Chapter 16: "IT WASN'T ME!" -Shaggy

Sirius stared at James in utter disbelief, a look similar to the ones that Ali, Sierra and Remus were wearing. "How could you do this to her?" Sirius shouted. James stood angrily, but received a blow in the jaw by Sirius, sending him soaring back into the couch. He faintly touched his jaw where his best friend had hit him.

"Right after Christmas - !"

"Right in her face -!"

"With TAYLOR -!"

"At the park you were -!"

"YOU WERE SERIOUS?!"

Sierra and Sirius began yelling at James, both with color rising in their cheeks. The Black siblings never let anyone mess with one of their friends like this. Remus and Ali were still standing there, mouths hanging open. James was giving them a glazed look; the potion had really affected him. "James, I can't believe you'd do this to Lily. It's so unlike you," Remus said, trying to keep his voice calm, but angry all the same.

"She knew it," Ali said suddenly.

"Knew what?" Sirius asked, not taking his eyes off James.

"Knew she'd be cheated on. Remember? You guys heard us on the train that day. What she thought," Ali finished.

"Hey," Remus commented to Sirius. "Remember the divination predictions? They were right."

Everyone gave James and Taylor a disgusted look and without a word they marched up to Lily's dorm.

*$&$*

Lily was crying quietly over her bed. She hated crying -she wasn't that emotional usually. Regularly if someone made her mad she'd just beat them up (a trick she'd learned from her father about boys), not cry. But James had, once again, betrayed her trust. Somehow, she had a feeling this was Taylor's doing again, and James hadn't seemed himself. She was certain that he would never say anything like that to her, ever. She'd known him longer. Yet she cried in pain. She didn't think she could ever be his girlfriend again, no matter what. . .just his friend. . .maybe.

The door burst open and her friends rushed in, crowding around her bed.

"Lily, we're so sorry about this," Sirius and Remus said promptly.

"James is an ass," Sierra and Ali offered.

"No, no he's not," Lily managed to choke out. The others swapped confused looks.

"Lil, you know what he did was wrong."

"I know that. And James Potter knows that. That person who said that to me was not James Potter," Lily said hoarsely.

Everyone was still confused. "What are you talking about?" Sierra wanted to know.

Lily spoke quietly. "James would never ever EVER say that sort of thing to anyone, no matter what. Especially me. I mean, if he wanted to break up with me fine, but he'd never say that. Taylor must have done something to try and get me mad at him."

Ali sat down next to her best friend. "So . . .if James wants to back, will you?"

Lily shook her head without hesitation. "No. Even if none of this is his fault. I just. . .I need to talk to him. But we're officially broken up."

The group looked around sadly, feeling empty now that one of their friends was in semi-mourning for a boy, another was being seduced by the biggest bitc* in school (A/N: I do swear, but I'm trying to cut down on it, so I won't fully type the *bad* word) and the just about the cutest couple at Hogwarts had broken up.

(A/N: That was sort of a short chapter. . .I mean, from what I usually write. Just in case you were wondering, the potion that Taylor gave James will only last about one hour and then he'll be back to normal. R/R!)