A Letter For You
A fanfiction one-shot by sizzleberrylicious
x x x x x x x x x x
Lily Evans was not pleased.
She was curled up on an antique red and gold armchair by the crackling marble fireplace, immersed in a dusty old novel she had memorized by now. She hummed lightly to herself and focused her emerald eyes on the faded words, growling under her breath as they swayed before her vision. She couldn't concentrate and she knew exactly why. She let out an annoyed huff and tried to ignore the burning sensation in her left cheek, as if someone was staring at her.
Someone was, indeed, staring at her.
James Potter. Head Boy, Gryffindor Keeper, intelligent, charismatic.
A bleeding pain in the arse, Lily groaned. He had been staring at her for the past nine minutes, clearly thinking that she didn't have a clue. She snorted to herself. Lily Evans was not daft. And if James didn't stop ogling her right that moment and let her read in peace, he was going to wish that he'd never been born.
Lily frowned. Her relationship with James Potter wasn't on as many jagged rocks as it had been during the previous years. Of course, it was purely platonic. Lily Evans harbored no longings nor lust for the annoying boy who stood rigid at the head of the staircase. He had ceased his premature behaviour at the start of seventh year, and Lily had that nudging feeling in her chest that it was because of her. She had blatantly and, she had to admit, harshly made it crystal clear that she despised every fiber of his sad, sorry existence. His unrepentant questions had pelted her mercilessly every waking moment. "...Will you go out with me, Lils? Will you go out with me? Will you..."
She brushed away the voice that invaded her mind. Thank Merlin he had stopped trying his luck. He had been considerably nicer to everyone lately and had not jinxed anybody's bum off, usually whenever Lily was in his line of vision. He had ceased acting like a fat-headed braggadocio just to impress her, and it relieved Lily to the core. He was clearly making an effort at some kind of truce, and Lily had taken him up on his offer. Might as well be on good terms with the Head Boy if I'm going to be sharing a Common Room with him for the rest of the year, Lily had thought despondently as she grasped his hand and shook it.
One day, James had happily bounded into the Common Room while she was putting the finishing touches to her Ancient Runes essay, claiming for all of Hogwarts to hear that he was seeing Imelda Mirrington. Lily had been shocked by pure relief; he had finally moved on from his unrequited crush on her! Sadly, their romance had quickly fizzled out like leftover Butterbeer, and James was single, available and the most wanted bachelor of Hogwarts once more.
A small cough penetrated her thoughts and dragged her back to the present. She set her book down on the end table next to her and turned to glare at James, a small smirk playing up the corners of her lips at the sight of his brick red cheeks. "Potter, I'm not going to ask what in Merlin's name are you doing staring at me like some kind of Confounded Skrewt."
James grinned cheekily and pushed off from the wall, jumping down the steps three at a time and landing gracefully in the middle of the fluffy maroon carpet. "All right, Evans."
Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to ask because I expect an explanation anyway, Potter!"
"Lils, I need to ask you a question," James said, striding over to where she sat and plonking himself down on the tasseled divan opposite her. He leaned towards her and rested his elbows on his knees, his bright hazel eyes penetrating hers reproachfully. Lily scowled. "No, Potter."
James looked offended. "Evans! I haven't even asked you yet!"
"James Potter, I will not go out with you even if the world depended on it," Lily said tartly. She reached for her book and flipped to a random page, huffing. "Now, please. Leave. I want to finish this book by dinner."
Her eyes scanned the yellowed page, flitting from left to right to left again. She was painfully aware of James' lingering glances, and finally, after several moments, slammed the delicate book shut with a resounding bam, nearly snapping the aged spine in half. "What do you want, Potter?!" she said through gritted teeth.
"I need help, Lils," James said slowly. "I've got some... er... problems."
Lily scoffed. "The brilliant, all mighty James Potter has problems and is coming to me, of all people, to sort them out? Great glorious Gods, the world is coming to an end," she rolled her eyes, her voice brimming with farce. James ploughed on as if she hadn't spoken.
"There'sthisgirlIreallylikeandIwanttoapproachherbutIdon'tknowwhattosay," he mumbled quickly. Lily's brow rose to her hairline. "What, Potter? English, please, I don't speak Gibberish."
James sort of grimaced apologetically. "There's this girl I really like, Lils, and I want to approach her, but I don't know what to say."
One perfect brow shot up to an auburn hairline. "James Potter, are you asking me for help on girls?"
James mumbled incoherently, though Lily managed to catch a bleary "yes".
"Amazing. The infamous Casanova of Hogwarts needs help on girls," Lily stated, giving herself a moment to wallow in disbelief at the momentous event that had just occurred before her very eyes. "Just tell the lucky girl that you like her," Lily said simply, shrugging her shoulders.
"But, Evans... what if talking to her isn't exactly the best option?" James spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. Lily frowned. "Send her a letter, Potter. Letters can speak volumes, after all."
James' eyes lit up. "A letter? Do you really think that'd work? Do I tell her straight out?"
"Yes, a letter, yes, I really think that would work, and yes, you should tell her straight out," Lily nodded. James practically leapt out of his seat and raced up to his room, shouting over his shoulder at her, "Thanks a lot, Lils! You're a big help!"
Shaking her head, Lily opened her book again and continued to read, embracing the much-awaited solitude with relief.
x x x x x x x x x x
Lily Evans was not amused.
It was the next morning and she was seated at the Gryffindor table, staring down at her untouched bowl of cereal. She fingered the cool silver of her spoon and sighed despondently, sinking the cutlery into the sea of soggy cornflakes. Careful not to dribble onto her nicely pressed new uniform, she brought the spoon up to her mouth and munched on her breakfast.
Suddenly, a rustle of feathers and various hoots rang out over the animated banter of the Great Hall as dozens of winged heralds swooped down from the windows, raining letters on the still sleepy-headed students. Lily waited patiently for her Daily Prophet to arrive and wasn't disappointed. A small tawny owl tumbled ungracefully onto the table in front of her, crashing over her goblet and landing in a plate of mash. Lily quickly muttered a silent cleansing spell and watched with indifference as the spilt pumpkin juice slowly disappeared. The little owl unstuck itself from the mash and teetered over to Lily, brandishing her the mash-covered copy of the Daily Prophet that was strapped onto its back. Slipping a small bronze Knut into the owl's leg pouch, she felt a scroll of parchment hidden amongst its ruffled brown feathers. Frowning, she slowly eased the parchment out from under the over-excited bird before feeding it a piece of bacon and sending it off.
Staring helplessly at her ruined Daily Prophet, she sighed and put it away. Turning her attention back to the mysterious letter, her brow crinkled curiously at the thin, elongated handwriting. Lily Evans. She frowned. Who had sent it? The handwriting looked oddly familiar...
Her fingers reached towards the scarlet silk ribbon that held the delicate parchment together, itching to unveil its mystery.
BRIIIIIIIING!
Groaning, she jumped to her feet, shoving the letter unceremoniously into her book bag and grabbing an apple from the wicker basket on the table. "Arrgh, I'm late!" she cried out, zigzagging past lounging students as she raced towards the Charms classroom. This mysterious letter will have to wait until later...
x x x x x x x x x x
Lily Evans was not satisfied.
She had just inked in the final punctuation of her three foot-long essay on the healing properties found in the blood of the rare Siberian Snorf and it didn't satisfy her, even as she carefully cleaned the nib of her quill and cast a drying charm on her parchment. She bit her lip nervously and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing midnight, and she had to sleep soon if she wanted to wake up in time for her meeting with Dumbledore. Carefully rolling up her parchment, she padded over to her book bag and dropped her assignment inside. A glimmer of pale white caught her eye and she rummaged around, finally unearthing the mysterious parchment from that morning. She had forgotten all about it as her day trudged on, but she was determined to give it her full attention before she called it a night.
Seating herself back at her writing desk, she slowly untied the scarlet ribbon, watching with awe as the snow white parchment unfurled. She straightened out the letter and read it silently to herself once, twice, thrice. She simply couldn't believe her eyes.
Her heart bursting with a foreign sensation of fireworks and sparklers fizzing inside her, she calmly retrieved a new parchment and dipped her quill into her ink pot steadily, ready to compose her acceptance letter. She stole once last glance at the mysterious letter, the one that would unsheathe emotions, begin relationships and cause wedding bells to ring in the near future. Staring out her open window at the twinkling stars overhead, she smiled and whispered softly, "All right, James Potter. You get your second chance."
Dear Lily Evans,
A friend of mine once told me that if I wanted to reveal my hidden feelings, I should best do it on parchment. Letters seem to be able to speak deeper than words alone, after all. This friend of mine also told me to speak straight out, so here goes.
I love you, Lily Evans. I always have and I always will. Sometimes, just thinking about you makes my heart go a-flutter and do back flips in the most unusual yet captivating ways. Your lush red hair, your beautiful green eyes, the light dusting of freckles across your nose. Every single aspect about you leaves me in raptures. Whenever I'm feeling upset or lonely, the mere thought of you cheers me up immensely, for I know that at the end of the day, you'll be there when everybody else isn't, even if you're not aware of it yet.
I know that we started off on the wrong foot, and that you most probably despise my very existence, so I would like to say this: Give me another chance. Please. I was young and foolish during our first encounter, and I know just how much first impressions count. I can still clearly envision the very first time I laid eyes on you seven years ago on the Hogwarts Express. It was snowing lightly, even near the end of summer. It was beautiful, but not quite as breath-taking as the girl I saw sitting by herself in a compartment, engrossed in a fairytale book. I remember walking up to her, a cheeky grin on my face, and introducing myself. And that was where I made a fool of myself in front of you for the first time, but definitely not the last. I was so stupid to tease you about your fairytale beliefs, that you really thought that one day, your perfect Prince Charming in shining armour would ride up to you on a gallant white horse and whisk you away to an enchanted castle far, far away. I'm sorry it took me seven years to apologize for that, but I do now. And while I'm at it, I might as well apologize for all the other wrongdoings I've committed to you. And believe me, I can easily count them off my fingers. So I'm sorry, Lily, for all the things I said, intentional or not, that have hurt you. I hope you'll forgive me.
Well, Lily, your Prince has finally arrived. Not in shining armour and not on a gallant white horse, but in the Gryffindor uniform and with a Head Boy badge.
And with that said, I conclude my letter here in high hopes that I'll receive a reply from you soon. But, of course, I'll understand perfectly if you choose not to acknowledge this letter at all. I promise, I will.
Love, Your Not-So-Secret Admirer.
x x x x x x x x x x
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything glaringly recognizable as I am not the brilliant JK Rowling.
Author's Note: Just something I felt like writing on a whim. I hope you all enjoyed it! Please drop me some reviews, I'd love to hear your feedback. :) Ttfn. su yin. xx