Petunia Evans walked into the kitchen, smoothing down her skirt as she did and she cleared her throat loudly, getting everyone's attention immediately.
"Lily, there's someone here to see you" she informed her sister in a crisp voice and a frown formed on the redhead's face.
"Who is it?"
Petunia's face turned blank as she shrugged in reply.
"I don't know, but he's asking for you. Should I invite him in?"
Lily shook her head and stood up from the table, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"No, I'll go. Thanks, Tuney" she answered with a polite smile which her sister didn't return and she made her way into the hallway while her parents gave each other curious looks.
She tried to stand up on her tiptoes to peak through the glass window at the top but she wasn't quite tall enough so she resigned and opened the door, her breath hitching as she recognised the seventeen year old standing with his back to her on her doorstep looking around the neighbourhood.
He turned around at the sound of the door opening and his hazel eyes which were accompanied with a pair of round rimmed glasses widened at the sight of her. He smiled nervously, which wasn't something he usually did, as anxious was never something she would use to describe James Potter.
"Hello, Evans" he greeted cheerfully and her mouth opened and closed, apparently lost for words which caused him to grin.
"J-Potter!" she spluttered, her eyes never leaving his as he ran a hand through his messy black hair and he shrugged lamely.
"That's what they call me."
She closed her mouth, realising she must have looked like a pathetic goldfish desperate for air as she placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him.
"What are you doing here?"
He sighed, pushing his hands into the pockets of his grey denim jeans and he shrugged yet again.
"Why have you shut yourself off?"
This wasn't something she felt comfortable discussing, and was about to ask him to leave when her mother walked up behind her and with a huge smile pulled the door open even wider so that she could see who was on the front step.
"Hello, dear" she greeted warmly and James beamed at her.
"Mrs. Evans I presume?"
Her flaming red hair had given her away that was for sure, for it clearly resembled Lily's who merely crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
"Please, call me Elizabeth" her mother responded, holding out her hand to shake his but James surprised her by grasping it gently and lifting it to his mouth and placed a small kiss on her knuckles.
"James Potter, it's a pleasure to meet you" he said winking and releasing her hand and Mrs. Evans blushed and patted her hair nervously.
"Well, Lily why don't you invite him in?" she asked stepping back and the younger woman snorted.
"I don't think that's necessary, he was just leaving" she responded rudely and her mother narrowed her eyes and turned back to James.
"Where do you live, dear?"
He cleared his throat and replied "Canons Park."
Mrs. Evans gasped and turned back to Lily in surprise before glancing back at him.
"You've come all this way?"
He nodded, smiling handsomely which made her mother step forward and pat his shoulder kindly causing Lily to roll her eyes.
"Well then you must come inside for some tea, I insist."
Lily sighed, stepping forwards.
"Mum, he can App-"
"Nonsense! Go and boil the kettle, Lily" she instructed as she stepped back and gestured for James to enter the house and he winked as he passed Lily who glared at him and closed the door, following them slowly into the kitchen.
Merlin get me out of this, she begged as she did as she was told and boiled the kettle before setting down some cups.
"Ah, who do we have here?" her father asked setting aside the newspaper and standing to shake James' hand.
He smiled and took his outstretched hand.
"James Potter, sir. I go to school with Lily" he responded as Mr. Evans shook his hand good naturedly and gestured to a seat at the table beside Petunia who was now suddenly eyeing him suspiciously as though he was something particularly nasty.
"Nice to meet you, James, I'm Richard" the older man replied and James nodded politely in his direction.
Lily stood over by the sink, glaring into the back of his head which her father noticed and frowned.
"Something wrong, dear?"
Lily shook her head as James swivelled in his seat and smirked at the redhead who raised her eyebrows.
"How do you take your poison?" she asked icily to which her mother gasped and swatted Lily away from the kettle.
James however smiled and said, "Two sugars and a teaspoon of honey" and winked causing her father to chuckle.
"So Lily you didn't mention you had a friend coming to visit" he said as he buttered his toast and Lily smiled sweetly at him.
"I wasn't aware my friend," she said the word as though she herself had been made to drink poison, "was coming to visit." She sat herself at the table and helped herself to some pancakes.
"Perhaps if you opened any of your letters than you would have had more than enough notice" James replied and Lily narrowed her eyes dangerously.
Her mother turned to look at her at once.
"I thought you hadn't heard from your friends, Lily?"
James raised his eyebrows inquisitively to which Lily shook her head slightly and got up to take the empty pancake plate to fetch some more off the stove. She leaned over James to grab the jar of jam and whispered "later" in his ear before bustling over to the sink to answer her mother.
"Oh, you know, apart from the occasional letter at the start of holidays I haven't really received much mail" she lied and her mother nodded absentmindedly as she took some tea over to Mr. Evans and James who were having polite chit chat about James' holidays.
"James will you be having breakfast?" Mrs. Evans asked and he shook his head.
"I'm already intruding, I should be leaving. I didn't realise you had no idea I was coming-" he stood from his chair but Mrs. Evans placed a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder, one that indicated finality. Lily rolled her eyes at the sizzling frying pan as she loaded bacon onto the plate.
"Nonsense," she repeated as she waved off his last sentence and pushed him gently back into his chair, "you'll stay. Lily should have let us know, it was no fault on your part, dear."
Lily gaped at her mother's back but made no comment as a plate was placed in front of her 'friend' and his shoulder was patted cheerily. Her mother bustled back to the stove and began to take over Lily's job of filling up the plates.
"Go and sit at the table, Lily. I'm sure you and James have plenty to talk about" she said with genuine smile and Lily grimaced as she traipsed back over to the table and sat down across from her sister who raised a curious eyebrow at her and she simply shrugged her shoulders.
"So Lily, tell me. How's your summer been?" James asked as he sipped his tea and placed it back onto the table and the redhead shrugged in a bored fashion.
"Uneventful."
Her father chuckled and said "she's been having a lovely time, haven't you Lily?"
She smiled and nodded at her father who inclined his head in James' direction pointedly and she sighed.
"How was your holiday, Potter?"
James leaned back as Mrs. Evans loaded his plate with pancakes, bacon, eggs and sausages and he smiled appreciatively as Mrs. Evans sat down beside her daughter.
"Thank you, Mrs. Evans" he said and she waved it away.
"Elizabeth" she reminded him and he chuckled and tucked in and Lily was beginning to become impatient and was about to remind him that she had asked him a question when he began to respond.
"As for my holidays, they were eventful, as always at the start" he began and she raised an eyebrow curiously, "but it slowly became less so; Sirius bought himself a flat so we went to see it and it's a tip, he's a dreadful housekeeper. So it's been rather quiet at home when he's not over raiding the fridge."
Mr. and Mrs. Evans laughed politely at this to which Lily smiled slightly. She could almost envision Sirius roaming the Potter's fridge because he had once again forgotten to go shopping. Or more than likely it was because he was lonely in his flat all by himself.
"You've heard of him?" he asked Lily's parents curiously to which she quickly shot them warning glances and her mum leaned forward to begin explaining.
"Lily comes home every summer with some very humorous stories" she said and James could just see Lily's face turning bright red and he fought a smirk, "mostly about that 'Potter boy and his annoying friends' and she can't stop going on and on about-"
"Mum, can you pass the jam!" Lily said loudly and her mother frowned at her and handed over the said object before opening her mouth to continue and Lily cleared her throat, "and the ketchup?"
James beat her to it this time and passed the bottle, their fingers grazing slightly and she forced a polite "thank you" before loading it onto her sausages.
"You were saying?" he asked turning back to Mrs. Evans and ignoring the subtle kick aimed at his shin under the table.
"Oh yes, well as I was saying-"
"I'm sure James doesn't want to hear all about that, Lizzy," Mr. Evans interrupted sending his daughter a wink, "how was school, James?"
Lily let out a breath of relief she hadn't realised she'd been holding in as James began to talk about Quidditch to which her father was very interested in. Lily had told him the basics over past summer holidays but as she wasn't a big enthusiast like James she couldn't tell her father all of the exciting details.
"And you broke your entire arm?" Mr. Evans asked incredulously and James nodded, flexing his right arm.
"It was mended in an instant" he reassured and Petunia glanced over at the clock.
"Going somewhere, Tuney?" Lily asked and Petunia nodded and sipped her tea with her smallest finger held outwards.
"Vernon is taking me bowling" she explained and James frowned, turning to listen to their conversation.
"Who's Vernon?" he asked out of curiosity and Petunia's eyes bugged out of her sockets as she moved away from James uncomfortably. Lily instantly felt horrified at her sister's reaction and he looked at her questioningly and she mouthed another "later".
"Vernon is Petunia's fiancé, he works in a drilling company" Mrs. Evans explained and James nodded and turned back to his breakfast. "He's a lovely man."
Lily and Mr. Evans made eye contact for a moment and both looked away quickly, which thankfully was missed by Petunia who was looking in her compact mirror but James had certainly caught it and eyed them questioningly before finishing off his tea.
"Why don't Lily and James join you?" Mrs. Evans suggested and both girls began shaking their heads quickly and words began tumbling out of their mouths.
"I don't want to intrude-"
"I don't think it's necessary-"
"I don't feel like bowling-"
"I want to spend some quality time with-"
"Potter and I are going for a walk after breakfast anyway" Lily interrupted to which silence ensued as her mother smiled delightedly and James raised his eyebrows interestedly.
"Where to sweetheart?" her father asked as he glanced between the two inquisitively.
Lily shrugged, meeting James' enquiring hazel eyes across the table.
"We've got some catching up to do is all" she replied and carried on eating her breakfast and the rest of them followed suit as the doorbell rang and Petunia flounced out of her seat and into the hallway.
"Vernon!" they heard her greet in a sickly sweet voice in the hallway and the door shut and the scuffling of feet was heard coming down the hall as Petunia re-entered the kitchen with her rather large fiancé toddling in behind her who instantly narrowed his eyes upon spotting Lily.
James hid his smirk behind his cup of tea which had been refilled from the jug on the table and lowered it only when he trusted himself not to laugh.
"Hello Vernon" Mrs. Evans greeted kindly without as much enthusiasm for James he noted and Vernon nodded at her and presented her with a bouquet of flowers he had hidden behind his back.
"Oh, they're lovely," Petunia exclaimed as she took them from him and placed them in a vase over the kitchen sink, "really thoughtful."
Mrs. Evans nodded and rose from the table to kiss him on both cheeks.
"Thank you very much" she said brightly and walked over and added some water as Petunia made her way back over to Vernon.
"Oh, Vernon this is James, Lily's friend" Petunia told him scornfully as Vernon's beady eyes continued to glance over at the extra person at the table and Vernon nodded. Lily didn't miss the emphasising on the word 'friend' and smirked to herself.
"He goes to school with me" she added and Vernon and Petunia both turned a shade lighter as Petunia's eyes narrowed into slits and James waved politely.
"Nice to meet you, Vernon" he said and rose to shake his hand to which Vernon glanced at Petunia as if he had no idea what to do and needed her permission. She gave a slight nod of her head and Vernon gripped the outstretched hand briefly before pulling back and unsubtly wiping his hand on his trousers. Lily rolled her eyes and smirked in James' direction who kept his head down so as not to laugh at Vernon's discomfort.
"Well we should head off, we'll be joining you tonight for dinner" Petunia said to their mother who smiled and waved at them.
"Have a lovely time" she said as they hurried from the kitchen and Lily could hear Petunia apologising profusely on their way out and the rest of the conversation was shut off as the door closed with a snap.
Mr. Evans turned to James immediately and frowned.
"Don't take it personally, son. They both become a bit awkward around well… You know."
James nodded and shrugged.
"Not at all."
Breakfast was finished soon after with James listening to Mr. Evans explain football to him and he couldn't quite grasp the idea of a sport without flying so Mr. Evans clapped him on the shoulder and promised to take him to a game next time he visited, to which Mrs. Evans gave a conspicuous look in Lily's direction to which Lily plainly ignored by pushing her breakfast around on her plate.
"Will you be back for lunch?" Mrs. Evans asked and Lily shook her head as she took her plate over to the sink.
"I wouldn't count on it, we might just eat out" she said as she came back to the table and collected more dishes and her mother smiled.
"I'll do that, you show James around the house" she said bustling over and Lily turned to James and inclined her head towards the living room.
It took a while to make their way through the house as James often stopped to admire and question Lily about the many Muggle items he had never seen to which she found bordering between annoying and entertaining.
"So you use those things to speak to people?" he asked pointing at the telephone and she nodded and picked up the receiver.
"You talk through here," she said pointing at the bottom of the receiver, "and listen through here," she added pointing at the top. He took it in his hands and pressed it against his ear and his eyes widened.
"I think it's broken, I can't hear anything!" he said worriedly and she let a small laugh escape as she took the receiver from him and placed it back on top of the phone.
"You need to dial someone's phone number first, it connects you through to that person" she explained as she nudged him to get him moving along through the house and she showed him around upstairs.
"This is my room so don't even think about going in there" she began to which James bluntly ignored her and opened the door and poked his head in when she wasn't looking.
"Purple walls?" he asked as she turned back and glared at him and he quickly ran into the room and she followed him in, her fists clenching.
"I told you not to come in here!"
He smirked as he leaned over her dressing table and looked at the photos in the frames, some moving and some still.
"No, you said I couldn't think about coming in here" he responded as she flopped onto her bed and glared at him, mumbling things under her breath.
His eyes roamed over the stack of unopened letters on her dresser and he picked them up and rifled through them to which Lily opened her mouth to object.
"So it wasn't just me you were ignoring then?"
She averted her gaze towards the other side of the room and he began naming each person the letters belonged to. "Alice, Mary, myself, Remus, Marlene, even Sirius mailed you, that was thoughtful of him… Alice, myself, Marlene, myself, Snape, myself… That's a little embarrassing" he said placing the stack back on her dresser and turning to face her. "Why haven't you read them, Lily?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
"I'll show you to the bathroom" she said standing up and he hurried over and blocked her path to the door.
"Evans, what's going on?" he asked, his arm pressed against the doorframe and gazing down at her sparkling emerald eyes and she closed them briefly.
"I-"
"Lily-"
Her mother's head popped over James' shoulder and he stepped back, releasing his grip on the door and Lily distanced herself from him and looked over at her mother questioningly.
She cleared her throat before continuing.
"Could you grab me some things on your way home past the shops?" she asked glancing between the two and Lily nodded.
"Sure, do you have a list?"
Mrs. Evans nodded and her eyes finally rested on her daughter's and she stepped out of the room.
"It's on the counter with the money" she said winking at James and turned and made her way down the stairs two at a time.
Lily swept from the room and James followed her as she showed him the rest of the house, the previous discussion shelved for now as James peeked into the bathroom and stepped back out again and they went downstairs to see the backyard.
It wasn't long before they had collected the list and the money and left the house both wearing warm coats and Lily's beanie covered her ears pleasantly against the wind as they walked silently down the footpath, neither saying a word.
It wasn't until they were walking along a riverbank half an hour later when Lily finally stopped and looked over the cool water and sat down. James stood still for a moment taking in his surroundings before joining her and she turned to face him.
"How did you get my address?"
He smiled lopsidedly and picked up a stick on the ground and began to fiddle with it.
"I have my sources" he answered evasively and she rolled her eyes.
"I swear if it was Remus-"
"It was Mary, actually. But don't tell her I told you or I'll have to visit you every day..." he grinned before adding, "She's worried about you too, you know."
Lily sighed and turned her gaze back to the flowing river and he tilted his head to the side.
"What are you hiding from, Lily?"
Her eyes snapped back to his and she narrowed them.
"I'm not hiding from anyone" she growled and he raised his eyebrows.
"I didn't say it was a person."
She let the comment pass and she shrugged nonchalantly.
He chuckled and leaned back, his hands holding himself up as he closed his eyes and felt the breeze ruffle his already messy hair. They sat like that for a while, not saying anything until he broke the silence.
"You haven't even replied to Snape, so it has to be serious whatever it is."
She winced at the name and pulled her legs up to her chest.
"He and I are no longer friends."
He didn't even open his eyes; he just kept them closed which frustrated her. She wanted to see rather than assume what he was thinking.
"I thought you two made up?"
The question hung in the air for a while as she began chewing her nails.
"We did, but then we realised we were kidding ourselves. We're on different paths."
"Call me judgemental but I don't think he's giving up that easily" he said turning to face her and she acknowledged he had finally opened his eyes but they weren't giving anything away just yet.
"You're judgemental, Potter."
He grinned and nodded.
"I expected as much. Has he been to visit?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Why are you being so nosy?"
"Something has set you over the edge" he answered frowning at her and her jaw dropped.
"First of all, I'm not 'over the edge' and second of all, you don't know me" she snapped and he chuckled to himself.
"That's where you're wrong, actually. You're not the type to ignore your friends, Evans, which clearly tells me something is up. And contrary to what you believe, I know you a lot better than you think I do."
She let out a frustrated groan and turned her back to him and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm not speaking to you" she said childishly.
"I've gotten used to that this summer, I'm sure a little longer can't hurt."
He heard her let out a small grunt and he smirked to himself as he leaned over and placed his hands on either side of her shoulders.
"What are you doing?"
"I thought you weren't speaking to me?" he asked as he gently squeezed his fingertips into them and although he couldn't see, he knew she was rolling her eyes.
"That was until you started manhandling me" she bit back and he didn't answer. However, she didn't bat his hands away or make any other move to stop him which surprised him the most.
"Why so tense, Evans?"
"Oh, because you're touching me? Why else?" she asked in an annoyed tone and he leaned down towards her ear.
"If you really had a problem with it then you would have stopped me by now" he murmured, tickling her ear with his breath and her heartbeat sped up for a moment as he leaned back slightly and continued working on her muscles.
After a while he helped her shrug off her coat so it was more comfortable for them both and he discarded it to the side. She was wearing her long sleeved shirt and didn't appear to be cold so he wasn't too worried and his fingers eased her muscles as she pulled her long plait over her right shoulder so it was out of the way.
"Why did you come all that way to see me?" she asked quietly and he smiled and his hands trailed lower down her back to which she slightly tensed up at but upon realising he was just kneading her back she relaxed once more.
"I wanted to make sure you were alright. We were all really worried, Lily. No one had heard from you…" he trailed off and she appreciated that because she knew what he was thinking, and it wasn't as though it wasn't already on her mind most of the summer.
"It's getting worse" she said in the same soft voice and he sighed, surprising her as he pulled her back into his chest and wrapped his arms around her, causing her to stiffen once again. His chin rested on her shoulder and eventually she willed herself to relax into his hold as the thoughts from earlier slowly disappeared and she suddenly felt safe there.
She wasn't usually this close to him, and she could faintly smell his fresh cologne against the wind and the smell of pines made her stomach tingle. She knew she had been hard on him, but she hadn't expected him to show up out of the blue on her doorstop. She just wanted it all to go away and despite the nagging feeling in the back of her head she had hoped it would.
"Don't cut us off, Lily. What do you think would happen once we got on the train?" he asked and she suddenly pulled herself out of his grasp and pulled her coat on once more.
She began to walk away at a brisk pace and he jogged to catch up to her, his eyes burning with confusion.
"Wait," he called reaching for her hand, "Lily just wait a moment!"
He pulled her back to face him and her emerald green eyes hardened.
"Did you think we would all just give up and stop speaking to you?"
She sighed, glancing at anything but him.
He tilted her chin upwards with the gentle touch of his hand.
"I'm not going back, James" she told him fiercely and he shook his head defiantly.
"Don't say that, you don't mean it" he replied, trying to convince himself he was right.
"I do mean it; I'm not going back this year."
He stepped back, glaring down at her.
"Why?"
She shrugged.
"I don't want to receive any of those Ministry sealed letters telling me that my family is dead or missing."
He seethed, gripping his hair agitatedly and running his fingers viciously through it.
"You're running away. You're giving up" he accused and Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I'm not, I'm-"
"You can't just pretend it all never happened! You can't just ignore us and expect us to not come looking for you! How do you think your friends would feel rocking up to the train station and panicking when they couldn't find you? Did you think about anyone else? Did-"
Lily's hand struck James' face with a loud slap and his red stained cheek faced her for a moment before he slowly turned back to gaze into her eyes, his emanating anger.
"I was thinking of my family! I'm doing this to protect them, they need me to keep them safe-"
"What has that got to do with cutting us out of your life?" he interrupted coolly, and her eyes softened slightly.
"I know how hard it is on your families to be sticking your neck out for people like me, you get shunned from-"
"'People like you?' Lily in case you haven't noticed, we're not all like your pal Snape who-"
He stepped back to avoid another strike to his face and caught her hand, and they both stared at it for a moment before she wrenched it from his grasp. He scratched his head before stepping back towards her.
"Our families are standing up for what we believe in, Lily. And we're already too far into it to back out now, not that we would any way. We don't regret standing up to Voldemort, Evans. We're just trying to make the world a better place for you and for Remus too. He's having it pretty bad as well, especially after the whole Snape incident."
Lily stood there staring at him for a moment, her eyes betraying vulnerability as she suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his chest and he responded by pulling her close and running his fingers through her hair soothingly.
"We're not going anywhere, I promise."
"You know," James said a couple of hours later as they sat across from one another eating salty fish and chips, "these are actually the best chips I have ever tasted."
Lily smiled as she sipped her water.
"I told you didn't I?"
He winked and stole a chip from her plate and she smacked him playfully on the arm.
"Not nearly as good as mine, but still I think the cashier had a crush on me" he said with a smirk and Lily stifled a laugh.
"Sorry to disappoint you but she bats for the other team."
He pouted and let out a sigh.
"I suppose I'll just have to settle for you then."
She blushed slightly and ignored his comment until she felt his hand nudge hers softly.
"You know I'm kidding right?"
She nodded without taking her eyes off the plate and he shook his head at her.
"You know, Mary and Marlene are both Muggleborn too" he stated and she glanced pleadingly at him.
"Please James, let's just drop it okay?"
He shrugged.
"Okay, but for the record I don't think their trunks are packed ready to run away."
She sighed and pushed her hair out of her eyes, her beanie discarded beside her on the table.
"I just want to protect my family, James. I didn't mean to hurt any of you, but I couldn't ever forgive myself if anything happened while I was at school" she admitted and he nodded and took hold of her hand.
"I know, and I can understand that. But to be honest, I don't think your parents would be too pleased when they find out that you aren't going back."
She met his eyes and for a moment they stared at one another.
"What else can I do?"
He shrugged.
"Fight with us, make a better world for everyone to coexist together."
"It's going to take a lot more than just myself, Potter."
He grinned wolfishly.
"That's where you're wrong, love. Because you have me and all of our friends and not to mention there's a lot of other people I bet would help out."
"But not Severus" she said sadly and he nodded.
"No, not Severus."
It was the first time she had heard him utter that name, the first time she had registered that he hadn't spoken his name with a sneer or plain disgust. He hadn't called him 'Snape' or 'Snivellus', he hadn't recoiled when she had said it.
He smiled and shrugged nonchalantly but she knew he was thinking the same thing.
"You think I was stupid to be friends with him again, don't you?"
He didn't answer for a moment but when he looked up at her a serious look had crossed his face.
"Do you think I was stupid to forgive Sirius?"
She shook her head quickly, her eyes searching his curiously.
"What he did was stupid, but I know that if he could take it back then he would. And if I remember correctly you didn't talk to him for a month."
He confirmed this with a nod.
"But do you think I'm stupid for forgiving Severus?"
James sighed and sipped his drink.
"I understand why you did, he was your friend. But I don't think it was the smartest thing you've ever done. Although I wouldn't call you stupid because you came realise on your own terms that he wasn't the person you thought he was."
She smiled.
"Thank you for being honest."
James nodded.
Lily leaned forward and crossed her arms on the table.
"Do you believe in second chances? For us I mean."
He stared at her curiously before nodding.
"I do."
She smiled.
"I never thought I'd be saying this, but I want to give you a chance James. I want to be your friend."
He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.
"I thought you hated me?"
Lily's smile lit up her face and James' breath hitched in his throat.
"I never hated you, Potter. You were just a git. Still are."
He smirked at her.
"What's changed?"
She shrugged and sipped her water.
"I started to notice towards the end of term you weren't as bad, and spending today with you made me realise you aren't a total toerag like I thought."
James whistled causing people nearby to look over at them and she blushed.
"So friends then?"
"For now" she said smiling coyly as she bit into a chip and he grinned as he picked up his fish and tore a chunk off and she laughed as he threw a chip at her and it hit her squarely in the forehead.
"Lily is James staying for dinner?"
Lily turned to the messy haired boy in question who was in the sitting room with her father watching a game of football on the television and he smiled.
"Only if it's not too much trouble" he began and Mr. Evans waved it away.
"Nonsense, you can't leave; the game isn't even over yet!" he exclaimed and Lily laughed as James eagerly turned back to the television and Mrs. Evans called out to her for some help in the kitchen.
"He's a lovely boy isn't he?" Mrs. Evans murmured as she popped the roast back into the oven and Lily began washing up some of the dishes that had been used in preparation.
She grinned as she scrubbed a bowl and said, "He grows on you, doesn't he?"
The twinkle in Mrs. Evans' eyes was evident as she turned to brandish a tea towel at her youngest daughter.
"Now don't you dare go breaking his heart, will you?"
The bowl slipped through Lily's fingers and clanged against the bottom of the sink as she turned to face her mother.
"What?"
Mrs. Evans glanced into the living room to make sure they wouldn't be overheard and turned back to her daughter.
"Oh, Lily he's positively smitten with you! The way he looks at you…"
Lily blushed as she turned back to the sink and continued washing dishes, trying desperately to ignore her mother's words. Sure he liked her, but he couldn't possibly-
"Need any help?"
Speak of the devil, Lily thought as she glanced at James' head which had popped around the doorway and she felt her face heating at the sight of him.
"We're fine" she spluttered and her mother smirked as she hurried over and patted James kindly on the shoulder.
"You go on and watch the television James, you're our guest after all," she said with a wink and he grinned as he stepped back.
"Let me know if you change your mind" he responded backing into the living room and Mrs. Evans turned to her youngest daughter.
"Yes, Lily, let him know" she said and the redhead flung the tea towel at her mother, shaking her head in amusement as the older woman laughed and made her way upstairs to the bathroom.
After dinner James bid his goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Evans and promised to visit another day while Lily waited in the hallway to walk him out. Mrs. Evans smiled knowingly at her daughter who shook her head and followed James to the door.
She shut it behind them to prevent any eavesdropping and she turned awkwardly to James and shrugged.
"Thanks for coming to visit," she said and shook her head, "even if I was horrible when you first arrived."
He grinned and set off down the pathway and she followed behind him, not trusting her mother to be sitting at the kitchen table and waiting. Knowing her she'd be peaking through the window on top of the door, she thought glancing over her shoulder nervously.
"I'll be seeing you on the train?" he asked and she sighed turning back to face him and shrugged.
"I'll visit you every day until you do," he warned, "and even if I have to sneak out of the castle I'll still visit you when term starts."
She grinned up at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as a slight blush crept onto her cheeks.
"I don't think I would object to that, actually."
James raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Perhaps I won't and then you'll have no other choice but come back to Hogwarts so you can see me every day."
She snorted, rolling her eyes at him.
"Or perhaps I'll manage to survive without seeing you for a while."
A grave expression suddenly passed over James' face as he stepped towards her and he took hold of her hand.
"Lily, you have to come back. I can talk my dad into getting your family protection-"
"No, James. I can't let your dad deal with my family drama-"
"Evans, I'm putting my foot down. You don't have a choice. You're going to Hogwarts even if I have to drag you there in your pajamas myself."
She narrowed her eyes at him and he smirked.
"You don't happen to wear your birthday suit to bed do you?"
She shoved him on the shoulder and he laughed, causing her to wrap her fingers around his mouth and glance worriedly towards the surrounding houses.
"Hush, or you'll wake the neighbours!"
She let out a small shriek as she felt the soft brush of his tongue on her palm and he laughed, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close.
"Hush, or you'll wake the neighbours" he mimicked in a high pitched voice and she retaliated by poking out her tongue.
"Evans, I am serious though. You have to come back to Hogwarts. You can't throw it all away because someone idiot has stupid ideas about blood supremacy."
She nodded, her demeanour taking a sombre turn.
"I know, I just… I'm scared. I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to them."
"Well then I'll have dad look into some protection for them right away, I'll go home and wake him up-"
"Don't you dare!"
He smirked.
"I know my parents are old and all, Evans, but they don't go to bed this early. My dad would probably be up drinking with Sirius or something."
She smiled and glanced over towards the kitchen window and sure enough, her mother was peeking through the curtains at them and she pointed a finger threateningly at her until Mr. Evans came and shut the curtains, causing the pair of them to laugh.
"Your mother is a lovely woman" James told her and Lily nodded in confirmation.
"She's very nosy though," she replied and James shrugged.
"She's just hoping her little Lily brings home a decent man. I've completed her entire checklist for 'suited males for darling Lily' several times today, you know."
She pushed him playfully and stepped back, tucking her hair back behind her ear once again.
"I suppose I should get going, I don't want my mother to start sending howlers after me" he murmured and she smirked up at him.
"Would she really do that?"
He shrugged.
"I don't know, I don't even have a curfew."
She chuckled and he lifted his hand and re-tucked the stray strand of hair behind her ear again.
"I'll owl you and let you know about the protection. You'll reply though right?"
She deliberated over this playfully and he narrowed his eyes.
"Perhaps I'll just visit you instead."
She shrugged, stepping backwards and smiling shyly.
"If you must."
He smirked, taking a step towards her.
"Don't pretend you don't want to see me, Evans."
She rolled her eyes and gazed upwards at him, her breath catching in her throat as his eyes bored into hers.
"I'll see you soon, Potter," she managed to get out and he smiled.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Well, I suppose you'd better get back inside and tell your mother almost everything, she'll be dying to know the details" he said and she laughed lightly before turning away from him.
"I'll see you on the train, James," she said as she gave him a small wave and began to head back towards her house. James watched her go, shaking his head at the retreating girl before jogging to catch up with her.
"Evans," he said placing a hand on her shoulder and spinning her around so that her back was pinned up against the door, his breath tickling her chin as their noses were barely inches apart.
"I really, really like you, Lily" he murmured and she nodded slightly, their noses bumping together.
"I know, and I have to admit that as far as prats go, you're not so bad-"
She was interrupted as James' lips crashed down upon hers, taking her by surprise but she found she happened to quite enjoy the feel of his soft lips meshed against her own. Her hands gripped the front of his shirt tightly and his hand pressed against her lower back, his other hand tilting her chin upwards as his tongue grazed her lower lip.
Her hand found its way into his hair and she ran her fingers through it, relishing in the feel of messing it up even more. He broke away from her lips and trailed feather light kisses down her neck and she gasped in surprise, feeling his smirk widen against her neck.
She was about to recapture his lips with her own when the door suddenly opened behind them and they went tumbling backwards, her back hitting the floor and James landing on top of her with an "ooof."
They glanced upwards and saw Mrs. Evans standing there with a plate of cookies and a guilty smile spread across her face.
"I wasn't sure if you'd left yet so I thought you might like some of these" she said sheepishly and James pushed himself up off the floor and held out a hand to pull Lily upright. She rubbed the back of her head as she glared at her meddling mother.
"He was just leaving" she lied and her mother nodded shamelessly as she gazed down at her daughter inquisitively.
"Oh he was, was he?" she asked offering the plate to James who smiled gratefully as he took a few biscuits. "Hope you're not too sore, James" she added and he smirked down at Lily whose face had turned beet red.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Evans. I'll no doubt be seeing you soon" he said winking at her and then turned to Lily. "See you around, Evans," he said with a lopsided grin and she poked her tongue out at him as he turned back towards the door.
"We're having roast for dinner tomorrow night; you will join us won't you?"
Lily groaned.
"Mum, you're being insufferable-"
"I'd love to" James answered with an angelic smile and Mrs. Evans beamed brightly at him and offered him some more biscuits to which he loaded into his pockets, "thanks again, Mrs. Evans-"
"Elizabeth" she reprimanded him, wiggling her finger in the air as he laughed and Lily stared at her with a mortified expression.
"My apologies, I'll see you for dinner" he said winking once more and walked out the door with a wave. Lily closed the door behind him and sighed as she leant against it.
Mrs. Evans placed the plate on the table in the hallway and crossed her arms as she stared pointedly at her daughter.
"Well?"
Lily smirked as she pushed herself off the door and began to make her way towards the stairs.
"Well goodnight then mum," she said and then turned at the bottom and added, "Night dad!"
"Night, sweetheart" her father called from over the top of his newspaper and Mrs. Evans spluttered indignantly.
"But, but Lily! You haven't told me anything!" she exclaimed and Lily waved and took the stairs two at a time.
"I'll talk to you in the morning!" she replied over her shoulder and they heard her door close and Mrs. Evans sighed loudly.
"He's a perfect fit, don't you think?" she asked turning to her husband who smiled genuinely at her over his paper.
"Yes, dear," he answered and she walked over and sat beside him, a smile spreading across her face, "just don't meddle. Let them figure it out for themselves."
She laughed, turning to face him.
"I'm not meddling! I just think he's wonderful for our Lily. Do you think I should invite his family over as well?"
Mr. Evans chuckled to himself as he flicked to another page.
"Save it for another time, Lizzy. They're still young after all."
"Of course they are, Richard. No one is talking marriage just yet… Although-"
Mr. Evans shook his head amusedly as Mrs. Evans began rummaging through wedding magazines that Petunia had left behind before heading upstairs for bed.
Lily having overhearing her parents, had been on her way to the bathroom and had sat at the top of the stairs and chuckled at her parents sitting together, shaking her head as her mother got excited about something in the magazine and tapped her father on the shoulder and placed it on top of his newspaper.
She stood up and silently crept back up the stairs, ready for sleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, what with her mother getting her up at the crack of dawn to question her relentlessly about that bloody James Potter.
Thanks a bunch for reading, guys! This is just something I got inspired to write, I can't remember where I got the idea from but it was somewhere on tumblr. Also disclaimer goes to JK Rowling, so I don't own anything.
I hope you enjoyed it!
LilyHeartsJames