Pure Imagination
Disclaimer—I own nothing except the plot. This applies to all earlier and later chapters.
"Matters of Biff"
Friday:
Dear Diary,
Rhapsody and I have a plan. You see, Morgan is good with matters of the heart and the logical thinking, but Rhapsody…she's like the inner demon. Or at least the wild and crazy, typical teenage witch. But when Morgan and I told her the story, her eyes were positively on fire. "He's going to regret the day he ever messed with anyone of us," she said. Us was Morgan, Rhapsody, and I—the untouchable trio. "No one messes with us," she said viciously.
Morgan and I nodded, as Rhapsody voiced our thoughts for revenge. "We'll have to go to the experts on this one," she said. "We may be good, but this requires the best."
An uncomfortable thought flitted through my mind, but I tried not to pay attention to it. "…who's the best?" I asked warily.
Morgan and Rhapsody glanced at me and then at each other, shock in their eyes. "Come on, Lily," they exclaimed in unison.
And the name they said made my day a whole lot worse.
Later:
I was on my way to first period class when I saw some things happening in an empty classroom. It seems Drew could find a replacement after all. This day is just not good!
I had a chat with Remus, who's in my Astronomy class, when we had to pair up and fill out a star chart. We just talked about the most random things, but after our conversation about how it would be like to live on Venus, he turned the subject to other things. "Lily," he stated slowly, "Have you heard about BYF?"
He sounded as if he didn't want to bring the subject up, but, against his better judgment, had. I was still puzzled, though; he wasn't being very clear. "Biff?" I asked.
"As in B-Y-F," spelled Remus.
"Not at all," I replied, more confused than ever. "What's it stand for?"
Remus and I bent busily over our respective star charts as the professor walked by, taking a glimpse at our work. "Make sure you copy the moons of Mars," Vectra said.
Remus and I nodded. When the coast was clear, Remus whispered, "Buy Yourself a Friend."
I scribbled something in the box for the moons of Mars…Phobos and Demos, Fear and Terror. They seemed adequate definitions for what was coursing through my heart at this time. "Buy Yourself a Friend? What is that, some sort of weird club or something?" Again there was that nagging feeling of what I knew but didn't want to admit to myself.
"Well…Katass is in it…Chris and Eric…and all those lackeys that follow them around from post to post."
"What's it all about?" I inquired as I digested that former information. I scrawled in two major moons for Jupiter: Europa and Io.
Remus's beautiful eyes clouded over as he recited something from the back of his memory.
"We—the heart of the party with girls on our arm,
We rock and we jump and it does us no harm.
Promises made that must be kept,
This applies to all future bets.
Our founder once lied but learned lesson true,
This will be practiced through and through."
He caught my startled expression and laughed, a little sardonically in my opinion. "I know it's not the best verses either, but they're drinking guys. Give them a break."
"It wasn't that I was talking about," I said. "I was just a little startled it was something serious for them to write verses about it."
"Well, it's not as old as it implies. When I was a first-year, it was just founded, and James and Sirius and I all snuck into a meeting. We memorized the 'pledge' so we could join sometime, but that was all before we realized it was just a load of crap."
"And why are you telling me this? I mean, thanks and it's fascinating and all…but what's it have to do with me?"
Remus sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that." I shrugged. "But I thought you should know that Drew Katass is in it, and I noticed that some things were being said about you. I guessed that it was something to do with BYF."
"Yeah," I said wearily. "You were right."
"I'm sorry." He expressed his regret with all the art of a born prankster.
This made me think of something. "Do they meet at like, one o'clock very often?"
"Not really a set time like that. They set their meeting times kind of different every couple of weeks, but they are very punctual. That is one thing they stress…something about the 'founder' being the son of a teacher." He took a quick look at my face, which I'm sure was very deep in concentration. "Remember that time when Drew was in the hospital wing for 2 days and no one knew why?" I remembered this pretty vividly, actually, so I said yes. "Well, he showed up fifteen minutes late and they nearly slaughtered him. It is vital to your life to be punctual if you are daft enough to be in that club in the first place."
"That's stupid," I remarked.
"Yeah," Remus agreed. We shut up then because we had to finish our star charts with Professor Vectra watching. It was our punishment for lagging behind the rest of the class.
Love,
Lily
Saturday:
Dear Diary,
So today we had to meet with our revenge specialists, the Marauders. I had never been more ashamed of the fool I'd made of myself and the story that resulted. I was willing to forgo the whole thing and come up with some less effective prank/punishment. But Morgan and Rhapsody were like steel vises on my arms and said that it wasn't just me that needed revenge; they did, too, because all of us needed to teach BYF a lesson. Us versus BYF. I hoped we would win.
The Marauders were very attentive, especially Sirius. Talk about people not acting like themselves. He and Morgan had to work together without flirting, which I think was very difficult for them. I swear, it annoys Rhapsody and I to no end that they don't just start going out. We couldn't stop giving each other frustrated looks, and I bet that the next plan of Rhapsody's and mine will be about those two.
Oh! Speaking of Rhapsody, she and Henry broke up yesterday. I was thinking that they'd be together for at least a month (mostly because of how well the U.T. worked on him), but I suppose it wasn't to be. She had had her sights on Josef (which I hated, seeing as how our breakup had been so messy; I think I would have been hurt), but Morgan and I persuaded her not to, seeing as his hair would have gotten her into trouble. Who has hair that thin anyway? James Potter doesn't. His hair is so thick and curly, like a black thatch on his head. I don't know how it is so unruly, either. He must gel it before he goes to sleep.
Although he was being more dutiful than usual, it didn't stop Sirius from making crazy propositions like lighting Drew on fire and getting Dumbledore to ban all gambling clubs. I wasn't totally against that igniting Drew thing, but James said that we had to have more style. So I sighed and said okay.
But the plan that we came up with proved to be amazing. I cannot wait to see Drew's face when this whole ordeal is over. If he has a face left, that is.
The prank will be put in action as soon as we get all the right props and ideas and things. This prank will kick ass! And it has led me to realize that James isn't as stuffy and annoying as I'd thought previously; why, he is actually kind of cool. I never thought that I'd be saying that of my own volition, but there you go.
Love,
Lily
Sunday:
Dear Diary,
Have you heard? The girl that Drew last was with has broken up with him, too. It seems that he'll be missing the next BYF bash as well as the last one—girls are starting to think there may be a little bit of something wrong with him, and this panics him. Of course, the panic makes him seem more desperate, and that, of course, is no help at all.
This prank involved Reba, an ugly, clingy 5th year with bad hair. Her nose is always scrunched up, and her eyes are set beneath heavy, thick eyebrows. Her lips are incredibly thin as well, and her mouth is large. She's stupid, annoying, and way too skinny. Rumor has it she is bulimic, but she's way to clever to be caught by some caring teacher or even that weird-looking owl that hunts people down.
Reba likes to hang around with her fellow Hufflepuff friends: Ramona (a morbidly obese girl weighing in at one hundred and thirty kilograms and who is extremely wily in a mean, vindictive way) and Shawna (a sad wannabe who hangs around Reba, who is a poor choice for an idol). The whole school avoids them. In fact, they have become close to legends in that no one wants to "pull an RRS and do that". Ramona is the backbone of the group with her wits. She is what keeps them afloat, but I think that Reba (though these three have banded together against the world) annoys her a lot. She is starved for any sort of attention, but somehow I think that this isn't it. Her appetite exceeds the means; she is a greedy glutton when it comes to attention. She'll take anything, be it bad or good interest in herself. Reba is the hole in the boat of their friendship; it is all Ramona that keeps it at sea despite the hindrances of the dead weight Shawna and the crazy Reba. I've actually talked to Ramona on occasion…she isn't so bad. Comparatively.
All that annoyingness just makes better company (even James!) refreshing.
Speaking of James, something very, very odd happened today. He brought up the stay at my house while we were walking along, which I thought was detrimental to our relationship. We were just dandering over to class, and I was actually thinking to myself, "Maybe Remus was right. Maybe James isn't so bad after all." But then, James took a look at me and our conversation involving the prank was dropped faster than a screaming child.
"Lily," said he, the one I thought wasn't as rigid as before, "What happened this summer wasn't totally my fault. Why, every man has his needs."
Inside, I was freaking out. Inside, I felt like jumping up and down and screaming at him, "WHY THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY THAT TO ME????" I mean, there is almost nothing worse than being told you were kissed just because "every man has his needs". I felt so unclean and horrible.
Outside, however, I placed a slightly bemused and slightly puzzled expression on my features, a mask over my emotions. "Oh?" I was very polite.
"Yes, you see. I apologize for letting my feelings get the better of me."
This time, I imagined I was shoving my emotions into a small chest and locking it. I threw the box into the ocean while pocketing the key. I could relieve this anger later. With all unnecessary sentiment gone, I said, "Oh, there is no problem. I just hope that you learned from this lesson." This lack of emotion was making me stiffer than even James, and schoolmarm-ish to boot.
"I'm glad this is resolved between us, Lily. I'd prefer that there were no skeletons in my closet."
"Just don't make the kill," I advised sweetly. "I was going to ask the professor about the Star Charm, I'll talk to you later," I said as I dashed into the classroom we were passing.
I couldn't get away fast enough. And I'm sure that even the wise professor couldn't figure out why I hexed the pillows used for Summoning Charms.
Love,
Lily
Monday:
Dear Diary,
In Astronomy today, Remus congratulated me on finally forgiving James. I smiled, as if for a camera, and brushed the air away from my face.
This apparently wasn't good enough for Remus. "That's your model smile. What's going on?"
I cursed silently inside my head. Why did Remus Lupin have to know me so well? Damn those trusting eyes of his, ready for confidences. Damn his lovable know-it-all-ism.
My smile, if it was possible, stretched even wider. "Nothing, Remus. Why would you say that?"
"Drop it, Lily, I mean it." In a second, Remus' voice went cold and stern.
My smile sagged and I finally gave up the façade. "It'll just take me awhile to live up to what I said, that's all."
"So you weren't exactly ready to forgive?"
"Not exactly."
"Well, just remember that Time heals all wounds."
"What if the wound is fatal?"
"Time heals all wounds."
"Can time heal death?"
"Shut up."
"Remus! Lily! In the back! Let me teach my class in peace!" came the commanding voice of Professor Vectra. We both pulled out bits of parchment and started taking notes on nothing at all. The fun part of the class was over.
But now it's time for dinner. I hope Rhapsody doesn't want me to do the U.T. I'm really not in the mood to get wet tonight.
Love,
Lily
Tuesday:
Dear Diary,
For tomorrow I am really excited. We get our sweet, sweet revenge during breakfast that morning, and we had to begin the preparation today. It didn't take much; we just had Sirius say a few things to RRS in general, and Reba in particular. And we had to start our own version of rumors…not much, just to warm up people's minds so that our idea wouldn't be rejected.
I talked with James some more today. I was cool, I was calm, and I was going to be okay. Again I put all my anger into a box. This method is really nice, mostly because it works. That good old box.
A couple times, though, James got this weird look in his eye, and he'd start to lean forward. For anyone and everyone's sake, I hope he wasn't about to kiss me. I would just shudder. As it was, I leant back every time and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ears. It's becoming more red-gold then deep red. But anyways, I think that I'm closer to forgiving James then before.
He is better looking than I thought, though. His is really muscular, and taller than I had suspected. He also has a way of flipping his hair back from his face that makes him seem really sophisticated. He's really very funny, too, and his sense of humor matches mine. Tomorrow will go without a hitch—I've learned to trust this solid, black-haired youth.
Later:
Morgan and Rhapsody are of the opinion I should go out with James. "He's really ridiculously good-looking, honey, and you see how almost every straight girl here drools over him," said Rhapsody.
"You guys never did," I observed.
"That's because you would have killed us for talking about the person you hated most in the world. Besides, he's all yours." Morgan absently picked at her fingernails as she said this.
Rhapsody agreed vehemently. "He would be so devoted, too. Remember how he left you those flowers? I would die to have a guy do that to me."
I laughed a lot at this one. "Rhapsody, Rhapsody, Rhapsody," I said. "Three guys have done that for you, and you always said it was lame. You don't even date the kind of people that are the flower-giving type."
"James is hotter than they all are," Rhapsody said. Morgan chuckled and shook her head.
I waved my hand at her. "I thought you said he was all mine!"
"Oh, he is. Of course."
Even Later:
I can't sleep tonight, even though I am beyond worn out. Did you know that Rhapsody snores? I haven't noticed that in all of my 6 years of knowing her. Flowers, my butt. I could tell that Morgan would love to be left flowers. And Sirius has fallen for her. This doesn't prevent him from dating others, but he still is almost in love with Morgan. Remus said that he talks about her more than anyone else, and he is sick of hearing about her. According to Remus, once Sirius expressed a desire to kick Morgan's ex's lights out after he scammed on her. Morgan is a very nice person, when I think about it. My two best (girl) friends are almost polar opposites. Morgan is nice and sweet and caring, and Rhapsody is like "BLAH" in your face. They are both awesome. I think I'm in a sentimental mood. I'm also really tired. These sentences are coming out disjointed…maybe I can go to bed now.
Next order of business: get Morgan and Sirius together. Rhapsody will help me with this one, but outsmarting a prankster with what he does best seems a little hard. We can do it though…but it will require strategy.
Love,
Lily
Wednesday:
Dear Diary,
The day of the prank is dawning clear and sunny. I'm about to go down to breakfast now and see it be put into action; we are all very excited. Well, Clara just thinks that Morgan, Rhapsody and I are on something, but we're not.
I'm in the common room right now. What I find odd is that what Morgan and Rhapsody have told me about dating James is on my mind a lot. I think about how comfortable it would be…but would it? Even in my Utopia world, a relationship with James has questions.
I'm going to write about how the prank went in my second class, the one after Herbology. The History of Magic, with Professor Binns. My goodness he is boring! Writing could be the only way to stay awake.
Love,
Lily
A/N: Hey guys. I'm sorry about any confusion. If you are still surprised at some of the things going on, I sincerely recommend that you go back and reread chapter one. Haha. But onto the replies! And I'm glad that most of you could find it after the changes I made. AndI made this chapter significantly longer, but it's still pretty short.
Andy Quinn: Yay! I'm really flattered that you think I'm a good writer, especially after I read some of those stories by Solarism and erak. But Drew will get his comeuppance. Although…will he decide to fight back?
Queen of Serpents: That TRL thing sounds pretty cool. But I couldn't see any of it. One reason I can't cartwheel is because my legs are too long. They can't go in a circle without getting tangled up, and my P.E. teacher told me I'd have to get a running start to have enough energy to boost my legs up. But I like being tall. Yes, I noticed while I was writing it that the tenses are all screwed up. I thought I fixed it but I hadn't. I went back though, with that new Export/Download feature and changed it so it's good now. Yes, it's pathetic my grammar. I know almost more than our teacher. Well I think it's safe to say I know just as much if not more as our teacher, who didn't necessarily write the book. He just got out of college and had to learn it this past year. I would love to be your beta though! I would absolutely love it. I'll send you an email titled something like "Pure Imagination Beta" just so you know. But I haven't given out my email address on this net. I put in some Jamesness in here and I thought about how you wanted more. We'll get there. It's coming…haha. And I really loved getting your huge review. But go back and read chapter one, or at least the first entry. It'll help explain stuff. Haha. Just humor me. Well I'm in a hurry to post so I'll catch you on the flip side! Although once I said that to one of my friends and he went into a lecture about the flip and mac sides of football. So I guess I shouldn't say that anymore. Oh and I changed my name…just look at the reply below yours.
RupertGrintLover666: Thanks for reviewing. But that's not why I changed my name. It was because of some crazy friend of mine who was totally being mean! I didn't know what was her problem. shakes head
Happiness in a Bottle: Yes, you're back! I changed the title back to its original one, just to make things more confusing. Haha. But hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Don't forget to review on your way out! Compliments, constructive criticsm, flames, whatever. Any input is helpful.