Too Shy to Realize
An L/J fic
This is a different kind of fic - nothing to do with any of my other ones. I sort of like it though. Read and review, please!!!
The door of the boys' dormitory burst open, and Arabella, Tara, and Lily walked in.
"We just wanted to see if you got any exciting presents," said Tara, by way of explanation, glancing at James, Sirius, and Remus. All three were still in bed, though their curtains were drawn and they were wide awake.
"Oh, presents!" Sirius exclaimed, shooting out of his bed faster than a torpedo. He attacked the pretty large pile at the foot of his bed. James and Remus got up more casually, though apparently, they too were equally excited about the presents.
The girls seated themselves on the beds, examining the presents and wrapping paper that was being thrown around a lot. James looked at Lily, casually. She looked slightly flustered, and her eyes were not quite meeting anyone elses.
* * *
Lily and James had loved each other for eons, but both of them were too shy to take it further. James, even though he was one of the most popular guys in Hogwarts, not to mention the least shy, had become very subdued about Lily. Their friends had tried in vain to make them understand, but it was impossible. They were just too shy to realize.
* * *
"So, James, got any interesting presents?" asked Tara, her eyes twinkling.
"No, Tara! Please." said Lily, stopping her. She blushed ever so slightly, and cast her eyes back to her lap.
James stared at Tara.
"Is something interesting supposed to be here?" he asked, confused. Tara smiled.
"Yup. Lily got you something you like . . . and she worked really hard on it." she said.
"Yeah, and she's scared that you might not like it," said Arabella, now smiling too. Lily looked away.
"Well, we'll see if he likes it or not later. Come on James, open up," said Sirius, grabbing one of his presents and unwrapping it. Remus did the same.
"Hey James, what's this?" asked Remus, a minute later. He was holding a medium sized box, which seemed to be pretty heavy. It was decorated with snowflakes and a ribbon.
James shrugged, "I dunno. Open it." At this point, Lily looked at them out of the corner of her eye.
"Wow! Chocolate chip cookies!" he exclaimed, grabbing the box. He examined it thoroughly. "No card."
"Yup, that's right. Lily made them for you . . . as a special Christmas present!" said Arabella.
"Thanks, Lil," he said, munching one.
"How is it?" asked Tara. "It's good," he said, reaching for another.
"Good or very good?" asked Sirius, unable to resist teasing his best friend.
"Very good," James mumbled.
"Oh yeah. Where did you make them, Lily?" asked Remus, a thought striking him.
Tara answered for her. "You guys aren't the only ones who sneak out to the kitchen, you know," she said.
James looked at Lily. "You did all this - for me?" he asked. Lily nodded, blushing.
* * *
Sirius sat down beside a tree, and James did the same. Near them, the lake rippled in the cool breeze, and the birds were chirping in the distance. Sirius started speaking.
"James, I need to talk to you. About Lily," he said, in a quiet manner that was quite different from his usual self. James looked down.
"Lily loves you, James. A lot. You know that. And I know that in your heart, you love her too. But it's not enough if it's in your heart, James. You need to show it. Lily wants to be loved back, James. Show her that you love her."
James looked at him for a moment, and then looked away, his head in his hand, blushing. Sirius patted him on his back.
* * *
James yawned, putting his book down. He glanced over at Lily, who was the only other occupant of the room. He got up, saying, "Good night, Lily."
Then, on impulse, he walked over to her. He knelt down beside her chair, and whispered in her ear. "The cookies were great, Lil."
Lily looked at him in surprise. She looked down again, saying, "That's my first time making them. I was scared they wouldn't be good," she said softly.
James got up, turning around to go. Then he turned back again. "Lily? Make them again." he said, climbing up the stairs. Behind him, Lily looked up in surprise, a smile breaking over her face.
* * *
"Alright, now you're going to have a try riding these Zenoes," said Professor Alnwick, waving his arms for attention. Everyone groaned. It was pretty chilly outside in the grounds, and no one really felt like riding Zenoes. For one, they were almost elephant sized, and two, they were quite bad tempered. Luckily, there were only two of them. Right now, they were lying down on the ground, slapping their thick tails on the ground.
"You will be working in pairs of two. Make sure you carry your wands with you," he yelled again. Everyone quieted down.
"Okay, let's have Figg and Tyler, Holmes and Ray, McDall and Lupin, Evans and Potter" . . . he quickly paired up everyone.
"Okay, let's have McDall and Lupin on the first Zenoe and Evans and Potter on the second. You will ride around the forest. Send up sparks or bangs if you need help," he instructed them. He waved his wand, and a large box like seat appeared on top of each Zenoe's back. A ladder appeared beside them - they were pretty large, even while sitting down.
Lily stood up, nervously. What bothered her more than the Zenoe was that she was paired with James. She walked over to the second Zenoe, where James was already seated.
"Come on James, give her a hand!" said Remus, grinning. James smiled and reached over to help her up. Lily hoisted herself up, and sat down in front. The seat was so narrow that they had to sit in single file. She forced herself to calm down. Professor Alnwick gave each Zenoe a tap on their heads - the signal to go.
* * *
The Zenoe rose slowly - raising it's front first. The seat tilted backwards. Lily made a wild grab for the railing in front of her, but missed. She went sliding back - straight into James' arms.
James put an arm around her shoulder, hugging her to himself. Lily closed her eyes, her head leaning towards his chest. A lock of her dark red hair escaped from his hold around her shoulder. With his other hand, James gently brushed it back.
For now, everything had been said - without words.
* * *