Why Do I Love You? by thepatronus_n_thecharm
Chapter Notes: I can't believe you guys. All those reviews and not one favorite quote??? You disappoint me (especially you, Gothicdragon.) (Gothicdragon is my friend Kelsey.) I want to thank my favorite reviewer, hopelives4ever. So: Thank you, hopelives4ever! Now, without further adieu, Chapter 4!
The common room was unusually quiet for the first day back at Hogwarts. Instead of being out in the middle of everything, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were huddled up in the far corner of the Gryffindor common room. They didn’t want James to see them when he came in. They knew that something was up with him, they just didn’t know what. Well they knew what, sort of; they just needed to know why.
“I think it has something to do with Lily,” declared Peter.
“Well, duh, we already figured that out by the way he was freaking out about Lily,” stated Sirius, acting as though it was the end of the world. He had never seen James act this way, and frankly, it creeped him out. He wanted to put a stop to it right then, whatever it was. He hated change. Though he said that, no one believed him, because he had a different girlfriend, at the most, every two weeks. It was a rather bad habit of his, but he told himself that he just wanted to find the right girl.
“Yes,” replied Remus in a soothing voice. “But we need to know why. James doesn’t all of a sudden start freaking out about a girl that he’s known and hated for four years. This isn’t at all like him.” He paused and sat there with an odd, faraway look on his face, which he put on whenever he was thinking (which was pretty much most of the time). Out of all the Marauders, he was the most prudent. He had become a prefect this year, and he was the second smartest in his year (Lily being the smartest in their year). He was all around wise.
They sat in silence, pondering what was wrong with James. As they sat there, the portrait hole opened up, and Lily herself walked in. She was muttering under her breath, “Potter running after me, trying to give me the password. He couldn’t keep his eyes off me before dinner. It’s a good thing I can lip read; I saw his friends say ‘Lily’, and then he ran off. And it sure seems like he was sorry for what he did, which in itself is just wrong and weird. It all adds up. Oh, but it can’t add up, it just can’t! This ruins everything; our relationship as foes, our curses at each other. Urgh! Why does Potter have to be so stupidly frustrating?’
The Marauders looked at each other.
“No...”
“He couldn’t.”
“He wouldn’t.”
“Would he?”
They paused for a moment.
“Nah,” they all said together. The very idea was preposterous to them. They started laughing at the thought. But then they stopped at the same time. Lily was right. Everything he had done that day after the prank pointed straight at the idea that James liked Lily. It startled them that this idea might actually be possible. James like Lily, his sworn non-Slytherin enemy? Never. To them it wasn’t possible. But they had no idea how wrong they were.
James stared after Lily as she climbed into the portrait hole and watched until the picture closed. The Fat Lady looked down on him. She gave him an incredulous look and said, “Well, that was completely pointless. Open me up but don’t bother to come in, why don’t you? Gives me more work. You do realize-“
“Zollie,” James interrupted. He really didn’t feel like listening to the Fat Lady’s ranting. The portrait hole swung open and he climbed inside. As he came in, he saw his friends in the corner, laughing. Then they suddenly stopped. ‘OK,’ he thought. ‘This day is just getting weirder.’
He walked over to them and called out their names.
“Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail,” he called. “I’ve got something I want to tell you.”
“Yeah, well, we have something we want to ask you,” Sirius said in an accusing tone. He sounded very offended, as if someone said he should have been in Slytherin.
“OK, you first.”
“Do you like Lily?” Sirius blurted out.
“Um...that’s what I wanted to...um...tell you,” James said, a blush creeping up his face.
“You idiot! This ruins everything! Now we have to start hanging around our sworn non-Slytherin enemy. This is all wrong. YOU ARE DISGUSTING!” Sirius screamed. The whole common room went quiet with his sudden rage ringing in their ears. Yep, Sirius was mad”in both ways.
“Um...hot...cocoa?” James said in a quiet voice. Sirius was recently starting to scare him. Besides, he was in the mood for some hot chocolate. Sirius just glared at him and headed toward the staircase leading to the dormitories. As he reached to open the door, Lily opened it from the other side. Sirius saw her, glared at her, and continued on towards his dormitory. As he slammed the door, he heard Lily ask James, “Potter, what’s going on?”
But Sirius didn’t care. All he knew was that James had made a stupid decision...once again...and that there was nothing he could do that would make Sirius forgive him. Sure, Sirius being a bit rash”actually very rash”but that is beside the point. James had begun to like (maybe even love) the impossible”Lily Evans.
‘No,’ thought Sirius as he reached his dormitory, and he scrunched his eyes closed. ‘No. This is all just a dream, and I am going wake up in five...four...three...two...one.’
Sirius timidly opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. Nope. Not a dream. Still the window. Still the four-poster bed with curtains. Still that stupid owl with a letter. Still the”wait. Was that an owl on his bed?
Sirius walked over to his bed and snatched at the owl. He grabbed the letter and sent the owl out the window. As he unfolded the letter, he couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Who in their right mind would send me a letter the first day of school?’ He read:
Dearest Sirius,
I know that you barely know me, and that we are known as enemies, but I want you to know that I truly like you. You seem so perfect in my eyes. I know that right now you probably don’t want to hear from the likes of me, but I just had to let you know. Expect another letter from me. If you want to respond, put it under the bookcase next to the fireplace. This is also where you will receive my next letter.
Love,
Your secret admirer
Sirius rolled his eyes. ‘Everything can’t change at once,’ he thought. He already had enough love drama in his life. But there was something that made him want another letter. He pulled out a piece parchment and started writing.
Sirius snuck out of the dormitory after everyone had gone to bed. He didn’t want anyone to know that he had come out of his bad mood. Because then he would just get back in it. He tiptoed to the bookcase and slipped the parchment under the bookcase. He thought he heard a tiny cough, but it turned out to be himself. He looked around as he tiptoed back to the staircase, then opened the door to the stairs, and walked back up to his dorm.
Suddenly, a girl sprang up from the shadows. Her long, wavy, brown hair swung with her every move as she bounced over to the bookcase. “I knew you would respond, Sirius Black.” And with that, she walked back up to her dorm.