It's been a week since that event in the common room. A week since the Gryffindor 6th year boys decided to include their female counterparts in what Sirius chooses to call the 'comeback strategy'. But mostly it's been a week since the girls agreed and the plan been put to action.
The comeback strategy was working flawlessly. The first part of the plan was to get Andrew to feel comfortable around Lily (and Hogwarts in general) again and also to get him to forget about Tami. In James' part, he was tasked to help Tami. He kept her company, became a shoulder to cry on. It was a woman's job, James thought, to do what he was offering to Tami. But it was necessary for the plan to succeed. What the strategy entails is for James to help Tami remember; remember first, and then forget after remembering.
Both parts were taken care of. Andrew no longer stayed back in the shadows, a living statue. He was laughing and going on as he did before, though Lily knew, as he told her every night, it still hurt to see Tami. But he tried to at least be civil to his ex-girlfriend. After two years together, the person comforting him in one of the saddest moments of his life was not Tami. It was Lily Evans; the girl who broke his heart two years ago. He forgot that pain he felt when Lily owled him for the last time; he needed her and she was there. Lily was there.
Tami, on the other hand, wanted desperately to get Andrew's attention back. She turned to James, and occasionally Jess, for help. She knew that buddy-ing up to James after that has already caused a two-year old relationship to end was dangerous and might be the cause of even more destruction. But she figured she did not have a choice. She had many friends in the Soleil ranks, but her best friend was Andrew. And besides, she couldn't go to them for help. She has sent the way some of them looked at her after the news spread; they blamed her for all that has happened. James was the only one who still acted as though he cared, as though he understood how the situation was for her. She needed someone to be with her, to help her through the ordeal, and James was there. James was there.
And so the first part of the comeback strategy was already set in place.
Another two weeks later, and the plan was still going smoothly, with neither of the real involved suspecting anything.
The foundation ready for launching and the final preparations were in place. The grand opening was set to be that Saturday, two days from now. Lily was sitting in her History of Magic classroom, thinking about the foundation meeting later that day. She knew she should have been listening and taking notes, but then again she's already read that part of the book. She always loved history, even as she was studying in the muggle world. She's read practically her whole history of magic book for that year (she was left with only two chapters remaining). So she droned out Prof. Binns and concentrated on the meeting that was to finalize the preparations for Saturday's ball.
True, she wasn't paying attention in class, but when laughter broke, she looked up at the paper she was doodling in to see what has happened. As it turns out, James Potter and Sirius Black just arrived in class, twenty minutes late. Professor Binns was reprimanding them, bit with his back turned towards the black board as he wrote some details form the lesson. Both boys were making funny faces at the Prof.'s back.
'Very mature' Lily remembered thinking. She rolled her eyes, and when they came back into focus, she found James Potter looking at her.
'What?' her eyes said to the boy as he sat down on the desk next to hers.
"You don't look like you were laughing. Everybody else did." Was his first greeting, as though reading her mind.
"You didn't really expect me to stoop down and laugh at your humor which is so obviously immature, did you?" she replied.
"What is with you? He was just talking," came a whisper from her right, where Jess was sitting.
"Of course he's talking. He's always talking and making fun of people and making himself look ridiculous. Why would today be any different?" Lily said as she turned to her friend, knowing full well that James could hear her. "And I always talk like this to him. Why do you care so much"
Jess mumbled something incoherent and went back to writing her notes. Lily went back to her doodling, with thoughts she shouldn't be thinking tugging at the back of her mind. She knew something was wrong with her, but she was fine that morning. It was only when those two troublemakers came in that she changed her mood. 'Maybe it's that nice smelling boy to your left' her subconscious offered.
"Ugh!" she said audibly.
Professor Binns looked at her questioningly. "Is anything wrong Miss Evans"
"No sir, just…nothing." She looked back down on her parchment and almost wanted to smack herself on the head when she saw what she had written: 'James Potter' was written inside a large heart. 'My heart' Lily knew instinctively, then pushed the thought away. She crumpled the parchment and threw it into her back, taking a mental note to burn it later-lest someone sees it.
Apparently, she was not quick enough. "I always thought you like him" Jess whispered, not looking at her friend.
"Liked who?" Lily countered in an innocent tone.
"Come on, Lily. I saw what you wrote on that parchment you just discarded." Jess' tone was teasing, taunting. "I told you last year, remember? I told you I thought you like him. And you said no. Liar"
"I wasn't lying!" said Lily indignantly. "I do not like him"
"Yes you do"
"What are you talking about?" asked James Potter.
"Nothing!" said Lily, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"We were talking about this guy that Lily likes but doesn't want to admit that she likes him." Jess offered.
"Oh," was all James said.
"Thanks a lot." Lily mumbled. And she meant it too. She knew how careless about this things Jess could be; Lily was grateful that her friend took this time to think about what she was going to say before actually saying it.
"You're welcome," came the knowing reply. Then the bell rang.
Nearly a month has passed since the guys told the girls the plan. And while both camps have not suddenly decided to become best friends, they decided to at least be civil to each other. After all, Nat was dating Sirius. But more than that, the boys have agreed to tell Professor Sprout the dung bomb incident a few weeks ago was not their fault and not Jess. And they also promised not to prank the girls again- or until then plan ends. It wasn't easy to convince both ends to agree (after all, they have been bordering on enemies for a long time). But Remus Lupin managed to get all the girls and the guys to agree to all the terms to make the plan work.
It was that night, three weeks ago, that Lily Evans decided that Remus Lupin should be Head Boy next year. She wouldn't mind working under him then. And he would probably put an end to the ridiculous idea that prefects can't go on patrol with prefects from another house. She had fun working with Remus and all (they usually did split patrols which gave her time on her own), but thought that segregating patrols according to house only makes the gap between houses wider.
She stood up then stopped down to pick up her back, but not before stealing a glance at the sixteen year old boy she once severely disliked. He grinned at her, as though he could read her thoughts. She couldn't understand why that grin made her feel breathless, even as she was pushed out to the corridors by the throng of students leaving the classroom.
A/N: I'm really, really sorry for the long delay. I did not mean for it to happen. Sorry. And sorry because I don't have any excuse I would deem legitimate. Maybe you would, but not me. So what would be the point?
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