Hey thanks to PhoenixTears-x and xscarredx13 for their reviews! More are always appreciated. I fixed the accidental Harry/James typo in Chapter 3. I only write at like 2 in the morning so I'm not always mentally stable. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
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Potions. Again. James remembered his outlandish behavior last week in class and chose to sit in the very back with Sirius as opposed to his seat with Lily in the front. He pulled out his cauldron and placed it on the table a little harsher than he should have. The sound echoed through the dungeon and Slughorn raised his head form his book to see what the sound was. "What's the problem James? I know you got to the dormitory back rather late but something else seems to be bothering you," Sirius also placed his cauldron on the table as he attempted to lend an emotional hand to his friend.
But James wasn't able to respond to Sirius question immediately because another loud thunk that came from beside him. Lily's cauldron was still attempting to settle upon the table as she placed her book, paper and quills on the table. James must have been giving her a look of extreme perplexity because Lily turned a light shade of pink. "I thought I would sit back here today if that's ok." James looked up towards the front of the class where he caught the glare of Snape who was giving him a look that could kill. James leaned over to Sirius who saw the nasty look they were receiving from Snape and said, "It's hard to not repeat our little de-pantsing of the bastard from fifth year."
Sirius laughed and slammed his book onto the table. "I still can't believe you didn't let us give him to Moony when he was in his furry stage. That would have been a good show to see." James however did not agree with Sirius on this matter. He knew that if he had let Snape enter the shrieking shack he would have been ripped to shreds and not only would it be Remus' fault but it would also be his own. Snape was indebted to James but he knew that they could never be friends.
Slughorn rose from his seat and patted his large belly. "Well class… let's see what shall we make today.. how about Veritaserum! Get into groups of three and pick one person who will have the serum used upon them. You all better do them correctly or you will have some very angry partners coming after you. Now begin!" Everyone began scrambling to get into groups. James and Sirius looked around for another person to add to their group and Lily looked expectantly at James. In a rather surprised tone James asked her to be in their group. She accepted his request and began to kindle the fire below her cauldron to start the serum going. Sirius gave James a "you sorry sod" look, but James rubbed it off.
After the final stir Slughorn yelled for the end of time. He began his usual walk around the room looking into each cauldron. First, Slughorn looked into Snape's cauldron, which was both colorless and odorless. He gave an approving smile and a clap with his sausage looking hands. "Excellent job Mr. Snape, Mr. Avery and Mr. Wilkes! Now who shall be our tester?" Wilkes raised hand and sat in one of the 4 chairs that were conjured before the class for the testers. He went to the next two groups, one he scrunched his nose at and grudgingly let some one sit before the class where as the next group he asked to clean out their cauldron in fear of harming someone with their potion. When he finally went to James, Sirius, and Lily's cauldron he smiled. "Oh Lily Evans I know that you had to have done a great deal with this because it is as perfect as Severus'! Now which of you is going to test it?" Lily blushed and raised her hand before Sirius or James could.
Lily sat down beside the other two and folded her hands in her lap. She usually was not nervous, but for some reason she had a slight shake in her. Slughorn took Snape's Veritaserum and gave three drops to Wilkes.
"What is your name?" Slughorn questioned.
"Alton Baldric Wilkes" the boy replied.
"What house do you belong to?"
"Slytherin."
"What color of underwear you wear Alton?" Slughorn let out a laugh after this one. The class joined him as Wilkes replied with, "Pink with white Billywigs." The class roared to this one as Wilkes willingly showed the class his underwear.
"Wonderful job boys! I believe the serum will fade in a short while so if you want anything out of him, get it while you can!" Slughorn said before he moved on to the next group. Theirs did not go quite so well. Their volunteer could only answer in couplets that usually had nothing to do with the question. They were however given partially credit since the couplets did tend to be rather humorous (on the extremely crude side).
"Next we have my favorite member of the Slug Club! Miss Lily Evans! Let's see how well yours shall work!" Lily took three drops and suddenly felt as if her body would succumb to anything. Slughorn asked his usual first question of "What's your name?"
"Lily Evans."
"And what is your favorite class at Hogwarts?" Slughorn had a smug grin on his face when he asked this question only to be thwarted with Lily's "Charms."
He shook it off, but gave a much more personal question next. "Are you currently in a romantic relationship with anyone or plan to be in one anytime soon?" Many of the guys in the classroom sat on the edge of their seats.
"I am not currently seeing anyone, but there is someone on my mind," Lily stated. Why did you volunteer for this?! Concentrate! Concentrate! Try to stop talking! Lily screamed inside her head and attempted to overcome the serum.
"And who might that be?"
"No one," Lily coughed out. She felt as if her body has been freed from being bound by ropes, allowing her to breathe and take grasp of her bearings.
"Well I guess the Serum has faded a little faster than I would have hoped, so I'll have to dock you all just a couple of points. But brilliant job! Now I'd like an essay on how to keep the serum from fading so fast, and it shall be due next week!"
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Today is the day, James Potter thought to himself as he attempted to make his hair look as wind swept as possible before he and the gang headed off for the final visit to Hogsmeade before the holidays. Today is the day. James pulled his sweater over his head and made a final check to make sure nothing was stuck in his teeth. While he made his way down the dormitory stairs he adjusted his glasses. At the portrait waited Sirius, Remus, and Peter, ready to head down.
"Today is the day," James stated to Remus when he reached them at the porthole. Remus gave his friend a kind smile and Sirius threw back his head in laughter.
"Good luck mate!" Sirius called back as he began to climb through the hole.
Luckily the wind was only a slight breeze and they had grown used to the cold that slept upon the grounds of the school. But the last thing on James' mind was the weather. The crowds of students began the tread down to the small village of Hogsmeade and James felt as if he was the only one that was making the journey. Today is the day.
The four Gryffindors strolled into the Three Broomsticks and James began his visual search for the head of radiant red hair that beckoned him. But to his dismay he saw no such sight. She's always at the Three Broomsticks… James' mind began to race at where she could be, and he left the pub without even saying good-bye to his friends. He rushed out into the cold and made his way into each shop in the village but no sign of her. Frustration ran through James as he decided to spend the remainder of his trip to Hogsmeade in self-loathing at the shrieking shack. With his feet slipping and sliding down the hill, James entered the shack that was known as being the most haunted building in Britain, due to his furry friend. The rotting floor was covered in a thin layer of dust and grime, but James did not mind. The last thing on his mind was dirt getting on his pants. More snow began to fall as James sat on the floor and ran a hand through his hair. I guess today was not the day.
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"So did you woo her into your arms this afternoon Prongs?" Sirius pestered James as he played with a card he had received from a chocolate frog. James rolled his eyes at the question and didn't bother to answer. Sirius lost his playful tone and jumped from his bed to sit beside James on his bed. "I'm sorry mate. Did she turn you down or what?"
"I could not find her anywhere so I'm just giving up. Lily Evans wants a man with a foundation , a man with character, a man with skill, a ma-"
"A man who isn't going to puss out when he wants her! James put yourself out there! Throw her the offer and if she won't take it then she isn't worth it! And don't forget, you can always go along with one of the usual 5th years that wants your dick. Look on the bright side! That's what I always do." Sirius attempted to comfort his friend, yet he was not doing exactly that. James felt only more perplexed by Sirius and needed to get some air.
"I'll try to think about your advice. Especially that last part." James pulled his invisibility cloak out from his trunk and left the dormitory. There were still quite a few people in the common room, seeing as it was only eleven in the evening on a Saturday. Everyone moved out of the way of James, seeing as he had a rather awful scowl upon his brow as he charged toward the porthole. Each person that James passed in the hall got barked at as James made his way to the seventh floor. When he finally came to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls to dance ballet, he walked past it three times. A door appeared like always and James entered a room that was dimly lit, with a fire fizzling before a comfy looking couch that was close to the ground. James threw his cloak on the floor and fell upon the couch. A large glass of firewhiskey appeared beside the couch and James drank the burning liquid like pumpkin juice. His throat screamed at the touch of the alcohol but he continued to down the beverage.
James knew he should not be acting so immature about something as unreasonable as a girl but he could not contain himself. He had never felt so strongly about someone before, and it drove him crazy that the one girl he desired for was the one girl who did not desire him. After throwing the empty glass upon the floor another glass full to the brim arose in its place. The fire sparked and shook James from his daze. He no longer felt alone in the room, and the last thing he needed was Sirius or Remus trying to "comfort" him. Or worse it could be someone else. James turned his head slightly to see a shadow coming towards him from the door. Quickly, James was on his feet with wand at the ready. But to his disappointment or possibly joy, it was Lily Evans.
James, feeling like a fool put his wand back into his pocket and collapsed back into the couch. He grabbed the firewhiskey and drank a large gulp, while Lily took a seat beside him. Oh you are only ten hours late Lily… of course you have to come when I am on the verge of tears with booze in my hand. James was mentally kicking himself, especially after looking next to him, where Lily sat. She was wearing her muggle clothes, but this particular outfit did not hide her assets, that were one of James' many favorite features. It took him a little too long to realize that he was staring.
James reached down to get a drink of firewhiskey to ease his mind but was surprised to taste that the alcohol had turned into black coffee. He almost spit the drink when he tasted it. Lily laughed, and he knew that she was behind it.
"So what are you doing here?" James asked, wiping his face of the coffee debris. Lily ran a hand through her thick red hair and sighed. She smiled and turned to look at James. "I followed you."
Lucky for James the room was dim or Lily would have seen his face turn a bright shade of pink. Today is the day. James felt a rush of adrenaline that could out run even the largest amount of felix felicis a man could take. James boldly grabbed Lily's hand in his own and looked into her eyes. Her beauty and smarts were more than enough for James, but her eyes were what did him in the end. The deepest and brightest green James had seen only her eyes would burn into his own eyes each time he gazed into them.
"Lily," James paused, attempting to make the moment last. But he didn't have a say in what occurred next. Lily pressed her lips against his and James felt time stand still. He ran a hand through the hair that he expectantly looked for each day in the corridors. The two seemed to melt into the couch and suddenly the room was filled with illumination, tearing the two from each other. Candles floated about the room as the fire continued to cackle. The couch had turned into bed that rested upon the floor, covered in satin sheets.
Lily was the first to let out a laugh and James shortly joined in. "Wow, I think the room is enjoying this moment as much as we are," James laughed. The laughing soon ceased and the two went to lying on the bed simply staring into each other's eyes. "Lily Evans," James began once again, "I have loved you for longer than I think I have known." James placed his hand upon the soft chin of the girl before him. "I have been miserable without you in my life and I hope from this moment on, I am never miserable again."
Lily rolled onto her back and grinned. "What exactly are you inquiring Potter?"
James mirrored her action. "What exactly do you think I'm asking?"
In mere seconds Lily climbed on top of James and continued to kiss him. He melted below her and felt every bone in his body liquefy (except for one of course). For a moment Lily stopped. "Is that a yes?" James asked before she continued to plant kisses on his neck. At this point James didn't care what her answer was, but only wanted to have Lily in his life forever. He was not sure of what she intended on doing in this room on this particular evening, but whatever it was James wanted to wait. So James lifted himself up and onto his elbows causing Lily to stop.
"Is something wrong?" Lily asked with a look of worry on her face. James gave her a kiss on the forehead to assure her that nothing was wrong. "I love you Lily."
"As I love you James." She responded before she snuggled her head into his chest. James knew that nothing was going to happen since in mere moments the woman who he had longed for so dearly to be in his life had fallen into a quick and very deep sleep. Today was the day.
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Well I hope that this chapter was pretty good. Tried to make it longer than usual since I'm going to be out of town and out of reach of a computer for the next two weeks. Reviews are always welcome!