A/N: I made a few changes compared to the original one in Portuguese for better. I love this fic so much because it was the first one I wrote about Jily. Enjoy c:
The Hours
[..] "Love messengers should be thoughts, which fly ten times faster than sunbeams. They should be strong enough to push shadows over the dark hills. That's the way doves carry Venus so fast, and that's why Cupid has wings that let him fly as fast as the wind.Now is the sun upon the highmost hill. Of this day's journey, and from nine till twelve is three long hours" [...]
Romeo and Juliet – Act II Scene V
With sadness, James Potter gazed the night at the apartment terrace.
He and the clock never get along. That time nevertheless, they declared archenemies.
The clock decide to do a bad joke with him in the last days: when he wanted the days to pass quickly to enjoy the weekend and see himself free of so many problems to solve at the Auror Department, the hours passed lazily. However, that week he wanted it pass the most slowly possible – but of course, the clock thought it was very funny speed up the time to annoy James obviously.
He couldn't believe that the day had arrived. Friday. The day. He imagined what could be his punishment to steal a Time-Turner and reverse it to the beginning of the week to live every hour, every minute and every second at her company – his Lily.
Leaning against the stone parapet, he looked sadly to the illuminated London town. He caught a muggle cigarette that Sirius had left at the living room, lighting it. He didn't know when the addiction has begun, but he had to assume that thing was really good. A fun smile formed at his lips when he remembered the entire sermon Lily made when she found it that he and Sirius had been using those things, which she said it was dangerous for health and blah, blah, blah. It didn't work though, because the two friends have remained smoking just to tease her.
However, just thinking at the uncountable fun situations he lived with that girl who has been his old friend from school and ex-colleague work, made his heart heavy and melancholic. With a sad sigh, James dragged the cigarette and let go off the smoke as if the nicotine would take away his thoughts.
"James?"
Awakening of his daydream, he turned around and saw the object of his thoughts: There she was at the terrace door with his little bag on hands. He couldn't stop himself to not notice how beautiful she was, even being simple. However, she was in that way, always simple, but always pretty.
Lily approached frowning her forehead when she noticed the cigarette at James's fingers. The boy rolled his eyes before take her at a tight hug. He thought she would come to say goodbye because at work everything was so crazy that they didn't have time to talk.
"I thought you would left without even say goodbye to me", he make his best huffy face, which pulled an ironic smile on the young lady.
"Don't think high of yourself. I just came because there are many of my stuffs with you"
James's face got shocked.
"You know I'm just kidding", Lily laughed.
"Ha-funny-ha Miss Evans. I think you girl has been very joker recently".
They didn't realize that they were still hugging each other until Lily pulled out, passing her fingers at his red-haired hair. She wasn't aware of the soft sadness featured face that James tried to hide dragging again the cigarette.
During those short minutes of silence, for a distant observer, he or she would arrived at the conclusion that these two were a future couple who didn't have courage enough to share their love for each other.
Lily tried to blow over her discomfort looking in a displeased way at James who was still smoking.
"If I tell you this thing is not good for your lung, will you listen to me?"
"No". Putting a prankster smile, the boy let go off the smoke closer to Lily's face.
"Go away with your dumb cigarette!" She made a displeased pulling face while James was laughing at her. She couldn't help but laugh as well.
"You're too uptight, Lily" He throw out the cigarette on the floor extinguish it with his foot. "You know, sometimes is ok do something dumb".
"Well of course, like kill my health. No, thank you". She got close to the parapet leaving her bag on the floor near her.
James with a laugh stayed at her side, one moment gazing the city in front of his eyes, another moment glancing the girl near him. He noticed her eyes got more beautiful joined the lights of night.
He would miss everything that comes from Lily. He has tried to imagine his life from now on at the perspective of not have her near him.
"So, are you going really today?" he started in a failed way to put back his melancholic thoughts. "Don't you want to wait until tomorrow? It's dangerous to travel during the night, Lily even more by train. Why don't you just apparete there…?"
Lily smiled. They already had that conversation during the week, but the boy will not give up trying to convince her to change her mind.
"I need to go today, James. You know well, my parents are ill and they are elderly, they don't know how to take care by themselves. I can't waste time. On top of that, it has been a long time since I travelled by train…"
"But where is your sister?" James knew the answer, though, but even that he asked. He couldn't control his upsetting feelings which has forced Lily to leave him.
She sighed stroking her hair that coincidently she get used to doing it because of James.
"Tuney is too busy with her wedding stuffs".
"But why on Earth she hasn't delayed it to take care of her parents?" James failed to repress his revolt feelings. He had thought about it since the day Lily announced she was leaving to Surrey.
The girl sighed again.
"You know as better as me, James, how Tuney is. She won't cancel the wedding preparations because of our parents. What my friends and Vernon's family will think?" She made a perfect imitation of the annoying voice of her sister, which made James laughed loud and forget for some moments his anger for Tuney selfish actions.
For their long and last friendship, James knew very well Lily's sister to agree that Tuney would say exactly that. The problem was he couldn't help thinking how unfair was that situation. As matter of fact, all the circumstances have happened in such a way that only Lily has been aggrieved.
James had a fight with the clock. Lily on other hand, with fate.
Muggle-born in a dangerous time that the prejudice is bigger than any other force, Lily already started suffering the consequences of this terrible crime in Hogwarts. She almost wasn't accept in the school if it wasn't the intervention of Professor Dumbledore, who was the old Headmaster. Accordingly, she was one of the few mudblood to attend the school, suffering all type of nastiness on the hands of the pure-blood lovers – who were 99% of the population of Hogwarts. However, Lily never put her head down for all the difficult situations she faced - quite the contrary, she always had the answer on the tip of her tongue for the provocations and James swears that he already saw her hex two girls from Slytherin who didn't leave her alone.
She and James went to Gryffindor's House the same for Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. The four of them sealed a friendship as those ones for the rest of life, so it wasn't a surprise that after ended their years in Hogwarts, they have been keeping in touch.
No sooner said than done. In the fifth year, Sirius left his home to live with the Potter's, but after Hogwarts, he and James decided to share an apartment. Remus always has visited during his free time while he wasn't dedicated to lecture. On the other hand, Lily, Sirius and James joined the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic.
Though well successful, Lily still has suffered with the prejudice on her own work place and James has seen himself on the condition to protect her, despite the fact that she doesn't like it. Furthermore, what hurts the boy the most it was the fact that his own family didn't accept her. Not that they dated in some point, but they approached to have a romantic relationship that would last if James's parents hadn't have send him to France to finish his training and studies to become an auror, more or less one year ago.
During that hitch, Lily started dating Amos Diggory. What was James surprise and shock when he came back to England and found out the information…
Sirius named that time as being "James Potter Months in the Dumps" that James thought it was overstatement from him, but then when Remus himself started agreeing with Sirius and the name the last choose for that time, the young man couldn't leave behind his mind if he was indeed in the dumps because of Lily and Amos relationship. According to Padfoot, just hearing the name Diggory, James used to narrow his eyes, tightened his wand and a made a face. He also couldn't be near the couple for too long without feel the need to puke or punch Diggory's idiot face and in the end of the day, he got angry with Lily for no reason. Better, just to date Amos Diggory, just it.
Without mention all the jokes he handled from his friends!
"Oh poor Jay, his heart is broken! Do you want to cuddle little Prongs?"
(He punched Sirius on the face that day)
"I knew you have those horns for nothing".
(Classic reference Moony did to his animagus form).
Truly, those were hard months to James, mainly because his friendship with Lily entered into question. For the happiness of everyone, she and Amos broke up. As Remus said during the occasion, "now you can sleep in peace, James". He and Lily back to talk to each other as if nothing had happened. From that moment, the boy had everything planned: more time and he would open his heart to Lily and confess his love finally – love he has felt since school.
He has felt very stupid and regretted for not have confessed his feelings to her before. How many opportunities he had, how many chances? However, James always hesitated. If they start dating and it doesn't work... What else? They would remain friends?
It was too much to risk, but the problem is that James was tired to hold back: or he talks all at once or he would lose her again, not having another opportunity to tell to Lily his feelings.
Nevertheless, everything was ok to end up in a bad end. His family started interfering on his choices again, even though he was a grown up young man. Then the news about the illness of Lily's parents came during the week, forcing the girl to leave everything she achieved with a lot of work behind her to take care of the convalescents.
It was so unfair!
He didn't notice he was distracted until he felt Lily's hand on his face.
"Worms on your head, Potter?" she joked.
Holding her hand, James got closer gazing her. He wanted to memorize every feature of the beautiful face of the girl he loved so much and he knew he was loved back. He kissed the little soft hand feeling drunk of the lily scent. He pulled her near his body, starting to caress her cheek.
They stayed that position for one minute until James, dominated by instinct, kissed her with fervor, he being of course, kissed back by her.
Every nanosecond, they made sure to enjoy feeling the texture of each other's lips. Every centimeter, every taste, every smell. To find out as well the softness of each other's hair and how much was good to mess it. To fell the warm of that slender little body and the security of that strong arms.
The first kiss and probably the last one. So quick it came, so quick it ended. The minutes didn't have mercy and speeded up.
Lily jumped, breaking the kiss.
"Merlin! It's too late, the train already gone".
Worrying, she took her bags trying to recompose herself. Her heart was galloping at her lung as if it was betting a race and her legs were weak.
"Stay" James whispered at her ear, pulling her arm.
"I can't..."
"Stay", he begged "Please, Lily..."
"Jay..."
The mention of his nickname was enough for the boy lose all his sanity. Whatever she was going to say, she didn't have time because she was pulling again at James's arms, losing themselves.
One more time they discovered each other more and more during those hours that passed. For the first time the clock had mercy on James so it let him to enjoy every second of that night at Lily's side, making him forget for a few hours that she will leave him – that she will go away, that she wouldn't stay with him in the next day at the sunrise.
Just for those hours she could love him without hold back, without worry about the pain she will feel for not be with anymore.
Just for those hours, just for that night...
Just those moments which last minutes, those kisses that last hours...
And hours... And hours...
The minute hand frozen, laughing itself to break a rule of Fate.
And just for those hours that James and Lily loved each other forevermore.