James Fever.
Disclaimer: not mine.
Summery: A few weeks on Lily's still unsure about dating James. Then when he disappears three nights in a row Lily believes he's cheating on her. She refuses to listen to anything James says, so Remus steps in…
XoX Thanks to those who reviewed! Here is the demanded next chapter/sequel. XoX
PhebesH:D thanks em.
Gone-Goonie: some one BETA it? You'll have to excuse my naivety in regards to 'fiction writing but; huh?
alix33: I could but I don't think I'll have enough ideas for writing that far, however on this computer somewhere I do have a story which will end when they are killed, maybe two. I just have to get writing the middle of it grins sheepishly
ObsessiveGilmore: well, it's a sort of sequel…
Tanya J Potter: really? Thanks! Didn't think it was 'one of' my best!
life2me: thanks!
Fanficluv7Harry: sort of sequel, an extension at any rate
luthien telemnar: continuation…
Lost Chick:Here, more!
Achava: ;p
Erika: James and Lily are yes, but others aren't so they would need one for other, also, Dumbledore being as sneaky and perceptive as he is, would have probably known Lily and James need to get together, a heads dorm would force them to spend time together. I like this idea, it's in a few fic's I've got lying around.
sugur-huny-bun: thanks! Haven't got many up yet, I'm working on them in between other things…
Moonlit Mouse: Thanks! Appreciate it!
Clobberella: James IS head boy, and I quote "Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day!..."-Hagrid. 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'-Chapter Four 'The Keeper of the Keys' page 45 lines 18-19. Or if you prefer: pulls out American copy 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone'-Chapter Four 'The Keeper of the Keys' page 55 lines 7-8.
And in case u hadn't noticed in this fic no one asks anyone out, Lily just tell James he's on her mind…a lot…
jamesluver1: I agree! They're the cutest! Hope JK writes more about them…
Chelle-Lynn: thanks! I will try to.
spygirl4747: Ty!
hpfan1: Glad you liked it. here's a sort of sequel.
J.E.A.R.K.Potter: thanks, but I wrote a bit more anyway…
XoX
James smiled across the table at Lily. She smiled back and blushed. They'd been together almost 4 weeks no arguments had arisen that they were unable to solve by talking…Lily was looking forward to their nightly snuggle by the fireplace of their common room. Sirius looked up at the Great Hall's ceiling, realising it was getting dark he nudged Peter, pointed up and then headed over to James. He muttered something in his ear and headed out of the hall with Peter. James looked over at Lily. About to say something to her a brunette girl walked past and winked at him. James blinked a few times and Lily glared at her until she had passed.
"Lily? I can't…tonight I've…got to be somewhere else, a past engagement…" he smiled apologetically
"I'll see you later ok?" he waved and ran towards the entrance hall. On the way a blonde girl stopped him, he chatted with her but ran off quickly. She called after him but he ignored her. Lily felt cold as she returned to the heads common room. What was it he had to do? Did it involve another girl? Was he bored with her already? Annoyed that they hadn't done more than kiss? She fell asleep on the sofa, waiting for James to return. She sat alone at breakfast the next day, Jane and Martha had probably decided to sleep in as often they did. James stumbled in to the hall, clothes somewhat askew, followed by a blonde girl and the Sirius and Peter. James was ignoring the blonde and as soon as he saw Lily he stumbled over.
"Where were you?" Lily demanded, breaking her vow to not talk to him until he explained.
"I had to go and help…Wormtail with his Transfiguration!" James yawned and put his head on his arms. Lily, unsure, decided to give James the benefit of the doubt but when they got to transfiguration it was obvious he had lied. Peter didn't have any work to hand in and James and Sirius handed in crumpled pieces of parchment. Lily glared at James, annoyed at his blatant lie, but James didn't seem to notice, he was dosing on the desk. After the lesson Lily stormed off to Runes without a word, James was too tired to notice, he simply waved at her and headed to his dorm to sleep in his free double.
"see you later Lily!" he called as he ran out of the great hall after dinner again. Lily glared after him.
"What's up Lily?" Jane asked, concerned.
"Last night James said he had to go somewhere, as far as I know he didn't come back, he told me he'd helped Peter with his transfiguration work, but Peter had none to hand in." Lily told her before putting her head in her arms.
"It's probably a prank Lily, you know what they're like!" Martha joined in.
"But they haven't pranked in months!" Lily cried.
"He wouldn't Lily, he's liked you for ages, he's waited to long…" Jane knew what Lily was thinking. Lily looked at her before leaving. She knew James wasn't telling her something, she just hoped it wasn't her worst nightmare.
xXx
The next morning James was again tired and there had been no evidence of him returning to the dorms after Lily had fallen asleep on the sofa.
"Lily…" he started but Lily simply looked at him and left. James sat stunned.
"Wh…what did I do?" James asked. Martha and Jane glared at him and left too. James, realising he had 2 minutes until his lesson grabbed some toast and ran out of the hall.
xXx
James yawned as he headed to the heads dorm to go to bed, glad that the day after the last full moon was a Saturday. He stumbled past the sofa, not noticing a sleeping Lily, and into his dorm room. He woke up in time for lunch and quickly got dressed. He sat next to Lily at the table but when he went to talk to her she got up and left, her friends following. James watched her leave, confused. After he ate he waved good bye to Sirius and Peter, they were off to see Lupin again in the hospital wing and James went looking for Lily. He found her and her friends in the Gryffindor common room.
"Lily…" he started but she didn't look up. He sat in front of her.
"Lily? If you don't talk to me I wont know what I've done and I cant put it right." He said softly.
"What you've done? You don't know? You don't tell me where you go and spend all night out! You blatantly lie about where you were and completely ignore me! If that's the way it's going to be then it's not going to be at all." Lily got up and headed to the dorm stairs.
"Lily wait! I can explain!" James yelled after her but she ignored him. As Jane and Martha left to Martha saw James crumple to the floor out of the corner of her eye. She walked up the stairs, torn between sticking with Lily and finding out the truth from James. James watched them leave before slowly heading towards the hospital wing. He met the others just out side; Remus was leaning heavily on a stick and the other two were dancing around him.
"Prongs! Prongs…? What's up?" Sirius asked concerned. James suddenly burst into tears.
"She dumped me Padfoot! She said she didn't like the blatant lies and if that was they way it was going to be it wasn't going to be at all." James collapsed on the floor and hid his face in his knees.
"Didn't you explain?" asked Remus quietly.
"She left, wouldn't let me." Came James's muffled voice.
"Get him to his room, I'll talk to her." Remus said softly before limping off to the library.
xXx
Lily sniffed as she picked books off the shelves at the back of the library. It was her favourite part since hardly anyone dared to enter the darkness to look for a book. She was glad she had discovered the true James before she'd let herself fall for him completely. She should be over him in a few months or so.
"Lily?" asked a quiet voice and Lily spun around, dropping her books. Remus hobbled up and helped her pick them up.
"What happened to you?" she asked softly. "It was some sort of stupid prank wasn't it?" she demanded "You're all so...gah! Especially Black and Potter…" she started
"If it hadn't been for 'Black' and 'Potter' these last few nights it would have been a lot worse." Remus said softly and Lily looked at him. Remus sat down and Lily sat down too.
"Why wouldn't you let James explain?" he asked her softly and Lily shifted.
"I didn't want more lies…" she started
"He was going to tell the truth, I had said he could. It's more than that, isn't it?" he asked looking at her
"No…I…" Lily started but Remus butted in.
"It is. I can smell fear…anyway since you wouldn't let James tell you what he was up to then I will." Remus held a hand up at Lily's protesting snort.
"You broke up with him believing him to be doing something undesirable. He wasn't and I'm not going to have him collapsing in hallways in tears because of me." Lily looked surprised.
"I'm a werewolf Lily. I have been since I was a little boy. That's why the Whomping Willow was planted the year we arrived. It's over a passageway that leads to the shrieking shack. I go there to transform. It didn't take long for my new friends to wonder where I went once a month. They figured it out quite fast and, instead of running like I expected everyone to when they found out, they stuck by me and decided to try and make my transformations more bearable. Unable to do this as humans they started to learn how to become animagi. Now once a month they join me and watch over me, preventing me from hurting my self too much. My transformations became less depressing for me, I stopped hating myself, stopped trying to hide, I became, well, me. Not even Dumbledore knows what they've done for me." Remus blushed slightly. Lily sat, mouth open.
"So that's what he's been doing these last few nights. Last time I saw him he was crying. I suggest you get over your fear and talk to him." Remus finished before getting up and hobbling out. Lily sat for a long time in the library thinking over what Remus had said. She should report them. They had broken the law, become illegal animagi. But…they'd done it for a friend…they'd risked being caught and thrown in Azkaban just to make their friend feel better about himself and they let nothing stand in the way of doing that. It seemed James was the sort of guy who would do anything for his friends…Remus was right, she was afraid. Afraid of James's reputation, scared that after he had what he wanted he'd drop her like a hot stone. But if he was crying…if he'd collapsed…Lily bit her lip. She really didn't want to leave him, she wanted to let herself fall deeply in love with him but she wasn't sure she was brave enough. She got up and headed to the heads common room, sure James wouldn't be at dinner. She found him curled up on the sofa in front of the fire.
"James?" she asked softly and he stirred, eyes still closed. Assuming he was asleep she started to talk.
"James I'm sorry. I know what you were doing and I'm sorry. It just—I'm just—I…" Lily paused and took hold of his hand
"I'm scared." She blurted out "You're reputation is get what you want then leave the other person behind. I…I don't want to be left behind James." She muttered quietly
"That's all wrong." James replied making her jump. He squeezed her hand.
"I never leave anyone behind." He opened his eyes and uncurled. Lily saw tear marks on his face. He picked his glasses up off of the floor and looked at her.
"Besides you're what I want so how could I leave you?" James added softly. Lily's eyes filled
"Forgive me?" she asked, trying not to beg.
"If you promise to always have trust in me." He whispered Lily looked at him, looked at the tear marks on his face.
"I promise." Lily whispered, tears falling from her eyes. James lent over and kissed them away.
"Then I forgive you." He smiled. Lily threw her arms around his neck, knocking him back onto the sofa.
"Hrumph." He grunted as he impacted. Lily sat up and James grinned. He tickled her and she sucked in her breath, trying not to laugh. She collapsed in giggles on his chest before attempting to tickle him. His laughter vibrated though his chest under her ear and a feeling she'd never truly felt before filled her chest. It made her want to hug him close and never let him leave.
"James, what is it you transform into?" Lily asked softly.
"A stag." He replied.
"Prongs." Lily whispered softly.
"yeah." James muttered, drifting off to sleep slightly.
"James?" Lily asked
"Mmm?" he replied
"I…lo—I'm not as scared any more." Lily hid her face in James's shirt. His arms settled around her.
"I love you too." He whispered.
xXx
The next morning James woke to a stiff neck.
"Ow…" he muttered trying to move it without waking Lily.
"Hmmm?" Lily asked sitting up and stretching.
"My neck hurts." James yawned. Lily jumped up
"Oh! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. James pulled her back down.
"Where do you think you're going?" he growled, making her shiver. His stomach rumbled.
"Breakfast." Lily giggled. James grinned
"Then I shall come too." He got up and straightened his shirt. They exited the dorms holding hands and walked in companionable silence. As they sat down at the Gryffindor table many eyes were on them.
"Made up I see!" Sirius grinned with a wink. Remus smiled at Lily and James beamed at everyone.
"May you have a long and happy future together." Jane raised her goblet, eyes on Lily. Lily looked at James and he smiled at her as he raised his goblet. Without taking her eyes from his she raised hers.
"To a happy future." They said together, clinking goblets before sipping. Martha, grinning broadly, spilt some pumpkin juice over Peter. He jumped up and swatted away her feeble dabbing at his arm before dabbing at his robes himself, a glare crossing his face.
"Look what you did you fool of a woman!" he yelled. The others looked at him in surprise.
"It's ok Wormtail, here." James waved his wand at Peter's wet robes and they dried up. Instead of thanking James he glared at him too before storming away, rubbing his arm.
"What's with him?" asked Sirius, eyebrow raised. "He's never acted like that before!"
"I don't know…" muttered Remus with a frown. James shrugged and started to eat some eggs.
"We'll find out in time." Lily told them before biting into some toast.
The weeks past and James and Lily holding hands became a common sight around the castle. They were indeed happy together, Lily had let herself trust James and she was glad she had. Wormtail was cooler and less admiring of the others but he still hung around with them and they put his coolness down to the fact that he was getting stressed at the thought of the approaching exams because he'd never been an accomplished wandsman. But not even the exams or the ever worsening war could prevent the happiness of the group. Little did they know that Lily had been right and that when they would finally found out what had been up with Peter they wouldn't like it once bit. Nor would they realise what an impact it had on, not just the wizarding world but the muggle world too.
A/N: Meh, a sort of strangled ending, I can't figure out how to make it flow better and you get the idea. Please R&R!