Persistent

By. SadieAnnabethMellark

Summary: After a date with James, Lily tries to convince her boyfriend that she'll be fine to walk home by herself. However, James is persistent.

Disclaimer: I'm just another one of those average people who don't, unfortunately, own Harry Potter. Sorry to get your hopes up.

"I miss you." I mumbled into James' neck as I cuddled closer into his side. James held me close, keeping me warm as the snow lightly drifted onto our heads.

"I miss you too." James nuzzled his nose into the top of my hair. This was the first time I had seen him in a couple of weeks and I missed him like crazy. With him going all over the world for auror training and since I was still living with my parents, we only got to see each other every once in a while. I really missed James (Merlin, I never thought I'd say that) over the past two weeks. I missed having him and his tight hugs and soft hair and gentle kisses and sense of humor around.

We had finally been reunited again, even if it was only for a few hours. James technically wasn't even suppose to be back until January 2nd and it was December 16th, but James being, well James, decided to sneak away and come to surprise me with a visit. Even if he was suppose to be back in half an hour, since Sirius could only cover for him for so long, I was still happy and welcome to see him even if our visit was short and quick.

I knew I would have to return home again soon, but right now I just wanted to live in the moment. Just me and James, alone in a muggle park near my parents house, and just being together. And right in this moment, it seemed as if nothing could possibly go wrong. There were no death eaters. No paranoid aurora. No over bearing father. No snippy sister. No annoying, but lovable, friends. It was just us, being us. Funny how things can change so quickly.

"You'll need to leave soon." I voiced the unbearable truth.

I could feel James nod into my hair, "Unfortunately. But, I'll be back for a month on January 2nd." He squeezed my shoulders comfortingly.

"Believe me, I'm counting down the days."

"So am I."

I turned in James's arms to face him. His cheeks were a little pink from the cold and his glasses were sliding down his nose, the same way they did when he was in deep thought and was so in focus that he never pushed them up. I softly reached up and pushed them back gently so they were in place. His hazel eyes looked at me with what seemed like a soft smile.

"I better get going." I told my boyfriend, before I gave him a long slow kiss on the lips. I could feel James' arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him on the bench. My hands reached up into his unruly mop of jet black hair, running my fingers soothingly through the strands. Our kiss was a promise. A promise of safety and hope and love. James would keep himself safe and would be back soon and we would be together for as long as we wanted.

We kissed for what seemed like forever and only broke apart when we heard a whistle.

"Hey, beautiful, why don't you ditch scrawny over there and come with me." James and I broke apart to find a boy, about ten years old on a bike, staring at me hungrily. I could feel James' anger radiate off of him.

"Hey, kid." James leaned forward looking at the boy who stopped us menacingly, "Haven't you heard about respect? If you ever talk to Lily, or any woman like that again, I'll-"

"James." I chastised as I placed a hand on his arm, "He doesn't know any better."

"Lily, this little punk-" James looked back at me wide eyed.

"I need to get going anyways." I leaned in and gave James a kiss on the cheek, before standing.

"I'll give you a ride." The boy told me as he leaned against the handle bars of his bike, giving me a grin. I ignored the boy and smiled down at James, "I love you."

James stood as well, "Let me walk you home."

"No, James," I was whispering now, not wanting the kid on the bike to here us, "You only have," I looked down at my watch, a gift from James for my 17th, "10 minutes to apparate back to camp, sneak in, and get changed for training."

"I won't make as many stops and Padfoot, I think, can cover me for a few more minutes." He told me as he put an arm around my shoulders, shooting the kid on a bike a glare, as he pulled me away from the bench we had been occupying.

"I'll be fine James really." I argued, "I can get home just fine. It's only a couple blocks and I don't want you or Sirius to get in trouble. Please Jamie, go on. I'll see you in January." It killed me to say those words. I didn't want James to leave, but I knew he needed to.

"I want to spend as much time with you as I can." He told me as he pulled me closer and continued walking in the direction of my house. Against my better judgement, I couldn't help but thank Merlin that James was so persistent. So we walked together. James kept me close to his side and leaned his head against mine as we made our way to my childhood home.

And then spells were being fired. Jets of red, purple, and blue light soared in ever direction. James pulled me out of harms way of a stunning spell as he pulled out his wand with lightening speed. I fumbled for mine, still in shock that our peaceful walk home had been interrupted. I patted my pockets and tried to find my wand, only it wasn't there. It wasn't in my pocket where it had been when I had gone out of the house to meet James in the front yard. I looked around frantically. We were surrounded by cloaked figures and I was defenseless. James fired at the figures, transfiguring one into a seashell and binding another one in multiple ropes.

"James I can't find my wand." I cried frantically as I continued to search my pockets.

"I got this Lils." He told me as he held off three of the cloaked figures on my own.

I watched nervously as James sent spell after spell at the three remaining figures. He stunned one of them, knocking them to the ground for the count. I watched as my boyfriend dodged a spell I couldn't quite identify and retaliate with the same spell, hitting the cloaked man right in the head. He too, like his come fade, fell to the ground.

There was only one figure standing now, sending stunner after stunner after stunner. James, however, was an even match. He dodged and pulled me out of the way of harm as he fought off the remaining figure throwing multiple spells at a time towards the man. This was obviously the best dueler out of the group.

James and the figure fought for a few minutes, before James finally got a lucky body bind in and the last figure crumpled to the ground. James was breathing hard as he turned to me and looked me up and down.

"You okay?" He asked as he gripped my shoulders, worry clearly evident, "Where's your wand?"

Before I could answer, another voice rang out, "It's right here Potter. And don't worry, she was perfectly safe the whole time."

James whipped around to look at the old stumpy looking man. With one normal brown eye and a whizzing magical blue one, a twisted wooden staff, and the many scars he had, the man was a sore sight.

"Where the hell were you a few minutes ago, Madeye? I took on five to one." James exclaimed pointing at the figures and the seashell on the ground.

"Good work, Potter." The man, Madeye apparently, said approvingly, ignoring James' question.

James looked at Madeye as if he had gone nuts, "What?!"

Madeye waved his wand and mumbled something at the figure James had just hit with a body bind. The figure sat up and pushed back his hood to reveal a very rumpled and sour looking Sirius Black. I stared at Sirius. What was going on?

"Padfoot?" James asked surprised.

"Hey, mate." Sirius grumbled obviously upset at losing the duel between him and. James.

"You passed, Potter." Madeye told James as he waved his wand around, releasing and waking the other figures and then turning the seashell back into a human. The figures pushed their hoods back, and I recognized them as some of the aurors in training that James had introduced me too when I came to meet up with him for lunch when he was in Britan.

"What..." James trailed off looking flabbergasted as he stared around.

"It was a test mate." Sirius told him as he came closer to us. He grinned at James as he patted him on the shoulder as he bypassed him and made his way over to me, "Lilyflower! Did ya miss me?" He asked as he gave me a brotherly hug.

I couldn't help but laugh as I hugged him back, "Of course, I did Sirius."

"I believe this belongs to you, miss." I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned from Sirius' friendly hug to see the man, Madeye, holding out the familiar light brown rod. My wand. I took it from my hands and held onto it firmly, not wanting him to take it again.

"Why did you take my wand?" I asked sharply, glaring at him. He just looked down at me unfalteringly.

"If you had a wand then you would've helped Potter. We couldn't take the chance that you would've stepped in." He told me cooly.

"And what if that was a real attack and I needed to defend myself." I questioned.

"Then you, miss" he looked at me.

"Evans."

"Miss Evans, should keep a better eye on your wand. If you were using constant vigilance, then you would've noticed me stealing your wand, but you were to busy making out with Potter." He snapped at me. I felt my temper flare.

"Excuse me?!" I snarled. He didn't flinch. He just continued to stare down at me.

I was about to start a tongue lashing towards the Madeye, when I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Come on Lily, I'll walk you home." James soothe voice made my fiery internal beast calm slightly. I turned my gaze from Madeye, to my boyfriend, who was looking down at me with care gentle hazel eyes.

"You hurry up, boy." Madeye snapped at James. James nodded without even glancing at the man and pulled me to him. He pulled me away from the scene, past Sirius who smiled at me and waved as we passed. Placing his arm around my shoulders, James walked us around the corner and down the street towards my childhood home. I was still seething from. Madeye's words to me as we walked.

"Don't listen to him Lils." James soothed seeming to sense my agitation towards the man.

"That was so rude." I complained, "How can he say something like that?"

"He says a lot of things like that that aren't always very warm and fuzzy. Just ignore him." He rubbed my arm with his hand in an attempt to calm me.

I leaned against James, my heart rate finally starting to slow from the planned fake attack. It was just James and I again.

"That was so scary." I found myself mumbling. James leaned his head against my own and sighed.

"I know, Lils." He mumbled back, "That's why I'm doing this. So that I can protect you from real attacks like that."

"It makes me worry." I admitted as we shuffled across my front lawn. The windows were all a glow, inviting me inside to the warmth, but summoning me away from happiness. From James.

"Don't worry, Lils. I'll be just fine. You saw me take down-"

"I'll still worry. It's part of loving someone." I said as I led him up the porch steps.

James arm dropped from my shoulders and fell around my waist, making me face him. He looked at me seriously and pulled me closer to him so we were now nose to nose.

"I'll be just fine, my love." He whispered to me as he leaned in and kissed me softly on the nose. I closed my eyes reveling in his warm arms.

"I know you will." I whispered back.

"I love you, my Lilyflower."

"I love you too, Jamie."

THE END

A/N:( I promised you all a one-shot by the end of the week, so here it is. I think the ending is kind of funky, but I still really enjoyed writing this story and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. I got the idea from a couple nights ago when one of my guy friends offed to walk me home. I had told him I'd be fine by myself and that I could manage, but he was so persistent so I finally just let him walk me home. Nothing happened to us if you were wondering. Anyways, please please PLEASE leave a review and favorite this story. I means so much to me as a writer to read your reviews. It makes me want to keep going. If you haven't already, check out my profile page and check out my other stories. I have another James/Lily fic on there that you might enjoy called, 'The Gift'. I hope you all enjoyed this story. Thanks. S.A.M.)