Author's Note: Never mind about the tomatoes… I guess you don't need 'em, since I'm putting this up so quickly.
Title: Love and Flashbacks
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Erm… Possibly.
Summary: Lily and James remember the events that led to their romance.
Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to own Harry Potter and its characters, I don't.
Setting: This story takes place when the Marauders are at Hogwarts.
*** = setting change
*~*= begin flashback
~*~ = end flashback
[…] = time
italics = emphasis
~The Question~
"No, you guys. Stop. Come on."
"Sorry, Prongs. You're our friend, and we want to see you happy," Remus said.
"Plus, we're tired of you worrying about this day and night. It's getting annoying." That was Sirius, of course.
Peter said, "And besides, we have a bet going on with some fifth years about this."
"What?!"
Sirius and Remus turned to glare at Peter while still holding on to the struggling James.
"Oops. I guess I wasn't supposed to mention that, huh?"
"Ignore him, James. He's just kidding, aren't you, Wormtail?" Sirius said nervously.
"Uh, yeah…" Peter said, not at all convincingly.
"You guys, I don't want to ask her now."
"Well, too bad, 'cause you are."
"Padfoot!"
The four teenage boys had reached the bottom of the stairs. Sirius and Remus pushed James out into the Gryffindor common room. The black-haired boy stumbled and nearly crashed into some furniture. Unfortunately for James, the armchair he almost hit was occupied by a certain redhead known as Lily Evans.
"Being a bit clumsy there, aren't we, Potter?"
"Hi, Lily," James said from the floor. He scrambled to his feet and looked away, embarrassed.
Charlotte Davis and Koren Smith, Lily's best friends, giggled at the blushing sixteen-year-old boy. Charlotte had straight dark brown hair that went down to the middle of her back and brown eyes. She was a really sweet girl who always had time to listen to her friends. Koren had blue eyes and straight dark honey-colored hair that ended just past her shoulders (AN: Sorry everyone's hair is straight, but my mental image of them is like that.). She was a fun-loving person who constantly surprised people with different parts of her personality.
The rest of the Marauders appeared next to James. "Hey girls," Sirius said brightly. He glanced at his best friend, who was avoiding eye contact with the pretty girl in front of him. "Lily, James has something to ask you… Why don't you two go over there?" he said, pointing to an unoccupied area of the room.
"All right," Lily replied. James followed her to the place Sirius had pointed out.
"What's going on?" Koren asked as Sirius seated himself on the arm of her chair.
"Oh, we just convinced James to finally ask Lily to go out with him," Sirius said. "Anyway, how's my new girlfriend doing?"
"She's doing just fine," Koren replied, smiling up at him.
"Hi, Charlotte," Remus said shyly. He sat down in the chair that Lily had been sitting in.
"Hi, Remus."
Peter dragged a chair over from somewhere else in the room.
"So what's this about James asking Lily out?" Charlotte asked the boys.
"Oh, he's just been thinking about it for a while and driving us crazy, so we decided to make him ask her and get it over with," Remus explained.
"And don't forget about the bet."
"What bet?" Koren asked.
Sirius answered, "We bet some fifth years that James asks Lily to go out with him before next Monday."
"I see."
***
[Meanwhile…]
"Well, what'd you want to ask me?" Lily looked at him expectantly.
James opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"James? James. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said hoarsely.
"Are you sick or something? You don't look so good."
"No, I just… All right, I'll just come right out and ask you."
"Ask me what?"
"Lily, will you go out with me?"
"You're not playing a joke on me, are you?"
"No. I really want you to be my girlfriend."
Lily thought for a moment.
*~*
[5th year]
Lily was sitting in the Gryffindor common room. There were tear tracks all over her face. It was lucky that she didn't wear makeup (she was pretty enough without it), because if she did, it would have been all over her face.
The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open. James stepped through it, wearing his Invisibility Cloak.
Lily turned to see who had entered, and was confused when she didn't see anyone. "Who's there?"
James sighed and tugged off the cloak. "It's me," he replied.
"What are you doing out so late, Potter?"
"I was setting up the last part of a prank we're going to play on the Slytherins tomorrow. Boy, are they gonna be surprised," he said, grinning. He noticed the sullen look on Lily's face. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she answered, turning around to hide her face from James.
"Well, then why are you sitting here all alone, crying?"
"I wasn't crying."
"Yes, you were."
"No, I wasn't."
"Yes, you were."
"Potter, I don't feel like getting into another argument with you."
"You see? Something has to be wrong, because you're capable of arguing with me all night."
"Just go away. Leave me alone."
James went over to the sofa she was on and plopped down next to her. "What happened, Evans?"
"None of your business."
"Come on, tell me."
"No."
"I promise I won't tell anyone."
Lily shook her head.
"Evans…" James leaned forward to try to catch a glimpse of Lily's face, but she kept turning away. In fact, he leaned so far forward that he fell off the sofa.
Lily heard a dull thud and turned to see what had happened. James was lying on the floor. "Ow…" he said.
She couldn't help smiling. "You're such an idiot, Potter."
"I always thought that was Sirius."
Lily laughed. "He's an idiot too."
James looked at her face. "You were crying."
Lily stared at him. "Fine, okay. You caught me. I was crying. So what?"
"Well, why were you crying?"
"No reason."
"No, you've always been pretty reasonable. There has to be a reason." He climbed back up onto the sofa to sit next to Lily. "I just want to help, okay? Now will you please tell me what's wrong?"
Lily looked at him and decided that he was sincere. "Patrick Jones broke up with me."
"Patrick… Oh yeah, you were with him, weren't you? That Ravenclaw?"
"Mm hmm."
"I'm sorry."
"I really liked him too. But I guess he likes Rebecca Lewis more than he likes me."
"Well, he's an idiot for dumping you."
"Thanks."
"Seriously. Any guy would be lucky to have you."
She looked at him, surprised. Her green eyes expressed an emotion that can only be described as shock. "You really think so?"
"Yeah. I really do." James grinned.
She smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks, Potter, you've made me feel a lot better."
"Glad I could help."
And so began Lily Evans's crush on James Potter.
~*~
"Okay, James. I'll be your girlfriend. But this had better not be a trick, or you will be in for a world of pain."
James smiled. "I don't have anything to worry about because it's not."
"Well, I guess we have an announcement to make to our friends."
"Uh huh."
***
"So?" Sirius asked in suspense. "Did you ask her?"
"Yes, Sirius, he asked me," Lily told him. "And I said yes."
"Oh, that's great, you guys!" Koren jumped up to hug Lily and James.
"Thanks, Koren," James replied.
Peter slipped off to collect thirty Galleons from the grumbling 15-year-old boys in the corner of the room.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: I hope you like this chapter. I'm trying to be more descriptive. I was pretty surprised by this one sentence…
Replies to:
Dragyn: Thanks! I'm glad you like the flashback thing.
ummm…: Sorry about that… My plot requires that he ask her out right away. Thanks for saying it's intriguing.
