If You're Not the One
By: Crescent Moony
Oneshot
If you're not the one then why does my heart feel glad today?
If you're not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way?
"Now all of you give it a try." Said McGonagall.
James glanced around the classroom to see if anyone else had finished before him. Finding that none had he leaned back in his chair with a satisfied look on his face. Out of the corner of his eye he spied Lily Evans in quite a huff about not being able to accomplish the spell. As he watched she got more and more frustrated. Finally he spoke up,"Lily, try tapping it more slowly."
She glanced up at him and gave him a suspicious look, but tried it nonetheless. Sadly it only completed the transformation halfway... James cringed at the rock with feathers that she had made.
After checking to see if McGonagall was watching he stood up and walked over to the fiery redhead.
"Here let me show you." He said, while putting a new stone on the table. Tapping is 3 time slowly he said,"Syanove." Then right before their eyes the stone hanged into a beautiful dove.
Lily sighed in frustration,"It just doesn't work when I do it." She said, angrily tucking a loose strand of curly hair behind one ear.
"Let me help you." James replied and grabbed her hand gently.
"Now... 1... 2... 3." He said.
"Syanove." She said exasperatedly. Then once more a stone turned into a beautiful dove.
She gasped in delight and tried to to spin around to thank him, but he hadn't let go of her hand yet so they ended up nose to nose. James quickly let go of her hnd and let her back away.
"I- um... Thank you." She said nervously.
He grinned and said,"Anytime."
Blushing darkly she turned back around and opened a random book.
James walked slowly back to his seat and sat down thinking about how maybe Lily Evans was a worthwhile pursuit.
If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call?
If you are not mine, would I have the strength to stand at all?
James hissed as the plant in Herbology bit him again.
He glanced up and saw that Remus was pruning his plant with no difficulty.
'How is he doing that?'
Then he glanced down to Lily who was doing the same as Remus...
He mock pouted and looked over to see Sirius arguing with his plant.
"Okay, Mr.-ow- fine! Miss Plant Here's the ground rules, no biting! Hehe... ground rules... ow!"
'Still a loony.'
Seeing Peter further on he cringed. Peter had passed out after having been bitten too many times...
'Are these things poisonous?'
"Poor guy..." He said aloud.
"Hey, Potter..." He heard a whisper, glancing over he saw Lily handing him a stick of butter. "Rub it on your fingers. I'm not sure why why, but the plants don't bite when you do." She said quietly, showing him her hands.
"Thanks." He said quietly.
She looked him straight in the eyes and said,"Anytime."
He grinned and thought,' Whoa... Look at those eyes...'
I never know what the future brings, but I know that you're here with me now.
We'll make it through, and I hope that you're the one I share my life with.
"So how's life at home?" James asked.
"It's okay. Mum and Dad are happy to have a witch in the family, but my younger sister Petunia is a bit more skeptical. Enough about me though, we've been talking about me all afternoon. What about you?" She inquired, swiftly changing the subject.
"Well life at home is good, though I'm worried about my older brother Harry, who recently joined the Aurors."
"It sounds like a scary job."
"Yeah, but he received special training so I think that he'll be fine."
"Sometimes, when I think about these dark times, I wish that I was still a muggle." Lily said sadly.
"But then we wouldn't have met." Countered James swiftly.
"That is true," Lily whispered,"Remember how we used to argue though?"
"Yeah... It's actually a little funny."
"I'm happy that we're together now." Lily said softly.
Glancing around the Three Broomsticks, James nodded in agreement. "I'm glad also."
As they talked and had their order taken, he smiled and hoped that this wouldn't end.
I don't wanna run away, but I can't take it. I don't understand.
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I could stay in your arms?
"Why do you treat him so badly?!" Lily shouted.
"Because it's Snape!"James replied vehemently.
"So he deserves to be mistreated? James, we're seventh years! We're above that!" She shouted as they walked quickly down the hall.
James bit back the next words, he didn't want her to know the terrible things that Snape had said about her. He sighed angrily and said finally raising his voice, "You just don't get it." calming a little he said,"You just don't understand what's going on." Then walked away with her yelling slowly fading as he went.
If I don't need you, then why am I crying on my bed?
If I don't need you then why does your name resound in my head?
James was lying face down on his four poster bed, the curtains drawn, and his pillow over his head.
"Hey, James." Called Sirius.
"What?" Yelled James back.
"How much longer are you going to sulk." Asked Sirius in a bored voice, "I wanna go out and have fun..."
"Go away, Sirius."
"Come on!" Whined Sirius.
"Shut up, Sirius."
James' curtains were thrown open and James squinted up at Sirius.
"Come on! You need to do something." Sirius said, then promptly dragged James out of bed and onto the cold stone floor.
"What was the point of that?"
"Remus, help me." Sirius shouted.
"Huh?" Said Remus as he glanced up from his book."Should I be worried?"
"Maybe if you're James."Sirius replied.
"What's going on?" Asked Peter sitting down on the trunk at the end of Remus' bed.
"Only Sirius seems to know." James said dryly.
"We're gonna make you all better."Sirius said calmly.
"And how are you gonna do that?" Asked James sarcastically.
"It's a secret." Sirius said solemnly. Then he said something unintelligible and James felt himself falling through the air, then just as suddenly he was underwater in the Lake.
"Oh, Merlin! It's cold!" James coughed, swimming to the shore.
When he climbed out, he at down under a tree nearby.'What the heck am I supposed to do?' He wondered. 'It's impossible for me to live without her... It's kinda sad... How did I do it before.'
As James looked across the Hogwarts grounds he saw Lily talking with her friends, and although she seemed content on the outside he could read in her brilliantly emerald eyes that she was as sad as he was.
'I need to do something.' He thought.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Sirius looking at Lily with concern. Then Sirius returned his gaze and said,"See. You didn't have to sulk so much. Just go make up with her."
"I can't... at least not this second... I think that I just figured out what I need though..."
"I had a feeling that you would say that." Said Remus who was standing behind him with the Marauders Map, James' invisibility cloak, and James' moneybag.
"Sometimes I think that you guys are psychic..."Said James slowly.
"Not really." Started Remus.
"Just bloody brilliant." Finished Sirius.
James grinned and took the offered objects then stood and walked to the Whomping Willow with Remus, Sirius, and Peter following.
"Hey, James?"
"Yeah, Sirius?"
"Who's gonna be your best man?"
And I hope that you are the one I share my life with.
And I hope that you could be the one I die with.
And I pray that you're the one I build my home with.
I hope I love you all my life.
"Nervous?" Asked Sirius.
"Not really..."Said James, his hands shaking.
"How about we try that again only more convincingly." Added Remus.
"Okay... I'm terrified. Happy?"
"Yep." Said Sirius just as Remus said,"No."
Remus gave Sirius a mock glare and tried to calm James by saying,"Hey, she accepted your proposal. Why are you so worried?"
"I get the feeling that, if there isn't already, there will be a movie about brides that flee the altar at the last moment..." James said.
"Nonsense," Said Remus out loud while cringing in his mind at the blatant lie.
"Possible..."Said Sirius thoughtfully.
"Sirius?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"Okay."
"Look it's going to be fine. It's all been planned out, okay?" Remus reassured.
"I don't kno-"
"James," Started Sirius, happy-go-lucky grin gone,"Shut up. Lily isn't going to flee at the last moment, you won't fall flat on your face(I hope), and, no, today is not the wrong date."
"Okay," Said James a little cowed at having all of his worries blown out of the water at once.
"Good," Said Sirius smiling again.
Remus just glanced between the two for a moment then walked out of the room rolling his eyes.
"Ready?" Asked Sirius.
Taking a deep breath James replied,"Yes."
As James walked towards the altar he glanced about the room, watching people seat themselves. His parents. Lily's parents. His friends. Lily's friends. Everyone that they held near and dear was there. He just wished that his brother could have been there to see it. He smiled and when he glanced to the double doors he saw a flicker of fiery red on whie and he knew that Lily must be thinking the same thoughts as she peered through the cracked open doorways, her green eyes twinkling, lips smiling.
I don't wanna run away, but I can't take it, i don't understand.
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there anyway that I could stay in your arms?
"Why don't we use Sirius?" Said James.
"It sounds like a good idea, I've already said that several times." Said Lily, rocking young baby Harry gently.
"What if we had a little ruse?" Sirius suggested.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, glancing up at him.
"Well everyone is going to know that I'm the Secret Keeper. It's the obvious choice. So why don't we trick them? Why don't we use Peter?" Said Sirius boldly,"No one would suspect him."
"I don't know..." Started Lily.
"It's a brilliant idea." Said James enthusiastically.
"But we're not even certain that Remus is the spy." Said Lily.
James and Sirius exchanged a dark look.
"We're fairly certain." Said James quietly.
Lily glanced up at him and frowned, they still hadn't told her what this supposed reason was.
"If you think that is best." She said slowly.
"It's brilliant," Said Sirius quickly,"Everything will be fine."
'I'm gonna protect you forever.' James thought, watching Lily sit back and rock their son.
'Cause I miss you body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away.
And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today.
'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right,
And though I can't be with you tonight
You know my heart is by your side.
James breathed deeply and smiled sleepily. He was sitting on the couch with Lily curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder, asleep. She had put Harry to bed only a few minutes prior and she was exhausted.
Suddenly he felt a cold chill followed by a heavy feeling, his stomach sank. 'Peter was the traitor.'
Lily's eyes snapped open. "The wards just fell." She said leaping to her feet, suddenly awake.
James jumped up and glanced through the window. It was Voldemort.
"Run!" He yelled to Lily,"Take Harry and run!"
Lily locked eyes with him and he could tell by the look on her face that she was terrified. They probably wouldn't make it, but if he held off Voldemort long enough then maybe Lily and Harry would make it.
Just as Lily turned around and started running up the stairs, taking them in twos and threes, the front door flew off it's hinges and hit the coffee table.
He looked straight through the door frame and into Voldemort's eyes. In that that moment he knew exactly what would happen. He raised his wand, but Voldemort was faster.
"Avada Kedavra." Voldemort said in monotone.
And in that moment James died, knowing that that Lily and Harry couldn't make it.
I don't wanna run away, but I can't take it, I don't understand.
If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I could stay in your arms?
Years Later
"You see Harry, the love that they enjoyed although short, was meaningful." Remus said, finally finishing the story.
"Do you think that mom and dad know that I'm okay?" Asked Harry.
"I'm certain that James and Lily are watching over you, even now." Said Remus gently.
"I miss them."
"I know... I miss them too..."
Hey! This is the first time that I've posted on this account. I hope that you all find it to be an enjoyable addition to our growing collection!