AN: Alright, so I wrote this fic for jilytober, but it kind of got lost in the flood of amazing fics that everyone puts out at the end of the month, and when I went back and read it, I wasn't thrilled, so I decided to edit it tonight, because women-inthe-sequel and I were geeking about fem!james recently and I after I started editing it, I saw even more people talking about fem!james, and I just think that everyone should be talking about it because jily can only be improved by them being lesbians. Obviously.
Jamie Euphemia Potter sometimes worked at a small pub down by the river. Her friend, Emmeline Vance technically worked there, but sometimes she couldn't come in to work her shift, because her kid was sick, or her babysitter canceled. James had worked there during her days at uni, and now, since it was off season and she wasn't traveling to play games, she had offered to cover any shifts that Emmeline needed her too.
She was feeling nostalgic as she wiped down the counters, remembering all the times she'd gotten to throw grown men out on their arses because they were too drunk and had run up their tabs too high. She remembered all the hot wing eating contests between her and Sirius and whoever else wanted to try and out eat them. She remembered her and Remus hustling just about everyone at pool and darts. Her and Peter's rendition of Somebody to Love had left no one wanting.
They had had fun here and she was having fun remembering all of it.
The shifts were easy enough, making all the drink orders came back to her like riding a bike, and some of the regulars remembered her and made friendly conversation, something that made the clock tick by faster.
Enter the redhead.
Lily Jane Evans was new to town. Jamie knew that because her old boss, who was also the other bartender, had talked to Lily the first time she'd come into the bar, and then answered all of Jamie's questions rather patiently.
Well, he had been patient to a point.
"Just go and talk to her yourself, Jamie." Benjy said, picking up the cash box to take to the back office. "I only spoke with her for like, five minutes. Not even. She's friendly, I'm sure she won't bite your head off. Though I'll likely to if you don't shut up soon."
Jamie huffed. "I can't just go and talk to her."
"Actually, it's your job. Go and get her order and ask her your weird stalker questions directly."
"Fuck off," Jamie muttered, causing Benjy to laugh at her before he turned around and walked away. The two of them had always gotten on well.
Jamie looked down at the end of the bar where Lily was sitting. She started chewing on her thumb nail as she watched Lily twirl a stray coaster that someone had left on the counter. Her red hair fell in curls, stopping just below her shoulders. Her eyes were wide, round and a beautiful green. There was a light smattering of freckles over her skin, so light that if you weren't staring at her as intensely as Jamie was, you probably wouldn't notice them. Long thick lashes, a slender nose that was slightly turned up at the end, and her lips…
Jamie cleared her throat and forced herself to stop staring at the strangers mouth.
Apparently she wasn't done staring in general though.
She had a bag with her, it was leaning up against the bottom of the stool that she was sitting on and Jamie could see a laptop peeking out of it, a few notebooks, a very fluffy pink pen and when she looked back up at Lily's face, she realized that she had been caught staring.
Which wasn't really a surprise now was it. Jamie still flushed.
Lily's bright green eyes were looking at her curiously, probably wondering why on earth the bartender was staring at her instead of walking down to get her drink order.
Jamie grabbed a rag and started wiping off the counter in front of her to make it look like she was busy. Then she rearranged some of the glasses before she ambled on down to the far end of the bar. This wasn't a fantastic tactic since she hadn't been doing anything when Lily had first looked up at her. The look on Lily's face let her know that it had been a shite plan.
"Evening," She said, rubbing her palms together before she rested them flat against the bar top and leaned forward, not sure if she was showcasing any particular asset or just going with a pose that would show off whatever Lily might want to look at. If she wanted to look at anything. She might be here to meet a boyfriend or she might think Jamie had been rude instead of stupid. "What can I get you?"
Lily pursed her lips slightly, lips that had been painted a candy pink color, like starbursts. The pink ones were Jamie's favorite.
"You seem awfully busy. I don't want to bother you." Lily looked down the empty bar and Jamie's heart gave a leap. Not because she was being called out though, but because this girl came to play.
"I always appear to be the busiest when I get caught staring at the customers." She shrugged a shoulder and pulled the rag down again, wiping down the counter in front of Lily now. "I can always take a break from appearing busy though, to get your order."
"Right," Jamie couldn't tell if Lily was trying to hide a smile because she looked down for a moment and when she looked back up, she just looked as though she were considering her. "Can I have a vodka tonic."
"Sure thing," She nodded and walked down the bar again to make the drink.
It was only a moment before she was standing in front of Lily again, sliding the drink across the bar to her. "So you're new to the area?" She asked, running a hand through her short, messy hair, not realizing that she perhaps shouldn't know this about Lily seeing as how Lily hadn't told her.
"And what makes you think that?"
"Never seen you around before," She tried, shrugging a shoulder. "Also that's what my boss told me."
"Gossiping about the customers?"
"Only the really cute ones." Lily laughed and picked up her drink, taking a quick swig that downed half the alcohol. Jamie wished that she could take a shot or two just then. Calm her nerves a bit.
"Right. But yes, I am new to the area. I moved here two weeks ago for a teaching job."
"Oh? What year are you teaching?"
"Uni." Lily corrected. "I'm teaching a uni course on calculus."
"That sounds dreadful." Jamie's forehead crinkled as a hoard of number clouded her brain. And the answer did not match the fluffy pink pen that she'd spotted in Lily's bag. Or the pink lip gloss. Calculus professors were supposed to be stern and monotonous and old. At least that's what they had been in Jamie's experience.
"Well if I want the universities funding, I'm required to teach a course. It was that or teach a gen ed lecture. And I have no desire to talk for two hours straight to a classroom of two hundred scholarship athletes not listening to me."
"I was a scholarship athlete, so I know what you mean. Some of us are terrible." Jamie nodded sympathetically and this earned her a laugh. Jamie stood up a bit straighter. "But is calculus really better than that?"
"Numbers come easy to me." Lily shrugged. "And if you're taking a calculus class, you're probably going to try at least a little bit. I can work with that."
"What is your research about then?" Jamie was leaning on the bar now.
"Oh, well, it's not just my research. I have a partner. We're studying the metabolic structures of plants to see if they can be altered or replicated synthetically to repair damage to living tissue on the human body."
Jamie blinked at her for a moment trying to digest something that sounded as though it had come straight from a science fiction novel. "You want to make plant band aides?"
Lily laughed. "Basically. But bandages that don't come off. Band aids that become a part of you and work just like the rest of your body."
"That sounds like some science fiction shit." James shook her head. "And cool as hell."
Lily bit her bottom lip and smiled. "Yeah, it is cool as hell." They smiled at one another for a moment longer than was friendly and then Lily looked down. She swirled her drink and then took a sip. "What do I owe you for this?" She asked, reaching down for her bag.
Jamie shook her head. "Oh no, we don't charge pretty girls here." And It was only slightly more than what she'd said earlier, but she still felt the flush creep up her neck.
"That's absurd." Lily grinned, though she sat back up, leaving her bag where it was.
"It's the truth." Jamie held up her right hand.
"You just get to drink here for free whenever you want then?"
It took her a minute to register and then fully appreciate what Lily had said, but when she did, she started laughing as she reached for a napkin and pulled the pen she carried out from behind her ear. "I like you, Lily Evans." She started scrawling out her number on the napkin. "And no, that discount only works when I'm the one on this side of the bar, unfortunately."
"Well that's probably best. Otherwise it'd be pretty hard to keep the place stocked."
Jamie quirked a brow, "Are you implying that you think I have a drinking problem?"
Lily laughed and Jamie clicked her pen and stuck it back behind her ear. "No, only that a lot of pretty girls would start hanging around here if-" Lily stopped midsentence as Jamie slide the folded napkin across the bar, stopping it right beside Lily's drink. She unfolded it and then grinned before looking up at Jamie. Her eyes bright and shinning. "And to think, I almost didn't come in here."
Jamie ran her hand through her hair and that flush ran up her neck again. "How tragic that would have been."
Lily opened her mouth to say something, but Benjy was done playing it cool apparently. "Oi! Potter! I don't pay you to stand around a flirt!"
Jamie clicked her tongue and spun around to face her boss. "Actually, you do! It's half of my job!" Lily laughed and Jamie quickly turned back to catch a glimpse of her smile.
"Go and clean the tables in the poolhall or I'll sack you right now." He went back into the office and Jamie shook her head.
"He threatens to sack me at least once a shift. And the real kicker is that I don't even work here really. I'm just covering for a friend." She shrugged but then reluctantly picked up the rag. "Though I should probably go and do as he says anyway."
"Probably." Lily took another drink and then inspected her glass. "You know, I'll probably be in need of another drink by the time you get back."
Jamie winked at her, "I'll be back in a flash."
"Not too quickly, I'm not trying to get drunk tonight." Lily called after her.
"Perhaps you need to order some food in a few minutes then." Jamie turned, walking backward as she talked to Lily now. "Stick around a while and give me the chance to ask you out."
"I get your number and a date?"
"Yes, I might be jumping the gun, but you're the one who keep smiling at me like that." Lily's smile only got wider at that and so Jamie spun back around and rushed off to clean some tables.
And just like that, Jamie was pretty sure that she was going to be thanking Emmeline for asking her to cover this particular shift, for the rest of her life.