Disclaimer: I'm not feeling creative right now, so all you're getting is that I'm not JKR.
A/N: This is the first fanfiction I've ever written... going pretty good, better than I thought.
NTadakamalla: Aw, yeah! Thanks for your support! Definitely will keep writing, this is so much fun and even though it might seem childish I honestly just love imagining things and getting the feels... it's the best.
Within a week, Lily healed enough to be able to walk. With help from Marlene, Alice, and the Marauders, she was well enough to go for a run the next Saturday morning with Remus.
"Bet you can't outrun me," he said smugly.
"Yes, everyone knows you're faster than me, Remus," Lily rolled her eyes, laughing. Remus chuckled.
"I'll go easy on you, Lily - flower."
"What?"
"What? Did I say something?" Remus asked.
"Lily - flower?"
"Oh. That." Remus sighed. "James calls you that when you're not around. I guess I just got used to hearing it."
"Seriously?" Lily asked. Remus just stared at her, then doubled over laughing. When he could finally breathe again, Remus stood up.
"Seriously. You didn't get it, did you?"
"No," Lily said, confused. "And that doesn't matter at the moment. I want to know about Lily - flower."
"That's just James's way of loving people. I mean, some of the things he calls Sirius... it just means he loves him. That's all." Lily tried to think of something to say, to ask Remus what he meant, but nothing came out. Instead she waved the topic away, and told Remus to get running.
Remus, on the other hand, observed Lily's facial expressions while they ran. Every so often she would smile faintly, and sometimes he could hear her mutter "Oh, Potter," fondly under her breath. He revealed nothing to her though, and gave her just that one hint to think on. He was going to enjoy pushing Lily and James together.
The two reached the end of their path by the Quidditch pitch, where the Gryffindor team had just begun practicing. She could make out the faint shapes of Thomas McLaggen, Frank Longbottom, and James.
"I'm going inside," Remus said with a knowing look. "I have some Transfiguration studying to do."
"Yeah, sure," Lily replied, a little distracted. "I'm... just going to wait out here for a bit. It's nice and cool." Remus shook his head, smiling, seeing through Lily's excuses, and walked off.
Lily was wearing Muggle clothes: a red T-shirt and black shorts, and it was beginning to get pretty cold. She made her way over to the stands, where she sat, watching the team's pre-practice routine. Damn, Potter makes a good captain, she thought. One positive quality I didn't see in the last six years.
"All right, guys, two more minutes!" James clapped his hands twice before turning to scan the pitch and met her eyes. His entire face lit up as he made his way towards her, smiling. Not a mischievous Potter smile: a true, friendly one that made her immediately want to throw her arms around him.
"Lily, what are you doing out here?"
"I was running with Remus, and then I saw you guys starting practice and... I thought I'd watch."
"You should have tried out for the team."
"I am not risking my life on a broom over fifty feet in the air, James!" she yelled. James only looked at her wondrously.
"What?"
"James," he said softly. "You called me James."
"That's only because sometimes it doesn't feel right to call you Potter," Lily said quietly. "Sometimes you're not being annoying and mischievous, and that's when I call you James." James had to fight the urge to lean over and kiss her.
"Are you sure you want to stay out?" He rubbed his hands together. "It's really windy, Lily. You might catch a cold."
"It's okay, I want to watch. I always wondered how people never managed to kill themselves playing this sport." An amused expression danced on Lily's face.
"Lily, it's really cold out, and you're not even dressed appropriately..."
"That's because I was running with Remus."
"Lily..." James paused, staring at the stubborn redhead in front of him. Finally, he pulled off his hoodie and handed it to her, dressed now in only his jersey.
"Put this on."
"What?"
"Wear this, Lily."
"It has your last name on the back. I can't wear that."
"Lily Evans, you will wear it or I will carry you to the Black Lake and dump you in it. Right now. Please." Huffing, Lily took the sweatshirt from James and pulled it over her head. She looks beautiful, James thought. Actually, she looks drop-dead gorgeous no matter what she wears, but honestly that's besides the point...
"Your team's waiting for you, Potter," Lily gestured toward the field where the rest of the team was whispering and pointing at them. James grinned before running out into the pitch. Lily smiled to herself. He can be such a boy sometimes, she mused. And other times, such a responsible man.
Lily watched as the team practiced, James zooming around on his broom, weaving through the rest of his teammates. He makes an excellent Chaser. She clapped with the others when he got the Quaffle through the hoops, and when he smiled at her after practice, she melted.
"Lily!" James hollered, running towards her at full speed. His black hair was tousled and messy - just she way she liked it.
Lily mentally slapped herself for thinking such thoughts.
"I need your help on that Potions essay," James said, cleaning his glasses. Lily laughed.
"That's why you ran over to me like hell was chasing you?"
"I would have done it anyway." The look he gave her was soft and tender. Lily lowered her gaze. Oh no...
I think...
I'm falling for James Potter.
Whew! She finally said it! Yay!
I'm too excited...well, stay tuned for chapter six! Love y'all! And thanks for the reviews (by reviews, I mean the one review I got from NTadakamalla, thanks so much for reading!)
-Vis
