Chapter 12

Seeing other People

Lily was not wanting for potential suitors, there were many guys who would willingly fill the

now vacant place at Lily's side. For some reason, however, none of them seemed good enough

for her and she turned away guy after guy. Lily did not mind although it was lonely sometimes,

especially when she saw Holly and Sirius together, or Alice and Freddie, who was her latest

conquest. Lily loved being single, but she could not help but notice that James, in the past three

months, had dated a different girl every week. She did not see him very often, he was busy with

Quiddich practice's and she was studying very hard. She desperatly wanted to make her parents

proud of her, and although she knew her papers would never be pinned to the refrigorator, she

still wrote them weekly telling about her classes, what she was learning, and how hard she was

working. She never mentioned her boyfriend troubles, worries about OWL's, or jealousy of her

friends because they had boyfriends and she did not.

It was one day that she was sitting in the library, alone, writing an essay, when she noticed

Remus staring at her from across the room. As soon as she looked up he averted his eyes,

pretending to be obsorbed in his book. She walked over to him and sat down beside him. He

looked up and smiled. She returned his smile with her own beaming one.

"Have you written the moonstone essay yet?"

"No, not yet, have you?"

"I'm working on it, but I can't seem to find the right kind of information."

"We could work on it together if you want. I might be able to help."

"Thank you, I would like that, there's room at my table, if you want to join me."

"Okay, I'll just get my stuff." And so a pattern developed. Every day they met in the library

and did work together, although they talked as well. They never mentioned the night of the kiss,

even though they both thought of it frequently. They became good friends and soon started

spending time together outside of the library as well. Her friends noticed a change in her and

comented on it. She seemed happier and more alive than she had in the weeks since her break

up with James. The Hogsmede trip was fast approaching and James had still not spoken to Lily

about whether or not they were going together. He had been dating many other people since the

night they had broken up, but none of them meant anything. Remus had told him that he and Lily

had been spending time tigether, he knew that they were friends. He just did not know whether

or not they were more. He intended to find out, but he wanted to hear it from Lily.

He approached her that night in the common room. He had had trouble finding her, because

she was burried under a pile of books and obstructed from the view of the main room. It was

loud and full of people, the perfect atmosphere for studying. He stuck his head around the book

and saw Lily, bending over an essay, papers spread around the table, her hair falling in front of

her face. He tapped her and she jumped in surprise.

"Oh, it's you. How are you?"

"I'm fine, I feel like I haven't seen you in months."

"That's because you haven't."

"Right. Well I was just wondering what we were doing about Hogsmede, are we going

together, or are you going with Remus?"

"Actually he has to go home this weekend, his grandmother is sick he says."

"Oh, that's too bad." Even though James knew the truth when it came to Remus's 'sick

grandparents' he was not about to betray his friends secret to Lily. He quickly steered the

subject away from Remus and his alledgedly sick grandparents.

"Were you going to go in, or not?"

"I was thinking about it, but Holly is going with Sirius, Alice with Freddie, and Janette is

going with a guy whoes name she won't tell us."

"What about Caroline?"

"She claims that she doesn't want to go in. I think she is behind on her work she said and is

going to take the opportunity to use the quiet library and common room. No distractions.

Something like that."

"Right. And you? Are you going with anyone?"

"Is that an invitation?"

"Depends on your answer."

"Well, seeing as you sought me out to ask if I was going, I am assuming you are asking me.

I would be delighted to go with you James, but just as friends, right?"

"Of course, just to catch up on whats been going on the past few months, do some

Christmas shopping, do you realize that break is only two weeks away and it still hasn't

snowed?"

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Looks like it's my turn to open your eyes."

"Apparently. Although the halls have been getting draftier and the torches are being lit earlier

in the day."

"So we're on for Hogsmede then? And you're okay with that? And will Remus be?"

"Why wouldn't I be? And why wouldn't he be? Remus and I are just friends, just like you

and I. You are asking me because you want to right? This isn't some 'I need to keep my word

and do the right thing' thing, is it?"

"No way, I would love to go to Hogsmede with you."