Just a special thanks from Chapter Three:
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Chapter Four: The Crush
Lily trudged up the stairs letting out a deep sigh of relief. Bloody first-years. They're as frightened as baby chicks the first day, and a week into the term, they latch onto you like monkeys. Not a day went by where she wasn't bombarded with stupid questions about the moving staircases and Remus Lupin's romantic eligibility.
Really, Remus was doing a grand job, but something about his bookish, brooding good looks and kindness made the young girls swoon. Lily, of course, the female prefect, had to hear the brunt of it.
The fifth year prefects tended to have a little too much interest in abusing their newly found powers to properly care for the students. Thus, it was left up to Lily and Remus. And the stress, she found, was becoming a bit overwhelming.
She flipped on the faucet and began scrubbing her hands. Peering back at herself, she smoothed the loose hairs of her ponytail and straightened her robes. But something in the wide mirror caught her eye: the small, empty patch of fabric over the left side of her chest.
Where was her prefect badge?
Desperately, she felt around the fabric to check if she'd accidentally put an invisibility charm on it. No. Blast. It wasn't there. She immediately dropped to her knees and began searching the floor, crawling beneath the row of leaky sinks.
The latch on a stall clicked and a girl stepped out, hesitating at the sight of Lily.
"Erm…" Lily grinned faintly.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right?"
"Ah…oh yes!" Crack! Lily leapt up, and whacked her head on the bottom of a sink. She cursed loudly and clutched the back of her head tenderly. "Just…fine…" She gritted her teeth and smiled weakly.
The girl eyed her a moment longer and left.
Phew. Perhaps it was a good thing she wasn't wearing her badge just then. It wasn't proper behaviour for a prefect to be crawling along the bathroom floor, now was it? Lily continued her search, but found nothing. Damn. Now she'd have to ask for a new one…but wait, she couldn't just ask for a new one! What was she thinking? The prefect badges were treasured parts of Hogwarts history! They didn't just conjure new ones! Like it said in Hogwarts, a History, the sacred badges of the head boy and girl and prefects were worn by generations of students since the founding of the school itself. That was hundreds of years! Or more! Hundreds!
Lily gasped. Oh no. McGonagall would think her unfit to be prefect for not taking good care of the badge! Her status would be revoked! She'd never be able to show her face again! Heeeee-huuuuuh HEEEEE-HUUUUH.
Lily began to hyperventilate. Okay, Lily. Just. Breathe. Breeeaathe. Chapter Fourteen: Relaxation Techniques for the Stressed: "Count to ten out loud and take slow deep breaths. Be sure to focus on your breathing. This will take your mind off the problem and provide a gentle calming relief."
There. It was working. The anxiety subsided and Lily leaned over the sink to splash her face with water. Life as a sixth-year prefect was going to be more difficult that she had predicted. Well, this was the life she chose. All right. She could do it. She had the perseverance.
Almost methodically she dried her hands as she counted her breaths to ease her anxiety before leaving the bathroom. But by the time she reached her dormitory door, Lily's heart had sunk to the pit of her stomach. The one place she could always go to be alone and think was her room. She turned the handle and entered. Unfortunately the same did not go for Hogwarts.
"What does he mean it's not in stock?" A voice screeched from within.
Lily groaned.
"Well if you had done it earlier, Helen, this wouldn't be an issue, would it?" Florence Page spat.
"Ugh, you're both idiots!" Charlotte snapped. "For Merlin's sake, give me the quill and I'll take care of it."
Lily snuck in quietly and walked to her bed, which was nearest the door and began searching her smooth sheets and neatly folded clothes for any sign of the pin.
"Look, as long as they know I'm ordering it, there won't be a problem," Charlotte said primly. She swept the quill across the parchment with a flourish to sign her initials before rolling it up. "There. That'll teach you to order your dress robe for the Yule Ball earlier."
Lily burst with laughter, and had to clap a hand over her mouth to silence it.
Charlotte, Helen, and Florence looked up, seeming to have just noticed Lily's arrival and glared.
"Oh. It's you," Helen and Florence immediately went back to their chattering about dresses, but Charlotte's eyes lingered on Lily. Lily could feel Charlotte's gaze burning into her, but kept her head down and eyes focused on sorting through her parchment.
"So, Lily. You'll be attending the Yule Ball this year as a prefect again. What will you be wearing?"
Lily swallowed hard and looked up defiantly at Charlotte with a faint smile. "I'm not sure, actually."
"Really?" Charlotte looked positively ravaged. Even Helen and Florence looked up in shock. "Surely you're joking!" she tittered lightly, peering over her shoulder at Florence and Helen with mock surprise.
Lily sighed and went back to stacking her books, but Charlotte continued to push the subject. "Do you think you'll be going alone again?"
The book in her hand froze in midair and Lily gritted her teeth. "I don't know, Charlotte. Really, I don't plan my dress four months ahead and that goes for dates as well."
"Hmm…" Charlotte furrowed her brow. "I see. Well that explains quite a lot. Anyway," she turned back to the other girls. "I believe I shall have James Potter ask me this year. He should suffice."
"Oh, he's sooo handsome," Helen swooned.
"Very suitable match," Lily mumbled under her breath.
"What was that?" Charlotte's ear pricked.
Lily looked up and smiled. "I'm just congratulating your decision on choosing James. You two will make a fine pair."
Charlotte's eyes sparked. "Well. Thank you, Lily. I always enjoy your input."
Lily could practically smell the fire she was lighting beneath Charlotte's bum, and cursed herself silently. Charlotte could easily make her life at Hogwarts a living hell for a number of reasons and in a number of ways. But she couldn't help it. Charlotte was provoking her.
Florence sighed and picked up a nail file. "I would have chosen Sirius, frankly. He is the best looking in the school."
"Sirius Black?" Helen raised her eyebrows eagerly.
"Yes, of course Sirius Black," Florence snapped irately.
Charlotte flicked her blonde curls back. "No. He was last year. I want James this year."
"He is positively delicious, Charlotte," Helen giggled.
"I know." Suddenly her eyes flicked to the bed in the far corner. "Madeline!"
After a few moments, the small mousy brown head of Madeline popped up over the bedside, eyes peering out from behind those large lenses. She stood up and closed her novel, laying it carefully on her bed.
"Did you finish my Potions paper yet?"
"Er…" she shifted awkwardly. "Not quite. But almost. I haven't even done mine yet."
Charlotte's lower jaw jutted out in obvious anger. "You know the rules, Madeline. You finish mine first. And it's due tomorrow! Merlin! Stop dallying." She flicked her wand-wielding wrist in the direction of the bed. "Accio book."
Madeline groped lamely in the air for her beloved tome as it was whisked through her fingertips. Charlotte snapped it out of the air and briefly examined the worn brown cover. "Poems That Live Forever. How quaint." She tossed it over her shoulder into the rubbish bin. "There. Now you can concentrate. There are you quill and parchment," Charlotte motioned with her hand.
Madeline tore her eyes away from the book lying amidst crumpled tissues and ink-botched parchment scraps and followed Charlotte's gesture to her bed where she had conjured the supplies.
Lily looked on, furious. How dare Charlotte treat her that way? Madeline was shy and Charlotte had done nothing but bully her since the moment Lily first saw her. Madeline was obviously new to Hogwarts and Charlotte was being more than cruel.
Fuming, Lily stomped over to the garbage and pulled out the small book. Then, with Florence and Helen gaping, she strode directly over to Madeline and held it out firmly for her to take. Madeline stared at the book, her lips slightly parted, then peered up at Lily unblinking.
Charlotte looked on, her eyes narrowed to thin slats.
Lily pushed the book forward, urging her to take it. Madeline blinked and glanced from Lily's kind eyes and pursed lips to Charlotte's burning gaze.
"Here," Lily said. "This must be important to you. She doesn't have the right to take your things."
Madeline's mousy face twitched and she caught Charlotte's fiery eyes once more. Then, lowering her gaze, she took a step back and turned away from Lily, bending over the bed and started scribbling silently on the parchment.
Lily stood dumbly clutching the book, which wavered slightly in her grasp. A scarlet flush crept across her cheeks at Madeline's blatant rejection. She lowered her arm dazedly, bringing the book lamely down to her side.
A small smirk had formed on Charlotte's features as she began massaging lotion into her hands. "Why don't you go find someone else to play with, Lily? She obviously doesn't want to be your friend." Florence and Helen giggled in response.
Still in shock of Madeline's reaction, Lily stared down at the worn cover of the book. She traced the words with a finger, and then walked to Madeline's side. Madeline's fiercely scribbling hand froze mid-sentence as she felt Lily's presence just above her left shoulder, but kept her head firmly bent toward her paper. Lily placed the book of poetry beside the inkbottle atop her bedspread, and without pause, walked to the door, grabbed her cloak, and left.
The girls immediately burst into a gale of laughter. Charlotte, however, stood up and stalked over to Madeline who kept her eyes averted from the impending figure now hovering, hands on hips, before her.
"Don't you ever think about taking anything from her again, Madeline. As long as you're hanging out with us, you aren't to associate with that twig. Understand?"
She swallowed and nodded silently.
"Of course, not that you ever would, am I right?" Charlotte cocked her head.
Madeline was quiet, clutching her quill tightly. "…Yes."
"Just as I thought. I am always right, aren't I?"
"Of course!" Helen burst, earning a reproving glare from Florence.
"Good." Charlotte waltzed back over to her bed and plopped down on the pillows, her pleated skirt billowing gracefully.
Madeline simply stared at the neatly scrawled lines on the parchment and breathed deeply. But as she dipped the quill in the inkpot, her eyes landed on the book of poems. She stared for a long moment at the cover before it disappeared beneath her nose with a snap.
"I almost forgot," Charlotte said with a titter. She now stood above Madeline with the book clutched firmly to her chest. "You won't be needing this." Lightly, she hopped back over to her bed, opened the trunk at the foot, and tossed it inside. She slammed the lid shut and flicked her wand to latch the lock.
Madeline flushed and turned her attention back to the parchment, scribbling more monotonous words. Steadily, her knuckles turned bright white as she squeezed the life out of the thin quill.
Knock-knock.
Peter rolled over on his stomach, buried his head in the fluff of his beloved pillow and groaned. "Go away."
Knock-knock-knock.
"Someone get that," James' muffled voice came from beneath the blankets.
KNOCK-KNOCK.
Sirius was snoring loudly, head hanging over the edge of his bed, a steady stream of drool making its way from the corner of his mouth to a small pool forming on the stone floor. He jerked slightly at the sound and rolled over. Remus remained like a rock, passed out on his side.
KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.
James' eyes flicked open.
KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK-
"Oh for the love of- GET THE BLOODY DOOR!" James practically ripped the sheets off his bed as he leapt up, fuming.
He flung the door open. "WHAT?"
Lily blinked back at James, flushing slightly. "Er…" Her eyes travelled to his boxers, but she tried her hardest to avert her eyes.
James, however, didn't seem phased. But he still seemed irritable. "Well?" He barked, his pillow still clutched in his free hand. He looked ready to bean her with it.
His rudeness helped her regain composure. "I-" she frowned and peered inside. "I need to see Remus," she said firmly.
"He's asleep." James began to shut the door.
Offended, Lily caught it with the palm of her hand. "It's ten-thirty in the morning. I need to talk to Remus. It's important."
The lines between his eyebrows creased in annoyance. "It's a Saturday."
"The day of the week has no bearing on the magnitude of the emergency, Potter. Now let me in." Lily's eyes were slats. She would not be spoken to in such a manner. Especially by Potter. She was a prefect!
James sighed, and flicked the door with his wrist, letting it fall all the way open. He scratched the back of his neck and shuffled over to Remus' bed.
Hesitantly, Lily poked her head in the door and peered around. It…seemed safe. Seemed being the key word…Nonetheless, she took a drastically large step over the threshold and entered man-country. Sirius was still snoring on his back, and Lily made a face at the puddle of drool at his bedside.
There was a bit of an odd smell…
"Oy. Moony. Get up." James had leapt atop Remus' bed and kicked him in the side rather indelicately.
Lily's jaw dropped. "What are you doing to him? Get down!"
James paused his jabbing and turned to look at Lily. Amazingly Remus had slept through it. "You want him up don't you?" He jerked his head at Remus. "The bloke sleeps like a log. Literally. I'm taking necessary action-" James lifted his foot to prepare for another nasty kick.
"No! Stop!" Lily burst exasperatedly. "That's quite enough!" She was absolutely furious. How dare he treat Remus that way! He was a kind, sweet boy. "I'll wake him up, thank you."
James stared blankly at Lily as if she had told a joke he didn't quite understand. But when he saw the determination in her frowning features, he simply shrugged and jumped down.
"Whatever you want. I was just trying to help." Yawning, he sauntered over to his bed and collapsed on it. "You always fight the losing battles, Lilykins," he mumbled into the sheets.
Lily glared. She had to take a deep breath to calm the rising heat in the pit of her stomach. Idiot. Kindly she turned to Remus, prepared to see his open, expectant eyes, but instead met his unconscious face. He was still asleep? How could anyone sleep through that?
"Remus?" she shook his shoulder. "Remus? Remus. Remus. REMU-" The name caught in her throat as something went flying past her face.
BAM!
"Ow! Damn it!" Remus jerked open his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "What the-?" He peered up at Lily. "Oh. Morning."
Lily looked over at James. He was lounged against his headboard with a shoe in his hand. He smirked. "Just trying to help."
Lily glared at him. "Well you didn't have to throw a bloody shoe!" She turned back to Remus. "Are you all right?"
"Huh?" Remus peered down at the shoe by his pillow and shot James a glare who simply smirked and slumped down into his pillow to go back to sleep. "Yeah, I'll be fine. So what's up?"
"Oh, um…" Lily had been so distracted by the ruckus that she'd almost forgotten why she came. "Oh yes. May I speak with you?"
"Um…sure. Let me get dressed." Remus slid out of bed, his hair askew and prominent bags under his brown eyes.
Lily watched as he trudged to the bathroom. When the door shut, she had nothing to do but stand silently and awkwardly in the middle of the room waiting. She began tapping her fingers on her thigh. Her eyes travelled around the room from the Quidditch posters on the walls to the piles of dirty boxers scattered about the floor. And finally, her panning gaze jerked to a stop on James, now wide awake and eyeing her with playful interest.
She turned away quickly, focusing intently on a ball of lint in the corner to keep from blushing.
Yet her eyes crept cautiously back to James.
He was silent, but his lips slid slowly into a smirk.
"What?" she snapped, feeling her face flush despite her best efforts.
He simply shrugged and folded his hands behind his head. Then after a long pause, he leapt up and bounded over to Remus' bed and flopped down on his mussed sheets. "Hi, Lily."
She sighed. "Hello James. What do you want?"
He shrugged again and rolled over on his back so that his face was directly beneath hers and stared up earnestly at her.
Lily glowered down at him and sighed heavily again. "Don't you have anything better to do than irritate me?"
"Who, me? Oh please, you enjoy my company. Admit it." He laid a hand casually across his slender chest and began scratching his armpit.
"Ugh." She stomped to the other side of the room. "Remus, come on!"
James leapt up and followed her. Lily rolled her eyes and took a large step back.
"Don't play coy with me, Lily Evans. It's obvious what you want." His grin was dripping with mischief.
Immediately her face turned beet red. "What is that supposed to mean? Get- get away from me!" She backed up further as he sidled forward, uncomfortably close. The fine laugh lines around his eyes and faint stubble on his chin were clearly visible. "I mean it, James! Don't touch me! I don't want anything from you!"
His eyes were dancing. It was then she realized he had backed her into a corner. "You mean…" he leaned in. "Not even…this?"
"Wh-wh-what-"
James pulled out a small golden badge and stuck in front of her face. Lily squinted her eyes at it. It…it was her prefect badge. That jerk!
"Give me that! Where did you find that?"
James shrugged and held it up in the light, squinting as if examining a giant gold nugget. "It was laying around."
"Laying around?" Lily burst. "I need that, James! McGonagall will kill me if I lose it."
"But you haven't lost it," he grinned. "See? I have it. And I'm sure she wouldn't kill you. Maim perhaps, but kill is a tad extreme. Damn, this thing is old."
"Yes, I know, which is precisely why you must give it back. Now."
James tossed it up and caught it again, Lily catching her breath as the priceless heirloom flew through the air. He turned to her with a frown. "Now that tone just won't do, Lily."
"Please, James," she said desperately, holding out her hands as if trying to calm down a mental patient. "I'm begging you-"
He raised an eyebrow and immediately she regretted her words. "Begging, now are we…?"
"No-now that's-that's not what I meant-" Lily began to panic.
He heaved a sigh and flopped down on the edge of Sirius' bed. Sirius grumbled and rolled over. "Now. I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement."
"Agreement? Hell no we can't." James' flippant tone and attitude were really getting on her nerves.
"Well, alright," James stood up and pocketed the badge, "if you insist." He headed for the door.
"WAIT!" Lily cried.
Sirius and Peter shot out of bed and looked around fearfully. Sirius was clutching the stitch of his chest. "What the bloody hell-?"
She narrowed her eyes at James and with a small sigh, gave in. "What do you propose?"
James grinned and walked back over to her. "Well…I was thinking you could be my slave." He spoke as casually as if he were discussing the weather.
Lily's jaw dropped to the floor. "Your what?"
"You know. My slave. You could do my homework, wash my feet, bring me butterbeer…"
"Slap you silly…" Lily finished with her arms crossed. "I hope you are joking James Potter. Now give me back my prefect badge before I take thirty points."
Sirius and Peter laughed from their beds. "Watch out James. She'll give you detention," Peter snorted.
Lily shot Peter a deadly glare that wiped the smile from his face, then turned back to James with the same intense stare, yet he appeared unaffected. "I will do no such thing. Not for a silly piece of metal."
"Hmm. Silly piece of metal, is it?" He examined her stare and pulled out his wand. In a flash, he it directed at the badge threateningly. "How silly?"
"What are you doing?" Lily cried out in panic. "You can't destroy a piece of Hogwarts history!"
"Just as I thought. Now. You can start by washing my laundry, though I must warn you, the socks are a bit-"
"Excuse me! I am not going to work for you, James!"
"Er…no," James shook his head. "You misunderstand. You aren't working for me; you are my slave. So you shall no longer refer to me as James, but rather, Master Potter. Or Commandant. Whichever you prefer."
Sirius was cracking up. Just then, Remus stepped out of the bathroom, groomed and showered, but still shaggy. He looked from James to Lily and sighed. "What's going on?"
James whipped his wand and badge behind him grinning innocently. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Remus turned to Lily. Suddenly she froze. Tell him that James took the badge. He'd make him give it back. But for some reason, she couldn't. Looking into Remus' kind brown eyes, something stopped her. It really wasn't that important. Besides, she'd look silly making such a huge deal over a little badge.
Like a fool she shook her head and grinned. "Yeah, they're just teasing me again. Let's go."
James' jaw dropped. They all watched in awe as Lily and Remus exited the dorm. The door shut behind them with a soft click.
"Erm…" Peter raised an eyebrow. "Did she just cover for you?"
"With Remus?" James gaped. "Why? He doesn't care what I do."
Sirius rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"What?" James narrowed his eyes.
He just shrugged and began combing his hair in the mirror. "It's just so obvious."
"What? What is?"
Sirius shook his head. "She fancies Moony, Prongs. Open your eyes."
Remus followed Lily out into the common room where they loitered by the fireplace. Lily sighed and folded her arms, looking at him intently.
"I know I shouldn't bother you about this, but I really need a favour."
He furrowed his brow. "Sure, what do you need?"
"I…" Lily trailed off, a bit embarrassed. "I was hoping you could talk to Charlotte."
"Charlotte," he said blankly. "Charlotte Vane?"
Lily nodded. Remus turned up the corners of his mouth knowingly and shook his head. "What's she doing now?"
"Well, there's this girl, Madeline who just started Hogwarts this year…and…Remus, she's so horrible to her!" she stressed. "But she'll never listen to me. She has no respect. Remus, if you could see how she treats Madeline, you'd understand…"
Remus shook his head sceptically. "Lily, I don't know what I can do…"
"Just talk to her! See if you can get her to leave Madeline alone! She has no respect for me whatsoever. That's a fact."
"You're the authority figure! Prove that to her!" he urged.
"It doesn't matter. Anyone that is, in her opinion, below her is not authority."
Remus sighed and looked Lily in the eye. He knew she was right. "Okay. I'll see what I can do. But I won't promise anything, Lily. She won't see me any different."
"Oh no," Lily gushed immediately, rolling her eyes, "Trust me. She'll see you differently."
He smiled slightly and grasped Lily's arm, squeezing it slightly. "I'll do what I can. See you in class, right?"
Lily's chest tightened. "Er…" She was suddenly very aware of Remus' hand on her arm. "Yes…I'll see you in class." She smiled, a blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.
Remus nodded and walked back to his dorm. Lily watched as he disappeared up the staircase and sank slowly into an armchair.
Oh boy…she wondered if Melinda's book had a chapter on crushes, because she could feel one coming on…