Schemes

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"Argh! I couldn't find that stupid textbook anywhere. Do you guys know where it is?"

"Hm?" Lily looked up. "Sorry Chrissy, no idea."

"Don't tell me you've been looking for half an hour and still haven't found it?"

"Yes, James," Chrissy said irritably, "that is what I'm telling you."

Lily tried not to laugh. "Chris, you are so blonde!"

"Thanks Lil, great words of comfort there."

"Sorry. Well, have you looked everywhere?"

"No, I gave up because I haven't looked everywhere I can possibly think of, asked Carrie, tracked down Jess and prised her away from her vampire face-sucking boyfriend. What do you think?"

"Hahahahaha – I mean, erm, have you tried asking Remus?" James looked perfectly innocent, but Lily knew by the way his hand was twitching on his lap that he was trying to wind Chrissy up. She shot him a disapproving look, but smiled.

"Precisely what are you trying to imply, James Potter?"

"Nothing," James replied equally innocently, "just that I know Remus was doing his Potions essay earlier, and if your textbook was sitting in the common room, he probably would have used that instead of getting up off his ass to find his own."

"Oh." Christina looked a combination of disbelieving and frustrated as she mentally tried to find flaws in this explanation. However, she had obviously failed, as she soon spoke again. "Fine. I'll go ask him then."

"Really?" Lily looked surprised. Chrissy usually avoided Remus these days, as she was convinced he hated her, or that was what she told everyone anyway. Lily wasn't a hundred percent sure that Chrissy believed this herself, but she was definitely intent on avoiding Remus.

"Well, if you come with me."

"Chris, you don't need escorting to look for your textbook!"

"I've had enough of looking like an ass on my own for one day, thank you very much."

"You'd have thought she'd have got bored of it permanently, but apparently not," James whispered to Lily, just loudly enough for Christina to hear.

"Right you, you're coming too."

James grinned. "What did you think I was going to do? Sit here like a loner all afternoon?"

"You don't like being a loner? There I was thinking you did it by choice."

"Well, unlike you, at least I have a choice."

"Your mum has a choice."

"Don't even get me started on 'your mum' jokes. You know I'm the maestro."

"He's right, Chris. I wouldn't try it. What was that anyway? 'Your mum has a choice.'"

"Shut up."

James and Lily both started laughing at Chris's annoyed expression. Pretty soon she joined in, and they chortled hysterically all the way up to the castle.

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"You are quite sure he has given up?"

"Yes. I have given him no reason to believe or hope that I will make contact again."

"Good. I brought you here for your own safety, as well as to fill an empty space."

"I know that, and I am grateful. If it weren't for this, I may have been very unlucky."

"Indeed that is true. But enough of this. How are you finding life here?"

"Well, it is still very familiar and dear to me, as you know. Somehow this place feels more like home than most."

"It is strange how many people I have heard say that."

"There is just an aura here; one of safety and security."

"Of course, that was the intention of those who created the wards and enchantment surrounding us."

"Hmm."

"Have you encountered any particular problems since we last spoke?"

"Not at all. There are a few who prove challenging, but they are what makes it interesting here."

"I am glad to hear it. One should always be challenged; pushed to one's extremes."

"That is an interesting view, I am sure. Anyhow, I have much to do, and I'm sure you have also. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, I hope to see you in the morning."

"You will."

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Lily sat with James in the common room, staring at the fire. Once again, it was just the three of them: Chrissy was sitting in a corner doing her Potions homework, having finally found her textbook. Remus had used it after all, and Chrissy had even managed a ten-minute conversation with him without making a fool out of herself.

"So," he whispered, "I feel like figuring out who Über-Bitch Number One was shagging in the forest."

"Why?" Lily replied, checking that Christina was still thoroughly absorbed in her homework. "So you can ask him for the videotape?"

"No, you ass. Don't you think it might be important?"

"Well yeah, course I do. But then again, it might not. I really can't work out whether she's the type to get involved with plots and schemes or not."

"I know what you mean, but you can guarantee that if she is involved, she'll be right in the thick of it."

"Very, very true."

"Well in that case, I'm with you. I want to know what she was up to –" she could see what James was thinking, "- besides the obvious, but we have to be careful. Death Eater or not, she's dangerous."

"Nah, she's a Slytherin. All bark and no bite."

"Need I remind you that almost all, if not all of the Death Eaters are Slytherins?"

"Are you ever wrong."

"Yes, but never as wrong as you."

"That makes no sense."

"It does."

"Why?"

"Because I say so. Anyway, she now knows we saw her, and she got nasty about it." James snorted. "Look, I don't want to be on the wrong side of her, do you? No wait, stupid question. You don't give a damn because she's a teacher. Will you ever get the notion of being careful into your thick skull? Oh no, another stupid question."

"Lily –"

"Look James, you really piss me off sometimes. You just don't seem to listen to reason. You're so –"

"Lily, I'm sorry, okay?"

"No you're not, but whatever. Can't you see she's dangerous? We know she's in some kind of relationship with a Death Eater –"

"Oh, the euphemisms girls will use instead of saying sex…"

"Actually, I meant relationship. If she's having sex with him, there's something else going on too. You don't do anything with a Death Eater lightly."

"Unless you're a Slytherin."

"Will you stop being so obsessed with Slytherins?"

"I'm not obsessed with them! They're evil little scumbags who –"

"Yes you bloody well are. Listen to yourself! Everything anyone does, it's either because they're a Slytherin, because a Slytherin put them up to it, or in some other way related to a Slytherin."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is."

"No…" James fell silent, looking at his feet.

"Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight here –"

"Well you're doing a bloody good job of it."

"James, listen. You've got to see past all that – Petra's a Slytherin, yeah, but she's got brains, you know that. You're just sore cos you thought she must be a Gryffindor and, more to the pint, you thought she was fit and then she made your best mate look like a dick which, I might add, he definitely is."

"Easy for you to say, fucking him and leaving him."

"You – you…" Lily broke off, her voice shaking, "…you have no idea."

"Lily –" But Lily didn't stop to listen. She pelted up to her dormitory and threw herself on her bed, slamming the door and yanking her curtains shut behind her.

A few minutes later, she heard Chrissy come in. "Lily? Lily, are you okay?" She didn't answer. "Lily, James wants to talk to you." Lily answered into her pillow. "Sorry Lil, didn't quite catch that."

"You can tell him to go fuck himself."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't. And he didn't mean it either."

"Why would he say it if he didn't mean it?"

"Lily, you're being stupid."

"Am not."

"Yes you are. Listen to yourself. People say the wrong thing at the wrong time, it's a fact of life."

"So? I thought he understood. I thought he actually cared. You know what? He doesn't. Guys aren't worth it, they're all stupid, idiotic, immature, selfish, biased, sexist, hypocritical, twisted, devious, lying bastards."

"See? You don't believe that really, you're just pissed off. James was pissed off too – can't you understand that he's upset for Sirius?"

"Fine, Little Miss High-and-Mighty. Fine. But I still don't see how me hurting his best friend – and I still think I did him a favour dumping him sooner rather than later – gives him the right to say that to me!"

"It doesn't. But Lily, it is kinda true. Just think about it from a guy point of view. Technically you did fuck him, and you also left him."

"Right. You can tell him to go fuck himself. And you can go fuck yourself while you're at it. No, tell you what, why don't you go and fuck him? Then we'll all be happy."

"Lily, what –"

"Fuck you, Chris. Fuck all of you."

Lily heard Chris sigh in what she thought was a very patronising matter, and her fist twitched. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she heard her best friend leave, and she was free to cry and listen to the gentle breathing of her two oblivious dorm-mates behind their velvet curtains.

Yay, I wrote another one! I know it's short, but at least it's relatively quick. you all have to say thanks to Daphna, who basically prodded me, poked me, and kicked me up the ass in order to get this written.

xxprongsysgalxx No they're not together, which is the reason for all the frustration. The Sirius/Lily thing isn't going to be easy either, and it makes it more difficult for James (being Sirius' best mate) and Lily to get together.

Megan Remus gay? I know there are a lot of Remus/Sirius fanfics out there, and it is plausible, buta gay Remus just doesn't float my boat. thanks for reviewing!

wandless Thank you!

F.B. Thank you - I was hoping to get Lily right. She's still really clever and gets good grades and stuff, and she's probably got more of a conscience than the Marauders, but I figure James wouldn't have fallen for a complete goody-goody know-it-all.

Weird Not Boring Ta muchly! The fluffiness is so fun...you can probably tell I'm holding myself back though - can't go overboard.

-Scp- I was wondering if that would make anyone laugh - I don't even know where it came from. Probably from caffeine-and-sugar land. I'm not saying my theory is exactly what will happen, but I'm seriously consideing it. I'm just too impatient heh.

HPBeatles You better be proud of me. look, I even put your name up there and everything... :)

Kara Oh, I wish...

Black For President Their conversations are a way of cheering me up as well as them - they really make me laugh. I think it's weird to laugh at your own jokes/story/conversations-in-a-fanfic, but I do it anyway haha. Thanks babe!

I'm not even gonna try and set an estimate for how long I'll be, as someone glares daggers will probably make me update when I should be revising for my stupid exams, but never mind eh? See y'all soon...

Becca xxx