Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 4 - Improvisation Usually Works

"We're gonna die...we're all gonna die, that's all there is to it-"

"Shut up, Peter!"

Remus shot a warning look to Sirius for his outburst and give Peter an apologetic look. He couldn't blame either of them, though. Everyone was quite jumpy. Only 5 more minutes, according to Frank. But then, Frank did have a small forgetfulness problem.

Glancing back at the front door, Remus bit his bottom lip and continued to pretend like he was washing the drain board. This was actually supposed to be the action that he was doing when James came in, but as Remus was too nervous to think of something else to do, he was content with just wiping the same spot over and over.

Peter and Sirius were both over in what James has christened the "family room", trying to act as if they were dusting off the many books that James had decided to leave their from the previous owner. Godric's Hollow had officially been habitable for almost a week now and all three boys had spent that week helping James move his stuff in and trying desperately not to let him see them talking behind his back.

It's all for his own good, Remus reminded himself.

Anyways, Lily was a clever girl. She should be able to figure out a hint, even if James couldn't understand.

Remus unconsciously glanced at the clock again and saw that they were due any minute. He heard a muffled thud and looked up to see that Peter had apparently dropped the books he was moving onto Sirius' foot. Sirius, who Remus had to admit was being a very good sport about all this, was bravely holding his tongue and resorting to just shooting Peter another death look. Remus didn't turn back until they went back to their cleaning. His eyes strayed to the white sheet that was throw carefully over the back of the couch. Of course, anyone who saw that sheet wouldn't have thought it was any big deal, especially with the rest of the room looking as messy as it did, but it was an essential part of their plan.

Right on cue, the front door opened and the three Marauders hustled to start looking as busy as possible.

Frank Longbottom entered, his left eye closing momentarily and opening to show that his job was done.

A frustrated and disheveled James Potter came in after him. Remus winced at the sorry state that his friend was in. Maybe they shouldn't have planned this right after a set of James' Auror tests. He had been going through them for several weeks now, and was only one day from his final test. Every day he came home right at five and went straight up to fall asleep. The Marauder's had a different evening in mind for him tonight.

"How'd you do, Prongs?" Sirius called to him, failing miserably at acting normally. Remus groaned as he saw that Sirius, being caught off guard by their sudden entrance, had picked up a book and started to pretend to read it. No bloody way James was going to believe that.

Sure enough, James' eyebrows shot up when he looked at his best friend. "Since when do you read books?"

"Ah?" Sirius shot a terrified look at Remus who was waving frantically for Sirius to put the book on the shelf. James saw the eye contact and whirled to look at Remus who froze with his hands in a strange angle in the air.

"Ah..." Remus' mind went blank. No! They were Marauders! They could do this! He faked a smile and suddenly became very interested in the crack that ran through the middle of the counter.

They were all thankfully spared the grueling task of coming up with more lies with the back door opening and three female voices heard coming into the house.

Apparently, Peter, Sirius and Remus had all forgotten that James was also a Marauder, a Marauder who just happened to be the trickiest of all of them.

James' eyes narrowed at Lily Evan's voice and then flashed up towards Remus.

"What is she doing here?"

The whole entire plan suddenly whooshed out of Remus' head and he heard himself stammering for the words, which were most defiantly not coming out.

"Whatever you all are planning, forget it!" James snapped, his fatigue disappearing as he marched towards the back door.

As he went through to the next room, Remus, Frank, Sirius and Peter all exchanged worried looks.

"The sheet," Remus said quickly as they all followed him to the back forum where they could already tell the two personalities had clashed, with a very desperate Alice Prewet between them. Nikkie was standing slightly off to the side, looking like she was desperately trying to hold back a laugh.

They all stopped short at the sight of Lily and James bickering to one another. At least they hadn't gotten to the yelling part yet.

"You think you can just walk into my house, Evans? Thought I made it clear last time!"

"Oh you made it clear alright! Have a fun time changing your hair back?"

"Probably not as fun as you had changing your skin color back!"

What happened? Alice mouthed to them with a worried face.

"Don't ask," Sirius whispered back.

"Pigheaded Moron!"

"Overconfident Bookworm!"

"Showoff!"

"Know-it-all!"

The shouting only increased.

"Give me the sheet Sirius," Remus said quietly. The bickering was rising now and neither of the arguers seemed to realize that other people were in the room.

"Lazy Jerk!"

"Carrot Head!"

Sirius obediently handed the sheet to Remus who pointed his wand at the nearby coat closet. It opened slowly and by the time it was full open, the rest of the onlookers realized what Remus was planning.

Well, improvisation usually worked.

Just a few more seconds...Remus saw that Lily and James were getting more and more aggravated with each other, their faces getting closer and closer as they shouted.

"Slimy git!"

"It takes one to know one!"

"Now!" Remus finally shouted, and in one motion, throwing the sheet over James and Lily with one smooth motion. Frank and Sirius had moved around to the other side of them and both at once shoved the two people who were under the sheet into the open closet.

James barely got out a stifled "SIRIUS!" before the door slammed shut and Remus waved his wand, locking it. A second later, all of them heard the loud SMACK! as James hit the door.

"Oh, bad luck, Prongs!" Sirius shouted through the door with glee, a large smile plastered on his face.

"Padfoot, I'm gonna kill you!" James screamed, his voice only slightly muffled by the door.

"Move over, Potter!"

"Bugger off!"

There was a small bit of scuffling as James was shoved by Lily and they heard her using all different types of spells to open the door.

Remus watched all of this with an amused look on his face, twirling his wand in his fingers and looking smug about something.

"How do you all expect me to survive through this!?" James was howling.

"I'm sure you'll find a way!" Peter called back.

"It won't work Lily," Remus finally told her after it was clear that she was becoming frustrated. She paused and both she and James were quiet, waiting for Remus to expand on his statement. "I've put an anti-opening jinx on the door. You guys got three days at least till that spell wears off. I suggest you put that time to use as best you can."

He turned to look at Sirius and Peter who were both laughing by now. They started walking out of the room and Sirius slapped him on the back.

"Well done, Moony! You have officially pranked James Potter!"

Remus still felt the least but apprehensive about the whole thing though.

"I just hope his doesn't kill me when he finally gets out of there."

"Oh believe me, Remus. They're both going to be thanking you a million times over."

Sirius slung his arms around Nikkie and held onto her tight as they walked into the family room. Remus looked at them curiously as they went and sat on the couch together, sharing one or two quick kisses and discussing only things that Sirius would ever talk about. Remus saw how both of their eyes lit up as the other spoke and he wondered if that's how James and Lily would act, hopefully. Remus had never before see two people as crazy about each other, but as clueless as well.

James' pride often held him back. Remus knew this for a fact since James had actually told him about his ideas to ask out Lily again. It always came down to the fact that he was wronged in their relationship, and he was determined not to go crawling back to her.

Lily, on the other hand, had this mental picture in her mind of who James Potter was. When it was cleaned and then corrupted in their 7^th year, it seemed her prejudice for him had hit an all time high. And, unfortunately, there were no signs of the level dropping.

Smiling with hope and laughter, Remus went back to cleaning the kitchen.

--*--

Trying to kick the rest of the sheet off him, James fumed as he heard Remus finish his explanation.

"...I suggest you put that time to use as best you can."

James' anger well up and he ended up kicking the door hard with his foot, hoping by some miracle that it would have some effect on it. Needless to say, all it did was give him a stubbed toe. He muttered darkly as he heard Sirius howl with laughter, obviously guessing on what James had just tried. Everyone on the other side of the door started laughing with each other and talking, but James couldn't hear what they were saying. He realized that they were walking away from the door.

Great, just what he needed. One of his old pranks to come back and haunt him.

He glanced over at Lily who was still trying to get the door open, a look of pure desperation on her face.

James frowned slightly. Was he really that horrible?

Shrugging, and knowing that there was no was the get the door open, James slid down the wall, seating himself on the ground as comfortable as he could in the small confines of the closet.

Lily glared down at him, noticing that he wasn't as concerned as she was, probably.

"I supposed you think that was terribly clever," she growled at him, folding her arms and leaning against the opposite wall. There was no more than a foot of space in between James' stretched out feet and Lily's tense feet.

James rolled his eyes. "Not everyone's out to get you, Evans."

"You obviously are," she bit back.

James' shock rolled off him and he glared back at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lily looked slightly taken aback. "Well, I know you had something to do with this."

"For your information, Evans," James said through gritted teeth, "I knew no more about this than you. You think I would willingly be stuck in here with you? We can't even come within three feet of each other without throwing insults."

She seemed to consider this and her face got a little redder in the small amount of light that lit the closet.

"Look, I do know this prank. I played it in Sirius when we were in 6^th year. Which means I would also know if there was a way to get out of it..." he paused for effect. "There isn't."

Lily's bottom lip twitched. "What kind of stupid prank was that? No reversal spell?"

James opened his mouth to reply when he heard new voices coming from outside, very familiar voices at that.

"...I'm sorry Mr. Evans, but Lily isn't available at the moment..."

James scowled as Sirius mockingly taunted their situation. Both he and Lily had their ear pressed against the door in an attempt to hear better. Lily's dad's voice cut in.

"I was told that she was coming here? You mean to say she didn't make it? Or she's come and left?"

"Let's just call it in involuntary absence for the time being." James could tell that Remus was getting nervous about the parents getting in on the prank. Remus had always been the Marauder who was the smartest, but the most reluctant. It had been a weakness in their pranks that they never quite knew how to overcome.

"Daddy! I'm in here!" Lily finally shouted, her hand banging three times on the door. Mr. Evan's footsteps got closer and they heard him jiggle the doorknob.

"Lily? Lily, sweetheart is that you?"

"Yes! Get me out please!?"

"Is this some sort of joke boys? Where's James? I should think he would be the one responsible..."

"I heard that!" James called out.

"James! Are you in there!?" Mr. Evans said with obvious confusion. "What are you doing to Lily!?"

"I didn't to anything! My bloody friends locked us in here!"

They heard someone jiggle the doorknob again.

"It's no use, Mr. Evans. I've put an anti-opening jinx on he door and it's locked magically. There's no way we're getting in or they're getting out."

James could tell that Remus had lost all the nervousness in his voice and was almost to the point of laughing now. Sirius was also chuckling and James would have given anything to kill all of them at that very moment.

There were a few moments of silence as Lily and James held their breath. Finally, Mr. Evans spoke.

"Couldn't have planned it better myself boys..." Mr. Evans chuckled.

"James! James!"

James' head perked up at the new voice and pounded again on the door.

"Dad? Dad, help me!"

"I just came to drop off those boxes of yours..."

More footsteps came in and they heard everyone greet Mr. Potter.

"Fancy a chat around the closet, do we?" He said jokingly.

"Just a little prank sir, no big deal." It seemed Sirius was trying to reassure them with these words.

"No prank is "little" with you, Sirius," Mr. Potter said half jokingly. "Where's James?"

"In here..." James said through a dejected voice.

"My Lily as well," Mr. Evans put in. "Seems the marauders fancy themselves as matchmakers."

Another bout of silence and James didn't even bother to get his hopes up this time. He knew his dad too well.

"Oh! Jolly good! Bout time someone did it to the both of them!" James' jaw dropped in amazement. "Come on, Sirius, you can come help me unload these boxes of James things I brought over..."

Their voices disappeared into the front of the house, once again leaving James and Lily alone.

Lily stared at the closed door for the next few minutes, as if maybe she could force them to come and let them out, but it was to no avail. James, knowing better, wiggled into a more comfortable position and then fixed his gaze upon her, something that he knew annoyed her to no end.

"There is no way we're both going to survive this..." she said through gritted teeth.

James shrugged and yawned. "Not my problem. I could use a good challenge that doesn't involve physical risk." He stopped abruptly and scrutinized her for a moment. "Wait, I take that back."

Lily sighed and James could tell that she was trying very hard to hold her temper.

"Shouldn't we at least try to have a civilized conversation?"

James smirked up at her. "Do you even remember the last time we had a civilized conversation?"

Her bottom lip twitched. "Right after the Spring Ball?"

James shook his head in disgust. "That was not a civilized conversation. That was you shouting at me and throwing everything in the room that wasn't nailed down at my head."

"Don't act like you didn't deserve it," she bit back at him.

James's eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you still think that."

"Did you actually have a plausible reason why you played that prank?"

They were getting into the touchy feely stage of a conversation that James didn't want to explore at the moment. "Why do you care? You didn't want to hear my explanation that night! You seemed content to just yell at me. Why should I grace you with my carefully thought up excuse now, after you've already hurt me once!"

James regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. Lily stopped dead and her eyes softened just noticeably.

"Hurt you?"

"Just forget it!" James snapped back. He could already feel himself blushing and resolutely turned away from her. This was not the time to get deeper into those old wounds. Jaems was determined not to let her in again. He had succedded once and all it had gotten him was a broken heart by the age of 17. He remembered after she had left that night, told him to get out of his life and never come back. Even through all the swelling stings, James got tears in his eyes because that beautiful girl was so angry with him. He had never cried for a girl before. And since that day, he never even tried with the anymore. He figured it wasn't worth it to go into relationships if that was how they could turn out.

They were both silent and Lily finally managed to slid down the opposite wall, bringing her knees close to her chest.

She heaved a deep sigh. "I'll never get used to these conversations we have together..."

James smiled mockingly up at her. "Well you had better get used to it sweetheart, because three days is a long time."

He winked at her, making her blush even more.

Well if she wasn't even going to try, he sure wasn't.

He yawned again, feeling the training and testing of the past week catching up with him. Stretching out as far as possible without touching Lily, he closed his eyes and resolutely fell asleep.