Chapter Twenty Five
The rest of the term passed uneventfully for Lily: Cassie and Rob had broken up and Sirius had started talking to Cassie again so there wasn’t much for Lily to do except wonder when they would get together and work. She had a much easier time than expected with the latter because James had stopped talking to her unless they were in a very large group; even then he refused to address her directly and she had the odd feeling that he was avoiding her. It had taken her a while to notice it but every time she entered the common room he would leave; he always left a few minutes after she had arrived and he was careful to make it seem like he had a genuine reason for leaving but, after a few weeks of this, Lily had started working in the library to avoid the sinking sensation in her stomach every time it happened. She only returned to the common room in the week before the beginning of the Easter holidays because she knew that Gryffindor had a Quidditch match the day before they started and that he would be busy nearly all the time in the run up to that. The only good thing about it was that it had got Cassie off her back; just after she and Rob had broken up Lily had asked her about Sirius and Cassie had retaliated by saying that it was obvious how much Lily fancied James. With him refusing to speak to her, or even be in the same room as her, Cassie could hardly pester her about it now and Lily was glad of the break; it had started to seem like the only thing anyone cared about was boys.
Match day dawned cold and clear and Lily, sitting alone in the common room, told herself that she had way too much work to do to go and support. It was nothing to do with the fact that the Captain had stopped acknowledging her and everything to do with the two foot essay on Infatuation Incantations that she had promised Flitwick. She tucked her feet up under herself and tried to focus on the parchment in front of her, a task which she found very difficult what with the distant shouts that she could hear coming from the Quidditch pitch; the temptation to listen in just to hear how Gryffindor were doing was very strong and the cheers of the assembled crowds rippled over the grounds, seeping through the thick glass and thicker stone walls of the tower.
Her work was interrupted by an enormous shout which swelled from the pitch and exploded. It was so loud that Lily could hear it clearly from where she was sitting and she felt her stomach sink as she heard what they were crying. “Go go Gryffindor! Go Potter! Yes Potter!” The cries disintegrated into whoops and cheers. Lily smiled in spite of her mixed feelings towards the Chaser and went back to her essay with a sigh.
She was still sitting there when the match finished and she ran up to the dorm before the house returned; Quidditch was such an important part of life at school that not to watch matches, especially when your house was playing, unless you had an inescapable reason was tantamount to blasphemy and Lily knew that being too scared to see James in his element was nowhere near a decent reason. Any Gryffindor who heard that would have had a fit and kicked her out of the house. As the traditional party started Lily slipped back down the stairs, her arrival passing unnoticed by most people gathered in the common room.
She didn't really feel like celebrating but the noise invaded all of the dorms and she couldn't escape it. As she searched for her friends she saw Cassie grinning at Sirius; not far away from them she saw James fielding the attention of a gaggle of girls and Lily squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he hadn’t noticed her staring. Lily moved away quickly and pushed her way through the hot bodies, moving desperately towards Mary and Alice. As she fought her way through them she hit one body that didn't let her go; when she looked up she saw Remus looking at her kindly. “I didn't see you at the match today.”
“Didn't go,” she shrugged. “I had to finish an essay for Flitwick. Not the best reason, I know but there it is.”
“It's fine,” Remus laughed, “I, unlike my friends, understand that sometimes schoolwork has to come before Quidditch and utter destruction.”
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The Next Great Adventure (A Marauders Fan Fic)
Fanfiction(Companion piece to Dwelling on Dreams) James Potter has been Lily's enemy since the first day that they both started at Hogwarts. She has never been interested in his being his friend but, when they and their friends return for their fifth year at...
