A/N: Okay, so this chapter is a bit long, but I like it. It took me a while to complete, so I hope that you guys like it! Please review- your thoughts and comments are what keep this story alive!
Lily and Sora became instant celebrities in Hogwarts after the whole "Petunia Incident" (as it was known to the student body from then on). Suddenly the two girls went from being the most hated girls in the school to the most beloved. Nobody before had stood up to the Marauders as many times as they had and survived. In fact, from where the whole situation stood (James hadn't attacked either of the girls for about two weeks), it seemed as though both of them had won the battle. Suddenly everybody wanted to be their friend. Even Alice came up to them in tears one day, begging them to forgive her for deserting them.
Sora, the more laid back of the two, took everything in stride. She handled the student body with the same poise and charm that she had since the first day Lily had met her. Lily, on the other hand, didn't really know what to do about her new position. She had always bee the shy, studious girl in the front of the room. In fact, except for Sora, she had never really had a friend that she felt close to. Now that she was the center of attention, Lily found herself becoming very antsy and awkward.
Of course, her new found crush wasn't helping her situation much either. Lily wasn't used to fawning over anybody. She had told herself before that she would never obsess over any guy; but her heartbeat still raced whenever the boy came into sight and she found herself wanting to swoon whenever anybody mentioned his name. She hated herself for her actions, but there really wasn't anything that she could do about it. The hardest part of this whole thing for Lily, though, was keeping her crush a secret from Sora.
Sora, of course, knew that there was something odd about Lily, but she thought it was just their newfound popularity. Sora saw their whole situation as quite surreal. She had always had plenty of friends, but she would never had catogorized herself as being immensly popular. Mostly due to her background and upbringing, Sora was very modest about what she had and never tried to be the center of attention. In Japan, being in the limelight wasn't usually a good thing, even though her family couldn't help being thrust in it from time to time. Sora thought that her and Lily's popularity would be like her father's. He was always powerful, but the community lost interest in him after a while until he did something major again. Sora knew that her and Lily's popularity would last for only a few days, maybe a week, until the school found something better to obsess over.
But after about a week and a half, their popularity had not gone down and Sora found Lily acting more and more odd. She found herself becoming concerned about her friend. Lily always looked like she was in a dream-like state and she would disapear for hours on end only to be be found lying on her bed, staring off into space, a slight smile on her face. If Sora didn't know betterm she would say that her friend was in love.
On one day, about three weeks after the "Petunia incedent", Sora was walking around the halls, looking for Lily, who had diassapeared once again. She knew that once she found her estranged friend that they would have to have a long talk about what was wrong with her lately. It wasn't like Lily to become as detached as she was. sora was just about to go outside and search the gardens when she heard the sharp and familiar music of the violin coming from one of the empty classrooms. The music was sweet and beautifilly played and Sora couldn't help but stand and listen to it. Her brother, Yu, loved violin music and as a result, everybody in the family started to listen to it all the time as well. Yu's doctor had told the family that they needed to encourage him in whatever he found interest in. It was all they could do to help the poor boy along.
Slowly, Sora made her way into the the room where the music was coming from. She found the door to be open and peered inside, only to be shocked. Sitting on top of one of the desks was Sirius, a violin rested under his chin. He heard Sora come in and suddenly put down the instrument, looking very flustered and angry. He was usually very secretive about his music. In fact, the only people that knew about his talent were the mardaurers, but they were his best friends and he trusted them. He wasn't too sure about the minx infront of him, though.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hard and his eyes cold. Sora didn't even flinch under the boy's gaze, yet she did feel embarressed, as though she had just walked in on something private.
"Sorry- I heard the music. Mozart is one of my favorites" she said, starting to back out of the door, bowing slightly, her natural way of apologizing. Sirius looked at her with eyebrows raised.
"You know muggle musicians?" he asked her.
"Only the classical ones. My brother is obsessed with them" Sora answered, a soft expression coming onto her face when she mentioned her brother. Sirius noticed that as well and decided that the girl had a very weak spot when it came to the boy.
"James mentioned he was ill" Sirius noted. Sora nodded her head a bit. She leaned against the doorway.
"He had cancer a few years back and though he's recovered physically, he needs some help becoming his old self. He's just so haunted and distant" she said, her voice soft. If there was one person in the world that Sora truly cared about more than anyone else, it was Yu. That boy could make her do anything.
Sirius nodded his head "My brother is like that as well- very detached from reality" he noted.
"You have a brother?" Sora asked suprised.
"He's about three years younger than me, he'll be starting school next year." Sirius answered, "Why are you so suprised?" he asked. Sora just shrugged her slight shoulders.
"I don't know. I guess it's because you have that common, egotistical, selfish, spoiled beyond belief, only child behavior" she answered, only half joking. Sirius just shook his head and smiled.
"Watch it Kaito, your neck is still on the line" he taunted her. Sora just laughed.
"You and James are having a row, everybody knows it. You can't get him to hurt me" she said, her voice equally taunting. Sirius thought, with some polishing, Sora could quite possibly become as malicious as James.
"Who says I can't hurt you myself?" Sirius asked the girl. Sora raised her eyebrows and frowned, but her sparkiling blue eyes were filled with mirth.
"You wouldn't dare" she said to him. Sirius returned the girl's gaze.
"Try me, Kaito" he warned her. Sora laughed again, the rich bell like sound echoing in the room.
"Go to hell, Black" she said promptly before turning on her heels and sweeping through the door, her raven hair billowing out behind her. Sirius watched her residing back and shook his head. He picked up his violin once more and started to play, but his heart really wasn't into it anymore. Instead, his thoughts were filled with laughter that sounded like bells and almond shaped sapphire eyes.
When Sora arrived in the common room, she was almost takeled by Lily, who had run up to her. It was the most active that Sora had seen her friend in days and it took the girl by suprise.
"Lily, what has gotten into you?" Sora asked her friend. But Lily didn't answer the question. Instead he thrust a paper into Sora's hands. Sora looked at it and raised her eyesbrows. It was an invitation.
"What's so great about being invited to a party?" Sora asked Lily, who just sighed.
"Sora, it's not just any party, it the annual Halloween party!" she almost squealed. Every year, after the formal Hogwarts Halloween celebration, a group of students would have their own party. Enterance was very exclusive, and though the uninvited pretended that the didn't care, everybody was very curious about what went on in the party. This year Lily and Sora had been invited as cheif guests.
"Who invited us?" Sora asked
"Emily, Molly, and Grace" Lily said, causing Sora to groan. The three girls, Ravenclaws, thought that they were the prettiest, smartest, and most talented girls in the whole school. They had even named themselves the marauderettes and believed that every male, especially the marauders, fancied them. Sora hated the girls with a passion.
"You go- I'm not coming" Sora said to Lily, whose face fell.
"But you have to come with me, Sora! I can't possibly go alone!" she almost wailed. Sora just shook her head.
"Why do you even want to go so badly, I thought you hated parties" Sora asked Lily. it seemed that her friend's whole personality had changed overnight.
"I just want to see what it's like. Don't say your not curious" Lily said, half lying. Lily really was curious as to what went on during the party, but she mostly wanted to go because the marauders would be there, and she wanted to have a chance to dress up and look nice in front of Sirius. It was a stupid, girly thing, and Lily knew it. But she had decided that it was okay for her to be girly every now and then. She was a girl after all! Let her wear all the pink and put on as much glitter as she liked! Being a tomboy all the time was downright exhausting.
"Really, Lily, I don't feel up to a party, not after all this excitment we've had. Let me rest, you go" Sora said. Lily looked like she was about to burst into tears. "I'll help you get ready before the party though" Sora added, just to mollify her friend. Lily grudgingly admitted to going to the party solo, which was a big relief for Sora. Even though Sora liked to be in social settings, Emily, Molly, and Grace made her sick.
On the day of the party, about a week later, Sora helped Lily get ready, just as she had promised. She gave Lily her dark green dress robes and did her hair in a way where it looked like a crimson waterfall flowing down her back. In the end, Lily looked downright bewitching, and Sora nodded her approval to her. Lily left for the party feeling quite confident about herself.
"Now, don't stay out to late, dear. Don't make any rash decisions or eat or drink anything that might look suspicious" Sora told Lily before sending the girl out the common room door.
"Thanks, mum, I'll try to be a good girl" Lily said to Sora, a wide smile on her face. Sora returned the smile. There was the sarcastic, pleasant Lily that she knew so well.
Lily took a deep breath and headed towards the Ravenclaw common room, not really knowing quite what to think. Lately her behavior had been anything but normal and she hoped to god that she wouldn't do anything stupid at the party.
She went up to the enterance of the common room, where an unusualy large man in a very clean set of black robes was standing. He looked at Lily and smiled. Slowly he whispered a password and the door opened smoothly.
"Here you go, Mistress Evans, have fun" he said, his voice tilted with a slight spanish accent. Lily, flusstered over being called "Mistress", muttered her thanks to the dorrman and hurried inside.
The Ravenclaw common room looked like a pleasant place to be normally. The couches were a very pretty blue colour and the drapes were a deep bronze. There was a large bronze eagle over the fireplace that Lily could have sworn was real if not for it's metallic sheen.
"Lily!" Three voices creid out in unison. Lily swerved around to see Emily, Molly, and Grace glide over to her, each one wearing the same type of gown, but in three different colours. "We're so glad you could make it!" Emily gushed, looking around Lilly. "Where's Sora?" she asked.
"She wasn't feeling good and couldn't make it" Lily said, her voice suprisingly normal and calm. Suddenly Lily felt quite at ease with her surroundings. That was, of course, until she spotted the marauders off in the corner. All four of them were sitting, looking very bored and brooding as their eyes swept the crowd. Lily caught Jame's eyes and saw them open in suprise. She quickly looked away before he could make any rude faces at her. Sitting next to James was a very hyper Peter, who kept talking, even though it was obvious none of his friends were listening to a word he said. Next to Peter sat Remus, who was idely tracing the pattern of the couch fabric with his finger. Beside Remus, looking very bored indeed, sat Sirius, who looked lost in his own thoughts. Lily's heart skipped a beat, but she kept her calm. It was nothing more than a school girl crush after all.
"Lily, you must come see this!" Molly said, dragging Lily away from where she was standing to another corner of the room. Lily gasped at what she saw before her. Somebody, obviously a person with great magical talents, had transformed one side of the large ravenclaw common room into a pool, complete with diving board.
"Isn't it brilliant! Mark made it just a few hours ago. He's in seventh year and is wonderfully talented" Grace said, a large smile plastered on her face. Lily thought it was quite impractical to have a swimming pool in a party where everybody was dressed up so nicely, but she didn't say so.
Suddenly Lily felt a slight shove and she lost her balance, falling into the pool with a slight splash. Sputtering she surfaced, only to be dragged out by Emily, who turned out to be very strong.
"Oh my, I am sooooooo sorry Lily!" she gushed, her eyes brimming with fake tears "I accidentaly pushed you inside the pool. Can you ever forgive me?" She asked, though her eyes looked quite malicious. Lily was about to tell Emily that she would be okay when the girl brought her face closer to hers.
"This is what you get for messing with the marauders. Leave them alone, they're mine. Pass that message to that little friend of your as well " Emily whispered into Lily's ear. Lily's green eyes grew wide. This had all been a scam. The only reason why she had been invited to the party was so that Emily, Molly, and Grace could humiliate her! Lily's cheeks grew red, but she still had her fighting spirit.
"Make me" she whispered in Emily's ear before breaking away from her. Lily had taken on the marauders, why couldn't she take on three waifs? Emily stood in shocked silence for a moment before putting on a large, hugly fake smile.
"I'm glad you decided to forgive me Lily, you are a true friend" she said, her voice sickly sweet. Lily smiled back at the girl, her grin just as horrible as Emily's, but that was largely due to the fact that she was shivering. The water in that pool was cold.
James, who had been watching the whole scene from the other end of the room, was enraged. He had never really liked the three annoying Ravenclaws that much, but now he felt pure hatred for them, and he didn't even know why.
"You okay there, mate?" Remus asked James. James turned to him.
"Did you see what they just did to her?" James asked, his cheeks red. Remus just shrugged slightly.
"It's what girls do- they fight." he said, and Peter nodded his head in agreement. Sirius, who had been looking at James with an air of amusement spook up.
"Why do you care so much? You hate Evans" he said, raising his eyebrows. James, who was still a stifle angry at Sirius gave his friend a death glare.
"I do hate her" he said, though his voice faltered a bit. Sirius just smiled at him. It was just like James to fall for a girl that hated his guts. Sirius had known that James would be drawn to the girl's spirit and manner, it was his personality to go after the things that he couldn't get. He felt sorry for the boy, though. Lily would never like James back, she was just way to different from him.
"Listen mate..." he sarted to say, turning his head. To his suprise, the seat where James had been seated was now empty. He scanned the crowd and saw a towel floating in the air. The towel moved towards Lily and dropped at her feet. the suprised girl looked around her wildly for the source of the towel, but finding only confused faces, picked it up and dried herself. Sirius, though, was not looking at Lily, but at James, who had suddenly reappeared near the door of the common room. He tucked his watery, silver invisibility cloak into the bag he had been carrying and walked out the door.
"Man, he's got it bad" Sirius whispered, shaking his head.
A/N: Okay, so how was that? It turns out that James is actually human- who would have thought? So will James confess his love to Lily? Will Lily confess her love to Sirius? Will Peter ever do anything but just nod his head in agreement at what his friends say? Keep reading and find out!