"What?" Lily said shocked, leaning on the wall as her support. This isn't happening. This wasn't ever supposed to be happening.
"I'm sorry, Lily, but that's the way it is," James said, trying to be caring or understanding, but he failed miserably. He sounded like he couldn't care less about Lily's feelings.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Lily asked him. Where was sweet, loyal James? The James Lily loved so much? Where is he and why isn't he here?
"I simply think it would be better this way," James said.
"Did Sirius put you up to this?" Lily asked in anger. This is just what Sirius would do. He could make James do something he didn't want to do. There was no way James wanted this to happen.
"No, I thought it over, and I think it's the right thing to do," James said taking Lily's hand. "I think you'll come to accept it one day."
"Tell me again why I should give up something I love? Why should I have to come to accept something that shouldn't happen? You know how long I've waited and yearned for this," Lily reasoned with James. "Why should I quit being a prefect?"
"I don't think it's right for you, Lils," James said.
"Are you asking Remus to stop being a prefect?" Lily asked her boyfriend.
"Uh, no, no, I'm not," James said. Apparently, he wasn't expecting that.
"Then why should I?" Lily asked again. Suddenly, another Gryffindor prefect, Olivia ran up to Lily. She was out of breath and it looked as if she had stayed up all night. When Olivia saw James, she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Lily, I have to talk to you now," Olivia said, trying to pull Lily away.
"Olivia, can it wait? I need to talk to James now," Lily said.
"Yes, Olivia, she'll talk to you later," James said in a superior tone.
"No, Lily, I have to talk to you now," Olivia said.
"Please, Olivia," Lily said.
"Fine, if you won't come with me, I'll say it right now," Olivia said.
"No, I don't think you will," James said, trying to push her away as gently, but forcefully as possible.
"James, what is your problem?" Lily said, noticing how James was acting towards Olivia. Since when didn't he like her? Sure, they weren't the best of friends, but they weren't enemies either.
"I just want us to talk before you talk to her," James said.
"Liar," Olivia said.
"Why?" Lily asked.
"I want to talk to you," James said.
"Don't you mean lie to her?" Olivia said.
"Olivia, please!" Lily said again.
"Don't 'Olivia, please' me when I have something important to tell you," Olivia said annoyed and showing the most aggressiveness that Lily had ever seen.
"No, you don't Olivia," James said.
"James is cheating on you!" Olivia said suddenly. It seemed as if everything stopped. James didn't even try to deny it or push Olivia out anymore. "I caught him last night making out with…with another girl. The girl told me to go away and not to tell, but I knew you had to know! I just knew it! You deserve better than James Potter."
"Who…who was it?" Lily asked quietly. Olivia gave a sideways glance at James, who was looking at his shoe.
"I don't know who it was. Someone from Ravenclaw, I think," Olivia said.
"How long?" Lily asked James.
"About a month," James said quietly.
"Who was it? Do I know her? What does she have that I don't? Why did you go to her? Why didn't you talk to me?" Lily asked quickly, all her emotions coming out. "Why did you think I wouldn't find out? Why…just why?"
"It's not a girl from Ravenclaw," James said quietly. "It is-was- Norma."
"Norma?" Lily said, leaning against the wall again. Norma, her old friend was her newest enemy. If you had told Lily this last year, she would have laughed at you. "First of all," she would have said, with her two best friends to back her up, "I'm going to go out with Sirius Black. Who wants a Prat Prince? Even if Potter and I were going out-ew- no way would Norma be making out with him! I mean, Norma, have you even ever kissed someone?" Then the trio would burst into a fit of giggles and walk away, although you would still have seen a tint of pink in Norma's blushing cheeks.
Amazing how different things were. Not only was the no longer a trio, Sirius was only a friend, nothing more. James is-was? - her boyfriend and somehow, she had no doubt that Norma would make out with James, even though James had a girlfriend.
"I'm so sorry, Lily," James said, still looking at his shoes.
"Is that supposed to undo everything?" Lily asked. "By you saying you're sorry, then I can forgive you and you can do whatever you want, because I'll always be here for you? I'm not a pushover, James; I think you need to learn that before anything happens. I'm not accepting your apology because it is not enough."
"Lily, I know what I did was wrong," James said. "I didn't want to originally, but Norma kept hitting on me and I couldn't resist. I justified it by saying she was only doing what you couldn't, no more. And if I wasn't with her, I'd be unhappy with you and our relationship wouldn't work. It was wrong, I know. I don't know what else to say."
"Doing what I couldn't? She was helping us?" Lily said amazed. "How can you even say that to me?"
"Because you're my girlfriend and I love you," James said, finally looking at Lily.
"You don't love me. If you did, you wouldn't need Norma to 'do the things I couldn't.' And I am not your girlfriend," Lily said. James looked at her with a heartbroken face. It hurt Lily, but she couldn't stay with someone she didn't trust. She simply sighed and walked away. James turned to Olivia and glared at her.
"Oh, right. You making out with Norma is my fault, is it?" Olivia said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Men!" Lily went back to her room. She walked in teary eyed. Petunia held out her arms and Lily ran for a hug. She let everything out to Petunia and then later when Sara came in. By the time Freddy came in, Lily was tired out telling the story, so Sara told him.
Then a surprise visitor came in. "I can not believe what Padfoot did!" Sirius said as he burst in the door. "I can not believe him, really. So, when will you be ready to date again?" Sirius smiled his goofy smile and Lily cracked up.
"Thank you, Sirius, I needed that," Lily said giving Sirius a hug. Freddy looked on uneasily. "How come I haven't seen you recently?"
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Sirius said seriously. "Because of Remus."
"I'm afraid I'm a bit out of the loop, what happened?" Lily asked.
"During the, uh…" Sirius said, looking out of the corner of his eye at Freddy. "During 'dinner' he cut his knife too deep into the, uh, food and hurt himself. He might be infected." Lily understood the translation. Remus had scratched himself too deep during the full moon and infected himself. Gosh, Lily certainly was out of the loop. She didn't even realize it was the full moon!
"Is he in his… 'room'?" Lily asked, referring to the Shrieking Shack.
"Of course not, Lily, he's in the…" Sirius said, almost revealing Remus's hiding place. "He's on the Quidditch field, yes of course he's in his room!" Sirius felt bad about being so sarcastic, but it was the only was to not let the others know.
"Well, I think we should go visit him then, shouldn't we?" Freddy suggested. He was only trying to be nice but Lily, Sirius and Sara screamed no all at once.
"What we mean is he probably wants some time alone," Sara said, looking deep into Freddy's eyes.
"You don't think he would like a game of chess?" Freddy asked. "Or even some intellectual conversation?"
"With Sirius around, I could hardly call any conversation 'intellectual,' and I'm sure Remus has been playing loads of chess and is sick of it," Sara said. "Wasn't he, Sirius?" Sara gave a quick wink to Sirius, who understood.
"Yes, all we do nowadays is play chess," Sirius said. "He is so sick of it, I actually won a game." Everybody in the room gave Sirius a surprised/doubtful look. "Well, okay he let me win a game." Everyone laughed, knowing that even if someone were trying to make Sirius win a game of chess, Sirius would still lose.
"Well, if you insist," Freddy sighed.
"I suddenly want to walk the grounds," Sara said getting up. "Freddy, will you do join me, please?"
"Sure," Freddy shrugged, figuring there was nothing left to do that he could impress Lily with.
"No Dark Magic, now, Sara dearest," Sirius said jokingly.
"Don't worry, I'll only use it on you, Sirius darling," Sara said as she and Freddy walked out the door.
"That Mallot is such a kidder…I hope," Sirius said half smiling. "Well, now that all your problems are solved, shall I leave?"
"Well, I still have one little problem…" Lily said, looking at her Muggle sister.
"What?" Petunia asked.
"Petty, its time you go home," Lily said gently. "You know, that place where you've lived all your life on Pivet Drive, where you will probably live when you marry Vernon."
"Like he'd ever ask me!" Petunia said stubbornly.
"Of course he will. You heard what Freddy said, he loves you," Lily said. Sirius snorted here, and Lily glared at him. "Don't worry, Petty."
"Don't call me Petty!" Petunia said. She softened ad added, "You really think he loves me?"
"Of course I do," Lily said. "I'm sure he's worried sick about you."
"PETUNIA! PETUNIA! Get away, you freak, I'm looking for Petunia!" the three heard a voice boomed from there room. The voice traveled down the hall, down the staircase across the common room to a big man with practically no neck and bushy mustache thinking about how many drill clients he was losing because he was in this freak school.
(Thanks for your reviews! Who is the mystery man? When is Petunia going home? Is James and Norma an official couple now? Please Review or else I won't continue!)
