain and he knew it still annoyed her that he'd got it.
"Well Lily, if you'd ever seen James play, you'd understand why he got Captain over certain other members of the team." She grinned back; she'd obviously learnt to live with it.
"What?! You've never seen me play?" Again he realised his cockiness was showing. "I mean, you've never been to a house cup game?" Lily looked a little flustered, and was throwing very annoyed glances at Caitlin.
"No dear Lils here, thinks it barbaric." Lily looked even more annoyed with her best friend.
"I don't." Caitlin looked at Lily amazed. "I mean... well... I just prefer to study when the common room's empty, and so Quidditch matches are the perfect time..." She didn't finish her excuse. It was probably best; James didn't think anyone at the table believed her anyway. "Ok look, I'm rubbish at it. The first time..."
"And last," interjected Caitlin.
"Yes AND LAST time I was on a broom was a disaster, so I've avoided Quidditch ever since."
"Is that all?" James asked.
"Yes, isn't it stupid? She won't even come to Ballycastle Bats matches with me!" Caitlin moaned.
"Lily, just 'cause you can't play Quidditch doesn't mean you should have a phobia of it. You're not the only who's not talented on a broom." James and Caitlin both turned to face Sirius.
"What?!" he yelled defensively.
"Yes what?" asked Lily innocently.
"Oh nothing," managed James, trying to fight back the laughter. "It's just that Padfoot tried out for the team once."
"Or twice," said Caitlin, fighting the same losing battle as James.
"A year."
"For 5 years." James and Caitlin couldn't hold it in anymore, and the pair of them fell about the place laughing.
"Look it wasn't that bad," said Sirius, now sitting up straight in his chair.
"No, no, it wasn't you were bad Padfoot," James said honestly.
"It's that you were diabolical," Caitlin said, and the pair started back into their fit of giggles.
Lily seeing the rage filling up in Sirius tried quickly to calm the other two.
"Um, uh, what position did he try out for?" Caitlin squeaked as answer to her, James and her were now laughing so hard they could barely breath.
"She said 'beater'," Remus offered helpfully.
"I'm going to the bar," said Sirius darkly. The force at which he launched himself out of his chair seemed to knock Caitlin into some sense, and she immediately stopped laughing and followed him.
James realised no one was laughing with him anymore and started to compose himself. He caught the stern look on Lily's face.
"What?" he said, drying the tears from his eyes. "Oh he'll be fine, we do it all the time," he offered by way of an apology. "But seriously Lily, you should come to one of the matches, you'd enjoy it. House spirit and all that."
"GO GRYFFINDOR!" Peter yelled, Remus slapped him on the back of the head.
"Well I'll see." Lily was now being colder; James was beginning to wish he hadn't just made such a spectacle of himself.
Just at the moment Sirius and Caitlin returned. Caitlin seemed to have calmed him down, and they were both lifting their coats from the back of their chairs.
"We're going to head on to Madam Puddifoot's," Caitlin explained to Lily, who was beginning to look a bit desperate at the thought of her leaving her. James exchanged looks with Remus and Peter and then all three looked at Sirius, they all managed to stifle a laugh. "Come on then," Caitlin beckoned to Sirius, and she started towards the door, but Sirius remained at the table.
"Madam Puddifoots's my arse," he whispered quickly to the boys. "We're going back to the castle. I'll see you two LATER, ok?" he said to Peter and Remus. "Like AFTER the feast?" Peter and Remus nodded in agreement. James noticed that Lily had become very interested in her newly painted nails, and was pretending not to listen.
"Would you hurry up?" Caitlin yelled, she was now waiting beside the door. "Honestly do I have to keep you on a leash?" Sirius gave James a wink, and then hurried off towards her.
After they had left Lily was he first one to break the awkward silence that had fallen between the group.
"I suppose I may head on and see if I can find Alice and Scarlet to go to the feast with tonight then? I'll see you all around." The boys all murmured goodbyes and she got up and left the table.
"Say something to her," Remus hissed at James when she was just out of earshot.
"Uh Lily," James shouted after her, he didn't really know what to say. "When you see Scarlet will you ask Robbie to send his little sister to me?" Lily looked at him startled. "I mean, I need to see her about Quidditch practice." Lily nodded mutely and left.
"I didn't mean that!" Remus cried in despair when she had gone.
"Will you go out with me?" James groaned as he slapped his own forehead.
"Honestly Prongs, your really starting to slip up around that girl. If I didn't know better I'd think you were getting serious about her."
"What?! Moony no! Its just Evans. Just a bit of fun, a bit of banter, nothing serious. Just the same as always. I'm not into her at all."
"Uh huh." Remus always had an air about him that he knew everything about the others Marauders, even what they were thinking. He was more of a spectator, rather than a participant in life. Because of this he always knew how to handle each one of them expertly. Anyone else would have pushed the current conversation, but Remus knew instinctively when to stop. He tactfully changed the subject, for which James was grateful. "So seeing Peter and I can't go back to the dorm room yet, do you just want to go on to the feast?"
"That'll do."
The three of them stood up together to leave, but as James turned round to head towards the door he stopped in his tracks. Lily had not left after all. She was standing talking to Avril Knight – at the very next table.
*****
Ok so there you go. That took so long to write. Please review! I'll update ASAP I promise!
*****
Chapter 10 : Hogsmeade
James had been woken up from a well-deserved nap, but he wasn't sure what by. It was only just after 9 in the evening, but he had collapsed on his bed after a hard Quidditch practice, and gone to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Now that he had woken up a bit he could make out doors slamming outside, followed by loud voices coming from Lily's room.
'Oh great, who's hexed her now?' James had got used to clearing things up with pupils who had taken revenge, when Lily had punished them too severely. She hadn't quite found the balance yet, between fulfilling her duties and not turning into a control freak. James didn't judge her too much for this, he knew exactly where she was coming from. The only reason he knew how to handle things, because as a reformed troublemaker himself he knew what could be tolerated, and what was just down right mean. He lay awake in bed for a few moments deciding what he should do. He still hadn't really forgiven her for accusing him of jinxing her quill, on the other hand he didn't really want her to be slaughtered by the rest of the school – especially the third years, they would hex you before you could say 'Tweenager Rebellion'.
He stretched, but found his weary muscles had seized up, and he let out a groan of pain. He reached out and found his glasses lying on the bedside table, as he put them on his dark room came into focus. Suddenly he heard another yell come from Lily's room, but this time he was sure he'd heard his own name mentioned. He quickly jumped up and threw a scarlet dressing gown on, to cover up the boxers he had on – he'd been too tired to put pyjamas on.
As he opened the door to the mini-common room he found that there was already someone there. He couldn't quite make out who it was, as his eyes hadn't adjusted to the light yet.
"Lily, what's the matter? What's the racket?"
"Jamie, have you come to seduce me?" It was not Lily but Caitlin that answered.
"What?!" Now his eyes had focused he could make out Caitlin looking him up and down in his dressing gown. "Oh! No, I was asleep, just threw this on so I could come out and see what was going on."
"A likely story," Caitlin said, giving him a suggestive look. He suddenly felt very exposed.
"Anyway what's going on? How'd you get in here anyway?" he said quickly. Caitlin laughed at his feeble attempt at changing the subject.
"Lily and I were having an exchange of ideas."
"Ah!" James said, completely understanding. Girls don't row, they exchange ideas, and they certainly don't fall out, they just 'drift apart'.
"What are you doing in bed at this hour anyway? I thought you'd be out pandering to your adoring fans?"
"I know, I know," he laughed, leaning against his doorframe. Caitlin was leaning on the back of one of the armchairs. "Quidditch practice kind of wrecked me."
"Honestly boy, you've no stamina!"
"Yea? Well maybe I just put more effort into it than you!" Caitlin laughed, that was probably true. Quidditch was the only thing James had ever taken seriously in his life. He wanted to do it professionally, it ran in his family, an ancestor of his had even invented the Golden Snitch, which is where the family wealth came from. "What ideas where you and Lily exchanging then?"
"Nothing that concerns you. Although she did agree to come for a drink with me and you lot on Saturday."
"Wow," said James sarcastically. "That'll be a bundle of laughs."
"Yep!" Caitlin replied cheeringly. "See ya around!" she yelled as she skipped down the steps back to the common room.
*****
It was Halloween and James had just sat down with Sirius, Remus and Peter in the Three Broomsticks. They sat and watched all the younger pupils, laden with their bags full of newly purchased goodies, walk by them. James had grown bored of the sweets from Honeydukes, and he could now make much more interesting jokes and tricks himself, than Zonko's had to offer him. This meant that apart from a couple of new quills Remus had bought, the Marauders were empty handed.
Sirius looked hungrily at a third year's bag from Zonko's, and gave a loud sigh.
"Suppose I may get the drinks in?" he offered. "What do you want?" he directed towards James and Lupin.
"Usual" James replied. Remus shook his head indicating he didn't want anything. Sirius headed off towards the bar.
"I'll have a butterbeer!" Peter yelled desperately after him. The three boys sat in silence until Sirius returned with only two drinks in his hands, for himself and James. Peter looked huffily at him and then asked the exact question James was wondering. "What are we doing in today anyway? We haven't bought anything and we can come into Hogsmeade anytime?!"
"We are here Wormtail," replied Sirius, looking at him reproachfully and sounding uncannily like McGonagall. "Because I promised Caitlin that we would meet Lily and her here for a few drinks, and a casual chat."
"Oh damn!" burst James. "I forgot about that! Caitlin told me about it that night in my room," he remembered out loud.
"When was Caitlin in your room?" Sirius shot at him. James noticed that even Remus was looking at him in amazement.
"Well not in my room. In the private common room, she'd just come out of Lily's room, you know what I mean." Sirius seemed to grudgingly accept his explanation. James decided to quickly change the subject. "Anyway if that's all we're doing today I think I'll head on." With that he rose out of his seat and went to put on his denim jacket.
"Sit down." Again came Sirius' McGonagall like voice, only this time James could hear the humour in it. "This meeting was set up for you, so you're damn well going to attend it."
"What meeting? What you mean attend it? Padfoot no more butterbeer for you!"
"Caitlin and I devised this as a way of getting you and Lily together, so you could let her get to know the real you. You know the 'friendly' you, the 'sensible' you, the 'I've had seven butterbeers so now I'm going to try to mate with your leg' you."
"What about the 'No I didn't perform that hex, I've never even seen that dog before officer' you?" Remus added.
"Ah my personal favourite," Sirius agreed.
"Look there's no point in this! I see Lily everyday, I practically live with her! We don't get on, there's no point in trying to make us spend anymore time together, all right? AND IT WASN'T MY DOG!"
"Wait, wait, wait," said Sirius in mock surprise. "Do my ears deceive me, or is the great James Potter turning down a chance to get up close and personal with the luscious Lily Evans?" James tried to speak but was interrupted. "Quick Prongs," Sirius whispered to him. "Ruffle your hair."
James' turned round to see what had changed Sirius' mood so quickly. Lily and Caitlin had just entered the bar. James' heart skipped a beat as he took in Lily's appearance. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans, which flared at the bottom, covering a pair of dark brown, leather platform boots. She wore a knee-length, light brown, sheep skin jacket, and a purple polo neck underneath. Her auburn hair was down, beautifully cascading over her shoulders, and although she wore no makeup, the autumn wind had given her cheeks a healthy glow. In other words, she was beautiful.
"Wow," James breathed.
"Don't want to spend time with her my arse," Sirius whispered in his ear, as he put his hand on his shoulder to push him back into his seat.
After the girls sat down and Sirius got them a drink, the 'casual conversation' began. It went from topics such as subjects they were all studying, to school gossip, and even to the girls' purchases (new dress robes from Gladrags Wizardwear for Caitlin; a box of Liquorice Wands from Honeydukes for Lily to send to her mother). James didn't speak that much at all though. He was too busy trying to keep his cool. He'd never seen Lily like this before. He knew he'd liked her from the moment he saw her, sure he thought she was pretty, but he'd never really seen her out of her school robes, or without a book in her hand. Her hair was usually tied back in a loose bun, and was usually wavier. And her hands were usually marked with inkblots, but today her nails were beautifully shaped and painted a faint pink. And now he came to think about it, was that healthy glow really from the wind? Was in fact Lily Evans wearing makeup? She didn't usually.
'It's funny how you notice the small things' James thought to himself. 'She is just so...'
"...wow." James inadvertently said the last bit out loud. The conversation between the other five stopped immediately.
"What?" said Lily, bemused.
'God of all the people to speak first, it would have to be her.' James had to do some quick thinking.
"I said 'Ow'. Padfoot is hexing me under the table." He gave Sirius a glare and Sirius quickly removed his wand hand from Caitlin's hand, and pretended that he'd been jinxing James the whole time.
"Uh right..." he said awkwardly, as he glared back at James in disbelief.
"So anyway Quidditch!" James clapped his hands together as he tried to move the conversation on quickly.
"James we were talking about Lily learning to drive," said Caitlin.
"Babe, the guy's head boy. Let him talk about whatever he wants to!" said Sirius as he removed his wand hand from under the table again, and put his arm around Caitlin.
"So what? Lily's head girl. Maybe she doesn't want to talk about Quidditch?" Caitlin didn't like Sirius talking to her like she was one of the bumbling idiots that worshiped him, i.e. Peter.
"Oh right..." James trailed off. He didn't suppose Lily would want to talk about Quidditch. He knew she'd come from a muggle background, but he'd never really spoken to her about it. He didn't really know if she followed Quidditch or not.
"No, no it's alright. I don't mind." Was it just James or had Lily seemed to have brightened up slightly? She twisted round in her seat to face James. He wasn't sure if this was because she wanted to direct the conversation towards him, or because she wanted to put her back to Sirius and Caitlin who were now whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. James thought it was probably the latter. "So Head Boy and Quidditch captain? That's quite an achievement James." James looked around the table for a bit of support, he wasn't sure he liked Lily cornering him like this. Remus sat grinning at him, eager to see what he would do next, Peter was just looking eager as always – both of them completely useless. His usual saviour in such situations was – ahem – occupied. Sirius and Caitlin were obviously making up for lost time when they had been broken up, and were now snogging the face off each other right there at the table.
Unable to catch Sirius' eye James was forced to answer.
"Um yea... Head Boy was a bit of a surprise but I always expected Quidditch Captain. I've been in the team for 6 years." Lily rolled her eyes slightly, and James noticed Remus shaking his head at him over her shoulder. He at once caught his drift. "Oh but so has Caitlin," James added quickly, trying to take away the cockiness of his first statement.
Caitlin, hearing her name, broke away from her embrace with Sirius.
"What? What you saying about me?"
"That we were wondering how we were going to explain to Madam Pomfrey, when we brought the two of you in stuck together," said Remus coolly. Caitlin, for the first time, looked slightly embarrassed at her behaviour, Sirius however wiped his mouth with his hand, and cheekily shrugged his shoulders at them all. Caitlin sat forward in her seat, seemingly eager to rejoin the conversation, whilst Sirius remained leaning back in his, with his arm still resting on the back of her chair.
"What were you really saying James?" said Caitlin suddenly business-like.
"Oh I was just telling Lily about Quidditch team. She said it was an achievement for me to be Captain." He grinned at her, she had been the only other one in the running for Captain and he knew it still annoyed her that he'd got it.
"Well Lily, if you'd ever seen James play, you'd understand why he got Captain over certain other members of the team." She grinned back; she'd obviously learnt to live with it.
"What?! You've never seen me play?" Again he realised his cockiness was showing. "I mean, you've never been to a house cup game?" Lily looked a little flustered, and was throwing very annoyed glances at Caitlin.
"No dear Lils here, thinks it barbaric." Lily looked even more annoyed with her best friend.
"I don't." Caitlin looked at Lily amazed. "I mean... well... I just prefer to study when the common room's empty, and so Quidditch matches are the perfect time..." She didn't finish her excuse. It was probably best; James didn't think anyone at the table believed her anyway. "Ok look, I'm rubbish at it. The first time..."
"And last," interjected Caitlin.
"Yes AND LAST time I was on a broom was a disaster, so I've avoided Quidditch ever since."
"Is that all?" James asked.
"Yes, isn't it stupid? She won't even come to Ballycastle Bats matches with me!" Caitlin moaned.
"Lily, just 'cause you can't play Quidditch doesn't mean you should have a phobia of it. You're not the only who's not talented on a broom." James and Caitlin both turned to face Sirius.
"What?!" he yelled defensively.
"Yes what?" asked Lily innocently.
"Oh nothing," managed James, trying to fight back the laughter. "It's just that Padfoot tried out for the team once."
"Or twice," said Caitlin, fighting the same losing battle as James.
"A year."
"For 5 years." James and Caitlin couldn't hold it in anymore, and the pair of them fell about the place laughing.
"Look it wasn't that bad," said Sirius, now sitting up straight in his chair.
"No, no, it wasn't you were bad Padfoot," James said honestly.
"It's that you were diabolical," Caitlin said, and the pair started back into their fit of giggles.
Lily seeing the rage filling up in Sirius tried quickly to calm the other two.
"Um, uh, what position did he try out for?" Caitlin squeaked as answer to her, James and her were now laughing so hard they could barely breath.
"She said 'beater'," Remus offered helpfully.
"I'm going to the bar," said Sirius darkly. The force at which he launched himself out of his chair seemed to knock Caitlin into some sense, and she immediately stopped laughing and followed him.
James realised no one was laughing with him anymore and started to compose himself. He caught the stern look on Lily's face.
"What?" he said, drying the tears from his eyes. "Oh he'll be fine, we do it all the time," he offered by way of an apology. "But seriously Lily, you should come to one of the matches, you'd enjoy it. House spirit and all that."
"GO GRYFFINDOR!" Peter yelled, Remus slapped him on the back of the head.
"Well I'll see." Lily was now being colder; James was beginning to wish he hadn't just made such a spectacle of himself.
Just at the moment Sirius and Caitlin returned. Caitlin seemed to have calmed him down, and they were both lifting their coats from the back of their chairs.
"We're going to head on to Madam Puddifoot's," Caitlin explained to Lily, who was beginning to look a bit desperate at the thought of her leaving her. James exchanged looks with Remus and Peter and then all three looked at Sirius, they all managed to stifle a laugh. "Come on then," Caitlin beckoned to Sirius, and she started towards the door, but Sirius remained at the table.
"Madam Puddifoots's my arse," he whispered quickly to the boys. "We're going back to the castle. I'll see you two LATER, ok?" he said to Peter and Remus. "Like AFTER the feast?" Peter and Remus nodded in agreement. James noticed that Lily had become very interested in her newly painted nails, and was pretending not to listen.
"Would you hurry up?" Caitlin yelled, she was now waiting beside the door. "Honestly do I have to keep you on a leash?" Sirius gave James a wink, and then hurried off towards her.
After they had left Lily was he first one to break the awkward silence that had fallen between the group.
"I suppose I may head on and see if I can find Alice and Scarlet to go to the feast with tonight then? I'll see you all around." The boys all murmured goodbyes and she got up and left the table.
"Say something to her," Remus hissed at James when she was just out of earshot.
"Uh Lily," James shouted after her, he didn't really know what to say. "When you see Scarlet will you ask Robbie to send his little sister to me?" Lily looked at him startled. "I mean, I need to see her about Quidditch practice." Lily nodded mutely and left.
"I didn't mean that!" Remus cried in despair when she had gone.
"Will you go out with me?" James groaned as he slapped his own forehead.
"Honestly Prongs, your really starting to slip up around that girl. If I didn't know better I'd think you were getting serious about her."
"What?! Moony no! Its just Evans. Just a bit of fun, a bit of banter, nothing serious. Just the same as always. I'm not into her at all."
"Uh huh." Remus always had an air about him that he knew everything about the others Marauders, even what they were thinking. He was more of a spectator, rather than a participant in life. Because of this he always knew how to handle each one of them expertly. Anyone else would have pushed the current conversation, but Remus knew instinctively when to stop. He tactfully changed the subject, for which James was grateful. "So seeing Peter and I can't go back to the dorm room yet, do you just want to go on to the feast?"
"That'll do."
The three of them stood up together to leave, but as James turned round to head towards the door he stopped in his tracks. Lily had not left after all. She was standing talking to Avril Knight – at the very next table.
*****
Ok so there you go. That took so long to write. Please review! I'll update ASAP I promise!