Don't Let Your Guard Down
chapter 6
thanks to Opalfire, TickleMepInK21, xXyousuckatlifeXx, curvychick, riduculouslyriddikulus, Jessica, Mister Bigbucks, ILoveFredWesley, trocle, jade, aznbeez, mauraders-rule, and ByeByeBirdie for reviewing chapter 5... now onto chapter 6
disclaimer: read previous chapters if you're not sure if I'm JK Rowling or not.
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Lily stomped back into her common room and exclaimed, "I hate Potter!" and then went into her room and slammed the door shut.
"Okay she seriously needs to learn the difference between James and Geoff," Kacie said.
"Lily!" Gigi cried out, trying to get Lily to come out of her room. After a few minutes, Lily finally trudged out of the room and started pacing in front of the other four.
"Potter wasn't even there and he ruined my date," Lily said.
"I'm sure he'd be proud to hear that," Sirius said. Lily glared at him. "Right, right. This isn't a joking matter."
"Get this," Lily said. "Geoff thinks I like Potter."
Everyoneexchanged looks. "Um, well…"
"What?" Lily asked. "Why did you all look at each other?"
"Lily…" Gigi said slowly. "Perhaps you do li-"
"If you tell me that I like Potter, I'm never returning this shirt to you," Lily said.
Gigi's mouth hung open, deciding whether or not to continue with her sentence but then she shut her mouth. "You're lucky that's my favorite shirt."
"He just makes me so mad," Lily seethed. "He ruins my dates on purpose and unintentionally when he's not even there!"
"Okay, but that's not his fault," Sirius pointed out.
"Of course it is," Lily exclaimed, pacing faster. "He does everything he can to annoy me so of course I'm angry all day and then I can't stop thinking of ways to pay him back. My entire day is spent thinking of how to get Potter back."
"So basically you think about James all day long?" Sirius asked.
"Believe me, that's not a good thing," Lily said. "Unless thinking of ten different ways to remove his arms from his body is a good thing."
"Well that depends," Sirius said.
"On what?" Lily demanded to know.
"On whether he likesgetting his arms removed from his body," Sirius said.
"He needs his arms. It's how he removes the clothes from Nancie's body," Remus said. Everyone looked at him in shock. "What? Only Sirius is allowed to make the sexual innuendos?"
"Yes," they all answered.
"Oh…just checking," Remus said.
"Plus it's reallyhard to be the Quidditch seeker with no arms," Gigi said.
"He can use his mouth to catch the snitch," Lily said. "Maybe he'll shut up if he has a snitch in his mouth."
"I doubt it," Sirius noted.
Lily glared at him. "You couldn't give me this one dream, could ya?"
Sirius shrugged. "I'm a realist. I tell it like it is."
"So yesterday when you said you thought you could possibly get the Hexel triplets to all strip for you, you were being a realist?" Remus asked.
"Hey, it could happen!" Sirius insisted.
James walked in at that moment and everyone turned to look at him. "What?" he asked.
Lily glared at him and stomped to her room, slamming the door behind her.
James looked back to the group. "She seems mad."
Gigi and Kacie rolled their eyes and followed Lily into her room.
James slumped down on the couch. "What did I do now?"
"Nothing," Remus said. "That's the problem."
"Okay, so let me get this straight. I bother her and she hates me. Then, I try and leave her alone and she still hates me?" James asked.
"Exactly," Sirius said.
"That girl is one complicated person," James muttered.
"Actually, she's not that complicated. It's quite easy to sum everything up. No matter what you do, she will always hate you," Sirius said. James turned his head to glare at Sirius. "I'm not helping am I?"
"No…but what's new about that?" Remus answered.
Back in her room, Lily was pacing back and forth complaining about James. "No matter what he does, it bothers me. Why is it that everything he does annoys me so much?" Gigi opened her mouth but Lily pointed her finger at her. "If you say it's because I like him, I'm ripping this sweater up."
Gigi turned to Kacie. "I think it's safer if you talk to her."
"Yeah, I'm not stupid enough to let her borrow my clothes," Kacie teased.
There was a knock on the door and Gigi and Kacie could see the look of anger in Lily's eyes. "Maybe it's not James…" Gigi said.
"Evans! It's James," James cried out.
"Maybe it's a different James," Gigi said with a shrug.
"Or maybe I should say it's Potter," James said.
"Maybe he'll forget that you're mad at him," Gigi said.
"I know you're mad at me, but I just want to talk to you," James exclaimed.
"Maybe he'll go away," Gigi whispered.
"I'm coming in!" James cried out.
"Well, my work here is done," Gigi said.
James came in and Lily and James just had a glaring contest.
"Is it possible for someone to die from a glare?" Kacie whispered to Gigi.
"No because if it was possible, Black would have died a long time ago," Gigi whispered back.
"Okay, I give! What did I do this time?" James asked.
Lily turned to her two best friends, as if to say 'aren't you going to leave?'
"Oh right," Gigi said. "We're leaving." Gigi and Kacie got up from the bed and left the room.
Lily turned to James. "Do you try making my life a living hell?"
"No…that's just a perk," James said.
"Well whatever you do, it bothers me. Everything you do, you do it to annoy me. Why is that?" Lily demanded to know.
"Evans, I walk out of my room and you're annoyed by that. I pick up a book, and it bothers you. I sit silently in class, and you're aggravated. It's not my fault my existence bothers you but I'm not going to go jump off a cliff so you're happy again," James said. Lily opened her mouth to retort. "Don't even think about suggesting a possible cliff."
Lily sighed. "Okay, but you have to admit that some things you do, you do them just to bug me."
"Name one thing," James said.
"Purposely running my date with Geoff last weekend, putting dungbombs in my pillowcase, telling me the wrong time for our meeting with Dumbledore, dumping coffee on my homework, throwing-" Lily started.
"Okay, okay," James mumbled. "I said one thing."
"Why do you do all those things?" Lily asked.
"Because," James said.
"Because why?"
"Because you hate me!" James exclaimed.
"Huh?"
"All you do is talk badly about me, and make fun of me, and yell at me, so what do you expect me to do? Sit there and let you get away with it? No, of course not," James said. "I don't like playing pranks on you, but it's all I can think to do after the way you treat me."
Lily's mouth hung wide open. "After the way I treat you You're the womanizer who thinks it's okay to kiss people and ignore them! You're lucky I don't do anything worse to you! I don't see why you hate me."
"I don't hate you!" James cried out. James sighed. "Don't you get it? Evans, I don't do those things because I hate you. I do them because…" James trailed off.
"Because why?" Lily asked.
"Forget it," James said with a shrug, starting to leave her room.
Lily grabbed his arm. "No really, what is it?"
James sighed. "I do things that annoy you because I feel like it's what I have to do."
Lily let go of his arm. "What are you talking about?"
James sighed again. "You wouldn't act any differently if I tried talking to you and explaining what went through my head that night we kissed. You wouldn't say anything different if I just avoided you and didn't bother you."
"What makes you think that?" Lily asked.
"Because I tried explaining myself and you completely bit my head off and it's impossible to avoid you because we live in the same room," James said. "Face it Evans, it's better if we just continue making fun of each other and complaining about each other." James walked out the door.
"Wait, Potter?" Lily asked. James poked his head back in to hear what she had to say. "Why do you wantus to get along? I mean, it obviously hasn't worked in the past, so why do you want to talk to me and stop annoying me?"
"You're a smart girl Lily, you figure it out," James said, and then he left.
"You're a smart girl, you figure it out?" Kacie repeated. "That's all he said?"
Lily shrugged. "Apparently Potter doesn't like to explain things."
"Well, isn't it obvious what he meant?" Gigi asked.
"If it were, would I be sitting here complaining about how confusing he was?" Lily asked.
"Yes."
Lily paused. "Okay, that's true." Lily sighed. "Well, what's your opinion on this Gi?"
"You know how in elementary school when boys pull your hair and tease you that means they like you?" Gigi asked.
"Okay, in no way is Potter pulling my hair orteasing me," Lily said.
"Okay, stay with me on this one Lily," Gigi said. "He said that he doesn't make fun of you and play pranks on you because he hates you right?" Lily nodded. "So maybe, just maybe he's doing it because it gets your attention. And even though you're yelling at him, at least you're not ignoring him."
"So you think he likes me?" Lily clarified.
"Yes."
Lily turned to Kacie. "I need a new opinion."
Kacie shrugged. "I'm with Gigi on this."
"I need new friends," Lily said. "Or the same friends with new opinions. It's easier that way, it's too hard to break in new best friends."
"But it's easier for us to change our opinions?" Kacie asked.
"Yes…because that doesn't involve me doing anything," Lily said. Lily sighed. "So explain this, if Potter does like me, why does he have a girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" Gigi asked, raising her eyebrows. "Nancie is not his girlfriend. They just go out when they are both bored and then, because he's a guy and can't go two days without any action, they make out and have sex. He's the girl he uses but pretends is you."
Lily gaped at Gigi. "You have got to be kidding you."
Lily glanced over at Kacie who shrugged. "I'm still with Gigi on this."
"Well if what you say is true, I don't care. He may like me, but I despise him," Lily said stubbornly.
"We'll see," Gigi murmured.
"What was that?" Lily asked.
"Uh I said, peel Si?" Gigi said.
"What?" Lily exclaimed.
"Well, I just hate the guy so much, I'm thinking of taking a carrot peeler and peeling him to death," Gigi said innocently.
"Real smooth," Kacie said, rolling her eyes.
"Come on James, I'm sure they're not talking about you," Remus insisted.
"Yeah," Sirius confirmed and then grinned. "They're probably talking about me. I mean, who doesn't want to talk about me?"
"Me," James responded.
"Me," Remus said.
"Me," Peter answered.
Sirius pouted. "And this is why I end up talking about myself all the time."
"It's no wonder people call you self-centered," Remus said, rolling his eyes.
"People? What people?" Sirius asked, obviously alarmed.
"Girl people," Remus said.
Sirius grinned. "Well then it's okay. As long as they're talking about me."
"No, you're not self centered at all," Remus said, rolling his eyes.
"Shouldn't we go over there and make them stop bad mouthing me?" James asked.
"Oh yeah because Lily doesn't hate you enough. Let's go interrupt her conversation and make her even more pissed off," Remus said.
James turned to look at Remus. "So…is that a no?"
"And we've already established that she's not talking about you," Peter said.
"Of course she's talking about me," James pouted. "And I'd be flattered if the conversation didn't list the many ways she can cover up my murder."
"Alright, I have a plan," Sirius said. Remus, Peter, and James all shot him a look. "I know, I know. You never thought those words would come out of my mouth right?"
"Not in that order," James clarified.
"Why don't you accidentally throw something over there and then wander over and hear what they're saying," Sirius said.
"Accidentally throw?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows. "What an oxymoron."
"Who you calling a moron?" Sirius asked.
"Noo, it's a-" Remus looked at the blank look on his face. "Oh never mind. Throwing something over there is a stupid idea."
"You got a better idea?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah I do," Remus said. "Ignore her."
James looked back and forth from Remus to Sirius. "Okay, who's got a quill I can throw?"
Sirius groaned and rolled over two nights later. He opened his eyes and practically jumped at the sight of someone on the windowsill. "Prongs?"
James tore his eyes away from looking out the window and glanced over at Sirius. "Hi."
"It's 2 in the morning," Sirius said. "What are you doing?"
"Thinking," James said.
Sirius paused. "No really, what are you doing?"
James rolled his eyes at Sirius and went back to glancing out the window.
"What are you thinking about?" Sirius asked, getting out of bed and joining James on the windowsill.
"Am I really that bad of a guy?" James asked.
"Would I be friends with you if you were?"
"Yes."
Sirius thought about it. "Okay, that's true. But you're really not a bad guy. Why do you ask?"
"The one girl I wish could understand me and actually like me hates my guts. And she hates my guts because of something I did," James said with a groan.
Sirius paused. "And that makes you a bad person?" James just looked at him. "You're a guy, you make mistakes, it's what we do. You just interpreted the situation wrong and because of that, Lily got mad at you."
"Really mad at me," James muttered.
"It seems to me that the only option you have left is to just talk to Lily," Sirius said.
"Oh really?" James asked, raising his eyebrows. "Is that what you usually do in these situations?"
Sirius paused. "No…but Lily wouldn't go for what I usually do," Sirius said with a wink.
"Well I don't think talking to Lily is the answer," James said, turning his head to stare back out the window.
"You're right," Sirius said. "Looking out the window and sulking about her is a much better solution."
James glared at Sirius and then went back to looking out the window and sighed heavily.
"How do you do it?" Kacie asked, lying on her stomach on Lily's bed.
"Do what?" Lily asked, flipping through some witch magazine.
"It's been two weeks since you and James have spoken to each other," Kacie said. "And you live in the same place. How do you do it?"
"It's really not that hard," Lily said with a shrug. "On some days he leaves for classes earlier than I do, and on some days he leaves later. On some days I go down to breakfast early and on other days I go at the last possible second. We do our work in our rooms with the doors shut and whenever we aren't doing work, we go hang out with you guys in your dorms."
"Okay…but why?" Kacie asked.
"Why what?" Lily wondered.
"Why do all of that?" Kacie asked. "Why not just talk to him?"
"Because it's easier this way," Lily said with a shrug.
"It's easy to plan everything you do around his schedule?" Kacie asked.
"Exactly."
"But you guys aren't mad at each other are you? You're just confused and it's awkward, right?" Kacie asked.
"Well yeah, but I'm also still mad at him. You don't just become friends with the guy who has ruined your life for the past seven years. And you certainly don't forgive the guy who used you and completely humiliated you," Lily said with a shrug.
"Is he still going out with Nancie?" Kacie asked.
"Yeah, I think I've heard them in his room these past few weeks," Lily said, not looking up from her magazine.
"And you're okay with this?" Kacie asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Lily wondered.
"I don't know. It seems that after what he said to you, he'd break it off with Nancie," Kacie said with a shrug.
"They're not actually going out. They're just hanging out and having fun," Lily said.
"And having sex and making out whenever possible," Kacie added.
"Well yeah, that too," Lily joked.
"Okay, but are you seriously telling me that-"
"What's with the third degree Kace?" Lily asked, putting her magazine down.
"I'm just trying to understand the situation," Kacie said.
"What's there to understand?" Lily asked. "Potter is embarrassed to be around me because of what he said, I don't like to be around him because I hate his guts, so we avoid each other."
"Okay, but it seems to me that neither one of you should be avoiding each other. It seems to me that both of you have feelings for eac-" Kacie started.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Lily insisted.
Kacie sighed and sat up in the bed. "Let's go find Gigi."
"She's on a date with whats-his-name," Lily said.
"Who?"
Lily shrugged. "Don't you think that if I knew his name, I would have said his name?"
"Good point," Kacie said. "Well, what are the Marauders up to?"
"Peter has detention, Potter is probably off with Nancie somewhere, Sirius is having sex with some poor girl, and who knows about Remus," Lily said.
"It's scary how well you know the whereabouts of everyone," Kacie said.
"I listen when people talk to me," Lily said with a shrug.
"Either that or you're a really good stalker," Kacie joked. She hopped off the bed. "Well, then let's go find Remus."
"Why?" Lily asked.
"Because he's a Marauder and I'm sure he has some idea as to what we can do on a Friday night," Kacie said.
"He's different from the others though."
"So? He's still a Marauder," Kacie said. "And no matter which Marauder you are, you have a devious mind." Lily shrugged and followed Kacie out of the room.
"Okay we were bored and thought to ourselves, what's Remus up to," Kacie said, plopping down on the couch in the Gryffindor common room.
"What you meant to say was everyone else you know is busy and I was your last option so here you are," Remus said.
Kacie turned to Lily. "He knows us too well."
Lily laughed, and plopped down in a chair. "So what is there to do on a Friday night at ten o'clock?"
"It depends," Remus said. "You can either be like Sirius and James and have sex every Friday night, be like Peter and get detention for playing pranks, or be like me and sit here and do homework."
"And those are our only options?" Lily asked.
"Personally if I were you, I'd choose the first option," Remus teased. "Or…we can go for option number four."
"There is no way I'm playing a prank on a poor first year," Lily accused.
"I wasn't going to say that," Remus said. "Are you hungry?"
"What idiot thought hmm, I'm going to see if tickling the pear will do anything," Lily said sarcastically.
"Obviously the idiot who was very hungry," Remus said.
"So Remus, I have a question for you," Kacie said, sitting up on the countertop.
"No questions, just food," Remus insisted.
"But what's the fun in that?" Kacie asked, grabbing a cookie. "What's it like being the nicest, sweetest, and most caring of the Marauders?"
"You guys may not be able to see it, but the other three are some of the nicest people I've met," Remus said. Kacie and Lily looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England," Lily said sarcastically.
Remus sighed. "Those guys have been there for me when I've needed it most and although you don't see it, those guys are the three greatest friends a guy could ask for."
Lily rolled her eyes. "And they're just oh so caring when they use every thing in this school who wears lip gloss and nail polish."
"Okay, so they're not the best at relationships," Remus said with a shrug. "When it comes to girls, they turn into jerks. But as friends, they're pretty great."
"Alright, this is boring," Kacie said. "I want to hear the juicy stuff."
"Like what?"
"Last girlfriend you had, last date you went on, last time you made out with a girl, last time you had se-"
"Oh look at the time!" Remus interrupted.
Kacie rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. There has to be a girl who you were nuts over at some point in time."
Remus shrugged. "Lily Evans."
Lily spat out her pumpkin juice. "Excuse me?"
Remus laughed. "I'm just kidding…but that look was priceless."
"Why you little…" Lily trailed off and threw a pair of apples and an orange at him.
"Hey! You could really hurt me with those!" Remus exclaimed, rubbing the spot on his arm where Lily whacked him with an apple.
"Well that was my plan!" Lily cried out with a laugh.
Remus bit into the apple and decided to answer Kacie's question. "Susi Engelmen."
"That sixth year Ravenclaw?" Lily asked.
"Yup," Remus said, shrugging his shoulders. "She was my last girlfriend, my last date, my last kiss, and practically my last everything. Mostly because she was pretty much my only anything…except for a one night stand with someone I like to forget."
"Are you kidding?" Lily asked. "You are clearly the best Marauder and you are standing here telling me that the other three get all the girls?"
"Well…Sirius and James at least," Remus said.
"So how long ago was this relationship between you and Susi?" Kacie asked.
"A year and a half ago."
Once again, Lily spit out her pumpkin juice. "A year and a half?"
"You seem surprised," Remus said, taking another bite of the apple.
"Well that's probably because I am surprised," Lily pointed out.
"And tell us more about this girl you like to forget," Kacie said with a smirk.
"I forget," Remus joked.
Kacie looked Remus up and down. "So what's wrong with you?"
Remus stared at her. "Excuse me?"
"There's obviously something wrong with you if you haven't had a girlfriend in a year and a half," Kacie said. "And I want to know what it is."
"The only thing wrong with me is that I hang out with you guys," Remus joked.
Kacie rolled her eyes. "No seriously, what's the matter with you?"
"It's not what's wrong with me. It's what's wrong with everyone else. It's not my fault that girls would rather swoon over my other two best friends," Remus said with a shrug. "And frankly, I don't care. Obviously James and Sirius like being fawned over, and I'm not one to complain about that."
"Awww, is wittle Remus afwraid of relationships?" Lily joked.
"No, although I am afraid of where this conversation is going," Remus said. "Let's talk about something else."
"Like what?" Lily asked.
"Like your relationships," Remus said.
"But that's boring," Lily said.
"Yeah, and I already know all the juicy stuff about Lily's sex life," Kacie added. "You already know it also Remus."
"I do?"
"Well, what do you know?" Kacie asked.
"Nothing," Remus said.
"Then you know everything," Lily said, making the other two laugh.
Lily walked into her commons room, holding her books from her trip to the library. "AGH!" Lily cried out, dropping everything on the floor.
James looked up. "Um…hi Lily. What are you doing back so early?"
"I finished my homework," Lily said. "What the hell are you doing?"
James looked from Nancie to Lily. "If you don't know what kissing is by now, I can't help you."
"That is not what I meant," Lily said. "You have a bedroom. Why don't you use it?"
"We were doing homework together out here. It's not like we expected to-" James started.
"Please, don't finish that sentence," Lily said, holding her hand up to stop him. "I'll just put these books in my room and leave you two alone."
"Good idea," Nancie said. James sighed and looked down at his feet but didn't say anything. He watched Lily drop her books off and leave the room in a hurry.
James stood up, making Nancie fall from his lap. "Hey!" she exclaimed.
James just ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I think you should go."
Nancie looked appalled. "Why?"
"Because we obviously didn't get any work done, and I have lots of it," James said, still eyeing the door Lily left from. Nancie pouted and gave her cutest puppy dog face but James didn't even notice because we was thinking about Lily and wondering where she could be heading to.
Lily left the Gryffindor Commons Room wondering where all of her friends could be on a Thursday night. She sighed and decided to take a walk outside even though it was the first day of December and it was freezing. Lily kept walking until she didn't recognize where she was and she decided to sit down on a boulder.
Lily jumped when she heard noises in the bushes. She grabbed a stick and pointed it at the movement in the bushes. She raised her arm to hit the thing but stopped when she saw what it was. "Potter?" Lily exclaimed. "What are you doing all the way down here?"
"I just happened to jog down this way," James said with a shrug.
"Isn't that your broom over there?" Lily asked.
"So that's where I left it!" James said with a sheepish grin.
Lily gave him a look. James sighed and sat down beside Lily on the boulder. "I'm sorry about that."
"About scaring me?"
"Well yeah, that too. But I was referring to you walking in on Nancie and I," James said.
"It's fine," Lily said quickly. "I've seen people snogging before. It's no big deal."
"I know, but it kinda went against the whole 'avoid James at all costs' plan," James said with a shrug.
"What? There was no plan," Lily lied.
"You practically run out of the room every morning just so you don't have to see me," James said.
"And you think that means I'm avoiding you?" Lily asked. James gave her a look. "Okay, but what about you? Eating lunch at two in the afternoon so you don't have to see me?" Lily said.
"Alright, so we're both guilty of avoiding each other," James offered.
"True," Lily said.
"What if we tried…not avoiding each other," James said.
"You mean like walk to classes together and eat meals together and possibly do homework together?" Lily asked.
"Well let's not get carried away," James teased. "I just mean, what if you didn't run out of the room ever time you hear my footsteps?"
"But then how will I ever get my exercise?" Lily asked.
"Running after Sirius after he plays a prank on you," James said.
Lily paused."Chasing after Sirius and potentially hurting him? Sounds good to me," Lily said with a laugh and James joined in. They both grew quiet and Lily looked sincerely over at James. "I guess we can try it."
"Try being nice to each other?" James asked.
"Now that's pushing it," Lily said. "I just mean we should try to make these last 6 months as painless as possible and I don't like spending them coming up with plans on how to stay away from you."
"Alright, so no making each other's lives a living hell?" James asked, sticking his hand out for Lily to shake.
Lily put her hand in his and shook it. "Deal."
James smiled. "Ya know, some people might call what we are having here a conversation. A nice friendly conversation."
"And some people might say that you just ruined it," Lily teased, standing up and walking away.
"Hey where ya going?" James called out. "Some people might classify you walking away as avoiding me!"
"And some people might call it just trying to get away from you," Lily exclaimed.
"Fair enough," James mumbled to himself as he grabbed his broom and flew to be next to Lily's side. He even smiled when he saw that she didn't object.
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Oooh, can they handle being friends when they've spent the first six years hating each other? Next chapter: a party will occur, does shy Kacie end up getting a guy, and will Lily learn to get over how aggravting James used to be? review and find out (at LEAST ten reviews would be nice!)