Summary: One-shot. Back at the train station after a long summer holiday, James notices to his astonishment, that his beloved has done the unimaginable.
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"Ah, it's good to be back. Wormtail my man, nice seeing you again." Sirius Black along side James Potter approached their small friend of six years.
"I saw you just two days ago Pad."
"Righto." Sirius grabbed onto Peter and gave him a big, manly (with lots of back-slapping) hug. "Nothing like a final reunion at the train station to stir a man. Am I right Prongs?"
Said Prongs' attention had waned shortly after Sirius's testosterone-filled display of affection had started. He was gazing off, attempting a look of nonchalance while trying to find a certain someone.
"Mother of Merlin, Prongs. Can't keep your attention for more than a few seconds. You know there are potions to cure that."
James turned back to Sirius and Peter. "Wonder where Moony is?"
"Oh he's probably off shagging some girl senseless."
"Hardly plausible, Padfoot." Remus Lupin appeared next to Sirius with a grin on his face. "Miss me, Sirius?"
Sirius grinned back and gave Remus a quick handshake and embrace. "Nah, you're too clingy mate. I just saw you two days ago. Where's your male dignity?"
Peter rolled his eyes at his friend's playful hypocrisy. "Bloody idiot," he mumbled.
"Wotcher, Wormtail." Sirius pushed Peter playfully, but Peter caught onto his arm, causing Sirius to fall forward with him.
James uncharacteristically stood back and watched his friends. This was their seventh and final year attending Hogwarts, and despite popular belief, James was actually something of a sentimental bloke. He realized that the joy and protection of the school would be short lived and would be replaced with the harsh realities of life. He wanted to cling onto their bliss. Speaking of bliss, where was his ladylove?
"Oy Prongs, you alright? You a bit sick?" Sirius escaped from Remus and Peter arguing about something or other in the background.
James awoke from his surreal moment of reflection to find Sirius talking to him. "You're probably right, we should board soon," he said, then walked over to where his trunk was settled amongst the rest of the Marauder's junk.
"Er…" The handsomely confused friend followed James and watched him gather his things. "What's wrong with you? I asked if you were sick, I didn't say anything about boarding the train. They're not ready for us yet. We got here early, remember?"
With half of his belongings already piled into his arms, James looked up at the train to see that Sirius was indeed correct. The train doors were closed and there were few others about. "Oh," he said simply, then dropped his items unceremoniously back onto the platform.
Sirius grinned at James in a knowing way. "Not quite present are we, Prongs." He tapped his finger on his temple, indicating James' absent mindedness.
"Bugger off Sirius." James said, shaking his head.
Quite suddenly Sirius gasped in shock at something, then turned on his heel and ran toward the other two Marauders.
"Remus," he said when he was close enough to them to be able to communicate by whispering. "Do not let James see Lily. Whatever happens, James can not see Lily until we've prepared him."
Remus and Peter immediately sobered up. "What? Where is she?" Remus asked.
"She's by the train with her friends."
Remus and Peter both looked immediately toward the train in search of the red head.
"Could you be any more obvious? We're trying to keep the fact that she's here beneath the surface, and you may as well 'of bloody announced it! Gits." Sirius was shaking his head in severe disappointment at his fellow Marauders' inability to remain secretive.
"Overreacting Pad." Remus looked back at Sirius.
"I don't see her. What's the fuss anyhow, Sirius?" Peter stood on his toes and tried to locate Lily.
"James is going to be upset," was all Sirius said in response.
"So? If he's going to be peeved, why not get it over with now?" Peter said back.
"I think Sirius is hoping that we'll be able to calm him somewhat." Remus added.
"Or at least get him into a contained area where innocent bystanders won't be hurt. You remember the boils incident fifth year…" Sirius shuttered at the memory, "what a mess that was. We have to try and keep this clean."
"Alright. I still don't understand…" Remus trailed off as he saw Lily for the first time. "Oh," he said softly. "Well it could be a lot worse."
Peter still hadn't seen her. "What? Is she holding hands with Snape or something?"
Both Remus and Sirius shot Peter looks of disgust. Sirius said, "If only. That at least wouldn't be permanent."
"Oh come now Sirius, you are seriously overreacting."
"And I don't even fancy her. Can you imagine James when he sees this?"
"The world is not going to end because of this."
"It may."
Peter finally found Lily, and turned back toward the other two. "Moony, I'm going to have to side with Padfoot on this one. Bad thi…" But before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by someone yelling, "What!"
All three young men turned to see James with his back to them, facing the train and staring right at Lily. Apparently he had seen her before they could contain him. Luckily the platform was still fairly empty, so there would be a smaller number of casualties incase the situation did turn ugly, as Sirius and Peter predicted.
"Lily!" They heard him call as they walked toward him, and he walked toward her. "Lily," he repeated when they were all gathered near the train, "what did you do!"
"What are you on about, Potter?" She replied, skipping any façade of happiness to see him and getting straight to the point.
"Your hair!"
"What about it?"
"You cut it!"
"So I did," Lily grabbed a lock and inspected it. It had formerly cascaded romantically down her back, now it was cut just above her shoulders.
"How could you! What would ever posses you to cut your hair?" He spoke angrily, as if she had personally insulted his mother.
Lily was quickly loosing her temper, but held on just enough to remain coherent. "I know this may come as a shock to you, Potter, but you don't own me. I am free to do as I please."
"But why?" James asked. He was still not over the shock of seeing her like that.
"Why? Because I just am! I can do whatever I want and - "
He interrupted her. "No, I mean why did you cut it?"
Lily exhaled slowly, as if contemplating the situation carefully, then responded. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Potter." She turned and walked away from him toward the train where people were starting to board. She really did not want any more of a scene, especially since a crowd was beginning to form on the platform.
After Lily made her exit, James turned to his friends with a look that quite clearly said 'I can't believe her!' "Can you believe that? The girl is off her rocker! It was great long, and now… I can't…" James trailed off with a far off gaze in his eyes. He was obviously angry, and obviously fantasizing about what he once could do with her long, cascading hair that he couldn't do now without it.
"Oy, James." Sirius waved his hand in front of James, trying to call him back down to earth. James' eyes focused on the hand for a minute, then he turned around and walked onto the train without any of his luggage. The remaining Marauders all called out to him, but he was a man on a mission and def to any who would stop him.
On the train James was quick to locate the whereabouts of his lady. She and her friends were clustered toward the end of the train, trying to decide where to sit, amongst other girly things that James tried never to get involved with. He walked toward them, determination on his face and in his step.
"Would you birds clear out, I need to talk to Evans."
Lily gave him a look that he couldn't quite read, but he knew it had something to do with the fact that he had used her last name when earlier he was calling her 'Lily'.
"They don't need to leave, Potter. You're the one who needs to clear out."
"I need to talk to you privately."
"I'm not going to discuss my hair with you, you're being ridiculous."
"I won't talk about the hair, even though you ruined it," he couldn't help but add. "It's about something else."
"Why should I believe you? When have you ever shown me that I can take your word to mean anything?"
"I'm showing you right now," he replied, dead serious. The girls all looked at Lily, waiting for her next comeback. While Lily debated in her head whether or not to allow him his private conversation, James too was silently trying to come up with a good reason to talk to her alone; a reason that didn't involve her hair.
Lily sighed in a defeated way. "Fine. I'll meet you girls in a minute." The friends dispersed into various compartments, and Lily waited for them all to leave before she turned to James and said, "Alright, what do you want?"
He stared at her for a moment before his hand habitually went to his hair. "I wanted to ask about your holiday."
She raised an eyebrow, but avoided confrontation and answered quickly, "It went well."
"Good."
"Good."
They held eye contact for a few seconds (that felt like a few hours) before James realized that his attempt to act suave in front of her was dying pitiably. He had the horrible urge to yell at her again for her hair, but wisely held himself back in order to avoid a severe tongue lashing from the red head.
"Well," he said, his hand again finding it's way to his hair, "I'd best be off. The blokes can get into so much trouble without me."
"Right." Lily couldn't resist rolling her eyes as he turned away from her. "Next time you want to talk to me in private, the answer is definitely no."
James turned back around and looked at her. "What?"
"I said that was a waste of time. You could have asked about my holiday in front of anyone. You're bonkers."
"That wasn't all," he argued back, quickly improvising.
"You have nothing to say, Potter. I'm leaving."
"Go out with me, Evans." He winced. That was not what he had meant to say.
She stopped walking toward her compartment and turned to him. He braced himself for her inevitable screaming session, but instead she did something then that thoroughly surprised him. She laughed.
"I thought we were past that, Potter. The answer has been, is, and will forever be, no. You really need to stop asking me." With that she turned and walked away from him.
James simply stood there in shock, trying to pull the arrow from his heart. "Ouch," he said to himself.
His fellow Marauders, who had witnessed the whole incident from afar, slowly approached James to try and lure him away from the siren. "Come on, James. Let's go find a compartment," one of them said, while another grabbed his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction of Lily's compartment.
James allowed himself to be dragged along, all the while replaying Lily's words in his mind. "Will she ever say yes?" he asked himself as much as his friends.
The boys looked at each other. "James, maybe you should move on," Sirius advised. "You've been after her for years, and I think it's safe to say that she finds you conceited and despicable, among other things."
Remus looked at Sirius with the I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that face. "Well done, bogey brains," he sassed.
"You were thinking it!" Sirius responded accusingly.
"Yes, but I wasn't about to say it so bluntly. You might have been more delicate."
"Nonsense. Prongs is a man, he can handle it."
The four made their way into an empty compartment closer to the front of the train, and proceeded to sit down.
After a moment Peter spoke up. "James, I agree with Sirius. You should go after another girl. There are tons here."
"Are there? I hadn't noticed," James said in such a manner that the boys weren't sure if he was being serious.
"Look mate, I'll find you someone…" Sirius was interrupted by James suddenly standing and making his way toward the door. "Uh, James? Where are you going?"
Without answering, James exited and walked briskly down the train to where Lily was sitting with her friends. After a few hit and misses he found her compartment, and giving all abandon to sense, he strode in to find her laughing at something another girl had said.
"Lily," he declared. "Why won't you go out with me?"
She was shocked into temporary silence at his interruption, but quickly found her tongue. "Dear god, what does it take for you to leave me alone?"
"Just give me one kiss and I won't talk to you for the rest of the week."
"Absolutely not."
"Fine," he moved into the compartment and found a seat between to girls across from Lily. "Then tell me why you won't go out with me."
"I've told you a million times before."
He shrugged. "I'm a bloke, I forget things."
"Potter leave."
"Grow your hair back."
She was getting angry now. "Get out before I hex you."
"You won't hex me," he called her bluff. "Just tell me why you won't be my girlfriend and I'll leave."
She glared at him as though trying to make him combust with telekinesis. Finally she conceded. "You're a prick, you're rude, immature, idiotic, obnoxious, conceited, and degrading. You try and hide your intelligence, which I find disgusting, and your endlessly asking me out is the singularly most annoying thing I've ever had to endure. Not to mention the fact that you think you have a say in what I do and who I see." She took a deep breath and relaxed a bit.
James stood his ground, even though he was being torn to pieces. "Anything else?" he asked when she had finished.
"No."
"Good," he stated. "Because you missed my good points. I'm loyal, and good, and smart in my own way. I may not be your ideal man, but it's not because I don't try. Did it ever occur to you that the reason I'm obnoxious is because I want your attention? You're the one that I want, and I'm not going to stop until I get you." When he was done the compartment was dead silent except for the sounds of the train.
Finally Lily spoke. "Anything else?"
"Yes. Why the hell did you cut your hair?"
James Potter spent the first night of his seventh year at Hogwarts in the hospital wing.