Disclaimer: Yep. I own it. That's right. My name is JK Rowling…(begins laughing hysterically)….yeah…riiiiight…even I don't believe that.
Summary: Lily Evans is forced to get a summer job…and soon her mother takes matters into her own hands. Before you know it, things are spiralling out of control as Lily takes on the task of doing laundry…James Potter's laundry.
A/N: Hahahaha…here it is…the next chapter…aren't you excited?
Washing James' Whites Chapter Three
Lily snapped to attention.
"James, did you hear that?"
James nodded. There were more crashes…and a very Sirius-like voice yelling from the kitchen. James glanced at Lily and then bolted to the kitchen, Lily right on his heals.
As they pushed open the door to the kitchen, they came upon an amusing sight. Sirius was hanging upside down and flailing around while trying to grab on to something to try and turn himself right side up. Travis was gleefully swinging Sirius' wand around, muttering incomprehensible gibberish. Lily covered her smiling mouth with her hand and glanced at James, whom she noticed was looking very pained in his attempt to stop from laughing.
"PRONGS! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" Sirius yelled frantically. A giggle escaped Lily. James fixed Sirius with a mock glare and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I don't see why I should, Padfoot. You've made a right mess of the kitchen."
"PRONGS!"
"Padfoot."
"PRONGS YOU GREAT PRAT GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" Sirius said, flailing around, knocking more things off counters and sending them crashing to the ground. Travis gurgled happily. Lily, taking pity on the poor fool, walked over to the young child and gently pulled the wand from Travis' grasp. Sirius fell unceremoniously onto the top of the counter, then rolling off it and landing with a loud thud onto the kitchen floor. James snickered. Lily tisk-ed him mockingly, "Out-witted by a two year old…I expected more from you Sirius."
Sirius rose begrudgingly from the floor and fixed a grumpy gaze on Lily.
"That kid has it in for me…", he muttered ruefully.
"Go soak your head, Padfoot, while Lily and I clean this place up," James said, smirking at his friend before running a hand though his black hair and sighing.
Later in the day, as it grew dark and Travis was napping, Lily was sprawled out on the couch in the sitting room. James walked in from the back yard where he had been flying with Sirius while Lily had put Travis to bed. He was about to say something when he noticed that here eyes were closed, and her chest was rising and falling softly. He hesitated, then sat down on a chair across from her. Lily's eyes snapped open suddenly.
"What are you doing?" she asked, slightly on edge. She wasn't entirely sure she liked the way he was watching her.
"Innocently sitting in a chair."
"There's nothing innocent about you, Potter."
"Same to you, Evans."
"Excuse me?" Lily scoffed.
"You seem innocent. But I don't believe it. Not any more."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're just as mischievous as I am, Lily Evans."
" 'Mischievous' isn't exactly the word I would have used to describe you, James Potter," Lily said, her mouth forming a thin line as she rolled her eyes. James smiled at her. Lily ran her fingers through her thick auburn hair, her emerald eyes tracing the room.
"What time is it?" she asked, her eyes landing on him. James felt his stomach clench and he scrambled to look at his watch.
"It's almost eight," he said, dragging a hand through his unruly hair and adjusting his glasses.
"Your parents will be home soon," Lily said, stating the obvious. James nodded.
"I should go check on Travis one last time," Lily said, standing up to leave. When she reached the doorway she turned back and opened her mouth to say something, but she shook her head and left. Once she was gone, James let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
Lily was in her room when Chelsea apparated in front of the doorway.
"So, how'd it go?" she asked, walking over to sit on Lily's bed. Lily shrugged noncommittally.
"Oh don't you dare give me the shrug Lily. Spill. Now."
"Well I don't know. Sirius was out-witted by a two year old, I told James a bit about psychology…"
Chelsea cracked a smile, "Bet that was entertaining."
"He found the Hypothalamus quite amusing."
"Typical. Anyways, continue."
"Well I kept Travis entertained and then put him to bed and laid down on the couch. I guess I dozed off slightly cause when I opened my eyes James was sitting, watching me."
Chelsea's brow furrowed, "So?"
"I don't know, it just felt odd. His gaze was just so…intense."
Chelsea smirked, "That's because he's madly in love with you."
"Yeah…right," Lily scoffed, "He's just like every other boy and was just undressing me with his eyes. Perverted prat."
"Yes, Lily, and that's why he's been asking you out almost every single day since fifth year…"
"Yeah but he didn't so much by the end of the year."
"Not after you hexed him, giving him a pig's tail and ears for a week."
Lily smirked, "I almost forgot about that."
Chelsea picked up a pillow and thwacked Lily on the head, "You big goof. Now finish your story."
Lily shrugged, "Not much else happened. But it felt weird when I left. Like he wanted to say something, but didn't."
James was sitting in the kitchen, his mother and father hurrying around, getting ready for work. Sirius stumbled sleepily down the stairs.
"James!" his mother called, "We have to leave a bit early! Make sure you answer the door when Lily gets here! Bye!"
And then the house was silent except for the slurping coming from Sirius as he ate his cereal.
James swirled what was left of his breakfast with his spoon in the now warm milk. Sirius was watching him warily. Then he sighed and put down his spoon.
"Alright Prongs, what's wrong?"
James stopped playing with his food and looked at Sirius, "Nothing."
"Liar. Now spit it out, we don't have all day."
James sighed, "I don't know what to do about Lily."
Sirius let out an odd snort, "Do you ever?"
"Padfoot, I'm being serious---"
"No you're not I'm---"
"Finish that sentence and you'll no longer be any type of Sirius."
Sirius rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
"As I was saying…this whole Lily situation…It seems like I take two steps forward, and then one step back. She'll tolerate me one second, and then she gets defensive the next. And then she goes back to joking. I just don't get it."
"She's confused James," Sirius said, being surprisingly wise for a moment, "She's probably realised you've changed, but it afraid to believe it."
"That's surprisingly adept, Padfoot."
"We all have out moments."
There was a pause.
"Moony came up with that, didn't he? When he picked up his book last night?"
"I resent that," Sirius grumbled.
There was then a knock at the door. James hurried to the door to let Lily in.
"Hello, Lily," James greeted. Lily grumbled in response. She headed straight to Travis' room, picked him up and started for the kitchen. She silently placed him in his high chair and began preparing his breakfast.
"Not a morning person, are you, Evans?" Sirius asked, "Or are you hung over again?"
Lily turned, took in his pyjama-clad form, and then emitted a low growl.
Sirius and James exchanged a look and Lily hurried around the kitchen.
"Lily? Are you all right?" James asked carefully. Lily turned, fixed him with a stern look and flicked her wand in his direction. James visibly winced, but now curse came. No hex…no spell to cause him harm at all. Nothing but a piece of parchment with black script scribbled across it flew towards him. He plucked it out of the air.
No Potter, I'm not all right. I had to have dental work done this morning.
"Why aren't you talking?"
Lily, still flitting about the kitchen, waved her wand again.
Because, Sirius, I had to have a filling and now the whole left side of my face is frozen.
James, without really thinking, moved closer to Lily and reached out to run his hand over the left side of her face.
"Really?" he asked. There was an odd pause as Lily nodded and then quickly turned away from him
"Why'd you get it done the muggle way?" Sirius asked. Lily let out a sigh.
My parents are muggles, Black, they believe that the muggle way of solving it is just as good as magic.
James was still uncomfortably close to Lily, and she felt her face flush as she had to brush past him to get to Travis and feed him his breakfast. The child smiled and munched away happily.
"How long will it take to wear off?" James asked. Lily shrugged.
That's when a abnormally large sneeze was heard.
"What was that?" Sirius asked moving over to the door. James looked out the doorway and saw a small, wrinkled creature with large, tennis ball-like eyes and it wore a ratty little t-shirt that looks as if it should have been a dolls. It was the Potter family's house elf.
"It's Snickety," James said to Lily, and then he turned to the house elf whom had dropped quite a few clothes on the hallway floor, "Snickety, what's wrong?"
She sneezed again.
"Master Potter, sir! Snickety was going to ---achoo!--- do the laundry sir, but she ---achoo! achoo!--- thinks she's getting sick, sir ---achoo!--- She can't stop ---ACHOO!--- sneezing, sir…….ACHOO!"
James walked towards the poor elf and kneeled down near her, "Snicket, why don't you just take the rest of the day off, ok?"
"But SIR! Snickety can't POSSIBLY ---achoo!--- do that! She has laundry to do, ---achoo!--- sir!"
"I'll do it Snickety. I order you to rest for today."
Snickety, looking slight disheartened, but still sneezing, disappeared with a loud 'snap!'.
Lily, who had followed James into the hallway watched him sceptically and waved her wand.
Do you know HOW to do laundry?
"No, Miss Evans, I don't."
A/N: OK, so a lot of this chapter was…I dunno…I wasn't completely thrilled with it. There's one scene I really don't like much…but it's ok I guess. Please forgive me for typos. I try and try to find them, I really do. Oh and sorry about the typical, lame Sirius/serious joke…I just had to put it in…I don't know why…blame it on the fact that it's 2 in the morning…
And thank you to all my fantastic reviewers. You're all fantastic! (Now review again, ok? I'll give you a cookie…)
IAAOCAG FOREVER
(Inanimate And Animate Object Conspiracy Awareness Group)
---SuperSpy