HP Fanfiction: Before The Test
I know, I know. I've been really bad about updating.
Here's a drabble - part of a gift exchange over at hat_sorting. Lily begins to get an inkling at what her relationship with James might mean as far as the Marauders go!
Lily smiled faintly at the three boys standing before her, brow raised as each of the four waited for someone else to speak first. Sirius Black, at the center of the group, was the only one who met her stare; shy Remus Lupin kept dropping his eyes to tattered loafers, shamefaced, while Peter Pettigrew simply looked to Sirius as he always did.
“Yes, Sirius?” she said at last. (Remus looked even more embarrassed at the gentleness of her tone.) “You wanted to see me?”
Sirius smiled a bit; he felt he had some small advantage, now that Lily had been the first to break the silence. “Why yes, Evans. You know, you’ve been spending a lot of time with James.”
“I have.” She widened her own smile, both brows raised. “Quite charming, James. At least when the lot of you aren’t terrorizing first years and loners.” (Remus went positively crimson at this, mumbling something Lily couldn’t quite catch.)
“Oh, someone has to keep them on their toes,” Sirius replied airily, spreading his hands. “And really, that’s not why we’re here. You see, Lily, this James thing. Cutting into our activities, don’t you think? People will think we’ve gone soft.”
“Perhaps they’ll think you’ve grown up.”
“Not at all, they know us better than that.” Sirius offered his most charming grin, only faltering slightly when Lily refused to melt as most of the Gryffindor girls did. “Anyway,” he continued with a faint cough, “this is a bit of a problem. So I suppose you’re going to have to convince me you’re not just stringing poor senseless James along, finding a bit of fun with us for your own popularity, that sort of nonsense.”
“I think you know better than that, Sirius. You act stupid, but you aren’t. Besides,” she added, turning that faint smile on Remus, “what are you going to do? Lure me to the Shrieking Shack, perhaps?”
Remus went from crimson to white at a rather alarming rate. Sirius dropped the smile entirely, glowering at Lily from beneath lowered brows. Lily thought he looked positively Cro-Magnon.
“Now look here, Evans, if you think-“
“Not at all. And no,” she added more softly, “James never said a word, Remus. I’m no fool, at least no more than you are a beast.” Remus thought that over a moment and then nodded, finally relaxing a bit. “Well, Sirius,” she continued, “just what are you planning to do about it?”
“Nothing at all, Lily my sweet,” he said a bit too quickly. “I only wanted you to be aware of the situation.”
“Do I detect a bit of sportsmanship?”
“When it suits me.” He grinned, looking far more wolfish than Remus ever had. “Well, take care then. Tell James I said hello, some days I think I’ll never see him again.”
“Of course.” Lily strolled away, thinking that the ‘meeting’ had gone rather well.
She had a feeling it was going to be a very long term.
Here's a drabble - part of a gift exchange over at hat_sorting. Lily begins to get an inkling at what her relationship with James might mean as far as the Marauders go!
Lily smiled faintly at the three boys standing before her, brow raised as each of the four waited for someone else to speak first. Sirius Black, at the center of the group, was the only one who met her stare; shy Remus Lupin kept dropping his eyes to tattered loafers, shamefaced, while Peter Pettigrew simply looked to Sirius as he always did.
“Yes, Sirius?” she said at last. (Remus looked even more embarrassed at the gentleness of her tone.) “You wanted to see me?”
Sirius smiled a bit; he felt he had some small advantage, now that Lily had been the first to break the silence. “Why yes, Evans. You know, you’ve been spending a lot of time with James.”
“I have.” She widened her own smile, both brows raised. “Quite charming, James. At least when the lot of you aren’t terrorizing first years and loners.” (Remus went positively crimson at this, mumbling something Lily couldn’t quite catch.)
“Oh, someone has to keep them on their toes,” Sirius replied airily, spreading his hands. “And really, that’s not why we’re here. You see, Lily, this James thing. Cutting into our activities, don’t you think? People will think we’ve gone soft.”
“Perhaps they’ll think you’ve grown up.”
“Not at all, they know us better than that.” Sirius offered his most charming grin, only faltering slightly when Lily refused to melt as most of the Gryffindor girls did. “Anyway,” he continued with a faint cough, “this is a bit of a problem. So I suppose you’re going to have to convince me you’re not just stringing poor senseless James along, finding a bit of fun with us for your own popularity, that sort of nonsense.”
“I think you know better than that, Sirius. You act stupid, but you aren’t. Besides,” she added, turning that faint smile on Remus, “what are you going to do? Lure me to the Shrieking Shack, perhaps?”
Remus went from crimson to white at a rather alarming rate. Sirius dropped the smile entirely, glowering at Lily from beneath lowered brows. Lily thought he looked positively Cro-Magnon.
“Now look here, Evans, if you think-“
“Not at all. And no,” she added more softly, “James never said a word, Remus. I’m no fool, at least no more than you are a beast.” Remus thought that over a moment and then nodded, finally relaxing a bit. “Well, Sirius,” she continued, “just what are you planning to do about it?”
“Nothing at all, Lily my sweet,” he said a bit too quickly. “I only wanted you to be aware of the situation.”
“Do I detect a bit of sportsmanship?”
“When it suits me.” He grinned, looking far more wolfish than Remus ever had. “Well, take care then. Tell James I said hello, some days I think I’ll never see him again.”
“Of course.” Lily strolled away, thinking that the ‘meeting’ had gone rather well.
She had a feeling it was going to be a very long term.