At Long Last

"James, I have to tell you something."

Lily Evans tentatively stepped from her private Head Girl quarters into the Head Students' common room.

James Potter, Head Boy, looked up. "Do you need to copy my Transfiguration homework again?" he asked, an exasperated smile on his face.

"N-no," she replied, barely cracking a smile, "nothing like that. I – well, you see, I – um." She took a big breath. "Well you see I'd like to apologize for all the mean things I've done to you like that time in fourth year when you asked me out-"

"Lily," James said, bemused.

"-and I dumped pudding on your head and then when I set Marlene on you-"

"Lily!" James stood up, slightly scared, and tried to get her attention.

"-that was really mean I mean how was I to know she'd punch you that hard-"

"Lily!" James grabbed her shoulders and shook.

"-because you see the truth is I've actually always - yes?"

"What are you rambling about? I can't understand a word you're saying! Take a deep breath and start again, slower, with less run-on sentences and more sense."

"Okay." She heaved another big breath, hands shaking. "So, basically I want to apologize for everything mean I've ever said or done to you. I feel really bad about it and, um, want to tell you that I actually have always kind of l-"

"Lily," James cut her off, smiling that charming smile. "You don't need to worry about it anymore. That's behind us. We're friends now! You won't ever have to dump pudding on my head again, because I'm over you. I won't ask you out again. All right?"

Lily felt her insides crash down somewhere near her knees. "All right," she whispered.

"Hey – is something wrong?" James asked, seeing the look on Lily's face. "Was there something else you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh – no, it was nothing," she lied, with what she hoped to be a convincible smile plastered on her face. "Just – um, I'll see you in the morning."

Lily spun around and almost flew back into her room so that James wouldn't see her tears. He's over you, she told herself, and now it's time for you to get over him at long last.

James collapsed into the nearest chair, rubbing his hands over his eyes. "Idiot," he murmured to himself. "Liar." But in his head he knew that what he did was right, and Lily never would see him the way he saw her. Time to get over her at long last, mate.


Just so you know, what Lily says in the beginning is supposed to have no punctuation. She's talking really fast. I wanted to have those parts be all one word with no spaces, but ffnet wouldn't let me :/

Thanks for reading!