Something About Them
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, obviously. They belong to the elusive J.k Rowling, who gifted us all these wonderful characters, settings and the magical world. I own nothing.
However, this short story-line is my own creation.
"He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking."
― Leo Tolstoy
There's something about them. Something he cannot quite place, but he doesn't have to. He doesn't need to. He feels it. He's certain she does too.
"Alright there, Potter?"
It's been a while since she used his last name... About a year and a half, to be precise. But it doesn't bother him, not now, for her tone no longer holds the malice it used to a few years prior.
"Just fine, Evans. And yourself?"
"Spiffing." She sighed. "It's been a long day," she said, somewhat pointedly.
He met her eyes, slowly. "Yes, it has," he replied.
There's always been something about her. Something so very different than any other girl he knew, that it separated her from the average mass of the female population that James knew of.
"You wouldn't have anything to say about Diggory, would you, James?"
Of course, one of the most striking qualities was that she knew him. Really knew him. Like the back of her hand. He knew, for the life of him, he couldn't hide anything from her.
"That moronic tosser?" He shot her a winning smile. "Why would I keep tabs on that idiot?"
She sighed. "Honestly, James. How many times have I told you not to-"
"Did you hear what he said about you?" he demanded, something burning inside him. "Did you hear the passes he was making?"
Because really, he didn't know why she always kept asking him the same thing. Why he always had to explain his actions to her. She knew. And she knew he knew. He didn't know why she insisted on keeping up pretenses.
"I know James, but all I'm trying to say is-"
"No, you don't know, Lily, and that's what the problem is. You didn't hear the way he was describing you to his friends-"
"I can take care of myself, James!" she shouted now, exasperated. "I'm not going to fall head over heels for someone if they decided to come gallivanting about to me. How many times do we have to go through this?"
"As many times as it takes to get the message through," he said tightly, something deep within him coiling with anger and desperation.
"What? What message are you trying to give to the world by landing a different boy in the hospital wing every other week?"
He knew, that probably in the long run of things, he should have kept his mouth shut. But he knew that there was no point skirting around the edges now.
"That you're mine!" In a few short strides, he had closed the distance between them, grabbing her around the waist and yanking her to himself. His voice was laced with urgency, desperation, as his eyes searched her. "That you belong with me. I want to protect you, Lily. I want to hold you. Love you. Be with you. How can you expect me to not do anything when tossers like him try to take you away from me?"
The last part came out in a mere whisper, the anguish clear in his eyes, his words sounding somewhat broken. It was precisely what caused her eyes and expression both to soften.
"James-"
"I'm not good enough for you, Lily. I know I'm not. But I - I just - I can't hep it. Every time I look at you, I forget. I forget that I'm not good enough for you. That one day you will realize that I mean nothing to you. That I had just been a waste of time." He let it all out, the emotions he had been carrying around with him since quite some time. His voice probably came out all piteous, but right now, he couldn't be bothered with that.
He wanted her to know.
"I have no idea why you would even say that, James," she sighed. "Where is that arrogant, cocky bastard I knew two years ago?" she demanded. "I want him back. I don't quite think I can date a pansy."
Despite everything, James grinned.
"Lily-"
"No, let me finish." Her eyes narrowed. "I really have no idea why you just said all those things, to be quite frank."
He opened his mouth, but she silenced him with a hand; the other one went weaving through his unruly hair.
"First of all, how could you possibly say that you're not good enough?" Something shone in her eyes, and it took him a moment to realize that it was disbelief. Hard and clear disbelief.
"I'm the most complicated person on Earth, I swear." James opened his mouth once again in protest, but she gave his head and careful caress and he promptly shut it again.
"I get cross at about almost anything. The rate at which my moods change is almost inhuman."
His lips quirked slightly. "Not going to argue with that."
She gave him a good-natured glare, but carried on nonetheless.
"I shout. I yell. I lose control. I judge too easily... too quickly. I don't think anything through. I do what I think is right, and about half the times it comes back to bite me in the face."
She met his eyes slowly.
This was another reason why they were so dynamic together. Neither was afraid to speak their mind.
"Don't make me someone I'm not, James. I'm not perfect - far from it. If anything, I don't deserve you. I've been horrible to people, yes, but no one as much as you. I was terrible, James. Terrible. But you never said anything. You took all the crap I threw your way and you never yelled back. You bear me when I can't tolerate myself. You deal with my mod swings without a complain. But you're not afraid to tell me when I'm wrong. When most people would just let me do anything just because I'm in a crappy mood, you'd yell. You would yell and tell me that it was wrong. Then you'd hold me and tell me that everything will be alright. That you'll stay with me. You're the only person who can make me go absolutely mad and absolutely giddy a the same time."
Something fluttered wildly in his chest.
"I never hated you," she said suddenly, and something jolted painfully inside him. "Not back then, when you hexed those Slytherins in the corridor." He hung his head in shame. "Not when you made that big show of handing me flowers on Valentine's day in fourth year. Not when you flirted with McGonagall to get out of those detentions. Never. I never hated you, James. You know why?"
James couldn't speak, but somehow willed his head to shake slightly.
"Because I knew it wasn't you. I never really understood, to be honest, why you kept pulling off stunts like that only when I was around, because the rest of the school never really found anything you did remotely offending."
"I was an idiot, back then," he allowed.
"But that's just it, isn't it? Were. You were, James. You're not anymore. I-" She faltered, but when she looked back up at him, he saw something in her eyes that made him want to scream. Not in frustration.
"You have no idea how proud I am of you, James. Not many people would go plunging into a vicious tree to save their enemies."
His eyes widened in shock, despite the erratic beating of his heart against his rib cage.
"How-? How do you-? I didn't-"
She smiled. "Things aren't exactly a secret from me, Potter. I have my sources."
He continues to gaze at her as she continued to smile at him, trying to fathom just how he had gotten so lucky.
"You never gloated about that. Not once. You could have, very easily. But you didn't. You wouldn't have had to necessarily bring up Remus's condition. But you didn't."
He swallowed. "Lily, you have to know," he looked at her imploringly. "I wouldn't have done it even if Remus didn't have his furry little condition. I- I know that's what you thought of me, but-"
"I told you, you don't have to explain anything to me. I know who you are, James. I told you something just now and I stand by it. I am proud of you, James. Not many people care enough to change. You did."
His name sounded about ten times better coming from her lips.
His hold tightened around her waist; all the unspoken things he wanted to say going across through that gesture.
"I don't give a damn about what people say, James. They say that we never got along, never will get along. I don't think that's true. We're different, you and I. We fight and we lose control in many situations. But I know you'll never hurt me, Potter. And I want you to know-"
She looked hard at him, chin rising up in determination.
"I want you to know that I will never hurt you either. Well... not intentionally, anyway. I can't really give any solid assurance when it comes to me."
He allowed a watery sort of chuckle to escape his lips, not bothered in the least about his manly pride. She was never very open about her feelings, not just towards him, but anyone. He couldn't possibly describe what her words meant to him.
"You never cared about my ancestry. Even someone who I considered a friend got lulled into it after some time."
It was his turn to look at her fiercely.
"How many times am I supposed to tell you that it doesn't matter, Lily? I told you it's all rubbish-"
"I know that," she raised up one hand in defense. "I do. I'm just counting off more reasons why you're so great and all that rubbish."
He rolled his eyes, but opened his mouth again.
"Lily, you listen to me." His hold, if possible, became more vice-like. "None of that has ever mattered to me. All those who mind it, they aren't worth your time. I told you, it was you and only you I cared about-"
"I love you, James."
The words presently died in his throat.
"I- you- what?"
He searched her face for any signs of laughter, but saw nothing.
"I love you," she said again, simply.
He continued to look at her, not trusting his mouth.
"I thought I'd go ahead and say it, you know." She lifted herself in his arms, both her hands now curling around his neck, her soft fingers caressing his nape. "Since you've been the one doing all the chasing and everything... I thought you deserved that, at least."
She was smiling by the time she finished. Smiling widely. It seemed to lighten up the entire castle. He was sure he was smiling idiotically too, by now. His cheek muscles were almost hurting him.
Without saying a word, he bent down and captured her lips. The kiss was nothing like the ones they shared before. It was passionate but sweet. It was rough, yet gentle. It was deep, yet a mere whisper. It was James and Lily. So completely James and Lily.
After a few moments, James pulled, cheeks flushed delightedly.
"Say that again," he demanded, but his light, euphoric laughter gave him away.
Lily laughed. She leaned forwards to kiss him again and he deepened the kiss, their lips moving in perfect sync with each other. He brought her closer to him, if it was even humanly possible to do so. One of her hands moved to cup his cheek.
She was the one to pull away breathlessly, this time. He rested his forehead against hers.
"No, really, say that again."
She laughed, and in that instance, James promised himself to elicit this laughter as much as possible.
He leaned down to press his lips against hers again.
"I love you," she said, murmuring against his lips. "I love you, I love you. I love you, James."
"Well, that's a good thing, then," he said, almost breathlessly.
"Is it?"
"Hmm."
"And why would that be?" she asked, pressing her lips together tightly to avoid the little giggle she was holding back from escaping.
"Because I love you too, Lily Evans."
Loving her was like breathing. And, as it already connotes, he didn't know just how he could stop.
And with that his lips found hers again, and the two forgot about the rest of the world, or that they were getting late for dinner.
Because there really was something very different about them. Something much deeper than the fact that they merely looked adorable together, as stated by the nosy student body at Hogwarts.
They knew each other, understood each other and accepted each other for who they were.
Their relationship can never be understood, only felt. For, as they say, love can never be explained, only sensed.
And as they stood in the middle of the common room, arms around each other with silly, goofy smiles plastered on their faces, there really was nothing more to say. Except, perhaps, that their really is something special about them.
Something undefinable. But that was okay. Some thing don't really need to be explained. But yes, there definitely was... something.
Something about them.
A/N: Ah, hello, all you lovely people. So, I have no idea where this came from. I understand it's quite different from the other stories that I have written... I was sketching, actually and suddenly this title came to my mind and... Well, here it is.
I hope you people liked it. Just some Lily/James fluff to brighten your day. Short and nothing much, just some random swirling of my mind. :3
Liked it? Tell me in a review. Didn't? Let me know that in a review as well! If you want any particular theme based story... Do tell me. ^_^ It takes only a minute to write it down in that little grey box you see towards the end.
Please, review and make my day better. O:) You know you want to. :3
I think I'll start working on a Percabeth story, now. Until then...
Cheers,
RainHolly