"Having fun yet, Evans?" James Potter asked with his usual smirk.
"It's bad enough that it's cold, dark, and wet. It's just even worse because you're with me," Lily stepped over some suspicious looking liquids. James had said that this tunnel would lead them to Hogsmeade, but Lily was beginning to think this was some ruse to get her alone.
How in the world did Potter get Head Boy? He was never even a prefect! I would've been fine with Remus...but Potter...
He was infuriating. Absolutely infuriating. He was this constant thorn jabbing into her forehead.
And worst of all, they were being forced to spend time together. Being Head Boy and Girl, they had to go out on tasks together whenever Dumbledore instructed.
Lily was beginning to think that Dumbledore was playing some cruel joke on her. He knew she hated Potter, and yet he paired them together and made them go out on stupid missions.
They'd gotten word an hour earlier that two students had gone out for a midnight walk and it was now their task to go retrieve them. As stupid task, really.
Yes, Dumbledore must be punishing me for something. Why else would he make me spend so much time with Potter?
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Lily asked, her wand illuminating the tunnel. She didn't even know that Hogwarts had tunnels, but James had seemed very certain about the way.
He nodded, "How do you think Sirius and I get around so fast? I know where we're going."
"You aren't just luring me out here to kill me, right?"
James shined his wand up at his face, "You have uncovered my dastardly plot!" He did a nondescript fake accent. "Now, I must kill you!" Lily frowned, but it only cause him to smirk. "I'm joking, Evans. Lighten up." He lowered his wand.
"I'm plenty lightened up," she grumbled, following the way he lead.
He glanced over his shoulder, "You know, Evans, we've been in the same house for seven years and we hardly know anything about each other. "
Lily didn't answer.
He smiled, "I'll start-"
"I don't want your back story, Potter."
"I'm seventeen years old," he said as if he hadn't heard her. "My parents names are Martha and Thomas. My dad's and Auror and my mum works for St. Mungo's. Dad was a Gryffindor, mum was a Ravenclaw. I have a pet dog named Simon. I can play the piano too." He paused for a moment to see if she'd respond. She did not. "Erm...my favorite color is red; my favorite animal is a stag; my favorite book is Peter Pan."
Lily took a deep breath. Well, it was either talk or listen to Potter prattle on for an hour.
"Peter Pan has always been one of my favorites. I didn't know you read Muggle books," Lily said.
James smiled even bigger, "I'm a well-rounded man," he teased. "See, we do have things in common, Evans." He watched her expectantly, stopping in his tracks.
She huffed, "Fine. I'll talk." They began to walk again. "I'm seventeen as well. My parents are muggles, so they just went to muggle school. My dad, Andrew, teaches Literature at a secondary school and my mum, Mary, is a painter. We don't have any pets because my sister, Petunia, is allergic, but I've always wanted a cat. " Lily felt a drop of water hit the top of her head and she shook it off. "Petunia's dating this dreadful boy named Vernon. But we're not especially close so she wouldn't care that I dislike him. She thinks I'm a freak."
Her mind rushed back to when they were children. Before she even knew about wizards and witches and Hogwarts. Lily tried to show her sister her magic, but Petunia had sneered and called her a freak.
That was also the day Severus Snape had befriended her.
Lily dropped the thought. She hoped that the darkness hid the tears forming in her eyes.
"I don't like talking about Petunia," Lily said quietly.
James, sensing her discomfort, tried to change the mood. "What's your favorite color?"
"Yellow."
"Animal?"
She thought for a moment, "Rabbit, though my patronus is a doe." Which you already know. When they were learning to cast their patronuses, he'd made very clear the whole class knew too. "Look! Mine is a stag and Evans's is a doe! Isn't that interesting..."
James did not comment. "We're nearly there." She nodded, following as he led the way. They landed at a ladder.
Lily frowned, "You first, Potter." He looked ready to protest, but she snapped at him. "Eyes front, soldier."
He squished his brow, "I wasn't going to look up you robe, Evans." She crossed her arms. Rolling his eyes, he went first and she followed behind.
James pushed at the ceiling, and a hole appeared that they climbed out of. The room they were in wasn't very large, and it was full of boxes with different colored wrapping hanging out of them. The seal on one container gave her the answer.
"Honeydukes?" Lily asked, a bit bemused.
James gave his smirky smile, "Honeydukes, Evans. My guess is that our little lovebird couple is trying to sneak into The Three Broomsticks to get a room."
Lily's eyes widened, "People actually do that?" She'd heard rumors before, but never thought anyone was actually daft enough.
James's turned a shade darker, "Yeah, well...I might've once." She raised a brow. "Not important! Anyway, I need to blow this lock to get us out of here..."
"Blow the lock!" Lily exclaimed. "Honestly, Potter..." She pushed him aside and took a few strides to reach the door to the shop. Muttering a quick spell, she unlocked the cellar door and they stepped into the store.
James looked over the shelves, basking in all of the sweets. He looked just about ready to knick something.
Lily yanked his arm, "This is a school mission. No thievery allowed."
James frowned, "I would've left money on the counter." They continued outside and Lily realized how cold it was. A fine frost had glazed the ground and the roofs of the all the shops.
She'd wished she'd warn something warmer. Lily hadn't thought to bring gloves or a scarf or a hat.
Then, as though her thoughts were read, James wrapped his scarf around her neck. She looked at him in awe.
"Don't worry," he said dryly, "it's not infected." Lily opened her mouth the day something, but no words came out. He shrugged, "Just get it back to me whenever."
Lily could not think of anything to say. Suddenly, she felt guilty. James wasn't so terrible. He had changed from when they were younger. Maybe Lily had been so wrapped up in her preconceived notions of him that she failed to see who he was now.
Whatever the reason, Lily found that she hasn't given him a fair chance.
"Sorry," she muttered.
James raised his eyebrows, "What?"
Lily kept her gaze on the ground, "I haven't been very kind to you in...ever. I'm just..." She breathed, "sorry."
James seemed to soften a bit. Playfully, he nudged her arm, "Hey, don't be so down. I never gave you much of a reason to ever like me. Guess I'm sorry too."
Lily smiled just a tiny bit, and raised her eyes from the ground. Maybe James wasn't too bad after all. He was actually kind of sweet and he was very witty. He was smart too, and pretty handsome...
Whoa! An SOS signal went off in her head. Lily cut off all thoughts of James. Her having warm feelings for James. Lily certainly was not expecting this.
She'd sworn to herself she'd never fall for James.
Lily put her walls back up, "We're nearly there." She noted, "What are we going to do? Barge in and demand Anna Cart and George Goyle?" She knew both people. Not very well, but she'd had classes with them. Anna was a Hufflepuff and Goyle was in Slytherin. Neither were particularly bright.
James opened the door to The Three Broomsticks, "Got a better idea?"
She didn't respond.
The restaurant was empty, save for an unmaned broom that was sweeping under the tables.
A loud crack sounded and then the landlady, Madame Merriwether, appeared in front of them. She was a rather old lady, with bright pink cheeks and deep laugh lines. However, she was very in love with money. She'd allow students to buy rooms...if their money was good enough.
She gave them a cheeky grin, "Are you two interested in a room?"
Lily furrowed her brow, "No thanks." She held out her pin, "But Dumbledore is wondering where two of his students are."
Merriwether's face showed no emotion, "And he sent you out here in the middle of the night? That seems like a strange task."
"Where are they?" James pressed.
She cocked her head, "I don't know."
Lily watched James reach into his pocket and pull out a handful of galleons. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy: Lily had never had that many galleons in her whole life.
He placed them in Merriwether's hand, "Where are they?"
She scanned the money, as if trying to tell if it was real or not. A satisfied smile spread across her tawny face, "Upstairs. Room 23."
"Thanks," James started to the stairway, Lily going after him. She heard hushed giggles coming from down the hallway.
"Goyle, you're crazy!" A girl shrieked in delight. That's Anna, Lily thought. She tried not to think about whatever crazy thing Goyle was doing.
"Ever broke down a door, Evans?" James asked as they faced room 23. Lily shook her head. "Me neither. This should be fun." He raised his wand and a bright bolt shot out of it. The door flew open and the teens inside jumped apart from each other.
The bed was turned down, but at least they were clothed. Anna started crying, while Goyle turned bright red.
"Oi! What's this about? Get out of here!" Goyle looked ready to deck James.
James raised his wand., "Get up! You're under arrest!"
"They're not under arrest," Lily muttered. "And you're not a police officer."
James faced her, "Well, that's sounds cooler than 'We're here to take you to Dumbledore. Would you ever so kindly follow us?', doesn't it?"
"You're impossible."
"I'm just saying."
Goyle cleared his throat, "You're taking us to Dumbledore?"
"Yes, you creep," James said. "You snuck out of school. I'm Head Boy!"
Lily clicked her tongue, "And definitely not abusing your power."
He ignored her, "Come on you two. Party's over. Or whatever this is."
...
James had wanted to apparate into school, and Lily had to remind him that that was impossible so they walked instead. No one said a word, and Anna cried most of the time. She almost felt sorry for her, but Lily was just doing her job. She hoped their punishment wouldn't be too steep.
Suddenly, Lily slipped and let her grip of Anna go. A horrific pain lit up her left leg like fire. What the hell... She nearly fainted when she looked at her foot. Ankles aren't supposed to bend that way.
She'd stepped in some crater in the ground. It was so dark outside that she hadn't seen it.
"Shit," Lily cried. She wasn't brave enough to touch her leg. It was just hurt even more.
"Lily!" James ran over, towing Goyle after him. His eyes, full of worry, stared down at her pathetic form. "I'll get help-"
"No," she said impulsively. "I'll be fine." Lily tested standing up, the pain becoming almost unbearable. She wobbled, the fire threading to consume her, but stood all the same. "Let's go."
James wasn't convinced, "Lily, you shouldn't-"
She met his eyes, "I'm fine." She knew she wasn't. She'd have to get to the hospital wing soon and get this fixed.
But she didn't want James to help her. She didn't want to be his damsel in distress.
...
James couldn't stand seeing her in pain, but she kept insisting that she didn't need help. Her pride was astounding.
They'd dropped Anna and Goyle off with Dumbledore and were commended for their help. Dumbledore had offered to take Lily to the hospital wing, but she kept pressing that she was fine.
James rolled his eyes; she was bloody stubborn at times.
"Stop this," James said once they'd left Dumbledore's office.
"What?"
This is a bad idea, half his brain warned.
James opted to ignore it.
In a swift motion, he lifted Lily up into his arms.
She squired furiously, "Put me down, Potter!"
"Nope," he said nonchalantly. "We're going to the hospital wing."
"I'll walk myself!"
"Lily, you're about to pass out from pain. I'm carrying you." James started walking, but she was still wiggling in protest. Once she realized that he was much stronger, she stopped resisting. She did not relinquish the disgusted scowl on her face. "Calm down. No one can see us."
"I don't like feeling pathetic."
"Accepting help when needed does not make you pathetic."
They didn't speak for a while after that. For a small bodied person, Lily was rather heavy. It made him wonder if she was secretly very muscular or something. His mind started to drifting to what her body must look like under the robes. He cut those thoughts off before they distracted him too much.
"Why red?" Lily asked when they were almost at their destination.
James furrowed his brow, "Huh?"
She blushed, "Earlier, you said your favorite color was red. I thought it was because of Gryffindor, but our color is Scarlett, not red. So why red?"
"Oh, erm," James felt his hands going clamy. He did have a reason for it, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her. What if she laughs at me? "Well, er..."
Lily gave that smirky look of her's, "I'm just being curious."
"Ah, well," he breathed. "Just don't laugh at me."
"Okay. I won't laugh at you."
Just say it. What's the worse that could happen?
The world will explode. She'll laugh at me. Everyone will die. She'll laugh at me. I'll catch of fire. I'll spontaneously combust. I'll be eaten by a dragon.
She'll laugh at me.
James swallowed, "It's my favorite because it's the color of your hair."
...
Lily woke up in a hospital bed. It took her a moment to remember all that had happened.
A light snore sounded next to her. She looked over to see James sitting in the chair near her bed, his head lying on the mattress.
Did he really stay the whole night here? A sudden affection for him spread through her like wildfire. It was a new, strange feeling but she sort of liked it.
"It's my favorite because it's the color of your hair," James had said.
Lily had just said, "Thank you." Like an idiot. What was she supposed to say to that anyway? She certainly hasn't been prepared.
She noted that her ankle had stopped aching. She lifted up the sheet to look down at it and it was back in a normal position.
Lily smiled: one less thing to worry about. She had a bigger thing worrying her: her changing feelings for James. He wasn't the same as he was when they were younger. He'd matured, grown up. He seemed more real now, less like an insignificant pain in her side.
James's face was pushed up against her mattress, causing her to smile a bit. His hair was messy as ever. His hair never seemed to stay put.
She wasn't sure why, but she reached out and touched it, stroking it back some.
His squeezed his eyes tighter, furrowing his brow. Slowly, he leaned back into his chair and let out a great yawn.
Rubbing his neck, he smiled at her, "Good morning, Lily."
She retuned the smile, "Good morning, James."
"How's the ankle?"
"Better," she nodded. "Why did you stay the night here?"
He shrugged, "I figured the fat lady would be asleep so I didn't bother going back." But Lily could tell he was lying. Whatever his true motive was, he wasn't about to tell. "Oh, and you can leave now. You're all fixed up. She just thought it would be better if you spent the night."
"All right," Lily replied, slowly sitting up. She could tell her red hair was a mess and there wasn't much to do about it now. The scarf James had let her borrow was curled up around her so she had to untangle herself before she could stand.
Nervously, she placed her left foot on the ground. To her delight, it was completely healed. The pain was now but a memory. She smiled as she stood upright on her own.
"You sure you don't need me to carry you?" James said in his flirtatious voice.
Lily rolled her eyes, "If you try that again, I'll hex you into next year." But she couldn't help a laugh, "Anyway, thank you, Potter. You did actually help last night."
He pursed his lips, "You're giving me very mixed messages here, Evans."
"You should be used to that by now, Potter."
...
Everyone must've been at breakfast, because Gryffindor Tower was deserted by the time he and Lily arrived there.
"Aren't we supposed to lead everyone down at meals?" James asked when they entered the common room.
Lily shrugged, "Normally, yes, but they probably just made the prefects do it this time."
James nodded. His mind kept focusing on the thought that he and Lily were alone in Gryffindor tower.
Funny, he'd always yearned for an opportunity like this, but now that it was here he didn't know what to say. Yes, he planned all the cheesy flirtatious things he'd do to get her to kiss him, but he knew deep down that they wouldn't work.
Lily was so different from every other girl. In a strange way, he was completely terrified of her.
Every moment of every day he'd wish and hope she'd give some sign of how she really felt about him. She put on this front that she couldn't stand him, but he knew it wasn't really true. At least he hoped it wasn't really true.
When you love someone so much, they just have to love you back. At least that's what he told himself.
"Are you going home for Christmas this year?" James asked. Idiot, what type of a question is that? Stupid! You should've said something better like-
"I'm actually going to spend it here this year," Lily answered.
His heart leapt, "Me too." What? No you're not. You never do. Why are you lying? Get it together, Prongs.
Lily studied him, "But you always go home for Christmas."
James smirked, "Keeping tabs on me, Evans?"
She sighed with exasperation, "That's it. I've had my fill of you, Potter. I'm going upstairs." Lily started on her way.
On an impulse, James grabbed her wrist, "Please. Wait."
Lily raised her eyebrows, but she did what he said.
"Sorry," he muttered, letting go of her arm. "I just get so nervous around you."
"Nervous?"
"I never know what to say." James probably should've shut up then, but he just kept moving his stupid mouth. "I mean, you terrify me. Well, you don't scare me, but you make me so nervous. I never know what to say so I jut freak out and say something stupid most of the time and I don't know why but I-"
Lily laughed. James shut his mouth instantly. Great going, you bloke.
Her smile was kind, "Come up for air, will you, Potter?" Lily's eyes scanned over his whole body. "And I think you're sweet." She said it quickly, like ripping off a bandage.
"Sweet?" James said, a little hope blooming inside of him.
She kept smiling, "Yes. I think you're sweet." James noted how close they were standing now and his heart did a little tap dance. He wanted to just stay there forever, gazing at her.
It was Lily who backed away, "I should go straighten up before we go down to breakfast. I look a fright." She turned to the stairs.
"You could never look a fright," James called after her.
She turned and gave her that warm smile he liked so much and saw so rarely, "Flattery will get you nowhere, James." Lily ascended two stairs. James called after her once more. "Yes?" She turned around, a bit of a laugh in her voice.
James walked to the bottom of the stairs, "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me on Wednesday?"
Lily squinted, "Like a date?"
"No," he said quickly. "I mean yes. Maybe. No, yes. A date. Yes."
She smirked, "Maybe." Lily turned again, ascending a few more steps.
"Wait!" James yelled, stepping onto the first stair. "I want my scarf back."
With a huff, Lily turned back around and descended to the second step. Slowly, she tugged at the right end of the scarf and it fell off of her neck. With a coy smile, she grabbed both ends and put it over James's head and onto his neck.
God, she's beautiful, he thought as he looked up at her gazing down at him. She backed away again.
James grabbed her wrist, "Wait."
Lily flicked her hair as she turned to him, "Now you're just stalling me. What do you want?"
James swallowed. What did he want? He wasn't sure. He just knew he didn't want her to walk away. He didn't want that at all.
Standing one step above him, she was at about eye level with him. Her eyes were so piercing, like emerald daggers.
James lost all train of thought.
"Erm... I..." He muttered. Lily laughed a bit to herself, then did something very unexpected.
She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek.
Pulling back, she had a smirk about her.
"I'll be back down in a minute, Potter. Can you wait?"
"Yes."
"Good." She said and went on her way.
James stood on that step for a very long time trying to remember his name.