Ch. 9 "Anger Management"

"We're there?" Sara asked excitedly.

Tanya sighed exasperatedly. "No, Williams, we're not. Evans only says, 'We're here' when we're not."

Everyone looked at Sara expectantly but she only smiled sweetly. "Well then, I'm glad I asked," she replied. The group blinked in unison.

Lily felt the carriage stop and stood up. "Well, would you look at that, we're here." Sara snickered and stood up, also. "Come on, Black," she said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Can I get a please?"

"No."

Sirius stood up anyway. "I'm only standing up because I want to eat. Just so you know," he told her. Sara snorted. She jumped off the carriage first then walked with Lily up to the castle.

"That was unexpected," Lily said quietly.

"What was? And why are you speaking so softly?"

"You not yelling at Tanya."

"Huggins, Lily, say Huggins. Calling her Tanya gives her a sense of respect. And we don't want that."

"Okay then, Huggins. Why didn't you yell at her?"

Sara grinned wickedly. "I need to make the prank unexpected. If I'm nice to her she won't see it coming."

"But since you're acting differently, wouldn't she see it coming anyway?"

Sara paused. "Shut up."

Lily laughed. "I can't wait until the prank happens. When is it going to happen, anyway?"

"Well, just for the sake of suspense, I'm thinking around next year."

"Oh, okay," Lily said. "Oh, do you smell that?" They had just walked into the Great Hall and the smell of pumpkins filled the room. "Maybe they scented the pumpkins or something."

Sara snorted. "Right, Lily. They scented the pumpkins so they would smell like pumpkins. That was smooth."

The two girls sat down near the end of the table, farthest away from the Head Table, where Professor Dumbledore was smiling happily at the entering students. "Well, they never smelled so rich, though," argued Lily. "They just smelled like regular pumpkins."

"They do not smell any different. Watch, I'll show you. Oy, Sirius!"

Sirius, who just walked through the door, walked over and sat down across the table from the two girls. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Do the pumpkins smell any different?" Sara asked. Sirius sniffed. "I don't know, I'll ask. Hey, James!"

James walked over with Tanya and sat down next to Sirius. "Yeah?"

"Do the pumpkins smell any different?"

James sniffed, too. "I have a cold, so I don't really know. Maybe Peter knows. Peter!"

Lily sank down in her seat. "It's not that big of a deal," she whispered to Sara.

"Yes it is," replied Sara. "I need to show you that you're wrong. And stop blushing, the color clashes with your hair."

Peter walked over to the table and sat down next to Tanya, who was next to James. Tanya wrinkled her nose and moved closer to James at the sight of him. Peter narrowed his eyes, walked around to the other side of the table, and sat down next to Sara. "What's up?"

"Peter," James said, "do the pumpkins smell any different today?" Peter sniffed the air and stopped. "You know, there's something different about it, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Why don't we ask Remus?" said Sara.

"He had a stomachache and had to go to the Hospital Wing," James answered. "He didn't feel too good."

"He didn't look that sick a few minutes ago," commented Lily. "I didn't even see him leave."

"Well, he has an ailment that can cause very sudden side effects, like stomach or head aches."

"Oh. I never knew that," Sara said.

Sirius smelled a nearby pumpkin and said, "Oh, I get it now! They smell the same, the odor is just stronger today."

"I told you," Lily said quietly to Sara. Sara grinned. "Sod off, you."

Sirius looked up at the Head Table. "OY, PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!" he shouted. Dumbledore looked at him and smiled. "Yes?" he said.

"WHEN CAN WE EAT?"

"KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN BLACK, THIS IS NO QUIDDITCH MATCH!" Professor McGonnagle yelled back.

"CAN DO, PROFESSOR!" Sirius looked back at the group. "He said he doesn't know when the food's coming."

Sara snickered. "Sure he did, Black."

"Oh, so we're back on surnames again?"

"Sort of. You're a little late on that one, if you didn't already know."

"Well, Williams," Sirius said and held up his chin. "It was merely a trick question, so on the end you and the one who is late."

Sara laughed and tilted her chin up. "You think you're better then me, Sirius?"

"Well, Sara, I have no idea."

Lily chuckled and looked at the main doors. "When are those first years coming?" she asked. "I'm starving."

"Doesn't anybody ever eat before this?" James asked suddenly. "Does anybody else notice that everyone is starving to death by the time we get here?"

"I do," said Peter.

"Well you don't count. Anyone else?"

A fifth year who was sitting on the other side of Lily looked at James and said, "I do."

James blinked. "Okay."

Tanya squeezed James's arm. "Hush, baby, look at Dumbledore."

Everyone looked up at Dumbledore. He stood up and smiled. "I know you all are very hungry, so I will cut to the chase. Tuck in!"

"Food, food, food, food, food," Sirius chanted under his breath. "Quiet, Sirius," James said.

"Yeah, shut up," Tanya added. Sirius didn't hear, but Lily did. I can't believer her, thought Lily. She really needs to grow up. "Grow up," she whispered fiercely to Tanya. Tanya's head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Don't tell me what to do, Red," she warned.

"My name isn't Red, so don't call me that," Lily whispered back.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want."

Lily's eyes turned to slits and her mouth was set in a line. "You really need to grow up, Huggins. The world doesn't revolve around you're fat, ego-crazed head. It never has and it never will. Sara was right, there is something wrong with you. Life was perfect before you came along, so fuck off."

Nobody but Tanya had heard that. The rest of the group was looking desperately at Dumbledore, waiting him to bring out the food. Tanya grimaced her teeth. "You will pay for that, Red," she muttered.

"I said DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Lily screeched as she stood up. The whole Hall was staring at her, but she didn't notice. "You will pay for that," she said quietly and ran out of the Hall and towards the portrait hole. "Password?" the Fat Lady asked a panting, out of breath Lily Evans.

"Uh," Lily stammered. "Damn it! I forgot about that! Fuck!"

"You'd better watch your mouth, young lady," said a shocked Fat Lady. Lily, who was too angry to respond, raced down the corridor, looking for a place to be alone. She ran towards a pair of double doors that led to the Great Hall and made a sharp right down a corridor not too many people used.

"Lily!" called Sara. Lily faintly her voice and made a left. She was now on the Quidditch pitch. She ran down past the field, past Hagrid's house, and into the Forbidden Forest. Lily was running so fast that she didn't even notice where she was going. She ran for a few minutes and reached a clearing. It had gotten darker and she couldn't really see that well. Lily sat down on a rock and clenched her fists. "She will pay," she muttered. "She can't talk to me like that. No one can."

She stopped and looked at her fists. "But why am I so angry?" she asked herself in a barely audible whisper. "You know who she reminds me of?" she hesitated. "Petunia." The word felt strange and unwanted on her tongue. "Petunia," she said again. "Petunia, Petunia, Petunia, Petunia, Petunia . . ." As she kept saying it, she realized that more and more tears started trailing down her face. "Petunia," she said one last time. She slithered down to the floor and grabbed her hair with her hands. "They're so alike," Lily commented. "And they both just had to ruin my life."

Suddenly, Lily heard a faint growl behind her that was getting louder. She turned around and screamed.

"Where is she?" Sara asked frantically. She paced around the Gryffindor common room and tugged at her hair. "We've checked everywhere! Where could she possibly be?"

Sirius started to pace around the room, also. "Well, we haven't checked the grounds," he said.

"Yeah, but would she really go out there? It's freezing!" Sara exclaimed.

"I just don't see what the big deal is," Tanya commented, who was lounging on a sofa. "She's probably just hiding in the loo."

"No she isn't, because we've checked them all," Sara responded through gritted teeth.

"Sirius," James muttered. "Come with me." James and Sirius ran up to their dormitory. James looked through his luggage, which was placed neatly at the foot of his bed and pulled out the Marauders Map. "Care to test it?" he whispered. Sirius nodded his head and took the map from James. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said. He looked on the map. "I don't see her," he said angrily.

James took the map and searched for himself. He gasped suddenly and bolted out the door. Sirius picked up the map and looked again. In the Forbidden Forest, there was a tiny dot labeled Lily Evans. The dot was running away from another dot labeled Remus Lupin. Sirius's eyes widened.

Yeah, just some more responses. I won't do that many, since it always annoyed me when someone would take up so much space for responses you have to scroll halfway down the page just to get to the story. That just always bugged me.

freakin-person: wait, wait, wait, you have a MAID?!?!

hikaru: i remembered you! i'm so flattered! lol. i might redo seventh year. you really got me thinking about that. i'll either redo it or do something like it. oh, the possibilities . . .

Lady Cantara: okay, the word zephyr is pronounced like zeffer. i hope that spelling helps. i got the word from vh1's a to z jessica and nick. that station rocks. PS where did you get your name? it made me wonder.

sblackslady: i am so glad you think of sirius that way. that's what i was aiming for, too. and i did it! hugs self i am so happy.

Nicholas Flamel: you're right: Tanya is an unlikeable skank. she is also a classic sue. just an evil one. i think of it as more of an evil brat's thirteen-year-old fantasy. i hate tanya, i just needed a bitchy character to use for suspense, like what james dumps her and the pressure is on lily. that's what i'm aiming for. thanks for the review, it really made me think about tanya's personality.

marauders4ever: i am so flattered that you thought tanya was lily. the idea came to me when i was daydreaming in geometry. then again in home ec. then again in a dream. so yeah. thank you for the reviwes

InLuvWitRupert: yay! you reviewed again! i think you were my first reviewer, and i actually look forward to yours. and i didn't/don't mind the twenty questions thing. that's what i do, anyway. GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE! lol. RUPERT IS SO HOT!!!