TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
Part I
Thrill of the Chase
Disclaimer: I only WISH that I had some part in Harry Potter, or that I could write so well. But no, all belongs to JK Rowling. I am merely an ordinary girl (well maybe not too ordinary), borrowing her characters, and hoping to unleash some of my imagination that others will enjoy reading :P
A/N: Well, people who are still reading this far...THANKS, I appreciate it. Continue reading, and please please please REVIEW. I hate the new hits counter... it is just torture, knowing that people may be reading your stories and aren't reviewing :( Reviews make writers happy :) This chapter turned out to be quite a bit different from the previous one I posted up and has turned incredibly long. Oops, my bad.
Chapter 7 Stand Up
Somewhere outside the Hogwarts castle a danger was lurking, growing stronger in strength and numbers, taking innocent lives and shattering others. The darkness was inevitably coming, the light was slowly dimming, hope was being lost. But within the castle, safe behind the gates of Hogwarts, the prospect of what lay ahead was not yet real, the only worry was the eye popping amount of homework that teachers were assigning. And for a certain messy haired boy, it was the worry of an approaching date with a certain redhead.
So maybe James Potter did manage to get a date with Lily Evans. After trying so hard and for so long, didn't he at least deserve just one? He couldn't say it was an easy task, but after many years of pursuing her, it finally seemed to be paying off (if only a bit). He also couldn't say it was an easy task hunting her down to get details or ask for her input on what things she liked to do on dates.
It seemed as if she was everywhere he wasn't. And when he did manage to bump into her, she was always busy and was always gone before he could even open his mouth. He wasn't stupid, he knew she was avoiding him. He was determined to corner her though. His chance came about five days after he asked her out.
It was a blustery gray morning and the wind was a bit chilly. Everything seemed a bit gloomy since the sun was not out and was hiding behind dark looming clouds. Apparently though, people like Lily Evans and her friends liked early morning walks in not so pleasant weather, which was something he came to find out after getting up so early to wait for her to come down.
James had caught a glimpse of Lily's hair from outside and had practically flew out of the common room, leaping down stairs and dodging students. He certainly looked a mess. His tie wasn't on and his school shirt wasn't even buttoned up properly. He stood at the door of the Great Hall, panting, catching his breath and straightening himself up before he casually walked outside, quietly following Lily and maintaining his distance at first. He could hear bits of conversation between her and Ashlynn.
"So what do you think of Hogwarts so far?"
"It's nice." Ashlynn smiled. "Some house rivalry I noticed."
"Any cute guys you've got your eye on?" Lily asked coyly.
Ashlynn made a face. "You know what? I actually haven't really been able to take a good look. I've been busy with homework and trying to settle in. And then there's Quidditch practice with Sirius and then ACTUAL Quidditch practice with the dreaded James. But he's really good you know. I haven't seen anyone play as good as James and Sirius before."
Lily laughed and James wished that he was the one making her laugh, completely unaware of the insult and compliment. He watched as Lily smoothed down her school skirt as the wind threatened to whip it skywards. He suddenly felt nervous at the thought and ran his fingers through his already wild and untidy hair. Only when he stepped over some fallen leaves and made noise was when Lily whipped around and her green eyes fell upon James.
"Potter, what are you doing here?" she hissed.
"Well, I - " James opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly tackled to the ground by his best friend. "Gerroff Sirius."
"Jamesie my boy," Sirius grinned, clapping him on the back, "I've been looking all over the place for you." He noticed the two girls standing before him and flashed them a charming smile any other girl would melt for. "Excuse me ladies." He then lowered his voice and whispered something to James. Lily could not tell James' reaction to whatever it was Sirius was whispering at him, as his face remained indifferent.
"Moony?" James' whispered back, a bit loudly. His face broke out into somewhat of a grin. He then caught Lily's eye and ran his hand through his hair (yet again) which made Lily cringe inside as she continued to coldly glare at James. She hated that gesture, it annoyed the hell out of her. Ashlynn seemed much more interested with the rings on her hand as she fiddled with them. And then as sudden as Sirius had appeared, he had disappeared.
"Well Potter?" Lily asked, her voice harsh. "What are you doing here?"
"Merlin Evans, are you really that dense? What else would I be doing here? Anyways, don't you know that you shouldn't be out wandering with certain...situations and circumstances?" James asked matter-of-factly. So much for being nicer to her.
"It's generally taken that the Hogwarts grounds are safe, but if there are people like you stalking me that I guess I should watch out shouldn't I? How long have you been following me?"
James shrugged, looking nonchalant. "I have to stalk you to talk to you don't I? Seeing as you won't even give me the time of day?"
Lily gave an exasperated sigh. She couldn't avoid him forever. And she did agree to...she shuddered, and it wasn't exactly from the cool of the morning.
"What Potter, what do you want?" she spat.
"About the date - "
"What about it?" Lily cut in, impatient.
"Well, when, where, what, why, how?"
"Usually I would answer never, nowhere, nothing, just because and it's your problem. But seeing as I can't, I don't know, and you proposed the stupid idea of a date so you figure it out by yourself. Then stalk me to try and talk to me again. Goodbye."
She turned around and James couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh himself. He had chased her around and tried so hard to talk to her and she was acting more than unfriendly. He didn't think that she actually hated him. After all, what was there to hate? He was after all, James Potter, Quidditch captain, one of the smartest of the year, loved by a huge percentage of the female population... What was there to hate exactly?
"For Merlin's sake Evans, you would think you would be a bit more polite seeing that I am taking the liberty to hear what you would like to do and that I'm willing to take it into consideration," he couldn't disguise the venom in his voice. As much as he was crazy over her...
"What, because you forced me into a date with you and I haven't even dated the giant squid yet? You expect me to cooperate with you? Sure thing Potter. Dream on. Sod off and figure it out yourself."
"Fine." James held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'll make the bloody plans. Meet me at the portrait hole at six o'clock on Friday. Skip dinner at the Great Hall. I'll take care of the rest."
Lily scoffed. "OK Potter." He didn't know if she was being serious or sarcastic. Before he could say anything, she turned back to Ashlynn and continued walking, leaving James nothing to do but to return back to the castle and take his frustration out on something or someone. This whole date thing was going to be harder than he thought.
After James was gone Lily sighed again. "What am I getting myself into?"
"Lily, weren't you a bit mean to James? It was actually nice of him to ask you what you wanted to do. At least he was willing to hear your say." Her eyes clouded over for a moment, but as quick as it came it was gone.
"I don't know what it is with him." There was a moment of silence. "Actually I do. Every time I see him, I feel this uncontrollable anger well up inside me. And then I feel this need to spit and argue with him and put him in his place. I hate how he prances around and pranks and hexes anybody he wants just because he can. He thinks he's so great. And then half the girls are pathetic and fall all over him and the Marauders. All the attention goes to their heads. The Marauders are these perfect guys with their perfect lives and all they have to worry about is not getting caught because everybody loves them so," Lily spit out sarcastically. "And since he forced me into this stupid date, it's his bloody problem and I absolutely refuse to make it any easier for him."
Ashlynn knew her closest friend enough not to argue with her at the moment. It would be useless. When Lily felt so strongly about something, she would not back down.
---
James stormed into the dorm room, slamming the door violently behind him, silently amazed that the door still remained on its hinges. He had held everything in when talking to Lily, willing himself not to explode. And now was the time to let it all out.
Peter was the only one still sleeping. Remus was up and straightening his uniform and digging around for his robes. Sirius was munching on a piece of toast while writing on a piece of parchment, finishing the last bit of his homework. At the sound of James' entrance, Remus had braced himself, ready for a temper tantrum while Sirius cocked an eyebrow in James' direction, interested in the events that would arise. Peter remained under the covers.
"I can't believe how impolite Evans is! The nerve! I ask her for the details of the date, I was even willing to listen to what she had to say! She told me to figure it out myself! I can't even - "
James was at a loss for words and kicked at his trunk at the foot of his bed, sending all his things flying in all directions.
"Oy mate. I'm trying to get some sleep here. Can you keep it down?" Peter finally piped up, apparently still consumed by sleep. When he realized it was James he was talking about, he jumped up as if receiving an electric shock and locked himself in the bathroom, attempting to keep out of the way of James' temper.
James sat down on Peter's now vacant bed and put his head in his hands. Sirius had turned around in his chair so that he was straddling the back, still munching on his piece of toast in which he then devoured in a single bite, looking at James.
"Guess your object of affection isn't as affectionate as you want," Sirius grinned, after swallowing his toast. "And I thought 'You had plans alright' for the date?"
"Shut up Sirius. They all seemed so minor then. Merlin! She wouldn't even... fu- "
"Yeah, I know, I heard. I'll be surprised if the whole tower didn't hear."
James sat in silence for a moment and then went over to his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked.
"Making reservations," James answered simply.
"Where?"
"That really fancy restaurant in Hogsmeade. Chez." (A/N: I know there isn't such a thing but I'm making it up because I need it. So just pretend there is.)
"That really expensive restaurant? With the stuck up people and the classy dining?" Sirius questioned.
James nodded. "It's nice though. If this is my only chance of getting Lily Evans to change her mind about me, then be it. I'm going to get her to go out with me."
"That place is ridiculous," Sirius continued. "You have to make reservations well ahead of time. And then that's like a binding contract you can't break or something. They keep hounding you to make sure that you'll actually show up. It's crazy."
"That's not the point Sirius. The point is that it's classy and it's nice. It'll give me a chance to show her how much of a gentleman I am. And to get her to change her mind about me."
"Gentleman?" Sirius spluttered. He cracked up laughing. "You aren't a gentleman! The only person close to a gentleman is Moony!"
"Well we aren't all dogs either," James shot back. Sirius immediately shut up. "Anyways, continuing on. I am determined to act civil and nice to her. Not that I don't anyways. But this might be my only chance. And I'm taking it. Perhaps I should write her a note informing her to dress a bit more formally."
---
"So Lils, what are you going to wear?" Jade asked, laying on her bed and glancing at Lily.
"Wear to what?"
"Your date with James on Friday. He said to dress semi-formal."
Lily shuddered. "Who cares? It's only Potter. I'm not dressing to impress."
"This looks nice." Lily's words went ignored. Ashlynn pulled a cream sweater with a unique collar out of Lily's trunk and smoothed it out with her slim fingers. "And this." She proceeded to pull out a knee length black skirt with a bit of lace around the edges.
"Whatever," Lily muttered. She seemed deep in thought with something else as she brushed her hair in front of her dresser. "It's quiet. Where's everyone else?"
"Latisha's off with some guy and Julie's somewhere," Ashlynn answered. She continued to study the outfit carefully. "It's nice. It's sophisticated, but not overdoing it. You don't know what he has planned, do you?"
Lily shook her head. "Nope. And frankly, I don't care."
"Then you probably didn't think about how he might be sneaking you off grounds eh?"
Lily stopped brushing her hair and set the brush on the dresser. The thought of sneaking off grounds had not even crossed her mind. And now that she thought about it, it absolutely made her feel sick. She looked at Ashlynn through the mirror as though it hadn't affected her. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Ashlynn began tentatively. "He did say to skip dinner in the Great Hall right? So you're obviously eating somewhere else."
"Merlin, he did," Lily remembered, recalling the events with dread and horror. She couldn't possibly sneak off Hogwarts grounds, considering the state that things were in... She couldn't possibly tarnish her reputation or slim the chances of being Head Girl. What if she got caught? What if something bad happened?
"And you had a say in the date, but you didn't say anything, so I guess you're going along with it huh?" Ashlynn continued, trying but failing miserably to suppress a smirk.
"Well, I've actually been thinking." Lily paused, causing her friends to sit forwards a little bit. She had thought over what Julie had said a lot. 'You could always make a no-show.'
"Thinking about what?" Jade asked, returning Lily from her thoughts.
"Well, I've been thinking about not going."
"What do you mean?" Jade asked shrilly, horrified by the very idea.
"Well, what if I don't show up?" Lily said slowly, choosing her words carefully.
"You're going to stand up James Potter?" Jade asked incredulously.
"Lily, don't do that," Ashlynn said. "It's low. He's putting a lot of effort into this. I know he's not exactly your favourite person, but still. It's wrong."
"And it's James Potter!" Jade wailed.
Lily thought about Ashlynn's words, and as much as she hated to admit it, she knew Ashlynn was right. "OK, OK, I won't." She couldn't help but debate the option though. It would be something new and definitely unheard of. And would maybe deflate his already huge ego a bit. James Potter, stood up...
---
Friday came too slowly for most of the students of Hogwarts as they waited for the weekend, but to Lily it came much too fast. She had no clue what to expect from James or the date, and the feeling of not being in control or not knowing the situation ahead made her stomach queasy. Lily wanted to believe she didn't care about what James had planned but in all honesty, it was all she ever thought about. And the thought of sneaking off grounds made her even more sick. She lay on her dorm bed, thinking hard and feeling nauseous. Not to mention what the gossiping girls would say...
Lily was sitting in the common room, quickly finishing up a Potions essay, hoping to distract her mind from the date. Over in the corner of the room stood a group of girls, whispering loudly and looking at Lily. She was feeling uneasy, being the topic of their conversation. Their voices carried over to her, and she could hear clearly what they were saying.
"She has a date with Potter."
"It's not the first date either."
"I heard she's going out with Potter."
"James Potter?"
"But she hates him!"
"Maybe she's starting to like him."
Lily could feel the blood rushing through her veins. The very nerve of these girls, talking about her right in front of her face, and making no obvious attempts at trying to hide their conversation. And being made out to like him when it was extremely clear that she despised him, was even more than she could take.
"Hush, I heard she was secretly in love with him."
"I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH POTTER!"
"OK, OK, you're not in love with Potter!" Jade exclaimed in surrender, startled by Lily's sudden outburst, even though they had not even mentioned the date.
Lily sat up, shaking with rage. It was not until everything came into focus that she realized she was in her dorm room, and the date with Potter was getting to her so much that she had even started dreaming about it.
"You're not in love with Potter Lily, you're not in love with Potter. I get it, I get it."
"Calm down Jade," Latisha said, amused by the situation.
Lily shook her head as if to clear it, and then apologized to her friends for her shouting. She didn't want to wait around in her dorm room with the tension of the date hanging over them like a cloud of fog so she hurried and changed into the outfit Ashlynn had picked out for her. Lily then gathered her books and headed down to the library.
Needless to say, Lily was much deprived of a decent night's sleep for the entire week. She was either doing homework or up late talking with Julie or Ashlynn. Or sitting and being paranoid about the date with Potter so that she was unable to sleep...
The weight of work the professors had placed on the sixth years was a heavy load and she could barely stay awake in her classes. She felt exhausted, overworked and drained. Not to mention her prefect duties with Remus. They both divided the work up equally, and since James had stopped making her job a living hell and temporarily stopped the prank competition, things were actually quite peaceful. Draining and tiring, yet peaceful. She spent a couple nights patrolling the corridors for stragglers and rebellious students who felt like sneaking out. And prefect meetings, once a week usually. Words could not describe how much she ached for a decent night's sleep without disturbances. The short moment when she had drifted off and dreamed about Potter was one of the only moments of sleep she was able to get.
Lily headed over to a deserted part of the library and sat down in a carrel. She pulled out her Transfiguration textbook and read over the section they had covered earlier. It was about five o'clock, she had another hour to kill. Willing her eyes to stay awake, she pulled out a piece of parchment and began writing her dreadfully long essay which seemed to go on forever. The sounds of quiet chatter in the library turned to mumbling and the lights slowly lulled her to sleep. She blinked, remembering she had somewhere to be but she couldn't help but to succumb to the sleep that was calling her name.
---
Meanwhile...
James Potter stood at the portrait hole, waiting impatiently for Lily. He had managed to remind her earlier of their date and although she just scoffed, he was pretty sure she was going to be there. He checked the time on the mantelpiece. Only five past six. James tapped his foot and then checked his back pocket to make sure that he still had the papers for their reservations.
James watched as the Gryffindors headed out of the portrait hole and silently wished that he told Lily to meet him somewhere where there weren't so many students moving in and out. He felt like an idiot standing there. He then began pacing, glancing over at the clock every so often.
Sirius then clambered down the stairs with Remus and Peter. They headed over to where James was pacing, a stormy look across his face.
"Still waiting?" Sirius queried.
"What's it look like?" James snapped irritably.
"I'm pretty sure she'll show up," Remus comforted before they too disappeared out of the portrait hole.
James stood, staring off into space before he stopped to check his robes for the single red rose he had got for Lily. It sat there, glimmering in the dim lights of the common room. James felt a bit guilty confining such a beautiful thing to the dark of his robes. He was determined to make Lily change her mind about him. James paced around again. Only until it was quarter after did James set off to find Lily, convincing himself that maybe she had genuinely forgot or maybe held up somewhere...
He first stood at the steps of the girls' dormitories, calling her name. After he got no reply he headed down to the Transfiguration classroom, maybe she had gone back for help and McGonagall wouldn't let her leave just yet. James poked his head in the room and his face fell - empty. He then headed outside, maybe she had gone for another walk with one of her friends. He did a few laps around the school grounds and after he was sure that she was not there, he went back in, a defeated slump apparent in his walk.
'Maybe she's in the library,' James thought to himself.
His stride quickened as he headed down the corridor and pushed open the doors into the library. His eyes scanned the tables and rows of books, trying to find the beautiful redhead. He then did a quick run around the library, incase she was sitting at a table or behind a carrel. He stopped in a deserted corner, leaning beside a seemingly empty carrel and crossed his arms, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips. If only he knew who was behind the carrel, sleeping peacefully...
James headed back to the portrait hole. It was now 7:20. He entered the common room with a particularly unhappy look across his face. Anybody who knew James Potter would know that look and would hurry out of his range of sight and out of his path. James' eyes landed on a petite dark haired girl. Ashlynn. She was sitting in front of the fire looking deep in thought as she worked on her homework by herself. She was usually by herself or with (usually Lily) Latisha or Jade. She barely spoke in class. If James hadn't seen her in Quidditch practices he would have thought that she seemed aloof and was a loner. But during practices she was actually smiley and outspoken. Quite contrary to the way she acted during classes.
Sirius was sitting a little bit aways from her with some new girl sitting in his lap. Remus was reading a book and Peter was frantically trying to finish a tiny fraction of his huge pile of homework that had accommodated over the past few days.
"Hey, Ashlynn!" James jogged over to her. He could feel his friends' curious stares and wonderment at how the date with Lily Evans went. If it had went at all. James avoided their eyes and lowered his voice so that only Ashlynn could hear him. He felt like a giant, towering over the petite girl.
"Have you been up in your dorm? Can you see if Lily is there?"
Ashlynn looked at James for a moment, her brows furrowed. It took her a while to answer and then she glanced around the room. "Lily? Shouldn't she be with you?"
"Does it look like she is?" He asked irritably. Sirius glanced up at him.
Ashlynn looked alarmed for a moment at the thought of Lily missing. She hurried up the stairs and practically broke down the door. Julie was in the room with Jade, but Lily was nowhere to be seen. Ashlynn returned to James, her face downcast. She shook her head and James swore under his breath before storming upstairs, all the anger and frustration getting the best of him.
He was glad his friends weren't in the room when he clambered in. He was also glad that they hadn't followed him upstairs. The room was darker than usual and the only light was from a few flickering candles. He threw the single rose he had for Lily onto the cold stone floor and ground it with his heel. The fragile petals of the rose gave way and were soon reduced to nothing but pieces. He wanted to scream and beat up somebody.
After a moment of silence, a dark grey owl rapped on his window and he opened it. The owl swooped in and James angrily ripped the piece of parchment off the owl's leg. The owl gave an indignant hoot and took off.
Mr Potter,
Chez would like to know if you are still going through with your reservations on the night of October 12, 6:30 pm. It would be greatly appreciated if you were prompt in your arrival so the table reserved for you will be in use. As a result in the delay, Chez would like to request your answer in whether or not you would like us to save your reservation.
All the best wishes in serving you,
Chez
James gave a slight laugh to himself before crumpling the parchment up and throwing it across the room. He kicked at his trunk again, sending all his things flying again. He pushed all his things off his desk and threw his chair upside down. He yanked his invisibility cloak out of the trunk and threw it across the room. The room looked like a royal mess when James was through. James shook his head in frustration and disappointment before throwing himself onto his bed and burying himself deep in his covers as parchments and quills fluttered down to the ground.
"No," he mumbled quietly as an afterthought to the answer of the parchment. "I was stood up."
If James wasn't angry enough to observe things clearly, he would have noticed a certain piece of parchment fluttering to the floor and displaying a flurry of movement. It landed beside the broken pieces of the once beautiful rose, contrasting with the bright red of the petals. The partially-finished-still-in-construction Marauder's Map lay on the floor. A tiny dot labeled Lily Evans had hurried out of the library and was rapidly making its way over to Gryffindor tower.