Incompatible

by First Light of Eos

Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, “Potter and I are incompatible.” It was the only thing she and James agreed upon.

7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the Harry Potter series.

Summary: Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon.

A/N: I am really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, (well, you get the idea) sorry that this took so long. I was so bogged down with work that I didn't have time for anything else (I know, I know, Standard Excuse #1)! Anyways, I'd like to thank my new beta, angelgurl161, and all of my friends, who bugged me incessantly to get this finished. So, here's Chapter 6! I hope you all enjoy it!

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INCOMPATIBLE

CHAPTER SIX

"Yeah, I'll see you later," James said, exiting the portrait hole. "'Bye, Lily, Elphias!" He closed the portrait with a loud slam ("Watch it!" the Fat Lady exclaimed irritably) and turned to the hallway.

"Padfoot! Wormtail!" he whispered as loudly as he dared, walking down the corridor. "You there?"

"Yeah, hold on a sec," Sirius replied, his voice coming out of thin air and causing James to jump in surprise. The latter then felt something drape over him and knew that the three of them were now under his Invisibility Cloak.

"What took you so long?" Peter muttered as they carefully began the long walk down to the Whomping Willow; it was full moon tonight and they were going to meet Remus.

"Couldn't get Lily off my bloody case," James muttered back. "Kept asking me where Remus was kept and if he could get out. Dunno why she's suddenly so interested."

"So you do like Lily!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Shut up," James whispered hurriedly. "Do you want Filch to catch us?" Sirius closed his mouth and shook his head, even though none of them could see him.

"No," he whispered. "But Prongs, you called her Lily, and not Evans!"

"Your point?" James asked irritably.

"You fancy Lily!"

"I thought we established that at the beginning of the month," James snapped.

"You fancy Lily?" Peter asked, surprised.

"Of course he does!" Sirius exclaimed. "Have you been hiding under a rock, Wormtail?"

"No, but I've been stuck below piles of work, which are more effective than rocks," Peter replied irritably.

"Oh, just shut it, both of you!" James whispered angrily.

"Sorry, Prongs," Sirius muttered.

"Sorry," Peter echoed. James sighed. They were now in the Entrance Hall, and he pushed the front doors open. The grounds were fully illuminated by the silver light streaming down from the full moon, but none of the three boys bothered to appreciate the beauty of the scene before them; they were too focused on getting to their friend. When the Whomping Willow came into view, its branches swaying violently, James nudged Peter.

"All right, Wormtail," he said. "You can go now."

Peter nodded, although none of them could see it under the Cloak. There was a small pop and a plump gray rat—Wormtail—emerged from where Peter had previously been standing. The rat darted forward, pressing a knot on the tree, and the flailing limbs immediately halted their movement, revealing a large tunnel at the tree's roots. He rushed down the passage, James and Sirius following quickly in his wake.

The two boys reached a bend in the tunnel and James flung off the Cloak, glancing at his friend and nodding. With another pop, Sirius transformed into a large black dog—Padfoot—and bounded down the tunnel. James watched his friend round the bend before transforming into his stag form—Prongs. He ducked his head to avoid catching his antlers on anything, and ran to catch up with Padfoot.

As they reached the end of the tunnel, they could hear shrieks of rage and pain. Padfoot and Prongs exchanged worried glances and dashed up to join Remus—who, when the wolf took him over, was Moony—and Wormtail. The first room was empty—or so they thought, until they saw a rat rushing back and forth across the floorboards. He looked up at the noise and, upon seeing his friends, squeaked frantically. Although neither Prongs nor Padfoot could understand what the rat was saying, the general message was clear: tonight, Moony was having a very hard time controlling the wolf side of his mind.

They rushed to the door that led to the room in which Moony was kept and realized what was going on; someone must have entered the Shrieking Shack recently. The scent of humans was everywhere, causing the wolf's bloodlust to emerge in full force.

Suddenly, the door shuddered. Apparently, Moony had thrown himself at the thin wooden planking in an attempt to escape his prison. Luckily, the door still held—the question was, for how long? Padfoot and Prongs exchanged looks again and made a decision. Padfoot reached up with his paw and turned the doorknob as Prongs pushed the door in with his antlers. Moony ran right into them, but he was held back by Prongs' antlers. Padfoot then pounced on the wolf, wrestling with him. Wormtail hid in the corner, knowing that he would be useless against Moony and that he would just get in the way.

After several minutes, Moony was finally subdued, and he stared at Prongs and Padfoot with a hateful expression; they had kept him from searching out his prey. Outwardly, the two Animagi appeared indifferent to the glares they were receiving from their werewolf friend, but they were deeply hurt by his apparent hate, even though they knew that the wolf was not the Remus they knew. Wormtail scrabbled forward to stand in between the stag and the dog as they stared down the wolf. The four animals stayed in that position for at least half an hour.

Finally, unable to bear the tension (and sitting still), Padfoot leapt at Moony, barking loudly. Moony growled, and the two wrestled, although this time, their fighting was playful. Wormtail looked on in fascination while Prongs shook his head. If the latter had been in his human form, he would have smiled at his friends' antics. He settled down onto the floor and watched his friends, knowing that, due to Moony's earlier behavior, they would not be able to leave the Shrieking Shack that night, so he might as well rest his legs. Wormtail crept over and sat next to him and the two watched their canine friends battle each other. Both the wolf and the dog eventually sunk to the floor, exhausted, and soon, Moony was asleep. Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail stayed by his side until the moon set and the first traces of light began to show on the horizon.

Slowly, as the sun's rays started to penetrate the sky, the fur on the wolf's face began to recede. The claws retracted into human skin, causing the werewolf to open his amber eyes with a gasp. His nose started to shrink, his tail receded into his body, and all other traces of the wolf slowly disappeared until only Remus was left lying on the floor, gasping with exhaustion and pain. He looked up at his friends, who were still in their Animagus forms, and smiled slightly, passing out on the floor.

Prongs and Padfoot exchanged glances before turning back into James and Sirius, respectively, and after a moment of hesitation, Wormtail followed, turning into Peter. The three friends looked upon Remus with sadness as they left the room, closing the door softly behind them so as not to disturb Remus, and re-entered the passage.

"Well, that was…interesting," Sirius commented finally as James recovered the Invisibility Cloak and threw it over the three of them.

"I don't think I've seen Moony so mad since…well, since the Snape incident," James said softly. "Wonder who went into the Shack."

"Yeah," Peter agreed, yawning. "And I also wonder how they got in."

"Well, we can figure that out later, when we can actually think," Sirius snapped, the lack of sleep catching up with him.

"Thank Merlin it's Sunday," James said. "Remember last time we did this? It was a Monday."

"We were just lucky McGonagall didn't give us detentions," Sirius replied. He then stopped; they had reached the end of the tunnel. "Wormtail, it's time for you to do your thing." Peter nodded and turned into the gray rat that was his Animagus form. He scurried up the tunnel and pressed the knot on the Whomping Willow, causing it to shudder to a halt.

James and Sirius rushed up, making sure the Cloak fully covered them. Peter stayed in his rat form to give them more room under the Cloak and James swept him up and put him in the pocket of his robes, knowing that Peter would be asleep by the time they reached Gryffindor Tower. The boys navigated a series of secret passages to avoid the early risers of the school, thanking Merlin—not for the first time—that they did not share a dormitory with anyone else; they would have had to face a slew of questions from their dorm mates.

They finally arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, gave her the password ("fellytone"), and fell through the portrait hole, careful to keep the Cloak covering them. It would not do to run into any early risers (but seriously, who got up early on a Sunday?). They stumbled towards the stairs, but as they were about to ascend them, James, looking around the common room, saw a flash of red hair near the fire. Why is Lily up so early? he wondered. He then turned to Sirius.

"Padfoot, I'll come up in a little," he said. He then reached into his pocket and pulled Peter out, passing him into Sirius' hands. "Take Wormtail up with you, won't you?"

"A—all right," Sirius agreed, yawning widely. "But what are you doing?"

"Take a look at the fire."

"Ah…" Sirius said, after a few seconds. "Lily?"

"Yep," James said. "I don't think she noticed us come in, though. Keep the Cloak on when you go up, just in case you run into someone on the stairs."

"Okay," Sirius said. "I'll see you." James ducked out from under the Invisibility Cloak and nodded.

"Later, Padfoot," he said. He waited until he heard Sirius making his way up the stairs, and then walked over to where Lily was sitting in front of the fire, reading a book.

"'Morning, Miss Evans," he said, stifling a yawn as he sat down on the arm of the sofa she was sitting on. She jumped and looked up at him in surprise before smiling widely and closing her book, marking her place with a bookmark.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me Miss Evans?" she asked.

"Since when have I ever listened to anyone?"

"Good point," Lily agreed, her grin broadening. She then frowned. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I just woke up, and I couldn't go back to sleep," James lied. "Sun was too bright."

"And the curtains don't work?"

"Nah. Sirius charmed my drapes to never close; he and Remus have had too much trouble waking me up in the mornings." Lily laughed.

"Sounds like something Dorcas would do," she said, grinning. "Of course, she and Sirius are very similar…"

"Yeah," James agreed, nodding. He slid down to sit next to her on the sofa. They were silent for a few moments, and then Lily looked out the window at the sunrise.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked him. He turned his head to look outside, and then glanced at Lily. Her face was lit up by a brilliant smile, her green eyes wide as she tried to take in all the different colors spread across the sky. James swallowed.

"Yeah," he said quietly, never removing his eyes from her. "It really is."

Lily looked at him, their eyes locking, and she leaned back into his chest, pulling her feet up onto the couch as she turned her gaze back to the window. James slid his arms around her waist instinctively, pulling her closer to him, and rested his chin on her head. He could smell the heady scent of the lavender fragrance Lily always wore, and closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of being so close to her. Lily sighed and leaned even further into him, pushing him back against the arm of the sofa, causing him to open his eyes. The two of them sat comfortably in this position for a long time, simply watching the sun rise over the horizon to signal the beginning of a new day.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs jerked them out of their reverie. James immediately let go of Lily's waist as they jumped apart, smiling awkwardly at each other. Lily turned her head to find out who had disturbed them and saw a small First Year girl standing on the steps that led to the girls' side of the Tower. The girl looked at Lily and James, her eyes widening in fright as she realized that she was looking at the Head Girl and Boy. With a squeak of terror, the girl dashed back up the stairs.

"Poor thing," Lily said, picking up her book and standing. "She was probably terrified by the sight of you first thing in the morning. That hair's enough to scare anyone away." James laughed.

"You know you like it," he said.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said, returning the smile. "I need to get ready; I'll see you later." She then grinned broadly. "And try to get some sleep; you look awful." James grinned.

"So do you," he replied.

"Touché," she said, her eyes twinkling merrily. "And if you want to remove the Sticking Charm, all you need is finite incantatem." James laughed.

"Thanks, Lily; I'm sure Sirius will be pleased with that."

"I'm sure he will," Lily laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I'll see you, James." She walked towards the stairs that led to her dormitory.

"See you, Lily," James said. He waited for her to climb the stairs before walking up to his own dormitory. He entered it noiselessly and walked over to his bed, pulling out his wand.

"Finite incantatem," he whispered, pointing at his drapes. He changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed, grinning as he pulled the drapes shut around him. Take that, Sirius, he thought happily, slowly entering the land of nod, where, as always, he found a redhead waiting for him.

James' smile broadened.

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Lily slipped into her dorm, careful not to disturb her roommates. She smiled to herself as she heard Dorcas' snores and then walked over to her friend's bed, where she prodded her black-haired friend lightly in her side, causing Dorcas to roll over onto her side. The noise stopped and Lily sighed in relief. She then walked over to her bed and placed her book on her nightstand, pausing to smile at the picture of her parents. She then frowned as she remembered how Petunia had refused to be in the picture, saying that she had better things to do than to "bother with the freak's request." Even now, more than two years afterwards, her words still stung Lily, who, no matter how much she protested that she hated her sister just as much as Petunia hated her, wished that the two of them could get along.

"You're up early, Lily," Alice said from across the room, her voice cutting into Lily's thoughts. Lily glanced over at her friend, who was sitting on the windowsill, gazing at the sunrise.

"So are you," Lily replied. "Couldn't sleep?" Alice shook her head.

"I was thinking about Frank; I really miss him." Lily laughed, walking over to join her friend.

"You're starting to sound like Marlene, sighing over a boy," she said, sitting next to Alice.

"I could never be like Marlene," Alice said, smiling good-naturedly. "I don't pine over boys that I'll never have."

"True," Lily conceded. "I'm sure that wherever he is, Frank is missing you as much as you're missing him." Alice grinned.

"Nah," she said, shaking her head. "He's probably missing all his sleep. Apparently Auror training is wearing him out." The two girls laughed.

"Think that if I told James how much sleep Frank gets, he'd still want to be an Auror?" Lily asked. Alice looked at her friend strangely. "What?" Lily asked.

"You do realize that you referred to James by his first name?" Alice asked.

"I've been doing that since Friday morning," Lily said. "Your point is?"

"Since Friday?" Alice asked, shocked. "And you didn't see fit to inform us?"

"After all of your plans to get us to be friends, I didn't think you'd need to be told; you always have some kind of sixth sense of knowing exactly what we were doing."

"We used spells to eavesdrop on you guys," Alice admitted, smiling.

"That would explain it," Lily agreed. The friends sat in companionable silence for a little, glancing at the sunrise.

"So spill," Alice said after a few minutes. "What's going on between you and James, anyways?"

"Nothing, really," Lily said. "We're just…friends now, I guess."

"Yes!" Alice exclaimed, jumping off the windowsill and punching the air. "That's wonderful!" She hugged Lily, who was surprised—and slightly frightened—at her friend's reaction to her confession.

"Sorry, but what's wonderful?" Marlene asked groggily, having been roused by Alice's exclamation. Dorcas was still sleeping; on the weekends, the only thing that could rouse her from her slumber was the threat of Benjy Fenwick kissing her. The girls would often threaten her with this, finding it immensely amusing to watch Dorcas bolt out of bed and closet herself in the bathroom—she always forgot that boys were unable to climb the stairs that led to the girls' dormitory.

"Lily and James are finally friends!" Alice squealed, in a manner that was very uncharacteristic of her. Lily stared.

"They are?" Marlene asked, bolting out of bed and performing a very strange victory dance.

"Yes!" Alice exclaimed. "We have to tell Dorcas!"

"Oh, no you don't," Lily said hurriedly. "I do not want to deal with her temper at being awoken at," she checked the clock on her bedside table, "five-forty-five in the morning."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it," Marlene said. Lily sighed and shook her head; she could see that Marlene liked the idea of irritating Dorcas.

"No, she won't, and you know it," the redhead replied. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to try to get some sleep with what's left of the morning." She climbed into her bed and pulled the drapes around her.

"Oh, that's a very convenient way of avoiding our questions," Alice said to her friend.

"I see it more as a way of avoiding an interrogation, which I do not need right now," Lily replied lightly. "I'm tired enough as it is."

"Then you should have tried to get back to sleep before you got out of bed," Marlene said logically.

"I needed to clear my head for a bit and didn't want to disturb you guys by lighting my wand," Lily argued.

"Excuses, excuses," Alice said, shaking her head. "But if you insist, go back to sleep. Just know that we'll ask you our questions later."

"I can't wait," Lily replied dryly.

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At precisely twelve-thirty in the afternoon, Sirius and Peter strolled into the hall looking well rested and sat down at the table for lunch, complaining loudly of hunger. This, of course, was attributable to the fact that they had not eaten breakfast—to a seventeen-year old boy, especially one with an appetite as large as those of Sirius and Peter, missing breakfast was a crime. Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas (who had been informed of the latest development in the Lily-James affairs the moment she had awoken) laughed at the boys and walked over to join the two.

"Hello, Sirius," Alice said, taking a seat next to him.

"Hullo, Alice," Sirius said. However, as his mouth was full of food, what came out sounded more like, "'Lo, Alth." Alice giggled, while Dorcas made a face.

"That's disgusting," she said. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to speak with your mouth full?" Sirius' face darkened, and Dorcas immediately realized that she had made a mistake. Sirius swallowed quickly and glared at her.

"Well, seeing as my mother didn't care one bit about me, I don't think she did," Sirius replied.

"Sorry, Sirius," Dorcas apologized. "I didn't mean to say that."

"Yes, you did," Sirius replied. "Don't take it back just because it was offensive. It was meant to be, wasn't it?"

"No, of course not!" Dorcas protested. "I didn't mean anything by it!"

"Sure you didn't," Sirius said darkly, turning back to his lunch. "No one ever means anything they say regarding my family."

"Look, Sirius, I really am sorry," Dorcas said. "What's it going to take for you to forgive me?"

"I forgive you," Sirius said. "But that doesn't mean that it won't happen again."

"Sirius, just stop feeling sorry for yourself," Peter cut in, exasperated. "Dorcas apologized; will you get over it already?"

"I'm over it," the dark-haired boy replied. "I don't know what you guys are going on about." Peter sighed.

"Nutters, that one is," he muttered to Marlene, jerking his head in Sirius' direction.

"I 'eard 'at!" Sirius said, bits of food spraying everywhere.

"Sirius!" Alice exclaimed.

"Sorry," Sirius said, once again scattering bits of food everywhere.

"Argh!" Dorcas made a sound in her throat. "Just…don't talk with your mouth full, all right?" Sirius nodded, swallowing.

"So, what brings you lovely ladies to this side of the table?" he asked.

"Lily and James," Marlene replied.

"Ah," Sirius nodded sagely. "What are they up to now? Another fight?" Dorcas shook her head.

"No," she said. "They're actually friends!"

"You're kidding," Peter said. Alice shook her head.

"Nope," she said. "I heard it straight from Lily's mouth this morning."

"Speaking of the fireball, where is she?" Sirius asked, looking around.

"Sleeping," Dorcas said. "She apparently woke up really early and didn't get any sleep, so she went back to sleep at a quarter to six."

"Merlin, how can anyone wake up that early?" Sirius asked.

"Insomnia?" Peter suggested.

"Besides that," Sirius said.

"Probably had a bad dream," Dorcas said.

"What?" Sirius asked. "She kissed James?" The others laughed.

"James dreams about that," Peter said. The girls' heads snapped to look at him as Sirius buried his head in his hands.

"You weren't supposed to say that, Peter," he said.

"What? You told them about his fancying her in Fifth Year," Peter justified.

"That was different."

"How so? I see no difference. James likes Lily, end of story."

"Not end of story. Lily hated James then; it wouldn't matter if it got back to her that he liked her, because she already hated him. But now that they're actually friends…" Sirius trailed off.

"Lily might get scared away," Alice finished for him. "She doesn't really deal too well with relationships."

"Has she even had a boyfriend?" Marlene asked, thinking.

"Yes," Dorcas replied promptly. "Gideon Prewett, in Fifth Year."

"Merlin, that was a nightmare," Alice groaned.

"I'll say," Peter agreed. "James was practically seething with jealousy. Pranked Gid every other day."

"Lily got so mad at James," Dorcas laughed. "Remember when she cursed his glasses to give him purple hair and orange eyes whenever he wore them?" The others laughed.

"Or the time she actually enlarged his head to make it 'as big as his ego'?" Peter asked. Their laughter grew louder.

"Or the time she hexed all of her friends, and James', because they were discussing the two of them behind their backs?" The five looked up.

"Lily!" Sirius exclaimed, not missing a beat. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Indeed," Lily replied scathingly. "Having fun reminiscing about all of the pranks I played on James?"

"Of course," Dorcas said. "Just like you enjoy remembering about all times you've hexed me a different color." This time, Lily laughed with them.

"Yeah, I do," she admitted. The others laughed harder.

"What's so funny?" James asked, sliding into a seat by Sirius. "Merlin, I'm starved."

"We were just laughing about all of the pranks Lily played on you," Sirius said.

"Oh, very funny," James said sarcastically.

"James, don't turn into a sourpuss," Lily admonished. "They were a long time ago."

"I wouldn't call Sixth Year 'a long time ago'," James said, helping himself to some shepherd's pie. The others were watching Lily and James avidly, trying to figure out if they really were friends, as Lily had said.

"James," Lily said exasperatedly, "now is not the time to unearth all of the chimaeras you're nursing over those pranks. Can you just forget them?"

"Only if you forget the pranks I've played on you over the years."

"What pranks?" Lily asked innocently. James grinned.

"Perfect," he said. Their friends stared at them.

"What?" Lily asked.

"It's just…you're being…friendly to each other," Marlene said, finally. "It's so strange."

"Well, get used to it," James said, wrapping an arm around Lily's waist, "because we're friends now." Lily removed herself from his grip.

"But that does not mean that you can manhandle me in any way," she said, slapping his hand as he tried to slip it around her waist again.

"Lily," James protested, "I was just being friendly."

"Yes, but there is a very fine line between friendly and too friendly, and you're walking it," Lily replied curtly. "You will not wrap your arm around me, or perform any kind of gesture that suggests more than friendship. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly," James said, a hint of sullenness about his features. His face then lit up as he leaned down. "But you didn't protest about it this morning," he whispered. Lily flushed.

"A momentary lapse of judgment," she whispered back.

"I think you liked it."

"I did not!"

"Then why didn't you push me off?"

"Because…because…" Lily fumbled for an answer. "Oh, it doesn't really matter, now does it?"

"I think it does," James said quietly.

"It does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!" Lily sighed.

"Are we going to start this again?" she asked.

"I'll stop if you tell me why you're protesting about my 'manhandling' you when you didn't earlier."

"I wasn't fully awake."

"You seemed it to me."

"Yeah, well," Lily tried to find a good reply, "you weren't fully awake either, were you?"

"No, I wasn't," James conceded. Lily folded her arms across her chest.

"Then the incidents of this morning are insignificant," she stated, with the air of someone saying that the sky was blue. "Besides, people can change."

"Over the space of a few hours?"

"Yes," Lily said. "Look, you can't cross the line between friendly and too friendly, end of story."

"No, not end of story."

"Yes, end of story."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Merlin, we're doing it again!" Lily exclaimed. "Will we never stop arguing?"

"My question exactly," Alice agreed. Lily and James' friends had been watching the exchange between the two and, while thoroughly confused, they found it highly amusing. Besides, they could always interrogate Lily and James (separately, of course) to figure out what they were talking about.

"Look at it this way," Sirius said, adding his two bits of wisdom (and a mouthful of chewed-up food). "You're fighting, but you don't have to worry about hexes from each other any more."

"Oh, I wouldn't agree with that one," Dorcas said. "I'm Lily's friend, and she still hexes me all the time."

"That's only because I'm provoked," Lily protested.

"Face it, Lily, you just like to hex people—especially James," Peter said. "You might as well accept it."

"Do you want me to hex you?" Lily asked, pulling out her wand. The others laughed.

"Thank you for proving my point," Peter said. Lily then looked down at her wand before looking up at the others sheepishly.

"I did prove it, didn't I?" she asked.

"You did," Marlene said.

"Oh, well," Lily said. "I guess there's only one thing to do about it."

"What's that?" Sirius asked. Lily twirled her wand, looking at it fondly.

"Oh," Alice said. "Oh." Dorcas shook her head.

"Not good," she said.

"Definitely not good," James agreed.

"What?" Marlene asked, looking between the three of them.

"She's going to hex us," Alice said. Lily grinned wickedly.

"Run!" James exclaimed, bolting out of the Hall. The others followed, Lily hot on their heels.

For the rest of the day, if anyone asked why Alice, Dorcas, Marlene, Sirius, James, and Peter were blue, they only received a glare. Lily would just smile in a satisfied manner and pat the pocket in which she kept her wand, content with her revenge. After all, no one insulted the Head Girl and got away with it.

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A/N: 112 reviews? *Faints* *Someone waves a bottle of smelling salts under her nose* *Revives* *Looks at screen again* *Faints again* *Is revived again, and does not faint this time* I can't believe it! I feel so special now…you guys make my day! And now, thank-yous:

MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus: I did get all my homework done! :) Thanks!

angelgurl161: Yes, romance is blossoming…but it'll take a while for the fruit to show! Aww…you added me to your favorites list? *blushes* I feel so honored now. Lol. Thanks! Second review…aww…hope you're feeling better. Lol. Yes, teachers can really suck…You almost swore at your teacher? Now that would be interesting…As for my house being lively: I'm constantly rebuking my brother, who needs to learn some manners, he's running around the house screaming such things as "Boom!" and "Crash!" at the top of his lungs, my mom's busy at her computer, and my dad's yelling at my brother to shut up. I think your house is a bit more…peaceful than mine…I feel honored that you think I'm funny; people are constantly telling me to loosen up. *grin* Hope this update was soon enough for you; I don't want to die!

Paul-85: Thanks!

LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR: If you need more adjectives, you can always go to thesaurus.com and type in "great"…*wink* Yes, they are helping each other…maybe they'll meet in the middle! Thanks!

LimeJuiceTub: Yes, that was a relatively calm chapter. And yes, I'm not going to tell you why I put that dream of Lily's in there…I'm not even sure myself! And by end of term, I mean end of the second trimester…at my school, we have trimesters, which are broken up by Winter and Spring Break…we just call it "term" when it's really a "trimester"! Thanks!

FrightninglyObsessed: Ah, yes, aren't we all obsessed with LOTR? Awesome books, awesome movie, awesome characters, awesome plot…okay, I'll stop now. Lol. Which songs? I'm obsessed with "May It Be," so…Lol. I'm sure your dancing can't be as bad as my brother's; he has no coordination. Thanks!

child-of-scorpio: Lol. Ah, the title "all-mighty Eos" (which should really be almighty…but who cares? Not me) resurfaces. Lol. I'm glad you liked that chapter (between you and me, that's my favorite one). Heh. For the sake of your "blood pressure, mental sanity, and general good health"? Oh, no…I'm hoping you aren't dead by now because it took me so long to update…But then again, I can pull the same thing on you: UPDATE "THE TRUTH OF THE HEART", DAMNIT! Sorry…momentary lapse of composure…you won't really tell, will you? *wink* Thanks!

Lady of Masbolle: Yes, everyone seems to like Sirius high on sugar. I rock? Why, thank you! Yes, I like that scene, too…Thanks!

J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin): Thanks!

Monica: Ooh, a long review! Wait, TWO long reviews! I'm glad you liked Chapter 4, even though I didn't, but I'm amazingly critical of my work…I'm glad you like Lily's "pranking" (although she calls it "revenge"…) Umm…I've always wanted to fly, so I thought Dorcas would have fun if Lily gave her wings…also, it was a bit of a messed-up transfiguration; Lily meant to turn Dorcas into a bird (but, of course, her transfiguration is a bit…lacking…) Yes, everyone did love Snape's "confession". Now to your second review…Lol, thanks for the compliment. I've been obsessed with grammar and perfection ever since I was very little, so I guess it shows…Yes, it is wonderful that Lily and James are friends…And of COURSE we're going to have more of the "make-you-grin-inside crush feelings" between the two of them; it's absolutely essential! Lol, yeah, I love Dorcas too. The best part about Dorcas, Alice, and Marlene is that I can use them and pretend that I'm being canon, but I can also make them my own characters…so much fun. And as far as the ball goes, I personally don't think I need a ball to get James and Lily together, and since balls are scheduled before the school year, I don't see how I can have one, even. Not to mention the fact that balls are incredibly clichéd. So…yeah. No ball. *grin* Thanks!

Jackie: Thanks!

Agloechen: Oh, I'm sorry that I made you cry…Yeah, I love that scene too…I never knew I could write something that fluffy…*wink* Thanks!

Loraliant Angelisa Snape: I'm glad you liked the chapter! That still sucks about the caffeine, though…if you still need help with the pranks issue, just e-mail me (if you need it again, just leave a message in a review and I'll send it to you again). Thanks!

hilaryous: Thanks!

Wind Whisperer: On your favorites list? I feel so honored now…Lol. Thanks!

Musicizdbest: Thanks!

SoulAvenger: What sane person wouldn't be scared of werewolves? If I knew they existed, I wouldn't hesitate to be scared of them, either! And do you really think I'll tell you what the dream means, especially when I don't know myself? You'll find out (as will I) soon enough! Thanks!

cHoCoLaTeZ: Yes, Lily and James are friends, and I'm jumping up and down thanking the powers that be for allowing that to happen. Aww…I'm so glad you think it's perfect…you know, that's what Microsoft Word is for…and if you want help with that, I'm always willing to lend a hand and teach grammar/spelling/etc. to people…with the aid of my trusty grammar handbook, lol. Thanks!

jess131346: I missed you out? Oh, I'm so sorry…Here…FOUR big chocolate chip cookies (the soft, gooey kind that's fresh out of the oven)! Lol. Thanks!

Danz: Lol. I'm sure there's a reason you didn't read this before. I thank you for your compliments. Lol. You should force that authoress to get off her duff and write some more…I'm glad you think my spelling/grammar/etc. is great! Thanks!

Laurana Starbreeze: Lol. Yes, you are crazy, but deep down, aren't we all? I can see why Sirius reminds you of yourself…ooh, I want to fly too; that's why I had Lily give Dorcas wings…I'll see what I can do about sending you a pair of wings for reviewing! Lol. Yes, it was sweet of Lily, wasn't it? Thanks!

fizban hat: MY SIRIUS! DON'T TOUCH HIM! *holds on to Sirius for dear life* *also dodges falling sky, while running around like Chicken Little* Of course an Acceptable is a bad mark for a perfectionist! What do you think Lily is? You know, I think I need bunny slippers, too…Lol. And of course Sirius compares James to Lily; she's perfect, he's not! (Just kidding…) No, Sirius doesn't get any chocolate…from James, that is. But Peter found a way to sneak him some. And I won't tell you if Lily's dream is foreshadowing…you'll just have to find out. *joins in song* Lily and James sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…Lol. Wow, your review jumps around A LOT…Thanks!

bridget: Sorry…I think someone else was the 100th reviewer, but you were close! I'm glad you love my story…I'm also glad that you like the development of James' liking Lily; and of course Lily has to have a sense of humor: otherwise, she wouldn't survive in my story! I'm grammar/spelling obsessed, so…yeah. I'm honored you think my writing's like JKR's…but then again, we all borrow techniques from the best. Yeah, I hate those plot lines too. James is not shallow, and neither is Sirius or any of JKR's other characters…And it's so much fun to take canon characters and make them my own, since we don't know that much about them…that's why I prefer to write Lily/James fanfiction…I'm glad you like Lily and James…and Alice is a new one; most people like Dorcas. Thanks!

Hogwarts-Drama-Queen: Well, life isn't all fun and games…Ooh, I want to see the ducky slippers! Lol. Thanks!

sweetthing131: Lol, nah, I don't mind. Yes, you do feel my pain, don't you? Lol. Thanks!

Christy Corr: I think the thing that reminded you of PotC was James' asking Lily to refer to him by his first name ("Will, how many times must I tell you to call me Elizabeth?") Lol. I'm glad you picked up on the James-still-likes-Lily thing…Yes, I like the development of their friendship, too…Lol. I want the bunny slippers now! *grin* Thanks!

Samhain13: Yeah, the internet can be sooo screwy…that bugs me, too. Thanks for the grammar comment…yeah, I never really paid too much attention to "bid" vs. "bade", but thanks; I'll look out for it now. *grin* You read my profile? Thanks…I do write it for a reason. You know, several of my friends have given me the same comment about dialogue…guess I'll have to write more of that, now! And to the "phrases that seem lifted right out of Rowling's text," I probably did lift some things out of her books…can't remember what they were, but…w/e. Of course we all do it; that's why it's fanfiction—we're piggybacking on someone else's idea and making it our own! Thanks!

Divine Sanity: Lol. Never met anyone else who's meticulous about spelling and grammar? I have several friends like that. Yes, everyone seems to like Sirius…Thanks!

Guess From Review: Interesting e-mail…and Julia, of course I can blame all of the teachers; otherwise, how do I have any fun? Hmm? *wink* Sheela says you spelled her name wrong…and she's not going to beat me up in the library…so there! You know that I'm used to you people using improper grammar…I just correct you and annoy the hell out of you that way! Lol! Umm…yeah, I think I broke both my legs…that was certainly a good performance, wasn't it? Thanks!

ladyvoldermort: Thanks!

justanothergirl: Long reviews are good…*grins* and I don't care about your "weird internet writing style and 'lingo'" so long as I can understand what you're saying. Yes, I understand the feeling about the spelling/grammar/etc…that bugs me, too. I'm glad you liked this enough to read past the first chapter…I feel special now! I should really thank the friend who advertised this on IMDB…I'm glad you like my writing style…yeah, I try not to be too over-the-top with my vocabulary. Heh. Someone finally notices the little details on which I comment…I'm glad you think I'm funny; I always thought I was serious as hell (which isn't very serious, but I think you get the point). The Snape-in-the-pink-dress is something that no one else has commented on…interesting. I'm glad you like the supporting characters. And constructive criticism is not bashing…I rather enjoy reading criticism, anyways. Oops! *claps hand over mouth* Didn't mean to say "candy", but I live in the U.S., not the U.K., so…I'm sorry I wasn't too true to where they live. And yes, I use a lot of repetition; I try to tone it down, but it sneaks in no matter how much I use it…I never really thought of the death references as having any special significance…they're just phrases/expressions I use…I could always find new ones. Lol, of course I borrow from those who have written brilliant things. *wink* Anyways…wow…that was a really long response…Heh. Yeah, we are addicted to this stuff, but chocolate tops the list of things I'm addicted to! Thanks for your comments; I really appreciate them!

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A/N: I'm glad that so many of you like this story; it's certainly a pleasure to write. Also, could you please thank angelgurl121, my beta? She's awesome! Chapter 7 should be out sometime before the end of the month, and keep reviewing; you guys motivate me to write faster!

~Eos