"Underneath It All"
by: marauderyears
* * * * *Lily's POV*
"AHHHH!!! JAMES POTTER!!!! SIRIUS BLACK" The common room fell silent at the sudden interruption. Lily Evan's scream filled Gryffindor Tower. Many first years looked curiously at the seemingly innocent group of boys, the Marauders. Well, that was to the untrained eye.
A loud thundering sound let the room know that Lily Evans was storming down the spiral staircase. What they were not expecting, even the Marauders, was to see Lily Evans, a very sane prefect, to come storming down in nothing but a towel, wrapped around her, drenched in water. She stormed across the room, (dripping water everywhere) to where the Marauders sat, facing the west window, looking out toward the Quidditch field. The boys grinned at their fortune.
James eyed her before he remarked with a smirk, "That whole 'dripping-water- with-nothing-on-but-a-towel' look really works for you..." Lily turned pink, forgetting that she was wearing well...a towel...
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Miss Evans?" He flashed her one of his charming smiles with his perfectly straight, white, gleaming teeth. It made all girls weak in the knees and vulnerable. Except for Lily Evans, who seemed to be able to resist the Marauders' charm. Her fiery redhead temper made James Potter want to pursue her even more.
Lily narrowed her eyes, which snapped back and forth between James and Sirius. "Alright, which one of you prankers did it?!" She emphasized this accusation with her arms flailing.
James smiled up at her, into her flashing, dangerous eyes. "What ever are you talking about Miss Evans?" He blinked, innocently.
Lily placed her hands on her hips. "Are we playing dumb and innocent?"
Sirius snorted, trying to hold back laughter, "Not innocent, but dumb yes."
Lily glared at them, "Yes, you are all very good at playing dumb...."
James pretended to look hurt and placed his hands over his heart, "Ouch Evans...that hurt..." He pouted.
Lily growled, "WHO DID IT? Who hexed the shower to turn colder, the hotter I turn the knob?!"
Remus and Peter, sitting quietly in the back, shifted uneasily.
Sirius sighed, raising his hand, "I confess. You caught me. Red handed." James snickered behind him.
James suddenly looked at Sirius, "Wait a minute. Padfoot, I hexed the shower."
Sirius appeared to be thinking. "Aw yes, I hexed the towels...." He stopped short realizing what he said.
Lily stepped closer to James, looking menacing at him, "I'm am going to wring your little neck!!"
James raised a pleased eyebrow. "I dunno Evans...the odds don't look to good. I mean.... you're only wearing a towel.... if you fight me, you wouldn't want that pretty pink towel of yours to *accidentally* fall off, now would you?" He motioned ripping off an imaginary towel.
The boys in the common room cheered and catcalled. Sirius seemed to be enjoying himself as he watched Lily fume. Her hair casually lie, dripping on her shoulders. Lily noticed a mug of Butterbeer on the table, right in front of James. Lily made up her mind in a split second.
She picked up the mug and dumped it all over James' head. He jumped up, knocking his head on the mug. Lily let the mug slip out of her hands and hit the ground, with a shatter. She whipped around, a little pink in the face, and stormed back up the staircase with James calling out to her.
"Hey Evans!! Will you go out with me?! Evans!" She ignored him and continued up to the dormitory.
Errrr...I hate the self-centered, conceited, prat of a wizard. Why does he continue to pursue me? I hate everything about him. What makes him think he even has a chance with me?! Lily angrily thought as she slammed the dormitory door to finish getting ready.
After unhexing the shower to make it hot water so she could rinse the shampoo out of her hair, she flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't believe that she just stormed through the common room with all those guys, in nothing but a towel, as James Potter so nicely put it. She almost always lost her temper quicker than normal when it came to dealing with the Marauders.
She sighed and rolled over on to her side to stare out the window. She had a prefect meeting that she had to attend that started in 15 minutes. She heard the dormitory door open and close.
A slightly amused voice spoke, "Lily? I heard about what happened..."
Lily flipped around to face her best friend, Lena Tenyck. She was close to a sister; filling the space that Petunia did such a bad job of doing. Lena, holding back a smile, flopped in the bed across from Lily.
They stared at each other for a minute before Lily broke the silence.
"Why are they in Gryffindor? Why not in Ravenclaw if they're so clever?!" Lily exclaimed in a disgusted voice.
Lena frowned, appearing to be thinking. "Maybe they're brave and courageous?" She smiled knowing the reaction that Lily was going to have.
"Them?! Yeah right...well, they're brave to the point of stupidity when it's comes to doing pranks and not being afraid of being caught...." While Lily was thinking, Lena stood up fast, making Lily jump.
Lena looked at the bathroom door. "Do you think that hex has worn off? I need to take a shower before we miss lunch, we've already missed breakfast...." Lena grumbled at this. She hated missing food. Food was her one and only.
Lily smiled as she watched Lena disappear into the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on. Lena was her best friend and hoped it would stay that way forever. Lily sat up fast as she heard the dormitory door open.
* * * * *James' POV*
"Evans!! Evans!! Go out with me!" James pleaded, but not too desperately, he had a reputation to uphold. An unattainable one. For what seemed like the millionth time, James Potter was staring at the angry back of Lily Evans as he pleaded for her to go out with him. Evans, as usual, ignored him and stormed up the staircase to the girl's dormitory.
"Well Prongs, good job! I think she likes you better than last time!" Sirius exclaimed as he motioned to the shattered mug on the ground and him standing there, dripping with Butterbeer.
James scowled at Sirius. "Yeah thanks Padfoot-- What are all you munchkins staring at?!" He shouted at the curious stares of the lower classmen. Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing.
"Why won't she go out with me? It's obvious she likes me, why won't she just give in to her temptations of me?" James muttered to an amused Sirius.
For the first time, Remus looked up at them. "I think she thinks your too shallow--"
Sirius cut in, "And arrogant--"
"Vain--"
"Conceited--"
"Big-headed--"
"Egotistical--"
"Self-centered--"
"Not to mention pompous--"
"Oh, and overconfident--"
"Let's not forget--"
"ALRIGHT ALREADY!!" James shouted, interrupting their gang-up on him. Many of their fellow Gryffindors started in surprise at the sudden outburst.
James raised an eyebrow at Sirius, "All those adjectives *do* sound awfully familiar Padfoot...."
Sirius pretended to think about this. "Hmm....no, it doesn't. It sounds *just* like you." He smirked.
Peter was watching this feud with a hungry expression, "Maybe if you changed your ways...." They all stared at him in surprise. He didn't usually say anything so...'deep'. Oddly enough, it just might work.
Later that day (after Remus had come back from a prefect meeting), after James had cleaned up of course, he sat at the Gryffindor table next to his fellow Marauders. But unlike them who were planning for their next prank, he was just thinking...about Evans, of course. He was in a deep trance, which even Sirius' insults and flinging of food could not interrupt. Remus however had the ticket.
"Hey, Padfoot, Prongs, did I mention that there is going to be Ball in--" Remus did not get to finish because James jumped up, startling them all.
"WHAT?!" Half the table was looking at him. "There's going to be a Ball?! Why didn't you tell me--"
"I just did--"
"You know what this means?!" James exclaimed, similar to a three year old who spotted the candy aisle in a store.
"Yes.... that Jell-O is indeed alive..." Quite taken aback by this randomness, James and Remus stared at Sirius, who was playing with his Jell- O, as it moved every time he poked it. James shook his head, messing his already messed up hair.
"No you git, it means that I can finally get Evans to go out with me! What better a chance than at a Ball?!" James exclaimed, flinging his arms as he spoke. Some lamb chops flung off his fork and hit a nearby third year, who scowled as she attempted to pull it out of her hair.
Peter, with a mouth full of food, frowned. "Wait, what makes you think she's going to actually listen this time? I mean usually she just--"
James gave an exasperated sigh, "Oh Pete, you need to be more optimistic...like me. Plus.... I find I can be very persuasive..." There was a glint in his eye, which worried Peter quite a bit.
Sirius patted James' back, looking proud, "Gonna give her the ole' Potter charm, eh?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
James grinned. "No one, not even Evans, can resist my charm...."
Remus raised an eyebrow, "Somehow I doubt that. She has in the past--"
"Moony! That hurts..." James pretended to have a heart attack as Peter and Sirius laughed. Soon Remus joined in.
Remus noticed that many other Gryffindors were whispering excitedly. They must have overheard the Marauder's conversation. Well who couldn't with James' massive heart attack?
"Great, now everyone knows about the Ball. As a prefect, I was not supposed to tell anyone, it was supposed to be a surprise...." Remus sighed and rubbed his temples, appearing like he had a headache.
"Aww, it's okay, it was bound to happen one way or another." A familiar voice commented behind them.
They turned around to see Lily Evans standing there with her friend Lena. Lena's attention seemed to be focused on a muscular Ravenclaw passerby.
"Ah, Evans, please honor us with your presence..." James smiled as he shoved Sirius over to leave some empty space between them.
"Oww, that was impolite--" Sirius started to say before James had kicked his shin. Lily rolled her eyes, and sat next to Remus instead. Lena sat down beside her, her attention still on the Ravenclaw.
"As I was saying, McGonaggle forgot to mention that the next prefect meeting is next Thursday. Everyone but me left before she could say so, so I'm telling everyone now." Lily reached for the sandwiches but James reached them first and held them out for her.
"Allow me, Miss Evans...." James winked at her as he handed her a sandwich. Lily glared at him and took her *own* sandwich. James' smile dropped off his face. He actually looked hurt. Lily for once felt bad.
"What, you don't trust me handing you a sandwich?!" James frowned.
"Potter, I've spent enough time trying to undye my hair pink from last time I trusted a sandwich from you." Lily glared at him. James actually looked hurt.
"Pink really is your color, Evans--" James started to say, but Lily had had enough. She slammed her plate down (attracting a lot of attention and waking Lena out of her trance) and got up to leave the Great Hall.
"Hey Evans! Evans go with me to the Ball! Hey Evans?!" James shouted across the hall, as Lena scrambled after her.
This was like the millionth and first time James was staring at the angry back of Lily Evans as he pleaded with her to go out with him.
by: marauderyears
* * * * *Lily's POV*
"AHHHH!!! JAMES POTTER!!!! SIRIUS BLACK" The common room fell silent at the sudden interruption. Lily Evan's scream filled Gryffindor Tower. Many first years looked curiously at the seemingly innocent group of boys, the Marauders. Well, that was to the untrained eye.
A loud thundering sound let the room know that Lily Evans was storming down the spiral staircase. What they were not expecting, even the Marauders, was to see Lily Evans, a very sane prefect, to come storming down in nothing but a towel, wrapped around her, drenched in water. She stormed across the room, (dripping water everywhere) to where the Marauders sat, facing the west window, looking out toward the Quidditch field. The boys grinned at their fortune.
James eyed her before he remarked with a smirk, "That whole 'dripping-water- with-nothing-on-but-a-towel' look really works for you..." Lily turned pink, forgetting that she was wearing well...a towel...
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Miss Evans?" He flashed her one of his charming smiles with his perfectly straight, white, gleaming teeth. It made all girls weak in the knees and vulnerable. Except for Lily Evans, who seemed to be able to resist the Marauders' charm. Her fiery redhead temper made James Potter want to pursue her even more.
Lily narrowed her eyes, which snapped back and forth between James and Sirius. "Alright, which one of you prankers did it?!" She emphasized this accusation with her arms flailing.
James smiled up at her, into her flashing, dangerous eyes. "What ever are you talking about Miss Evans?" He blinked, innocently.
Lily placed her hands on her hips. "Are we playing dumb and innocent?"
Sirius snorted, trying to hold back laughter, "Not innocent, but dumb yes."
Lily glared at them, "Yes, you are all very good at playing dumb...."
James pretended to look hurt and placed his hands over his heart, "Ouch Evans...that hurt..." He pouted.
Lily growled, "WHO DID IT? Who hexed the shower to turn colder, the hotter I turn the knob?!"
Remus and Peter, sitting quietly in the back, shifted uneasily.
Sirius sighed, raising his hand, "I confess. You caught me. Red handed." James snickered behind him.
James suddenly looked at Sirius, "Wait a minute. Padfoot, I hexed the shower."
Sirius appeared to be thinking. "Aw yes, I hexed the towels...." He stopped short realizing what he said.
Lily stepped closer to James, looking menacing at him, "I'm am going to wring your little neck!!"
James raised a pleased eyebrow. "I dunno Evans...the odds don't look to good. I mean.... you're only wearing a towel.... if you fight me, you wouldn't want that pretty pink towel of yours to *accidentally* fall off, now would you?" He motioned ripping off an imaginary towel.
The boys in the common room cheered and catcalled. Sirius seemed to be enjoying himself as he watched Lily fume. Her hair casually lie, dripping on her shoulders. Lily noticed a mug of Butterbeer on the table, right in front of James. Lily made up her mind in a split second.
She picked up the mug and dumped it all over James' head. He jumped up, knocking his head on the mug. Lily let the mug slip out of her hands and hit the ground, with a shatter. She whipped around, a little pink in the face, and stormed back up the staircase with James calling out to her.
"Hey Evans!! Will you go out with me?! Evans!" She ignored him and continued up to the dormitory.
Errrr...I hate the self-centered, conceited, prat of a wizard. Why does he continue to pursue me? I hate everything about him. What makes him think he even has a chance with me?! Lily angrily thought as she slammed the dormitory door to finish getting ready.
After unhexing the shower to make it hot water so she could rinse the shampoo out of her hair, she flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't believe that she just stormed through the common room with all those guys, in nothing but a towel, as James Potter so nicely put it. She almost always lost her temper quicker than normal when it came to dealing with the Marauders.
She sighed and rolled over on to her side to stare out the window. She had a prefect meeting that she had to attend that started in 15 minutes. She heard the dormitory door open and close.
A slightly amused voice spoke, "Lily? I heard about what happened..."
Lily flipped around to face her best friend, Lena Tenyck. She was close to a sister; filling the space that Petunia did such a bad job of doing. Lena, holding back a smile, flopped in the bed across from Lily.
They stared at each other for a minute before Lily broke the silence.
"Why are they in Gryffindor? Why not in Ravenclaw if they're so clever?!" Lily exclaimed in a disgusted voice.
Lena frowned, appearing to be thinking. "Maybe they're brave and courageous?" She smiled knowing the reaction that Lily was going to have.
"Them?! Yeah right...well, they're brave to the point of stupidity when it's comes to doing pranks and not being afraid of being caught...." While Lily was thinking, Lena stood up fast, making Lily jump.
Lena looked at the bathroom door. "Do you think that hex has worn off? I need to take a shower before we miss lunch, we've already missed breakfast...." Lena grumbled at this. She hated missing food. Food was her one and only.
Lily smiled as she watched Lena disappear into the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on. Lena was her best friend and hoped it would stay that way forever. Lily sat up fast as she heard the dormitory door open.
* * * * *James' POV*
"Evans!! Evans!! Go out with me!" James pleaded, but not too desperately, he had a reputation to uphold. An unattainable one. For what seemed like the millionth time, James Potter was staring at the angry back of Lily Evans as he pleaded for her to go out with him. Evans, as usual, ignored him and stormed up the staircase to the girl's dormitory.
"Well Prongs, good job! I think she likes you better than last time!" Sirius exclaimed as he motioned to the shattered mug on the ground and him standing there, dripping with Butterbeer.
James scowled at Sirius. "Yeah thanks Padfoot-- What are all you munchkins staring at?!" He shouted at the curious stares of the lower classmen. Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing.
"Why won't she go out with me? It's obvious she likes me, why won't she just give in to her temptations of me?" James muttered to an amused Sirius.
For the first time, Remus looked up at them. "I think she thinks your too shallow--"
Sirius cut in, "And arrogant--"
"Vain--"
"Conceited--"
"Big-headed--"
"Egotistical--"
"Self-centered--"
"Not to mention pompous--"
"Oh, and overconfident--"
"Let's not forget--"
"ALRIGHT ALREADY!!" James shouted, interrupting their gang-up on him. Many of their fellow Gryffindors started in surprise at the sudden outburst.
James raised an eyebrow at Sirius, "All those adjectives *do* sound awfully familiar Padfoot...."
Sirius pretended to think about this. "Hmm....no, it doesn't. It sounds *just* like you." He smirked.
Peter was watching this feud with a hungry expression, "Maybe if you changed your ways...." They all stared at him in surprise. He didn't usually say anything so...'deep'. Oddly enough, it just might work.
Later that day (after Remus had come back from a prefect meeting), after James had cleaned up of course, he sat at the Gryffindor table next to his fellow Marauders. But unlike them who were planning for their next prank, he was just thinking...about Evans, of course. He was in a deep trance, which even Sirius' insults and flinging of food could not interrupt. Remus however had the ticket.
"Hey, Padfoot, Prongs, did I mention that there is going to be Ball in--" Remus did not get to finish because James jumped up, startling them all.
"WHAT?!" Half the table was looking at him. "There's going to be a Ball?! Why didn't you tell me--"
"I just did--"
"You know what this means?!" James exclaimed, similar to a three year old who spotted the candy aisle in a store.
"Yes.... that Jell-O is indeed alive..." Quite taken aback by this randomness, James and Remus stared at Sirius, who was playing with his Jell- O, as it moved every time he poked it. James shook his head, messing his already messed up hair.
"No you git, it means that I can finally get Evans to go out with me! What better a chance than at a Ball?!" James exclaimed, flinging his arms as he spoke. Some lamb chops flung off his fork and hit a nearby third year, who scowled as she attempted to pull it out of her hair.
Peter, with a mouth full of food, frowned. "Wait, what makes you think she's going to actually listen this time? I mean usually she just--"
James gave an exasperated sigh, "Oh Pete, you need to be more optimistic...like me. Plus.... I find I can be very persuasive..." There was a glint in his eye, which worried Peter quite a bit.
Sirius patted James' back, looking proud, "Gonna give her the ole' Potter charm, eh?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
James grinned. "No one, not even Evans, can resist my charm...."
Remus raised an eyebrow, "Somehow I doubt that. She has in the past--"
"Moony! That hurts..." James pretended to have a heart attack as Peter and Sirius laughed. Soon Remus joined in.
Remus noticed that many other Gryffindors were whispering excitedly. They must have overheard the Marauder's conversation. Well who couldn't with James' massive heart attack?
"Great, now everyone knows about the Ball. As a prefect, I was not supposed to tell anyone, it was supposed to be a surprise...." Remus sighed and rubbed his temples, appearing like he had a headache.
"Aww, it's okay, it was bound to happen one way or another." A familiar voice commented behind them.
They turned around to see Lily Evans standing there with her friend Lena. Lena's attention seemed to be focused on a muscular Ravenclaw passerby.
"Ah, Evans, please honor us with your presence..." James smiled as he shoved Sirius over to leave some empty space between them.
"Oww, that was impolite--" Sirius started to say before James had kicked his shin. Lily rolled her eyes, and sat next to Remus instead. Lena sat down beside her, her attention still on the Ravenclaw.
"As I was saying, McGonaggle forgot to mention that the next prefect meeting is next Thursday. Everyone but me left before she could say so, so I'm telling everyone now." Lily reached for the sandwiches but James reached them first and held them out for her.
"Allow me, Miss Evans...." James winked at her as he handed her a sandwich. Lily glared at him and took her *own* sandwich. James' smile dropped off his face. He actually looked hurt. Lily for once felt bad.
"What, you don't trust me handing you a sandwich?!" James frowned.
"Potter, I've spent enough time trying to undye my hair pink from last time I trusted a sandwich from you." Lily glared at him. James actually looked hurt.
"Pink really is your color, Evans--" James started to say, but Lily had had enough. She slammed her plate down (attracting a lot of attention and waking Lena out of her trance) and got up to leave the Great Hall.
"Hey Evans! Evans go with me to the Ball! Hey Evans?!" James shouted across the hall, as Lena scrambled after her.
This was like the millionth and first time James was staring at the angry back of Lily Evans as he pleaded with her to go out with him.