James and the Baby-Sitter
By LilyHeartsJames
Summary: When Lily has to baby-sit for the Potters she never expects to fall for their eldest son. But how long can she resist the charming James Potter?
Disclaimer: Obviously I'm not JK Rowling because I'm LilyHeartsJames. Therefore I don't own Harry Potter… sadly! :(
Dedication: To Simple Plan and Skillet. At the moment I'm all excited because my most favourite band EVER Simple Plan is making a new album and I'm so excited and can't wait for it to hit stores, and hopefully they have a concert in Australia because my parents wouldn't let me go to their last one & I was heartbroken. I never got over it. And at the moment I'm listening to Skillet so I'm in a massive Skillet mood :)
Notes: When I started last chapter I wasn't in the best mood because a lot of crap to do with my family brought me down. But it's been awhile and I'm feeling better. Not to mention I'm eating really yummy popcorn and listening to awesome music and I'm updating. So I'm feeling quite positive right now. Thank you SO much for all the reviews guys. I'm loving them heaps.
"I've got a dress for you but you can't see it until the morning. So suck it up and wait for it" Alice told an excited Lily who flopped down onto her friend's bed and sighed.
"But that's not fair! Pleeeeeease Alice?"
Alice smiled happily to herself and shook her head.
"I'm sorry Lily but no can do. Just wait, you'll love it".
Lily pushed out her bottom lip into a pout and Alice narrowed her eyes.
"It's not going to work" she said and Lily sighed yet again and looked up at the ceiling.
"How was work?" she asked and Lily smiled.
"It was great, except for Sirius. He's not doing too great. His girlfriend dumped him" she replied and Alice winced and lay down beside her.
"I can imagine how he would be taking it. What's he more upset about? Being dumped or not being with her anymore?"
"We haven't figured that out yet. I think it's both but Sirius is just being all macho and trying not to let us in on the fact he's hurting and really missing her" she answered and looked at her best friend.
"Why did she do it?" Alice asked curiously and Lily shrugged.
"Sirius says it's because Sera was jealous of him being a Wizard and he has to go back to Hogwarts so she won't see him very much. I can understand the distance thing but I had no idea she was envious of him. I mean I knew she wasn't happy about being a Muggle but I didn't think she would actually be jealous" she said and Alice shook her head.
"So it was envy and distance. They don't mix too well do they?" Alice asked and Lily shrugged and blew her fringe out of her eyes.
"Are you excited about seeing your boyfriend tomorrow?" Lily asked and Alice rolled her eyes and sat up.
"Peter's not my boyfriend, we're going as friends" she said walking over to her cupboard. "What about you and your boyfriend?"
Lily groaned.
"James is NOT my boyfriend! Alice, you know we can't" she said watching her friend pull out her pjs.
"Technically you can, you're just a) too responsible to give it a go and b) you're both stubborn and won't admit how much you guys like one another" she answered and Lily sat up and glared at her.
"I don't like him in that way. And even if I did we can't. He wouldn't like someone like me and I told his Mum that nothing would happen. My focus has to be on my job. Those kids are amazing and I'm not jeopardising that for a relationship that would never happen" she said and Alice sighed.
"When are you going to wake up and realise James likes you? You like each other! Lily, I'm your best friend. I know you; I know when you have feelings for someone. The way he looks at you, even at dinner at your house when you dressed up he couldn't take his eyes off you, his jaw literally dropped! You two are head over heels for each other and you don't even realise it" she responded heatedly and Lily stared at her.
"He's a good friend, that's all. I can't do that to his Mum, or Aaron. Aaron used to hate me because every baby-sitter they had would only do the job because James was there and they'd be together for a short time then he would break up with them and they would leave. Aaron has started to be friendly with me, he's showed me a side to him I thought I'd never see. I can't do that to him, it's too important to me" Lily murmured and Alice watched her carefully.
"James is not that guy anymore, you changed him. He's different with you, I've seen it. He really, really cares about you and he's not the same jerk he used to be, you know that. When Aaron realises you aren't going anywhere he'll learn to accept it and as long as you keep your mind on the job when you're there then everything will be fine. Lily, you can't-"
"I can't, Alice. I have a responsibility to Mrs. Potter and a responsibility to Jessie and Aaron. They mean too much to me to lose them over it" she whispered and Alice stared at her indignantly.
"You can't close your heart to love forever, Lily. You've got to let someone in eventually" she said and Lily looked down at the ground.
"Your Dad wouldn't want you to miss this chance at being happy" she added and a tear slipped down the redhead's cheek.
"Oh, Lily! That's another reason why isn't it? You're afraid of being happy while your Dad isn't aren't you?"
Lily nodded and looked up at her.
"Mum just left him and he's started to get it back together again. He's just got a job and he's back to being himself. I don't want it to remind him of what happened with Mum and then having him back to being stuck inside the house all day confined to his room" she replied and Alice wrapped her arms around her tightly.
"You're my best friend and I love you. I won't let that happen again, and I know that your Dad just wants you to be happy; he doesn't want you holding back on his account and wondering what if. He loves you so much and he just wants his little girl to be happy like you deserve to be" she said softly and Lily wiped her eyes and pulled back.
"I love you too, Alice but I can't. It's just too complicated and we're fine just as friends" she responded and Alice nodded.
"Okay. I'm sorry for pushing it I just want you to think about yourself sometimes. It's okay to do that" she told her and Lily nodded and stood up.
"I'm going to get changed okay?"
Alice watched her friend grab her bag and leave the room and sighed. Operation Fluffy was moving too slowly for her liking...
Lily's eyes opened slowly and she rolled over and found an empty bed and frowned. Alice wasn't usually a morning person, she liked to sleep late but she was nowhere to be found. The room was full of light and the clock read a quarter past nine and she sighed. This was definitely unusual.
"Alice?"
The brown haired girl popped her head into the door and grinned.
"Good morning!" she said brightly walking in with a box tied up with a ribbon.
"Why are you up so early and why are you abnormally cheery?" Lily asked raising an eyebrow and her friend shrugged, hopping onto the bed.
"Because I can't wait to see your face" she answered and Lily propped herself up on her elbows and Alice passed her the box.
"What's this?"
"Open it and see".
Lily sighed and pulled at the ribbon and pulled off the lid and gasped.
"Alice, how did you know?"
She pulled the dress from the wrapping and stared at it with wide eyes.
It was the dress from the shop.
"There's a note inside" Alice prompted and Lily pulled it out from the bottom of the paper and it said:
Lily,
Every pretty girl deserves a pretty dress.
No refunds. I expect to see you in it ;)
James
Lily gaped and then her eyes landed on Alice.
"I can't wear this" she said slowly but Alice shook her head and frowned.
"Yes you certainly can. James bought it for you; he'd be crushed if you didn't. Besides none of my dresses would fit you" she said and Lily scrunched her eyes up in confusion at her.
"That dress from-"
"Nope. You're not wearing that one. James knew you couldn't afford this one so he got it for you, he knew how much you liked it. Plus I have direct orders not to let you leave the house without it on, even if I have to dress you myself" she responded and Lily sighed.
"Okay..." she said, dragging the word as long as she could.
Alice beamed and hopped off the bed clapping her hands.
"Yay!"
Lily chuckled at her friend's reaction and took the dress into the bathroom along with her bag. She slipped it on and stared at herself in the mirror and sighed. This time it wasn't a sad one. It was a happy one.
She loved this dress, it fit her nicely. She could tell James liked it at the shop, but she'd told him not to get it for her. She didn't like people buying her things. She did appreciate it though.
She opened the door and walked back into Alice's room and put her hand on her hip and Alice who was in her own dress wolf-whistled.
"Wow! You look amazing!" she said and Lily blushed a deep red.
"I haven't done my hair and makeup yet" she replied hushing her and Alice laughed at her friend's embarrassment.
"Well hop to it" she said and Lily hopped back out of the room and Alice's loud cackle could be heard from the bathroom.
She brushed her teeth and then applied her makeup which consisted of mascara, eyeliner, foundation, blush and pink lipstick. Next was her hair.
She tied half of it up into a loose bun and let the bottom half of her hair sit on her shoulders. With a flick of her wand it went from being magically straightened to loose curls. Her fringe was then pushed to the right side of her head and was bobby-pinned there. She then attacked it with hairspray so that it wouldn't fall apart and she smiled.
Alice walked in and smiled and then swished her wand and her hair was all up into a pony tail with a strand of hair wrapped around it so that the hair tie wasn't visible. Her fringe was then pinned back with a slight bump and hairspray was applied. She had already done her makeup.
"We look sexy" she said and Lily grinned ecstatically and Alice gasped.
"Photo!" she said grabbing her camera and wrapping an arm around Lily. She aimed the camera towards them and a click noise showed them it had taken it.
"I'd better get going, Alice. Thank you sooo much for everything, I'll see you there" Lily replied and her friend winked and Lily bustled out of the room and took her bag out to the car. Lily was in and gone in next to no time.
"LILY'S HERE!" Aaron yelled in the kitchen doorway and took off down the hall to open the door for her.
"Hi Aaron" she greeted happily and he smiled at her.
"You look nice" he told her and she thanked him.
"So do you" she replied and made her way into the kitchen and he sped ahead.
Katherine, James and Jessie were in the kitchen and James was attempting to make his hair lay flat while his mother tried to fix the ribbon on Jessie's dress.
James looked up from the mirror that was there and his jaw dropped to the ground and Lily grinned sheepishly.
"Hi" she said nervously and Katherine turned to her and gave her a huge smile.
"You look beautiful" she told her and Lily's face turned crimson.
"Thank you, so do you. Hi Jessie" she said waving and Jessie waved back.
"You're the prettiest" she told her and Lily chuckled.
"Second prettiest, no one can be more beautiful then you Jess" she responded and Jessie beamed at her.
Lily turned to look at James and inclined her head towards the hallway and he nodded, following her out.
"Wow, you look gorgeous" he told her when she turned to face him.
"James... You shouldn't have" she whispered and he stared into her eyes.
"I saw how much you wanted that dress, Lils. I don't regret buying it for you. And you're not paying me back" he added when she opened her mouth.
"I can't, James" she told him quietly but he shook his head.
"I'm not accepting your money. You look amazing, call it a gift for being my date" he said softly and she smiled at him.
"You don't scrub up too bad yourself. Nice robes" she said and he shook his head.
"We had a deal..."
"I know, I was complimenting you" she told him and he grinned at her.
"Thank you" they said at the same time.
"For the dress" she added and he nodded.
"It's fine. I'm glad you like it" he said and she shook her head.
"I love it, but it's too much-"
"Nothing's too much when it comes to you" he interrupted and she stared up into his eyes.
"Last night Alice said I should-"
"Prongs, you ready? Whoa, Evans. Sex-y" Sirius said growling and Lily cleared her throat and looked up at him.
"Hi Sirius, you look great. Did you get a good sleep?"
He shrugged.
"Could've been better. But anyway, I'm not letting her ruin my day" he said smiling and she smiled back at him.
"I'm glad. How are we getting there?"
"Floo Powder. It's in Peter's backyard, so-"
"Lily do you have something to cover your dress so it doesn't get dirty?" Mrs. Potter asked from the doorway to the kitchen and she shook her head.
"I didn't even think about it" Lily answered and sighed but Mrs. Potter smiled.
"Its fine, I'll make you something" she said and flicked her wand and a long black piece of cloth appeared out of thin air with a hood attached.
Lily took it gratefully and slipped it around her shoulders. She thanked her and Mrs. Potter passed one each to the boys.
"Have you travelled by Floo Powder before?"
Lily nodded and Mrs. Potter sighed happily.
"Good, let's get going" she said and they all made their way into the lounge room.
"Someone take Aaron with them please" she asked and Sirius grabbed him by the hood.
"Looks like you're stuck with me" Sirius informed him and Aaron grimaced at him.
"Great" he said sarcastically.
"Lily should go with James, he knows where he's going" she said and James winked at her.
"Alright, you two go first and then Sirius and Aaron will follow and then I'll come with Jessie. See you soon" she said and James grabbed some bright green powder and together they stepped forward, holding hands.
"Peter Pettigrew's living room!" James shouted and they were engulfed by flames.
Lily hated travelling by Floo Powder, she didn't like the feeling it gave her. She was beginning to get sick when it stopped and she went flying out of the fireplace but was caught by someone standing nearby and she opened her eyes and was staring into Remus'.
"Hello Lily" he said happily setting her on her own feet and she let out a deep breath and saw James brushing himself off.
"Hi Remus, thank you" she said pulling off the cloak and he took it from her.
She looked around the shabby lounge room and saw that it was filled with second hand furniture; a few things even looked third hand.
"So this is Peter's house" she said smiling slightly.
Despite the fact that it wasn't expensive it was still nice and cosy.
James and Remus both nodded and sat their cloaks on hooks by the door.
"How are you Prongs?"
"Not too bad, its nice weather for a wedding, isn't it?"
Remus grinned and was interrupted by Sirius and Aaron flying into the lounge room.
"MOONY! I missed you!" Sirius claimed rushing forward and holding his arms out wide.
"Sirius, you still have your robes on" Remus answered backing away and his friend sighed. He took them off and threw it to James who caught it with great skill. He placed it on the cloak stand along with the others and turned back to find Sirius crushing Remus tightly who seemed to have breathing difficulties.
"Hey Padfoot, please restrain yourself. You don't want people thinking you prefer men do you? I mean the whole hair thing already sets it up for you" James said and Sirius released Remus quickly.
"I'm not gay..." Sirius told them and James nodded slowly.
"I'm sure you aren't" he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sirius didn't have the chance to have a comeback because Mrs. Potter and Jessie whizzed out of the fireplace next. Jessie wobbled on the spot and then fell backwards and Remus caught her quickly.
He lifted her up and the look on Jessie's face when she laid eyes on him wasn't missed by anyone.
"H-hi Remus!" she exclaimed and he gave her a small smile.
"Hello Jessie, Katherine" he said nodding at Mrs. Potter who dusted off Aaron's shoulder.
"Remus, it's so good to see you" she responded and pulled him into a hug. "Is everyone ready?"
They all nodded and headed outside after the new addition of cloaks were placed on the hat stand. The moment they stepped outside, they all gasped in awe.
A huge white marquee was standing in the middle of the garden with lots of purple and silver baubles floating everywhere. There were rows and rows of white seats in front of it and a small archway stood at the end of the aisle which was obviously where the bride and groom would stand making their vows. It was entwined with purple wildflowers and the breeze slightly swayed them. The oak trees also waved about in the feeble wind as Lily caught sight of her best friend standing talking to a much taller, slightly chubby boy. Or perhaps man was a better way to define him?
"Who's that talking to Alice?" she asked Sirius who was beside her and looking in the same direction with his head craned to the side.
"That's Frank Longbottom, he left Hogwarts a couple of years ago" he said and suddenly it clicked in her head who he was.
"I remember. He was a Prefect, wasn't he?" she asked directing the question at Remus now, who nodded.
"Indeed, he was a good one too. He's an Auror now, at the Ministry of Magic" he answered and she nodded.
"Do you guys mind if I go and say hi to Alice?" she asked and they shook their heads and she made her way over.
Alice turned and greeted her friend with a hug, a large smile on her face.
"Hello, gorgeous" she said winking at her.
"Hi, you look amazing!" the redhead replied and Frank chuckled.
"She does, doesn't she?" he said and Alice's face went brick red.
"Th-thank you" she stammered and Lily raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm Frank Longbottom" he said extending his hand to shake Lily's who took it.
"I'm Lily, Lily Evans" she told him and he nodded and winked.
"It's nice to meet you; Alice here has been talking non-stop about you since I met her ten minutes ago" he mentioned with a sideways glance at the beetroot red face of Alice.
"Awww, that's so cute, Alice" Lily said slyly smirking at her.
Alice rolled her eyes.
"You didn't get angry at James for buying you the dress did you?"
Lily shook her head.
"No Alice, I thanked him. And thank you for hiding it from me" she added sarcastically and her friend chuckled.
"You know you love me" she answered and Lily sighed.
"Okay, maybe" she said and then turned and glanced at James who was conversing with Peter, Sirius and Remus.
"I'm going to say hello to Peter, you know, your date?" Lily informed her, hinting that she should do the same.
"I'll come with you, I couldn't find him before" Alice said linking arms with her.
"I'll see you later?" Frank asked and Alice blushed.
"Save me a dance" she answered over her shoulder and he grinned and winked at her, his dimples showing greatly.
They walked off together over towards the boys who went silent the moment they reached them.
"There you are, Peter. I was looking for you earlier and then I bumped into Frank. Congratulations" Alice said giving him a small hug. The look on his face over her shoulder made Lily giggle as his bright baby blue eyes almost bugged out of his head. His blonde hair usually plastered on top of his head was slicked back and he beamed happily.
"You, uh... You look... Nice" he murmured just so she could hear him as he stepped back and she smiled.
"Thank you, and you look very dashing yourself" she said giving him a wink.
Lily could have sworn his heart stopped for a second as he gasped.
"Th-thanks" he replied averting his eyes to the ground.
Lily smiled at him.
"Hi, Peter. This place looks amazing, did you do this?"
Remus cleared his throat.
"He did, I watched him" he said nudging his friend who smiled gratefully at him and nodded.
"You did a splendid job" she said and he smiled back at her.
"Thank you, Lily. You look nice too" he said and she blushed and looked away and noticed Frank in conversation with someone else but he was looking over at their group, at one in particular.
"What are you looking at?" James asked and followed her line of direction and frowned then turned away and fell into a discussion with Remus over the kinds of drinks available.
Lily raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked at Sirius who shrugged and grabbed her by the hand.
"Let's walk and talk" he said pulling her along and leaving Peter and Alice talking whilst she kept glancing over at Frank every now and then.
"What's up with Alice in Wonderland?" he asked as he linked arms with her and they walked past the trees.
"I think she may be in love" Lily replied smiling jokingly and Sirius snorted.
"With Longbottom? Why?"
She shrugged and looked over her shoulder at him who was still watching Alice.
"He is quite charming; he seems like a nice person. I don't like how he isn't paying attention to his conversation though, that would annoy me" she answered and Sirius laughed.
"His eyes are glued to her! And poor Wormtail, Alice is only half paying attention" he said and shook his head.
Lily sighed. "I think they like each other, the way he complimented her..."
Sirius groaned.
"But Pete likes Alice, he'd be crushed" he said sadly and Lily stopped and looked at him.
"Alice hasn't even realised, she just thinks Peter's being nice to her" she said and Sirius chuckled.
"When guys are nice to girls and do nice things for them they aren't hoping to be 'just friends' if you know what I mean" he said and Lily was about to begin walking again when she froze.
"Nothing's too much when it comes to you" he interrupted and she stared up into his eyes.
Did James buy the dress for her, hoping she would date him? Or do other things with him? Did he expect that?
Sirius rolled his eyes at her.
"What's up, Lilian?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing, I'm just thinking" she said and smiled. "It's okay, let's get going the wedding looks as if it's about to start" she said grabbing his arm and pulling him back with her.
Cameras flashed in every direction as Peter's mother and new stepfather pushed the knife further down into the cake until it was sliced neatly. It was a two story white mud cake and had a bride and groom model on the top, their arms linked. Amongst cheers they each cut several pieces for their guests and handed them out, leaving two huge chunks for them to feed one another.
It was cute, in a newly-wed, lovey dovey way. But then again, it was also slightly sickening watching them kiss passionately with their mouths full of cake. Lily could understand why Peter was red in the face and looking at anything but them. He swallowed, turned away and walked towards the buffet and sat beside the table and began eating his cake.
Lily felt terrible for him so she took her own cake and sat next to him and gave him a smile.
"How are you, Peter?" she asked biting her cake and he sighed and glanced up at her.
"Not so good. My dad left me and my mum and now we're stuck with this guy. But I suppose it could be worse. Mum could still be upset over dad" he said with a shrug and she frowned.
"My mum left not long ago. The day I got back from Hogwarts last term. Then she sent my sister and I a letter basically saying we held her back her whole life" she replied and Peter shook his head.
"That's shit, I'm sorry" he told her and she sighed and shrugged.
"She lives in Paris now and thinks that after we've held her back for years we'll go running over to her with her new boyfriend" Lily murmured bitterly and Peter smiled sympathetically.
"Mine doesn't even talk to me. Haven't heard from him since he sent mum divorce papers in first year" he explained morosely and shrugged and she patted his shoulder.
"At least your mum's happy. That's the main thing" she answered and he nodded and sighed.
"That's why I'm putting up with it. I'll be back to Hogwarts soon so I won't have to deal with it" he said with a slightly more pleasant tone.
"Not complaining are you, Wormtail?" Sirius asked making his way over with a giant piece of cake and adding more food from the table onto it.
"Your buttons are going to bust, Sirius" Lily warned him but he shrugged.
"What makes you think I'm not trying to achieve that? Bloody dress robes" he murmured to himself and Lily grinned and he sat his plate on her lap and pulled up a chair.
They were all talking animatedly when Alice and James came hurrying over and giggling to themselves.
"Oh, Merlin! Snape is here!" Alice said chuckling and Lily stood up automatically.
"Severus? Here?"
James' eyes narrowed and nodded.
"He's asking for you, he's outside" he indicated, nodding towards the door of the marquee and Lily strode past with a quiet thank you. She made her way outside and frowned, looking around for him. She caught him standing beneath a tree dressed in deep, black robes. His greasy hair blew in the wind and when she came towards him he turned, his long pointed nose standing out due to his dark hair and pale skin.
"Severus?"
His profound, jet black eyes met her emerald green ones and a tiny smile formed on his usual, sallow face and the puzzled expression on hers was mirrored in his eyes. He stepped forwards until he was standing right in front of her and he said; "I didn't get to see you on the holidays".
She frowned and glanced at the ground.
"I've told you thousands of times; I don't want to be around you anymore. You aren't Sev anymore. You're just Severus" she replied sadly and the hurt in his eyes was evident as they sparkled with unshed tears.
"How many times do I have to apologise?" he asked, a hint of anger and impatience in his tone.
Lily glared at him and put her hands on her hips.
"You discriminated against people like me. Against Muggleborns. You called me a-"
"Don't say it" he snapped and her eyes darkened.
"It was okay for you to say it then. What's different now? You go around preaching about being pure and fully magical when really you're a fraud. Your Dad is a Muggle, Severus. You have Muggle blood in you" she replied heatedly and his teeth grinded together.
"Don't talk about him to me. I hate my father, he was a bastard. He deserves everything he gets" he snarled and she raised her eyebrows inquisitively.
"What are you talking about? What does he deserve? Severus, what's going on?" Lily demanded and he stared at her before turning away.
"I've missed you, you know. You always made me a better person, until we got to Hogwarts and we were split up. You look nice" he muttered before hurrying away and Lily watched him go with a sombre expression. If only he hadn't insulted her that day and had stopped hanging out with the wrong crowd she could forgive him. If only.
"Lily!" Alice called out and the redhead made her way over and smiled at her friends.
"Hi, what's going on?"
"What was all that about?" James and Sirius asked immediately, ignoring her question.
"It was nothing. Does anyone want a drink?" she asked and a few nodded and she headed over to the drinks table where she bumped into Frank who spilt his drink on the floor.
"Oh God, I am so sorry" she said glancing around at all the guests. Frank smiled and turned his back so no one apart from Lily could see him use his wand to clean up the mess. (A/N: A few were Muggles)
"It's fine, don't worry about it. I wasn't paying much attention" he told her and walked back to the punch bowl with her.
"Are you having a nice time?" he asked pouring them both drinks. He poured a few more for Remus and Sirius and then grabbed one of them.
"I liked the ceremony, and the decorations are really nice" she replied and he grinned.
"It was very romantic... Um, just out of curiosity, as a completely uninterested third party person; does Alice have a boyfriend?" he asked catching her off guard. She turned to him suddenly and said; "She doesn't, but Peter is her date and he likes Alice".
He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, wow. I had no idea. Now I feel awkward" he said blushing but Lily shook her head at him.
"Don't, you didn't know. Alice is quite a catch" she answered and he grinned and nodded and they began walking again.
"She's gorgeous. I mean no offence, you're very pretty, but Al-"
"Excuse me, but do you mind if I dance with my date?" James butted in from behind and Frank raised an eyebrow at him.
"Of course not. Here, let me take this from you" he said grabbing Lily's drinks with skill and headed over to the table to speak to Alice.
James grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.
"Really, James. Could you have been anymore rude?" she asked as he pulled her close to his body and held her right hand in his left. His own right hand rested on her waist, and her left found his shoulder and they swirled around the floor slowly.
"Me? You're the one who's hitting on Longbottom when clearly he likes your best friend" he emphasized and Lily's mouth dropped.
"Is that what you think? That I like Frank?" she asked absolutely gobsmacked.
He glared down at her.
"Yes, that's what I think" he answered matter-of-factly and she sighed.
"Alice and Frank clearly like each other, we were just talking about it" she answered and he rolled his eyes.
"You've been watching him all day, I've seen you. Then you saw him at the drink stand and just decided you wanted a drink. Then he was complimenting you when you have a date here. How could you do that to Alice after everything she's done for you?" he asked frowning at her and her cheeks went red, but not from embarrassment.
"For your information I noticed he was watching Alice, all day. I was looking at him because he was staring at her whilst in conversation with someone else which I thought was rude, you can even ask Sirius because he was with me at the time. I went to get a drink because I was thirsty and I didn't want to talk about Severus and he happened to be there. Then he asked if Alice had a boyfriend, and I told him she didn't but she had a date who likes her. Then he felt bad because he didn't realise Peter likes Alice and I told him not to feel embarrassed about it. Then he started talking about how gorgeous Alice was and he must have felt bad for bragging about her so he told me I looked pretty and he was about to continue on about how amazingly beautiful Alice is before you interrupted. How dare you suggest that I would do something like that to my best friend! And for the record, people are allowed to tell me if I look nice, it's not as if I'm your girlfriend so stop acting a like a jealous, pompous jerk, James!"
By this time they had stopped dancing and were glaring at one another, unaware that all the guests were watching them curiously. Their voices had carried across the room making everyone inside silent and they both looked around and went red.
"Crap" Lily muttered glancing over at Peter who was wide-eyed. She turned away from James and hurried over to him, leaving her date on the floor. Everyone in the room began buzzing again and Lily knew they were discussing what had happened.
"Oh my God, Peter I am so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen, I swear-"
"Its okay" he said as if he was seeing right through her and she froze.
"I-What? Are you sure? I'm really sorry, I didn't realise everyone else was listening and-"
"I said its okay. She needed to know eventually. I'm going to go talk to her, wish me luck" he said making his way towards her.
"Wait, Peter, no" she said and he turned to face her and the excited glint in his eye almost broke her heart. She couldn't do this to him.
"Good luck" she mumbled, annoyed at herself and he grinned and then continued over to Alice.
James was watching from the middle of the dance floor and then hurried over to her.
"Why are you letting him do this?" he demanded angrily and her eyes narrowed.
"Because he needs to hear it for himself. This has nothing to do with us, it's between him and Alice" she replied and he stared at her incredulously.
"He's my friend! I can't just let him get heartbroken" he responded and she sighed.
"James this is something he needs and wants to do. Just let him do it" she told him and then turned to Remus who shrugged at her.
"It wasn't your fault, Lily. This could have gone worse" he said with an encouraging smile and James snorted.
"It is so!"
"James" he warned but he shook his head.
"If she hadn't blurted it out then-"
"If you weren't being so over-protective-"
"If you weren't trying to steal your best friend's man-"
"If you weren't such an arsehole-"
"ENOUGH! God, you two need to sort out your problems elsewhere!" Remus yelled angrily, leaving the room to go silent once more as he strode away tautly.
Lily and James glanced at each other and looked away, not wanting to make eye contact.
Lily turned on her heel and left the tent out the back and James walked off in the other direction towards Aaron who was eyeing off a couple of girls in the corner. Sirius noticed and he decided to follow Lily because she had no one else out there. He hurried off in pursuit of her and didn't see James glare at his back, feeling as if his best friend didn't care about his feelings. James passed this moment off by turning to his brother and giving him some advice on girls.
"And they really like it if you go up and say-"
"Don't say it now because it might ruin the moment. Seriously, just go up, say the line and pull off that charming Potter smile of yours and you'll be dancing with them by the end of the night" he said and Aaron sighed and got up.
"Hey, don't forget the line. And pull a few jokes so they think you're funny" James told his younger brother with a wink and Aaron made his way over to the girls and James watched excitedly and hopefully.
"Er, hi. Um..."
The girls turned to him and the blonde one raised her eyebrows at him.
"What do you want?" she asked in an uninterested voice.
"Um..." he glanced over at James who nodded and gave him the thumbs up and looked back at the girls. The brunette smiled at him and he sighed.
"Did I just fart? Because I blew you away" he said and both girls gaped at him and he realised his mistake.
"I mean, crap! I meant, did you just fart? Because you blew me away" he corrected himself going tomato red in the face.
They both began giggling uncontrollably at him and he decided to give the famous Potter smile a go.
The blonde stopped laughing and said; "Why are you smiling? You just made an idiot of yourself!" she said sniggering behind her hand.
She turned to her brunette friend and said; "Come on, let's go" and grabbed her arm and dragged her away, her friend glancing back over her shoulder at Aaron who stood there dejectedly.
He slumped back over to James and sat back down next to him, putting his chin in his hands and resting them on his knees.
"How'd it go?" James asked and Aaron glanced at him.
"I made a tool of myself!" he said angrily and he reported what he had done to his brother and James sat there laughing at him for a full five minutes while Aaron just glared at him.
"Oh, Merlin. You are so not a Potter" James mumbled and Aaron punched him on the arm whilst James just continued laughing.
"Lily!" Sirius called out jogging over to her, his hair whipping behind him. It was getting windier now and the sky darkened slightly.
She turned to face him and sighed.
"He so overreacted! Who does he think he is?" she demanded and Sirius grinned.
"He was jealous, I could tell from the way he watched you this morning when you were seeing if Frank was staring at Alice, he turned away and tried to pretend as if it didn't matter. Then when you were talking to him at the drink stand, James was seething" he said and Lily frowned at him.
"But why? Why does he have to be jealous?"
Sirius stared down into her green eyes with his grey ones and put his hands on her shoulders.
"He likes you" he said and she shook her head.
"I know that but-"
"No, Lily, you don't. He doesn't like you, he likes you" he cut in, trying to get it through her head.
Lily snorted.
"Don't be preposterous! He doesn't, we're just friends" she responded and Sirius shook his head.
"He told you about those dreams he had right? And after the phone call before we came to dinner at your house he got a boner when you mentioned you were going to have a shower. When he saw you all dressed up his jaw smashed into the ground. When you were trying on that dress and showed him, his eyes bugged out of his head even more than usual. He bought you that dress, not just because you needed one, but because he clearly has feelings for you. He got super jealous when you talked to Frank today. He went overboard when Frank said that you were pretty. He likes you Lily, and admit it, you like him too".
"Can you stop saying like like that?" she asked and he grinned at her.
"If you stop denying it" he answered and she sighed.
"Sirius, you're reading into it too much. We're just friends" she added slowly and he chuckled.
"As soon as you pair wake up and realise what's really on the inside" he said winking at her and turned to go back inside.
"You coming?" he asked and she shook her head.
"I'm going to sit out here for awhile, I'll be in soon" she answered and he left. She headed over to a tree with a swing connected to it and purple flowers with silver streamers were entwined around the ropes. She sat on it facing away from the tent and swung slowly, her face staring up at the clouds. She was busy trying to figure out what shapes they formed when she heard footsteps behind her and tensed.
"Okay, so maybe I am the biggest dickhead" the familiar voice murmured and she sighed and closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry" he continued but she said nothing.
James lost his patience and grabbed the ropes, causing the swing to come to a stop. He came around in front of her but she turned her head.
"Hey, look at me" he said turning her head softly towards his face.
His hazel eyes burned into hers as he watched her stare at him with annoyance behind her own eyes. Her lips were tightly jammed together as if she was afraid of saying something she didn't want to say, as if she might regret it.
"I am sorry, I really am. I shouldn't have acted that way, you weren't doing anything and I was in the wrong. It wasn't your fault about Peter and I guess I was acting like... A jealous idiot and I am so sorry, and I promise to make it up to you every day if that's what it takes" he said quietly. She sighed and said; "I'm sorry for getting angry at you, I just... You were overreacting!"
James nodded slowly and he closed his own eyes. "I know and I shouldn't have. I will... Be your slave for the rest of the year!" he said and a small smile formed on her face, tugging at the corners of her lips.
"There's that beautiful smile" he rejoiced happily and tilted her chin upwards.
"I hated being yelled at by you, but I have to admit you do make a pretty hot angry chick" he told her with a cheeky grin and she blushed slightly.
"I didn't like you yelling at me. Truce?" she asked and he sighed.
"Well, I'll have to think about it" he said smiling at her and she narrowed her eyes playfully.
"I'll bash you" she threatened but he rolled his eyes.
"Please, as if. I would be surprised if you did" he said and she shrugged.
"You don't think I can surprise you?"
He smirked. "Go on, try it. I doubt you could" he said and she sighed. She thought for a moment, pondering on all the choices in her mind and then on impulse, she grabbed him by the collar, pulled his face to hers and their lips crashed together fiercely. Finally.
It was as if their lips were made to be moulded together, her lips fit perfectly with his and they kissed with such a passion, James grabbed hold of the ropes to keep himself steady on the ground. His tongue grazed her bottom lip, practically begging for entrance and she allowed it inside her mouth. They kissed for what seemed like ages; seconds, minutes, hours, days until finally an ear splitting scream interrupted their moment of affection and they broke apart almost reluctantly.
"I, er... That was-" but James, a little out of breath and as was Lily, was once again interrupted by yet another scream.
They shared a worried glance before Lily got to her feet and together they ran into the tent, James in front of Lily with his hand in his pocket as if about to pull out his wand. And it was a good thing he did.
It was absolute havoc. Chaos. Horrific. Terrifying madness.
A horde of people in black cloaks, all pulled over their heads, were running around the room with their wands out and throwing spells here and there. The guests were all screaming at the top of their lungs and darting in every direction and they often ran into one another. There were few wizards and witches with their own wands out firing spells back and forth at the cloaked people.
Lily and James entered the crowd and parted from one another accidentally, the crowd not allowing them to reach for one another again. Separated, they set out in search for their family members and Lily discovered Jessie underneath the cake table shivering. The fear in her usually happy, gleeful eyes was evident; they were large and rounded and flitted constantly around the room from people to people, crouched up into a little ball with her arms wrapped around her legs which were pulled up to her chest as if trying to protect herself.
She was scared, and as baby-sitter Lily was responsible for ensuring her safety so she dived under the table and Jessie wailed loudly until she figured out that it was the redhead.
"Lily! What's happening?" she asked and her baby-sitter scooped her into her arms and cradled her.
"I don't know, but you need to stay with me okay? Do not let go of my hand, alright? It's going to be okay, I'll get us out of here".
She nodded slowly and grabbed her hand, Lily held her wand in her free right hand and they slowly edged their way out from around the table. They were breaking out into a quick paced run behind a statue when it suddenly blasted apart and they both yelled in shock and Lily caught sight of a hooded man staring at them with a white, skull like mask gleaming at them in the light. He started towards them and Lily pushed Jessie behind her, who gripped onto the bottom of Lily's dress and Lily faced the man in front of her.
He raised his wand and Lily was about to shoot him with a stunning spell but he got his in first.
"Expelliarmus!"
Her wand went soaring into the air and he caught it in his outstretched hand and made his way forwards, determination showing in his springy footsteps.
Lily made sure Jessie was behind her and was prepared to take the wrap, but a small voice shouted; "Expelliarmus!" and both wands in the hooded figure's hands flew off and were caught by Aaron who seemed amazed at what he'd done, staring at the wand he'd found on the ground with wide eyes.
"I'm going to get you, you little punk-"
"STUPEFY!" Remus yelled aiming a perfect stunning spell at the man who keeled over backwards.
Aaron hurried over to his sister and gave Lily back her wand and she stared at him with surprise.
"Thank you, Aaron. And Remus, thank you so much. Where's everyone else?"
He shrugged and they glanced around the room.
"Katherine's helping people evacuate, James is off fighting and I think Peter's gone with his mum. No one's seen Sirius for ages, not since he went outside with you" he added with a worried glance around the room.
"Okay, we need to get these kids to safety. Where can we Apparate safely?" she asked and he grabbed Aaron's hand and Lily carried Jessie. They moved through the room skilfully, dodging spells back and forth and making their way out of the tent.
"We're going to have to take them somewhere. The Potter's?"
Remus shook his head and they ran behind a cluster of trees and checked the area before Lily sat Jessie back on the ground.
"I heard them talking, Death Eaters. They were saying something about looking for one of the Potter's and that their house was empty so I'm assuming they've already been there so it wouldn't be safe to go there now" he explained and she sighed, looking around her for inspiration.
"My house, we'll take them there. Dad can watch the kids and we'll put protection around the house so they can't get in" she said and Remus nodded and they each grabbed hold of the kids so they were all joined.
"Okay, Jessie and Aaron please stay calm; I'm going to get us somewhere where no one can hurt us, okay?"
They mumbled "okay" and Lily and Remus both nodded at one another and she turned left on the spot and welcomed the uncomfortable feeling that she hated so much. She couldn't even fathom how excruciating and weird it must have been for the children, but when they reached their destination in Lily's lounge room they seemed fine, apart from the fact they were shaken up.
"Dad?"
Her father made his way from the kitchen and looked at them oddly before asking what was going on.
"There's been a mishap at the wedding and we need you to look after Aaron and Jessie for us" she said and he scratched his head.
"Uh, okay. But why? What's happened?"
Lily sighed.
"We'll explain everything later, but Dad, please don't open the door to anyone okay? Nobody" she instructed and he nodded and glanced at the children.
Remus turned to her and said; "You should stay here, just in case. It'll be fine" he added before she could interrupt.
"Remus, I can't let you go alone..." she said trailing off but he shook his head.
"Its okay, Lily. Just stay here with your Dad and the kids and I'll take care of everyone at the wedding" he said and she pulled him into a big hug and both of the kids joined in.
"Bye Remus" Jessie said blowing him a kiss and he couldn't help but smile down at her.
He winked at Lily and turned left on the spot and disappeared into thin air.
"Lily, I want Mummy" Jessie murmured tugging on her baby-sitter's dress.
"Come here, sweetie. Mummy will be here soon. How about I tuck the both of you into bed and then you can go to sleep, and when you wake up your Mummy will be here" she said, hoping with all her might this would be the case.
Jessie nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks and Lily carried her up the stairs and Aaron followed. Lily took them into her room and pulled back her quilt and lay Jessie down on it and Aaron took off his dress robes and hopped in next to his little sister.
"Do you guys want a story?"
Jessie was already nodding off to sleep and Aaron shook his head.
"I'm fine thanks, Lily" he said smiling at her.
She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed beside him.
"You were very brave today; you saved both Jessie and me. You should be very proud of yourself" she said grinning at him and he shrugged.
"It was nothing; I just copied off what that guy did. You guys needed help" he said and she chuckled.
"Well thank you, it was a good thing you did. Where'd you find that wand?"
"On the ground. I saw that guy break the statue and you and Jessie were there so I grabbed it and ran after him. I won't get into any trouble will I?" he asked worriedly and Lily shook her head slowly.
"Of course not, if you hadn't have done what you did then Jessie and I may not be here. You did an amazing thing, and you should be happy about it" she told him ruffling his hair.
"Thanks. Goodnight Lily" he replied and she kissed his forehead.
"Call out to me if you need me, okay?"
He nodded and rolled over, wrapping his arms around his sleeping sister.
Lily stood up and left the door open a tiny bit and then made her way downstairs to her father who was watching television.
"Dad?"
He smiled up at her and patted the couch beside him.
"You look beautiful" he complimented her as she sat next to him and he put his arms around her.
"Thank you" she answered quietly and pretended to watch the T.V while really, her head was with another individual.
James threw spells constantly at the Death Eater in front of him, who shot them back. He was tall, and under the hood he was black. His mask had fallen off earlier when James chased him into the corner. The Death Eater sent a killing curse his way and James shielded himself from it and shot back at him.
"Petrificus Totallus!"
The man keeled over backwards, his arms and legs snapped together and James kicked away the wand. He gave him a death stare and moved on, determined to get as many as he could.
Remus was over fighting two at once in the corner and so he went over to help his friend.
"Where's Lily and the kids?" he asked after shooting a curse at the one behind the buffet table.
"At Lily's with her Dad, I told her to stay" he said shielding them from a leg binding spell.
"I bet she didn't like that" James answered floating a vase across and causing it to land on the Death Eater's head and shattering, causing the man to fall to the floor.
"To be honest I don't think she did, but I told her to stay with the kids" Remus responded closing in on his opponent.
He stunned him with ease and noticed the Death Eaters were falling, one by one.
"JAMES!"
James turned around and his jaw dropped in shock.
"Dad? Kingsley? What are you guys doing here?" he asked in shock as they made their way in throwing curses and spells everywhere.
"Helping you! We heard about all of this, where's your mother and the kids?"
"Mum's getting everyone to safety and the kids are at Lily's with her and her Dad" James responded and Kingsley took off after three Death Eaters in the corner.
"I can't believe you're home" James said happily but his father shook his head.
"Save the reunions for later, we've got to get these guys. Where's Sirius?"
"I don't know, we haven't seen him in ages" James replied and his father frowned.
"He'll be okay, Sirius is tough" Kingsley called out in his deep, slow voice from across the room.
James began fighting Death Eaters with more passion alongside his father. He was home at last.
Lily awoke bright and early the next morning on the couch, still in her dress. Her father had obviously covered her with a blanket and she could hear voices in the kitchen.
She got up excitedly, hoping it was the Potters and hurried into the kitchen and found her father, Katherine, James, Remus and a man who looked exactly like James, the spitting image only older.
"Is everything okay?" she asked as soon as they noticed her and everyone smiled.
"Only a few got away, but we got heaps" James said winking at her and she smiled.
"Where's Sirius?"
Remus shrugged.
"He disappeared before the Death Eater's came so we're hoping he turns up soon" he said in a worried voice and Lily frowned.
"That's not like him, he'd usually stay and fight" she said and Mr. Potter's eyes darkened.
"Wherever he is, he'd better have a good excuse. Hi, Lily, I'm David" he said extending a hand and she shook it.
"Hi, how was your trip?"
"It was great, until I found out my family was in danger. I came home the second we found out" he said shooting a worried look at his wife who was smiling at the redhead.
"Thank you for looking after the kids" she said and Lily smiled back at her.
"Its fine, you don't need to thank me. I'm going to go have a shower and get changed" she announced and made her way up the stairs.
She grabbed a towel and made her way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She got undressed and took out her hair and stepped under the steamy, warm water shooting down on her. Her first thoughts were about James, and if he was okay. He seemed quiet before, and usually when he was quiet something was wrong.
Was he nervous about the kiss the day before? Was he regretting it? Was he wishing he could go back and do things differently? Was it going to ruin their friendship?
She knew she shouldn't have done it, she didn't know what had driven her to be so stupid. She wanted to surprise him, and even she knew that the kiss had been so much more than that, it had felt... Perfect in a way. It was as if they didn't want to pull away.
She rinsed out her hair and then washed her body before turning off the water. She stepped out and grabbed the towel and dried herself fully and then wrapped it around her body. She walked out of the bathroom and entered her bedroom to grab some clothes out of the cupboard.
The kids were still in bed, and Lily noticed (she almost screamed and dropped her towel in shock) James sitting there in the chair beside the bed, watching them. His eyes flickered to her and his face went red but he didn't remove them from her body.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" he said getting to his feet but she shook her head.
"No, no. Its fine, I just need to um, get some clothes" she said turning her back and going through her drawers. She pulled her outfit out of the cupboard and spun around, only to find James right behind her.
"Oh!" she said stepping backwards in fright and hitting her back on her cupboard.
He smiled at her and raised an eyebrow.
"I seem to be startling you quite a bit" he noted and she didn't meet his eyes.
"I'm fine" she repeated and he frowned.
"You seem... Jumpy. Not nervous, are you?" he asked with a cheeky smirk and she glanced up at him.
"No, of course not. I just..." she trailed off as James leaned down towards her but she turned her head to the side so he caught her cheek.
"I need to get dressed" she said side stepping him and hurrying out of the room as quickly as possible. James sighed and leaned against the cupboard. Lily was regretting yesterday already.
He waited for her patiently and she made her way back in dressed in a black singlet and grey tack pants. Her hair was now dry, straight and up in a slim pony tail. She put on a pair of bright green canvas shoes and looked up at him.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked and he shrugged.
"Maybe" he said and she frowned and turned her head to the side.
"Well, I'm going to go down to the shops, if you want to come-"
"Lily, relax, I was joking" he said smiling at her and she shook her head at him.
"You suck" she answered and turned and he followed her out.
They told their parents where they were going and Remus got the hint that they needed to be alone and Apparated back to his house. Lily and James made their way along the sidewalk silently, each wondering who was going to break it.
"How long's your Dad home for?" Lily asked and James glanced at her.
"As long as possible, he doesn't want to be away from us any longer" he replied and she nodded.
"The kids will be happy to see him" she noted and he too nodded.
"Yeah, they will be".
The awkward silence continued until they were three blocks away when James grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.
"I'm sick of avoiding it. We need to talk about what happened yesterday when you kissed me" he said straight out and she blushed.
"You kissed me back" she retorted and he shrugged.
"Irrelevant. Was it really to surprise me? Because it didn't feel like it after awhile..."
Lily blushed deeper and sighed.
"At first it was. But then I just... I liked kissing you" she admitted her face turning a beetroot red colour.
The grin on James' face was ecstatic.
"I was hoping you would say that, because I feel the same way" he responded and she cleared her throat and he continued.
"Lately I've been feeling these weird... feelings whenever I'm around you; I think about you all the time and it drives me insane. I dream about you, I often catch myself staring at you and I just feel like there's more to it then I try to tell myself. I like you, Lily" he explained in a low voice and Lily looked up at him, lost in thought.
James ran his hand through his hair agitatedly and made it look even messier than it was.
"Say something, anything" he begged and she wiped her eyes.
"I feel the same way, James, I do and I never meant for this to happen. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this" she whispered and he stared at her with a deep frown upon his facial expression.
"I don't know if I can ignore it, but I can't do this to my family again" he said softly and Lily blinked back tears. He leaned down towards her and sighed.
"In a perfect world we could just be together, but it's not" he murmured and she shrugged.
"I told your mother nothing would happen, that we're just friends" she replied and he nodded.
"We're more than that and you know it" he told her, his lips inches from hers. She didn't know what to say, his face was so close she could smell his breath on hers, it smelt like waffles. She smiled to herself, tempted to steal a kiss but was she too slow. He got in first before she could even attempt to.
James' lips collided with hers eagerly as if he'd been waiting for this moment for a long time. He kissed her earnestly, their lips barely parting, afraid of the moment that came time for them to separate. It was fervent and avid, this single moment of glee and contentment all thrown into one with the thought of it being the last one, the end to this newly discovered feeling of happiness, desire and passion. James' hands lifted from her waist and grabbed both sides of her head in an effort to pull her even closer and ensure that she couldn't pull away until the time came for them to part and finally breathe. Lily's were wrapped around his back as if depending on him to keep her upright, almost as if she thought she might collapse on the ground, but also in a way to never let him go.
James was the first to pull away, his eyes still closed, he did not want to see the expression of longing on Lily's face because he knew his held the same yearning for her lips once more. Lily stepped back and pushed her hair from her eyes and turned from him, looking anywhere but at him.
"Lily..."
"We shouldn't have done that, James" she said slowly, tears sliding down her cheeks.
He shrugged and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"I wanted to, and so did you".
She sighed and turned back to face him, an annoyed expression on her face.
"This can't happen. I'm not going to go behind your mother's back and lie about it to her-"
"I'm not asking you to, because I can't do that either. Aaron's counting on me to be a better version of myself and I need to be for his sake".
"Then what are we going to do?" she asked, her eyes staring up at him.
"I don't know. I really don't know" he responded wiping her tears away for her.
Lily sighed yet again. This had gotten very messy and now it couldn't be avoided. Something had to be done and fast, before hearts started breaking.
A/N:
Well I kept changing the ending unsure which one I liked more, they just kept getting mushy and I didn't want a clichéd, mushy ending to this chapter. But I like this one; it just means I have to start on the next chapter ;)
It might take awhile for the next one, I have my very big IMPORTANT final exams coming up and I should be studying right now. I SHOULD BE. But hopefully it won't be too long.
Thank you guys so much for reviewing and reading these chapters, they were all very supportive :)
Please take the time to review; I need to know what you all think.
Sorry about the wait :/
Love always,
LilyHeartsJames xoxoxoxoxox