Disclaimer: I'm an amateur! I don't write for a living. I write for fun. It's my hobby—not work. I write for the lack of anything else productive to do. I don't own Harry Potter. It's all JK Rowling's.
Summary: (One-shot) Having to deal with everything from head duties to relationships, Lily Evans was faced with a bigger challenge: How to deal with a change of heart. R&R!
A Change of Heart
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Lily and James were working at the Head's common room when suddenly, they heard a loud banging on their door. Growing annoyed, Lily gave James a look, asking him to open it. Understanding, James abandoned his work and opened the door.
"Potter…" came the unfriendly voice of Brad Williams, Lily's boyfriend. Without saying much more, he stormed inside the room.
"Williams, you're not allowed in here." James said. It was true. Even the Marauders were not allowed in the Head's room. Dumbledore made it clear to them. "I'll call her instead and inform her of your presence." James suggested as his Quidditch rival stormed in their room, looking furious about something.
"Shut up Potter!" was his reply. For a short while, James stood immobilized as he pondered what just happened. His rival in Quidditch and not to mention in Lily's heart was in their common room, entering without any invitation and disrespecting him, the Head Boy.
"Williams…" James warned. "I understand you're angry about something, but I warn you…" James paused awhile, and then slowly, he approached him. "If you won't leave right now, you would be serving detention for a week and I'll inform the Professors of this and make sure that your presence on Saturday's match would be absent."
Brad turned around to face James and glared at him. "Can't you do better than that, Potter?" He asked, eyeing James with an outmost dislike. "Are you threatened that the Ravenclaw team would beat your pathetic team?"
With a laugh, James went towards the direction of the door and showed him the way out, "Williams, you know you're faking it and I'm not…" He gave Brad a smug smile and continued on, "Now please leave. You can wait outside while I inform Lily."
Looking hatefully at James, he ignored him and went his way to see Lily. Losing his patience, James followed suit.
"Who was it?" Lily asked, as she heard footsteps coming. She wasn't however aware that it was Brad. Receiving no response, she was stunned to see her furious ex-boyfriend standing over James' work, and James standing not so far away, trying his hardest not to reach for his wand and hex Brad to oblivion.
"Brad?" Lily said with a shock. "What are you doing here? You're not allowed in here."
"Potter informed me," he said sarcastically. "Now, I want some answers."
"What?" Lily asked, standing herself as she faced Brad.
"Potter, could you kindly leave Lily and I alone?" Brad said without gazing his eyes away from Lily.
"James, stay." Lily firmly said, glancing at James' direction for a while.
"What now, huh?" Brad asked, losing his control. "Before the year started, you were complaining nonstop about Potter being the Head Boy and now you're spending the most time with him. We don't even spend enough time together anymore!" James, highly taken aback, motioned to leave.
"James," Lily said softly, "I said stay."
Looking uncertain, James started protesting. "Lily, I think it would be best if…"
"No!" Lily said, cutting him off. "Brad and I are over so there's nothing more for us to talk about." He looked at James for a few more seconds before turning her attention back to Brad. "I have nothing to say to you. Last night was clear enough. Now, Leave!"
"Do you like Potter now, huh Lily? You seemed eager to be alone with him…" Brad accused. He started nearing Lily as if trying to intimidate her. "I want to know!"
"How can you act as if you've done nothing wrong!" Lily shouted. "How can you act as if I'm the unfaithful one?" She pushed Brad away as he came nearer. "How?" She asked again. "Are you done messing with your precious seeker?"
"What are you talking about?" Brad said. The guilt flashed through his eyes for a few seconds and then was completely wiped out.
"Don't you dare play dumb with me you asshole!" Lily screamed. "I swear," she took calm deep breaths before continuing, "if you won't leave right now, I'll hex you 'til your flesh leaves your bones and your bones melt to nothingness! Leave! Now!"
"But Lily…" Bras said, coming closer once again. "I love you…"
"Well…" she said, "that's another reason for me to break up with you because I! DO NOT! LOVE YOU!" With that, she stormed away and shut the door to her room forcefully.
After Lily's outburst, Brad reluctantly left. James, having a little sympathy for the guy, didn't give him detention.
James finished off all his headwork and was doing Lily's work when she emerged from her room.
"I'm sorry about Brad…" she said as she sat beside James close to the fireplace.
Looking up, James nodded his reply. "Don't worry about it… I understand where the poor guy is standing." James said with a laugh.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, wondering why James was being cool about it.
"Well," James started, looking at Lily. "Think about it this way… The guy was practically begging for you to reconsider but you didn't. He used his last card and professed his love for you, and again you didn't consider it" He laughed for a while and then continued. "Worse, you practically broke his heart to million pieces when you shouted you don't love him."
"That was terrible of me, wasn't it?"
James gave her a hard look but failed to hide his grin. "Terrible..." He said amused. "Cruel, in fact." He added.
"Well…" Lily said, unsure if it was necessary to tell James this. "It's true. I don't love him."
"Ows?" James asked with a doubtful expression on his face. "Really?"
"I have to admit I was hurt when I saw him kissing Missy, but…"
"But what?" James asked.
"I know this would sound stupid but…" Lily hid her face from James and said, "But I was also thinking that finally, I have a reason to break up with him."
To her surprise, James started laughing out loud. "I knew it! I knew it!" James started saying.
"Knew what?" Lily asked confused.
"Nothing." James said, still laughing.
Lily hit him playfully on his shoulder and asked him again. "Come on, James. Tell me…"
After a while, James was finally settled and was trying to remove the smile from his face. "Well, I sort of noticed that you were starting to act cold towards him and you were practically hiding yourself from him."
"Was I that obvious?" Lily asked with a laugh.
"Judging by the way Williams just acted, I say it was obvious to me and not to him." James laughed. "Like he said, we practically spend more time together than with others." James scribbled the last of Lily's report and pushed the parchment towards her. "Here. It's all done."
"Is this my report?" Lily asked.
"Yeah…" James said, standing up. "I thought you were upset and couldn't find time to finish it. But by the looks of you now, I can say my effort finishing that would be wasted."
"Of course not." Lily insisted. She followed James' lead and stood up herself, with James helping her. "You really didn't have to do it, but thanks."
"You might want to recheck it though." James said. "I don't want you jumping on me or something once you find some mistakes."
Lily stifle a giggle and said, "I wouldn't do that…"
"Oh, I'm sorry for misjudging you miss Evans…" James joked. "But if I remembered right, you sent me to the hospital wing countless of times since time immemorial."
"I wouldn't have sent you there if you have just listened…" Lily said, finding it funny to talk about their feuds before.
"Oh really?" James said, unconvinced. "You always believed that it was I who started every fight I had with a Slytherine, when in fact, more than half of those times were started by those sly flies we call beings…" James said, sounding sarcastic.
"Well, I'm sorry then…" She said, surprisingly feeling guilty about all those times she fired hexes to James' direction.
"Don't worry about it…" He said, comfortably sounding his self again. "I'm too strong for you to cause me a permanent damage." He laughed.
"You and your cocky self again, James…" Lily said, annoyed.
"Hey… I was only kidding." He said defensively.
"I know…" Lily said, as she turned her back towards the direction of her room. 'You've changed, James…' Lily thought. 'And I like it…'
Giving James a playful smile, she bid him goodnight. "Goodnight Potter…"
It has been two months after the school knew about the hottest couple's break up—it being Lily and Brad. Everybody was quite stunned to find out about it. And of course, being the jerk that Brad was, he blamed James for it.
They were doing their rounds that night when they heard footsteps hurrying away from them. Growing alarmed, both James and Lily withdrew their wands. Eyeing the corner carefully, James went on, signaling Lily to wait.
Not wanting to be left behind and James going on alone to an unknown, Lily ignored James' order and followed behind him. They heard silent whispers around another corner, and when they finally saw who the rule breakers were, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Snape…" James addressed him. "What are you doing here?"
"Patrol duties, Potter. What else?"
"Why are your friends out here as well, Severus?" Lily asked, eyeing the others carefully. "They're not allowed to be out at this time as you very well know."
"Why don't you tell that to Potter, Mudblood?" Snape said. "His friends are sure out tonight. It's a full moon after all.
"Shut up, Snape!" James glowered, gripping his wand tighter.
"What Potter," Snape snickered, "may I ask, are you doing here? Don't your friends need your assistance?"
"What the hell are you talking about, Severus?"
Glancing at his friends with a smug smile on his face, he continued. "Why don't you ask your idiot of a boyfriend Mudblood? I'm sure Potterboy here wouldn't mind telling you."
Lily looked at James for an explanation, but he was quick to avoid the question. "Ten points from Slytherine—each—for being out at this hour. Another ten points for disrespecting the head girl." He glared at them one last time before dismissing them. "Go to bed."
Before they had their backs completely to them, Lily added. "And Snape, he's not my boyfriend…" Lily looked at James furious face before adding, "And ten points for insulting the head boy." And with that, she took James' hand and walked away from the scene.
They were nearing their head's room when Lily remembered she was still holding James' hand. Releasing it slowly, she asked. "What was he talking about?"
"Please don't ask me that…" James said, without looking at her. "I don't want to lie to you."
"So your friends are out there then?" Lily assumed.
"No." James said. "Only one of them."
"Why aren't you doing anything about it then?" Lily asked, surprisingly not getting mad. He did ask her not to ask him—he didn't like to lie to her.
"The professors know about this…" James said. "But don't worry, it's nothing illegal."
Nodding her understanding, she kept her silence, not trusting herself to speak. "You're not angry with me, are you?" James asked.
"No." Lily said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Of course not."
"Good…" James said.
While they were walking, Lily cleared her throat and took James' hand once again.
"What is it?" He asked, concerned.
"Thank you…"
Confused, James asked, "For what?"
"For not wanting to fill me in with lies." She squeezed his hand before letting go of it. "I appreciate it.
He smiled in reply and both of them continued on walking in complete silence.
They were about to go their separate rooms when James stopped and called for Lily.
"Lily…" James said as he turned around to face Lily once again. "I was just wondering…" and then, as Lily looked at him expectantly, all words were wiped out from his mind.
"What is it?" Lily asked.
Swallowing hard, James struggled to keep his composure. "I was, ah, wondering…. If we could, ammm, go out sometime… like on a date or something?" James stammered, unsure whether he was talking sense or was performing a monologue.
Finding his stammering quite amusing, Lily decided to make it harder for him. "A date?"
"Yeah…" James trailed off. "But I understand if you don't want to come, I mean, it's ok… It's not as if… no… I mean, yeah… it's no problem… I'm sorry… I should have known that you amm wouldn't want to and ahh… yeah I should probably go and you amm… you would want to sleep now…I'm sorry and ahhh " James started walking backwards, gesturing his hands in a confusing manner, as if trying to tell her goodnight. "Right… I'll be ammm, going to my room now…. And I'm sorry… I didn…"
"James…" Lily said, cutting him off.
"…I didn't really….. I mean, I'm sorry that, ahhh.. that, well, I'm going now and ahhh…"
"James…" Lily said, louder this time.
"Huh?" James asked. "Were you calling me?"
Happy that she finally caught his attention, she smiled and approached him. "Yes," she simply said.
"Yes?" James asked.
"Yeah…" Lily said, getting nearer now. "I said yes…"
Still looking uncertain, James asked again. "Yes as in you were calling me or yes 'yes'?"
"You know, you're really cute when you're stammering…" Lily said. "But yes, I would love to go out with you."
James stared unbelievingly at her before waking up from his shock. "You're kidding right?"
"Why?" Lily asked, moving closer. "Would you prefer it to be a joke?"
"No, no, no, no, no, of course not…" James said hurriedly. "I mean, wow… I just thought… I mean, wow…"
Lily giggled a little before finally looking at James with a question in her eyes. "So? Saturday's ok?" He asked.
"Yeah sure…" Lily said. "Good night James." She kissed him on his cheek shyly before entering her room, and finally, with a smile, she closed the door.
James, however, stood stupidly outside Lily's room for a while before retiring himself. All night, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face.