Author's Note- This is turn on the jily dynamic, influenced by Jeffrey Archer's Old Love. The story in itself is perhaps predictable, but I love this story for Archer's beautiful sentences.
Disclaimer- I am neither JK Rowling nor Jeffrey Archer. However, don't you think being two of them at the same time will be quite difficult?
Some people, it is said, fall in love at first sight but that was not what happened to James Potter and Lily Evans. They hated each other from the moment they met. Their mutual loathing commenced at the first transfiguration class at their first year. Both had come up at the age eleven at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, James a pureblood and Lily a muggle-born. Each had been assured by their school teachers that they would be the star pupil of their year.
Their teacher, Minerva McGonagall of transfiguration, was both bemused and amused by the ferocious competition that so quickly developed between her two brightest pupils, and she used their enmity skillfully to bring out the best in both of them without ever allowing either to indulge in outright abuse. However, James and Lily did that quite often outside the classroom. Lily, an attractive, slim red-head with a rather high-pitched voice, was the shorter than James so she conducted as many of her arguments as possible standing in newly acquired high-heeled shoes, while James , whose deep voice had an air of authority, would always try to expand his opinions from a sitting position. The more intense their rivalry became the harder the one tried to outdo the other. By the end of the end of their fifth year they were far ahead of their contemporaries while remaining neck and neck with each other. Maybe the only people close to them were Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
Horace Slughorn told the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that he had never had a brighter pair up in the same year and that it wouldn't be long before they were holding their own with him.
They had a major rift at the end of their fifth year O.W.L.s. James thought that as Lily was the only one even near his own magical capabilities, it was prudent that they get together. So, he thought the only way he could achieve this was by blackmailing her while he tortured her best friend. Lily was livid. She not only turned down James in the worst way possible, but also had her heart broken when her best friend Severus Snape called her a mudblood. James was infuriated at Lily for she dared to refuse him. The whole school made it a point to avoid these two with determination.
During the long vacation both worked to a grueling timetable, always imagining the other would be doing a little more. They stripped bare Transfiguration, Potions, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy and only went to bed with Runes. When they returned for their sixth year, they found that absence had made the heart grow even more hostile; and when they were both awarded an Outstanding for their essays on Cheering Charms, it didn't help. Albus Dumbledore remarked at the high table one night that if lily Evans had been born a boy some of the classes would undoubtedly have ended in blows.
"Then why are you planning on making them the heads?" asked McGonagall sleepily.
"What and double my work-load?" said Dumbledore.
Occasionally the adversaries would seek McGonagall's adjudication as to who was ahead of whom, and so confident was each of being the favorite pupil that one would always ask in the other's hearing. McGonagall was far to canny to be drawn; instead she would remind them that the examiners would be the final arbiters. So they began their own subterfuge by referring to each other, just in earshot, as 'that silly woman', and 'that arrogant man'. By the end of the year they were almost unable to remain in the same room together.
In the long vacation James took a passing interest in Death Potion and a girl called Ruby while Lily with Amos Diggory and a muggle lieutenant from Dartmouth. But when term started in earnest these interludes were never admitted and soon forgotten.
At the beginning of their seventh year the both, on Albus Dumledore's advice, entered for the Charles Oldham Ethics in Magic prize along with every other student in the year who was considered likely to gain a first. The Charles Oldham was awarded for an essay on the ethics and justification of certain spells and potions, and James and Lily both realized that this would be the only time in their academic lives that they would be tested against each other in closed competition. Surreptitiously, they worked their ways through the different topics possible, from veritaserum to the Imperius curse, and kept the teachers well over their appointed tutorial hours, demanding more and more refined discussion of more and more obscure points.
The chosen theme for the prize essay that year was 'The Polyjuice Potion". The events of disguised death eaters clearly called for the most attention but both found that there were nuances regarding this potion even before the rise of Voldermort. 'Not to mention the concept of invading another person's naked body on the sly', wrote Lily home to her father in a rare moment of self-doubt. As the year drew to a close it became obvious to all concerned that either James or Lily had to win the prize while the other would undoubtedly come second. Nevertheless no one was willing to venture an opinion as to who the victor would be.
Before the prize essay submission date was due, they both had to sit their final NEWTs. James and Lily confronted the examination every morning and afternoon for two weeks with an appetite that bordered on the vulgar. Rumor spread around the school that the two rivals had been awarded Os in everu one of their papers.
"I would be willing to believe that is the case," Lily told James. "But I feel I must point out to you that there is a considerable difference between an O and a T."
"I couldn't agree with you more," said James. "And when you discover who has won the Charles Oldham, you will know who was awarded less."
With only three weeks left before the prize essay had to be handed in they both worked twelve hours a day, falling asleep over open textbooks, dreaming that the other was still beavering away. When the appointed hour came they met marble-floored entrance hall, somber in subfsc.
"Good Morning, James, I do hope your efforts will manage to secure a place in the first six."
"Thank you, Lily. If they don't I shall look for the names Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Frank Longbottom, Amelia Bones, Emmeline Vance and Alice Griffiths ahead of me, there's certainly no one else in the field to worry about."
"I am only pleased", said Lily, as if she had not heard his reply, "that you were not seated next to me when I wrote my essay, thus ensuring for the first time in seven years that you weren't able to crib from my notes."
"The only item I have ever cribbed from you, Lily, was the fifth year timetable, and that I discovered later to be out-of-date, which was in keeping with the rest of your efforts."
They both handed in their six foot long essays to the officials and left without any further word, returning to their dormitories impatiently to await the results.
James tried to relax the weekend after submitting his essay, and for the first time in three years decided to go to the great lake. He nearly sank when he went swimming, and actually did so when punting. He was only relieved that Lily had not been witness to any of his feeble efforts.
On Monday night after a resplendent diner in the great hall, he decided to take walk along the castle to clear his bed before going to bed. The evening was still light as he made his way down through the narrow confines of the third floor corridor to the abandoned Charms classroom. As he strolled along the winding path, he thought he spied his rival inside the classroom reading. He considered turning back but decided she might have already heard him, so he kept on walking.
He had not seen Lily for three days although she had rarely been out of his thoughts: once he had won the Charles Oldham, the silly woman would have to climb down from that high hippogriff of hers. He smiled at the thought and decided to go inside the classroom. As he drew nearer, he lifted his eyes to steal a quick glance in her direction, and could feel himself reddening in anticipation of her inevitable well-timed insult. Nothing happened so he looked more carefully, only to discover on closer inspection that she was not reading: her head was bowed in her hands and she appeared to be sobbing quietly. He slowed his progress to observe, not the formidable rival who had for three years dogged his every step, but a forlorn and lonely creature which looked somewhat helpless.
James' first reaction was to think that the winner of the prize essay competition had been leaked to her and that he had indeed achieved his victory. On reflection, he realized that could not be the case: the examiners would only have received the essays this morning and as all the assessors read each submission the result could not possibly be forthcoming until at least the end of the week. Lily did not look up when he reached her—he was even unsure whether she was aware of his presence. As he stopped to gaze at his adversary James could not help noticing how her long hair curled just as it touched the shoulder. He sat down beside her but she still did not stir.
"What's the matter?" he asked. "Is there anything I can do?"
She raised her head, revealing a face flushed from crying.
"No, nothing James, except leave me alone. You deprive me of solitude without affording me company."
"What's the matter, Madame?" he asked, more out of curiosity than concern, torn between sympathy and catching her with her guard down.
It seemed a long time before she replied.
"My father died this morning," she said finally, as if speaking to herself.
It struck James as strange that after seven years of seeing Lily almost every day he knew nothing about her home life.
"And your mother?" he said.
"She died when I was three. I don't even remember her. My father is -." She paused. "Was a parish priest and brought me up, sacrificing everything he had to get me and my sister through school, even the family silver. I wanted so much to win the Charles Oldham for him"
James put his arm tentatively on Lily's shoulder.
"Don't be absurd. When you win the prize, they'll pronounce you the star pupil of the decade. After all, you will have has to beat me to achieve the distinction."
She tried to laugh. "Of course I wanted to beat you, James, but only for my father."
"How did he die?"
"Cancer, only he never let me know. He asked me not to go home for Christmas as he felt that the break might interfere with my NEWTs and the Charles Oldham. While all the time he must have been keeping me away because he knew if I saw the state that he was in that would have been the end of my completing any serious work."
"Where do you live?" asked James, again surprised that he did not know.
"Cokeworth. I'm going back there tomorrow morning. The funeral's on Wednesday."
"May I take you?" asked James.
Lily looked up and was aware of a softness in her adversary's eyes that she had not seen before. "That would be kind, James."
"Come on then, you silly woman," he said. "I'll walk you back to the Gryffindor tower."
"Last time you called me silly woman you meant it."
James found it natural that they should hold hands as they walked along the corridors. Neither spoke until they reached The Fat Lady.
"What time shall I pick you up in my car?" he asked, not letting go of her hand.
"I didn't know you had a car."
"My father presented me with an old MG when I was made Head Boy. I have been longing to find some excuse to show the damn thing off to you. It has a press button start, you know."
"Obviously he didn't want to risk waiting to give you the car on the Charles Oldham results." James laughed more heartily than the little dig merited.
"Sorry," she said. "Put it down to habit. I shall look forward to seeing if you drive as appallingly as you make potions, in which case the journey may never come to any conclusion. I'll be ready for you at ten."
On the journey down to Cokeworth, Lily talked about her father's work as a parish priest and inquired after James' family. They stopped for lunch at a pub in Winchester. Rabbit stew and mashed potatoes.
"The first meal we've had together," said James.
No sardonic reply came flying back; Lily simply smiled.
After lunch they travelled on to the locality of Cokeworth. James brought his car to an uncertain halt on the gravel outside the vicarage. An elderly maid, dressed in black, answered the door, surprised to see Lily with a man. Lily introduced Annie to James and asked her to make up the room.
"I'm glad you've found yourself such a nice young man," remarked Annie later. "Have you known him long?"
Lily smiled. "No, we met for the first time yesterday." And then she asked, "Did you hear from Petunia?"
"We sent a letter to her, but I don't think she has quite forgiven Mr. Evans for removing her from the family because she married that Vernon fellow."
Lily cooked James dinner, which they ate by a fire he had conjured uo in the front room. Although hardly a word passed between them for three hours, neither was bored. Lily began to notice the way James's untidy black hair fell over his forehead and thought how distinguished he looks.
The next morning, she walked into the church on James's arm and stood bravely through the funeral. When the service was over James took her back to the vicarage.
They stayed that night at the vicarage and drove back to Hogwarts on Thursday. On the Friday morning at ten o'clock James stood near the girls' dormitory and asked Lily's roommate Alice to call her. They returned together a few minutes later.
"What on earth are you doing here?"
"Come to take you to Stratford."
"But I haven't even had time to unpack the things I brought back from Cokewoth."
"Just do as you are told for once; I'll give you fifteen minutes."
"Of course," she said. "Who am I to disobey the next winner of the Charles Oldham? I shall even allow you to come up to my room for one minute and help me unpack."
Alice's eyebrows nudged the edge of her hairline but she remained silent, in deference to Lily's recent bereavement. Again it surprised James to think that he had never been to Lily's room during their seven years. He had tricked his way into the rooms of various dormitories to be with a variety of girls of varying stupidity but never with Lily. He sat down on the end of the bed.
"Not there, you thoughtless creature. I just made it. Men are all the same, you never sit in chairs," she said, as she disappeared into the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later she came out of the bathroom in a yellow flowered dress with a neat white collar and matching cuffs. James thought she might even be wearing a touch of make-up.
"It will do our reputations no good to be seen together," she said
"I've thought about that," said James. "If asked, I shall say you're my charity."
"Your charity?"
"Yes, this year I'm supporting distressed orphans."
The two heads travelled down to Stratford, with the help of disillusionment charms, stopping off at Broadway for lunch. In the afternoon they rowed on the river Avon. James warned Lily of his last disastrous outing in a punt. She admitted that she has already heard of the exhibition he had made of himself but they arrived safely back at the sore: perhaps because Lily took over the rowing. They went to see Romeo and Juliet and dined at the Dirty Duck. Lily was even quite rude to James during the meal.
They started on their journey back to school just after eleven and Lily fell into a half sleep as they could hardly hear each other over the noise of the car engine. It must have been about twenty-five miles outside of Hogwarts that the MG came to a halt.
"I thought," said James, "that when the petrol gauge showed empty there was at least another gallon left in the Tank."
"You're obviously wrong, and not for the first time, and because of such foresight you'll have to walk to the nearest garage all by yourself- you needn't imagine that I'm going to keep you company. I intend to stay put, right here in the warmth." "But there isn't a garage between here and Hogwarts," protested James.
"Then you'll have to carry me. I am far too fragile to walk."
"I wouldn't be able to manage fifty yards after that sumptuous dinner and all that wine."
"It is no small mystery to me James, how you could manage an O in Muggle Studies when you can't even read a petrol gauge."
"There's only one thing for it," said James. "We'll have to wait for the first carriage in the morning."
Lily clambered into the back seat and did not speak to him again before falling asleep. James donned his hat, scarf and gloves, crossed his arms for warmth, and touched the tangled red mane of Lily's hair as she slept. He then took of his cloak and placed it so that it covered her.
Lily woke first, a little after six, and groaned as she tried to stretch her aching limbs. She then shook James awake to ask him why his father hadn't been considerate enough to buy him a car with a comfortable back seat.
"But this is the niftiest thing going," said James, gingerly kneading his neck muscles before putting his coat back on.
"But it isn't going. And won't without petrol," she replied. Getting out of the car to stretch her legs.
"But I only let it run out for one reason," said James, following her to the front of the car. Lily waited for a feeble punch line and was not disappointed.
"My father told me if I spent the night with a barmaid then I should simply order an extra pint of butterbeer, but if I spent the night with the vicar's daughter, I would have to marry her."
Lily laughed. James, tired, unshaven, and encumbered by his heavy cloak, struggled to get down on one knee.
"What are you doing, James?"
"What do you think I'm doing, you silly woman. I am going to ask you to marry me."
"An invitation I am happy to decline, James. If I accepted such a proposal I might end up spending the rest of my life stranded on the road between Hogwarts and Stanford.
"Will you marry me if I win the Charles Oldham?"
"As there is absolutely no fear of that happening I can safely say, yes. Now do get off your knee, James, before someone mistakes you for a hippogriff."
The first carriage arrived at five-past-seven that Saturday morning and took Lily and James back to Hogwarts. Lily went to her room for a long hot bath while James filled a petrol can and returned to his deserted MG. having completed the task; he went straight to the girls' dormitory stairs and once again asked Alice for lily. She came down a few minutes later.
"what, you again?" she said." Am I not in enough trouble already?"
"Why so?"
"Because I was out after midnight, unaccompanied."
"You were accompanied."
"Yes, and that's what's worrying them."
"Did you tell them that we spent the night together?"
"No, I did not. I don't mind our friends thinking I am promiscuous, but I have strong objections to believing that I have no taste. Now kindly go away, as I am contemplating the horror of your winning the Charles Oldham and my having to spend the rest of my life with you."
"You know I'm bound to win, so why don't you come live with me now?"
"I realize that it has become fashionable to sleep with just anyone nowadays, James, but if this is to be my last weekend of freedom I intend to savor it, especially as I may have to consider committing suicide."
"I love you."
"For the last time, James, go away. And if you haven't won the Charles Oldham don't ever show your face to me again."
James left, desperate to know the result of the prize of the prize essay competition. Had he realized how much Lily wanted him to win he might have slept that night.
On Monday morning they both arrived early in the entrance hall and stood waiting impatiently without speaking to each other, joisted by the other students of their year who had also been entered for the prize. On the stroke of ten the headmaster, in his purple robes, walking at a tortoise like pace, arrived in the great hall and with a considerable pretence at indifference pinned notice to the board. All the students who had entered for the prize rushed forward, except for James and Lily, who stood alone, aware that it was now too late to influence a result they were both dreading.
A Ravenclaw girl shot out from the melee around the notice board and ran over to Lily.
"Well done, Lil. You've won."
Tears came to Lily's eyes as she turned towards James.
"May I add my congratulations," he said quickly, "you obviously deserved the prize."
"I wanted to say something to you on Saturday."
"You did, you said if I lost I my face to you again."
"No, I wanted to say: I do love nothing in the world so well as you; isn't that strange?"
He looked at her for a long moment silently.
"As strange as the thing I know not," he said softly.
Peter Pettigrew slapped him on the shoulder, took his hand and shook it vigorously. Proxime accesit was obviously impressive in some people's eyes, if not in James's.
"Well done, James"
"Second place is not worthy of praise," said James disdainfully.
"But you won prongs."
Lily and James stared at each other. "What do you mean?" said James.
"Exactly what I said. You've won the Charles Oldham."
Lily and James ran to the board and studied the notice.
CHARLES OLDHAM MEMORIAL PRIZE
The examiners felt unable on this occasion to award the prize to one person and have therefore decoded that it should be shared by…
And to the delight of their peers and the amazement of professor McGonagall, they kissed under the notice board.
To be continued