You people are so great. Hee. LoL Anywho, I'd give you all a reeeeeally long Author's Note, but. . . I'm knackered, and you probably don't read them anyway. Right?
Yeah, exactly.
So. . . 'till next time. . . Tuh ra!
Lily's POV
Huh.
Sirius has been avoiding me for the past three days. Ever since we went to the Shrieking Shack.
And you know what the worst part is?
I don't know why.
I mean, if we'd had some major fight or something, I could understand. But we've not, so I don't get it.
"Still not seen him?" Helen asked sympathetically.
I sighed dramatically and rolled over on my bed. "Nope."
"Well. . . maybe he's just busy," Tess suggested.
"Busy enough to look me straight in the eye in the corridor, sigh, then turn and drag James and Remus in the other direction?" I demanded.
That had got me so confused when he did that. He could at least talk to me!
"Uh. . ." Tess hesitated. "Maybe he remembered he had to do something?"
"Look," Helen said reasonably, closing the book she was reading. "Why don't you talk to him? Or if he won't talk to you, talk to one of his friends. Talk to Remus."
I smiled to myself, knowing what was coming next.
"Talk to James!" Tess exclaimed.
"Talk to James? I dunno. . ."
I don't have a problem with James anymore. He saved me from Transfiguration! But. . . I don't know.
"Why not? Find out what Sirius thinks. If anyone knows, it's going to be James. His best friend," Tess said pointedly.
Yeah. He was his best friend.
"Okay, okay. I'll talk to James," I sighed, looking at my fingernails.
There was a silence then. A silence where I could just feel my friends staring at me.
"What?" I cried. "I said I'd talk to him!"
"Yes. And now is a good a time as any," Helen replied.
"You want me to talk to him now?"
"You want to find out why Sirius is avoiding you?"
Oh, fine. May as well get it over with.
"Alright, I'm going," I murmured, jumping up.
Quick glance in the mirror, and then I was out.
"Oh, and if you get chance, just happen to let slip that-" Tess started to call, just as the door was shutting.
I was wondering how long it'd take for her to actually say it.
I grinned and then started down the Common Room. When I spotted no Marauders in there, I guessed that they were either in their dorm or off in the castle somewhere.
Yeah. The whoooole castle.
Still, that beat the boy's dorm. If Sirius was there, that would mean I'd have to talk to him.
But wouldn't Sirius be anywhere James would be?
Oh for God's sake, walk.
I found Remus as soon as I stepped out of the Portrait Hole.
"Hey Lily," he smiled, shifting an arm load of books from arm to the other.
Remus Lupin? Reading?
No, let me re-phrase that. A Marauder? Reading?
"Hey Remus. Do you know where James is?"
Remus looked a little surprised by that. He probably thought I was going to ask for Sirius. "James?"
"Yeah. Do you?"
"Er. . . yeah. Library."
James' POV
My life is made up of many things. Quidditch, my friends, my family, school. . . I was Head Boy for God's sake. And. . . well, that's about it.
Okay. So maybe it wasn't made up of many things. But I was trying to be thoughtful, and junk.
But the fact is, none of it seemed to mean anything.
Because at that moment, the only thing I could think about, the only thing that seemed to MEAN something was. . . Lily. Yep. The girl I'd known existed for about a fortnight, and my best mate had claimed as his own.
Mm-hmm.
Lily. The only thing to mean something to me.
That sounds pathetic, doesn't it? Like one of those people in books who go around moping because they've fallen in love with heaven sent girl that didn't notice them.
Good God, my life was turning into a fairytale.
Good God, I used the word love!
I wasn't in love with her.
No I wasn't, no I wasn't, no I wasn't.
Like I told Sirius, I just need a few days to get over her. Yeah. I need to get over the lowly sixth year.
Exactly. So I'm just gonna sit here, looking for books on that spell Sirius mentioned that might be able to make Remus' transformations a little less painful, and not think about her.
Sirius' POV
James isn't over her.
I know he isn't. And it's not easy to avoid her. Mainly because she looks all hurt and confused. . .
I'm all confused! But it's not my fault!
Geez. I'm avoiding her so things aren't bad between me and James, but things are bad anyway. Well, not bad but. . . uncomfortable.
Yeah. Uncomfortable.
Okay. All I had to do was look at the problem, and come up with possible solutions. Then decide on the best one. That's what we'd been told to do in. . . Some subject. Whatever it was.
Oh, forget it. Lily wasn't a potion that had gone wrong.
But James really, really liked her. The way he looks at her, more than any girl I think he's ever liked.
Which is weird since he isn't going out with her, but never mind.
Well, just saying I broke up with Lily. . . that didn't mean she'd go with him did it? No. But if I didn't break up with her, everything would still be uncomfortable.
Alright. . . well, did I seriously see me and Lily being together for the rest of our lives?
Nope. But then again, me and a long term commitment? Yeah, right. I'm 17 years old, gimme a break.
So did that mean I ended it with her?
See! I told you I was confused.
"Hey," Remus said, entering the dorm.
"Hi," I replied, barely looking up.
"Has Lily been in here?"
That made me look up.
"Lily? No. Why?"
"'Cause she was just looking for James."
Lily's POV
I slowly made my way to the Library. It wasn't as if I was in some huge rush to get there, after all.
But still, my feet somehow got me there quicker than I would have liked.
Sighing, I glanced around the Library. There were two first years, looking slightly annoyed as they looked through books and hurriedly made notes. A group of fifth years, who I guess were supposed to be doing homework. But they were talking and giggling quietly more than paying attention to their books. Several other people as well, but I spotted who I was looking for.
James was sat in a corner, looking thoughtful and scanning through a book.
"Hi!" I said cheerfully, sitting right in front of him.
"Lily!" he cried, looking at me in shock.
That was the only word for it; shock. Not surprise, not wonder. . . shock. As if he either couldn't believe I was in a Library, or he really, really didn't want to see me.
James' POV
No.
No, no, no.
No, no, no.
You know, no is a weird word. I mean, two letters that have probably ruined people's dreams over and over. . .
"Yeah. Me," Lily said, frowning slightly.
Aww. She has the cutest little face when she fr-
No, no, no!
Urgh. Lily! Go away.
"Sorry, you surprised me. Er. . . Why are you here?" I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to say something.
"Oh. Well, I wanted to ask you something," Lily said slowly.
"Ask me something?"
"Yes." She hesitated for a moment then sighed and let her elbows fall to the table, resting her head on her hands. "Do you know what's up with Sirius?"
Oh. Well, wasn't expecting that one.
"Do you?" she repeated, looking at me pleadingly. "Please James?"
I paused. Why is it me who has to answer that?
"Well. . . no," I lied.
What else could I say?
"Yes you do!" She cried at me in a hiss.
"Okay. . . I guess I do," I sighed.
"Well? Do you mind letting me in on this little secret?" She pouted.
Oh God. Why me?
"Erm. . ."
"Pleeeeeease James?" She pleaded again with that face.
And there she goes with that thing again. That should be made illegal. And I wish she'd stop looking at me like that, it's not fair.
"Oh, fine. You see. . ." Lie! Lie, lie, lie! "I don't know what to tell you."
"Why?" Lily bit her lip. "Is it really, really bad? Does he hate me? Lea-"
"No. I don't know what to tell you, because there's nothing to tell you. There's nothing going on, he's just busy."
Lily just shook her head impatiently. "You're lying!"
Well I know that. Wasn't news to me.
"Why would I be lying?" I demanded.
"Lily!" Sirius suddenly appeared in the Library, not looking at all surprised to see Lily there.
"Oh, you talking to me now?" she said coldly.
"Look, we really have to talk," he sighed.
I stared at him. No way was he going to tell her!