Chapter VII: Back to the Drawing Board
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Ever dance with the devil baby?
Oh no, Make my day.
Do you feel lucky?
Oh no, Tomorrow's another day
Can you walk on water maybe?
Oh no,
Turn water into wine?
Can I buy you a drink there lady?
Oh no,
Can you tell me another lie?
So be my Devil Angel,
Be my shooting star,
Be my Devil Angel,
Be my shooting star…
-"Devil" by Stereophonics
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Friday
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"So, where should we have the party? " Lily asked. "The Room of Requirement?"
"Well, it might work, I mean no one other than the Marauders and us actually know about it," Elle contemplated.
"Seems like such a waste to me. It's just Rachel, why not just have it in the common room?" Alice offered.
"But then we actually have to lift stuff and decorate," Elle and Lily simultaneously whined.
"Ugh, I forgot about that. We can't very well walk through the corridors with the stuff floating after us; Filch is dying for a reason to give us detention. Bugger, we'll have to bring all of those little tables in for the brunch. I hate all the little details we're going to have to go through for this little party."
"Now you know why I hate these parties," Lily said.
"Good day ladies, any chance any of you fancy a little pick me up?" Sirius winked as he, James, and Remus entered the common room.
"Aw Sirius, you don't stand a chance," Lily laughed.
"You know, I think I may have found a solution to our little dilemma," Alice said, turning to the pair with a slightly devious smile.
"Given the timing of that announcement, I highly doubt that we're going to enjoy whatever it is that you have in mind," Remus commented.
"It's nothing much-" Elle told them, trying to ease their minds.
"Just a bit of lifting-" Alice tried to put it lightly, while purposefully avoiding their eyes.
"But you're strong; you can handle it, can't you?" Lily challenged them, cocking an eyebrow.
"Of course we can!" Sirius immediately argued.
"I would say I can, but I doubt that I want to be able to right about now," James contemplated.
"We just need some help bringing some stuff into the Gryffindor common room for Rachel's birthday party," Alice told them.
"Why are you throwing a party for her?" Remus asked, ultimately having deciding that he would never understand a woman's logic.
"Not just any party!" Elle told him as though he had just asked the stupidest question on earth.
"A boring party," Lily told them with a proud smile.
"Am I the only one that doesn't understand what's going on?" asked a thoroughly confused Sirius.
"Girl logic, don't even try or it'll just make your head hurt. Trust me," James told him.
"Hey!" all three girls cried out, Alice even going so far as to throw a pillow at him.
"Oy! Watch the hair," James told her.
"Yeah Alice, after all he does spend so much time on it," Elle teased him.
"And you forgot about all of the hair products," Lily reminded her.
"Oy, don't act like you aren't secretly in love with it," James told them with a smirk.
"Oh whatever. Come on, we really need your help, please," Alice begged.
"On one condition," Sirius told her.
"No!" James and Remus simultaneously yelled at him.
"What is it?" Alice asked.
"We get to help you plan it, I love screwing up parties," he told them with a slightly deranged smile. "You know, we could even put a potion in her drink to turn her blue or something embarrassing like that."
"If you can make it a bit more realistic and less suspicious, deal," Alice said slightly smiling at the thought of a blue Rachel, stretching out her hand to shake on it.
"Wait-that's all we get out of it?" Remus complained.
"Oh shush you, it's life, deal with it," Lily waved him off.
"Fine," James conceded with a defeated sigh.
"Traitor," Remus muttered.
"Don't act like that, you know you'd give in, in the end. I just didn't want to waste anymore time on it."
"So what's the plan?" Sirius asked excitedly.
"Brunch… tea, crackers, boring," Lily listed.
"That does kind of make me want to fall asleep," Sirius admitted.
"I have to make it seem like I tried though. It has to look nice, just be boring in the process."
"Well, you know you could always-"
"That's it; I'm not going to plan. Already have to lift as it is, not going to do this as well. We have patrols anyway, ready Lils?" James asked her.
"And so the fun ends for me, I'll see you guys later," she told them as she followed James out of the room.
"So," James said as the two aimlessly roamed the hallways. "What are we supposed to talk about now that we actually put up with one another anyway?"
"I don't really know. I'm still sort of getting used to the whole you not being a total insufferable prat."
"Total? Does that mean I still am one?"
"Well you're as much of a wanker as I always thought you were," she told him simply, with a slight smile.
"Thanks."
"I was joking," she told him. "Honestly though, you can be kind of nice when you want to."
"You can be okay too… you're actually not as annoying as I thought you would be."
"Listen James, I'm sorry about yesterday… what you said really angered me and the red headed temper got the best of me. I really am sorry about it, though."
"It's okay; I wasn't particularly sympathetic towards your feelings. There wasn't much tact in the way that I said it. I should have expected you to do that, honestly."
"So, acquaintances?" she asked him, stretching out her hand to him.
"Acquaintances?"
"Well, I still think you're an arse and you think I'm a priss. I don't think we can be labeled as mates just yet.
"True," he said, smiling at how blunt she was about it. "Acquaintances it is, then."
"It's a quiet night," Lily noted, when suddenly a giggling was heard from a nearby classroom. "And I spoke too soon yet again."
"Would you like to do the honors, or should I?"
"Go ahead."
"This is the part of the job that I love," he told her with a wicked grim as he quietly made his way to the door.
"I think that we all-"
She was interrupted by James giving her a sign to quiet down so that the couple wouldn't hear them. Suddenly he opened the door, but what confused Lily was that as soon as he did, he closed it. He turned to her, facial expression turned from grin to grim, "Let's go."
"James, what is it? Why don't you deduct points? Give them a detention."
He stopped in his tracks, turning to her. "It was Fen-Prick and the slag," he told her in a quiet voice. "Come on," he took her hand, not giving her time to react as he led her to the lake in silence that was only interrupted once they arrived. They seated themselves by the rocks, "I'm really sorry Lils."
"I- but- why isn't the plan working?" she stuttered, grasping for words, desperately trying to make sense of it all as the tears beginning to make their way down her face.
"Don't make me answer that, Lily."
"Oh my God," comprehension dawned upon her. "You were right weren't you? You were right all along… I'm just a bloody little trophy to him… a prize… I'm fucking unlovable, aren't I?"
"Lils, that's stupid," he told her pulling her to him in a tight hug, "You're not unlovable, he's just a wanker."
"But still-- he's my wanker, James! I love him; I need him to love me no matter how pathetic that may sound, it is what it is."
"He doesn't deserve you," he told her, in an attempt to dissuade her, even if he knew it wasn't likely to work given her stubbornness. "You're so much better than that, Lils."
She moved out of his arms to get a better look at him, making sure to hold onto his hands for support. "James… just help me. Please, I need him."
James sighed, silently nodding against his better judgment, knowing that he'd later regret the decision, "Fine."
"You will?"
"Yeah."
"So what do we do now?"
"Um, I think that the jealousy thing may be the best way to go. Just…Lily don't shag him-"
"What the bloody hell do you think I am? Some slag?"
"No, I don't, I think that you're a girl that's in love with him," those words shut Lily up. "Just ignore him... he loves the chase," he told her quietly, hating himself for helping her with this when the bloke obviously didn't deserve her.
"Okay."
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked her, wiping away her tears.
"Yeah," she told him with a smile. "We should probably head off to bed."
"You go, I'm going to stay here for a while."
"Okay, night."
"Night, Lils."
As she was walking away, she stopped dead in her tracks before going no more than five paces away from him. She turned to him, "Oy, James?" she called out, trying to get his attention away from whatever he was currently thinking about.
"Yeah?"
"How about we upgrade form acquaintances to mates?"
He smiled at her, "I think we can handle it."
"Good, I agree."
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Author's note: I know, I know, "another filler?" but honestly, what can a girl do? It had some important stuff, and my beta said it was better then my last filler (i.e. the last chapter) so hopefully you'll agree and I won't have to feel as guilty about giving you a filler
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