What A Beautiful Day
A/N: The newest one-shot from yours truly. I got the idea while I was listening to "What a Beautiful Day" by Chris Cagle. I thought that it would work so perfectly as a L/J. And I had been neglecting FanFic recently and this idea gave me a renewed fervor for it. The story follows the lyrics of the song, which you can find easily through a search engine. I hope you all like it, and writing this story does not mean that I have abandoned "The Prophecy." Please read and review.
So here it is…
What A Beautiful Day
That prat! Lily fumed, bunching her skirt in frustration. She had never known someone so impossible. How she got stuck with such an insufferable Head Boy was beyond her understanding.
"Evans!" his voice carried through the corridors, bouncing and echoing off the stone walls. She could hear his rapidly approaching footsteps but chose to ignore them. "Evans! Wait up!"
She spun on her heel to face him. He was startled by her abrupt stop. "What do you want, Potter?" she snarled. "Haven't you done enough to me today?"
He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, clearing his throat nervously. He must've been shocked that she had actually stopped. Mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, he searched for some coherent thought. "Well, at least you stopped this time," was the first thought to pass from thought to spoken word; a smile began to appear on his lips. Lily's eyes narrowed and the smile vanished. It was so typical of James Potter to joke around when she was pissed at him. "Like I asked before, what do you want?"
He took a moment to answer, perhaps thinking before he spoke this time. Lily didn't know that he was trying to summon his Gryffindor courage since he had never done something like this before.
Taking a deep breath, he looked straight into her eyes. "To apologize," he said.
"To what?" Lily thought for a moment that she had gone insane, maybe from being the victim of one too many of the Marauders' pranks, but one look into James' eyes told her that he was being one hundred percent sincere.
"To say I'm sorry. I'm shoving aside my pride for once to say that I've been a downright git to you. I know I haven't been the biggest help, always second guessing you and your decisions."
Lily forced her jaw off the floor from the pure shock of hearing those two words come out of James' mouth. That had never happened to her before.
"So what do you think?" James asked, returning Lily to the world of the living and out of her thoughts. She couldn't help but think that she was dreaming. That James hadn't just touched her arm, prompting her to answer. "Am I forgiven?"
"This time," Lily replied. "But don't think I'll be so nice next time."
Only five minutes prior, Lily had been infuriated with this boy and now she was joking with him. What had gotten into her head? James had pranked her endlessly, undermined her authority countless times, and embarrassed her even more. And with two little words she was willing to forgive him? Maybe she was just hoping that he was as sincere as he looked.
"Why don't we just start over? He said.
"Huh?" Lily had not perfected the skill of thinking and listening to others at the same time.
"The two of us," James explained. "Why don't we start over? Everyone is so sick of us bickering and cursing each other in the corridors. And I know that I'm sick of it too." He took a moment for breath and also to gage Lily's reaction. "So are you up to it?"
It didn't take more than two seconds for Lily to know that she wanted this more than anything. She smiled at James and gave a curt nod. "My name is Lily Evans. But my friends call me Lily."
The Potter grin lit up James' features. "It's nice to meet you, Lily," he shook her offered hand, loving how Lily's name felt on his tongue. "James Potter."
"It's a pleasure," Lily said, her lips turning upward at the ends.
"The pleasure is all mine. Believe me." His smile stretched from ear to ear and reached his eyes. There was a dimple in his left cheek that she had never seen before. Lily started to laugh. James didn't take long to join in. Her laugh was too contagious not to.
"Let's just call this Day One," James said.
Everyone in the Great Hall thought they were hallucinating. Laughter seeped through the grand doors, and they knew for certain whom those voices belonged to.
--- --- ---
Day 2
"Why must Head duties last so long?" James whined, clutching his stomach. "I'm starving. And we've missed dinner."
Lily laughed at James' childish antics. It was so unbelievable that the day before she had been screaming at him and now they were friends. The school was finally at peace.
"You are a Marauder, are you not?" Lily chided him. Poking fun at his lack of intellect while his stomach was empty. "And you know the quickest route to the kitchens. Do you not?"
A mischievous gleam sparked in his eyes. "The kitchens, eh?" He deepened his voice to that of a knight from medieval England. "Would you like me to escort you, my fair lady?" He held out his arm for her and puffed out his chest. She wrapped her arm around his and watched as he swaggered down the corridor. Attempting to hide her giggles behind her hand, a snort escaped. "Doth my ears deceive me?" James asked poetically, like a character directly out of any Shakespeare play. "Did Lily Evans just—," he clutched his hand to his chest and sputter out the word, "—snort?" his disbelief led to another round of laughter and snorts.
"You know that you look like you have a stick up your arse walking like you are. And you are definitely no Romeo."
James looked at his backside, turning around himself and reminding Lily of a dog chasing its tail. He shrugged hi shoulders and said, "No stick," and continued walking.
And Lily lost herself to a fit of laughter, rooted to her spot. James looked back at her and shook her head, his smile as wide as hers. He returned to Lily's side and wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her the rest of the way to the kitchens.
The moment they entered the large room they were surrounded by house elves, willing to get them whatever they wanted. All the foods from the meal they had missed were placed in front of them as James sat down in front of Lily. The smile had not left her lips and her eyes glowed. A soft red hue tinted her cheeks from all her laughter; James thought she had never looked more beautiful.
"Eat! Eat!" the house elves suggested squeakily.
James piled a heap of food onto his plate, his stomach thanking him for the delectable morsels now residing there. Lily was just as eager to eat what had been laid in front of them. As hungry as she might have been, Lily ate daintily, insisting on manners while her stomach cried for more. Meanwhile James stuffed his mouth full with as much as it could hold.
James heard Lily snicker as she sipped her pumpkin juice. He swallowed. "What are you giggling about?" he asked.
"Do you even pause to breathe?" she snickered.
"Who needs to breathe when there is so much food to eat?" She laughed again and James smiled as its sound. "You think I'm bad? Have you watched Sirius? He sprays food as he speaks. Quite disgusting actually."
"I bet. And you wonder why no one else will eat with you."
"Yet here you are."
"Yes, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And an empty stomach is definitely one of those times."
"Well, I'll take what I can get then."
They ate until they were pleasantly stuffed, continuing to eat only as a way to occupy their hands. Their mouths were also quite occupied, talking about whatever topics came to mind. James learned just how different he and Lily were. Their back grounds were so opposite; he was a pureblood and she was a Muggleborn; his parents had doted on him as an only child while Lily was sometimes forgotten because of her sister. Yet they both were willing to fight for what they believed in. True Gryffindors. James thought that perhaps opposites really did attract. She was his friend, but he wanted more than that. And he was willing to fight for her.
"You were the one who put frog spawn in our bed sheets?" James asked.
Lily nodded. "I had it with me all summer and figured it needed to be used at some point. And I had found the perfect target."
"I probably deserved it," James said. "That was after we turned your robes pink, wasn't it?"
Laughter bubbled out from Lily's throat once more. "They clashed horribly with my hair."
James wasn't about to admit that was the exact reason they had chosen that color. She was finally able to laugh about the pranks he and the Marauders had played on her; he wasn't going to change that.
"So you've never really hated all those pranks?" James tested.
She smiled and shook her head lightly. "Not really. I always had to try and hide a smile or a laugh, especially for your spectacles in the Great Hall. I had an image to protect too, you know?"
"And now you'll be known as the perfect Head Girl who was paired with an impossible Head Boy, until a miracle happened and they became friends. And they will be known as the best Heads to ever pass through Hogwarts."
"Very modest, Potter."
"I try," James said.
"Although I do agree with you on one thing."
"And what is that?"
"That now we are going to be quite the duo to reckon with," Lily said. "But you're still a git."
"What!" They were back to that now? "Why?"
"Because you don't like mashed potatoes."
James was in shock. "When did I say that?"
"When we first started eating."
"And you remembered that how?"
"Because they are my favorite and I wanted to do this…" Lily scooped up a handful of potatoes and threw them at James, hitting him square in the face. "I wasn't about to waste them while I was still hungry."
James scraped a bit off his face, licking it off his finger. "Hmm…" he thought. "Nah, still don't like 'em." He ladled some onto his spoon and flung it at Lily, successfully covering her chin and neck with her favorite food. "Although I do have to admit that it does look rather nice on you." Lily shot him a sarcastic smile and then proceeded to pummel James with mashed potatoes. He attempted to take away Lily's ammunition and failed. She clutched the bowl to her chest and ran further down the table to put more distance between herself and James. Forgetting his many years of Quidditch training, Lily was shocked when he jumped onto the table and shot out towards her. She gasped as he wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to grab the bowl of mashed potatoes out of her grasp. Her heart beat rapidly against her ribcage, whether it was from the chase or James' close proximity she wasn't sure.
"James, I am going to drop this bowl if you don't let go of me," she stuttered. "I'm losing my grip."
"Well, that is just too bad for you because I am not letting go."
Due to Lily's squirming, the bowl clattered to the floor, sending potatoes flying everywhere. Lily continued to fight against James' hold. "I am not letting go so that you can throw more potatoes at me," he said softly into her ear, sending a shiver down Lily's spine. She struggled again only to slip on the spilled food, causing James to lose his balance and fall to the floor, taking Lily down with him since his arms were still wrapped around her. James let out a whoosh of air as his back hit the floor and Lily landed on his stomach.
"Are you all right, James?" Lily questioned timidly, pushing herself off of James. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Her voice was laced with so much concern that he wasn't about to tell her that he could already feel a bruise forming where her elbow jabbed into his side. "Nah. I'm okay." He could breathe normally and Lily was partially lying on him. Besides the bruise and the inevitable headache from smacking his head on the ground, life was looking up. "You do know that this is your fault," he tapped his finger on her nose and smiled when she scrunched it.
"Au contraire. You made me drop the bowl, thus it is your fault."
"True," he watched a smug look pass over Lily's face before adding, "but you are the one who started this little food fight in the first place."
"Damn, you're right."
"Lily Evans admits defeat!" He used his fist as a microphone, pretending to be a reporter. "You heard it first hand!" He chuckled as Lily's face morphed to the color of a tomato and she buried it into James' shirt.
"You're a prick, you know that," her speech was muffled but he knew exactly what she had said.
"Yeah. I know."
"Mister James," a squeaky voice said at his side. "It is getting late, sir, and you and the pretty miss should be heading back." The clock tolled four times, reminding James how late it really was.
"How can it be four in the morning?" Lily asked to no one in particular.
"Don't know. But my bed sounds loads more comfortable than this floor."
Lily blushed deep scarlet, realizing they were still lying on the floor. She tried to push herself up, but couldn't. "James…"
"Yeah, Lily."
"I can't get up if you don't let me go."
James retracted his arms quickly, watched Lily rise and then did so himself. Neither of them had realized that they had still been lying on the kitchen floor, Lily lying on top of him with his arms wrapped subconsciously around her waist.
"We must be quite a sight to see," James said, pulling some potatoes out of Lily's hair. "Let's go to bed; it really is quite late." He put his hand on the small of her back and led her to Gryffindor Tower, amazed at how natural it all felt.
--- --- ---
Day 14
Two weeks had passed since Lily and James had decided to start anew. The castle found peace within its walls, and the student body overall was happier. There were no more screaming matches in the Great Hall or hexes being thrown in the corridors. At least not between the Head Boy and Girl.
"James, please tell me why I agreed to come with you and your fellow Marauders." Lily prompted. She noticed that specific gleam in each of the boy's eyes. They were on the road to Hogsmeade, and Sirius, Remus, and Peter were waling a bit more jovially than normal. "What are you four up to? And why are you dragging me into it?"
His eyebrows raised a fraction. "Dragging? You came willingly, my dear." The other three Marauders chortled in front of them, perhaps because of the pet name that he would have been slapped for before but now Lily allowed it without a second's delay. James took Lily's hand and led her closer to the wizard town. "Come, Lady Lily. We're going on an adventure."
They went into all of their favorite stores, tugging Lily into Zonko's. After their shopping was completed and each person carried at least two bags, they all agreed that a rest was in order. About five minutes after walking into the Three Broomsticks, Remus pointed out a free table towards the back. James, Lily, and Remus decided to save the table while Sirius and Peter went to get drinks.
"Can you believe this is our last Hogsmeade trip ever?" Remus asked.
"Don't remind me," Lily said. "We leave Hogwarts in just over two months and I still don't know what I'm going to do with myself."
James looked at her, confused. "I thought you said you wanted to be a Healer."
"I do." James was relieved that she hadn't changed her mind and then forgot to tell him, or that he had forgotten to listen while admiring her. "Everything else is what has me worried. I don't even know where I'm going to live after we graduate."
"Weren't you going to move in with Alice?" Remus asked, gulping a bit of his Butterbeer.
"Not anymore. She and Frank Longbottom got engaged and she's moving in to his place," Lily answered. She stared off solemnly into space. "It seems so odd that she's getting married. She's only a year older than I am and I can't imagine settling down with anyone right now."
"You can always move in with one of us, Lily-bean," Sirius suggested wholeheartedly.
"Lily-bean?" she snorted at the nickname. "Whatever floats your boat, I guess. And as much as I appreciate the offer, I'd rather not get pranked every night in my sleep."
The table grew quiet for a moment. "Speaking of…" Sirius said.
Lily looked around at each member of the Marauders. A mischievous glint resided in each boy's eyes and they were wearing matching grins.
"What did you do?"
No answer came.
"Moony, what time is it?" James asked.
"Nearly time," was the reply.
"Nearly time for what?" Lily asked cautiously. "What have you boys planned?"
James held out his hand as the four boys stood. "You've got to see this." She eyed his offered hand warily. "You won't regret this, I promise." She took his hand, hoping she wasn't making a mistake.
James guided her out of the pub. Whispers and gossip followed them out. It was common knowledge that the Head Boy and Girl were friends, but now her hand was grasped within his. If these people could get inside her head, they would know that she didn't mind it and actually quite enjoyed it. But no student could perform Occlumency, even though they could all see that she was not fighting against his hold.
Lily followed them through Hogsmeade to the trail leading to the Shrieking Shack. "What are we doing here?" she whispered. It just seemed like the appropriate time for a whisper.
"You're just full of questions today," Sirius chided. He wore a large smirk. "But to answer you, since I am a gentleman—" Lily was not the only one to laugh—"I will answer it with two words. Just wait."
"Thanks for the help, Sirius." Sarcasm was thick on Lily's tongue. "That answered everything."
"Glad to help," he smiled dumbly at her.
Lily rolled her eyes. Typical Sirius. The witty sidekick. No wonder James and him got along so well.
Pressure on her hand made Lily face James again and give him her attention. "Watch that horizon," he told her, whispering in her ear and pointing toward the Shack.
Light exploded over the "haunted" building, shocking Lily. She let out her sharp intake of breath. Her mouth hung open as she watched the array of fireworks go off in front of them. Unconsciously, she had tightened her hold on James' hand, and he was smiling widely beside her.
"You like it?" he asked. All she could do was nod.
The light show ended and Lily was disappointed when James began to direct her away from the Shack. She wanted to see more. Astonishment hit her when she realized she could hear clapping. Students and workers alike had filed into the streets of Hogsmeade to watch the show. Smiles lit up hteir faces and for a moment the ward and bloodshed was forgotten. Perhaps there was a reason behind the Marauders' madness, Lily decided.
As they began their trek back to the caste, Lily needed to know, "How did you do it?"
"Marauder secret," Sirius said smugly.
Lily crossed her arms and sent Sirius a stubborn glance. "You know that is not a good enough answer." The group stopped, not wanting to have a spat inside the castle. James felt a bit lonely without the pressure of Lily's hand within his own.
"Please don't make me hex you." Lily continued since Sirius' mouth seemed to be glued shut. "I'm sure there is a very simple answer to my very simple question. So will you tell me?" he shook his head wildly from side to side. "Then you give me no choice." With nothing more than a flick of her wand, Sirius was dangling upside-down. "I do not want to get you in trouble. I just want to know how you were able to pull off such an amazing spectacle."
"Well, when you put it that way…"
Lily dropped him with his agreement voiced. "I should've known. Stroke a male's ego and they will tell you anything you want to hear."
"Not true, Lily-bean."
"I beg to differ."
"I agree with Lily."
"You would, Prongs."
James' cheeks gained a slight blush and he took out his wand to fight over his wounded pride. Sirius raised in eyebrow in amusement.
"Boys, put your wands away. You can hex each other into oblivious later, preferably when I am not around. Right now, I want you to dish your Marauder secret."
"You mean, besides the face that Prongsie here has been head-over-heels for you since fifth year and practically swooned when you agreed to this Hogsmeade trip?"
James smacked Sirius in the head, giving him the death glare. Sirius just smacked him back. And so it continued like that until they reached the castle and they chased each other to Gryffindor Tower. Lily rolled her eyes at their antics. "Boys…" she murmured under her breath, shaking her head.
--- --- ---
Day 67
SLAUGHTER BY DEATH EATERS
The headline screamed on the front page of the Daily Prophet. Gasps could be heard around the Great Hall as students received their paper and saw the disturbing news.
"Three towns outside London suffered a vicious attack by Death Eaters. Numerous homes lost their entire family. The Department f Magical Law Enforcement said they could not be sure of the exact number of casualties. Names will not be released until family members have been notified."
Lily looked up from the paper; she knew without seeing that she had gotten extremely pale. Her hand shook slightly as she lifted a spoonful of porridge to her lips. The girls around her looked at her worried. They did not speak, only matching glances depicting the horror of what notifications would be sent out and when a death toll would be released.
A fury of owls soared through the open windows, and Lily knew that one of their fears was about to occur. Letters were dropped unceremoniously into the students' laps. Lily released a grateful sigh when she was not one to receive one. Others were not so lucky. The chatter in the room died and silence fell across them all. In a moment, grief-filled wailing echoed off the walls. The sound filling Lily's ears would never leave her; the sobbing of boys and girls, young and old. A first year not too far down the table from Lily could hardly control the convulsing of her body; her frame was too small to handle the amount of crying. Lily's feet took her to this girl. She put a hand on her shoulder and ignored the blotchiness in her cheeks when she faced her. Lily held out her hand and waited for the girl's response, not entirely sure if she would get one. The girl accepted Lily's help to stand before throwing her arms around Lily's waist and sobbing.
"Let's go back to the Common Room," Lily whispered in her ear. Lily felt the nod and led her away from the packed room.
James watched as Lily left with Stacy, the first year he had 'rescued'—as she called it—from a group of Slytherins. Her family must have been attacked too, like so many others. James looked at all those grieving around him and felt lost and completely helpless.
"I don't know what to do," he muttered aloud.
"I don't think anyone does, Prongs." Sirius said, eyeing all those crying with sympathy and concern.
"Lily did," James replied. "Did you just see her with Stacy? It's like second nature to her."
Remus turned his attention away from the grievers to join in the conversation. "Why don't we round up the prefects and go talk to Dumbledore? Get his input." James was already getting the other prefects' attention before Remus could as for a reply.
Dumbledore would have the Common Rooms cleared out for the students in mourning while everyone else could use the Great Hall or be outside. It was a beautiful day, unlike the atmosphere inside the castle.
"How am I supposed to act around them?" James asked Remus as they headed back to the Common Room to comfort the students. "I've never had someone close to me pass away, let alone be murdered by psychotic killers obsessed with the blood line. What am I supposed to do?"
Remus slung his arm around James' shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "Just sit with them. Talk with them. If they'd rather not talk about it, distract them. Take them to do something else."
Remus and James entered through the portrait hole. Just moments before, James had said, "I think I can do this." Hearing the dead silence hanging in the room, he almost turned around if Remus had not stopped him. "I changed my mind," he told the Marauder.
"Are you or are you not James Potter?" Remus asked, blocking James' exit. "Who told us that one day he would be friendly with Lily Evans while everyone else believed it to be impossible?"
"I plead the fifth," James stated.
Remus ignored him. "You. Nothing is impossible for you; now go over to someone before I push you over there."
James did as he was told, knowing that Remus would not be afraid to use force. So James spent the entire day making small talk with his fellow Gryffindors. He was there when the shock wore off and some started to cry again for those they lost. His shoulder became useful as he went from crying student to crying student (mostly those of the female gender) and held them until their eyes dried. The grieving boys took up this action as well, finding comfort somehow from being with others who were in just as much pain. Perhaps it became a distraction for them. Just like when he took a few students flying around the Quidditch pitch.
Now the bells signaling curfew had tolled and the majority of the students had gone to bed. James let his mind go blank and his eyes stare, seeing nothing, at the fire. He was exhausted. Over the next half hour he would hear the stairs quietly groan as another student headed to bed. Only he and Lily remained. He had noticed her earlier, curled up in an armchair with a book, but he eyes did not roam across the page and not one was turned. She was just as distracted by this latest tragedy as he was. James heard her leave her chair, suspecting that she too was going to attempt to get some sleep. He snapped to attention when she sat down beside him.
"Hi," she said softly, a small smile gracing her lips even though James saw her sadness within her green eyes.
"Hi," he replied. "I thought you were going to bed."
She shook her head. "I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I tried."
"Yeah, me too."
Silence settled over the duo. They stared at the embers burning a pale orange in the fireplace. Lily sighed heavily beside him. James heard her sniffle and, out of the very corner of his eye, saw her flick a stray tear from her cheek.
"Lily? Are you all right?" he asked turning to face her as his thoughts berated him. Of course she's not all right. She's crying for heaven's sake! His only response from her was a slight shake of her head before she rested it on his shoulder. "Lily, what's wrong?" He needed to know.
She lifted her head from his shoulder and matched his gaze. Her eyes had become red and puffy and tears clung to her eyelashes. James rubbed his thumb along her cheek, wiping away the wetness. He took her hands in his, a silent plea for her to tell him everything.
"It could have been me," Lily said. Her voice cracked and wavered. "I could have been the one bawling over my losses instead of comforting them. The Daily Prophet said that three towns were attacked. My family lives in one of those towns. They could have been attacked; they could have been killed. And they are in even more danger because of me. I'm Muggleborn and those murderers are going after Muggleborns and their families. I could be next; my family could be next." Sobs overtook Lily's body, and James wrapped his arms around her to still her shaking. "I'm being silly, aren't I?" she barely managed to say through her tears.
"You're not being silly," James said, pulling her tighter and kissing the top of her head. He ran his fingers through her hair and waited for her sobs to stop before he spoke again. He pulled away from her. Looking into Lily's eyes was almost his undoing. She was silently pleading him not to leave and to hold her again. He brought his hands up to her face, cupping the sides and bringing her a bit closer to him. "You're not being silly. You have the same fears as a lot of others. We're in the middle of a war and it's always a possibility that someone we know may be on the list of those who have died. But I am going to promise you this, I will never let anyone hurt you. Either that or I'll die trying to keep you safe."
Her eyes glistened with tears once again, but James knew these were not from sadness but from hope and possibly something more. "Why would you make such a promise?"
"As if you don't know," a small smile appeared on James' lips. "I love you, Lily. I know we've only been dating for two months, but I do. I love you more than anything." Lily leaned in and kissed him. James didn't want her to say it and he didn't expect her to. All that mattered was at that moment she was his. And he was going to try his hardest to keep it that way.
James pulled out of her kiss and loved the smile that Lily was giving him.
--- --- ---
To Be Continued…
--- --- ---
A/N: Yes, it's true. That was only Part One! There is a second part waiting to be written, but I figured that since it's my birthday I would treat you all with an update. Sure, it's not "The Prophecy." But that chapter is being worked on as well. Enjoy!