Year Three – Part Two
"God save us from these idiots," mumbled Lily, tipping an armful of books onto a table. James was teasing her particularly that day and she couldn't stand any more of it any longer.
"I'm breaking it up with Sirius if he ever does something like that again," growled Arabella, as she followed suit and dumped her books onto a chair.
"Come on, guys, you know they were just joking," said Jennifer optimistically, trying to lighten up the dark mood. "I mean, most of the time they're really sweet, caring, and funny, and you know…"
"Yeah, Jen, that's the perfect description—of Remus," said Arabella, scowling.
"Oh." Jennifer blushed. "Sorry."
Just then, the four Marauders burst through the portrait hole, Sirius and James in the lead. Remus and Peter were walking calmly behind, smiling slightly at their friends' worried faces.
"Bella," gasped Sirius. "I am so sorry about—the prank—and I want to—apologize." Then he fainted to the floor.
"SIRIUS!" exclaimed Arabella in alarm. She rushed to her boyfriend's side and started to mutter a spell with her wand under her breath. A jet of water squirted out from her wand and onto Sirius' face.
"Blah!" he spluttered. Arabella giggled.
"I accept your apology, Sirius," she said, grinning. "Oh, and try to calm down next time; it's not like I was going to eat you up or something."
"You were actually going to break up with him," informed Lily.
"You were?" asked Sirius worriedly.
"Er—" Arabella shifted uncomfortably. "I was thinking of…but I'm not now, of course!" she added hastily, seeing Sirius' face.
"Good." Sirius grinned and led Arabella to a nearby couch. Lily groaned.
"Here comes their snog session," she said, making a face.
"What a great source of entertainment," said Jennifer sarcastically. Violet was silent the whole time.
"I feel so alone," said James, sighing. "Come on, Lily."
"What?" she asked, annoyed.
"I want to show you something."
"Fine." Lily followed him, grumbling about idiots and snogging.
As soon as they reached the boys' dormitory, James rushed to where his four-poster bed was and took out a clear ball. It was about half the size of the crystal balls in Professor Trelawney's room, and it was glittering purple at the moment.
"Wow," Lily breathed. "James—it's beautiful."
"Isn't it, Evans?" James smiled. "It's sort of like the Mirror of Erised, because it shows your heart's desire. It also shows if the person you love is nearby. If they are nearby, like maybe in this room, then it flashes pink. If the person isn't nearby, like maybe downstairs in the common room, it flashes red."
Lily reached up and touched the ball. It showed herself holding a baby—Harry! And James was also standing behind her, along with the Marauders and her own friends. They were all smiling, and waving at her. Then the ball flashed pink and Lily's cheeks reddened. James peered over her shoulder to see why she was blushing and saw the pink ball. He also immediately flushed bright scarlet, but was secretly grinning that Lily didn't totally hate him.
"What did you see when you touched it?" asked Lily quietly, handing him back the ball.
James' face immediately turned redder. "Er—it turned the same thing as yours did," he admitted, wishing he could just curl up and freeze.
"Really?" Lily's face looked surprised and relieved.
"Yeah." There was an awkward pause, until Sirius and Arabella burst into the dorm. They exchanged evil grins at each other when they saw Lily and James, but looked curiously at the ball in his hands.
Sirius' grin, if at all possible, widened. "So—Jamie. I see you decided to show Lils your ball thing. I heard that yours turned bright pink when you touched it…"
"Sirius!" exclaimed James in alarm, glancing at Lily.
"What is it?" asked Arabella curiously.
Sirius whispered something in her ear and her grin turned identical to his. "How cute," she mocked. "Lilums and Jamsie are in l-ove."
"Bella," they both muttered.
"Well, why don't you two go get a room, then?" asked Sirius, winking. "Then Snape will be really sad once Harry is born right here at—"
"SIRIUS BLACK!" shrieked Lily. "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"
Sirius was startled. "Professor McGonagall?" he said, looking around the dormitory. Lily, James, and Arabella burst out laughing.
"Wow, Siri-boy, I didn't know you'd be this thick ever in your life!" James was howling with laughter.
Lily smiled, and brushed back a stray lock of her red hair, revealing her bright green eyes. James was laughing and suddenly caught her eye, and gasped. She had the most beautiful eyes in the world. They were like deep pools of shimmering green, dazzling, brilliant, and startling. James thought he could see the whole world in those eyes, since they were so deep. Now he knew why Snape "loved" Lily so much…Wait a minute! What was he saying? He shook his head, determining the fact that he had certainly gone mad at that point.
Lily, however, was having similar thoughts. She never knew, or noticed, rather, that James was extremely handsome. He had untidy black hair and deep brown eyes that were full of mischief and kindness. She shook her head at the reverie. Surely, perhaps James Potter is caring and handsome, but he certainly didn't act like it to her. No, Potter was definitely still a bloody git—that was for sure.
"Lily and James Potter," whispered Sirius to Arabella, as Lily and James continued pondering in their own little worlds, "it has a nice ring to it."
Arabella smirked. "That it does, Sirius. I wonder when the two dodos will finally realize that it was love at first sight when they first laid eyes on each other."
Sirius sat up abruptly. "You know, Bella," he said, grinning wickedly. "We never did know what happened when Lily and James met. I met them on the Hogwarts Express and you met them on the train. We never knew what happened at King's Cross though, before they went through Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters."
"By golly, you're right, Siri," said Bella, her eyes widening. "D'you think James was being a prat and called Lily 'carrots', or something?"
"Yeah, probably."
"What are you guys talking about?"
They both turned around to see Lily and James staring at them like they had a pimple on their face or something. Come to think of it, did they have a pimple? Both pre-teens hoped that they didn't.
"Well?" Lily was tapping her foot impatiently.
"Well what?" asked Arabella innocently.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Don't play innocent with me, girl. I know what you guys were talking about—me and Potter."
"Not."
"Too."
"Not."
"Too."
"Shut UP already," said James impatiently.
"It's not like you ever do anything different with Sirius," snapped Bella.
"Well…we plan pranks on the Slytherins and Evans," said James smoothly. "Along with Remus and Peter, of course. But Sirius and I are the real masterminds behind it all. I mean, Remus is a part of us too, but Peter…For some reason, I don't feel as if he really belongs with us three."
"Peter's a prat," said Arabella viciously. "He's nothing but a coward."
"Bella!" All three were shocked. "How could you say that? Peter's in Gryffindor!"
She snorted. "Well, I certainly don't know what was wrong with the Sorting Hat when it sorted him into this House. He doesn't belong at all. Shows no sign of courage, friendship…anything. Peter also seems kind of suspicious, too. I have a bad feeling about him."
"Don't let Vi hear you," warned Lily.
Arabella smirked. "Don't worry, I won't, Lils. I just can't put a finger on it though—what's wrong with Peter? I mean, I feel like he's definitely not an auspicious sign to our lives, but…"
"Arabella Figg, how can you say such things?" asked Sirius angrily. "Peter is our friend, you have no business to say things like that about him."
"Well! I just can't help it, it's not like you have to agree with me," Bella shot back. She was getting furious as well.
"Oh great," muttered James, "here we go again. This time Bella isn't going to go for Diggory, though."
"She's wouldn't dump Sirius again, would she?" whispered Lily.
"Probably."
"Thanks a lot, Potter, you make me feel so much better."
"Oh, you're welcome."
Lily growled, and Arabella and Sirius still continued to argue. Unfortunately, James had been right about what he had said.
***
"Bella," said Lily sadly, looking at her best friend pitifully, "please make it up to Sirius. It was only a stupid argument after all. You guys really lo—like each other. You remember last time…you guys broke up because of a stupid, senseless argument about me."
"Well, why should he be so sensitive?" snapped Arabella, thrusting open a set of drawers and began taking out make-up. "If he's not making up to me, I'm not making up to him." She began applying on mascara and lip-gloss.
Lily couldn't stand it any longer. She rushed out of the dormitory, in search of Jennifer and Violet, who were plotting ways to get Arabella and Sirius back together.
"Jen…Vi…" she gasped, as she reached the common room. "Bella's putting on make-up. Can you believe that? She told me she'd never put on make-up, unless if it was a special occasion, and here she's putting on mascara!"
"She said she'd never put on that stuff; it'll make her look like a freak!" cried Violet.
"Guys, I don't think we should put them back together," said Jennifer quietly.
"WHAT?" cried Violet and Lily. "WHY?"
"Because this time it's more extreme than last time. Bella's going nuts and Sirius can't sleep at all. We can't interfere with that kind of hatred and misery. They need to get back themselves. If we try helping, and it backfires just like last time, they'll hate each other for the rest of their lives!"
Lily sighed. "You're right, Jen. But we should at least try getting them near each other to apologize."
Jennifer grinned. "Ah, Lily, that's where the fun part begins."
"Fun part?" They turned around to see Remus and James standing behind them. Remus was looking suspiciously at Jennifer.
"What are you guys planning?"
"We're trying to find ways to get Sirius and Arabella near each other, so they can apologize."
"Why not just get them together?" asked James.
The three girls looked at each other. "We think that it's better for them to get together by themselves this time."
Remus looked relieved, but James stared at them, shaking his head.
"Nah, they're both too damn stubborn to get themselves together," he said.
"How would you know?" demanded Lily.
"Because Sirius is my best friend," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Really, Evans, you can be so thick at times…"
"Well, Bella's my best friend," Lily interrupted.
"And that would help because—?"
"Last time you tried helping, everything backfired."
James looked insulted. "It did not. They still got together again, didn't they?"
"Yeah…"
"So, that means I'm a genius."
Lily snorted, and Jennifer giggled, snuggling close to Remus. She glared at the couple, then back at James again, who was making kissing-faces at her.
"Stop it," she said quietly.
"Make me." He pouted.
Lily leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Or else I'll find out whom you'd like as a girlfriend."
James reddened. "I fell for that when we were in our first year, but I'm not falling for it again. Nice try, Evans, maybe I'll believe you, say…maybe when we're all dead and gone?"
"This time, Potter, I'm not joking."
"And I would believe you, because—?"
"Because I always read advanced books for each topic, so naturally, I know how to whip up a Truth Potion. Not exactly strong like a Veritaserum, but it'll at least tell me who you have a crush on."
James was taken aback. "Fine, I'll listen to everything you tell me to do to get Arabella and Sirius back together again."
"Good." Lily rubbed her hands together, grinning evilly. "Now, let's get to work, shall we?"
Fifteen minutes later, the four of them, ashen-faced, were smiling with triumph.
"You know, Evans, this might actually work," mumbled James, too embarrassed to actually congratulate Lily openly in front of Jennifer and Remus…especially Jennifer.
"I'll take that as a compliment," said Lily, grinning at him. "Now then—everyone ready?"
"Ready," they all chorused.
The foursome all reached the Great Hall for lunch, still waiting in anticipation for the sign Lily was going to give them. They saw Arabella coming from another corridor, arm-in-arm with a blond boy with blue eyes. They all recognized him as one of the biggest players in Hogwarts—Jason Mackenzie, from Ravenclaw. Lily gritted her teeth and dragged the other three, who were still gaping at the couple, to the Gryffindor table.
"I can't believe Bella would go for that Mackenzie," said Jennifer, still shocked. "I mean, she knows he's the biggest player in this whole entire school and tries to make improper advances to every girl that falls for him."
"Bella's not stupid, she's just doing it to make Sirius jealous so he could save her from Jason's clutches," said Lily smoothly. "Now, are you all ready, or what? James, did you hear me?" She poked at James with her wand, and he came back to earth, obviously lost in thought.
"Thinking of Lily here?" asked Jennifer teasingly. James immediately blushed and turned to listen to Lily's little pep talk.
"Have you heard a word I said?" she demanded of him, seeing that he was poking at his food and not eating it.
"Huh?" he said bluntly.
Lily slapped her forehead. "Never mind. Are you ready for our plan?"
"What plan?"
"The plan to get Bella and Sirius together."
"Oh, that plan. Yeah, I'm ready."
Lily sighed. "That took a while."
"Potter's always been thick, you know, Lils," said Jennifer, trying to calm down her friend.
"He's not!" insisted Remus.
Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Come on, Remie, I was only saying it for Lily's sake. Besides, we wouldn't want the same to happen to us like it did to Bella and Sirius, do we?"
Remus shrugged. "Oh, I suppose not."
"Sh, hurry up already, here they come!" whispered Lily excitedly.
Arabella came to the Gryffindor table nearly clinging to Jason, kissing his neck. Lily and Jennifer nearly threw up right here, while James and Remus' faces were both very red. Over near the Hufflepuff table, Sirius was staring angrily at Arabella but immediately started to kiss Alanna Macmillan passionately.
"Hey Lils!" exclaimed Arabella enthusiastically, as she and Jason came up to them and sat down.
"Hello Bella," said Lily rather coldly. She stiffened as James put his arm around her shoulders, and glared at him.
"Hey, I'm only trying to fit in here," he whispered pointedly, nodding his head towards Remus and Jennifer, who were cuddling up together.
"Lily," said Jason in his low, deep voice, "so nice to see you again. How are you?"
"I'm fine," replied Lily, through gritted teeth, "just dandy."
"Are you two going out?" He looked at James' arm swung over her shoulders casually, as if it happened every day.
"In a way, I suppose," she said stiffly.
Arabella's face lit up. "Really?" she squealed.
Lily glared at her best friend, giving her the "that's-just-Potter's-way" look. Arabella nodded, looking a little put off that Lily and James weren't "going out". Remus snorted with laughter and Jennifer slapped her hand over his mouth to keep him from giving away their plan.
James sighed. It wasn't going well at all, and he could tell from everyone's faces that they probably forgot about their little plan. Lily and Jennifer's faces were frustrated, and Remus was still trying to refrain himself from laughing. Violet and Peter were sitting across from them, looking at them in a puzzled manner.
"What are you guys doing?" she hissed, looking at the foursome strangely. "What is going on here?"
"We're trying to get Arabella and Sirius together again," said James, exasperated. "It's not going well, though, as you can tell. God, why won't those two just get together! We always have to get them together, don't we?"
Violet laughed. "Oh, but that'll just take the fun out of life, if everything went the way you wanted it to be and everyone was happy."
"I suppose." James shrugged. Suddenly, he felt someone poke him on the shoulder and he screamed, "Ouch! That hurt!"
The whole Great Hall became silent. Some people sniggered at James, while others just ignored him and continued to eat quietly. Over at the Slytherin table, Snape was coughing loudly along with his gang, and they were all sniggering and sneering at the Gryffindors.
"Potter, did you have to startle the whole Hall?" asked Lily, rolling her eyes. "Gee, it was only a poke."
"Well…it hurt!" cried James.
"Cry-baby."
"Not."
"Too."
"Not."
"I thought you guys were going out," said Jason, confused, as he watched the two argue loudly.
"SHUT UP!" they both cried, and continued arguing.
"Hey, don't say 'shut up' to my boyfriend!" exclaimed Arabella, standing up. "It's immortal!"
"Immoral, Bella, I've told you a million times," said Lily, slapping her forehead in response. "Besides, why have him for a boyfriend when you can have Sirius?"
"Sirius? Sirius Black?" Jason glared at Bella. "Why didn't you tell me your boyfriend was Black?"
"He isn't anymore," said Arabella timidly. Jason looked as if he were going to explode.
"Who CARES if he isn't anymore, you shared saliva with him, didn't you?" he roared furiously. James coughed, trying to hide a snigger at the "sharing saliva" part.
"You—" Lily shook her fist at Jason. "You leave my best friend alone, you big, egotistical, ba—"
"Whatever." Jason rolled his eyes and shoved Arabella roughly, while glaring at Sirius, who was still kissing Alanna at the Hufflepuff table. Arabella stuck her nose in the air indignantly, and sat down between Lily and James.
"Ugh! He makes me so mad, that jerk! Insulting Sirius…Who does he think he is? Why I ought to—"
"So you do care about Sirius," said Lily slyly, poking her friend. "Thought you 'hated' him."
"We made up," said Arabella, shrugging.
"So you're back together again?"
"Of course not!" cried Bella, scandalized at the thought. "We're only friends now, that's all. No girlfriend-boyfriend relationship anymore."
"WHAT?" James stood up abruptly, and glared at Arabella, then at Sirius who had stopped kissing Alanna at the Hufflepuff table. "You two broke up because of this stupid, damned argument? How could you do such a thing? You guys were such a good pair!"
"At least we're friends, James, unlike you and Lily," said Arabella tentatively, surprised and frightened at James' outburst.
"SO?"
"So…being friends is better than enemies isn't it?"
James sat down again, his face red, and replied calmly, "Arabella Figg, I'd rather you and Sirius be enemies than just stay friends."
***
Things went terribly all through Halloween. It was the first day of December, and snow was cheerfully falling from the sky. The world seemed fresh and wintry, though the eight third years weren't exactly happy as they traipsed wearily to Divination.
Lily and James weren't speaking, as usual, and James wasn't speaking to his best friend or Arabella. Lily was friendly towards everyone, except to James (for obvious reasons) and the Slytherins and whom she calls "Potter's fan club". She was civil towards Arabella and Sirius, but, like James, she wasn't pleased that they were "just friends". Violet and Peter were nice and cheerful to everyone, because that was just their way of things, and Remus and Jennifer were pretty decent to everyone as well.
"Tsk, tsk, Lily, why must you hang around with Potter so?" asked Snape, as he breathed down her neck again in Potions.
"First of all, Snape," said Lily calmly, gripping her wand, "I do not hang around with Potter. He hangs around with me because we have no life and because there's nothing better to do. Second of all, why do you, of all the people care about who hangs around with me or not? Certainly you don't like me, do you?"
Snape was silent, and Lily had to resist the urge to laugh. Nearly the whole school knew that Snape "loved" her, and that he would do anything to get her attention and kiss her. The Gryffindors thought it outrageous, the Ravenclaws could have cared less, the Hufflepuffs were giggly about it and found it funny, and the Slytherins were furious. There hadn't been a single Gryffindor-Slytherin romance since Violet's parents. Of course, they were a different situation, but they were a Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Sirius and Arabella remained "friends", as they put it delicately, though one may think that they were just on speaking terms. They would pass each other with cold civility, while Lily and James watched angrily in the background. Lily was furious because her best friend had gotten such a sweet, loyal, and caring boy, and now she dumped him for some pathetic argument they had. James, on the other hand, couldn't even express his livid feelings towards the whole situation. He shot daggers at Sirius snogging with some girl every day, and bit his lip whenever Arabella walked by, laughing and joking with some boy. He even wondered viciously if they were desperate enough to hide their hurt feelings by dating Slytherins. Nah, those two idiots had their prides at times.
Remus and Jennifer remained very close for the time being. Jennifer didn't really pester Remus anymore about the secret they were planning to help keep Remus in check as a werewolf, much to the relief of Remus. They tried to calm down both sides of Lily and James, and to comfort Sirius and Arabella; both pairs had turned them down with a stuck-up nose and a snort.
Violet and Peter were both oblivious to the whole situation and didn't really participate in anything. They still had shallow affections for each other, but they really didn't go deep enough to start a relationship. Violet remained sweet and good-natured as always, and Peter remained quiet, stupid, and sullen. No one really cared about him, as far as he was concerned.
Today, however, things were going to be different—very different.
James was walking with his current "best friend", Remus, while he considered Sirius as "an acquaintance". Lily was walking with her "best friend", Jennifer, and both pairs were heading off towards Gryffindor Tower after lunch.
Since that day was Saturday, no one had anything better to do than just lying around and doing basically nothing. James was so put-off for some reason that he didn't feel that even Quidditch could take his mind off his misery. Remus was doing his best to joke around and comfort James, but nothing was working. So he finally cornered Lily and Jennifer just as they reached the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Lily," he panted. "I need—to talk—to you."
"Why?" asked Jennifer suspiciously. She was quite protective of her boyfriend. Remus rolled her eyes.
"I'm not about to dump you and ask Lily out, you prat," he chided. "I only need a favor from her."
"So she can help you can ask someone else out?"
Remus closed his eyes and slapped himself. "No! I told you, I have to ask her a favor."
"Does it have to be in private?" said Jennifer stiffly.
"Er—kind of."
"Fine." She marched off, said the password to the Fat Lady ("Pig snout"), and entered Gryffindor Tower.
"So…what did you want to talk about?" asked Lily curiously, after Jennifer had stalked away.
"James is moping around," said Remus, sighing heavily. "Even Quidditch won't take his mind off his depression."
"What the hell is he depressed about? He has a perfect life!" Lily snorted.
"Look, he's just as upset about Sirius and Arabella just being friends as you are. So…can you just please help me?" Remus made his best puppy dog face. "Please?"
"Oh, fine." Lily sighed. "But what do you want me to do? We hate each other, for God's sake!"
"Er—I know! Play a prank on him." Remus grinned devilishly, and Lily slowly gave a grin that matched his.
"Deal. I know one that will re-ally cheer 'im up."
Half an hour later, Gryffindors in the common room could hear screams echoing in the third year boys' dormitory. James ran down the staircase to the common room, livid with anger.
"EVANS! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?"
James' usual untidy black hair had turned completely orange and pink, and even messier than before. They clashed horribly with his outfit, which consisted of a clown's costume, shoes, and even a large, red nose on top of his own one. Sirius and Arabella, who were currently snogging with their current girlfriend and boyfriend, respectively, shrieked with laughter when they saw him. Remus and Jennifer had to clutch their stomachs from laughing so hard, and even Violet and Peter were laughing (mildly, of course). James had never been so embarrassed in his life and wanted to kill Lily at the very moment.
"EVANS! WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU AND I'LL—"
"Aww…Potter, I was only doing what Remus told me to do," said Lily innocently. "He was the one who wanted me to make you more cheerful and stop moping around by pulling a prank on you."
"REMUS, YOU DID WHAT?"
"Come on, James, you were depressed because there was no Sirius." Remus' voice was as serious as ever, and he was frowning deeply. "Sirius was the one who always kept you sane, and who always comforted you and entertained you when you were bored or depressed. Now you consider me to be your best friend, but I know I can never do it the way Sirius can. You two make up now, or I will not be very pleased."
James bit his lip; he knew that getting Remus mad was not very smart. He stepped in front of Sirius and said, "Friends?"
Sirius stared at him, and then grinned. "Friends."
And so they reformed their long friendship over again.
-
"My dear," said Trelawney mistily, as she gazed with her overlarge spectacles at the foggy crystal ball, "you do have a very misfortunate future, yes, very misfortunate indeed…" Her eyes swelled with tears.
"You will be dying, my dear girl," she said to Lily. Lily rolled her eyes.
As if I needed her to tell me that, she mused. Honestly – even Dumbledore hates the woman, though he obviously wouldn't say such.
James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were writing something on a piece of parchment and talking quietly to each other. Suddenly, Sirius let out a snort of laughter, causing the whole class to look their way.
"My dears, is there a problem?" asked Professor Trelawney, peering at them with her bat-like eyes and glided towards their table. "What do you see when you gaze into the orb."
"A load of foggy stuff, Professor," said James earnestly, and Sirius, Remus, and Peter fell over their poufs, laughing.
Professor Trelawney stiffened. "You four don't have the aura of a stargazer. It is not everyone that possesses the Inner Eye." Her voice sounded oddly like Professor McGonagall's just then.
Jennifer stifled a giggle, and Professor Trelawney looked her way. "Ah…yes, Ms. Dean. What do you see in your orb?"
"Erm—" She peered into the crystal ball. "Nothin'." Lily coughed.
Professor Trelawney clearly was not having a wonderful day, for she bit her lip and shook her head. Then she went towards the other side of the room to where the Ravenclaws were sitting, and seemed more pleased at their progress with the crystal ball.
"What sort of rubbish is she talking about anyway?" hissed Lily. "No one needs a stupid aura and an Inner Eye to see the future. All you do is mope around until the first prediction you think of is going to happen in the near future." All of the girls at their table giggled uncontrollably just then.
Meanwhile, at the Marauders' table, the boys were curious to what the girls were discussing.
"Isn't Bella dreamy, Siri-boy?" asked James slyly. "Perhaps you should go—talk to her?"
"No." Sirius' voice was as cold and empty as the fog in the orb.
"Well, I know for a fact that she's still pining for you." James thought that just then he had saw Sirius incline his head towards his way with interest, but it could have been his imagination, too.
"Lupin…I see sad things in your future, sad things," came Professor Trelawney's misty voice. "You will reject the only girl you love to keep her safe from what you are…Then you will find happiness, finding a job when you will be rejected all your adult life."
Remus was startled, and looked over at Jennifer, who blushed furiously at her comment. Was she making a real prediction? Because it did seem awfully real to him—
"Hello? Remus?" Sirius was waving his hand around in front of Remus' face. "Class is over, come on. We have to ditch this place as soon as possible; I think I'm suffocating."
Remus snorted and followed everyone out of the stifling, perfumed room, still pondering over Professor Trelawney's prediction.
***
It was Christmas Day, and Lily jumped out of bed and started to shake awake her friends. She giggled when she saw the state they were in. Arabella's curls were all tangled together into one big mess, while Jennifer's neat, blond hair was—er—not so neat. Violet was as clean and organized as ever, but there were red ringlets under her eyes.
"Come on, you lazy people, wake up!" cried Lily, jumping on Arabella's bed. "It's Christmas, we have presents to open; wake up already!"
"Lils, you're way too energetic sometimes," grumbled Arabella, as she attempted to brush out her tangled curls.
"I know, ain't it great?"
The girls all dug through their presents. Lily had received a large Charms book from Arabella, a real live kitten from Jennifer with gray fur and stripes, stunning new dress robes from Violet, and a whole bag of assortments from Hogsmeade from Sirius, Remus, and Peter. She hadn't expected anything from James, though she bought him something herself, but she gasped when she opened the present he got her. It was a medium-sized book made of real, genuine pink leather, and stamped across the cover, it said, "Lily Evans". She opened the delicate cover and inside, James had written:
Lily—
I hope this journal comes in use. You can write in it as a diary, or whatever you'd like. Look, I know we don't exactly like each other, but I thought I'd get this when we went for our holiday shopping at Hogsmeade. It's an enchanted journal, diary, whatever you want to call it, so it can obey whatever you tell it to do. I hope it comes in handy someday.
—James
"What's that, Lils?" asked Arabella curiously, as she peered over Lily's shoulder. In a flash, her three friends were gushing over the present like it was a priceless piece of jewelry.
"Who gave you that?"
"Can I hold it, Lils?"
"Aww…James is so sweet, isn't he?"
"That must've cost a lot! James sure does care about you, Lils."
Lily snorted and rolled her eyes. But she fingered the journal lovingly, smiling at the thought of James ever getting her such a beautiful and wonderful gift.
Meanwhile, at the boys' dormitory, there was wrapping paper and boxes littered all over the ground. The boys were all surrounding a very red-faced James, who was holding the present that Lily had given him. It was a large pin with a Gryffindor lion head on it, about the size of his palm. Its eyes were made of real red rubies, the nose was made out of a large emerald, and its mouth was made out of ebony. It was copper and surprisingly light, and James was admiring it, surprised at Lily even giving him even a present.
"Wow," was all he could say.
Sirius grinned. "Lily sure does like you, Jamie-boy, giving you such a present."
James snorted. "Hospitality, maybe, who knows."
As the boys reached the Great Hall for the Christmas feast, the girls were already there. Lily immediately blushed when she saw James entered, and slid back in her seat, hiding behind Jennifer. James also turned a nasty shade of red when he saw Lily…Both their friends noticed, of course.
"When are those prats getting together," whispered Jennifer to Remus, as the boys sat down.
"Forget them, what about Sirius and Arabella? Their pride is just as large as Lily and James'." He sighed. "People these days, they just…" But before he could properly answer, Jennifer kissed him square on the mouth.
Lily cheered. "Aww…how sweet. So when's the wedding?" Jennifer glared at her.
"Next year."
"Who's going to be the maid-of-honor?" piped up Arabella.
"My sister," replied Jennifer sourly.
"Little Katie?" Arabella was surprised. "Why?"
"Bells, I'm only joking," she said, rolling her eyes. "Remus and I are not getting married; what gave you such a ridiculous notion?"
"It wasn't a notion, look at you guys. You are so in love, it's so obvious, the way you guys look at each other after you kiss and—"
"Way too much information there, Bella, thank you," said Lily loudly. Jennifer smiled gratefully at her friend.
"Well!" Arabella was insulted.
"I wouldn't be talking anyway, Bella," continued Lily, looking at Sirius. Arabella blushed.
"I told you, we're just friends."
"Yeah, sure."
"I'm serious!"
"I thought your ex-boyfriend was Sirius."
Arabella rolled her eyes. "That's got to be the lamest joke now. Will you stop it?"
"Nope!"
-
After the Christmas feast was over, James pulled Lily aside. They were zigzagging across corridors until they reached Gryffindor Tower first, and James pulled Lily towards a darker corner of the room, both trying to avoid any stray mistletoe.
"Lily…thanks for the pin," he said, grinning. "It's really cool."
Lily smiled. "Oh, James, thank you for that beautiful journal. It's so lovely! It must've cost you a fortune!"
"Nah." James blushed. "We—er—well, we have plenty of money at home, so I decided to buy you that when I saw it at Dervish and Banges. I take it that you like it, then?"
"I love it!" Lily hugged him and kissed him gently on the lips. Suddenly, she pulled away, blushing furiously.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"Lils?" She looked up to see James grinning like an idiot.
"Yeah?"
"Can we do that again?"
They started to kiss again, enjoying the savor of the other's mouth, until they pulled away, breathless. Then Lily got up, extremely confused.
"What just happened there?"
James was equally puzzled. "I have no idea. D'you think we had too much pumpkin juice or something?"
"Yeah, definitely."
When night came, and they got ready for bed, Lily and James both had the same dream again.
"Lily, push, push now!" cried a black-haired man as he urged his wife.
"Ugh! James Henry Potter, I hate you!"
"Surely I'm not that bad."
"You are, Potter!"
"So are you…Potter!"
Lily continued to scream until the nurse whispered to her, "Mrs. Potter, here is your new baby boy."
Lily and James carefully moved closer to each other and smiled at the small baby crying. Then the baby opened his eyes carefully, revealing two large green orbs. He already had a small tuft of black hair, which the nurse told them as very unusual, since babies didn't start growing hair until the age of one.
"He has his father's hair and most of his looks," said Lily quietly, holding onto her husband's hand.
"And he has his mother's eyes," whispered James. He held Lily closer to him. "I love you, Lily Potter," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you, too, James Potter."
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Sirius and Remus flew in, their eyes sparkling with mirth.
"So this is the little mini-Marauder?" squealed Sirius. "Oh, Uncle Sirius will teach you everything you know, little fellow!"
Just then, the door opened again, this time revealing three women, who looked as equally as excited as Sirius and Remus did.
"Oh, Lily, he's absolutely adorable!" gushed an older-version of Arabella. She quickly kissed Sirius on the cheek, smiling. "And I'm his godmother, too."
"Hey, don't forget me, I'm his godfather!" cried Sirius, pretending to be hurt.
"Aww…poor baby, do you want me to kiss you to make you all better?" mocked Arabella.
"Guys, not in here, the baby will get ideas when he's older," joked Remus. But he quickly took that back when Jennifer wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed it softly.
"I love you, Remus Lupin," she hissed in his ear. Remus smiled and turned his head, so that their lips met.
"I love you, too, Jennifer Dean soon-to-be-Lupin." Jennifer chuckled softly.
"All right, off with the mushy stuff, I can't stand it!" exclaimed Sirius, waving his arms around like a maniac.
"Gee, don't fuss, Sirius."
Lily quieted all of them. "Look…he's sleeping."
"Aww…aren't you the cutest widdle, widdle baby!" cooed Arabella, tickling his stomach gently. She received a gurgle and a giggle in response.
"Look, he likes me!" she cried. "Oh, my little godson wuvs his godmother, yes he does!"
The rest of the adults laughed. "Oh, Bella, you never do change, do you?" asked Jennifer, shaking with laughter.
"Like I always say, Jen, some things never change," said the older version of Violet, grinning.
"What are you going to name him?" asked Remus curiously. "You guys never told us. You said you'd tell us as a surprise."
"Yeah, tell us!" chanted Arabella.
Lily and James smiled at each other, sharing that secret smile only reserved for them.
"We're naming him Harry," said Lily, beaming.
"Harry James Potter," added James. "Middle name after mine, and first name after my father." He choked.
Sirius patted his best friend's shoulder. "It's all right, mate, you're father would be proud right now. After all, he did die serving under a good name. Don't think about it, James. After all, you have a new member of the family to celebrate about!"
Lily smiled. "Sirius is right, James…for once."
"Hey, I resent that!"
They all laughed, and all loving the little baby boy that would someday become a huge part of each other their lives.
For once, Lily and James didn't wake up from their dreams as before. They both smiled peacefully in their own respected dormitories, and slept the most peaceful that they've ever slept before. All because of the little boy named Harry that would become a huge part of their lives later on in life.
- - - -
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; you should know who does by now.
This chapter was extremely weird, I know, you don't have to tell me so. But hey, you should be thankful that I updated soon! Some people update a month later! LOL!