Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, save for the plotline. Credit goes to JK. Rowling, obviously.
Heavy rain lashed against the windows of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For November, it was uncommonly cold. The dreary weather had lasted for four straight days, confining students and teachers alike to the castle, always an ominous occurrence. Cabin fever was bound to set in, which it had, as soon as the second day. The general ill-feeling of being trapped inside for so long had already culminated in several duals between exasperated and ill-tempered students. A trio of third years, from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, respectively, had been given a detention by an irate professor McGonagall, as the students had managed to knock each other unconscious, but not before causing everyone in the vicinity brightly colored hair. James Potter himself had broken up a fistfight between two Hufflepuff first years that same day. No one was in good spirits, it would seem. The added presence of Peeves, who would pop up during break times and toss chalk, ink bottles, and dungbombs, didn't exactly help matters.
Speaking of James Potter, it would be ridiculous to assume that he and his three best friends, widely known as The Marauders, would not pull off some spectacular prank during a time such as this. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were legendary at Hogwarts for pranks. However, this particular week, even the boys seemed to want to do something that would alleviate much tension and moods, and not cause tempers of staff members to flare up even more. This is the reason as to why the school awoke to find suits of armor singing "Rain rain, go away, come back another day" on Saturday morning, all to different, and off-key, tunes. The din from gale force winds outside and the added lyrics of Peeves (offensive, of course, he would have it no other way) added to the cacophony. Most occupants of the castle seemed amused. Maybe it wasn't the most brilliant of the Marauder jokes, it was a laugh. It at least coaxed a smile out of everyone. Well, almost everyone. Lily Evans was furious, and wasted no time in telling James as much.
"POTTER!" The conversation at the Gryffindor breakfast table ebbed away, and everyone looked over to see a redhead girl striding over to the table. She looked none too happy. "You…you…miscreant!"
"Wha…?
"You're head boy! You should know better than this!"
"What are you on about?" interjected Sirius. "You can't possibly be mad that we charmed some useless piles of scrap metal to sing?"
"Shut up, Black!" Lily raged, giving him the hairy eyeball. She turned back to James. "This was so juvenile! Someone could have gotten hurt! When are you four going to grow up? At that, the hall exploded in laughter. James, however, had no trace of a smile on his face, and was most certainly not laughing.
"How…the…hell…could anyone have gotten hurt, Evans?" he snapped. It seemed as if James had had enough. Anger crossed his normally smiling features. "You're seriously mad that something got done that gave people a break from dodgy moods?"
"I…"
"You tell us that we need to grow up, but you're the one barging up to people that didn't even ask your opinion! At least we're decent to people!" James was yelling now. He didn't care.
"Nice? You? Hexed anyone recently?"
"In case you hadn't noticed, no! None of us have!" James yelled, indicating his three best friends. This much was true. "You're the one who is always insulting me, Lily! How would you like it if I never stopped calling you rotten names? "What…" James couldn't finish. He couldn't call her anything. Not Lily. Lily was looking into his face, and he saw that tears were threatening to fall from her emerald eyes.
"Fuck off, Potter," she said, barely above a whisper. She turned on her heels and fled from the hall. Everyone stared after her. James sat down next to Sirius. "What is it with her?"
"Couldn't tell ya, mate," said Sirius, stabbing after a potatoe. "Cabin fever?"
"James, you're an idiot." James and Sirius whip around to look at Remus. Before they could ask, however, Remus explained himself. "Lily's been upset these last few days, didn't you notice?"
"Everyone's been in bad…" Sirius started, but Remus cut him off.
"Bad moods, right, but this is different. Every time I have seen Lily she has seemed like she has been crying. Haven't you noticed, James? You two are sort of friends now, no?"
"Only because I left her alone, like she wanted."
"She doesn't want that, dolt!"
"She's got a funny way of showing it," Peter said. James and Sirius nodded.
"Go talk to her, James," Remus commanded.
"She needs…"
"She needs you, James."
James failed to find Lily in the castle anywhere. He traipsed back up to Gryffindor tower in dudgeon, intending to get an early start on homework. The weather was, of anything, worse. It seemed probable that it would never stop.
"Screw this!" James exploded to the common room later that afternoon. All homework done, he decided it might be wise to read the extra credit book for Charms, but it didn't last very long. Sirius, who had been asleep on the armchair next to James, awoke with a jolt." "Who screwed…?"
"Don't finish that thought, Sirius," Remus interrupted. James, in the meanwhile, had dashed to the seventh year boy's dormitory. Before the other boys could follow, he emerged again, carrying a cloak. "I'm going outside. I need to think."
"It's raining," informed Peter.
"NOOOO shit Sherlock!"
"I thought it was all in my head!" Sirius let out a mock gasp.
"Bite me," Peter snapped.
"Sick. Oi, Prongs!" James turned back. "Don't stay gone for too long." Sirius implored.
"I won't."
James walked the path to the lake. As he got closer to his favorite rock near the shore, he noticed that the rock was already occupied, and he thought he knew who it was. And she had no cloak. James started to run.
"What are you doing? You'll freeze!" Lily turned around with a start to look at him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. A clap of thunder made them both jump. James decided it would be a stupid idea of they stayed out here, and grabbed hold of her hand. She tried to protest, but his grip was strong. They dashed in the direction of the broom shed near the Quidditch pitch.
Lily was shivering by the time they got to the shed and dashed inside. James noticed, performed a drying spell on his cloak, and threw it over her shoulders. "Thanks." Without warning, Lily started to cry. She sank to the floor.
James sat next to her. "What's up?" he asked awkwardly.
"You called me Evans."
"Huh?"
"And you don't talk to me. Ever. Except for head duties, you ignore me, save for when you are yelling at me in the great hall.
"You yelled at me first!"
"You're not helping, James!"
"I'm trying!"
"You're not!"
"We're not going to start this again, are we? I thought you wanted to leave you alone! You always told me too. All those times when you called me an arrogant berk, got after my case for hexing Snape, turning me down when I asked you out…a guy can take a hint, Lily!"
"I didn't want to be the flavor of the week, James, until something better came along, James! I couldn't take that! Not from you." James gathered her small frame into his arms. She started crying even harder, while he sat there and stroked her hair. "There is nothing better than you, Lily!" he whispered.
"You don't want me."
"Of course I do."
"You always called me a silly perfectionist."
"Shhh…"
"James, after all that, they still don't…" she broke down again, sobbing into his neck. He held her tightly. "Lily, something's going on that you is not telling me!"
"They used to be proud of me."
"Who?"
"My parents. They don't want me to come home anymore."
"What?!
"They decided magic really isn't what I should be doing, not after hearing about Voldemort. They disowned me when I told them that I would stay at Hogwarts. They told me that I wasn't worth a damn because I wasn't going to college just like Petunia and getting a degree in something useful."
"Wow."
"I haven't got anything, James."
"You've got me." He lifted her chin with his fingers. He other hand found hers, and their fingers entwined. He pulled her to her feet and towards him, so that they pressed up against each other. He kissed her, slowly at first, and they built up momentum from there. The kiss became desperate. Both seemed to never want to let go. James had his arms twisted around her back, and Lily had dusted her hands lightly up his chest before wrapping her arms around his neck, entwining her fingers in his hair. James lifted Lily off her feet. They broke apart for want of air. They both glanced towards the window. It had stopped raining, and the sun was peeking through. The sky would be clear and beautiful in the morning.
"Tell me that wasn't fun," James said, stroking her cheek, then her next.
"Are you going to shut up already and kiss me again?" she chided, running her fingers through his dark hair.
It wasn't like he had much of a choice.