Cause and Effect

"Professor McGonagall you have got to be joking!" Lily shrieked.

Professor McGonagall folded her hands. "I'm afraid that I'm not joking at all Miss Evans. Mr. Carats was patrolling the halls around one in the morning when he went by the Gryffindor common room only to hear some yelling. He is certain it was you and Mr. Potter. I'm sorry but you will have to join your classmate in detention."

Lily couldn't believe it. She had never had detention in her life; she didn't want to start now.

"But I'm Head Girl. What kind of an example will this be to the younger students if their Head Girl is serving detention?" Lily protested.

Professor McGonagall finished filling out a detention slip and handed it to Lily. "Mr. Potter is Head Boy and he's had plenty of time in detention. As I said before, I'm sorry. Be here after you last class, no exceptions."

Lily slumped out the room. As soon as the door closed behind her James Potter appeared at her side.

"So, McGonagall gave you detention too?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes, thanks to you."

James was taken aback. "Thanks to me! You were the one who started the whole fight, accusing me of not caring about being Head Boy."

Lily glared at him. "But if you wouldn't have come up to the girls dormitory last night, I would've never said that so we would've never fought."

They made their way into the Great Hall for breakfast. Lily sat between Remus Lupin and Selene. That spot happened to be across from no other than James Potter.

"So, do you know what we have to do?" James asked as Lily was buttering her toast.

She nodded. "We'll be organizing the list of graduates and assigning house jobs for the Graduation Ball."

James laughed, almost choking on some orange juice. "That's our detention! You've got to be kidding me! What will they think of next?"

Lily shot him a look. "It's still a detention Potter. It's no laughing matter."

"It is if you're used to scrubbing floors or polishing silver," James shot back.

History of Magic was Lily's last class of the day. She sat anxiously in her seat drumming her fingers on the table. Professor Binns was so boring, but today she hoped he would talk forever. She did not want to have detention with Potter.

"So as Julian stumbled across the border of France he realized that he could've used a much more useful way of travel. Julian Riverweed was the inventor of Apparation. Discovered in 1743 he was" Professor Binns droned on and on.

Lily's eyes almost drooped shut when she heard Professor Binns. "Oh. Remember, quiz tomorrow on the life and death of Julian Riverweed. Class Dismissed."

She reluctantly got out of her seat and headed towards the Transfiguration room, where she would have detention. As she was walking along Selene skipped up to her.

"Lily! You'll never guess what just happened!" Selene gushed.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Probably not so you'd better tell me."

"Oh my god! James Potter just dumped Aretha Falin in front of my entire Care of Magical Creatures class! And he said something about never liking her in the first place that she only wanted the relationship for someone to make-out with! He also said that you said something about Head Boy having to be the most important thing," Selene squealed.

Lily sighed. "Really? Well, you can tell me more later, I've got to go."

Selene walked faster to keep up with Lily's quickening pace. "Why? You just had your last class. Where do you have to go?"

"No where," Lily answered, popping her knuckles.

"Then come on! Let's go guy watching! It's warming up now that it's April. Everyone's going down to the lake! Let's go have some fun for a change! All we ever do is hang out in the library," Selene whined.

Lily stopped abruptly. "Look Selene, if you want to go, go right ahead! I have somewhere else to be!" She said through a tightened jaw and clenched teeth, cracking two more of her knuckles.

Selene's blue eyes widened. "Oh my god. Are you mad at me Lily?"

"NO!" Lily yelled and started walking again, popping her wrist joints.

"You are too! You always do that gross cracking your bones thing when you're mad! What happened?" Selene asked still following Lily.

Lily whirled around to face Selene. Her green eyes were full of fury. "Fine. Yes, I'm mad. Not at you. But I am generally very pissed off right now! Potter got me in detention, and now he's twisting around what I said. I don't want to be in detention with him! I'll try to come to the lake, I promise! I will talk to you later." She snapped.

With that Lily headed towards the Transfiguration room, already dreading the detention she had to spend.

1

James stood near the back of the class. Aretha Falin was leaning slightly against him. He could smell the flowers in her hair, and her hand felt smooth in his. But he didn't feel the longing to hold and kiss her that he had felt last night with Lily.

Professor Kettleburn let them choose partners to work with the flying horses. Aretha naturally expected to be working with James.

"Come on James, let's go over to that one," She begged, tugging on his sleeve like a little child in a store.

"But I promised Remus last night I'd work with him," James protested.

She stuck out her lower lip, pouting. "You don't want to work with me."

James sighed. Her childish behavior got rather old. "No Aretha, I do want to work with you but I promised Remus I'd work with him."

Aretha sniffed as her light blue eyes rimmed with tears. "You don't like me anymore, do you?"

"I like you a lot Aretha. I'm just going to work with my friend."

Aretha turned away from him, almost ready to cry. "Fine."

James put an arm around her thin shoulders. "You still love me? I was sort of planning something for us to do tonight." He said suggestively with a smile on his face.

Aretha pretended to push him away but pulled him closer to her by his tie. She whispered something in his ear that made him laugh. He kissed her on the cheek and walked over to Lupin and Peter who were by a Chestnut horse.

"Wow Prongs. Have you got her bad," Remus muttered.

James rolled his eyes. "I know. That's why I'm breaking it off with her."

Peter's eyes bulged. "Really? Why?"

"Didn't you catch any off that Peter? She's way to clingy. I give her two minutes before she comes over here looking for James." Remus explained.

"She's pretty," Peter blushed.

"Damn Peter! We've got to find you a girl who'll make an honest man out of you!" James laughed.

Just then Aretha came flouncing over to James. She put her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" She whispered in his ear.

From behind her hands James rolled his eyes. "I don't know."

She spun him around. "Me silly!"

With that she wrapped her arms around him and moved in toward his mouth. When her soft lips touched his he felt nothing. Just utter annoyance so he moved away.

"Aretha, we need to talk," He began.

Curiosity leapt into her eyes. "You're right we do. When are you going to ask me if I'll go with you to the Graduation Ball?" She asked.

James sighed. "I'm not."

She pulled away from him. "What did you say?"

"I'm not going to ask you," He repeated.

Aretha laughed and hugged him. "Silly James. You wanted me to make the first move didn't you."

James took a step away from her. "No Aretha. You don't get it do you. I'm not going to ask you, ever. Because we are not going to the Ball together."

"Why not James?" Aretha said in a low voice.

James shook his head in frustration. "We're over! Done! There is no us anymore! I'm breaking up with you, don't you get it?" He yelled.

The whole class went silent and stared at them. Aretha just blinked.

"Breaking up with me," She said slowly.

"Yes I am breaking up with you! You don't even like me! All you ever want to do is make-out. Besides, there are more important things!" He repeated.

A perfectly manicured hand flew to Aretha's mouth. Tears smudged her mascara and she began to cry. She took one last look at James and ran off sobbing.

"Nice job Prongs," Remus gave James a slap on the shoulder. "I didn't think you could pull it off. You certainly proved me wrong."

James nodded and head back to the castle. He didn't care that he was leaving before they were dismissed. He would be in detention in a little bit anyway.

Lily would be there. His stomach lurched at the thought of her. He didn't know how to describe it, but he was almost excited to see her.

James sat down on the floor of the Transfiguration room. He hadn't been there more than twenty minutes when Lily Evans came slamming through the door.