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'm really sorry that this chapter took so long in coming; circumstances were just against me. It's long, so I hope that makes up for some of the long wait…And I'd like to apologize to my beta, angelgurl161, who is NOT "angelgurl121", as I have been saying…I think I need glasses…Lol. Anyways, I'll stop so you can read the chapter!
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INCOMPATIBLE
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Let me get this straight," Sirius said, furrowing his brows. It was the day after James and Lily's trip to Hogsmeade, and James was sitting with his friends in their dorm, telling them about their excursion the previous night. Sirius continued, "You spend ages talking with Lily out on the Quidditch Pitch—which, by the way, you won't say anything about, because Lily made you promise not to—then, the two of you work on planning the Hallowe'en Feast until midnight." Sirius paused, taking a breath, and finished, "You then proceeded to give her a lecture about not stressing so much, after which you show her the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map, and take her through a secret passage to Hogsmeade, where you show her how we get butterbeer after hours and then take her to our hill." He shook his head in disbelief. "I never thought it would happen, but…you love her, mate." Remus and Peter nodded in agreement.
"I don't love her!" James exclaimed, throwing up his hands in frustration. "I just like her a little!"
"A little?" Remus scoffed. "Prongs, you're so smitten with her that you can't see straight. Think about it. Before this year, would you have ever considered sharing any of our secrets with her?"
"Well, I don't know," James said, trying his best to avoid the question, though he knew full well that he was horrible at lying, and his friends would soon call his bluff. "I mean, I barely knew her, and she was a Prefect, and we've always been at war with the Prefects—except for you, Moony, of course—and, well, I never really liked her, and—" He was cut off by his friends' laughter.
"You—you are so bad at lying," Sirius gasped out.
"Your face was bright red!" Peter snickered. James scowled at his friends, but said nothing, knowing his friends were right; he could practically feel the heat spreading across his face. He huffed as he folded his arms across his chest.
"I hate you guys," he declared.
"Aww, thanks, Prongsie," Sirius said, jumping on his friend's bed.
"Don't call me that!" James snapped angrily.
"What? Prongsie?" Sirius asked innocently.
"Yes!" James snapped. Sirius grinned wickedly.
"Well, then," he said, standing up, "Prongsie likes Lily! Prongsie likes Lily! Prongsie likes Lily! Prongsie likes Lily!" he sung, dancing around the dorm.
"Shut up!" James said, irritated. Sirius immediately sat down and started crying (or faking it—James was unable to tell, as his friend was hiding his face).
"Prongsie hates me," he wailed. James sighed heavily.
"What part of 'shut up' do you not understand?" James asked, burying his face in his hands.
"I think it's the 'shut'," Peter supplied helpfully.
"Or the 'up'," Remus added. They then looked at each other and grinned.
"Or both," they said in unison. James groaned.
"Is today 'Torture James Potter Day' or something?" he asked, his voice muffled by his hands. Sirius was still bawling loudly.
"Uh-huh," Peter replied. "You just missed the memo on the Notice Board."
"Ha ha, very funny," James replied sarcastically, looking up from his hands. "And Padfoot, stop that infernal racket!" Sirius' howling only grew in intensity. Peter started rubbing his temples, closing his eyes and wincing.
"Padfoot, you're giving me a headache again," he groaned. Remus sighed, flicking his wand at Peter, who smiled thankfully at his friend as the pounding in his head lessened. Remus then stood up and walked over to where Sirius was sitting on the floor.
"Padfoot, stop this right now," he commanded, folding his arms across his chest. "Prongs doesn't hate you. Isn't that right, James?" He looked pointedly at James, who nodded fervently; at this point, he would do anything to shut Sirius up.
"Of course not, Padfoot," he reassured his friend. "How could you ever think that?" Sirius sniffed, raising his head from his hands. His face was dry.
"Ha ha!" he exclaimed, jumping up. "Fooled you that time, didn't I?" James only groaned as he collapsed backwards onto his bed, cursing as his head hit the headboard. The other three laughed, all talk of James' fancying Lily forgotten. James hoped the subject would never come up again, but knew that it was unlikely—his friends were as unwilling to let go of something as a Grindylow, and he was sure that he would get no peace for the rest of the year. He groaned softly at the idea; it was a thought almost too horrific to contemplate.
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A week passed, and Lily and James saw little of each other outside of classes, as they were trying to keep up with all the work their teachers were piling on them; they had even managed to get Professor Dumbledore's permission to skip rounds for the week. Both were often heard complaining loudly to their friends about the stress of taking six N.E.W.T. classes. As always, they were reminded that taking the six courses had been their choice, and not anyone else's, leaving both Lily and James snapping at anyone who disturbed the peace of the Common Room for the rest of the night.
When Friday afternoon finally rolled around, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, glad to finally have a break from their classes—except for Lily and James.
"Lily, do you want to come outside with us?" Marlene asked that Friday afternoon in the Common Room. Classes had just finished and many students were trying to enjoy what was left of autumn before snow fell; it was unusually cold that year.
"I can't!" Lily exclaimed, scribbling furiously on her Charms essay. "I have so much work to do before Monday—finish my Charms essay, write a 3-foot essay for Professor McGonagall on Human Transfiguration and practice it so I don't embarrass myself in class, research and write a two-and-a-half-foot essay on Veritaserum, draw a labeled picture of an occamy for Care of Magical Creatures—"
"Argh!" Dorcas made a sound in her throat and rushed forward, grabbing Lily by the shoulders and shaking her slightly. "Will you stop it? It's a perfectly lovely day ("It's 4 degrees out there!" Lily exclaimed, but Dorcas ignored her), and you're ruining it by talking about homework. It's Friday, Lils. The bloody weekend! ("Language, Dorcas!" Lily exclaimed, but Dorcas brushed her off.) You need to take a break!"
"I can't afford to take a break!" Lily protested, removing Dorcas' hands from her shoulders. "And don't call me Lils," she added as an afterthought, resuming her frantic writing. Dorcas threw up her hands in despair.
"I give up, Lils," she said, emphasizing the word "Lils" to irritate her friend. "Just don't come crying to us when you kill yourself from overwork."
"I assure you I will do nothing of the sort," Lily said, not looking up as she worked on her essay. "And did I not tell you to not call me 'Lils'?"
"Lils, Lils, Lils, Lils, Lils!" Dorcas retorted, hands on her hips.
"Ooh, you…" Lily looked up and reached into her pocket for her wand.
"Me what?" Dorcas asked, grinning at having finally garnered some sort of reaction from her friend.
"You make me want to hex you!" the redhead answered heatedly.
"Then go ahead and hex me!" Dorcas exclaimed. "What's stopping you?" Lily smiled wickedly and pulled out her wand, twirling it before pointing it directly at Dorcas. She then lowered it, biting her lip.
"I can't hex you; I'll get a detention!" she said, turning back to her work as she pocketed her wand. "And if I get a detention, I'll never be able to finish my homework!" Dorcas groaned, turning to Marlene and Alice, who were standing a little ways behind her.
"Come on, you two, let's go," she said. "Our esteemed Head Girl obviously has much better things to do than spend time with us." She left with Marlene, but Alice stayed behind.
"She's right, you know," she said quietly, sitting down next to Lily.
"I know," Lily sighed. "But…really, Alice, I'm so bogged down with work that I can't see any way to lessen my load. As soon as I finish something, there's something else for me to do. And if I manage to finish all of my work now, I may get ahead, and be able to keep myself from being so stressed out."
"Why don't you just tell that to Dorcas?"
"Because she won't understand," Lily explained. "She puts off all her work until the last minute, and doesn't see the point in working ahead."
"I guess you're right," Alice said, standing up. "But won't you come out with us?"
"Maybe in a little while, when I've actually finished some of this," Lily said, gesturing to the piles of books and parchment that surrounded her. "But don't count on it."
"All right," Alice said, knowing that Lily's answer was the best she could hope to receive. She left, and Lily turned back to her essay with a sigh, knowing that although she would finish her work and—hopefully—have time to goof off later, she would still regret not spending more time with her friends. After all, who knew what would happen when they left Hogwarts? Lily did not claim to be able to see the future, nor did she want to know.
In any case, Voldemort had made his presence known in the past week, with an attack on an Auror's household (his name had yet to be disclosed). There had apparently been a commotion there one night, and when the neighbors—who were also wizards—investigated the next day, they found the prone bodies of the Auror and his family, killed by the Avada Kedavra curse. There had been a green smoke image of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth, hovering eerily over their bodies. The front page of the Evening Prophet that day had been splashed with pictures of the killing, causing the entire wizarding world to be on edge. The Prophet had also done some research and had come to the same conclusions that Lily had a few weeks earlier: this attack was linked to the mysterious disappearances and deaths that had been occurring in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds.
And then a letter, marked with the same skull that had been found at the site of the murders, arrived at the Ministry of Magic, addressed to the Minister, throwing the magical community into a state of panic. The Prophet had somehow managed to see the letter sent to the Minister, and then printed it in the paper, causing mass hysteria. It had been signed by Voldemort himself, and in it, he stated a campaign against those who were "impure"—Muggles, for the most part, but a smaller threat had been sent about Muggleborns and half-bloods—and "unfit to live." He called his followers "Death Eaters," a name that, in the space of a few short days, had become synonymous with terror. A few people were even scared to utter Voldemort's name, instead opting to call him "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," and the skull with the snake coming out of his mouth, which seemed to be Voldemort's symbol, had been named the "Dark Mark."
Security was at an all-time high as the wizarding world entered a state of terror that had not been seen since the time of Grindelwald, in the 1940s, and even Hogwarts, isolated from the world as it was, was not immune to the effects of Voldemort. None of the students were allowed to be out past curfew, with the exception of the Prefects and Head Students, and even then, only the teachers were allowed out past midnight. And now, owls from the Ministry of Magic were arriving daily, and there was always one student or another rushing out of the Great Hall in tears. Lily, especially, was worried.
She had not told anyone, but she had noticed a pattern in the deaths of all of the wizards and witches. Every single one of them had been a Muggleborn or been openly against the Dark Arts. Of course, some the more influential purebloods—including the McKinnons, the Bones, and the Potters—were still unscathed, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort turned his attentions to them. She was afraid that telling someone would make them worry for her even more than they already were.
A loud explosion from the other side of the Common Room jerked Lily out of her reverie and she looked up, her eyes narrowing as she discovered the source of the commotion. Sirius, in characteristic curiosity (and no small amount of idiocy—both attributable to the large quantity of sugar he had consumed with his breakfast; he had attacked the sugar bowl), had decided to construct a castle using five decks of Exploding Snap cards. Of course, as luck would have it, it was not until he put the very last one into place that it exploded, and the combined force of the 260 cards had started a small fire.
Sirius was sitting in front of the tiny blaze, watching it in fascination as the people around him started to yell and run away in fright. Lily's green eyes narrowed even further, and she stormed over to the scene of the disaster. She immobilized the flames with a flame-freezing charm to prevent them from causing any more damage and extinguished the fire with jets of water from her wand. With another flick of her wand, she restored the carpet to its original state before turning and glaring at the rest of the Gryffindors.
"I suppose you all forgot how to perform a simple flame-freezing charm?" she asked angrily, hands on her hips. There was no answer. Lily then turned to the perpetrator, whose eyebrows were thoroughly singed.
"And Sirius, what possessed you to do such a stupid thing? Five decks of Exploding Snap cards? You're lucky no one was hurt! What were you thinking?"
"Er…I wasn't?" Sirius hazarded, looking up at her in fear.
"Too right you weren't," Lily said briskly. "But to prevent any further incidents, two weeks' detention and thirty points from Gryffindor—twenty for your lack of foresight and a further ten for the fact that no one had the presence of mind to put out the fire." At the loud outcry from the other members of the common room, she whirled around, eyes flashing. "Would you like me to make it fifty?" Silence.
"Don't you think that's being a little harsh, Lily?" Remus finally spoke up from his seat in the opposite corner of the common room. "After all, you can hardly blame people for being scared of fire."
"I don't see you saying anything to Sirius about his idiocy," she retorted, turning on him. The rest of the Gryffindors, relieved that Lily's redheaded temper had been averted from them, carefully returned to where they were sitting—with one exception. There was a ten-foot radius surrounding Lily and Sirius, with only Remus and Peter daring to sit close enough to incur her wrath. Idly, she wondered where James was before focusing back on Remus, her eyes narrowed in anger.
"You're doing a fine enough job," Remus replied, his eyes glimmering with amusement. "Besides, the day that Sirius listens to my advice is the day that James can actually sing."
"Which is never," Peter grinned from his seat next to Remus.
"I did warn him that the consequences if the castle exploded might be a little more…dangerous," Remus added, "but our friend here," he gestured to Sirius, "never listens. Isn't that right, Sirius?" Sirius nodded enthusiastically, still experiencing the aftereffects of consuming more sugar than was healthy for him.
"That's right, Moon-Remus," he agreed, catching himself before he broadcasted Remus' nickname to the rest of Gryffindor. Lily raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"All right, then," she said. "It's twenty points from Gryffindor. Remus, you really should consider becoming a diplomat." She started to walk back to her table, but paused, turning around.
"And Sirius?" she said, her eyes twinkling.
"Yes?" Sirius asked warily. He knew the grin that Lily was wearing all too well—she was very pleased with herself, for some reason.
"Stick to Gobstones," she advised. Her grin broadened as Sirius stared at her, eyes wide. Remus watched the scene, his mouth twitching slightly. It was really amazing how she could go from being furious and yelling at Sirius to cheerful and joking in a matter of seconds—maybe that was why James was so attracted to her. The two of them certainly had enough mood swings to last any normal person a lifetime.
Peter tugged on Remus' sleeve, bringing him back to reality. With a sigh, he turned back to helping his friend with his Transfiguration essay, wishing for the umpteenth time that the N.E.W.T.s would just shrivel up and die. Of course, that was as likely as Sirius' turning to the Dark Side and becoming a Death Eater, he mused with another sigh.
Remus shook his head and focused on Human Transfiguration, wishing that the book in front of him would burst into flames—although, he mulled with a hint of amusement, Lily would probably crucify him if it did…
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James had spent the entire afternoon in the Library avoiding his friends. They had taken to showing up at inopportune moments throughout the week and trying to persuade him to ask Lily out; he had finally tired of it and taken refuge in the Library, knowing that if they even dared to bug him there, he could just set Madam Pince on them. He still remembered the incident when, in Fifth Year, his friends had pestered him about the same thing, and, upon his complaining to the Librarian, the three boys had been chased out of the library by their belongings. Remus' bag had been a particular danger, as it had been full of books, and poor Peter had had to spend a night in the hospital wing, trying to recuperate from the numerous blows he had suffered to his head.
So when Remus turned up on his own in the Library, apparently looking for someone, James tried to hide his head behind the massive pile of books in front of him. Of course, Remus being Remus, he immediately knew where James was, and made a beeline for the far corner of the Library.
"Hello, Prongs," he whispered amiably, pulling out the chair next to James' and sitting down. James glared at him.
"If you're here to bug me about Lily again…" He trailed off ominously. Remus smiled slightly.
"It's rather interesting that no matter how hard you try to keep us from talking to you about Lily, you always bring her up in conversation," he said. James' scowl intensified. "But no, I'm not here to talk to you about Lily. I've just about given up; between the full moon, trying to keep Padfoot from doing anything stupid while suffering from a sugar high, and trying to convince you to face your feelings for Lily, I've spread myself thin. I think I'll stick with surviving the next few days and trying to dissuade Padfoot from his idiotic ventures; he started a small fire in the Common Room today."
"You're kidding," James stated, his eyes widening slightly behind his glasses. Remus shook his head.
"You know how he was talking about building a card castle using five decks of Exploding Snap cards?" James nodded. "Well, he did it. And, just as luck would have it, the thing didn't explode until Padfoot put the last card on. Then, of course, it started a small fire and everyone ran away. Lily was having a fit." Remus' smile broadened. "She can scare Padfoot just as much as your mum can. He didn't even have one of his perfect excuses on hand, just admitted that he hadn't thought ahead."
"Really?" the black-haired boy asked. Remus nodded. "Wow," James breathed. "She's amazing."
"I really don't see why you can't just ask her out if you think she's so wonderful," Remus commented. James glowered, and his friend raised his hands in surrender. "But we won't get into that. The real reason I came here is because there's a Prefect meeting in," he checked his watch, "two minutes, and I didn't think you remembered."
"There is?" James asked, his head shooting up. Remus nodded. "Shoot! Lily's going to have my head on a platter if I'm not there!" James leapt up, stuffed his things into his bag, and dashed out of the room. Remus grinned.
"What do you think he'll say when he finds out that the meeting isn't for another hour and that Lily's the only one there?" Sirius whispered, coming out from his hiding place behind the bookshelf. Peter joined them, shaking with mirth.
"He's going to have your head, Moony!" he exclaimed. Remus chuckled.
"He'll thank us later. Besides, he needs to get the Hallowe'en Feast ready…last I heard, we're going to be eating in a dark, undecorated Great Hall—and we're going to eat whatever the House Elves feel like preparing." Sirius stared at his friend.
"No food? No pumpkins? No things we can use to prank Snape?" he asked incredulously. Remus sighed, shaking his head.
"No, Padfoot," he said. "And if you keep up in that manner, I won't help you with your prank, and you'll end up with detention from now until you graduate."
"That's just cruel, Moony," Sirius said. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" He widened his eyes and stuck out his lower lip, trying to look as pathetic as possible. He failed miserably, as the other two boys started laughing.
"Padfoot, don't ever try to gain sympathy with that look," Peter laughed. "You look like you're dying." Remus laughed even harder, causing Sirius to join in. Suddenly aware of another presence in their group, Peter looked up, and gulped as he saw Madam Pince standing next to the table, seeming to tower several feet above them. Luckily, none of them had brought any of their belongings in with them, so she just chased them out of the Library herself. They collapsed in the corridor outside, still laughing, and wondered how their friend was faring with Lily.
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Lily was sitting in a chair at the front of the room in which the Prefects held all their meetings, her Potions text open on her lap as she scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment, glancing at the book every so often. Several other books were lying open, scattered around her chair, and she would occasionally peek at them as well.
She heard the door open and looked up, smiling as James rushed into the room, closing the door behind him. He looked around wildly and, upon seeing no one but Lily, ran his hand through his hair nervously and looked around.
"Have I missed the meeting?" he asked. Lily looked up at him in surprise.
"It hasn't even started yet, James," she said. "It won't start for another fifty-five minutes."
"Fifty-five?" James repeated. Lily nodded, glancing at her watch.
"Fifty-five," she confirmed, resuming her frantic scribbling. James glared at something over her head.
"Moony is going to pay," he declared.
"Why?" she asked curiously, looking up at him.
"He told me that I was late for the meeting," he replied, still glowering. She smiled.
"Is that all?" she asked. "It doesn't seem like such a big deal—"
"It is when I want to get my work done so I can actually get some sleep for once," James cut in. Lily nodded.
"I can see where you're coming from. Have you started the Potions homework yet?"
"Are you kidding? I think Malotier's trying to kill us with all the work he's assigned. I mean, a full two-and-a-half feet on Veritaserum? I don't think there are even two complete paragraphs about it in our textbook!"
"That's what the Library's for," Lily replied, gesturing to the books surrounding her. "You want to use them when I'm done?"
"Sure," James said, perching himself on the arm of the chair. He read over her shoulder, "Veritaserum is probably the best-known truth serum. A clear-colored liquid, it is sometimes mistaken for such fluids as water and vodka—" He paused, looking up at Lily in surprise. "Vodka?"
"That's what the book said!" she exclaimed, pulling her essay away as she continued to write. "Who am I to argue with such facts?"
"Lily, what book did you find it in?" he asked, amused. She pointed at a book with a purple cover, and James picked it up, looking at the title.
"The Subtle Science of Potions-Making: Everything You Always Wanted to Know But Were Too Afraid to Ask," he read. He stared at her. "You trust this?"
"Severus Snape recommended it when I asked him for suggestions," Lily said, snatching the book from his hands. James grinned.
"Lily, Lily, Lily," he said, shaking his head.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, looking up at him.
"You're too trusting," James answered. "Did you honestly think that Snivellus would help you without any ulterior motives? He's a Slytherin!"
"Which means absolutely nothing," she retorted.
"Oh?" he asked. "Name me one Slytherin in our year who's decent to Gryffindors."
"Well…um…" Lily fumbled for an answer and James folded his arms across his chest triumphantly.
"See? There aren't any!"
"But the rest of the books Severus recommended to me were really helpful!" Lily argued. "You can't just damn him because of who he is!"
"Of course I can," James answered. "He's Snivellus, Lily. That alone should tell you what he is. He's a Death Eater in training!"
"No, he's not," Lily replied, shaking her head. "Not all Slytherins will be Death Eaters, you know."
"But most of them will, and even if they don't dare to enlist in Voldemort's army, they'll all still support him! They think he has the right idea, Lily!"
"And how would you know?" she demanded. "Are you sneaking into the Slytherin Common Room nowadays?"
"No—Sirius told me," James replied. Lily nodded in understanding. Of all the Seventh Year Gryffindors, Sirius was the one who truly knew the most about the Slytherins and their mannerisms, the Blacks being some of the darkest purebloods in the wizarding world. "When Sirius ran away and came to my place, he told me that his brother Regulus had already joined the ranks of the Death Eaters." Sirius had run away from home the summer after Fifth Year and was now living with James, having grown fed up with his family's pureblood mentality. "So really, Lily, I'd advise you to stay away from them."
"Thanks, but I can make my own decisions," she replied coldly, pulling her essay towards her and starting to write once more, making it obvious that the discussion on the Slytherins was over. James sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration, making it even messier than usual.
"Look, Lils, I'm just concerned about you," he tried to justify himself to her. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"And I appreciate your sentiments," Lily answered him, still writing. "But I do believe that I can take care of myself."
"Merlin, Lily!" James exclaimed, suppressing the urge to punch the wall. "What is wrong with accepting help from other people?" There was silence in the room as Lily scribbled something more, and then, with a flourish, she placed her quill in the inkpot on the table next to her, rolling up her parchment. She waved her wand, causing all of the books lying around her to form a neat stack next to her, and then turned to face James.
"I won't always have other people there to help me," she explained. "I have to know how to get along on my own."
"It won't hurt you to let people in once in a while!" James retorted.
"I do," Lily contradicted. "It's just…" She sighed, deep in thought. She bit her lip and then looked back up at James. "This is so weird."
"What?" James asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on. We've apparently hated each other since First Year, and now, in a matter of weeks, we're suddenly fairly good friends. I don't think I've had a civil conversation with you since the first day of First Year, and now, all of a sudden, we're talking all the time. You have to admit that this is so…weird." James was pensive for a few moments; he had never thought of his sudden friendship with Lily that way.
"I suppose," he admitted. "But all the same, it's a bit…refreshing not to argue with you constantly." Lily smiled slightly.
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" She shook her head slightly in disbelief. "I never thought we'd get along—ever. Whenever I thought of the future, I always imagined that even when I was old and gray, I'd still hate James Potter." Her smile broadened. "I guess it shows how people can change."
"I guess so," James replied, a little unnerved by her declaration. Even though he had maintained the same sentiments for several years, it still made him unhappy when he was reminded of how much Lily had hated him. He was very glad things had changed—Lily, once he got past the façade of the "Perfect Prefect" that he had christened her, was an intriguing person, and certainly more his intellectual equal than any of the other girls he had known, let alone dated.
"What're you thinking about?" Lily's voice cut through James' thoughts, jerking him out of his reverie.
"Nothing, really," he answered. "Just…I'm glad we changed."
"Me, too," she smiled. James returned her smile with his own lopsided grin, and she was suddenly struck by how piercing his hazel eyes were. Even behind his glasses, which were slightly fogged, they held a penetrating quality that drew Lily's gaze to them. Suddenly aware that she was staring, she blushed slightly and averted her eyes.
"So," she commented, "since we never got to finish planning the Hallowe'en Feast last weekend, do you want to see if we can make any decisions now?"
"Sure," he agreed, grinning as he remembered their constant arguing over the preparations for the Feast. "What do you want to start with?" Lily reached into her bag, pulling out a sheet of parchment, and picked up her quill.
"How about the decorations?"
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Several minutes later, Remus entered the Prefect Meeting Room. He smiled as he saw Lily and James arguing heatedly over something, and struggled to keep his laughter inside. However, he was unsuccessful, and a soft chuckle escaped him, alerting Lily and James to his presence. Their eyes locked upon him, and he grinned.
"'Lo, Prongs," he said. "You're early!"
"You'd better watch your back, Moony," James said through gritted teeth. "You never know what I might do for revenge."
"You seemed to be enjoying yourself," Remus remarked. "Is arguing with Lily your new stress reliever?"
"Ha ha, very funny," James said dryly, glowering at his friend.
"Thank you, I thought it was," Remus responded. Lily laughed.
"Remus, maybe you can help us," she said. "We can't decide on decorations for the Hallowe'en Feast. Pumpkins or none?"
"Pumpkins, definitely," Remus answered. "Hagrid will be so disappointed if we don't use those huge orange ones he's been procuring."
"Ha!" James exclaimed, turning to Lily. "I told you so!"
"James, I haven't forgotten that incident in Fourth Year where the pumpkins caused absolute havoc and set fire to all of the Slytherin drapes in the Hall," Lily retorted, scribbling something on her parchment. "I don't want a repeat of that—you're lucky Professor Dumbledore found it so amusing, or you'd still be in detention for that. Remember how livid Malotier was?"
"Merlin, I'll never forget the look on that old devil's face!" James chortled. "Wish I'd taken a picture. My only regret is that he didn't burn up with those banners…"
"James!" Lily exclaimed, shocked.
"Ah, come on, Lils," he protested earnestly. "You can't say that you'd mind if he died. Frankly, I think we'd all be better off without him." Lily shook her head.
"Will you ever grow up?"
"Nope," James said proudly. Lily sighed.
"Moving on," she turned back to her parchment, "for the other decorations: black or orange?" She looked expectantly at Remus.
"Both," he replied. James and Lily looked at each other in surprise.
"Now why didn't we think of that?" James asked in wonderment.
"Maybe it's because you're too stubborn to compromise?" Lily answered snidely.
"Well, excuse me, Miss 'I'm-so-perfect-I'd-never-do-such-a-thing-as-not-compromise'," James retorted. "You were as stubborn as I was!"
"I was not!" Lily replied angrily.
"You were too!" James rejoined.
"Was not!"
"Were too!"
"Was not!"
"Were too!'
"Was not was not was not!"
"Were too were too were too!"
"Was not was—"
"Oh, will the two of you give it a rest?" Remus burst out. "No wonder you can't decide on anything!" Lily and James flushed, glaring at each other one last time for good measure.
"Sorry, Remus," Lily apologized.
"Won't happen again," James assured his friend. Remus laughed.
"You two will argue as long as both of you still draw breath," he contradicted his friend. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were both on your deathbeds, and still yelling 'Was not!' and 'Were too!' at each other!"
"We're not really that bad, are we, Remus?" Lily asked, frowning slightly.
"Yes, you are," he answered with a grin. "Now what else couldn't you agree on?" Lily consulted her list.
"Should we have entertainment?" she asked him.
"Of course!" Remus said. "Do you want us to be bored out of our minds?"
"I told you so!" Lily exclaimed, turning to James.
"So?" he retorted. "You have to admit that your idea of having the ghosts provide entertainment isn't very interesting—they do it every year!"
"So then what do you propose?" Lily asked him. James thought a little.
"I think we should have bats fly in at the very beginning, and then we should have a troupe of dancing skeletons—that would be different and would still keep with the theme of Hallowe'en," he suggested. Lily tilted her head and stared at him for a little while. "What?" he asked, unnerved by her gaze. "What did I say?"
"You know, that might just work," Lily admitted. "That's a really good idea, James." James grinned, turning slightly pink at the compliment. She scribbled it down on her parchment as Remus smiled.
"I don't think you guys need me at all," he stated. "You're doing quite well on your own—you just might want to remember that the meeting starts in about," he checked his watch, "five minutes."
"Five minutes?" Lily exclaimed. She looked around her at the balls of parchment scattered on the floor. "I have to clean this place up!" She leapt up and started picking them up, but James stopped her.
"Evanesco," he said, waving his wand at the crumpled-up parchment, which disappeared. Lily smiled sheepishly.
"Thanks," she said. "I tend to forget that I'm a witch sometimes; I'm so used to the Muggle way of doing things, even after all these years."
"It's okay," James answered. "We all have little moments like that." He paused. "What I still don't understand is how you Muggles get along without magic." Lily laughed.
"Quite easily, actually," she answered. "Yes, it's more convenient to just be able to wave your wand, say a few words, and have the house clean, but working the Muggle way can be fun."
"Says you," Hestia Jones, a black-haired, half-blood Prefect from Ravenclaw, retorted, entering the room. She was in Sixth Year, and was known around the school for having had a nervous breakdown the previous year due to the stress of the O.W.L.s. "I think it's horrid," she continued. Lily laughed.
"That's what Mum says, but I enjoy it, so she makes me clean the house."
"Ugh," Hestia shuddered. "I hate cleaning, period—I'm a right slob."
"You can't be as bad as Sirius," Remus said from his seat near the back of the room. "It's a miracle he can find his clothes in the morning; there's so much junk in his part of the room. We even had to make a barrier to prevent any of his things from leaving that area, or the whole room would be covered in his stuff." James laughed.
"Remember when his textbook came flying at him because he threw it onto my bed?" he asked. Remus joined his friend's laughter. "He was nearly decapitated!" James explained to the two girls, who also started laughing at the thought of a book flying at Sirius' head.
As the other Prefects filed in, chatting amongst themselves, Lily and James collected themselves and took their seats. Hestia laughed for a little longer with Remus before sitting next to him as Lily cleared her throat for order. Everyone quieted down, the Slytherins taking longer than the rest and only falling silent when James glared at them.
"Right, then," Lily said, pulling out a sheaf of parchment from her bag. "I'll start by taking attendance." She glanced around. "Is anyone missing?" Near the back of the room, a boy raised his hand. "Yes?" Lily asked.
"Regulus Black isn't here," he stated.
"And did Mr. Black give you a reason for not being here?"
"I believe he said something about 'not wanting to work with a Mudblood Head Girl'," Severus Snape cut in. He was standing in the back corner, his back against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest, giving him the look of a dark presence looming over everyone. At his words, there was a general uproar, and several Prefects leapt up, James included.
"Take that back," he said dangerously, his wand out and pointed at Snape.
"James!" Lily exclaimed, standing up as well. "Stop it!" James hesitated.
"That's right, Potter, listen to your Mudblood girlfriend!" a voice jeered at him. James whirled around to face the direction from which the voice had come, gripping his wand so hard that his knuckles were white.
"Who said that?" he demanded harshly. The room was silent. "Who?" When there was no answer, he turned his wand back to Snape. Lily took advantage of the quiet to step forwards and grab James' arm, forcing his wand down.
"What are you doing, you idiot?" she hissed in his ear. "Let me handle this—I've had to deal with it for all of my Hogwarts years. Just stop it! You're making a mess of everything!" James tucked his wand into his pocket, hanging his head. "I'll speak with you later," Lily promised quietly. She then turned to the rest of the room, taking charge.
"Everyone, sit down." Most of the Prefects obeyed, with the exception of the Slytherins. "Sit down and be quiet, or I'll speak to your Head of House and have your badges revoked!" Reluctantly, the Slytherins sunk into their seats, glaring at her. Lily then turned to Snape. "Severus, please inform Mr. Black that he has detention all of next week for his failure to attend the meeting without a satisfactory reason. Also, twenty points will be removed from Slytherin for foul language."
"You can't do that!" Bellatrix Black exclaimed, standing up angrily.
"I believe that I can, Miss Black," Lily replied coolly, although her blood was boiling. How dare they question her authority? She was Head Girl, for Merlin's sake! "Head Students are allowed to deduct points. Now sit down and control yourself, or I will make it fifty." With a glower, Bellatrix sat down, muttering furiously to the Slytherins around her.
"Did I not tell you to be quiet?" Lily demanded harshly. The Slytherins immediately stopped talking. "This meeting is adjourned; we will have another meeting at the same time next week. You are dismissed." The students began to file out, subdued, when she called out, "And Rosier?" Evan Rosier, the Sixth Year Slytherin Prefect, turned around. "A week's detention, and you are on probation. I shall speak to Professor Malotier tomorrow about this." Rosier sneered, but said nothing as he left the room. Finally, only Lily, James, and Remus were left. Lily sighed heavily, sinking into her chair and rubbing her temples.
"You handled that well, Lily," Remus told her quietly.
"Thank you, Remus," she said, looking up. She then glanced over at James, who was scowling, and Remus caught her meaning.
"I'll just…er…go and let you two be," he said, departing hastily. As soon as the door closed behind him, James turned to Lily.
"Why'd you stop me?" he demanded angrily. "I was going to hex that bastard for calling you a—a—you-know-what!" Lily sighed again.
"I thought you'd grown up enough to not rise to the Slytherins' name-calling," she rebuked him. "I've told you before, and I'll tell you again: I don't need you to defend me from them. I can fight my own battles, James. If you just do everything for me, it'll look like a sign of weakness, and the Slytherins will pounce on it, saying that I'm unfit to be Head Girl. Neither you, nor I, can afford to lose our temper; it's just another strike against us! Don't you understand? We have to set an example, and if you go around hexing everyone who uses the word 'Mudblood'"—James flinched—"you're only showing that you think violence is the only way to solve the problem. That's not setting a good example!"
"Do you ever think about anything besides setting a good example and not besmirching your perfect record?" James asked, throwing up his hands in a combined gesture of frustration and anger. "So what if I want to protect you? So what if I want to show you how to have a good time? I'm sorry for bloody caring about you enough to want to bloody help!"
"Language, James," Lily chided him. Her comment only incensed his anger.
"I'll talk however I bloody well feel like!" he exclaimed. "You're so…so…aggravating!"
"Well, excuse me for taking my job seriously," Lily said curtly. "Someone has to set an example here, and as you aren't doing a very good job here, the responsibility falls to me." She stood, collecting her belongings. "I suggest you find some way of cooling your temper, or I may have to speak with Professor McGonagall about putting you on probation."
"What?" James spluttered. "You can't do that!"
"I can, and I will," Lily replied calmly. "Have a good evening, James." She closed her eyes briefly, suddenly ashamed of her anger, but did not say anything. With a light sigh, she started to walk out, but stopped as James called out to her.
"Lily?" he asked.
"Yes?" She turned around to face him.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, unable to bear the thought of her being mad at him. You fancy her, an annoying little voice in the back of his head—which sounded remarkably like Sirius—told him as he wondered why he felt that he had to apologize.
"It's all right," Lily said, smiling at him. "I'm sorry, too—I guess I was a bit harsh with you. Truce?" She held out her hand to James. He stood up, walked over to her, and shook her proffered hand, grinning at her.
"Truce," he agreed. "And I'll try to keep my temper in check."
"Counting to ten usually helps," Lily suggested with a smile.
"Thanks, I'll remember that," he said, returning her grin. "Oh, and about helping you with Transfiguration tomorrow—d'you still need help?" Lily nodded.
"Uh-huh," she answered. "I don't really get Human Transfiguration, and the only reason I'm even getting Es is because you help me every Saturday. You're really good at explaining things…" She trailed off.
"Thanks, I guess," James said, rubbing the back of his neck, which had turned slightly red with embarrassment. "Anyways, we can't do it tomorrow—there's the Quidditch game, and then the party afterwards." He looked Lily directly in the eye, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "You are going to the game, aren't you?"
"Of course," she said, offended that he would doubt her loyalty to Gryffindor. "Gryffindor-Slytherin, right?"
"That's always the opening game for every season," James agreed. "So you'll be there?"
"Yes," Lily replied. She glanced at her watch. "And I'm sorry, but I have to skedaddle; I usually help Dorcas with Potions around now. I'll see you later, James."
"Wait!" James said. "I'll come with you." He grabbed his bag and walked with Lily out of the room. "So, can we meet on Sunday instead of tomorrow?"
"Sure," Lily answered. "And we'll finish planning the Hallowe'en Feast then. All right?"
"Fine with me," James said. "I still think we should have sweets instead of the regular desserts."
"Are you nuts?" Lily laughed. "You know how Sirius is—none of us will get any sleep if he even touches a Chocolate Frog!" James grinned.
"You wouldn't even agree to it if I got Muggle sweets?"
"How would you get Muggle sweets?"
"Easy. Go to Hogsmeade."
"James, Honeydukes doesn't sell Muggle sweets."
"I could ask Dumbledore; he seems to love those sherbet lemons."
"Somehow, I doubt that he'll have any."
"Look," James said, frustrated with Lily's constant rebuttals of his ideas, "I promise I'll get Muggle sweets somehow if you just let us have sweets instead of the desserts."
"Promise you won't do anything illegal?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die," James swore, crossing his heart solemnly with his right hand, his left hidden behind his back. Lily deftly reached out and pulled his left hand into plain view and laughed as his face fell; his fingers were crossed.
"Your heart's not all you crossed," she said, dropping his arm. "Promise? And keep your hands where I can see them," she added as an afterthought. James' stuck out his tongue out her and she returned the gesture.
"Fine," he conceded. "I promise." He held out his hands to her, palms facing up. "See? I'm not crossing my fingers this time!"
"All right," Lily smiled. "Go ahead. But if Sirius keeps us up all night, then I'm holding you responsible. Got that?"
"Loud and clear," James agreed. He looked up as Lily stopped and realized that they had reached the Fat Lady.
"Password?" she asked regally.
"Finkletop," Lily said clearly.
"Yes, indeed, dear!" the Fat Lady replied. The portrait swung open and Lily turned to James.
"What possessed you to come up with that password?" she demanded.
"What, you don't like it?" James asked in confusion.
"It's so…abnormal," Lily replied. "Where did you come up with it?"
"Sirius called Grindylows 'finkletops' when he was high on sugar one day," James explained as they crawled through the Portrait Hole. "Even though it made absolutely no sense, I thought that it was pretty funny, and you have to admit that no one's going to say that randomly."
"I guess not," she sighed, entering the Common Room and looking around. "There's Dorcas," she said, indicating her black-haired friend, who was seated in front of the fire. "I'll see you later, James."
"Yeah, later, Lily," James echoed. She smiled at him before turning around and walking over to her friend. James watched her go before turning around and walking to the corner in which his own friends were sitting.
"So, how was the Prefect meeting?" Sirius asked, eager to find out how James had reacted to Remus' "prank"; the latter had been unwilling to disclose any details.
"It was a nightmare," James groaned, dropping into a chair and covering his face with his hands. "First, your brother didn't show up, then Snivellus called Lily a—a—you-know-what, and then, when I got mad on her behalf, she exploded at me!" He shook his head, uncovering his face and looking at his friends. "I don't get her."
"But she didn't look like she was mad at you," Peter pointed out, looking puzzled.
"Oh, we apologized to each other," James explained.
"Ah," Sirius nodded in understanding. "So, Jamesie, ready for the Quidditch game tomorrow?"
"Of course," James said. "And don't call me Jamesie," he added. "I thought I told you that."
"You only told me not to call you Prongsie," Sirius said.
"Padfoot, stop splitting hairs," Remus said absently from where he was sitting, poring over his Defense Against the Dark Arts text.
"I'll split hairs if I want to," Sirius argued, folding his arms across his chest. He then looked pensive. "How do you split hairs, anyways?" The other three boys shook their heads. "What? What did I say?" Sirius asked, looking around at his friends.
"Padfoot, you're hopeless," Remus stated.
"I agree," James declared, pulling out his old and extremely battered copy of Quidditch Through the Ages and a sheet of parchment covered with squiggles, spreading it on the table in front of him. Sirius, realizing that the fun was over, turned back to his copy of Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, much more), trying to plot out a prank to play on the Slytherins the following day.
"What's that?" Peter asked, looking over at James' parchment.
"Game strategies for tomorrow," James said, not looking up as he tapped his wand on the parchment, causing the lines on it to move.
"It just looks like a bunch of squiggles to me," Peter said, squinting. James looked up at his friend in shock.
"Just a bunch of squiggles? Just a bunch of squiggles? Wormtail, this planning could be what wins or loses us the game!"
"Well, I'm sor-ry for insulting your squiggles," Peter said, slightly irritated as he turned back to his Herbology textbook and started muttering under his breath as he scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment. The four boys worked in relative silence, punctuated by an occasional groan from Peter or a maniacal laugh from Sirius (which terrified his other friends), until James looked at his watch.
"Merlin, is that the time?" he exclaimed, jumping up and putting his belongings away. "Team! Bed!" he called, walking up the stairs. The other six members of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team complained loudly, but walked up to their respective dorms. As James got himself ready for bed, he thought of the upcoming Quidditch match and, for the first time since Second Year, felt slightly nervous, and wondered why. Dismissing it as nothing, he climbed into his four-poster and closed the drapes (Sirius had tried to charm them to stay open again, but every time he did so, James just performed a finite incantatem, and the former had just decided to give up after about thirty tries), a niggling voice at the back of his head telling him that he had forgotten something. He quashed it ruthlessly and turned over, falling asleep almost instantly with a slight dread of the next day, which would bring with it his (hopefully) last Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game.
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A/N: 40 Reviews? FORTY? *Faints* *Is revived* Wow! I can't believe this…I feel so special and loved! Anyways, here are my thank-yous to those wonderful people who left me a review:
child-of-scorpio: Ooh, a long review! Granted, it's full of one-liners, but it's still long! Yay! Lol. And I get a virtual plaque with a cheesey smiley face on it, saying "Congratulations! You've just been awarded the Best Staying In Character When Friends Award"? Wow. Do I get to make an acceptance speech, and everything? Just in case, I'll write it right now; how does this sound? "I would like to thank child-of-scorpio and the Fanfiction Academy for this award, but some thanks must be made. First of all, I'd like to thank my beta, angelgurl161, without whom my grammar/spelling mistakes would run amok. And I'd also like to thank the characters themselves, for making themselves so moldable. And I'd like to thank J.K. Rowling for making the Harry Potter books, without whom none of this would be possible. And—" *burly men come in and haul Eos off* Sorry. Regaining control of my sanity now. (Little voice in the back of her head: "What sanity?" Rest of her: "Piss off!" *little voice retreats into the far corner of her head*) I'm glad you loved the little "Your eyes turn dark green when you're sad…" thing; it was one of the few things I've liked about this story. Sorry; I have a very negative opinion for my writing, which always pisses my friends off. Oh, well. Can't please everyone. And I'm sorry this chapter took so long; first spring break ended, then winter break hit, then a schoolmate died, and now I think I may have carpal tunnel syndrome…you can kind of see that I pushed myself to finish it. And you should thank angelgurl161 for that; she's the one who pushed me to get off of my duff and keep updating. And do me a favor: PLEASE update "The Truth of the Heart"! I'm dying for a new chapter! Anyways…thanks for reviewing!
FrightninglyObsessed: I was joking about scolding you about singing the pub song. I think it's fun, too…And I'm glad you like Lily; the more I write her, the more I realize that she's kind of like me…*big red light flashes and loud siren sounds* MARY-SUE ALERT! MARY-SUE ALERT! ALL REAL CHARACTERS TO THEIR POSITIONS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE MARY-SUE! Lol, I'm just joking. But I guess she's the kind of person I always wanted to be…not to mention that she can do magic…Thanks for reviewing!
hitchcock: Thanks!
angelgurl161: I corrected my mistake. *points at top of screen* See? See? I'm terrified of the chopsticks *shies away* please don't use them on me…Please? Lol. I'm glad you like the chapter, and James is MINE! You can take the one in your story, but the James in my story is MINE! I'M going to marry him, not you! So there! *sticks out tongue* I'm sorry if I caused any "accidental deaths" due to the lateness of the chapter, but you know of the extenuating circumstances surrounding the writing of this chapter. Lol. Three cheers? Please calm yourself, Savi. I'm worrying for your sanity. (Saruni: "What sanity?" Inruni: "AAAAH! SARUNI! GET BACK IN THE CORNER! NOW!" *Saruni slumps back into corner, not wanting to have a close encounter with death again…*) Oh, well. We're both crazy; I guess it evens out. Sort of…Lol. Thanks, as always, for beta-ing, and for reviewing!
Lil Miss Potter: If you want to read some really great Lily and James stories, there are a lot of really good ones on my profile, under "Favorite Stories". Check them out; you may find ones you like! And I hope you liked this chapter; it's the longest one yet! Thanks!
jessisayzz: Thanks!
MuGgLeNeT27: My friend has an evil piano teacher, too. I've promised to give her an alibi should she ever kill her…Lol. Thanks!
freelancer: Thanks!
Tanydwr: Lol, I like "cherry bomb" better, too. But "telephone" is the kind of practical thing that Lily would do…Lol. My pedantic nature regarding anything grammar, spelling, and details annoys my friends to no end, but…it's an essential part of me; I wouldn't give it up for anything. And I did read your fanfic…I'm sorry I didn't review, but I didn't have time…Sorry. Thanks for reviewing!
Musicizdbest: Thanks!
Gizelle: Thanks!
vamperfly: You're adding this to your favorites list? Aww, thanks. *blushes* Thanks for reviewing!
Angel Enchantress: Kissing and "stuff" will probably come later; as I've mentioned, Lily is a bit insecure about relationships, but it WILL come, I promise. Thanks!
LJstagflower4e/JCtigerwolf4e: It was perfect? I'm glad you think so! Thanks!
SoulAvenger: Really? You're a Sirius person? Personally, I prefer Remus to the rest of the Marauders; there's just something about him…and then James, and then Sirius, and then (pre-going over to Voldemort) Peter. (After going over to Voldemort, he doesn't even count as a Marauder.) Anyways, thanks!
Lil Bazza: Thanks!
Agloechen: Massage? Maybe…That's a pretty good idea. I may use it…And I'm sorry this took so long, but circumstances were against me…Anyways, thanks for reviewing!
Tracey: Thanks!
Laurana Starbreeze: Lily strikes me as being the kind of person who hates hot pink and would never wish such a color upon even her worst enemies. So, I think she likes blue better…And I'm glad you liked both Chapters 6 and 7; thanks!
sweetthing131: Lol. Lily reminds you of me? *big red light starts flashing and loud siren wails* MARY-SUE ALERT! MARY-SUE ALERT! ALL REAL CHARACTERS TO THEIR POSITIONS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE MARY-SUE! Lol; I'm just joking. Anyways, I'm glad you like it; thanks!
Wind Whisperer: Yes, I love fluff too…thanks!
artichoke: Lily kissing James because she trusts him? Hmm…I think you have a good idea there. Might use it; might not. Thanks!
kittygirl220: Thanks!
J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin): Thanks!
jamesdeprived: I'm not telling you if Lily's falling for James yet…you'll find out in good time. And James is a coward, so we just need his friends to make sure that he asks her out…Lol. Thanks!
ArianaEvans: Long review! Yay! Yes, romance IS in the air…sort of. Lol. I'm glad that you liked the chapter, and I don't think I'd want them to be really sappy and not fight at all…I'd just gag. And then gag. And then gag some more. Lol. "Hallowe'en" is the British spelling of Halloween; while I'm not British, I try to keep with some of the things in the books. And I own the British copies of the 1st 4 books, and I've grown so used to reading "Hallowe'en" that now "Halloween" looks weird. I'm glad you like the "make-you-grin-inside-crush-feeling moments"; I do, too! And I put in the Lily-walking-up-on-Marlene-and-surprising-her scene JUST for your benefit…Lol. Yeah, I agree that Lily worries too much; James is going to have his work cut out for him to keep her from worrying so much…and you're starting to see more conflict, even though I myself don't like it, but we do have to remember that not everything in the wizarding world is all hunky-dory…And with Petunia, I won't say anything but this: We'll definitely be seeing more of her, especially around Christmas. Yes, James will finally ask Lily out some day (hopefully; even I don't know…maybe it'll be the other way around!) Thanks for all the lovely, lovely compliments; they're the reason I keep writing this! Thank you so much!
Luvharrypotter712: Thanks!
MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus: Thanks!
jess131346: Hmm…8 cookies for this one, because it's chapter 8? Lol. Thanks!
natlie: Yeah, it is a bit late to add another guy to Lily's romantic life (to make one a big part, anyway) but I may bring in various figures who incite James' jealousy…not saying anything at this point. Thanks!
LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR: Lol. Actually, I am writing a book…but it isn't finished. And I did put in more fighting this chapter, if you noticed…and you spelled "entertaining" right, don't worry. Thanks!
yeoldecrazy1: Thanks!
Pigwidgeon188: Thanks!
PhoenixTears13: I'm glad you liked the Prologue; however, I do not feel that a script format is proper for my writing style. I'm sorry you feel that there is too much dialogue, but if you look closely at the dialogue, it gives you enough about the characters and their personalities, I think. I also feel that dialogue is my strong point, hence, I tend to write more dialogue than descriptions. And regarding your comments about Sirius and James, I agree that yes, they is a bit out of canon, but I like them the way I wrote them. And one point to remember: this is FANfiction, where we can take the characters and situations made by other authors and put our own spin on them, making them our own. I appreciate your opinions, but must say that I like my story the way it is and have no desire to change it. Thanks for your comments.
Autumn Amethyst: I often say that the best writers hate their work. Not that I'm saying that I'm a good writer, or anything, but I've noticed that some of my friends have negative opinions of their work, which is usually brilliant. I'm glad you like the characters; and as for the grammar and spelling, I'm a pedant about that. I can't stand it when anything is incorrect grammar- or spelling-wise, so I guess it reflects in my writing. And, of course, having a beta always helps. Lol. Trig homework? I feel your pain. As for Lily and James, to tell you the truth, one half of me is yelling at me to make them get together NOW, but I usually manage to quash it with the other half, and will wait a bit longer…Yeah, Lily is my second-favorite character of mine (after Dorcas…she just makes me crack up), and I'm glad you like her, too. She's like Ginny? I never thought of that, but now, as I look back through the story (and read a few Ginny/Draco fics…for some inexplicable reason, I'm drawn to them, even though I know it's never going to happen, and that Ginny/Harry fics are more likely…), I realize that she is. I never realized that…Lol. And you're a much better author than I am (and then you say that I'm better, and then I say that you're better, and then we just keep on going on in an endless cycle), so don't worry about it. I really do love your story. Thanks!
Julia: Lol. You were really mad at me when you wrote that first sentence, weren't you? Lol. I'm glad you like it, but I can't put it into Prisms; that's for original work, and I highly doubt that anyone is going to consider fanfiction as original. And "MISBEGOTTEN FOOL" IS MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T STEAL IT!!!!!!!!!!!! (Or if you do, at least put ©Runi after it.) Lol. Lily's annoying? You'll have to explain that to me…You'll smack me? Heaven forbid. I'm quaking in my pink butterfly slippers (yes, I do have pink butterfly slippers). Lol. Thanks!
SaMBraT: You'd better update "A Reason In Madness" soon; it's so good! Thanks for reviewing!
HPPhoenix07: Thanks!
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A/N: And that's all for now; again, I'd like to thank and apologize to my beta angelgurl161 for her wonderful beta-ing; without her, this chapter would have been much harder to read. Also, regarding my next update, I'm unsure of when it will be, because I have lots of work, and I think I sprained my wrist (I'm currently writing this with a wrist brace on), so it's kind of hard to type…Anyways, until next time, and remember to click on that little button down at the bottom of the screen and review! They really do make me write faster…
~Eos