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-Red, On with the next chapter!!!
Lily sat, sipping her hot apple cider she had nicked from the kitchens. She was completely engrossed in her favorite school book: The Book of Spells, Grade 5, and hardly noticed that Remus and Sirius had sat down with her.
ÒHey Red, what are you reading?Ó Remus asked from the couch across from hers. He rarely used her nickname unless he was trying to goad her into talking to James again after having a huge row. Lily sighed and put down her book.
ÒIf you think I am going anywhere near that prat, Potter, think again. IÕm reading my spells book, if you really wanted to know.Ó Remus and Sirius exchanged exasperated glances.
ÒLooky, Red,Ó Sirius tried to reason with her, Òwe know Pottyhead is a huge dork and everything, but we just wanted to ask you if you wouldnÕt mind spending the afternoon this Saturday with him?Ó Lily glared at him.
ÒWhy?Ó
Remus and Sirius exchanged more worried glances. They hadnÕt counted on this. ÒWell, we would be coming with you guys, and so would the rest of the Reds, but we just wanted to know if you had a problem with spending all day Saturday with him,Ó Sirius explained.
ÒWell, fine, but IÕm still not going out with him. You can tell him that IÕd rather be eaten by the giant squid than go out with him, the arrogant prat!Ó
ÒLooks like Prongs has got himself a new nickname,Ó Sirius said with a chuckle to Remus as they went back up to their dormitory. ÒNow for phase two in operation, drive Prongs and Red mad!Ó They laughed and got out their books for some last-minute studying.
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ÒSo, Lil, ready for you day with James?Ó Kate raised her eyebrows suggestively.
ÒGet a life, Kat,Ó Lily hissed. She threw a pillow at Kate and kept brushing her hair. It was the first Hogsmeade visit of the year and the Six were all going into town together.
ÒThen why did you dress up, hmm?Ó It was the truth. Lily was wearing black jeans, her favorite red shirt, and had even the sense to put on a little makeup. She blushed and looked away from the girls.
ÒI am NOT looking forward to spending the whole day with that arrogant little prat!Ó she screamed.
Chelsea now looked up and raised her brows at Lily. ÒBut you fancy him!Ó she exclaimed.
ÒDo not.Ó Lily blushed even more, though, and ran down to the common room to escape the puzzled glances passed her way. I do NOT like James Potter, she thought. Yes you do, thought another part of her brain. She smiled, a dreamy look on her face as she thought about his tousled hair and playful eyes. She mentally slapped herself. I am not going to fall for Potter. He is the most stuck-up brat I have ever met. Then why do you gaze at him all the time? asked the truthful part of her brain. I donÕt! Yes, you do. You have since the end of last year, you know, when he kissed you on the cheek during Christmas. You blushed a hell of a lot more than when Remus kissed you on the cheek! I did not. Hey, why am I arguing with myself? This is weird.
Suddenly Lily bumped into something very hard and covered in Quidditch robes.
Potter.
Great, just great. I run into him, right when IÕm thinking about him.
ÒThinking about who?Ó James asked. She had obviously said the last part, Òthinking about himÓ out loud.
ÒWho?Ó She blushed. ÒOh, no one.Ó James stared at her with a weird expression, then just shrugged.
ÒWell, you should really look out for yourself. Running into a guy whoÕs just played Quidditch the whole day isnÕt a very good thing to do. I have a splitting headache from everyone yelling at me to just catch the damn snitch and end practice.Ó He laughed and Lily smiled. ÒLetÕs go back inside the common room, shall we?Ó He held out his arm to her and she took it. They skipped into the common room together, singing the muggle song, Following the Yellow Brick Road from the wizard of Oz.
They were met with some very weird stares from Sirius and Remus. They both suddenly realized who they were holding hands with and stepped away from each other quickly, blushing and looking at the floor, very interested with the small Butterbeer stains left over from Quidditch parties last year.
Remus and Sirius exchanged interested glances. ÒWell, well, well. Look who decided to be jolly old friends all of the sudden,Ó Sirius laughed. Remus grinned mischievously and stood up.
ÒThought you two werenÕt talking to each other,Ó Remus reasoned with them.
ÒWe, er, we bumped into each other in the hall, yeah,Ó Lily said. ÒWell, IÕll see you all in a couple of minutes to go down to Hogsmeade. Can we go to Flourish and Blotts? I need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts book....Ó She hurried up to her dormitory and faced yet more weird stares from the Reds.
ÒWhat was THAT all about?Ó Chelsea asked. She grinned as well. ÒOh! HAve you agreed to go out with Potter, yet?Ó
ÒNo! Why would I want to go out with James?Ó She laughed nervously.
ÒCalling him James now, too?Ó asked Kate. Lily blushed even more and went to her bed to bury herself in a book until later.
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The Six made their way down to the entrance hall to await Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts, to arrive with the list of students permitted to go to Hogsmeade. After checking off their names on the list, the Six walked along the path towards town and talked animatedly about where they should go first and what to buy. They all agreed that HoneydukeÕs would have to be the first visit of the day.
After a restful day of shopping and hanging out, the Six wound their way to their favorite table in the Three Broomsticks, eating Chocolate Frogs and drinking Butterbeer.
ÒSo, what should we do when we get back to the castle?Ó Sirius asked his friends. They all shrugged. ÒWell, how about we work on a prank to get back at the Slytherins for winning last yearÕs House Cup, hmm?Ó
ÒSounds fun to me!Ó James said, excited. Lily sighed.
ÒHonestly, they didnÕt do anything to you! Why donÕt you just leave them alone and get back at them by winning a Quidditch game for once in your lifetime!Ó She glared at James and Sirius. ÒLetÕs read, or something. We can go to the library and work on a new research project. How about the many uses of DragonÕs blood?Ó Everyone groaned, and Lily lost her smile. ÒFine. YOU think of something better.Ó She crossed her arms across her chest and huffed.
Chelsea, Remus, Kate, and Sirius exchanged glances. It was now or never.
ÒHow about we have a muggle night?Ó suggested Kate. The others nodded in agreement. ÒWe can play muggle games and eat muggle food!Ó They started to get excited and looked at James and Lily with puppy-dog eyes.
ÒFine,Ó they both said at the same time. Remus and Chelsea grinned at each other. This would be good.
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ÒWhat game do you guys want to play first? Clue? Monopoly?Ó Chelsea asked. The Six sat in a circle on the floor of the MarauderÕs room, eating pizza and chips. They voted on Monopoly first. The four planners decided that if they wanted either of the lovesick puppies to realize their feelings for each other, they would have to take it slowly.
They played Monopoly until they finished pizza and started on the ice cream they had gotten from the kitchens.
ÒWhat now?Ó asked Kate, smiling mischievously. She looked at Chelsea and Remus, who nodded, telling her to go ahead and ask. ÒHow about Truth of Dare?Ó
Both LilyÕs and JamesÕ faces went white and they frowned. They looked at each other and then back at the group, shaking their heads.
ÒWell, the reasonable thing would be to vote on it,Ó Chelsea said. ÒMajority rules, weÕre playing.Ó She crossed her arms across her chest and nodded her head with finality. Both Lily and James gulped and agreed.
ÒAllright, then, Kate! You go first!Ó
Kate looked around the circle and stopped at Sirius. ÒSirius, truth or dare?Ó Sirius didnÕt hesitate to say ÒdareÓ. Kate grinned. ÒI dare you to...er...Ó she consulted Chelsea and Remus, then smiled. ÒI dare you to ask someone you like a lot on a date!Ó She grinned even wider.
Sirius gulped and thought, why me? ÒFine. Kate, er, will you go on a date with me?Ó He closed his eyes, preparing for rejection. It never came. He slowly peeked through one eye and then opened both, smiling.
ÒOk!Ó She grinned again and blushed a little. ÒYour turn.Ó
Sirius gaze went around the circle and stopped on Lily. ÒRed, truth or dare?Ó
Lily went stark white again and grimaced. ÒTruth,Ó she managed to whisper.
ÒGood,Ó he said. He consulted Chelsea, Remus, and Kate. ÒWhat doÕyou guys think? should we go in for the kill?Ó They nodded gravely. ÒOkay.Ó He turned to Lily. ÒRed, hereÕs the question, whatÕs your deepest, darkest secret?Ó
One lone tear managed to escape LilyÕs eyes before she looked down and mumble her answer.
ÒWhat was that? CouldnÕt hear you!Ó Sirius grinned wickedly.
Lily gulped and looked back up, closing her eyes and holding her head high. ÒI like James Potter.Ó She gulped and went on. ÒI donÕt really hate him because I just want to be his friend but he always screws everything up!Ó She started sobbing. Sirius, Remus, Kate, and Chelsea turned to stare at James. He was looking at the floor with a lost expression on his face. Sirius put his arm around Lily.
ÒItÕs ok, Red. No one can hate James. At least you didnÕt admit that you like him!Ó She raised her head to glare at him. ÒWell, you did say that, but not in the way I meant. You know, when you dream about some one every night, etc.Ó She just sobbed even more.
Chelsea sighed, exasperated. ÒYou know, itÕs not a crime to like someone. I like James. we wouldnÕt be friends if I didnÕt, right? Now please stop crying and letÕs get on with the game. Lily, your turn.Ó She nodded and wiped away the tears.
ÒRemus, truth or dare?Ó
ÒThe latter, if you please,Ó he said, smiling kindly.
ÒDare him to kiss Chelsea, Red,Ó Sirius said talking behind his hand to her while staring with narrowed eyes at Remus. Lily nodded.
ÒI dare you to kiss Chelsea...er...how about, passionatly?Ó Lily smiled wickedly.
ÒMe and my big mouth. Why did I have to pick dare?Ó Remus grumbled. Chelsea was frowning, deep in thought. She glared at the others, giving them looks that clearly meant, let us have some privacy, please, and stop oggling us like dolts. They obliged and pretended to be deep in consversation about Quidditch racing brooms. Chelsea and Remus smiled and blushed at each other before Remus brought her to him and kissed her passionately, hand on her cheek. They pulled away quickly after that, looking slightly flustered, their breathing ragged. They smiled, blushed, and looked down at the floor.
Sirius, Lily, Kate, and James wooped and the game resumed. It was RemusÕs turn.
He scanned the group and decided to pick on James a bit. ÒJames, truth or dare?Ó
ÒDare,Ó he said, without hesitation.
ÒI dare you to kiss the girl you like in this circle for,Ó he looked down at his watch, Òtwo minutes.Ó He smiled and his eyes traveled to Lily, who went white again. So she DOES know he fancies her, he thought. Though it IS rather obvious.
The group resumed their conversation on new brooms and Lily tried to join in the talk.
ÒUh, Red, youÕre kind of busy,Ó Sirius said, nodding his head towards James. Lily turned her head and looked at him, then back at Sirius.
ÒWhat do you mean?Ó
ÒWell, according to Remus, you two will be busy for about two minutes. Maybe you can resolve your dfferences. The world will be a whole better off without you two bickering.Ó He shrugged and smirked before turning back to argue with Kate which new model was the best they had at the Quidditch Supply Store in Hogsmeade which they had visited earlier.
James tapped Lily on the shoulder. She turned around and heard him mutter a quick sorry before pulling her into a forceful kiss. They stayed like that for a minute before Lily decided it was a losing battle and closed her eyes to enjoy the kiss. They could feel the group watching them, but didnÕt much care. It was just them.
3, James put his hand on her cheek to deepen the kiss.
2, Lily noticed how much she enjoyed kissing him, even though he WAS James Potter.
1, They pulled away and didnÕt look at each other.
ÒAhh! So cute! It must be a sign of lurv,Ó Sirius said in a mock-girl voice. Kate slapped him on the arm and pointed towards the two. At first no one noticed anything different, but they all smiled when they saw that JamesÕ and LilyÕs hands were still together. James and Lily were oblivious to the othersÕ smiles, reliving that first kiss they had shared in the five years that they knew each other.
-Red, On with the next chapter!!!
Lily sat, sipping her hot apple cider she had nicked from the kitchens. She was completely engrossed in her favorite school book: The Book of Spells, Grade 5, and hardly noticed that Remus and Sirius had sat down with her.
ÒHey Red, what are you reading?Ó Remus asked from the couch across from hers. He rarely used her nickname unless he was trying to goad her into talking to James again after having a huge row. Lily sighed and put down her book.
ÒIf you think I am going anywhere near that prat, Potter, think again. IÕm reading my spells book, if you really wanted to know.Ó Remus and Sirius exchanged exasperated glances.
ÒLooky, Red,Ó Sirius tried to reason with her, Òwe know Pottyhead is a huge dork and everything, but we just wanted to ask you if you wouldnÕt mind spending the afternoon this Saturday with him?Ó Lily glared at him.
ÒWhy?Ó
Remus and Sirius exchanged more worried glances. They hadnÕt counted on this. ÒWell, we would be coming with you guys, and so would the rest of the Reds, but we just wanted to know if you had a problem with spending all day Saturday with him,Ó Sirius explained.
ÒWell, fine, but IÕm still not going out with him. You can tell him that IÕd rather be eaten by the giant squid than go out with him, the arrogant prat!Ó
ÒLooks like Prongs has got himself a new nickname,Ó Sirius said with a chuckle to Remus as they went back up to their dormitory. ÒNow for phase two in operation, drive Prongs and Red mad!Ó They laughed and got out their books for some last-minute studying.
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ÒSo, Lil, ready for you day with James?Ó Kate raised her eyebrows suggestively.
ÒGet a life, Kat,Ó Lily hissed. She threw a pillow at Kate and kept brushing her hair. It was the first Hogsmeade visit of the year and the Six were all going into town together.
ÒThen why did you dress up, hmm?Ó It was the truth. Lily was wearing black jeans, her favorite red shirt, and had even the sense to put on a little makeup. She blushed and looked away from the girls.
ÒI am NOT looking forward to spending the whole day with that arrogant little prat!Ó she screamed.
Chelsea now looked up and raised her brows at Lily. ÒBut you fancy him!Ó she exclaimed.
ÒDo not.Ó Lily blushed even more, though, and ran down to the common room to escape the puzzled glances passed her way. I do NOT like James Potter, she thought. Yes you do, thought another part of her brain. She smiled, a dreamy look on her face as she thought about his tousled hair and playful eyes. She mentally slapped herself. I am not going to fall for Potter. He is the most stuck-up brat I have ever met. Then why do you gaze at him all the time? asked the truthful part of her brain. I donÕt! Yes, you do. You have since the end of last year, you know, when he kissed you on the cheek during Christmas. You blushed a hell of a lot more than when Remus kissed you on the cheek! I did not. Hey, why am I arguing with myself? This is weird.
Suddenly Lily bumped into something very hard and covered in Quidditch robes.
Potter.
Great, just great. I run into him, right when IÕm thinking about him.
ÒThinking about who?Ó James asked. She had obviously said the last part, Òthinking about himÓ out loud.
ÒWho?Ó She blushed. ÒOh, no one.Ó James stared at her with a weird expression, then just shrugged.
ÒWell, you should really look out for yourself. Running into a guy whoÕs just played Quidditch the whole day isnÕt a very good thing to do. I have a splitting headache from everyone yelling at me to just catch the damn snitch and end practice.Ó He laughed and Lily smiled. ÒLetÕs go back inside the common room, shall we?Ó He held out his arm to her and she took it. They skipped into the common room together, singing the muggle song, Following the Yellow Brick Road from the wizard of Oz.
They were met with some very weird stares from Sirius and Remus. They both suddenly realized who they were holding hands with and stepped away from each other quickly, blushing and looking at the floor, very interested with the small Butterbeer stains left over from Quidditch parties last year.
Remus and Sirius exchanged interested glances. ÒWell, well, well. Look who decided to be jolly old friends all of the sudden,Ó Sirius laughed. Remus grinned mischievously and stood up.
ÒThought you two werenÕt talking to each other,Ó Remus reasoned with them.
ÒWe, er, we bumped into each other in the hall, yeah,Ó Lily said. ÒWell, IÕll see you all in a couple of minutes to go down to Hogsmeade. Can we go to Flourish and Blotts? I need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts book....Ó She hurried up to her dormitory and faced yet more weird stares from the Reds.
ÒWhat was THAT all about?Ó Chelsea asked. She grinned as well. ÒOh! HAve you agreed to go out with Potter, yet?Ó
ÒNo! Why would I want to go out with James?Ó She laughed nervously.
ÒCalling him James now, too?Ó asked Kate. Lily blushed even more and went to her bed to bury herself in a book until later.
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The Six made their way down to the entrance hall to await Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts, to arrive with the list of students permitted to go to Hogsmeade. After checking off their names on the list, the Six walked along the path towards town and talked animatedly about where they should go first and what to buy. They all agreed that HoneydukeÕs would have to be the first visit of the day.
After a restful day of shopping and hanging out, the Six wound their way to their favorite table in the Three Broomsticks, eating Chocolate Frogs and drinking Butterbeer.
ÒSo, what should we do when we get back to the castle?Ó Sirius asked his friends. They all shrugged. ÒWell, how about we work on a prank to get back at the Slytherins for winning last yearÕs House Cup, hmm?Ó
ÒSounds fun to me!Ó James said, excited. Lily sighed.
ÒHonestly, they didnÕt do anything to you! Why donÕt you just leave them alone and get back at them by winning a Quidditch game for once in your lifetime!Ó She glared at James and Sirius. ÒLetÕs read, or something. We can go to the library and work on a new research project. How about the many uses of DragonÕs blood?Ó Everyone groaned, and Lily lost her smile. ÒFine. YOU think of something better.Ó She crossed her arms across her chest and huffed.
Chelsea, Remus, Kate, and Sirius exchanged glances. It was now or never.
ÒHow about we have a muggle night?Ó suggested Kate. The others nodded in agreement. ÒWe can play muggle games and eat muggle food!Ó They started to get excited and looked at James and Lily with puppy-dog eyes.
ÒFine,Ó they both said at the same time. Remus and Chelsea grinned at each other. This would be good.
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ÒWhat game do you guys want to play first? Clue? Monopoly?Ó Chelsea asked. The Six sat in a circle on the floor of the MarauderÕs room, eating pizza and chips. They voted on Monopoly first. The four planners decided that if they wanted either of the lovesick puppies to realize their feelings for each other, they would have to take it slowly.
They played Monopoly until they finished pizza and started on the ice cream they had gotten from the kitchens.
ÒWhat now?Ó asked Kate, smiling mischievously. She looked at Chelsea and Remus, who nodded, telling her to go ahead and ask. ÒHow about Truth of Dare?Ó
Both LilyÕs and JamesÕ faces went white and they frowned. They looked at each other and then back at the group, shaking their heads.
ÒWell, the reasonable thing would be to vote on it,Ó Chelsea said. ÒMajority rules, weÕre playing.Ó She crossed her arms across her chest and nodded her head with finality. Both Lily and James gulped and agreed.
ÒAllright, then, Kate! You go first!Ó
Kate looked around the circle and stopped at Sirius. ÒSirius, truth or dare?Ó Sirius didnÕt hesitate to say ÒdareÓ. Kate grinned. ÒI dare you to...er...Ó she consulted Chelsea and Remus, then smiled. ÒI dare you to ask someone you like a lot on a date!Ó She grinned even wider.
Sirius gulped and thought, why me? ÒFine. Kate, er, will you go on a date with me?Ó He closed his eyes, preparing for rejection. It never came. He slowly peeked through one eye and then opened both, smiling.
ÒOk!Ó She grinned again and blushed a little. ÒYour turn.Ó
Sirius gaze went around the circle and stopped on Lily. ÒRed, truth or dare?Ó
Lily went stark white again and grimaced. ÒTruth,Ó she managed to whisper.
ÒGood,Ó he said. He consulted Chelsea, Remus, and Kate. ÒWhat doÕyou guys think? should we go in for the kill?Ó They nodded gravely. ÒOkay.Ó He turned to Lily. ÒRed, hereÕs the question, whatÕs your deepest, darkest secret?Ó
One lone tear managed to escape LilyÕs eyes before she looked down and mumble her answer.
ÒWhat was that? CouldnÕt hear you!Ó Sirius grinned wickedly.
Lily gulped and looked back up, closing her eyes and holding her head high. ÒI like James Potter.Ó She gulped and went on. ÒI donÕt really hate him because I just want to be his friend but he always screws everything up!Ó She started sobbing. Sirius, Remus, Kate, and Chelsea turned to stare at James. He was looking at the floor with a lost expression on his face. Sirius put his arm around Lily.
ÒItÕs ok, Red. No one can hate James. At least you didnÕt admit that you like him!Ó She raised her head to glare at him. ÒWell, you did say that, but not in the way I meant. You know, when you dream about some one every night, etc.Ó She just sobbed even more.
Chelsea sighed, exasperated. ÒYou know, itÕs not a crime to like someone. I like James. we wouldnÕt be friends if I didnÕt, right? Now please stop crying and letÕs get on with the game. Lily, your turn.Ó She nodded and wiped away the tears.
ÒRemus, truth or dare?Ó
ÒThe latter, if you please,Ó he said, smiling kindly.
ÒDare him to kiss Chelsea, Red,Ó Sirius said talking behind his hand to her while staring with narrowed eyes at Remus. Lily nodded.
ÒI dare you to kiss Chelsea...er...how about, passionatly?Ó Lily smiled wickedly.
ÒMe and my big mouth. Why did I have to pick dare?Ó Remus grumbled. Chelsea was frowning, deep in thought. She glared at the others, giving them looks that clearly meant, let us have some privacy, please, and stop oggling us like dolts. They obliged and pretended to be deep in consversation about Quidditch racing brooms. Chelsea and Remus smiled and blushed at each other before Remus brought her to him and kissed her passionately, hand on her cheek. They pulled away quickly after that, looking slightly flustered, their breathing ragged. They smiled, blushed, and looked down at the floor.
Sirius, Lily, Kate, and James wooped and the game resumed. It was RemusÕs turn.
He scanned the group and decided to pick on James a bit. ÒJames, truth or dare?Ó
ÒDare,Ó he said, without hesitation.
ÒI dare you to kiss the girl you like in this circle for,Ó he looked down at his watch, Òtwo minutes.Ó He smiled and his eyes traveled to Lily, who went white again. So she DOES know he fancies her, he thought. Though it IS rather obvious.
The group resumed their conversation on new brooms and Lily tried to join in the talk.
ÒUh, Red, youÕre kind of busy,Ó Sirius said, nodding his head towards James. Lily turned her head and looked at him, then back at Sirius.
ÒWhat do you mean?Ó
ÒWell, according to Remus, you two will be busy for about two minutes. Maybe you can resolve your dfferences. The world will be a whole better off without you two bickering.Ó He shrugged and smirked before turning back to argue with Kate which new model was the best they had at the Quidditch Supply Store in Hogsmeade which they had visited earlier.
James tapped Lily on the shoulder. She turned around and heard him mutter a quick sorry before pulling her into a forceful kiss. They stayed like that for a minute before Lily decided it was a losing battle and closed her eyes to enjoy the kiss. They could feel the group watching them, but didnÕt much care. It was just them.
3, James put his hand on her cheek to deepen the kiss.
2, Lily noticed how much she enjoyed kissing him, even though he WAS James Potter.
1, They pulled away and didnÕt look at each other.
ÒAhh! So cute! It must be a sign of lurv,Ó Sirius said in a mock-girl voice. Kate slapped him on the arm and pointed towards the two. At first no one noticed anything different, but they all smiled when they saw that JamesÕ and LilyÕs hands were still together. James and Lily were oblivious to the othersÕ smiles, reliving that first kiss they had shared in the five years that they knew each other.