CHAPTER 2
The chemicals washed over the glossy paper that James had submerged. The black and white images slowly came to the surface. He was in his darkened dorm room, developing the roll of film that he had just completed.
Almost every photo had turned out awesome so far. James had long perfected the art of developing his photographs, but he did still stuff up the occasional image.
He held the newly developed photo by the corner, allowing the excess chemicals run off the edges and drip back into the tray, when the rest of it had dripped, he moved to hang the photo on the line with the others.
He but the next exposed gloss finished paper into the chemicals, and waited, patiently for the image to appear. He had saved this photo until last, wanting to pay special attention to the detail of this particular one, hoping that it turned out perfect.
He wanted it to be perfect, because he knew that he had to do its subject justice.
It had become a promise to himself to have this be the perfect photo. He needed it to be the perfect photo. What he saw when he had looked through the lens at his subject was perfect, so the photograph had to be perfect to.
The image surfaced slowly, and the black and white image of Lily Evans was exposed. James waited just the right amount of time until the picture was at it high quality, and then, carefully lifted the picture for the chemicals.
He looked at the picture as he allowed it to drip. Lily was beautiful, and he mentally slapped himself for not realizing it before now.
James and Lily had knowing each other since their first year at Hogwarts, but they had never really interacted. James was a member of the 'popular crowd' (even though there really was not popular crowd at Hogwarts, it was just that some people were liked better than others) and Lily wasn't very popular.
Lily had always seemed content with just being by herself, she had a few friends, but James didn't know if any of them could be considered her best friend. James really didn't know anything about Lily; he had never even given her much thought before.
He knew she was smart, and she was always answering questions in classes. He knew that she didn't like to be in big groups, and that she was shy.
But other than that, she didn't really know anything about Lily. He wished he did know more, and he hoped that he would have the opportunity to learn more about her.
The door opened, and then closed again, but James didn't draw his attention away from the picture of Lily that was hanging from the line with the others.
But a thump did call his attention away from the pictures.
"Bugger it, James, why do you have to leave the lights off all the time?" Sirius asked as he collapsed onto the nearest bed and rubbed his shins. James chuckled.
"I have to keep the lights off to develop the photographs properly" James explained for the umpteenth time. Sirius laughed.
"Right, I forgot, but why do the rest of us have to suffer for your art?" he asked.
"I don't know, we should set up a system so that you don't have to come in here when I am developing" James suggested as he gave the completed photographs another check. When he saw that they were all perfect and dry, he collected them, and then reversed his darkening spell.
Sirius was sitting on Remus's bed, rubbing his shin, which had already developed a nasty bruise.
"Wanna see the new batch?" James asked, handing the pile of photographs to Sirius. He took them and flipped through them.
"This one is good, that one rocks, ooh, I like that one ..... Wait, who is the babe?" Sirius asked, holding out the picture of Lily.
"Believe it or not, Lily Evans" James replied as he tidied his developing things and then pushed them back into the corner where they were kept.
"Lily Evans, you mean the quiet girl who sat behind us in potions last year?" Sirius asked, looking down at the photo again, trying to compare the black and white beauty in the photograph to the quiet red haired girl that used to sit behind them.
"That's her" James replied, sitting on his own bed.
"Are you sure? I mean, are you sure that it is really Lily?" Sirius asked, James took the photo from him and looked down at her face again.
"It is really her, I saw her sitting there and I couldn't help myself, I had to capture it" James replied, his gaze never leaving the photograph.
"You know, either you are a miracle worker, or Lily has turned into a total babe almost over night" Sirius replied
"No Sirius, not over night, I think that she was always like this, and we just never realized it before." James pondered. Sirius looked at his mate, trying to track what James was thinking. Sirius didn't have to think much though, because he knew he best friend well enough to realize that James was crushing on this girl.
He knew his friend was falling, and falling hard.
~*~*~*~
James watched as Lily silently sat, reading the book that was open in front of her on the desk. She had quills and parchment spread around her as she studied in the library.
She was sitting by herself at one of the smaller tables in a secluded corner of the library, reading one of her text books and chewing on the end of her quill (James took the time to ponder weather or not it was a sugar quill, but then he dismissed the idea, Lily Evans would never be the type of person to break a school rule and eat in the library)
Her hair was pulled into a messy bun again, and James had to smiled, he liked her hair when she did it like that, it made her look beautiful. But then again, she was a very beautiful person to begin with.
James took a deep breath and tried to steady himself, he didn't know what the big deal was, he was only delivering a photograph. All he had to do was walk up to her and say 'Hi Lily, I took this photo of you and I thought that you may like it'. That was all he did when he had given other photos to each other, so why was this time so hard for him.
Holding the folder in his hand, he flipped it open to have one last look at his favorite photograph to date. He liked it, not only just the subject matter. He liked the way that the sunlight from the nearby window reflected off of her skin, he liked the way the black and white gave her softness an edgy contrast.
Like with almost all of his pictures, he had made himself a copy for his own personal portfolio. He had a large collection of pictures that he had taken, but out of all of them, this was definitely his best.
After one last breath, he clutched the folder to his chest again and moved to the table that Lily was sitting at. She was still chewing on the end of her quill and reading the book in front of her. But a lock of her red hair had fallen in front of her eyes, she reached up and brushed it away, and James' breath got caught in his throat once again.
Well, no time like the present
"Umm, hello Lily" James began. He tried not to laugh when she jumped, her quill falling from her hand.
"Oh, hello James" She replied as she reached down to pick up the quill once more. The lock of red hair was in her face again, but this time she didn't brush it away. She was to busy looking at her quill, it looked as though she was about to put it back in her mouth before she thought better of it and threw it onto the table with her other things.
"I am sorry Lily, I didn't mean to startle you" James apologized. He wasn't sure if Lily had heard him, because she seemed to busy digging through her things. A few seconds later she picked up a new quill and began to nibble on the end of it.
"That is ok James, What can I do for you?" She replied. He voice was soft and gentle and it almost sounded as though she was scared. James placed his hand on the back of the chair opposite her.
"Can I sit down?" He asked nervously. He watched as Lily looked somewhat shocked.
"Umm, sure, if you want to" She replied, and then turned his attention back to the quill she still held. James smiled as he took his seat and then watched her for a few seconds, it was a very cute nervous trait that she had, he made a mental note to buy her a sugar quill next time that he was in the village.
"So, umm, what can I do for you?" Lily asked, James looked down at the folder in his hand, and then held it out to her.
"Well, I took this picture of you, and I thought that you may appreciate it" James mumbled. Lily, who looked shocked and in some ways scared, took the folder from him, opened it, and examined the contents.
She had to admit that it was a very beautiful picture, but she also couldn't shake the weird feeling that it gave her. James had taken a photograph of her, it seemed kind of strange. For some one who hardly paid any attention to her at any other time, it was a great picture.
"Umm, thank you I guess, it is a very nice picture" Lily smiled at James, and then packed up her things, standing to leave the library.
"Wait, where are you going?" James asked.
"Back to the tower" She replied, James stood to.
"I will come with you" he suggested, and together they silently left the library.
Lily felt she had to say something more to him, she really did like the picture of her, it was very nice, and very professional. Before she realized it, they were back at the portrait hole.
"Thank you again for the picture" Lily smiled, tucking the piece of stray hair out of her face again, James smiled.
"I am just glad that it turned out so well" he replied.
"Well, thank you, you have a great talent" She replied, and then turned, stated the password, and entered the common room.
James just watched her leave.
The chemicals washed over the glossy paper that James had submerged. The black and white images slowly came to the surface. He was in his darkened dorm room, developing the roll of film that he had just completed.
Almost every photo had turned out awesome so far. James had long perfected the art of developing his photographs, but he did still stuff up the occasional image.
He held the newly developed photo by the corner, allowing the excess chemicals run off the edges and drip back into the tray, when the rest of it had dripped, he moved to hang the photo on the line with the others.
He but the next exposed gloss finished paper into the chemicals, and waited, patiently for the image to appear. He had saved this photo until last, wanting to pay special attention to the detail of this particular one, hoping that it turned out perfect.
He wanted it to be perfect, because he knew that he had to do its subject justice.
It had become a promise to himself to have this be the perfect photo. He needed it to be the perfect photo. What he saw when he had looked through the lens at his subject was perfect, so the photograph had to be perfect to.
The image surfaced slowly, and the black and white image of Lily Evans was exposed. James waited just the right amount of time until the picture was at it high quality, and then, carefully lifted the picture for the chemicals.
He looked at the picture as he allowed it to drip. Lily was beautiful, and he mentally slapped himself for not realizing it before now.
James and Lily had knowing each other since their first year at Hogwarts, but they had never really interacted. James was a member of the 'popular crowd' (even though there really was not popular crowd at Hogwarts, it was just that some people were liked better than others) and Lily wasn't very popular.
Lily had always seemed content with just being by herself, she had a few friends, but James didn't know if any of them could be considered her best friend. James really didn't know anything about Lily; he had never even given her much thought before.
He knew she was smart, and she was always answering questions in classes. He knew that she didn't like to be in big groups, and that she was shy.
But other than that, she didn't really know anything about Lily. He wished he did know more, and he hoped that he would have the opportunity to learn more about her.
The door opened, and then closed again, but James didn't draw his attention away from the picture of Lily that was hanging from the line with the others.
But a thump did call his attention away from the pictures.
"Bugger it, James, why do you have to leave the lights off all the time?" Sirius asked as he collapsed onto the nearest bed and rubbed his shins. James chuckled.
"I have to keep the lights off to develop the photographs properly" James explained for the umpteenth time. Sirius laughed.
"Right, I forgot, but why do the rest of us have to suffer for your art?" he asked.
"I don't know, we should set up a system so that you don't have to come in here when I am developing" James suggested as he gave the completed photographs another check. When he saw that they were all perfect and dry, he collected them, and then reversed his darkening spell.
Sirius was sitting on Remus's bed, rubbing his shin, which had already developed a nasty bruise.
"Wanna see the new batch?" James asked, handing the pile of photographs to Sirius. He took them and flipped through them.
"This one is good, that one rocks, ooh, I like that one ..... Wait, who is the babe?" Sirius asked, holding out the picture of Lily.
"Believe it or not, Lily Evans" James replied as he tidied his developing things and then pushed them back into the corner where they were kept.
"Lily Evans, you mean the quiet girl who sat behind us in potions last year?" Sirius asked, looking down at the photo again, trying to compare the black and white beauty in the photograph to the quiet red haired girl that used to sit behind them.
"That's her" James replied, sitting on his own bed.
"Are you sure? I mean, are you sure that it is really Lily?" Sirius asked, James took the photo from him and looked down at her face again.
"It is really her, I saw her sitting there and I couldn't help myself, I had to capture it" James replied, his gaze never leaving the photograph.
"You know, either you are a miracle worker, or Lily has turned into a total babe almost over night" Sirius replied
"No Sirius, not over night, I think that she was always like this, and we just never realized it before." James pondered. Sirius looked at his mate, trying to track what James was thinking. Sirius didn't have to think much though, because he knew he best friend well enough to realize that James was crushing on this girl.
He knew his friend was falling, and falling hard.
~*~*~*~
James watched as Lily silently sat, reading the book that was open in front of her on the desk. She had quills and parchment spread around her as she studied in the library.
She was sitting by herself at one of the smaller tables in a secluded corner of the library, reading one of her text books and chewing on the end of her quill (James took the time to ponder weather or not it was a sugar quill, but then he dismissed the idea, Lily Evans would never be the type of person to break a school rule and eat in the library)
Her hair was pulled into a messy bun again, and James had to smiled, he liked her hair when she did it like that, it made her look beautiful. But then again, she was a very beautiful person to begin with.
James took a deep breath and tried to steady himself, he didn't know what the big deal was, he was only delivering a photograph. All he had to do was walk up to her and say 'Hi Lily, I took this photo of you and I thought that you may like it'. That was all he did when he had given other photos to each other, so why was this time so hard for him.
Holding the folder in his hand, he flipped it open to have one last look at his favorite photograph to date. He liked it, not only just the subject matter. He liked the way that the sunlight from the nearby window reflected off of her skin, he liked the way the black and white gave her softness an edgy contrast.
Like with almost all of his pictures, he had made himself a copy for his own personal portfolio. He had a large collection of pictures that he had taken, but out of all of them, this was definitely his best.
After one last breath, he clutched the folder to his chest again and moved to the table that Lily was sitting at. She was still chewing on the end of her quill and reading the book in front of her. But a lock of her red hair had fallen in front of her eyes, she reached up and brushed it away, and James' breath got caught in his throat once again.
Well, no time like the present
"Umm, hello Lily" James began. He tried not to laugh when she jumped, her quill falling from her hand.
"Oh, hello James" She replied as she reached down to pick up the quill once more. The lock of red hair was in her face again, but this time she didn't brush it away. She was to busy looking at her quill, it looked as though she was about to put it back in her mouth before she thought better of it and threw it onto the table with her other things.
"I am sorry Lily, I didn't mean to startle you" James apologized. He wasn't sure if Lily had heard him, because she seemed to busy digging through her things. A few seconds later she picked up a new quill and began to nibble on the end of it.
"That is ok James, What can I do for you?" She replied. He voice was soft and gentle and it almost sounded as though she was scared. James placed his hand on the back of the chair opposite her.
"Can I sit down?" He asked nervously. He watched as Lily looked somewhat shocked.
"Umm, sure, if you want to" She replied, and then turned his attention back to the quill she still held. James smiled as he took his seat and then watched her for a few seconds, it was a very cute nervous trait that she had, he made a mental note to buy her a sugar quill next time that he was in the village.
"So, umm, what can I do for you?" Lily asked, James looked down at the folder in his hand, and then held it out to her.
"Well, I took this picture of you, and I thought that you may appreciate it" James mumbled. Lily, who looked shocked and in some ways scared, took the folder from him, opened it, and examined the contents.
She had to admit that it was a very beautiful picture, but she also couldn't shake the weird feeling that it gave her. James had taken a photograph of her, it seemed kind of strange. For some one who hardly paid any attention to her at any other time, it was a great picture.
"Umm, thank you I guess, it is a very nice picture" Lily smiled at James, and then packed up her things, standing to leave the library.
"Wait, where are you going?" James asked.
"Back to the tower" She replied, James stood to.
"I will come with you" he suggested, and together they silently left the library.
Lily felt she had to say something more to him, she really did like the picture of her, it was very nice, and very professional. Before she realized it, they were back at the portrait hole.
"Thank you again for the picture" Lily smiled, tucking the piece of stray hair out of her face again, James smiled.
"I am just glad that it turned out so well" he replied.
"Well, thank you, you have a great talent" She replied, and then turned, stated the password, and entered the common room.
James just watched her leave.