Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, am not J.K Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter. Sorry to disappoint you.
A/N: I am sorry for the late update, but I have loads to do for school, so the updates will probably be limited to weekends for the moment, unless I have any random spare time. Please continue to review!
That was a great evil laugh, by the way ;)
Enjoy! xx
I get a response for Sirius straight after lunch, and his reply is short and to the point.
Lilybug,
Anne? Really? You think Prongs would like that posing peacock?
As for James, think drink.
Padfoot.
"Think drink? What in the name of Merlin's left sock does that mean?" I huff, waving the letter in the air as I slump down on the common room sofa next to Remus, who's finishing off his holiday homework. At my cry of anguish, he jumps, spilling ink all over his essay, and swears.
"Oh, sorry, tergeo."
Clearing the ink of with a flick of my wand, I thrust the letter at him, huffing and puffing, ridiculously grumpy.
"Think drink? What does that mean?"
"That's what I'm asking you." I whine, snatching the letter out of his hand again. "Stupid Sirius and his stupid riddles and his stupid...stupid...think drink!"
Remus turns to me, looking vaguely concerned, as I jump up with the familiar exhilaration that I get when I have an idea, turning on my heel to leave.
"Where're you going?"
"To the library!"
My feet pound on the flagstone floors as I run down the corridor, stopping with a squeal as Professor McGonagall materialises in front of me.
"Miss Evans! No running in the corridors!"
"Sorry Professor, I'm just going to the library."
"Right," She raises her eyebrows, and then seems to remember something. "Oh, Miss Evans, I must have forgotten to ask you, but there's going to be a Prefect meeting to discuss the circumstances, and as you know-"
The Transfiguration teacher keeps talking, her voice monotone, and I'm not really listening, jumping around on the balls of my feet, peering over her shoulder, tugging the sleeves of James' jumper down to cover my hands. It's only when she says something that I wasn't expecting that I'm shaken out of my reverie.
"And as Potter has decided for the moment to step down as Head Boy-"
"What?"
I swear my heart is trying to leap out of my chest, and my palms are sweating.
"I would've thought he'd have told you, seeing as you two are...courting-"
Normally I would've laughed at the word 'courting', but this isn't normally.
"But he did only owl me this morning, so I...are you quite alright, Miss Evans?"
I must look as bad as I feel, because she looks worried, and I shake my head.
"I'm alright. I just need to...sit down. Excuse me."
Practically running, I don't notice where I'm going, just that I'm going, and then I collapse at the foot of the beech tree next to the lake, where Snape betrayed me so long ago.
I hated James then.
No, I didn't. I never hated him.
I need him. And he's gone.
I left him, and now he's left me.
I curl up, shaking, trying to supress the sobs that long to escape, pressing my eyes closed, rocking myself backwards and forwards slightly until I gain control again. It takes a few minutes of slow, deep breathing before I get it together enough to stand up, brush off my clothes with shaking hands and walk slowly back to the castle.
Breath catching in my throat, I make my way up to the our common room, but it isn't our common room anymore, not really. The picture of us on the mantelpiece is gone, and I find it a minute later under my papers on the coffee table. James' blanket is gone from the sofa, and his towels are gone from the bathroom. His room is bare, all of the pictures that adorned the walls gone. The stain we made playing Gobstones at three in the morning. Gone.
The handprint on the wall from when James tried painting. Gone.
The lipstick stain on the wall I made when he dared me to kiss the wall. Gone.
Our matching inked fingerprints, touching, just above James' bed. Gone.
James. Gone.
I don't move from the sofa downstairs until I get a note from Professor McGonagall, a good hour later.
Miss Evans,
I would just like to let you know that the new temporary Head Boy is going to be Amos Diggory.
He will be returning to Hogwarts shortly in order to settle in before the rest of the students arrive.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall.
Remus comes to find me after dinner, knocking hesitantly on the door, and I yank open the door, then go back and sit heavily down on the sofa.
"Lily? Are you okay?"
"Fine, why?" I snap, and he sighs.
"You haven't moved from here since lunch, after you said you went to the library. What happened?"
I hold out the tear-stained note, and he reads it quickly.
"What...but James is Head Boy..."
"He quit. McGonagall told me."
"But...but...Diggory?"
"I know!" I say, voice rising in volume. "He's going to arrive tomorrow, and Diggory's arriving tonight, and that git's going to be Head Boy... What am I going to do?"
"Well, Sirius is going to break James' jaw, and I'll help."
"This is my fault, Remus. James can do what he wants, and I actually don't blame him for quitting. It would be weird anyway, all tense, with us two together. He probably didn't even know that Diggory would be Head Boy if he decided to quit."
"Yeah, okay." The werewolf doesn't seem convinced, but I stand up, wiping the tears away from my eyes hurriedly.
"Did I miss dinner?"
"Mmm..." Remus looks lost in thought. "Lily...I think I know what Sirius meant by think drink."
"Yeah, I've spent some time thinking, I reckon she slipped him a diluted love potion. Just enough for them to have a good time."
My voice is bitter as I brush my hair and leave it down, streaking down my back like fire and clashing with my red and gold jumper.
"Oh, Lily..." Remus is interrupted by a mild scuffle outside, and I turn to the door, cursing under my breath as a familiar figure comes sauntering in.
"Hey, babe." Diggory winks, and I turn and storm out, fighting the urge to cry.
Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
See? I can do an evil laugh too!
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Happy waiting,
She-who-loves-fanfiction (and ridiculously big cliffhangers) xx
