Disclaimer: I don't own HP. I own Faylinn and Helen and like, Camden and I think that's it. But don't sue me, pah-leeze! Coin purse is MIA! Please and thank you.
::AN:: Sorry for the SUPER long wait! I'd love to lie (what can I say? I'm a born actress; I do it so well!) and say that I had writer's block, but sadly, that's not the case (how could it be? I don't think I've EVER had writer's block for this fic! Have I?). I did go out of town and then I got wicked sick (well, okay, not WICKED sick) and then I just got really, really lazy. I'm so sorry, you guys! I know, I'm horrible, but I hope you like this chappie, and I PROMISE, the next one will come sooner!
To les reviewers!
randomblinx: Yeah, sure, whatever you say, oh-sleeping-one. Your BEAR was in my face all last night, you know! I would've strangled you had I not been more concerned about my own well being (i.e., my ear).
gloomy: I'm glad you're happy. And yeah, I think bats are cool, too. I personally wouldn't want to touch one, but maybe that's just me… lol.
Mrs. Drew Malfoy: Nine times… Aw! I already gave away all I'm giving away about Remus (besides what's in the fic itself), but I'm glad you liked the last chapter!
ME: My sister suggested naming him Dracula as well, so don't feel bad. (lol) I'm glad you liked the last chapter!
Jubily-Lollypops: Neither have I, but it totally fit with the whole metaphor thing, so I like, HAD to do it! Hahah
msj: Your reviews were very funny! I'm happy you liked the last chappie, and Spanish is a GOOD language, TRUST ME, I know this. (I just happen to know French more, is all, which is kind of ironic.) You're addicted to fanfics! Woot! Sorry it took so long to update, though! I'm in like, pain right now, but I'm updating cuz I got your second review the other day and I felt all bad… lol.
madderthanyou: That's, um, er, sad about the bats… idiot boys… I'm glad you liked the chappie, though.
Padfootz-luvr: Hahah, "girly screams"… It must be magical, though, right? But then again, all of the pets in HP are supposed to be magical… (Takes a long look at Neville's toad) hmm… er, okay…
Evil Cheese of Doom: T h a a a a a n k Y o o o o u F o o o r L o o o o ving Me e e e! (lmao)
sweetiepiepirate: Oh, I'm sorry… You seem to be the only one confused with the last chap (cringe). Okay, I help you! The things about Remus and "the voice" are meant to confuse you a bit, so don't worry about those for now… Sirius was saying sorry for treating Faylinn bad, but they were talking in metaphors, so I get that it was confusing… The other stuff will be told, like, soon, so don't worry and I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! I hope you like this chappie!
Moviesavvy: YAY, I did "happy" good! (cheers) I'm glad you liked the bat thing, lol. I hope you like this chappie, too.
Forever Dracula's Bride: Oh, I'm glad you love my story! That makes me feel all happy-like, cuz I like, WICKED love your '6 Months With A Mermaid' fic, so I'm all, "Whoa, an awesome writer likes MY fic?! Whoa!" lol. Thanks for visiting my "site" (I wicked need to update it, too, lol) and, ahem, you're v. smart, cuz you guessed right (dude, you're like, the ONLY one! Hahah) Longest review ever? Geez, lol. I hope you like this chappie, and UPDATE SOON on your ficcie, I love it!
Disneydoll0424: Ooh, like above, I really feel all special when people who have wicked awesome fics (that would be YOU, YOU, YOU!) say they like any part of my fic! Seriously! It's like, if I were an actress in, like, a total GRADE-B movie and then, like, Julia Roberts or someone equally famous went, "I really loved your work in Blahblahblah" or something like that! (lol) Anyways, you're only on, like, chapter five or something, but I hope you catch up and I hope you like the rest of the fic (crosses fingers, lol). And I agree with what you said about how you can "play with" the marauders' characters, cuz it's way true. If I wrote about Harry, I'd probably be accused of him being way out of character ever two seconds, lol. Thanks for the review!
Okay, thanks for all the reviews and I hope y'all like this chappie! Sorry it took so long to update, really!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Muahaha and much more fun-ness!,
My life is like, oh-so-totally fabbity-fab-fab.
I'm dead serious.
Fine, you don't believe me?! Go ask Sirius! I'll take you to him!
Ooh, well, on second thought, he said he was going to go BATHE or something.
That means he's probably, like, naked right now…
Yes, well, I'm off to go see Sirius!
Kidding, kidding, GEEZ, have a fit.
Gah, this little bat-freak is chewing (excuse me, GNAWING) on the corner of my page…
Oh OOPS… I think I killed it…
Nope, nuzzling my knee now… Aw, it's so cute… What should I name it? I'll ask Lily, I think I can hear her coming up. She has a very distinct walk, you know.
Yup, there's Lily.
Lily… Lily… What the hell, it's like she didn't even see me! She just came in, flopped on her bed facedown, and then didn't move!
Faylinn frowned, but then her frown turned into a grin as she leaned towards Lily's bed. "Good evening, Lily!" She practically shouted, causing the redheaded girl to sit up abruptly and stare at her in horror.
"Faylinn!" Lily exclaimed. "Wow, I didn't even see you there!"
Faylinn rolled her eyes. "Obviously… Anyway, Lils, I care about you and I'm wondering why you did the flop-thing on your bed, really, but…" She trailed off.
Lily's brow furrowed. "But… what?"
"Well, it's not important right now, is all." Faylinn replied, smirking. "What's important is me and –"
"Is that a bat?" Lily asked dryly, leaning forward, a look of disgust on her face.
"- My new bat." Faylinn finished, scowling. "Don't look so grossed out, Lils! He's perfectly clean!"
"Faylinn, why do you have a bat?!"
"He's a gift to me."
"From who?! Count Dracula?!"
Faylinn sneered at Lily. "Now, really, Lily! You watch far too much televizzle as well… Count Dracula… Honestly…"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Whatever. And it's television, not televizzle." There was a long pause. "Where'd you get her?" Lily asked finally.
"Him." Faylinn corrected, then whispered, "Sirius."
"WHAT?!" Lily shrieked and bounded off of her bed and over to Faylinn. "Tell me everything! What happened?! Why did he give you a bat?"
Faylinn grinned. "Well, I was just walking through the dungeons all on my lonesome and whatnot, right? And…" She proceeded to relay the night's events to Lily, adding the dramatic pause every now and then, just for affect. "…And then we walked back to the common room and hung out for a bit. Then he said he was going to go get some food, since we kind of skipped out on dinner, and so I came up here. I'm supposed to go meet him in the kitchens." She brightened then. "I know where they are! There's this painting, right? And you tickle the –"
"When you say you hung out in the common room for a bit, you mean… that was during dinner?" Lily interrupted.
"Well, yeah, I guess so."
Lily nodded slowly. "Right, so… What exactly did you two…"
"Oh, Lily, shut up!" Faylinn laughed, throwing a pillow at her friend, careful to not disturb the bat sleeping comfortably in her lap. "If you must know, we talked most of the time."
"Most of the time?"
Faylinn giggled. "What can I say? He just couldn't help himself. I'm irresistible!"
"Ugh." Lily rolled her eyes and laughed. "And you're just like him!"
They laughed for a few moments, then sat in silence, each thinking their own thoughts. "What are you going to name him?" Lily asked, breaking the silence.
"I don't know." Faylinn shrugged. "I'll figure it out tomorrow." She paused. "Hey, Lily… I almost forgot to ask you…"
"Well!" Lily exclaimed, standing up. "Go on, you don't want to keep Sirius waiting! Go on, go on!"
Faylinn reluctantly allowed Lily to push her towards the door, where she turned around and smirked. "You're going to write it down, aren't you?"
Lily nodded. "Of course. Now go!"
Faylinn grinned and patted the bat on the head before exiting the room and calling over her shoulder. "Don't let him chew on anything valuable!"
Lily just laughed and shut the door behind Faylinn. She let out a long sigh and flopped on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She shrugged her shoulders as she sat up and leaned over the side of the bed to grab a spare bit of parchment off the floor.
Fay,
First off, the bat kind of snores. I'm serious. It's very strange, but kind of cute, I have to say.
Anyway… I figured I'd be asleep by the time you got back, so I'll just write down what happened.
Right, so, NOTHING HAPPENED.
I know! How horrible is that? I spent all that time worrying about Valentine's Day, and what do I get?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I don't think I even TALKED to James today.
Can you believe that?!
I can't believe that!
It's really, really not fair. Do you think he's, maybe, over me? (No! That can't be!)
He hasn't even given me any presents since a few days ago when he gave me that stuffed dog! I don't
Um… There's a very weird noise coming from the window…
Lily rolled off of her bed and crouched on the floor, peering over the edge hesitantly.
Tap, tap, tap.
She jumped back and took a quick glance at Faylinn's bat, to see it sleeping soundly on the pillow, its wing lifting up slightly with every other breath.
"Hello?" Lily squeaked, taking a few slow steps towards the window.
Tap, tap, tap.
She jumped, but managed to tiptoe over towards the wall. She leaned her back against the wall and looked out of the corner of her eye, to see out the window.
There was nothing there, so she sighed and sat back down on her bed, picking up the parchment and shaking her head.
Okay, it was nothing, I guess.
Anyway
Lily froze when she felt a warm breeze around her. "Ugh." She rolled her eyes and stomped over to the window to shut it. She stopped suddenly just before the window. 'The window wasn't open a moment ago…' she thought to herself.
"What the…" She breathed and let out an earsplitting scream when she felt a tug on her elbow.
"Calm down, Evans!"
Lily gasped and watched as James appeared out of nowhere, about a foot away from her. She looked around and slowly began to put the pieces together.
"Open window… broom…" She murmured, her eyes wide as she shook her head. "Potter!" She scolded. "First of all, you shouldn't be in here! Second, well, you scared me!" She poked him in his chest. "Just what exactly do you think you're doing, hmm? I swear I'll go get McGonagall this instant if you don't – Hey… is that what I think it is?"
James grinned and waved the shiny fabric around in his arms. "It's an invisibility cloak. Cool, huh?"
Lily blinked at him. "Sure… I mean, no, Potter. Get out of here!"
He smirked and tossed his cloak and broom onto Faylinn's bed. "Cool room." He said, looking around. "That's wicked that you don't have to share with five other people anymore."
Lily stared at him. "Um, okay. Now that you've succeeded in breaking into the Girls' Dormitory, you can get out."
He turned back to face her and smiled. He stepped around her to shut he window and Lily watched him out of the corner of her eye. "You're pretty cute when you're mad, Evans." He said finally, taking a seat on her bed.
Lily rolled her eyes. "No, no, no. Get up off of my bed right now, Potter."
"I won't be long, just let me talk." James said, gazing up at her.
Lily shrugged and sat down next to him. "Fine. Make it quick, though. I swear, if we get caught –"
"We won't." He assured her, then let out a long sigh. "You know school's almost over, right?"
"Yes." Lily said, leaning back on her pillow when she realized that this would take awhile. "Continue, Potter."
"Well," He shrugged. "I just thought I'd give it one last try, you know."
She sat back up and stared at him. "What are you talking about?"
James shrugged again. "It's pointless, right? I mean, you hate me, but –"
"I don't hate you." She protested suddenly, then blanched. "I mean, hate is such a strong word…"
"Right." James laughed. "So, anyway."
"Yeah, of course." Lily nodded. "Go on."
He sighed. "So, I was thinking; you probably don't appreciate how I'm harassing you all the time, so I thought I'd just give it one last try."
Lily's brow furrowed. Harassing her? Hardly. Well, not that that's not what he had been doing, but it's not like she hadn't been enjoying it, either. She blinked at him, but didn't say anything.
"Lily?" She heard him repeat her name lowly.
Her eyes squinted slightly as she thought for a moment. "So, if I say no, you'll never bug me about – you know – again? Ever? Like, never ever?"
He nodded slowly and looked down at his hands. "Yeah… Never ever…" He cleared his throat. "So, Lily Evans –"
"Okay, then." She said with a small smirk.
James sighed. "Um, okay, as I was saying. Lily Evans –"
"And I said, 'Okay, then.'" Lily interrupted.
He threw his hands in the air. "I don't know why I even bother! You're never even going to let me get my question out!" He cried, standing up and taking a few hazard steps away from the bed.
Lily stared blankly at him for a moment before her eyes widened and she stood up, placing a hand on his arm to cease his movement to gather his broom and cloak off of Faylinn's bed. "Whoa!" She exclaimed. "Are you insane?!"
"Apparently so!" James shot back. "I'd have to be, right?! To be chasing after you for the past – I don't even know how long!!"
Lily gave his arm a hard shove. "What's that supposed to mean?!" She yelled, unable to control her temper. Redheads don't have much of a reputation for 'keeping-it-cool,' and Lily was no exception.
"Just forget it, Evans!" James growled as he rubbed the spot on his arm where she had hit him. He let out a sharp laugh. "Can you believe I actually thought you might have come 'round? Yeah, I thought that for a little there! You looked so damned sweet when I gave you that stuffed freaking DOG! Now, that, Lily Evans, just proves that, YES, I am insane! To think that you could have ever… Huh, no way. Not to me, that's for sure."
Lily glowered at him. "Yeah?! Well, at least you realized that before it was too late, huh?! I mean, it's still Valentine's Day! I'm sure you can find someone to fill your time for the rest of the term! Or at least the rest of the day!"
He sneered. "Now what's that supposed to mean?!"
"FORGET IT!" She hollered at him and shoved him once more, this time hitting him square in the chest and sending him toppling backwards onto Faylinn's bed, his hands grabbing at the only thing available in his failed panic to stay standing – her wrists.
Lily let out a small squeak as she fell forwards, on top of James. It was awkwardly silent for a moment. She could feel the blood pounding in her head as she stared at him, his hazel eyes clouded with something she couldn't quite place.
James blinked at her. "You're going to slap me now, aren't you? You're going to slap me, hex me, curse me with a horn poking out of my neck or something of the sort, turn me in to McGonagall –"
Lily couldn't help herself anymore. She leaned down suddenly and placed her mouth over his to silence his rant, kissing him eagerly as though she needed to suck the very breath from him.
"Or," James said breathlessly when she pulled away from him a few moments later, "you could do that…"
"Obviously." Lily breathed, her lips just seconds from his. "I mean, I said, 'okay,' didn't I?"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
James slid down the slide that emerged from the steps of the Girls' Dormitory stairs as he took one step on them a considerable hour past midnight. Unfazed, he stood up and staggered towards the boys' staircase, ignoring Faylinn and Sirius as they entered the common room through the portrait hole. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, what buttons were fastened were out of order, and his hair looked even more untidy than usual – if possible.
Faylinn's brow furrowed as she watched James reel around the couch, a small smirk on his face, dragging his broom and invisibility cloak behind him. "Hey!" She called, making no effort to move towards him, as Sirius still had his arm draped over her shoulder. "Where are you going?"
James didn't turn back to face her – he didn't even cease walking. He just grinned and muttered, "Heaven."
Faylinn and Sirius exchanged a look as James disappeared out of sight. "Do you think –" Faylinn began at the same time that Sirius grinned and said, "Do know whether or not…" He trailed off and gave her a small peck on her forehead before bounding towards the boys' staircase. "I'm going to find out!" He exclaimed.
"HEY!" Faylinn protested, staying rooted in her spot. She grinned when Sirius turned to face her, looking slightly concerned. "Where do you think you're going, Mr. Black?" She asked coyly. "I'm not going to get any sleep if I don't get a goodnight kiss, I swear. I mean, come on –" She was cut off by Sirius's mouth on hers.
"Love you." He whispered before racing back to the stairs. "Okay, goodnight!" He paused for a moment. "Oh, and your breath still sort of tastes like butterbeer."
"GOODNIGHT!" Faylinn shouted, throwing a pillow in his direction as he ran up the stairs, his laugh echoing behind him.
When Sirius reached his own dorm door a few moments later, he grinned and opened it widely. "Oh, hello, Prongs, my good friend." He said slyly, then nodded at Peter and Remus. "Wormtail, Moony, good to see you two."
"He just got back from the Girls' –" Peter cried, but was silenced by Remus shushing him suddenly.
"Right… I saw him slide down the stairs…" Sirius said, rubbing his chin as he took a seat on his own bed and glanced at James, who was lying on his bed, gazing up at his ceiling with a far-off look on his face.
There was a long silence. "So, are you going to provide any information as to –" Sirius began finally.
"It was great." James interrupted him, then sat up long enough to shut the curtains around his bed. "Goodnight." He said cheerily as the other three boys exchanged looks of amusement and confusion.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Faylinn couldn't help the lopsided grin that spread over her face when Lily finally returned from the girls' bathrooms. "Felt a sudden need to wash-up, eh Lily?" She chided playfully.
Lily's eyes widened slightly as she regarded her pink-haired friend, but she just smiled and wrapped her bathrobe tighter around her, even though she was wearing her comfiest – otherwise known as largest – pajamas.
Faylinn nodded and gave her tiny black bat a small shake as she brought it up to her face. "You know something I don't, you sweet little thing! Just spill and I promise I'll let you gnaw on that Slytherin boy's nose all of tomorrow! Yummy, yes?" She cooed, cuddling the bat closer to her face. "If you're into that sort of thing, sure, you sweet little –"
"You're not going to get any information out of a bat." Lily said dryly as she climbed under her covers and rolled onto her side, facing away from Faylinn.
"Did it hurt?" Faylinn pried, leaning forward.
"Only a little." Came Lily's muffled response. "I told you about Michael from the summer before last."
"Right." Faylinn rolled her eyes. "The muggle. I didn't believe you, really."
"I know." Lily replied softly.
After a few moments of silence, Faylinn let out a frustrated sigh. "Come on, Lily! Tell me things!"
Lily let out a small chuckle from underneath her blankets. "What kind of things?"
"EVERYTHING!" Faylinn perked up, glad that her friend was willing to talk.
Lily rolled over and gave Faylinn a glare. "You'll find out eventually, you know."
"Yeah, but not right now." Faylinn countered. After Lily simply raised an eyebrow at her, she sighed. "Okay, okay! But at least answer me this!" She raised her chin defiantly.
"What?" Lily asked obediently.
"Where was my poor, innocent bat – who will forever have scarred eyes now, probably – during all of this… stuff?"
Lily smirked. "Oh, he slept soundly on my pillow the whole time."
"Really?" Faylinn giggled, then her eyes widened and she held her pet close to her chest. "Merlin's beard, Lily! You – UGH! – in the same bed as my little BABY?!"
"No." Lily said quietly as she rolled back over onto her other side and waved her wand to extinguish all the candles in the room.
Faylinn frowned, then looked around the room. The room looked fairly tidy, apart from Faylinn's unmade bed and her journal lying alone on the floor at the foot of her bed. She shrugged and picked up her journal.
Dear little black book/ diary,
So, I suppose Lily and James are officially an item now. Lily obviously won't get all detailed on me, which is so totally unfair! I mean, how am I going to be prepared when Sirius decides to
Not that he will anytime soon, I mean. Sure, he gave me a bat, but that hardly qualifies as anything other than that he's willing to buy me things (which is not a bad thing, let me assure you).
Poor little bat, though. (I still don't know what to name the freaking bugger.) I mean, he's just a BABY and he had to suffer through Lily and James
Faylinn froze suddenly and let out an earsplitting scream as she jumped off of her bed and landed with a thud on the floor, hastily snatching for the small bat in the dark. "BLOODY HELL, LILY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "IN MY FREAKING BED! ARE YOU MAD?!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
::AN:: Ah, that's lovely. (LOL) Next chappie coming sooner than this one, I promise! Sorry to keep you guys waiting so long, honestly! Much luff, and please review!