::Chapter Four::
:: An Insufferable Git and a Pretty Prefect ::
A/N: R/R, PLEASE!!
**********
Lily slammed the door shut, thought better of it, opened it, and threw the nearest book, (which happened to be Hogwarts: A History) at James before she forgot she wasn't supposed to cry, started to, and slammed the door shut again. She thought she heard Sirius laugh madly, saying something about bludgers, and James telling him to shut up. Or it could have been yet another figment of her over reactive imagination. Or maybe she was just going completely nutters.
Lily sank against the door, and let her tears flow free. Then she noticed that she wasn't alone. Arabella sat on her bed, staring at her quizzically. "Lily, what's the matter? What happened?"
Lily recounted the whole story, and Arabella nodded grimly. "Well, I'll be," She said glumly. "I thought James really liked you."
Lily wiped her eyes, her makeup coming off on her hands. "Yeah," she said, smiling weakly, "I did too. Bloody hell, I even wore makeup for him!"
Bella smiled back. "I wonder why he didn't show. Maybe he got hurt at practice, or."
"No, Bella. He looked perfectly healthy out there. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and I must admit he looks smashing without them, but. . . no. I think that he was just trying to get to me." She frowned. Get to you? Said a tiny voice in her head. James Potter? Oi, he's done more than GET to you, Lily Evans. . .
Bella was saying something. ". . . It just doesn't fit, Lil. Doesn't fit a bit. Why would Sirius SAY such a thing to me?"
Lily looked at her blankly. "Er . . . maybe he's gone nutters?" She supplied. "It was his fault, Bell. His entire fault. Why, I bet if he hadn't of been around, badgering James about me, none of this would have happened."
Arabella looked as if she was going to say something, when a knock sounded on the door. "I'll get it, Lils." She said, and crossed the room in two strides. Opening it, she stiffened. "Oh. . . ." She drawled, keeping the door opened only the smidgen it was. "What do YOU want?"
"Is Lily in here? Can I talk to her?" James' voice came through the door.
"Nope, she's gone," Arabella said, moving to shut the door, but James was quicker.
"Oh, really," He said. Lily couldn't see him, but she knew for a fact that he was wearing one of those grins - with those perfect teeth . . . "I suppose she just Apparated out of here, then,"
"Of course!" Arabella snapped.
In his most mocking voice, James said, "Why, Bell! I expect so much more from you! Aren't you the one who always said," He raised his voice several notches and imitated her, "`Honestly, James Potter, haven't you ever read Hogwarts: A History? EVERYONE knows that it just ISN'T possible to apparate on Hogwarts Grounds?'"
Arabella fumed. "No, James. I've never even READ that book! You must be thinking about Li - Please, just go." She finished quietly.
"Only if Lily Evans comes out from where she's hiding, sitting on her bed, I suspect, and tells me what in the blazes that out in the common room was about?"
"Duck, Bella," Lily called, then hurled her next nearest book - (Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them, Volume Five) - out the door. James cursed and the door shut. Lily started to cry again. Arabella glanced at the door, shaking her head. "I don't know, Lils. He seemed really upset. Maybe it was just a mistake. Maybe something happened . . ."
Lily cried harder, and sobbed, "B-b-b-but S-Sirius w-w-was l-l-l-l- laughing!" Sniff! Hiccup!
Arabella smiled sympathetically. "You know, Lils, I have that test in Arthimancy tomorrow - I think that I better get studying. Alright?"
Lily nodded. "I-I studied for i-it last n-night," Sob! Hiccup! "W-With James!" She wailed.
Arabella patted Lily's hair absently and left. Lily stared at the door for a long time, before eventually crying herself to sleep.
***
"Bloody Hell! Prongs, watch your big feet!" Peter, the smallest Marauder, yelped.
"Sorry. Think Moony's alright?" James asked as they crossed the portrait hole into the Gryffindor Common room.
"Sure he's fine," Sirius said, then tossed the Invisibility Cloak off of them and yawned. "Methinks I'll be heading off to bed. G'night."
Peter nodded. Only James noticed the small redhead come flying down the stairs, her wand drawn. And pointed directly at his chest. "Where the bloody hell WERE you three gits? Five points from Gryffindor. Go to Bed!" She screamed. Peter jumped a mile. James held up his hands and grinned at her. "Wait. Where's Remus?" She asked. Sirius and Peter, not in her line of vision snuck up into their dormitories unnoticed.
James yawned. "C'mon, Lily. Can I go to bed now?"
Lily seethed. Her wand wavered a bit, but still stayed on his chest. "James Potter, I have at least six hexes and jinxes that are coming to my mind right now, just for you. So if I were you, I'd shut up. And stop looking so damn INNOCENT!"
James stared at her. She came closer, until her wand was poking him. "Ten jinxes." She whispered. "Why did you do it? Stand me up? What is your bloody problem?"
James looked surprised. "Lily, I had practice. And I was hit by a bludger, and knocked out."
Lily scowled. "If you can't tell me the truth, don't even bother talking to me. Ever again. You can't possibly be THAT stupid."
James opened his mouth again, then shut it, than found his voice. "Look, Lily, I'm really sorry about what happened. I - I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry. Can we just erase today? You know, start over?"
Lily stared at him, her green eyes meeting his brown ones. She bit her lip, pocketed her wand, and stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before turning to flee up the stairs.
But James Potter wasn't the best seeker that Hogwarts had seen in years for nothing. He grabbed her arm. "Sit with me for a bit?" He asked.
Lily thought for a moment and nodded. She smiled at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You, know, James, you're an insufferable git."
James sat next to her on the sofa. "And you're a pretty prefect."
Lily blushed. James smirked. "So, are we alright?" He asked.
Lily nodded. "I think we will be, James. I think we will be."
"Good," He said, hugging her. "Good."
********
Lily yawned. She wondered why her bed was suddenly so . . . soft. And warm. She opened her eyes and issued a soft groan. She wasn't in her bed at all. She was wrapped in James' arms, practically on top of him, on the common room sofa. James' eyes flew open and he grinned. "Morning. Not that I object to waking up with you in my arms, Lily, but may I ask why the bloody hell we're out here?"
"I was wondering the same thing, Mr. Potter," Came a slightly amused voice. Lily scrambled off of him and saw that Professor McGonagall, along with the rest of the Gryffindor house was staring at them.
"Well, you see professor," Lily began, "It was entirely my fault. I - I - Well, last night, I was really angry with James." ("Sure looks like that," A first year, whose hair matched Lily's own, muttered.) Shooting a sour look at him, Lily continued. "And I came down here to get my books back from him. He was, er, studying. And well, he asked for help, and I - er, decided to help him. Anyway, after a while, he asked why I was mad at him," She smiled at James, "And I told him. And we got to talking, and I guess we both must've fallen asleep."
"Is that so, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked. James nodded. She smiled. "Well then, Gryffindor, I suppose that I will not be taking points away after all. And I'm glad that the two of you have finally come to your senses."
James and Lily looked at each other as the Gryffindors filed out of the common room. Sirius and Peter were the last ones out, besides Lily and James themselves. Lily couldn't help noticing that Remus was still missing. "Studying, Eh?" Peter said, clapping a hand on James' back. "I'll TELL you what THEY was studying. . ."
Sirius grinned. "Yeah. That was a good one, Lils. Ever think about becoming a Marauder?"
Peter made a face. "Aw, she's a PREFECT, Padfoot. We can't have any PREFECTS. They'd cramp our style, they would."
James huffed. "Cramp our style, Wormtail? Quite the contrary. I think she's proven herself useful." He draped his arm over her shoulders and squeezed her lightly. "And it'll never hurt to have the smartest girl in all of Hogwarts on our side. She could come up with some new pranks."
Lily blushed. Sirius laughed. "Prongs, you have a point! Whaddya say, Wormtail? Shall we let James keep her?"
Peter sighed. "I guess so. If it makes ol' Prongs happy, what can we do?"
Lily smiled. James looked down at her, and said, "It makes me happy, alright."
Lily glanced at Sirius and Peter as they reached the entrance to the Great Hall. "James," she said, "Why do you have those names for each other?"
James' face went blank. "Um, Lils, that's something that I have to tell you later. It's a long story, and I can't really say right now. Alright?"
Lily nodded, and wondered what it was. She sighed. "I suppose so. Oh," She added, turning to face him, "You never did answer my question. About why you stood me up."
James gaped. "I told, you Lily. Quidditch."
Lily scowled. "Why won't you tell me the truth?"
James shut his mouth and grinned at her. Lily knew then that she would never get the truth out of him. She gave in and smiled back. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. But she knew for sure that it hadn't been bloody quidditch.
****************
A/N: *lol* Lil just won't accept that he wasn't lying! This one was the funnest to write. I hope you guys like it!
~Alanna~
:: An Insufferable Git and a Pretty Prefect ::
A/N: R/R, PLEASE!!
**********
Lily slammed the door shut, thought better of it, opened it, and threw the nearest book, (which happened to be Hogwarts: A History) at James before she forgot she wasn't supposed to cry, started to, and slammed the door shut again. She thought she heard Sirius laugh madly, saying something about bludgers, and James telling him to shut up. Or it could have been yet another figment of her over reactive imagination. Or maybe she was just going completely nutters.
Lily sank against the door, and let her tears flow free. Then she noticed that she wasn't alone. Arabella sat on her bed, staring at her quizzically. "Lily, what's the matter? What happened?"
Lily recounted the whole story, and Arabella nodded grimly. "Well, I'll be," She said glumly. "I thought James really liked you."
Lily wiped her eyes, her makeup coming off on her hands. "Yeah," she said, smiling weakly, "I did too. Bloody hell, I even wore makeup for him!"
Bella smiled back. "I wonder why he didn't show. Maybe he got hurt at practice, or."
"No, Bella. He looked perfectly healthy out there. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and I must admit he looks smashing without them, but. . . no. I think that he was just trying to get to me." She frowned. Get to you? Said a tiny voice in her head. James Potter? Oi, he's done more than GET to you, Lily Evans. . .
Bella was saying something. ". . . It just doesn't fit, Lil. Doesn't fit a bit. Why would Sirius SAY such a thing to me?"
Lily looked at her blankly. "Er . . . maybe he's gone nutters?" She supplied. "It was his fault, Bell. His entire fault. Why, I bet if he hadn't of been around, badgering James about me, none of this would have happened."
Arabella looked as if she was going to say something, when a knock sounded on the door. "I'll get it, Lils." She said, and crossed the room in two strides. Opening it, she stiffened. "Oh. . . ." She drawled, keeping the door opened only the smidgen it was. "What do YOU want?"
"Is Lily in here? Can I talk to her?" James' voice came through the door.
"Nope, she's gone," Arabella said, moving to shut the door, but James was quicker.
"Oh, really," He said. Lily couldn't see him, but she knew for a fact that he was wearing one of those grins - with those perfect teeth . . . "I suppose she just Apparated out of here, then,"
"Of course!" Arabella snapped.
In his most mocking voice, James said, "Why, Bell! I expect so much more from you! Aren't you the one who always said," He raised his voice several notches and imitated her, "`Honestly, James Potter, haven't you ever read Hogwarts: A History? EVERYONE knows that it just ISN'T possible to apparate on Hogwarts Grounds?'"
Arabella fumed. "No, James. I've never even READ that book! You must be thinking about Li - Please, just go." She finished quietly.
"Only if Lily Evans comes out from where she's hiding, sitting on her bed, I suspect, and tells me what in the blazes that out in the common room was about?"
"Duck, Bella," Lily called, then hurled her next nearest book - (Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them, Volume Five) - out the door. James cursed and the door shut. Lily started to cry again. Arabella glanced at the door, shaking her head. "I don't know, Lils. He seemed really upset. Maybe it was just a mistake. Maybe something happened . . ."
Lily cried harder, and sobbed, "B-b-b-but S-Sirius w-w-was l-l-l-l- laughing!" Sniff! Hiccup!
Arabella smiled sympathetically. "You know, Lils, I have that test in Arthimancy tomorrow - I think that I better get studying. Alright?"
Lily nodded. "I-I studied for i-it last n-night," Sob! Hiccup! "W-With James!" She wailed.
Arabella patted Lily's hair absently and left. Lily stared at the door for a long time, before eventually crying herself to sleep.
***
"Bloody Hell! Prongs, watch your big feet!" Peter, the smallest Marauder, yelped.
"Sorry. Think Moony's alright?" James asked as they crossed the portrait hole into the Gryffindor Common room.
"Sure he's fine," Sirius said, then tossed the Invisibility Cloak off of them and yawned. "Methinks I'll be heading off to bed. G'night."
Peter nodded. Only James noticed the small redhead come flying down the stairs, her wand drawn. And pointed directly at his chest. "Where the bloody hell WERE you three gits? Five points from Gryffindor. Go to Bed!" She screamed. Peter jumped a mile. James held up his hands and grinned at her. "Wait. Where's Remus?" She asked. Sirius and Peter, not in her line of vision snuck up into their dormitories unnoticed.
James yawned. "C'mon, Lily. Can I go to bed now?"
Lily seethed. Her wand wavered a bit, but still stayed on his chest. "James Potter, I have at least six hexes and jinxes that are coming to my mind right now, just for you. So if I were you, I'd shut up. And stop looking so damn INNOCENT!"
James stared at her. She came closer, until her wand was poking him. "Ten jinxes." She whispered. "Why did you do it? Stand me up? What is your bloody problem?"
James looked surprised. "Lily, I had practice. And I was hit by a bludger, and knocked out."
Lily scowled. "If you can't tell me the truth, don't even bother talking to me. Ever again. You can't possibly be THAT stupid."
James opened his mouth again, then shut it, than found his voice. "Look, Lily, I'm really sorry about what happened. I - I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry. Can we just erase today? You know, start over?"
Lily stared at him, her green eyes meeting his brown ones. She bit her lip, pocketed her wand, and stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before turning to flee up the stairs.
But James Potter wasn't the best seeker that Hogwarts had seen in years for nothing. He grabbed her arm. "Sit with me for a bit?" He asked.
Lily thought for a moment and nodded. She smiled at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You, know, James, you're an insufferable git."
James sat next to her on the sofa. "And you're a pretty prefect."
Lily blushed. James smirked. "So, are we alright?" He asked.
Lily nodded. "I think we will be, James. I think we will be."
"Good," He said, hugging her. "Good."
********
Lily yawned. She wondered why her bed was suddenly so . . . soft. And warm. She opened her eyes and issued a soft groan. She wasn't in her bed at all. She was wrapped in James' arms, practically on top of him, on the common room sofa. James' eyes flew open and he grinned. "Morning. Not that I object to waking up with you in my arms, Lily, but may I ask why the bloody hell we're out here?"
"I was wondering the same thing, Mr. Potter," Came a slightly amused voice. Lily scrambled off of him and saw that Professor McGonagall, along with the rest of the Gryffindor house was staring at them.
"Well, you see professor," Lily began, "It was entirely my fault. I - I - Well, last night, I was really angry with James." ("Sure looks like that," A first year, whose hair matched Lily's own, muttered.) Shooting a sour look at him, Lily continued. "And I came down here to get my books back from him. He was, er, studying. And well, he asked for help, and I - er, decided to help him. Anyway, after a while, he asked why I was mad at him," She smiled at James, "And I told him. And we got to talking, and I guess we both must've fallen asleep."
"Is that so, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked. James nodded. She smiled. "Well then, Gryffindor, I suppose that I will not be taking points away after all. And I'm glad that the two of you have finally come to your senses."
James and Lily looked at each other as the Gryffindors filed out of the common room. Sirius and Peter were the last ones out, besides Lily and James themselves. Lily couldn't help noticing that Remus was still missing. "Studying, Eh?" Peter said, clapping a hand on James' back. "I'll TELL you what THEY was studying. . ."
Sirius grinned. "Yeah. That was a good one, Lils. Ever think about becoming a Marauder?"
Peter made a face. "Aw, she's a PREFECT, Padfoot. We can't have any PREFECTS. They'd cramp our style, they would."
James huffed. "Cramp our style, Wormtail? Quite the contrary. I think she's proven herself useful." He draped his arm over her shoulders and squeezed her lightly. "And it'll never hurt to have the smartest girl in all of Hogwarts on our side. She could come up with some new pranks."
Lily blushed. Sirius laughed. "Prongs, you have a point! Whaddya say, Wormtail? Shall we let James keep her?"
Peter sighed. "I guess so. If it makes ol' Prongs happy, what can we do?"
Lily smiled. James looked down at her, and said, "It makes me happy, alright."
Lily glanced at Sirius and Peter as they reached the entrance to the Great Hall. "James," she said, "Why do you have those names for each other?"
James' face went blank. "Um, Lils, that's something that I have to tell you later. It's a long story, and I can't really say right now. Alright?"
Lily nodded, and wondered what it was. She sighed. "I suppose so. Oh," She added, turning to face him, "You never did answer my question. About why you stood me up."
James gaped. "I told, you Lily. Quidditch."
Lily scowled. "Why won't you tell me the truth?"
James shut his mouth and grinned at her. Lily knew then that she would never get the truth out of him. She gave in and smiled back. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. But she knew for sure that it hadn't been bloody quidditch.
****************
A/N: *lol* Lil just won't accept that he wasn't lying! This one was the funnest to write. I hope you guys like it!
~Alanna~