A/N: I'm so INCREDIBLY sorry for not updating for so long, but on Saturday, September 20th, my computer crashed and I just got it back up (although with no Internet…*sob*). But now it's up and here's the update; I would have gotten the chapter uploaded on that Saturday, but I couldn't and now I had to re-type everything, so… yeah. Sorry about the delay!
To Be Young Again
Chapter 14: Love/Hate Relationship
"Lily, wake up!" A young girl with curly brown hair, gray eyes, and three piercings in each ear tried to pull Lily out of bed by her feet, but was unsuccessful. She knew the exact line that would drag her friend out of bed.
"Lily, you'll be la-a-a-ate!" she sang.
Lily moaned and put her pillow over her head. Frankly, today she didn't care if she was late.
"We must resort to last resorts!" said that same sing-song voice, to no one in particular. The next thing Lily knew, she was drenched.
"Amanda!" Lily shouted. "Why'd you do that? Now I'm all wet. And to make it worse, awake!"
"You wouldn't wake up," said Amanda simply. "And you have to take a shower anyway, so it doesn't matter if you're wet," she said matter-of-factly. "Shower. Now."
Grumbling, Lily headed to the shower.
*20 minutes later*
"Lily! No time for blow-drying! Let's go!"
Lily sighed, dropped the blow-dryer, grabbed her book bag, and ran out of the common room with wet curls.
"What…do…we…have?" Lily asked breathlessly.
"Charms," Amanda whispered, out of breath.
*
But during Charms, Lily's favorite and best subject, Lily's mind was elsewhere. On a certain black-haired, hazel-eyed someone.
How dare he accuse me of telling someone? Lily thought. Especially a cow like Rita Skeeter. I'm on my way to becoming Head Girl, and I wouldn't do something as dishonorable as betrayal.
"Miss Evans? Miss Evans?"
Lily lifted her head.
"I'm sorry, Professor. What was the question?"
"Never mind." He turned to choose someone else.
Lily flushed. Nikki Gryfan caught her eye, and (Lily had no idea why) smirked.
And then she caught James' eye. She looked at him with utter hatred; the same look she had given him years before. To her surprise, she caught a… hurt look in his eye, before he quickly masked it.
Lily turned her gaze away from his face and focused her attention instead on a Professor Flitwick, determined to keep her mind in this world and not on James.
*
Caitlin awoke Lily at 7:00 on Saturday morning.
"Merlin, Caitlin! Can't a person get any sleep around here?" Lily asked. Then she realized who she was talking to. "CAITLIN?! How did you get into the Ravenclaw dormitory? You're a Gryffindor!"
"Bella and Manda let me in," said Caitlin dismissively. "So, which outfit looks better?"
Lily was a person who could put two and two together.
"HE ASKED YOU OUT?!"
Caitlin smiled. Yup. So, which outfit?"
Lily ended up picking the black spaghetti-strap dress with red stripes going diagonally across it. It ended at Caitlin's knee, and had a slit up the side. It looked great with her dark hair.
"The dress. Definitely," Lily chose.
"Okay, thanks," Caitlin replied.
There was a swooshing sound, and a hawk owl flew through the dormitory window and landed on Lily's bed. I wonder who its from, Lily thought. She curiously untied the letter from the owl's leg.
Lilykins, it read,
Meet me at the Prefects' bathroom. I have to tell you something.
Your favorite guy,
James Potter
"That egotistical…little…read it!" Lily sputtered, handing Caitlin the letter to read.
"I agree," Caitlin said.
"Really?" Lily was surprised. "Most girls dating his best friend would think he was all that. But not you."
"Thanks, I think."
Lily picked up a piece of parchment and a quill and a piece of parchment. She wrote:
Potter-
I don't know what kind of sick joke you're planning, but I won't be a part of it. Call me Lilykins again, and I swear I will hex your sorry butt from here to Kingdom Come.
She tied the letter to the owl's leg and watched it soar.
*
Hey, it's Firebolt! James thought. His heart quickened its pace. He's got an answer!
James' heart plummeted into a bottomless pit as he read Lily's letter. He gritted his teeth.
"Fine," he said. "Fine. I don't care."
But he knew he did. He was hopelessly in love with the redhead.
*
Sirius waited in the Gryffindor Common Room. What takes girls so freakin' long to get dressed? He thought.
Just then, Caitlin came out of the girls' dormitory, looking like an angel. To Sirius, anyway. Her black, open-toed, high-heeled shoes went well with her dress, which had a bit of a low neckline. Her hair, done by Lily, was in beautiful curls that cascaded down her shoulders and back.
"Shall we?" Sirius asked, offering his arm.
"We shall," Caitlin replied, taking his arm once again.
*
They entered Honeydukes, where Sirius disappeared for five minutes and came back with a huge bag of Honeydukes' best sweets. Caitlin opened it and gasped.
"Wow," she breathed, taking in the smell of the most expensive candy. "Sirius…thank you…"
Sirius shrugged. "It's for you," he stated stupidly.
"Thank you," Caitlin repeated. Sirius took her hand and they left the sweet-shop, where the warm sunshine greeted them. It was early June, and final exams were coming.
And then who should they see but James Potter. Caitlin's warm blue eyes hardened and turned to cold ice.
"Hello, Prongs," Sirius acknowledged with a wave of his hand.
"Padfoot, Caitlin," James nodded.
But Caitlin, instead of returning the greeting, she glared.
"For your information, Potter, Lily thinks you're some sort of sick, ego-maniac who's plotting a sick joke. You might as well pretend I'm a wall if you want to talk to Lily or me," she finished huffily.
Sirius gave James a what-the-heck-is-going-on look. He then shrugged.
Caitlin stormed off into the nearest building, which she didn't notice was the Shrieking shack. Sirius decided to play a trick on his girlfriend. Just for the fun of it.
Caitlin entered the Shrieking Shack, not noticing where she was going. After she walked in and the door slammed after her, she thought, great.
Then she saw Sirius walk in. She shrugged. If he wants me, he'll look for me, she thought.
After a while of absolute silence, Caitlin started getting nervous.
"Uh, Sirius? Siri, where are you?" No answer. "Sirius… Sirius, this isn't funny." Still more silence. "SIRIUS?!"
Tears crept to her eyes. She knew she was being silly, but she also knew of the Shrieking Shack's reputation of being haunted. Caitlin did not believe ghosts could really harm a person, but other than that… in the wizarding world, anything could happen. She couldn't see, but not by her tears. It was pitch dark.
All of a sudden, Sirius jumped from the shadows. Caitlin shrieked.
"Shh, Caitlin, calm down, it's me, it's Sirius," Sirius said in a comforting tone. Caitlin's breathing and heart rate returned to normal.
Sirius got a weird look in his eye, one he never got with any other girl.
Sirius put his lips against hers. It started out as a gentle kiss, but became increasingly more passionate. Caitlin wrapped her arms around Sirius' neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
They broke apart, their heads spinning with exhilaration. Sirius had never felt this way with any other girl in his life, and it scared him.
And without knowing why, he asked, "Caitlin? Will you be my girlfriend?"
And Caitlin said, "Yes."
A/N: Caitlin, I hope you're satisfied. ~_^ I'm sorry to report, guys, that it might take a little longer to update than usual. Not longer than last time, hopefully. I've already written like, 2 pages front and back for the next chapter, so… *sigh* Mrs. Smith is so evil. Anyway, I hope you all forgive me, and I'll update sooner if you review! I swear it helps me write faster! Ciao!
~*OutofAzkaban*~
