Standing There By You
Ch. 49- Truthful Trials and Daring Diversions
A/N: Omg... Is anyone else suddenly in LOVE with that glorious seventh month?
July 16th, my new favorite day!
Can you believe it? I can't believe it. I think I'm going to spaz from all of the excitement... ooh it's so long away! Who's the half-blood prince? Who's going to die? Any ideas? Share them in your review, cause I'd love to here 'em!
Erm, anyway... Wow, never before have people responded so much to one of my A/N's… You readers are very passionate about long chapters, I now see ; )
I did, actually, have the intentions of posting this chapter only a week after the other, but even with Christmas break I barely got this sucker out. New goal: one update every other week.
Ah, yes. I experienced a revelation this weekend. My characters are teenagers, I suddenly remembered, and therefore are inclined to do ah, teenagery stuff. So please, in advance, excuse this giddish, teenagery, (I don't think either of those are real words) nonsense chapter… I promise there will be more substance in the future. But for now…. : )
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James discovered, very quickly, that Transfiguration was the perfect class to observe someone. Each row of desks rose just higher than the one before it, allowing, with just a few simple calculations, the perfect view of anyone in the room.
"What does it mean?" James asked, crossing his arms in meditation as he flicked a detached gaze towards Sirius. "Do you see how her cryptic actions taunt me?"
Sirius lazily lifted his head off of his drool sodden text book, to gaze upon the sight of which James was indicating. Two rows down and to the left just a tad, Lily Evans sat perfectly in her seat, currently smudging a row of improperly copied statistics with the edge of her pinkie.
"Stalker," Sirius coughed.
James ignored him. "I mean, look at her," he continued. "It's like she's trying to incense me."
Sirius rubbed his eyes. "She's writing," he observed flatly. "How might that connect to you, James?"
James gave an exasperated sigh. "Well that's obviously what I'm trying to figure out."
"Oh," Remus spoke up, leaning across the aisle from the row behind them. "She's just sneezed, what does that mean?"
"I don't know," James shook his head pensively. He sat still for awhile. "Clearly we need to launch an immediate investigation," he declared, leaning forward and pressing his hands firmly upon his kneecaps. "These mysterious actions must be discerned."
Sirius swatted across the aisle at Remus. "Look what you did," he grunted accusingly.
"I know," Remus admitted, tiredly rubbing at his eye with his palm as he sunk back into his seat. "Next time, remind me not to speak."
"Gladly," Sirius grumbled.
"There's no time to muck around," came James's decree. "We've got a lot of work to do."
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Truthfully, Sirius had always known James was a bit touched in the head. But as of late, he had revisited this less than appealing trait more often than one should think healthy and, quite honestly, Sirius was beginning to worry for his friend's already unstable sanity.
Any other year they would've already traded Professor Fluent's showerhead with a dungbomb shoot, added something heady to Minnie's tea, and welcomed the first years cordially with a load of familiar insects and a great deal of maple syrup. As of yet, what had they accomplished?
Nothing. Well, unless you include that whole completing the first phase of the Animagi thing, but that doesn't count. Sirius wanted pranks; nice, juicy, scream kindling, detention earning, illegal in all states save Kansas and Utah, pranks. And with one of his best mates becoming an authorized enemy and all, these were due to be extra swindlish.
It was a sad, sad year for the Marauders, Sirius decided, and that night after dinner he was going to make sure he pointed out the disastrous truth.
"You know," Sirius began, lowering himself to a spot just beside the toasty common room fire. "I've been thinking--,"
"That's great mate," James said, hopping over his friend and landing expertly on the couch. He shifted a large book he had been holding to the other hand, and leaned back against the sofa's tattered arm. "Now-,"
"James," Sirius said slowly and very cautiously. "What… is… that?"
James quirked a brow. "What're you talking about?"
Sirius rose to his knees and pointed to his friend, looking around at Peter and Remus for support. "That," he spat, thrusting a finger in disgust at the blood-red cover that enveloped a large stack of printed upon parchments. He refused to say the word-
"A book?" James supplied, holding it out towards his friend. "It's all right; go on, touch it. It won't hurt you."
Sirius ignored him. "Why do you have a book?" he questioned, voice bursting with accusation.
In response James simply flipped opened the hardback's cover, searching for a previously marked page. "To talk," he read, voice fortified with confidence supplied from the hefty red book. "According to definition number eleven under Rustburg and Unstrung's Unbounded Book of Definitions, this verb of Indo-European roots has one obvious purpose; to reveal information concerning oneself or others, especially under pressure."
"Nooo," Sirius protested, trying desperately to secure his ears from the horrific sound of knowledge. "Stop James, for the love of Merlin, stop!"
"Girls," James continued, paying Sirius's interruption no heed. "This noun, also of Indo-European roots, is most clearly described as a bungled, muffed up version of man, with the always apparent aptitude to partake in gossip, idle chat, trivial conversations, or rather solely the likelihood to talk."
"It doesn't say that," Remus disputed, reaching for the book.
"I don't need a book to tell me that one," James informed him, tapping his head. "It's common knowledge."
"Right," Peter agreed, nodding. His eyes narrowed in what looked like, surprisingly, a pondering position. "So have these definitions got to do with that investigation thing, then?"
"Very good my friend," James commended. He stared down at Sirius and Remus, both leaning on either side of the small couch below him. "Though these blokes don't seem to have made the simple deduction."
His friends returned the comment with wry smiles, as Peter puffed up with pride. "That's right," he boasted, "a simple deduction."
"He doesn't even know what you're talking about," Sirius said grumpily, looking up at the ceiling with bored eyes and stretching his long arms apathetically to show his disregard. To his left Peter began shaking his head in protest, so he added, "Fine then, what is James talking about, Peter?"
Peter's head went still and he began to fiddle with his tie. "Well, well of course I know… You don't know? Well then I suppose I'll just have to spell it out, I guess, that's right, just going to spell it out--,"
"Get on with it," Sirius prompted.
"Right, well, obviously James here, he's studying the ancient manuscripts reserved by the erm, primeval wizards and--,"
"Close Peter," James cut in blithely. He closed the large dictionary and tossed it back onto the cushion. "Well if you don't recall we decided to initiate an investigation, and…"
"We?" Remus chortled quietly.
"…so, performing the necessary task of research, along with added touch of knowledge I discovered that girls talk, and when they talk, you… find out stuff!"
Remus rolled his eyes. "Genius, pure genius."
"And so," James cocked his head mischievously, "part one of the investigation is complete."
Sirius stared at his friend vehemently. "Pranks!" he yelled, frightening several chattering second years nearby. "Pranks!"
Remus sighed. "All of my friends have gone nutters," he mourned.
"What're you on about, Sirius?" James asked, staring back at his friend with a bemused expression. "I didn't even mention pranks."
"Exactly!" Sirius roared. Two first years scampered out of the room in unsheathed fear. "That is exactly what I'm saying!"
"You're not saying anything, for one; as a matter of fact you're blowing out my eardrums. Second," he pulled a face. "What are you talking about?"
"This year's rotten, mate," Sirius explained, slightly maddened, "we've barely pulled any pranks, no, no, you know what we've done? We- oh sorry, you- have become obsessed with asking a certainobstinate girl-,"
"All right, all right," James held up a hand to refrain Sirius from fully exploding. He scratched his head. "Er… Okay, listen," crossing his arms, he contemplated the best way to word his thoughts. "What I was going to tell you, was that if we get the girls together, they'll talk and-," he hastened his words as Sirius began to glower, "and then we'll listen and well, you see, this will be like a prank, I mean it is, it is a prank."
Sirius narrowed one eye, mulling over James's last statement. "Is it?" he questioned skeptically. "How so?"
James descended to Sirius's level, one hand uncomfortably resting on the floor and the other on the couch cushion. "Look at it this way," he began, staring off into the distance.
Sirius turned to him. "What are we looking at?"
"The future, mate," James explained. "Now, somehow we get the girls together, right? And once they're together, we sneak into wherever they are, and listen, unbeknownst to them, of course… Merlin, imagine what we'll find out! This is like the key to everything men have ever wanted to know; we have to do this…," he pumped his fist passionately, "if not for us, for men everywhere!"
Sirius eyed his friend. "Will there be dungbombs?"
James deflated slightly. "Sure, Sirius, there can be dungbombs."
"All right!" Sirius shot up enthusiastically. "Let's get started, then. How are we going to get the girls together? Oh, make sure you have chocolate and cucumbers, girls love those-,"
"Keep your voice down," James reminded him, motioning to the room's curious occupants. Sirius nodded knowingly and fell onto the couch beside James. "Right, so this part of the plan should be quite easy," he held up a torn piece of paper, "see?"
Sirius took the paper and inspected it, finding it to be an aged magazine clipping. "Feeling Stressed? Raucous? Tense? Check out these ten simple ingredients to create the perfect girls' night in… It may be just what you need to unleash those bothersome emotions!" Sirius grinned. "Raucous…"
Remus watched them, amused. "And how in the world are you going to get them to partake in this…"
"Girls' Night," James finished for him. "I just figured we'd send them each a letter that they'll think is from each other, you know, the one addressed to Lily sign from Grace, the one to Julie sign from Lily, it all works out. Here," he handed Remus several leafs of parchment. "I thought you could write 'em all- you've got the most girlish handwriting."
An indignant noise sounded from Remus. "For one, this is an invasion of their privacy… Grace would kill me, and rightfully so. And secondly," he scowled, "I do not have girlish handwriting."
"So you're saying," said Sirius, leaning casually towards Remus, "that you don't want to hear anything Grace has got to say… when you're notaround?"
Remus glared at him, piqued and dangerously irate. "She tells me everything," he contended, sounding a bit more confident than need be.
"Everything?" Sirius repeated scathingly. He pursed his lips and puckered them fervently. "Does she tell you how you kiss, eh Remmey? You do kiss, don't you?" At the look on Remus's face, Sirius grinned. "That's my boy! Now," he pulled a sad, puppy dog face. "What if you're doing it wrong and she's just too nice to tell you?"
Remus's previous confidence drained very quickly. "Wrong?" he repeated dumbly. "I couldn't- it's not possible, right… is it?"
"Oh, quite possible," Sirius assured him. "You could be biting her lip-"
"Chipping her tooth," James spoke up.
"Have horrible breath," said Peter.
"Or spit that tastes like dead fish," Sirius added, "teeth sharp like rocks, tongue like a tentacle-,"
Remus snatched the parchments from James's hands. "Give me a quill, would you?"
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Tonight all right for a Girls' Night? You bring the chocolate, I'll bring the cucumbers. See you there!
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Lily shifted on her pile of pillows and picked up a small square of chocolate, popping it expertly into her mouth. "We're almost out of chocolate," she announced, looking around the room. Her eyes met a large pile of cucumbers. "Er… Does anyone know what these are for?"
"Dunno," Julie said, shrugging. "I think mum puts them over her eyes."
Grace shook her head, spreading her pinstriped comforter across the floor. "Weird."
"Yeah," Lily agreed, leaning forward on their plethora of pillows. "So, what do you want to do?"
Grace shrugged. "It was your idea… What did you have in mind?"
Julie glanced at her curiously. "I thought it was your id--,"
"What is that?" Lily asked suddenly, sitting upright and leaning towards the doorway. "Oh," her eyes bugged wide, "Hide!"
The girls scrambled across their scattered pillows and blankets, and within seconds managed to cover their heaps of chocolates, scoop up their bed coverings, and flick aside their dejected cucumbers.
"Hullo," Val greeted, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she strode into the room. She looked around curiously at her pajama donning dorm-mates, each suspiciously perched at the end of their beds. "What are you doing?" she asked, squinting her eyes in a confused fashion. "It's only seven o'clock."
"Right," Grace agreed. "But, you know what they say… erm," she racked her brain for the common muggle phrase.
"The early bird gets the worm!" Lily finished for her, giving an over-enthusiastic pump of her fist. "Because, you know," she began to explain, "we--,"
"They're handing out worms?" Val wrinkled her nose. "That's disgusting."
Lily opened her mouth to amend her response, but reconsidering, closed it. It wasn't worth the effort. "Right, worms."
Val shrugged and bent down to pick up her books. "Well, hope you have fun." She waved as she went to exit the room. "Bye!"
The girls released a collective sigh of relief as the door shut behind her. "That was close," Grace breathed.
"I feel bad," Julie said, frowning. "Lying to her like that."
"I know," Lily nodded, "but..." she gave an involuntary shudder. "If we told her we were having a Girls' Night who knows what we'd end up doing."
---
"Wow."
Remus picked at the side of the castle with his finger. "Stop drooling all over yourself, James," he chided.
James dipped his broomstick against an imaginary gust of wind, giving a muted yelp of elation. "Are you even looking?" he inquired, grin growing and eyes peeled on the window before him. "Girls, Remus, girls in their pajamas."
Remus ducked down for a moment to glance inside the window the four of them currently hovered above. "Lily's wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, and the rest are in their sweats," he stated, looking back up at James. "They're wearing more than they usually do!"
"You're missing the point completely," Sirius said, hitting his friend upside the head with a spirited swap of his palm. "Besides," his gaze dropped down to James and Peter, both still goggling and emitting an unhealthy amount of drool, "just let the boys have their moment, would you?"
---
"So…"
Lily drummed her fingertips against the side of her bed. "Right, so that History of Magic essay, don't you think--,"
"No!" Grace shouted, pulling a pillow hurriedly over her head and steadily blocking all noise from entering her ears. "You are not allowed to discuss homework tonight."
Julie nodded fervently, giving a slight look of disgust at the books and parchments lying alongside her desk. "Agreed."
Lily deflated slightly. "Well what are we supposed to do, then?"
"Dunno," Grace shrugged, shifting in her comforter. "Ooh, I read this brilliant article about quidditch, did you know--,"
Lily and Julie gave simultaneous groans of protest before Grace could get too far into one of her interminable raves. "No, no, no," Lily said, shaking her head. "Since we're already weeding out the undesirable topics, you most certainly cannot talk about quidditch."
Grace sighed and dropped back onto her blankets. "Fine," she relented, muttering it was most certainly not an undesirable topic as she fiddled with her pillow covering. She sighed. "Then what are we supposed to do?"
---
"Well," Sirius began, forcing a smile. "This is stimulating."
"Yes," Remus agreed. "I'm certainly glad we went through all of this trouble to watch them lie around and pick at rotting cucumbers."
"Ye of little faith," James frowned. "Something'll happen."
Sirius crossed his arms grumpily and leaned forward on his broomstick. "Maybe if you would've let me bring the dungbombs…"
"I told you, mate, we have to save those for the Halloween feast," James assured him, as he reached out a hand to clap his friend on the shoulder. He looked back into the window and heaved an immense sigh. "Oh bother, they're building little houses out of the cucumbers now," he told them. "Whose idea was that, anyway? Those blasted cucumbers."
"Not mine," Sirius quickly spoke up. "Ooh look," he perked up and lowered his broom to have a clear view through the window. "I think this just got interesting."
---
"Sorry," Angie sang, stepping over Julie's outstretched legs. "We ran out of Plum Rose nail-polish, can you imagine?" She laughed, "And right before a Hogsmeade trip, my goodness."
"Sounds terrible," Lily said, attempting to discreetly slide leftover chocolates and cucumbers beneath her pillow.
"Hey," Val began, flipping through a magazine with a befuddled look upon her face. "Someone's been cutting the articles out of this," she held up a page and inspected the clear missing square, "I- oh!"
Having stumbled slightly upon a slippery object, Val held out her arms for balance and glanced down to see the source of her slip. "Oh," she muttered, bending down to pick up the gold foil culprit. Val narrowed her eyes as she examined the wrapper, and curiosity piqued, kicked aside the bed-curtain the wrapper had been partially hidden by.
"Whoa…" Angie breathed, eyes widening as her friend lifted the curtain and revealed a mountainous pile of disposed chocolate wrappers. She looked up at Julie inquisitively, realizing it was her bed they lay under. "Did you eat all of these?"
"Erm…" Julie looked tentatively between Grace and Lily. "Yes, well you know, I didn't have a proper lunch…"
Angie stared at her for awhile longer, before finally shrugging and stepping into the bathroom, Val not far behind to help search for that tricky Plum Rose.
"Phew," Grace sighed, resting her head against the bedpost resignedly. "That was close."
"Yeah," Lily agreed, nodding. Julie, however, looked unsure. "What's the matter?"
"Well I don't know," Julie began slowly, chewing her lip. "I mean, maybe… maybe we should ask them to stay…"
"Ugh," Grace grunted, stuffing her face into a pillow. "Then we'd end up wearing smelly face masks and participating in those crazy magazine things."
"Uh huh," Lily said, lowering herself back onto the ground. She continued slowly, "And that would just be awful… Wouldn't it?"
"Well what else are we going to do?" A small smile tugged at Julie's lips. "The only thing we've done so far is trying not to talk about books or Quidditch."
The bathroom door slammed open and Val paraded out, clutching a tiny pink bottle. "Found it!" she announced, grinning.
Grace looked over as she felt her two friends' stares lingering upon her. In a motion of surrender she closed her eyes briefly and groaned quietly under her breath. "Val," she ventured warily, "do you two have any plans tonight?"
"Yeah," Julie nodded as she held up a limp green vegetable. "And do you have any clue what to do with these cucumbers?"
---
"Hw lung du ue haf to-,"
"Don't move!" Angie commanded, savvy fingers not deterring in the least as they flew expertly through Julie's hair. She turned towards Lily. "You have to wait until it dries."
"Buh it's ich-,"
Lily cut off abruptly as a terrycloth towel smacked against the back of her head. "No talking," Val instructed, pointing to the space just above Lily's left brow. "Look, the mask is already cracking!"
"Ugh," Grace said, frowning at a twisty sort of object she held inches above her face. "Where did you get all of these thingamabobs?"
Val giggled and crawled over to kneel beside Grace. "That's for your cuticles," she informed her, bringing the small item to rest on one of her fingers. Her face contorted and she made a soft gagging noise, inspecting Grace's nails in horror. "Oh these are awful," she cried.
Grace withdrew her hand indignantly. "Well Quidditch is a rough sport," she insisted defensively.
"Don't worry," Val assured her, exhaling deeply. "I can fix this."
Grace's eyes widened as the spry brunette pulled out several very hazardous looking objects. "Is all of this really necessary?" she gulped, watching as she pulled out a spiky silver dish.
"Oh yes," Val nodded solemnly. "Dire."
---
Sirius slumped against his propped up palm. "I was wrong," he moaned. "This is not interesting."
"Oh," Peter muttered softly, "always wondered about those cuticle things."
James shot his friend a worried look before turning his attention back to the girls. "I'm- I'm positive they'll start doing something soon…" he put his ear up to the subtly cracked window and frowned when the only thing he heard was a vast dispute concerning Vivacious Violet and Plum Rose. But then, just as he was about to lose hope…
"Men," he hissed, gripping onto his broomstick and shoving his ear further into the crack. "I think, I think-,"
Sirius swooped below the window and raised his ear beside James's. "Yes," he whispered, eyes brightening in excitement. "I can't believe our luck, the best game in the world, bless the creator-,"
"What?" Remus whispered, lowering himself beneath James.
A grin spread across James's face. "Truth or-,"
---
"Dare," Grace decided, resting her chin on top of her knees. "Truth's for ninnies."
"Hmm," Angie mused, rocking on her knees and looking thoughtfully back at Grace. "Oh!" Her eyes lit up and she smiled deviously; leaning forward, she beckoned Grace to do the same, and whispered a few hushed orders into her ear.
Grace smiled and reluctantly got up to her feet. "Right then," she shook her head and took a determined step forward. "Be back in a bit."
Julie's eyes widened. "What are you making her do?" she asked, as the door slammed resolutely shut.
Angie smiled and emitted a soft sigh. "You'll see."
"All right, my turn," Val said, scooting forward in excitement. "Julie," she began, "truth or-,"
"Wait," Julie interrupted, holding up a hand and looking hesitantly around the room. "Shouldn't we wait for Grace?"
"She won't be long," Val waved her hand dismissively. "Now," she bent forward eagerly. "Truth or dare?"
Julie bit her lip nervously. "Erm… Truth, I guess."
Val released a breath of relief and Angie grinned, knowing what was about to come. "How does Sirius Black kiss?" she asked breathlessly. "It's like heaven, right?"
"W-what?" Julie responded, clearly perturbed by the unexpected question.
"You know," Val insisted, "Hogsmeade weekend, fourth year, October the seventeenth? He thought you were that horribly talkative girl- you know, Abbi, from Ravenclaw- Come on now, spill."
"Oh I- It was- it was- good… I guess," she stammered. "Kind of er, caught me off guard, you know, and I uh, don't really remember much after knocking into that tray of butterbeers…"
"It was so romantic," Val gushed reminiscently.
"He thought she was someone else," Lily pointed out, "and kissed her against her own free-will. Not to mention she ended up on the ground with a near concussion and butterbeer all over her hair. You call that romantic?"
Val nodded wistfully. "Yeah…"
"All right," Grace panted, slipping back into the dormitory and leaning breathless against the doorframe. She threw several articles of clothing at Angie and grinned. "Piece of cake."
---
"Hey," James yelped, "those are my knickers!"
Remus chuckled as he watched Angie shriek and clutch tightly onto the snitch embellished undergarments. "And by the looks of it, you're not getting them back."
Sirius nudged Peter. "I kiss like a god," he declared.
Peter twisted around. "That's not what she said."
"Yes, but that's what she meant to say. You could see it in her face."
Remus smirked and turned towards his friend. "You don't even remember kissing her, do you?"
Sirius paused. "No, no not really."
"Quiet," James commanded, motioning towards the window. "I'm trying to listen."
Sirius smirked and inclined his head towards Remus and Peter. "He's just heated 'cause those were his favorite pair of knickers."
---
"Mmm, hand me some more of that Chunky Monkey," Grace requested, moving to reach for a half-eaten pint of the ice cream.
"Here you go," Lily said, shifting the sticky container towards her. She peered over at her friend curiously. "What about you," she asked, watching as Grace dug into the delightful frozen treat. A mischievous grin curled the corner of her lips. "You haven't told us anything about how Remus kisses."
Grace narrowed her eyes at Lily from above the dripping carton, smiling good-naturedly. "Good," she said slowly, peering inside the pint in deliberation as she paused a few moments to ponder her answer. Finally she held up the container of ice cream. "But alas, no match for Ben and Jerry."
Lily laughed and Grace looked up at her, eyes mirroring her friend's previous impish glint. "Hey Val," she said, smiling slowly. "I don't think Lily's had a turn yet."
Lily immediately stopped laughing and instead stuffed her chin securely into a pillow. "Oh, that's quite all-,"
"Right then, I've got a good one for you," Val said, looking at her from above the large, bobbing roller she was releasing from her hair. "Dare, no?" Before waiting for a response, she smiled and nodded towards the stairwell. "Go run downstairs and speak gibberish," she instructed, giggling, "to the boy you fancy."
Lily paled. "That's ridiculous, I don't fancy anyone-,"
Grace cocked her head. "But what about-,"
"Shush!" Lily squeaked, as Val and Angie began giggling and her friends stared back at her with knowing smiles.
"Oh go on," Grace said, ushering her friend out the doorway. "It's only gibberish."
Lily gulped. "Oh, bother…"
---
"Ben and Jerry?" Remus admonished, mouth gaping. "Who in bloody-,"
"Where's James going?" Peter asked, watching as a blur of his friend flew further and further downward and towards the castle's entrance.
Sirius smirked, leaning forward on his broomstick to follow his friend. "Hurrying to practice his gibberish, I'd expect."
---
James shifted his weight, dragging a hand through his hair and peering down, eyes narrowed and criticizing. If there was a part of him he didn't particularly care for, it would be those large, lengthy feet that he never knew what to do with- especially during times like these, when he was attempting a coquetry stance that would be sure to welcome Lily. Just as he decided he looked best with one foot propped against the wall and his elbow resting on an eloquent windowsill, light footsteps could be heard pattering naught two hallways away.
James released a breath and looked to the side, trying his best to appear nonchalant. "Argh!" he yelped, nearly falling out of his perfected stance.
"'Ello," Sirius mouthed, waving enthusiastically from outside the window.
James scowled and returned to his blasé position, ignoring his friend as he sent him an eager thumbs-up. Straightening up and placing on a cool grin, he feigned interest in a bug crawling across the window, as Lily's vivacious red locks appeared, the only distinct characteristic in the quickly darkening corridor.
She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes against the darkness, searching for something ahead of her. James's smile crept farther across his face, and he re-checked his breath for the third time that night, tapping his foot anxiously as Lily drew closer and closer.
And closer, and closer…
And closer still, landing her nearly two feet before him. As he expected, she came to a sudden stop, turning a cocked head towards him. "Potter," she began, gazing at him with an obviously forced disinterest. James mused to himself that she was a terribly good actress, explaining all of that constant talk of hatred and such.
"Yes?" he asked airily, leaning casually against the windowsill. He smirked at her fidgety movements- she was already nervous, and he had barely said two words.
Lily crossed her arms and turned to look up and down the corridor. "You haven't seen Kirk Douglas, have you?"
"Well I-," James's suave response cut short abruptly as he comprehended her question. "What?" he frowned, "What do you want with Douglas?"
"None of your business," Lily snapped. Her nippy tone lessened, and she bit down on her bottom lip, shifting her weight from side to side. "Oh, never mind, I-,"
"Sorry, Lily," a slender boy with cropped, fair hair and blue eyes, vivid even in the evening dark stepped towards them, shifting a pile of books and glancing down at the red-head. "Did you call for me? Emily said you came by ten minutes or so ago…"
"Oh, hullo Kirk," Lily said, tipping on the balls of her feet as she continued on a bit breathlessly. "I uh-," she closed her eyes briefly before finishing, "Oober higham jennish froyd," hastily, before ducking her head to hide a girlish grin, and hurrying down the hallway.
James's mouth dropped open as four of the most painful made-up words he had ever heard rebounded throughout his brain. Bloody gibberish.
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A/N: Ah… I warned you, didn't I? I'm sorry, but they're fifteen year old girls… Truth or Dare was bound to come about sometime. Thanks for reading!
Sweet Sarcasm- Yes, life is very hectic, isn't it? But don't worry, with all of those extra things you're doing I'm sure you'll get into a really good high school. I never really had to work towards a good secondary school… we all just get shipped to the one nearest ; ) Thanks for the review!
Sapphire039- Lol, glad you liked your ode. We've been writing poems in creative writing (yucko, I hate writing poems) but, despite my hatred, I thought I could pump one out for you. (Even if it sucked… hehe) I'm really glad you liked the chapter, thanks much!
Windowseat Wonderer- Aw, thanks for that incredible warm-fuzzy review! I'm really glad I could make your day better, because you sure did the same for me : )
SeCrEt LiLy- I'm happy you think the story's funny, ah yes, and the tuna, hehe. Thanks very much for the review!
Ilirium- Yes, the animagi thing is back and I promise there'll be more soon. I'm really glad you're happy with the way things are going : ) Ooh, Canada, sounds exotic. Thanks for the review! (And scaring me out of my wits for college!)
DobbyGrl- Hi! Thanks so much for expressing such enthusiasm towards my story, it really keeps me motivated! Ah yes, longer chapters… Hehe, even when I try to make them short they come out longer than usual. Oh well, thanks again!
Appleopolis- Hehe, glad you liked the chapter : ) Ah yes, I'm not sure if you caught it or not in this chapter, but Sirius and Peter (eventually) completed the 'light phase' as well. Thanks for the review!
Angel Street- I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter, and the 'light' part as well. Thanks a bunch for your input, I really appreciate it! (Oh yes, don't worry, majority cries long chapters as well.)
Padfootz- Aw, thanks : ) I'm really glad my chapters make you smile, because your reviews make me smile as well! Thanks bunches for the review!
Emps- Ah, very glad the flashback helped… Heck, I even forgot what they said! Hmm… EW4eva started posting on a different site, so I'm not sure if she's going to continue with any of her stories on fanfiction. Thanks mucho for the review!
Romulan Empress- Happy you like the 'competition' thing, I figure it'll work for awhile, anyway ; ) Thanks very much for the review, and don't worry, I'll keep the long chapters coming!
Tears-Of-Love-Tears-Of-Hate- Ugh, yes, it wasn't that pleasant being crammed into my humble home : / Ah well, there was good food. Thanks for the review! (And support, hehe.)
BlueSeal- Ooh, glad you're enjoying James's poor, poor attempts : ) Thanks very much for the consistent reviews, they make me very happy! See you at caroling tomorrow!
SiriusJamesRemus'sgirl- Oh yes, Sirius will definitely be in the next book. Alive and healthy, right? Which we will see for sure on JULY 16th!! Hehe, sorry… Thanks very much for the review!
DestinyofSanity- Ooh, you always have very interesting names. Hehe, thought that was you! (the one Pottersgrl was talking about) Spiffykins, hehe, sounds great. Oh no, poor James! I hope he comes in and ties the 'really hot surfer dude' up and throws him in the lake. See how he surfs on the giant squid, ha! Oh yes, thanks for the review!
Apurrrrva- Don't worry, longer chapters it is! Las Vegas? Ooh, have fun!
Foxyie xox- Ooh yes, I'd be flipping out too! Though I don't know if I can relate with you on that whole 'not being in love with a fictitious character' thing. Hehe, thanks for the review!
MooningOverMoony- Sorry if it was confusing, the lines that separate things didn't show up so things kind of got muddled. Anyway, the thing with the '4:08' was Angie talking recalling that afternoon to Val, when James asked her out. Sorry for the confusion, thanks for the review!
Dulcis- Coffee's bad, especially when you're hyper. Good luck with the whole hacking up blood thing, I hope it gets better before our trip to Nebraska. Still waiting on my postcard from Arkansas!
Zimzoogle09- Ah, don't worry, longer chapters prevail! Aw, I'm really glad I could make you and your friend laugh, that made me very happy : ) Thanks mucho for the review!
TenniStar514- That's all right, I'm really busy too. I'm very glad you like my depiction of Sirius, thanks mucho for the review!
Lily Jane- Ooh yes, I do feel special! I'm honored you took out a chunk of your day to read my story, and very glad you liked it : ) Thanks for the review!
NorberttheDragon- Aw yes, the whole Norbert thing is quite cute. Ah, don't hate Angie… Although she does have those rotten intentions of marrying James and leaving Lily out in the dust. Lol, glad you enjoyed the chapter, thanks much for the review!
Molly- Hi! Long time no talk : ( Eh, don't worry about not reviewing… You're forgiven! (But just because it's Christmas) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for the review!
A Respectful Reader- Hello! I really appreciate your concern, but honestly I'm doing AOK. Sometimes life's a little hectic and it's rough getting out quick posts, but other than that it's fine. Oh, the missing spaces thing happens because I have a new computer, and I'm still not used to the format, so the spacing gets screwy when I upload it and sometimes I miss a few things in quick-edit. Also, the chapters may not be as light hearted as they used to, but sadly times are getting as the story moves along : / I really appreciate your consideration, it makes me feel good that people out there care : ) Thanks!
RavenSiriusBlack- It is tuna, do not worry. And buffalos do not have wings. Haha, very true about boys, sad… but true. Thanks bunches for your review, always appreciated! (Hi Kat!)
Ieyre- Hehe, glad you liked the tuna-dumping jelly bears. Thanks for the review!
Sblomie- Hertfordshire… Awesome! I'm so jealous… You probably have a British accent, don't you? : p I'm radiating green with envy right now, though you don't sound as thrilled about it as I'm making it out to be ; ) Thanks bunches for the review!
Elementaer- I'm really glad you enjoyed my story, thanks much for taking time out of your life to read this silly thing : ) And thanks for the review, too!
Sarah- Hehe, yes, very good. A fabulous line, isn't it?
Terrageomancer- Ooh, glad you're so enthusiastic about it! Thanks much for the review, very appreciated!
Gaby-Black- I'm happy you liked the chapter, thanks mucho for the always-appreciated inspiration!
Jade- Mmm… Hope the corned beef was good! Ho Ho Ho, who wouldn't know…
Forever-Fallen Angel- Welcome to the world of Harry Potter fanfiction! I'm very happy my lengthy story could keep you interested and smiling. Oh and thanks for mentioning the parts you enjoyed because that really helps when I'm writing future updates. Btw… Is your friend Zimzoogle09? Because she mentioned that part too. Okie doke, bye!
theQuibbleringQuibblerer- (wow my spell-check hates your name, but I love it!) I'm really glad you're enjoying my story… Hehe, don't worry, no obsessing over James or Sirius (save Val, of course). Thanks for the review!
Mystikalolo- Hi! Thanks so much for saying such wonderful words about my story, it really makes me feel spiffing : ) Don't worry, less prudish Lily is heading this way. Thanks again!
MissBlueAngel- Oh no, not a Slytherin!! I tried to update quickly, really I did. I hope you enjoy your new glasses, I'm sure they look awesome : ) Thanks much for the review!
Siriusismine- Hehe yes, but James is very attractive any way, isn't he? Ooh yes, Bing Crosby… I had to add him in, it was dire. Thanks much for the review!
Potter-you-Rotter- A puppy!! Yay! Those are very cute names, major kudos. Hmm… Maybe could you e-mail me? Perhaps I wrote down the wrong address or something. Anyway, thanks for the review!
Autumn Darkness- Don't worry, the chapters will remain long. Thanks for the review, always appreciated!
Piper-Loves-Leo- Wow, thanks for expressing so much enthusiasm! Your positive words really keep me happy, ah yes, and thanks for mentioning all of the parts you liked, that helps me when writing future chapters. Proper Lily and Jamesness doesn't come until seventh year (if by proper you mean dating) because that's what Sirius said in OotP. But don't worry; there will be plenty of goodies before that!
PinkPanther- Ooh, nice name. Thanks very much for the wonderful review! Hmm… How many chapters do I plan on having? Ah… let's just keep it at a nice round thousand. Hehe, jk, I really have no idea. I'll be as surprised as you guys!
Ninde Annare- Hello! Ooh, I really have to write you an e-mail, sorry Christmas craziness is making it hard to have any spare time. I hope you're enjoying the holidays, thanks much for the review!
Pottersgrl- Hehe, no, I don't think anyone would be able to turn down marching jelly beans (except Lily, of course). Oh yes, and just to letcha know, you can find your story if you log-in and go under stats. (It's on the left-hand column) Okie doke, thanks for the review!
Dance-flirt- Lol, glad you liked the lemonade poem ; ) Yeah I know, the school year does hinder fanfiction goodness, doesn't it? Oh well. Yes, and uh… Sirius Black fanclub.. hehe school kind of ate that up too. Maybe one day…
Courtney83- Hello! Okay, to answer your questions. 1) The demise of Lily's parents will be explained later on in the story, I kind of left it with unanswered questions that will be sure to be answered in the future, 2) Hmm… I didn't really plan on the pose being from the third movie, but I guess it could be, couldn't it? Hmm… hehe, well thanks for the review, very appreciated!
Newsieduckling- Hehe, your name is just so cute ; ) Thanks very much for the inspiration, it always keeps me motivated to write more!
Kita- Hello! No worries, the chapters will remain long. Thanks mucho for the review, very appreciated!
Coollilyflower- Ah, for the sake of your sanity? Well I must update now, then! Hope I'm not too late : p
Ashley- I'm glad you don't think it's boring ; ) Thanks very much for the review!
Lizz- Hello! I'm very glad you're enjoying my story. Ah, yes… I think you've been reading too many James and Lily fanfics because JKR never mentioned how or for how long he liked Lily. But that's okay, I find myself wondering if Harry and Ginny really did get together yet sometimes, hehe. Thanks for the review!
ErisedXdesire- Ooh, very cool penname. I'm really glad you enjoyed my story, don't worry, more chapters soon : ) Thanks much for the review!
MarialeBenitez13- Hehe, very entertaining review : ) Hmm… That's a really good idea about Peter, but I always sort of thought it'd be better if James and Sirius were good to him, that way it'd make him the true bad guy in the end. Also, I think the reason he left was because he was a follower, and as Voldemort's powers grew so did his ambition to be with the most dominant leader. Thanks very much for the review, I'm really glad you like it!
Zhhe- Lol, I'm trying, I'm trying. Thanks for the review!
FreckledIrishMaiden- Oh yes, don't worry, I understand about the hectic thing : p Thanks for taking the time to check out my fic, always appreciated!
Wave-walker28- Hello! I'm really glad you reviewed all of those chapters—sometimes I wonder if people read past the second one ; ) Ah… the broomstick, let's just say James is a rebel, and he couldn't possibly live without it. Oh, hehe, very glad you liked Sirius's marshmallow line… Thanks again for all of the review!
Claire-Fire- Ah, just read your new chapter! Muy awesomeness ; ) Oy no, you're freaked out? How come, because of the anti-quick updates? Sorry, life's really hectic right now. I tried to make this one long, though, so it'd make up for the absence of the story. Hope your exams went well!
Happy holidays! And remember,
Only 205 days till HP6! (Or 4,920 hours, or 295,200 minutes, or 17,712,000 seconds...)