Chapter 19
"Okay, Marietta, I'll see you later..." Sirius gave one last cheeky grin to the blushing Ravenclaw 6th year before he jogged to catch up with James as they entered the relatively empty Great Hall for dinner.
"So anyway, Prongs. I was thinking about this new play that we devised with the team..." Sirius started saying immediately as he caught up with James. James gave a little snort and shook his head before running his hand through his hair at the mention of something Quidditch related.
Sirius stopped in mid-sentence and screwed up his eyes accusingly at James. "What was that little snort for?" he asked.
"Oh nothing," replied James nonchalantly as he slid down onto the bench at his usual seat at the Gryffindor table. He paused a little as he set his book bag down and then said, "I just find it a bit funny how you can switch from girls to Quidditch in a matter of...ohh...3.7 seconds." He leaned sideways and took out a piece of parchment from his book bag to hide the sly smile that was on his face. He felt a hand hit him on the back of the head, not too hard though, yet still enough to be a little painful. His smiled widened though and he supressed a chuckle.
"Ow!" James cried out in a tone of mock hurt. He faced Sirius and puffed out his bottom lip, staring at him with widened puppy dog eyes.
"That hurt, Sirius," he said as he whimpered in an imitation of Sirius's animagus form, the puppy dog look still on his face. Sirius gave him a hard look with one of his eyes squinted up like Filch's and then rolled his eyes and smiled, shaking his head.
"Prongs, sometimes I wonder how you ended up being the stag," he said as he reached over and took a sip of his pumpkin juice. Suddenly, he sputtered and sprayed a stream of juice all over the table with the realization that he had just revealed one of their deepest secrets in broad daylight. His eyes widened with panic and he glanced at James, who had his mouth open slightly and was staring back at him. Sirius swiveled his head around, and a second later James followed suit; both of them snapping their heads back and forth before they looked at eachother with great sighs of relief.
"That was close," Sirius offered helplessly. He always knew that if there ever was one to spill their secrets it would be him with his recklessness. There was Peter, but Peter didn't really count, Sirius figured.
"Too close," James said bitterly shooting looks left and right once again. His left eyebrow then shot up a little and he sniffed. "Much too close. Don't look now."
Sirius used up all his willpower to keep his back rigid and straight and not turn around. He pushed his lips together and watched as his friend's eyes followed something that came closer and closer to where they were sitting. He could see a faint glimmer begin to form in James's eyes, and her saw the trademark Potter grin begin to take shape at the corners of his lips as he waited.
A couple seconds later, he heard soft footsteps behind him and James finally said, "Alright there, Evans?" When there was no response and the footsteps began to fade away, Sirius turned to his left and saw Lily Evans trudging down along the table, probably as far away from James as possible. Sirius began to smirk and was about to make a crack at James's failure to woo the one girl that he actually set his mind on, when James gave a loud, exasperated sigh.
"Why do you hate me, Lily?" He called suddenly out in an oddly sincere, almost hopeless, tone. His voice was unnaturally controlled, not like his usual loud, boisterous, public voice. But it was loud enough to reach Lily's ears and she turned around slowly to stare at James with a confused expression on her face.
Sirius raised both of his eyebrows in surprise and then turned his head back at James, who was staring raptly back at Lily. He wasn't grinning or winking or raising his eyebrows like he usually did to girls, he was simply looking back at her seriously, although Sirius did detect an ambitous glimmer in his hazel eyes.
Sirius rotated his head back to Lily and noticed that her face had softened, though she still looked slightly perplexed and surprised, and she seemed to be biting the inside of her cheek. Her eyes were widened and she looked tired, her hair fell straight down around her face instead of hanging about wavily as it usually did.
Sirius looked back at James.
"Why?" James called to her again, maintaining his serious face. He had leaned forward a little and was peering at her intently. His posture looked a bit stiff, his elbows resting heavily on the table. He had also begun to breath heavily; Sirius could hear the air rushing in and out through his teeth and he sat there staring. For once in his life, Prongs looked... helpless.
Sirius turned back to Lily.
She looked almost bewildered now at James's strange change in character and shrugged helplessly at him, shaking her head and tilting it to one side. She looked lost for words and her mouth hung slightly open, her small pink lips glistening. She blinked a couple times and then shrugged again slightly before turning around and walking back down along the Gryffindor table again.
Sirius reached his hand up to his face and manually turned his head back towards James, cracking his neck in the process. James had his eyes focused on Lily's retreating back almost wistfully, yet he looked fulfilled. Then he slowly turned to Sirius and began to smile.
"Sirius. I called her Lily."
Ch 20
"Okay, Marietta, I'll see you later..." Sirius gave one last cheeky grin to the blushing Ravenclaw 6th year before he jogged to catch up with James as they entered the relatively empty Great Hall for dinner.
"So anyway, Prongs. I was thinking about this new play that we devised with the team..." Sirius started saying immediately as he caught up with James. James gave a little snort and shook his head before running his hand through his hair at the mention of something Quidditch related.
Sirius stopped in mid-sentence and screwed up his eyes accusingly at James. "What was that little snort for?" he asked.
"Oh nothing," replied James nonchalantly as he slid down onto the bench at his usual seat at the Gryffindor table. He paused a little as he set his book bag down and then said, "I just find it a bit funny how you can switch from girls to Quidditch in a matter of...ohh...3.7 seconds." He leaned sideways and took out a piece of parchment from his book bag to hide the sly smile that was on his face. He felt a hand hit him on the back of the head, not too hard though, yet still enough to be a little painful. His smiled widened though and he supressed a chuckle.
"Ow!" James cried out in a tone of mock hurt. He faced Sirius and puffed out his bottom lip, staring at him with widened puppy dog eyes.
"That hurt, Sirius," he said as he whimpered in an imitation of Sirius's animagus form, the puppy dog look still on his face. Sirius gave him a hard look with one of his eyes squinted up like Filch's and then rolled his eyes and smiled, shaking his head.
"Prongs, sometimes I wonder how you ended up being the stag," he said as he reached over and took a sip of his pumpkin juice. Suddenly, he sputtered and sprayed a stream of juice all over the table with the realization that he had just revealed one of their deepest secrets in broad daylight. His eyes widened with panic and he glanced at James, who had his mouth open slightly and was staring back at him. Sirius swiveled his head around, and a second later James followed suit; both of them snapping their heads back and forth before they looked at eachother with great sighs of relief.
"That was close," Sirius offered helplessly. He always knew that if there ever was one to spill their secrets it would be him with his recklessness. There was Peter, but Peter didn't really count, Sirius figured.
"Too close," James said bitterly shooting looks left and right once again. His left eyebrow then shot up a little and he sniffed. "Much too close. Don't look now."
Sirius used up all his willpower to keep his back rigid and straight and not turn around. He pushed his lips together and watched as his friend's eyes followed something that came closer and closer to where they were sitting. He could see a faint glimmer begin to form in James's eyes, and her saw the trademark Potter grin begin to take shape at the corners of his lips as he waited.
A couple seconds later, he heard soft footsteps behind him and James finally said, "Alright there, Evans?" When there was no response and the footsteps began to fade away, Sirius turned to his left and saw Lily Evans trudging down along the table, probably as far away from James as possible. Sirius began to smirk and was about to make a crack at James's failure to woo the one girl that he actually set his mind on, when James gave a loud, exasperated sigh.
"Why do you hate me, Lily?" He called suddenly out in an oddly sincere, almost hopeless, tone. His voice was unnaturally controlled, not like his usual loud, boisterous, public voice. But it was loud enough to reach Lily's ears and she turned around slowly to stare at James with a confused expression on her face.
Sirius raised both of his eyebrows in surprise and then turned his head back at James, who was staring raptly back at Lily. He wasn't grinning or winking or raising his eyebrows like he usually did to girls, he was simply looking back at her seriously, although Sirius did detect an ambitous glimmer in his hazel eyes.
Sirius rotated his head back to Lily and noticed that her face had softened, though she still looked slightly perplexed and surprised, and she seemed to be biting the inside of her cheek. Her eyes were widened and she looked tired, her hair fell straight down around her face instead of hanging about wavily as it usually did.
Sirius looked back at James.
"Why?" James called to her again, maintaining his serious face. He had leaned forward a little and was peering at her intently. His posture looked a bit stiff, his elbows resting heavily on the table. He had also begun to breath heavily; Sirius could hear the air rushing in and out through his teeth and he sat there staring. For once in his life, Prongs looked... helpless.
Sirius turned back to Lily.
She looked almost bewildered now at James's strange change in character and shrugged helplessly at him, shaking her head and tilting it to one side. She looked lost for words and her mouth hung slightly open, her small pink lips glistening. She blinked a couple times and then shrugged again slightly before turning around and walking back down along the Gryffindor table again.
Sirius reached his hand up to his face and manually turned his head back towards James, cracking his neck in the process. James had his eyes focused on Lily's retreating back almost wistfully, yet he looked fulfilled. Then he slowly turned to Sirius and began to smile.
"Sirius. I called her Lily."
Ch 20