*** The lines which are written in italics toward the end of this chapter represent Sirius' thoughts while he in his animagus form. I doubt that when transformed animagus can still talk like humans, but I'm guessing that they are still able to have human-like thoughts. After all, they aren't really animals.
Chapter 7 – Padfoot's Plan
Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting the warm sunlight shine upon her face. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, perfect for studying outside in James' garden. The only problem was that they weren't making a lot of progress. Lately Lily felt that their tutoring sessions were not going as well as they usually do. For some reason James didn't seem motivated to hold a discussion anymore, let alone study. It was like there was something else on his mind. At first Lily thought that he was concerned about the next week's big Quidditch match, being that he was forced to attend practice everyday. But something told her that couldn't be the main reason behind his behavior. James' problem, whatever it was, seemed to go much deeper then that.
"What do you think James?"
"Uh huh."
"Earth to James!"
"Huh…what!" James sounded startled.
Lily felt herself growing annoyed. Why must he always daydream like this? "I asked you to tell me what you think drove the goblins to revolt against the Ministry of Magic in 1735. Was it their poor financial situation or their lack of respect in the Wizarding community?
"Um…I don't know. Both I guess."
"Both? That answer is not going to help you on Friday's test, James. I don't see how you are going to do well on the essay section if you don't have an opinion." James shrugged and went back to his daydreaming. Lily sighed loudly. "Okay that's enough now. What's eating you? Spill."
"Nothing. Why do you ask?"
"Because you have been spacing out every 15 minutes. It's not easy to study when I don't even know what planet you are on."
"Sorry…I was just tired, I guess. You know…with Quidditch practice and all."
"Is that so? Well, I say that there is something else that you're hesitating to me about. You just seem so distracted lately. I'm worried about you."
"Well I appreciate your concern Lily, but I'm fine." James pulled open his history of magic textbook. "Now where were we? Oh yeah…the goblin revolutions."
Lily looked at her watch. "Well there's no point in repeating myself all over again. We have Potions in 10 minutes."
"Oh boy, my favorite!" James remarked sarcastically as he and Lily packed up their study things as made their way towards the castle.
"And what have you two been up to?" sneered Professor Vain coldly when James and Lily entered the Potions Dungeon.
"We were uh…" Lily felt her face growing flush.
"Lily tutors me on weekdays professor, but today our study session was running a little late." James replied calmly.
"That's no excuse!" Vain's face wrinkled with anger. "You must think it's okay to stroll in here any time you please. Well I have news for you, Mr. Potter…it's not. Ten points from Gryffindor."
"But Professor that's not fair…I…"
"Shut it Potter, or I'll make it twenty. I decide what's fair or not in this classroom!"
James looked furious. "She wouldn't take away points from a Slytherin if one of them were to be tardy to Potions," he muttered bitterly under his breath. He and Lily took a seat in their usual spots by Remus and Sirius. Only one table away from Severus Snape.
"Oh…hi Severus." Lily whispered awkwardly. Severus didn't speak, but stared at her loathingly. "Look about last night. I'm really sorry I didn't mean to…"
Severus held out his hand to silence her. "I don't want to hear it, Evans." He croaked.
"But I…"
"I said I don't want to hear it!" Severus was yelling now. "You've chosen the path that you will follow. You wanted to be with Potter, well you got your wish. Now leave me alone!" With that said, he picked up his books and made his way to the other side of the dungeon.
"What's up his ass?" Sirius asked trying to hold back a snigger.
"Who gives a crap, he's a stupid prick!" James stared at Sirius spitefully. "He could rot in Hell for all I care."
"Well I can't help feeling guilty." Lily quietly remarked. "It's not like I intentionally knocked him unconscious."
"Don't worry Lily," assured Remus. "It's normal to feel guilty in a situation like this. But you can't blame yourself if he refuses to accept your apology. You did the best your could. If he's gonna be bitter, well that's his problem."
"Snape doesn't deserve an apology," interrupted James bitterly. "He tried to poison me…that greasy git…why if Lily hadn't been there…"
"That's why I wanted to second you James," said Sirius in a concerned voice. "I knew things would get out of hand."
"Well, I'll keep that in mind next time he challenges me to a duel, Sirius. But of he's got any sense left in him that won't be for a while, because next time I'm gonna whoop his ass for sure!"
All of a sudden there was a loud explosion. Something had gone terribly wrong with Frank's potion, and the reddish-orange gunk in his cauldron was spilling over the ridge.
"Longbottom, you idiot!" cried Professor Vain. "I told you to use spider legs, not spider eggs! Evans, get over here and help him correct this before I fail you both!"
"Coming professor." Normally the word "fail" would cause Lily to panic, possibly even hyperventilate, but she had been threatened one to many times by Vain for it to have a physical effect on her anymore.
Sirius waited until Lily had left their table and then flashed James his most mischievous smile. "If it's revenge you're looking for there are other ways to settle things besides a wizard's duel."
"Sounds to me like you're up to no good, Black." James laughed. "Start talking Padfoot. You have me undivided attention."
Remus sighed. "I think I know where this conversation's going. Count me out."
Sirius, ignoring Remus' comment, continued to smile mischievously at James. He pulled out a small white tube of gel from the pocket of his cloak. "This is the magical solution to hair loss. I stole it from my dad's medicine cabinet last summer. I thought it might be useful to me someday."
"Hair loss solution. That's your idea of revenge?" James couldn't hide his disappointment.
"I don't think you follow me here, Prongs. This is no Muggle hair product, this is Wizard hair gel. One squirt of this baby and you'll be harrier than Professor Vain's legs."
James chuckled. "Harrier than Professor Vain legs, is that even possible?"
"Very possible, my friend. I have watched my dad use it. He was practically bald, but after one small drop of this gel, within a half an hour he had a full head of hair."
"So, what do you suggest we do with it?"
"Well, I have been itching to see how this stuff works on somebody besides my bald (or once bald) old man. I'm thinking Severus Snape would be the perfect guinea pig. I mean, look at it this way: Snape must use at least half a pound of hair gel a day to make his hair look that greasy."
"I don't know," interrupted James. "I thought your hair only starts to look like that when you don't shower. Like in Snape's case…"
"No, it's his hair gel," muttered Remus. "He carries it in a plastic bottle and reapplies at least once an hour. Trust me, I've seen him."
"I thought you wanted to be counted out of this, Remus."
"Well it's kind of hard to ignore you two. I mean I'm standing right here, aren't I?"
"This is gonna be great!" James remarked excitedly. "Snape will think twice before he messes with me again."
"Okay, listen up." Sirius glanced around the room suspiciously to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation. "Here's what we gotta do. We gotta figure out how to switch his regular hair gel with my dad's special hair growth gel. The question is how?"
"I know," whispered James. "I'll use a flame charm to set his vest on fire. Then he'll have to throw his robe off. Then, while he's distracted putting out of the fire we'll make the switch."
"You have got to be kidding me, James!" Remus sounded concerned. "Setting Severus on fire…you're crazy!"
"Oh, and the fact that he tried to poison me last night is perfectly sane."
"Remus has a point, James. I mean don't get me wrong, I would love to watch you set that greasy git on fire, but flame charms are risky business. If our luck were to take a turn for the worse, you'd be off the Quidditch team for sure, if not expelled from Hogwarts altogether."
"Well if there's one thing for certain, it's that we need to distract him. So then tell me, Sirius, do you have any ideas?"
"I have an idea." Remus grinned. "If you perform an explosion charm, you can cause his potion to have a similar effect to Frank's. That would distract him long enough to give us the time we need to act as pickpockets."
"That's a good idea, Remus, but you're forgetting something. Snape is Vain's favorite student. You think she'll mind if his potion has a tiny drawback? She probably wouldn't even notice."
"But Frank…"
"Frank is a Gryffindor! Vain looks for excuses to take points away from us, you know that. But when it comes down to her own house…well that's a different story."
Sirius remained quiet for a moment. Then his famous mischievous smile returned to his face. "I got it," he whispered. "Lily."
"What?" James looked confused by Sirius' suggestion.
"We can use Lily. Snape's obviously got a crush on her. Maybe she could flirt with him, distract him enough so that we can get into his robe pockets without being noticed."
"No way Sirius! That's a stupid idea."
"Well, it wouldn't be real…she'd only have to flirt long enough for us to steal his…"
"It's not gonna happen."
"Come on, James. It will be perfect. Snape will think that Lily's falling for him and…"
"NO!" James face reddened with anger. "Don't you see, Sirius, Snape has an unhealthy obsession with Lily. He really scares her sometimes, she told me all about it. She can't seduce him, even if it's a set up, even if it's only for a few minutes. It's dangerous and I won't put Lily in a situation like that."
"I understand that but…"
"I said NO!"
"Okay James, calm down. Since when are you Lily's personal bodyguard anyway…" Sirius stopped smiling and stared at James. "No shit," he whispered. "You like her don't you?"
"You mean…like more then a friend…no…what makes you say that?" James looked uncertain.
"Because you're overly protective of your tutor."
"She's my friend. I stick up for my friends."
"But it's different when your friend is your crush. I've been your best friend since our first year, but you never look at me 'like that.' I'm jealous, James" he said jokingly.
"Look at her like what? What are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid with me. I mean, you think we haven't noticed the way you act around her?'
"Oh, and how is that?"
"Like you're in love."
James looked furious. "You're so sure about that aren't you, Sirius? Like you know so much about love. But you yourself have never been in a relationship that has lasted more than a week, so don't tell me what love is all about!"
"Calm down, James." Remus said mollifyingly. "You have every right to be upset, but there's no use in making a scene out of it."
"Look," interrupted Sirius. "Here comes your girlfriend right now."
"She's not my…"
"So, what did I miss?" Lily asked cheerfully taking a seat at their table.
"You know all of the sudden, I'm not feeling too well." James announced. "I'm going to lay down. If you need me I'll be in my dorm." And with that James picked up his books and left.
"What's with him?" Lily looked confused. Sirius shrugged as he carefully cut up his caterpillars to add to his potion. The bell rang a few minutes later and the Gryffindors and Slytherins washed their hands and piled out of the Potions Dungeon.
"Sirius…Remus…wait up!" Lily called from behind a crowd of students. She had a very worried look upon her face. "Why did James run off like that during class? Was it something I said that upset him?
"No," replied Remus glaring at Sirius. "Believe me it has nothing to do with you, Lily."
"That's not entirely true, Remus," remarked Sirius quietly.
"I don't know." Lily nervously twisted a strand of her long red hair with her fingers. "James had been acting…kind of strange lately. Why, yesterday he didn't bother to show up for our tutoring session. I know he's busy with Quidditch practice and all, but this is just so…unlike him."
'Of course this is unlike him,' Sirius thought. 'The boy has fallen in love for the first time in his life. Give him a break!'
"I'm really worried," continued Lily. "And well…I was wondering if you two have noticed any other changes in the pattern of his behavior."
"I can't say we have," lied Remus. "But I'm sure that whatever he's doing that has been bothering you has a logical explanation behind it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lily sighed. "If you happen to see James tell him that I hope he feels better, and if there's anything he needs to talk about I'm here for him."
"I'll be sure to mention that, Lily. He'll be happy to know that you are thinking about him."
"Thanks, Remus." Lily smiled their her eyes were still full of concern. "I have some studying to do now. I'll catch up with you guys later." She dashed off.
Sirius shook his head. "Poor girl. She's got her nose buried to far into her books that she can't see the real reason James has been acting so strange around her."
"Sirius, listen to me," said Remus is a strict tone of voice. "You need to stop making assumptions based off of ideas that you can't possibly prove."
"This is unbelievable!" Sirius threw his hands up. "Are you telling me that you don't see it either? I mean come on, Remus. James is crazy for her. Think about it: the way he looks at her, the way he talks to her, the way he blushes every time he gets close to her. How about the way he's always so overprotective of her? Or the way they are always laughing together about nothing in particular…it all makes sense now."
"Well, I have noticed that James has been acting a little bit peculiar lately."
"Thank God!" Sirius interrupted "For a moment there I thought I was going mental."
"Let me finish, Sirius! Well, I have noticed that James has been acting a little bit peculiar lately, but that doesn't give you the right to jump to conclusions. I mean really…how are you so positive that James is in love? Can you read his mind?
"Practically."
"Yes, but can you read his heart, his thoughts, his feelings? Of course you can't! Only James understands what his heart desires, and when he feels he's ready to fall in love, then he will."
"But…"
"No 'buts,' Sirius. I'm not denying that there isn't potential for a relationship between those two, but that doesn't mean it's okay to meddle with their business. You need to time take it's course. I personally believe that love is a destined concept. If it's meant to happen then it will. Now…I am going to check on James. You might want to consider coming up to the dorm soon, yourself. I think, in such a situation, an apology would be appropriate, don't you?" Remus walked away leaving Sirius alone with his thoughts.
CREEK! Sirius slowly pushed the door open to his sleeping quarters. "You in here, Potter…cause I didn't see you at dinner."
James sat at the corner desk writing something on a pale yellow piece of parchment.
"What are you writing?"
"Nothing." James quickly rolled up the parchment and tucked it in his pocket.
"James look, about the way I acted in Potions class today…I…um…"
"If you are trying to say you're sorry then consider your apology accepted."
Sirius smiled. "Thanks." James walked over to his bed and sat down. Sirius followed. "I guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that so quickly. I just thought…"
"And I don't hold that against you. Look, I've been doing a little thinking myself. Maybe I do…kind of"
"So you do like her?"
"I'm not sure. I mean, there's something special about Lily, but I don't know what it is. It's so weird. I've known lots of hot girls in the past, but I've never felt this way about any of them. I just can't put my finger on it."
"Sounds like love to me."
"Love? Sirius, love involves commitment. I don't think I'm ready for a major responsibility like that."
"If this has to do with commitment, then you're asking the wrong person. Remember, I'm the guy who can't keep a girlfriend for over a week." Sirius laughed. "But I don't think there's an issue between you and Lily. I mean, there's defiantly a spark there. Even I can feel it."
"Yeah, well…even if this is love it's not like she returns the feelings."
"What makes you say that?"
"Think about it. Lily's smart, funny, beautiful. What would she want with a goof-up like me?"
"Shall I list the reasons?"
"Oh don't make me blush." James glanced at his watch. "It's 8:00. I have Quidditch practice in ten minutes. I'll catch up with you later."
"Sure."
"Oh and Sirius…about our little discussion tonight. It will stay between the two of us right?"
"My lips are zipped."
"Good, keep them that way." And with that James dashed out of the room.
Sirius sighed and stuck his head out of the window letting the cool evening breeze brush against his face. In the distance he could see a figure moving across the lawn. He stuck his body further out of the window to get a closer look. A grin spread across his face. He would recognize that head of red hair from any place…it was Lily. 'But what is she doing strolling across the front lawn at this hour? Is she off to see James? Surely, she knows that he has practice tonight,' he thought.
"If you stick your body any further out that window you just might fall."
Sirius jumped. "Remus! What the Hell? You just don't sneak up on people like that…"
"Serves you right. What are you looking at anyway?"
"Nothing. I'm just trying to get a breath of fresh air. That's all.
"I can't help but be suspicious, Sirius. Why, if I didn't know ant better I would say that you're up to something."
"And what about that lecture you gave me earlier on false accusations?"
"I know you too well Sirius…you think I don't sense it when you're up to no good. So come on…spill the beans…what are you plotting?"
"Plotting? I'm not plotting any…wait a minute, Remus, that's it! I know exactly what to do. I've got to go."
"Sirius...hold on...wait…" But it was too late. Before Remus could speak another word, Sirius was gone.
He ran down the corridor. There was no time to waste. It was so perfect, why hadn't he thought of it before? He would find out what Lily thinks…hear her own words. This just might work, but he must hurry…Sirius had a plan.
Lily sat down by the edge of the lake. With no visible sign of the giant squid, it seemed so calm, so tranquil. She closed her spell book and tucked it away in her knapsack. Trying to study was useless when all you can think about was James Potter. She just didn't get it. Why was he acting so strangely around her? They used to be good friends…but then things just got awkward between them. Why? Did she do something that displeased him? It didn't make any sense! Lily angrily threw a rock into the lake. She heard something rustle in the bushes behind her.
"Who's there?" she called, but there was no answer. She looked at the hedge suspiciously. Maybe she was letting her imagination run away again. Then there was another rustle. "Who's there?" Lily shouted, swallowing her fear. "Show yourself immediately!" A creature emerged from the hedge. Lily jumped back n fright. Was it a bear? No wait…it was just a dog. She sighed in relief. It was a rather large dog with pale eyes. It was all black except for a little white speck of fur on its tail.
"Here, puppy…come here." Lily patted her leg and the dog, who seemed to understand English very well, approached her. She reached out and petted the top of its head. She felt a warm, pink tongue lick her hand. "Oh aren't you sweet. I think I'll call you Snuffles…yeah Snuffles."
Snuffles? Come on now, you can do better than that.
"You know, Snuffles, you are lucky dog. You don't have the complications or problems we humans have to deal with. Life to you is just one big chew toy isn't it?" Snuffles looked confused. "Life used to be pretty easy for me, too. I go to school, study hard, get good grades, and eventually find a good paying job. That's the way I thought it worked. But then….but then I fell in love…and now nothing is easy anymore. It's killing me!" Snuffles perked his ears up in curiosity.
You're in love with James then, right?
Lily giggled. "Like you even understand what I am saying to you." She sighed. "Maybe someday you'll fall in love with a she-dog and then you'll understand."
Fall in love with a she-dog? I don't think that will be happening any time soon.
"I mean if you think about it, these feeling are nothing extraordinary. I have had a crush on James Potter since our first year at Hogwarts."
So it is James then…excellent.
"It never really mattered all that much. A crush is a crush. But then this year I became his tutor and all and I befriended him. Then it turned into something much deeper. Aw, Snuffles…James is great! He's sweet, kind-hearted, funny, charming, and not to mention very handsome. Why, you should just see his smile, it melts your heart."
I have seen him smile plenty of times, thank you, and I haven't melted yet.
"And he writes the most beautiful love poetry I have ever seen," she said, sighing.
James writes poetry now? Sirius thought, laughing to himself. He never told me about this. What a wuss!
"But I guess for now all I can do is dream. It's not like James would ever return these feelings for me."
You'd be surprised.
"And why should he? He's a star Quidditch player and one of the most popular guys in our house. Why he could have any girl he wants, even Bridget Bernstein."
Oh, Bridget Bernstein is the last thing he wants, trust me.
"What use would he have for his flat-chested, know-it-all tutor?"
Don't be so hard on yourself, Evans. You're anything but flat-chested.
"Even if he doesn't love me the way I love him, I would like him to continue to be my friend. I was never really a content person before this year. It seemed like there was this small hole in my world, this gap that couldn't be closed. But since James came into my life, I've felt so happy, so fulfilled. It was like all my emptiness just disappeared."
But he does like you "that way." If only I could make you see that.
Tears formed in Lily's eyes. "But it seemed like even our friendship was too good to last. Lately, James has been going out of his way to avoid me. He and I never talk anymore, at least not the way we used to. And yesterday he didn't even show up for one of our tutoring sessions. He's never missed a session before…mind that you don't count our first one, when he had to leave due to some emergency." A few tears rolled down Lily's cheek. Snuffles whined sympathetically. "Is there a reason why James would be mad at me? Oh, I'm so scared. I don't want to lose him, Snuffles. What should I do? Do you think I should tell him how I feel?" Snuffles nodded. "For some reason I'm getting the feeling that you actually understand me." Lily wiped her eyes with the sleeve of his robe. "This may sound kind of weird, but I feel like I know you from somewhere. Your eyes are just so…familiar…they almost look like Sir…no it can't be. I'm letting my imagination run wild again."
You know me better than you think.
"Maybe I should talk to James…ask why he's been distancing himself from me. If only I had the courage. Oh my, would you look at that. It's already half past nine. Lights out is in less than an hour. I'd better get back to my dorm. I'll see you around, Snuffles." Lily pat him on the head one more time before she dashed across the lawn towards the castle.
Later that night, Sirius sat on his bed deep in thought. So Lily did like James…no, it was bigger than that…she was in love with James. James would be thrilled if he knew, except that he would kill Sirius if he discovered that he had been prying on Lily. What if he were to just casually let James know that Lily…no, that wouldn't work either. Not after he promised James he wouldn't let anyone know about his crush on Lily. What a tricky situation this was. He could take Remus' advice into account and leave things to play out naturally, but at this rate, if something wasn't done, then those two lovebirds would never bring themselves to admit their feelings for one another. They're both just so…insecure. Sirius decided that something definitely had to be done. He couldn't just sit around and watch a potential love die. James was his best friend, after all, practically like a brother. That's why, for James' own good, as well as Lily's, it was time to take drastic action
Author's Note: Hey everyone! I would like to start off by apologizing for my delay. I have been quite busy lately between high school ending, prom, graduation preparations, etc. Then, to make matters worse, when I was close to finishing this chapter my $&%# of a computer destroyed my floppy disk. Good thing I have a rough draft ^_^;
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed chapter 7. My next chapter is, in my opinion, which I call "In The Face of A Werewolf," the best I have written so far. I'm sure you can guess what it's about from the title. I will update again as soon as possible, I promise (let's just hope that my computer behaves this time). Also FYI I will be posting my second fanfic soon on fanfiction.net (stands up and bows) thank you….thank you. It's a short sweet one I wrote in honor of mother's/father's day (which for all my non-American readers is two days which we set aside to honor our parents. I'm not sure if these days or something like it are celebrated in England), about a wish Harry makes to spend one day with his parents. It's titled The Birthday Wish, be sure to check it out (and leave me nice reviews ^-^)
Speaking of reviews I got very large amount after I posted my last chapter and that made me really, really, really happy. Unfortunately I can no longer write personal messages to each and every one of you, as much I would like to, but who in the world wants to read a 10-page author's note? However, I would like to acknowledge a couple of names.
CKJ- Thanks for the love potion suggestions. There will be some more poetry from James Potter in chapter 9.
Rini/Jessie/Justine – Thanks for the suggestions (chocolate body sauce…oh kinky) I wish I could put more of Remus and Sirius into this fic (they ARE my favorite characters) but since it's mostly about Lily and James I don't want to stray too far from the topic. When I am done with this I plan on writing a Sirius/Remus slash which will be a continuation of this story. Then Remus and Sirius will become my main characters while Lily and James will play a much more minor role.
as de corazones- I'm glad you like my story. I don't know how I came up with the idea of having Lily fall on top of James. I know I saw it in an anime show somewhere a few years ago. I think it might have been Saber Marionette J.
Amanda- Thanks for bringing up my minute/minuet problem. I would like to point out that any minuet in my story is a typo (come on it's easy to get those two words confused.) There are no minuets in this fic just yet.
haynstyle947 – Is James a chaser? I was never really sure. I made him a seeker, because he is a seeker in the movie. I appreciate that you brought this up, but as far as I know James' position on the quidditch team is unimportant, because I don't plan on writing in any actual matches. Though it is nice to know for future references.
RASBERRY_11- One of the best you ever read…really? I'm flattered…wow *Blushes*
Mylene Devin – Thanks for your review, though I have to admit that I disagree with you. Professor Mcgonagall is not a Marauder. I read somewhere that she is around the age of 80. That is much older than Remus or Severus are when Harry is at Hogwarts. Believe it or not, the Marauders are really not that old. The gap between them and the current generation is somewhere between 25-35 years. I imagine Mcgonagall coming from Tom Riddle's time, maybe even earlier.
Coeur De Lion & TigerLily- I'm glad your were impressed by my Latin usage during the duel scene. I don't take Latin, unfortunately, but I did find a spiffy dictionary online.
Eleana23- Thank you for sending my your L/J fic. I like it so far, you should definitely post it on fanfiction.net. Yes, I do have proms
Kat097- You're from the United Kingdom? That's so cool! I admire anyone from the land where Harry Potter was created. Sorry I was unaware candy floss meant cotton candy (we Americans are so nieve). It so weird…America and the United Kingdom both speak English, yet they are practically two separate languages.
A hearty thank you also goes out to kirbee, Phoebe Goose, The Lady Lillian, Sierra*Sitruc, libertygrl413, Kase, Eressa, KaTiE, and rinoa. You are my inspiration!
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!
~Marissa~