Hogwarts, 1977-1978 (Marauders Era/Jily Fanfic)

Chapter Seven

Hey guys! Sorry this part is so long and complicated, but please feel free to vote and comment!!

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Chapter Seven

{Lily}

The last two weeks of September disappear as it turns into October. Everyone can feel the change, the leaves are falling, the air is cooler and James and I are suddenly friends.
He's not like he is last year, immature and arrogant, he's funny and kind; he helps first years find their way around the castle and comforts them when they scared of something in the Daily Prophet. He actually does his Head Boy duties, and even helps me with my Head Girl ones.
It strikes me, one day in mid October, that we are actually friends. All nine of us, plus Daisy and her two friends, are sitting outside by the lake, possibly the coldest spot we could've found. We're all huddled together and laughing at something.
Everything is good, until Daisy mentions The Halloween Ball.
The Halloween Ball, is a ball held every year for seventh years only.
I pull away the second she says that, suddenly uncomfortable with sitting so close to James.
"I have to go finish some homework off in the library," I say loudly, and without waiting for a response, I stand up and walk away.
"Hey, wait up!" James calls behind me, but I just walk faster, pretending I don't know who he's talking too.
"Hey! Evans!" He yells, this time I stop and turn around, waiting till he catches up to me.
"Thought you looked a bit cold and lonely," He says, smiling kindly, putting an arm around me.
"Thanks," I smile, feeling suddenly happy at his appearance, although a moment ago I was avoiding him.
"So, do you know when these Junior Order meetings will start? Because it's been over month since we have them our list." He says.
"Yeah, I actually have no idea," I say, "Maybe we should ask Bones next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson,"
"Yeah, hopefully soon," he says wistfully.
"What do we have next?" I ask.
"Charms, I think,"
"Can you be bothered going?"
"I can never be bothered going, Evans," he grins.
I stop outside the library, thinking, "Then let's not go," I finally say.
"Is Lily Evans, the Head Girl, suggesting that we skip class?!" He says amazed.
"Wanna say it any louder?!" I hiss.
"LILY EV-" He yells, waving his arms about.
"Shut up!" I interrupt him, pulling his arms down and trying not to smile.
I drag him away from the corridor, which is slowly filling with students, and up into a secret staircase, concealed by a tapestry of the Four Founders.
"Okay, what do you do when you skive off?" I ask James.
"Are you telling me you've never skipped a class?" He asks disbelievingly.
"Of course I have," which is true, you can't be best friends with Marlene and not have skipped class, "I just meant what do you do?"
He grins, "Oh Evans, just you wait,"
Using his Gryffindor scarf, James blindfolds me, to make it a surprise. He insists that he spin me around so I won't know which direction, although I point out that we're on a staircase and I'll be able to tell if we're going up or down.
"Are we going up or down?" I ask once he has spun me around.
"Evans, you know I can't tell you that,"
"Well how do expected to walk up or down the stairs without knowing? I'll trip and fall, Potter!"
"Okay, we're going down," James says, placing his hands on my shoulders from behind and guiding me down the stairs.
He leads me through the corridors, making commentary at the places we pass, sometimes leading me by the hand or shoulders, and other times running in front of me; it is at these points when I accidently run into a few walls and threaten to hex him if he doesn't lead me properly.
"Okay," he whispers in my ear, hands on my shoulders, "We're here,"
James unties the scarf to reveal a large, beautiful painting of a fruit bowl.
"It's a very pretty painting..?" I say unsure. James has never struck me as the arty type.
"Oh, c'mon, are you telling me you've never been here?!"
I nod my head, confused.
"You're best friends with Marlene and she's never taken you here?!"
I nod my head slowly, then my eyes widen as I look from the painting to James and back, suddenly realizing where we are, "The kitchens?!"
"O for Outstanding Evans! Now tickle the pear," He coaxes me.
"No, Potter, we can't be here! We're Head Boy and Girl!"
"Yes, Miss 'Let's Skive off Charms'!"
I glare at him, folding my arms.
"Oh, c'mon Evans, live a little, tickle the pear," James whispers in my ear.
With a sigh of resignation, but also a slight grin on my face, I stretch my hand and tickle the pear. It squirms and giggles before transforming into a golden doorknob.
I grab the doorknob and pull as hard as I can, expecting it to be heavy, but it's not, it's really light. I topple backwards, and James catches me, laughing, "Oi, watch it, Evans."
I step through the door and into the kitchens.
The ceiling is high and arches over, mimicking the ceiling in the Great Hall, although it is not enchanted; the place is bustling with house-elves all dressed in the same Hogwarts tea-towel; four tables, as long as the house ones above, lie in the middle of the room, filled with plates and food.
"Whoa," I say.
"It's cool, right?" James grins, taking my hand, and for some reason I don't mind. He drops it almost immediately though, as a tall house-elf with large, round blue eyes, long ears and a long comes over to us.
"Mr Potter!" The house-elf squeaks, who I am almost certain is a girl, "How delightful to see you again! Do you want some tea and cake? Hot chocolate maybe? And who is this charming young girl?"
"This is my friend Lily Evans,"
"Ah delightful to meet you miss," squeaks the house-elf, "most delightful! I am Lolly, and I would introduce you to everyone, but that would take hours!"
A couple of other house-elves turn and wave at us, I wave back.
"So what was the verdict?" Lolly asks us.
"Tea?" James asks, looking at me.
I nod.
"Oh tea it is then!" Lolly says happily, before escorting us to a tiny table, that I am sure is meant for the elves themselves, and its tablecloth is made from many tea towels all stitched together rather messily.
"This place is awesome," I whisper to James, who nods enthusiastically, "They're all so nice!" I add.
"Yeah, if I said I was hungry they'd probably serve me a hippogriff!"
I laugh; James smiles back, looking delighted that I'm enjoying myself.
A few seconds later, a couple of elves, led by Lolly, come over to our table, carrying a tray with cups of tea and a bowl of sugar, and another with piles of assorted cakes and biscuits.
"There you go, sir and miss! Enjoy!" Lolly chimes happily, before telling the other house-elves to return to work.
James passes me a cup of tea and adds a spoonful of sugar to his own, as he does I look around, at the cakes and tea, the biscuits, the table for two....
"Potter," I say, and James looks up, "Yes?"
"This isn't a date, is it?" I say with a smirk.
"Evans," he says in a mock offended tone, "how dare you question my innocent motives!"
I raise my eyebrows at him.
"Can't two friends of the opposite gender just drink tea together sometimes?" James says, subtle sarcasm laced into his words.
"Can they hold hands?"
"Don't tell me you're a hand-holding virgin, Evans?"
"Oh I can tell you that I've held plenty of hands," I say smoothly, taking a sip of tea.
"Have you now? Who ever you knew you were a bad girl," James says, his head slightly cocked, one eyebrow raised, a slight smirk on his face.
Flirting mode.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and I gulp down some more tea to stop myself from saying something stupid.
We spend a whole hour in the kitchens, eating cakes, taste testing foods and drinking tea. We then roam the castle and the grounds, James shows me some secret passages and shortcuts I've never seen before. The rest of the day slowly starts to slip away, but neither of us realise it.
"Did it just get darker, or is that just me?" James says, as we walk along the bank of the lake.
I look up at the sky and am surprised to see the sun almost set and the darkening sky strewn with spectacular pink clouds.
"Wow, what's the time? How long have we been out here?" I ask.
"No idea, but I think we should be getting back to the castle, we might've even missed dinner."
"No way I could eat anything anyway, I'm still full from all those cakes," I reply.
"You realise you've missed half a day of classes, Evans," James points out as we walk back across the grounds towards the castle.
"Shit," I say, as this dawns on me, "I'm so screwed."
"Nah, you'll be fine, just ask Alice, she knows everything." James tells me seriously.
"Trust me, it's not that easy for everyone," I say, annoyed at myself for having missed half a day, and annoyed at James for not taking it seriously.
We walk through the practically empty corridors, arguing about the importance of going to class, which leads to the actual of importance of class and school over all.
"Look, education is important at any point in time," I say heatedly.
"Yes, but if we're able to actually able to help out in the real world and fight, than why do a seventh and pointless year of school, when all we are going to do at the end is fight!" He replies, just as heated and passionate.
I stop in my tracks, glaring at him, sudden anger pumping through my vains.
"Shut-up Potter," I whisper, before kissing him so hard up against the wall that all point is lost.
James kisses me back, enthusiastically, his hands on my back. My body is flooded with warmth and everything is a blur.
Then I regain my mind; I push him away, "Oh my god, Evans," James whispers, his eyes gleaming.
"Shit!" I say, "shit shit shit!"
"What?"
"Shit, I'm sorry," I say to him, before turning and running.
My face is red and my palms are sweaty and my head is throbbing with disbelief.
How? Why? What?
Every fibre of my body is telling me to not like James, to resist whatever urge it is inside me, that friends was enough.
"Acromantula," I say when I reach the Fat Lady. Her portrait swings open, and I dash through the common room and up to my dormitory to find Marlene and Alice sitting on her bed, talking.
"Where have you been?" Alice asks me.
"Shit," I say again.
"What?" Alice says.
"No, I've made a really bad mistake!" I moan, flopping onto the bed next to them.
"What is it Lil?" Marlene asks.
"I kissed him. I kissed James!"
Both Alice and Marlene squeal loudly and hug each other.
"Really?!" Marlene asks me happily.
This is not how I expected them to react.
"No, stop! It's bad!"
"Oh c'mon you two would be so perfect together," Marlene says and Alice nods avidly.
"No, no, no. We're friends that's it. That's all it's gonna be. I spent almost six years hating this guy, I'm not going to suddenly fall head-over-heels for him," I say stubbornly.
"Oh you never hated him," Alice says.
"Yeah I did," I say uncertainly.
She raises her eyebrows.
"Oh I don't know," I say hopelessly.
"Was it good?" Marlene asks.
"Marls!" I snap.
"Just wondering," she says defensively.
"Look, I am happy with our friendship now and I don't want to stuff it up," I say.
"So why'd you kiss him?" Marlene says logically and Alice nods.
"I don't know! But it's not going to happen again."
"Does he know that?" Alice asks.
"No, I just ran."
"You ran?! You kissed him than ran off?!" Alice says, "Geez, Lil, you're worse than Marlene!"
"Hey!" Marls protests.
"Oh god, I've screwed everything up!"