Priori Incantatem [HARRY POTTER FANFICTION]

Chapter 15: Unprepared

Chapter 15: Unprepared

That night the party in Gryffindor Tower went on until the wee hours of the morning. When Lily and Remus returned from their Prefect meeting at quarter to ten the party was already in full swing, with wall to wall banners, food and drink, and from the looks of the Gryffindor partygoers, it wasn't pumpkin juice.

"How did Black and Potter manage to DO all this?" Lily asked. It really wasn't a question of who had done it.

"Er - I dunno," Remus looked somewhat rueful. "Can I get some food or something?"

"No thanks," Lily was amused at Remus' poor attempt to change the subject. "I'm just going to go and congratulate Dorcas.

As Lily made her way to her friend, a familiar voice called out her name "Evans!" and suddenly there was James Potter standing right in her path. Lily sighed. Perfect. Potter on an ego high after a Quidditch victory.

"Evans," James was speaking with a bit more effort than usual and Lily was suddenly aware that he'd had a bit too much to drink. "Been looking for you everywhere. Doesn't matter though, 'cause here you are. Couldn't miss you with that beautiful red hair," James' expression suddenly turned serious, a frown creasing his forehead. "Why d'you hate me so much? I don't hate you," James looked so disappointed that Lily almost felt sorry for him.

"M'stomach flip-flops every time I see you," James continued. "Always has, ever since the first time I ever saw you."

"I -" Lily had no idea what to say. Her face flushed hotly and she fidgeted, looking everywhere but at James. So she did the only thing possible in the face of this much embarrassment. She beat a hasty retreat.

"Evans!" James called after her, but Lily had no intention of stopping.

"C'mon, Prongs," Sirius had come up behind James and was leading him towards the boys' dormitory staircase. "You can impress Evans with your romantic declarations later.

"Did I just say what I think I said?" James wanted confirmation.

"Yep," Sirius replied cheerfully, and James groaned, burying his head in his hands. "But don't worry, mate. I think only about half of the common room heard."

The parties in Gryffindor Tower went on for the next week and only stopped because of the looming threat of final exams. But even when faced with the crisis exams inevitably provoked, the Gryffindors were still in good spirits. They had won the Cup once again and it had been one in the eye for the Slytherins, who had caused them no inconsiderable amount of grief this year.

Lily was having a lot of difficulty studying for her exams. She just couldn't concentrate for any length of time, which was infuriating enough in itself, but the distraction was even worse. Lily could not get James Potter out of her head.

Suddenly he seemed to be everywhere; every time she looked up there he was. He hadn't spoken to her since the night of the Quidditch Cup; he seemed embarrassed about it, in fact. But even though he was leaving her more or less alone, Lily couldn't stop looking at him or thinking about him. She'd replayed his words to her that night in the common room over and over again in her head.

This behaviour confused Lily thoroughly. She hated James Potter, why was he suddenly invading her mind this way? She couldn't read or study, or concentrate in class or at Prefect meetings. She was so absent-minded during her patrols that once some out-after-hours first years had snuck clear past her before she had realized they were there.

True, Lily hated James less than she'd used to. He'd proven during the Whomping Willow incident that he wasn't the mindlessly cruel bastard she'd always thought he was. And he hadn't been a git about it when she'd apologized to him and said that humiliating thing about admiring him outside of Dumbledore's office. And he was a great friend. Lily admired these things, but she still didn't like him or want anything to do with him, so why was she behaving as though she did? He was still an immature, arrogant, spoiled son of a bitch who only wanted what he couldn't have.