So, this is basically an au of the love, rosie au. I mean that literally, this was once the opening of love, potter. I wrote this instead of working on either of my wips because I'm a terrible person with no impulse control, sorry.
Like most people on the planet, James thought Monday mornings were shit. Not only did they mark the beginning of a new week of school, but they also meant that he had to struggle through three straight hours of English with Slughorn. This was bad enough in itself, but what made it approximately ten times worse was that this was already after he'd suffered through twenty minutes of Grubblyplank making god-awful jokes and breaking out words like "hip" and "trendy" just so she could watch her students groan about how "out of touch" she was.
Still, it was cold for early May, and James was undeniably grateful for the warmth his form room offered, even if the wind was wrapping ice cold tendrils around the open door, and creeping through the broken window seal. He tugged the sleeves of his jumper down over his skinny wrists, his thumb catching on the piece of thread he always forgot to cut off.
Lily Evans wandered in a few minutes later, her nose buried into the softest, and ugliest, scarf she owned. It was a dark purple monstrosity that was more hole than it was wool, and James hated it with every fibre of his being. She must have seen the scowl he tried to hide behind his propped-up sketchbook, because she smiled slightly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Her bag strap had, at some point, dropped into the bend of her elbow, but she didn't seem to care that it was almost dragging across the floor. She sauntered over to their table, returning Mary MacDonald's greeting with a quick wave and a wink, before she dropped down next to him with a small huff.
"What's wrong with you?" James asked, watching her unravel the 'scarf' from around her neck and shove it into her bag with a frown.
She sighed again, an exaggerated sound that had James rolling his eyes. "I had to sit behind Mulciber and Malfoy on the bus this morning. Wankers, the pair of them. I wanted to throttle the both of them."
"You should have." James said, patting her arm in a consolatory gesture and grinning slightly. "I might've even visited you in prison."
"Thanks." Lily muttered back, reaching down so she could rummage through her bag. A dented water bottle was slammed onto the table, crinkling under the force, and was closely followed by a very chewed up pen.
"What can I say?" James watched her sit up straight, psychology textbook grasped victoriously in her hand. "I am deeply invested in the event of your hypothetical incarceration."
"You do care!" Lily exclaimed dryly, flicking through the textbook until she landed on the page she needed. "Shush now, I was meant to read this for McGonagall, and I've got her first."
"Best get cracking then, hadn't you?" James grinned. He shuffled forwards on his chair so he was on the very edge, the back legs lifting up slightly, and slumped down so his forehead could rest on his folded arms. A few moments later, as Lily was halfway through muttering a second paragraph to herself, he lifted his head and cracked an eye open. His voice was a little bit muffled when he spoke again. "Why are you only doing it now, anyway?"
"Vernon came over last night." Lily said, not looking away from her book. Her right index finger slid across the page as she read. "Petunia made me endure his company for three hours, during which I had to hear about how he was up for promotion at work. That was it. That was the extent of the conversation. He told me his boss had left him in charge whilst he was on holiday six times." The look on Lily's face made her opinion of Vernon Dursley very clear, and James stifled a laugh in the crook of his elbow.
Instead, he winced and clapped a hand to her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I am so sorry."
"I don't understand what she sees in him. He has the personality of a wet piece of cardboard. The only thing he has going for him is that he has a decent paying job."
"Blimey, Evans, the claws are out today, aren't they?" Despite the scowl she aimed at him over the top of her book, there was a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"He deserves it. He told me my hair looks shite," Lily ran a hand self-consciously over her newly cut hair and her lip pulled down in a slight scowl. "And then he had the bloody gall to laugh at The Plan."
James' eyebrows immediately shot up and he nodded slowly. "I understand now; he definitely deserves it. Worse, actually. If you committed triple murder, I would definitely come and visit you in prison."
"What is with you wanting me to go to prison?" Lily asked, going back to reading about Zimbardo.
James was silent for a moment, his eyebrows pulling down into a frown. It was only when Lily looked up at him again that he spoke. "No mocks The Plan, Evans. No one. Not even Vernon bloody Dursley."
Lily's only response to this was a cocked eyebrow and a quick smile. Grubblyplank stumbled in through the door before either of them could say anything else, her arms laden with bags that she very nearly tripped over on her way to the desk at the front of the room. She dropped two of them on the floor and used the loss in weight to swing the last bag onto the desk.
"Morning, all!" She said with a bright smile, the rings on her fingers clacking together as she straightened the multi-coloured scarf tied over her hair. The chorus of half-hearted groans she got in response did nothing to diminish her enthusiasm, and her smile actually grew. She clapped twice, making the bracelets on her wrist jangle. "I have a few announcements to make this morning. First and foremost; you should, by now, all be aware that this Friday is you last day. It's important to remember that whilst it's fancy dress day, some of you also have exams that day, so please be mindful."
"Don't remind me." James mumbled under his breath, lowering his head back down onto his arms and sighing so heavily his shoulders physically slumped.
"Secondly: I know it's a way off yet, but I've been asked to remind you that the Leaver's Ball will be held on July 21st, and that there are still tickets available if you wish to go."
Lily lowered her book so the bottom was resting against the table, her fingers curled loosely around the edge. She reached over to poke James in the side, lips twitching when he grunted, and swatted at her. "We're still going to that together, right?"
"Well, given that my myriad of admirers have seemingly taken the day off, yes, Evans." James muttered into his forearm. He jumped when Lily poked him in the ribs, and smacked his elbow off the edge of the table. He swore, turning to glare at Lily and rubbed a hand over the back of his head when he noticed Grubblyplank watching them.
"Good morning, James." She said.
James leant back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest with a smile. "Good morning, Grubby. How's the cat?"
Grubblyplank sighed, pulled a bulging folder out of the bag on the desk and sank down onto her chair. She flicked through the folder idly, pausing every now and then to read a page. "The little hellion's a nightmare. He woke me up at five this morning wanting to be let out. Five. He stood on the end of my bed and positively yowled at me. Roger's already threatened to give him up twice since Saturday."
"I'm more of a dog person myself." James said, nodding sagely. He rested his chin on an open palm and drummed his fingers against his cheek. "I've always wanted a St Bernard."
Grubblyplank pulled a face, her lip curling slightly and she glanced up to see James' amused look. "Don't get me wrong, Boris is a pain in the backside, but I wouldn't change him for anything.
"Has he stopped attacking your socks yet?" Mary asked from a few rows over. She pulled her dark blue beanie further down over her ears, the yellow ox insignia of Oxford United standing out in stark contrast of her dark curls.
"Not yet. He takes great pleasure in 'stalking' them. By stalk, I mean he sits near me, waggles his bum around a bit and then attacks the ankle in question. He does it so much he left a run in a pair of my tights the other day!"
James stopped following the conversation after that, turning his head so he could look out the window. There was a particularly large seagull on the muddy field outside, fighting with a pigeon over an empty crisp packet. A group of what looked to be Year Sevens, given their height and the size of their bags, hurried across the grass, passing a football between them and jostling each other every few steps. He watched them go passed the window and down the path towards the school's main building until they disappeared out of view.
"Well," Grubblyplank said, glancing at the clock on the wall behind her. She closed the folder with a snap and rolled her shoulders. "That's all for today. Go out and learn, kiddos." She swept her arm out towards the door and watched all fourteen of her students file through it with a smile.
"What have you got first?" Lily asked as she shouldered her way through the door to the Sixth Form Centre, her bag dangling from one hand as she wrapped her scarf back around her neck.
"English," James answered, reaching for her bag and slinging it over his other shoulder until she'd finished faffing about with the scarf, "Three hours of Slughorn and The Crucible." He moaned, kicking at a pebble lying on the ground.
"Oh, come on. The Crucible isn't even that bad; Abigail's actually a really interesting character." At James' disbelieving look, she rolled her eyes and motioned for her bag. "It could be worse; you could still be doing Tess."
"That," James said with a shudder, "is an excellent point. Anyway, why are you walking this way? You have McGonagall."
"I've got to see Dumbledore about something." Lily answered. As they neared the main building, lower school kids streamed out into the carpark in one big mass, but James and Lily managed to navigate their way through without much trouble. James must have looked confused though, because Lily huffed out a breath. "I'll explain later, alright?"
"Okay. See you later, Evans." He said, giving her a final wave and then wandered off towards the English block. He breathed a sigh of relief when the cluster of Year Eights in front of him eventually moved out of the way. There wasn't anyone else from his class waiting outside Slughorn's classroom and he could see that his form group had yet to be let out, so he leant against the opposite wall and waited.
He didn't have to wait long, as a minute or two later he heard the dull scrape of chairs moving across carpet sounded, and then the door opened. A sea of blue jumpers came flooding out and then Slughorn's face appeared around the doorframe.
"Good morning, James." Slughorn said with a smile, as the last of his Year Ten's filed out of the room. "Have a good day, Emily!" He called, the girl in question shooting him a scathing look as she stalked off.
"Morning, sir." Dorcas seemed to materialise out of nowhere, appearing behind James and making him jump as she pushed into the room. She dropped her bag, and herself, onto the table in the furthest corner and barely seemed to register that James sat down next to her.
"Alright, Meadowes?" James asked, leaning back on his chair and twisting around so he could open the window blind. The beads on the pulley knocked together and sent shadows dancing across the table top.
"Not too bad, Potter. Did you do the homework this time?" Dorcas fiddled with the delicate chain of poppies around her wrist.
James was aware of Slughorn watching them from the front of the room, and so he made a show of pulling his notebook, along with the completed homework, out of his bag. "Of course I did. I don't know what you mean, Dorcas."
She tapped chipped black fingernails against the table and nodded slowly. "I'm so sorry for doubting you."
"As you should be," James nudged her with an elbow and offered a quick grin. "You should know I'm brilliant."
Slughorn coughed lightly and raised his eyebrows when they looked at him. "James, I'm honoured that you've deemed the homework worthy of your time for once."
"English is always worth my time, sir." James shot back, bringing the front legs of his chair back down to the floor with a thud.
"The Crucible less so, I think." Slughorn said with a slight smile, watching as James reached into his bag and dug around for his battered copy of the play. "Right, now that that's sorted, today we'll be going over the importance of Rebecca Nurse's character."
.
James didn't see Lily again until lunchtime, and by that time he'd already spent an hour longer on campus than he needed to.
He sat on the low wall edging the Sixth Form carpark, kicking his feet back against the stones, his headphones slung around his neck and his iPod in his hand. He was too busy watching two squirrels chase each other around the base of a tree to notice Lily's approach, and jumped when she sat down next to him.
She didn't say anything, just smiled and offered him half of the ham sandwich she had in her hand. He took it silently, and bit into it, wiping butter off his cheek with the back of his hand. After a few minutes of quiet, Lily paused.
"Your mum's still coming to pick us up, right?" She asked around the crust of her half of sandwich.
James nodded and swallowed. "As far as I know. She had a meeting with her publishers this morning though, so she might be a bit late."
Lily hummed and wiped the crumbs off her thighs onto the pavement.
"So, what did you need to see Dumbledore about earlier?" James questioned, staring intently at the shoelace hanging out of his well-worn trainer. The plastic of the tick had started to peel off, and he lifted his foot so he could pick at it some more.
"Nothing much, really. I have two exams meant to be happening at the same time, and I wanted to ask how to sort that out."
"Oh." James frowned. "That's a lot less exciting than I was hoping for, Evans."
"Sorry to disappoint." Lily answered wryly. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and shivered.
"I'm used to it at this point, it's a defining point of our friendship." James laughed.
"I don't know why I put up with you." Lily muttered, shoving at his shoulder and ignoring his delighted cackle. "I know your mum's picking us up and everything, but are we still going to town? Only, I need to get some shoes."
James clapped his hands together and brought them to his chest. "Shopping! My favourite!" He dropped his hands back down to his lap and nodded. "Yeah, I don't see why not. Just don't take too long choosing, okay? Hamlet starts at five."
"I still don't understand why you want to go and see it so badly. It's not like you haven't seen it before." Lily shook her head. "Besides, it's set in America, and I know how you feel about American adaptations."
"They're always shit." James said vehemently. "But this one's set in New York, Evans. You know, the place that is central to The Plan."
"I am aware, James." Lily said with a smile. "I was the one come up with it, after all."
"Lies and slander," James protested immediately, holding a hand out. "I distinctly remember that I was the one who suggested New York."
"Yeah, but it was me who came up with the idea of going to uni together in the first place. Check and mate, Potter."
A very familiar red car came rattling around the corner, from behind a cluster of trees, and James pushed himself of the wall. He strolled over to the car, and as he pulled the door open he said, "You keep telling yourself that."
"Hello, Lily, dear." Euphemia Potter said as they clambered into the car, and they smiled at each other through the rear-view mirror.
"Afternoon, Mia." Lily responded, closing the door with a thud. She set her bag down on the seat next to her and folded her hands in her lap.
James watched the pair of them in disgust, before turning to his mother. "I see how it is. You completely ignore your own son in favour of an unrelated party. I'll start packing my bags when we get home, shall I?"
"Oh, be quiet." Euphemia said with an amused huff. She reversed back out onto the main road, because of how packed the carpark was, and stopped to let an old van pass before turning the car around. "I saw you this morning. I haven't seen Lily since Saturday."
"Mum, it's Tuesday." James retorted, with a slight roll of the eyes. "Honestly. You say I'm the one with co-dependency issues. At least I can go more than three days before I start complaining." He stretched his legs out in front of him, as much as he could, and sighed mournfully.
"Yes, well. If it was you who I hadn't seen in three days, I'd be rejoicing at the peace and quiet." Euphemia glanced at him, grinning, and reached out to pat his hand consolingly. "I'd like to trade you in for Lily. She's a much better child than you."
"Rude." James pouted and turned the radio up, humming along for a few moments. "I'll have you know, Mum, that I wasn't the one who got so drunk they nearly jumped off Magdalen Bridge. In fact," he gave Lily a knowing smile over his shoulder, just managing to get out of the way of the smack she aimed at his arm, "I'm pretty sure I was the one who stopped it."
"Maybe so," Lily conceded, "but you're also the one who's broken the same arm in increasingly stupid ways."
There wasn't really a good way to argue against that, so James just kept his mouth shut. He invariably looked over the edge of the bridge, watching the cars below speed off towards London, eyes following the endless grey tarmac until trees blocked his view.
"Do you still want dropping off in Headington?" Euphemia asked, turning off the roundabout and down onto the road he'd just been looking at.
James glanced at Lily, watched her shake her head and then answered, "The bus stop'll be fine, thanks."
"Oh, good." Euphemia sighed. "I didn't want to have to sit through that traffic again."
.
The bus ride into town hadn't been too bad, but James was not looking forward to the ride back. There'd been an accident on the roundabout, nothing too serious, but it meant that traffic had been diverted and queues had built up.
"I hate town." Lily grumbled as they hopped off the bus.
"Thanks, drive!" James said to the disgruntled bus driver, before stepping onto the pavement after Lily. "Then why are we here?"
"Shoes." Lily said, sidestepping a small cluster of tourists. Luckily it was early in the season for tourists, so there weren't that many about, and the high street was fairly empty.
"And you couldn't have bought them online?" James pulled Lily back from stepping into the road as another bus drove past. As soon as it was clear, they jogged across the road and ducked into The Covered Market, the smell of fish hitting them in the face almost as soon as they stepped through the gate.
"It's not the same." Lily answered, lifting a hand up to her nose to try and block out the smell. "I'll try and be quick, though. I know Debenhams's have some I like. Besides, you didn't have to come with me."
"What else am I gonna do?" James was glad when they passed the butcher's so he could inhale through his nose again.
"I don't know." Lily said, briskly walking past every other shop in the market and down a side alley that led them onto the right street. "Revising, maybe? We've got exams coming up."
"Don't give me that. We haven't hung out properly in weeks because we've been revising. I'm not gonna waste an opportunity to spend time with you just because exams are right around the sodding corner." The look Lily gave him was slightly surprised and he flushed. "What?"
"Nothing." She shook her head and smiled. "Sometimes, you make sense, Potter."
"But only sometimes?"
"Well, yeah. If I admitted to any more than that, who knows how big your ego would grow?" They'd almost reached Debenhams by this point, and James stared up at the three storey building with mounting dread.
"With you around I don't need to worry about that, though, do I?" As per usual, the rickety old escalator inside was squeaking, a high pitched sound that only got worse the higher up in went.
His question went unanswered as they reached the top of the escalator and Lily became focussed on reading the sign in front of them. "They should be… over here." She declared, grabbing his arm and marching off in the direction of the shoe section.
The dread grew as he saw the first rows of high heels and he took a deep breath. Lily must have heard because she laughed, her hand dropping to his wrist so she could pull him along more easily. "Suck it up, you big baby."
She released her grip on his arm, but only so she could pick up a high heel. She turned to him, shoe held aloft, a smile on her face. "They're wonderful!"
"They don't go with your dress." James' response was flat and the look he gave her even flatter.
She scowled at him. "Spoil sport."
"You said you'd be quick." He reminded her, feeling a little guilty because they had only just got there.
"And I will be. Just let me have a bit of fun, alright, Potter? This is stressful stuff." She put the shoe, a bright purple affair with too many straps to be considered safe, back on the shelf. She shuffled further down the aisle, hand stroking over various shoes that stood out to her, and James sighed.
"I'm going to regret saying this, and you owe me a Palma Violet milkshake, but take your time."