Marauders' Match-Making Inc.
Hey! I know it took me forever to write this. Lately my computer has been bugging the heck out of me and not letting me use things like the internet, Mircosoft Word, notepads, etc. So it's kind of obvious why I couldn't finish and post up the chapter. Well, anyway, I wanted to say thank you to all of you for reading and reviewing (don't worry; the story is not over just yet). You all have NO idea how much in means to me that you are enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it!
And have you heard (most likely you have…) that JK Rowling gave the title for the 6th book? Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince…Well that should be interesting…
By the way: This chapter is dedicated to Lacey, for it is her birthday today! And if I hadn't promised to write this for her by tonight, it wouldn't be here for you right now! So "yay!" for Lacey!
-Kait
Disclaimer: The plot of this story is loosely based on the ABC Family movie, "See Jane Date." The characters are property of J.K. Rowling. The only things that belong to me are the changes I made to the plot I borrowed, and the new characters that you don't know from the Harry Potter books. Is that alright with you then?
Chapter Fourteen: Now it's Lily's Turn to Cry, Lily's Turn to Cry…
"You knew about James' feelings?" Lily asked, dropping into the couch, "You knew the whole time?"
Marcia sat down in the chair adjacent to Lily's and stared at her intently as if she might be ready to blow up at any minute.
"Well…yeah," Marcia said, picking at the arm of the chair and giving her friend a slight half-smile, "It was sort of hard to miss, Lils."
Lily didn't chance her expression at all.
"Then how come I didn't see it?"
"I don't know," Marcia answered, looking up, "Probably because you were too caught up in looking for the perfect guy in all those dates."
"Why didn't anyone say anything about it?" Lily demanded, glancing at her angrily.
Marcia exchanged the look. "Oh yeah. I definitely want to be hexed into oblivion by James… I'm no prat."
Lily sat moodily silent.
"And besides," Marcia continued, "Would it have mattered anyway? You were too busy looking for a 'Prince Charming' to notice one right in front of you!"
"Maybe if someone had said something…," Lily insinuated, getting up irritably and striding in the direction of the kitchen.
"Do you think that would have mattered, really? You never treated him as anything more than a friend. What was he supposed to think?" She shot back, following Lily into the kitchen.
Lily opened the freezer heatedly, took out her beloved ice cream and slammed it shut. Then, in two dramatic movements, she grabbed a spoon from the counter, not even caring if it was already dirty, and edged past Marcia in a huff.
"You know, if you keeping eating that stuff all the time you'll either become very fat or very broke," Marcia said with a sardonic air and grinned at her.
"Shove off," Lily replied between spoonfuls, as she curled up on the couch.
"Nice," Marcia muttered and sat back down in her armchair.
Lily glared at her with all the energy she could muster as she got up and flicked the television on. Then she tried to focus on the glow of the glass; its images on the screen no where near amusing.
"I tend to act this way when a friend lies to me," she growled, "Come back later and kill all the carolers that come around at Christmas. That'll just show all their parents at their nicest, won't it?"
"I never lied to you," Marcia went on, ignoring her friend's sarcastic quips, "I just kept a secret. And it was hard. You know me; I can't keep secrets…if anything you should be proud."
Lily almost sputtered out a bit of ice cream all over the couch.
Was this girl mad?
Why should she be proud of someone who didn't reveal a potential love-interest's feelings for her?
Love-interest?
Had Lily really just thought that?
He couldn't be a 'love-interest,' he just couldn't.
He was sweet, understanding (and sometimes downright cocky) James. He was the guy who always got her to laugh when she really felt like spilling the contents of her stomach. Sure, he was there whenever she needed someone to talk to and cry to, but that didn't make him a…
Oh God.
He was. He was.
He was a love-interest!
A suitor, potential boyfriend, admirer, inamorata… Whatever you chose to call it… That's what he was.
But how could this have happened without Lily even realizing it?
It simply didn't make any sense.
"Lily?"
Lily brought her eyes back into focus and cleared her mind; only to send herself back into that harsh reality.
James… As more than a friend…?
She supposed the thought had made sense at one point, since she had dated him for quite some time at Hogwarts.
But still…
"Lily?" Marcia tried again, getting up only to seat herself back down near Lily. "Are you alright?"
Lily glanced at Marcia, snapping out of her vague trance, "W-what?"
"You love him, don't you?"
"What?" She questioned again, surprised that Marcia; of all people, would suggest such a thing. Miss. "There's-Always-More-Fish-In-The-Sea-and-Men-Are-The-Same-Way" giving advice and inferences on love? Since when was she an expert? Lily got up quickly to shut off the television and return the ice cream to the freezer. Suddenly, she wasn't all that hungry. "In love with him? I…don't know."
Marcia waited for her return to the couch and continued talking. Even when she came back, Lily couldn't displace the horrible look of uncertainly on her face when she sat down.
She thought about it for a second.
Was it such a bad thing if she had fallen for him?
Well?
"Hey, Lily?" Marcia said as she noticed Lily had paled considerably, "Just forget what I said…"
But she seemed to not take in this comment and got up to head for the door.
"Lily? Where are you going? It's freezing out there!"
This only made Lily grab her coat on the way out the door. As soon as she was halfway down the hallway, she realized it was hailing outside; from watching the little particles of ice whip into the window frame. She re-thought her plan and backtracked to seize an umbrella from the cloak closet in her apartment.
"Lily?" Marcia questioned quietly when she got up to walk out the front door.
"I've got to find James," she mumbled and shut the door quickly behind her friend.
------------
Lily never did find him…Which was a bit ironic when you thought about it… She had searched and raided Remus' place as well as Sirius' (and returned to him the Pensieve while Sirius stood there smirking at her), the Leaky Cauldron, Three Broomsticks, and lastly, Peter's flat, where James barely ever was anyway. Now that she gave it some thought, she couldn't remember if James had ever been there to begin with.
The only place she didn't go was to James' own home. Now that she thought about it, days later, it seemed the most logical place for him to be. She wasn't really sure why she never visited it… Perhaps, as Remus suggested to her later, she really didn't want to find him…
…At least not until she sorted out her own feelings.
But how could she do that unless she knew exactly what he felt for her?
URGH. It all sounded like something from a childish love at Hogwarts.
Except, it was without all the ridiculous drama and fights between friends.
But really… Was that all she felt for James? The encore of repressed feelings for him she hadn't let herself feel at Hogwarts? Nothing seemed to be making enough sense for Lily's liking. She liked things that were spelt out. That way, there was not room for error or confusion.
In Lily's opinion, confusion was the worst emotion you could feel.
This is because when you are confused, you have no idea what the hell you are feeling.
The only thing Lily knew at the moment was that she had to talk to James. He would be able to explain it… If he was willing to talk to her after the way she had treated him.
"Oh no," Lily groaned, not even realizing she was speaking out loud. "He's never going to talk to me again. I cannot believe I was so horrible towards him. I was worse than a screaming banshee…"
At this point, Marlene McKinnon walked through the door of Lily's temporary office (She was covering a shift for Gideon Prewett, who had some business to attend to with the Order) and stood patiently as she watched Lily talk.
"Leave it to you, Lily," she went on, chastising herself and not noticing Marlene's presence in her doorway. "Only you can drive away men faster than a Death Eater."
Marlene stood incredulously, her bright blue eyes staring intently at Lily and then decided to speak up.
"Er…Lily…Hello, but have you gone mad?"
"What?" Lily asked, blushing fast as she saw Marlene and stood up very quickly to acknowledge her company. "Sorry, personal problems."
"Yeah, I'll say," Marlene said with a small laugh and afterward took a step forward, starting to whisper, "Dumbledore wanted me to pass this on to you. It's from the Order."
"Oh," Lily mumbled, taking the package from her absentmindedly, "Thanks Marlene."
No problem, she was about to say when she tripped over a bit of the carpet on the way out. She caught herself quickly and flashed a faint smile at Lily, who was looking at her questioningly.
"You're okay then?"
"Yeah, of course," Marlene replied and turned a bit red, "I guess you aren't the only one with problems."
Lily dissolved into a little fit of giggles, until both girls were laughing out of sheer humiliation.
"You're alright, Evans." She said with a grateful smile and left the office.
And as soon as Marlene had left the room, Lily's faint smile disappeared. She began to search through more of Gideon's messy files and went on scolding herself; only this time, she made sure she did so silently.