Love or Hate?
Hey everyone I imagined this while I spaced out in class today so I decided I had to arrive home and write it down…. It's my first one-shot I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter all rights go to J. K. Rowling I only own the plot of the story.
Lily was walking down the school corridor towards the lake, talking with Alice about the charms essay they had to give in tomorrow.
"Flower, wait up!" Lily heard Potter call from behind. She ignored him and kept going. "Hey! I really need to talk to you!" Potter kept pushing the crowd of young wizards in order to reach her. Lily rolled her eyes and kept going, Alice followed her without saying anything. She knew how much Lily despised him, or at least she said she did.
James finally caught up with her and grabbed her arm, "Please!" Lily stopped immediately, something about his voice made her stop! "What do you want Potter?" Lily's voice came out a little bit too harsh and she saw he was taken aback, hurt in all the features in his face.
"Fine, I'll leave you alone if that's what you want, because I can see you can't wait for me to go." James turned around to leave. "No stop!" Lily knew she had been to harsh but they always fought and he didn't seem to care.
Why is he so sensible right now? What does he want to talk about with so much urgency?
"I'm sorry I didn't mean it that way, did you need something." Lily's voice was still a little bit to harsh, but she had hated this guy for the last six years, he was the marauder she least liked. Anyhow, James still seemed pleased by the change a huge grin lit his face, making the sides of his eyes crinkle.
I love it when he smiles at me like that!
What! You mean you love him!
No! I just said he looks nice when he does that!
I don't think so, come on Lily accept it you love him.
No I don't! Just shut up!
Fine I will, but I still know you like him, maybe even love him…
Love him! How could I love a snob like him? Prongs is the person with the biggest ego I know on this planet!
Yeah right!
Oh just shut up!
Lily knew she hated Prongs. She hated the way he strutted around school like he owned the place, she hated the way he sang in the mornings in the Griffindor common room trying to annoy everyone, she hated the way he flew really well on the Quidditch pitch and used his talent to get girls, she hated the way he bullied other people, especially Snape, she caught that thought, she shouldn't care about Snape, but she couldn't lie to herself, at least not about this, he had been her very first friend and her friend for many years.
"Lily?" Lily came out of her reverie as she noticed Alice and James looking at her with preoccupied faces, "Sorry Alice, what were you saying?" Alice shook her head knowing how Lily could easily get lost in her thoughts. "Potter was saying something and you just spaced out on us, are you ok?"
"Sure, what were you saying Potter?" James smiled again and said, "I really want to show you something can you come with me?"
Lily looked at him full of uncertainty and distrust, "Why would I go with you and what is it you want to show me?"
James sighed impatiently, "Just trust me it's really important, please trust me?" The way he pleaded with her made him irresistible.
No he is not irresistible!
Not letting the voice in her head argue with her she just accepted, "Fine I'll go with you as long as Alice can come too."
James looked from Lily's stubborn face to Alice's equally obstinate one. "Fine, let's go but Longbottom was looking for you and you might not want to make him wait." At the mention of her boyfriend's last name Alice forgot about protecting Lily, "I'm sorry Lils I should really go, I forgot we were going to meet right now with Frank, bye see you later!" With that she rushed off leaving Lily with a stunned look on her face.
"How do you do that? How do you always get what you want Potter? It's so annoying!"
James smiled, "And what do I want exactly? To be alone with you? In your dreams flower!"
Lily didn't have an answer to that she felt herself going red. "Fine, goodbye then." She turned around swinging her red hair at him.
"No stop! You know I didn't mean it! I really need to show you something. Come on, it's up in the astronomy tower." James took her by the hand and began running, not letting Lily get mad again.
As they ran Lily noticed her hand was in his, his fingers curled around hers, and it felt so right!
Shut up Lily, you don't know what you're talking about, remember you hate Prongs?
After going up the stairs around and around until they reached the astronomy tower, James let go of her hand and closed the door behind him.
"So, what is it you want to show me?" Lily looked around the room expectantly, searching for something interesting that Potter might want to show her.
"Actually I just needed to talk to you and I knew you wouldn't come with me if I told you that so I decided to tell you that I had to show you something, and then you would consider coming, and it worked." James smiled at her and Lily felt her heart skip a beat and then start to race inside her chest as she realized he had tricked her into coming with him, alone, to the highest tower in the castle. What did he want?
"Ok so if there is nothing here to see I shall be going now. Goodbye Potter, see you in potions." As Lily reached the door she heard James cry, "No! Please, Evans, please don't go. I really need to talk to you!"
There was a certain note of urgency in his voice that made Lily stop again. "Fine, lets talk, but I really don't have anything to say to you."
James looked hurt again and it hurt Lily to see him like that.
Why do I keep hurting him? Why am I so mean?
"Why do you hate me Flower? What have I ever done to you?"
The look on his face made Lily answer honestly, "I don't hate you James, it's just that you act like a real jerk sometimes and just the way you treat Snape, I can't stand it!"
"You called me James!" Potter looked shocked and Lily blushed as he pointed it out, in six whole years she had never ever called him by his first name!
"Yeah, I guess I did." Lily gave him a small smile, one that he returned before saying, "Actually, it's because of you I act that way. I like you so much that I can't act normal when you're around me so I do stupid things. Of coarse the rest of the marauders think it's hilarious!"
Lily didn't like where this conversation was leading to so she tried to change the subject. "So why are we up here really?"
James came closer to her and Lily's heart, which had calmed down since its last rush, went back to thumping hurriedly, trying to find a way out of her chest.
"Its our last year here at Hogwarts and as you must know I've liked you for the past six years, but I don't think you understand how much, and I can't stand the thought of leaving Hogwarts with you hating me and blind to my feelings."
"I already told you I don't hate you." Lily rushed the words out trying to ignore the rest of what he'd said.
"I always thought you did," He said this quietly and then continued, "anyways, I like you like I have never liked anyone before, when I'm around you I can't act normally, I do stupid things, I even flirt with other girls trying to make you jealous, and I can't understand why I do all those things, I really love you Lils…" He looked at her waiting for her to say something to say something, but Lily was too shocked.
He said my name! He actually said my name! Not only that! He said he loved me!
James took a step closer and looked deep into Lily's eyes, only making her go into deeper shock as his green eyes stared into hers.
Potter grinned; glad to see that Lily was blushing and so shocked she couldn't say a word.
"I realize that I have a great effect on girls, I get the noisiest to shut up!" Potter laughed.
This woke Lily up, "Yeah right!"
James laughed and then went back to serious. He stepped even closer to Lily, shocking her yet again, making her look down to hide the blush that was creeping up. He lifted his hand and lifted her face from her chin, making her look into his face which was hovering only inches above hers. He then lifted his other hand and put both of them around Lily's face.
Lily didn't say anything, she didn't need to, that moment Lily realized she had confused her love for hate for six whole years and she realized her friends had been right about her loving Potter.
"I love you Lily…" Lily loved the way he said her name. She loved the way it came out and died on his lips. The moment continued and James' right thumb started tracing the features on Lily's face, it went over her eyes, then around her nose and then on her mouth. Her lips parted beneath the gentle and firm pressure of his thumb. He leaned forward, his lips searching hers, they finally met and James gave her a soft and strong kiss which Lily returned. The newly found love between them was stronger than any other and since that moment they knew they would be together forever until death came between them.