The Importance of Being (and Remaining) Idle

AN- Okay everyone firstly I would love to thank the all the amazing reviewers, you all encourage me to continue my stories especially when it seems impossible- and carry on with them with good spirit! It's so wonderful for me so if you could take a moment I would terribly appreciate it! Secondly I am told we can no longer reply to reviewers… which makes me feel terrible… I love doing so and have gotten to know some of the people who read S.S. etc… but anyways I wish I could give a more personal response! Thirdly and lastly I think that now a good quarter or so of this story will take place through their SIXTH year for the plot and hilarity's sake! I hope that sounds good to everyone! And if anyone is curious at the end of the chapter I'm going to list a difference and improvements I'm going to try to make between this story and 'Small Steps'- and I hope some of my reviewers would be able to catch some of the mistakes!

Dedicated to the amazing HMS Marauders (My freaking e-mail just isn't working on my lap-top and it's making me VERY mad…) I got contacts (YAY for me- stupid hard ones… soft is SO much easier! Why didn't you tell me Kels?)! Woohoo! I miss you all so much! SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

Summary- Life for Lily Evans is full of so many unexpected paradoxes, especially when James big-headed Potter is concerned. Told in the form of Quiditch commentary, fiery arguments, dating profiles, Slug Club conversations, cheesy love-songs, lame-jokes, diary entries, detentions, pranks, and notes passed during class along with a lot of humor and romance you learn just exactly how come.

Disclaimer- If you believe I own HP you must also realize Snape s hot… (It's rowlings!

So anyways on to the story…!

To tell the truth, Lily Evans was like a loose tooth... though it sounds a bit ghastly. You know how you keep wiggling your loose tooth; it gives you that sweet pain… that pleasure that brings a bit of an ache. You're never really sure why you do it, wiggle it that is, maybe it's just to make sure it's still there, maybe because it brings satisfaction along with a bit of twinge. You know it's wrong but you still do it… like scratching a chicken pox. Everyone knows if you scratch it will scar- it's so wrong but it feels o so right and eventually you will pay the price…

Yes Lily Marie Evans was like the chicken pox or a loose tooth for James. He should just honestly leave her alone- take no for an answer, but that of course was against his nature, and every time he played a prank knowing she despised it… or did something that he knew would start a row he did with a bit of anticipation. Every fight for him was half-insults-being-passed-back-and-forth and half-shameless-flirtation. It was totally pathetic but the total truth, and he even enjoyed them, but then again every time he risked everything ending up even worse- but it was worth it- it was definitely worth it. It may not make sense to normal people, but for him it was more or less the way he spent his last five- well two at the least years at Hogwarts.

But the thing was that it was so lame that Hogwarts's Golden Boy couldn't admit it to everyone. So, now back to trying to make this freaking concoction. Slughorne would pick James one-hundred percent, he always did… maybe it was because he made his buttons pop open during a Slug Club meeting back in first year…

And to make matters worse Advanced Potion-Making was proving James's suspicions from the beginning of the year and was being utterly useless. There was no potion in there labeled "Potion that will repel the effects of most major truth potions including Veritaserum" Glancing at the vibrant red hair waving in the front of the room he saw his loose-tooth/chicken-pox/infatuation (otherwise known as Lily Evans) moving at an inhumanely fast but still strangely casual pace, potions book shut and placed in the corner utterly forgotten.

Well maybe it was harder then it seemed for James Potter to make a stupid antidote…

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Lily I think my potion smells like burnt rubber!"

"So?"

"Well I am not going to drink burnt rubber! It's not fair… yours smells like pumpkin juice! I like pumpkin juice! I want to switch!" protested the dark haired girl indignantly.

Lily laughed and shook her head, "Uh huh Evelyn, not this time."

"That's not fair! Remember in third year you gave Emma your growth potion!"

"That's because the substitute was going to use it on her poor canary! If he used Emma's potion ill-fated Gertrude would have kicked the bucket-"

"Which she did the next month!"

"But that would be an untimely preventable death," Lily answered patiently smiling.

"Just because Emma sucks at potions-"

"Eva dear you are the one who choose potions, even after you know you despise the subject thoroughly and are sadly a bit incapable, sorry"

"Apology accepted, but I studied my arse off for the O.W.L.'s because I just knew mother dearest would kill me if I didn't get into Advanced. Does it matter to her that I hate potions? NO! NO IT DOESN'T!"

"Evelyn dear you have racked our heads' off with your complaints for half of the year… deal with it, you are stuck with it, and this annoying-the-living-day-light's out of Lily and I during every potions isn't helping," Genevieve said simply placing a strand of perfectly straight black hair behind her ear.

Evelyn stuck her tongue out at Genevieve for that comment.

"Eva dear your potion is now bubbling a peculiar turquoise state," Lily said off handedly squinting at a clover-like-herb-thingy.

"Oh and you Miss Potions' Mistress, you care for the welfare for a practically snuffed out canary but not that of your best-friends! If anyone knew what I…. uh…." Evelyn grumbled under her breath about being an idiot.

"Potion's Mistress? Makes her sound like a mistress, a housebreaker…" Genevieve piped in after turning her cauldron to the right five and a half times and to the left two and three quarters worth. "Who's, I'd like to know. Could it be-?"

"Potter's? Exactly what I was thinking… he'd be so thrilled to know so, I'll be happy to tell him of your plans!" Evelyn grumbled. She was not in a good mood especially where Lily was concerned today.

"Shut up Evelyn, your potion is now smelling like tar," Evelyn squealed and checked her cauldron. "Besides that would never happen, Potter is worse then a wart. And that's saying something… I hate warts. Lastly what secrets do you have exactly that we don't know of?"

"N...n…nothing." Evelyn griped now swatting the cauldron not unlike what one would do if the giant squid attacked them. "Besides Potter sticks to you like a wart plaster."

"Well Evelyn," Lily said still squinting at her clover-like-herb-thingy, "just because your potion is now resembling quick sand, it's no reason to bring out your anger on me." She now beamed and at the clover-like-herb-thingy and dropped it in the cauldron as a whole and spun it twice. Evelyn watched with an open mouth as the potion turned into the perfect light peach shade and smelled lightly of ginger… just like it was supposed to, like it always did.

"Hey… how?" Evelyn gaped holding her book out and waving it furiously. "You skipped half of the directions, heck you didn't even follow any of them! That's not fair!"

She grabbed a handful of Lily's clovers (like-herb-thingies) and jammed them in her own cauldron spinning it like mad watching it turn into the shade of a smashed cockroach… and started banging her head against the table… Lily kindly didn't mention that her dear friend wasted at least a couple of galleons worth of ingredients not to mention a couple of thousand brain cells.

"Yes it is," said Lily simply smiling smugly. "I think the directions are more of a guideline, and well I have never been much of a follower…"

"Lily Evans you should really be in Slytherin," grumbled the frustrated girl.

Shaking her head Lily tried once again, "Evelyn when was the last time the Professor called on you?"

"Well… actually I don't think he ever did."

"Exactly," she smiled leaning back in her chair watching her potion simmer just having bough herself at least a half an hour to herself, which is always a good thing.

For her life at Hogwarts consisted of rushing around day after day following the same schedule and with her normally hasty composure a bit of quite time never hurt… now if Evelyn would be a dear and hit her head (now out of her own stupidity) a bit more quietly.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Oho!" Cried Slughorne. "Now my potion brewers, you have ten minutes left so I'd start finishing up and I will randomly select three of our number to try their little brews out!"

Oho, random my foot… his selection was never random. James could list who he'd choose from the top of his head.

-Evans or Snivellus (which pained James to admit) tended to have perfect potions. Evans most definitely would have it perfect, who seemed to find making any potion as simple as second nature.

-James just because (or for other arguable reasons).

-And some other person who was just good like Remus or Genevieve Woods.

James watched in disgust as watching Snape speedily rushing as if his life depended on it though his potion was already the desired shade. The idiot. Evans on the other hand was now chatting with Slughorne about some witch he used to know who used a potion to make some poor bloke who bugged her into a minion, causing Evans to cast him a shady eye. Her friend Evelyn was spinning like crazy though in James's personal opinion her potion was ten times better then his. Remus was studying his transfiguration notes again and Sirius was lazily picking up random ingredients and flicking them in and winking at a Ravenclaw every now and then.

When James asked why Sirius seemed so knowledgeable about his potion he answered simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, doesn't matter what it's like, Slughorne-never-calls-on-him-so-the-shade-just-kind-of-needs-to-look-similar-besides-he-has-nothing-to-hide-except-that-thing-and-Slughorne-is-to-dim-to-ever-ask-it.

Well that's Sirius for you… maybe a bit to idle for his own good…

Now James went back and faced his potion with a bleak expression and then went back glancing around the room his eyes wandering on Evans every now and then and then back to Snape (the idiot) and then his own and then to Snape's potion then back to his own…then to Snape's then back to his own….

A simple charm could do it- a simple switching charm if done right… and what could it hurt… not at all… he couldn't get caught… and even if he did… it was just another prank…. Yes a simple switching charm.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Potter front and center. Yours, then mine," Slughorne called out to him.

James obliged happily enough more or less ready. The potion went down smoothly after the Veritaserum had dripped down in a fast pace. It was a weird feeling. At first he wanted to blurt everything to the first person who asked but suddenly he was given his control back and his head to hold everything inside again.

"Now Potter how old are you?"

"Old enough Professor."

"Ah I see Potter here has done something in the last hour- good boy Potter."

"Now Potter do you have certain feelings for our Miss Evans?"

James saw Lily stare at him disapprovingly but not acknowledging it any other way in the slightest.

"Miss Evans wishes I had those types of feelings though I have these incredible urges to jinx her..."

"I think Mr. Filch gave you detention for being on the North Tower last night, who were you with?"

"Not Miss Evans if that's what you're wondering, but then again that could be rearranged," he answered winking at her as she gave him one of her if-looks-could-kill looks with Sirius catcalling in the background.

"Yes well we happen to be wasting our time questioning you Mr. Potter, good job you have proven yourself once again… take a seat. Severus step to the front of the room," Slughorne called in his hearty ready to laugh voice. "I will ask you to take a couple of these drops and drink your tonic."

Snape obliged with that still grim and hallow expression on his face.

"Now class we will give it a minute or two to settle."

A minute or two for it to settle was given.

"Now Severus what color are your robes?"

What a big secret James thought.

"Black," Snape answered in a dull obliging voice.

This is going to be fun.

"Do you wash you underpants regularly?" James called loudly from the back of the room causing half of the sixth years to laugh and some Slytherins and Lily to glance back distastefully at him.

Snape looked like he rather not answer but forced out in a meek voice, "I did three weeks ago."

This sent most of the class rolling on the floor causing Slughorne to look like he should stop it but then give a hearty grin, 'Well it is all a learning experience. Severus do you fancy anyone in our school?"

Severus had his mouth covered now with his hand and was paling quickly his eyes full of fear, and they could here bits and pieces of two or three names very muffled and even more silenced with the laughter around including one that caused his Slytherin friends (who apparently like James heard this certain name) to give him death like stares.

"L-----ans."

Lily Evans? James's stomach roared with great dislike… how that idiot pure blood crazed git dare have feelings for Lily? Lily was his… well not technically… but in his weird reality she was…. (Another reason why Lily hated James 'I am not yours or anyone else's for that matter. I am not property you male cha-'… But besides that if he couldn't have her he rather die then see Snape fancy her. I mean Snivellus?

Now time to make Severus feel sorry he ever even though of having feelings for Evans…

"Severus one last question…" Sirius said and James was never more at an advantage for having such a quick-witted friend, "when exactly have you last snogged someone?"

"Never.'

"Ever?"

"I was close…"

"Snivellus I am thinking you have a story to tell... why?"

The whole class was on the floor (or practically) wildly as Snape began to say in the same dull voice a terribly amusing voice about trying to get someone by the name of Sophia to do so but she instead kicked him and he know thinks he may never be able to have children- not that he wants to because kids suck and he would be darned before he at his own will remains in some confined area as them.

"And Snivellus what are you most scared of?"

Now it no one would put it past Slughorne to simply stop this nonsense especially with only ten minutes left in class (and now it was getting out of hand) but he strangely didn't… just watched the scene unravel for it involved too many of his favorites from Gryffindor.

Now no longer had Snape any control so he wasn't even trying in the slightest to cover up the sound.

"Jam-" suddenly Snape's mouth kept moving up and down but no sound was coming out at all and another shrilled and angry voice rang out "That is enough" and the laughter was suddenly halted. Evans had away of not asking for respect but demanding it.

A furious red-head by the name of Lily Evans had her wand pointed at Snape… just having used silencio on him. Her clear green eyes kept darting at James and he knew she knew what he did. She was smart enough to figure it out and felt that o so common sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Slughorne now came to the scene pointing a wand at Snape who seemed as if he came out of a daze darted a hateful gaze across the room and then threw-up right in the middle of the floor and ushered another glum looking Slytherin to take him to the nurse. "Well now that is quite enough. Ten points to both Severus and James for trying out their work and another ten for James for doing it correctly and I think after all this excitement everyone can make their way to their next class earlier."

Now Slughorne was really trying to rush everyone out after this incident because there was no 'next class' there was only lunch… but hey no one would argue and quickly all the sixth year Hogwarts students in the Advanced Potions class started to gather up their books and ingredients.

"Hey Lily," said a now much more cheerful Evelyn now that the ordeal was over while dumping her cauldron of mixed goop, "Too bad you have to waste that whole cauldron."
"No problem Ev I find it can also double as a good medicine to rid yourself of P.M.S. symptoms." She said I a forced calm voice though her insides were bubbling with anger and felt sick to her stomach.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh." Lily said as she ladled the potion into two separate pouches all with her signature L.E. on it

Evelyn in a swift move grabbed the pouch out of Lily's hand taking the lid off and pouring the contents into her mouth.

"Good going Eva…" Lily muttered as Evelyn wiped her mouth daintily. "You know I'll be back in a second I have to take care of something."

Her eyes were set on the back of that jerk-egotistical- unbelievably sick minded James Tristan Potter, and she was going to make sure this time he would pay. This was way too much- he's gone too far this time. It was…. Disgusting how he could treat another human.

And if James Tristan Potter would have known what would happen next between him and his infatuation/chicken-pox/loose-tooth he would have sworn the tooth had more or less fallen out.

But then again after you loose a tooth doesn't the tooth fairy leave you money… and doesn't an adult tooth replace it?

YIKES! I know it wasn't very good… and I hope not too confusing? I know it is a bit immature but … I know excuses excuses excuses! SO it would be so nice if you could leave a review and tell me what you think… was it OOC and did it follow the other two chapters? I want to make this a bit different… and James hopefully won't be at Lily's beck and call which he more or less is without too much of a reason in the sixth book!

Remember guys I DO NOT use beta-readers, the closest thing I have is Kelso who I tell my ideas to and ask if she thinks it's time to update!

LOL!

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! IT WOULD BE SO WONDERFUL! The next chapter of SS should be coming very soon- and another QoF should be up soon as well so please review and keep reading!

Like always,

TajM

(Who has contacts- WOOHOO! And if there is anyone out there- don't bother with hard even if your optometrist says so- go straight to soft! It's amazing! I wasted a year because!)

To come- (Yes I KNOW I changed the title name this time- 'A Lot Like a Broken Heart' or 'Once in a Blue Moon'.

-James's loose tooth speaks her mind in an o so nice manor and if you believe that you probably also believe that Snape is hot.

-A fiery argument this way comes…

-As well as a full moon?

-Well who knows what other plot twists and turns happen… well you can if you read on!

AND DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE HECK ALL THESE CANONS ARE ABOUT? I'M SO CONFUSED…. :)