Sticky situations

Senior Summer solstice part 1/3

July 1 1977
It was a few days before the end of term and Lily's first ever Senior Summer Solstice. Actual Solstice had been celebrated a few days before, this celebration was a ball, only for 6th and 7th years. Lily wasn't really making a fuss but her fairly new best friend , Mary McDonald (a small, pretty girl with long brown hair, also in Gryffindor with Lily) was freaking out as if it were her wedding day coming up.
Mary had recently started dating Reginald Cattermole, a 7th year Hufflepuff, and she was already saying 'I love you'.
Mary McDonald did not take things lightly.
Lily also had a date to the party but she wasn't really interested. Her date, Daniel Whithers - Ravenclaw 6th year - only asked her to make Marlene Price jealous, it hadn't worked.
"Lily how can you be calm at a time like this, the ball is in FOUR DAYS." Mary was quite scary when stressed.
Lily grabbed her shoulders in attempt to calm her down. It didn't work.
"LILY, STOP TRYING TO CALM ME IM ALREADY CALMMM."
"Yes Mary dear, you can really tell," Lily chuckled.
This earned her a scowl from the brunette.
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James walked down to breakfast in a foul mood, in fact he had spent almost the whole year in a foul mood. He was still upset with Lily, but he did not love her.
At least that's what he kept telling himself.
He walked over to Lily and Mary, trying hard not to back out. Remus had asked him a favour, it was the least he could do.
James cleated his throat loudly to get the girls' attention.
Lily looked up with a bright smile, before frowning at who she saw before her.
"Lily I jut wanted to say..."
Lily preempted his words.
"Sorry Potter, already got a date, so for the one hundredth time. Leave. Me . Alone."
She broke eye contact and began her breakfast again.
He cleared his throat again. Lily groaned.
"Look, Potter..."
But this time James interrupted her.
"Actually , what I was going to tell you is that. Remus won't be able to make the prefect meeting day after tomorrow and he was wondering if you would tell dear old Frank, and although you haven't seemed to notice that I haven't asked you out in over a year, I am flattered to see you still think of me.
Oh and for the record, I have a beautiful date already."
He smirked at her and walked down the table to his friends.
Lily burned with embarrassment. To be honest, she had noticed actually, and annoying as it was when he did ask her out, she wondered what she had done to make it stop.
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Severus walked glumly through the halls. That's how anyone would describe him these days. Glum. He just looked so depressed all the time, everyone knew why but no one really cared. Severus has no friends , Lily had been his friend. Now all he had left was the stupid Slytherins, Mulciber being the worst. They didn't care about him though. Nobody did.
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Two days later Lily was in the Gryffindor common room waiting for Mary. She had gone to say goodbye to her younger brother , Charlie, who, with the rest of the younger years, was going home for the summer holidays.
This meant two whole days of peace in the common room, Lily couldn't wait.
Lily heard the portrait hole swing open and turned to see who it was.
She smiled as she saw Alice Fortescue climb through.
Alice was the year above Lily but they had grown close since Alice had started dating Frank, the head boy.
Alice came and plonked herself down on the chair next to the fireplace. Even without the fire she was practically glowing.
Lily could tell something had happened and pestered Alice to find out.
Much quicker than anticipated Alice gave in.
"It's Frank!" She exclaimed, " He's bought a flat in London by the Ministry, we're moving in together !"
Lily beamed at her friend.
Alice couldn't stop squealing in delight.
Lily for a horrible moment felt immensely jealous of Alice. She felt horrible but the thoughts crept into her head.
Why hadn't Lily found love like this ? Lily had always known she wasn't the most beautiful girl in the world, though she hated to think that she was ugly.
Ugly.
The word felt hot and sticky and uncomfortable to think about.
Lily kept a bright face however, begging her friend to tell her what had really happened, when in reality she felt like dying inside.
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James clambered past the giggling girls and went up to his dormitory that he shared with his three best mates and a quiet but nice enough boy named Leo McKinnon. Leo didn't have date to the ball, but everyone knew that he was madly in love with Marlene Price. He didn't even deny it.
James opened the door to his dormitory to find Sirius cuddling Remus in his bed. Remus looked positively awful. To be fair tonight was a full moon, no one expected him to look ecstatic.
James sighed and fell face first onto his welcoming bed.
"Where's Wormtail." He said , his sound muffled by the sheets.
"Why should I know." Replied Remus bitterly. He always had quite the temper this time of the month.
Sirius shushed him and started stroking his hair.

At first James had found this weird, his friends stroking each other but he had soon learned their true identities, it was just a matter of time before they figured out what they really meant to each other.
James flipped over onto his back.
"I was just wondering cause I heard a rumour that he'd asked that Charlotte girl to the ball."
Sirius' head shot up.
"Please don't tell me you mean Charlotte Perry."
"Well obviously, what other Charlotte is there." James replied flippantly while simultaneously fiddling with his school tie.
Sirius looked worried.
"He must realise that Charlotte has a boyfriend."
James looked up.
"No , who's her boyfriend?"
Sirius breathed in sharply.
"Mulciber."
James sat up suddenly and grabbed for some parchment on his desk, he muttered a few words tapped it with his wand and a map appeared.
His eyes scanned the surface for his friends name.
He sighed in relief to see Peter making his way up to the Common Room.
He was less relieved to see that he was being followed.

Hello readers, there aren't many of you but enjoy this cliff hanger!!!