Not Another Teen Love Story
Chapter 2: Hidden Feelings
Lily was extremely anxious about the letter she had sent back to James. What if he thinks I like him or something? she thought. Maybe that’s because you do, that ever-present voice inside her head said. No, I don’t, she argued back. Yet, she wasn’t sure anymore. Maybe she did. But even as she thought it, her mind told her how wrong it was.
She had hated James ever since she could remember. But what accounted for the mixed feelings she always felt when she was around him? She could not answer that.
She was scared to answer that.
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James looked up at Remus from his sleeping position with a look of pure shock on his face. It can’t be, he thought. Only one letter from Lily and it wasn’t to Remus?? It was impossible.
“Don’t play around with me, Remus. You know my feelings are fragile when it comes to Lily,” James said.
“I’m not playing with you, Prongs. It’s for you,” Remus said.
“Alright, Moony, give it here,” James said. The Marauders had always called Remus “Moony” because of his once-a-month transformation into a werewolf. The other Marauders nicknames’ came from their Animagus form. It was illegal to be an unregistered Animagus like Sirius, Peter, and James were. But for the sake of their friend, they took the risk.
James slowly unfolded the letter, afraid that something bad would happen to him upon opening it. Lily was smart enough to have figured out some way to include a hex in her letter. However, nothing happened to him. His eyes grew wider by the second as he read what Lily had written.
James,
I am, of course, shocked that you have become Head Boy over Remus, but it will be something I will have to live with. Mainly because we will have to work side by side all year long do I agree to be friends with you. That is, under a few conditions.
Yes, I would appreciate it if you stopped asking me out and stopped hexing boys when they so much as talk to me. I am grateful that you are willing to give up those things. Also, stop hexing Snape for no good reason, or any Slytherin for that matter. If you agree to those conditions, we will both have a more enjoyable year.
Anyway, since we are now friends, maybe we can all meet up in Diagon Alley tomorrow. You know, you, the Marauders (of course), and me and my friends. If not, that’s okay, too. Well, I guess I will either see you tomorrow or at school in a week.
Sincerely,
Lily
James was shocked. Of course, she hadn’t got to the stage where she would sign her letters “With Love” but it was a start! Of course he and the Marauders would meet her tomorrow. He would tell them in the morning. He had a feeling that even if he had already gotten his school stuff, he still would have gone if it would mean getting to see Lily.
A smile played across his face when he fell back onto his pillow and fell asleep, dreaming of Lily.
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Lily walked into The Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley right outside said pub. She was afraid that James and his friends would not come. She knew Leah, Alice, Rachel, and Kimmy would show up. They were her best friends, after all.
As Lily went into Diagon Alley, she saw the faces of her four friends waiting for her. Leah was a very pretty blonde, about five feet nine inches tall. She was the tallest out of the group. Alice was much shorter, even a little shorter than Lily herself. She had a long-time boyfriend of three years, Frank Longbottom. Everyone knew that they would end up together. Rachel had long, beautiful, jet-black hair and was a little taller than Lily. Kimmy was the most beautiful girl in school and was almost like a female Sirius Black. She was very flirtatious and almost always got the guy she wanted. The girls had realized that Rachel had an eye on a certain Marauder, but she would never admit it.
“Lily, over here,” Kimmy called with a huge smile on her face. However, Lily was stuck in the process of looking for someone. “What’s with her?” Kimmy asked the others when Lily continued looking around. They all shrugged and walked over to her.
“Lily, are you alright?” Alice asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
Lily snapped out of her reverie. “Yes, I’m fine…Just looking for someone,” she mumbled.
“Would it be a certain James Potter?” Rachel asked cheekily. She knew this would get Lily riled up. However, today it didn’t.
“Actually, yes, that is who I’m looking for…I guess he just didn’t want to meet me here,” Lily said semi-sadly.
“Lily, would you like to explain to us what is going on? Usually when we mention James, you jump down our throats. Today, it seems like you actually want to see him,” Alice asked.
“Alright, let’s go to Florean Fortescue’s and I’ll tell you all about it,” Lily said, directing the girls toward the ice cream parlor. After they were seated, she spilled out the whole story to them.
“So, you’re saying you and James are friends now?!” Kimmy asked, amazed.
“We’re gonna try it out, I guess. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” Lily replied. You could fall for him. That voice in her head would just not leave her alone these days. She was so preoccupied with arguing with this voice that she did not notice the astonished, yet happy looks her friends were exchanging. They had always known Lily and James would be perfect for each other. It was just a matter of time before Lily would realize that herself.
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James, Sirius and Remus piled into Diagon Alley the next day. Little did they know, they were standing in the exact same spot Lily and her friends had been standing in just a few minutes ago. James immediately began searching for Lily.
James had explained to Remus and Sirius what had been contained in Lily’s letter. They were so disbelieving that they had to read it for themselves. Remus gave Sirius a look that plainly said, Have you ever seen James this happy? The guys had always been a little annoyed at James’ constant gushing about Lily, but now they were extremely glad to see their friend so happy. Peter had not been able to join them because he was vacationing with his parents in France (or so he said). Peter had been distancing himself from the group more and more over the past year. Although the other three were sad to see him go, it was becoming something that they were getting used to.
James’ joyous look began to change into a crestfallen one as his fruitless search for Lily went on and Remus and Sirius noticed it right away.
“Maybe some ice cream will cheer you up, Prongs,” Sirius said to James reassuringly. Remus and Sirius were almost convinced that Lily had stood James up, however much they didn’t want to believe it.
“Yea, alright,” James mumbled, letting his friends guide him into the same ice cream shop the girls had entered shortly before. James’ eyes lit up when he saw a flash of red hair. He did not even notice the other girls sitting with her.
As they drew closer, they heard Lily say, “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“What’s the worst that could happen with what, Evans?” Sirius asked Lily. When the girls heard him, they all turned to look at him. They had noticed Kimmy’s eyes get a glazed look over them when she looked at Sirius. Even though his question had been directed toward Lily, he was staring at Kimmy, which everyone noticed, also. Remus came up behind Sirius and whispered in his ear, “Padfoot, you might want to wipe your mouth…you’re drooling,” Remus joked. Rachel heard him and giggled. When Remus gave her an almost quizzical look, she blushed and turned away. Remus’ quizzical look turned into a satisfied one as he looked over at James. I made her blush, he thought. Oh, yea that’s a great accomplishment, Moony, he thought. Nevertheless, he still wore a bright smile on his face.
Lily had not answered Sirius’ question yet, seeing as she was watching the hidden feelings emerge from her friends toward the Marauders. She smiled to herself when she the exchange between Remus and Rachel. They balance each other out so well, she thought. She then could feel holes boring into her face from someone’s eyes on her. James.
She turned to him and smiled. He almost fell back from the shock. Yes, the letter was shocking. But that was Lily in writing. This was Lily in person. He believed that this was the first time that she had ever genuinely smiled at him, except for when they were friends in first year. This was the moment that he realized he was in love with Lily Evans.
A/N: I know, not the best chapter ever. But this was mainly just to introduce all the characters into the story instead of just throwing them in there. Also, I wanted to show Lily’s feelings beginning to emerge. As you can tell, there’s also going to be some romance for Sirius and Remus, too. Please, please review.