"James?"
James turned to see Lily running up towards him. His stomach was doing those annoying flip-flops again. He really had to stop that.
"Have you seen Arabella anywhere? She's got my Transfiguration notes and I really wanted to get a head start on that essay McGonagall's making us do."
"Sorry, I haven't." He reached inside his bag. "You can borrow mine, though." He handed the notes to her, careful not to accidentally touch her hand.
After all, she's already got half of the male population mad about her, and she's totally mad about my best friend. What good is it going to do if I keep feeling like this anyway?
"Oh, thanks!" Lily glanced at them. "Wow, James, these look really through…" she glanced up, a twinkle in her eyes, "…bit of a shame I can't decipher them at all."
"My handwriting's not that bad," James protested.
Lily smiled at him. "Kidding, James. You have to admit your writing's a bit messy, though…"
"If you want, I can help you with your essay," James blurted without thinking. Oh, I'm an idiot! Why can't I learn to shut my fat mouth?
Lily looked a bit surprised, but then smiled and said, "Oh, that'd be great. You want to work on yours too, then?"
"Already finished," James said. "But I could use some help on that Charms homework, though…why don't we do it tonight around seven, in the library?"
"All right," Lily said. "It's a date then," she tossed casually over her shoulder as she started to walk away.
A date?
Then, of course, his rational side had to step in. A study date, you wanker. She's head over heels for Sirius, remember? Bloody hell, considering the way your luck's been heading, the evening'll just end up with her crying all over your shoulder about how horrible it is that Sirius isn't one of the fifty boys trying to ask her to the ball.
James groaned.
~*~
"Arabella?"
Arabella whirled around to see Sirius standing a few feet away. "You know, you really have to stop this."
"Stop what?"
She gestured vaguely. "You know! Sneaking up behind me in empty corridors."
"Well, it seems to be the only way I can get you to talk to me." Sirius said pointedly. "Seeing as you've been avoiding me like I've got a case of the bubonic plague."
Arabella flushed. "Look, I have to go. Lily's waiting for me—"
"Are you really going to the ball with McAllister?" Sirius asked.
Arabella opened her mouth and then closed it.
"I'll take that as a yes, then," Sirius said, his voice oddly tight. "Fantastic. Great. When's the wedding?"
"Sirius, don't—"
"Do you really like him?"
She gaped at him for a minute. "What—what kind of question is that? Why would I be going to the ball with him then?"
"I dunno." Sirius kept looking at her with those hard, probing eyes.
"Sirius, don't start this. Please."
Sirius's eyes grew softer. "Look, if you really like him, then I'll leave you alone. I swear. But if you don't, then…"
"If I don't…" Arabella trailed off. He was so close…why was she fighting this, exactly?
Sirius gently touched her cheek. "Just promise me you won't run away this time, okay?"
And then he kissed her.
~*~
Lily hummed tunelessly as she walked down the corridor. She walked past a ghost, a painting of three nymphs, Sirius and Arabella kissing, a tapestry of—
Wait. Sirius and Arabella what?
Lily turned around slowly. Oh. Oh.
She must have made a sound or something, because they leapt apart and stared at her. Arabella's mouth was hanging open in horror, and Sirius's face was a bit red.
It's a good thing you didn't get around to asking him to the ball, a little voice in Lily's head whispered. Of course, no one bothered to fill you in on the fact that he's been snogging your best friend in secret…
"Well, this is embarrassing," Sirius muttered, running his fingers through his hair.
Lily stared at the floor, mortified. "I've—I've got to go," she muttered, and turned away. She walked faster and faster until she was at a flat-out run.
"Lily, wait!" Arabella called after her. She turned to a bewildered Sirius and said, "I'm sorry, but—I've gotta go."
"What—why?" Sirius asked, trying to grab her by the arm. But Arabella was already running after Lily.
~*~
Lily ran up to their dormitory, leapt onto her bed, and shut the hangings. Not five minutes later, Arabella came in.
"Lily?"
She didn't reply.
"Lily, I…" Arabella slowly pulled the hangings to the side and looked at Lily. "I'm sorry."
Lily stared stonily at her.
"I know I shouldn't have kissed him," Arabella said in a soft voice. "I know. But…it started last year, and the minute I found out you liked him, I called it right off—"
"This has been going since last year?" Lily asked, her eyes wide. "You've been lying to me for that long?"
"No, it's—it's a long story—"
"Yeah, one that you never bothered to explain to me," Lily said harshly.
Arabella fell silent, knowing she couldn't argue with that.
Lily took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. It didn't work. "You know," she said, trying not to cry from her rage and hurt, "if you had just been straight with me from the beginning, everything would've been all right. I would have been okay with it, because I wouldn't have put a guy over our friendship. Apparently you don't feel the same way."
Tears began to well up in Arabella's eyes. "Lily, that's not true. That's why I tried to keep this from you—I didn't want this to ruin anything—"
"You should have told me," Lily said stubbornly.
"What was I supposed to say?"
"The truth might have been nice!" Lily yelled. "Even 'Oh, Lily, I've been snogging Sirius on the side for a year now,' would have been better than me finding out the way I did!"
"It wasn't like that!"
"Well I wouldn't know, seeing as you don't tell me a bloody thing!"
"What's all the yelling about?" Frank asked, popping his head in. "We can hear it all the way down in the common room…" he trailed off. "Lily, are you…are you crying?"
Lily got off the bed and shouldered past Frank out the door, muttering, "I've got to get out of here."
Frank looked after her, then stared at Arabella. "D'you mind filling me in on what the hell just happened?"
Arabella groaned.
~*~
James stormed into the common room and walked over to the other Marauders. "Have you seen Lily? She was supposed to meet me in the library forty minutes ago…"
Sirius sighed. "I saw her a while ago. Caught me and Arabella together and ran off. Don't really know why…"
Remus, who was eating a Chocolate Frog, choked. "Excuse me? You and who?"
Sirius let out another sigh. "Look, I fancy Arabella, all right? I couldn't tell you, it was weird."
Peter stared at him in shock. "I didn't even think you knew her first name," he muttered.
James was more concerned with something else. "Lily caught you two doing what, exactly?"
"We were kissing."
"You were what?" Remus, Peter, and James asked in unison.
"Oh, don't look so shocked," Sirius snapped irritably. "She's been playing me like a bloody yo-yo since last year."
James wheeled around and started for the girls' dormitory.
"Hey, where are you going?" Sirius asked.
James didn't look back as he said, "To clean up the disaster you've created."
~*~
"Where is she?"
Frank looked up. "Where's who?"
James looked impatient. "Celestina Warbeck. Lily, for crying out loud."
Arabella said quietly, "She'll have gone to her spot."
"Her spot?" James asked in confusion.
Arabella sighed. "There's this old oak tree, near the lake. Lily goes there a lot when she's upset or when she needs to be alone. That's probably where she is." Then she looked up. "Wait, why are you looking for her? Do you…"
"Yeah, I know. Lily told me a while ago, and I was just talking to Sirius right now."
"Oh." Arabella nodded. "He's upset, isn't he?"
"Said something about you treating him like a bloody yo-yo. Nice job on covering that little secret up by the way. I didn't realize anything was going on, and I'm his best friend." He paused. "But that was the whole point, wasn't it?"
Arabella winced.
"James, don't," Frank warned. "She feels bad enough as it is."
"I'm a little more worried about Lily right now, actually," James retorted as he turned towards the door.
"You would be," Frank remarked, staring hard at him.
James paused, then walked out.
~*~
Lily was sitting under the tree, staring out to the lake when James found her. He jogged up, out of breath.
"Hey," he said softly, sitting down next to her. "You okay?"
Lily shook her head and sniffed.
"D'you want me to go beat Sirius up for you?"
She shook her head and let out a shaky laugh. "No, that's all right."
James said seriously, "Because I would, if you wanted me to." He hesitated, then laid his hand gently on top of hers.
"It's okay, James," She looked at him. "Sirius isn't the one I'm mad at."
James nodded.
After a moment, Lily added, "It's weird. I should be mad at Arabella because she's been snogging Sirius but…I'm mad because she's been lying to me. Does that make any sense?"
"Yeah, it does. You expected her to trust you."
"Yeah," Lily agreed. She glanced at him. "Did you know?"
James shook his head and laughed. "Didn't have a bloody clue. Took us all by surprise." He looked at her. "I would have told you if I had."
She nodded and looked to the stars. "It's pretty tonight, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," James said. He paused, then said, "I know this is the place you go when you want to be alone…do you want me to leave?"
There was a pause, then Lily shifted her hand so that their fingers were laced together. "No. No, I…could you just stay here with me for a bit?"
"Yeah, of course," James said.
"Thanks," Lily murmured, leaning against him slightly so that their shoulders were touching. She smiled slightly. "Are you just being so nice because you want me to stay on the team?"
James chuckled softly. "Yeah, Evans, that's it exactly."
She laughed. "Thought so."
