In Deep
Chapter 1- Deciding to Grow Up
The Hogwarts Express was getting ready to leave platform 9 3/4. 6th year Lily Evans and her two best friends, Emily White and Jen Stevens were trying to find a compartment for themselves on the train. And there were currently none open.
Jen had light brown hair with natural golden streaks, and her hair went past her shoulder blades. Her eyes were silvery-gray and she had a classic beauty to her. Like an Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe, according to the general consensus. She had a charming smile and was tall and thin. She was a smart person and an excellent student. She was one of the top 8 students at Hogwarts in her year. She was known to be friendly and funny, with a streak of sarcasm that contended with Snape and the rest of the Slytherins. She was usually mild mannered, but if you got on her bad side, anyone could feel the bite of her sarcastic tongue and walk away crying.
Emily was the shortest of the three friends. She wasn't as skinny as Jen, but she had natural curves. Her pretty round face was always smiling and her beautiful sapphire colored eyes accented her face beautifully. Her dark brown hair went down to her waist in natural curls and it brought out her eyes magically. Her smile was contagious to anyone who caught it. She was a warm, friendly person who enjoyed making others happy. She had a huge heart, and was kind to everyone, including the Slytherins, who made sure she knew the feeling wasn't mutual.
Lily was a different kind of pretty. Her thick, dark red hair just reached a little past her shoulders. She had flawless skin, with a few freckles around her nose. Her almond shaped eyes were the color of bright emeralds. She was a rare beauty, and most of the male students at the school were entranced by her radiance. She was the smartest and most talented witch at Hogwarts, an amazing feat for a muggle born. She was kind and studious. She worked hard for her grades and accomplishments, although a lot of it came easily to her. She helped tutor the younger students who needed help, and was awarded by becoming a school prefect the year before.
She had, however, a temper that matched the color of her hair. This temper was usually brought about by the person that she had no desire to see at Hogwarts, James Potter. The main problem between her and James was the attention that he always reserved for Lily. He always asked her out and tried to impress her in the weirdest ways. From pulling her hair and pranking her in third year to hexing people in front of her to try to make her like him. It only made her dislike him even more.
The girls were walking down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment. "I don't see one anywhere" said Jen, peering through the windows of the different compartments.
"Oh Wow you guys" Lily exclaimed, "I have to head toward the prefects compartment. Go find seats and save me one". Lily went running in the opposite direction down the corridor to the prefect's compartment to run into Remus Lupin.
"Hello Lily. I hope that your summer went well" Remus cordially said.
"As well as it could be with a sister like mine" Lily replied.
They entered the compartment together and sat down by each other.
"How was your summer Remus"
"It went relatively well. I spent a lot of time with Sirius and Peter and James. We all went over to James' house for a few weeks. It was a lot of fun". Remus replied.
"That's good. I had a pretty good time. I tried to make amends with Petunia. I failed miserably though. Oh, well. At least I have next summer" Lily added brightly and smiled at Remus. Remus noticed however that the smile did not reach her eyes and that there was pain in them.
"It's all right Lily. She'll come around sooner or later" Remus told her encouragingly. They finished the meeting and walked out together.
"Well I have to go and see where Jen and Emily have gotten to. I'll see ya later Remus". Lily said. And Remus walked in the opposite direction. Lily finally found Jen and Emily at the end of the train where they had found a compartment to themselves. They played exploding snap and talked about what they had done over the summer and of course, love interests. "So Emily. Guess who I saw in the Prefects compartment?" Lily slyly asked Emily.
"I don't know. Severus Snape? Kingsley Shacklebolt? Ryan Lovegood?"
"Or maybe a certain Remus Lupin?" Jen added. Much to the delight of Jen and Lily, Emily began to blush and said
"Oh look. I think that we're almost there".
"You really can't wait to see Remus can you?" Jen asked.
"Oh be quiet please. Is it that obvious?" Emily shyly asked.
"SO it is true. Lils and I were just playing a bluff. But now that you mention it..... When did all of this start?"
"OH can't I tell you later on" Emily pleaded as the train slowed down.
"We'd better get full details, Emily or maybe we'll go to Remus himself" Jen slyly informed her.
"No. I promise that I will tell you everything that I can. Just not now I think that we've finally stopped and I don't want him to hear" Emily said.
"Hey Lily you know the weirdest thing happened when you were at the Prefects meeting" Jen informed Lily, "We saw Sirius and Peter and James" Lily groaned at this last name.
"Let me guess-He asked you where I was and what I was doing?".
"Actually no. That was he weird thing, huh Emily?" Jen asked Emily.
"Yeah he didn't mention you at all. And he seemed real cordial and definitely distant. Maybe he is trying to impress you or something or maybe the really took your advice and decided to stay away from you?" Emily put in.
"He probably is trying to get me on his good side by ignoring my presence" Lily said.
"That's unfair Lily. He had liked you. Maybe he went about the wrong way of trying to impress you, but I think that there is something else wrong with him. He seemed completely alone, even in the company of two of his best friends. I think that you should try to be nicer since he is Lily" Emily suggested.
"I don't think so. He thinks that if he pretends to not like Lily anymore then he will get her to like him" Jen said.
"Whatever, I will ignore his arrogance if he leaves me alone and ignores me" Lily decided. "That is probably the best thing to do".
While walking to the carriages the girls saw the 6th year boys in their house by the names of Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and James Potter. The boys walked by the girls with friendly greetings. All of the boys but James said hello to the girls. James just walked past without making eye contact with anyone. His best friends were definitely confused at James' behavior.
"Hey Wormtail. What do you think is wrong with Prongs?" Sirius asked a thoroughly confused Peter.
"I have no idea. Moony?" Peter turned to Remus.
Remus thought carefully "I think that it may have something to do with what Lily told James at the end of last year and with what happened over the summer to James".
"He didn't even make eye contact with Evans" Sirius said "He just walked straight past her"
"There is definitely something wrong with Prongs" Peter put in. The other two boys agreed fervently.
Peter Pettigrew was a short boy with strawberry-blonde hair. He was a fun person to be around. He wasn't talented magically, but then he was best friends with 3 of the smartest students in the school, and was in the same house of 6 of the top 8 students of the year. He was a loyal friend and the boys all helped him with school work and he managed to pass all of his classes.
Remus Lupin was tall and lean with dirty blonde hair and gray, alert eyes. He was the most sensible of the 4 friends and definitely the most studious. Unlike James and Sirius, Remus worked extremely hard for his top grades and often did extra work so that he could stay on top of things. He was kind to almost everyone, and he always helped out those who needed it.
Then there was Sirius Black. He was the joker of the group, the one who always seemed to be in trouble. He happened to be exceptionally bright. He was taller than Remus by a couple of inches, but was just as lean. He had black hair that was always sophisticated on the top of his head and he was easily the most handsome boy at Hogwarts. He had black eyes that always seemed to have mischief hidden inside of them.
James Potter was the same height as Sirius. He had black hair that was always a mess. It never laid down straight no matter how hard he tried to tame it with Sleakeazy's hair potion. He had a thin face and wore round glasses around his hazel eyes. He was handsome, but not in the conventional way. He had girls swooning over him but it was only because of his amazing talent with quidditch and his top grades. Another reason why girls liked him was because of his family. The Potters were a pureblood family, as old as they get. And they were exceedingly rich. James didn't like that people liked him for his family and money and talent.
Sirius, Peter, Remus and James all had their weaknesses too. That is why they were such good friends. They always helped each other with their weaknesses and made it easier on each other through sacrifice. There was a definite bond between the Gryffindor 6th year boys that few people had or even imagined. The only ones to rival it were the Gryffindor girls in the same year.
They all got out of the carriages and made for the Great Hall. The boys were careful not to mention anything to James that might get his temper to rise. Emily, Lily, and Jen reached the Great Hall at the same time as the boys. They walked in together. Remus and Peter were talking to Emily while Jen flirted with Sirius. Lily was walking, listening to the other's conversation with an eye on James. He was just staring off into space, willing himself to move and keep on walking. He made eye contact with nobody. He felt Lily's stare on him. He turned around and looked her in the eye. He then turned back around and proceeded to the Gryffindor table in front of his friends. Lily turned to see the five other faces looking as confused as she did and they followed James to the table.
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"I wonder what's wrong with him?", Remus commented quietly as the students made their various ways to the different common rooms after dinner. James had been quiet throughout all of dinner. His friends were really starting to worry now. He took off as soon as they were allowed to leave.
"We definitely have to talk to him about things. I'm worried too Moony" Sirius replied to Remus' comment.
Remus nodded in agreement. They made their way to Gryffindor Tower, gave the Fat Lady the correct password, and started to ascend the stairs leading to the 6th years dormitory.
When they entered, they found James sitting on his bed, staring off into space.
"Er, Prongs buddy? Is everything alright?" Sirius asked cautiously.
James was known for having a nasty temper if he was bothered too much. "What do you mean?" James replied.
"Well, you weren't joining in with our discussion on pranks and detentions for this year?" Sirius said.
"AND", Peter said with relish, "You weren't hexing anyone for no reason. You weren't telling the first years horror stories like you usually do, and you ate only one serving at dinner".
"You also weren't checking out Lily or trying to impress her"
Remus added.
"Do you like Lily anymore? Because if you don't, that would probably be good. It would show that you are over her and that you aren't as near as crazy about her and-" James cut Sirius off by saying,
"I think that it's time for me to grow up. Over the summer, with you know, what happened (At this the three other boys nodded their heads sympathetically and in understanding). I just realized that we have only two years left in this safe haven. In two years , we are going to be out in the world doing whatever we want. And Sirius, I am still crazy about Lily. I can't help it. I can't fight it, as hard I try. There is no stopping it".
He looked at his three best friends desperately. They were all looking at him with their mouths wide open.
Then Remus broke the stunned silence by smiling, and telling his best friend, "You are in deep James, and you can't get out".
"In deep?" Sirius asked Remus.
"Yep, Prongs, you are completely and utterly in love with Miss Lily Evans. You are smitten with her, and you would do anything for her" Remus replied.
"How can you figure that out?" Peter asked.
James answered that question with a sad smile. "I think that it has a lot to do with Moony's alter ego and HIS intuition".
He smiled at Remus and said, "Moony I really wish you were wrong, but as always, you are completely right".
"Now we just have to get Lily to like you back Prongs" Sirius said with an evil smile and rubbing his hands with his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"No Padfoot please don't. I want her to like me on her own accord" James pleaded.
"Alright I won't IF you don't want that" Sirius answered, his fingers crossed behind his own back. ************************************************************************
"So Miss Emily. If you would kindly inform us with details concerning one Mr. Remus J. Lupin, we would be extremely appreciative" Jen said with a mischievous smile.
"Oh yes please do" Lily put in. The girls were getting ready for bed. Jen and Lily went to sit down on Emily's bed to corner her, enabling her to get away from the others inquiries.
"So are you jealous of Lily because of how close she gets to be with Remus?" Jen asked with a smile.
Emily sighed heavily. "What do you want to know?"
She had given in to pure and utter torture.
"Everything!" the other two shrieked loudly.
"Well this summer we kept in touch quite a bit. I've always liked him as a friend, and um, er, well we're just closer now" Emily blushed deeply.
Lily snorted. "OK Em, we'll ask you questions, that way we'll get to know everything we want to know. Oh, and it was so obvious at the end of last year that you liked Remus. First, Is he a good kisser?"
Emily blushed even deeper with this question.
"WELL" Jen prompted.
"Well he was my first kiss, and it was amazing. I think that I ay actually love him." Emily answered softly and broke down at this part.
"Isn't that a bit rash Em?" Lily asked frowning softly.
"Yes it is, but it feels so right. I trust him so much. He is absolutely amazing and sweet and well, if I don't love him, then I'm on the verge of falling for him" Emily said.
"So are you guys at least going out? Boy friend , girlfriend, just dating?" Jen asked.
"We're going out. But you know we're both not the types to show our feelings very much.
"Just holding hands in public then?" Lily asked gently.
"Yes, and I'm still going to eat with you guys and all that. I won't leave you for a boy. Even if he is absolutely amazing" Emily sighed happily.
Jen threw the pillow at her. ************************************************************************
James walked through the corridors at Hogwarts complacently the next few weeks. He sighed deeply as he saw Lily walking with Jen and Emily out of the hall. Since Emily and Remus were an item, the Marauders did things with the three Gryffindor girls as well.
He always remained quiet while Lily chatted with Peter and Sirius. James scowled. "Why couldn't she be friendly with me like she is with them" he thought. It had become inevitably worse over time. Why couldn't he get over her like he could with others? Moony was completely right. He was in deep, deeper than he ever thought was imaginable. "I love her" he thought with a mix of confusion, sadness and happiness as he looked at her.
Lily turned and looked at him, confused and a bit alarmed that he had just been staring at her. HE averted his eyes from her penetrating gaze. Even is she did stop hating him, why would she ever love him?" he thought sadly. "I'm James Potter, a tall, thin, clumsy, 16 year old boy with hair that nothing could cure, nerdy glasses. Girls only like me because of my quidditch skills and because of my family. I'm not attractive enough for the most beautiful girl at this school. Oh, and she hates me" He thought even more sad at this. "Why can't she just talk to me like she talks to my friends?" James wondered.
As James was on this train of thought, Lily continued staring at James. She frowned, why was he staring at her. She studied him critically and sighed. "He is definitely cute, not like Sirius handsome, which was classic. James was handsome in an unconventional way. His hair suited his personality of late-unpredictable and confusing. His glasses fitted his face nicely, and made him look smart, something that he didn't need. He was the best student in the year. When he smiled, he had a little dimple on one of his cheeks. And when he was in class, he looked adorable with his brow furrowed. And even though he was a bit on the thin side, he seemed that he did have a little muscle on him. He was undoubtedly cute. But girls only liked him to get closer to Sirius, his money or because he was one of the most popular boys in the school" URGGHHHHH Lily scolded herself, "Why am I examining every detail of James Potter? I don't even like him". Lily scowled, and even though she tried, her thoughts strayed to the face of a certain bespectacled young man. ************************************************************************
Sirius Black and Jen Stevens watched this exchange of glances and the looks of deep contemplating on their friends faces.
"Have James' feelings toward Lily changed at all Sirius?" Jen asked, frowning slightly at her best friends behavior.
"Nope. The same as ever, maybe even more" Peter and Sirius said. "Do you think that we should try and set them up Jen?" Sirius asked Jen.
"I don't think that is a good idea Sirius. James said that he didn't want to be set up and that he wanted Lily to like him on her own accord" Peter pleaded.
Jen however cracked a rather evil grin. "When do we start?" Jen asked.
"This is going to be a disaster" Peter said aloud.
"No it will be fine Wormtail, we're just trying to push them a little bit, you know to speed up the process" Sirius said.
"Sirius you really shouldn't do this. You shouldn't mess with people's feelings" Remus scolded. He and Emily had dropped back and heard the whole conversation. Sirius opened his mouth to argue when Emily cut him off. They had reached their classroom.
"We should discuss this later, somewhere else" Emily said nodding her head at James and Lily who had walked in oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place.
The Hogwarts Express was getting ready to leave platform 9 3/4. 6th year Lily Evans and her two best friends, Emily White and Jen Stevens were trying to find a compartment for themselves on the train. And there were currently none open.
Jen had light brown hair with natural golden streaks, and her hair went past her shoulder blades. Her eyes were silvery-gray and she had a classic beauty to her. Like an Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe, according to the general consensus. She had a charming smile and was tall and thin. She was a smart person and an excellent student. She was one of the top 8 students at Hogwarts in her year. She was known to be friendly and funny, with a streak of sarcasm that contended with Snape and the rest of the Slytherins. She was usually mild mannered, but if you got on her bad side, anyone could feel the bite of her sarcastic tongue and walk away crying.
Emily was the shortest of the three friends. She wasn't as skinny as Jen, but she had natural curves. Her pretty round face was always smiling and her beautiful sapphire colored eyes accented her face beautifully. Her dark brown hair went down to her waist in natural curls and it brought out her eyes magically. Her smile was contagious to anyone who caught it. She was a warm, friendly person who enjoyed making others happy. She had a huge heart, and was kind to everyone, including the Slytherins, who made sure she knew the feeling wasn't mutual.
Lily was a different kind of pretty. Her thick, dark red hair just reached a little past her shoulders. She had flawless skin, with a few freckles around her nose. Her almond shaped eyes were the color of bright emeralds. She was a rare beauty, and most of the male students at the school were entranced by her radiance. She was the smartest and most talented witch at Hogwarts, an amazing feat for a muggle born. She was kind and studious. She worked hard for her grades and accomplishments, although a lot of it came easily to her. She helped tutor the younger students who needed help, and was awarded by becoming a school prefect the year before.
She had, however, a temper that matched the color of her hair. This temper was usually brought about by the person that she had no desire to see at Hogwarts, James Potter. The main problem between her and James was the attention that he always reserved for Lily. He always asked her out and tried to impress her in the weirdest ways. From pulling her hair and pranking her in third year to hexing people in front of her to try to make her like him. It only made her dislike him even more.
The girls were walking down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment. "I don't see one anywhere" said Jen, peering through the windows of the different compartments.
"Oh Wow you guys" Lily exclaimed, "I have to head toward the prefects compartment. Go find seats and save me one". Lily went running in the opposite direction down the corridor to the prefect's compartment to run into Remus Lupin.
"Hello Lily. I hope that your summer went well" Remus cordially said.
"As well as it could be with a sister like mine" Lily replied.
They entered the compartment together and sat down by each other.
"How was your summer Remus"
"It went relatively well. I spent a lot of time with Sirius and Peter and James. We all went over to James' house for a few weeks. It was a lot of fun". Remus replied.
"That's good. I had a pretty good time. I tried to make amends with Petunia. I failed miserably though. Oh, well. At least I have next summer" Lily added brightly and smiled at Remus. Remus noticed however that the smile did not reach her eyes and that there was pain in them.
"It's all right Lily. She'll come around sooner or later" Remus told her encouragingly. They finished the meeting and walked out together.
"Well I have to go and see where Jen and Emily have gotten to. I'll see ya later Remus". Lily said. And Remus walked in the opposite direction. Lily finally found Jen and Emily at the end of the train where they had found a compartment to themselves. They played exploding snap and talked about what they had done over the summer and of course, love interests. "So Emily. Guess who I saw in the Prefects compartment?" Lily slyly asked Emily.
"I don't know. Severus Snape? Kingsley Shacklebolt? Ryan Lovegood?"
"Or maybe a certain Remus Lupin?" Jen added. Much to the delight of Jen and Lily, Emily began to blush and said
"Oh look. I think that we're almost there".
"You really can't wait to see Remus can you?" Jen asked.
"Oh be quiet please. Is it that obvious?" Emily shyly asked.
"SO it is true. Lils and I were just playing a bluff. But now that you mention it..... When did all of this start?"
"OH can't I tell you later on" Emily pleaded as the train slowed down.
"We'd better get full details, Emily or maybe we'll go to Remus himself" Jen slyly informed her.
"No. I promise that I will tell you everything that I can. Just not now I think that we've finally stopped and I don't want him to hear" Emily said.
"Hey Lily you know the weirdest thing happened when you were at the Prefects meeting" Jen informed Lily, "We saw Sirius and Peter and James" Lily groaned at this last name.
"Let me guess-He asked you where I was and what I was doing?".
"Actually no. That was he weird thing, huh Emily?" Jen asked Emily.
"Yeah he didn't mention you at all. And he seemed real cordial and definitely distant. Maybe he is trying to impress you or something or maybe the really took your advice and decided to stay away from you?" Emily put in.
"He probably is trying to get me on his good side by ignoring my presence" Lily said.
"That's unfair Lily. He had liked you. Maybe he went about the wrong way of trying to impress you, but I think that there is something else wrong with him. He seemed completely alone, even in the company of two of his best friends. I think that you should try to be nicer since he is Lily" Emily suggested.
"I don't think so. He thinks that if he pretends to not like Lily anymore then he will get her to like him" Jen said.
"Whatever, I will ignore his arrogance if he leaves me alone and ignores me" Lily decided. "That is probably the best thing to do".
While walking to the carriages the girls saw the 6th year boys in their house by the names of Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and James Potter. The boys walked by the girls with friendly greetings. All of the boys but James said hello to the girls. James just walked past without making eye contact with anyone. His best friends were definitely confused at James' behavior.
"Hey Wormtail. What do you think is wrong with Prongs?" Sirius asked a thoroughly confused Peter.
"I have no idea. Moony?" Peter turned to Remus.
Remus thought carefully "I think that it may have something to do with what Lily told James at the end of last year and with what happened over the summer to James".
"He didn't even make eye contact with Evans" Sirius said "He just walked straight past her"
"There is definitely something wrong with Prongs" Peter put in. The other two boys agreed fervently.
Peter Pettigrew was a short boy with strawberry-blonde hair. He was a fun person to be around. He wasn't talented magically, but then he was best friends with 3 of the smartest students in the school, and was in the same house of 6 of the top 8 students of the year. He was a loyal friend and the boys all helped him with school work and he managed to pass all of his classes.
Remus Lupin was tall and lean with dirty blonde hair and gray, alert eyes. He was the most sensible of the 4 friends and definitely the most studious. Unlike James and Sirius, Remus worked extremely hard for his top grades and often did extra work so that he could stay on top of things. He was kind to almost everyone, and he always helped out those who needed it.
Then there was Sirius Black. He was the joker of the group, the one who always seemed to be in trouble. He happened to be exceptionally bright. He was taller than Remus by a couple of inches, but was just as lean. He had black hair that was always sophisticated on the top of his head and he was easily the most handsome boy at Hogwarts. He had black eyes that always seemed to have mischief hidden inside of them.
James Potter was the same height as Sirius. He had black hair that was always a mess. It never laid down straight no matter how hard he tried to tame it with Sleakeazy's hair potion. He had a thin face and wore round glasses around his hazel eyes. He was handsome, but not in the conventional way. He had girls swooning over him but it was only because of his amazing talent with quidditch and his top grades. Another reason why girls liked him was because of his family. The Potters were a pureblood family, as old as they get. And they were exceedingly rich. James didn't like that people liked him for his family and money and talent.
Sirius, Peter, Remus and James all had their weaknesses too. That is why they were such good friends. They always helped each other with their weaknesses and made it easier on each other through sacrifice. There was a definite bond between the Gryffindor 6th year boys that few people had or even imagined. The only ones to rival it were the Gryffindor girls in the same year.
They all got out of the carriages and made for the Great Hall. The boys were careful not to mention anything to James that might get his temper to rise. Emily, Lily, and Jen reached the Great Hall at the same time as the boys. They walked in together. Remus and Peter were talking to Emily while Jen flirted with Sirius. Lily was walking, listening to the other's conversation with an eye on James. He was just staring off into space, willing himself to move and keep on walking. He made eye contact with nobody. He felt Lily's stare on him. He turned around and looked her in the eye. He then turned back around and proceeded to the Gryffindor table in front of his friends. Lily turned to see the five other faces looking as confused as she did and they followed James to the table.
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"I wonder what's wrong with him?", Remus commented quietly as the students made their various ways to the different common rooms after dinner. James had been quiet throughout all of dinner. His friends were really starting to worry now. He took off as soon as they were allowed to leave.
"We definitely have to talk to him about things. I'm worried too Moony" Sirius replied to Remus' comment.
Remus nodded in agreement. They made their way to Gryffindor Tower, gave the Fat Lady the correct password, and started to ascend the stairs leading to the 6th years dormitory.
When they entered, they found James sitting on his bed, staring off into space.
"Er, Prongs buddy? Is everything alright?" Sirius asked cautiously.
James was known for having a nasty temper if he was bothered too much. "What do you mean?" James replied.
"Well, you weren't joining in with our discussion on pranks and detentions for this year?" Sirius said.
"AND", Peter said with relish, "You weren't hexing anyone for no reason. You weren't telling the first years horror stories like you usually do, and you ate only one serving at dinner".
"You also weren't checking out Lily or trying to impress her"
Remus added.
"Do you like Lily anymore? Because if you don't, that would probably be good. It would show that you are over her and that you aren't as near as crazy about her and-" James cut Sirius off by saying,
"I think that it's time for me to grow up. Over the summer, with you know, what happened (At this the three other boys nodded their heads sympathetically and in understanding). I just realized that we have only two years left in this safe haven. In two years , we are going to be out in the world doing whatever we want. And Sirius, I am still crazy about Lily. I can't help it. I can't fight it, as hard I try. There is no stopping it".
He looked at his three best friends desperately. They were all looking at him with their mouths wide open.
Then Remus broke the stunned silence by smiling, and telling his best friend, "You are in deep James, and you can't get out".
"In deep?" Sirius asked Remus.
"Yep, Prongs, you are completely and utterly in love with Miss Lily Evans. You are smitten with her, and you would do anything for her" Remus replied.
"How can you figure that out?" Peter asked.
James answered that question with a sad smile. "I think that it has a lot to do with Moony's alter ego and HIS intuition".
He smiled at Remus and said, "Moony I really wish you were wrong, but as always, you are completely right".
"Now we just have to get Lily to like you back Prongs" Sirius said with an evil smile and rubbing his hands with his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"No Padfoot please don't. I want her to like me on her own accord" James pleaded.
"Alright I won't IF you don't want that" Sirius answered, his fingers crossed behind his own back. ************************************************************************
"So Miss Emily. If you would kindly inform us with details concerning one Mr. Remus J. Lupin, we would be extremely appreciative" Jen said with a mischievous smile.
"Oh yes please do" Lily put in. The girls were getting ready for bed. Jen and Lily went to sit down on Emily's bed to corner her, enabling her to get away from the others inquiries.
"So are you jealous of Lily because of how close she gets to be with Remus?" Jen asked with a smile.
Emily sighed heavily. "What do you want to know?"
She had given in to pure and utter torture.
"Everything!" the other two shrieked loudly.
"Well this summer we kept in touch quite a bit. I've always liked him as a friend, and um, er, well we're just closer now" Emily blushed deeply.
Lily snorted. "OK Em, we'll ask you questions, that way we'll get to know everything we want to know. Oh, and it was so obvious at the end of last year that you liked Remus. First, Is he a good kisser?"
Emily blushed even deeper with this question.
"WELL" Jen prompted.
"Well he was my first kiss, and it was amazing. I think that I ay actually love him." Emily answered softly and broke down at this part.
"Isn't that a bit rash Em?" Lily asked frowning softly.
"Yes it is, but it feels so right. I trust him so much. He is absolutely amazing and sweet and well, if I don't love him, then I'm on the verge of falling for him" Emily said.
"So are you guys at least going out? Boy friend , girlfriend, just dating?" Jen asked.
"We're going out. But you know we're both not the types to show our feelings very much.
"Just holding hands in public then?" Lily asked gently.
"Yes, and I'm still going to eat with you guys and all that. I won't leave you for a boy. Even if he is absolutely amazing" Emily sighed happily.
Jen threw the pillow at her. ************************************************************************
James walked through the corridors at Hogwarts complacently the next few weeks. He sighed deeply as he saw Lily walking with Jen and Emily out of the hall. Since Emily and Remus were an item, the Marauders did things with the three Gryffindor girls as well.
He always remained quiet while Lily chatted with Peter and Sirius. James scowled. "Why couldn't she be friendly with me like she is with them" he thought. It had become inevitably worse over time. Why couldn't he get over her like he could with others? Moony was completely right. He was in deep, deeper than he ever thought was imaginable. "I love her" he thought with a mix of confusion, sadness and happiness as he looked at her.
Lily turned and looked at him, confused and a bit alarmed that he had just been staring at her. HE averted his eyes from her penetrating gaze. Even is she did stop hating him, why would she ever love him?" he thought sadly. "I'm James Potter, a tall, thin, clumsy, 16 year old boy with hair that nothing could cure, nerdy glasses. Girls only like me because of my quidditch skills and because of my family. I'm not attractive enough for the most beautiful girl at this school. Oh, and she hates me" He thought even more sad at this. "Why can't she just talk to me like she talks to my friends?" James wondered.
As James was on this train of thought, Lily continued staring at James. She frowned, why was he staring at her. She studied him critically and sighed. "He is definitely cute, not like Sirius handsome, which was classic. James was handsome in an unconventional way. His hair suited his personality of late-unpredictable and confusing. His glasses fitted his face nicely, and made him look smart, something that he didn't need. He was the best student in the year. When he smiled, he had a little dimple on one of his cheeks. And when he was in class, he looked adorable with his brow furrowed. And even though he was a bit on the thin side, he seemed that he did have a little muscle on him. He was undoubtedly cute. But girls only liked him to get closer to Sirius, his money or because he was one of the most popular boys in the school" URGGHHHHH Lily scolded herself, "Why am I examining every detail of James Potter? I don't even like him". Lily scowled, and even though she tried, her thoughts strayed to the face of a certain bespectacled young man. ************************************************************************
Sirius Black and Jen Stevens watched this exchange of glances and the looks of deep contemplating on their friends faces.
"Have James' feelings toward Lily changed at all Sirius?" Jen asked, frowning slightly at her best friends behavior.
"Nope. The same as ever, maybe even more" Peter and Sirius said. "Do you think that we should try and set them up Jen?" Sirius asked Jen.
"I don't think that is a good idea Sirius. James said that he didn't want to be set up and that he wanted Lily to like him on her own accord" Peter pleaded.
Jen however cracked a rather evil grin. "When do we start?" Jen asked.
"This is going to be a disaster" Peter said aloud.
"No it will be fine Wormtail, we're just trying to push them a little bit, you know to speed up the process" Sirius said.
"Sirius you really shouldn't do this. You shouldn't mess with people's feelings" Remus scolded. He and Emily had dropped back and heard the whole conversation. Sirius opened his mouth to argue when Emily cut him off. They had reached their classroom.
"We should discuss this later, somewhere else" Emily said nodding her head at James and Lily who had walked in oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place.