Summer of Love
Lily Evans and her best friend Athena Asimokopoulos head for a vacation in Athena's homeland—Greece. Lily expects a great summer, filled with lazy days on the beach, checking out hot Greek men and eating bizarre Greek food. However, the best part of the entire trip would be NO JAMES POTTER!
James Potter, however, is stunned when he is told he has to go to Greece for his cousins' engagement party. He doesn't want to go at all, but with some persuasion from his mother and Sirius Black, they're off.
Lily is outraged when she sees her worst enemy, James Potter in Greece! She thought she could get rid of him! James, meanwhile, is thanking himself repeatedly for deciding to come to Greece after all.
James is desperate to make Lily fall in love with him before the summer is over, but the question is—can he?
Chapter 20—This Memorable Summer
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, do you think I'd be writing this? (Didn't think so). I only own Athena Asimokopoulos, her grandparents, Eileen, Stella and other characters you may not recognize.
No flaming please! I really do think that flaming just makes the author of the story feel miserable and that they stink at writing—so no flaming please!
This story is dedicated to THE BIG DANCE, for being my first reviewer. Thanks so much TBD!
--
3 weeks later
Lily smiled as she neatly folded a shirt into her suitcase. What a great summer...
It was August 13 and the next day, Lily and Athena were returning home to England.
Walking to her bureau, she took out some of her shorts and placed them in her suitcase.
As she was packing, Athena popped her head in.
"You still packing?" She asked in disdain.
Lily stopped and looked up at her friend. "Are you?"
Athena shook her head. "No. I need another suitcase so papou is giving me his."
Lily groaned. "Athena! How many clothes did you bring?"
"Not a lot! It's all from the shopping. By the way, at three o'clock, we still need to go shopping. I spotted some lovely souvenirs and some darling clothes that would make me look scrumptious."
Lily smirked. "I bet Sirius would think so."
Athena blushed. "Shut up, Lily! Nobody asked you!"
Lily laughed. "Whatever. Anyway, let me finish packing."
"Okay, but we're still going shopping."
Lily rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine, Thena. We'll go shopping."
"Whoopee!" Athena cheered and left the room to go and pack.
As Lily returned to her packing, she rolled her eyes at Athena. Honestly, she was acting like a lovesick puppy.
Ever since she and Sirius got back together again three weeks ago once Niko was defeated, Athena had been acting like one of those ditzes at Hogwarts.
Yes, everybody had a happy ending.
Well, except her and James.
Lily knew that she had been putting off meeting with James for a while because of the whole Niko-Lily-Athena triangle but now she knew that she had to tell James.
She couldn't put it off any more.
As she dumped more clothes into her suitcase she knew she was running out of time to tell James that she wanted to be his girlfriend.
However, it had been more than three weeks since she last privately met with James. Had his feelings changed?
--
"We're going back to England! England! England! We're going back to England in the mooooooooorning!"
James clamped his hands over his ears and glared at Sirius. "Will you PLEASE shut up? God, you can't SING!"
Sirius grinned and threw some clothes into his suitcase. "Nothing can bring me down today! I feel AMAZING!"
"Yeah, cause Athena is your girlfriend." James muttered. Then added in a louder voice, "You must really like her if she's stayed your girlfriend for three weeks."
Sirius had the reputation of a ladies-man, which meant that he had a tendency to date girls and dump them in a week. The longest had been ten days and had been set by Alice Young. So for him to date another girl for a record of three weeks, it definitely meant he liked her.
Sirius grinned and flopped onto his bed, sending dirty clothes flying everywhere.
"I really do like her, Prongs. She's the first girl that's broken Alice's record of ten days. She could be the one."
James started laughing hysterically once he heard Sirius say that. That sounded so girlish that he was surprised Sirius wasn't part girl.
"Padfoot," James chortled. "Do you sneak my mum's copies of Witch Weekly? Because that sounds like something right out of the magazine."
Sirius looked disgusted. "Are you mental?" He barked. "I don't read them stupid girly magazines! I read manly magazines."
"What? Like PlayWizard?" James teased.
Sirius shrugged. "Like I said, 'manly magazines.'"
James snorted and went back to his packing.
There was something bugging him too.
No, there wasn't a bug on him—something was bothering him.
Like Lily Evans.
He didn't want to say anything but he was slightly depressed that he hadn't gotten a letter from her in more than three weeks.
Did that mean she didn't like him anymore?
--
"This is our last shopping chance in Greece, Lily! Stop lagging behind!"
Athena looked at her friend who wasn't paying attention to a word that Athena was saying.
"Lily!" She snapped.
Lily didn't answer as she continued to stare off into space.
Athena sighed and turned to plan 'b'.
"Look Lils! James is right behind you!"
That snapped Lily out of her daydream.
"Where?" She said wildly, looking about.
Athena laughed. "Ha! Got you!"
Lily scowled at Athena. "That's so NOT cool Athena."
Athena shrugged. "So what? You must really like Jamie-Boy to only answer to his name."
"I really do like—wait a minute—did you just say Jamie-Boy?"
Athena winked. "Sorry. That was to see if you were still paying attention."
Lily swung her shopping bag at her friend.
"Hey, hey! Watch it! That has delicates in it!" Athena exclaimed jumping backwards and nearly running into a busy person.
Lily rolled her eyes.
Athena eyed her friend carefully. "You really like James, don't you?"
"Yeah." Lily muttered.
"And are you two going out?" Athena asked.
Lily's cheeks turned red. "No." She said quietly.
"You're NOT?" Athena cried looking at Lily as if she were mental. "What the heck is wrong with you?"
Lily glared. "He just hasn't gotten around to asking me yet."
"Or more like you haven't gotten around." Athena muttered.
Lily gave a sharp look to her. "I'm not going to ask James out!"
"And why not?" Athena asked.
"Because—boys should always do it. It's more proper and not to mention romantic."
Athena rolled her eyes. "Lily—it's the twentieth century—stop acting so proper! Newsflash, girls are asking guys to MARRY them now. "
Lily shrugged. "I don't care. James has to ask me out."
Athena sighed wearily. "Whatever Lily. You know they're leaving tomorrow too."
"I know." Lily said sharply.
"Well then, you better get a move on because you're running out of time."
--
Lily,
If you don't mind, I would like to meet you somewhere tonight. Let's say the beach?
--James.
James,
I don't mind but what's with the beach? Honestly, every bit of drama has happened on that beach! (Besides the Niko episode and that was at a café) How about somewhere else?
-Lily.
Lily,
Yes, I do agree that everything happens on the beach but I don't know. It has some sort of SPARK to it. Unless you think of anywhere else to meet—I'd be happy to switch.
-James.
James,
Fine. I'll meet you at the beach at seven o'clock. Lord have mercy that beach is like the central part of romance and fights.
-Lily.
Lily,
Okay then! I'm glad you saw it my way! I'll meet you at the beach at 7.
-James.
James,
You're such a prat.
-Lily.
P.S. Don't send any more letters. Athena is demanding that I'm overworking Athens. Figuring her, she will owl-knap him and use him to write letters to Sirius.
-Lily.
--
Lily cursed herself for wearing a tank top and her pair of old soccer shorts on the beach. Honestly how would SHE have known that it was only sixty degrees at night? She should have at least brought a sweater.
She honestly didn't know WHY the beach was so important to romance/fights/and blackmail—but it just was. After all, the beach played a central part in their escapade to Greece.
She was glad she had snuck out before Athena finished packing or else she would have tagged along and she wasn't about to let Athena ruin anything.
Suddenly, there was a crash.
Lily whirled around, her eyes scanning the surroundings. Her head pounded to the beat of her pounding heart.
Must have been a cat. She reasoned to herself.
--
"Nice going poindexter." Athena hissed to Sirius who scurried over to her.
"Well sorry! I was trying to get a closer look of Lily!" He whispered.
Athena rolled her eyes and wondered why she even brought him along. Of course, she remembered that she didn't want to be alone and knew that Sirius was out looking for revenge after Lily and James spied on them three weeks ago.
Athena gave a cat-like smile as she watched Lily in the distance. She wasn't stupid. She heard Lily sneak out and once she did, Athena ran to Lily's room and found a stack of letters on the bureau. One look at them and she knew that Lily was heading off to the beach to meet James.
The beach of all places. . . .
Anyway, she owled Sirius who replied back saying that he was going to see where James was heading.
Now, they sat crouched behind some trashcans (that thankfully didn't smell) and the brilliant Sirius just knocked one over as he went to get a closer look.
Athena rolled her eyes. Sirius was a terrible spy. He wasn't like James Bond who was amazing at it. (A/N: Is James Bond even in the '70's? If not, oh well)
"Is James here yet?" Athena asked Sirius in a hushed whisper.
Sirius peered and tried his hardest to see if James was near. It was hard though, considering that it was near dusk. Curse James—why did every meeting with him and Lily have to be at the late evening or at night when it was impossible to see anything?
Finally, Sirius saw a shadow that looked surprisingly like James.
"We're in." He whispered loudly.
Athena smacked him on the head. "Will you keep your voice down?" She hissed. "You're a terrible spy!"
"Ouch! Stop hitting me!"
Athena shook her head in exasperation. What an idiot.
--
"Lily?" A voice whispered.
Whirling around, Lily was relieved to see James Potter standing in front of her.
"James!" She said in a relieved voice. "I'm so glad you came! I thought you forgot!"
"Who? Me?" James' eyes had that mischievous that only he and Sirius could possess. "Forget all about meeting Lily Evans? I couldn't!"
Lily turned red.
"Now if it was Sirius—then I probably would have forgotten." James continued.
Lily laughed this time. God, James could make the most awkward situations funny.
"Well," Lily said, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her soccer shorts and kicking the sand. "What did you want?"
James turned serious as he said, "Well, I would like to discuss what happened between us three weeks ago."
"And that would be?" Lily asked, fully knowing what James meant.
James smirked. "You know what I mean Lily. I mean when you kissed me."
--
Athena smiled in a devious way. "We're in." She whispered.
Sirius, who was also listening turned to Athena in a hopeful way and said, "Since Lily kissed James, how about one from me?"
Athena shoved him. "Not on your life buster."
--
"Well," Lily said shyly. "I do remember that."
"Did it mean anything to you?" James asked, trying to search her face for signs. It was hard considering it was nearly dark.
Lily bit her lip and looked at James. "The question is did it mean anything to you?"
"Lily." James took her hand. "I always liked you—ever since first year when I had to sit by you in McGonagall's classroom in first year. Remember how I slipped Avery Johnson's toad in your hair and you screamed bloody murder? I have liked you ever since then."
Lily smiled ruefully. "I remember. I called you a 'prat' and a 'no-good wrongdoer.'"
"What I'm saying is," James continued. "I'll never stop liking you. Now, I know you've despised me since that incident in first year, but when you kissed me, I thought you changed your mind."
Lily's head was swimming in emotions right now. If only he knew how much I actually liked him. She thought.
Looking at him straight in the eye, she said to him. "James, that kiss I gave you meant one thing and one thing alone—"
James steadied himself for the worst.
"—that I am head over heels for you." Lily finished, with a slight smile on her face.
James grinned from ear to ear. It happened—it finally happened.
Lily Evans was his.
Clearing his throat, he looked at Lily again and said, "Well then, Lily Evans, will you be my girlfriend."
Lily gave him a small smile and said, "Of course I would James."
James grabbed Lily around the waist and spun her around shouting, "Lily Evans is all mine now!"
"James!" Lily squealed. "Let me down!"
James, on the other hand, had different plans.
Finally slowing her down, he bent down and kissed her.
As Lily kissed him back without hesitation, she thought to herself,
Wow. What a memorable summer.
--
Athena cheered as she saw Lily and James kiss.
"WOOT! They're together!" She said in a loud whisper. "They're actually together!"
"And so are we!" Sirius said, gathering Athena in his arms.
Athena put her arms around Sirius' neck and said, "Do know what kind of summer this is?"
"What kind?"
"A Summer of Love." She grinned.
"You're right." Sirius laughed. Then, he turned serious and said, "Now, will you kiss me?"
Athena grinned and shook herself away from him. "You're on your own buster."
And with that, Athena ran over to the new couple, leaving a disgruntled Sirius behind.
--
HA HA HA! What did you think? Lily and James are FINALLY together!
I hope that there was the L/J romance that you guys have been hoping for! And a little bit of humor from Athena and Sirius.
Ahh—Chapter 20 is done which means 21 is a-coming!
--Greekchic.
P.S. The end is near.