It Figures

I lean back in my chair. Transfiguration is about to start, Minnie is already almost late, and I'm pretty much loving life.

Shoe-in for pre-Auror training classes: check.

Captaincy for Quidditch: check.

Best friend officially becoming my brother: check.

Nabbed a spot next to Lily for the rest of the year (making Remus hit his head on the wall and Sirius laugh until he passed out): Check, check and check.

My Head Boy badge catches the light and shines at the blackboard. It's good being me.

Yes, I know I'm being quite arrogant. Shut it. I'm happy and you're killing my buzz.

"You'll fall and hit your head, James."

Lily sweeps into the room and sits down next to me. I tilt even farther back in my seat. "I don't think so," I say sarcastically. "My Quidditch training has gifted me with the reflexes of a cat. A cat, Lily. Think about it."

She rolls her eyes, smiles and twirls sparks from her wand.

The bell rings, and immediately Minnie shouts from the front of the class, "Order! Order, I say!"

"Hot damn, Minnie, don't do that!" says Padfoot from the floor. She frightened him right out of his seat. I can't blame him. My heart rate's going faster than Snape can run from an Anti-Dandruff Charm.

"We will have order, Mr. Black, now please take your seat!" she says, but not quite as sharply as usual. Sirius takes his seat on top of the desk. Cheeky bastard. Minnie sighs. "What, Mr. Potter?"

My hand comes down out of the air and I take a place in front of the class. "Thanks, Minnie," I say. "Since this is an all-Gryffindor class, I'd like to make an announcement."

"Eurgh! Prongs, what's that on your face?"

"Moony, that's his nose! Can you believe it?"

"Moony, shut it."

"You shut it, Prongs, you're the one disrupting Minnie's lovely class, which she planned so hard to schedule!"

I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose. "As I was saying, Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow after dinner. One day only. Bring your own broom or you'll be eliminated straightaway."

"Sit down, Potter!"

"Padfoot, shut it or you'll be stuck as chaser for the rest of the season!"

"I'd steal your glory and you know it."

I roll my eyes and sit back down, flicking Sirius the bird when Minnie isn't looking. Lily chuckles.

"You trying out, flower?" I ask. Lily quirks an eyebrow at me.

"What positions are open?"

I could think of a lot of really nasty responses, but seeing as only Padfoot would understand the innuendo (and I'm a tad scared of Lily) I just tilt back in my chair and say, "Beater, Seeker and two Chasers."

She nods and looks at the board for a second, then says, "Maybe," with that flirty little shrug. Then, before I'm even over the shrug, she's pushed the back of my chair as hard as she can. Everyone watches as I fall.

"Reflexes like a cat, you said, James?" she says innocently. Moony snorts.

"Maybe a dead cat."

.o.O.o.

"Alright, Gryffindor! We now have our Chasers –" I point to Terry and Joanna – "and our Seeker!" Morgana takes a bow from where she's standing on her broom ten feet up. Showoff. "If you are not trying out for Beater, please leave the pitch!"

It's amazing how many kids can't fly in this place. Just crazy. About a hundred of the tryout-ers leave the pitch (including a few brooding Ravenclaws), leaving Errik, Will, and – no way.

"Lily, you can't try out for Beater," I sigh, looking up at her. She's hovering about seven feet off the ground, smirking and twirling that beater's bat like no one's business.

"Whyever not?" she says, all innocent. Like she doesn't know."

"Lily, you're a girl."

"How observant of you."

I sigh again and fight back a headache. "You can't go against Sirius, let alone those Slytherin thugs. It's not physically possible without illegal potions. Even Morgana can't play beater."

She smiles at me and flips her hair, saying, "Potter, I can handle myself. I've been in softball for long enough to know my way around a bat." I bite back a comment. How many innuendos could that spark? Lucky thing Sirius didn't hear.

Nevertheless, I shake my head. "No. As Captain, I forbid –"

"You and I both know you can't do that. It's against the rules. If I want to try out, I can. What's the worst that can happen?" Before I can answer — gee, you could die – she gives me the look. You know the one. The Patented Lily Glare. And as much as I love her, I'm a little bit afraid.

"Fine. It's your skin."

Errik and Will are watching me and Lily with those little smiles on their faces. I toss them bats, and I can't help but feel a little proud of Lily when Errik sags under its weight.

I grin my most wicked grin and whistle. Sirius whistles back. Padfoot's been keeping the bludger ready for over ten minutes, aiming it far from the tryouts. Now, he lets the bludger wild, following behind.

I talk quickly, eyes flitting from Errik and Will up to Lily, who's eyeing the bludger rather like a lion eyes a gazelle. Sexy. "Mount your brooms! The object is to knock Sirius out of the sky. The quickest one to do so will be the newest Beater! If none of you succeed, last-man-standing –"

Lily coughs.

"Or woman standing – last one flying wins!"

The Bludger is getting closer and closer. I can hear the wind. Errik and Will are just mounting their brooms when it first attacks – its aim is true, and its course is for Will's head. He ducks – where'd it go?

Oh. Damn!

Lily is hovering where the bludger had been, still twirling her bat lazily. The bludger is heading directly away from her.

Errik says very quietly, "What if we get hit?"

"If you die, you're done. Otherwise, you keep going until you decide that the position is not for you. GO!"

The boys push off hard and spiral into the air, trying to get their bearings. Lily is already making a circuit of the pitch. I have to say, I have good taste. I never even knew she could fly.

Errik is the first with contact – though not neccessarily the best contact for an aspiring beater. Sirius hit him full in the face while the git was giving sweet-eyes to his lady out in the stands. Bloody idiot. Glad to be shot of him.

Will is tensing up. See that line there, between his shoulder blades? He's stressed. He can't handle pressure very well, although on all other counts he's a fair player. He –

Oi!

Lily is recoiling, I can't believe it, I knew she'd get hurt, there's no way she's going to stay on –!

But she is. Damn!

That bastard Will got her in the back of the head while she was turning around the goal posts. Her face smashed as far forward as it could, right into the handle of her Nimbus. She spits out a tooth.

Sirius, I can tell, is pissed. He's friends with Lily -- loves her like a sister. And usually he keeps his calm when he gets on the pitch too – but not now. He's aiming to kill now. Okay, not really. Don't go running to McGonnagall or anything, prissy-pants.

Lily's face has that look on it through the blood. You know. The one that says she's plotting something. Her flying is less graceful now, more random, and Will can't follow. The bludger picks up on the movement and gets excited. Lily smacks the ball hard towards Padfoot and executes a nice little dip, lower toward the ground. Near me.

"Lily! Are you okay?" I call loudly. She's still a dozen yards up.

"James!" she yells down too, and I see a droplet of blood fall from her mouth. My heart hurts.

"What?"

She swoops around, towards where Sirius and Will are maneuvering for the bludger. She tosses her hair back one more time – even from here I can see how focused she is – as she calls, "Go out with me!"

...I can't breathe.

Time seems to stop for a moment. Sirius and Will freeze twenty feet up, Will a bit higher up than Sirius, looking at me. I... I really... I can't breathe.

Lily grunts with effort – I see her take a two-handed swing at the bludger, knocking it into the back of Will's head. Everything looks fuzzy to me, but I see Will go head-first over his broom and knock into Sirius. I see two black shapes hurtle towards the ground.

Dark. I can't see much except a red color... and a green... and feel a pair of arms around my shoulders as I pass out.

.o.O.o.

I wake up an hour later in the hospital wing. I can see a body thru the screen on my right. It's Padfoot, judging by the snores.

I lay back down and think. What happened? Why did I pass —

Lily.

Lily Evans. Asked me out. Asked me out!

I grin. I grin so hard that it hurts my head, and I can't help it, I feel really warm –

Oh, Merlin. It was a trick.

That little minx just asked me out to distract Will and Sirius. She just needed an opportunity. That little... I can't believe... I hit myself in the head and groan. Of course it was a trick. It bloody figures. I hate my life.

"James?"

I must be hearing voices. She's not even here. I can't see her.

"James? I'm here."

Lily's head pops into existence, and then she drops my Invisibility cloak and sits down in the chair next to my bed.

"Great," I say. "You're here. Now please clear off before Pomfrey gets wind."

She winces. "I... I was worried. You weren't waking up."

"Well, passing out takes a bit out of you."

She sits in silence for a second. I fume. I feel like a bleeding two-year-old, but I don't care at the moment, thanks very much.

"I wasn't trying to trick you," Lily says softly. I snort.

"Okay. Don't you think you've hurt enough already?"

She sucks in a breath of air. Her eyes look very wet. I backtrack. "No, no, Flower, it's okay, don't cry, I'm sorry, just don't –"

"I mean it, you know."

I blink. What?"

She's looking at me all wide-eyed, like I'm supposed to say something. I open and close my mouth without anything coming out. I mean, what am I supposed to say?

"Will you go out with me?"

Well. That would've done nicely. I grin. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Holy Merlin, yeah. I, I mean, I suppose. If I can find a spare moment." Yeah. Nice and smooth. That's how I roll.

Lily just laughs and stands up. "Go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. We have practice." She's about to leave, but stops for a moment and looks at me. Then, almost before I can realize what's happening, she kisses my forehead and leaves.

I lay back against my pillows. Thank you, Merlin. Thank you God, thank you to all of the Potter ancestors that watched over–

What is that?

Oh. Of course. There's a beater's bat on my dressing table.

It figures I would fall in love with the only girl that can hit harder than I can.