I broke my finger. Sigh. LoL. It's not funny. Well. . . Actually, it is. I passed out. LoL. Yep, I'm that much of a wimp.
Anywho! Next chapter. Only here a sec 'cos I SHOULD be doing course work . . . Stupid Art. But yeah. Cheers for the reviews. Some more would be great. Hee.
Lily's POV
Oh dear lord. He didn't just do that.
"Get up!" I hissed, glaring at him. I threw an embarrassed smile at a group of people looking at us strangely, and acted as if it was no big deal.
"Please?" he whined, not moving.
"Sirius, get up!" I muttered, trying to pull his hands off my robes, but he just clung to them.
"Will you listen?" he begged, looking up to me with wide eyes.
"Just get up!" This is so embarrassing. "Now!"
"Please? Please?"
I hesitated. I couldn't very well stand in the corridor with him at my feet all day. "Yes! Fine, I'll talk to you! Just get up!"
"Okay!" Sirius exclaimed happily, jumping up. He took my hand in his and strode proudly towards the Gryffindor Common Room, dragging me along as people looked at us with interest.
"I can't believe you did that!" I cried, as he sat me in a seat in the corner of the Common Room.
"Did what?" he asked innocently. "Oh. . . that," he said, seeing my glare. "Yeah, well. . . I want to talk to you."
"So you've said."
Fine, he can explain. But I'm not gonna give him my whole attention. I have work to do, you know.
"Go ahead," I said, pulling the book Severus had given out of my bag.
If he has the cheek to make fun of me for not being able to transfigure it, then he's thicker than I thought.
"Okay. . . umm. . . when I say it's complicated, it really is. Honestly," he insisted.
"Why?" I asked, focusing all my attention on the book. I was saying the spell over and over in my head, so there was less chance I could get it wrong.
"Because I. . . I just know something you don't!"
What?
I looked up at him, not expecting that. "Like what?"
"Just. . . well, something. But it made things totally different. I do really like you Lily, and if he. . . it wasn't so complicated then I'd still. . . oh forget it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he sighed, sinking back into his chair.
"What's complicated?" I asked, very curious now.
"Nothing," he replied.
I shook my head bitterly and went back to focusing on the book.
"Okay, okay! Something," he hesitated, looking at the book for a moment. "Are you having trouble with that?" he asked, changing the subject.
"No," I replied sarcastically.
"Well, uh, I could help," he offered.
"No you can't. It's the book, it's not me. Okay? So don't go thinking you're God's gift-" I stopped abruptly when he changed the book into a sheet of parchment. Not using the spell I was told to use.
Ugh. Show off.
Sirius' POV
I tried. I really tried to tell her about James.
But James would kill me.
And then I saw that book. The one I put the spell on so Snape couldn't get it to work in the Transfiguration lesson last week.
How was I to know he'd give it to Lily to practice on?
And I could hardly tell her. . . then she'd kill me. Well, she certainly wouldn't see the funny side of it, that's for sure.
So I transfigured it for her. Which only seemed to get her more annoyed, but hey. If I didn't do that, the book would stay a book for the rest of it's days.
"Okay. I'm not happy with what I did," I said, at least trying to make friends with her, even if I couldn't explain. "You're great! Really great. And. . . And James practically hates me for stringing you along like that."
Oh please, this had to be obvious.
"It's awful him being mad at me. It's awful you being mad at me!"
"That's your problem, mate," Lily shrugged, getting back to her book. She transfigured it easily, and looked at it in surprise.
"That's great!" I grinned, sounding over-enthusiastic.
So now I'd resorted to being obsequious. Heh. I learnt that word the other day in History of Magic. It's like. . . Flattering, I suppose. Ah, go look it up, you lazy sods.
"So. . . come on Lily. I want you to be my friend. I want two of my friends back. And I said I was sorry! I really, really am! And, er. . ." I was running out of things to say. "If you were a seventh year - or I was a sixth - then. . . uh. . ."
If she was a seventh year or I was a sixth, it would have made no difference whatsoever.
"You're sure it would have worked?" Lily finished coldly, scowling.
"Um. . . yes? Oh fine. I give up. Are you mad at James?"
Hints, Lily! Hints!
"Yes!" she snapped.
"Why? He. . . tried to stop me. To make me not go out with you in the first place, I told you that."
"Good for him. No, actually. I'm not mad at James. It's just you I hate."
Lily's POV
No I wasn't mad at James. James hadn't done anything. James had been nice actually, saving me from Transfiguration and all.
But I don't care.
I've had it with the Marauders. It's not as if we were ever best friends or anything, so I don't ever have to talk to them again.
Besides. I had my tutoring now. And over the next few days I totally threw myself into my school work.
I think a lot of my friends were surprised. Well, except Tess and Helen, who helped me. And I can understand why the others were surprised. I'd always been this spoilt little girl, who seemed to care more about her appearance than her education.
But I do care. I care about my future. So that's why I'm forgetting all about those stupid boys and getting on with my work.
But apparently, Tess was the complete opposite of me.
"You nearly done with that?" she asked, flopping down on her bed.
"Mm-hmm," I murmured, barely glancing up from my Charms homework. "Where's Hel?"
"Prefect's bathroom," Tess sighed. There was a silence. Then -- "Lils?"
"Yeah?"
"I love Ja-ames," she whined, burying her head into her pillow.
I rolled my eyes, setting down my quill. "Tess. You do not love him."
"Oh, I do. Believe me. What should I do?"
"Forget about him?" I suggested, re-reading through my homework.
"Oh yeah. That'll work," she replied sarcastically. "Lily? You remember you said you'd set me up with him?"
"Aw Tess, that was when I was with Sirius-"
"But you're friends with James!"
"I am not!"
"Oh please?" She looked at me tragically, with wide eyes and her lower lip sticking out.
"Tessie..." I sighed. "What if he says no? Then I'll feel bad."
"No, no you won't. I won't care, I'll love you anyway."
"But-"
"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed, jumping from her bed to mine and hugging me.
Why do I not remember saying yes?
I'll kill Tess one of these days. Seeing James means seeing Sirius.
"What's going on?" Helen asked, as she came into the dorm. "Why does Tess look like she's gonna burst with happiness?"
"Because Lily's setting me up with James!" Tess squealed, jumping up and down on my bed.
"You are?" Helen looked at me.
"Apparently," I answered flatly.
Helen grinned, sitting down next to me. Tess finally turned serious and sat down too, guessing we were going to talk.
"So what are you going to do?" Helen asked. "Just march up to him and ask him?"
"Ooh, no. Don't do that," Tess shook her head whilst running a hand through her hair.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want you to."
"Yeah, I don't really want to do that anyway," I agreed.
I don't really want to ask him at all. I hate stuff like that. Well, now I do. Pretty much all of my fifth year was spent playing cupid, which is probably why Tess asked me.
"I think. . ." I said slowly. "That I'll just spend a bit of time with him and keep hinting, you know?"
"Like how long a time?" Tess asked, looking a bit disappointed.
"I don't know. Not long, don't worry."
"Good! Go start now!" she grabbed my arm and dragged me off the bed, towards the door.
"But my homework-"
"Can wait," Tess finished promptly. "Please Lil? I can't wait any longer. I'll die."
Always the dramatic one, our Tess.
"Okay, alright. But I'm promising anything," I warned, pulling my hair into a high ponytail.
"I know," Tess nodded. "But thanks so much anyway," she added, and hugged me.
I sighed loudly and then made my way slowly down the stairs to the Common Room.
Maybe they wouldn't be there. Yeah. And I'd exactly accidentally get side-tracked by some other friends.
Exactly! There's Morgan right now. We're friends. A bit. At least we know each other. Ish.
Her second name is. . . Aw, damn it.
But there were the Marauders. Laughing in a corner and looking at that stupid parchment again.
I sighed again, realizing Tess would only go mad if I left it any longer.
Putting a bright smile on my face I marched up to them.
"Hi James!"
James' POV
Sirius is starting to talk to me more.
Lily's buried herself in her schoolwork or something and only cares about her grades.
And because we don't see her anymore, Sirius seems to think I've forgotten her.
Oh well.
". . .that was the best!" Remus exclaimed. We burst out laughing. Snape was one of our favourite topics of conversations.
And why he of all people has been chosen as Lily's tutor I'll never know. He knows nothing about Transfiguration! He's famous for the Dark Arts. Not my subject!
"Yeah, I know," Sirius replied to Remus once the laughter had died down. "We should do that at Graduation actually."
"Again?"
"Yeah! It'll be hilarious!"
I grinned and took the Marauders Map off Sirius, looking at the little moving dot of Snape, which at that moment was with his little gang of Dark Arts people in the Slytherin Common Room.
When all of a sudden someone bounced right up to us.
"Hi James!" Lily exclaimed cheerfully.
Sirius' POV
We stared at her in surprise. Not even surprise. Shock.
And even though I should have been thrilled - she was talking to James, after all - I was the teeniest little bit jealous.
But I think I covered it well.
"Well, I think we should be off!" I said loudly, grinning.
Lily glanced at me and rolled her eyes, then smiled and sat down opposite James. Who was looking a little bewildered.
What was she, a love sick puppy?
Nope. Never mind. I'm over the moon for the two of them.
But, why now?
"C'mon you two!" I exclaimed to Remus and Peter, dragging them away while James glared at me. Giving him an innocent look, I carried on walking.
Have to let them have their 'alone time', after all.