Nov 18, 2005
A/N:
I finally got over my boatload of writer's block and finished this chapter. It was hell to write, I'm serious, and I'm still not happy with it, but I figured I've left it long enough.
The chapters are going to come slower now, as I have to split my time writing with the other story I'm working on right now. (Go read The 12 days of Xmas if you're looking for a more humorous L/J fic!)
Again, thanks to my reviewers for keeping me feeling terribly guilty whenever I felt like discontinuing the story. Kudos to all of you.
Daisy Pixie—You're probably right. I do have a tendency to try and justify whatever I do. Annoying, really. But thanks, I'm glad you like the fic!
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Chapter 9--Green?
"Oy! James! Get your head outta the clouds and hurry it up!"
James shook his already disheveled hair and turned back to his dresser, rummaging around for the prototype of the new Marauder's map. Needless to say, he was feeling a bit preoccupied, though the reason why wasn't quite a mystery.
It had been bugging him all day. What was wrong with Lily, and why wouldn't she see that he didn't mean him any harm? Had he been that much of an arrogant git over the past years? Surely not.
No, he was being too rash. She just needed more time. She was still a girl, and he'd had enough experience with girls, in his opinion, to be able to handle the situation.
His fingers brushed a sheet of parchment and he hurriedly snatched it up, bolting out of the dormitory and into the common room where his friends were already waiting impatiently.
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Five minutes later they were out in the Gryffindor Tower corridor, edging silently along the dark hall. Peter had accidentally found what had appeared to be a new secret passageway on the fourth floor, and the boys had decided that tonight would be a good time to explore it.
"Where's the map, James?" Peter muttered as he lead the way toward the staircase.
James, who was, for once, bringing up the rear, reached into his cloak and handed the sheet of parchment to Sirius, who handed it to Remus, who offered it to Peter. The latter took the sheet, pulled out his wand, and tapped it, muttering the incantation. Nothing happened. He tried again in vain.
"What's wrong?" whispered Remus, glancing about nervously. "Hurry up and tell us if the way's clear."
Putting a hand up to his lips in indication of silence, Peter motioned them down the staircase and into the fourth floor corridor, where he quickly jammed his wand promptly into the bottom of the statue of Boris the Bewildered that looked over the hallway. The other boys stared at him, incredulous, but were forestalled by a great rumbling, as the seemingly solid stone behind the statue slid open to reveal a dark corridor.
Peter retrieved his wand, then beckoned for the rest of the guys to enter the rapidly closing passageway. They slid inside one by one and slumped onto the damp floor.
"Right in the arse of that bloke!" Sirius muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "How the hell did you figure that out?"
Peter looked embarrassed. "Er…A couple Slytherins were teasing me last week and I tried to curse them, and then…" He trailed off as the others stared at him disbelievingly.
Finally, Remus broke the silence. He ignited the tip of his wand and shined the stream of light on the parchment in Peter's hands. "What was wrong with the map?"
"I dunno," the portly boy replied, "It wouldn't work."
"What?" chorused James and Sirius simultaneously, as Remus reached for the paper. He prodded it with his wand and murmured, "I solemly swear I'm up to no good."
When nothing happened, he shook his head and handed it to Sirius, who tried the same thing, then handed it in disbelief to James, who promptly turned pink.
"Uh oh," he said uncomfortably, "Sorry guys, I must've grabbed the wrong thing. This is just a piece of blank parchment."
There was a collective groan as the group began to move down the passageway, feeling along the walls.
"What the hell's wrong with you, Prongs?" intoned Sirius as James stumbled over a rock. "You've been preoccupied all day."
Remus answered for him. "It's Lily, isn't it?" he remarked sagely, "She still hates him."
There was silence, then Sirius gave a low whistle. "Wow," he teased, turning back to his embarrassed friend, "I can't believe this. The great James Potter. Captain of the Quidditch team. Can't even get a girl to go out with you?"
James ground his teeth in frustration. "Yes, well, she's not exactly what you would call normal. She's got this stubbornness, it bugs the hell outta me sometimes, honestly."
Peter, on the other hand, only nodded in sympathy. "We feel you mate," he said cheerfully, "How can we help?"
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James creeped down the hallway and peered around the corner, where Lily was standing impatiently in front of the library entranceway. He took a deep breath.
Romantic, James, he thought to himself, be romantic.
That was, after all, what would help him win Lily, according to Remus at least. "Girls love to be wooed," he had said last night, nodding sagely, "be romantic, tell her she's pretty, and look deep into her eyes. You'll be irresistible."
Of course, that wasn't the only advice James had gotten from his friends. Sirius, on the other hand, had insisted that James play hard-to-get while Peter had suggested he be outrageous and nonconformist. However, seeing as Remus' advice seemed most plausible, James had decided to give it a go.
So now he stood, standing anxiously around the corner from the library, three red roses clutched in his hand, ready for Lily to fall head over heels in love with him. He grinned and stepped into view.
Since the last time they had gotten together to work on their project had resulted in mayhem, the two had decided to meet again, after James had vowed to keep his mind strictly on the potion they were supposed to research and concoct.
She wont mind a little romancing on the sides, James told himself. If I play my cards right, I'm golden.
Lily looked up as he approached, startled, then looked at the grandfather clock standing down the hall.
"You're early," she commented, still wearing her surprised expression.
James extended the flowers he had brought, and her look of shock grew as she looked down at them.
"Er…what?"
He felt like taking her by the shoulders and shaking her.
"Dammit, Woman, what do you think?"He wanted to say, but Remus' voice sounded in his head. Be a gentleman, it said. He tried again.
"I brought you these flowers, Lily," he said in his best gentlemanly voice. "I picked them myself."
Actually, he hadn't, but he didn't think that was important. James watched as she took the bouquet cautiously and peered down into it, then back at him suspiciously.
He held up his hands in a gesture of innocence. "What?"
"What did you do to them?"
"What did I do…?"
Lily raised an eyebrow. "James Potter." she said pointedly, "giving a girl flowers?"
"Er…I thought you might like roses."
Lily held up a blossom and squinted at it. "I do," she said, "but if you think I'm stupid enough to think that you would actually give me flowers without charming them or hexing them in some way—"
James looked pained. "I didn't, Evans, I just—"
"Okay, Potter, what's going on?"
"I dunno what you're—"
She gave him a pointed look and cocked an eyebrow. "James, you're giving me flowers. And a few days ago, you…well, you know what you did. If this is another one of those bets you're always making with your friends—"
"I just want you go to out with me, and—"
"James."
"…What?"
Lily sighed and fixed him with a strict stare that rivaled Professor McGonagall's. "What's going on, James?" she repeated, her voice steady.
James stared at her, at a loss for words, then seemed to come to a decision. Romance, James, he told himself firmly. He opened his mouth.
"You…you have beautiful eyes, Lily," he began awkwardly. "They outshine the…er, stars"
She just stared up at him, almost disgusted. "What?"
James shrugged. "You have nice eyes. Er…and your smile is like…" He trailed off, racking his brain for a better word than "pretty".
"Nice?" Lily offered sarcastically, "Attractive? Green?"
James did a double take. "Green?" he repeated hesitantly.
"Look, James," Lily said as patiently as she could, "If you're too preoccupied to work on the project today, just let me know; we can set another date. But if you're going to just stand there and keep doing…whatever it is that you've been doing, then we're going to be having some problems."
Dammit. So being romantic really wasn't the answer. James decided to drop the act, seeing as he wasn't getting anywhere with it anyways.
"Fine," he muttered dejectedly, "I'll be good."
"Good." Lily gave him one last curious look then turned and led the way into the library.
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