Chapter Six: A Meeting

Three days later Lilly recalled her manners. She was perusing her own torn and worn copy of Pride and Prejudice when she came to the startling realization that her friends were like Jane; Cassandra and Bethany were simply disillusioned about James having good qualities just as Jane naively looked for the good in everyone. That habit was quite annoying but Lily decided that she would just have to buck up and deal with life as it was. Sacrifice is essential to any relationship.

So, when Cassandra returned from Quidditch practice and Bethany returned from a study session with Remus (Lily naturally assumed they were studying) she corralled them into her Head Girl "office" for a chat.

"So, does this mean you've give up your position that you and James would be incompatible? Come on Lily, we know you lust for him with a lust that never dies." Cassandra drawled, draping her long legs across Lily's leather chair.

Lily, exhibiting extreme calm, just rolled her eyes.

"I think she means that she's forgiven us for our meddling." Bethany said quietly.

Lily was filled with a rush of sympathy and righteous anger for Bethany. It wasn't really fair of her to shut her out as Bethany had gotten the brunt of James' horridness but then again, she needed to maintain an appropriate level of respect; for herself and her favorite book.

"Forgiven, not forgotten." Lily answered, sipping her tea. "And by the way, I do not lust for anything, particularly with a 'lust that never dies'. For the last time, I do not and will not feel that way about James Potter. The subject is closed."

"Damn, Lily. You're worse than McG." Cassandra exclaimed.

Lily just looked at her. Cassandra was back to her other bad habits, now that her worst one had been finished with.

"Oh come on Lily. We know you secretly curse the day Potter was born."

Lily's eyebrows went up and a smile appeared on her tight lips, but Cassandra quickly recovered.

"Of course, only because there have been difficulties between you two that prevent you from declaring your love and it causes you much misery." Cassandra continued passionately, waving a dragon's hide boot covered foot back and forth.

Not sure she could take anymore, Lily very pointedly turned to Bethany. She crossed her legs, set her tea cup down on her knee, and asked in a falsely warm voice, "Bethany, how was your day?"

All three girls laughed. Bethany reminded Lily that they had most of their classes together, but assured her it was a wonderful day. "And you Cassandra?" asked Lily, pointedly, but smiling.

"I was talking to James at practice. . ." Cassandra commented innocently, for which the laughing Head Girl threw a saucer at her friend's head. The Quidditch player caught it deftly. A wicked grin spread over her features, and Cassandra exclaimed, "Maybe I should switch to seeker. Bump out James. . ." The three friends laughed together, Lily still slightly annoyed.

"I don't think he'd like that. I don't think I'd like that," a wry male voice commented from the door.

"Remus!" the three friends exclaimed; one with a happy squeak, another with astonishment, and the third with easy camaraderie.

"What is wrong with me as seeker? I'd be less conceited!" Cassandra said vehemently.

That comment earned snorts of disbelief from everyone else present. "It's close competition. . . between who's more stuck up." Remus teased. "Leave James alone. Oh, but not you Lily. He wants to talk to you."

If Lily was anyone else, she would have begun cursing under her breath. The cursing wasn't missed as Cassandra decided to fill it in for her. Lily frowned, and glared. "Why?"

Remus jokingly backed away from the irritated Head Girl. "Whoah, Evans, don't shoot the messenger. Your friend needs me." Lily just looked exasperated. "And we both need your office, so run off and fight with James?"

A little too near smiling to be annoyed, Lily plodded out of her office with a cat-calling friend in tow. Now where was Potter? Cassandra pointed him out in a cluster of third year girls that he was helping with their homework. "What are those girls thinking?" Lily asked herself as she pulled her feet over the carpet to James' cluster.

"Oh, glad to help," James was saying in answer to the third years' profuse thanks. He looked out of the circle of blond heads and caught sight on a red one. "Oh Evans. Excuse me ladies." James sent the third years a smile and they dissolved into giggles.

Lily tensed as a broad hand touched her back. James peered down at her, eyes casting an innocent look Lily felt concealed a burning turmoil of satisfaction at her discomfort. "My place or yours?" James asked.

Lily winced, the glared at him. He was definitely taking advantage of her. "Your office would be preferable," she spat. James only raised his eyebrows, making it clear he was surprised at her tone. Even so, the hand which had yet to leave her back gently guided towards James' office. The door closed and Lily made a break for fresh air, diving for the window seat.

"If you really find me so repulsive, why are we in my office?" James asked, standing by a tea tray. Lily glared at the tea tray. He wasn't supposed to have things she liked in his lair. She wouldn't admit she was jealous of the tea set, but as it was obvious it was from Hogwarts with the crest adorning each piece, why didn't she have one too?

Lily looked up and was disconcerted to find that James was staring at her impatiently while she had been glaring at the tea set. "My office was occupied," Lily replied demurely, looking at the cup of tea he handed her. She didn't know how he had managed to pick chamomile, her favorite.

"Really? Are you hiding someone in there?" James asked, the demonic laughter plain in his eyes.

"No, I believe one your friends is in there." Lily snapped back.

James looked even more amused. "Evans, I didn't know you approved of that kind of thing."

"Of what? And for your information, Remus is very nice about it."

"I doubt you'd define the things he's doing to your friend as very nice." James remarked, leaning back in his chair.

Lily, being the nice innocent girl she was, took a few seconds to figure out what he was trying to insinuate, however she quickly flew off the handle once it clicked. When Potter was concerned, Lily never was very rational. So, she did the unrational thing and threw her cup of tea at his head.

James, who luckily had quick reflexes, managed to freeze the cup in midair to prevent any stains or shattered pottery. "What the hell, Evans!" he snapped, floating the cup down onto the tea tray.

"You….you…prat!" Lily sputtered. "They wouldn't violate rules on my desk."

"Honestly Lily, you can't come up with anything better than that? Cassandra said you were innocent, but really, you are seventeen." James smirked at her. "Oh, and just for reference, I wouldn't be so sure of that. I certainly would."

Lily had had enough. She headed straight for the door, all the while thinking "Cannot hex Potter, am Head Girl", but James caught her wrist. She tried to shrug him off, but toting books was obviously no match for flying after a small winged ball, no matter what one would think.

"I'm sorry Evans" Potter enunciated like he had the time he had turned all her quills into eels in second year, obviously not meaning it. Lily glared at him. "Sit down," he said with less kindness, obviously impatient.

"Why?" Lily asked, not willing to do anything he asked of her.

"Because I have to speak to you, as horrid as it may be for both of us. Sit." James answered.

Lily sat, although to maintain her dignity, she continued to glare at him. At this point, James was used to this and just ignored her. "Dumbledore wanted me to inform you that we have an exchange student arriving."

Lily really wanted to ask why Dumbledore had told him first, but all that came out was "When?"

James looked down at his watch. "In a few minutes."

Lily's eyes grew big, as if they had been jinxed. James gave her a look, which was one part surprise and one part worry, for she looked like her entire life plan had been destroyed. Which, Lily felt, it had. She was always obsessively planning everything, which was why she got such excellent marks (unlike other people who never seemed to put much thought into anything).

While Lily was going through a life crisis, James was yanking her out of the room by the hand. The hand holding got quite a few stares as they marched through the common room, yet it was completely necessary, as James needed to guide Lily around a rather heated game of exploding snap, a chess game whose pieces looked oddly like teachers (James gave them a smile then a glare, Lily didn't notice), and two first year girls who looked at James and giggled.

Once the pair were half way down to the Great Hall, James decided that Lily looked cogent enough to manage on her own and dropped her hand. His decision was accurate, as the Head Girl had also regained her powers of speech.

"Where is she from?"

James started. Lily sounded dreamy. It was quite disturbing not to have her word flying at him, like staccato bullets. It was also disturbing he wasn't doing the same. It seemed wrong to keep up his defenses when she was down. "Beauxbatons, so she's French but lives in Israel. Dumbledore says her English is quite good."

Lily blinked a few times. "Which house is she in?"

James noticed that she was regaining her mental capacities, and decided he could start getting things back to normal and stop being nice to her. He made of a point of watching the portraits whispering in their frames, rather than making sure Lily didn't trip over a suit of armor or a first year in her dazed state. One old monk was orating to an invisible audience on the beauty of young love- James was rather confused how he picked that subject and was surprised to see the monk turn and wink jovially at him. "She's being sorted once she arrives. We're supposed to welcome her into the school and keep track of her anyways."

Lily's head snapped toward him, and they were walking close enough that James was hit in the arm by strands of vibrant red hair. He made a point of conspicuously brushing them off. "What year is she?" James noted that Lily was definitely back to normal, she was angry at him again and he was glad of it.

"Seventh, same as us, why?" he asked casually. Lily was always angered by complacency, and he had turned pushing her buttons into a course of its own.

"Well, does she really need to be looked after? Or are you saying that because she's a woman?"

"My, Evans, I wouldn't want her to get surprised by a staircase or take up with Snape or something equally horrific."

"So do you propose to befriend her? I would categorize that as equally horrific."

"Now, Evans, put on a nice face for our guest," James dripped his words onto the stone floor, making Lily feel like she was dirty, especially when he took her arm. Right before they passed into the entrance hall, James leaned down uncomfortably close to her and whispered "Just so you know, men are supposed to look after women. It's only polite".