The Houses Competition

House: Hufflepuff

Category: Short Story

Prompts: Jilly

Word count: 1,393

James walked into the heads common room expecting to find the love of his life in their waiting for him. Well, not exactly waiting for him, in fact she hated him but he never has, never would and never will give up on her.

The toasty warm room was lit by the glow of a roaring fire; rain pattered on the window outside and lightning illuminated the room. Mismatched furniture was spread out in a small arch around the fireplace. A small coffee table perched firmly against one of the couches, strewn with bits of parchment and books. One long piece of parchment had writing halfway down it.

James walked over to the table to look at it, written on the top had the title; Transfiguration: Animagus. At the bottom of the first two paragraphs was a large ink stain from the quill that was lying on it. James picked it up and propped it up in the inkwell, noticing how the last word had been abruptly cut off half way through.

He wandered absently up to the Lily's room wondering if it had just been the storm that had caused her to stop half way through her transfigurations paper as it was a very un-lily like thing to do.

When he was younger James had been scared of storms, he pondered over the memories. The sharp cracks of thunder and the dark warmth over under his bed, wrapped in blankets, sheets hanging down sheltering him, they were his shield. His mum would always find him, a bag of marshmallows and his favourite book in hand, she would squeeze under the bed with him and they would ride out the storm together. More than once his dad had found that the pair had succumbed to their dreams and were curled up asleep on the floor.

As James approached Lily's mahogany bedroom door with her initials written in gold in an elegant manner, he noticed that the door was open a jar. James rapped on the door three times and waited for an answer. There was none, he knocked again but still no answer. Deciding it was worth it he took the risk of being hexed if Lily was in there and pushed the door open further.

"Lily?"

With one quick glance around the room a sudden wave of panic washed over him. James ran to the bathroom that connected his room to hers knocked quickly before walking straight in to find it too empty.

He crossed the vast bathroom in three elegant strides and pushed the door that led to his room open, he

quickly turned on the lights with a wave of his wand and hurried over to his bedside table and withdrew from it a crumpled piece of parchment. Unfolding it he lightly tapped it with his wand.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The mere piece of parchment transformed into a map of the school that shows every one, where they are, what they're doing, every minute of every day. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had created it in their third year after getting caught near the black lake after hours.

James sat on his bed and scanned the map pulling out pieces here and there searching for Lily. He did this for a few moments and found her at the astronomy tower. James was slightly relieved to see that she was alone which he hoped it meant that she was okay.

James grabbed his invisibility cloak and pulled it over himself although he didn't need it now he was head boy and could wander about the castle at night freely, but old habits die hard. He raced down corridors and secret passageways until he came across the steps that led up to the astronomy tower silently he climbed up with the cloak still securely fastened around him. When he reached the top the sight he saw took his breath away and he had to try hard not to gasp.

Right in front of him was the girl he had loved since the first year of Hogwarts, the beautiful Lily Evans. Her red hair was flowing behind her being swept up in the wind she wore nothing but small golden pyjama shorts that reached mid-thigh with green swirls making their way up to the elastic waist and a green tank top to match.

Her face was directed up toward the sky as she inhaled the fresh wind letting the rain patter lightly on her nose. The occasional flash of lightning illuminated her, making her skin glow like an angel and her hair turn to fire.

James just stood there, his mouth hanging open, staring at her beauty. Snapping out of his reverie he stepped up next to her and leaned on the bars just like she was. He slipped off his cloak and let it the silky fabric slip through his fingers and it tumbled to the floor. He stood there watching her again. Lily seemed to be completely oblivious to his presence; she carried on letting her skin bath in the rain and moonlight. She unconsciously smiled and James just couldn't take it anymore he'd never seen her look so radiant before and risking a slap or a hex or the fact that she would most likely never talk to him again, James pulled her off the bar and into his arms and pressed his lips to hers seeing the shock in her eyes just before he closed his.

"What the hell POTTER?" She practically squealed his name in his ear before she pushed him backwards. He took a step to steady himself but slipped on the invisibility cloak and started to fall. He grabbed lily's hand pulling her down with him.

There was a loud thud as James hit the floor and Lily landed and top of him. She blushed furiously and tried to scramble up off of him put he just grabbed her waist not allowing her to move, a smile spread across his face. Lily huffed loudly and gave up trying to get off of him. Her whole body tensed and she just let herself lie on his chest, cross armed.

"How did you find me anyway Potter?"

"Let's just call it intuition. I was worried about you." His face dropped from a grin into a frown.

"Why?"

"Because of the very thing that I have been telling you for the last seven years Lily, I love you."

Lily looked down at him a snide remark already at the edge of her lips about him being a player, a bullying toe-rag and why she never has and never will believe him but when she looked at him his hazel eyes shone back at her for the first ever Lily saw the sincerity in them the same sincerity had always been there, lily had just never noticed before.

She looked deeply into his hazel eyes catching the flecks of gold in the every time lightning illuminated the place.

For the first time Lily noticed how chiseled his features were.

For the first time she notice how large and muscular his arms were wrapped around her waist.

For the first time she felt how broad his chest was against hers.

For the first time she realised how much all that hate she had held for him was in her own funny way, her way of truly and dearly liking him, possibly as more than a friend.

Lily crushed her lips against his after a moment of shock he responded eagerly to Lily's kiss. It was soft and warm their lips seem to mould perfectly together, pixies did somersaults in Lily's stomach. This was her first kiss and it was a magical one.

They lay like this for what seemed like days but were only minutes. Gently kissing as the rain was blown in trickling over them and thunder cracked loudly and lightning illuminated their silhouettes. Eventually they broke apart breathing heavily. James' hands were trailing up and down the small of her back caressing the fabric that covered it.

James looked at Lily hopefully. He gazed lovingly into her emerald eyes hoping praying that this wasn't a dream. That Lily Evans love of his life, girl of his dreams had actually just kissed him.

"Go out with me Evans?"

"You always ruin the moment Potter…"