𝔄𝔟𝔯𝔞 𝔎𝔢𝔡𝔞𝔳𝔯𝔞 ~ ᴹᴬᴿᴬᵁᴰᴱᴿˢ ᴱᴿᴬ {R.A.B.} {J.P}

[024]~ 𝑀𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈 (𝒪𝓇 𝒟𝒾𝑒 𝒯𝓇𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔)

Lily sat quietly at the Gryffindor table, playing around with her lunch. She didn't feel down, but something had been off. Odessa had still not come around. While they understood her wanting to get a break from the Marauders, they missed the company of the cheerful Hufflepuff. The boys in question had been acting odd too, perhaps it was because one of their best friends was avoiding them so diligently. Still, it seemed off...

"What's wrong, Firecracker?" Marlene asked from her side, having took note of the girl's blank stare.

"Nothing. It just feel so...bland. Like something should be happening, y'know?" She replied. Don't get things twisted, she was glad to have some peace with the Marauders not being noisy, and the lack of pranks the past week has been a godsend. But their absence made Lily bored, as if she missed their mischief.

"Finally coming to terms that you actually like having Potter around?" Alice questioned with a smirk, understanding her friend better than Lily knew herself.

"No. Granted, he hasn't been so annoying as of late." She shot down. She paused for a moment, "Although, he in particular also hasn't been around loads." She realized.

"Yeah actually," Mary agreed, "He hasn't been paying as much unwanted attention to you lately." The few times they did catch the boy, he seemed to be busy with other things, or always had something else on his mind. Not once that week did Mary, or any of the girls for that matter, see James even bat an eye Lily's way; a stark contrast to his usual demeanour.

"Maybe he's fallen for our little Sia instead." Marlene joked, hoping to get a rise out of Lily.

"He definitely has, there's no question there. But I hope he follows through with that and continues to leave me be." Lily spoke matter of factly. Yes; James should go after Odessa. They would be cute. And Lily didn't like him like that. He was finally giving her space like she always wanted. This was good.
So why did she feel so off about it? Why did her stomach feel so low? Why did her heart feel so heavy? She brushed it off as test nerves; there was a big one in History of Magic that afternoon.

"I don't know, they'd be cute, sure, but I think you two might be cuter." Marlene joked, though she secretly believed her words. Personally, she felt Odessa would be better off with-

"Sirius's brother would be so much cuter with Sia." Alice cut off Marlene's train of thought, though, with the same idea.

"Reg follows her around like a puppy and dotes on her all the time. I mean, he literally says goodbye by kissing her head." Marlene rambled. "Honestly, if he doesn't ask her out soon, I'm gunna do it for him."

"Speaking of..." Mary called their attention. They looked over to see the bright haired Hufflepuff storming through the great hall, refusing to look back at the spectacled Gryffindor following after her.

"Please, Sunshine. Just talk to me." He begged. The girl remained silent, refusing to acknowledge him. "I need to know. And you already got my half of the trade-"

"It was not a trade of information." The girl stoped in her tracks and quickly spun around to face him. "We have been over this. I had my reasons for being there and you had yours. We both agreed not to question each other about it. I did not ask for your reasoning, I accidentally discovered it."

"So now I'm asking-"

"Now you are pushing." She cut him off. "You are pushing for personal information you do not need to know. It does not concern you."

He sighed in exasperation. Trying to win over Lily's affection was always a challenge, but trying to win back Odessa's friendship seemed like an impossible feat right now. She had never seemed so aggravated. He felt like she would barely let him get a word in. "Why are you so upset with me. You didnt have this explosive of a reaction when Wormtail talked to you."