“JAMES POTTER WANTS TO SHAG LILY EVANS!” Sirius Black’s voice carried through the soft murmuring of their fellow Gryffindors in the common room; suddenly there were shocked giggles and whispers coming from the young students, and the elder students roared with laughter. With a howl, James himself jumped at Sirius, tackling him.
“You slimy little git,” he muttered furiously in Sirius’s ear. Sirius shoved him off and slid back into his chair. James glared at him as Remus Lupin tugged him back into his own chair.
“Leave him,” Remus told him. “He’s just jerking your leg around. Anyway, everyone already knows you want to shag Lily.” James glared at Remus, but couldn’t bring himself to knock him upside the head. “Okay, okay,” he said quickly, seeming to sense James’s urge. “Sorry, mate.”
The giggling had died out from all but one corner, the seventh years’ corner, where he knew Lily’s friends Madeline Murphy and Ellen Young were sitting. James turned to them and hissed, “If you say one bloody word to Evans, I swear to Merlin “ ”
Madeline, a Londoner from the East End, ruptured into more giggles, but said, “Don’t worry, Potter. Your secret lust after what’s hidden in Lily’s knickers is safe with us!” Ellen “ Remus’s conservative crush “ shrieked.
James glared at Remus. “Can you not control women anymore?”
“Women aren’t meant to be controlled, Potter,” a voice said, chastising with such venom and distaste dripping from it that only one person could possibly be the owner.
“How very feministic of you, Evans,” James snapped over his shoulder, watching somewhat upside-down as Lily sat down between her best friends.
“Evening, Remus,” Lily said to Moony, ignoring James. “Evaded Slughorn, I see.”
Remus, who actually was friends with the love of James’s life, rolled his eyes. “Hardly. Thankfully he spotted Ludo Bagman on his way over and instantly offered to chat up about Quidditch with him.”
Slughorn “ the Potions master and head of Slytherin House - was often inviting “promising” students to his little parties, hoping that when they became rich and famous they’d remember him. James doubted if he knew anything about Quidditch at all.
“Funny,” James said, glaring back down at his copy of The Daily Prophet . “He’s never asked me.”
“Sorry, Potter,” Lily snarled, “but the only thing promising about you is that in the next five minutes you’ll do something rather obnoxious.” James bit his lip, biting back his retort. Let her be satisfied, Jamsie, he told himself. All you need now is another argument with Lily Evans.
“Hey, Madeline,” Sirius called.
“Stuff it, prig,” she called back.
“Bitch,” Sirius shouted.
“Man-whore!” She screeched back. More giggles erupted from the young students, and Ellen looked positively shocked. Madeline shot a glance at Sirius, then stood up, swinging her hips as she walked towards him. It was strange, who Lily hung out with, James realized not for the first time. She fell somewhere short of being as conventional as little Ellen and yet was nowhere near brazenly lusty like Madeline. Every boys’ head turned when Madeline with her ridiculously long and tan legs sat down on Sirius’s lap and planted her lips on his. James could practically hear Remus’s eyes rolling next to him. No one quite understood Sirius and Madeline’s relationship. One moment they ignored each other; the next they were all cuddly cuddly and cutesy; then they would call each other names; and then they would be making out.
“Get a room!” Someone shouted.
“I think that’d be worse,” someone screeched in laughter.
“I THINK YOU ALL SHOULD JUST SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP AND LET ME KISS HER IN PEACE,” Sirius roared before Madeline jumped off his lap and pulled him towards the dorm rooms. There were wolf whistles from some older students and Ellen looked positively aghast. Sirius, however, swept Madeline off into his arms and carried her up the stairs into the boys’ dormitory as the on-looking Gryffindors burst into a roaring applause.
Ellen turned to Lily. “Do you think they’ll really…you know…”
Remus laughed, walking around James’s chair to join the girls. “Knowing them…” He thought. “Yes.” Ellen’s eyes bugged out and Remus laughed again. “Come on, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“I dunno,” Ellen said sarcastically. She dropped her voice to a harsh whisper so only Remus, Lily, and James could hear; Peter edged closer but to no avail and did not hear her say, “She could get pregnant, Remus!”
Lily shook her head quickly, and Remus looked absolutely ashamed of himself. Lily whispered, “No, she couldn’t…could she?” In her desperation to find an answer, something reassuring her that there was no possible way that Sirius and Madeline’s ventures into the mystical world of sex could end up in such a devastating situation, she met James’s eyes, round and hazel and reassuring. She blinked and turned away to Ellen.
“No,” she said, more assuredly this time. “No. She can’t.” But she didn’t really seem so sure of it.
“Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” James snapped. “You three are sitting there freaking about about them shagging each other, and you won’t do a single thing?” He sighed. “Fine. I’ll go. But if I have to see either of them naked, I will defenestrate you all.”
He got out of his chair and swung his way up the stairs. When he reached the highest room “ which had been their dorm since their first year “ he for a moment studied the photo on the door. It was of himself, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Frank Longbottom, their other roommate and friend. The photo had been taken the last year, and pinned up by Sirius on their first day back this term. James listened hard, but all he could hear from the other side of the door were giggles and a softly murmured conversation.
James raised his fist and banged on the door. He heard Madeline’s shocked gasp and then her high, tinkling voice let out a new stream of giggles. Raising his eyes to the ceiling, James said, “Is everyone decent, meaning, well, clothed?”
After a moment, Sirius called out, “Now we are!” James took a deep breath and entered the dorm. Sirius was sitting on his bed, wearing only jeans that fell low on his hips, revealing the elastic band of his plaid boxers underneath. Madeline was standing awkwardly beside the four-poster, eyeing James with annoyance. It didn’t take long for him to note her usually short-skirt was askew on her hips and her hair wasn’t the perfect masterpiece it usually was.
“Okay, you slimy little dungbomb,” Sirius said, folding his arms across his bare chest. “What is it you want?”
“I came to interrupt you.”
Madeline let out a snort from her perfect nose and rolled her eyes. “Typical.”
“Beg pardon?” James said.
“I said,” Madeline pressed, “that that’s so typical James Potter. Just when someone else is about to get shagged he goes and ruins it all.”
“Who said I was going to shag you?” Sirius said, looking alarmed from Madeline to James.
“Oh, shut up, you know you were,” Madeline snapped.
Sirius nodded in resignation. “So true, so true…” James rolled his eyes. Of course, he was really quite dubious that Sirius would seriously consider losing his virginity to Madeline Murphy. Sure. They were friends, had been for years. Sure. They lusted after each other. But is lust really worth losing that for? James thought sourly. He wouldn’t. No matter how superficial people thought he was, he would never ever lose something so irreplaceable in a tiny dorm room with fifty kids sitting two floors below, just because he “ to put it as Madeline said “ wanted what was in some girls knickers. No way.
“Anyway,” James pressed, shaking the thought from his mind. “I came to interrupt you for my friends. And Evans,” he quickly added, distinguishing her from the grouping of Remus and Ellen. “To remind you that, basically, you shag her, she gets pregnant, her parents kill you, and then nothing’s good.” Madeline looked positively alarmed. Sirius’s lesser reaction satisfied James “ it told him Sirius would have stopped her before actually doing anything, and he knew that Madeline probably would have no problem not doing anything, either. She was intoxicated by Sirius’s mere presence (most of the time).
James flashed a smile and hurried down the stairs so that they could have some privacy again. When he got to the bottom step, he almost flattened a little first year girl who was coming up the stairs. She stared up at him with her large brown eyes quite wide, and then gave a little gasp and hurried past him.
“Looks like James has a new little admirer,” said a voice. Frank had joined the small group, as had his girlfriend Alice Wayland. She was also a Gryffindor in their year, and one of Lily’s other close friends.
“Shut up, Longbottom,” James muttered, throwing himself down between Alice and Remus. He glanced at Lily and found himself suddenly thinking what it would take to have her up there with him instead of Sirius and Madeline. Shut up, you, he told his brain. He should not be thinking about Lily like that.
“Don’t be so sad,” Alice said soothingly.
“Yeah,” Remus said. “We all know you’d rather be up there shagging Madeline, but you can’t steal Sirius’s girl.”
“MADELINE IS NOT SIRIUS’S GIRL!” Lily shouted, defending her gender, while at the same time, James shouted, “I DO NOT WANT TO SHAG MADELINE!”
Lily glared at him, but regained her composure to say, “Women are not objects. We are human beings and not anyone’s ‘girl,’ got it?”
“Yeah,” Remus said, holding his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, mate,” he added to James, though James could tell he wasn’t really sorry at all.
“Look,” Ellen said, pointing to the stairs. Everyone turned, and Madeline emerged, looking tearful. “Mad!” She cried, as Madeline seemed to fall down in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. The seventh years hurried to her side, Lily and Frank picking her up off the floor by her upper arms and steadying her way over to the couch. There were stares coming from everyone else in the common room, but they ignored them.
“Mad, what’s wrong?” Alice whispered, leaning to her friend. Madeline glanced up at James, meet his eyes with her watery gaze. Tears overflowed and spilled down her tanned cheeks. Lily looked between them, and James saw out of his peripheral vision. He glanced at her, too, and shook his head.
“Sirius.”
The single word sent a vibe through the group of friends “ even Peter, standing slightly behind them all, realized exactly what had happened: Sirius had refused to give himself over to her.
“Oh, Mad,” Lily sighed. “It’s okay. He’s…not worth it?” James and Remus both glared at her, but before either of them could say anything, Madeline choked out, “But he is.”
James sighed too, and said, “Lust isn’t worth it, Madeline, you know? Lust isn’t worth shagging someone over. Even if it’s not your first.”
Then Madeline turned her wide, hazel eyes on James. “So is that it? Is that what you all think of me? Do you think I’ve already given myself over to someone just for the fun of it?” Everyone exchanged glances, and Madeline let out a shriek of outrage. “And you lot call yourselves my friends!” She began sobbing so hard she fell against Ellen, who hugged her tightly.
“It’s okay, Mad,” she whispered. She looked at Lily and Alice, clearly unsure how to handle this. Lily looked totally lost.
“Listen, Madeline,” Lily sighed, scooting in between Ellen and Madeline. “I’m sorry. We all are, for assuming things. And we were wrong. Can you forgive us?”
Madeline didn’t respond at first. Then she fixed her gaze on a point just above Frank’s shoulder across from her and the tears came out again. Everyone turned and saw Sirius entering the room from the stairs, tugging on a gray t-shirt. He spotted them and came over, freezing when he saw Madeline.
She inhaled deeply and gave him the worst look she could muster. James realized that Sirius looked utterly, utterly sorry. He took a breath and then said, “Madeline. Can I talk to you? In private?”
Madeline stared at him, deadpan. Her voice was monotonous and dead when she finally spoke. “Fuck you, Black.”
The Magic of Romance by Hypnotica
Story Notes:
{not for anyone under the age of 14. language ensues, as does violence and such. read the warnings.}
(this story is in the James/Lily catagory, but it doesn't mainly focus on them. but it does somewhat, so there you go.)
Chapter Notes: {enjoy!}
Chapter Endnotes: {a/n :: review if you'd like...}