I do not own anything! Writing is my favourite pastime nowadays, so here's another one!
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Barefoot Cinderella
"That is it!"
A furious Lily Evans stormed into the Gryffindor girl's dormitory. Her best friend Alice Prewett looked at her amusedly, sitting up. "Had a fun date, Lils?", she asked happily. Her happy tone did not go unnoticed by the redhead, who glared at her as she sat down on her own bed.
"Fun? That prat kept telling me how unsatisfactory I looked!", she growled.
Alice frowned. "After what we went through to make you look pretty?"
Lily nodded. "He said my outfit didn't compliment his and that my makeup was not enough. What was he playing at? He was the one who asked me for a date but he made it seem like I begged him for one! You should have heard him talk to Madam Rosmerta!", she mimicked Thomas Fawcett's pompous voice, "' She was the lucky lass I decided to date today, you see how flattered she is? She should be! She's a lucky lass indeed!' Believe me, this guy can give that fourth year Ravenclaw, what was his name? Oh, yes, Lockhart! He could give Lockhart a run for his money!"
Alice listened sympathetically as Lily sighed sadly. "Maybe I should-"
Her best friend gasped dramatically, "Lily! Don't say 'give up on boys for good'! That would be-"
"Absolutely stupid!", Lily supplied. "Yeah-huh?", Alice breathed. "You weren't going to say that?"
Despite her fury, Lily laughed at this. "No!", she said. "I was going to say that I would stop fretting about my appearance every date I go on. If a guy wants to date me, he better take me as I am or leave me. It's as simple as that."
Alice, being the romantic, smiled at this. "Oh, so it's one of those 'inner beauty' things again! The one who'll love you despite the fact that you look like drab. The one who will love you as you are-"
"Alice, stop it, you're rambling. But I want to find someone who would date me in sneakers and sweats. Someone who'll proudly date me even when I look like I just woke up", Lily said, wiping the makeup off her face with a tissue. "Not someone who'll want me only when my face is covered in makeup and wearing these ridiculous shoes!", she took off her high heels and threw them to the floor.
"Don't worry, Lils, this is his loss not yours. You'll find the right guy someday", Alice assured her. "Why don't you date the right guy anyway? We all know who that is."
"Because, my dear Alice, the right guy doesn't want to date me. I've been waiting for him to ask me out again since the start of term, but he hasn't. Maybe he doesn't like me anymore."
"He does! You're just too dense to notice. He still likes you, trust me", Alice insisted, her bright brown eyes lighting up.
"You think so, huh?", Lily said, a smirk forming on her face.
"Yes, I do. Now", Alice said, getting to her feet. "Let's go get a bite of dinner before the elves clear up."
Lily followed her, putting on her sneakers and following Alice out of the dormitory.
"How was your date, by the way?", Lily asked Alice as they walked out of the portrait hole. Alice raised a sceptical eyebrow.
"Do you really want to know?", she asked.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Alice, I know you had a great date with Frank. We just need to talk about something happier than my pathetic excuse of a date."
Alice grinned dreamily. "It was amazing! We went walking around Hogsmeade. We talked and just enjoyed each other's company."
"I'm glad you had a great day", Lily said, smiling at her best friend. Alice snapped out of her Frank-induced daydream and said, "Sorry for asking this, Lils, but what did you do to Fawcett? Left him there looking like a twit?"
"I stepped on his foot with my heels and left him groaning in pain at the Three Broomsticks."
Alice burst out laughing, imagining Thomas's proud face contorted in pain. She's seen Lily's shoes and knew full well how painful it must be to have those heels stomped on your feet. "That's better than just leaving him there! He must've looked like an absolute idiot!"
Lily smirked. "Exactly."
They arrived at the Great Hall, greeted by the familiar noise and aroma of food. They made their way to the Gryffindor table and sat beside their other friends, Mary Macdonald and Marlene McKinnon, who were both already finishing their meal. "Oh, hello, Lily, Alice", Marlene greeted. "How were your dates?"
Lily opened her mouth to answer but Alice beat her to it. "Mine was great, but Lily had a little trouble with hers."
Lily scowled at Alice's statement, "Must you beat me to it?", she frowned.
Marlene cocked an eyebrow and looked at the redhead. "Why, Lils? Did Fawcett do something stupid? Did he offend our lovely Head Girl?"
Lily glared at Marlene's teasing tone. "Yeah, Mar. He told me that my makeup was not enough."
Marlene's grin faded, and was replaced with a frown. "He didn't!"
"But he did", Alice countered.
"What a git!", Marlene exclaimed, earning a few curious glances from the fifth years passing by. "Did you dump the moron?"
"Yes", Lily answered curtly. "Can we please stop talking about that creep, please? It's ruining my dinner."
Alice and Marlene both turned back to their plates. "It's his loss, Lils", Marlene said, looking at Lily again.
Lily managed a small smile. "Thanks, Mar."
Just then, loud laughter was heard approaching the Great Hall. Everyone turned to the doorway, where a group of four boys came bounding in. Lily eyed the door warily, half-expecting an explosion to follow. Leading the group at the front were Sirius Black and James Potter, two of Hogwarts' most notorious troublemakers. Following them were Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was looking at Potter and Black in awe, making Lily roll her eyes again. Pettigrew was the perfect example of a faithful, dim-witted sidekick. He was not very good at anything, much, but he loyally followed Black and Potter everywhere, almost like a devoted servant. Remus was the only one of them that Lily can actually tolerate, in fact, he was one of her close friends. He was the voice of reason among the so-called 'Marauders'.
Lily returned her gaze to her dinner. Unfortunately for her, James Potter decided to sit next to her. Now she didn't have any issues with James anymore, they were pretty good friends now that he's Head Boy. However, his cheerfulness was not what she wants to deal with at the moment. She never told him that she's fancied him since the beginning of the year. "Hello, Lily", he said, trying to peer into her face.
"Hello, James", she said crisply. James seemed a bit taken aback with her tone and turned away from her. "I'm sorry, James. I've just had a bad day", she added guiltily. "It's not you, I promise."
James looked more cheerful. "Sorry, Lily. I didn't know."
Lily felt butterflies in her stomach. "It's alright. It's not your fault. I didn't mean to be rude, but I've had such a horrible day today."
James nodded and smiled at her. "If you need to talk, I'm right here, alright?", he said, before turning to face Sirius, who was already wolfing down his dinner.
Lily looked down. 'I wish you'd ask me out again.'
Later that night, at the boys' dormitory, James lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling. Sirius just came in after a bath, and was rummaging through his trunk for his clothes, while Remus was reading a book on Experimental Charms.
"I want to ask Lily out again", James said all of a sudden.
"You want to what?", Sirius said loudly, pulling a shirt over his head.
"I was thinking that now we have a better relationship, she might not reject me anymore. Or reject me without hexing me", James said thoughtfully.
"But what if she rejects you again?", Sirius said in a worried tone.
"Then I give up on her for good. Unless, of course, she asks me out", he added as an afterthought.
"Are you sure?", Remus asked, looking up from his book.
"Yes", James said, and his expression made the other two exchange glances and sigh simultaneously.
The next day, James found Lily at breakfast, with her Transfiguration book propped open next to the milk jug. He took a deep breath and marched straight towards her. She must have heard him sit next to her as she looked up from the book to smile at him. "Good morning, James", she said brightly.
"Morning, Lily. Listen, I was wondering if-"
James's next words were drowned by the sound of the mail arriving. Owls swooped down to their owners, and Lily's barn owl, Cinnamon, landed in front of her, a letter on her beak.
"Thank you, Cinnamon", she said warmly, offering her cereal to her owl. Cinnamon gratefully pecked some before setting off to have a long rest in the Owlery.
Lily read the letter a frown forming on her face. When she was done, she wordlessly packed her book and left the Great Hall in a huff, leaving James confused.
Sirius went to join James. "Prongs, what happened? Lily looked upset", he said, helping himself to some toast.
"I don't know. I haven't asked her yet. She received a letter and left, that's all", James told him. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What could that letter have said that made her so upset? She looked close to tears."
James shrugged, but he wanted to know, too. "Padfoot, give me the map", he said. Sirius handed him the Marauder's Map. James raced out of the Great Hall, muttering, "I solemnly swear, I am up to no good" as he ran. His eyes scanned for the dot labelled 'Lily Evans' and found her on the grounds, near the edge of the lake. Lessons would be starting soon, but he didn't care. Lily looked like she needed some company.
He found her, on her own, with her knees tucked close to her chest and her head buried in her arms. He approached her cautiously, but she seemed to be unaware of anything in her surroundings at the moment. She was sobbing softly.
"Lily?", James said softly. Lily looked up. She looked like a mess, her eyes were blotchy and red.
"What are you doing here?", she breathed. She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. "I was looking for you", he told her, sitting next to her. "And I was wondering if you needed some company right now."
Lily looked at him, her eyes brimming with fresh tears again. "My-my sister sent me a letter."
"And?", James prompted. "She's getting married", Lily choked back a sob, "and she told me not to come."
James felt anger surge inside him. "She told you that? Why?", he said, fighting to keep his voice even. He couldn't think of any reason for anyone to hate Lily, she was one of the kindest people he knew. However, he kept quiet, waiting for her to calm down a bit. When she finally regained control of her breathing, he asked, "Why would she say that?"
"She hates me. Because of what I am. In her eyes, I'm a freak. Because I'm a witch", she sniffed. "She doesn't want her abnormal sister ruining her day for her."
James put an arm around her and despite herself, she leaned against his shoulder, sobbing softly. He caressed her hair and whispered, "It'll be okay, Lily."
Lily raised her head, eyes still puffy and red, but James was surprised to see a watery smile on her face.
"Thank you, James", she said. Believing his words seemed so easy, the sincerity of his tone alone made the heavy feeling in her heart disappear.
Coming back to her senses, she began wiping her face on her sleeve and fixed her hair. James got to his feet and offered her his hand.
"I look like a right mess, don't I?", she said, laughing shakily as James pulled her up.
"I've never seen anyone more beautiful than you right now. I doubt anyone will be more beautiful than you", he said, more to himself than to Lily, but she heard anyway.
"Really?", Lily said, her eyes widening. James looked surprised that she heard him and blushed.
"Yes. No one will ever be more beautiful than you. To me at least", he said, hoping it would be the right thing to say.
Lily pulled him into a hug, catching him by surprise. "Thank you, James", she whispered. He returned the hug, awkwardly at first.
"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me sometime?", she asked him. His face lit up and he grinned at her.
"Yes, I would love to."
As Lily walked up to the castle, arm in arm with James, she smiled, all her worries forgotten.
'I knew it', she thought happily, 'he's the one.'
Cause I've been waiting
For you to ask 'Do you wanna dance
My barefoot Cinderella? Don't need no slippers or a party dress
the way you're looking right now is what I like the best'
and then you say, 'Do you wanna take a chance, stay with me forever?
No one will ever be more beautiful, my barefoot, barefoot Cinderella.'
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Oneshot done! Reviews would be appreciated! Do I have to beg?
Come on people, tell me if you liked it, hated it or want me to go back to writing for myself! Seriously, people, it's just a few words and a click of a button. It's not that hard, and it'll make me so happy! Don't you want me to be happy? PLEASE REVIEW!