Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters


Did You Find What You Were Looking For?

Chapter 9: Only Too Well

By: Taiyourshoes


"You would think holding such high positions would do something to give you both a sense of pride... or self-control to say the least! But I daresay if Mr. Potter was 'being a prat,' that was all the incentive needed to tackle him in the middle of your commons—and in front of impressionable first years, no less. Miss Evans, Mr. Potter, think before you pounce!"

Lily and James sat quietly in Professor McGonagall's office as she "had at them," so to speak. While James was waiting anxiously for Lily to tell the professor there were snakes all over her dormitory floor—and under her pillow, though she'd yet to discover that—Lily was anticipating the time when James would remind the Headmistress it was Lily's wand that had done THAT to her hair. But instead of saying anything at all, they stared down at their shoes with extreme interest and refused to look at the woman's face. After all, who wanted to be subjected to her death stares, thinned lips, and flaring nostrils?

And James was afraid of Lily earlier that day! Try sitting in an office with a Professor McGonagall when she's very, very mad. About her hair, probably.

"If there is ANY more foul play from either of you—and yes James, try VERY hard to hold back—your positions will be awarded to more worthy candidates. You will each have detention for a week, and I can only pray you'll set a better example for your charges because of it. See you in this office tomorrow after lessons. I'll need a day to think about how you will carry out your detentions."

At length, both Lily and James rose from their seats, careful to avoid eye contact with the Headmistress, and made their way out the door.

Once out of earshot, Lily turned on James. "Don't mind my curiosity, but why did it HAVE to be snakes? I mean puffskeins, or flobberworms, or even Sirius after too many butterbeers I could understand, but SNAKES?"

James smirked down at her. "Snakes just seemed awfully appropriate, especially now. I hear they squeeze the life out of their prey too." He prodded her hand, which she'd coiled painfully around his arm subconsciously.

Lily blushed and muttered a sorry. When they'd started back along their path to the Fat Lady Portrait, she realized her heart was beating unusually fast. And it didn't help that there was such a silence between them, she was sure he could hear it beating out of her chest.

Why was she feeling so awkward? With a sigh she attempted to bring about some sort of distraction. "Care to elaborate as to how you managed to get by the girl's staircase without falling on your arse?" She glanced at him for a moment and was thoroughly put off to see the familiar "Potter Smirk" plastered onto his face.

"Actually, Lily, I'd prefer not to just yet. Elaborate, that is." He seemed to be perfectly happy about leaving her in the dark.

Lily crossed her arms and stopped walking, causing James to do the same (though minus the crossing his arms part). "Fine. But I'll only hold off on prodding for now, as I seem to have a rather big problem up in my dormitory to attend to. You know, before Tabitha has a heart attack and McGonagall realizes I omitted quite a large part of our fight from my explanation."

Lily started stalking off again, when she heard James curiously, "And why didn't you tell her, Evans?"

Lily started. "Tell her...?"

"Tell her I put a heap of SERPEANTS in your room," he said simply, as he took her by the elbow to keep her walking. His voice suggested he knew the answer already (or the James Potter perversed version of the answer) and just wanted the satisfaction of the words crossing Lily's lips. "She may have spared you a week's worth of detention if she'd known you had a good reason for tackling me."

Lily frowned. She was fairly certain of the answer he expected (or hoped for) from her, and she was very tempted to throw just the opposite at him. But then again, why hadn't she told McGonagall? Was it because she cared whether or not he got into trouble, or because she'd been too scared to speak? Certainly the latter. And yet...

"I—I didn't want you to loose your position or something." The words spilled from her mouth, but to her surprise they felt true and as old to her as anything.

"Lily, you can't stand me. Wouldn't it be better if you didn't have to work with me everyday as Head boy?" He was getting that evil glint in his eyes again, the same one she'd declared unbearable in fifth year.

"N—no." She felt her cheeks growing hot. Her stomach was doing that thing again.

James's expression didn't change. "Would YOU care to elaborate?"

Lily was quite tempted to shake her head and run off, as she was very good at running from James Potter. But for some stupid, sodding reason her feet had cemented to the ground.

Instead, Lily continued the habit she'd picked up in McGonagall's office: she stared down at her feet.

"It doesn't matter. Just help me get rid of the... things in my room and we'll call it even."


James sat up in his bed staring at the drapes of his four-post. He wasn't feeling like himself at all. His mind felt all scrambled and befuddled and all the thoughts racing through his mind were so foreign.

NEVER had he been more afraid of getting caught before. Even when Lily hadn't learned about the snakes, he was worried about how she'd react. Since when did he care if he got in a spot of trouble?

And sure, he'd had a crush on the girl for three years now, but he'd always been willing to pick on her in the past. Why was he so nervous now?

"It doesn't matter," she'd said. Her eyes had looked so sad as she avoided his gaze.

When had it EVER not mattered to Lily Evans? Even back in first year, when he'd found her a tad plain and average, she'd always been willing to stomp on his foot if he pulled her ponytail or said something pricky. Why, in fifth year she'd thoroughly embarrassed him in front of EVERYONE when he asked her out. Given, he'd had Severus Snape upside down and foaming at the mouth but she didn't need to get sharp with him.

But then there was the matter with her tackling him earlier. Certainly she'd felt guilty about making a scene and frying Professor McGonagall's hair?

Or maybe, and even James had to snicker to himself at this one, all his years of putting on the charm finally paid off. Maybe her tackling was just a way of flirting?

Or maybe James should just be thrown to a rampaging hippogriff and be left to die.

But of course, he'd look especially dashing if he had a fate like that. Rampaging hippogriffs were massively entertaining.


"Detention, huh?" Tabitha asked delicately. She was running a brush through her hair absently with her eyes slightly out of focus. It seemed that after Lily left for the Headmistress's office, someone thought it would be better for everyone if they used the Obliviate charm to erase her memory of the snakes entirely. However, that someone wasn't too skilled and they ended up knocking her out in the process. Tabitha had only come 'round after Lily and a few other brave Gryffindor girls had levitated the snakes down to the forest, where James promised they would remain.

"Yeah, but I thought for sure I'd lose my position as head girl!" Lily sighed quickly and raised her voice, making arm movements to accompany her words. "I mean, on the first day of lessons I tackle a fellow student AND leave my wand unattended and subjected to my flaring emotions. For a second I thought she'd lose her hair!"

Perhaps Tabitha would have found this funnier, as the other Gryffindor girls did, had she any real idea what had happened. In place of her typical giggles, Tabitha cocked her head, allowing her blonde strands to cascade along the side of her face. "But... She isn't losing her hair Lily."

Lily's eye twitched. "Never mind."

After a moment, another one of the girls who shared their dorm spoke up. She breathed in excitedly and gave Lily a pressing look. "Maybe I'm just too curious, but how'd it feel to be on top of James Potter?"

Lily's mouth dropped in disgust. "Hailey!"

The girl chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand as she did so. Her brown curls swayed this way and that with her pulsing laughter. "He's on the quidditch team, he's attractive, and he's hilarious. Oh yeah, and he LIKES you, and has for YEARS. I can't even tell you how many girls envy you."

"Yeah," another girl added, "and I KNOW you liked him in third year, before you saw him kissing Abigail O'Brien behind a bookshelf in the library. Remember that?"

Lily nodded, feigning a smile, since really it wasn't all that funny anymore. "Yeah. I do." And she did. Only too well.


The next day James felt considerably better. Overnight, he'd come to the conclusion that he, James, had just been worn out from two nights in the tempers of Lily Evans. The first night she'd thought him a phantom, and the next she thought him a punching bag.

He loved the way their relationship was progressing.

Regardless, he seemed to have bounced back. He was even running his hand through his hair again and laughing jovially with his friends.

"So where d'you have detention tonight?" Sirius asked over breakfast. "If you want we could use our mirrors, that is, if you get bored sitting in a classroom copying words from the History of Magic text."

James appeared to deliberate the point. "See, Padfoot, I don't think I'll get off with such an easy punishment today. McGonagall didn't actually say where, but she told us to meet at her office first, so she'd have time to THINK on it." He emphasized the last bit with a raise of his eyebrows.

Sirius grimaced. Both of them, being the dandy little troublemakers they were, knew that when teachers had to have a night to think over punishment, no good could arise.

"Well," Sirius sighed, patting James on the shoulder apologetically, "at least you get to be with Lily for a week. See if you can get her to fall for your Potter charm."

"Right." James rolled his eyes. "And then I'll spawn the savior of the wizarding world."
Taiyourshoes: Okay, I MIGHT have time for one more chapter before I go on vacation for two weeks. (I leave on the 30th) I really want to write the next one, because I intended this one to have a lot more than it does. This one, I feel, SUCKS supremely, because we didn't get to see much of charming James, hotheaded Lily, and loveable Sirius. Why? I wanted to incorporate something important about Lily and James's past (which I've been planning for a while, thank you very much) and emphasize the tension developing between the two. Wow, how lame did that sound?

So I PROMISE there'll be detention in the next one, Lily will get a little upset with James about... something... and Charlotte and Amelia will hopefully appear again. (I hate them, I love them). Oh, and there will be DADA... I pray. And if I go another chapter where I must squish out my humor I'll explode. Seriously.

Anyways, just review and give me some ideas on what to do. I swear the next chapter will get out faster if you give me some motivation. ;)