This is the year, James decided, as Lupin, Sirius, and Peter were laughing
and horsing around on their walk towards the school. I've got to get Lily
to go out with me. There's got to be some way. Her last words to him at the
end of the previous year had been playing over and over in his head all
summer, nagging him. "Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool
to look like you've just gotten off your broomstick, showing off with that
stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing people who annoy you just
because you can- I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with
that fat head on it. You make me SICK." Finally she had made him realize
that now everyone was happy with the way he acted. He wasn't exactly a
pleasant person to be on the wrong side of. That was all going to change,
he had decided. He would do anything to gain Lily's affection. James didn't
know what, but there was something about her, something that just left him
with a large gaping hole in his stomach whenever she walked away or turned
him down. He had tried persistence, asking her out whenever he could
casually slip it in- that hadn't worked, if anything, it had made matters
worse.
Now Sirius and Peter hand their wands out and were performing small hexes on each other, with Remus watching from the side. By the time they reached the castle, the top of Peter's head had an extremely high amount of curly, brown hair sticking out at least 5 inches in all directions. Sirius' nose had grown about a foot, and he quite resembled Pinocchio. Someone's hex, no doubt Peter's, had missed Sirius and hit Remus' ears, which had stretched to the size of textbooks. After their hexes wore off, Sirius had Peter in a headlock.
James looked at them, shook his head, and walked ahead to the Great Hall. Sirius absentmindedly let go of Peter, staring after James. He looked to Remus and Peter, confused, but they just shrugged. Sirius ran ahead to catch up with him.
"Oy! James!" Sirius called after him.
James didn't say anything.
"What's with you?" Sirius asked.
"Its nothing," James said, a little too quickly.
"I think I've known you long enough to realize that when you turn down a chance to mess around with Peter, it's not nothing." Sirius argued. "It wouldn't have anything to do with Lily, would it?" Sirius said suggestively.
"How insightful of you," James said coldly, irritated.
"Hey," said Sirius angrily. "You don't have to take out your problems on me. I haven't done anything wrong. I was just trying to help." He turned around to walk back to Remus and Peter.
"Sorry," James said. "D'you think she'd ever go out with me?" he added hopefully.
Sirius snorted, then catching the look on James' face, straightened out his face. "Well, I think she pretty much cleared that up last year." he said, and, imitating Lily added, "You make me SICK!"
James didn't laugh. "Well maybe she's right," he said. "Maybe I am conceited."
"Well, I wouldn't say conceited, but you are a little full of yourself." Sirius replied.
James glared at him. "Not helping!" he said.
They reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and took their usual seats.
"But hey, so am I!" Sirius added, with a feeble chuckle. "Is there anything I could do to help you?"
"Well, could you.er. tone it down a bit?" he said.
Sirius looked at him, puzzled.
"Well its just. when you are hexing people and goofing off, even if I'm not involved it.er. makes me look bad," he explained. "Because I'm not stopping you."
Sirius looked at him skeptically. "So you want us to change the way we act just so you can impress Lily? What kind of dopes do you take us for?" he said. Seeing James' face he added, "I'm just kidding, you know. 'Course we'll do it."
He thought for a moment. Then he said, "But what about Snivellus? I don't reckon he'd be so keen to stop sneaking up and you and hexing you just so you can get Lily. Then you'd have everything he wants- Popularity, talent, wits, Quidditch and a girl. Only problem is, when you retaliate, that's the only part Lily gets to see."
"Well I could just avoid him." James said. Obviously this thought had not occurred to him.
"Or you could do the whole school a favor and just accidentally finish him off!" Sirius said. "But I reckon that'd completely ruin any chance you still have with Lily," he added jokingly.
By this time, all of the Sorting was finished and food had appeared on the golden plates lining the table. Sirius and James helped themselves to some food, and continued discussing how James could get Lily to see him for more than an "arrogant, bullying toerag".
The conversation was continued all the way to Gryffindor Tower, that is, until they passed Lily in the hall. The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Lily was determinedly not looking at James, who brought his free hand upward and began rumpling his hair. Lily caught this out of the corner of her eye, and let out a very loud sigh. James hung his head the rest of the way up to the common room.
"So," said Sirius awkwardly. He wasn't quite sure what to say- he had never been in this type of situation before.
James remained silent until he stood up from the armchair he was sitting in, and walked gloomily up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Sirius waited a bit so James could be alone long enough to make it seem plausible if he was "asleep." He went upstairs and got ready for and went to bed.
The next morning James woke up and rolled over groggily. He had had a dream about Lily.
James was on his knees in front of Lily.
"Please, please go out with me, Lily!" he was pleading.
"I can't, James," she said.
"Why not? I've changed for you! I'll do anything!" he said.
"But I can't," she said simply. "I'm engaged to the giant squid!"
He knew he was being stupid- Lily wouldn't get engaged to a squid, but it still seemed that that was the general idea of how this whole episode with Lily would end.
Then he realized- Quidditch practice- "What a great way to start off as captain. late."
Andrew Watley had graduated the previous year, and James was appointed captain by the rest of the team. He got up quickly and got dressed, running towards the Great Hall. He scarfed down 2 pieces of toast and jelly, broom in hand, and ran out onto the Quidditch Pitch. The rest of the team was already in the air, practicing.
He jumped up onto his broomstick and pushed off.
"Sorry guys, overslept," he explained shortly.
"Ah, its alright James," replied Marsha, one of the team's chasers. "It's not like you need the practice anyway," she added, looking at James hopefully.
"Er- yeah," he said uncomfortably, quickly changing the subject. "So today we need to train our new chaser. the one replacing Andrew."
As James walked back from Quidditch practice, he happened to see Lily and her friends standing over by the tree where he and his friends had sat last year after their Defense against the Dark Arts OWL exam. Unfortunately for him, this tree was situated just outside the main entrance to the school. He fought the strong urge to ruffle his hair; he brought his hand halfway up and thought better of it, bringing it back down to his side. Lily looked up at him a then looked back down at her friends. James walked by and went in the large doors. A few of the girl's from Lily's group turned toward James and looked hopefully at him. Lily sighed very loudly and her friends turned back to their conversation. Lily glared at James, obviously thinking that James had come by right after Quidditch practice on purpose to show off again.
He shook his head and walked to Gryffindor Tower to take a shower and work on some homework.
"You know Lily," said one of her friends, "I'd give anything to get James to look at me the way he looks at you."
"Yeah," piped up another, speaking dreamily, "why don't you go out with him?"
"He's just too much of a big-headed show off," Lily said simply.
"Yeah, a very good looking big headed show off," said another, "who also happens to be smart and talented."
"And," said the girl who had been eyeing Sirius after her OWL exam; "he's best friends with another very good looking guy."
Lily snorted. "Looks aren't everything. They are just a bunch of arrogant, show off jerks."
"Can't you see it Lily?" said one of the girls, "James is totally head over heels for you. He'd do anything to get you to notice him."
"Look, I've got a -er- Herbology test to study for. See you later." Lily said uncomfortably, gathering her things and rushing off to the common room.
James was sitting sulkily in his usual chair in the common room with Sirius, and neither of them was saying anything. Then Lily walked in and James stood up, as if he were going to say something to her, and then sat back down. She sat down across the room from them and pulled out her books and some parchment, a blue quill, and an inkwell.
Sirius, who seemed sick of all the silence, got up and mumbled something about "finding Remus and Peter" and left abruptly. James was left to nothing but his own thoughts and the sound of Lily's quill scratching on the parchment. It seemed to him that Lily would never go for James. He tried changing. He no longer hexed people just because they annoyed him, and it had been quite some time since he had done anything to Snape, but if Snape crossed the line he did hex him a bit and then walk away. But he no longer suspended him in midair, displaying Snape's pitiful-ness for all to see, and James thought that was quite an accomplishment. He had kept himself from messing up his hair, although his head now felt quite bare and his hair felt unusually tidy and he felt awkward with both his hands at his side- one of them had been consistently been on top of his head. The fire that had been lively and crackling in the fireplace was beginning to flicker and die.
James got up and walked towards the boy's dormitory to go to bed. Lily didn't say anything or look up from her parchment, and James was beginning to lose hope. The end of the year was just around the corner, and she still hadn't recognized that he had changed.
James awoke the next morning from another dream about Lily turning him down over and over, but luckily it didn't end in her saying she really had chosen the giant squid over him.
~End of year 6~
Now Sirius and Peter hand their wands out and were performing small hexes on each other, with Remus watching from the side. By the time they reached the castle, the top of Peter's head had an extremely high amount of curly, brown hair sticking out at least 5 inches in all directions. Sirius' nose had grown about a foot, and he quite resembled Pinocchio. Someone's hex, no doubt Peter's, had missed Sirius and hit Remus' ears, which had stretched to the size of textbooks. After their hexes wore off, Sirius had Peter in a headlock.
James looked at them, shook his head, and walked ahead to the Great Hall. Sirius absentmindedly let go of Peter, staring after James. He looked to Remus and Peter, confused, but they just shrugged. Sirius ran ahead to catch up with him.
"Oy! James!" Sirius called after him.
James didn't say anything.
"What's with you?" Sirius asked.
"Its nothing," James said, a little too quickly.
"I think I've known you long enough to realize that when you turn down a chance to mess around with Peter, it's not nothing." Sirius argued. "It wouldn't have anything to do with Lily, would it?" Sirius said suggestively.
"How insightful of you," James said coldly, irritated.
"Hey," said Sirius angrily. "You don't have to take out your problems on me. I haven't done anything wrong. I was just trying to help." He turned around to walk back to Remus and Peter.
"Sorry," James said. "D'you think she'd ever go out with me?" he added hopefully.
Sirius snorted, then catching the look on James' face, straightened out his face. "Well, I think she pretty much cleared that up last year." he said, and, imitating Lily added, "You make me SICK!"
James didn't laugh. "Well maybe she's right," he said. "Maybe I am conceited."
"Well, I wouldn't say conceited, but you are a little full of yourself." Sirius replied.
James glared at him. "Not helping!" he said.
They reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and took their usual seats.
"But hey, so am I!" Sirius added, with a feeble chuckle. "Is there anything I could do to help you?"
"Well, could you.er. tone it down a bit?" he said.
Sirius looked at him, puzzled.
"Well its just. when you are hexing people and goofing off, even if I'm not involved it.er. makes me look bad," he explained. "Because I'm not stopping you."
Sirius looked at him skeptically. "So you want us to change the way we act just so you can impress Lily? What kind of dopes do you take us for?" he said. Seeing James' face he added, "I'm just kidding, you know. 'Course we'll do it."
He thought for a moment. Then he said, "But what about Snivellus? I don't reckon he'd be so keen to stop sneaking up and you and hexing you just so you can get Lily. Then you'd have everything he wants- Popularity, talent, wits, Quidditch and a girl. Only problem is, when you retaliate, that's the only part Lily gets to see."
"Well I could just avoid him." James said. Obviously this thought had not occurred to him.
"Or you could do the whole school a favor and just accidentally finish him off!" Sirius said. "But I reckon that'd completely ruin any chance you still have with Lily," he added jokingly.
By this time, all of the Sorting was finished and food had appeared on the golden plates lining the table. Sirius and James helped themselves to some food, and continued discussing how James could get Lily to see him for more than an "arrogant, bullying toerag".
The conversation was continued all the way to Gryffindor Tower, that is, until they passed Lily in the hall. The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Lily was determinedly not looking at James, who brought his free hand upward and began rumpling his hair. Lily caught this out of the corner of her eye, and let out a very loud sigh. James hung his head the rest of the way up to the common room.
"So," said Sirius awkwardly. He wasn't quite sure what to say- he had never been in this type of situation before.
James remained silent until he stood up from the armchair he was sitting in, and walked gloomily up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Sirius waited a bit so James could be alone long enough to make it seem plausible if he was "asleep." He went upstairs and got ready for and went to bed.
The next morning James woke up and rolled over groggily. He had had a dream about Lily.
James was on his knees in front of Lily.
"Please, please go out with me, Lily!" he was pleading.
"I can't, James," she said.
"Why not? I've changed for you! I'll do anything!" he said.
"But I can't," she said simply. "I'm engaged to the giant squid!"
He knew he was being stupid- Lily wouldn't get engaged to a squid, but it still seemed that that was the general idea of how this whole episode with Lily would end.
Then he realized- Quidditch practice- "What a great way to start off as captain. late."
Andrew Watley had graduated the previous year, and James was appointed captain by the rest of the team. He got up quickly and got dressed, running towards the Great Hall. He scarfed down 2 pieces of toast and jelly, broom in hand, and ran out onto the Quidditch Pitch. The rest of the team was already in the air, practicing.
He jumped up onto his broomstick and pushed off.
"Sorry guys, overslept," he explained shortly.
"Ah, its alright James," replied Marsha, one of the team's chasers. "It's not like you need the practice anyway," she added, looking at James hopefully.
"Er- yeah," he said uncomfortably, quickly changing the subject. "So today we need to train our new chaser. the one replacing Andrew."
As James walked back from Quidditch practice, he happened to see Lily and her friends standing over by the tree where he and his friends had sat last year after their Defense against the Dark Arts OWL exam. Unfortunately for him, this tree was situated just outside the main entrance to the school. He fought the strong urge to ruffle his hair; he brought his hand halfway up and thought better of it, bringing it back down to his side. Lily looked up at him a then looked back down at her friends. James walked by and went in the large doors. A few of the girl's from Lily's group turned toward James and looked hopefully at him. Lily sighed very loudly and her friends turned back to their conversation. Lily glared at James, obviously thinking that James had come by right after Quidditch practice on purpose to show off again.
He shook his head and walked to Gryffindor Tower to take a shower and work on some homework.
"You know Lily," said one of her friends, "I'd give anything to get James to look at me the way he looks at you."
"Yeah," piped up another, speaking dreamily, "why don't you go out with him?"
"He's just too much of a big-headed show off," Lily said simply.
"Yeah, a very good looking big headed show off," said another, "who also happens to be smart and talented."
"And," said the girl who had been eyeing Sirius after her OWL exam; "he's best friends with another very good looking guy."
Lily snorted. "Looks aren't everything. They are just a bunch of arrogant, show off jerks."
"Can't you see it Lily?" said one of the girls, "James is totally head over heels for you. He'd do anything to get you to notice him."
"Look, I've got a -er- Herbology test to study for. See you later." Lily said uncomfortably, gathering her things and rushing off to the common room.
James was sitting sulkily in his usual chair in the common room with Sirius, and neither of them was saying anything. Then Lily walked in and James stood up, as if he were going to say something to her, and then sat back down. She sat down across the room from them and pulled out her books and some parchment, a blue quill, and an inkwell.
Sirius, who seemed sick of all the silence, got up and mumbled something about "finding Remus and Peter" and left abruptly. James was left to nothing but his own thoughts and the sound of Lily's quill scratching on the parchment. It seemed to him that Lily would never go for James. He tried changing. He no longer hexed people just because they annoyed him, and it had been quite some time since he had done anything to Snape, but if Snape crossed the line he did hex him a bit and then walk away. But he no longer suspended him in midair, displaying Snape's pitiful-ness for all to see, and James thought that was quite an accomplishment. He had kept himself from messing up his hair, although his head now felt quite bare and his hair felt unusually tidy and he felt awkward with both his hands at his side- one of them had been consistently been on top of his head. The fire that had been lively and crackling in the fireplace was beginning to flicker and die.
James got up and walked towards the boy's dormitory to go to bed. Lily didn't say anything or look up from her parchment, and James was beginning to lose hope. The end of the year was just around the corner, and she still hadn't recognized that he had changed.
James awoke the next morning from another dream about Lily turning him down over and over, but luckily it didn't end in her saying she really had chosen the giant squid over him.
~End of year 6~
