What Lies Within

Chapter Two - Male Bonding

The Hogwarts Express barrelled through the countryside, passing yellow fields and green open pastures at top speed. Sirius found it hard to believe that Muggles didn't notice a huge, red steam engine passing noisily through the peace of the rural spaces of Britain. How could they not hear the whistle?

The train jerked and Sirius banged his head on the window with a crack. Deciding that it probably wasn't the best idea to rest his head against the glass, he turned to look at his three friends who were all talking about (what else?) girls. James was the most animated of the three.

"Maybe I can trick Evans into going on a date with me this year!" he was saying, a big grin plastered on his face.

Sirius snorted.

"The fact that you have to trick her is kind of sad, Prongs... and it should probably tell you something, too," he laughed, as James stuck his tongue out at him and Remus and Peter both laughed. "Has it ever dawned on you that maybe she just doesn't like you and that she really does hate your guts and isn't pretending?"

James didn't answer, but continued blabbering on about how he was going to pass Evans a note saying that she'd get some sort of surprise if she showed up at the three broomsticks at a certain time. Peter was hanging on to every word that James said, as usual. Remus and Sirius rolled their eyes at each other.

"The sad bit is that he actually believes that Evans is going to fall for this," Remus said in an undertone to Sirius, who nodded his agreement.

"Maybe if he'd just get a girlfriend, he wouldn't be so hard to live with," Sirius suggested, shaking his head at James who was now repeating everything he had already said a hundred times about Evans secretly loving him.

"I know she loves me. Deep down she loves me," he was muttering, more to himself than anyone else. Sirius stared disbelievingly at his best friend, mouth hanging open, than turned his gaze to Remus. The werewolf had his knuckles stuffed in his mouth to try and stop himself bursting out laughing.

"Then it must be really, really deep down, mate, because I don't think she can stand being around you for thirty seconds, let alone love you," Sirius told James, placing a bracing hand on the latter's knee.

James snapped his attention to Sirius's face.

"What?"

"Never mind, Prongs, just never mind."

"Look, fuck you, okay? You're full of shit!"

"You don't know what I said, do you?"

"Nope. Not a clue."

"That's what I thought."

Sirius sat back, laughing, in his seat. The train ride to Hogwarts was always good for a laugh. It was the first time in two months that "the gang" had been able to get all together. This would be the last time for months to come that they would have to really relax and talk about nothing. What with classes, homework, Quidditch practice, and other less legal things, they wouldn't have much time to fool around. This general lack of sanity when they were together was what Tessa had appropriately dubbed "male bonding."

"So, Moony," started James slyly, placing the tips of his fingers together and looking down his noise at his friend much like Professor Dumbledore did, "have you got your sights on someone of the... uh... opposite sex?"

Remus looked to be seriously thinking about this question, which surprised Sirius. When the topic of conversation turned to girls (as it most often did with them), Remus usually shied from talking about his own love life and contented himself with teasing or advising one of his three friends. Actually, if Sirius hadn't known that Remus like someone, he would have seriously thought that Remus was gay. He was sure that James and Peter thought Remus gay (to a certain extent), and Sirius would have loved to put them straight, but Remus had sworn him to secrecy. So all he could do was bite his tongue, which was rather hard for him.

"Opposite sex?" Remus asked thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "No. But there is this really cute sixth year boy in Hufflepuff..."

Remus paused here to cast a wayward glance at James and Peter, who were both looking shocked, both their mouths hanging open. Sirius caught Remus's eye and they both burst out laughing. The expressions on their friends' faces were just too priceless for words.

"I'm just kidding!" Remus exclaimed through gasps for breath. "I'm not gay. I just don't like anybody at the moment. And I wouldn't tell you even if there was someone," he added, seeing that James was about to ask something.

"Why not?" James whined, looking disappointed. "I wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Right. Just like you wouldn't tell anyone in second year that I liked Emma Stanford? Well, that's reassuring, Prongs."

Sirius happened to know that there was another reason why Remus wasn't telling James who he liked. Trying to ignore the conversation, he turned to look out the window. The sky was rapidly darkening. Soon they would be arriving at Hogwarts and to the feast that awaited them...

"But she asked! What was I going to do, lie to her? Come on, Moony, give me a break!" James pleaded. "I'd like to think I've grown up slightly since then."

"Yes, you'd like to think that wouldn't you?" came a voice from the doorway.

All four heads in the compartment turned to the door to see a fiery redhead standing there, hands on hips, eyebrow raised in James' general direction. Her green eyes reflected the light wonderfully and the slight shadow of the corridor behind her accentuated her sensual curves. However, one got the distinct feeling that one didn't want to cross this pretty flower.

"Evans!" James exclaimed in delight, totally oblivious to the fact that she had just insulted him. "Won't you come sit with us?" James patted the space between himself and Peter. Peter nodded vigorously.

Evans just scoffed.

"In your dreams, Potter. I just came here to ask two of you to come help me get my trunk out from under the seats; it's stuck."

James jumped to his feet. "Anything for you, my love."

"I didn't mean you," she snapped, motioning for him to sit back down. "I meant Sirius and Remus." With that she turned on her heel and disappeared.

"Yup. I think she really likes me," James muttered dreamily, dropping back in his seat as Sirius and Remus got to their feet. Sirius cast Remus a disbelieving look, and Remus shook his head, grinning.

Out in the corridor, they turned right and headed up the train. Sirius checked every compartment they passed, looking for some sign of Tessa. There were a bunch of giggling girls in the compartment next to Evans', and they waved excitedly to him and Remus as they passed, but Tessa wasn't among them. Brow furrowed in dismay, Sirius entered Evan' compartment, closely followed by Remus.

Evans was on her knees, struggling to pull her heavy trunk out from under the row of seats.

"Stupid thing just won't - budge!" she was muttering to herself. As they entered, she looked up and gave them a tentative smile. "Glad to see that moron didn't come with you," she said, getting to her feet. 'I know he's your friend, but-"

Remus held up a hand for her to discontinue.

"We understand completely. In fact, we were just feeling the same way. Weren't we Sirius?" Remus looked expectantly at Sirius, who nodded vigorously.

"Oh, yes. In fact... er... something..." he finished lamely. Sirius gave an awkward cough then snapped his attention back to Evans. "So what was this about a stuck trunk?" he asked, rubbing his hands together as thought he couldn't wait to get started.

"Well gentlemen, it's right there. Have at it!"

Evans stood aside, motioning to her trunk with a sweep of her arms. Sirius gave Remus a little bow and indicated that he should go first. Remus nodded courteously and returned Sirius' little bow. Remus bent toward the trunk and Sirius stepped in next to Evans.

"This shan't take a moment, milady," he said to her, clasping his hands behind his back and watching as Remus pulled the trunk out from under the seats with little effort at all. He stood straight, clapped his hands as thought to remove dust, and turned smiling to Sirius and Evans.

"And there you have it, folks!" Sirius said appraisingly. "The amazing, the incredible, Re-muuuuus Luuuuuu-piiiiin!"

Remus took a sweeping bow. "Thank you, thank you! It was nothing, really! Thank you!"

"Well, there you are Lily. Enjoy the access to your trunk."

Sirius and Remus both grabbed one of her hands and kissed it gentleman-style. Evans laughed and pulled her hands away from them. "Get away with you! Both of you! And thank you."

"Anytime, milady."

"Don't call me that!" Evans called after Sirius as he and Remus made their exit.

"Alright, milady!"

Evans gave out a cry of frustration from inside the compartment and Remus and Sirius both laughed. However, their mirth was short lived. Standing right in front of them was James, a weird look covering his face. Sirius would it looked like he had just been placed under some sort of confusion curse... or else like a house-elf whose just been kicked and is now waiting affectionately for his next command. Sirius thought at first that James hadn't noticed them, but when the deranged James turned his dreamy gaze upon them, Sirius instantly knew that this had something to do with Lily Evans.

"Uh, James, are you alright?" Remus asked tentatively, a look of extreme worry on his face. "James?"

"Does she need any more help with anything?" James asked eagerly, peering past Sirius and Remus, trying to see into Evans' compartment. James looked so pitiful that Sirius couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Suddenly, there came a snicker from somewhere behind James.

Remus gave Sirius a questioning look, who nodded. Together they pulled out their wands and pointed them towards the nearest compartment.

"Appertus!"

"Argh!"

Out of the concealment of the compartment door flew a teenaged boy of around their age. He hit the opposite window and fell to the floor in a heap... a greasy heap. There came a moan from the heap of a human body.

"Snape! What the hell were you doing?" Sirius yelled, pointing his wand at Severus Snape still trying to get to his feet again.

"And what worry is it of yours, Black?" Snape hissed, glaring daggers at Sirius. "Why don't you just mind your own bloody business?" Snape reached for his wand, but Remus was too fast for him. With a wave of his wand, Remus disarmed Snape.

With his wand pointed steadily at the unarmed Snape, Remus posed the question again. "What were you doing Severus? Eavesdropping? Perhaps. Hiding? Obviously. But were you hexing our unsuspecting friends? Most assuredly. Now what did you do to him?" Remus demanded, indicating James who was sitting on the floor blowing bubbles with his spittle.

Snape remained unmoving.

"Don't lie to us now, Snivellus. You don't really want to do that," Sirius warned quietly, toying with his wand dangerously as he leaned against the wall of the car. "Now tell us, what did you do to James?"

"I didn't do a damn thing to him!" Snape snapped viciously from his position on the floor. "Has it ever crossed your thick skulls that I was trying to avoid that numskull you call a friend? Every time I see his fat head, he curses me! I'm sick and tired of taking shit from him and you!"

Remus raised an eyebrow, and Sirius scoffed.

"That little pronouncement doesn't look good for you, Snivellus," Sirius started, but he never got to finish. At that moment Lily Evans came walking out of her compartment and spotted what was going on.

"Honestly! Why the hell do you two feel that you've got to patronize him every time you see him?!" she exploded. "I can't expect anything more from that little ball of immaturity," here she pointed at James still sitting blowing bubbles, "but I expected more from the both of you! Especially you, Remus Lupin. And here I was thinking that you had finally grown up, Sirius Black! I'm disgusted at the both of you! Now get out of my sight and leave Severus alone! And take him with you," she added, again indicating James on the floor.

Both shocked into silence, neither Sirius nor Remus moved a muscle. Taking advantage of the situation, Snape got to his feet and brushed off his robes. He then turned his glare upon Evans.

"I don't need help from a Mud-blood like you, Evans," he spat, pushing past the three of them and purposefully bumping into James on his way up the train.

Evans bristled.

"I don't know why I bother to help you!" Evans yelled after him. "Argh!"

And with a last patronizing look at Remus and Sirius, she stomped off into her compartment again, apparently forgetting what she had come out for the in first place.

Remus and Sirius exchanged shocked glances and stowed their wands away. With the feeling that they had just been scolded by their mothers, they both grabbed one of James' arms and pulled him to his feet. James had since stopped blowing bubbles.

"Where's my little Lily flower?" he asked in an anticipating tone, looking around expectantly. "Have you seen her?"

"Oh, sod off James," Sirius muttered, trying to pull him toward their compartment.

A frown appeared on James' face and he shook his head so that his messy hair flopping comically.

"I want to see my Lily flower!" he whined, struggling against his two friends.

Sirius closed his eyes and counted to ten. He was not in the mood for this and he wasn't sure his temper could take anymore teasing. He took a steadying breath and continued to pull James up the corridor. As much as he cared for the damned fool, he didn't think his brotherly love would extend to carrying James bodily up the train.

"No! I want to see my Lily flower! Lily flower! LILY FLOWER!"

James struck out at his friends and managed to push off Remus but wound up hitting Sirius in the mouth. Sirius' lip spit and blood spurted down his chin. Finally cracking, Sirius grabbed hold of James' shirt with his left hand and lifted his right in a fist.

"I'll give you your Lily flower, you little-" he mumbled through clenched teeth and a fat lip, but Remus put a hand on his arm.

Hearing the commotion, students started sticking their heads interestedly out of their compartments to see what was going on. They began to mutter among themselves, all curious about why the school's most well known best friends were fighting. And why was James Potter, the Quidditch hero, acting like that?

"Come on James. Lily said she'd be waiting for you in our compartment," Remus said as quietly as he could to James, prying Sirius off James' shirt and pushing the both of them toward their compartment. "We should be getting there pretty soon, eh?" he added to the small crowd of students gathering.

When they were all safely away from prying eyes, Remus stopped pushing them.

"If Snape didn't do this to James, who did?" he asked, perplexed.

"You've got me," Sirius grumbled, tentatively touching his bruised and bleeding lip.

But their question was instantly answered as soon as they entered their compartment. There, lying stiff as a board on the floor, was Peter, his eyes wide and panicky. Sirius shook his head and undid the hex.

"And what the bloody hell happened to you?" he asked exasperatedly, taking his seat by the window.

"Oh, thank God you found him!" Peter exclaimed, spotting that James was with them. "I was so worried he might hurt himself!"

Remus caught Sirius' eye and Sirius shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

"He wouldn't shut up about Evans, so I tried to use a silencing charm, but it didn't work. Instead of shutting up, he started acting like he was two! And he got up muttering something insane like 'Lily flower' and started to leave. When I tried to stop him, he hexed me!" Peter fretted, wringing his hands, glancing worriedly from Sirius to Remus.

"So it was you who hexed James?" Remus asked, rubbing his temples and sitting down by Sirius.

"Yeah, but I didn't mean to; it was a mistake! You know I'm no good at spells and I wasn't really concentrating... and oh, I don't know what I did to him! How're we going to fix him?" Peter asked, starting to hyperventilate.

"Peter, calm down. It'll probably wear off in an hour. Until then, we're just going to have to keep telling him that Evans is coming here to meet him."

"Lily flower?" James perked up.

"Yes, James. Now we should all get changed now so that if something else comes up we won't have to walk into Hogwarts in plain clothes," Remus suggested, getting to his feet again and pulled his trunk toward him. Sirius and Peter both nodded their agreement and started getting changed.

It wasn't turning out to be Sirius' day. Not only could he not find Tessa anywhere on the train, but Snape was even more venomous than usual, Lily was angry at him, and now he had to endure at least three more hours of James singing a stupid little song about his Lily flower. He just wanted to bash his head against the window and knock himself out so that he could just forget about this whole affair.

"Oh Lily, my flower, my little Lily flower!

How beautiful you are to me, my love!

Oh Lily, my flower, my little Lily flower!

You are as delicate as the flower for which you were named!"

Sirius shut his eyes tight and tried to black out his friend's "singing." Would the spell wear off in an hour? Sirius certainly hoped so. He silently cursed Peter for his ineptitude in spell casting. He cursed Snape for not having done something to James; at least then they would know what the hell was done to him. He cursed Lily for standing up for Snape even when he called her horrid names and he cursed her for being right. He cursed Tessa for not showing up; if she were here at least he would be able to leave and make out with her without feeling too guilty. He cursed a lot of things in the next five minutes, but most of all he cursed James for his utter inability to sing.

"Oh Lily, my flower, my little Lily flower!

Your eyes are like emeralds shining so bright..."

At that very moment, Sirius felt very strongly like strangling James Potter. He felt certain that no one in the compartment would disagree with his sentiments. Maybe he'd even be able to explain to McGonagall why they were short a seeker for the Quidditch team, if only he could record James singing...

And as he sat listening to the agonizing sound that was James' love song, Sirius felt that he must have done something to piss off someone upstairs, because he was definitely being punished for something. He just wished he knew what.

"Oh Lily, my flower, my little Lily flower..."