I wanted a Lily/James story where James was dashingly handsome, Lily was stunningly beautiful and they had a love/hate relationship that didn't take three hundred chapters to resolve. I hope I've succeeded.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lily, James, the Marauders, Hogwarts and other various things you may recognize from JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. Please don't think I'm trying to steal her ideas; she's a brilliant woman and I love her writing, I'm just having a little fun.
Lily woke up the next morning sleepy and upset. Her eyes darted toward the clock – exactly two week s until the disastrous ball that she and James were planning. Two weeks, and absolutely nothing had been finalized. With a heavy sigh, she swung her legs out of bed. Part of her wished to be back in the dorm with Hazyl and Celeste and Madelyn, happily anticipating the ball without worrying about decorations or music or anything like that.
Quite firmly, she instructed herself to think of other things and managed to make herself acceptable, using her favorite hair-potion to smooth out her curls and finding an unwrinkled robe in her closet. Finally, she pinned her Head Girl badge on and marched to the Great Hall.
"Lily!" Remus Lupin, one of James' cohorts – a quieter, milder version of James, the mastermind behind quite a few of their more memorable tricks. "Hi," he said, walking up. "I heard you and James got in a bit of a row last night."
"And?" Lily tried to keep conversations with the Marauders short.
"Well, I wanted to know if there was anything I could do." Remus flashed a charming smile. "James is a good friend of mine, but sometimes he's a bit overpowering. When he wants something hard enough, he'll go to the ends of the earth for it and if you don't know how to deal with it, it can be tricky."
"There is no trouble," Lily said. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of my own self, thank you, and I don't need you to help me."
"All right." Remus grinned. "Just watch out for James, okay? You could do him some pretty serious damage, if you try hard enough." And then he turned down some passageway and Lily was absolutely positive it was secret, and he was breaking a rule, because when she appeared in the Great Hall, minutes later, Remus was happily chatting to Sirius and well into a piece of buttered toast.
"Sleep well?" Hazyl asked as Lily sat down.
"Don't ask." Lily reached for the eggs. "I sleep and I'm happy and then I think about the ball and how nothing is getting done and I feel so low and unhappy. Do you think I'm depressed?"
"I doubt it." Hazyl was busy spreading orange marmalade on a piece of burnt toast. She was quite partial to that breakfast; she had it every day, never fail. "Look, it'll all be over by Christmas Holiday, right? So, you have another two weeks and life will be good."
"Yeah, but it's going to be all James, James –" She stopped short as a small brown letter landed neatly beside her plate. Curiously, Lily picked the letter up. It was addressed to her in firm, neat handwriting: Lily Evans, Seventh Year, Hogwarts School. The back held no clue to the sender.
"Maybe it's an invite to the ball," Hazyl said. "It could be really romantic."
"Right." Lily tore the letter open with her thumbnail.
Lily,
Yeah, it's me. James. Look, I'm sorry I was so mean. It was uncalled for and I made a few bad mistakes. So I'm sorry. Does that cut it with you? I know you think that my feelings toward you haven't changed since first year, but they have. They flipped upside-down, Lily, and I don't know what to think.
The real purpose of this letter, however, was to forward the following ball plan. It has been finalized and I've sent a copy to Dumbledore for authorization. I've booked the musicians and even picked a couple plucky second years to decorate the Great Hall. All you need to worry about is finding a dress – and a date. So, here it is, one more time. Lily Evans, will you please go to the Christmas Ball with me?
Yours very Truly,
James Potter
"Well," Lily said. "He's not going to get away with it."
"He's planned the whole thing for you," Hazyl exclaimed, snatching the letter up. "He's even sent a list to Dumbledore. Now we can go to Hogsmeade and find some robes!"
"Don't you understand?" Lily asked. "I wanted to plan the ball. I just didn't want to plan it with him in the background, making wisecracks and demanding some heavy metal wizard band instead of the traditional stuff. I only get one chance to plan a ball, Haze, and this is it. No more, sorry, missed your chance."
James watched Lily. It was a habit of his, really, this Lily-watching. Anyway, this morning was especially important, because he got to see her reaction. And reaction it was. He had at least expected a smile or an exclamation of delight. Instead, he watched her face go from upset to downright angry. Well what did she want from him?
"Can I speak to you outside?" Lily asked, grabbing at his arm.
"Can it wait?" James asked. "Peter, over here, was about to explain why it is impossible to transfigure a tree into a human, though you can perform the task with any mouse or giraffe or parrot."
"Simple. Trees are inanimate. I need to talk to you." Lily tugged even harder.
"Fine." James got up and followed her.
"Oh, Lily!" Amos Diggory approached the Heads with a beaming smile. "Have you thought about my offer for the ball?"
'Well, Amos," Lily said, casting a sly glance at James, "I think I'll accept. Actually, I'd love to join you at the ball. It would be a real pleasure. However, if you'll excuse me right now, Mr. Potter and I have a few things to discuss, concerning the ball."
"Oh, then." Amos' grin faded slightly. "Well, I look forward to seeing you."
"Certainly." Lily gave a gracious smile and led a fuming James out of the Great Hall.