If looks could kill...
It had been over a week since the twins' birthday party, and every day since a certain redhead had spent her days studying in the library, she wasn't quite sure if she was actually trying to study or just hiding from a certain messy haired boy. Though if you asked her roommates, they would've said it was the latter. Lily was currently sitting with her transfigurations homework in front of her; however, she'd been reading over the same page for at least twenty minutes without any progress. Letting out a deep sigh, she buried her face in her hands, finally resigning to the fact that she was not going to get any work done.
After Remus told her that she kissed James, Lily had also found out that, including passing out just afterward, she had even danced on a table and had to get dragged up to the dormitory by Alice and Marlene. Just the thought of the night caused Lily's face to turn several shades darker, though the main reason for that was the boy who would not leave her mind. The way he looked at her the day after the party was something the girl had thought about quite often, though to be honest, she had mixed feelings about it all. Confusion, embarrassment, sadness, but most of all, frustration filled her. Sure she kissed James, but the fact that he got angry over something out of her control was frustrating. It wasn't like she decided to forget. She'd rather remember herself, but what can one do?
"There you are. I've been looking for you." Startled, she lifted her head from her hands and immediately met a pair of amber eyes. "Oh, it's just you." a breath of relief was heard as she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Remus sent her a curious gaze as he sat down on the opposite side of her. Studying her, he could see the relieved expression on her red face, and knowing her as well as he did, he already knew what was going on in her mind. "Though I was James, did you?"
She opened her eyes and nodded slightly. Though seeing the small smile growing on his face, she immediately knew Remus was enjoying her embarrassed state. She considered sending him a glare but knew that it would only amuse him further. "For a moment, then I remembered he's been avoiding me as much as I've been avoiding him." Remus glanced at her, feeling uncertain about his next move."Have you... maybe...I don't know... considered talking to him?" The words left his lips carefully as if he was threading on ice on deep water, which by the look Lily was giving him, he was.
"So, I can have him look at me like that again?" Shaking her head, she furred her eyebrows as she continued, "Not a chance." Propping her elbows on the table, she ran her fingers through her red locks. When looking up, she didn't notice it at first, but the growing glint of frustration in Remus's eyes was getting more and more prominent. "Honestly, you two are just as stubborn. If you had any children, they'd be the stubbornest children to walk this earth."
"Remus!" Screeching, her eyes shot wide open as she sat gaping at her friend. The red haired's loud voice had carried a few feet, catching the attention of someone they'd rather avoid. "Shhh!" Madam Pince's stern face appeared from behind the bookshelf and stared hard at the two, specifically on Lily. Her eyes moved down to the prefect badge on her uniform, and if possible, her glare hardened even more; she gave a final stare before returning to her desk. Remus snickered quietly as he took in the bright red face of his friend. She stared at him for a while and saw that any trace of frustration had now disappeared, most likely due to the disapproving stare she just had received from the librarian.
"What? I'm serious," joked Remus while grinning at her as she just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You've been spending too much time with Sirius." The boy looked almost dejected as he thought about the dark-haired boy he had seen not one hour ago. "More like not enough. Sometimes I wonder if he's really that ignorant or just plain stupid."
"You know, if you need love advice, you should ask Marley or maybe Cassie." Lily barely had the chance to finish talking as a loud thud sound filled the small corner as a stack of books appeared on the table. "What about me?" Turning their gaze up, a familiar dark-haired girl appeared in their sight. Cassie had noticed the duo sitting in the corner of the library when she was on her way to the secret study room and decided that she'd rather join them than agonize herself over Divination alone.
Her brown eyes moved between the red-haired girl and the sandy-haired boy; she raised an eyebrow and waited for one of them to continue.
"She," Remus started pointing towards Lily. "Had the brilliant idea that I'd get love advice from you." Cassie looked at them both before burst out in laughter, clearly finding the idea ridiculous. When she noticed the silence from the pair and how Remus was looking rather amused, she stopped. "You're not kidding?" the silence alone was enough of an answer. "You're actually serious?" Lily glared sharply at the older girl as she recalled Remus's words not too long ago.
"You told him to get relationship advice.. from me?" asked Cassie as she first pointed at Remus before pointing at her self. "Someone who's never had a relationship before? Who's never even been on a date before?" The redhead rolled her eyes at her friend and shot her yet another look, literally saying, what about Rabastan?
"I'm marrying him, okay, so he doesn't count.» the girl shot back as she sat down on a chair next to Lily and furred her brows as she looked at Remus. "Besides, I thought it was going well between you two." Suddenly her eyes filled with mischief as she practically sang the next words. "Seemed so at your date." Remus's face caught fire as he glared hard at the girl who gave him a shit-eating grin. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before staring harder at her.
A few moments went by before he was able to form a sentence, and by that time, Lily's glare had faded as she was looking at her friend in pure amusement and surprise. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Remus, sensing what was about to be said, beat her to it. "It was not a date!" The two girls looked at each other and giggled, though the moment was cut short when they felt an intense stare coming their way. Looking at Remus, they could see his shoulders tensing up as his eyes moved around the small corner before stopping. His face paled as he whispered under his breath. "If looks could kill, they'd never find our bodies."
The two girls followed his gaze and caught the figure of a rather angry Madam Pince. Her face looked even sterner than it had a few minutes ago if that was possible, and Lily winced the moment the librarian laid her eyes on her. If the glare she had received earlier was frightening, it was nothing like the one currently aimed at her. Madam Pince moved her gaze to Cassie before staring at Remus and gave him a stare to rival the ones Lily had received.
He gulped as he looked down on the table, hoping and wishing that she would go away soon. Lily scratched gently behind her ear as she too, relocated her gaze to the table. As none of the original troublemakers met Madam Pince's eyes, she immediately turned her glare to the duo's newest member. Cassie, however, utterly clueless as to why they were receiving such death stares, simply held the librarian's stare and raised an eyebrow, watching Madam Pince as she slowly disappeared behind the bookshelf.
"What crawled up her end today?" she muttered as she let out a frustrated sigh. When she moved her gaze from the spot the librarian had previously occupied, she almost had to do a double-take when she saw the two teens' staring into the table and looked as if someone had scolded them thoroughly. "What's with you two?" Thought the look they gave her was enough of an explanation, as the stare they had received not too long ago was similar to the ones her brother and Peter had received several times over the years before the secret study room had been found. "Ah... I see."
"Anyway... I saw James before I got here." The redhead buried her face in her hands. "Not you too." she groaned, careful not to be too loud as she didn't fancy another glare from the older woman. Seeing the curiosity fill her friend's brown eyes, Lily nodded her head towards the boy. "According to him. If James and I ever were to have... children... they'd be the stubbornest children to walk this earth." Her face flushed at the mention of having children with James, which caused Remus to chuckle. "Well, you're not exactly wrong about that" Leaning over the table, Cassie gave the boy a high five while Lily was blushing at least twenty different shades of red.
"Cassie!"
"Lily!" the girl retorted back, imitating her friend to perfection, making Remus burst out laughing. Rolling her eyes, Lily gave her friend a gentle shove, careful not to push her off the chair, alerting Madam Pince. For a moment, she regretted not taking the chance to study in the secret study room; whatever look James would have given her was sure to be better than another one of Madam Pince's stern ones.
"Come on, Lils, it's been a week. How long are you going to avoid him?" Cassie asked as she looked at the redhead before Remus answered. "Not until we graduate, I hope. Besides, he's convinced that you hate him now."
"He's what?!" Lily clamped her hand over her mouth as the words flowing out came louder than she intended. And it wasn't long before a familiar, rather furious looking face appeared once again. "Now! I've had enough of you. Roaring as if you'd think the library is the quidditch stands is completely unacceptable. And you two," The librarian fixed her eyes on Lily and Remus, who looked rather uncomfortable in their seats. "As prefects, you are supposed to set an example to the younger students. If this is you two setting an example, I wonder what in Merlin's name Dumbledore was thinking. Now get out of my library, and you better stay out until you learn how to be quiet!"
The trio rose from their seats, avoiding the glare that was currently focused on them, and gathered their books. Madam Pince stared hard as each of the students passed her, their eyes glued to the floor, refusing to meet hers. Though as she watched the three Gryffindors walk out of the library, she let out a huff, and a small, almost proud look covered her face. "Serves them right." With that, she returned to her desk.
"I knew I should have gone to the study room instead. Honestly, this was the reason why we started using that room in the first place." Cassie let out a groan as the trio stepped outside the entrance door to the library. "Only then, it was Sirius and Peter who wouldn't shut up." Lily, who looked almost crestfallen, nodded slowly in agreement as they started to walk away slowly. Frowning, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I feel as if I've just got scolded by my mother."
"I wish I got scolded by my mother." Remus chipped in as they walked out of the corridor and into the courtyard. The older girl looked at her two friends before grimacing, thinking back home for a moment. "Eh... I think I'm good."
Suddenly Lily stopped and peered at her friend, "What has he been saying?" Her green eyes were stuck on Remus, who looked somewhat confused. "Who?" Rolling her eyes, she answered. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe James?" He still looked confused for a moment until his eyes lighted up in recognition as he remembered their previous conversation before it had been interrupted. "Right.." he drew out the world longer than needed to stall the conversation just a bit. However, by the look of impatience on the red-haired's face, that was unnecessary. "He told me that he thinks you hate him, and that's why he's been avoiding you." Her face flushed yet again, but not of embarrassment; her green eyes danced with fiery anger.
The sea of students crowding the corridor parted, clearing a path for the furious looking red-haired Gryffindor prefect, who was currently almost flying down the hall. Her blazing green eyes caught the figure of a certain boy, and Lily was, for a moment, pleased that she didn't have to go all the way to the quidditch pitch.
Stomping nearer, she could hear the laugh that slipped from James's lips as he was talking to a grinning Sirius, whose grin dropped rather quickly as he became aware of the flaming red-haired with the angry facial expression. James, who stood with his back against Lily and sensed no trouble, couldn't help but frown slightly at the terrified look that appeared on his friend's face. "I'm sorry, Prongs, but... good luck. I'm going to pray for you." With that, the dark-haired boy disappeared so quickly, James thought for a moment that he might have apparated somewhere. Puzzled, he looked around the hall, trying to catch a glimpse of his friend, however no such luck. Just as he was about to go, he heard a voice that stopped him.
"Potter." Though familiar, it had been a while since he had heard the voice say his last name with that much coldness and fury. For a moment, he wasn't quite sure if it was the way her voice sounded or if it was the fact that she was standing right behind him that scared him the most. He turned slowly and was immediately met with a scowling redhead. Her green eyes were blazing with anger, and her red hair was tousled as if she had run her hands through it several times. And now, he understood why Sirius ran; the look she was currently giving him was safe to say terrifying.
"Eh... Lily, didn't see you there." His voice came tumbling out of his mouth as he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up. "We need to talk." The coldness in her voice almost gave him shivers. "oh.. yeah, sure!" James's voice was unnaturally high as he shifted uncomfortably under her stare. When he didn't move or say anything else, she narrowed her eyes, grabbed hold of his arm, and dragged him to the nearest empty classroom she could find.
Opening the door, she pushed him inside and slammed the door shut; turning towards him, she put her hands on her hips and waited for him to speak. His eyes moved around the room for a moment, not really wanting to meet hers. Lily let out an annoyed sigh as she saw that he had no intention of starting the conversation. She closed her eyes for a minute, rubbed her temple, and took a deep breath before talking.
"You don't get to be mad that I forgot, okay?" It was as if something had clicked in Lily's mind as she spoke, and a week's worth of frustration came bursting out. "You also don't get to go round, avoiding me because you're convinced that I hate you. Because surprisingly enough, I don't. I might have disliked you before, but that was more on principle than anything else, as you guys used to bully my former best friend." She took another breath. " But I never hated you... I don't hate you. I've avoided you because I've been embarrassed to death. You remember, I don't! I've been tearing my hair out for the last days thinking there was something more or worse that I said or did. Because I can't remember anything." her voice died out as all frustration left her, leaving her feeling drained.
"I... You're right." His voice was gentle and a bit unsure; however, as he started speaking, the words he'd been thinking and the worries that had filled him disappeared as he grew more confident in his words. "I'm sorry. I am. I shouldn't have said what I did that day, and I've been acting like a prat." He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down on her. "I've been meaning to talk to you. I have. It's just every time I've gotten anywhere close to you; you suddenly disappeared, so I figured you might.. well, you know. That day, I didn't mean any of it. I was tired and hungry, and I had spent all night worrying about how to act in front of you the next day. I know that's not really an excuse. But I am sorry."
Lily gawked at him for a moment, not quite believing what she was hearing. She also found it hard to believe that this boy, who she had sworn to dislike for eternity, said those words and looked at her with such apologetic and genuine eyes. As she saw the regret painted clearly on his face, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty at the rant she had given him a few moments earlier. A small smile appeared on her lips, and any sort of anger or fury had all but disappeared. "Yeah.. well, Remus did say once, never let James go too long without food; there's no telling what he might do."
A slight blush covered his cheeks as he remembered several occasions where that had been the case. Seeing a similar color spread across Lily's cheeks, a smile spread across his lips as he stretched his hand towards her. "Friends?" Her eyes lingered on his hand for a moment, and James felt slightly nervous as she didn't say anything, though much to his relief, a smile appeared, and she placed her smaller hand in his larger one and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Friends."
The two stood smiling at each other for a while before James got the courage and did something he had wanted to do for a long time. He pulled his arm quickly towards him with quite a force, still holding Lily's hand, which sent her flying straight into his solid chest. Letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame and pulled her closer. The girls' face reddened significantly, as her heartbeat got louder and louder when she felt the strong arms around her. Against her better judgment, Lily somehow managed to wrap her arms around his waist.
Had anyone told her a year ago that she'd currently be in an empty classroom along with James Potter, and not to mention the fact that she was hugging him, she would have called them mad and laughed. However, now that she was here, she couldn't help but let her smile grow slightly larger as she buried her face in his shoulder and felt him placing his chin on top of her head. If this was how friendship with James would be, she was looking forward to it.