Disclaimer- I disclaim it all, and then disclaim it again for good measure.
Authoress's Note- (grins evilly) Kind of left you with a cliffie there last chapter, didn't I? (innocent smile) Oh you all know you love me anyway! Right? RIGHT! (pouts) E.D.J.
Thank you! Reviews are great!
anniePADFOOT- Ah keeping me on my toes, aren't ya?I completely forgot about the no magic outside of schol bit. And I'm supposed to know canon very well. Whoops. Well, I'll just go with J.K.'s explanation on her site that Lily most likely tested the laws against underage wizardry like Harry and probably received a few letters about it, but nothing too serious. Perhaps in a future chapter, I'll adda bit about Lily receiving awarning letter.
ThelovelyladyLily- Oh yes, I've known since I started posting fanfiction that Sirius has GREY eyes. Pisses me off too when they get his eye color wrong. I'm glad you liked the throwing crumpets and psycho bits. I was just thinking, "Alright, they're having tea. Would the Marauders just really sit down and HAVE tea?" (laughs)
brooklyngirl- That's very cool about the author of Mary Poppins and the movie of it. I'llbe sure to DEMAND they let me approve everything before they turn anything of MINE into a movie. Yes, the Princess Diaries are awesome. I've been trying to find the next one because I believe a girl I know had it and was reading it, but when I checked online it said the book wasn't coming out till March. (scratches head) Either I was confused or she's got CONNECTIONS. Damn, wish I had connections. Love/hate relationships with extremely attractive boys do sound incredibly appealing. (drifts off into daydreams) Oops sorry. (grin) It's very interesting that you wish you were in Emmeline's position and had friends like Monica so you could dare your friends into acknowledging their love/hate relationships!
blondedork- I'm glad you loved the Truth or Dare bit. I was happy with it, but wasn't sure if anyone else would be. (breathes) Em, absolute genius? I would have to agree with you wholeheartedly on that one.
Tash- Ah evil is good. Evil is very good. (evil grin) That's alright if you can't review much. Two months of summer holidays? You must be south of the equator because it's horrible winter north of it! Ah liked the Ella Enchanted movie but haven't read the book? I'll just tell you, the book and movie have very little and common and frankly the books its boatloads better. You should read it! I'm glad you like Tamora Pierce though! She rocks my socks!
MagicFairyDuster- No, no Em/Sirius coming along even if they are similar. She's perfectly content and happy with ickle Remmy! (hugs ickle Remmy) I'm glad you liked how I fitted a bit of every relationship into the last chapter! Oh yes Lily would need lots of balls to marry James Potter! (laughs) I'm glad you thought Sirius was delish even when insane and slight scary!
berty- Lucky number one hundred indeed!(cheers) Yeah I apologize for taking this off of MuggleNet but it was difficult to update on two different sites and frankly I was getting a bit frustrated with having to wait for each chapter to be approved by them. I realize it's to keep some of the worse fics off, but it's frustrating.
Skippy- Ooh another one who thinks Em wasn't evil! Thanks! I was slightly afraid I was going to get some nasty review saying, "Oh how could Em do that to people who are supposed to be her friends! She's so mean etc... and so forth." I'm glad I didn't get any of those!
Akasha of Night- Evil am I? (grins evilly) Yes, I know I've very very evil. I'm glad you liked Truth or Dare as well!
MeadowRunner- Yes, read almost all of Tamora Pierce's books. I still have to get my hands on some copies of her Circle of Magic and Circle Opens books but I've read everything else I believe. I'm glad you liked all my views of character relationships! Glad someone agrees with me! Merlin, everyone's saying I'm evil! Ah, well I am evil, so it's all good! Ah, the 'don't Lily and James get together in seventh year?' question. Yes, they do. They won't be getting together in this fic! You'll see. I WILL be writing a sequel though and I'm contemplating extending it a bit to seventh year after the sixth year to seventh year summer, so again you'll see. Great question! Ideas? Fire away.I love ideas! Can't say for sure if I'll use them, but I'll be sure to contemplate them!
Nico- Ah right little ray of sunshine, aren't you? While I appreciate your honesty, I would like more constructive criticism in a review please. That was mostly just insults, which I'm not necessarily fine with, but I can tolerate them. In small doses. And the little 'fake-out' bit? Not entertaining at all. You could get a LOT of writers pissed at you that way.
Ch. 23- Emmeline Finally Snaps
They continued playing, but the game lacked much of the enthusiasm they'd had before Lily's dare. Everyone's minds were elsewhere. Lily was thinking about James and Andy, Hestia was worried about Lily, Monica was daydreaming about Sirius, and Emmeline was growing increasingly concerned with Lily and James and Monica and Sirius.
Finally, Emmeline had an idea right as it became her turn to ask a question. "Monica, truth or dare?" she said smoothly, praying Monica would choose the right one.
"Dare."
"Tell Sirius how you feel about him."
"WHAT?" shrieked Hestia, her hands flying to her mouth.
"Em, you can't do that to her," said Lily quietly. "It's really not fair."
Monica, however, was silent though she shook slightly.
"Mon," said Emmeline gently. "It's time. You knew you'd have to do this sometime."
"But why?" whispered Monica, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "Why does it have to be so hard?"
"It doesn't!" snapped Emmeline, failing to keep a hold on her temper. "You're the one who's making it so difficult with all your excuses! You fancy Sirius and he fancies you! It's that simple, Mon! I don't understand why you can't see that!"
Monica flinched at Emmeline's words but said nothing.
"Em," Hestia put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "you're being unreasonable-"
"Unreasonable?" spat Emmeline, jumping away from Hestia and rising to her feet. "Unreasonable? You don't think I deserve a little something? A break from all this plotting and drama? Time with my boyfriend maybe? I've done nothing but spend nearly my entire summer holiday trying to get Monica and Sirius to admit their feelings for each other! I've schemed with the Marauders! I've tried to help Sirius change a bit so he would fit the little 'ideal boyfriend' picture Mon's so obsessive over! I've tried to nudge Mon in the right direction! I've done it all! But no, they're both still too stubborn and afraid to do anything! You know what?"
She whirled on Monica, her face contorted in untold fury.
"I'm through! I'm finished! You're on your own, Mon! I have no cards whatsoever left to play in this endless game! I'm tired of it! I'm done with all this 'nudging you in the right direction' rubbish! Here's a good hard shove, Monica Almira Longbottom! You tell that damn boy how you feel about him and forget about all the baggage and history that may come with him! It shouldn't matter if Sirius shagged 'Miss so and so' last October! What matters is that he fancies and cares about you now! And if that wasn't true, I don't think he'd be spending all his fucking time trying to make you see that! Because, quite frankly, Mon, Sirius Black can get any girl he damn pleases, and he wouldn't be trying this hard if he didn't think it'd all be worth it in the end!"
Emmeline exhaled, glared at her three friends for a moment, and then stormed down the stairs.
Lily, Hestia, and Monica all stared at each other, rather horrified by all the shouting and profanity that had just spilled out of their usually cool-headed friend.
Finally, Hestia broke the silence. "Monica, you really don't have any idea of all the time she's invested in you. She told me about it this afternoon. Em has every right to be wound-up after all the stuff she's done for you."
Monica nodded and tried to say something, but her voice caught in her throat.
Lily was still as ashen-faced and confused about James and Andy as ever. "Well, I think I'm off to bed," she said faintly.
With that, she disappeared into her bedroom.
"Mon, are you going to be alright?" asked Hestia, her voice full of concern as she brushed a strand of wavy blonde hair from Monica's green eyes.
Monica sighed and hugged her knees to her chest. "Eventually, Hestia," she murmured. "Now, tell all this stuff Em's been doing for me…"
Emmeline stormed across the sand toward the Potters', her face hot as tears of rage and frustration spilled down her face.
Monica was right. Why did it have to be so hard? Why hadn't all her efforts done more? Was it possible that everything was beyond her help now? Did she have to leave it all up to fate?
Emmeline grimaced. She didn't like that idea of relinquishing control. She sighed and banged her head against the Potters' door as a way of knocking.
The door quickly opened as James had moved his little 'mooning over Lily' party into the front hall.
"Em?" James asked. "Are you alright?"
Emmeline let out a loud sob and threw her arms around him, burying her head in his shoulder.
James stumbled backward, quite bewildered. Had he unknowingly used some of Sirius's cologne or something and now every girl in existence was throwing themselves at him?
"Em?" he said gently, looking down at the top of her light brown hair. "Should we go inside to Remus?"
She let out another sob, which James took to mean as a yes, and he half-dragged Emmeline inside since she still refused to let go of him.
By the time he got up the stairs, James was very frustrated and called out, "Moony, if you don't come get your girlfriend off me, I'll hex her!"
Remus's head appeared in the doorway of the sitting room. "What are you…" He trailed off as he caught sight of Emmeline.
He then crossed the hall in three long strides.
"Em?" Remus asked tentatively, touching her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Emmeline began crying again and latched herself onto Remus.
"What did you do, Prongs?" asked Remus, narrowing his eyes at his friend.
"Nothing!" protested James, throwing up his hands. "She showed up like this!"
Remus sighed and turned his attentions back to Emmeline. "Em, we'll go sit down and you can tell us what's wrong, alright?"
Emmeline nodded wordlessly, and Remus slowly maneuvered her into an armchair in the sitting room, talking soothingly to her the whole time.
Emmeline's sobs slowly quieted, she wiped at her eyes. Peter, who had been in the sitting room playing chess with Remus, handed her a handkerchief, which she took gratefully.
"I can't do this anymore!" Emmeline said, her voice wavering. "Nothing's working!"
"Can't do what?" asked James.
"All this plotting over Monica and Sirius!" she murmured, biting her lip to keep back another wave of tears.
"Go get Padfoot," James ordered Peter and Peter hurried downstairs to the kitchen where Sirius had reportedly been seen last.
"I've just ruined everything!" wailed Emmeline. She blew her nose loudly. "Nothing's different! Lily and James are still at odds and Monica and Sirius are no closer to getting together than Hestia and James are!"
"Hey!" shouted James, covering his ears. "Don't say things like that about me and girls I've known forever! It's wrong!"
"Em, don't be so hard on yourself," said Remus, stroking the back of her hand. "Monica and Sirius are both single now because of you. You can't try to control ever little part of this; some things are out of your hands."
Emmeline sniffled. "I know, but what am I supposed to do? Leave it all up to fate?"
She wrinkled up her nose in disgust.
Remus laughed and kissed her tear-streaked cheek. "Well, maybe not fate, just Monica and Sirius."
Just then, the door was flung open and Peter appeared, white-faced.
"Padfoot's gone."
Meanwhile at the Jones's residence…
Monica gaped as Hestia finished telling her about all the plotting Emmeline and the Marauders had done.
"She actually consented to be an honorary Marauder?" Monica squeaked, staring at Hestia, wide-eyed. "Didn't she realize what sort of things that title implies?"
Hestia grinned slightly. "I'm not sure she had much choice in the matter." She squinted at Monica. "Are you angry with Em now?"
Monica sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "No, I suppose she was only doing what she thought was best for the situation. Unfortunately, what Emmeline Vance thinks is best isn't always particularly effective."
"Is this one of those times?" asked Hestia cautiously.
Monica hesitated for a moment, and then her face broke out into her first real smile in a long time.
"No. Emmeline's tactics were wonderfully effective, and I'll kill her for it." Monica smirked slightly. "Would you excuse me, Hestia? I think I fancy a walk."
Everyone stared at Peter, dumbfounded.
"What do you mean Padfoot's gone?" squawked James, his voice cracking slightly.
"Exactly what I meant, Prongs. He's not in the kitchen."
"Did you check everywhere else?"
"Yes."
"The sitting room?"
"Yes, he's not there."
"The greenhouse?"
"Not there."
"The library?"
Peter snorted loudly. "Nope, not a dickybird."
"The-"
Peter stomped his foot impatiently. "Prongs, this could go on for a while. I checked everywhere, and then when I got back to the kitchen, I found this."
He held up a scrap of parchment, and everyone leaned over so they could read:
Marauders, Em, anyone else who happens to find this,
Gone out to clear my head. Don't wait up.
Padfoot
"Well, that doesn't tell us anything!" snapped James, exasperated.
"Of course it does, Prongs," said Remus with a sigh. "He's obviously not anywhere around the house."
"But what if he's-"
"Prongs," said Remus firmly, "Padfoot's perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He wouldn't want us worry."
"Fine, fine," said James flatly. "What do we do now? Just wait?"
"I suppose if-" began Emmeline, but just then, the doorbell rang, echoing throughout the house.
"I'll get it," offered Peter, and with that, he disappeared down the stairs.
Emmeline, James, and Remus sat around, moodily contemplating what else they could do.
"It's really out of our hands, isn't it?" said Remus a few minutes later. "I mean, it's up to them now."
They all sighed.
"I hate that," mumbled Emmeline. "I really hate that."
James and Remus murmured in agreement.
"Horrible feeling, uncertainty," grumbled James, running a hand through his hair nervously. "Locking them up together somewhere would have been so much easier. But no, no one every listens to my ideas!"
Emmeline and Remus laughed.
"James, that's because your ideas are almost always as bad as Sirius's," said Emmeline with a smirk. "Remus and I are the brains of this outfit."
"I don't feel the need to acknowledge your existence any longer, Emmeline," said James snidely, promptly turning his back on her and attempting to have a conversation with Remus over his shoulder. "So, Moony, how've you been?"
"Same old, same old," said Remus, slinging an arm around Emmeline's shoulders. "Plotting, being amazed at how much food Sirius can inhale in one sitting, snogging my girlfriend-"
"Remus!" shrieked Emmeline, hitting him upside the head with a pillow and scooting a good foot away from him.
"What it's true!" said Remus defensively.
"But, well, you didn't have to be so… blunt about it," she murmured, her cheeks quite red now.
James, seeming to forget that he was no longer acknowledging her existence, spun around to smirk at Emmeline.
"Aww, Em's blushing!" he said mockingly, holding a hand to his heart.
"Am not," growled Emmeline, burying her face in Remus's shoulder.
Just then, the door was flung open for the second time that night.
"Will you stop that?" hissed James, spinning around after nearly jumping out of his skin.
He was surprised to see not Peter, but a breathless Hestia standing in the doorway. Peter appeared a few moments later, panting heavily after the dash up the stairs.
"Em! Em!" shrieked Hestia, stumbling over to her friend, a faint gleam to her eyes.
"What?" asked Emmeline, removing her face from Remus's shoulder.
"Monica's gone!"
"What now we've lost her as well?" moaned James, beating a pillow with a fist.
"No, she said she 'fancied a walk'," said Hestia secretively, a smirk appearing on her face.
"No," breathed Emmeline, her eyes widening with triumph. "She didn't."
"She did."
"That's funny Sirius is out somewhere too," said James offhandedly.
"What?" screeched Hestia. She whirled on Emmeline. "So, that means they might-"
"Yes."
"And neither of them have any idea that-"
"Nope."
"And if she's actually going to do what I think she's going to do then this might be-"
"It," finished Emmeline.
"Did I miss something here?" snapped James, turning his head from Hestia to Emmeline. "Blokes don't understand girl!"
Hestia mouthed 'obviously' and Emmeline used every last ounce of her patience to say slowly, "Monica and Sirius are both out. They might run into each other. And we think she's going to tell him that she fancies him, so this might be-"
"It!" yelled James, pumping his fist in the air. "Padfoot, you're in for a rather pleasant surprise!"
I actually managed to delay 'it' another chapter, didn't I? (innocent smile) Oh, well you know I just couldn't resist... Review? E.D.J.