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: You pretend to be Ron, I'll be Hermione.
Ron: I'm telling you, Hermione! This Lady Radcliffe is really J.K. Rowling, the person who created our universe that sold millions!
Hermione: Which is why, she's using a fan fiction site to sell more, right?
Ron: Exactly! Wait… You can't make money from fan fiction!
Hermione: Honestly, Ron…
A/N: Italics are for thoughts and emphasis. There is still an epilogue to come!
Chapter Seven
Things were terribly awkward between Lily and James now. James wasn't sure why Lily was avoiding him and Lily wasn't quite sure why either. All she knew was that James loved her and she loved him back. Everything else was a mess.
James did try and confront Lily, but she always managed to come up with an excuse, running off to some confused fellow nearby, asking him an "important" question. He was finally successful though, on a warm August day, nearly a month after their confessions to each other.
Lily was trying to relax in the garden. With some irony, she realized that the spot she picked was where their first kiss was. I can't even escape his presence out here, she thought with some annoyance. Still, she banished all depressing and troubling thoughts and focused on being free. James found her moments later, still trying to find her nirvana. Her eyes were closed and she was inhaling and exhaling methodically. Sitting on the stone bench beside her, he murmured her name in a low voice.
Lily's eyes shot open and she jerked up. There was no one else in the world who would say her name like that, so caressing, loving and oh-so-sensuously. Turning towards him, she parted her lips, ready to spill out her latest excuse, but James was too quick for her. Darting out an arm to grasp her around the waist before she leapt up, he gently pulled her to his side. "Not again, Lily," he cautioned. "I'm sick of you running away every time I want to talk to you. We are going to have a nice long chat, whether you like it or not."
She bit her lip. Now wasn't really the best time. She was just beginning to force some order on the chaos reigning in her mind and felt rather susceptible to James and his charms at the moment, especially since he looked so handsome today. Reluctantly, she relaxed a bit into his hold.
"Alright then," James said, looking pleased at his current success already. "Lily, you know I meant every word I said before, right? I really do love you. That wasn't a sham to convince you to come back to me. I wanted to you to know the truth. And now, I want to know if you feel the same way." He sat up straighter, steeling himself for the disappointing truth that might come.
She wasn't quite sure what to say. Ducking her head, she quickly thought of her options. There was the truth. She knew he reciprocated her love, but was she ready to go through another possible ordeal if James ever broke her heart again? And then, she could always lie. She could salvage what little pride her heart had left by telling him she didn't love him back. Oh, what to do? she thought desperately.
Sensing her discomfort, James reached for her hands, which were twisting nervously in her lap, and squeezed one. Slowly she turned her head towards his. "Just tell me," he whispered. "I just want to know the truth."
The truth. The words hit Lily hard. If he truly wanted it, he would get it. All of it.
"Oh, I do love you, James!" she exclaimed, seeing the brightening of his eyes. "I love you, but I don't want to get hurt again. You don't know how much it hurt when you said those awful words to me. I don't want to go through that again."
"I'll never be able to apologize enough to you about that. I regret every single one of those words and I'd take them all back in a heartbeat, except I can't. You need to trust me, Lily. I can't promise I'll never hurt you again. All I can give to you is a promise that I will never hurt you intentionally. Forgive me, and give me just one more chance." His eyes were pleading with her now.
In a breathy voice, Lily uttered the words that forever bonded them together. "You can have all the chances you wish, James. You can take them all from me and I won't mind at all." Her eyes were filled with emotions and her face was slightly flushed.
James's entire countenance was lighting up. He reached his hand to her cheek. Lord! She had missed the sensations his slightly rough, calloused hand brought with his touches! He leaned in and pressed his lips softly against hers, and this time, she could identify that feeling. That odd little feeling that made her feel tingly inside with fairies fluttering in her stomach. The one that made her fill up with warmth as if it was a blustery winter day and she had just gulped down some Butterbeer. The one that made her want to pinch herself, hard, just to see if it was all a dream. The one that made her want to laugh and laugh, and keep dancing and letting the world spin around her, the one that had her turning her head on all of those inner demons telling her she was nothing.
It was love.
A/N: For all the people who love fluff, like me, I hope that this chapter was perfect for you. I felt like I was in a Jane Austen novel when I wrote the part about giving James all the chances he wanted lol It sounded oddly old-fashioned, but I'm quite satisfied with how I wrote this chapter. And I want everyone who reviewd to know that you made me really happy when I saw so many "Review Alerts" on my e-mail! I had a yucky day in school and it slightly improved when I went to the a band rehearsal (music is therapy, really, it got rid of my headache once lol) but it skyrocketed when I checked my e-mail!
Flame Of Desire: lol My friends and I used to use "dude" a lot also, especially when we found out it was an infected hair on an elephant's butt or something (but you probably didnt want to hear that, did you? lol) You could say we were a bit immature then and we still are lol Thanks for the review!
bunnyrabbit228: I can't specifically name the curse James was hit with because no such curse has actually been described in the Harry Potter books. I'm only assuming (Assuming makes people an A-S-S, let's hope I don't become one too lol :-D) that there is such a spell because it seems like something that would be used in a duel.
pinkraindrop21: It may be sadistic but it's fun to watch the characters try to figure out what they feel for the other character, isn't it? lol I love him, NO, changed my mind, I HATE him lol
Lafawnduh4: I'm assuming you're a Napoleon Dynamite fan lol
tiger17lily: Stop it! You're making me blush! lol My head is going to get so big soon lol I'm glad to hear you think my work is so wonderful even though I'm only 14. I think it was your review that actually made me feel all happy after an okay day lol
Tondo-the-half-elf: Thanks for the review! Reviews make the world go round!
J.E.A.R.K.Potter: Unfortunately for you, my chapters are only long in the beginning of the story. Not only do I tend to get straight to the point in my stories, I write less and less gradually lol One day, when I'm writing another story, I'll try to make it longer, but I think I was just too excited about my first story, I really wanted to post it ASAP.
The Big Dance: I so want a James also lol James is a very sexy name, don't you think? lol Especially when I think about James Potter lol If he was real, I would honestly like try to steal him from Lily lol If Lily won't love him, I'm sure there's enough love between the both of us for James lol I'm glad you like the part about James babbling on about their child. I had to rewrite that part like three times and even now, I'm the tiniest bit iffy about it still lol Fluff is the best thing ever! lol I'm such a romantic at heart lol
PureEsparenza: I agree... Poor James! ISH! lol :-D I'm going mental along with you lol
Elspeth Renee: It always sucks when any character dies so when I end the story, I will end it in the least horrifying way possible lol Are you, by any chance, willing to share those cookies? lol
P.S. Now that there's only one chapter left, I want to mention a few things, in case I forget when I update lol I had a fabulous time getting to know some of you breifly through your reviews and I hope we'll all stay in touch. My AIM sn is crazedbabe361. Never hesitate to contact me if you feel like talking about random things! E-mail if you want also, as long as you put your pen name in the subject area so I don't delete it accidentally lol Look at my Live Journal if you want, to find out odd events and memories.
Friends Forever? lol