Chapter 6:
Life works in unexpected ways

The day after the Hogsmeade trip, being a Sunday, Lily had the chance to sleep in.

Of course, as soon as she woke up, she put a silencing charm on her door and screamed before running to Gryffindor Tower to talk to Rose and Violet.

James, (of course), was already in the Common Room, talking to Remus. Sirius, it seemed, was not a morning person.

"Hey, Lily, can I talk-"

She ran past him so fast his words didn't register till she'd reached the top of the stairs. He didn't believe it was humanly possible for anyone to move that fast. But, he reasoned, if Sirius could do it, Lily could a million times faster.

After registering James's words and convincing herself he had just wanted to ask for help with the Charms assignment, she gasped out two words. "Violet... Rose..."

Rose looked up groggily before turning over and putting her pillow over her head. She was less of a morning person than even Lily was. "Can't we talk about this at a reasonable hour?" She asked, her voice muffled by her pillow. Violet and Lily looked at each other. Violet held up three fingers. Lily nodded.

"One, two, THREE!"

Lily and Violet pulled the blankets and pillows off Rose. She shrieked, much like Sirius had in the "bookworm incident" of the day before, though not nearly as high. "Fine, FINE. I'll get up!" She stomped into the bathroom and returned a minute later, looking slightly better.

"So, Lily, why did youwaltz up here at this unglodly hour as if you had not a care in the world?" Rose asked casually. She was known for her sarcasm.

Lily glared. "I... I thought we could just share what happened yesterday with each other", she said lamely.

Violet quirked an eyebrow, but submitted. "I spent the day with Remus, seeing as you two had dates. Spent most of the time in the Three Broomsticks, just talking. Then we went for a walk, and he asked me out." She finished, blushing a little bit.

"I always knew you had a thing for Remus." Lily smirked.

"Well, she did make it kind of obvious. I guess he wasn't much better, though," Rose added quickly.

Vi laughed, blushed, and rolled her eyes. "Fine, turn this into a make-fun-of-Violet quest. What happened with you and Sirius?" She said, directing the question to Rose.

"Well, he started off by dragging me into Zonko's, of all places, and-" she cut off as Violet and Lily snorted.

"He dragged you? James and I saw you out the window of the Three Broomsticks, and it looked to us as if it were more the other way around."

Rose sighed. "Fine, we started off by mutually agreeing to go to Zonko's, but when we got there the place was packed, so we only got out with about 25 dungbombs, sixteen boxes of hiccup sweets, and thirty pounds of frog spawn soap."

Lily and Violet stared at her.

"Each."

They blinked.

"Then Sirius wanted to go to the Shrieking Shack. I should've known not to tell him I was afraid of ghosts. I said fine, but only if we went to Madam Malkin's afterwards."

Violet blinked. "But you said, and I quote, 'I completely and utterly detest that frilly, prancy little place! If I ever want to go there, be sure to throw me off the astronomy tower.'"

Rose coughed. "Exaggeration... anyway, we went to the Shrieking Shack, and there we met some unlikely things."

"What?"

"A book, floating in midair, and a bookworm that resembled a lizard coming out of it, calling Sirius's name."

Lily tried her best to look innocent. "I wonder how that could have happened."

Rose started laughing. "Head Boy and Girl, honestly, I hope next year Dumbledore chooses people with some sense."

Lily threw a pillow at her. A few moments later, a full-blown pillow fight broke out, filling the dorm with feathers. "But Lily, dearest," Rose said with a wicked grin, "You haven't told us yet about your datewith the one-and-only James Potter, who you love oh-so-very-much."

Lily, maturely, stuck her tounge out at Rose. "We were in the Three Broomsticks some of the time. Then James had this idea to scare you and Sirius out of your wits, so we went up to the Shack and created the aforesaid book/bookworm illusion. We were going to do a ghost next, if somehow Sirius figured out that it was just us with the cloak."

Rose grinned, proud of herself. "But he didn't! I did! Go me!"

Violet and Lily laughed. Then Lily continued, "After that, we went back to the castle. James took me to this amazing room I'd never been to before, and we had dinner and talked and stuff till we went back to our dorm."

Rose and Violet seemed to digest this, then Rose smiled a smile rivaling Lily's dominate-the-world ones. "You're leaving something out. I can tell."

Lily sighed. "I hate you. Once we got back to our Common Room, I kissed him. Happy?"

Even Violet, the sweet, innocent, quiet pacifist, seemed to have an evil grin at that moment. Lily turned bright red and hid in a pillow.

"So, when he asks you out, you're going to date him for a month, at the very very very least, am I right?" Rose asked.

Lily sighed. "I will."

Downstairs, the Marauders were having a similar conversation.

"THAT WAS YOU! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sirius chased James around the common room several times, until he borrowed a bit of common sense from a passing first year.

"Petrificus totalis!" James fell over forward. Sirius put the tickling jinx on him for a few minutes, then took both jinxes off. "No more scary bookworms?"

James worked hard to keep a straight face as he nodded. "No more scary bookworms."

"Wait, Prongs," Remus said slowly from the other side of the room. "I have a feeling something's left out."

James just grinned, "C'mon, mate, I don't kiss and tell..." Then skipped up the steps to the "Marauder's Dorm".

Sirius and Remus stared at his back long after he was out of sight. "He must be delusional."

The Marauders and "The Flower Gang" entered the common room for lunch at about the same time. Sirius and Remus kissed Rose and Violet, but James pulled Lily back. "Lily, can I talk to you for a second?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "Sure..."

He pulled her back into the common room as the others left. He raked his fingers nervously through his hair before asking, "Will you... will you go out with me?"

Lily smiled. "Of course." He looked into her eyes and couldn't help but to smile back. He picked her up (the height difference would have made bending down rather uncomfortable) and started kissing her when they were interrupted by a slight cough.

Rose grinned at Lily. "We were wondering why you two didn't come to lunch, are you official now?"

James rested one arm on top of Lily's head, pulling her close to him with the other. "What do you think?"

Rose squealed almost, but not quite, the same pitch Sirius had after the bookworm display. His voice still might be slightly higher, Lily thought. This disturbed her. After swearing eternal hatred for James for six years, she herself would have believed that bookworm was real before believing she would ever go out with James Potter. And yet, here she was, just happy to be in his arms. Life turns out in unexpected ways sometimes...

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love you all!

This might be my last post before school starts Monday. Due to unforseen circumstances (cough procrastination cough), I'll have to do all my summer work in this time. Please don't blame me if I can't get another chapter up till after school starts. Remember to review! I can always use the extra help.