The Doe
James Potter made his way through the portrait hole at nine p.m. sharp that Friday evening. He noticed her, with a sense of excitement, already waiting for him by the common room fire. Fellow Gryffindors littered the place, but everyone seemed to move out of the way for the head boy. He was not particularly tall, nor did he have the build for a beater, nor the face of a Greek god, and yet he had a presence. Everyone knew about and respected his powers as a wizard, as a leader, a captain. Black, wire-rimmed spectacles framed his sparkling hazel eyes. He was excited. For tonight was the fifth time in a row that he'd held a private study transfiguration lesson for one Lily Evans and their playful banter had been gradually building to full on flirting.
He'd fancied Lily for ages, but had only asked her out here and there, frightened she'd say no. He had tried those few times without success, though in his own mind he knew they had been half-hearted attempts. Those times she had knocked him back, he had been hurt, although he had pretended to not care. James' former childish pride had forced the rejection to the back of his mind. He understood only now that the incessant attention-seeking he had been guilty of in the past only served in push Lily away, and so he was trying a different approach.
Lily Evans waited impatiently for the head boy to arrive. She always got there too early, eager to get the "lessons" started. She knew in her own heart, and through the fact that her transfiguration marks weren't that bad, that they were a convenient excuse to flirt with James, but she held onto the excuse in front of her friends, who knew better of course, not that they were about to say anything on the contrary to the fiery witch. And Lily was fiery in every sense of the world, from her flame-coloured hair, to her expressive emerald-green eyes, to her personality and flare. For such a small stature, Lily was a tall character. She was smart, but didn't flaunt it, cheeky, mischievous. She'd fancied James for ages, against her own will. Before he had grown up, he had been everything she had claimed she couldn't stand. There were four marauders, and yet she saw only him, blamed only him, was disappointed by only his behaviour, because she loved him, and although he made her heart pound and the blood rise in her cheeks, he had stood for everything she had not, or so she had once thought. Now she reasoned, it had all been a waste of time, they weren't so different after all, and she considered sitting around waiting for him a waste of time, when they could in fact be snogging.
Lily was broken from her reverie by a quick tap on her shoulder. She jumped, scared and whipped around, only to be face-to-face with the most gorgeous set of hazel eyes. She blinked, mesmerized.
"Hi, Lily."
She said nothing, but continued to stare. He could only assume that she was mad at him for being late, as she usually was, and rushed into an apology.
"Oh Sorry I'm late, was finishing that monstrous essay on Felix Felcis that Slughorn set us last week in the library, you know how bad it was, yeah? It's only what, 9.08? I'm not terribly late, could've been worse, you know? ...Lily? ,"
He gazed at her, only just noticing the glazed-look of her eyes that told him she hadn't listened to a single word of his apology. She just stared at him.
"Lily? Lily? Earth to Evans? ," he shouted, waving his hands in front of her face, which seemed to do the trick as proceeded to blink, realising she had been staring, and she then accordingly turned a none-so-attractive shade of tomato red.
"Erm…sorry James, must've drifted off there…"
"Anywhere nice?"
"What? Anywhere nice….?"
"Yeah you know, where you drifted off to…"
"But I didn't go anywhere…."
"Sorry, terrible joke…" he said sheepishly, looking down at his scuffed trainers, and giving his messy black hair a ruffle, which Lily now realised was from nerves, and not a way for him to look like he had just hopped off a broom. "So…um…yeah. Sorry I'm late again. Let's get started shall we?"
She found herself mesmerized once again by his large hands as he ran them through his hair, and she wondered if it was as soft as it looked. The sudden urge to run her own hands through it almost overpowered her, although she was able to stop her wandering hand just in time, and cover the movement by tucking a piece of her own hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, alright then James. What'll it be tonight? Can we do some defensive spells? Perhaps the patronus charm?"
"Um…why not? You know the incantation right? I'm surprised you don't know how to do this already, though, you seemed to grasp the concept quite well in class."
Lily did not answer right away, and could feel the colour and heat rise in her cheeks. He was, of course, quite right to doubt her. She did know the spell, and she produce a patronus already. She had achieved it just the night before in front of fellow Gryffindor Mary Macdonald in the girls' dorms. But this was all part of her cunning plan to win James over.
He has asked her out a couple of times through the years, which had pleased her, although she had acted as if he had annoyed her. The only problem was that he had appeared to give up over the last few months, just when she began to realise that she liked him. She would have given up all hope if it had been for these little "lessons" of theirs. She hoped that when she revealed her patronus form to him, he would get the picture that they were made for each other and snog her senseless. Well she hoped he would, anyway.
"You alright, Lily? You look a bit flushed. It's a bit hot here, isn't it? Do you want to move away from the fire?"
"No!" she answered, perhaps too quickly and too forcefully. She thought that beside the fire would be the perfect spot for them to share their first kiss.
"Alright, alright, calm down, we'll stay here," James replied, somewhat bemused. He grinned at her, that lopsided grin that she loved, and she found herself getting red in the face once again. Get a grip, woman! She thought.
"Can we just start, James?"
"Hey don't snap at me, Lily Marie Evans."
"Don't you middle name me, James Fitzgerald Potter!"
James groaned. "Oh man! How did you find out my…unfortunate middle name?"
Lily grinned, the smile reaching, and crinkling her eyes at the corners. James loved it when she smiled, really smiled. In the past, those beautiful smiles had never been directed at him. But now, well now she smiled, or laughed, or, even better, blushed frequently in his presence.
She tapped the side of her nose. "That would be telling, now wouldn't it?"
He gave her another lopsided grin. "I'll have words with Sirius later."
She laughed, the sound going straight through James, making him tingle. "How did you know? Was I that obvious?"
"No, he's just that mean. I can't believe he told you."
"Oh he's not that bad. I did torture it out of him."
James looked amused, and dared to ask, "How did you manage that?"
Her green eyes sparkled with mischief, and he was spellbound. "I took away his dinner plate, and told him he couldn't eat until he told me it."
"That's pure evil. Perhaps you should've been sorted into slytherin all along…"
"That's what he said. And hey!" she added, squatting him on the arm, flirtatiously, and although he could have easily dodged her, he found that he didn't want to. Contact was contact, after all.
"Right, enough of this idle chit-chat. We've got work to do, and I need some sort of distraction in order to forget that you know my embarrassing middle name."
Lily giggled, and retrieved her wand from her back pocket.
"You really shouldn't leave it there you know, you might have an accident and be left with only one buttock…."
"Shut up, James," she said, through her laughter, and as she aimed her wand in front of her and whispered the spell, she looked him deeply in the eyes, watching him watching her, waiting for the animal to emerge. She thought of him, and only him.
And emerge it did. A silvery burst of light shot from her wand, and formed itself into the one animal he had always hoped it would, although he never really thought it could be. As the doe galloped around the room, James was shell-shocked, bowled over. What shocked him more, however, was that Lily, staring at him with the most intense look he had received from anyone in his entire life, those blazing eyes focused on his, did not look shocked, or appalled or even embarrassed.
He had no idea what to say, or to think. She knew that his was a stag, that he was an illegal animagous stag. And she was a doe. What did this mean? Did she like him? Why was his heart beating so fast?
The doe evaporated, and the pair was left aware that they were the only people left in the silent common room; the only sound their heavy breathing.
"Lily"
"James"
"Did you…have you…did you know that that was your patronus before tonight?"
"Yes."
James remained rooted to the spot, his mind whirling. Did this mean she liked him? As much as he liked her?
"What does this mean Lily? Do you like me?"
Instead of answering him, she walked slowly towards him, swinging her hips, putting him in some sort of trance.
And then she was right in front of him, looking up from behind those long lashes. She licked her lips, and James continued to be entranced. And then she was putting one hand on his loose tie, and pulling him down, the long way down to her eye level.
"Kiss me, James"
Her voice brought him back to his senses, and he realised what she had asked him, no demanded him to do. He looked at her face, her eyes fluttered and were almost closed, her lips wet and puckered and pink, and gorgeous, but he was determined to take his time, for this to be perfect, because he knew, just knew, that this would be his last first kiss, because he would marry this girl.
He pressed a gentle kiss to her left cheek, and then her right, one to her forehead, and her nose, drawing a leisurely path. He left her nose, and passed her waiting mouth, so close, but did not touch it, causing a small whimper, which he loved, and he instead pressed a kiss to her chin. And then he was kissing her mouth, her unbelievably soft lips, which were unsure, as she had never kissed a boy before, but so unbelievably soft. And Lily felt butterflies in her tummy, and tingles from her head to her toes, because he was so amazing at this, and his lips were pressing firmly, and then they were open mouth kissing, and he was sucking on her bottom lip, and she was in heaven. Or at least she thought she was, until he tongue came out to meet hers, gently, not yet probing, but soothing, and slow, and passionate. Lily had never even dreamed of being kissed like this. And then it was all over.
James leaned back to look at her, and couldn't help but smile. Her eyes were still closed, her lips still puckered, and she looked as if she had been thoroughly snogged, by him. James Potter. He couldn't believe his luck.
Lily opened one eye, just realising that they had stopped, at peaked at him, watching her, with that lopsided grin. For once, she did not blush.
"Stop smiling, James, and kiss me again."
He was shocked, but smiled again. "Whatever the lady wants, the lady gets…."
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The next morning, Lily and James sat opposite other at the Gryffindor table, sneaking little glances at each other, smiling in their own secret way. Lily chatted amiably to Mary, whilst James, Remus and Sirius shovelled food into their mouths. Sirius had caught the two glancing at each other, and decided to have some fun with it.
"So, Prongs, Lily. How was the "lesson" last night?" he asked cheekily.
"Fine thanks, Sirius," Lily replied, breaking off her conversation with Mary to look at Sirius.
"What did you, er, "study" then?"
"Patronuses," said James, trying hard not to blush and give the game away. Lily remained calm and collected.
"Oh did you now? What was your form, Evans? A doe, perhaps?" he added, laughing, nudging James on the arm suggestively.
It was Lily who answered. "Yeah it was, actually" And ignoring the shocked, open-mouthed gape that Sirius was giving her, she leaned over the table, kissed James firmly on the lips, and then went back to discussing the potions essay with Mary.
Sirius looked as if he had been stunned, James pleased with himself, Remus proud, and Peter, well Peter didn't notice anything out of the ordinary that had happened.