Lily sat on the chair in the Head's Lounge, and after doing at least three hours of homework on only the fourth day, she was ready to relax. Seeing as her three best friends were still in the library studying for Transfiguration, she sat quietly with her head in her delicate pale hand. She turned to the desk across the room contemplating whether she should finish the remaining Astronomy homework, then decided against it when she thought about how little she new about the stars. So what to do? Then suddenly there was a loud knock at the door.
"Come in!" She suddenly regretted her quick response hoping it wasn't Potter. The door cracked open to reveal a sandy haired handsome boy with a Gryffindor uniform and a gash on his face.
"Hey, Remus. I was just thinking about how bored I was, you wouldn't fancy a walk would you?".
"You know, it looks like its about to rain, but I could go for some card games. Teach me a Muggle one!" Lily laughed and racked her brains for one that was worthwhile. She decided on 'Spit', one she learned from her teacher in elementary school. She brought the cards over from her desk and laid them out on the bed. Just as she begun to explain the game to Lupin, there was a knock on the door.
"Quick! Behind the couch!" Lily hissed. She didn't even had to tell him, as it turned out because he bolted behind her so quickly he could have set a record. She realized later how suspicious it would look if James decided to stay.
"It's open," she called a little shakily. As soon as she said so, an untidy head of black hair popped through a crack in the door.
"What d'you say, Lily? Wouldst the lovely maiden accompany me on a walk around grounds?"
"No, thank you, James, but my leg rather hurts." Lily said curtly. "Maybe another time." James fell on her floor and at first she believed that he had fainted, only to be unpleasantly surprised when he said in a dramatic way,
"Oh, the lady has given me hope for the future. Alas, the day is to come." Lily began to giggle until she suddenly realized that Remus Lupin was but 10 feet away.
"Oh, get up." She began to tug on his arms (without much success) to get him to stand up until he finally stood up on his own.
"Alright, Lily. If you need anything, I'll be around." He gave a roguish wink and walked out. As soon as the door clicked shut she turned around to look behind the sofa to tell Lupin the coast was clear. He had balled himself against the bottom of the headboard so that he could not have been seen by James unless he had been looking at him from the same way Lily was.
"He's gone." She said as she aimed some protective spells the door to the corridor outside.
"You said you wanted to go for a walk earlier, your leg hurts?"
"Yeah, it started hurting once he wanted me to go for a walk." They laughed and went on to play Spit.
Lily and Remus had become friends towards the end of their fifth year, when in a seating chart for divination they were paired. Many ridiculous situations caused them to become good friends. However, the two quickly realized that if James found out that they were friends he would constantly try to intrude on their friendship or bother Lupin to set he and Lily up. They decided it was best to remain friends in secret, and they remained that way for two years.
After Remus left, winning three Galleons from Lily due to the card game, Lily decided to go back to her homework. Just as she sat down the threatening rain clouds cleared and made her ache for some fresh air, but knowing too well that doing the work on the balcony would distract her. She pushed her head down to face the long piece of parchment she had to fill for an essay. As little as she knew about Vedic Astrology in the present, she pulled out a quill and began to work. Writing the essay was not being made any easier by the voices of the younger students enjoying their freedom that carried through the lounge's window. Although this was the last homework she had to do for the next two days, she wanted to finish the piece before she had to go down to the Great Hall to eat. She looked at the large clock on the wall and saw there were still three hours until the beginning of supper…
Almost as though he had read her mind, James knocked on the door for the second time and then she heard a loud thump. She removed the charms and then walked over the door, only to open it and see a very befuddled looking James on the floor.
"What are you doing that's so private in there, Evans?" Lily shrugged it off and asked him what he wanted.
"Well, the weather cleared up and I was hoping maybe your leg had too," he laughed.
"So I was wondering if you wanted to go hang out by the quidditch pitch. Sound good?" He asked.
"When you say 'hang out by the quidditch pitch,' do you mean watch you show off with your snitch? Or sit in the bleachers and talk?" She asked with a smirk.
"No, we could both play? Because I'm not one to sit and talk. That is, unless you're uncomfortable on a broom." Lily was at first taken aback that James declined an opportunity to show off, but then took the second part of his comment as a challenge.
"I'll have you know I am extremely capable on a broom, and I will join you." James had gotten up by now, and had taken a few steps into her room.
"Alright, then. We'll stop by the dorms so you can change out of your uniform." Lily followed him out the door.
There had only been four days of school, but already Lily had noticed a significant change in James Potter. He was still hitting on Lily on a regular basis, but now in a sweeter, less obnoxious way. He had stopped playing with his snitch just to show off, he had slightly relented on Snape, he was less of a smartass with Professors, and he took responsibility as Head boy seriously. All these things were pleasant surprises for her, but she still did not feel comfortable having James know that Remus Lupin had such a close connection with her. She ruffled her red hair a little bit in front of the mirror in her room after changing into jeans and a sweater, and then walked out. She grabbed her broom from her large closet, then walked down the stairs to see James sprawled out on her a couch in the common room and had apparently not noticed that she had come back down."Well? Are you ready to go?" James laughed and grabbed his broom, and the two walked out of the dorm.
They immediately fell into comfortable conversation once they reached the hallways. They were about to leave the great hall to get to the pitch when Lily ran into her three best friends that had stayed in the library when she had been in her room.
"Lily!" called Shannon, Naomi, and Isabella.
"Where are you going? We were just heading up to your dorm." Isabella said. James looked at her; it was written all over his face that he thought she was going to ditch him. Lily opened her mouth to tell them that she was going to go hang out with James when a nasty, disdainful voice came before her.
"Yes, where are you going? Certainly not anywhere with James…. he wouldn't be interested in a scummy Mudblood like you, would he?" Evelyn Ludeworth appeared from behind Lily, wearing a look of pure hatred towards her.
Evelyn was a petite Ravenclaw with long black hair, very pale complexion, and shockingly yellow eyes. Although Lily, Shannon, Naomi, and Isabella detested her, all had to admit she was stunning. James stepped in before a fight could break out.
"Lily and I were just heading to-" but his sentence was cut off by Evelyn stroking his toned arm and said silkily,
"Wouldn't you much rather go back to your dorm, where we can….talk?" She chuckled softly after she said 'talk'. And looked at James straight in the eyes. James looked away quickly.
"Tempting as that is, I'd much rather go with Lily. Don't much like girls who have a nasty vocabulary and insult my friends. And it would do you well not to go around calling people that- us Heads make sure such things are taken care of." And with that, he put his arm around Lily's small waist and the two walked out. Lily looked back once to see her three best friends smiling at her, and Evelyn giving her the death glare.
"Thanks." Lily said. James gave her a squeeze and they kept walking.
Once they reached the pitch, Lily and James ran into Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Sirius said something to James, but Lily didn't hear, as she was busy looking at Lupin who was giving her a look of surprise. I don't know! Lily mouthed to him, and he laughed.
"What?" Sirius and James asked at the same time.
"Nothing." Lily said.
"Alright, well we're gonna go get on our brooms for a bit. Later, Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail." James said, and nodded to each Marauder at each nickname.
Lily and James walked to the center of the pitch and mounted and took off to warm up a bit. After a few minutes, Lily kept her broom stationary in the air and James pulled up next to her, and they began to talk again.
"So show me some of your best Chaser moves. I'm sure you've got some you can teach me." James laughed, and looked up to see that the rain clouds had reappeared.
"Alright, I'll just show you the basic reach, which is harder than it seems." He spent ten minutes talking Lily through it, then decided to just get on her broom with her.
"Here scoot up, I'm getting on behind you."
"Are you sure that's safe?" Instead of answering, he hopped onto her broom and Lily suddenly got a whiff of the light cologne James was wearing.
"James? Are you sure?" She said with a great amount of uncertainty.
"Trust me, I've got you." She turned around to catch his eye, and nodded. For only five minutes James helped her through the motions until they felt rain fall on their heads. It was light at first, but quickly turned into a downpour.
"I think we should get down." James said, and Lily agreed. They reached the ground when James said,
"Here, I know a shortcut through the changing rooms. This way." They walked in silence until they got to the unlit hall leading into the castle. James spoke.
"Well that was fun. We should do that again." Lily laughed.
"Yeah, but maybe not in the air, I guess I'm less skilled on a broom than I remember. But maybe-" She looked at James and found him staring at her. For a moment, she felt the need to have him near her. He took a step towards her, and her eyes began to close…