Rising

Chapter 5

"Come on Amelia, Mia come on!" Lily complained. She currently had Amelia's arm gripped tightly under her own, and was determinedly dragging her friend to the library. "We have the O.W.L's this year."

"Technically we don't have them to next summer Lils." Amelia reminded her, struggling to free herself.

"But we have to study!" Lily continued to drag Amelia mercilessly to the library.

"I have Quidditch practice!" Amelia claimed.

"No you don't." Lily snorted dismissively. "Potter said it is tomorrow."

"You were listening to Potter?" Amelia cried incredulously. "Sirius and I think that by seventh year, you two will be going out."

"Well you and Sirius are the two gossip queens of the school, aren't you?" Lily responded.

"Gossip Goddess. Sirius is my Gossip Minion." Amelia corrected sagely. "You can be my Gossip Midget as you are so small."

"I am up to your shoulder!" she protested. "And you are like, six foot!"

"Five foot eleven." Amelia corrected again. "My nana is very tall."

"Tall enough to ensure that you are taller than Potter."

"Potter is proudly short."

"Potter is what?" James interrupted.

"James, help me!" Amelia begged. "Lily wamts to force me to go to the library!"

"Evans." James greeted with a curt nod. "Let me accompany you, Lady Evans and Lady Hale."

"Potter..." Lily warned. "Go away."

"I think James had a very good idea. Except, maybe I should go and leave you two alone." Amelia suggested.

"I agree." James agreed wholeheartedly.

"Two against one!" Amelia yelled as she sprinted away from the pair. "You're outvoted Evans!"

James returned from the library later that day, a very proud grin on his face. He entered the Gryffindor common room and sat down on one of the plush red arm chairs.

"She spoke to me." he stated triumphantly.

"She actually spoke to you?" Remus questioned in shock. "Not a yelling type of spoke?"

"That grammar is atrocious Moony." Sirius scolded jokingly. "In all seriousness mate, that is an achievment and a half."

"And she called me James..."

"Was she saying your full name in order to annoy you?" Amelia asked.

"Maybe?"

The other four burst out laughing. "Hang in there Fleamont!" Sirius crowed.

"Why Fleamont?" Peter cried.

"It's a tradition in my family." James answered grumpily. "My son will be called Something James Potter. If it is a girl, she shall be named Something Lily Potter."

"Something is a very creative name." Amelia remarked.

"Almost as unique as Fleamont." Sirius added wickedly.

James groaned. "This is basically bullying."

"No, it is simply constructing a good moral fibre."

"Lily doesn't like arrogant twats Prongs." Amelia added.

"Everybody likes arrogant twats!" James protested.

"Correction - most sixteen year old girls like arrogant twats."

"Which is why Sirius has a new girlfriend every week." Remus quipped.

"Every two days, you mean." Amelia corrected. "Remus, Peter and I are saintly and not man-whores."

"Several problems with that Mia. a) Amelia, you are a girl, b) you are straight unless you have something to tell us and c) every boy has at one stage asked you out."

Amelia sighed exasperatedly. "Potter, you state that as if you think I make every boy ask me out."

"Who knows what Veela voodoo you do on those boys." Sirius teased.

"I will pull the bird card." Amelia warned. Remus looked up warily before taking a cautious step back.

"Mia, don't." he warned.

"Moony, she went full Birdie-mode on you?" Peter asked in shock.

Remus looked sheepish. "It wasn't my fault!"

"Sure it wasn't." Amelia muttered darkly. "I am yet to get revenge on you for that Lupin."

Peter looked from Remus to Amelia, enraptured in the playful argument as if it was a Muggle soap opera. Amelia found it a bit annoying, to be frank. She would rather not have Peter gawking at her 24/7.

"Can't wait." Remus remarked sarcastically. "I am practically squealing in excitement."

"Wow Moony, I am impressed!" James exclaimed, clapping his friend on the back. "Who knew a little thing like you had so much sarcasm, eh?"

Remus snorted as he looked down at James. "Dug yourself in a bit of a hole there mate." James looked vaguely annoyed about his short stature for a few moments, before something seemed to lift his mood.

"Evans!"

Amelia's eyes widened in alarm, and she reached out to grab James' robes but it was too late. The idiot had already made his way up to Lily who had just returned to where she was previously.

The four (who were not infatuated with a fiery red-head) regarded James and Lily's conversation. James had his trademark confident smirk plastered on, but Amelia noticed how it slipped bit by bit as the conversation progressed.

"Oh how I wish that the Invisibility Cloak could teleport at my every summoning." Sirius sighed dramatically.

"Prongs seems to be undoing all his progress from earlier." Remus remarked, as Lily's mouth opened angrily.

"Can you imagine the names she is calling him?" Amelia questioned wistfully. "She is very creative, that child is. A reaccurring favourite of mine is 'arrogant toerag'. Very fitting."

It was only when Lily finally raised her hand threateningly at James, did his friends decide to intervene.

"Amelia Robinette Hale!" Lily barked, her eyes wild with fury. "Can you tell this arrogant toerag to go and- go and..." Lily trailed off.

"Backflip off the Astronomy Tower?" Amelia suggested jokingly.

Lily cast an annoyed glance at her friend. "Tell him to stay off the love potions!"

"Sorry Evans, but James here hasn't been near any of those." Sirius reassured her. "Not recently, that is."

"What he means to say is that none of James' attempts have been successful!" Amelia interrupted. She barely restrained herself from adding 'yet'. She didn't want to break Lily completely.

"And they never will be!" Lily announced stubbornly. "Over my dead body!"

Amelia exchanged a knowing glance with Remus. Even Sirius, James' right-hand, thought his love for Lily was a mere obsession.

No obsession lasted the full course of five years, unless James had underlying problems they were still to be informed of.
Then again...

Probably.