A/N: Woo hoo!! Double digits!! You can dance! You can dance! Everybody look at your pants!! I hope this chapter is good……*prays fervently to the fanfiction god* but we shall see :) perhaps things shall get ……..interesting? Muahahahaha! By the way, about the need for reviews :) The most reviews my friend has ever gotten for a story is 68, methinks. You all understand the concept of friendly competition? Bwahahahahahahaha!!! So be kind, review. ( I know that doesn't rhyme. Darn it!)
***
Lily sprinkled in the final ingredients to the potion. It was quite simple, really, made up of ingredients that could all be found in the student cabinet. Most unlike James.
"After sprinkling in the black salt, stir continuously for two minutes, then dip your wand in it and drink it," Kat read aloud.
Lily picked up the wooden spoon and began stirring.
"What do you suppose it'll be like, having James obey my every wish?" she asked, smiling.
Becca giggled and Kat curved her lips in approval. It was quite odd; they seemed to have forgotten about Remus and Sirius for the time being.
They sat there in silence for a little while, all of them lost in thought, until Becca sat up and looked at her watch expectantly.
"Almost done," she announced loudly.
Lily glanced at her own watch. Only fifteen more seconds . . . ten . . . five. Unable to stop grinning at her friends, she dipped her wand in the potion and raised the glass to her lips. Becca opened her mouth and raised her hand, obviously about to say something, but Kat nudged her sharply in the ribs and smiled encouragingly at Lily. Those two were up to something, and she was very eager to find out what . . . Well, that was for later. She took a deep breath and tilted the glass backwards. Kat and Becca both exhaled loudly. Now why were they relieved?
The potion spread throughout her body, sending a tingling feeling on her arms and legs. She appeared to have goosebumps . . . and yet, she was not cold. The goosebumps grew. They became the size of her pinky's fingernail, then the size of an eye . . . all the way to the size of a quarter. They then began to turn green.
"Aaah!!! What's happening?" she shrieked loudly.
"I don't know," Kat said, anxious. "Stay right here and I'll go to the library and try to find the cure. The potion must be faulty . . ."
"But I followed the directions to the letter!" Lily wailed.
"Stay here!"
Without another word, Kat grabbed Becca's hand and shoved her out the door. Lily dropped on the bed. Well, this was great. Just great. She would bet anything that James had some part in this. Lying down on the bed with great care – large warts were very painful when pressured – she vowed to get back at him. Any way she could.
***
"So they'll pop within an hour?" Kat asked Remus, horrified.
"Yeah . . ."
"Well then let's get going! Remus, you know what you have to do! Becca, come with me . . ."
Remus grabbed Kat's sleeve as she whirled around the corner. "Wait! What I have to do? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, right!" Becca exclaimed. "You don't know! I'll explain it to you."
"Ok, James played the prank, so Lily has to get back at him, but we couldn't deny your trust and everything, so we decided not to tell her but to get back at James for her, which means that we need to lock them up so the warts will all explode on him because that's the way it's supposed to be, you know, and then Lily'll have back at James and maybe they'll hook up because they're so cute together, and you have to get James in the closet on the far end of the hallway and we have to get Lily so they don't know what's happening until it's too late."
Remus blinked at the onslaught of words while Kat patted a panting Becca on the back.
"That's got to be some sort of record. Basically, Remus, get James into that closet right now! This is really important. Please? For me?"
Remus bit his underlip and shook his head, arguing with himself, but finally agreed and ran off to get James.
"Right," Kat said, turning to Becca. "Let me do all the talking. You just cut in for . . . emphasis."
Becca nodded and they sped down the hall back to their dorm.
***
This was mad. Remus couldn't believe he was doing this. After all, he was betraying his friend! But Kat, with that look on her face . . . Besides, he had promised. With a heaving sigh, he pushed open the door to the boys' dorm. James greeted him with two butterbeers in champagne glasses.
"Cheers, my faithful comrade! I got these from Hogsmeade; with some difficulty, I might add."
Remus waved his glass away.
"James, you have to come quick. Lily . . . she . . ." he cut off, spreading his hands apart to show he could not explain it in words. James, amazingly enough, looked worried.
"Lily? Where? Well, don't just stand there! Lead me to it!"
With a quick nod, Remus stepped back out the door and walked briskly for the designated closet. He fervently prayed that the others were already there.
***
"Ok," Kat said in a businesslike tone, "it's simple, really. To reverse the spell, you have to be in a pitch-black spot for five minutes. And I have just the place!"
"I helped!" Becca said hopefully behind her.
Lily's warts had only gotten worse with time. They were now bulging against each other, and two or three had popped into yellow slime vaguely resembling snot. It was revolting.
"I'll do anything! Just get me away from these overgrown pimples!"
Kat took her hand and swept her down the hall, Becca running ahead of them to check if anyone was around. At least she understood that if any word of this got out, Lily's reputation would go straight down the drain. At last they reached a small, dark closet, barely big enough to fit two.
"Quickly!" Becca said urgently. "I hear someone coming!"
Lily dove into the closet and stiffened against the wall. If she even tried to sit down or huddle on the ground, she was sure excruciating pain would cover her whole body. Kat clicked the door shut.
***
Remus noticed Kat as soon as he rounded the corner, and sighed with relief. He would not have to make James wait. Kat saw him too, and shooed Becca away. James, of course, was completely oblivious, snickering with glee and rubbing his hands together. Kat began to wring her hands as soon as they arrived.
"Oh Remus!" she wailed. "James! It's awful! Awful, I tell you! See for yourself!"
She opened the closet, revealing a dark shadow in one corner.
"What is it?" James asked, poking his head in. "I can't see anything . . ."
Without waiting for more, Kat shoved the rest of his body in and slammed the door shut. She then proceeded to lock it with a small key.
"Splendid," she said happily, kissing him on the cheek. "Absolutely splendid."
***
Lily stifled a gasp as the door opened. Surely it had not been five minute yet? There was no way . . . Her breath caught as she recognized the head poking in from the outside. Kat and Remus seemed to be snickering. They wouldn't. With a cry, James was pushed into the closet. They would. The door clicked shut and Lily heard the familiar "click-clack" of a lock. She couldn't believe it! Her own friends!
"Remus!" James screamed, pounding at the door. "Remus, I'll get you for this! If it's the last thing I do!"
"Shut up, dipwad, my ears are ringing enough as it is!" Lily said irritably. Her arms were pinned to her sides, as James was taking up all the space.
"WHAT? You're here too? IM GOING TO KILL YOU, MOONY!"
"SHUT UP!" Lily screamed in his ear.
"Well, excuse me, miss priss, but who asked you?"
"In case you haven't noticed, four-eyes, we're stuck here in this miserable dark closet that's too minuscule to be fit more than two people. It really doesn't amuse me to have my ears blown off."
"Wait a minute . . . a dark closet, did you say? Why'd you emphasize that? Do you mean . . .?" Lily could see the whites of his eyes vividly in the darkness. "They wouldn't!"
"Oh, they would."
"Why those little . . ."
"Shut up, James. I think another one off my stupid wart things is popping."
"Your stupid . . . Oh!! Ha ha ha! Sucker !"
"Idiot. You're stuck beside me, remember? That means they'll all . . .pop . . .on . .
.you . . ." Lily flashed her teeth in the darkness. Perhaps Kat and Becca were not totally against her after
all. James, however, was not of the
same opinion.
"WHAT? THIS WAS A TRICK? A SCAM? GET ME OUT OF THIS HELLHOLE!"
"For the
last time, Jamsie. Don't scream. It really gets on my nerves."
"Oh yeah?"
James sneered, though he was frantically clawing at the door. "So what are you
going to do about it?"
Lily pursed
her lips. She had not thought about
that. She felt at her robes for
something to hit him with . . . and touched her wand. She pulled it out.
"Stupid! Wands don't work properly if there's liquid
on it!" James said, scowling and feeling along the door for cracks.
"Really,
James?" Lily said quietly.
She thrust
the want into his mouth just when he opened it for a comeback. James, surprised, swallowed out of
habit. Lily smiled cruelly.
"You
didn't," James said, horrified.
"I did."
James'
brown eyes flared.
"You . . .
you witch!"
"Really? I hadn't noticed!"
"You . . .
you have no right! I'm supposed
to be the one playing the pranks on you!"
"What are
you going to do, Jamsie-Wamsie? Hit
me? Oh, but sweet little James would never
hit a lady in distress!"
Lily put a
mocking hand to her forehead, grinning.
"Oh
yeah? Watch me."
Without
further warning, he pulled his fist back and struck her right in her
stomach. A loud popping sound ensued,
and a patch of wetness began to spread across Lily's robes. So that was what happened when overly large
warts were hit! Remarkable.
"You'll
regret this, Potter."
She reached
out her hand and scratched James hard on his face. James howled, clutching his cheek, yellow goo oozing through his
fingers. He grabbed Lily's hair with a grimace
and pulled hard. Lily shrieked in pain,
but grabbed James' own hair with her hand, pummelling him with the other. James snarled and clawed at her, trying to
find something to pull on or hit. Lily
thrashed left and right, trying to escape and hit him at the same time. James pulled his hair free and shoved her
against the wall. Unfortunately, he had
not registered how strong he was compared to her. Lily hit the wall with a thud. She gasped, and her eyes rolled up into her head. She slid lifelessly to the floor. James covered his mouth with his hand and
tried to kneel beside her in the closet.
"Lily? Lily, can you hear me? Oh god, I never meant it to end like
this! I. . . I . . . Lily! Speak to
me! LILY!!"
***
A/N:
Muwahahahahaha! What will happen?? Ultimate suspense! I say, I'm
rather happy with how this turned out. This isn't what I had expected at all! Splendid!
*EnglishBrat
would like to express her infinite sorrow at all the families who lost a dear
friend or relation in the horrid accident that befell us. I know that I can never reach the amount of
pain you are going through. I would
like to tell you to hold on. Although
we cannot bring your loved ones back, the memories always remain.*