Summary: Sometimes life was sweet, but with a bitter ending. Sometimes it was the opposite. Just like butterbeer.
Full Summary: James Potter was in his prime. He was Quidditch Captain for Gryffindor, he had become Animagus to help Remus, and his group of friends were at their height in their pranking career. Now all he had left was to woo the girl. Lily Evans. But of course, James doesn't do things halfway, and all he needed was someone to help him. Now, who fit's the role? Only, Olivia Grey. Of course, Slytherin's aren't always the most helpful type, and Sirius Black knows so. Could she be hiding any ulterior motives?
Author's Note: If Harry Potter were mine, I would have way more spare time to cry over fictional deaths.
Ships: Maros (Mary MacDonald x Amos Diggory), Simbre (Sirius Black x Embre Shines), Jarlene (James Potter x Marlene McKinnon)
Lily's POV
"Remus?" I entered the greenhouses and gave him a quizzical look. Muttering a spell to get rid of my magical umbrella, I walked over and started to help him stack pots. "What are you doing here? I know this is your last class of the day, but classes ended twenty minutes ago."
"I've been fixing these pots. Terrible at Herbology."
I looked down at the pot I was carrying and noticed a long cut down the side of it, stuffed with some kind of glue. Wow. He must have done something really bad to make Sprout angry enough to have him fix all of these by hand. Usually, she's pretty lenient with clumsy kids. I would know how nice she can be, I'm failing Transfiguration and she helps me in exchange for me working in the greenhouses after school on Tuesday - which is why I'm here in the first place. "How do you manage to break this many pots?"
"Magic." I laughed. Even when Remus is mad he still manages to have humor that's easy to fall back on. I've missed it, honestly. He must have been thinking the exact same thing because an awkward silence fell between the two of us. I haven't really talked to Remus ever since the whole… werewolf situation. I'm sure he knows I found out. How could he not? After a long moment, he spoke. "I can finish these. You should probably go."
The coldness of his voice sent a shiver down my back, and I could've sworn I saw him wince out of the corner of my eye. "Remus, I-"
"It's fine."
"No, it's not." I took the pot out of his hands and put it on the counter next to us. "It's not fine, now look at me." He did, and the look in his eyes almost brought tears to mine, but I held them back. "I've been a terrible friend, Remus. I'm the one who has done something wrong. I know that you are a werewolf," He winced and looked away from me. I caught his eye again and pretended like the word didn't bother me. "But you haven't changed. Yes, it took me awhile to get used to it. But after a minute, I wondered what I had been thinking about! You are still Remus Lupin - werewolf or not! You are still my deepest companion, werewolf or not."
He looked down at me, a smile slowly growing on his lips.
Olivia's POV
Olivia, you just need to stop. You need to stop finding things you don't want to see. And no, I didn't see Mary and Amos getting it on, if that's what you're thinking. No, this is far cuter but far worse at the same time. And, as if seeing this isn't bad enough, I'm trapped out here in the rain. A rain that went from a drizzle to pouring in 0.2 seconds. Note to self: Never leave your cloak in the greenhouses.
Lily and Remus are standing so close that they're practically breathing in each other's breath mints - and my cloak is on the chair directly behind them. And I need my cloak because it's raining and I want to go with Embre and Vanessa to observe (cough, cough spy on cough, cough) Jarlene during their Quidditch practice. We're going incognito, though, and I need my completely black cloak so that no one knows it's us. Their waiting for me and Lord knows Embre'll never let me live it down if I don't show up. But I can't break this up! It's pure and holy. But I can't just stand here at this window and stare at them like a creeper. It won't be long until they notice me here…
"What are you doing?"
"UNsanitary!" I ducked (but really fell) and bit down on my thumb to quiet my outburst. Yes, the sound of rain hitting the greenhouses can be deafening at times, but I'm sure both of them are on high alert, considering their position. I pushed my drenched hair off of my forehead and looked up from my place on the ground. Of course, the person that would find me here would be James. I looked back at the ground and rolled my eyes to myself. He most likely thinks I'm a creeper, a creeper that is sitting in the mud. Great. But if he's here, he must know about Remus, right? But if he doesn't, I don't want to have to be the one to tell that to him. Lord knows he can only handle rejection once. So maybe I should avoid telling the truth…
I looked back up at him and saw him laughing. He was in his Quidditch uniform, although he's better off than I am because he has a very expensive looking cloak covering him from the rain. He must have stopped Quidditch practice early. I'm sure Embre will be very happy with that. Yes, I'm being sarcastic. Deal with it. He was balancing on his Nimbus 1500, the newest, fastest, and most expensive model of broomstick yet. I never really realized how much money James' family must have. I mean, their purebloods, for starters; his father made a hair potion that James never seems to use; and, according to Vanessa, the Queen of clothing, he only wears designer shoes. Should I be intimidated by his high-end fashion? Because I think I should be.
He wasn't laughing, but the gold in his eyes was flitting about like Snitches wanting to be caught. Why do I always find myself in a position where I'm slightly guilty and he thinks it's wildly funny? I laughed softly. "Care to help me up, Quidditch Boy?"
He jumped off of his Nimbus with surprising agility and balance. If I were to do something like that, I would've slipped on the wet grass and broken my leg or something. But this is why I commentate for Quidditch only. "Do you not have a cloak?" Wow, he looks genuinely concerned. Is that good thing? I mean, sure, chivalry isn't dead, but do I want him to pity me? Maybe I'm his token poor friend and that's how he always finds me in situations where I look really low class. Maybe it's a sixth sense or something…
Oh Lord, I'm his token American friend too, aren't I? I would also demote myself to the token almost-dark-skinned friend too, but his mom is from Brazil, so he doesn't need one. Embre told me. She rambles when she's given Veritaserum. All aboard the token friend train!
"I have one, I just left it in one of my classes." Yeah, don't mention which. Good cover, at this rate you might be able to get him into Hogwarts without him ever knowing about Rily - which is Remus and Lily's designated ship name. Embre picked it out. "I thought I might have left it in the greenhouses, but I didn't. But it's all good. I'm headed to the library. Want to come along and tell me all about Marlene?" I waggled my eyebrows. "Y'know, you might just get her to fall hopelessly in love with you." Keep it lighthearted, inch towards the castle. He doesn't have to know that Rily is going to be a thing. Especially not when only Embre and I can tell…
"Here, take mine." He went to untie his cloak but I stopped him.
"No, please. I'm okay." He looked at me with an unimpressed look for a very long moment. It made me shiver. Damn. And I could've gotten away with it, too.
"Like hell you are." He seemed to work double time and in a nanosecond, the very heavy fabric fell over my shoulders. He pulled the hood over my head and it was so big that it covered my eyes and nose. "You're going to catch a cold like that." Should I argue that I've been in the rain many times in my life and I'm virtually immune to getting sick that way? Would it even make a difference? James seems like one of those types that wouldn't believe in aliens even if they came to Earth, were tye-dye, and had scientific evidence that they were not from this planet. Wait, how did I get so off topic?
I sighed in a playful way, careful not to hurt Mr. Potter's very fragile ego as I readjusted the hood. "What kind of fabric is this?" It's soft. Like, tangibly, sent from the heavens above, soft. No wonder Sirius always complains about the school uniforms being itchy. If you wear this all day, I can't blame you. My socks are getting scratchy right now just thinking about it. "Where do you even get something like this?" Way to go, Olivia, you're really excelling at making yourself sound really poor. "Did you skin a unicorn or something? Was this on the black market?" Yes, joke so that he won't realize just how poor you are. You're doing great.
"Oh, no. I just-" Ugh. He caught on to how poor you are. Yep, securing that role as the token poor friend. He laughed awkwardly.
"Eh, I get you." I tried to smile, but something's wrong with me because it didn't quite reach my eyes. Abort mission! "Let's just head to the castle. We don't want to get lost in the storm, do we?" He nodded and jumped back on his broomstick, extending a hand. Great. I shook my head. "Never learned to ride, I just walk." He was smirking, his eyes dancing again, but this time the brown was more prominent. What? Wait. "Not like that!"
"I didn't say anything!" He was laughing, and his eyes were turning green. He has hazel eyes. Huh. Guess I never really looked before.
"No, but you were thinking it. Ya Creep." I laughed and rolled my eyes. Did I mention the rain was getting worse? James was practically drowning in the downpour, although he didn't seem to mind. Then, without warning, he grabbed my hand and with impressive strength, pulled me onto his Nimbus. "UNHOLY!" But by the time the word left my lips, we were already halfway to the castle. Maybe, just maybe, this was the better option.
We were inside in an instant, and somehow the hallway was completely empty. My hair, which had dried just a tad bit, seemed to be filling the air with a strong smell of coconut, but through that, I could smell something softer, more inviting. I was about to place it when I felt a pair of eyes trained on me. Filch.
He walked over to us, hunched just a bit, muttering. "Mud all over the floor… Dripping from the rain… lacking any sort of manners." Yep. Filch sure does know how to kill the mood.
I passed James his cloak back, and even though he hesitated, I pushed it into his grasp. "Thanks for letting me borrow it. The rain's coming down hard out there. Hopefully Lily…" God save the Queen. What have I done? Play it off! Don't hesitate! YOU LOOK GUILTY! "Hopefully she'll get it alright. She was in the stands with Embre during your Quidditch practice." …Vanessa and Lily have the same kind of figure, don't they? I mean, they're the same height! Don't lie, kids. It's a slippery slope.
But James is over Lily. So no harm done, right?
"Really?" He seemed confused, although there might have been a hint of excitement in his voice. I internally grimaced as I nodded. Way to get his hopes up, Liv. This is why people think Slytherin's are shady! But it's not my fault! I'm just trying to protect Rily so that it can blossom and be all that it can be! I just want… I just want someone to be happy. Why is that suddenly so difficult! "Huh."
He looked off into the distance and nodded his head, a smile creeping up on him. When did happiness for someone come at the cost of another? I can't tell him about Rily now. Definitely not now. He looks so happy, and I don't want to see the look on his face when he realizes I lied. "I'll… see you around."
He wasn't even trying to hide the giddy look on his face now, and I forced my face into a smile. Had he been paying attention he might have noticed how strained it looked. But his thoughts were somewhere else, and when he walked down the corridor, his broom and cloak in one hand, the other running through his hair, there was an undeniable skip in his step.
Despite the fact that it looked incredibly dorky, it made my heartstring pull taught. And not in a good way.
James' POV
Why does something so simple as Evans going to a Quidditch practice make me happy, you ask? Not because I think I can make her fall in love me - Nah, she's probably interested in Marcus Silva and I have Marlene - but because it gives me hope of us becoming friends one day. Friends. That's all. I've learned when to cut my losses.
I was walking on a cloud, and there was no way I was coming down. I practically flew up the steps to the Gryffindor common room I made it up there so quick. I smiled widely at some first-year girls on the couches and they giggled. Marlene was sitting on the bottom step to the girl's dorms with a small smile on her lips and I pecked her cheek quickly. She laughed as the steps turned to a slide and she slid down to the crimson carpet. I then took the steps up to the boy's dormitory two at a time, wishing I was just a bit taller so that I could manage three at once. Moony can, but he's 190 cm. (6'3") at the least, and even though I'm taller than Sirius I'm not that tall.
My dormitory had all the necessary people in it, minus Remus. Ah, he's probably at the library or something. I jumped onto my bed, not caring that I was covered in mud and rain. How can you not be in a good mood?
"Merlin, Pads." Peter looked up at me from the chess board. "Prongs has found a girl again." I laughed and Sirius looked at me too. The both moved away from their game simultaneously and sat at the edge of my bed. They both eyed my outfit. "Or maybe he and Marlene finally made it official? I mean, it's hard to not be official when you're given a designated name that's announced to the whole school via the Quidditch Commentator."
"Evans doesn't hate me, mates!"
"He's gone off the deep end," Sirius smirked at Peter's remark and I threw one of my many pillows at them.
"I mean it, Wormy! Liv told me that she was at my Quidditch Practice." Sirius' smirk dampened a bit. I sighed. Even though Embre proved him wrong about her, he still has this lingering feeling about her. All Slytherins - really. "Way to ruin my good mood, Snuffles."
"Bugger off, Bambi."
I've never understood any of the muggle references Remus and Peter used, and even though Sirius is just as clueless as I am, he frequently uses them. Remus likes to call me all different kinds of names - Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Donner, Blitzen - odd, right? Peter usually sticks to Bambi and occasionally he'll pull out Rudolph, Clarice, or Faline. It's really weird, but right now, I could care less.
Is there a cloud higher than Cloud Nine? Because I might just be on it.