With the decision that Eilidh was not going to stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas holiday, no matter what it took, things needed to be set in motion pretty quickly. James wrote another letter to his mother during Potion's trying his best to make Eilidh's situation as sympathetic as possible. Sirius brewed a potion that encouraged drowsiness instead of the Grinding Potion they were supposed to be brewing. Remus worried and told them that they didn't have enough time to prepare and that there was no way possible for them to succeed. Peter wrung his hands and gnawed on his lip. It was decided that he was the least suspicious of the group so he would have to do the trickiest part.
Sirius quickly capped the phial he filled with the Tranquility Potion just in time for Professor Slughorn to smile at them and say, "Finished already?"
"Yes, sir," Sirius said, grinning confidently.
James hid his mother's letter under his potions book. Peter gulped. Remus rolled his eyes, adding the armadillo bole to his proper, if not mediocre, Grinding Potion.
Slughorn sipped Sirius's potion out of a ladle, which was brave of him - the Tranquility Potion was just a few shades of blue shy of looking exactly the same as the poison mistakenly made by an ill brewed Grinding Potion.
"Just as I thought," Slughorn nodded, solemnly. "You've brewed a Tranquility Potion somehow. One drop of this in some chamomile tea and you'll fall asleep right in your saucer."
"How could that have happened?" Sirius gasped.
James squinted at his potions book, holding it at varying distances and angles.
"My eyes must be getting worse. I might need bifocals," James muttered, apologetically, as he threw the useless book away.
Sirius opened his mouth to comment but Slughorn's laugh interrupted him.
"No matter, we'll just give this to Madam Pomfrey in case anyone complains of trouble sleeping or anxiety, and award fifteen points to Gryffindor for excellent potion making," Slughorn's expression became suddenly sympathetic. "Unfortunately, we'll have to give you zeros for the day."
"I understand, Professor," Sirius nodded, actually looking like he cared about the zero.
"I'll get my eyes checked over the holiday," James promised with an apologetic smile.
"He got his eyes checked over summer," Snape hissed loudly to his neighbour Avery. "I heard him talking about it wi-"
"Stalking me now, Snivellus?" James interrupted in a booming voice.
"Congratulations, you've levelled up in creep and lessened your chances of ever getting a date," Sirius clapped.
"I didn't think it was possible but he really has done it, hasn't he?" James said, looking mildly impressed. "Last time I ever doubt you Snivelly." He winked and smirked at Snape's snarl.
Avery guffawed. Snape's snarl slowly crept into a small, satisfied sort of smile. James's stomach dropped. What now?
"Mate!" Sirius jerked him by the arm, pointing to a small fire that had sparked into life at the hem of his robes.
James started ripping off his robes. Sirius scrambled for his wand. Peter jumped onto his chair, away from the fire. Remus poured what remained of the tranquillity potion over James.
For a second, time froze. There was no movement except for Slughorn blinking in confusion, Avery laugh silently yet so hard he was in danger of falling out of his seat, and Snape's grin steadily growing.
It was like a nightmare. James stood at his desk, in the front of the class, sopping wet, clutching his balled up school robes, wearing only his boxers. He glanced at Remus who shrunk and placed the cauldron back on the desk, his knuckles white.
More Slytherins started to laugh. Someone hissed, "shut up!" Sirius smirked at him.
"Mate, I didn't know you had abs," Sirius said.
James didn't but he knew what Sirius was doing. One mention of abs and the whole school would be talking about James Potter's eight pack. So, James shrugged and tucked his wet robes under his arm.
"Quidditch," he said.
"You look good," Sirius nodded. "You should go shirtless more often."
A few Gryffindors chuckled while the laughing Slytherins seemed almost sombre.
"Alright, settle down," Slughorn ordered. "James, please go -"
"If you insist, Professor." As if a knee jerk reaction, James walked quickly out. He was careful to keep a confident facade, even smirking at Lily as he passed her. She glared back at him and crossed her arms, her wand dangling from her right hand.
They didn't need to use their wands in potions. Could it be possible that Lily took out her wand to attempt to save him from the fire? After that exchange with Snape, it wasn't likely.
Someone had to have started that fire and while Lily was last on his list of suspects, it was an odd coincidence to see her with her wand out. He decided not to tell Sirius lest he aid to his already hardened feelings toward her.
He made it three steps into his journey out of the dungeon when the bell rang. Dread filled him. They couldn't see him again like this. He was in unfamiliar territory and unaware of any good hiding places. He looked to his left and to his right, then up and down the corridors for any obvious hiding places but there was nothing but solid stone walls and a few burning torches. He'd have to make a run for it.
"Stop," Lily's voice echoed past him. His rubber-soled shoes squeaked as he halted. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back a few paces, through an invisible (unless inspected closely) break in the stone wall, and finally let him go when they came to a knight.
James heard the corridor they had left behind quickly filling. Lily lifted the knight's sword halfway from its hilt and the wall behind the knight opened. There should have been wonders inside but instead, it was just a cramped little broom closet.
The knight's sword slid itself back into place and the wall with it. Lily had her wand already lit or else they would have been in complete darkness.
She was angry, that much he could see, but it was a dull determined sort of anger that failed to excite him. If anything, this was a little uncomfortable, especially him wandless, in a compact room, almost naked.
"You have to stop doing this," she began firmly, her hands on her hips, her nose almost touching his.
"Why? Does my nudity bother you?" James smirked, patting his non-existent abs.
"Of, for -" she rolled her eyes and took his balled up robes from him. Steam rose and filled the room making it stuffy and even harder for him to see. "Here."
His robes felt dry when she passed them to her.
"Thanks," he mumbled, passing her his glasses before redressing. "So, what can't I do anymore?"
Lily licked her lips and took a deep breath.
"You can't -" she faltered. "You can't keep acting like we're friends and then pull shit like that."
"He started that!" James burst. "Why can't you see him for what he is?"
"Funny, he says the same thing about you," she said, fiercely.
James grit his teeth to hold back his stream of insults.
"You have to stop being nice to me and then turning around and start bullying someone. It hurts too much," Lily stopped like she had said too much then added. "Like, it actually breaks my heart and I can't take it anymore."
"Oh, no, that can't be right. That would imply that you cared," James said bitterly, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.
"James, I do care," Lily said, gently touching his arm. "I care a lot actually, more than I should."
It shouldn't have been that easy but something sparked in him and for the first time in a long time James felt like himself again. His smirk wasn't forced, his confidence wasn't a farce.
"You mean you don't hate me?" he asked, taking a step or two closer to her.
"No. I never did." She didn't move away. Her hand was still on his arm.
"And you don't think I'm a dumbass?" he asked, their noses were almost touching again.
"No? I think you act like a dumbass sometimes, to look cool," she admitted.
"I am cool, Evans," James said and their noses touched. Then their foreheads.
"Yeah, when you don't -"
Then their lips.
She relaxed into him. He pulled back ever so slightly to make sure that she actually had. Her head tilted up so he leaned in again. Her hand met his chest with such force he stumbled into the opposite wall.
"That is the exact opposite of what I said!" Lily shouted, pointing a finger at him.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" James yelled back.
"No," Lily said, bluntly. "I told you to stop leading me on. With your friendship!" she added quickly. "And then you kiss me! Do you ever listen to anything apart from the sound of your own voice?"
"At least I'm not fucking blind, Lily," James growled.
"Stop swearing at me!" Lily's nostrils flared, her eyes ignited with the anger that usually excited him. "You know what, it's best for everyone if we just don't talk so leave me alone."
"Fine by me," James agreed.
Lily pushed against the wall so it would slide open easily.
"And leave Severus alone too," Lily snarled, marching back to the main corridor.
"Oh, that's not fair! I can't have you and I can't torment Snivelly," James stalked after her. "Just so you know, if I still had the choice, I'd choose Snivellus!" he yelled at her receding form, deciding to let her leave first. The sooner this argument ended the better.
"Ouch," Eilidh said.
James spun on his heels to find his four friends waiting for him outside the potions classroom.
"You left your stuff," Sirius said, awkwardly. Held James's book bag over his free shoulder.
James turned back to Eilidh. "Don't you start on me. You didn't see everything."
"I learned that lesson a long time ago," Eilidh said, her gaze was careful and calculating. "Let's erm, nick some food from the kitchen and hang out in the shack?"
"Sounds good," Sirius nodded, striding forward.
Remus approached with one or two careful steps, letting James know they needed to speak privately. Peter caught on and rushed to catch up with Sirius.
"I'm sorry," Remus said.
James shrugged. "Wasn't your fault. You were just trying to help."
"Are you okay?" he asked. "Whatever that was seemed pretty intense."
James ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged. "It is what it is."
In true James fashion, Remus roughly patted James's shoulder.
"Let's go fuck up my shack," Remus said. James couldn't help but laugh.
*** Thank you Love Fiction 2019 :D
...I don't even have an excuse this time. Thank you for your patience.
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