Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the lovely J. K. Rowling.
**Love & Lily**
CHAPTER ONE
"Plotting Plans"
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"I don't get it," James Potter huffed. "Why doesn't she like me?"
"The question we've all been asking ourselves," Remus Lupin said dryly, sitting down on his bed and grabbing a book.
"I think it's Moony's fault," Sirius put in, propping his head up on a pillow. His neck crunched at almost a ninety degree angle as he watched James pace. "We know she's fancied Professor Lupin over there ever since he asked for her help in Potions." He wiggled his eyebrows at Remus, who pulled his book up to his nose with a muffled, "Shut up, Sirius."
"Shut it, Black," James snapped, running a hand through his hair. "First of all, she can't like Remus."
Sirius sat up, an affronted look on his face even as his jet-black hair stuck up comically around his head. "And just what do you mean by that, Potter?" He gracefully got to his feet and pranced over to stand in front of James. "Just because you've made your disgusting, masculine claim on me means that I must immediately return your affection?"
"Shut up," James chuckled, shoving his friend away from him. Sirius could mimic anyone he pleased – and his Lily impression was, as much as James hated to admit it, spot on. "No, it's girl code. I know for a fact that Mary has been head over heels for our friend Remus here since third year."
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you do, do you? And who told you that?" He struck a faux-challenging pose at the end of his bed.
"You did, Padfoot!" James exclaimed. His hand found its way to his hair for the third time in this conversation. "You told me that Marlene told you that between her, Mary, and my undying crush on Lily, every single one of us has been claimed!" He thought a moment, then turned to the bed to the far right. "Oh, except for you, Pete. You're a free man!"
"Yippee," Peter Pettigrew, the shortest boy in their group, moaned unenthusiastically.
James turned back to Sirius. "And secondly – er – secondly…"
Sirius smirked. "That's what I thought."
Remus closed his book with a snap. "Frankly, James, you have no real claim on Lily other than your obnoxiously public declarations of love."
"Ooooh," Sirius crooned excitedly. "A little competition in the love game, Prongs!"
"Shut it," James batted his friend away. His focus remained on his other best friend. "What should I do, Moony?"
"How would I know, Prongs?"
"I don't know…" James looked away sheepishly. "You just…always know."
Remus sighed. "Of course I do," he muttered. Then, he got up, and made his way over to James. Gripping his friend's shoulders, he made eye contact, and continued seriously. "James, you need to treat her like a person."
"What? I do – I give her presents, and I flirt with her, and – "
"A person, James, not a girl," Remus interrupted. "You're not Sirius, and Lily isn't Marl – er – any of those girls Sirius makes a career of charming the pants off of. Be polite. Act interested in what she has to say. Have actual conversations, and don't end each and every one with 'marry me, Lily'. Got it?"
"I am interested in what she has to say," James said sullenly. Remus sighed again, rubbing his temples.
"So don't interrupt her every time she starts to talk!"
"Merlin, you sound like my Mum."
"Your mum gives good advice!"
"I would know," Sirius purred, posing in a way he assumed was alluring against the bedpost. "I've used her advice a fair amount myself."
"All right, all right!" James shouted, running a hand through his hair and turning away from Padfoot. "I'll treat her like a lady. No dates, no proposals…just treat her like…a…friend…" James looked slightly green by the time he had gotten that sentence out.
"Good for you, mate," Remus said, clapping James on the back. "I'm sure we'll all be dancing at your wedding soon enough.
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Later that night, James was almost asleep, visions of brilliant green eyes and fiery red hair dancing behind his eyelids, when a hiss from the bed beside him startled him awake.
"Hey, James!"
"Bloody hell, Padfoot!" James croaked. "What do you want?"
"Do you think once Lily agrees to be your one true love, or whatever the hell you said the last time you got down on one knee, we can get Moony to ask Mary out?"
James blinked, eyes sticky. "What?"
From across the room, he heard Remus hiss: "I can hear you, you know!"
There was silence for a moment. Then Sirius mumbled:
"Damn werewolf hearing."
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"Lily, my love, light of my life – "
"No, stop, stop right there." Sirius unfolded himself from where he had been leaning up against the wall, waving his hands at James. "Do you really think that you're toning it down?"
James stopped pacing in front of the doors to the Great Hall for a moment. He stared at his friend blankly. "Yes?" he answered uncertainly.
"Give up, Sirius, it's a hopeless task," Remus said from where he was sitting on the floor, book in his lap. The Marauders had gotten up at seven in the morning, and now, two hours later, they still hadn't made it to breakfast.
"It was your idea!" Sirius responded. "And your ideas always work, Moony. Remember the sticky shoes? If you hadn't recommended we stick the shoes to their feet, those Slytherins would've been able to – well, never mind. The point is – er – to get this arse out of his sorry little obsession with Lily."
"Excuse me, I'm right here!" James snapped. "It's not an obsession, Pads. I love her."
"Sure, and an obsession is…?
"Shut up," James said gruffly. "Look, let me at least try Moony's plan. It'll work. Maybe."
Remus sighed. "Can we at least try it in the Hall? So I can eat?"
"Yeah, come on, James, we have to feed our pet were – "
"Shut up, Sirius!" Remus hissed. Sirius rolled his eyes, bounding over to the doors.
"Peter's been in there the last hour, I just hope there's food left. Coming, James?" he asked.
"But – wait – I haven't decided what to say when I see her!"
Remus growled, stalking past both of his friend to push the doors open. The other two boys followed him as he walked towards their housemates at the Gryffindor table. "Whatever first pops into your mind, Prongs."
"I – " James abruptly cut himself off as the small group of boys arrived at the table. Their customary spots were already empty and waiting for them. Remus and Sirius were on one side of the table, in between Mary and Peter. And James' was right next to Lily.
Remus walked around the end of the table to take his seat next to Mary, while Sirius chose to just jump across the table, avoiding the food and heads as best he could. James held off for a moment, taking in the scene.
After Sirius' entrance, Lily began teasing him, a light in her eyes as she pretended to be disgusted by his path. Marlene, next to Lily, immediately turned to start talking to Mary on her other side. Across the table, Peter was laughing about some unknown joke with Frank Longbottom, who was most certainly holding Alice's hand under the table.
Taking a deep breath, James went to join them.
A person, James reminded himself. Not Lily. A friend.
Sliding into his seat, he greeted the girl next to him. "Good morning, my darling, how do you fare on this fine, lovely day?"
Lily groaned. "James." She muttered his name like an epithet, reaching across him for the pumpkin juice.
"Oh, I can – "
"I've got it."
Across the table, Sirius was desperately waving his arm towards the floor. James furrowed his brows, wondering what his friend wanted.
Down, Sirius mouthed. Turn it down.
James nodded. Message received.
"So, have you started the Charms essay yet?" He directed his question towards Lily.
"Of course," she said. "I've written the bulk of it, but I'm not quite satisfied with the conclusion, or the introduction for that matter, I'll have to edit that later – "
"On a Saturday? A free Saturday? With no class?"
"Well, I won't be editing all day," Lily said, an irked tone leaking into her voice. "Naturally I'll spend some time with my friends – "
"Naturally, but this isn't a Hogsmeade weekend, so where will you be spending time with your friends?" James turned away from his food, leaning an elbow on the table and leaning a chin on his hand. He focused on Lily, a slight smirk on his face, completely ignoring Sirius' increasingly frantic gesticulations.
"Why should I tell you? You don't qualify as a friend, you're not invited!"
"Not a friend? Oh – oh Lily, you've hurt me, I'm hurt to my very core – " James fell back against the table, pressing a hand melodramatically to his chest.
"Why, you…" Lily made to get up, a sparkling glint in her eye.
"And that is where we will leave you, Mr. Potter," Mary said hastily. She hopped off the bench and stepped around Marlene to grab Lily's arm, pulling her off the bench. "Alice?" Alice nodded. Kissing Frank on the cheek, she climbed off the bench and walked around the table to grasp Lily's other arm. Quietly giggling, the three girls ushered an almost hissing and spitting Lily out of the room.
Smiling, James contentedly returned to his food. A few moments later, silence prompted him to look up. Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Frank were all staring incredulously at him from the other side of the table.
"What?" James asked. "I thought that went well."
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"What the bloody hell was that?" a flustered Lily demanded of her friends as they egressed the Great Hall and began walking down to the lake. Alice and Frank held hands beside her, with Marlene leading the way and Mary on her other side.
"I think he was flirting," Marlene called back with a wink. "Or, trying to flirt in a very Potter-y sort of way." She wrinkled her nose.
"Flirting? Oh, no, that wasn't James Potter flirting. His version of flirting is throwing around the l-word, prancing up and down, flicking his hair back and forth, practically screaming 'look at me, I'm James Potter' – "
"Don't be so hard on him, Lils," Alice said quietly.
"Hard on him?" Lily laughed, but it fell flat. "Alice, he doesn't even know what love is. And every time he says – you know – it just hurts. Because he doesn't mean it."
"He's a teenage boy, Lily," Marlene smiled. "They all only want one thing…"
"Attention," Mary interrupted. She shouldered Marlene, giving the other girl a pointed look. "He just wants your attention."
"Well, if it's attention he wants, he shan't have it," Lily sniffed. "From this moment forward, I will never speak to one James Potter again."
Marlene snickered.
"Or acknowledge him in any other way!" Lily spoke over her friend's giggles, knowing exactly what was going through Marley's mind at that moment.
Undeterred, Marlene turned to Alice. "She doesn't need to speak to him to – "
Alice's cheeks turned bright red, and Mary shoved her hand over Marlene's mouth. "Marlene, they're right there!" she hissed.
Lily, her eyes burning with determination, turned her back to the group of boys that was approaching. Marlene hopped up.
"McKinnon!" Sirius bellowed from where he was ten feet away. "I have a bone to pick with you!"
"A bone, Sirius?" Marlene yelled back. They advanced upon each other until they couldn't walk any farther without running the other over. The Marauders, rolling their eyes briefly at Sirius' antics, then continued to head towards the group of girls.
Marlene and Sirius were glaring at each other, nose to nose. The corners of their mouths quivered as they each attempted to hold back a smile.
"A large bone," Sirius growled. "Of incredible importance."
"It can't be that important," Marlene said. "If you've only brought it to my attention now."
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong – it's very time sensitive. What's important now may not be important later."
"Fine!" Marlene shouted dramatically, throwing her hands in the air. "I'll go back to the castle with you to look at your bone. Though why Madam Pomfrey couldn't have healed it, I don't know." With that, she pushed past him and began marching up towards the castle. Behind her back, Sirius made a series of complicated gestures towards his friends, a falsely apologetic look on his face, before turning and hurrying after her.
The group left behind on the lake, the intended audience of the charade, chuckled quietly as they watched the couple's retreat.
James shook his head as he settled down on the blanket beside Lily. She pointedly turned her head the other way. "I don't know who they think they're kidding," he said. "It's clear as day they're – ahem – boning in between classes."
Remus stifled a laugh as Alice blushed and Mary grinned at James. "I can't even tell if they're trying to hide it or not anymore," she laughed. "It's just so…obvious."
That last bit was aimed directly at Lily. The girl's back stiffed and as it did, she realised that despite refusing to look at James, her entire body had been leaning towards him. Her green eyes glared furiously at Mary, who shrugged unapologetically. Alice refused to meet her gaze.
She could almost feel James' focus shift to her.
"And how are you on this fine day, my lovely Lily?" she heard her ask him. Merlin, she could just see that arrogant smirk grace his face as he spoke.
She didn't respond.
"Lily?" he questioned her. His view of her gorgeous red hair didn't change a whit, and there was no response. He raised his eyebrows at the rest of the adolescents present. "What's this about?"
"Oh, she's not speaking to you anymore," Mary supplied with a smirk.
"Nor acknowledging your presence," Alice added quietly, her smile no less knowing as she sat curled into Frank.
"Ah," James said, his face becoming carefully neutral. "I see." He quickly got to his feet, brushing off the back of his robes. "Well, I suddenly remember I have a pressing appointment back at the castle – Moony, would you mind accompanying me?"
"Me?" The werewolf pointed to himself with raised eyebrows. James fixed a stern gaze on his friend.
"Yes," he said. "You."
Remus sighed, clambering to his feet. "It seems I have that same pressing appointment," he said to the group at large. "Alice, Frank, Lily, Peter…" He nodded to those four before turning to Mary. "And, um, Mary," he gulped. "Always a pleasure."
Mary blushed. James rolled his eyes and huffed, spinning on his heel and marching back to the castle. Remus loped after him to catch up.
As the boys left, all the attention in the group turned to Lily.
"What?" she asked. "I thought it went well, no thanks to you, Mary."
Alice burst in an uncharacteristic volley of laughter. "Well, Lily," she sighed, wiping her eyes. "You're in for a rude awakening."
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a/n: Review:)
Because...why not? If you didn't like this and need a reminder that not all my writing is horrible, I'll take this moment to plug my other stories - new chapter of Black was out yesterday, and an angsty Dramione drabble/ficlet!
Thank you for reading!