Chapter 4: Down Boy
By: Amanda ~ the ROSE of RoseLibs
"You think Prongs is right?" Remus asked spontaneously Saturday night of the other two Marauders as they sat in the common room doing homework (something very uncharacteristic of them on a Saturday night).
James was currently out on his date with Lily, whom he insists is the ringleader of the Divines. The thought had been churning in his head for the last twenty-four plus hours and the more he thought about it, the more probable it seemed.
"Huh?" Peter said stupidly.
"What? About what?" asked Sirius. "Are you talking about that Divines thing again?"
"Yeah, have you ever considered the possibility that the female equivalent of the Marauders are our fellow Gryffindor seventh years?"
"Not really," Sirius shrugged. "That'd be hot, though, 'cause, I mean, those girls are all hot and if they are the Divines, then they think like us, and that's hot. So that would make them, in fact, hotter," he said, ending his circling conversation with himself.
"What are we talking about?" Peter questioned.
"Please, Wormtail, pay attention," Remus said patiently. "We hate repeating ourselves." He turned to Sirius. "The point is, it's actually quite plausible that they're the Divines. Really, no other group of girls fit the profile."
"You've made a profile? Remus, mate, we need to get you a girl," Sirius told him, shaking his head. "You know," he continued suddenly, "Lily and James looked good together when they left. Be hilarious if they actually hooked up. Oh, and what'd really be the icing on the cake, if Lily was head of the Divines!"
Remus laughed along with him. He'd been thinking the same thing when James was getting ready. He couldn't help but wonder how his friend was fairing on his date thus far, considering how…feisty Lily tended to be towards James.
You shouldn't gamble with Fate.
*~*~*
"You know," J-Mo began from her position on her bed in the seventh year girl's dorm, "we should really use this time productively."
"Surely you out of all of us aren't suggesting homework on a Saturday night?" Meggie asked in disbelief.
J-Mo snorted in laughter. "Yeah right! I'm suggesting," she said, flipping over onto her stomach, "we continue with Mission Pimp Phase Conspiracy."
Brandy rolled her eyes. "Would you please call it Mission Payback Phase McG Research."
"Why? You all know what I'm talking about, and better yet, nobody else does," she added as though that fact was a revelation.
"Whatever floats your boat, J-Mo," she told her. "I suppose you're right, though; we should work on the prank for McGonagall."
"If not for actually wanting to," J-Mo said with a glance at Meggie, "then for being able to tell Lily we didn't just sit on our arses all night and paint our toes."
Meggie shot her a glare as she finished the final coat on her left foot. "They were chipping. Am I supposed to ignore that? I'm done now, anyway," she continued, performing a drying spell with a swish of her wand, "so we can begin with…whatever."
"You think Lil is digging up info on the Marauders from James?" questioned Brandy randomly.
"Dunno," Meggie shrugged. "She seemed pretty set that he knew something, though."
"You know, if she finds out who the Marauders are, maybe we can seduce them and win this little prank war we've been having," speculated J-Mo.
"Which reminds me," said Brandy, "I wonder how Lily's doing with Cupid's Arrow."
You shouldn't gamble with Fate.
*~*~*
"Where exactly are you taking me?" Lily asked James after having walked for some time.
"You'll see; just trust me," he said giving her a small smirk. Not an arrogant, self-satisfied smirk, though that's exactly what she expected from him. No, it was a confident, casual smirk, just like that damn shrug.
Lily had to control herself to not ask again, simply to see his lips form in that delicious shape.
Holy shit, Lily thought suddenly. Why am I thinking of Potter's lips? I mean, James. And why am I using `delicious' to describe them?
She chanced a glance at him, not wanting James to think she was staring at him. Her eyes lingered on his mouth. There are quite nice, though. Wouldn't mind having them graze over my - ARGH! Stop. You're supposed to make him fall for YOU, not fall for him yourself.
You shouldn't gamble with Fate.
WHY did I just think that of all possible things?
"When did we leave Hogwarts grounds?" she asked abruptly, now realizing there were a good mile from the entrance gates.
"About ten minutes ago," James answered, that smirk gracing his lovely mouth again. "If you hadn't been so busy trying to sneak glances without my noticing, you would've seen when we walked out the gates."
"I was not sneaking glances at you," she denied.
He laughed then, a deep, rumbling, masculine laugh that made Lily wonder what it would feel like if her head was pressed to his chest when he did it. Would it reverberate from his body to hers as he held her clo-
Damn it all, Lily swore. Stop thinking like that.
"Okay, hun, whatever you say."
"Don't call me `hun'!" she snapped. Great, the bitch is back. "One date, which technically hasn't been a full date yet, does not give you the privilege to call me such pet names!"
"Point taken," he replied, unfazed by her outburst. James believed in the feminist movement and that women, especially Lily, were independent, but he couldn't help but find some humor in the situation. Or making it more humorous. "So on the second date I can call you hun? Or any other pet name I wish?" he asked with a flirtatious glint in his eye.
"Don't act so sure there'll be a second date," she scowled at him in the dark.
He gave a shrug in response.
How can he possibly do that every ruddy time? Lily questioned herself as she faltered in step and stumbled on a stone.
James caught her, yet again. "You alright?" he asked softly, steadying her, his callused hands on her bare arms.
"Yeah," she said breathlessly, "I tripped on a…rock."
"You should be more careful," he told her. "Be a…shame if you were to get hurt before out date really started." Merlin she looks so beautiful, he thought, continuing to gaze at her face bathed in the moonlight.
A smile pulled at Lily's lips. "Wouldn't want that, would we? Probably wreck your perfect evening."
"That it would," James grinned. Noticing the goose bumps on her arms, he questioned, "Are you cold? Do want my shirt?"
"And have you walk around topless?" she countered. Might not be such a bad idea, she thought only slightly reluctantly.
"I have another shirt on."
"No, thank you. I'm not that cold yet."
"Implying you will be later on tonight. Will you be asking for my shirt then?"
"Well," she said suggestively, "I'll be asking for you to do something to keep me warm later."
"I'll look forward to it," James responded with an eager smile before continuing down the path.
"So will I," Lily said quietly to his back, surprising herself with the honesty in the statement. "You know, James, I did tell you I didn't want a moonlit stroll," she added loud enough for him to hear.
"It's a good thing it's not just a moonlit stroll then."
"What else are we doing then?"
That bloody smirk that made her go weak was back. "You'll see," was all he said.
The next few minutes passed with small talk (How are you doing in Flitwick's? What'd you get on the Astronomy test?) until they rounded a corner.
"Where are we?" Lily asked. "I didn't know there was another town near the school beside Hogsmeade."
"Little muggle village, Pruner," James answered. "Just go with whatever I say, alright?"
"Why don't I like the sound of this?"
"Please," he said opening the door of a tavern for her, "so no one suspects anything?"
"Alright," she agreed as she followed him to a table in the corner. "Thank you," she told him when he pulled the chair out and scooted her in.
"You're welcome," he smiled, seating himself before the waitress walked up.
Who'd've thought Potter was a gentleman, Lily thought, watching him take in the room. It must just be to make a good impression.
"Hello dearies," she greeted. "Never seen you two kids 'round here before, not often we get strangers."
"We're just passing through," James answered smoothly with a polite smile.
"Doesn't happen much, either," she eyed them skeptically. "Last time was about thirty years ago in fact."
"You remember thirty years ago?" Lily couldn't help but question. Their server looked far too young to remember that.
"I wasn't more'n five when it happened. We're a bit secluded if you haven't noticed," she added, the doubt of why they were there returning.
"In all honesty," James began with a wink at Lily, "that's what brought us here. We just got back from our honeymoon and are debating on whether to live in the city, suburbia, or rural areas."
"Yes," Lily said with a smile to hide the scowl threatening to appear, "so we decided to scout for homes in all three regions."
The waitress glanced between them. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a married couple; you seem too young."
"Well, when you find that special someone," James commented and taking Lily's hand, that smirk returning to his face as he shared a secret look with Lily that wasn't simply for appearance. Neither was genuine smile she shared with him an act. The power of those lips, Lily thought, leading to another not-so-innocent thought. I wonder what other powers they possess.
"I'll leave you two to your menus," the hostess smiled, placing the menus on the table and walking behind the bar.
"Honeymoon?" Lily questioned with raised brows, fighting a smile.
James gave a shrug, that same Devil-be-damned shrug from earlier. "Stopped her from grilling and suspecting us, didn't it?"
"And if she starts suggesting realty?"
He shrugged, again. Does he know what that simple movement is bloody doing to me? "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I suppose," he answered.
Lily opened her menu, mostly to have something to look at other than James, and James did the same, occasionally glancing up at her.
The menu could only entertain her for so long after she'd made her choice. "How do you know about the Marauders?" she asked.
"I just do," he answered, somewhat short. Lily glanced at him, an eyebrow arched. "I dunno, I hear things," he continued. "I'm observant most the time, 'cept in class of course."
"Of course," Lily said with a roll of her eyes.
The waitress returned then for their orders. After she'd left again, Lily looked at James very seriously.
"What else can you tell me about the Marauders?"
"What would you like to know?"
"Everything you do."
He looked at her, contemplating her. "Why, again, do you want to know?"
Man, I need to be a more convincing bimbo. "The pranks…they're just so clever and original. I'd just love to probe their minds. And quite possibly their bodies," she added as an afterthought, helping along the bimbo persona.
"Okay," James said slowly. "Anyway, the pranks they pull, they're more like bets between each other and they let the school in on them. It's all for the thrill with them."
Lily gazed at him perplexed. "How do you know they're bets?"
"I doubt I can explain why I think that," he said after a moment. "It's just kinda a vibe I get; the type of jokes they pull off, they just strike me as dares, you know.
"And they're all best friends, obviously. My reasoning behind that," he continued before she could ask, "is look at what they do together. They need to have each other's back and trust each other to pull them off. Thus, they're best friends." He waited as their waitress brought their meals.
After taking a bite of his roast beef, he commented in an offhand way, "In many ways, the Divines are much like the Marauders."
James watched as Lily paused in slicing her chicken and looked at him slowly. "What do you know about the Divines?" she asked curiously and, in his opinion, somewhat cautiously.
He shrugged and he saw her close her eyes momentarily. It briefly reminded James of how he pictured Lily to look in a moment of pure ecstasy. Down boy, he thought to himself before answering. "They're the female versions of the Marauders. It's like war between them the two groups; estrogen versus testosterone, competing to rule the school."
"How do you know all this…everything you do?" she asked softly, slightly awed.
"Like I said," he replied quietly, "I just do."
They continued their meal, talking of various things beside the Marauders. James would say something else pertaining to them every once in a while. He had a plan; he was absolutely positive (and tonight reinforced his certainty) that Lily and her friends were the Divines. He decided to give them enough information that with a little brain power and thought, they could figure out who the Marauders were. And Merlin knew those girls were all damn near geniuses and should all be in Ravenclaw, which brought the question: just how gutsy were those four?
And when they figure out who we are, they'll come after us, proving who they are, James thought smugly. After that prank on Dumbledore, they're sure to exact personal vengeance.
You shouldn't gamble with Fate.
Huh? Did I just think that? Where the funk did that come from? What's `Fate'?
"James," Lily said drawing him out of his thoughts, "how are we going to pay for this?"
"You mean you don't have any muggle money?" his eyes wide in disbelief.
"You were expecting me to pay for this?"
"Well, you are from a muggle family," he stated obviously, "and you did ask me out."
"You are unbelievable," she began. "How arrogant can you possibly b-"
"Relax, Evans," he told her lazily, "I've got it covered."
She stared at him. "A, it's Lily; B, that was mean."
"Oh, come on," he chuckled, "admit it, it was funny."
Lily hated to admit that he got her, and good at that, or that she actually found it funny, but they were getting on
so well. Blowing up at him for this would be pointless and she knew she'd feel like an idiot later.
"Alright," she smiled, "it was a bit funny."
"I've always believed that being able to laugh at yourself is one of the most valuable traits you can possess," James commented, calling for the check.
"I'll be sure to remind you of that next time something happens to embarrass you," she said as the waitress came and left their table, leaving the bill.
He laughed slightly and gave her a smirk, "I'll look forward to that," he told her, dropping a tip and rising to pay for their meal.
James reappeared at her side after a moment, asking if she were ready and offering his hand. Lily nodded and took it, following him out of the tavern and into the night.
"Look, an ice cream shop," James pointed with his free hand. "Would you like some?" Lily nodded and smiled at him. He grinned. "Alright," he said and directed them towards the building.
A movement caught his attention in the corner of his eye as he held the door open for Lily. She watched as he looked across the street, then back at her. "You go on in and see what you want," he told her. "I'll be right back." He closed the door and jogged across the street.
Instead, curiosity got the best of her and Lily stepped back outside to see where James had gone. She saw him across the street, talking with an older woman, then take the two bags from her as she unlocked her door. He walked in the door and set the bags on the table. Through the window, Lily saw the two of them talking, the lady extended her hand and James smiling and shaking his head, then nod quickly before ducking out the door and crossing the road again.
"What was that?" Lily asked him inquisitively.
"What? Oh, that, well, she was having trouble opening her door with the bags," he said quickly, "and it was the right thing to do and yeah," he finished, looking away form her and he held the door open once more.
Maybe the gentleman thing wasn't an act, she thought as she smiled at him. "You do that sort of thing often?"
"Yeah, it's just right."
"You're sweet, James," she told him before she could stop herself.
He shrugged. "Sirius likes to rib me about it all the time, but whatever. So, you can have anything you want, Lily," he announced, changing the subject. "What'll it be?"
A few minutes later they were once again walking hand in hand down the path, enjoying their ice cream and the night.
"I think I like ice cream from the wizarding world better," Lily said as they head back to school.
"Still good, though. You going to finish that?" James asked her, pointing at her sundae.
Lily rolled her eyes and laughed, handing it to him. "No, James, go ahead."
"Thanks," he said with a grin.
Just as James finished Lily's sundae and magicked away the trash, he noticed her shivering a bit. "Cold now?" he asked, slightly amused.
"No," she answered stubbornly.
"The goosebumps tell me otherwise," he countered.
"I'm not," she repeated. "Alright, I am a little chilly," she confessed at his look.
Before she could register that James's hand had left hers, he was passing her his shirt. "Here, put this on."
"Won't you get…" she trialed off as she looked up and took in James Potter, Quidditch captain and elite chaser, standing next to her in a muscle shirt, a muscle shirt stretched tight over his chest. Her eyes traveled down his exposed arms, the strength and definition in his biceps and triceps made Lily want them wrapped around her. Her gaze reached his stomach, where the shirt stretched over his tone abdominals. "Um, won't you get cold?" she finally managed.
"Naw," he replied the smile. "I'll be fine. Feels good, actually, refreshing."
"If you're sure," she said, pulling it on.
"I am," James told her, taking her hand again. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Lily's eyes travel down his body, and each time she would glance over at him. The fact that she looked absolutely adorable in his shirt made him grin to no end.
Lily looked down at herself in James's shirt. It felt so…coupley to wearing his clothes, but Lily found she didn't mind. It was comfortable, not just how the shirt felt, but how it felt wearing it. And she had to admit, she looked cute in his overlarge shirt. It didn't hurt either that James knew what cologne was, how much to use and just happened to use the brand Lily loved on a guy. She couldn't help but keep smelling it.
They were sneaking back into the castle, clinging to the wall and the shadows while James would peek around the corners ensure no teachers were present.
James was easing his head around the final corner before they reached Gryffindor Tower when he heard someone inhale deeply behind him. Turning, he saw Lily holding the shirt - his shirt - to her nose.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"What?" Lily looked up wide eyed.
"What were you doing just now?" he repeated.
"Oh, you see, well," she began, embarrassed at being caught and the reason, "I just really like the cologne," she finished, not meeting his gaze.
James nodded, fighting a smile. "Alright then. Come on, the coast is clear," he told her leading the way to the Fat Lady.
They finally made it into the common room, after a rather lengthy lecture from the Fat Lady about being out after curfew. The dying fire cast a soft orange glow with its dying embers over the oddly empty room as James and Lily headed to the girls' dormitory stairs.
"I'll walk you to your door," he offered.
"James," she smiled standing on the bottom step and moving to eye level, "you of all people should know boys can't walk up the girls' stairs."
He leaned closer and whispered with a mischievous grin, "But there are ways around that little rule."
"I'm sure there are and you can show me some other night."
"Are you implying that you'll agree to a second date with me, Miss Evans?" he questioned, a smile lighting up his face.
"We'll see when you ask me, won't we?" she replied.
"What makes you so sure I'll ask you out again?" he said softly, his mouth close to hers.
"Oh I know you will, Mr. Potter," she countered in a whisper.
"And why's that?" he asked before covering her lips with his own.
The kiss caught Lily off guard; she had expected to reply before they kissed. But this will work out much better, Lily thought, wrapping her arms around James's neck as he encircled her waist, pulling her flush against him. She gently and seductively brushed his bottom lip with her tongue and pushed it through when James gasped. Out of surprise that I did that first, she reasoned. His tongue touched hers, all logical thinking was lost to her as the passion of the kiss increased.
The two pulled apart, both slightly out of breath. "That, James, is why you'll ask me out again," Lily told him.
He smirked, which Lily returned with a smile. "You better get to bed," he said, stepping back, his arms dropping from around her.
She nodded and turned to ascend the steps, but suddenly stopped. "James, your shirt," she called quietly.
"Give it to me tomorrow, since you love the smell so much," he answered, grinning devilishly at her before going to his dorm.
She rolled her eyes and headed for her own room. It was quiet when she entered the seventh year girls' dorm. It's not that bloody late, is it? Lily thought as she prepared for bed with as little noise as possible. I wanted to tell them about tonight. Oh well, she yawned, climbing into her bed, still wearing James's shirt, I'll tell them in the morning.
Lily drifted off to sleep, imagining that maybe sleeping in James's shirt, with it smelling as wonderful as he does, would be like falling asleep in his arms.
You shouldn't gamble with Fate.
*~*~*
A/N: I got evens! SO SO sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but in my defense, I do have a life and other priorities. Anyway, here's my chapter 4; it's pretty long, like 9 1/2 pages in Word. Hope it's alright; 4 is kinda an unlucky number for me. Anyway, the thanks y comments: FIRST, many, many thanks to Libby, mi amor, who I could never do this without and who I need in more ways than one. I love you so much, Pruny (lmao), never forget it. SECOND: To each and every one of you that read and reviewed. Especially those who reviewed, `cause reviews make us work faster.
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