A Thing For Stags
"Hey, Evans? Can I talk to you for a second?"
Lily looks up from her book to see James Potter standing over her.
Her and James were getting along better as of late. He isn't as much of an insufferable prat now as he was last year and Lily found herself beginning to enjoy their late-night conversations in the common room when the other Marauders had gone to bed.
"Sure, Potter."
They still refer to each other by their last names but now they are said with fondness instead of etched with disdain and spite.
James sits down on the couch beside her and runs a hand through his hair; 'some things never change' Lily thinks to herself.
"I just wanted to say… happy birthday."
James smiles brightly while Lily's eyes widen in surprise.
"How…how did you know?"
James shrugs, "Marlene threw you a party last year remember?"
She does remember.
The Marauders had all been there, most likely dragged along by James.
Sirius sang her a song, Peter blushed and mumbled a happy birthday when she spoke to him, Remus, being a close friend of Lily's, bought her a muggle book series that she vaguely remembered telling him she wanted to read while James hardly spoke to her the entire night except to tell her that her dress looked pretty.
But Lily is still shocked that he remembered the date of her birthday as she persuaded her friends not to make a big deal about it this year so it's unlikely anybody reminded him, except maybe Remus. Part of her wants to ask more but she decides to just let it go.
"I…thank you." Lily smiles genuinely.
"Seventeen?" James asks
"Yeah."
"I always hated it that you're older than me." James teases, playfully nudging her in the ribs.
Lily laughs, "Sorry."
James pauses for a minute before pulling something out of his robe pocket.
"Em…this is for you."
He hands her the carefully wrapped box and Lily stares at it in her palm dumbly.
"What's this for?" Her voice is barely more than a whisper and if James hadn't been sitting so close, he wouldn't have heard it.
James lifts a hand as if to run it through his hair again but he resists the urge and sticks it in his pockets instead.
"Well it is your birthday Evans." James smirks, "Are you going to open it then?"
"Oh right of course." Nimble fingers delicately unwrap the gift to reveal a rectangular velvet box.
James pushes his glasses up his nose and watches as Lily opens the box slowly.
Lily stares; gaping at the frail, cold chain that sits on the soft navy cushion. Silently, she gently takes the necklace out from the box and holds it in her hands. The chain is long and resting on it is a beautiful, small, silver stag.
Lily traces her fingers over the animal wordlessly and James gulps.
"I wasn't sure what to get you…my friends suggested some…odd things but then Remus suggested that maybe jewellery would be nice. I saw this in Hogsmeade last month and well…I thought it would suit you." James smiles despite himself, "I have a thing for stags; I like them a lot."
Another minute passes and James is beginning to regret ever listening to Remus Lupin but then Lily surprises him by throwing her arms around him.
James let out a distinctive squeak before hugging her back tightly.
"I love it. Oh Pott- James, I love it." They both pull away sooner than they would like.
James grins wide enough to show his slightly crooked teeth. 'Maybe Moony isn't so bad after all' he thinks
"Yeah?"
Lily nods enthusiastically,
"Of course, would you put it on for me?"
Lily turns and pulls her hair to one side, revealing a significant amount of the back of her pale neck to James' gaze.
James takes the necklace from Lily and reminds himself to breathe.
He puts it on her and shuffles closer slightly so he can fumble to close the clasp.
The stag falls to below her chest and Lily immediately picks it up in her hand and traces the details of it with her finger.
"Thank you…" she says finally, turning back to face James again.
"No problem." James replies and Lily knows that he means it.
They sit there for a while in comfortable silence. And if James stays there a bit longer than he anticipated because Lily falls asleep on his shoulder then that's a price he's more than willing to pay.
...
James forgets about the necklace completely until the following year when he and Lily are blissfully snogging in his dormitory.
The cool piece of metal hits his bare chest after he manages to tug Lily's jumper off.
James sits up on his elbows on his bed in confusion, "What-?"
Lily can't help but snort; only James would be more interested in the necklace she's wearing than the fact that he had taken his girlfriend's top off for the first time.
"It's my necklace; the one you gave me last year for my birthday, do you remember?"
James nods, absentmindedly playing with the metal stag in his hand,
"I remember. I just can't believe you still have it. Or that you wear it."
Lily feels blood rush to her cheeks and she bites her lip nervously.
"Well I...I always wear it under my clothes. That's probably why you haven't seen it..."
James lifts an eyebrow, "You always wear it?"
Lily suddenly feels very exposed, leaning over her boyfriend in her bra and jeans with his eyes studying her.
"Well...I like it and it reminds me of you..."
James' lips twitch.
Lily groans, "Stop it."
"It's cute." James says, biting back a laugh; not succeeding very well.
Lily shrugs, "I suppose I just have a thing for stags too."
James shakes his head; unable to hold back his laughter but he feels less guilty about it when Lily joins in too.
Then Lily leans down and kisses him again and they are back to where they were a few minutes ago; except now, one of James's hands runs through Lily's hair while the other clings to her necklace like a lifeline.
...
A few weeks later in class when Lily casts a patronus for the first time and her doe immediately runs to James's silvery patronus of a stag, neither of them are surprised.
...