Lily and James
~*~*~
"Evans, Lily!"
A pretty red-haired first year made her way shakily to the stool, and pulled the large, ancient hat over her head.
"Well, quite scared, are we?" the hat said in her ear. "Let's see, you are rather bright. Perhaps Ravenclaw would suit you. But, no, you are also bold and brave. Indeed, you belong in Gryffindor!"
This last word the hat shouted out to the whole school and the Gryffindor table erupted with cheers. As she looked around her new school, Lily could not cease to be amazed. The ceiling overhead was a deep, swirling purple-grey. Lily looked for a familiar face at the table, and saw two faces that she most definitely did not want to find.
"Potter and Black?! I can't believe I'm stuck with you two!" Lily blurted out before she realized she had spoken out loud.
"Look, Evatt"--
James was cut off as Lily corrected him. "It's EVANS. That's E-V-A"--
He interrupted her. "After that horrid ride over here, having to listen to you worry about everyth"--
This time, it was Sirius who interrupted. "You know, James," he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "I think, from the way you're carrying on, that you have a thing for little-miss-red-haired-Lily."
Shocked silence met Sirius on both sides- James and Lily.
"Children," Nearly-Headless Nick broke in, "Can't you at least be civil during the feast?"
Just as Lily was about to tell whoever was talking to shove it, she turned and came face to translucent face with him. "You need to just"-- She stopped mid-sentence as she saw the ghost.
~*~*~
"Sirius, are you sure about this? I mean," James said hurriedly, "I'm not afraid or anything, I'd just like to go two weeks without getting expelled, sent to the office, or getting a howler."
"James, James, James. You worry WAY too much," Sirius replied, coming over to James. "She," he said, nodding in Lily's direction, "She won't be able to prove it's us! Just because we don't like her, it's not enough o prove we did this to her."
Curled up in a chair facing away from her enemies, Lily could not help overhearing the boys in the nor-quite-empty common room. Turning around in her chair, Lily carefully raised her head a few inches to lift her ear from the chair cushion. Straining her ears, she heard what they were plotting to do to her.
Secretly, Lily smiled to herself. Lupin, Pettigrew, Black, and Potter. It was exactly the type of friendship she'd had with Christine, Alex, and Sarah back in the, what did they call it? Oh, yes, she remembered, the MUGGLE world.
~*~*~
"This must be some sort of school record! What is it? Not even a MONTH into school, and you're ALREADY in my office!" Professor Caleen spouted out to James and Lily.
"When you Head of House is called in, you should be ASHAMED of yourselves!! Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, can't you keep it down to threats? Mr. Potter, did you really have to make her flaming red hair actually flame? And Miss Evans, must you hit him with a tickling charm and a hiccuping hex every other day? I think your problems are all uncalled for, and if I see you in my office again this semester for such childish behavior, I will be forced to tell the headmaster."
As Lily and James were leaving Professor Caleen's office, Lily muttered under her breath so James could barely understand it.
"When you Head of House is called in," she said in an uncanny imitation of the strict professor, "you should be PREPARED... with ear plugs!"
James burst out laughing. As Lily was muttering, James noticed, for the first time, how beautiful her green eyes were. Slapping himself mentally, James wondered, "What's going on with me? I HATE Lily Evans! She tickles and hexes me! I can't possibly like her!" He said this last part out loud, without realizing it.
With curiosity, Lily asked, "Can't possible like WHO? And if you DO like her I pity her soul!"
At this, James snapped out of his romantic mood and yelled at her, "Well, at LEAST I"--
"At least you WHAT?" Lily snapped back, in the coldest voice James had ever heard.
~*~*~
As Lily lay on her bed that night, staring up at her dormitory ceiling, she smiled. 'Why am I so confused? I have hated James Potter since the fist minute I laid eyes on him!'
She fell into a deep, disturbed sleep. All she remembered when she woke up sweating and shaking was screaming, "No! Please not Harry! Take me instead! Please not Harry!"
~*~*~
As the years went by, James and Lily's feelings of dislike only became more visible. Finally, they were in seventh year; Lily was Head Girl and James became Head Boy. Still, no one knew their true emotions, locked deep within their hearts.
~*~*~
"Potter, why do you hate me?" Lily asked one afternoon, while she, James and Sirius were in the Gryffindor common room.
"James, I think she has a thing for you!" Sirius joked, anticipating his friend's anger. Instead, James merely said, "Evans, I don't hate you."
He did not, however, meet her eyes when he spoke.
"Alright, then, Potter. I have to go study for one of those blasted Transfiguration tests now."
As Lily picked up her parchments and books, a small baby blue book fell out of the pile. Lily didn't notice, and no one else seemed to either.
James was packing up his books for the night when he finally saw the twinkling book. He picked it up; upon closer inspection, James found it was a diary, Lily's at that!
Sirius leaned over James' shoulder to glimpse at what he held. He let out a whoop, and looked like his birthday had come early.
"Please, Sirius, get that wolf look off your face. You're scaring me," James said.
"He-LLO! Why are we not reading this?"
"I'm gonna read it later," James answered, secretly thinking that he'd just return it to Lily.
~*~*~
Later that night, James sneaked quietly out of his dormitory, covered by his invisibility cloak. As he slowly wound his way up to Lily's dorm, he suppressed a nervous giggle. When he finally found Lily's bed in the room, he caught his breath.
She looked absolutely perfect; her red hair fanned around her head, as stuffed rabbit under her arm. He just stood there for a moment, watching her breathe. Then he crept over to her bed, bent, and brushed her forehead with his lips.
She woke with a start, but saw who it was. Smiling shyly, for she thought it was still a dream, she watched the shadows flicker across James' face. For a moment, they gazed at each other. Then James said, "I didn't read it, I swear."
He handed Lily her diary, and made a move to leave. Then, still looking at James, Lily asked, "Didn't read what?"
But by this time, she had looked at what he had given her. "My diary! But- but- where did you find it?!" she spluttered at him.
The four other girls in the dormitory awoke at her exclamation, and they all gasped in turn. Here was James Potter, in their dormitory at 3 am, talking to Lily Evans!
"Li-ly! What ARE you doing?" one giggled.
Lily stood up, but only opened and closed her mouth.
James flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Nervous giggles issued from the four other girls.
As Lily ordered James to leave, he quietly stood up. Smiling at her, he said, "Good night, Lily."
Lily lay dazedly back down on her bed again, and could only think of one thing. 'He called me Lily; he actually called me Lily...'
Twirling around whatever she had found in her hand, she kept thinking that. When she had finally said that to herself at least a million times, she finally glanced down at what was in her hand. It was a pure white lily.
~*~*~
The next morning at breakfast, James pretended nothing had happened between him and Lily. Sirius knew this was a lie, however, as James would stop eating periodically and stare at Lily without realizing he was doing so.
As he walked out of the Great Hall, he asked Lily to meet him in the empty Charms classroom. She told her friends she forgot something in the common room, and left. Following James into the classroom, she was pulled close to him. It turned out that James was quite a good kisser.
They spun around the room- or was the room spinning? Lily was oblivious to everything... including Professor Caleen when she walked in looking for the Head Boy and Girl.
At first the professor did a double-take, then she sighed and left.
'After all,' she thought to herself, 'Teenagers will be teenagers...'
~*~*~
"Evans, Lily!"
A pretty red-haired first year made her way shakily to the stool, and pulled the large, ancient hat over her head.
"Well, quite scared, are we?" the hat said in her ear. "Let's see, you are rather bright. Perhaps Ravenclaw would suit you. But, no, you are also bold and brave. Indeed, you belong in Gryffindor!"
This last word the hat shouted out to the whole school and the Gryffindor table erupted with cheers. As she looked around her new school, Lily could not cease to be amazed. The ceiling overhead was a deep, swirling purple-grey. Lily looked for a familiar face at the table, and saw two faces that she most definitely did not want to find.
"Potter and Black?! I can't believe I'm stuck with you two!" Lily blurted out before she realized she had spoken out loud.
"Look, Evatt"--
James was cut off as Lily corrected him. "It's EVANS. That's E-V-A"--
He interrupted her. "After that horrid ride over here, having to listen to you worry about everyth"--
This time, it was Sirius who interrupted. "You know, James," he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "I think, from the way you're carrying on, that you have a thing for little-miss-red-haired-Lily."
Shocked silence met Sirius on both sides- James and Lily.
"Children," Nearly-Headless Nick broke in, "Can't you at least be civil during the feast?"
Just as Lily was about to tell whoever was talking to shove it, she turned and came face to translucent face with him. "You need to just"-- She stopped mid-sentence as she saw the ghost.
~*~*~
"Sirius, are you sure about this? I mean," James said hurriedly, "I'm not afraid or anything, I'd just like to go two weeks without getting expelled, sent to the office, or getting a howler."
"James, James, James. You worry WAY too much," Sirius replied, coming over to James. "She," he said, nodding in Lily's direction, "She won't be able to prove it's us! Just because we don't like her, it's not enough o prove we did this to her."
Curled up in a chair facing away from her enemies, Lily could not help overhearing the boys in the nor-quite-empty common room. Turning around in her chair, Lily carefully raised her head a few inches to lift her ear from the chair cushion. Straining her ears, she heard what they were plotting to do to her.
Secretly, Lily smiled to herself. Lupin, Pettigrew, Black, and Potter. It was exactly the type of friendship she'd had with Christine, Alex, and Sarah back in the, what did they call it? Oh, yes, she remembered, the MUGGLE world.
~*~*~
"This must be some sort of school record! What is it? Not even a MONTH into school, and you're ALREADY in my office!" Professor Caleen spouted out to James and Lily.
"When you Head of House is called in, you should be ASHAMED of yourselves!! Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, can't you keep it down to threats? Mr. Potter, did you really have to make her flaming red hair actually flame? And Miss Evans, must you hit him with a tickling charm and a hiccuping hex every other day? I think your problems are all uncalled for, and if I see you in my office again this semester for such childish behavior, I will be forced to tell the headmaster."
As Lily and James were leaving Professor Caleen's office, Lily muttered under her breath so James could barely understand it.
"When you Head of House is called in," she said in an uncanny imitation of the strict professor, "you should be PREPARED... with ear plugs!"
James burst out laughing. As Lily was muttering, James noticed, for the first time, how beautiful her green eyes were. Slapping himself mentally, James wondered, "What's going on with me? I HATE Lily Evans! She tickles and hexes me! I can't possibly like her!" He said this last part out loud, without realizing it.
With curiosity, Lily asked, "Can't possible like WHO? And if you DO like her I pity her soul!"
At this, James snapped out of his romantic mood and yelled at her, "Well, at LEAST I"--
"At least you WHAT?" Lily snapped back, in the coldest voice James had ever heard.
~*~*~
As Lily lay on her bed that night, staring up at her dormitory ceiling, she smiled. 'Why am I so confused? I have hated James Potter since the fist minute I laid eyes on him!'
She fell into a deep, disturbed sleep. All she remembered when she woke up sweating and shaking was screaming, "No! Please not Harry! Take me instead! Please not Harry!"
~*~*~
As the years went by, James and Lily's feelings of dislike only became more visible. Finally, they were in seventh year; Lily was Head Girl and James became Head Boy. Still, no one knew their true emotions, locked deep within their hearts.
~*~*~
"Potter, why do you hate me?" Lily asked one afternoon, while she, James and Sirius were in the Gryffindor common room.
"James, I think she has a thing for you!" Sirius joked, anticipating his friend's anger. Instead, James merely said, "Evans, I don't hate you."
He did not, however, meet her eyes when he spoke.
"Alright, then, Potter. I have to go study for one of those blasted Transfiguration tests now."
As Lily picked up her parchments and books, a small baby blue book fell out of the pile. Lily didn't notice, and no one else seemed to either.
James was packing up his books for the night when he finally saw the twinkling book. He picked it up; upon closer inspection, James found it was a diary, Lily's at that!
Sirius leaned over James' shoulder to glimpse at what he held. He let out a whoop, and looked like his birthday had come early.
"Please, Sirius, get that wolf look off your face. You're scaring me," James said.
"He-LLO! Why are we not reading this?"
"I'm gonna read it later," James answered, secretly thinking that he'd just return it to Lily.
~*~*~
Later that night, James sneaked quietly out of his dormitory, covered by his invisibility cloak. As he slowly wound his way up to Lily's dorm, he suppressed a nervous giggle. When he finally found Lily's bed in the room, he caught his breath.
She looked absolutely perfect; her red hair fanned around her head, as stuffed rabbit under her arm. He just stood there for a moment, watching her breathe. Then he crept over to her bed, bent, and brushed her forehead with his lips.
She woke with a start, but saw who it was. Smiling shyly, for she thought it was still a dream, she watched the shadows flicker across James' face. For a moment, they gazed at each other. Then James said, "I didn't read it, I swear."
He handed Lily her diary, and made a move to leave. Then, still looking at James, Lily asked, "Didn't read what?"
But by this time, she had looked at what he had given her. "My diary! But- but- where did you find it?!" she spluttered at him.
The four other girls in the dormitory awoke at her exclamation, and they all gasped in turn. Here was James Potter, in their dormitory at 3 am, talking to Lily Evans!
"Li-ly! What ARE you doing?" one giggled.
Lily stood up, but only opened and closed her mouth.
James flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Nervous giggles issued from the four other girls.
As Lily ordered James to leave, he quietly stood up. Smiling at her, he said, "Good night, Lily."
Lily lay dazedly back down on her bed again, and could only think of one thing. 'He called me Lily; he actually called me Lily...'
Twirling around whatever she had found in her hand, she kept thinking that. When she had finally said that to herself at least a million times, she finally glanced down at what was in her hand. It was a pure white lily.
~*~*~
The next morning at breakfast, James pretended nothing had happened between him and Lily. Sirius knew this was a lie, however, as James would stop eating periodically and stare at Lily without realizing he was doing so.
As he walked out of the Great Hall, he asked Lily to meet him in the empty Charms classroom. She told her friends she forgot something in the common room, and left. Following James into the classroom, she was pulled close to him. It turned out that James was quite a good kisser.
They spun around the room- or was the room spinning? Lily was oblivious to everything... including Professor Caleen when she walked in looking for the Head Boy and Girl.
At first the professor did a double-take, then she sighed and left.
'After all,' she thought to herself, 'Teenagers will be teenagers...'