About the Golden Snitch and a Broken Bone
James & Lily
A/N: Nothing to worry about but it is super fluffy and a bit cheesy.I wrote this fic for a fanart competition. I know that James on the canon story wasn't a Seeker, but since I'd have to use the idea of the fanart to write, I put him as a Seeker instead of a Chaser.
The wind cut my face and pushed my hair on my eyes that bothered my vision of the Quidditch pitch. It was a cold November morning, while all the school were at the semi-final match of the championship – Gryffindor x Ravenclaw. The winner would run the final game against Slytherin.
I clenched my teeth when my body shivering trying to see the game front of me. It was very hard to see the players and to know what was going on at the match – the only thing I knew was we were winning with 350 points against 250 from Ravenclaw. However, it didn't mean that the game was easy for both houses, quite the contrary: the match was too tight and the minimal wrong move could decide the winner. Because of the faces of my fellow gryffindors, it was clear that everyone were nervous including myself.
I didn't see when a blurry of black hair appeared in front of me together with a smiley face like a happy child.
"All right, Evans?"
I blinked with the mention of my name and the owner of the voice. Of course, James Potter needed to make a joke at me in the middle of the game.
"Despite the fact that I'm shivering, my hands are almost frozen and this game doesn't end, it is everything all right". I answered ironically and laughing right away.
"Hey, it's not so bad like that". He balanced on his racing broom and scoped the pitch, smiling more than ever if this was even possible.
"Shouldn't you be looking for the golden snitch, Mr. Captain?"
"Well yes, but I found something prettier on my way"
He grinned and it made me roll my eyes for the shameless flirt. Years before I would ignore him totally, but I just shook my head pretending to disapprove.
"Catch that snitch soon, ok? I want to come back to the Tower"
"Yes, ma'am!"
He saluted me in such an exaggerated way almost falling from the broom that I couldn't help not laugh – James was such a prankster, but this was one the things that I most liked on him when he is not using of his naughty spirit to do a bad joke with someone. Nevertheless, he has got better on this topic and many other things in the last year. The fact that he and I are Head-Boy and Head-Girl, made us got close to each other and we have become friends. Though he has stopped to ask me to go out with him, this hasn't prevented him to flirt sometimes, which I simply laughed or made a sarcastic comment.
Despite our healthy friendship, my feelings for James have been conflicting most of the time. I haven't had a clue about what was happening with me, though I have been avoiding as much as I could to think about it.
Before get away and come back to the game, he gazed me behind his eyeglasses in an enigmatic way.
"I promise to win the game for you"
Then he backed away without wait for me say anything. Those were the moments when my heartbeat sounded loud on my ears making me blush in such a way that my face got the same colour of my hair. Most of the time James has remained in the friendly flirt line, but there were those moments that he has said something so… Different that I haven't known how to reply.
I was so absorbed in those thoughts that I forgot the match. Then I awake for my daydreaming when the referee whistled ending the game and declaring Gryffindor as the winner. I waited for my friends to commemorate and cheer, but all faces were pale like a paper, pointed out the pitch behind us. The mist became impossible to see what was making everyone worried. I tightened my eyes and I finally could see what happened.
My heart froze.
It was James. He was fallen down on the pitch with his broom broken at his side, holding weakly the snitch. I felt my legs faltering and became almost like a rubber because of the cold and the fear, until I managed to leave the grandstand and run to the middle of the pitch.
There were already a little crowd around James when I arrived, including many gryffindors, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. Near James was Sirius with his dirty mud Quidditch uniform, Remus and Peter. I allowed my legs to run to approach quickly ignoring all the instructions of the professors to come back to the Gryffindor Tower - I just wanted to see if he was fine and alive and no one would prevent me.
Sirius and Remus stared at me when I approached. For a moment, I thought they wouldn't let me see James, but they got up slowly, Remus and Peter pulled out a reluctant Sirius. I whispered thank you but I doubt they listened because of the chaos that was beginning on the pitch. Passing by everyone, I knelt down at the side of an almost unconscious James. He gazed at me, his face between pain and sweetness and I felt a lump on my throat. He was very bad.
"Are you ok?" I whispered holding his head to see him better.
"I think I'm better now that you are here". He gave me a weak smile "It was just a stupid fall, probably I broke a bone but I will be good".
I bit my lip nervously and I was going to say something when Madam Promfrey asked me to strip back immediately, saying she would take James to the Hospital Wing. Quickly I said:
"I'm going to visit you later to see how you are doing. I promise".
He extended his hand to my arm that was holding his face and caressed it softly.
"I will wait".
Lastly, everyone left the Quidditch pitch going ahead to the castle. The hours passed lazily at the Common Room with all the murmured about the game and the chances of the victory of Gryffindor if James doesn't recover in time for the match that would happen next month. I couldn't see him until the visiting hour which was before dinner, so I spent the time reading near the fireplace to avoid the conversation. I wasn't worried to lose the cup if it meant that James needed more time to recover.
Finally, I could go to the Hospital Wing bringing with me Chocolate Frogs. I expected to meet some people with him already but apparently, I was the first one to show up. I saw his eyes followed me while I approached. I pulled a chair leaving the chocolate at his bedside table near his broken eyeglasses.
"Can you manage fix it?" I asked softly point out the eyeglasses.
"Ah well… I'm not very good with this". He grinned faintly.
I took the eyeglasses and my wand murmuring Oculus Reparo, making it like new ones. Gently I put it on his face.
He held my hand before I came back to the chair, kissing it.
"Thank you, Lily".
I blushed feeling my cheeks getting hot because James didn't release my hand and we were too close, almost with our foreheads together. I tried to stand back, but he softly held my face caressing my left cheek as if he was pondering something, glazed at my eyes deeply and then my lips.
Without any sign, he sealed our lips together and my heart almost went out of my mouth. I delayed a few seconds before kiss him back – his kiss was soft and gentle but in a way that was impossible to escape. His upper lip passed sweetly my inner lip with his mint taste, which I found very attractive and good.
When we finally pulled back, his eyes were with a shine that I've never seen before.
"If I knew that to get a kiss I would need to break a bone, I would have done it before". He gave me his best teaser smile that made him more handsome than ever.
I grinned husky because of how much it sounded ridiculous, but James wasn't James if doesn't make any joke about his bad condition. I didn't know what to think or say because our relationship was walking a tightrope and the kiss just made everything more confused.
"So…" He began uncertain if he should say what he was thinking, almost stammering. "When I recover, would you like to go with me to Hogsmeade?
I raised my eyebrows with a teaser smile.
"I will go with you only if you promise me that you will take care of yourself and will follow all Madam Promfrey's instructions".
James moaned.
"Of course you need to complicate things… Fine I promise. It's better than to be compared as a worst date than the Giant Squid".
I laughed loud opening a Chocolate Frog to him.
"Here captain, you need to behave if you still want to have a date. No more craziness for the golden snitch for a while".
"Nah, it worth if I have you with me, Lily".
He held my hand again, his eyes with that different shine. I smiled, no more in the middle of the confused feelings of the last months now that I knew what I've felt for him. James was a prankster and a bit crazy, but was the way I loved him.