Title: Goodbye Kiss
Chapter: 1 (approx. 2529 words)
Rating: K+
Characters/Pairings: James Potter/Lily Evans
Summary: Lily and James are a couple now, and Lily is selected for an internship at Witch Weekly. Problem is, it's in France. Will James be able to persuade her to accept the internship? Oneshot.
Author's Notes: some fluff for you woo ~ ; more detailed author's notes at bottom. cover photo by viria ((i credited her please don't scream at me for being an asshole))
Lily, James, Sirius and Remus were sitting in a circle in the Gryffindor Common Room. It was the Christmas of their seventh year, and the four of them were the only Gryffindors staying in Hogwarts for the holidays.
It was snowing, and the windows were closed, but the four of them, each in at least two layers of clothing, were practically bouncing in excitement. Well, the boys anyway. Lily was shivering, her nerves getting the better of her.
After a few moments of excited silence, Sirius couldn't resist it any longer. "THIS IS SO EXCITING!"
This caused James to jump in excitement as well. "I KNOW!"
Sirius continued. "Wouldn't it be really, really awful if they didn't pick you?"
Remus smacked him. "What?" Sirius asked incredulously.
Before Remus could reply, Lily interjected. "It's okay if they don't pick me. It's just… It's just that I just want them to owl me now!"
At that moment, they heard a tapping on the window. There, outside in the snow, was a snowy owl with a fancy letter in her beak. Lily jumped up and opened the window, and gently took the letter from her beak once she had settled down.
It was all she could do to resist ripping the letter open. She opened the letter with trembling hands, and took the letter out.
The boys were practically jumping in excitement. They looked ready to explode any moment.
She unfolded the letter, and slowly read it out.
"Dear Lily Evans," she looked nervously at the boys.
"Congratulations! You have been accepted for our internship programme at Witch Weekly."
The boys started cheering and conjured confetti with their wands. Lily smiled, and continued reading.
"It will be a three- year contract," Lily said, and stopped for the boys to start cheering and conjure confetti again.
Then she looked back at the paper, and frowned. "You are required to come to our headquarters in France." At this, Sirius continued cheering and conjuring confetti. Remus and James was about to do the same, then they realised what Lily had just said. James froze, his smile wiped off his face.
Lily continued reading. "You will be required to arrive here by next week. Because you haven't learnt how to yet, you are not allowed to Apparate and you have to take Muggle transport here."
Sirius started to cheer and conjure confetti, but Remus hit him again before he could do so. "Hey what did I do this time?" Sirius asked, and when he realised what had happened, "Oh…"
Lily finished the letter. "Please reply us via owl as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, Amanda Baker, executive producer, Witch Weekly."
When she finished, she continued looking at the letter, as if the words would change if she stared at them long enough. She wanted to avoid seeing James' face because she knew that there was going to be a hurt expression upon it.
But she knew she couldn't avoid it forever, and she raised her head slowly.
Her heart split into two. James looked so sad. He looked like he was about to cry any moment. Lily couldn't bear it anymore, and she walked towards James.
"They can't make you go to France! Don't they have another office here in England?"
She put her hand on his cheek, and said," I know. I'll clear things up, all right? Maybe they will be able to transfer me to the office here, instead of the one in France."
James nodded, looking quite like a little boy, to be honest. "See you later at the Great Hall?" Lily nodded and turned to walk away, but James grabbed her arm, and pulled her back. "You forgot our goodbye kiss," James said, smiling, and leant in to kiss her.
Lily stood on her tiptoes as James pressed his lips to hers. The pair remained kissing for a few more moments, until Sirius finally gave an awkward cough. They pulled back, and Lily smiled at them.
"Thanks guys." She said, nodding at Remus and Sirius. Then she gave James one more quick peck on the lips and walked out the door.
James stared longingly after her, wanting to just take Lily in his arms and hug her and never let her go.
Later in the evening, James arrived at the Great Hall with Sirius and Remus to see Lily already sitting there at their usual table. She seemed to be in a daze, her eyes staring into space.
James plopped down onto the seat next to her. This seemed to arouse Lily from her daze. "Hey sweetie." James said.
"Hey," Lily replied, before leaning in give him a quick peck on his lips. Lily continued sitting there, without eating anything. Sirius, on the other hand, had already started piling stacks of food on his plate and tucking in. His mouth was full of food, and a bit of porridge was dripping down his chin. Nothing weird there, but Lily, for once, didn't look at him in disgust or even say something.
"So how was it?" James asked gently.
"Mm?" Lily looked up. She seemed to hesitate a little. "Oh, my parents said that France was too far away for a 17- year- old to live alone in."
"Really?" James asked.
"Yeah," Lily replied.
"Well, are you okay with it? I mean, are you bummed?" James continued.
"No, as long as I can be with you." Lily smiled gently.
Once James heard this, he grinned, and kissed Lily. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, and they tucked into their food. Once they were done, the boys and Lily headed towards the guys' dormitory room.
They spent time there, playing Truth or Dare. They were laughing so loudly, they were surprised no one actually told them to shut up, until they remembered that they were the only ones there for the holidays. Finally they stopped playing and just talked with each other. They talked for a little while, and at around midnight James realised that Lily was asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. James considered waking her up, but decided against it. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping.
James carried Lily up bridal style and laid Lily on his bed, then pushing her hair back from her forehead; he pecked her on the forehead, and then moved to Sirius' bed.
They cast the Muffliato charm over Sirius' bed. James could tell something was up with Sirius. "Is something wrong, mate?"
"Lily said that she wasn't going to France right?"
James nodded. "What about it?"
"Well, I saw her parents' reply to her, and her parents were congratulating her in the letter."
"How did you see it?"
"She left it on the Common Room table just now."
"Well, why didn't she accept the internship if her parents allowed it?"
"Erm, because of you?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you! Then who do you think I was talking about? She's willing to sacrifice her whole future just for you, mate."
"Oh."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Well, I can't let her give up her whole life just for me; of course I'm going to tell her to accept the internship."
"But you are asking her to pick her career over you. She would never ever do that."
"So I break up with her, and she won't have any reason to stay?"
"By doing that you are just breaking her heart."
"Well, then tell me what to do!"
"You have to get her to break up with you."
As James walked back to his bed, where the love of his life was sleeping, Sirius' words swam around in his head.
You have to get her to break up with you.
Get her to break up with you.
James realised the only way to get Lily to break up with him, was to be a jerk to her. He knew, give her attitude, she wouldn't take it lying down, and would break up with him.
He lay down beside Lily, treasuring those precious moments with Lily before he did what he had to do. Finally he, too, fell asleep, his arms around his Lily.
§
"How could you? I saw you with another guy! How could you do this to me?" James yelled at Lily.
"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.
"Very close to Adam Ryans, weren't you? You might as well have been kissing him!"
"No, we were only on patrol! Why are you saying all these? I thought you trusted me!"
"Well, how can I now that you have practically cheated on me with Adam?"
Lily's incredulous face turned into one of anger.
"I didn't cheat on you! How could you say that?" Lily yelled back.
"Well, break up with me then! Since you don't love me anymore to be cheating on me with Adam!"
"FINE! Since you want to break up with me so much, I'll break up with you this instant! Don't ever come to me again, you bastard."
Then Lily stomped up to her dormitory room. James stared after her, and shouted, "WHAT? NO GOODBYE KISS?"
Then James had to duck a thick textbook that was flying through the air towards his head. "MISSED ME!"
Then he sank down onto the couch, and mumbled, "I'm going to miss you."
§
That night, Sirius and Remus attempted to cheer James up by having a boys' night. They pranked the others who were staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, they snuck into Hogsmeade, but nothing they did could cheer James up.
"I'm sorry, guys, but only one thing is going to cheer me up right now."
Suddenly the door to their room opened.
Lily.
James immediately jumped up.
"I just realised I forgot to do something last night at the restaurant."
"What?"
Lily kissed him, her arms snaking around his neck. "Give you a goodbye kiss."
Remus and Sirius had snuck out of the room by this time.
"I'm confused." James said.
"So was I, until I realised what you were trying to do last night. Getting me to break up with you, just so that I would accept the internship."
"This opportunity only comes once in a lifetime. I'm not letting you give it up because of me."
"Well, maybe you come only once in a lifetime."
James grabbed a piece of parchment off his desk and passed it to Lily. You are going to be an amazing journalist, I know it."
Lily took it reluctantly, and wrote a quick note with James' quill, before passing it to James' snowy owl to deliver to Witch Weekly.
When she was done, she turned to James, who smiled encouragingly at her, before smiling back herself.
"Thank you."
"Well then, you are welcome, love."
"I love you, James."
James replied by giving her a deep kiss.
"I love you too, Lily."
§
The next day, Lily and James spent the whole day together. They headed to the courtyard, and they had a snowball fight, before Lily finally lay on the ground and made a snow angel. James lay down on his stomach, his head above Lily's, and kissed her forehead with his half-frozen lips.
James felt Lily shudder under his cool kiss. Then James lay down next to Lily, and he took her tiny and delicate hand in his large one. For some reason it just felt right. In a way their hands just fitted together like that.
They lay there like that for a while, talking. Then they got up, and James could feel Lily shivering a little.
James took off his jacket, and gently draped it over Lily's shoulders, before wrapping his arm around her. Lily put her arm around James' waist, and they walked back to the Great Hall, their hair sopping wet. Lily's hair was damp and hanging down her back, while James' looked wet, but wasn't any tamer than before.
They joined Sirius and Remus at the table, and had their lunch. After that, James and Lily went up the dormitory to spend the rest of their time together.
Finally that night, James spent the night together with Lily again. They spent the night in the girls' dormitory, primarily due to the fact that it was empty.
Then for some reason, Lily stated crying. She hid her face in her hands. James panicked a little, and pulled her closer to him.
"Hey sweetie, don't cry. What's going on?"
"I just get so sad thinking of the fact that I won't see you for 3 years."
"We will see each other soon enough. And besides, I'll come and visit you often."
Lily buried her face in James' chest, and nodded.
"Hey love, we should treasure the time we have now, okay? Stop crying. Let's just spend the time we have now with each other."
Once Lily calmed down, they lay down next to each other on Lily's bed and just talked the night away. Finally Lily fell asleep and James, with his arms around her, fell asleep as well, just like he did yesterday.
The next day, Lily and James bid farewell to each other outside Hogwarts beside one of the carriages. James hugged her, and gave her a white lily.
To Lily's surprise, it was a fake one.
"James, you gave me a fake lily."
"Lils, I'll love you until the day when this lily dies."
Lily hugged James one more time and got into the carriage. James stood there staring after the carriage, until it was gone from his sight.
He walked back to his dormitory dejectedly. Sirius and Remus entered the room after a while.
"So how was it?" Remus asked.
"It was okay, I guess. I have this feeling we forgot something."
"Well who cares? I bet you will never forget that goodbye kiss." Sirius said, before making a smooching face at James.
James' eyes widened.
"No way! Don't tell me you forgot to give her a goodbye kiss!"
"FUCK!" James cursed.
"Well you have to go to the airport now!" Remus, ever the calm one, said.
They ran down to the entrance hall, and took a carriage to Hogsmeade immediately. Then they headed to the airport immediately.
They ran towards airport security, and saw Lily already at the front of the line. They cut through the people in the queue, and James ran to the front, while Sirius and Remus remained behind.
James grabbed Lily by her arms and then spun her around.
"Hey. We forgot the goodbye kiss."
"I know."
Then James pulled Lily in, and kissed her. The line behind Lily practically 'Awwww'ed.
Finally they pulled away from each other.
"Goodbye Lily."
"Goodbye James."
They hugged each other one last time, and Lily passed her passport to the security guard. It was all James could do to restrain himself from pulling Lily back into his arms, snogging her senseless and preventing her from going to France.
Sirius and Remus patted James on the back, to comfort him.
As James stared after Lily, his own eyes watered up, and he failed to notice that Lily lifted up her hand to wipe a single tear from her eyelids.
A/N: Okay guys, I decided to write this oneshot. Hmm I'm wondering whether I should continue this as a story. But what could I write? Nah, I think I'll just keep this as an oneshot. Anyways, this oneshot was actually based on the Big Time Rush episode, Big Time Breakup. Erm, I changed the storyline a little, the last part, and a few parts were added in. So yeah, I'm working on the other stories, just that I'm on a small hiatus for my EOY exams. It's only 1- 2 weeks, I promise. Exams are starting tomorrow, and I felt uneasy if I didn't give you guys something to read. So yeah. Thanks for reading, and REVIEWS PLEASE! :D