Chapter 9: Lily's POV
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The first few days as James Potter's girlfriend had been a mixture of ups and downs. We had a never ending chemistry that always seemed to bubble into debates and other enlightening conversations. We had completely different views of the world and our personalities couldn't have been more opposite.
However.
James made me feel…invincible. I walked around with an air of confidence, something I had been lacking before. He supported me in all my academics, just as I supported him in his Quidditch. It was so empowering to have someone wanting your eternal happiness, someone you had complete control over. It made me feel strong.
However.
Remus. He had been a constant nag in the back of my mind, reminding me of the feelings I had once felt for him. A week seemed so long ago. Now, I was damn sure I was falling in love with James Potter. And I was damn sure he felt the same about me. The only problem was, I still felt some sort of allegiance to Remus, and whenever James and I would hold hands or kiss, I would feel a slight nagging feeling. I was worried about him. He still hadn't returned from his "treatment".
Another thing was bothering me. I had yet to meet James' friends. Within the hour of us returning from Hogsmede, I made him known to all my friends, but he still hadn't returned the favor. Sure I had heard of them, and been in classes with them, but I had never really met them.
We were talking about the latest prank he was going to pull with his friends. Within the few days I had shared with him and had gotten to know him better, I realized that all the mischief going on around school was his doing, his masterminding. I thought it was courageous and sexy for him to be so daring.
Once we reached the safety of the Gryffindor common room, where things could be discussed more openly, he started a conversation I was very interested in.
"So I want you to meet my friends?" He spoke the statement as if it were a question. I realized then he was asking my permission.
"Are you asking me if I want to, or telling me?" I asked right back, firing at him.
"Telling you." He decided after a moment of thinking.
"Why'd you wait so long?" I spoke of my later thoughts, and how I had felt.
"'Cause I just wanted to make sure. That, you know, things were going to work out between us. I didn't want you to judge me based off my friends' stories until you knew me."
I completely accepted that as an answer and allowed him to call his two friends in the room. The third, I noticed, was absent.
"Lily. This is Sirius and Peter. Remus is still recovering from his…ah…treatment." He stumbled over the last few words, as if he had to remember what he had said to me.
"Oh, and Sirius and Peter, this is Lily."
Sirius was just an inch taller than James at 6'0". His hair was coal black, like James', and thick and wavy. It was long, reaching his shoulders. His eyes were dark and lively, and his mischievous grin was contagious. He was like James in that your mood improved greatly just by being near him. They could've been brothers.
Peter was another story. I truly didn't understand how he became one of the Marauders. James was the leader, and Sirius his best friend. Although shy, Remus definitely deserved to be one of them. But Peter had no brains, talent, or looks.
He was short, barely taller than me, and plump. His mousy-brown hair was thin and oily. His eyes were a flat brown, and beady. I was uneasy around him. I didn't trust him the way I could easily trust Remus, Sirius, or James.
"Nice to finally meet you, Lily," said Sirius grinning. "We've only been hearing about you since…well the first time James laid eyes on you."
Peter looked at James eagerly to see his reaction. James looked unembarrassed. "Yeah pretty much," he said, unashamed.
"I must say, I've been very eager for this day to come," said Sirius. "I've always been curious if your personality was as lovely as your-"
"SIRIUS!" James cut him off. He blushed. "I'm sorry, Lily," he said. "Sirius has tendency to judge girls not on personality, but on how nice he thinks their butt looks."
"Ah, I see. So you're a butt guy, Sirius?" I teased. He laughed. "And James, I'm pretty sure you're just as guilty as Sirius when it comes to butt-rating."
Now everyone laughed, Peter included. "I think I like you, Lily," said Sirius. "Your brains are quite possibly as big as your-"
"SIRIUS!" James yelled.
Sirius grinned. "So, what do you say you lend your brilliant mind to us for a few hours? We need an idea for a way to prank Norman Hycliff…"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A few hours later, I was in the library reading up on the book Remus had suggested for me. It included some potions I had never heard of before. They were all very complex, but all of them seemed useful, either for serious uses or humorous ones. As I read about one that would make the drinker feel as if they were being relentlessly tickled, I chuckled and understood Remus' fondness for the book.
I was still chuckling quietly to myself when a familiar voice spoke my name.
"Fancy seeing you here, Lily," said my best friend, Severus Snape. "I wouldn't have thought you'd be here-I thought you'd be somewhere more private doing private things with your new boyfriend. Apparently your new boyfriend was something too private to share even with your best friend. Although you had no problems flaunting your new relationship around everyone else in the school. That doesn't make complete sense to me, but then again, if James Potter clouded my thoughts every moment of the day, it might start to."
I blushed profusely. I had completely forgotten to tell Sev, I was so wrapped up in my thoughts of James and Remus. In fact, the last thing I'd said to him was that I wasn't going out with James. Now it seemed like I was deliberately lying to him.
"Sev, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed. "Honestly, my thoughts were completely else ware. I wasn't even thinking about you-" I cut myself off, cringing. Severus' eyes flashed. I noticed they were practically the same color as Sirius', but while Sirius' eyes contained humor Severus' held hurt, and anger. "I'm sorry," I murmured. "That didn't come out right. What I meant was-"
"Save it, Lily," Sev said icily. "I think I prefer the silence to whatever you have to say." And he walked off. I sighed, and plopped my face between my hands.