Thought I'd write a fun one-shot this time. You know, one that doesn't make me want to crawl under my covers with a box of tissues. Enjoy :)
The entire thing, Lily Evans thought much later from a cot in the hospital wing, really was Potter's fault. It was.
The day, deceivingly and nefariously, Lily now knew, seemed to glow with possibility. She woke up early, saw the sunrise, ate the most delicious eggs she ever tasted, and had an engaging conversation with Professor Flitwick on the adverse effects of a left twist when performing a concealment charm. Practically skipping out of the Great Hall, Lily beamed at anything and anyone she came across.
"Lil, you're grinning at a wall." Marlene McKinnon said, bitterly, after running into Lily on her way back from Quidditch practice.
"I'm having a good morning."
"You're making me sick."
"Sorry." Lily said, grinning at Marlene.
"Stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Acting like a Mungo's patient."
"I will when you do." Marlene stormed ahead of her. Lily ran to catch up.
"What's up with the sunny attitude?" Lily asked.
"Potter and his inability to schedule practice after the werewolves turn human again."
"Last night wasn't a full moon, Marlene." Lily smiled. Marlene walked faster.
"Come on, I thought complaining about Potter was my job." Marlene stopped her stomping, turning to Lily with her first smile that morning.
"Yeah, but you're real crap at it, lately. 'Thought I'd help out." Lily scowled for the first time that morning.
"Shut up." Marlene put her hands up in surrender, but kept the knowing smile. Git, Lily thought.
She was right, of course, but still a git.
The thing was...well...Lily really didn't know what the thing was. He matured, surely. After everything in fifth year, he calmed down a bit, stopped hexing indiscriminately, quit making so much of a spectacle of himself. He tutored second years; he joined Transfiguration Club (although, Lily was still convinced McGonagall forced him to do it), and...he stopped asking her out - she was happy about this. Really. On top of all that, and because of all that, Lily assumed, Dumbledore made him Head Boy to her Head Girl. A position James made his own, quickly vanishing any of Lily's lingering skepticism. Still, though, he hardly paid attention in class (although the prat really didn't need to); he pulled the same idiotic pranks (maybe some of them were a little funny), and his head still resembled the sun (well...the moon, definitely the moon). Lily hated herself. More specifically, she hated her moronic, weak-willed, debilitating feelings. Honestly, the boy walked in the same room as her and her stomach knotted, her head spun, and she felt like throwing up. Or snogging him senseless. Although she refused to acknowledge that impulse.
For the rest of their walk to Gryffindor Tower, Marlene channeled all her frustration into talking about how toned Potter's muscles were and how close Lily and him were becoming. Lily didn't know what she wanted to do more, strangle Marlene or jump off the Astronomy Tower.
"And his biceps…"
She could do both.
"I think I'm going to revise outside." Lily told Marlene once they reached the 7th year girls dormitory.
"I'll be sure to send Potter your way if I see him." Lily didn't respond. She grabbed her books, put her cloak on, and walked out the door. Stupid Marlene and her stupid - true - comments, Lily refused to let them ruin her day.
Outside, she regained most of her morning bliss. Chucking her cloak and her shoes to the side, sitting under the giant oak tree, she happily focused her attention on revising for the upcoming Transfiguration exam, only occasionally letting her mind wander. He really isn't that good looking, Lily lied to herself. So what if his muscles are kind of sculpted. Who liked sculpted muscles anyway? So what if his crooked grin sent tingles down her spine. They were bad tingles. So what…
"'Mind if I sit here, Evans."
If I want to jump him and see how his mouth tastes.
Lily's gaze shot up to James'. Yes, she wanted to say, I very much mind if you sit here. Can't you see I'm about five seconds away from combusting?
"No," her voice came out slightly raspy. James plopped himself down next to her, his leg almost touching her's, and grabbed his Transfiguration book out of his rucksack. He turned to her, smiling. Oh, Merlin.
"Minnie's really out done herself with this one. Even Sirius cracked his book open." Lily let out a strangled laugh. Oh God. James cocked his eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything. Lily tried desperately not to gulp.
"Yeah," Lily said eventually, trying to preserve some dignity, "I'm probably going to fail." James chuckled.
"What's failing for you? An E?" He smiled crookedly at her.
"Oh, Ha ha. You're hilarious," she said, dryly. Lily congratulated herself mentally. I talked like a human!
"'Knew you'd realize it eventually," he still had the crooked smile. Lily's heart fluttered. If only he knew everything she had realized.
They sat for some time, looking over their books, James occasionally commenting, Lily occasionally making strange, almost-laughs.
"Let's go for a walk," James said after, once again, Lily failed her human-interaction test.
"What?" Eloquent, really, inspired, Evans.
"A walk. It's probably the last nice day and it's Saturday. We can be swots tomorrow." He rose to his feet and Lily panicked.
"I don't have shoes on." He cocked his head. Oh good, Lily thought, the crooked smile's back. And, what is wrong with me?!
"Put them on, then."
"I don't want to." Stop, please, for the love of Merlin, stop talking.
"Then walk in you're socks. We don't have to go off the grass."
"What if someone steals them?"
"Sometimes, that's a chance we have to take." Lily bit her lip, not really knowing or wanting to respond. James laughed.
"Come on, Evans, it's a walk." He extended his hand out to her, and, really, did she have a choice? Lily let him pull her up, quickly, but - hopefully - inconspicuously dropping her hand to her side.
"See? Not so hard."
"Shush," he chuckled. Lily tried to think of something to say.
"Marlene wasn't too happy with you this morning," she blurted out.
"I'm aware. She whined all practice." Lily relaxed.
"Yeah, thanks, by the way, she took her rage out on me."
"I have to schedule practices early; we can have the pitch longer, and we avoid the spies." He defended; Lily rolled her eyes.
"You're insane."
"Maybe, but Gryffindor hasn't lost a game." He smiled all smugly. Lily tried not to smile back.
"'Still Insane."
"Also, McKinnon told me you two had a nice conversation this morning."
"What?" Lily croaked.
"She told me you put things into perspective for her, and that you were down here." Oh, Lily thought, I'll put things into perspective for her, alright.
"Well, don't ever trust anything Marlene says. She's crazier than you."
"Yeah?" What was that smile for?!
"Mhmm." His hand bumped hers, then several things happened at once.
Lily jumped. A crying Jenny Craig pointed her wand at her cheating boyfriend, Trevor Carson. Trevor dodged the hex. Lily went unconscious.
She woke up in the hospital wing a couple hours later.
The day started out so well.
Begging Madame Pomfrey to let her go accomplished nothing but getting Lily trapped there for the night. Pomfrey said she was going to make her stay, anyway, but Lily knew the truth. So, instead of trapping herself in the safety of her dormitory, she had to lie, prone and paranoid, in the Hospital Wing, where Potter could easily find her. Although, Pomfrey did ban visitors - the least she could do, really - and it was fun to see Marlene and the rest of her mates - they had been making fun of her for weeks - snapped at and carted away, Lily highly doubted Potter wouldn't get to her. He was rather good at it.
Now, staring up at the ceiling, willing it to collapse over her, Lily thought of the mess she made for herself. What am I going to do now? There was no way James was letting this go. However much she hoped he remained oblivious to her feelings, Lily knew he wasn't thick. She decided avoiding him for the rest of her life the best course of action. When, inevitably, James came to see her - Pomfrey be damned - she would just pretend to sleep. Yeah, then, when - if - Pomfrey released her, she would run up to her dormitory and stay there until the end of the year. She could find a first year to bring her homework up to her - Merlin knew her mates wouldn't do it. Perfect, Lily congratulated herself, flawless plan. Then James appeared at the foot of her bed.
"H-how-" Lily tried to speak, breathlessly, before James cut her off.
"Invisibility cloak." He lifted up a shimmering, silver fabric.
Well, she didn't account for that.
"Ah," neither spoke; James ran his hand through his hair.
"How're you feeling?" Lily startled a bit.
"Fine," she answered. He looked skeptical. "Really, I'm fine. Pomfrey just hates me, so she's making me stay the night." His lips quirked up.
"'Makes sense." There was another silence.
"She said I sprouted antlers," Lily couldn't take the silence.
"You did."
"That must have looked pretty funny."
"Nothing about that was funny." Lily sucked in a breath.
"Oh"
This is painful, Lily thought.
"I nearly snapped Trevor Carson's neck after I brought you up here."
"Not Jenny Craig's?"
"She was having a panic attack, and it was the coward's fault, anyway."
"But you didn't snap his neck?"
"I was dragged off of him before I could." Oh Merlin.
"By who?" Her voice sounded so small, but she was not letting the silence come back. Especially after that comment.
"Sirius; he made a convincing argument."
"Oh?"
"'Said it would be hard to check on you from Azkaban." Lily gulped.
"Very true." There was another bloody silence.
"Where's Pomfrey?" He didn't seem that interested in the answer. He probably hated the silence as much as her.
"Dunno, probably asleep." After a moment he seemed to remember something, and he walked to the side of her bed. Lily sat up fully. Grinning, he placed black flats down next to her. Oh sweet Merlin.
Lily smashed her pillow into her face and groaned. James laughed.
"I grabbed your cloak, too, but you seemed more concerned for your shoes."
Lily wished the ceiling would collapse already.
She didn't notice when James stopped laughing, occupied as she was with suicide plans. In fact, she didn't lift her face from the pillow until he said her name.
"Lily"
The pillow dropped and she stared.
Whether it was how full he made her name sound, or how earnest he looked, or simply because it was time, Lily didn't know, but suddenly and irrevocably a thought struck her.
What am I waiting for?
"Lily-" James began, but Lily kissed him before he could continue.
For a couple, terrifying moments, James didn't respond. Oh no. I am such an idiot! He hasn't asked me out for two years!
As Lily started to pull away, though, James' arms wrapped around her waist and he smashed her against him. Nevermind, That was the last thought Lily had for quite a while.
They enthusiastically mauled each other. His hands moved to her hair; her's moved to his. His tongue did some wild things which made Lily very grateful to be lying down. James sat on the edge of the bed, Lily pulled him further onto it. Both of them seemed pretty content to never stop when the Hospital Wing door slammed shut
"EVANS," Madame Pomfrey shouted. Lily and James sprung apart. Lily noticed she was straddling him. When did that happen. She climbed off him.
"POTTER," James stood up, as well.
"Good evening, Poppy." Lily wanted to put her face in her hands, but she decided against moving.
"OUT!" Pomfrey shouted, pointing to the door.
"Alrighty," he had the goofiest grin Lily had ever seen. Lily very nearly laughed.
"NOW!"
"I'm going; I'm going." He worked his way slowly towards the door. Lily saw a shimmering fabric hanging on the foot of her bed.
"Your cloak," she said.
James snapped his fingers and turned to face Lily, "thank you, Evans." But instead of fetching his cloak, he kissed Lily again.
"POTTER," Pomfrey roared. He pulled away.
"Leaving," his hands sprung up, but he directed all of his grin's goofiness onto Lily. She may have smiled back.
James grabbed his cloak and slowly walked backwards out of the wing. Pomfrey looked ready to hex him.
With one last wave, James walked into the corridor.
Pomfrey forced Lily to lie back down, yelling about the 'randy youth.' She barely listened, though. Lily heard whistling.
Maybe not the worst day, she thought.