After a long wait (if anyone was waiting), here you have it!

The Problem with Loud Arguments

"Stop looking at me like that, Moony," James said for the sixth time that day, breaking off his conversation with Sirius to shoot an injured look at his friend. Remus was staring pointedly at him over his copy of The Beast Within – some Muggle book he'd borrowed from Evans – but at the mention of his nickname, he lowered his eyes down again, though not, James noticed, without rolling them first. This, of course, irritated him greatly. He opened his mouth to say something harsh, but was interrupted by Sirius coming to his defence.

"Lay off him, Remus, he's already apologised to Evans about twenty times," Sirius' voice was exasperated, and Remus proceeded to respond exactly not at all as he turned the page.

"Would have apologised if she'd even listen to me," James added morosely.

"And it's not," Sirius continued, "Like it's his fault. It's yours, mostly."

This did evoke a response. "Mine?" Remus asked incredulously, lowering his book completely and staring. "How is James using Lily like that some sort my fault?" Snapping the book closed, he turned to the man in question, "I'm sorry, James; I do a lot for you and I forgive a lot, but I won't accept blame for this."

Sirius continued virtuously, speaking over whatever James was about to respond with. "But it is, though," he insisted. "Yours, and...her's." His eyes narrowed as the dark-haired Seeker appeared behind Remus with Peter in tow, dropping the books in her hands unceremoniously on to the wood of the table.

"You weren't complaining about our plan when you thought you were getting sex out of it," Jennifer pointed out coolly as she plopped down beside Remus and reached for the bacon, then promptly ignored him. Sirius opened his mouth to say something in retort, but Peter was the one to interrupt this time.

"Lily wants to see you at six tonight," he said to James as he took his own seat and attained some cornflakes. He took no notice of the offended look on Sirius' face; much as he disliked arguing and shouting, he was used to the arguments between Sirius and Jennifer. The whole of Gryffindor tower was used to them, actually. This particular one which had taken place on the night of the Hogsmeade Incident, as Peter called it, had began at eight o'clock and ended in Professor McGonagall being called to the Common Room to sort it so that the Gryffindors could get some sleep that night. As a result, everyone and their aunt knew about the Hogsmeade Incident, and it seemed like the whole school was taking sides. And loyal as he was to James and Sirius, Peter agreed with Jennifer on this one; James had been very in the wrong, and Sirius had also been wrong to defend him.

"No, Pete," James said in a tone which was both despairing and gentle, like a severely depressed person explaining to a small child how they were wrong. "Lily doesn't want to see me. Lily hates me."

"Lily doesn't hate you," Peter said cheerfully. "She doesn't like you, but you two are head boy and girl, and do have work to do together."

"Besides," Jennifer added with a slight drawl, amused at Peter's blithe bullying, "She isn't bothered about your absolutely despicable behaviour any more."

"Yes, she's way too distracted by spending time with Rhys Phillips these days," Peter added nonchalantly, smiling and standing up to go as he finished his cornflakes. The confused look on James' face was slightly hurtful on his conscience, but really, James shouldn't have been so mean to poor Lily.

When Jennifer looked up from her bacon a few minutes after Peter left the Great Hall, she found all three of the remaining boys staring at her. Remus, his brow wrinkled like it usually did when something confused him, was the first to speak. "Rhys is the captain of the Astronomy club, isn't he?" he asked mildly.

"Oh yes, he's really friendly," Jennifer replied. "You'd know him when you see him, big guy, brown hair, lovely brown eyes, really gentle-"

"Wait, you mean Phillips? That prat on the Hufflepuff team?"

"I don't know what it is to you, Bla-"

"Gentle?"

"Yes, gentle!" Jennifer replied indignantly, her temper flaring at his mocking tone. "He's-"

"He's their Beater!"

Around them, the Gryffindors who were finishing breakfast were suddenly realising they had other appointments elsewhere, and a first year a few spaces down on the bench could be dimly heard to say to his friend that now would be the perfect time to open a Howler with no embarrassment.

"Doesn't he have a bit of a...reputation?" Remus asked hesitantly, not wanting to get involved, but his curiosity getting the better of him. Neither participant in the argument paid him any heed, but James snapped his attention to his lycanthropic friend. "Reputation?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Remus replied, wishing dearly that he'd not said a thing. "I could be mistaken, I've just heard some...rumours...about him and some girls..."

"Jennifer, are they going out?" James demanded, and the arguing stopped at once as Jennifer turned to answer him, icy retort at the ready, and paused. Something in his face made her answer his question seriously.

"I dunno, James, honestly," she replied with a slight frown. "She's barely spoken to me since the whole thing last weekend, but I do know she's been spending a lot of time with Phillips lately. To be honest, I don't like him much either. Seems a bit fishy to me."

"Oh, wind him up by complimenting the prat, why don't you," Sirius muttered. "That's not bitchy at all."

"Right, so someone acts like a total bastard to my friend and suddenly I'm the bitch—where are you going, James?"

She didn't get an answer as James stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving the three behind him in silence. Remus barely had a moment to enjoy the quiet before:

"It's bitchy to be so bloody passive aggressive all the time!"

Remus wondered to himself where Peter had gotten to, and decided it would be much more peaceful to go find him instead of being here.

Lily was not expecting the door of the otherwise unoccupied classroom to burst open, but her surprise immediately changed to indignation when she saw the responsible party.

"This looks cosy," James Potter said coldly, staring at where Lily sat behind a desk on top of which was perched the Hufflepuff beater.

"Look, mate, we're busy here," the Welsh teenager said, getting to his feet, "So if you could just leave..."

"Don't tell me what to do, mate. I want to talk to the head girl, and I'd appreciate if you left."

"She doesn't want to see you, Potter," Rhys shot back. "Leave."

"Who are you to say what she wants?"

"Please, the whole school knows-"

Lily saw James' hand fly to his pocket and stood up, her chair clattering to the floor as she did so. "Stop it," she demanded. "Rhys, can you please go? I'd like to sort this out, and we can continue tomorrow." The harsh look on Rhys' face left, replaced by a smile and a nod. He approached, kissed her hand, left. And then there were two.

"What are you playing at," Lily demanded flatly.

"I don't want to see you all cosied up with some scummy-" James began hotly.

"You lost your right to an opinion last weekend, thank you very much!" Lily interrupted, arms folded.

"I'm just trying to look after you! Honestly, you always go for the creeps; Phillips and his pervertedness and-"

"Don't you dare say 'Snape', Potter!"

"Well it's true! Why do you even care anymore anyway? He treated you like dirt!"

"You treated me like dirt!" Lily retorted, feeling herself heat up.

"I did not!" James cried, "I bloody kissed you because I wanted to!"

"And because Severus was there!"

"Alright, it was poorly timed, yeah, but for Merlin's sake, Lily, I would have kissed you anyway! I bloody love you, and spending that day with you was the best day of my life, and now you won't even speak to me!"

"Well maybe it was the best day of my life too and I was hurt because you ruined it!"

James was brought up short. "What?" he asked, his voice lowered from a shout to barely a whisper.

Lily, however, continued with a raised voice, "And maybe I agreed to take Astronomy lessons with that creepy Phillips, even though he kept coming on to me, because I knew it would make you jealous!"

"Why are girls so spiteful?" James shot back, voice rising again.

"I'm spiteful? What about you?" Lily yelled back.

"Maybe I don't like it when creeps insult the girl I fancy and she lets herself get upset about it for years and they won't leave her alone!"

"Well maybe I fancy you too, and I don't like it when you make a prat of yourself and make me angry!"

James barely registered what she'd said, barrelling on with his rant, "And maybe I'm sick of being rejected when I've been in love with you for years and I still see you holding a torch for someone that hurt you so much! My head can't take much more being messed with!"

"Well maybe we should just go out then and clear your head once and for all!" Lily snapped.

"Maybe we should!"

"Maybe that's what I wanted all along and didn't want to admit it!"

"Maybe it was!"

"Well I guess we're going out then!" Lily shouted, grabbing her bag from the floor and slinging it around her shoulder violently.

"I guess we are!" James shot back.

"Good! Fine! I'll see you at six!" Lily replied with loud venom, storming towards the door.

"Fine! Bye!" James retorted.

Just as Lily reached the door, it swung open to reveal the mischievous grin on the face of one Albus Dumbledore. "As please as I am for you two," the headmaster said, his eyes twinkling with amusement at their stunned faces, "Can I request that you keep it down? I'm afraid some of the first years just reported some terrifyingly loud ghost arguments, and the poor things were quite frightened."

"Y...yes! Sorry, Headmaster!" Lily stuttered, but Dumbledore was already strolling away after a wink in James' general direction. She turned to face the latter now, seeing a look of stunned bewilderment that echoed what she felt as what had just happened sank in. "Uh, six," she said awkwardly, then bolted out of the room.

"Six," James repeated, dazed, as the door slammed behind her.

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