A/N: hey, this is a James/Lily fanfic. i may add more on later, but for now its just this chapter. excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. i wrote it in SIrius' point of veiw.
James Potter was disappointed but not at all surprised when Lily Evans ignored him the day after she got out of the hospital wing. He had put her in a week before with a stunning spell he had aimed at Snivellus. A powerful one. Even in our fourth year she hung out with Snivellus more than him. In all honesty, I expected that. I even made a bet with Moony that she'd ignore him. But we had all figured that she would try dueling with him first chance she got. James was shocked that she was more sullen than angry. We didn't find out why until our last class, in Transfigurations.
James spent the entire class trying to get her attention. And I was telling him to give it up. We both got caught when McGonagall told us to meet her after class so that she could give us detentions. That's when we heard a small peep from Evans.
"Oh, but Professor, you said you would give me my work that I missed." McGonagall sighed.
"Evans, just wait." She nodded. Then after class, McGonagall decided we would be working to clean the dishes in kitchens without magic. She also said she knew that we snuck down to the kitchens. James and I were about to get up, when Evans spoke up again.
"Wait, Professor, how about you send them to work with Hagrid instead? They'll get a kick out of working in the kitchens, chatting with the house- elves. It'll be more punishing to have them work in the rain with Hagrid. It is supposed to rain tomorrow." So we then had to work with Hagrid in the rain, which wasn't so bad. James insisted we wait, with Moony, who had been waiting for us, for Evans outside the class room.
"To thank her." he said. But when she came out, she wouldn't listen again. She was carrying about five extra books than the three she already carried usually, and a list of what was to be done and how. The classroom had been moved across the castle from the Gryffindor dorms, because we set off a stink bomb.
Evans, who seemed to be having trouble with her books, stayed at a set pace behind us. Then good ole' Moony took over the communications. He slowed 'til he was right beside her, and behind me and James.
"Hey, Lily, do you need help? You are carrying six thousand books." He didn't wait for an answer, but took the first four books off the top of her stack. She then announced she did NOT need help, and that she was headed to the library, having permission from McGonagall to begin her work. She was about to take the books back when Moony pulled them away.
"Let me help you take them there. And if you need any help on the work, I can offer some. James and Sirius are headed back to the common room." we took that as a cue to escape, and did. We went up to the dorm and waited for Moony. He appeared at midnight, with a lot of news. James had been fiddling with his potions kit, and trying to make a sleeping potion, when Moony walked in. Wormtail was already asleep.
James was so anxious, he knocked over the sleeping potion on my hand. It burned my skin. I ignored the pain to listen to Moony.
"Lily is mad, James, but she is also a little terrified. Not of you, no. She wrote everything on a letter, meaning to sound calm and gossipy, for it was going to her sister. But she ended up making it terribly mean and complain-y. The letter got sent anyway, and she is afraid what her sister and her parents are going to say. At least, she thinks it got sent. It disappeared after Herbology, where it had been at the table we'd been working at. She meant to throw it away, but she assumes that the mailing owls at lunch took it." I grinned and shoved my hand in my pocket.
"Are you talking about this, Moony?" I pulled out a crumpled parchment, in a crumpled envelope, addressed to a Petunia Evans. He took it out of my hand, and nodded. "Yes, Sirius, where did you get this?" he asked me. I shrugged.
"Found it on the floor. Meant to give it to Prongs. Thought he might find something about him in it." James looked at the parchment. "Let's give it to Lily. Maybe she won't be so sad." Moony nodded, and we all walked out. Evans was sitting at the fire, reading from a thick book. Moony put the letter in James' hand, then I shoved him forward a little. He walked over to the fire, and sat in the chair beside Evans'.
"Lily." He said calmly. She glanced up. He pushed the book down. "Lily, uh, I think this is yours." He held up the letter. She looked at it, and nodded. "Yes. I suppose you read it?" he shook his head. "Not a word except the name on it." she nodded again and he let it slip from his fingers to hers.
"I'm sorry I hit you with a Stunning spell." She nodded again. "It's okay, I guess. I mean, if you actually read this, you would know it isn't, but I'm gonna say it is anyway." James nodded.
"You still mad?" he asked, looking at her with a half grin, and she nodded. He stood up. "Then let's duel." She looked around, noticing me and Moony. "Here?" she asked nervously, "And now?" he nodded again. "What if we get caught? I really don't have any extra time to spend with you three in detention." James shrugged. "I'll cover up for you. Say we wouldn't leave you alone otherwise." She shook her head. "No, James. I think we should wait until tomorrow. We discuss a date with McGonagall and have it set." He looked at her with a questioning look. "Why?" she shrugged.
"Well, because Severus would be mad at me if we dueled. And if McGonagall knows we can't get in trouble. And I'm sure that you need preparation. If we dueled right now, I would cream you." He grinned at her and she gave him a half smile. Then she hurriedly began stacking her books.
"I think I'm going to go to bed now. Good night." she levitated her books into the air, and we watched as she trailed after them up the stairs to the girls' dorm. She gave James a half wave and a shrug, then she disappeared. James was grinning ear to ear as we walked back to our dorm. He was really excited. Like, really, really excited. I rolled my eyes to Moony, who rolled his eyes back, and we turned off the light.
The next morning, James asked and re- asked Moony to tell him exactly what he and Evans said last night, so he could make sure it wasn't a dream. Wormtail just trailed behind us, really confused. When we got down to the Great Hall for breakfast, the Hall was buzzing. When we sat down, several seats down from James, Evans got up and sat beside Moony.
"Well, James. I already talked to McGonagall. She said she'd be happy to observe a duel between us, as long as neither of us were in the Hospital Wing. She said that she would talk to Dumbledore and get a day for us. And she said that if you wanted to back out, you could." Then Evans immediately got up and went to sit beside some other girls. James was grinning again.
"Great." Was all he said. The actual dueling didn't happen for another day and a half. Evans told Moony that they'd be dueling Wednesday afternoon. James was pumped about it. When Wednesday afternoon came along, he was ready.
Evans had been right, though. She creamed him in the first seven minutes. He was disarmed and unconscious, thanks to his own spell rebounding back on him. James got another detention, and there was a certain bond between him and Moony and Evans. Moony she seemed to treat as a brother, James, as a friend. And it was weird. But James was happy, and Moony and Evans were consent, so I went along with it. If only I knew that it would lead to the cause of James and Evans' first date. Ugh.
