Though it surprised many, between Potter and Black was a very firm and reciprocal friendship. It was true that their temperaments differed in many ways. Where Black became the center of social circles, Potter preferred the sidelines, a wallflower of sorts. Black aimed to charm and please anyone who crossed his path. Potter himself had charm and social charisma but chose to use it infrequently. Though Black was not far behind, in intelligence Potter was superior due to his cleverness. Where Potter was reserved, Black was warm. Where Black was sociable, Potter was taciturn. Black preferred to see where life brought him; Potter functioned through strict routines, his internal clock without fault. Black was the first to pick up his wand for the simplest task, James used his magic often, but when given the option to do something the magic or Muggle way, he tended toward Muggle ways. His father instilled the value of hard work in him, and he felt that there was a certain dignity that came through the hard work.
But because of this difference in tempers, they enjoyed spending time with one another. They did not step on each other's toes. Black's charisma, charm, and warmth all endeared him to Potter. And Black had no higher regard of anyone's opinion than that of Mr. Potter, to whom he often went for counsel. In fact, Potter had impeccable judgement, though he was also haughty, reserved, and facetious. His manners, though well bred, were off-putting if one were unaccustomed to them. But as his family was old and respected, he was well within his rights to be occasionally too proud.
In order to gain a fuller understanding of these two men and the paradox of their temperaments, one need look no further than what they thought of the Cokesworth assembly in which they had recently appeared. Black could swear that this was the friendliest and prettiest array of women that he had ever seen. He exclaimed over the kindness of the assembly, the food, the dancing, the music, whatever his mind could seize upon. "It was like meeting old friends with open arms, that is how welcoming they were," he sighed. There were no compliments high enough for Miss Evans, who was perfection in the shape of a woman, someone who was warm, charming, danced well, and always knew what to say.
Potter, on the other hand, was far from charmed. In his opinion, the people who were gathered at the assembly were altogether shallow, too dazzled by the old family lines that both gentlemen possessed to be interesting. He felt they had little class and less tact, falling over themselves to push their daughters towards them and agree with everything that they said. Though he did have to agree that Miss Marlene Evans was a lovely woman, he nonetheless felt that she was perhaps too sweet. He kept his own thoughts of ulterior motives to himself, for Sirius was so busy courting women that he would soon forget her and move on to the next pretty face. This is what he assured himself after the fourth rapture of the morning that regarded Miss Evans. He hoped that Sirius would move on quickly, for his attachment was fast getting in the way of James' business. As he headed to bed, he closed his eyes and prayed that his visit would run its course without further complications.
After a general assembly, especially after brushing with the company of such high circles of England, it was necessary to any respectable woman to have tea the next morning and analyze the evening in detail. As there was little else to do in the quaint and quiet town of Cokesworth, and she supposed herself to be a respectable woman, Lily Evans found herself in her drawing room at tea with the Prewett family, who had hosted the assembly the previous night.
"You began the night splendidly, my dear! You had the first dance with Mr. Black!" Miss Evans said to Miss Alice Prewett, unaware of the slight blush that came across the blonde's features.
"This is true, Miss Evans. But I believe he preferred the second dance," Alice commented mischievously, her eyes cutting towards Marlene.
Miss Evans rose to the bait immediately. "Why, you mean the one that he danced with Marlene! Well, he did dance with her twice, which makes one think that he must admire her. In fact, I believe I heard him saying to Mr. Robinson that there were a great many beautiful ladies at the assembly, and when Mr. Robinson asked him who he thought was the prettiest, he said it was my dear Marlene without even a moment of hesitation."
"It may be that you overheard the most interesting conversation, Miss Evans, for his friend's conversations are not worth listening to," Alice said, with feeling. She was, of course, referencing the comments that Mr. Potter made about Lily the previous evening. "Poor Lily! To be just tolerable!"
"I ask you not to put too much vexation in my dear Lily's head about the matter. He is such a disagreeable man that it would be a great misfortune to be liked by him." Mrs. Evans stated, reheating her tea with her wand, for it had gotten rather cold during her recounting of the evening.
"Miss Black told me that Mr. Potter never speaks much unless among his intimate acquaintances. With them he is remarkably agreeable." Miss Marlene Evans broke in, always unable to hear a bad word about anyone else, no matter how disagreeable the person in question may be.
"Of course she will say that. She probably fancies an attachment between them. Either way, I would not dance with him if I were Lily." Mrs. Evans replied huffily.
"I doubt such an occasion will present itself. I could more easily forgive his pride if it hadn't wounded mine. Besides Marlene, it always easy to be agreeable with those you like. It is much more difficult to be agreeable to everyone you meet," Lily retorted, eager to put the incident behind her.
As the visit wound down and the Prewetts took their leave, Lily found herself drifting towards the large windows of the parlor, looking upon the verdant paths. She felt that it had been too long since she had had some fresh air, and set her mind to a walk. She couldn't bear the thought of another person looking at her and trying to guess how Potter's offhand remark had caused her inner turmoil.
Her footsteps led her, for she knew not where she desired to go. Lily found herself under the shade of a birch tree by a large pond on her family's property. The shade was welcome after the stifling air in the house and the timid heat of the late morning. Lily's mind was calm, almost identical to the glassy surface of the water she gazed upon. She found that spending time out of doors always restored her to good humor and gave her a sense of understanding. She understood her own place in the world. Here she was neither magic nor muggle, woman nor man. She was just a being that existed alongside other beings in the rich tapestry of life.
Still, she found her mind wandering to the events of the night before. What she had said before was true. She did not overmuch care for James Potter, who seemed to think that people should care for him overmuch. Though his mien was pleasant, and there were times that she suspected that his distaste for social occasions originated from timidity or circumspection, she still found herself more vexed at him than she should be. It is true that Lily Evans often did not take such things seriously, certainly less seriously than her mother. She felt what she said before was an apt reason for her reluctance to let the matter go. If it was anyone else's pride that was hurt by Potter's brutal honesty, she would not have given his remark a second thought because it was to be expected by someone who was used to having everything handed to him on a silver platter. But it had been her that had her pride wounded. And she was finding it hard to forget.
She pulled out her wand and cleaned a rock next to the water that she could sit on. She leaned her head back against the tree, twirling her wand pensively. She picked a daisy, and on impulse she turned it cherry red. James Potter was an arrogant and pompous man who was used to getting his way. And that was that. Despite this rather definitive statement on the part of Lily, she felt something deep inside her that made her think she had not seen the last of Mr. Potter.
James was not having a good day. His arrival at Diagon Park had been made with the due amount of chaos and good cheer that it warranted. Mr. Black had been in residence for several days, and was taking admirably to being a master of a country house. He was there with his sister Regalia, and her fiancée, a Mr. Remus Lupin. Mr. Lupin was another close companion to both Mr. Black and Mr. Potter. He was a rather thin man, eager to be liked, but incredibly compassionate and apt at reading social situations, which made him invaluable. He was frequently ill, and had been unable to attend the assembly the other night due to a recent spate of sickness. He had met Miss Regalia Black when visiting Mr. Black's family during the summer holidays from Hogwarts. There had been a natural connection from the start that had come as a surprise to everyone due to their different lifestyles, but they seemed to be relatively happy. It had been quite an uproar when they read the bans for, though Lupin came from a decent family, they had come on hard times and he had little to offer financially. Despite this, they made a good match. They were both incredibly talented at reading people, though they often did so for different reasons and with different outcomes.
Alas James' bad day had nothing to do with Remus Lupin or Regalia Black. It had to do with the fact that he was unable to follow his routine here. In London, the schedule was simple: awake with the dawn, bathe, break his fast with a simple meal of bread and cheese and a strong coffee, take care of business in the morning, and save the afternoon for social events that required his attention. In Derbyshire it was similar, though his afternoons were often more occupied by horseback riding and simpler pleasures than London had to offer.
Here at Diagon Park, James had attempted to follow his same routine, but none of his hosts were as regimented as he. This was not necessarily an evil, but it was a close call when it meant that James did not get his morning coffee. This was a circumstance that had happened but once in Mr. Potter's household, and afterward became a mistake had never again been repeated. With the little amount that James slept, it was necessary that a strong coffee was had in the morning or he was out of sorts all day. He had ended up going to the kitchen and using his wand to boil some water. Unfortunately, James' knowledge of household spells was limited; it wasn't necessary for someone of his station. Most of his education had been learning to showcase his skills in order to cement his status in magic society. Household spells were seen as lesser, cheaper magic.
Because of this, his coffee was not as strong as he was accustomed to, and as a consequence the entire household was thrown off balance, for when James retired to the library for his business, he was left scattered sheaves of parchment with ink only halfway dried. This caused ink stains, notoriously difficult to remove even with magic. Besides this inconvenience to the house elves, James had to restart all of his business dealings which left him in a foul mood, the silver lining of which could only be found in that his presence could be excused from the social calls that came in at an alarming rate that afternoon. He eventually finished his business, and even a letter to his own sister could not keep him occupied long enough to claim business as the motivation for his lackluster social appearance. He therefore summoned his courage, steeled his backbone for mindless and inane chatter, and headed to the drawing room, where the Blacks had been occupied almost all afternoon with receiving guests wishing to welcome them to Cokesworth now that they had been introduced.
When James arrived, there were no visitors; there was a brief interlude of peace in which the Blacks felt it necessary to engage in social analysis of the previous encounters. James' mind drifted, skittering over the sunlit wooden floors and the charmed clocks that displayed not only the time, but the weather, star alignments, and personal horoscopes for that day. Lupin was an astrology aficionado, and he had many knick knacks that he brought with him as he travelled in order to be better prepared for the future. Mr. Lupin was many things, but he was foremost a planner. Regardless, James' horoscope did not look too pleasant.
His attention was brought back to the general conversation as the Evans family became once again a topic of discussion, thanks to Remus Lupin's expression of regret that he had not been able to meet them and form an opinion of them. "Everyone else has quite a solid position, and it seems to me quite bizarre that there are so many conflicting reports. It puzzles me, but I must say it does pique my interest."
"Let the curiosity stop there, dear," Regalia hurried to answer. "They are a sight to behold to be sure. There is no family the likes of them in London, and for that reason at first sight they are something to behold. But the charm wears off rather quickly."
James privately agreed with her. He had not exchanged much more than a few words with them, yet the behavior of the mother and the youngest daughter especially had been ghastly. He couldn't admit that without offending Sirius, however. And Sirius did immediately spring to the defense of the Evans family. "You are just biased because London is full of stuffed up poppycocks who are most worried about what they are wearing and other ways to show off how much money they have. At least the Evans family is friendly, and they are among the highest bred gentry in the area."
"Well, that doesn't mean much. They wouldn't be welcome in our same circles in London."
"We aren't in London anymore, Regalia, and I'll thank you to stop acting as if we were," Sirius snapped, his good humor beginning to fade in the face of stark commentary on the part of Regalia.
"Mr. Potter agrees with me, after all he did say that Miss Lily was not that handsome, though she is rumored to be one of the loveliest women in Cokesworth. She is said to be quite sought after, Merlin knows why," Regalia fought back. James was not prepared to enter into this quarrel, which seemed to have more to do with a disagreement between family members than parlor talk. And he certainly did not appreciate that Regalia had just thrown him into the midst of it.
Just then the butler appeared, and announced that guests that had just arrived. "A Mrs. Evans, a Miss Evans, a Miss Evans, and a Miss Evans, sir."
James, Sirius, and Remus stood as the ladies entered, and bowed their heads as they curtsied.
"May I present my brother-in-law, Mr. Remus Lupin. Unfortunately he was too ill to attend the assembly, but he was of course most eager to make your acquaintance." Sirius said with an expansive gesture towards Lupin, taking the role of host head on, his smile blinding. Remus inclined his head at this introduction, and opened his mouth as if to speak, but to his surprise, was cut off.
"The pleasure is all ours, Mr. Lupin. What a delight it is to meet more of your family, Mr. Black," Mrs. Evans simpered, and James could tell that they were in for a lengthy visit. The Evans women settled themselves around the parlor, and Mrs. Evans began to speak to Miss Regalia. James tuned it out in favor of joining the conversation between Sirius, Miss Evans, and Miss Lily.
Occupied in observing Mr. Black's attentions to her sister, Lily (for that was what he had taken calling her in his head, despite the impropriety) was far from suspecting that she was herself fast becoming an object of some interest to James. James was aware that he had called Miss Lily only tolerably handsome, and at that moment he had scarcely allowed himself that. Now he observed her, looking again for some fault to criticize. But is seemed that the moment that he had declared to himself and to his friends that she was simply tolerable, he began to find that her face was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her green eyes. To this discovery followed other equally mortifying, such as the way that the sunlight caught her hair, the column of throat, her hands resting gracefully on her knee as she quietly took in the scene before her. In spite of his earlier assertions to the effect that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this, Miss Lily was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with.
James found himself inexplicably wishing to know more of her, a fact that he easily attributed to lack of coffee and lack of routine. It was due to the lack of those things only that James felt himself drawn to that particular conversation, he reasoned with himself. If you had asked James later what the conversation had revolved around, he would have been quite unable to recall, but he felt that the lightness of Lily's voice and the slight blush on her cheeks were forever imprinted on his soul.
The Evans excused themselves noisily after Miss Petunia's pointed questions after a ball at Diagon Park, for a private ball is always much better than a public ball. Sirius acquiesced in some way, James couldn't say. Soon they were gone, and James felt a bit at a loss as to what to do next. He opened his book, hoping that the words on the page would ground him but he was unable to absorb any of the information from it, the words swimming before him before being replaced by images of Lily's dancing eyes and playful grin.
"I can guess what you are thinking," Miss Regalia interrupted his sweet thoughts like cold water to the face. "You are thinking about how insupportable it would be to pass so many afternoons in this manner – in such society. I agree with you entirely. Throughout the entire visit, I was just praying to Agrippa that it would be over. The insipidity and the noise; the nothingness and yet the self-importance of these people."
"I'm afraid that your conjecture is completely wrong, Miss Black. My mind was much more agreeably engaged. I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a fine pair of eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow."
Miss Black was left at a loss for words as James left the room in a hurry to go on a much needed horse ride through the forest. He was in the need for a respite from spying eyes, and most especially from those forest-green eyes that for some unthinkable reason continued to take up a large part of his mind.