Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 4: The new friendship
James and Lily explained everything that had happened, good Lily...bad Lily...everything... Remus and Sirius' mouths were hanging open by the time they were done explaining everything.
Lily and James were sitting extremely close, Lily almost afraid to move from his side.
"Lily...you know...we hate each other...and...I'm doing this for you, because I can't stand the evil Lily...and we need some peace around here...." James said to Lily, removing his arm from around her.
"Yeah, I know. We're not...anything...because it wasn't me who seduced you into taking me into your arms...it was the other me...I...just happened to be good Lily again, when I was in your arms...." Lily agreed, sliding away from him on the sofa.
"Right." The two said with a final nod of the head.
"You don't have to hate each other!" Came a voice stifled with a sob from behind them.
All four spun around, shocked. There stood a very disgruntled looking Melodie; she had tear streaks running down her cheek.
"Mel!" Lily cried, hurrying to her side.
"Lil!" Melodie screamed, hugging her best friend.
"I was so worried. There was something wrong, but I couldn't like talk to you...you seemed to be repelling me...I just couldn't get through to you." Melodie sobbed into Lily's shoulder.
"I know. I blocked you out. I am so sorry. I'm evil, Mel...." Lily whimpered.
"I heard it all...I'm so sorry..." Melodie whispered.
When Lily and Melodie were over the shock of being able to talk again...The Marauders made their being known.
"Remus." Melodie muttered moving to his side.
To no one's surprise she embraced him, and he told her that he was there for him. He looked uncomfortable, but eventually wrapped his arms around her waist and comforted her. James, Sirius...and the good Lily...the right Lily, smiled things were okay for a little while...they'd live...they'd get through it....
On Monday, the friends, were just that...friends. All of them, Lily and James didn't go back to hating each other, they were friends... As the boys got ready in their dorm that morning, Sirius and Remus spoke their pre-planned speech to James...
"You were really stupid not to ask her out." Sirius began.
"She wants you...you can tell..." Remus cut in.
"The evil Lily wanted me, not her..." James replied stiffly.
"But James the way she didn't want to move from you...you just...had to notice it..." Sirius said.
"James, you like her, she likes you...tell her! For once...make the first move..." Remus told him, grinning slyly.
"Guys leave me alone. Remus! What about you and Mel? Make a move on her...oh, and Sirius...that Julia girl is going out with a Ravenclaw 7th year...but I know someone who'd be perfect for you..." James said, to just shut them up.
"No! We're here to make you go for Lily, not you here to make us go for girls!" Sirius exclaimed as they walked into the Common Room.
Remus, however, was silent. He caught James' eye...
"Make a move, eh?" He muttered before moving in on Melodie.
He spun her around to face him and put his hands on her hips, and kissed her. Nothing too extraordinary...just proving a point. When Remus pulled away, and walked out of the Portrait Hole, Melodie looked quite surprised, but pleased. The girls started giggling...James smiled. Monday and Tuesday passed uneventfully, and not until Wednesday, did something besides classes and homework, made its way into the clearing.
"James...I want you to come with me..." Lily whispered to him in their last class of the day, Transfiguration.
"Whoa. Good or bad Lily?" James questioned before pressing the conversation.
"Good Lily you idiot!" Lily exclaimed, the real...insulting-James-Lily...was back.
"Okay...where?" James asked, now flipping through his book.
"Dumbledore said...they were done with the rose...and I don't want to get it alone...the others will think I'm a chicken if I ask for their help..." Lily whined.
"Okay, okay, I'll come." James said, rolling his eyes.
"Thank you!" Lily squealed brightly.
James laughed and went back to his work. After supper that evening, and after homework, Lily and James left the Common Room, to the Portrait Hole. James threw on a pair of baggy jeans, and an ocean blue T-Shirt. Lily had on a pair of dark-rinse jeans, and a 3/4 length red top...that made James' heart skip a beat.
"I'm so sorry for everything I've done to you in the past week..." Lily said, breaking the awkward silence around them as they walked.
"Well...at least you didn't try to kill me...you just tried to make me kiss you...make me...not hate you..." James answered shrugging, grinning slyly at her apology.
There was another moment's silence, in which James considered taking everything he had said about having nothing between them.
"Come on, Lily." James muttered, grasping each of her hands, and dancing her down the corridor, towards Dumbledore's office.
He twirled her in his arms, every so often, and she laughed loudly...the way Lily the girl he was to not love...laughed... James danced her all the way to Dumbledore's office, where the gargoyle stood awaiting the password, but James ignored the awaiting gargoyle for one more moment, twirling her beneath his other arm, once more, and dipping her. A loud cough caused them to come back to reality.
"Professor...McGonagall" They said in usion.
"Um..." Their Professor eyed them wearily.
"Don't tell me Potter and Evans...the archenemies...are actually together..." She said, barely moving her stern lips.
"No, no we're not, Professor" Lily answered.
"Just having fun..." James added.
"Hmmm...Well, glad to see you're both feeling better..." McGonagall said to them.
"We were sick?" Lily asked.
"Well Lily, I'm surprised you doubted you were. Everyone knew you weren't yourself. And James...you just seemed...not your usual...mischief making self...." McGonagall informed them.
"Oh..." Lily murmured.
"I'll get right to the mischief making, ma'am." James assured her, smiling.
"I'm sure you will. Good day." She smiling and turning in the direction she was headed.
Once she was out of earshot they both burst out laughing.
"Archenemies...everyone knew we hated each other!" Lily exclaimed.
"I know!" James agreed laughing harder.
"Guess we should go get the bestowed of darkness...." Lily muttered, going serious.
"Yeah..." James agreed muttering the password.
"You knew the password?" Lily asked, astonished.
"Oh yeah, every time he changes it...he tells us three...Remus, Sirius, and I...cause we're there so much...we can just walk in and wait when we get in trouble..." James said casually.
"Are you serious?" Lily asked disbelievingly.
"No, I'm not Sirius...that's the other guy..." James started, but Lily glared her...tell-me-now...glare.
"Yes, yes I'm serious..." He said nodding his head.
"If you guys are in trouble so much why don't they just suspend you? Or expelled you?" Lily asked curiously.
"Because Dumbledore's a trustworthy kind of guy..." James said. Lily nodded.
"And we're like...his favorites..." he said as an after thought.
Lily laughed and shoved him hard before entering the office.
"Glad to see you came, James." Dumbledore abruptly said as soon as they entered the office.
"It wasn't my idea." James said shrugging, and taking the seat he always sat in when he was in trouble.
Lily seated herself as well.
"I guess...I should tell you...about your rose..." Dumbledore slowly said.
James and Lily exchanged glances, anxiously wondering whether or not to tell Dumbledore about...Evil Lily...
He seemed to sense their anxiousness, and came off subject for a moment.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Miss Evans? Mr. Potter?" He asked.
"Ummm...." Lily began looking at James one last time.
"Yes, there is Professor" James added.
He seemed intrigued by what could've happened next... He rested his chin upon his hands, and stared intently at them while they told everything that happened since the arrival of the rose. Once they finished, he did not speak, but instead he seemed to be thinking...
"Well...evil has been possessing you, Lily..." He said quietly after awhile.
Lily looked quite nervous.
"It has happened so many times before. Most people...that evil has possessed...were under the influence of the Imperius curse...yet yourself, you clearly are not under the curse..." Dumbledore informed them.
"So, something you own...something someone else owns...is planting the evil inside of you. For what reason, I do not know. I do know that whatever the evil is in...needs destroying..." Dumbledore explained.
"Professor...we thought it was the rose..." James inputted.
"Ahh yes, about the rose. It is a regular rose, and no hexes can be seen in it or upon it...but, remember...evil cannot be found in a precious thing, such as a flower. Evil is only known in things that are truly evil. Flowers...are not truly evil, but...that would be the perfect plan...yes. Take the rose...think about it, and if...you are certain...the evil is within the rose...we will destroy it..." Dumbledore said, lowering his voice.
"Yes Professor." Lily murmured.
James, however, was staring at the enclosed rose, in the glass case, that the Professors stored it in... The rose...seemed to be staring back at James, yelling at him, for knowing the truth...the truth about... the rose...
"Well, goodnight, then." Dumbledore said, magically opening the door behind them.
"Goodnight." Lily said.
"Night." James repeated.
Lily picked the fragile glass case up and they walked back to the Common Room.
"The evil is in the rose, Lil...." James muttered eventually.
"How do you know?" Lily questioned, not appearing angry, she didn't get angry often, since....the good Lily came back to stay...hopefully....
"Well...it just feels...not right..." James replied, staring at the rose through the, glass case...at the evil...not showing it self...but knowing that it was in there...
"Very convincing..." Lily said giggling.
They kept on walking in quite until they reached Gryffindor tower.
"Turkish Meatloafish." Lily told the fat lady.
"Sorry, dear, but that's not it." The fat lady told her.
"Let me try." James said stepping forward.
He cleared his throat.
"Turkish Meatloafish" James articulated clearly.
"Sorry dear, but I said it's not the password." The Fat Lady repeated.
James and Lily exchanged curious glances.
"Curious" Lily murmured.
They tried many passwords, all ending in ish...but none worked.
"Jes-" James started cursing
Lily looked confused. They waited for about 30 minutes before someone came from inside the portrait hole. Cheyalla came through, seeming surprised to see them there. Lily exceptionally...as she was carrying the rose...
"What're you guys waiting out here for?" Cheyalla questioned.
Cheyalla was also a Gryffindor 7th year; she has long dark brown hair, blue eyes, slightly tanned and slightly short for 17. James hardly heard Cheyalla talk, she was really quiet, totally opposite of Melodie, and completely like Lily, but they all were good friends. She flipped her long hair behind her ears, and repeated her question.
"Waiting for someone who knows the password..." James replied, frustrated.
"Cheya, do you know what they changed it too?" Lily questioned.
"Yeah! I don't know why they changed it again, they just did yesterday..." Cheyalla exclaimed, this was the loudest James had ever heard her talk.
"Okay. The password is...the pale pink rose." Cheyalla told them, before opening the Portrait Hole, wider to let them climb through.
"The pale pink rose?" Lily muttered mortified.
"No one would do that to you, Lil. If they knew that something was wrong with it. No one in Gryffindor anyways...." James whispered.
Lily looked frightened to some extent.
"Coming, Lil?" Cheyalla asked.
"Y-yeah..." Lily stuttered.
James watched her follow Cheyalla into the Common Room, and vanished all bad thoughts from his mind...he had a perfect idea... He ran up to Remus and Sirius, who were sitting in a corner, in the common room, sheets of unfinished homework was around them...apparently they had given up on it...to eat...
"Hey James." Sirius said popping, what appeared to be an Every Flavor Bean, in his mouth.
Remus and Sirius didn't care what flavor they got...They'd eat anything...
"Hey." James replied grabbing a Cauldron Cake from Remus.
"I thought you guys were going to cut back?" He asked repulsed as Remus grabbed the cake back, and shoved the whole thing into his mouth.
"Where were we when we said we'd cut back?" Sirius questioned, opening a Chocolate Frog.
"In the Great Hall" James answered.
"Doing...?" Remus asked.
"Eating" James said bluntly.
"Go figure." Sirius said shrugging.
"Shut up for a second and listen to me." James told them, looking over his shoulder, making sure Lily and the girls were still in the Common Room.
"Okay what?" Remus asked.
"Sirius! You know that girl you used to like...umm...Julia?" James questioned, hitting Remus as he opened his mouth, showing his chewed food.
"Yeah." Both Sirius and Remus said.
"Shut up and eat, Remus." James indicated.
"Okay." Remus said shrugging.
"Well, I found a better girl..." James told Sirius, indicating to Cheyalla.
Sirius dropped the Chocolate Frog, as his mouth dropped open.
"Where the hell has she been my whole life??" He questioned after regaining his voice.
"Here. She's just really quiet...but I think we can fix that..." James told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
The three guys stood up; Remus anxiously wiping his face off as Melodie came into view.
"Hey" Remus said, sinking into the chair, whose arm she was sitting on.
"Hello" Melodie replied.
Sirius indulged himself in conversation with Cheyalla, causing her to laugh several times.
"Your idea?" Lily asked, sipping a drink.
"Better believe it." James replied smiling at her.
She just smiled back.
"Come here" James heard Remus say, before turning around and seeing him pulling Melodie into his lap.
He whispered something in her ear, causing her to giggle, and blush slightly.
"Ah Remus, are you using that lame line again?" James questioned.
"Shut up James." Remus replied sternly.
"That'll be the day." Lily insinuated.
"I'm not bothered by that. I'm just glad your back." James told her, coolly.
Lily smiled seeming too unconcerned to reply.
James smiled back...scared if he said the wrong thing...Unwanted Lily would return... Sirius and Cheyalla seemed to have gotten to know one another. Remus was still holding Melodie in his lap, and Melodie appeared to not be bothered by this...
"We have got to get those two together." Lily muttered.
"Maybe they already are." James replied, winking.
James looked over to the armchair to see Remus nibbling on Melodies neck.....
"Okay..." Lily said.
Melodie ran her fingers through his hair, seeming quite pleased he had made the move... She then tilted his head up and kissed him slightly on the lips. He leaned in for more, but Melodie pulled away. Remus smiled sweetly. Melodie kissed him again, pulling away when he wanted more. Remus caught on that this was a game, and sat, appearing mad at her. She then indulged him in another lightly kiss, then she kissed him on the cheek...then the other one...then the chin...then before she could tease him anymore...he grabbed her chin and indulged in a more intimate kiss. James and Lily sat watching their friends for a moment...before James became revolted and turned away...