Completely Out of Control

Completely Out of Control

A/N: okay, this fic just popped into my head after I finished the fifth HP book . . . it stems from my favorite scene, in which Harry looks into Snape’s pensieve. So if you haven’t read OotP, click the “back” button, turn off your computer, and finish the book before you come back and read this! Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing . . . so I’m just borrowing the characters that the fabulous JK Rowling invented. So please read this fic (and REVIEW whether you love it or hate it,) and enjoy!

Summary: It's Lily's 7th year, and she faces several difficulties. For one, Snape refuses to be civil, and James Potter refuses to be mature. But Lily can't help liking the popular, conceited guy anyway ... much to her own frustration.

*******

Hi, I’m Lily Evans. As of today, I’m seventeen and Head Girl at Hogwarts. My family was delighted to hear the news (except Petunia, of course) and I can’t wait to go back to school for my seventh (and final) year.

So what’s there to say about me? I have long red hair and green eyes, if you care about things like that. I’m smart (if I do say so myself,) and I like everything to be neat and ordered. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out that way. Oh, and one more thing: some girls are attracted to men with money, others like good looks, and some value athletic ability. As for me? Above all, I am influenced by brilliance.

Which brings me to my seventh year, where I battle against a dangerous attraction to a guy so wrong that I hate myself for loving him.

*******

My parents drove me to King’s Cross Station, and waved good-bye as I passed through the barrier at Platform 9 and ¾. I pulled my trunk up into the train, looking for a familiar face. “Lily!” I heard, and turned around to see my best friend in the world, Emily Weasley. Her bright red hair stood out from the crowd, far more than mine, which looked auburn or almost brown in contrast.

“Emily! Long time no see!”

“No kidding. You look great! Come on, let’s get an empty compartment before they’re all taken.”

We walked down the corridor. I saw several people I knew who were already seated. In one compartment I saw Remus Lupin, and I almost went in to talk to him when I saw a boy with messy black hair sitting beside him. Remus was such a nice guy. Why did he always hang around Mr. Big Ego? I dragged Emily away and we finally found an empty room, where we situated ourselves.

“So Lily, how does it feel to be Head Girl?”

I fingered my new badge. “Exciting. Almost . . . surreal.”

“Yeah, right. We all knew you’d make it. Well, all of us except you, maybe. You always were too modest for your own good.”

“Oh, come on. By the way, do you know who Head Boy is?”

“Actually, I do. The one and only James Potter. Thankfully. I was worried they’d pick that slimy suck-up, Snape. Now we’ve got two Gryffindor Heads, which can only be a step in the right direction.”

“Hm. James Potter, after all the trouble he’s caused?”

“Well, he’s just mischievous. And nobody can deny that he’s absolutely brilliant.” Emily blushed. “And cute, too.”

I sighed. Brilliant, that was the word. Along with egotistical, conceited, insensitive, and obnoxious.

“Lily? Are you listening?”

“Of course I am. I heard you talking about how cute James is.”

“Well, he is, even you can’t deny it, Lily. Although compared to Sirius, he’s nothing. Still, I don’t see why you won’t give him a chance. Can’t you see that he’s perfectly devoted to you?”

“All I can see is that he’s a stuck-up, spoiled brat who thinks he can get whatever he wants.”

Emily smiled and looked at Lily. “Everything except for what he wants most,” she said under her breath.

*******

James Potter was annoyed. Six years of school with Lily Evans, and she still wouldn’t even look at him. Unless it was to criticize him.

“Come on, give it a rest,” said Sirius. “Every other girl in the school would go out with you.”

“Why should I care, when the only girl I want hate my guts?”

“Lily doesn’t hate you.” Remus spoke for the first time.

“Yeah, but she’s doing a pretty good impression of it. Doesn’t she see that everything I do is for her?”

“Look, Prongs, I know you don’t want to hear this,” interrupted Remus, “but if you’re trying to impress her, you’re going about it in the worst way possible.”

“Prongs, I still say you should just forget about her. As I said, there’s plenty of girls--”

“Not for me. I’ve found my girl, okay? And I’ll get her. I’ll run her down, and eventually she’ll see.”

*******

Tired of Emily’s boring chatter about Sirius’ dreamy eyes, I walked into the corridor, hoping to see the food cart. Disappointed that nobody was to be seen, I decided to make a trip to the girls’ bathroom. On my way out, I bumped into someone.

“Get out of the way!” shouted an extremely angry Severus Snape, a skinny boy with oily hair who was currently scowling at me. “Can’t you look before you crash into someone?”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” I said apologetically. “It’s really no big deal, why do you have to make it that way?”

“It’s none of your business how I act. I don’t need a psychiatrist, especially not some mudblood who thinks she knows everything.” He pulled open a compartment door and slammed it shut. A moment later, another door opened.

“Okay, Evans, where is he, that git?” a furious James Potter asked. “I’ll get old Snivelly this time, who does he think he is?”

“Who do you think YOU are? I can fight my own battles, thank you very much.”

“C’mon, Evans, why do you always have to be so stand-offish? Let’s learn to be friends, especially since we’ll be spending a lot more time together as Head Boy and Girl. And as for Snivelly, why don’t you let me lend a hand? A girl like you shouldn’t have anything to do with a slimy git like him.” He smiled at me sweetly. Unfortunately, he also took the moment to run his hand through his already rumpled hair. I snorted and walked back to my compartment. Who did he think he was, indeed? If he had any more ego, his head would explode. On the other hand, why did Snape hate me so much? It was as if he tried to make himself unpopular. Guys, I thought. You could never figure out what was going on in their heads.

I walked back into my compartment, and saw Emily with a lap full of various sweets. Apparently the food cart had paid a visit while I was gone.

“Hey, Lily, what’s up? You look upset. Tell me.”

I smiled weakly. “Only if you give me one of those Chocolate Frogs.”

“Deal.” She held out a package and we settled down to candy and gossip.

*******

Severus Snape looked around the empty compartment. What was that Evans girl up to? He had insulted her, ignored her, and eventually did anything to avoid her, but still she tried to be polite. As if he wanted anything to do with a mudblood Gryffindor, even if she had piercing green eyes and silky red hair . . . but what was he thinking? She was just a girl like all the others, drooling over that idiot Potter. There was nothing special about her . . . or was there?

*******

James was bored. You could watch Remus and Sirius play chess only so many times before it became tiresome, and even Peter’s admiring compliments were grating on him. Because he had only one thing on his mind: Lily Evans.

It surprised the entire school that James Potter, Gryffindor Seeker and heartthrob who could get any girl on campus, spent six years crushing on Lily Evans, Miss Perfect. But James was persistent. While other girls goggled at him and sent him adoring glances, he looked at Lily and nobody else. So it was no surprise that when the Hogwarts Express stopped at last, he practically ran out, hoping to get a chance to talk to the elusive Lily.

Instead, he was immediately stopped in the corridor by a tall, dark-haired girl with violet eyes.

“Hey James,” she said with a smile, “why are you in such a hurry?”

“Oh, hey Bella,” he returned, without so much enthusiasm, “I’m trying to find a teacher or something . . . I think I’m supposed to get instruction for my Head Boy job.” Unconsciously, James ran his hand through his hair, an action that drove all the girls wild.

“Oh . . . I heard Lily Evans was made Head Girl.” Bellatrix evidently wasn’t very excited about the choice.

But James’ face softened, and he smiled. “Yeah. Look, Bella, I gotta run. See you later, okay?”

She stared enviously at his retreating figure and muttered, “okay, bye,” but he was already gone. That stupid Lily Evans, she thought, what does she have that I don’t? But don’t worry, she told herself, I’ll get Potter eventually, if it’s the last thing I do.

*******

Okay, I guess that’s the end of my first chapter. So tell me what you think! Is it good? Bad? Confusing? Or what? Just tell me! Reviewing can take you thirty seconds, but just think how happy I become whenever I read one! So please please please! Just review! Oh, and one last note: Emily is just some sort of relation to the Weasleys that we are familiar with, not necessarily a direct relation to Ron.

Completely Out of Control

By h-kitty

Chapter 2

As is always the case when a new school year begins, Hogwarts was noisy and chaotic. The Great Hall was full of chatter, except for near the entrance, where the nervous first years stood. Emily and I found seats near the front table, to watch the sorting. I was back into my good mood, because Professor Dumbledore had found me when I exited my carriage, and told me to meet him for Head Girl instructions after the banquet.

My mood lasted for about ten more seconds, because I turned around to face a mischievous James Potter. He grinned at me. “Hey Evans, long time no see. How was your summer? I hope it wasn’t too boring without me around.”

I smiled at him sweetly. “On the contrary! It was blissfully Potter-free.” At this, Emily collapsed into giggles, and Sirius whispered loudly, “Prongs, be careful. Lily’s not someone to mess with.” Remus smiled, but Peter didn’t look too happy. Still, I liked him. If there was one thing I admired James for, it was how he and his friends had accepted a shy, unpopular guy like Peter into their clique. James wasn’t offended, of course. He loved it when I talked back to him, which was why I did it sparingly.

The Sorting went on as usual, and I tried to ignore James as much as possible. Which was hard, considering that he was sitting right next to him. Besides, I was tired of playing the ice-queen. How much longer could this last?

The feast was wonderful, especially after a whole summer of boring Muggle food. I was more than ready for a change. Especially since I hadn’t had any cold pumpkin juice for two whole months. Much too long.

If I was trying to ignore James, Emily was trying just as hard to attract Sirius’ attention. She always was a flirt.

“So, Sirius, how was your summer?”

He smiled. “My vacations have been great, ever since I moved into James’ house. James has the greatest family ever. What about you?”

Well, that’s an interesting question. I spent the entire time de-gnoming and sneaking out to play quidditch every chance I got.”

This caught James’ attention. “Oh, are you a quidditch player?”

“Only an aspiring one. You should see Lily play, though, she’s really good.” Great, I thought. Just what I needed. An excuse to talk to James.

“Evans? You play quidditch? How come you never told me? We could practice together, and I could give you a few of my tips.”

I sighed. “Well, last time I checked, you weren’t on my list of people I confide in.”

James pounced on this as well. “Which is an extreme pity, because I would LOVE to confide in you. Can’t you add me to your list?”

“In your dreams.”

“I already to dream about it, Evans. I don’t need dreams. So I’ll ask you for last time--”

Sirius interrupted, “It’s the seventeenth, and probably not the last.”

“Will you go out with me?”

I couldn’t take any more of this. I picked up my goblet of pumpkin juice and dumped everything on his head, after which I got up and attempted to leave the Great Hall. Emily got up to follow me reluctantly.

“Come on, Lily, he was serious that time. And he is so sweet!”

“Give me a break. I don’t need to hear any more of this.” I was almost at the door.

“Don’t you regret it at all? That you let your anger get control of you?” If only she knew about the other feeling that was gaining control of me.

“The only thing I regret is wasting the pumpkin juice on him. It was delicious.” I was so angry that I talked to Emily as I walked, not looking where I was going, until I bumped into someone.

“Miss Evans, why are you in such a hurry?” I looked up and saw an amused Professor Dumbledore looking down at me. “If you haven’t forgotten, I believe you have some instructions to receive.”

I blushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I did forget.”

“Well, I got to you in time, so all is well. But isn’t there someone else who needs to learn their job?” He beckoned to James Potter, who came over with an irritated expression. Sirius and Remus were laughing too hard to notice.

But James wasn’t one to hold a grudge. He smiled sheepishly when he reached us, and said, “Sorry, Professor, about the juice. I should be more careful, but you know me. Always a klutz.”

Dumbledore never missed a beat. “I agree, but you are not generous enough to Miss Evans. Perhaps she should be a little more careful as well.” When I blushed again, he quickly continued. “Anyway, I am here to tell you about your duties as Head Boy and Girl. As you know, it is a great honor, and perhaps Hogwarts has never seen two such deserving young students to hold the titles. Miss Evans, you have always been the ideal student. As for you, Mr. Potter, despite your complete disregard for rules, you are a brilliant scholar as well.” He paused while we looked at our shoes, then continued. “So to the point. You two will be responsible for taking your first years to your common room tonight. The password for this week is Incamtum Totalus. Also, you will have hall patrol every evening. Your quarters will remain the same, and you are still free to use the prefects’ bathroom. I suppose these duties are enough for one day. I look forward to talking to you soon.” Without another word, he left us alone.

“So Evans, I guess we need to set an example for the little kiddies, huh?”

“Yeah, like you’d make a good role model.”

He laughed. “Maybe not, but you would.” It was a sweet compliment, and an honest one. I’ve always been a sucker for compliments, so I smiled back.

“I think we have a group of Gryffindors to lead,” I said, trying to change the subject.

Ever the leader, James did his duties beautifully, shouting, “Okay, end of feast! Gryffindors, follow me!” And they did.

*******

As happy as the Gryffindors were to have such wonderful Heads, two faces at the Slytherin Table were looking extremely disgruntled. Surprisingly enough, they belonged to the two House Prefects, both of whom had wanted the title of Head Boy or Girl.

For one, Severus Snape was glaring at Lily and James as they exited the Great Hall. How did Potter always get what he wanted? The world simply was not fair. Not that he wanted to walk side by side with Evans. He had never hated her more. In the past, Severus had always held a grudging respect for Lily, because of her brains, and also for the way she repeatedly snubbed James, because there was nobody Snape hated more than James. But now, even Lily seemed to be getting along with Potter. Snape sighed. For him, there had never been any justice in the world.

Bellatrix was just as unhappy, and for good reason. James Potter was walking with Lily Evans. Oh, she hated that girl. Actually, she had never cared about Lily at all. She had never paid any attention to her at all, until her cousin’s best friend started liking her. James. Why did he pay so much attention to that stuck-up mudblood know-it-all? If he was looking for looks, Bellatrix had it all. So that wasn’t it. But whatever it was that James saw in Lily, Bellatrix vowed to find out what it was. Because she adored James with a passion that surprised even herself. Yes, she thought, I will find out.

*******

I sat contentedly in the warm, cozy Common Room with Emily. It had been a long day, but I didn’t want to go to sleep. Besides, I had hall patrol duty.

“Peace at last,” I murmured.

“It was a good day. It’s great to be back. And I’m sleepy.” Emily yawned.

“You sleepyhead. Fine, go to sleep if I’m so boring. I’ll be up later.”

“Yeah, after hall duty with James. I still don’t see why--”

“Forget it, Emily. I know that I can’t explain that I don’t like him because he’s an annoying, egotistical, self-centered--”

“I know, I know. But you’ll be with him so much this year anyway, why not give him a chance?”

“Okay, a chance. Whatever. Go to bed.”

Emily laughed. “Okay, I’ll try to convince you when you’re in a better mood.” She got up and went up to our dormitory, leaving me all alone with my thoughts for the half hour until I saw James. How could Emily be begging me to give James a chance, when I had already given into a guy who had run out of chances on day one? It was just as well that Emily didn’t know. I loved her, but how could a girl like that keep a secret? Besides, I needed to think about the matter some more. I needed to forget about James.

*******

End of chapter! How did you like it? I appreciate all of your feedback more than you could ever imagine, please review and give me whatever comments you have about my story.

To my reviewers:

Angie: Thanks so much for my first review! I think I fixed the problem . . .

Hplover: yay! Thanks so much!

Louise: a 10! I love you! Here’s the chapter you’ve been waiting for!

Jadespinnet: wow . . . don’t flatter me too much . . . my head is starting to swell!

Evan: thanks for the review!

Love you all! ~h-kitty

A/N: Thank you all so much for all the support you have given me! I feel so loved! Okay, so here is my third chapter . . . I hope it satisfies all your cravings! Once again, my meager possessions definitely do NOT include the works of J K Rowling . . . unfortunately. If that were the case, I would be living in a mansion and working hard on my sixth novel. Unfortunately, I'm just a poor lowly student . . . who posts her random Harry Potter thoughts on the internet.

*******

James and his friends laughed in triumph. On the table before them lay a plain piece of brand-new parchment.

After years of hard work, the Marauders' Map was done at last. The three more intelligent boys had brainstormed all summer, and had set the final spells five minutes before.

"Come on," said Sirius, "let's go out tonight. Imagine, all of Hogsmeade is open to us."

Remus agreed. "You know, I never liked sneaking out before, but now, with this map, how can we be caught?"

Peter said, "Yeah! Think of butterbeers and Honeydukes chocolate!"

James sighed. "I wish I could, but I can't. I have hall patrol."

Sirius grinned. "Ah, our Head Boy is too good to hang out with us. I'm sure you're too busy, Prongs, because you'll be snogging in a broom closet with the Head Girl. Come on, you guys. Let's leave little James to his own business. He's too good to hang with us."

James knew better than to protest. Why ruin his friends' fun because of his duty? He watched as they prepared to leave, and nodded when Sirius asked to borrow his invisibility cloak. What good would it do him tonight anyway?

When his friends exited their dormitory, protected by the cloak, James followed them. He had to meet Lily, anyway. Seeing her again cancelled out any regret he had about missing the Hogsmeade excursion.

When they entered the common room, Lily was already there. "Hi Evans," said James smoothly, and as they exited through the portrait hole, James' friends followed them unnoticed.

Lily's POV

James and I walked through the empty corridors of the school. Tonight, we were probably doing so unnecessarily, because after all, who sneaks out of bed on the first day of school? I was annoyed. This was becoming more of a chance for James to flirt with me than anything else.

And flirt he did.

"So, Evans, how about playing some quidditch with me before season? I mean, even if you're as good as Emily says, I'm sure you could do with some tips." That arrogant asshole! Not that I'd mind playing quidditch with him, but they way he phrased the question made me clench my teeth in anger. Even more aggravating was the thought that I actually had a crush on the guy.

"If I want free quidditch lessons, I'll ask for them."

"Hey, no need to be polite. I'd be more than willing to play with you."

"Do I look more than willing to play with YOU?"

"Hey, you never know." He ran his hand through his hair. No wonder his hair was always so messy. "You know, hall patrol seems completely pointless."

I agreed, but I would never openly agree with him. "Maybe it looks pointless to you, but people do sneak out at night, and it's out job to make them stay in bed!"

James gave a mock sigh. "Ah. And we're doing our duty by keeping the evil little students from having some fun."

"I guess I shouldn't even try explaining that to you; I guess you sneak out every other night."

"More than that actually," said James matter-of-factly, which annoyed me. "But not anymore. I suppose my carefree bachelor days are over now, since it's now my responsibility to spend every night with you." The insinuations of his statement were nauseating.

"God, I can't believe they made you Head Boy."

"Neither can I, really. I thought it might be Remus, since I wasn't made a prefect. Rather, I hoped it would be him, because I was afraid they'd give the title to little Snivellus."

Snape was, as always, a sore subject to me, as he seemed to be the only person I knew who didn't want to be friends with me. I mused, "He doesn't like me."

"Which," said James, always seizing every opportunity, "is already enough reason for me to hex him every chance I get."

God, he was a flirt. "That's highly unnecessary. As I've said before, I'm capable of fighting my own battles."

"I believe you. Especially when it comes to pumpkin juice." He said it without any hint of bitterness, because James really wasn't a bitter person. That was one good thing about him. If only there weren't so many bad things!

I changed the subject. "Do you really sneak out every night?"

"More or less."

"But what's the point? There's nothing to do around here, besides visiting the library, and you could get caught!"

"Ah, Evans, you may be smart, but you don't know nearly as much as me on this subject." Wow, so modest, I thought. But probably true. "When it comes to sneaking out at night, I'm an expert. You should try it sometime. We could skip this idiotic hall duty, and have some real fun. And since we're not patrolling the halls, who would catch us?"

"An expert, huh? We're not the only ones keeping students in bed. What about the professors? And that new custodian, Filch?" But I was forgetting my main point. "Besides, it's against the rules."

"Come on, Evans, don't you ever have any fun?"

"Come on, Potter, don't you ever try to learn anything?" I said in a mocking voice.

"In case you haven't noticed, the faculty at this school thought I was a decent enough student to be Head Boy, despite my nighttime excursions." What arrogance! I was annoyed at him, but even more at myself. Why did I put up with this? Because you like him, said the voice in my head. That was annoying, too.

"Okay, I think I'm done with hall patrol. There's nobody here anyway. Go ahead and join your little friends." I turned to go back to our House, and James followed me.

"Can't, sorry. They're probably in Honeydukes right now."

"What? How could they manage that?"

"Sorry, Evans, I can't tell you. I think you'd turn us all in." (probably true) "Unless you promise to join us next time?"

"I think I'll pass."

"Your loss, then." We were at the door of our common room. "See you in the morning, I think we'll have some similar classes."

"See you tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe this year you'll actually study."

"Yeah, I suppose anything is possible."

We proceeded up our respective staircases, and before he opened his dormitory door, he said, "Goodnight, Lily Evans, and sleep tight. We've got a great year ahead of us."

*******

I woke up early the next morning to the sound of Emily bouncing on my bed.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! So you can tell me about last night!"

"Last night? It was boring. And I'm sleepy. Leave me alone." I tried to push her off my bed.

"Can't sorry. You need to get up. It's already eight." Class started at 8:30.

"Crap!" I jumped out of bed and scrambled into my robes while Emily looked on in amusement.

"Chill, Lily. It's really not that late. Just hurry up. Come on, you do NOT need to do your hair. It's beautiful that way. I'd kill to have hair like yours . . . why do you always put it up?"

My hair fell well past my shoulders. What a nuisance. But I was late, so I left it down. Emily and I ran down the staircase, out of the common room, and into the Great Hall. As I gulped down a piece of toast, Emily comopared our new schedules.

"Exactly the same," she announced, "except today and Wednesday, when you have Arithmancy and I have Muggle Studies. And after you finish your meal, we have Transfiguration."

Despite my late awakening, we arrived early to class. Not even the professor was in the room.

"So, Lily," began Emily, "now you can tell me all about your late-night excursion."

"There's nothing to tell. You make it sound so much worse that it was. We just walked around the empty corridors. It was soporific, truly."

"Oh, come on, it couldn't have been that bad," said a voice from behind me, "after all, I was there, right?"

Great. I didn't need to turn around to recognize the voice, so I chose not to. But James was, as always, persistent. "Actually, I found it quite amusing. Evans, you never fail to entertain me." God, why didn't he just shut up?

I decided that perhaps a dose of the silent treatment would be helpful to James. Without turning around, I took out my Transfiguration textbook and began to read Chapter 1. What did it matter that I had already read most of the book already? I needed to prove a point. James didn't push his own point, because a moment later, Prof. McGonagall, a young but stern young witch, entered the classroom and started the lecture. Needless to say, she kept all of us students paying attention.

Instead, James saved his efforts for after class. What he didn't realize was that Sirius had concentrated all of HIS attentions during class on dying James' hair red. Since Sirius sat at the very back of the class, Professor McGonagall hadn't noticed, or had chosen not to notice. When James got up at the end of the lecture, he didn't notice anything about his hair. He simply ran his hand through it to rumple it as usual, and was confused at the sudden laughter that rippled through the room.

"Your hair, James!" giggled Emily. "It looks like Lily's!" And indeed, it matched the shade of my hair perfectly. Maybe Sirius was trying to prove a point as well. James pulled his bangs in front of his eyes and almost yelled in shock, but instead he laughed. "Sirius, I am going to get you!"

Sirius looked innocent. "I just thought you'd like it to match Lily's. Since you seem to like everything else about her. Didn't you say, just last night, that she had the most beautiful hair in the world?" Of course, he said this in a rather loud voice. The class went wild with laughter.

"Class is over," said our professor, nevertheless trying to suppress a smile. "Please take your foolish activities elsewhere."

Did James ever skip a beat? "Okay. Come on, Evans, let's walk to Arithmancy together. Now that our heads match, why should we spare the rest of the school from the sight?"

But behind his flirtatious comment, there was a disturbing fact. "How did you know I had Arithmancy? And since when have you even taken an Arithmancy class?"

He smiled. Of course he had been expecting this. "It's actually quite a long and embarrassing story. If you'd come with me, I could tell you somewhere private." I almost shouted, "Just tell me!"

"All right! No need to get angry!" he said pleasantly, and steered me towards our classroom. "I actually spent ten Galleons on this. Last year, when we turned in our requested schedules, I had to bribe the Head Boy to give me yours. Then I copied it down onto my sheet. Simple, but brilliant, what do you think?"

"I think it's idiotic. Have you ever taken Arithmancy before?"

"Of course not. Why would I have wasted my time on something that boring? Of course, at the time, I had no idea that you were taking it."

"You are totally going to fail."

"Not if you help me, right? You wouldn't let me fail, would you?"

"I AM NOT GOING TO HELP YOU CHEAT YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS IDIOCY!" Of course, everyone turned their heads to look at me, but I didn't care.

"Calm down, calm down. I don't want to cheat, because frankly, I don't need to. But some cozy study sessions--" Luckily, we were right outside our classroom, so I ran in and slammed the door. I could only take so much in a day.

*******

The relations between James Potter and Lily Evans had always surprised the whole school. Everyone wondered why such a smart popular guy would spend so many years chasing after one girl, who was, after all, just a girl. People weren't all that surprised that he liked her, of course. She was pretty, and smart, and perfect. But why did she remain so unattainable? And why did James put up with it? Nobody thought about this mind-boggling set of events more than Bellatrix Black.

She was a beautiful, distinguished girl who had grown up in a prominent family and had been proudly sorted into Slytherin. Although her cousin Sirius faced disapproval from her parents, she nonetheless saw him often, and Sirius never went anywhere without his best friend, James Potter.

So how could anyone blame Bella for falling prey to the charms of James? Like Lily, she tried to restrain her feelings, but after all, how many people had self-control like Lily? So throughout her years at Hogwarts, Bella wistfully watched James Potter, a boy who never looked twice at her.

Had Hogwarts known about Bella's obsession with James, it would have been surprised as well. After all, Bella had never wanted for admirers. Still, Bella was nothing if not persistent, and took every chance she could get to talk to James.

So it was not surprising at all that she cornered him outside the Arithmancy classroom after Lily had left him.

"Lovers' quarrel, James? And what's with the hair?"

He smiled. "I wish. As for my hair . . . it's a long story that begins with your cousin Sirius."

"Ah, always the troublemaker. Tell me about it."

"I wish I could," but of course he didn't, "but I have Arithmancy."

"Oh, me too! Let's go in!"

And they went. Followed by a grouchy Severus Snape. Snape, Bella, James, and Lily, all in one class? It was sure to be an interesting day.

*******

A/N: Yay, the end of the chapter! So review, review, review! I tried to make this chappie a mix of laughs and angst . . . do y’all like it?

Another note: please don’t just give me sugar-coated comments! Since I know a lot of my reviews have been ranked lower than 10, please tell me how I can improve my story! I want to please my wonderful readers (and especially my reviewers!)

A/N: Does it look like I own anything? I don’t, really! So stop glaring at me!

*Lily’s POV

I found a seat near the front of the classroom, making sure that I was surrounded on all sides. Why give James another chance to sneak up on me? I opened my textbook and began to read. Wow. Arithmancy was fascinating, but it sure was hard. How was James going to manage? But enough about him. I steered my thoughts away from him and focused on the complex numbers and symbols in front of me.

*******

James looked around the classroom. There was Lily, but there was no room around her. Grudgingly, he sat in the seat Bella chose for him, near the back of the classroom.

“James, you’ve never been in any of my Arithmancy classes before. How come?”

“Well the truth is . . .” He sneaked a look at Lily. “I’ve never taken it before.”

“But . . . I don’t understand. Why are you in it now?”

“Oh, scheduling difficulties.” He looked again, but Lily never turned around.

Bella was no fool. She could see why James was in the class. It was all because of that stupid Evans girl. But she knew better than to get James started on that subject.

“So, James, when does quidditch season start? I can’t wait to see you play, you’re such a great Seeker.”

*******

How totally disgusting, he thought. A well-bred Slytherin girl was flirting shamelessly with an arrogant Gryffindor boy, who was in turn ogling at a Mudblood, worst of all.

Severus Snape felt that he was above such frivolous doings. He would never give any of his respect to a Gruffindor, and especially not a Mudblood like Lily Evans.

Unfortunately, even the best of us can be wrong about ourselves.

*******

*Lily’s POV

I was more than ready for the bell signaling the end of classes and dinnertime. It had been a long day. Emily and I ate our meal without much conversation other than boring chatter about homework and teachers. Even after dinner, my mind was fogged with all the knowledge that had been crammed into me. I needed some exercise.

“Emily, do you want to go for a walk or something? I need exercise.”

“Me, too. Why a walk? Why don’t we go do some flying? Nobody’s using the pitch since season hasn’t started yet.”

“Great idea! Let’s go!”

The day was cloudy and damp, but Emily and I nevertheless had fun tossing around an old tennis ball and racing each other on our old Cleansweeps. Neither of us could afford a really good broom, which was one of many reasons we had never tried out for the House team.

It was almost dark when we saw two figures standing on the field below us.

“Come down, you two!” Sirius shouted. James waved.

It really was time to go in and start on homework, so I immediately descended. But what were they doing here?

When we were firmly on the ground, Sirius said, “Great flying, both of you. I can’t believe you’ve never come to try out for the team. Too bad we’re all full this year.”

“Yeah,” James agreed. “Or else I’d put you on, Evans, for sure. I’m captain this year.” He smiled proudly.

It was no time for flirting, so I said abruptly, “What are you doing here?”

Sirius answered. “Well, Jamesie here wanted to say--”

“I can’t do hall duty tonight,” James broke in.

“Why the hell not? You can’t just sneak off to Hogsmeade whenever you want, you know. I could turn you in.”

“You sneak out to Hogsmeade? Wow!” God, Emily got on my nerves sometimes.

Sirius smiled. “I’ll take you sometime, honey, but tonight it’s more serious. Lily, I’m not kidding. This is important.” He glanced nervously at the sky, which was clearing slightly.

“Please, Lily,” said James, “cover for me just this once. I’ll explain it to you someday.”

He called me Lily. Not Evans, just Lily. I shook my head, more to clear my thoughts than to deny his request.

“You can’t explain now?” I asked.

James and Sirius both shook their heads silently. For once, they were serious, and desperate.

“Just this once. You both owe me one.”

“Thanks,” they said in unison, as they rushed out in the direction of the grounds.

*******

The next day, everyone in Hogwarts (or at least the upperclassmen) was in a very good mood, due to the fact that the next Saturday was to be a Hogsmeade weekend.

Emily was practically bouncing up and down. “At last! Imagine Honeydukes, Lily! Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Patties, Sugar Quills . . .”

“Oh, come on,” said Sirius slyly. “Hogsmeade isn’t a big deal. I can take you tonight, if you want.”

While Emily and Sirius flirtatiously set plans for a midnight excursion, Lily rolled her eyes up at the ceiling.

“Something wrong, Evans?” James sounded happy, if a little tired.

“No. What about you? How was your Hogsmeade trip?” Lily couldn’t avoid sounding annoyed.

“Come on, you know I didn’t go to Hogsmeade. It was something more important than that.”

“Sure, sure.” Lily wasn’t in a very believing mood at the moment. But what did she care if James had indeed spent the evening having fun with his friends? It was none of her business, anyway.

James sighed. Lily had never been more irritable. And why? He shook his head. He would never understand women.

But Lily had ideas of her own. The previous night, while on hall duty alone, she had wondered why James had requested to leave. And she knew that his business had nothing to do with a fun-filled Hogsmeade excursion. Even more suspicious was the fact that Remus wasn’t at breakfast the next morning. James had shrugged it off, saying that Remus had to visit his ailing grandmother. But as Lily remembered the past night’s full moon, she began to wonder.

Remus’ absences had been too common to believe James’ story. After all, how could his grandmother be sick exactly once a month for seven years, always on the night of the full moon? Suddenly, something clicked.

And what did James have to do with it all? As she looked at the back of his head (he was laughing at one of Sirius’ jokes) she could only wonder. If Remus really was a werewolf, he would be unapproachable on the night of his transformation. At least, thought Lily, confusing herself anymore, unapproachable to a human.

At the Slytherin Table, Bellatrix looked lazily up at the owls that were swooping down to deliver the mail, until a large, sleek owl deposited a small note in front of her. Curiously, she opened the envelope.

Dear Bella,

I heard that this weekend will be a Hogsmeade one. Please meet me in the Hog’s Head at noon—I need to talk to you.

Love,

R. L.

Bella could not restrain the blush that was flooding her cheeks. Although her obsession with James was final and complete, she could not deny the charms of her old boyfriend. And she wondered what he needed to tell her. He was always full of surprises.

*******

By the time Saturday actually came, everyone was ready for a vacation from schoolwork, and nobody was more eager than James, who had endured a full week of NEWT classes in subjects which he knew nothing about. He had yet to convince Lily to give him much-needed tutoring sessions, but had not given up badgering her on the subject.

After all, why didn’t the girl pay attention to him? Before fourth year, when he started crushing on her, he had no shortage of dates. But Lily was simply unattainable, even for James, who considered himself quite a catch for any girl.

But James was ever faithful, and as he silently walked up to Hogsmeade with his usual crew, he vowed that before graduation, Lily would be his.

Meanwhile, Lily was setting very different goals, because she knew that James Potter could not be more wrong for her. After all, she tried to convince herself, why should I have anything to do with anyone as self-centered as that?

Emily Weasley was having a much better time of it than Lily, as she joked along with Sirius. Lily smiled smugly at the two of them, shamelessly flirting with each other. At least her best friend would end up with a boyfriend by the end of the year.

*******

“Bella,” Lestrange said with excitement, “I have something to tell you.”

She tried to remain calm, which was difficult. As it was previously noted, Bellatrix was not the best at concealing her emotions. “I’m listening.”

His eyes darted nervously around the deserted bar. Slowly, he whispered, “Of course you know . . . about the Dark Lord?”

Bella was startled. She had expected something more, well, more romantic. “Yes. Of course.”

He noticed the question in her voice, and hastily continued, “so you must be aware of his growing power, his--”

“My own cousin has joined him. I know.”

“Well, to make it short,” he said, looking nervous, yet filled with anticipation, “Where do you stand?”

Again, she was surprised. Although her parents thought well of the Dark Lord as a well-meaning but radical wizard, it was not a question that seemed appropriate to ask. “My parents . . . my family—we have always been neutral.”

He fixed a look on her that chilled her to the bone. This was not the Lestrange she had known at Hogwarts. He was older, more mature, and more intense. “The time to be neutral, Bella, is over.” He raised his hands dramatically. “It is time to decide.” And, in a split second, his hand flew to his opposite shoulder, and he rolled up the sleeve, to reveal a tattoo in the shape of a skull with a snake for a tongue.

“Bella,” he said, “do you stand with me? Will you come with me to stand with my Lord? For years, I have wanted nothing more than to spend my life with you. Bella, if you agree to join me—to marry me, we now can have more riches, more power, than you have ever dreamed of.”

A thousand thoughts whirled in her head. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

“There is nothing to lose if you accept,” he urged. “My side, our side, we will conquer.”

Of course, he was right. But inevitably, Bellatrix thought of James. Why did he always pop into her head at the least opportune moments? If she agreed to join He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, surely any chance of winning James would disappear.

“I’ll have to think about it,” she whispered, and before he could stop her, she was running out the door.

She ran blindly, tears running down her cheeks. And she ran straight into someone.

“Bella!” The voice was comforting, soothing. But it was not James. It was, instead, one of the people she most detested—her cousin Sirius.

“Bella, what’s wrong? Actually, I came to find you. James told me--” Why was it always about James, Bella wondered. “He said he saw you talking to Lestrange.”

“And what if it’s true?” Bella drew herself up proudly and wiped her eyes.

“Look, Bella, you don’t have to be this way. Surely you must know that whatever Lestrange asked you to do was wrong.” Was Sirius psychic? Bella wondered. “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is evil, and he is wrong. You don’t have to support him.”

“It’s none of your business what I do.”

“But it is. Whether we like it or not, we’re family. I’m not proud of it, and I don’t think you are, either. But it’s true. So just deal with it.” His voice changed, to something more nostalgic, more sentimental. “What happened, Bella? We used to be playmates, even friends.”

“It’s not me. It’s you who has changed, hanging around mudblood filth like that Evans girl. And having a girlfriend who comes from one of the most undistinguished wizarding families in Britain.”

Sirius laughed. “Emily is not my girlfriend, and it wouldn’t matter if she was. No, Bella, you’re wrong and you know it. It is not me. You know that what our family preaches is filth, more dirty than any muggle-born like Lily could ever be. You know it. And why, Bella, why? Why do you have to be this way?” He was pleading, and he was right. Sirius knew it, and Bellatrix knew it, as if they could read each other’s minds.

Sirius understood.

And it made Bella feel so empty and frightened, that her thoughts stood out so strongly to Sirius. And suddenly, she felt anger.

“You have no right to tell me what to do!” she screamed. “It is none of your business, and it will never be! You should be a goddamn priest, for all your preaching and sermonizing. And I don’t want to hear any of it!”

He looked at her sadly, without any trace of anger. “Why, Bella?” he asked again, and walked slowly away.

And when he was gone, she cried again, unable to stop the flow of tears.

*******

Yay! I know this chapter took a surprising (even for me!) turn into angst, when I meant for it to be a breezy L/J romance. But now the angst has completely taken over (I’m completely out of control lol!) and so, you’ll have to tolerate it.

I want to thank all of you who have reviewed, and especially those of you who write longer, more thoughtful comments on my writing. That is what I appreciate most!

And . . . I know you’ll hate this . . .but! I won’t update unless I get 10 reviews for this chapter . . . It’s my way of both getting more reviews and also giving myself more time and motivation to write. Okay? Get that? 10 reviews!

One last note! I just started a fic on fictionpress.net, which I’m working on more seriously than this one. It’s pretty good, I think, and probably better than this story. Please check it out! http://www.fictionpress.com/read.php?storyid=1445546

A/N: Do people actually read these things? Probably not. Anyhoo . . . here is the next chapter! Sorry so much for the delay . . . I’ve been working on stories for other sites, and sort of (oops) forgot about this one. So please forgive me! I promise not to do it again! Thanks especially to Cara, my best reviewer!

*******

“So Lily,” said Emily, when they were tasting samples in Honeydukes, “has James convinced you to tutor him yet?”

“No. Why? I never told you about that, did I?”

“Not exactly,” Emily admitted. “You never tell me anything interesting about James. But now I have another informant.”

“Sirius,” said Lily knowingly, and Emily nodded with a blush. “So if you keep on complaining that I don’t tell you anything about James, and believe me, there’s nothing to tell, why don’t you tell me about your little romance?”

Emily was hesitant in responding. “Well, nothing’s actually happened yet . . . he’s never made any initiative . . .”

“Don’t worry, he will.”

“You think so?” Emily flashed a sweet smile that reminded Lily why she loved her.

“It’s a sure thing. I bet you’ll have a date to the Halloween ball this year.”

“If I do, Lily, and I’m not saying that I will--”

“But you will!”

“Then,” said Emily, not heeding Lily’s interruption, “You have to get a date, too.”

“Oh, no!” said Lily in exasperation. “You are not getting me into this business! I fully support you if you get a boyfriend . . . but you have no right to force one on me!”

Emily sighed. “Why are you always so irrational?”

“I could say the same for you.”

“Only it wouldn’t be true. But I know there’s no point in arguing. You’re always so used to having your way.” Emily turned around to taste a new flavor of chocolate.

If only she knew, thought Lily. Because Lily wasn’t at all used to having her own way. If she had her own way, she thought, James wouldn’t have been Head Boy. He would never have signed up idiotically for his classes. He wouldn’t be such an arrogant person. Maybe he wouldn’t even exist. And Lily was above all sure that, if she had her own way, she wouldn’t like him.

Not that she did, of course.

She had more time to think about her feelings when James Potter himself came strutting into Honeydukes, for once, all alone.

“Where’s your gang?” she asked.

“Sirius went off somewhere, and Remus took Peter to Zonko’s.”

“And why aren’t you with them?” She wished she could think of something more intelligent to say, not to impress James, of course, but in a way, to convince herself that he didn’t turn her into a lifeless puddle. Which he did.

“I came looking for you.” Of course, Lily had set herself up perfectly for that. Emily turned around to face Lily, and said cheerfully, “Lily, I think I’ll take a walk down the road, okay?” Down the road led to Zonko’s, of course, and Lily was fuming. Of course she didn’t mind that Emily wanted to be with Sirius; they were practically a couple already. But the fact that Emily would desert Lily at such a time was beyond aggravating. Emily didn’t give Lily time to protest, of course, and Lily wasn’t about to do it anyway—maybe James would think that he had more effect on Lily that he really did.

Looking desperately after Emily as she walked out the door, Lily tried to be casual. “What, trying to get some free tutoring sessions?”

“Not particularly, although it would be nice if you agreed to help me out. It’s not so much the ‘free’ I’m after, you know. There’s plenty of girls who would pay to tutor me.”

Lily groaned. “Then get one of them to help you out. I’m too busy.”

“Doing what, I have no idea. Haven’t you recited Hogwarts, a History to yourself enough? I mean, you don’t even play quidditch!” Lily was furious, but before she could retort, James was speaking again. “Which brings me to my point. Our best Chaser decided to drop out of the team this year, for various reasons. And we need a replacement. You’d still need to try out, of course, but . . . I’m fairly sure I could guarantee you the spot.”

Lily tried to look as dignified as possible. After all, it wasn’t as if she wanted it or anything. “Sorry, James. Even if I did want to be on the team, I wouldn’t ask for any special favors, especially not from you.” Following Emily, she walked quickly out the door. It was true. Lily never asked for special favors from anyone, so why would she stoop down and accept one from James Potter, who was, after all, a nemesis if Lily had ever had one?

Lily assured herself that she was far too busy with her duties to play quidditch, which was only for boys with too much testosterone to burn. No wonder all the players were boys.

But a little voice in her head demanded, Isn’t that why you should prove them wrong?

So Lily walked back to Hogwarts alone, her thoughts battling furiously for control.

*******

Bellatrix pulled her cloak higher up and tightened her collar. It was fairly chilly for September, especially in the evening, on the quidditch pitch. But she wouldn’t miss watching the team practice tonight for anything; after all, wasn’t that James Potter, zooming around?

But today, as Bella soon learned, was no ordinary practice. The team was looking over prospective players to fill the spot of Chaser. She watched, bored, as Frank Longbottom clumsily fumbled the Quaffle.

And who was that figure, walking to the center of the pitch? Bellatrix squinted. It was most certainly a girl. As the girl’s hat blew off and she ran hastily to retrieve it, Bellatrix, no matter how she tried, could not mistake the long red hair that was blown about by the wind.

One of the quidditch players immediately descended and caught the hat, flying close to the ground to return it to the girl. And there was no mistaking who the boy was. How many hours had Bellatrix watched him, memorizing every movement of James Potter?

But unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Bellatrix could not hear the conversation that ensued.

James’ hair was so windblown that there was hardly any need to rumple it further—and yet, predictably, he did it anyway.

“So, Evans, glad to see you showed up after all. Did I convince you in the end?”

“It has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, alright. Nothing to do with me, I know.” Somehow, they both knew that it wasn’t true. “Oh, Evans, have you also changed your mind about the tutoring?”

Lily abruptly changed the subject. “Is this how you pick new players? Talk to them? How silly of me, I thought I’d actually have to demonstrate my skills . . . that’s why I brought my broom!”

James laughed. “No, you’re right, as always. So come up! Let’s see what you can do!”

Lily had to admit it to herself--she flew brilliantly. Of course, even if she didn’t admit it to herself, there was always James to let her know.

“Great flying!” he said. “I’m much more impressed than the last time I saw you. You’ll make the team for sure!”

Lily hoped that James would credit her blush to the weather. “Thanks. I have to go now . . .”

“Hall duty?” Lily nodded. “Then I’ll go with you.”

Belltrix, although she had missed the conversations, did not fail to notice James and Lily walking together back to the school. And suddenly, after being hopelessly lost for ages, she realized that she was running out of time. She had one more year to win James, or else all would be over. She gritted her teeth and decided that she would do anything to gain his love.

*******

James was failing Arithmancy, and Lily knew it. When they got their first quizzes back on Monday, she was appalled to see that he had hardly gotten anything right. She watched as James helplessly stared at his grade. She sighed. James was a big baby after all.

After class, she walked up to his desk. “C’mon, why don’t you tell Professor Dumbledore? You know he’d change your class.”

“Yeah, and let him know that I took these stupid classes?”

“It’s not like he doesn’t know. Does Dumbledore ever miss anything?”

“Of course not! But I care what he, and everyone else for that matter, thinks! And I can do it!”

“James, you need to get over your pride, and learn some humility.” Lily felt as if she was giving a moral lesson, and she felt stupid.

“I’m not proud! Haven’t I been begging you on bended knee to tutor me? How many times do I have to tell you that I need help, not advice?”

Lily sighed. “No more. I can’t take this. Meet me in the library after dinner, before hall duty tonight.”

He could hardly believe his ears. “Of course! Thank you so much, Lily! I’ll be the best student ever, you won’t regret it!”

Lily looked away, the better to hide her blush. He had called her Lily again.

*******

Emily was practically jumping in her seat. “You agreed to tutor him! How sweet of you!”

“Maybe just a few times. Maybe only once.”

“Yeah, right, Lily. You have a responsibility now!”

“Emily, he’d not a little kid, and he needs to learn how to take care of himself.”

“WHO needs to take care of himself?” James came from behind her and put his hands over her eyes. As if she couldn’t recognize that voice.

“The immature person who doesn’t want to reveal his identity!” she laughed, and Emily giggled.

James removed his hands and pouted as she turned around. “How’d you know it was me?”

“Who else could it be?”

“Anyway, if you remember, we have a study session to attend! Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

“For me, maybe. Don’t forget, you’ll be hard at work on Arithmancy. It’s not easy, you know.”

“Oh, I know. Compared to Muggle Studies . . . Arithmancy is killer.” He pulled back her chair to let her stand up. What a gentleman, thought Lily.

“Serves you right for slacking off before.”

He smiled. “If I’m getting free tutoring sessions from you, Evans, who am I to complain?”

He might have been happy at the moment, but half an hour later, James was buried under a pile of exercises that Lily had given to him, and it wasn’t much fun. Only the thought of impressing Lily kept him from slamming his book shut and running to his dorm room.

After an hour, Lily briskly exclaimed, “It’s been an hour already! And it’s time for hall duty now! Wow, the time passed quickly, huh, James?”

He nodded sleepily.

“Oh, it must be hard for you,” said Lily more sympathetically. “Don’t worry, we’ll do it again.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Sure. I can see that you really need the help.”

“Thanks. You do wonderful things for my self-confidence.”

“It’s not like you need any help on that aspect of your character. I can’t see how you can further maximize your ego at all.”

But James’ sheepish smile was not full of conceit, as it had been before, and Lily couldn’t help noticing that James looked just as cute when he was humble as when he was arrogant.

*******

A/N: Is Lily really liking James now? Is she admitting it to herself yet? Dun dun dun!

Thank you so much to all of my reviewers! Sorry for the long delay!

.

Completely Out of Control

By h-kitty

*******

And here is the story!

Lily was practically falling asleep. And this was not a good thing. First of all, Potions was NOT her strongest class, so in order to get a good grade, she needed to pay attention. Secondly, she had a bet with James Potter.

The night before, he had asked her if her classes ever bored her.

“Of course not,” she answered self-righteously. “I’m interested in all my subjects.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Some people actually find their classes interesting,” said Lily patronizingly.

“Not me. I tell you what,” said James, “Let’s strike a bet. If I catch you sleeping in class tomorrow, you have to do something for me.”

What an easy bet, thought Lily. “Okay, but what would I have to do?”

“How about . . .” although James apparently knew the answer, he thought long and hard about it. “How about, if you fall asleep, you have to go on a date with me next Hogsmeade weekend?”

It wasn’t a prospect that had pleased Lily at the time, but it wasn’t like she was going to fall asleep. “And what if I don’t fall asleep?”

“Hmm . . . I’ll ask you out on a date?”

She giggled. “I’ve got a better idea. If I don’t fall asleep, you have to do all your homework . . . by yourself, for a whole week.”

“Deal?”

“Deal.”

She had never regretted such a bet before, but she sure was regretting it now. Her eyes drooped. Her head longed to rest on the desk. And she wanted to take a nap.

Meanwhile, James was concentrating all his might on the sleeping charm that he had set on her. He watched in triumph as Lily looked sleepier and sleepier. Any moment now . . .

The Professor glanced over at him. "Potter? Are you listening?" He was jerked to attention, and could not continue the charm. Lily suddenly felt awake, completely awake. She looked around, confused.

"Potter, I will take five points away from Gryffindor for your failure to pay attention." The professor, of course, favored Slytherins over Gryffindors. Severus Snape smirked. James looked more upset than usual, and that was always a plus for him.

But of course, he didn't know the whole story. James sighed as he put his wand back in his pocket. Maybe next period.

Lily laughed when she saw him after class. "You almost had me! I could feel myself falling asleep!"

James smiled at her. How could he fail to smile at such a beautiful face? "I guess you had too much self-control. But next is Arithmancy, and that's twice as boring as Potions."

"Only for you. I find it quite interesting."

James sighed. “Do you always have to be such a perfect student?”

She smiled, and took it as a compliment. “I try.”

“On the contrary. You don’t try at all. That’s what makes it so aggravating for people like me.”

“Like you try.”

He tried to look offended, but acting had never been one of James’ talents. “Occasionally.” Lily laughed.

“Here, go on up to Arithmancy. I need to go to the bathroom.” Lily turned right to go to the prefect’s bathroom. She was right next to a girls’ bathroom, but she felt that it was worth the trip to go to the prefect one, because it was just so much nicer.

Bellatrix had the same idea.

As she saw Lily say the password and enter the bathroom, Bella summoned the nerve to do what she had never tried to do before. She needed to talk to Lily. What better chance would she ever get? But Bella wasn’t about to do anything drastic. She wasn’t a backstabber or anything like that, at least not yet. Her idea of torture was more along the lines of a weak poison—it was only temporary pain if the point came across.

And at this moment, Bella really didn’t have any sort of plan at all. All she knew was that, in order to sabotage, you first have to get to know the enemy.

She walked in. “Lily?”

Lily was washing her hands at the sink, and looked up, startled. She had never talked to Bellatrix before in her life, or at least they had never had a real conversation. Although they had gone to school together for six years, she had never gotten to know Bella. Of course she recognized the face as a schoolmate, and even knew her name. After all, they were in the same year, and both had been prefects.

But why was Bellatrix talking to her now?

“Bellatrix? Hi!” It wasn’t an enthusiastic greeting—it was more like a casual greeting you would give to someone you barely knew.

“Yeah. You can call me Bella.” What the hell, thought Bella. If I’m going to make friends with the girl, I might as well do it properly.

“Bella.” Lily was still confused.

“Well,” said Bella, giggling nervously, “I just wanted to say hi. You know, it’s the funniest thing—we’ve gone to school all these years together and we’ve never gotten to know each other.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“But you know, I’ve always wanted to get to know you.” Bella was seething inside, but she knew she had to get to know Lily at all costs. But how it hurt to have to suck up to the one person she hated above all else.

“Really?” Lily blushed. Bella knew that her plan would succeed. The girl was nothing but a gullible mudblood after all.

“Yeah. So . . .” Bellatrix looked at the floor. “Oh! Don’t you have Arithmancy next?”

“Yup.”

“Me, too! Here, we’ll talk on the way.” Like friends, the two girls walked out of the bathroom.

Lily tried to be polite, which wasn’t hard. Bella seemed like a real sweet girl. “So, Bella . . .” It was weird called a girl she had always thought of as Bellatrix Black by her nickname. “How do you like your year so far?”

“Oh, it’s all right, I guess. School’s school, you know?”

Lily laughed. “I know.”

“Is it hard being Head Girl?”

“Not too bad. But there’s hall patrol every night.”

“With the Head Boy?”

“Yeah, with James Potter. Do you know him?”

Bella’s job was getting easier by the second. “Yeah. What a character. What do you think of him?”

“I hardly know.”

Interesting, Bella thought. “Well, I don’t really like him that much. He’s so stuck-up, and a real rule-breaker. My cousin Sirius tells me all about his . . . well, exploits.” She laughed inwardly. Of course perfect Lily Evans had no idea what a bad boy James was.

“Oh, I know! Sometimes I just can’t stand him!” Bella stared. Lily didn’t think James was perfect?

“Really? You don’t like him at all?”

“Well, he’s really not that bad, but it’s just so aggravating being around him sometimes! I can’t believe they made him Head Boy, and sometimes he dumps all his problems on me! Sorry,” she said to Bella, “sometimes I just have to rant to someone.”

Bellatrix was bewildered now. This girl could have James Potter on a silver—no gold, platter, and she didn’t seem all that overjoyed.

“So . . . you really don’t like him all that much.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong . . . I don’t hate him, but he has a lot of growing up to do.” They were at the door of their classroom. “Okay, it’s classtime! I’ll talk to you later, okay Bella?”

“Sure,” said Bella, as she slumped into a chair at the back of the classroom. “Talk to you later.”

*******

After class, James told Lily, “I didn’t know you knew Bellatrix.”

“How do you know that I know her now?”

“I always try to find out as much as I can about you. It’s a special talent of mine. And maybe it’s my main problem.” He looked at her sweetly, imploringly.

“You only have one?”

“Why are you so cruel to me?”

Lily sighed. “I honestly don’t know. Do you?”

“Is it because I’m too cute and athletic and popular and smart?” Lily cast him a withering look.

“James, how did you guess? Maybe now that you know the problem, you can go to a psychiatrist and maybe get some appropriate medication.”

“Sci-ki-a-trist? What’s that?”

“Oh, I forgot. You’re not a Muggle. Well, maybe you’re better off not knowing.” Lily smiled. It would be more fun to have James think the worst.

“What is it? Tell me!” James grabbed Lily’s shoulders playfully.

“No. By the way, did you notice that I didn’t fall asleep all day?”

James almost slapped his forehead. He had forgotten to use the charm in Arithmancy.

“So it’s no help on homework for a whole week.”

“Oh, come on, Evans, that’s too cruel!”

“It was a stupid bet. You know I never fall asleep in class.” Lily pulled herself away from James and laughed. “Have fun on homework, I gotta run!”

Later that night, alone in the common room, James regretted the bet as well. What a stupid idea. He sighed. At least it had been fair.

*******

After an unusually uninteresting hall patrol, Lily sat alone in the library. She knew that James was working hard on homework in the Common Room, and she didn’t feel like being his personal tutor. Recently, after she had began tutoring him, he started to take her for granted, as he always did. In a way, it wasn’t his fault. He had always had whatever he wanted.

But Lily just wasn’t going to give it to him.

She got up to look for a book. Besides, she had been sitting down too long, and she needed to stretch her legs. She walked along a shelf, running her fingers over the spines of the books.

“Lily!” Remus was surprised to see her. “It’s so late, I didn’t think anyone else would be here!”

“Oh, I just couldn’t stay in the common room today. I needed to go somewhere new.”

“Was it because of James?”

“How did you guess?”

Remus sighed. “I can be pretty observant. But I do hope that you’ll give James a chance after all.”

“A chance at what?”

“A chance to prove that he’s not the obnoxious, arrogant prick that he seems. Maybe there’s some things that would make you proud of him, if you knew them.”

“What? Tell me.”

“That’s not my job. I’m not going to tell you how great he is, because he’s not perfect, anymore than anyone else is. It’s just that . . . well, Lily, I know you see his faults. And he’s got quite a few. Just keep an open mind, okay? James is a great guy, and he’ll do great things, eventually. He just needs some time to grow up.”

Lily was amazed. Remus understood. But she still wasn’t quite ready to admit it. “Remus, what do you want me to do? I can’t help it that I don’t like him!”

“I know, Lily, I know. Just give him a chance.” He looked at his watch. “Wow, it’s late, and the library is gonna close soon. I think I’m going to go back to the common room. See you around.”

“Wait! I have a question.”

“Sure.”

“Remus . . . was your grandmother really sick?”

He was startled. “Yeah . . . she was.”

“Remus?”

“Lily.” He was firm.

“Okay. It’s all right. I guess we all have our secrets, right?”

“Thanks. Goodnight, Lily.”

“Goodnight.”

*******

And a new chapter is done! Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. All of you, out there! Tell me what to write in your reviews! I love your input!

Sorry if the Lily/Bellatrix and Lily/Remus encounters were boring, I just wanted to put in some character development . . . I’ll try to make it more interesting in the future . . .

And again, review! Take just one minute out of your busy day to make me really really happy! And if you have any constructive criticism, please let me know!

Love,

h-kitty

A/N: Okay, this chapter is going to be a LILY chapter, because, well . . . Lily’s cool! So it’ll be all in first person, and I hope I don’t mess that up! One note: I was wrong, I’m sorry! Apparently, JKR said that James was a chaser . . . so my fic will be changed accordingly!

This chapter contains a PLOT TWIST!! Or at least a small plot turn!

Read and enjoy, and most importantly . . .

REVIEW!!!

*******

When will life ever be normal? School is harder than ever, I’ve got tons of Head Girl duties, and everything is crazy. Well, I guess at least I can count on chaos. There’s also the thought of quidditch practice looming ahead—practice starts next week. How did I ever let James let him talk me into this?

And why can’t I get him off my mind?

There’s just so much about James to think about. Or worry about. No matter how much I remind myself that he’s not a baby, he always comes across as someone that needs supervision. Or a psychiatrist. Or something.

According to our bet (which, by the way, was the strangest thing he’s done so far), I’m not obliged to help James with homework this week. But the thought of him struggling on NEWT Arithmancy is more than I can take. As I sit in the common room, partially hidden behind my DADA book, I feel sorry for him.

So being my usual wimpy self, I walk over to the table where he’s sitting with Sirius. Sirius, of course, is no help, since he’s never taken Arithmancy. He just looks sympathetically over James’ shoulder every once in awhile.

“Need some help?”

James looks up, his eyes filling with gratitude. “That would be nice.”

“Fine. I can’t take this anymore. Scoot over.”

And I spend the rest of the evening helping James with his homework. Somehow, he always seems to get his way.

Oh well, whoever said that life was fair?

*******

Emily wakes me up, bright and early. Much too early for me. But what can I do?

“I’m up, Emily, I’m up!”

“Lily, why have you been so sleepy recently? Hall duty doesn’t keep you up that late, does it?”

“No, it’s mainly the tutoring . . . James is really going to fail.”

“What? I thought you weren’t going to help him all week!”

“He looked so pathetic that I couldn’t help it.”

“Wow, Lily, what’s gotten over you? You’re finally being merciful! And I love it!”

“Thanks, but I wish I could say the same. Apparently, my sudden burst of goodness is making me sleep deprived.”

“And grouchy. Don’t worry, I love you anyway, despite the circles under your eyes, which aren’t even noticeable, by the way. And I’m sure James does, too. Not that you care about that, right?” She gives me a sly look.

What can I do besides groan? “Emily, get over it!”

“Whatever. I can tell that this is a sore subject.”

“So to switch subjects, I have a question for you. Do you know Bellatrix . . . sorry, I forgot her last name, but I think she’s in Slytherin.”

“Bellatrix Black? Why?”

“Oh, do you know her? It’s just that yesterday, as sudden as anything, she came up to me and talked to me as if she wanted to be friends. Really sweet and everything.”

“Bellatrix Black? I can’t believe it!”

“Black? That’s her last name?”

“Yeah. Sirius’ cousin. One of his family members who looked down on him. Don’t you know how he left home to live with James?”

“No, I never did.” I can’t believe I never bothered to find out before.

“Well, anyway, his family is totally into being pureblood and high-class and all that crap, and there came a point when he just couldn’t stand it anymore. So he left home. Anyway, he says that Bellatrix used to be an okay kid, but now she’s on the brink of plunging into the Dark Side.”

“Whoa . . . how bizarre. And she wanted to talk to me?”

“That’s beyond me, too. Maybe you know her sister, Narcissa.”

“That girl who used to stick her nose up at us back when we were first years?”

“The one and only. She’s already over the line. She’s engaged to Lucius Malfoy, who’s a prominent supporter of the Dark Lord.”

“Oh my god. How horrible. Sirius is related to all that?”

“Yeah. So whatever motives this Bellatrix girl had, don’t hang around her too much. She’s trash.”

“Wow. Thanks so much.”

“Now that all the heavy stuff’s done, are you ready for breakfast?”

“Are you kidding? Of course!”

*******

So Bella was from a pureblood family and was on the verge of going over? Horrible. And yet, I would never have believed it from her appearance. How many times have you heard not to judge a book by its cover?

I couldn’t help seeing her again. She was already seated when Emily and I arrived in Transfiguration, and waved sweetly at me. I halfheartedly smiled back, trying to avoid looking at Emily, who was scowling. We didn’t sit next to her, instead we chose seats nearer the front. I always liked to be closer to the professor anyway.

What followed was a lecture on methods to become an Animagus. I was doodling on my paper with my pencil. After all, Animagus was more like third-year material. And I had it down. I know, wizards and witches are supposed to use quills, but I always had an issue with the erasing difficulty, and I was too lazy to use a special eraser. I guess some parts of being a Muggle never change.

And what was my pencil drawing? Hmm. A boy on a broomstick, holding a quaffle. I’ve always been a pretty good artist, to tell you the truth. And the boy, especially as I finished the messy dark hair, looked a lot like . . . .

Emily was glancing in my direction, so I quickly covered the drawing, and erased the hair and face. Carefully, I redid them, replacing the face with a more feminine one, and adding long hair. It was me.

The bell rang, and I packed my books into my bag. I avoided looking at Bella, who was motioning to me, and hurried out the door with Emily.

*******

I could avoid Bellatrix, but I couldn’t avoid the equally unpleasant Snape. In Potions, our teacher (an evil hag, who of course supported Slytherins) decided that certain pairings, namely Potter/Black and Evans/Weasley, should be broken up. Of course, everyone ended up with people from the opposite house, and I was paired with Snape.

I tried to be friendly, asking Severus about his classes as I diced the cockroach shells. He merely grunted in answer, never looking directly at me.

But when he was about to add the lacewings to their potion (which was absolutely perfect), I stopped him.

“No! You have to wait for the potion to simmer for fifteen minutes before you add those, or else it won’t work.”

He glared at me. “Why are you always such a know-it-all? Do you always have to be right?!”

I was reasonably affronted. “But it says right there on the board--”

“What do you know?”

I tried to stop him, but he had already dropped the lacewings into the cauldron. And not just a pinch, as the instructions dictated, but a whole handful.

Poof! The potion exploded, spraying everyone. I covered my face with my hands just in time. Severus wasn’t as lucky, as warts sprang up all over his face.

“Evans!” the professor shouted. “Didn’t I specify that the lacewings shouldn’t be added until fifteen minutes after the cockroach shells? Ten points from Gryffindor for your failure to follow directions!”

I was dejected as I watched several students walk up to the Hospital Wing. And it wasn’t even my fault. But I had never been a tattletale, and what was the likelihood of anyone believing me? We were, after all, in the Slytherin dungeon.

Sirius and James were impressed. “That was a pretty cook trick you pulled there, Evans,” said James enthusiastically. “I didn’t know you had it in you. Did you see Snivellus and his warts?”

“I didn’t do it. It wasn’t my fault.”

Sirius winked. “Sure, sure. We believe you.” Before I could protest, they had left for dinner, and Emily and I went back up to our dormitory to clean up. The potion had made a mess on our robes.

*******

After hall duty, I sat sleepily in the common room. There had been no essential homework, and James was goofing around with his fellow mischief makers. What was that in his hand? Of course. The Snitch. I was amazed that James was a Chaser and not a Seeker, because the way he handled the flying ball was incredible. I wish I could do that.

Emily had already gone to bed. I walked over to their table.

“James Potter.” I tried to look severe. “Is that stolen property I see you holding?”

“More or less. What, are you going to turn me in?”

“I should.”

“I dare you.”

“I will.”

“Come on, Lily,” said Sirius. “I know you won’t turn Jamesie in. Or should I say Prongsie?”

“Shut up!” whispered Remus. But it made no sense to me. Probably just some embarrassing nickname. Remus always had been extremely sensitive.

James spoke. “I trust you, Lily. And I trust you not to tell anyone that we’re not going to be in our dorms tonight.”

I was shocked. “Why shouldn’t I? Are you sneaking out again?”

Remus looked hopeless, as did Peter. Sirius just looked questioningly at James.

James was confident. “Not really. Just don’t tell, okay? Because there’s something I want to show you.”

The other boys immediately looked panicky, and burst out in unison, trying to stop James from unveiling their secret.

“No! Stop! Don’t tell her! What are you thinking? Don’t listen to him, Lily, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

James simply put his hand into his robe pocket, and drew out something silvery. It was made of some shimmery material that looked almost like liquid. I stared. It was so beautiful.

James smiled, and put it around his shoulders and over his head. I almost screamed. He was gone.

“Relax, hon, it’s just an Invisibility Cloak,” said James. “And we’re going to use it. Come on, you guys. What are you waiting for?” Despite all their previous protests, the other boys disappeared under the cloak. James was always in control.

“Now, Evans, if you could please open the portrait door for us? It won’t do to have the Fat Lady open up with nobody going out. You can pretend you’re going to the bathroom or something.

Why did I listen? I should’ve called for McGonagall right away. But James was really a born leader. Somehow, he convinced me. I opened the door for them, then took a walk around the floor, returning to an empty room. I went over to the corner where the boys had been sitting, and saw an old piece of parchment. I turned it over, and was astonished. It was a map of Hogwarts, complete, with passages I never knew existed. And there were little dots all over the place, with labels. Most of the dots weren’t moving, as people were sleeping in their dormitories. But I could see myself, Lily Evans, a small green dot in the Gryffindor Common room. And there were other moving dots as well. Dumbledore seemed to be pacing back and forth in his office. On the grounds, four additional dots were moving, right outside Gryffindor Tower.

I knew they had the cloak, and I wouldn’t be able to see them. But their behavior on the map was strange. Instead of moving slowly and close together, as they would have needed to under the cloak, they seemed to be running around, not restrained at all. I looked out the window aimlessly. Of course I wouldn’t be able to see them.

But I saw something. A large black dog bounded across the grass, followed by a magnificent stag, right where the map labeled Sirius Black and James Potter.

I caught my breath. Of course. They were Animagus.

And as for the other two? On the map, Peter was scurrying around more irregularly than the others, and Remus was moving at a slower, steadier pace. So perhaps Peter was a smaller animal.

And Remus? If my previous ideas about him were correct, maybe he wasn’t an Animagus after all. Maybe he was in human form, running under the cloak.

I knew it was farfetched, but with that gang, anything was possible. And finally, I had a name for the four, as I looked at the title of the map. They were the Marauders.

*******

A/N: Was this a satisfactory chapter? I hope so! To all my reviewers, thank you so much!

Please take a minute to write me a comment, okay? It means a lot to me! So thank you all so much for your support!!!!!! I love you!

A/N: Yay! Another chapter! Hopefully more sweet and fluffy L/J to satisfy everyone.

*******

I didn't tell James right away about my discovery, or at least I wasn't planning to. I hardly spoke to him at all during Charms, I was too focused on my work. But Transfiguration had always been his favorite subject, so his head tended to swell even larger than normal during that period, and gave him more gall than ever.

"So Evans." He worked his way over to my desk while he was supposed to be transfiguring a rabbit. "Have fun last night?"

"Yeah. I did hall duty, then my homework, and then went to sleep. Exhilarating, huh?" There was no way that he knew I had seen the map. I had left it under the table, right where I found it.

"So you didn't find anything interesting in the Common Room after I left?" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Because I left something really important there. And when I got back, it had moved."

I was a horrible liar, so I didn't even try. James always saw through me, anyway. "Fine. So I saw your stupid map. My question is, how many rules did you break to make it?"

He shrugged. "None, actually. It was completely legit. There's nothing wrong with practicing our charms privately in our dorms. So did you like it?"

How could I help it? It was a pretty extraordinary map. "The question is not whether I like it or not. It was impressive."

"Thanks." He strutted back to his seat as if we hadn't had any conversation at all, and nonchalantly transformed his rabbit into a black top hat.

"Potter!" McGonagall shouted. "You were supposed to turn it into a wizard's hat!"

He smiled. "Too late."

She tried to look angry, but the hat was too impressive to criticize. "Next time, try to stick by my guidelines." But she couldn't repress a smile. "Nice hat, though."

If our professor was impressed by the hat, I couldn't imagine what she would say if she saw the Marauders' Map. The hat was nice, of course, but nothing I couldn't do. On the other hand, I had no idea what kind of advanced magic the boys had put into the map.

And after all, there was the possibility that they were Anamagi.

If the map was impressive, that was nothing short of incredible.

*******

I didn't see Emily until lunch that day, and she rushed across the Great Hall to give me a hug and tell me something of great importance.

"LILY! LILY! LILY!"

I sighed. "Emily, Emily, Emily."

"You'll never guess what just happened!" The smile on her face made the "unguessable" all too obvious.

"What, Sirius asked you out?"

"HOW'D YOU GUESS?!?!"

I smiled. I was happy for her. "Emily, you've always had a knack for wearing your emotions on your sleeve."

"Fine, then." She tried to scowl playfully at me, but she was obviously too elated for even the tiniest bit of sarcasm. "Be a know-it-all."

"Since it's my trademark, it'd be so unfair to disappoint. But I couldn't be more happy for you. See, I was right!"

"Know-it-all. But I'm too happy to complain at this moment. I'll get you later. If you find a hex on you when you wake up in the morning, it'll be my retaliation."

"Okay. So where's the lucky guy?"

"Coming, I guess. We didn't have the same class last period."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to tell me every word he said?"

"Of course! So we were in Muggle Studies, and we were working on assembling a radio."

"Keep going."

"And he wanted to use his wand, and asked me to get it for him."

"Don't keep me waiting in suspense. Speed it up."

"So I went to get the wand, and as soon as I touched it, it turned into a bouquet of roses." Emily concluded with a blush that made her face indistinguishable from her hair.

"That is beyond sweet. Well, I guess you got the only guy worth having in this school."

"Come on! You're always so unfair to James!"

I smiled. "Forget about James. Sirius is here."

*******

Bellatrix watched from the shadows of the Slytherin Table. Her cousin had a girlfriend, and even though Emily wasn't a Muggle, her family would've been horrified to know. After all, Weasleys weren't exactly at the top of the wizarding social ladder.

Bella never thought about what her parents would think about James, and in truth, it wouldn't have mattered. She was always loyal to her family, of course, but up till now, there had been no reason not to be.

She had often thought of Rodulphus and his offer. Had she ever considered taking him up on it?

Maybe not yet, but she watched darkly as James patted Sirius on the back. Sirius was happy with his girlfriend; that was apparent. What if James decided to ask Lily out?

Bellatrix firmly decided that was never going to happen.

*******

Of course, Bella didn't know that James had already asked Lily out countless times, and unsuccessfully.

Nobody knew this better than James, and as he saw Sirius' happiness, he wished he could ask her, and that for once, she would accept. Of course, he was never lacking in courage (in this respect, James was a true Gryffindor). But why bother asking a question if you already know the answer?

And James knew exactly what the answer would be. Well, not exactly. It varied, actually. Sometimes, it was, "No." Other times, Lily would sigh in aggravation and turn away. Another common response was, "Not this again."

But unfortunately, all these responses meant the same thing, and James was hopeless.

And Lily wasn't the only one of his problems.

Arithmancy was as hard as always, and although Lily was a great tutor (and a very pretty one as well) he was having a pretty bad time of it. Hard as he tried, the numbers and symbols still meant very little to him. James had always been a hands-on kind of person, which was why he specialized in Transfiguration.

He was desperate, studying every evening. Sirius had even taught him an osmosis spell that would supposedly help him learn the content while sleeping on his textbook. Unfortunately, the only obvious result was a severe lack of sleep for James, since the book was extremely thick and hard, making a very uncomfortable pillow.

After all, what was he going to do if he failed his NEWT's? His dream of being an Auror would never be fulfilled.

His last problem was Quidditch. Perhaps that wasn't really a problem, but it was surely going to take up a lot of time. And it was the first day of practice.

******* ~Lily's POV

I changed into my new quidditch robes. They were a beautiful red, with gold trim. Too pretty for flying in, really.

I went into the girls' locker rooms. They were noticeably empty, because there were no other girls on the team. Don't get me wrong, it that Gryffindor was sexist about women on the team-they weren't, at least not compared to the other houses. And there had been a girl on the team this year, a Chaser, but she had gotten an injury which led to my placement on the team. So anyway, the locker rooms were empty, and I changed in peace.

Peace wasn't the word to describe the practice that followed. Since all the other players were guys, they fooled around and played rough with each other. Obviously, they weren't used to having a girl on the team. Sirius was a quintessential beater, always "accidentally" aiming the black ball at a teammate. He and James were constantly joking around in the air, playfully trying to knock each other off their brooms.

But James was all business when it came to training. After the initial chaos, he organized us into flying patterns, trying out moves and passes. I'd never played in anything so organized before, and it was wonderful.

Like James.

He was without a doubt the best player on the team, and he flew beautifully. I was completely in awe, watching him zoom across the field, so engrossed that I didn't notice when he deftly passed the quaffle to me.

He laughed as the ball slipped out of my hands and fell to the ground. "Daydreaming, Evans?"

I blushed with embarrassment. My first practice, and I was caught not paying attention. "Sorry."

"No prob. It's time to go on in, anyway. I wouldn't want to deprive you of your beauty sleep."

He descended to the ground and motioned for everyone else to follow. We were just in time, too, because a distraught Peter was writhing on the ground near the entrance of the pitch.

"Peter, what's wrong?" James and Sirius ran to his side. Peter barely gasped out, tears of humiliation running down his face, that Snape had given him the full Body-bind hex . . . or at least most of it. Only his head seemed able to move.

Cursing, James said the countercurse, and Peter jumped up, relieved.

"How long ago?" asked Sirius.

Peter responded in a more calm voice, "Just a minute. He went that way."

The two boys immediately ran in the direction of Peter's finger, and Peter followed, eager to see their revenge. I reluctantly trailed them. Who knows what mischief they were planning?

So I followed, wondering what rash act they were going to do next.

*******

Ooooh! My first cliffie!

How evil of me. I know, I'm an evil person . . . evil evil evil.

Anyway, I did this cliffie for an evil purpose. So here's the deal. I've got the conclusion for this chapter written already, and I'm ready to post it, the minute I get 10 reviews. However, if I don't get that many, I won't post until probably next (not this one) weekend, when I have the time.

So is it a deal? I know I'm evil, I'm just a desperate person trying to get reviews!

So forgive me, and review!

As usual, thanks to all my fabulous reviewers! Keep up the good work! And sorry for the long delay!

~hkitty

A/N: The end of the cliffie!

Sorry for the long delay!

*******

It didn’t take long to find out. As I watched from a distance, they quickly caught up with Snape, and James yelled out something that I couldn’t hear very clearly. It certainly caught Snape’s attention, though, because I saw him turn around.

Maybe it was just an excuse for James to hex him, because I guess he felt too “honorable” to hit him when his back was turned. Anyway, what he did was almost as unfair, as he struck Snape in the chest with a spell. This was quickly followed by one from Sirius, and Snape fell backwards onto the ground, clearly knocked out.

What cowards. Of course, I didn’t support dueling of any sort, but what they did to poor Snape was deplorable. For the first time in ages, I felt sorry for him. Of course, what he had done to Peter had probably been just as bad, but recently, I had been expecting better things from James.

Apparently, their anger had gotten the better of them, because the two boys stared in shock at Snape’s still body.

I had finally caught up, and I was close enough to hear their conversation, which was conducted in whispers.

“I just did a Leg-Locker curse. What about you?”

“The same, to give him a taste of his own medicine, you know? I had no idea . . .”

“Me neither.”

“So what are we going to do?”

I sighed in aggravation. “Undo the damage, you morons. Ennervate.”

Snape’s eyes opened and he rubbed his forehead. At last, something seemed to dawn on him, as his expression changed to fury.

He cursed, but was obviously in too much pain to get up. His wand lay a few feet away.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Did you think it’d be lots of fun to gang up on me from behind?”

James was angry, too. “You attacked Peter.”

Snape smirked. “I couldn’t stand his worship of you. It got on my nerves, so I made him shut up.”

James raised his wand, but I stopped him. “You guys are all a bunch of immature brats. Come on, just grow up and go to bed. Enough of this.”

Snape spat in my face. “Don’t tell me what to do! I don’t take orders from Mudbloods!”

I had to push James aside from performing yet another curse. “Snape, whether you like it or not, I’m the only one standing between you and Potter here. And I can just let him place a nice, painful spell on you at any time.” How unlike me. I was totally letting my anger get the better of me. But for once, it felt good.

James butted in. “Apologize, or I’ll hex you! Don’t try to stop me, Lily!”

I looked at him sternly. “James, you’ll do nothing of the sort. Come on, we have hall duty. Leave him here. He can take care of himself.” I took his hand and led him towards the castle. Sirius looked at Snape doubtfully, but James said, “Lily’s right. Let’s leave him here.”

*******

Snape looked at the four Gryffindors: Peter, Sirius, James, and Lily, who had been his unexpected and uncalled for savior. And he didn’t like it one bit.

If there ever was a feeling he didn’t like, it was gratitude.

And that Mudblood Evans girl had done him a favor. Snape scowled. He hadn’t even asked for her help.

*******

~Lily’s POV

I slumped in a couch in the common room. “Look what you’ve gotten yourselves into. Can’t you be a little more mature? Just every once in awhile?”

The boys were indignant, of course. James almost shouted, “What! You’re blaming us! Look what he did to Peter!” At the same time, Sirius exclaimed, “He had it coming!” Peter, the source of all the mischief, looked humiliated at all the trouble he had caused. What a poor guy. He had no self-confidence whatsoever.

If only he could get some from James . . . he had arrogance to spare.

I tried to give them good advice. “Don’t stoop to his level, okay? You owe it to yourselves and to your House to be better than Slytherins. I could’ve taken off points for that.”

James smiled. Now that the chaos was all over, he was pretty calm about things. “Yeah, right, Evans. You’re all talk. C’mon, we’ve got some hall duty to attend to. Wouldn’t want the kiddies to get away with sneaking to the kitchens to steal food, would we?”

“Fine.” I got up, just as Remus came bursting into the room. “What’s up?” he asked, looking at Peter, who was covered in dirt.

James sighed. He looked at Sirius. “You explain.” Then he beckoned to me to follow him out of the common room.

The Fat Lady beamed at us. “Out for Head duty?” she asked politely, and we nodded. “Good for you!”

We had begun to take our hall duty less and less seriously. Instead of listening for whispers or footsteps, we had conversations, which were getting friendlier by the day. Still, every once in awhile, James would say something that would remind him why I didn’t like him.

“You know, Evans, I really appreciate what you’re doing for me, I mean, helping me with Arithmancy and all that. Maybe I could pay you back somehow, you know, give you some quidditch pointers or something?”

I sighed. This was the James I knew and hated. “You worry about the Arithmancy, I’ll worry about my quidditch.”

“Oh, I’m worrying, all right. But Sirius taught me a neat spell, and I think it might be working.”

I raised my eyebrows. Arithmancy didn’t involve many spells, and Sirius wouldn’t know the right ones, anyway. “What kind of spell?”

“I think it’s called the osmosis spell. Osmosia memorandi. Do you know it?”

I clutched my sides as I burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s obvious that you’re not a Muggle. We used to talk about osmosis all the time. The sleeping on the textbook deal, right?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t it work?”

I laughed again. “Well, I’ll just say that for osmosis to work, it’d take a lot more magic than I’ve learned so far.”

James sighed. “And I thought I had just gotten the gist of it!”

How could he really be so clueless? Did he really believe in that stuff?

Did it matter?

James was always cutest when he was clueless, just as he was the most aggravating when he tried to be smart.

“God, James, grow up.”

He looked at me seriously. “I’m trying to. But don’t you think we’ll do it soon enough? Don’t you know what’s out there, waiting for us, when we get out of Hogwarts? Lily, have you ever thought about it?”

I was shocked. James had never been so serious before. I said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

“Lily, I know what I’ve got to do after I graduate. I’m going to be an Auror, to fight the destruction that’s going on out there. And the time will come, soon enough. Don’t you think I’ve got the right to be a child?”

Was he really serious? With James, you could never tell. Or at least I couldn’t. I eyed him warily. Was it a ploy?

I answered stonily, “We’re not children any more, James, whether you like it or not.” I don’t know why I gave him the cold shoulder like that. Maybe it was because he scared me. I’d never seen that look in his eyes before, and it was too intense for me. So unlike the James I knew . . .

“Lily. Lily Evans.”

“What?” I shook my head. Maybe it was the lack of sleep I was getting that was making me so dim-witted. “Sorry, I think I’m getting sleepy.”

“I’m sorry.”

I was pretty irritable at the moment. “For what? Don’t be sorry.”

“I’m just sorry, that’s all.” He turned towards the Tower, and we walked back, wordlessly. Maybe there wasn’t anything to say.

Or maybe there was too much.

*******

Bellatrix nibbled the end of her quill, and rubbed her magical eraser over the parchment for the hundredth time. Which was pretty stupid, in a way, because she kept on writing the same phrase over and over.

Dear Rodulphus,

I have not had adequate time to think over your offer. Please give me time, and be patient. After all, I’m still a student, and I have studies to think about. I’m pleased to hear about your new position at the Ministry, congratulations. I’m sure I’ll see you soon, what with Narcissa’s wedding coming up and all.

Love,

Bella.

It was an awkward letter, but it was an awkward subject, and Bella knew that if she didn’t send it immediately, the letter would never be sent. After all, it was almost time to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast, and she’d be sure to see James.

James.

And he was enough to change her mind about anything.

Bella walked up to the Owlery to mail her letter, then went down to the Great Hall. She was early, but it didn’t really matter. She liked being alone anyway.

But she was no longer alone. Lily Evans had just walked into the room. Where was her sidekick, the Weasley girl? And where was Potter, who always seemed to be trailing behind her?

Bella took a deep breath and waved. “Lily!”

*******

~Lily

I looked around, to see who was waving at me. Bellatrix Black? What did she have to do with me?

Resigned, I waved back. Might as well be friendly. “Hey,” I called. “Good morning!” I took a seat at the Gryffindor table, way across the hall from the Slytherins, and took out a textbook.

But she was unfazed, and came up to talk to me.

“Hey Lily!” God, what a ditz. After Emily’s description of her, I was less likely to have a good impression of Bellatrix. I could no longer call her Bella.

But she was gorgeous, nobody could deny that. How I wished I had that kind of hair, thick and shiny and black. Her eyes were heavily hooded, but beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

“How are you?”

I sighed. I wasn’t in the mood for talking. “Okay. There’s too much going on, I guess.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to keep from getting stressed out.”

What followed was a surprisingly engaging conversation about Arithmancy, which led to Charms, always my favorite subject. Bellatrix was actually a decent girl, or at least she seemed that way.

*******

Bellatrix caught herself mid-conversation. Was she actually enjoying talking to Lily? Was she so desperate for companionship that she was talking to her arch-rival?

The answer was yes. None of the other Slytherin girls were interesting at all, and Lily was an unusually intelligent girl. They were actually quite compatible, Bella soon realized.

And hadn’t Lily said that there was nothing between her and James?

Maybe there was no reason not to hang out with her.

Eventually, Bellatrix had to return to her table and join her housemates, and she did so reluctantly. After all, Lily seemed like a girl who could be a friend. And James chose a seat far from Lily—the two weren’t talking at all. So maybe there was nothing to worry about, after all.

But Bella remembered. Just because Lily wasn’t interested in James didn’t mean that James wasn’t. And Bella saw something between the two of them that had never been an issue between James and herself.

Bellatrix tried to forget about it all, and had good reason to forget as the owls swooped in with the morning mail. A small envelope landed in her lap. She recognized the handwriting and the scent. It was from Narcissa.

Carefully, Bella opened the letter.

Dear Bella,

Please come home this weekend for dinner—I want you to meet Lucius and his family.

Narcissa Black Malfoy (don’t you love the sound of the name?)

P.S. Rodolphus will be there.

Typical Narcissa, thought Bella, as she folded up the letter. Brief, but gloating. It was no secret that she had made a wonderful match—the Malfoys were loaded. And Bella was expected to follow in her sister’s footsteps. The Lestranges weren’t as filthy rich as the Malfoys, but they were a pretty distinguished family.

Bella sighed. An evening with her family, and Rodulphus. As if she didn’t have enough things to worry about.

*******

Okay, that’s the end of the chapter! And for all of you who want more, here is a sample of my (dare I call it?) poetry.

Remember, while you read this (and read it only at your own risk!) I consider myself an aspiring writer, not an aspiring poet. Note: This poem is only decent when read in iambic pentameter . . . (omg I sound like Mrs. Clouse . . .)

I beg my mom to let me check my mail,

My inbox says I have 10 new reviews,

My readers say, “Write more, please do not fail,”

I wonder: which plot bunny should I use?

I try to overcome my writer’s block.

What would my faithful readers like to read?

What should the characters do, think, and talk?

And then, there’s the advice I need to heed.

Some readers ask for cutesy L/J fluff,

While others long for pranks and jokes galore.

Some like more Bellatrix and angsty stuff,

Some want an ending—others beg for more.

My chapter’s short, but still I click “update,”

To please my fans—I know they hate to wait.

So there is my rendition of a Shakespearean sonnet . . . please, hold your applause!

This was written while trying to do AP World History homework . . . can’t you see how efficient I am with my time?