Disclaimer: As always, I don't own it and if I did I would be too overcome with joy to post this, much less write it in the first place.
Story Title: Nothing is Going Right
Story Summary:ONESHOT Nothing is going right for Lily and James. Can they make it through and come out together?
Story Rating: PG
I'm not quite sure when I stopped hating him. I can't pinpoint a certain thing he did, or didn't do, which seems more likely. But in the long-run I don't hate him. I don't like him though, I can assure you of that. Which made my current situation very perplexing indeed.
For at this very moment I am standing outside the door of the Charms classroom, waiting for him to be done with his thousandth detention. Maybe I'll flee the second he comes out but at this point in time I was waiting for him, and I didn't like it.
Now that the two of us are Heads together I find it easier to spend time with him. I can tell that he has changed. He doesn't harrass people in the corridors as much. Granted he didn't stop that entirely but anything was an improvement from his bullying. He didn't show off his Quidditch skills anymore. That was something he had refrained from completely.
And he has now stopped asking me out. You think that would be something I was happy about, wouldn't you? I should be running through the corridors shouting my joy to the castle. But instead I had resorted to sulking about, causing my friends to worry. And I am still sulking, except now I am trying to do something about it.
An hour ago I was sitting calmy in the Head Common Room, doing Transfiguration work, when it hit me. I can't let something like friendship (although I'll admit that I used the word love) get away from me. So I rushed to the Gryffindor Common Room, and finding it devoid of any Marauder, rushed up the stairs to the boys dorms.
Even after seven years of living in close quarters with these boys I had never been into their dorm, before earlier. It was probably all for the better, I am sure that now, after being exposed to the chemical spill that is their dorm, I will wither away and die.
I knocked on the door, hard to ensure they would hear it, a few times and then stepped back a bit. No one answered. Slightly annoyed I pounded on it some more. Finally a worse-for-wear looking Remus opened it, rubbing at his eyes.
"Waddya wa-Oh! Lily! May I help you with something?"
Oh, Remus. Out of all four Marauders he is the best-mannered and the one that I always got along with. I am still confused as to why he hangs out with Sirius, James, and Peter but I suppose it makes sense. He seems to be the brains of the cruel pranks they play (or used to as they haven't in a few months).
"Where is James? I need to speak with him."
"He...he. I have no idea, Lily. I wish I could help." And when Remus said something like that you believed him, because he did mean it.
"Its alright, I suppose. Do you know where Sirius is, then?" I asked, with a sigh. Sirius always made assumptions in the worst possible way and he would take my search for James way out of proportion.
Remus turned his back to me and called out to someone. A grunt came by way of reply and Sirius' head popped out of the bathroom door. I really didn't want to know what he was doing in there. Probably grooming, the pathetic boy.
"Lily here wants to talk to you." Remus said, wadding through the piles of clothes strewn about to get to his bed, which looked slightly more hygenic.
"Yes, my dear, dear Lily?" Sirius sang to me in an obnoxiously high voice.
"Where is Potter?" I said, cutting to the chase.
"Detention. As always with the poor bloke. Gets himself into too much trouble. I always try to keep him from doing things that might earn him one. Does he listen to me? No, he goes galavanting off into trouble, while I abide by the rules like good chil-" Sirius narrowed his eyes when I cut him off.
"Sure, Black. I always have thought of you as a nice, rule-abiding citizen." I said, checking my watch. It was eight o'clock which meant that James' detention would probably be just now starting.
"Do you have any idea where this detention might be?" I asked Sirius who was now patting down his hair.
"Charms classroom. And may I ask why you seem so interested in our Prongsie's whereabouts?" Sirius said, peering down at me.
"No," I said. "But thanks for the help."
I had hightailed it out of there before Black could weasel anything out of me.
And now here I was. Sitting with my back against the wall outside the Charms room, waiting for a boy I'm supposed to hate. I really am a silly witch.
I heard a creaking and turned my head to see the door opening and a messy headed boy slinking out.
"Potter!" I all but yelled, standing up.
He jumped in surprise, but whether it was at someone being there waiting, or that the person was me, I couldn't tell.
"Er, hullo Evans." He ran a hand throught his hair, something that still bothered me.
"I...I...you see..." Now that he was in front of me I couldn't do it. I had sat there for an hour running over what I was planning on saying and when the time came to accutally do it, I couldn't.
"Is there a reason you're here, Lily?" James said, in a voice that I could only call tired.
"Yes! You see...I have been thinking and...I think that we should be friends. Wait! No." I was getting tounge-tied, something I didn't normally do. "We are already friends. But I...I...think I might...er..well."
I looked at him pointedly, trying to get my point across without really saying it.
"Might...what?" James said, stupidly."I don't understand and I'm tired." He folded his arms across his chest and heaved a sigh, making me mad.
Was I not worth the boy's time anymore? He used to not leave me alone and when I finally want to speak to him, or do more than speak to him he didn't want to?
"I FANCY YOU!" I yelled, ignoring his dropped jaw and wide eyes. "I thought I hated you, but really I didn't. Well, I did at first, you see, but now I don't and when I see you I get this funny feeling that I shouldn't get around you. And I know that you don't like me like that anymore and that we agreed to be friends but I can't do that, you see."
I took a deep breath. I could feel my blush.
James stared at me. "Now? You choose to like me now? Well, thats all good for you, The Almighty Lily. But what about me? I have fancied you for years. Years! And now, after I finally am facing the not-so-pleasant truth, and given up on you, you decide I am worth your time? That I now have permission to like you? Thats rich." He was turned a bit red and his hair was mussed up worse than every from him rushing his hand through it.
I couldn't speak. I had nothing to say. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this. Maybe I pictured him grinning and sweeping me off my feet with a kiss. Or maybe even him telling me that he never liked me, that all his attempts at asking me out were part of an elaborate prank at my espense. Even that was better than this. Being so completely rejected, being told that I was too late.
I could feel the tears coming. I bit my lip, looked at my feet and mumbled, "I'm sorry I bothered you." The tears were flowing by the time I turned and high-tailed it back to the Head's Dorm, barricading myself in my room when I got there.
--
Its been a week since I had waited for James after his detention. I spent this past week avoiding him at all costs. I hid out in my dorm until the very last minute, sprinting into class just on time. I ducked into bathrooms whenever I saw him in the corridors. I avoided the Head's Common Room at all costs, preferring to do my homework in the library, somewhere James would never venture, or so I thought.
There is a table in the very middle of the library that I love. You can see the door and the check-out desk from the table and its not a table many other people like, giving me almost free reign of it.
After dinner I gathered up my things as quickly as possible and rushed to the library, set on doing some homework and avoiding James at the same time. My books were spread around the table almost like a little fort.
I was so immersed in my essay on the Goblin War of 1812 that I didn't notice him sit down at first. I looked up when I heard someone clearing their throat continuously, intent on telling them off for being too loud. When I saw him in the chair next to me I jumped, completely startled.
"Potter! You shouldn't do that to people. You scared me to dea-" I stopped suddenly. I shouldn't talk to him. He was probably only sitting there because there wasn't another open table. But with a quick glance around I saw more than enough empty tables.
I turned my attention back to my essay, intent on ignoring him completely.
"Lily." He whispered. "Lily!"
"I'm right here." I finally relented, but I still did not look up from my parchment.
"I need to talk to you." James said, looking slightly nervous.
I'll admit. Curiosity got the better of me and I said, "Alright. Talk."
He looked around the library. "Here?"
"Yes. Here."
"Alright. I wanted to tell you that I still fancy you and I am sorry that I esploded at you last week. I talked to Remus though and he helped me understand some stuff and now I was wondering...what...what you are doing on Hogsmeade weekend?" James spit out, his face red and his hands running contiuosly through his hair.
I stared at him. Was he serious? Did he still fancy me? And he wasn't mad. Oh wow. I was shocked into silence and he must have taken it the wrong way because his face turned even more red, if that was possible, and he scooted his chair back.
"Nevermind. Just forget it, Evans." He rushed out hte library so fast you would think a Hungarian Horntail was after him.
"Oh bugger!" I can not believe myself. Did I really just let him run off? I probably lost whatever chance I had with him.
I quickly transfered everything on the table into my bag and pushed my chair back so quickly it fell over. Ignoring it and the shouts of the librarian I rushed out the library. I paused for a moment, wondering where he might have gone. I decided to check the Head Dorms first, if only to drop my bag off.
I made my way up the flights of stairs, my thoughts a mess. What if he really did give up now? I started to run.
"Holyhead Harpies!" I shouted at the door and pushed through them as they opened.
I dropped my bag right there and rushed up the stairs to James' own room and knocked relentessy. I didn't stop knocking until the door opened and my hand hit a chest instead. I smiled.
"Hello James." I said, taking in his surprised face. Throwing away all doubts I made up my mind.
Without hesitation I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him down and planting my lips on his. I could hear his muffled exclamation of surprise, but ignored it, deepening the kiss. I smiled when I felt his arms settle around me.
A few minutes later, he pulled back. A huge grin was plastered on his face and said quietly, "I guess you want to go to Hogsmeade after all."
A/N: Reviews would be nice. Any takers?
