The thing about Lysander was that he never went away. Someway, somehow, after months of trying to convince herself that it was nothing, Lily would find herself face to face with the one person she couldn't have: Lysander Scamander.
They had always been friends, tricking Albus into eating mud, writing letters when he was at school, trading stories about their reputations as Hogwarts resident "problem children." Lily and Lysander; the lion and the raven. Always playing, always dancing, always together yet always apart. The two had been good friends since she was old enough to chase him around, and being at Hogwarts only brought the two troublemakers into a more mature version of their partner-in-crime duet.
Yet underneath there was this… feeling. Lily felt it in the pit of her gut each time he winked playfully at another one of his bimbos, and she could see the twinge in his expression each time she announced her new boy toy of the week.
She'd hoped it'd get better once he'd graduated. He was a full three years ahead of her in school, and although she had always been mature, he had always been Lysander. At first it was better, almost freeing to know that she could date whomever she wanted and not have to feel that feeling in her gut, that twinge that ruined every relationship she'd had so far. But then she thought about him doing the same. And the twinge grew to bubbles, then to butterflies.
That was the thing about Lysander. Even when he went away, he never really went away. He sent her the occasional text, a long letter or two and even a few pictures. Until finally, when she decided whatever it was in her gut that made her feel sick to her stomach (what used to be butterflies had grown over the years apart) needed to end.
Which brought her here; in the attic of the Burrow, playing Truth or Dare with her cousins at her graduation party. Of course he was there, ruggedly handsome as usual, making it difficult for Lily to maintain her patented Weasley sarcastic-indifference. She was the fiery red-headed vixen, the one boys chased and never got. But Ly was the one that got away, the James Dean of wizards who played with dragons like Uncle Charlie and wore weird glasses given to him by Luna yet somehow always managed to turn them into a fashion trend.
"Lorcan, I think it's your turn," said Rose, still giggling from the last prank where Fred had charmed Uncle Ron's unmentionables to hike up unexpectedly while dancing with his wife. Hugo, who was still standing by the window and laughing at his mother's reaction, suddenly stopped and nodded in approval. Fred was always good for a laugh, but there was nothing the Weasley clan loved more than exploiting each other's secrets in a game of truth or dare.
Lorcan, being the annoyingly perceptive person that he was, generally made the best dares and the absolute most embarrassing truths. It was funny; Lorcan was usually considered the quiet twin, but when it came to truth or dare the boy was a natural at seeing others weaknesses and exploiting them for kicks. He was always going for the kill. Lily supposed that they had Rose's wicked humor to thank for that.
"Yes finally Lorcan's turn!" exclaimed Albus who looked anxiously at James. Wait. James. Albus. Mutual grinning. Oh Merlin's saggy pants. She knew that look. That planning look. Passing from her, to Lorcan, to Lysander. Oh hell.
"Well, Lysander," asked Lorcan as casually as he could, "what is it going to be? Truth? Or dare?" The skinny blonde could barely contain his grin as his twin brother, cocky as usual, smirked back. The poor idiot. Couldn't Lysander tell that they were plotting something? Then again he had never been the sharpest tool in the shed. Mostly just a tool, to be honest.
"Dare," he responded cheekily, lounging back into his seat like he could take whatever they threw at him. Clearly he hadn't played this game with her brothers in a long, long time.
"I dare you," started Lorcan, savoring the moment before the kill, "to kiss Lily." As he said it, he looked at her, waiting to see her reaction. The knots in her stomach exploded, but she reigned in a blush before it even had a chance to start. Like she would give them the satisfaction. She glanced at her brothers in turn, Albus smug but a bit confused by her calm, and James grinning like a Cheshire cat. She wasn't sure how or when her brothers had found out, but there would definitely be retribution for this.
"I'm game," she stated evenly, turning to Lysander who was sitting a few feet to her left on an old trunk. He wasn't slouching against the wall anymore, and if Lily hadn't known better she would have thought him nervous.
"Bring it on."
He stood up slowly, face still smug and cocky, yet there was something beneath it she could see that wasn't the usual smooth-as-glass Lysander. Was he… nervous? He sat down next to her on the floor, placing one arm on the coffee table she was leaning against, the other hesitantly reaching for her face. That's when his calm started to break.
"Now?" he asked, turning to the others for approval. Lorcan nodded, and Albus and James leaned forward. Only Rose looked to Lily, sending her a sympathetic look. She vaguely remembered confessing to her on more than one occasion her Lysander-based confusion in a drunken stupor, and only now appreciated telling her. Lily shrugged slightly. No big deal. It was just Lysander. Except… the thing about Lysander was-
His hand turned her head toward his and before she could react his lips were on hers. She barely had time to close her eyes before he pulled back, forcing a smile to the group.
"Piece of cake," he said, a bit breathlessly, standing up and returning to his previous seat. Lily cleared my throat and faked a smirk at Lorcan.
"That all you got?" She taunted, turning her gaze onto her irritating brothers and taking satisfaction out of their disappointed faces. What were they expecting? Years of sexual tension to demolish the dam barely keeping it back? Unfortunately, so was she.
"WHICH ONE OF YOU IMBECILIC CHILDREN CHARMED UNCLE RON'S PANTS INTO A PERMANENT WEDGIE?" roared a familiarly angry voice. Collectively they froze, no one daring to move and suffer the wrath of a certain redheaded relative.
"Mom!" whispered James, closing his eyes. He turned accusingly to Fred.
"I told you they weren't drunk enough to start hexing!" he breathed angrily, smacking Fred on the arm. He cried out in surprise, and then quickly covered his mouth in an effort to hide their location. But it was too late. Mrs. Potter could be heard angrily tromping up the attic stairs.
"Scatter!" yelled Hugo, taking off toward the stack of old brooms in the corner. The group of friends spread, some dis-apparating, others hiding in magical furniture that would transport them to safer locations throughout the Burrow, and some, like Albus, climbing out the window to sneak into a lower level room. She saw James disappear with a loud pop and figured her best bet for information was with the younger of her two older siblings. Al had always been more of a pushover when it came to her anyway.
She clambered out the window with seconds to spare and slid into the room below with a practiced ease. There waited a surprised Albus, hair slightly disheveled, green eyes wide with fear.
"Now Lily-" he started, but she whipped out her wand before he could continue.
"Hell hath no fury like a pissed off little sister Albus," she warned, the tip of her wand glowing in anticipation. He gulped and raised his hands in surrender.
"Good." Lily lowered her wand and looked at him expecting an explanation.
"For the record, it was James's idea. Lorcan happened to know that Ly might have possibly been harboring certain feelings for quite some time," her heart skipped a beat," and wanted to exploit them in revenge for the time he let Luna catch him and Lucy snogging in his room last time they visited." Lily narrowed her eyes.
"Okay so I was in on it too, but not for revenge. I've seen you Lil. The way you look at him. The way you guys look at each other. I just figured if you two couldn't cross the friend line by yourselves-"
"That'd you'd step in to help? Since when were you so invested in my love life Albus?" Lily asked, skeptical.
"Since my best friend finally kissed the boy she'd been pining over for like, seven years at your stupid mistletoe party last Christmas. Rose has never been happier than when she's been with Scorp. And instead, you got a letter from Ly, really drunk, and wouldn't stop blubbering about some girl he mentioned while I carried you up to your dorm room," he replied, his face genuinely concerned.
"Oh." She answered sheepishly. She'd always wondered how she'd gotten back into bed that night. The sound of footsteps outside their room snapped her eyes back to his, and the two ran for the window. Halfway out the sill she paused, turned, and hugged her brother. He breathed out a high pitched "oof!" in surprise, but quickly recovered and hugged his little sister back.
"Thanks Al. Even though you're an idiot," she said smiling, and kissed him on the cheek before swinging down another level and quickly exiting the room, making her way back out into the party on the lawn.
It wasn't until much later, when Lily had finally calmed the hurricane in her gut down to a tame little twinge and the guests were starting to taper off that she felt a hand curl around her arm and pull her into one of the Burrows many hallways.
"Lysander!" she greeted in surprise, trying to desperately calm her gut.
"Lil," he returned, smiling awkwardly. That was new.
"Just wanted to say goodbye. I'm heading off to Zambia for about a month and a half, so I won't be seeing you for a while." His eyes searched her face, barely concealed by the constant façade of his nonchalant grin.
"Searching for the Crumple Headed Snork-thing again?" Lily asked, feeling a bit breathless. Lysander exhaled a laugh and nodded, looking down at the floor and then back into her eyes. That's when the dam finally broke.
The two of them lunged forward at the same time, hands grabbing each other's faces, Lysander pushing her back against the wall, their lips sighing in relief after years of waiting and wondering and watching. The small crack in their walls from the kiss upstairs had done its job, releasing a flood of pent up emotion and feelings resulting in the very adolescent make out session they were currently having in the abandoned hallway.
"Hey Lil have you seen-" James stopped at the sight of his little sister kissing one of his close friends. The two stopped, Lily quickly reaching down to straighten her shirt, her face the color of her hair; Lysander nervously fixing his sun colored locks and clearing his throat. James snorted.
"Lorcan owes me twenty bucks!" he laughed, leaving the two to alone once more.
Lily and Lysander both broke out laughing, nearly falling over each other. As Lily wiped the tears from her eyes a few minutes later, she let out a final giggle and sighed, letting her forehead fall onto Lysander's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss into her hair, then pulled back to look at her face.
"So. Month and a half?" she said, wrinkling her nose. He nodded, and then offered an "it-can't-be-helped" kind of shrug.
"Just pretend I'm still here," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "We'll write letters and call each other every night. It'll be like I never even went away."
She smiled, and kissed him lightly on the lips before saying goodbye.
That was the thing about Lysander. He never really did go away. Because no matter where he was, he was always, always, hers.
I hate it, but who cares. This is what happens when I don't feel like doing homework.