We're Just Friends… Right? – Chapter Three

Lily was in high spirits when she went to watch the first Gryffindor Quidditch practice. James was captain as well as Seeker. Remus was Chaser and Sirius a Beater. The other players on the team were Maxine Davis and Bret Andrews – Chasers, Christy Stokoe – Keeper, and Kyle Hall – Beater.

James had his team going over drills: The Chasers were practicing passing and scoring, Christy was trying to stop the Quaffle coming at her and the Beaters were practicing by hurling a Bludger between the two of them.

Grinning, Lily cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Hey, Potter! You suck!"

The entire team recognized Lily's voice and waved to her. Content, Lily made her way onto the bleachers to watch them practice. She paid close attention to Kyle and Sirius; she was always fascinated by the position of Beater. It was defiantly dangerous, but looked like loads of fun.

Suddenly, like slow motion, the Bludger they were practicing with seemed to pick up speed and hit Kyle square in the chest.

Lily was running down the bleachers before he even fell off his broom. He landed with a sickening thud and Lily was at his side in seconds.

His breathing came in short, painful gasps and he appeared to have blacked out from pain.

James was the first to land, followed closely by Sirius.

"Is he okay?" They both asked frantically.

"I don't know, I need to get him to Madam Pomfrey's right away." She took out her wand and muttered Strechara Securos and Kyle was floating behind her as she made a mad dash for the infirmary.

"Well… Uhhh… Practice canceled?" Remus and Sirius helped James put the equipment away before checking in on Kyle.

They met up with Lily, who was in the waiting room and not looking very happy about it. When she saw her friends, she it only led her to rant louder.

"… I was the one that brought him in! He's my friend and she won't let me see him! I'm only worried about the brat! Getting himself hurt… I should've hurt him. Then he'd have reason to be here, not because of some stupid ball-"

"Lily!" She looked up into Remus' eyes. "He'll be OK."

"Right… Right. Right! Why am I worrying so much? He'll be fine."

Just then Madam Pomfrey opened the door.

"He'll be all right, right?"

"Yes, Ms. Evans he'll be fine!" She looked at Lily with pure exasperation in her eyes. James wondered what exactly Lily had put her though before they had got there. "The poor boy broke five ribs and punctured a lung, just missed his heart by a few inches. The good news is that I fixed him up and he'll be out of here in a week or so."

"A week?" James interrupted, "We have to practice! Our first match is against Slytherin! They'll crush us if he doesn't practice!"

"Well, that's the bad news Mr. Potter. Because of his injury, he won't be able to play Quidditch anymore. He'll probably never have the same physical stamina that he had before."

James looked like a kid who just found out Santa wasn't real.

Lily looked at the nurse with sad eyes, "Can we see him?"

"I'm sorry, he needs his rest. Come back tomorrow and I'll see what I can do."

"Yes, Ma'am." The boys watched, shocked, as Lily walked away. She was never defeated that quickly. Something was up. They started chasing after her, but lost her somehow.

The next time the five met up was at dinner. They boys had filled Peter in on what had happened and was just as confused at Lily's behavior as the others. She sat down next to Remus and sighed.

"I hate Cane with a wild burning passion. Just because he's head of Slytherin house he thinks that he's so much better than everyone else. I was heading back to Gryffindor Tower and he saw me and goes," She imitated their Potion teacher's low, grumbling voice, "'Evans! What do you think you're doing? Running in the halls-' Which I wasn't, I was walking fast, 'Since you almost made me drop my box, you just volunteered to help.' Do you have any idea what was in those boxes?!" None of the boys answered, because they could tell she was in a bad mood and if they breathed wrong she would attack them. "Frog eyes! He made me separate them, ten to a vile, and there were probably a thousand of those things! He said that if I didn't, he'd give me an even worse detention!"

Sirius was about to comment on how one eye was still in her hair when Dumbledore stood up to make some sort of announcement. "As I'm sure some of you know," He glanced at the Gryffindor table, "Kyle Hall, Gryffindor Beater, had an injury practicing today. Because of the severity of the injury he won't be able to play anymore." Some Gryffindors started to panic, Slytherins just grinned. They'd be sure to win now. "So, Mr. Potter has asked if the team could hold tryouts for the position of Beater. I, of course agreed, and the tryouts will be held on Saturday at noon. Gryffindor fifth years and higher are welcome to tryout. Have a nice lunch." He sat down.

Lily suddenly looked ten times happier, "Hey James, think I have a chance?"

He looked at her to see if she was joking. She wasn't. "Ummm, Lils… I've never really seen you play. So… I don't know." James chose his words carefully, not wanting to get her evil mood back. It didn't work.

"Well, James Matthew Potter," he winced at the use of his full name, "you don't think I can play just because I'm a girl!"

"Lils, sweetie, I didn't say-"

"Don't you 'sweetie' me, Potter! I know what you meant!"

"No, I meant that I've never seen you play so I'm not a good pre-judge."

"Well, James Potter, you'll be in for a big surprise on Saturday!" With that she marched out of the Great Hall, hatred seeming to radiate about her.

James looked at his friends helplessly, "Did I miss part of that conversation or did she overreact?"

"Never try to understand the way of the women, James." Sirius said knowingly.

&%&%&

Why did I blow up at James? He didn't do anything. And he's right, he's never seen me play.

Because you were still upset about Cane.

Old bat.

Just apologize to James, he'll understand.

Someday he won't forgive me. I blow up at people too much.

Stubborn.

I never said I wouldn't apologize!

"Hey Lils. Safe to enter Common Room or will you attack us?" Peter smiled at her.

"Hey guys." They all piled into the Gryffindor Common Room. Lily and James still hung out in there a lot. "Hey… About dinner… I'm really sorry. I guess Cane made me more angry than I thought."

"It's okay, Lily-Bean."

"Lily-Bean? Sirius, you're insane."

He just grinned stupidly.

"So, Lils," James ventured, "Were you serious – shut up Sirius – about trying out?"

"Yeah. I've always liked the position. Bet ya didn't even know I have a broom." Her friends raised an eyebrow, "Well, I had better take a shower. I think I still have frog eyes in my hair." With that she bid them good night and went through the portrait to the Prefect dorms.

&%&%&

4:45! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! IT IS 4:45! ATTENTION! ATTEN-

Lily nearly pulverized her poor alarm. Damn annoying alarm. Got to replace it some day… She wiped the sleep from her eyes and stumbled her way into the bathroom she shared with James. She quickly washed her face with cold water and brushed her teeth. She then plaited her hair and went back into her room. She discarded her night clothes – an overlarge shirt and boxers – and pulled on a gray tee shirt that had the sleeves ripped off and some yellow cotton shorts.

She grabbed her broom, a Fly Rite, out of her closet, opened her window, and flew out.

She got to Hagrid's shed at 4:55 and dropped her broom off. She had asked in fifth year if she could keep her broom in there while she did her morning routine, and he had readily agreed.

She went out to the lake and took in a big, deep breath of the cold morning air. She then stretched out her legs and began to jog around the lake. She let her thoughts wander about, never really stopping to ponder on a single one. It was almost like mediation for her, the rhythmic beat of her feet hitting the ground, her breaths and heart beats getting heavier and louder. It took her a little less than an hour to go around the lake twice, and she let herself catch her breath and stretch some more.

By 6:00 she had her broom and was flying on the Quidditch pitch. She took a few laps around the pitch and did a few dives to warm her broom up. She had managed to get a Bludger and she set up her targets – six dummy Quidditch players that floated about in the air. Her goal was to knock all of the dummies out of the air with her Buldger without missing. After having to reset the dummies about six times, she was startled to hear –

&%&%&

James was laying in his bed, trying to get back to sleep. Something, for some reason, had woken him up at – he looked at his clock – 4:45 in the morning! He groaned, pulled his covers over his head, and tried to go back to sleep.

He heard the sink running in the bathroom, and figured Lily had just gotten up to go to the bathroom or something.

He laid in his bed, drifting between sleep and consciousness for about an hour when he decided it was pointless, he wouldn't get back into a good sleep at this rate. So he decided to wake Lily and bug her. It was close to six, he figured she would be getting up soon anyways.

An hour was soon, right?

He quietly made his way through the bathroom and then threw her bedroom door open and screamed out, "Oi, Lilykins!" He didn't notice any signs of life, and he made his way slowly over to her bed. It was all messy like she had gotten out in a rush and her window was open. James was suddenly frightened.

Shit! What if that noise that woke you up was somebody kidnapping Lily! Stupid, idiot!

There has to be a reasonable explanation for this…

And that would be…?

I don't KNOW! Ummm… Get the guys!

Yeah!

With that James ran out of Lily's bedroom, through the Gryffindor Common Room, and into the 6th year's boy dorms.

"Guys! Wake up!" Nobody moved. "Wake! Up!" He threw a pillow from his old bed at Remus, who was usually the easiest to wake up. Nobody moved. "WAKE THE HELL UP YOU LOSERS!" This time James waved his wand around and it shot sparks out of then end that landed on his friends' beds and singed them a bit.

"What the hell was that for?" Came Sirius' groggy reply.

Remus scratched his bedraggled hair, "Yeah, it's six. We don't have to get up for another hour."

"Lily's missing!" This woke everyone up. "I heard something that woke me up and 4:45 and I didn't think it was anything but when I got up a few minutes ago I went into her room and she wasn't there and her bed was all messed up and her window was open and I think she was kidnapped!" He said this all in one breath and took a long breath of oxygen after he was done.

The three boys jumped out of their beds and hastily threw on their robes over their boxers and tee shirts. They ran out of Gryffindor Tower and argued about where to look. It took them about half an hour to get out of the castle – they got lost three times, "We're supposed to be Kings of the Castle and we're lost?!?!" Peter had vented – and another fifteen to patrol the grounds.

When they were arguing about whether to look in the Forbidden Forest or go tell Dumbledore when Remus shushed them. The three other boys looked at him, livid, but he just started walking carefully towards the Quidditch Pitch.

James ran to catch up to him and whispered, "What?"

"I smell someone." James wasn't about to question Remus. His werewolf senses came in handy in times like this. Then Remus smiled, and started to laugh.

"What the hell is so funny, Moony? Lily's missing and-"

Sirius interrupted by tapping James on the shoulder and pointing to the air. James went slack-jawed at the sight he certainly wasn't expecting to see.

There, in the air, was the girl in question. She was whacking the big black Bludger towards six dummies, letting them fall to the ground. When all of them had landed, she would summon them back up and start all over again.

Her gray shirt had sweat patches on her chest and below her arms and some loose strands of hair had escaped their braid and were plastered to her forehead.

His joy in finding Lily quickly turned to anger. "LILY EVANS WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?!"

Lily did a 180 and looked at James, not realizing whom the angry voice had belonged to. She realized who it was and dove down to land on the grass. "Christ, James, I could've fallen off my broom." She got her wand and charmed the Bludger back to it's case and the dummies disappeared from the air. "What are you guys doing out here this early?"

"We could ask you the same question, little missy." Sirius looked concerned, but nowhere near the level of James'.

Remus handed her a water bottle she had been searching for, "Why didn't you tell us you were going to practice this morning?"

"Because, I have been since the middle of fifth year. Why should I tell you now, out of the blue?" She took a big gulp of the water, sprayed some onto her face and neck, and then stretched out a sore spot in her back. She laughed at their faces. "Don't worry, you guys weren't supposed to know that I was out here. Otherwise I would've blown up a long time ago. I like coming here and practicing by myself. Besides, tryouts are tomorrow. Now, why are you all here?"

"When I got up, you weren't in your room. I thought you had been kidnapped or something."

Lily looked at James strangely. "You're never up this early."

"Something woke me up."

"Ah. Well, I need to head in and shower, or I'll miss breakfast. I'll see you all later." With that, she mounted her broom and flew up to an open window – her bedroom.

Peter yawned, Remus looked proud of himself, James looked relieved, and Sirius looked ecstatic.

"Did you see the way she handled the Bludger, James? She's better than anyone I've ever seen!" James raised an eyebrow. "Except me, of course." Sirius added quickly, "But she'd give even me a run for my money. We're going to knock Slytherins' smelly socks off next Saturday."

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A/N: So, how was the chapter? I wrote it all last night, so if it's weird, do tell. The next chapter is going to be about the tryouts or something. I also need to get to work on the Halloween Ball/Dance thing. And a major plot-hole I have planned… Now, when to stick it in… Hmmm…

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