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Ok so, the question now remains as to whether or not I will be updating my other story or completely start over and edit it so it flows with HBP. After much careful consideration, I have decided that the best thing for me to do would be to go back and edit the chapters already posted in One More Year before I continue with it.
This is not a new chapter to that story. In fact, this one-shot is the first one that I have ever written, and the idea came to me when I was sitting on my friend's driveway (that's why I might have seemed a bit out of it, Manda). I wanted to take a break from my longer story and focus on something shorter that involved only James and Lily. And so, my dear readers, please be patient with me for a bit longer, and in the mean time, sit back, relax, and enjoy.
November was a month of reflection. Something about the transition from fall to the cold winter caused the mind to dig more deeply into the soul and try to figure it out. It was the time when inner revelations were made and epiphanies were paying visits to certain individuals.
Not many people thought of November as a month for romance, but it was. In November soul mates find each other without the interference of the summer heat, the magic of the sparkling winter snow, or the sweet aroma of flowers and the zing of cupid's arrow in the springtime. A person true self showed in November, the side that even some of his/her close friends never saw, the side that would appeal to that one person that (s)he was meant to share his/her life with.
It was on a windy November evening at about 6:30 that two people finally came together after six previous years of tension. These two would go on to be married and produce the one that had the power to stop the most feared wizard that had ever existed. Although they died on that fateful Halloween night of 1981 to protect their son, the love they shared would last a lifetime…
Lily Evans sat under one of the many trees that surrounded the lake at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a Gryffindor and currently in her seventh and last year of school, and had been promoted to Head Girl. It was quite an honor for her, although not that unexpected, for she was the top student in her class.
Her position as Head Girl, however, would have been more enjoyable if it had not been for the boy Dumbledore had made Head Boy. James Potter, fellow seventh year Gryffindor, Chaser and captain of their house Quidditch team, and part of a group of troublemakers known throughout the school as the Marauders, had been given one of the most sought-after positions in the school. Yet, he had never shown a trace of responsibility in that body of his. He was smart, a close third in his class, right behind fellow Marauder Remus Lupin.
Lily and James had been enemies ever since he died her red hair purple on the train in their first year of school. It used to be a mutual hate, but then in fourth year James developed a crush on Lily, and insisted on asking her out at least once every day. As if Lily did not have enough to deal with. Being a muggleborn witch, she was constantly tormented by pureblood students because of her heritage. Not all pureblood students of course, just those from Slytherin, for James himself was a pureblood from a very prominent wizard family.
Lily always thought that she would hate James Potter till the day she died, but something in him had changed at the beginning of the year. His head seemed less deflated, and he had stopped his abominable practice of randomly cursing Slytherins in the hallways. He did pull the occasional prank with his best friend Sirius Black, but they had become more harmless. He seemed so much more dedicated to his schoolwork and Head duties than Lily had expected, and it was driving her crazy. During their meetings and while they patrolled the halls every evening to check that no student was out of bed, Lily found herself having civil conversations with him.
She sighed and leaned her head back against the bark of the tree she sat under. No one else was outside, and the only sounds she could hear were those of the leaves rustling in the wind. Shivering slightly, she pulled her cloak tighter around her small frame and continued gazing out at the grounds.
Her mind began to wander as many other minds had wandered in November. The object of her newly frequent mind-wanderings was the always the same; James Potter. Why was she thinking about him so much? He had spent the past six years developing a reputation as a trouble-maker/ idol for half the female population at Hogwarts (Sirius had the other half), and yet, this year there was something different about him. She often found herself eagerly watching the clock in her private dorm, waiting for the time to come when they would patrol the halls together.
She loved their conversations. They ranged from teachers, to schoolwork, to their friends, and even embarrassing childhood memories. Lily found it easy to talk to him, but she still held back sometimes. Their friendship, if one could consider it that, was still new, and Lily was afraid that if she opened up too much, she would be hurt.
The sound of footsteps brought her back to reality. Someone was walking outside, and from the sound of it, they were walking towards her tree. Her eyes focused on the tall figure. There was no mistaking that head of untamed jet-black hair. James Potter, the one who had occupied her thoughts since the middle of September, was walking towards her, and by the looks of it, he was carrying a small bundle in his arms.
"Hey," he said as he approached her tree.
"Hey," she answered back.
He held out the bundle in his arms. "I saw you sitting out here alone and you looked cold, so I thought maybe a blanket might warm you up," he said, kindness laced in his voice.
She took the thick fleece blanket out of his arms and wrapped it around herself. Instantly she felt warmer, he must have put a warming charm on the blanket. "Thanks," she replied, blushing at his thoughtfulness.
He shrugged casually, scuffing the toe of his shoe in the dirt. "No problem." He turned to go back to the castle, his hands buried in the pockets of his pants to protect them from the crisp air.
Lily stared as he walked back to the castle, head down and black robes flowing gracefully around him. Was it just her, or did he seem a bit disappointed about leaving?
She stood up, blanket still wrapped around her, and called out after him. "Hey James!"
The wind carried her voice away but, some fragment of it must have reached James Potter's ears, for he turned back around and began walking back to her. As he walked back, Lily realized with some surprise on her part, that for the first time in seven years, she had called him James, and she had to admit, it sounded nice.
He stood before her once more. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Would you mind sitting with me, you can have some of the blanket if you want," Lily said shyly.
James smiled and sat down next to her, rewrapping the blanket around both of them. He sat close enough, she noted, that she could feel the heat radiating from his body, but not so close that she was touching him.
They sat there in silence for about five minutes, both of them lost in their thoughts. The sky was darkening slowly as the sun began to set behind the distant mountains. Lily sighed and watched as the white puff of air that escaped her lips disappear into the evening sky. She brought the blanket closer to her chin, and buried her face in it, trying to bring some of its warmth to her freezing nose.
She felt his arm wrap around her shoulders and for once she didn't mind. Her left hand reached up and absentmindedly began to entwine themselves with the fingers of his right hand that were casually draped over shoulder. It was so perfect.
"James," she spoke softly, turning her head to look at him, "why does life have to be so cruel?"
He frowned, and she watched as his brow furrowed in confusion. She smiled inwardly. He looked so adorable when he did that, how come she had not noticed this earlier?
"Well what do you mean by cruel. You're going to have to elaborate a bit more if you want me to understand you, Lily," he said, a smile on his face as he gazed down at her.
Lily sighed and leaned into his arm a bit more. "It's just that there's all this bad stuff going on right now, and you can only escape it for ten minutes before you get a rude awakening. And you don't get many of those ten minutes of escape, and what if they aren't a good ten minutes? Why can't time and life just stop for a while and give us a break before we all go insane?"
James was silent for a few moments. Lily felt his right thumb trace circles in the palm of her left hand as he thought about what she said. She loved the feeling she got as his skin moved over hers.
"Lily," he began after about two minutes of silence, "if I had all the answers in the world, I would be able to answer your question and any others that you might have. But, the fact is that I don't, so I'm just going to go on a whim here.
"Life throws you bad things so you can appreciate the simple things more. Life only gives you ten minutes of peace so that you can make the most of them and say what's on your mind. And it's your own fault if you ruin those ten minutes."
Lily chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Since when did you become so philosophical?" she asked.
"Since I fell in love with you I guess," he answered, softly gazing into her eyes.
It took only a moment for the full effect of what he had said to hit her, and by the time it had, he had already leaned down and softly brushed his lips against hers before placing a sweet, slow kiss on her mouth. Her heart skipped a beat.
And then it happened. Suddenly all the years of false hate were wiped away from her mind and replaced with the truth. She liked him, maybe even loved him, but that would have to wait till later to she realized. For now, she was content with the feel of his mouth on hers.
She kissed him back, and he smiled against her mouth before pulling her into a tight embrace. A small gasp escaped her lips; he was so good at this! She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his soft hair. The blanket that had once covered them was now lying forgotten on the grass as she relished the warmth of his arms, and the heat of the kiss.
Slowly he pulled back and she opened her eyes. She stared at him in wonder. Never had she imagined that one person could make her feel so happy by just holding her. He ran a hand along her cheek, and she closed her eyes again, leaning into his touch.
"James," she whispered, surprised that she could still speak, "did time just stop?"
James chuckled and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "Yes, Lily, I think it did."
They stayed in each other's arms till the first stars began to appear in the sky. Then, getting up from their spot under the tree, the blanket tucked under James's right arm, they walked hand-in-hand back to the castle, both breathing in the sweet November air.
Fin.
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