Ain't Love a Kick in the Head?

"Are you done with the butter?" Sirius asked, tapping a girl on the shoulder.

"Um, could you say that again?" asked Hannah, turning around and staring at Sirius.

"Are you finished with the butter?" Sirius repeated.

"Oh! The butter. Yeah, I'm through with it!" Hannah squeaked handed the butter plate to Sirius.

"Thanks," Sirius took the plate and walked away.

"He spoke to me!" said Hannah quietly to herself. "He actually talked to me. He knows I'm alive!"

"You two are really hitting it off. Next thing you know he'll be asking you to the New Year's Ball!" Lily teased.

"You think so?" Hannah asked, breathless.

"Get a grip, Hannah, I'm only joking."

"Still, if he'd only dump that Connell cow."

"That's so sensitive of you, Hannah, to consider Black's happiness before yours."

"I wish he'd see what a slut she really is. Does he even know what everyone says about her?" Hannah said, furiously cutting her chicken.

"Take it easy, Hannah, you're going to cut clean through the plate!" Lily snatched the knife out of Hannah's hands.

Hannah took a look at the scratches she had made and sighed. "If only it could be Sirius who wrote that letter."

"Nothing's set in stone. We'll see how this is all resolved."

"Would you be insanely jealous if it was Potter writing those love notes?" grinned Hannah.

"No, I most certainly would not be!" said Lily, sounding highly accosted.

"Not even a little bit? Just a smidgen jealous?"

"For the last time, no!"

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James yawned and scanned the Marauder's Map. "Hey, Padfoot, wanna get some snacks?"

"No, I'm asleep, James!" Sirius muttered, pulling his pillow over his head.

"Fine......D'you wanna pay a visit to Connell?"

"I'm sure she's sleeping like I was a few minutes ago."

"Come on, Padfoot! Where's your spirit?"

"It's with me when I'm awake!" grumbled Sirius.

"Ah, I don't need you. I'll go by myself!" James declared, putting his feet on the floor.

"No you won't, James!" Remus ordered him groggily.

James grunted and climbed back into his bed. "You guys are as dull as Binns on a summer day."

"Yeah, at least we try to get you out of trouble. Binns just dangles opportunities in front of you," said Sirius, sitting up in his bed.

"Oh, and I suppose you're just misunderstood?"

"You got it!" grinned Sirius.

"Ah! I'm going back to sleep," James turned over and put the Marauders Map away, muttering the secret words.

"G'night."

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At breakfast, another owl came for Hannah.

"Lily! I got another one!" Hannah cried, shoving the letter in Lily's hands.

"Don't give it to me, I don't want it!" said Lily, giving the letter back.

"But I don't know what to do with it," moaned Hannah, putting her head on the table.

"We've been through this, Hannah."

"I know, I know. It's weird, though," Hannah looked thoughtfully at the letter.

"Can I see that letter again?" Lily asked.

Hannah handed the letter over. Lily studied it for a few moments and gave it back to her friend.

"What? Something wrong with it?" Hannah surveyed the letter.

"No, I was just curious, that's all."

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"Thanks for coming to this emergency meeting!" the Head Boy of Gryffindor said.

Lily settled into a chair beside Remus Lupin. Lily took out a quill and parchment and began to take notes.

"......Now we're going to have to change the password to the Prefects Bathroom, some of the Slytherins have been breaking in......."

Lily tried to look nonchalantly over at Lupin's notes.

"Need help with something?" Lupin asked politely.

"Oh, I just missed the new password!" Lily covered up.

"He hasn't given it yet," pointed out Remus.

"Oh, right."

Lily paid careful attention to the rest of the meeting. She knew what she wanted to know.

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"Good morning, Padfoot!" James said cheerfully.

"What put you in such a good mood?" Sirius asked moodily.

"Well, what put you in a bad one?"

"I'm assuming that's rhetorical," said Sirius, close to exasperation.

"What's up? Something's wrong with Connell, isn't there?" James sat down beside his friend.

"It's nothing. I just....Want to go a little farther than she does. That's all!" Sirius answered.

"Livin' life in the fast lane, are we?" teased James.

"Shut up!" Sirius said irritably.

"Fine!" James crossed his arms and propped himself up against the tree.

"So, what's happening with you and Evans?"

"Nothing. As usual. Nothing will ever happen. I'll just be the arrogant, pompous bad guy and that'll be that."

"Come on, Prongs, come up with one of those ingenious plans of yours," Sirius tried to encourage his friend.

"Wait, I think I might have something, actually......."

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Lily nibbled on the tip of her quill anxiously. Come on, come on. Lily thought, trying to get the professor to talk faster to end class. Come on!

The professor finally ended class and Lily bounded out of her seat. "Hannah, I have something really important to tell you-"

"Can it wait? I have to make up an assignment!" Hannah said, giving her friend a pleading look.

"Yes, yes of course. Take your time," Lily said, managing a smile.

I can tell her later. Lily thought, sighing.

Lily left the classroom and ran into someone, knocking her books out of her hands. Lily bent down to pick them up and accidentally placed a hand on top of someone else's. Lily looked up to see it was Potter's hand. They both quickly snatched their hands back. Lily turned a delicate shade of red.

"I don't need any help, thank you!" Lily said with a cold civility.

"I was just trying to be polite!" said James, sounding clearly irked.

"Ha! That would be a first!" Lily huffed as she gathered her books.

"You know, not everyone's as nearly incompetent as you think."

"Fine words coming from the likes of you, don't you think?"

Potter stood and loomed over Lily. "That's the last time I try to help you."

Lily watched him walk away. For one fleeting second, she almost wanted to cry out to make him turn around and come back. But she couldn't bring herself to. She had too much pride.

Quietly, Lily finished gathering the rest of her belongings and got to her feet. Her hand still felt slightly warm from his touch. Lily blushed again at the thought of it. She was being silly. What feelings could she have for the notoriously arrogant, selfish, self-centered James Potter? Yet, Lily could not help wondering if; maybe he wasn't any of those things. Just how maybe Sirius Black wasn't so bad, if Hannah liked him.

Maybe, he wasn't so terrible. Maybe, there was hope for him yet. Hope for her. Hope for them.

Maybe. Lily waved it away. She couldn't think like that. Not with exams coming up.