«h.i.d.i.n.g in the D A R K»

[Emmeline Vance]

. Lily Evans |:.

Abandoned corridors came in handy when one wanted to escape. Or in the fifth year Ravenclaw's situation when you wanted to write. Sitting with her back to the wall, the girl rocked back and forth in a steady beat. With an open notebook in her lap, she tapped the pen against the same corner several times. She needed the next line to the song she'd been writing since the morning in the Great Hall. Three days. And the blue-eyed teen needed that next line.

Hope cannot help me,
Weak since you left me alone
And there's nothing here for me,
Searching for something to hold on

This place could always,
Make me feel alright and all wrong.
But there's nothing here for me,
You don't adore me,
You're gone.

And I guess in a way it was wrong
It's too good to be true
It's just too much for you...

"Scared by a- Scared by a-" Emmelone sang quietly to herself. She hissed at the music, discouraged. "Scared by what?" The bottom lip was bitten in concentration. "Scared by a... love that's... too strong....?" She nodded and wrote the line down. No longer stuck, she continued writing as she sang the words quietly under her breath.

I don't regret you,
I still can't forget you,
Chained to a memory.
Run from my enemies,
Hiding myself in the dark.

Leaving the world,
Step into the unknown to be free.
And the memories fade a world,
That we made in history,
And I don't deserve all the reasons I hurt,
When you turned away.

Frankly, Emmeline was stunned that he pulled enough emotion out of her to get her to write a song. Normally only something completely tragic could do that. A single slash was added to her heart. Did James following Evans instead of herself have that much of a hold on her? Maybe it was the fact it had never exactly happened before added in with the fact he said he wouldn't hurt her that made her feel this way. Was it? Emmeline closed her eyes and sighed. This was too complex. And the fact she had been 'dating' Sirius Black for the past several weeks simply added to the complexity.[/size]

[Lily Evans]

Lily walked the halls leading to the dongeons of Hogwarts castle. She had always found them a bit creepy, but tonight, she paid no attention for her mind was somewhere else. Earlier, she had gotten in a gith with James and Emmeline. Things had gotten pretty ugly, although she hadn't said a word. Celestina had told her that she saw James and Emme shagging, but yet Emmeline put on a very... convincing show that she was still a virgin. But none the less, James had kissed Em after he had kissed Lily... and they had spent that night together... and it hurt.

With a small sigh, she turned into the dungeons, but stopped short when she stopped Emmeline. She stayed slighlent, but froze in her spot... unable to move and not wanting to start a fight.

[Emmeline Vance]

Eyes reflecting pain, she sighed upon realizing something. "There's nothing here for me. You don't adore me. You're gone," she repeated, completely unaware that Lily Evans was standing off to the side. "There isn't anything here any more. I'm not the one he's after. James is after Evans." Emmeline shifted as she placed her notebook to the side of her on the floor. "Damn it. This shouldn't be this hard. I have Sirius. I should be happy. So why aren't I?" The question was on she asked herself about eight times since everything happened. She never got to an answer. Closing her eyes, she leaned forward with her head in her hands. "How do I get myself into these things?"[/size]

[Lily Evans]

Lily's mouth dropped open as she stood there, listening. Get out of here Lily! she thought to herself. Just one foot after another. She picked er right foot up and then began to slowly creep backwards out of the room, but she stumbled and fell when her foot caught on the rug. "Shit!" she muttered.

Now there was no doubt that Emmeline had seen and heard her. She looked up with wide eyes. "Erm.. I uh... I'm going to go now." she muttered and began to get to her feet.

[Emmeline Vance]

Emme's eyes snapped up. "Evans," she stated, alarmed as she stood up abruptly. Making several stuttering noises, Em fell silent, unable to form a single thought. Em had the worst feeling that she just got James into more trouble. Though she wasn't sure how. "Um, I was- I- I just- Um- Yeah...." she stuttered unintelligently. The Ravenclaw sighed heavily. "Look, I don't wanna fight. I can't handle another fight."

[ack. >.< short][/size]

[Lily Evans]

Lily raised a brow, then sighed. "I couldn't take one either." she said softly. She took in a breath and looked at the girl infront of her. "Do you really like him?" she asked. In truth, she hoped that Em said no. Lily had finally figured out that she really did love James... but if Em liked him, she deserved him more then Lily did. All these years, she had treated James so horribly... but Emmeline had always been so kind.[/size][/font]

[Emmeline Vance]

Emmeline sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment. "Yes and no," she said, quietly. "I do really like James, but it's not the way you think. Not the way the school thinks. He's my best friend. He has been for five years. It's hard," she whispered. She crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall. Dropping her head back, she closed her eyes. "He finally put me second. To you. He chose following you over following me for the first time the other day. And it's hard. I won't lie to you because it's not the kind of person I am." She stopped talking there in fear she'd continue on about how she thought that James deserved so much more than Evans. Evans had been making James' life hell as he followed her around, practically begging for her to give him a chance. Evans just blew him off. Emmeline saw the effect it had on James every time Evans said no. Now when Evans finally decides that she's going to say yes, Emme didn't like the way it worked out. She had to admit, she hated it.[/size]

[Lily Evans]

Lily nodded slightly. "I understand that you don't like the fact that he followed me. I mean, I've treated him horribly." she looked away. "I regret it so much. But when I was drowning... something changed. I realized how much I had waiting for me and I just treated him like shit. Even though I treated him like that... he still cared and saved me." she said

"That's when it hit me. All this time I've been pushing him away because I didn't want him to stop following me.. and caring." she looked back up at Em and took a deep breath. "But if you really want... go for him. I don't deserve him."[/size]

[Emmeline Vance]

She wanted so much to tell the Gryffindor that she didn't deserve him. That James deserved someone who wasn't giving him the roundabout for nearly five years. "Your emotions change like the wind, Evans," Emmeline stated, "You can't stand him one day and you claim you love him the next, only to go back to disliking him within the hour. I don't want him playing this game any more. Pick an emotion and stick with it. Because if you hurt him, I swear to Merlin I'm coming after you. You're right, you don't deserve him. He deserves someone who actually knows what they feel."[/size]

[Lily Evans]

Lily sighed. "I know... and i've tried to forget him. I honestly have. I started to when Celestina told me that she-' she stoped. "Yeah. But, then I realized what I was doing and it hurt. I messed up so badly." she said.

"All I want to do is escape and leave this school, but I don't want to go home. If I do... it'll just make me regret that I never did give James a chance." she sighed and took a step towards the door. "But nothing is going to happen now." she said. "At least, i don't think. Not after what happened."[/size]

[Emmeline Vance]

Emmeline blinked. "Do you even know the story behind what Flamel saw, of think she saw, that day? Do you even know what it actually was?" she dared ask. She had to work this out correctly so that she could tell the same story to Sirius without actually lying. But she had to word everything carefully. Sirius always knew when she as lying. Though considering Evans didn't know her like the Marauders did, Evans wouldn't even be aware if Emmeline was lying completely to her. But she had to make it seem like it was a complete and utter misunderstanding. Because whether she liked it or not, James loved Evans. Em had to try and at least give him a chance with Evans.[/size]

[Lily Evans]

Lily raised a brow. "That's not what I ment." she said. "I don't care if you shagged him or not." She sighed and leaned againstthe hard wood of the door. "It's the way I've been acting. I really like him... alot, but I don't deserve a good guy like him. He shouldn't waste his time with me. i don't even know why he does in the first place."

Why was she pouring her soul out to this girl? She never wanted anything to do with her! What was with all these change of hearts?[/size]

[Emmeline Vance]

Emmeline shook her head. "That's not what I asked. I asked you if you knew what actually happened. And I'll tell you exactly why he spends so much time bending over backwards for you to give him the time of day. It's because he cares about you a lot, whether I like it or not." Emme sighed and pushed herself off the wall. She walked over so she was right in front of Evans. "I'll tell you on thing. What Flamel things she saw is nothing close to the truth. I didn't shag him, and I wasn't kissing him either. My opinions on you have to be placed aside for the moment."[/size]

[Lily Evans]

Lily crossed her arms as she listened to me. "Fine... Then what was the truth Vance? You could tell me, butI'm not sure if it'll change my mind. " she said. it was true. She felt so bad about how horrible she had treated him and still couldn't understand why he liked her. She just wished for one moment that she wouldn't feel confused anymore.

She had spent the past couple of days trying to make sence of her life... but still had yet to do that.[/size]

[Emmeline Vance]

Emmeline shrugged. "It probably won't change your mind. But, I'm sorry, I won't have you thinking ill of myself or James. Neither of us are the types to hurt someone. I would never cheat on Sirius and James would never do that to you. He feels too much for you." Emme closed her eyes and sighed softly. She looked back to Evans. "Ever since I hit you in class, rumours have been going around that I've been with James. It went as far as the Slytherins calling me a low-grade whore," she began explaining. No lying so far. "That day Flamel thought she saw James and I shagging, earlier, the Slytherins started something completely horrid. I was literally fighting back tears as I ran out of the castle. I was crying under my tree when James crossed paths with me. Being the friend he is, he started trying to calm me down. I'll admit to you that James and I play a game, but it never goes further than a game, where we flirt with each other when one of us is upset or mad because it calms us down."

Again, she wasn't lying. James and Emmeline did flirt when something was bothering one of them. It was the friendship they had. She sighed and continued. "He finally got me to stop crying, but I still felt upset. So, in a completely friendly, sisterly almost, manner I sat in his lap. Because I wanted to feel all right again. Like nothing was wrong and rumours weren't going around. And he whispered something that Sirius was planning on doing in my ear and I started giggling. That's when that friend of yours stumbled upon us. I can almost understand how she got the wrong idea. From that angle it would look like something more. But it wasn't."

Emmeline didn't think she told a more believable lie in her entire life. It got so complex and intricate that she almost believed that it was nothing more than James trying to comfort his crying friend.[/size]