The Bet
"Sirius, I bet you ten galleons that I can get Evans to go out with me by the end of this month." Said a cocky, 7th year James Potter
"Deal. Easiest ten galleons I ever made. Really, James, when are you ever going to learn that she doesn't like you?" replied an equally cocky Sirius Black. He was laughing at his friend's blatant stupidity, as Lily had rejected him no less than 313 times in the last 7 years.
"Then let the bet begin."
"Evans! Wait up!" James yelled in the middle of the courtyard, trying to catch up with Lily, who was putting in an equal amount of effort to get away from him.
She turned around, clearly annoyed. "What do you want, Potter? I really don't have time for your games today," scoffed a harassed Lily.
"Will you go out with me? Please, Please, Pretty please, with cherries on top?"
"Do you ever learn? I will never go out with you, for as long as I live. Who would want to go out with arrogant, bullying, toe rag like you, who has to resort to begging and stalking to get girls? Just give it up already. I'm not interested and never will be."
Lily turned her back on a pouting James, and swiftly went off to join her friends, as far away from him as she could possibly get.
When Lily headed to breakfast in the Great Hall, she was met by a surprise. In the spot that she ate all her meals in since the first day of school, were the words 'Evans, will you go out with me?' formed with an array of lilies and roses.
"So, Evans, what do you think? I personally thought that it was quite creative, if I do say so myself," a grinning James said.
"How is this creative? I can't tell you how many times you've tried to give me lilies to win me over because you thought that I'd like it, or some other screwed up reason like that."
James pretended to be offended. "Lilies and Roses? Lillian Rose? Do you not see the connection? Merlin, they say you're supposed to be smart. So what do you have to say?"
Lily began to answer, but was cut off by Sirius, who said, "James, I know that I don't have a lot of good experiences with girls, but I'm pretty sure that the way to win them over is not by insulting them. You might as well hand over the galleons now." He held out his hand, inviting James just to give up.
"I've got a couple of things. One, How do you know my middle name? Eh, Never mind, I probably don't want to know. And two, you made a bet on whether I would say yes? That's low, even for you, Potter. " Lily looked rightfully scandalized, which caused James to assume a sheepish expression, "Oh, and by the way, I'll go out with you… when pigs fly."
"Well," Sirius, who just walked up, said, much too brightly for the situation, "That went well."
James grumbled, shook his head, and walked off.
Everyone was waiting for the morning post to arrive, when shrieks rang out through the hall. Lily looked up from Advanced Transfiguration, the book that she was reading, only to let off a shriek at what she was seeing. Instead of owls flying over her head, like they did every morning, pigs were dropping letters off for all of the students.
"So, Evans, what do you say? You clearly said yesterday that you would do it if pigs flew, and look at that… pigs are flying. You know, I never pegged you as a liar, Evans, and I don't like to be wrong," James said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"For God's sake, Potter! It's a Muggle saying! If you actually cared about what goes on outside your little bubble, you might have known that it means that there's no way in hell that I would ever date you. I have dignity, you know." After yelling her head off to James, she actually felt a little guilty when she saw the hurt in his eyes, which made Lily consider that maybe, just maybe, he actually liked her as more than a challenge, more than a stupid bet. Lily, don't think like that. You'll always be the same to James. I mean, Potter, she told herself.
"Look, why do you even keep putting us through this? It humiliates me, and makes you look like an even bigger jerk when you ask me out every day, I continue to reject you, and yet you still want to know if I'll go out with you. I wish you would just leave me alone for once."
And Lily carried on eating her breakfast; the only difference was that she now ashamed of how she treated him. After all, it was a very a very James-like thing to publically humiliate someone, just because she didn't like them. God knows she got enough of that already.
After what happened the previous day, Lily stayed on guard the entire day, bracing for another attempt to get her to be James' girlfriend. No, no, I mean Potter. What's with me lately? He's Potter to me, and he always will be, Lily thought to herself. It was dinner time in the Great Hall, and Lily had seen neither hide nor hair of James or any of his stuck-up friends all day, which was highly unusual. Maybe he finally gave up, thought Lily, but to her surprise and disappointment, it upset her a little bit that he considered her a lost case, especially since that was what she had been trying for, for the last 7 years.
"Lily! There you are! James decided to follow your wishes and actually leave you alone for once. So instead of that charming boy that you insult on a daily basis, you get me," said Sirius, who had just shown up at the Gryffindor table. "So you would naturally think that I will just ask you out in the chivalrous way that dear Prongs suggested, but considering you will hex me into next year for even being the messenger, I might as well have a little fun with this. Sirius then winked at James, who was sitting on the opposite end of their table.
"No! Sirius- Don't! - Sirius-Please!" cried Lily as he clambered on to the table, and performed the Sonorus charm. Lily wanted to die of embarrassment as he addressed her in front of the entire Hogwarts population, who were all paying attention greatly. At least when she glanced down to where Potter was sitting, he had his faced buried in his arms and was moaning, 'Merlin, no' over and over again. "Sorry Lily, I've got to do it. Marauder honor, you know," Sirius walked down the center of the table and grabbed James' arm, and swiftly pulled him up onto the table top beside him. McGonagall was begging Dumbledore to let her go and stop this madness, but he only chuckled and made her agree to let this 'chaotic, rambunctious, stunt' continue. "This here is my best friend, Mr. James Prongstill Potter, and he has failed numerous times to get this girl," Sirius continued, still under the rapt attention of the students, and Lily felt her arm being jerked out of its socket, and then found herself standing on the table. "Ms. Lily Know-It-All Evans. Despite their differences, they have maintained quite a healthy relationship. James asks Lily out and humiliates her on a daily basis, and our lovely Lily always responds with some insult having to do arrogance and over-inflated heads. Now you all know that this is no way for our Head students to act towards each other, especially since they share a dorm. Ahhhh, the possibilities." This earned glares from even the most amused teachers, and daggers from Lily and James, "Back on subject, I am enlisting the help of the entire Hogwarts to get these two together. You must do everything within your power to make them a couple by the end of this week, or payback will not be sweet for you guys. That is all." James and Lily got down from the tabletop as fast as humanly possible, and Lily shrieked to Sirius, "What in the hell were you thinking, Black? Actually, you weren't. And you could have bloody Merlin assisting you in your so-called mission, and I would still say no. And my middle name is not Know it all. I thought we established that a few days ago."
"Pads! Why did you do that? I wanted something nice and sweet and now Lily hates me even more, and it's all because you had a genius idea that you didn't even think about talking to me about. And, really, Prongstill? That is so not my name!"
"Ahhhh, young Prongstill, you are so ignorant. The entire school will now be trying to get you together, and can you honestly say that you would have agreed to this plan if I asked you? I didn't think so. And in case you're wondering why I gave up on our little bet, it's because otherwise I'd have to go through even more moaning about how much she hates you, even though it is totally self inflicted. Did you really think that she would go out with you when you sang 'Lily flower, I will do anything for you, just say that your love is true'?'
"Shut up. I was a third year. We were stupid back then."
"Prongstill, we still are."
And everyone in the Great Hall silently agreed so as not to feel the Marauders' wrath.
Lily knew that since the entire school already thought that her and James were perfect for each other, her classes would be torture. She had no idea how right she was.
She had barely been out of the Great Hall when she was kidnapped by a group of measly first years and was promptly thrown into an unused broom closet, only to find that James was sitting there too.
"Ah, I see they got you too," he said when he saw who was joining him, "wretched Sirius had to go and wreck everything, trying to get the whole school on our side."
"Potter, you do realize that we can just Alohomora the door, right? We have to get to Transfiguration or McGonagall will absolutely slaughter us."
"Yeah, but what fun is that? We have a perfect excuse right here to skip, and I certainly think that kidnapping will suffice. Just have a little fun, Lily, for once in your life." James said, grinning.
"No, McGonagall would still eat us alive, because a second year spell is all that it takes to get us out of here. And skipping class is hardly fun, especially since it's our N.E.W.T. year and I couldn't risk missing something that we might be tested over." Lily said angrily, then blasted open the door and ran down the hall, and James followed closely behind her. They ran into the classroom just as the bell rang.
"Sorry, Professor, we had a little mishap with some first years." Explained Lily hastily, not wanting to get her very first detention.
"It's fine Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter; I haven't started the lessons yet. Just pass up your homework from last night." They handed last night's essay up to their teacher and took their seats in the third row.
"Today we will be working on transfiguring into animals. You will be paired up with partners of my choice and will transfigure yourself into the form that your patronus takes, and then your partner will transfigure you back. Keep in mind that this will not be easy, so don't expect success on the first try. Jones will be working with Longbottom, MacDonald with Black, Pettigrew with Adams, Lupin with Meyers, and Evans with Potter." Lily groaned when she heard the last arrangement. She couldn't believe that even McGonagall was helping out with Black's ridiculous plan.
"Lily-flower, I will grant you the honor of going first," said James, faking chivalry.
"Fine, here it goes, I've been working on this in my spare time, so I know what I'm doing." Lily grumbled, and then transfigured herself into a marvelous doe. James stood there, shocked for a second, when he saw the form that she had taken, but quickly regained composure and switched her back into her human form.
"Your-Your patronus is a doe?" James said, still a little shell shocked.
"Yeah, do you not believe me? I'll prove it, Expecto Patronum!" A silvery doe shot out of her wand as she conjured up her happiest memory of when she got her Hogwarts letter.
"Lily, I believe you, I really do. Just look for a moment. Expecto Patronum!" A mirror image of Lily's doe, except with antlers, galloped out of the end of his wand.
"That- That can't be your patronus. There must be a mistake!"
"No, there isn't." The entire class was watching intently by now, especially since it was Professor McGonagall who answered this time, instead of James, "Ms. Evans, If you have read your Defense Against the Dark Arts books, which I do believe you have, you would know that they clearly state that one's patronus may take the form of someone that they truly, deeply love, which leads me to the conclusion that you must have some deep feelings for him."
Somebody from the back of the room that sounded suspiciously like Black yelled out in a sing-song voice, "Evans looooooves Potter!"
"Really, I don't love James! It's impossible!" Lily said, sounding frantic. How could they possibly think that I love James? Just because my heart does a little back flip every time I see him doesn't mean anything. Do I love James? Is that why I've always rejected him? No, no, it can't be.
"Your patronus says differently Ms. Evans." The bell rang, interrupting McGonagall. "Saved by the bell, I see. Class dismissed, just make sure you've practiced the spell before class tomorrow."
The rest of the day went the same way. They got locked into broom closets more times than they could count, teachers in every class paired them up for projects, and kids in the corridors sang songs about love and sent taunts every time they walked by. The thing that scared Lily the most was that every time one of these events happened, she confronted her feelings a little more, and by the end of the day, she realized that she actually liked him.
It was dinnertime in the Great Hall and Dumbledore walked over to the podium to make small speech before they began the meal. "I will keep this quick, as you should not be kept waiting when your stomachs are probably rumbling. Does Mr. Black know if we had any success with Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans?"
Black took that as his cue to clamber onto the table and uproot Lily and James from their spots again, and says, "Can't say we did, Professor, unless one of these two wants to tell us something?"
"Shut up Padfoot. Lily probably hates me even more after today, and it's all because of your stupid, hare-brained plan." Lily ducked her head and began to blush a deep scarlet hue at these words, knowing that it was just the opposite.
"Is Lily-flower blushing? Does she, in fact, fancy James Potter? It can't be! I think it is!"
"Sirius, shut up. You really don't get that she hates me even more now, do you?" James said angrily.
Lily could do this. She had to. What other choice did she have? "How dense are you, Potter?" she said, bracing herself for the words that she was about to say, the words that she had denied herself for 7 long years, "James Potter, I- I fancy you!"
"What? You hate me, though!" James stuttered, in a mixture of euphoria and confusion.
"I just figured out how I felt today, but when I told you, I didn't really imagine doing it in front of the entire school. I also didn't imagine doing this in front of these guys either."
And then she reached over and kissed him full on the mouth, oblivious to the cheers and wolf-whistles in the crowd of students and teachers. When they pulled apart, James said, "So, I'll take that as a yes?"
"Yes, you prick!"
"Now is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?" said James sweetly, and she reached in for another kiss.
Hey guys! I'm heading vacation right now, and it's a twelve hour drive, so I thought I might as well write a little. I'm on 8% battery right now, so this note might be a little short. I loved writing this story so much, especially Sirius. I get what people mean when they say that he is so much fun to write. Either way, please, please review, as you get to read this for free, so please at least comment for me. Thanks so much for reading, and I have to go now, or I'll lose all this work!