The fight had ended with McGonagall showing up and levitating both boys to the hospital wing. The both had received a month full of detentions and she had deducted a 100 points from the Gryffindor house. Lily, who still had Remus' cloak stuck in her bag, was now walking to History of Magic with Erica and Maria.
"Do you ever notice..." Lily started, "Nah, never mind."
"No," Maria said poking her in the stomach, "tell us."
"It's just that," Lily started, pausing to figure out how best to say it, "After every Marauder's prank... two of those boys have a fight." She didn't' need to explain who 'those' boys were.
"Lily, they have a fight about once a week, of course some of them are going to happen around a Marauders prank," soothed Erica.
"Yeah, I guess," a pause, "It's just that last night I saw Remus and he had that invisibility cloak Sirius always uses ... and I don't care what you guys may think about him, he didn't steal it." Lily explained, "And last night when I talked to Remus he said something that made me think that maybe he doesn't hate Sirius as much as everyone believes."
At Erica and Maria's inquiring looks she continued, "I was talking about how Sirius is trying to make me quit smoking and he smiled and said, 'yeah me too.' And when I asked him about it he said he meant that his mom was trying to make him quit."
"Well, maybe his mom really is trying to make him quit and maybe they both have an invisibility cloak or maybe he did steal it?" Erica offered.
"He didn't steal it," Lily argued, her voice left no room for argument.
"What? You spend one night with the guy and you suddenly know everything about him?" questioned Erica loudly, throwing up her hands.
Lily's only reply was a glare.
"Okay, so assuming that he didn't steal it. Maybe they both have one."
"Do you know how rare those are?" Maria questioned, "My mom's been trying to buy one for the last three years. Not only are they practically extinct, they also cost a fortune."
"Okay. So there are a couple little quirks. That doesn't change the fact that these boys have hated each other for four years."
"Yeah," Lily said as she walked into the History of Magic class room. Maria and Erica took the two seats in front of her while she sat next to an empty seat that would normally be taken by Sirius.
"I guess," Maria also agreed, although neither looked like they totally bought it.
Lily began to idly chew on her quill as her mind drifted through the events of the last few days, desperately trying to put the pieces together. She was quickly lost in thought and didn't even look up when a boy sat down in Sirius's usual seat.
Professor Binns floated through the wall and immediately began his lecture on "Witch Burnings in the Western World." Lily didn't even look up as his monotone voice rang out through the classroom. She was too busy studying her memories. ... ...
It had all started out as a game. A stupid game. A simple child's game: a strange mix between Make-believe and Dress-Up. Some huge prank he had come up with, something that would put them in the history books. It was going to be fun, an escape from the mundane existence James had been fearing. James wanted adventure, excitement and the others craved it as much as he did. They thought they would use it as a way to escape their dull and gray world.
James was well aware of the irony. The act he had used to set himself free had slowly become his prison.
It wasn't a game. He knew that now. But then again, hindsight is always 20/20. James had selfishly created a way to hide and had ended up trapping him and his friends in an inescapable lie. He could see the effects it had in their eyes. At first everyone's eyes glinted with mischief and adventure. They were getting away with something they hadn't even dared to dream of. The mischievous sparkle, however, slowly faded to boredom, to indifference, to anger, and, finally, to that of a caged animal. It was their own personal prison. That was the only way to describe it. A fact that was made all the worse by the knowledge that they had created it. It was their own doing. And now they were in too deep to ever fully escape the lies they had created.
When they gave up their facade, and they would, there was no question of that in James' mind, it was like a time-bomb, slowly ticking down to zero, Hogwarts wouldn't accept their previous lie as an act. Not completely anyway. They wouldn't be able to grasp the magnitude of what the Marauders had done. Hogwarts would forever have lingering thoughts of James the nerd, Remus the loner, Sirius the Quidditch star, and Peter the nice guy whispering around in the back of their minds. With a soft smile, James realized just how much he hated stereotypes.
And, if by some miracle the school would fully accept them as who they really were, forgetting completely about the characters they had been playing?
Well, they still couldn't escape.
The acts they had been performing had slowly become a part of who they were. They had shaped their personalities in the slightest ways, undetectable to anyone else, but crystal clear among the group. Remus' temper, which had always been the mildest of the four, had noticeable shortened. Peter had a tendency to poke fun at not only himself, but at others. And James had become harder, untrusting, and suspicious, always cautious for the bully that would sneak up behind him. Sirius, who had always been the compulsive, passionate one, was slowly loosing passion to reason. Although most would find this a positive improvement, James thought it was the most tragic of all.
And even though most of him had grown to hate the lie he had created, a part of him still loved it. Or at least, what it allowed him to do. He loved the pranks they pulled. It was one of the only times he felt free, one of the only times he was himself. He was addicted to the adrenaline rush, the danger, and the fear that each prank involved. And even though he hated the act they put on, he would do it again in a second. James would never give up the pranks or secret meetings the Marauders had participated in thanks to their discuses. They were memories that James would never forget and would cherish for the rest of his life.
As the ringleader of the Marauders walked down the halls of Hogwarts, headed for his History of Magic class, he couldn't help but wonder how long they would last, how many days were left until the bomb exploded and the secret they had been hiding for five years was set free. He silently prayed that it wouldn't be much longer, as he ran a hand through his messy locks.
His depressing thoughts were snatched away by a glimpse of red hair. With a self mocking smirk, James silently acknowledged how pathetic it was that just the sight of her hair could brighten his whole day. He didn't even realize as his steps became quicker that he was trying to catch up with the beautiful red head.
As he broke through a clump of Hufflepuffs, expertly dogging in-between two girls with blonde hair, one of which exclaimed an "Oomph" as he passed by, he noticed that Lily was surrounded by her usual entourage. He felt his stomach drop in disappointment and his smile slightly wavered. There was no point in approaching her now, he decided, his shoulders dropping in defeat. He would have to talk to her later in the library.
A small part of him was annoyed that she had this type of effect on him, that she could alter his mood without even a word. However, the larger part of him relished in the tingling feeling that spread over his skin and the fluttering in his stomach he felt anytime she was around. He watched as she ran her delicate hand through her hair, a small smile settling on his face in recognition of her familiar action.
She and her friends were talking conspiringly and James couldn't help but wonder what about.
His thoughts were answered when Erica said loudly, "What? You spend one night with the guy and you suddenly know everything about him?" She punctuated her exasperation by throwing her arms wildly up into the air.
The loud outburst caused the entire hall to turn their direction, but Lily was to busy glaring to notice. James, however, was very aware that Mandi Peterson, a 5th year Hufflepuff and the school's best source of gossip, turned to her too-skinny friend and started to discuss what had just happened.
James knew it was a harmless statement, knew that Erica was talking about Remus and their innocent meeting in the Astronomy Tower, knew that nothing had happened. But Mandi didn't. And James' was sure she was completely content in believing the worst. He was just glad that she didn't know who Lily was with last night. And he prayed that she didn't find out. The news of Lily and Remus would spread around the school in an hour flat.
James watched as Lily, Erica, and Maria entered the classroom, oblivious to the attention they had just earned themselves. His eyes followed Lily as she sat down and he noted the empty seat next to her. Sirius wouldn't be making it to class today.
After an internal battle, he decided that he would take his empty seat. It wouldn't do any harm and it would let him spend time with the girl that constantly plagued his thoughts. The class would think nothing of it. It was a good seat in the front of the class and it was a well known fact that Lily and James studied together.
Over that last year the pair had become very close, a fact James was very happy about. Although he still put on his act in front of Lily, he was slowly allowing it to slip away. And although it should have scared him, it gave him a reassuring feeling instead. Lily seemed to except him more and more, the more he put his guard down, and knowing that she approved of who he really was meant more to him than it should have.
He and Lily had an unspoken agreement to meet in the library everyday after class to study together. They always sat at the same table and usually ended up doing more talking than actual studying. They had discovered that they had a surprising amount of things in common. One of the most shocking to Lily was James' love for muggle classics. They both liked the same wizard bands and Lily had exposed James to some muggle songs, which he could often be heard humming while studding in the common room.
Just as James began to walk towards the seat, it was stolen by a brunette Ravenclaw. A very male, brunette Ravenclaw, who happened to be on their house Quidditch team. Professor Binns started his lecture, but James didn't even register the ghost's voice. He watched, a tingle of jealousy sweeping over him, as the brunette introduced himself to Lily. Lily, who appeared deep in thought, was surprised by this sudden action. James' eyes never looked away from her as he took his usual seat. He watched as the Ravenclaw gave a flirtatious smile and James tried to decide if Lily was flirting back. James also noticed the looks Erica and Maria kept giving the guy. Very approving and they kept turning around and shooting Lily very meaningful glances.
Lily and the nameless guy talked quietly through the class and James became more and more sick as time went on. He, like most of the students, was extremely happy when the bell rang signaling the end of class. The Ravenclaw, however, was not.
As James walked past the two, he heard the nameless Ravenclaw ask Lily if he could walk her to class. A great relief lifted off James' shoulders when she declined, explaining that she had Charms next and that it would be too far out of his way. Lily waved good-bye to the brunette and hurried to catch up to her friends who, James knew, where waiting just around the corner. He didn't have to hear the squeals to know that Erica and Maria were drilling Lily about the 'hottie.'
With a sigh, James thought to himself, "This is going to be a long day."
... ...
"Hey," Lily said as she placed her books down at their usual library table.
James looked up from the book he was immersed in, pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. They had once again fallen all the way to the slightly curved tip, barely hanging on, a sight Lily had always found adorable. "Hi," he said with a goofy smile. James hair was more messy than usual, strands pointing in all directions and one hanging directly in front of his eyes.
"Good book?" she questioned as she pulled out her chair and collapsed into it.
"Very," James answered, "You've probably already read it. It's a muggle book, Jane Eyre."
Lily was shocked, "You like Jane Eyre?"
"You didn't?"
"No, I loved it. I cried at the end. It just doesn't seem your type," she explained as she took out her parchment and quill, "Your know, your usually a Tolkien or a Dumas."
With a shrug, James changed the subject, "So how was your day?" he asked, closing his book and moving on to his potions essay.
"Boring as usual," Lily stated, this was her normal response, like someone else's 'fine.' "Well, that's not entirely true, I wouldn't call it boring. Seeing as Sirius and Remus and are both in the hospital wing and Jacob Worthington blew up his cactus in Transfiguration," the last was remembered with a smile from both Lily and James.
"Yeah," James continued casually as he copied the ingredients to their latest potion down, "And I noticed you made a friend," his tone was normal, if not a little teasing. No clue into how he was really feeling. 'James you are quite the actor,' he thought to himself arrogantly.
Lily looked up from her paper indigently, "If your referring to that Ravenclaw-"
She was interrupted by James who looked up from the paper with a smirk, "That's exactly whom I'm referring to, my lady," this time his tone was nothing but mocking.
She glared at him in a playful manor, but said nothing more on the subject.
"So," James prodded, he took on a high pitched voice that sounded remarkable like Mandi Peterson's, "Don't leave me waiting, I want details."
She laughed loudly at this and Madame Pince sent an all too familiar glare in their direction.
"His name is Mitch Harding," Lily said in a conspiratorial tone.
"And..." James prodded refusing to acknowledge what that tone probably meant.
"And he's very attractive..."
"Why do I feel a but coming on?" James asked ignoring the pang of jealousy he felt at her calling Mitch attractive.
"Because there is a but."
"But what?"
"But," Lily said with a sigh, "he has the IQ of an asparagus."
"An asparagus," James said smiling, "Wow, that's bad. You couldn't even give the guy a tomato?"
"No," she said shaking her head sadly, "he was that bad. And the worst part is that Maria and Erica think he's perfect for me and I tried to explain to them that I want a guy who cannot only spell his own name but recite the alphabet without having to pause every five seconds to think, but they didn't understand."
"You don't have high qualifications do you?" James teased.
"What can I say? I'm a simple girl."
The two were silent for a few moments, both working on their homework when James began to laugh. It started out as a small snicker which grew to deep, loud laughter.
Madame Pince once again shot them a look, this one was accompanied by a harsh, "Shhhh!"
"I'm sorry, I still can't get over the fact that you called the guy an asparagus," he said containing his laughter, not even realizing that the two of them were lightly flirting.
Lily poked him playfully in the arm, "I did NOT call him an asparagus, I just commented on the fact that he didn't talk about anything other that Quidditch for the whole period. And he didn't even do that intelligently. I mean Sirius can go on and on and on about Quidditch forever, but he never repeats himself four times. Four times! He kept talking about Sami "the Snitch" Rosenbum and the catch he made at the game against Egypt. I mean, come on. One in depth description is enough, I don't need four. And when I say in depth I mean IN DEPTH. Apparently this guy had those magical magnifying binoculars, because he even described how his hair was flying in the wind and the desperate gleam he had in his eye as his pale white fingers, tense with desire, reached out for the snitch. Four times I heard that. FOUR TIMES. And, you know, Sirius recognizes when I've completely zoned out. But then again, Sirius has an IQ higher than that of your everyday garden vegetable. I mean, for Gods sakes, I wasn't even responding anymore, except for a vague 'un huh' every fifteen minutes or so. And he didn't even notice. And that's the kind of guy Maria and Erica want me with? I mean yeah, he's gorgeous, but can you imagine me with him. Starring dumbly at the wall, while he just jabbers on, not even noticing that I killed myself an hour ago from boredom and..."
Lily stopped her babbling when she saw the soft smirk that was on James face. A slight blush colored her cheeks, a trait she hated. "You're supposed to stop me when I do that."
"I like it when you do that," he said his soft smirk turning into a sweet smile as he tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear. His hand lingered by her cheek a second longer than was necessary.
James was shocked by his boldness. He didn't know what he was thinking; meek-book-worm James would never have done that. But the way Lily was looking at him right now, a mixture of awe and shock, was worth it. It took all the control he had to turn away from the beautiful red head that was staring at him, green eyes sparkling. He quickly picked up his quill, making sure his hands were occupied, afraid he might try and do something stupid like that again. He forced his voice to be calm and normal when he asked, "What does Unicorn blood do in a purifying potion?" He knew exactly what it was for, but he was petrified that if he didn't do something, Lily would ask him why he had just done that.
His eyes didn't leave the parchment, too scared to look into those beautiful green eyes. To afraid that he would loose complete control. That's why he didn't see her blink twice and slightly shake her head as if clearing out her thoughts before answering. When she finally she replied, her voice wasn't nearly as calm as James'. He, however, didn't notice because he was fighting an inner war inside himself. He still couldn't believe he had just done that. He could have ruined everything in one moment. And in the back of his mind he wondered if that would have been such a bad thing. When he realized that he could still feel her impossibly soft skin on the tips of his fingers, he decided that it was worth it. She was always worth it.
As Lily explained the importance of Unicorn blood, automatically stating the information they had learned six weeks ago, not even realizing that it was something James should've know by heart for months now, she couldn't help but think that, for the first time, she had really seen James. Really seen him. Not just the person he pretended to be, the character he played. But the real man. He had dropped down his walls that protected him from the bullies and 'popular kids' at school and for a moment, he had been James. And she was shocked to realize how badly she wanted to see James again.