Quick Disclaimer: JK Rowling was the one who made up the Yule Ball, not me!
Its not very major, but just in case.
SIX/GET OVER YOURSELF
James found Lily sleeping in the common room very early the next morning. James, who had to get up for quidditch practice, decided he should wake her, just in case someone came down and decided to poke some fun with her.
"Lily," James said quietly. "Wake up."
Lily stirred, inhaling a deep breath and blinking her eyes. When she saw James standing over her, she looked up at him sadly.
"Lily." James started, but stopped himself. //You decided, remember?//
"Just go, James," Lily whispered. He noticed that her eyes were red, and there was no sparkle in them. "Go."
"No, Lily, I shouldn't have." he stopped himself again, frustrated.
"James, leave," she spoke louder this time, still sad but feeling as though she should stick up for herself. I'll be fine without you, if you can believe it."
James just sort of stared. Then he shrugged, and sort of backed off. Still watching her, he suddenly felt hurt. Though he'd decided that he didn't like her, coming from her it seemed aweful, and he began to re-think his decision.
"Without me?" He asked, as though trying out the words to see how they sounded. It bothered him a lot more than he would have liked.
"Yes," Lily replied, staring stonily at him. //Why didn't he just leave?//
He looked at her for one more moment, then turned and walked slowly out of the common room.
That was the last thing that James and Lily said to each other for nearly two weeks. Each went on with their lives, James still as popular as ever, and Lily. still a nobody. But every time James saw Lily, he wanted to run over to her, and say something - anything - to make things better. But he knew that a simple apology wouldn't make up for the rift that was between them. It would call for drastic measures.
Lily grew quiet in classes, preferring to keep to herself. She studied alone every night, and was in bed with her curtains shut long before Victoria came up to bed.
It was at the end of these two weeks that James came upon a large group of people gathered around the doors of the great hall. He assumed it had something to do with Hogsmede, but with Christmas only four days away, he thought it odd for there to be a Hogsmede visit.
"What's going on?" James asked a third year at the back of the crowd.
"There's a Yule Ball on Christmas Eve," the third year replied, not looking at James. "Third years and up."
James thought this over a bit. No doubt that Vicky would be forcing him to go to this, though he would have preferred to go with someone else.
James pondered over this as he walked up to the Gryffindor common room to drop his books off before dinner. Now that he thought about it, ever since that night that Victoria had insulted Lily, James had been in a very bad mood with his girlfriend. They hadn't kissed in over a week, and he'd gone to bed early the night before just to escape her. But if he was over Victoria, then that meant he could date Lily.
The moment he thought it, he realized how stupid he'd been being. What was he thinking, now he could be with Lily? First of all, she would never speak to him again if her life depended on it. And second, he could have been with her all along. But he'd broken his promise to her, and let his popularity get in the way. Now, because he'd been so full of himself, he'd lost a wonderful friend. and maybe more.
Feeling sick to his stomach from his stupidity, James stumbled up the stairs to his dormitory, ignoring the group of people that greeted him when he entered the common room. He dropped his back of books on the floor and flung himself on his bed, face stuffed against the pillow. He was more miserable than he ever had been, and it was quite de-nerving. //The famous James Potter is a terrible person// he thought to himself. //I never should have let Lily get away. And now, I'll probably never speak with her again.//
Someone knocked on the door. James listened and didn't say anything, hoping that whoever it was would go away and let him wallow in self-hate. To his great disappointment, the door pushed open slightly, and Sirius walked in.
"James," Sirius said. James didn't move; didn't speak. //Go away// he thought. //Just leave me alone.//
"James, Victoria's looking for you." James rolled over, giving up.
"I don't care," James said, matter-of-factly.
"I know," Sirius said, sitting down on his own bed and looking at James. James frowned.
"You do?"
"Yeah," Sirius said. "She was going on about some Yule Ball." Sirius paused, then asked, "Are you going?"
"No," James said. He rolled over again and spoke into his pillow. "I hate Victoria. She screwed everything up."
"Are you sure it was Victoria?" Sirius asked. James sat up, looking his best friend square in the eye.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, are you sure it's only Vicky's fault that you screwed up with Lily?" There, he'd said it. The very thing that James had been trying to deny to himself the past few weeks. He glared at Sirius.
"What do you know?" James asked angrily. Sirius shrugged.
"That you and Lily would have had a thing going there if you hadn't let your head get too big."
"You're the one who dragged Victoria into this."
"No, she did that herself that day at lunch. The problem, James, is that you didn't stop her then and there."
"I couldn't have." James's voice was calmer now, and full of regret.
"Yeah, you could've," Sirius challenged. "And you can still fix things now. Do us ALL a favor, and get over yourself and ask Lily to the Yule Ball."
James stared at his best friend. Sirius stared right back. True, what he'd just said had been harsh, and maybe he shouldn't have said it. But James needed to hear it, whether anyone else realized it or not. Whether JAMES realized it or not.
James thought about what Sirius had just said to him. He should have been hurt, or upset, or even just amazed that his best friend had the nerve to be so honest with him. But James didn't pick either of these things. He finally realized that what Lily had said so long ago HAD been true, and he'd known it all along. He just never had the guts to recognize it fully until now.
"Yeah, I am a pretty big asshole, aren't I?"
"The biggest," Sirius grinned.
"How long have you known I liked Lily?" James asked, eyeing his best friend suspiciously.
"Since that divination lesson when you busted the crystal balls - which was pretty brilliant, I should add. I saw the way you were looking at her. It was really sick." James grinned at his friend.
"So, you think I should ditch Vicky and ask Lily to the dance?" James asked, getting off his bed and heading towards the door. Sirius got up and followed, saying, "I think you know what to do."
James grinned. //He's right, I do.// And James began preparing himself to be really, really embaressed.
SIX/GET OVER YOURSELF
James found Lily sleeping in the common room very early the next morning. James, who had to get up for quidditch practice, decided he should wake her, just in case someone came down and decided to poke some fun with her.
"Lily," James said quietly. "Wake up."
Lily stirred, inhaling a deep breath and blinking her eyes. When she saw James standing over her, she looked up at him sadly.
"Lily." James started, but stopped himself. //You decided, remember?//
"Just go, James," Lily whispered. He noticed that her eyes were red, and there was no sparkle in them. "Go."
"No, Lily, I shouldn't have." he stopped himself again, frustrated.
"James, leave," she spoke louder this time, still sad but feeling as though she should stick up for herself. I'll be fine without you, if you can believe it."
James just sort of stared. Then he shrugged, and sort of backed off. Still watching her, he suddenly felt hurt. Though he'd decided that he didn't like her, coming from her it seemed aweful, and he began to re-think his decision.
"Without me?" He asked, as though trying out the words to see how they sounded. It bothered him a lot more than he would have liked.
"Yes," Lily replied, staring stonily at him. //Why didn't he just leave?//
He looked at her for one more moment, then turned and walked slowly out of the common room.
That was the last thing that James and Lily said to each other for nearly two weeks. Each went on with their lives, James still as popular as ever, and Lily. still a nobody. But every time James saw Lily, he wanted to run over to her, and say something - anything - to make things better. But he knew that a simple apology wouldn't make up for the rift that was between them. It would call for drastic measures.
Lily grew quiet in classes, preferring to keep to herself. She studied alone every night, and was in bed with her curtains shut long before Victoria came up to bed.
It was at the end of these two weeks that James came upon a large group of people gathered around the doors of the great hall. He assumed it had something to do with Hogsmede, but with Christmas only four days away, he thought it odd for there to be a Hogsmede visit.
"What's going on?" James asked a third year at the back of the crowd.
"There's a Yule Ball on Christmas Eve," the third year replied, not looking at James. "Third years and up."
James thought this over a bit. No doubt that Vicky would be forcing him to go to this, though he would have preferred to go with someone else.
James pondered over this as he walked up to the Gryffindor common room to drop his books off before dinner. Now that he thought about it, ever since that night that Victoria had insulted Lily, James had been in a very bad mood with his girlfriend. They hadn't kissed in over a week, and he'd gone to bed early the night before just to escape her. But if he was over Victoria, then that meant he could date Lily.
The moment he thought it, he realized how stupid he'd been being. What was he thinking, now he could be with Lily? First of all, she would never speak to him again if her life depended on it. And second, he could have been with her all along. But he'd broken his promise to her, and let his popularity get in the way. Now, because he'd been so full of himself, he'd lost a wonderful friend. and maybe more.
Feeling sick to his stomach from his stupidity, James stumbled up the stairs to his dormitory, ignoring the group of people that greeted him when he entered the common room. He dropped his back of books on the floor and flung himself on his bed, face stuffed against the pillow. He was more miserable than he ever had been, and it was quite de-nerving. //The famous James Potter is a terrible person// he thought to himself. //I never should have let Lily get away. And now, I'll probably never speak with her again.//
Someone knocked on the door. James listened and didn't say anything, hoping that whoever it was would go away and let him wallow in self-hate. To his great disappointment, the door pushed open slightly, and Sirius walked in.
"James," Sirius said. James didn't move; didn't speak. //Go away// he thought. //Just leave me alone.//
"James, Victoria's looking for you." James rolled over, giving up.
"I don't care," James said, matter-of-factly.
"I know," Sirius said, sitting down on his own bed and looking at James. James frowned.
"You do?"
"Yeah," Sirius said. "She was going on about some Yule Ball." Sirius paused, then asked, "Are you going?"
"No," James said. He rolled over again and spoke into his pillow. "I hate Victoria. She screwed everything up."
"Are you sure it was Victoria?" Sirius asked. James sat up, looking his best friend square in the eye.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, are you sure it's only Vicky's fault that you screwed up with Lily?" There, he'd said it. The very thing that James had been trying to deny to himself the past few weeks. He glared at Sirius.
"What do you know?" James asked angrily. Sirius shrugged.
"That you and Lily would have had a thing going there if you hadn't let your head get too big."
"You're the one who dragged Victoria into this."
"No, she did that herself that day at lunch. The problem, James, is that you didn't stop her then and there."
"I couldn't have." James's voice was calmer now, and full of regret.
"Yeah, you could've," Sirius challenged. "And you can still fix things now. Do us ALL a favor, and get over yourself and ask Lily to the Yule Ball."
James stared at his best friend. Sirius stared right back. True, what he'd just said had been harsh, and maybe he shouldn't have said it. But James needed to hear it, whether anyone else realized it or not. Whether JAMES realized it or not.
James thought about what Sirius had just said to him. He should have been hurt, or upset, or even just amazed that his best friend had the nerve to be so honest with him. But James didn't pick either of these things. He finally realized that what Lily had said so long ago HAD been true, and he'd known it all along. He just never had the guts to recognize it fully until now.
"Yeah, I am a pretty big asshole, aren't I?"
"The biggest," Sirius grinned.
"How long have you known I liked Lily?" James asked, eyeing his best friend suspiciously.
"Since that divination lesson when you busted the crystal balls - which was pretty brilliant, I should add. I saw the way you were looking at her. It was really sick." James grinned at his friend.
"So, you think I should ditch Vicky and ask Lily to the dance?" James asked, getting off his bed and heading towards the door. Sirius got up and followed, saying, "I think you know what to do."
James grinned. //He's right, I do.// And James began preparing himself to be really, really embaressed.