Without the mask where will you hide?
Can't find yourself lost in your lie
I know the truth now
I know who you are
And I don't love you anymore
It never was and never will be
You're not real and you can't save me
Somehow now you're everybody's fool
Evanescence- Everybody’s Fool
“Let’s go.” James and Sirius tracked Diggory down. He was following Lily to the Divination Tower. Suddenly James remembered that the Gryffindors had Divination with the Ravenclaws and his fists clenched.
“Lily!” he heard Amos call just around the corner. His throat closed.
“Yes, Diggory?” James heard Lily reply. James turned his head and saw Amos at the foot of the stairs and Lily halfway up.
“I just wanted you to know that I would have fought a thousand dementors and a thousand Peeves for you, Lily.” James scowled. He sounded so fake and unreal.
James saw Lily grip her shoulder bag tightly. James couldn’t decide if it was a result of excitement or not. He swallowed and his hand reached for his wand. Sirius grabbed it.
Diggory was taking James’ material and using it for himself! All his hard work for Diggory to take? James thought not!
“That’s… that’s very thoughtful of you, Diggory,” Lily answered. He knew that tone all too well. She had used it on James countless times.
James almost laughed with glee at Diggory: Lily was mad! He smiled.
“So... will you go to Hogsmeade with me, then?”
James’ smile evaporated instantly. He hoped he was right on the Lily-is-mad theory.
Lily turned and faced Diggory. James stopped looking around the corner and shut his eyes.
“No.” James heard that word echoed over and over in his head. No… no… no… no… no… no….
James and Sirius looked at each other and they both doubled up in silent laughter of joy. James stuffed his fist in his mouth to stop him from yelling all his feelings out.
“What?” Diggory sounded surprised. James guessed that Diggory wasn’t used to being rejected before.
“I said ‘no,’ Diggory. Is that so difficult to understand?”
“Aw, come one! I only know that you won’t say yes because of Potter! He’s just an arrogant, little-”
“HOW DARE YOU?!?”
“What? You mean you like Potter?”
James’ jaw dropped and his fist fell out. He looked at Sirius, who gaped back.
“I don’t hate him, if that’s what you mean!”
“But why won’t you go out with me?”
Then Lily whispered something that James had to press his ear against the wall to hear.
~
“Don’t pretend to be something your not, Diggory.”
“What do you mean?”
Lily was finally angry beyond her limit.
“I MEAN ATTACKING THE HEAD BOY BEHIND MY BACK,” Lily shouted, “ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF SCHOOL!”
“But... but he cursed me, too!”
“Yeah?” Lily raised her eyebrow. Then she asked him an inescapable question. “What did he do to you?”
Diggory froze and swallowed. Lily turned and continued to Divination.
She sensed that Diggory was following her, so she whipped around and pointed her wand at Diggory’s forehead, which was only a few steps away.
“Stop following me, Diggory,” she warned, “Or I’ll add a nice button nose to your collection of rabbit features.”
Lily was about to run to class, when a movement in the corner of her eye made her changed her direction. She was quick enough to see James Potter pull his head behind the corner and out of sight.
He had heard! He had heard everything! How could she have been so stupid? She should have told Diggory calmly in private, instead of yelling at him in the middle of the staircase.
Hurriedly, she pocketed her wand and raced up to the tower, hoping… praying that she was wrong.
~
“Oh great! Thanks for pushing me, Padfoot!” Lily had seen James’ head and nothing could change that.