Sarah Potter and the Mauraders

Part 34

Sorry for the delay, I decided to stay a bit longer with my familiy. Thank you all for your patience and comments!!! As an excuse for my long absence, I've written six instead of four chapters!
Hope you enjoy them!!!

James didn't react for a long time. He was shocked. "Did she just say...", James thought not really comprehending what Sarah said, "like a brother, hmm." He didn't know how to react. Honestly, he didn't imagine Sarah to say 'no'. "What did you expect her to do? To jump up and down with happiness and scream 'yes'?", a nasty voice said in James' head, "face it, you're a pathetic idiot. Lily hates you and now Sarah will surely laugh behind your back. How foolish you are!" Sarah was slowly worried about James' lack of reaction. Maybe she should have let him down gentler? But honestly, she never thought that he would feel this way. For gods' sake, he was her dad! "James?", she asked softly, "are you fine?" Mentally, she kicked herself for this stupid question. "Of course, he's not fine, you idiot! How would you handle a rejection?", she berated herself. "You know, James, you're...", she began but he interrupted her with a clearly forced smile: "No, no it's fine. I understand. Well, I'll better go to sleep now. Tomorrow, school will start again." With that he turned and went straight back to his dorm. "James", Sarah called but he didn't react to that.

When the door closed, Sarah sighed heavily and sat on a couch in the Common Room wondering how such a fine evening could turn into something so bad. Sleep was out of question. And she didn't want to face Lily right now. "Coward", a little voice in her head whispered to her. She shook her head as if to get rid of this voice. She knew that tomorrow it'll be awkward to face them. And on top of that, Jack will be coming tomorrow. She could feel a headache coming and decided to go for a walk.

Unbeknowingly to both of them, Sirius was also awake to see the reason of James' odd reaction at dinner. He stood in the corner under James' invisibility cloak the whole time and he couldn't be more shocked. He suspected that James would feel more than normal friendship towards Sarah but he always thought -or rather hoped- that Lily was his 'undying love' as James has always put it. He felt guilty as he felt a little bit of satisfaction that Sarah shot him down. That meant that he had a chance for her after all. But immediately after this thought, Sirius banned it back. James was his best friend and he would be happy when James would be happy. And nothing -not even a mysterious girl- could tear them apart. "What a evening", he mused before he also went back to his dorm.

Lily on the other hand couldn't sleep. Again and again she replayed James' and Sarah's conversation: "What about Lily? I thought you love her." "I don't love her anymore."
"I don't love her anymore." "I don't love her anymore."
Especially this sentence was replayed in her head again and again. "Well, I got my wish", she thought bitterly and thought back of a memory:
It was a sunny day on Saturday afternoon two years ago. Lily walked together with Alice and Marlene chatting about homework. Suddenly, James flew past her with a broom and stopped right in front of her. Lily screeched in surprise and Sirius who followed James on the broom, began to laugh about her reaction. Lily scowled at them. "Well, Lilyflower", James said, "isn't it time to return my undying love and go to Hogsmeade to me?" Lily's scowl became more prominent. "Don't call me Lilyflower", she snapped, "and I would rather go alone than with you, you arrogant toe-rag! Now leave us alone or do you want detention?" Sometimes it is very handy to be the prefect. "You're one cruel woman, Lily", James groaned theatrically, "but I won't give up!" And with that he flew away.
"I wish he would stop harrassing me", Lily grumbled when they were away, "it goes on my nerves. I won't fall for him, never! But of course, it doesn't go into his thick-harded skull!" "Well, I think it has a romantic note on it", Alice said absently. When she saw Lily's glare, she said: "What? I think it was nice of James to say that he'll never give up on you." "And that he loves you", Marlene added slyly. "Well, I wish he would stop loving me!", Lily cried frustated.
Lily cried bitterly this night and she wished she could turn back the time: "Why? Why did I only realise my feelings when it was too late?" She wanted to be angry, angry at James that he broke his promise of always loving her, angry at Sarah for letting James fall in love with her but mostly she was angry with herself that she realised her feelings too late.