Chapter 29

Days passed and grew warmer as March passed and April arrived. The snow was soon gone and any remnants of the group's winter activities melted away. Rotting carrots and tattered rags were all that was left of the snowmen, and they were soon cleaned up overnight by house elves.

Cassie and Belinda had bonded over being upset with Rose, and spent all their time together these days. Sirius and Remus hadn't spoken a word since their fight, leaving James and Peter to hop between them. Rose was on her own. All of her friends seemed to be angry with her for one reason or another. Not that she'd had many to begin with.

The rest of the school was more than happy to buzz and gossip about the drama. Had it just been Rose and Cassie, none of them would have noticed a thing. But since the four popular Gryffindors were involved, it was a favorite topic.

No one had the full story of what was going on. But Lily was determined to find out. She hated that the group who had been so close before Valentine's Day had splintered apart. They were her friends too after all.

Alright alright, maybe James was included in that list. She wasn't sure she was ready to admit it to anyone else yet, but Sirius was starting to get to her when he pointed out that she was being rather shallow, unwilling to look beyond the past.

Only Sirius had ever been brave enough to say such a thing to her face. Many people agreed with her opinion of James, despite his good looks (which Lily refused to admit she admired). But those who didn't had never said she was being silly about it either.

Lily had to admit she's been rather hypocritical. She'd been trying to get people to look beyond the obvious for years when it came to Severus, yet she couldn't do the same for others?

Maybe it really was time for a change.

But that could come later. First, she needed to find out what was going on with Rose, Cassie, and the four Gryffindors.

Cassie was the easiest place to start. Lily managed to snag her after a particularly tedious potions class, where they'd been making a wound cleaning potion. All three of the potions from their table had been that perfect shade of purple, and Sirius quickly left with James.

As Lily watched Remus purposely take his time in leaving, she caught up with Cassie. "Hey."

"Hi Lils."

"Everything alright? You haven't been yourself lately." Lily said softly. Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Let me guess, you want to know why Rose and I aren't talking?"

"Well…yeah. Yeah I do." Lily said, deciding the blunt approach was best for this.

"You and the rest of the school."

"Yeah, except I'm your friend and I want a straight answer. What happened between you two?"

"She betrayed me, that's what." Cassie stated in an angry voice. Lily suspected that time had only hardened her heart against the possibility of being wrong.

"How so?"

"Well…" Cassie lowered her voice. "You know that I like Sirius, right?"

"I'd figured it out, yes." Lily admitted.

"Well, she does too. You were the one that told me that."

Lily blinked in surprise. "I never said any such thing."

"Sure you did, that morning at breakfast…"

"Well, I said that Sirius liked Rose. And that it looked like Rose might return the feelings. You shouldn't have taken my word for it though." She said with a raised eyebrow. "Is that seriously what all this is about?"

Cassie blinked at her. "Well…yeah."

"Did she admit that she liked him back?"

The other girl thought back, looking a tad uncomfortable. "Not…exactly."

"Then why are you upset with her?"

Cassie shook her head. "I just…I don't know, she looked so infatuated, I couldn't believe it. Not when she knew I liked Sirius."

Lily sighed. "Cassie…did you ever actually tell Rose about your feelings?"

"Of course I…did. I think." Cassie whispered, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I don't actually know if I said so, maybe not in so many words. But I gave so many hints!"

Lily chuckled in honest amusement, though the situation overall wasn't exactly humorous. "Cass, you've been vehemently denying that there was even a chance Sirius would ever get to you for years. Did you expect a few hints would make anyone think your feelings had changed?"

"Well…no. I guess not."

"There you go. So you basically yelled at Rose and broke off your friendship because of a lack of communication. Congratulations." Lily said. She knew her tone was harsh. As it should be. Cassie had been a moron, all because of a guy.

A lost look appeared on the other girl's face, mixed with guilt. "I didn't…I just assumed. I hate my temper." She said with feeling. Lily had to smile. Cassie's temper had always been a bit of a problem for the girl, she had a bad habit of speaking without thinking.

"But you have such a hard time staying mad too." Lily pointed out. "You can't hold onto a grudge to save your life. Normally, you would have turned around in a few hours after you'd calmed down to straighten things out. Why not this time?"

Cassie looked at the ground. "Belinda."

Lily's confused expression slid into one of understanding. "Of course…she's always had a thing for Sirius. She was just as jealous as you."

Cassie nodded. "She may have a boyfriend and all, but she always says that there's no rules against admiring from a distance."

"So she kept you angry?"

"For days." Cassie said, eyes filling with tears. "Every time I started to really think about things, she'd pop up and say something else and make me all upset again. By the time she stopped, I was so certain that I had been in the right…I didn't even question myself anymore."

Lily frowned. "Not very nice of her."

Cassie shook her head. "I don't think she planned it. I don't think she's smart enough to." She admitted. "Anything school related and she's brilliant. But anything outside of the curriculum? If there ever was a dumb blond, she'd be one."

They walked in silence for a few moments, before Cassie spoke in a small voice. "How do I fix things?"

"Talk. Explain. Apologize your butt off." Lily said with a smile. "I doubt Rose will refuse to listen."

"She might. I'd probably deserve it." She saw the look Lily gave her and sighed. "Alright, I entirely deserve it. I just…got all upset and… God, I am so thick."

"Yes, you are." Lily said cheerfully. "Now go find Rose and explain things. It's about time the two of you got over this."

She smiled confidently and left the girl to her thoughts. She wondered if maybe she should have been nicer about all that. But she was rather glad she'd been straightforward. It had worked wonders on her when Sirius had done it; she believed it would likely do the same for Cassie. It would certainly drive home the idea that what she'd done had been stupid.

And now, to find someone else… If Lily had anything to say about it, this ridiculous fighting would be over within the week.

She wandered outside, and spotted Remus soon after. The boy was sitting outside, leaning against the stone wall of the castle in the sunshine. He yawned widely as Lily spotted him, looking something like a great cat. Or maybe more of a dog…

"Hey Remus." She said, taking a seat beside him. He nodded to her, but was concentrating on the spell he'd been ordered to practice for Charms. As lightning curled around the end of his wand, Lily watched, waiting to speak.

"How come you're out here all by yourself?"

"Felt like it." Was the stiff reply. Lily sighed.

"So…according to just about everyone around the school, you and Sirius are having a row."

"They'd all be right."

"What about?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right, Remus." Lily's voice was flat with sarcasm. "Come on, what's this all about?"

"He's just…ugh, infuriating!"

"In what way?"

"The way he treats girls." Remus finally spat. Lily raised an eyebrow.

"What's this now?" That had not been what she was expecting.

Remus looked like he'd reached the breaking point and confessions came spilling from his mouth. "Sirius has been chasing Cassie for years. Then, when her feelings change and she likes him back, he switches and starts going after Rose. He acts as if what he wants is the only important thing in the world, and that everyone should back off so he can do what he likes."

"Alright…" Lily whispered. "And what else?"

"What do you mean what else?"

Lily smiled. "You're not telling me everything."

The boy grimaced. "I've…fancied Cassie for a long time, but I never said anything. When Sirius decided he liked her, I was upset, but I didn't fight over it. Cassie can make her own decision. Then she came asking for my help in getting her and Sirius together." The hurt in Remus's eyes was enough to make Lily's dull from their bright green. "I figured it was a lost cause, and I realized that Rose is really nice too. Then, Sirius decides to chase her instead."

"But he didn't know that you liked either of them."

"No, which is why I don't blame him for that. Not really. He wasn't doing it to me on purpose; it just worked out that way."

"I see…and your feelings for Rose?"

"I've never been closer with anyone outside the guys." Remus admitted. "And I think we'd be great together."

"But…?"

He sighed. "But, I'm not sure it's the same as what I feel for Cassie."

"You still hang out with her?"

"All the time." He admitted. "She's angry with Rose and I'm upset with Sirius, so we just kind of…bonded.

Lily smiled softly. "In that case, I do believe you already know the answer to your problem."

"Yeah…yeah I do."

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Detective Lily to the rescue! About time someone tried to straighten this up. i mean who would ever be this cruel to their characters? ...oh right. Me :D

Please review and let me what you think, you guys inspire me to keep writing!

You're Coughing Authoress,

~Whisperwings