The Party
Chapter 2: What harm could a Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwich Possibly Do?
"Lily?"
"Mmm?"
"Where is that fizzy sweet juice?"
I briefly glance at my best friend before remembering she is a pure-blood witch and to stop questioning her sanity.
"It's in the fridge. Bottom shelf I think."
Alice looks blankly at me and blinks. "Fridge?" I sigh and point to the refrigerator. "Oh! You mean the cold cupboard."
I bite my lip. "Right."
She smiles happily and pours the ginger ale into the punch bowl.
We are getting ready for the big party which is in an hour and a half. We spent most of last night getting positive responses and now everyone except Peter Pettigrew, according to James Potter, is coming. We already cut the grass and cleaned the pool and everything, so as of now, I am putting the chips in bowls and the finger sandwiches on plates. Alice is erm… making the punch.
"Okay, Lily! I think I'm done! It tastes normal." She chirped excitedly, jumping over and drumming my arm.
"I guess we should get dressed then?" I grin anxiously.
We run upstairs to my bedroom. Alice had her swimsuit picked out in thirty seconds. I on the other hand had started thinking about that sweet little note Potter had sent last night. It's amazing how he still comes across as arrogant even in that lazy script of his. The way his eyes light up when that lopsided grin takes over his lips and then he'll run his fingers carelessly through his hair. Arrogantly of course.
I remember the first time I saw that grin. He was with his parents on platform 9 ¾ and for the first time he actually looked as nervous as I was. He was with Sirius and they were about to get on the train before he turned saw me. James had on expensive jeans and a dark purple sweater, zipped half way and revealing a black baggy shirt underneath. He stopped and grinned, offering to take my trunk up to my compartment. He also let me go first-
My thoughts are cut off by Alice's blatant voice.
"You're smiling again." she holds up a black piece of string with flashy silver buckles and the odd strip of fabric.
I wrinkle my nose at the swim suit. "Not really my type."
"Then what is your type Lily?" She sighs. I shrug. "Thinking about our tall, black haired, brown eyed, be-spectacled Quiditch captain, huh?"
I shake my head to get the image of James on his broom out of my head. The way the wind blew his hair dreamily, the sun reflecting of it making it look blue. That cute little crease he gets between his eyebrows when he concentrates. How he yells out the different plays… How his voice cracked that one time-
"Hey Lily, what time is it?" Alice asks.
"NO I DO NOT FANCY JAMES POTTER FOR YOUR LOUSY INFORMATION AND EVEN IF I DID IT WOULD BE ABSOLUTLY NONE OF YOUR BEESWAX!"
"Lily; if I'm not mistaken, the symptoms you are displaying: spacing out randomly, smiling stupidly, giving pathetic answers to simple questions and denying your feelings when asked the time, I'd say you fancy James Potter." She concludes clicking her tongue.
I'm about to deny, then I actually process what she said. "You asked the time?" I check my watch. "Ten to Three. And I did not deny my feelings. My head was just bursting with the thoughts I err… mentioned briefly, that it came leaking out my mouth. James is an arrogant toe rag, an obnoxious bully and a thief. How could you insult my integrity by putting that freakish abnormality in my flawlessly perfect reputation?" I sniff.
Alice blinks. "You called him James."
"Here, how about this one?" I pull out a safe looking earthy green bikini with big gold buckles from my drawer.
"Don't change the topic." She barks.
"Alice people are going to be here in ten minutes and we still have to get the music plugged in." I whine.
"Fine. I'll do the music and you get dressed, the food is already out there. And Lily," She spins me around, seriously placing both hands on my shoulders. "Don't be a pansy. Take a chance and see what happens, you may even be pleasantly surprised at the outcome." And with that, she left the room, closing the door with a soft bump. I'm left in complete silence.
Sirius Black just spiked the punch. He turned that boyish grin towards me. "There's nothing you can do about it now! Just think of all the excitement this will cast upon our unsuspecting subjects."
"Black, they are not subjects, they are our classmates! And the last thing alcohol will be the result of, is excitement, you git!" I rant outraged.
He widens his mischievous grey eyes, scandalized. "Evans! Why use such… insufferable language? Parties like these, might I add, are ones to either make or break a reputation. I'd imagine you would prefer a grand ol'rep for yourself and I, being the kind thoughtful bloke that I am, was merrily attempting to assist you." He sighs dramatically, causing me to roll my eyes, and makes his way past me, only to grab another bottle of fire whiskey to dump into the bowl. He looks over his shoulder into my eyes. "Frankly, Evans, I'm thoroughly shocked that you were truly naïve enough to believe there would be no funny business going on at your party whilst having The Marauders as guests." And with that he struts of into a crowd of giggling witches.
I growl because he is indeed correct. I still refuse to be labeled as naïve. I eye his black, abnormally perfect, shiny and wavy hair. I look over both shoulders and then pluck a peanut butter and jam sandwich from a nearby platter, carefully peel it apart and casually walk up behind him, a slice in both hands.
"Hey, Evans!" Exclaims a voice from behind me, giving away my position. I curse under my breath and squish the sticky bread on either side of Black's head and smear them in his hair.
After the whole crowd gasped, it went so quiet you could hear a nargle fart.
I brush my hands off, feeling a great wave of accomplishment.
"You probably shouldn't have done that." James breathed from a few feet behind me. I bite my lip to keep from laughing as Black slowly rotates around to face me, a blank expression masking his features. For a moment, he just stands there as the slice of bread on the top of his head slides down his face and onto the ground in the result of a trail of jam on his cheek and a splat as it hits the pool deck.
Behind me, Potter snorts. "Oh, Paddy! That'll be a pain to get out of your hair. My aunt got jam in her hair once. Only once though, she had to cut it all off after." He added none too sympathetically.
Sirius's eye twitched and his nostrils flare and his lower jaw juts out. Before I know it, I find myself in a fireman's hold on his shoulder and moving towards the pool. Only then do I notice he is wearing a leopard print speedo. For the love of Godric, curse the tawbie who invented that horrid, none-supportive contraption.
"Bon appitit, Evans!" He wiggled. I am officially scarred for life. So I plant my knuckle on his outer thigh right smack in between the muscles. He let out a howl in pain and doubled over at the pools edge, causing both of us to submerge into the not so warm water.
As soon as I burst through the surface I look franticly search for Black, waiting for the blow. When it doesn't come, look up at James who is thankfully wearing shorts and crouched before the water's edge. "Alright, Lily?"
As soon as I look into his light brown eyes, however much I want to, I can't look away. That was the first time he called me by my first name and not using a corny pick-up line.
"Where's Sirius?" He scans the pool, I follow his lead and at the same time we spot his unmoving body at the bottom of the deep end. Instinctively, I dive towards him, the water muting all sound allowing me to hear my pulse quickening. I reach for his hand and pull him to the surface, over to James who rolls him on the deck. I get out and kneel beside his still form.
"Padfoot? Sirius! Paddy?!" James shakes his best friend's shoulders, his voice rising in hysteria. Sirius's eyelids scrunch and his cheeks puff out, resembling a blowfish magnificently and a perfect stream of water shoots forcefully into James's unsuspecting face. He bolts upright, wiping water of his glasses.
"…bloody disgusting…" he mutters under his breath. Sirius turns on his side, facing me and hacks out more water on my leg.
"That's bloody disgusting…" I hiss, still feeling concerned for him.
"P-Pro-ongs-sie…" he coughs, groping weakly at James's face and blindly removing his circular glasses and placing them on his own face. Upside down, might I add.
"Paddy? What do you need?" He asks desperately.
Sirius takes a few more shallow breaths and wheezes out a cough, once again spraying James with phlegm. Only this time, the poor guy didn't have his glasses to protect his eyes.
"...m-mmmust-tard-d…"
"Moony? Fetch the mustard, will you?" He calls to Remus while rubbing his fists in his eyes.
"M'not a dog you know." He mutters, striding over to retrieve the yellow bottle and tossing it over.
"No, of course not. How could I be so terribly mistaken?" he replies, the corner of his mouth twitching and he hands the bottle to Sirius who is still sporting James's glasses.
"O-open it-t." he slurs. James looks a little confused as he flicks open the cap and wearily handing it over. Sirius took the bottle and held it close to his chest.
And with no warning, whatsoever, he opens his eyes as wide as possible and takes a loud deep breath. "LILY!" he wailed, causing me to jump in surprise. "C-come." His eyes close again. I lean forward. He shakes his head. "Close-r…" When my nose is an inch away from his face, I feel a cold, clingy sensation on the back of my head. And I smell mustard.
I hear James clap his hand over his mouth.
My eyes closed, I heave a great sigh and smack his face. The stupid asshole git is smiling.
"Um… Padfoot? I was only joking, y'know, 'bout the jam thing. She did have to cut her hair off… but it was because of some muggle contraption called… Slum? Hum? Glump? No! Gum! It's Called gum!" James says a bit sheepishly.
Sirius scrunches his face up. "Why on earth would you name something `gum`? It rhymes with-" He grins stupidly.
"Bum!" They say simultaneously. I roll my eyes and sit up. James laughs and offers his hand to me. Without a thought I take it and am thoroughly surprised to feel a tingling sensation erupt up my arm; goose bumps.
"Thanks." I mutter and shove my arms behind my back after noticing his eyes were trailing over them. He lifts an eyebrow.
"No problem. Nice swim suit, by the way"
I rush off behind him, hoping that the heat in my face is strictly from the sun.
"Lily! Are you okay? Here, let me get that out of your hair…" Alice rambles, her shoulder length hair swept back in a pony tail. She hands me a big cup and a towel. I wrap it around my waist and out of pure thirst, chug the cold liquid.