Tap tap tap.
Lily Evans opened her eyes and groaned. Turning over she scanned the room searching for the source of the noise. Finally, her eyes rested on a beautiful, snowy owl who was tapping at her window. Lily noticed that she had a small piece of parchment attached to her leg. Lily got up and opened the window, taking care not to displace the owl from her perch. She detached the parchment. Before unrolling the parchment, Lily chucked a couple of owl treats to the owl. Without further ado, the owl clipped her beak and flew off. Lily's own owl, Apollo, who had been staring ferociously at the snowy owl now snapped his beak at Lily. Lily sighed, "Ugh! Fine! You can have some too, you daft bird!" she threw a couple of treats into his cage and sat down on her bed. Lily unrolled the parchment and looked at it. Lily, it said, can you write back? Please?
Though the letter was not signed, Lily would know that writing anywhere. But, she would never admit that to anyone out loud. The person that had sent her that letter was very well known to her. James Potter. Lily sighed. Why was he writing to her? Lily and James had a fraught relationship, to put it lightly. James Potter was achingly handsome, he was the Gryffndor Quidditch captain, and a well know player. Lily found him insufferably annoying. She considered him to be an arrogant toe-rag. Plus, it didn't help that for the six years they had known each other, he had never failed to ask her out at least once every day. Him and his three friends referred to themselves as the Marauders. They were notorious pranksters and in Lily's view, bullies. It didn't help that Lily was attracted to James. But she refused to even acknowledge his presence for fear of discovery.
Sighing, Lily picked up a quill. She sat on her bed for nearly twenty minutes trying to figure out how to reply. Finally she scrawled down two words. Yes, James?
She opened the cage and attached her reply to Apollo's leg. He flew out of the window, and Lily went downstairs, in search of breakfast.
James Potter was pacing. He was walking backwards and forwards in a secluded part of the massive expanse that was the gardens of the Potter Manor. He was inwardly cursing himself for sending the letter. No. It wasn't a letter, James. It was a stupid note. James groaned. He could hear Sirius and his mother calling him in for breakfast. But he wouldn't go up. He needed desperately to be alone and he really only craved the company of a certain red haired individual. James' love for Lily Evans was a well known fact. However, the fact that James Potter was madly in love with Lily Evans did not stop some of Hogwarts' more loose female inhabitants throwing themselves at him. Each time though, he would politely turn them down with a curt no. The fact that he was madly in love with Lily Evans did not insure any attention from the girl herself. So, for every day of every year he had known her, James has tried fruitlessly to get her attention. But the result had been that Lily Evans hated him. It had been horrible being torn apart by the one he loved, but it had gotten slightly better last year. James had apologised for the issue with Snape after OWLs in fifth year, and Lily had forgiven him. But this year was their last year in Hogwarts and James was determined to make a change. He also needed emotional help and lily was the only person who he wanted to sympathise with him now- if she would even reply. James looked up at the sky hopefully. Sure enough, a snowy owl came soaring down towards him. It was Lily's owl,l Apollo. It always amused James that they both had snowy owls. But he had never been more relieved or exited to see that owl in his life. Apollo soared down and landed on James' shoulder, nipping his ear affectionately. "Hey, little guy! D'you bring me a response?" Apollo nipped James' ear again. James laughed for the first time in a while. It felt weird. It had always #!*% Lily off that her owl enjoyed James' company more than hers. He eagerly pulled the parchment from Apollo's leg. Two words had never made him happier in his life. She had replied! And she knew it was him! He could have jumped for joy, but remembering why he had written in the first place quickly reinstated his previous mood. James made his way back to the house, but he skirted around the edges to avoid being seen. He found his favourite room in the house, a little alcove just off the kitchen. No- one actually knew about it which made it his. As he entered the kitchen, the family house elf, Hermie, spotted him. Putting a finger to his lips, he slipped into the alcove. Hermie nodded; she understood him completely. James settled down and picked up his quill and ink and started his reply.
Dear Lily, he wrote.
First of all, I'm surprised you knew it was me! How did you know? Anyway, thank you for replying. You really have no idea how much it means to me, truly. I need to talk to someone, and honestly I could only imagine sharing this problem with you. If you don't want to know just tell me. I just don't feel comfortable sharing it with Sirius or Remus. And Peter, well he is dim emotionally at the best of times. It sounds strange that I can't share it with them even though I consider them to be my brothers. But they know too much about me.
Lily. My dad is dying. Oh god, I've said it now. He is dying Lily, and I don't know what to do. He won't admit it but I know it's true. It's dragon pox and normally it can be cured like that. But years of being an auror has caught up on him. He can't fight it. Lily, it has made me realise how much I take for granted. So, I have made myself a promise. He is slowly fading away; I think he has three months at best. But, I will live on for him. This year, I am going to change. He would want that.
Yours,
James
James saw his owl fly in through the window in the corner of the alcove. He quickly tied the letter to the owl's leg before he could change his mind. As he watched his owl fly away, he cursed. "What have I done?" He muttered to himself. But there was nothing he could do then but wait. So James Potter curled up in the alcove of his kitchen, and waited.