LEGACY

By Lady Radcliffe

Summary: In a kingdom where blood is still everything, Lily Evans, the very first female advisor, will rise to the top and catch the attention of the very handsome, and very good kisser, James Potter. Slight AU.

Disclaimer: If I was J.K. Rowling and owned James and Lily, there would be no Lily. It'd just be me and James. XD

A/N: This story is an AU. James is the king of the wizarding world in England and Lily does not hate James before their encounter. Italics are either used to emphasize something or as thoughts.

Chapter One

She was late. Late. She couldn't believe it herself. She had fallen asleep in her new bedroom, exhausted from the tears, and woken up to find that not only was everyone already up and about, but that she had her first advisor's meeting. In ten minutes.

In a frenzy of flying robes and shoes, Lily Evans - slim, red-headed and striking - was dressed and starving. Flying down the corridors, trying not to bump into other people, Lily got lost a few times trying to find the meeting room. Bloody hell, how big is this place? It was nearly impossible to figure out if this was the way that had been shown to her during a tour of the palace. Oh Lord! I'm going to be late! Her stomach was grumbling in protest now. Not only had she skipped dinner the night before, breakfast had been forgotten today. Lily ignored her body. Is that the door at the end of the hall? It certainly looked like it. Making a mad dash for it, she missed the dark blurry figure that had the same thoughts as she did. They smashed into each other with such a colossal force that Lily felt sure that everyone had heard the bang they created. Lying on the floor, stunned and dazed, Lily was shaking her head, trying to clear it of the pending headache that would come once she was steady enough to stand on her own feet. That man, she thought, blinking rapidly. He looks so familiar. And with a loud gasp and a wave of darkness, Lily Evans felt as if the world really was against her.

Her eyelids felt heavy, as though they had hippogriffs standing on them. Lifting open heavy lids, Lily tried to understand why she was lying down, why people were chattering all around her and why something that smelled horrible was being held by her nose. Ugh, smelling salts. Struggling to sit up, a silence suddenly met her ears. Looking around blankly, she saw the faces of none other than the members of the advisory council. The one she was late to.

Perhaps Albus Dumbledore, the head advisor, noticed the ashy tone her skin had taken on again, or maybe he felt sorry for the bewildered girl who was not having the best of days, but he spoke up in that soft, yet commanding, voice of his. "Miss, Evans, you gave us quite a shock there. We were hardly expecting you to be able to remove yourself from bed after such a tragedy and then we find you lying on the floor in front of the door in a dead faint." His voice held traces of laughter, but none of the derision she was expecting.

"I woke up late and was in a rush. I wasn't looking where I was running and I remember a crash. Then black." Lily still felt groggy, like she had woken from a long nap. A new face appeared in the crowd. She gasped again and in a teasing tone, full of good-nature though, this new character remarked, "Now Miss Evans, those smelling salts are not pleasant things. Do try to hold onto your consciousness."

The new man looked as though he wanted to laugh. His eyes were smiling, twinkling in the bright light cast from a chandelier above. His arms were crossed loosely across his chest and his robes were made of the finest cloth money could buy. This was the man she had run into.

And he happened to be the king.

"Oh, Your Highness, I'm so sorry! I never should have been running like that. Oh, please forgive me, Your Highness!" Lily's mind was already running through all of the possibilities: being sent away on her first day, jeered at by the people who didn't think she could do it, having no home to return to. She didn't think she could bear it.

He waved off her apologies. "Nonsense. You will return immediately to your rooms to mourn. Arrangements can be made if you require. You will receive your meals there as well. You may come to a meeting once you are feeling better and have gotten some decent food in your body. Actually, don't come until the healer Lord Randall has seen to you first. We can't have our first female advisor falling ill, now can we? Imagine all the tongues that would wag." He gave a little sympathetic smile and walked away.

Lily was helped back to her rooms, and fell into a restless slumber, where she could hear the voices of her now dead parents calling out to her.

In a month, Lily was fine again. She had cried herself dry of every grief that had ever wracked her body. She felt it was time to reappear in public, though in mourning. She always thought she looked hideous in black, but this was going to be a tribute to her loving parents, an attempt to beat her vanity. People were going to talk soon anyway, if she didn't pull herself together. They would call her a coward, too chicken to actually put herself in a room with men whose minds were obviously "superior." She would show them! Her parents had wanted her to succeed and Lily Evans was not planning on disappointing her parents this time! Not when it had taken so much of her parents' hard-earned money to send her to Hogwarts. As muggles, they were thrilled to find that one of their daughters was special, though in an odd way. And then to find that their Lily had such a brilliant mind that she was chosen, as the only female out of a few hundred men, to join King James Tristan Potter's council, made of the wisest minds in the land, they were beyond thrilled.

Everything they had ever heard about the king was pleasing. Barely twenty-five, having ascended to the throne at the age of eighteen when his parents were killed, his grip on the kingdom was surprisingly strong. Well respected by the population of the wizarding world, he listened attentively to their complaints and acted on them. Few words were spoken about him were bad. In fact, many of the praises came from witches. Lily had heard so much about his dashing looks that she had been inclined to study him critically when he came to check on her one day. She found that he was indeed nearly everything ever boasted of him. A boyish nature shone through those bright hazel eyes, hidden behind wire rimmed glasses. His hair was jet black and cunningly messy, lending to his lazy demeanor that hid a supposedly intense mind. Lithe, he walked with the gait of a constantly active man who participated in outdoor sports and Quidditch. It was rumored that he had the finest arm muscles of any man, though they were often covered up by robes and Lily was sorely tempted to ask to see them. Arm muscles always were a weakness for her.

Surprisingly slender for a man, but balanced by his staggering height of six feet, he was not the traditional image of male beauty, but she concluded that he was quite handsome in his own way. He flashed a decidedly lopsided smile at her before leaving and she was pleased to note that her heart did not beat any faster. He had quite a reputation among the ladies. Too handsome for his own good at times, he was unwittingly clueless about women at times. Often, he didn't realize that he had led a women too far until it was too late. Unwillingly, he left trail of broken hearts before him. Numerous flowers and apologies were always sent once the match ended. More women than one would believe had fallen for James Potter at one time in their lives. She didn't want to be one of them and thankfully, she wasn't one of them.

Yet.

James Potter wasn't quite sure what to make of Lily Evans. She was smart, obviously, to have been singled out of so many talented wizards, but what was she like? She was quite determined to make a good impression on the public. That much was obvious when less than twenty-four hours after her parents' murders, she had rushed to attend a meeting. But she had to make a good impression, he mused. Too many people were crossing their fingers, hoping she'd fail. He himself had been apprehensive when Dumbledore approached the topic of choosing her to join. He was not worried about her aptitude for politics - most of his worries were about her ability to stand up against the people who wouldn't believe in her. Being a relative nobody until her appointment to the advisory council, she might not have the experience needed to defend herself from the snobbish ways of the aristocrats in court. Dumbledore assured him though that she was up to it. Other members of the council wavered a bit before agreeing they could use a change. At least Lily didn't have to worry about roving eyes in the meeting room. Every man there was well trusted and known for his good will. And quite old, he might add. He might have a little trouble with his friends though. They were young and still full of passion, like him.

All were generals, and they made it their chief mission, after protecting the country from attacks of course, to insure that he, the king, still had time to laze about and act his age. Sirius, his best mate, would be most likely to make a pass at Lily. He'd have to have a word with him, though he wasn't sure what good that would do. Mischievous by nature, with black hair down to his shoulders and stormy grey eyes, Sirius was quite handsome in his own right and a ladies' man as well. Remus would probably examine her with those probing eyes, making a silent evaluation. He'd like her, I'll bet. Lily looks the sort who enjoys intelligent conversations and strong opinions. I hope she won't catch onto his "moonlight walks" though. We'll have to be careful around her. She'd notice in a heartbeat if we don't. Peter, he decided firmly, would be the one watching amusedly as Sirius flirted obtrusively with her and making small bets as to the outcome.

Lily would get hit on though by the palace staff though. He'd have to have a word with them as well. She was too lovely not too. She did not possess what was considered normal beauty. Instead, it was an unusual, almost exotic, air that she wore proudly and confidently. She had the most amazing shade of red hair he had ever seen, with a golden radiance, and eyes that appeared to be green, but were really combinations of shades of green. She hid what he was sure to be a supple, willowy body in loose, plain robes. Quite a few men would find her pleasing to the eye. He'd have to warn her too.

Lily Evans really is quite a work of art. Easy on the eyes and unbelievably sharp. Quite a work of art indeed.

A/N: My very first story has begun! I hope every single one of you will enjoy this as much as I did writing it. Thanks bunches to my beta-reader, Val! You're the best! Please review if you can!