Chapter IX

She's Jealous?

((James's POV))

Lily and I were sort of friends at that point. I don't really understand what sort of relationship we had, but I resumed my usual "ask-outs," as you might call them, and she still declined. So apparently she didn't want to be my girlfriend.

It's not like we talked a whole lot, either. I mean, we greeted each other in the morning and talked a little bit on our nighttime patrols, but we didn't run to each other with problems or anything like normal friends do.

So I guess we weren't friends. Damn.

Anyway, she got over her cousin's family's death after a couple of weeks or so, and for that amount of time that she was still sad, she was only getting "Acceptables" on her essays, rather than the normal "Outstandings." Or, in the case of Transfiguration, her normal "Exceeds Expectations." We all knew she had come round when Flitwick announced to the class that Lily had written her essay a foot longer than was asked.

And I still didn't have a girlfriend.

"I'm surprised you've gotten this far, James," Remus told me at lunch on the first day of February. I heard Sirius cough loudly into his cup.

"It sort of bothers me," I admitted.

"What?" asked Peter curiously. "That Lily won't go out with you?"

"Well, that," I told him. "But also that I don't have a girlfriend. I haven't had a snog since I broke up with Katrina Dumond in Diagon Alley in the summer. You know, she wanted to kiss me goodbye."

"Women," Sirius muttered, shaking his head. "Always torn to pieces when you let them down."

"Well, you would know most of all, wouldn't you?" Remus asked Sirius with raised brows. They both looked over at a crying Ravenclaw girl, whom the boy had dated for a full two weeks.

Sirius ignored him. "Look, Prongs, just get a girl. Lily obviously won't mind"—he paid no heed to my glare—"because she still hasn't gone out with you. You just need a week or so to get your mind off her."

"Look, I'm after Lily this year," I objected.

"A little jealousy will do her some good," Sirius insisted. "When she sees you holding hands with another girl in the corridors, she's bound to get angry."

"She won't be jealous," I sighed.

Remus jumped in. "I don't think this is a good idea, either, Sirius."

"I like it," Peter piped up.

"Thank you, Wormtail," Sirius told the smaller boy. "You just need a couple weeks of vacation, Prongs. We can't have you forgetting how to snog or anything."

I considered this. "Well, maybe. You really don't think she'll mind?"

"Not a chance," Sirius assured him, acting very pleased with himself. "Just pick a girl. Any girl."

"Maybe I shouldn't."

Sirius sighed deeply. "You are so stubborn sometimes. Do it before I hex you."

"Fine."

I, ignoring the objections of Remus, scanned the room for a pretty girl. Amelia Thomas—no. She needed to bleach her mustache. Patricia Fir—no. Too skinny. My eyes settled on a blonde Hufflepuff girl who was laughing at something her friend had said. Her name was Sylvia Bones, and she was very pretty. She had straight white teeth and had managed to keep acne away. Her hair was curly, and her eyes were brown. She was tall, taller than Lily, and curvy. About as curvy as Lily.

Why was I thinking about Lily at a time like this?

Forget it. Anyway, Sylvia Bones was very pretty, though she was in sixth year.

I stood up and sauntered over to her table, mussing my hair a little. I felt like I was back to my normal self.

Was that a good thing?

Oh well. Anyway, she looked up at me when I stood next to her, and all of her friends silented, watching us.

"Hello," she said quietly, breathlessly. She stood up, and the top of her head reached to about right under my nose.

"Sylvia, I was just wondering"—I paused—"if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow." (It was a Friday.)

She grinned. "I'd be glad to."

So it was done. We didn't find a broom closet, however, because I'm Head Boy, and that sort of thing isn't quite right.

At least, not until later.

Word spread that I had finally gotten another item of attraction, but Lily didn't seem to mind that evening when we were patrolling the halls. Somehow I was not as relieved as I thought I'd be by this. She asked me if I'd gone out with Sylvia before, and told me how nice she was, and how she had even tutored Lily in Herbology in the fourth year.

Lily can be very fun to talk to when she's not disgusted by you.

((Lily's POV))

I could not believe it.

It was so startling.

James had gotten a girlfriend.

I was contemplating this in bed that night, moonlight pooling on my covers. So James had finally gotten a girlfriend. I was thinking that I should've gone back to calling him "Potter." I thought he could survive without one for a while.

Apparently he wasn't that smitten with me.

When I thought about it, part of me was happy for him. Happy that he finally had someone to make him happy, because I apparently wasn't doing that.

Another part of me was disgusted. He'd probably snogged her senseless already. At least he hadn't acted all smug about it when I talked to him that night.

And another part of me was, and I hate to admit it:

Jealous.

Yes. Lily Evans was jealous of Sylvia Bones. Because she was dating James Potter.

Did I want to date James Potter?

How was I going to get him back? That morning, McGonnagal had announced that we would be having a Valentine's Day Ball on February fourteenth.

Not that I was planning on going with James, or anything.

But whom would I go with now? I mean, yeah, guys thought I was pretty and all, but they didn't really want to go out with me. I had the reputation of this goody-too-shoes smarty-pants, and nobody wanted to date one of those.

Except maybe James Potter. But apparently not anymore.

I had to come up with a plan to get him back. But I was just so angry that I couldn't even begin to think of ideas.

So I fell asleep thinking about it, and I prepared myself for Hogsmeade the next morning, putting on a little makeup and perfume. I didn't wear these things on schooldays, just on Hogsmeade weekends and other special events.

Pansy, Rose, and I saw James holding hands with Sylvia in the Three Broomsticks the next day. I acted like I didn't care, but since I'd admitted to Rose and Pansy that I sort of fancied James, they saw through it. But they didn't bother me too much about it.

Something even worse happened that evening.

I couldn't find James for the nighttime patrol, so I hunted around the castle, looking for him. It was when I heard a thump through a door next to me that I realized where James was.

I knocked on the door and said, "Whoever is in there should come out now before I give you detention! I'm Head Girl!"

The door opened, and James was standing there, his glasses askew and his hair even less tidy that it usually was. I looked beyond him and saw a lipstick smeared Sylvia standing there, some of her shirt unbuttoned and one of her bra straps showing. I was completely appalled.

"Ten points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff!" I said, hands on my hips. "Make yourselves decent. Sylvia, you go straight back to your dormitory. Potter, we have patrolling to do, if you forgot."

So they both shamefully (Sylvia more so than James) fixed themselves up. I helped the Hufflepuff girl get the lipstick off of her chin, but I didn't help James get it off his neck. When at last they were done, Sylvia left, and I looked at James hard for a moment before turning around abruptly and starting down the corridor.

He followed me. "Look, Lily, I'm sorry—"

"You tell that to the rest of the Gryffindors, Potter," I snapped, walking on. "You just lost ten points for your House. Then again, I suppose I'm in Gryffindor as well, so just keep apologizing."

"I can't help it that you're jealous—"

"Jealous, Potter?" I turned around swiftly so he almost knocked me over as he walked. "Why would I be jealous, hm? Jealous that some other girl had your hands in her shirt?"

"My hands weren't in her shirt yet—"

"But they were going to be!" I screeched. "If I hadn't stopped in when I did, it could have gotten worse! And then I'd have to take you two to McGonnagal!"

"You don't care about what kind of trouble we were in," James told me coolly. "You care about what would have happened between me and her."

I don't know where it came from, but rage rushed over me, even more than it already had, and I smacked him across the cheek. "Don't tell me what goes on in my mind, you warthog faced buffoon. I know perfectly well, and I don't need you to tell me!"

He held his red cheek. "You're strong."

"Yes, I am," I spat. "And you have some lipstick on your left ear, by the way." I turned around and walked on, and we continued patrolling, looking pointedly in opposite directions.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I used to not understand why they make people so happy, but now I do. :)

Also, I know you guys probably want to smack me for this chapter, but I realized that James and Lily were getting a little too friendly too soon in the story (because I just lurve them). Plus, James will do anything to get Lily to like him, so making her jealous was one of his plans.

I try to update as quickly as possible because I have nothing else to do when I'm not at school (except, you know, sleep fourteen hours a night and raid the kitchen for Ramen Noodles). You'll notice I update about once a day, but this weekend I will be taking a break, due to the release of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. Yeah, I'll probably have it finished before Monday.