Flawless
Chapter Nine: Doginabag
A/N: I know, it's been more than a week. Leave me hate mail…more at bottom…Between the night on the roof and the end of summer something had happened to James Potter. No one could quite put his or her finger on it, but something about him was different. In the way he walked, in the way he carried himself—it was…more? More what though? More refined? No, definitely not, he still slurped along with Sirius while eating. More sophisticated? Once again, no…his shirts were still crinkled, his bed never made. But there certainly was something about him that made people realize that he was growing up.
Mrs. Potter had been the first to notice it. After the four had gotten back from Diagon Alley, James had bounded into the kitchen, insisting that he make dinner—the muggle way mind you, sans self-peeling potatoes. Kate had narrowed her eyes at first, demanding for him to tell her what he was planning—no, what he was plotting—but after a couple minutes of pleading, she had agreed, while still utterly confused. That night they had feasted on crunchy, burnt Shepard's pie.
Lily had been the next to notice the change. The way he waited for her every morning to go down to breakfast, the way he pulled out her chair for her. It was considerate. It was nice. It was not, however, the James Potter she knew.
Sirius saw it too, in the way—the stiff way—that James would brush him off every time he would suggest a prank to pull on the girls. Unlike Mrs. Potter and Lily however, he was unhappy about this change. Sixteen year olds were not supposed to act like that. They were supposed to be heavily drinking illegally —or according to Sirius at least. Whenever he would try to tell him, James would shake his head and smile, walking away cheerfully. He was becoming an old fart at the ripe old age of sixteen—in Sirius' opinion.
But maybe that was it.
Maybe the impossible was actually happening.
Perhaps James Potter was maturing.
On the morning of August 31st Lily woke up in an empty room. A bit puzzled, she left her room and made to go to the bathroom down the hall. Halfway through brushing her teeth, she was bumped from behind and she looked up to see the face of Sirius Black in the mirror. Lily gave a little shriek and turned, wiping her mouth on a towel.
"Evans." He greeted her, arms crossed.
"Black," She responded confused.
"We need to talk." Sirius continued. He turned on his heel sharply and walked away, leaving Lily standing with her brow furrowed. Cautiously, she followed, walking quietly behind him. She got into the hallway to see him turn the corner. Lily hurriedly ran to catch up to him.
"Black!" She called, hoping that he would stop moving so quickly. "Black, slow bloody down!" She caught up to the boy finally, just behind him—when he stopped completely—causing Lily to slam into him. The impact of the crash sent them both onto the floor, Sirius landing on top of Lily.
"Ooff!" Came the muffled sound of Lily's painful cry.
"Evans, why the bloody hell did you do that?" Sirius complained, getting off of her. Lily's face began to turn red, her eyes getting darker.
"You stopped without any warning!"
"Because you told me to!" He shot back.
"No I didn't!" Lily yelled.
"Well you implied it!" Sirius shouted just as loud as Lily had. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists. "This," He said, still breathing deeply. "Is what we need to talk about." Lily narrowed her eyes.
"What, pray tell, is this?"
"This!" Sirius shouted, gesturing between the two of them. Lily shook her head, waiting for a further explanation. "Look," Sirius started, a strange look on his face. Was he actually being--for lack of a better word--serious? "James is my best mate," Lily stared at him, letting him continue. "And you're—you're—" He broke off here, scratching his head. Unable to find the right words, he plowed on. "He likes you. A lot, okay? So you're going to be in his life. Which means you'll be in mine as well. So I think that we should try to get along. Maybe." Lily cocked her head, eyes still narrowed.
"So what you're saying," She said slowly, "Is that we should be nice to each other for James' sake…?" Sirius nodded briskly.
"Correct." He said very business-like.
"I don't know if that would actually word, Black. I mean, I'm not that crazy about you—and you're not about me either—" Lily was cut off by Sirius' sharp voice.
"I'm willing to try if you are." He put his arms behind his back and titled his head. "What do you say?"
Lily bit her lip, thinking Sirius' little speech over. She took a deep breath and stared at the boy in front of her.
"You're serious about this Black?" She clarified.
Sirius nodded and raised his eyebrows. Reluctantly, Lily smiled in spite of herself. "Very well then, we can try to make this work Bla—" Lily cleared her throat. "Sirius."
"Excellent!" Sirius exclaimed over-zealously. His nervous smile turned into a grin and he wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulder. "So, dear Lily, there is something else that I wanted to talk to you about…" He mused, guiding Lily down the hall.
Oh dear Merlin.
(--)
Petunia was sitting alone in the sunroom that she had accidentally found while trying to get to the bathroom. It was peaceful in there—with no distractions or anyone else to talk about how amazing Lily truly was. Their parents had come back a week ago and were supposed to pick Petunia up later that day, letting Lily stay until she went off to school. Over the last few weeks, Petunia had heard more praises about Lily than she ever wanted to hear.
Ever.
Kate and James had just gone on and on and on about how polite she was, how smart she was; how beautiful she was. It was unfair. Petunia loved her sister, but enough was fucking enough.
She unconsciously let out a long breath, ruffling her hair. Petunia was just as polite, just as smart, just as beautiful as Lily—wasn't she?
Her eyes caught her reflection in the huge windows. No tan to speak of really, despite the hours of lying on the roof at home, soaking up the hot sunrays. Boring, annoying blonde hair; dull, lifeless blue eyes. She was nothing special.
Not like Lily--Lily, with her vibrant hair and enchanting eyes. People looked at her when she walked in. No one looked at Petunia.
It was Lily who had the handsome boy lusting after her. No one lusted after Petunia.
A shaky sigh rattled her body and without warning tears stung at her eyes. Would she never be special enough?
A sudden click by the door startled her as she turned, hastily swatting at her eyes.
"Petunia, right?"
(--)
Lily laughed to herself as she walked into James' room.
"Your friend is such a tool." She remarked as she sat next the boy on the bed. James looked up from tying his shoe.
"Please tell me he didn't hit on you or anything." Chuckling some more, Lily ran a hand through her hair.
"Not exactly," She stared. James sat up completely now, waiting for her to continue. "He told me that he wanted to be friends with me." She gave James a look. "You didn't have anything to do with that do you?" James shrugged.
"Not really, I just told him to stop being so—"
"Obnoxious?" Lily offered.
James smiled. "That's one word for it."
"Well, whatever you said worked—apparently we're now best friends." Lily reported, her smile as big as James' now. "He also said that he thinks that Petunia's cute. I hope he doesn't act on it though." She sighed. James raised his eyebrows.
"Why?" He asked, leaning back on his hands.
"James," Lily started, "I go to school with him. My friends, almost half of them, have fallen for that stupid boy's charm only to be broken the next week. And besides, we're going to school tomorrow—and Sirius has no self-control and it will never-" James, who apparently had no self control either, shushed her with a kiss, pressing his lips to hers quickly.
Lily pulled away, slightly out of breath. "-work." James smirked, taking Lily's hand and pulling her on top of him.
"Whatever you say love," He said casually, running his hands up and down her back. Lily protested with a 'humph' but snuggled into him nonetheless, her back tingling where his fingers had been. Officially, they were still undefined, but there was no denying that the attraction between them was becoming hard to ignore.
More stolen kisses, more secret looks—more on the line.
James still had not voiced what he felt—not really at least. Every time he tried he got tongue-tied and started to scare himself. How do you tell someone you love them when you haven't even been on a date with them?
Lily's voice distracted James from his panicked thoughts.
"Tomorrow we go back to school." She said quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Yeah," He agreed. "More things to think about." James grumbled.
"It's not that bad James." Lily argued, her warm breath making James squirm at the feeling.
"It will be this year." James said, his arms holding Lily tighter. "What are you taking?"
Lily sighed into his chest, racking her brain to remember the classes.
"Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, er…Ancient Ruins, Astronomy, erm…History, Herbology, Dark Arts, and…yeah, I think that that's it." She had been pleased with her O.W.L.s, but had decided that Care of Magical Creatures and Divination were not things that she wanted to pursue. "What about you?" She pulled herself off of him and laid on her stomach next to him, her elbow propping her up.
"The same I think, my parents made me continue with Ancient Ruins and History. But I dropped Astronomy as well as Care of Creatures and Divination. That Chernov was a batty old broad." He shuddered, but Lily wasn't sure if it was because he was remembering the insane Divination professor who never made any sense, or if he was shuddering because her hand had made its way to his chest.
Damn hand had a mind of its own.
Really.
(--)
Lily and James left his room, their rumbling stomachs guiding them to the kitchen. As they walked down the multiple hallways, their hands brushing against one another's more than occasionally, they talked about the pros and cons of sugar quills (it sounds boring, but really, well—alright, it wasn't exactly gripping). A giggle interrupted James' rant as they passed by a closet. Both Lily and James stopped, looking at each other quizzically. James stepped in front of the door, leaning forward to try to hear anything else.
Another squeal met their ears and James pulled the door open quickly. Inside were Sirius and Petunia; limbs tangled and clothes missing. Lily's mouth fell open and she wasted no time before grabbing Petunia's arm and dragging her out of the small closet.
"What the fuck is going on!?" She shrieked. Her head whipped back and forth between her little sister and Sirius.
"Lily, let go of me!" Petunia hissed, trying to twist her arm out of Lily's grip. Her shirt was un-buttoned to her stomach, her hair messed up. Lily stared at her, eyes wide.
"What the hell were you doing?" She asked in hysteria.
"Lily," Sirius started, stepping forward. James gave him a hard look, stopping Sirius in his tracks. Petunia, sensing that Lily was incredibly pissed, lowered her voice to talk to her sister.
"Lils, can we do this somewhere else please?" She asked quietly. Lily's stare rested on Sirius as she answered.
"Fine. I'll be right there-go to our room." She said curtly. Without another word, Petunia turned, walking away. Still staring at the boy, Lily's hand went to rest on her hip. "What the bloody hell were you doing with my little sister Black?"
"I think that it's quite obvious." Sirius laughed. This angered Lily even further, her eyes narrowing into little slits.
"She's fifteen Black; you can't just take advantage of her like that—"
"Like what? It's not as if I forced her to snog me Evans! We weren't doing anything wrong!" He defended.
"Look, I don't want you to go near her again, the one thing that she does not need in her life is a guy like you." Lily turned on her heel, quickly walking down the hall.
"What the hell does that mean? Guy like me?" Sirius shouted to her. Not getting a response, he turned to James.
"Sirius you can't take advantage of her like that." He chided, repeating Lily's words.
"How the fuck was I taking advantage of her?"
"She was feeling left out Padfoot, Lily and you and me go to the same school, we've known each other since we were eleven. Petunia has been Lily's little sister forever, Sirius—she wanted some attention. She's vulnerable. It was a stupid move."
"I don't see how it's so stupid." Sirius quipped, not seeing why James and Lily were getting so worked up about it. "She isn't a little kid; she can make her own decisions." His voice started to rise, seeing James open his mouth to say something else. "Lily needs to learn that her sister isn't four anymore. And you James-" Sirius' voice rose more. "You need to stay the fuck out of my business!" He stormed off, running down the long staircase.
"Sirius," James called. "Sirius!" But he was already gone, the door slamming behind him as he left.
What a wonderful start to the day.
(--)
"Petunia!" Lily said (rather loudly) as she stepped into the girls' room. "Petunia, where'd you go?" When no response came, Lily sighed. "Pet, honestly, don't be a little kid."
"Well you obviously think I am a little kid, so what does it matter?" Petunia's muffled voice came from the closet. Sighing again quietly, she made her way to the doors, opening them to find Petunia huddled in a ball, her face stained with tears. Lily sat next to her, peering at her sister.
"Why were you crying?" She asked softly. Petunia scoffed, running a hand through her hair.
"Why do you think Lily?" She asked snottily. When Lily blinked at her instead of responding, Petunia stood, walking away. "You treat me as if I'm seven years old Lily. I may be younger than you, but I'm no less mature, no less capable of making my own decisions!" She shouted, her eyes blazing. Lily got up as well, her features set.
"I'm trying to look out for you Petunia, I know Sirius Black, and he—"
"Yes, I know you know him Lily. And he, like everyone else, knows you! I'm so fucking tired of being in your shadow. I can't bloody take it anymore!" Lily stared at her with wide eyes. Trying to swallow the limp forming in her throat, she took a deep breath.
"Tuney," She started, her voice not above a whisper. "I-"
"Save it." Petunia snapped, her words slicing through Lily. "I'm calling Mum and Dad. I'll leave now." She stormed out of the room, her bare feet slapping against the hard wood floors in the hall.
After a phone call and twenty minutes of pleading, the Evans' showed up at the Potter Manor quite annoyed. Kate sat them in the den, making small talk as Petunia went back to her room, gathering her things. As she angrily walked into the room, her eyes narrowed, seeing Lily and James talking quietly on Lily's bed. Petunia rolled her eyes, rummaging through her stuff. Lily stood quickly, hesitantly walking towards her sister.
"Are Mum and Dad here?" She asked softly. Answering with a jerk of the head, Petunia continued to pack, her back still turned against Lily. James grinned, trying to break the tension in the room.
"Does that mean that I get to meet the parents?" Lily offered a weak smile, glancing at Petunia again. James took her hand, pulling her gently. "Well let's go say hello then." He said as he walked towards the door, still tugging at Lily.
"Okay," She said quietly, submitting to his pleas. They walked out, softly closing the door behind them.
"Lily," Jams said, taking her hands in his. "She's over-reacting, you didn't do anything wrong, okay?"
"I know." Lily nodded, obviously not believing it. They started to walk, Lily wrapped up in her thoughts.
"Hey," James said, nudging her with his arm. "I'm serious." Lily looked at up at him, smiling.
"Speaking of which," She started. "Where'd he go?"
James sighed, raking a hand through his hair.
"I'm not sure." He confessed. "We got into a bit of an argument and he just—left. I'm sure he didn't go home, so, well," He shrugged.
"He'll get over it." Lily said, entwining her fingers with James'.
"I know." He said, repeating her words as the stairs creaked under them. "I know."
(--)
Elizabeth and Mike Evans were beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't that the Potters weren't nice people—it was just that, well, the coffee was stirring itself. And that, that wasn't normal. Unconsciously fixing her hair, Mrs. Evans cleared her throat.
"Your house is quite lovely." She remarked stiffly, a small smile gracing her face. Petunia had obviously inherited her looks, for Elizabeth had her blonde hair up, her blue eyes nervously darting around the lavish room.
"Oh, thank you. It's been in the family for ages…" Kate said, feeling uneasy as well. Her voice faded and the adults settled into an awkward silence again. Elizabeth nodded, smiling politely before looking down at her fingers.
Where were her daughters?
A laugh cut through the tension in the room and they all looked up to see James and Lily walk in.
"Hello," Lily greeted her parents, dropping James' hand quickly. Mrs. Potter stood, making her way to the two.
"There you are," She said, putting a hand on her son's shoulder. Lily went over to her mum and dad, kissing them both on the cheek.
"Where's Petunia?" Elizabeth asked distractedly, peering around Lily.
"She's still packing," Lily said, her face darkening slightly.
You haven't seen me in a month, but by all means, don't ask how my birthday was, or how I am or…
Kate's voice interrupted Lily's inner ramblings.
"This is my son, James." Now Mrs. Evans looked interested, giving Lily a brief look before turning her gaze towards the boy.
"You go to school with Lily…?" She asked, raising her carefully sculpted eyebrows. James nodded.
"Yes I do." He said and Mrs. Potter gave him a look. "—M'am." He added quickly. Elizabeth laughed and Lily bit her lip to keep from sighing exasperatedly.
"There's no need for that, I'm not that old." She said, reaching up to fix her hair again.
"I'm ready." A sullen voice came from the doorway and everyone looked up to see Petunia standing with her bag in hand. Mr. Evans, who had not spoken yet, stood up and took the bag from her. Slower, Mrs. Evans got up as well, walking towards the door as well.
"Thank you for letting her stay for so long, we didn't realize what trouble Lily had gotten into." Elizabeth said with a stern look toward the redhead. Lily blushed, embarrassed, and James sent a puzzling look towards the Evans'. Mrs. Potter was flustered by this comment as well, as she smiled tightly and walked Petunia and her parents to the door.
"Oh no, she was a pleasure, really." She waved her hand as though brushing off the statement, looking kindly at the younger girl. "And we're happy to take Lily to King's Cross tomorrow with the boys." She added, answering the un-asked question.
"Well that's helpful, you have no idea, we never know what to do when we see her off, you know," Elizabeth admitted as Petunia stepped out the door. Kate nodded, smiling a real smile this time.
"It's no trouble, really."
"Alright dear," Elizabeth said, turning to Lily. "Have a nice time at school then, yeah? And, er, write us I suppose, just, not very much, those ruddy owls have something against me!" She swiftly kissed her daughter on the cheek and left the mansion as well, dragging her husband along.
There was beat of silence after they left and James glanced at Lily uncertainly, opening his mouth to say something.
"Well, they're bloody mad."
An hour later James and Lily were standing at a trolley stop in downtown London. Mr. Potter had just gotten back from an Auror mission and the two adults had kicked them out, insisting that they go see the sights.
"So, er, remind me—what are we doing?" James asked, looking at Lily for answers. The girl smiled, turning to him.
"You'll see." She said, shuffling her feet. James scratched his head, still confused.
"I don't really know where we are or anything, just so you know. I've never really gone into muggle London before." Lily's smile grew.
"Well you'll just have to trust that I know what I'm doing then, won't you?" She smirked. The double-decker pulled up and the two got on, Lily leading the way. "Are you ready Potter?"
The scenery slurred by as James and Lily found a couple of seats on the first level.
"Now may I ask you what we're doing?" James smiled goofily.
"I'm not sure yet, when I feel inspired we'll get off." Lily responded hazily, looking out the window.
"Do you know you're way around?" James asked, a bit impressed with Lily's confidence.
Lily nodded. "I used to go out all the time during the summer. My parents always wanted us out of the house, so I'd gather up people from my street and just, went out, looked for things to do, you know…"
"Oh," James comprehended. "So do you have any places in mind?"
Lily shrugged nonchalantly. "I've been thinking about a few places…but I haven't decided where we should go yet…" Her head turned to look at the swirling buildings again and James settled in the silence.
A few minutes later Lily jumped up suddenly, knocking James out of his trance.
"What?" He asked, blinking hard. Lily prodded him and he got up as well, still confused.
"We're getting off at this stop." She said, poking him again. The bus came to a halt and James and Lily stepped off, looking at their surroundings. They were in a more rural place now, with less people and more land.
"Where are we?" James asked, his brow crinkling.
"I'm not completely sure…" Lily admitted, looking up at the boy with innocent eyes. "I think it has something to do with an otter…but…" Her voice faded and she turned on the spot, examining the shops around them. "This way." She said determinedly, taking James' hand and pulling him after her.
"Lily, please, just tell me where we're going." He begged, confused beyond belief. Lily stopped in her tracks and smiled up at him.
"To my favorite place in the world."
The old 'Harry Theatre' did not look like it had the potential to be someone's favorite place. On the outside it was run-down and abandoned looking: the paint chipping, the aged ticket box dusty. And yet Lily's smile grew by a thousand watts when they had reached it. James looked at it skeptically, stepping back a bit. Lily let go of his hand and pranced to the double doors that looked like they had not been opened for at least twenty years. She looked back at James, waiting for him to join her.
"Are you going to come or not Potter?" She teased, her hand on a handle. James winced, looking at the building again.
He had fallen in love with a madwoman.
"Lils, are you sure that we can, it looks pretty abandoned, maybe we would be better just getting back on the double-decker and—"
"I thought that you were a Marauder James." Lily said, raising her eyebrows. "Have I been mistaken?"
James frowned and puffed out his chest indignantly.
"No," He said. "Of course I'm a Marauder!"
"Well then come along!" Lily waggled her shoulders, biting her lip hopefully at the boy. James sighed as he walked towards her, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Fine, but if we get arrested by the po-whatsits you're telling my parents." He said, going into the neglected theater. Lily giggled (quite out of character) as the heavy doors closed behind the pair. The two cautiously stepped past the entranceway and walked into the main area. The whole place smelled of must, and with every step that they took a cloud of dust would burst from the burgundy carpet. Lily stood proudly in front of the entry; the smug smile on her face bigger than James had ever seen it.
"Isn't it wonderful?" She asked, spinning around to face James. He smiled weakly, nodding unconvincingly.
"It's, er, interesting alright." He said as he walked next to her.
On the right side of the main room there was a glass booth that looked like once upon a time it had been a concession stand, its gold trimming gleaming in the fading light.
Lily walked to the side of the doors, flipping on a switch. With a buzz, the chandeliers, that had gone unnoticed by James until then, came to life, clinking and lighting up sporadically.
A dull yellow glow filled the room and Lily laughed to herself softly. In the new light it seemed as if she was sparkling, her red hair reflecting the light. James felt the sides of his lips turn upwards in spite of himself. Walking away from the light switch, Lily looked at James again, a small smile now gracing her face.
"Is anyone here?" James asked. "It doesn't look like it's been visited for a while."
Lily shook her head. "The only person who ever comes here is me. I think that the owner passed away and the government just never bothered to do anything with it." She went over to the big, velvet ropes that were supposed guided people towards the auditorium, running her hands over them. "It's a shame really, it has so much potential. The first thing that I want to do once I've saved up some money is buy this place. Make sure that it gets the proper care that it deserves."
"Whom would you buy it from?" James asked, un-hooking one rope and making his way down the hall. Lily shrugged and followed him.
"I'll figure that out later." She said simply. James stopped, letting her lead the way. The walls in the hallway were plastered with gold wallpaper, wearing and peeling away. There were huge mirrors, dented and cracked, their frames covered with small lights.
Lily took James' hand, pulling him along. "Here's the stage." She whispered, coming to a halt in front of a pair of huge golden doors. She pushed one open and led James into a pitch-black room.
"Where are the lights?" James asked, squinting. Lily paused, trying to think of where the lights were. She turned to the side of the door, fumbling a bit. Her hand finally found the switch and the house and stage lights came on, filling the large room with light.
There were at least fifty rows of seats, all red, plushy, and dust covered. At the other end of the space was a grand stage; the biggest one James had ever seen for sure.
Lily ran down the isle excitedly, skipping a bit. James shook his head and walked down the slight ramp behind her. He had never seen her like this before, so happy and bright and, free. She ran up the steps on the side of the stage and sprinted on to it, spreading her arms out when she got to the center. James went on slower, still watching the girl bemused. Lily spun, turning around to face him.
"Don't you love it?" She asked quietly. Her eyes bore into his, as if trying to read his mind. James nodded wordlessly, taking her hand in his.
"It's pretty amazing." He responded, looking into the audience. He looked to Lily. "Why are you whispering?" He asked softly. Lily shrugged, squeezing James' hand.
"I don't want to spoil it." She said, pulling him upstage. James cocked his head confusedly.
"Spoil what?" He asked, tugging on Lily's arm gently, her body moving closer to his. Lily swallowed as James' head neared hers.
"This," She said. "Us,"
James' smile grew and he pulled her toward him more.
"I don't think that talking louder would spoil us my dear." He said, lowering his head to meet Lily's. "I don't think that anything can spoil us, or this." He rested his forehead on hers and looked into Lily's eyes contently.
"Are you sure?" Lily whispered, her eyes unwilling traveling down to his lips. James nodded his head against hers.
"I'm sure." He said confidently. Lily stepped closer to him, their bodies meeting half way. Pressed up against him, Lily found it harder to breathe.
"Promise?" She asked, her eyes tracing the lines of James' face.
"I promise." His lips finally met hers, the pent up passion released in the simple movement. James' lips brushed over Lily's soft ones lightly at first, trying to keep his emotions at bay. Lily responded by kissing him harder, biting his lower lip teasingly. "Lily," James moaned slowly against her lips. "Don't tempt me." Lily ran her tongue between his lips quickly before pulling away.
"You started it," She smiled, trying to breathe normally. A small growl came from the back of James' throat and he buried his head in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent. Lily squirmed at the feeling and attempted to keep from giggling. "James, really," She said, wrapping her brain around reality. They were in an abandoned theatre for Merlin's sake. She gasped as she felt James suck on her neck, her eyes widening.
Reluctantly, she pulled away from his grasp, regretting it all the while. "I can't do this James." She said, breathing deeply. She shook her head, trying to get her thoughts in order. "We're not even together James, we can't just start—" she broke off, avoiding James' stare. "We can't start this and then, just, stop the next moment. I can't keep doing that. I'm sorry." She said in a rush, still apparently fascinated with her shoes. Lily finally looked up, surprised to find James smiling. "Do you find this amusing Potter?" She hissed, her eyes narrowing unexpectedly.
James' expression changed immediately. His eyes widened in panic and he moved towards Lily with his hands out.
"No, no Lily. That's not—no." He said, trying to convince her. "I just—" He started to run a hand through his hair but stopped mid-way, remembering that Lily didn't take too kindly with him when he did that. "Why don't we do something about that?" He said smoothly, his grin returning. Lily cocked her head, biting her lip.
"What do you suggest?" She asked looked unbelieving at first, but finally gave into a hesitant smile playing at her lips.
"Well," James said quietly. "If I asked you something, do you think that you would hear me out this time, instead of just walking away like usual?" He raised his eyebrows playfully. Lily laughed softly, allowing James to take her hands and swing them back and forth.
"I'll give you another chance…" She said, looking in his eyes at last. James' grin grew and he cupped Lily's chin, tilting her head so her head was angled towards his.
"Lily Evans," He started. "Crazy, beautiful, and bloody brilliant angel," Lily blushed at this, wanting to look back down at the floor. James' hand was still caressing her face however, and she had no other place to look but at him. "Would you please do me the honor of being mine?" He placed a tender, swift kiss on her lips. "Please?" His thumb ran down the length of her jaw, his callused skin feeling rough against her delicate cheek. The gesture made Lily's eyes water, the movement being so heartfelt. She blinked away the tears, smiling up at the boy.
"I suppose I'll be yours if you insist James Potter." She teased, laughing slightly. "But just this once." James laughed as well, wrapping both of his arms around her waist.
"I guess I just won't screw it up then." He said, continuing with the banter. Lily put her arms around his neck, letting him pull her closer.
"You better not." She pressed her lips to his, basking in feel of it all. She pulled back after a moment, looking into his eyes, her gaze intense. "I vowed that I would never let you get to me." She whispered, a bitter smile on her face. "People change, eh?" James nodded, knowing that she was not just talking about her self.
"People change." He agreed in a soothing tone, tucking a few pieces of Lily's hair behind her ear. He leaned down, his lips barely touching Lily's. "And that's a good thing, Miss Evans." He mumbled against her. "It's a very good thing."
A/N: Wow! Dudes, that was fifteen pages and…hold on…5,587 words long. I am very proud. Now, the writing, in my opinion, was a bit mediocre, but the ideas that came to me were pretty good, right? Well, that's what I think at least. And this went un-beta-ed, so, I'm sorry for my terrible editing skills. Sorrybut is at camp. Why there are no computers there, I HAVE NO IDEA. However, Rebecca, a friend of mine, tried to help me edit this one…she's just not as harsh and mean as I needed her to be. If there are an abundance of mistakes…well, then I'll just take this one down and re-post it after it being beta-ed for real.
The title of this chappy came from a song, just so you know, I'm not really that weird…and since Sirius was a big parting this…well, you know, dog…in a bag...get it?
No?
Sorry.
And the 'Harry Theatre' is not a real place…no one try criticizing that. I had a really clear picture of it in my mind, and I tried describing it as best as I could.
Ooh, and I'm praying that ff won't take the line breaks out this time...they did that in another chapter...I realized that it was muy confusing to read.
Anyways, leave me your thoughts in a review, yeah? They (the reviews, not the thoughts…der) went down a significant bit last time…but last chapter was horrible-ish, sooo…I'll let that one slip.
Next chapter will be out sooner, since I have that one planned out already. And yes, FINALLY Hogwarts comes into the picture, along with Remus and Snape (who I decided before the book came out would be a big part of this fic…it's just that now his position is different.) Also, please leave comments about DH. I need to rant to someone…I'm sure that you all have read it by now.
I love you all individually...
See you all in...er...two weeks...maybe?
P.S. It's Harry's birthday today..WHOOOHOOOO!!!!
P.P.S. I'm totally done now. Really.
P.P.P.S. What do the extra Ps mean? Does anyone know?
