Title: Lilium auratum
Author: Qellaswe
Rating: K+, for language
Pairings: one-sided Lily/DADA professor, pre-James/Lily
Spoilers: I'll say through HBP, just to cover all the bases
Disclaimer: Jo owns 'em. I'm just playing with 'em.
Summary: It's the start of Lily Evans' sixth year at Hogwarts. What happens when she takes a shine to the newest DADA teacher? And what's up with James Potter, anyway?
AN: It's my first MWPP era fic, and I have to say that I'm very excited. This story was begun just after HBP came out and finished before DH. This was posted on my livejournal, but only one person read it, as far as I know, because that journal was abandoned soon after. This story was orginally part of a three-story series, but the third was never finished. The second story will be out as soon as it's been looked through.
This story has been cut into three parts to make reading a bit easier.
Lilium auratum: Japanese lily, often called the Goldband Lily. The flower colour is typically white, with gold radial markings, and orange spots.
Lily cinched the tie on her yellow dressing gown the tiniest bit tighter as she made her way down the stairs. It was nice being home, and even though she felt a bit guilty for thinking it, even better with Petunia gone for two days. Her fiance, Vernon Dursley, had taken her over to his parents' house after Midnight service last night, and she found him a bit disturbing. Vernon was always talking about people he didn't like because he thought them 'freaks.' She had to wonder if they were really wizarding folk from their behavior. Of course, they could be regular folk, too, judging by what the man had to say about loafers and disco queens.
"Good morning, honey," her mother called out as she opened the door into the kitchen.
"Morning, Mum." Lily carefully looked her mother over, watching for any changes that may have happened overnight. She was afraid that she would lose her mother, as her injuries she had suffered in the accident had been very slow to heal. Plus, losing her husband seemed to have a severely depressing effect to her health.
"What time did Harry say that he was coming over today?"
Lily looked over at the clock and saw that it was just after seven. "Professor Parker said that he would be here around one."
Her mother nodded and smiled. "He'll be here just in time for dinner, then. Now, do you wish to open your presents now? Or would you like to wait?"
"Let's open them now," Lily said with a grin, jumping out of her chair. She helped her mother into the family room and onto the chaise lounge opposite the small, decorated tree and close to the small gas fireplace. There was a small pile of gifts for each of them, once Lily had pulled them from under the tree. Curiously, there were two addressed to each of them in unfamiliar handwriting.
"Are these from the Dursleys?" Lily asked, holding up one of the gifts. The ruby-colored metallic wrapping looked expensive; while Petunia's fiance liked to talk expensively, Lily thought him rather too cheap to send presents like this.
"No, honey. The green and silver ones are," her mother answered.
Lily cautiously opened one corner and, when it didn't explode or curse her, finished the rest of the wrapping. The plain white box still didn't give her a clue as to who sent it. It didn't feel like there was anything magical inside, so she opened the flap.
"How beautiful, Lily!"
She blinked when she saw the necklace. Small, white petals surrounded glittering stones along the bottom half, almost like a daisy chain. The silver chain was dark in the depressions, giving her the impression that it was an old necklace. Along the white petals of the large flower in the center, the edges were lined with a lighter green gemstone color, the tiny stones no bigger than the head of a pin.
"Who is it from, Lily?" her mother asked.
Lily shook herself from her stupor and looked in the box, carefully setting the necklace on her thigh. There was a small white card tucked into the lining of the top flap. It was a smooth, creamy-white piece of thick parchment, with elegant writing that was vaguely familiar.
Dear Lily,
It has been brought to my attention that I have been an awful prat to you
for the last five years. I hope that my actions this fall have started to
show you that I am trying to change, with both my treatment of you and
of others.
I was sorry to hear that you lost your father, and while I couldn't always
control Sirius' actions, I did my best to make sure no other comments
reached your ears - especially from the Slytherins. Also, I am glad that
your mother is doing better, and that she is back at home, It must be more
conducive for her health to be with you during the holidays.
As for your present, I wanted to give you a gift that would be sincere enough
to convince you of my changing sentiments. It also wasn't expensive, if
you were thinking that, because it was transfigured for the most part,
with only the chain made by hand and not by wand. The stones were created
with you in mind, hence their green color, while the flower petals are
actually pieces of mother-of-pearl, courtesy of our charming Charm prof.
I know that I am not as eloquent as I wish to be, but I hope that you can
accept this necklace as a token of friendship.
James Potter
PS I would be cautious about opening Sirius' present. He may have sworn an
oath, but it doesn't mean he still didn't pull a prank.
******
"That is a lovely necklace, Lily," Harry said as he stepped through the door. His green velvet cloak was a shade darker than his eyes, and the rain outside seemed to make his hair even darker. "Happy Christmas, Rose," he continued as he moved towards Lily's mother.
"Happy Christmas, Harry," came the reply. "Lily, why don't you take Harry's gifts while I get that sopping wet cloak out of the way. I don't think I have ever seen it rain this heavily this time of year. Let's get you next to the fire to dry off."
Harry laughed warmly, and a tiny shiver trilled down Lily's back. He waved his wand over his head, and the black and silver strands dried and became wavy.
"That's wonderful how you do that," her mother exclaimed. "I can't wait until Lily here can show me what she's learned at Hogwarts. But at Easter I can, won't I?"
Lily felt her cheeks flush at the pride in her mother's voice, although there was a tiny bit of sadness and regret that her father would never get to see her do any magic. There was a small amount of embarrassment dwelling in Lily's chest at her mother's boasting of her to her crush. Okay, so he wasn't a crush, exactly, but she refused to be like the other girls. Oh, who was she kidding? She was madly crushing on him.
"Your birthday is in March, isn't it?" Harry asked. "I remember that there are a couple more Gryffindors who have birthdays in the same week."
She nodded, telling herself that it wasn't acceptable to have an argument with yourself in front of other people. "Yes, but they're not obnoxious about it like Potter and his gang."
"Lily, be nice about him. After all, he is trying to make up for his 'obnoxiousness' by giving you that necklace," her mother said as she poured tea for Harry. "Here, dear, this will take care of your insides."
"Thank you, Rose." Harry leaned back and looked over at Lily. "So, what other gifts did you receive besides that beautiful necklace?"
Another blush rose on her cheeks. "Mum gave me a Muggle-style cloak and a couple of books."
"Lily also received some books from a couple of classmates," her mother said. "And they wrote such a nice letter to myself."
"Really? I didn't realize that those four were that mature," Harry said with a grin.
The way he said it, though, brought to mind Potter. Lily pondered on that thought for all of two seconds before mentally washing her brain thoroughly with soap. She wasn't going to lower herself to thinking about Potter when Harry was in front of her at her own house, in spite of the necklace that he had given her.
"Would you like to open your presents now?" Harry was asking when Lily came back to reality for the second time in ten minutes. "If you don't mind, of course."
"That would be lovely," Lily's mother said as she stiffly rose from her seat. She tried to bend over and reach under the tree that Lily had somehow missed and almost upset herself.
"I'll get it, Mum." As she pulled out the small gift and turned to give it to Harry, she saw that he had already given her mother the present she had seen at school, as well as a small, ruby red, foil-wrapped box on her seat.
"Shall we?" Harry asked as soon as she was seated. She felt her skin heat slightly over her cheeks once more, so she looked down and opened her present.
******
Dear Potter,
Thank you for the lovely necklace that you gave me for Christmas.
It was very thoughtful of you, and I certainly didn't think that you
were capable of it. And while I have noticed that you have changed,
I think that you have much farther before you become a decent
adult.
You've made a good start, though, and I appreciate it.
Lily Evans
PS I still won't date you.
Dear Evans,
I'm glad that you liked the necklace. It's as pretty as you are.
James Potter
Dear Potter,
You are still a prat.
Lily Evans
TTTTTT
As soon as classes began in January once more, Lily felt as if she had been thrust into an endless sea of homework. Every one of her professors had begun assigning more and more work, with intensifying the practicals. Rationally, she knew that they were preparing them for the NEWTs they would be taking at the end of their seventh year. Lily was just frustrated because it was only the middle of their sixth year.
The first day back in Defense, Harry had challenged the entire class to fight against him - all at once. Lily had been ashamed that she had been one of the first people to be disqualified from the fight. It had been surprising to see that Potter and Lupin had been the last two standing, with Snape a close third. Even then it had taken less than half an hour into the class for Harry to be the only one without a mark on him. Everyone else had been hit with at least three hexes - the minimum number for disqualification - and quite a few had four or five by being caught in the crossfire.
In transfiguration, Professor McGonagall had begun discussing living-based changes. Once again, Potter had been at the head of the class, although this time it was Black who was up there with him. As much work as Lily put into the class, she just wasn't a natural like those two were, as much as she hated to admit it.
Charms was her favorite, even with the amount of work Professor Flitwick was handing out. She felt free when she was charming objects into animation, and the harder it was to do, the better. It didn't hurt that she knew muggle science when it came to the subject, since most charms still had to obey the laws of physics. Even simple charms like Wingardium Levisoa worked on light objects, and for heavier objects one had to use charms that used much more magic than what a first year could use. Those raised in a magical household didn't understand that concept, but Lily did, even if she didn't have a large well of power. Professor Flitwick said that she also used instinctive magic, though she had never been able to find much more than a vague description. She found it a bit ironic that her instincts told her that she wouldn't find anything more than that.
The only classes that hadn't piled on the homework were Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, since these subjects built on theorems that didn't require the use of magic. Lily likened them to taking Spanish and math if she was in a Muggle school, and she could handle that.
Lily was so deep into her studies that it had come as a surprise to find that the Easter holiday was upon them. After classes ended on Friday, she found no one studying in the common room and instead of school bags, she found a variety of trunks scattered throughout the girls' side of the tower. Scrambling to reach her collection of letters from home, Lily searched for the most recent letter.
Dearest Lily,
I am glad that you will stay up at school for the holidays. Petunia and I have
been very busy with the wedding plans, and I am afraid that her temper has been
quite set up over several things. I know how much you dislike fighting with your
sister, and I would rather have your attention kept on school, since this year
is important for your last year at Hogwarts.
Other than helping your sister, I have been having tea with several of our neigh-
bors a few times a week - to get me out of the house. You know how much your
father loved this house, but I am now finding it difficult to take care of.
When you come home for the summer, and after Petunia's wedding, you and I will
take a well-deserved holiday to the seaside. I have brochures from several places,
and we can decide where to go when you come home.
I hope that your studies are going well. If you need any pocket money to go down
to the village, send me a note.
Love,
Mum
tttttt
Lily sat down on the floor next to her bed, pulling out the box that lay beneath. Her roommate was away for the holiday, so she felt safe enough to bring her box out into the open. The box was a warm, honey colored wood with a smooth finish. There was a relief of an apple blossom, Lily's favorite flower, engraved in the bottom right-hand corner, with the latch button cleverly made into the center.
She opened the lid, revealing the soft purple, crushed velvet lining. Lily ran a finger over the lush surface, reveling in the texture. In the middle of the box was a smaller inset box, covered with the same fabric. On top of it lay the necklace that Potter had given her for Christmas, the green gems sparkling as the weak March sun hit them. What she was looking for was inside of the inset box, so she carefully laid the necklace aside.
Lily picked up the ring that rested on the velvety interior of the jewelry chest. A large onyx rested in a silver setting, three diamonds nestled in a triangular pattern within the black stone. It was a man's ring - her father's grandfather's ring - rescued from the giveaway designated by Petunia when she was going through their father's belongings. It had been very tarnished and dirty when Lily had pulled it from the pile. Petunia had frowned at her when she asked about, saying that it was just a cheap piece of jewelry most likely bought at a jumble sale. Lily had known otherwise just looking at it, although she was puzzled by the faint tingle she felt every time she held it. It was especially prevalent when she had begun cleaning it with magic when it had resisted manual methods.
She looked back down at the box, smiling at the memory of receiving it. She hadn't expected the gift from Harry, but it was her most treasured object after the jeweled barrette her parents had given to her for her sixteenth birthday. When they had opened their gifts Christmas morning, she had had to will herself not to cry. Her mother had at her own gift, but Lily had not wanted to give Harry the impression that she was a weepy girl, which she most certainly wasn't. She had tripped over her words of thanks, and a flush crossed her cheeks remembering. Harry had been nice about it, which hadn't helped her embarrassment.
Since Christmas, Lily had been cleaning up the ring in her spare time, which wasn't a lot as her roommate tended to burst into the room with her friends, and she didn't dare take it downstairs into the common room with Potter and his gang. She had been tempted to go to Professor Flitwick to see if it did have any magic on it - otherwise it wouldn't produce that faint tingle in her fingertips - but she wasn't ready to go to anybody with this yet. Well, there was one person, but it might seem to be something different to him.
A tap on the window caught her attention. Looking up, she saw James Potter on the other side of the pane, nonchalantly waving from his perch upon his broom. Panic fluttered through her and she jumped up, forgetting about the box until its contents scattered across the floor. Lily frantically tried to scoop up the ring, but every time her fingers touched it, the ring tumbled even further. As she reached for it, a set of broader and longer fingers picked it up.
"Here you go," Potter said as she followed his hand up his body to his face. He was wearing a smile instead of the usual smirk. "It's a nice ring, although I think I've seen something like it before."
Lily stared at him. "What?"
Potter shrugged. "Maybe it was in a book, but I've seen something similar. It feels warm, though. Like there's a ward on it."
"Do you know much about wards, then?" Lily asked, stunned by the revelation that there was a ward on it. That was why she felt something on it, but they hadn't covered wards yet in any of their classes, it being something covered in seventh year charms.
Potter's smile widened, but this time it was definitely a smirk. "Of course." He looked down and then back at her. "Nice necklace, isn't it?"
She wanted to smack him. At least he hadn't noticed her box, which was closed and resting on the top.
Potter's smirk fell into a little grin. "Would you be willing to wear your very handsome necklace and come with me to Hogsmeade this afternoon? Old Minnie said that fifth year and up could go."
Lily frowned at his nickname for their Head of House, never mind some of the names she had for her.
"Please? I promise that it'll be just the two of us. Sirius has a date with some Hufflepuff, and Remus and Peter went home. So, I'd like to go to Hogsmeade, but not by myself," he finished with a rush.
She eyed him carefully, trying to figure out if he was being serious or if this was another prank. The longer she waited to answer, the more the grin disappeared from his lips.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to, only...."
If she didn't know any better, Lily would have to say that James Potter was nervous. Judging by the way he couldn't keep his body still, she started to think he was.
"I'll go -" she started.
"Never mind - " he said at the same time.
They looked at each other in surprise.
Lily looked down as Potter cleared his throat. "So, you will then?"
She nodded, feeling her cheeks heat up the tiniest bit. "Sure. I'll go with you."
TTTTTT
Who knew that James Potter understood what modesty was?
In the three weeks since they had gone to Hogsmeade together, Lily had learned that Potter had a softer side to him, especially when Black wasn't around. Plus, he was helping Lily fix up the ring by testing the ward on it. Again he had said that he had seen a ring like it before, but he hadn't been able to figure out from where.
Besides the ring, Potter had been helping her with Transfiguration. And it was strange to find out that he was a good teacher. For a while she couldn't think of what was familiar about the style, but it eventually came to her that he was copying Harry's teaching style. She'd already noticed that Remus had copied his style, but it was quite amusing that Potter had done so as well.
"Hey, Evans!"
Lily looked up to find Potter and Remus making their way towards her table in the library. Several Ravenclaws and Madam Pince glared at them. Potter responded with an innocent look on his face and a charming smile on his lips. Pince's lips were tight, but the Ravenclaws were swayed by this and returned their attention to their studying.
"What is it, Potter?" she asked as he sat in the chair next to her, his bag making a loud noise as he set it on the table. "Hi, Remus," she greeted the amber-eyed teen who quietly sat down across the table from her.
"Hello, Lily." Remus smiled as he pulled out his charms book.
"Hey," Potter began, "Wanna help us with out charms essay? We were going to ask the charms guru himself, but some Ravenclaw got toppled by some books earlier." He snickered. "I wonder how bad the paper cut was and how much it bled."
"Potter," Lily began to scold.
"You can call me James, you know." He smiled winsomely.
"I know," she replied, with a cheeky grin of her own.
Coughing from the other side of the table caught her and James' attention.
"What?" James asked, as Lily inquired, "You all right?"
Remus shook his head in a negative fashion, tears threatening to run down red cheeks. As Lily watched in concern, he seemed to explode with quiet laughter. After a minute, he seemed to settle down into chuckles, with a burst of true laughter every ten seconds or so.
"What the hell are you laughing at, Moony?" Potter asked after a couple of minutes.
"It's... it's nothing, Prongs," Remus managed to splutter out between chuckles.
"So, what's with the nicknames?" Lily asked when it looked like the other Gryffindor sixth-year prefect had settled down. She was rather curious to know why they used them and how they arrived at those particular names. She grew even more curious when she saw the expressions they wore.
"It's nothing," Potter said. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"It can't be nothing, if you're nervous about it," Lily commented "Is it because you've done something you shouldn't have?"
Both boys squirmed and wore uncomfortable looks on their faces.
"You did! It wasn't illegal, was it?"
Potter looked at his hands, while Remus' cheeks flushed.
"Did it hurt anyone?" Lily felt compelled to ask.
They both shook their heads, and Lily sat back in her chair, relieved.
"You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?" Potter asked quietly.
She shook her head, then almost laughed at the way both boys slumped into their chairs. That they had dome something illegal didn't surprise her. She was, however, very glad that no one had been hurt. But it still didn't answer her question. "So, what's with the nicknames?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
She nodded.
"So can we." He grinned impishly. He continued at Lily's scowl. "I'll tell you in a bit. I don't want to talk about it here. Is that okay with you, Remus?"
The amber-eyed boy nodded, an apprehensive look on his face that made her worry. "We should all be there, though." He exchanged a look with Potter before looking Lily in the eye. "I hope that you won't change your mind once you hear what our secret is."
"I promise I won't tell," Lily answered.
TTTTTT
"Did you know that there's a potions master who's working on a potion for werewolves?" Lily asked as she sat next to Potter three weeks later. "Of course, there's another master who's working on a potion that will help curb a dieter's appetite."
"I heard that," Potter said. "I mean, about the first one. And they've tried the weight loss potion before." He grinned at her. "So, why'd you sit here of all places? Not that I really mind, but there is a lot of lawn on this side of the school."
"Don't get any rude ideas in what you call your brain, Potter," Lily said as she opened her bag and pulled out a small box. "I think that I figured out what the ward is on the ring, but I wanted a second opinion on it before I -" She cut herself off, not wanting to give her plans away to Potter.
"Before you what?" Potter asked. "Going to give it to Professor Parker, because you like him," he said in a sing-song voice.
Lily felt her cheeks flush before she could stop herself.
"I'm right, aren't I?"
"No," she lied primly.
"Yes it is," Potter countered.
"It was my father's, hence I wanted to take care of it."
He grinned wickedly at that. "If that was true, you wouldn't have cleaned it up and made it shine. You would have carefully kept it in your box to take out and think of him on his birthday."
Lily was stumped at that, because it was both logical and Potter had thought of it. She saw him smirking at her and decided to keep quiet.
"Potter -"
"It's James," he interrupted her. His lips straightened and his eyes were downcast. "Please, call me James."
She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she turned towards the lake in the distance. "Why?"
"I want you to know me as James, a friend, rather than Potter, the idiot you have to take points from." He grinned in an almost-shy way. "So, would you please call me James?"
Lily couldn't hold back the giggles when he sent her puppy-dog eyes. There was just something about him lately that she was really starting to like. "Very well, then, James."
