A/N: Okay, this is a Jily oneshot. At first I wrote it as an english assignment, and I got an A on it(!), so I decided to post it here.
So, in sixth year, Lily gives James concert tickets for his birthday. Now it's July and the day of the actual concert has come.
It was the 5th of July 1975, and the sun was shining brightly over the high oaks as Lily led him into the festival area. There were people everywhere, clad in light clothes, many of them sitting scattered on the huge lawns and laughing in the early evening. James could hear distant music over the noise from all the people, which he assumed came from some other part of the big festival.
Lily brought him to the biggest stage, to a spot by the barricades to the left, some distance back. Around 200 people were already there, no doubt waiting for the show to begin.
James sat down and leaned against the barricade behind him, closing his eyes against the warm sunlight. He felt Lily's head brush against his shoulder as she sat down beside him.
"What was the band called again?"
"Pink Floyd, and they're a really good band actually."
"You have mentioned that a couple of times," James smirked.
"Well, it's true," Lily answered.
"They're fairly popular, I gather."
She laughed. "Guess you could say that. It doesn't start for another hour and a half, and already half the lawn is filled."
James opened his eyes to discover she was right. People were streaming onto the grass fast now, finding spots to sit as they waited. It made sense to him why Lily had been so determined to leave early.
They watched the arriving people for a while, chatting about nothing in particular. James liked the feeling of her arm softly resting against his own, maybe not even conscious of it herself. After a while Lily departed to buy some food, and returned twenty minutes later triumphantly carrying two white boxes, a bottle of water and a white plastic bag which contents James couldn't see.
"I'm going to teach you to eat Chinese food," Lily announced as she sat down beside him. James took one of the boxes from her hands and opened it curiously. He cringed at the sight of it's contents.
"What's this supposed to be?"
"Egg noodles with chicken, vegetables and soy sauce." Lily handed him two wooden sticks. James turned them in his hands.
"Are these for building the cross to your own grave, since you died from eating this?" Lily rolled her eyes.
"Just try it."
"Well, there aren't any cutlery."
"I just gave you the eating sticks, which you used to insult my choice of food with." Lily looked up at him from her own food, a questioning look on her face.
"What? You're supposed to use them to eat with?"
"Yes. Just grip the noodles with the sticks like this. It's perfectly normal in China."
"Well, I'm from England, and I think that this is completely rubbish."
"James. Just try it." She smirked slightly. "I bet you can't finish before me though."
"Oh, you should not have challenged me in something involving food, miss Evans."
Ten minutes later (involving James throwing away the eating sticks and disappearing to find – as he phrased it – a proper fork, and Lily secretly transferring some of her food into his box while he was gone) James threw himself back on the grass, arms splayed at his sides.
"And once again, James Potter is the master above all other masters in the noble art of eating."
Lily laughed. "So it wasn't that horrible then?"
"It may have happened that I wasn't exactly repulsed by the taste."
"That's victory enough for me," Lily declared, and James snorted, though the sound was slightly muffled by his wide grin.
The ground was packed with people now, but the excited buzz from around them wasn't loud enough to be disturbing. The sun was beginning to sink behind the big oaks, spreading a golden glow over everyone.
James was now sitting cross legged, his left arm leaning against the barricade. Lily was mirroring his position. Her hair was glistening in the sunlight, the red shifting in golden.
The plastic bag was situated on the ground between them. It had – to James's joy – turned out to be containing potato crisps and various types of candy.
James was chewing on a crisp, watching Lily. She had her back to the stage, and the sunset behind James was forcing her to close her eyes against the backlight. He could see the faint band of freckles stretching out over her nose and cheekbones. Her head was tilted slightly to her right, and there was a slight smile playing on her lips.
She looked so carefree, sitting there on the ground.
This was his favourite kind of Lily. Summer Lily. Relaxed, laughing, festival Lily. James decided to observe everything about this moment and remember it forever. Then when autumn came, and School Lily would be yelling at him for playing pranks on third years in the corridors, he would remember that there existed another Lily. A Lily who was just about perfect.
"Hey, Lily, listen." She opened her eyes and squinted at him. "I just wanted to thank you properly. For giving me this, I mean. It was a really great gift."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "You haven't even heard them yet."
"I'm sure I won't be disappointed. And it was great anyway. So thanks."
She smiled. "Don't mention it. It's about time you start to appreciate some real music. I can't stand the knowledge of you only listening to those horrifying wizard blues band of yours."
"Hey! The Blue Potion is actually a very good band!"
Lily just laughed.
James had just finished the last crisp when a simultaneous cheer rose from the now packed lawn, and Lily whirled around to see what was causing it.
The big black pieces of fabric that had been hanging in front of the stage earlier were now being pulled up, revealing a drum set, a synthesizer, and an electric bass. James felt excitement whirl up inside of him, and turned to Lily with a wide grin. She smiled back at him with the same intensity.
"It's about to start. Get ready for some of the greatest music you'll ever hear."
James laughed and stood up. Lily stuffed the almost emptied plastic bag in her backpack and stood up beside him. There was a bit of a fuss as everyone else did the same thing, but after a couple of minutes the big audience seemed to be ready for the show to start. An expectant murmur filled the air as they waited for something to happen. James glanced at his watch in the twilight. Almost ten o'clock.
At four minutes past ten, a man with shoulder length hair and a guitar over his shoulders walked on stage. The audience (including Lily) exploded in a clamorous cheer. Three other men followed him out on stage, and they waved swiftly before walking up to their instruments. The cheers died out, and for a moment, there was almost complete silence. Then, the man with the guitar played the first chord.
"That's Roger Waters," Lily said in his ear. She was still beaming, and her eyes were almost luminous. She looked like her biggest wish in the world had just came true, and James realised that maybe it had.
Roger Waters kept playing on his guitar, and the others joined him on their own instruments after a while. James liked the music, but he didn't quite understand Lily's worshipping expression as she swayed in time with the slow beat.
The band played a couple of songs, announcing that they came from their new album called "Wish You Were Here".
Every time Lily looked at him he smiled, assuring her that he enjoyed it. But actually, James was maybe more fascinated by the sight of Lily listening to the music, than the actual music.
The night was beginning to fall, the sky was getting darker, and the shapes of people around them melted together more and more. Lily's shoulder was pressed against his upper arm, as the crowd was getting narrower.
"This is Wish You Were Here."
As the fifth song started to play, James attention shifted from Lily to the stage. Roger Waters and one of the other band members were standing alone in the light from a spotlight, with just their guitars. The slow, mournful sound moved something inside of James that the previous songs hadn't succeeded in doing. He held his breath, waiting for the lyrics to start. Lily's shoulder was still against his arm.
"So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from hell
Blue skies from pain
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail
A smile from a veil
Do you think you can tell?"
James exhaled. The lyrics fit with the melody in a way that gave him goosebumps.
"Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts
Hot ashes for trees
Hot air for a cool breeze
Cold comfort for change?"
He glanced down at Lily. She was staring mesmerized at the stage. Apparently, she was just as filled with wonder as he was.
"How I wish, how I wish you were here
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
Year after year"
Lily was smiling. Although it was a sad song, she was standing there grinning widely. And for some reason, James did the same thing.
"Running over the same old ground
What have you found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here"
"James", she said in his ear. He tore his gaze from the stage, and as he turned to Lily, she pressed her lips against his own.
Everywhere around them, people were screaming and cheering. Roger Waters pulled off a guitar solo. Somewhere in the distance was the sound of fireworks, and then the sky was decorated with exploding lights. Lily Evans and James Potter barely noticed.
As Roger Waters hit the last chord, they broke apart. A tremendous amount of applause broke loose around them as Lily stared at him. And then she began to laugh.
Some time later they were making their way towards the exit, still lyrical after the concert. James was replaying the moment that had taken place during Wish You Were Here in his head for the thousandth time, when he came to the part where Lily had inexplicably started to laugh.
"What was it that was so amusing earlier, anyway?"
He saw her smirk in the corner of his eye.
"I was just thinking about how you said you were sure you weren't going to disappointed."
"Oh." James blinked.
"Well, were you?"
James reached out and grabbed Lily's hand, holding it tight in his slightly bigger one. He smiled.
"Not terribly, no."
A/N: I know the song doesn't really fit their situation, but I love it so much. It needed to be in a Jily fic. I hope you enjoyed it, please please review. Kisses!