Once again, this part's rather short, and I'm sorry about that, but I told you about the Italian exchange students who were here the last week. And as we went out every evening, I got just about four hours of sleep every day. So blame my lack of sleep if you don't like this part, not me, okay? Those Italian boys are really cute, I have to add. And yeah, I'll make sure that my lovely boyfriend isn't anywhere near me when he reads this... *grins*
To all those who're waiting for the next part of 'As we go on...': I'll try to write it ASAP!
I'd love you to hate me
III.
When James followed Lily to the table a few minutes later, two creamy butterbears clutched in his hands, he was not exactly pleased to find her talking to two wizards, a bit older than him. He wasn't jealous - why would he be jealous of a boy who was talking to Evans? - but after all, they had to work, therefore it would be a good idea of her to say goodbye to her drooling admirers.
Steaming inwardly, James pulled out the chair across from Lily, sat down, banging the drinks on the table, and shot the two boys an angry and - as they were much too busied gazing at the red-haired girl - unnoticed glance. If James didn't know better, he'd have said that she looked almost relieved to see him, however, she gave him a barely noticeable smile, then turned around at her admirers.
"Sorry, guys, but you'd better leave us alone. We have to do some work."
"Work?" One of the two, a tall, blue-eyed boy with blond hair that was sticking up in every way, eyed James suspiciously. Not calmed down by what he was seeing - after all, James is fairly cute, Lily thought, just to slap herself mentally a moment later - he darted him his most threatening glare.
This wasn't enough to intimidate James, though. Casually leaning back in his chair, hands relaxed on the table and a slight smile playing on his lips, he calmly met the boy's eyes. "I don't know why she wants you to go away. I don't care if you're watching Evans and me snogging or not."
He watched with a surprisingly deep satisfaction the boy's face paling, then it turned a bright pink before the boy forced a short goodbye and left, followed by a few feet distance by his friend, who managed a smile.
Lily watched their exit, then she wriggled a brow at James. "Snogging?"
His grin faltered for a moment. "If you're not able or willing to get rid of your burning admirers when we have to work, Evans, then I have to see to it."
"You're not jealous, are you?" She stared at him, her bright green eyes widely open in surprise.
James' jaw dropped. "Why the hell would I be jealous?"
Because you like her, of course!
I don't.
Yes, you do. May I remember you how you were gazing at her after the match? Even Sirius noticed.
That's not an argument. Sirius sees everything he isn't supposed to see.
But you admit that you were gazing at her?
So what? Maybe I think she's beautiful, but that doesn't mean that I like her!
Yeah, right.
Could you please stop being so sarcastic? And why am I bothering with you, anyway?
'Cause I'm right.
Yeeeaaah, sure. So what are you? My oh-so-well-informed subconscious?
Exactly.
Oh, shut up!
"What?" James blinked, realizing that Lily must have said something as she was looking at him expectantly.
"What 'what'?"
"What did you say?"
"You didn't understand?"
"Actually, I understood very well, I just wanted to hear your oh-so-sweet voice again. - Evans, of course I didn't understand, would I ask you to repeat it otherwise?"
She shrugged. "How am I supposed to know what you're thinking in that head of yours? Though now, that I think about it... Probably nothing."
"Evans. There are two possibilities now. Number 1: We'll go to McGonagall, try to make her put us together with another partner and receive a week of detention and a lecture about how we should pull ourselves together to get along. Number two: We'll try to be, well, not nice to each other 'cause that's too much for you, but at least not that bitchy as you always acting towards me."
"I'm not acting like a bitch. Well, at least not if you're not around."
James sighed silently. "Then why don't you just imagine that I'm another person, only until we're done with this project?"
"How could I imagine that you're someone else if I have to watch out every single second that you don't get any opportunity to curse me?"
"Oh, so that's why you wanted to meet me in the Three Broomsticks?"
Lily nodded. "As long as there are a lot of adult wizards around, you won't try it."
"What if I promise to wait with my revenge till we've finished?"
"You'd do that?" Lily stared, then whistled quietly. "In this case, this really is important for you."
"Unlike you, I know how useful a counterspell or something else against Avada Kedavra would be."
"And I'm not aware of that? Potter, my parents were killed by Voldemort with this curse just two months ago, and you think that I don't know how important a counterspell would be? - What?" she added, seeing his shocked face. "Are you also trembling whenever you hear his name? Voldemort. Vol-de-mort!"
James wasn't thinking of that, though. "He killed your parents?" he asked quietly. "Voldemort killed your parents?"
For a few seconds, Lily was lost for words as she was looking at her supposed-to-be enemy. Only that he wasn't watching her with the expression of hate she usually thought to discover in his eyes. It was more like... sympathy? Pity? Thoughtfulness? Or maybe... liking? No, this was impossible, he was Mr. Popular James Potter, Qudditch star, every girl's dream and besides unbelievable annoying. She shook her head. "What's it to you? As if you would care about the death of some Muggles!"
Her rude words weren't enough to make him miss the paleness of her skin. - He could reach for her hand, touch it to comfort her a bit. She had both her hands lying on the table. Beautiful hands, come to think of it. Slender, and not too clean, obiously, she didn't avoid everything that had to do with dirt or work. Well, this wasn't new for James, but he liked it a lot. It made her different from all those other girls who only cared about their looks. He would love to touch her, he definitely would... He was ready to grab her hands when Lily suddenly seized her butterbear and brought them out of his reach. Snapping out of his trance, James raised his head to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry." he said softly, barely audible, but she heard it nonetheless and averted her eyes, not willing to show him how wet they had become.
For several minutes, none of them said a word, both were lost in their own thoughts. Lily remembered her parents, the last time they were together, the summer holidays and how she had felt, finding them lying on the floor, untouched, but eyes open wide in horror, hands intricated. And dead. She blinked, then glanced at James, but he didn't seem to have noticed the tiny tear that threatened to escape her. In fact, he didn't notice anything at the moment, he was staring off into space, wondering what just happened between the two of them. Did something happen? He wasn't sure, all he knew was that at the moment, all he was wishing for was to take her into his arms and never let her go. Remus' words came to his mind: '...afraid of rejection, just think of Lily.' And Sirius? 'You're just afraid that you might find yourself like her more than she likes you.' Pretty the same meaning, wasn't it? But Lily was his enemy, they couldn't be right! Could they?
What the hell's wrong with me?
Gathering all his efforts, he looked at her, trying not to pass out again at the sight of her bright green eyes, and cleared his throat. "Let's start with the project, Lily. It won't be easy to find out how to start."
She nodded, as unaware of the fact that James had just called her 'Lily' for the second time since they knew each other as he was. (The first time had been during the train ride before they started their first year, when they hadn't known each other yet.)
"Okay, so what was Dumbledore's advice, according to McGonagall?" James asked, forcing himself to think of the project insted of leering at her lips.
"Think of something that's more powerful than death." she whispered. "But there's nothing. Death is the end of everything."
"No." he shook his head determinedly. "It's not the end. Memories, for example, will always survive."
"Memories? How could a memory be able to defeat Avada Kedavra?"
James closed his eyes. Don't look at her, don't look at her. But still, he did. "Maybe..." he gulped, then tried once again, speaking slowly in a voice that sounded most unlike his own. "Maybe it's not the memory as such. But the feelings that are responsible that people remember..."
He could see her lips forming a word, but he wasn't able to understand it. He just couldn't concentrate on what she was mouthing, so he chose to speak. "Did you ever hear the aphorism 'Love's stronger than death'?"
Once again, she nodded, then, the evil spark she seemed to reserve for him was back. "You're talking as if you knew what the word love means."
James didn't know if he should be pleased that she was no longer moping over her parents or if he should be angry that she pecked on him to distract herself. He decided to chose the last one. It was a whole lot better to be furious with her than to tell his heart constantly not to leap out every time he looked at her.
The devil you know's better than the devil you don't know.
"Don't tell me that you know how to love!" he replied.
"I don't. Not yet. But at least I'm able to love other persons but only myself."
"I do love other persons." If you only knew how true this is...
"Oh, really? Whom?" she asked in a challenging tone, glad that she was no longer thinking about her parents. And about the expression she had thought to discover in James' eyes.
"My friends, for example." And also some other persons, but I'll never tell you about that!
"So that's what you call love?"
"It is love. Only another type of love. Not the romantic one, not this girlfriend-boyfriend-thing, but love anyway." But if you prefer, we could also try it with the girlfriend-boyfriend-thing. I wouldn't mind...
"Look who's speaking!" she said sarcastically, secretly telling her heart to stop beating twice as fast as it did normally. "Did you study psychology or how did it come that you're so wise?"
"Actually, I did." Though I'm not as good as Remus or Sirius. How could they know that this was going to happen?
"Yeah, right. Did you observe Sirius?"
"I thought you like Sirius?" As a friend, I mean.
"Sure I do. But he's crazy nevertheless."
"He wouldn't be Sirius otherwise."
Lily shrugged. "Probably. So how about it? Will we try it with love?"
Oh yeah, let's try it with love! "Guess so. Or do you have a better suggestion?"
"Nope."
"Okay, so what are we going to do now?" We could kiss.
"We'll read every book in the library that deals with love, of course." She gave him a glare that clearly expressed that this had been a stupid question as it was the only thing they could do.
He ignored her glare. "I wasn't talking of the project. Our discussion - if you call it like that - didn't take us that long, so there's much time left till dinner."
"And you think that I'd like to spend this time in Hogsmeade? With you?"
He sighed. "Didn't we just decide to stop hating each other, at least till we've done with this Avada Kedavra-thing?" Well, you have to stop hating me. I don't think I still hate you. That's if I ever did. Sirius and Remus were right, it's just impossible to hate you. You're way too beautiful. Especially your eyes.
"Oh. Yes, sorry, forgot about that." He was happy to see that she really looked a little sorry and that she was speaking without the sarcasm she often used when he was around.
"'ccepted. But only if you assist me with a prank."
She narrowed her eyes to slits. "Why me? Why don't your usual partner in crime, Sirius? Or Remus?"
"'Cause none of them looks exactly like a girl does, and I need a girl for this one."
"And what makes you think that I'm going to help you?"
"It's a prank, and you love pranks almost as much as I do."
"Good point." she agreed, a reluctant smile appearing on her face.
"So you're in?" Yay!
"Not yet. Who's the target?"
"Mrs Norris, Filch,..."
She interrupted him instantly. "Okay, what do I have to do?"
Erm, you could tell me that you love me, for example. "Accompagny me to Zonko's, I'll explain you on the way the whole thing."
Lily nodded in agreement and they both got up to make their way to the bar through all the tables and chairs, the girl once again causing the male customers to look up from their drinks, while also some of the few females sneaked glances at James, but none of the two noticed. They paid their drinks, then stepped out into the warm Sunday afternoon air.
*****
I have to stop here 'cause I don't know yet what the prank will be. If you have any suggestions, I'll love you forever. The same if you review.
Disclaimer: Everything's mine.
Me, myself and I: I like you! Really, truly, I like you! What makes you think I don't?
Sleeping Beauty: I finally managed to read your stories, although I didn't review yet. I'll try to later, okay? Anyway, I like them, they're good. At least in my humble opinion they are.
Jess: Of course you were the one I dedicated it to. Please don't be mad at me that I didn't write for such a long time, but with these exchange students, I hadn't even a second to myself. As soon as I'm done uploading this, I'll start with my reply, kay? If you haven't got mail till Wednesday, I'll give you the permission to flame me!
Hermione potter: You aren't grumpy now, are you? I think the AuthorAlert should still work, no matter if you strted it with saraléa or saralea. At least I hope it does, then you wouldn't have to be grumpy... Your questions: a) a wecker is - ahem - the German word for alarm clock, I forgot to translate it... b) Lexicon is a dictionary. Blame my boyfriend, he distracted me! And c) is answered now!
Harry's Crush: 'Write the rest today'? Uh, I'm not that quick, I always need some time - and some boring lessons - to write one part, and you expect me to write, I don't know, ten parts or so in just one day? *breaks down at the very thought of it* That's too much for me!!!! Have mercy! - I'm lucky I have a boyfriend? Ha, I could tell you stories about how unlucky I am! J/K, it's just that we're teasing each other whenever we get any possibility, it's a tradition we created when we first met, and we didn't want to forget about it just because we were a couple suddenly. *grins*
Unicorn Child: I live in Germany, but only a hundred feet away from Switzerland. In the South, therefore.
Cassie Lee: I'm not responsible for your bad mark in Physics, am I? Maybe I should have mentioned that everbody who's trying my method is doing it on his own risk? Anyway, it's not fair that you just had Holidays! But I hope Ana:) enjoyed her stay at L.A.... I've never been in L.A., how is it?
Megan T: I'm not sure yet if Remus is right about Peter, but I think he is. I'll have to work on Peter a bit more. Oh, and your question about why they're meeting in a pub's answered now, I hope. Lily didn't want to be alone with James in a place where he would be able to curse her. ;-)
Lady Isabelle: Sure I care... I'm honored! (this isn't sarcastic!)
Bunny chan: Nope, he didn't hit me. I was too quick for him!
Morgana le Fay: You've never been in Italy? Ooooh, you've missed a lot! Not only the boys there, also the landscape, the ocean, but most of all the philosophy of life there!
Prongs: He'll kiss him soon. Just look what he had been thinking in this part all the time...
If I forgot to answer any of your questions, I'm awfully sorry, it wasn't on purpose. Just ask me again.
Elendil: Yes, I let him read my fics. You know, we sort of, erm, disliked each other at the beginning of our acquaintance, so he already knows the worst things about me. J J/K, in fact, he even likes my fics. I had to tickle him to the ground until he admitted it, though...