Disclaimer: Oh woe is me…I have no money….do not sue me…for I own this not.

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: I am back from my unwanted hiatus. You see…my comp went on the fritz again and I only just got it back. So here I am…finally writing the chapter that sprouted this whole convoluted story… Thank you to all those who waited so patiently and thank you for all your fantastic reviews!

Where we left off (after all…it's been a while…)

Lily's left side of her face was frozen from dental surgery, so she magics pieces of parchment to converse. James let his house elf Snickety have the day off after finding out she was sick, and thus is now left with the task of doing laundry…

Washing James' Whites

Chapter Four

You don't even know what you're doing.

"It can't be that hard."

With your luck you'll blow something up.

"You know Lily, I'm not completely inept."

That's too much detergent.

"If you're going to criticize you can just leave."

Fine.

And with that last note, Lily Evans stormed out of the Potter's laundry room.

"Damn," James muttered, sighing and running a hand roughly through his dark hair. He groaned and muttered quietly, "I didn't actually want her to leave."

Lily swept into the kitchen and picked up Travis from his highchair. She cleaned up his dishes and then took him outside to play in the grass. In the yard, Sirius was harassing the garden gnomes, but he stopped when he noticed Lily. He cleared his throat and stood up straight, trying to act as if she hadn't seen him mooning the ugly little creatures. Lily laughed inwardly, wondering if Sirius knew just how lucky he was that one hadn't bit him right on his arse.

"Where's James?"

Inside "doing laundry".

"Sounds dirty when you use the quotes like that."

Lily glared.

The only dirty thing is your mind, Sirius.

"And the laundry. It wouldn't need washing if it wasn't," Sirius smirked. Lily let out an aggravated sigh and walked over to a giggling Travis and plunked down on the grass next to him.

Sirius watched her for a moment. He could understand why James was head over heels for her. She was pretty with her fair skin, dark red hair and sparking green eyes. Sirius could see why, but he just didn't completely understand. He'd seen plenty of pretty girls in his time. Whenever he asked James, he always mentioned something about her fire…her passion…He described her as 'brilliant'. And if Sirius let him ramble for a while, letting him list all the things that made her 'brilliant', he'd get this odd look in his eyes…and Sirius just didn't understand it.

Lily was smiling and laughing as she watched Travis try and eat a bug he had found in the grass when Sirius spoke up.

"He really does like you, you know."

Lily's smile faded, but she showed no other reaction.

"He just…tends to go about it all the wrong way…"

Lily kept her attention of Travis, but Sirius could have sworn that he saw her roll her eyes.

"Lily, can't you just ---"

Sirius stopped when Lily snapped her green eyes up to meet his. Her face was a mask of solitude. She picked up Travis and walked into the kitchen. After a moment, Sirius followed her.

She was placingTravis on the floor with some toys when an odd sound came from the direction of the laundry room. It resembled a slightly horrified and desperate yell of frustration.

Lily got up and hesitantly walked in the direction of the laundry room. She heard frantic murmuring behind the door.

"Oh no….oh no…"

Lily pushed open the door. Sirius crowded in behind her.

James, who was leaning over the washing machine, jumped in surprise.

"Lily? What are you doing here?" he asked nervously. Sirius smirked.

"You screwed up, didn't ya, mate?"

Lily pushed past James and looked in at the wet clothes. She raised a delicate eyebrow and reached in. She slowly pulled out a pink shirt of his father's and smirked at James Potter.

I see you've learned what happens when you wash reds with whites, Potter.

It took them a while to rectify the problem as the detergent was magical, and seemed to resist any spells to change the effects of what happened. By the end of the day, when Lily could speak again, she was simply too frustrated to even want to. She was also too fed up to even attempt to teach James to do the laundry or even just do it her self.

Tomorrow, she decided. She would deal with that entire problem tomorrow.

She desperately hoped the Snickety would be better.

But alas, by some cruel trick of fate, she was not.

And so it was now that Lily stood in front of the washing machine after putting Travis to bed to nap. She'd decided against trying to teach James.

"Are you sure you don't want help, Lily?"

"Quite sure, thank you," she answered, her tone clipped and business like, "Is that all of it?" she asked, motioning towards two hampers.

"All except Sirius'. He has issues about you washing his clothing. You should have heard him this morning. Said it was indecent. He wouldn't even let up when I pointed out that he'd eventually run out of clothes."

Lily sighed, "Ok. You can leave now. Didn't you say Remus was coming over?"

James nodded then hesitated, but in the end he left.

There was an odd pause as Lily simply stared at the two hampers, a perplexed look on her face.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered. It had struck her late last night that by accepting the gruelling task of doing the Potter's laundry, she would have to do James' laundry, and would therefore end up washing his whites…which included rather personal items of clothing. This did not really thrill Lily in the slightest.

If it was clean…then maybe she could handle it…but worn? And she couldn't help but wonder what James thought about this.

So Lily did the only thing she could think to do. She magic-ed herself a pair of surgical gloves and reached for the hamper she knew to be James'. It was better to get the worst over with first, right?

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and opened the lid. She opened her eyes slowly, and cringed, but after a moment, she realised there was nothing to cringe about. All she could see were shirts, pants and socks. She looked quizzically at the clothes and started to sort the lights from the darks. But as she continued, her confusion grew and her brow furrowed. Her pace was quickening until the clothes were no longer being sorted, but simply thrown out of the hamper. She pulled the very last sock out of the hamper and frowned at it. She had two conclusions to draw from this.

1) James Potter owned one pair of boxers or

2) James Potter had removed every pair of underwear from his laundry hamper.

"And you said I was being stupid by not letting her wash my clothes…"

"Hey, all I did was take all my boxers."

"Why do you think I didn't want her washing my stuff?"

"Ok, ok, so you weren't being stupid."

There was a pause as the boys sat in the backyard, waiting for Remus.

"She's gonna notice."

"I know."

"What do you think she'll do?"

James looked perplexed, "I don't know. I never really thought about that."

"Maybe she won't do anything."

Lily wasn't thinking rationally. Why was this bugging her so much?

It shouldn't be.

Lily stuffed a handful of whites into the washing machine with more force than necessary.

It wasn't bugging her.

It wasn't.

She turned the dial on the machine so it began to fill with water, and then shespread the cup of detergenton the clothes.

Right, of course it wasn't.

She slammed the lid down and then hopped up to sit on the dryer. She put her head in her hands and let out a frustrated groan.

Did he honestly think that she wouldn't notice?

At least Sirius' excuse got rid of the awkwardness entirely.

"Washing laundry is much too personal. I shouldn't have to do this."

Lily rubbed her hands over her face, sighing.

What was she supposed to do now?

He had to know that she would know.

Didn't he?

She'd have to be blind not too.

And now it'd be awkward.

Because she knew.

And he'd know that she knew.

And she'd know that he knew that she knew.

Both boys were sitting on the swing under an old oak tree. Both boys were staring at the ground, oddly vacant expressions on their faces. And this is how Remus Lupin found both boys when he arrived that afternoon.

He stopped when he saw them and his features twisted in to a half bored, half amused expression.

"What have you done now?"

James groaned and said nothing. Sirius looked up and in a slightly scared way told Remus that

a) Lily was Travis' babysitter and that

b) Lily was doing their laundry

"So?" Remus asked, not quite understanding.

But WHY would he do that? WHY would he take all his boxers from the hamper?

Did he even wear boxers?

Maybe he was more of a briefs man?

…wait…what? Why was she even thinking about something like that? Like she cared.

Besides, he was definitely a boxers man.

Wait, Potter wasn't a man. Potter was a boy. A pompous little boy.

Who just happened to be oddly considerate (or paranoid) enough to remove all his undergarments from his laundry basket…

Lily let out a small yell and jumped off the dryer kicking the wall in front of her.

He was doing this to mess with her mind.

He was trying to make her crack.

Trying to make her ask why…

And thus making it seem as if she cared…

Which she did…

NOT!

SHE DID NOT.

And so she wouldn't ask.

She wouldn't crack.

She'd let him squirm…let him wonder if she had noticed…

And so with a satisfied smile, Lily set about sorting the rest of the laundry.

"I don't see what you guys are freaking out about. You're both being ludicrous."

"But she'll KNOW and it will be WORSE than if he had just let her wash them!"

"And it will be more awkward than it already is!"

Remus crossed his arms, "It's only awkward, James Potter, because you make it awkward with your incessant asking her to go out with you every year. Maybe if you weren't such a prat around her all the time, you might even be friends."

"In Prongs' defense, he's been quite nice so far, and Lily's been quite civil."

"See Remus? I've been good."

"Well except those looks you keep giving her, but she's never looking so she hasn't noticed yet."

"Shut up Padfoot."

Lily, now sitting on the running dryer, was thinking.

She was thinking many things and they were all becoming jumbled.

Maybe Potter was just being considerate?

He hadn't been that bad, had he?

In all honesty, he'd actually been quite civil.

Except for those looks he gave her.

But theywere just...intense, not really rude.

Lily sighed.

But maybe it was all some devious plot?

It wouldn't be the first.

Lily felt herself panicking again.

She needed to talk to Chelsea.

"Was that the door bell?" James asked. Sirius nodded and so the three of them trooped to the door. But quick as a flash, Lily came barrelling out of the laundry room, opened the door, grabbed Chelsea by the wrist and yanked her in the direction of the laundry room.Chelsea waved serenely as she passed, a complacent smile on her face.

James looked at his two friends.

"What was that about?" he asked.

Sirius, looking slightly nervous, answered. Remus rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming.

"She's noticed, and now she's freaking out."

"Lily…just BREATHE!"

"I don't think I can…oh my gawd…I'm hyperventilating….oh my gawd…" Lily said frantically, fanning herself and taking deep breaths. She was pacing.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't understand why he did it…pompous James would have given me a basket full ofhis boxers and made rude comments about how if I went on a date with him I could see his boxers anytime I wanted and didn't have to resort to doing his laundry…but he didn't…he hasn't….he just took them all and he's hidden them somewhere…or I could have been right with my other idea and he just owns one pair…"

Chelsea made a face.

"He's trying to mess with my head…I know he is…He's got some trick planned…I know it…"

"You're overreacting."

"What am I supposed to do, Remus?"

"Nothing."

"But Moony! She's brought reinforcement!" Sirius said, jumping up from the couch in the living room.

"You're overreacting."

"Has it ever occurred to you tothink about why this is bothering you so much? Normally you'd count your blessings that you didn't have to wash his knickers. Now you're freaking out and practically having a mental breakdown."

Lily's eyes narrowed.

"What are you insinuating Chelsea Fanrae? And choose your words wisely."

"I think you like James Potter."

"Abso-bloody-lutely NOT!"

"Let's just say she IS overreacting, ok?"

"But she isn't"

"Humour me, Remus."

"Fine."

"How would one go about finding out why she was overreacting?"

"Lily wouldn't overreact because it doesn't bother her. In fact, she'd be quite thrilled, I think. So, one who seeks this information should stop being such a wanker and wake up and smell the roses."

"Harsh, Moony."

"Shut up, Sirius."

"Why else would you be acting like this?"

"Because…."

"Very persuasive, Lily-kins."

"Oh sod off."

"You know I'm right."

"You can just go home now."

It was moments later when James saw Lily and Chelsea leave the room. James got up and walked over to her. The other boys watched from the living room, not quite sure what James was doing. Chelsea, smirking devilishly, gave Lily a slight push and she stumbled into James. She gave an involuntary yelp and jumped back.

"Geeze Lily, walk much?" Chelsea quipped. Lily glared. James was watching their exchange with interest.

"Not to sound rude, Miss Fanrae, but why are you here?"

Chelsea smirked and let her eyes travel to Remus, Sirius and then finally land on James.

"Oh you know, a little laundry emergency. Lily couldn't figure out if your silk boxers should be dried separately on a mild cycle or if they'd be fine with the rest."

Lily's eyes widened in horror and James and Sirius both looked confused. But Chelsea was looking at Remus, who was smiling suddenly. Chelsea smiled broadly waved at them all, and left.

Silence filled the room.

James was watching Lily, confusion still showing on his face. Lily gulped.

"Was that the dryer? I should go get that," she said, her voice oddly squeaky, and then she bolted from the room.

A/N: OK, so I actually had more for this chapter…but I figured I'd end it here for now. I'll update again very soon though…I had so much fun writing this chapter and can't wait to write the next part…hehe…

And hey, didn't I do a good job of updating with a nice long chapter? Consider it an early Christmas present. :D

Please forgive the typos…and don't forget to review!

--- SuperSpy