Chapter 7: What Are Friends For?
James awoke the next morning, anticipating that night's patrols. He was scared and excited at the same time. He didn't want to say something stupid, but he didn't want to stay silent for the whole patrol either. James wanted to be able to have an intelligent conversation with Lily and impress her with his knowledge. He made up his mind. He was going to gather up all the Gryffindor courage he had and start a conversation with Lily. Once he got it started, he was sure that it would be quite easy. Once he got control over his nerves, talking to Lily was enjoyable and not that difficult. Come on Potter. You can do this, he told himself.
James was the first one up in the dormitory. He hastily went to the bathroom and took a cold shower. It helped with his nerves. If he was so nervous now, how was he going to last the few hours before his patrol?
He finished his shower and went back into the dormitory. He checked the clock; it said 5:07. Seventeen hours and fifty-three minutes to wait. Blimey, I can't go through the day like this.
James paced the dorm for another ten minutes. He decided to get some fresh air out on his broomstick. Flying was always James' way to relieve stress and nervousness.
The Quidditch field was empty. Well, no duh. He told himself, who else would be up at this ungodly hour? He mounted his broom and took off. It was slightly chilly as it was 5:30 in the morning, but it was relaxing. He felt the cool breeze on his face and just floated on his broom. He could stay like this for hours. He slowly became calmer. He flew around the goal posts for a while before retuning to the ground. He checked his watch; 6:15. He'd been out there for forty-five minutes.
James walked back into his dormitory and took another shower. Now there was only a small little flutter in the pit of his stomach compared to the swarm of butterflies there was before.
…………………………
Lily was up early as always. She really couldn't remember a day that she woke up past 8:00, even on weekends. But today, she did not awake early from habit, but from nerves.
There was a constant uneasiness in her stomach, just like right before she was to do a presentation of some sort. She also got this feeling back on the Hogwarts Express when she was going to see the Head Boy for the first time. It was the feeling that was accompanied by James Potter.
Lily hurried to the bathroom to take a shower. Her first patrols were tonight and she didn't know what to expect. Would it be awkward, like all of their conversations had been before? No, she told herself, the conversation in the Kitchens wasn't.
She finished her shower and checked the time. It was 6:15. It was too early to wake up Marlene or to go down for breakfast. She sat on the window sill and looked out. It was a beautiful day; the sun had just risen and it was an orange-red colour. The trees of the Forbidden Forest were gently swaying to the wind. She looked across the ground and saw a figure walking towards the castle. She could see the tall figure holding a broomstick. He had black hair that was thrown in different directions from flying. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell from the windswept hair exactly who it was.
The sight of James Potter early in the morning didn't help her newly calmed nerves at all. Her stomach lurched again and she got off the sill. Breathe Lily. There is no way you can make it through the patrols if you act like this.
She paced her dorm quietly, careful to not wake the rest of her roommates. She knew they wouldn't be too happy about that if they were woken up so early in the morning.
Finding nothing else to do in her dorm, Lily decided to sit down in the Common Room. Making sure that James had gone up to his dormitory; Lily went down to the Common Room, made a fire and sat down in her favourite armchair.
…………………………
At 7:30, James woke up him mates. He couldn't stand the silence anymore.
"HEY REMUS. WAKE UP!" he shouted. He figured Remus would be the easiest to wake up as he was the first one up on normal days.
"Wha? Prongs, was goin' on?" replied Remus as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Couldn't sleep, now get up!" said James.
"Why?" asked Remus confusedly.
"Cause I need some company," said James.
Remus rolled his eyes and reluctantly got up.
"So, you nervous about tonight then?" asked Remus.
"What? No, what makes you say that?" asked James quickly.
"First, you're up before me. Second, you said that sentence way too fast to be considered normal speaking. Third, you're fidgeting. Fourth, your broomstick is out of your trunk, which means that you went out flying, which means you are nervous. Fifth, I heard the shower start twice. Sixth, you were pacing right before you woke me up," said Remus.
James' mouth was open. "How do you do that mate?"
Remus shrugged. "I've known you for seven years. I should know when you're nervous by now," replied Remus.
"Okay," said James, "Well get dressed, I want to go downstairs. I'll wake up Padfoot and Wormtail."
"Fine, fine. Don't get your knickers in a twist," said Remus.
"PETER. GET YOUR ARSE OUTTA BED."
Peter grunted and fell onto the floor. James started laughing and stood him up.
"Come on, Pete. We're going to an early breakfast today," said James.
"But, why?" whined Peter.
"Because I said so, now get changed," replied James sternly.
"Yes, ma'am," mumbled Peter.
James rolled his eyes and moved towards Sirius' bed.
"Prongs, that's not going to work today," said Remus. James merely looked at him and smiled.
"OH SIRIUS! VERONICA'S HERE!" chanted James.
"WHAT! Hello Veronica, what're you doing here?" said Sirius, jumping out of bed.
"Padfoot, how could you!" said Remus laughing. "You fell for that yesterday!"
"It's just a reaction for him. Everytime Veronica's name it mentioned, his body reacts before he has time to think about it," replied James, laughing slightly.
"Mate, is it even 8:00 yet?" asked Sirius. He was grumpy because he has fallen for the trick two times in a row.
"Nope, it's just past 7:30. Why?"
Sirius looked scandalized. "Mate, how could you? You know I have to sleep until 8:00 at least. It's not healthy for me to wake up this early! My whole day is ruined now that you woke me up before 8!" shouted Sirius, really worried.
"Whoa. Sirius, calm down. I'm sure it'll be just fine," said James, worried for his friend's health.
Sirius put his head in his hands and groaned. "Might as well get up now that my day is completely ruined."
Remus shook his head disbelievingly and continued searching through his trunk for his tie.
Once all four boys were ready, they made their way downstairs to the Common Room. True to his word, it was indeed not Sirius' day. He had tripped in the shower and received a nasty bruise on his leg. To make matters worse, he ran out of clean robes and had to wear dirty ones. And then, Sirius tripped on the last two stairs and fell on the floor. Disgruntled and cursing James, Sirius went to sit in one of the armchairs.
"Hey Prongs," said Sirius, smirking at the armchair. "Might want to come here and see this."
Curious, James made his way to the armchair which Sirius was standing beside. There, sat Lily, sleeping peacefully in the chair. Her eyes held small bags from lack of sleep, and her hair was slightly messy from falling asleep in the chair. Her eyelids were fluttering lightly like she was dreaming. James sighed contently, forgetting that his friends were still in the room.
…………………………
Lily and James were dancing. There was a soft melody in the background as they swayed together. It felt so nice to just be in his strong arms. Her arms were up on his shoulders. She smiled up at James. It was like they were just made to fit together. Just by looking into his beautiful hazel eyes, she could see just how much he loved her. She smiled again and put her head against his chest. She could feel his heart beating against her head. She closed her eyes. So, this was what heaven is like. Then the music suddenly stopped. She heard Sirius' voice say, 'Might want to come here and see this.' She heard a sigh, and opened her eyes.
James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all staring at her as she awoke from her nap. She looked around and realized that she had fallen asleep in the Common Room. Lily blushed.
"Er, Good morning," she said.
"Good morning Lily. Have a nice nap?" asked Remus.
Lily blushed again, remembering her dream. It felt so real, so perfect. She wished that she could be in James' arms again, and she could look into his wonderful eyes.
"Uh, yeah. Must've fallen asleep down here. Couldn't sleep again," she replied.
"Hmm, that's strange. Jamesie here couldn't sleep either," said Sirius slyly. He seemed to call James 'Jamesie' more around Lily.
"Really," said Lily, not looking in his eyes. She was afraid that she might not see the love she saw in his eyes and that scared her.
James cleared his throat, "Yeah," he couldn't find anything to say. "So, we have patrols tonight?" he tried.
"Oh, right. Yeah, at 11. Well, I think I'm going to go wake up the girls, see you later," she said hurriedly as she got up.
Once Lily was up the stairs, Sirius started laughing. James sat down in the nearest armchair and groaned.
"Why can't I do anything around her? Why is it that I can never find anything to say to her? WHY?" he asked.
"Mate, you just need to gain some confidence around her. It'll definitely get easier once you actually start talking," supplied Remus.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said James.
Peter stomach grumbled. He looked at his friends sheepishly.
Sirius laughed again. "Well said Wormtail, well said."
…………………………
Lily ran up the stairs and into her dorm. She closed the door and leaned against it. She breathed deeply, trying to get the colour in her face to return to normal. During her mad dash up here, Marlene woke up.
"Lily? Is that you? What're you doing up this early?" she asked.
"I was up from 6 this morning 'cause I'm so damn nervous about tonight!" she said in a whisper.
"6 in the morning? Wow Lily, it won't be that bad, really. I'm sure it'll even be fun!" said Marlene cheerfully.
Lily groaned. She continued on, pretending like she didn't hear Marlene. "And then I went to the Common Room to get out of this room and I fell asleep!" she blushed. "Then the Marauders found me and woke me up," she said. She sat down on her bed across from Marlene's and put her head in her hands.
"What's so bad about that? And why did you blush when you said that you fell asleep?" said Marlene mischievously.
Lily blushed again, but it was hidden behind her hands.
"Lily? Why aren't you answering?" she asked, obvious that there was a grin plastered across her face. "Were you in an interesting position or something?"
Lily shook her head.
"Then was there something on your face?"
Again Lily shook her head.
"Were you drooling?"
She was answered with a no.
"Were you dreaming of James?"
No answer.
"Lily Evans, were you dreaming of James Potter?"
Still no answer.
Marlene started laughing hysterically. She could feel the heat radiating off Lily's face.
"Were you dreaming about snogging Mr. Potter? Were you dreaming about becoming Mrs. Potter? Were you dreaming about Mr. Potter's hot body?" asked Marlene, teasing Lily and still laughing hysterically.
Lily was surprised the other girls had not woken up to Marlene's laughter. "We were just dancing," replied a muffled voice from Lily.
Marlene stopped laughing, "You were what?"
"Dancing."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Was it nice?"
"You have no idea." Lily groaned. She would die just to be in his arms again. "Marly, it felt so real. It was the best possible feeling ever. I felt safe. Like nothing could hurt me. I wanted to stay there forever. And when I looked in his eyes…" she trailed off and she looked at Marlene. "I can't do this Marly. I can't be so close to him knowing that I might never get that chance. I mean, he's so awkward around me, almost like he doesn't like me anymore! I finally change just so I could be with him and his decision about me changes!" shouted Lily hysterically. All her deepest fears were pouring out of her and she couldn't stop it.
Marlene was shocked. She understood that Lily liked James, but she didn't know to this extent. Lily was in LOVE with James.
"Oh, Hun," said Marlene as she sat down next to Lily. "I'm SURE that James still likes you, almost positive that he likes you just as much as you do! I mean, no one chases after a girl for six years and abruptly stops after that! Come on, Lily. Get a hold of yourself. It's only 8:00 in the morning and you are stressing! Calm down, you can do this," said Marlene reassuringly.
Lily breathed deeply. "Of course. You're right. I still have a chance with him, right? I mean, I just need to subtly let him know I'm interested, right? Just wait until he asks me out, right?" asked Lily, slowly getting nervous again.
"LILY, STOP. You're doing it again."
"Right, sorry."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just going to get ready, then we can head down to breakfast, alright?" asked Marlene, looking at Lily like she would a small child.
Lily nodded and lay down on her bed.
"Good. Now just breathe deeply. In. Out. In. Out. Good." Marlene left to go take a shower, leaving Lily to her thoughts.
Lily closed her eyes and practised breathing like Marlene said. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. Her breathing was interrupted by a good looking, black-haired, hazel-eyed, Quidditch player. She sighed. No. Lily, stop thinking about him. In. Out. This went on for another fifteen seconds until he entered her mind once again, but this time with the love back in his eyes. Blimey, he's so perfect. In. Out. And his hair looks so soft. In. Out. I love it when he smiles. In. Out. And I could fall asleep in his eyes. In. Out. And soon, Lily was indeed asleep.
Marlene came out of the bathroom, showered and clothed. She saw Lily had fallen asleep on her bed and rolled her eyes. That girl worried way too much.
"Lily, get up. Come on, breakfast is starting soon," said Marlene, shaking Lily's shoulder slightly. Nicole and Melissa had woken up when Marlene had left to shower and were ready and waiting for the other two.
Lily blinked and sat up on her bed. "How am I going to make the patrols if I keep falling asleep like this?" she asked.
"We have History of Magic first, so you can always fall asleep then," thought Marlene. "And plus, I'm sure James will keep you entertained," she said in a whisper so that the other girls couldn't hear.
Lily blushed and nodded. "Come on, let's go to breakfast."
Marlene smirked and asked, "Are we going to sit with the Marauders today?"
Lily shot Marlene a nervous look and said, "Um, I guess that will be alright."
When they entered the Great Hall, they made their way towards the Marauders. Many girls were immensely jealous of them, because they were really the only girls that the Marauders allowed to sit with them. Partly because they were in their year and house, and because James liked Lily.
"Mind if we sit here, boys?" asked Marlene. She winked subtlety at Remus.
"No, go right ahead," replied Remus, returning the wink.
The seating arrangements were the same as yesterday's lunch, meaning she was sitting diagonal from James again.
"How're you ladies this morning?" asked Remus as they sat down.
"Pretty good and you, boys?" replied Melissa.
Remus answered with a 'Just fine'. James grunted in response, Peter was too busy eating to reply, and Sirius mumbled something that only Lily could hear.
Amused by what Sirius had said, Lily spoke up. "What was that Sirius? Didn't quite catch that," said Lily, smiled wryly at Sirius. She had finally spoken up in front of James. Talking with Marlene was a big help.
He glared at her but didn't respond. James, seeing Lily's attractive smile, gained confidence as well and answered. "Well, he tripped a couple of times in the dormitory, fell down a couple of stairs, got kicked in the shin by a first year, was yelled at by a few portraits and received a detention from McGonagall for use of 'profound language'," said James, ticking off his fingers.
Lily, Marlene, Nicole and Melissa all looked startled by this news. Sirius was glaring at James. Remus, James and Peter were laughing at Sirius.
"Well it certainly isn't your day, now is it?" asked Nicole, amused by Sirius' bad luck.
"WELL, if it wasn't for little Jamesie here, none of that would have happened," replied Sirius, still glaring at James.
James frowned at the use of his nick name and replied, "Come on Padfoot. You can't tell me that this is all happening just because I woke you up a bit early now is it?" asked James.
"In fact, Jamesie it is. It's only happened once before. Remember that day during the summer? With…Kendra?" he finished with a whisper.
James burst out laughing remembering the 'Kendra' incident, the rest of the seventh years looked at them completely confused.
…………………………
Breakfast ended soon after the seventh years finished eating and they walked towards History of Magic.
"Why are we still taking this class again?" asked Melissa.
Nicole shrugged. "What else we going do?" she replied.
Melissa rolled her eyes and they entered the classroom.
This time, Lily didn't choose to sit in the front. She decided to sit off the side in the back so she could sleep. The Marauders were seated in the back on the other side. Marlene quickly joined her and Professor Binns floated through the chalkboard as usual.
Professor Binns was the only ghost teacher in the school. He had died during Lily's third year. He had fallen asleep in front of a fire, and the next morning he simply left his body and came to teach like any other day. He never remembered anyone's name and always talked in the same monotonous voice. No one really paid attention to his lectures anyways and it was mostly a nap time for most.
Lily had always taken notes in this class because she wanted to do well and also because of the STUPID need to be different. As mentioned before, most students fell asleep during this class or didn't pay attention. So, Lily diligently took notes every class like a model student. Today, though, she chose to sleep.
About ten minutes into the period, the students had already drifted off. Lily was the only one in class who had too much energy for a History lesson. Instead of sleeping like she said she would, she found that she couldn't. She was too worked up about that night's patrols.
Deciding she was bored, Lily tapped Marlene out of her stupor and passed her a note.
Marlene, I can't sleep now.
Why not?
James.
What's he done now?
I keep thinking about him and about patrols.
Oh.
Well, what should I do?
Stop worrying. I already told you that patrolling will be fine. And you guys were talking at breakfast, so what's the problem?
I don't know.
Don't worry about it Lily. Really, it will be fine; I know that you guys will have immense fun tonight. Calm down.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Of course I am. I'm always right.
Right.
Okay, now go to sleep.
Marlene immediately went back into her daze and Lily attempted to as well but she found that she couldn't. She kept shooting glances at James. She told herself that that was not going to help, so she tried to find something to do. She didn't want to bother Marlene again, so she started scratching her quill on the desk. Marlene woke up a bit and shot Lily an annoyed look to make her stop scratching her quill. Lily looked at her apologetically and stopped.
Lily was bored again and started shaking her leg. Not soon after Marlene fell asleep again, she was awoken by a vibrating desk. She glared at Lily and motioned for her to stop. Lily smiled sheepishly at Marlene and discontinued her leg shaking. Marlene rolled her eyes and turned her head to the front of the class.
Bored once again, Lily started drumming her fingers on the desk, her chin in her other hand. Marlene, finally having enough, wrote Lily a note.
GOODNESS WOMEN! CAN'T YOU JUST STAY STILL FOR ONE MINUTE?!
Sorry Marly. I'm too excited to stay still now! I'm going to be spending TWO hours with James tonight!
Wait a minute, I thought you were nervous only five minutes before, and now you're looking forward to it?!
Uh, yeah. You're pep talking does that to me, Marly.
Marlene rolled her eyes.
Well could you do me a favour and NOT be excited so I can sleep peacefully?
Sorry Marly, I'll try my best.
Thank you.
Lily tried to calm down but found that she couldn't. Trying to find something to do without bothering Marlene, she put her head on the desk and twiddled her thumbs for the remainder of the period.
…………………………
James entered History of Magic in a daze. He was not in this state because of History of Magic, but rather what had happened at breakfast. That was the first time he was able to talk to Lily in front of his friends without embarrassing himself or Lily, and it didn't end with Lily yelling at him. Really, he was wondering if this was a dream.
He sat beside Sirius as usual and Binns entered through the chalkboard to start his lecture. About thirty minutes into the period, James finally got over his shock. He wrote a note to Sirius.
Padfoot, did that really happen?
What? The Giant Rebellion?
NO, you nitwit. Breakfast.
Of course it happened. You're full aren't you? Are you feeling alright mate?
Yes, Padfoot. I'm feeling alright. I'm asking you if I actually talked to Lily, or if I was dreaming.
Uh. I'm pretty sure that happened. Unless I'm having the exact same dreams as you, which would be totally creepy. Eww. I don't want to have dreams of Evans naked, thanks.
Padfoot, I don't dream of Lily naked. Although I'm pretty sure you wouldn't say 'Eww' if you did see her naked.
True.
Nevermind Padfoot.
James rolled his eyes at his unhelpful friend. He quickly wrote a note to Remus.
Remus, tell me something so I can confirm I wasn't dreaming. Did I really talk to Lily at breakfast?
Of course you did. You weren't dreaming, trust me.
Okay, thanks.
Anytime, James. Even if you were dreaming about Lily, wouldn't she probably be naked?
NO! WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK I DREAM OF LILY NAKED?
No idea Prongs.
Frustrated and embarrassed, James stopped writing notes to everyone. He decided to just put his head on the desk and twiddle his thumbs for the rest of the period.
…………………………
James and Lily drove their friends crazy during the rest of the day. They were either constantly worrying about that night's patrols, or hyper with excitement for that night.
"Damnit Prongs! I know you're worried, but SERIOUSLY! It's TWO BLOODY HOURS! YOU WILL NOT DIE!" shouted an extremely annoyed Sirius. That day was probably one of the worst days of his life. In Potions, his and Peter's potion exploded all over them, he received yet another detention from Slughorn for hexing Snape, and James needed constant encouragement to keep him going throughout the day. It was fair to say that Sirius was fed up.
Even Remus, who usually kept his cool, was about to explode. He had acquired a headache due to James' constant yapping. James was going through a 'Worst Case Scenario' faze and was naming ALL possible scenarios that could happen on the patrols, even if they were utterly insane.
"REMUS! What if the giant squid comes out of the lake and comes into the castle?! WHAT DO I DO THEN?!" asked a panicking James as they walked to the Great Hall for dinner.
"JAMES! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" he slapped him across the face. "THINK LOGICALLY! DO YOU THINK THAT THE GIANT SQUID CAN EVEN COME INTO THE CASTLE?!"
James thought for a second. "There is a chance…" he said quietly.
Remus growled at his friend's stupidity and stormed off with Sirius towards the Great Hall.
Lily, on the other hand was a bundle of energy. Since Nicole and Melissa didn't know about the James situation, they were confused about the way Lily was acting. Surely Lily wouldn't be that excited to spend time with the guy she hated for six years of her life?
"GUYS! GUESS WHAT! WE HAVE POTIONS HOMEWORK!" she said excitedly.
Nicole and Melissa looked horror-struck. Marlene was rubbing her temples with her palms, trying to get rid of the oncoming headache.
"Marly," whispered Nicole. "What's wrong with Lily? Why is she so excited about Potions homework?"
Marlene grimaced at her, but didn't answer her question. "Lily, Hun. Could I talk to you for a second?" she said instead.
Marlene dragged Lily into a part of the hallway that was not being occupied.
"Okay Lily. Enough is enough. I tolerated your hyper-ness in every single class and during lunch. It's time you calm down unless you want to tell Melissa and Nicole about your little secret?"
Lily thought for a second. "Um. No. Not yet."
"Okay. Then you have to calm down, alright? I know you're excited but you HAVE TO CALM DOWN."
Lily nodded. "Okay, sorry."
"Alright. Now let's go to dinner."
The four girls entered the Great Hall and sat near the Marauders as usual. As Lily promised, she calmed down, but when she saw James, her nerves worked up and was now a nervous wreck.
James looked a little pale and was fidgety. Oh, no. Maybe he doesn't want to patrol with me because he doesn't like me! OH NO. Marlene, recognising the look of anxiety on Lily's face, hit her leg under the table and mouthed, "DON'T WORRY."
Lily nodded and breathed deeply. In. Out. God, she was doing this a lot lately.
…………………………
After dinner, the eight seventh years went back to the Gryffindor Common Room. The four girls announced they were going up to the dormitory and left.
The four boys decided to stay in the Common Room until they could find something better to do. James had calmed down slightly and was no longer going through 'Worst Case Scenarios'.
James was about to open his mouth when Sirius interjected. "I swear to Merlin, James, if one more word about your patrol or Lily comes out of your mouth, I will make sure you can't have babies," threatened Sirius with a low growl.
James closed his mouth. He stopped to think for a second before opening his mouth again.
"Ah ah ah, James. Not a word," said Remus.
"But-"
"No buts."
"No, I wa-"
"JAMES!"
"I WASN'T GOING TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT LILY!" he shouted.
"Well then, don't talk at all," replied Sirius, now raising his wand.
"I just wanted to know if you guys wanted to play Quidditch, but since I can't talk, I'll just go by myself," he said angrily. He walked up to the dormitory to get his broom.
"Finally, we won't have to hear him ranting about Lily for a change," sighed Sirius, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the couch.
"Lily will be the death of him, really. We need to get those two together," said Remus, mimicking Sirius' actions.
Sirius grunted in response. He was falling asleep. Today was exhausting for him. It was a miracle if Sirius got through a half hour without anything bad happen today. It was his lucky day after all.
…………………………
Up in the Girls dormitory, Lily was debating with herself whether or not she should tell Nicole and Melissa her secret. In the end, Lily decided that it was for the best.
"Nic, Mel. I need to tell you something," she said. Marlene looked at Lily and nodded. She would help Lily tell them.
"What is it, Lily?" asked Nicole.
"Uh, that is. Um. Sorry, never mind," Lily chickened out. She couldn't do it. Marlene looked at her disapprovingly. Lily shook her head and started her homework.
…………………………
Three and a half hour later, James returned to his dormitory. It was 10:30. He had 30 minutes to get ready for patrols. He took another shower and practised breathing. He seems to have an argument in his head.
Come on Potter. You've talked to Lily before.
I know, but it's not that easy.
It gets easier; just suck it up and act like a man!
I'm trying! I just get all tongue-tied around her.
That's because you're a chicken! Chick-chick-chicken!
I'm not a chicken. I just…just…Fine I am a chicken. But I can't help it. I think I'm in love with her!
So you're going to act like a chicken in front of the girl you love, are you?
NO! Of course I won't.
Good! Now go get her!
He nodded his head to respond himself and went out the door.
…………………………
Lily had finished her homework long ago. It was now 10:30. She sighed. She couldn't avoid it any longer. She brushed her hair and fixed her make-up. There wasn't really a point in looking nice, as they were going to be in the dark most of the time, but she tried anyways.
"Marlene, could you do me a favour?" she asked, turning around to face Marlene.
"Sure, Hun. What is it?" asked Marlene.
"Um could you tell Nic and Mel about…you know, while I'm gone? I don't think I could," answered Lily. Nicole and Melissa were downstairs in the Common Room.
"Of course Lily. Are you sure you want them to know?" asked Marlene.
"Yeah, but I'm afraid to do it, I'll chicken out like last time," she replied.
Marlene nodded. "Alright, don't worry about it. It's all taken care of."
"Alright. Thanks so much, Marly." Lily got up from her chair and moved towards the door. "Want to accompany me downstairs?" she asked nervously.
Marlene nodded and smiled. "Of course. Remember what I told you. Everything will be fine."
Lily smiled and they went down to the Common Room.
When they reached the Common Room, Lily looked around for James. She saw him sitting with the Marauders. His hair was slightly damp from a shower she guessed and he was staring into the fire with a pensive look on his face. Lily sighed and made her way over to them with Marlene. James hadn't noticed Lily until she spoke up.
"Hello boys, how're you tonight?" she asked nervously.
"Just fine, thanks. Here to take James away?" asked Remus.
Lily blushed, and replied, "Uh, yeah. I guess you can say that."
"Well, you heard the girl, Prongs. Time to get moving," said Sirius.
James nodded and smiled lightly at Lily. She blushed and smiled back.
Marlene, Remus and Sirius witnessing this little exchange, smirked at each other. Oh boy, were Lily and James oblivious to each other's feelings.
"Shall we?" asked James, motioning towards the portrait door with his hand.
Lily nodded and walked towards the portrait with James following.
Once they were gone, Marlene started chuckling lightly. "Those two, they are so oblivious," she said, shaking her head slightly.
Sirius grunted, "Got that right. I don't think I can stand James any longer," he said.
"So James has been super excited too, huh? Lily was driving me absolutely nuts!" she said.
"No, he wasn't excited. He was paranoid," replied Remus.
"Ah, I see," she said laughing again. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got some business to take care of. Tootles," she said walking towards Nicole and Melissa. She whispered in their ears and all three of them went upstairs to the dormitory.
"Wonder what that's all about," asked Remus.
Sirius shrugged and asked, "Want to play chess Wormtail?"
"Sure!"
…………………………
James and Lily walked along the corridors in silence. Lily was never a good conversation starter, and James was trying to work up the courage to say something.
"So, Lily. How was your second day of class?" he tried.
"Boring mostly, you?" asked Lily.
"Oh, um. It was alright, I guess. Can you believe the amount of homework we have already?" he replied.
"Yeah. NEWTs are coming up, I guess they're trying to prepare us," she said shrugging.
"Mmm," he replied.
Silence fell around them again. Suddenly, James had an idea.
"Hey, Lily. Want to prank Snape tonight?" he asked excited.
"Damn, I was hoping you'd forget about that," she said quietly. "Well we can't exactly do it on our patrol, can we?" she asked.
"We could always do it after our patrols," said James, shrugging.
Lily sighed. "Okay, but can we at least do it tomorrow? I'm really tired today," she said.
"Yeah that'd be okay," replied James. At least tomorrow he could bring his invisibility cloak and the Marauders' Map.
"So, are we going to do that rainbow colouring like we planned?" asked Lily, slowly gaining confidence around James.
"Of course, unless you thought of something else?"
"Well, maybe we can add something, like putting slugs into his bed," said Lily, surprising herself at her cruelty.
James was shocked, "That's brilliant Lily," he replied. "Didn't know you had it in you, Ms. Evans," he said playfully.
"Well then, Mr. Potter," said Lily, equally playful, "I guess you don't know me that well."
"I guess I don't," he replied. "But then again, you don't know me that well either," he said.
"No, I guess I don't," she said.
"Well, would you be willing to get to know one another, as friends?" he asked, as he stopped walking and stuck out his hand.
Lily stopped as well. She thought for a moment. Could she actually be his friend while liking him at the same time? Well, if that was all she could get, then she would take it.
"Friends," said Lily, shaking his hand. Their hands seemed to fit perfectly, like two puzzle pieces. They both felt a small jolt course through their fingers and let go hastily.
James smiled at Lily and they continued walking. "So. We put slugs in his bed while he's sleeping and colour his robes, underwear and hair rainbow. Anything else?" asked James.
"No, I think that's it," replied Lily.
"Alright then, then that's that," replied James, satisfied with the plans.
"But, wait, James. How're we going to get in and out of the Slytherin Common Room without being seen?" asked Lily worriedly.
"Not to worry, my dear. It's already taken care of," replied James.
"Oh? How so?" she asked curiously.
"You'll find out tomorrow, Lily," he said mysteriously.
Lily rolled her eyes, but let it slide. "Okay, fine," she said. "So, what was that during breakfast today?" she wondered.
James stopped breathing. She wanted to know why he was acting so nervous? Play it cool, Potter. Act confused. "What d'you mean, Lily?"
"You know, Sirius' bad luck, and the 'Kelly' incident, or whatever her name was," said Lily.
"OH!" said James relieved. "That. Well Sirius has this 'theory' that if he wakes up before 8:00 in the morning, then his day will be ruined. The only time he has ever woken up before eight was during the summer at my house. And that day, he had some bad luck with a girl named Kendra in my neighbourhood," replied James, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Oh. Do you believe his 'theory'?" asked Lily.
"No, of course not. I think his mind just forces him to believe it because of that one day. All those bad things that happen, he does on his own. It's just his mind getting him into all these situations because he believes that everything will go wrong that day," he replied.
"That makes sense. You should try it one day."
"Try what?"
"Your theory. Wake him up before 8, but tell him that it's like 8:15 or something. Then for the rest of the day, see if anything happens to him," said Lily.
"That brilliant. I'll try it, thanks Lily," he said happily.
"No problem," she said smiling at him.
James heart beat a little faster. He loved it when she smiled. He could watch her all day, just smiling. But some would consider that creepy.
"S-so, Lily. Tell me about yourself," said James.
"Umm, well what do you want to know?" she asked.
"I don't know, about your parents, or the Muggle world, something about you."
"Okay, well my parents are great. They are really supportive. They don't quite understand me or the Wizarding world that much, but they really try. They don't even know about Voldemort because I'm afraid that they won't understand," she said. She had never told anyone about this, not even Marlene and now she was telling James, who had become her friend not 10 minutes before.
"But, Lily. I'm sure if you explained it to them, they would get it," said James, confused.
"No, see, they are also overprotective. If they find out that I might be in danger, they will want to take me out of the Wizarding world forever. They wouldn't let me live the life I want," she said solemnly.
"What? Lily, that doesn't make sense. I'm sure that they would let you make your choice."
"I don't know, I guess if I tell them, it will make it real that this is really happening," she confessed.
James didn't know what to say. His parents were in just as much danger as Lily's because they were well known aurors who were strongly opposed to Voldemort. But at least his parents knew they were in danger.
"Lily, I think that you should at least tell them what's going on. I mean, I don't mean to sound negative or anything, but what if Voldemort comes to your house tonight and they don't have any idea what's going on? I mean, won't it be better if they at least knew what was happening?" he said.
Lily closed her eyes and stopped walking. James was right, but she didn't want to believe it. She was scared that one morning she would wake up and they would be gone.
James panicked. That was the wrong thing to say. "Oh damn, Lily. That was stupid of me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that," he said in a rushed voice.
"No, James. It's okay. You're right. I should tell them," sad Lily, opening her eyes and starting to walk again.
"Are you sure? I was completely out of line, it's not my place to make suggestions like that," he said worriedly.
"No, James. You have a right to say what you think, and make suggestions. After all, what are friends for, right?" She smiled at him.
There it was again. Lily's beautiful smile. "O-oh. R-right. I'm your friend," said James nodding.
"Good, now let's talk about something more cheerful," said Lily.
They checked broom closets and classrooms for anybody that may have been out after hours. After making sure that there was no one there, they continued walking to different floors.
"So James. I told you about me, tell me about you," said Lily.
"Okay, well I'm an only child. Sirius, Remus and Peter are practically my brothers though. My parents are well-known aurors and are openly against Voldemort and his cronies. I guess they're in much danger as your parents are," he said.
"Wow. I never though about it that way. I was too caught up in my troubles that I never realized that he was targeting pure blooded families as well," said Lily.
"Don't worry about it. That could happen to anyone," he said reassuringly.
Lily nodded and they heard a voice behind them. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Mudblood and the Mudblood-lover."
James and Lily turned around to come face to face with Lucius Malfoy. James felt an immense hatred run through his veins at the sight of Malfoy. How dare he call Lily that disgusting name? That bastard.
"10 points from Slytherin for being out of hours, and 5 points for insulting the Head Girl," said James, trying to keep his anger and hatred in control.
"Well, that's different. It seems as though the Head Boy has grown up. Or are you too afraid to hex me without your little gang supporting you?"
"Sod off, Malfoy," said Lily, surprising everyone, including herself.
"Well now. It seems as though the Mudblood has a dirty mouth, don't you Mudblood?" he asked sneering.
"Don't call her that Malfoy. I'm warning you," said James, raising his wand.
"What, Potter? You going to prank me?" he said.
"Get back to your Common Room, Malfoy. Before we go and get Professor Slughorn," said Lily menacingly, with her wand drawn as well.
"Seeing as it's your first patrol, I'll go easy on you. But be careful Mudblood, you never know who's watching you," he said smirking at her. He looked her up and down before walking off.
Lily waited until Malfoy was gone and shivered. His warning disturbed her greatly. She leaned against the wall and sat down. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Malfoy had always creeped her out. His blond hair was too blond, and his pale eyes were too pale. She hated the way he looked at her, like she was a damn piece of meat. She shivered again. Not to mention he was on Voldemort's list of future Death Eaters.
James sat down next to Lily and looked at her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Lily sighed, her eyes still closed. "That guy is a major creeper."
James laughed lightly. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you. Now come on, let's get back to the Common Room," he said as he lifted her up with his muscular arms.
Lily nodded and smiled at him. She felt warm inside. James said that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. She knew that he probably didn't think anything of it, but it meant a lot to her that he would say that.
They walked to the Gryffindor Common Room in silence. Lily hadn't said anything since Malfoy left. She felt a bit better now that James had said that he wouldn't let anything happen, but she couldn't help but feel that he wouldn't be there one day to protect her.
Once inside the Common Room, Lily finally said something. "Hey James, why don't we prank Malfoy tomorrow while we're pranking Snape? I mean they probably share a dormitory, seeing as they are in the same year," said Lily.
"That's a wonderful idea. So tomorrow, at 1:00, we'll be pranking Snape and Malfoy. Excellent," he said beaming.
Lily nodded and her heart exploded at his booming smile. It showed all of his pearly white teeth and it crinkled his eyes in the most adorable fashion. There was a slight glimmer in his eyes that could be seen behind his glasses. She almost sighed out loud, but stopped herself at the last second.
"Well then. Goodnight, James," said Lily, walking towards the stairs.
"Night, Lily, my friend," said James smiling again.
Lily smiled back and climbed the stairs.
Once upstairs, standing in front of the door leading to her dorm, she sighed and smiled. That night was perfect, right up until Malfoy showed up. Why did he have to ruin everything?
She opened the door to her dorm to find Marlene, Nicole and Melissa sitting on their beds waiting for Lily to come it. Lily sighed again, but this time because of tiredness. It was explaining time.
"Hello, Lily. How was your patrol?" asked Marlene with a wry smile.
"It was wonderful, up until the end," said Lily.
"Why because you didn't want it to end? Or was it because he didn't kiss you?" asked Marlene laughing. Nicole and Melissa were laughing lightly.
Lily blushed and glared at Marlene. "Neither. It was because Malfoy showed up and ruined my whole evening," said Lily.
"Oh, Hun. Sorry, I didn't know," said Marlene.
"It's alright. So what are you still doing up?"
"We wanted to confirm the story with you of course," replied Melissa.
"It's all true," said Lily, "Unless Marlene told you something that is completely far-fetched, then it's not."
"Oh, good. So then you don't like James Potter," said Nicole, letting go a breath.
"Erm, actually that part is true," Lily replied, blushing and sitting on her bed.
"WHAT?! I thought you hated him!" said Nicole.
"Didn't Marly tell you about everything?" she asked, turning to Marlene.
"Of course I did. These nitwits here, are choosing not to believe it," said Marlene, rolling her eyes. "They said they wanted to here it confirmed by you."
"Okay, listen," said Lily. "It's all true. I never hated James, and I have a crush on him."
Nicole and Melissa didn't speak. Then, all of a sudden, they leapt up and gave Lily a bone-crushing hug.
"AWW LILY! WE'RE SO HAPPY FOR YOU! YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER!" said Melissa.
"Wait a second," said Lily, releasing herself from their grasp. "We're not dating," she said.
"Of course. We know that. But it won't be long now. I mean, James has only liked you since he first set his eyes on you," replied Nicole.
"Yeah, hopefully," said Lily quietly.
"So tell us all about your patrol," said Marlene.
Lily quickly told the girls the events of that night and repeated the events of the Kitchens the night before. All the girls 'aww'-ed when Lily told them what James had told her after Malfoy had gone. Then she told them what was going to happen tomorrow night.
"So, tomorrow night, after patrols, James and I are going to prank Snape and Malfoy," she said proudly.
Marlene approved of this and nodded her head. Nicole and Melissa were still slightly shocked at the new Lily and nodded along as well.
"Great, so that's settled. Don't wait up for me tomorrow night, cause I don't know how long I'll be," she said sheepishly.
Marlene grinned at her and crawled into her bed. "Alright. Goodnight, girls. I'll see you in the morning."
Lily nodded and got into her own bed. "Me too, night,"
…………………………
James made his way up the stairs once Lily was out of sight. He was smiling all the way up to his dorm. He didn't think that anything could ruin his good mood. James walked into his dormitory. The rest of the Marauders were fast asleep. Peter and Sirius were snoring loudly and Remus was sleeping peacefully.
Now that they were friends, James looked forward to seeing Lily again. He still loved her, maybe even more than a couple hours earlier. He wanted to use every chance he got to get to know her better.
He didn't think he'd be as nervous anymore for tomorrow night's patrols, or talking to Lily. He could do it now that they were friends.
The only thing that went wrong that night was the Malfoy incident. Stupid git, had to go and ruin everything. He thought about what he had said to Lily shortly after he left. Lily probably didn't think anything about it, but he was going to keep his word. He would do anything just to make sure that she would not be in danger. He would always be there for her. After all, what are friends for?
A/N: Alright that's Chapter 7. It's pretty long, eh? Anyways, please REVIEW and tell me what you think, because I want to know if people are actually reading this. Even if it's criticism, as long as i know that people are reading it. It encourages me to keep writing. THANKS XD.
P.S. Thank to The Dark Feline and maruaders rox for reviewing :D