Title: Kings Cross

Pairing: Lily/James

POV: 3rd Person

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 929

A/n Summer of 6th year, dedicated to Randommoment because I think I promised someone more, and it might well have been her.

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"Lily! Watch out!"

It was the summer of '76, young witches and wizards were poring out of Kings Cross Station and James Potter was just about to watch The Love Of His Life be mugged by a guy with shocking pink hair. Or so he thought.

Lily smiled as she scanned the station; she had spent all her life in London, and, amazing as the city was, she knew better than to stand around gawking. Honestly, if anything showed the Ministry's complete ignorance of anything muggle related it was the way they forced hundreds of confused magical families to make their way to Kings Cross several times a year. With the rise of muggle hatred, and theories that the Ministry were not completely against the movement, she wondered if it wasn't intentional; after all, even some muggles thought that the people you met in Kings Cross should be exterminated. She giggled. How ironic is that? Half the magical community thought she didn't deserve to live, and halve the muggle community felt the same. Who needs extremists, eh?

Just then she felt herself being lifted clean off the ground. She screamed.

"SIIIIDD! SID! Put me down NOW you great oaf!"

James looked on in horror as the tall man in torn clothing lifted The Love Of His Life into the air. He started running. Well, he attempted to start running. He'd never realised how busy Kings Cross was until he actually needed to get somewhere, funny that, but now Lily was screaming, and thrashing and…why was no one trying to help her? Were muggles really heartless animals? It sure looked like it.

Anyway, by now he had edged his way up to within punching distance and was beginning to reassess the situation. 1) Was Lily in pain, or just laughing? James had to admit he didn't really know her well enough to recognise any of her looks except the six levels of disapprovement. 2) Was taking on a tough guy, who was taller than him and had piercings in what James must assume were pretty painful places, really one of his better ideas? And 3) Was dissapprovement a real word?

"Excuse me! Put her down!"

Lily was spun around in the direction of a very out of place voice. She was back home, in the arms of a very good friend, and no one who normally addressed Sid sounded quite so polite.

Imagine her surprise when it turned out to be James Potter, a mild annoyance she thought to have been far far away by now.

Sid was whispering (well, the closet Sid could manage to a whisper) in her ear, "Do you know this guy Lily? He looks like one of your types, he sticks out like a sore thumb"

"He certainly is, Sid, and I have a feeling it'll be far quicker if you'll just let me down for a minute"

"And have you run back up North? Not a chance darling"

"Ahum." By this point James' courage was wavering. If the man has going to mug her James suspected he would've done it by now. Still, Lily wasn't frowning yet, so perhaps they could actually have a decent conversation for once- even if she was two foot up in the air.

"Hello Lily, fancy seeing you here?"

"I know James, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be home by now? Oh, and I apologise for Sid, it's just there's an important gig tonight and he claims he doesn't want me running back up North."

"Oh, ah, that's alright Lily. Hello there Sid."

"How are yer mate?"

"Um fine, thanks for asking. Anyway, I just came over to say hello."

"Well, hello then James, but I really think you ought to go. There's a march being held down the road, and I'm sure you're parents wouldn't want you caught up in it."

"Really? A march you say? I suppose we better be going then, don't worry Lily, I'll walk you home. Nice to meet you Sid."

"No James, I'm going to meet the march, you need to go home. Now."

"She's right mate, the NF are marching, we're going to meet them, there's a sit out actually, and you better go home. I'm sure you'll see Lily again next September, unless I can finally convince her to run away with me of course." He winked. James didn't feel reassured.

"It sounds dangerous Lily, and I can't let you get hurt, so I'll just walk you home and floo from there, my parents won't mind as long as I'm home for tea."

"James, why on Earth are you assuming I'd let you walk me home even if I wasn't set on meeting this march? We hardly talk at school, at most we exchange empty pleasantries, and if it's escaped your notice somehow I'm with Sid, between us we'll be fine. Now go home, and I'm sure I'll see you in September."

"Ready now, darling? We need to go"

"Well bye then." James called after the retreating shabby black jacket who was carrying The Love Of His Life away from him for another summer. In a moment of sudden (although, being a wizard, not divine) revelation James felt he finally got it, The Love Of His Life didn't love him. In fact, she didn't seem to care about him at all. That was what she had meant by the 'I don't want to be with people who believe that' and 'Do you ever really listen?' comments over the years.

He needed to speak to his friends.

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A/n: Well, what do you think? I can't claim it's completely accurate for the time but my parent's new Kings Cross and it always struck me as a really stupid place to make the 11 year olds get the train for the first time (although it is the line North). Anyway, coming soon, hopefully, is James talking to his friends (with a mention of the punky girl Sirius uses to scare his mother).

Thank you so much to all my 5 reviewers, and however has pushed my stats to 548.

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