A/N: AND…I'm back with another chapter! I think I might be moving too slowly, so I'm trying to pick up the pace a little.
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So…What?
Lily's POV
It's Saturday and the girls and I are cooped up in the library trying to study, although this is hard as through the window right beside us the sun is shining and warm for probably the last time.
Ellen's having the hardest time out of the three of us – she kind of lacks the concentration that Leona and I possess in such great quantities, not meaning to sound big headed or anything. Merlin, I'm beginning to sound like Sirius. But I've already written a foot more onto my already three foot Transfiguration essay. Leona is pouring over her Potions book and scribbling notes down on the parchment beside her book. Ellen is staring out of the window for the fourth time in the amount of time that we've been in the library.
"How can the two of you work when it's sunny outside?" She moans at us, tearing her eyes away from the sun lit grounds to stare incredulously at us.
"Well, as this is probably the second most important year of our schooling, after our seventh year and NEWTs, I think the two of us would like to put our best efforts into studying and making top marks," Leona says.
"I do care about NEWTs!" Ellen says. "It's just so hard to care about all of this stuff when I could be outside enjoying myself."
I continue to scrawl on my parchment, intent on putting the sentence in my head down in ink before I forget what it is. Finally I tap the parchment with the tip of my quill for a period and then I look up at Ellen.
"Elle, we'll do something fun later, we just need to study now. And if I'm not wrong, you still have your own Transfiguration essay to write." I say.
"Why do my two best friends have to be so bookish?" Ellen asks.
"Because we're just so charming that you can't stay away from us!" Leona jokes.
"Well it's good to know that you've got a sense of humor, anyway," Ellen says in a semi-sarcastic voice. Neither of us answer, but merely exchange looks full of meaning with each other before resuming our work.
The sound of quills scratching on parchment and Ellen's frustrated sighs fills the air for a while until we are interrupted by none other than Remus Lupin, who is looking a little nervous, and is it just me, or is he looking sick again? That poor boy gets sick more often than most of the rest of the population of Hogwarts combined.
"Hey Leona," he says, and then quickly adds "Lily, Ellen. How are you girls doing?" Leona is blushing. What with Sirius and I getting together and the whole debacle of James not talking to Sirius and then those horrible murders, I completely forgot that our goal was to befriend the Marauders so that Leona could get closer to Lupin. I am such a bad friend, I totally forgot about that! I can't believe it. I really can't believe, wait, Leona is talking –
"Just working on some homework," Leona in saying, gesturing to the papers strewn across our table.
"Um, Leona, do you want to work on that Arithmancy paper?" Lupin asks. Leona is definitely blushing now.
"Uh, yeah, sure," she says, before grinning at Ellen and I and quickly clearing her spot, packing up her bag hastily, and following Lupin to some table a bit away from us.
Ellen and I exchange significant looks.
"What in the name of Merlin was that all about?" I ask Ellen.
"I'm not positive, but I think there's more than one girl from our group seeing a Marauder," she giggles, but trying to keep herself quiet so that Lupin and Leona don't hear.
"I totally forgot about her and Lupin, I feel so bad!" I say.
"It actually kind of slipped my mind, too," Ellen agrees. "Which is strange, because usually something like that never slips my mind!" That is true; Ellen is always very on top of who likes whom and that sort of thing.
I peer eagerly (and trying to be conspicuous) over at Leona where she is sitting with that Remus Lupin. She is smiling at Lupin and neither of them even has taken out a textbook, parchment, or quill. It looks like they were merely talking and laughing together.
Ellen looks at me, grinning widely and with one eyebrow raised. "What about that?" She mouths at me, looking excited. "I can't believe she never told us!"
Suddenly we hear a giggle coming from their table. Ellen and I share looks, our eyebrows raised.
"Did Leona just giggle?" Ellen asks, smiling widely.
I can't help but imitate her expression. "This is so perfect!" I try to squeal quietly. I know, I know, Lily Evans doesn't squeal, but hey, this is so cute! I think they would be perfect for each other. They're both bookish and brilliant and sticklers for the rules (as am I) and they are both kind of shy and reserved. In short, they're just perfect for each other. OK, well, Leona isn't exactly shy. She has absolutely no problem voicing her opinions. But still, they're cute together.
"I wonder why they haven't told anyone yet?" Ellen queried.
"Probably because they want Potter and Sirius to work out their differences before we add another turbulence to the equation," I suggest.
Lupin reaches across the table and brushes Leona's hand as he picks up a quill lying next to her hand. They both blush at the contact.
"Yeah, that's probably it," agrees Ellen, still not taking her eyes off of Lupin and Leona. Suddenly Leona turns her head and looks directly at us. It's impossible for us to pretend that we weren't looking at her, so we both smile at her and give her a small wave. Ellen gives her the thumbs up. Leona smiles back at us, and Lupin turns around to see who she's smiling at and sees us. Instantly he goes brick red, and after stammering something to Leona, he quickly stands up and strides from the library. Leona stands up and rejoins us over at our table, grinning like a fool.
"So?" Ellen asks immediately.
"So…what?" Leona says, trying to play innocent.
"How long has this been going on?" Ellen says, which is perfectly obvious what she was asking, if you ask me.
"What going on?" Leona says, still playing dumb.
Ellen rolls her eyes at me.
"How long have you two been together?" I say.
"Oh," Leona blushes scarlet. "That's nothing. We're not together; we're just friends, that's it." Ellen raises her eyebrows at her.
"That didn't look like nothing," Ellen insists.
"Well, it is," Leona says stubbornly.
Ellen smiles knowingly at her. "But you wish it were more, don't you?" She says.
"I – no, of course I don't!" Leona says defensively.
"You don't have to pretend with us," I tell her. "We know that you like him, and it looks pretty obvious that he likes you, too."
Completely forgetting her façade, Leona says, "You really think so?" Ellen and I beam at each other. I knew we could wear her down eventually, and this was really a lot easier than I thought it would be.
Ellen nods seriously at her, "I really do," she says.
"What did he want to talk to you about?" I ask.
"You heard him, we were going to work on our Arithmancy paper," Leona says.
I roll my eyes. "Do you really think that we're that stupid, Lea?" I ask. "Whatever the two of you were discussing, it certainly wasn't an Arithmancy paper."
"OK, he just wanted to talk to me, happy now?" Leona says slightly testily. She always gets testy when Ellen and I bug her about her crushes.
"No, I'm not," Ellen says immediately. "I want to know everything!"
"It's OK, Elle," I say. "We don't need to know everything."
"Thank you, Lil," Leona says, reaching into her bag and pulling out her Potions textbook and notes. I pick up my quill again and start to look over my Transfiguration essay.
"Do we have to study more?" Ellen whines. "Halloween is in two days!"
"Which means we really need to crack down so that we can relax on Halloween," Leona says instantly.
"You two are so boring!" Ellen insists.
"Sorry we want to pass our exams!" Leona says.
"But our exams aren't for another year and then some!" Ellen exclaims.
"Yeah, love," says a male voice behind me, "exams aren't for another year! What on earth are you doing cooped up in the library on a day like this?" And with that Sirius's hand pulls me to my feet, twirling me around, before he sits back down in his seat and pulls me down to sit on his lap. I kiss him, but Leona groans:
"Would the two of you please be less cute! It's making me sick."
"Can't help it, Walker!" Sirius says, kissing me on the cheek. "Lily is just too cute!" Leona rolls her eyes.
"Oh, come on, Walker," Sirius says, "When you and Remus are together, you can be as cute as you want and I won't tell you to stop!"
Leona's eyes bulge out. "What?" She whispers.
"Oh, come on, Lion Girl," Sirius says. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed?"
"Noticed what?" Leona asks quickly.
"That the bloke fancies you, that's what!" Sirius says, slightly exasperatedly.
"See?" Ellen says immediately, rounding on Leona, "I told you!"
Leona buries her face in her hands. "Just lay off, all of you! She moans into them.
"You are so cute," Sirius says, patting Leona on top of her head. This breaks Leona. She looks up angrily from her hands, scowling at Sirius.
"You are such a prat!" She exclaims, shoving her notes and book back into her bag, hoisting it over her shoulder, and storming from the library.
"Hopefully she'll find Lupin and they can work things out," I say, smiling down at Sirius, gazing into his intense gray eyes.
"They'd better work something out soon!" Sirius agrees. "This whole 'it's nothing; we're just friends' bologna is starting to get to me!"
"So Lupin really likes Leona?" Ellen asks eagerly.
"Of course he does, can't you tell?" Sirius says.
"Well, yeah, but it's always good to confirm it with his mates," Ellen points out.
"Good point," Sirius agrees. After looking thoughtful for a few seconds, he adds, "And maybe he can make her less angry."
"That's what we're hoping for," I say. Sirius wraps his arms around me and squeezes me.
"Hey!" I say breathlessly. "Too tight!"
"Oh, sorry," Sirius says, grinning. He is such a fool. "I just can't stand you being so far away from me," he smirks at me. I swat his arm, and he kisses me again.
"Leona's right: you two really are too cute!" Ellen exclaims.
Sirius and I break apart, me feeling slightly embarrassed and ashamed, but Sirius is looking completely unabashed.
"Now, what do you say you pack up all that stuff," Sirius says, looking disgusted as he motions towards my books and parchments, "and go have some real fun?"
"But, Sirius, I need to study!" I say, trying to snatch my notes out of his hands, but he holds them out of my reach.
"No, you don't, let's go outside," he insists.
"But – " I say.
"No buts about it," Sirius interrupts me, shoving my parchment into my bag and dumping my books unceremoniously into my bag and, lifting me off his lap, swings the bag over his shoulder. Then he takes my hand, interlacing our fingers and pulls me out of the library, Ellen hot on our heels.
"Thank you, Black," she says as she hurries after her.
"Don't you think you can call me by my first name?" Sirius asks, raising his eyebrows at her.
"Oh, um, sure Sirius," Ellen says.
"And that goes for Remus, too. If he and Lion Girl are going to start dating, you need to call him by his first name also," Sirius says.
"OK," Ellen and I agree together.
"Oh, there's Carl Davis!" Ellen suddenly squeals, pointing at a handsome boy further down the corridor.
"Oh, not him, Platts!" Sirius exclaims. "He's a prat!"
Bristling, Ellen quickly says, "What about the whole using-first-names thing, Black? And besides, what's wrong with Davis? He's very good looking."
"Yeah, and that's the only thing he's got going for him!" Sirius insists.
"No it's not!" Ellen says, looking offended. "He's the Ravenclaw Quidditch team captain."
"And if you haven't noticed, we always flatten Ravenclaw," Sirius says smugly.
"Merlin, Sirius, would you deflate your head a little bit?" I say, but I still loop my arm through his.
"You do not always flatten Ravenclaw," Ellen says. "Remember third year? He caught the Snitch right from under the Gryffindor Seeker's nose."
"I didn't know you paid so much attention to Quidditch, Elle," Sirius says, looking at her with eyebrows raised. "And besides, our seeker that year was Edward Wright, and he was definitely not the best Seeker ever. Anyway, that was three years ago. Now that James, Michael Wood, and I are on the team, we're unbeatable!" Sirius looks slightly put out about the thought of James, but quickly pulls himself together.
"Seriously, Sirius? What did I just tell you about that big head of yours?" I ask exasperatedly.
"I'm just trying to tell Elle here that she can do better than Davis," Sirius says, looking at me sincerely.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ellen reacts a little testily.
"Oh, don't worry, Elle, I'll keep your secret safe," Sirius says, patting Ellen on the arm. Ellen rolls her eyes at me.
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A/N: Come on guys, only one review? Please, I want more people telling me how they like the story!