Chapter 12: Boys Will Be Boys
A tired but grinning Sirius stumbled into the Gryffindor common room and plopped down on the couch next to James.
"Were have you been? We haven't seen you since lunch!" interrogated Remus.
"Merlin, Moony! You're not my mother. I was with Alexis," replied Sirius.
"Then why don't you have a red hand mark across your face?" James sniggered.
"We're back together...I- I told her I loved her," Sirius admitted sheepishly.
"You what?" gaped a dumbfounded Remus.
"YOU WHAT!" shouted James. "After all those other girls, you make that commitment now? And I thought you'd never settle down!"
"Looks like Padfoot's found himself a girl that'll last him more than a month," Remus smirked.
"Excuse me, but I went out with Jill Polluck for - oh three weeks," Sirius shrugged.
"I can't believe it," mouthed a dumbstruck James.
"I thought that even you would take the plunge with Lily before Sirius did for anybody," chuckled Remus to James.
"And I was so close to doing it too," muttered James. "Who knows if she'll even go to the ball with me now."
"She'll come around mate. She's shown interest hasn't she? This just isn't the road she wanted your relationship to take," said Sirius matter-of-factly.
"Since when do you speak girl?" asked James incredulously. At that moment, Alexis strode into the common room accompanied by Joanne. Sirius grinned stupidly.
"Since a few hours ago," he winked as he leapt up towards Alexis' beckoning finger. The couple exited from their friends' presence in search of an empty broom closet.
"How is it that he got his girl in two months and it's taking me seven years?" asked James to no one in particular. He stomped up the spiral staircase to the boys dormitories and slammed the door, leaving Joanne and Remus in an ugly silence. Joanne turned to leave.
"Jo.....wait," muttered Remus. Their eyes met for no more than a second. Joanne saw the pleading in his and hers swelled with tears. "I hate not talking to you. You've been such a good friend to me and I never want to lose that," he explained. Joanne wiped her eyes.
"But that's just it isn't it! According to you we can only be friends!" she replied angrily. Joanne turned and proceeded to climb out the portrait hole. In her anger she scraped her knee. With blood flowing freely down her leg and tears down her face, she left Remus alone to ponder what had just happened between himself and his friend.
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"I can't believe you're back together."
Alexis grinned at Lily sheepishly. It was late in the afternoon and Lily, Alexis, and Joanne were lounging in the shade of a beech tree beside the lake. Joanne's eyes were red and swollen. Lily and Alexis kept shooting her concerned glances, but Joanne spoke not a word.
"He reads me like a book," sighed Alexis dreamily. "I can't resist him."
"I know what you mean," mumbled Joanne. Lily and Alexis shared a worried look of their own.
"Jo is that what you're upset about?" Lily said with an anxious expression. "A guy?" Joanne sighed sadly.
"Yeah, but I'm alright. I'll be over him soon. It was just a crush after all," she explained. "And I don't want to talk about it," Joanne replied to her friends' silent question. With great effort, Alexis changed the subject.
"Are you still going to the dance with James?" Lily winced at Alexis' choice of conversation. She wanted to go with James, but so far she hadn't been brave enough to talk to him, let alone go on a date with him.
"So much for Gryffindor courage," she thought. She was way too embarrassed to face him. All she wanted to do was go back and erase the night she blurted out all her feelings to the world.
"I have no idea," Lily admitted.
"You're going to have to talk to him sooner or later," said Alexis.
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The mild November turned into a chilly December. So chilly in fact, that the students had taken to wearing hats and gloves in the stone hallways of the school. Lily took off a pair of her scarlet wool mittens and slipped them into her pocket. She stiffly entered the library to find James already waiting for her. The only thing making her go to the Head's Meeting was the fact that this would be the final one before the upcoming Holiday Dance.
James sat up in his chair when Lily came into view and took out parchment, a quill, and ink. She sat opposite James and took out her piles of parchment in equivalent silence. She read the topmost piece of parchment to herself and looked decidedly at her partner.
"I guess we'll start off with going over the proce-,"
"Lily you have to talk to me," James interrupted.
"Fifth through seventh years should arrive in the Great Hall between 8:00 and 8:30," Lily ignored deliberately. "The common room parties will start up at 8:30 sharp. We'll use the lists of fifth through seventh years that Dumbledore sent us to check students into the Great Hall. That way we determine whether or not there are any first through fourth years trying to sneak in without a partner who's of age."
James was merely taken aback for a moment before he smiled to himself.
"So you want to play hard to get do you?" he thought.
"Speaking of partners," James asked all too innocently. "Are we still going together? And I don't mean as Head Boy and Girl," he added as Lily closed her mouth over her next retort. "I mean as a date."
Lily looked over him quickly.
"We'll initiate the dance with the first dance and proceed from there. You've informed me the band will be here right after dinner. Do I stand correct?" James shuddered under her piercing, all-too-knowing stare.
"Er- about the band," James stammered. Her eyes bore into his skull as he continued.
"They kinda.....can't make it," James shut his eyes and braced himself.
"And you mean what by 'kinda," Lily snarled and James cowered fearfully under her menacing glare.
"I mean they were- uh- they were- forget it. I think I know where I can get another band," James smiled with assurance. Lily raised her eyebrows threateningly.
"You'd better," she hissed. "Right then, the decorations will be put up tomorrow after dinner. Well, that about sums it up," Lily concluded. James' heart skipped a beat at this statement. He frantically fidgeted in his seat, suddenly realizing that the meeting was over and he still didn't know if she was going to the dance with him.
"Lily," James began as she stood.
"I really don't want to talk about it James," she said desperately.
"Are we still-can we-are you," James said as he mentally slapped himself in the face for stuttering in front of her for the second time in five minutes. Lily sighed, defeated.
"Pick me up at 8:20," she gave in.
A/N: Thanks to dramaanjelsj, kaity445, musikgrl242, and Madam Bones for their dedication to this story. Please review!
Loathing or Love? by Miss Radcliffe
Chapter Notes: A/N: Once again, this chapter took longer than anticipated. It was rejected for various things such as Americanisms and not enough plot. Because of finals, theater productions, and many other issues I've been having, it's taken me awhile to edit this chapter and submit it again. I apologize for making you wait so long. But now it's summer and I am almost completely free so I will be able to write and post quicker. Thank you for your patience and enjoy!
Miss Radcliffe