Chapter 8
Love Letters

James was just beginning to become conscious of a warm heaviness on his chest when sunlight assaulted his eyelids and he heard the distantly familiar voice of his mum croon, "Good morning, sleepy heads. French toast is in the dining room when you're ready to eat."

"Fuck yes," Sirius croaked.

"Language," his mother scolded.

"Yeah, Pads," Remus jumped in. "Wash your mouth out, here—"

Through blinking, bleary eyes, James swore he saw his mother smirk as Remus said, "Scourgify!" and bubbles erupted from Sirius's mouth behind her back, but then she turned her gaze on him, one eyebrow pointedly raised with a close-lipped smile twitching her mouth.

Full consciousness hit him as his mind woke up and spit memories back at him of the night before of Lily:snogging him in the broom shed, running through the rain, peeling off her shirt, straddling his lap in the laundry room, wearing his hoodie, holding her lit wand under her chin, snuggling up to him on the cou—

His eyes flicked down and his heart sped up as he saw the shock of dark red hair trailing over his shoulder and registered that the warm heaviness on his chest was her. She picked that moment to stir, cheek tilting up to burrow deeper into his neck, hand running up his side where it was already under his hoodie, hips rolling against his where she lay half on top of him, one leg slotted between his so that her pelvis pressed against his thigh. He'd never been more grateful to have a blanket covering his lower half, though he knew Lily would be able to feel him once she woke up.

Unthinkingly, he moved the hand resting on her hip up to her face and gently brushed her hair back.

"Hey," he whispered. "Morning."

"Mmph," came her grunted protest.

"Oi, lovebirds!" A pillow presumably thrown by Sirius narrowly avoided hitting James's face, but his arms had tightened instinctively around Lily in the process.

"Watch it, we're still waking up over here!" James called back.

His mother's hand patted his head as she rounded the couch where he was and headed toward the double doors. "Do be a good host, darling," her voice drifted, and no sooner had she spoken than Lily's body stiffened next to his.

"I will to everyone but Sirius—"

"Hey!"

"—who also lives here and can host himself—"

Several people snorted loudly as Sirius grumbled something James couldn't hear, but he wasn't paying attention anyway, because Lily had tentatively lifted her head and was blinking up at him with round, afraid eyes.

"Was that—"

James nodded. "My mum, yeah."

Lily paled. "And she…saw us?"

He smiled and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah," he answered quietly. "She doesn't mind."

Lily didn't quite look like she believed him—or maybe she was just nervous—but before James could say anything else, Mary was looming over them, Dorcas not far behind her, and holding out a hand. "We're gonna go freshen u-u-up," Mary said through a yawn that she covered with the back of her other hand. "Come with?"

"Yeah," Lily agreed. She sat up without looking at him, and though that avoidance caused its own set of nerves, James nonetheless used the opportunity to bunch the blanket over his lap as he sat up properly himself, making way for her to scoot off the couch.

It took everything he had in him to drag his eyes away from the sight of her retreating figure, still wearing his Quidditch hoodie with the letters of his last name emblazoned across her back, but he managed, if only because he was dangerously aroused for just waking up.

The moment the girls left the room, Sirius chucked another pillow at him, this one managing to hit him square in the face as he reached for his glasses.

"Good night, Prongsie?"

"I heard multiple of you snogging last night," grumbled Remus.

Kingsley chuckled sheepishly, though Sirius looked unfazed as he retorted, "Well, we have to listen to you and McKinnon snog all the time at school, so."

Remus only rolled his eyes. "I'm going for breakfast. You lot coming?"

Peter hurried to follow him ("Yep!") while Sirius and Kingsley straggled behind ("Yeah, yeah, don't get your knickers in a twist, Lupin"), but James stayed rooted where he was and tried to sound casual as he told them, "I, uh, I'll be right there."

They laughed good-naturedly as they left, bless, them, though Sirius did pause to shut the double-doors dramatically, telling him, "I'll tell Evans you're coming," with a wholly unnecessary wink.

James flopped back against the sofa with a groan, but he was too uncomfortable to let Sirius's teasing get to him. Under the cover of the blanket he'd gathered in his lap (just in case), he slipped a hand down his shorts and released the throbbing pressure building there with embarrassingly little effort.

Here lies James Potter, eternally pathetic for Lily Evans.


He'd just dished himself a plate of French toast when the girls came into the dining room.

Euphemia looked up from her paper, reading glasses still perched on the end of her nose, and beamed at them. "Hullo girls, please make yourself comfortable. Mary, darling, how are your parents?"

James chewed slowly as he watched Lily sit between Mary and Dorcas. Her cheeks looked fresh, like she'd washed her face, and she'd pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, the ends brushed out into looser curls than she'd had the night before.

She was also, he observed with a smile, still wearing his hoodie.

Absorbed as he was in watching her, he hadn't tracked the small talk being made, but then his mum said excitedly, "And you must be Lily Evans."

"Yes," Lily answered with a shy smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Potter."

"Oh," his mum tutted, "call me Euphie, dear, everyone does. And it's lovely to meet you too, I've heard so much about you—"

Panic sprung up in his chest. "Mum."

She ignored him, the traitor, and went on to say, "James tells us your the best in your year at Potions—"

Lily looked surprised for only an instant, and then she was tossing a teasingly smug smile at him.

"—and you know Fleamont, James's father, is a retired potioneer, though he still has a lot of friends in the industry, so if you'd ever like any introductions…"

Lily turned back to his mum, suddenly looking shy. "Thank you, that's—incredibly kind."

"Nonsense," Euphemia tutted, but James could tell she was pleased as she sipped her tea.

Sirius smacked his arm and demanded mid-chew, "Wha' m'I best at, then?"

Remus smirked and met James's eye before answering, "Coming up with the worst ideas."

"Oi!"


After they all leisurely finished second helpings of French toast and polished off several glasses of tea, orange juice, and water, their friends took off altogether, setting off down the drive in a clump that then dispersed to Apparate to their separate destinations.

James's palm still tingled from where Lily had snuck a quick squeeze of his hand as she'd whispered, "Do you want this back?" He'd been quick to reply, "Nah, you hold onto it, looks better on you, anyway," and the smile she'd left him with was still making his stomach do somersaults as he wandered back into the house with Sirius.

He'd meant to go straight upstairs, maybe flop on his bed and daydream of Lily some more, but as soon as they came back through the front door, he heard his mum call, "Boys! Come back in here."

James traded a look with Sirius, who asked confusedly, "Are we in trouble?"

"I don't…think so?"

Sirius frowned. "Because we've thrown parties here before."

"Yeah, loads of times," James agreed in a hushed voice. "Plus, it wasn't even a proper party, it was just our friends—"

"BOYS!"

Feeling as apprehensive as Sirius looked, James shuffled back into the dining room. "Yeah, Mum?"

She set her glasses down on top of the Prophet next to her plate. "So," she started, turning knowing, mirthful eyes on him. "You and Lily sure seemed cozy."

His stomach dropped through the dining room floor—that's what this was about? Was he about to get a lecture about girls? Now? "Er—"

"He even got a kiss last night," Sirius chimed in unhelpfully.

James glared at him, but Sirius only leaned casually against the doorframe with a wink.

His mother's brows arched higher, eyes still watching him intently. "Is that right?"

"I—" James looked between Sirius and his mum, both looking far too amused, but there was no escaping it now. "Yeah," he admitted, feeling a rare blush heat his neck, "we, um…yeah."

Euphemia's stare was unrelenting. "Well, I certainly hope you did a good job—"

"Mum!"

"—and that you're going to be taking her on a proper date—"

"Yeah, I asked her out—"

"—because she's lovely, and—oh good, do keep her around—"

"That is the idea…"

"—and do make sure she's on the potion before you have sex, darling—"

"Mum!"

Sirius tried to turn his snort into a cough, but it ended up just leaving him choking on air. James let him suffer, figuring he deserved it.

Euphemia prattled on, undeterred. "Like I said, you two looked cozy, and I'm not an idiot, James, I know exactly what goes on under blankets, Merlin knows your father and I—"

"Oh my god." He pinched his nose under his glasses, turning to leave. "I'm going upstairs."

"You should write to her today!" Euphemia called after him, and he threw a wave in the air to let he know he heard.

"She's right, you know," Sirius said behind him on the stairs.

"Huh?"

Sirius punched his arm lightly. "Write Evans. She's into you, Prongs."


Hey Evans,

Hope it's okay I got your address from Sirius, who got it from Mary. Which, come to think of it, probably means you already knew I asked for it. Which is a little embarrassing.

Anyway. We're going out of town for the week, my parents rented a place on the coast. Maybe when I'm back, we can go on that date?

JP


Hi Potter,

I did know you asked for my address, but that's not nearly as embarrassing as how excited I was when she told me.

Anyway. Very jealous of your beach holiday, all I have going on this week is the Cokeworth summer fair, though Mary's going to come with me this year. (Your mum is lovely, by the way.)

Hmm, what did you have in mind for "that date"? I'll have to deliberate, you know. You've set high expectations after that broom shed + laundry room combo. Not sure anything else can live up, to be honest.

LE


Geez, Evans, just give a bloke a heart attack, why don't you? It's not like I'm already stressing about taking the girl I like out, now I have to come up with something to top a broom shed AND a laundry room? You know what, I don't think I can. I'm truly sorry, Evans, but we'll never have a real date because I've already topped myself completely with wooing you (did I woo you?) in the un-sexiest locations of this entire fucking house.

Real talk though, what sounds fun? I've never had a date outside Hogsmeade, to be honest. And what's a fair?

JP


I'm laughing so hard, you have no idea. A fair is when a field is turned into an area with silly Muggle carnival games and rides and stuff. There's booths with junk food, and people dressed as clowns doing "magic" tricks, and usually a kissing booth with boys who aren't cute, and you can win prizes at the games like stuffed animals and live goldfish in little plastic bags (but they never stay alive very long). It's complete, utter ridiculousness, but they can be fun sometimes.

You ever been to the movies?

A wooed LE


I know you slipped in that kissing booth bit just to mess with me, and I'm here to tell you it didn't work. (Okay, fine, it totally worked.) I reckon the girls who work the ice cream shop here are just as un-cute as the boys in your kissing booth. (Can't stop thinking about kissing you, by the way.)

Uh, no, but if "the movies" are even half as fun as a "fair" sounds, I'm game.

xx James


Enclosed for your enjoyment: photographic evidence (Muggle, obviously) of

(1) the candy floss that gave me a stomach ache for ten hours (yes, it's bigger than my head, and yes, I ate the whole thing)
(2) the goldfish Mary won herself (we named him Argus, expecting him to die, but he's thriving in her charmed pond, go figure)
(3) Mary and I at the top of the Ferris wheel (that's Cokeworth behind us)

Alas, no boys were kissed this year, but Mary and I did have a nice cuddle on the Ferris wheel. Not the same as cuddling you, though.

I'll check on times. You'll be back by Friday night?

xx Lily


Evans, it's Sirius. What the bloody hell were you thinking, sending James a picture of you LICKING a giant pink oval thing of whatever that is?! He's losing his mind over here and won't stop staring at it, and I'm trying to get him to go surfing with me. Fix this or I will personally murder your goldfish.


Black, it's Mary's goldfish, actually, and she's grown quite attached, so I'd think twice about that. And he insinuated there were cute girls at your ice cream shop, so what else was I supposed to do?


I hear you're supposed to be surfing with Sirius instead of drooling over photographs of me? -wink-


Wow. WOW. You know what, Evans? You're not the only one who can play this game. Enclosed for your enjoyment: photographic evidence (magical, obviously) of (1) Sirius and I surfing, (2) Sirius and I surfing, and (3) Sirius and I surfing.

And yes, free anytime after 6 p.m. Friday.


You realize that not one of those photos are of the two of you actually surfing? You could at least caption them properly. Here, I'll demonstrate: *ahem*

(1) Sirius and I taking a brotherly photo with our hair blowing in the wind whilst we pretend we're models trying to smolder at the camera.
(2) Sirius splashing water at me while I try to swim away (I deserved it).
(3) Sirius and I sitting on our surf boards with the tops of our wet suits down so we can memorialize how great our abs looked that day.

Apparate to mine at 7.


My abs look great every day, actually. In case you were wondering.


I've been wearing your hoodie when it gets cold at night. In case you were wondering.


I'm excited to see you tomorrow. In case you were wondering. (Also, what does one wear to The Movies?)


I'm excited to see you too, James. I've been wanting to go on a date with you for awhile, you know. In case you were wondering. (Casual. I'll be in shorts.)


You can't say shit like that if you want me to survive until tonight. (I'll see you at 7.)


Fine, I'll tell my compliments to your shirtless photographs from now on. (Can't wait.)