One
Arrogant Idiot
Lily thought it strange that James had liked her. She didn't even like him back. In fact, she loathed him. And not just loathed him, but loathed him with a passion. Pure hatred it was. But still, James came up with a different way everyday to try and get her to go out with him, and every attempt crashed like an airplane, leaving him girlfriendless.
His dedication and determination was impressive, though, and something Lily knew that lots of girls wanted from James. Of course they did, he was one of the youngest people to become a Seeker, he was handsome, he was talented, and his body wasn't something a girl would refuse easily. Except—of course—for Lily Evans, who refused every body part and talent he possessed everyday.
Something every girl and boy knew, though, was that he was arrogant. Most of the girls pushed that fact aside, but not Lily. In fact, this was probably one of his most biggest drawbacks; the bump in the otherwise perfectly smooth road. Not like one of his best friends was the best influence though—Sirius Black: an extremely handsome boy whom stuck to James like glue and helped him in every rule breaking event James had done. He, too, was too arrogant.
Though, there was another best friend of both James and Sirius who was the 'brain' so to speak of the pack. Remus Lupin. He also was there to tell the two troublemakers what was wrong and right, which, they of course, already knew but chose to ignore. He also did not partake in most of the bullying they did. Like when they bullied Severus Snape one time, he just stood a distance away and did not laugh at anything they did, which made all the other students laugh, but also did not do anything to stop them.
This day, though, was different for Lily Evans. James Potter had not yet asked her out. It was now like a school subject on her schedule. In fact one time on her timetable she had written at lunchtime, 'Potter asks you out. You say no. Next, Divination.' But school was nearly over that day and not a word directed to her came from James's mouth. It was a relief, really, but at the same time as if one of her classes had been canceled.
Seeing him at the Great Hall, sitting at the Gryffindor table that day she had walked by him hoping that he would ask her out, get rejected, get it over with, and move on with their day. But he did nothing. He did not even look at her. So she walked by again: nothing. Once again: nothing. And again: nothing. It was when Sirius made eye contact with her and grew a grin that she put her nose in the air and marched off, making it seem like she did not intentionally walk by.
School was now over for them, and they had the rest of the evening off, like all the other days. During this time, Lily decided to go the library and do research for her Potions class. She was average in Potions, but usually with a second try she got it finished. And now, in their fifth year, their Potions teacher had asked them to write a ten-page essay on Polyjuice Potion. Although, they were not permitted to make the potion, just to learn about it. So, there was no other choice but to do an essay on it.
Lily fingered through the many books in the huge library, standing under the Potions section. She did not find one all about the Polyjuice Potion, but books about many potions that included the said potion. She had nine pages done already and just needed more books in hopes that it would have something new to learn about the Polyjuice Potion in it and could make her essay the complete ten pages.
"I think I found one more," said a voice from behind her. Lily turned around and smiled appreciatively at her best friend, Alice, and grabbed the book, flipping through the many pages and stopping abruptly once halfway through it.
"Right here," said Lily, holding the book out so that Alice could see the page. On it were two full pages worth of the Polyjuice Potion. Both smiled hopefully and searched for new things that may be in it that has not yet been mentioned on their essay.
After ten minutes both returned to the real world with huge smiles upon their faces and immediately both sat down on the table and held the book in front of them, writing, in their own words the information given, on their piece of parchment.
With a sigh of relief, Alice dropped her pencil and examined her parchment; her eyes darting from left to right. She did this for five minutes and then rolled it up and looked down at Lily, who had not finished yet, apologetically, "I'm really sorry, Lily, but I have a pervious engagement."
Lily took a moment to look up at Alice and smiled, "It's ok, Alice. Have fun."
"I will. And I promise if I didn't have plans I'd stay with you," with that, she grabbed her pencil and darted out of the library, giving Lily the impression that she was late for this 'engagement'.
It must have been thirty more minutes before Lily was completely finished her essay and spent five more minutes looking over it like Alice had. After doing this, she rolled it up and put in her pack and slid her chair back in.
She picked up the books that were on the table and put them back in there spot and made an exit out of the deserted library – the library that was so silent. And once she exited, it was just as silent, if not more. And with one look at her watch, Lily realized that she was out past hours and if caught she would probably lose Gryffindor fifty, if not one hundred, points.
She raced down the hallway and past many doors. It was so weird walking through Hogwarts when the only light was the rare torch. She searched her robes for her wand and gasped when it was not there and searched any other place possible on her clothing. "Where are you? I carry you everywhere—"
She stopped immediately when she heard the sound of robes rustling in the dark. Without her wand she felt defenseless. But this was Hogwarts ... why would anything bad be in the castle? And wouldn't the living people in the paintings tell her if something terrible were near? They weren't that mean were they? But she was brought out of her train of thought by the sounds of footsteps that felt almost beside her.
Whipping around, she looked from each side of her with her beautiful green eyes. "Wh-who's there?" she said in a voice not even audible if there was a person standing beside her.
And then suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard 'Lumos.' She turned around so fast that before she could see who was behind her, she had to move her hair out of her eyes. And once her red locks were by her side again her eyes widened as she saw the face of James Potter standing behind her, a grin on his face.
Immediately she jerk her shoulder out of his hold and stand on the opposite side of the hall, glaring at him as he started to break into a fit of laughter. And then she noticed, with much shock, that half his body was invisible. But before she could ask questions he took off what looked like a cloak and folded it over his arm, still laughing.
"Really got you there, Evans," he said, looking down at his cloak as he put it neatly on his arm, and then into her eyes and grinned, "what are you doing out after hours anyway?"
Lily shifted on her feet and looked from James's eyes to the floor. She wanted to know what that cloak was, she also wanted to know what he was doing out after hours. She was sure that her excuse would be way more reasonable than her own, and she knew she wouldn't easily get an answer out of him. But she tried anyway,
"What are you doing out after hours?" she shot back, making her voice sound bold and the least bit frightened.
James chuckled, "Nothing."
She glared at him, "Yeah right. Well, I was doing nothing, too. Dilemma solved. Goodnight," she added before she went to step away, but was stopped by James grabbing her arm and pulling her back a little bit.
"I need to ask you something, Evans," James said, looking into her green eyes. Lily simply looked at him with a confused expression, but did not make to yank her arm away like she usually did.
"Oh, yeah, and what is that, James?" she asked, glaring at him.
James ruffled his hair by habit and looked at the wall and down the corridor, took a deep breath, and finally looked back at her eyes, "Will you—please—go out with me, Lily?"
Lily looked at the floor and started laughing, bending down when doing so, so stood back up and looked at the ceiling, her laugh was now starting to die down as she went back to just standing straight and her eyes traveled over to James's hopeful ones. She wondered if he was planning on going out after hours tonight and asking her out, or if he had forgotten or bothered not to that day and now that they were meeting alone decided to. Either way, it just seemed like another daily chore to Lily.
"No, James," Lily said simply, looking deep into her eyes. And she could see, at the moment she said no again, his heart broke once again and he quickly looked at the wall, thinking.
James looked back at Lily. He would try again. "Please ... Lily ... you don't understand..."
Lily looked at him in confusion, "I perfectly understand, James. But it seems that you don't understand that I just don't want to go out with you," and with that she tugged her arm from his hand, but he only tightened his grip and made it impossible for her to move away. "Please, James..."
But James kept his hold on her arm and pulled her closer to him. And the next thing he did surprised both him and her.
He kissed her.
James immediately closed his eyes as kissed her more passionately. He had wanted this for so long, and now he was finally getting it. Letting go of her hand, he snaked his arm around her waist and brought his free hand to play with her hair.
Lily stood stiff. He eyes were opened as wide as they could go as James deepened the kiss. She couldn't believe it. He was kissing her. What made him do this, she did not know. Was she possibly sending him signals she did not mean to? Either way, she did not intend to.
And before she could object, her body relaxed into the kiss and she brought her arms up around her shoulders and let her body go against his and he staggered back until he hit the wall.
James was surprised that she had kissed him back, but did not stop to party over this, instead he deepened the kiss even more, their tongues exploring each other's mouth as his hand ran up and down her back and the other entwining in her hair.
While kissing, Lily grabbed James's wand, breaking from the kiss for a moment and whispered, "Nox." Eliminating the light around them and went back into the kiss, tucking the wand away in his robes.
But the kiss only lasted a few seconds after that, for fast footsteps headed their way. Hearing this, Lily pushed off of James and backed up till she was leaning against the other side of the wall. But James walked over to her and began kissing her again, happy that she did not object. And he took his Invisibility Cloak and put it around them for he, too, heard the footsteps.
After a few seconds, though, Lily pushed him slightly off her and moved out of the Invisibility Cloak, and before James knew it, she was gone, leaving him alone. Waiting for the owner of the footsteps to disappear so he could run back to his common room and tell Sirius and Remus all about what happened.
Author's Note: Well, I don't know how good this was, but yeah. I don't know a whole lot about Lily and James when fifteen except for the part in the Order of the Phoenix in the chapter entitled Snape's Worst Memory where James was, frankly, a jackass.
And Lily also 'loathed' him. Although she didn't, but she acted like she did.
