Not-So-Secret Admirer -A Jily Story

Part 6- Lily

THERE HAD TO BE ANOTHER REASON FOR THE MINSTRY GALA. None of the previous seventh years students attended one. I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one who was thinking the same thing based on the looks of the other student's faces.

"Mar, what did you and Sirius talk about," Dorcas asked as we got up and left the Great Hall.

"Nothing much," she replied "We just got to know each other a bit more."

"How many drinks have you had?" I asked.

"Not a lot just... eight," she said. For Marlene to get drunk, you don't need alcohol, you just need a little bit of sugar.

"If it took you getting a sugar high to get you to have a conversation with Sirius, I would have given you three liters of fizzy pop a long time ago," Dorcas said.

"I think I'm going to ask Sirius to be my date," Marlene said "Wait, no, I am going to ask him."

"Way to go Mar," I said. Marlene was a lot more confident when she had an abnormal amount of glucose in her system.

"I'm going to do it right now," she said and she ran after James and his friends.

"Speaking of dates, can I assume you're going to ask James?" Dorcas asked.

"No," I said "James and I are just friends."

"That's what your mouth says," Dorcas teased "Not your heart."

**********

Classes took place as usual. I sat at the back during potions with Remus.

"So this Ministry gala," I started "Do you want to go with me?"

"Oh yeah, that's good, now try it on James," he said.

"No, I'm serious," I said "Will you go with me? As friends of course!"

"Wouldn't you rather ask James?" Remus sighed "So you two can go as more than friends?"

"Why does everyone assume that?" I groaned "I don't like him like that."

"That's what you say Lil," he said "But I can see it in your eyes. You like him."

"Fine, even if that was true, I'm still not going to ask him," I said "If he asks me I need to be able to say 'sorry I'm going with someone else'"

"Why?"

"I don't know," I admitted "I just don't think it's a good idea for me and James to go together. I'm still figuring things out between us and if I do ask him I'm afraid that it will send the wrong message."

"Fine, but just for the record you and I are just meant to be friends," he said "But on the other hand, you and James, you aren't meant to be just friends."

**********

I sat on Dorcas' bed in the girls' dormitory after a long time. Marlene burst through the door and flopped on her bed, face down.

"I'm a hopeless case and I'm never going to find love and I'm going to die an old hag," Marlene said, her voice muffled by the pillow. She turned over and Dorcas and I lay down beside her.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Okay, so Sirius was with Peter and so I went up to them and said 'Hi, so since we have to go to the Ministry gala, I was wondering it you would like to go with me as my date?'" Marlene explained.

"And he said no?" Dorcas guessed.

"No, he said yes," Marlene said.

"Then what is the problem?" I asked.

"I got too cocky and said 'Who said that I was talking to you? I was asking Peter'." Marlene said. Dorcas and I groaned.

"Marlene McKinnon!" Dorcas reprimanded "You are going to go fix this right now!"

"I can't," she said "I totally expected Peter to say no and at first he did. Then Sirius convinced Peter to say yes. I think he was sobering up so his beautiful brain broke."

"Great, so my best friends are idiots who ask the wrong guy," Dorcas exclaimed.

"Friends? Plural?" Marlene said and then she realized that Dorcas was talking about me "Who did you ask, Lil?"

**********

I was walking back from the girls' dormitory when I crossed paths with someone who I wish I could forget.

"Hey, Lily," he said "How are you?"

"Fine," I said flatly. He just nodded and fiddled with his thumbs.

"Um... So this Ministry gala," he said "I probably shouldn't even ask this but I was hoping you would go with me? We could just go as friends if you want."

"You're right Severus," I said "You shouldn't even ask me that."

"Come on, Lily," Severus said, moving his black hair out of his eyes "We were friends before."

"We were," I said "But then you called me a Mudblood."

"Loads of people call you a Mudblood, you never cared."

"Those people weren't my friends, you were supposed to be," I said, blinking back tears "And you never even thought to apologize."

"Lily-" he started to say but I cut him off.

"Besides I'm already going with someone else," I said. I didn't want to hear his apology.

"Have you forgotten how's he treated me?" he said "Potter made my life miserable."

"And you deserved it," I spat "It just took me a while to realize that and James is a different person. He might still hate you but he is really nice and caring and I've seen that he would do anything for his friends."

"I would do anything for you," Severus exclaimed.

"If that was true, you wouldn't have done what you did," I said.

"You know what, you two have a nice life together," Severus said and he sped past me.

"I'm not going with James either," I said to the empty hallway. I headed to my dorm. I said the password and the door swung open. I just sat on the sofa with a book. James came in soon after.

"Hey Lily, you okay?" he asked. I guess he could see that I wasn't.

"Yeah, I just had an unpleasant conversation with Snape," I said.

"Say the word and I'll hex him," James declared.

"I'm going hold on to that offer," I said, smiling.

"So, I guess I should just ask you straight up," he said "Will you go to the Ministry ball thing with me?"

"Sorry James," I said "I already going with Remus."

"Oh, no problem," he said a little sadly. I've rejected James many times before but this time it felt bad to reject him. Probably because I don't know if I wanted to or not.

"Hey, James," I said "Have you notice anything unusual about this Ministry gala, ball, event, whatever?"

"Oh, good," he said "I'm not the only one who thinks that. Peter and I did some digging and we found out the real reason for the ball. Apparently the Ministry is really scared that some of the students at Hogwarts might join Voldemort's side so this event is supposed to convince students to stand against Voldemort and what he stands for."

"Do you really think that this Voldemort character is dangerous?" I asked.

"No, I just think it's all propaganda. He won't actually do anything. The Ministry is just taking caution," James replied "But nothing is going to happen to you as long as I'm alive."

A/N: Kind of a long chapter but I am so happy I got it done. I was having major writer's block and I fixed it with One Direction songs. Don't even ask me how that's supposed to work, cause I don't even know. Also someone please check my grammar, spelling, etc. and have a nice day ahead!!