A/N: so this is my first fic ever! It's probably not that great but the idea just popped into my head, and I'd been reading Jily fics for a while and I had to write it!
It is AU, I think a non-Hogwarts setting gave me more freedom because most people have exhausted the options at Hogwarts and since I'm new to this it helped me to put it into an environment I know well.
I tried to focus on their different characters and dynamics, if you think I did that well I've accomplished my goal!
PLEASE review because its my first ever fic!
"Wait no – shit! We're gonna be late!" yelled James Potter as he dashed down the stairs of the R train platform at 49th Street. There was a train waiting there and he could hear the muffled voice of the conductor saying "Next stop – Times Square, 47th Street. Stand clear of the closing doors, please." Weaving in and out of the crowded platform where people were waiting for the N train, James rammed his shoulder into the closing doors. They bounced open again and he and his best mate Sirius Black darted through the momentarily accessible train car. James stumbled over the duffel bag of a construction worker and ran smack into a young woman reading her book.
"Oh hey – sorry bout that," said James with a casual apologetic smile as Sirius chortled at his mate's clumsiness. He looked up and did a double take. Staring back at him were the most startlingly brilliant green eyes of a vivid redheaded, narrowed in disgust. Her bag had fallen on the ground, and its contents – the New York Times, a clunky iPod classic, a leather bound journal, several pens, a wallet, sketchbook, and a set of colored pencils – had fallen onto the dark, disgusting floor of the train car. The train gave a lurch and all her pencils and pens began to roll underneath the passengers' seats.
"Watch it!" she snapped. "Look what you've made me do. And I've lost my spot in the book!" she added angrily, holding The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. James noted that she too, was British. He and his mates were in New York City for 3 weeks during the summer to visit their friend Remus' cousins in New York City with him.
"Er, I can help you clean this mess up," said James uncomfortably. What was up with this bird? He wondered. Alright, I did just ram into her, but most of them just giggle. He leaned down to pick up her colored pencils and put them carefully back into their box, struggling to not fall over on the swaying train. He reached for her journal, but she swatted away his hand.
"I've got that, thank you very much," she snapped. Her sketchbook had fallen open and James saw that she had drawn an amazingly beautiful landscape that he thought was familiar but couldn't quite place. There were many leafy green trees, with a small nook where three of them grew very close together, the perfect spot for a picnic. A small pond nearby had a petite, maybe 3 foot, waterfall that spilled into it. He handed it to her.
As she put the rest of her things into her bag, James studied her. Her green eyes were just as shocking as they were when he first saw her. Her skin was a pale, milky white and freckles dotted the bridge of her nose. Her hair reached the middle of her back and fell in beautiful, wavy sheets. Her arms and fingers were slender but not stick-thin. Her hips were not as wide as most women, but her waist was slender and her chest full yet not overwhelming. Blushing slightly, James tore his eyes away from her, and looked back at the book she was reading.
Clearing his throat, he inquired, "Is it any good?"
"Sorry?" said the girl, looking up from her bag. From her posture, it was clear she thought their encounter was over. But James was interested by her intelligent face and graceful demeanor. She could draw, too. Nervously, he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Uh, the book. I haven't had the chance to read that one yet. Is it a good read?" he repeated.
"Mm, yes and no. It's captivating certainly, and the ideas profound, but not my cup of tea." She then opened her book again and began to sift through the pages to find her spot. James recognized that as the end of the conversation and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He realized there was disappointment festering in his stomach, a feeling, being a rich London prep kid, he didn't get very often. Acknowledging defeat, he walked over to Sirius, who promptly smirked when he saw him.
"She's a devil woman, see that red hair? You'd never get her to go on a date with you in a million years, and even then, I think her deviousness – is that even a word? – anyway, her deviousness or deviosity or whatever combined with yours would be just too much for America to handle."
"Thanks Padfoot, mate. You really know how to cheer a bloke up," said James.
"Why'd you need to be cheered up? You can't possibly be depressed because some bird was bitchy because you almost ran her over?" said Sirius.
"Yeah, I can. She's different from other girls, Sirius. I can tell. Special."
"Prongs. That is a way, way, way too serious thing for you to say about a girl. You don't even know her. And like I said, she's Satan's wife, so she wouldn't have you anyway."
James let out a frustrated sigh and got up to look at the subway map on the wall.
Lily Evans, the girl James had run into, was meanwhile listening to the conversation between the two boys. At first, she thought the first one, 'Prongs' (she sincerely hoped that was a nickname and not his real name) would be just as arrogant as his mate, 'Padfoot.' But then he said that about her, and Lily was curious. She didn't like the way the first boy had behaved when he'd run into her, but she sneaked a glance at him. He was tall and lean. His hair was jet black and extremely unruly, she watched as he ran his fingers through his hair, the same way he had when he'd asked her about the book. Glasses sat on his – she hated to admit it – quite attractive face. His tight, red, V-neck t-shirt showed his muscled chest and arms. Blushing slightly, Lily tore her eyes away from him. He was a prat after all. An insensitive toerag. He probably just wanted to shag her, 19 or 20 year old boys couldn't be that deep about a girl they'd only just met – no, ran in to – it just wasn't possible.
Soon it was her stop, and Lily walked towards the doors of the train car as it slowly rolled into the station. She glanced at her watch. She was right on time, she was supposed to meet Alice and Marlene in 10 minutes. She and Marlene were visiting Alice in America after her dad made them move when he got a job in New York City. She looked back over her shoulder at the bespectacled boy, and to her surprise, his face was mere inches away from hers.
"Oh, sorry!" said James, and he genuinely looked it as he tried to step back against the crowd pushing him towards the doors.
"Not following me, are you, Master of Grace?" said Lily, immediately regretting it. Why was she talking to him like they were mates? They barely knew each other.
"Nah," he said. "You'd probably sue me for stalking, and I don't much fancy being help up in America for months during the trial," he added, sending a brilliant smile at her.
Huh, thought Lily. He's clever. She narrowed her eyes at him, suspicious. He's still a git Lily, get a grip on yourself!
"Well, it was nice, um, meeting you, I guess?" she said. He was about to reply but the train doors slid open and she stepped out, smiling to herself. She climbed the steps and played the encounter over in her head. On the one hand, he was an idiot, on the other, a charmingly witty boy.
Oh well. It doesn't matter. Why am I trying to sort out my feelings for him if I'm never going to see him again? Lily chastised herself.
James and Sirius climbed the steps after her, Sirius still rolling his eyes and shaking his head at his mate's hopeless attraction to the girl. He supposed it was her red hair, but he didn't see what else was so captivating about the irritable young lady. He glanced at his watch and saw that they were already 15 minutes late.
"Prongs, mate, Moony's gonna kill us if we're any later, you know he was planning to introduce Dorcas to us today."
"Since when have you been courteous?" James replied curiously.
"Well, for starters we're already 15 minutes late, and it'll be 20 once we get there. Secondly, since he threatened to send those drunk pictures of me to Chelsea, and I need a date to the party when we get back home," said Sirius, grinning at James.
"You're unbelievable. Alright, let's go."
They jogged to the restaurant and took a shortcut through the lobby of a building that took up an entire block. They found their seats and greeted Remus, Peter, and Dorcas.
"What kept you?" asked Peter.
"James fell in love with Fiend Woman on the underground and they had married and had five children, so we got held up," interjected Sirius before James even opened his mouth.
Remus and Dorcas raised their eyebrows questioningly at James, while Peter chortled in his seat.
"Not true," retorted James, though he was having trouble not laughing himself. "I just bumped—"
"You mean ran over!" exclaimed Sirius.
"—bumped into a, as Padfoot neglected to mention, attractive redhead who is not the devil's mistress and who was in quite a bad mood because I'd also knocked down her bag and lost her page in The Great Gatsby," finished James. "But it doesn't matter now because I'll probably never see her again."
"Not what you said on the train! You said 'oh, she different Padfoot, I can tell! I want to marry her…I loooooooooooove her," said Sirius smirking.
"Shut up, or I will send those drunk pictures to Chelsea," said James.
"Enough!" exclaimed Remus. "Guys, this is Dorcas. I met her at my summer job at the coffee shop downtown. Dorcas, these are my idiot mates, James Potter and Sirius Black. They've come with me to America to visit my cousins who live in Brooklyn. They're renting a flat for 3 weeks while we're here because I think they'd drive my poor aunt and uncle crazy," finished Remus with a smirk.
"Nice to meet you guys. All the British accents, this is great," said Dorcas with a smile towards the guys.
Just then Lily walked into the restaurant and saw the 5 of them sitting at the table. She stopped in her tracks clutching her chest. Luckily, the two boys she'd seen on the subway were facing away from her. She saw Marlene and Alice waving at her. Oh God. To walk to them I'm gonna have to walk past him.
Knowing she had no alternative, Lily walked confidently but quickly to her friends. Calm, Lily. This isn't a big deal.
Unfortunately, James noticed. "Hey Red! Now look who's following who!" he exclaimed as she (accidentally of course) brushed past him.
Inwardly, Lily groaned. Damn his attractiveness. She turned and said, "Watch it – Prongs!"
"Aha! So you pay attention to my conversations! You know my nickname! I knew you couldn't resist me. You were all over me on that train," he said with a grin. Sirius wolf-whistled and Peter and Remus chuckled. Dorcas looked puzzled. Lily flushed deep pink and practically stomped over to her friends.
"What the hell was that all about?" asked Marlene immediately.
"Umm, that bloke ran me over on the train on my way here and is unfortunately attracted to me and thinks I return the sentiment. Which I do not. He's a complete idiot," she added quickly.
"Are you sure? He's mighty good looking. Fit, too," quipped Alice.
"Oh shut it, you. Aren't you supposed to be my kind, sympathetic friend? Marlene's the gossip queen," huffed Lily angrily. She turned to look at the boy to find him still staring at her.
"Bloody hell. I can't concentrate!" she said.
"See? He's got you unnerved!" cried Marlene with a wink.
"Not so loud Marls! I don't want him to get ideas. Ugh. I'm just gonna – er – go to the loo. Be right back."
Lily leapt up from the table, still blushing, and walked over to where it said restrooms. Not five seconds after, James jumped up too, mumbling something about the restroom. His friends all snickered, while Alice and Marlene tried to cover their giggles.
Luckily for Lily and James, the hallway to the restrooms was long, which gave James plenty of time to catch up to her and grab her by the arm. Against her better judgment, she stopped and turned around.
"Hey. I'm sorry if you think I'm a twat, but – er – I'm not a total prick – I mean to say – ugh damnit. Give me a chance?" he asked hopefully.
"Look – I don't even know your name—"
"We can change that!"
"No. I'm not interested. You just embarrassed me in front of my friends and 4 other people I've never met before. I've spoken a total of maybe 15 sentence to you, you are a prat and you're arrogant, and I shouldn't be saying those types of things to a person I don't even know but you've got me all wound up – and I'm just not interested." With that, Lily pushed open the door to the women's restroom and left a slightly dumbstruck James there.
Recovering quickly, he pulled an old receipt from the pocket of his jeans and quickly scribbled a note. He walked back to his table, and dropped the piece of paper onto Lily's seat. Ignoring the questioning looks of his mates, he slipped back into his chair, shot a glare at Sirius (who was the most likely to question him further) and waved the nearest waiter over so they could order food. Taking their cues from James, none of them said anything, not even Sirius.
Lily waited a full five minutes before leaving the women's room. Cautiously, she opened the door. Relieved that the boy wasn't there, she walked back to her seat, looking determinedly anywhere but at his table. When she got to her seat, she saw the folded up note. Smiling at Alice and Marlene to assure them everything was alright, Lily slipped the note into her pocket to look at later. Despite what she had said to the boy, she was curious, and loathe as she was to admit it, attracted to his relentlessness. She stole her chance when Alice and Marlene were examining the menus, discussing the different types of salmon plates.
On the back of a grocery store receipt, he had scribbled:
Hey – I realize we've gotten off on the wrong foot.
But I'm incredibly intrigued by you and I'd like to know more. I understand if you hate me, but if you are willing to give me another chance, give me a call. I'll gladly buy you coffee.
909 909 9009
x James (now you know my name) Potter
Lily sighed and pocketed the note once more. Although in her head, she'd told herself she was going to think this over and most likely burn the note, her heart told her that she already knew she was going to call. After all, this James Potter intrigued her, too.
Ok! Hope you like it! Please review! :)
I will review any Jily fic! :)
THIS COULD BE A MULTI CHAPTER. I purposefully left the end like that, so it could go either way. If you want to see more, tell me! But it can also be left as is. I only marked it as complete so that people would read it. ;)
I know the America/Britain stuff was sort of implausible but bear with me. I really felt like putting them in New York City.
JAMES' PHONE NUMBER IS MADE UP. DO NOT CALL IT AND ASK FOR JAMES POTTER. :) I just didn't want to leave it as 555-555-5555 because that just looks soooo fake.
Thanks a million for reading!
-N