Five years after Hogwarts and their failed relationship, Lily and James run into eachother and bitter feelings are rekindled. Could it be Fate, or something else? L/J. Slight AU.
The Perfect Curse By The Kat
Chapter One: When Grocery Carts Collide
Bzzzzzzzzz…
A petite redhead woke from her stupor and reached up to brush a hand over her head. She hastily snatched the red memo that was swirling frantically above her.
"What?" she grumbled to herself as she unraveled it.
Around her, the Department of International Magical Cooperation was alive with chatter and bustling workers, buzzing around her like the fiery red interdepartmental memos. Beside her, ten little desks were ordered neatly in rows, surrounded by teeming piles of file folders, all awaiting their journey to the expansive shelves that lined the walls.
Griswold is staring right at you, Lily. Look busy, damn it!
Lily gulped, crumpled up the note and began shuffling randomly through the contents of her desk. She peered up and caught sight of a miserly one-eyed man, hobbling about on a cane. His good eye rounded on her and narrowed slightly. She blushed and grinned brightly, randomly stapling some parchment as a teetering stack of files collapsed across her desk. Parchment spewed everywhere. Damn.
Doubt crossed the man's face, but he simply frowned and hobbled away. With a sigh, Lily dropped the parchment and collapsed on her desk.
"You could have been a bit more discreet. I gave you fair warning, you know."
Lily peered up to meet the soft brown eyes of a tall brunette, rhythmically tapping the teacup in her hand. "I tried," she grumbled. "I just don't work well under pressure."
The brunette rolled her eyes. "You don't say."
Lily fumbled with the stapler and it toppled to the floor. As she stood, several sheets of parchment were sucked off the desk, haphazardly stapled to the front of her robes. "Ugh, not again."
The brunette chuckled, waving her wand, and the staples clattered to the floor.
"Thanks, Mei," Lily grumbled.
Mei leaned casually against Lily's desk and took a sip of her steaming tea. "Seen the Prophet this morning?"
"No. Why?"
Mei tossed the paper onto her desk. She gaped at the front page article of the sports section:
James Potter, renowned Quidditch Chaser for the Dragon Knights is calling it quits. Shirley Nesbit gets the inside story on his change of heart. "I'm retiring," says Potter.
"He's retiring? What is he, ninety?" Lily scoffed.
"Keep reading," Mei said.
The twenty-two-year-old has been offered positions for top teams such as the Golden Blitzes and The Wasps. He was even presented a still-standing opportunity to join England's National Team. What caused this decision to end his budding career? Is he settling down now? We guessed that he'd found that lucky girl, however he denied it: "It'll take a lot to impress me."
"Self-absorbed prat."
"Ah, but you missed the best part," Mei tapped the backside of the page.
"I don't want to hear anymore about bloody Potter," she grumbled.
"All right, if you insist. I just thought you might like to know he's moved into a complex on Warrington Way."
Lily primly began restacking her files. "Why should I care if he's—Wait. Warrington…that's—that's our complex!"
"Calm down," Mei folded up the paper. "It's no big deal. He's just trying to live a normal life, apparently."
Lily ignored her. She was frantic. "Do you know what it's going to be like for me? I'll never have a moment's rest. He will make my life a living hell." James Potter was invading her life, and she'd decidedly put that portion of her past behind her. Far, far behind her.
"Oh, stop with the dramatics."
"It's bad enough he's some big-time Quidditch player."
"Was."
"And here I am, pushing papers! Bloody hell!" Lily shoved her chair out. "I can't do this anymore, Mei. I can't."
Mei shook her head, frowning. "Lily, you wanted to be an intern at the Ministry, so I got you this job. There are hundreds of other applicants who—"
"I know, I know," she waved a hand. "I just…didn't expect to be fetching tea the rest of my life. I can't show my face to James Potter with a job like this!"
"Lily! We can't all be Ministers at the beginning," Mei laughed. "Why does it matter?"
"I just want to make a difference."
"You want to prove something to James."
"I want a good job."
"Yes, Lily, and I want to shag Greg from the mail room. We can't all do earth-shattering things." She sipped her coffee and thoughtfully tilted her head toward a young blonde man shuffling through stacks of crumpled parchment. "Or can we…? Excuse me."
Lily shoved the files out of her way so she could collapse once more. She sighed wistfully and peeked sideways out the tiny slat of a window, her cheek pressed to the cool mahogany of her desk. It was a bright, sunny day. Well, not really. The Department was below ground, but it had been charmed that way.
How did she get here? Where had she gone wrong? In Hogwarts, she was so certain she'd have everything upon graduation: a fantastic job, money, a husband maybe?
Of course, nothing was that simple. The dark times had shot all those dreams to hell. With such uncertainty, one could never know whom to trust, and it made getting a job even more difficult. She wished she could blame it on that, but the only one who'd really put her in this position was herself.
An owl fluttered past and awoke Lily from her trance. The clock on the far wall had struck "refresh tea" and was already teetering dangerously on "Tell wife I'm in a meeting."
Before Lily could push out her chair, Greg from the mail room appeared at her desk and dropped a small pink envelope in front of her. Her eyes widened and she looked at him quizzically. Since when did she get mail?
"What's this…?"
Greg shrugged glumly as he sauntered off.
Lily examined the oddly shaped letter in her hands, but before she could begin to tear into it, the envelope burst open in a flurry of confetti and glitter, spraying her in the face. "Augh!"
"YOU'RE IIIIIIIIIIIIIINVITED! Yes indeed, my friend!"
Lily groaned as the letter folded itself into a little origami witch and began disco dancing amidst the little fireworks that spewed from the envelope.
"It's that time of year! Five years have gone by—how are your classmates?"
"Oh God," Lily blanched. She reached for the envelope to crumple it up, but was immediately shot with a blast of sparks.
"Ah—ah—ah!" The little paper witch waggled her finger. "You can't escape that easily! This is your five year reunion! You can't miss this! It'll be a blast!" More sparks flew. "The stay will be three nights of fantastical fun! Each day will have a new surprise in store for you Hogwartian Alumni! And as you know, it is a time-honored tradition for the former Head Students to prepare an appropriate speech on the big evening where we hold a Reunion Ball! So, I, Alison Alabaster, your very own Head of the Reunion Committee, present you with this Invitation That Can't Be Refused®! Thanks to the makers of Ivan Carroll's Impeccable Invites and Cards, if you aren't a) incapacitated by way of splinching, b) incarcerated, or c) dead, then you shall be cursed with twenty years of pain and suffering upon discarding this card and refusing to RSVP. Thanks, and see you in week!"
"Three nights?" Lily groaned and slid down in her chair. It was bad enough the Christmas season was here and she was busier than ever. How was she supposed to get three days off? She was so strapped for cash she could barely even afford a loaf of bread let alone a pile of Christmas presents.
Folding up the remnants of the invitation (she figured she should RSVP as soon as possible; eternal suffering was not the first thing on her Christmas list), Lily scribbled her acceptance on the back and added it to the outbox to be sent off to Alison Alabaster, that insufferably perky little twig.
It wasn't that Lily didn't love her old school— just that, well…there were certain people she really didn't care to see again. Namely one.
Mei suddenly rounded the corner, waving a matching pink envelope, glitter and confetti stuck in her hair. "You've got to be bloody kidding me."
--
Lily couldn't shake the dread of the impending reunion, and thoughts continued to swirl about in her head as she perused the aisles of Morton's Magical Market. She hazily pulled random boxes and cans from the shelf, not paying attention to much of anything outside her own bubble of thought.
CRASH!
Lily snapped from her daze and rubbed her head. A few of the shelves had collapsed and boxes of Charmed O's had conked her on the head and spilled all over. When she blinked and looked up, she saw two carts entangled on their sides. A handsome dark-haired man was crouched across from her, rubbing his backside. He peered at her quizzically a moment.
And then a small smile spread across his face, his hazel eyes flashing malevolently. "Well, if it isn't Miss Lily Evans."
Lily caught her breath…and then her blood began to boil. James Potter was staring back at her with flippant eyes. "James," she said with what dignity she could muster with sugarcoated breakfast cereal in her hair.
He stood up and held out his hand to help her up. He looked completely different…and yet, exactly the same. He seemed to have filled out. He was no longer gangly, but broader in appearance. He was still slender…but he looked like a grown man now, his facial features more defined. Lily became aware of her gaping mouth and shut it quickly.
She stared at his hand a moment, hesitating, and then took it. A slight jolt went through her body and she shivered a bit as he pulled her up. His eyes went wide. "You seemed to have filled out quite nicely, Lils," he winked.
She slapped him.
He rubbed his cheek and glowered. "Same Lily I remember. Unfortunately."
"Yes, well you don't seem to have changed much either."
"I'm famous."
She rolled her eyes. "Then why are you shopping at this little market?"
"I like the rustics," he said pompously.
"Rustics?" Lily growled furiously under her breath. This was where she shopped! And it was a bloody well-to-do little urban town! "Look, Potter, I never wanted this little incident to take place, so let's just pretend it never happened."
"Fine by me. Yours was the last face I expected to see."
"Ugh!" she puffed reproachfully. "Get out of my way."
"Oh, pardon me, Your Eminence." He bowed mockingly as she shoved angrily past, forgetting her overturned cart. She didn't need all that junk anyway. She was gaining plenty of weight…in certain places apparently pleasing to James, and that must be stopped.
"I don't care if I ever see you again!" she hissed.
"I see you've grown up nice and mature."
"Shut up! I can't believe I ever dated you!"
"You can't believe it?" James guffawed. "Let's talk about the years I wasted on you."
"Oh." Lily stopped dead, narrowing her eyes darkly. She tried to remain steady despite the sharp pang she'd felt. "Wasted, were they?" She huffed and turned her back on him.
"There you go. Off to bury your face in a ruddy book."
Lily rounded on him violently. "Just where do you get off insulting me?" She spat bitingly.
Eyes glinting, James took a step closer to her. "You deserve everything that comes your way, Evans. In fact, how's that French Ministry position working out for you, hmm? Fantastique?"
In the blink of an eye, Lily's wand was pulled, its tip pressed dangerously to his chest. "Have I told you lately how much I despise you?"
James snagged her wrist tightly before she could get a spell in. "Don't play that game with me, Evans."
Lily stared up at him brazenly, her emerald eyes full of fire. She wrenched her hand away and made to sheath her wand.
"Always stubborn." James straightened his jacket. "I never cared much for that damned attitude of yours."
Without warning, Lily spun back around and pulled her wand. "Engorgio!"
James blinked.
"Er…" Lily stared blankly at the tip of her wand. Nothing. She shook it furiously and pointed it back at James. "Confringo!"
Not even a spark.
"Er...Stupefy?"
It hung limply in her hand.
"Ruddy thing!" Lily shook the wand violently.
"Really, Lily. If you're planning on blowing me to bits, you might want to get that thing looked at," James said lazily.
"Fine!" Lily threw up her hands. "Once again, James Potter prevails. Bravo."
James rolled his eyes. "There's no need to get violent just because I'm successful and you aren't."
Her jaw dropped.
"Really. Jealousy is not an attractive quality."
Lily was shaking with fury now, but James was already halfway down the aisle.
"See you around," he said as he rounded the corner, "neighbor."
Knuckles whitening, Lily nearly snapped the wand in her fist.
--
A spoon clinked against the rim of a mug as Mei stirred her tea.
Lily was pouting across the kitchen table, staring forlornly at her untouched dinner. "I don't want to go to the reunion."
"I doubt anyone does, but since we all value our health…" Mei took a delicate sip.
"And if we value our sanity more?"
"Lily," Mei sighed, "What is the matter with you? You've been in a foul bloody mood since you got home."
"I had a collision at the market."
"A collision?" Mei began clearing away their plates. "Like, carts colliding?"
Lily huffed. "Yes. With James Potter."
"Ah. Well you'd better get used to it. He lives here now."
"I tried to hex him," she replied bluntly.
"Wow. You should really give the welcoming committee some pointers," she furrowed her brow and disappeared into the kitchen.
"My wand wouldn't work."
Mei shrugged when she reemerged. "Maybe you did the hex wrong."
"I thought so too at first, but then I couldn't get any of the other jinxes and spells to work."
"Hmm."
"My wand is working fine now, of course." Lily grimaced, fingering the hem of her sleeve.
"That's odd. Maybe you just weren't focused enough because of all the confusion," she reasoned. "Or…" she tapped her chin, "maybe it's Fate."
Lily frowned and looked Mei straight in the eye. "Fate?"
"Well, you know…You two ended on such bad terms, maybe you defied something that was simply meant to be," she suggested.
"Then why wait five years to bite us in the arse? Come on, Mei, you know I don't believe in that stuff."
She shrugged. "I'm just saying, it could be—"
--
"—Fate. I'm telling you Prongs, it's got to be Fate."
"What?" James scoffed. "What are you on about?"
His best friend Sirius Black shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just saying."
"Yeah, well stuff it. You know I don't believe in that stuff. You don't even believe in that stuff."
"I never said that. Here," he tossed James a shoe from where he sat on the couch.
"What's this for?" he asked.
"To beat yourself over the bloody head with for not apologizing to Lily Evans on the spot. She's gorgeous, James!"
"I'm not attracted to her!"
"You were."
James waved the shoe at Sirius pointedly. "Exactly. Past tense."
"Then why are you still talking about her?"
"What— I—I wasn't! You were asking— Oh forget it." He threw the smelly shoe at Sirius.
"Well you'll get the opportunity at the Reunion."
"Oh. That." James pinched the bridge of his nose. "Talk about wasted time."
"In the meantime," Sirius stood up and wandered into his kitchen, "you've got that interview to think about."
"Right…" James trailed off, perking a bit at the thought of his new potential job. After all, how could they turn him down?
He wandered to his room and flopped onto his bed. He gazed up at the ceiling where Quidditch players buzzed past over his head from poster to poster, playing little games with the other teams. He loved Quidditch, but it wasn't what he wanted to do the rest of his life.
He rolled over. Something had been nagging at the back of his mind.
Checking to make sure his door was shut, he walked into the closet. At the very back, several stacks of boxes towered over his head. He shuffled through them haphazardly until he found a tiny little gray one buried at the back of the lot.
He took a seat right there on the closet floor and lifted the lid. There were notes, crumpled parchment, a little flower and some pictures. He sorted through them and paused at one of him and a little redhead, picnicking by the lake. There was another of Sirius desperately pulling up his pants with one hand attempting to hide the camera lens and Lily running the opposite direction laughing. James snickered. He took that picture. Perfect timing. Another: Lily with her arms around him and his other good friend Remus Lupin— they were standing with their backs to a carousel. He could make out his friend Peter in the distance, legs flailing, clinging for dear life as the enchanted Hippogriff kept trying to buck him off.
He paused. Lily's soft auburn tresses brushed her cheek; James leaned forward, swept them aside, and stole a kiss. He remembered how soft and warm her lips were…how comforting it was to pull her in a tight embrace…Suddenly Lily and James' hands flew up, trying to cover the lens, yelling at the person behind the camera.
Where had he gone wrong?
James snapped from his daze. He grumbled to himself, shoved the photos back into the box, shut the lid, and waved his wand. It buzzed back to its spot among the towering stacks.
He had to stop doing that.