Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter, and frankly, i don't want to, becauseI'm sure it wouldn't be nearly as good if I did.So, be thankful.;)
A/N: This is the first story that Yours Truly has ever published, and as fabulous as I'm sure it is, reviews would be lovely. That Tuesday
Do enjoy, and without further ado:
By:Bella'Amor
It was a Tuesday evening. Lily hated Tuesdays. She hated them the same way everybody else hated Mondays. They were just plain awful. This particular Tuesday evening, Lily was sitting in the Great Hall, chatting quietly with her best friends, Marlene MacMillain and Emmeline Vance, over dinner. She stopped mid-sentence as four tall, handsome boys entered the Hall, late for the meal.
Emmeline raised one elegant black eyebrow. "Lily, your story isn't so intriguing that if you stop telling it we will beg you to continue…"
Marlene stifled a giggle with a dinner roll. Lily had been informing them of the contents of her latest O-worthy Charms essay, which was due tomorrow morning, first thing. Coincidentally, neither of the two girls had even started theirs, so hearing Lily drone on and on about the origin of the Protean Charm was not exactly heartening.
Lily blushed prettily, emerald eyes wide and innocent. Obviously covering up for something else. Before anyone had a chance to question what that might be, however, her expression changed to one of indignance.
"Fine. Fine." She spat out. "I won't tell you. I know you two haven't even started your essays yet, and I was trying to help you without writing the bloody things for you, as I would have most definitely ended up doing. But fine. If you don't want my help now, I won't have you suffer through it later either. And I'm not hungry anymore."
She leapt out of her seat, grabbed her bag, and walked briskly towards the doors of the Great Hall, sending a scathing look over her shoulder at her two friends. Her short, rapid strides carried her straight into a person as she glared over her shoulder, not watching where she was going.
James Potter caught her around the waist. He let out a low chuckle before saying "wow, Evans, you truly are a martyr. Willing to die, if that's what it takes to reduce your friends to ash by way of your glare. Impressive." He pulled her gently upright, and patted her shoulder. "Sometimes, people look in the direction they are moving, when they are walking at such high speeds. Best way to avoid collisions…"
With that, he sidestepped her, and continued towards the Gryffindor table, his friends trailing behind him, chuckling appreciatively.
--
Back in her room, Lily sat fuming. She wasn't really mad that her friends didn't want to listen to her Charms rant—she had just needed an excuse to get away. The combined fact that it was a Tuesday, and that James Potter had just walked into the Great Hall was making her increasingly morose. She had to get out of the dining hall somehow (without arousing suspicion… the last thing Lily needed was an interrogation on why she looked so depressed again), and what better way than exploding at her friends. Right. So she probably could have handled that better. But, what's done is done, and after seven years, Marlene and Emmeline were well used to her mercurial temperament. Stunning trait for a Head Girl to have, really.
Head Girl. Lily was back to the root of her problems again. Probably for the thousandth time since she had arrived back at Hogwarts for the year. It was on the train that Lily had first noticed it. She was in the Head Compartment, waiting for her counterpart to arrive. When it turned out that James Potter was Head Boy, she was surprised. Pleasantly surprised. Near the end of sixth year, James had gotten a Howler from his father for some elaborate prank that Sirius had supposedly played, and that James had participated in. Nobody in the school knew the details save the Marauders and Severus Snape. The circumstances were downright unusual as it was, but when James received the Howler, they became even more so.
Instead of laughing it off with his friends, as he had been wont to do in the past, he stood up, smacked Sirius around the head, and walked rapidly out of the hall. No one followed him. That was the strangest part. The other three Marauders just sat there: Peter, looking helpless, Sirius looking murderous and miserable all at once, and Remus, looking cool, distant, and extremely pissed off. For the next couple of weeks, the school had tiptoed around all four boys. The mood during those weeks was one associated with the presence of a dementor, or ten. The days were quiet, dull and long. Turns out that the Marauders were what put much of the life into that school.
Well, it was during the 'Dark Time,' as the younger students remembered those few weeks, that Lily had first seen how James really was when he wasn't showing off or hexing other students. She had stumbled upon him late one night in the astronomy tower; she was up there on special permission from Professor Sinestra, to finish her chart detailing the planetary motion throughout the school year. As she walked quietly through the doorway, she became aware of a tapping noise coming from the far side of the tower. She crept across the circular room only to find the one and only James Potter, lying on his back bathed in moonlight, tapping his foot softly on the ground as he gazed up at the night sky. Before this moment, Lily had never really paid heed to her girlfriends' comments on how handsome the boy was. But now, the moonlight gave him an ethereal glow, and she thought that James Potter looked like a god.
Lily gave a soft cough, causing James to jump slightly. He propped himself up on one elbow, and turned in her direction, his face devoid of emotion. "Oh, hey Evans. What brings you here tonite?" he had questioned softly.
"Actually Potter, I have permission from Professor Sinestra to come up here and finish my planetary motions chart. I think I should be the one questioning you on why you're here." Fully expecting a scathing reply, Lily had been surprised when he told her, in that same soft voice, "Just thinking…" Lily blinked. This was not the same self-important James Potter that she was used to. The tone of his voice alone told Lily that the James she knew was not present tonite.
Lily shivered as she remembered the rest of that night. The sky had been so beautiful, so peaceful, that the heated arguments that usually took place when the two of them were together never happened. Instead…
"You came an awfully long way just to think… what's wrong with the common room?"
Lily found that she was now using the same gentle, almost caressing tone that he had used moments before. Although it unnerved her slightly, one glance at the enormous, beautiful moon was enough to quell any protest within her mind. That night was not one for arguments. It was one for calm… peace… quiet.
James just looked at her for a few moments, his gaze steady. "When you first came up here, I thought you might be Sirius."
Lily tipped her head slightly, contemplating him. "May I sit?" she asked, looking at his beautiful hazel eyes, not breaking the gaze as he nodded his head slowly.
She sunk slowly to the ground, stretching out her legs, and leaning back on her hands. She was facing him, their bodies side by side, not quite touching. Now that Lily was on the same level as him, she felt a little shy. She looked over to one of her hands as she opened her mouth to ask him what he had meant about Sirius. Her words came slowly and softly, just like everything else that night.
"James." She paused, unsure how to continue without sounding as if she were prying. "James, why are you and Sirius not speaking?"
He didn't answer, so she continued, just as softly as before, her voice lilting sweetly in the night air. "Why is Remus ignoring you both? Why is Peter wandering around the castle looking lost and helpless? What happened?"
Her eyes, wide and shining, were tinted with compassion. Concern. James breathed in deeply, eyes closed, and lay back on his arms. His breath came out in a slow, steady stream. As he spoke, his eyes remained gently closed. "Sirius played a joke that wasn't funny. I cleaned up his mess. My father is furious that the Potter name is even associated with such childishness. Remus was betrayed by Sirius's joke, and won't speak at all. And Peter… Peter can't pick sides."
As Lily listened, she also watched him. She noticed the way his skin, smooth and tan from quidditch, glowed in the moonlight. She noticed the way his arm muscles were flexed behind his head. They too were a result of years upon years of heavy quidditch training. That night, she understood why all of the girls saw him as the god that he sometimes made himself out to be.
Gently shaking her thoughts away, she returned to what James had just said. "So what were you thinking about?"
He let out a quiet, mellow laugh, turning his head slightly, and opening his eyes sleepily to look at her. "Love, trust, betrayal, disappointment, failure… You know Sirius is considering dropping out? He thinks it's his last bargaining chip with me. How could I let him just quit, after everything? " Lily nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on his.
"What's everything, to Sirius?"
His lips curled into a lazy smile, and he broke eye contact with her. "He moved in with me, last year. His family dabbles in dark magic… Gryffindors just don't fit in there." Here, his voice had turned hard, for the first time that night. He shook his head a little, before continuing in that soft voice which threatened to lull Lily to sleep.
"There's some… other stuff, too, though. He's closer than a brother to me, you know. I hate not talking to him." He closed his eyes briefly, before bringing them up to meet Lily's. She sighed softly."Then why don't you talk to him again?"
He propped himself up on one elbow again, as he had done when she had first walked in. "He needs this. He needs to understand that what he does affects other people as well. That when you play with life and death, it doesn't always end in your favour."
Although she was careful to hide any traces of surprise at his words, she was dumbfounded. Was this really James Potter she was speaking with? As a cool, sweet-scented breeze ruffled his jet-black hair, there was no doubt that she was awake. She turned her head as the breeze blew her unbound auburn curls into her face.
She waited for him to continue speaking, before she realised that he wanted her to make the next move. He wanted to see her reaction to his words. He wanted to see if she could feel that tonite, he was showing her the real James Potter. He wanted to see if she knew that tonite was different for them. That tonite, they were just Lily and James—not Potter and Evans, the two sixth years who had contests to see who could yell louder, and cut the other more with their words. He was not disappointed.
"And is he getting the message?"
James shrugged lazily, tilting his head back to look at the stars. "It's hard to tell. Sometimes he's angry with me for not standing by him, like any good best friend should, and other times he grovels…" At this, he flashed a quick smile. "Well… as close to grovelling as Sirius can come…"
Lily chuckled lightly, before sobering up, preparing to pry, yet again, into James's personal business. "James, if you don't mind my asking," She began slowly, "why is it that your father is upset with you? It sounds as if you were the one who was responsible throughout whatever happened…" She trailed off, looking slightly apprehensive.
James sat up slowly… more slowly than Lily could have ever managed. Her thoughts flashed quickly to the muscles that he must have been working with that one fluid movement. He leaned forward, reaching his arms out, and stretched his long legs. "My father…" he trailed off with a short, soft laugh. "My father has a very high opinion of the Potter name, and what it stands for." Lily sat up now too. They were closer than they had been before, and he took her hand gently, almost as a reflex. He continued speaking as he examined her small, pale hand. "Potters shouldn't help out friends in need, because friends of the Potters shouldn't need to begin with." Here he rolled his eyes. "Of course, Potters should also be generous, noble, brave and loyal… selfless… I always had trouble reconciling those two ideas… they don't seem to fit together, do they? How can somebody only have rich, well-bred friends if they're supposed to be generous and selfless? But somehow, a Potter should do it all." He rested his forehead on the hand that still held Lily's. "My mother loves Sirius as a son, but sometimes my father can't get past his last name. Black. 'Black as his name' I believe was a phrase he used to describe him in that howler. Potters don't have friends that act in the way that Sirius did."
Lily gently pulled her hand out of his grasp, and touched his cheek instead. She steered his eyes gently towards hers, and whispered "I know one Potter who is everything that he should be. He's brave…" James leaned towards Lily just a little, "he's noble…" He moved a little closer. "he's generous…" Their faces were touching, and Lily was whispering into his ear at this point. "and he's loyal." James turned his head, so that they were looking in each other's eyes again. "He's so loyal that even when he hasn't spoken to his best friend in two weeks, he still watches out for him… The thought of losing his friend never even occurs to him, because—" Her words were cut off as James leaned forward the tiniest amount, and captured her lips in a slow, sweet kiss.
When he pulled away, Lily remained still, apparently savoring the taste of his lips on hers. She blinked. She had no idea where those words had come from… she had never paid James Potter a compliment in her life, before this. And that kiss… She looked down. She was suddenly aware of just how quiet it really was that night. There was a heavy, awkward silence for a few moments, until James's soft voice startled her out of her reverie.
"Loyal or not, my father is still royally pissed with me…" He chuckled softly, before cocking his head and watching her, suddenly curious. "Why aren't you working on your chart? You shouldn't let my pathetic problems keep you from earning Head Girl next year… this is a pretty important assignment."
Lily's mouth made a startled 'O'. "Oh god, I completely forgot about that! Bugger, I don't know how I'm going to finish it tonite now. Bloody hell… and Professor Sinestra is going to expect really good work from me, since she gave me special permission to use the tower, and…" she was silenced by James's finger on her lips.
"Shh… I'll help you. I finished mine two weeks ago. Come on, get it out." He leaned back on his hands, and watched as Lily rose and quickly walked to her bag, which she had discarded earlier. "Thanks James, you're a lifesaver!"
The rest of that night had passed quietly. They conversed about everything they could think of as James helped her complete her chart. By the time they finished, the sky was tinted a light pink, signaling the coming dawn. They had walked down to Gryffindor tower together. When they reached the portrait-hole, James had stopped, turned to face her, and given her a soft kiss on the cheek before giving the password to a curious-looking Fat Lady. As he climbed through the portrait-hole, he had looked over his shoulder and said softly, "Thanks for listening, Lily."
Lily sighed. She really could not stop thinking about that night. She was so confused though. Why hadn't James sought her out after that night? They had enjoyed such a connection, and so much tender emotion had been present. How could he have just let that all go? This was the boy who had chased her for three years previously. Three years. One kiss satiated him?
She was being ridiculous of course. Blowing everything way out of proportion. When he had ceased asking her out for the rest of that year, she had been relieved. She had been thrilled that he was no longer interested in her romantically, because it had meant a lot less public embarrassment on her part. She and James had become friendly for the rest of the year, even when the Marauders ended their fight.
Of course, they hadn't become best friends or anything, but if he saw her in the hall, he would wave and say hi, and vice versa. Lily wasn't furious if they were paired together in class anymore either. It was just a comfortable friendship all around.
It had stopped being so comfortable around the second week of Seventh Year. Seeing James take on all the duties of Head Boy and Quidditch Captain made her realise just how responsible and mature he truly was. Plus, he often came to Head Meetings directly from quidditch practise, and he was very, very handsome in his quidditch gear, all covered in sweat. Who would have guessed that Lily liked her men rugged? Because apparently she did. Or, perhaps it was just that it was James…
Unfortunately for her, he seemed to no longer care for her as more than a friend. This is what had brought Lily to the point of screaming at her best friends just to get away from him. Her anguish at her unrequited feelings was only multiplied tenfold when she had plowed into him, and he had caught her, said all the right things, and not tried to get a feel in on the side. Back in fifth year, whenever he had been close enough, he would make up any excuse to just touch her—anywhere. Admittedly, this had led to some pretty nasty hexing from Lily several times, but still! He used to like her angry. But now…
Her stomach gave a loud rumble. She shouldn't have skipped out on dinner… now she was starving. She checked her watch quickly, and cursed. Dinner would be ending in five minutes, meaning that she would get nothing to eat for another 12 hours. Bugger. She stood up slowly, deciding that she should find her friends and apologize for her ridiculous overreaction.
As Lily made her way down to the common room to wait for her friends' arrival, she was met with a sight that was both welcome and not. James Potter (speak of the devil…) was seated in the best armchair next to the fire, eating from a plethora of delicious-looking food on a tray. Lily stopped at the foot of the stairs, and stared at him, her head cocked slightly.
James looked up at her entrance. "Hungry?" he asked, between bites of chicken. He held up a plate of sandwiches and fruit, and waved it tantalizingly. Lily grinned and shook her head.
"Impressive, Mr. Potter. How did you know?"
James chuckled. "After you so rudely ran into me," here he winked, "your friends informed me that you hadn't eaten a thing before you stormed off. So, I took the liberty to raid the kitchens for you. And me, of course." He smiled. "So, what do you say? Sandwich?"
Lily walked over to the fire and sat on the floor next to the table holding the tray of food. "Of course." She looked up at him. "You're a lifesaver, you know. I would have been hungry 'til breakfast tomorrow! Let me tell you from experience, twelve hours is a very long time."
James looked thoughtful. "You know, I reckon I should become a healer instead of an Auror. That's twice I've saved your life now. I'm pretty incredible, huh?" He gave her a sly grin. "And to think, all along I thought my calling was killing dark wizards. Clearly I had it all wrong. My true calling is saving pretty witches. Bet that's got some good perks." He raised his eyebrows suggestively, and Lily shoved his leg. "Pig."
James hitched an affronted look on his face and replied jokingly, "I'll have you know that my intentions are pure. I merely meant that all of the girls I save will probably have loving boyfriends and husbands that are only too willing to pay me loads of gold for saving their beautiful lovers. See? Very respectable."
Lily rolled her eyes. "So, you'll die rich and lonely. There's a storybook ending!"
Here, James raised his finger and leaned forward slightly. "Ah, that's where you've got it wrong! You see, although I will save hundreds of attached pretty girls, I have already saved a currently single, beautiful girl, not once, but twice! What have you to say to that?" His eyes were twinkling merrily, and he looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
Lily gave him a sideways look, before taking a bite of sandwich. She chewed slowly, swallowed, then asked, "So who's the beautiful girl?"
James smiled. "Here's a hint." He leaned down, pulled the sandwich out of her hands, set it on the table, and kissed the corner of her mouth softly. "She's got eyes as green as a fresh pickled toad…" He whispered against her mouth.
Lily shrieked with laughter and pushed him away. "Well, at least my hair's not black as a blackboard!" James grinned, and moved to sit next to her on the ground. "That may be true… but I don't think it was completely relevant to the conversation we were having just a moment ago." Lily smiled confusedly and looked up at his wicked grin. "I believe that it was, actually… You were talking about beauty!" James just shook his head. "Not that conversation." With this, he gently cupped her face in his hands, and gave her another kiss, not quite as gentle as the last one had been.
When Lily's friends returned to the common room five minutes later, they were surprised and indignant to find that instead of apologising to them about her awful temper, Lily was sitting in front of the fire with her tongue down the Head Boy's throat, a platter of mostly untouched food beside them.
A/N: oh man. there goes my first completed oneshot.Was it as fabulous as you hoped? Well, there'sonly one wayto tell me, and it comes in the form of a button marked 'submit review'. ha, i hate it when people write that, and look! I just did. Go figure. anyway, have a nice day, (night, if you're anything like me) and stay cool (It's flipping HOT where I am.)