A/N: Sorry it took so long, but life is hectic around here.. So, here, I present, the lovely, the wonderful, Chapter 50.
"Lily." Coco said quietly. Lily whirled around quickly, and Coco handed her the headline.
"Lily Evans, one of the five heirs to the Evans fortune, is now one of the three. Her stepmother is to receive seventy-five percent of the fortune on Lily's twenty-fifth birthday if Lily is married to a person she does not love. Mrs. Claire Evans certainly realized this, if Miss Evans's appearance at the Napa Valley Massacre earlier this year is any proof. It was said that Miss Evans was engaged to a Slytherin of her age, Severus Snape, whose family owns a Potions company. Seeing as Miss Evans is now a feisty sixteen year old Gryffindor, one would probably be correct in assuming that she was trapped into the marriage." Lily said breathily, clutching the paper tighter. There were four pictures. One was Lily and James arguing in Napa, when Lily was rushing to help but James prevented her from doing so. Another was Lily's yearbook photo last year, Snape's photo was also placed in the spread, along with a picture of Claire. The people in the Gryffindor Common Room started to pay attention as Lily walked to the center of the room, reading aloud.
"The two other heirs, the ones that were cute off as of yesterday, a Maria Patterson and a Petunia Dursley, were both children of Mr. Evans, Lily's late father. Petunia was Lily's sister and Maria her half-sister. Why were the two cut off from the will? Mrs. Dursley had a settled home and Mr. Evans's trusted lawyers and advisors were given the power to cut off her allowance once she had been settled. Maria Patterson was Mr. Evans's daughter, the result of an old college fling. Oddly enough, a college fling of Maria's cut HER off from her money. Mr. Evans's lawyers and advisors were like him, conservative rich people that followed the rules of society..." Lily stopped there. Coco slowly reached for the paper, but Lily glared.
"No, I want to see what this is all about." She said simply. "Maria's college fling involves a young man named Rupert Ravenclaw, seen on page fifteen with Lily Evans at a Ministry benefit. Mr. Evans strongly disapproved of the match of his daughter Maria and Rupert, and said so until his death. Maria Patterson married Rupert in a small ceremony at Easter. And who are the three remaining heirs, and why does one of them not even seem to exist?"
Someone drew up a chair for Lily and she murmured her thanks. "Lily Evans, third daughter of Mr. Charles Evans and second daughter to his wife Rose. Lily's parents divorced when Lily was young, before she began her studious and industrious years at Hogwarts. Intelligent, athletic, social, pretty, hard-working, involved prefect Lily maintains a job at the popular tavern, the Three Broomsticks, and is in her third relationship with a Ravenclaw seventh year David Morales. Recently, Lily lost two of her friends to the Napa Valley Massacre. Claire Evans- Not much to say- She was a smart cookie who hung around rich and powerful men until she 'snagged' one. She has yet to confirm rumors that she had never loved Mr. Evans, her late husband. The third and final heir is an unborn child of James Potter, confirms a prophet. Harry Aries Potter has one third of the fortune if born by Miss Evans's twenty-fifth birthday. If Miss Evans is happily married and the son of James Potter is born, Mrs. Claire Evans will have nothing. We will see this drama unfold as a stepmother, a stepdaughter and an unborn child compete for riches."
Lily pulled the newspaper down and had these wide, innocent eyes you never would have believed belonged to her. "I'm competing with a fat blonde bitch and an unborn child of James's?"
Both she said with extreme disgust. She pulled up the paper again to see some photos on page fifteen. She gasped and stood up, throwing the paper into the fire and storming up to her room. Coco slowly followed and soon people could hear banging on Lily's door.
"Lily! Open this door! Lily!!! Stop being unreasonable!!" Coco demanded. "LILY EVANS!!! GET OUT OF YOUR ROOM AND TALK TO ME!!!"
"Peter." James ordered. "Get me a copy of today's paper."
In minutes, James had a section of the Daily Prophet and flipped to page fifteen. He smirked with satisfaction. She WAS over him.
The Daily Prophet had published the photo of James and Lily in Godric's Hollow. The one at the gazebo steps.
"It seems as if Princess is upset." James said simply, folding the paper.
"Naw! I just thought she was a little, teensy weensy, just slightly INSANE!" Sirius shouted, but not any louder than Coco.
"LILY ISABELLE EVANS! GET OUT OF YOUR ROOM AND TALK TO ME BEFORE I REVEAL EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT YOU!" Coco shouted, her voice wearing down. The door slammed. Lily grabbed Coco by the wrist and turned the lock again.
"We are NOT talking about what happened down there, we are talking about our costumes for the dance." Lily said immediately.
"Okay.." Coco muttered. "You're going as some sort of .."
"Dunno.. You?" Lily asked.
"You know my dad and my mum, right?" Coco inquired. Lily nodded. Coco's dad was a Japanese-British wizard and Coco's mum was an American Muggle fashion enthusiast. They had a big argument over Coco's name.. Mr. Chen wanted something Japanese and Mrs. Chen wanted something showing off her fashion sense. So, they settled on Coco. Coco Chanel was who Mrs. Chen was naming her after, and Koko, a traditional Japanese name, was what Mr. Chen wanted. They compromised. "Well, they sent me this glam-o dress, this pale pink thingy with white sparkly swirls and a mermaid skirt and it's crushed silk, so it feels like a really big cherry blossom.."
"Sounds cool. What kind of swirls?" Lily pondered.
"Like metallic silvery ones with sparkling rhinestones.. My mum's a fashion fanatic." Coco replied. "What about your dress? Got any ideas?"
"You know the white dress Mia made me, that wonderful evening gown? I'm probably going to put pastel streaks in my hair and get some of these little light bulbs out and pretend to be a friendly spirit or something." Lily envisioned.
"Sounds pretty-full!" Coco chirped with a giggle. Lily looked at her oddly.
"Sorry."
"Anyway..."
"Do you know who's judging?" Coco asked after a minute, slapping the bedspread to indicate her request.
Lily leapt over and laid down flat on her stomach and Coco started to braid her hair. "The Head Boy and Girl, the Headmaster, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall. Glad I'm not Head Girl."
"You're going to be and you know it." Coco said simply, conjuring up some beads to snap around Lily's medium-thick braid.
"Eww. Head Girl. If I'm Head Girl, you know Potter will be selected because Dumbledore has this thing about getting along with people and stuff. Since when has that worked?" Lily said with a pout.
"Since when have you called James.. Potter?" Coco asked.
"Ever since he said not to call him Mister Potter anymore. And we argued once or twice when the name came up. And the night after Jackie died.. And calling him James isn't right for me, nor Prongs or Jimmy-boy or whatever.. Aphrodite can do that, but not me.. I'm not his friend, I'm not his girlfriend.. We don't even like each other." Lily ranted.
"Have you ever.. Kissed him? I mean, besides the time you hit him with a shoe." Coco asked, trying to be as casual as possible.
"Once or twice." Lily said with a sly smile.
"None of the times could have been good, I mean.. You knocked him out with a shoe and then the other times you guys didn't even get together or nothing.." Coco danced around her point. Lily sat up and whispered in her ear.
"Every single time he was fantastic."
"How do you mean?" Coco said, hoping her voice wasn't squeaking.
"Lily has something of mine in her room? Why would she have something of mine in her room?" James asked loudly as he was being pushed up the stairs to Lily's room.
"Keep your voice down! We have to sneak in to get it! Put the damn cloak on!" Peter exclaimed. "I'll open the door and it should be right under the mirror!"
James crept up the stairs and Peter sighed. "That man is such an idiot."
"The first time, I was almost thirteen, and it was sweet and brief and stuff.. The second time, in November, it was a bit firmer and goodness, he had just had a mint so it was an Eskimo kind of kiss, not the nose kind, but it was sweet... Before I knocked him out with a shoe, he had this sort of firm, increasing pressure thingy that felt really good. And he didn't stick his tongue in my mouth or anything, he just teased me a bit. But then, of course, I knocked him out with a shoe.." Lily ranted, unaware that James was fiddling through the box under the mirror, absorbing every word she was saying.
"Really? I heard of that with foreign boys, but, yummy!" Coco said, falling onto her back.
"For him! I got these fruit-flavored lippies and stuff.." Lily whispered, taking a hint from her friend. Soon they were both staring at Lily's hidden supply of Dungbombs hidden in the canopy rail. "You have to try a few, I've got a whole bunch of flavors, y'know?"
James snuck out of Lily's room, not really caring what else she had to say about make-up. However, he was dieing to snicker and analyze every word she said.
Time passed by quickly. James and Lily were caught either at jobs, prefects' meetings, Quidditch practices, classes, their bedrooms or falling out of closets with their significant others. Only two of those activities involved any contact with one another. Lily smiled more and could be caught making out with David in his Common Room, and Aphrodite was all over James.
The Harvest fair lasted seven days. Each house had one day off solitary and one day the entire school went out. Then there was Saturday night, the day when everyone had time to go to the fair and then Sunday was the closing day.
Gryffindor had the second day. Tuesday. Most of the Gryffindors whipped out their varsity jackets and sweaters and headed out. Lily got out cream-colored turtle-neck and her varsity jacket, straightened her hair and pulled it back with a cream-colored hair wrap and got ready to go.
Down at the fair every imaginable treat there could be was there. Lily was feeling a bit wild, and, ready to make a little extra money. So, Sirius offered, if she was blindfolded and given a bunch of cotton candy.
"Melts in your mouth, not in your hand!" Sirius yelled. "This girl will let any guy within the guidelines remove the cotton candy from her mouth!"
"Peter, I've got a girlfriend! I don't need to French some random girl." James insisted.
"Fine.. But if you were completely against the idea, you wouldn't be following me." Peter said with a shrug, walking backwards.
"Fine.. But, I'm going to close my eyes.." James said unconvincingly.
"Whatever, James.." Peter said, grabbing his hand and pulling him through the crowd.
"Here are the rules.. Male person, you do everything you want to do for five minutes. Female person, you don't get close, you don't get intimate, you DON'T open your eyes, you were paid to do this." Sirius said loudly.
James was pushed towards the girl, first letting his arms circle her waist and placing his lips firmly on hers. She opened her mouth and let his tongue in, but he wasn't going to give in that easy. He teased her a bit, until she got a bit demanding.
Sirius checked the time. One minute.
It was getting deep. James had his eyes closed, holding this girl closer, getting every bit of the cotton candy out of her mouth.
Four and a half minutes.
James opened his eyes for one moment, and did a double take. This girl, this overwhelming power, was.. Eww.. Lily. He backed away quickly and darted through the crowd.
"FIVE MINUTES ARE UP!"
Lily opened her eyes and there was no one there. Wait, there was.. Some brunette Quidditch player was going through the crowd. She smiled to herself.
At four o' clock, when Lily was on her way to the top of the Ferris wheel, students poured out of the horseless carriages that ported students from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. Lily spotted in the crowd her loving boyfriend, and felt a little guilty about earning five Sickles by not breathing for five minutes.. That was a good summary.. It wasn't entirely a lie, was it?
On her way down, Lily's heart felt heavy. She didn't know exactly who she kissed, but that was someone who knew their way around. And, she decided, she was going to have to dump David. Not now. The night before the Halloween dance.