Chapter 9: Bubbly Feelings

(disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or claim it as my own. I am only inspired by the characters and write about them. After all, isn't that what fanfiction is? I write for others to enjoy! So please do!)

"Evans…Evans…"
Lily could hear someone calling her name. The sound seemed to come from far away, carried by the wind that moved her hair to brush it against her face. But she couldn't bring herself to answer the caller. With her eyes closed, the world was hidden from her view, as if she was trying to escape reality. But Lily felt caught: she could no more escape reality than her dreams.
Every night, for the past few weeks, she would awaken from a nightmare. But when she tried to recall them, all she could remember was that it involved her mother, and they left her with a sickly feeling. She wondered if they were connected to Petunia's letter and her mother's peculiar behavior.
"Evans!"
Lily groaned, hiding her face in her hands, which were propped up by her knees. Did no one understand that she wanted to be alone? She accepted the fact that she was Head Girl and would have to interact with her classmates. But other than that, Lily was emotionally drained and physically tired by the end of the day that she didn't feel like being around anyone.
"LILY!"
She nearly shrieked at the sound of her name, especially since the voice was right next to her ear. Hearing her name brought her back, causing her to open her eyes and glare at whoever it was that had disturbed her silence.
"What do you want, Black?" she said shortly, almost in a growl. It was bad enough being bothered. It was worse that is was Sirius Black.
"Don't get testy with me," he retorted, sitting down next to her on the grass. "I'm not too happy to be doing this, but someone's got to."
Lily inched slightly away from him, not feeling comfortable sitting next to him. "What do you mean?" Black looked at her for a moment, quiet as could be, and Lily became disturbed by this. "What?"
He shook his head, his black shaggy hair becoming even messier. "Have I done something that's upset you so much to have this attitude towards me?"
Lily paused, not sure what to say. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"What was that?"
Lily frowned. "You heard me. I've just been so tired lately, and that's why I'm so irritable. Now you can go and leave me in peace." She crossed her arms back over her legs, staring out over the lake in the distance. It was such a beautiful day, and the lake was shimmering like diamonds beneath the beaming afternoon sun. But Lily couldn't cheer herself up.
"Ah," Black said, disrupting her again, "you see, I can't leave you in peace. Because I can't be in peace until you are."
"You don't make any sense," Lily murmured in reply, not looking at him.
"Look. We both agree that we're not each other's favorite person, am I right?"
Lily nodded in reply, turning her head slightly towards him so she could see his facial expression. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Well, if you didn't realize," he continued, his tone carrying a slight hint of sarcasm, "that my best friend is madly in love with you."
Lily frowned. He didn't have to remind her in such a manner of tone. "You mean Peter Pettigrew is in love with me?" she replied, just to upset him.
"Who knows what he's thinking. He's been a little wary lately," Black replied, not reacting how Lily had expected. "James has been acting weird ever since that night you….kicked me."
Lily winced. "Sorry about that."
Sirius shrugged. "I guess I deserved it. I was being a git. But that was because James is my friend, and just like your friends are concerned for you, I worry about him. He stopped acting like himself, all of a sudden being some goody-two-shoes."
"I just told him to stop trying to get my attention by picking on people," Lily replied.
"Well, apparently he thinks he's offended you somehow, but he won't say anything. He's all sulky and depressed and frankly it's getting on my nerves. Whatever differences you have, you need to settle them. It's not good holding them in and worrying everyone around you. Trust me, it will hurt you in the long run if you keep those angry feelings to yourself instead of letting him know what he's done wrong."
Lily finally turned the rest of the way and looked into Black's gray eyes. "I don't hate him," she said softly. "There's other things on my mind."
"Oh," he replied, and they sat there for a while in silence. The only sound was the rustling of the leaves in the tree above them, blowing about in the warm autumn breeze.
Lily tried to think back over the past few weeks, realizing that Potter had been acting strange. He wasn't his usual proud self, smiling from ear to ear and talking about Quidditch and whatever else he cared to share. How he would play and tease, his breath so soft on her lips in the trophy room,
"Well, just keep in mind that your friends are worried about you. Whatever's bothering you, I hope you conquer it soon, so that you can return to your normal self. And talk to James, please," Sirius added. "Just so I can finally get some peace."
Lily smiled slightly. If there was one thing she was sure would never happen, it was Sirius Black asking a favor from her; one that was of good intention, at least.
"See! There's a smile! Do that more, and you'll start feeling better." Then Sirius did the unthinkable: he wrapped his arm around Lily, giving her a sideways hug. It shocked Lily so bad, that she didn't know how to react. Receiving such an action from someone she didn't normally get along with was enough to finally break down her emotional wall. Before she knew it, she was crying.
"Well, this is a first," Sirius said softly, fighting back what Lily thought was amusement. "I've never had a girl cry on me. Usually if they're crying, they're running away or hitting me."
"Shut up," Lily half cried, half laughed.

Lily had to admit, even if it was an odd conversation, Sirius had surprisingly helped her. She figured that seeing him try to help her, even though they didn't really get along, was enough motivation to try to cheer up and get through anything.
"Hello," she said, sitting down in one of the large armchairs that were scattered about the common room. They were rather comfortable and fluffy, and Lily enjoyed sitting in them by the fireplace, reading.
Zora looked at her curiously from over the edge of her spell book. "Hello," she said, a little drawn out. "You seem to finally be in a better mood."
Lily frowned. "I'm sorry about that. I received a letter from my sister that wasn't all too pleasant."
Zora rolled her eyes, putting her book down beside her in her seat. "I've told you before: don't pay attention to that nit wit. She's just jealous of you, and she's trying to do whatever she can to irritate you. Remember: no one can make you mad unless you choose to let them."
Lily smiled in reply. "I'll remember that, then."
"Hello, Potter. How was practice?"
Lily turned around to see James standing near the portrait hole, followed by Kassie and Black. It seemed that Zora's question was a rhetorical one: they appeared to all be tired and rather sweaty from their practice.
Lily smiled at them, and was surprised to receive one back from Black. Perhaps their little 'heart to heart,' so to say, had made them come to a mutual liking of each other. But then Lily noticed something.
James was scowling.
At her.
"I'm going to go get food," he said rather shortly, and then went back out the portrait hole, without saying another word.
"What's his problem?" Zora asked.
"I don't know, but I was half tempted to shove his broom up his arse," Sirius replied, plopping down on the chair next to Zora. "He was a slave driver today, barking at us the entire time."
"Oh my God, you reek!" Zora exclaimed, pinching her nose and leaning as far away from him without leaving her own armchair. "Go clean up or something!"
"Aw, don't you want a hug?" Sirius teased, jumping up out of his chair and leaning towards Zora.
"Eew! Get away!" she shrieked, kicking her foot out to distance him.
Lily looked over at Kassie, who just rolled her eyes at the dark haired pair. "Was Potter really not himself?"
Kassie nodded, shifting her weight to the other foot. "Something's bothering him, and I think it has to do with Black, because he would not talk to him at all."
"Get away or I'll kick you so you can't ride your broom for a week!"
Lily thought for a moment. "I wonder if I should go talk to him later than."
"Come on. Just one big, sweaty, smelly hug!"
"I don't know," Kassie replied. "He's mad at someone. I saw the glare he gave you when we came in."
"That's it!"
Lily shivered. "So that had been for me."
"BLOODY HELL!"
Lily and Kassie both turned to see Sirius cowering on the carpet, clutched up in the fetal position. Zora was still sitting in her chair, but she was rubbing her foot.
"I warned you," she said in a singsong voice.
Lily couldn't help but laugh. "He'll never learn…"
Kassie nodded in reply, trying to stifle her laughter. "I wonder how many times he's had that done to him?"
"Thirty-six," came a moan from the floor.
The girls all looked at each other and laughed.
"You've kept count?" Zora asked, sounding highly amused. "It's that important to you, huh?"
"Well, I could tell you how many times I've shagged…"
"Keep that information you yourself, please!" Lily shrieked, plugging her ears. "I think I'll leave you now. Your smell has seeped onto me and I'm going to take a bath."
"Hey," Kassie whined, hitting her arm playfully.
"I'll see you later," Lily laughed, heading upstairs to gather her stuff. When she came back down, Sirius was still whimpering like a sick animal on the floor, and Zora had returned to her book. Kassie was nowhere in sight, and Lily assumed she had gone to take a shower herself.
There was barely anyone about as she ventured down to the fifth floor corridors, where the Prefect's Bathroom was awaiting her. Once inside, Lily filled the tub full of scented bubbles, making the water practically impossible to see through.
Lily had taken Sirius' advice to smile more, and it had helped her feel better. And a luxurious bath was something almost any girl liked to have to help feel more relaxed. Shedding her clothes, and making sure Moaning Myrtle was lurking about, Lily dropped herself slowly into the water. The warmth enveloped her, and she sighed, smiling as she closed her eyes and dipped under.
And then she heard it.
Lily shot up out of the water, wondering where the sound had come from. Someone had splashed into the pool-size tub, and she looked around for Myrtle. No doubt she had come to sulk about something or other. Seemed like that ghost could turn the littlest thing into a day worth of sobbing.
"What the bloody hell are you doing in here!"
Lily shrieked at the voice that came from behind her, and she instinctively dropped lower under the surface, hiding whatever she could of her body. "JAMES POTTER! You peeping tom!"
"Me? You're the one who came in when I was in here!"
Lily turned around, moving as close to the edge of the tub as possible without revealing anything. "I didn't see you in here! And besides! You said you were getting food!"
"Well, if you can change your mind, than I sure as bloody hell can, too!"
"What?" Lily turned her head, her hands crossed against her chest. She saw that he looked furious, but also terribly hurt. "What are you talking about? What did I change my mind about?"
James frowned even more, if it was possible. His eyes betrayed his angry tone. Was it because he wasn't wearing his glasses that Lily realized there was a tint of blue in his eyes when he was emotional?
"I thought we were finally getting along. Moving on from bickering and fighting. I even stopped pulling pranks to get your attention."
Lily nodded, slinking a little further into the water. "Yes, but what does that have to do with me changing my mind?"
"I saw you earlier today!" he shouted. "Is that the type of girl you are? You lead me on, and then go for my friends?"
"What the HELL are you talking about?" Lily yelled, getting a little frustrated. Was he calling her what she think he was?
"You think you're so smart, Lily Evans. You lead me on, telling me I had your attention and flirting with me in the trophy room, and then I find you hanging all over Sirius! My best friend!"
Lily's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe this. Thoughts raced through her mind. She could either try to explain herself, or shoot remarks at him. She shook her head and turned away from him. "I'm not going to respond to you right now, cause you are too upset to understand. Would you please turn around so I can get out?"
It sounded like James was huffing and puffing. "What if I say no?"
"Then I'll scream and tell whoever comes in here that you were attacking me!" she shouted, raising her voice to prove her threat.
"Fine!" he said, splashing the water as he turned around, crossing his arms across his bare chest.
Lily frowned at his childish attitude. Pulling herself up out of the tub, she quickly grabbed up her towel and wrapped it around herself.
"Evans, wait."
Lily turned, holding the towel tightly around her. "What?"
She was answered by a face-full of soapy warm water.
"James Potter! Why did you do that?" Lily brushed her hand against her face to wipe away the bubbles. "Now my towel is all wet."
"Explain!" he demanded.
Lily shook her head. "You're being too stubborn. You wouldn't listen to me even if I was dancing around naked."
"Well, you practically are," he said, his stone cold expression not faltering. "Now tell me why you were with Sirius, or I'm going to drown myself."
"You can't drown yourself, you git," Lily snapped.
"Ha!" James suddenly dipped beneath the bubbles, and Lily couldn't even see the black of his messy hair.
Lily stood there for a few seconds, tapping her bare foot against the wet tile. It was the only sound that filled the room. She expected him to pop right back up, but after what felt like an eternity, she began to get nervous.
"James Potter, this isn't funny." Lily stepped closer to the edge of the tub, looking down at the pinkish bubbles she had filled the water with. "Potter, you come up right now!" Now she was getting worried.
"James?" she said, kneeling down by the side of the pool. "James, please!"
Just as she thought she would have to dive in and start searching for him, a pair of hands popped up from the water, followed by a face that bore a devilish grin. James' hands wrapped around her arms, and the next thing Lily knew was that she was completely submersed in the water.
Lily squirmed around, trying to find the surface and air. She coughed, the bubbles and bath water not feeling all too comforting in her nose and throat.
"You asshole!" she cried, rubbing at her eyes. "You scared me!"
"Well, it's nice to know that you still care about me," he said, trying to stifle his laughter.
"I think after that stunt I'll be reconsidering my feelings," Lily replied, fighting her way back to the edge of the tub. But James had grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Let go!"
"No. I want to know." He tried to turn her to face him, but Lily fought back. "Tell me, what is going on between you and Sirius?"
"Nothing! He was just being nice."
"Nice? Sirius isn't nice to girls unless he's after something," James replied rather sternly.
"Well, you obviously don't know your friend that well," Lily retorted, turning to look at him. "He was worried about you, and he came to talk to me. He thought I was mad at you."
"Are you?"
Lily paused. "Well, now I am. You're hurting my arm."
James let go of her arm rather quickly, but he took a step closer to her. This made Lily rather nervous. She was in a towel at least. A soaked one, but at least it covered the essentials. He, however, was wearing nothing but bubbles. Lily had to avert her eyes from exploring his tanned skin and muscles that he had developed from years of playing Quidditch. It was so tempting to look…
"So, what did he say to you then?"
"He told me that if I was upset with you, to talk to you about it, and not hold it in."
"So, are you mad?"
Lily shook her head. "I've got a lot on my mind, that's all. I'm sorry if you felt like I was pushing you away."
"Well, I'm happy to hear that," James said, stepping closer again.
"Now, stop right there, mister! Don't you take a step closer or I will scream!" Lily held up her hands, signaling for him not to move.
"Come on. Can't I have a hug?" he asked, smiling at her in that familiar charming way he had.
"No! You're…you know!" she said, blushing furiously as the thought of what his body looked like flashed through her head. Why was she so upset that she had filled the tub full of bubbles?
"You didn't seem to have any shame in getting in the tub with me before," James jested.
"I told you I didn't see you!" Lily shrieked, splashing water in his face. "Don't get any closer, or I'll splash you again."
"Oh, will you?" he replied, stepping forward, as if daring her.
Lily hit her hands hard against the water, spraying even more bubbles in his face. His black hair, which normally stuck out at every odd and angle, was now clinging to his face, and he brushed his bangs out of his eyes. Lily took a step back, finding her back hitting the edge of the tub. James was smiling at her devilishly. Why did this feel so familiar?
"James Potter, you take a step closer, and I'll…" But Lily couldn't finish her sentence.
"You'll what?" James whispered, stepping forward again, the bubbles floating around his abdomen. "You'll splash me again?"
"Yes!" She moved her hands to do so, but he grabbed her wrists, holding her only weapons captivated. "Hey! You're not playing fair."
"Are you saying you want me to let you go?" James asked, moving closer still.
His toes brushed against hers.
Lily could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. "I…"
"Do you want me to let you go?" James whispered, stepping closer again.
His knee touched hers.
"No."
"No…what?" James questioned, moving yet closer still. She felt the towel around her shift slightly, and she could feel his thigh brush against hers.
"You are too close, James Potter," she whispered, the words coming out rather in a rush.
"You didn't answer me, Lily," he said. His hands were still wrapped around her wrists, holding them against his chest now. "Do you want me to let you go?"
'Damn it!' Lily swore at herself. 'Why did you have to look into his eyes?' The look he was giving her was so confusing, but it lured her in until she became lost in her own pool of emotions. "I don't want you to let me go…"
Everything seemed to stop: the water that licked at her skin ceased movement; her heart that threatened to break free from its cage seemed to pause; her nervous, shallow breath had become caught in her throat. Nothing moved except for James' eyes, which seemed to draw closer to her own, drinking in what little life she felt was still moving.
His lips brushed against hers.
Lily blinked, watching James pull away rather quickly. Was she upset, or disappointed? It had happened so fast, she didn't know how to react.
"James Potter, why did you do that?" she asked, feeling rather flustered.
"Do I need a reason to kiss you?" he asked, releasing one of her hands and brushing his against her cheek. She felt him brush a wet curl off of her cheek, tucking it behind her ear.
Lily took advantage of her sudden freedom and scooped her hand under the water, splashing him once more. "I told you I'd splash you if you came closer."
"I thought you said you were going to scream," came a voice overhead.
Lily and James both turned their wet faces upwards, and they could see the ceiling through Moaning Myrtle's iridescent form.
"Myrtle!" Lily scolded, pulling her arms around her to make sure her towel was still in place.
"How long have you been watching us?" James asked, dropping a little lower in the water.
"Why are you hiding? There's nothing on you I haven't already seen in the last ten minutes." Myrtle floated down, crossing her legs so that she appeared to be sitting on the water. "I must say, Miss Evans, letting such a…randy boy near you." Her eyes dropped, as if peering at something in the water.
Lily noticed that James' hands shot rather quickly down to hide himself.
"I'm going to report you to Dumbledore, Myrtle!" James hissed, his face red with anger and embarrassment.
Myrtle giggled. "Then I'll tell him that I was only stopping his precious Head Boy and Head Girl from doing naughty things in the bathroom…"
Lily's eyes widened. She wouldn't, would she? If Dumbledore heard about this, even if it was just an accident meeting, rumors would start and her perfect schoolgirl image would be shattered.
"Why would you do that?" James said, pouting slightly. Lily could tell he was turning on the charm. "If I had caught you with a boy, I wouldn't tattle."
Lily knew, as soon as the words came out, that James had made a poor choice of a plea.
Myrtle's eyes started to turn watery, and her lower lip started trembling. "Well, for your information, no boy wanted to be with me, not when I kept getting teased! You are so RUDE!" she wailed. "You're just as bad as they are, picking on poor, lonely Myrtle!"
"I think that's our cue to leave," James whispered to Lily, starting to scoot towards the edge of the pool. He pulled himself up, and Lily covered her eyes when she remembered he was wearing nothing.
"James! Put your clothes on!" she gasped, moving a finger slightly to see if he had covered himself yet. Nope.
There was a splash behind her, and Lily could only guess that Myrtle had dived into the plumbing to pout. She shut here eyes behind her hands when James entered her view again, pulling his pants on.
"Give me your hand," he said rather quickly. He pulled her up, and she had to make a quick grab for her towel, because the weight of the water had nearly pulled it off. "Hurry up and get dressed, because it won't be long until she draws someone's attention here."
After a haphazard attempt of getting dressed, Lily and James rushed out of the Prefects' bathroom. There was no one in sight, but voices could be heard down the hallway. Normally, finding the Head Boy and Head Girl together alone towards the evening wouldn't be a wrong thing. They could be excused as monitoring. But when they were both dripping wet from their messy hair down to their bare feet, many assumptions could be made that would land them in a while mess of trouble. That was probably why that at the moment Lily heard what sounded like Filch's voice, James grabbed her hand and pulled her suddenly down the hallway and around the corner.
She felt like her arm was going to be pulled out of socket and then she would have to ask Zora to help her with her studies because she wouldn't be able to write if James' managed to do so. The Fat Lady looked at them curiously, and her eyes moved slowly down to the floor at the puddle of water that had formed around their feet and behind them.
James cursed under his breath and pulled out his wand, muttering a spell to dry the floor. The Fat Lady smiled at them, and Lily could tell that the portraits would be hearing from Violet, the Fat Lady's friend, what she saw this evening.
"Animagus," Lily breathed, trying to catch let the oxygen return to her lungs from her slightly painful run. As the doorway was revealed and James let go of her hand, she rubbed at her shoulder before climbing in after him.
She was relieved to see that the common room was empty. No one to question why they were both wet. Of course, they could say they fell in the lake, but that was unbelievable since her clothes were only damp where the cloth clung to her skin, and she had told her friends she would be taking a bath.
James sighed with relief and sat down in a chair near the fire, rubbing his hand through his wet hair. "That was fun, wasn't it?" he asked with a content smile.
Lily looked at him, unsure of how to answer. For the past few minutes, all she could think of was the pain in her arm and shoulder from where he had pulled her. But now she realized that her hand was still warm from his touch. As she watched his lips curl into that ever familiar grin, she remembered the soft kiss he had placed against her lips only a few moments ago.
"Umm…I'm going to bed," Lily said, turning on her heels and quickly walking towards the stairwell.
"Wait!"
Lily continued towards the stairs, making it up only two steps before she felt his had wrap around her arm.
"Potter, I need to study. Please let go," she said, turning her face upwards towards the stairs.
"Lily Evans, I'm not letting you go. You said so yourself, you didn't want me to." She could hear him clearing his throat, trying to prepare himself to say something. "Lily, I would really enjoyed it if you went with me on the Hogsmeade trip."
Lily turned, a smile threatening to break through. "You mean, like a date?"
James grinned, rubbing his other hand through his hair in his old, nervous manner. "Yes, like a date."
Lily nodded, and she watched his face illuminate ecstatically. The next moment was all a blur. James had stepped up onto the stairs, wrapping her up in an embrace that could melt her. But it only lasted a second, because the stairs had reacted to James and slipped out from under them, causing them to fall flat on their backs and slide down the short distance.
Amongst their laughter, Lily's cheeks started to burn a bright red. James was lying on top of her, but it wasn't his body weight that disturbed her. It was how close they were, and no one was around to witness the next part.
James stopped laughing, and his hand found its way into her hair, brushing the curls through his fingers. Lily closed her eyes at the touch, and in that moment of silence, except for their staggered breathing, James kissed her again, and this time, didn't let go.