Wednesday night Victoria and Danielle came back to school. They were doing a lot better since they first found out about Patrick. Being with their family did them well. I wanted to tell them about what Potter said to me in the common room Saturday night, but they wanted to go to bed. The last couple of days had been really long for them and they just wanted a peaceful night's sleep. I agreed that that was fair, so I told them I'd tell them everything after Transfiguration the next day. Since its Thursday we'd have a free period after Transfiguration, followed by lunch.
"Lils, wake up! You'll miss breakfast if you don't get up soon!" I rolled over in my bed and stuck my head under the pillow. Then all of a sudden I felt a very cold breeze. I sat right up. Cassy was standing over me with my covers in her hand and an annoyed look on her face, "If you don't get ready soon, you won't get down to the Great Hall in enough time to eat breakfast. Then I'll have to listen to you all morning until lunch saying that you can't concentrate because you're too damn hungry!"
"Good grief! I'm up! Must you always have to do that!?" I yawned and got out of bed.
"I wouldn't have to if you would get up! Even DD gets up!"
I huffed as I searched my trunk for clothes, "Well isn't that just dandy for DD." I kept digging into my trunk for my tie, it wasn't anywhere. I screamed in frustration, "MERLIN! DO YOU KNOW WHERE MY TIE IS?" I heard Cassy give a little laugh and I turned around to face her, "What's so funny!?"
She just looked at me for a moment before she spoke, "You!"
"It's not funny! I can't find my bloody tie!"
"Lily," Cassy started seriously, "you are one of the most organized people I've ever known," now a smile turned her lips and she started laughing, "yet you lose that blasted tie of yours nearly every morning!"
I stood there scowling at her for a minute, even though she was right. I did lose my tie almost every day.
"Oh, enough with the face, go get ready, I'll look for your tie."
A foolish smile crept to my face, "Thanks Cass, I really don't know what I'd do without you sometimes." She just gave me her classic "I know" face and then started rummaging through my trunk. I went into the bathroom and started the shower. That's one thing great about Hogwarts. No matter how many people used the shower before you, there's always hot water.
Once I was finished getting ready, I went down to the common room to meet the girls. They always waited for me in the morning. I don't know how they're able to get up right away and be ready long before I am. I mean, once I wake up, it only takes me about twenty minutes to be ready to go. It takes all of them at least an hour to get ready, save Cassy. It doesn't take her too long to get ready, but still, the three of them always have to wait for me, and it takes me the least time to get ready!
"It's about time you decided to grace us with your presence Lils."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you say that every day DD. When are you gonna come up with something else?"
Danielle looked at me with mock shock, her brown eyes wide and her hand on her chest, "Can this be true? Ms. Perfect Lily Evans being sarcastic? To one of her best mates no less!?" She dropped the shocked routine, "Honestly Lils, you're usually only sarcastic to James. Now tell me, do I look anything like Potter?"
I punched her in her arm playfully as we started to leave, "Oh shut it will you!"
***
Transfiguration was dragging on as usual. It was my least favorite class. It was so boring, and what made it worse was that I wasn't the best in it. This class gave me the most problems, and I only had the seventh highest mark in the class! Potter and Sirius Black were first and second.
As the class took the notes from the bored, Professor McGonagall sat at her desk grading our essay on animagus'. It had to be at least three feet long and had to include all the steps one would have to do to become one. It took me over three hours to write it, and Potter stood over my shoulder almost the entire time. He corrected me on almost everything I put down and criticized my writing. I swear, for someone who says he likes me as much as he does, you'd think he would be nicer to me and listen when I tell him to go away.
Finally the bell rang. I put my books in my bag and I was just to the door when McGonagall called me. "Ms. Evans, would you come here please."
I told Danielle, Cassy, and Victoria that I'd meet them in the common room afterwards. I headed towards the professors desk but Potter got in my way. We both moved to one side, then to the other, and back. He smiled and moved to his left, waving his hands and bowing slightly to guide me past him and his friends. I rolled my eyes as I went by, I saw Remus do the same. Sirius and Peter however were smiling widely.
I stood in front of the desk, "What is it Professor?"
She looked up at me, "It's about your essay." Oh great! I failed! Thanks Potter! "I wanted to congratulate you on it." What? "You got top marks on it. It's quite the improvement since last year. If you keep this up, along with your other classes, you could very well make head girl next year. Okay, well, get going. I have a class coming in."
I smiled, "Alright, thank you Professor." With that I went out of the classroom as a first year class started filing in.
"Oy! Lily love!" I was half way down the corridor and stopped dead in my tracks. "I didn't even see you come out!"
Without turning around I started to walk again, "Don't you have a class or something Potter?"
He already caught up to me, damn him being so tall. "Yeah I do, but I wanted to wait for you."
"Aren't I just so lucky?" I said sarcastically.
"I'd say so. So what did McGonagall want?"
"I don't believe that is any of your business." I said flatly. When will he give up!
He shrugged his shoulders, "I figured you wouldn't tell me, that's why I listened. So, you could thank me now or later if you'd like for helping you with your essay."
I was in the right mind to take out my wand and hex him just then, but for some reason I didn't, so I opted to look at him incredulously as we continued to walk up the stairs to the common room. I was too preoccupied looking at him to realize where we were, and I stepped right onto the step that you can get stuck in. My foot was stuck; I couldn't get it out on my own. I felt my face heat up when Potter started laughing. I glared at him and his fit of laughter turned into a string of fake coughs.
When he finally was able to control himself, he put out his hand to me. "Sorry, would you like help?"
I looked loathingly at him, but I had no other choice, so I nodded my head yes. He bent down and took my calf into his hands. I felt my face get even hotter then what it was already when he looked up at me. I was pretty sure that he was looking at my face, but I wasn't sure. He had a grin on his face like no one would believe, so I'm not sure if he was in truth looking up my skirt. I could only hope he wasn't. Finally, he gave one swift pull and my foot was released from the step and he stood back up, smiling. "I should probably be off. I'm late to class." Almost as an after thought, he added with a wink, "I'll expect my thank you later." With that he walked back down the stairs and headed outside to the grounds.
***
When I got to the common room Danielle, Victoria, and Cassy were waiting for me. They were sitting on the couch by the fire. Danielle must have been the first one to notice that I came in because she was the first to say something, which was usual. She noticed everything, and she was always the first to speak. She couldn't help herself. "What took so long? Did McGonagall yell at you for daydreaming? I saw you weren't taking much notes. Did you know that wench gave me a detention the first week of school last year because she thought I was "daydreaming" just because I wasn't taking notes!"
"Yes I did know, but DD, you were daydreaming-"
"That wasn't my point! Anyway, what did she want?"
"She just told me I got top marks on my paper."
Victoria looked at me suspiciously, "And it took that long?"
I felt my face get red a little, "No. Not really."
DD and Victoria exchanged looks and raised their eyebrows. Cassy had a smirk on her face too, "What took so long then?"
I sighed in aggravation. They knew something happened. "Potter. What else?" The three of them bursted out in laughter, my face got even redder. "Guys! Come on! Why are you laughing!?"
Cassy shook her head, "Nothing. Don't worry about Lils."
"No! I want to know. It obviously has something to do with me!"
DD stopped laughing, but she continued to smile. "It's nothing really Lils. It's just funny to watch you squirm."
It was my turn to raise my eyebrow, "Squirm? What are you talking about?"
"Oh you know. Whenever James' name is mentioned or when something has to do with him, you turn red and get all huffy-"
"I do no-"
"Especially when you don't want to embarrass yourself. Like when you get your foot stuck in a step and need the Prince in Shining Armor to rescue you."
My jaw dropped and my eyes went as wide as saucers.
"Sirius came up to tell us that you'd be delayed. Shortly after he left, he came back and told us that it would be even longer then expected because you were stuck."
My eyes went back to normal and I closed my mouth. I opened and closed it a few times, but didn't say anything. There was nothing to say, I couldn't get myself out of it.
Victoria broke the silence, "Okay, well, enough about this, I want to know what happened the other night!"
I sat down in one of the chairs by the fire and told them what happened. When I finished Danielle sat there and looked at me, shaking her head. "What?" I asked incredulous.
"I agree with James. I think you fancy him. You just don't want to go down on your words and give into him."
I looked at her in disbelief. "I do not like James Potter! He's nothing more then a pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed prat!"
"You do realize that pompous, arrogant, and self-absorbed all have the same meaning, don't you?"
A/N… I was going to make this chapter longer, but for some reason it feels like it's drawing on forever. So I'm going to put the rest in the next chapter. It should be up by the end of the weekend, if not, by Monday. Sorry that this chapter took as long as it did to get up, but this week as been crazy for me. I've had no time to do anything. Well, as always, please review and tell me what you think!