Disclaimer: If I owned HP, do you think I'd be writing stories about them? No? Ding! Ding! Ding! Give them a prize!
A/N: Please don't flame! This is my first Lily/James story. I really want to think of how it went, because I think I could use a break from H/Hrm. But they're a sweet couple, and there aren't many stories about them. Please r/r! Thanks! I'm starving!
Question: Is Lily in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff? I have no clue...but I'm putting her in Hufflepuff, because it fits this story better. Please don't flame because of that. It's my story...please read!
Another Question: Is Harry's full name Harold? Harold James Potter? Please tell me!
Yet Another Question: Why am I still writing these? Enjoy! But Lily isn't even mentioned until the end of this chapter...you'll like it!
*Lily/James Fic* My first one, but they're a cute couple...please r/r! I suck at summaries...
Dark Passions
*~* Chapter One *~*
The Girl, The Dream
"So, James, do you think of finding a girlfriend this year?" Sirus Black asked, slightly amused by the look on his best friend's face. "You've been talking about it for so long...I'm beginning to think you're jealous of Remus and me...are you?"
James looked at his friend, slightly hurt. "Why would I be jealous of you? You don't have one. Only Remus does now."
"I did have one up to this afternoon. The idiot broke up with me for a Slytherin."
James rolled his eyes, slightly smiling. "How would you know?"
"Peter found them snogging in the kitchens." Remus said, looking over at Peter. He looked over at Peter, who was silently nibbling on his toast. "Come now, lad! What's gotten into you?"
Peter looked up, startled by the question. "What Remus?"
Remus chuckled, then looked at James and Sirus. "I can see that our dear friend has other things on his mind." He grinned mischievously at them all. "So, James, when's the first match?"
"Against Hufflepuff. They've got a new captain this year. I really need to start practicing more."
"But you already practice almost every second of everyday! Isn't that enough?" Peter stared at James through horrified eyes.
"Nope. To tell you the truth, I think that I should try out for the Arrows...I'm not a huge Wasp fan." James smiled. "And then maybe I'll find a girlfriend. But don't push my luck, Sirus. Trust me, not many girls like me. Girls like committed guys...I just want a good time." He looked around the Great Hall. "And besides, non of the girls here reach my standards of giving me a good time."
"All you think about is fun." Remus smiled. "Oops, Kat's calling. Don't want to upset her, now do I?" He tossed Sirus and James a wink.
"Is Remus committed?" Peter asked.
Sirus and James looked at each other. "I have no idea. All I know is that they're sleeping together...if that's what you mean by committed."
Peter turned a shade of light green, then looked out the ceiling. Breakfast was the wonderful beginning to the day. He cleared his throat, then looked at Sirus and James. "Well, I should be going."
"Where?"
"What day is it?"
"Friday! Thank goodness!" Sirus cheered. "Our first class isn't until after lunch! But it's Charms." He turned to James. "I swear, Flitwick's gone nuts."
"I know, I know." James smiled at them. He turned to Sirus, and then grinned. "Speaking of Charms, I have to work on it. He's going to freak if he thinks I can't do a Polecats charm. You know where to find me."
"Where? Sleeping?"
James grinned, and slyly punched Sirus in the arm. "In the common room." James pulled out his wand and smiled at it as if it was a person he'd just met. "Yes! To the common room! We must go at once!" Sirus was laughing. Peter was grinning like a small-minded idiot.
James walked away from the two, grinning ear to ear. He turned up the staircase up to the portrait hole. He smiled at the fat lady, and she smiled back. "Good morning, James, my dear. How are you feeling? Going to get us another victory tomorrow?"
James smiled, and blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Er, I s'pose I am. I'm fine today, how are you? Puerisque."
"That it is, my dear!" She swung open, and he climbed through the hole. He settled himself on the couch in the common room, sighing deeply, and pulled out his parchment, quills, and his books. He looked at all of the work in front of him, and began to grow tired.
He opened his book. "Now where are we...yes, right here." He cleared his throat. "The Polecats charm is one of the most complicated one of the lot. Wizard Alexander Beaumont performs it first. It is when you take the and object and...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." His eyelids began to droop as he drifted off into a nice slumber.
*~*~*
"James, wake up James."
James groaned and turned his head over to the other side, hoping to block out his visitor.
"James, wake up. I hope you remember last night."
His eyes snapped open to find Sirus and Remus standing over him and grinning. James rubbed his head, and growled at the two. "Why'd you wake me up? I was having a good dream." His stomach growled. "I'm starving! When's lunch."
"You missed it, lad." Remus couldn't stop grinning. "We have to get to Charms or Flitwick'll throw a fit." He skipped out the door, smiling. "Well, come on! We can't be late!"
"What's the matter with him?"
"He's just found out that he doesn't have to sit through all of Flitwick's speech about how horrible we are. He's got an appointment with the witch doctor in section 902."
"Madam Promfrey? Damn that lucky guy." James smiled gently. "Well, let's go. But stop by the kitchens...please. I can't stand not being able to eat. I'm starving!"
"You told us."
"Well, I must be really starving then, shouldn't I? Let's stop by the kitchens...maybe Rocs'll have something for us to eat." James sped ahead of his friends to the portrait of the fruit.
"Better not let McGonagall see you in there James," Sirus warned. "You can't get a detention tomorrow. We need you to win. If we lose, then we lose the title to most points to Hufflepuff. I couldn't stand that. Understand?"
James grinned, and tickled the pear. "Yes, father. I understand." He chuckled and stepped into the kitchen. House elves surrounded him, and he grinned. "Rocs! Just the elf I wanted to see." Rocs beamed at him. "Yes, Rocs, I've got myself a problem."
"What is your problem, sir? Rocs will fix it! Hunger?" (A/N: Rocs is like Doby...ok?)
James scratched the back of his head. "Er...yeah, it is," he said sheepishly.
"Don't worry, James! Rocs will fix up your favorite!" Rocs swept past other elves and ran into another elf. "Rocs is sorry!"
James chuckled again, and watched the elves run around trying to prepare his snack. Rocs came back with a small bag of food. "Here it is, sir! Your favorite!"
It smelled so good. So fresh...so sweet. "Thanks, Rocs. You're a life saver."
"You're going to need one much better than food to explain this one, Mr. Potter." A voice said behind him. James slowly turned around and smiled easily.
McGonagall.
Damn, she caught me. Now what? He smiled at her again. "Hello Professor! Lovely day, isn't it? I think it'll be a beautiful day for Quidditch tomorrow! Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm already five minutes late for Charms!"
He tried to walk past her, but she caught onto the neck of his robes. "Not so fast, Potter. You're comming with me."
"Me? What I'd do?"
"Just come on."
She dragged him by the neck of his robes down the corridor. She stopped abruptly and gave him a small push inside her office. "Sit." James sat in one of the chairs across from her. "Now, Potter, would you mind telling me why you were in the kitchens instead of in Charms?"
He thought for a moment, then grinned at her. "Yes."
"I'm not joking, James."
"Neither am I."
She took a good look at him. "Potter, tell me why you were in the kitchens instead of in Flitwick's classroom!"
James looked at his feet. "I'm sorry, professor. I was just so hungry! I would have gone to lunch, but I was studying so hard that I lost track of time! Honest! I'm telling the truth! You have to believe me!"
McGonagall chuckled, then looked down at her desk at Transfiguration papers. "I know all your tricks, Mr. Potter. And your vocabulary." She looked up at him. "You're lying through your teeth."
James leaned back in his chair. "You know me all too well, Professor."
"I know," she replied. "And I hate it. How should I punish you?"
"Punish?" James swallowed hard. "Punishment? Why? I was just hungry!"
"You went into the kitchens. That deserves a detention...a Saturday detention maybe..."
"No!" he pleaded, almost getting onto his knees. "Please professor! We have a game tomorrow! I can't miss it! I've trained so hard for this! If I'm not there, we may as well not play because we need the Snitch to win! And then Hufflepuff will be ahead of us in the Quidditch and the House Cup by at least a hundred and seventy points!"
She smiled meakly. "I know. I couldn't stand that. We have a record of Quidditch Cups. So your punish ment is..." James swallowed hard. "If you don't win, you'll have a week of detentions."
James looked up, slightly surprised. "That's it?"
"Don't make it two."
"Yes!" He leaned back in his chair and smiled. "I'm glad we understand each other."
'I'm sure Professor Flitwick can understand your tardiness as well." She stood from her chair. "Well, let's go. I have to explain why you were even more late."
James smiled and inhaled the scent of the bag of food in front of him. "Yumm..." He unrolled the bag with his thumbs. He peered in at the food and began to stick his hand in to grab the sweets when McGonagall grabbed it out of his reach. "Hey! I was going to eat that!"
"I know," she said, tucking the bag carefully into a pocket of her robes. "That's why you can't have it if I am going to punish you properly."
"But I'm starving!" he complained. "How am I supposed to win if my stomach is empty? I'll pass out on the Quidditch field!"
"You'll pass out in Flitwick's classroom. Now stop talking gibberish and let's go." She took him by the neck of his robes again and began to drag him out of her office. James sighed, and said,
"Why me?"
McGonagall stopped outside of Flitwick's office, and knocked before entering. "I'm sorry, Professor, but I was speaking to Mr. Potter." She gave him a shove inside and shut the door behind her. James mumbled under his breath and walked up to where Sirus, Remus, and Peter were sitting.
"Oh, look, it's Potter. For once, do you think the less Gryffindors in this classroom, the better."
"Shut up, Snape." James sneered. He sat down between Sirus and Remus, and grunted.
"Having a bad day, Jamie?" Sirus asked. Remus sniggered. James looked at Sirus with a piercing look, then grinned.
"Sort of. At least I still get to play in the game tomorrow. But I still got punished."
"How?"
"I we loose, I have to do detention for a week." James sighed. "She's being totally harsh."
"Mr. Potter, just because I've excused your tardiness doesn't mean I'll excuse your talking! Please pipe down and let me teach!" Flitwick turned back to the blackboard. "The Polecats Charm is highly superficial..."
Sirus grinned, "So, what were we talking about?"
"I am going to pair you up into partners to practice the Polecats Charm. Let's see...Snape with Malfoy, Potter with Black, Lupin with Pettrigrew, McCoy with Poe..."
James turned to Sirus. "Let's get started."
*~*~*
"So, that was a waste." James complained, thirty minutes later as the bell rang to dismiss them from Charms. "What's next, Herbology?" He shook his head. "Professor Sprout doesn't have a sweet spot for me either. Not many do...why is that?"
Sirus shook his head, grinning. "When should Remus come back? It doesn't take long to get his medication from Madam Promfrey, does it?" [A/N: Remus is a werewolf, remember? He needs to take his monthly dose.]
"No clue." Peter said, smiling.
"What are you so happy about?"
Peter looked back at his two friends, and smiled. "Nothing. Just ignore what I said."
Sirus glanced over at James, who just shrugged. "Okay...let's go guys. James, we can't be late. Well, you can't. Sprout won't care if you aren't there for the match. Infact, she'll be happy."
"I know, I know." James sighed. "Let's go."
They reached the greenhouse, just as Remus was catching up with them. "Sorry! Madame Promfrey insisted that I stay for a moment. What's the long face for?"
"Nothing." Sirus answered for them. "SO, we're up for tonight, right?"
They all nodded. Remus kicked at the ground, slightly embarrased. "You guys, you know you don't have to do this for me. Really-"
"We want to," James cut in. "Because we're great friends."
"Wonderful friends."
"Splendid friends."
"Best friends, wonderful friends, splendid friends, aren't all those the same?" Peter asked. They all laughed when they entered the greenhouse.
As soon as they settled themselves down in they're normal seats, a clad of girls giggled into the room. Sirus gently nudged James in the ribs to get his attention. "See them? They're the girls you want to aim for."
Remus smiled as Kat Winger, his girlfriend, walked up the stairs to get to her seat. He reached out a hand as if yawning, and wrapped it around her leg. She shriked, but he covered it up with a sweet kiss. She giggled against his lips. "Remus!"
He looked up at her playfully. "What?"
She giggled again and kissed his cheek. "Bye."
He leaned over the edge of his seat and watched her and her friends walk up the stairs and settle themselves in the back of the greenhouse. He caught her eye, and winked. Kat blushed.
Remus leaned back into his seat as Professor Sprout entered the room. "Good afternoon, class. Now, please, would you open your textbooks to page 321?" There was bags unzipping and pages turning. "Who know what type of plant that is?" She gazed around the room. "Ah yes, Miss Winger?"
"It's a schoochie. It originated in Russia and Germany, and was discovered in 1672." Kat stated proudly. Remus looked back and smiled at her.
"Very good, Miss Winger," Sprout said. "Five points to Gryffindor." She looked through a few more pages, then back up at the class. "Who can tell me how this is processed? Miss Hughes?"
"Well, Professor, they're processed by a line of magical creature that digests the plant and regurgitates the nutrients we use. It's digesting."
"Uh, very nice, Miss Hughes. Five points to Hufflepuff." Sprout continued. "Yes, a magical creature called a Sable. Can anyone tell us where the Sable was originated? Miss Evans?"
"They originated from Iceland. Vikings brought them on they're ships to Iceland, even though they were meant to be on Greenland, but they knew, even though they were magical creatures, they wouldn't survive on Greenland with it's harsh winter conditions. So they brought it to Iceland, and they over populated."
"Very good, Miss Evans! Another well earned five points to Hufflepuff!"
James growled. "Why are all the smart people in Hufflepuff?"
"You're smart, you just don't study," Peter said. "If you studied as much as you play Quidditch, you might have been Head Boy."
"That's right," James sneered. "Beat out with a Ravenclaw. I got almost perfect marks on my O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S!" He scowled.
"You goof off." Sirus smiled. "That's okay, though. Nobody's perfect."
"Mr. Black, do you want me to come back there?" Sprout asked. Sirus shook his head, but couldn't stop sniggering.
"I can't wait to see what the old prediction nut has for us in Divitation." Remus grinned.
James eyelids began to droop, when Professor Sprout said those words. "Alright! No homework, but don't forget to study! A pop quiz is coming up next week! Have a fun! And good luck to both teams on the Quidditch match tomorrow!"
James stood up, and stretched. "Finally!" He tossed his books into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Now let's go to Divitation, where the prediction nut will predict my tragic death yet again! This day keeps on getting better and better, doesn't it?"
Remus put an arm around James shoulders. "I'll make it up to you, lad. Tomorrow, I'll make it up to you after we win."
James nodded. He turned his head backwards to look at Remus, but looked farther at a girl. The same girl who'd answered that question.
She had piercing green eyes, waist long red hair, and a beautiful ivory completion. She was an angel. She was...perfect.
"You-who? James? Earth to James? You awake?" Sirus waved a hand in front of his face. "James?!!"
James kept looking at the girl. She was laughing with another girl. He could hear her voice. It was...music. Why hadn't he noticed her before? Of course! She had to be new!
She walked past him, and James got a smell of her perfume. Lilacs. It was so sweet. And she was so beautiful...
"JAMES HAROLD POTTER!"
James snapped out his trance and stared at Sirus and Remus. "What?"
Sirus shook his head. "Why do I bother. What were you starring at?" A grin plastered itself on his face. He saw James face turn to a dreamy expression.
"Man, who is that girl?" James asked, still starring at the direction she left.
"Lily Evans." Peter said, picking up quills, ink bottles and books that had ripped open from his bag.
James sat down and helped him pick up the rest. "Lily Evans? How do you know her?"
"I was partnered with her in Herbology earlier this year while Remus was sick. She's really nice. She's in Hufflepuff." He stuffed the last book back in his bag. "Lemoncous." The bag hemmed itself again and Peter slung it over his shoulder. "What?"
James smiled at him. "Is she new?"
"No way!" Peter picked up a discarded quill. "She's been here since first year, like you and me."
"How come I've never seen her before? If she was here since first year, wouldn't I have seen her before?"
"I supose so...but she did become a lot prettier this year." Peter straightened his clothes and smiled at the three boys. "Well, I'm ready now! Let's go before we're late!"
James grinned as Sirus. "You know how you asked if I was having a bad day?"
"Yeah?"
"It just got better." James grinned wider. "And Sirus? Remember how you said nobody's perfect?"
"I think I'm going to regret it, but yeah?"
"She is." James walked farther down the hall leaving the three boys stunned. He didn't care if Professor Trelwaney was going to predict his death for the billionth time. He didn't care if Snape irrogated him at dinner. He didn't care if Sirus and Remus made fun of him about it. He liked that girl. He would meet her. He would talk to her, and she would like him.
And as he climbed the trapdoor to the Astronomy Tower, he couldn't stop grinning, thinking of what a wonderful weekend it was going to be. But once he entered the room, the fireplace and perfume invaded his senses making him sleepy and tired.
Never the less, he kept grinning.
A/N: Alright, you have to tell me how I did! The chapters will flow a lot easier now that James knows she is there. For those who forgot, Remus is a werewolf. He had to go get his potion so he wouldn't hurt people, remember? And when Sirus said about tonight, he was talking about leaving for the Whomping Willow.
Any questions? Good...please r/r! Thanks! Tell me what you think!