A/N: Updated as of 1/21/2014. Prepare yourself for a wee bit of Jily guys!

Disclaimer: James Potter and Lily Evans are characters created by JK Rowling in her Harry Potter, as well as a majority of the characters in this fanfiction. However, the story line and unrecognizable characters such as Cara Connors and Mary Diven who are loosely based off real people belong to me and my story.

Y6: Broken Necks and Broomsticks

Her eyes opened slowly to a blurry Common Room. Blinking until she could see straight, Lily looked around taking in the little sun light. It had to be very early, maybe just after six. Lily wiped at the drool that clung to her cheek. Sighing, she sat up swinging her legs off the chair and down to the-

"Oomph," James gasped clutching his side.

Lily jumped in fright, "Bloody hell-, Oh Potter, I forgot you were there."

James rolled onto his back still rubbing his side, "Good morning to you too, Evans."

Lily rolled her eyes, "I said I was sorry, don't be such a baby, Potter."

"A baby! You almost killed me! A few more inches and your big feet could've snapped my neck!"

Lily laughed, "Oh really! Aren't you being a bit over dramatic?"

"No!" James said sitting up, "You could squash anything with those giant feet!"

"Giant?" Lily said annoyed, "My feet are like the smallest in our year!"

"Then our year must have feet the size of hippogriffs because yours are—"

"Oh stuff it!" Lily stood and walked to the staircase muttering words you wouldn't say to your mother.

"Oh c'mon, Evans, I was joking!" James laughed.

"Well, Potter, making fun of people is not exactly funny!" Lily glared.

"I think you are being a bit dramatic," he shrugged.

"Dramatic?" Lily stormed towards him, "I'm being dramatic? Two seconds ago, you were saying that I almost killed you with my feet that hit your hip at the highest!"

"Evans, you're just—"

"No," she strutted back to the girls' staircase, "you just enjoy being am annoying, insufferable toe rag!"

"Now, why is it that the only insult you can give me?" James laughed, "I mean what is an 'insufferable toe-rag'? Is that a muggle thing?"

"Ergh!" Lily started up the stairs.

James laughed lightly as he walked towards the Common Room door.

Lily turned back to him as she noticed that he wasn't going up the Boys' staircase, "Aren't you going back to bed?"

James was surprised Lily hadn't already flung her door open, "No, I have Quidditch try outs in two hours. I figured I'd go get things set up before breakfast."

"Oh," was all Lily could say blushing slightly wondering why she had even cared to know what he was doing.

"I mean, you're welcome to join me, Evans," James said hopeful.

"No," Lily said on instinct and took a moment before stuttering, "I-I'm just tired. I should sleep."

She couldn't help notice as James deflated slightly and his smile faltered, "Of course. Well, good night. Or is it good morning? Or—you know what, just sleep well."

Lily laughed and watched as James perked up, she said simply, "Thank you," and went up to her room.

As James headed out for the Quidditch pitch, Lily stepped quietly in her dormitory. The girls were all asleep in their beds with their curtains closed. Lily laid in her own bed pulling her curtains around herself. She snuggled in to her blankets and shut her eyes tight.

Thoughts raced through her mind. Thoughts of James and their argument and his smile and how he deflates and how he perks up and how he laughs and how… and then she remembered Cara. She shuttered as the chill went through her. Don't think of her, right now, you need to sleep, she told herself.

She rolled on to her back and looked up at the bed beside her through the small crack in her curtains that belonged to Mary.

In her mind, she counted, 'One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep, …. Eighteen sheep, nineteen sheep, twenty sheep, … sixty sheep, sixty one sheep, sixty two sheep, …. One hundred and twenty three sheep, one hundred twenty four, or was it five? Or—'

"Ergh!" Lily said aloud as she sat up in her bed, "For Merlin's sake!"

Lily threw open her curtains and jumped out of her bed. She grabbed a long gray sweater that reached below her butt and a long pair of trousers and quickly changed into them. She slid on a pair of nice leather boots and tip toed back out of her dormitory.

She went through the Common Room and burst through to the Corridor. Lily took her time going down the shifting stair cases and had to wait for one to finish moving; luckily it was shifting to where she wanted it to go. Lily walked past the Great Hall and pushed open the front doors with all her might.

The breeze hit her and she shivered under it. It was a cold mid-October morning, not so bad to spend a Sunday morning on the pitch though. Lily trotted along the path that would lead to the front gates but broke off half way down to walk through the grass to the Quidditch pitch. Her arms were wrapped around her unable to shake the chills.

When she walked into the stands, James was already out on the field. He had his broom laid a few feet away as he set out six Gryffindor jerseys numbered weirdly. There was a 2,3 5,6,7, and 8. She took a seat as she watched James stand and grabbed his broom.

Gracefully, he got on and lifted himself up twenty feet in the air. He flattened himself against his broom and he shot forward turning at the end of the pitch and racing back. He did that a dozen times. He rose another ten feet and did a series of dips up and down the pitch. He then began to circle around the pitch going as fast as he could. On his fifth or sixth circle, he lifted his body up and reached his arms out and though he slowed down, he still moved quite fast.

Lily noticed that his eyes were closed as he did that and his face held no emotion. She knew this had nothing to do with the try outs and it was simply James Potter; it was just James as he flew, it was something he did only for himself.

Just as she was about to look away feeling he deserved privacy, James opened his eyes and almost fell off his broom at the sight of the little red head. Lily gasped and stood running to the railing of the stands. James caught himself quickly and froze. He shook his head and slowly flew over to Lily.

"How long have you been sitting there?" James hollered as he came closer.

"Only a few minutes," Lily hollered back blushing a bright red.

James smiled as he watched the color creep up her face, "Do you want to join me?"

"Oh no," Lily frowned, "you're practicing. Besides, I'm not a great flyer."

"I know," James laughed, "I remember our first year lessons."

Lily turned her head as she blushed harder. James smiled wider as he stopped only a few feet from the stands.

"I can show you, I have spare brooms that I have to bring out for the try outs anyway," James pointed to the Gryffindor locker-room, "honestly, I'll teach you if you want."

"No, no, it's okay. You should be focusing on your try-outs."

"Evans," he laughed, "try-outs is honestly the most boring day of the Quidditch season. It'll be fun teaching you."

Lily sighed, "Oh, alright, but only for a little bit. You should be focused and I don't want anyone to see—"

She had paused so James finished with a laugh, "To see us getting along?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "Forget it, Potter, just grab me a bloody broom."

James laughed and raced to the doors hopping off his broom. Seconds later, he came out with a dozen beat up old broom sticks. He threw them roughly by the jerseys and took two of them over to Lily.

"Aren't you going to use your own broom?" Lily wondered as she walked out of the stands and onto the pitch.

"No, mine's too good," he smiled, "besides, I can't teach you on a different broom than the one I give you."

Lily nodded as she took the broom out of his hand.

"Alright put a leg over—"

"I know that part, Potter," Lily rolled her eyes and James laughed.

"Okay, now, tip your broom up like this," James tipped his broom gently and he hovered a few feet in the air.

Lily did as he said and shot up a bit more than him. She got nervous the minute she saw she was higher up, so by accident, Lily thrust her broom back down and she came tumbling off the broom and rolled on to the grass.

Lily moaned and James laughed.

"Merlin," James smiled as he took Lily's hand to help her up, "this is going to be a lot harder than I thought, isn't it?"

Lily smiled against her will as she shoved him in the chest.

"C'mon Evans," he whined rubbing where she had hit him, "do you enjoy injuring me?"

"Only when your being a prat," Lily laughed and got back on her broom.

She finally managed getting up in the air where she was comfortable. It wasn't too high from the ground but she figured once she was comfortable flying low she could move on up in the air. And then she can really fly, a dream she had since she was a kid.

"Alright now you are going to bend your handle a bit like this," he demonstrated and he flew forward and stopped, "To stop you just pull up but not too quick or you'll actually go up."

Lily wanted to shake the sweat from her hands but she was too nervous to let go of the broomstick. She did as James said and flew forward at a nice speed, but when she tried to pull up, she shot into the air. She let go and began falling back, James grabbed her as quickly as he could but heard the crack her shoulder made as it popped out of its socket.

Lily cried out and James lowered her to the ground where she stood clutching her arm. He threw the broom stick to the side as he watched Lily's clatter to the ground a few feet from her.

Lily was red in the face and teary eyes as she held her breath trying not to cry in front of him.

"Are you alright?" James said as he jogged towards her.

She didn't answer aloud but gave him a sharp glare that said, Of course I'm not alright, you bloody idiot!

"Let me take a look at it," James said as he reached for her arm, but she pulled away quickly which in turn only hurt her more.

"No," she gasped, "I'm going to the Hospital Wing."

Lily began to trot off when James ran after her, "Are you honestly mad at me?"

She only glared and threw her neck so her hair would toss over her shoulder dramatically.

"Evans, it's not my fault, you were falling and could've broken your leg! I think you should thank me if anything!"

She laughed cruelly, "Oh yes, Potter, thank you! Thank you for convincing me to ride that stupid bloody broom! And thank you for breaking my arm! -"

"It's not broken!" James rolled his eyes.

Lily glared and walked quicker.

James stopped and continued to glare at her as she walked away.

"Merlin's sake, Evans," James muttered as he turned back to the pitch.

He jogged back in to the stadium and glared at the broom Lily used. When everyone arrived for try- outs, James was in a brutal mood. He yelled and shouted and made little second years cry when they fell off their broom. He pushed Benjy Fenwick to pick up his pace, even though he was moving faster than James ever had. None of the old teammates or kids who knew James said anything of his behavior. They assumed it had to do with Cara, perhaps even Sirius Black considering he didn't show up to try out again. They never expected his temper had to do with another argument with Lily.

How many times had the two argued in the last six years? Three hundred? Four hundred? Ninety thousand?

Perhaps James was being mean and terrible, but could anyone blame him. None of the teammates knew what was going on in the life of their captain. No news was released of Cara's return. No news of her illness. They knew nothing today, so they only aimed to do their best. Not because they were scared of him that morning, as they all were; but because no one at Hogwarts liked to see a Marauder, who was known for fun and excitement, to be so ... miserable.

And half way through the try- outs, James forgot that he was upset over Lily. He managed to calm down and work with the younger kids constantly apologizing for his behavior earlier. He finally noticed that Sirius hadn't shown up but he didn't bother himself with it.

He narrowed down the team to fifteen, planning on dragging Sirius out for a try out that would be held at some other date where James would be sure not to associate at with Evans that morning.

As everyone left the Pitch, James smiled slightly laughing at how ridiculous he had been. He walked back to Hogwarts with Fenwick and Aidan Lynch who were the only two willing to talk to him after the morning.

They walked in a semi- comfortable silence, as James wondered whether he should go check on Lily in the hospital wing. He knew she'd be fine, but he didn't want her to still be angry with him when they next ran in to eachother.

He rolled his eyes as he remembered that it wasn't his fault. If she wants to continue their friendsh- cordial relationship- then she can apologize to him for being so overly emotional that she felt the need to blame him.

And Lily was okay just as James said. Pomfrey had used her wand to snap Lily's shoulder back in place and sent her on her way. Her arm was sore as she rubbed it. And she glared with every step she took thinking of how incredibly ridiculous James Potter was to think it wasn't his fault! Who had told her to get on the stupid broom? Who told her she'd be fine? Who clearly didn't explain well enough the way the broom works when you pull slightly upwards? And who's dumb idea was it to grab her arm as she was free falling thus pulling it out of her socket? Then he was dumb enough to ask if she was alright! And then goes and yells at her! C'mon Potter, you have got to be kidding!

Lily sat in her dormitory alone seething, as James sat with some friends in the Great Hall causing a raucous.

And as Lily glared at the covers to her bed, she wished she had snapped James Potter's stupid neck that morning.