Those Eyes James Potter
Seventh year at Howarts and the Marauders are in full swing. A new plot has been laid and the air is thick with tension as James Potter is down and out with the heart-sick blues for a certain saucy red-head I-don't-take–crap-from-nobody Lily Evans. Just what does Sirius have up his sleeve this year for them? Or better yet, who has something up their sleeves for Sirius?
" Hi ya Remus! Where ya been?" called a pudgy fare boy that pushed a trolley towards the infamous Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
"Hi ya Peter. Been around. You?" answered a disheveled tall boy who stood poised against his own trolley.
"Oh never better. I just can't wait to get aboard and onto our seventh year!" said Peter with all the exuberance of a five year old child awaiting his birthday. "I hear that their lookin' for future Ministers this year." He rubbed his sweaty palms together eagerly.
"Oh, come off it Peter. Everyone knows that the next Minister of Magic is going to be…"
"Tall, charming, devilishly handsome, and well recommended by all ladies of the Wizarding World?" implied a rather smart looking young man of the others boys' age. "Am I late?"
"No" the other two muttered.
"Lovely. Now, what's this? Talking about your good ol' friend Sirius when he ain't here to defend his-self?" Sirius gave his trolley a nice last shove and rode it over to where his two friends, Peter Petigrew and Remus Lupin, were parked in awaiting the fourth and final member of the notorious Marauders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Don't flatter yourself too much, otherwise your ego won't be able to fit through the doors of school. Seriously." And that's when the always fashionably late James Potter himself strutted his way towards the company of his friends for their final year of school. (Authoress: Oh! I love it when James "struts" squee)
"Oh shut it Moony, you know I'm always Sirius!" spatted his friend.
"At it all ready? Did I miss any of the fun yet?" asked a rather self absorbed James Potter as he pulled his own four wheeled contraption to a halt next to Sirius.
"Oh no Prongs. We was just disputin' over just who was gonna sweep that lovely little red-head off her feet this year and marry her. Now, what do you say to that Mr. Potter?" Sirius taunted his dear friend as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his tight black jeans.
"Bloody hell, Padfoot! Have you no honor?" Remus prated in a voice thick with sarcasm and all that rot. But in seeing the colour drain from Potter's face in a drastic way he covered quickly with a Oh I was just teasing mate. Don't take it so hard.
James looked over at Peter, who was more intent on peeking into his lunch sack (which was filled to the top with candies that squirmed and wriggled inside) at the moment than what was actually being said, so he paid him no mind and turned back to the others.
"Oh come off it Padfoot. Leave Lily out of this. Let's just get on the blasted train before it leaves us …again."
"Oh mate, I do remember that time fourth year when it left us! Woohoo! All you could do not from crying over not bein' able to see your own "Lily Flower". Oh, it was brilliant." said Sirius as he slapped James on the back. All he could hear while going through the enchanted wall was something about I was not crying.
This was going to be a long year if he didn't think up some way to woo his lady-love after six years of harsh rows one after the other, nasty jinxes that left the entire school at a loss for words (even the staff didn't quite know what to make of it, and always would steer clear of the pair if they happened to be in the same room or space as the other one.), and impossible feelings that were all pretty much one sided on both accounts. Yep, thought James Potter, this is going to be a very long year.
Lily Evans had arrived a quarter before the hour just to be able to hold a fine seat this year on the train. She would save two extra places for her friends and hope that a certain someone wouldn't be bothering her this year to search for a 'missing dugbomb'…again.
She had the whole scenario flash before her as if it were happening right in front of her:
"Excuse me ladies, but have any of you seen anything out of place is this compartment?" said a boy of tall stature and smart form only belonging to the one person Lily Evans hated in the whole world! Dark Lord or no, James Potter took the whip cream on the cake and the cherry on the top.
"The only thing out of place in this compartment is you, Potter! And if I may put it gently…Scram!" she said without looking up from the latest novel she clutched between her soft hands.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Such talk my dear Lily Flower. I am surprised at you. Totally and utterly shocked at your behavior." Then daring a glance in the direction of her undying distraction she replied with as much venom as she could muster, 'The only thing that would shock you, Potter, is if a girl turned you down to go with you to the next Hogmead outing!'
"Oh, but Love, you've already done that…let me see, how many times? Ah yes, how can I put this delicately, um…all five million-nine hundred-ninety nine thousand-nine hundred and ninety nine times! But of course I am saving that next six millionth for a very special date." And he flashed that oh so charming grin of his and winked a deep blue eye towards her. However, she quickly drew up her novel in front of her face so that he did not see her cheeks flush with anger…or, what was the strange feeling she got whenever he did that now? But his words interrupted her thoughts once again.
"Now, if you ladies wouldn't mind I'll just take a look around in compartment to see if I have miss-laid my item in here. Pardon me Love." As James Potter himself stepped over the small thresh hold as began scrounging about the girls' train car on his hands and knees.
Lily Evans was not one to be upset easily by people and their interesting habits, but James Potter on all fours could not help but antagonize her already burning desire to throttle him into the next week with the terrible jinxes she was concocting inside her knowledgeable skull. Oh, how she wished he would give her a reason to fire them all at him at once! But just as she was about to come to the conclusion of her mischievous thoughts, James Potter suddenly stood up, brushed himself off and with a short bow removed himself with a 'it must not have been here after all' and left.
"Finally. Oo! That Potter has really got in comin' to him. He had better watch his back from now on." Said another fiery girl by the name of Corrie Abbot declared as he left the room. The other girl, Sylvia Walker, agreed whole heartedly.
That was, until, a certain, and familiar, stench began to rise from the car. The girls all looked at one another, and all at once threw themselves from their car and slamming the door tightly shut with such loud ranting and ravings that some of the other students poked their heads out of their cars to properly see the three sixth years dancing about screaming the names of 'JAMES POTTER! YOU ARE DEAD! YOU TOO SIRIUS! WE KNOW IT WAS YOU!' and something along the lines of, 'YOU HAVE A SERIOUS DEATH-WISH! AND I'LL BE GLAD TO GIVE IT TO YOU! WHERE ARE YOU RATS? COME OUT!'
But of course, this year would be different. She had planned to ignore James Potter, and if at all possible, entirely. She could do it. Besides, she would not give him the satisfaction of being even remotely near her. Well, that is if one could ignore the fact that they both would be Head Boy and Girl this coming year. Lily sighed with frustration. This was going to be a long year… a very, very long year.
"I'm afraid the dices are loaded, and I think our brilliant Padfoot here holds all the aces."
Said a rather smug Sirius Black as four boys slumped into an empty car after scaring two second years out of the compartment. Remus simply ruffled his shaggy fare hair had hung his head forward towards Black and said, ' Mate, sometimes you just never make sense.'
"Oh contraire, my dear Moony, I would rather make sickles than 'cents'." and he exploded into laughter at his own joke. Even though Peter didn't understand it, seeing as how it was Muggle-based, he still broke into a rash laughter to follow Sirius' lead.
"Alright Padfoot, what has your dangerously evil brain concocted for this years' schemes? Hopefully something that we could top off our ol' pal Snivellus and the other Slytherins with." prodded James as he inspected a rather gagged fingernail.
"Oh, it's simply brilliant Prongs!"
"If you don't say so yourself." mumbled Remus.
"Oh no I did say so myself. I have an excellent plan to get our own love-sick Prongs over here to woo our other very own Miss Lily Flower Evans!"
As if he had expected applause after his simply amazing plan was explained, the others just stared at him as if his head had been jinxed into a tea-cozy. Then, as if on cue, who else but a very fiery and flustered red-head came bursting through the car door with her hands on her hips and teeth clinched.
"Potter! You had better have a right good explanation for what you have done this time! I mean it!"
James Potter looked as if she had struck him, Sirius looked as if he was going to keel over from sheer amusement, Remus stuttered for some sort of explanation, and Peter just looked up from rummaging through his sack of sweets with wide-eyed fear of the steaming red-head.
"What? What have I done Evans?" and when she didn't answer right away James began to shout at her from his seat (that happened to be getting smaller and smaller as Sirius began rolling on the seat and pressing him into the glass window), 'Yeah! Ya see. I haven't done anything! Not one thing. And besides, why would I want to pull a joke on you in the train; it's too over rated anyway.'
"Over rated? Over rated! James Potter, you know Sylvia, Corrie, and I always sit in that car! We left to take care of our luggage and now we can't get back in!" she pointed a finger at him as if she had just sentenced him to Mademoiselle le Guillotine.
"And what makes you think it was me?" he retaliated pointing his own finger at her.
"Who else would ask for the password of "Lily Flower is madly in love with the 'Studly James Potter'? Huh?" she began to tap her small foot on the carpeted floor of the Hogwarts Express. James would have laughed at her comical position had he not been scared out of his mind.
"Oh! Lily Flower! I had no idea you felt that way about our Prongs! You are a very lucky girl, you know." winked Sirius.
"Shut up, Sirius! I know you had a hand in this as well!" and Sirius drew up his hands in a way to say 'I give'.
"I didn't Miss Evans." stuttered Peter as she cast an accusing eye over all of them; with the exception of Remus, of course. She didn't even bother in trying to listen to Petigrew's pleas of innocence, however, because she stormed herself into the room and grabbed James by the collar and marched him out of the car and towards the one she had formally occupied.
It was then that the others saw the two girls who had been standing behind Lily, and they too came storming into the compartment, each grabbing a boy (with the exception of Peter, of course) and marching each of them down the hall and to their bewitched train car.
Once again, just like all the years before, the other students of the express train all strained themselves out of their cars to view the abrupt spectacle of a mischievous Potter and an absolutely livid Lily Evans.
"I mean it, Potter! You had better change the password or I'll throttle you into an early afterlife filled with pain beyond your imagination! Now do it!" Lily yelled into a very white faced James Potter; while still man-handling him by the scruff of the neck rather harshly. But, as pleasant as Miss Lily Evans was, (besides the Marauders, with exception of sometimes Remus and Peter) she actually quite enjoyed the fact that she could bend a rather unscrupulous young man as James Potter to her will with ease! She was rather enjoying herself. Well, if you didn't count the fact that they could not get inside their bewitched compartment without a ridiculous password such as 'Lily Flower is madly in love with the 'Studly James Potter'.
Lily sighed in frustration, this was getting old. "Just fix it Potter. We all don't have time for this."
In seeing her exasperation, James and Sirius exchanged looks and perfectly timed the whole I'm-going-to-roll-my-eyes-now-because-that-seems-like-the-only-cool-thing-to-do-right-now thing, and both took out their wands and with a swift motion from each of them, unjinxed the train car in a flash.
"Thank you." came the forced reply from Sylvia. The other girls shot her a glare and then echoed the phrase to the boys.
Sirius then took it upon himself to sweep his slender form into an exaggerated bow to Sylvia and purred, "At least our work as artisans does not go unappreciated by our stunningly handsome crowd."
Sylvia let out what sounded like a guttural growl and stomped back into the disenchanted car without looking at Black.
Corrie was quick on her heels and dodged into the compartment so as not to get in the crossfire that was sure to happen between Lily and James. She had done that second year and wound up with a large and hairy mole growing on the tip of her nose that James had tried to jinx Lily with. So she knew to stay out of their rows; though she did like to egg them on every once and a while. insert cheeky-grin here But now was not the time. Her scheming could wait until later.
"Are you happy now my lovely little Lily Flower?" James crooned. Lily merely swiveled on her heels, nearly knocking poor Remus over with her swooshing hair, and ducked into her train car without a glance back.
"So much for chit-chat and muffin cakes." mused Remus.
At the words 'muffin-cakes' Peter's head shot up and eyed Remus hopefully like a dog would look at a child with a bottle of milk in its fist.
"I didn't say I had any muffin-cakes, Petigrew. Come off it. Let's go back into our own coach." And that was that.
The rest of the train ride was undisturbed from both parties, and relatively quiet. Lily was reviewing her notations on the meeting that they would be having at the school rather than on the train (because of the whole Potter-jixed-the-rail-car-again thing happened), and the Marauders went to making up despicable schemes for the up and coming year.
If they could not agree and be pleasant with each other, then they would simply have to create plans in order to disrupt the system at all costs. Or at least find some lame excuse to have petty jinxing raids every once and a while. But until then, they would have peace…or so they thought.
"Lay off it Peter! For the last time… I have no muffin-cakes – I never had muffin-cakes! Just let it alone. I was only using it as an expression." huffed an angered Lupin through the boy's dormitory doors and threw his large trunk on the floor next to his curtained bed.
"But you said that the girls had them. I heard you!" muttered Peter in a grumpy fashion much like he does when he had been denied something akin to his taste. Remus merely shot a glare over to where James and Sirius were trying to suppress the rambunctious giggles they seem to have engaging in.
"You should know better than to talk about muffins and the like around our dear Petigrew." scolded James as he began to unpack his trunk and Sirius nodded.
"I dare say it is quite unhealthy."
"Thank you for that brilliant statement James. Now if you two will refrain from the sport to which I am seemingly losing at, we can all get our robes on to return back down stairs to hear Dumbledore sort the first years."
"Oh how bloody thrilling." scoffed Black muttered.
"I'm gonna give you a bloody nose in a minute if you don't pipe down Padfoot."
"Oh bite me, Remus!" Sirius paused for a moment. "On second thought… don't."
The look that Remus directed towards Black was one of utter self-loathing, and then turned away. James saw the look and had been pleasantly on-looking for the past few minutes; but this had gone far enough.
"Sirius" he steadily said to his friend, and he turned to him. "That was below the belt and you know it."
Black stood and walked over to Lupin's bed and folded himself at the knees to get a clear shot of Remus' tear-filled eyes. He sniffed once and then looked at Black square in the eyes. The look was still there, but it had lessened if somewhat.
"Forgive me dear friend? You know I am a simpering fool sometimes. Almost as bad as our little Snivellus." He tried to crack a smile, but he fell short. "Please forgive me, dear friend?" his own eyes becoming moist themselves.
It was all Remus could do not to turn away and weep for himself, but instead he reached forward and clamped a hand onto Sirius' hanging shoulders and tried to smile.
"Let's all get dressed. It's in the past now." And they both stood up and embraced as brothers would have.
The hall was filled with the students of Hogwarts, and all were anxious to start the new year off right. One could spot the first years right away, not just because they all stood towards the front of the room, but because they all looked like poor deer caught in the headlights of the Knight Bus. Each of them were sorely in want of a seat in the farthest corner of the room; anything to be away from such attention of the entire student body.
All of them had once been first years, they understood the way they felt; these first years weren't getting off any easier than they had had it. Some of the more nasty students would bewitch a flying parchment and soar it over to one of the first years with some kind of horrid little drawing etched on the paper. Some of these, when opened, would either make the acceptant turn as white as a castle ghost, or it would merely blow up in a loud POOF and wither away. Once, one such parchment did the loud 'poof' and the young boy who held it erupted into hysterics and it took most of the feast to calm him down. He never again walked past the Ravenclaw table at feast times ever again.
Now that all the houses were sorted, Hufflepuff got more first years this time than Gryffindor, which was a surprise. Slytherin came next with some rather awkward looking first years, one had large oculars and would survey the entire room over and over again as he sat next to some 'welcoming' (if you call any of the Slytherins welcoming) second years. Talk about a whole new meaning to the phrase 'I've got my eye on you'.
(Authoress: yes yes okay enough of the background now onto the story)
"I swear! I am just waiting for James Potter to give me a reason to hex him!" spat Sylvia "Come to think of it… any of those boys would do." she said as she fingered her wand.
"Yes, well, you aren't the one who has to patrol the corridors with him for the rest of the year!" Lily emphasized with a flare of drama in her voice.
She didn't really like being so nasty when it came to James Potter, she was merely exhaustified at the way he had been jinxing her since first year, then pulling cheap tricks on her until she finally started to fire them right back; and now he has been asking her to go out with him since the middle of their fifth year. And it was always in front of a large group of people. Couldn't he just take her no for an answer? But then again, James Potter was one of the most strong-willed, persistent, no good, arrogant…she should stop while she was still behind.
This year was going to be the best ever! And Lily, with the help of her friends, would make sure it was just so.
Lily drew herself back into the conversation that her friends were engaged into once more to hear that Hufflepuff had acquired more students than they had this year.
"Oh that's alright my sweet,' sided a nosy Sirius next to her friend Corrie, 'Ya see, this simply means that there will be more of them to beat at Quiddich this year.'
"You are disturbed Black.' she shot, 'Completely right, but utterly disturbed.'
Black merely flashed her an exquisite to-die-for smile and pushed off the table he leaned against to saunter over to where the Marauders sat.
Sylvia and Lily each leaned towards their friend as Sylvia commented, 'Too bad you didn't throw a hex at him. He's the one who needs 'em.'
"Oh yeah?" Corrie said looking off to where Sirius was about to sit next to James.
"Watch this." and she sent her wand pointing at the bench, and a thumb-tac appeared instantly, just as Sirius Black sat down.
A loud yelp of pain resounded as a slightly twinged Sirius Black bolted up from his seat grabbing the sore area and withdrawing a silver tac. He quickly shot his eyes up in search of the culprit, but Corrie, Sylvia, and Lily were already turned back around and taking part in the delicious feast that had appeared. It was a good thing that Black couldn't see their faces, because it would have given them away at once. Each girl was beginning to resemble a ripe cherry and had tears of silent laughter streaming down their cheeks.
James Potter then took it upon himself to heal his friend's wounded pride and shot a hex over towards Evans as she was about to take a bite.
"POTTER!" exploded Lily as she tried and tried to take a bite of her food but was unable to get it into her mouth. She turned, utterly furious, to the nonchalant smirk of James Potter.
"Yes Lily Flower? You bellowed?"
"James Potter! Stop it in instant! You should not be hexing people already! School hasn't even started!"
"Yes, I know. So neither should you my Flower."
"Take it off Potter!"
"Oh but Evans,' he sweetly smiled as all of Hogwarts looked on in amazement at the two Heads, ' You already know the password.'
Lily would not give him the satisfaction of hearing those words come from her lips.
"Never Potter! Not EVER!" and she sat down. She would starve before she said those words to him. When she looked up at the Headmaster she saw a rather amused smirk on his bearded face - Oh well, she thought to herself and laid the food back down on her plate and pushed it away.
Sylvia and Corrie saw this and did the same with theirs. If she couldn't eat because some loathsome beast of a Potter hexed her, then either would they.
And that is how they spent the time through the feast. Lily was glad she had such great friends she thought as they left the hall as early as possible. Tonight she would have to deal with that James Potter again(first in the over-due meeting and then once the browsed over their patrolled halls), oh she didn't want to think about it, but until then she would organize her sleeping area and get some early studying done. At least that would keep her mind busy.
(Lily Evan's POV)
Honestly, patrolling the corridors with Potter wasn't all that bad. Of course his ego was almost impossible to fit through the hallways, but at lest he did apologize for jinxing her and did remove the hex when she wouldn't say one word to him for the first half hour. Then she told him that she wasn't really the one who hexed Black anyway and that seemed to make him feel a little bit sorrier than he already was.
Wait! Did she really see true regret in the eyes of James Potter? In those blues eyes that flashed and sparkled and…PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER Lily! Stop it you silly git! This is Potter we are talking about! The boy (well she had to admit he did look more like a young man now than a boy) who always hexed and jinxed her and other people just for the fun of it? Yes! Yes it was! And she still couldn't stand to be with him. But why? All the other girls are madly in love with that arrogant fool. But this was same arrogant fool who just apologized for hexing you not an hour ago.
Well, maybe, just maybe, this year could at least be livable with James …Potter.
: First Day of Term :
"Now class, for those who are unfamiliar with me I am the head of house Slytherin, but to all of you I will be Professor Slughorn. Welcome to my classroom of potions. Here we will learn… ehm…falling asleep first day, Mister Longbottom, is not one of the listed assignments. Perhaps I should whip up a potion that would keep you awake for the next two months? Hmm? Then you just might be able to stay awake and pay close attention to what I was about to say."
At being caught snoozing, the droopy-eyed Mister Longbottom was suddenly quite awake and attentive, even though remnants of saliva still clung to his freckled chin. He was not aware this until then end of class when a Hufflepuff was kind enough to point out that it had dried during and as was now chafing.
Back in Gryffindor's common-room, four card players were hunched over a rather close game, and it was obvious just who had a poker face…and who did not. Remus, passive as ever, sat with his back stiffed up against the tapestried wall thumbing through his cards. Sirius lay sprawled over an easy-chair with his house tie tied around his thick black hair and smiling at his card hand. Peter was sitting hunched over his cards like an ape over his last banana, and looked as though his cards would at any moment shoot straight into his face and bite off his eyebrows. And then there was James, his cards were directly above his hands shuffling themselves and putting themselves in order. James merely sat with a leg over a chair's arm and let it swing to and fro while watching Remus thumb through to find his next playing card.
This is how Lily Evans and her two friends found the lazing Marauders when they entered for their shared off-period; or rather 'study-period'.
"Gin." muttered Lupin and laid down his cards.
"Amazing Moony! Simply brilliant, you know I was rooting for you." said James as his sent his cards into a stack and the others followed in pursuit and reshuffled themselves.
"Oh yes, brilliant." chimed Petigrew a little downcast. Then Remus, who stood up to pop the kinks out from his spine and saw the three girls enter through the picture portal.
"Hi ya girls." smiled Remus and he plopped down next to James on the chair telling him to move over.
"Hello Remus…boys. First day going well?" Corrie asked trying to be at least civil. He nodded with a look that meant 'Yeah I guess so.' There was an unpleasant silence as both parties just shuffled their feet and tried not to stare.
"Well,' interjected Sylvia when she couldn't stand the silence any longer, 'we have some studying to do, since this is a study period you know. So we're going up stairs.' and she gave Lily a subtle goose to make her move forward.
"This place is for all Gryffindors. We can study in here." said Lily with a hint of something neither girl understood, but they weren't about to argue with her in front of 'them'.
"Marvelous Lily Flower! I'm so glad you think that. I was just telling James over here the exact same thing. But unfortunately, I do believe he must have tied his tie too tight for I do recon it's been cutting off air supply. He isn't listening to a word I say lately." Sirius said as he gave James' arm a nice shove.
"But I, myself, believe that your own tie seems to be not only decorating your rather interesting head, but cutting off the oxygen to your own brain as well." spat Corrie as she stood with her hands perched on her supple hips and glared at him. Sirius was more or less at a loss for words as he absentmindedly reached up and pulled the tie down and back into its right full place around his neck.
"Yeah Abbot? Well…well… yeah Abbot!" was all he could manage as the girls swiveled around and took a seat across the room and started to spread out their books to study.
"Hey!" called Black from his seat. "I can still throw hexes at you from here! I hope you know that Abbot."
Corrie didn't even turn around and shouted back to him, "I'm already one up on you Black!"
If she had been looking at him she would have seen his jaw sink almost all the way to floor and James tip it back into place with the tip his wand. When Sirius did regain control he stood up and crossed the room in three strides to where Corrie Abbot sat with parchment and ink.
"That!...That was YOU?" he was fuming, but this was no surprise to Corrie however, she knew he would do this when he found out about the tac-jinx from last night. She was surprised he hadn't found out sooner.
Without even looking up from the parchment she was beginning to write on, she said, "Oh Black, sorry to break the harsh news, but to put it simply, you are not the solo jinxer in all of Hogwarts. And you have to admit, you know one artisan to another and all, it was pretty good for a first night prank."
Sirius could not contain himself! A girl! Much less… Corrie Abbot! The little minx! How could she… why in the… oh dear!
"It's alright Black. Don't lose sleep over this small matter." Sylvia told him as she began to scribble on her own parchment. He walked back over to his friends who were all rolling on the floor with silent tears of sheer amusement streaming down their faces and each of them clutched their sides even harder as they saw Black's face of utter shock and downheartness.
And that was how the morning of classes went for the seven Gryffindors.
:Later that Night while Patrolling:
"It was bloody brilliant if you ask me. I think he deserved it, personally." Lily was still incredibly tickled at the stunt her friend had pulled on Black and the expression he had had on his face most of the day. It was only when they went to supper did Black's regular smashing personality break through the soggy outer-face of shock and dismay over Abbot's joke.
"Oh really? And I would just love to know why, my Lily Flower. That is, if you will indulge me." James teased her with that dashing smile and flashing blue eyes.
Blast those eyes! Lily thought to herself.
"Well, I mean… hey, Potter. Looks like we've got a job to do, c'mon." Lily had spotted some first years (how could they not be first years. All of them still looked like deer in head-lights) who were appearently lost.
"What are you doing out of the common-rooms? It is past curfew. Are you lost?" asked Lily. One of the braver ones looked at both of them before directing her question in a rather shy manner towards James.
"If you please,' she turned a light shade of red as James Potter, Quidditch Captian, turned to look at the girl with a smile. 'Please, we are lost. We're in Ravenclaw." was all she said.
James looked at Lily and decided he should point out the way to the lost first years.
"If you go straight through this main hallway here and then take a left, you'll follow it down until you come to the steps that go to the dormitories of Ravenclaw." he flashed her a smile and all of the girls began to take of the shades of ripe tomatoes and began to giggle their way down the hall.
"And no loitering!" called Lily after them.
Then the Head boy and girl decided they had patrolled long enough and began their walk back to their own dormitories. After a while of silence Lily suddenly blurted out, "Why do all of them do that!"
James turned and looked at her with a confused grin.
"You know exactly what I mean Mister James 'I'm so charming' Potter!"
"I am charming."
"No you're not! And that doesn't answer my question, Potter. Why? Why do all of the girls, even the minuet ones, fall at a dead faint at your feet? You should have the hospital wing named after you! Or at least warn people with a sign or something."
"That's a marvelous idea Love. How about both?"
"I mean it Potter. Why? Why do they all do that? And why… oh never mind."
"Oh c'mon Evans. If you're going to hint at it, you might as well say it. Now, never mind what?"
"It's just that…"
"Yes?" he prodded.
"Well…' she paused. She really didn't know how to say this at all! Just spit it out and it will be over with you silly girl.
"If you can have all of these other girls… why… why do you even look at me?"
It takes quite a lot to make James Potter speechless… but here he was… speechless. And more or less afraid of what Lily Evans just might do (or even worse…say) if he told her the wrong thing. Then a novel idea squeezed itself into his overloaded brain…Run Potter! Run away and fast!
And that's just what he did.
"I am just so exhausted of mixing herbs over and over again until I think instead of just a green thumb I am seriously contemplating shoving that green thumb up Herbology's…"
"Miss Abbot!" cried Professor McGonagall with a reprimanding eyebrow cocked at the almost phrase Corrie Abbot was about to utter. "I was always under the impression that you had a natural talent for herbs and potions?"
"I am just so … I think the phrase Muggles use is 'over worked and under paid' Professor! It is only my first day in that class and I'm running mad with it. Today I accidentally mixed the wrong herbs and I am still scratching in some rather unseemly places! Even after Madam Nurse fixed me up!" she added an effective last scratch to her bum so that McGonagall could get her drift easily. "How in the world is it possible to have it there? I wasn't even stirring with anything remotely near there!"
McGonagall merely tapped Abbot on the shoulder and said, "Miss Abbot, I'm sure we can remedy the rather…unsavory problem you have, but I'm afraid there's just no moving you from Herbology class. If you indeed wish to succeed in your future trade, I do suggest you remain within that class. That is, if you have no further objections to it." and she crossed her hands as if to say I-do-hope-that-you-have-no-more-objections-because-i-really-do-not-wish-to-deal-with-anymore-besides-the-one-that-you-happen-to-be-scratching-right-now type thing. So Abbot finally got the hint and left the Professor's office with a pass to the medical wing for her…unsavory itching problem. This was going to be a long year, she thought to her self.
-----
"Still scratching Corrie?" asked Sylvia from behind a Dark Arts book.
"Yes." she answered rather ruefully. "I tried to get out of that class, but McGonagall won't have it. She seems to be determined to see as a Healer. It will be the death of me." She plopped down beside her friend and struggled to retrieve a large, leather-bound book with faded gold lettering of 'Herbology' across the front of it from her book-bag.
"Well, I thought you wanted to be a Healer. You know, help with the fight. Beat the bad guys." muffled the voice behind the book.
"I do. Don't get me wrong, but Black is in that class, and I can't stand him staring at me! And when he's not staring I'm wondering why he's not staring. And when I'm thinking about that, I can't think about what I'm supposed to be doing; which only leads to pain! Lots and lots of Itchy. Scratchy. Pain!"
Finally Sylvia dropped the Dark Arts book and looked at her morose friend who sat slumped in the comfy red Common Room chair adjacent to her.
"You are pathetic aren't you."
"No I'm not." Abbot pouted. Sylvia merely gave a look to her friend and they both sheepishly grinned at one another and started tittering.
Just then a wizzing sound exploded from the portrait door and in ran a rather frantic James Potter. Like a flash he was bounding up to the boys dormitory stairwell and only seconds later the two girls heard a loud SLAM come from the upstairs hallway.
"Too bad we're the only ones in here. I don't think anyone will believe us if we say that Potter came practically airborne through the Common Room tonight. He must have pranked a Dementor by accident this time. " Laughed Sylvia to Corrie.
The two girls still were laughing when the portal opened once more and a rather distressed Lilly Evans stepped through the portrait.
"Hi girls." She said dejectedly.
Sylvia and Corrie's laughter quickly deferred to Lily's affected manner and each cut short their refrain of laughter.
"You can't have beaten my rash, Lily. So why not tell us what is up." Corrie chirped.
"I'd rather not if you don't mind."
"Sorry, Lil's. The secret is out. We already saw Potter come through here not two minutes ago. So you have nothing to hide. Spill Lil!" commanded Corrie.
With a great drawn breath, Lily Evans began to enumerate exactly what had happened while patrolling that first night.
"So Abbot. Since I am so devilishly charming, why don't you come over and let me whisper sweet nothings into your ear." Corrie Abbot swung around with daggers pointed in no other direction than that of Sirius Black himself.
"Drop dead Black." She hissed; and then turned back around to finish her Herbology paper that the Professor so graciously allowed them to work on in class.
"For you…anything."
Abbot rolled her eyes and shot her wand over her shoulder and produced a shining tac upon Black's desk.
"Oh I simply adore you too Abbot." retorted Black with a sinister sarcasm.
"Did you just say you are a foul odor?" shot Corrie, still trying desperately to concentrate on her paper.
"No, but I could say something about your rash if you'd like."
With out a seconds delay both wands were out and each shot a jinx at the other with a loud POOF.
Black's eyes grew large as he looked at his hands that, at the moment, were changing rapidly into those of an old man. "Abbot! What foul jinx did you throw?"
But Corrie was much to concerned with what Sirius had done to her. "What have you done Black? I thought you jinxed me?"
"How did you do this? Is it just my hands … or are you particularly angry with me?" (he drops his head and then breathes a sigh of relief) "Oh, thank Merlin you are not that cruel."
"What's going on here? Miss Abbot, Mr. Black? Have you been throwing spells?"
Black quickly hid his hands underneath the potting table and innocently stared back at the Professor. "Whatever for, Professor? Miss Abbot and I are most congenial friends and wouldn't dream of it."
The Professor cocked an eyebrow towards Corrie (who had her face turned downward and away) and asked, "Miss Abbot? How is your parchment coming?"
Unwillingly, Miss Abbot raised her head and looked into the Professor's face to answer, "Quite well infact. Quite well." But when the Professor stifled a gasp of horror, quickly followed by a hiccup of suppressed laughter, Corrie Abbot lowered her head like a shot and slowly turned arson eyes to the positively loathsome Sirius Black. She didn't have to ask what jinx he had thrown at her. It was already large, hairy, and settling at the very tip of her nose.
Black crossed his old-man-hands behind his head and steadily grinned at her from his seat.
"Oh, Black. You will pay. And I will love each and every agonizing minute of it. Yes Black. Revenge will be sweet. Just. You. Wait."
(note: "so evans. Do you believe in love at first sight?" "NO" "Oh, well then maybe I should walk back in?")