DISCLAIMER: JK ROWLING OWNS ALL.
Written as an anti writers block exercise.
So this story was going to be a single event interspersed with memories, but I felt it lacked flow, so now it is snippets of memories, followed by a huge, massive event. This means some chapters may be very, very short.
James had been walking through the common room towards his dorm when it happened. It was Friday evening, and it would have been an utterly uneventful week, busy with the preparation for OWLS if it hadn't been for this one event. An event that James would think about for a very long time, replaying it over and over in his mind, thinking about each precise detail individually.
He was about to step onto the spiral staircase that led up to the fifth form dormitories, when he had heard someone cry his name.
"James!"
He swivelled around, but before he knew it she'd pressed her lips to his, kissing him as if there was no tomorrow. He kissed her back feverishly, pulling her willowy frame closer, feeling her hands fisting up in his jet-black hair. He couldn't believe it, Lily Evans; the Lily Evans was kissing him. He had no idea what had brought on this massive change of heart, but he didn't question, only silently thanked his lucky stars as they continued.
Before he knew what was happening, he felt himself being pulled sharply backwards by his collar, breaking him away from the scene he had dreamed of for so long. Dazed, he looked forwards; Lily seemed to be held back by another girl.
"But, I'm not done, we're not done!" he heard her say.
A hand slapped him hard across the face.
"How dare you take advantage of her like that?" a voice said, but James didn't see who it belonged to, he was too busy watching the struggling Lily, as she fought against her oppressor.
"Lily, you've got to drink this!" the girl said. Lily was refusing, attempting to turn back towards him.
He didn't understand. What was going on? The girl laughed towards him.
"Man, that must have been some love potion!" she chuckled.
A love potion? The words rang in James' ears. The only way she'd ever be interested in him was through a love potion? Clearly his feelings for her had become a joke to her friends. He'd taken advantage, been opportunist. This was a wake up call. She wasn't interested. He needed to move on.
Slowly, he turned away and began to walk up the stairs. This was the start of a new era. The start of a new James.
The next day he had sat down beside her in Charms. She had shied away from him, blushing. He looked over to her, studying her features. She avoided his gaze.
"Could you lend me a quill?" he asked, feebly looking for an excuse to break the silence.
She glanced down. "Yeah, sure," she'd answered quietly.
She passed the quill over to him. He took it, and smiled at her. She quickly looked away.
The lesson had begun, the words seemed to be passing over Lily, who was taking uncharacteristically few notes.
James tore a piece of parchment out of his book.
"Look," he scrawled. 'We can act as if nothing happened, if you like. You weren't yourself; I understand that. I won't tell anyone."
He pushed it towards her on the desk, half hoping she'd answer with a profession of her feelings, but really knowing that his hopes were impossible. He was glad of the note writing, this was easier than talking to her; she'd probably run away. Still, her brief; 'Thanks, that would be great.' had stung. His need to forget her was reinforced. This was the end. No more staring at her in lessons, no more attempts at blackmailing her into to going to Hogsmeade with him, no more following her around and shouting compliments at her from a distance. Thinking back, some of the things he had done were unbelievable, he cringed at the thought of magnifying his voice at dinner, at the illegal fireworks spelling her name outside her window, at all the anonymous gifts he had levitated into her room. He supposed it was easier hear her reject him if he knew it wasn't really him she disliked, just some cocky persona he had invented to use when he was around her. It suddenly hit him how many times he'd made her angry, how many times he'd upset her. She was better off without him around.