A/N to mods: Ok, last chapter Lily learned the secret of Remus and the Marauders, ordered her dress, and got to hear a hilarious yet somewhat romantic poem that James found.
Disclaimer: And…those characters”some of which I own and some of which are Jo’s”are back! And with new events that never happened! *applause*
Lily pulled out a sheet of paper and doodled a picture of James. It had been a few days since the werewolf attack, and now she was sitting in class working on her Charms N.E.W.T. Well, she was supposed to be, but preferred visualizing James’s wonderful hazel eyes to reviewing her already completed exam.
“Quills down, everyone!”
Professor Flitwick’s voice stirred Lily out of her thoughts, so she looked over her Charms N.E.W.T. for the seventh time that hour. Everything seemed in order, and it was soon whisked away with the professor’s “Accio!”
Lily gathered all her materials to put in her bag and walked into the Great Hall to wait for her turn for the practical exam. She looked around for her friends, and, when she found them, sauntered over to talk. They were arguing over a certain spell that was bound to be on the N.E.W.T.
“It’s Albineir, I just know it!” Janice yelled.
“Don’t be silly, it’s Eirlalino!” Alena argued.
“They’ve been going about like this for two minutes,” Elisha explained, as Lily approached them. “Trying to remember what the hair-bleaching spell is.”
“Oh, but that’s simple!” Lily cried, and placed herself between her two friends and held out her hands.
“Stop it, both of you,” she said firmly. “The spell is Leleiral.”
The two girls stopped shouting at one another, and watched as Lily pulled out a Charms cheat-sheet. There they saw: “Hair-Bleaching”Leleiral.”
“Man,” Alena whined, “why do you have to know everything?”
Lily looked flattered. “Well, thank you,” she said politely, “but I don’t know everything.”
“You do,” argued Janice, “you just don’t know it.”
Elisha and Lily began to giggle, and soon Janice joined in when she realized what she had said. Alena, on the other hand, muttered, “I don’t get it…” But before the others could explain, a Ministry official called, “Mark Abbot and Janice Ackerman!”
Janice turned pale, muttered, “Wish me luck,” and walked toward the entrance of the Great Hall.
The other girls were suddenly quiet, and were hoping and praying that Janice would pass. Before they knew it, she was back.
“I think I passed,” Janice said breathlessly, and the girls breathed sighs of relief.
“And you’ll never believe it!” she continued. “The hair-bleaching spell was on it!”
“Did it work?” Elisha asked eagerly.
“You bet!” Janice answered excitedly. “I think the lady was a little scared, ’cause her hair was originally ebony black!”
The girls were soon in another fun conversation, and after awhile the Marauders joined them.
“Sirius just got back from the practical,” James said
“How’d it go?” Janice wondered.
“Perfect!” Sirius stated proudly. “Can’t imagine not getting at least an E on that one!”
“Aren’t you supposed to go in soon?” James asked Lily, and she nodded nervously.
“I’m a little worried,” she admitted. “I’m good at Charms, I guess, but””
“You’ll be fine,” James reassured her. “If Sirius can say that he did well, we know you can!”
“Thanks,” she whispered, and James had a sudden urge to wrap his arm around her and comfort her in her worries. But soon her name was called, along with, “Michael Farnsworth,” and she hurriedly said good-bye to her friends and rushed off to the examination room.
“Lily Evans?” the examiner guessed as she entered the room.
“That’s me,” Lily answered quietly.
“Now, I hope you’re not worried.”
Lily shrugged nervously. “Just a little, I guess.”
“No need, no need,” he said, waving his arm. “Take your time.”
Lily liked her examiner at once. He began with easy spells, like Wingardium Leviosa, and ended with more difficult ones. He was especially pleased with her “Sonorus!” and claimed that “it was the loudest and clearest yet!” When the examination was over, Lily felt very much relieved, and shook the examiners hand very warmly as she said good-bye.
“And…how did it go?” James asked the minute Lily was in hearing range.
“Wonderfully!” Lily exclaimed, hugging James. “The examiner was very kind and understanding.”
Immediately Lily realized that she was hugging a boy, so she quickly let go and reproached herself, but covered up by embracing the other girls much showier than she did James. James, however, looked very pleased.
The rest of the day went by smoothly, and in the Gryffindor Common Room that night most of the seventh-years and fifth-years were celebrating the end of their first N.E.W.T. and O.W.L.
“They shouldn’t be partying,” Lily scolded to no one in particular. “The Transfiguration Exam is in two days!”
“Oh, come off it, Lily!” said James as he walked to her from across the room with a butterbeer. He offered it to her. “Join the party!”
“I think not!” Lily said in shock. “I have to study! This could greatly affect our future; you realize that, I’m sure!”
“Sure I do,” James said casually, “but even the brightest witches deserve a bit of fun. I mean, come on, Janice, Alena, and Elisha are going to the ball with the greatest troublemakers in the school!” He paused and added, “Besides me, of course. I’m sure the beautiful and intelligent Lily Evans can take a few minutes to just relax and have a good time.”
Lily blushed and smiled at his last comment, but”very reluctantly, she told herself”she agreed. Maybe it was when James said that he would study with her for Transfiguration tomorrow that she changed her mind. She didn’t like to admit it, but she was very much enjoying James’s company all of a sudden.
Don’t think that way, she said to herself, this isn’t what you want!
Oh, yes it is, her heart reminded her, so perhaps that was why she ended the night with her arms around James’s neck and his hands at her waist.
Lily awoke with a sense of happiness that had carried over from the night before, and very brightly put on her favorite green tank top with a lily on it”James had gotten it for her for Christmas that year”and practically skipped down the stairs to the common room. She spotted James instantly.
“Oh James!” she called very sweetly.
Immediately James jumped up and ran over to greet her, and answered, “Yes, love of my life?”
Lily ignored his attempt to charm her, and said, “You promised to study with me today.”
James stared at her blankly. “What?”
“You know,” Lily said with annoyance. “The Transfiguration N.E.W.T. is tomorrow, and you said you would help me study.”
The realization of James’s promise dawned on him, and he stuttered, “Oh right, well then, we’d better get started.”
He seems so nervous, Lily mused as she pulled out flash cards.
“What are those for?” James asked, pointing at the cards.
“They’re flash cards, and””
“I’ve never heard of flash cards,” he interrupted with a confused look.
“Flash cards,” Lily explained patiently, “are an easy Muggle way of keeping track of information. See here”” she indicated one of the cards “”the spell is on this side, and the function is on the other.”
James slowly grinned with understanding and amusement. “Brilliant,” he muttered, and Lily began to hold up cards for him.
“Wait,” he protested, “I thought I was helping you.”
“You are helping me!” Lily told him. “As you remember the spells, I’ll hear you and remember as well.”
Reluctantly, he answered, “All right, then,” and started reciting spells with their function.
After two hours, they had been through all the cards, and reviewed the ones James had had trouble with.
“Not bad, Potter,” Lily complimented, and stood up.
“What are we standing up for?” James asked as he took Lily’s arm to stand.
“Well, we’ve done the written part of the exam,” Lily explained, “so now we have to do the practical.”
“We could’ve done the practical during the flash cards!” he complained.
“I’ve got to practice too!” Lily said indignantly. “But if you want, I’ll use my own resources and you can find some for yourself!”
“Resources? What resources? Where are you going?” James asked with confusion as Lily made for the Portrait Hole.
Lily turned around. “Are you sure you still want my help?”
“Yes!” James said impatiently. “So where are we going?”
Lily displayed a secretive smile. “Follow me.”
A/N Hi! Hope you guys liked this one. It was a little harder, but I think it had its good moments. Lily’s definitely learning what it’s like having a boyfriend and is getting used to spending more time with James. Please review! I’ll get Chapter Seven posted as soon as possible.