Trial and Tribulations
James Potter was in his fifth year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and quite proud of his magical abilities. He was reasonably tall for his age, and very handsome…probably the most handsome boy in the school.
He had amazing capabilities when it came to Quidditch, and as a result he was the Gryffindor Captain. He flew with such grace, poise, style…it was unbelievable. James was also somewhat arrogant, but really, he was working on that.
One thing that he had never told any of his friends was that he was a direct heir to Godric Gryffindor, which made him more or less of a Prince in the wizarding world. Of course, his friends knew that he came from a wealthy family, they just didn't know how wealthy. Godric was very powerful, so power came to James naturally.
But the thing is, James needed to have a permanent girlfriend by the end of his Hogwarts years. If he wanted to be in possession of the traditional Potter estate, he needed to marry by the tender age of 18. No, James wasn't happy about it. He had girls swooning at him night and day, girls falling at his feet, but he needed a real girl. One that didn't hang onto his every word and agree with whatever he had to say. Someone intelligent, that could argue with him about things. Someone that really cared about what they would do after Hogwarts.
Right now, James was with his friends Sirius, Remus and Peter. He hadn't had a girlfriend for a long time now, and James was wallowing in his self-pity. What would his father say if he came home for Christmas without a girlfriend to speak of?
"If you're that worried about it, why don't you pick one of your plentiful fans?" Sirius looked up from his chess game with Peter. "There are enough girls waiting at your beck and call."
James sighed heavily. "I know that Padfoot, but I want someone harder to get than that. A girl with a mind would be nice, unlike those blondes from Hufflepuff. I think my father has had it up to his neck with them."
"Why the rush, anyway?" Remus said. Sirius, Remus and Peter didn't know why James needed a girlfriend so badly, and thought he was overreacting.
"Never mind. It's nothing." James said sulkily. True, James was only in his fifth year, but he only had 2 more years, 3 at the most, until he was to be married. And if he didn't find a girl, his father would.
Just then, Lily Evans walked down from the Girl's Dormitories, and greeted them all. "Hi lads! Long time no see!"
Lily was in their year, actually, she was the only Gryffindor girl in their year…which was quite odd. Since she had no one to associate with besides James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, she tended to get along with them well.
James and Lily weren't too close to one another, but they weren't complete strangers either. She asked cheerfully, "Up for a game of chess, James or Remus?"
Remus smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Lily, I have got to finish this essay. I think I've put it off long enough."
She nodded, "That's fine. How about you, James?"
"I don't know, Lily…" He sighed.
Sirius elaborated, "He's going through a phase. He hasn't had a girlfriend for the past couple of weeks, and I suspect he is about to drown his sorrows in butter-beer."
Lily laughed. "Come on, James. For me? It'll cheer you up!"
"Fine Lily, but you owe me one." He sat up in his chair.
"For what?" She said as she set up her board.
"For rescuing you from your boredom, and for having the chance to play chess with the master…" He grinned, and she rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling.
~*~
Lily Evans was a very plain, simple kind of girl, but she was pretty, no doubt. She wasn't drop-dead-gorgeous by a long shot, but she was attractive none the less. She was blessed with thick red hair, copper and auburn all combined together, which was a stunning effect; large emerald colored eyes and thick long eyelashes. No, she wasn't beautiful…but she was Lily.
Lily came from a family consisting of a mother, father and a sister, Petunia. Petunia hated her, and Lily was constantly telling her that the feeling was mutual. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were muggles, as was Petunia. Lily was the first witch in the Evans family in decades, and because of that, was very proud.
Even though Lily always had an awkward time at home on holidays, she loved to go home just the same.
Which is why we now find James and Lily boarding the Hogwarts Express, and saying good-bye to Sirius, Peter and Remus.
Lily gave each of them a hug, and James shook their hands and clapped them on the back. He was still in damp spirits because he didn't have a girlfriend, and his father would certainly have something to say about it.
"Why do you want a girlfriend so badly?" Lily asked as soon as they were settled in one of the compartments.
"I don't know. My father wants me to have a permanent girlfriend by the time I get out of Hogwarts."
"Yes, but you still have 2 more years." She sighed. "I get the feeling you aren't telling me the whole story."
"It doesn't matter, anyway. My father won't be happy though." James smiled sadly, as he sat back relaxed.
"Well…perhaps I could do something to help." Lily suggested.
"Like what, exactly?" He looked at her curiously.
"I could introduce you to some of the girls I know, and you could go on a couple of dates or something." She shrugged. "If you want…I'm just trying to help."
James looked thoughtful for a minute. "Could you? That would be brilliant!"
"Of course! We'll talk more about it on the way back to Hogwarts. I'm tired right now. Do you mind if I take a short nap?" She yawned and summoned a blanket from the corner cupboard of the compartment.
"Not at all! I think I'll do the same."
And within 15 minutes, they were both fast asleep.
~*~
"Lily, darling!" Rose Evans called out over the crowds of the train station. Mr. Evans and Petunia were at her side.
Lily stepped off the train and waved to her parents. She waited for James to get off the train, and in the meantime her parents had run over to where they were standing. So had James' parents.
Mr. Potter grinned when he got a good look at Lily. He winked at his son, causing him to roll his eyes. "Mum, Dad, this is my friend Lily, and what are I assume to be her parents."
Lily smiled. "Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. James, these are my parents, and this is James, Mum and Dad."
The two pairs of parents shook hands and before long had engaged in a full-length conversation. This left James and Lily.
"They seem to be getting along well." Lily stated.
"Yes, it seems that way, doesn't it?" James smiled. Petunia had finally made her way over to where James and Lily were standing. Lily rolled her eyes as she said, "James, this is my sister, Petunia."
Petunia smiled attractively, or what she thought to be attractively, and honestly, James was repulsed. She had to be at least 18!
"Well, we should really be going." Rose exclaimed. "Nice meeting you all!"
James and Lily hugged before the two families parted.
~*~
"James is really gorgeous!" Petunia babbled. "He is so tall and muscular!"
"Spare me, Petunia. Stick to Vernon." Lily was ready to vomit. The thought of Petunia with someone tall, muscular and sexy, like James, was too hideous. Lily jerked out of her thoughts. Sexy?
~*~
Mr. Potter grinned. "Lily seems to be quite eye-catching, doesn't she James? You have good taste. She seems extremely polite, smart –"
"Dad!" James interrupted. "She isn't my girlfriend! I don't have a girlfriend!"
"We'll see about that James…I think it may be something more, soon."
"Dad!" James groaned.
"I think what your father is saying is that she seems like a very nice young lady, and he hopes that you continue your friendship with her." Mrs. Potter stated, matter-of-factly.
Mr. Potter grinned. "That's exactly it."
~*~
Before they knew it, it was time to go back to Hogwarts. Lily was actually extremely happy about it…Vernon had come over a couple of times, and each time she saw him, she felt like vomiting.
She saw James at the station, and waved him over. Once again, their parents began talking, and Petunia was drooling over James.
"How was your holiday?" James asked Lily.
She sighed. "Fine. But whenever I go home, it makes me feel awkward, you know? Because I don't really belong there anymore. If I say something, I have to explain everything about its background in detail. And there isn't anything to do there anymore, I'm too used to Hogwarts."
James nodded sympathetically. "Can't say I've ever been there, but it must be hard."
"It is. Hey, we had better get on the train, it's leaving in 7 minutes!"
Lily went over and hugged her parents good-bye. "I'll owl you when I get there."
"Good-bye Mum, Dad. I'll see you later!" James waved to his parents, as he was about to go through the barrier.
~*~
Lily was reading her Daily Prophet, and James was going over some Quidditch plays when an announcement over the P. A System interrupted them.
"Due to technical difficulties, we will have to stop one night at Hogsmeade. Don't worry, you will still get to school on time, as today is Saturday, so you will arrive tomorrow around noon. Thank you. Financial aspects have already been taken care of; you will be staying at The Creaky Hotel. There will be 2 students to a room. Thank you."
"Wow. It must be pretty serious to stop in Hogsmeade for." James commented.
"Yes, I wonder what the problem is?"
In a short time, they had come to the Hogsmeade Station, and were being lead to the hotel. Once everybody was in the hotel, they were told to find a room to stay in. As soon as that was said, James and Lily were the only people standing in the hallway, as everyone else had run off to their rooms.
"Well, looks like we're paired up together." James smiled cheerfully.
Lily was quite apprehensive. She had not forgotten the reputation of James Potter, and if he tried anything on her, he wouldn't know what hit him.
They took the last room on the right of the hallway. There were two generous sized beds and a bathroom.
"Looks comfy, doesn't it?" James looked around.
"You had better not tell anyone about this when we get to school, James." Lily narrowed her eyes at him.
"And why not?"
"Because, James, I haven't even had a boyfriend before, and if suddenly this got out?" She threw up her hands in the air. "I don't even want to think about it."
"You've never had a boyfriend?" James said, disbelieving her. She shook her head shyly.
"Have you ever been kissed?" James grinned.
Lily snapped, "It isn't any of your business. I'm going to get a drink downstairs."
"I'll take that as a definite 'No'." James continued grinning as he followed her out the door.
~*~
James and Lily sat in the restaurant downstairs, in a two person booth sipping on their butter-beer.
"So, still looking for a girlfriend?" Lily rose her eyebrows in question.
He sighed. "Yes. My father thought you were my girlfriend when he saw us hug at the station. Funny, isn't it?"
Lily swallowed the lump that was quickly forming in her throat. "Quite. Hilarious actually."
"Do you want another butter-beer?" James offered her.
She stood up abruptly, and tossed on the table a couple of coins. "No thank you, I've had quite enough for today. I'm going to bed."
She could feel James' eyes on her as she walked out of the restaurant. There was a large knot in her stomach as she walked up to their room. She peeled off her clothing and tossed on some flannel pants and a baby T-shirt. She crawled into her bed and tried to ignore that same knot in her stomach.
She was just getting to enjoy James' company, and suddenly, she didn't feel like playing Matchmaker for him.
~*~
When James walked into their room at 11:00, Lily was already asleep. She looked quite content sleeping, with her red hair spread all over her pillow. He walked over to her and brushed some out of her face.
He also noticed the clothing she had pulled off was thrown haphazardly around her portion of the room. He folded her robes, sweater and pants, and put them neatly on a nearby chair.
He smiled to himself and pulled off his robes, and then his clothing under, revealing his boxers. He climbed into bed and fell asleep immediately.
~*~
"James! You've got to wake up! We should be having breakfast right now!" James sleepily opened his eyes to be met with emerald green ones. Lily was bent over him, showered and fully dressed.
He sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes. Lily passed his glasses to him. "Right. I'll be ready in a couple of minutes. I'll meet you downstairs."
Lily looked skeptically at him, and walked out the door, closing it behind her. James promptly fell back on his bed, preparing to go back to bed. He had just closed his eyes when:
"James Potter! Get off your ass, now! The train is leaving in an hour, and we still have to have breakfast!"
He grinned. Lily was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "Damn."
An hour later, they were all on the train again, clad in their traditional Hogwarts robes.
"Remember, James, you aren't going to tell anyone about us sleeping in the same room." Lily said warningly.
"Can I tell people you haven't been kissed?" James grinned.
Lily groaned. "James! Ugh, forget it. Last time I trust you with anything."
He laughed. "I was kidding. Don't worry about it."
"I get kind of nervous when you say that." Lily said.
"What? Don't worry about it?" James looked confused. "Why?"
"Because it makes me think I should worry about it."
~*~
"James! Lily! Over here!" Sirius greeted Lily with a hug and James with a handshake. "How are you guys? Weren't you supposed to be here yesterday?"
"Yes, except we got tied up in Hogsmeade. There was some sort of technical difficulty with the train. But don't worry, I brought tons of Dungbombs, even ones that can be transfigured into regular objects."
Lily rolled her eyes.
"I'll talk to you later, James. About the introductions?" She hinted.
"Oh, yes. Thanks."
Once Lily had left, Remus and Sirius began their questioning. "You stayed over in Hogsmeade? With Lily? In the same hotel? Same room? Same bed?"
James laughed. "Slow down! I'm not answering any of those questions. All I'm saying is that nothing happened. Okay?" There was a slight pause from the other boys.
"He did!" Sirius exclaimed. He and Remus high-fived each other.
"Sirius! Remus! Nothing happened!"
"Fine. What did your dad say about the whole girlfriend situation?" Peter asked.
"He was a bit disappointed. Probably even more disappointed that it wasn't Lily." James said evenly.
"Lily?" Sirius asked.
"Yes. My parents seem to like her. A lot. They said she was polite, well mannered and attractive. My father thinks I have good taste."
"But she isn't your girlfriend!" Remus said with confusion.
"Yes, I know that. I told my parents that, but my father refuses to give up on it."
"James, I bet this whole girlfriend thing has him worn out. Although Lily is kind of cute…"
"Sirius!"
~*~
The months passed by slowly, with Lily setting up and introducing girls to James against her own will.
He seemed to enjoy some of their company, but after a date never really stayed in touch. The summer holidays were just a couple of days away, and once again, James wasn't looking forward to going home.
"This time it's summer. What will my father say about that?" James said, as he, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Lily sat playing Exploding Snap.
"James, just tell him you have been trying to find a girlfriend, and you haven't found anyone appropriate yet." Lily said simply.
"Yes, but time is running out…"
Exasperated, Lily brushed some hair out of her face. "Time for what? For the last time James, I can't very well help you if I don't know the whole story!"
"I know!" James was also exasperated. "When I know for sure I can tell you, I will. I promise."
"Fine." Lily mumbled. "Well, I'm not too happy about going home either. Petunia and Vernon are going to drive me insane. Especially Vernon, he is a bit too friendly towards me."
The four boys looked disgusted. They knew that Vernon was Petunia's boyfriend. "That's gross, Lily." Remus said.
"I know."
~*~
It was around the third week into summer holidays, and that particular day, James noticed that his mother was telling the maids to put out the china for dinner. There were also five extra places at the dinner table, and he had the feeling he was missing something.
"Mum?" James walked cautiously into their kitchen.
"Yes, darling? No, no, Maria, the cream linen tablecloth. Linda we need the wine glasses out!"
James looked around his busy kitchen. "Who is coming over?"
"Oh! The Evans family…I thought you knew that." His mother said as she went over a list of ingredients for dinner.
"Lily is coming over?" He sighed. "Why am I always the last one to know things around here?"
Mrs. Potter smiled. "You're not dear, not at all. I'm sure some of the house elves don't know."
"Mum!" Mrs. Potter grinned.
"Joking dear, just joking. Joan, do we have Parmesan cheese? Do we have time to go to the super shop?"
James rolled his eyes. "Super market, mum. I'll be in my room. But wait…there are only 4 people in Lily's family!"
Mrs. Potter smiled at her son. "Vernon, Petunia's boyfriend, is coming over as well. Won't that be fun?"
James grinned, a plan already in mind. "Of course. Definitely."
~*~
"I can't believe Petunia and Vernon came! I thought Petunia was bad enough!" Lily complained to James, as he greeted her family at the door.
"Don't worry, we can have some fun with them later." James grinned, which caused Lily to as well.
"Your house is gigantic, James. What do your parents do for a living?" Lily looked around her in awe. Right now, James was escorting them through a marble entrance room into a living room where Mr. and Mrs. Potter were waiting.
"Lily dear! How nice it is to see you again!" Mr. Potter smiled and shook her hand. Mrs. Potter gave her a very welcoming hug. The parents shook hands, and Petunia pretending to ignore James, but Lily saw the way she looked at him, even with Vernon right beside her.
After the Mr. and Mrs. Potter had gone, taking Mr. and Mrs. Evans on a tour, that left James, Lily, Petunia and Vernon.
James shook Vernon's hand in a way of greeting, but Vernon didn't seem very pleased about it. James cleared his throat awkwardly.
"We can go up to the fifth floor, if you want. We have some games to play, like pool and chess."
Vernon sighed with disgust. "Do you have a TV?"
James said, "Erm…yes. It's on the second floor. If you two want to watch TV, you can find Lily and me up on the fifth floor, playing chess. Right Lily?"
She smiled cheesily. "That's right James."
Up on the fifth floor, without the company of Petunia and Vernon, James and Lily had flung themselves on the couch, glad to be alone.
"I can't believe Vernon came! Can you stand him? I can't." Lily looked at James.
"Well, he doesn't seem like a very friendly fellow, does he?" He asked. Lily shook her head as an answer.
"But the thing is, he doesn't know that we're magical. So we can't go around pranking him with magic." Lily explained.
"True. We'll have to do something about that." He ran a hand through his hair. "Do you want to play Quidditch instead of chess?"
"Sure, but what if Petunia or Vernon sees us?" Lily asked, confused.
"It's charmed, so that if a muggle happens to see us, they'll think we're feeding the fish in a fish pond."
"A fish pond?" Lily laughed.
"I know it's lame. We'll have to ask my parents about going out to play."
~*~
"Lily! James! It's time for supper!" Someone called from down below, waving their arms in the air.
Panicking, Lily shouted down, "Just feeding the fish!" for fear that it was Petunia or Vernon.
James laughed. "Lily, it's my mum."
She blushed. "Sorry."
"Don't be."
They flew down to the ground, parked their brooms and walked into the elegant kitchen. Everyone began talking at once, and James offered to pour Vernon some Pumpkin Juice.
"What on earth is Pumpkin Juice?" Vernon said with venom.
"I'm sure you'll like it, Verny." James said innocently, winking at Petunia.
Petunia blushed and said harshly, "Just drink it Vernon."
Parents still talking, Vernon took a sip of his juice. His nose instantly turned into a drill bit. Lily had to eat more mashed potatoes to stop herself from laughing, and kicked James from under the table.
She hissed, "I thought I told you not to use magic!"
James smirked.
"Oh, my God!" Petunia cried in alarm. "Vernon, your n-n-nose!"
Oblivious, Vernon whispered frantically, "Oh, shush, Petty. What are you going on about?"
Mr. and Mrs. Potter, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, James and Lily started laughing at Vernon.
After awhile, Mr. Potter decided to put his nose back to normal. He scolded Lily and James; "This calls for dish duty after supper, you two."
Despite their punishment, James and Lily grinned, and Mr. Potter winked at them.
~*~
Disclaimer: This is the first part of my new series. Tell me what you think, if you want me to continue it or not. I have the second part almost done, so if you want it, tell me! Rock on!