Hey everyone! Here's a one-shot I'd written before which got deleted. It takes place about two years after Hogwarts. I apologize if you get confused, it jumps around from person to person throughout the story, but it's usually quite easy to tell who I'm talking about. Please tell me what you think! Enjoy!
Two people. Two stories. One destiny. A story of how fate can bring two people together. JamesLily.
Then Fate Stepped In
A young man with black disheveled hair and hazel eyes framed with glasses stepped out of his one bedroom flat in London one early Monday morning. There were bags under his eyes from staying up late drinking with his friends, and as he slung his bag over his shoulder, he felt his muscles tighten from an uncomfortable night's sleep. Well, that's actually inaccurate seeing as there wasn't much sleeping going on. This man hadn't been able to get a decent night's sleep for the past two years.
He began walking down the street, before realizing that this would get him nowhere. In seconds, he spun around concentrating on the Ministry of Magic, and with a pop he was there. He began walking and stepped into the elevator. He waited, watching the witches and wizards around him entering and exiting the elevator on their floors, until the elevator announced, 'Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services.'
With a nod of acknowledgment to a few acquaintances as he entered the auror office, he made his way over to his small desk in his cubicle. He sat in his seat, laying his bag on the ground. Pulling out some papers, he began to work on a report from last week's mission.
Meanwhile, across the city, a young woman was awakening in her bed, her red hair sprawled around her and her and her green eyes tired. Similar to the young man, she also was unable to sleep properly, and those few nights she could, she had the same reoccurring dream. She yawned and sat up stretching before getting up and padding her way over to the bathroom. Once showered and ready, she stepped out of her flat, and with one last yawn, apparated right outside her office.
Every morning, this woman would stop for coffee at the coffee shop outside her office, and give her spare change to the homeless man out front. He would thank her, and then most likely run off to by liquor, but that was fine with her. She was a kind hearted woman and liked to do anything she could to help anyone in need.
This woman worked at a small newspaper named the Wizard Times. However, unlike the young man, who was a top auror and going out on missions, this woman was stuck in the office most of the day, writing the little joke articles and snuff pieces. But she was fine with that, as long as her writing—no matter how silly it may be—was being published.
James Potter paused writing his report when he heard someone calling for him loudly—albeit to him it was quite a bit softer seeing as this voice was all the way across the office. "Potter!" Moody yelled, and James cringed, knowing was his boss' anger was for. "Where is that report for the Preston mission that was supposed to be finished by last Thursday!"
"Right here sir, I'm almost finished," James responded, gesturing to the report he was just finishing up.
"Well hurry it up; I need you for another assignment! In my office in half an hour for a briefing, and that report better be done by then!" Moody yelled before storming back down the hallway.
James blinked a few times, staring after Moody. With an unhappy sigh, he turned back to his report and continued to write.
See it wasn't that James hated his job; he really loved it. It was his dream job; what he's wanted to do since he was at Hogwarts. It was what he had to give up in order to make this job possible. As well, lately in general he felt empty, like he was missing something, or more specifically someone.
Lily Evans' eyes slowly slipped shut as she sat at her desk. She'd had a long night; the fear of the same dream keeping her up made her unable to sleep. She jolted up realizing that if she were to fall asleep right there and then, the dream could resurface again.
"Evans!" her boss, Chris Marshall said getting her attention. "Try and stay awake, we need you for a story."
"Yes? What is it?" Lily asked, suddenly wide awake. The prospect of a story always made her more alert and it becomes the only thing on her mind.
"There's a bakery opening tomorrow at noon in Diagon Alley. The owner is some guy named Peter Declan, the son of the very wealthy and powerful Declan's."
Lily instantly recognized the name. "Yes, I know him. I went to Hogwarts with him. He was a year above me," Lily said, not mentioning the fact that the two had dated for at least six months.
"Fine, if you feel the need, wear a disguise then. Be there at noon," Marshall said before leaving her. She checked the time; 11:00am. She sighed before transfiguring her hair black and her eyes blue. Taking one last glance in a mirror, she grabbed her jacket and apparated out to Diagon Alley.
"The Minister's ball is a large event, which gathers ministers and important people from all over Europe," Moody said to James, and a few others in the briefing for their mission. "It requires top security, which is why we have recruited the best auror's we have to stake out the event.
"You will go undercover as guests, but keep your eyes open for any suspicious activity. Got it?" Moody said. The Auror's nodded. "The ball is tomorrow night beginning at six."
"Um, Sir?" James started. "My family is invited to the ball, so shouldn't I just-"
"Go as yourself? Yes, I was getting to that. You will not be attending the ball as yourself, even though you are invited, and that is final. Your profiles are in these folders, they are for people who cannot attend the ball," he said gesturing to the folders on his desk. "You are all dismissed."
The auror's approached the desk and grabbed their folders and left right away. Everyone knew not to disobey Moody, or the best that could possibly happen to you is that you lose your job.
James opened his folder to see a picture of a young man, probably in his early twenties, with dark blonde hair, green eyes, and tanned skin, with much softer features then James' sharp strong ones. Without even reading the profile, he knew his name was Charlie Kent, the nephew to the minister of magic.
"So, Mr. Declan, congratulations on the opening," Lily commented after the bakery's official opening. She approached Peter Declan with a warm welcoming smile which usually made people more likely to share.
"Well thank you Ms…?"Peter said.
"Cadence. Alicia Cadence," Lily answered, using her usual disguise name for interviews. "So, Mr. Declan, what made you want to start a bakery?" Lily asked.
Peter, who was a fairly attractive young man, flashed Lily a grin. "Please, call me Peter." She smiled back at him and nodded. "Well, I guess baking's always been a passion of mine," Peter said, and Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "And I really wanted to do something different from my parents to earn my own wealth, you know, since I'm extremely rich already..."
The conversation continued for the next half hour or so, and just from this time it made Lily remember why she'd broken up with him back in sixth year; he was incredibly arrogant and self centered and talked mostly about himself. Plus there was that other thing where he cheated on her with Melanie Clifton, but that was only the secondary reason. The only reason she kept dating him was well…to make someone else jealous.
"So…" Peter started, "Ms. Cadence, I was wondering…tomorrow is the Minister's ball. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to accompany me." Lily was completely taken aback. She would say no of course, and was going to, until she thought of something.
The Minister's ball usually kept press to a minimum. If she told Marshall she could get in there to report on it, she'd definitely get a raise. "As a date?" She asked.
"Well, sure, if you want it to be," Peter said, however his face clearly said he meant it to be a date.
Lily pretended to think for a second. "Sure, sounds great." He smiled at her, seeming relieved she said yes.
"You're going!" Marshall said excitedly demanding. "This is an amazing opportunity Evans! That man just handed you a ticket straight to your raise!"
Lily smiled at her boss but was unsure if it was worth it. The raise would be great, and reporting real events is amazing, but having to go with Peter Declan was the problem.
"So mate, you excited for the ball thingy?" James Potter's best friend Sirius Black asked the next day as they prepared for the ball. Sirius had long black hair, steel grey eyes, and had a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, a sort of childlike quality, even though he was definitely no longer a child.
"Not particularly," James said in a dull voice as he transfigured his hair to Charlie Kent's blonde colour. Normally they could just use a polyjuice potion, however seeing as the ball spanned over several hours, it may draw attention to keep drinking the potion every hour.
"Oh come on Prongs! You've been so depressed lately. What is your problem?" Sirius asked.
James deliberated telling him. Sure, Sirius was his best friend, and had been ever since they were eleven, but he knew that Sirius would not like his answer.
"It's just," James began sighing, "It's just we're coming up to February 27th, and you know that was—"
"Yours and Lily's anniversary," Sirius said interrupting him, "Damn it I should have thought of that. I should have known that was what was bothering you. I mean you got this was last year too—"
"No I didn't," James protested as he transfigured the rest of himself into Charlie.
"Yes you did, and I guess you have a right to and all seeing as you were in love with her for like seven years, but seriously it's time you moved on. You two haven't dated in almost two years, I'm sure she's already moved on."
"I don't know if I can do it Emma," Lily said to her best friend Emmeline Vance while preparing for the ball. "Go out with Peter I mean."
Emmeline rolled her eyes. "Well I don't blame you; Peter is one of the most annoyingly arrogant people I've ever met. I can't believe you dated him, but obviously it was just to make you-know-who jealous."
"No Emma, well I can't do it because of him too, but also because of you-know-who," Lily said.
Emmeline sighed. "Lily, you have to get over him, you and Jam—"
"—you-know-who!" Lily interjected tersely.
"Right. You and you-know-who dated almost two years ago, and you haven't even dated anyone since. That's kind of pathetic Lils. I realize your anniversary is coming up and that makes you sad, but you've got to get over it. So go out tonight, ignore Peter Declan's horrible personality and just snog his brains out. Maybe even go back to his giant mansion and shag him because he is hot."
"But—"
"No buts! You look amazing, so go kick butt tonight!" Emmeline said before shoving Lily out the door.
The ball began promptly at six o'clock with dinner. The room was filled with large tables, fancy food, a string quartet, and many important people in the magical world.
Lily met Peter at the front door before they took their seats for dinner. The tables each seated ten people, and Lily was sitting with Peter and Mr. and Mrs. Declan, the Farnsworth's, and the Kent's. She found Mr. and Mrs. Declan very pleasant, which made her wonder where in the world their son came from. The Farnsworth's were an old married couple; Mr. Farnsworth used to be the old Minister's advisor. The Kent's were the family of the Minister's sister, which included Mr. and Mrs. Kent, and their children April and Charlie.
Conversation at the table was light, kept to topics such as current events and politics. In the beginning, Lily tried to pay attention, but after a while she got so incredibly bored that she just stuck to playing with her food. She nearly called Emmeline to help her come up with a way to escape—she really didn't need a raise that badly—when suddenly someone next to her leaned over and said, "Could this get any more boring?"
The voice was quiet and feminine. Lily looked over to see April Kent, who was probably about eighteen. She had dark blonde long hair and green eyes. She was very small and thin with delicate features and tanned skin.
"Probably not. I've never been so bored in my life," Lily answered honestly.
April laughed quietly. "What about your date? Isn't he any fun?"
Lily snorted. "Yeah right. He probably has the worst personality I've ever seen. He probably wouldn't even notice if I just left."
April smiled mischievously. "So leave. Actually, you know what, I'll come with you," she said getting to her feet. Beside her, her brother looked at her confused.
"I can't just leave," Lily protested. "I mean it's the Minister's ball—"
"Yes. Ball," April interrupted. "Not dinner. So we'll come back when dinner's over and the dancing begins, how's that? It should be in about an hour with the way these people eat and talk."
Lily looked around unsure. She would rather not draw too much attention to herself, but she was seriously bored. So she nodded at April and stood up, whispering to Peter that she was going to the washroom. April turned to her brother, "Hey Charlie, wanna come with?"
The boy looked relieved. "Yes please, I'm minutes away from cutting off my own ears; I can't take listening to these people for much longer."
So together, Lily, April, and Charlie managed to sneak out of the dining hall. "In here," April said, directing them into a small lounge looking room with a few couches and a fireplace. "So, I don't think I caught your name," April said to Lily.
"Oh I'm Alicia Cadence," Lily answered with a smile.
"And how do you know Declan?" Charlie asked, obviously not recognizing her last name as one of those usually associated with a Declan.
"I'm a writer, and I covered his bakery opening yesterday," Lily said, fighting the urge to laugh.
"Right and I guess he used the whole 'baking is my passion' speech on you," Charlie said.
"Yep, how did you know?" Lily asked.
Charlie frowned. "He did the same sort of thing to someone I knew a while back. He chooses something girls will think is sweet or cool or whatever and then acts all dedicated and whatnot. Girls can't seem to resist that for some reason."
Lily had to answer this honestly with, "Well I thought it was a bunch of bullshit personally."
Charlie smiled at her, "Good."
Lily looked at Charlie for a moment longer, feeling some sort of odd connection with him. It was almost as if she knew him, or did at one point. But she had never met that man before in her life and she knew it.
"Alicia?" came the voice of Peter Declan, making Lily look away from Charlie. The three turned from their seats to see him in the doorway. "What are you doing in here? Come back, the dancing is about to start."
Lily gave him the best smile she could, which turned out to be more like a grimace, and stood up and followed him. They made small forced chatter until they arrived in the ballroom, where he immediately asked her to dance.
They danced for what seemed like forever to Lily, seeing as all he talked about the entire time was himself. His bakery, his parents, his money, his life, his future, his past, blah, blah, blah. Of course Lily wasn't even listening after a while. Well actually she wasn't listening throughout the entire time, up until they were interrupted.
"May I cut in for a dance?" a voice came to her left, and she snapped out of her 'tune out Peter' trance. All she was thinking during this trance was that the raise better be worth it. However, she felt as though her night might get a little better seeing as the voice to her left turned out to be Charlie Kent.
"Sure," Peter said. "But I'll be back soon." Then he was gone, and Lily had never been so happy in her life.
"So, enjoying your time with Sir talks a lot?" Charlie asked.
Lily just laughed. "I was ready to kill myself right before you stepped in. Thank you by the way."
"Why did you agree to come with him again?" Charlie asked.
"Well I don't know if I should be telling you this, but it's for a story about the ball. I'm undercover; but yesterday he seemed at least tolerable when I agreed. Now I'm rethinking doing the story and just leaving."
"Well, I for one am glad you came. I personally quite enjoy your company," Charlie said, and Lily's face turned red. She didn't know what it was about him that made her react like that, but she liked it. She hadn't felt that way with a guy for quite some time.
"Well thank you. You and April are making this night pretty bearable," Lily responded. "Speaking of April, where did she go?"
Charlie shrugged, and seemed to bring Lily closer to her so they were practically hugging now instead of dancing. She felt a little strange, seeing as the last guy she'd been this close with was…well you-know-who.
"Charlie! Hey how's it going?" A man said approaching them, breaking them apart. He was young with brown hair, dark eyes and a fairly faint French accent.
Charlie glared at the man then looked pointedly in Lily's directing, indicating in boy language that he had definitely interrupted something. Lily had to laugh.
"Fine, Michael. Alicia, this is Michael Lefevre, the French minister's son. Michael, this is Alicia Cadence, Peter Declan's date," Charlie introduced.
A small smile slowly spread across Michael's handsome face. "Nice work, stealing his girl. He deserves it, the arrogant bastard." He looked over in Lily's direction, lifted her hand, and kissed it. "Would you mind if I borrowed the beautiful young lady for a dance?"
Charlie gave Michael a strange look; one Lily couldn't quite understand. "Sure," he said in a slightly strained voice.
Michael took Lily's hand, and she smiled at him before turning back to Charlie. "Thank you for the dance, it was wonderful."
Charlie smiled but didn't say anything before leaving. "Don't mind him," Michael said. "He always get's sore when I even look at a girl he's interested in," he smiled sheepishly. "I tend to steal them away from him."
"Well, you're not going to steal me away because I wasn't his for the taking in the beginning." Lily said. "Besides, he's not interested in me, he's just being nice."
Michael laughed, but it sounded a little bitter. "Of course he's interested, how could he not be? But I think it's in both your best interests if there was no interest," Michael said, his face suddenly very serious.
"What..?"
"I know who you are…" He said very quietly, and Lily felt her eyes widen. She began to protest but he continued. "Ms. Evans, seeing as this is a government affair, there are many auror's stationed around in disguise. Charlie, like myself, are part of these auror's, along with your good friend Emmeline."
Lily looked surprised. "Emma's here…?"
"Yes, but that is not important right now. For now, you must know to stay away from who you believe is Charlie. He cannot be distracted from his duties—"
"Why?" Lily interjected. "Why him and none of the other auror's? What makes him so special that I can't talk to him but I can talk to you and some of the other auror's?"
"Because you know him. I mean you know a lot of the other's as well, but you really know him. If you think hard enough about it, you'll know who he is, and probably who I am as well," Michael said.
Lily began to think about it. Who could he possibly be talking about? All she knew about him was that she felt some sort of attraction towards him, that he was nice, funny, an auror, and a top auror at that seeing as it was a prestigious government event. And suddenly, with a gasp, she knew. She understood everything.
And she nearly fainted from the shock.
"Hey Emmeline how's it going?" James disguised as Charlie Kent asked as he approached an older blonde witch, Lady Devereux.
"Don't use our real names!" she snapped before replying, "I'm bored out of my mind, what about you?" Emmeline said with a yawn. She had to listen to old batty wizards and witches all night long talk about nothing. It made her understand why the actual Lady Devereux didn't want to attend.
"Same, except I met a nice girl I've been hanging out with. Added bonus is that she's Peter Declan's date, and I really don't like him," James added.
Emmeline's currently blue eyes widened. "Do you really think that's the best idea Ja-Charlie?" She asked.
"Well, I think there's nothing wrong with it. It's not like it's anything serious or that she's his real girlfriend," James said.
Emmeline tried not to seem too suspicious. "Yes, but he's really rich and powerful, I don't think you want to double cross him. Besides, why do you hate him so much?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
He looked a little uncomfortable. "You remember back at Hogwarts, when he… -with her-…oh never mind, I just don't like him," he said, giving her the general gist of what he meant.
"Okay…" Emmeline said, pretending not to know that he was talking about her best friend. She was about to say something else on the subject, when she saw the girl in question coming closer, her face paler than usual, dragging 'Michael' behind her. Emmeline pulled James back until the two had passed, and she could see fury on James' face.
"I cannot believe him. He's going to steal her away from me. I hate when he does this to me—"
"Calm down," Emmeline interrupted. "Trust him in this case. He's not going to hook up with her. He won't do it in this case, he knows better."
James was skeptical. "How do you know?"
Emmeline smiled reassuringly. "Just trust me. And him."
"Sirius?" Lily hissed at Michael. "You're Sirius aren't you?" Lily asked. She took his silence as a yes. "I don't know how I feel about that right now. I am so angry that you didn't tell me straight out and Emmeline didn't tell me, but in a way I'm kind of glad to see you—"
Sirius smiled at her, "It's good to see you too Lils."
"—But that does not make me any less angry. I'm assuming that means that 'Charlie' is really you-know-who?" Lily asked, afraid of the answer.
Sirius however looked confused. "You-know-who?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "You know…you-know-who," she said giving him a pointed look.
Sirius was still completely lost. "Who? Voldemort?"
Lily had to resist the urge to whack him about the head to smack some sense into him. "No you idiot. The other you-know-who." It took him a few moments before realization dawned on his face.
"Oh, if you mean James then yes, it's him," Sirius said before Lily shushed him.
"Don't say his name," Lily said sharply. Even the mention of his name sent a sharp pain through her heart and she felt faint. James was here… her James. She felt a mix of happiness, confusion, anger, and fear fill her body; she didn't know if It was a good thing or bad thing; seeing him might just make things worse.
Sirius rolled his eyes. He knew Lily was having just as hard a time as James was, seeing as he was quite close with Emmeline and they always talked about it. Lily however, had no idea what was going on with James, and vice versa.
"How am I supposed to trust her, I don't even know her," James said. He was unsure why he was so interested in this girl seeing as he just met her, but he could already tell she was special.
Emmeline on the other hand was getting frustrated with James' whining. He was worse than Lily when it came to whining about the other. Which is the excuse she told herself for what she next said.
"Because it's Lily, James! That girl is Lily!" Emmeline practically yelled. "And Sirius knows that and he knows never to mess with Lily because Lily is yours. Everyone knows that!" Emmeline immediately clamped her hands over her mouth, her eyes going wide. She was definitely not supposed to say that; Lily was going to kill her. She looked around to see that luckily there wasn't anyone around.
James felt frozen. He couldn't move, speak, breathe, or even think. Lily…his Lily…was in the room right now. He'd been talking with her all night and he didn't even know it. He'd held her and joked with her and…wait a minute. If that was Lily, that meant that she was Declan's date.
James felt a familiar rush flow through him as almost four years ago when he first heard Lily was dating that arrogant bastard. He couldn't believe she actually agreed to go out with him again.
Without giving Emmeline another look, James stormed off in the direction he saw Sirius and Lily go. He couldn't believe not even his best friend had told him that was Lily. He was angry with them, and he was angry with Lily for coming with Declan.
He saw her finally, her hair was black and her eyes were blue, but if he looked very carefully, he saw his Lily. She was talking with Sirius in hushed tones when James cleared his throat. She looked up and they locked eyes; blue on green. In that moment, they both knew that they understood who the other person was; a person they had not seen in almost two years.
"Lily you don't have to do this," James pleaded as she unpacked her boxes into her new flat in London. They had just graduated the previous week from Hogwarts and her parents had kindly lent her some money for the flat. "You can come with me."
"No I can't James. I have a life here, and I just got a job too," Lily answered picking up a box marked 'shoes' and bringing it over to the closet. James followed her in there.
"But we can start a new life together," he said, his voice getting a little more desperate.
"What? At Auror training school? I don't think so." Lily brushed past him back into her new bedroom and opened up a box marked 'Hogwarts' on her bed.
"What's wrong with that? I'll only have training on weekdays, so we'll have evenings and weekends, plus it's only for a year," James said, picking up another box and placing it on her bed.
"What's wrong with that James is that training school is in the middle of nowhere. There would be nothing for me to do, nowhere for me to work—"
"You wouldn't need to work; I can afford it all—"
"But I want to work James! I don't want to live off your parent's money!" Lily yelled getting to her feet. "That's the part you don't seem to understand."
"I do understand! I know you and I understand what you want, but you have to understand that I have to go!" James yelled back.
"I know it's your dream job, and I can't compete with that, so you know what, you can make a choice, right now," Lily said, taking a seat on the bed, unable to look at him. "You can choose your job, or you can choose to stay with me."
James was speechless. "Lils, don't make me choose…"
They stared at each other for a few moments before Lily spoke. "Well, I guess that settles it then. James, you know your way out."
But James didn't move; he didn't even blink. "You don't have to do this," James repeated, feeling defeated.
Lily tried to hold back her tears, but one slipped down her face. She made her voice hard, "Neither do you…"she said before she walked out of the room. James knew it was over. Lily knew it was over. That was the last time they saw each other for two years…
Lily and James continued to stare at each other. Neither knew what to say; there was a bit of an awkward feeling in the air. It was finally Lily who broke the silence.
"So…James…" Lily began awkwardly. "How's it going?"
James didn't know what made him do it, but he burst out with, "I can't believe you're here with Declan!"
Lily felt her eye twitch a little. If there was one thing she hated, it was when people commented on things she did, and when they told her what to do and not to do. James knew that; heck the whole world knew that. "I can't believe you! It is none of your business who I am here with!"
"I think it is my business. It's my business when people I care about go out with cheating arrogant bastards!" James yelled. A voice inside his head was telling him 'no, stop fighting with her, you haven't seen her in years, this is no time to fight', but he kept on going. It was like he had to get out his anger and finish the fight from the last time.
"You gave up the right to say you care about me two years when we broke up!" Lily yelled. Before James could respond, she turned and walked away, leaving James alone with Sirius. Moments later, he was joined by Emmeline, but he couldn't stop staring after Lily. The only thing he regretted more then what he just did was when he originally walked out of her life two years before.
"What was that mate?" Sirius asked.
"I just made a huge mistake," James said.
"Go after her," Emmeline said. James looked up at her surprised. "If I know Lily, she'll be off about to do something irrational. Go after her and stop her so you can talk." James took in her words and knew she was right, and nodded before running after her.
"Hey Peter," Lily said finding her date on the dance floor. "Want to head out? Maybe go back to your place?" She didn't know what made her do it, but she was just so angry with James and everyone right now she wanted to do something to get back at them.
Peter looked a little surprised, maybe because of the fact that she was ignoring him practically all night. "Sure babe, let's go."
James ran as fast as he could through the ballroom, feeling worse and worse as he ran about what he just did. Lily was probably out doing something stupid with Declan right now because of her, and she would definitely regret it. He ran to the stations where you were able to apparate out of there, but got there just in time to see Lily, who was holding on to Declan's arm, apparate away.
James couldn't return to the party. He knew he should because it was his job, but he couldn't. He'd endure with Moody's rath tomorrow, but for tonight, he headed home to his flat, and fell into a deep sleep.
"…left the party! Ignored your job! Didn't protect the guests! Acted out of Character! Revealed yourself to guests! Didn't obey any orders whatsoever..." Moody yelled the next morning. James was sitting in Moody's office, cringing away from the yelling. He was only taking in half of what was being said to him; his head was still crowded from the previous night; so much had happened that had made him rethink his life's choices. Seeing Lily again…it felt better than being an auror ever did. Of course being an auror felt good; saving lives, protecting the wizarding world, etc. But just seeing Lily for one night made him feel so much better and happier than that. Also, throughout the night, he'd felt himself drifting back into old memories of Lily. But the main thing he couldn't stop thinking of was her going off with Declan.
He realized then, that Love was way important to him than any job could possibly be, and he wouldn't be able to work properly until he was happy. Which is why he did the one thing no one's ever done before.
He walked out on Moody. He just got up in the middle of his rant, and without a word, left the room.
Sirius greeted him when he left. "How'd it go mate? Were you fired?"
James shrugged, but didn't stop walking. Sirius began following behind him. "I don't know, I left before he finished."
Sirius' eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "You…what? Walked out on Moody? Why—"
"Because I realized something Sirius; I won't be able to do anything until I make up with Lily. Seeing her last night made me see how unhappy I was with my life, and now I'm going to fix everything. I made a mistake two years ago choosing my job over her; so now I'm going to make everything right," James ranted.
Sirius stopped walking and smiled at his best friends retreating figure. "Go get 'er prongs."
Twenty minutes later, James arrived at Lily's flat. He held up his fist, about to knock, but paused momentarily to think. Then, making up his mind, he finally knocked.
He waited for minutes, and nothing happened. Paranoid thoughts filled his mind. Did something happen to her? Is she still with Declan? Does she somehow know it's me? Finally, he turned, deciding to give up and come back later, when he heard footsteps from inside, and a faint voice making his heart leap, "hold on a sec."
The door opened moments later, and Lily stood in the doorway, dressed in a bathrobe, her hair wet. When she spotted James, she froze on the spot, her eyes locking with his. This however was different from the previous day, for they were both back with their usual appearances, and were seeing each other in their real form for the first time in years.
Lily looked over James. He was the same, yet different. He still had the same stubborn hair and hazel bespeckled eyes, and was just as handsome, if not more so, then before. His features were still sharp, yet the years had made them more defined. He had a more mature air to him, and more wisdom and experience. There was stubble on his face and dark circles under his eyes, and he looked worn and tired.
James surveyed Lily. She still was beautiful; her red hair hung in waves from being damp, and her green eyes were bright and alert, however her's, like his, were surrounded by dark circles. She looked older, and he could see the different the two years had made. But he could still see his old Lily in her, and it made his heart beat just a little faster.
"James…" Lily said slowly. "Sorry, I just came out of the shower, please, come in."
James nodded unsurely, and stepped into her flat. It was the same as it had been two years ago, but with more things added to it; mementos of the previous years that she'd collected. The two of them stood there, in awkward silence, until he broke it.
"So…Lily, about last night—"
"I didn't do it, by the way!" Lily burst out. James looked at her confused, and she elaborated. "Sleep with Declan. I just thought you should know."
James ignored the swell in his heart and the momentary uplift he felt when he heard that. "Lils, that's none of my business."
Lily looked around and shuffled her feet. "Well, I know, I just thought…you know with you and him…and then me…and us…I just wanted you to know," she said awkwardly as she felt her face heating up. She didn't actually know what possessed her to tell him that; but now that she said it, she weirdly didn't regret it too much.
They stayed in silence for a bit, and James took that opportunity to look around the flat. There were pictures of her and her friends from Hogwarts and out of Hogwarts displayed all around, and articles she'd written posted up. The furniture looked different all unpacked then it did before all packed up in boxes, and he noted that the flat was very Lily-like.
"So Lily," James started. "I just came over to apologize—"
"If it's about last night, don't," Lily interjected.
"—for last night and two years ago," James finished, and Lily was instantly silent. "I shouldn't have said that stuff to you yesterday; I have no right to have a say in any aspect of your life."
Lily nodded, but didn't say anything. After moments of silence however, she spoke up. "And what about two years ago? I should be the one apologizing. The ultimatum I gave you was just cruel and I knew it was wrong, so I'm sorry and—"
"I made the wrong decision," James cut in, and Lily immediately stopped talking. "When you asked me to choose, I mean. After we…you know…ended things…I was unhappy, and then I realized that it was because you were much more important to me then my job—"
"Stop right there," Lily said, finally finding her voice, but it was shaky. "Look James, I mean I've had my problems too, but I just can't handle this right now. I was unhappy, I cried for months after you left, but right now I can't deal with it."
James' heart dropped into his stomach. "But maybe if you were able to handle it, do you think maybe we could…" he trailed off, motioning between them.
Lily was hesitant to answer. "I…I don't think so James…I mean it didn't work before, and—"
"But I still love you Lily!" James suddenly yelled. He didn't know what made him say it, but it was out there, and he knew it was true. "I love you and I don't think I'll ever stop!"
Tears began welling up in Lily's eyes, and she hardened her voice, "Do you really think I don't still love you! I do! I love you! But seriously James, it's just not—"
She was cut off when she suddenly felt his lips press against hers. She immediately melted into his kiss as she felt the familiar swoop in her stomach. He began backing her into the wall and she felt her back collide with it before he deepened the kiss. His hands raked over her body as she felt her own doing out of instinct. It was frantic; their time apart had made them both long for each other so much.
The kiss didn't last too long, only a minute or so, but when they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers. "James…" she said quietly.
"Just give us another chance Lils," James interrupted before she could say anything negative. She'd always been that way; negative.
Lily couldn't breathe. Tears threatened to fall. "I can't get hurt like that again James, it's not an option. I was only just beginning to get over you and if it ends badly—"
"It won't," James said confidently.
Lily was uncertain. "How do you know?"
James gave her a small smile, "Because I love you, and you love me, and that's enough to keep us together."
Lily looked into his eyes; green on hazel, before she finally made up her mind.
She ever so slowly, leaned forward, and softly kissed him on the lips.
And there you have it. A story of Fate, Love, and Destiny. A story of two very different people with different lives, who started and ended together. Fate acted as a force between them, bringing them closer together until their two souls became one. A story of how their two lives comingled just when they began to need each other the most, and how the promise of love can make people see clearly, yet muddled. It set's their priorities straight, and shows them how important the other person is. When two people are meant to be, there may be obstacles, but nothing can get in the way of their love indefinitely.
Two people. Two stories. One destiny. A story of how fate can bring two people together.
The End.
Afterwards…
Lily and James wound up getting married eight months later, and soon had their only son, Harry James Potter.
James got to keep his job, after much explanation and groveling to Moody…after actually meeting Lily it turns out Moody was a big sucker for a good love story.
Sirius and Emmeline dated for a while, however they decided they were both better single and broke up a bit after the Potter Evans wedding.
Lily ended up with that raise at work, and after a while actually got an offering from Witch Weekly and became one of their top writers.
Peter Declan ended up with Melanie Clifton, the girl from Hogwarts that he cheated on Lily with. They met each other at a bar one day and the next morning wound up married. Her personality (according to Lily and James) is just one step better then Peter's, making them the perfect couple.
And as for this story… it has officially ended…