The Patronus Charm- A Lily and James Fanfiction

Chapter Thirty-One: Words Like Knives

AN: This will be quick, I'm back. I missed you guys! Sorry that I only replied to a few comments. Thanks, for the birthday wishes, and exam wishes. As of today, I have finished my exams. On one of them, I scored 92%, so I am very pleased. :) Anyways, I have borrowed a line from one of my favourite books...so if anyone can guess which line and which book it's from and who said it, I will dedicate the chapter to them (although it may not show up as dedicated from the chapter info- joys of using a phone to update) and bragging rights! So, best of luck and I'll give you a hint: this character hates ducks. This chapter contains some swears...
Disclaimer: No, I am not JK Rowling, nor am I the author of the other book, that I have borrowed a line from. You get the picture.

January felt like a whirlwind, with parchment filled with notes and a lack of free time.
I sigh and balance a book on the top shelf of the P section of the library.
"Lily, where were you?" Alice demands as she runs into the narrow aisle between towering shelves.
"I've been studying, like I told James and you at breakfast this morning."
Alice scowls slightly. "Lily, mid-year exams are done. Would it kill you to quit studying?"
"It possibly could. You know... I could contract illiteracy and die a very painful slow death. Surrounded by mobs of unreadable words. Perhaps, I would be choked by them and suffocate." I say with a smirk.
"You're only using that, because it sounds an illness!" she accuses. "I should hit you with one of these books."
"You know that massive blood loss is quite deadly right? What if you gave me a paper cut and I was to start bleeding? Massive blood loss. Death could be imminent." I say with a serious look on my face.
Alice rolls her eyes and grabs my arm. "Well, come on then."
"Wait! Where are we going?"
"James was looking for you and I offered to come get you."
"He couldn't come on his own?" I ask somewhat amusedly.
"He was involved in playing a very deadly game of Exploding Snap in the Gryffindor Common Room. Peter's eyebrows got burnt off."
"Poor Wormy." He seems to get the worst end of things.
"I'll agree. Though, I was hoping that Sirius would be the one to lose his eyebrows." Alice admits.
"WHY?"
"I figured that I could take a picture and develop it and give to Marlene. Heaven knows that she needs a good laugh these days."
"I somehow doubt that giving her a picture of her ex, EVEN if his eyebrows were gone, would be kind."
"Fine, but I'm still going to hex his eyebrows off later anyways."
I shrug. "Okay, but I'm not getting involved."
"What? Jamsie-poo won't protect you from the big bad Siri-bear?" she says in a mocking voice.
"I think that even a trained Auror like Frank would have a hard time stopping an angry Sirius. He's very vain."
Alice sighs in defeat. "I'll blame it on his cousins."
"You would have to do it in a hallway then, to make it more plausible." I say quietly.
"Thanks, Lils!" Her wide smile tells me that she's actually going to do it.
I stop in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Alice..."
"What?"
I sigh. "Something's up. If James really wanted to see me, he would have come himself."
"I told you; they're playing Exploding Snap," Alice repeats unconvincingly.
"You're a terrible liar, Alice Prewitt."
The Fat Lady's portrait swings open. I step inside.
"SURPRISE!"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LILY!"
I stare at the group of Gryffindors. "Um... It's not my birthday..."
"What?!?" James shrieks, looking horrified. "It's January thirty-first!"
It is my birthday, but I think this is too much fun to ignore. "Ugh! James! I can't believe that you forgot my birthday! What kind of boyfriend are you?" I demand.
James opens his mouth to speak.
"Actually, you're an amazing boyfriend, James. You got the date right." I laugh.
Sirius stares at me, looking mutinous. "You!" he shrieks like a little girl.
"What? It was too good of an opportunity to pass up on." I shrug my shoulders.
James grabs my arm. "I'll get you back for that, Lils."
"Bring it on."
My friends guide me to the couch and Sirius hands me a drink. "This is spiked, isn't it?" I accuse.
Sirius grins. "Of course, it is, Lilykins. It's the Marauder specialty." He winks.
I smile slightly and take a sip.
"Shite! We've gotta call the Daily Prophet! Head Girl Lily Evans is spotted drinking a spiked drink at her birthday party, while on Hogwarts Grounds!" Alice gasps.
I raise an eyebrow at her. "You might need this more than I do, Ally."
"I told you not to call me that!!!"
"Point proven." Remus declares with a grin.
The music starts playing and James grabs my hand. "C'mon, let's dance."
Surprisingly, I'm actually alright at dancing. I've always been so clumsy that sports or anything that involved my two feet became a death trap.
James spins me around with ease. "You're lucky that my mother made me take dance lessons." he laughs.
"I'll admit that you're not half as clumsy as McLaggen or Peter."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Poor Wormy."
Suddenly, the portrait flies open, and in walks Marlene. She stops. "Who invited the animal?"
Under any other circumstances, her comment in relation to Sirius would have made me howl, but a verbal bloodbath is about to start.
"I'm offended." Sirius says lightly with a smirk. "I'm perfectly human. Pure-blood and all that."
"I assumed that a party for Lily wouldn't include some shite like you." Marlene says harshly.
"I didn't think that she would have the need to invite someone as clingy as you, who has to tell her sad story every time, I'm around." Sirius snaps.
I step out of James' arms. "Guys, knock it off. We're here to have a good time, so-"
"There won't be any good times with that bastard around. Then again, I didn't take you as someone to invite such people. Maybe, you're no better than him, bitch!" she sneers.
"Marlene!" I shout. "Stop! I've had enough." I glare at her and turn and walk out of the Common Room.
______________________________________________________________________________
James' POW
I watch Lily storm out of the party. Her face is bright red. "Marlene, look what you've done! It's her birthday and you've wrecked it. You're so set in your world, that you've forgotten that your friends aren't your servants! Hell, you're so blind that you don't even understand what your friends have been doing for you for the last month. If this is who you truly are, then you deserved to get dumped in the cruelest way possible." I take a deep breath. "Twenty points from Gryffindor and detention for the week."
"Potter! What is going on in here?" Professor McGonagall demands.
"Professor, may we speak about this in private?"
"Of course, come with me."
I enter Professor McGonagall's office and sit down. I quickly explain the scenario and how Lily stormed out of the room. "I felt that Marlene was insulting both Lily and Sirius, that's why I took points and gave a detention."
"Very well, thank you for explaining."
I get up to leave.
"Potter, I suggest that you check on Miss Evans, I fear that she would be quite upset after that."
"Don't worry, Professor. That's what I planned on doing anyways."
I quickly exit the office. Marlene had no rights to say any of those things! She's cruel and vindictive. She's no friend of mine anymore.
Lily won't be anywhere with lots of people. The dungeons are full of Slytherins. Our dorms are easily to find if Marlene wanted to take another round out of someone. I look outside and see bright red hair. Lily. I run outside. It's bloody cold outside.
"Lily." I say softly.
"How could she say things like that? S-she's been my friend since first year. We met on the boats, when I almost fell in." Lily sobs. Tears stream down her beautiful face. "She's been my best friend for years!"
"I don't know, Lily. I just don't know." I admit.