now mah readers. i would love some reviews. i wouldnt want to stop this story just because no one is reading it.
sadly, i dont own harry potter.
Chapter Three: Rows and Stressing
"What's it say?" questioned a small third year boy, peering at the bulletin that had just been posted.
James read aloud: "'To all that wish to play Quidditch this year in the Tournament, a mandatory practice will be held tomorrow night, starting promptly at a half past seven. The two teams will be announced the following day.' Sounds easy enough, right mate?"
Sirius nodded. "Two teams. This might become interesting."
"Oh, we are all going to make it," Dinah said nonchalantly. "Look at our competition. Hufflepuff hasn't had a decent team in years, if someone should make it from that House it shall be Diggory."
"This leaves us with the Ravenclaws and Slytherins to worry about. From Ravenclaw, those two twins have potential to be great," said Kaelin. "What year are they in?"
"Fourth," grumbled James.
"I don't know why you are worried at all," said Dinah. "You've been Quidditch captain since fourth year. You are one of the best chasers to ever set foot here in Hogwarts. You will be on the team."
Oddly enough, that didn't brighten his glum mood at all.
"What else are you brooding about, boy?" asked Kaelin.
"It's his deal with Lily," Remus said, emerging from the boy's dormitory.
James' hazel eyes narrowed at his thin friend.
"What, it's true!" exclaimed Remus. "You've been worrying about it ever since you made the stupid deal."
"Thanks Moony," James muttered as the two girls burst into giggles.
"What was the deal again?" Dinah asking teasingly, already knowing exactly what the deal was. Lily had been complaining about it since that night also.
"We are both trying out for the play, and whoever is better wins."
"Who decides which one of you is better?" asked Kaelin.
"Uh, we haven't gotten that far yet," mumbled James.
Sirius shook his head. "Speak of the devil."
Lily wandered out of the girl's dormitory with a look of pure exhaustion on her pale face. "Heard that Black," called Lily loudly slumping into a chair in front of the roaring fire.
Sirius looked shocked. At the sight of his face Dinah had burst out laughing. "What?" he asked angrily.
"You should see your face right now," she said laughing.
"Do you want me to show you how I could fix your face?" he asked pulling out his wand.
Dinah stopped laughing. Within the second that Sirius had brandished his wand and finished his sentence, Dinah had jumped out of her chair and raced towards the portrait hole. Sirius, being the oh-so nice person he is, gave her a second's head start before charging after her yelling obscene things. A couple second years jumped out of the way of his stampeding form.
Lily watched him in dismay. That boy is nothing but arrogant smiles and trouble.
"Hey," Jensen said softly, taking a seat next to Lily. "What was all that about?"
Lily closed her tired eyes and said, "No idea. Something stupid probably. The two of them do the dumbest things."
"So I've noticed," murmured Jensen. Her lime eyes stared intently at Lily's face. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, first week back to school is always killer for me."
"You take about a thousand classes, I can understand why. Plus, they are mostly N.E.W.T. level classes."
"Well, if I want to be successful in the wizarding world one day, I need good grades to get me there."
"Lily, from what I've seen so far," said Jensen, "you are the top student in this entire school."
Flattered at Jensen's comment, Lily blushed. "Not entirely. So, you doing this Quidditch thing?" She asked trying to take the spotlight off her.
Jensen fidgeted uncomfortably. "I want to, but I'm probably not near good enough to actually make one of the teams."
"Try out! You never know unless you try out," Lily said simply.
Easy for her to say, thought Jensen. She is Lily Evans, beauty and brains of Hogwarts. She could probably try out for Quidditch and be amazing.
"How come you don't play Quidditch?"
"I'm dreadfully scared of heights," muttered Lily.
Jensen laughed lightly, knowing that Lily Evans wasn't all that. "You are seriously considering doing the musical though?"
"Well, I guess I have to now," sighed Lily. "It doesn't sound too bad though. I actually like singing, I'm not terrible. At least I hope I'm not. And I think skating gives me some sort of grace for dancing. We'll see how it turns out."
"I bet you'll be great," Jensen said earnestly.
"Thanks Lime."
Lily sat at a table in the library, books pressed into every corner. Her quill moved along the parchment so quickly it was blurred. One hand held up a very tired head while she muttered to herself.
"You know," someone said from behind the bookshelves, "people say that talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."
The figure emerged, showing the smiling face of James Potter. Lily inwardly groaned. "You know, people say that watching people can be qualified as stalking."
James took this as no offense, seeing as he took a seat next to her. Lily glared at her parchment, then turned her blazing emerald eyes on the boy. "What do you want Potter?"
"Can't a guy come and say hey once and awhile," he offered.
Noticing Lily's killer glare, it meant no. "Kill me for trying, but no, actually I'm here to discuss our little deal."
"I thought our deal was clear," she said. "Are you here to back out?" she asked a little too eagerly.
"You wish," James smiled, "I was wondering, since we hadn't already decided on this earlier, who was going to be the judge of who won our little deal?"
"Our friends obviously," Lily said instantly.
"Now I thought that too, at first," James said, talking as if he had given this immense thought. "But my friends would just vote for me and yours for you. So I thought we would ask Dumbledore to be the final judge."
"Professor Dumbledore?" Lily screeched outrageously.
"Ms. Evans!" snapped Madam Pince, the librarian.
"Sorry," she added in an undertone, "are you thick, Dumbledore wouldn't want to do something as childish as that? He has other things to be worrying about."
"See, now that's what I thought," said James. "But when I asked him, he seemed all the more delighted to do it."
"You already asked him!" Lily whispered a little too loudly, which earned her another reproachful glare from the librarian.
"I took it as my civil duty to ask him."
"Your civil duty," Lily said angrily, "any other little revisions of our plan so you can win?"
James looked thoughtful. "None at the moment."
"You're terrible," Lily said hotly, quickly gathering all her books, flyaway parchment, and quills.
"Where you going love?" he asked easily, leaning back in his chair.
"Why did you not ask me about this before?" asked Lily. "So I could at least have had some say in it."
"I thought Dumbledore seemed like a likely candidate."
"Just don't talk to me again, unless it's an utter emergency," Lily said shoving the rest of her homework into her bag.
"Bye love!" James called as Lily swung her bag around her shoulder and tore out of the library.
Not five seconds later Lily ran into Sirius Black. "Have you seen James?" he asked her.
"In the library," she retorted grumpily.
"What's got you in all a fit?" Black asked, stopping by her side.
"Go away!" she yelled.
"Ah, you must have talked to him already," he said smartly. "Thanks!"
Lily stomped all the way up to the sixth year's dormitory. Camryn was the only one in there at the moment, and she didn't have to look at Lily twice to know what the problem was.
"What did he do now?" she asked tentatively.
Lily furiously told Camryn all about her encounter with the insufferable James Potter. Camryn, being the patient friend, waited until Lily finished her ranting to add her own words of advice and soothing.
"Lil, you can't let him get you so worked up about something as silly as Dumbledore being judge for your little deal," Cam said.
Lily turned her eyes on her supposed best friend. "You don't understand, do you? Dumbledore has been pushing me and Potter to be friends for years. He has something in for me, I swear. So that already guarantees a win for Potter, since he probably told Dumbledore that if he won he gets to take me out on a date."
"Emer, there are worst things in the world than going on a date with James Potter."
Lily scoffed. "Like what?"
"Like, eating a whole tub of Stinksap," offered Camryn.
Camryn was rewarded with a small smile from the redhead. "Okay, but still, he could have asked me beforehand."
"Of course he could have," said Camryn happily, hugging her friend. "Now, let's go watch the Quidditch tryouts."
Before Lily could even open her mouth Camryn added, "We aren't going for him. Our two best friends play Quidditch, and now Jensen is trying out. They are going to need some moral support."
"Okay," Lily said after a couple minutes thinking, "but if he so much as looks at me…"
"I'll kill him," laughed Camryn. "Come on." Laughing, Camryn looped her arm around Lily's shoulders, pulling Lily's head into a headlock. Together they laughed their way down to the Quidditch pitch which was surprisingly full for it was only a tryout. They picked a seat a way from everyone else. They wanted to sit away from the noise so they could talk.
"Look, there's that cute kid from Hufflepuff," said Camryn, pointing to the blur of a person in bright yellow robes.
"Who? Amos Diggory?" snorted Lily.
"What?" Camryn asked offended. "He's not bad."
Lily looked to the sky attempting to call down the giggles that were about to overcome her. "Yeah, not bad."
"Talking about me Evans?" a voice asked from above.
The very sound of the voice made Lily's hair curl. "Potter, leave her alone," Camryn said indignantly, pulling Lily to her.
"Surprised to see you here," continued Potter as if Camryn hadn't said anything at all. "I didn't think you would be caught anywhere near a Quidditch pitch, since you have no athletic talent and what not."
"Potter, are you trying to get a rise out of her?" asked Camryn.
Lily thanked Merlin this very moment for giving her Camryn because if Lily would say anything at the moment there would definitely be no nice words coming out of her mouth. She had balled her fists together and twisted them around the inside of her robes trying to calm down. It didn't seem to be working.
"Are you her new interpreter now, Lawler?" Potter asked, smirking.
"Watch out, Bludger!" shouted Camryn.
Potter whipped around, spinning so fast he almost unseated himself from his broom, a Dart 200 his prize possession. Seeing no small weight hurdling at him, he flushed a very prominent color. The whole stands were laughing at Camryn's indecision. He readjusted himself on his broom and sped off to the other players.
Lily had tears coming out of her eyes. "Cam, I love you."
Camryn smiled jubilantly. "Anything for you, my love. And anything to shut up that little prat."
From that moment on, Lily's mood became exceptionally happier. Everything seemed so funny. Camryn and Lily clapped buoyantly for their friends as they passed the Quaffle, streaked after a Snitch, or clobbered the Bludger.
At one point, Lily turned to Camryn and asked if she was ever going to change her hair back to normal.
"I knew you didn't like it," Camryn sighed, running a hand through the dark brown mess.
"No, I like it," stammered Lily. "It's just not… you. I miss my blond Cam."
Cam smiled slightly. "Yeah I do too."
The tryouts went well into the darkness that most of the people in the stands had decided that their hunger was far more interesting than Quidditch tryouts. Lily and Camryn stayed, they were such good friends. Once the final whistle blew, the two girls sprinted to the field, hair flying behind them.
Lily reached them first. "You guys did so good!" She threw her arms around Kaelin and instantly regretted her decision. "Ew, you smell and you're all sweaty!"
"Ah, but I feel good. A little dirty, but I can live with that," said Kaelin.
Still disgusted, Lily moved a fair amount away from the sweaty girls. "You guys did amazing. When will you find out who made the teams?"
"They are posting tomorrow morning," said Dinah looking the least worried.
"Can we go to dinner," suggested Kaelin, "I'm starving."
"Uh oh, she's starting to sound like Black," groaned Camryn.
The girls laughed their way to the Great Hall. Lily told them about her meeting Potter in the library. Dinah laughed heartily. She had said it sounded like something James would do. After she had told the story she noticed how much she had overreacted. And for the briefest second thought of going to apologize, but that lasted no more than a second.
Dinah made it clear that they weren't going to sit anywhere near the Marauders for Lily's sake. They made a big show of sweeping right passed the four boys. Dinah clambered to the complete other end of the Great Hall, and plopped down next to a much shaken first year.
"Oh, grow up," she had told the kid. The first year yelped and dashed out of the Hall. "Am I really that scary?"
Lily laughed. She loved her friends. They could always cheer her up. She was beginning to forget about the row she had with Potter. Until that is, Potter and his group of followers sat down right next to them.
Lily had thankfully taken a seat across from Dinah and Jensen had occupied her other side, no Marauder would be able to squeeze next to her now.
"Do we have rabies now or something?" Black asked, placing himself next to Kaelin.
Dinah pointed her finger at him and attempted to tell him off although bits of food were falling out of her mouth. "You are not allowed to sit by us," she finally said, out of breath.
"Why not?" demanded Black. "We always sit with you."
"Well, not anymore," said Kaelin defiantly.
But this sudden outburst didn't seem to faze them at all. The Marauders took their normal places next to them and began to dig in. Lily pushed her plate away. "I've suddenly lost my appetite." Potter was giving her one of those would be sultry smiles.
Lily, Kaelin, and Jensen both agreed and stood up to leave. Dinah had no desire to leave her food. Camryn was glaring loathingly at all four of the boys.
"D, you coming?" asked Jensen.
Dinah looked forlornly down at her partially finished plate. "Oh, fine. You're going to pay for this one Sirius." She grabbed a biscuit and departed with her friends.
Back in Gryffindor Tower, the five girls crowded around the crackling fire place. Books were opened at Lily's feet as she was trying to finish off the homework she was unable to do in the library. Jensen excused herself quietly to the dormitory.
"'What is the Confundus Charm and how can it be dangerous?'" Lily read from her text of A Charmed Life by Lor Ignora. "That's simple enough."
"Do you have to do your homework?" wondered Kaelin. "It's making me depressed. I still have a foot of Herbology to do. And none of you are in it, so I can't ask you to help me."
"Maybe you should do your homework, so you wouldn't have to do it all over the weekend," Lily said, her quill moving quicker and quicker along her parchment. "Done!"
"I resent you," muttered Kaelin, who unenthusiastically grabbed her own schoolbag and began to start her Herbology homework.
"Now onto Transfiguration," Lily said offhandedly, grabbing her text book.
"I'm so glad I dropped that class," Camryn sighed happily. "I always knew McGonagall had it in for me. Plus I was bloody horrible at it."
"You just didn't try," Lily said, looking up something on the Conjuring spells they were learning.
"Why are they giving us so much homework?" complained Dinah whose eyes were pouring over a large, dusty book about Elf Rebellions in the 14th century. "History of Magic is the most pointless subject ever. I don't know why I still take it. And it's the first week back! Do they not have any heart?"
"They are just getting us ready for our N.E.W.T.s," Lily said, still doing her Transfiguration essay.
"Which happen to be next year!" exclaimed Camryn. "It's pointless. I'm not going to remember any of this stuff for next year."
Twenty minutes later Lily slammed her book closed and proclaimed being done. Kaelin glared at her, she had written a total of five words on her parchment; The uses of Wolfsbane are… Yawning, Lily stretched her aching muscles.
"I think I'm going to turn in early," said Lily, moving to the girls stairs. "And Kae, Wolfsbane is sometimes used for curing werewolves. Even though you really can't cure werewolves, it just makes them more human."
Lily retreated up the stairs to the sound of Kaelin's quill scratching across her parchment, smiling to herself. Waiting for her on her bed was her copper colored owl, Turner. A large bundle was tied to his left leg.
"Turner," Lily cooed, untying the clump of letters from its outstretched leg, "wait a minute, I have something for you."
The owl fluttered its wings in excitement. Lily returned from her desk with two owl treats. She tossed them to Turner who caught them quite easily in his beak. Turner hooted his thanks and flew off to the Owlery.
Three letters had fallen out of the bundle from Turner. A letter with black ink, her name inscribed in a messy scrawl, no doubt her fathers. She read that one first;
Dearest Lily,
How are you? I hope your well. Everyone is doing quite fine here. I'm writing to tell you that Petunia has decided on the wedding. It is going to be on the first of November. She requests that you bring a date, but no one too freakish. Whatever that means. I really hope you can get away from school for the day. Send us back with your answer immediately. We love you!
Dad
Lily made a weird noise in her throat. "So she's finally getting married."
"Who's getting married?" Jensen asked, emerging from the shower, wringing a towel around her wet locks.
"My sister," Lily said with disgust, "she's marrying the ugliest, piggish man I've ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on."
Jensen laughed. "Are you going?"
"I don't know, it's on the first of November," Lily said glancing at the letter again.
Jensen's lime green eyes unfocused, thinking hard. "Wait," she said thoughtfully, "isn't that the day that the other schools are supposed to arrive?"
Lily slapped a hand to her forehead. "Bloody Merlin, you're right."
"What are you going to do?"
"I have to stay here; I'm one of the prefects."
Jensen gave her a knowing look. "Lily, it's your sisters wedding. Your only sister at that. I think you should go to the wedding."
"But you don't know my sister. We've hated each other since I got my letter from Hogwarts. She refuses to be seen in public with me. It's a rather nonexistent relationship. I don't think she would notice I wasn't there."
"Whatever you say Emer," Jensen sighed, "but I think you are going to regret it."
Jensen walked out of the room as if to state her point.
"I wouldn't regret it," Lily told herself.
But deep down inside, Lily knew she was going to have to go to this wedding. She just didn't know how it was going to happen. She needed to be here for the arrival of the schools.
"I'll worry about it later," she murmured, "next letter!"
The next letter was much thicker. Lily unrolled the scroll to find it touched the floor. She smiled at the handwriting. It was from one of her friends in Germany. They had been pen pals for about three years now. Heather, the girl's name, and Lily had met three summers ago when Lily's family took a summer vacation to Germany. The Evans family had stayed at Heather's house, as a host family. Thus, they became quick friends.
The final letter was not even a letter, it had four words on it, in what seemed like clippings from several different fonts and magazines. It said:
LiLy, wAtcH yOUr baCk
Out of instinct, Lily turned around to see if anyone was behind her. A rush of terror pulsed through her body. Her hands began to sweat profusely.
"Watch my back?" she said. "What the bloody hell is this?"
She dropped her other letters on her desk and raced back down the stairs to the common room. Her friends hadn't moved since she left. Jensen had taken her spot in the squishy arm chair.
"Lily," said Dinah in alarm, "what's wrong?"
Lily thrust the piece of parchment into their hands. The four girl's eyes quickly scanned the words, each in turn becoming wider and wider.
"Who sent you this?" asked Kaelin.
"They were kind enough not to leave a name," Lily said and as she said this it hit her. "Potter."
"James did this?" said Dinah, examining the letter closely.
"He had to, who else would do it?" said Lily irritably. "Where is he at? I'm going to give him my piece of mind."
"Emer, chill for a minute," Camryn voiced, grabbing Lily's arm before she could go stomping off after Potter, "I don't think Potter would do something like this."
Lily glared at her friend. "Potter would of course do something like this. It is probably a sick joke to scare me out of our deal."
Dinah's face looked grave. "Lily, I know James, and even he wouldn't sink this low to scare or get a rise out of you."
Kaelin nodded her agreement. "This is definitely someone that is trying to scare you, but it's not James."
Fear crept into Lily's stomach. "Then… who?"
"I have no idea," murmured Dinah.
"You should tell Dumbledore," advised Camryn.
"I'm not going to worry Dumbledore with something as foolish as this. It's just probably someone trying to freak me out," Lily said, her voice slightly higher than usual. "Right?"
The girls shrugged. "Let's hope it is."
Dinah hoisted Lily off the ground which she had kneeled on to read the note. "Come on, let's get you to bed."
"Okay," Lily muttered, "I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight."
"I've still got some Sleep Draught left over from when I was sick a couple weeks ago, do you want it?" Kaelin asked.
Lily nodded her redhead, yawning wildly. "That sounds fantastic."