Authors Note:

Jmarit17- oh wow you have no idea how much that meant to me. I got my first terrible review and I was a little saddened but I'm so glad there are people like you who love my story. That makes me so happy that you enjoy it! I'm writing for you!

Little black cat- sorry I haven't been reviewing. My internet has been messing up so it won't open reviews! Oh dear! But I must say I do love you're story. Everything just makes my heart jump for joy! I hate Sirius at the moment too but he's sooooo handsome  I want him back. Oh well it's up to Lela I suppose. Please finish you're story tonight and I will work on finishing the 12th installment! Xo!

Disclaimer: I declare! That I! SofteyesxX am nothing more than a mere apprentice to the talented JK Rowling. I borrow her characters to use for my own fanfic, but in no way do I own them. For who owns a character? Not I! Pip pip!

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Chapter 12; Wilted Flowers

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Lela had avoided Sirius the next two weeks. Halloween was only a week and a half away and Lela was looking worse than ever. Lily watched her carefully though, always chasing after her in the hallways and throughout her classes. She was ditching less and less, which added to her strange behavior.

As Lily rounded a corner on her free period while Lela was safely tucked away in Advanced Herbology. Lily wandered the grounds quietly as she made her way up to the castles doors. She sighed softly, it was such a beautiful fall day with the leaves all turning a brilliant shade of gold, purples and reds. With the withering of green leaves, Lily could see how Lela could love this season so much. She sighed softly and climbed the steps the chill biting at her cheeks causing them to rosy as she walked down the main corridor passing the Great Hall. She traced her steps back to where the portrait of the bowl of fruit lay. And when she tickled the pear making the portrait nudge aside she enveloped herself in the smells of the elves kitchens. She smiled to all the little elves and took a few pieces of fruit from them and asked them for a chocolate layer cake for Lela. They nodded vigorously and returned only moments later with what she requested.

She had to admit, the cake was rather large and she smiled to herself as she walked down the hallway carrying a chocolate layer cake probably larger than Peter's gut. She was just mustering over how to grip the glass placement in which the cake sat when James rounded the corner ahead of her. He smiled when he saw her and came up to her slowly and kissed her.

"I was just looking for you yah know? I checked the grounds, but you weren't out there so the next place I thought would be the kitchens," James smiled and Lily's jaw dropped.

"Are you making a notion that I'm fat?" James smile dropped and he shook his head fiercly as he tried to add a defense,

"Oh no that's not what I meant at all. I only meant that-," he stopped though because Lily happened to be breaking out in laughter.

She walked on down the corridor without much talk as James explained to her that Sirius was having a hard time not having Lela as some sort of companion. Lily scoffed at these words and shook her head.

"He's the one that fooled around and broke her heart," she looked at James as she carefully approached the moving staircases, "She would never think of doing anything like that to anyone." James nodded and looked to the floor placing a hand on her lower back as they approached the portrait of the fat lady,

"What are you doing out of class anyways?" Lily looked at him suspiciously as he muttered the password to the fat lady and she swung open slowly. He guided her through the portrait hole and turned to her with a smirk once they were inside and said casually,

"Loo break," Lily laughed as he let his draw drop at her and said in a tone of mock disbelief, "Honestly, when a boy's gotta go, he's gotta go!" Lily bumped her hip to him and took her wand out of her back pocket as she set the cake down. She bewitched the cake to float up to the girl's dorm and sit comfortably on Lela's bedside table.

She then turned to James looping her arms around his neck and standing on her tip toes to plant a kiss to his lips. He reached down her back gripping her bum tightly and pulling her too him. She laughed as he vigorously put her up against a wall and kissed her deeply. She sighed into his lips arching her back into him as she nibbled on his lower lip. She raked her hands through his messy hair and giggled some as his hands caressed her hips. She leaned her neck back so that he covered it with warm kisses. She sighed as she wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her up to the boy's dorm. Soon she found herself laying on top of messy bed with James Potter on top of her kissing her swollen lips and moving his hand slowly under her first sweater vest, then to her white buttoned blouse making his way up her bare stomach. She sighed as she pushed lightly on the back of his neck lost in pure bliss.

James had succeeded in removing her cloak, sweater vest and blouse, leaving her with just a bra and loosely done Gryffindor tie. She smiled softly at him as his cloak was thrown aside with hers along with his sweater vest, tie and white buttoned up dress shirt. She let her hands roam his bare chest as she sighed softly being enveloped in more kisses. Her hips rotated beneath his as he moved his hand down to slowly undo the irritating buttons that with held from touching and caressing the only thing in the world that meant something to him. 'Love' was the only thought that flew through his mind at the moment as he looked down into her face, her creamy cheeks pinched with pink her green eyes sparkling up to the boy who was slowly becoming more than just a boy. Her red hair spread out like a fiery fan over the white pillow in which cushioned her head. He ran a hand through those precious locks and bent down to kiss her face as her pants slowly slid down her hips. Suddenly though the boy's dorm door burst open sending the two sprawling off the bed.

A disgruntled Sirius had burst into the room shouting loud rants at how unreasonable she was being. The 'she' he was speaking of obviously referred to Lela. James was hastily grabbing for Lily's clothes as Sirius spun around at the noise. His face fell into clear disbelief as he said amazed,

"You guys were not just doing what I think you were doing," Sirius gave a laugh as James handed Lily's blouse, vest and cloak back to her, which she hastily put on, standing to pull up her winters school pants and button them as she hastily tried to fix her tie. Sirius snickered and leaned against his bed post looking at Lily as if she was some prospect. James suddenly socked him in the eye and Sirius doubled forward looking up to mutter,

"As if I haven't been in enough pain, jeez mate I was only looking," Sirius held his eye, stood up and took out his wand muttering a mending curse the reduced the sudden swelling. The bruise would still be there but that was better than having to deal with the pain. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders as James kissed Lily goodbye as she hurried out the door and down the steps feeling completely and utterly embarrassed. The class bell suddenly rang and she looked up at the clock.

She hurried down the hall towards the great double doors to make her way to the greenhouses. When she got there Lela was staring blankly out into space and when she turned to see Lily she smiled absently.

Lily hurried up to her friend and took her arm saying gently to her,

"So how was your class?" in such a motherly fashion Lily thought Lela might burst into tears.

"It was alright," Lela said in a quite tone. Lily sighed and tugged on her friends arm as she said softly,

"When are you going to cheer up and leave this whole ordeal behind you Lela?" Lily was becoming desperate into cheering her up. Lela looked at her softly and just said quietly,

"He snuck into Herbology today, Lily," she looked at her best friend with tear stricken eyes. Lily clucked gently and led her to the Gryffindor tower, there was no point in going to her next class if her friend was upset and if it was just ancient runes with Binns anyways, she nudged Lela and she wiped her eyes before she reached in her cloak pockets to remove a crumpled piece of parchment,

"He threw this at me; it was in the shape of dog when he sent it to me. It lay down on the table and opened up in front of me. Here read it," she said thrusting the piece of parchment in her hand.

Lily took the piece of parchment that was badly mangled as if someone had opened it, crumpled it, and then reopened it only to repeat the process. She read it to herself which said,

If only you'd forgive me,

I kiss you a thousand times over.

Don't let this stray go.

I can't get over you Lela Grace.

You are the most beautiful,

The most stubborn girl,

I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Please, just endure one last kiss,

And tell me if you can't feel anything.

You can't sit there and expect me not to look at you with the same eyes,

Once I've kissed those lips.

At the bottom was a crudely, but artisticly drawn picture of two people in the process of a passionate kiss. Lela sniffed and shook her head saying angrily,

"I can't fall for crap like that," she shook her head and grabbed the parchment crumpling it up and throwing it back inside her pocket. Lily thought it strange that she didn't just throw it down the empty stairwell into a darkened abyss where it would never be found again.

As Lily guided her friend into the Gryffindor common room, Sirius stood from his place on the couch.

"Lela," he breathed as he saw her tear stricken face. Lela never cried. She would never want to be seen crying like this. That was why she hastily wiped her eyes and made her way over to the staircase with Lily. Lily smiled to James sympathetically, them both having to deal with emotionally upset friends.

As they reached the stairs Lela felt a hand pressing on her arm,

"Please, just talk to me," he whispered to her. But Lela's gaze and stubborn way would not be broken. She shook her head and threw his hand off her arm. He took it again and Lela all but yelled,

"Let go of me!" Sirius shook his head and Lily looked at him in disbelief. But Lela looked as if she endured these fights every day with him.

"Just let me have one kiss Lela, please," his eyes were honestly pleading but Lela would have none of it. Betrayal was the worst in her book, and her book was thick.

"I wouldn't kiss you even if the life of the great Albus Dumbledore depended on it," she spat at him and jerked her arm free. She hurried up the stairs this time, Lily following close behind and calling after her, shutting the door quietly as Lela went over and surveyed the cake,

"It's from me," Lily said softly. Lela turned to her and smiled half heartedly and sat down on the bed, motioning for Lily to join her. She sighed and took her place on the bed as she and Lela gorged a six pound cake.

Sirius was muttering curse words including Lela's name as he stomped back over,

"See! She won't even give me a chance!" but James was too enthralled with one of his essays that he had forced himself to get done.

"Why should she give you the time of day again Padfoot?" James said distractedly, thoughts of a topless Lily running through his mind as he scribbled potions for a cure to a mangled limb. Sirius just snorted and sank back into the couch watching the flames flicker as the evening light shined bright over the hills. It was not yet 4:30, but soon the light would be fading.

Sirius' face was enveloped in the fire's light as he contemplated some sort of way to make her speak to him again. His eyes lit up suddenly at the stroke up his brilliant idea.

The Hallow's Eve ball was coming up and he could-

He would just sneak up there and-

His eyes brightened with each idea he credited himself for. They were brilliant for someone such as Sirius. Sure he was smart, but he wasn't very clever when coming to scheming. Usually Remus was the one for all that. He smiled into the fire as James lifted his head saying unusually angrily,

"What are you so happy about?" Sirius just shook his head and rolled out a piece of parchment to begin his work.

Aha! Another well thought out plan, to be put into full effect. She would have to talk to him. He'd win her over with his charm and his mysterious ways.

"Let the mystery begin," he sighed as he looked over the scribbled parchment.