Dock by the Lake

"I can't feel remorse for it, because I see what he is. I can't feel bad, because I'm just hoping that maybe a little of what I did evens the score for all the shit he and his little friends do and will do." He spoke firmly, sure of what he was saying, standing behind his words. Not literally of course, since he was lying down. "I will now ignore your eye rolling and tell you." He sat up, sitting with one leg bent in front of him and the other dangling off the end of the dock, the toe of his shoe on the surface of the water. "First I was just jealous. That you would always go talk to him instead of me. Some greasy little Slytherin, I couldn't understand it. And then I saw what was happening, and what he called you, and it was anger. No one should ever treat you like that. No one should treat anyone I think of as my friend like that. I'm not one to write a strongly worded letter. I need to physically do something or it feels as good as useless."

There will be a short interlude while Mya tries to avoid explaining to her office that she just about pissed herself laughing over the mental image of James Potter writing Severus Snape a strongly worded letter. BRB.

James Potter wrote:"I can't feel remorse for it, because I see what he is. I can't feel bad, because I'm just hoping that maybe a little of what I did evens the score for all the shit he and his little friends do and will do." He spoke firmly, sure of what he was saying, standing behind his words. Not literally of course, since he was lying down. "I will now ignore your eye rolling and tell you." He sat up, sitting with one leg bent in front of him and the other dangling off the end of the dock, the toe of his shoe on the surface of the water. "First I was just jealous. That you would always go talk to him instead of me. Some greasy little Slytherin, I couldn't understand it. And then I saw what was happening, and what he called you, and it was anger. No one should ever treat you like that. No one should treat anyone I think of as my friend like that. I'm not one to write a strongly worded letter. I need to physically do something or it feels as good as useless."

Lily's face floods with colour, mottled anger and humiliation turning her skin a bright, splotchy pink. "I don't need you defending my honour, Potter! I am perfectly capable of handling things for myself, you know. I'll tell you what I think," she snaps, rather unnecessarily because Lily is often telling people what she thinks whether they ask or not, "I think you're just as bad as he is, sometimes. Just because you're on the right side it doesn't give you the right to lower yourselves to their standards! He didn't start out that way, but you treated him as guilty from the moment you laid eyes on him! You judged him based on what you thought he would be, not what he was. It's the height of arrogance, though I should know to expect nothing less of you," Lily rails.

"That's just how I treat friends, Lily, so deal with it, because I will be standing up for you whether you like it or not. I do the same for Sirius and Remus and Peter and I would have hoped that you would be happy to know that I'd do that for you even though you treat me like muck on your shoe." It took all of his self control not to raise his voice as well, but he was determined to stay calm despite her fiery shouts. "You are so blind." He turned to face out toward the lake, putting his other leg down so both his feet were just above the water. Making sure not to look at her, lest that set her off and make her want to hit him or worse, he kept his gaze on the reflection below his shoes, looking at his large feet dangling not too far from her petite ones.

"I DON'T WANT YOU STANDING UP FOR ME!" Lily screams, her voice rising almost in desperation for him to understand. "I don't want anybody hurting somebody else in my name! You might think you're standing up for me, but really you're just using me as a convenient excuse to give what you're doing a noble name. If you're so hell-bent on fighting for the cause, do it. But how dare you walk around pinning your petty schoolboy grudges on me! If I need someone to stand up for me, I'll damned well do it myself, thankyouverymuch."

Upon her screaming at him, James had had enough for today, though Lily would probably be relieved by that news. He turned to look at her, scowling. "You don't get it!" He got up quickly, looking down at her. "I love you, Lily, that's why I do all this shit, why I put up with all this. You just... you don't get it, do you!? I love you!" And with that, very pissed off at both her and himself for giving in and yelling back, he stormed off the dock with his mind set to go for that run he had originally been planning on.

Lily stares up at James, her mouth hanging open slightly in shock. Her eyes widen, and in a rare occurrence she finds herself with no comeback, unable to do more than stare as he tells her he loves her and walks away. "I..." her voice dies in her throat as the full weight of his words crash in on her. Her mouth opens and closes a few times as she watches him walk away, but she has nothing to say. The only two things that immediately spring to mind are 'I hate you' (admittedly that's the heat of the moment talking), and 'I'm sorry'. Neither seem to quite fit the situation or even remotely encompass her feelings or the vague, swooping sickness settling in her stomach. Biting her lip, Lily looks back out to the lake. The water swims in front of her eyes, it takes her a moment to realise that there are tears slipping quietly down her face. She doesn't even really know why she's crying, she swipes brusquely at her cheeks, but something about the whole situation makes her feel both guilty and cheated all at once. Lily doesn't really know how she imagined the first time a boy ever told her he loved her, but she knows it wasn't this mess of fury and challenge.

Marlene wanders down to the dock, takes a seat with her feet dangling off the edge, and lights a cigarette.

"Hey sexy," Sirius strides up jauntily. He doesn't mean anything specific by it, actually. It's just how he addresses pretty much every even mildly fuckable girl he sees. "Got a light?" Wizard god, Sirius is so badass. Just the most badassest ever. It hurts to have him in my brain, he's so badass. Sirius has just realized that I am making fun of him. He's really smart, too.

Marlene doesn't turn right away when she hears herself addressed as 'hey sexy'. She takes another drag of her cigarette first, then turns her head and casually looks her companion up and down. Judging him to be attractive enough not to get punched in the nether-regions right off the bat, she sticks her hand into her jeans pocket and whips out her lighter. Of course, she could always use her wand-tip, but Marlene is convinced that a zippo lighter is cooler. And now Marlene is realising that Mya is mocking her, so she flicks open the lighter and lights it. "Yeah."

"I see you're the talkative type. I like that." Sirius plops down next to her and looks her up and down. He's always pleasantly surprised when people he randomly decides to bother turn out to be hot. Then again, his definition of "hot" is kind of askew, so whatever.

"I'm a regular chatterbox," Marlene agrees, her eyes out on the water and her face dead blank. "I can see you're the strong, silent type," she adds turning to smirk at him for half a second. And now Marlene wants to know exactly what Sirius means by 'askew' definitions of hotness....

Let's just put it this way: Sirius once seriously considered banging Madam Maxime. "Indeed I am the epitome of muscled manliness. I'd take my shirt off, but it would be like staring into the Arc of the Covenant. With the face melting and stuff." It almost counts as a half-truth, I guess. I mean, he's more defined than, say, James.

Ohboy. Finally Marlene has met someone as damaged as she is. "Yeah right," Marlene chuckles, smirk still twisting her lips slightly. Of course, she can tell that there is definitely some muscle tone hidden under the shirt in question, but she's not exactly forthcoming with compliments at the best of times. "So do you actually go by 'Arc of the Covenant' or whatever?"

Sirius has never considered it as a nickname before, but now believes that it might be the perfect nickname for him and plans on going by "Arc of the Covenant" and nothing else for the rest of his days forever. Marlene has created a monster. "Yes. Yes I do. That and Helios, the Sun God. Or Zues. Actually, Zues is more appropriate. He got a lot of ass in his day."

"A lot of ass, huh? I guess I could see that you swing that way," Marlene concedes, shaking her head a little. They're always taken or gay around here, it seems.

"Whoa. I do not like what you are insinuating. I know I would be the most magnificent of gifts given unto the gay community, but I like to think it's my exclusivity that makes me more desirable." He basked in his ego for a moment. "I'm straight, I guess is what I'm saying here."

"Right. Watever," Marlene shrugs, though she is quite happy to hear that because there really are not many single, straight-or-at-least-bisexual guys around. "Long as you're clear about that, right?"

"Have you been talking to Lily Evans?" Sirius has secret paranoia. It's true. And just how many people were at that party, anyway? Anyone could have seen. The very thought freaks him out a little.

"What? Who?" Marlene says bluntly. "Oh, wait, Evans... the hot redhead with the legs and the snooty attitude? Why would I be talking to her?" she wonders. Sure, she's had a conversation or two with Evans in the Library over the years now that she thinks of it, but they're barely acquaintances. And yes, I had to send Lily away whilst I typed that.

Sirius feels very relieved all of a sudden. "... No reason," he evades vaguely. Nope. No reason at all. This wearing a skirt at a party while drunk thing certainly has turned into more of a thing than I intended, hasn't it? Sirius is having ego troubles because everyone thinks he's gay. Then again, the "everyone" he's talking about are all in Mya's brain. So. Whatever.

"Whatever. Who are you again?" Marlene asks, making a mental note to ask Evans what's up with this guy next time she runs into her in the Library.

"Sirius 'Arc of the Covenant' 'Zues' Black. Keepin it real." Sirius thinks he's cool. Probably because he is, but whatever. "Coolest guy ever." Sirius usually doesn't bother asking people's names until he's sure he's going to need it at some point, like in bed.

"Oh, right," Marlene says, taking another long drag of her cigarette. She smokes it down to the butt and flicks it into the water to extinguish it. "That must be a bitch to fit on forms," the chuckles, then takes her wand out to vanish the cigarette butt floating in the water.

Sirius laughed. "I make it work. I also demand to always be addressed with nothing less than my full name. Not the longform, though. That would take all day." Sirius resents not being given a name at birth that is longer than Dumbledore's. Sirius also wants to be appropriately prepared for his inevitable appearance on a Chocolate Frog card.