CHAPTER THREE
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Title: Sex, Quidditch, and James Potter's other pastimes.
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*
*
Madame Ringwald absolutely insisted that Lily and James stay in the Hospital Wing for at least another day, until they were, as she said, 'in tip top shape.'
"But, Madame Ringwald, I really don't see the reason for us to stay here longer, I mean, I feel perfectly fine...."
"Nonsense, Miss Evans. I will release you when I see fit."
Lily tried to keep arguing, but the nurse stayed firm. Lily and James were not to be allowed out of the Hospital Wing until the next day.
The afternoon passed slowly for Lily. She was deprived of her friends, her schoolwork, and anything else that could keep her amused. The only person she had to talk to was James, but she never really considered him a worthy conversationalist.
A small stack of assorted candies and magazines lay on the table beside her bed, organized perfectly. Holly had managed to find a few small gifts to put in a care package for her, but she'd gone through them quickly.
"So, Evans, what should we name him?"
Lily's head snapped over to look at him, eyes glaring. Why was he even talking about this? It seemed awfully awkward. And what made him think he had the right to bring up this topic so soon?
But what Lily found herself saying something completely different than what she had been thinking.
"What makes you think it will be a HIM?" she asked in a deadly tone.
James continued on in a casual manner.
"Oh, c'mon, it said he's got to defeat Voldemort, and I just assumed...."
"No one ever said it was going to be a boy," she stated firmly.
"Okay, Evans, what should we name HER?" he replied, started to get annoyed.
"I really don't think you should have any say in this."
"It'll be half mine," he reasoned.
"Oh, GOD Potter! I CANNOT believe I am having this conversation with you!"
"What? It's gonna happen. I was thinking something like Jillian or Isabel,..."
"WE ARE NOT GOING TO NAME OUR BABY AFTER ONE OF YOUR EX-GIRLFRIENDS!"
A new voice filtered into the room, followed by the closing of a door.
"Well, that does narrow down the selection quite a bit, Evans."
Lily turned in horror to see Sirius walking down the ward towards them.
When he arrived at the two of them he nearly threw James off his bed as he jumped onto the foot of it.
"So, when did you knock her up?" he asked, reaching for some of the chocolate beside his best friend, looking carefree as ever. His hair lay perfectly, with the front bit hanging just to the side of his face. A stray piece would occasionally fall in front of his eyes, only to be brushed back with a strong, muscular hand.
Sirius got a mouthful of Lily's pillow for an answer.
"A bit touchy there, Evans," he said, smiling, "Quite likely, it's just those pregnancy hormones...."
Lily let out a disdainful laugh and said, "I'm not pregnant, you dolt."
Sirius furrowed his brow and looked between his two hospitalized companions, chocolate in hand.
"What were you talking about, then?"
James started to explain, but Lily cut him off.
"Dumbl--"
"Nothing," she said strongly.
Sirius looked at her, then at James, and then back at her.
"If you think James isn't going to tell me, you're insane."
Unfortunately, he was probably correct. Why did he have to be here? Couldn't he tell when he was unwelcome?
"Damn straight," said James, clapping his hand on Sirius' shoulder. The image would have been almost comic, had it not come at this particular moment.
Lily was about to overflow with rage. Why were they teaming up on her like this?
Sirius set down his candy and leaned over to her, speaking in a low voice. He attempted to reason with her.
"Look, you can either hear him tell me the truth now, or wait for me to hear his warped version of it later. Which," he added, "will probably include a lot more sex and a lot less of a realistic element."
Lily snorted.
"Well, isn't that just like him? Infamous James Potter, only interested in sex and Quidditch."
Sirius laughed at this, but James seemed mildly offended.
"Hey," he said, "I have more than just two pastimes!"
"They're more like compulsive hobbies, mate. But technically, the third one would be classified under sex as well," Sirius joked.
"HEY! YOU DO IT, TOO!"
Lily closed her eyes and clamped her hands over her ears.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," she said.
"What," Sirius said, "You don't want to know what James does when he's alone?"
"NO, I DO NOT! ALTHOUGH I HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA, NOW THAT WE'VE JUST HAD AN ENTIRE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT!"
The boys just started laughing at her. Lily got very flustered and turned around to read the small magazine beside her bed for the fourteenth time that day. She had just opened it to a page with tips for buffing her fingernails when James started telling Sirius the story of that morning's events.
"And then, he pulled out this little green thing that said--"
Lily turned over and glared at him. But James continued anyway.
"....it said that we have to make a kid that'll kill Voldemort."
Lily rolled her eyes at his abominable job of explaining. Not that she was about to elaborate for Sirius.
"That true, Evans?"
"More or less."
"Sweet," said Sirius, "What're you gonna name him?"
That set her off again.
"WHAT IS IT WITH MEN AND THINKING THAT THEY WILL AUTOMATICALLY HAVE SONS? YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY OF THE EARTH'S POPULATION IS FEMALE!"
"Whoa, calm down there, Evans," James said.
But Sirius wasn't done.
"What's with you? Why don't you want a boy?"
"WELL ACTUALLY, SIRIUS, I DON'T WANT ANY CHILDREN RIGHT NOW, BUT I GUESS THAT ISN'T AN OPTION FOR ME, NOW IS IT?"
Sirius gave her a patronizing look and then said, "All I wanted to know is why you are so against having a son."
There was no way Lily was going to admit that she had only been saying these things for argument's sake. In reality, she had always wanted to have a baby boy. Ever since she was little, Lily had dreamt of her future son. She had never had a brother herself, and wanted one very badly. Besides, her sister Petunia was a constant reminder of how terrible and demanding daughters could be.
She only sighed and said in a passive voice, "You'd never understand."
This only earned her questioning looks, but she went back to reading her magazine.
"Prongs, you know Moony's gonna flip when he hears this,...."
Lily quickly looked at him, eyes wide.
"You're, erm, going to tell Remus?"
"Yeah, well, he—wait, how d'you know his nickname?" Sirius asked.
But Lily continued to talk.
"You'd better not tell him, Sirius. This stays a secret."
He only looked at her stubborn face, and then to James for support.
His friend only shrugged, however, and said, "It's her decision if she wants to tell anyone."
Sirius looked very upset for a moment, but after he realized that his secret knowledge was like a special privilege, a small smile formed on his lips.
"Okay," he said finally.
Lily looked relieved, and James shot him a thankful glance. It was then that Sirius leaned in to talk to James privately.
He was confused for a moment, but his shock receded when he heard Sirius' words.
"You gonna marry her?"
"Oh, erm, I dunno..."
"C'mon, mate, you've had it for her since second year, and now you have the chance to finally sleep with her, and you're--"
James tuned out for the rest of Sirius' little speech. Sure, he wanted to make something between Lily and himself. But how was he supposed to go about it? Any marriage proposal could be mistaken as an act of pity, trying to marry the woman he impregnated. But any invitation on a date would seem oddly formal, seeing as she would soon be carrying his child. There just wasn't one right way to go about this.
"—she'll expect a ring, you can't just--"
If he acted on his feelings now, she might get the wrong message. Oh, god, this was going to be difficult.
"—leave her alone, and--"
James finally cut his friend off.
"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling.
"Is the my famous fellow Marauder concocting a plan?"
"That, Padfoot, is exactly what I am doing."
Sirius grinned, saying, "What are you gonna do?"
"No idea."
*
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*
Sirius finally left after another ten minutes, most of which he spent in whisper with James. They seemed to be talking about something important, but Lily didn't pay them any mind. They were probably plotting some type of prank, most likely to be aimed at the Slytherins.
When James' best friend stood up, he looked at Lily, giving her a quick wink. More than half of the female population at Hogwarts, (including one or two professors), would have swooned over this, a small percentage bordering on fainting. Lily, however, gave him a polite smile and went back to reading her magazine. She had never thought of Sirius like that, and didn't plan on it. Even if he was the best-looking boy there....
He started to walk towards the door, only to turn back halfway and point at James, saying, "Think about it."
James nodded and returned to sorting his Honeyduke's candies.
Lily's reading was interrupted when a small object hit her left arm.
"Ow," she said automatically, even though it hadn't hurt.
"Oh, you wimp, it's just a bit of chocolate."
Lily looked down at what had been airborne only a moment before, and realized that it was, indeed, a piece of chocolate.
She picked it up and threw it back at James. His Quidditch skills saved him from the sweet, as he caught it in midair with his left hand.
"What's your problem?" he asked, smiling, "I was trying to share with you."
Lily was determined not to let her face redden. She had thought that he had just been acting immature, tossing chocolates at her.
"Oh," she said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry."
He let out a small laugh and threw it forcefully back to her, and she caught it easily.
"You're pretty good at that."
She looked at him.
"What?" she asked.
"Catching."
Lily rolled her eyes, and said, "Sure, Potter."
"No, really. You should play Quidditch."
Now that was just absurd.
"Stop trying to be nice, Potter."
He looked at her over the rim of his glasses, saying, "I was serious."
A nervous pause came between them. He was actually trying to be kind to her.
"Thanks for the chocolate," she said, trying to change the subject.
"It's okay, I don't like that kind."
While that statement didn't exactly make her feel very special, it reestablished the mood between them.
*
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*
Holly, Ali, and Vera came to visit later that day, sometime after dinner. They all seemed cheery and bright, laughing together at some joke Ali had just told. Lily's friends came up to her bed, sitting on the chairs they had left there earlier.
"Hey Lils," Holly started, "When do you get outta here?"
"Tomorrow," she said gloomily.
"That's horrible!" Vera exclaimed.
"Tell me about it. I'm stuck in here all the time with nothing to do," Lily complained.
At this point, James looked up from his Quidditch book.
"I mean, there's no one to talk to!"
"Ahem," he said softly.
The girls looked over at him.
"What?" Lily asked.
James only shook his head and resumed reading.
Lily sighed and turned back to her friends.
"Honestly," she whispered, "he's been nearly impossible the entire time we've been in here. I can't believe I got stuck here with him."
Lily's friends showed their sympathy, but James only stared at the pretty red head. He had heard her whispering.
"Lily," he said calmly, "Maybe we should tell them what happened earlier this morning? Between you and me, I mean."
Her face turned to stone as she slowly rolled over to look at him. He could see both the rage and the helplessness that lay in her eyes.
"James," Holly said, mistaking the meaning of his last sentence, "Nothing will ever happen between Lily and you."
"Yeah," supplied Vera, "She hates you more than anything."
"More than asparagus?" Ali asked jokingly.
"Definitely," Vera said.
"What about Petunia?"
"Her sister?" asked Holly, "More than asparagus, but less than James."
"But you know she hates it when--"
"That's enough," Lily said forcefully. She wasn't enjoying this.
James, however, was.
"No, Lily, I really want to know what you hate more than me."
"Nothing," Vera said simply.
"Oh," he said, apparently thinking deeply.
*
Holly, Ali, and Vera left after about half an hour of gossiping, and left Lily with a very large stack of fresh magazines.
"Thanks again," she called as her friends exited the ward.
Holly waved over her shoulder at the both of them and continued leading the other two outside.
Lily turned to look at the boy beside her. He was pretending to be incredibly interested in inspecting his palm, fake concentration on his face.
"Potter," she nearly sneered, "What the HELL was that about?"
"What?" he asked innocently, still occupied with his hand.
Lily groaned in exasperation, "THAT. Why did you have to go and bring that whole thing up...."
"Well, excuse me, but you weren't being very polite yourself,...." he retorted
"You completely tried to embarrass me...."
"....talking behind my back...." James interjected.
"....after we agreed not to tell...."
They argued for a few more minutes, neither listening to the other. James finally came to his senses and held up his hand.
"Okay, let's just stop."
Lily quieted halfway through her sentence and stared blankly at him. James rolled his eyes and turned back to his Quidditch book, muttering something that sounded strangely like, "insufferable wench."
Lily gave a loud huff and rolled over to face the opposite side of the room.
She stayed in that position for nearly ten minutes, but her resolve dwindled as a crick started to form in her neck. Slowly rolling onto her backside, she looked up at the ceiling for another five minutes.
Lily was getting restless without anyone to talk to. She finally gave up and looked over at James, who was still reading his book. He hadn't moved an inch since she had last seen him.
He just sat there on his cot, looking as content as ever. Well, two could play at that game.
Lily sat up and quickly grabbed a copy of Witch Weekly that Holly had left her. She started to rifle through the pages, stopping at an article about deranged boyfriends.
She began to skim the paragraphs when James picked up his water glass and took a loud sip.
Lily mirrored his behavior, taking one even louder.
James turned the page in his book, and the corner rubbed across his pajama shirt, making a distinct scratching noise.
Lily crumpled the edge of her magazine and flipped to the next page loudly.
James took a quick look at the diagram of a complex dive, and then snapped the volume shut. He reached over behind his sweets and picked up a new tome.
Lily tossed her magazine to the side and snatched a more recent edition.
"Will you cut that OUT?" James asked, turning towards her.
"What?" she asked innocently.
A look of fierce anger played on his face as he started at her with contempt.
"Do you do this for your own enjoyment or just to piss me off?"
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."
James closed his book and looked straight at her. She could almost feel the heat radiating from his rage.
"Lily, I know this is difficult, but you don't have to act like such an--"
"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you, James Potter."
He glared at her daringly and said in an undertone, "--impossible bitch."
Lily took a deep breath and said in a scandalized tone, "I can NOT believe you just called me that."
James sighed and shook his head.
"Sorry," he muttered.
Lily almost felt bad for him. Sitting there in his blue striped pajamas, he looked incredibly tired. There was also something different about him. Ever since the whole Voldemort in the dungeons episode, James Potter had been acting strangely. Something that resembled a mix between maturity and weariness seemed to have settled inside of him. It was because of this that Lily took pity on him.
"Apology accepted."
These two words were enough to startle him out of his mind. He mimed cleaning out his ears, and then said in a disbelieving voice, "Dost mine ears deceive me? I'm sorry, but I don't think I heard you quite right. Could you repeat that please?"
Lily closed her eyes and said in a strained tone, "Don't push it."
"Suit yourself."
Lily settled deeper into the pillows, trying to get comfortable. These hospital beds felt like murder on her back.
James made a small coughing noise in the back of his throat, and Lily turned to look at him.
"Er," he said in a would-be-casual voice, "Do you think we should, um...."
"Yes?" Lily prodded.
"Erm, like, date or something?"
Lily let out a noise that sounded like something between a choke and a muffled bird cry. She held her hand up to her face and said while fidgeting, "What?"
She started to unconsciously chew on her fingernails, trying to act like his last statement hadn't shocked her as much as it did.
"Well, I mean, if we're gonna have a kid, probably the best thing...."
Although she knew he was right, Lily didn't know what to say. She settled for, "Oh, um, sure. Okay."
James nodded and turned away, but she still had a thing or two to talk about.
"Erm, Potter, what are we gonna do? It's not like we can just show up at breakfast tomorrow, hand in hand...."
"Why ever not?" he asked in a half-serious voice.
She shot him a look that said, 'You-must-be-insane.'
"Potter, in case you didn't notice, we don't exactly get along. No one would believe it if we just suddenly started dating."
"I did notice. But they would DEFINATELY not believe it if you keep calling me by my last name."
Lily had never really thought about this, but now that she did, she realized that she'd never called James by his first name.
"Potter....my friends....they won't buy it for a minute..."
"Nonsense," he said, unwrapping another chocolate, "I've heard you're a great actress."
Lily just frowned at him as he tossed her a caramel nougat.
She caught it and said, "Thanks."
"Anything for my girlfriend."
"Shut it, Potter."
"You got it, Evans."
*
*
(The next morning)
*
The Head Boy and Girl stood outside the entrance to the Dining Hall.
"Ready?" asked James.
She only gave him an impossible look and nearly pulled him inside.
Normally, the sight of the two people who had just had a recent encounter with Lord Voldemort, and lived to tell the tale, would have silenced the entire room.
But seeing James Potter and Lily Evans walk in together, holding hands, was a much more rare and peculiar sight.
They waltzed through the dead quiet hall, small smiles plastered on their faces. Gaping mouths from all four tables revealed that the entire student body was in shock. Lily Evans hated James Potter. There was no possible way that this could happen.
Surely, someone had tampered with reality.
The immense silence in the room shook Lily up a bit, but she could deal with it. She led James over to her normal place at the Gryffindor table and sat down quickly next to Madeline.
James stood awkwardly for a moment or two, noting the dilemma.
The other Marauders were sitting eight feet to his left. His girlfriend was sitting six inches to his right.
James quickly pulled up a seat next to Lily, and as soon as he sat down, the entire hall broke into a loud chatter.
He chanced a glance down at his best friends, who were staring at him with surprised faces. Sirius even looked mildly amused.
James smiled at him and shrugged before he turned back to Lily, offering to serve her some boiled eggs.
The surprised look on her four friends' faces was enough to amuse James for quite some time. Lily simply smiled at him as she slipped her hand in his once again, and they were quite sure that Holly, Madeline, Ali, and Vera were about to die from severe heart failure or some other shock-induced trauma.
*
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End of Chapter Three
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(A/N:)
I know this one was a lost shorter than the others, but I really thought that was a good way to end it.
Ally of Pirates Swoop: Thank you! I really hope so.
Remus' Wife: Let's hope it doesn't go that far.
hw 7evbv yte: I know what it says in the book, and trust me, this is less AU than you think. Just have patience and you'll see what I mean.
Cricketlover: There will of course be more Lily/James. They are one of my favorite to write and I would never take them out of my story.
Bob-the-bear: I guess you'll have to continue to read and find out, but trust me when I say that they won't always be like this.
Jeni Black: I know, and I'll fix it. The gap holes are either supposed to be there for the future, or simple mistakes. But now that I have a beta, I hope there won't be any more.
Lucugirl07: They'll be together soon, but not mentally. You'll see what I mean.
Yankkee Torp: Really? I was hoping no one else had this angle before, I'm glad you like it.
8: I'm flattered.
xxGinnyxx: It'll switch off, but the whole story is kind of half l/j and half h/g.
Brown*Pryde: Yes, I know. But it wouldn't be much of a story if they did!
*
Title: Sex, Quidditch, and James Potter's other pastimes.
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Madame Ringwald absolutely insisted that Lily and James stay in the Hospital Wing for at least another day, until they were, as she said, 'in tip top shape.'
"But, Madame Ringwald, I really don't see the reason for us to stay here longer, I mean, I feel perfectly fine...."
"Nonsense, Miss Evans. I will release you when I see fit."
Lily tried to keep arguing, but the nurse stayed firm. Lily and James were not to be allowed out of the Hospital Wing until the next day.
The afternoon passed slowly for Lily. She was deprived of her friends, her schoolwork, and anything else that could keep her amused. The only person she had to talk to was James, but she never really considered him a worthy conversationalist.
A small stack of assorted candies and magazines lay on the table beside her bed, organized perfectly. Holly had managed to find a few small gifts to put in a care package for her, but she'd gone through them quickly.
"So, Evans, what should we name him?"
Lily's head snapped over to look at him, eyes glaring. Why was he even talking about this? It seemed awfully awkward. And what made him think he had the right to bring up this topic so soon?
But what Lily found herself saying something completely different than what she had been thinking.
"What makes you think it will be a HIM?" she asked in a deadly tone.
James continued on in a casual manner.
"Oh, c'mon, it said he's got to defeat Voldemort, and I just assumed...."
"No one ever said it was going to be a boy," she stated firmly.
"Okay, Evans, what should we name HER?" he replied, started to get annoyed.
"I really don't think you should have any say in this."
"It'll be half mine," he reasoned.
"Oh, GOD Potter! I CANNOT believe I am having this conversation with you!"
"What? It's gonna happen. I was thinking something like Jillian or Isabel,..."
"WE ARE NOT GOING TO NAME OUR BABY AFTER ONE OF YOUR EX-GIRLFRIENDS!"
A new voice filtered into the room, followed by the closing of a door.
"Well, that does narrow down the selection quite a bit, Evans."
Lily turned in horror to see Sirius walking down the ward towards them.
When he arrived at the two of them he nearly threw James off his bed as he jumped onto the foot of it.
"So, when did you knock her up?" he asked, reaching for some of the chocolate beside his best friend, looking carefree as ever. His hair lay perfectly, with the front bit hanging just to the side of his face. A stray piece would occasionally fall in front of his eyes, only to be brushed back with a strong, muscular hand.
Sirius got a mouthful of Lily's pillow for an answer.
"A bit touchy there, Evans," he said, smiling, "Quite likely, it's just those pregnancy hormones...."
Lily let out a disdainful laugh and said, "I'm not pregnant, you dolt."
Sirius furrowed his brow and looked between his two hospitalized companions, chocolate in hand.
"What were you talking about, then?"
James started to explain, but Lily cut him off.
"Dumbl--"
"Nothing," she said strongly.
Sirius looked at her, then at James, and then back at her.
"If you think James isn't going to tell me, you're insane."
Unfortunately, he was probably correct. Why did he have to be here? Couldn't he tell when he was unwelcome?
"Damn straight," said James, clapping his hand on Sirius' shoulder. The image would have been almost comic, had it not come at this particular moment.
Lily was about to overflow with rage. Why were they teaming up on her like this?
Sirius set down his candy and leaned over to her, speaking in a low voice. He attempted to reason with her.
"Look, you can either hear him tell me the truth now, or wait for me to hear his warped version of it later. Which," he added, "will probably include a lot more sex and a lot less of a realistic element."
Lily snorted.
"Well, isn't that just like him? Infamous James Potter, only interested in sex and Quidditch."
Sirius laughed at this, but James seemed mildly offended.
"Hey," he said, "I have more than just two pastimes!"
"They're more like compulsive hobbies, mate. But technically, the third one would be classified under sex as well," Sirius joked.
"HEY! YOU DO IT, TOO!"
Lily closed her eyes and clamped her hands over her ears.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," she said.
"What," Sirius said, "You don't want to know what James does when he's alone?"
"NO, I DO NOT! ALTHOUGH I HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA, NOW THAT WE'VE JUST HAD AN ENTIRE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT!"
The boys just started laughing at her. Lily got very flustered and turned around to read the small magazine beside her bed for the fourteenth time that day. She had just opened it to a page with tips for buffing her fingernails when James started telling Sirius the story of that morning's events.
"And then, he pulled out this little green thing that said--"
Lily turned over and glared at him. But James continued anyway.
"....it said that we have to make a kid that'll kill Voldemort."
Lily rolled her eyes at his abominable job of explaining. Not that she was about to elaborate for Sirius.
"That true, Evans?"
"More or less."
"Sweet," said Sirius, "What're you gonna name him?"
That set her off again.
"WHAT IS IT WITH MEN AND THINKING THAT THEY WILL AUTOMATICALLY HAVE SONS? YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY OF THE EARTH'S POPULATION IS FEMALE!"
"Whoa, calm down there, Evans," James said.
But Sirius wasn't done.
"What's with you? Why don't you want a boy?"
"WELL ACTUALLY, SIRIUS, I DON'T WANT ANY CHILDREN RIGHT NOW, BUT I GUESS THAT ISN'T AN OPTION FOR ME, NOW IS IT?"
Sirius gave her a patronizing look and then said, "All I wanted to know is why you are so against having a son."
There was no way Lily was going to admit that she had only been saying these things for argument's sake. In reality, she had always wanted to have a baby boy. Ever since she was little, Lily had dreamt of her future son. She had never had a brother herself, and wanted one very badly. Besides, her sister Petunia was a constant reminder of how terrible and demanding daughters could be.
She only sighed and said in a passive voice, "You'd never understand."
This only earned her questioning looks, but she went back to reading her magazine.
"Prongs, you know Moony's gonna flip when he hears this,...."
Lily quickly looked at him, eyes wide.
"You're, erm, going to tell Remus?"
"Yeah, well, he—wait, how d'you know his nickname?" Sirius asked.
But Lily continued to talk.
"You'd better not tell him, Sirius. This stays a secret."
He only looked at her stubborn face, and then to James for support.
His friend only shrugged, however, and said, "It's her decision if she wants to tell anyone."
Sirius looked very upset for a moment, but after he realized that his secret knowledge was like a special privilege, a small smile formed on his lips.
"Okay," he said finally.
Lily looked relieved, and James shot him a thankful glance. It was then that Sirius leaned in to talk to James privately.
He was confused for a moment, but his shock receded when he heard Sirius' words.
"You gonna marry her?"
"Oh, erm, I dunno..."
"C'mon, mate, you've had it for her since second year, and now you have the chance to finally sleep with her, and you're--"
James tuned out for the rest of Sirius' little speech. Sure, he wanted to make something between Lily and himself. But how was he supposed to go about it? Any marriage proposal could be mistaken as an act of pity, trying to marry the woman he impregnated. But any invitation on a date would seem oddly formal, seeing as she would soon be carrying his child. There just wasn't one right way to go about this.
"—she'll expect a ring, you can't just--"
If he acted on his feelings now, she might get the wrong message. Oh, god, this was going to be difficult.
"—leave her alone, and--"
James finally cut his friend off.
"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling.
"Is the my famous fellow Marauder concocting a plan?"
"That, Padfoot, is exactly what I am doing."
Sirius grinned, saying, "What are you gonna do?"
"No idea."
*
_
*
Sirius finally left after another ten minutes, most of which he spent in whisper with James. They seemed to be talking about something important, but Lily didn't pay them any mind. They were probably plotting some type of prank, most likely to be aimed at the Slytherins.
When James' best friend stood up, he looked at Lily, giving her a quick wink. More than half of the female population at Hogwarts, (including one or two professors), would have swooned over this, a small percentage bordering on fainting. Lily, however, gave him a polite smile and went back to reading her magazine. She had never thought of Sirius like that, and didn't plan on it. Even if he was the best-looking boy there....
He started to walk towards the door, only to turn back halfway and point at James, saying, "Think about it."
James nodded and returned to sorting his Honeyduke's candies.
Lily's reading was interrupted when a small object hit her left arm.
"Ow," she said automatically, even though it hadn't hurt.
"Oh, you wimp, it's just a bit of chocolate."
Lily looked down at what had been airborne only a moment before, and realized that it was, indeed, a piece of chocolate.
She picked it up and threw it back at James. His Quidditch skills saved him from the sweet, as he caught it in midair with his left hand.
"What's your problem?" he asked, smiling, "I was trying to share with you."
Lily was determined not to let her face redden. She had thought that he had just been acting immature, tossing chocolates at her.
"Oh," she said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry."
He let out a small laugh and threw it forcefully back to her, and she caught it easily.
"You're pretty good at that."
She looked at him.
"What?" she asked.
"Catching."
Lily rolled her eyes, and said, "Sure, Potter."
"No, really. You should play Quidditch."
Now that was just absurd.
"Stop trying to be nice, Potter."
He looked at her over the rim of his glasses, saying, "I was serious."
A nervous pause came between them. He was actually trying to be kind to her.
"Thanks for the chocolate," she said, trying to change the subject.
"It's okay, I don't like that kind."
While that statement didn't exactly make her feel very special, it reestablished the mood between them.
*
_
*
Holly, Ali, and Vera came to visit later that day, sometime after dinner. They all seemed cheery and bright, laughing together at some joke Ali had just told. Lily's friends came up to her bed, sitting on the chairs they had left there earlier.
"Hey Lils," Holly started, "When do you get outta here?"
"Tomorrow," she said gloomily.
"That's horrible!" Vera exclaimed.
"Tell me about it. I'm stuck in here all the time with nothing to do," Lily complained.
At this point, James looked up from his Quidditch book.
"I mean, there's no one to talk to!"
"Ahem," he said softly.
The girls looked over at him.
"What?" Lily asked.
James only shook his head and resumed reading.
Lily sighed and turned back to her friends.
"Honestly," she whispered, "he's been nearly impossible the entire time we've been in here. I can't believe I got stuck here with him."
Lily's friends showed their sympathy, but James only stared at the pretty red head. He had heard her whispering.
"Lily," he said calmly, "Maybe we should tell them what happened earlier this morning? Between you and me, I mean."
Her face turned to stone as she slowly rolled over to look at him. He could see both the rage and the helplessness that lay in her eyes.
"James," Holly said, mistaking the meaning of his last sentence, "Nothing will ever happen between Lily and you."
"Yeah," supplied Vera, "She hates you more than anything."
"More than asparagus?" Ali asked jokingly.
"Definitely," Vera said.
"What about Petunia?"
"Her sister?" asked Holly, "More than asparagus, but less than James."
"But you know she hates it when--"
"That's enough," Lily said forcefully. She wasn't enjoying this.
James, however, was.
"No, Lily, I really want to know what you hate more than me."
"Nothing," Vera said simply.
"Oh," he said, apparently thinking deeply.
*
Holly, Ali, and Vera left after about half an hour of gossiping, and left Lily with a very large stack of fresh magazines.
"Thanks again," she called as her friends exited the ward.
Holly waved over her shoulder at the both of them and continued leading the other two outside.
Lily turned to look at the boy beside her. He was pretending to be incredibly interested in inspecting his palm, fake concentration on his face.
"Potter," she nearly sneered, "What the HELL was that about?"
"What?" he asked innocently, still occupied with his hand.
Lily groaned in exasperation, "THAT. Why did you have to go and bring that whole thing up...."
"Well, excuse me, but you weren't being very polite yourself,...." he retorted
"You completely tried to embarrass me...."
"....talking behind my back...." James interjected.
"....after we agreed not to tell...."
They argued for a few more minutes, neither listening to the other. James finally came to his senses and held up his hand.
"Okay, let's just stop."
Lily quieted halfway through her sentence and stared blankly at him. James rolled his eyes and turned back to his Quidditch book, muttering something that sounded strangely like, "insufferable wench."
Lily gave a loud huff and rolled over to face the opposite side of the room.
She stayed in that position for nearly ten minutes, but her resolve dwindled as a crick started to form in her neck. Slowly rolling onto her backside, she looked up at the ceiling for another five minutes.
Lily was getting restless without anyone to talk to. She finally gave up and looked over at James, who was still reading his book. He hadn't moved an inch since she had last seen him.
He just sat there on his cot, looking as content as ever. Well, two could play at that game.
Lily sat up and quickly grabbed a copy of Witch Weekly that Holly had left her. She started to rifle through the pages, stopping at an article about deranged boyfriends.
She began to skim the paragraphs when James picked up his water glass and took a loud sip.
Lily mirrored his behavior, taking one even louder.
James turned the page in his book, and the corner rubbed across his pajama shirt, making a distinct scratching noise.
Lily crumpled the edge of her magazine and flipped to the next page loudly.
James took a quick look at the diagram of a complex dive, and then snapped the volume shut. He reached over behind his sweets and picked up a new tome.
Lily tossed her magazine to the side and snatched a more recent edition.
"Will you cut that OUT?" James asked, turning towards her.
"What?" she asked innocently.
A look of fierce anger played on his face as he started at her with contempt.
"Do you do this for your own enjoyment or just to piss me off?"
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."
James closed his book and looked straight at her. She could almost feel the heat radiating from his rage.
"Lily, I know this is difficult, but you don't have to act like such an--"
"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you, James Potter."
He glared at her daringly and said in an undertone, "--impossible bitch."
Lily took a deep breath and said in a scandalized tone, "I can NOT believe you just called me that."
James sighed and shook his head.
"Sorry," he muttered.
Lily almost felt bad for him. Sitting there in his blue striped pajamas, he looked incredibly tired. There was also something different about him. Ever since the whole Voldemort in the dungeons episode, James Potter had been acting strangely. Something that resembled a mix between maturity and weariness seemed to have settled inside of him. It was because of this that Lily took pity on him.
"Apology accepted."
These two words were enough to startle him out of his mind. He mimed cleaning out his ears, and then said in a disbelieving voice, "Dost mine ears deceive me? I'm sorry, but I don't think I heard you quite right. Could you repeat that please?"
Lily closed her eyes and said in a strained tone, "Don't push it."
"Suit yourself."
Lily settled deeper into the pillows, trying to get comfortable. These hospital beds felt like murder on her back.
James made a small coughing noise in the back of his throat, and Lily turned to look at him.
"Er," he said in a would-be-casual voice, "Do you think we should, um...."
"Yes?" Lily prodded.
"Erm, like, date or something?"
Lily let out a noise that sounded like something between a choke and a muffled bird cry. She held her hand up to her face and said while fidgeting, "What?"
She started to unconsciously chew on her fingernails, trying to act like his last statement hadn't shocked her as much as it did.
"Well, I mean, if we're gonna have a kid, probably the best thing...."
Although she knew he was right, Lily didn't know what to say. She settled for, "Oh, um, sure. Okay."
James nodded and turned away, but she still had a thing or two to talk about.
"Erm, Potter, what are we gonna do? It's not like we can just show up at breakfast tomorrow, hand in hand...."
"Why ever not?" he asked in a half-serious voice.
She shot him a look that said, 'You-must-be-insane.'
"Potter, in case you didn't notice, we don't exactly get along. No one would believe it if we just suddenly started dating."
"I did notice. But they would DEFINATELY not believe it if you keep calling me by my last name."
Lily had never really thought about this, but now that she did, she realized that she'd never called James by his first name.
"Potter....my friends....they won't buy it for a minute..."
"Nonsense," he said, unwrapping another chocolate, "I've heard you're a great actress."
Lily just frowned at him as he tossed her a caramel nougat.
She caught it and said, "Thanks."
"Anything for my girlfriend."
"Shut it, Potter."
"You got it, Evans."
*
*
(The next morning)
*
The Head Boy and Girl stood outside the entrance to the Dining Hall.
"Ready?" asked James.
She only gave him an impossible look and nearly pulled him inside.
Normally, the sight of the two people who had just had a recent encounter with Lord Voldemort, and lived to tell the tale, would have silenced the entire room.
But seeing James Potter and Lily Evans walk in together, holding hands, was a much more rare and peculiar sight.
They waltzed through the dead quiet hall, small smiles plastered on their faces. Gaping mouths from all four tables revealed that the entire student body was in shock. Lily Evans hated James Potter. There was no possible way that this could happen.
Surely, someone had tampered with reality.
The immense silence in the room shook Lily up a bit, but she could deal with it. She led James over to her normal place at the Gryffindor table and sat down quickly next to Madeline.
James stood awkwardly for a moment or two, noting the dilemma.
The other Marauders were sitting eight feet to his left. His girlfriend was sitting six inches to his right.
James quickly pulled up a seat next to Lily, and as soon as he sat down, the entire hall broke into a loud chatter.
He chanced a glance down at his best friends, who were staring at him with surprised faces. Sirius even looked mildly amused.
James smiled at him and shrugged before he turned back to Lily, offering to serve her some boiled eggs.
The surprised look on her four friends' faces was enough to amuse James for quite some time. Lily simply smiled at him as she slipped her hand in his once again, and they were quite sure that Holly, Madeline, Ali, and Vera were about to die from severe heart failure or some other shock-induced trauma.
*
*
End of Chapter Three
*
(A/N:)
I know this one was a lost shorter than the others, but I really thought that was a good way to end it.
Ally of Pirates Swoop: Thank you! I really hope so.
Remus' Wife: Let's hope it doesn't go that far.
hw 7evbv yte: I know what it says in the book, and trust me, this is less AU than you think. Just have patience and you'll see what I mean.
Cricketlover: There will of course be more Lily/James. They are one of my favorite to write and I would never take them out of my story.
Bob-the-bear: I guess you'll have to continue to read and find out, but trust me when I say that they won't always be like this.
Jeni Black: I know, and I'll fix it. The gap holes are either supposed to be there for the future, or simple mistakes. But now that I have a beta, I hope there won't be any more.
Lucugirl07: They'll be together soon, but not mentally. You'll see what I mean.
Yankkee Torp: Really? I was hoping no one else had this angle before, I'm glad you like it.
8: I'm flattered.
xxGinnyxx: It'll switch off, but the whole story is kind of half l/j and half h/g.
Brown*Pryde: Yes, I know. But it wouldn't be much of a story if they did!