A/N- OK, I got a few peeps telling me they wanted me to continue with this, and I thought what the hell, The Second War's kinda writing itself, so why not?
A/N2- There's a bit of language in this, not loads, but a bit… and it's a bit violent…but apart from that, totally child friendly! J
Female Intuition.
Sirius slid his arm round Anya's shoulder tightly, and kissed the top of her head. She snuggled up against him, trying not to look too pleased with herself. Sitting in the common room, with her best friends and now boyfriend, she couldn't be happier. Remus was engrossed in some novel; Peter was playing chess against himself, and James…
James. He was sitting opposite her with a gloomy look on his face, gazing across the room at a certain redhead. Lily was sitting with her friends, giggling at something. Anya had the sudden, uncontrollable urge to go and slap the girl sharply round the face. Why couldn't she see that James Potter was a fantastic guy? That he would do anything for her? What was the matter with the girl? Anya was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea.
"When's the next Hogsmeade trip?"
Remus' head appeared from behind his book. "In two days."
"James," said Anya. "Do you mind if I ask Lily to come with us?"
James stared. "Yeah!"
"What, you do mind?"
"No! No, ask her!"
Anya grinned and slipped off the sofa. Walking towards Lily, Sirius watched her go, a slightly dazed expression on his face.
"What's up Padfoot?" asked James.
"I love her."
James exchanged a worried look with Remus. "Yes mate, we know. That's why you're going out."
Sirius still looked dazed. "No… I really love her."
Remus grinned at James. This bizarre behavior of Sirius' was becoming a regular occurrence since he and Anya had become an item. The news of their relationship had shot through Hogwarts like a wildfire. Everybody knew the former best friends were now together. As Remus observed- "I don't think one relationship has ever broken so many hearts simultaneously." And it wasn't just Sirius' fan club in mourning. Half the male population of Hogwarts were despairing over "missing their chance" with Anya. But like Peter said- "They never had a chance anyway. What are they on about?" Apart from the broken hearts, the transition from friends to an item had gone remarkably smoothly. Sirius was still in a state of shock that he had finally got the girl of his dreams, but other than that…
Anya meanwhile, had made it to Lily, but was struggling to get a word in edgeways, as Lily's friends bombarded her.
"Oh my god Anya, you're so lucky!"
"Is he a good kisser?"
"How did you do it?"
"He's so gorgeous Anya, don't let him get away!"
"How big is his…-"
"OK STOP!" said Anya at the last question. "Way too personal! I didn't come here to discuss the size of his dick! Lily, I need to talk to you."
Lily looked extremely surprised, but said, "Ok, what is it?"
"Do you wanna come to Hogsmeade with me and the guys?"
The surrounding girls all turned to watch Lily avidly. She seemed too taken- aback to say anything.
'Erm… er…yeah…ok."
"Great!" said Anya brightly.
"Oh wait!" said Lily suddenly. "James hasn't put you up to this has he?"
"No, it was my idea." Said Anya truthfully. "I, erm, wanted some female company! It gets tiring, surrounded by four guys all the time."
Selma Patil snorted. "Yeah right! Four guys, three of which happen to be the most gorgeous ones in the entire school!"
"Yeah, it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it." Said Anya tartly. She didn't like Selma at all. "Thanks Lily!"
And with that, she walked back over to Sirius. While the remaining girls swarmed over lily. "You're going to Hogsmeade with the Marauders!" and "Oh my god you're so lucky!"
**********************
"Do you think this is a good idea?" Asked Sirius the night before the trip, as Anya sat on his bed, reading Witch Weekly. James was in the bathroom, and Remus and Peter had already gone to bed.
"What?"
"Lily coming with us."
Anya put her magazine down. "Well, it'll make Prongs happy."
"Yeah, but she's a prefect. She'll be-, We'll be-"
"Restricted?"
"Yeah-"
"Padfoot, it'll make his day!"
Sirius took her hand, and pulled her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms round his neck tightly, and buried her head in his hair.
"I just want him to be happy." She mumbled into his hair.
He planted a kiss on her neck, and felt her breath hitch in her throat. 'I know."
"Like I am."
He smiled. "I love you." He whispered.
She laughed. "Yeah, me too, but only when I'm drunk."
"Oi!"
She collapsed into a fit of giggles at his mock- hurt expression. "That was a terrible thing to say! You do realize my heart is now broken? I have no reason to-"
She cut him off abruptly, kissing him. He fell back on the bed, and they eventually stopped for breath. She kissed his forehead. "I love you."
He kissed her cheek. "I…"
He kissed her other cheek. "Love…"
Then her nose. "You…"
Then her forehead. "More."
He pulled her down towards him, and kissed her gently. At first, she refused to kiss him back, but finally relented, parting her lips for him, and giving a small moan of approval. They stayed like that until James came back, and yelled at them,
"Oi, can you two stop snogging for a sec, I need to ask you something!"
They both sat up, grinning stupidly, and James shook his head. "Anya, I need your help." He looked extremely troubled.
"Why, what is it?" said Anya, worried. Something was definitely bugging him. Something big.
"You know Lily's coming with us tomorrow?"
"Yeah?"
"I dunno what to wear."
**************************
The next day the six of them wandered through the busy streets of Hogsmeade. James had been given strict instructions by Anya not too "Come on too strong." So for the best part, he had been extremely polite to Lily and hardly at all flirtatious. Lily had been completely normal with everyone, and was engaged in a lively conversation with Anya about a new hair product, when they entered the Three Broomsticks.
Lucius Malfoy was in there too, along with his cronies. As the group passed, he gave Lily a filthy look, and caused his knot of Slytherins to giggle.
"God, I don't know why you let that filthy little mudblood hang around with you. You guys really have lowered your standards, haven't you?"
Lily acted as though she hadn't heard, and the others followed suit, although Anya made quite a show of walking past Malfoy, and knocked him into the counter. This didn't seem to deter him, as he continued to talk loudly.
"You know, it's funny how some people get the short straw in life isn't it? I mean, not only is she a Mudblood, she's butt- ugly to boot, and ginger!"
James was up like a shot, wand out, and eyes blazing. Malfoy squared up to him immediately, his eyes glittering malevolently, and his fist clenching in his pocket. Before either of them said anything, Lily spoke,
"You know Malfoy, I don't think you're in a position to call anyone ugly."
The others snickered, but Malfoy just sneered.
"Oh bad luck Potter, you didn't get to play Evans knight in shining armor after all!"
James saw red. He raised his wand and hexed Malfoy. Almost at once, Malfoy began doing a ridiculous two- step across the pub floor.
"Hey look at that, drinks an a show!" said Anya. The others began laughing at the sight of the dancing Malfoy.
Madame Rosmerta turned from the barrel she was changing, and let out a yell of horror.
"Mr. Potter. Please!"
James performed the anti- jinx grudgingly, and Malfoy stopped dancing, his sleek hair plastered to his forehead with sweat.
James sat back down with the others, who were all still laughing appreciatively. Lily looked like she was desperately trying not to smile, and not succeeding very well. James winked at her and she grinned, despite herself. "Thanks."
Coming out of Zonko's later on, James spotted Malfoy again. Anya said she wanted to go to some witch beauty shop, but that would have to mean walking pas him. James took a deep breath. "Stay calm, don't say anything, stay calm, don't say anything…"
Malfoy stepped out, blocking Lily's way.
"Fuck off Malfoy." Said Anya in a fantastically casual voice.
Malfoy sneered. "By all means, carry on, but I need a word with the mudblood."
James snorted. "No chance."
"I need to talk to this piece of filth." Said Malfoy in a dangerous voice. Then, he did something very, very stupid. He grabbed Lily's wrist.
If you blinked, you would have missed it. That was the speed at which James flung himself at Malfoy, and punched him furiously across the jaw. Malfoy immediately retaliated, and before long the two of them were on the floor.
Through the babble, they heard James yelling. "Don't fucking touch her!"
It was horrendously violent. Lily had squealed in fright the second James had attacked Malfoy, and had been pulled out of the way by Remus. She was now watching horror- struck. Anya and Sirius both ran towards James, and were trying to pull them apart, unsuccessfully. In all the flailing fists, Anya had a brainwave. Remus… Werewolf…very, very strong.
Anya left Sirius to his own hopeless effort, and yelled,
"Moony! Help us out here!"
Remus ran forward and in one swift movement, grabbed James, and pulled him away. Malfoy went for him, but Sirius immediately blocked him. James struggled, but Remus held him back easily. Even his friends sometimes forgot how strong he was.
"I'm ok, Moony… you can let go."
Remus looked doubtful, but released him. At once, James sidestepped Sirius, and grabbed Malfoy by the collar, pinning him against the nearest wall.
"JAMES!" yelled Anya.
Malfoy struggled, but he was in a very awkward position. Snape went to help him, but was sidetracked by Sirius. Lily looked like she was about to cry.
"Listen, you fucking prick." Spat James. "When have I EVER let you touch my friends? When have I EVER let you touch people I love? If you fucking lay a finger on Lily again I swear to god, I will fucking kill you. I'm not joking."
He let go of Malfoy, who slumped into a heap. At once, the gaggle of Slytherin girls who followed him around, and Snape, all rushed to his aid. Anya walked to James, looking livid.
"That was an amazing right hook, I admit, but you are an idiot! What's gonna happen when Malfoy runs to a teacher? You'll be screwed!"
"She's right mate." Said Sirius. "Although, personally, I think it'll be worth it. Have you seen the state of him?"
They turned to see Malfoy being helped up. If James was in a bad way, (Which he was) then Malfoy was half- dead. His nose was bloody, his left eye was puffing up, and he had a huge bruise across his jaw. James had a black eye, but that was about it.
"I don't care if I get expelled." Said James mutinously. "He had no right to grab her like that." Anya looked at him, half- proud, half- exasperated.
"James, you're hopeless."
Remus, Lily and Peter came over. "Sorry Moony." Said James sheepishly.
"It's ok." Said Remus, grinning in spite of himself. "You got to give Malfoy a black eye, it's made my year."
"That was amazing!" gushed Peter. "Did you see Malfoy's face?"
James gave a small smile. He was watching Lily, whose expression he couldn't read.
"Could you give us a minute please?" said Lily quietly.
"Yeah, yeah of course." Said Anya at once, taking Sirius' hand and dragging him away. Remus and Peter followed. James watched them go like a rabbit caught in headlights. Anya felt a little bit guilty.
"She's gonna slaughter him." Said Peter in an awestruck voice.
"Poor kid." Said Sirius.
Anya and Remus exchanged a look. Lily would be furious, she was a prefect, and James had broken a lot of rules- violently. Maybe bringing Lily hadn't been such a good idea.
"She should be thanking him." Said Anya firmly. "He did all that for her- that's what she's doing, she's thanking him." She didn't believe it herself, and neither it seemed, did the boys.
"Yeah, keep dreaming gorgeous." Said Sirius, wrapping his arms round her waist.
Lily hadn't said anything when the others left. The silence between them was unbearable. Finally, James decided to break it.
"Listen, Lily… I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have, it was dumb, he could have hurt you, he could've…"
"Did you mean it?" said Lily, cutting him off.
"Sorry?" said James, bewildered.
"You told Malfoy he… couldn't touch the people you love."
James felt his face burning up. "Yeah…yeah, I did."
"As in me?"
"Yeah…"
"Did you mean it like, you love Anya, and Sirius and Remus and Peter? Like you love your friends."
"Erm…" James wished the floor would swallow him. "Erm…kind of."
Lily looked like someone had force- fed her a brick. "You meant it the other way, didn't you?" she said, sounding awestruck.
James was now certain he could've fried an egg on his face. "I…really like you Lily." He said. "I know you don't, but… I didn't want Malfoy to hurt you 'cos… I really like you."
He chanced a glance at her expression, and was again, completely bewildered. She looked on the verge of tears. 'Oh god, what've I done?" he thought desperately. 'I've made her cry!'
"Oh I'm so sorry!" she said suddenly, breaking down.
"Lily what is it?" asked James, in a kind of wild panic.
"I didn't know! I didn't realize you'd beat up Malfoy for me!"
"But…"
"I didn't know you liked me that much!" she said through her tears.
"Oh my god, he's made her cry." Said Sirius in horror, as the group watched them.
Lily quite suddenly flung herself against James, and cried into his shoulder. James looked terrified, but eventually put his arms around her, not too sure what had just happened.
"So…so are you mad at me?" he said tentatively.
She gave a small half- laugh, half- sob. "No! No, you… " She laughed. "Thank you."
James just grinned. "I got to be your knight in shining armor didn't I?"
A small distance away, Sirius, Remus and Peter stood, surveying Lily and James' hug, their jaws hanging open. "What…what?" said Sirius.
"Told you so," Said Anya in delight. "She's saying thank you!"
"How did you know?" asked Remus in wonder, as he watched Lily plant a tiny kiss on James' cheek.
Anya gave a knowing smile. "Female intuition."
