James Who?
A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, though I wouldn't mind if I did.
It was a warm summer day, like many summer days are when a one Miss Lily Evans awoke in her room on the second floor of her childhood home. Today was a day unlike others though, because Miss Lily Evans had had quite a fall and could not remember hardly anything at all.
This was true in the case of half her classmates at her school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily Evans was at her best friend's house, Hestia Jones, practicing a bit of flying and attempting to play Quidditch which her dear friend loved so much. When all of the sudden, Lily over extended her reach for that bothersome Quaffle and fell quite a ways to the ground. Lily was of course rushed to St. Mungos where she received the best of care, but even so she was still a bit fuzzy in the head.
Lily squint her eyes against the bright yellow bedroom accentuated with light blue curtains, she moaned and stuffed her head underneath her fluffy pillow.
"Oh Merlin, why does it have to be so bloody bright in here!" the red-head curled up against the covers, trying to escape the sunlight from her window when Petunia slammed open her door.
"Wake up freak! Mom wants you down in the kitchen after you get dressed. You have guest." The older daughter muttered the last word haughtily, emphasizing her words with jabbing pokes at Lily's shoulder and side as the witch curled into a tighter ball.
"Now!" Petunia screeched as she ripped the covers off of Lily, prompting causing the girl to flail to the floor. Lily glared up at Petunia before flipping the bird and clamoring up to grab a towel for the shower.
Petunia screeched again and shouted, "MUUUM!" as she stalked down the stairs to rat Lily out.
Lily turned the taps to the shower, rubbing her eyes sleepily and humming to the blissfully hot water. Thank Merlin for modern plumbing…
After sufficiently completely her daily hygiene routine, Lily tied her hair up in a ponytail, whipped on some jean capris and a tank top and headed downstairs. She paused at the landing when she heard a male voice laugh, her father was already at work and she obviously didn't have a brother. Lily snorted, "If only I had a brother instead of Petty".
When Lily entered the kitchen she was met with three pairs of eyes pointed her way, one hazel, one green and one brown. "Er, hi?" Lily muttered while she sidled across the kitchen to nip some toast.
"Lily! Where are your manners? I was just having a lovely conversation with your friend James." Marie Evans admonished her youngest daughter. Sitting next to Mrs. Evans was a bouquet of stargazer lilies, neatly arranged in vase.
Lily furrowed her brow as she stared intently at the only and only James Potter, not that she knew he was the James Potter, for all she knew was, "James who?" Lily could only frown in puzzlement when the dark-haired boy gaped at her.
Mrs. Evans quickly turned back to James, reassuring him, "James dear, when I told you that Lily had a memory lapse from the fall, I knew she was forgetting some things, but I didn't think she would forget someone entirely!" seeing James's hurt look she hurriedly continued, "…but don't worry James! It's not permanent and she will remember everything eventually, the doctors have assured us. It will just take time. But why don't you two go outside and talk, you've got a lot to catch up on now." Mrs. Evans tried to smile brightly as she persuaded the two teenagers to go out the door.
Lily shuffled out the back door with a bewildered look on her face, turning her head to catch a glimpse of this stranger she apparently knows. James apparently looked just as shocked and when they were out in the yard he stood there, taking turns looking down and stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Lily cocked her head to the side and sat on the old swing set as she took in the stranger; he seemed quite shy for being a friend of hers. Or was he more than a friend? Did she have a boyfriend? No one told her that she did or if she did have a boyfriend! What if she hadn't told anyone? Oh how awful could she be that she could have forgotten that she had a boyfriend?
James interrupted her thoughts and she belatedly realized he said "…Potter" and "Hogwarts" in those few moments. Lily refrained from shaking her head and gathered her thoughts.
"I'm sorry, what did you say again?" Her large green eyes blinked up at him from her position on a swing. James suddenly flushed and stared down at his shoes again for a moment before looking her somewhat in the eye.
"I said that my name is James Potter and we're housemates at Hogwarts, we're in the same year. I play Quidditch and I just heard about your accident a few days ago from Sirius, you know Sirius still right? Anyway Hestia told Sirius and therefore he told me and here I am I …hi". His eyes pointed to the ground once more.
Lily herself flushed at his obvious worry, glancing from his shoes to his face which was still facing the ground. "Yeah, I got to see them for just a minute, but they were beautiful." The red-head flashed James a wide smile with her bright white teeth, "They're my favorite actually. Thank you…James."
James snapped his head up when he heard his first name being used by the girl who would only call him by Potter, toerag, wanker, prat…you get the drift. Lily could see his hazel eyes widen through his thick framed glasses. Very nice hazel eyes.
"So…we're in the same year, same house and you play Quidditch, and yes I do remember Sirius, at least Sirius teasing Hestia, but I don't think she really minds. Oh!" Lily gasped as her hand flew to her mouth, her emerald eyes wide. "I don't think I was supposed to tell anyone that…" Lily looked to the side and then back at James, "Please don't tell Sirius about that and don't tell Hestia I said anything." Lily blinked her huge eyes at James when he looked like he was choking on his own air supply. Her face turned quizzical when he started belting out laughter, doubled over with his hands on his knees.
"Oh bloody-oops, sorry, that's just hilarious though. I knew it. Oh boy, Sirius, when he finds out," Lily glared at him, "No, no, not from me, from her eventually I assume. I will look back upon this day and laugh when they get together finally." The wizard straightened up from his fit and wiped at his eyes.
"Well at least someone has a sense of humor about all of this." Lily crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. Instantly sober, James quickly changed the subject.
"So that's your sister in there? Not really what I imagined you would have a sibling as…" James nervously smiled, "…but we all have our odd ducks, right?" Lily rolled her eyes at his choice of phrase, kicking off the ground and swinging back and forth.
"Yeah she's never been a real fan of me since I found out I was a witch." She glanced away from James, a forlorn look in her eye, "But I've gotten used to it, you know it's not so bad, since I don't have to be around her for more than a few months out of the year." Lily paused, wondering why she was spilling her guts to a boy she barely even knew, well, she did know him but she just couldn't remember anything about him. The redhead sighed and jumped off the swing, catching James by surprise. She signaled with her hand that they should go back inside. The England summer was reaching its high point and Lily was already beginning to feel a burn on her shoulders and scalp.
"Lily? Can you do me a favor and go to the market to pick up a few things for dinner? I have to take Petunia to the salon; she's meeting Vernon's grandparents tonight." Mrs. Evans grinned at her youngest daughter, looking slightly mischievous when she said, "Oh and take James with you, I wouldn't want you to carry so much so soon after your accident."
Lily grumbled to herself a tad, reaching up to tighten her pony tail she nodded and went, "Yes, mum."
"Good!" Mrs. Evans beamed, "Now here's the list and the money." She said as she dropped a piece of paper with some pounds folded into it. "And there's a little extra so make sure that James gets something he might like for dessert to go with dinner." The older woman winked at her daughter when she was shot a raised eyebrow and mouthing that said He's staying for dinner?
Inner James, who had kept silent throughout most of the visit now burst into a joyous inner James jig that caused him to smile happily at the Evans family; even more so at the fact that Lily had not protested to his presence for an extended amount of time. As well as how Lily didn't mind him at all.
Petunia Evans liked to think of herself as a good person. A normal person who did the things that she was expected to do at the rate that was expected of her in a way that befitted a blooming young woman. Petunia was at the moment attending a local University, living at home with her parents and seeing a young man just out of University who had started his first job at the local Grunnings co. They had gone on proper dates and had never strayed into unseemly behavior and in every right she was a normal young woman with great prospects ahead of her.
Except when it came to her sister, the redheaded freak witch of a sister.
But to be fair, she really was a witch, but to Petunia she really acted like one too.
When they were young and carefree Lily had followed Petunia around like a little duckling, wanting to dress, speak and act like Petunia. To be normal and perfect like Petunia.
Until the day that blasted owl flew through their kitchen window and there was a simultaneous knock on the front door that had a woman in a green dress and cloak on the other side.
That was the day that Petunia believes she lost a sister and became an only child. At least the only normal child in the Evans family.
And every year her doted upon sister would come home during the summer and tell us how wonderful the school was and everything she learned and all of the crazy candies that she found and would bring home. And every year she would also rant about a certain person that she said she hated and would sick a thousand hordes of angry yellow jackets on. James Potter. James freaking, boy who is desperately lovesick over Lily and is actually cute but is still a wizard freak whom is now in our house bringing MY sister flowers, POTTER.
It couldn't have been more perfect if I had planned it myself. My sister falling and having some memory loss, my mother being delighted by the sweet boy who brought my sister flowers and how she could never believe all the horrible things my sister said about him. After all, there's a thin line between love and hate, right?
I see the way he looks at Lily and how she coyly looks at him, silently nervous and blushing at the flowers he brought and when he looks her straight in the eye. She doesn't even know she hates the bloke! This is too perfect, and I will thrive on her foolishness. Lily is going to fall head over heels for James freaking Potter and when she finally regains her full memories she is going to hate herself forever.
This is going to be a fantastic summer is all I can say.
A/N: Well here is the start of a story that I am going to finish (ha ha) To be quite honest the reason a few of them aren't finished is not because I lost entire inspiration, but because of college. Now that I have graduated and have spent the past few months de-vegifying my mind (Sleep is wonderful by the way, oh how I have missed it). If anyone would like to beta just let me know, and I hope to get some awesome reviews! I'm going to be writing every day and the chapters should be longer than this, this is just a teaser for the beginning. Laying the line work as I say.
In all of the Lily/James stories I've read I've never come across one with a plot quite like this, so to my knowledge the Lily Memory loss before seventh year bit is original.