Chapter 52-Trust
"Have I told anyone how much I love this woman?" Sirius merrily bellowed. They had just entered the Gryffindor Common Room and Sirius was ready to throw yet another one of his infamous parties. This time, the cause was not for the Marauders.
He lifted Halle into the air and kissed her on the lips. Lily and James were relaxing on the couches and laughed. It was past midnight and the Common Room was nearly empty.
"Prongs, she beat Snivellus! She beat the bloody git. I love this woman!" he screamed.
"Slow down, Padfoot. What happened?" James asked him, laughing at his overly excited friend. Katy and Remus had just entered the Common Room, holding hands and approached them.
"She won the tournament. We're looking at the Official Champion of Exploding Snap. It was her and Snivelly. Babe, there really was no competition," Sirius said, turning to Halle and kissing her once again.
"This day is going down in the books!" Sirius announced.
"She really was amazing, Lils. Almost as good as she is in staring contests," Katy insisted.
"It was nothing," Halle said modestly.
"You're my new hero, honey," Sirius said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.
Sirius and Remus went into a blow-by-blow account of what had happened at the tournament.
Outside of the portrait hole, lay a young man sitting on the cold floor. The Fat Lady was soundly sleeping and her snores could be heard. The boy had a half-empty bottle of Firewhiskey out and he appeared to be singing to himself.
The laughter inside this particular Common Room made him envious and jealous. He could have been in that equation. He heard her sweet laugh and wished he could make her laugh as such.
He popped open the bottle once again and took another swig.
He remembered following the couple, remaining in the shadows. He watched as they entered the kitchen and watched as they left, holding hands and laughing playfully. It made him sick, sick with envy.
"Lily, Lily, Lily. My sweet Lily. Precious, :hiccup: beautiful, Lily. Won't you be mine? Mine, oh so
mine," Cole Jacobs sang to himself. He banged his head against the edge of the Portrait and felt hot tears of rage
flow down his face.
Lily sweeped through the busy halls, heading towards her next class. James had Muggle Studies and she was making way to enter Ancient Runes. She was approaching the door when she felt a soft tap at her shoulder.
"Lily?" a voice asked. She turned to see Cole standing sheepishly in front of her.
"Cole, what can I do for you?" she asked, giving him a smile.
"Well, I got another D on my Charms homework. I was wondering if you could help me this evening," he said. "Unless you're busy."
She thought back to her plans. She was planning on going with James to Hogsmeade. He had asked her if they could sneak in, and she accepted. This would be their first real date in months.
Then she thought back to poor Cole. He was having such a hard time in Charms and as Head Girl it was her responsibility to help others out. Dumbledore might look at her as irresponsible and not right for the position. She couldn't afford to lose that. James could understand, after all, he was an understanding guy.
"No, no plans. Well, at least none that I can't cancel. So, when do you want to meet in the library?" she asked.
"How about 6:30? Right after dinner? That way you won't miss it," Cole suggested.
"That'd be fine. See you later," she called.
She walked into the room as he stared back behind her.
She had said she would cancel her plans for him. He was making progress. Soon that egotistical freak Potter would be out of his way, leaving room for the superior couple, Cole and Lily.
Yes, things were working the way he planned.
"I'm sorry James. I have an obligation to this student!" Lily shouted. She and James were in the Heads Lounge and James hadn't taken the canceling of their date so well.
"Lily, you're putting this kid in front of our relationship," James said.
"No, I'm not. Our relationship is fine. It's just one date, we can make it up," Lily said. "Plus, when I get back, we can go out on rounds. Have some alone time."
"Ok," he gave in. He could never say no to Lily. No matter how much something upset him, she was there to calm him down. They'd been through too much.
"Thanks. I owe you," Lily said, kissing him on the cheek and heading to the library.
James didn't trust this kid. Cole Jacobs was his name and he was in Slytherin. He only knew one particular seventh
year Slytherin who could help him discover the identity of this mystery student. James really did not want to go to
him.
"You have to be out of your mind, Potter," Severus Snape proclaimed.
"Surprisingly, no. I need your help Sniv-I mean Snape," James admitted.
"Why should I help you?" Snape asked.
"When was the last time the Marauders harassed you, let alone me?" James inquired.
"Last night, by chance. Your friend Black seemed to find it interesting that Douglas beat me in that tournament," Snape said.
"You and I can both agree that Sirius will never fully mature. You're the only one I can ask about this," James said.
"Who do you want me to spy on?" Severus requested.
"Cole Jacobs. He's in our year and in your house. Have you heard of him?" James asked.
"Yes," Snape sneered. "That boy owes many others in my house debts. He gambles his money, playing card games, betting on Quidditch matches. He claims that his parents have this huge trust fund at Gringotts waiting for him. No one's seen a dime."
"So he's not trustworthy?" James asked suspiciously.
"Not from what I've heard," Snape said. "How long should this whole charade last?"
"I just want to make sure Lily's not in any danger. Follow him for about a week. Maybe a couple times a day," James said.
"And what's in this for me?" Snape asked.
"I'll give you 100 Galleons. I have it on me right now," James said. He knew Snivellus was poor. One could just tell by the state of his robes. James saw the slightest hint of greed in Snapes black eyes.
"Fine. I do this, and that money is mine," Snape said.
"We'll meet here in exactly a week," James said, walking off. Snape left, in the opposite direction. The
rift between the two was far from settled.
"Wow, you're really good at Charms," Cole mused, after Lily had managed to help him with three different spells. It was 9:30 now, and Madam Pince was keeping a watchful eye on the two of them.
"So, Lily, we're friends right?" Cole asked. Lily was somewhat shocked by his bluntness.
"Sure, I guess," she said.
"Well, friends tell each other things, don't they?" Cole asked.
"I suppose," she pondered, wondering what he was getting at.
"So, one could ask you for advice if needed?" Cole asked once again.
"Is there something you want to talk about? I told you, I am your tutor, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about things other than professional topics. You need someone to listen, I'll be here," she said. He placed his hand on hers and began speaking.
"It's my girlfriend. She lives in France and I think we've hit a rut in our relationship," Cole said.
"A rut? Do you think it's the long distance?" Lily asked.
"Most likely. I have a feeling there's another boy she likes. Beauxbatons is filled with guys, so she most likely found one that liked her," Cole revealed. Lily sympathized with him.
"My friend Halle is really good with relationship advice. She's helped me out with James on one too many occasions," Lily said. Coles eyes sharpened at the mention of James's name.
"James? You haven't really told me much about him. I've told you a little bit about Amelia," Cole said.
"James, hmm. What is there to say about him? We've been through so much it feels like I've known him forever. I never used to like him," Lily said.
"Why not?" Cole asked.
"He used to be arrogant and pick on others he felt were not up to his standards. Or my standards even. He used to decide what was right for me. He's let me have some space and he trusts me now," Lily said.
All in good time, Cole thought. You'll begin to notice those traits making more appearances soon sweet
Lily.
A/N: As some of you guessed, the inspiration for Cole came from Oliver of the OC. I hated that kid, was I alone in that? I was so happy when Ryan punched him. ::Secret Lily grins remembering it. She stares at her season 1 DVDs and wants to watch the infamous punch once more:: Sorry there, got a bit distracted. If you don't watch the OC (Hard to believe no one doesn't), then ignore that. Cole is just based off a creepy weirdo whom I hate with a vigorous passion. Just so you know, the plot is just starting to thicken. Please review