A Stag and a Doe- James
Defence Against the Dark Arts had always been James' favourite lesson. It came naturally to him even more so than his other lessons and it was fun too. There was much more call to mess around with the other marauders and spice up the lives of the Slytherins in his own special way.
This year, it was fast becoming his favourite lesson for a very different reason. Professor Lamb, ex Gryffindor student and captain of the Quiditch team was thrilled that the head boy and girl were both in members of his old house and, assuming that they couldn't be anything less than amazing, demanded they work together.
Lily acted as if she was furious at first but James knew better. He'd watched her constantly since the first day he saw her on the Hogwarts Express. She was beautiful, even as an eleven year old, but it was her feisty temper that excited him. She was a talented witch and a complex person. She liked to wear her emotions on her sleeve when she was happy or angry but when she was upset or worried she was much more withdrawn. Her attempts to cover those emotions with her trademark anger fooled everyone but James and he always knew when not to annoy her, even though it killed him to not at least attempt to talk to her once every day.
Now, it wasn't sadness she was trying to cover but what he really, really hoped was happiness. Ever since he'd been made head boy he'd gotten much closer to Lily. She had to let him in at least a little if they were to work together and James had slowly worked his way higher and higher in her opinion that he could believe that they were friends now. And if they were friends, he could hope much less vainly that they could be something more than friends.
He turned curiously to look at her now, wanting to see what she was feeling and hoping that she was just as distracted as he was, thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her.
He smiled, seeing her sparkling green eyes glazed over, her chin resting in her hand and facing slightly towards him. She was thinking about him. Was she? Or was it just his wishful thinking taking over again, the way it had so many times before.
She looked up, probably feeling his gaze on her face and James was obliged to speak. He didn't want her to know he'd been staring at her again.
"It's not like you to be distracted Evans… Thinking about me were you?" Did she just blush? Maybe it wasn't wishful thinking…
"In your dreams Potter, I was thinking about writing home, that's all. What are we doing?"
"Paring up and practising Patronuses," he answered quickly. She was so difficult to read, shooting hot and cold signals all over the place that could drive him crazy. It made him want to drive her crazy too just so he knew he could affect her the way she affected him.
"This is one spell you are NOT going to master quicker than me, Lil. Not even by summoning the happiest memory you've ever had." Well, except if you're in love with someone. Then just thinking about him will be strong enough to produce a patronus, the way it was for him a few months ago.
"Whatever Potter. Winning the quiditch cup isn't quite a happy enough memory to produce a corporeal patronus. Maybe if I'd actually agreed to go out with you once…" She stopped but it was already too late. The ember of hope James had allowed himself to cradle as their friendship grew and burst into a full blown bonfire.
"Whoa, watch what you're saying there Lils. You have been thinking about me haven't you? Upset I haven't asked you out in a while?" It was bold. It was brave. It could ruin everything they'd built up over the last year but James didn't really care because Lily had mentioned dating him. Mentioning it meant she'd been thinking about it. She wanted it.
"N-no of course not," was her stammered reply. There was no anger in her voice or on her face though, just a beautiful, intoxicating deep red blush.
"Now stop trying to distract me and get on with the spell. Or don't you realise how important learning to cast a patronus is? It can save your soul you know, if you have one." She was cold again but this time it didn't quash James' hope, he could tell when she was hiding her real emotions. Maybe if he opened up to her he could coax her into letting them out. She was so complex; he loved to carefully untangle her layers one by one whenever she let him.
"Yeah I know. I cast one once before. Dementors out of the ministries control attacked my house about a year back and my dad didn't have his wand on him. I literally saved his soul, if he has one." James heard the tinge of scorn in his voice as he repeated Lily's words back to her but he didn't want to mask how he felt about his father in front of her, the way he did with others. He wanted to be completely honest.
"Merlin James, I had no idea." She replied, true awe and amazement in her voice." That's, that's amazing. Casting a patronus like that without training. That's amazing magic. Your dad must have been so grateful."
"Yeah something like that." He thought back to that day without much joy. His dad hadn't been in the least bit grateful James had saved him. Instead he simply asked James to sit with him in his study without even a simple thank you before he launched into a full blown lecture about magic, the responsibilities it generated and how James really had to apply himself at school. He was obviously talented and with effort he could land a cushy high-paid ministry position like his father. No thanks, James wanted to be an auror. It was as far from a cushy office position as he could get without his father cutting him off completely and he'd be able to fight death eaters.
Although he wanted to be honest with Lily, he didn't want to vent all his problems with his father in one go, he just wanted her to know what sort of a man he was before changing the subject.
"Fluke," was all she said to his explanation and he was glad she understood he couldn't and wouldn't talk about it yet.
"Yeah? We'll see about that. Come on, cast together. On the count of 3…"
He stared at her, happy not to need an excuse and even more thrilled she was staring back.
"Ready? 1…2…" He started to conjure up his happiest memories. The first day he'd seen her on the Hogwarts Express, getting his heads letter with the words 'working alongside Head Girl Lily Evans', patrolling and talking together late at night, the first time she called him James, the hope she'd ignited in him just a few minutes before that she might love him back one day…
"3." They were staring at each other, smiling the same smile.
"Expecto Patronum!" They yelled simultaneously and James had to force himself to break eye contact to look at the patronuses that had escaped from both their wands.
And when he did look away, it was the most breathtaking, amazing, perfect, sensational thing he'd ever laid eyes on. Of all the times he'd dreamed of Lily saying yes he'd never actually imagined that she would feel like this. That she could love him the way he loved her without realising it was just incredible. And now he would show her what it really was to be so completely in love with one person and only one person for forever.
So he kissed her, with every ounce of love, of lust, of anything he had ever felt towards her and she kissed him back. The perfection of the moment crashed over James in waves and for the first time in his Hogwarts lifetime he was ready to kill when Sirius broke the moment.
"Prongs my boy, just when I think you've finally given up you pull a stunt like this. At least she couldn't say no this time, huh?"
"Yeah Padfoot, couldn't say no." Couldn't he tell this was hardly the time for joking? "Did you see my patronus? Did you see Lily's? A stag and a doe."
"Geez Prongs. I always knew you'd get her one day but I didn't expect her to be in love with you!"
"Neither did I. But you know what this means Sirius. We're Meant to be together. We have to be."
"Don't get your hopes up too high, mate. Just ask her out, take it slow. You're only young you know. Too young to get tied down."
James had stopped listening. Lily was staring at him, her lips moving unintelligibly.
"A stag and a doe," she repeated as they stared at each other. Sirius had cottoned on and shut up, in fact, the entire room was silent. Waiting.
"Go out with me, Evans?" He dared to ask, terrified that she'd say no again. That she'd hit him for kissing her, curse him for looking at her like that, hex him just because she wanted to.
But she didn't. Instead she muttered the golden word he'd waited to hear for almost seven years.
"Ok. Maybe just once, Potter."
A.N. So what did you think? I know it took me longer than I told you it would but I found it harder to right as James, and to get into his more masculine mindset so I'm really sorry if he came off sounding incredibly girly or at least a little camp lol. It also turned out to be longer than I thought because James has so much love for Lily that I could hardly condense it down. Anyway, let me know what you think and if you'd like any more instalments to this story as I may continue it if you want. Hope you enjoyed it! Please review :)