Troublemaker™

“Thank you.” She nodded and let her shoulders drop, she knew at that moment that another crying session was in order for later, but until then she had to control her emotions. Hell would have to freeze over before she cried in front of everyone, again. But oh! did she want to laugh. Lily wanted to laugh at his theatrics and his creatively idiotic ways of helping; after all, he did mean well, but she was tired and upset at having lost something she had worked hard for. “I’m sure you’ve gone in highly recommended.” She mused in an almost whisper before finding her way to a nearby chair. “I won’t be getting my spot back, they made that quite clear, so you don’t have to worry about it. Turns out I’m too much of a bad influence.” Saying that out loud finally did it and a short lived chuckle escaped her. “And I’m sorry,” she finally said, still feeling embarrassed. “Just don’t worry too much about me, it clouds your judgement.”

James merely nodded at her thanks, as “you’re welcome” seemed out of place. For a long moment, he watched Lily; watched as she tried to cmpose herself, watched the many thoughts cross her face, and when Lily moved towards the chair, he followed, taking a knee beside it. “Well, Dumbledore thought it entertaining, at least. Minnie shook her head in that ‘amused but frustrated’ way she does,” he told Lily, propping his head and elbow on the arm of her chair. When she laughed, he brightened, smiling at her. “You? A bad influence? Nooooo.” He shook his head at her, waving off her apology. “Don’t be, you didn’t do anything to me. And my judgement isn’t clouded,” he added seriously. “You’re a really special person, Evans, and you deserve good things. This? Everything that’s happened? You didn’t deserve that.” Unfolding his arms, he stood from his position, only to plant himself fully on the arm of her chair, arm across the back of it. “I know it sucks right now, beyond sucks, but.. you worked hard for that spot, and if anyone thinks they can get smart with you about it, you just remind them that you did what they’d probably never do for anyone else. You’re better than the rest of us Evans, and I want you to remember that. And I will... I will stop lobbying on your behalf about this. A true James Potter promise. Now,” he added, leaning back in his spot a little as he realized he might be crowding her, “how can I help cheer you up? Do you want to prank Sirius? That always makes me feel better.”

“I’m extremely blessed.” Dahlia countered as she lifted the mug of hot tea closer to her. Meanwhile she leaned against James tiredly and she needed to have the contact. “Oh dud. Really? Ugh how anticlimactic. Sorry love. Did we find out anything interesting at the party? Like Quidditch plays?” She smiled and sipped her tea. “Bollocks. Do we really have to go to class today? Or can we just ditch?” One of her hands moved to tighten his leg prison of sorts.

“Anticlimactic is pretty much exactly the word I would use,” hhe agreed, chuckling. “Mm.. no, you know, I didn’t, but I was also really tied up with that twister tournament Luc and I had going. And the Cluedo fiasco,” he added, “..and dancing with Evans.” He grinned at the other redhead in his life, his eyes lighting up. “no, no, no, that’s exactly what we need, babe. The CBN. Couch, blanket, netflix. Boom.” He wound his arms around her as she adjusted her human shackles, becoming the human blanket he was always meant to be. “ So we’ll grab some drinks, grab the snacks from the dorms, and then when everyone else skitters off to class we can binge watch something, or have a nap, or whatever.” 

Lily smiled at him, a smile that quickly turned into a new glare, and then a desperate need to hex him. Her gaze went from him to her books and her grip on her wand tightened. With a wave of her wand she made her books disappear from his grasp and the floor and went back to crossing her arms. “Are you done?” She said, trying to keep her voice calm. There already were students staring at them but she didn’t care anymore about what they had to say about her, all she cared about was stopping James from making a fool out of her… and himself. “Did that incredibly foolish mind of yours actually think this was a good idea? Don’t you think I’ve humiliated myself enough without your help? Because that’s the thing, James Potter, I don’t need your help!” She exclaimed, letting her arms drop. She could still feel her face growing red, the way same it had at the party when she accidentally accepted she liked him- but how could she ever like someone so infuriating was beyond her. “Be Head Girl for all I care but don’t for a moment think you’ll be doing me a favor.” Lily let out a deep sigh and took a few steps back. The scene she had made was now turning her anger into embarrassment but it was too late to apologize… and she didn’t have to apologize. Instead of looking back at that stunned faces staring at her she fixated her gaze on him and shook her head and quietly said, “just stop.”

Well, he really knew how to get her going, didn’t he? He didn’t even have her books to hold her hostage anymore! James knew for certain that he was this close to stepping in it, big time, but he still had hope that he could turn things around. Stranger things had been known to happen. “Well, I know that..,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “That you don’t need my help to defend you or anything, not to humiliate yourself. You do need me for that, the humiliating in public, thing, because you’re absolute rubbish at it, and normal, and I’m the one prone to ridiculous episodes and dramatic speeches,” he added quickly, if a bit stupidly. He frowned, knowing he’d upset her further, even though it’d been unintentional - she wasn’t meant to witness the spectacle, she was only meant to be given some slack - he wasn’t trying to make her day worse. “Honestly, I just thought it would make you laugh. I mean, I did petition him, but it was conditional. If theirs even a hope that they’ll consider giving you your spot back, I don’t want to steal it from you. You earned it.” All the same, he was positive Lily meant business when she told him to stop.  “Alright, I’ll stop. I’ll stop. I thought I could help, I wasn’t trying to make it worse for you. “

＊ sirius !

          he  didn’t  have  to  get  up  on  yet  another  piece  of  furniture  (  this  boy      &.     his  lion  king  moments  )  for  the  lounging  wizard  to  listen.  admittedly,  he  busted  red’s  balls,  or  whatever,  in  the  beginning,  but  only  to  lift  her  spirits.  but      SOME     people  just  couldn’t  let  it  go,  needing  points  to  validate  their  existence.  he  couldn’t  care  less,  but  what  else  is  new  ??  sirius  watched  his  self-claimed  husband  finish  up  his  speech  with  a  loud,     “     HEAR,     HEAR     !!!     ”     the  pound  of  his  goblet  on  the  table  emphasized  his  agreement,  though  annoyed  a  few  nearby.

James jumped down from the table, landing gracefully beside the spot where Sirius sat. “Thank you,” he said, bowing to Sirius. “Well, that’ll either piss her off, make her laugh, or both. I guess we’ll find out later, but all I know is I’m not gonna let anybody give her anymore heat when she already took so much. Anyways, what’s next on the agenda for today?”

Lily walked into the common room feeling tired and with a desperate need to catch up on work. She had been struggling with her books as she walked through the portrait but came to a halting stop when she spotted James giving a little speech about her. Both fury and appreciation burned through her and she let her books drop before clearing her throat. “Potter, what in Merlin’s holy beard do you think you are doing?” 

He heard the books drop and whirled around, just in time to catch the fiery look Lily had about her. “I’m making decisions and then declaring them as law, here, Evans. Nothing really out of the ordinary.” He grinned, hopping off the table to help Lily pick up the things she dropped. With half of her stack in hand, he started to hold them out to her, but rethought the move a half second later, choosing to hold her books hostage instead.

 “I want you to hear it from me, first Evans. I’ve petitioned Dumbledore to let me take over as Head Girl. Also, I believe you heard this bit already, but, to thank you for taking the rap for the party, I’ve decided that anyone who gives you the slightest bit of trouble about spilling the beans and landing us with a party that,” he paused turning to yell the next bit to everyone in the room, “TURNED OUT BETTER THAN ANYONE COULD HAVE HOPED FOR, AND WAS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF INTER-HOUSE UNITY...” He turned back to Lily with a smile as he finished, “..will have to deal with me. I mean, they’ll have to deal with you, first, but, once I hear about it, and you know I will, I’ll make them sorry.”

Dahlia grinned back at him when her head rose from her cup of tea. A slow eyeroll given to him,“Please. Jimjam that’s not even a secret. Of course I’m madly in love with you and your butt. I don’t just call any of these lot my husband. Seriously though, what else did I say?” She wrinkled her nose. “Did I go full nutter or did I just bust a nut?”

“True,” he agreed. “I’m the best husband there is. You’re very lucky to have me and my cute butt.” He tossed a wink back at her as he shifted on the bench so that he could straddle it, making himself more comfortable as he trapped Dahlia in his leg prison of sorts. “Honestly, Dahl, I would say you were edging... You got closer and closer... you’d get right there, so fuckin’ close to spilling something juicy, and then nothing. I don’t know, it was crazy. You avoided your truth-gasm for the better part of the night. Nothing interesting out of you at all, to the disappointment of all, I’m sure.”

“What did I even say at the party? I only remember bits and pieces. Oh god. Did I mention that I used to try to have tea parties with Peeves?” Dahlia groaned into her steaming hot cup of tea.

“No, but I totally called that one.” James gave Dahlia a cheeky grin. “I’m trying to remember your exact phrasing, but, you did mention something about being madly in love with me and my cute butt.” 

     picture  it,  a  drunk  dorcas  sitting  criss-cross-applesauce  on  a  fluffy  pillow,  already  confused  by  this  game.  her  head  snaps  up  to  where  james  was  now  shouting  from  an  ottoman.  her  indifferent  features  crack  into  a  silly  grin,  her  small  body  falling  into  the  next  person  as  giggles  overcome  her  body.  the  rest  of  the  group  groans  as  she  holds  up  the  piece.  “  s  - - -  sorry  !  i  should  not  have  been  trusted  with  this  thing.  ”  alcohol:  1,  doe:  0.  “  is  this  what  you’re  looking  for,  potterpuff  ?  ”  she  uneasily  gets  to  her  feet  (  this  girl  is  plastered !!!  ),  before  racing  off  with  an  evil  cackle.

“OI! Get back here Meadowes! You can’t run from me! Oi! Doe!” James was at least as drunk as Dorcas was, but his maneuverability and clumsiness had definitely been affected by his alcohol consumption, and that made chasing Dorcas a problem. It wasn’t easy to weave his way through the gathered circle of their friends, but once he hit a small clearing, catching up to Dorcas was pretty easy. A few of his large strides measured the several she had taken, and after another ten seconds or so, James had caught up, caught Doe, and had slung her up and over his shoulder.  He swatted his hand at her backside playfully as he carried her back to their circle, shaking his head. “I’ve brought the traitor. All in favor of a group beating?” There were a few unenthusiastic yeses. “Burn her at the stake?” Fewer yeses. “Well, I guess you get away with it this time, Doe,” he said, sighing dramatically as he -carefully- tipped her back over his shoulder, setting her down where she’d been before. But I’ve got my eyes on  you. All four of em.”

“Same,” Lily replied with a grin as she led him to the dance floor. “But I’m willing to do anything to stop you from starting a Cluedo war, just don’t expect me to serenade you.” She turned to face him with her smile still intact as she placed her arms around his neck. “You better wow me with your dance moves, Potter.”

“Anything? Oh, Don’t say that, Evans. That’s the last thing you want to say to me,” he said with a chuckle. James could come up with a million ways at least that Lily Evans could distract him from starting a war, and he was pretty sure that Lily wouldn’t want any of those things to happen. But, Lily was smiling as she wound her arms around his neck, and he returned the smile easily as he looped his own around her waist. “I must have wowed you on some other occasion, Evans, or you wouldn’t want to dance with me, now,” he teased, dipping his head a little lower. “Did I tell you already that you look really great tonight? Because you do, and, if I haven’t, I should’ve said it sooner. Having a good time looks amazing on you.”

Lily glanced at James, unsurprised by his need to use dramatics to figure out who had stolen his favorite piece. Instead of rolling her eyes at him, though, she smiled and walked over to where he was standing. “Come on Potter,” Lily said, offering him a hand. “Let’s dance.”  

James perked up at the sound of Lily, distracted entirely from the problem at hand. Lily wanted to dance, James could dance. Oh, he could definitely dance. Chucking the already problematic Cluedo over his shoulder, he hopped down, sliding his hand into Lily’s. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Lucius scoffed watching James’s antics, but rolled the piece between his fingers with a sense of victory. “You’re a loser Jimmy. Colonel Mustard isn’t going to save you, besides.. he only likes the winners.” He whistled and lifted the piece in the air with an air of arrogance. “Maybe if you beat me in Twister you could have it back.. but.. please, we both know yellow isn’t your color.”

James made a face of unbridled rage mixed with a dash of truly offended, but not a single real word came out of his mouth; it was more like a sound of strangled shock. “Oh, okay, that’s what we’re doing, huh?” he said finally, after Luc was finished. Now that he could finally form proper words, he kept going. “You wanna play me for it? Are you sure?” He hopped down off the table, grinning now as he stepped towards his cousin. “You wanna play me, the ‘I’ll play you for it’ champion, titleholder since 2007....?” Pausing a moment for dramatic reasons, James nodded. “Alright, I accept. Winner get.... Colonel Mustard rights. F O R E V E R. How many rounds?”

(¸.• ♛ → The blonde crossed her arms now just looking at him and rolling her eyes at what he said. “I can see…and smell it.” The girl frowned a bit, maybe yes she also drinks a bit but she never got drunk or anything, she was taught not to do scenes in public or anything like that. “I wasn’t going to but the curiosity got the best of me and Lucius was also coming so…I must to say, I thought this was going to be bigger….not that lame, but who knows, maybe this can improve.”

Realizing he was a bit close if Narcissa could smell the alcohol on him, James took a step back, giving her a little more space. “Sorry.” he tilted his head, listening to the string of information she was sharing, and he definitely started to perk up further. “Luc is coming?” Oh, that would be interesting. “Yeah.. Wait, this isn’t lame. I mean, I don’t really know what happened here. If I remember, it was supposed to be, like, a chill Gryffindor game night with booze, but, then the other houses started showing up, and now.. I really don’t know. It’ll probably end up a rager. It usually does when we have this much booze flowing. It’ll be fun, just you wait and see. You want a drink?”

Remus’ eyes widened as he turned to his best friend. “Did you not see that guy pick up the chess table to try and use it as a javelin?” he asked incredulously. He sighed, trying to calm down enough to ask “Did you find who the snitch was, at least?”

“Yeah, I saw it. It was fucking awesome!” James grinned still rather pleased with that turn of events, and not quite seeing what the problem was. Whatever this had started as, James couldn’t quite remember the plan, most Marauder parties ended up like this at some point, and tonight, they had the Slytherins to thank for it - not that James would ever admit it. “I.... did not. But I think it was one of the girls. It usually is.”