Summary: Sequel to "Time to Fly (Friends Forever)". Lily and James haven't seen each other for seven years. A school reunion rekindles their friendship, but how far will friendship go?
Disclaimer: Blah de blah, you know it's all J.K.'s, so why bother putting a stupid disclaimer?
Author's Note: Oh God, guys, I am SO sorry about the delay!! School started. It's EVIL this year. Especially Geometry, which I have to work my ass off at to get an A. I'm trying for all A's to get this scholarship thingy...plus I've recently (well, in the past 3 months) become a Lord of the Rings junkie, so most of my time now is spent in Tolkien geekdom...anyway. Back on track. Roxanne people, I need to get a copy of Cyrano for the next chappie, so it should be up soon.
Oh, and two weeks ago today, Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) turned 44! Yay! Happy birthday Viggo!! (Lol, I'm watching him right now, in 28 Days...heh, I'm such a nerd...)
Seven Years
Chapter Six
By Lady Wildcat
I'd forgotten, James thought as he stared up at the ceiling.
It wasn't exactly the ceiling James was staring at. It was the fabric of his canopy. It was red and embroidered in different colored threads, probably depicting some sort of interesting scene. But although he had been staring at it for the past hour, James hadn't noticed one tiny detail of it. He'd been too busy thinking.
I'd forgotten, he thought, how amazing she is. How wonderfully, beautifully, mind-blowingly amazing. How astoundingly, unbelievably, incredibly amazing. How...
He laughed at himself. Listen to yourself, Potter. Going on like a lovesick schoolboy.
Frankly, he didn't care. He ran his hand through his hair and crossed his arms, aware that he was probably grinning like an idiot. However, his grin was endangered the next minute when he remembered the credo of one of Lily's more recent letters.
You know, James, I am so glad I have you as a friend--even if we have been more like pen-friends recently than real ones. You're one of my best friends, and let's keep it that way, okay?
He hadn't taken it as much at the time--of course he was Lily's friend, and would be forever--but now the thought of the paragraph made him furrow his brow. Did Lily return his feelings? Was she trying to ward him off? Did she love him too?
Did he really love her, or was it just something going on with very pretty friends he hadn't seen in seven years?
While James was the semi-hyperactive, attention-span-nil type, he actually had a huge amount of patience for important things. He was willing to let this spin out and see where it went. For now--he pulled the sheets over his head, the ridiculous grin back on his face. For now he was content to just be Lily's friend, and feel like more.
***
Oh, God, I'd forgotten.
Lily's canopy was quite a bit different than James'. Her canopy was white linen, as opposed to the medieval décor in the rest of the rooms. However she, like James, was not focused on her drapes. She was thinking about something quite different.
He's just like he used to be...sweet, funny, absolutely gorgeous...and totally irresistible. She clenched her fists around her extra pillow. Especially to fools like me who should know better. Know better than to fall in love with him all over again.
She turned on her side, curling herself into a tight ball. Glancing at her clock, she saw the time was two-thirty. She'd been trying to go to sleep for two hours, after taking time to correct her papers. (How had James done on those? He better not had screwed up, or she'd magic his pen to do something unpleasant in class.)
Lily hated nighttime. She always did the worst thinking at nighttime. The scariest, or the most morbidly philosophical, like What happens to me when I die? When WILL I die? Just the thing you want to fall asleep on.
James fell into the category of the philosophical. Absentmindedly she hugged her extra pillow. She should be getting sleep. Think happy thoughts. Think about anything except James and falling asleep. Think about the reunion, where she'd see Bella and Sirius. Sirius and James. Okay, try thinking about the summer...
Eventually, Lily drifted off. Her last thought before she slept was that James didn't know any of this. He still thought of her as a friend--maybe she'd adjust to that.
***
James handed her the corrected essays over breakfast the next morning. "Here. Took me forever, thankyouverymuch."
Lily raised her eyebrows as she looked through the essays. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but James' corrections were at the top of the line--neat, precise, to the point. "Very good, Potter," she said, although her mouth was filled with pancake at the time so it came out as "Vuwwy goof, Putter."
"Whatever you say, Your Highness." James handed her another piece of paper. "The student's names, with all their grades."
Lily swallowed. "Thanks." She tucked the papers into her bag, still shaking her head. "I didn't know you were serious about anything."
"Oh, I'm just full of these little surprises."
"Right." She checked her watch and stood. "Ready?" James stuffed the last of his pancake into his mouth and followed her out, still chewing. "Why don't you finish your food before leaving the table?"
"Mff mf!"
"Uh-huh."
***
"So, your projects are due on the twenty-third, and I hope you've all been working hard. Exams soon thereafter. Any questions?"
"Why are pears green?"
The class giggled. Lily rolled her eyes. "I don't know, Potter. If you're looking for the culinary class, that's down in the kitchens." She turned back to the board. "Anyway, if we could get back to class--"
"Seriously. I wanna know about pears." James leaned back in the desk and tickled his chin with his quill. "Do pears have souls?"
"God, James--"
"I mean, feelings?"
"Potter--"
"They could have feelings, one never knows! Maybe pears have a whole hidden society and religion!"
"Shut up, Potter."
"So in pear religion, is there an afterlife? Where's pear heaven?"
"I believe," Lily said, steaming, "it's right up your arse and to the left--d'you want me to come over there and stick your head in there for you?"
"I think it's physically impossible to do that."
As soon as James said that, he knew he was in trouble.
"Right," Lily said. She was totally calm. Bad sign.
She walked over to her desk, pulled out a slip of paper, scribbled on it, and walked over and gave it to James.
"D-detention?" James sputtered. "You're giving me detention?"
"That's right."
"But I'm not in your class--"
"You're sitting in it, aren't you? I believe that qualifies as being in it. Now, could we please get back to the lesson?"
She couldn't be serious. He was an adult; there should be some rule against people over 19 getting detentions. James looked up.
Great. She was serious. He should have known.
***
He reported to Filch at nine, like the form said. Of course, he didn't need directions. He'd been through the detention process countless times before.
"Well, well, well," Filch remarked, with a nasty grin. "Potter. Fancy seeing you again." He got up from his desk and meandered over to his large Files, drawing out a drawer labeled Still At Large. He pulled out a paper and waved it in James' face.
"Nine PM, May twenty-first, 1978," he growled. "Someone graffitied Filch Loves Trelawney on the back of my shirt. Took me a week to get it out. I know it was you, Potter."
Actually, it had been Sirius--but James wasn't going to tell him that. He sighed. "Just tell me what I have to do, Filch."
"Well." Filch, obviously miffed that James hadn't responded to his accusation, picked up a sheet of paper from his desk. He glanced at it and smiled slightly. "Follow me."
***
Four hours later, James stumbled into the faculty dorms, sticky, eyesore, and groggy. His hands hurt. His back hurt. He never wanted to see another pear again.
"You know," said a voice from the armchair in front of him, "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's dessert."
Red hair followed by a smiling face poked up over the back of the chair. James stared stupidly at Lily. What was she doing here?
"Wasn't it convenient," she said, folding her arms over the chair, "that the dessert being prepared tonight is caramelized pears?"
Then it clicked. He pointed at her. "You, you set that up."
"Yes. I did."
"Four hours of pear slicing...that was harsh."
"Well," she said, standing up, "you screwed with my class. And for that, you paid." She turned and walked back to her room, with the air of an extremely smug cat. Revenge had been hers.
***
Title change is still on cutting room floor of my mind. All that matters now is I POSTED THIS CHAPPIE!!
Best,
Lady Wildcat