Disclaimer: Oh How I wish I own thee

The characters that you see

But JK Rowling is the genius behind it

And I am but a humble twit

Chapter 10- Cactus Confessions

It was a hot Wednesday afternoon. "Perfect for a Herbology lesson" according to Professor Sprout.

"I'm going to show you an amazing plant today!" The professor squealed and everyone listened attentively. Even James managed to stop looking at Lily's back.

"It has an amazing defense! It can survive days or even years without water!" The professor paused to allow OOOHHS and AAAHHHS to enter the room.

"What is it professor?" Lily interrupted leading James to stare longingly at her-again.

"It is…" the professor squeaked. Sirius managed to close his open mouth to tap his table as if creating a drum roll. Peter was turning purple from suspense and bit his quill too hard that it snapped. Without a quill to put tension to, he fainted and fell back from his chair.

"It is…" the professor repeated more loudly. "A Cactus!" All the muggleborns groaned but the rest were eyeing the plant the professor was holding with great interest. But James was in a world of his own. (A world filled with lilies and dancing little prong babies which chanted "Lily and James") leading him to nearly jump out of his skin when the professor thrusted the cactus so close to his face.

"Try to be more attentive Mr. Potter" Professor Sprout said disapprovingly and resumed gliding around the classroom while showing off "the amazing plant".

"Merlin, James, try to be more attentive!" Sirius said obviously annoyed. "You nearly made Sprout drop the plant."

James gaped at him. "Something definitely went wrong while I was daydreaming" he said. "Moony, Did anything weird happen?"

"Besides Peter fainting after snapping his 35th quill and you drooling continually… Nope, everything's normal…" Remus replied.

"Oh" James said. "Professor, what are we going to do with the cacshos?"

"Cactus!" Sirius interrupted through gritted teeth. James glared at him and listened to the Professor's reply.

"Just discuss its physical features and structure with your partner and I expect you to take notes… so pair up!"

"C'mon Sirius, Were sitting with Evans!" James said forcefully and dragged Sirius to Lily's table. ("It's a Cactus! How could you get that wrong? You bloody git!") while ignoring that.

Alexa saw James and Sirius nearing them and spoke to Lily, "Er- Lil? Can you promise me something?"

"Sure what is it?" Lily said distractedly as she observed her cactus.

"Can you promise not to scream any time soon?"

"Huh?" but before Lily could process what Alexa's words meant, James slipped his arms to her waist and all hell broke lose. First, Lily shrieked and nearly jumped out of her skin bumping into James causing her cactus to fly away but Sirius was able to catch it before it broke while muttering. "How could the let it fall? Nearly dropped it! No consideration…"

James thought it was over and let out a small chuckle, but he was wrong.

"How could you make the Common Room explode, Send a wild Hippogriff loose, Drop a piano over me, nearly get me strangled by Devil's Snare, bewitch your broomstick to massacre me and Merlin's beard! Send Peeves after me and STILL REMAIN SMILING?" Lily paused for breath and continued. "WHY? POTTER, WHY?"

"Because--" James started.

"Because you want to win a bet? that sure is reasonable"

"Because—" James tried again.

"Because you want to date me? Now that sure makes it better…"

"Because—" James tried again sounding a bit annoyed.

"Because you want to gain-hmph!" Lily was not able to continue because by that time James pulled her coser to him and began shaking her.

"Will you just let me continue?' he growled. Lily clamped her mouth shut as it was the first time James showed hostility towards her.

"Okay… Lily Evans, I like you! And I know that somehow even how many people think it's impossible I know that you will play an important role in my life, and all I'm asking is a chance, a chance to get to know me better, to see beyond the annoying toerag you hate so much and feel the same way I do the moment you do…" James paused to look at Lily's eyes. Those eyes that he could just stare at forever, and he knew that divulging all his deepest secrets to her is right. "So what do you say we just quit the bet and save us all the trouble and just date? Just one, it couldn't hurt you…"

Oh, you drive me crazy
Oh, you just bring me down
Look out your window
my sunshine's all around
all you have to do is just surrender, just surrender

Lily was numb for a second. James actually liked her. In all his years of annoying her, never did she think he actually fancied her. Sure he spent nearly everyday asking her out but for all she knew it was for a challenge but now she knew it was beyond that. Lily, not knowing how to deal with this other side of James did the only thing she did when around him. Yell or refuse him. She tried her luck with refusal.

"No." She finally said.

"What?" James croaked. His face etched with hurt and confusion.

"I will not quit your bet just because you fed me a well structured line that I'm sure you expect to make me weak in the knees. Well I'm sorry but unlike all the other fluffheads you've dated I'm different… The bet is on…"

I waited here for so long
Thinkin' that you'd see
You just kept on runnin' away
You make your misery my company

"So the bet is still raring?" Sirius interrupted.

"Yes" Lily said coldly.

"Well then…" Sirius said "Behold the amazing cactus! It will devour you!" Sirius threw it forcefully to Lily. Lily ducked and it nearly hit Alexa but she jumped back and bumped into James.

"Well it's not how I expected to end up like." Sirius muttered.

"Well… any other idiots who wish to worsen my mood?" Lily announced. No one answered so she started to go out of the greenhouse to yell her frustrations in the hallways.

"Wait! Lilykins!" Sirius jogged to catch up with her.

"What?" Lily half-shouted.

"UUUHHH… Lily before you go ballistic and scream your marvelously impressive lungs in the hallways, I just wanted to ask you what strength you have in your puny and fragile body that allowed you to escape the great, venomous plant which is the cactus?" Sirius spoke quickly.

"Because I read books that state that the Oh-So-Venomous plant you speak of is just a harmless desert plant…"Lily replied coldly and stormed off, Alexa hot on her heels.

Sirius turned to his best friend who still looked hurt and confused and spoke "Well it didn't turn out that bad…" James pointed to the cactus Sirius threw which was already crushed on the floor.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sirius screamed.

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"Oh c'mon mate! Stop moping around" Sirius groaned. James was on his bed all bundled up that night refusing to talk to anyone.

"I told her everything and she still hates me…" James croaked.

"It's just a front! Why, I think she turned 5 shades of red while you her professing your love"

"She did?" James said, voice starting to sound normal.

"Yeah! Meaning you still have a chance! So why don't we brainstorm ideas to win the bet during dinner?"

James jumped out of his bet and exclaimed. "Yeah! I am going to win that bet or my name isn't James Potter!" then suddenly a loud growling sound emitted from James' stomach. "After dinner of course" he added sheepishly.

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"Lil's, why don't you just give Potter a chance… he obviously likes you…" Alexa said suddenly. They were already preparing for sleep.

"Did you actually fall for that speech he said? It's just an act to finally get to date the undatable, and impossible to get girl which is me"

"You mean you don't believe that he likes you?"

Silence

"Let's just think of pranks… I've already signed up…"

"What's your codename?"

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Okay I have edited this chapter to add a little song by Ashlee Simpson and to let you know that the next chapter is coming up real soon… I know it took me almost a week but I was over my head with thinking… thinking of the right codename, the next chapter, the ending and songs, yes! I have tried to research more songs and I've also edited a few chapters, it's also been hard because I've been thinking of the bumps and stuff so I would really appreciate if you keep those reviews coming! Here is our little rating system… Yes it is back!

O- Outstanding and why?

E- Exceeds Expectations and why?

A- Acceptable and why?

P- Poor and why?

D- Dreadful and why?

It's like my new grading system since its Summer here in the Philippines and I have no class. Oh and if you are a little confused in the events that occurred in this chapter feel free to ask.