Wow...I haven't written fanfiction since two years ago. Here is to hoping that I've still got my skills two years later. Enjoy!
Summary: Head Girl Lily Evans is in for a rude awakening when she realizes that she may be wrong for the first time. Will her fellow Head be able to show her that being proven wrong isn't as bad as it seems? LJ
Proven Wrong
It started with the smallest things.
The way he bit the inside of his cheek while he concentrated, to the way his eyes gleamed in triumph as he accomplished mastering yet another spell that she knew was beyond their years. Then there were the countless times that he glanced around to make sure no one was looking before he collapsed onto the warm loveseat next to the blazing fire and ran his fingers through his hair as he groaned in exhaustion and bliss.
But she was always watching, and she couldn't resist the contented sigh that flew past her lips. He looked absolutely magnificent.
She tried so hard to avoid places where she might encounter him, but she knew that she couldn't resist the opportunity to gaze upon him. However, with every ounce of strength, she had evaded him successfully. I knew I could do it. This is a piece of cake. There is nothing that will prevent me from evading him now!
But she was worried that she would be proven wrong.
"Lily, you're going to have to end this sooner or later," Alice admonished during breakfast one morning.
"Suits me, later works perfectly with my schedule," Lily replied back cheekily as she reached over for a small pumpkin scone. Popping it in her mouth, she moaned at this sensation of the warmth filling her mouth. "Alice, I think I can die happy."
Alice reached over and smacked her friend on the head. "Don't be a smart-ass! Be serious. You know this is important."
"Mmmm…what did you say?" she spoke through a mouthful of scone. As she gazed over towards the professors' table, she noticed that a few Gryffindors were absent from the table. I wonder where the Marauders are. They're usually the first to arrive so that they can scarf down the entire table…
"…Don't you agree? Lily? Earth to Lily?"
"What? I'm sorry Alice, I was just…"
"Too busy looking for lover boy?" Alice smirked as Lily blushed a light pink.
In order to avoid the question, she hurriedly broke off a piece of scone and filled her mouth with the pumpkin goodness. As Alice rambled off a list of things the two had to purchase in the upcoming Hogsmeade trip, she noticed a tall figure at the corner of her eye and turned to see who it was.
Ruffled charcoal hair surrounding a widow's peak brushing by twinkling hazel eyes, framed the infamous face of James Potter as he passed by her. Her burning gaze on him caused him to turn around and wield his most deadly weapon, and all hell broke loose.
Startled, Lily felt the small piece of scone leave her mouth and enter the wrong pipe in her throat, and she promptly started to choke. His calm demeanor was instantly replaced by a look of alarm as he started towards her, which caused her to panic even more as she frantically tried to dislodge the piece of scone out of her airway. Thankfully, Alice had stopped in mid speech to thump Lily's back which forcibly launched the piece of scone into the air. Eyes streaming as she gasped for breath, she could only watch in horror as the projectile that left her mouth hit him squarely on the head and dropped to the ground.
All was still. The entire Great Hall held their breath as they awaited the next reaction.
Sirius Black's loud, booming mirth-filled laughter filled the hall as he marched down the table to meet his friend, with Remus and Peter following in his wake. The deafening quiet following the laughter slowly arose to a soft lull as students and staff resumed their conversations.
"Well Evans, I think you just topped the list of the most embarrassing events to have occurred before nine in the morning," Sirius snickered as her blush came back full force. Her friend could not resist a giggle or two nor could the rest of the Marauders. All except James who looked on in concern.
"All right there, Lily?" her fellow Head questioned.
She nodded in affirmation and the four boys trooped off to the other end of the table.
"Goodness Lily, what happened there?" Alice enquired.
She simply groaned and pleaded with her eyes for her friend to drop the matter. Alice merely raised an eyebrow in retaliation.
"Fine," she acquiesced. "All I'm going to say is damn James Potter and his bloody breathtaking smiles." She grumbled as she reached for some juice and glared at the scones on her plate.
Alice laughed and the two resumed making plans for the upcoming trip. Yet she could not get rid of the feeling of her stomach dropping every time she looked over at the hazel-eyed young man down the table. I sincerely hope that this week will turn out to be a good week…
But she was worried that she would be proven wrong.
As she left Charms, she silently thanked fate for not allowing her to bump into him in the first half of the day. She had not only avoided talking to him or meeting him, but she also successfully pulled off one of her favorite moves. The Stare at James Potter Behind the Curtain of Hair move. And he hadn't even noticed.
Smiling, she walked down the hallways towards the Transfiguration room with her friend.
"Hey Lil, do you mind if I sit next to Frank next class? He wanted to ask me something. Please?" Alice implored. Lily gave in when Alice began to pout, and as she laughed and swatted her friend towards her boyfriend, she could not help but wonder what this would mean for her.
The two girls parted ways at the door of the classroom, and she made her way down towards the front center table of the room as her friend silently moved towards the back into the arms of her boyfriend.
She had only begun to reach down and grab her books to get settled when a male voice shocked her to the core.
"Lily, is this seat taken?" The light from the windows accentuated the golden flicker in his eyes as she stood shocked for a couple of seconds. Realization hit her when a smug look overcame his features. She had been caught staring.
"No it's not, Potter," she gruffly answered. If possible, he looked even more smug as he, too, settled down in his seat to the left of her and took out his quill and parchment. She sat down hastily in her seat only to turn around and give Alice a look of complete exasperation. Her friend only winked at her as she turned back to her boyfriend, and Lily had known that she needed to figure out a plan. And fast.
Fortunately for her, Professor McGonagall chose to pick that exact moment to begin class.
"Today, instead of a regular lecture class, we will be partnering up to practice the Lapifors spell on the salamanders on your tables. Your partner will be the person sitting with you at your table." Lily looked at her table and noticed that it was indeed a two person table which only meant that…
"Guess we're partners." His hot breath caressed the soft flesh behind her ear and she couldn't repress the shiver that crawled down her spine. She turned her head towards him and was once again overwhelmed at the depth of emotion lying beneath the pools of his eyes. She was drawn towards him like a fish drawn by a fisherman, caught by the hook and helpless to escape.
"Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans!" The yell broke the connection between them as they slowly turned to face the irate professor in front of them. "As much as I enjoy the change from the yelling, I would rather you did your work!" The class looked on amused, and she saw her so called dearest friend turn red as she contained her laughter. She is going to die a very painful death, even if it has to be at my hands. Actually, I think it will be at my hands!
Turning to face the squirming amphibians, she rolled her sweater sleeves up to her elbows and picked up her wand. As the class mulled about their tasks, she peeked at him from behind her curtain of hair only to find him bashfully smiling at her from beneath the fringe covering his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she shakily turned away, lying to herself that she could survive the close proximity to James without having the urge to jump his bones while he turned salamanders into rabbits.
And she was worried that she would be proven wrong.
Saying a quick goodbye to Alice, Lily walked out of the Great Hall feeling more elated than she had all day. Dinner was, gratefully enough, peaceful. With the somewhat dramatic events that took place in the course of just one day, she was glad to know that from here on out she could go back to the Heads Common Room and just relax by the crackling fire as she read.
Loosening her tie, she briskly walked to the portrait of the entwined snakes around a metal pole and whispered, "Serpi Strisciano." The portrait swung wide open and she felt at home as she entered the warm room. As the portrait swung closed, she moved towards the warmth emanating from the fireplace.
Instantly feeling at ease, she set her books down and padded over to the nearest sofa by the fire and slumped down comfortably. As she reached for her Charms book on the table beside the comfy suede red chair in which she took solace in, at that moment, the portrait for the Heads Common flew wide open allowing for one James Potter to enter humming "God Save Ye Merry Hippogriffs."
"Isn't it a bit too early for Christmas carols?" she called. He glanced over at her as he made his way through the clutter created by books strewn around the floor.
"It's never too early for Christmas!" he gleefully replied. "However, there is one thing that we are not too early for. In fact we are right on time."
"Stop being cryptic, James, and just tell me what the hell you are talking about." She turned around grumpily to face the fire. She had a nagging feeling that the simple appearance of James Potter would entail the perfect worst ending to the worst day ever.
"We have rounds to do. Starting…now!"
"Damn it!" she swore loudly. She bolted out of her seat and grabbed her wand and cloak from her bag. Walking over to him, she flushed at his bemused expression. Grumbling under her breath, she walked with him out the deliciously warm room and the portrait swung closed behind them.
Rounds were surprisingly quiet. Usually, James would be making small talk with her, however, he, like her, seemed to be in deep concentration this night. The click clack click clack of their shoes on the cold stone floors echoed throughout the still hallways as their shadows flickered with the light from the lumos charm.
Completely tired out, her head drooped, and she began to slow her pace until she no longer walked beside him but behind him. Hence, when he abruptly stopped, she unknowingly walked straight into his hard back. She stumbled back, and before she could meet face to face with the ground, he caught her.
Bringing her back to him, she soon found her hands braced against his chest as his arms wound tightly around her. She drowsily felt herself lean into him until she heard the quiet mreow of Mrs. Norris which allowed her to shake out of her stupor.
"James," she whispered as she tried to break free of his enticing grasp on her.
"Hmm?" his arms tightened in response to her struggle.
"James you have to let go! What are we doing? We aren't – We shouldn't –" She couldn't finish the sentence, for at that moment, he chose to gaze down at her. Brimming with heat, his eyes held such a depth of emotion that she couldn't begin to fathom what lay underneath the surface.
"Lily," he murmured in an undertone. She looked down as his chin grazed the top of her head. "Why won't you look at me?"
He placed two fingers under her chin and although she could see him properly if she so wished, she steadily kept her gaze down. Aggravated, he broke away from their embrace, and she finally looked at him as he turned around and ran his fingers through his dark locks. When he turned around, she could feel the energy crackle around them as his powerful gaze commanded her to look at him.
"Don't, James. Just, don't." She softly said
"Don't what? Don't pretend that what's here," he motioned with his arms to the space between them, "isn't here. Is that what you want, Lily? To ignore and delude yourself that we aren't possible?"
"No! You aren't seeing things clearly!"
Shaking his head, he laughed darkly. "So that's it. Your pride." At this, his eyes sparkled dangerously, and she felt the air in her throat catch. "I never thought you would stoop so low as to let your pride get in the way."
"Stop making this out to be something it's not!" she cried out. "You are making a huge mistake, and I –" She stopped at the dangerous expression that overcame his features. Her legs were locked, and as he stepped towards her, she was unable to move from her position.
He made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat and stretched a hand forward to trace the contours of her cheekbone. His other hand fell naturally to her waist, his fingers digging into her hips as she hooked her arms around his neck. His head bent down and his lips met hers in a chaste kiss.
He deepened the kiss and all thoughts were scattered in her mind. Her mind was in a million places that weren't about the inappropriate place they were in or even the fact that they had work unfinished. The heat of his tongue against her lips wasn't enough to jolt her back to the present. It wasn't until he backed her into the wall, her back hitting the stone rather harshly, that she was fully conscious of her and her mouth and his mouth. As he broke away from the kiss, she was suddenly aware of the cold seeping through her shirt, and she whimpered at the loss of contact.
She became the instigator as her hand fisted in his tie pulling him down so his mouth fell across hers once more. One hand found its way into her hair, twining the red strands around his fingers, and he tilted her mouth under his, tongue sweeping against hers. It was hot, passionate, and sudden enough that her knees fail her and she sagged against him.
When her lungs felt like they were on fire like every inch of her that rested against his body, she eased back and panted against the wall. He, too, was shaken, and she could see it in the way his eyes were glazed over in the afterglow of their kiss. She shifted, impatient, and gasped again, mouth dropping open, swollen and red as she watched him catch his breath and lean away from her. With one last smoldering glance at her, he walked away towards their rooms.
Slumping down on the cold floor she gulped in large amounts of air to fill her lungs and reassure herself that she was still in the present and was not dreaming. He had to have been making a mistake. There is nothing there besides physical attraction and there never will be anything more!
But, in the dark recess of her mind, she was worried that things wouldn't work out. And she desperately wanted to be proven wrong.
Reviews Please!
This is the first installment of Proven Wrong which will end up having a few chapters afterwords so stay tuned!