A/N: Okay I got my first review the other day after chapter 1's publication, whoo! Thank you to that person and my friend, Ashley for their approval for me to carry on this story. Oh other readers, it'd be nice to hear a little feedback from you guys, just don't go getting weird with the comments (aka flames). So yeah I just realized last night that Chapter 1 doesn't have a title so I added a title to Chapter 2 and mad up a title for Chapter 1. Anyway enjoy –smile-.
Chapter 2: The Friendly Encounter
Even though there were no classes the following day, James couldn't have thought it'd be a better to see Lily any day of the week. But this time he won't bug her like he usually did. After giving his plan some though in small doses so he wouldn't rush through the whole scheme and make a fool of himself…like the many other times. He wanted to make himself more presentable and realized being too immature to Lily drove her to dislike him all the way to the negative scales. Of course James knew he couldn't possibly turn a new leaf too quickly because of his nature, but he wanted to at least act like it so Lily would be a little convinced she can be around him when he tutors her…well if she accepts that is.
James had all these thoughts snowing in his head since he woke up at 5 am, but stayed in bed knowing not many people would be up and about at this time of day. This project may take a long time to accomplish,he thought. Since of course she doesn't know what's in store for her. She might ask someone else to tutor her and I might not stand a chance. James started to worry, but them he toughened up. I must try; I'll never know what will most likely happen if I don't try. James wrapped the blankets around him satisfied on his newly discovered confidence and was ready for a nap after an early morning start of plotting and worrying. The last thought that streamed into his head before he dosed off was: God, I sound too much of a big softie when I'm talking to myself in my head. I hope no one ever sees this side of me. They'd think I would be highly qualified to raise a puffskein farm.
Around 9, James woke with a goofy grin on his face. He tore back the curtains of his bed and walked next to the bed that belonged to Sirius.
"Hey dude wake up," James called out to the closed curtained bed. "Time to eat." The bed remained unmoved from the inside. "Padfoot come on, you can't be that tired from your night with Alice." Still nothing. James sighed and grabbed a handful of the coverlet and sheets messily made into a giant whirlpool of scarlet and gold with small spirals around it. The pillows heavily dented and the head wall had a collage of girls in bikinis or at least in revealing clothes. How did Alice or the other girls Sirius has been with able to deal with this collection during their private snogging sessions here? James used to wonder and still does. But under the giant whirlpool of covers there was no Sirius.
"Remus," James looked over to his other friend's bed, which was one of the few beds in the dorm that didn't have their curtains drawn. A good looking blond haired boy with the trademark shabby look to him appeared from the mass of covers. "Eh?" Remus scratched his head, making him more like the werewolf that he is whenever he does that, which was a habit he's had even before he had a big mass of hair on his head. "What's up mate?" Peter woke up too at a start too when he heard Remus's loud scratching.
"Do you know where Sirius is?" James said. Remus did not bother to give James a smart ass remark since he was known to be more humble than James and Sirius, but gave James a look of disbelief as non offensive his polite friend and shook his head.
"He must of went to the Great Hall with Alice already," James said, and also made a note to himself that he would never let a girl come between him and his friends, not even Lily. I'd date Lily, but I still put my friends first before a girl, he thought. Damn, here I go again talking to myself in my head. "Well what's left of us should start going."
Once the trio of Marauders, minus their one fourth ladies' men, finished dressing up they all headed down to the common room. There they found their missing part of the quad set still sleeping on the armchair from last night.
"No wonder I could still hear the sound of Padfoot's train when we were dressing," Remus loomed over Sirius's head, which let out a whistle that could have been mistaken for the scarlet train that brings them from school every new school year from Platform 9¾. James and Peter joined to make a circle over Sirius's head, but all three drew back in disgust (well at least Remus and James found it unpleasant) when Sirius's mouth rocketed out a mass of saliva and getting sucked back into it's hole, leaving a translucent ribbon of leftover saliva on Sirius's cheek. Peter erupted into a ruckus hyena cackle when they drew back.
"Shush up Wormtail," James hissed in a low voice, but a mischievous tone was added to it. "Maybe we can make a little morning prank on Paddy."
"Did I hear the word prank?" Sirius's eyes flashed open and sat up, making his saliva trail go down to his jaw. "Made a new prank to set on Snivellus?" He stopped when he saw his friends looking at him weirdly. "What? Do I have a bogey sticking out?" He ran his index finger rapidly under his nose.
"…Oh just about to start Day 1 of winning Evans over," James took awhile to know how to cover it up. He snuck a glare at Peter, who gave James a sheepish smile for ruining his fun, when Sirius was still trying to get rid of his "booger."
"Alrighty then!" Sirius exclaimed, jumped up. "I'll just be back in a few," he said as he made his way to the dorm, leaving Remus and James shaking their hands.
As promised, Sirius came back down in less than 4 minutes, and the four made their way to the Great Hall. Even as only a fifth year gang, they were known to be notorious throughout Hogwarts. James and Sirius, of course were the definition of notorious. Remus was known to be the outstanding book smart one in Gryffindor House along with Lily. On the way down to the main floor, they were greeted by several, which was common whenever they walked around the castle.
Alice ran to greet them when they arrived at the Great Hall and gave Sirius a big hug and long kiss on the lips, not minding about display of affection."Good morning," Alice said simply with a smile. She didn't have any pet names for Sirius, but did go along with sometimes calling him by his gang name: Padfoot. She looked over Sirius's shoulder and said to the rest of the gang. "You guys are welcomed to sit with us, we don't mind." Remus, James, and Peter followed Alice to her seat while she was holding hands with Sirius. When they reached her spot, James thought Alice meant sit with her and Sirius, but she didn't say Lily was there. Lily was sitting with her and Alice's small group of friends, however instead of chatting with her group of friends; Lily was reading a book while she was eating the hash potatoes portion of her plate. "Hey Lily, girls, you don't mind if we have a bit more company don't you?" Alice took her place next to Lily as the group of girls swooned at the sight of their guest and quickly made some space for them. Lily was a little late on looking up from her book, and decided to see what excited them; but her face turned into horror when she saw James climbing into the seat in front of her. She reached under the table and pinched Alice's other hand, the one that wasn't occupied by Sirius.
"Gah!" Alice yelped a little too loud drawing the two groups' attention.
"What's wrong?" Sirius paused from piling his plate with sausages and French toast and looked over at his girlfriend.
Alice got up from her seat, clutching her stomach. "Ah nothing just stomach cramps, no big deal. Lily, can you help me to Hospital Wing?" Lily gratefully followed her friend out of the Hall and down near the Hospital Wing just to be safe if any of them are concern followed them. "What's up?" Alice turned to her friend, letting go of her stomach.
"Alice! You know I despise James, why did you invite him to sit with us?" Lily walked in a line back and forth in front of her friend with her palms against her forehead. "I already had to deal with Sirius, which took me two months to deal with him when you started dating him. I do not need another of the school clowns to be near."
"…But you're friends with Remus," Alice pointed out. Despite her kindness and friendly personality, she can sometimes be really oblivious and slow on catching up to points given by people, but Lily loved her anyway.
"He's not like James and Sirius; he knows when to be serious and when to have fun." Lily didn't even need to narrow her eyes at Alice when Alice tried to make her point; Lily was already used to Alice's unawareness. "I don't even see why he even hangs out with those goons…" Lily stopped in her tracks, and looked at her friend carefully. "Sorry about that Alice, I mean I didn't mean for that to come out that way."
"James didn't even say anything stupid or idiotic when he came in," Alice said looking out the window.
"Yeah," said Lily, who didn't even take in that. Usually sometimes James would waltz up to her in the morning the second he sees her and annoyingly starts to serenade to her. "Maybe I should give this morning a try. The worst he can do is having milk come out of his nose whenever someone makes a funny remark."
"That's the spirit!" Alice smiled, no longer upset and draped her arm around Lily's shoulders. "Let's go back." Both of them went back to the Great Hall, Lily even dared herself to sit next to James just to make sure she wasn't wrong about today's breakfast with James.
"Good morning James," Lily said greeting him. It took 5 seconds for James to notice the greeting was for him and looked up from his breakfast to see, to his surprise, Lily next to him…talking to him normally, not her usual scold.
"Good morning Lily," James replied, wondering why it seemed like she was having a change of heart to him. More to the question, why was she standing next to his seat?
"I was wondering if I could sit next to you," Lily said, making her voice softer when she was glad he wasn't making at funny business when she spoke to him.
"Uh…sure no problem!" James scooted down the bench to make more room for her, and remembered her old seat. He reached over the table and picked up her book and plate from the other side as Lily was climbing into new empty spot next to him. "Here," James handed her the book and placed her plate in front of her and reached over once more to get her drink.
Lily sat in her seat in shock of James's chivalry and gave him a very light "Thank you."
"So what happened?" Sirius wasn't even paying attention to them and moved when Alice went back into her spot. "Did Madam Pomfrey give you anything for your cramps?"
"Hmm?" Alice turned to him after slipping a sliced up piece of waffles into her mouth. It wasn't until she was done chewing when she knew what Sirius was talking about. "Oh yeah! Uhh…yeah she did," she repeated herself, laughing nervously inside her head.
She never changes, Lily shook her head. James eyed her when she did that and said, "Yeah I know that feeling. Sirius can be as clueless like that."
"Haha! Very funny Prongs, eat your food," Sirius grumbled, being sometimes a poor sport to unintentional jokes about him. But surprisingly to everyone, Lily was laughing at James's joke.
"You thought that was funny?" James found it hard to believe that this was the first time Lily actually thought he was funny, which in other means, found him likeable.
Lily's giggles stopped, but her eyes were shining with laughter when she turned to James. "Yeah, it was."
A/N: Yeah a little corny for now, but hey it's a romance fanfic, there has to be at least some corniness now and then, right? Anyway, sorry if it didn't seem much with their encounter, I'm sort of in a writer's block mode and somewhat winging it along. I forgot how it's like to be a writer from being on some years hiatus, so yeah if you want to still see what happens in the story, please be patient with me :D. So feel free to review and tell me what you think so far. Bye for now D.
