One Can Only Hope
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I. Remus
He should never have let James talk him into this.
Sirius Black groaned as James explained his plan to Peter once more. Sirius caught Remus' eye. He mimed cursing himself, and Remus rolled his eyes in amusement. The werewolf seemed to have resigned himself to his fate.
"Why do we have to do this, again?" queried Sirius.
James sighed exasperatedly. "I need your help on this-"
"-completely foolproof plan to win the heart of the lovely and fair Miss Lily Evans. Right," finished Remus.
"But what I mean is, what makes this plan any different from all your other insane schemes?" Sirius asked.
"Because this one will work," replied James simply.
It didn't.
The four boys returned to their dormitory two hours later, exhausted and rather discouraged.
"I told you it wouldn't work," said Sirius.
"It doesn't matter," argued James, "I'll just have to think of something better and then-"
"Look," interrupted Sirius, "I'm glad you care so much about this girl and all, but, really, is she worth all this effort and humiliation?"
"Of course," James replied automatically, without a doubt.
"Sirius, give it up," began Remus tiredly, "He doesn't care what you think. He loves her."
"He can't love her, he's fourteen for Pete's sake!"
Peter looked up.
"I do love her, Sirius," James insisted.
"Well, she doesn't love you, mate. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. When will you accept that and get over her?" Sirius asked, concerned.
"Never. I refuse to accept it. I refuse to ever stop loving her," said James confidently. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to come up with another plan." And with that, he left the room.
"I sure hope he forgets about her soon," Sirius said, turning to face Remus.
The other boy shrugged. "One can only hope."
II. Sirius
He'd been crying.
It was easy to see that he'd been crying.
And it hurt Sirius so much to see.
Because James Potter didn't cry.
Not because of physical injuries, not because of any aches or pains or frustrations, not even because of Lily Evans.
Until now.
Now she'd done it.
Somehow, she'd made him cry.
She'd broken him.
"Prongs?"
"What do you want?" James asked sharply.
"Look, Prongs, it's alright."
"No, it's not."
"So she rejected you again, insulted you, humiliated you, maybe even hexed you. It's been happening for years now. You know you've gotten used to it."
"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."
"She's broken you, Prongs. You're not the same James Potter I met on the Hogwarts Express."
"That was years ago, Pads. You know I've grown and changed. You've grown and changed. It happens."
"She's broken you," he repeated. "And you need to get over her. It's the only healthy solution."
"I can't."
"I don't care if you love her, just forget about-"
"No, Sirius, I can't!" James roared. "I'm past the point of no return! There's no going back. I'm too far gone, and it hurts so much, but I can't go back. It's impossible."
Sirius paused. James calmed down in a minute, but it was another few before Sirius spoke again.
"Prongs," he said, "I understand. It's hurting you, though. You have to try."
"I have tried."
"You care too much. That's why it hurts so badly. Because you care."
"What's your point?
"You need to stop trying. You need to stop loving her. You need to stop caring."
"I don't know if I can."
"It's hurting you, James. You need to stop this, right now."
"Do you think I can?"
"I think you can make it stop."
"No. I meant, do you think I can stop loving her? Ever?"
Sirius sighed. It was a long time before he found the right words, but he finally remembered Remus'. He answered quietly, and then left the room.
"One can only hope."
III. James
They were sitting.
They were sitting together, enjoying each other's company.
Lily Evans and James Potter, acting civil towards each other, being friendly.
Being friends.
They were friends now.
Though, of course, to an outsider they would appear to be more than just friends, with their witty, flirtatious banter and obvious attraction to one another.
The whole school knew they loved each other.
The whole school wondered why they weren't together.
The whole school wondered why he had stopped chasing her.
Even Lily.
And so, on this glorious afternoon, she asked him.
"James," she began.
"Yes?"
"Do you love me?"
If he was taken aback by this question, which he certainly was, he did not show any signs of it.
"Why do you ask?" he casually replied.
"I think that," Lily paused, biting her lip. "I think that, maybe, I might fancy you."
He froze. He was celebrating internally, but was also confused. Again, he showed no change in emotion.
"Is that so?" he asked rhetorically. "Well, you know, after all those constant rejections and hexes and years of misery and heartbreak, one would hope that I would no longer care for you."
Lily turned away, fighting back the tears in her eyes and biting her lip hard. So that's it, she thought. I've missed my chance and he doesn't love me anymore. She thought she'd just curl up and die, right then and there.
But, then, suddenly, she felt James' hand upon her chin, pulling her face back towards him, toward his face.
He leaned in close to her, and whispered, "Well...one can only hope."
And with that, he kissed her.
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