Ways to Say "No"

A Collection of Fragments and One Shots

Twenty-Five

Lily slammed her history of magic book closed and shoved it into her bag roughly. "Well," she said, standing up so quickly it nearly sent her chair falling backward. "If that is what you wanted to talk to me about, Severus, I'm not interested."

Without a backward glace at the boy who sat stalk still staring at his hands on the table in the corner of the library, Lily hurried through the aisles of books putting as much space between her and her childhood friend as she could manage as quickly as possible.

She swiped furiously at her eyes where tears were starting to form. How dare he ask her to study and then tell her lies. They had to be lies. Mary MacDonald hadn't cursed herself last year, after all. Lily turned a corner without slowing wiped her eyes again, still fuming about what Severus had told her about his housemates and their involvement in dark magic.

Her friends had warned her not to go meet him. What was she thinking? She knew what he was involved in, and he had already chosen the dark arts over her once. Besides, it was a new year, her sixth year, and she hadn't wanted to start the year out pining after a childhood friend who betrayed her.

Lily picked up the pace and hiked her bag up a little higher on her shoulder. She turned another corner and slammed into someone.

"I'm sorry," she said, her face growing red as she bent down to pick up the books that had fallen in the collision.

"S'okay. In a hurry, yeah?"

Lily stiffened slightly at the sound of the voice and then straightened up, holding the book, a book on Quidditch she noticed, out to James Potter.

"Yes, James. I was in a hurry. Now, I must be off."

She brushed past him before he had a chance to say anything else, and he watched as she hurried away, one hand on the shoulder strap of her bag to keep it from sliding down as she made her hasty exit.

James frowned and, tucking his Quidditch book under his arm, turned and walked back to the table where he had left Sirius with his bag. As he passed the potions section of the library, something caught his eye. Snape was sitting rigid and alone at a corner table.

James paused for a moment and contemplated his options. He could go back to Sirius, grab his bag and go to the Great Hall for dinner, but what fun was that? He could go pay Snape a visit, of course Sirius'd be angry he wasn't included. Snape baiting was his favorite past time. Just as he was about to turn to go get Sirius and go to the Great Hall, the option which James supposed was the most responsible, no matter how boring it might seem, a new thought occurred to him.

Forgetting Sirius and his bag, James left the library in pursuit of Lily Evans. He just knew Snape had something to do with her flight from the library moments before.

By the time she reached the common room, Lily had calmed down considerably. It was nearly dinner time, so she was able to escape the I-told-you-so looks from her friends because the common room was nearly empty, save a few seventh years who didn't even notice her entrance.

She hesitated at the foot of the stairs for a moment, and the decided against going up. She didn't want her friends to think she was wallowing. No more than she had seated herself and pulled out her history of magic book, which she had very little intention of actually reading, did the portrait hole open.

She looked up and wasn't very surprised to see James Potter entered, slightly out of breath with the book she knocked out of his hands still clutched under his right arm.

He spotted her and a large grin took over his face. Lily rolled her eyes and scooted over on the couch to make room for him, knowing it was pointless to pretend he wasn't going to join her. He flopped down on the sofa with enough force to jostle her and she rolled her eyes. It was typical of him to make a scene, even if no one was watching.

"So," he said, stretching his arm out across the back of the sofa, "Whatcha doing?"

Lily nodded towards her history book, "Well, I was going to study, but that's usually impossible with you around."

"Why Evans, I didn't know my devilish good looks distracted you do much," James said, his grin widening even more. She knew this game well. They played it often.

"No, it's more the offensive smell that is always emanating from you," Lily said, giving him a shove. "You stink, Potter."

James shrugged. "Quidditch," he said as a way of explanation. "I was about to go up and take a shower. Care to join?"

Lily raised her eyebrows high up on her forehead and smirked, but said nothing.

"I'll take that as a yes," James said, jumping to his feet and reaching for her hand as though to pull her off the sofa and up the stairs into the boys shower.

Lily slapped his hand away and picked up her history of magic book to use as a weapon. "I didn't say yes, Potter!"

"You didn't say anything. Silence is acceptance. Remember that, Evans." James said, sitting back down beside her and prying the book from her fingers. "Like I'm going to let you bludgeon me with this blasted book," he said, tossing it onto the floor in front of him.

Lily rolled her eyes and leaned back into the overstuffed cushion of the sofa. "I wouldn't bludgeon you unnecessarily, Potter."

"That's a judgment call, I'd say," James said, shrugging. "Anyway, you look like you could use a break. We'll go to Hogsmeade this weekend."

Lily raised her eyebrows again. "That didn't sound like a question."

"That didn't sound like an answer."

They stared at each other for a moment and then just as James was about to open his mouth, Lily clamped a hand over his face and said, "No!" She quickly removed her hand and wiped his on James' arm. "You licked me!"

"'Course I did. You put your hand over my mouth."

"Well, I had to because you were about to say that silence was acceptance again."

James stood up and shrugged. "You're smart as a whip, Evans. You know that?"

Lily kicked his shin gently and said, "I'm only a little offended that you're just now figuring that out."

James gave her a wave and headed for the stairs to go take a shower. Lily watched him for a moment before reaching for her discarded history book. She opened it up and began reading, her encounter with Snape nearly forgotten.

A/N: Wooooow. I'm so sorry for how long it's been. I got all caught up in the end of the school year madness, moving, and well, I was supposed to be getting married and ended up breaking up instead. What a fiasco my life has become! But, I decided enough was enough and now I'm back! Hope you enjoyed! :)