Disclaimer: I love 'em, but I don't own 'em (the characters I mean)
Chapter 9: Misunderstandings
He lowered his head slowly, their lips were mere centimetres apart, he closed his eyes and– suddenly light flooded into the dark closet, James backed away and blinked, he could see the forms of Emma and Sirius standing in front of them. Lily, also seeming to come to her senses, backed away from him. Emma, so oblivious, started right in,
"Did you guys hear that? Hogwarts! He said that something was going to happen at Hogwarts on Halloween!" she continued to talk, but Sirius was giving them both a very inquisitive glance.
After Lily and James dislodged themselves from the closet, and each other, the four of them began the journey back through the tunnel towards Hogwarts. Sirius took James aside as they walked. They moved ahead and as soon as they were out of earshot of the girls, Sirius began.
"So, Prongsy! What's going on with you and Little Miss Lily?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Who says there's anything going on between me and Lily?" James asked sharply.
"Whoa, whoa, mate! Sorry! But it was pretty obvious something more than hiding was going on in that closet!" Sirius looked pointedly at James. James sighed.
"Nothing happened." James said. Sirius looked at him, an eyebrow raised. James continued, I mean, "Nothing had happened YET" he emphasized. Sirius looked at him for a minute. When he spoke, his voice held none of its usual merry sarcasm.
"Look James, I know it's none of my business, but I hope you know what you're doing... I wouldn't want to see you, either of you, get hurt. And may I remind you, you DO have a girlfriend, James, you might want to remember that a little more often." With a pang, James remembered Erin.
Sirius was right, what was he thinking? But what if, he dared to hope, what if Lily actually liked him. He shook his head, No, he told himself, I was just imagining things in that closet, there's no way, after all this time... but it was no use, he couldn't convince himself. He knew, he KNEW, he hadn't imagined the way she was looking at him in that closet. He would remember that look for the rest of his life. But what if she regretted it? Things were just starting to go well between them, he thought, I don't want to ruin it again already! I need to talk to her, he thought. Alone.
Meanwhile Lily was walking next to Emma, lost in thought as well. Emma was gripping her arm rather painfully but was thankfully quiet for the time being, too busy looking out for spiders to engage in conversation. A smile played across Lily's lips as she thought about what almost happened in the closet. It had almost happened, hadn't it?? She hadn't just been imagining it? Lily didn't know what to think. A few months ago she would knew exactly how she'd react, but now... James really had grown up a lot, and she couldn't deny that she found him attractive, and... Merlin knows ... she had wanted to kiss him in that closet! Lily smiled as she thought back to that moment. But what had James meant by it? Was he actually serious? She had to talk to him.
As they arrived back in the Gryffindor common room, Emma and Sirius headed up to their dorms. Lily and James were left alone. They looked at each other and an embarrassed and awkward silence fell between them. Suddenly, now that they had the opportunity to talk, neither of them seemed to have anything to say. They stood there, facing each other, both unwilling to meet the others eye. Why was this so hard? Lily thought. Both of them were afraid to say something, unsure of what the other's intentions were, neither willing to risk the bitter sting of rejection.
"Look James"
"Look Lily" They said at the exact same time. They shared a quick, nervous laugh, which served to alleviate a bit of the tension.
"You go first." Lily said, relieved not to have to do it. James fiddled nervously with his hands for a second before taking a deep breath as he looked up at her,
"Alright, Lily, you know that I li..." Just then Peter came running into the room, interrupting James. Gasping, he pushed Lily aside and started talking to James.
"Hey *gasp* Prongs", Peter began, trying to catch his breath, "Hurry, its McGonagall, she need to *gasp* see you right away, its about *gasp* the Quidditch match!"
"Can it wait a minute Wormtail?" James asked.
"No! She said it was important. Come on!" He was tugging on James' robes.
"Alright, alright! Give me a second!" James looked back at Lily. He hated to leave without finishing their conversation. He looked at her and walked closer.
"We'll finish our conversation later, ok?" he said quietly as he smiled at her. He stood right in front of her for an awkward moment, wanting to do something to assure her he was serious. He leaned in closer and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He then ran off quickly so she wouldn't see the blush that was creeping up his face.
James knocked on the door to Professor McGonagall's office and entered when he heard a faint call from within.
"Ah Mr. Potter" she said as he entered the room. "Have a seat." James sat down, wondering what possibly could have happened. A horrible thought suddenly gripped him, what if Dumbledore had decided to cancel Quidditch because of all the attacks? Maybe the crowds were an easy target or something. He prayed that wasn't the case.
"What's the problem?" he asked, trying not to sound worried.
"I'm afraid have some bad news," Professor McGonagall began. Uh oh, James's heart sunk. "Hufflepuff's seeker has been in an unfortunate 'accident' and will be confined to the hospital wing for the next two weeks. Hufflepuff is therefore unable to compete against you for the first match." Relief flooded through him, he felt like laughing, that was all? That just meant that they would have a few extra weeks to prepare. Excellent!
"Kindly enough," Professor McGonagall continued, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "To avoid getting behind in the season, the Slytherin team has offered to take Hufflepuff's place against you." James stood up, angry,
"What?" he practically shouted.
"Mr Potter! Control yourself!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, although she seemed quite unhappy about the news herself.
"But Professor, we've been practicing to play against Hufflepuff, we can't possibly be ready to play Slytherin in a week!" Slytherin's strategy varied greatly from Hufflepuff's, meaning that all the work they'd been doing for the past few weeks was next to useless for the match.
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it, Mr Potter, you'll just have to make the best of it." She turned her attention back to the letter she was writing on her desk, and without looking up added, "Oh, and by they way, I took the liberty of booking the Quidditch pitch for Gryffindor every night for the remainder of this week, if you would like to use the time for extra practice. Unfortunately, I suppose that means if Slytherin wants to practice, they will have to do it elsewhere." James stared at McGonagall and grinned. "Now, Mr Potter, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." James got up and left the office. He was anxious to get back and talk to Lily, but that would have to wait. He found Peter pacing nervously just outside of Professor McGonagall's office. He looked like he was waiting for someone to tell him what to do.
"Wormtail" James said "Go get Sirius, tell him that we are now playing Slytherin and not Hufflepuff next week. Tell him to get the team together and meet me on the pitch as soon as possible – I'm going to get the balls." James started off down the corridor in the opposite direction of Peter, a sudden thought came to him, "oh, and Wormtail, - tell Lily where I am too, ok?"
"Lily? Why?" Peter asked, confused.
"Just do it!" James shouted back.
************************************************************************
Lily watched as James ran out the portrait door, she placed her hand to her cheek and stood stunned for a few minutes. She smiled. She couldn't deny it any longer. The truth came crashing over her, threatening to knock her down. She sat down on the couch. She thought about his smiles, his voice, his jokes, and all their conversations over the past few weeks. She thought about her dreams and the way she always seemed to get butterflies in her stomach every time he was near. She couldn't deny the truth any longer. She was in love with James Potter. She smiled as she admitted it to herself, even as she recognized the implications of what she had just confessed.
Lily looked up expectantly as she heard the portrait door swing open, hoping for it to be James. It wasn't. Her heart sunk as she saw Peter, his face red from running. He barely glanced at her before heading up to the boy's dorms. He was back down a few minutes later with Sirius.
"Hey Lily," Sirius called over to her, "have you seen Alice or Frank around?" Lily said she hadn't.
"What's going on?" she asked. She listened as Sirius explained the situation.
"That's horrible!" Lily exclaimed.
"Yep," Sirius agreed pulling up his sleeves, "James has called an emergency practice."
"Oh yeah!" squeaked Peter, "He said to tell you!" Lily thought that was considerate of him.
"Oy! Anita!" Sirius yelled up the girl's stairs to the Gryffindor seeker, magically amplifying his voice.
"If I see Frank or Alice I'll let them know!" Lily yelled after them as they left. She then sighed and picked up a book. She attempted to work, trying, albeit very unsuccessfully, to keep certain Quidditch captains and dark closets out of her head.
***********************************************************************
Lily looked at her watch for what was apparently the tenth time in the last hour. When would they be coming in? She looked out the window; it was getting dark, surely not much longer? she thought, I have to go to patrol soon!
"Lily? It's your turn." Lily turned back to the game of Wizards Chess she was playing against Emma. Lily had given up studying a while ago and had accepted Emma's offer of chess, even though Emma was just learning the game. They were sitting by the fire in the common room, Remus sat next to Emma, helping to teach her how to play, offering suggestions when she looked uncertain.
Lily looked at her watch again, 8:00, she noted glumly.
"Sorry guys," she said standing up and stretching, "we'll have to finish this another time, I've got to head to patrol." Remus looked up,
"Patrol, tonight?" he asked, confused. "This isn't your night, is it?"
"Caitlynn said she couldn't make it, sick or something. I think it might just have to do with being sick of the company." Lily sighed. "She would have been patrolling with Severus Snape tonight."
Emma made a sour face and Remus looked up at her with an apologetic smile.
"Honestly I've tried to be nice to him, but lately, he's gotten more adamant about the whole 'pure blood vs muggle born' issue. It's getting harder and harder to keep things civil." Lily sighed as she gathered her things and headed out the door.
***********************************************************************
Several hours later Lily returned from an exhausting patrol; exhausting because she had to keep forcing herself not to lose her temper, not because anything actually eventful happened. She looked around the common room for James but saw no one. Disappointed she headed up to her room and got ready for bed. She pulled back the covers and found a piece of folded paper with a ribbon tied around it. She smiled and felt a faint tingle of excitement as she scooped it up. She looked around to make sure everyone was asleep. She opened it. It was from James, she wondered briefly how in the world he'd got it up the stairs. It read:
Lily,
Sorry I missed you tonight. Meet me tomorrow morning, eleven o'clock?
-James
Lily snuggled into her bed, a smile on her face, as she drifted off to sleep.
************************************************************************
Lily was waiting in the common room when James came in. He walked up to her smiling.
"Finally!" he whispered, clasping her hands, "We're alone! We can finally have our talk." Lily's heart was pounding,
"So," she smiled, her cheeks aflame, "what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
"I wanted to apologize." James said moving closer, tucking a stray hair behind Lily's ear. Lily shivered pleasantly at the touch. She swallowed.
"Apologize for what?" she asked, barely able to make her mouth form the words.
"For not finishing what I started in the closet," James said hoarsely. And with that he grabbed her, pulled her close and kissed her. Fire coursed through Lily's veins, she couldn't think. She felt dizzy and tingly all over. Need rose in her and soon she was responding to James with as much fervour as he was to her. She twined her hands around his back, tracing his strong shoulders as she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. She moved her hands to caress his hair, she wanted to touch him everywhere, she couldn't get enough of him. And it seemed he couldn't get enough of her, he pulled her closer against him and continued to kiss her, one hand in her hair the other firmly on her back.
"Lily" James whispered.
"Yes" Lily mumbled between kisses.
"Lily!" James said a little bit louder.
"Uh huh?" Lily replied, her eyes still closed.
"Lily!!" much more insistent. "LILY!!!" Lily opened her eyes to see Emma standing over her.
"Lily it's time to get up! You told me to wake you at 8:30, remember?" Lily groaned.
"Yeah, yeah" she grumbled, upset about being woken from such an... enjoyable... dream. She stared at Emma; she looked like she'd been up for hours.
"How is it," Lily asked, "that you can get up so early on weekends, but you're always late on weekdays?"
"Well, on weekends I wake up because I know that when I get up, I can do anything I want to do. What's the point in getting up on weekdays when I know that as soon as I do – I'll have to go to class!" Emma explained.
Lily laid in bed for a few minutes after Emma had left, grinning to herself. What a dream! she thought. She headed off to take a shower, unable to wipe the stupid grin off her face. She was just heading down the stairs to go for breakfast when she saw James heading out of the common room. He was smiling and holding the door for a tall shapely blonde.
Lily stopped dead, she felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Erin! She had forgotten about Erin! How could she have been so stupid! And James, what was he thinking? Going off on a date with Erin now, coming back for me at 11:00!!! Lily sat down on the couch, confused, upset, and angry. She went over the last day in her mind. She'd been so sure he'd felt the same way as her... but then again, maybe she was mistaken about what James had felt. I mean, she thought, he never actually said anything... maybe it was all just me wishing he did. Maybe the whole time he was just feeling guilty about almost cheating on his girlfriend. I mean, look at her, she's gorgeous! Why would he want me over her? she thought despairingly. Lily couldn't think straight, she felt miserable. She noticed other people start to crowd into the common room. She decided she needed a walk and headed out the door.
***********************************************************************
James walked nervously next to Erin. He didn't know how he was going to tell her he wanted to break up. He didn't know what reason to give. Saying that he was breaking up with her on the chance, THE CHANCE, that Lily might return his feelings seemed a little insulting, he thought. Erin seemed distracted as well as they walked in silence along by the lake. They came to the shade of a tree. Erin placed a hand on his arm.
"Let's have a seat here." Erin said quietly. James nodded and they both sat. A very heavy silence hung between them, James was still trying to work up the courage to say what he had to say when Erin suddenly burst into tears.
"Erin!?!" James asked, "What's wrong?" James rubbed a comforting hand on her back, but that just seemed to just make her cry harder.
"Oh, stop! Stop!" she cried. "You're too sweet!" she wailed. James was bewildered; he didn't know what to do.
"It's alright, Erin, it'll be alright." He attempted. She sobs slowly came to a stop. She sniffed.
"I'm so sorry, James, I really am. But there's something a need to tell you." Her bottom lip quivered and James hoped another crying spell wasn't coming on.
"Whatever it is, you know you can tell me." He said soothingly. Erin took a big gulp of air and dapped her eyes with a tissue that James handed her.
"Ok, well, you know how I was always talking about Greg Hendricks, you know, the Ravenclaw Chaser," James didn't know, but he nodded anyways. "Well, well, I think I might really like him, you see and, and... oh Jamsie! I'm so sorry! I never meant for it to happen!" It took James a minute to work out that she was breaking up with him. It was a strange feeling, being dumped, but oddly enough, James was not really upset about it at all. In fact, he was sorta relieved. At least now he didn't have to do it! he thought. James assured Erin that everything was ok, that he didn't hate her, and that they would stay friends, but, really, he was anxious to get back and find Lily, now that he was able to be with her without feeling so guilty about it. He walked Erin inside, and they hugged and parted ways at the entrance. As soon as Erin was out of sight, James ran up the stairs, two at a time, racing towards the common room.
************************************************************************
As Lily walked, the madder she got at James. She didn't know if her anger was justified or not, but she felt it anyway, and needed someone to blame. He seemed a convenient target. She found herself in the library. She collapsed into a heap in one of the comfy chairs and just stared at the wall. Lily had been sitting there for a few minutes when she was startled by a voice behind her.
"Lily?" Lily whirled around. It was Tyler Abbot, the Ravenclaw keeper who had asked her out in Potions the other day. Just great! Lily thought, just what I need!
"What do you want?" she barked at him. She knew she wasn't being very nice, but she didn't feel in a very nice mood. He looked taken aback. Lily made an effort and softened her face a little.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm just having a really bad day." Tyler smiled understandingly and sat down in the chair next to her.
"So, are you still busy?" he asked, smiling over at her. She stared at him for a moment in disbelief. Is he asking me out? Lily thought. Of course I can't go. I mean what about James... What about James? another voice in the back of her mind said. It's not like he's keeping himself single and available for you! Lily thought about it, why not? She thought, he was a really nice guy. She smiled at him.
"Not at all!" she smiled at the huge grin that spread across his face. "I just have to be back for eleven." She rose from the chair and headed outside with Tyler.
************************************************************************
James was pacing around the common room, excited and nervous. He looked at his watch; it was ten to eleven, ten more minutes! He thought about what he'd say to her, how she'd react... He looked around the room. He saw Emma giggling from over by the window. He decided to find out what she found so amusing.
"Hey Emma," she said as he drew closer to her, "what's so funny?" Emma pointed out onto the yard and handed him the Super-Eyes she'd been using. He looked through the magnifying device and felt like he'd been hit with a pile of bricks. It was Lily! And she was walking with a boy James recognized from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. They looked very friendly.
"Do you see them?" Emma was asking excitedly.
"Who – who is that guy?" James asked trying to keep his voice from shaking.
"Oh, that's her boyfriend!" Emma exclaimed. James nearly dropped the pair of Super-Eyes.
"Her – her what?!?" he asked surprised.
"Well, he's not really her boyfriend. At least not yet, but hopefully soon! Don't they look cute together?" she asked, taking the Super Eyes back to have another look. James's head was spinning. He thought he needed to sit down.
"You know," Emma was saying, "I used to think you two would make a cute couple." James leaned against the wall and slowly sunk to the ground. "But Lily always gave me such a nasty look whenever I brought it up! And besides, you've got Erin now." Emma turned around and sighed happily. She put the Super Eyes back in her robes. She looked down at James, who now had his head in his hands, cursing himself for being stupid enough to think that she had changed her opinion of him so fast.
"James?" Emma asked, sounding concerned, "Are you OK?"
End of Chapter 9
Sorry to leave it there! I'll try to post the next chapter soon, but school has been keeping me busy. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, you guys really make me want to keep going!
Chapter 9: Misunderstandings
He lowered his head slowly, their lips were mere centimetres apart, he closed his eyes and– suddenly light flooded into the dark closet, James backed away and blinked, he could see the forms of Emma and Sirius standing in front of them. Lily, also seeming to come to her senses, backed away from him. Emma, so oblivious, started right in,
"Did you guys hear that? Hogwarts! He said that something was going to happen at Hogwarts on Halloween!" she continued to talk, but Sirius was giving them both a very inquisitive glance.
After Lily and James dislodged themselves from the closet, and each other, the four of them began the journey back through the tunnel towards Hogwarts. Sirius took James aside as they walked. They moved ahead and as soon as they were out of earshot of the girls, Sirius began.
"So, Prongsy! What's going on with you and Little Miss Lily?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Who says there's anything going on between me and Lily?" James asked sharply.
"Whoa, whoa, mate! Sorry! But it was pretty obvious something more than hiding was going on in that closet!" Sirius looked pointedly at James. James sighed.
"Nothing happened." James said. Sirius looked at him, an eyebrow raised. James continued, I mean, "Nothing had happened YET" he emphasized. Sirius looked at him for a minute. When he spoke, his voice held none of its usual merry sarcasm.
"Look James, I know it's none of my business, but I hope you know what you're doing... I wouldn't want to see you, either of you, get hurt. And may I remind you, you DO have a girlfriend, James, you might want to remember that a little more often." With a pang, James remembered Erin.
Sirius was right, what was he thinking? But what if, he dared to hope, what if Lily actually liked him. He shook his head, No, he told himself, I was just imagining things in that closet, there's no way, after all this time... but it was no use, he couldn't convince himself. He knew, he KNEW, he hadn't imagined the way she was looking at him in that closet. He would remember that look for the rest of his life. But what if she regretted it? Things were just starting to go well between them, he thought, I don't want to ruin it again already! I need to talk to her, he thought. Alone.
Meanwhile Lily was walking next to Emma, lost in thought as well. Emma was gripping her arm rather painfully but was thankfully quiet for the time being, too busy looking out for spiders to engage in conversation. A smile played across Lily's lips as she thought about what almost happened in the closet. It had almost happened, hadn't it?? She hadn't just been imagining it? Lily didn't know what to think. A few months ago she would knew exactly how she'd react, but now... James really had grown up a lot, and she couldn't deny that she found him attractive, and... Merlin knows ... she had wanted to kiss him in that closet! Lily smiled as she thought back to that moment. But what had James meant by it? Was he actually serious? She had to talk to him.
As they arrived back in the Gryffindor common room, Emma and Sirius headed up to their dorms. Lily and James were left alone. They looked at each other and an embarrassed and awkward silence fell between them. Suddenly, now that they had the opportunity to talk, neither of them seemed to have anything to say. They stood there, facing each other, both unwilling to meet the others eye. Why was this so hard? Lily thought. Both of them were afraid to say something, unsure of what the other's intentions were, neither willing to risk the bitter sting of rejection.
"Look James"
"Look Lily" They said at the exact same time. They shared a quick, nervous laugh, which served to alleviate a bit of the tension.
"You go first." Lily said, relieved not to have to do it. James fiddled nervously with his hands for a second before taking a deep breath as he looked up at her,
"Alright, Lily, you know that I li..." Just then Peter came running into the room, interrupting James. Gasping, he pushed Lily aside and started talking to James.
"Hey *gasp* Prongs", Peter began, trying to catch his breath, "Hurry, its McGonagall, she need to *gasp* see you right away, its about *gasp* the Quidditch match!"
"Can it wait a minute Wormtail?" James asked.
"No! She said it was important. Come on!" He was tugging on James' robes.
"Alright, alright! Give me a second!" James looked back at Lily. He hated to leave without finishing their conversation. He looked at her and walked closer.
"We'll finish our conversation later, ok?" he said quietly as he smiled at her. He stood right in front of her for an awkward moment, wanting to do something to assure her he was serious. He leaned in closer and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He then ran off quickly so she wouldn't see the blush that was creeping up his face.
James knocked on the door to Professor McGonagall's office and entered when he heard a faint call from within.
"Ah Mr. Potter" she said as he entered the room. "Have a seat." James sat down, wondering what possibly could have happened. A horrible thought suddenly gripped him, what if Dumbledore had decided to cancel Quidditch because of all the attacks? Maybe the crowds were an easy target or something. He prayed that wasn't the case.
"What's the problem?" he asked, trying not to sound worried.
"I'm afraid have some bad news," Professor McGonagall began. Uh oh, James's heart sunk. "Hufflepuff's seeker has been in an unfortunate 'accident' and will be confined to the hospital wing for the next two weeks. Hufflepuff is therefore unable to compete against you for the first match." Relief flooded through him, he felt like laughing, that was all? That just meant that they would have a few extra weeks to prepare. Excellent!
"Kindly enough," Professor McGonagall continued, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "To avoid getting behind in the season, the Slytherin team has offered to take Hufflepuff's place against you." James stood up, angry,
"What?" he practically shouted.
"Mr Potter! Control yourself!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, although she seemed quite unhappy about the news herself.
"But Professor, we've been practicing to play against Hufflepuff, we can't possibly be ready to play Slytherin in a week!" Slytherin's strategy varied greatly from Hufflepuff's, meaning that all the work they'd been doing for the past few weeks was next to useless for the match.
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it, Mr Potter, you'll just have to make the best of it." She turned her attention back to the letter she was writing on her desk, and without looking up added, "Oh, and by they way, I took the liberty of booking the Quidditch pitch for Gryffindor every night for the remainder of this week, if you would like to use the time for extra practice. Unfortunately, I suppose that means if Slytherin wants to practice, they will have to do it elsewhere." James stared at McGonagall and grinned. "Now, Mr Potter, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." James got up and left the office. He was anxious to get back and talk to Lily, but that would have to wait. He found Peter pacing nervously just outside of Professor McGonagall's office. He looked like he was waiting for someone to tell him what to do.
"Wormtail" James said "Go get Sirius, tell him that we are now playing Slytherin and not Hufflepuff next week. Tell him to get the team together and meet me on the pitch as soon as possible – I'm going to get the balls." James started off down the corridor in the opposite direction of Peter, a sudden thought came to him, "oh, and Wormtail, - tell Lily where I am too, ok?"
"Lily? Why?" Peter asked, confused.
"Just do it!" James shouted back.
************************************************************************
Lily watched as James ran out the portrait door, she placed her hand to her cheek and stood stunned for a few minutes. She smiled. She couldn't deny it any longer. The truth came crashing over her, threatening to knock her down. She sat down on the couch. She thought about his smiles, his voice, his jokes, and all their conversations over the past few weeks. She thought about her dreams and the way she always seemed to get butterflies in her stomach every time he was near. She couldn't deny the truth any longer. She was in love with James Potter. She smiled as she admitted it to herself, even as she recognized the implications of what she had just confessed.
Lily looked up expectantly as she heard the portrait door swing open, hoping for it to be James. It wasn't. Her heart sunk as she saw Peter, his face red from running. He barely glanced at her before heading up to the boy's dorms. He was back down a few minutes later with Sirius.
"Hey Lily," Sirius called over to her, "have you seen Alice or Frank around?" Lily said she hadn't.
"What's going on?" she asked. She listened as Sirius explained the situation.
"That's horrible!" Lily exclaimed.
"Yep," Sirius agreed pulling up his sleeves, "James has called an emergency practice."
"Oh yeah!" squeaked Peter, "He said to tell you!" Lily thought that was considerate of him.
"Oy! Anita!" Sirius yelled up the girl's stairs to the Gryffindor seeker, magically amplifying his voice.
"If I see Frank or Alice I'll let them know!" Lily yelled after them as they left. She then sighed and picked up a book. She attempted to work, trying, albeit very unsuccessfully, to keep certain Quidditch captains and dark closets out of her head.
***********************************************************************
Lily looked at her watch for what was apparently the tenth time in the last hour. When would they be coming in? She looked out the window; it was getting dark, surely not much longer? she thought, I have to go to patrol soon!
"Lily? It's your turn." Lily turned back to the game of Wizards Chess she was playing against Emma. Lily had given up studying a while ago and had accepted Emma's offer of chess, even though Emma was just learning the game. They were sitting by the fire in the common room, Remus sat next to Emma, helping to teach her how to play, offering suggestions when she looked uncertain.
Lily looked at her watch again, 8:00, she noted glumly.
"Sorry guys," she said standing up and stretching, "we'll have to finish this another time, I've got to head to patrol." Remus looked up,
"Patrol, tonight?" he asked, confused. "This isn't your night, is it?"
"Caitlynn said she couldn't make it, sick or something. I think it might just have to do with being sick of the company." Lily sighed. "She would have been patrolling with Severus Snape tonight."
Emma made a sour face and Remus looked up at her with an apologetic smile.
"Honestly I've tried to be nice to him, but lately, he's gotten more adamant about the whole 'pure blood vs muggle born' issue. It's getting harder and harder to keep things civil." Lily sighed as she gathered her things and headed out the door.
***********************************************************************
Several hours later Lily returned from an exhausting patrol; exhausting because she had to keep forcing herself not to lose her temper, not because anything actually eventful happened. She looked around the common room for James but saw no one. Disappointed she headed up to her room and got ready for bed. She pulled back the covers and found a piece of folded paper with a ribbon tied around it. She smiled and felt a faint tingle of excitement as she scooped it up. She looked around to make sure everyone was asleep. She opened it. It was from James, she wondered briefly how in the world he'd got it up the stairs. It read:
Lily,
Sorry I missed you tonight. Meet me tomorrow morning, eleven o'clock?
-James
Lily snuggled into her bed, a smile on her face, as she drifted off to sleep.
************************************************************************
Lily was waiting in the common room when James came in. He walked up to her smiling.
"Finally!" he whispered, clasping her hands, "We're alone! We can finally have our talk." Lily's heart was pounding,
"So," she smiled, her cheeks aflame, "what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
"I wanted to apologize." James said moving closer, tucking a stray hair behind Lily's ear. Lily shivered pleasantly at the touch. She swallowed.
"Apologize for what?" she asked, barely able to make her mouth form the words.
"For not finishing what I started in the closet," James said hoarsely. And with that he grabbed her, pulled her close and kissed her. Fire coursed through Lily's veins, she couldn't think. She felt dizzy and tingly all over. Need rose in her and soon she was responding to James with as much fervour as he was to her. She twined her hands around his back, tracing his strong shoulders as she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. She moved her hands to caress his hair, she wanted to touch him everywhere, she couldn't get enough of him. And it seemed he couldn't get enough of her, he pulled her closer against him and continued to kiss her, one hand in her hair the other firmly on her back.
"Lily" James whispered.
"Yes" Lily mumbled between kisses.
"Lily!" James said a little bit louder.
"Uh huh?" Lily replied, her eyes still closed.
"Lily!!" much more insistent. "LILY!!!" Lily opened her eyes to see Emma standing over her.
"Lily it's time to get up! You told me to wake you at 8:30, remember?" Lily groaned.
"Yeah, yeah" she grumbled, upset about being woken from such an... enjoyable... dream. She stared at Emma; she looked like she'd been up for hours.
"How is it," Lily asked, "that you can get up so early on weekends, but you're always late on weekdays?"
"Well, on weekends I wake up because I know that when I get up, I can do anything I want to do. What's the point in getting up on weekdays when I know that as soon as I do – I'll have to go to class!" Emma explained.
Lily laid in bed for a few minutes after Emma had left, grinning to herself. What a dream! she thought. She headed off to take a shower, unable to wipe the stupid grin off her face. She was just heading down the stairs to go for breakfast when she saw James heading out of the common room. He was smiling and holding the door for a tall shapely blonde.
Lily stopped dead, she felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Erin! She had forgotten about Erin! How could she have been so stupid! And James, what was he thinking? Going off on a date with Erin now, coming back for me at 11:00!!! Lily sat down on the couch, confused, upset, and angry. She went over the last day in her mind. She'd been so sure he'd felt the same way as her... but then again, maybe she was mistaken about what James had felt. I mean, she thought, he never actually said anything... maybe it was all just me wishing he did. Maybe the whole time he was just feeling guilty about almost cheating on his girlfriend. I mean, look at her, she's gorgeous! Why would he want me over her? she thought despairingly. Lily couldn't think straight, she felt miserable. She noticed other people start to crowd into the common room. She decided she needed a walk and headed out the door.
***********************************************************************
James walked nervously next to Erin. He didn't know how he was going to tell her he wanted to break up. He didn't know what reason to give. Saying that he was breaking up with her on the chance, THE CHANCE, that Lily might return his feelings seemed a little insulting, he thought. Erin seemed distracted as well as they walked in silence along by the lake. They came to the shade of a tree. Erin placed a hand on his arm.
"Let's have a seat here." Erin said quietly. James nodded and they both sat. A very heavy silence hung between them, James was still trying to work up the courage to say what he had to say when Erin suddenly burst into tears.
"Erin!?!" James asked, "What's wrong?" James rubbed a comforting hand on her back, but that just seemed to just make her cry harder.
"Oh, stop! Stop!" she cried. "You're too sweet!" she wailed. James was bewildered; he didn't know what to do.
"It's alright, Erin, it'll be alright." He attempted. She sobs slowly came to a stop. She sniffed.
"I'm so sorry, James, I really am. But there's something a need to tell you." Her bottom lip quivered and James hoped another crying spell wasn't coming on.
"Whatever it is, you know you can tell me." He said soothingly. Erin took a big gulp of air and dapped her eyes with a tissue that James handed her.
"Ok, well, you know how I was always talking about Greg Hendricks, you know, the Ravenclaw Chaser," James didn't know, but he nodded anyways. "Well, well, I think I might really like him, you see and, and... oh Jamsie! I'm so sorry! I never meant for it to happen!" It took James a minute to work out that she was breaking up with him. It was a strange feeling, being dumped, but oddly enough, James was not really upset about it at all. In fact, he was sorta relieved. At least now he didn't have to do it! he thought. James assured Erin that everything was ok, that he didn't hate her, and that they would stay friends, but, really, he was anxious to get back and find Lily, now that he was able to be with her without feeling so guilty about it. He walked Erin inside, and they hugged and parted ways at the entrance. As soon as Erin was out of sight, James ran up the stairs, two at a time, racing towards the common room.
************************************************************************
As Lily walked, the madder she got at James. She didn't know if her anger was justified or not, but she felt it anyway, and needed someone to blame. He seemed a convenient target. She found herself in the library. She collapsed into a heap in one of the comfy chairs and just stared at the wall. Lily had been sitting there for a few minutes when she was startled by a voice behind her.
"Lily?" Lily whirled around. It was Tyler Abbot, the Ravenclaw keeper who had asked her out in Potions the other day. Just great! Lily thought, just what I need!
"What do you want?" she barked at him. She knew she wasn't being very nice, but she didn't feel in a very nice mood. He looked taken aback. Lily made an effort and softened her face a little.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm just having a really bad day." Tyler smiled understandingly and sat down in the chair next to her.
"So, are you still busy?" he asked, smiling over at her. She stared at him for a moment in disbelief. Is he asking me out? Lily thought. Of course I can't go. I mean what about James... What about James? another voice in the back of her mind said. It's not like he's keeping himself single and available for you! Lily thought about it, why not? She thought, he was a really nice guy. She smiled at him.
"Not at all!" she smiled at the huge grin that spread across his face. "I just have to be back for eleven." She rose from the chair and headed outside with Tyler.
************************************************************************
James was pacing around the common room, excited and nervous. He looked at his watch; it was ten to eleven, ten more minutes! He thought about what he'd say to her, how she'd react... He looked around the room. He saw Emma giggling from over by the window. He decided to find out what she found so amusing.
"Hey Emma," she said as he drew closer to her, "what's so funny?" Emma pointed out onto the yard and handed him the Super-Eyes she'd been using. He looked through the magnifying device and felt like he'd been hit with a pile of bricks. It was Lily! And she was walking with a boy James recognized from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. They looked very friendly.
"Do you see them?" Emma was asking excitedly.
"Who – who is that guy?" James asked trying to keep his voice from shaking.
"Oh, that's her boyfriend!" Emma exclaimed. James nearly dropped the pair of Super-Eyes.
"Her – her what?!?" he asked surprised.
"Well, he's not really her boyfriend. At least not yet, but hopefully soon! Don't they look cute together?" she asked, taking the Super Eyes back to have another look. James's head was spinning. He thought he needed to sit down.
"You know," Emma was saying, "I used to think you two would make a cute couple." James leaned against the wall and slowly sunk to the ground. "But Lily always gave me such a nasty look whenever I brought it up! And besides, you've got Erin now." Emma turned around and sighed happily. She put the Super Eyes back in her robes. She looked down at James, who now had his head in his hands, cursing himself for being stupid enough to think that she had changed her opinion of him so fast.
"James?" Emma asked, sounding concerned, "Are you OK?"
End of Chapter 9
Sorry to leave it there! I'll try to post the next chapter soon, but school has been keeping me busy. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, you guys really make me want to keep going!