Cruel Summer - Lily and James Potter

Chapter 7 - A lovehate relationship

'Oi, Lil!'

Lily opened one eye towards her house and watched James and...Sirius walking towards her. She sighed in exasperation and closed them again, hoping that they would go away. Sadly she was wrong. She didn't know why Sirius was here but she knew it would be nothing good and could tell that the reason they wanted to talk to her, would cost her some thing.

'Probably blood,' she thought to herself as they both towered over her.

'Evans?'

Lily moved her hand up to cover her eyes from the sun, and squinted at them, 'What?'

James looked at Sirius, who was looking at the barely-clothed girl in front of him, and then turned back to her.

'I'm going out tonight.'

Lily's face hardened at the thought of being woken again at 4 o'clock in the morning, 'Where exactly?'

'Just out to some bars and stuff,' he said flatly.

'Oh really?' she started, feeling the anger rise inside her, 'Well, if you come back at 4 in the morning Potter, don't expect to be let in!'

Lily glared at the mock-innocent face that he was wearing, and she nodded over at Sirius, 'And what's he doing here?'

'Hey!' Sirius frowned, 'He has a name actually!'

She looked at the tall boy next to James, 'I think 'Pig' works quite nicely.'

Sirius shot James a 'No Way' look and James looked at Lily again, 'Did you swallow a new batch of poison today or something?'

Lily ignored his comment and lied back down onto the cool grass. The boys shifted next to her, keeping silent; they really didn't know how to handle her wiry temper.

'Are you both going to stand there? Or are you going to leave?'

They chose the former.

When she realised this fact, she opened her eyes and glared at them, 'What are you do...'

James cut her off, 'We want you to come with us.'

Silence.

More silence.

'Eh?'

James closed his eyes to keep to his plan, and he spoke through gritted teeth, 'We want you to come with us.'

Lily frowned, not exactly believing what she'd heard.

Oh, it's one of their stupid pranks that no one understands.

But when she looked at their faces, they weren't grinning.

'Why do you want me to come with you?' she spat.

James looked at Sirius, who stood up straight and knelt down to her eye level. He reached out and brushed his hand down her arm, making her flinch away from his touch.

'I want you there Lil.'

He looked deep into her emerald eyes and she pulled away fast.

Erm, what just happened?

Sirius felt like he was loosing her before he'd even started and he made a desperate attempt, 'Please?'

Lily thought she was in some kind of dream and she looked between James and Sirius quickly, not believing, not wanting to believe.

'I don't understand,' she thought out loud.

'What's there to understand?'

Sirius moved towards her and picked up her hand that was resting on her knee. She jerked her hand away from his and stood up; grabbing the towel she had next to her.