Achieving the Impossible

Sitting in the library of the Potter Estate, were four boys: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter. They were a rowdy bunch, always talking, laughing, or causing trouble in general.

"I'm bored!" whined Peter. All three boys turned to him, exasperated, and Sirius looked as if he were about to pummel him.

"Listen Pete, we know that you're bored," Remus said hurriedly, before Sirius could let out a word. "You've probably said it almost six times in the last two minutes. We know."

"So, James, Alyssa or Casey?" asked Sirius, leaning back in his chair.

"Definitely Alyssa," he said. "Which one would you pick Pete?" James asked.

"Oh...um, I guess Casey."

Sirius lowered his chair to the floor with a loud 'thunk'.

"Oh, sorry...Alyssa?" He gave James a questioning look, and James nodded.

"You should know better than to pick Sirius's girlfriend," laughed Remus.

"No she's not!" protested Peter.

"Not yet anyway," sniffed Sirius, leaning back in his chair again. "Anyway, new pair...let's see...oh, Maddy Morgleson or Professor McGonagall!" said Sirius gleefully.

"McGonagall," said the three of them in unison.

"Yes, I said McGonagall," Sirius said.

"We know, we were choosing her," said Remus.

"Ah....right, what about--"

"JAMES! OWL!" yelled his mother from down the hall.

"Coming!" yelled James. The three of them kept playing until James got back, looking slightly shocked.

"You write to her?" he said, brandishing the letter at Remus.

"Write to whom?" he said curiously.

"Lily!" he said. Sirius smirked, winking repeatedly at Remus.

"Next time, please try not to say anything like that in front of him," groaned Remus.

"Well, Jamesie-boy, looks like you've got some competition!" hooted Sirius, while Peter shook with silent laughter.

"We're just friends!" protested Remus loudly.

"Oh, is that what you call it nowadays?" said Sirius.

"Honestly! Can I not have friends that are girls?"

"Lily is not just any girl! That's James's property, that is!" said Sirius importantly.

"I said that I don't write to her for that reason, and that's final!" Remus said heatedly.

"What is going on down here?" said James's mother, amusedly poking her head in the door. She was a slender, dark-haired woman with amber eyes.

"Oh, err, nothing Mum," said James hurriedly, trying to push his mother out the door.

"Peter," she said loudly, "what's going on?"

Peter stopped laughing for a moment, and choked out, "Remus is writing to Lily!"

"Who?"

The entire room went silent.

"Oh my," said Sirius in mock surprise, putting his hand to his heart, "Mrs. Potter, you'd better come in and let me tell you all about Lily," Sirius said, ushering her in. She walked in, looking slightly amused, as James walked behind a bookcase with a sudden need to look for a book.

"Well," said Sirius, as he pushed Mrs. Potter into a chair, "Lily is quite the topic of conversation amongst us boys. I thought you'd have heard of her too, James being all--"

Someone cleared his throat very loudly from behind a bookshelf.

"--Obsessed and all."

"I'm not obsessed with Lily Evans!" James exclaimed, coming out to lean on the side of the bookcase.

"What's her middle name, again?"

"Annette."

"And her birthday?"

"December fourteenth."

"And what, pray tell, is her favorite color?"

"Yellow."

"Food?"

"Doesn't have one."

"Flower?"

"Roses."

"What kind of roses?"

"Write."

"Need I say more?"

"Oh shut up," said James, walking back behind his bookcase.

"What's she like?" asked Mrs. Potter interestedly.

Sirius smirked and said, "Well...let's start with what she looks like. James, shall you do the honors of shall I?"

"I will," he said exasperated, coming out to lean on the bookshelf again. "Where do you want to start?"

"How about her...hair," suggested his mother, smiling.

"Auburn, wavy, about half-way down her back. Next?"

"Eyes," said Remus.

"Bright green."

"Skin tone and complexion?" suggested Sirius.

"Pale, and clear," said James, eyeing Sirius. "Next?"

"Is she skinny, or what?" said Peter, with the air of a talk show host.

"She's not a toothpick like Susan," he said running his hand through his hair, "but she's not normal sized either, she's...thin. Next?"

"Um...what else is there?" said Sirius.

"Well, it's the little things that no one notices. For instance, how when she's reading something exciting, how she bites her lip until it turns white. Or, how she stamps her foot when she's angry. Things no one ever notices," he said, opening the door. "Except me." He glanced at Remus. "And I'm not actually sure if she's ever going to care," he said softly, pausing for a moment. He crossed the room in a few strides and walked out of it, closing the door with a small 'click'.

"I'll be right back," said Remus, walking quickly out the door as well.

Remus weaved in and out of doors and through hallways until he finally found James.

In the kitchen.

Eating.

"There you are! I've been looking all o...ver..." His voice tapered off, as he saw James look up. His eyes looked lined in red.

"Have you been crying?" Remus said, an incredulous look on his face.

James got up, put his bowl away, and didn't answer.

"Listen, even if I did like her, which I don't, I would never do that to you. You know that," he said, sitting down at the counter beside James.

"I know. It's just the fact that she'll never care. I don't know why, but she won't..."

"I actually didn't know you cared this much," said Remus, looking down. James stared at him for a moment.

"Well, I do." He paused again, looking down at his shoes. "Wait, how could you miss that?"

Remus raised one eyebrow, and then opened his mouth several times, and closed it without saying anything. "Well, I believe Lily puts it the best...I think she said 'James is only trying to be with me because I'm the only one who'll say no. It's like he's a millionaire who made his fortune off of gold, and is still trying to buy off that one spot even though he has more than enough; in my opinion he's got a better chance of finding a fathomless vein of gold up his own ass."

James sat dumbfounded, and than said, "Up my ass?"

Remus nodded. "Up your ass."

"Well, first off, everyone wouldn't say yes. And second...I dunno. She's not some prize that I'm trying to win, or some...streak of gold, I guess. I just...I really like her. I just can't figure out for the life of me why she won't give me the time of day...ever," he said.

"Well, I kind of asked her about that..."

James stared.

"And?"

"It's the bullying and big headed...ness."

"Ah," he said slowly. "All right then." He paused for a moment, and then got a determined look on his face. "This is our last year at school, and I will be with her. I will. I'll be a new person, no more bullying, no more being fat-headed, and...anything else?"

"You've got to ask her out less."

"All right. Got it." And with that, James slid off the counter, and walked jovially out of the kitchen. While he did, Remus pulled the letter out of his pocket, and searched around the drawers in the kitchen for a quill and ink.

Dear Lily, he scrawled in beneath Lily's neat, round writing, About the guy likes girl, and guy does something stupid thing...listen, I think you already know about the guy likes girl thing because it's kind of self-explanatory. I don't really think that I should tell you the stupid thing he's done yet. But, all I can say is that he's caught between what he wants and what's best for others. He's confused, because he may want something that he doesn't know he can have, and knowing someone who possibly wants it more. Any thoughts on the matter?" -Remus

P.S. - I think...I think that you should be forewarned that James is Head Boy.

'I bet I'll be able to hear her scream all the way from here,' thought Remus.