The fic that took too long and sucks, IMHO
Rated G for good-for-nothing, 1826 words of crap. I'll probably re-do it later when I don't suck so hard (and not in the good way, either).
Keywords: smoke, a black eye, a bad euphemism for sex, boredom, the smell of lemon
It was so obvious that he was high. It might've been a shock to learn how they'd gotten narcotics on the grounds had it been anyone else. Lily frowned, walking silently at James Potter's side. He'd came along all right, at least. She hadn't had to hex him along. Which only reinforced how high he really was. She could smell the strange smoke on him, it clung to his clothes. Every so often he giggled, the sound like nails on a blackboard. Just one more floor, and he'll be out of your hands and into McGonagalls.
"D'we have to go to McGees, Evans?" came James voice at her side. It had been the first time he'd spoken since she'd caught him sneaking along the third floor corridor towards the staircases. He'd tried to argue his way out of it, said he got lost going to the bathroom. Two floors down? Lily had asked. Very lost, James had answered.
"Yes, Potter," Lily replied, struggling to keep from grinding her teeth together.Just one more floor, she told herself again, the words a litany.
"It's not like I was doing anything wrong--"
"Only being out of bed late and being toasted out of your mind," Lily interrupted. James moved in front of her, making her stop instantly. Lily's frown deepened. Part of her wondered why she even tried to take him in at all sometimes, seeing as he always argued or tried to escape. The few times he'd agreed, he'd spent most of the way to McGonagall's office sexually harassing her. Like then, for instance.
"All I woz doing woz gettin' a bit of medicine from.. from the Infirmary. 'Cause I wozn't sleepin'."
"Then why did you lie?" Lily asked sharply, looking straight up into his face. She hated how he'd gotten so tall over the summer; it had been easy staring him down when he was at least eye-level with her. He flashed her a cheeky grin, giggling again.
"I forgot?"
"Nice try, berkface. Now turn around and keep walking," Lily said. He refused to move, the expression in his eyes changing a little.
"S'there anything I can do or say to change your mind?" he asked, taking a step forward. Lily's eyes widened slightly, her expression changing to a grimace as she took a step back in kind.
"No!"
"How 'bout I gild your lily?" James continued on as if he hadn't even heard her. Lily stared at him in confusion, completely lost. Gild her lily? Was that some sort of joke?
"You're mad."
"For you," James replied, stepping closer again. Lily took another step back, though for some reason God or whatever higher being out there had decided to put a wall just behind her. Panic immediately welled up in her. Lily looked up into James' face yet again. He looked like the cat who caught the canary. She reached for her wand, but his hand came up to stop her halfway.
"C'mon. A bit of in-and-out. You could use it. I'll even promise not to sneak out again."
Now those words sounded a bit more familiar. Lily's face flushed in embarassment.
"I'll give you two seconds to get your slimy mitts off of me, or you're going to regret it, Potter," Lily hissed. James giggled again, his eyes red-rimmed behind his glasses.
"Wotcha gonna do, hmm? I've got you surrounded."
He was leaning in, his mouth only a few inches from hers. She knew exactly what she was going to do. Without even thinking about it, Lily brought her knee up between his legs. James fell like a rock, howling in pain. Lily pushed herself off the wall, unforgiving as she cast the body-bind on him.
"Don't move, Potter," she said aloud, barely resisting the urge to smirk at him. "I'm sure McGonagall will cast the counter-charm on you once I tell her where to find you."
---
"You're lucky she didn't punch you in the face, you idiot," Sirius said around a bit of toast, his face twisted in a rueful smile.
"Lucky?" James whimpered, staring at Sirius incredulously. Peter grabbed for the jam tart on the edge of James' plate while he wasn't looking. Remus tried very hard to keep a straight face altogether.
"Could've gotten a bit of glass in your eye. Much worse than a shiner," Remus added, spreading a bit of jam on his muffin. "I still don't see why you don't get your eyes corrected at St. Mungo's. Wouldn't it be easier for Quidditch?"
"Girls like blokes with glasses! It makes me look intellectual!" James replied. Sirius barked in laughter.
"Just because Lily's last boyfriend had glasses doesn't mean she dated him because he was brainy. I mean, hell, he was Head Boy," Sirius said, finishing a piece of bacon in two bites. James frowned a little, going quiet.
Remus would have liked to have added that perhaps if James didn't do things like fill Severus Snape's rucksack with day-old custard that perhaps he'd have a better chance at getting Lily Evand to go out with him, but he knew what Sirius would say (and do) if he did. The Marauders usually humoured him on his, quote, "unique point of view" on women, but when it came to the Endless Battle of Potter versus Evans, he was always wrong. Remus speared a tomato with his fork, popping it into his mouth before pushing the rest of his plate away.
"I've got tutoring, I'll see you later."
---
"Thank you for this," Lily said quietly, moving her chair a bit closer.
Remus smiled faintly. "S'fine. I know what it's like, getting sick. Except I've nobody to get notes from if I do. Sirius and James never keep notes, and Peter's writing resembles that of a right-handed person writing with their left hand."
Lily laughed quietly, her eyes darting back and forth between her parchment and his as she wrote. "I never get sick, that's the thing. I reckon I'm lucky I was only out through the weekend and Monday."
"What a crap way to spend your weekend," Remus commented, frowning in sympathy. Lily shrugged a little, smiling but not looking at him.
"I had a bit of time to catch up on some reading, in-between blowing my nose that is."
There was a lengthy pause as Lily continued to write. Remus watched her quill with muted fascination. It was almost funny, how his tight, tidy scrawl could blossom into the curving loops of Lily's handwriting. She even wrote prettily. Remus looked back at the open book in front of him, speed reading to find where he'd left off.
"What's this bit right here? I can't read it," Lily asked softly. Remus looked over to where she indicated, squinting at the words.
"'Until it smells of lemon,'" Remus answered, looking up to meet her eyes. It was almost unnerving, how close she was. He could make out the shape of her irises. Remus swallowed. "Why didn't you ask for Slughorn to give you the notes? I'm sure he'd've hand-written them for you."
Lily smiled, ducking her head in order to continue writing. "Never thought of it, I suppose. You're the first person who popped into my head to ask."
Remus felt a wonderful little swoop in his belly. He'd been the first person she thought of, even before any of her friends. Well, you're friends, aren't you? his inner voice asked.
"So, are you going to Hogsmeade this Friday?" Lily asked. Remus looked over at her. She continued to write, though he could make out a faint blush in her cheeks. Why was she blushing? Didn't that mean something, blushing?
"Don't see why not," He said slowly, watching her. "I need to buy another bottle of ink anyway. And I'm sure the lads'll want to pop into Zonko's for a bit."
Lily gave a breath of a laugh, casting a sidelong look at him. "You don't go anywhere without them, do you?"
"I do," Remus replied defensively. Lily put her quill down, turning to look straight at him. He felt his insides give a little wiggle at the look in her eye. Daring, almost, if one didn't take in the fact that she was blushing.
"Oh really? Name one time."
"Err.." Remus said, his mind inconveniently blank. He picked at it viciously, trying to recall an incident he'd gone anywhere without Sirius, Peter or James. "Well.. Prefect rounds--"
"That doesn't count, that's obligatory," Lily interrupted, a smirk in the left corner of her mouth. Remus swallowed again.
"Well I.. err.. Okay, fine," Remus said at last, "Except for obligatory classes without them, summer hols and prefect rounds, and perhaps a trip to the loo, no. I don't go anywhere without them. But what's the harm in that?"
Lily shrugged, turning back to her notes. Remus stared dumbfounded.
"Think maybe you'd be willing to lose them for an hour?" she asked. Another swoop assaulted Remus' insides. Was she asking him to go with her to Hogsmeade?
"Er."
"You're quite the articulate one, aren't you?" Lily asked, looking up at him again with a smile. Remus felt his mouth working, but nothing came out. Oh god, how humiliating.
"I'll make it easy for you," Lily said, re-capping her inkwell and sliding the quill into the sleek metal tube. "If you can't, shake your head 'no.' If you can, nod--"
Remus nodded immediately and vigorously. Lily's smile widened.
"Good. Meet me at Scrivenshaft's, then. We'll take a walk, or something." Lily rolled up the parchment and sealed it with a tap, putting the contents of her deskspace into her rucksack. Remus watched, unable to vocalize any of his thoughts, not that he had a whole lot of them to begin with. She had asked him out. They were going to spend time together outside of class and prefects rounds. Alone.
Then she did the most unexpected thing. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Remus' eyes widened as she stood up.
Say something! Anything, you idiot!
"Nngrn."
Lily grinned at him. "See you," she said, shouldering the strap of her bag and heading down the narrow aisles towards the double-doored exit to the Library. Remus sat stock still, gaze unfocused. She'd kissed him. They were going out. This had to be a dream. He moved his hand mechanically to his arm, pinching the skin between his thumb and forefinger.
"Ouch."
Something of a grin finally slid onto his face. Friday. Four more days. How he was going to make it through the week without telling anyone, he had no idea.
ihatefastcars' next 5 keywords: Alice (Future-)Longbottom as a minor character, a case of the Mondays, poetic injustice, laughing at inappropriate moments, dancing to no music
Keywords: smoke, a black eye, a bad euphemism for sex, boredom, the smell of lemon
It was so obvious that he was high. It might've been a shock to learn how they'd gotten narcotics on the grounds had it been anyone else. Lily frowned, walking silently at James Potter's side. He'd came along all right, at least. She hadn't had to hex him along. Which only reinforced how high he really was. She could smell the strange smoke on him, it clung to his clothes. Every so often he giggled, the sound like nails on a blackboard. Just one more floor, and he'll be out of your hands and into McGonagalls.
"D'we have to go to McGees, Evans?" came James voice at her side. It had been the first time he'd spoken since she'd caught him sneaking along the third floor corridor towards the staircases. He'd tried to argue his way out of it, said he got lost going to the bathroom. Two floors down? Lily had asked. Very lost, James had answered.
"Yes, Potter," Lily replied, struggling to keep from grinding her teeth together.Just one more floor, she told herself again, the words a litany.
"It's not like I was doing anything wrong--"
"Only being out of bed late and being toasted out of your mind," Lily interrupted. James moved in front of her, making her stop instantly. Lily's frown deepened. Part of her wondered why she even tried to take him in at all sometimes, seeing as he always argued or tried to escape. The few times he'd agreed, he'd spent most of the way to McGonagall's office sexually harassing her. Like then, for instance.
"All I woz doing woz gettin' a bit of medicine from.. from the Infirmary. 'Cause I wozn't sleepin'."
"Then why did you lie?" Lily asked sharply, looking straight up into his face. She hated how he'd gotten so tall over the summer; it had been easy staring him down when he was at least eye-level with her. He flashed her a cheeky grin, giggling again.
"I forgot?"
"Nice try, berkface. Now turn around and keep walking," Lily said. He refused to move, the expression in his eyes changing a little.
"S'there anything I can do or say to change your mind?" he asked, taking a step forward. Lily's eyes widened slightly, her expression changing to a grimace as she took a step back in kind.
"No!"
"How 'bout I gild your lily?" James continued on as if he hadn't even heard her. Lily stared at him in confusion, completely lost. Gild her lily? Was that some sort of joke?
"You're mad."
"For you," James replied, stepping closer again. Lily took another step back, though for some reason God or whatever higher being out there had decided to put a wall just behind her. Panic immediately welled up in her. Lily looked up into James' face yet again. He looked like the cat who caught the canary. She reached for her wand, but his hand came up to stop her halfway.
"C'mon. A bit of in-and-out. You could use it. I'll even promise not to sneak out again."
Now those words sounded a bit more familiar. Lily's face flushed in embarassment.
"I'll give you two seconds to get your slimy mitts off of me, or you're going to regret it, Potter," Lily hissed. James giggled again, his eyes red-rimmed behind his glasses.
"Wotcha gonna do, hmm? I've got you surrounded."
He was leaning in, his mouth only a few inches from hers. She knew exactly what she was going to do. Without even thinking about it, Lily brought her knee up between his legs. James fell like a rock, howling in pain. Lily pushed herself off the wall, unforgiving as she cast the body-bind on him.
"Don't move, Potter," she said aloud, barely resisting the urge to smirk at him. "I'm sure McGonagall will cast the counter-charm on you once I tell her where to find you."
---
"You're lucky she didn't punch you in the face, you idiot," Sirius said around a bit of toast, his face twisted in a rueful smile.
"Lucky?" James whimpered, staring at Sirius incredulously. Peter grabbed for the jam tart on the edge of James' plate while he wasn't looking. Remus tried very hard to keep a straight face altogether.
"Could've gotten a bit of glass in your eye. Much worse than a shiner," Remus added, spreading a bit of jam on his muffin. "I still don't see why you don't get your eyes corrected at St. Mungo's. Wouldn't it be easier for Quidditch?"
"Girls like blokes with glasses! It makes me look intellectual!" James replied. Sirius barked in laughter.
"Just because Lily's last boyfriend had glasses doesn't mean she dated him because he was brainy. I mean, hell, he was Head Boy," Sirius said, finishing a piece of bacon in two bites. James frowned a little, going quiet.
Remus would have liked to have added that perhaps if James didn't do things like fill Severus Snape's rucksack with day-old custard that perhaps he'd have a better chance at getting Lily Evand to go out with him, but he knew what Sirius would say (and do) if he did. The Marauders usually humoured him on his, quote, "unique point of view" on women, but when it came to the Endless Battle of Potter versus Evans, he was always wrong. Remus speared a tomato with his fork, popping it into his mouth before pushing the rest of his plate away.
"I've got tutoring, I'll see you later."
---
"Thank you for this," Lily said quietly, moving her chair a bit closer.
Remus smiled faintly. "S'fine. I know what it's like, getting sick. Except I've nobody to get notes from if I do. Sirius and James never keep notes, and Peter's writing resembles that of a right-handed person writing with their left hand."
Lily laughed quietly, her eyes darting back and forth between her parchment and his as she wrote. "I never get sick, that's the thing. I reckon I'm lucky I was only out through the weekend and Monday."
"What a crap way to spend your weekend," Remus commented, frowning in sympathy. Lily shrugged a little, smiling but not looking at him.
"I had a bit of time to catch up on some reading, in-between blowing my nose that is."
There was a lengthy pause as Lily continued to write. Remus watched her quill with muted fascination. It was almost funny, how his tight, tidy scrawl could blossom into the curving loops of Lily's handwriting. She even wrote prettily. Remus looked back at the open book in front of him, speed reading to find where he'd left off.
"What's this bit right here? I can't read it," Lily asked softly. Remus looked over to where she indicated, squinting at the words.
"'Until it smells of lemon,'" Remus answered, looking up to meet her eyes. It was almost unnerving, how close she was. He could make out the shape of her irises. Remus swallowed. "Why didn't you ask for Slughorn to give you the notes? I'm sure he'd've hand-written them for you."
Lily smiled, ducking her head in order to continue writing. "Never thought of it, I suppose. You're the first person who popped into my head to ask."
Remus felt a wonderful little swoop in his belly. He'd been the first person she thought of, even before any of her friends. Well, you're friends, aren't you? his inner voice asked.
"So, are you going to Hogsmeade this Friday?" Lily asked. Remus looked over at her. She continued to write, though he could make out a faint blush in her cheeks. Why was she blushing? Didn't that mean something, blushing?
"Don't see why not," He said slowly, watching her. "I need to buy another bottle of ink anyway. And I'm sure the lads'll want to pop into Zonko's for a bit."
Lily gave a breath of a laugh, casting a sidelong look at him. "You don't go anywhere without them, do you?"
"I do," Remus replied defensively. Lily put her quill down, turning to look straight at him. He felt his insides give a little wiggle at the look in her eye. Daring, almost, if one didn't take in the fact that she was blushing.
"Oh really? Name one time."
"Err.." Remus said, his mind inconveniently blank. He picked at it viciously, trying to recall an incident he'd gone anywhere without Sirius, Peter or James. "Well.. Prefect rounds--"
"That doesn't count, that's obligatory," Lily interrupted, a smirk in the left corner of her mouth. Remus swallowed again.
"Well I.. err.. Okay, fine," Remus said at last, "Except for obligatory classes without them, summer hols and prefect rounds, and perhaps a trip to the loo, no. I don't go anywhere without them. But what's the harm in that?"
Lily shrugged, turning back to her notes. Remus stared dumbfounded.
"Think maybe you'd be willing to lose them for an hour?" she asked. Another swoop assaulted Remus' insides. Was she asking him to go with her to Hogsmeade?
"Er."
"You're quite the articulate one, aren't you?" Lily asked, looking up at him again with a smile. Remus felt his mouth working, but nothing came out. Oh god, how humiliating.
"I'll make it easy for you," Lily said, re-capping her inkwell and sliding the quill into the sleek metal tube. "If you can't, shake your head 'no.' If you can, nod--"
Remus nodded immediately and vigorously. Lily's smile widened.
"Good. Meet me at Scrivenshaft's, then. We'll take a walk, or something." Lily rolled up the parchment and sealed it with a tap, putting the contents of her deskspace into her rucksack. Remus watched, unable to vocalize any of his thoughts, not that he had a whole lot of them to begin with. She had asked him out. They were going to spend time together outside of class and prefects rounds. Alone.
Then she did the most unexpected thing. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Remus' eyes widened as she stood up.
Say something! Anything, you idiot!
"Nngrn."
Lily grinned at him. "See you," she said, shouldering the strap of her bag and heading down the narrow aisles towards the double-doored exit to the Library. Remus sat stock still, gaze unfocused. She'd kissed him. They were going out. This had to be a dream. He moved his hand mechanically to his arm, pinching the skin between his thumb and forefinger.
"Ouch."
Something of a grin finally slid onto his face. Friday. Four more days. How he was going to make it through the week without telling anyone, he had no idea.
ihatefastcars' next 5 keywords: Alice (Future-)Longbottom as a minor character, a case of the Mondays, poetic injustice, laughing at inappropriate moments, dancing to no music