A/N: My third "ficlet"! I hope you like it and if I get enough reviews I may write a fourth one, and then a fifth and then a sixth and then… well you know what I mean.
Just Between Us
I, Lily Evans, have fallen in love and I really, really hate it. It's not actually the love part that I mind, I actually kind of like that. What's not to like? You feel like smiling all the time, you have really nice dreams, and you get these butterflies in your stomach which aren't as unpleasant as you would think. And then there's the sense that something exciting is going to happen just around the corner.
I don't hate being in love. I hate the person I'm in love with. Now I know I'm not making much sense, my best friend, Arabella, has had the pleasure of informing me of that countless times, but I can't help disliking James Potter anymore then I can help being in love with him.
The strange thing is, I never minded James until I fell in love with him. I laughed at his jokes, I rolled my eyes at his provoking the teachers, and I supported him at Gryffindor matches along with the rest of the people in our house. But now his jokes are a bit too funny, his disrespect is a bit more provocative and his Quidditch performance- well that isn't half bad. I'm just as addicted to winning as the next person.
Seventh Year was supposed to be the best year of my life. With Arabella as Head Girl, my grades top-notch, and real life just a few short months away, everything should have been perfect.
I stared into the fire in the Common Room.
Damn you, James Potter.
***
I will look away now, I ordered myself, but my head seemed to be fixed in that direction. I closed my eyes, breathed in deeply. Now. I opened my eyes again. They were still on her.
But you can't blame a bloke. Lily Evans is normally just pretty, but now, sitting in front of the fire, with her red hair falling around her face, she was breathtaking. If I hadn't been trying so hard to look away I might have noticed that all she was doing was sitting there, looking miserable. Maybe, if I had been able to use the mush that had formerly been my mind, I would have decided to go up to her and try to comfort her, but, unfortunately, I was too far gone and Remus, my so-called friend, sat down next to her instead.
Curse you, Remus! I thought with growing jealousy. I should have been able to do that. Maybe I didn't have the sensitivity Remus possessed, or Sirius's suaveness or Peter's - er, whatever appeal Peter had to the opposite sex, but I was Head Boy, and on the Quidditch team, and I may not be the best looking boy in the school but I wasn't ugly. All that had to count for something with girls right?
Apparently not with Lily.
So what could a person do to win her over? We use to get along well enough, being in the same house and year, but just as I started fancying her we seemed to drift apart. So I was left to the conclusion that I had somehow let on that I liked her and she had been disgusted with the idea. A big blow to my ego, and a bigger one to my sanity.
What had I done to deserve to fall in love with Lily Evans?
***
"Another Monday, another meeting," Arabella Figg sighed, taking a seat next to Lily at breakfast the next day.
"Another action packed rendezvous with all the brains in our school?" Lily asked, amusedly.
"I swear Lily, if it wasn't for James I would probably fall asleep."
"James must keep you pretty occupied, then?"
Arabella chuckled at the dark expression on her best friend. "Just say the word and I'll step down in your favor."
"It's quite all right, thank you very much."
"You fancy him and I'd be willing to stake my position as Head Girl that he returns the sentiment," the brunette mumbled through the scone she had just stuffed into her mouth.
"Don't talk and chew at the same time." Lily paused, her fork halfway to her mouth, "And I don't like him."
Arabella grinned at her friend's, now customary, denial, "If you say so."
A bit further down the table a similar conversation was taking place.
"So I saw you talking to Lily yesterday," James tried to comment casually to Remus.
Sirius smirked openly, Peter shook his head pityingly and Remus tried to hide his smile.
"Yeah, she seemed kind of depressed," Remus replied, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.
"Oh? Did she tell you why?"
"Maybe it was because she's in love with someone and he's too big a prat to realize it," Sirius offered.
"That was it," Remus replied, nodding.
James shot them both a dirty look.
"You two stop it," Peter mock scolded, "You know how much James hates to blush in public."
"Sorry mate, I forgot," Sirius apologized. Then he stood up and yelled, "Oy Lily! Arabella! Could you come here a second?"
The two girls looked up in surprise. "Why?" Arabella yelled back, "Did you not do your homework again?"
"You offend me with your accusations! I only desire the pleasure of you company."
"Sirius what are you doing?" James whispered frantically.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm doing you a favor." Sirius answered before he turned back to the girls, "So what do you say?"
Arabella looked at Lily who vigorously shook her head, then turned back to Sirius. "Why not?"
As Arabella dragged a clearly reluctant Lily over, the Marauders gave James quick instructions which no one was sure he heard.
"Now remember, whatever you do, do not stutter," Sirius said.
Peter nodded, "And go with flattery, it's always the surest way."
"Just be yourself," Remus advised.
James shook away the look of horror on his face. "I hate all of you."
"Thank you." They answered together.
"For what?" Arabella asked, sitting beside Peter.
"Oh James was just telling us how much he loved us," Remus answered quickly, moving a seat down from James to make room for Lily.
Lily took a moment to glare at him before sitting down.
As conversation resumed on the table, Lily and James sat in an uncomfortable silence.
"So, er, Lily, how have you been?" James asked finally.
Lily glanced at him in surprise, "Um, I've been… fine."
"Good. That's good."
"You played very well the other day, against Slytherin," she said after a moment.
Quidditch, James grinned at her, a subject he could relate to! "Thanks. I could've never lived it down if Snape had beaten us."
"He's their Beater isn't he? You don't get on well with him?"
James laughed, feeling himself relaxing, "Mildly put, no. Sworn enemies since first year."
"Really, why?"
And so James animatedly told her the story of how he, Sirius and Remus had rescued Peter from Snape on the first ride on the Hogwarts Express. By the end of it they were both laughing, with their friends –no longer talking- staring at them with an equal mixture of surprise and satisfaction.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Transfiguration is going to start any second now," Peter said after a minute or two. Arabella, Sirius and Remus glared at him, and Lily and James finally looked away from each other.
"Right," Lily said, and grabbed Arabella's arm, "We can't be late for that!"
"See you later," was all the other girl was able to get out before Lily had pulled her out the Great Hall.
"See? That wasn't so bad was it?" Arabella asked her best friend.
Lily quickened her pace, and consequentially Arabella's, "No, but that doesn't mean anything."
Arabella sighed, "Of course not." then a second later, "Erm Lily, we were supposed to go left there."
***
"Well Prongs?" Sirius asked, still at the table.
Remus and Peter both looked at James, waiting for his reply.
From the dreamy look on his face you could tell James was smitten.
"Do you think she likes me?"
***
After classes Lily entered her dorm to find Arabella napping on her bed.
"Arabella," she said, shaking her, "Get up! You have a Prefect Meeting."
"Wha- ? No," Arabella yawned.
"It was canceled?"
"I'm sleeping," the Head Girl breathed.
"ARABELLA! WAKE UP!"
Arabella shot up, "What happened?"
"You have a Prefect meeting," Lily replied calmly.
"Oh right," Arabella moaned, sleepily, "Lily I can't go! Look at me, I won't even make it to the Library."
"Should I tell them you're sick? Are you sick?"
"No, no. Just… (yawn) sleepy." Arabella lay back down, hugging her pillow, "Can't you go for me? All you have to do is sit there and stay awake. Please?"
"Arabella, I can't-"
"Please? For me?" came the muffled reply. Lily looked at her friend, who was already asleep, and shrugged. "Why not?"
***
James realized that he was luckiest man in the world when Lily Evans walked through the door and took the seat next to him.
She smiled and said, "Arabella was feeling a bit off-color so she told me to sit in for her. Is that alright?"
At that moment it would have been alright for her to take everything he owned and never give it back. "That's fine."
She shot him another one of those dazzling smiles and was about to say something else when the Prefects started arriving.
"What's she doing here?" a Slytherin Prefect, Garracus Nott, snarled.
"She's filling in for Arabella for today," James replied firmly, and seeing the protective glint in his eye, Nott kept his peace. "Alright, what was our topic for today?"
Amos Diggory, a Hufflepuff Prefect answered, "We were discussing whether to open Hogsmeade to third years or not. I vote in favor."
"Now wait a minute Diggory," Rahul Patil of Ravenclaw, interrupted, "I think the third years are too young and irresponsible to be let loose like that."
Araviya Wood, A Gryffindor sixth-year, spoke up, "Nonsense. Amos is right. Those third-years are thirteen. That's certainly old enough!"
Full out argument broke out on the issue, and James let his gaze drift back to Lily, who was intently studying the chaos at the table. "Arabella's the peacemaker," he whispered in her ear.
"Hm?" Lily glanced up at him, and looked right into his eyes. She had never noticed the gold flecks in them before. Getting a hold of herself, she asked, "Should I try quieting them?"
James smiled slightly, "It's good for them to argue sometimes. It gets the smog out of their heads."
"Smog?" Lily said out loud, wondering if it was anything like the haze his smile was causing in her head.
"I don't know what else to call it," he apologized softly.
"No," Lily answered, pulling her eyes back to the battling Prefects, "Smog is good enough."
"James!" Araviya finally yelled, "What do you think?"
The Prefects all turned to him.
"I think the third-years are smart enough. When is the next Hogsmeade weekend?"
"The weekend after this one."
"Alright, then. I'll ask Arabella and we'll tell you at the next meeting. Is there anything else?"
"Yes," Nott said, "Slytherin thinks that the Bloody Baron is a menace to have in the Common Room. We want to get him a room of his own."
"That's ridiculous," Grace Barker, the second Hufflepuff Prefect proclaimed, setting off a new round of arguments.
James returned back to his conversation. "So what do you think of the committee that runs Hogwarts?"
Lily smiled, "They're loud."
"And… " he prodded.
"I'm glad I'm not Head Girl."
"Very smart of you."
"James? I don't mean to be rude, or anything, but how did you… I mean with your record," Lily stopped, and considered how to put it.
"How did I become Head Boy when the only person in the history of Hogwarts to have more detentions then me is Sirius?"
"Something like that."
"I'm not sure. I think it's some scheme of Dumbledore's to make me more responsible."
"Oh."
"Either that or the Sorting Hat recommended me. He's quite fond of me."
Lily wrinkled her nose at him, "How do you know?"
"He told me when he Sorted me."
Lily chuckled, "Of course he did. You're the great James Potter."
"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.
"Well you're good at everything," Lily answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "and you're father is only one of the most important people in the Ministry."
"Is that what you think of me? The Head Boy who has a famous father?"
"Aren't you though?"
James thought about that, "Well, yeah. But that's not all I am. I'm just James first, and everything else second."
There was a pause; then Lily turned to him apologetically, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't judge you. It's one of my faults, jumping to conclusions."
"Is that why you've only gone out with one person during the whole time you've been at Hogwarts?"
If Lily was surprised that James knew her dating habits she didn't show it. "That and," she grinned mischievously, "just between us?"
James nodded.
"None of them are good enough."
"Well aren't we self-confident," James laughed.
"No, just picky."
"Lily?"
"Yes, James?"
James took a deep breath and whispered, "Am I good enough?"
Lily stared at him, eyes wide.
"James?" This time it was Rahul who interrupted.
"The Bloody Baron can not have his own quarters outside Slytherin. It wouldn't be fair to any of the other ghosts, and he has been the Slytherin House ghost for the past few centuries and it would be going against tradition to evict him." James snapped. He had been so close! "Is that it?"
The Prefects looked taken aback.
"Yes," Avariya said, puzzled, "that's it."
"Meeting adjourned then."
The Prefects started to leave, but before James could confront Lily he was assaulted by Garracus Nott and Vanessa Avery.
"That wasn't fair! None of the other ghosts want their own place," Avery complained. By the time James got rid of them (with a firm "no.") Lily had left.
Cursing under his breath James ran out of the library and found her in the corridor leading to the Fat Lady.
"Lily wait!" he panted.
She turned, and then stopped for him.
He ran up to her, caught his breath, first, and then her eye and said, "You didn't answer my question."
"James, I-" Lily started, but he held up a hand to stop her.
"Because," he looked around and leaned in confidentially, "Just between us?"
Lily smiled a bit, and nodded.
"You're definitely good enough for me."
"James?"
"Yeah?"
Lily stepped closer to him, and kissed him. James, ignoring the fireworks in his head, put his arms around her.
Lily pulled away from him, leaning back into his arms. "You were always good enough for me."