Cruel Summer
When Lily had stormed off she had left James at Kings Cross Station, where it was all remotely familiar as it was where all the students caught the Hogwarts Express. James had decided to have a break from the fiery girl for a while, just to let them both cool off after their little…incident.
He walked around the unfamiliar city streets, not knowing where he was or where he was going. If he had thought there was a lot of Muggles on the way to the train, he was sadly mistaken. The city was full of them. Brimming even. Everywhere he turned they were there. Even though he didn't hate the Muggles, he did feel uneasy to him. They were so different to the Wizards and Witches he knew, and they ways were also equally alien to him.
He rounded a corner and stopped, looking at the buildings, `Ok, I'm sure I've just been here.'
James turned back again, not wanting to think those fateful thoughts. But it was inevitable.
`Ok,' he sighed, stuffing his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, `I'm lost.'
*************************
Lily was fed up.
She had browsed around a few shops but even looking at the `30% OFF' sign in the window of `Warehouse' didn't shift the guilt she felt.
The little nagging voice in the back of her mind kept telling her how unreasonable she had been.
`Shut up!' the stubborn side snapped, `He deserved everything you said!'
Restraining the nagging guilt momentarily she walked inside the store, her mind filled by colours, textures, and more importantly, sale signs.
Lily had just picked up a tartan style mini-skirt when she felt the air shift behind her and a sharp tap on her shoulder. She turned around fast to see James' smirking face staring back at her.
`Did you apperate here?' she exclaimed, her eyes widening at the thought, `What if someone saw you?'
`Oh, give it a rest,' he snapped, `there's no one around.'
Lily paused for a second then turned back to the rack of skirts, making James shift his gaze to the skirt that she was holding. He took it for her hands and looked at it.
`So, looking Scottish and wearing a kilt is in this summer then?'
Lily spun around and snatched the skirt from his grasp, glaring at him.
`It so happens that these are fashionable now actually, not like you would understand the concept.'
James smirked at her glare, `Hit me where it hurts, why don't you?'
`Oh shut up!' she snapped, turning away and walking to another rack of clothes, `How would you know what a kilt looks like then?'
`I'm not stupid,' he frowned.
`Really,' she whispered, `could have fooled me.'
James noticed she still held the skirt as she picked up more items.
`Are you buying all that stuff?'
`I'm trying them on,' she replied flatly, not bothering to look at him.
James' small `oh' was lost on her as she turned to look at an evening gown that was hanging on a mannequin, in a satin emerald colour. Lily reached out to stroke it and the material flowed through her fingers like water. It was stunning. Gorgeous material pinned together at the waist, flowing down to ripple around the feet. Strapless, she noticed.
`Oh, it's beautiful.'
She completely forgot that James was standing next to her and she gazed at The Dress with desire.
`I'm going to try it on,' she beamed as she flicked through the sizes, looking for her own.
James groaned, `What? It's gonna take us ages for you to try on all this stuff!'
Lily ignored his moans of protest as she selected the right one and made her way towards the changing areas, James following her reluctantly.
She tried on the skirt and other garments first, leaving The Dress until last. James had grunted his opinion at her appearance, too engrossed in the women's lingerie near him to manage any other coherent sound.
Lily couldn't care less that he acknowledged her, let alone expressed his views on her fashion sense, and she went back into the cubicle to change into The Dress. It was a few minutes before she emerged from the changing room and James was seriously getting bored. He was yawning every 5 seconds and checking his wizard watch even more.
He looked up quickly as the curtain was pulled back and Lily stepped out.
James was stunned.
She looked breathtakingly beautiful.
The Dress hugged her curvy figure like a second skin and the green satin brought out the brightness of her eyes.
Lily stepped towards him and ran her hands over The Dress.
`Well,' she sighed, `Bad or good?'
James was silent for a few seconds until he realised he had his mouth open and drool was falling from it. Sitting up straight, he ran his eyes slowly over her body, drinking in the sight, and then looked back at her face.
`It erm…it looks nice.'
`Yeah, it would look nice off her as well.'
Lily looked down at herself and turned to face the long mirror and admiring the picture she made. The Dress was so elegant and beautiful that she didn't notice James standing up and gazing over her back.
`I really love it,' she whispered.
`Get it then,' James said, looking over her again and wishing…
Lily shook her head, `It's too expensive.'
James picked up the tag that rested on her back, gently grazing his fingers over her skin and sending a sharp shock up his arm.
He paused and frowned at the price, `I'll never understand Muggle money.'
Lily snorted and turned around to face him. James stepped back, aware of how close she was, and he needed to be away from her if he didn't want to be in an embarrassing situation.
`If I win the lottery,' she smiled.
`The what?'
She huffed and turned back into the cubicle, `Oh, never mind.'
James sat back in the chair as she disappeared into the changing room. Holding his head in his hands, he thought about Padfoot's comment.
`What Evan's lacks in social skills, she makes for it in body.'
`Well, he's not wrong,' he thought, recalling how her body moved with The Dress and how he'd love to just tear it from her bod…
`Shut up!' he mentally shouted at himself, `It's Evans, plain and boring Evans.'
But no matter how hard he tried to shake away the thoughts, they were taking over his mind. By the time they caught the train back to Lily's house, he was thinking thoughts and imagining things that wouldn't even be put in an 18 movie.
Lily was starting to become concerned with James' behaviour, or lack of it. It was unnerving for him to be so quiet and shifty around her.
`You're such an idiot,' she cursed herself, `you get annoyed when he's loud and annoyed when he's not.'
After he trailed a couple of metres behind her as they were walking to her front door, Lily had had enough.
`Ok,' she snapped and turned to face him, `what's the matter? You've been weird all day!'
James recoiled from her question and muttered something incoherent. Lily huffed in exasperation with the boy in front of her and turned to face the front door. Frowning at the fact that the door was unlocked she pushed the door open.
James following her, she walked down the hall and opened the lounge door. What met her eyes stunned her for a second before her brain acknowledged it.
Sirius, Remus and Peter were sat on her sofa, their eyes glued to the large Television Set that sat in the corner.
They were watching a gardening program, probably oblivious of turning the channel over. But still, if someone had seen them, they'd have thought that it was a porn star who was presenting the show and she'd just revealed her chest.
James spoke before she even thought to, `What are you guys doing here?'
Sirius glanced at him quickly, `Prongs mate! Come and check this out!'
`Unbelievable,' Lily thought, her mind in turmoil, `how dare th…'
But her thoughts were interrupted as James walked past her into the lounge and flopped down onto the sofa.
`What is it?' she heard him ask.
`Dunno, some Muggle show.'
Lily finally came out of her dazed expression and walked over to the four of them.
`Are you brain dead? It's a gardening program!'
All that met her statement was four choruses of `Sssh'. Lily sighed and walked towards the Television Set.
`What are you doing?' Sirius sat up quickly, but she didn't answer.
Lily pressed the black button on the front and the screen went black. Moans of protest and swearing filled her ears as she turned around, and Sirius chucked a red cushion at her. Grabbing the cushion, she walked towards the four 16 year olds.
`What are you doing in my house?'
`Was watching a bit of the old VT,' Sirius sighed, sitting back in the chair, `but of course Miss Head Girl had to have a problem with it.'
Lily looked at the Gryffindor with a dry expression on her face.
She chucked the cushion back onto the sofa, `Ok, one: I think you mean TV, and two: I told you what would happen if you came over.'
`Come on Evans,' Sirius whined, `just because you don't have any mates doesn't mean you have to deprive Prongs of his.'
Sirius flashed her an impish grin and she folded her arms, `Ooh a full sentence? That didn't get you headache, did it?'
`It did a bit baby; I think I need your expert touch.'
James snorted with laughter at Sirius' comeback and they looked at the girl standing in front of them.
`Why again are you here?'
Remus broke the silence, `My Mum chucked us out.'
Sirius shot him a look that told him to shut up.
`Don't worry guys,' James started, `you can stay here.'
Lily looked at James sharply, `Oh can they? Sorry I forgot whose house this was.'
James stood up from the sofa and narrowed his eyes at the redhead in front of him.
`Don't be a cold-hearted bitch, Evans.'
Her lips tightened in anger, `You should be glad I haven't chucked them out already, after they broke into my house!'
At this point Sirius stood up, `We didn't break into your house.'
`Oh what?' she snapped sarcastically, `You just happened to have a key spare?'
`Your sister let us in actually!'
`My sister?' Lily scoffed, `Yeah right, my sister wouldn't let Wiz…Where is my sister?'
Her question cast a deafening silence across the lounge and Sirius sat back on the sofa again, glancing at Remus quickly. Lily stepped towards them, both not meeting her gaze. She looked at them hard, her eyes ablaze with a fiery anger that threatened to take her and everyone in a 5 mile radius.
`Where. Is. My. Sister?'
`Erm…'
`Where. Is. She?' she growled, her voice getting louder.
Sirius nudged Remus, making him look at him and indicating him to tell her.
`Me?' Remus hissed, `Why do I have to tell her?'
`Because…because it's your fault!'
`My fault? You're the one who…'
`Shut up!' Lily yelled, startling them to look at her, `Just tell me!'
Sirius drew a breath, `Well…'
He shifted in his seat, `Erm…well, you know how we like to use magic…for Moony's sake?'
Lily frowned but James seemed to know what he was talking about so he continued.
`Well, the Mug…your sister, she erm…kind of saw it.'
`What?' Lily frowned and she looked at James, who was staring at Sirius in…shock?
`And she fainted,' Peter piped up, earning a glare from both Remus and Sirius.
`What?' Lily shrieked.
Remus stood up quickly, `Listen Lil' she's fine ok? She's in her room, nothing happened to her…much.'
`Oh my god!'
The four Gryffindor's watched the Head Girl turn quickly and sprint out of the room, hearing her run up the stairs. They looked at each other silently and paused, Sirius holding his head in his hands. James was the first to speak.
`Oh well,' he sighed, flopping back down onto the red sofa, `how do you get the Tele thing working again?'
***************************
It had taken nearly a full hour to convince Petunia to unlock the door, let alone come out of it and Lily really felt like collapsing on the floor and crying. Not in sadness but in the sheer frustration of being like piggy-in-the-middle. Her sister on one side and James, and his cronies on the other, pushing from both angles and trapping her in the centre.
`Why do I have to be the one who does everything?' she moaned out loud, as she tried to remove the curse from the kitchen radio.
Sirius and James had decided it would be funny if they went around Lily's house exploring. She had heard their shouts when she was trying - miserably - to persuade Petunia to move the chest of drawers away from the door. Leaving her sister, she ran down the stairs to find they'd freaked out when sound had come out of the speakers, after they had prodded the buttons.
`Get out!' she shouted at them, watching the radio dubiously as smoke started pouring from the CD compartment.
Several more breakages, curses and near-death experiences later, Lily finally told them to leave.
`Come on Lil', we won't touch anything else,' James grinned.
`That's what you said before you nearly broke my computer!' she hissed at him.
`I thought it was a VT!'
Oh. My. God! This must be what going insane feels like! I can't take anymore!
Lily felt mentally exhausted.
It was like baby sitting four 6 year olds at Christmas. They just wanted to be doing everything and she thought she was either going to pass out or have a Nervous Breakdown.
She was sitting in the kitchen looking at her Dad's alcohol cabinet seriously considering the soothing effects when Remus walked in and sat opposite her. She didn't shift at all and chose not to acknowledge him until he waved a hand in front of her eyes.
`Earth to Head Girl?'
She slid her gaze across to rest on him, `What?'
He smiled softly, `I'm sorry Lil' we didn't mean to wreck your house.'
`Let me guess,' Lily sighed, sitting up, `Sirius send you in to tell me that?'
Remus shifted in his seat, `No.'
She smiled at him, he was the only one of them that she could barely tolerate, and she spoke in a tired but amicable tone, `You're a crappy liar.'
He laughed softly and nodded his head.
`Look,' she began, `do me a favour? Just take them out for a while, yeah? They're driving me mad and I think I might just kill someone.'
Remus nodded again and stood up, `You still want me to bring Prongs back?'
She looked dryly at his grinning face, `If I answer that question I might just kill myself!'
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