Seventh Year: The Defining Moment

6

Mild to Moderate Confusion Ensues While James and Lily Leave Their Friends in the Dark

The rest of the Marauders went up to their dorm and found James gazing dreamily out the window. They approached him calmly and Remus asked uneasily, "Did you just say you were going to the ball with Lily?" James didn't move at all except for a silent nod.

The other boys looked at each other as Sirius said, "I hate to point this out buddy, but Lily hates you." James once more didn't do anything except silently shake his head no.

"What do you mean no?" Peter exclaimed.

Remus sighed and told the other two boys, "Come on, let's go ask Lily. We're not going to get any answers from him while he's like, like that..."

.:*:.

The boys reentered the common room only to find Lily absent. Just as Remus and Peter started to go back up to the boys' dorm to attempt to interrogate James again, Sirius stopped them. "There's Mara and Jessi, maybe they know something."

The three made their way to the corner where the two girls were chatting. "Hey, do you two know what's going on with Lily and James?" Remus asked them.

Mara and Jessi looked at each other and Jessi answered, "All Lily said was that she wasn't going with Harrison anymore and she was going with James instead."

"All we got out of James was a couple of nods," Sirius replied. They all shrugged and the boys sat down and started talking with the girls.

"Who are you going to the Ball with Peter?" Mara inquired.

Peter shrugged and said in response, "No one."

"What about you Mara?" Jessi questioned eagerly. "You still haven't told me!"

Mara smiled and answered, "It's because I still haven't decided. It'll be either Sirius or that hot Slytherin seventh year, you know, Eric Edwards. He's actually decent for a Slytherin. Infact, he was cheering for Gryffindor in the match against Ravenclaw. He's the Slytherin Quidditch captain too."

Sirius scowled the whole time she was saying this and when she finished he said angrily, "I don't see how there's a choice. I'm in Gryffindor and he's in Slytherin! Gryffindors are supposed to hate Slytherins, not go out with them!!!"

Mara rolled her eyes and Jessi shot back, "Honestly, sometimes you're more conceded than James!"

"You just say that because you think Lucius Malfoy's cute!"

"I said Luscious- er, I mean Lucius is hot, not cute! There's a difference!"

"Whatever!"

While Sirius and Jessi were bickering, Mara, Remus, and Peter continued talking.

"Too bad you guys don't have a fourth friend, because that would mean Peter would have a date!" Remus realized. "I mean, I'm going with Jessi-,"

"A blonde and a brainiac?" Sirius interrupted. "I don't get it."

"Hey!" Mara exclaimed. "I'm 1 of the top students in our year!!! I do NOT like all those 'dumb blonde' comments!"

"And neither do I!!!" Jessi agreed.

"-and Lily's going with James-,"

"Another thing I don't get," Sirius interrupted once more.

"Sirius I'm sure there's a great many things you don't get," Mara snapped.

"-and Sirius is pretty much going with Mara-,"

"Hey!!!" This time it was Mara who interrupted Remus. "Who said I've decided?!"

Sirius rolled his eyes and Remus continued, "-so our groups are pretty much together, with the exception of Peter who I guess is a fifth wheel, or seventh wheel in this case."

"WHO SAID I'VE DECIDED?!" Mara shouted at the top of her lungs, causing the whole common room to look at her. Glaring daggers at the Gryffindors, she marched upstairs to the girls' dorm and slammed the door.

Sirius shook his head and remarked, "Well, someone's PMSing." The others nodded their agreement.

.:*:.

James had been staring dazedly out the window when he decided to go down to the common room. He managed to sneak pass everyone (including his and Lily's arguing friends) and get to library. 'I wonder if Lily's here...' With that, he started looking for her.

.:*:.

Lily decided to go down to the common room after staring out the window for a while. Once she arrived, she was surrounded by Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Jessi. "Is it true about you and James?" the all asked at once.

Lily backed towards the portrait hole and said, "Yes." She quickly ran out of the common room before the four could catch her and further question her.

.:*:.

She decided to go to the library and as soon as she arrived, she saw James coming towards her saying, "Lily!" as loud as he could without getting in trouble with Madam Pince. They walked over to a table to sit and talk.

"What are you doing here?" James asked.

"Trying to escape your friends and mine," Lily answered with a laugh. James joined her laughing, but after a while a rather awkward silence sprang up between them as a group of Gryffindor fourth years walked past them, looking at them as if they were crazy.

"Was that James Potter and Lily Evans, TOGETHER?!" they heard one of the fourth years say. "And Evans actually wasn't screaming at Potter!"

Lily and James looked blankly at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing. The fourth years now looked at the two as if they had some contagious disease they might contract, and hurried out of the library, whispering furiously.

"Obviously, people aren't used to us being so, so... friendly towards each other," Lily said, still calming down some laughter.

James snorted and shot at her, "You mean they're not used to you being so friendly towards me!"

Lily rolled her eyes and snapped, "Whatever!"