Okie doke. Chapter 6 for your reading pleasure!
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"All right then," James said, "see you later?"
"All right," Natalia replied, as she turned to leave, "I hope Lily changes her mind!"
With a grin, she was gone.
Chapter 6: Romantic Advice
As Lily meandered upstairs to her next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, her thoughts were only of her new boyfriend: Amos Diggory.
She barely noticed Emily, trudging along beside her and looking worried, as she smiled blissfully and thought about what had happened that morning.
She had just been walking down the stairs in the Entrance Hall on her way to breakfast when Amos had approached her.
"Lily?" he had asked her uncertainly, "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure!" she answered cheerfully.
He took her hand gently and led her toward the corner near the large oak front doors. She blushed slightly at the contact.
"Did you want to ask me something Amos?" she asked.
"Yeah," he gulped and his Adam's Apple bobbed dramatically. He seemed to falter for a moment before he took a deep breath and blurted out:
"WillyoubemygirlfriendLilyplease?"
She blinked and said, "What was that?"
"Will you," he gulped again, "be my girlfriend?"
She stared at him for a moment and his face fell slightly. Then she smiled.
"All right!" she said cheerfully, "That sounds lovely!"
He sighed in relief and wiped his forehead with his hanky.
"Brilliant," he said with a grin, "I suppose we'll have to go on a date though, to make it official."
"Oh, we'll arrange that later." Lily smiled again and he took her hand and kissed it.
Lily sighed and Emily gave her a sharp look. Lily didn't notice.
James did not pay any attention during Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was to busy staring at Lily and feeling bitter.
He went over the events of the previous day in his head and repeatedly asked himself what he had done wrong. He had thought he had made it clear to her that he wanted a second chance because he liked her. Then why was she suddenly dating bloody Amos Dig-a-hole?
Maybe she had thought he just wanted to be friends with her. That was understandable, albeit disappointing.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He needed to calm down. He was over reacting.
'It is not a big deal,' he forced himself to think, and then buried his head in his arms, stifling a small sob.
As he looked at the smooth wood of his desk he tried again.
He had asked her to give him a chance. He had then deduced that she had said yes, and that maybe she liked him back.
'And how wrong I was,' he thought miserably, and closed his eyes.
Sirius slid into the seat across the row from Emily in Defense Against the Dark Arts and leaned over to speak to her. She leaned towards him so their heads were together, in the middle of the row.
"I don't know what to do," she whispered anxiously, "Should we just let Lily do what she wants or try to convince her-?"
"Do you suppose we could tell her Diggory is a pansy?" Sirius said hiding his grin unsuccessfully. Emily swatted his arm.
"No, I'm serious— don't even go there," she warned, as Sirius opened his mouth to tell her that she was not Sirius, he was.
"She practically broke his heart and she has no idea! Look at him!" Emily whispered fiercely and they both glanced to the back of the room. James had buried his face in his arms.
"Broke his heart?" Sirius said skeptically, a little too loud, "I think she just made him mad."
"Shh!" Emily hissed her finger to her lips. Fortunately, no one looked around except Remus; Lily was paying close attention to Professor Greenhart, who was lecturing, and James appeared to be asleep.
Suddenly Sirius was hit in the back with a wad of parchment.
"Bloody-!" he yelled but caught himself. Professor Greenhart sent him a disapproving glance but there was a glint of laughter in her eyes. She had always been fond of the Marauders; sometimes the four of them would come to her classroom after classes for a cup of tea and a chat.
He bent down to pick up the airplane and twisted slightly in his seat to see Remus, three rows behind him, beside James. He was hurriedly taking notes as usual.
Sirius turned back and smoothed out the parchment:
Let Lily do what she wants. She'll figure it out in time.
Sirius tossed it casually to Emily who read it and then scribbled furiously on it. She folded it back up and threw it back to Remus who caught it mid flight.
Neither James nor Lily noticed anything.
After classes were over for the day James trudged up to the Defense classroom and went into Professor Greenhart's office door. He waited for a moment outside the door after he knocked. When she opened the door he said quickly, "Professor can I talk to you?"
She noticed the troubled look in his eyes and immediately offered a cup of tea.
"Yes please," he said weakly. She handed him his teacup once he took a seat in the chair across from her desk. He thanked her and took a sip.
"Now James," she said gently, "What is it that's bothering you?"
He looked down at his teacup. "Girl troubles."
"Oh," she said understandingly. She settled more comfortably into her wing-backed armchair and said, "Now, tell me, what is the problem?"
"There's this girl," he sighed, "I really like her." He then continued to explain how he felt and how he had thought she had liked him back.
When he had finished Professor Greenhart said, "I think you jumped to conclusions James."
He simply looked at her.
"Women are more complicated than you think, I thought you would know that my now." She smiled, "She probably has no idea that you like her. Judging by the way she was so excited to tell you about her date, she just wants to be your friend at the moment. Girls usually tell their close friends immediately when something exciting happens to them.
"I say you should take a breath, be her friend, and let her do what her heart tells her. Let her be herself and become close to her before you try to begin a romantic relationship. Is she does indeed like you back, she will realize eventually. Give her time; that is crucial. She won't like you right away no matter what you do; especially because you just became friends."
James smiled. He trusted Professor Greenhart and knew that if he followed her advice, he had a much better chances with Lily.
"Thanks Professor!" He said happily, "I do hope your right!" He drained his teacup in a single gulp and dashed from the room. She smiled after him and shut the door with her wand.
A/N: Please review!
