A Tale Worth Telling
by: maraudersmainlady
A/N: This is my very special JILY fic for the wonderful Alexa, (facetious-hobbledehoy), hope you have an amazing Christmas and I hope we can be friends in the future! Happy Christmas love, hope you like this fic.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter
"Beatrice." Lily nodded, greeting the seventh year prefect.
"Lily." Beatrice responded, scooting past Lily to enter the Head Dorms. Lily sighed and shook her head, not knowing where her hostility towards Beatrice came from. After all, they had been friends before this year. Hell they had to be, working together as prefects, it was a common occurrence for Ravenclaws and Gryffindors to be teamed up together.
Lily shook her head and continued down the hall way, her book bag swinging as she walked. It wasn't until she reached the end of the corridor before she realized she had forgotten Marlene's WitchDaily magazine, a vital piece for the girl sleepover she was about to attend. Lily sighed again and rushed back, today just wasn't her day. After all, being single on Valentine's day really brings down a girl.
She guessed that was why she had taken a dislike to Beatrice as of late, that and the fact that she was always there due to dating the Head Boy. Lily liked to think she would feel the same if she wasn't dating James Potter, but a part of her knew she was lying. After all these years James Potter had stopped showing her any attention, which she thought would be a relief. But it has taken the exact opposite route, having her grow with frustration as the 14th of February approached. James had always done something cute for her even though they weren't dating. She supposed it was because she was used to, and loved the attention he gave her, and with that she would have to get used to him dating others.
Lily hummed softly as she approached the portrait entrance, only to hear raised voices on the other side. Lily approached with caution and laid a ear to the entrance, her ear straining to hear the whole conversation.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE CANCELING? WE HAD THESE PLANS FOR MONTHS POTTER!" Beatrice's voiced bellowed, causing Lily to shrink away in fear. For a Ravenclaw that girl could really yell.
"Beatrice c'mon, it's qudditch! You knew about this game, everyone did! I was just simply asking if we could have tea after the game! I'll even take you out on a romantic broom ride if that's what you want!" James' voice pleaded, a lot quieter than Beatrice's.
"Yes Potter, that's what I bloody well want. You and your bloody broom, is that all you can think about? Qudditch this, qudditch that! I mean really, you obviously don't value anything that doesn't allow you to score." Beatrice snarled before pushing open the door roughly.
Lily flew back, ducking as she did to hide from the wrath of Beatrice. Beatrice was almost out until she turned around to add her last two cents.
"AND DON'T ACT LIKE I DON'T CATCH YOU STARING AT HER ALL THE TIME EITHER. BLOODY PIGS, ALL OF YOU." Beatrice yelled, storming down the corridor. Lily gulped and slowly peaked her head out from behind the open portrait hole. She could see her continue to storm down the corridor and deemed it safe to leave her hiding place.
Lily slinked into the common room only to find James sitting on the couch, looking down at his broom.
"Beatr-, oh Evans it's only you. Thank Merlin, couldn't take anymore screaming." James sighed, rubbing his face roughly and leaning back in his chair. Lily watched him lean back and sighed softly at his body in his uniform. After all, those qudditch uniforms did wonders for the male body.
"Evans? You alright? You look like you got trampled by a Hippogriff." James joked, ruffling his hair as he did so. Lily's breath hitched at being caught and snapped her eyes back to James.
"What? Me? No, I am fine Potter. I just forgot a magazine. Good luck at qudditch." Lily muttered quickly, her face burning up as she thought of his body in his uniform, muddy.
"Yeah, being dumped right before a game really helps." James mumbled, making Lily freeze.
"You two broke up?" Lily tried to keep her voice solemn, but for some unknown reason couldn't stop the smile from breaking out on her face.
"Yeah, was going downhill anyways. She's a lovely girl really, just didn't connect like we were suppose to." James continued, staring oddly into the fire. "I just want someone to love me for me, as cheesy as that sounds." James added, more to himself then anything.
"I am sure you will find her James, don't seem so down." Lily joked, trying to lighten the mood. James laughed and Lily felt her smile widen.
"Oh I found her, that's what is making me down. She doesn't feel the same." James countered, turning to stare at Lily. The held each other's gaze for far too long before Lily realized her mouth was open. Lily snapped her jaw shut and flushed with anger and embarrassment.
"Well I am sure she will come around." Lily snapped before racing upstairs to grab Marlene's magazine. She slammed the door behind her before she started to pace, what was getting into her? Why did she care if Potter found someone else?
Lily waited in her room until she heard James leave for warm up before slowly leaving her room. Lily continued to ponder on her previous reaction all the way to the Gryffindor common room. Why did it bother her so much? Lily sighed for the 100th time that day, life can be pretty confusing sometimes.
xx
"Do you hear yourself? You can be so bloody dense sometimes Evans." Dorcas stated bluntly, laying horizontal on her bed in the girls dorms.
"What? What do you mean?" Lily asked, shooting up from her position on Marlene's bed. Lily had be explaining the scene she had witnessed earlier when she had let slip her feelings during the argument.
"Marlene do you hear this lass? How obvious can you be." Dorcas asked, staring at Marlene like Lily was dense.
"Dorcas, quiet. Now Lils, I am only going to say this once so please, listen before Dor kicks your arse. You. Like. Potter. Potter. Likes. You. Deal." Marlene said slowly, her arms outstretched to prove a point. Lily choked on her drink before staring at her two best friends. Clearly they had to be joking. After several quiet moments Lily realized they were serious.
"You must've been dropped as a kid." Lily concluded, looking back to her magazine.
Dorcas let out a strangled battle cry before tackling Lily. Lily screamed and tried to fight back but it was no use, Dorcas was used to wrestling with her four older brothers.
"SAY IT WOMAN!" Dorcas yelled, trying to pin Lily down.
"SAY WHAT?" Lily yelled back, her mind spinning.
"Merlin Lils, just say you like Potter and be done with it. You know how Dorcas is with her temper." Marlene drawled lazily.
"I do not like Potter, how could I? I mean sure, I was a tad upset when he stopped paying attention to me. And yeah sure, him dating Beatrice bugged me a tad. But really! I was just looking out for him, Beatrice is all wrong for him, he even said so himself." Lily rambled, allowing Dorcas to pin her roughly.
"Beatrice eh? Remind us again why you don't like her Lily? From what I can gather you two got along just fine last year!" Dorcas pressed, pinning Lily to the ground firmly.
"Well she is a bit of a tosser really." Marlene added, flipping through Lily's abandoned magazine.
"Not helping Marls." Dorcas shouted over her shoulder, rolling her eyes at the stupidity of her friends.
"Okay fine, don't listen to us! Let's go do a field study, come along gingersnap." Dorcas added, pulling Lily roughly to her feet.
xx
"Remind me why we are here?" Lily asked calmly over the loud roar of the Gryffindor crowd. They were facing Slytherin today for the house cup, so basically it was the biggest game of the season.
"Field. Study. Listen for once." Dorcas snapped, moving to sit beside the remaining Marauders.
"Oy. Thought you girls had girl day?" Sirius barked when they got close.
"Field Study Black. Not anything to concern yourself with." Dorcas responded, sitting snuggly to Remus.
"Field study eh?" Remus asked, his eyes dancing in mischief.
"Trying to convince Lily that she loves James, the usual." Marlene summed up, causing Dorcas and Lily to cry out in outrage. Sirius laughed before high-fiving Dorcas and Marlene.
"No telling Marls, this is a top secret mission." Dorcas snapped, turning her attention back to the game.
"Finally." Sirius added, ignoring Dorcas' comment. "James could use it, he bloody sucks in this game." Sirius continued, and sure enough when the girls started to watch they saw what he meant.
James' head just didn't seem to be in it 100%, he was dropping quaffles left and right and missing shots. Lily shook her head and continued to watch, he really made qudditch look beautiful.
Lily watched as James ruffled his hair in frustration, his mind obviously elsewhere. Lily wondered what he could possibly be thinking of, he was usually the king of the pitch. Lily's thoughts went back to what he had said earlier, about finding that girl already. Who could it be? Lily looked around suspiciously before turning her attention back to the game. James had the quaffle again and was speeding toward the hoops. Her heart soared as he got closer only to fall in defeat as he missed. What was with this boy?
Lily watched and felt her heart sink as she saw a beater wind up to hit a bludger right his way. Lily bolted to her feet and tried to get his attention.
"POTTER BLUDGER ON THE RIGHT!" Lily bellowed, shocking her friends into almost pissing themselves beside her.
James looked up just in time, spinning his broom around quickly to avoid collision. Lily clapped loudly, her face bright and red from excitement and from the cold. James looked up and saw Lily, as cute as can be all bundled up from the cold and felt his heart soar.
He winked and waved slightly, causing Lily to blush. Blush? since when did Lily blush. But sure enough when she felt her cheeks they were warm, she watched as he called a time out before it hit her. She loved him. It was so obvious, how had she not realized before now. Right when it hit her she couldn't think of anything else. She needed to tell him. However, now was not the time. There was a match to be won.
Lily watched anxiously the rest of the game and was surprised by the new found determination James had in his gameplay. He went from dropping quaffles to intercepting them, from missing to scoring difficult shots. Every goal Lily jumped to her feet and cheered as loud as she could, the sound echoing right into James'. He smiled and pumped his fist as his seeker caught the snitch. They had won.
Now this part right here is where it gets fuzzy, neither one will admit who kissed who first but it was evident it was fate that brought them together, prophecy or not. As soon as that final whistle blew they were running to each other like their life depended on it. Within that kiss began their new adventure together, through the dark times came the small things with light and with all this in mind they carried on to die fighting for what mattered most: love.
xx
Christmas Day
"James dear, can you pass me that ornament?" Lily asked, bouncing a giggling Harry on her hip. It was her baby's first Christmas and she needed everything to be perfect, just perfect.
"This one?" James asked, holding up a shining blue orb. Lily nodded and laughed as James pretended to fly it over as a airplane, much to Harry's delight.
"You like this one kid? Beautiful isn't it, but be gentle. Gentle Harry, you don't want to break it." James coaxed, spinning the orb in front of little Harry's face. Harry giggled and clapped his hands together, releasing the cutest of noises from his one year old mouth.
James smiled and ruffled his barely there black hair before hanging the orb on the tree.
"Don't forget to hang your brother's stocking James, you know how rattled Padfoot gets when his stocking isn't on the mantle." Lily joked, remembering their first Christmas together. Sirius had shown up and crashed their special moment by hanging a stocking for each of the Marauders, Lily and what Sirius claimed to be Sirius Jr. (Lily and James' unborn child).
"Right! I was hoping Moony burned them last year." James laughed, pulling out the stocking and nailing them to the mantle. James stepped back and pulled Lily and his son close, his arms wrapping around them loosely.
They looked at their handy work, their beautiful tree standing tall in the corner, mistletoe hung in the door ways and the stockings pinned to the mantle. Above the mantle was both of their favourite picture. It was a "family" photo of the Marauders and Lily at their wedding, all of them were holding each other close as if nothing could come between them. Lily smiled at her boys and shook her head, her life would be so dull without them.
"When are they coming over love?" Lily asked softly, bouncing Harry again.
"Around four I believe, Wormtail has to stop at his mom's first." James added.
Soon their whole family would be with them, which in such dark times was the greatest gift of all.
xx
A/N: So there it is! Let me know what you think 3 Merry Christmas Dear! Hope you have great Holiday and a happy New Year.