Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and the characters belong to J. K. Rowling.
Of Letters and Love Potions
Dear Lily,
How's school darling? I hope your classes are going well. I'm terribly excited to hear about all the new things you've learned.
The main reason I'm writing, dear, is that we have some great news. Petunia has finally found a young man. She's been seeing him for a few months now and wants to bring him home over Christmas. We're hoping that it's a good sign. I don't know much about him but he sounds like a charming fellow. His name is Vernon. I know things between you and your sister haven't been so great lately but I wanted to inform you that we have company over break and I want you to be on your best behavior.
But on a brighter note, maybe you can bring your boyfriend over the holidays as well. We'd be happy to host him too.
Say hello to Emma and Alice for me! I can't wait to see you in three weeks!
Love,
Mom
Lily set down the letter and slammed her head down on the breakfast table with a loud groan. The students around her shot her strange looks but only one dared to interrupt her.
"Alright Evans?"
Lily didn't lift her head as she ignored the very intervening fellow seventh year, James Potter.
"What's that you've got there?" she heard his best friend, and Lily's personal pain in the ass, Sirius Black ask curiously. Before she had realized what was going on, he'd grabbed her mom's letter from her. In no mood, to fight, she let him read it. It didn't say anything of value anyway.
"Let me see!" James insisted, pulling the letter towards him. Lily was mildly amused at the sight of the two boys crowding around the tiny letter.
Sirius finished first and let out a low whistle.
"Best behavior, Evans?" he snickered. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"
Lily was sorely tempted to flip him off but she resisted.
James, who finished next, handed the letter to Remus and Peter across the table and turned to Lily with a frown on his face.
"Boyfriend?" he asked blankly.
Lily ignored his question, more annoyed at the fact that not only had he and Sirius grabbed her letter without permission, they're handed it off to the rest of their little group to read and mock. What was next? Free pamphlets for the whole school?!
"You are clearly missing the point here!" she whined. The point was, her mom had (not very subtly) hinted at the fact that she was supposed to bring a guy home because how dare she let Petunia show her up? Again. The last thing she needed over break was Petunia's cheap insults about her not being able to find a guy.
Oh it wasn't finding a guy that was Lily's problem. It was keeping them. It just never worked out. They were too boring, or too talkative, or too clingy, or just too wrong for her.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm late for class," Remus said, rolling her eyes and handing her the folded up letter. "McGonagall takes off points for tardiness. Sorry about these two Lily," he apologized for them, and with a kind smile, he was off.
Peter hurriedly wolfed down his toast with a squeak and scrambled to gather his last minute homework before rushing off behind Remus as the bell signaling that end of breakfast sounded.
Lily, Sirius, and James finished their food more leisurely. It was a well known fact that Lily was among Slughorn's most favored students; he wouldn't mind if she was a few minutes late. James and Sirius simply didn't care.
"I'm serious about this boyfriend thing," James persisted, pushing his plate away and watching Lily finish her cereal.
Sirius interrupted with, "Now tell us what your mom meant by behave yourself."
Good Heavens! She was going to hex those boys into the next century one of these days! One couldn't stop questioning her well manners and the other was running behind her like a love struck fool, asking her about her (nonexistent) love life.
"She never said that." Lily stood up, grabbed her bag, and headed towards the dungeons.
Sirius and James were quick to catch up with her. "She said 'be on your best behavior' which is essentially the same thing—"
"It is not the same thing. 'Behave yourself,' is a command that implies that I would be misbehaving at any point, which I will not. 'Be on your best behavior,' is a friendly reminded to not do anything stupid to embarrass them in front of our guest. Distinct difference."
"Ok let me just come out and say it. Who's your boyfriend?" Lily gave James an exasperated look. "Or rather," he continued on, "who does your mother think is your boyfriend? Since you obviously don't have a boyfriend." He paused for a moment. "Right?"
Lily groaned. "Clearly not you," she snapped. "Now will you let this go?"
"Then who is it?" he persisted.
"It's actually not as big of a difference as you seem to believe it is," Sirius countered. "Embarrassing your parents construes as misbehavior and therefore their 'friendly reminder' is actually a command that disapprove of your bad behavior. Which you still haven't explained."
"Ooh lots of big words there Black. Did it hurt to think that hard?"
"You should learn to respect your elders Evans."
Lily snorted. "By a day! Why do you even care so much?!"
James and Sirius looked at each other. "Who are you talking to?" they chorused.
"Either. Both. I don't care. Why is this any of your business?"
"You gave us the letter," James said.
"No you took it from me. I let you read this because there was nothing important in it, not to discuss the finer points of my mother's motherly insinuations!"
"Well that's interesting," Sirius said in a voice that clearly implied otherwise. "Now, learning that you do indeed misbehave, which is something you often yell at us for, might I remind you, makes you a hypocrite, and therefore a learning that I can exploit."
"Why would I want to help you exploit me?" Lily asked. She wished the dungeons were closer. She wished she could just enter the class room and put an end to this madness.
"Hey you said insinuations!" James pointed out.
"What's your point Potter?"
"Meaning your mother was insinuating that you had a boyfriend because of her motherly ways of wishing for her daughter to be happy with a guy. There is no guy is there?!" he concluded happily.
Lily staggered for a moment, shocked that a one word slip on her part had drawn him to the right conclusion. "You're grasping at straws Potter," she said but her pause was enough of a confirmation as evidenced by his patronizing smirk.
"I don't believe I am."
"In fact," Sirius continued. "I think we've gotten your cornered. Now all I'd have to do was to write to your mother and say that I was your boyfriend—I mean James was your boyfriend," he quickly corrected at the glare on his friend's face. "—and he was dying to meet your parents. Now that's the perfect way for me to find out about your misbehaviors."
Lily stood speechless in front of Slughorn's door as the two friend high fived each other with commendations of, "Nice!"
"Thanks Flower," Sirius said condescendingly, ruffling her hair as if she were a child, "You've helped me exploit you after all."
James and Sirius disappeared, laughing behind the door. "Don't call me Flower!" she yelled as the door slammed behind their backs. "Jerks," she muttered, following them in.
"Professor Slughorn," Lily called out, "Sorry I'm late."
Professor Slughorn, in his brand new designer robes of Outrageous Orange, waved her in, too busy eating crystallized pineapples to say anything.
Lily smiled her thousand-watt, dazzling smile at him and made her way to an empty seat, passing Emma on the way.
"Where are you going?" Emma called out to her as she hurried past her friend and took a seat in front of James in the back of the classroom.
"Look," she started to say to James and Sirius but was interrupted by Professor Slughorn, who had finally finished his pineapples and had clambered to his feet to address the class.
"Amortentia," he proclaimed dramatically, wiping his mouth. "Now who can tell me what that is?"
Lily wanted to continue her debate with the boys to dissuade them of this crazy plan of theirs (they wouldn't really do it would they?!) but she couldn't resist answering his question. Her hand shot in the air faster than anyone could process the question. Slughorn turned to her, smiling, and was about to call on her when he was interrupted.
"The most powerful love potion."
Lily, Slughorn, and the entire class turned in shock to the usually nonparticipatory James Potter.
"It smells differently to each person depending on what attracts them," Sirius added.
"Oh—umm, well—let's see… of course! Right you are!" Slughorn floundered, as surprised as everyone else that James Potter and Sirius Black were answering questions. They usually mocked Professor Slughorn and joked around all the while he told them what to do; yet, miraculously, they managed to get the potion right when it was their turn to make it.
"Ten points to Gryffindor!" Slughorn awarded cheerfully. "See how much you can contribute when you're actually paying attention in class?"
"Don't get used to it Sluggy!"
"This is a potion, more potent than any other love potion in existence," Slughorn continued on cheerfully. "It doesn't exactly create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love but this will cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. Keep in mind that this is a dangerous and very powerful. I had to work hard to convince Professor Dumbledore that you kids can be trusted with a potion of this skill level because this is NEWT level. So no testing this out on anyone else," he warned sternly.
"Of course not," Sirius proclaimed loudly, speaking for the entire class.
"I'll be watching you especially Mr. Black," Slughorn promised.
"You should Professor!" Lily interjected. "He needs all the help he can get!"
Half the class snickered while the other half (mostly girls) shot her a dirty look.
"Oh Flower! How you wound me!" Sirius said theatrically. "As if I'd need a love potion to pick up girls!" He winked for emphasis upon which a group of girls immediately began giggling. Lily rolled her eyes at them.
"You're just mad I spilled your secret," Lily countered. "Now Professor, I believe we were working on a potion?"
"Ah yes! Thanks for reminding me Ms. Evans. Amortentia everyone! I expect a flask on my table by the end of the period."
"My secret?" Sirius asked Lily, amused. "Running out of comebacks, huh Lily? Resorting to lies now?" James laughed along with Sirius. He headed to the cupboard to get three sets of the necessary ingredients while Sirius and Lily unpacked their belongings.
"I'll take what I can get, thanks."
"No one believed you."
"Really?" she asked sarcastically. "I'm sure no one would notice you were slipping girls love potions."
"You slip girls love potions?!" a nearby girl, one of the Marauders' groupies, cried out loud.
There was a loud, collective gasp as the class digested what had just been said.
"No!" Sirius cried. "No!"
"But I heard her!" the first girl said, nearly in tears. "I can't believe I ever liked you!"
"NO!!" Sirius cried again. "Look at what you've done!" he attacked Lily, who was too busy laughing to care much.
The girls who had previously giggled and laughed moved their belongings to the other side of the room, while the guys rejoiced that Sirius had finally been eliminated as competition.
"She was being sarcastic!" he defended himself but no one was paying him any attention.
"I doubt those girls even know what sarcasm means," Lily managed to get out through the laughing.
Sirius glared at her. "You're just full of funny today aren't you Evans?" he snapped.
James returned with his hands full, and dumped its contents unceremoniously on his desk.
"Love potions?" he smirked.
"Shut up," Sirius muttered darkly. "It's all your girlfriend's fault anyway."
"I'm not his girlfriend!" Lily insisted the same moment James said, "She's not my girlfriend!"
"Oh I didn't realize. What with the way you two flirt…"
James punched his friend's shoulder, used to his brainless remarks.
"Do you try to make me things awkward every time I'm in your presence?" Lily asked scathingly. She paused a moment. "Actually don't answer that."
"No Lily, I don't try to make things awkward for you. Just like you don't try to get me in some sort of trouble with someone or other every time I'm in your presence."
"It's not my fault that you've done so many illegal things that statistically speaking, about one in three conversation topics would be ruled out if I was worried about you getting in trouble. It's not something to be proud of," Lily added, noticing his smirk.
"Aww come on Lily, give the guy a break. You just announced to the world that he gets girls by giving them love potions."
"It really isn't my fault if those bimbos he's into, and you too for that matter, don't understand my brilliant usage of the simple concept of sarcasm." Lily began separating the pile of ingredients into three distinct piles.
"Lily," James laughed, "your sarcasm is neither brilliant nor simple. Sarcasm is a cheap excuse for real wit, and I seem to recall you speaking in rambling, verbose sentences for which one or two would have sufficed."
"You're not going to impress me with big words, Potter. And 'cheap excuse for real wit'? I take it that you are under the, mistaken might I add, impression that you use real wit."
"Well… yes."
Lily laughed loudly, separating the frozen Ashwinder eggs equally between the three. "You think you're witty. Oh Potter."
James frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"Speaking of wit," Sirius turned to James, "don't we have a letter to write to Evans' mother?"
That successfully shut Lily up.
"You wouldn't dare," she threatened, her eyes blazing.
"Bite me."
James chuckled. "I wouldn't recommend that," James advised. Lily flipped him off.
"In fact," Sirius stated, grinning evilly, "I think we should write the letter right now, in front of her. So she knows that we do have her best interests at heart."
Lily stuck her nose up. "My best interests?" she asked, a perfectly plucked eyebrow arched mockingly.
"What a wonderful idea Padfoot!" James said, with exaggerated excitement.
"You make the potion, I'll write." James commanded, getting out parchment and quill.
"No!" Lily protested. "Black can barely make one potion, let alone two. He'll end up burning the class down! Not to mention, you can't write a letter to my mother without my consent!"
"Sure we can! Let me show you."
Lily gritted her teeth. "Fine," she snapped. "Do whatever you want."
"Thanks for the consent," James responded cheekily, as Lily mentally berated herself for her slip up.
"I'm going to work on my potion now," she announced, turning her back to the boys.
"Ok," Sirius was telling James, "start with Dear Mr. and Mrs. Evans."
Lily huffed. She couldn't believe they were actually doing it but she figured she'd intercept it and burn it before it got anywhere near the owlery.
"And then you can continue by saying, 'My name is James Potter and I'm your daughter's girlfriend.'"
Lily groaned. "You know what?" she decided. "I don't need to hear this… this nonsense! It's horrible and I'm sure there's going to be a lot of lies and a lot of things that my parents really don't need to know about me or you or anyone and I just can't deal with this!"
She levitated her things to the still empty table beside Emma and resumed her work there.
"Well," she heard Slughorn boom in the back of the classroom, "at least you can clear an area Mr. Black."
"What were you doing back there?" Emma demanded immediately.
"Convincing James and Sirius that it wasn't actually a good idea to write to my parents."
"I don't want to know," Emma said, amused. "Did Alice tell you the news?" she asked, conversationally.
"What news?"
"She and Frank are going to France together over break. Both their parents are letting them go on their own."
"Oh wow!" Lily gasped, surprised, yet happy for her friend. "I'd never have thought that Frank's mother would go for it."
"Yeah me neither," Emma agreed. "But it was Frank who suggested it. He's paying for the portkey and the hotel stay and everything. God Lils, I'm so jealous of her."
"Yeah… but she deserves it."
Emma sighed wistfully. "I know… but I wanna boyfriend who will take me to Southern France too," she whined.
Lily turned back to glance at James and Sirius who were laughing about something and writing. She sighed and returned to her potion.
"Twenty minutes," Professor Slughorn announced, continuing to make his rounds.
Fifteen minutes later, Lily had a potion with a distinct mother of pearl color with spiraling smoke that made her think of rain, her favorite cologne in a guy, chocolate, and a collection of spices. Lily inhaled happily, her previous anger, resentment, and irritation dwindling away with each and every breath. Everyone around her seemed to be in the same state of bliss as she was.
She bottled a tiny vial of her potion and set it off to the side. Since she had some time remaining, she scribbled a quick note to her mother telling her that she was excited to go home as well and that of course she would be on her best behavior while Petunia and her boyfriend were there. She made sure to mention that she was extremely happy that Petunia had found someone. She conveniently forgot to mention any boyfriend. Her mom asked her in every letter, and every letter Lily wrote back omitted any references to that topic.
She grabbed both the letter and the vial, slipping the letter under her sleeve.
"Professor Slughorn!" she called out.
"Yes, Ms. Evans," he said from the back to the room.
Perfect, she thought, making her way to where he was standing, right beside James and Sirius, making sure they were working.
"Here's my potion, sir," Lily said, smiling brightly and handing it to him. He uncorked the bottle and took a whiff.
"Oh ho ho!" he laughed. "Perfect as always!" Lily beamed and turned around to go, accidentally knocking over some of James' excess ingredients.
Annoyed, he told Sirius to mind his potion while he collected the rats' eyes and newts' tails that had spilled everywhere.
"Watch where you're walking Evans," he snapped.
"Sorry," Lily apologized, not really meaning it. The boys' finished letter was folded and sealed, sitting on the side of the desk. While Sirius was struggling to stir both potions at the same time and James was on the floor picking up the spilled ingredients, Lily reached over and switched the notes, taking the one from the desk and replacing it with the one under her sleeve.
Satisfied that no one had noticed, she returned to her desk where Emma was looking at her curiously.
"I'll tell you later," Lily promised, as the bell signaling the end of the first period sounded. She took her time gathering her belongings as Sirius and James finished up their potions.
After wiping down her table, Lily left the potions room, happy with her day's work. She heard James and Sirius exit behind her a few moments later.
"I'll go to the owlery," James told Sirius, "you go get Moony and Wormtail."
Lily smirked triumphantly as she made her way out of the dungeons and finally to an empty hallway that led to the Ravenclaw common room. Her next class, Ancient Runes, began in ten minutes and she didn't feel like making the trip to the dormitories and back, which would give her approximately two minutes in the dorms.
She slid down to the floor and leaned her head against the wall. She pulled out her Runes book and began reading the next section but she couldn't focus. Her eyes slid to the letter in the bag. She had meant to burn it during her break after Runes was over but now she couldn't help but wonder what the boys had said about her.
She groaned as she pulled the letter out and slid it open.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Evans,
My name is James Potter. I'm a friend of Lily's. We've gotten rather close this past year despite our past differences (which I'm sure Lily has mentioned to you). I think Lily is too scared to talk to you about it so I decided to write to you myself. I know this is rather forward of me but I couldn't help it. I like Lily. A lot. And I think she likes me too. And I would really like to meet you and for Lily to meet my family as well. Perhaps we could arrange something over the upcoming Christmas break.
Once again I apologize—this is very presumptuous of me. I hope you'll agree to my request.
Thank you,
James Potter
Lily reread the letter twice, in quick succession. For a lie, it was very tastefully written, she concluded. Almost… genuine… She has expected a vulgar letter, chronicling her misdemeanors— all made up of course. She felt that it was rather… heartfelt of him.
She was almost positive that Sirius had had no hand in this whatsoever. She couldn't imagine him writing like that. Now James… if she tried hard enough, she could see him writing this letter.
She heard the bell for her to go to Runes. She stood up and stuffed the letter into the deep confines of her bag. She'd burn it later… if she had time… though she doubted she would have time that day… what with all that work she was sure to get… but if she found time—and remembered—she'd definitely burn it…
A/N: Hey guys! So this is another one-shot from me.
This is a reposting of my previous story, which was an interlude between the chapters of Echoes. However, I decided to rewrite it without the Echoes restrictions. Enjoy!!
Review!!