This was the Year

By: the Bumbling Firefly

*

'This was the year' I vowed to myself silently while standing in front of the mirror. 'I'm going to forget that thing with Potter ever happened. Momentary lapse of sanity.'

It was the second week of school during my seventh year. I was Head Girl along with a fellow that I much wanted to forget. But that wasn't the worst part: Dumbledore had decided on a ball for the seventh years as a way to renew old ties. Potter and I had to plan it. Which meant I had to find a date. And the ball was this Friday. Which ultimately lead to this pep talk in front of my mirror convincing myself that I wasn't horrifying. Life bites at times.

"Lily?" Anastasia Perkins poked her head through the door of the dormitories. "James asked me to come up and let you know that you have a meeting with him in ten." I scowled and nodded to her.

"No problem, I won't forget." Anastasia left, carefully closing the door behind her, and I began reexamining myself in the mirror. The school uniform I was wearing made me look like some stick figure playing dress up. I still had ten minutes yet. There was time enough to make Potter regret what he had lost.

I hurriedly climbed out of my starchy skirt and into a pair of jeans. The summer sweater was a green that accented my eyes perfectly, I thought smugly while fluffing my hair out behind me. I didn't look dressed up but I looked plenty better than I did in that dreadful uniform. With a fleeting wish for expertise on make-up, I calmly walked out of the dorm and down the staircase into the common room where Potter and his loonies were engaged in a highly dangerous (and potentially explosive) activity.

"Potter?" I said after about five minutes had lapsed and he still hadn't noticed my existence. That other half of me wryly thought how he couldn't even be bothered to see me after- we won't go there.

"Look, I'm busy today and I have a meeting with someone like right now," Potter said turning to look me in the eye. "I'll have to snog you later, okay?"

"Snog me later?" I asked in highly offended tones. "Like you'd get that far!" Potter paused in returning to his work and eyed me like a piece of candy.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Potter, if this is some brilliant act to make me annoyed, it's working," I said irritably. I was about to go when Sirius looked over his shoulder and gasped.

"Lily! Oh thank God, I need you to help me figure out the scientific probability of me turning into a hawk if I mix the Ling-a-dang serum with the-"

"Cut it out, Sirius," I snapped. "Don't you remember what happened the last time I helped you? I ended up as the guinea pig." Nevertheless, I hugged him back when he swooped down on me. I hadn't seen these guys in ages between other duties and their quidditch. Meanwhile, James had taken off his glasses, polished them, and put them back on his nose.

"You aren't Lily," he informed me. "I saw her in her uniform only twenty minutes ago."

"Some people change clothes even if you aren't one of them," I answered snidely. "Now what did you want to talk about? I don't have all day."

James ran his hand through his hair. "I had an idea for the ball but since it's supposed to be a surprise…" he said jerking his head towards Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

"Fine," I said and with obvious disgruntlement led the way out of the common room. "So what was the idea?"

"Wait Lily, before the idea I want to talk to you about something else first."

"So…?" I drawled with impatience. I didn't have anything to discuss with Potter that didn't have to do with the Head Boy and Girl duties.

"I..er, want to be friends."

Friends? FRIENDS? "Friends?" I asked coldly. "If you wanted to be friends, Potter, maybe you should have thought of it before last year. Oh wait~ now wasn't 'I want to be friends' the same pick-up line that you DID use last year? Such memory problems if you are using it twice."

"Lily," James said angrily. "I don't know what you think I did but I didn't do anything to deserve you running off like that and not speaking to me for the rest of the year."

"I beg to differ," I said bitterly. "And if you think those were things not worth getting upset over we obviously weren't meant to be friends in the first place."

"Obviously," James muttered. "Anyway, you know as Head Boy and Girl we're supposed to open the ball, right?"

I glared at him. Yes, I knew that and no, I was NOT pleased. "Continue."

"Well, the way I see it, we might as well go as dates."

"Potter, there is no way you could ever induce me to go on a date with you ever again," I stalked off feeling hurt that he'd actually do that again. After last year the guy was lucky she was being civil to him.

The rest of the days to the ball went quickly since I was so busy running around, making sure decorations were all set, there was food ready, and a decent band was coming to play. It was all enough to make me exhausted especially since I wasn't talking to James over what he had said a couple of days earlier. He acted like a real jerk: as if those events had no meaning.

The night of the ball came and once again I was standing in front of the mirror appraising myself. This time, however, I was in a purple satin robe with lacy cuffs and my hair was piled on top of my head. Not to mention that I had had Anastasia apply make-up to my derelict face. There were only two things wrong with the evening: one, I didn't have a date and two, the bluish smudges underneath my eyes. I had been up late last night making sure that I hadn't forgotten a single thing. At least they made my face look interesting- it was the most I could hope for.

I arrived while there were only a few people in the Great Hall, mingling and talking amongst themselves quietly. They were popular Ravenclaws that I didn't really know all that well so I took a seat at one of the scattered tables around the exterior. Propping my head up on my hand, I checked out the fruits of my labor. With help from Professor Flitwick, there were lots multi-colored floating bubbles lighting up the room. The tables were covered with nice tablecloths and inches away from my elbow there was a vase with several russet roses. The ceiling's night sky added a romantic feel to it. My work here was done, I thought drowsily with satisfaction.

I thought I had only drifted off for a few minutes but it must have been more because Remus was shaking my shoulder. "Wake up Lily," he hissed. "It's time for the opening dance."

I yawned slowly and stumbled slightly to where Headmaster Dumbledore was standing with a bored looking James.

"Ah, good!" Dumbledore said happily as he prodded James forward. "I see they found you, Miss Evans."

"Yes sir," I mumbled still trying to fight the after-effects of my brief nap.

"Well then, it must be time for the dance," he smiled with genuine fondness as James and were suddenly placed under a hideously bright spot light. He faded into the background as the band struck up a stately tune. James grabbed my wrist and gingerly placed his other hand on my waist.

"Smooth James," I said thickly through another huge yawn.

"What have you been doing to yourself, Evans?" he demanded with the short clipped words that showed clearly how much he didn't want to be dancing with me.

"Just…the…ball… and all," I remember saying while eyeing his shoulder considering what a comfortable place it looked to put my head. He even had a soft looking robe made out of velvet.

"You did all right," James said, albeit grudgingly.

"Thanks," I barely managed to get out while still eying that shoulder that was about level with my nose. Yes, that looked comfortable enough. I leaned forward and rested my head on it- something I assure you I'd never have done if I'd been in a reasonable state of mind. "Wake me when the dance is over." I rubbed my cheek against the soft fabric.

"Lily, are you okay?" James whispered in my ear forgetting his anger at me for a moment. I felt his breath brush the fine hairs on the back of my neck just before I went limp in his arms and was dragged into the foul mouth of unconsciousness.

I awoke a couple hours later to a concerned Madame Pomfrey hovering over me.

"For shame," she scolded in what I hoped was relief. "You shouldn't over exhaust yourself like that Ms. Evans. Here, drink this." She handed me a slightly orange liquid that was fizzing. It looked like the typical brew that I had suffered from at her hands. With a supporting look at her, I plugged my nose and gulped it down.

"Ugh, that was horrible!" I complained a few minutes later after desperately trying to scrape the taste off my tongue with my hand. Madame Pomfrey looked at me as if I should know better and walked away to attend to a more deserving patient. I looked down at my rumpled finery- the robe I was wearing would need some attention if I ever wanted to wear it in public again. Some of the wrinkles were so impressed that they looked as if to be made with an iron. I looked away from my bed and caught sight of Potter that was watching me with a supercilious expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as politely as I could (which means not very).

"I brought you here," he said. What I wanted more than anything was to wipe that knowing smile off of his face.

"Why would you bring me here?" I said with honest confusion. A few memories past through my mind's eye: a russet rose, Dumbledore smiling at me, and a shoulder that looked very comfortable even still. "Ew," I wrinkled my nose. "I didn't…?"

"Yes," James said and that infuriating grin grew even broader. "Even in your unconscious, or at least not in very good possession of your sanity, you seem to be okay with falling asleep on my shoulder." I snorted as I fell back onto my pillow and pulled the blanket up over me. Here was one fellow that probably had never needed an ego boost in his life.

"It was obviously only because yours was the nearest shoulder," I retorted calmly. I curled up on my side facing him. "Heck, I probably would have leant on Snape if he'd been close." This was enough to make Potter laugh. "So why are you still here?"

"Well, for a number of reasons really," James said with a little hesitation. "But mostly because you owe me."

"For what?" I was in no state to protest.

"For bringing you to the infirmary and catching you before you hit the ground." Okay, they sounded like pretty good reasons to me.

"What do I owe you?"

"An explanation." I sat up startled at such a request.

"What about?" I inquired cautiously.

"Why did you suddenly decide to hate me?" James asked leaving forward. "I-well, I thought we have- er, had a good re-relationship."

I leaned back nervously on my pillows chewing my lip. Finally I asked, "Do you want the list?"

"No, just the first two will do," James said watching my face intently. I was too tired to protest or retaliate or simply yell at him for asking such a personal question.

"Well," an image of James collecting five galleons and seven sickles from his friends at the end of last January floated into my mind. "You made a bet that you could be friends with me."

James looked startled that I knew that. "Oh," he said. "That's a good reason." He didn't bother trying to deny it nor did he apologize. "Next one please."

"You were kissing Christine Bork that Tuesday," I whispered and his face turned ashen. I looked away and slid under the covers. It was all too emotional to handle when I was in such a state. I wanted to hate James so much but I couldn't. I squeezed my eyes shut and ignored the outside world which was why I didn't hear James sneak up on me until he sat on the bed. Gently he peeled off my covers.

"Is that what this was all about?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," I spat venomously. "Combined they don't leave much to trust you with, do they?" I replaced the sheets over my head.

"Suffocation isn't the way out," Potter suddenly said with a cheeky grin in his voice. I threw the blankets off me- they had had a lot of aerobatics to do recently.

"I wasn't trying to suffocate myself you twit," I said only just managing to control my anger. "I was trying to shut out your horrid voice."

"Lily, Lily, Lily," James said in a sing-song tone. I looked at him like he'd gone mad. He probably had~ why else would he be acting so happy?

"What?" I asked sullenly.

"That wasn't me kissing Bork. I'm hurt that you wouldn't even recognize your own boyfriend."

"What are you talking about ? Of course it was you. I saw the black hair and everything."

James sighed. "Darling, who else do you know that has black hair and a habit of using girls?" I paused for a moment to reflect. Come to think of it, that hair was a little browner than James'.

"You mean it was-" James nodded in reply. "Well why didn't you say something?" I demanded before flinging my arms around his neck.

"You didn't exactly ask," James said with delight as he hugged me close to him. I blissfully inhaled his unique aroma which was something I hadn't smelled for a good four months.

"Well," I said drawing back and looking into his chocolaty eyes. "That wasn't the only thing. Don't think I haven't forgotten the bet."

"Think of it this way," James said with a charming grin and that made the corners of my mouth twitch too. "If I hadn't accepted the bet I wouldn't have become friends with you or have found out what a perfect person you are." I smiled proudly at James. He always knew exactly what to say. "And…," he said mischievously, "I wouldn't have done this!" I opened my mouth to ask what precisely did he mean by that but before I could, his lips were claiming mine. And I was happy, oh so happy.

"Oh James," I couldn't help but say a few minutes later while I was running my hand through his perfect hair and losing myself to his perfect eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, Lily Evans," James said tenderly before kissing me again.

"Stop," Madame Pomfrey rasped as though she were having a heart attack. "If you are well enough to indulge in you hormones you are well enough to return to the ball."

"Sure thing Poppy," James saluted before dragging me out of the infirmary. The ball was almost over and I could still hear a few drifting wafts of music. "Oh Lily," he teased.

"Yeah?" He held me tight and started to kiss me again. I was thankful he was there as support since otherwise my knees would have wobbled and I would have fallen. 'Oh yes' I decided after we had stopped for air. I gazed at the dimple in his cheek through my lashes. 'This was the year. The year I was going to be in love.'

THE END

A/N: Whew! It's my bed time now so I better go! See you later my cheese friends!