Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own anything affiliated with Harry Potter.
Updated: Monday, November 21, 2005
Wow, I didn't know if I would ever update this again. But seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on Saturday sparked an interest. I hope everyone who reads this will review it for me, even if you don't like it. I like this chapter better than the last one. Anyways, please enjoy.
This takes place in 6th year
Phoenix ran towards Lily, arms and hair were whipping around. She still held the mangled snitch in her hand, the sign that Gryffindor had one. The truth is, Lily had missed when she caught it, Sirius had gotten into a fight with a Slytherin chaser, and Lily had been watching that. But, she did feel horribly guilty, and wouldn't tell Phoenix that she hadn't seen her moment of fame.
Phoenix's raven hair almost blinded Lily as she gave her a hug, her long slender arms nearly choking her, and she hugged back her back, laughing.
"I'm so happy for you!" Lily exclaimed, smiling at Phoenix. Her face was sweating, and blotchy, but she looked so happy. "I was scared you might have been hurt," Lily had caught the after-math of the victory, when Phoenix had narrowly dodged a bludger.
"Lily," Phoenix dragged the name out, exasperated. "You don't have to worry about me!" Lily knew this, Phoenix was smart, and she was resilient. She had, only at the beginning of this, their sixth year, changed to the position of Seeker in favor of Keeper.
"I know, I know-I'm sorry, Phoenix," Lily chuckled, "It, your catch, was brilliant. Good job." Lily smiled. Maybe she hadn't really seen the catch, but of course it was brilliant.
"It really was brilliant," Sirius Black and James Potter had come up from behind her friend. Both looking equally as sweaty, and tired as Phoenix.
"Yeah Phoenix, congratulations on your timing. I really don't think it could have been better." James grinned, "Just as Sirius was preparing to dent little Bertie Macmillans pretty face in."
Sirius stroked his beaters' bat appreciatively muttering, "What would I do without you,"
"I wouldn't be too proud of your preformance," Lily said, and all eyes flicked to her. "You barely missed Madam Hooch's head with that bat of yours, I wouldn't be surprised if you are suspended from the next Quidditch game."
James laughed loudly and Sirius snorted, Phoenix just cracked a smile.
James clapped a hand to Phoenix's shoulder, "Come on, meeting in the dressing room,"
The three started to walk together but Sirius stopped.
"Prongs, I'll be there in a minute," He called, James nodded then smiled at Lily, which was not returned. But James wasn't put out by this in the least, he dealt with it everyday of his life.
"By the way Lily, you look absolutely gorgeous today." James smiled, before turning into the doorway with Phoenix. Her face formed the same frown it always did when she was given a compliment by the conceited James Potter.
"You know it would really be a shame if your face got stuck like that," Sirius smirked. Lily, having forgot he was there, stopped frowning.
There was a short silence where Lily adjusted her bag on her shoulder and Sirius was watching as people left the stands above.
"So tell me," Lily began, and Sirius' eyes snapped back to her, "Why do I have the pleasure of Sirius Black seeking to talk with me?"
Sirius gave his small crooked smirk.
"You know he loves you, don't you?"
Lily's stomach jolted when he said it, and she turned to look at the door where Phoenix and James had entered.
"What are you talking about Sirius?" She said, her voice soft.
"I'm talking about James, Lilith." Sirius laughed.
"I've told you, my name is Lily, and it's not short for anything-"
"Don't avoid the subject, why won't you give Prongs a chance?" Sirius said exasperated, and Lily crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why do you call him Prongs?" Lily's eyes narrowed.
Sirius gave a knowing smile, "Lily..."
"He does not love me, Sirius. James just always wants what he can't have. We all know thats why he's the Chaser."
"Well, that's true actually, but you know, James wanted you before he couldn't have you. And he's so love sick, Lily, you don't know how tiring it is to listen to someone ramble on about you for two hours straight." Lily frowned again, her green eyes narrowing, and blazing.
"Look I'm not trying to get myself hexed here, it's just that I know if you stopped looking down on him all the time you'd see it too," Sirius said, while he pushed Lily's nose down with his finger, as if to say she always had her nose in the air. This would have angered her more had she not forgotten he was there again. She swatted his hand away absent-mindedly and twirled a peice of hair that had fallen out of her loose ponytail.
"Do you get what I'm saying?" Sirius' gray eyes filled with a kind of comprehension that she hadn't thought possible of the trouble maker. He raised his dark eyebrows and reached out to push her nose down again. This time she pushed his arm away more forcefully, and stared daggers at him. But they both knew that Sirius wasn't James. Maybe people compared the two leaders all the time, but when it came to Lily, the two boys weren't even in the same universe. And Sirius didn't even cower from the stare.
"The Lily death-glare, eh?" Sirius croaked, and Lily's face softened slighty. "This is how conversations about Prongs always turn out with you, huh?"
"You're a git, Black." Lily said, and shouldered him out of the way. Lily wasn't one to look back, but out of the corner of her eye she saw James watching at her from the door way to the dressing room.
"Oh Lily, try not to look too impressed." Alice hissed. Lily ignored her, it grated on her nerves when people would tell her she should be more fun at these Quidditch parties. They were loud, and yes, Lily did love them on the weekends, but a game was just a game. The team would be, no doubt, up until all hours of the morning celebrating a victory that was of no great importance. Except that it signafies Gryffindor 1-Slytherin 0 in yet another year of the petty rivalry.
Lily looked back to see Phoenix talking to Sirius Black and Loudres Finnigan, a 7th year Keeper. Phoenix saw her looking and waved her over. Lily complied and went to grab a Butterbeer from the table behind them.
James Potter and Peter Pettigrew stood across the table a few feet away. James turned hastily to stare at her while she looked for the bottle opener. James must of realized this and her grabbed it from the table and slid it down to her smiling. Lily however, refused to look him in the eye and reached gracefully for the heavy metal opener.
"What are you staring at?" Lily said, finally looking up at James. His grinned widened.
"You."
"Way to play 'hard-to-get' Potter..." Lily said, opening her Butterbeer with more force than was necassary.
"I've never been one to play mind games," James smirked and began to follow Lily as she tried to walk away.
"Oh, do tell why." Lily uttered.
"That's simple. I'm irresistible without them." James declared, the whole time he would not take his eyes off of Lily.
"Oh, you are really fully of it." She hissed and tried to get past him towards the portrait hole, which he blocked off, and leaned against it.
"If by 'it' you mean charm, then my plan is working."
"I am going to ignore your last vaunting comment, and inquire what said plan is." Lily said dangerously.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Oh, James knew nothing about women.
"Actually, you're wrong. I couldn't care less." Lily said, set her Butterbeer down and made to walk towards the girls dormitories.
"You're going to fall madly in love with me, Evans." James called loudly across the crowded Common Room. Things quieted slightly and Lily made sure she did not show any sign of interest in his statement. "You see, I have this theory about you."
"Don't do it Prongs!" Sirius warned from the table where this conversation had started.
James ignored this and continued on. The room was almost quiet now, except for a younger group of boys telling jokes around the fire. "I think that you're just scared. I wouldn't pin you as a girl to judge a book by it's cover. But I can't-"
Lily was stomping towards him now, and James locked eyes with her. He stared smugly, until she got close enough to him that she could still yell without the entire room listening. James did these things because he wanted the attention, and the last thing she was going to was let him have it.
"Whats the matter, Evans? Scared that I know exactly how you feel about me?"
"Don't you dare assume something like that. I don't know where you get 'I'm scared to love you' out of 'you're a caustic, self-glorifying, egotistical prick', but congratulations. You're big head has become so inflated that you have flown yourself to your own, self-centered world!" Lily screamed, poking him hard in the chest.
"What else am I supposed to do Lily?" James spoke quietly now, and Lily immediately noted the use of her first name, "I-you don't even..." He faultered.
"You're lost for words now! Go on Potter, tell me how great you are. Convince me. Then have your trusted friends come over and vouch for it. Ask me out again in front of everybody, and get rejected. But somehow it slides right over that big head of yours. You act like nothing matters to you, so why in bloody hell would I think I mean more to you than the second years you hexed at lunch?"
"You're right. Oh, great and powerful Lily Evans has me completely figured out. How does she do it!" He asked in mock amazement, to the others in the room who were trying to ignore the spectical. "She won't have a conversation with you, oh no, no, no. Because as soon as she lays eyes on you, if you should be so lucky, she-"
"So tell me Potter, if I never give you a chance to talk to me then how is it that you're in love with me? How do you know that we are meant to spend the rest of our lives together if we 'barely know eachother'?" Lily crossed her arms over her chest and waited impatiently.
For the first time, James casted his eyes away from Lily and towards the floor, and his hand began to make its way to the back of his head. Lily snorted, rolled her eyes, and turned on her heel as soon as she saw that hand make its move. She pushed her way through a few third years unapologetically, something she wouldn't usually do. Ran up the stairs, and slammed the door to her dormitory.
Lily, in her frustration, kicked Alice's robes out of her way and then threw herself into her unmade bed. As she pulled the covers over her head she listened to the rumble of the party downstairs, and tried to stop thinking about whether James Potter stayed at the party without her.
Well, I like that one better. Mostly because Lily is getting older and more fun to write. If you guys like this one I hope to have the next chapter up before Wednesday. So please tell me what you think.
Peace and Love, Mercedes.