How the Stag won over the Doe
Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly...
Also, I fixed some of the typos, so here we go...
It was a dark, mid-summer's night. It was virtually silent, with the exception of the wind billowing gently passed the trees. However, if one strained their ears and listened carefully, one could hear a strangled voice in the far distance…
"Oh help me, god of Love! Help me win the fair maiden's heart! Please—help me make my dreams become reality!" cried a young man.
This young man was Potter—James Potter, to be exact. He was on a quest that many men face in their lifetime—to marry the woman of his dreams. Evans—Lily Evans was her name. The poor, love-sick James Potter had fancied Lily Evans the first time he had laid eyes on her. Her beautiful red hair and bright, emerald green eyes had captivated him.
She was with that greasy-haired death eater—Severus Snape—at the time. Oh, how James Potter loathed "Snivellus." "Snivelly" had had the girl of his dreams. The latter and Evans were best friends—then he broke her heart. He had abandoned her and called her "mudblood"—insulting her blood status. Blood status was of no importance to the "brave and chivalrous James Potter." He did not care that he was a pureblood and that Lily Evans was a muggleborn. It mattered not who one's parents were, but what one was like. James knew that he and Evans were meant for each other—at least, that was what he told her every day. This annoyed Lily greatly. She could not stand the "arrogant toerag, James Potter" or his "fat head"; she expressed this very clearly. This wounded Mr. Potter terribly. He wanted nothing more than for Lily Evans to love him just as much as he loved her. He—
James Potter's thoughts were interrupted by a loud "pop" from behind him—he turned. There, standing behind him, was a young man. This man was quite good-looking (or so the ladies thought). His dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of "casual elegance" that James' messy, fly-away hair could never have achieved. This "handsome" young man was also James Potter's best mate—the "legendary" Sirius Black.
"Ah, Prongs, are you mooning over Evans again?" asked Sirius conversationally.
James glared at him from behind is round glasses.
"I'll take that as a yes," stated Sirius. James continued glowering at his best mate. "Do you know what you need?" continued Sirius—James eyed his friend questioningly but shook his head—"you need help from me—the God of Love," Sirius finished arrogantly, while making a flourishing gesture with his hand.
At this, James snorted. "You? The 'God of Love?'" he asked, increadulous, "you haven't had a girlfriend for longer than two weeks. The 'God of Lust' more like," he finished, adding another snort at the end.
Sirius pretended to be offended. However, he easily dismissed James's comment. "I, Padfoot the Magnificent," he declared importantly—he earned yet another snort from James—"have come up with the perfect, fool-proof plan that will get Lily Evans to fall head-over-heels in love with you in no time. All it will take is: a little magic, a cauldron with all the necessary ingredients, and a copy of 'Advanced Potion-Making," he finished dramatically.
"You're planning on making Amortentia aren't you?" asked James, shaking his head at his best mate's stupidity. He did not want Evans to be purely infatuated with him—he wanted her to truly love him for who he was, despite the inflated ego.
"No, of course not," replied Sirius, affronted. "I was going to make you some Felix Felicis! You'll be the luckiest bloke on the planet!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, so I can wait another six months for her to agree to give me another chance," James muttered. He sighed. How had Sirius gotten all those O.W.L.'s he had claimed he got? What type of fool-proof plan was this?
"Touché," replied Sirius.
James had to suppress a groan. "I thought that you said you had a foolproof idea!" he moaned childishly.
"Well," Sirius replied, "the only other idea I had was using the Imperius Curse…"
James was aghast. The Imperius Curse? What good would that do? "Are you mental?" James practically shouted at Sirius. Sirius opened his mouth to answer. "I want her to love me," James continued, ignoring Sirius, "for exactly who I am, not what a spell or potion does to her."
"No, of course I'm not mental," was Sirius's smooth reply. "I was just saying that you are pretty much a hopeless case," he stated calmly.
James glared at his friend for the umpteenth time.
All of a sudden, there came another loud "pop" from behind them. This time a light-brown haired young man stood behind them. This young man was a werewolf, and he also went by the name "Remus Lupin." He was also a friend of the "honorable James Potter" and the "magnificent Sirius Black."
"Now, was there anybody looking for a 'God of Love?'" Remus inquired.
James flushed with embarrassment and muttered something about desperation, while Sirius answered for him.
"Of course Moony!" replied Sirius. "Young Prongs here was just 'lamenting' over the fact that he isn't married to Evans yet!"
Remus sighed and shook his head slightly at his friend's immaturity and tactlessness.
"I'm sure that's the case," the latter drawled—somewhat sarcastically, "but I think it would be better for Prongs to speak for himself, seeing that you're obviously not in need of any assistance."
"Well," started James, "I just want Evans to give me a second chance. I've loved her for two years, and I want to be more than an 'arrogant, bullying toerag' to her."
Remus could hear the sadness and longing in James's voice. James truly did love Lily, despite how uncaring he may have seemed, and he was sorry about the way he had treated her. Remus gave James his advice.
"What I think you ought to do," Remus started, "is to try to be Lily's friend. It's what she needs right now. You may not know it, but Lily is not as happy and cheerful as she seems. I know that you think it's just Snape," Remus added, seeing James opening his mouth to interrupt, "but I think it's more than that. Help her, listen to her, and be what she needs you to be. Don't push too far—you have to know the limits."
James nodded his head slowly. He was going to take advice from Remus Lupin, the 'God of Love'…
It was two month after the "fateful" day. A new year at Hogwarts had already opened, and it was already filled with surprises. Shockingly enough, James Potter (yes, the James Potter, head marauder extraordinaire) was made head boy. Luckily for him, however, Lily Evans was made head girl. The two became friends for the most part, for James chose to follow Remus's advice.
At this particular moment, James was slightly bored. He had done nothing but homework for the past two hours (what was McGonagall thinking?) and really needed to entertain himself. He took out his invisibility cloak. This cloak was given to James by his father, and is said to have been created by either Ignotus Peverell (one of his ancestors), or "Death" (according to "The Tale of Three Brothers.") There was only one cloak of its kind. James also took out the Marauder's Map—which was created by Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs (Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter, respectively). It was a map of the Hogwarts grounds, and it showed all the secret passageways and every person that was in the building.
James placed the tip of his wand on the blank piece of parchment he took from his trunk, and muttered: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Thin ink lines spread from the point his wand had touched, and the words: "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present the Marauder's Map" appeared. James examined it closely. He was hoping for a trip to the kitchens (even though it was after curfew), and he had to make sure that Filch was not patrolling the corridors. However, something unusual caught his eye. On the seventh floor, there were two dots labeled "Lily Evans." It was not the fact that Lily Evans was on the seventh floor that shocked him, but according to the map, she was literally "in" a wall. There was no room opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and the dancing trolls—at least, not one he knew of.
He picked up his invisibility cloak, muttered "mischief managed" whilst tapping his wand on the Marauder's map (the ink disappeared), pocketed the seemingly "old piece of parchment," and set off to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.
James arrived in front of an empty wall. He knew there was nothing there—there never was. He consulted his map again—Lily was still there. James started pacing back and forth in front of the empty wall. Where in the world was Lily? How could she possibly be in a wall? How did she get in? I want to see Lily…I want to know where Evans is…
James stopped suddenly by a creaking sound. He turned to the empty wall to find a door in its place—he was shocked. What was this mysterious room? How come he—James Potter, head marauder extraordinaire—had never seen this room before?
Curiosity got the best of him. He carefully placed a hand on the door knob, and pushed. He tentatively placed his foot on the—wait a moment? Where was the ground? How come—James Potter lost his balance and fell downwards… downwards…and downwards. He continued falling until he met the ground. It was hard and cold. He slowly got up and rubbed his back. What was this place? James glanced around. At first sight, it appeared empty. He walked around on the marble floor, looking for a method of escape. Then he saw it—a sphinx. She had the head of a human and the body of a lion.
James quickly whipped out his wand.
"You wouldn't need that if I were you," drawled the sphinx.
James narrowed his eyes at the creature and slowly pocketed his wand. "What do you want?" he asked boldly.
"I am simply here to ask you three questions—simple riddles," the Sphinx replied calmly, "I mean no harm. If you are unable to answer more than half of them, you will be sent back unscathed; if you answer more than half correctly, you may continue."
James frowned. Was this going to be easy, or hard? He really wanted to know if Evans was okay. He remembered how Remus had said that Lily's life was much harder than it seemed.
"I'll answer your questions," he stated decisively.
"Good," said the Sphinx, "let's start with a simple one then…
'At night they come without being fetched, and by day they are lost without being stolen. What are they?'"
James thought for a moment. What comes without being fetched during the night, but you no longer have during the day? He would often dream at night—dreams about Lily—but he would not longer remember then in the day. Nobody had stolen them, but they were undoubtedly lost. Maybe "dreams" was the answer—maybe that was it.
"Dreams," James declared, sounding more confident than he felt. He could feel his heart in his throat.
The sphinx stood there, her face void of all expression. She appeared to be deep in thought. After a good two minutes, she opened her mouth to speak.
"That is an acceptable answer."
James let a breath he had not realized he had been holding escape his lips.
"However," the sphinx continued, "'stars' was the answer I was looking for, but yours seems to do. Now, the next question:
'Half-way up the hill, I see thee at last, lying beneath me with thy sounds and sights—a city in the twilight, dim and vast, with smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights.'"
James was stumped on this one. Half way up a hill? Lying beneath me? City in the twilight? Gleaming lights? He had absolutely no idea what the riddle was asking for. He guessed wildly.
"El Dorado?" he asked hopefully—he honestly had no idea what the answer would be.
"Incorrect," replied the Sphinx, "the answer is 'the past.'"
James Potter was slightly worried now. He only had one question left—one more chance of getting past the sphinx. He could not blow it.
"Now, here is the final riddle:
'You can have me but cannot hold me;
Gain me and quickly lose me.
If treated with care I can be great,
And if betrayed I will break.
What am I?'"
You can have me but cannot hold me—this must be some "concept," like love, hate, or happiness. Gain me and quickly lose me…Gain…If treated with care I can be great—that can be almost anything. And if betrayed I will break…betrayed…break…What can be gained, betrayed, and broken? The answer was simple.
"Trust," James answered quietly.
The Sphinx nodded silently, and a door appeared behind her. James strolled towards it and tried turned the knob. It would not budge. He tried again, but to no avail. He attempted it one more time, but the door still did not open. However, a wooden box had appeared in mid-air. The note on it said:
Please place your wand in the box. You will not need it for the time being.
James frowned. What did it mean by "you will not need it for the time being"? Of course he needed his wand! How could he live without it? "How can you live without Lily Evans?" a little voice in the back of his head asked. Evans? Or his wand? Finally, after a solid ten minutes of contemplating both sides, James begrudgingly handed his wand over. The box closed and disappeared. Now what have I done? Sirius was right—I'm too focused on Evans all the time. Maybe I should go back—it might not be too late. Many thoughts such as these whirled around in James's head, but he knew that deep down, all he wanted was for Evans to love him back, or at least give him a second glance.
He tried opening the door again, and this time it worked. James pushed, and the door creaked on its rusty hinges. He could hear a fluttering sound on the other side—it sounded like…wings.
When he closed the door behind him, he was met with the most curious sight. At first he thought that there were over a hundred snitches flying about the room, but when he looked closely, he saw that they were keys. There was also a door at the other end of the room, fifty feet above the ground was yet another door. If he squinted, James could see the keyhole in the door. Suddenly, a broom appeared beside his right hand. James understood what he was supposed to do—he was supposed to catch a key to open the door, but which one? (Yes, years later, this tactic would be used to guard the Philosopher's Stone.)
He looked up at all the keys, trying to find one that stood out in front of the rest. After a minute or so of close observation, he saw it. It was the new key, the bright, polished one with the silky wings. He grabbed the handle of the broomstick to mount it, but the keys started speeding up. They started whizzing around the room. James thought for a moment. He was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team—he could do this. He was the fastest chaser Hogwarts had seen in years, and he could easily be seeker. This "challenge" was designed for him! With that, James Potter mounted the broom and kicked off, chasing after the shiny key.
He caught it almost immediately; he flew up to the door, and hastily pushed the key into the keyhole. He accidentally damaged one of the wings in the process. The door flew open, and James landed softly on the marble-tiled ground. He got off the broom, and it vanished.
In front of him was a tall mirror. James walked towards it, curiosity getting the better of him. On the top of the mirror, there was an inscription—it read: "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."
He looked cautiously into the mirror and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at his own reflection, but he was not the only person there. Beside him, there was a red-haired, green-eyed girl—it was Lily Evans. Sirius stood behind both of them. The two young men were no longer wearing school robes, but they were wearing elegant dress robes. Lily was wearing a beautiful, white dress. It appeared to be a wedding—a wedding for Lily and James. The two were smiling, while Sirius was laughing heartily in the background. Even Remus was there, with a sad, wistful smile on his face. James stared and stared at the mirror, only to find that it was slowly fading away. So was the room around him. The floor was not longer made out of cold marble, but it was instead covered by a warm rug. The bare walls were covered with lively wall paper, and there was a fireplace. It looked a whole lot like the Gryffindor common room. In front of the fireplace, there were three sofas, and on the sofa in the middle, there was—Evans. Lily was sitting on the couch with her knees tucked under her chin. There was a sad expression of her face, and she stared at the crackling fire. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, and she was clutching a sheet of paper in her hands.
James coughed slightly to alert her of his presence.
Lily quickly jerked her head upwards. Her eyes widened.
"James," she said, astonished.
"James" was equally as astonished. It was the first time she had called him James in all their six-to-seven years of acquaintance. He grinned to lighten the mood.
"You called me 'James,'" he replied, stating the obvious.
Lily suppressed a grin and rolled her eyes. "Is it illegal to call a person by their name?"
"No, of course not," amended James, "it's just that you've never called me by my first name before—it's always been 'Potter.'"
"Oh," said Lily. The two sat there for a moment. "But you always call me 'Evans,'" she pointed out.
"You never seemed to like it when I called you Lily," James countered.
"True," started Lily, "but that was two years ago." She thought for a moment. "Never mind, Potter, that's all in the past. The question is: 'why—or how—are you here?'"
James looked slightly offended.
"It's not that you're presence is such a nuisance, but how did you get in?" Lily hastily amended.
James sat down at one of the sofas near the fire and recounted his story from facing the sphinx to looking into the mirror. (He just did not tell Lily what he had seen in the mirror.)
"I didn't realize that would happen," was all Lily could say.
"So, where are we anyway?" inquired James.
Lily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"What?" asked James self-consciously, uncomfortable with Lily's change in expression.
"You don't know about the room of requirement?" asked Lily, aghast.
"The what?"
"The Room of Requirement," explained Lily, "also known as the 'come and go' room."
James shook his head.
"I thought of all people, at least you or at least one of the 'Marauders'—or whatever you and your friends call yourselves—would know about it!" Lily exclaimed.
James looked slightly ashamed of himself. "You can't expect a bloke to know all the secrets of Hogwarts," he said, defensively.
Lily expressed her agreement.
There was a moment's pause once more.
"Why are you here then?" asked James, imitating Lily's used of "italics."
Lily shifted uncomfortably in her position and her eyes strayed to the paper in her hand. "I was…thinking," was her answer.
"Is something the matter?" ask James, worry etched all over his face.
"I'm fine," Lily replied, in a flat voice.
"You don't seem so, Evans," James pointed out kindly. "Plus," he added, "you don't look people in the eye when you lie. You normally look at people when you talk to them—at least you try to."
Lily blushed slightly. How did he know that?
"I'm just a little…sad…that's all," said Lily. "Things have been building up for a long time," she started, trying to make her situation sound vague, "and I think that one day, I'll just crack," she finished softly, with a frown on her face.
"Oh, what's wrong?" asked James quietly, moving to the opposite edge of the sofa Lily was sitting on.
Lily thought about James's question and laughed bitterly to herself. What's wrong? Everything was wrong! It all started with Sev—with Severus and the magic. Petunia was never happy about the magic; Sev had always said that she was jealous. It still saddened Lily that her sister—her former best friend—no longer cared about her. The two Evans girls used to be so close—they were inseparable. Magic had created a rift in between them. Nowadays, Lily was addressed as "freak" by her own sister. Hatred radiated from Petunia every time Lily was around—the latter could feel it. If looks could kill Lily would have died fifty times already. Petunia had gotten engaged to Vernon Dursley, and she hadn't told Lily. It was Lily's mother that sent her a letter telling Lily of Petunia's engagement. It hurt Lily to know that her own sister would not write to her in person. At least in the past, when she didn't have Petunia, Lily at least had Sev—who had once promised that he was going to be her best friend forever—"always," was what he had said. Now both had deserted her. It was rather funny really: Petunia left Lily to join the muggles, while Severus abandoned her to join the pure-blood fanatic death eaters.
"N-nothing's wrong—nothing important, at least" replied Lily, feeling a new wave of sadness wash over her. She fought back the tears that were about to leak out of her eyes.
"Lily," said James, "I know when you're lying. What's the matter? You don't have to tell me your whole life's story or anything, but you should at least acknowledge what's wrong."
Once again, Lily thought of Tuney and Sev—Sev and Tuney. This time, she really did crack.
"You want to know what's bothering me?" she asked James, her voice quiet and dangerous at the same time. "I'll tell 'what's the matter' with me. Every single close friend I have ever had—every person I truly "let in" to my life—has always abandoned me in the end. I care so much about them, and they always end up hurting me—leaving me for somebody else. I'm just not good enough for them," Lily finished sadly—a tear slowing sliding down her cheek. Why am I telling J-Potter this? "Everybody that had promised to stay with me forever—every person that has promised to be my best friend—has always broken that promise in the end. I'm afraid to let anybody in anymore, I am afraid to show any emotion because I do not want to get hurt. Getting hurt isn't fun. Having a wonderful friendship you built for many years crash in only one day is a painful experience," she continued, glaring at the note in her hand and having tears fall down her face at the same time. "That's why I envy you," Lily finished softly, hoping James could not hear.
Alas, James caught the last part Lily said. "You envy—"
He was caught off by Lily before he could finish asking the question.
"I envy you," explained Lily, "because you're so—so lucky," she said, trying to find an appropriate word. "You have friends that are always there for you, and you are always there for them."
James was shocked. Lily Evans was complimenting him? Lily continued speaking.
"I know how you're always there for Remus at the full moon." At this, James's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but Lily ignored him. She smiled sadly. "You three are so stupid but so brave. Illegal animagi? Really?" she asked rhetorically, "Remus is also very lucky to have a friends like you. Not many would go to such extents to help their lycanthropic friend. I would give almost anything for a friend like that—a friend that wouldn't judge me because of something I cannot control. I guess I'm just not good enough," whispered Lily, going into her "self-demeaning phase" of bitterness. "I'm just not good enough for Sev or Tuney. Who would want a 'mudblood' for a best friend?" James opened his mouth indignantly to interrupt once again, but Lily (once again) ignored him. "Who would want a 'freak' for a sister? I guess nobody would. They wouldn't even care enough to write to me in person to tell me that they're engaged! They would want a perfect friend, the one that met all of their superficial requirements. Who would want me—Lily Evans—the 'walking Christmas tree'? The 'portable freak show'? The—"
This time, James was finally able to get a word edgewise.
"Lily," he ordered gravely, "never say stuff like that about yourself."
Lily was pulled out of her self-loathing trance and her eyes widened.
"You're perfect, Lily Evans," James said softly, "you're not 'perfect' in every aspect—nobody is—but you're perfect for me. If your friends don't think you are good enough just because of your blood-status, they don't deserve you."
Lily blushed and looked at her hands—her cheeks were almost as red as her hair. Stupid James Potter and his way with words!
James continued speaking. "In my eyes you're the best thing that could ever happen to me—you're perfect. You're nice, funny, spunky, violent, temperamental, feisty—heck, you're BRILLIANT! How long have you known about Moony's 'furry little problem?'" he asked.
"Since the end of first year," Lily muttered quietly. Her hands were clammy and her palms were sweaty. How come James Potter (of all people) made her so nervous? She could even feel her stomach flip when she looked up to meet James's eyes.
"If it means anything to you," James added with a slight smirk, "I think 'the walking Christmas tree' look suits you well."
Lily could not help but smile. James always knew how to make her laugh, even when he was making her very angry in the process. It was a quality that she loved about him.
She looked up at James with a tear-stained, but smiling face—this time, it was a genuine, radiant smile. James's smirk was replaced with one of his rare but "swoon-worthy" true smiles, which made Lily's stomach do a back-flip. Who knew that James could be so nice? He had definitely matured over the summer, even though he was still a bit arrogant and big-headed. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Maybe I'll give him another chance.
James knew from Lily's smile that he had gotten what he had always wanted. Lily was going to give him a second chance. This time, he was not going to ruin it. He had already forgotten all about—
"Um, James?" Lily asked curiously, with a wooden box in her hand. "Is this your wand?"
"Oh!" exclaimed James. He flushed slightly. "I had honestly forgotten all about it…after…you…know…" He was overcome by embarrassment, and ran a hand through his hair once more.
"It's okay James," Lily said comfortingly, "I won't mention it to Sirius that you forgot all about your wand after talking to a girl," she added with a smirk.
"Hey!" protested James. "You looked upset and I wanted to help you!"
Lily laughed—her mood was improving immensely. "I appreciate it, but honestly, how could you forget about your own wand?"
James mock-glared at her. "You're more important," he replied calmly.
Lily blushed again. (Her stomach also did the weird back-flip thing.)
She quickly regained her composer. "And why is that?" she asked, with a slight smirk on her face.
She looked at James to see that his face mirrored hers. He was smirking, and his eyes were twinkling in silent laughter. His face was getting closer and closer to hers…far too close…and she didn't mind one bit…
Author's Note:
I hope you've enjoyed this version with fewer typos! I would really appreciate it if you would review. Thanks again for reading! :)
-Delia