Chapter 3: The eternal annoyance that is James Potter
James Potter. James Bloody Potter (If that’s not his full name, I will be terribly surprised). Yesterday the idea of approaching him about Iola’s history seemed ... tolerable. But now, in the harsh light of day, so to speak, it seems laughable.
Yesterday, I said we have a bad history. Today, I say we have a terrible, horrific, awful, shocking, dire, dreadful, ghastly, appalling history. And any other word you can find for “bad” in a thesaurus.
Yesterday, I was stupid. Today, I am insane.
And yet, yesterday I was determined. And no amount of light, however harsh it may be, is going to change that. So here I am, walking up to him. I have followed him like a stalker since breakfast (it’s a Hogsmeade weekend, I gave up time with my friends for this little project. That’s how dedicated I have been), waiting for the chance to get him on his own “ it’s proved dreadfully hard, I can tell you. From arriving in Hogsmeade, the Marauders and Iola have gone to the bookstore, where Iola left them. This was good, because it meant she wouldn’t be around to witness the Spanish Inquisition of her cousin. The sight of the bookshop, with its comforting, musty books, its pleasant silence, its lack of James Potter, nearly made me give in and follow her, so I could fondle “ um, read “ some books for a while in the secluded corner I like. I know the owner, he doesn’t mind. But then I remembered my mission, and reluctantly followed the four boys away.
After their stop to drop off Iola, they went to a café, and came back out again with boxes of cream “ which turned out to be extra thick. I don’t know whether they stole these from the kitchens, or actually paid for them. Then they found Snape outside a Potions shop, and poured half of it all over him. I almost went over from my inconspicuous distance to instil some Prefect-y goodness on them, but managed to restrain myself. Honestly, they can never get any new ideas, can they? It’s always “Pour some goo on him” one day, and “Pour a bit more goo on him” the next. No imagination.
They then ran away to some little back alley “ I would have lost them, except that Peter is quite slow. He needs to watch his calorie intake, if you know what I mean. I looked around the corner, to see what they were doing, and Sirius was standing there drinking the cream straight out of the box, while the others stood around chanting at him to “chug”. He threw the empty one on the ground and began another. There were still three left, and it didn’t look as if he was going give in. I stood in horrified silence at the pure ... boy-ness of it all, before getting out of sight, and waiting for them to move onto the next place.
After the little cream-chugging contest, they went to Zonko’s for half an hour. During this time, I waited outside and pondered my history with the notorious James Potter.
I call him James in my head, the same with Iola, because if they were both merely “Potter”, things would be very confusing. But when I speak to him, I only ever use his last name. And, well, I don’t really know how I would address Iola, since I rarely speak to her “ until last night, of course. But like I said, out loud, it’s always Potter to him, just like I’m always Evans. People don’t get this. Everybody calls the Marauders by their first names “ it’s just what you do. Same with L.O.V.E. We’re known by our first names. Like we’re a band or something “ only the obsessive fans know the surnames of each and every member.
But there is a very good reason for our over-formal attitude, and it began in third year. See, there was a bet. Everybody knew about it. Everybody. Ooh, that bet. It makes me shake with anger just thinking about it. Each Marauder had to get a date with one of the L.O.V.E girls. Maybe, if they had kept it to themselves, it would have worked “ at least, for some of us. Sirius’s target was Eve. Remus’s was Valerie. Poor Ophelia ended up with Peter. James, as you probably guessed through process of elimination, had to try and get a date with me.
The more they persisted, the more we refused. The others all seemed to be in it for a joke, they were always looking round to see who was watching, before making a move. But James, I think, was serious “ when he asked me, he was totally sincere. But I refused him, knowing all too well of the bet, and it went on and on, even when the others had given up. By last year, our fifth, I even heard Sirius say, “Okay, Prongs, leave her alone now. I don’t think she’s going to go out with you.” (This was around the time when they started giving each other weird nicknames that I could never figure out “ still can’t, in fact.)
His methods really were completely horrendous, since they also enjoyed using me as a guinea pig for pranks that they later tried on Snape “ and they knew I wholly disagreed with both of these things. I tell you, despite my new status as Prefect (I relished in all the responsibility “ my counterpart, Remus, was a little lax, especially where his friends were concerned) last year was no fun at all. Eventually there was a big blow up by the lake, and everybody yelled a lot, especially me.
This year, thankfully, things have quietened down somewhat. All that is left is a mutual dislike of each other. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I keep reporting them for all their mistreatment of others, but really, they shouldn’t go about thinking they own peoples souls, just because they can occasionally be moderately humorous.
So. That’s our history. Maybe it doesn’t sound as bad as I said earlier (remember all the synonyms?), but trust me, if you had experienced it, you wouldn’t like him much either.
So I was thinking about all this when the Marauders came back out of Zonko’s and headed towards the Three Broomsticks. Luckily for me, James told the others to go and sit down while he got the drinks. And now, I am walking up to him, about to confront him. I should never have thought so much about how much I hate him.
“Potter? Can I ask you something?”
He looks taken aback. “Is this why you’ve been following us around all day? So you can ask me a question?” D A M N.
“Uh, kinda.” That’s it Lily, get straight to the point. You’re real smooth. I tell the annoying voice to shut up “ not out loud of course. He just busted me stalking him, I don’t want him to think I talk to myself as well.
“Well, what is it? Don’t you have your little V.E.O.L club to be getting back to?” He knows perfectly well that we are called L.O.V.E, but I won’t take the bait, not when I have a mission. Although, I should be going to find them pretty soon, I said it would take a couple of hours “ I didn’t tell them what I had to do, just said I had an errand, but whatever.
“I was just ... Look, I was talking to Iola yesterday, and I got the impression that she ... she was unhappy at home, or something. I wanted to help, but she clammed up, and I thought you might know.”
First he looks surprised. I am expecting that “ I’d be surprised, if I was him. But now he looks angry.
“Keep your snub little nose out, Evans. You go poking it into Iola’s life, and you’ll only get hurt. I might not mind that, but she will too “ and then I’d have to hurt you even more!”
“Excuse me?” I am shocked. “Are you threatening me?”
“Yes, I bloody well am! Don’t go meddling in my family’s business!”
“I’m not meddling! I want to help her!”
“Since when did you and your silly friends want to help anyone but yourselves? You’re pathetic! I know all about you four, Iola’s told me that you’re all so troubled. Your sister’s dating a prat, well boo-hoo! You’re sister’s better than you at everything, well get your own life and stop fretting about hers! You grew up with three brothers, you had to learn to defend yourself or you’d be trampled, well that’s life, sometimes it is dog eat dog “ and what, you don’t have parents to defend their only daughter? Or maybe you can’t stay with one boy for very long, you have issues with long term relationships, well for Merlin’s sake, you’re sixteen or seventeen, no one expects you to be getting married! Oh yes, you’re all right little tortured souls, aren’t you? None have you have ever experienced real pain, not like she“” he cuts himself off. I am deeply offended by his little speech. And furious at Iola for going around telling James about the troubles we talk about deep into the night when we’re all feeling profound. But I still want to know what’s so horrific about Iola’s life that’s got him reacting like this.
“What? What real pain has she been through?”
“I told you not to meddle with that! If you play with fire, you’ll only get burnt “ and so will other people on the way. I won’t have you burning my cousin because you’re too prying to keep your nose where it belongs!” He’s completely shocked me again. Why does he think he can just say these things to people? I mean, burns? What is he talking about? I think he’s missing the point.
“I don’t want to burn her, I want “”
“I don’t care what you want, Evans, but if you really don’t want her getting hurt, then stay away! Stick to what you know “ Just go back to your little friends, and forget it’s ever happened. That way, we’ll all be a lot happier.”
“But she’s not happy, she “”
“If she’s not happy, she can come to me, and she knows that! She doesn’t need you to help her, just so you can feel better about yourself!”
“That’s not why ... Look, maybe she needs a girl friend to talk to ...”
“Oh, and so you can comfort her by braiding her hair or something? She doesn’t need your help, Evans. Now leave us alone, okay? Do you hear me? Don’t meddle in things you don’t understand!”
With this final statement, he leaves, muttering something about not being able to believe he ever actually liked me. Shamefully, I feel tears prick in the corners of my eyes. Damn James Potter with his new found morals, and his stupid fire analogies. I turn and stalk out of the bar. I realise only now that everyone had been watching us argue. In my fury, I bump into my friends, but they seem glad to see me.
“Lily! We’re on our way to the dress shop, are you done with your errand? Come and help us browse through the pretty gowns, hmm?” suggests Eve, slipping her arm through mine so we are linked. I smile.
We spend half an hour trying different ones on, and I feel a little cheered up by the end of it. I am in the changing room, getting out of a frilly green number that I had detested, although Ophelia had insisted would bring out the colour in my eyes. It made me look like a grotesque reptile, so I am glad to be getting out of it.
“We’re going to head over to The Three Broomsticks, Lily. Come meet us in there in a minute, okay?” I want them to stay, and don’t really want to head back there so soon, but I decide that the Marauders will have moved on by now, and agree. As I leave the shop, and head towards the bar, I bump into someone for the second time today. This time, it is Iola.
“I was just coming to find you,” she says, coolly.
AN: Oooh, semi-cliffie ... This fic will have 15 chapters, methinks, and they all have *hopefully* interesting titles (For example, the next is called “How to fish, if you want to end up wet”). Please leave a review, thank you!