Seventh Year: The Defining Moment

9

What's Up with James and Sirius? And I Am Not Referring to Their Mental Health, Just to Let You Know

The next morning, James woke up still angry at Sirius. Instead of waking him up, as he usually did, he got dressed and went down to breakfast without Sirius. When James arrived in the Great Hall he sat down next to Lily, who was reading a book. "Good morning," she greeted him. James smiled at her and helped himself to some eggs.

.:*:.

"Do they even know they aren't sitting together?" Mara whispered to Lily at lunch. James, once again, was sitting with Lily. Remus and Peter were sitting on the other side of James, and Sirius was at the other end of the table.

"Why are you and Sirius mad at each other?" Remus asked James. James answered by getting up and leaving the Hall. Remus scooted over and said to Lily, "Sirius wouldn't say either." Lily stared at her baked potato, lost in thought.

After a moment or two, she said, "I'm worried." Her friends looked at her curiously as she continued, "They got in a fight at Hogsmeade yesterday. Sirius pulled James aside and James came back fuming."

"Did you hear what they said?" Jessi inquired. Lily shook her head then left the table too.

.:*:.

"James?" Lily said cautiously. James was sulking in a corner of the common room. James looked up as Lily sat down next to him.

"Hi Lily," was all that he said.

"What's up with you and Sirius?" she asked quietly.

"Sirius who." With that, James got up and left the common room, heading for the boy's dorm. Lily was getting angry now. Seeing that the room was empty (everyone was still in the Great Hall), Lily marched up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. In Lily's opinion, the boy's dorm looked no different from the girls', except that it was messier and had more Quidditch posters. James' bed wasn't hard to find. His was the one with the picture of Lily pinned up beside it. 'Where did he get that?' Lily wondered as she pulled open the hangings around his bed. James was lying face-down with his pillow on his head. Lily picked up the pillow and hit him with it, surprising him so much that he rolled off the bed.

"Lily!" he yelped. "What the heck are YOU doing here!"

Lily glared at him and demanded, "I won't go out on another date with you 'til you tell me what is going on with you and Sirius!" James sighed as he pulled himself back onto his bed.

"It's a long story," he said weakly.

Lily sat herself down beside him and replied, "I'm fully prepared to hear the whole thing." James sighed once more then proceeded to tell her what had happened.

.:*:.

"Oh my gosh!" Lily exclaimed when James finished telling her about his argument with Sirius.

"Please don't tell anyone," James pleaded.

"I don't know..." Lily said vaguely. "You are right though, Snape could get killed!"

"I'm trying to decide what to do," James replied. "Just PLEASE don't tell!"

"James," Lily pleaded. "We can't just sit here! We've got to do something!"

"I know," James answered. "I just hope I do the right thing."

Lily frowned and replied, "I do too. I won't tell, but I'm trusting you to do something though." James nodded as Lily continued, "Now I have one more question."

"What?" James asked.

Lily smiled and said, "Where, exactly, did you get that picture of me?"

James smiled weakly (very weakly) and tried to think of an answer. But before he could really say anything, Lily had grabbed him by the tie and kissed him strait on the lips.

"See ya later," she said to a dazed James as she left the dorm.