Misplaced Affections
*~Author's Note~*
This is there revised version of part five cuz I wanted to write more in this part....so...if you're actually reading this, enjoy. I was going to make it mushy but I didn't think it was a good time to make it mushy!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you judge people,
you have no time
to love them
~Mother Teresa
Part 5
Sirius guffawed and slapped James on the back heartily at the sight that beheld them when they entered the common room not expecting a party thrown by the head boy to be wild, but wild it was. In fact, wild was an understatement. The Gryffindor common room was packed with dancing Gryffindors having what seemed to be, a wild time. In all James' time at Hogwarts, and all the mischief he had caused, he had never observed such mayhem and chaos before. Bottles of Butterbeer could be heard rattling through the room and were being shaken to the point where they popped open. The sight was mesmerizing but James had only one thought in his mind at the moment and that was Lily. Many of the Gryffindors were in their pyjamas, ready to dance the whole night away, while others had not even bothered to change.
James shook his head a bit and relished the old James that had come back to him at that moment that he had lost over the last day or two when he sunk in to a sort of sickly depression for reasons he didn't care to sort out or explain even to himself. All he knew, was that he felt more like himself and just wanted to have fun, and he intended to do just that. Smirking, he whirled around Trisha Roberts, a shy, yet fun-loving sixth year Gryffindor in to a fast dance that was playing. Trisha giggled wildly, enjoying the special attention she was getting from the marvellously popular James Potter as they pranced around, careful not to bump into other dancing couples. James rejoiced over the few blissful minutes he had of complete thoughtlessness like as if he had drunk that potion...what was it called again? Oh it didn't matter at that moment. All he knew was that he was feeling completely exhilarated but somehow, he didn't feel....alive. It was like he was out of his body and watching himself dance without his soul. Without his spirit. And he hated it with a passion how someone could do that to him so easily, with so much as a glance.
Forget about her man, just forget about her. Her smile, her laugh her.....STOP IT!!! James thought to himself furiously as the song ended and everyone drifted away either to sit in the comfy couches or to get even ore drinks. James himself wandered toward the balcony in the tower that over saw the dark lake below and he breathed in the sharp, fresh air trying to forget Lily and the way she looked in to his eyes. He ran his hand through his hair out of habit when he was in way over his head or nervous, it went both ways, an that day, he had run his hand through his unruly hair about a thousand times and his insides were writhing and were a jumbled mess. What's up with me? James took a deep breath and let it out slowly and squeezed his eyes shut tight and loosened his tie so that it hung loosely around his neck.
Just before Mindy had gone up to her own room, she had planted a big sloppy kiss on James' lips. Disgusting! James thought to himself, wincing at the memory. If there was anything he hated more than Malfoy and Snape, it was messy kisses. He had tried to enjoy it, he knew, the old James Potter would have. What's going ON with me? James leaned on the railed of the balcony, music wafting in from the common room. I've got to get it together and forget about the redhead. Play a few pranks, hook up with a few girls and I'm back in the game! The old carefree prankster I always was. Mr. Do-anything Potter! The guy that all the girls drooled over, longed to be with, not like this Lily girl, James contemplated, building confidence by the second. "It's the way my sixth year was suppose to be, not all this confusion," he said aloud.
"Talkin' to yourself again 'eh Potter?"
James jumped ten feet in the air, startled out of his wits. "AGGGGGHHHH!!!!!" He was so deep in thought that he had forgotten exactly where he was.
Sirius stood in the doorway, his figure seen in the light of the party going on. He lifted his hands in a mock of surrender. "Easy there Prongs! No need to get so riled up about nothin'." With his own tie slack, Sirius swaggered over to the rail of the balcony too and took a great gulp of some honey looking liquid in a slender bottle. James raised his eyebrow at his best friend.
"If you go and get drunk again, don't be complaining to me tomorrow morning about your hangover."
Cocking his head slighting, portraying a look of purity, Sirius looked politely bemused. Him and his acting! "I don't know what you're talking about!" he proclaimed in a deep slurring voice, a voice of a drunk, and then he gave a loud roaring laugh at James' shocked expression. "I'm just ribbing you Jamesie boy! If there's one thing I've learned from good ol' Samantha, it's never drink even a touch of alcohol so long as you don't want to end up looking like what the cat dragged in, like she looks half the time when she drinks even a drop of beer, and the night's not nearly over for me yet," he said winking. "And by the looks of it," Sirius added, nodding his head in the direction of the party, "Neither is yours. By the way, it's butterbeer. Cheers!"
He was referring to Lily, in her emerald green silk pyjamas, who had just emerged from her dorm, looking quite lost among the horde of dancing Gryffindors. Why is she always here? James thought exasperatedly, not thinking he could stand thinking of that girl anymore for at least a decade. It just took away all his strength. She didn't even like him that way. Not anymore at least. And nor did he want he to, because all he wanted was a fling. Not a binding relationship with a girl who was besotted with that...that Christopher Martin! James scoffed at the very thought of that bubblehead.
Sirius nudged him hard. "You okay there? You looked like you were going to punch someone, and if you are, I don't want to be your punching bag," he announced backing away slightly. Sirius had changed into his normal sleeping wear. A grey muscle tee ("Gotta look my best, even when in slumber," he had said with a chuckle.), red plaid shorts that went down past his knees, and long white socks. His hair, messy as it always was, since he started to hang out with James anyways. I have a terrible influence on him, James thought ruefully.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Things have just been crazy around here with the dance and all," James replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Oh," Sirius said equally cool. My foot! Hell, whom does he think he's foolin'? Yeah, like the dance is all that's bothering him. "Well, things will be back to normal once we get you a girl who's IQ is higher than a rock."
"Har har, very funny. But I suppose you're right," James admitted.
"I wasn't joking about the IQ thing you know."
"I know!"
"Well then, now that that's settled," Sirius said rubbing his hands together, "Let's move on to more important matters."
"Like?"
"Lily!" James gave his friend a blank look that resulted in Sirius whacking his head in frustration. "Don't you give me that bull, boy! I know you too well for you to be playing that stuff off like it's no big deal! I know that kiss from her meant at least something even miniscule to you. Confess! It affected you!" Sirius prodded James shoulder with his index finger with every syllable in his last sentence.
James was NOT in the mood to be ragged on. "It was a kiss. It meant NOTHING!!! We only did it out of good humour for this silly thing the professors had going," he said, yanking at the sash he still wore. "Merriest Perfect Couple! Bah!"
"Bah humbug to you too Scrooge!" Sirius said laughing. "Okay, I give up! It was just a thought." He paused for a second looking up into the star filled sky. "It was magically picked you know. That couple thing." James narrowed his eyes at Sirius who backed up a step. "Just making sure you know."
James sighed. "Don't you worry. In two days time, for Christmas, I won't be acting all weird."
"You mean you don't constantly act like this?"
Shoving Sirius, he continued. "I've been so preoccupied with the Mindy ordeal. Man, that girl is one sloppy kisser!" Sirius made a face of equal revolt that was on his own face whenever he thought of it.
"I didn't need to know that."
"Just sharing."
The two just looked into the horizon for a few moments, neither speaking, just enjoying the silence, except for the music playing in the background, though now, very early in the morn, most people had started make their way off to bed.
"I'm not the only one acting preoccupied," James pointed out to his friend who had been leaning against the rail and seemly was staring aimlessly into the almost empty common room.
"Hm?" Sirius murmured, sounding startled. "What do you mean?"
"Kally," James said, uttering a single word, gesturing inside where Sirius had been gazing at Kally who had bounced over to Lily who was sitting on a couch in front of the fireplace serenely looking at the flying embers. Kalasin retired her fancy dress and donned loose navy blue sweatpants and a light blue cotton tee shirt with a Paul frank monkey in the center. Upon her feet were fuzzy bunny slippers that were so very Kally-like, not to mention her hair was put up in two pigtails.
"I was just thinking that that girl can look cute even in a brown paper bag," Sirius said, grinning goofily and almost immediately regretting confiding that little bit of info with even James. Play it off like a joke Black! Play it off, Sirius though panicking slighting and racking his brain for a joke, but then finding he couldn't think of one so he just gave up. "Er, she's no Morgan but..."
"Uh huh," James said cutting him off. "And Morgan's no Kalasin." Smothering a chortle, he faced the direction of where the two girls were sitting, chatting away animatedly, the only two left in the large room. Sirius glared at James, hearing the premature snigger. Suddenly, Kally and Lily both looked at James and Sirius with befuddled looks on their faces before bursting out with laughter, finding that both guys were staring at them.
Instead of swivelling around to face the opposite way, ashamed and embarrassed at being caught, James and Sirius both waved merrily in sync then laughing at the girls who waved just as enthusiastically back at them, but daintier to be a bit exaggerated. Going back to their conversation, James noticed that Kally said something to Lily that made her look a bit green and nauseous.
"Do you think we should intrude on their conversation?" Sirius asked coolly, but James detected a hint of nervousness in his calm voice.
Raising one of his eyebrows, he glanced over and Sirius and said warily, "Sure. Why not." I already decided not to like Lily that way anyways. All I have to do is stick by that, it'll be a piece of cake. Right? Shaking his head to clear all thoughts, James matched Sirius' long strides into the room, looking more confident than James was sure he felt.
Sirius gulped, uneasily. One step after another Siri ol' boy. That's it. You can handle this. Its just Kally. There's no such thing as JUST when it comes to Kally, Sirius thought to himself slightly alarmed. He swallowed and continued his seemingly endless walk towards Kally and Lily, but, just before he reached, he tripped over couple of butterbeer bottles. He swayed, kicking each leg up to maintain balance. Swinging his arms around he distinctively heard laughter from James, Lily.....and Kally. Just as he thought he was going to plunge ungracefully and without a shred of dignity, he steadied himself, though one of his legs was still in mid air, his arms ceased, stretched away from him and a lock of his black hair fell across his eyes.
Sirius blew the lock of hair away from his eyes with a little "pheff" and looked triumphantly at his three friends who had 'disappointment written all over their faces.
"Just another step Siri," Kally taunted, good-naturedly. "Walk much?"
"Oh yea?" Sirius took another step towards them and made sure his foot made contact with the floor successfully. "See? It was only a fluke that I would lose my balance like...." becoming a little too confident too soon, he took another step and tripped over his own feet, plummeting towards the wood floor landing quite gracelessly on his behind.
"Oh, SO close, so close babe but no cigar," Kally called out laughing out of control. Lily was having a fit of giggles but was, unsuccessfully, trying to hide it behind her hand and James, he had fallen out of the chair he was sitting on and rolling around on the floor, tears of mirth streaming down his face mercilessly.
Gathering up the very last scrap of dignity he had left (if any) Sirius stood up, dusted off his clothes and mumbled, "I meant to do that! Feh!" He then grinned at the ridiculousness of it all then swaggered over and plopped himself down next to where Kally was seated on a plump orange couch.
"You are just so graceful Siri that you just could not manage to be any more refined," Kally mocked, folding her arms across her chest.
Sirius rose to the mockery, puffing his chest up with pride, "Much more elegant than you are anyways," he sniffed.
Wrinkling her nose, Kally whacked Sirius across the head whilst James and Lily looked on in amusement. "Ouch!" Sirius exclaimed reproachfully, rubbing his head and grinning.
"Siri, saying a man is elegant gives off the wrong impression," Kally retorted, "Stick with graceful. And in accordance with you belief that you are more graceful than yours truly, I have but one simple statement: As if girlfriend!" With that, she went off in to peals of laughter.
"Whatever you say, ddaaahhhh-link," he said in a ridiculing, shrilly, girly voice, fluttering his eyelashes at her playfully.
"Ugh! Stop already," Lily said, "Enough is enough! You guys are starting to get nonsensical with all this crap. I got lost after 'Ouch!'"
James added, "Now really, it's just too early in the morning to be teasing. In fact, I'll be trotting off to the dorm now to catch some shut eye." With that, he stumbled off towards his room without even a backwards glance at the group, and was especially careful not to glance at Lily.
Lily sighed. He didn't even say goodnight to me! I guess the kiss meant nothing to him. Well! If that's the way he wants to play it, so be it! Feeling heavy hearted, Lily dragged herself to her feet. "I guess I'd better be going to sleep too. Night you two. Behaavveee," she purred wiggling her eyebrows comically, laughing when Kally threw a pillow at her head.
***
Now in her room, all alone, Lily tossed the sash that read "The Merriest Perfect Couple," in to the trash bin that stood next to her desk. What kind of foolish charm was that anyways? Lily thought to herself scornfully. After a slight hesitation, she went back and picked the sash out of the trash and folded it carefully, then packed it away in her memory box that she kept safely hidden under her bed. Maybe it's not so foolish.
***
Back in the common room, Sirius was acutely aware that he was now completely alone with Kally and wondered why on earth breathing had become so difficult for him right then.
"You look like something is bothering you Siri," Kally said, startling Sirius out of his trance.
"Wha? Oh, yea....I mean no," he stuttered clearing his voice so that the obvious squeakiness would disappear. "Actually, I think I might be catching a cold."
"Really?" Kally asked, her forehead scrunching up in concern, her voice full of sincere compassion that made Sirius feel guilty for lying. Tentatively, Kally stretched her arm up and placed her tiny palm on his forehead, then slipped it down to his cheeks, apparently checking his temperature and immediately, at her touch, Sirius could feel his face go beet red and flaming up. "Woah," Kally exclaimed softly. "Your forehead and cheeks are all warm. I think you might be coming down with a fever Siri."
"Er, yea," and before Kally removed her hand from where it rested upon his cheeks, Sirius gently grasped the bottom of her palm and wrist, feeling her stiffen at his touch and seeing the frightened look in her eyes. "I think I'll live," he said huskily, surprising himself. He didn't think he could even say anything without stuttering but surprisingly he could and what he did say actually made sense.
Kally must've sensed that the conversation was turning beyond the friendship line and yanked her hand out of Sirius' grasp flushing. "Good," she mumbled. "So, the dance was really great huh?" she said with false brightness, probably trying to cover up her embarrassment.
"Yup," was all Sirius managed to say. "Heh, especially when half the school left with hair that looked like huge nests from the hairbloom," he added snickering.
Kally snorted with laughter that erupted from deep in her throat. "Including Lucius and his posse!" With that, they both broke down in to stifled sniggers so that they wouldn't wake up anyone who was already asleep. Clutching her aching sides, Kally crawled off the couch where she was sitting next to Sirius and pulled herself right up in front of the warm crackling fire that was burning brightly in the heath and leaned back against the vibrantly coloured couch where Sirius was still seated. "That really was a good night for everyone, huh? Well," she hesitated, "Well, except for Samantha. Man, was she ever pissed off!" Sirius lifted himself off the couch and scrambled over to a nearby table, almost tripped over his dragging socks, then picking p two bottles of butterbeer, uncapping it and pouring the contents in to two large mugs, then brought it over to where Kally was seated and plopped himself down next to her.
"She downed a whole bottle of mulled mead and even before we spiked that vomit wash punch with hairbloom, she was in a pretty bad mood already," Sirius said, handing Kally one of the mugs of butterbeer. "Poor Remus. He's so infatuated with the girl."
Kally swirled around the butterbeer thinking seriously, with a slight frown on her face as she pulled up a wool blanket that she had brought with her before that had pictures of little cows grazing and wrapped it around her feet, bringing it up to her him and then throwing some of it over Sirius as well, like they had done when they were little kids and unconsciously, Sirius had pulled it over himself as well.
"All, I've got to say is that the girl better treat him right or she'll answer to me." Tilting into Sirius fondly, Kally grinned and said, "I really appreciate what you said to Josh tonight. It meant a lot to me. If there's anything I hate more than smart girls who pretend to be stupid for affections, it's friends who fight each other over the affections of another."
Sirius smiled back at Kally lopsidedly and drank his own butterbeer. "Remember when we were kids? The time in the woods just before we started going to Hogwarts." "You mean that time you pushed me off the swing and put a frog in my hair, then shoving me in a puddle of mud?" Kally asked, her cheeks flaming, getting more riled up by the minute. "Oh ho! I remember that day well! I got into so much trouble with Mom for ruining my new outfit and she wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to tell her that you pushed me and you just stood there listening to her bawl me out and you just laughed and laughed..." But before she started to scream louder, Sirius stopped her chuckled.
"Heh, that was pretty funny and I'll bring that subject up another time but that wasn't what I was talking about," Sirius said sipping his drink some more and then continued seeing the puzzled look on Kally who had started to calm down, though her face was still rosy from anger. "I meant the pact we made. The promise. Um, just before I heaved you into the mud."
A look of understand dawned on Kally's face as she remembered six years ago, a few days prior to their trip to Hogwarts school. She scrunched up her forehead in concentration focusing on her anxiety about going to Hogwarts for the first time. Confiding in Sirius about her fears about going to school and discovering that no one liked her. She recalled the sharp, fresh scent of pine as they strolled along the brook in the forest behind her huge house and the faint gurgling noise coming from the brook.
"I'm afraid of school Siri," eleven-year old Kally murmured timidly. "What if no one likes me? What if I suck at magic?"
"Oh come on Kals! You've always been good at magic when your Mom and Dad were teaching you some," a confident, and much shorter Sirius proclaimed, striding.
"Yea but..." Kally protested.
"What's the worst that could happen anyways?" Sirius asked, daring his mate to challenge him.
Kally ducked her head, biting her lip before responding. "We could grow apart and stop being friends," she whispered. That comment took Sirius by surprise stopping him in his tracks, making him look like he was going to be sick, a look of fear passed over his face.
"Could that ever happen? Is it possible? We've been friends ever since we met, at one years old. At my Mum's garden party," Sirius inquired softly.
Reluctantly, Kally answered, "Who knows? School can ruin one's friendship you know." The walked in silence for a while and then rested upon some rocks by the brook.
Looking up into Kally's violet eyes, Sirius said gravely, "I don't think I could even imagine not being your friend."
"Neither could I," she replied quietly. "But what if your new friends don't like me and try and take my place as your bestest friend-girl?" The term 'friend-girl' was made up by the two because they refused to use the word 'girlfriend' because they both claimed it to sound too mushy.
"No one could ever do that," Sirius said firmly.
"But what if?" Sirius couldn't bear to see Kally looked so forlorn. She rarely ever looked unhappy.
"Let's solemnly swear to always consider the other's feelings and to stay friends no matter who or what tries to come between us," Sirius declared excitedly. He extended his pinkie finger towards Kally for their secret handshake that would seal their friendship. They had decided that it would be their secret promise forever. Smiling, Kally reached out her own pinkie to intertwine it with Sirius' and then they touched the other's forehead with their own and wrinkled their noses. While still the awkward position, they both said at the same time, "Friends beyond life."
Jolted back in to the present, Kally now found herself staring at the same familiar hazel eyes that she gazed at when she was eleven-years old. "I remember, "she said faintly. Her voice rising she added, "And then you pushed me into the mud right after!"
"It was an accident," Sirius said laughing, trying to seem innocent.
"Accident my foot! I remember your words exactly! It was, "Care for a trip?" and then you rammed me backwards," Kally accused, laughing herself at the memory of her all covered in mud, from head to foot.
"Yea, but you got your revenge!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kally sniffed delicately.
"You do too! You pretended that you broke your ankle and I started to cry and tried to help you out then you pulled me I too," Sirius said indignantly. "So don't pin this all on ME Missy!"
"You started it!"
"You'll never let this go will you?"
"Nope," Kally said daintily, nose in the air.
Coughing, Sirius took another swig of butterbeer and continued the point of the conversation. "Anyways, I promised to you that I would always consider your feelings and I never wanted to make you feel sad and I realized that what I did to josh was completely unacceptable and I just had to make it right."
"Well, GOOD! Thank you," Kally said beaming.
"Aren't you going to drink your butterbeer?" Sirius asked, seemingly innocent. Kally quirked a brow and looked at him suspiciously.
"Why do you want me to drink this so much?" She questioned, gesturing to the drink in her hand.
"Does there have to be a reason?"
With a blank expression on her face, Kally retorted, "With you there always is. If there's nothing wrong with it, you drink it." Sirius protested continuously but finally gave in to Kally, like he usually did an with a wince on his face, he took the slighted sip from her mug and instantly, his hair puffed up like all the other victims of the punch spiked with hairbloom. Kally roared with laughter, elbowing Sirius in the ribs, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks. "Nothing wrong with it huh? She continued laughing till she turned blue in the face then slowly composed herself.
"Are you quite done?" Sirius asked making a face at her.
"Nope."
"I'm never going to hear the and of this am I?" He said stating a fact more than asking a question.
"Nope."
"Thought so."
"Now who has the last laugh hm?"
"You do," Sirius admitted under his breath.
Stretching, Kally got up and yawned. "I am dead beat Siri! I'm going to catch some zee's."
"Right. Well, nighty night my bestest friend-girl," Sirius said, jokingly, regretful that she was going to sleep.
Tottering off towards her room, Kally muttered to no one in particular, "What a perfect night."
With a sad look on his face, Sirius added inaudibly, "Not quite perfect. Not quite. Close." With that, he hauled himself up to go to bed, patting his large, nest-like hair cautiously and grimacing. Just then, Kally jumped back out of her room, scaring the living daylights out of Sirius and blinding him with a flash of light.
"Wha?"
"Almost forgot to take a picture of you and your ridiculously absurd hairdo Siri my man. This one's for the scrapbook! I think I'll call it "Revenge of the Mud Princess," Kally chirped then popping back into her room.
Cursing softly, Sirius padded up to his room and quietly shut the door ready for sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Aritez? Is this good? Cyaz chicas!
~Kira Trinity aka Teri Ann