Falling In Love
One-
A seventh year James Potter stood on the platform getting ready to board the Hogwarts Express. He stood six foot two, with broad shoulders. James had unruly black hair sticking out in every direction and warm hazel eyes that shone from beneath wire rimmed glasses. The T-shirt he wore was just tight enough to see smooth muscle on his chest and stomach. His skin had tanned to a pleasant brown over the summer. In short, James Potter was a seventeen year old hearthrob. Too bad a certain, Lily Evans had already stolen his heart.
Lily Evans. James rolled the name through his head. Lily Evans was the girl that had stolen his heart the first moment he saw her. She was the girl he had fallen for so hard and so fast he hadn't even known he had fallen for her. In James' opinion everything about her was amazing. Her wavy red hair, gorgeous emrald eyes, sparkling smile. Or better yet, her kind and gentle nature, the ability to get along with everyone, how she stood up for the weaker ones. Hell, he even loved her one flaw – her incredibly fiery temper. At Hogwarts she was a legend for it, no one wanted to get on the bad side of red-haired Lily Evans.
Sighing James pulled himself out of these thoughts. He boarded the train and began looking for his best mate, Sirius Black. Possibly more of a hearthrob than James and definetly more of a heartbreaker. Everyone knew James loved Lily, well except Lily herself, but Sirius skated from one girl to the next without so much as a backwards glance. Somehow, though, he still made the girls swoon, even if they should know better. He had elegant black hair that fell softly into his eyes. Grey eyes that sparkled with mischief. He was about an inch shorter than James and his skin a bit darker, almost as if he was mulatto. Sirius' body was just as built as James' though how he maintained it was a mystery. James not only played Quidditch, but also took quite an intrest in lifting weights and running.
James found the compartment and entered. He was greeted by the shout of, "The Head Boy has joined us. How you doing, Prongsie?"
James grinned ruefully. He had indeed somehow managed to become Head Boy. "Wonderful until I saw your ugly face, Padfoot." He joked.
Sirius looked sad for a second before shrugging. "The girls like it."
James shook his head, Sirius would never change.
He looked over to Remus who was as usual engrossed in a book. "Hey, Moony."
Remus nodded. "James." He glanced around. "Where's your sister?"
James' little sister Kaitlyn was starting this year. "She went to find her friends."
Remus nodded.
Remus Lupin was a mystery to 99.9 of the female population. Though he was studious and sometimes shy, he was still almost as good looking as James and Sirius. He could probably get any girl he wanted being a marauder and all. He had fairly short blonde hair that just barely fell into his eyes. Eyes that were a brillant light blue. Remus was also noted for a good body, although the many scars that could be seen on his chest and face were an unsolved mystery for all except the mauraders.
The finally member of the marauders was Peter Pettigrew. No one, not even James, Sirius, and Remus knew how he got included in their group. Peter was a small mousy boy, kind of weird, with a slight obsession over cheese. He had watery blues eyes and greasy blonde hair. Currently he was sitting in the corner of the compartment eating cheese (Who would have guessed?).
"Moony, do we need to go to the Perfect's meeting now?"
Remus looked up from his book and checked his watch. "Yeah." He got up and set his book down.
Sirius frowned. "Prongsie, we need to have our annual chess game."
James rolled his eyes, Sirius would never grow up. "Later." He replied before leaving the compartment with Remus.
As they neared the front of the train James became increasingly nervous. He was about to see Lily again. It was going to kill him, seeing her and knowing that all hope was gone. She would never be his.
James had spent an entire six years wanting Lily, but never having her, because she hated him. She had always hated him, even before he had ever said anything to her she hated him.
Remus seemed to notice James' uneasyness and smiled slightly. "James, you've done this hundreds of times before, how is this different?"
James sighed. "I've decided to try being friends."
"That's a good idea."
"I'll still want more." James said sadly.
Now they were at the door. Taking one last deep breath to prepare himself James opened the door.
When he caught sight of her his heart started pounding and his breath caught in his throat. She somehow seemed even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. Right now, Lily was laughing at something Gideon had said. As jealous as he was of Prewett, James still managed to marvel at how wonderful her laugh was.
Lily turned and saw James. A look of horror came over her face. "Potter!" she shrieked.
James smiled weakly. "Evans." He nodded.
Lily still looked horrified. "But…how…Dumbledore - insane." She stuttered.
James winced slightly. "Please try not to look so horrified, Evans."
Lily shook her head then turned to the perfects. "Okay, guys, for those of you that have already been perfects for awhile you know what to do. For the new ones all you have to do for now is patrol the halls every once in awhile. There will be more instructions when we get to school. You may go."
Lily quickley tried to leave with the perfects, but James caught her arm. She tried to jerk away, but he held her there. "Can we talk, Lily?"
"Let go." She snapped.
"Can we please just talk." James begged.
Lily sighed, there was no getting away from him. "Fine."
James smiled slightly and dropped her arm. "I've been thinking," Lily opened her mouth to talk, but James held up his hand to stop a comment that would surely be something about how it must be the first time he has ever had a coherent thought. "Since we're going to be head boy and girl this year I was hoping we could be friends. If not that at least civil to each other."
Lily sneered. "You've never given me a reason to be civil to you, Potter."
James sighed. This was going to be harder than he had thought. "I have never been anything but nice to you, Lily. You are the one that insults me."
"That's because you're an annoying prat."
"Please, Lily, I'm asking nicely. I won't ask you out. Just friends." Saying those two words was the hardest thing James had ever done. He was officially giving up on Lily Evans. He would still love her, but no asking her out every day. No more chasing her trying to elicit any response, even if it was just a scream. No more rejection. Just friends.
Lily looked at him suspiciously as though afraid she had heard wrong. "Just friends?"
James nodded. "Just friends." He nearly choked on the words, as his throat constricted. He knew he would always want more.
"Okay, Potter, friends." She turned to leave.
"Lily?"
"What?" She asked turning around.
"Friends call each other by their first name."
She nodded. "See you later,…James." As if in spite of himself his heart fluttered when she called him James. It was the first time she had ever called him James.
A conversation. They were actually having a conversation as they walked to the Head's common room. Something James had tried so hard to make happen for six years had happened in a few hours.
Despite the fact they were only friends James felt like it was the best day of his life. Lily wasn't screaming at him, but actually talking to him.
"How was your summer?" he asked.
"Okay. My sister was gone most of the time so better than usually." It was so weird, she thought, as far as she could tell he was actually paying attention to her answers, listening to what she had to say. It must be an act, he can't keep this up much longer, she thought.
"You have a sister?" Having practically been her stalker for six years James of course knew Lily had a sister, but he wanted to prove he was genuinely intrested in what she was saying.
"Yeah, Petunia. She hates me, hates anything unusual." Lily was amazed that he had gone this long with out saying some stupid one-liner or a cheesy sexual innuendo, those were usually his A-game.
"What about your parents?"
"My mum works part time, and my dad is gone a lot for work. What about you?" Lily wanted to see if he would start a long commentary on just how good James Potter's life was.
"Well, both my parents are aurors so their gone all of the time. Mostly I hang out with Sirius and take care of my little sister, Kaitlyn. She started at Hogwarts this year. Did you see her get put in Gryffindor?" James swelled with obvious pride as he talked of his sister.
"I saw her. She looks just like you." Lily smiled as James beamed at her as though she was complementing him.
He glanced sideways at her. Although, she was talking to him, there was something guarded in the way she talked. Lily seemed suspicous of him, like she thought he was suddenly going to turn back into the old James. James sighed to himself, he supposed he should have known that she would be like this. Six years of hate don't disappear in three hours.
They rounded the corner to the Head's common room in a slightly akward silence. James looked down the hall to the portrait and to his horror saw Charlene waiting there. Quickely anger took place of horror. Charlene was a girl he had gone out with for a week at the beginning of sixth year. He had dumped her soon not only because she was a slut, but also because she was a evil, coniving bitch and the most annoying person he had ever met. Ever since they had broken up she had refused to leave him alone.
Charlene smiled widely when she saw James and bounced towards him, grabbing his arm. "Hello, my darling James."
Plastering a fake smile on his face James said, "Hello, Charlene." He then unsucessfully tried to dodge her as she planted a quick kiss on his lips.
Clenching his teeth together to hide his anger he turned to Lily and said, "If you would excuse me Charlene and I need to talk." James then proceeded to drag Charlene away by the arm, thinking, excactly the thing I wanted Lily to see, some great bimbo hanging off of my arm.
Lily had similar thoughts as she entered the common room. 'No wonder he left me alone, he's got a wonderful blonde bimbo to keep him satisfied. 'Talk', probably more like snog.'
James, meanwhile, had dragged Charlene around the corner and was talking to her furiously. "I told you to stay away from me. I want nothing to do with you. I do not like you, I want nothing to do with you."
Charlene smiled innocently. "Sorry, Jamsiepoo, I must have forgotten. But we should spend time together, I mean we made a great couple."
"We did not make a great couple. I hated you. Stay the hell away from me." James nearly shouted.
"No need to shout. I might leave you alone for awhile. Just don't get any ideas, you're mine." With that she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then sauntered away.
Irritatedly James slammed his fist into the wall. Damn that stupid girl and his stupid idea of going out with her.