Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
They're in: Seventh Year
Recap:
Still half-asleep, she Lily snuggled up to him Thomas again. He draped his arm around her shoulders and Lily put her head on his shoulder.
She sighed dreamily and looked into Thomas's eyes. As she began to close the gap in between them, she saw herself in his eyes. She closed her eyes and felt Thomas's lips on hers. He kissed her, and she kissed him back.
She was so happy, and it felt so right.
Chapter Thirteen: The Aftermath
Lily pulled away from Thomas and looked into his eyes. His intense eyes gazed back at her, smiling gently. What just happened? Lily thought.
Thomas came closer again and Lily closed her eyes. Did she feel anything, beside the excitement that came from the realization that you had just had your first kiss? She was enjoying the kiss, yes, but did she feel as if she really wanted Thomas? Lily pulled away and smiled at him nervously.
It was a romantic moment. The only thing that would make it better was if Thomas was a different person, maybe Ja--"Lily?"
"Hmm?"
"Lily, do you want to, er, to be my, er, girlfriend?"
Lily pulled back even farther and her eyes widened considerably. "What?" she finally managed to spit out.
Looking surprised, Thomas said in a stiff tone, "I just asked you to be my girlfriend."
As she jumped up, she gathered her things and said hurriedly, "Um, I have to get back to the castle, I have er, things to do. Um, see you." Oh dear God, what would James think? Just inside the castle doors, she stopped momentarily. "What would James think?" What does it matter what James thinks is more like it...
But the initial reaction stayed with her. The initial reaction that didn't include Thomas, the boy she just kissed, or Sirius, her supposed crush (did she really like him after all?), but it included James. What was going on with her? Surprised at how quickly she had gotten to Gryffindor tower, she said absentmindedly, "Phoenix feathers."
"Whatever you say, dear," said the Fat Lady as she swung forward on her hinges, allowing Lily back into the common room. She hurried to her dormitory, hoping that Anna and Jopelle weren't in there too.
La la la la.
James watched Lily as she almost ran to the girls' dormitory. A minute later he saw Thomas come into the common room, looking a little angry and disappointed. Did their disturbed appearances have anything to do with each other? Were they connected?
If they were, James had no time to dwell on it. He had more pressing matters. His History of Magic essay due tomorrow for instance. Damn you, stupid Barry the Brave and Felbo the Fake... James thought as he wrote those names down.
La la la la.
The next day Lily went down to breakfast and sat as far away as she could from Thomas. She didn't know what to say, she was embarrassed of what had happened the day before. She didn't know why though, she didn't know whether to say yes or no. Thomas probably thinks I've rejected him by the way I'm acting... My first boyfriend. Lily breathed deeply, trying to rid herself of the butterflies that had appeared out of no where.
She was going to accept him.
Lily stood up and walked toward him... just breathe... he wasn't that far away now... you're not doing anything extremely difficult... oh, but it was, and he was less than two feet away... I could just keep walking... she turned and sat down next to him... just do it, go! Lily took a deep breath and looked at Thomas. The butterflies in her stomach felt like dinosaurs... She kissed his cheek and said to him, "I do want to be your girlfriend."
He looked at her and a grin broke out on his handsome features. She grinned back and felt that his arm was around her shoulders. She leaned into him and he said, "I didn't think you wanted to, the way you just ran away from me, you know."
"Well," Lily began, "I was nervous, afraid. I don't know. I'm here now though."
"Yes, you are," Thomas said and gave her a short, sweet kiss.
La la la la.
Anger.
That's all he felt. Boiling, white-hot anger. James was furious. He stood up quickly and abruptly. "James, mate, where are you going?" Remus asked. James ignored the question and walked to the other side of the table.
He stopped and said suddenly, "Do you want to go out with me?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Anna said happily. "I thought we were done, but I knew. Yes I did. I knew that we would be soul mates..." Her speech lasted for a while and all James had to say was, "But, of course!" once in a while.
What am I doing? Being a dolt, he answered himself. Why did I do it? Because of Lily, he answered himself again. A sudden thought occurred to him, Am I jealous?
La la la la.
For the next following weeks, life was complete bliss for Lily. She was quite content with her life: Anna and Jopelle had stopped teasing her (Lily suspected it was mainly because James had gotten back with Anna), which meant that the rest of the student body (well, most of them) had stopped also, she was finally beginning to have friends, and of course, who could forget? Thomas.
He was so sweet to her. He was the perfect boyfriend. He was nice, sweet, cute, a Quidditch player, smart, and he liked her. What could I have done to be so happy? Lily thought joyously one night as she lay in her bed. She had just put away a drawing. Ever since she and Thomas had started going out, her drawings had become happier and light-hearted. And she hadn't cut since the summer.
She thought about her life and how it had it had changed. Her perspective had changed from the glass being half empty to the glass being half full, but her pessimistic side soon appeared. Everything can't be perfect. Something is bound to happen... She fell asleep with this startling thought swimming around her head.
------
Something did happen too. It started around the beginning of November. Thomas had stopped being so perfect. He began to ditch her more and more for his friends, claiming that there was Quidditch practice when she knew fully that there wasn't any.
What was he doing? Why was he lying to her? She needed to find out. The first, and most obvious thing to do, would be to ask him. But the problem was that it was too obvious. She didn't want to seem clingy. She didn't want to seem as if she wanted to be with him 24/7. No, she didn't know what she could do.
La la la la.
James was most unusually moody and angry these last few weeks. He half-heartedly joined in on the jokes that he used to plan out. He didn't want much to do with Anna, only snogging her when Lily was around. He even didn't hex and jinx Snape at every possible moment as he used to. He was, unintentionally, threatening to finally leave Snape alone and call a truce.
He was walking to the common room after dinner one night when James heard his name being called out. For a fleeting second he thought it was Lily, but to his dismay, Anna was hurrying in his direction.
James grunted as his way of recognizing her presence. "James! Hi pooky-wooky cutie-pie!" she said, her voice dripping with sweetness.
"I told you not to call me that!" James snapped.
Anna looked surprised, but plowed on anyway, "Anyway, cupcake, Hogsmaede weekend is coming up and I was wondering, since you know, we are together--"
"I'm going with Sirius," he lied automatically.
"Oh," Anna said with disappointment obvious in her face and words. "Well, alright. Um, maybe next time."
The truth was he wasn't going with Sirius. He wasn't going with Anna either (obviously). He wasn't going at all. He couldn't, he would probably run into Lily and Thomas.
"What are you thinking," it was more of a statement rather than a question.
Startled, James looked up at Sirius. "Lots of things."
"Like, how you lied to her? And me, for that matter?"
"I-I didn't lie to you, Padfoot."
"Bull. You told me you were going to Hogsmaede with Anna. Then you told her you're going with me."
"Alright, so I didn't feel like going. So what?"
"So you lied to me? James, you know you don't have to lie to me... What's wrong with you lately? You don't participate in jokes, you don't hang out with Anna, you don't pay attention in class (less than usual, mind you), and you're lying to me. Just tell me what's wrong!" Sirius ended with sigh.
James looked taken aback. "I-I..." He didn't know what to say. All Sirius had said what right. James hung his head and muttered, "It's Lily, mate."
It was Sirius's turn to look taken aback, but he sprang back quickly, "I knew that it had something to do with her. Ever since she started going out with that git you acted different!" A sudden thought occurred to Sirius, "You like her."
James looked up at him. He was past denial. "Yeah, I do. But the thing is... oh never mind, you'll laugh at me."
"We're best mates. If there's something this serious, you know I'll be serious. Even though I'm already Sirius..."
"Ha ha," James said sarcastically. After a long pause, James continued. "I dunno." Sirius waited respectfully for James to gather his thoughts then continue. Out of no where it seemed James burst, "I just like her so much. I wanna break Weasley's neck for hugging her, for touching her, for kissing her. I don't want him doing that. I want to do that. I want to be the one who's there for her."
Sirius stared at James. "Go on, laugh. I know you will..." James said, sounding a little ashamed.
"No! I know what's wrong with you." James looked up suddenly, full of attention and interest. "It's love!"
"What?" James asked, aghast. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Something clicked in his brain and he whispered, "I'm in love with Lily Evans..."
La la la la.
"Thomas?"
"What?"
"You know, Hogsmeade is this weekend."
"So...?"
"Well, do you want to go?"
"Er, yes, yes. Whatever."
-------
It was a lovely Saturday morning. It had stopped raining the day before and the sky was magnificently blue. The grass was muddy, but Lily liked the sound of the squelching her boots made when she walked on the grass. "Oh, isn't it a beautiful day?"
"Yes, it is," Thomas said, gazing at the sky. He grabbed her hand and they walked down to the town. When they reached the town, they headed toward Honeydukes. Thomas was being quiet but she enjoyed his presence anyway.
"Listen," he said, turning Lily toward him, "I've got to meet some of the guys for, er, you know, Quidditch stuff. You don't mind do you? Great, I'll see you later then. 'Bye." He kissed her quickly and dashed off.
Only after one place? Was this how dates worked? She didn't know, but she knew that Thomas had been lying. She knew for a fact that James didn't come, and he was the captain of the team. It was now or never. She had to find out what he was up to.
She followed him at a distance, his trademark red hair making it easy for her to follow him. He stopped in front of a small tea shop called Madame Puddifoot's and looked around. Lily quickly ducked behind a barrel of beetle eyes and watched him.
He entered the shop and Lily pulled her cloak tighter and pulling on her hood. She walked into the shop and she saw that Thomas was sitting down across a small table with Anna. Horrified, Lily watched as they laughed about something and he leaned forward to kiss her. Soon, it seemed as they were glued together by the lips.
"Can I get you something, dear?" a young plump woman asked Lily. She turned to look at the woman and opened her mouth. "Are you alright?" asked the woman as Lily's eyes filled with tears. Lily turned and fled from the shop and ran. She ran so fast that before she was even out of the town she had a stitch in her side. Her eyes were now streaming with tears of anger, betrayal and now pain.
She didn't stop until she was at the doors of the castle. She stopped to catch her breath and walked quickly to Gryffindor Tower, sobbing freely. "Ph-phoenix f-f-feathers!" she gasped between her sobs.
She ran up to her dormitory and slammed the door.
La la la la.
Stupid, ugly git. I should just let it go. I really should. James turned and saw the back of someone running up to the girls' dormitories and slamming the door. He saw red hair. He heard the person sobbing. He put two and two together and realized that Lily was upset.
With the same method he used for getting up when Lily's book had been burned, he went up to the dorm. He hesitated then knocked and said carefully, "Lily?"
"Go away!" It sounded as though she were crying.
La la la la. (No one's POV)
He turned the door knob and saw Lily sitting on her bed, facing away from him. "Lily? What's wrong?" He asked gently.
He saw her jump and gasp with pain as she hastily hid something. His heart fell as he realized what happened. "No..." He whispered. "Why?"
"Why what? I didn't do anything!" Lily said thickly.
James kneeled in front of her and pulled up her sleeve, Lily pulled away a little but did not object, instead she looked away. James touched her arm gingerly and looked up at her, his eyes full of sadness. "Why did you do it?" he repeated.
She didn't look at him but muttered something. "What?"
James heard only a bit of what she said: something about "Thomas" and "tea" and "kissing."
"Weasley was kissing tea?" James said cluelessly.
"No! He was kissing a girl!" she said.
James stood up suddenly, "I'll break his neck! I'll kill him!" He knelt in front of her again and said gently, "Lily, he's not worth it. You shouldn't have. Lily please look at me!"
Lily looked and saw that his face showed genuine care. "Oh, James!" she said suddenly throwing herself on him, sobbing on his shoulder. She cried hard, and soon his shoulder was wet.
James hugged her back and stroked her hair, trying to help her feel calm. "Who was he with?"
More muffled words.
"I'm sorry?"
"It was Anna," she whispered the last word, as though afraid he might hear it.
A/N:
Alright, so shoot me. I forgot. I'm sorry, I really am! I'm going to try to finish this story. I'm so so so terribly sorry. This is the longest chapter I've written, it's for you guys!
I had to use "La la la la." To signify that I was changing POV. I didn't know what else to use, I tried everything and nothing worked! And I've noticed that my writing sucked, I was even laughing during the sad parts BECAUSE of how I had written in. Sorry about that, I hope this chapter was written better.
Um, what did you guys think? Review, possibly?
