Chapter 30 : Just a girly chat

"Hello!" Lily greeted her friends brightly, the next morning.

They all grumbled groggy replies. They were lazing about the common room, recovering from the night before.

"Late night?" Lily laughed.

"Uh huh," Scarlet yawned.

"Not as late as you!" Caitlin pointed out.

"Yes where were you then?" Alice asked flippantly.

"Well Alice, I went for a walk with Remus. You know that, you were there when he asked me," Lily asked breezily, casually lifting up the book Caitlin had lying on top of her and flicking through it.

"But he came back to the ball," Scarlet said innocently.

"Yea, but you didn't," Caitlin let slip.

"Really Cait? And how would you know that?" Lily said sounding surprised. "You weren't there, remember?"

"Yea but Sirius told me," Caitlin said quickly.

"Oh really? When?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrow at her. "He's not up yet."

"Well he told me when he came in last night," Caitlin said triumphantly. "I was waiting up for him."

"Oh right is that why you're so tried then?" Lily asked. "Because for someone who spent the whole night sitting in reading a book, you looked pretty wrecked."

"Right Lily you know, we know, you know we know, and we know you know," Alice interrupted, fed up with the charade.

"Know what?" Lily said offhandedly, she was determined to wind them up as much as possible.

"Ugh Lily! You went out with Remus then Remus came back, what were you doing for the rest of them time?" Scarlet squealed fit to burst.

"Oh that!" Lily said, pretending to just cotton on to what they were talking about. "Oh I was just out walking with my boyfriend," she said frankly.

She looked casually back down at the book. Had she been looking up she probably would have been able to jump out of the way of the three bodies that flung themselves at her. She found herself flat on her back in just a matter of seconds.

"OH MY GOD!" Scarlet squealed.

"Oh this is just great!" Alice shrieked.

"OH MY GOD!"

"Oh I'm so happy!"

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!"

"Wait!" Caitlin interrupted the other two. "You are talking about James aren't you?"

Lily laughed and threw a cushion at her.

"OH MY GOD!"

"What happened then?" Alice asked excitedly.

"OH MY GOD!"

"Tell us… Scarlet! Shut up! Lily, tell us everything," Caitlin pleaded.

"Well first of all you all scammed against me, and Remus brought me outside and left me to die," Lily began.

"Now to be fair, I didn't scam against you," Alice protested. "I was told about it when it was happening. Really it was their fault!" She pointed at Caitlin and Scarlet.

"Well it was Scarlet that told Remus about the quidditch figure!" Caitlin argued.

"You knew about that?" Lily shrieked.

"Yes Lily. It was hardly going to be for your dad was it?" Scarlet smirked. "Besides, it wasn't my idea to leave you both at the Whomping Willow!"

"No well, that was Sirius," Caitlin concurred. "He decided you both needed a good clobber to get you to sort things out," she explained to Lily.

"And in heat of the moment we all seemed to think that was a perfectly reasonable way of getting you both together," Alice pondered.

"Well anyway, after James saved me from certain death." There was a general awh. "Yes, after he did that, we had a row…"

"As always," Caitlin interrupted.

"And then he asked me out and I said yes," Lily finished.

"Your not one for details are you Lils?" Caitlin asked sarcastically.

"No," Lily smiled. "It was my moment and I don't want to have to share it with you lot."

They all awhed again.

"Well what did you after that then?" Scarlet tried to squeeze information out of her.

"Nothing much, we just walked around the lake for a bit talking."

"About what?" Scarlet pushed it a little further.

"School, family…"

She was interrupted by her friends' sudden lack of attention. James had just appeared into the common room.

"Hello girls," he said with a huge grin.

"Hello lover boy," Caitlin said with a wink.

"Cait, you know that now I'm with Lily, it's over between us," James quipped back.

"That's what she thinks," Caitlin said with a seductive smile.

James came over and sat on the back of Lily's chair. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she looked up and gave him a smile. Within that split second they both knew they were thinking exactly the same thing.

"What the…?" Caitlin didn't get to finish her sentence as a jet of freezing cold water hit her in the face.

James and Lily had both produced their wands at the same time, which were the source of the water, and were now spraying it liberally over Caitlin, Alice and Scarlet.

"Oh yea," Lily shouted over their screaming. "We also talked about how we were going to get our revenge on you lot!"

"I think that'll do," James said, stopping his wand.

"Yep," Lily agreed and did the same.

"I suppose we deserved that," Caitlin said, wringing her hair.

"I didn't do anything!" Alice griped.

"Yes but you didn't do anything to stop it though did you?" James asked her.

Alice grumbled in reply, and concentrated on drying herself off.

While he thought the other three were distracted, James swooped down and gave Lily a quick kiss on the lips.

"Good morning to you too," Lily laughed.

"Ooooo kissy kissy," Caitlin teased. The three girls made kissing noises at them. Lily blushed but James just shrugged it off.

"You all have boyfriends!" Lily said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Speaking of which, I think I might just go and pay them a little visit," James said mysteriously.

"Oh they're still asleep," Scarlet explained.

"We'll see," said James. "We'll see."

Lily watched with a smirk as he sprinted up the boys' staircase.

"Why do I have feeling we should warn them?" Alice asked shrewdly.

"Do not indeed," Caitlin scolded her. "We got ours, now they can get what's coming to them as well!"

"I suppose," Alice sighed. Lily noticed the three of them were beginning to dose off again. All the planning and scheming of the night before must have really taken it out of them.

It wasn't long though before they were all brought back to full attention by the sound of a very loud air horn coming from the boys' dormitories, followed by the thundering footsteps of Sirius and company, hurtling their way into the common room – all still in their pyjamas.

"I see you've seen James," Caitlin laughed. "Or heard him at least."

"WHAT!" Frank yelled.

"Frank! Don't shout!" Alice scolded.

"WHAT!" Robbie shouted.

"That goes for you too Robert," Scarlet said, looking round the common room, getting embarrassed about the looks the boys were getting.

"SCARLET WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Peter bellowed.

"I don't think they can hear us," Caitlin surmised. "I think James' horn has deafened them."

"WE CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Remus needlessly explained.

"PRONG'S HORN DEAFENED US!" Sirius continued.

"Really?" Lily said sounding deeply surprised. "Tell us Sirius, why do you think James did that?"

"SORRY LILY?" Sirius said, desperately trying to hear her.

"You're sorry Sirius? Well I should think so," Lily continued. "Now you are a very stupid, stupid boy, aren't you Sirius?" she said, nodding vigorously.

"UH YES?" he replied, following the movement of her head.

"Lily stop teasing him," Caitlin told her off.

"Oh I don't know, I think she's got the right idea. We could get them to agree to all sorts of stuff now, blackmail them later," Scarlet said deviously.

"No!" Alice said firmly. "Now come on we'll take them to see Madam Pompfrey."

"YES I DID THINK THE BALL LAST NIGHT WAS PRETTY POMP FREE!" Frank interrupted.

Alice groaned at him, as she and Scarlet ushered the five boys out of the portrait hole.

"You not going?" Lily asked Caitlin, noticing she was sitting back down in her seat.

"No I think they've got it covered," she replied.

"Hello again," James said triumphantly, arriving back into the common room.

"Well done James," Caitlin said sarcastically. "They're having to take them to the hospital wing. How are you going to explain it to Madam Pompfrey?"

"Caitlin last night you left me within full sweeping distance of the Whomping Willow, how were you going to explain that one to Madam Pompfrey?" James shot back.

"Point taken," Caitlin replied blandly.

"So do you want to go to breakfast?" James asked, directing his attention to Lily.

"Yes," Lily smiled.

"Actually I was wondering if I could have a word with Lily first?" Caitlin interrupted them. "Is that alright James?" she smiled sweetly.

Lily noticed James eye her warily for a moment before he relaxed again.

"Yes that's fine," he said. "I'll see you later then."

Lily watched him leave and then turned abruptly to Caitlin.

"What was that about?" she accused.

"What?" Caitlin laughed. "Nothing I just wanted to speak to you, and he probably was pissed off at me for taking up your time."

"Alright then," Lily said suspiciously. "If you say so."

"So… tell me what happened then," Caitlin said eagerly.

"I told you I'm not telling," Lily remained adamant.

"Yes but that was with them," Caitlin whined, meaning Scarlet and Alice. "This is me! Come on Lily, I'm your best friend!"

"Oh all right then," Lily gave in. She'd been dying to tell her anyway.

"I feel different you know," Lily sighed. It was about an hour later and no one had returned to the common room yet. Lily and Caitlin had spent the whole time reliving the night before from every possible perspective.

"What do you mean?" Caitlin said, puzzled.

"I mean I actually feel different now that I have a boyfriend. Like I fit in more or something," Lily continued.

"Oh don't talk rubbish," Caitlin snapped. "You fit in exactly the same as you did before; having a boyfriend doesn't make you anymore of a better person!"

"No I know that it's just… It's just that ever since you've been going out with Sirius it's like you and Sirius, James, Remus and Peter… It's like you have some sort of unspoken understanding you know?" Caitlin shifted a bit in her seat. "I guess I've always been a bit jealous of it," Lily laughed. "But now I'm going out with James… now maybe I'll be let in on the secret."

"There is no secret," Caitlin said quickly.

"I know, I was using it as a figure of speech," Lily tried to laugh it off, but there a moment of awkwardness between them.

"Listen Lily," Caitlin leant forward in her seat. "Now that you're going out with James… just be careful…"

"What you think he's going to kill me?" Lily laughed.

"No but…" Caitlin paused. "Look he's the Head Boy and the Quidditch Captain, and he's handsome and smart, and well… there might just be a bit of a backlash for you that's all. Just keep your wits about you ok? Keep your eyes open."

"Cait you're scaring me a little. I think it's time we went and got some breakfast."

"Ok," Caitlin said getting up from her seat and following Lily to the portrait hole.

When they opened it they were greeted by the sight of Avril, still in her red dress, walking up with an overly amorous Hufflepuff.

"Tut tut tut Avril," Caitlin smirked when she saw them. "Spending the night in the wrong dorm. That's got to be a detention at least."

"Actually, it's spending the night in the wrong house," Lily corrected her. "So that's three detentions and a letter of apology to Professor McGonagall."

Lily didn't think life could get any better.

Just a short one but I liked it. Probably won't be updating for a while but bare with me. Ten more chapters before 16th July. Do you think I can do it? Please review!
JeNnIfEr88: You know, there probably isn't but it was to get across the whole money issue thing.

Alantie Mistaniu: Thanks I liked the last chapter as well. Hope you liked that one.

Oliverwoodschic: Didn't actually know I could be that cute, but there you go. Thanks for reviewing!

BurningIce22: Thanks for reviewing!

man eating plant: I know it was a stroke of genius wasn't it? Anyway I might not be updating for a while but at least I was good for just a little while!