A/N: Sorry for the long wait for the update people, but I was at the beach! It was fun. Anyway this is the Angry!Everyone chapter. Great fun. Great fun.
Let me say, I've found the way to get lots of reviews! Just leave a long space between updates! How many was it? 18 I think. Wow. Thank you so much. All your reviews make me so happy, I have a huge stupid smile on my face when I read them. But chapter three's reviewer award (which I've just started, basically, the best review from that chapter) goes to levisrictusias. Wow. I think you made me blush. But again, all your reviews made me sooooo happy. It was a tough choice.
And to all you people reading without reviewing—I know you're there! I have a hit counter now. (Insert evil laugh here) It's ok if you don't review, I completely understand, but if you have an opinion, thought, comment, criticism, please tell me. I like knowing people are being entertained, and I especially like when people help me improve my writing.
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to someone else. Except the plot. That's all me. At least I think it is…
Predictably Potter and I kept in touch over the summer, same as last year, in the form of Potter sending me letters extolling my virtues and me sending hastily scribbled rejections.
"If nothing else, he's persistent." I mused to the owl who delivered James' most recent letter.
It gave a soft hoot in response as I tied my refusal (No! Now leave me alone!) to it's leg.
I was granted a reprieve from his letters for roughly a week when the owl showed up yet again.
Dear Evans,If (and we're talking a purely hypothetical situation here) by some natural disaster we were left as the last two people on the entire Earth; and I'm only concerned for the species here, this is not for my benefit; well, would you continue the human race with me?
Yours,
James
I quickly sent the owl back with my reply.
Potter-
All good things must come to an end.
-Evans
That year King's Cross was two times as bad as normal. Apparently Black ran away from home to the Potters' house Merlin, I don't know how Mr. and Mrs. Potter can deal with those two day in and day out.
I had to introduce Black to my parents who, of course, were instantly charmed by him.
I swear I'm adopted.
While Black was busy winning my parents over Potter began talking to me.
"So Lily—"
"Evans." I said sharply.
"Evans then." He continued. "How was your summer?"
"Tolerable. That is, except for some moronic fool sending me owl after owl." I shot at him.
"Oh, but I'm sure he's a very attractive and good-hearted moronic fool." James said smoothly.
"I beg to differ." I mumbled.
With that our conversation was interrupted by Black bounding up to James and grabbing his arm saying, "Oh Prongsie-poo, won't you help me through the barrier as well? Or is that a task you reserve solely for Evans here?"
"Black, you know as well as Potter, that if I had any choice at all in the matter I would not have to be 'helped' through the barrier by anyone." I growled.
"But, luckily for me, you don't." James said smiling, as he took my hand. "Good-bye Mr. and Mrs. Evans!"
"Bye James!" My mother called, looking enamored.
"Take care of my little girl!" My father said, clapping him on the back.
"Don't worry, I will." James said, winking at him. My father chuckled, and I opened my mouth in indignation.
We crossed through the barrier and I squirmed out of his grip. "What did you do to my parents?" I demanded to know.
"Nothing." James said, looking surprised.
"Oh come off it." I said. "You must have cast some spell on them, they couldn't actually like you."
"Believe it or not Evans, you seem to be the only person immune to my charm. But don't worry, you won't be for long." James finished, eyes twinkling.
"Give up." I said shortly and ran off to find my friends.
A few weeks after Halloween Remus and I were doing our Prefect rounds, only to find Black and Potter in the middle of booby trapping the trophy room. I wanted to write up a request for expulsion, but Remus said as long as there was no trace of the prank or them in five minutes he would let them off the hook. I was seething from this abuse of his power ten minutes later when we were walking around the dungeons and Remus turned to me.
"Why do you hate Prongs?" he asked me seriously.
I raised my eyebrows. "Do you really have to ask? I would think it was obvious."
Remus continued to give me a blank stare.
"Third year!" I exclaimed. "I'm glad that at least one of us has forgotten about it."
As soon as the words came out of my mouth Remus swore loudly. I stared at him in shock. I had never heard him swear before.
"Lily." He began hesitantly. "It's my fault you hate James."
"Rubbish Remus." I dismissed the thought with a wave of my hand. "He was the prat, not you."
"Maybe so." He continued slowly. "But I was the reason for his prat-like behavior."
"What do you mean?"
He sighed. "I mean I was…rather taken with you in third year. When Padfoot found out you fancied Prongs we did everything in our power to make James as un-fancyable as possible." Remus paused, searching my face, trying to read my reaction. "It was wrong, I know. I should have simply told you how I felt. It's my fault you hate James."
"No its not." I said briskly, brushing his allegation off. "You didn't make Potter go along with the foolhardy plan."
"Lily give him a chance." Remus pleaded. "Please, for me?"
"I'm sorry Remus." I said softly. "Potter had his chance and he blew it."
"And he's spent the last three years trying to make up for it!" Remus shot angrily at me. "When are you going to get rid of the stupid chip on your shoulder and forgive him?"
"When he stops being a git." I snapped back, my temper flaring as well.
"He has stopped being a git to you Lily! He treats you like gold! He worships the ground you walk on!" Remus was yelling now.
"I don't bloody care that he's stopped being a git to me! Look how he treats those he doesn't deem a threat! Look how he treats the Hufflepuffs, Severus, even Peter! So what if he respects me? The only reason he does is because he knows I could jinx him into next week!" I screamed back.
"That's not true. You don't see the way he looks at you Lily—"
"Like a dog looks at a piece of meat I'm guessing."
"He genuinely cares about you! As hard as you try to discourage it, ignore it, or deny it, the fact remains that James is crazy about you and he's not going to give up anytime soon!" Remus was shouting as he advanced towards me and it scared me. I had never seen him lose his temper like this before. He was usually the calm one, the Marauders' rock, their anchor. Now he was towering over me looking as impulsive and hotheaded as Potter or Black.
"Remus? Lily?"
Remus and I looked at each other fearfully and slowly turned to face Dumbledore's voice.
"Yes professor?" Remus squeaked.
"I was simply wondering what the disturbance was about. Lily and yourself aren't typically the ones to get into screaming contests. I believe that is Lily and James' domain." Dumbledore turned his twinkling eyes on me. I saw a smile twitch on the side of his mouth before he spoke again. "May I ask what the argument was about?"
"Potter." I grumbled, not wanting to meet Dumbledore's eyes.
"Ah. I should have guessed." Dumbledore said, stroking his beard.
"Professor." Remus said quickly, hoping to get Dumbledore on his side. "Tell Lily its unhealthy to hold a grudge for so long. Tell her she should forgive James, that she should at least give him a chance!"
"Professor." I said through gritted teeth. "Tell Remus it is unhealthy to pry into someone else's life like this. Tell him he should apologize to me, that he should tell James to give up already!"
Dumbledore smiled at the two of us glaring at each other.
"It is all up to you Lily." He said slowly and I shot a smug smile at Remus. "But let me say this." My smile disappeared. "Anyone can hate, it's the easiest thing in the world to do; but to love and be loved, that is truly remarkable."
And with that he turned on his heel and sauntered down the corridor, humming to himself.
Albus Dumbledore is a nutter.
Rolling my eyes I turned to face Remus who had an expression of utmost smugness on his face.
"What?" I snapped.
"As if you don't know." Remus smiled evilly.
"Nope, sorry." I said quickly, and began to walk away.
"Dumbledore's on my side, Dumbledore's on my side, Dumbledore's on my side." Remus began singing, while dancing in a circle around me.
I looked at him in distaste. "And to think, I respected you."
In the weeks following there was more and more talk of a wizard named Voldemort gathering followers he was calling Death Eaters. He sounded mental to me. Mental, yet terrifying. There was news of killing, muggle baiting, and "purification of the wizarding race", a.k.a. get rid of everyone except purebloods. It caused a fair few rows between Black and his cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa, who are both in Slytherin. I almost felt sorry for Black. Bellatrix and Narcissa were awful to him. They kept going on about how much he shamed the family, and how he better watch his back.
It escalated to a shouting match at the feast on Christmas Eve.
"Stop causing Auntie so much pain Sirius! Why don't you just do us all a favor and kill yourself?" Bellatrix spat at Black.
"As if you ever thought for a moment for something besides your own selfish skin." Sirius growled back.
Narcissa then distracted Sirius. Dorcas, Marlene, Hestia, Peter, and Remus were having heated discussions with Snape, Lestrange, Dolohov, and Rookwood, I stood alone, watching James argue with Bellatrix.
"Just run off to dear Voldie and tell him Padfoot isn't begging to join like the rest of you power-hungry vultures." James shot at Bellatrix.
"You just wait Potter." Bellatrix said with malice. "You just wait and see."
"You really don't scare me, you know that right? In fact, according to your idiotic master I'm perfect. Unfortunately that puts me in the same category as you lunatics." James rolled his eyes. "But then again, I suppose that's an occupational hazard of being pure-blood."
"You're nothing but a blood traitor Potter. Your family will be one of the first to go when the Dark Lord begins his rein." Bellatrix's eyes glinted evilly.
"I'm quivering in fear Belle darling, really I am." Potter said sarcastically. "I'd like to see you try to hurt me or my family. My parents are two of the most highly skilled Aurors out there, and, let's face it, I beat you in every class."
Bellatrix spotted me.
"And what if I attack your precious Mudblood?"
James whipped his head around, caught sight of me and instinctively stepped in front of me.
"Yes, I believe I've found your weakness Potter." Bellatrix cackled evilly. "Her parents can't protect her if someone were to call during the summer holidays now can they?"
I tried to make my way around James and give Bellatrix a piece of my mind. James felt me move and grabbed my wrists, keeping me hidden behind him.
"I'll protect her." James said roughly.
Bellatrix let out another bone-chilling cackle. "Oh I'd like to see you try Potter. I'd like to see you try."
"Bellatrix, no one here is scared of you." Sirius said patronizingly, watching Narcissa run off to the Slytherin common room crying.
"Everyone to your dormitories." Professor McGonagall's sharp voice cut off Bellatrix's retort to Sirius' comment. "Now." She said menacingly when no one moved.
Hestia, Marlene, Dorcas, Peter, Remus, and Sirius all made their way up to the common room, winding down from the altercation. James held me back.
"What did you do that for?" I asked angrily. "You acted like I was incapable of handling myself. I beat her in every class as well!"
"I know." James said. "I just don't want her to have a reason to hurt you. If you get her mad she has a reason to hurt you."
"You made it seem like I was scared of her or something!" I said. "I'm not scared of her, or any of her friends!"
"I know you're not." James sighed. "And that scares me."
"What?"
"I don't' want you to get hurt Lily! I can't handle that!" James said in a strained voice.
I couldn't help it. I was touched. We walked the rest of the way in silence, but once we reached the portrait hole I said softly, "Thank you, but I can take care of myself James."
"No you can't. You need me." James said, grabbing my shoulders. "You can't be with the muggles this summer. You need to be with wizards who can protect you if Bellatrix tries anything."
I shrugged off his arms and climbed through the portrait hole, stopping at the entrance of the common room for him to catch up.
"'The muggles' are my parents!" I said angrily. "What if Bellatrix goes after my family? Sure I'm safe, but what about them?"
"I care about you Lily." James said urgently.
"You don't care about my family then? You have them wrapped around your little finger and you don't care about them? Is that what you do to everyone? Get them to like you and then not give a damn about their feelings, about their safety?"
"Lily!" Marlene hissed urgently.
"What?" I cried, rounding on her.
Wordlessly, she pointed at the ceiling above James and me. I looked where she was pointing.
"No." I said firmly. "No. No. No."
"Is that what I think it is?" James said elated.
"No. No way. I refuse." I said as I made to move away from James, out from under the mistletoe.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you Evans." Black said lazily.
"What do you mean?" I growled.
"I mean Remus and I have hexed that mistletoe." Black replied, standing up from his spot on the couch and stretching. "If you step away without kissing Prongs here—and we're talking a real kiss, none of this on the hand or on the cheek business—some rather…unfortunate things shall happen to you."
"As brilliant as you and Remus may perceive yourselves to be Black, I am not top of our year in Charms for nothing. I can undo practically any hex you throw at me." I said scathingly.
"Practically any, and any are two very different things Lily. I wouldn't risk this if I were you." Remus spoke up softly.
I turned back to James. The euphoria from earlier had ebbed away, and he was looking somber. "You don't have to kiss me you know. I'm sure we could figure out the countercurse…somehow."
As he stared seriously into my eyes a strange feeling stirred in the bottom of my stomach. And then I realized something I will deny until the day I die. I was curious. I wanted to kiss James. I wanted to find out what it felt like. He was after all, rumored to be the second best kisser in Hogwarts, after Black of course.
"Oh what the hell." I grumbled. "Merry Christmas James." And with that I looked up at him expectantly.
"Wh-What?" James gasped. "Are you seriously going to let me…but why?"
"If these dolts," I jerked my head towards Black and Remus, "have actually cursed this plant so well we can't find the countercurse…well let's just say I don't want to take the risk."
"And," I added in an undertone so only James could hear. "Because I can."
James smiled at me. "Well, when you put it that way…" He whispered back and began to lean towards me.
We bumped noses. Potter swore against my mouth before actually touching his lips to mine. He held my hands as he kissed me and I had no idea it was possible for a person's palms to be sweating that much. My hands were soaked with his perspiration. Needless to say, it wasn't what I was expecting.
He pulled away quickly, unable to meet my eyes.
"That's it?" I asked incredulously.
"Look Lily, I'm sorry. Just give me another shot?" He smiled weakly at me.
"Oh, is this just another one of your schemes? Are we supposed to have 'practice' sessions now so you can perfect your snogging?" I spat at him, enraged.
"No Lily, that's not it at all." James said desperately.
"I suppose you knew about this whole plan? Wait, what am I saying? Knew about it? You probably organized it! You made me go through that door at the same time as you! You only wanted to be able to feel me up as your Christmas present!" I shouted, angry tears threatening to overflow.
"Lily, that's not true. I didn't have any idea Padfoot and Moony planned this. You have to trust me." He pleaded. He put his hands on either side of my face and looked concernedly into my eyes. "Please don't cry. Please don't."
I slapped his hands away. "I can do whatever I bloody want!"
"Don't cry." He continued to beg. "I can deal with you thinking I'm a terrible kisser, but you crying is just too much."
"Ha!" I cried dryly. "As if you've ever cared for anyone except yourself. You just don't want me to tell all the girls what a horrible kisser you are!"
"It's not usually like that." He mumbled. "I'm usually quite good. I promise."
"Oh I'm sure." I said sarcastically and began to make my way to the girls' stairs.
"It's different with you Lily." He cried frantically after me. "It always has been."
"You're right James." I turned and replied scathingly. "I'm not fooled by your smooth talk and empty promises. I see you for what you really are, a lying, manipulative, conceited, foul boy who only cares that he gets what he wants. You don't even know what you want James! You don't really want me! You just want the idea of me, the idea of the unattainable. You don't even really care about me. You don't even know anything about me!"
"Well, that's not from lack of trying, now is it?" For the first time James yelled at me. "I don't know why, but you won't let me in! Why do you hate me so much?"
"You mean Remus didn't tell you?" I asked quietly, slowly deflating. I turned to Remus who was shaking his head.
"Didn't tell me what?" James shouted, turning to his friend.
"Third year!" I screamed at him. "Third year you stupid, idiotic—"
"Merlin Lily, would you give that a rest?" James roared back. "I was an imbecile in third year I admit, but I like to think I've matured a bit since age thirteen!"
"You were awful to me! How am I supposed to forget that?" I shouted back, voice cracking.
"Because of him!" James pointed an accusatory finger at Remus. "Or did precious Lupin leave that out of the conversation? Mate, don't tell me you still fancy her? That you're feeding her lies to make her still hate me!"
Remus sat speechless. James began advancing towards him.
"STOP IT!" I bellowed. "Remus told me he used to fancy me, he told me everything!"
"He couldn't have told you everything!" James yelled at me. "Because only Padfoot knows everything!"
"Leave me out of this." Black said quickly, throwing up his hands.
"I fancied you in third year Lily. However, when Moony here told us about his little infatuation I agreed to help him, convinced this was only a passing fancy. You have no idea how hard it was to do those things to you."
I snorted. "You seemed to handle it with ease."
"But because I cared about someone besides myself I put my feelings on the back burner to help my friend. I'm not expecting you to forget this Lily, but forgive me. Please. Stop holding this enormous grudge."
"Liar!" I screamed. "LIAR!"
"What?" He said, flabbergasted.
"I'm not falling for it Potter!" I shouted, beside myself with anger.
"Falling for what?" Potter screamed back. "It's the truth!"
We glared at each other as the clock struck twelve.
"Happy Christmas everyone!" Black cried merrily.
"Shut up Black!" Potter and I roared in unison as we both stomped off to our respective dormitories.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter is the second half of sixth year. Again if you have an opinion, comment, thought, or criticism, please let me know. But above all, thank you for reading!