Authors Note: This series of short little drabbles and such is the result of a two week long writers block experiment. It amused me and helped explain a lot of the back story that happens in Before The Fawn (if you aren't reading it or haven't read it, I would suggest reading it before this as these stories will make more sense.) I've given dates to help explain the general time in which the events were happening, and the story mainly concerns Sirius and Julia, though there are snippets of Lily and James in there as well.
I'm listing it as in progress as I may add to it later, but right now I am focusing my energies on Before the Fawn (no worries if you are a reader of that story, I have not abandoned it, I simply took a break due to the Holidays and the chaos that consumed my household.).
Also, these have NOT been reviewed by a beta, only by myself and spell check. So if there are gramatical/spelling/other errors, I apologize and will correct them as I see them. Otherwise, please try to look past them and see this for what it was meant to be... a simple amusing tale that helped me overcome my writers block.
Later sections will become "intimate," just be aware.
Thanks!
Andelyn
January 1975
Fourth Year
"Passing Stranger!"
"Liii -ly…"
"What?" Lily asked waspishly, not liking the tone of Julia's voice.
"You know, I've never seen a girl get so uptight about a boy having a crush on her," mused Julia thoughtfully. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you returned James Potter's affections."
"Well, you know better… and I don't. He's a bully; he's arrogant, and obtuse and-"
"Obtuse? He's very intelligent! Top in our-"
"Mary, I know this," Lily replied, interrupting her other roommate who had decided to join the conversation. "But he's insensitive… annoyingly insensitive. For example, last time he asked me to Hogsmeade he said, and I quote, 'it's not as though you have anything else going on,'" she told them, mocking James' deep voice.
"You didn't have anything going on," sniggered Julia.
"Well what if I had? And that's a very presumptuous thing to say," Lily snorted. "For all he knows I could have boys lined up asking me out and-"
"You do… Potter, Aubrey, Linghold, Snape…" Mary interjected.
Lily rolled her eyes. "He's presumptuous, and arrogant. I'm honestly surprised he doesn't float away with that ego balloon of his tied around his neck."
Julia laughed and Mary sniggered. Just then there was a minor commotion from the other side of the Library, and the three girls looked up to see Sirius Black walk in, followed closely by James Potter. "See," Lily said, pointing to the pair, "Look at how he struts around. And all those girls… ugh! Look at how they fawn over the pair of them," she grumbled.
"You've got to admit, Black is… and Potter as well, they're both very attractive," offered Mary.
"Oh, she admits that," Julia said with a laugh. "What was it you said getting off the train after the Holidays? Something about you'd fancy a snog if you could silence either of them for a while," she teased, watching Lily's ears go red.
"I didn't say he wasn't attractive," Lily replied haughtily, "I said he's arrogant, and he prances arrogantly, and struts arrogantly and-"
"And he's arrogantly strutting this way," Mary whispered, grinning as Lily sat up straight and stiff in her chair.
James' heart was pounding; Sirius was beside him, gently prodding him forward toward the table full of Gryffindor girls; Gryffindor girls that included Lily Evans. Lily Evans… who had already turned James down four times; Lily Evans, with her dark red hair and her startling green eyes… and her long legs and shapely hips. Lily Evans… who last time he asked her out said he was wasting his time. How could he be wasting his time? She was amazing, definitely not a waste of time. "She's going to say yes…"
Sirius nodded beside him, clapping him on the back enthusiastically. "She's got to say yes… it's poetry for God's sake. She's a girl, she'll love this… if not-"
"If not, I'll be on my knees in front of her begging her to say yes just for the sake of my reputation," James replied darkly.
"You're reputation will be fine," Sirius encouraged. "There are plenty of other birds who will have you. Look at them all… Flutterhorn thinks you've got it, and she's foxy. Annie Paulson, Cora Danford…that Isabelle bird who visits from France, she's fit. Even Tottleham-"
"Tottleham is nice, and Isabelle is… well she just is… but she's not Lily. None of them are Lily," insisted James. "Look at her… she's gorgeous… she looks like-"
"She looks like she's going to punch you in the mouth," Sirius sniggered. "All right, here we are…"
Sirius plopped himself down next to Julia, giving her a sly grin as she observed him with narrowed eyes. James walked around the table over to where Lily was sitting. Her back was pressed against her chair as though she was afraid he'd stab her if it weren't for the protection of the wood. Her posture was incredibly stiff; there was a long scrawl on the piece of paper she had been writing on, and her hand was still gripping the quill so tightly James wondered how it didn't break.
And those eyes, she was looking at him with those emerald green eyes… she was glaring at him with those emerald green eyes. Her lips were pressed tightly together, James wondered if they'd ever come apart… then he randomly began to imagine kissing her as he spoke. "Er… Wotcher, Evans… nice evening isn't it?" he began shakily, running a hand through his tousled hair. James cleared his throat, wondering why his voice had suddenly risen three octaves.
"It's all right," muttered Lily, shifting away from him and turning back to her home work.
"So… er… Hogsmeade weekend is Saturday… supposed to be nice out, did you hear? And… and it's your birthday too… isn't it?" he continued, glancing at Sirius for support. He was biting his lip to keep from laughing, Julia was watching James with a mixture of admiration and sympathy, and Mary MacDonald was staring eagerly at him, as though waiting for him to mess up.
"That's the rumor," Lily replied, not looking up at him.
"You know… I was… well, I was um… r-reading something and it made me think of … it made me think about you. It wasn't Charms either… I already know how charming you are, ha, ha… ha…" James sputtered, watching Lily flinch at his attempted joke. He sat down next to her in a chair; it creaked loudly, very loudly… so loudly that it felt like the entire library was now looking over at them. James sighed, shaking himself off slightly and mustering up his courage; Sirius was right, there was no way she could say no to this …
Lily turned to him, her eyes loaded with irritation. "Potter-"
"'Passing stranger!'" James began, much louder than he intended. Lily turned her eyes on him, her expression blazing and fierce, her cheeks a firey scarlet. Somehow it made her even more attractive, which should not be allowed, James thought. "You… you do not know how longingly I look upon you. You must be she I was seeking… it… it comes to me as a dream-"
Lily exhaled slowly, her face felt hot as she stared at Potter. She had to stop him; not only was this humiliating for her, it seemed to be painfully embarrassing to him. "Potter… stop… otherwise these dreams you speak of will become nightmares-"
James plodded on, ignoring her warning; not because he didn't hear it, but because he didn't seem to be able to stop himself. He tripped over his words, speaking much faster than he had practiced. "I have somewhere surely lived a life of… of joy… with you. As is recalled, we… we fit … we fit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste… matured."
"Potter-"
"You grew up with me, were a girl with me, I ate with you and … and slept with you," James quoted, ignoring the ripple of giggles that echoed through the small crowd that had come to occupy the tables closest to where they were seated. "Your body has become not only yours, nor left my body only mine."
"My body is about to clobber you," Lily interjected, glaring sternly at James and trying valiantly to ignore the sniggers in their direction. To her horror, James chuckled slightly and continued on.
"You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh as we pass. You-"
"POTTER!" She shouted, ignoring the sniggers from the group of onlookers. "Enough! Enough, all right? No… whatever you were going to ask the answer is no," she said in a low voice.
"Wait," James insisted, taking her hand and staring into her eyes. "At least let me get to the part that made me think of you…"
Lily didn't think it possible, but her face grew even redder. For some reason, James seemed encouraged by this development and continued on. "I am to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night, alone. I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again, I am to see to it that I do not lose you."
As he finished, he sighed with relief and relaxed into the chair, still holding her hand with his shaky fingers. Lily's expression softened against her will; that had taken a lot of effort to memorize, she thought. And the amount of thought that went into it… it was a very specific poem, not something that one just pulled out of a random book. Perhaps-
"So…Evans, is it still a no?" said James, smiling proudly and leaning closer to her. "You've got to admit, you're a bit curious about having my body become yours…"
"See?" asked Lily in a scathing voice, snatching her hand back from James' and glaring at him. "See! That's…There… there's your no. You just lost me… you said 'I am to see to it that I do not lose you,' and you just lost me. No, Potter. And just to stay ahead of you, no, no, no, no, no, for the next five times you ask me as well."
"How can you say no to that?" asked James, watching as she stood up and began to gather her books. He felt horrified, everyone was staring, and she looked angry, very angry. What had he said? "It … it was Whittleman! How can you say no to that?"
"Very easily… effortless really" replied Lily in a scathing tone. "And it's Whit-man… not Whittle-man. Details, Potter… you've got the flashiness down… but it's the littlest details that you consistently fail at," she said, turning away from him so sharply that her hair whipped him in the face. There were several chuckles over her comments, and then she stormed out the door and into the hall, leaving James sitting their dumbfounded.
"She said no," he repeated, looking at Sirius for advice. Then he frowned, he wasn't going to get any consolation there. Sirius was staring at Julia with a curious expression on his face, and Julia was staring right back, matching his expression with a wicked grin. "Oi… she said no."
"Try Yeats, Potter," said Julia lightly. "I think she prefers Yeats."
"Yeast?"
"Yeats," Julia reiterated, not taking her eyes off of Sirius. "Y-E-A-T-S. W.B. Yeats."
"Do you like Yeats?" Sirius asked Julia.
"Depends on who's reading it," she replied simply, gathering her things to go after Lily.
"I'm reading it," said Sirius, standing up to block her path. "I'm reading it to you."
Julia laughed, nodding at Mary who was sniggering uncontrollably. "Oh, Sirius Black. Sirius…" she said, glancing curiously at Sirius to fill in his middle name.
"Orion," he said proudly.
"Hmm… your parents are stargazers then. Well… Dog Star Hunter Black… I'm not sure you could properly interpret a Yeats poem, let alone maintain enough composure to read through it. Besides that, haven't you pranks to plan and first years to torment?" she asked. "When would you ever have time for me?"
And with that, she nodded toward Mary and they flitted off out the door and down the hall. James watched them go, still feeling confused about Lily's rejection and a little embarrassed over all the people that witnessed it. "She said no," he mentioned again.
"I like that girl," Sirius admitted, still staring after Julia. "She's feisty… I like her."
*~*~*~*SJSJSJSJ*~*~*~*~*
June 1975
Fourth Year
Bad Boys
"Look at them all, they've gotten so much taller and –"
"Accept for Pettigrew," said Julia matter-of-factly. "Pettigrew is still pretty short."
"There is nothing wrong with being short," said Mary. "I quite like it. I can duck under things easily, I can avoid detection… it comes in handy."
Julia chuckled. "Well, you may like it, but it doesn't appear that Pettigrew does; I don't see how he could with Potter towering over him like that. He's got to be what… five foot eight? Five-"
"He's six feet tall," said Lily lightly, taking a drink of her punch as she sat down next to her friends. "He was bragging about it to Max the other day. 'I believe I can see a bald spot, Max… taking after your father aren't you?'"
Julia and Mary both laughed, but Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Lils… I agree with Jules, they are all very nice to look at. Black's hair and his eyes, Potter and that smile of his, Peter's very cute in a boyish way, and Lupin has got those big hands..." Mary described, trailing off as she gazed over at the four boys.
"Plus he's got those scars," added Julia. "I don't know what they're from, but they make him kind of… sexy… maybe he's a bad boy."
"He runs around with bad boys," said Lily darkly.
"They're not all bad," said Julia, watching as Mary nodded in agreement with her observation. "I know you hate that they get up to all those pranks and teasing, but-"
"But nothing. They got after Westpelt the other day, hung him out the Astronomy tower and-"
"He's a little wank," said Mary. "Probably deserved it."
"No he didn't. And Severus-"
Julia and Mary groaned. "No… Lily, don't," said Julia, holding her hand up. "Snape is creepy; I don't see how you can hang round with him. He probably deserves every hex they give him, and he's not so innocent in the matter either."
"He's only defending himself. They're always after him," Lily replied defensively.
"Whatever… I know you're friends with him, and God love you for being loyal, but he's a creep," said Mary.
Lily grimaced and rolled her eyes, but refrained from defending Snape any further. She knew they had a point, but she saw the good in Severus. It was there, buried under the defensive, skulking exterior, he was brave and loyal. Why he chose to associate himself with certain Slytherins she'd never understand, but over the summers he and she had a bond no one understood. He was her connection to the magical world; a world that seemed so distant when she was home with her parents in Hedge End.
"… think Black is particularly sexy," Julia was saying as Lily drew herself back into the conversation. "His voice is like … red wine, or some kind of dark German chocolate; he's got those eyes, and I love his hair. But he can't take a thing seriously."
"Sirius can't be serious?" Mary joked.
Julia laughed. "Sirius' seriousness is seriously debatable."
"Such a serious conversation, about such a serious subject, should definitely include the opinion of someone serious," said James' voice from next to where the girls sat. "Don't you think so, Sirius?"
"I seriously agree," his dark voice crooned, leaning over Julia. She rolled her eyes but remained relaxed as he moved closer. "Think I'm sexy, do you? Seriously sexy?"
"You know who's seriously sexy?" asked Julia, ignoring Sirius' comment.
"Who?" asked Mary.
"Amos Diggory," she said, nodding toward the seventh year Hufflepuff. "He's got sexy hair as well, and those blue, blue eyes."
"Diggory is a wank… seriously," snorted Sirius.
Julia chuckled. "Perhaps… but that wank is gesturing that he wants to dance with me," she said, smiling brightly as she stood and walked seductively over toward where Diggory was standing. Sirius looked like someone had slapped him over the head.
"Evans," said Potter, his voice low and mature. "It's a dance after all… would you care to-"
"No."
"You didn't even wait to hear what I was going to ask," said James, frowning slightly.
"I don't care if you were going to ask me to dance or ask me the time, the answer is no," she said coolly, getting to her feet and walking away.
Mary sniggered and leaned back in her chair. "Sorry boys, your luck is out."
"You're still free," Sirius pointed out.
"Not for long," Mary replied. At that moment, Peter came over to join them and held out his hand, which Mary took with a smile and followed him onto the floor.
Sirius sat down grumpily in her vacated chair. "Where's Moony?"
"Over there," James said, pointing across the hall to where Remus was sitting talking with Samantha Pitchfield from Ravenclaw. "He's probably asking her about the Transfiguration test… though he should be asking her to dance. I think she fancies him."
"Well, both of them are better off than we are," Sirius grumbled. "Look at that! Look at that smarmy wanker," he said, gesturing towards Julia and Diggory. He was holding her very close, teasingly stroking her hair and whispering into her ear. "Git."
"Yeah… well at least you got ditched for someone halfway decent," said James, suddenly very angry. "Look at that."
He pointed across the hall to where Lily was standing in the entrance way talking to Snape. "LOOK! She'll talk to that git, now and all through lessons, but she won't give me the time of day. She'll walk around the grounds with him and laugh at things he says, but she won't even look at me."
"Perhaps she's into dark stuff," mused Sirius thoughtfully.
"She's not… she's not into the Dark Arts. There's got to be a reason. Maybe she pities him, maybe-"
"She's a bit pitiful herself if you ask me," Sirius interjected.
"What does that mean?" asked James, throwing Sirius an angry glare.
"Mate, I don't get it. I don't get what you see in her," he explained. "Evans is a looker, yes… but there are numerous other birds that will have you. Why not-"
"Because I don't want to, that's why not," James snapped. Sirius grimaced, but dropped the subject. It was impossible to change James' mind about Lily Evans. He was stubborn, they all knew that, but he was particularly stubborn about her. Why he was stuck on one girl when he could have ten others, Sirius didn't know.
But then Sirius began to ask himself the same question. He was watching Julia Tottleham avidly, feeling an inexplicable amount of jealousy over Diggory touching her. Furious with the feelings, and irritated at James for being stuck on Evans when she obviously wanted nothing to do with him, Sirius stood up and walked over to where Evelyn Fosters was sitting with the rest of her roommates. She'd always been a looker, keen to his compliments, and a fantastic kisser… Sirius knew it would be easy to take his mind off Julia.
*~*~*~*SJSJSJSJ*~*~*~*~*
August 1975
Summer Prior to Fifth Year
Wanted
This is nice, James thought as Isabelle brushed her tongue gently against his. It's very nice, she feels nice. Her skin felt soft under his hands, and she had absolutely no issues with letting him explore. Females are wonderful, James thought as he kissed her deeply. They always smell nice, and they make the most wonderful sounds… girl curves, and soft girl parts, and girl secrets…
"Kiss me zhere, Jamez," Isabelle whispered, arching her back and rocking her hips under his hand. She flicked her tongue against his lips, causing him to groan aloud. "Please…"
"You know," James murmured into her kisses, "I'll kiss you there, and then I'll want more…"
Isabelle giggled, dragging her fingers through his hair roughly. "But zhen you will never write to me."
"Do you want me to write to you?" asked James, pausing his movements.
She shook her head. "Nah… eet is a summar zhing we have…"
James pouted. "Is zhat all I am to you? A zhing?" he teased, mimicking her accent.
She giggled again, her voice thick with lust. "You are a good zhing… I like visiting here… you make my visits worthwhile, Jamez…"
"Well that's nice."
"But you 'ave your girlz at school… and I 'ave my boyz… so les not get too carried away, oui?"
James nodded, kissing her again. He stared at her face, she was very pretty; creamy white skin, bright hazel eyes… and her hair. The reddish streaks among the curls… it reminded him of Lily Evans. It was different than her hair… but it reminded him of it none the less.
"So, Jamez… are you going to kiss me?" she asked in a seductive whisper.
James groaned, burying his face in her neck as he pushed her skirt up over her thighs. Summer things were nice, especially when they wanted you the way that Lily Evans did not…
*~*~*~*SJSJSJSJ*~*~*~*~*
November 1975
Fifth Year
Being a Prefect
"Gryffindor with the Quaffle… Adams makes the pass, is it blocked? – No! Potter Scores! Gryffindor takes the lead eight to seventy!" Justin Sennett screeched, his reedy voice indignant over Gryffindor's lead. The Slytherin side of the crowd booed and hissed in response to James' goal; he flew past the red and gold supporters and smiled proudly, waving his hands at his admirers.
"He is too much," said Marlene, chuckling lightly.
"He's brilliant!" shouted Sirius from behind her. Marlene and Julia turned to see him, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and several other Gryffindor boys shirtless in the cold weather with letters painted across their chests.
"Merlin's Beard," sputtered Julia, stifling her giggles behind her hand. "It's a bit cold for that, isn't it?"
"Never!" Sirius insisted. "Our manliness cannot be contained on days such as this… when victory is near and-"
"Just make sure there aren't any panes of glass around during your victory dance," said Lily as she moved to sit next to Julia. "The row of you might cut it in half if you came too close."
Marlene and Julia laughed loudly as Lily grinned wickedly at them, her eyes flickering back to the line of boys appraisingly. "It's not a bad view I suppose," she said lightly.
"I have no complaints," said Julia with a giggle, with Marlene nodding in agreement.
The match went on, and ended with Gryffindor defeating Slytherin two-hundred and fifty to one-hundred thirty. The after party was very raucous; Lily, anxious to prove herself worthy as a prefect, tried to follow Alice Vanceton's example and contain the excitement, but she found that no one paid attention her attempts to control the rowdiness.
"Well, I'm a failure at this," she muttered to Mary. "I can't even get them to listen to me."
"You aren't a failure," soothed Mary. "You're new at this; you've just got to be more assertive."
"I am assertive," said Lily defensively.
"You are, but you are also too nice. Look at Alice, they're scared of her," said Mary admiringly. "She's got this thing down. Just… be scary."
"Scary," said Lily thoughtfully.
Her moment arrived twenty seconds later when, in an attempt to be dashing, James Potter leapt onto the table in front of Lily and Mary (splashing them both with drinks), and then jumped in between them, slinging his arms around both their shoulders.
"Ladies… did you see the score? Did you notice that seven out of the ten goals we scored were done by yours truly?" he asked, nodding toward Lily and gazing at her as though she should be impressed. "Team effort was good… but if it keeps up this way I'm looking at captain next year and-"
"Potter!" Lily snapped. "Get your arm off my shoulder; you just splattered my trainers and khakis with butterbeer if you didn't notice – obviously you didn't notice – and you broke the table. This party is officially out of hand," she announced, standing up and waving her hands. "It's after eleven… bed… everyone!"
The room went silent for a fraction of a second, then sniggers and laughter began to echo throughout it. Lily's face went red, a wave of embarrassment rolling over her. Seventh year Ceradoc Dearborn shook his head, still laughing at her attempt at authority. "Evans… lighten up. It's-"
"No, she's right," said Remus, standing up from the corner and looking to Alice for support. Alice nodded and began to motion toward the stairs. Amidst groans and protests, the students began traipsing up the stairs, a few of them muttering scathing words toward Lily as they passed. Julia entered the portrait hole, a curious look on her face as she watched the students. Eventually the room cleared out, and only Mary, Lily, the four Marauders, Alice and Julia were left.
Alice cleared her throat. "I trust you can all find your rooms. G'night," she said lightly. "Um… nice job today, Potter," she added, then turned her soft gaze to Lily, a meaningful look in her brown eyes. "It'll get easier."
Lily nodded, feeling randomly out of control for a moment. Being a Prefect was something she had looked forward to, something she felt she'd be good at. She'd had good crowd control skills, she was good with kids. But she felt like a kid…
She felt like a kid without a father, which was what she was. All her strength had been poured into keeping herself together, keeping her own mind from falling apart while her mother grieved and her sister piled guilt on her for having to leave home. She had been strong, and not cried, since she'd been back at Hogwarts, and she'd thought for a fleeting moment that maybe she'd been strong enough to exercise some sort of control.
She'd been wrong.
"Well, that was interesting," said James, breaking the silence. "I didn't mean to splash you, Evans; I suppose I was a bit exuberant. But didn't you see it? That third goal was amazing and-"
"Aren't you a student?" she growled quietly.
"Pardon?"
"Aren't - you – a - student?" she snapped, turning her glare on James and watching with sick satisfaction as he flinched away. "Shouldn't you be heading to your bed? Being Quidditch-God-Of-The-Moment doesn't make you above the rest of them. Go on, get to your bed," she growled, standing up and pointing toward the stairs.
Mary bit her lip and looked at Julia, who was watching Lily with a sad expression. Mary took a deep breath. "Lils-"
"Don't 'Lils' me… go to bed," she hissed at Mary. "Go… bed… NOW!"
Sirius made a scathing noise and nodded his head toward the stairs. Peter followed behind him sheepishly, while James gave Lily a bewildered look and walked backwards toward the staircase, never taking his eyes off her as he walked up stairs. Mary snorted derisively and followed, but Julia stayed behind, as did Remus.
"Lily," Julia said quietly. "It will get easier."
"I have no control. I can't do this… I can't," Lily sniffed, her voice wavering as she moved quickly past her toward the stairs. She paused at the bottom, turning over back over her shoulder and breathing slowly as she spoke. "Lu-… Remus," she said quietly, "thank you… thanks for standing up."
"Yeah… anytime," he replied.
She nodded, then turned around and headed upstairs.
Julia let out a long sigh and Remus looked poignantly at her. "That had nothing to do with being a Prefect… did it," he said into the silence, an observation rather than a question.
Julia smirked, it was a sad smile. "Remus Lupin… you are infinitely more perceptive than your peers," she grinned. "No… that had nothing to do with being a prefect."
*~*~*~*SJSJSJSJ*~*~*~*~*
December 1st, 1975
Fifth Year
Avoidance
Sirius sat down at a table across from James, his expression intent and his eyes determined. James did not look up.
"You can't avoid me forever," began Sirius. "We live in the same room, mate."
"I hadn't planned on avoiding you forever," explained James. "I planned on avoiding you until I went to bed tonight. Then, I planned on pummeling you in your sleep."
"You aren't going to pummel me for –"
"Yes, actually… I am."
"Prongs, this is mental. She's not even your girlfriend! She doesn't-"
"I don't care, Sirius… I don't care that she's not my girlfriend, I don't care that she doesn't like me or that she thinks I'm a bullying yob, or whatever…" James interrupted, trying to control the volume of his voice. He opened his mouth but Sirius interrupted him.
"James… listen to me. There are other birds, all right? There are… And she said it, flat out; she said she was through being nice about it and pushed you out of your chair. You don't have a chance; you've got to get over this … this crush. That's all it is… it's a crush. You're getting all whiney and depressed over it. It's pathetic, mate… it really is. You are James Potter; Quidditch star! Popular, brilliant, every-girl-wants-in-your-pants James Potter!" Sirius insisted. "You cannot let some know-it-all ginger bint ruin your confidence."
"She's not ruining my confidence," snapped James. "You don't get it… I like her. Don't ask me why… but I do. I really think she'll come around if I just-"
"She's not going to come around James! This is sad… you are better than this!" Sirius growled, raising his voice. "You missed full moon… you missed out on full moon just for a chance to follow her around. And for what? You didn't get anywhere! She said no, again –"
"I'm fully aware that she said no," said James calmly. "You don't get it. You don't… it-"
"Explain it to me then, since I apparently don't get it," suggested Sirius, drumming his fingers impatiently on the table.
James huffed. "First off, something is going on with her. She's… off this year, and I can't put my finger on it, but she is. And I … I want to know why she doesn't like me. I want to know what it is with her. Plus… I just can't it out of my head that she … she's so nice to everyone; she's nice to Snivellus! And aside from the fact that she's fit as hell…she's sweet, and I want to know more about that. I just… I like her, all right?"
Sirius nodded, then his expression became angry. "Well, I don't. All Right? I don't like her. I don't like her because she's snotty; I don't like her because she's friends with Snivellus. I don't like her for acting high-and-mighty all the time."
"Well, I do like her. I like her, and you don't get a say in who I fancy… all right? If there was a girl you fancied for more than five seconds, and I referred to her as a know-it-all bint, or a stuck-up cow, you'd be pissed off as well," James muttered angrily.
"Maybe… but I probably wouldn't take you seriously," shrugged Sirius.
"That's because you never take anything seriously," snapped James, grabbing his books and heading out the door.
Sirius drummed his fingers on the table, thinking over his continued argument with James. He was still angry at Lily for humiliating his friend. She didn't need to shout at him for asking her out, again, (though, Sirius had to admit it was getting old). She definitely didn't need to punch him in the shoulder and knock him out of his chair. She was acting like a stuck-up cow; she should just give him a chance.
There was a loud bang as a book was slammed down in front of Sirius. He looked up, startled, to see the astonishingly blue eyes of Julia Tottleham glaring down at him. Her blonde hair was pulled away from her face, and her jaw line was set at a funny angle; she looked gloriously angry, and Sirius found himself smirking as a thrill of excitement raced through him.
"Wotcher, Tottle," he said lightly.
"Shut up," she snapped. "Did I hear Potter right? I heard you call Lily a 'know-it-all, ginger bint', but did you call her a stuck-up cow as well?"
Sirius gave her a curious look. "Eavesdropper."
"Answer my question."
"Yeah… I did," said Sirius defensively. "She is acting like a stuck-up cow. What's she got against Prongs, eh? What's he done to her?"
"Prongs?" asked Julia.
"James… nicknames. What's he done to make her so angry?"
"Stalked her, for one… besides that, he's not actually interested in her; all he ever tries to talk to her about is how great he is… who wants to hear about that?" Julia snorted.
"I know a few girls don't mind hearing about how great Prongs is," Sirius replied matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, and all those girls are a bit dead behind the eyes, don't you think?"
Sirius considered her, nodding and smirking a little. "Point taken. Evans is brilliant, yes, but she doesn't need to be such a bitch-"
"DON'T!" snapped Julia. "That is my best friend you are talking about; shut your mouth. Potter is a bloody pillock who only thinks about himself."
"Hey, Potter is my best mate and-"
"You insulted Lily first… so now we're even."
"All right, all right… take it easy. But Lily is being a snob, you have to admit that," Sirius said, holding out an accusing finger.
Julia rolled her eyes. "You'd know all about being snobby wouldn't you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you are a stuck-up arse most of the time," Julia replied, picking her book up off the table. "That's right… I called you an arse, Sirius Orion Black… a stuck-up arse to be precise. That's what Lily's problem is with you, with Potter… with all of you!" she hissed. "You all walk around here like you own the castle; you and Potter think you're so brilliant just because you can pull off every charm and transfiguration spell we're presented with," she continued, ignoring Sirius' noises of protest.
"Well, you obviously don't think I'm that stuck up if you think I'm sexy," he said, narrowing his eyes as he called her out on the comments she'd made at the ball last year.
Sirius expected her to blush, or at least become sheepish, but a wicked smile came over Julia's face. She looked stunning; wickedly, gloriously, beautiful… "I might think you're sexy, Black… but you're just like all the admirers you've got following you and Potter through the halls."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning you're all fur coat and no knickers," said Julia, turning toward the door with a haughty look.
Sirius grinned as he watched her go. "You'd like to see my knickers!" he called after her.
Julia paused. "The fact that you just admitted to wearing knickers… Yeah… that's a bit creepy, Black… but to each his own I suppose."
Sirius chuckled, knowing by the end of the day the rumor that he wore knickers would be all over the castle. "I like that girl," he said aloud.
*~*~*~*SJSJSJSJ*~*~*~*~*
December 20th 1975
Mistletoe
"He is a git," Julia was saying to Lily as they walked down the hall. "But he's right… I do think he's sexy."
"Well, brilliant," Lily muttered, rolling her eyes. "That's all he needs to hear… between the two of them their egos could feed a starving nation of awkward teenage girls looking for approval."
Julia laughed. "Come on… he's a git, but he's a good-looking git."
"Good-looking or not… I'm thoroughly convinced that Remus is the only decent one in the bunch," Lily replied.
"You could go out with Remus," suggested Julia.
Lily shook her head. "He's pleasant… but he's ill frequently, it's rather strange. Besides that, I enjoy his company… and I have the sneaking suspicion that if he and I were to date, or if I were to show a bit of interest in him, Potter might murder him on principle, and that would make me sad."
Julia laughed. "He does seem keen to take out any and all competition for you."
"By only bragging about how wonderful he is," she growled. "God… he doesn't know a thing about me. I bet he doesn't even know what color my eyes are."
"Lily," said Julia with a chuckle, "everyone in the school knows what color your eyes are. You can't miss them… they're like emerald beacons."
Lily laughed and shook her head, feeling her cheeks color over Julia's compliment. "So, if you find Black so sexy… why-"
"Because, he's an arrogant git… he doesn't stay with a girl for more than one afternoon, I know this first hand from Evelyn, and marriage is not in the cards for me."
"I didn't say marry him, just… I don't know… go on a date-"
"No… I can't picture Black on a date. Though," Julia said thoughtfully, "a good snogging session wouldn't be awful. I wonder what kind of a kisser he is… he has very nice lips."
Lily giggled and blushed. "You'd know more than I would."
They had changed the subject to their recent Transfiguration task of vanishing items when Lily stopped suddenly at the top of the stairs. She nodded her head to the sprig of mistletoe hanging down from one of the picture frames halfway down the stairs, and then turned her eyes towards the pair of boys heading up toward them. "We should find a different path," she suggested.
"Oh… we'll just wait for them to pass it then we'll walk by them," Julia said. "I'm not walking to all across the castle and back… I want to go to the tower now."
Julia started down the stairs, smirking when James' face lit up at the sight of her and Lily. He intentionally slowed his walking, musing lightly about how nice it was to stroll the hallways after dinner. Sirius sniggered and continued up the stairs, grinning wickedly at Julia's narrowed eyes.
Lily suddenly stepped on Julia's heel, causing her to jump down two steps until she was level with Sirius. The mistletoe above them let out a whooping yell. "TIIIIIME FOR A KISS!"
Julia and Sirius glanced at each other as the Mistletoe began to taunt them. Sirius looked dumbfounded, but a little pleased as he appraised Julia, who was glaring angrily at a sniggering Lily.
"Oh ho, look at this; two's company, three's a crowd, four is… well… I'll see you back at the tower, Julia! Looks like you'll have even more information for me then!" she said, barely containing her laughter as she snuck by the two of them and past James, who was frowning slightly over his missed opportunity.
"Well, Tottle… it's threatening to bite our ankles if we don't kiss… I'm rather fond of my ankles," Sirius said, giving Julia a seductive look.
"Prat… just get it over with," she hissed. Sirius grinned, and then he kissed her.
Julia expected it to be a peck, perhaps a lingering kiss; but it wasn't. One of Sirius' hands threaded softly into her hair, the other snaking around her waist as he pulled her close. He leaned forward and hummed appreciatively against her lips as he tenderly kissed her, then increased the intensity slightly. Julia found herself relaxing; her hands that had been balled into fists at her sides were now sliding up his arms and around his broad shoulders. Sirius deepened the kiss by gently brushing her lips with his tongue, moaning almost inaudibly as he breathed her in. Julia felt dizzy, lightheaded, and she whimpered slightly when his tongue moved against hers. This was not what she expected; it was better. Sirius Black was good kisser… better than Amos Diggory, much better than Court Huffton… and he tasted like chocolate mixed with peppermint. It was intoxicating.
Sirius was taken aback at Julia's acceptance of his slightly aggressive maneuvers. He had expected her to pull away in protest, but she softened against him and allowed him to kiss her deeply. Her sweet smelling hair was soft in his hands, and she felt warm in his arms. He kissed her hungrily, his tongue tracing against hers as she submitted to his will and then fought for control. She broke the kiss once to inhale sharply, then kissed him again, just as eager to return to the task as he was to continue it.
"Great googly," laughed James. "I should have brought my camera… this is quite the show!"
Julia's senses returned. She was not allowed to do this, not the snogging itself, but getting emotional with the snogging. She had no business getting emotional with anyone; she felt bad enough about her attachment to Lily, she didn't need another person to grieve over her when she was gone…
She gripped Sirius fiercely one last time, then broke the kiss, smirking at his closed eyes and the way he held onto her. It felt nice… too nice. "Well, Black… you exceeded my expectations, so there's your ego boost for the week," she said matter-of-factly, licking her lips and grinning as she tasted him again. "You boys have a good night doing… whatever it is you are off to do."
She smirked and threw her hair over her shoulder, nonchalantly walking away as though kissing someone deeply in a stairwell was an everyday occurrence. Sirius licked his lips; he tasted cinnamon… he threw James a bewildered look.
"That was… that was… well-"
"I like that girl," Sirius announced, his voice shaking with surprised laughter.
*~*~*~*SJSJSJSJ*~*~*~*~*
