You're More Than a Friend
Chapter 6 –Trivial Confidences
AN: Squeeeeeee! Everyone has been sooo nice! I love ya's all! Thanks Shadun for all your help, you're so loyal! And I suppose I'd better thank my sista too, for all her support and praise. (Hmm… I wonder what she wants.) But thanks to all my reviewers… Ok, thanks to Arorra, Shadun, MegHart, Lizmaurder4eva, Star, Kimimela Maeve, Perdolwen, Xandra Magrathea, Raven-gal2002. You guys are all the best!
For once James wasn't at the breakfast table before Lily. She was sitting there, reading a notice. James wasn't in a good mood. He'd been having a dream about having to face a boggart, and it had turned into Lily lying on the ground, white and cold.
James had been having strange, conflicting emotions about Lily lately. He wanted her to be happy, but he hated it when she laughed at a guy's jokes. He wanted her to be loved, but he felt like punching anyone, even his best friend Remus when they so much as smiled at her. He told himself over and over that he was just being protective. He knew how vulnerable she was, so he was trying to make sure that she didn't get hurt. But no matter how many times he said it, the words refused to ring true. He had started noticing little changes in her; how her teeth were smaller, and straighter. How the freckles on her left cheek made a love heart, how her green peridot eyes shone when she laughed, he felt as if he could look into those eyes forever. She was always complaining about how awful her hair was, and how she would have to get it cut, but he liked the way the chilli-red curls framed her heart-shaped face. And her eyelashes, which were so long and dark, they made little crescents on her cheeks when she blinked.
He was pulled out of his reverie with a jolt, and saw the green eyes that he had been daydreaming about looking at him in excitement. He felt his face go red, and he hoped she wouldn't notice. She didn't, she was too busy waving a notice in his face.
"Read it James!" She said happily.
He looked at it, and his eyes widened at what he saw.
Memo
Attention all students, there will be a Christmas Ball on December the 25th. All students going (3rd year and up) Have permission to go into Hogsmeade this coming Saturday, if they can obtain written consent from their parents and present it to their Head Of House.
Deputy Headmistress,
Professor M. McGonagall
Lily studied his gorgeous face while he read. She sighed pensively. She loved the way his nose wrinkled when he was concentrating. She loved everything about him, actually. She admitted. She just loved him. She blinked. Did I just think that? She wondered. Yes, I did. She told herself firmly. Wonderful, just wonderful. She told herself. I couldn't have fallen for a more unobtainable person. This is James Potter. The wonderful chaser. And, in her opinion, the cutest, sweetest, funniest, smartest, most popular boy in the whole school. But wait! She told herself. Petty got Vernon. Not your smartest choice, but everyone was different. Damn! Now I wish I'd listened more closely to Petty's boy-catching tips. What was the first? Oh yes, make him jealous. Fine, I'll try it. I've got nothing to lose, anyway.
James had finished reading, she noticed. She gave a girlish sigh, then affected a voice to match.
"Ah, isn't it wonderful. I hope Oliver Zabini asks me. He's soo cute. Those eyes," Are ugly, I like brown ones, "That smile," Is nowhere near as white as it should be, "That hair," Is too perfect, and besides, I don't like blonds. "So, James," She began casually, "Who're you gonna take to the ball?"
James was about to answer, when Sirius came in,
" 'Lo James, 'Lo Lily. What's up?"
"Umm, let's see." Lily said, her eyes sparkling. "The sky, birds, clouds, that rogue hippogriff… Rogue Hippogriff! Oh no! Hagrid!" She jumped up from the table, and ran, leaving James and Sirius staring after her.
"Soo, what were you guys actually talking about?" Sirius asked.
"There's going to be a ball on Christmas night."
"Cool. You gonna go?"
"I dunno, balls aren't really my thing."
"Hmm… Who should I take? You know, Lauren's very pretty."
"Yeah." James was non-committal.
"Who does Lily want to go with?"
"Oliver Zabini." James made a face.
"Yuck! That awful git?" Sirius exclaimed.
"Yeah." James nodded.
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"I dunno." James shrugged.
"Let's go ask her then."
They both got up and walked towards the lake. Out there they found Lily and Hagrid both gazing up at the hippogriff. Lily pulled out her wand,
"Ascenti Immobulus!" She yelled. The hippogriff stopped and just hung there in the air. "Discenti Incantatem." She said, pointing her wand at the immobilised hippogriff. It floated gently down to earth and Hagrid looped a chain over it's head. "I, uh, have some homework to do, Hagrid. I'll see you later."
She's really pale. James thought. He put his hand on her arm, and she flinched.
"Lily? Are you ok?"
She gave him a shaky sort of smile.
"Yah, I'm fine. I'll see you later."
She walked away. James looked at his hand. Wait a sec. He thought. Blood? He showed his hand to Sirius. Sirius looked at him,
"Follow her?" James nodded,
"Definitely."
Lily tried to walk normally, holding her injured left arm against her chest. When she got to the entrance she staggered up the steps, and leant against the wall, breathing hard.
"Lily? What's wrong? Are you ok?"
That's the second time today that I've heard those words. She thought hazily. She smiled in the direction of the voice.
"I'm ok, I just need to…" She slumped, and the whole world went black.
"Lily?" Remus repeated. "Oh shit." He grabbed her under the arms, and pulled her up. She's very light. He thought. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and turned around. James and Sirius were standing there, staring. "James, Sirius, she just collapsed." He said helplessly.
James shook his head; he needed to think clearly.
"Sirius, you go get Madam Pomfrey, Remus, you hold her up. I'll… I'll try and stop the bleeding." He snapped.
"Bleeding? What bleeding?" Remus asked, as Sirius ran off.
"This bleeding." James said, pushing up her left robe sleeve. There was literally blood pouring out of the wound, and her robes were soaked.
"Shit." Remus said again. James started taking off her robes,
"Help me Remus."
"What're you doing?" Remus asked
"Taking off her robes to make bandages."
"What? But,"
"Remus, this is no time to think about her modesty, besides, she's wearing her school uniform."
"How do you know?"
"Duh, this is Lily. I'll bet she wears it during the holidays too."
"I do not." Lily said blearily.
Before James had time to answer Madam Pomfrey and Sirius were there.
"Miss Evans?" Madam Pomfrey said, "Oh not again." She magiced a stretcher and they all went up to the infirmary.
Once they were in the hospital wing James turned to Madam Pomfrey.
"What did you mean by not again?"
"It's the 5th time this week that Lily's been hurt by one of Hagrid's 'pets'. The last time it was a tengu."
"A tengu?"
"Nasty things, commonly found in Japan. Very fond of tricks. Thought it'd be funny to throw Lily in the lake. A kappa nearly got her. She came up here with Lauren, almost dead. Had a dreadful asthma attack."
"Asthma?"
"Muggle illness, causes people to be unable to breath." She bustled around, cleaning the wound, then healing it. "There you go Miss Evans." She said. "Stay away from Hagrid for a while. I don't want to see you in here again because you've been hurt helping him."
Lily nodded mutely, and pulled on her blood-soaked robes.
"Thanks for helping me you guys." She said, looking at them all.
They all shrugged.
"It was no big deal." Sirius said.
They walked down the corridor,
"So Lily," James began. She looked up.
"Yeah, Prongs?" She asked. He started,
"What did you call me?"
"Prongs. I've heard the others calling you that. You're Prongs, Remus is Moony, Sirius is Padfoot and Pettigrew is Wormtail."
"Ok, well back to what I was saying, do you really want to go to the ball with Zabini?"
Lily smiled a sad smile, and decided to tell the truth.
"No, not really"
"Then why do you want him to ask you?" James asked.
Because you won't ask me. "Because I know that the guy I like would never in a million years like me back."
"Who is he?" Remus asked
"Yeah, who? If you tell us, maybe we can help." James added.
"No you couldn't." Lily said. "Who're you guys going with?" She asked, looking at the boys.
"Lauren Rose." Remus said.
"Damn! Lily, will you go with me?" Sirius asked.
"Why not. I don't like you, but you're nice." Lily agreed.
"What does your mystery guy look like?" Remus asked.
"He's sooo cute. He's got messy black hair, about my height, maybe a bit taller, deep, chocolatey brown eyes; you could drown in those eyes. And he's smart, funny, nice, and popular. Totally unobtainable."
"Merlin, Lily! I wish you'd talk about something aside from boys!" James snapped. He didn't know why he said it, he just did.
"I do!" She said. James snorted
"Yeah, I almost forgot, you talk about school too."
"Uh, we'll just be going now." Remus said, and both boys quickly ran away. Lily and James were too engaged in their screaming match to notice.
"What am I supposed to talk about, James Harry Potter, Quidditch?!" Lily yelled.
"It might be a nice change!" James retorted.
"Look, Potty and the Flower are fighting." Severus Snape sneered to Lucious Malfoy and Oliver Zabini. Lily and James both turned around.
"SHUT UP!" They both yelled.
"Locomotor Mortis!" Lily shrieked after them, and they hopped the rest of the way down the corridor. Then she turned back to him,
"I may be an ok flyer, but I hate heights, which you know very well!" She screamed.
"I don't really care! I just wish you wouldn't confide in me about such trivial matters!" He shouted in return.
"Fine! I won't confide in you at all! I won't talk to you!" She said angrily.
"You think I care? I don't!"
"Good!"
Lily stormed off angrily. Then her eyes filled with tears, and she ran for an empty classroom.
"He hates me, he absolutely hates me." She whispered, and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest, as she cried.
AN: Poor Lily, and things aren't gonna get any easier. Muahahaha. Wanna know what happens? Review!
-Ashlie