Lily tucked her legs so that she would fit snugly into the window seat. In her hands was a mug of butterbeer that the Marauders had somehow snuck into the Gryffindor Common Room. She could still hear the party celebrating the Gryffindor Quidditch Team's first win of the season, and smiled faintly at the fact that although Professor McGonagall could almost definitely hear the after-hours rule-breaking, she had yet to give out any detentions.
The nook that Lily was currently in had been discovered by her friend Alice sometime in sixth year. It had quickly been elevated to the status as her favorite study spot in the school, only slightly higher than the cushy loveseat in the library and the shaded area underneath the tree by the lake.
The window besides it was large and narrow, reaching up to ceiling but not stretching far enough for Lily to fully extend her legs. Its stained glass panes depicted the iconic Gryffindor lion rearing and roaring. Shades of brown and red filtered onto Lily's milky white skin as she shifted in the starlight. She peered outside as a flicker of movement caught her eye.
A person on a polished, sleek broomstick sped out of the castle, Quidditch robes flowing behind them. They skimmed along the dewy grass before zooming up. Even from the Gryffindor Tower, Lily could hear an exuberant, masculine laugh.
She caught sight of the person (Lily [presumed it was a boy, judging by the low tone she had heard) throw a powerful, arcing curve. The Quaffle shot through the middle goalpost on the far end of the Quidditch pitch.
The metal rim of glasses glinted in the light, and shiny, black hair was illuminated…
It was James Potter.
Blushing with no clue why she was embarrassed, Lily slumped back in the seat and settled on focusing on the noises of the party. She felt it strange that Potter would be away from a celebration practically worshipping him and his skills as a Chaser. Everyone in Hogwarts knew that he was the star player of the Quidditch team, the reason why Gryffindor might have a shot at the House Cup. Girls (and some boys) swooned over his messy, dark hair and crooked grin. He was no lady-charmer like Sirius Black, nor was he mysterious and quiet like Remus Lupin, or cute yet awkward like Peter Pettigrew.
He was something different entirely, something that made Lily's stomach twist, her heart pound, and her head float.
"Lils? Are you there?" Alice's soft voice called out.
Lily scrambled up, her face burning. She cleared her throat. "Yes,"
"Just making sure it wasn't some couple snogging or something." Alice's petite figure lithely climbed beside Lily. "Good thing you aren't on prefect duty now, right?"
She turned to Alice, smiling widely, and gestured to her badge. "It's technically Head Girl duty."
Ali rolled her eyes, the corners of her lips folding upwards. "Silly me to have forgotten. Anyway," She righted herself, facing Lily. "have you seen the boys this year? Absolutely edible. I thought that a few of our fellow classmates might faint from the sight of Black when he stepped into the Great Hall.
Lily shrugged half-heartedly. "Black's not really either of our types."
"Then what is our type?"
"Your type is Frank Longbottom." Lily stated bluntly. She was rewarded with a soft slap on the arm.
"But he's so shy! I don't know if he'll ever ask anyone out." Alice exclaimed with a groan.
Lily frowned. "Ask him out yourself,"
"I'm much too embarrassed to do something like that. Besides, he only knows me from Charms last year, and you know how I barely received an 'Acceptable' in Flitwick's class. What would he think of me?"
"I love Charms. I could help you."
Alice shook her head, humming. "We need to talk about you. I've reread my letters to you and your letters sent to me, and I realize that I know virtually nothing of how your summer went. How is dear Tuney?"
"Petunia's fine, I suppose," Lily bit her lip. "She got engaged to someone named Vernon Dursley, but she's too afraid that if he meets me, he won't marry her."
"That's not real love."
Lily nodded and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "It's not, is it?"
The two girls were silent for a minute, before Alice looked out the window and brightly chirped, "Look! It's Potter. If he weren't positively infatuated with you - or going out with Clearwater, for that matter - I would seriously attempt to shag him senseless." Her friend flushed red and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. Lily's thoughts drifted as Alice continued to prattle on. She nodded absently and thought.
"or going out with Clearwater, for that matter,"
Nicole Clearwater was a sharp, cute Ravenclaw. She was a prefect that Lily had gone on rounds with before.
A large grandfather clock rang, signaling official curfew. Alice quickly bade Lily goodbye, took a sip of her untouched butterbeer, and cheerily walked up the steps to the girls' dormitories. The Marauders burst in through the doorway. Lily could see beads of sweat on their brow from Quidditch and sprinting through the school hallways. Streaks of dirt were brushed here and there on their robes, and Sirius, albeit the fact that he was grinning, had a rather large bruise forming on his lower jaw.
Lily smiled at the boys' antics and looked back at the pitch, which was darkening.
"Oi, Evans!" She whirled around at the sound of not James' voice, but Sirius'. They had sauntered over to her corner of the room.
James was very red. "Padfoot," He hissed.
She was looking especially pretty today, he noticed. She had dressed in Muggle clothing for the party in the Common Room and James could see the shadow of makeup on her normally dark red eyelashes, and on her glossy pink-red lips. Her outfit, a green sweater and dark washed denim jeans, accentuated her fit body and brought out her eyes. James could feel Lily's gaze on him, and he blushed and looked away.
"Because Prongs here is too humiliated," Sirius continued, brushing off James' protests. "I would like to ask you for the honor of a date."
Lily tried her hardest to look unimpressed, but James could see her lips twitch. "A date," She repeated humorlessly.
"Well, in the broom cupboard. We'll skip the meal and get straight to the dessert," Sirius winked obscenely at her, and she burst out laughing.
James thought that it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard - not like tinkling bells or girly giggles, but something very uniquely Lily. Something he loved.
"Absolutely not. You're lucky that I haven't taken away points for this mess," Lily waved her hand at the trashed Common Room.
"This mess," Sirius enthused. "is something you missed out on."
"Seems like I didn't miss out on much." She retorted, tossing a wave of auburn locks back. James' hand twitched as he fought back the urge to brush a strand that she had missed away from her face. "Besides, you four were down at the Quidditch pitch."
"You were watching us?" Sirius' words betrayed his surprise, but his expression quickly morphed into arrogance. "Of course."
She could feel the warmth of her blush creeping from her collarbones to her cheeks, so she simply averted her glance and rolled her eyes. "I can see outside windows, you know. I'm not completely blind."
Sirius mumbled something that sounded awfully like, "To Prongs' affections your are,"
James shoved him.
His best mate simply grinned the practiced How-To-Catch-Birds grin he had perfected over the years. "Ol' Dumbledore requested you and Prongs for some Head Boy and Girl meeting."
Lily nodded and walked to James, who had set down his Quidditch supplies and was reorganizing it again. "S'pose I'll bring this with me, then drop it off at the Head dorms." He said.
They walked in virtual silence, occasionally trying small talk about classes or the weather, but Lily always felt like a damper on the mood. All she could think about was him next to her and how much she wanted to run her hands through his hair.
It was near perfect, in her opinion. Black and untidy, with smudges of dirt and and sweat. His eyes were deep and multicolored, filled with rich hues of agate and caramel. James' skin was tanned bronze from Quidditch. When he smiled, two asymmetrical dimples appeared on his cheeks and chin. He smelled of leather from Quaffles, rain from his excursions, and that stupid cologne he thought would woo girls (he had bought it from Hogsmeade, and had immediately tested it on Lily).
It's working, Lily thought to herself.
James wasn't perfect. His nose was mostly straight and Roman, but it pointed off in one direction. His lips were too thin to be considered attractive. Scars from horseplay, fistfights, or Quidditch decorated nearly every inch of his body. His build was lean, less burly than Sirius and not entirely what Lily would have considered masculine before seeing him. He could be a Seeker if not for his prowess as a Chaser, and he would almost definitely succeed at that as well.
Then there was the matter of his character. He was smart - she shared quite a few classes with him, and she knew that her classes were all N.E.W.T. level - ambitious - Lily had heard from Alice that James planned to become Head of the Auror Office at the Ministry, like his own father was - clever and witty - clearly, shown by the pranks he had pulled and by his sarcasm, humorous - he could make McGonagall smile while she was angry - loyal - he placed his friends first - and brave - he was a Gryffindor after all.
Lily smiled. The Sorting Hat had told her that she would be well-suited for Ravenclaw, but she valued bravery the most.
James ran a hand through his hair. She nearly stopped walking from the sight of it.
It was irrational, she knew it. It was because they were teenagers and because James had been vying for such a long time. She knew that he had a girlfriend, and Lily would never be the person someone cheated with. She liked Nicole Clearwater. And she didn't want to be someone on the side.
Lily could feel the heat emanating off of his body, and she instinctively leaned closer to him as they walked to Dumbledore's office.
James could tell from her close proximity that she smelled like the Common Room, cinnamon, and books. He absolutely hated cinnamon and all of the autumn-scented fragrances, like pumpkin or fallen leaves or apple cider, but apparently Lily loved them.
Her dark red hair framed her oval-heart face. James knew that it had been cut over the summer, so instead of falling to her waist, it stopped at her ribcage. He didn't care either way; she could look amazing with or without hair at all (though he liked the shade of red it was). Her eyes were possibly his favorite part about her, all startling green that shined when she was happy or excited. Her skin was pale and she had a splash of freckles starting at the nape of her neck and on her cute button nose. Lily's enticing lips were red and swollen from her constant biting, a habit he found that she did when nervous.
She was pretty enough to catch someone's attention, especially with her striking features, but was far from being the most gorgeous girl in Hogwarts.
James remembered that she had gone out with Gideon Prewett for three Hogsmeade weekends the year before. He had wanted to punch him.
He was ashamed for thinking of Lily as a potential girlfriend when he had Nicole.
Lily's soft voice cut him off from his thoughts. "James? We're here."
He blinked.
She had called him James.
"Right," He said, trying not to sound like a fool. Leaning towards the gargoyle, he muttered, "Sugar Quill,"
The door opened and the gargoyle yawned. "Sugar Quills are my favorite," Lily said with a hint of a smile on her face.
He knew. He had seen her buy them in bulk at Honeyduke's in every flavor, though she favored the cherry kind. James thought of her mouth, tinted red with the color of the quill. He blushed and reprimanded himself. "Why?"
"They're practically all sugar, and they're in the shape of quills." She sounded defensive. James winced. "What about you?"
"Bertie Bott's," He managed to say before knocking once on Dumbledore's door.
There was a brief pause before the Headmaster spoke. "Come in!"
Lily shot him an incredulous glance, mouthing "Bertie Bott's?" before pushing the door open.
She was still surprised by the amount of trinkets in his office, and by the collection of moving portraits that lined the walls. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk. He raised his wand and conjured two chairs across from him.
"Professor," James greeted the man politely.
"Hello, Mr. Potter and Miss Evans. Thank you for arriving in a timely manner. Please sit."
They took their seats, faces stoic. Dumbledore looked strict and grave.
"There has been something brought up by the students. A few Slytherins have decided to join a group that calls themselves Death Eaters. I have a notion of who the leader might be, but I cannot share that type of information with you, by order of the Ministry."
James' eyebrows shot up. The Ministry?
"Is it that serious, sir?" Lily asked hesitantly.
Dumbledore turned to her. "Yes, Miss Evans. And they have requested that I give the prefects and Heads a list of suspects. However, to avoid House tension, I am only entrusting you two with the list. Inform the prefects to be on their watch for any suspicious activity."
With a small motion of his wand, the Headmaster summoned a parchment list.
"I hope that this may help, but I fear this group may cause trouble for the Wizarding World."
"So it's a cult, then, sir?" James spoke.
"A cult… it could be termed as such." Dumbledore folded his hands on the table.
Lily skimmed the list, picking out names she knew. There were more than she expected. Avery, Carrow, Dolohov, Lestrange, Macnair, Malfoy, Rowle, Snape, Yaxley…
Snape, Severus - Slytherin, Year 7.
James felt Lily stiffen beside him.
"Sir," She said, her voice holding back emotion. "What is this group's purpose?"
Dumbledore hesitated before answering. "I believe that it may be to elevate the status of pure-bloods."
"Are they anti-Muggle?"
"Possibly."
Lily handed James the list, which he rolled up without looking. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."
"I will see you at the Prefect's meeting," said Dumbledore. "Good evening,"
Lily stood and followed James out the door. She felt numb. Death Eaters… she had heard that name before. They had started riots in the Wizarding World before and murdered Muggles.
She shivered and hugged herself.
James noticed. "Hey, Lily? Are you okay?"
She looked up to see James, closer than he had been before, his tawny eyes boring into hers, and her mouth dried.
Lily pulled away awkwardly. "Yes."
"Look, you don't have to tell the prefects. I mean, I can." He was rubbing the back of his neck and fidgeting with his glasses. She was touched by his selflessness.
"It's fine, really. My family is safe in Cokeworth." She cringed at the thought of them being injured by Death Eaters.
"I didn't just mean it about the Muggle attacks." James was taller than she thought. He hovered at least a few inches above her, enough that she had to look up and he had to look down.
She inhaled sharply and quickened her pace to the Head dorms.
"I'm sorry about the entire situation with Snape." He told her honestly.
Lily wanted to blame someone about that incident, about all of the incidents leading up to it. Alice, Dorcas, and Marlene had all looked at LIly with something akin to sympathy and pity, but with something else, too - a look of "I told you so".
"It would've happened eventually." She felt better saying it to someone besides herself.
"No, it might not've. I think I pushed him over the edge and he took out his anger on you instead."
She really, really, didn't want to talk about Snape.
"You're right, you shouldn't have done it, but Sev: - Lily saw him flinch at the nickname - "sorry, Snape has changed. He's with the Death Eaters, dabbling in Dark Arts, and I think we would have stopped being friends anyway. We've grown apart."
"But he was horrible to begin with!" James protested, clearly unsatisfied with her answer.
"I've known him much longer than I've known you or you've known him!" She snapped.
He sneered back at her. "Oh, really? Going to play that card?"
"I'm so sorry that you can't understand something as simple as forgiveness. It might be why you're so bloody thick all of the time!"
"Why can't you admit that Snivellus was and is a bad person?" James paused for effect, feigning thinking. "Is it because he fancied you, Lily? Does people liking you make you feel superior?" His voice was suddenly bitter and filled with loathing.
His use of her first name made her hurt more than anything else he had said.
"Fuck you, Potter," She spat.
Lily didn't know why, but she was near tears. Maybe it was because of seeing that list, or hearing the news about Nicole and James, or because she honestly thought that she had changed. Hell, she had liked him. She was never one to run away from things she feared, albeit the fact that she was itching to sprint down the corridor and lock herself in her room. She was brave, and she would show Potter that he was wrong.
The trip to the dorms was filled with silence. James' fist was clenched around the broomstick and case of Quaffles. He regretted what he had said, but could not help but think that Lily might still hold a spark for Snivellus.
They entered the Head Common Room and Lily trudged up the stairs to the Head Girl's room. She entered the bathroom first and cleaned her face, brushed her teeth, and stared at herself before plodding to the four poster bed. Lily changed into a soft, worn shirt reading GRYFFINDOR LIONS and sweatpants, her comfort Muggle clothes. On her nightstand was a stack of thick books, but she ignored them and blew out the candle.
She tossed and turned but sleep evaded her. James Potter lingered in her mind. Lily groaned and reached for her wand.
Without thought, she walked down the stairs to the Common Room.
There was a figure on one of the couches facing the window. Lily crept over to it, and saw a head of mussed up dark hair.
James was sitting, awake but with his eyes closed. His knee bobbed up and down and he occasionally shifted or sighed. He had not yet changed or showered. Suddenly he reached into his pocket and began to speak. She could hear parts of his conversation, and although knew not to eavesdrop, moved closer.
"Padfoot," He was saying. "Mate, wake up."
He looked like he was talking to a mirror.
Lily's eyes narrowed as the mirror responded. "What do you need, James?"
"Get Moony and Wormtail. Meet me at the entrance to the Common Room. I've got the cloak, but bring the map."
"We didn't schedule anything, did we?"
James let out a chuckle. "No, this is very impromptu. Just hurry the fuck up."
"Where are we going?" Sirius said. Lily could hear him fumbling with clothing.
James lowered his voice even more. "I'll say later. Nowhere too important."
Sirius was quiet for a moment. "See you, then."
James stood and swept by Lily without seeing her. She pressed herself into the wall, closing her eyes, as if it would keep James from noticing.
The door opened, then closed again. She let out a sigh of relief and opened her eyes.
There James stood, by the doorway. He was holding a shimmery cloak, which was what Lily assumed he was speaking about to Sirius.
"Lily," His voice had no tone, nothing revealing how he felt. "did you hear what I said?"
"Um, yes." She stammered, growing defiant. "And you aren't supposed to be out past curfew! Filch will catch you."
A smirk formed on his face. "No, he won't. He hasn't before."
"James, I'm serious."
"No, you're Lily."
He seemed to find his joke very amusing.
She crossed her arms. "Wherever you plan to go, don't."
"I can tell you where we're going, if you want."
"James," She said, growing irritated.
He stepped towards her. "We're going to the statue of the One-Eyed Witch."
"Why?"
"Can't tell you, love." He winked. "Bye,"
"Wait!" She called, but he was already out the door. Lily hurried after and opened the door, but there was no one in the corridors.
She closed the door and fell asleep on the couch in the Common Room, her thoughts swirling around her.
When Lily opened her eyes to see the daylight streaming over the Common Room, she leapt up.
There was something on the table in front of her - a package of Sugar Quills, and a note.
Lily felt something lurch in her heart as she reached for the note. It had James' distinctive scrawl, barely legible.
Lily,
I'm sorry about what I said. You mentioned that you liked Sugar Quills.
I broke up with Nicole Clearwater. (Sorry about this, but, for old time's sake, will you go out with me?)
I hope that we can meet up at the statue of the One-Eyed Witch at 7:00 P.M. today if you agree to the date.
-James