Chapter 13: The Ball Continued.

Disclaimer: Same thing as I put all the time..thanks to all the kind reviewers (

The Ball Continued.

James was lying supine on his bed, and his eyes were full of sorrow. If only Lily gave him a chance to explain, but she wouldn't, it just wasn't like her to give people chances was it?

He thought angrily, and then reasoned with himself that what he had done to Lily wasn't that forgivable, and Lily and him had never been that great friends to start off were they? The more he thought, the more he felt that Lily shouldn't forgive him. Lousy, arrogant player with no feelings, he thought, referring to himself, and one who plays with others feelings for the hell of it.

However, James knew that just sitting there on the bed would not help matters, and decided to go to the ball, maybe go find a girl and snog her, pretending that it was Lily, and then he realized that what he had just thought of was the very thing that he despised himself for, how he toyed with girls' feelings. He felt guilty was about 2 seconds, but then his fourth year hormones came back and he tossed his conscience aside, and went out of the room.

Perhaps I should go to the Astronomy Tower first, he thought, maybe he could see Lily there? The thought of Lily was just too enticing, and he decided to do that. As he slipped out of the room, he heard his name being shouted out. "POTTER!" Was that Kim or Becky, he wondered, but then found that he couldn't care less. He heard Lily's voice, the sweet sound and felt downcast once more. Damn mood swings, he swore, I feel like I'm pregnant, he muttered, but then quickly dismissed that thought, that sick thought.

James walked out to the common room, just in time to see Sirius, Becky, Kim and Lily leaving, all talking animatedly, and sighed resignedly before creeping out after them. He felt that just as long as he got to see Lily, everything should be quite okay, and so had this crazy idea to shadow her. He knew that if Lily knew that James was there, she would shake him off, and he couldn't bear that thought. Sounds like the scenario for the letters, he thought with a bitter laugh, which no one but himself heard.

He saw them enter the Great Hall and decided to linger outside, until he was sure that they had disappeared into the crowd before he entered the Hall. After about 5 minutes, he saw Sirius slip out, very red in the face and looking flustered. James wasn't sure whether he should approach Sirius, what if Becky and Kim had told him about the Lily letters? Won't he die in about six seconds flat, not counting the time Sirius would take to yell at him. As he was pondering what move to make next, Sirius grabbed him by his shoulders.

"JAMES! HIDE ME! HIDE ME! LOLLY OR SOMETHING IS AFTER ME!" He shrieked, almost sobbing into his shoulder, much to James's surprise.

"Nice to see you too Paddy," He greeted, and tried to shake Sirius, so that he would stop sobbing so girlishly into his new tuxedo.

"JUST SHOVE ME SOMEWHERE! JUST GET HER AWAY!" Sirius yelled, pushing James aside and deciding to make a quick dash to some dark remote corner of the school, where Lolita could never find him.

"WHERE'S THAT MAP WHEN YOU NEED IT?" Sirius screeched, flapping his arms, looking very much like a penguin, a very panicky penguin, may I add. Sirius lunged forward at the portrait of a Knight who was eating some pumpkin pie. The portrait opened, and Sirius fell into the darkness, which was actually a stairway, the one they used to escape Filch.

"NO SIRIUS NOT THERE!" James shouted, and charging at the portrait, tumbled in, grabbed the air and finally managed to find Sirius.

"GET OFF MY FOOT!"

"GO OUT PADFOOT! PETER KEEPS THE DUNGBOMBS AND FIREWORKS HERE!"

"WHY HERE?!"

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?"

"GET OFF MY FOOT!"

"I'M OFF!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!"

"I AM!"

"Oh shit..who is it then?" Sirius whispered, and when his eyes got accustomed to the dark, he discovered that a crate of fireworks was positioned precariously on him.

"Holy shit!"

"Pious faeces!"

"Shut up!" Sirius yelled, but was careful not to move, "This crate is heavy!"

"I'll be leaving now." James taunted, making a move to leave, but Sirius grabbed at him, missing as Sirius was held down by the crate.

Sirius groped for his wand and upon finding it, pointed it at James, but James was too quick, in a flash he was out of the portrait.

"Damn, now I have to use energy to perform the charm." Sirius groaned, and with a handy levitating spell, the crate was five feet in the air, and Sirius was out of the portrait before you could say, "Lazy bum"