Ch. 5 A Bigger/Better Person
"Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were."
- Cherie Carter-Scott, "If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules"
Lily had been sitting in the library for what felt like hours. She was supposed to be writing an essay for Transfiguration but had only managed to stare at a blank piece of parchment for quite some time. It had been about a week since her embarrassing scene with Olivia, and people were still whispering and snickering behind her back. The library seemed to be the only place that she could find any solace from the gossipy students at Hogwarts.
Fortunately, Lily hadn't had any run-ins with Olivia since their little outburst in potions. Olivia was...actually, she was being oddly civil to her. Lily was somewhat surprised by Olivia's attitude; she had half-suspected that Olivia would be plotting her murder by now, but she hadn't even attempted or made any sort of effort to glare at Lily.
Lily had a tiny suspicion that Olivia's civility had to do with James . Actually, she was more than positive that James had something to do with it. Mainly, a little birdie named Deidre heard from Remus, who heard from Sirius, who witnessed the end of James and Olivia's fight, that James was quite angry with Olivia for causing- yes, causing- the fight between her and Lily.
But nevertheless whose fault it was, James and Lily still remained on nonspeaking terms. And to make matters worse, Lily kept running into James everywhere. The Great Hall, the common room, the library, the grounds, even the bathrooms for Merlin's sake were not safe. No matter where she went, she always found herself staring at her feet as James briskly walked past her, leaving a queasy sort of despair in the pit of her stomach.
Lily threw down her quill in defeat. It was no use. She couldn't concentrate on her stupid essay because she couldn't get her mind off that stupid prat named James Potter. He made her so mad. She hated how much their stupid fight was affecting her. She couldn't concentrate on anything these days without James's words coming back and stabbing her in the back..
It still infuriated her to no end that James thought she was being selfish. How could he accuse her of that? Their engagement had come as a total shock to her, and she had reacted the only way she knew how. She had pushed James away, not because she blamed him for anything, but because she was upset and emotional. She needed time to sort out her own thoughts before she took another step.
Even though Lily believed she had nothing to apologize for, she couldn't help but feel like there was some truth to what James had said. She was kind of being impossible. She had been so absorbed in her own thoughts, that she had completely ignored James and his feelings. It wasn't like she meant to do it. It was just..easier. She knew it was not right, but sometimes-okay, most times- she acted before thinking about the consequences.
She slumped in her chair and put her head in her hands. She was so sick of it all- the drama, the fighting, the crying- she just wanted it all to stop. It was one thing for her home life to be full of drama, but it just seemed unnatural when it concerned her life at Hogwarts. Despite some things that had happened earlier in the term, Lily's life at Hogwarts had been rather laid back in contrast to her hellish summers at her home at Bunsweight Manor.
"Alright Evans?"
Lily nearly jumped out of her skin. She hadn't seen Sirius approaching her table, nor had she seen him enter the library period.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said teasingly.
"You didn't," she remarked, picking up her quill again and pretending to write her essay.
He smirked but didn't say anything. They remained silent for awhile before Sirius dropped his book bag on the floor and sat in the chair across from her. Lily began to fiddle with her quill nervously.
"So..," he said leaning back in the chair.
"So..." She had a slight suspicion that Sirius had a hidden reason for talking to her, and she really, really wanted to avoid whatever it was he was up to. "What are doing in the library?" she blurted out.
He smirked again and put his hands behind his head, giving her a very intense stare. "Believe it or not Evans, I do my homework too."
She rolled her eyes. "Really? Well, that's news to me. I thought Marauders only used the library as a place to make-out."
His smirk grew into a teasing, flirtatious grin that he was famous for. When he grinned like that, Lily could almost see why every girl at Hogwarts had fallen for Sirius Black at some point, her best friend Madeline included. .
"Well, I never said I solely came to the library to work on my homework." He pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal a freshly made hickey.
Lily scoffed and slammed her Transfiguration book shut. "Merlin Sirius, I didn't ask to see it!"
He threw his head back and laughed in pure amusement, which Lily rarely ever saw him do. Sirius Black was the moodiest boy Lily had ever met. He could be a bundle of smiles and laughs one moment, and then turn around and be snappish and scornful the next. The only time Lily ever saw him actually enjoying himself was when he was with the Marauders. With everyone else, he was usually short and impatient. He had even been known to snap at her on occasion. Lily always called him on it however, and he usually changed his attitude, but there were other times when he would angrily stomp away from her or sulk the rest of the afternoon.
"So, what are you up to Evans?" he asked, tilting the chair back on its hind legs. "Haven't seen you around in awhile."
Lily sighed. "I'm just trying to finish my Transfiguration essay before Friday."
Sirius peered at the piece of parchment in front of her. "You've been in library- for what, a couple of hours- and all you have is a paragraph?"
A blush began to slowly creep on Lily's cheeks. Sirius cocked an eyebrow at her and grinned knowingly. "So what's really on your mind Evans?"
Lily glared at him. "You know damn well what's on my mind, I'm sure," she replied, angrily pushing her chair back and gathering her things and placing them back in her book bag.
"Evans, don't get all bent out of shape. It was just a question."
Lily rolled her eyes unconvinced. "You and I know perfectly well that it wasn't just a question. Why don't you just cut the small talk and tell me what you want?"
Sirius sighed running his hand threw his hair. "Fine. I want you to talk to James."
Lily gapped at him bewildered. She opened and closed her mouth with all intentions of saying something, but she couldn't think of anything to say; she didn't know what to say. So, she turned around walked away from him.
"Evans!" Sirius called after her, but she didn't acknowledge him. She walked straight out of the library, ignoring his shouts.
"Evans!" he called chasing after her. "Will you stop!" He caught up to her and grabbed her elbow, spinning her around to face him. "What did you do that for?"
"I don't want to talk to James." Her face was flushed, and she was shaking slightly. She was mad. Very mad.
Sirius let go of her elbow and sighed. "Come on Evans. It's been two weeks."
"So?"
"So...I think it's time the two of you talked, and I think you should be the one to do it."
Lily's jaw dropped. "What? Why should I be the one to do it?"
Sirius started fidgeting with something his pocket. He was quickly becoming impatient with her. "Because you're the one that is being a nuisance!"
The anger began to flood through her body. "Why does everybody think I'm the problem?! He was the one that yelled at me, remember! I didn't yell at him; he yelled at me!"
Sirius clenched his jaw and scowled at her. "Stop acting like a two-year-old Evans. Yeah, he yelled at you, but you were ignoring him. Admit it Evans. You deserved it."
Lily bit her lip and began to fidget with the silver ring that her grandmother had given her when she was a girl. She didn't want to admit it, but Sirius did have a point. But it still wasn't enough to make her want to go and talk to James.
"Black, this has nothing to do with you. Why don't you mind your own damn business!"
He sneered at her. "Of course it's my business! It's my best friend you're making fucking miserable!" If Lily wasn't so upset right now, she would have found Sirius's loyalty to James somewhat adorable. Instead, she just continued to glare at Sirius, hoping that he would finally leave her alone.
He threw his hands up in the air, losing all control of his patience. "You know, just forget it Evans. You're being your usual stubborn self and there's no point getting threw to you. The best I can give James is a bottle of firewhiskey with a note saying 'good luck with Evans' on it."
Somewhere in the middle of Sirius's argument, Lily's anger had turned to hurt. A chill ran threw her body, and her lips began to tremble. Don't cry. Oh god, don't cry.
It was too late. Tears began to stream down her cheeks, and Lily furiously tried to wipe them away.
"Oh merlin Lily, don't cry," Sirius eyed her skeptically, panicking slightly at her new vulnerable state." I'm not Remus. I don't know what to do."
Lily's shoulders shook with the sob that escaped her throat.
"Um..." he paused, wincing slightly at all the noise she was making. "Oh...come on." He muttered wrapping a stiff arm around her shaking shoulders and leading her to a bench at the end of the corridor. They sat down and Sirius shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to pat her back soothingly.
After a few minutes, Lily's tears began to subside. "I'm sorry Sirius. I didn't mean to do that."
"It's alright I guess. If I was more of a gentleman, I would offer you a handkerchief." He rummaged through his pockets. "Sorry. I have a sleeve that's partially clean though?"
The corners of Lily's mouth twitched. "That's alright. I've got my own sleeve."
Sirius nodded his head and folded his arms in his lap. "Look Evans- Lily, I didn't mean to make you cry. It's just...." he sighed and turned to face her more properly. "Don't you think this whole our-parents-are-ruining-our-lives-lets-take-it-out-on-each-other thing is getting a little old? I know that this whole 'marriage' thingy is really shitty and completely unfair to the both of you. But to point out the obvious Lily, you and James are engaged, and one of you has to step up and be the bigger the person."
Lily smirked. "What are you our marriage counselor now?"
Sirius smiled. "Well, somebody has to keep the two of you from killing each other."
Lily smiled wearily, pained by the truthfulness of his statement.
"Now, don't go all Lily-ballistic on me," Sirius continued. " but I think you should be the one to talk to James."
Lily folded her arms firmly across her chest and stared at her shoes. "And why do you think that?"
"Because it's your turn to make a move. James has tried, and he has said all he has to say. Now, it's your turn."
What Sirius was saying was making Lily dizzy. His words were rotating and doing somersaults and cartwheels in her brain, and she was even more confused than she had been this morning.
"And no offense Evans, but this little rift between you and James has made it really boring to hang out with you two. I swear every ten minutes with James, it's 'Lily something something' or 'engagement something something.' It's really starting to affect his Quidditch game."
Lily chuckled. "Well, if this is effecting him, then I wouldn't advise being around him December 24."
"Why? What's December 24?"
"That's when James and I are signing our marriage contract. So on that day, we will legally be engaged to one another and there will be no escaping the marriage."
Sirius scrunched his eyebrows together and surveyed her for a second. Lily could see the wheels turning in his head. It was making her dizzy again.
He nodded slowly and stood up, grabbing his things. Lily eyed him confused. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just going to check out something. I'll catch up with you later." He turned and started to walk away, but he quickly looked back at her. "Just think about what I said Lily. You and James have been through a lot together. You guys can get over this."
He didn't wait for her to respond. He turned and briskly walked back towards the direction of the library.
***
Later that night, Lily noticed that the wind was acting strange. It cried hollowing wails that pierced through the night and caused Lily to sink deeper into her covers. Of course, she was the only one awake. Everyone else was snoring or dreaming blissfully, while she laid wide awake in bed because the wind was crying desperately outside for her to think.
Sirius's voice rang through her ears. You and James have been through a lot together. Had they really been through that much together? It was hard to believe how much their lives had intertwined with the other. When she had first stepped off that train in first year, she had no idea who James Potter was, nor did she have a clue to the impact that he was going to be making on her life.
He had been around for well...everything. He knew what made her tick, what made her cry, happy, annoyed. He knew what her life was like at Hogwarts, and how different it was from her life at home. He knew what it was like for her growing up with an unsatisfied mother, a jealous sister, and an absent father. And as much as Lily hated to admit it, James knew every single one of her insecurities. To put it simply, James Potter knew exactly what it was like to be Lily Evans. Something her friends could never fully grasp. And in turn, Lily knew exactly what it was like to be James Potter.
They had grown up together. Not in the sense that they had just gone to school together. It had been a deeper, more heavily dug childhood that they had shared together, even if they had tried to deny it and more than often, drove each other crazy.
So, just because they had been through a lot together, did it mean that she owed James Potter anything? Did she owe him the pleasure of being his wife?
No, her mind screamed, and the wind outside agreed.
But she did owe him her friendship.
When Lily thought this, the wind stopped howling.
***
"Okay guys, just remember that play, and we are sure to beat the Ravenclaw Quidditch team next Saturday!"
The Gryffindor Quidditch team hollered and applauded as they listened to their team captain, James Potter, at the end of practice.
"Alright," he called, silencing their cheering. "Now, get the hell away from me. You all smell and I'm sick of the sight of you."
"Sure that's not just yourself you're smelling there Potter," Deidre Vishicio remarked form where she stood. The team chuckled.
"Okay," he said smiling, "You're dismissed, and remember practice Saturday 8 a.m. sharp."
The team groaned. James smirked and began to gather his things.
"Oi, Prongs!" James looked up to see Sirius jogging towards him. "8 a.m. on Saturday? Did you forget that Friday was when the balloon was coming? There's no way we are going to get out of bed at 8 let alone practice Quidditch."
James smacked his forehead with his palm. "The balloon" was code for full moon. Ever since the incident with Snape finding out Remus's condition last year, they had decided to come up with code names when talking about their little expeditions once a month. They even changed the codes every month just in case someone was eavesdropping- that someone being Snape. This month it was balloon, next month Sirius had picked and decided on crab cake. Ever since he ate one at Lily's house last New Years, he been obsessed with them.
"Oh your right! I completely forgot. Hey guys!" The team stopped what they were doing and looked at James. "Change of plans. Practice Friday afternoon instead of Saturday morning." The team cheered. Friday practices were always better than Saturday.
Everybody started heading back towards the dorms, and James quickly made his way to a group of three girls talking. "Hey," he said to the girls. Olivia Davenport, Deidre Vishico, and Marguerite Burns were the only girls on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They all smiled and said hi back.
"Liv can I escort you back to the dorm?" She smiled and waved bye to the other girls. He noticed that Deidre was giving him an odd look, and he prayed that she wouldn't say anything. After all Lily wasn't his girlfriend, Olivia was. Thankfully she kept her mouth shut, and James and Olivia walked away peacefully. He should have known better than to think Deidre would make comments to James about Lily. Deidre knew how to keep out of other people's fights and not let it interfere with her Quidditch game.
Once they had walked away, James offered his arm to Olivia and she took it. She laid her head on his shoulders and smiled at him sideways.
"You're being quite the gentleman today."
He smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I have my moments."
She smiled but didn't say anything more. James looked down at her and noticed how tired and worn out she looked. He had worked her hard today on the Quidditch field, and he felt kind of bad for ordering her around so much t, but he also had a slight suspicion that there was more to Olivia's quietness than just Quidditch.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
She moved her head off his shoulder and tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just... you seem a little off today."
She shook her head. "I'm just tired. You worked me hard out there today."
"Sorry," he muttered.
She smiled at him and squeezed his arm reassuringly. "Don't be sorry. You're the captain James. I don't expect any special treatment from you."
He smiled and gave her a quick kiss. She smiled blissfully and laid her head back on his shoulder.
"Olivia?"
"Yeah?"
"What's really bothering you?"
James felt her body go stiff. He was right, something was up. She didn't say anything for awhile, and James thought she wasn't going to answer. But then she sighed and moved her head off his shoulder.
She kicked the loose gravel as she walked. "I got a letter from my mum this morning."
James stopped in his tracks and looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
"My brother's missing again."
James closed his eyes and swore. He had expected it to happen again, and he hated that her stupid brother did this to her and her mother over and over again. He instantly wrapped her into a hug. Her arms hung loosely at her sides for a moment before she wrapped her arms around him and let a few tears fall.
"How long has he been gone?"
She sniffled against his chest and answered. "About a week."
"Olivia I'm so sorry." He didn't know what to do for her. Sometimes Olivia seemed so fragile to him, and he had no idea how to comfort her. All he could offer was some sympathy and a shoulder to cry on.
She sniffled again and moved away from him. "Thanks," she said, trying to smile at him. "You would think I would be used to his disappearing by now."
James grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "It's never easy Liv."
She nodded and squeezed his hand again. They stood there for awhile just holding hands and not speaking. There was nothing they could say to each other. Olivia's brother was gone, for now at least, and they couldn't bring him back. Olivia couldn't bring him back. He would have to come back on his, as James had told her numerous times when he pulled his disappearing acts.
"Okay," she said wiping her face clean of any tears. "Lets not talk about this anymore. I've made my peace with it. Why don't we both go take showers and meet up for dinner?"
He smiled at her and placed his hands on her either side of her neck, giving her a gentle kiss. "Sounds great."
She smiled against his lips and kissed him again. "Oh James, what would I do without you."
***
After departing with Olivia, James Potter made his way towards the boys' seventh year dormitory with heavy shoulders. He was worried about Olivia. Her brother had pulled this crap before, and it never turned out pretty. Not for her brother, not for her mum, and definitely not for her. He dreaded what was to come in the next month or two. Olivia was going to be a mess, and James still hadn't told her about the arranged marriage.
James opened the door to his dormitory. He knew everybody was in the Great Hall eating dinner already, and he was grateful that he had the whole place to himself for once. It gave him time to think.
James put his broom in the corner and started to take off his Quidditch robes when he noticed somebody else in the room. He stopped in his tracks, and every fiber in his body tensed at the sight of her.
"You do realize that breaking and entering is illegal, even in the wizarding world."
She turned a page in the book that she was reading and quickly glanced at him, before turning back to her book. "It's not like I broke down the door James. Remus let me in."
He was going to kill Remus.
Lily Evans was in his dormitory, sitting on his bed and reading a book, like she had done this every damn day of her bloody life. It infuriated him to no end that she could waltz right in his room and sit on his own bed and act like she owned the place. And of course, James just had to find her dominating personality a turn-on, as much as he hated himself for it.
James leaned against the bed post at the end of the bed and stared at her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "What are you doing in here Evans?"
Lily eyed him squarely and shut her book. "You don't have to be so rude. I just came to ask you a question."
James made sure to keep his expression blank. He didn't want her reading his mind. "Fine. What's your question? And, by the way, I can be as rude as I want. I didn't invite you up here."
She ignored his last statement and opened the book again, which he now realized was a Transfiguration textbook. "I came to ask you about our Transfiguration essay. I didn't understand some of things McGonagall said the other day- What's so funny?"
James was rolling with laughter. Lily was the worst liar he had ever met. And the fact that she went to all this trouble to make a story just to have an excuse to talk to him was just...well down right hilarious.
James finally calmed down a little and faced a fuming Lily. She was not happy that he was laughing at her which just made this whole situation even more hilarious. "Oh, who are you kidding Evans? You're one of McGonagall's top students."
She glared at him, but James had a feeling she was more embarrassed by being caught at her own lie than angry at him.
"What? Because I am at the top of the class, I'm not allowed to ask questions? Is that how it is?"
James rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Evans. You don't need any help. A couple of weeks ago you were rubbing it in my face that you scored higher on a quiz than I did."
Her face lost its anger, and instead a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. James loved to make her blush. He found it adorable. "Oh right, I forgot about that."
He laughed, and she smiled shyly at him, her green eyes shining brightly through her mass of dark red hair. James should still be angry with her; he knew he should be. But he was sick of fighting with her. Just seeing her this close and talking to her reminded him how much he had missed her.
"So what's really on your mind Evans?"
She laid the Transfiguration book on the night stand by his bed and sat up, looking him straight in his eyes for the first time in a long time. "I think we have some things we need discuss."
He was no longer laughing. He looked at her and nodded his head. "Yeah, I think we do too."
"Why don't you sit down." Lily moved her legs, and James sat down at the end of his bed.
Lily looked down at her hands and started messing with that silver ring her grandmother had given her a long time ago. "I'm sorry that you felt that I was ignoring you, but--"
James fought off the urge to roll his eyes. "Lily you were ignoring."
"No, James I--" James sighed loudly, and Lily looked down at her hands. "Okay look James, I know how I reacted wasn't right, but I didn't know what else to do. I was upset and angry and confused. I didn't know what to do; I didn't know what to think."
James stood up. Okay, maybe he was still a little angry at her. "And you don't think I was just as mad and upset as you were? It was my life too they were throwing away Lily. I knew how you were feeling Lily. Why couldn't you just- "
She grabbed his wrist, trying to calm him down. "I know James. I know it was wrong, but I had to figure out some things first before I came talking to you."
"Couldn't we have figured it out together?"
Lily sighed still holding onto his wrist. "No. At least I couldn't. I just needed to be by myself for awhile. I needed to figure out what I was going to do before we could figure out what we were going to do about this situation. Can you understand that? I know it's stupid and that it doesn't make any sense, but it's what I needed to do."
James sighed. He was still a little confused ,but he was starting to see why she did what she did. She needed to pick up her own pieces before they could come with an attack plan together. "So why didn't you just tell me all this before we started yelling at each other?"
She smirked at him. "Because that would have made sense."
James sighed and looked her in the eyes. "You shouldn't shut people out Lily. You can't always ignore the person."
Lily closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "I know James. I just had to get my thoughts straightened out before we talked. And for the record, I have and I am here now."
They smiled at each other, and James felt one thing in his life ease off his shoulders. He was finding it easier to breathe already.
Lily removed her hand from his wrist and placed her hand in his hand. James looked down at his hand making sure that he wasn't dreaming that she was holding his hand. Lily didn't often just hold his hand, because well, they never had a reason to.
"There was another reason I came up here."
James cocked an eyebrow at her. Did she realize how suggestive that sounded? "Really? And what would that be?"
Lily narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. Her gaze was so intense that James felt like he was standing stark naked in front of her.
Suddenly, Lily let go of his hand and smacked him in the arm, hard.
"What was that for?!"
She scoffed and glared at him. "Get your head out of the gutter James!"
He looked at his arm and saw a red hand print where she had smacked him.
"You left a mark!"
"So, you deserved it!"
"But you branded me!"
"Well, what did you expect!"
James started laughing. "I'm sorry but 'there was another reason I came up here'. Come on Lils. That sounded so perverse. What was I supposed to think?"
She rolled her eyes. "You're perverse. I can't believe you were even thinking that I was going to jump you!"
"Not really jump per se, more like a little striptease then maybe a little sexual game."
"Potter stop it!" She was trying to be stern, but James could tell she was trying to hold back a smile. And was she blushing?
"Oh my god! You're picturing it!"
Lily's face became horrified and her blush intensified. "What?! T-That's ridiculous!"
"Yes, you are! You're turning beet red!"
She glared at him and flung a pillow at his head. She missed by a good couple of inches. "You are unbelievable! Here I am trying to tell you something important, and you are just laughing your ass off about something completely inappropriate!"
James had no idea what she had just said. He was laughing so damn hard that it had completely drowned her out. That really pissed her off.
"Ugh!" She grabbed her Transfiguration book and stood up, fixing to storm out of the room. "Fuck you Potter! Wait...I meant..."
James was pretty sure that a person could die of laughter, and he was getting dangerously close to it. He collapsed on the bed and pointed his finger accusingly at her. "See, you are thinking about it!"
She threw down her book on the floor and grabbed the remaining pillow off his bed and started hitting him with it repeatedly. There was no way James could defend himself he was laughing so hard. He shielded his head with his arms, but that was the best he could do. Lily continued to whack him with the pillow, but she too started to laugh uncontrollably.
"Um, am I interrupting something?"
They both jumped at the sound of Sirius's voice. They had no idea that he had entered the room at all.
Lily covered her heart with her hand, trying to slow down her heartbeat. "You have got to stop doing that Sirius!"
He smirked. "Sorry Evans, didn't mean to interrupt your... pillow fight."
Lily rolled her eyes and sat at the edge of the bed. James finally had control of himself and sat next to her.
"What's up Padfoot?" James asked.
Sirius smirked cockily at them. "Well I just dropped by to tell you both that you are a bunch of morons."
James glanced at Lily who looked just confused as he felt.
"And why is that?" Lily asked.
"Because you guys aren't engaged yet. You worried about nothing."
James rolled his eyes. "We know that Padfoot, but you're forgetting that we will be engaged. It's inevitable."
Sirius sighed. "Not unless you stop it."
James narrowed his eyes at Sirius, intrigued. "Go on."
"You've got what? Two months before you sign that contract thing?"
James and Lily nodded their heads.
"Okay, well that gives you two months to destroy the wedding plans."
Lily eyed him skeptically. "And how do you suppose we do that?"
James and Sirius grinned at each other. It was bloody brilliant. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it himself. "Sabotage!" They both exclaimed.
Lily's jaw dropped. "You mean destroy the wedding?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well, that is the definition of sabotage..."
James quickly turned to Lily. "Come on Lily. We were looking for a way out of this wedding and here it is. We just need to come up with a few destructive plans, and we will be spouse free! What do you say Lils?"
Lily nodded her head. "Alright, just as long as no one gets hurt..."
James flew off the bed and James and Sirius started jumping up and down in excitement. "This is brilliant mate! I can't believe I didn't think of this before."
Sirius smiled smugly. "I know James. I'm disappointed in you. You are a Marauder, are you not?"
James and Sirius were already discussing plans, when a couple of owls flew in and dropped two letters on James's bed. Lily was the only one aware of this, and she opened the letter addressed to her.
Lily quickly read over the letter, and stood up suddenly. Her face becoming crestfallen.
"Um, guys? You better get cracking on whatever it is you two plan to do."
James and Sirius looked at her curiously. "Why?" James asked.
"Because our parents want us home this weekend to discuss the terms of our marriage contract."
A/N Well, it's finally here. Chapter five is done. I really despise this chapter, and I swear chapter six will be better. I had difficulty writing this chapter, but hopefully it came out okay and not to jumpy. Anyways, sorry for the lack of updates. I was really busy with writing my senior paper and finishing my senior year of high school. But, it's over. I graduated Friday so no more high school! Finally! Then I would have had it chapter five up Thursday, but my internet just had to be disconnected, and it wasn't reconnected until Monday. Grr. Well, I'm back on track (hopefully) so expect quicker updates, and I will post excerpts and other info about this story on my livejournal account. http://ungraceful13.livejournal.com/ So check it out and thanks for all the reviews that I received you all waited for this chapter. I dedicate it to all my reviewers. You have no idea how much I appreciate your reviews.