Disclaimer: You know the drill.
It's been a long time coming, but the next chapter is here at last! Thank you to all those people who are still reviewing after a long four-month break of. absolutely nothing.
Now it's time to get serious my friends!
I'm going to be busier than a bumblebee in peak season very soon -so I'm sorry to say, but updates will be very limited -but I am trying! I finish my exams in two and a half weeks, so don't expect another update before then, but a couple of days later -I'm on holiday! Can I promise you there will be more updates from that time on? Maybe not, I don't really want to make a promise I'm not 100% sure I can keep but a promise I can make is: there will be updates!!!
Well, maybe it's about time I began the chapter.
And don't forget Mr. ^carrot^
Chapter Six
On Friday afternoon, Lily was running down an empty corridor. With the pounding of her feet on the marble floor, Lily was unable to hear the footsteps of another person. She turned a corner and ran headlong into none other than James Potter, the collision causing both of them to fall to the ground. They sat up, their hands rubbing their heads.
'Good one, Evans!' James scowled.
'Excuse me?! I got the idea this was ^your^ fault!' Lily retorted.
'How is it ^my^ fault?' He snapped.
'How is it mine?' she replied.
'You weren't looking -'
'Neither were you!' Lily cut him off.
'It was an accident,' he admitted.
'I could have told you that right off,' Lily replied.
'Then why didn't you?' he scowled.
'Because you don't listen! You ^never^ listen!' she replied.
'That's bull, Evans-'
'Is it? Because last time I checked, you were still an egocentric prat who didn't like to take advice from any one!' Lily snapped.
There was a slight pause, where Lily looked heatedly at James, and James stared at Lily's beautiful complexion. At that moment, he was sure he did not hate her and his expression changed abruptly.
'Got to Hogsmeade with me, Evans,' he grimaced.
'What?!' Lily seemed shocked at his proposal for a moment, 'I was right! You ^don't^ listen to anyone!'
She stood up but James remained on the floor, looking up at her.
'So that's a yes?' he asked, faking innocence.
Lily glared at him, then turned to walk away. As she did so, James stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder from behind.
'Why not?' he interrogated.
'Because you're the last person I'd want to go with and besides -I'm going with someone else.' She turned quickly to see his reaction. James snorted.
'Who's leg are you trying to pull, Evans? Did you ^beg^ him to take you?' His tone was mocking, 'did you get down on your hands and knees, start kissing his feet and then begged him to take you? I bet you did -I bet you did, didn't you, Evans? You couldn't -'
Lily was not one to lose her temper, but James had a knack for pushing people over the edge -and within time, he had gotten to Lily too. She slapped him.
'SHUT UP, POTTER! YOU ^REALLY^ HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!' She paused. All was silent except for her uneven breathing -even James was silent, still recovering from the shock of being slapped by Lily.
***
'That ought to have stirred things up a bit,' Kate told Alicia. Lily had just left to fulfill her headgirl duties after having discussed with them her run in with James. The two now remained alone in a girls lavatory, silent a part from the gentle "drip, drip" of a leaking faucet.
'Justin ^is^ really good for her,' Alicia said, staring into space.
'As research tells us, he's practically ^perfect^ for her -they may end up -well, you know.' Kate made a funny face.
'Quite possibly,' Alicia said in a tone that implied satisfaction.
'Everyone would be happy about it,' Kate smiled.
'All except one,' grinned Alicia.
There was a slight pause. It was too soon -much too soon -to tell, and they didn't want to jinx it or anything.
'Let's just take it one step at a time,' Kate said, looking at Alicia in "that serious way."
***
'He's going about this whole thing the wrong way!' Sirius stated. He was seated across from Remus in the Gryffindor common room. James had locked himself in the boy's dorm -or rather, he had pulled the curtain closed and refused to speak to anyone. Peter was nowhere to be seen.
'Padfoot, we all know Prongs can be as stubborn as a mule, but give him time -a lot of time, mind you -and he'll see Lily isn't interested in him,' Remus said.
'But he ^knows^ Lily isn't interested -^everyone^ knows Lily isn't interested-' Sirius persisted.
'Prongs knows, Padfoot, but he refuses to believe,' Remus said in his often-used wise manner.
'Can't he see ^why^ she isn't interested?! Those two are like chalk and cheese! Like cat and dog! Like fire and rain! Like savouries and sweets!' Sirius continued his rant.
'Padfoot, sometimes experience is all one needs to be taught a valuable lesson in life.'
Sirius thought blankly for a moment, and then jumped off of his seat as though it had just been torched.
'He needs to go out with Lily!' Sirius yelped in a somewhat dog-like manner, and glided out of the room.
Remus sat back in his seat, shaking his head in disbelief. It would never work. Never.
***
James lay silently on his four-poster, thinking. Lily had been serious, and he ha been a. prat.
He had admitted it. After so long, he had admitted it. He was a prat. He, James Potter, was a self-centered, obnoxious, high strung, stubborn, arrogant, immature prat.
That explains a lot, James thought to himself, like why Lily was in absolutely ^no way^ whatsoever going to go for him.
Ever.
What would all this mean? Forget about Lily? Give up? No -James Potter had a different plan in mind. He was going to change.
Change was always a good thing, right?
Right?!
All was going to be okay; James thought to himself, he would have Lily by the end of the year.
Change was always good, always.
Forget change being good, if James was ^ever^ going to have Lily, it was a necessity.
***
'Change?!' Sirius yelped in the Great Hall the next morning at breakfast, showering them all with fragments of the toast in his mouth.
Remus said nothing, but rather stared at his empty plate, refusing to believe his ears.
James Potter, change?
Never.
Not even for Lily.
'Sh! Keep your voice down!' James hissed.
'Don't talk about such absurd events, Prongs!' Sirius chuckled, still loud enough for the whole Hall to hear.
James merely looked down at his hands, disbelieving of his best friend's need to laugh at such a statement.
Sirius looked at James, and his expression faded rather rapidly into one of intense seriousness.
'Merlin's beard,' Sirius began slowly, in a noticeably quieter voice, 'you were -you were actually being serious!'
That's it, James thought, change wasn't a necessity -if his own best friend thought it was a joke -he was going to have to make it inevitable.
'Prongs,' Sirius began, quieter still, 'are you sure that the ends justifies the means?'
James nodded.
'If it works -absolutely.'
'But Prongs, what if it all ^doesn't^ work out?' Sirius asked, his tone suggesting he thought this was the more likely scenario.
'It will -I'm going to make this work.'
***
'It'll never work!' Sirius cried, pacing the common room, which was empty apart from himself and Remus.
When Remus said nothing, Sirius gave him a quizzical look. Sirius sat down opposite Remus in one of the squashy armchairs.
'Well?' Sirius asked.
Remus slowly looked up.
'Well what?' Remus replied.
'Well -where's the usual spout of wisdom -that excellent advice you always give -that's what!'
Remus leaned forward as he rested his hand on his entwined fingers and thought about the situation at hand.
'James is capable of change -it's hard to believe, I know -but if he wants Lily bad enough, he's quite capable of change. It's not going to be easy for him -I wouldn't say he realises that.'
'But -but if he -if he does, then. then.'
Remus looked up at Sirius, taking in how pale he so suddenly seemed to be.
'He's going to change, Padfoot, it's time to face the music -he's going to change.'
'But -but then. I'm going to lose my Prongs!'
A/N: Done! Any comments on this chapter are welcome (as is any comments on ANY chapter!). So. Sirius is worried about losing his best friend. who can guess where that's going to lead? And Lily is about to go on her date with Justin very shortly -in the next chapter, as a matter of fact!
But that next chapter may be a while a way. Not as long as it took for this one to get up after the last chapter, maybe within the next month, if I get enough time.
See you later!
It's been a long time coming, but the next chapter is here at last! Thank you to all those people who are still reviewing after a long four-month break of. absolutely nothing.
Now it's time to get serious my friends!
I'm going to be busier than a bumblebee in peak season very soon -so I'm sorry to say, but updates will be very limited -but I am trying! I finish my exams in two and a half weeks, so don't expect another update before then, but a couple of days later -I'm on holiday! Can I promise you there will be more updates from that time on? Maybe not, I don't really want to make a promise I'm not 100% sure I can keep but a promise I can make is: there will be updates!!!
Well, maybe it's about time I began the chapter.
And don't forget Mr. ^carrot^
Chapter Six
On Friday afternoon, Lily was running down an empty corridor. With the pounding of her feet on the marble floor, Lily was unable to hear the footsteps of another person. She turned a corner and ran headlong into none other than James Potter, the collision causing both of them to fall to the ground. They sat up, their hands rubbing their heads.
'Good one, Evans!' James scowled.
'Excuse me?! I got the idea this was ^your^ fault!' Lily retorted.
'How is it ^my^ fault?' He snapped.
'How is it mine?' she replied.
'You weren't looking -'
'Neither were you!' Lily cut him off.
'It was an accident,' he admitted.
'I could have told you that right off,' Lily replied.
'Then why didn't you?' he scowled.
'Because you don't listen! You ^never^ listen!' she replied.
'That's bull, Evans-'
'Is it? Because last time I checked, you were still an egocentric prat who didn't like to take advice from any one!' Lily snapped.
There was a slight pause, where Lily looked heatedly at James, and James stared at Lily's beautiful complexion. At that moment, he was sure he did not hate her and his expression changed abruptly.
'Got to Hogsmeade with me, Evans,' he grimaced.
'What?!' Lily seemed shocked at his proposal for a moment, 'I was right! You ^don't^ listen to anyone!'
She stood up but James remained on the floor, looking up at her.
'So that's a yes?' he asked, faking innocence.
Lily glared at him, then turned to walk away. As she did so, James stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder from behind.
'Why not?' he interrogated.
'Because you're the last person I'd want to go with and besides -I'm going with someone else.' She turned quickly to see his reaction. James snorted.
'Who's leg are you trying to pull, Evans? Did you ^beg^ him to take you?' His tone was mocking, 'did you get down on your hands and knees, start kissing his feet and then begged him to take you? I bet you did -I bet you did, didn't you, Evans? You couldn't -'
Lily was not one to lose her temper, but James had a knack for pushing people over the edge -and within time, he had gotten to Lily too. She slapped him.
'SHUT UP, POTTER! YOU ^REALLY^ HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!' She paused. All was silent except for her uneven breathing -even James was silent, still recovering from the shock of being slapped by Lily.
***
'That ought to have stirred things up a bit,' Kate told Alicia. Lily had just left to fulfill her headgirl duties after having discussed with them her run in with James. The two now remained alone in a girls lavatory, silent a part from the gentle "drip, drip" of a leaking faucet.
'Justin ^is^ really good for her,' Alicia said, staring into space.
'As research tells us, he's practically ^perfect^ for her -they may end up -well, you know.' Kate made a funny face.
'Quite possibly,' Alicia said in a tone that implied satisfaction.
'Everyone would be happy about it,' Kate smiled.
'All except one,' grinned Alicia.
There was a slight pause. It was too soon -much too soon -to tell, and they didn't want to jinx it or anything.
'Let's just take it one step at a time,' Kate said, looking at Alicia in "that serious way."
***
'He's going about this whole thing the wrong way!' Sirius stated. He was seated across from Remus in the Gryffindor common room. James had locked himself in the boy's dorm -or rather, he had pulled the curtain closed and refused to speak to anyone. Peter was nowhere to be seen.
'Padfoot, we all know Prongs can be as stubborn as a mule, but give him time -a lot of time, mind you -and he'll see Lily isn't interested in him,' Remus said.
'But he ^knows^ Lily isn't interested -^everyone^ knows Lily isn't interested-' Sirius persisted.
'Prongs knows, Padfoot, but he refuses to believe,' Remus said in his often-used wise manner.
'Can't he see ^why^ she isn't interested?! Those two are like chalk and cheese! Like cat and dog! Like fire and rain! Like savouries and sweets!' Sirius continued his rant.
'Padfoot, sometimes experience is all one needs to be taught a valuable lesson in life.'
Sirius thought blankly for a moment, and then jumped off of his seat as though it had just been torched.
'He needs to go out with Lily!' Sirius yelped in a somewhat dog-like manner, and glided out of the room.
Remus sat back in his seat, shaking his head in disbelief. It would never work. Never.
***
James lay silently on his four-poster, thinking. Lily had been serious, and he ha been a. prat.
He had admitted it. After so long, he had admitted it. He was a prat. He, James Potter, was a self-centered, obnoxious, high strung, stubborn, arrogant, immature prat.
That explains a lot, James thought to himself, like why Lily was in absolutely ^no way^ whatsoever going to go for him.
Ever.
What would all this mean? Forget about Lily? Give up? No -James Potter had a different plan in mind. He was going to change.
Change was always a good thing, right?
Right?!
All was going to be okay; James thought to himself, he would have Lily by the end of the year.
Change was always good, always.
Forget change being good, if James was ^ever^ going to have Lily, it was a necessity.
***
'Change?!' Sirius yelped in the Great Hall the next morning at breakfast, showering them all with fragments of the toast in his mouth.
Remus said nothing, but rather stared at his empty plate, refusing to believe his ears.
James Potter, change?
Never.
Not even for Lily.
'Sh! Keep your voice down!' James hissed.
'Don't talk about such absurd events, Prongs!' Sirius chuckled, still loud enough for the whole Hall to hear.
James merely looked down at his hands, disbelieving of his best friend's need to laugh at such a statement.
Sirius looked at James, and his expression faded rather rapidly into one of intense seriousness.
'Merlin's beard,' Sirius began slowly, in a noticeably quieter voice, 'you were -you were actually being serious!'
That's it, James thought, change wasn't a necessity -if his own best friend thought it was a joke -he was going to have to make it inevitable.
'Prongs,' Sirius began, quieter still, 'are you sure that the ends justifies the means?'
James nodded.
'If it works -absolutely.'
'But Prongs, what if it all ^doesn't^ work out?' Sirius asked, his tone suggesting he thought this was the more likely scenario.
'It will -I'm going to make this work.'
***
'It'll never work!' Sirius cried, pacing the common room, which was empty apart from himself and Remus.
When Remus said nothing, Sirius gave him a quizzical look. Sirius sat down opposite Remus in one of the squashy armchairs.
'Well?' Sirius asked.
Remus slowly looked up.
'Well what?' Remus replied.
'Well -where's the usual spout of wisdom -that excellent advice you always give -that's what!'
Remus leaned forward as he rested his hand on his entwined fingers and thought about the situation at hand.
'James is capable of change -it's hard to believe, I know -but if he wants Lily bad enough, he's quite capable of change. It's not going to be easy for him -I wouldn't say he realises that.'
'But -but if he -if he does, then. then.'
Remus looked up at Sirius, taking in how pale he so suddenly seemed to be.
'He's going to change, Padfoot, it's time to face the music -he's going to change.'
'But -but then. I'm going to lose my Prongs!'
A/N: Done! Any comments on this chapter are welcome (as is any comments on ANY chapter!). So. Sirius is worried about losing his best friend. who can guess where that's going to lead? And Lily is about to go on her date with Justin very shortly -in the next chapter, as a matter of fact!
But that next chapter may be a while a way. Not as long as it took for this one to get up after the last chapter, maybe within the next month, if I get enough time.
See you later!