Sirius's Top Ten
Hehe. I secretly wrote this chapter while I was supposed to be doing homework. See how nice I am?? Anywho, the title for this chapter won't make sense until the very end. Thanks again for all the comments!
J.K. Rowling owns every character, aside from ones you'll meet later.
Thoughts are in italics.
Chapter 7: The Tap Group
The "Great Freeze" as Sirius had begun calling it had been going on for a week now. Somehow, the entire school found out about what had happened to Lily that faithful night, and most of the female population refused to even speak with the Marauders. Girls of all years from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw refused to acknowledge that the Marauders even existed. They refused to laugh when the boys made jokes in class, or played pranks on Snape. The boys of the school wouldn't talk to them either, mostly because they didn't want to get in trouble with the girls. Only a small handful of Slytherin girls still talked to them, but none of the Marauders were keen on the idea of snogging Slytherins.
"I still think it was Snape!" Sirius said angrily, hitting his fist on the table at breakfast, about a week after the Ball.
"Mebbe." Peter agreed, through a mouthful a cereal. He swallowed. "I mean, he was sitting somewhat close by."
Sirius nodded, happy that someone agreed with his theory, and looked to James. "What do you think?"
"Lily's never going to forgive me, is she?" James asked absent-mindedly, his soft, hazel eyes looking around the table for her.
"I thought we'd been through this, Prongs. She'll come around. Besides, she was just a girl. Normally we've gone through about twenty each by now." Sirius reasoned.
"At this rate, you won't hit twenty by the end of the year." Remus commented as he sat down across from Sirius and James. "More that eighty percent of the girls in the school think you two are 'sexist pigs who treat women as objects with no value.'"
"Where'd you get that from?" Sirius asked, looking quite confused.
"The flyer."
"They have FLYERS? Why the hell do they need bloody flyers?!?"
"'To show those sexist pigs' – us – 'that we' – the girls – 'disprove of the way they handle women.'" Remus replied automatically, reading off a bright pink flyer that he had found the common room.
"This is getting out of hand. James, you have to talk to her." Sirius said anxiously, snatching the paper from Remus's hands. "They call me 'a cruel, heartless womanizer.' Well, they got the womanizer bit right!"
"She won't listen, besides, I can't get near her without being hexed to oblivion." James answered, straightening up as he saw Lily enter the Hall, surrounded protectively by Cassidy and Abigail. "She'll never forgive me."
It had been like that since the Saturday after the Ball. Abby and Cass hadn't left her side at all. Between and during classes, at meals, any time when James could've tried to approach her. Whenever he try, Cass and Abby would pull out their wands, and hex James till he couldn't stand. James had been to the infirmary three times in the past week. But every time, he had refused to tell who hexed him. It was the least he could do.
"Still in his Lily-will-hate-me-forever state, I see?" Remus said, glancing up from his Daily Prophet.
"Yeah. I think he must be feverish." Sirius said, only looking slightly concerned.
Truthfully though, Sirius was scared. He had never seen James so hung up on a person, let alone a girl he had only kissed once. But Sirius didn't see his dear friend's dreams.
Every night that James finally thought he was over Lily, he would see her face in his dreams. Her pale skin red from the sting of tears, the heartbroken look of disbelief… But he hadn't been lying when he said he loved her. He knew he wasn't. Every time he saw her in classes, his heart would jump. Every time he watched her laugh with Cassidy or Abby, his heart would jump. Every time she gave him that sad look of disbelief, his heart would break.
"I'm going to talk with her." He said simply, standing.
"Not again Prongs. Like you said, you'll be hexed into oblivion." Peter protested, though he made no movement to stop her.
"I'll have to risk it. I have to make peace with her."
"That you do. That way I might be able to get a date for Christmas Break, when it starts next weekend." Sirius agreed, standing to accompany his friend.
"Oh great, here comes Potter." Abby grumbled. She had been sneaking a glance at Remus, who was her current crush, though she wouldn't admit it to Cassidy or Lily just yet. Cass would bite her head off for 'betraying' Lily.
Cass groaned, but reached into her pockets to find her wand. Gripping her hand around the slender stick, she looked coldly at Potter as he approached.
Though conversation through out the Hall continued, several pairs of eyes were watching the scene, from all five tables.
"Poor James." Albus Dumbledore, a professor, remarked, watching from the Teacher's Table.
"From what I hear, Albus, he very much deserves it." Minerva McGonagall replied. "Not that I care to mingle in the lives of students." She added quickly, as Headmaster Dippet gave them an odd look.
"Could I talk to you for a moment, Lils?" James said quietly as he approached the girls. Abby and Cass glared at him, but Lily was looking intently at the table.
"Get lost Potter." Cass muttered angrily, raising her wand threateningly.
"As much as I enjoy our conversations, Cassidy, I was talking to Lily." James replied, keeping his voice even, trying not to yell and make a scene.
"Fine." Lily replied with no show of emotion, standing slowly. Her mother always told her that the best way to sort out an issue or problem was to talk about it. I can't believe I'm actually listening to Mum and talking to James. She thought silently to herself, before walking out of the Great Hall, James following.
"He is so screwed." Sirius said with a grin as he sat down at the table. Cassidy and Abby remained expressionless, their faces cold.
"Well… I'll be off then." Sirius said awkwardly, before retreating back to Remus and Peter.
"What do you want, Potter?" Lily asked quietly. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears already. She had been in love with him, she knew it. But she wouldn't let him see how much she was hurting. She decided to keep her eyes from meeting his glance by staring at his chin.
"I want to talk to you. About what happened at the Ball." James began, before frowning slightly, and wiping his chin. "Have I got something on my chin, Lils?"
Lily quickly looked away, but it took only seconds for her eyes to lock with his.
"My name is Lily. To you, I'm Evans." Lily said softly, knowing her eyes had given her away. She hadn't slept well for the past week. He used you. He lied. He was only your friend for the contest. You don't even know the real James Potter. The voice in her head reminded her.
"Come on Lils – "
"Evans."
"Whatever. Please, just hear me out."
"I'm listening."
"I didn't really know you, you know, before Sirius and I started the contest. And when you were the last girl I needed to kiss to win, I still didn't know you. You said we had to be friends first. At first, it was about the contest. I admit it, I mean, I didn't know you, so I didn't care. But then I really got to know you Li – Evans, and I forgot about the contest. I fell in love with you."
Lily remained silent, but tears were streaming down her cheeks. James felt his heart break in two.
"Lils, please." James said quietly, taking a step closer. "Give me another change. I was stupid. I care about you more than anything, I – "
"Excuse me." Oliver Field said awkwardly, appearing from the Great Hall with Lily's bag on his arm. He took Lily's arm softly, turning her to face him. He smiled reassuringly. "Can I still walk you to class?"
"Yes. Thank you Oliver. Excuse me, James."
She let Oliver lead her up the stairs towards Transfiguration, but she could feel James's gaze on her the entire time, until they were out of sight.
James sighed, wanting to kick himself. I'm such an idiot.
Suddenly, there was a crash behind him, as Cassidy, Abby, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all fell through the doorway. Obviously, they had been listening from within the Great Hall. Sirius pulled Cass up with a smile, while Remus helped Abby.
"The 'Great Freeze' will melt if you make an apology at lunch today." Sirius said with a grin, as the group closed in around James. "Plus – "
"We'll forgive you if you help us with one thing." Cass interrupted. "Get rid of Oliver."
"What?" James asked with a look of confusion.
"Freeze ends with apology. Abby and Cass want you to split up Oliver and Lily."
"They're together? Since when?" James was still confused.
"Since… err… what it Thursday Cass?" Abby asked, frowning slightly.
"I think so." Cass agreed. "It's our fault though. Lily said she wasn't ready but we convinced her it would help her get over – "
Cass stopped as she was nudged violently in the side by Abby's elbow. Right. Cass thought to herself with an innocent smile. Never let him see she's hurting.
"We'd prefer her to be with a slime ball like you than with Oliver." Abby added, covering up Cass's mistake.
"Gee, thanks." James said sarcastically.
"They're not even really 'together' yet, and he's kinda obsessive." Cass added.
"What do you mean?" Peter asked curiously.
"He sent her flowers this morning." Cass explained. "400 more roses to top the 300 he sent yesterday."
"He's taken over our jobs. We're supposed to walk her around, protect her from you. Not him." Abby complained.
"Poor Oliver." Remus said through the thick of the conversation. "We're all out to get him. I feel guilty."
"Fine, how bout this, Moony. Once he and Lily are happily broken up, we'll find him a girl for himself." Sirius offered, hoping that some girl at this school would love the chance to go out with a lad who sent her flowers every morning.
"It's settled then. For now, we are the Coalition Against the Relationship of Lily and Oliver." Cass said proudly.
"Or CARIO for short." Abby added. "That way we can discuss matters in front of Lily. Our cover is a Defence Against the Dark Arts group.""Nah. She'd want to join. How about a tap class? Lily hates tap." James said thoughtfully, surprising both his friends and the girls.
"What is 'tap' exactly?" Peter asked.
"Not now Wormtail, first we must plan the first stage of Operation Dance-off."
"Operation Dance-off?" Abby asked incredulously.
"We're a tap group, remember?"