A/N Again. I own nothing that you recognise. Frances, Rebekah and the lame idea of "Godric's Angels" belong to me... but they aren't enough to get me a pearl kit. So in other words... J.K. owns the money making ideas... Blast.
Chapter 2: The Nickname
A year after James first asked Lily out, he was still persistent to woo her, Lily not knowing whether to be bemused, amused or disgusted.
"Potter! For the LAST time... NO!" Lily seethed, storming through the hallways, her face a contortion of rage.
"Come on Evans... It's just a date... You must be pretty special if I'm asking you out..." Lily's hands curled to fists, and she wanted nothing more to turn around and give James a black eye.
But, seeing she was a prefect, she couldn't.
"Potter! 10 points of Gryffindor for hassling a prefect. Now. LEAVE ME ALONE!" James stood dumbfounded as Lily stomped up the staircase to her next lesson.
"... She took points of me for asking her...?" James muttered incredulously.
"What the hell..." He shook his head, and followed her up the stairs to Transfiguration - his best subject.
.1.1.1.1.
Lily Evans slid into a seat near the front, the place next to her empty for whichever of her friends got there first.
Frances raced through the classroom door, and collapsed in the vacant seat, panting. A grimace was set on her features.
Lily raised an eyebrow.
Frances shivered.
"It was horrible..." She started, unpacking her books, "I never want to see something like that again,"
Lily opened her mouth to question, but decided against it.
Maybe she didn't want to know either.
A few seconds later, a flushed Rebekah came into the classroom, sliding into the empty seat behind the two girls.
"Hey..." Lily greeted her, and Rebekah grinned.
"Frances looks disturbed..." she noted, Lily nodding, and curious grin playing around her lips.
Rebekah's grin just widened.
"She walked in on me and Amos..." Lily's eyes widened in mock disgust.
"Ew..." Rebekah punched her arm playfully.
"She wasn't the only one..."
An enraged Sirius Black chose that moment to barge into the classroom, a murderous glint in his eyes.
Lily couldn't help but chuckle.
"That must have been a blow to his ego,"
"Almost as bad as you taking house points from Potter for hassling you...?" Rebekah raised her eyebrows questioningly. Frances - who was finally unpacked - turned around to her friend, and glowered at her.
"I never. Ever. EVER want to see something like that again,"
Rebekah smirked.
"Like what?"
"You two snogging in the hallway doesn't make a comforting mental picture, dear neighbour,"
Lily snorted.
"Like you haven't done worse with Evan Nguyen," she pointed out, a flush creeping into Frances' cheeks.
"Shuddup..." she crossed her arms over her chest, and pouted childishly.
Rebekah and Lily couldn't help but giggle.
"Alright 5th years... Let's get started..." McGonagall glided into the room, and stood tall infront of her class.
"Today, we'll be learning how to vanish mice... Now pair up... Ms. Simpson? Ms. Evans? Please distribute the mice among the class," Rebekah and Lily stood, heading to the front of the classroom, and picking up the two cages.
Rebekah couldn't help but grimace.
"I hate mice..." She muttered under her breath, so only Lily could hear.
Lily couldn't help but grin.
After the mice had been distributed, Lily and Rebekah both looked down on their mice, Rebekah hoping the faster she vanished it, the less likely she'd be to have to deal with it.
On the other side of the classroom, Professor McGonagall screeched at two of the four Marauders.
"NO! MR. BLACK!" Sirius found his mouse scurrying around the desk, its tail on fire from Sirius' failed attempts at transfiguration. This rather distressed mouse found itself Sirius' pile of parchment, and needless to say, a small bonfire soon erupted on that side of the classroom.
Rebekah and Lily stifled their giggles, and then turned back to their own mice, the blonde taking a deep breath, and waving her wand half-heartedly.
To her amazement; the mouse disappeared.
"Yes!" she punched the air in victory, giving a disgruntled Lily a hug.
Lily just frowned.
.1.1.1.1.
Sirius kicked the arm chair in his way as he stormed into the Gryffindor Common room, finding himself greeted by James, Remus and Peter's howls of laughter.
"Shut up..." Sirius' eyes flashed dangerously as he covered his forehead in embarrassment.
The three boys just continued laughing - not being able to help but find the entire situation hilarious.
"I'm sorry, Padfoot... but it's not every day one of the ringleaders of the Marauders burns his eyebrows off in Transfiguration..."
Sirius muttered curses darkly under his breath, and started rummaging through his drawers, before triumphantly withdrawing the black Puddlemere United beanie James had given him for Christmas back in first year.
He tugged it on his head, and pulled it down, covering not only the burnt place where his eyebrows should be, but also the hair every girl in Hogwarts wanted to run their fingers through...
Well, nearly every girl in Hogwarts...
Next door, the group of girls, which were called "Godric's Angels" by the rest of the school found themselves in hysterics over Sirius' transfiguration attempt.
Rebekah had collapsed on her bed from laughing so hard, whilst Lily and Frances had both doubled over - not only from Sirius' follies, but from their best friend's reaction to his bonfire.
"It'll take a good 3 or so weeks for his eyebrows to grow back to normal..." Rebekah spoke after she'd regained some composure, "But it'll be interesting to see how the female population of Hogwarts deals with this new look..."
The girls exchanged sly glances.
"Personally, I predict mass suicides from the Hufflepuffs..." Rebekah shrugged, sending Lily and Frances into another wave of laughter.
Rebekah just smirked, and chuckled with them.
.1.1.1.1.
The next day, in Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall eyed the Marauders with a suspicion as she told the class of today's project.
"You will again be working on vanishing mice, but I think this time I will pair you all up appropriately..." She cast an apologetic glance at Godric's Angels, who immediately assumed the worst.
Frances groaned hanging her head in her hands.
"We're going to be working with the Marauders... I can just feel it..."
"Miss. Simpson... I'd like you to work with Mr. Black... Seeing as you managed to vanish your mouse several times yesterday..." Rebekah felt her chest swell with pride, giving Lily a quick grin at the praise, before the realisation struck her at who she'd be working with.
Almost immediately, she collapsed on her desk with a loud bang.
McGonagall looked like she was trying to hold in a laugh - this observation Lily noted furtively.
"Miss. Evans... You'll be working with Mr. Potter..." Lily tuned out beyond that point, groaning as loudly inwardly as she could.
"Miss. Liu, Mr. Nguyen... Mr. Bones, Miss. Prowds... Mr. De-Silva... Ms. Ferguson..." Beyond that point, the 3 girls had tuned out of the lesson, Rebekah and Lily muttering curses under their breath, so only the other could hear.
"...Stupid bitch Sirius..." Lily turned around, eyebrows raised.
"Did you just call Sirius a bitch?" a smirk played around Rebekah's lips.
"I know. Great eh?" She winked at her friend slyly, and picked up her wand, moving across the room to Sirius' desk.
"Hello Simmo," He greeted her fairly warmly, and she just rolled her eyes.
"On a nickname basis are we now? Really... Darn it... Now I need to come up with something for you..." She took a thinking stance, before looking positively amazed by her own brilliance.
"I've got it! You call me Simmo, and I'll call you that egotistical, prattish, sodding, bullying bloody prick!" Sirius didn't let her sarcasm phase him, and just winked seductively.
"Yeah, but a Sexy egotistical, prattish, sodding, bullying bloody prick at that!" Rebekah's triumphant look faded from her face, and was replaced with one of pure loathing.
"Let's get to work, you bitch," Sirius raised an eyebrow.
"Did you just call me a bitch?" Rebekah tried to hold back a smirk, but failed miserably.
"Uh huh... You bitch... Now let's vanish these mice so I can take my seat a safe distance away from you..." Sirius picked up his wand, but Rebekah stopped him, using her own to lower his.
"... And if I lose my eyebrows, Transfiguration king, I'll chop your head off, and let Frances use it as a quaffle... or better yet... I'll stuff it, and hang it up in the hall of "Hogwarts' biggest idiots"," Sirius frowned, Rebekah's sanctimonious look returning to her face as she registered the impact of the insult.
20 minutes later, the bell rang, signifying the end of their lesson, and Rebekah packed up her books, and her wand, Sirius catching her arm before she left.
"It didn't work, you know. I still want to go out with you..." Sirius couldn't help but grin as Rebekah spent the rest of the day seething.
.1.1.1.1.
In their partnership, Lily and James found themselves doing no better - Lily gripping the desk tightly to avoid "accidentally" hexing Potter into oblivion.
James waved his wand, his mouse disappearing perfectly. He shot Lily a grin, and ruffled his hair, making Lily roll her eyes emphatically.
"God Potter..." She muttered to no-one in particular, leaning boredly against her knuckles.
She completely tuned out from the lesson, seeing McGonagall was busy telling Evan Nguyen off for attempting to splice the mouse he was meant to be vanishing.
She completely missed James' hand waving infront of her face.
"Evans! Oi! Evans!" She sprang back to life, narrowing her eyes at James.
"What, Potter?" She spat his name with as much contempt as she could muster. James looked hurt.
"I just wanted to tell you it was your turn... Jeeze Flower... You don't have to bite my head off..." He looked over at his best friends trying to work, and turned his back to Lily. She scowled at his use of the nickname she just wanted to burn in hell, but let it pass. As she raised her wand to try, the bell rang, and James packed up his gear, standing abruptly, and waiting for Sirius, Remus and Peter by the door.
Lily packed her things a little slower, and looked over, spying Sirius muttering something to Rebekah that made her scowl.
The blonde stormed over to Lily, positively glowering, and she waited for her to pack up, before she, Lily and Frances left the classroom.
As soon as they were out of earshot of the marauders, Rebekah decided to finally vent her anger.
"Argh! I can't win! I'm a bitch to him, and he still wants to go out with me! I've used up my bitchiest material on him, and he still wants to go out with me!"
Frances snorted.
"No offence, Becks, but you bitchiest material is funny," The blonde slapped her friend playfully.
"Ouch!" Frances grimaced, rubbing her arm gingerly.
"Come on, guys... let's go to our dorm..." The girls climbed the stairs to the common room, before then clambering through the portrait hole, and up to their dormitory.
Rebekah collapsed on her bed.
"Stupid bloody git..." She muttered into her pillows, covering her head with one.
Frances slid onto her bed, and lay down, staring at the ceiling.
Lily dumped her bag unceremoniously on her bed, and turned around, facing her friends.
Frances sat up, leaning against the headboard, and both girls looked at their third group member, whose head was still buried under her pillows.
Lily picked up a pillow from her own bed, and Frances followed suit, both girls creeping furtively towards Rebekah's bed.
She was totally oblivious to their actions, until--
"MERLIN! LILY BELLE EVANS!" Rebekah bellowed, shooting daggers at the auburn haired girl who'd only moments ago hit her with a pillow.
Rebekah picked up her own implement of "mass destruction", and almost immediately, a pillow fight erupted.
Their fight seemed to last for hours, the girls whooping and giggling, collapsing on top of each other in fits of laughter.
All too soon, a small, nearby clock erupted in a shrill fit of ringing, and Rebekah's lips formed an 'o'.
The girls stood still for a few moments, before Rebekah raced into her walk-in, rummaging through her piles of clothing, then throwing on a pleated denim mini-skirt, a long white shirt, and then a black T-shirt over that.
She quickly gave her hair a brush, put on her butterfly earrings, and her pink and white tennis shoes, then ran some clear gloss over her lips.
"I totally forgot!" She moaned, rather distressed as she tried to make herself "presentable".
Frances and Lily exchanged glances, before Frances just mouthed one word: 'Amos'.
Lily rolled her eyes.
Both she and Frances knew Amos Diggory was as big a git as the Marauders, if not a bigger one - but Rebekah was too blinded by her hormones to notice.
The blonde bid her friends a hasty goodbye, before racing down the stairs, and to the portrait hole.
"Nice outfit, Simmo,"
"Cram it,"
With that, the blonde was gone.
Lily and Frances shook their heads, and both headed down the stairs, Lily deciding to curl up by the fire.
She grabbed a book off a nearby table, and she began to read it, before a boy with messy black hair interrupted her.
Lily should have known.
Her emerald eyes flickered upwards, and James grinned.
"Evening, Flower..."
Lily resisted the urge to punch him in the nose.
"How are you going?"
'Urge to punch... rising...'
"Life treating you well then?"
'Urge to punch, rising...'
"Interesting book?"
'Urge to punch, rising...'
"E...Evans?" Lily seemed totally oblivious to the fact her eye began twitching.
'Urge to punch, rising... rising...'
"Go out with me?"
Lily was about to give him a biting 'no', but instead stopped herself at the last minute.
"Okay," James' jaw dropped.
"What? Really?"
Lily snorted.
"No. Not really... Jeeze, Potter. I would have thought you'd given up by now..." Lily stood, and wrapped her cloak around her body a little tighter, before leaving the common room, her auburn hair swishing behind her as she walked.
James collapsed on the sofa where Lily had just sat.
He looked over into the fire, and sighed.
'Why haven't I given up by now?' The reply of the scathing voice in his mind was so obvious, it doesn't need to be written down.
'I am not in love with her...' James thought furiously, 'I'm in lust with her... there's a difference... She's the only girl who's ever said no... There is no way I'm in LOVE with her...'
James' train of thought was interrupted as Sirius came and sat across from him - but, surprisingly, Sirius face held a pensive expression.
James decided against bothering him now - but he made a mental note to ask him about it later.
Right now, James knew he was just a little too confused for his liking.
A/N Thanks to my reviewers!
Linding: He-he. Thanks for reviewing, you rock!
Stryke Manson: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it!
R & R!
The Faerie