(brief) A/N: Hello! First, thanks for checking this out. ;) So this is supposed to be mid/early seventh year, when Lily and James are "friends" but not friends (if you get what I mean...) This may have to be a tad AU-ish, message me if there are any continuity issues or whatnot. Also I have not edited this very much, so also report any typos or plot gaffes you may encounter. This story turned out far more different than I originally intended, but I hope you enjoy it!
For the first time in a very long while, the Marauders had gone a bit too far in one of their pranks.
One cold winter morning, the population of Hogwarts awoke for the first Quidditch game of the year, only to find the entire field decorated with with the gold and red stripes commonly associated with a particularly spirited house playing that morning. A huge painted lion, which had been enchanted to roar loudly, startled a few of the first years- one especially young Slytherin girl even fainted in fright. Brightly colored lettering below the lion proclaimed rather unecessarily: "Go Gryffindor!'
In the beginning, most of the students, besides the rival Slytherins, whose cries of outrage echoed across the field, weren't too cross about the field's renovation, marveling at the incredible spellwork and amount of time needed to complete such an ardous task. But once they heard the announcement that all upperclassmen were required to help undo the work, and that all Quidditch games were postponed until they finished, their amusement turned to bitterness.
Naturally, the Marauders were universally acknowledged by the school as the perpetrator of such an act. For the week that followed, all four seventh year boys were shunned by their peers for the crime. Students felt both annoyed at having to spend time cleaning up the field amidst their studies, and horrified that their beloved Quidditch season was in jeopardy. Even their fellow housemates could be seen glaring and just generally avoiding all four Marauders out of shame.
Lily Evans prided herself on being above the school's usual paltry social affairs, but even the benign Head Girl was irked by the hours she was asked to spend on the cold Quidditch turf instead of studying in the toasty warm library.
So when Lily encountered the now-infamous James Potter sitting in a dark hallway, late for rounds once again, she had reason to be a bit short with him.
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere-"
She was cut off by a quiet sob. Lily's momentary anger vanished, and she slid down next to James' sunken form.
"James? Are you alright?"
She realized then that this was the first time she had seen him cry, or appear remotely weak at all.
"Yeah, I'm... sorry I'm late. Sorry I- nevermind."
"You can tell me, James. We're friends now, right?"
Lily smiled tentatively at this, still unsure how to handle a depressed James. But wasn't this what friends were supposed to do- try?
"How can you say that after what I did?" James rounded on her, finally revealing his tear-streaked face. "The whole school hates me now."
"James, please. No one hates you. Everyone is just a little snappy because of the extra work, and pretty soon everything will get back to the normal once the field is clean again. I promise. And you still have your mates, right?"
James turned away again. "No. I don't have them. Even Sirius didn't want to pull this prank, what with exams coming up and all. But I pushed them into it, and now I have to pay the consequences." The deep shame on James' face sparked something inside of Lily.
"But that's not fair! They helped you! And you're Head Boy," she sputtered indignantly, thrown off guard at the other Marauders' unusual behavior. Since when had they started holding back on pranks?
"Exactly. But I have to do it. Tell McGonagall it was my idea. Only problem is," fresh tears appeared on James' cheeks now, "I guess I'm not Gryffindor enough to do it after all."
Lily had trouble hiding her shocked expression. James Potter, afraid of fessing up? "What makes this time differently from all the other punishments you've gotten before?"
"It's just, I was doing so well this year. Being a good Head Boy, not mouthing off to my teachers, staying focused on school, not bothering Evan-" James cut himself off, evidently remembering who he was speaking to. "But now it's all coming to nothing, just because of one stupid prank!" He slammed his fist against the wall angrily, more rage-fueled tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Hey," Lily whispered softly, gently grasping one of James' broad shoulders. "Look at me." James slowly turned to look back at her, an irate scowl still present on his face. "One mistake doesn't define an entire person." At these words, Lily's mind flashed back to a certain mistake at the end of sixth year, on both their parts. Shaking off bad memories, Lily continued: "And you're right; you have been good this year. No scratch that, great. If McGonagall has any sense left in that senile brain of hers, she'll remember that, and let you off easy." A smile danced across James' face after Lily's crack at McGonagall's sanity, and he straightened himself back up, wiping tears away from his eyes.
"Thanks Lily. She can't exactly replace me as Head Boy in the middle of the year… can she?" Lily laughed at James' suddenly concerned expression. "James, stop worrying. McGonagall's a fan of grand gestures, so if you do something big to show her you're truly sorry, she'll understand." As if her words lit a match, James' face lit up with new ambition. "I think I have one in mind. Lily, could you please cover rounds for me, just this once?" One glance at his earnest manner caused Lily to nod in assent. "And thanks for helping me, more than you'll ever know." With that, James stood up, offered a hand to Lily, and gave her an absentminded peck on the forehead before rushing down the corridor with a swish of his cloak.
Lily stood stock-still long after the tall, bespectacled figure had rounded the corner, pondering James' swift change in attitude, what his "grand gesture" entailed, and yes, the kiss. After blinking a few times and dusting off her robes, she headed off to continue with rounds, but she was unable to stop herself from thinking about her meeting with James for long into the night.
-THE NEXT DAY-
Even as Lily stumbled slothfully into the Great Hall, late for breakfast, she was keenly aware of the whispering all around her, and the looks casted towards the large windows overlooking the grounds.
She plopped down into a spot next to Marlene and Dorcas, grunting a 'morning' to both of them, and helped herself to a bowl of hot porridge.
Dorcas raised her eyebrows amusedly, and leaned over the table to make eye contact with Lily. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Lily narrowed her eyes at her friend, and resumed stuffing her face with food. Pegging Lily's odd morning deportment to excessive studying, it had happened before, Marlene turned sharply to face to the sleepy redhead. "So have you seen the Quidditch field today?" Not bothering to wait for a reply, Marlene went on. "No, of course not, you hate the sport. But go look out the window now." Lily sent Dorcas one of her patented do I really have to? looks, but she simply gestured to the windows in response. Heaving a sigh, Lily plodded over to the large glass panes showing the fields, knowing the fields would look just the same to her as-
Lily gasped in astonishment, all fatigue momentarily driven from her body. She peered out the window again, to check if she was seeing straight. Yep, she was. The Quidditch grass had been completely cleared of all signs of tampering- the stripes, lion, words completely gone. If it was possible, the field looked to be in better shape than it had originally. Pushing past the hubbub of students clustered around the windows, she slowly made her way back to the Gryffindor table, puzzling how such a miraculous feat of magic could have been achieved overnight.
"Well?" Marlene questioned Lily expectantly as she sat down by her side once more. Before she could answer, Lily's eyes caught onto a slip of parchment tucked beneath her neglected porridge bowl. "Did you two see who left this?" she asked her friends, who looked completely befuddled at the sight of the message. "No one came up to us while you were gone," Dorcas said certainly. Lily shrugged, and unfolded the parchment.
Thanks for the inspiration, Lily.
She flipped the piece over, but it was unsigned. Suddenly, the puzzle fell together in her mind, and she smiled to herself while folding up the note and tucking it in her bag. "What did it say?" Marlene asked curiously, noticing Lily's shy grin. "Nothing. Just a thank-you from a friend." Lily left the table abruptly, incapable of ridding the smile from her face for the rest of the day.
A/N: Was James a bit too... dramatic/coward-ish in this one? And should I have included the other Marauders' side of the story more? Thanks for reading! Remember, this is a ONE shot, and every review grants you a free forehead kiss from James. ;)