Author's Note: Hello Again everyone! I apologize that I took much longer to post Chapter Three (especially since it was a cliffhanger!) Spring Break is over and it's back to school :-( So I don't know how I'll often I'll be able update.... I'll do my best though ^_^
potterchick1: Thank you for reviewing again ^_^ I appreciate your encouragement a lot!
Lady Maybelline and Arianrhod: I realize your point.. sorry that it might not make too much sense. I was thinking along the lines of Remus enjoying cutting class and being with his friends instead??? Anyway, I guess we're all about to find out how James will get out of this mess... Thanks for reviewing!
Miraonawall: Thanks a lot! I appreciate your comment. Hope you come along for the rest of the fic ~_^
Disclaimer: once again, I am only a humble little amateur writer, therefore I own nothing in this story but my original creations; Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
*--------------------------------------------*
The room fell uncomfortably silent. James felt everyone's attention focused on the corner where he was standing, invisibility cloak at his feet. Normally James enjoyed being in the limelight but this kind of attention had a negative aura and he began to perspire. He felt himself blush and hung his head in shame. Should he try to make a joke out of it? But if he was treading on thin ice, he knew it. If he messed up now, Lily would never forgive him. Maybe if he did the right thing this time by apologizing, she would give him a chance... Lily stood frozen- she thought steam was coming out her ears, her eyes were flashing. She looked disbelievingly at the two broken mugs she had dropped on the floor, then at James. Back at the broken mess. Back at James. She had just parted her lips and was about to ask James what the HELL he was doing- but suddenly Madame Rosmerta came with her wand. The shards instantly mended back into two mugs.
"Had a little spill here, did we?" She flashed an uneasy smile, sensing the intensity of the moment.
Lily regained her semi-sanity. "Well, I'm sorry about that," she spoke nervously and looked at the floor when she talked.
"Quite alright." Madame Rosmerta pointed her wand at the mugs again, "Accio!" They flew into the air and she caught them by their handles and drifted back into crowd again.
Everyone was still focused on Lily and James and they noted the tense moment, though they were all pretending to be interested in their own conversations. Lily felt nervous, too, having had all attention suddenly thrust on her. She licked her dry lips. "I'll meet you back here later," she whispered to her friend. Vanessa acknowledged her with a nod. She turned to James, "Potter..." She looked directly into his eyes, "I need to talk to you... NOW." She gave him a commanding stare with her emerald green eyes and made her way to the door. James followed her, fidgeting anxiously. Hogwarts students watched fiery red-head Lily Evans and the idolized James Potter walk out the door into the unseasonably cold streets of Hogsmeade.
The cobbled streets of Hogsmeade were quiet and nearly empty. Sometimes there were a few other witches and warlocks walking along the road but only for a little bit, then they would stop and enter a shop.
For a little while, James and Lily just walked in no particular direction. They were quiet. Lily was silent because she knew she wanted to pound some kind of a message into that big head of his but wasn't exactly sure of how to word it yet. What she really wanted to was yell at him boundlessly for invading her privacy. Yet, she felt conflicted. She, too had spied on him- and she had overheard that Remus was most definitely a werewolf. Hadn't they also said something about transforming? Yes, they had. Only animals are harmless to werewolves, aren't they? She was sure of it. So did that mean they could transform into animals or something like that....?
James, however, was quiet because he, too wanted to say something to Lily. He couldn't make up his mind of what to say. If he apologized would she believe his honesty? She probably didn't think that there was an ounce of sincerity in him anyway. He wasn't actually sorry, was he? He hadn't really DONE anything to her... All he realized was that she was obviously infuriated.
He stole a glance at her. Her shoulder blade-length auburn hair was tied back loosely while the rest hung down. The chill outside had made her cheeks glow a healthy pink. Her startling green eyes looked morose and lips were pressed together in a thin line. Even now, on a gloomy cold day she looked radiant and without realizing it, James' lips had turned up into a somewhat goofy smile. She noticed his gaze on her and stared back at him with her eyebrows narrowed into a scowl. Why couldn't she just recognize him for what he was to all the other girls? The talented, clever, handsome James Potter? He wasn't really as conceited as she thought him to be, was he...? Should he just apologize? At any rate, she was probably waiting for him to say something, like maybe a sorry...
"Look, Lily..." James began with a sigh.
"I know about Remus," Lily blurted out at the same time.
"What?" they said simultaneously.
"I wa-" James began again.
"I know ab-" Lily said at the same time.
"You go ahead."
No, you go."
"Well.. I don't really know how to put this.." James bit his lip nervously, "but I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry Lily- really." He watched her face lighten up just a bit. Encouraged, he continued, "But I don't really understand why exactly you're this ups-" He stopped. This had apparently been exactly the wrong thing to say.
She stopped dead in her tracks. "You don't understand why I'm upset?! Of course you wouldn't understand! You are a self-absorbed, self-centered, egotistic show-off. You'd probably date yourself if you could-"
"Come on, Lily," James said, turning red, "you're not being fair..."
"FAIR?" Lily screeched, her hands turning into tight fists at her sides. "I suppose you think you were 'fair' with Snape, picking on him like that after O.W.L.'s on Thursday??!"
"This isn't about him..." James' face flushed and he began to feel more and more self-conscious.
"Then what IS it about?" Lily said, irritated.
"Well, YOU'RE the one who dragged me out of there. You tell me."
"Why did you spy on me?" she folded her arms across her chest.
"I wasn't really trying to spy on you Lily... I wasn't even there because you were... I was looking for Sirius and Remus.... you seem to get the idea that everything is about you..." He boldly flashed a flippant smirk across his face as he said the last line.
Lily scoffed. "Of course you were wearing an invisibility cloak-"
At the words "invisibility cloak" something dawned on James. He had left his cloak at the Three Broomsticks! Should he run out on Lily right now and run to get it? Or should he wait until later and go back then? Would it still be there? It was valuable- if he lost it, he might never be able to sneak out of the castle with Moony, Padfoot, and Wormtail anymore... The ventures out to Hogsmeade during full moons would be over... What about Lily? Well what about her? She was sore at him right now, wasn't she? He could talk to her later... Anyway he hadn't heard anything she had just said. He made up his mind- and ran as fast as he could in direction of The Three Broomsticks.
"JAMES!" LIly called after him. "YOU'RE HOPELESS, POTTER!" she yelled after him, down the empty streets.
_________________________________________
After dinner, Lily, Nadine, Sasha, and Vanessa sat at their usual table in the Gryffindor common room. Sasha and Vanessa were engaged in a game of Go Fish (It was Extra Credit in Muggle Studies if you learned how to play a Muggle card game). Lily was drawing in her sketchbook while Nadine was writing in her journal. The girls were still all keeping a lively conversation.
"So what's with you and Potter?" Nadine was asking.
Lily made a grim face. "He was the biggest jerk today." She gave an exasperated sigh.
"You mean more than usual," Vanessa said. "No Fish!" she said to Sasha.
Nadine giggled. "You mean 'GO fish'" she said to Vanessa.
Vanessa laughed good-naturedly. "You see how bad I am... that's why I need extra credit... I wish I had a muggle family."
"Me too," Sasha sighed. And she propped an elbow on the table under her chin.
"Oh, no you don't," Lily shook her head. "Petunia- that's my sister, is one of the most insensitive, unkind muggles you'll ever meet. We don't get along at all."
"But siblings fight naturally, don't they?" Sasha pointed out. "Like my brothers and I... we live in two different worlds- completely."
"You're right," Lily replied. She looked thoughtful for a minute and then said, "I guess what I mean is that sometimes I feel so different from my parents and my sister. Here I feel more at home, but then when people like Malfoy saunter up to me and call me a Mudblood, as if that's my name, I feel like I don't belong here either."
"Oh Lily- you know Malfoy's a jerk! Just ignore him..."
"I know I should, but sometimes it gets hard, trying to look unaffected and strong. And then Potter isn't making things any easier for me. I don't need to be defended. It makes me lose the little dignity I have."
"I could definitely relate," Vanessa said, laying down another card. "Malfoy gives that feeling to everyone and then some guy thinks he's being a gentleman by making him apologize to you..."
"By the way," Nadine said, looking up from her journal and putting down her pencil, "What IS with you and Potter?"
"Oh, Nadine, you just asked!" Lily sighed, I caught him spying on me and Vanessa in The Three Broomsticks. And we were JUST talking about him, too-"
Nadine's eyes gleamed and she leaned forward in her seat, "So what happened?"
"Well, I marched him outside and tried to confront him but he ran off."
"James Potter ran AWAY from you?"
"I still don't know why he left... coward," Lily muttered.
"You didn't bother to find out?" Sasha exclaimed immediately, putting her cards down.
"Think about it," said Lily, "He's JAMES POTTER... and I don't really even care where he went. I was going to tell him to leave me alone but he left himself so there was no need."
"Lily," 'Nessa sighed, "it's so painfully obvious that he likes you- maybe you could even change him..."
"That's wishful thinking," Lily said, shaking her head.
"You know what, though, Lily?" Sasha asked, as she picked her cards up again and resumed her game with Vanessa.
"No, what?"
"Maybe he's a different person inside. You could get to know him... Maybe you could at least be friends."
Lily sighed. "It's late... I'm tired. Why don't we all go to bed now?"
"You're right. Let's clean up our card game Sasha."
____________________________________________
A little while later, upstairs in the Girls' dormitory, Lily slipped into her nightgown and was lying under the covers of her bed. She drew the curtains closed around her four-poster and whispered a last "good night" to 'Nessa, who was lying in the bed next to hers. Lily snuggled under her comforter and stared at the canopy of her bed for a long time before she fell asleep. As she closed her eyelids and drifted off to sleep she remembered the last conscious image in her mind was that of James Potter- his tousled black hair sticking up and his hazel eyes smiling at her.
*_______________________________________________*
One of my longer chapters.... no cliffhanger this time! Please- click that button! ^_^ thank you guys!
potterchick1: Thank you for reviewing again ^_^ I appreciate your encouragement a lot!
Lady Maybelline and Arianrhod: I realize your point.. sorry that it might not make too much sense. I was thinking along the lines of Remus enjoying cutting class and being with his friends instead??? Anyway, I guess we're all about to find out how James will get out of this mess... Thanks for reviewing!
Miraonawall: Thanks a lot! I appreciate your comment. Hope you come along for the rest of the fic ~_^
Disclaimer: once again, I am only a humble little amateur writer, therefore I own nothing in this story but my original creations; Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
*--------------------------------------------*
The room fell uncomfortably silent. James felt everyone's attention focused on the corner where he was standing, invisibility cloak at his feet. Normally James enjoyed being in the limelight but this kind of attention had a negative aura and he began to perspire. He felt himself blush and hung his head in shame. Should he try to make a joke out of it? But if he was treading on thin ice, he knew it. If he messed up now, Lily would never forgive him. Maybe if he did the right thing this time by apologizing, she would give him a chance... Lily stood frozen- she thought steam was coming out her ears, her eyes were flashing. She looked disbelievingly at the two broken mugs she had dropped on the floor, then at James. Back at the broken mess. Back at James. She had just parted her lips and was about to ask James what the HELL he was doing- but suddenly Madame Rosmerta came with her wand. The shards instantly mended back into two mugs.
"Had a little spill here, did we?" She flashed an uneasy smile, sensing the intensity of the moment.
Lily regained her semi-sanity. "Well, I'm sorry about that," she spoke nervously and looked at the floor when she talked.
"Quite alright." Madame Rosmerta pointed her wand at the mugs again, "Accio!" They flew into the air and she caught them by their handles and drifted back into crowd again.
Everyone was still focused on Lily and James and they noted the tense moment, though they were all pretending to be interested in their own conversations. Lily felt nervous, too, having had all attention suddenly thrust on her. She licked her dry lips. "I'll meet you back here later," she whispered to her friend. Vanessa acknowledged her with a nod. She turned to James, "Potter..." She looked directly into his eyes, "I need to talk to you... NOW." She gave him a commanding stare with her emerald green eyes and made her way to the door. James followed her, fidgeting anxiously. Hogwarts students watched fiery red-head Lily Evans and the idolized James Potter walk out the door into the unseasonably cold streets of Hogsmeade.
The cobbled streets of Hogsmeade were quiet and nearly empty. Sometimes there were a few other witches and warlocks walking along the road but only for a little bit, then they would stop and enter a shop.
For a little while, James and Lily just walked in no particular direction. They were quiet. Lily was silent because she knew she wanted to pound some kind of a message into that big head of his but wasn't exactly sure of how to word it yet. What she really wanted to was yell at him boundlessly for invading her privacy. Yet, she felt conflicted. She, too had spied on him- and she had overheard that Remus was most definitely a werewolf. Hadn't they also said something about transforming? Yes, they had. Only animals are harmless to werewolves, aren't they? She was sure of it. So did that mean they could transform into animals or something like that....?
James, however, was quiet because he, too wanted to say something to Lily. He couldn't make up his mind of what to say. If he apologized would she believe his honesty? She probably didn't think that there was an ounce of sincerity in him anyway. He wasn't actually sorry, was he? He hadn't really DONE anything to her... All he realized was that she was obviously infuriated.
He stole a glance at her. Her shoulder blade-length auburn hair was tied back loosely while the rest hung down. The chill outside had made her cheeks glow a healthy pink. Her startling green eyes looked morose and lips were pressed together in a thin line. Even now, on a gloomy cold day she looked radiant and without realizing it, James' lips had turned up into a somewhat goofy smile. She noticed his gaze on her and stared back at him with her eyebrows narrowed into a scowl. Why couldn't she just recognize him for what he was to all the other girls? The talented, clever, handsome James Potter? He wasn't really as conceited as she thought him to be, was he...? Should he just apologize? At any rate, she was probably waiting for him to say something, like maybe a sorry...
"Look, Lily..." James began with a sigh.
"I know about Remus," Lily blurted out at the same time.
"What?" they said simultaneously.
"I wa-" James began again.
"I know ab-" Lily said at the same time.
"You go ahead."
No, you go."
"Well.. I don't really know how to put this.." James bit his lip nervously, "but I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry Lily- really." He watched her face lighten up just a bit. Encouraged, he continued, "But I don't really understand why exactly you're this ups-" He stopped. This had apparently been exactly the wrong thing to say.
She stopped dead in her tracks. "You don't understand why I'm upset?! Of course you wouldn't understand! You are a self-absorbed, self-centered, egotistic show-off. You'd probably date yourself if you could-"
"Come on, Lily," James said, turning red, "you're not being fair..."
"FAIR?" Lily screeched, her hands turning into tight fists at her sides. "I suppose you think you were 'fair' with Snape, picking on him like that after O.W.L.'s on Thursday??!"
"This isn't about him..." James' face flushed and he began to feel more and more self-conscious.
"Then what IS it about?" Lily said, irritated.
"Well, YOU'RE the one who dragged me out of there. You tell me."
"Why did you spy on me?" she folded her arms across her chest.
"I wasn't really trying to spy on you Lily... I wasn't even there because you were... I was looking for Sirius and Remus.... you seem to get the idea that everything is about you..." He boldly flashed a flippant smirk across his face as he said the last line.
Lily scoffed. "Of course you were wearing an invisibility cloak-"
At the words "invisibility cloak" something dawned on James. He had left his cloak at the Three Broomsticks! Should he run out on Lily right now and run to get it? Or should he wait until later and go back then? Would it still be there? It was valuable- if he lost it, he might never be able to sneak out of the castle with Moony, Padfoot, and Wormtail anymore... The ventures out to Hogsmeade during full moons would be over... What about Lily? Well what about her? She was sore at him right now, wasn't she? He could talk to her later... Anyway he hadn't heard anything she had just said. He made up his mind- and ran as fast as he could in direction of The Three Broomsticks.
"JAMES!" LIly called after him. "YOU'RE HOPELESS, POTTER!" she yelled after him, down the empty streets.
_________________________________________
After dinner, Lily, Nadine, Sasha, and Vanessa sat at their usual table in the Gryffindor common room. Sasha and Vanessa were engaged in a game of Go Fish (It was Extra Credit in Muggle Studies if you learned how to play a Muggle card game). Lily was drawing in her sketchbook while Nadine was writing in her journal. The girls were still all keeping a lively conversation.
"So what's with you and Potter?" Nadine was asking.
Lily made a grim face. "He was the biggest jerk today." She gave an exasperated sigh.
"You mean more than usual," Vanessa said. "No Fish!" she said to Sasha.
Nadine giggled. "You mean 'GO fish'" she said to Vanessa.
Vanessa laughed good-naturedly. "You see how bad I am... that's why I need extra credit... I wish I had a muggle family."
"Me too," Sasha sighed. And she propped an elbow on the table under her chin.
"Oh, no you don't," Lily shook her head. "Petunia- that's my sister, is one of the most insensitive, unkind muggles you'll ever meet. We don't get along at all."
"But siblings fight naturally, don't they?" Sasha pointed out. "Like my brothers and I... we live in two different worlds- completely."
"You're right," Lily replied. She looked thoughtful for a minute and then said, "I guess what I mean is that sometimes I feel so different from my parents and my sister. Here I feel more at home, but then when people like Malfoy saunter up to me and call me a Mudblood, as if that's my name, I feel like I don't belong here either."
"Oh Lily- you know Malfoy's a jerk! Just ignore him..."
"I know I should, but sometimes it gets hard, trying to look unaffected and strong. And then Potter isn't making things any easier for me. I don't need to be defended. It makes me lose the little dignity I have."
"I could definitely relate," Vanessa said, laying down another card. "Malfoy gives that feeling to everyone and then some guy thinks he's being a gentleman by making him apologize to you..."
"By the way," Nadine said, looking up from her journal and putting down her pencil, "What IS with you and Potter?"
"Oh, Nadine, you just asked!" Lily sighed, I caught him spying on me and Vanessa in The Three Broomsticks. And we were JUST talking about him, too-"
Nadine's eyes gleamed and she leaned forward in her seat, "So what happened?"
"Well, I marched him outside and tried to confront him but he ran off."
"James Potter ran AWAY from you?"
"I still don't know why he left... coward," Lily muttered.
"You didn't bother to find out?" Sasha exclaimed immediately, putting her cards down.
"Think about it," said Lily, "He's JAMES POTTER... and I don't really even care where he went. I was going to tell him to leave me alone but he left himself so there was no need."
"Lily," 'Nessa sighed, "it's so painfully obvious that he likes you- maybe you could even change him..."
"That's wishful thinking," Lily said, shaking her head.
"You know what, though, Lily?" Sasha asked, as she picked her cards up again and resumed her game with Vanessa.
"No, what?"
"Maybe he's a different person inside. You could get to know him... Maybe you could at least be friends."
Lily sighed. "It's late... I'm tired. Why don't we all go to bed now?"
"You're right. Let's clean up our card game Sasha."
____________________________________________
A little while later, upstairs in the Girls' dormitory, Lily slipped into her nightgown and was lying under the covers of her bed. She drew the curtains closed around her four-poster and whispered a last "good night" to 'Nessa, who was lying in the bed next to hers. Lily snuggled under her comforter and stared at the canopy of her bed for a long time before she fell asleep. As she closed her eyelids and drifted off to sleep she remembered the last conscious image in her mind was that of James Potter- his tousled black hair sticking up and his hazel eyes smiling at her.
*_______________________________________________*
One of my longer chapters.... no cliffhanger this time! Please- click that button! ^_^ thank you guys!