Pure Imagination
Disclaimer—I own nothing except the plot. This applies to all earlier and later chapters.
"In Which Reba Holds a Surprise "
Wednesday:
Dear Diary,
You should have been there. This prank was amazing. Amazing! What we did was tell Reba that Drew Katass was crushing over her. Now, she was a little skeptical at first, but Sirius really convinced her. His impersonation of Drew really won her over. I mean, I was actually convinced for awhile, and I was in on it.
Reba walked over to sit next to Katass, and his face was a mixture of shock and stupefaction as Reba began to talk to him. She was very smooth, as a matter of fact, and luckily never mentioned that she apparently knew his secret. I knew that the second breakfast was over, she'd rush over to the owlery and send him a note. Note after note, letter after letter, until his trashcan will be crammed with small notes, signed in a mincing copperplate script (the rest of the letter in her usual untidy scrawl), accented with tiny red hearts. She'll sit next to him at every possible opportunity…and he will be beating his head with its streaked dye-job on every hard-surface from the Astronomy tower to the lowest dungeon.
To tell the truth, I saw Reba heading toward the owlery in between my first and second class (double, today, so only two classes before lunch), and I even saw a crumpled piece of parchment in the wastebasket with the words "DREW, SWEETNESS" emblazoned in large letters on one corner.
I'm also relieved that I won't have to see James on a regular basis now. Or am I? I don't know, but he ended up being pretty cool after all. Oh well. That's over now.
Love,
Lily
Thursday:
Dear Diary,
I passed Ramona in the hall yesterday night and she smiled, before she stopped me for a second. "Did you have anything to do with the Drew-Reba thing?"
Her gaze was probing, and her expression dared me to lie. I think this was one moment I respected her as someone as clever and cool as Morgan or Rhapsody. "A little bit. Some of us told her the news at breakfast this morning…I thought you were there to see it."
"No, I wasn't feeling the best this morning so I came a little late. Are you sure Drew likes her?" Her question was uncertain, but the words she said next were fiercely loyal to her own band of friends. "Because if he doesn't, I don't want to see Reba making a fool of herself just to satisfy some petty disagreement of yours."
All of a sudden, I was drowning in guilt so choking that it was a physical mass inside my mouth and my throat. I coughed a couple times, thinking to myself that Reba was a person, and who was I to judge? She knew how it felt to be picked last in gym, just like I did. We were both from Muggle families, and we probably had a lot in common. It was stupid to use a person like this just for my own selfish feelings of revenge.
Though I must say, it's been going pretty well.
What I said to Ramona was, "No, he said something in our common room about how she had the potential to be attractive. A real looker, I think."
Ramona cast one more penetrating gaze in my direction before she nodded. "Just making sure. Reba's much too short-sighted so check any of these things out."
I knew that if I agreed with Ramona, she'd feed me to Shawna, so I said, "Well, you had nothing to worry about." I felt the pungent guilt settle in my throat again.
We both said goodbye and walked away. All the same it was weird.
I told Morgan about the whole experience, and I could see the very guilt that had choked me showing itself in her eyes. "We'll have to befriend Reba," she said. "We'll have to see the extent of our damage."
Later:
James sat next to me in Herbology, the class that I usually spend with Josef and Morgan. He was handing in his homework (thirteen centimeters on some random "moon plant") when I sent a helpless glance in their direction. Morgan just shrugged while Josef erupted into giggles. I mouthed the word "HELP" and cocked my head towards James, but Morgan mouthed back "YOU ARE IN TOO DEEP NOW". I pretended to bang my head on the table, and the sound of Morgan's laughter, added to Josef's giggles, reached my ears.
James reached the table again, and asked, "Is everything alright?"
I nodded as my cheeks flushed. Class got underway, and it was hellish. James always makes me so uncomfortable.
Love,
Lily
Friday:
Dear Diary,
Do you know what is odd? Reba is starting to look better. Almost pretty, actually. She's finally been doing something about that dry skin on her chin, and her eyebrows are smooth and even. Something is amiss here, and I mean to find out what it is.
Also, when I walked into History of Magic, today, a bunch of girls in the corner tittered at me, and I could feel myself flushing. They were Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs, but I'm not sure which. All the same, I heard their whispers about me all through the class, which is saying something. They're usually the ones engrossed in their fashion magazines (like Be Which), or they paint their nails. It's strange, but they normally don't speak if they aren't passing notes. I don't like people talking about me behind my back…it's just not fun. Rhapsody especially knows what I'm going through. Her reputation varies from day to day.
But there's a plan going on here, and it's odd.
Later:
Reba is looking decidedly better, and even Remus picked up on it. "It's like she cares about her appearance now," he said.
Sirius put it in clearer words. "She's not a man anymore." Rhapsody and I exchanged a glance—what he'd said was harsh. We both shook our heads.
Even Later:
Crazy things are happening. Today at supper in the Great Hall, Drew Katass left the Gryffindor table and went over to the Hufflepuff table to sit next to Reba. Everyone was shocked, and he seemed quite aware of these glances as he sauntered past all of the students. Sirius' mouth was open so wide that you could shove a guinea pig into it, and Morgan gave up trying not to act surprised and slumped, her head buried in her arms, her face so close to the table I was positive she could smell it.
Us and the Marauders made our way back up to the common room, feeling almost as if defeat had settled on our shoulders. He was probably just doing that to jazz us.
Love,
Lily
Saturday:
Dear Diary,
Today at breakfast, the most abnormal thing happened. I am still appalled, shocked, bemused, and even slightly relieved. We'll just say that our prank hasn't gone the best. For awhile there, we were all quite optimistic, but now our triumph is dead, and it lies cold and dead with our prank.
For today, oh! Today, which had promised to look so bright, from the minute I woke up, showered in the hot water, and came back to find all of my socks in attendance. Today, when I entered the Great Hall to find my favorite breakfast food being served! Sweet, pure morning, with so much potential. But today, at breakfast (the same time this whole thing was started), we found Reba looking strangely pretty.
No, what a massive understatement. Boys, aged fifth year to seventh, were getting out of their seats to pass the Hufflepuff table, and when they returned to their own, their jaws were scraping the ground. I'm sure wolf whistles followed her to each of her classes. Now, walking in to the Great Hall and seeing this was more of a surprise, and I can tell you that I was glad her life had turned this way. But then we found out that Drew Katass and Reba were an item. He'd asked her out faster than he asked me. And yes, I was a little jealous, but I don't begrudge Reba a particle of her happiness. But now I do know why those girls were talking about me in class. I'm was slighted—by Reba!
I'll just have to get Drew back even more, which is what Rhapsody told me. Looks like I'll be seeing more of James.
I don't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.
Later:
After supper, Ramona stopped me on some corridor on the fourth floor. "Listen, Lily," she said a little reluctantly. "I'm sorry for doubting you."
I smiled, and said that it was no problem. Our conversation, surprisingly, moved on to different things. Mostly we talked about how we became friends with our friends. Ramona is the only cool one out of that group.
I'm in the library right now, hiding from Rhapsody and Morgan. I know that the moment I first lay eyes on them, they'll shriek and tell me that we have to meet with the Marauders. I'm really not in the mood for more battle plans. And I understand why Rhapsody wants to declare an all and out war, but Morgan is a peaceful person. At our last tête-à-tête, she kept asking why we couldn't go about a less confrontational route. I bet it has something to do with Sirius.
Oh, no. Was that Morgan's black hair I saw through a gap in the bookshelves? Maybe I'll have to find another hiding spot.
Too late. Looks like I'll be seeing a good deal of the Marauders tonight.
Love,
Lily
A/N: Hey guys. Sorry this chapter is so short. Thanks for all the reviews, they were really nice. And thanks to all of the people who have me on their "Favorite Authors" or "Favorite Story" list. It really means a lot to me. Meh, I don't know if I want to continue, though. I'm just less motivated. We'll see. Tell me what you think on your way out. Onto the replies:
Happiness In A Bottle: I updated, I updated! Yes, it's good to have you back from your grandparents. My grandma is coming in today.
RupertGrintLover666: thanks for reviewing. There's your prank. Haha.
LilyRoseEvans: I'm not sure if I'd want to be your beta. Midterms are looming and I'm busier than ever…but keep reviewing. And I'll certainly check out your story and tell you what I think.
Kyoko Kasshu Minamino: I'm not much of a fan of the fifth book, either. I was like, dammit, Harry, what is your problem? Thanks, though. I do try. J I'm glad you and Andy are tight like that. I'm also glad you like my new penname. I miss the old one, but am getting used to this crazy name.
Prince and the Purple Rain: your penname is nice. Prince and the Revolution (kind of like that), that band that does, When Doves Cry. Does that have anything to do with it? Haha. I'll be checking out your profile sometime soon.
Andy Quinn: yeah, I'm sorry it took so long for you to find out what happened. I'm not too happy with the prank either…but oh well. You can't win em all.
Queen of Serpents: Hey. Did you get my email with the chapter in it? I wasn't too sure. I changed some of the wording around, if that's okay. But yeah, I worked hard on that. Well, not as hard as you did but still a lot. Okay okay. Jeff one of the neighbors. And the neighbors were killed this summer. By Voldemort. Oh yeah. Haha I still have to tell you why. Well Jeff is an important part of this story, so he'll prally be in the next chapter. My friend told me about this girl she's beta-ing, and then I told her the people I was beta-ing to. And she was like, Queen of Serpents? She's like my hero! Haha I thought that was interesting. Her grammar is horrible, though (if you're reading this, g.b., haha), but she got some good ideas. Well catch you on the flip and mac sides. Those football players…they crazy. Haha yeah I'm pretty tall. Actually, way tall. And it's nice. Haha.
Xx-scratchthat: Hey that wasn't any bother. Yeah, you're right. I need me some more LJ stuff happening.