I Never Thought it Would

[Ames]

Hello everyone! I've decided to post my first fanfic that I wrote here. I have another one that's about 2/3 of the way finished. We'll see how this one goes and maybe I'll post the other one later.

This is a Lily and James fic. It starts in the summer just before they go back to Hogwarts for their 7th year. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that you recognize. Unfortunately. Any of the ones that you don't recognize...yeah, those are mine.


Chapter 1:

Wow, she thought as she stared at her latest milestone resting in her hands. She was so excited that she thought that it just might be the best thing that she had ever seen. She had hoped and waited for this day to come for as long as she could remember, but had never thought it would actually happen. As she thought back on all the trials that had brought her to this point, she couldn’t help herself: a huge, bright smile spread across her face.

~

“Alice! Halli! Oh, I’ve missed you so much!” Lily yelled as she threw herself at her two best friends.

“Hey Lils, we’ve missed you too!” chocked Halli as she tried to breathe through the face-full of bright red hair she had just received.

“Let’s sit down, we’re starting to attract strange looks here girls.” laughed Alice as she freed herself from Lily’s grip and pulled Halli free as well.

They moved over to a bench, and sat down, peering down the length of Diagon Alley. The three girls had received their school lists the previous day and had immediately decided to meet the next day to do their shopping. Of course, while other students across the country were buying pens and paper, these three girls were shopping for school supplies of a different kind. Quills and ink were on their lists, as well as potions ingredients, and Lily was hoping to buy an owl as well. They attended a school where these rather unusual items were used on a daily basis: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The three girls were witches, and Hogwarts had become a home away from home for all of them.

Aside from the fact that they were all witches, the girls were as different as night and day. Lily, who was considered the leader of the little group, was tall with a perfect hourglass figure. Her fiery red hair and sparkling emerald eyes were good indications of her quick temper and liveliness. Confident and intelligent, she was definitely not afraid to speak her mind.

Halli, on the other hand, was very soft-spoken. With her golden blonde hair, royal blue eyes, and pin-thin figure, any mistook her for being shy and a follower. Her friends, however, knew her better than to believe this. While she may have been quiet, she had no qualms about speaking up when she felt it was necessary, but preferred to listen and observe in most situations. And though she stuck with the same friends the majority of the time, it was out of fierce loyalty and devotion to them instead of comfort, which was a common misconception.

Lastly, there was Alice. She was shorter than the other two, with a very athletic build. She kept her chocolate brown hair cut to shoulder length so that it was easy for her to pull it back, as she did on a regular basis. Her brown eyes constantly sparkled with mischief and humor, which was fitting since she was definitely the group comedian. If anyone could lighten any situation with a joke or a prank, it was Alice. She had a way of keeping her friends amused and happy, no matter what they were doing, or who they were with.

“Hey, guess what? I have big news!” Lily exclaimed happily, turning so that she could see them both. She and Alice had taken the seats on either end of the bench with Halli perched between them, an arm draped comfortably over each of their shoulders.

“You finally gave in to going out with James?” Halli gasped with a look of mock horror on her face. Alice broke into fits of laughter, and nearly fell off the bench at this thought. Her balance was not helped by the fact that Lily had lunged at her and smacked her across the back of her head. However, this did not exactly have the desired effect on her friend. In fact, Alice just laughed even harder at Lily’s outburst.

“Alice, shut it, really! No, I haven’t given in to Potter, and I never will! You two know better than anyone how much I despise him. Honestly!” Lily huffed, as Halli joined Alice in laughing until she was crying.

“You told us to guess.” Halli chocked out, rubbing her stomach where she had been hit by Lily’s elbow during the attack on Alice.

“Halli, you just made a joke! It’s my job to be the funny one!” Alice said through her tears.

“I wasn’t joking.” Halli replied, trying to be serious but breaking down into giggles again.

“No, no. I GOT HEAD GIRL!” Lily yelled, and held out the red and gold pin that signified her accomplishment. She was starting to get quite annoyed with her two best friends. Why they insisted on tormenting her like this, she would never understand.

“Wow! Congratulations Lils, that’s quite the achievement. Although, to be completely honest, we knew you’d get it. I mean really, who else would Dumbledore pick?” Alice said, still wiping tears from her eyes and fighting off the odd giggle. She immediately wished that she had just stuck to praising her friend. Lily seemed to be in a bit of a bad mood.

“Well, if you were so sure you could have at least let me in on that bit of information. It would have saved me months of hoping. It nearly ruined my summer because I spent the whole time on pins and needles!” Lily grumbled. She frowned, still a little disgruntled that her good news had been tarnished by the mention of that boy, the one and only James Potter.

He was the boy who could get on her last nerve like no other. Ever since their first meeting on the train to Hogwarts to start their first year, he had been infatuated with Lily. He followed her around whenever he could and asked her out with every other breath he took. If he didn’t require so much oxygen simply to survive, she was sure he would have increased the invites to every breath. She was way past being annoyed every time she saw the letters LE+JP carved on the trees on the school grounds, and now became livid any time he talked to her, or even went near her.

Lily had tried everything she could possibly think of to convince him to stop his crazy tirade. She had tried talking to him at first, thinking that maybe they could possibly be friends. Oh yes, that had worked out well! Even Lily Evans had been young and naive at one point in time. Ignoring him hadn’t worked either. In fact, that had only seemed to encourage him even further, as if he thought that her silence meant that he was wearing her down. Ha ha ha! That thought was laughable. So when her Plan B had failed, Lily had moved on to Plan C, and it had not been a pretty picture. Her latest plan? Be mean. Very mean. In fact, there had been several times in sixth year when it had gotten downright nasty.

The current situation had taken a toll, on both Lily and James. You could see it in their eyes. James’ attention irritated her, and Lily’s cruel words hurt him deeply. But still, he persisted. She was completely out of ideas!

“Lily, please cheer up. I know, change of subject! Are you getting excited for your big birthday bash?” Halli asked, hoping she could smooth over her little joke. She could see that she had upset Lily more than she had intended to.

“Oh...yes.” Lily paused, still distracted by her own thoughts. “Yes, it should be great! I still can’t believe the gown my mum bought me. Perfect for the ‘coming of age’ ball.” she added, finally focusing on the conversation at hand.

“I wish you would let us see it!” Alice exclaimed. Lily had insisted that she wanted it to be a surprise, even for them. She hadn’t even tried it on for her family yet.

“You’ll see it...at the party. And you know the ball isn’t just for me! My parents love you so much they have practically adopted you as their own daughters! This ball is for you girls as well. ” Lily reminded them. “Otherwise, half of the people who are coming wouldn’t even have been invited.” she remarked, frowning again. One person in particular, she added silently to herself.

“Yes, but the party is on YOUR birthday.” Halli reminded her. “And yes, I invited James, he is my best guy friend after all. What did you expect me to do, invite the rest of the boys but not him? He would have just come along with them anyways, and you know it. But you don’t have to deal with him until then, and the party isn’t for another two days!” she said noticing Lily was looking rather moody again, and guessing her thoughts.

“Um..Hal, I think you spoke too soon with that one!” Alice whispered so Lily didn’t hear her, pointing out a group of four boys standing just down the street from them.

“Uh oh!” Halli moaned, forgetting to keep quiet so Lily didn’t notice them.

“Uh oh wha...” Lily started, now also looking in the direction of Alice’s still pointing finger. “Ugh!” she finished on a groan. Why me, she thought, her eyes flicking back to her friends.

The boys were huddled close together and seemed to be looking at something with uncharacteristic concentration. They didn’t appear to have noticed the girls yet.

Lily opened her mouth, about to start pleading with her friends to help her escape from here before the boys realized they were there. Alice and Halli, however, didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her whatsoever. In fact, they were staring at the boys across the way and having a whispered discussion.

“What do you think they’re looking at?” Halli wondered aloud, a curious expression on her face.

“I don’t know. But I’m sure it can’t be good whatever it is, and I’m not sure I really want to know.” Lily growled, tuning back into the conversation and glaring at the black-haired boy who currently had his back turned to them. Oh dear, if looks could kill!

“Well, let’s go say hello and find out, shall we ladies?” Alice clapped her hands as she practically jumped off the bench. She smiled widely and extended a hand to each of her friends. Halli took one immediately, but both girls had to pull Lily up with them, since she seemed hesitant to do so of her own free will.

“You have far too much energy and curiosity for your own good.” Lily whined, as Halli and Alice started dragging her towards the four boys.

“Traitors, the both of you!” Lily grumbled as they drew closer to the little group.

Sirius was the first one to spot the girls making their way towards them. James’ official right-hand-man, he was your typical tall, dark, and handsome. Dark brown, almost black, hair hung casually in his eyes giving him a mysterious allure. He was Hogwarts’ biggest heart throb, and the girls just loved him. He nudged the two friends who where closest to him, James and Remus.

If she had to pick, Lily would have said that Remus was the best of the lot of them. He was a good-looking boy with sandy-brown hair and light blue, almost gray eyes. He was tall, though not quite as tall as either James or Sirius. It was his brains that set him apart from the others. He was in the top of the class and was constantly reading, either for his studies or for pleasure. Remus was also less of a troublemaker than the other three boys. As school prefects, he and Lily had become quite close friends.

Remus and James turned and Peter followed suit. The last of the four, he was the outsider of the group. He was short and round, with thin blonde hair and black watery eyes. He was rather quiet and followed James, Sirius, and Remus around everywhere they went. The four of them together called themselves the marauders, and they were the biggest group of troublemakers Lily, or all of Hogwarts for that matter, had ever seen.

Lily looked at each of the boys in turn, her eyes coming to a stop on Remus. His mouth was open and his eyes were wide in shock. He had a hand out in front of him, holding what the girls assumed was the mysterious object they had all been staring at just moments ago. Now that she took a second look, Lily noticed that all four boys shared the same bewildered expression.

“Remus, what’s the matter...” Lily started, glancing at his outstretched hand. When she spotted the pin, she gave a loud squeal of delight. “Congratulations Remus! I’m so glad you got it, now we have head duties together!” she said happily, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a huge hug.

Remus chanced a glance at James, Lily still hanging around his neck. James, glaring furiously, looked as if he was about ready to grind his best friend into tiny grains of sand. Remus hastily dropped his hands, which had been on Lily’s back to return the hug, and grabbed her arms in an attempt to free himself. Note to self, he thought when she let him go, stay at least three feet away from Lily in James’ presence. He could almost see the steam coming from James’ ears. “Lily...” he started.

“Isn’t this exciting!” she said, cutting him off and pulling out her matching pin. “I really mean it, you know. I’m so glad it’s you. Ever since I found out, I’ve been so afraid that they were going to stick me with some slacker who wouldn’t do his share of the work! But it’s you, so now I don’t have to worry anymore!” she finished with a big grin on her face.

Remus seemed to be momentarily too stunned to find his voice.

“Umm, Evans...” James started.

“No, Potter.” Lily cut him off bluntly before he could finish his sentence, finally meeting his hazel eyes and sending him a death glare.

“I wasn’t...” he tried again.

“Save it!” she barked at him.

“But...” again he was stopped mid-sentence.

“NO! Honestly!” she huffed, exasperated with him already. She turned back to her friends, who were watching the exchange with great amusement. “Let’s go, I have to get my shopping done, and I’m supposed to meet my parents soon.” she stated, glancing quickly at her watch. They nodded and started to follow after her.

“Bye Remus, and congratulations again!” Lily waved back to him.

“See you all at the party!” Halli and Alice said in unison, breaking into giggles again. They turned and hurried off into the crowd following the head of long, curly, red hair.

“Ooooh, she’s not going to be happy, is she?” James asked, torn between anger and hurt, as he watched her go.

Remus finally managed to close his mouth, swallow, and find his voice. He swung his arm around James’ shoulder.

“You’re right, mate, she really won’t be.” he said grimly.

[Issa (Luisa)]

It was great! I especially loved the end. Sheesh Lily, just because you don't like James isn't a reason not to let him speak. Seriously, SHEESH! Great chapter. I got a question though, Was this story written before or after DH came out?

[Ames]

Oh, it was finished long before DH came out, so it doesn't really follow what we found out. Same with my second fic that I'm writing right now. I started it several months before DH came out, and it would take too much work to go back and change it all.

But I'm glad you like it so far!

[Issa (Luisa)]

Yea, that's what I thought. Or else I would be waiting for Snape to pop up!

[Ames]

LOL, yeah. I have an idea for another fic that I'm going to start after I'm done my second one. Now that we know, I can make it follow more closely.

[Ames]

Chapter 2:

Lily heard the door bell chime for the hundredth time, yet she remained locked in her bathroom. She had been looking forward to this night for the entire summer vacation, but now that it had finally arrived, she wasn’t sure she wanted to join the crowd milling around downstairs at the party. Though she couldn’t explain it, she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Brushing off the morose feelings, she took a last glance in the mirror. Please with what she saw, Lily unlocked the door and made her way towards the ballroom. As she made her way down the main marble staircase in her house, she noticed the groups of people standing at the bottom. Her friends where there, standing with the marauders.

The were huddled close together and whispering furiously. Lily noticed that Alice and Halli both looked slightly panicked. It was strange to see her friends so uptight, especially since tonight was supposed to be a time to let loose and enjoy themselves. It seemed almost ominous to her.

She had no time to ponder, though, because at that moment James looked up and saw her coming down the stairs. The others noticed that they had lost his attention, and turned to see what exactly had distracted him.

His jaw dropped to the floor, and he could have sworn that his heart stopped momentarily. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her dark, forest green dress made her eyes even more noticeable than usual. It was strapless, which made his heart come back to life, only now it was beating double time. The bodice was form fitting down to her hips, where the silky material flowed out to a looser skirt which just skimmed the marble floor. As she came down the stairs, the material swirled around her feet, making it look as if she was floating. Her usually curly hair seemed to be even curlier, and was pinned up on top of her head with a single tendril left hanging down and framing her face. Standing there, seeing her like that, he was sure he felt himself fall even deeper in love with her than before.

James finally seemed to regain consciousness as she reached the bottom of the staircase and made her way towards them. He opened his mouth to tell her how beautiful she looked, but was interrupted before he had even started, by Lily’s mother sweeping up to them.

“Lily, dear, you’ve finally come down. Hello dears, you all look absolutely stunning this evening!” she said, admiring the group.

“Thank you, Mrs. Evans.” they chorused in return.

She grinned widely at them for a moment before her eyes flicked back to her daughter. James couldn’t say he blamed her, in fact he couldn’t stop staring at Lily either.

“Lily, two things darling. Petunia decided to stay at a friend’s house this evening, so I know you’ll be pleased about that. And I have requested two songs dear. One so you can dance with your father, you know he would be heartbroken if you didn’t, he adores it when you dance. The other is for you and the new Head Boy. I thought that we could add that to the list of things to celebrate tonight!” she finished, smiling at Remus. Obviously, Lily had shared the news with her mother.

“Thanks, mum. Tell dad that I’ll be right there for my dance.” Lily replied. She noticed, with another thrill of apprehension, that Alice and Halli had shared another stricken glance. What was going on?

Her mother hurried off to pass on the message and prepare the music.

“Well, I guess I should go find my dad. I’m sure the Head Boy and Girl dance will be next, so I’ll be back!” she smiled at them and turned to go find her father, her dress twirling around her ankles.

“We might as well move into the ballroom as well.” Remus said. “This should definitely be interesting!” he added as an afterthought.

All the Aspirants gathered and watched the father and daughter dance. Lily’s father twirled her around and around until she was so dizzy that he had to hold her up to keep her from falling. As the song ended, the crowd clapped and they both laughed at their old tradition. It was one that they both enjoyed immensely, and hoped would last long after tonight was over.

James watched the two of them together and was mesmerized. He knew he was staring at her again, but didn’t care. She seemed so happy dancing with her father, she was laughing and grinning from ear to ear. He loved to see her when she was like this, her amusement seemed to radiate from her and she just glowed. He wished that she could stay that way forever. Well, that and the fact that he was petrified to find out what was going to happen when the song ended. He definitely was not looking forward to the moment when Lily found out the truth.

Though, sadly, all good things must come to an end at some point. In this case the music died down, and Lily, still flushed from the exertion and the spinning, pulled away from her father. He bowed to her, and she returned with a small curtsy. Then she turned and made her way back over to her friends.

“All right, next?” she called out, laughing, as she neared her group of friends again. She stopped a couple feet away from them and smiled at Remus. All of her friends, however, were looking worried again. Upon noticing this, the butterflies in her stomach started, and her smile faltered.

This is it, he thought. Now is my chance. He couldn’t explain why he was nervous all of the sudden, I mean, he was never nervous. Even when he was around Lily he wasn’t nervous, he was just eager to show her how he felt about her. Maybe even a little too eager sometimes, he admitted to himself. He pushed these thoughts aside; he had bigger problems to worry about at the moment than a few butterflies in his stomach. James stepped towards her, cleared his throat, and held out his arm to her. Lily just stared at him.

“Um, shall we, my dear Head Girl?” he asked, a little hesitantly. He looked up at her, and made eye contact. This turned out to be a big mistake. Lily’s eyes were shooting daggers at him, and it was now her turn to have steam coming out of her ears. She was rapidly turning a bright shade of red, just as she always did when she got angry. Only when she got very angry, and usually only when it was James who caused her to be angry. She did not find this little joke funny.

“What do you think you’re doing? This is the Head Boy and Girl dance, Potter!” Lily spat at him.

“Yes.” he said slowly. “I know, that’s why I stepped forward. To have my dance.” he added. He was still holding her gaze, but was no longer apprehensive. He had been waiting too long for this night. He was going to have his dance with her, if it was the last thing he did. And by the look on her face, he didn’t doubt that it might very well be the last thing he did.

“But you’re not the Head Boy! Remus is.” she said, her voice rising in anger and frustration. He was so slow sometimes!

Remus decided now would be as good a time as any to step in. Taking a few steps forward, he placed a hand on Lily’s arm.

“No, I’m not, Lily. James is Head Boy, not me.” he explained. “We tried to tell you the other day in Diagon Alley, but you didn’t want to hear us.” he continued in a rush, wanting to explain before she blew up at them.

“But…but…” Lily was at a loss for words, which didn’t happen often. Her mouth was agape, and though her eyes had stopped shooting their daggers in the direction of the messy black-haired boy in front of her, they were now wide with shock. No, it couldn’t be true. This had to be a trick that her friends were playing on her. But as she looked at them, she noticed that no one was laughing, but they were all eyeing her as if she were a ticking bomb. No way…

“Oh! That’s it, I’m tired of your stubbornness!” James exclaimed, grabbing her hand and pulling her out onto the dance floor. Still in shock from the news, and perhaps even more so with James’ sudden outburst, she went with him without objection. She still hadn’t even managed to close her mouth.

The music started, but Lily stayed still as a statue, still staring at James.

“Lily.” he said softly, putting a finger under her chin and closing her mouth, since she seemed incapable of doing so herself. “Dance.” he told her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

As they started dancing, James thought that he might well have died and gone to heaven. She was even better at dancing than he had thought, when he had been watching her father swirl her around the huge dance floor. He loved the way she floated across the floor as if she were on a cloud, the way she seamlessly followed his lead. She had never let him get close enough to find out how well they would fit together. The way his hand fit perfectly in the small of her back, and the way that he was just tall enough that, if she would lay her head on his chest, he could have rested his cheek on her head of soft red curls.

Lily was completely wrapped up in the dance. She couldn’t believe how well they danced together. She should have felt angry about the secret that he had kept from her and uncomfortable with being in such close proximity to someone she hated. But she didn’t. Oddly enough, this felt right. His hand on her waist didn’t feel threatening, but was warm and tender. The way he pulled her closer didn’t make him seem possessive, as she had thought it would. Instead, it made her feel protected. Her senses were going crazy, she didn’t think she would be able to take too much more of this. Right now she felt as if she needed to be alone to sort out her thoughts. It had been an evening full of surprises already, and she needed to regroup. She pulled away from him, searching his hazel eyes for answers.

“I…” she started, but found her throat constricted. “You shouldn’t have done that.” she managed with a strangled sob. What was she doing? First she was finding that she enjoyed dancing with Potter, and now she was going to cry in front of him? Not likely.

She pulled free of his grasp, turned, and ran out of the ballroom. She ran right past her group of friends, who also appeared to be trying to understand what had happened out on the dance floor, and straight for the balcony off of the family room. This was her favourite place in the entire house. The only place that her sister would never bother her, and she could find peace any time she was in need. The balcony was on the second floor, and Petunia hated heights. It overlooked a beautiful garden and gazebo below, where she had enjoyed playing when she was young. Like her mother, Lily had always liked the flowers and the plants.

She stared up at the stars twinkling in the night sky, and let out a great sigh. What had just happened?

She was in shock, she decided. That was the only explanation. The news that she would be spending almost her entire last year at Hogwarts in the company of that boy had caught her off guard. She couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as Potter, let alone wrapped up in his arms and dancing. It had been the lack of reaction time. That’s all.

“You all right?” a familiar voice said from the door back to the family room.

Lily turned, spotting Remus in the doorway. She walked up to him and linked one of her arms with his. They walked into the family room and sat down on one of the large, comfy couches. She turned in her seat and rested her head on his shoulder. To her horror, she felt her eyes burning and her vision starting to blur.

“I’ll be fine.” she whispered, wiping away the solitary tear that was making a slow track down her cheek. “I was just surprised that’s all.”

“By the fact that James is Head Boy, or by the fact that you actually enjoyed dancing with him?” he asked gently. He felt her flinch at his words. Yes, he had come to know her very well the past two years, perhaps even better than she knew herself.

“I didn’t.” she denied quickly. “I was just surprised, and didn’t have time to react before the git pulled me out there and we started to dance.”

“Lily, we all saw the look. On both of your faces. We expected it from James, we just didn’t realize that you would look that way too.” he argued back. They had seen the look on her face. Alice and Halli had shared a look before he had snuck away that said they understood what had happened on the dance floor, though he suspected that he would be the only one of the marauders who could guess what the look on Lily’s face had meant. He was glad of this for Lily’s sake. She needed to figure things out for herself before anyone went and told James what had happened.

“I’m just shocked that’s all. Here I was thinking that I was going to be having the time of my life during my last year, with the two of us having Head duties together. You’ve become one of my best friends. I thought it was going to be great. Now I’m not even sure I want to be Head Girl. I just don’t think that I can handle spending that much time with Potter. He probably won’t even take his responsibility seriously! Oh, Remus, I really wish it was you who was Head Boy.” she sighed, crying again.

“Oh, Lily. It won’t be that bad. I happen to know that James will take his responsibility very seriously.” he said confidently, wiping away a stray tear and giving her a wink.

“And how exactly do you know this?” she asked, smiling again. He had succeeded in cheering her up, just by being there for her.

“Because he desperately wants to impress a certain red headed girl that I know.” he whispered. “Cheer up, it will all work out fine. Now, you ready to get back to the party? I may not be the Head Boy, but I still want a dance with my favourite Head Girl!” he added, standing up and holding out his hand to her.

“Absolutely! Let’s go!” she replied, smiling even wider and accepting the hand he offered. “And Remus, thank you. You always know just what to say.” she said, giving him a quick hug before following him back out to the ballroom.

James had made his way back over to Sirius and Peter during her absence, and she noticed that Alice and Halli were standing a ways away from them. And from the look of it, her two best friends were having a very exciting conversation. Lily walked straight past the boys, avoiding eye contact, then turned when she noticed that Remus had stopped to talk to them again.

“Remus, just give me one second to talk to Alice and Halli. Then we’ll have that dance, ok?” she smiled at him, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek when he nodded his approval. Then she turned back the way she had been heading, squared her shoulders, and walked over to her two best friends. She could tell from the looks that they gave her that she would be grilled with questions when she reached them. Fortunately, she had already prepared herself for this possibility when she had been talking to Remus.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, ok?” Lily said, as Alice opened her mouth to fire the first question at her. “I’ll answer any of your questions, and we’ll talk extensively about it after the party, but for now, can we just try to make it through the night in one piece?” she added, noticing that Halli didn’t seem to think that not talking about it was a good enough solution. “You are both staying here tonight, so that we can go to the Hogwarts Express together tomorrow, right? So we will have plenty of time to talk about it later, when the ball is over.” Lily pleaded with them. They both nodded their agreement, although somewhat reluctantly, and Lily walked back over to Remus.

“Ready?” she asked. He whirled around; startled that she was back already. He thought for sure that the girls would have had more questions than they obviously had for her. He had been in the middle of trying to coax James out of the trance that he was in after their dance. He was acting very strangely. Usually, he couldn’t stop talking about Lily. Now however, he wouldn’t say a word, no matter what Remus, Sirius, and Peter tried. And apparently, Sirius and Peter had been trying ever since Lily had run out of the ballroom, and Remus had gone after her. This was definitely not normal.

“Whenever you are, Lily!” he replied, and offered her his arm again. She took it, and he escorted her out onto the dance floor. He put one hand on her waist, and started to lead the dance. She did dance very well, he noted.

“What’s up with them?” she asked motioning to the marauders. Apparently she had noticed that they were being somewhat quieter than was usual.

“Oh, they were trying to get James to talk to them, but he doesn’t seem to want to right now.” he replied.

“Why not? I would have thought that he would have plenty to talk about; he’s only dreamed of groping me like that for the past seven years. Honestly, you would have thought that I was his property of something!” she exclaimed.

“First of all, he wasn’t groping you. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. I thought that he might try something, like he normally does when you’re around. And secondly, this has come as quite the shock to us too. Believe me, we thought that we wouldn’t be able to get him to shut up if this day ever actually came. Not that I thought that it would!” he added, noticing the flash in her eyes, and realizing that she was getting angry again. “It’s just, he’s one of my best mates, and we try to be supportive for him.” he explained, shrugging his shoulders and looking down at his feet.

Lily looked over at the trio again. James was just standing there with his arms crossed, and he was gazing off into space. Sirius and Peter were also just kind of lingering, but seemed to be casting nervous glances at James every two seconds. What was he thinking about that had made him completely shut down like that?

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s thinking about you, and probably about that dance.” he stated, answering her unasked question. He saw the doubt in her eyes. “Honestly, Lily he really does have feelings for you.” he said quietly, trying to make her believe what he was saying.

“There is no way that can be true. We’re only seventeen! What do we know about that kind of stuff? And even if it were true, I don’t feel the same. I can’t stand him!” she reasoned. She didn’t like him at all, let alone that way, she told herself. Why did everyone insist on pushing her in a direction she really didn’t want to go?

“Your eyes tell a different story, Lily. I get it; you’re not ready to talk about it. But if and when you are, just know that you can talk to me. I can keep a secret.” he whispered in her ear, grinning cheekily at her again. She burst out laughing at the look on his face.

“Well, I’m glad that I chose you to be my friend then. Secrecy is very important to me.” she said, trying to keep a straight face. It only took her two seconds before she was giggling hysterically again. He joined in her laughter, glad that he was able to lighten the mood, and as the song ended he knew that their last year was indeed going to be a very interesting one. For all of them.

[Issa (Luisa)]

Aww. That was a fluffy chapter, at the beginning I kep thinking that someone was going to die at the party, I'm paranoid with marauder era stories.

[Ames]

Hmm, no dying yet.

[Issa (Luisa)]

Ok ok...hey, wait a second. See, someone always dies in most good marauder era fics.

[Ames]

Oh yeah, there's dying. Just not yet....