Written in December 2006, as a present for Hannah C over at LiveJournal's Fandom Commerce fic exchange.
Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to JK Rowling; the rest is mine.
Thankies to Gloria for Beta-Reading, and to Athanasia and Hannah J. for their support.
I hope you enjoy. All comments are welcome and appreciated.
She's sitting there, on an aisle seat, beside her sleeping friend. As her green eyes slide from left to right, taking in the words of the novel sitting open on her lap, she's the picture of serenity.
James Potter had never thought that a book could be so captivating. And, before meeting Lily Evans, he had never thought that the sight of someone reading a book could be so captivating, either.
Lily Evans seems to have been born for quiet. She's such a discreet presence you hardly notice she's in the room. When in the classroom, she's intently watching the professor and taking notes. When in the common room with her friends, she's listening to their conversations, and when she happens to contribute something, it's in such a peaceful and dignified manner that no prying ears can listen in without their eavesdropping act becoming blatantly obvious. And, when in Hogwarts Express, on the way home, she's immersed in a novel, shunning herself away from everyone else under the pretext that trains make her so uneasy only reading can distract her – a claim that may or may not hold true.
They say that opposites attract. Perhaps that's why James Potter, loud by principle and overly energetic by definition, feels so drawn to Lily Evans. There's something about her quiet demeanour, something so foreign to him and, for that reason exactly, so mystifying. Wrapping his mind around the idea of someone being so serene of their own accord is impossible. To him, Lily Evans is impossible.
She's hiding a strong spirit under that quiet, composed exterior of hers. It shows in the way she doesn't let herself be bossed around or cave in under any kind of pressure. Quite the opposite; she always gets what she wants. When she puts her logic and her persuasion skills into use, no one can argue with her. One look and a few carefully measured words, and that's the end of it. Everyone has been convinced she's right. Or, that she believes she's right, which is the same thing, really – because no one can change Lily Evans's mind. No one can get close to her enough to make her even consider their point. No one can get close to her enough to affect her state of mind.
Except James.
Under any other circumstance, James would see it as a challenge to get past her frostiness. He would swear to himself to make her lose her temper if it were the last thing he did in his life.
In reality, though, it's not nearly as difficult. Because Lily Evans may be immune to absolutely everything outside her own world, but she's not immune to him. One word from him and she immediately revolts. It's like his inherent loudness destroys her natural quiet by merely approaching it. He likes having that kind of power on her. He enjoys exercising it, using it to bring out Lily Evans's fierce, loud self. Seeing her pale cheeks turn crimson red, her green eyes turn to sparkling emeralds, the quiet girl turn to a raging tornado – it's something only he can manage. And knowing that is a pleasure on its own.
A blond girl walks past him, throwing him a curious look, then enters Lily's compartment through the open door. It's Emily, one of Lily's best friends. James leans back on the wall to enjoy the spectacle.
Emily quickly spots her friend and approaches her. "Hey, Lily."
Lily looks up at Emily and nods. She's not one to waste her time talking unless it's absolutely necessary. Which is a shame, really; she has a lovely voice.
"D'you want to come at the second compartment with us? Christine from seventh year is reading our fortunes in her cards. Everyone's gathered there."
Lily shakes her head. "If I stop reading, I'll get dizzy."
"Yeah, I know..." Emily says, a bit uneasily. "I just thought I'd ask you anyway. Have fun."
Lily smiles at her friend as a means of 'see you later'. Emily leaves the compartment again, after having given James a perfect excuse to get down to amusing himself.
He walks into the compartment, his steps noisy on purpose. She doesn't look up, but he sees her flinch; his presence is already beginning to take effect.
"Don't you want to know your fortune, Evans?" he says loudly at her.
She turns her green stare straight at him. It took her less than two seconds to substitute her calm expression with her current, irritated, furious one. "Whether I want to know my future or not is none of your business, Potter!" she yells. "Shut up, get out and let me read in peace!"
"Reading while on the train actually makes people queasy, Evans."
"What would you know?" She rises, plops her book on the seat and takes a couple of steps closer to him, fixing him with an angry glare. "I know what makes me queasy and what doesn't! And you, you are one of the things that do, so why don't you go over there and find out your own fortune and leave me alone!"
James smirks at her, inwardly very pleased with himself. He's not the kind of person to be scared by such a tirade. He nonchalantly points to the girl sleeping in the seat next to Lily's. "You'll wake Bellanthe up."
"I don't care if I wake up the entire Britain!" she explodes. "Stop annoying me! Stop talking to me! I don't want to hear one more word from you!"
"Li-"
"Not even one!" She exhales heavily and wipes her forehead – the intensity of her feelings has made her sweaty. "Go away, find those friends of yours! What did you come here for – no, forget it, I don't want to know, just get out of here and don't come back!"
"But there's an empty seat here," he says innocently.
Lily's eyes widen so much they seem ready to fall out of their sockets. "You are NOT going to sit in this compartment! I was here first! Go away, or I'll... I'll..." She fumbles for her wand, as anger is rendering her incapable of coherent speech.
James assumes a face of wariness. Inside, he's laughing. "OK," he mumbles and takes a few steps towards the door.
Lily watches him for a moment, then returns to her seat on a bit of a woozy pace. She picks up her book again and resumes reading. Her features relax as she gets immersed in the world of words, and a few moments later, all signs of her previously heated mood are gone from her face.
"You're lucky Bellanthe doesn't wake up easily, though," James calls out to Lily from the doorframe, then quickly shuts the door. From inside the compartment, he can hear a frustrated scream and a thud he recognizes as Lily's book being thrown at the door. He leans back onto the door and a broad grin forms on his lips.
Once more, he's won. In the three years he's known her, he's never lost one single battle in this little war of wills he's started with her. It's so easy for him to infuriate her he barely needs to try.
Really, she's not that much of a challenge. Definitely not a match for him. It's almost no fun anymore. Sometimes he wonders why he keeps bothering with picking on her.
Then, he remembers the way her green eyes sparkle when she's mad at him, and he has his answer.