A/N: There are issues going on with me that I can't discuss here. It's
making me feel all dark and twisted, and unlike myself. And my feelings
usually come across in my writing. I'm trying to get back to myself cuz I
feel like I'm in someone else's body, or something. I dunno. Just . . . if
this chapter is . . . different from the way I usually write, I'll change
it. Let me know, okay?
anniePADFOOT: (whew) GOOD! I feel exactly the same way! I hate when James is fake like that, too. I assure you, this fic is going to be DIFFERENT.
MadisonStarr: lol, your review made me laugh! I'm glad you like it so much! And yeah, poor James because this time, Lily screwed things up, so it's all her fault . . . And you say you want James to cry? Well, if he has a reason to cry, I'll make him cry, but I won't make him do it for no reason . . . Thanks for the review!
crazy4padfoot: Stupid Lily indeed. And it really was low, wasn't it? lol. I feel sorry for James, myself. (sigh) Things will get better for him, tho, don't you worry. And I hope you like this chapter. It had Sirius in it!
Kerichi: Jim? Who's Jim? I'm confused now. Okay . . . anyway no, Snape does not kick her when she's down . . . That's so cliché! Argh! You've made me mad, now . . . lol – just kidding. Things will get better soon, I promise!
walkingcensure: Oooh! James and Sirius fighting? Hmm, let me write that down . . . Nah, it wasn't Snape in the woods . . . Do you really think he'd get up in the mid of the night and ruin his beauty sleep to take pictures of Potter? Heehee, glad you liked it!
Spikora: Yeah, but who really thinks clearly when their crush is mad and yelling at them? And that line was pretty harsh, wasn't it? Heehee. Go me! (lol – just kidding) Thanks for reviewing!
Marauder4eva: They DID sound pretty bad, but then again, James DID tell her not to pay attention to them, soooo . . . Yeah. Thanks for reviewing! Here's more!
gab3: Ah, it was great! I loved every drop of it . . . lol – we have none left now. I just went through a mild hot-chocolate-drinking-every-night phase. Happy you liked that last chapter! This one's kinda short, but I hope you like it, too!
sunni07: Of course I do. I get evil sadistic pleasure out of torturing everyone. Haven't you guessed by now? Lol – haha, yeah, right. I'm the sweetest person you'll ever meet. Seriously. Heehee. Actually, it's hot here, too, being summertime and all, but it's freezing inside b/c of the air conditioning . . . I'm babbling now. Thanks for reviewing!
gatoriris: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
mione-xavier: Yep, she was the "bad one" this time around. And, no . . .she didn't say that, did she? Hmm. Well, here's more for you!
Mary-Jane Black: HEY! THANKS FOR IM-ING ME! It was cool chattin with you! Heehee. Thanks a lot for reviewing every chapter, too! (You DID review every chapter, right?)
mrs.radcliffe: Thanks a bunch! (blushes) I try, so I'm glad to see that it's working! And they definitely WILL get together eventually. This IS a Lily-James fic. Heehee.
Angel Black1: Wha? Snape? Nooo! It wasn't! That's not really an important part of the plot . . . And "mean old James"? You feel sorry for LILY? Really? I'm surprised. I thought everyone would feel sorry for James, like I do. Hm, that's interesting. Well . . .Thanks for reviewing! Now, you've given me stuff to think about . . .
gryffspopgurl: Ouch! That whole burning thing sounds painful . . . lol – Glad you like it, tho!
Revi: I made the ride unique? Meaning it's been done before? Wahhh! I wanted to be the first one! Heehee, I'm such a baby. Thanks a lot, tho! Yeah, that end bit was pretty sad, wasn't it . . . Originally, I had no idea if I wanted them to be caught, or not . . . But glad to see that it turned out okay.
CanadianBlueberries: Yes, James did take that pretty well, but I don't think he'd be the type of person to just fall apart, either, so . . . yeah. And yes, Lily is being an idiot. A big idiot. Don't worry, love stories always have happy endings! (Well, except mine . . . but ignore that fact) Thanks for reading!
Nikki: Heehee, thanks! Glad you liked it!
Jessica: Are you that same Jessica who sent me that SUPER NICE REVIEW about all of my work so far? If so, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! I actually cried when reading that review. I am super sensitive, so that really affected me in a very good way. Saying thank you doesn't seem like enough somehow, so BIG HUG. Lol – then again, if you're not that same Jessica, ignore that, and thanks for reviewing either way! (Yes, anything chocolate hits the spot)
Tim Knispel: Hey, thanks for reviewing again! And yeah, your last name is pretty cool. When you explained how to pronounce it, I was actually sitting in front of my computer saying it out loud. (My sis thinks I'm insane, but hey what can you do?) And I like those chapter titles . . .
MWPP Fanatic: Thank you! I agree with you! Sappiness is okay sometimes, but I'll take realistic any day! Realistic all the way! Woo hoo! I'll try to make this as REAL as possible! Thanks again!
vietboibballer89: HEY! Thanks! Heehee, I'm glad you like it! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but here's another chapter for you!
Lyss: Awww, I didn't mean to depress you. I feel all upset now. Thanks for reading, though! It'll get happier soon!
rachel: Glad you think so! Here's more!
hockeygirl27: There is no way I WOULDN'T continue this story. Even if I died. This would remain my unfinished business or something. Heehee. Here's another chapter for you! Thanks for reviewing!
Animalluvr75: Yep, James is mad at Lily this time! And for some reason, I like it much better this way. Sorry I didn't update soon enough . . . But here's some more! Thanks!
Erkith: HOT CHOCOLATE ALL THE WAY! MWAHAHAHAHA! (realizes everyone is staring) Um . . . Right. It was good, tho. Thanks a lot. (blushes in embarrassment)
DreamWarrior: Drama! Drama! Drama! I live for it. Heehee. I'm glad you like it! And I'm also glad you're checkin out my faves list . . . I have authors I love, too! Yeah, "Lust or Love" is amazing!
Nathalie17: Thanks! They'll make up soon enough! Don't worry.
jess131346: Haha, yes, stupid Lily and stupid "Jamesie-poo." And, yep, I remembered the numbers! I remembered! Thanks for reviewing!
RnB Diva Girl: They SHOULD get together, but you know, if it's too soon, it'll ruin the story and the plot, too . . . Thanks for your review!
buckbeak777: Wow. My words had that much of an effect on you? (grins) Well, thanks! Lily's only human, tho. We all act like cows sometimes . . . And I'm happy you're in love with Sirius! I love writing him! James and the rest of them, too!
Quiteona: I'm trying not to wait too long between posts, but it's REALLY hard, sometimes . . . I'm glad you like it! Hope you enjoy this chapter, too, even tho it's kinda short . . .
I'M IN SHOCK . . . OVER THIRTY PEOPLE REVIEWED THAT LAST CHAPTER . . . WOW, GUYS. JUST . . . WOW. THANK YOU! THANK YOU ALL!
---
Disclaimer: I don't own anything . . . or anyone. (sigh)
Chapter Twelve – Alakazam
Lily was tense, extremely tense. What if that third year Gryffindor that she had hired to catch James last night caught BOTH of them instead? What if that kid had pictures of something other than James transforming?
She felt horrible. Here she was, acting more worried about being caught kissing James in the forbidden forest, than about him getting caught and possibly expelled. She was a terrible person. And she deserved to burn.
Lily was up extra early to make sure she didn't run into him, for fear of awkwardness. Actually, she was more afraid about what he would say to her, or . . . what he WOULDN'T say to her. She showered, quickly, and performed a quick drying spell on her body and her hair.
"Great," she groaned, softly, taking in her reflection. Her hair was tangled now. And Kat was about to wake up . . .
Not bothering to brush it, she pulled it into a quick ponytail, and tried to smooth it out. She pulled on her uniform, knowing she probably looked messy, unkempt, and not at all like her usual neat, composed, serene self.
'Oh well,' she thought, taking one last glance in the mirror. 'For today, it will have to do.'
She took the stairs down to the common room two at a time, and smiled grimly to herself. There was no one in there. Good. Now, all she had to do was get to breakfast without being seen –
Lily brought her hand up to stifle a yawn, and suddenly froze. Her mouth dropped open. All along the Gryffindor notice board, pinned up and overlapping each other, were pictures! Magical moving pictures of Lily . . . crying and being KISSED! By James Potter!
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. "Okay, Lily. Just . . . take the pictures down . . . They were obviously put up this morning, or sometime late after we got back . . . Just take them down, and no one will have to see them. Ever."
Making up her mind, she determinedly moved across the room, and started to pull the first picture from the wall, her hands shaking as she did so. James . . . He looked absolutely gorgeous in these shots. Every detail was perfect . . . as if the moment really was happening all over again.
"No, Lily!" she whispered, shutting her eyes against the picture. "Stop fantasizing, girl. It's just a picture. It's not real."
She opened her eyes and looked down at the photo in her hand. 'As least,' she added, silently, 'not real anymore.'
Footsteps suddenly sounded on the stairs. Lily gasped. They were leading down from the boys' dormitories! What if it was . . .? Frantically, she rushed to rip all of the pictures down.
"Lily?" a surprised-sounding voice said. "What are you doing?"
Lily turned around, feeling as guilty as ever. Oh, no. She was doomed. It was Remus. He was going to tell James, she was sure of it. And he was going to be mad at her all over again. He was going to yell or her . . . or worse, not yell at her, and just look at her. He was going to just look at her with those angry, sad eyes, and he was going to call her Evans. And he was going to hate her all over again. . .
Without warning, Lily suddenly dropped the pictures, and sank down to floor, bringing her hands up to hide her face. She was unable to hold the tears back, she knew, and as predicted, they fell through the cracks between her fingers.
"Lily?" Remus said, his voice softer now. "Lily, what's wrong?"
She stared at him through tear-filled eyes. "I-I didn't m-mean for this to happen! I really didn't, Remus! I just . . . I was angry, so, so angry . . . Remus, p-p-please . . . don't tell J-James . . ."
Remus picked up the pictures, confusion written all over his face. The puzzlement quickly turned to surprise, and he looked up at Lily, his eyes wide. She just shook her head. "Oh, Lily," he sighed, and to her astonishment, he came over and wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed her back, gently. "It'll be alright."
"B-But he'll f-find out," she mumbled. "He's already mad at m-me . . ."
Remus took a deep breath. "Oh, that explains it . . ." he said.
"Explains it? Explains what?" Now it was Lily's turn to be confused. She stepped backwards out of his embrace.
Remus looked pained. "Well, he was really upset last night, that's all . . ."
"Oh," she said in a small voice. She looked back up at him. "Can you help me get rid of them?"
He hesitated, and Lily felt the tears start to well up again. If James ever found out . . .
"Sure," he said, taking a breath. "But, if anyone asks . . ."
"Right, you had nothing to do with it," she finished his sentence. He nodded, and she could understand. He didn't want to get in the middle of an argument between his best friend and . . . what? A potential girlfriend? Lily shook her head mentally, and put the thought out of her mind. It would never happen, so why waste time thinking about it?
Sighing, she and Remus began to banish the photos towards the fireplace, one-by-one.
---
"You sure you don't want to keep one?" Remus teased, as he levitated the last photo mischievously over the fireplace.
Lily shook her head, quickly. Even if the pictures had indeed turned out better than she would have imagined . . . it was a bad idea. If they were to fall into anyone else's hands except her own . . . She shuddered. Embarrassment galore.
Remus watched her, an amused expression on his face. But then his amusement turned to curiosity as he watched the expressions change on her face. Was it possible . . . that she really LIKED James? She acted as if she didn't, but the look on her face was a whole different story.
Remus smiled. Maybe . . . Ol' Prongsie had finally met his match.
---
James watched her out of the corner of his eye as she proceeded to eat and read a book at the same time. He snorted. She was SUCH a goody-goody that it made him sick. It made him sick to even look at her. In fact, every time he thought of her betrayal to their "friendship" two weeks ago now, it made him sick.
He felt disgusted whenever he remembered how she had the nerve to cry. He felt nauseous whenever he remembered the feeling of her perfect body on his back . . . riding him . . . literally riding him. He swallowed hard.
And the way her lips felt against his . . . so perfect, so . . . bloody right! He took a deep breath, tearing his gaze away from her. Stupid Evans. She had to go and ruin it. Just when he was starting to fall –
"James, are you okay?" Peter squeaked from across the table.
James was brought back to earth with a jolt. "I'm fine," he said, managing a smile. "Just fine." He allowed himself a quick glance in her direction, satisfied that his friends (and especially Sirius) hadn't seen him looking.
Unbeknownst to him, however, Remus had been giving him curious glances the whole time.
---
"He's starting to bug me!" Sirius whined a few days later. "He's so damn moody all the time! Why doesn't Evans just apologize or something?"
James was at Quidditch practice, and Peter was there, too, most likely cheering him on and wetting himself in the process.
"She probably tried," Remus answered. "But I'm guessing Prongs didn't want to hear it. You know how he gets."
"Yeah, I know," Sirius sighed. His eyes suddenly lit up in that all too familiar I-have-an-idea-but-it's-probably-going-to-land-us-in-lots-of- trouble way.
"What?" Remus asked, wearily.
"Why don't we apologize for her?" Sirius asked. "We can write . . . uhh, like a love letter or something!"
Remus raised his eyebrows. "I really don't think a simple love letter is going to work in this case, Padfoot," he said, gently.
Sirius grinned. "I know! That's why we use firecrackers!"
"What?" Remus asked in disbelief. "What are you talking about!?"
"Firecrackers, Remus," Sirius said, shaking his head. "You know, those sparkly things that blow up in the sky? The ones with the pretty lights that I love ever so much?"
"I KNOW what Firecrackers are, Sirius," Remus said, starting to get annoyed. "What I don't know is what you plan to do with them."
"Okay, well, what I was thinking was we could rig them to go off in the Great Hall – "
"No," Remus interrupted.
"Why 'no'?" Sirius said, pouting. "You didn't even hear my idea, yet!"
Remus shook his head. "Firecrackers and the Great Hall are NOT a good match for each other, Padfoot! Or have you forgotten what happened three weeks ago when you decided dinner needed a bit of 'livening up'?"
Sirius grinned sheepishly. "Well, it was livened up, wasn't it?"
Remus rolled his eyes. "No fireworks in the Great Hall," he said, firmly.
"Fine, fine," Sirius said, hastily. "How about outside, then? We can rig them to say 'I'm sorry, James, from Lily,' in really big bright letters."
Remus stared at him. "Do you have any idea how many things are wrong with that idea?"
Sirius sighed. "No. But I'm sure you will enlighten me, oh righteous one."
"First, Lily would NEVER do a thing like that, and James would immediately know that it was YOU behind it. And you know how mad he would get. Second, I don't think either of them can take any more embarrassment after those pictures . . ." Remus winced.
He and Lily had gotten all of the pictures and destroyed them, but they had completely forgotten about the negatives, and by that afternoon, Gryffindor Tower was greeted with even bigger photos of James and Lily kissing than before. And the word had spread through the school like wildfire. All through dinner, gossipers had run up to Lily and James (and all of their friends) demanding to know what was REALLY going on.
Lily had fled the Great Hall, red-faced, and James had stayed there for fear of running into her if he left. Anyone who came up to him was immediately a contender for the Hospital Wing, and he received detention for his "bad temper." McGonagall was especially upset because he was Head Boy and "he should have known better."
Sirius shuddered. "Never mind the fireworks, then," he said, slumping into one of the library chairs around Remus's table.
Remus took in his troubled face, and sighed, knowing he was going to regret this. "How about something more subtle, Padfoot, than a love letter?"
Sirius sat up eagerly, anticipating Remus's idea, as Remus knew he would. "What did you have in mind?"
---
A/N:That was WAY too short, even for me! But I promise, before Sunday, I'll have another chapter up, so there ya go! I just got this fabulous new idea, and I've been down in the dumps for a few days, so this new idea is like a breath of fresh air . . . I'll get started on it as soon as I can.
Just review, please? Thank you all so much!
Ariana S.
anniePADFOOT: (whew) GOOD! I feel exactly the same way! I hate when James is fake like that, too. I assure you, this fic is going to be DIFFERENT.
MadisonStarr: lol, your review made me laugh! I'm glad you like it so much! And yeah, poor James because this time, Lily screwed things up, so it's all her fault . . . And you say you want James to cry? Well, if he has a reason to cry, I'll make him cry, but I won't make him do it for no reason . . . Thanks for the review!
crazy4padfoot: Stupid Lily indeed. And it really was low, wasn't it? lol. I feel sorry for James, myself. (sigh) Things will get better for him, tho, don't you worry. And I hope you like this chapter. It had Sirius in it!
Kerichi: Jim? Who's Jim? I'm confused now. Okay . . . anyway no, Snape does not kick her when she's down . . . That's so cliché! Argh! You've made me mad, now . . . lol – just kidding. Things will get better soon, I promise!
walkingcensure: Oooh! James and Sirius fighting? Hmm, let me write that down . . . Nah, it wasn't Snape in the woods . . . Do you really think he'd get up in the mid of the night and ruin his beauty sleep to take pictures of Potter? Heehee, glad you liked it!
Spikora: Yeah, but who really thinks clearly when their crush is mad and yelling at them? And that line was pretty harsh, wasn't it? Heehee. Go me! (lol – just kidding) Thanks for reviewing!
Marauder4eva: They DID sound pretty bad, but then again, James DID tell her not to pay attention to them, soooo . . . Yeah. Thanks for reviewing! Here's more!
gab3: Ah, it was great! I loved every drop of it . . . lol – we have none left now. I just went through a mild hot-chocolate-drinking-every-night phase. Happy you liked that last chapter! This one's kinda short, but I hope you like it, too!
sunni07: Of course I do. I get evil sadistic pleasure out of torturing everyone. Haven't you guessed by now? Lol – haha, yeah, right. I'm the sweetest person you'll ever meet. Seriously. Heehee. Actually, it's hot here, too, being summertime and all, but it's freezing inside b/c of the air conditioning . . . I'm babbling now. Thanks for reviewing!
gatoriris: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
mione-xavier: Yep, she was the "bad one" this time around. And, no . . .she didn't say that, did she? Hmm. Well, here's more for you!
Mary-Jane Black: HEY! THANKS FOR IM-ING ME! It was cool chattin with you! Heehee. Thanks a lot for reviewing every chapter, too! (You DID review every chapter, right?)
mrs.radcliffe: Thanks a bunch! (blushes) I try, so I'm glad to see that it's working! And they definitely WILL get together eventually. This IS a Lily-James fic. Heehee.
Angel Black1: Wha? Snape? Nooo! It wasn't! That's not really an important part of the plot . . . And "mean old James"? You feel sorry for LILY? Really? I'm surprised. I thought everyone would feel sorry for James, like I do. Hm, that's interesting. Well . . .Thanks for reviewing! Now, you've given me stuff to think about . . .
gryffspopgurl: Ouch! That whole burning thing sounds painful . . . lol – Glad you like it, tho!
Revi: I made the ride unique? Meaning it's been done before? Wahhh! I wanted to be the first one! Heehee, I'm such a baby. Thanks a lot, tho! Yeah, that end bit was pretty sad, wasn't it . . . Originally, I had no idea if I wanted them to be caught, or not . . . But glad to see that it turned out okay.
CanadianBlueberries: Yes, James did take that pretty well, but I don't think he'd be the type of person to just fall apart, either, so . . . yeah. And yes, Lily is being an idiot. A big idiot. Don't worry, love stories always have happy endings! (Well, except mine . . . but ignore that fact) Thanks for reading!
Nikki: Heehee, thanks! Glad you liked it!
Jessica: Are you that same Jessica who sent me that SUPER NICE REVIEW about all of my work so far? If so, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! I actually cried when reading that review. I am super sensitive, so that really affected me in a very good way. Saying thank you doesn't seem like enough somehow, so BIG HUG. Lol – then again, if you're not that same Jessica, ignore that, and thanks for reviewing either way! (Yes, anything chocolate hits the spot)
Tim Knispel: Hey, thanks for reviewing again! And yeah, your last name is pretty cool. When you explained how to pronounce it, I was actually sitting in front of my computer saying it out loud. (My sis thinks I'm insane, but hey what can you do?) And I like those chapter titles . . .
MWPP Fanatic: Thank you! I agree with you! Sappiness is okay sometimes, but I'll take realistic any day! Realistic all the way! Woo hoo! I'll try to make this as REAL as possible! Thanks again!
vietboibballer89: HEY! Thanks! Heehee, I'm glad you like it! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but here's another chapter for you!
Lyss: Awww, I didn't mean to depress you. I feel all upset now. Thanks for reading, though! It'll get happier soon!
rachel: Glad you think so! Here's more!
hockeygirl27: There is no way I WOULDN'T continue this story. Even if I died. This would remain my unfinished business or something. Heehee. Here's another chapter for you! Thanks for reviewing!
Animalluvr75: Yep, James is mad at Lily this time! And for some reason, I like it much better this way. Sorry I didn't update soon enough . . . But here's some more! Thanks!
Erkith: HOT CHOCOLATE ALL THE WAY! MWAHAHAHAHA! (realizes everyone is staring) Um . . . Right. It was good, tho. Thanks a lot. (blushes in embarrassment)
DreamWarrior: Drama! Drama! Drama! I live for it. Heehee. I'm glad you like it! And I'm also glad you're checkin out my faves list . . . I have authors I love, too! Yeah, "Lust or Love" is amazing!
Nathalie17: Thanks! They'll make up soon enough! Don't worry.
jess131346: Haha, yes, stupid Lily and stupid "Jamesie-poo." And, yep, I remembered the numbers! I remembered! Thanks for reviewing!
RnB Diva Girl: They SHOULD get together, but you know, if it's too soon, it'll ruin the story and the plot, too . . . Thanks for your review!
buckbeak777: Wow. My words had that much of an effect on you? (grins) Well, thanks! Lily's only human, tho. We all act like cows sometimes . . . And I'm happy you're in love with Sirius! I love writing him! James and the rest of them, too!
Quiteona: I'm trying not to wait too long between posts, but it's REALLY hard, sometimes . . . I'm glad you like it! Hope you enjoy this chapter, too, even tho it's kinda short . . .
I'M IN SHOCK . . . OVER THIRTY PEOPLE REVIEWED THAT LAST CHAPTER . . . WOW, GUYS. JUST . . . WOW. THANK YOU! THANK YOU ALL!
---
Disclaimer: I don't own anything . . . or anyone. (sigh)
Chapter Twelve – Alakazam
Lily was tense, extremely tense. What if that third year Gryffindor that she had hired to catch James last night caught BOTH of them instead? What if that kid had pictures of something other than James transforming?
She felt horrible. Here she was, acting more worried about being caught kissing James in the forbidden forest, than about him getting caught and possibly expelled. She was a terrible person. And she deserved to burn.
Lily was up extra early to make sure she didn't run into him, for fear of awkwardness. Actually, she was more afraid about what he would say to her, or . . . what he WOULDN'T say to her. She showered, quickly, and performed a quick drying spell on her body and her hair.
"Great," she groaned, softly, taking in her reflection. Her hair was tangled now. And Kat was about to wake up . . .
Not bothering to brush it, she pulled it into a quick ponytail, and tried to smooth it out. She pulled on her uniform, knowing she probably looked messy, unkempt, and not at all like her usual neat, composed, serene self.
'Oh well,' she thought, taking one last glance in the mirror. 'For today, it will have to do.'
She took the stairs down to the common room two at a time, and smiled grimly to herself. There was no one in there. Good. Now, all she had to do was get to breakfast without being seen –
Lily brought her hand up to stifle a yawn, and suddenly froze. Her mouth dropped open. All along the Gryffindor notice board, pinned up and overlapping each other, were pictures! Magical moving pictures of Lily . . . crying and being KISSED! By James Potter!
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. "Okay, Lily. Just . . . take the pictures down . . . They were obviously put up this morning, or sometime late after we got back . . . Just take them down, and no one will have to see them. Ever."
Making up her mind, she determinedly moved across the room, and started to pull the first picture from the wall, her hands shaking as she did so. James . . . He looked absolutely gorgeous in these shots. Every detail was perfect . . . as if the moment really was happening all over again.
"No, Lily!" she whispered, shutting her eyes against the picture. "Stop fantasizing, girl. It's just a picture. It's not real."
She opened her eyes and looked down at the photo in her hand. 'As least,' she added, silently, 'not real anymore.'
Footsteps suddenly sounded on the stairs. Lily gasped. They were leading down from the boys' dormitories! What if it was . . .? Frantically, she rushed to rip all of the pictures down.
"Lily?" a surprised-sounding voice said. "What are you doing?"
Lily turned around, feeling as guilty as ever. Oh, no. She was doomed. It was Remus. He was going to tell James, she was sure of it. And he was going to be mad at her all over again. He was going to yell or her . . . or worse, not yell at her, and just look at her. He was going to just look at her with those angry, sad eyes, and he was going to call her Evans. And he was going to hate her all over again. . .
Without warning, Lily suddenly dropped the pictures, and sank down to floor, bringing her hands up to hide her face. She was unable to hold the tears back, she knew, and as predicted, they fell through the cracks between her fingers.
"Lily?" Remus said, his voice softer now. "Lily, what's wrong?"
She stared at him through tear-filled eyes. "I-I didn't m-mean for this to happen! I really didn't, Remus! I just . . . I was angry, so, so angry . . . Remus, p-p-please . . . don't tell J-James . . ."
Remus picked up the pictures, confusion written all over his face. The puzzlement quickly turned to surprise, and he looked up at Lily, his eyes wide. She just shook her head. "Oh, Lily," he sighed, and to her astonishment, he came over and wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed her back, gently. "It'll be alright."
"B-But he'll f-find out," she mumbled. "He's already mad at m-me . . ."
Remus took a deep breath. "Oh, that explains it . . ." he said.
"Explains it? Explains what?" Now it was Lily's turn to be confused. She stepped backwards out of his embrace.
Remus looked pained. "Well, he was really upset last night, that's all . . ."
"Oh," she said in a small voice. She looked back up at him. "Can you help me get rid of them?"
He hesitated, and Lily felt the tears start to well up again. If James ever found out . . .
"Sure," he said, taking a breath. "But, if anyone asks . . ."
"Right, you had nothing to do with it," she finished his sentence. He nodded, and she could understand. He didn't want to get in the middle of an argument between his best friend and . . . what? A potential girlfriend? Lily shook her head mentally, and put the thought out of her mind. It would never happen, so why waste time thinking about it?
Sighing, she and Remus began to banish the photos towards the fireplace, one-by-one.
---
"You sure you don't want to keep one?" Remus teased, as he levitated the last photo mischievously over the fireplace.
Lily shook her head, quickly. Even if the pictures had indeed turned out better than she would have imagined . . . it was a bad idea. If they were to fall into anyone else's hands except her own . . . She shuddered. Embarrassment galore.
Remus watched her, an amused expression on his face. But then his amusement turned to curiosity as he watched the expressions change on her face. Was it possible . . . that she really LIKED James? She acted as if she didn't, but the look on her face was a whole different story.
Remus smiled. Maybe . . . Ol' Prongsie had finally met his match.
---
James watched her out of the corner of his eye as she proceeded to eat and read a book at the same time. He snorted. She was SUCH a goody-goody that it made him sick. It made him sick to even look at her. In fact, every time he thought of her betrayal to their "friendship" two weeks ago now, it made him sick.
He felt disgusted whenever he remembered how she had the nerve to cry. He felt nauseous whenever he remembered the feeling of her perfect body on his back . . . riding him . . . literally riding him. He swallowed hard.
And the way her lips felt against his . . . so perfect, so . . . bloody right! He took a deep breath, tearing his gaze away from her. Stupid Evans. She had to go and ruin it. Just when he was starting to fall –
"James, are you okay?" Peter squeaked from across the table.
James was brought back to earth with a jolt. "I'm fine," he said, managing a smile. "Just fine." He allowed himself a quick glance in her direction, satisfied that his friends (and especially Sirius) hadn't seen him looking.
Unbeknownst to him, however, Remus had been giving him curious glances the whole time.
---
"He's starting to bug me!" Sirius whined a few days later. "He's so damn moody all the time! Why doesn't Evans just apologize or something?"
James was at Quidditch practice, and Peter was there, too, most likely cheering him on and wetting himself in the process.
"She probably tried," Remus answered. "But I'm guessing Prongs didn't want to hear it. You know how he gets."
"Yeah, I know," Sirius sighed. His eyes suddenly lit up in that all too familiar I-have-an-idea-but-it's-probably-going-to-land-us-in-lots-of- trouble way.
"What?" Remus asked, wearily.
"Why don't we apologize for her?" Sirius asked. "We can write . . . uhh, like a love letter or something!"
Remus raised his eyebrows. "I really don't think a simple love letter is going to work in this case, Padfoot," he said, gently.
Sirius grinned. "I know! That's why we use firecrackers!"
"What?" Remus asked in disbelief. "What are you talking about!?"
"Firecrackers, Remus," Sirius said, shaking his head. "You know, those sparkly things that blow up in the sky? The ones with the pretty lights that I love ever so much?"
"I KNOW what Firecrackers are, Sirius," Remus said, starting to get annoyed. "What I don't know is what you plan to do with them."
"Okay, well, what I was thinking was we could rig them to go off in the Great Hall – "
"No," Remus interrupted.
"Why 'no'?" Sirius said, pouting. "You didn't even hear my idea, yet!"
Remus shook his head. "Firecrackers and the Great Hall are NOT a good match for each other, Padfoot! Or have you forgotten what happened three weeks ago when you decided dinner needed a bit of 'livening up'?"
Sirius grinned sheepishly. "Well, it was livened up, wasn't it?"
Remus rolled his eyes. "No fireworks in the Great Hall," he said, firmly.
"Fine, fine," Sirius said, hastily. "How about outside, then? We can rig them to say 'I'm sorry, James, from Lily,' in really big bright letters."
Remus stared at him. "Do you have any idea how many things are wrong with that idea?"
Sirius sighed. "No. But I'm sure you will enlighten me, oh righteous one."
"First, Lily would NEVER do a thing like that, and James would immediately know that it was YOU behind it. And you know how mad he would get. Second, I don't think either of them can take any more embarrassment after those pictures . . ." Remus winced.
He and Lily had gotten all of the pictures and destroyed them, but they had completely forgotten about the negatives, and by that afternoon, Gryffindor Tower was greeted with even bigger photos of James and Lily kissing than before. And the word had spread through the school like wildfire. All through dinner, gossipers had run up to Lily and James (and all of their friends) demanding to know what was REALLY going on.
Lily had fled the Great Hall, red-faced, and James had stayed there for fear of running into her if he left. Anyone who came up to him was immediately a contender for the Hospital Wing, and he received detention for his "bad temper." McGonagall was especially upset because he was Head Boy and "he should have known better."
Sirius shuddered. "Never mind the fireworks, then," he said, slumping into one of the library chairs around Remus's table.
Remus took in his troubled face, and sighed, knowing he was going to regret this. "How about something more subtle, Padfoot, than a love letter?"
Sirius sat up eagerly, anticipating Remus's idea, as Remus knew he would. "What did you have in mind?"
---
A/N:That was WAY too short, even for me! But I promise, before Sunday, I'll have another chapter up, so there ya go! I just got this fabulous new idea, and I've been down in the dumps for a few days, so this new idea is like a breath of fresh air . . . I'll get started on it as soon as I can.
Just review, please? Thank you all so much!
Ariana S.