Disclaimer: I do not own Taylor Swift, this song, or Harry Potter!
This entire collection is and will be done for Lizaluvsdoggies' Taylor Swift "Red" challenge. This specific song is also done for littlemissreadaholic's Song Shuffle Contest. Hope you enjoy! :)
Red:
Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street.
Faster than the wind, passionate as sin ending so suddenly.
I woke up slowly, unaware of the coldness until I'd been awake for ten minutes. I groaned and rolled over, searching for my blanket but not finding it. I opened my bright green eyes and looked around, finding that I'd knocked my blanket to the ground in the middle of the night. I reached over and yanked it back on, but it only surrounded me in more coldness, as no heat had been warming the blanket all night.
I huffed in annoyance and stood up, wearing my green pajama pants and one of James' old t-shirts. My feet brushed the carpet that I'd strewn over the floor in my room and I hobbled over to glance out the window.
Owls flew throughout the air, most likely trying to warm themselves up. Snow was strewn across the castle grounds and there were already tons of kids outside making snowmen and having snowball fights. I smiled as soon as I recognized a group a four students. They were having probably the most intense snowball fight in the history of snowball fights. I easily recognized one to be my ex-boyfriend, James Potter, and the other three were his best friends. Sirius Black, who was undoubtedly James' right hand man, Remus Lupin, the bookworm in their group, and Peter Pettigrew, the most timid in their group. It seemed that James and Peter were on a team while Remus and Sirius were on another.
It was Christmas break here at Hogwarts. That much was evident just by walking in to the Great Hall.
I turned around to see if any of my roommates were still asleep, but nobody was here. Those jerks must have left me to sleep. Although, they may have just been letting me sleep since I'd been up last night studying. Which, now looking back on it, was stupid because we didn't have that test for weeks still.
I quickly got changed in to a simple pair of jeans, a long-sleeved red shirt, and a black jacket. I slid in to a pair of black and white tennis shoes, and slid my wand in to my pocket before heading off to go find somebody to hang out with for the day.
Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall.
Like the colors in autumn, so bright just before they lose it all.
Loving James, honestly, had been an emotional roller coaster. He made me feel really alive every time I was around him. He was sweet and funny, but at the same time he could be the most aggravating person in the world, that you never knew what could happen. I'd broken it off with him because he kept tormenting my best friend, Severus Snape, and had never once shown remorse for it.
I'd ended it about a week ago, and everyday he came up to me at least twenty times and begged for me to take him back.
I stepped out of the castle in to the frigid morning air, and was instantly taken in to the loving atmosphere. Everyone that had stayed for the holidays were all out here, with the exception of anyone still asleep, and they were all laughing and having a wonderful time.
But, there was one person sitting underneath a barren tree, who looked alone. I smiled slightly when I saw Severus, and stepped in to the three-inch deep snow and made my way towards him.
On my way I had to pass nearby the four boys' game, and as I glanced over I spotted James frozen to the spot, staring at me. However, Sirius took this as the opportune moment to lodge a snowball through the air straight in to James's face. The snowball knocked his glasses off in to a nearby snow pile, and the surprise knocked him to the ground. The boys all erupted in to laughter and I couldn't help but let out a giggle as I strode passed them, and sat beside Severus.
Losing him was blue like I'd never known.
Missing him was dark grey all alone.
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met.
But loving him was red.
Loving him was red.
Severus and I talked throughout the morning, the lake to one side of us and the multitude of snowball fights on our other. Throughout the entire morning I would look at James, and my heart would twitch in longing.
"Lily, you can stop lying to me. I know you miss him." Severus suddenly said after a long moment of silence in which I had been staring at James.
"What?" I asked as I looked over at my black-haired friend.
"You tell me no every time I ask you if you miss him. But I know you do, so stop lying."
I sighed in defeat. "Fine, Sev." My eyes watered unwilling, and I wiped them away furiously. Sev put his arm around my shoulders. I knew he wished we could be together, but I just didn't care about Sev that way.
I missed James so much. Every silently cried myself to sleep. Even though I had Sev, Mary, and Florence to keep me company it wasn't enough. James had made me feel alive. Really alive. But he'd hurt Sev, and indirectly hurt me. You didn't mess with my friends, I don't care who you are. I couldn't try to forget him, and not just because I saw him everyday. He was forever imprinted on my heart.
Somewhere in my mind, I knew I would never find someone who would make me feel the way that James did. Loving him was amazing, better than anything I'd ever felt. I would never meet another guy like him, and a part of me was perfectly fine with that.
Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you.
Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song.
Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer.
Regretting him was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong.
I knew James inside and out. I'd been told since our first year that James was one of the most complicated people to know, but I knew him inside and out, and he knew me inside and out. At least, I think he did. He acted like he did and did everything he knew would drive me crazy for him.
Fighting with him had killed me anytime it happened. There wasn't a solution to it whenever we did. We were complete opposites, with different things in mind for everything. But, somehow, we'd figured it all out. Except for him hurting Sev. There was no way to get around that but stopping, and he refused to.
But, I couldn't bring myself to regret him. There was just no way that I could.
Losing him was blue like I'd never known.
Missing him was dark grey all alone.
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met.
But loving him was red.
Oh red.
Burning red.
I heard snow crunching as my face was buried in to my knees, which I had brought to my face. I glanced up to see James making his way over to us. Behind him Remus and Peter had joined forces to unite against Sirius, but Sirius was holding his own.
My breath hitched in my throat. I couldn't take talking to James right now. Sev seemed to see the expression on my face, before he stood up and brushed the snow off of himself before situating himself between me and James.
"She doesn't want to talk to you." He said as James came to a halt a few feet from him.
"I don't care what you have to say, Snivellus. Get out of my way."
"No, I don't think I will, Potter. Lily doesn't want to see or talk to you."
"I think Evans has a voice, don't you? She can tell me for herself." James bent over so that his face wasn't obscurred to me by Sev's shoulder. "C'mon, Lils. Let me talk to you."
"For the millionth time. She doesn't want to talk to you." Sev snarled as he shoved James back.
Great, this wasn't going to be good at all.
James raised an eyebrow before clenching his hands in to fists and drawing out his wand. Sirius, Peter, and Remus seemed to notice what was going on and stopped their game, coming up to watch.
"Touch me again, and watch what happens." James snarled.
"I'd love for you to try." Sev snarled back as he took his own wand out.
"Well okay then. Exp-" I cut James off as I got to my feet.
"Stop! Both of you!" I shouted.
Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes.
Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go.
But moving on from him is impossible.
When I still see it all in my head.
Burning red.
Loving him was red.
James looked at me in shock, and Sev seemed shocked but he only kept glaring at James. I took a deep breath as I raised my eyes to look in to James's.
"Just stop. Don't you get it? This fighting is why we're done. I can't stand it!"
"Lily, I'm sorry to interfere but I don't believe it's humanely possible for these two to get along." Remus piped up. I sighed. Remus always was the polite on in their group, and the most civil.
"I know, and I don't care about that. I get it. But this constant almost killing each other thing every day is too much. I'm sick of it. You," I said as I spun to face James "need to just calm down. You aren't as high-and-mighty as you may think you are. You can't pick on everyone. And you," I said as I spun to face Sev, who had begun to snicker "need to stop picking a fight on every little thing that happens. If you trip in the hallway near James, it doesn't automatically mean that he is the one that tripped you."
Why was I trying to make ammends? To give James an excuse to take me back? Looking back on it now, I knew it was because it was impossible for me to move on from him. To live my life normally without James was just impossible. But doing it without my best friend was also impossible.
Oh losing him was blue like I'd never known.
Missing him was dark grey all alone.
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met.
'Cause loving him was red.
Yeah, yeah, red.
We're burning red.
James raised his hands in surrender as I looked at him furiously. "Ok, ok. I get it. But, can I still talk to you?" As I didn't give any indication of moving, he sighed. "In private?"
I consented, and let him lead me a few yards away so that we could talk in private. He was only a foot or so from me. Close enough that I could see the flecks in his glasses where the snow had melted and then dried on them. He smelled like soap, and his hair was as messy as it ever was. Unconsciously, he raised his hand up to try and smooth it down, but it didn't help at all. It never did.
"Look... I'm sorry, ok? I didn't realize that my messing with Snivellus bothered you so much. I just... I can't stand not being able to at least talk to you. It's literally driving me crazy that I can't just run up to you, pick you up, and spin you around like I used to."
And that's why he's spinnin' 'round in my head.
Comes back to me, burning red.
Yeah, yeah.
James continued to spout off a list of reasons why it was driving him crazy not being with me anymore. I honestly don't remember everything he said, because all I was thinking about was the fact that he seemed to miss me just as much as I missed him.
His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street.
Without warning, I wrapped my arms around his neck and placed my lips on his, cutting him off mid-sentence. James jerked in shock, but he grabbed my face gently and kissed me back. He tasted like Sherbet Lemons, which were his favorite candy. When we finally pulled apart, I smiled at James.
"It's okay. I still love you, and I always will."