Time had never passed so slowly to James in his entire life. He almost
thought class would never end, but then he saw the other people pick up
their books and leave the room. Lily smiled at him, almost excitedly, and
waved for him to come.
"Prongs, are you coming?", Sirius asked him when they saw that he stopped outside the room.
"Yeah, the Great Hall and the food is this way", Peter continued and licked his lips. "We're hungry."
"I'll catch up with you guys later", James answered.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, I'll just be a sec", James said. "Go on."
The other Marauders exchanged looks of wonder, but walked on through the corridor. James searched for Lily among the remaining people outside the classroom, and when they all had left it was only him and her left.
Lily approached him, got so close to him that their bodies almost touched each other. She still had that excited smile on her face and her eyes sparkled, she looked like a child on Christmas morning.
"Her eyes..... There can't be any jewels in the world like those", he thought to himself.
"James, there is something I must tell you. But you have to promise that you won't laugh."
"Lily, nothing you say could ever make me laugh", he said.
"I'm boring?"
"No, just weird sometimes. What is it?"
She blushed a little. He could hardly believe it, Lily blushed! This was big.
"I'm in love."
James stomach was at once filled with butterflies. She was in love. With him! It must be him, why else would she want to speak to him in private? He felt like he was floating and a big smile crept across his face.
But Lily didn't even look at his big, happy smile.
"He is wonderful", Lily continued. "He is tall, handsome, intelligent, and he's got the most wonderful pair of blue eyes I've ever seen."
"Green", James corrected her with a little smile.
"No, they're blue."
Now he got worried. His own eyes were green. Who was she talking about? She wasn't in love with him? No, there couldn't be another guy, there just couldn't!
"His name is Chris Novell."
Things went upside down to James. Suddenly he felt dizzy and like he was falling from high above.
"What?", he eventually exclaimed.
"I can't stop thinking about him, I can hardly concentrate on school, I don't eat, I don't sleep.... Please, James, you are the only one of the Marauders who wouldn't laugh at me, please talk to him for me. I don't dare, not now."
With every word poor James felt his heart sink lower, but he put on a calm face and said:
"Lily Evans doesn't dare to talk to a guy? The same Lily Evans who always hangs around with the Marauders?"
"Yes, but you're not guys. You are like brothers to me. Prongs, please, I need you."
"And I need you, more than you could ever imagine", James thought.
"Tell him I like him, that's all. Do it as a favour, for me? One of your best friends?"
He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again he swore he heard the footsteps of fate come running towards him.
"I'll talk to him."
Lily hugged him. For a moment James couldn't move, he didn't even put his arms around her. To have her so close to him, and yet so far...
"Thank you, James, you are an angel. Now come, dinner's waiting."
She took him by the wrist, and then they got down to the Great Hall.
How could she think that Chris Novell was an intelligent guy? James and he had known each other for some time. They weren't best friends, but they talked to each other almost every day, and James knew that Chris had had his eyes on Lily for some time too. But Chris was a jerk, he knew nothing about girls, especially not about Lily. She was just a pretty face to him, he didn't knew how to get inside a girl's personality. And Lily, James' Lily, had fallen for that air head! How did this happen?
James felt horrible. He sat down with the Marauders without saying a word and ate his food without tasting it.
"What's wrong?", they asked.
"Nothing, I just have a little headache. I had to sit down for a few seconds before coming down, that's all."
Remus looked at James with suspiciousness. James turned his face away, he always felt like Remus' deep eyes could see right through him.
"Are you sure you're all right?", he asked in a silky voice.
"Yes, I'm sure. Now let's eat."
Not much more was said during dinner, but when the four boys walked up to the Gryffindor tower they tried to make their friend feel better.
They sang the password in chorus to the Fat Lady who opened the door to their common room with applause.
"Hey, James, wanna go visit Natasha?", Peter asked. "She's tried to get you attention for a week, and she's got that friend of hers... what's her name?"
"Tanya", Sirius said.
"Yeah, Tanya. What a body."
"I'm not in the mood right now, guys. I just wanna get some rest."
"Okay, you stiff. Can we go to the girls?"
James sighed. That would be his chance. He saw Chris sitting in a chair in the common room, playing cards with his friends.
"Sure. Have fun, tell them I said hi."
The others disappeared and James went over to Chris. He would talk to him, he wanted to. Maybe he could turn the situation around, use it to his own advantage somehow. Besides, he wanted to make Lily happy, he wouldn't stand the expression on her face if he told her that he hadn't spoken to Chris.
"Hi", James said to the tall boy in the chair.
"Hi, James", Chris answered. "Everything all right? You look a bit pale."
"Just a little headache. Can we talk? Between four eyes?"
"Sure."
Chris got up from the chair and followed James into the dorm. James took a deep breath and turned to face his rival.
"Do you like Lily Evans?", he asked.
Chris' eyes shone up.
"Off course I do, James, you know that. Why do you ask?"
"Well, the thing is.... she likes you."
Chris looked as if he had won the lottery. He cheered and started to dance.
"Yes! I knew it! I knew she liked me!"
"How modest we are", James thought, watching Chris perform his dance of victory.
"So... what are you gonna do?", James asked.
Chris stopped dancing, suddenly his face reminded James of an empty page in a book.
"I... have no idea. What do you think she expects?"
"Something romantic, maybe? Flowers? A love note?"
"Gods, do I have to tell him what to do?" he thought to himself.
"Yes, a note would be nice. Give it a try", James said.
"I can't write stuff like that", Chris said and looked a little disgusted. "That's girl's stuff."
Then James said something he felt he would regret later on.
"I could help you."
The smile came back on Chris' face and he grabbed James by the shoulders.
"Would you help me, Potter? I would be so grateful."
"Come on, how hard can it be?"
"Prongs, are you coming?", Sirius asked him when they saw that he stopped outside the room.
"Yeah, the Great Hall and the food is this way", Peter continued and licked his lips. "We're hungry."
"I'll catch up with you guys later", James answered.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, I'll just be a sec", James said. "Go on."
The other Marauders exchanged looks of wonder, but walked on through the corridor. James searched for Lily among the remaining people outside the classroom, and when they all had left it was only him and her left.
Lily approached him, got so close to him that their bodies almost touched each other. She still had that excited smile on her face and her eyes sparkled, she looked like a child on Christmas morning.
"Her eyes..... There can't be any jewels in the world like those", he thought to himself.
"James, there is something I must tell you. But you have to promise that you won't laugh."
"Lily, nothing you say could ever make me laugh", he said.
"I'm boring?"
"No, just weird sometimes. What is it?"
She blushed a little. He could hardly believe it, Lily blushed! This was big.
"I'm in love."
James stomach was at once filled with butterflies. She was in love. With him! It must be him, why else would she want to speak to him in private? He felt like he was floating and a big smile crept across his face.
But Lily didn't even look at his big, happy smile.
"He is wonderful", Lily continued. "He is tall, handsome, intelligent, and he's got the most wonderful pair of blue eyes I've ever seen."
"Green", James corrected her with a little smile.
"No, they're blue."
Now he got worried. His own eyes were green. Who was she talking about? She wasn't in love with him? No, there couldn't be another guy, there just couldn't!
"His name is Chris Novell."
Things went upside down to James. Suddenly he felt dizzy and like he was falling from high above.
"What?", he eventually exclaimed.
"I can't stop thinking about him, I can hardly concentrate on school, I don't eat, I don't sleep.... Please, James, you are the only one of the Marauders who wouldn't laugh at me, please talk to him for me. I don't dare, not now."
With every word poor James felt his heart sink lower, but he put on a calm face and said:
"Lily Evans doesn't dare to talk to a guy? The same Lily Evans who always hangs around with the Marauders?"
"Yes, but you're not guys. You are like brothers to me. Prongs, please, I need you."
"And I need you, more than you could ever imagine", James thought.
"Tell him I like him, that's all. Do it as a favour, for me? One of your best friends?"
He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again he swore he heard the footsteps of fate come running towards him.
"I'll talk to him."
Lily hugged him. For a moment James couldn't move, he didn't even put his arms around her. To have her so close to him, and yet so far...
"Thank you, James, you are an angel. Now come, dinner's waiting."
She took him by the wrist, and then they got down to the Great Hall.
How could she think that Chris Novell was an intelligent guy? James and he had known each other for some time. They weren't best friends, but they talked to each other almost every day, and James knew that Chris had had his eyes on Lily for some time too. But Chris was a jerk, he knew nothing about girls, especially not about Lily. She was just a pretty face to him, he didn't knew how to get inside a girl's personality. And Lily, James' Lily, had fallen for that air head! How did this happen?
James felt horrible. He sat down with the Marauders without saying a word and ate his food without tasting it.
"What's wrong?", they asked.
"Nothing, I just have a little headache. I had to sit down for a few seconds before coming down, that's all."
Remus looked at James with suspiciousness. James turned his face away, he always felt like Remus' deep eyes could see right through him.
"Are you sure you're all right?", he asked in a silky voice.
"Yes, I'm sure. Now let's eat."
Not much more was said during dinner, but when the four boys walked up to the Gryffindor tower they tried to make their friend feel better.
They sang the password in chorus to the Fat Lady who opened the door to their common room with applause.
"Hey, James, wanna go visit Natasha?", Peter asked. "She's tried to get you attention for a week, and she's got that friend of hers... what's her name?"
"Tanya", Sirius said.
"Yeah, Tanya. What a body."
"I'm not in the mood right now, guys. I just wanna get some rest."
"Okay, you stiff. Can we go to the girls?"
James sighed. That would be his chance. He saw Chris sitting in a chair in the common room, playing cards with his friends.
"Sure. Have fun, tell them I said hi."
The others disappeared and James went over to Chris. He would talk to him, he wanted to. Maybe he could turn the situation around, use it to his own advantage somehow. Besides, he wanted to make Lily happy, he wouldn't stand the expression on her face if he told her that he hadn't spoken to Chris.
"Hi", James said to the tall boy in the chair.
"Hi, James", Chris answered. "Everything all right? You look a bit pale."
"Just a little headache. Can we talk? Between four eyes?"
"Sure."
Chris got up from the chair and followed James into the dorm. James took a deep breath and turned to face his rival.
"Do you like Lily Evans?", he asked.
Chris' eyes shone up.
"Off course I do, James, you know that. Why do you ask?"
"Well, the thing is.... she likes you."
Chris looked as if he had won the lottery. He cheered and started to dance.
"Yes! I knew it! I knew she liked me!"
"How modest we are", James thought, watching Chris perform his dance of victory.
"So... what are you gonna do?", James asked.
Chris stopped dancing, suddenly his face reminded James of an empty page in a book.
"I... have no idea. What do you think she expects?"
"Something romantic, maybe? Flowers? A love note?"
"Gods, do I have to tell him what to do?" he thought to himself.
"Yes, a note would be nice. Give it a try", James said.
"I can't write stuff like that", Chris said and looked a little disgusted. "That's girl's stuff."
Then James said something he felt he would regret later on.
"I could help you."
The smile came back on Chris' face and he grabbed James by the shoulders.
"Would you help me, Potter? I would be so grateful."
"Come on, how hard can it be?"
