Their Seventh Year

Ten more chapters….

Chapter 30- First Fight

There were some days James really missed their "History of Magic" classes. Ithad always been a good opportunity for a nap. Since the new term had started, it was as though all their teachers were going mad at once. Yes, he knew NEWTS were approaching and he knew they were rigorous, but really.

As they neared the end of transfiguration and they were cleaning up, McGonagall reminded them all that the following Saturday would be a Hogsmeade week-end, which James was delighted to hear, as their suspension from Hogsmeade week-ends was finally over.

"Brilliant, what's on for Hogsmeade then?"

Remus and Sirius gave him bizarre looks.

"What?"

"Wow." Sirius crossed his arms and gave James a wondering look. "You're like the worst boyfriend ever."

"What?"

Sirius gave Remus a thoughtful look. "Reckon Lily would be interested in me after she dumps James, as she undoubtedly will?"

"What the HELL are you on about?"

"Saturday is Valentine's Day, dipshit."

"Oh Bugger me!"

James said that somewhat louder than he intended, as all the heads in the class swiveled towards them and McGonagall glared.

"Mr. Potter! Is there a problem?"

"Not at all Ma'am." Sirius said with his trademark "I'm-so-innocent-what-fireworks-those-aren't-mine" look. "James just didn't believe me when I told him you were twenty-nine, he insists you don't look a day over twenty-five."

"Nice try Mr. Black. Five points from Gryffindor for that uncalled for outburst in class."

But James barely heard any of this. Valentine's Day! How could he have forgotten! It was like the number one most important girlfriend holiday! Merlin, she was going to dump him if he didn't get his act together quickly.

"Oh cheer up James; it's just one of those dreadful holidays invented by the card companies to force you into spending loads of gold." Peter announced as they left class.

"Spoken like a man who's single." Sirius remarked airily.

"Shut up, you're single too."

"Yes, but I consider ita good thing. No need to waste gold buying things for someone else."

"Who's wasting gold?" 's voice asked behind them, and they immediately changed the subject with the arrival of the girls.

"No one, say do any of you know the score of the Puddlemere United game yesterday?" A bit of an awkward transition, but it did the trick as the conversation turned to quidditch and away from Valentine's Day.

Unfortunately, they were not really watching where they were going, and Avery came barreling around a corner and run full tilt into James, and then stumbled into Lily. James might have been inclined to ignore it if Avery had not then hissed "Watch where you're going, Mudblood."

In a second James had dropped his bag and drawn his wand.  “Apologize to Miss Evans.”

Avery smirked, looking only slightly unnerved by the fact that he was staring down the end of James’s wand.  Lestrange and Rosier were coming out of the crowd beginning to form, but James knew Sirius and Remus would be behind him.

“Why should I?”  Avery drawled.  “Not like I said anything that wasn’t true.”

“James come on.”  Lily said quietly behind him.  “It’s not worth it.”

“I said apologize Avery.”

“Come on James, I don’t want you getting in trouble over a jackass like him.”  She urged.

Avery sneered.  “Yes James, listen to your mudblood girlfriend.”

“Locomotor Mortis.”  James was the quickest to get a spell off, Avery keeled over stiffly. 

“Expelliarmus!”

“Stupefy!”

“Stop it this instant!”

Unfortunately, they had chosen to trade hexes outside the classroom of Hogwarts very formidable deputy headmistress.

“Potter, Black, and… finite incantatem... Avery.  In my office.  Now.”

======

They were all waiting in the common room when James and Sirius came back in. 

“How bad?”  Peter asked.

“Fifty points.”

“Detention.”

“No Hogsmeade Saturday.”

They both threw themselves down in armchairs.

“Ouch.”  Remus remarked.

"James, you didn't have to fight him." Lily said reproachfully.

"Was I just supposed to let it go?" He said disbelievingly.

"You could."

"WHAT?!"

Sensing that this was quickly building into a fight, Sirius muttered "Hey, look at the time. I have to go...um...somewhere else."

"Yeah. We have to go do a...thing."

With absolutely no tact whatsoever, their friends left them alone, but in the time it had taken them to make their incredibly lame excuses, James had calmed down somewhat.

"Lily, I'm not just going to stand around and let someone call you horrible names."

"It's not the first time I've heard it James, and I'm sure it's not that last."

"Well you shouldn't have to hear it at all!"

"So you're just going to go around hexing everyone who insults me?"

"Well, yes, that was my plan."

"James." She laid a hand on his arm. "I mean it when I say it really doesn't bother me."

"It should." He muttered.

She was beginning to get frustrated. "I think I'm capable of deciding when to be insulted."

"Well, I'm insulted. You're my girlfriend."

"Why should it bother you? You're not the one they're calling names. Unless...you're embarrassed?"

"Of course not! My family isn't like that! We don't care about those things."

"Well, the rest of the wizarding world does. Or a big part of it." She replied evenly.

"Do you really think I'm like that?"

"Your family is no less pureblood than anyone else's! Than Sirius's, or Avery's for that matter! Are you honestly so naive you think people aren't going to talk?"

"They shouldn't talk! And I would never call you that!"

"Do you expect a medal for being so politically correct then?" She snapped.

"No, I expect you to not question if I'm embarrassed. The fact that I’m dating you should show I'm not like that!"

"So you're dating me to make a point?"

"Stop twisting my words! If you're so sure I'm dating you to make a point and I'm embarrassed by it then why are you dating me?"

She wasn't sure how to answer that, or how they had gotten to this fight, but she was saved from thinking of anything.

"Never mind, I have to get out of here." He snapped, and walked out of the portrait hole.

======

Remus and Flora were sitting on the stairs, not really intending to eavesdrop, but they did hear angry voices andJames slamming out.

"Ouch. First fight." She remarked.

"I wonder what our firstfight will be about."

"Maybe we won't fight."

"Maybe not, I'm not very combative." He agreed.

"No, but I could see you being really passive-aggressive." She mused.

"I'm not passive-aggressive. We can fight right now if you want."

"We're not fighting right now." She patted his arm.

"So that's something you get to decide?"

"Of course."

"And I'm just supposed to know that rule?"

"Right."

"Okay."

======

Lily sat in one of the armchairs in the corner of the library, not really studying, and definitely feeling shell-shocked. James was mad at her, really mad, and she really hadn't intended for that. She really didn't care what someone like Avery thought, and she didn't want James to get in trouble over it. She'd heard "mudblood" the first time she stepped on the Hogwarts Express, and if she was going to get mad every single time she'd heard it since, well, she would have spent most of her life at Hogwarts being mad. It just wasn't worth it, and that was what she had wanted to make clear to James.

She hadn't done a very good job, and she wasn't sure how to fix it.

She was more than a little surprised when Sirius Black came in and pulled a chair over to join her. She would guess, if James was going to send anyone, it would be Remus.

"Sirius, I really don't want to talk."

"That's fine. I'll talk. You can just listen." He propped his feet up on the table. "I know you think I'm an idiot, that's fine, but you should know James didn't send me. About hexing Avery, you were probably right, it's not worth it. I mean, for James. I just got in because I like seeing the veins in McGonagall's forehead pop and I haven't filled my weekly quota of quality time with Filch, but that's beside the point. Avery insulted his girl, and James fought with him, that's just a guy thing Lily, it's what we do. Well, the decent types like me and Potter anyway." He paused for a moment, either to let her consider this or to congratulate himself on being a great guy, she couldn't tell. "But that's not the real problem. There's a deeper pureblood vs. muggleborn issue that you're always going to have to deal with. I'm not speaking for James, but I'm speaking as a guy whose familythinks more like Avery's than I want to admit, and James is going to put up with a lot in order to be with you. Maybe not here inside Hogwarts, but in the greater wizarding world. That's why he got so mad when you asked if he was embarrassed or just trying to make a point. Because considering all the crap he's going to have to put up with from people like my family, he must really want to be with you." He shrugged. "The world is full of Averys Lily. Let him hex the ones he can." He stood, and then held out a hand to her. "And you might try apologizing. I tried apologizing for the first time the other day. Didn't like it much."

She sighed, and accepted the hand up.

"I really don't think you're an idiot Sirius. At least, not always."

"Now I can die happy.  And on an unrelated note, I believe James is out on the quidditch pitch.”

======

She did find him on the quidditch pitch and rather than calling out to him, she sat in the stands and waited for him to notice her.  Though she was by no means an expert on the subject, she could see he really was an excellent flier.  She had never been particularly graceful on a broom, so she had to give him credit for that.  Finally, he noticed her and flew down to meet her.

“Hey.”

“I had a talk with Sirius.”  She said without preamble.  His look of surprise confirmed that he really had not sent Sirius to talk to her.  “And after explaining to me what it means to be a big strong man, he also explained what things look like from his, or in this case the pureblood, point-of-view.”  She sighed and decided he was right, apologizing was not easy.  “I’m sorry James, I guess these issues, or insecurities, are mine.”

“Well, I’m sorry I jumped on you.”  He blushed.  “Figuratively, I mean.”

“No, you had a right to get mad, I accused you of some pretty nasty things.  I guess, I’ve just gotten used to hearing that sort of thing from people like Avery, and I just ignore it, so when you get in a fight over it, it just draws attention to it.  It reminds everyone that I’m different.”  She sighed.  “I don’t want to remind people that.  I wasn’t people to just say I’m head girl, not that I’m head girl and I’m muggle born.  It’s like that’s all people are ever going to notice.”

“Maybe I’m never going to get it.  Maybe I can’t get it.”  He said.

“Maybe not.”  She smiled at him.  “I guess, in a way, I should thank you for “defending my honor” or whatever you thought you were doing.”

“You’re laughing at me!”

“No, really, I appreciate that you risked a lecture from McGonagall, and detention, and Hogsmeade for me.”

He nodded graciously.  “You’re welcome.  So we’re okay.”

“Of course we are.”

“And this fight…was…now correct me if I’m wrong…your fault?”

“Yes, and remember it well James, it won’t happen often.”

He grinned.  “Should we go in?”

“We could also stay out here for awhile.”

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