Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if that's you.
Author's Note: Tradition for tradition's sake is outdated, even if traditions are the backbone of society.
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 11); MC4A
Individual Challenges: Gryffindor MC (x3); Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; In a Flash
House: Hufflepuff
Assignment No.: Term 11 – Assignment 03
Subject (Task No.): Magical Law & Government (Task#8: Write about outdated ideals.)
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Insane House Challenge [269] ("That's what he taught me."); 365 [20] (Require); Galleon (chocolate frogs)
Space Address (Prompt): n/a
Representation(s): Lily/James; Lily/James/Sirius QPR
Bonus Challenges: Grease Monkey; In the Trench; Second Verse (Not a Lamp; Found Family; Nontraditional; Zucchini Bread; Unwanted Advice; Car in a Tutu; Lovely Coconuts); Chorus (Wabi Sabi; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Tomorrow's Shade; Larger than Life; Unicorn)
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: SN (Rail); T3 (Terse); FR (Satisfaction; Liberation)
Word Count: 631
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Canine Ideals
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James started with a hair ribbon. Sirius suggested the hair ribbon, actually. Tradition would require that he only give her a hair comb or hair stick. When James had confessed to wanting to court Lily, Sirius had been the first person that he had told, and not just because Sirius was his best friend. Sirius was also one of Lily's best friends. His insights were going to be vital for success.
And if Sirius' ideas weren't exactly aligned with James' parents' ideas? Well, sometimes even the best of traditions became outdated.
So James started with a hair ribbon—emerald green, to match her eyes. The ribbon had its edges hemmed in gold thread. Lily had smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. It quickly became a staple part of her wardrobe, despite the teasing she got from the other Gryffindor girls for wearing something so close to Slytherin green. Lily was not the type to let something like a simple school rivalry stop her from wearing his courting gift. It was their seventh year, after all, and she was looking to the future.
The second gift was supposed to be flowers. His mother had suggested roses, as traditional among the English. His father had suggested jasmine or hibiscus as traditional for Hindus. Once again, James decided to err on the side of caution and ask his inside source. Sirius had passed along that lily-of-the-valley and heather were Lily's favorite flowers. Professor Sprout was kind enough to help James build the arrangement. On Sirius' suggestion, James had cast a crystallization charm over most of the bouquet, leaving only three sprigs of each kind of flower.
"Wilted flowers make her sad," Sirius had told him, pinning him in place with a needle-sharp look. "Never make her sad. Best mate or not, I will make you regret it."
"Then why am I leaving any of the blossoms natural?!"
"She'll want to press them," Sirius explained. "She likes doing things like that, because it makes her books smell nice and it preserves them as mementos of important occasions. Trust me, Prongs: this is an important occasion."
So, James had once again strayed from tradition on Sirius' advice. Once again, Lily had loved it. Even better, she had even started wearing some of the crystallized sprigs tucked into her braids and ponytails. It made him so proud to see her wearing his gifts, and he knew that she knew that.
The next gift he almost went with his parents' suggestions. A box of imported chocolates handcrafted by magical chocolatiers seemed far more romantic than Sirius' suggestion of chocolate frogs. Sirius had shrugged not offended at James' declaration. He had nearly sent off the order form for the Swiss truffles before he had scratched that plan in favorite of ordering a gross of chocolate frogs from Honeydukes like Sirius had suggested. Padfoot hadn't steered him wrong yet.
"I was a bit worried, you know," Lily told James after he had given her the chocolate frogs. "You can be so traditional sometimes. I worried that I would have to pretend to love your courting gifts more than I really did. I would have loved everything you chose, because it all came from you, but I really love what you chose instead."
"Well, Sirius did say that following tradition for just tradition's sake was an outdated ideal," James explained, "and he really would know, wouldn't he?"
"He is the king of bucking traditions, isn't he?" Lily agreed. "He would know how to do it best. You should always listen to Sirius."
"That's what he taught me."
"I think I can stand to keep you and your menagerie around forever," she said before leaning in for a kiss. James grinned.
"Forever, huh?"
"Don't push it, Mr. Pointy."