As It Was and You Were
Chapter Eight
Two Sides To Every Story
"Has anyone noticed that James is acting a little strange?" Remus asked with a concerned look on his face.
"No more than usual, why?" Peter unwrapped his last chocolate frog and it stuffed violently into his small gob. The activity mimicked a lion tearing apart a carcass in feverish hunger, and so causing surrounding people to look away in disgust and attempt to keep their previous meals inside themselves. Few succeeded.
"Well I deduct from previous study of James' behaviour that he is currently trying to disengage himself in any activity that interacts us with him, in fear that he will give away some kind of secret that he wishes to keep to himself. Although only for time being," Sirius sat himself on the back of the couch, puffing on a bubble pipe and dodging some flying vomit from a disgusted bystander.
"Excuse me Sirius? Why can't you be this helpful in regular classes?" Remus asked, exasperated.
"Well Remus old chum, I'm afraid that is something I do not know," Sirius tapped the pipe on his hand and continued puffing away blowing multitudes of bubbles into the air.
"OK. I get where you're coming from, but why? I mean nothing's that bad that he'd want to keep anything from us. I mean we're his friends, right?" They all looked over to where James was sitting at a table with Lily. They seemed deep in discussion.
--
"James do you know why everyone is vomiting? I think I have some on my book," Lily held the named object away in fear.
"I really have no idea" James replied blankly staring at her.
Wow. I kissed her… twice. She can too. She bit me. Oh god. Do you think she realises that I'm staring at her. Maybe I should stop. I think I'm freaking her out.
"James please answer me. Stop staring, you're freaking me out. Please. I will hit you," Lily did just that with a whack on the back of his fine, manly head.
"Ow. What was that for?"
"You were staring at me. I was getting freaked out,"
"Well I was going to stop. Then you whacked me,"
"What were you doing? You were really spaced out,"
"I was… thinking,"
"About?"
"Stuff,"
"What kind of stuff?"
"Just stuff,"
"No really,"
Oh no. She's onto me. Quick! Shift the attention to something else.
"I DID NOT GIVE YOU THAT NOTE!" James thundered, he stood up and pointed his finger at Lily.
"I'm sorry?" Lily looked slightly afraid.
"You will curse the day you did not do… all that the Phantom asked of you!" James stood on the table and held is arm out to the room.
"What?"
"Dun! Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun! Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun!" James pretended to play the chords, majestically on an imaginary organ. Every strike on the imaginary keys was powerful and passionate. He…
"What on earth are you doing?" Lily hit James on the leg, "Get down! You're attracting attention for all the wrong reasons!" Indeed James was. A few of the girls had vowed never to fancy him again after that display of complete and utter weirdness.
"I'm sorry Lily," James climbed down back to the chair, "Won't happen again. Just had to get out of my system,"
--
"You see!" Remus thumped Sirius and Peter on their arms, "He's completely lost it! How many times in your life have you seen a boy get up on a table and sing Phantom of the Opera?"
"Well," Sirius began, "There was that time when-"
"Your escapade last year does not count Sirius. Although you have received extra attention from the female majority for that charming rendition of 'Think of Me'. Also a few of the male majority as well," Remus wrinkled his nose.
"Well, what can I say? My soprano pitch is advantageous in certain fields," Sirius added some more bubble mixture to the pipe.
"You sing?" Peter seemed only to have listened in on the conversation then. He merely blinked when the other two looked at him.
"Anyway," Remus ignored Peter, "Maybe it really is bad. Maybe it's driving him around to the loopy bin because he thinks he can't tell us anything,"
"James sings too? Did he and Sirius have lessons together? Hey did you guys notice James before? I think he might be a tenor," Peter mused.
"Remus my lad. You need to calm down. If James really was in trouble he would most certainly talk to us," Sirius awkwardly patted Remus on the shoulder.
"What if we've driven him away? What if he thought we weren't good enough friends? I tried so hard. I don't want to lose James! He's the best friend I have ever had!"
"Remus old chum! Don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?" Remus began to wail and cry, he threw himself onto Sirius' shoulder, "Now now Remus, don't cry. Really. No please don't cry. BE A MAN REMUS!" Sirius dropped his stately manner for a moment. He regained it.
"Maybe we should all start a singing group. I'm a baritone myself," which was rather ironic seeing as Peter had a high squeaky voice. Even now when most teenage boys had already broken their voice.
"S-sorry Sirius. I tend to get a little hormonal round this time of month,"
"You do realise you sound like a girl,"
"Well then Remus could be mezzo-soprano! Like really high," Peter was getting rather excited.
"I know,"
"That's quite alright my friend," Sirius resumed puffing on his bubble pipe.
"I need some chocolate," Remus got up and left, still sniffling.
"That's perfect then! Remus is mezzo-soprano, you're soprano," said Peter gesturing to Sirius, "James is tenor and I'll be baritone. See it's all worked out! I can sing only a little but I'll get better!"
Peter proceeded to scale up and down in a squeaky, raspy, off tune voice. "We'll be famous and call ourselves 'The Marauders'! It'll all be so exciting! We will-" Peter stopped mid-sentence. He looked down. A wet patch was forming on his trousers, "Sirius?"
"Yes Peter?" Sirius turned to see what had happened to Peter's incessant prattling, "Oh just marvellous!" Sirius got up and walked away.
"Note to self," Peter hit himself on the head, "Don't get overexcited about anything, ever, again,"
--
James and Lily watched as Remus burst into tears and Peter once again wet himself.
"You have the weirdest, most disgusting friends!"
"Hey! I resent that!" James shook is finger menacingly at Lily, "Although you are slightly right about that," he smiled. Lily returned the favour.
He has the most beautiful smile! His lips are good at everything!
She is so beautiful when she smiles. I'd go to hell then to heaven then some more, and all the way back. Of course that'd only work if I was dead.
"James?" Lily asked staring at him; her foot nudged his under the table.
"Yes?" James was staring straight back at Lily, he nudged her back.
"You remember the other day in potions right?" Lily played with his foot.
"Yeah," He entwined his leg with hers.
"Well that potion did something remember?" Lily began to brush her foot along his ankle.
"I remember,"
Oh boy do I remember what it did.
"I think its still affecting us somehow," Lily had now proceeded to brush up and down his calf.
"Really?" James tried not to look like his was enjoying it so as not to give away their top-secret, confidential, private, not-to-be-disclosed, hush-hush, off-the-record relationship. Which proved to be extremely difficult for a mentally challenged, hormonal driven, testosterone fuelled, ticking-time-bomb, seventeen year old boy. Or man as they prefer at that age.
"So what if it is?"
"I don't know how it could still be doing it Lily," James grabbed Lily's other foot with his so that they were now pretty much playing footsie. Except a bit more violently, "What if I research the potion? Will that make you feel better?"
"Yes," The bell rang for all the students to retire to their dormitory. Usually for all of them it did. But for two groups of students, they had other plans.
--
Lily Evans had placed the shovel into the ground and scooped out the dirt. She knew it wasn't the potion. It was love. Not an artful posture but love that overthrows life. Unbiddable, ungovernable, like a riot in the heart with nothing to be done come ruin or rapture. Lily didn't know there were so many ways for someone to say they were in love. Until she saw it written somewhere. It might have been a book. Or a note.
To Lily,
Well it has been a few days since you last chased me through the classroom. But I told you something. No wait I didn't. But I will now. According to other time future records, you are currently not under any influence from any type of potion.
You are in love. Not an artful posture but lo- OK so I don't want to write it again. You've already read it.
Don't be afraid to fall Lily. What ever you do don't be afraid.
The Magical Cat (Or Rachel, you know the girl who said she'd heard stories?)
At the bottom of the note there was an ink paw print. Lily widened her eyes when she saw it.
"This means war,"
Well. I had some spare time on my hands and thought I'd post another chapter. Do tell me what you think. I need some feedback as to what should happen. So... REVIEW DAMMIT! Thank you for your co-operation. Have a safe trip and only break your neck in two places instead of three this time.