Disclaimer: If I were J.K.Rowling, Ron and Hermione would have been together in Book4. (read that on someone else's story and loved it) haha did I just put a disclaimer on my disclaimer? Oh well
Hey guys! Thanks for deciding to read this and give it a chance! I really like it, and I generally never like what I write. I've read a bunch of really good one-shots recently and wanted to give it a go and tada this was born! I'm thinking of writing more one-shots, but if this sucks then I shall refrain. lol So, please, please tell me what you think! Thanks!
Of Broomsticks and Bettings
"Evans, you've never even been on a broomstick, have you?" Potter crossed his arms and studied my face.
"Oh come on. Of course I have been. Only a complete loser has never been on a broomstick before." I lied nonchalantly, turning another page in my book.
"Evans, you're lying through your teeth." Damn him. "Unless of course we're talking about a different kind of broomstick…" he said, winking at me.
"Oh Merlin! James Michael Potter, you are so perverse! Why do I talk to you?" I tossed my book at him as I feigned anger, but I knew Potter could tell I was just mocking him. In the few months that had passed in our seventh and final year at Hogwarts, I had finally begun to treat him like a human being.
"Because you love me." He smirked as I just shook my head.
"Right. Keep telling yourself that Potter." He looked surprisingly offput, but recovered quickly. It must have been a trick of the light or something. "So anyways, what does it matter if I have ever been flying before or not?"
"What does it matter? What--? Why, practically everything!" Yeesh. Overdramatic much? "Flying is… oh man. I can't even explain it in words. It's like …all your problems and worries get left behind, and you're just…at peace with life, and yourself, and …everything." He sighed contently as he stared off into space, experiencing in his mind what he could only hope to make me understand.
Wow. That was pretty deep.
Well, deep for Potter anyways.
He shook himself out of his trance and looked me right in the eyes. "One lesson. Please. That's all I ask. Just let me give you one lesson. Tomorrow morning."
I stared him down for a moment, wondering whether or not I should do this. Well, you only have one chance to live…
"Alright."
'Tomorrow morning.'
In normal people language, that would mean, oh, I don't know, 10 or 11.
But, alas, when has James Potter ever been classified as a normal person?
Never. That's when.
No, the bloody bloke shows up at my dormitory window at 5 BLOODY THIRTY IN THE BLEEDING MORNING! Does he have a psychotic deathwish or something? I mean, seriously? He's out of his mind.
Not that I didn't already know that or anything, but the thought has now been confirmed.
Not only was he there at 5:30, he had the audacity to be downright chipper!
"Yo Evans! You're going to sleep the day away! It's perfect flying weather out here!"
"Mmm…Purple blowfish…and …mayonnaise…"
"Well, aren't we the articulate one?"
"Po—Potter!" I tried to yell without my mates waking up, so it came out as a bit of a stage whisper. "What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Stifling a yawn, I turned to face him as he flew inside and dismounted his broomstick.
"Coming to get you for our lesson!"
"Oh, no no no! You'll do no such thing at this hour." The words were barely out of my mouth as he casually walked right up to the side of my bed and yanked off my comforter.
That mischievous little bugger. The January mornings are notoriously cold, but the shock was what got to me most.
"Why you…you… What if I slept naked?"
"Well, obviously you don't."
"Obviously. But what if I did?"
"But you don't." Wow, he actually looks genuinely confused as to why any of this could possibly be weirding me out.
"But you didn't know that until you ruthlessly came in here and yanked off my blankets. Wouldn't you feel awful if you did that and well…I mean… hello more of Lily than anyone ever needs to see!"
"Oh. I wouldn't have minded." He stated matter-of-factly as he proceeded to sit on my bed next to me. Merlin, he's warm. How come blokes are always warm like that? Whoa, off topic Lily. What did he just--?
"You wouldn't have--? You wouldn't have minded?? Well, of course you wouldn't have minded. You're a bloke and blokes always tend to think with their well…you know…"
"Hey now. If you had one, you'd think with it too." (A/N the funny part about those last two lines is that it happened in a biology class of mine once.) "Anyways, come on Evans, I was just kidding. You never struck me as the type to sleep in the nude, so I didn't think it would be a problem. I'm really sorry."
Wait. Rewind and freeze. Did James Potter actually just apologize?? And what's more, he actually seems sincere about it… Maybe he has changed more than I've given him credit for…
"Apology accepted." I admitted as I crawled out of bed, grabbed some clothes to fly in, and headed for the bathroom. "But don't think I've forgiven you for waking me up this early."
"Psh. Admit it Evans. You loved seeing my face the second you awoke." He replied, smirking. That damn smirk. That infamous smirk. It used to infuriate me, but somehow …it doesn't anymore. If anything, it's kind of cute actually…
Woah. Hold on there. It's not cute. It's anything but cute. It's… ok fine, it's cute. But that's all. So what if he has a cute smirk? It's not as though he has a cute anything else. Or as if him having a cute smirk means I like him or anything. It just…makes him more tolerable I suppose. Or something? Though, I have to admit he might have a few other cute aspects…
Ok, it's official. I, Lily Marie Evans, am not allowed to think this early in the morning. It should simply be outlawed. The End. That's all there is to it. No more thinking.
Especially about Potter. No thinking bout Potter at any hour actually. Yes, that should solve everything.
Having finally changed into proper flying clothes, I made my way with Potter down to the quidditch pitch. We argued the whole way about the fact that he wouldn't let me have anything to eat beforehand.
"You've never been on a broom before, how do you know you won't get sick? It's better if your stomach is empty."
"Oh well, gee thanks, that makes me just want to go through with this so much more."
"Oh shush, you'll be fine."
"You think so?"
He stopped walking for a second and looked in my eyes, "I know so."
"So why can't I have any bloody food?!" I whined, forcing him to snap back into reality as we continued walking.
"Way to kill the moment."
"There was a moment?"
"Yes there was a moment! You were all scared and I was all supportive. We had a moment."
"A moment?" This boy just keeps getting crazier and crazier.
"Yes. A moment." He said with a note of finality, nodding as though that settled it.
Before I knew it, we were at the quidditch pitch. Potter had let me borrow his old broom, not trusting me with his brand new one. Why anyone needs so many broomsticks is beyond me. We were in the center of the field, brooms in hand, Potter also holding a quaffle. He set the quaffle down, and turned his attention to me.
"You ready?"
"If I have to be."
"Oh, you have to be."
I stuck my tongue out at him. Mature, I know. "Then yes, I'm ready." On the outside, I tried to seem calm, cool, and collected. However, on the inside, I was freaking out. There was no way this could end well. I was going to fall and break my neck, no doubt about it.
"Ok, on the count of three, you're going to push off from the ground—hard. One…"
"Potter, I don't think I can do this."
"Two…"
"No, really, this is a very bad idea. I don't know why I agreed to it."
"Three!"
Against my better judgment, on the word "Three!" I pushed off from the ground with all the strength I could muster.
Wow.
Potter wasn't kidding. It was the single most amazing experience I had ever had. The wind blew through my hair as I circled the pitch. I felt so alive in the air. James was right. All your worries just melt away, even the worries about flying…
Wait.
James?
Since when do I call him James?
"Hey Evans! You're a natural!" I turned to see James…er…Potter…uh….him flying towards me.
"Lily."
"Well, you're that too. I meant you're a natural flier though."
"Oh. Thanks. But um…" Why am I saying this? "I meant my name is Lily."
"Well, yeah I know it is."
"Then, maybe you should call me that Potter."
"James."
"What?"
"If I get to call you Lily, you have to call me James. It's only fair right?" I guess he had a point there.
"Sure… James." James. I love that name. Why have I been calling him Potter all my life? That was awfully stupid of me. James. James. James.
Holy Merlin. What has gotten into me? It's just a word, isn't it?
"Ok good…Lily." Lily. It's just two syllables. Dozens of people call me Lily everyday. So, why then does it seem … different when he says it?
I think the air up here has less Oxygen. That has to be why these crazy thoughts are crossing my mind. There's no other explanation. That has to be it.
"Lily?"
"Hmm?"
"I reckon we should get to teaching you flying now."
"Oh, right…right…" I blushed slightly and flew in the other direction so he wouldn't see. I hoped he couldn't tell what I had been thinking. I looked back and saw he had gone into a steep dive, presumably to get the quaffle. He tossed it lightly between his hands as he flew back to where I was.
"You know, Lily, you're really a better flier than I thought you would be." I waited for him to mention something about how I could never hope to be as brilliant as he is, but the statement never came.
"Wow. Thanks."
"No problem. Aren't you glad I convinced you to do this?"
"Actually, I am," I admitted. "Flying is the most incredible experience I've ever had! Even more, you haven't been a complete git yet either, and it's been almost a whole hour. I have to say I'm impressed."
"Great, I'm really glad you're enjoying yourself!" He said smiling. Not a cocky smile, or anything, but a genuine, real and happy smile. I couldn't help but smiling back, knowing I'd been the cause of something that beautiful.
"So, anyways, ready to toss the quaffle around?" James asked, bringing me back to reality.
"Just toss it? Please. You said it yourself. I'm a natural. I bet I can get it past you into one of the hoops."
He laughed, not meanly, but as though he honestly found me funny. "You've spent a few minutes on a broom, and already you think you're a pro? You're a strange bird, Lily Evans. But…I'll humor you. Although first…I say we make this a little interesting…"He trailed off, smirking again.
Uh oh. That couldn't be good.
"Interesting? H-How so?"
He flew circles around me, letting me know what I was up against. "If you get it past me, you get whatever terms you call, and if I get it past you, I get whatever terms I call."
"Oh come on, You're the star chaser of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. That's completely unfair!"
He contemplated this for a second then said, "I've got it! You can have say…five chances, but I only get one. Oh, and you can go first, and if you get it in one of the five, I don't go. Ok?"
This was dangerous. More so even than flying… But it could be interesting. Who was I to back down so easily?
"Name your terms." I said, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Alright." He stroked his chin as though in deep thought, and looked so utterly ridiculous, I couldn't help but laugh. "A kiss."
"…A what now?"
"A kiss. Nothing crazy. I just want you, the beautiful and charming Lily Evans, to grant me one perfectly innocent kiss. On the cheek, of course." He anticipated my answer anxiously, a nervous glint in his eye.
"Sounds harmless enough. If I don't get any shots in 5 tries, and you get one in on the first try, I will give you a quick kiss on the cheek." What was I getting myself into? With the way I'd been thinking, I wasn't sure if even a quick peck on the cheek would qualify as harmless. Too late to turn back though…
"And your terms, My LilyFlower?"
Ignoring the LilyFlower comment, I replied, "Hmm. I want more flying lessons…but not so early in the morning."
"Borrrrrrrrring."
"It's not boring! That's all I want!" Or all I would allow myself to admit I wanted at any rate…
"No, it has to be something I would do ordinarily, something different."
"Ok…If I win…I want you to go up to Professor McGonagall in the Great Hall and profess your undying love for her."
"Deal."
This time I was the one to smirk. "In your boxers."
"You drive a hard bargain… but ok. Deal." We flew right next to each other and shook on it. "Prepare to pucker up Lily."
"Oh yeah? You might as well get a head start and strip to your boxers now."
"Lily, m'dear, I never knew you liked my body that much. When you have to kiss me, I'll wear whatever you choose."
"Potter…"
"Just a joke, Lil, just a joke." He grinned in amusement as he chucked the quaffle at me. I only barely caught it. I had a bad feeling about this…
I slowly flew near the goal posts, tossing the quaffle in my hands to get used to the feel of it. I could do this. Of course I could, no sweat. James was circling in front of the posts, waiting for me to make my move. I flew right, he flew right. I thought about flying left and he flew left. There was no chance I could get this in. I tossed the quaffle lightly in front of me again but the wind blew it slightly forward. Leaning forward to catch it, my fingers just grazed it when I realized, much too late, that I had leaned way too far forward. The next thing I knew I was hurdling through the air, approaching the ground at an alarming pace. The wind was pushing me down faster, taking the screams that fought their way out of my mouth, making them inaudible.
Then, suddenly, I stopped falling. I opened my eyes and released the breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Still flying, I found myself riding sidesaddle, sharing a broom with James. Words couldn't express how happy I was to see him at that moment. He had just saved my life without even a moment's hesitation.
I looked at him, really looked at him for the first time in ages. He had really grown up over the years. He was no longer a silly little boy, but a mature man. A mature, handsome man who happened to have just saved my life. The Potter I thought I knew would have let me fall, maybe pausing to slow my descent, but then would laugh at how clumsy I was on a broom. But what I realized in that moment when I looked at him was that I had been so so wrong about him. That Potter hadn't existed in years. James had been right in front of my nose the whole time and it took a near-death experience for me to realize it.
"James…I…What. How…" I sighed, trying to collect myself. "Thanks"
"Anytime." It was a typical reply, but I knew beyond a doubt that he was sincere as any human could ever hope to be.
"I uh…I guess this means you won the bet."
"Lily…the bet is off. You don't have to kiss me." He said grinning, brushing a strand of my red hair behind my ear. "I'm just glad you're ok."
Looking in his eyes, I knew I didn't have to kiss him, but for unknown reasons, at that moment I wanted to kiss him. Maybe out of thanks for saving my life, or maybe, just maybe, because after all this time I'd finally opened my eyes and saw who he truly was.
Turning ever so slightly on the broom, I leaned towards him as we flew in lazy circles around the pitch. I could see the surprise in his eyes, but it only encouraged me as I tilted my head and finally closed the distance between our lips.
Kissing James Potter. I never thought I'd say it but…wow. It was everything a kiss should be. It wasn't my first kiss, but it was definitely the best. It was innocent, but earnest, amazing but scary. I ran my hands through his soft, black hair and pulled back for a second.
"Hey James?" I whispered.
"Hey yeah?" He replied softly, his eyes still closed.
"You know how I said flying was the most incredible experience I'd ever had?" I leaned and whispered into his ear, grinning, "This is infinitely better."