A/N Thanks to everyone who reviewed in the last chapter. I hope this chapter is better. I wanna give a special thanks to GoogleDuckie, who is now my beta-reader. Without her this chapter wouldn't have made much sense. Thank you, girl. In honor of her throughout this chapter you will see her notes. Thanks a million. I would also like to thank reviewer Storytelling Star. I agree with what you said and I'm glad that it wasn't just me. With all that out of the way I bring you Chapter 7. Next Chapter will be Meet the Parents I decided.
Chapter 7: More Realizations and More Break-ups
Professor Kane, the Potions teacher, stood in front of the class holding a clear bottle with some kind of amber liquid in it.
"This was brought to my attention by Mr. Filch last week, the night after this class was over."
"Professor, how do you know it was our class that did anything?" asked Sirius.
"Because this was the only potions class I had that day, Mr. Black," Professor Kane snapped. "And if I remember correctly, which I do, this class was making a Hallucination Solution, and some of you were having too much fun with it." He glared at the back of the classroom where a few boys were sniggering. "Turns out some house-elves found this in someone's dorm and suddenly thought they were dancing with fluffy pink bunnies. So now -" but he was interrupted again.
"See, people," cried Daphne, standing up, "this is what I'm talking about. The house-elves are so uneducated, so close-minded, they don't know when they are being drugged. I bet this was done on purpose. Just like in St. Mungo's. They go and participate to be tested on and most of the time they die. We have to do something, we can't just sit around and let this happen. They have the right to..."
"MISS EDWARDS SIT DOWN! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU CRUSADING FOR THOSE DAMN HOUSE-ELVES." He took a few deep breathes, then, in a more calm voice he said, "Please keep your comments until after class, when you will be someone else's problem. Now as I was saying before I was interrupted, all of you will be paired up in alphabetical order for today." Everyone groaned, but not as loudly as Lily. She looked over at Daphne who looked livid. Not only for having her speech cut short, but for having to be Miss Perfect's' potions partner.
Everyone got up and moved next to their partners. Lily and Daphne were working quietly for a few minutes adding ingredients to their potions. As they waited for the potion to simmer, Daphne looked over at Lily, then James, who was working with Peter.
"So, did you teach James how to jump through hoops? Maybe balance a ball on his nose?" she asked.
"I'm still working on matching socks," said Lily as she looked through her potions book. Seeing as how Lily wasn't going to say anymore, Daphne started again.
"You know, you two make a very cute couple," she said, while adding in some mandrake leaves. "But I guess you hear that all the time."
"Why do you care?" asked Lily looking up from stirring the potion.
"I don't," she said quickly, "you're welcome to him. I used to think he had some...I dunno..some social consciousness."
"Is this about the house-elf enslavement thing?" Lily asked.
"I can feel your concern," Daphne said sarcastically.
"Do you know anything about James' mother?" Lily asked, completely throwing off Daphne.
"Just that she died when he was young. Like 12 or something."
"13," corrected Lily. "Do you know how?"
"No,"said Daphne, obviously annoyed.
"Cancer," she said shortly. She threw poured in some armadillo bile.
"But they already have a cure for that."
"They didn't when she was diagnosed. Do you know how they found the cure?"
"Months and months of research."
"No, house-elves. Some were used for testing while others helped the doctors by tending to them or even help them looking through all the books for anything they could use. House-elves may be close minded, but they are clever creatures when it comes to helping their masters. So next time you start shouting about how house-elves are enslaved, keep in mind how they always help out for the greater good." And with that Lily went back to the potion, leaving Daphne stunned.
*~~*~~*
"So do you guys wanna check out my new game tonight?" asked Peter after dinner. He was walking with Sirius and Remus towards the Whomping Willow. Peter hid all his stuff that his parents sent him from the Muggle World in the Shrieking Shack.
"What new game?" asked Sirius, intrigued. He liked most things Muggles, but especially loved their games. The game with the land filled with candy was his favorite. It always made his mouth water. (A/N I don't know if Candyland was around back then). (Beta's Note: i think candyland's been around forever! haha)
"It's this game called Ping..no wait..Pong, yeah..its Pong," said Peter.
"Ping pong ping pong ping pong," sang Remus. "That's pretty catchy."
"Anyway, you play it on the t.v. It has these two bars on the each side and a ball going back and forth. You have to move the bars to hit the ball back before it goes off to the black space," explained Peter.
"That sounds cool," said Sirius.
"Hey! Let's have a two-on-two tournament," said Remus. "Me and Sirius against you and James."
"That sounds.." started Peter, but they were interrupted by some guys shouting and laughing. They turned around and saw James in the middle of a huge pile that was legs, arms, and hair. When they separated, they all slapped each other's back.
"I think James has to make an appearance at Barty Crouch's party tonight," said Sirius.
"Ah yes, of course," chorused Peter and Remus.
*~~*~~*
James and Lily stood in front of the Tower's door where Barty's party was being held.
"So, this is the last pre-Ball event for us," said Lily happily.
"Hey, did you say anything to Daphne today in Potions?" he asked suddenly.
"Why?" asked Lily, worried that he might get mad that she told Daphne about his mom.
"I dunno, she's been acting freaky lately. Nice even,"James said with a shudder.
"Well, then mission nearly accomplished," she said, relieved.
"I guess," said James, not feeling as happy as he should have been upon receiving the news. They walked into the door, hand in hand. James felt that this was way better than being with Daphne. [Beta Note: oooh! james likes lily! james liiiiiiikes lily! (sorry, couldn't resist!)]
*~~*~~*
Zoe was at the party a half-hour before Lily and James showed up. She had gotten so drunk, that soon her vampire side was coming out. She suddenly felt like causing misery to someone. Just then, James walked in hand in hand with Lily. 'Bingo,' she thought nastily.
*~~~*~~*
After a while, Lily and James split up and started to just mingle. Lily did most of the mingling. James on the other hand was drinking. As he went to throw away yet another empty cup, he saw Lily. She gave him a smile and he couldn't help but smile back.
"Hey Lily," said Barty, walking up behind her.
"Hey Barty! I was just waiting for the bathroom," said Lily, turning around to face him.
"Yeah, that's cool," he said. James' smile faded as he watched them.
"So, where's Heather?" asked Lily, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice.
"Hannah," Barty corrected.
"Right, Hannah. I haven't seen her tonight," said Lily looking around. She suddenly spotted Zoe lurking behind James. 'What is she up to?' she thought.
"It's over," said Barty, miserably.
"Really?" asked Lily, trying to hide the happiness in her voice. "Why?"
"She accused me of being a Death Eater, then left holding up a cross," said Barty shaking his head. "Me? A Death Eater? I mean, come on, everyone knows how my father is with anything illegal. Does she really think I'd do that?"
"I guess so, if that's what she said,"confirmed Lily.
"Death Eater..hmph..I'll show her Death Eater," he muttered. He suddenly got an evil glint in his eye and Lily took a step back, slightly frightened. But it was gone as soon as it came.[Beta Note: ooooh.... barty's turnin' eeeeeeeeeevil!! dun dun duuuuun!]
*~~*~~*
"So, it's like a fairy tale, right?" asked a voice right in James ear, making him jump a few feet. He looked around and saw Zoe standing there giving him a very strange look.
"Huh?" asked James distracted as Zoe leaned forward giving James a view of her chest.
"I mean you and Lily. Falling in love with the girl next door..." she trailed off, enjoying the blush creeping up James neck.
"How did you know we lived next door?" he asked. [Beta Note: (ooooooh! interesting! i've always wanted to fall for a guy next door... unfortunately, the only guys that live near by are my younger brothers friends, these 6 year old twins i babysit and well, that's all. :( poor me. but anyways... back to the story)]
"Lily and I have been friends for years. We tell each other everything. Too bad, though," she said as an afterthought.
"What's too bad?" asked James, popping some chips into his mouth.
"That you're taken, of course. Who would have known that underneath all that rebellion was a heartbreaker waiting to get out?" She leaned in closer to James. James looked up and saw Lily and Barty moving out of his line of vision. James walked over to where he could see Lily more.
"Look at her in there," said Zoe, walking up behind him. "Suddenly Barty's on the market again and she's back to plan A. Old crushes die hard." James looked at her, letting her words sink in. "Are you sure Lily is the one? Just think, if Barty hadn't smashed into Hannah, Lily would have gotten exactly what she wanted." The statement hit James hard. It was true, every word of it. He looked at Zoe, who was getting closer by the second. "Maybe then I would have gotten what I wanted," she said softly, pressing her body up against him. Before he knew what he was doing he crushed her lips with his.
*~~*~~*
"Do you remember when you were yelling at me in the carriage?" asked Barty.
"Vaguely," said Lily, trying to sound off-handed.
"All the things you said about love being for saps...you were right," he said, laughing. Lily looked up and what she saw made her heart stop beating. James and Zoe were in another room locked in a passionate kiss.
Zoe opened her eyes and saw Lily staring at them. She smiled evilly and pushed James off of her. "Not in this life time, Romeo!!" she shouted indignantly, "Lily is my best friend!"[Beta Note (BITCH!!!!!!)]
"Huh?" said James, completely confused. Zoe pulled him and made him turn his head. He saw Lily's face and knew she saw them. Lily gave him on last look and hurried away. James ran after her, leaving Zoe with her next pursuit, Barty. [Another Beta Note hehe: (still a bitch!!! grrr. some people! *slaps zoe!*)]
*~~*~~~*
Lily heard James coming after her, so she ducked into the first door she saw, which luckily was the bathroom. She locked the door and sat on the toilet.
"Lily," James yelled while banging on the door, "Lily, come on, open up." When she didn't answer him after a few minutes, he made his way back to the refreshment stand and started drinking every type of alcohol he could get his hands on. [Beta Note: (bad james... drowning his troubles in alcohol. it never works little boy... never works..)]
Lily stayed where she was. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't. Barty was available again and Daphne was acting nice towards James. They could now go their separate ways. This is what they wanted from the beginning. So why did Lily feel like someone ripped out her heart and stepped on it? It was probably just the surprise of him ending it that quickly. Yeah, that, and the fact that he was with her best friend. What kind of best friend does that? Lily was suddenly furious. Zoe was no friend. She was a bitch. This is what she gets for befriending someone who was part evil creature. Lily got up and walked out of the bathroom, looking for her now ex-best friend.
*~~*~~*
James had gotten so drunk he could barely see where he was going. Hell, he couldn't even walk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. He got up to look for a quill and by some miracle he found one. He wrote 'Need ride, Pete' with a very shaky hand. The only problem now was finding an owl. This was going to be a long night.
Meanwhile, Lily had caught up to Zoe who was standing near the snack table.
"How could you do that?" she asked furiously.
"I was testing him, and frankly I think I was doing you a favor," said Zoe with a smile.
"You weren't doing me a favor! You're miserable and you know what they say about misery loving company. You just couldn't stand to see me happy!" shouted Lily.
"Chill, drama queen," laughed Zoe, "remember it's not life and death." She walked away, leaving Lily aching to knock something over, which she did (a stack of plastic cups) though it didn't help her mood much. Arabella came up to her and asked, "Are you okay?" Lily looked at the girls who were staring at her and just shrugged.
*~~*~~*
"No, no, no! Come on, get back up! Yes yes yes!!" shouted Peter, jumping up and down throwing down his controller. He won again for the hundredth time that night. The guys thought traditional Pong was boring so Sirius charmed it into a fast paced game filled with monsters and dragons that tried to eat the ball. The bars on the side were also moving pretty fast. Peter caught on quickly and was putting Remus and Sirius to shame.
"One more game, Wormtail. I know I can beat you," said Sirius. You're on, Padfoot." Peter picked up the controller and was about to press 'Start' when an owl flew in. "Sorry guys, I have to go." Sirius picked up the note and looked at it. Then he turned the parchment to the side, then upside down. He couldn't make heads or tails or the writing.
"Pete, how do you know what this says?" he asked.
"Well, no one sends me an owl for any other reason," he said trying to sound as if he didn't care. He fastened his cloak and was about to walk out. Remus and Sirius, for some reason, felt guilty.
"We'll go with you," said Sirius at once, grabbing his own cloak.
"Yeah, definitely," said Remus, "Besides, I have a feeling that I'm gonna get some great pictures." He picked up his cloak and camera and all three of them made their way out of the Shrieking Shack, Peter feeling better knowing his friends were behind him.
*~~*~~*
James stood outside the Tower's door and waited for Peter to come. He felt a lurch in his stomach and within seconds he was on the floor throwing up all the contents of his stomach. He heard a sudden screech and he looked up to see a carriage inches from his face. Remus bounded out of the carriage and started snapping pictures of James on the floor, with his vomit everywhere.
"Mr. Potter, please tell us how you feel?" asked Remus while snapping more pictures. He charmed the camera to never run out of film. Sirius also helped him charm it so the pictures stayed inside until Remus wanted them out.
"You're the one who called?" asked Peter, sounding amazed. James nodded and stood up on shaky legs. Peter helped him into the carriage. He looked at Remus and Sirius, expectantly.
"I'm gonna stay for a while," said Remus running inside and flashing pictures everywhere.
"I'm gonna stay with him and make sure no one tries to kill him when he flashes them in the eye," laughed Sirius. Seconds later they heard a scream and a loud SMACK. "Too late," Sirius sighed.
*~~*~~*
They rode the carriage for a while in silence. Peter looked back at James and asked, "So how was the party?"
"Great," James muttered.
"Who was there?" Peter asked.
"Everyone," sighed James. Peter was furious.
"Everyone? Everyone?!' He brought the carriage to a sudden halt and James was thrown forward. "Damn it, Peter! What the hell was that?"
"Look sorry about that," said Peter trying to sound calm, "but everyone wasn't there. I wasn't there. Neither were Remus and Sirius. We used to be your friends, if you can remember that far back."
"You know what I remember, Peter. I remember you doing Bryan Nicolsan's homework, just because he said that he would be your friend."
"I was doing him a favor," interrupted Peter. "He was busy training for the Quidditch Cup."
"I remember you asking Diane Little to go to Hogsmeade with you then letting her spend the day with her friends," continued James.
"Does this story have a point?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, my point is that you're not mad at me. You're just jealous."
"What's wrong with wanting to be liked?" asked Peter, sadly.
"You want them to like you, Wormtail? Tell them to go fuck themselves! People like them need people like you so they could feel better about themselves. So they can feel important and high and mighty." Peter shook his head. An owl landed on his shoulder with a note on it.
"Don't go, Peter," said James. "There are sober people there. They just don't want to leave the party."
"I can't not go," said Peter dejectedly. James looked at him then got out of the carriage.
"This is close enough," said James. "I wanted to walk anyway." Peter watched him as he left. James took off the leather jacket that Lily had gotten him and threw it on the ground. It was time to get his identity and life back.
*~~*~~*
Peter was once again in front of the Tower waiting for whoever it was that sent for him to come out. Remus came running up to him and grabbed his arm.
"Come on Peter. I need your help," he panted.
"With what?" asked Peter, startled at Remus' state of clothes. He looked as if someone ruffed him up then kissed him everywhere. (B/N: ooooh! go remus! go remus! go go go remus! haha.) "Zoe and some guy are in a room together and I can't get in. I need you to ˜Wormtail' your way in there and take some pictures." Under normal circumstances Peter would have loved to do it, but he had a job to do and that's what he told Remus.
"Sirius will take over. Come on, please," he begged.
"Okay," said Peter. Sirius came up to them and sat in the carriage. It seemed as if they planned it all already.
Peter was being dragged inside and they passed by Arabella and a very drunk Bryan. Remus quickly snapped some photos. Arabella and Bryan made it to the carriage and sat inside. Sirius quickly took control and the carriage started to trudge back towards the castle.
"Sorry about this, Sirius," Arabella said, as she tried to fight off Bryan who was planting kisses all over her and trying to lay her down. "We came on Bryan's broomstick, but the thing is rackety we would have smashed into the castle if he tried to fly it."
'Uh oh' thought Sirius. If there was one thing Bryan was famous for, it was how fast his temper flared whenever someone said something bad about his broom or his flying. Bryan stopped what he was doing and looked at her.
"Oh yeah! Well kiss my ass, you once nerdy bitch," he shouted. Sirius felt a ringing in his ears but it wasn't from Bryan's shouting. "I remember when you were nothing. An egg head that would hang around the Pitch drooling over Quidditch players, hoping they would notice you. Now that you're so popular you think your shit don't smell."
"Quiet, Bryan," she whispered, looking at Sirius. He was silently shaking. He hated when a girl was being yelled at, but Bryan looked on verge of physical abuse.
"SHUT UP! You think you're 'Miss Thing'! You're nothing but a wannabe!" he yelled. Sirius stopped the carriage, got out and pulled out Bryan, dropping him to the floor.
"You okay, Bella?" he asked. She didn't get a chance to answer because Bryan got up and slammed Sirius up against the carriage, watching him slide down.
"Bryan, STOP!" Arabella shouted.
"What do you think you're doing, Sirius?" He spat his name, while Arabella was shouting for him to stop. He kicked Sirius on the side. "Get yourself up and drive me home!" he shouted. "As for you," he rounded on Arabella, but she pulled out her wand.
"STUPEFY!" she shouted. Sirius quickly got up as Bryan fell back, almost landing on top of him.
"Do you wanna get out of here?" he asked her.
"Can you take me back to the party? I need to talk to Diana," she said, tears streaming down her face. Sirius conjured a tissue box and gave it to her. "Thanks," she mumbled. Sirius spun the carriage around and took her back to the party.
Chapter 7: More Realizations and More Break-ups
Professor Kane, the Potions teacher, stood in front of the class holding a clear bottle with some kind of amber liquid in it.
"This was brought to my attention by Mr. Filch last week, the night after this class was over."
"Professor, how do you know it was our class that did anything?" asked Sirius.
"Because this was the only potions class I had that day, Mr. Black," Professor Kane snapped. "And if I remember correctly, which I do, this class was making a Hallucination Solution, and some of you were having too much fun with it." He glared at the back of the classroom where a few boys were sniggering. "Turns out some house-elves found this in someone's dorm and suddenly thought they were dancing with fluffy pink bunnies. So now -" but he was interrupted again.
"See, people," cried Daphne, standing up, "this is what I'm talking about. The house-elves are so uneducated, so close-minded, they don't know when they are being drugged. I bet this was done on purpose. Just like in St. Mungo's. They go and participate to be tested on and most of the time they die. We have to do something, we can't just sit around and let this happen. They have the right to..."
"MISS EDWARDS SIT DOWN! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU CRUSADING FOR THOSE DAMN HOUSE-ELVES." He took a few deep breathes, then, in a more calm voice he said, "Please keep your comments until after class, when you will be someone else's problem. Now as I was saying before I was interrupted, all of you will be paired up in alphabetical order for today." Everyone groaned, but not as loudly as Lily. She looked over at Daphne who looked livid. Not only for having her speech cut short, but for having to be Miss Perfect's' potions partner.
Everyone got up and moved next to their partners. Lily and Daphne were working quietly for a few minutes adding ingredients to their potions. As they waited for the potion to simmer, Daphne looked over at Lily, then James, who was working with Peter.
"So, did you teach James how to jump through hoops? Maybe balance a ball on his nose?" she asked.
"I'm still working on matching socks," said Lily as she looked through her potions book. Seeing as how Lily wasn't going to say anymore, Daphne started again.
"You know, you two make a very cute couple," she said, while adding in some mandrake leaves. "But I guess you hear that all the time."
"Why do you care?" asked Lily looking up from stirring the potion.
"I don't," she said quickly, "you're welcome to him. I used to think he had some...I dunno..some social consciousness."
"Is this about the house-elf enslavement thing?" Lily asked.
"I can feel your concern," Daphne said sarcastically.
"Do you know anything about James' mother?" Lily asked, completely throwing off Daphne.
"Just that she died when he was young. Like 12 or something."
"13," corrected Lily. "Do you know how?"
"No,"said Daphne, obviously annoyed.
"Cancer," she said shortly. She threw poured in some armadillo bile.
"But they already have a cure for that."
"They didn't when she was diagnosed. Do you know how they found the cure?"
"Months and months of research."
"No, house-elves. Some were used for testing while others helped the doctors by tending to them or even help them looking through all the books for anything they could use. House-elves may be close minded, but they are clever creatures when it comes to helping their masters. So next time you start shouting about how house-elves are enslaved, keep in mind how they always help out for the greater good." And with that Lily went back to the potion, leaving Daphne stunned.
*~~*~~*
"So do you guys wanna check out my new game tonight?" asked Peter after dinner. He was walking with Sirius and Remus towards the Whomping Willow. Peter hid all his stuff that his parents sent him from the Muggle World in the Shrieking Shack.
"What new game?" asked Sirius, intrigued. He liked most things Muggles, but especially loved their games. The game with the land filled with candy was his favorite. It always made his mouth water. (A/N I don't know if Candyland was around back then). (Beta's Note: i think candyland's been around forever! haha)
"It's this game called Ping..no wait..Pong, yeah..its Pong," said Peter.
"Ping pong ping pong ping pong," sang Remus. "That's pretty catchy."
"Anyway, you play it on the t.v. It has these two bars on the each side and a ball going back and forth. You have to move the bars to hit the ball back before it goes off to the black space," explained Peter.
"That sounds cool," said Sirius.
"Hey! Let's have a two-on-two tournament," said Remus. "Me and Sirius against you and James."
"That sounds.." started Peter, but they were interrupted by some guys shouting and laughing. They turned around and saw James in the middle of a huge pile that was legs, arms, and hair. When they separated, they all slapped each other's back.
"I think James has to make an appearance at Barty Crouch's party tonight," said Sirius.
"Ah yes, of course," chorused Peter and Remus.
*~~*~~*
James and Lily stood in front of the Tower's door where Barty's party was being held.
"So, this is the last pre-Ball event for us," said Lily happily.
"Hey, did you say anything to Daphne today in Potions?" he asked suddenly.
"Why?" asked Lily, worried that he might get mad that she told Daphne about his mom.
"I dunno, she's been acting freaky lately. Nice even,"James said with a shudder.
"Well, then mission nearly accomplished," she said, relieved.
"I guess," said James, not feeling as happy as he should have been upon receiving the news. They walked into the door, hand in hand. James felt that this was way better than being with Daphne. [Beta Note: oooh! james likes lily! james liiiiiiikes lily! (sorry, couldn't resist!)]
*~~*~~*
Zoe was at the party a half-hour before Lily and James showed up. She had gotten so drunk, that soon her vampire side was coming out. She suddenly felt like causing misery to someone. Just then, James walked in hand in hand with Lily. 'Bingo,' she thought nastily.
*~~~*~~*
After a while, Lily and James split up and started to just mingle. Lily did most of the mingling. James on the other hand was drinking. As he went to throw away yet another empty cup, he saw Lily. She gave him a smile and he couldn't help but smile back.
"Hey Lily," said Barty, walking up behind her.
"Hey Barty! I was just waiting for the bathroom," said Lily, turning around to face him.
"Yeah, that's cool," he said. James' smile faded as he watched them.
"So, where's Heather?" asked Lily, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice.
"Hannah," Barty corrected.
"Right, Hannah. I haven't seen her tonight," said Lily looking around. She suddenly spotted Zoe lurking behind James. 'What is she up to?' she thought.
"It's over," said Barty, miserably.
"Really?" asked Lily, trying to hide the happiness in her voice. "Why?"
"She accused me of being a Death Eater, then left holding up a cross," said Barty shaking his head. "Me? A Death Eater? I mean, come on, everyone knows how my father is with anything illegal. Does she really think I'd do that?"
"I guess so, if that's what she said,"confirmed Lily.
"Death Eater..hmph..I'll show her Death Eater," he muttered. He suddenly got an evil glint in his eye and Lily took a step back, slightly frightened. But it was gone as soon as it came.[Beta Note: ooooh.... barty's turnin' eeeeeeeeeevil!! dun dun duuuuun!]
*~~*~~*
"So, it's like a fairy tale, right?" asked a voice right in James ear, making him jump a few feet. He looked around and saw Zoe standing there giving him a very strange look.
"Huh?" asked James distracted as Zoe leaned forward giving James a view of her chest.
"I mean you and Lily. Falling in love with the girl next door..." she trailed off, enjoying the blush creeping up James neck.
"How did you know we lived next door?" he asked. [Beta Note: (ooooooh! interesting! i've always wanted to fall for a guy next door... unfortunately, the only guys that live near by are my younger brothers friends, these 6 year old twins i babysit and well, that's all. :( poor me. but anyways... back to the story)]
"Lily and I have been friends for years. We tell each other everything. Too bad, though," she said as an afterthought.
"What's too bad?" asked James, popping some chips into his mouth.
"That you're taken, of course. Who would have known that underneath all that rebellion was a heartbreaker waiting to get out?" She leaned in closer to James. James looked up and saw Lily and Barty moving out of his line of vision. James walked over to where he could see Lily more.
"Look at her in there," said Zoe, walking up behind him. "Suddenly Barty's on the market again and she's back to plan A. Old crushes die hard." James looked at her, letting her words sink in. "Are you sure Lily is the one? Just think, if Barty hadn't smashed into Hannah, Lily would have gotten exactly what she wanted." The statement hit James hard. It was true, every word of it. He looked at Zoe, who was getting closer by the second. "Maybe then I would have gotten what I wanted," she said softly, pressing her body up against him. Before he knew what he was doing he crushed her lips with his.
*~~*~~*
"Do you remember when you were yelling at me in the carriage?" asked Barty.
"Vaguely," said Lily, trying to sound off-handed.
"All the things you said about love being for saps...you were right," he said, laughing. Lily looked up and what she saw made her heart stop beating. James and Zoe were in another room locked in a passionate kiss.
Zoe opened her eyes and saw Lily staring at them. She smiled evilly and pushed James off of her. "Not in this life time, Romeo!!" she shouted indignantly, "Lily is my best friend!"[Beta Note (BITCH!!!!!!)]
"Huh?" said James, completely confused. Zoe pulled him and made him turn his head. He saw Lily's face and knew she saw them. Lily gave him on last look and hurried away. James ran after her, leaving Zoe with her next pursuit, Barty. [Another Beta Note hehe: (still a bitch!!! grrr. some people! *slaps zoe!*)]
*~~*~~~*
Lily heard James coming after her, so she ducked into the first door she saw, which luckily was the bathroom. She locked the door and sat on the toilet.
"Lily," James yelled while banging on the door, "Lily, come on, open up." When she didn't answer him after a few minutes, he made his way back to the refreshment stand and started drinking every type of alcohol he could get his hands on. [Beta Note: (bad james... drowning his troubles in alcohol. it never works little boy... never works..)]
Lily stayed where she was. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't. Barty was available again and Daphne was acting nice towards James. They could now go their separate ways. This is what they wanted from the beginning. So why did Lily feel like someone ripped out her heart and stepped on it? It was probably just the surprise of him ending it that quickly. Yeah, that, and the fact that he was with her best friend. What kind of best friend does that? Lily was suddenly furious. Zoe was no friend. She was a bitch. This is what she gets for befriending someone who was part evil creature. Lily got up and walked out of the bathroom, looking for her now ex-best friend.
*~~*~~*
James had gotten so drunk he could barely see where he was going. Hell, he couldn't even walk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. He got up to look for a quill and by some miracle he found one. He wrote 'Need ride, Pete' with a very shaky hand. The only problem now was finding an owl. This was going to be a long night.
Meanwhile, Lily had caught up to Zoe who was standing near the snack table.
"How could you do that?" she asked furiously.
"I was testing him, and frankly I think I was doing you a favor," said Zoe with a smile.
"You weren't doing me a favor! You're miserable and you know what they say about misery loving company. You just couldn't stand to see me happy!" shouted Lily.
"Chill, drama queen," laughed Zoe, "remember it's not life and death." She walked away, leaving Lily aching to knock something over, which she did (a stack of plastic cups) though it didn't help her mood much. Arabella came up to her and asked, "Are you okay?" Lily looked at the girls who were staring at her and just shrugged.
*~~*~~*
"No, no, no! Come on, get back up! Yes yes yes!!" shouted Peter, jumping up and down throwing down his controller. He won again for the hundredth time that night. The guys thought traditional Pong was boring so Sirius charmed it into a fast paced game filled with monsters and dragons that tried to eat the ball. The bars on the side were also moving pretty fast. Peter caught on quickly and was putting Remus and Sirius to shame.
"One more game, Wormtail. I know I can beat you," said Sirius. You're on, Padfoot." Peter picked up the controller and was about to press 'Start' when an owl flew in. "Sorry guys, I have to go." Sirius picked up the note and looked at it. Then he turned the parchment to the side, then upside down. He couldn't make heads or tails or the writing.
"Pete, how do you know what this says?" he asked.
"Well, no one sends me an owl for any other reason," he said trying to sound as if he didn't care. He fastened his cloak and was about to walk out. Remus and Sirius, for some reason, felt guilty.
"We'll go with you," said Sirius at once, grabbing his own cloak.
"Yeah, definitely," said Remus, "Besides, I have a feeling that I'm gonna get some great pictures." He picked up his cloak and camera and all three of them made their way out of the Shrieking Shack, Peter feeling better knowing his friends were behind him.
*~~*~~*
James stood outside the Tower's door and waited for Peter to come. He felt a lurch in his stomach and within seconds he was on the floor throwing up all the contents of his stomach. He heard a sudden screech and he looked up to see a carriage inches from his face. Remus bounded out of the carriage and started snapping pictures of James on the floor, with his vomit everywhere.
"Mr. Potter, please tell us how you feel?" asked Remus while snapping more pictures. He charmed the camera to never run out of film. Sirius also helped him charm it so the pictures stayed inside until Remus wanted them out.
"You're the one who called?" asked Peter, sounding amazed. James nodded and stood up on shaky legs. Peter helped him into the carriage. He looked at Remus and Sirius, expectantly.
"I'm gonna stay for a while," said Remus running inside and flashing pictures everywhere.
"I'm gonna stay with him and make sure no one tries to kill him when he flashes them in the eye," laughed Sirius. Seconds later they heard a scream and a loud SMACK. "Too late," Sirius sighed.
*~~*~~*
They rode the carriage for a while in silence. Peter looked back at James and asked, "So how was the party?"
"Great," James muttered.
"Who was there?" Peter asked.
"Everyone," sighed James. Peter was furious.
"Everyone? Everyone?!' He brought the carriage to a sudden halt and James was thrown forward. "Damn it, Peter! What the hell was that?"
"Look sorry about that," said Peter trying to sound calm, "but everyone wasn't there. I wasn't there. Neither were Remus and Sirius. We used to be your friends, if you can remember that far back."
"You know what I remember, Peter. I remember you doing Bryan Nicolsan's homework, just because he said that he would be your friend."
"I was doing him a favor," interrupted Peter. "He was busy training for the Quidditch Cup."
"I remember you asking Diane Little to go to Hogsmeade with you then letting her spend the day with her friends," continued James.
"Does this story have a point?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, my point is that you're not mad at me. You're just jealous."
"What's wrong with wanting to be liked?" asked Peter, sadly.
"You want them to like you, Wormtail? Tell them to go fuck themselves! People like them need people like you so they could feel better about themselves. So they can feel important and high and mighty." Peter shook his head. An owl landed on his shoulder with a note on it.
"Don't go, Peter," said James. "There are sober people there. They just don't want to leave the party."
"I can't not go," said Peter dejectedly. James looked at him then got out of the carriage.
"This is close enough," said James. "I wanted to walk anyway." Peter watched him as he left. James took off the leather jacket that Lily had gotten him and threw it on the ground. It was time to get his identity and life back.
*~~*~~*
Peter was once again in front of the Tower waiting for whoever it was that sent for him to come out. Remus came running up to him and grabbed his arm.
"Come on Peter. I need your help," he panted.
"With what?" asked Peter, startled at Remus' state of clothes. He looked as if someone ruffed him up then kissed him everywhere. (B/N: ooooh! go remus! go remus! go go go remus! haha.) "Zoe and some guy are in a room together and I can't get in. I need you to ˜Wormtail' your way in there and take some pictures." Under normal circumstances Peter would have loved to do it, but he had a job to do and that's what he told Remus.
"Sirius will take over. Come on, please," he begged.
"Okay," said Peter. Sirius came up to them and sat in the carriage. It seemed as if they planned it all already.
Peter was being dragged inside and they passed by Arabella and a very drunk Bryan. Remus quickly snapped some photos. Arabella and Bryan made it to the carriage and sat inside. Sirius quickly took control and the carriage started to trudge back towards the castle.
"Sorry about this, Sirius," Arabella said, as she tried to fight off Bryan who was planting kisses all over her and trying to lay her down. "We came on Bryan's broomstick, but the thing is rackety we would have smashed into the castle if he tried to fly it."
'Uh oh' thought Sirius. If there was one thing Bryan was famous for, it was how fast his temper flared whenever someone said something bad about his broom or his flying. Bryan stopped what he was doing and looked at her.
"Oh yeah! Well kiss my ass, you once nerdy bitch," he shouted. Sirius felt a ringing in his ears but it wasn't from Bryan's shouting. "I remember when you were nothing. An egg head that would hang around the Pitch drooling over Quidditch players, hoping they would notice you. Now that you're so popular you think your shit don't smell."
"Quiet, Bryan," she whispered, looking at Sirius. He was silently shaking. He hated when a girl was being yelled at, but Bryan looked on verge of physical abuse.
"SHUT UP! You think you're 'Miss Thing'! You're nothing but a wannabe!" he yelled. Sirius stopped the carriage, got out and pulled out Bryan, dropping him to the floor.
"You okay, Bella?" he asked. She didn't get a chance to answer because Bryan got up and slammed Sirius up against the carriage, watching him slide down.
"Bryan, STOP!" Arabella shouted.
"What do you think you're doing, Sirius?" He spat his name, while Arabella was shouting for him to stop. He kicked Sirius on the side. "Get yourself up and drive me home!" he shouted. "As for you," he rounded on Arabella, but she pulled out her wand.
"STUPEFY!" she shouted. Sirius quickly got up as Bryan fell back, almost landing on top of him.
"Do you wanna get out of here?" he asked her.
"Can you take me back to the party? I need to talk to Diana," she said, tears streaming down her face. Sirius conjured a tissue box and gave it to her. "Thanks," she mumbled. Sirius spun the carriage around and took her back to the party.