Disclaimer: JK is awesome and I suck. But seriously: I own nothing you recognize. This is just a short fic, the first one I've posted, after the idea suddenly came to me one day. Kind of fluffy at the end, but I think it's sweet. Feedback?
Who wants to be Ordinary?
DING DONG!
Thump thump thump.
"Argh," Lily Evans groaned. Not again. Her best friend Alli had come home for the holidays with her, and as Alli was a pure-blood witch, she was rather startled by the doorbell. Its metallic ringing was usually followed by her friend falling down the steps. Trying not to laugh, she stepped over her disheveled friend and went to the door, very pleased that her unusual visitors remembered to ring the bell- if not, her uptight and prim sister would go ballistic.
Lily Evans had "unusual" visitors because she herself was unusual- she was a witch, and in her 7th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was smart (head girl, in fact), successful, and happy; well, happy other than the fact that no matter where she went, there was something missing or something bringing her down. She was different, and people sure didn't like different. However, good things in her life kept Lily going. Of course, one of these good things happened to be outside, ringing the doorbell: James Potter. Previously arrogant and conceited James Potter, now romantic and caring James Potter, with his messy black hair and hazel eyes. Hazel eyes with pools of warmth that Lily could get lost in. And of course, what would James Potter be without the infamous Sirius Black by his side?
Sirius had long but amazingly neat black hair, casually cascading into his eyes, which were a smoky gray. His face was amazingly handsome, and he immediately caught everyone's attention when he entered the room. By his side was gentle Remus Lupin, with his sandy-colored light hair and welcoming blue eyes. At the moment, his eyes were a stormy color, but Lily knew this was only because of the approaching full moon. Remus was a werewolf, but not harmful at all in his human form. The professor of their school, Albus Dumbledore, had seen to it that Remus be allowed to attend, and the only people who knew his secret were James, Sirius, a boy named Peter, Lily, and Alli. Peter wouldn't be visiting Lily because he had to visit his strict grandmother in Whales. Poor Peter would probably spend the entire time cleaning the litter boxes of her 10 cats. (A/N- HAHAHA.)
After hugs all around and a quick kiss from James, Lily led her friends into the modest house she shared with her mom, brother Joe, and sister Petunia. Lily was muggle-born, meaning her family was not magical. After a quick snack of cookies and a muggle drink called Soda, which amazed the boys, the gang flooded into the living room and settled on the comfy furniture. Lily snuggled up against James on the love seat, and everyone else sat in squashy arm chairs.
"So, what is there to do here in Muggle-land?" Sirius asked, flopping onto he couch and picking up a book labeled 'Pride and Prejudice', then throwing it aside.
"Absolutely nothing," Lily said with a grin. "Which is why I suggested going to Alli's house, but noooo."
James put an arm around his girlfriend, the girl he had worked so hard to win over. Lily was a fireball, that was for sure. A fireball that had previously hated him.. Though not without a good reason. Even James could admit he was a bit of a prick, but Lily made him that way. She captivated him with her very scent, with the way her green eyes danced in the moonlight, the way sunlight reflected off her lustrous red hair. He couldn't help showing off around her, but he eventually learned to control himself. Yes, his deflated head had eventually won her over... that and the fact that he had saved her life, but that's another story.
"Ahh, Lils, I know! Why don't we watch those muggle things called 'movies' you're in!?" Alli asked, suddenly excited. "They're so funny. Especially the one where you get mad at that nun and --" Lily leaned over and clamped a hand over her friend's mouth.
"NO." was her simple answer.
But Alli was into the idea now, way too into it for Lily's liking. "James, wouldn't you like to see your girlfriend when she was little? Just a little Lily in Bloom!" Giggling like mad at her pun on Lily's name, she motioned with her hands to Sirius for him to speak up. Everybody except Lily thought that these videos would be amusing, and since she didn't want to be a spoilsport, Lily agreed. She grabbed a tape and stuck it in, smiling at the sound of her mother's voice telling one of her favorite bedtime stories, probably being taped by her dad.
"...And Cinderella's prince carried her away on his horse to live Happily Ever After. The End." Merci Evans read with a smile, looking down at her daughters, the sensible Petunia, 9, with her strong and stubborn beliefs, and wild six year old Lily, with an imagination big enough for both of them.
"Mom, why is it that the princesses are always rescued by their 'Prince Charming?'" Lily asked, a frown creasing between those amazing emerald eyes.
"Because, stupid, that's the way its supposed to happen," Petunia said matter-of-factly, rolling her plain brown eyes. "A girl needs the help of a big, strong man to protect her, because that's what they're supposed to do. Duh."
"But, that's stupid. Why should a girl wait around for her 'prince' when she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself?" Maybe there was something Lily was missing, but she just wasn't getting it. "So, you're saying that Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, and Repunzel were all rescued by a man?"
Merci nodded, grinning because she could see mischief materializing in her youngest child's eyes, and waited for Lily to say something that would blow her away. The six year old never disappointed her.
"That's dumb," Lily said. "I'd rather save myself."
The video clicked off, and James turned to look at his girlfriend, who still had that same determination and wild imagination. Thinking that nobody in this world suited him better, even when at the age of six, he kissed her forehead and pilled her into his lap, eager to see the next video.
This video showed a nine year old Lily, giggling with her girlfriends at a sleep over for her birthday in midsummer. Joe had filmed this one with the camera he had gotten for Christmas. As Lily watched the video, she smiled with nostalgia- he had thought he was so cool with that camera! The nine year old Lily on the screen was laughing over something a childhood friend named Jessie had said. As she tossed her head back, the sun caught her hair perfectly. 'Even at nine she was beautiful,' James thought. Lily was exotically pretty, while Petunia sat in the corner with her very girl-next-door haircut and proper clothes. As Lily carried her candle-bedecked cake out, a girl with black frizzy hair stuck out her leg and tripped Lily. The cake her mother had been up all night perfecting went flying. As the cake fell, it suddenly sprang back into the air and landed on 'ol frizz's head, as if by magic. The clip ended there as everyone scrambled to clean up the cake mess.
For some reason, Sirius found this particularly funny, and for a full half hour, the only words understandably uttered between his gasping laughs were "... Mean... tripped... Lily... HAH... hair... icing... HAHAHA...."
Ignoring him, Lily put on the next tape. This one also brought memories, but these ones made Lily sad rather than happy with remembrance. They had her dad in them. Her dad, who had always favored Lily above his other two children. Her we-can-get-through-anything dad, who had been amazing and loving, playing with Lily and doing anything happy. Her dad, who had left for seemingly no reaon at all one day, and not come back. They had not heard from him since Lily was ten... almost seven years had gone by.
This video was from Christmas morning when Lily was five. Merci, her mother, was filming as Petunia ravaged through her presents, Joe ate cookies, and Lily sat in her father's lap, deep in thought.
"Daddy," she said. "Why do reindeer fly?"
"They don't," her brother Joe said as if it were obvious. "People just tell you that. They think you could believe rubbish like that. It's almost as fake as magic."
"I believe in magic," Lily said defensively. "I feel it, it's real. And I believe in flying, too." As if to prove her point, she began jumping on the couch, causing Joe to laugh. "Shut up, I can fly. I did it that day I fell off the monkey- bars." More laughter came from Joe. As Lily grew angrier, her eyes seemed to glow, the green alive and angry. Suddenly, the glass of milk Joe was dunking his cookie into burst, but the shards of glass didn't hurt him; instead of flying about like broken glass tends to do, the tiny sharp pieces flew up above the Christmas tree and formed the shape of a beautiful, glittering star.
"See, told you." Lily said triumphantly. The last thing on this tape was her mother dropping the camera.
"Whoa," Sirius whispered. "You were so powerful, so young; I'll bet McGonagall had her eyes on you from birth."
None of them could say anything; James was staring at Lily like he had never seen her before, making her quite uncomfortable. She looked around.
"See, I told you this was a stupid idea. Now you all think I'm some sort of freak; That's all I've ever been to people, a freak. I don't fit in here, because I'm a witch and the suspectful neighbors are scared of me. I don't fit in at Hogwarts because I'm a muggle-born. Even the people at the muggle school my mom made me go to in the summer hated me." As tears welled up in her eyes, James took her hands and looked her straight in the eye.
"Lily Evans," he said. "I fell in love with you because you are this different person. Because you're not like everyone else. I was eleven years old and knew I could spend forever with you and never once feel bored or like I was missing out on something. Who wants to be ordinary? You're the most exciting girl I know, and I love you." Alli and Remus got up to go to the kitchen, pulling Sirius with them.
Stunned into silence, Lily's tears immediately turned from ones of grief to tears of happiness- this was the first time James had told her he had loved her. After everything she had put him through in the past, all the names she had called him, and he loved her. He had loved her through her name- calling, through her moodiness, and for seven years, he had loved her because she was different. Knowing nothing would ever be better than this feeling of completion, she closed her eyes and put her forehead against his, whispering the only three words that had ever made sense to her:
"I love you."
And this story ends with a kiss.
-Fin
