Finally, I actually did it!
Happy Columbus Day everyone! If you're in the US of course. Otherwise, happy whatever day of the week you're reading this :D
This is the first time I'm doing a chapter completely centered around James. He was surprisingly fun to write, and actually doing this chapter gave me Jily feels XD Not that they're going to get together now, obviously. She still hates him (that's not a spoiler, right? everyone knows it takes forever XD).
Anyway, I'm on chapter 46 in writing fifth year and it's getting really sad. But school and life has been crazy lately so I haven't had a chance to really write much, just think about what I will write when I have a chance to just sit down Dx
Kam, welcome back! I love Sirius's compassion for Remus too. I think we can agree that even though they both love each other, Sirius's love is very strong (or maybe it's just way more obvious XD).
katiek121, thanks for the review :D
Thanks to everyone who's faved and followed recently. It's always nice to know people are reading. Next chapter is number 30! Love ya!
~SXS
FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER AN.
The Marauders had their hands full with projects for the months ahead. They'd hardly been able to think about their annual prank between measurements for the map and finding time to meditate. Now on top of this they were trying to come up with ways to get James and Lily alone together. Unfortunately, this was difficult being that the fiery red-head refused to acknowledge his existence most of the time, and so their methods had to employ trickery. On the bright side, that was their specialty.
The first attempt in the Evans Coming Around Initiative was Sirius's idea. Knowing that there were few options to ensure that James and Lily had to be trapped in the same place for a certain amount of time with no escape, he believed that getting them both a detention would be their best bet. One Charms class later (involving levitating professor spectacles, James volunteering his guilt, and Lily hers by way of a charm to treat her like a ventriloquist dummy), the unlikely duo was set for a two-hour long detention.
On the night of his hopefully romantic punishment, James was practically shaking with nerves. He kept looking at himself in the mirror and messing with his hair, even though no matter how many times he ran his hands through it, it remained the same.
"This isn't a date, James," Remus reminded him. "You're going to be in detention, and I'm sure by now Lily is onto the fact that we plotted this whole thing, so she's probably going to be mad."
"Will you stop with your hair? It is what it is, Prongs," Sirius said. Then his face lit up in a grin. "Hey, I can say that two ways, actually. It is what it is: prongs. That nickname really is appropriate."
"Not helping!" James said, taking water from the basin and trying once again to smooth his hair down. "And don't ever talk to me about hair. You're as bad as a girl in the mornings now that you've grown yours out."
"I am not!" Sirius said, clutching at some of his shoulder-length waves. "I just brush it thoroughly. What's the point of going around with a rat's nest on my head? Maybe that's your problem, Mr. Looks Like He Just Rolled Out of Bed."
"Ladies," Remus interrupted, which made both boys pout. "James is going to be late if he doesn't leave soon."
"Don't worry, Prongs," Peter said. "You look fine, and as long as you're nice, there's no way Lily won't like you."
"Just don't mention Snivelly. At all," Sirius added.
James took one last look at himself and then nodded. "Right. I'm ready for this." He puffed out his chest and put his hands on his hips, turning sideways to look at himself from another angle. Remus rolled his eyes and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Go already," he said, pushing him out the door. "And remember, this is detention, so don't get discouraged if she's upset."
James paused for a second once he was standing outside their room. He did feel better with his friends' reassurances, but they weren't enough to change the fact that this was a long shot. He'd be lucky if Lily would even look him in the eye once they were in the midst of their punishment. But maybe if he didn't say anything to her at all, she'd see that spending time with him could be bearable.
He started down the moving stairs once he'd exited the common room, making his way to Flitwick's office where they would be meeting for the punishment. Lily was already outside the door when he got there. James didn't even have a chance to open his mouth before she was putting a hand up in front of his face.
"Save it, Potter. I know that you have something to do with me even being here in the first place. If this is some sort of desperate attempt to get me to like you, then you have no idea how to treat a lady."
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted Sirius," James muttered to himself.
"What?"
"N-Nothing, nothing. But I really don't know why you stood up and blamed yourself for what I did, Evans," he said with a shrug of false innocence. "Unless you just couldn't stand the thought of me having to spend detention all alone." He smirked, sliding closer to her along the wall. She scoffed.
"The only company you need is another pig like yourself." Lily then crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, waiting for Flitwick to come out of his office.
James's face fell and he mentally kicked himself. He needed to stop talking to Lily that way, or he'd make things worse. He clasped his lips shut tightly as the door to Flitwick's office opened and the short professor stepped out.
"Come." He shuffled out in front of the pair and started off towards the stairs. "You're lucky you two decided to play your little prank on me. Another professor might have reported such an act to the Headmaster." James bit his lip, now grateful for their choice of victims. If he had gotten Lily reported to Dumbledore he'd really be in hot water.
"You'll be spending the next two hours in the Detention Chamber," Flitwick continued as they made it to the first floor. They walked towards the History of Magic classroom, but stopped at a door before it which Flitwick opened. He brought them into a small room which only contained a few desks and chairs. "The door will automatically open when your detention is over. I'm trusting the two of you not to talk-" Lily muttered something along the lines of 'No problem' "-and your magic will be suppressed until the two hours are up. Hopefully this will allow you time to think about your actions."
With that Flitwick left and closed the door, a locking sound following. As soon as it was shut, James could felt a strange sensation come over him, as if he was being squeezed at the wrists. He decided to take his wand out and try lighting it up, but nothing happened.
"Didn't you just hear what Flitwick said, Potter?" Lily asked, rolling her eyes. "Or do you think that you're so 'amazing' that the rules don't apply to you? Actually, I don't need you to answer that." She flopped into a chair as far away from the boy as possible.
James sighed and he sat down across the room. This was turning out to be a bust. He put his elbow on the table, cheek in his hand, and started tracing lines in the wood with the tip of his wand. He supposed this was how he'd pass the time.
At least that's what he thought until it had been so long he didn't think he could take just sitting there anymore without losing his mind. "How much longer until we're out of here?" he groaned, letting his head hit the desk.
"An hour and fifty minutes," Lily said. "Now hush up in case Flitwick can tell whether or not we're talking."
James let out another groan and then turned his head towards the only other occupant in the room. It was then that he realized that she had a piece of parchment in front of her and was scratching away at it with a quill.
"Hey, where'd you get that?" he asked, standing up and moving towards her.
"I brought it. Flitwick always gives Chamber detentions so I knew I was going to need something to keep me busy." She didn't look up from what she was working on. James took advantage of this, tiptoeing in her direction.
"How do you know what kinds of detentions Flitwick gives?" James asked, softening his voice just a little so it didn't sound closer than she remembered.
Lily let out an annoyed breath through her nose. "I've heard from friends."
James was halfway across the room now, and he stretched his neck, trying to see what Lily was writing. However, instead of lines on her parchment, he saw splotches.
"What are you drawing?" he asked, slipping closer.
Lily finally looked up, and when she saw how close James now was, she quickly covered the parchment with her arms. "None of your business! Go back to your chair."
"Oh come on, Evans. I won't judge, honest." James grinned, closing more of the space between them, but staying out of arms' reach just in case Lily fancied hitting him. "I didn't even know that you could draw."
"That's because we're not friends," Lily pointed out curtly, and she twisted her body away from him.
"But we could be," James said, and his voice thankfully sounded earnest.
"No, we can't," Lily snapped, turning back to him with her green eyes blazing. "Because on a general basis, you're the most rude, arrogant, thick-headed person on the planet. Frankly I'm surprised that we're even holding a somewhat civil conversation right now."
What little hope that had been building inside James was quickly dissipating, but he pressed on. He wasn't ready to give up yet. "That's because I'm really not as bad as you think," he said with his best attempt at a winning smile.
Lily huffed a laugh. "I don't believe that for a second. Now leave me alone. We're supposed to be quiet." She went back to her drawing, keeping her non-dominant arm around the parchment so James couldn't see.
The messy-haired Marauder was at a loss, not knowing what he could possibly say next. Even though he wasn't acting like a flirt, Lily still wanted nothing to do with him. Would she really never give him a chance as long as he hated Severus?
James looked back at the chair he'd been sitting in before, but he really didn't want to go back and be bored to death for another who knew how long until the door opened. Plus he was still curious as to what Lily was drawing, and he decided that finding out was a worthy use of his time. Seeing as he couldn't use magic to help him, he was going to have to rely on his cunning to sneak a peek.
He started to walk towards his seat, just in case Lily could see in her peripheral vision. But then he looped around towards the back of the room, where there was another desk behind hers. He was as quiet as he possibly could be, and wished that he had his cloak with him to add to his stealth, but for now this would do. Once he'd reached the desk behind Lily's, he climbed on top and walked slowly across until he was right behind the red-head, still at an angle in her seat as she drew. He paused, leaning himself as much as possible to try to see past her crimson locks, but he was still in a bad spot. Judging by where he was currently standing, however, moving forward any more would make himself noticeable. He needed to stretch further.
James reached out his arms in front of himself and got onto his tiptoes, then leaned again, pressing his hands to the wall for support. The brick under his left hand pushed in, causing his elbow to buckle, and he lost his balance. With a surprised yelp, he crashed down on top of Lily.
"POTTER, WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!?" she cried as she pushed at his shoulders.
James sat up quickly and he scrambled off of Lily. "Sorry. I'm sorry, I lost my footing. Are you okay?"
"No, I am not okay!" she shouted, getting up and fixing her clothes. "Your stupid knee got me in the stomach!"
"Damn. I'm sorry, Evans, really, I-" James cut off as his eye caught the wall he'd just been leaning on. Where there had moments ago been black bricks there was now a large rectangular hole. "Hey, look. A secret passage!"
Lily, who was still rubbing her stomach, looked at him like he was crazy. But when she followed his gaze she saw the opening for herself. She turned back to the boy who had a wicked grin on his face. "Don't tell me you're planning on going in there."
"Of course I am!" James said, standing up. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Evans, but exploring secret passages is in the Marauder's Code of Conduct." Or at least it would be if they ever developed an official one.
"The Marauders?" Lily asked with a raised brow. "Is that what you call your little group of pranksters?"
James's cheeks heated just a bit, but he turned his nose up. "It may be cheesy but it's fitting." Lily snorted.
"Well, you have fun risking your life down there. I'm going to wait to be let out into a hallway I know is safe." She got up and climbed back into her chair, smoothing out the parchment that had gotten crumpled in the fray.
"Suit yourself." While James hated to leave Lily by herself, it was probably better that he quit now before he made anything worse. He was already afraid that he'd dug himself into a deeper hole than he'd already been in. Making a quick note of which brick had activated the door (as this would be valuable information for the map) he stepped into the passage. The instant he'd passed through, he could feel his magic unlocking again, and he pulled his wand out. "Lumos." His wand tip lit up. "Hey, Evans, I got my magic back!"
"Goodbye, Potter," Lily drawled, uninterested.
James peered his head through one last time. "Are you sure that you'd rather sit here and draw alone in this dusty, dingy old room for another hour or more?" Lily's hand stopped moving. "After all, you don't really deserve to be here."
The red-head closed her eyes, gripping her quill more tightly as she debated in her head, and then she groaned. "Fine. I'll come." She folded up her parchment and stowed it away with her quill in her robes pocket. "But only because you must be scared to go by yourself."
"I am not scared!" James exclaimed. "I'm a Gryffindor, and as you should know, that means I'm fearless." He moved aside so that Lily could enter the passage.
"There's no shame in fearing the unknown," she said, lighting up her own wand. The two of them started down the passage together.
For all his bluster, James was a little worried about what might lurk ahead in the passage. But he kept his uncertainties well hidden under a confident exterior as he walked in front of Lily, the corridor too small for them to walk side by side.
A few minutes into the journey, Lily's foot caught on an uneven piece of ground. She squeaked as she flopped forward, hands landing on James's back. Said boy, however, hadn't expected the touch and he sprang into the air with an effeminate yelp. Whirling around, he aimed his wand, only to come face to face with the object of his affections, laughing at his overreaction. "Some brave Gryffindor you are," she taunted.
James flushed deeply, lowering his wand as he could see the light shaking. "H-Hey, you're the one that touched me!"
"I tripped. I was trying not to fall on my face." Lily smirked at him, hands on her hips.
"Well…That doesn't make it any less unexpected." James rolled his shoulders back and turned around again so they could continue on. Lily was still giggling behind him, and while he was embarrassed, it was the first time he'd ever made her do anything besides scowl. Maybe he needed to look into making a fool of himself more often.
It wasn't long before they found themselves at a door, and James tried the knob. It was unlocked and swung open into the History of Magic classroom, which was thankfully empty. Not that he thought Professor Binns would be any sort of threat if he was there.
"Well," Lily said, as she stepped through the door and closed it. It disappeared, which was why James didn't recall ever having seen it before during class. "I guess sometimes your thick-headedness can be beneficial."
"See? I'm not so bad." James grinned and winked, but Lily shook her head.
"No, not when it comes to breaking the rules. But in general you tend to be pretty terrible," she said, though with much less heat than she'd used earlier in the night. She went to the classroom door and opened it a crack, peeking into the hall.
James peeked out as well, over her head. "Come on, Evans," he whispered as he waited to see if Flitwick or Filch were roaming. "We talked without me trying to hit on you and I got you out of detention. Maybe you should give me a chance."
"Don't talk to me about giving people chances," she said, opening the door all the way and scurrying down the hall. James was quick to follow while the coast was clear.
"If you're talking about Snivellus-"
"Severus," she corrected hotly.
James started again. "If you're talking about Snape, he's not exactly the most sugary guy. I don't know what you see in him."
Lily pursed her lips. "Sev is a good person. He's always been there for me," she said softly.
"Yeah well, he's not much good to anyone else. He assumed Sirius was going to be a Slytherin just because he was a Black," James said.
"So did you!" she retorted with an accusatory finger. This made James bite his lip guiltily. "And Sev is nice to more than just me. He befriended Sirius's brother when the rest of Slytherin turned against him."
James frowned. "Then he's very selective about being nice."
Lily's face dropped into a scowl. "And that's the pot calling the kettle black." They were now up to the third floor and she jogged ahead, clearly finished talking; about the subject and in general. James sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Stupid, stupid, why would he ever think talking about Severus would go over well?
James followed Lily back to the Tower at a distance, hopeless and defeated. That was the last time he listened to Sirius about anything involving romance.
