AN: This is just a little Lily/James one-shot I've been working on. Hopefully it's a bit better than "Some Things Never Change". It's much more serious. I think I portrayed the characters more realistically, because in STNC, I exaggerated them quite a bit. Oh and I know that Lily and Severus were best friends, but in this they aren't. In this one, Lily hates Severus because he's just another Slytherin jerk. Well enjoy! Oh and I own nothing, just the plot. The rest belongs to some lady name J. K. Rowling, whoever she is. (: Please review!
"Damn it Lily, you're so stupid! I love you. I've told you before and I'll tell you again: I LOVE YOU LILY EVANS!" he screamed angrily at me. Of all the stupid things James Potter has ever said to me, this beats all. I can't even begin to comprehend the amount of five year old thinking that went into making that comment. Is that really how people say "I love you" nowadays?
"No James, you don't. You pursue every flipping girl in this castle. Why should I have ever thought I'd be any different?" I said softly as tears stung in my eyes. I couldn't let him see my like this. So I did the only thing I could do: I ran.
You see, ever since my first day in Hogwarts, James Potter has annoyed me. It all started when he confronted me on the Hogwarts Express. Let's just say that dear James did not believe in good first impressions.
"Hey, you look a bit lost," he grinned at me as I stumbled onto the train. I pursed my lips, and tilted my head at him.
"Yeah, can't really argue with that," I replied. I didn't like this boy, and I didn't even know why. Something about him just annoyed me. Maybe it was his hair. Had he even bothered brushing it?
"Well I, unlike you, know my way around very well. In fact, I could probably give you the best tour of Hogwarts ever," he smirked in a futile effort to impress me. Ugh, I had to get away from this prat.
"Mmm, interesting. Well it was nice chatting with you, but I really should go find a seat. Bye now!"
"You could sit with me. I already have a compartment," he said. I was tempted to take him up on the offer, because really, who else was I going to sit with? But part of me thought that I would just be the butt of some stupid joke.
"No thank you, but thanks for offering," I told him as I put on my best fake smile. And with that, I strolled right past him, and I didn't look back.
Every year after that was the same. James freaking Potter was an arrogant, ungrateful, toe-rag. Yet every girl in the castle gushed over him. I stayed resolute about my feelings of hate for him, but in the end I think that's what made him so interested in me. My best friend Marlene McKinnon often told me that I should go out with him on one date. Then, if I didn't like him, he would just back down. She seemed to think that if I did go out with him once, I'd decide that I really liked him, and go out with him again. But back then I didn't think that would ever happen.
Seventh year proved me wrong. James seemed to have changed over the summer. He was more mature, more put together, and more… well quite frankly he was too good looking for anyone, even me, to turn a blind eye anymore. He asked me out one day, and I said yes. I don't know what made me say yes, but I did. So everything had been going perfectly; we'd stayed strong for four months. Until now, when I saw stupid Tiana Demers kiss him.
I was walking out of Potions with James, when Tiana bounced over to us. She's by far the most annoying Hufflepuff to ever live, and Marlene and I often come up with lovely scenarios about her. Tiana falling off a cliff, Tiana swimming with sharks, Tiana doing the chicken dance next to an erupting volcano, the list goes on and on. I giggle at these thoughts and James gives me a strange look. But he's smiling, so I know he means well. I'll let him in on the joke later.
"Hey Jamesy, I have a message for you from Professor McGonagall," Tiana murmurs in a poor attempt to be seductive. I roll my eyes. Girls who throw themselves at guys, especially guys who already have girlfriends, disgust me.
"Okay, well I have to go meet Marlene anyway, she needs help with her Transfiguration homework. So I'll see you at lunch," I tell James as I start to walk away down the corridor. But then I remembered that James had my quill, so I turned around to go get it back from him, but that's when I saw it.
Tiana Demers was kissing James, and he was doing nothing to stop her.
I never believed in heartbreak, but I swear, I felt my heart rip in two. How could he do this to me?
So when I confronted him about it, and he told me I was stupid, and that he loved me. But that's the thing, Lily Evans is NOT stupid, and he had no right to call me that. So here I am, running away from my problems, when I run right into Sirius Black. Oh, blast.
"Woah there little girl, where's the fire?" he said with a lopsided grin that I couldn't help but smile at. At least I still had Sirius. After I started dating James, it was like I had an instant new best friend in Sirius.
"I saw Tiana Demers kiss James, so we had a row, and well, I'm not exactly sure where we stand now," I cried. Sirius looked distant for a second, as if he was in a completely different world. But then he put his arms around me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.
"Lilypad, did you ever think that maybe Demers was moving in on him, and not the other way around? I mean you said she kissed him, right?"
I knew what Sirius was doing. He was beating around the bush, and sooner or later he'd tell me I was wrong. Well what did I expect? He was James' best friend for Merlin's sake! I pulled away from his hug and glared at him. No one, not even Sirius Black, can handle the Lily Evans death glare.
"Look Lils, you know that I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. He does love you, and ever since he's been with you he hasn't had eyes for anyone else. Trust me on this one love, he fell for the one girl who wanted nothing to do with him. He's been trying to get you to go out with him since first year, I hardly believe he'd give up on you now. And don't tell Prongs this, because he'd murder me for noticing, but you're far to gorgeous and clever for any guy to want anyone else."
I smiled up at Sirius, with tears still running down my cheeks. How could someone be so sweet? What did I ever do to deserve a friend like Sirius? So I did the only thing I could think to do. I kissed him on the cheek. It was a harmless kiss. A kiss of friendship, and nothing more. And then, he pulled me into another tight embrace. As tears fell from my emerald eyes, he held me. He held me tight, and I didn't ever want him to let me go. I'd already lost James, and I just don't think I could bare it if I lost Sirius too.
JAMES' POV
I had to find Lily. I couldn't lose her, not now, not after everything we've already been through. I need her like I need air to breathe. She completes me, and I found in Lily what I hadn't found in any other girl. I found a fighter. I found someone who wasn't afraid to speak her mind, to tell me to shut up, to yell her head off about something she felt strongly about. Everything I had ever hoped to find and more, I find in Lily Evans. And I was not by any means ready to give that all up that because of one stupid misunderstanding.
I knew I'd hurt her when I called her stupid. I knew that it hurt her when she saw Tiana kiss me. But I'd never meant for that to happen. I was just walking out of Potions when Tiana told me she had a message for me from Professor McGonagall. When I asked her what it was, she just kissed me. And I, being my stupid self, just stood there for about a minute in shock. I didn't push her away until I realized what was going on. But by then it was too late, Lily had already witnessed the whole scene.
"You've really got some nerve, you know that? You know that I'm with Lily, and I'm not planning on leaving her any time soon. So you can just back off and get a life," I yelled at Tiana before I took off after Lily.
So now I had to go find her, and make things right. I was passing the Charms classroom when something caught my eye. Lily.
She was crying, and even from where I was standing I could hear the pain in her voice. I suddenly felt a pang when I realized I was the cause of it. But then I saw that she was not alone. Padfoot was whispering something to her. She smiled, and then she kissed him on the cheek. The love of my life had just kissed my best friend. And then he wrapped one arm around her waist, and with his other hand he rubbed her arm. But when she nuzzled her head into his neck, my whole world came crashing down. I never thought love could kill anyone, but I was wrong. I was dying inside.
LILY'S POV
I went to dinner that night with every intention of talking to James, but when I got there, who should be sitting next to him but Tiana Demers? I was about to make a run for it again, but then Sirius walked in, and gave me an encouraging smile. As I glanced at James, I saw a shadow of pain cross his face that I didn't understand. I've never seen him with that expression before.
All of a sudden, Sirius saw the pair of them, stormed over, and started yelling at James. He looked livid with anger.
"What the hell is this James?! You brought that little tramp to dinner? Do you have any idea what you did to Lily? Does it not bother you at all? She trusted you! She gave you her heart, and all you did was smash it to pieces! I thought I knew you. I thought I knew you better than that! But apparently I was wrong, apparently I didn't know you half as well as I thought I did!" he screamed at James. In a wave of anger, James stood up and pointed his wand at Sirius.
"That's rich, coming from you! I saw you two today! I saw Lily kiss you, and you were all over her! Do you think that didn't hurt me? Did you think that I could just watch my girlfriend and my best friend doing something like that, and then just be okay with it? Well if you did, you have another thing coming! You betrayed me, Black. You're just like the rest of your family! Nothing but lying, cheating, scumbags," he roared. I gaped at boy I thought I knew as I watched him go to far. He knew that family was a sensitive topic for Sirius, and this time, he'd crossed the line.
Sirius whipped out his wand and started firing curses at James. James reacted fast, and after he recovered from Sirius' curses, he began shooting them right back. I was glued to where I was standing, even though everyone else was running for cover. Marlene ran over to me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me out of the war zone.
I followed her into the Tranfiguration courtyard, and we sat down on the nearest bench.
She didn't say anything, and neither did I, because at times like these, you don't need words. All you need is each other. I cried, and she hugged me. It was a pitiful little rendezvous, and it only got worse when James strolled into the courtyard. Marlene gave him a hard look, but took the cue to leave. I made a mental note to kill her for that later.
"Lily," James started as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Love, I didn't mean to hurt you. Tiana kissed me, and then I told her off. I guess that was after you decided you hated my guts though, so you missed that part." I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a finger to silence me. "But then after I was a git to you, and called you stupid, I saw you and Sirius looking rather cozy, and something inside of me snapped. I- I wanted to hex Sirius right then and there. But I knew I couldn't, or I might hit you by accident. So to get back at you, I brought Tiana to dinner. And then… well you know the rest."
If that was his idea of an apology, then I'll kiss Severus Snape.
"Oh real mature James, but you're forgetting one thing. You didn't even apologize! And if you thought that Sirius and I would run around behind your back like that, well then that's just stupid," I hissed acidly. He looked ashamed. Good.
"But I am, Lily. I am so sorry. I'm so ashamed of what I've done. And I should have known that you and Sirius would never do that to me. But you're right, I am stupid. If I didn't have you in my life, I'd die. Lily I need you, and I will never, ever do anything to mess us up again. You are my life, and I love you," he whispered with so much sincerity that I burst into tears. I flung my arms around him, and he kissed my hair gently.
"Oh and Lily?" he whispered. I look up at him, my emerald eyes glistening with tears. "Sirius is okay, if you were wondering. So am I. We both calmed down enough that we didn't kill each other. We didn't even get caught either."
As he says that last line, I see a triumphant grin form on his face. And then I smile, because that's the James I know and love. That's the boy who used to tug on my hair in first year, the boy who passed who me notes in class in fourth year, and the boy who I finally agreed to go out with in seventh year.
In that moment I knew that James and I were at peace with the world, and at peace with ourselves. From that point on, nothing could separate us. No force could tear us apart, not even Voldemort, or any other dark wizard. What really struck me though, is that it's funny how my pitiful scene with Marlene turned into this. This moment: the one worth smiling about.