The Things I Do For L.O.V.E by Pussycat123
Chapter 5: Quidditch, and all the mayhem it entails
For the past week, Iola and I have been spending most of our time together. I haven’t been with L.O.V.E outside of lessons. She hasn’t been with the Marauders.
The Marauders reaction to this went something along these lines, sometime on a Tuesday morning:
James: Hey, Iola, how come you don’t hang out with us anymore?
Iola: Because I can have other friends if I like, James.
James: No you can’t. They don’t like you as much as I do.
Sirius: What the flamingo? That’s just weird, mate.
Remus: Yeah, James, Iola is allowed other friends. And Lily’s ... uh ... she won’t get her into trouble.
James: That’s the point! How’s she going to get into trouble if she’s not with us?
Iola: I might want a break from trouble. Heard of exams, James? We may be blessed with outstanding intelligence, but I like to be sure.
James: Since when?
Iola: Since ... now. And anyway, I want to diversify my group of friends.
James: Fine, but “ (he gestured wildly at me - as if to say “why her?”)
Me: Is there any chance I could cut in and defend myself?
Everyone-who-isn’t-me: No!
James: Why doesn’t she have her own friends?
Me: I do!
James: I wasn’t asking you!
Me: What’s your problem, anyway? Are you still mad at me about “
James: (Getting rather red) That has nothing to do with this!
Iola: What?
Me-and-James: Nothing.
Iola: Did you guys accidentally make out or something? (Both me and James splutter and gag in disgust) Okay, well ... Whatever. The point is, you, James, are being very immature.
Sirius: I’m going to have to go with Iola on this one, I’m afraid.
Iola: Thank you, Sirius.
Remus: Yeah, me too. James, Iola can have other friends if she likes, and I think we can trust her to judge who they are. (Peter nods in agreement. James gets redder, and storms off. There is an awkward moment, before Sirius says, “Well, see you,” and scurries away, Remus and Peter following behind).
In case you care, the Marauders were all friends again pretty soon “ by the next day they were torturing Snape like nothing had ever happened.
L.O.V.E didn’t really have much of a reaction. They came over to us, the first Lunchtime, and asked if I was coming, and when I said I was going to stay with Iola, they just sort of sniffed, shrugged, and walked off. So, it’s just been me and Iola, really. It’s actually been sort of nice. It wasn’t deliberate that it was only us, mind you. I did offer to Iola that we go eat lunch with the rest of L.O.V.E, but she point blank refused. And I did mention to Eve in Transfiguration that we’d got Iola wrong, and she was actually okay, but she didn’t care. Eventually I gave up, but I still want to unite us, that’s my main goal. I’ve just decided that it will take more time than I’d previously hoped. A bit of a setback, but nothing I can’t overcome.
I tried to go over to L.O.V.E one evening in the Common Room, but Eve looked up, and said, “No, Lily, really, you go with Iola. You two seem such good friends lately. We don’t mind, do we?”
And Valerie put on this slightly fake voice, and said, “Why no, Eve, of course we don’t.”
And then Ophelia opened her mouth, but closed it again pretty quickly, and shrugged. After this had happened a few times, I decided that if they wanted me to have fun with Iola instead, that’s what I would do.
Although, there has been one other person with us most of the time. Missy (why yes, I do count my cat as a person, what of it?) has taken to Iola and stalks us constantly. She never really liked the rest of L.O.V.E much. She’s even being nicer to me, and not shredding quite as many of my pillows lately. Which is good, because now I don’t have to spend quite so much time collecting feathers, and practising my stitching charm. Today, however, is a Quidditch match. THE Quidditch match, in fact, because it is the final, against Ravenclaw. As Iola is on the team “ she’s a fine beater; she says it helps her release her violent energies “ I intend on sitting with L.O.V.E the same as always. Well, Eve and Ophelia, since Valerie is on the team too. And they can’t object, because Iola is on the team.
It’s a good plan. They don’t mind that I’ve been with someone else lately. I mean, we’ve been friends for six years almost. They don’t care that I’ve made a new acquaintance “ We’re sixteen, not ten. In fact, Eve and Valerie are seventeen. Yes, this could even be my chance to unite L.O.V.E and Iola once and for all. We could a united dorm ... Maybe we could even change to L.O.V.I.E like I first intended ... I can see it now. They’ll come round to the idea.
I’m such a natural born peacemaker, I almost feel holy. If I had been around in the war Grandad is always telling me about, they would have just sent me to pop round and have tea with Hitler. I would have smoothed the whole thing over, no problem. Sigh. Too bad I wasn’t around in Grandad’s prime. Woah, wouldn’t it be totally insane and wrong if I ended up as my own Grandmother...? No, Lily, don’t think that! For goodness sake, girl, what are you doing and why? Get back to the point, and stop thinking scary thoughts! Maybe I should listen to the stern voice in my mind, for once.
We are eating breakfast. Missy is on the table, drinking straight out of the large milk jug. Most people don’t mind, they find her cute, but some random fourth year boy is eyeing her evilly. The teachers were annoyed at her sudden over-attachment to me and Iola at first, but she buttered them up no problem “ especially McGonagall, who was practically offering to adopt her from me by the end of Transfiguration. Not that I would leave her with that madwoman.
“So, you’ll be okay sitting with your old friends?” Iola checks again.
“Of course I will, we’ve gone over this. They’ll understand. I mean, they’re not crazy enough to just forget six years worth of friendship for nothing.”
“Lets hope so,” Iola mutters, reaching for another slice of toast.
This dark statement makes me slightly uncomfortable. I change the subject with, “Are you nervous about the match?”
“Nah. James and your friend Valerie make a good pair on the pitch, even if they don’t off it. And the fifth year we’ve got for a third Chaser is pretty good too. Me and Sirius can bludger any Ravenclaw who gets within a foot of the Quaffle.” Wait, since when was ‘Bludger’ a verb? Never mind, keep listening, Lily! “Amos, that seventh year, he’s a good keeper. And that third year Lorraine hasn’t failed us so far as a seeker, no matter how small she is. So no, I’m definitely not even a little nervous.”
“Then why are your hands shaking?”
“Because I’m terrified,” she says, laughing.
“Is that your cat?” the creepy fourth year boy asks me, finally deciding to speak, after staring evilly at Missy for ten minutes.
“Uh, yes. Is there a problem? Are you allergic or something?” I ask, sweetly. His frown deepens.
“Cats are evil,” he says, darkly. Uh ... Me and Iola glance at each other with raised eyebrows. Missy looks at him, purrs, then tries to rub herself up and down his body, reminding me of how she tries to sit on Petunia’s lap (because she knows she doesn’t like her). He screams and falls over backwards. Boy, he really doesn’t like cats. The whole school turns and looks at us. Me and Iola start to laugh, and it’s infectious. Soon, the whole school is laughing. Dumbledore stands.
“Mr Weatherly, is there a problem?”
The boy manages to grapple Missy off him, angrily. “This cat is evil!” he says, loudly. I take her off him, angrily, and he stalks out of the Great Hall.
Everyone is looking at me, a little oddly. “Uh, bad cat,” I say, unconvincingly. They go back to their breakfasts, cat-drama over. Ah, another typical morning at Hogwarts.
“Iola!” James barks, coming over to us a minute or two later. “Come on, get going!”
“Yes, James, don’t worry. I’m not going to be late,” she tells him, a little exasperatedly. For some reason, he gives me the Evil Eye, when I haven’t even said anything this time. After he has left, she says to me, “He gets a little temperamental around match times. Even more since he was made Captain! And with it being the final too ...” She looks at me apologetically.
“Go on, and good luck!” She leaves after her cousin.
I look around for Ophelia and Eve “ Valerie will have left by now, too “ and I see them watching me. When they see that I’ve noticed them, they turn away quickly and start whispering as if they were in a deep conversation all along. Apparently, in the week I haven’t been with them, they have forgotten that I’m not blind and stupid. Ophelia glances over at me, nervously. I raise an eyebrow at her, and grin. She says something to Eve, who also looks over. They both smile. I exhale in relief that they’re not throwing things at me. This is a piece of cake.
They get up and begin to head out of the Great Hall. I gather up Missy, who purrs happily, and race after them. “Hi guys!” I chirp, also happily.
“Lily! Welcome back. Come to your senses, yet?” Eve asks. Peculiar question.
“Uh ... Well, you guys are still my friends, aren’t you? I mean, you don’t mind if I sit with you, right?”
“Of course not!” she says, brightly. “It’ll be like old times, before you started with ... some more unusual company.” Odd choice of words. Still, she said she didn’t mind, so I’ll take her word for it. Not that I ever doubted she wouldn’t mind, of course.
“So, Lily,” Ophelia begins, “how have you been?”
“Oh, you know, just “ Missy, what are you doing?” She had been struggling, and trying to scratch at me. I let her jump down and she turns and bolts in the opposite direction. Eve and Ophelia are looking at me oddly. “She, uh ... she doesn’t like crowds,” I say.
Ophelia looks around the near empty corridor. “And yet she’s perfectly happy in the Great Hall when everyone’s staring at her?” she asks. Damn, I knew there was a flaw in that plan.
“Well, she’s bonkers anyway,” I mutter. I wonder what’s really up with her? I mean, she’s been inseparable from me when I’m with Iola, but when I go back to being with L.O.V.E, she can’t get away fast enough ... I shake it off. She’s bonkers.
We chat happily as we head towards the pitch, and take our seats. It’s an exciting game and I cheer until my throat hurts. Then I cheer some more. For once, I pay attention to what Iola is doing “ before, I used to watch Valerie primarily “ and I notice that what she said is true; it really does look like good fun being a Beater, and whacking the Bludgers halfway across the pitch. I watch Valerie too, of course. She’s a great Chaser, and scored nearly as many goals as James, who was doing his usual trick of being an arrogant git on the pitch. Asshole.
However, I’m afraid that he is a talented asshole, and is probably the reason that we won the cup. How proud McGonagall looked as James handed her the trophy! Although, winning the cup on his first year as Captain sure isn’t going to deflate that ego of his any. Still, for a moment, I didn’t care that he is an arrogant prickhead (shocking as it sounds). Because in that moment, I was a Gryffindor, we had won, and that’s all that mattered. Of course, it’s only a moment.
We all cheer our way up to Gryffindor Tower and start to party (Yes, ‘party’ can be a verb, too!). There is music playing, and a lot of food, courtesy of the Marauders. The music is loud, and fast, and I jig about with Iola for a while. I like fast dancing, but as soon as the music slows down I don’t know what to do with myself. It’s a thing I have. Someone taps my shoulder, and I jump. It’s Eve.
“Hi!” I say, smiling. “Good party, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess. Lily, can I talk to you?” she glances at Iola and a flicker of something nasty passes across her face.
“Sure,” I say, wondering why she has to ask.
“Alone,” Eve says, pointedly.
“What, if you speak in my presence you’ll get rabies or something?” Iola scoffs. “Sorry, Evelyn, but you needn’t worry about that, the damage is done.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. I immediately feel terrible as Eve turns and stalks off. “Iola!” I scold. “You shouldn’t have said that! Now she hates you even more, and I was hoping you guys could make friends or something eventually.”
“I don’t want to be friends with L.O.V.E, Lily, and I didn’t ask you to be my friend either! I was perfectly happy with James and the others. Anyway, did you see the way she was looking at me? Did you expect me to just stand and take it? Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t take that kind of crap from anybody “ especially not jumped-up little princesses who think they’re better than everybody else, because they happen to be so-called beautiful!”
As I listen to these words, my dreams of the whole Dorm being united once and for all, blow apart. Lily and Iola may be friends, but L.O.V.E and Iola never can be. Tears of a shattered dream prick at my eyes (poetic, I know), and I have to turn and run upstairs, away from the party, and sit on my bed. Missy comes up to me and snuggles onto my lap. I stroke her head, and she purrs, licking my finger.
“Things are so confusing, Missy. Pretty soon I’m going to have to choose between my friends, and I don’t know if I can. Why can’t you and me just pack up and run away, eh? Wouldn’t that make life so much simpler?”
She meows. It’s a crying shame that cats can’t speak English, or she could tell me what to do. She may be bonkers, but she’s smart. She’d know what to do, I’m sure.
Oh yes, it certainly is a crying shame that cats can’t speak English.
AN: Sorry about the slight emo-ness, but you can’t have a whole chapter of sickening joy can you? That would just be ... sickening. Thanks to Twizzle_loves_Lupin, for beta-ing this chapter! Please leave a review, and let me know what you thought!