Ch. 12- New Friends and Late Night Pranks
A/N: alirght, well, this is kinda of an early update for me, but I am on roll with this story! I love writing it and I'm glad that there are people that like it...honestly, reviewers make everything so worth it...anyways, here is chapter 12!
The remedy is the experience. It is a dangerous liaison
I say the comedy is that it's serious. Which is a strange enough new play on words
I say the tragedy is how you're gonna spend the rest of your nights with the light on
So shine the light on all of your friends when it all amounts to nothing in the end.
The Remedy- Jason Mraz
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Life went on like normal. We went on pulling pranks and sneaking out. James was still trying to get Lily to go out with him- and she was still refusing. Remus was still bailing James and Sirius out of homework binds. Nobody had seen much of Peter lately, but we all overlooked that. Sirius continued to date his way through the female population at Hogwarts. And I was surprisingly good at acting like there was nothing wrong.
One day I was up in the dorm, doing homework, when Lily walked in. Actually, she stormed in. She went over to her trunk and gave it a good kick. Then she swore and started hopping up and down on one foot. I watched all of this extremely confused.
"Uh, Lily, are you alright?" I asked, shocked. Her normal composed, collected persona was gone.
"What?" She said, spinning around and falling down. She swore again and looked precariously close to tears. I stood up and walked over to her.
"Are you alright?" I repeated, extending a hand to help her up. She took it and I led her over to her bed.
"I don't know. I'm not sure about anything anymore." She said, dropping her head into her hands. "Everything is just so insane!"
"Anything I can help with?" I asked, sitting down next to her. She looked up at me.
"Not unless you know how to patch up a friendship that's beyond repair, get Potter off my back, and can teach meeverything we need to know for the Transfiguration test we have tomorrow." She replied, sadly.
"Well, I can help you with Transfiguration because I have all the notes. It's really not that hard once you understand what you're doing. I'm afraid that James will never stop bothering you until you go out with him or he dies- whichever one comes first." I said, and she laughed. "As for the friendship, well, you have to decide if it's truly worth repairing and if it is, then do everything in your power to fix it. If it doesn't work then at least you tried."
"It's just that I've been friends with this person for so long and I thought that I could trust her." She said, shaking her head. "But she betrayed me and she doesn't even seem sorry for it."
"Well, then, she's not really your friend and she's not worth your time, tears, or concern." I replied, with a shrug. "Now about that Transfiguration…" I added, walking over to my bed and rummaging through my bag for my notes. "Ah, here they are."
"Why are you doing this for me?" She asked, as I turned around. "I mean, I totally appreciate and everything, but we've never really been on the best of terms."
"I feel sorry for you." I said, seriously and she looked at me in disbelief. "I'm just kidding!" I added, quickly, with a smile. "I'm helping you because you seem like you need it."
"Am I that obvious?" She asked.
"To me you are. But that's because I was in a similar position as you are right now a few months ago." I replied, with a shrug. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't know." She said, uncertainly. I just nodded and started to flip through my notes. "Are you sure you really want to hear it?"
"Only if you want to tell it." I said, putting my notes down and looking at her.
"Well, okay, I was dating this guy from Hufflepuff, Brandon, and everything was really good for a while. We had been dating for almost a year and it was great- he was sweet and nice and funny." She said, and I nodded. "But then he wasn't around as much. He was always studying or hanging with the guys or something. He just didn't have as much time for me. I didn't want to be clingy, so at first I just told myself I was being stupid. But the a month passed, two months, three months…he just didn't seem to want to be around me. So when I confronted him about it he told me that it was all in my head. I talked to Susan about it, but she told me I was being too serious.
"Okay." I said.
"Well, then three days ago I went to find Brandon because I hadn't seen him in a week and a half. I looked for him in the library, went to his common room, asked his friends. I just couldn't find him." She continued, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "So, there I was walking around the school looking for my boyfriend. I was on the third floor when I heard noises coming from a classroom. I was just about to brush it off as a snog session, when I heard Brandon's voice. So, I opened the door and there was Brandon and Susan- having sex! They looked at me and I ran. I just talked to Susan and she said that I was stupid to not realize it. And she's right! I should've realized that something was wrong. They told me nothing was wrong and I was stupid enough to believe them!" She was yelling by now, tears streaming down her face.
"It's not your fault, Lily." I said, quietly. "Trust me, I know."
"How would you know? Sirius beat Jon up because you couldn't break up with him yourself!" She said, angrily. "How could possibly know how it feels to have your heart ripped out by your boyfriend and best friend?"
"I haven't had that happen, but you're wrong about Jon." I replied, with a sigh.
"I'm wrong? Well, then you might want to inform Jon. Cause he's the one who told me what happened." She said, glaring at me. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, he probably would make something like that up." I said, nodding. "But you know, I don't care what he says anymore."
"Why would he make that up?" She asked, suspiciously.
"To make himself look like the victim." I replied, shaking my head. "But he's not. He's just a lying, low life bastard."
"What did he do?" She asked, looking at me. I didn't say anything for a minute. Nobody but the guys knew what had happened and I wasn't sure I was ready to talk about it yet. But, she had told me what had been bothering her- I guess I owed her that much.
"Do you remember earlier this year when I pretty much cut myself off from everyone?" I asked, and she nodded. "That was because of Jon."
"So, it's his fault that you stopped talking to everyone and cut yourself off from the world?" She said, skeptically.
"Look, Lily, here's what happened." I said, my temper getting the better of me. "Jon was consuming all of my time. I had no time left for my friends and it bothered me. And then Jon told me that I had to stop talking to them or else I would regret it. I told him to forget it and he hit me. So, I tried, but they came up to me to talk to me and he found out. That night he told me to meet him by the lake. I decided that I wasn't afraid of him and that I was walking away- he couldn't tell me who to be friends with.
"So, I go down and he's waiting for me. I tell him that I wasn't going to take his shit and turned around to leave. He grabbed me, we fell down, I hit my head, and I was knocked out. When I woke up, Jon was…he was…" I said, but I couldn't finish it.
"He was what?" She pressed me.
"He was raping me." I said, quietly. "That's why I isolated myself."
"He raped you?" She said, incredulously. "But Jon would never-"
"No, you wouldn't think he would, would you?" I said, coldly. "But why would I make something like that up?"
"So, how did you pull through it?" She asked.
"Well, one day the Marauders basically kidnapped me and intervene. I told them everything and they helped me. That was the night Sirius beat Jon up." I said, with a smile. "I don't know what I would've done if it wasn't for them."
"Joie, I had no idea, I'm sorry-" Lily started, but I cut her off.
"You couldn't have an idea about it. Don't worry, it's done and over with." I said, shaking my head. "My point is that you shouldn't go through this alone. You should always have someone there for you."
"Yeah, well, that person turned out to be a back stabbing bitch." She replied, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I'm here if you ever need to talk." I said, smiling at her. She smiled back.
"Thanks, that means a lot." She said.
"Now, Transfiguration," I said, opening my notes. We spent the rest of the night preparing for the test.
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"So, what's the plan for Hogsmeade this weekend?" James asked, one night as we sat in the Common Room.
"I've got a date." Sirius said, casually.
"I've got a date too." Remus said, turning red.
"Moony, a date? With an actual girl?" James said, pretending to be shocked. "Way to go!"
"Yeah, she's a Ravenclaw prefect." He said, blushing even more.
"What about you, Sunshine?" James asked, turning to me.
"I dunno, I might have date, I haven't decided yet." I replied, with a shrug.
Surprisingly guys were still asking me out and I was considering one guy. He was a seventh year Hufflepuff, smart, nice, and kinda geeky. His name was Henry and we had started talking in the library a couple weeks ago. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, but I was still weary. I was considering giving him a chance. What could one date hurt?
"A date?" Sirius asked, sitting up and looking at me. "You sure about that, Sunshine?"
"Sure, one date won't hurt." I said, shrugging.
"You do know the guy right?" Remus asked, furrowing his brow.
"God, yes!" I said, indignantly. "Honestly, do you think I'm that stupid?"
"Well-" Sirius started, but I hit over the head.
"Just be careful, okay?" James said, seriously.
"I will." I said, with a nod.
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I was in the library studying when someone came up behind me and covered my eyes. I was assuming it was Sirius, because this was the type of thing he would do. So, I played along.
"Guess who." The person said. Only it wasn't Sirius' voice.
"Um…" I said, thinking. "I give up."
"Nope, guess." He said, not moving his hands from my eyes. Then it hit me.
"Henry." I said, and he removed his hands.
"You got me." He said, sitting down across from me. "So, have you thought about Hogsmeade?"
"Yeah." I said, not fully answering because I knew it would drive him insane.
"And?" He said, waving his hand indicating me to go on.
"I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you." I said, smiling at him.
"Good, I hoped you'd say that." He said, smiling back.
That Saturday I met Henry in the Entrance Hall and we made our way down to Hogsmeade. He didn't try to push me into doing anything I didn't want to and I was grateful for that. We walked around, chatting and laughing, just having a good time. We were on our way to the Three Broomsticks, when I saw Sirius and his date walking in the opposite direction. She was gorgeous and I resented her immediately. She was clinging to Sirius, who had no problem with it. He was talking and she was laughing- they looked perfect together.
"So, Joie, I was wondering if you would, um, like to go out again…as my girlfriend." Henry said, as we sat in a booth, drinking Butterbeer.
"Oh, um, wow," I said, shocked. Sure, I'd had a good time, but I wasn't ready for this. "Henry, I think you're sweet and all, but honestly, I'm really not ready for a serious relationship."
"I see." He said, looking disappointed. "And when might you be ready for a relationship?"
"I don't know." I sighed, looking away from him. "Look, it's just, that there are still some sore feelings from my last boyfriend, and I just need some more time. But I did have a great time today, thank you." I added.
"Yeah, I had fun too." He replied, giving me a somewhat forced smile.
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"Okay, spill! How was your date with Henry?" Lily asked, later that night in the Common Room.
"It was fine. We had a good time." I replied, with a shrug.
"Joie, come on! I need details!" She said, exasperated.
"Okay, we walked around, just talking and poking into a few shops and then we went to the Three Broomsticks." I said, shaking my head at her. "That's pretty much it. Oh, he did ask me out again."
"And what did you say?" She asked, curiously.
"I told him I wasn't ready." I replied.
"Are you crazy? He's one the most popular seventh years!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, and I don't care." I said, indifferently. She looked at me like I was crazy. "I'm just not quite over what happened with Jon, that's all."
"I guess that would be hard to get over." She sighed, sitting down next to me.
Over the past month or so Lily and I had been becoming friends. It was a weird friendship, to say the least. The Lily I'd always known had been studious, composed, sophisticated. The Lily I knew now was loud, bubbly, charismatic, and slightly insane. But, it worked, her and me, much to James' delight.
"So, what are we going to do tonight?" I asked her, as she started flipping through a magazine.
"I dunno," She said, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Oh, I know! We could sneak up to the boys' dorm, strip them down to their boxers, and then put shaving cream in their hands and tickle various parts of their bodies."
"Actually, that's not a half bad idea, only let's cover them in honey and feathers after the shaving cream." I said, and her eyes lit up.
"You are good!" She said, high-fiving me.
"Yes, well, they don't call me the Lady Marauder for nothing." I replied, smugly. "But why the sudden interest in the boys? I mean, you usually don't interact with them unless they've done something to provoke it."
"I dunno, the idea just kind of popped into my head." She said, with a shrug.
"Uh huh." I said, skeptically. "You just want to see James half naked."
"WHAT! I do not want to see Potter half naked!" She yelled, indignantly.
"Chill, I was kidding." I said, laughing.
"Oh," She said, calming down some. "I knew that."
"Sure you did." I replied, sarcastically. She glared at me.
So, at one o'clock, Lily and I snuck down from our dorm and up to the boys'. We crept in and I saw that Peter wasn't there. I wondered where he was, but I just assumed that he was in the kitchens. Lily and I set to work. She took Remus, while I took James and then we both did Sirius. Then we place silencing charms on ourselves, just in case.
I started with James on the shaving cream. I sprayed some into hand and tickled his nose. Nothing happened at first, so I did it again. This time, his hand flew up to his face, smearing shaving cream all over it. I put more shaving cream in his hand. Lily took her feather and brushed it against his stomach. He rubbed his hand all over his chest and abdomen. We continued this way for a good ten minutes. After we weredone with the shaving cream, we took out honey and squirted it all over him- head, body, and legs. And then we put feathers all over him. It was such a funny sightthat Lily and I were dying from silent laughter.
We went onto Remus and did the same to him. He was much the same as James. Sirius, on the other hand, was quite entertaining. I'd barely touched the feather to his nose, when he grunted and started swatting at his face. Lily and I had fun covering him. He was so ticklish that he was going crazy every time the feather touched any part of his body. When it came time for the honey, I put an extra bottle in his hair. I'd brought one just for that purpose. Lily covered him with the feathers and then we snuck back out. Once we were back in the Common Room, we burst out laughing.
"I've…never seen…anything…so funny!" Lily gasped, after taking the silencing charm off.
"I know!" I said, tears of mirth streaming down my face. I couldn't breathe.
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"AHHHHHH" Came a bloodcurdling scream from the boys' dormitory the next morning. Lily and I had gotten up early just to witness the results of our little prank.
"3…2…1," I said, looking at mywatch and pointing towards the boys dorm. At precisely that moment a very angry and very funny looking James, Sirius, and Remus came down. "What happened to you guys?" I asked, acting totally surprised and appalled at their state. Lily had a look of disgust on her face.
"Potter, you look even messier than your god-awful usual state." She said.
"Okay, I'm only going to ask this once!" Sirius yelled, and the whole Common Room, which had up until that point been buzzing with amusement, fell dead silent. "Who the hell did this to us?"
Naturally, nobody spoke up- everyone just sat there looking at the three boys. It was quite a sight and I was fighting the urge to laugh very hard.
"No takers? Well, then we'll just have to put some Veritaserum in your pumpkin juice." Sirius said, and everyone looked at him in disbelief. "And don't think I'm joking. We have our sources."
"Padfoot, relax, it was all in good humor." I said, trying to calm him down.
"You did this!" He exclaimed, rounding on me. James looked at me like he'd never seen me before and Remus looked fairly amused. "What happened to never pranking another Marauder?"
"Yeah, well, I was bored." I replied, shrugging. "Besides, you can't deny that this is pretty funny."
"DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO GET THE HONEY OUT OF MY HAIR?" He bellowed, and almost all the first and second years ran for cover.
"Well, now you have an excuse to style your hair for six hours. You should be thanking me." I said, sourly. Honestly, he pulled shit like this all the time- who was he to be angry. Bloody hypocrite.
"You're going to pay, Sunshine." He said, dangerously. "Mark my words." He added, glaring at me over his shoulder as he, James, and Remus headed upstairs to get cleaned up.
Mission accomplished.
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and now the revies, if you please...