the sweater ~~ jily

5.

Chapter Five: The Day Together

James kept his arm around Lily for the rest of their breakfast, both of them receiving frustrated and jealous looks from Severus. Lily, laughing every time she caught him staring and noticing how stupid he looked.

"Why can't you just give him the middle finger? That would solve a lot of your problems, you know," suggested Peter unexpectedly.

Lily shook her head at him. "No, I don't give people the finger. That's immature."

"Unless you're too nice to do that," assumed James with a laugh. 

"Oh, I can give it to you if you're desperate to see it, James," Lily suggested, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him. James shook his head immediately. "Huh, I thought so."

Sirius tried to hold in a laugh, but he couldn't and he burst with laughter. James rolled his eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" James asked her nicely. 

"Woah, looks like someone's excited," Sirius teased him. Remus smacked a hand to his forehead. Sirius looked to Remus. "What?"

Remus looked at him. "Just, just shut up."

Sirius shrugged. "Are you okay, Moony?" he asked.

Remus had his face in his hands and nodded. "Full moon's coming soon. Just in a few days or so. I'm getting irritated around now. Don't mind me," Remus answered.

Sirius patted him on the shoulder.

"Anyways," said Lily. "I'm ready. Let's go." Lily grabbed her books from the side and stood, James, grabbing his own bag and waiting for her.

Lily took a last glance at Severus who was staring at his plate sadly. He looked hypnotized, or in a trance. As James was getting up, Lily tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" murmured James, getting his bag. Lily silently gestured to Severus. 

James laughed. "He looks stupid." 

Lily nodded. Without saying anything else, she walked in front of him and ahead with her books. James followed her.

They made their way out of the Great Hall with a majority of students, James caught up with her and by her side.

"Hey, Evans. Nice sweater," teased James, lightly shoving her shoulder.

"Thanks," grinned Lily. "I wonder who it's from, I bet it's from someone who's really...stupid."

James furrowed his eyebrows with a smirk. "Did Lily Evans just call me 'stupid'?" he said dramatically.

"Well, I've been calling you that for ages now, you realize that only now?"

He scoffed as Lily shoved his shoulder. Lily seemed a bit more relaxed now, she relaxed her arms that were cradling her books.

Then, just randomly, James snatched one of her books from her arms and stretched his arm high, making Lily unable to reach it. This sudden movement had startled Lily.

"James, what the hell?" she groaned, trying to reach for her Transfiguration book. He held it up too high, she couldn't.

"You can get it," James laughed. "I believe in you."

Lily went on the tips of her toes to reach, but still unable to reach it. "Oh my god, give it back! Please!" she begged.

"Why?"

"Because it's mine," Lily insisted.

"What if I just held it for you," James shrugged.

She sighed. "You are, but you're holding it over my head and I don't like it. Please, James?" 

James stopped hesitantly. He stopped laughing and lowered his arm, giving Lily's Transfiguration book back to her. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

There was tension now, James was back to being a little timid and Lily had no words to say to him. She decided to look behind them, noticing, with a bit of surprise, the same familiar group of Slytherins and Lily's ex-best friend. 

Lily tugged on his robe sleeves. "Turn around," she whispered to James. 

James turned his head and noticed Severus's group. Lily noticed Severus still looked angry and jealous but kept his head low. His friends were staring at them both angrily and in the corner of Lily's eye, she noticed the smallest of the group was lowlily pointing their wand at her.

Fearfully, Lily grabbed James's hand without thinking. The little one put his wand down.

"Didn't see that coming," James smirked at her.

Lily kept glancing back at fourth from the little one and James. "The, the smallest, Severus's smallest friend was pointing his wand at me. I don't know, James, that's the first thing that I did, I wasn't thinking —."

"You talk too much. It's okay, Lily. I really don't mind," he reassured her. James discreetly looked back to the smallest one. "You said he was pointing his wand at you?"

Lily nodded.

"Are you sure?"

Lily nodded again. "Or I'm really not sure, I don't know what I saw. Never mind."

James rubbed her on the shoulder. "It's okay. Don't mind them."

Lily nodded, although holding back a grin as he didn't let go of her hand and kept walking as if everything was normal.

---

Sirius, Remus, and Peter were still in the Great Hall as one of the last few students there. Remus crossed his arms and let his chin rest on his arms. Sirius propped up his elbow on the table and rested his face in his hand. Peter wasn't doing anything else.

Sirius spoke up. "How are we going to get Lily to actually like James?" he randomly asked.

Peter shrugged.

"I don't know, Sirius. She'll start fancying him if they keep up this act with the sweater and making fun of Snivellus, she will. I don't know, I don't know anything about girls, I don't li —." Remus stopped himself from speaking some more.

Sirius shrugged. "But they won't keep up this act for long. Snivy would get used to this act and they'll be done."

"Doesn't James have more Quidditch games now? What if Lily goes to those?" Peter chimed in. "She has his sweater, so it could be a good idea. Or not, sorry —."

"No, Peter, that's actually a good idea!" said Sirius enthusiastically. "It could work, we can say it's a part to make Snivy mad, and it'll still make him mad! Peter, you're a genius!"

Peter looked at the table awkwardly and shrugged.

"James has a Quidditch practice soon, we can ask her to go as well. Remus, you're going, too, so she's not awkward."

Remus nodded shyly.

"Okay, this is going to be perfect," said Sirius, clapping his hands happily. "Let's go to class."

a/n

thank you for reading chapter five, people :)
this chapter (including author's note) is 1,082 words
have a good day !!

~the sweater