Chapter 4 – Starting Over
After they had all stuffed themselves full of food, James and Lily were called to a small room next to the teachers table to discuss their duties with Headmaster Dippet. After a short ten minute meeting about the weekly prefects meetings and the passwords of the other houses and Head Boy and Girl bathroom he sent them off to bed.
Since everyone had already left the great hall a short while ago, the halls were pretty deserted which left Lily and James to walk to the Gryffindor common room alone...together. They walked in silence; the only sound was that of Lily's school shoes clicking their heels against the stone floor.
James couldn't bare the silence any longer, and he was beginning to get annoyed with the constant clicking.
"So, Lily how was your summer?" he asked looking over at her with hopeful eyes.
"Oh..." surprised by the sudden noise, "um...it was pretty dull, I was really anticipating coming back here." Lily still hadn't taken her eyes off the floor. "What about yours?"
James was beaming! He was actually having a civilized conversation with Lily!
"Well, it was pretty excellent, Sirius got a flat in London so I stayed there most of the summer since my parents have been so busy with work, they didn't have much time to see me but I spent time with them when I could."
By then, they had reached the portrait of the fat lady and gave the password, jibber nuts, and they entered the common room. It was quite loud inside the common room from the silence in the hallways and after saying goodnight to James, Lily headed over to the window to where her friends Heather and Alison were sitting. James decided to make his way over to where his friends were sitting in front of the fire.
He sat down in one of the squashy armchairs next to Remus and laid his head back against the back of the chair.
"So, how'd the meeting go?" asked Remus.
"Good, nothing very important, just passwords and stuff..." he replied, but Sirius cut him off.
"Wait a second...Dippet gave you the passwords to the other houses?" Sirius' smile grew about three times its normal size. "Do you realize what this means?"
Peter seemed to be the only one not clueing in, "No...what?"
Sirius gave him a look, "We can get into the Slytherin's common room! Do you have any idea how much we could torture Snivellus? Prongs what do you think we should do first?" Prongs?"
James seemed to have zoned out and was looking over the side of his armchair to the window where Lily was sitting. She had been joined by two other girls now, the twins, Satu and Suvi, identical twins to be exact. James couldn't begin to understand how anyone could tell them apart, except he noticed that Lily out of the three girls was the only one who knew which was which. Heather, a very pretty brunette girl with large grey eyes noticed him looking over and whispered something to Lily. Lily turned her head and looked over at James with a curious look on her face. James immediately turned around back against the chair and back to his friends.
"HEY! EARTH TO JAMES!" called Sirius.
"What?" he answered loudly.
"Have you been listening to a word I just said?" he asked in a motherly tone.
James smiled, "Sorry, what were you saying?"
Sirius looked over at the window and realized what James had been staring at. He started to laugh, "It's nothing, I'll tell you later. Well, I'm beat, I think I'll be getting to bed."
Peter and Remus followed suit but James stayed beside the fire, thinking. Why can't I stop staring at her? I mean, I know I like her, but it's like I'm becoming obsessed or something. She just looks so beautiful this year, if that was even possible to look better than perfect.
James was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard his name being called from somewhere beside him. He opened his eyes to find bright emerald ones staring straight back at him. This made him sort of jump a little but he recovered and quickly scanned the room. Everyone else had gone to bed, except a few third years who were writing letters home to their parents.
"You awake there?" smiled Lily.
James sat up in his chair after realizing that he was almost falling out of it.
"Yeah, why are you still awake?" he asked.
Lily looked down at her hands, "Well, um...I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."
James heart was doing flips in his chest. "Sure, what about?" Did it really matter, he thought.
Lily took a seat next to him and lifted her head to look him in the eyes. James could've melted right there. The way she looked in the firelight made her look so utterly perfect, he had to resist every urge to jump on her and kiss her right then!
"Well, I've been thinking, and it seems like you're really taking this Head Boy thing seriously, and well, since we are going to be spending a lot of time together this year, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to start over? Putting all this nonsense behind us. You've been acting differently; in fact I haven't even seen you play a single prank on anyone in an entire day, which is saying something. To be honest, I never really hated you, I just thought you were an arrogant prat who cared nothing about others, but maybe I was wrong." She smiled.
James smiled and looked down. "Well, since we're being honest here, I WAS an arrogant prat who cared nothing of others, but I realized how that attitude reflected me to others, and I thought it was time to change."
Lily leaned over and placed her hand on his. James felt a flutter of warmth travel up his arm.
"Well, it seems to be a good change." She said, and she started to make her way over to the stairs of her dormitory.
James leaped off of his chair and met her at the bottom of the stairs. He grabbed her hand as she stepped up, and she turned to face him, now at his eye level. "Um...Lily...I-I...I just want you to know, that..." why was this so hard? He thought. "You-you are the reason that I wanted to change."
Lily looked a little stunned for a moment, and James was worried that he had said the wrong thing. He had almost given up hope and was ready to sprint up the stairs to bed but she leaned in and planted a small kiss on James cheek then turned and went up to bed. James practically floated up the stairs with the largest smile ever displayed on his face.
After they had all stuffed themselves full of food, James and Lily were called to a small room next to the teachers table to discuss their duties with Headmaster Dippet. After a short ten minute meeting about the weekly prefects meetings and the passwords of the other houses and Head Boy and Girl bathroom he sent them off to bed.
Since everyone had already left the great hall a short while ago, the halls were pretty deserted which left Lily and James to walk to the Gryffindor common room alone...together. They walked in silence; the only sound was that of Lily's school shoes clicking their heels against the stone floor.
James couldn't bare the silence any longer, and he was beginning to get annoyed with the constant clicking.
"So, Lily how was your summer?" he asked looking over at her with hopeful eyes.
"Oh..." surprised by the sudden noise, "um...it was pretty dull, I was really anticipating coming back here." Lily still hadn't taken her eyes off the floor. "What about yours?"
James was beaming! He was actually having a civilized conversation with Lily!
"Well, it was pretty excellent, Sirius got a flat in London so I stayed there most of the summer since my parents have been so busy with work, they didn't have much time to see me but I spent time with them when I could."
By then, they had reached the portrait of the fat lady and gave the password, jibber nuts, and they entered the common room. It was quite loud inside the common room from the silence in the hallways and after saying goodnight to James, Lily headed over to the window to where her friends Heather and Alison were sitting. James decided to make his way over to where his friends were sitting in front of the fire.
He sat down in one of the squashy armchairs next to Remus and laid his head back against the back of the chair.
"So, how'd the meeting go?" asked Remus.
"Good, nothing very important, just passwords and stuff..." he replied, but Sirius cut him off.
"Wait a second...Dippet gave you the passwords to the other houses?" Sirius' smile grew about three times its normal size. "Do you realize what this means?"
Peter seemed to be the only one not clueing in, "No...what?"
Sirius gave him a look, "We can get into the Slytherin's common room! Do you have any idea how much we could torture Snivellus? Prongs what do you think we should do first?" Prongs?"
James seemed to have zoned out and was looking over the side of his armchair to the window where Lily was sitting. She had been joined by two other girls now, the twins, Satu and Suvi, identical twins to be exact. James couldn't begin to understand how anyone could tell them apart, except he noticed that Lily out of the three girls was the only one who knew which was which. Heather, a very pretty brunette girl with large grey eyes noticed him looking over and whispered something to Lily. Lily turned her head and looked over at James with a curious look on her face. James immediately turned around back against the chair and back to his friends.
"HEY! EARTH TO JAMES!" called Sirius.
"What?" he answered loudly.
"Have you been listening to a word I just said?" he asked in a motherly tone.
James smiled, "Sorry, what were you saying?"
Sirius looked over at the window and realized what James had been staring at. He started to laugh, "It's nothing, I'll tell you later. Well, I'm beat, I think I'll be getting to bed."
Peter and Remus followed suit but James stayed beside the fire, thinking. Why can't I stop staring at her? I mean, I know I like her, but it's like I'm becoming obsessed or something. She just looks so beautiful this year, if that was even possible to look better than perfect.
James was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard his name being called from somewhere beside him. He opened his eyes to find bright emerald ones staring straight back at him. This made him sort of jump a little but he recovered and quickly scanned the room. Everyone else had gone to bed, except a few third years who were writing letters home to their parents.
"You awake there?" smiled Lily.
James sat up in his chair after realizing that he was almost falling out of it.
"Yeah, why are you still awake?" he asked.
Lily looked down at her hands, "Well, um...I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."
James heart was doing flips in his chest. "Sure, what about?" Did it really matter, he thought.
Lily took a seat next to him and lifted her head to look him in the eyes. James could've melted right there. The way she looked in the firelight made her look so utterly perfect, he had to resist every urge to jump on her and kiss her right then!
"Well, I've been thinking, and it seems like you're really taking this Head Boy thing seriously, and well, since we are going to be spending a lot of time together this year, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to start over? Putting all this nonsense behind us. You've been acting differently; in fact I haven't even seen you play a single prank on anyone in an entire day, which is saying something. To be honest, I never really hated you, I just thought you were an arrogant prat who cared nothing about others, but maybe I was wrong." She smiled.
James smiled and looked down. "Well, since we're being honest here, I WAS an arrogant prat who cared nothing of others, but I realized how that attitude reflected me to others, and I thought it was time to change."
Lily leaned over and placed her hand on his. James felt a flutter of warmth travel up his arm.
"Well, it seems to be a good change." She said, and she started to make her way over to the stairs of her dormitory.
James leaped off of his chair and met her at the bottom of the stairs. He grabbed her hand as she stepped up, and she turned to face him, now at his eye level. "Um...Lily...I-I...I just want you to know, that..." why was this so hard? He thought. "You-you are the reason that I wanted to change."
Lily looked a little stunned for a moment, and James was worried that he had said the wrong thing. He had almost given up hope and was ready to sprint up the stairs to bed but she leaned in and planted a small kiss on James cheek then turned and went up to bed. James practically floated up the stairs with the largest smile ever displayed on his face.