A/N: Okay here's chapter three- enjoy!
Chapter Three: From the other side of hell
Lilly and Sora had slept early again the night before. Their battle plans hadn't been much of a success and after four hours of randomly spurting out crazy, nonsensical ideas, the two girls were left just cranky and exasperated. The next morning they really weren't any better. Both of them got ready in silence, under the hostile stares of their roommates. In two days Sora and Lilly had gone from being good natured Gryffindors to hated enemies of all. It was a bit unnerving, really.
Silently the two girls left the common room and made their way down the hall, trying to act as though nothing was out of the ordinary- like they were just going to get some breakfast like they always did. But, no matter how hard they tried they couldn't seem to get rid of the dull cloud that was hanging over this.
"This is horrible" Lilly muttered finally, breaking the silence between the girls. Sora looked over at her and shook her head.
"Hey, whose idea was this war in the first place?" Sora asked.
"Don't remind me" Lilly said, groaning. She already felt like the biggest idiot in the world for what she had done yesterday. It had never been like her to be rash- but she managed to be just that at the totally wrong moment. It was like her mind hated her.
"So what do you think they have planned for us?" Sora asked Lilly, who just shrugged her shoulders. God only knew what the Marauders would have up their sleeves. Nobody had raged war on them before- so Lilly took comfort in knowing that at least the four boys would be just as novice to this whole situation as she and Sora were.
The two girls turned the corners and walked straight into four rather large seventh years. Sora and Lilly exchanged worried glances and then looked up at the four.
"Can we help you?" Sora asked. She had seen these boys in the hallway before. They were part of some gang; she knew that, a rather violent gang if she remembered correctly.
"The Marauders would like to see you" The boys said.
"Right now?" Lilly asked. She was surprised that the Marauders didn't come to get them in person. But then again, it was typical rich boy behavior- get other people to do your work for you.
"Of course right now" The biggest of the boys said, reaching out to the two girls. Sora, sensing danger, tried to duck, but the boy caught her arm in a deadlock. She turned her head towards Lilly, whose arm was also captured by the boy.
"What's going on?" Lilly demanded. The boy just looked at her and laughed. Then everything went dark.
The first thing that Sora noticed when she woke up was that it was it was dark. She was in some sort of odd room, one that she didn't recognize. Turning around she saw Lilly beside her; or more correctly a more dolled up version of Lilly. Getting up slowly she saw she was on a white lounge chair. Her head hurt mercifully, and she hit her hand against it –trying to get her brain to work. What had just happened to her?
Suddenly there was a noise beside her and she turned to see that Lilly too had arisen, looking equally as confused. Both of the girls looked at each other for a second before the events of that morning came back to them.
"My god" Lilly whispered.
"We were kidnapped" Sora said at the exact same time.
"Well aren't we smart?" a familiar voice said from behind them. Sora and Lilly whirled around to see James Potter, sitting in a large white chair with Sirius standing beside him. James had a very triumphant expression on his face while Sirius just looked plain bored.
"What did you do to us?" Lilly asked James, her voice quavering. God knows what could have happened to them while they were knocked out.
"Look in the mirror" James said, waving his wand and producing a very large mirror. Both the girls looked at it hesitantly, a bit afraid of what they would see. But they didn't have to worry.
Staring back at them was a prettier version of themselves. Their hair had been styled, their clothes were brand new and very expensive looking, and they each had on a boatload of jewelry.
Lilly looked at herself flabbergasted. She was almost blinded by the size and sparkle of the diamonds hanging from her neck, but she was a bit worried by them at the same time. What was James trying to do to? He couldn't have bestowed them with all these things out of the kindness of his heart.
"What is all of this?" Lilly asked James. James looked at her and smiled condescendingly, the way rich snobs usually did when they were addressing people of a "lower level".
"I spent 100,000 pounds on each of you" James said flatly. Lilly's eyes went wide. 200,000 pounds total! She had never seen somebody throw away that kind of money before! Her own house didn't even cost that much.
"Why?' Lilly asked her voice strained. Beside her, Sora looked perplexed but not the least bit worried.
"Total hair and makeup, new clothes, jewelry- it all adds up" James said, his tone not changing one bit. Lilly looked at him with a mix of suspicion and surprise.
"You had us kidnapped to give us a makeover?" Lilly asked. James nodded, causing Sora to give off a small laugh. Even Lilly had to admit that this whole situation was more than a bit odd.
"Are you two gay?' Sora asked James and Sirius. James looked outraged and Sirius made an odd noise, a mix of something between humor and indignation.
"No, sorry to disappoint you" Sirius said, answering for James. Lilly just shook her head at her friend's brashness.
"Then what are you trying to do- run us into debt?" Lilly asked. That was probably what was going on. James would make her and Sora pay him back for all the money he had spent on them and Lilly and her family would go into horrible debt. Lilly felt her stomach drop. Her family shouldn't have to pay for her mistake.
"If that is your plan- it won't work" Sora said plainly. "I'll pay for both Lilly and my share, it's no problem. You'll have to try harder than that" Sora said, sounding bored. Lilly looked up at her friend, gratitude shining clearly in her eyes.
"No, I am not trying to run either of you into debt" James said lightly, causing Lilly to worry all over again. If it wasn't debt, then what was it?
"I've actually decided to make you two an offer" James continued, causing both girls to narrow their eyes in suspicion at him.
"What type of offer?" Lilly asked James, wondering what his offer had anything to do with the absurd makeover her and Sora had just received. James leaned back in his seat and smiled at the two girls.
"What I have just given you two is only the beginning." James said quietly "if you surrender and crown us victors of this little war, I will personally make sure that you two have everything that you could desire" he continued, gazing right at Lilly. "Evans, I can buy your family a new house in a better neighborhood. I can make your dad's restaurant the most popular in all of England. I can help your mother launch her sewing business and pay for your sister's schooling completely" he said. Lilly balked. How did he know all of this stuff about her family? And was he being serious about helping them out so much.
James saw Lilly's surprised expression and smiled. It seemed as though his plan was working. He then turned to Sora.
"And you, Kaito; I hear that our parents are trying to merge their businesses. I can make sure that will happen. And also- I personally know the most talented healer in the entire northern hemisphere, quite possibly the world. And I am sure that he could be able to help your brother out. All you need to do is surrender and I'll make sure everything in your life is perfect." He said, knowing that he had struck a chord with the seemingly unshakable girl. Sora's eyes widened as James mentioned her brother. She knew that he had done a backup check on both her and Lilly, but she never thought that he would stoop this low. Sora shook her head and looked up at James, disgusted.
"I don't know what you think of me, Potter" Sora said, her voice filled with hate and pain. "You might think that you can use Yu as a bargaining chip- but he has more pride than that- I have more pride that that. How could you even think to use my brother's illness to buy me over? That's low- even for a scumbag like you" she finished. James looked at Sora, surprised. He had expected the girl to jump at the notion of getting her brother healed.
Lilly looked over at Sora and instantly felt rage for James. Did he really think that they were so easily bribed?
"James Potter, I don't know who you think you are? Don't you know that you can't buy our surrender?" Lilly asked him. James just shook his head.
"If there is one thing I learned in life Evans, it's that anything can be bought" he answered her.
"Well not us" Lilly said, taking off her necklace and bracelet, throwing it on the ground in front of her and storming out the door. Sora, too took off her jewelry, though she laid it neatly on the couch.
"Return your precious jewelry- it won't do us any good" Sora said, giving James and Sirius a look of utter hate and following Lilly right out of the room.
Once she was outside, Sora saw that they had just been in the room of requirement. No wonder she hadn't recognized it. Turning her head, she saw Lilly waiting for her. She walked over to her friend and shook her head.
"Well that was just a complete waste of a day" Lilly said.
"Like we don't have anything better to do with our lives than get made over" Sora added, picking up a strand of her curled hair and frowning at it.
"Though I do have to say- I don't think we've ever looked better" Lilly said, checking out her reflection in the mirror.
"Lilly Evans- I can't believe that you just said that! So much for not being able to be bought over!" Sora said with a tone of mock anger. Lilly just shook her head and laughed. The two girls walked down the hallway, actually feeling good for once since this whole escapade had started.
"How much makeup work do you think we'll have to do?' Lilly asked as they walked back to the common room.
"I don't even want to know" Sora answered.
Back in the room of requirement, James still sat in his chair, looking at the jewelry lying at his feet. His expression was completely unreadable, but his mind was racing.
"Do you think she meant it?" James asked. Sirius looked down at his friend.
"Meant what?" he asked. Today had not gone how James had wanted it to have gone, and Sirius knew that when James didn't get what he wanted things got very ugly.
"That she couldn't be bought over?' James asked. For some reason he didn't look angry, just rather surprised.
"I actually do think she meant it" Sirius answered, knowing that it was the truth. He had never seen two girls exactly like Sora and Lilly. They were filled with a sort of courage and spontaneity that was rare to come by. Though they were a bit stupid- taking on the marauders and all. But Sirius, and it seemed James as well, did admire the girls a bit- just a bit.
James looked up at Sirius and smiled.
"Well, you know what this means, mate" James said, raising one eyebrow up at Sirius. His looked at him incredulously.
"You can't possibly be thinking about it" Sirius said. James just smiled at him and nodded.
"Actually I did more than just think about it. Everything is in place" James said. Sirius shook his head. Now, this is where the real fight would begin.
"Are you sure you have to?" Sirius asked his friend.
"Of course I'm sure. Time to activate Plan B" James answered, smiling a bit evilly. This was going to be fun.