Disclaimer: The ever-wonderful J.K Rowling owns all but the journal idea. Yup, sad isn't it?

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Chapter Eleven: Being His Friend

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Well, the Halloween Feast has come and gone with no big occurrences unless you count Peeves dumping water on everyone who entered the Great Hall.

Potter hasn't asked me out once all year. It's very refreshing, I must say. Even though he still has feelings for me (according to Sirius), it would be rather awkward if he were to ask me out. Maybe since we're friends now he'll get over me.

Really, being friends with Potter isn't too bad. When you're friends with Potter, you're also friends with Sirius, Remus, and Peter and life is seldom boring when you have those four around to entertain you.

Today, I was once again paired up with Sirius in Potions.

Sirius: "James has been really happy ever since you said you'd be his friend. He was singing in the shower this morning."

Me: "Do tell."

Sirius: "It sounded bloody awful."

Me: "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

Sirius: "Imagine a song being sung by a seagull that's being strangled."

I burst out laughing at Sirius's comparison and accidentally ended up knocking over our cauldron. The contents of the cauldron spilled onto the floor and burned a hole in my shoe. Sad to say, poor Sirius got the full blow of my clumsiness and is currently in the hospital wing having some of his skin re-grown. I'm taking him a get well card and a box of chocolate.

I've just been to the hospital wing to visit Sirius and Potter was there bringing Sirius a box full of stuff from Zonkos.

We all got to talking and in the middle of our conversation Sirius fell asleep. But Potter and I just kept right on talking.

Me: "I feel so bad about the whole potion thing."

Potter: "Don't, Lily. We've gotten worse injuries."

Me: "Worse than having your skin re-grown?"

Potter: "Well, Sirius and I both broke our arms in five different places back in first year when we fell off our brooms…'

Me: "You? You fell off your broom?"

Potter: "Maybe 'fell' wasn't the right word. We were trying to jump from the stands onto our brooms. Needless to say we missed. I've had more quidditch injuries than I can count and then there was that time when Peter hit me in the head with his telescope in Astronomy. I spent three days in hospital wing for that one."

Me: "He hit you in the head with his telescope? How?"

Potter: "I was walking in front of his telescope at the same time he moved it."

Me: "Potter, you've spent a lot of time in the hospital wing."

Potter: "Potter."

Me: "What?"

Potter: "He's Sirius, Remus is Remus and Peter is Peter, but I'm Potter. Why?"

A fair question, really.

Me: "Well...I suppose it's because until this year we've never really gotten along. It's just become a habit."

Potter: "Do you think you could start a new habit and call me James?"

Me: "I think I could."

Potter: "You think?"

Me: "I know I could."

Madam Pomfrey then bustled over to tell us that visiting hours were over and that we should return to Gryffindor Tower.

Potter — I mean James — and I talked about Professor McGonagall's class all the way back. I mentioned that I was having some trouble with a spell we just learned, and he offered to help me with it. We're meeting tomorrow in the library at 7:30 so he can help me out a bit.

Upon return to my dormitory, I was bombarded with questions about where I'd been. Hestia was sure that I'd been snogging James in some broomstick closet and Emmeline thought that maybe James and I were on a late night stroll around the lake. Only Alice suggested that since I'd been carrying Sirius's get-well gift when I left, that perhaps I'd been visiting Sirius. They then started arguing about where I'd been and what I'd been doing while I sat on my bed and watched.

Hestia: "But she could have snogged James after she visited Sirius!"

Alice: "If she was visiting Sirius, how did she run into James?"

Emmeline: "James is Sirius's best friend, where else would he be but the hospital wing?"

Alice: "I highly doubt that Lily would snog James. They may be friends, but she doesn't feel that way about him."

Hestia: "Oh, bollocks to that. Why did she agree to become friends?"

Emmeline: "Because she likes him."

Alice: "She does not. He's stopped being so arrogant; that's why they're friends now."

Emmeline: "But he wants to be more than friends."

Hestia: "So, what if on their way back from the hospital wing, he pulled her into a closet and kissed her?"

Alice: "James isn't stupid! He wouldn't throw his chances with Lily away like that."

Emmeline: "But what if she liked it? Remember the mistletoe last year? Why didn't she pull away right away?"

Hestia: "Because she liked it."

Me: "Er…I'm sitting right here."

Hestia: "So you are."

Alice: "Go on, Lily. Tell them you were visiting Sirius."

Me: "I was visiting Sirius."

Emmeline: "And?"

Me: "And I talked with James for a while."

Hestia and Emmeline: "That's it?"

Me: "That's it."

Hestia looked slightly put out and went about getting ready for bed muttering about stubborn friends who didn't know when they liked a bloke.

Just as she was about to climb into bed, she had a revelation. "You called him James! You do like him! Ha!"

Sadly, I had to rain on her parade and tell her about our conversation. She's still convinced I like him.

Sorry, Hestia. No dice.

I understand it! James is a transfiguration whiz; he makes it look so simple! He's ace at explaining it, too. Transfiguration is not my strong suit; Charms is more my taste. But we started off with an easier spell and progressed to the one we learned a few days ago. By 8:30 I had it down perfectly! We talked for a while, but then Madam Pince said we were being too loud and kicked us out.

Last year I would have been absolutely horrified at being kicked out the library, but now, with James, it didn't seem so bad. Maybe he's had more of an influence on me than I thought. Well, it doesn't seem to be hurting me any so I suppose that's all right then.

Three days ago I had an encounter with Snape while I was walking to Transfiguration with James. I accidentally bumped into Snape and knocked a couple of his books to the floor. I was picking them up when he said that he didn't need me touching his stuff. And he called me a Mudblood. Again.

James practically lunged for Snape and he probably would have torn Snape limb from limb with his bare hands if I hadn't placed myself between them.

James: "Lily, move."

Me: "No, James. I won't."

James: "I'm not going to stand here while he insults my friend."

Me: "And I'm not going to stand here while my friend degrades his self-worth by stooping to his level."

James stared at me long and hard before backing away from Snape.

Snape: "So, this is what has become of the high and mighty James Potter; taking orders from Mudbloods…"

From behind us came a yell, a flash of light and then Snape was being thrown backwards by some unseen force. Sirius came running and brushed past us. Snape scrambled to his feet and hit Sirius with a hex that caused a huge gash to appear in Sirius's head and blood to go flying in every direction.

I didn't even notice James leave my side, but the next thing I knew, he was running towards into the fray sending curses at Snape and the other Slytherins who were coming to Snape's rescue.

So, in the middle of the corridor was an all-out war between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins.

I saw Nott (a Slytherin) aiming at James, so I sent a disarming charm his way. He was thrown backwards into the wall and his wand flew into the air where Peeves caught it and started waving it about and setting the tapestries on the wall on fire.

After rescuing James, the Slytherins assumed that I was a part of the fight and started aiming at me too.

I ducked a few spells and hit a few people with some of my own until Narcissa Black (yes, Sirius's cousin) hit me with the Furnunculus curse and boils sprouted up all over me. James then got Narcissa with Densaugeo and then…Professor McGonagall appeared.

Everyone stopped what he or she was doing and were silent. Even Peeves.

We must have been a sight. Sirius was covered in blood and the front of his robes were torn open. James had somehow managed to acquire hot pink hair and a black eye along with a large gash across his shoulder, which was bleeding profusely. Remus's nose looked broken and Peter was unconscious. Heaven only knows what I looked like.

When Professor McGonagall addressed us, it was in a tone I hope I never hear her use again as long I live. Even thinking about it now makes me shiver. After a very good talking to, we were escorted to the hospital wing where we all spent the night while we healed. They put all the Gryffindors on one side of the room and all of the Slytherins on the other with a magical barrier down the center. Yesterday morning we all had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore.

I now have detention every night for the next three weeks at seven o'clock sharp.

James is on probation as Quidditch captain and Remus and I are on probation as Gryffindor prefects.

I've never mentioned it, but I'm the female Gryffindor prefect and Remus Lupin is my male counterpart. Part of why James has always irked me is that he completely undermines my authority. He and Sirius somehow sneak out at night and do all sorts of things like that right under my nose but I can never catch them. Since they don't cause near as much trouble as they used to, it's not such a big deal anymore.

Must be off to my detention now. James and I get to polish the trophies in the trophy room without using magic. Oh bugger.

I just got back and I tell you, James Potter is full of surprises. After Professor McGonagall left us to our cleaning, James pulled a mirror out of his pocket. I asked why he had a mirror and he told me to watch. He held the mirror up in front of his face and said Sirius's name into it. And Sirius answered.

Apparently, it's a two-way mirror and they use them all the time when they're in separate detentions. How brilliant is that? I would love one of those!

I asked him where he bought them and he said he didn't buy them. I assumed that they were a family heirloom, but James started laughing and said that he and Sirius had made them. He said that he and Sirius had bought the actual mirrors but they had done the spell work themselves. I was impressed; that's really advanced magic.

When I told James that, he shrugged it off with a grin saying that it was nothing and that he'd show me how to make one if I wanted. So for Christmas this year, my friends are getting four-way mirrors.

Dear Lily,

I hope this letter finds you well. Your father, sister and I miss you, but I know you're learning lots at Hogwarts and that you're happy.

So, you're friends with James now? That's wonderful to hear, sweetheart. I knew you two could be friends if only you were willing to give him a chance. I suppose you're not open to the thought of dating him? I still think you two would be perfect together.

Speaking of James, how is he? Not getting into more mischief I hope? Christmas is coming up soon, have you decided on what you're going to give him yet?

I'm sorry for the short letter, but your father and I are meeting the Smiths for dinner.

Love always,

Mum

When I received this at breakfast I was a little miffed. Mum asked after James more than she did me! She might as well have sent the bloody letter to him! I told Hestia that and she snatched the letter from me and gave it to James.

James was fairly amused by it, but not so much as Sirius, who, upon reading it, spit his pumpkin juice out all over Peter.

I finally got my pumpkin juice stained letter back and I made a mental note to reply to mum. My letter back says something along the lines of James is fine, he has been in trouble and I have no idea of what to give him. That should please her.

Another Quidditch match today, this time Ravenclaw against Hufflepuff. I was forced into sitting between Emmeline and James. Emmeline kept poking me in the side and giggling something about James, so eventually I elbowed her rather hard and she quit.

James and I watched the match while he once again explained the rules of Quidditch to me. It really makes much more sense when you have someone who knows what they're talking about explain it to you. Having Emmeline say "Those people hit those black balls and those people toss that red ball and that lad over there in front of those hoops tries to stop the people with the red ball and that girl catches this very small gold thing" is—amazingly enouhg—not very helpful.

I've noticed that I've been spending a lot of time with James lately. Unfortunately, my friends noticed too. Alice, usually the voice of reason, is even starting to believe that I like James in a more than platonic way.

Oh bugger.

Despite all of that, I wish now that I'd become friends with James long before now. He's really not such a bad lad at all. He's funny and he can be rather sweet when he wants to. He always offers to carry my books to class for me even though I won't let him and he always manages to make a bad day seem just a little brighter with his comedic antics.

You know what? I like being his friend.

Now there's something I never thought I'd say.

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