Chapter 5:
Loving, Laughing, Learning to Live
"Remus, Remmy, Rema-llama-ding-dong, Moony, Moon-boy, Moonerz." James sat down next to his friend, listing off nonsensical names as he went. The poor boy was distraught, having just had a fight with one of his few confidents, and his lycanthropy having taken a toll on his energy. The full moon had only been a couple of days ago.
Remus smiled. It seemed that James had gotten over they're row, for the time being. "What's made you so giddy, Prongsie-boy? Did Snape's overly large nose finally get caught in something," A small smirk creeping on to the boy's lips.
"No, no. That's not it, mate. It's at least ten times better!!"
"Snape's greasy, hooked nose getting caught in the zipper of Malfoy's cloak?" Remus asked excitedly, honey-grey eyes sparkling with mirth.
"No, unfortunately it was nothing to do with the deformation of that slimy Slytherin's already deformed nose!" James laughed, "I think I finally found a girlfriend Lily will approve of!" He said, just as if this excited him as much as the thought of Severus getting maimed excited his wolfish friend.
"Really," Remus asked, eyes wide, "Who?"
"Well. she is gorgeous, brilliant and witty. Her eyes sparkle like fresh dew on grass, her hair is silky soft, and her lips are full." James winked roguishly at Remus, as if to say 'he only knew too well'. The love-struck boy kept listing all of the things that were amazing about this girl.
"So basically, even if Lily didn't like this person, you wouldn't care."
"Oh, but I know for a fact Lils will like her!" He said in a way that clearly stated 'I know something you don't know!'.
"What makes you so sure?" Remus asked suspiciously.
"Because I'm pretty sure Lily likes herself!"
Remus heard this comment, and choked on his butter beer. Well, if he had had butter beer at the time, he would have choked on it. But, as the case was of the latter, he had to settle for a loud gurgling, gagging cough-like noise. James looked at his friend expectantly, and to his utmost surprise, the boy began to laugh.
"Ahhh." Remus paused to wipe a tear of sheer laughter away from his eye, "James. that was a good one! You almost had me there!" He said, heartily patting his friend on the back.
"Being serious here!" James exclaimed.
"Sirius where? Ohh SERIOUS!!!" Remus said. Sometimes he could really act like an idiot. Must be a Marauder trait.
"Lupin, you are truly, truly dense." James said shaking his head, making his hair flop helplessly. He went off to see Lily; maybe she'd give him another kiss. But, that was beside the point, he needed to talk to her, they needed to straighten things out. Oh god. He needed to ASK her out! His palms and brow grew sweaty as he approached the tapestry. He guessed it wasn't "James' Place" anymore, he figured it was now "Lily and James' Place" or it had been for a while.
Slipping in the room he realized Lily was in the study, reading. Thoroughly Predictable. Her back was to him, and he approached her from behind, yanked the book out of her hands and clamped his fingers over her eyes. "Guess who." he whispered in her ear.
"Severus, is that you? Oh, sweetie! I thought you had forgotten about our little rendezvous tonight!"
James' hands immediately left her face and rested on either arm of her chair, his face inches from hers. "WHAT?" Lily smiled jokingly and moved forward, pecking him on the tip of his nose. She laughed and swiftly ducked under his arm, as he began to chase her around the room.
Soon, the unofficial couple was sitting on the couch, out of breath. (A/N: No, to all you sickos out there, they were out of breath from RUNNING!)
"Lil, I want to ask you something, that well I didn't really ask and um." Lily watched in utter mirth as James' tongue tripped over his words and went dry in the process, "Uh, Lily, will you go um."
"Yes, James, I'll go out with you." Lily cut him off; it was obvious that this made him on comfortable.
The boy smiled so huge, you would swear it touched his ears, "Whoa, Lily Evans and James Potter, boyfriend and girlfriend. Who would've thunk it?" he asked rhetorically.
Lily's cheeks blushed a deep crimson, and she bent her head down so her hair hind her lovely face, "Well, actually."
James looked at his new girlfriend skeptically "Actually what?"
"I. um. occasionally thunk it. Well, um. I've kinda thunk it a lot." Lily turned away from James, embarrassedly.
He stood there, shocked. His best friend had had a crush on him. She could've liked him since they had first met each other. "For how long?" he asked, almost angrily.
"Since that time when Malfoy. well that time you saved me." James eyes flashed at the memory, what he had done to Lily sickened him. She was so lucky, they both were. The picture of her, bruised and bleeding, almost made James' blood boil. How dare he torture her because of something she couldn't help. Because of the way she was born.
James attitude toward Lily's revelation softened, as he drew her into a hug. She clung to his shirt as if afraid to let go, Lily had been so closed off since the attack, limiting her human contact to the Marauders and Willow Docks, her other friend. Of course, she was always open for homework help and advice on life in general, as of late.
"C'mon, let's head back to the common room, you should really go and see Willow, I'm sure the gossip queen would be dying to here you've got a boyfriend who's ass I won't kick!" James said jokingly, as he held Lily at arms length, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go!" Lily said, wiping away the lone tear that trickled down her cheek. They smiled at each other, shared a quick kiss, and walked hand-in-hand back to the commons.
When they entered there destination, all heads turned to see who had came through the portrait. Everything froze. Lily Evans and James Potter were walking over to where Remus and Willow were once talking animatedly, which was completely normal. Except one teensy weensy thing, their arms were around one another, and neither was limping. After at least a minute and a half of awkward silence, the whole room burst into applause. And comments amidst the clapping could be heard:
"Potter and Evans, What kind of a prank is this?"
"-Knew it would happen! It was only a matter of time!"
"Aren't they cute?"
After the roars and catcalls died down, and James had stopped bowing, and Lily blushing, the couple settled themselves down in an armchair (Lily on James' lap) across from the ones their friends occupied.
"Sorry, James, Remus. But Lily and I have something to talk about." Willow said as she yanked her friend up off James' knee.
Loving, Laughing, Learning to Live
"Remus, Remmy, Rema-llama-ding-dong, Moony, Moon-boy, Moonerz." James sat down next to his friend, listing off nonsensical names as he went. The poor boy was distraught, having just had a fight with one of his few confidents, and his lycanthropy having taken a toll on his energy. The full moon had only been a couple of days ago.
Remus smiled. It seemed that James had gotten over they're row, for the time being. "What's made you so giddy, Prongsie-boy? Did Snape's overly large nose finally get caught in something," A small smirk creeping on to the boy's lips.
"No, no. That's not it, mate. It's at least ten times better!!"
"Snape's greasy, hooked nose getting caught in the zipper of Malfoy's cloak?" Remus asked excitedly, honey-grey eyes sparkling with mirth.
"No, unfortunately it was nothing to do with the deformation of that slimy Slytherin's already deformed nose!" James laughed, "I think I finally found a girlfriend Lily will approve of!" He said, just as if this excited him as much as the thought of Severus getting maimed excited his wolfish friend.
"Really," Remus asked, eyes wide, "Who?"
"Well. she is gorgeous, brilliant and witty. Her eyes sparkle like fresh dew on grass, her hair is silky soft, and her lips are full." James winked roguishly at Remus, as if to say 'he only knew too well'. The love-struck boy kept listing all of the things that were amazing about this girl.
"So basically, even if Lily didn't like this person, you wouldn't care."
"Oh, but I know for a fact Lils will like her!" He said in a way that clearly stated 'I know something you don't know!'.
"What makes you so sure?" Remus asked suspiciously.
"Because I'm pretty sure Lily likes herself!"
Remus heard this comment, and choked on his butter beer. Well, if he had had butter beer at the time, he would have choked on it. But, as the case was of the latter, he had to settle for a loud gurgling, gagging cough-like noise. James looked at his friend expectantly, and to his utmost surprise, the boy began to laugh.
"Ahhh." Remus paused to wipe a tear of sheer laughter away from his eye, "James. that was a good one! You almost had me there!" He said, heartily patting his friend on the back.
"Being serious here!" James exclaimed.
"Sirius where? Ohh SERIOUS!!!" Remus said. Sometimes he could really act like an idiot. Must be a Marauder trait.
"Lupin, you are truly, truly dense." James said shaking his head, making his hair flop helplessly. He went off to see Lily; maybe she'd give him another kiss. But, that was beside the point, he needed to talk to her, they needed to straighten things out. Oh god. He needed to ASK her out! His palms and brow grew sweaty as he approached the tapestry. He guessed it wasn't "James' Place" anymore, he figured it was now "Lily and James' Place" or it had been for a while.
Slipping in the room he realized Lily was in the study, reading. Thoroughly Predictable. Her back was to him, and he approached her from behind, yanked the book out of her hands and clamped his fingers over her eyes. "Guess who." he whispered in her ear.
"Severus, is that you? Oh, sweetie! I thought you had forgotten about our little rendezvous tonight!"
James' hands immediately left her face and rested on either arm of her chair, his face inches from hers. "WHAT?" Lily smiled jokingly and moved forward, pecking him on the tip of his nose. She laughed and swiftly ducked under his arm, as he began to chase her around the room.
Soon, the unofficial couple was sitting on the couch, out of breath. (A/N: No, to all you sickos out there, they were out of breath from RUNNING!)
"Lil, I want to ask you something, that well I didn't really ask and um." Lily watched in utter mirth as James' tongue tripped over his words and went dry in the process, "Uh, Lily, will you go um."
"Yes, James, I'll go out with you." Lily cut him off; it was obvious that this made him on comfortable.
The boy smiled so huge, you would swear it touched his ears, "Whoa, Lily Evans and James Potter, boyfriend and girlfriend. Who would've thunk it?" he asked rhetorically.
Lily's cheeks blushed a deep crimson, and she bent her head down so her hair hind her lovely face, "Well, actually."
James looked at his new girlfriend skeptically "Actually what?"
"I. um. occasionally thunk it. Well, um. I've kinda thunk it a lot." Lily turned away from James, embarrassedly.
He stood there, shocked. His best friend had had a crush on him. She could've liked him since they had first met each other. "For how long?" he asked, almost angrily.
"Since that time when Malfoy. well that time you saved me." James eyes flashed at the memory, what he had done to Lily sickened him. She was so lucky, they both were. The picture of her, bruised and bleeding, almost made James' blood boil. How dare he torture her because of something she couldn't help. Because of the way she was born.
James attitude toward Lily's revelation softened, as he drew her into a hug. She clung to his shirt as if afraid to let go, Lily had been so closed off since the attack, limiting her human contact to the Marauders and Willow Docks, her other friend. Of course, she was always open for homework help and advice on life in general, as of late.
"C'mon, let's head back to the common room, you should really go and see Willow, I'm sure the gossip queen would be dying to here you've got a boyfriend who's ass I won't kick!" James said jokingly, as he held Lily at arms length, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go!" Lily said, wiping away the lone tear that trickled down her cheek. They smiled at each other, shared a quick kiss, and walked hand-in-hand back to the commons.
When they entered there destination, all heads turned to see who had came through the portrait. Everything froze. Lily Evans and James Potter were walking over to where Remus and Willow were once talking animatedly, which was completely normal. Except one teensy weensy thing, their arms were around one another, and neither was limping. After at least a minute and a half of awkward silence, the whole room burst into applause. And comments amidst the clapping could be heard:
"Potter and Evans, What kind of a prank is this?"
"-Knew it would happen! It was only a matter of time!"
"Aren't they cute?"
After the roars and catcalls died down, and James had stopped bowing, and Lily blushing, the couple settled themselves down in an armchair (Lily on James' lap) across from the ones their friends occupied.
"Sorry, James, Remus. But Lily and I have something to talk about." Willow said as she yanked her friend up off James' knee.