Chapter 6: A Meeting and a Note
James collapsed in a seat in the Prefect compartment miserably. He was the first one there, which was so out of character for him that he felt quite disgruntled. It had all been at Sirius's urging; "Give you some time to get to know Lily better, eh?" he'd said. James hoped that she would be the last person in, or at least not the first.
He soon found that he was short on luck, because as soon as he got comfortable in his seat, Lily appeared. She looked rather disheveled, and kept glancing out the compartment door.
"Well, that was odd." she said pleasantly, "It would seem that I was being chased by a runaway trunk."
James had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing right, because as she spoke he saw a flying trunk whiz off of its own accord. He had a sneaking suspicion that he'd seen Sirius's name engraved in the side, and the burn mark where the Black family coat of arms used to be was almost unmistakable.
"Er- that's funny." he said, trying not to sound too annoyed.
"Nice to see you again." she said, "Though I should tell you you're not supposed to be in here. It's only prefects and Head students."
"Oh. Er--" He didn't know quite what to say. He felt that she was right and that he should leave at once. "Well, you see, actually, I'm Head Boy." He winced; that sounded a lot like a Moonyism, as Sirius would call it.
Lily's eyebrows shot up.
"Really?"
"Er--yes."
"And here I thought Severus had gotten it and was too modest to tell me. Hm."
"Snivellus? Modest?" James laughed, "If he'd gotten it, he'd be telling everyone. Gryffindor would have lost all of our House Points by now."
"Don't call him Snivellus." For the first time since he'd met her, Lily looked angry. James shrugged, which seemed to make her even more annoyed.
"You're Head Boy now," she said sharply, "and you can't--you won't abuse it. I won't have it."
"What are you--"
"You can't use your power as Head Boy to take points off of Slytherin and to torture them. You have a responsibility. We do. Do you have any idea how vast a concept it is? We're, in essence, adults now." She gave him a hard look and James felt a knot in his stomach at thinking about being an adult. He pushed it out of his mind and put on a grin.
"Yeah, right. I don't even want this job. It's just something Dumbledore gave to me." He examined his nails and pretended to be as flippant as he sounded. Lily's stare bore into him.
"Well then, why don't you resign?"
"And let Snivellus have it? I'd have to be crazy to do that, Evans." He could feel Lily flinch at addressing her by her surname. What he didn't expect was the back of her hand on his forehead.
"Are you feeling alright?" she asked concernedly.
"I'm fine." He swatted her hand away and crossed his arms.
"Why are you getting so defensive?"
"I'm not defensive."
"Yes, you are."
"No I'm not!"
"What are you doing right now? Defending."
"I'm not--look, what else am I supposed to say when you accuse me of being defensive?"
"Admit that you are being defensive."
"So what if I am?"
"It means you're hiding something. Something's happened." She put a finger to her lips and looked him over appraisingly.
"Um-excuse me?" Dorcas Meadowes had popped her head in, and James had never been happier to see her. "Were all the Prefects supposed to meet in here now?"
"Yes." he said, so relieved that he decided to act like a proper Head Boy for the time being, "You're the first Prefect here, and once the others get here, we'll start."
"What are you doing here, Potter?" she asked haughtily.
"I'm Head Boy."
Dorcas pointed at James and laughed.
"You have a problem, Meadowes?" he asked sharply.
"You? You're-you're-" James began to get angry at her reaction. Really, he didn't think all of that was necessary.
"I'm Head Boy. Hey," he added, as she continued to laugh, "how about I tell Sirius that you're the girl who stole his underwear and smelled it?"
"What? I never-"
"Keep laughing and he'll think you did."
That made her shut her mouth.
After that, he let Lily handle everything, his eyes glazing over and slowly fell asleep as the meeting began. He was only jolted to attention once, when an eerie silence fell and he realized she had asked him a question. He looked around nervously and his gaze rested on Remus, who he hadn't noticed when he came in, and was now mouthing the words `say no'.
"Er--no."
Lily looked away, seeming disappointed and slightly agitated, and continued with whatever she was saying. James nodded his thanks to Remus and drifted back into his stupor.
"James."
He woke up, not realizing that he'd actually fallen asleep. His vision was blurry, and he saw that the person standing above him, who's voice was Sirius's, was dangling glasses shaped objects over his face.
"I would say that that's Sirius," James said, "but I know that my best mate isn't so much of a git that he'd steal my glasses."
"Didn't steal them." the person said, dropping the glasses on his face, "Only inspecting them. Dirt and all that. Train rides can be messy business."
James put his glasses on and saw that it was indeed Sirius, arms crossed and a smirk playing on his lips.
"Where is everyone?"
Sirius pretended to look out the compartment door.
"Patrolling corridors, I should think. Your movement to break away from that sort of nonsense is inspiring."
James laughed hollowly. He remembered what Lily had said about responsibility and stood up.
"Maybe I should too." he said offhandedly, "Don't want Evans snapping at me or anything."
Sirius shook his head.
"Little bitch. Did you talk to her?"
"About what?"
"About what?" Sirius repeated incredulously, "I chased her with a bloody flying trunk to get her here! The least you could do is think of something to talk about! D'you know which she hates more, spiders or rats? Or is she one of those oddballs who loves all animals and doesn't wear a bra?"
"Er- I'm pretty sure she wears a bra. Not that-not that I've been looking." James could almost feel himself turn red as he tried, unsuccessfully, to erase what he'd just said.
Sirius gave him an odd look.
"Either you're much stupider when you wake up than I thought or you're ill. Get out of my sight, Potter. You disgust me."
"Likewise, Black." They gave each other matching grins and James left to patrol corridors. He wasn't surprised that Lily was quick to find and catch up with him. She walked alongside him in silence, and then,
"Glad to see you've woken up from your nap."
"Hm."
"Perhaps we should continue our conversation from earlier?"
"I'd prefer it if we didn't."
"Touchy."
"Hm."
"Since you're feeling so articulate, would you at least tell me why you've been treating me so oddly today?"
"I'm not."
"We're not getting anywhere with this."
"Do you need to get anywhere with it? What happens with me is none of your concern. I didn't ask for you to come prying in my business."
Lily bit her lip, and James looked away.
"It's--don't go near Snape. Just trust me, you don't want to."
"So that's what this is about. Again."
"I'm trying to help you here, alright?"
"If you were really trying to help me then you would stop warning me over and over again to stop being friends with Severus and just tell me what's really going on. Better yet, you could tell Sirius to stop whatever he's playing at."
Seeing his look of surprise, she smiled grimly at him.
"Don't think I don't know he's involved. I know how you work, James. You don't do something without the other one being involved, and if I had to guess, he's the one behind whatever you're talking about."
James flushed at her uncanny accuracy.
"You don't me and you know what you're dealing with." he fumed, "Even if you never saw Sirius again in your life, you'd still get in trouble by being friends with Snape. He's no good, and he'll turn on you if it means getting in good with the other Purebloods."
"Is that so?" Lily asked angrily, "Prove it."
"I don't have to."
"I think I have significantly more proof of his redeeming qualities than you do of his bad ones."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
Lily planted her hands on her hips.
"This conversation, as you said before, is going nowhere, especially when you insist that I don't know anything. You can either clarify your meaning or I'll be forced to extricate it from you myself."
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
Lily smiled.
"I have my ways."
"Somehow I doubt that."
"I know more than you think. For example, I certainly won't be surprised when you make an attempt to prank me. Don't even bother trying to look shocked that I know, I'm not an idiot."
James did as she said and didn't look surprised. Rather, he looked away.
"Pranking doesn't scare me." she continued.
"Then you don't know how bad it can get." James muttered.
"Don't get sullen on me, James Potter."
"I have to go." he said, shaking his head. He knew that he was messing things up--he'd been close to getting rid of her completely, but he'd made the mistake of warning her again--and he could tell from the chummy way she was talking to him that he wouldn't be able to shake her off now.
"Say something. Please."
"I have nothing to say." he said honestly. Then he walked away, and she didn't follow him.
***
"She knows." James told Sirius at dinner. Sirius took a sip of pumpkin juice, his expression nonchalant, then cocked his eyebrow.
"Who knows what?"
"Lily knows that you're planning on doing something."
Sirius ran a hand through his hair.
"Firstly, I notice that you refer to it as something that I alone am doing. As I recall, you were planning on helping me. And, secondly, it's to be expected that she expects something. The trick of a great prank is we have to get her when she least expects it. Or something like that." He shook his head dazedly.
"If you don't mind me asking," Remus interrupted, "I wouldn't mind knowing what you're talking about. Peter probably wouldn't, either." Peter nodded.
"I ought to only tell Wormtail." Sirius said, his expression clouding, "He's the only one of you sorry blokes who'll help me." Peter seemed pleased with this favoritism, and thus chose that moment to speak.
"Thanks Sirius. Getting some Slytherins, are we?" James almost missed it, but he thought he saw something strange stir in Peter's eyes when he said that. It passed in an instant, however, so he ignored it.
"No. Even better. We're getting the Head Girl."
"Oh, you're still going on about that, are you?" Remus asked, losing interest at once. "Well, I can't say I approve, but what else is new, hm?" He turned back to the book he'd propped up on the table. James watched him read jealously. He wished it were so easy to get out of some of the things that Sirius roped him into doing.
"Oh, that's brilliant, Sirius! Sounds really wicked." Peter's enthusiasm had certainly increased, and he began voicing Sirius's praises to an extent that James turned to him and said disgustedly,
"Why don't you shut it, Wormtail?"
Peter did abruptly, giving James a look that held both hurt and something tiny and smoldering that seemed misplaced in Peter's pudding-like face.
"You alright?" James asked suddenly.
"What?" His expression evaporated at once, replaced with confusion.
Sirius kicked James and said, "I think there's something wrong with James. What the hell is happening with you?" He turned to Remus and Peter, "Ever since he got that Head Boy letter he's been odd. Funny in the head, if you know what I mean."
"Why don't you discuss this when I'm not here?" James asked peevishly.
"Well, I'm more likely to get an answer if you hear it straight from your best mate, right? Unless that's changed too."
"Don't be a git."
"Then tell me."
"It's…" he trailed off, not wanting to say it was Lily. That was the last thing he should say if he was wanting not to be involved. "My parents. They're obsessed with the whole Head Boy thing."
Sirius nodded.
"Understand that completely, mate. Parents are a pain in the arse, aren't they? Not that we aren't sorry about your mum, Moony." he added quickly. Remus looked up and gave him a tight smile, showing that he had indeed been listening.
"No harm done, Sirius."
"Excellent." Sirius said briskly. They finished their dinner discussing trivial things and soon got up to leave, Sirius and Peter heading straight for the dormitories while Remus went to collect the first years. James ambled over to where Dumbledore was sitting to get the house passwords. As Dumbledore told him, he realized that Lily had come to stand by his side and listen as well.
"I'll tell Hufflepuff and Slytherin theirs." Lily said quickly, "James, you can go tell the Ravenclaw Prefects." James could tell at once why she'd done this--Ravenclaw was the smartest house and would therefore be able to tell if he was lying about their real password. He bristled; he hadn't even been planning on messing them up.
"I'm surprised, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said. James jumped; he'd forgotten that he was still standing there.
"Why?"
"I would have expected you to question your position as Head Boy." Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled merrily behind his spectacles, as though he was excited to hear whatever James had to say on the subject. For a moment, James considered saying, `Yes Professor, I would love to know why the hell you gave me this job.', but decided against it. Instead, he said simply,
"No Professor. I guess you have your reasons."
Dumbledore's look was enough to confirm that he didn't believe a word of it.
"You should hurry then, James. I believe the Ravenclaws are waiting for you." Indeed, the Ravenclaw Prefects looked as though they'd very much like to get along to their common room and wouldn't mind giving James a piece of their minds.
James quickly went to tell the Ravenclaw Prefects their password (`phoenix feather'), then joined Lily and the Gryffindor Prefects to escort the first years to the portrait of the fat lady.
As they walked, him and Lily bringing up the rear, Lily slipped her hand into his. James jumped what felt like a mile, confused and alarmed. She rolled her eyes as she quickly let go of him and James saw that she had slipped a note into his hand. The initial shock quickly wore off, and was replaced with embarrassment. It was an odd feeling, one that he wasn't very used to, and he didn't think he liked the feeling of inadequacy he kept getting. Muttering curse words under his breath that neither made sense nor had much purpose, he unfolded the tiny wad of paper. It read:
James,
Meet me in the astronomy tower at 11. I'm aware what that sort of thing usually means, but it doesn't, I swear.
Lily
James crumpled the paper and put it in his pocket, then determinedly avoided looking at Lily the rest of the way to the common room.
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