"The monsoon has reached London – there will be excessive runoff from heavy rainfall as well as 50 mile per hour winds," crackled the WWN. "We suggest you stay inside for the next couple of days. Prepare for the bad weather by remembering your magic spells and potions!"
"Stay inside," Lily Evans mimicked. "Bloody Potter, calling me out to the park in the middle of a bloody monsoon," she muttered as she swooped her long, curly auburn hair into a messy bun. Her emerald green eyes stared at her through the mirror as she double-checked her make-up. "Fucking James Potter, everything has to be done his way." She grabbed her black cloak and shouted, "Bye Mum, I'm going now!"
"Bye honey! Have a good time!" a voice shouted from behind the white kitchen door.
"Have a good time?" Lily wrinkled her face incredulously. "Who could have a good time with Potter?" Suddenly realizing that she had been talking to herself for the past five minutes, Lily groaned before hiking up her cloak to cover her neck and stepping off the beige porch.
The wind was whipping her face, attacking any sense of feeling she had left in her porcelain-like cheeks. Her almond shaped eyes squinted as she tried to see past the furious rain and angry wind. Her ripped jeans were fashionable, but not meant for a time like that, as the holes in the fabric encouraged cold air to waft up her long, muscular legs. Shivering, Lily clutched her cloak tighter to her skinny frame and increased her strides.
Cursing, Lily ran for cover under the slide in the park. She had finally made it, but Potter wasn't even there yet! "Go to hell, Potter!" she screamed out; the wind caused her shrieks to fade out quickly. Why was she here? Oh yes, that incident two weeks ago…
"Lily, there's an owl on the window sill for you!" shouted out her father.
Petunia shrieked, "Get that thing away from me!" before running up the stairs and safely into her bedroom.
"Okay dad, hold on!" the fifteen year old witch shouted, as she got up from the living room couch and popped her head into the living room. She grabbed the letter and gave the owl some bread crumbs before settling on the plush couch.
Hey Lilykins! Don't you just love that name? Anyways, as it is almost your birthday, I got something for you! I thought it was a little impersonal to just send it to you through owls. So, being the brilliant person that I am, I decided to invite you out to a little soiree two days after your birthday. Please meet me at the park near your house! Plus, you have to show up, rain or shine, because I have your 20 foot long Transfiguration essay that I know took you about 4 weeks of the summer vacation to do.
Cheers!
James Potter (Sirius Black and Remus Lupin as well!)
Lily had searched her entire house for that essay. It was officially gone. And she was officially going to meet James Potter.
"Bloody Potter," she whispered for the billionth time that day. "Stealing my essays, forcing me to come out in the middle of a monsoon!" Her black ballet flat shoes were soaking wet with woodchips from the playground stuck on them. "Ruining my shoes, my life, my summer…" she continued to mutter, her ruby lips turning pale and blue.
"Is that me you're talking about?" a clear voice interrupted. James Potter had arrived. Finally. "We can use magic y'know," he said, flicking his wand at her. Instant warmth shot through her body and Lily had the energy to give him the dirtiest look possible.
"You forget, I'm only sixteen years old. Give me my essay back," she hissed. "Calling me out in the middle of a freaking monsoon for god's sake!"
"Ah, Lily, is that all you came for?" he said, feigning hurt. He ruffled his completely dry black hair that looked like he had just played Quidditch. He was only wearing a T-shirt and jeans because he was already seventeen years old, so he could use magic and Apparate outside of school.
James was only a year older than Lily, yet he was infatuated with her. He had tried at every opportunity to ask her out, to win her over. It hadn't worked until recently. She just refused to admit it. He knew everything about Lily, every single quirk, every single flaw… When he was sixteen years old, he had been a real jerk to Lily. It was just that whenever she was around, he felt like he had to impress her. Instead, he pushed her away with his arrogance.
"Yes!" Lily exclaimed. "I worked so hard on that essay! How in the world did you manage to take my essay?"
"You're quite a bit like me. I put that essay in the bottom of my truck last year too." James smiled, his hazel eyes boring into hers.
"I'm nothing like you," Lily protested, "I don't hex people for fun, I don't play pranks on people…"
"Well yes, but in the studying aspect," James grinned. "Plus, I don't hex people anymore. Pranks…those I can't live without. Okay, are you ready for your present?"
"Will you give me my essay back?" Lily repeated.
"Sure!" James chuckled. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands."
She shut her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the wind and the pelting rain. Slowly, her hands reached out in front of her.
"Here we go!" She could feel him smiling widely. He placed something shaped like a cylinder in her hands. "Open them up!"
Her eyes snapped open and she stared at the roll of parchment in front of her. She pulled it open. It was her essay. A crack resonated under the slide and then disappeared cleanly into the wind, not before she heard, "Happy Birthday Lily!"
She stared at the essay, in shock and slightly confused. "What the...?" she muttered. It took her a while to realize what had happened. It was a prank! He was unbelievable. James Freakin' Potter, pretending that he had helped her out with her summer homework, only to give her something that she had already done.
All of the sudden, she burst out in laughter; her body shaking from the what was probably the funniest birthday present she had ever gotten. She couldn't understand why she was laughing, but she couldn't stop. Tucking the parchment in her pocket, Lily twirled in the rain before taking off her cloak and sprinting home.
James Potter never ceased to amaze her – his gift was one of joy and happiness.