17Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I do not own Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. Basically, I don't own a lot of things.
Song Inspiration: "Love Story" by Taylor Swift
James Potter I and Lily Luna Potter. Though living generations apart, their souls intertwine as one. Circumstance takes them in different directions, but at their core, they remain the same.
They love deeply…
James Potter I
It was one of the most exciting moments in his life, but he couldn't keep his eyes off the girl with the red hair. Lily Evans.
She was sorted before him and placed into Gryffindor.
Now James always knew he wanted to be in Gryffindor, but after seeing Lily at the table, he knew for certain that was where he was going to end up. He belonged there with the other red and gold… and Lily Evans. Except Lily hated him from the beginning after he made fun of Slytherin house and that boy she was with. He didn't really mean to make fun of them, but now Lily had a horrible first impression of him and it looked like that impression was not going to change anytime soon. No one had ever hated him the way Lily did. He was determined to make her like him.
When his name was finally announced to be the next one sorted, James felt giddy as he ran to the Sorting Hat. As the hat was placed on his raven black hair, the only thought that ran through his head was Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor!
The Hat chuckled. "My, my, my, aren't you a determined one? If that's what you want, then GRYFFINDOR!"
James nearly chucked the hat off his head before running to his table. He joined his new friends, the ones he met on the train, who were waiting for him and he sat across from Lily. After reuniting with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, James turned to Lily with his cheeky grin. "Well, Lilikins, it looks like we're in the same house, so now you have to like me."
"My name is Lily Evans, get it right, and I don't have to do anything. And I am especially not going to like you. Ever."
Sirius snickered beside him and James elbowed him. "Alright then, Lily Evans, I am not going to get you to like me. I am going to get you to love me."
"If I don't like you, then how am I supposed to love you?"
"I suppose we'll just have to find out then, Lily Evans." James smirked and ran his fingers through his hair.
Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Let me give it to you straight: I hate you, James Potter."
"Now that's a little harsh, Evans."
Lily smiled wickedly. "Aww, did poor Romeo get his feelings hurt?"
"I don't get it." James turned his head to the side in confusion.
"It's a muggle reference," Sirius told James.
"It's a Shakespearian play," Remus added.
James looked at the two of them, his eyebrow raised. "How do you two know all this?"
"I like reading them," Remus answered, while Sirius said, "I hate my parents."
James turned back to Lily. "So if I'm Romeo, what does that make you?"
"It would make her Juliet," Sirius piped up.
"I am not Juliet!" Lily seethed, "I would be— I would be—"
"Rosaline?" Remus offered.
"Yes!" Lily exclaimed, "I would be Rosaline because I hate you and I don't want to be with you."
"Then, I, Romeo, love thee, Rosaline."
"Argh!" Lily gave up, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "You are so annoying, Potter!"
"And you are perfect, Evans."
Professor McGonagall watched from afar with piqued interest. This should be good…
Lily Luna Potter
Lily Luna Potter stood in line for the sorting, thinking about her train ride here. She didn't sit down once on the train to Hogwarts. She made her way, cabin to cabin, to meet new people. She met all kinds of people in all different years. She was good at making friends. People liked having her around. Lily almost wished she wouldn't be sorted, just so she could stay friends with everyone.
She almost made friends with everyone on the train. Everyone, except Scorpius Malfoy. When she reached his cabin, he was alone, reading a book of some kind.
"What are you reading?" she asked curiously.
Scorpius looked up, startled. "Who are you?" he asked, closing his book.
"Lily Luna Potter," she proudly announced. "So what are you reading?"
"There's another Potter?" Scorpius asked in disbelief.
"Don't worry, I'm the last. Now are you going to tell me what—"
"Romeo and Juliet," Scorpius sighed in exasperation.
"Why?"
"I don't know." Scorpius rolled his eyes. "It's a famous muggle play. Now go away."
Lily looked at Scorpius's blue and silver tie, revealing to her that he was in Ravenclaw. "Is it true that all Ravenclaws are big book reading nerds?" Lily questioned.
Scorpius continued reading, trying to ignore her.
Lily pursed her lips. "So you don't have any friends, huh?"
"Go away!" the boy all but shouted at her.
So Lily went her separate way, cabin to cabin, friend to friend, house to house.
She didn't know what house she belonged to. Her brother, James, was placed in Gryffindor. The best house ever, he would brag. Her other brother, Albus, was sorted into Slytherin. While he was ashamed at first, he grew to love his house and Lily had never seen him more at home than in Slytherin green. Her other, other brother, Teddy (who wasn't really her brother, but really was), was in Hufflepuff and he loved it there.
All the houses seemed great, Lily thought to herself. But where would she belong?
When it was finally her turn to be sorted, she sat on the chair and felt the Hat come over her face and cover her eyes.
"Hello?" Lily wondered.
"Another Potter child, I see," the Hat commented.
"Don't worry, I'm the last."
The Hat chuckled. "I see you're brave. Very brave. Not afraid to step out of your comfort zone."
"That would make me a Gryffindor, yes?"
"But you are not afraid to get what you want and are willing to protect those you love," the Hat continued.
"Soooo, Slytherin?"
"And you are kind and work hard for what you want. You are a helper. You love people."
"Okay, now Hufflepuff. What is it, Hatty? Just sort me out already!"
"You are an enigma, for sure," the Hat pondered, "Where do you want to go, Miss Potter?"
Lily thought back to James and Albus's sortings. She remembered hearing that the hat barely touched James's head before proclaiming Gryffindor but for Albus, he fought and fought the hat, and it could have been the longest sorting in history.
Of course, Lily's sorting had to fall in the middle. All she had to say was where she wanted to go and boom, there she would be. Lily was always in the middle. Even though she was the youngest child, Albus was always coddled more (she was more of a free spirit) and James was always given more freedom. But Lily was in the middle, not too much coddling, not too much responsibility.
James and Albus were on opposite sides of the spectrum, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Supposed mortal enemies. The shortest sorting and the longest sorting.
It made sense for Lily to fall in the middle again, but Lily didn't want to be in the middle and she didn't want to be like James or Albus, or even Teddy.
"Let's throw them a curve-ball, shall we Hatty? Red and gold were never really my color. Always clashed with my hair. And we can't have two Potters in the Slytherin house, now can we?"
The Sorting Hat read Lily's mind when she revealed where she wanted to go.
"Are you sure, Lily? Your choice is not going to lead you down an easy path."
"Hey, you said it was my decision! Now this is what I want," Lily complained.
The Hat chuckled, "My, my, my, aren't you a determined one? If that's what you want, then RAVENCLAW!"
The students all started murmuring to each other after hearing the news of a Potter in the Ravenclaw house, but it didn't matter to Lily.
Lily grinned and took one of the many open seats next to Scorpius.
"I don't think you ever told me your name," Lily said, "You're Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpion, right?"
"Scorpius," the boy muttered, but then he went on ignoring her, still reading that damn book.
"Alright then," she replied, but she didn't let his quiet get to her.
Lily wanted to stand out. She had always been Harry Potter's child. James and Albus's younger sister. Now she would be different. The Potter in Ravenclaw.
She gazed over at Scorpius while she munched on her food. She remembered her dad talking about Scorpius's father, Draco Malfoy, and how he asked him to be his friend in their first year. Now here they were, and Scorpius would not even look at her.
"Hey, Scorpius." She snapped her fingers to get his attention. "Scorpius, Scorpius, Score!"
Scorpius looked up when she called him that nickname. "What?"
"Do you want to be my friend?"
Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "No thanks," and he went right back to reading his book.
"Alright then." Lily paused for a moment before, "Would you like to be my boyfriend?"
Now Scorpius was really shocked. "If I didn't want to be your friend, why would I want to be your boyfriend?"
"It was worth a shot." She grinned as she ran her fingers through her hair.
Headmaster McGonagall watched from afar and rolled her eyes in amusement. Here we go again…
They are insanely stubborn…
James Potter I
He didn't understand Lily Evans. He didn't understand her distaste for him, her friendships with certain slimy haired Slytherins, and he certainly did not understand her muggle sayings.
The first time James had asked Lily out, she had made a reference to some muggle play of sorts: Romeo and Juliet. Wanting to know more about her muggle life, James had gone to the library and dug through the archives to find a ratty old copy of the script.
He checked out the book, brought it to his room, and promptly fell asleep after getting through the first page.
"Oi, James, we're going out to the Quidditch field. You coming?" Sirius called from right outside the door.
James shook himself awake, his glasses laying askew on his face and the book making itself a tent on his chest. He pulled himself up and fixed his glasses. "Yeah, coming mate!"
Dog-earing where he left off, James shut the screenplay and placed it under his bed. He would get to it later. The next time James asked Lily out, he was prepared to woo her with his knowledge of muggle culture. However, since he only got through the first few pages, the only information he knew was that biting thumbs was apparently rude and the Montagues and Capulets hated each other. Not much he could do with that.
But this time, Lily had a different comeback for him. It was another muggle colloquialism. One he was not accustomed to.
"I'll go out with you, James Potter," she said defiantly, "when pigs fly."
"When what?" James tilted his head in a quizzical manner.
"You heard me." Lily had her hands on her hips. "When. Pigs. Fly."
James watched her walk away, her head held high. Running his hands through his hair, he muttered to himself, "When pigs fly…"
"Mr. Potter, I swear I see you in the muggle section more than anyone else, including the muggle-borns!" Madam Pince declared, surprised to find the boy sitting on the ground surrounded by a multitude of books, scouring through them all.
"When do pigs fly, Madam Pince?" He looked up at her desperately. "When?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Lily Evans said she will go out with me when pigs fly! I need to know if that's some muggle tradition where they strap pigs to flying machines or something. Maybe it's a holiday! I need to know when pigs fly!"
Pince looked at him with deep sympathy, "Mr. Potter," she said firmly, "If you must know, the saying, 'when pigs fly' means it's something so absurd and impossible, it would never happen."
"I don't… I don't understand…"
"She says it won't ever happen, Mr. Potter."
"But… pigs can… fly."
"Can they?" Pince's lips quirked upwards; she was certainly intrigued.
"We are wizards after all," James said, rising up from his spot on the ground. "We can do anything."
James's eyes lit up as he looked at Madam Pince, the wheels in his head spinning with ideas. "If Evans wants flying pigs, then she'll get flying pigs."
Irma Pince did not have a good feeling about this.
And the next morning at breakfast, James discovered that neither did Lily.
"Oi, Evans. When did you say you would go out with me?" James asked, quite loudly in the middle of the dining hall.
Lily looked up from her bowl of oatmeal. "Excuse me?"
"You would go out with me when…?" he trailed off hoping Lily would finish his sentence.
"Never?" Lily swore there was a giant, throbbing vein on the side of his neck threatening to pop. She inwardly smiled at the thought of annoying him to that point.
"Yes, but that muggle saying you told me yesterday. You would go out with me when pigs fly."
"I guess I remember saying that. You just ask me out so much, it's hard to keep track and I have to come up with creative ways to reject you every time. It wears on a girl, you know?"
James looked startled at Lily's confession. "I… I suppose."
"Yes, well, I will go out with you when pigs fly which is a muggle saying for it's never gonna happen. Is that all, Potter?" Lily turned back to her steaming bowl of breakfast.
"Uhm…" James did not realize the turn the conversation would take and Lily's utter disregard for him. He had the whole scene rehearsed in his head, but this was not how the Lily in his head acted. Although, thinking back on it, the Lily in his head was outright charmed by his wits and threw herself at him immediately so… perhaps he had mucked the whole idea up.
Regardless, James was persistent and wanted to see his plan out to the end.
Standing up on the table, James prepared his whole speech.
"Merlin!" "What the hell?" "Potter, watch the food!" Shouts of various students watched in exasperation as they prepared themselves for a classic James Potter proposal.
"Lily Evans. The day has finally arrived."
"And what day would that be?"
"The day you go out with me."
"Oh, really?" she said flatly.
"Really, Miss Evans," James confirmed. "Because today is the day pigs fly."
"Oh, Merlin, Potter. What did you do?" Lily asked wearily as excited whispers spread across the room.
James held his wand high, and from different corners of the room, the Marauders similarly complied.
"Wingardium… Leviosa!"
At once, platters and platters of bacon strips flew into the air. They twirled and twirled and zigzagged through tables.
Salty, smoked pieces of deliciously cooked pig weaved its way around the dining hall filling the people with delight and cheer as they all tried to grab a slice.
James was proud that he was able to actually accomplish the feat. Amidst the chaos of people jumping up and down and standing on tables, James forgot who he was trying to impress. He looked down at her seat and all around the room, but was disappointed to find that Lily Evans had disappeared.
He stared at the door with a vacant expression, his shoulders slumped. His friends studied him from afar, not knowing whether to comfort him or leave him be after his latest rejection.
Then, he straightened his back, ran his hands through his hair, and brought back his classic James Potter crooked smile. He jumped off the table and made his way over to the other three Marauders. "Well, mates," he said with an ever-present smile. "Maybe it'll work next time."
Lily Luna Potter
She loved home. Hogwarts was great and all, but Lily Luna could not wait to rush home, hug her parents, and best of all, sleep in her own warm, comfy bed. Merlin, she missed her bed.
Her first year at Hogwarts was halfway done and winter break was quickly approaching. Lily counted down the days and now, she was down to one day till she got to go home. She just had to get through Charms.
Winter break meant holidays. Holidays meant family. And family meant… presents! She already had a list of everything she wanted and made sure each member of the Potter-Weasley clan knew. She wanted the newest creations from Wizarding Wheezes, she wanted a new dress for the Christmas Ball, she wanted posters of her favorite wizarding band, she wanted…
"Potter, are you listening?" A voice hissed beside her.
She turned her head to meet Scorpius. This was the one class she got to sit next to him and Lily tried every day to impress him…or at least get him to talk to her.
Since Scorpius was a year above her and a second year, so he acted as an assistant professor of sorts in Charms class. He helped Flitwick with cleanup and graded students' essays. Scorpius wanted a career as a teacher and hoped that following Flitwick around would allow him to get a taste of the life as a professor and see if that was what he really wanted to do. As the Head of Ravenclaw house, Flitwick was more than happy to let Scorpius help him out.
"Nope, I wasn't listening. What did he say?" Lily asked, a cheeky grin on her face. Annoying him was one way to get him to talk.
Scorpius scowled, "We're learning a new charm. Pay attention."
"What's the spell?"
"Read the board," was his retort.
"Uhm…" Lily stared at the board and concentrated. She even squinted her eyes to focus on the writing better. Then, she leaned forward and—
"What are you doing?" Scorpius inquired.
"Reading the board. Flitwick has tiny handwriting."
Scorpius remembered her using that same excuse before:
"What are you doing?" he scowled and grabbed his notebook away from Lily's gaze. "Who told you it was okay to just stare at other people's things."
Scorpius knew he was being a little dramatic. It was his fault for having his writing journal out and open, but he never wanted anyone to read what he wrote…ever.
His writing was private and his own. Nobody, especially Lily Luna Potter, could read his works.
Lily blushed, "In my defense, I could only read a few words; your handwriting is really tiny."
Scorpius chuckled. "At this point, I'm beginning to believe that it's not the handwriting. It's you."
"What?"
"You know your dad had glasses," Scorpius stated the obvious.
"So?" Then Lily realized what he was implying. "I do not need glasses, Scorpius."
"Then read the board," he challenged.
"Fine." But, Lily could not read the board. Observing the desk, Lily noticed the big feathers. She also remembered her dad talking about using a certain spell to defeat a troll in his first year. "We're making things fly today, Wingarbidum Levitorso."
"Uh, close. Wingardium Leviosa." Scorpius pointed his wand at the feather and made it fly a few inches off the table. Charms was one of his specialties and he could do them with ease. "So did you read the board or did you just guess?"
Lily harrumphed and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "I do not need glasses."
Scorpius turned back to the feather and smiled endearingly at her stubbornness, careful not to let her see.
The next time the two of them sat in their seats at the back of the class, Christmas had passed and it was a new year.
"How was your holiday, Score?"
"Fine," was his one-word response and by 'fine' he meant, he spent it holed up in his room while his father drank himself to oblivion to forget his past mistakes and his mother avoided the house and all their bloody relatives. Perfectly fine.
"My Christmas was wonderful." Lily blissfully unpacked her belongings to prepare for the start of class. "Guess what I got from my Aunt Hermione?"
"Money?" For someone who loved to read and write, Scorpius sure was uncreative when it came to guessing.
"She got me a leather-bound copy of Romeo and Juliet! Like the one you were reading when I got on the train at the beginning of the year. I told her about it and she was ecstatic that I was interested in muggle culture. She told me I was like my Grandpa Arthur!"
"You told the Minister for Magic about me?"
"Of course she knows about you." Lily avoided telling him about how her Uncle Ron and Rose completely bashed him despite not knowing him at all. "I tell her everything going on my life! She's my favorite aunt."
Scorpius avoided her gaze. "Let's just get back to the lesson." He looked at the board, ready to share his notes with Lily when she couldn't read a thing (because the handwriting was too "tiny").
To his surprise, Lily Luna got straight to work and began copying down all of Flitwick's tips and tricks to performing the perfect knockback jinx.
Lily noticed he was staring at her and shook her head. "I'm still right, you know."
Scorpius raised a brow. "What was that?"
"I told you before and I'm telling you now: I don't need glasses." Lily smirked, ready to outwit the boy. She pointed to her eyes. "Contacts."
"They're still something to help you see. So technically, you did need glasses," Scorpius rationalized.
"Technically, I can see fine now and I don't have to wear glasses, so I win."
Scorpius narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Are you always this stubborn?"
"I am not stubborn."
They fight for who they love…
James Potter I
Professor McGonagall walked into her office to see a certain raven-haired boy scrubbing to floor clean. The boy was most likely sent to clean every tile on the floor.
She sighed and said, "Pray tell me, Mr. Potter, why are you in detention this time?"
James looked up from the ground and muttered something non-intelligible.
"I'm sorry?" McGonagall asked as she sat at her desk.
"These people were making fun of werewolves." James put the scrub down and played with his hair. "I couldn't just let them get away with it."
McGonagall paused for a second, remembering one of James's closest friends, Remus, and his unfortunate predicament. She took out a tin and opened it. "Have a biscuit, Mr. Potter."
James stood up from polishing the cabinet and sat down on the other side of her desk. He cautiously reached for the cookie, not sure if it was a trap or not.
"There are plenty of ways to deal with people like that, Mr. Potter, but violence is never the answer."
"Then why is there war?" James shot back.
"Do you think war is a good idea?" McGonagall countered.
James nibbled on his cookie and thought about his answer. "No, I don't think war is good." McGonagall smiled thinking she won him over, but James continued, "But I think war is necessary. Like the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. I don't like it. But I can't sit around while they insult muggleborns and call werewolves horrible monsters in front of—" he caught himself before he revealed anything, not realizing that McGonagall knew Remus's secret, "In front of people. It's not like people ask to get bitten. It's a curse."
"Do you think all Slytherins are evil?"
"No, but there sure are a lot of them that are."
"Do you think all Gryffindors are good?"
"I've never met a Gryffindor I didn't like," James stated.
McGonagall leaned back in her chair while James grabbed another cookie, "You are right when you say war is necessary. But that does not mean you should go out of your way to seek out a—"
"I wasn't!" James protested indignantly, "They came after me!"
"Let me finish, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said firmly. "Your views on war and good and evil are very mature for a second year, but you still have a long way to go and much more to learn. Now, I'm dismissing you of your duties. You're free to go, if you'd like."
James's face lit up with joy. "Really?"
"Yes, Mr. Potter. Just try not to get into any more fights."
"No promises, Professor," James grinned.
McGonagall tried to hide her smile, "I can only dream. Now run along."
Before James was fully out the door, McGonagall called, "And Mr. Potter?" James turned to look at her while she spoke, "Try to control your obsession with a certain red-head named Lily."
"I don't know what you're talking about," James badly lied. After McGonagall raised her eyebrows, he sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Is it that obvious?"
"You only ask her out twice a day every day."
"If she said yes, then I wouldn't have to."
"Have you ever tried being yourself? I'm sure she would like that side of you better than the grand gestures you do to impress her," the head of house advised wisely.
"Am I really getting love advice from my transfiguration professor?" James turned in a circle, his head looking at the ceiling.
"I'll see you in class, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said as she took out the essays she needed to grade.
"Bye, Professor."
Lily Luna Potter
Lily swore she didn't mean to do what she did. But she didn't regret it either. She was on her way to another class, her hands filled with textbooks she was going to say she read, but obviously didn't. As you could tell, she was already the perfect Ravenclaw (please note the sarcasm). Suddenly, she could hear a crowd of people cheering "fight, fight, fight" in the halls. Finally, some action, Lily thought to herself as she joined the crowd.
She was very surprised by what she saw. Albus was in the center, holding back a very red, very angry James, as James glared at a blond haired Gryffindor, McLaggen, who was smirking cockily at the two of them.
"You piece of shit," the bully Gryffindor taunted, "You Slytherins are all snakes. And cowards."
The crowd "oooooh'ed" as James tried to fight himself from Albus's grasp.
"You shut your damn mouth, McLaggen! Don't talk to my brother like that!" James yelled in fury.
Albus would not let his grip on James loosen. "It's alright, James. I've heard this plenty of times before. It's fine."
No, it wasn't, Lily thought to herself.
Before any logic (and other Ravenclaw traits) could make it into her head, Lily dropped her textbooks where she stood and ran to McLaggen giving him the biggest punch to the face she could. Her dad being Harry Potter, she was pretty well-trained in self-defense.
There was a moment of silence as the crowd took in the newest addition to the fight. The Potter in Ravenclaw just punched a Gryffindor in the face. McLaggen slowly looked up and put his hand to his mouth, drawing up blood. He glared at her in cold wrath. "You Ravenclaw bitch. You think I'm not afraid to hit a girl?"
"Oh, I'm counting on it," Lily taunted, "Someone's gonna get hurt, and it's not gonna be me."
She put her fists up, ready to punch again and Albus and James were at the ready too, their wands drawn up to protect their little sister when—
"Miss Potter! My office now."
Lily turned and saw Headmaster McGonagall watching with her calculating eyes.
The crowd "oooooh'ed" again as Lily waded past and grabbed her textbooks from the floor.
"Oh, shut the bloody hell up, will you?" Lily rolled her eyes.
When she reached McGonagall's office, she took a seat and prepared herself to face the Headmaster's anger.
"Was you fighting Mr. McLaggen a smart move, Miss Potter?" McGonagall questioned.
"Why are you asking? Cause I'm a Ravenclaw and I should be smart?"
"No, I'm asking because I thought you were someone with common sense," McGonagall corrected.
Lily sighed as she explained her decision. "He was making fun of Albus just cause he was in Slytherin! I couldn't let him get away with that! People in Slytherin shouldn't be bullied like that."
"No they shouldn't, but that still does not excuse your actions."
"I know," Lily said, resignedly, "And I know I'll get a month's worth of detentions, but I'm sorry to say that don't regret my actions."
"Have a biscuit, Miss Potter," the Headmaster said, nodding to her tray.
"Huh?" Lily questioned.
"Go on." McGonagall folded her hands and watched as Lily grabbed one. "No detentions for a month. Maybe just 10 points from Ravenclaw."
"Really?" Lily asked, her mouth full of cookie.
"I don't approve of you fighting, but I also know your heart was in the right place. Just like I know your heart is in the right place when you harass Mr. Malfoy every hour."
Lily slouched forward in her seat as she reached for another cookie. "I just want him to be my friend! I'm friends with everyone else, he just doesn't seem to like me!"
McGonagall smiled, "Some people like being in their own company. Most Ravenclaws tend to be very introverted."
"But Score takes being introverted to a whole new level. He doesn't talk to anyone. Ever. And nobody ever talks to him."
McGonagall thought deeply, "If he really wants friends, I'm sure he will find his way to you eventually."
"Thanks for the advice, but I'm not really the patient type," Lily said, smiling.
"Oh, I know."
"I like him! People don't really know, but Scorpius is actually really funny! And witty and smart, but I mean, he's a Ravenclaw, so that was obvious, but he was writing this novel or something and I read a chapter and it was really good and pretty funny, but then he got angry cause I was reading something he wrote, which I get, but I didn't mean to intrude. And he's also super cute and—"
"Miss Potter," McGonagall interrupted Lily's stream of consciousness.
"Yeah, I know, I'm getting carried away, but I just really want him to like me back!"
"You know you're not the first student to be caught in the net of unrequited love."
"I'm not even in the friend-zone, I'm— I'm in the enemy-zone!"
"I wouldn't be that dramatic."
"Have you met me? I'm the most dramatic person I know."
McGonagall smiled and shook her head, "I know whatever I say won't change your mind, so get to class now. I'll see you around, Miss Potter."
"Bye, Headmistress."
They struggle with emotions…
James Potter I
James worked hard in his Potions class. A lot of things came easily to him. Quidditch, transfiguration, charms. But potions was something he had always struggled with. And, of course, he needed to pass this class to become an auror. And, of course, this was the one class he was paired with Lily Evans, so her intoxicating, glorious smell distracted him every two seconds. And, of course, his unspoken rival, Severus Snape, had to be the best in the class. Of freakin' course.
He didn't understand why it was so hard. Putting things in a cauldron and mixing them about. Why was it so hard?
They were currently in Potions, James working with Lily, to make the Draught of Living Death. How fun. James wiped the sweat off his brow as he stirred the cauldron. Why was the potion turning purple? He was pretty sure it was not supposed to turn purple.
"I think it's time we add the Sopophorous bean," Lily reminded, trying to keep things strictly professional.
Ah, so that was why it was turning purple.
James readied his knife to cut the bean, but Lily stopped him. "Crushing the bean with the flat side of the knife is more effective." She took the knife from his grasp and demonstrated.
"That was really smart," James bunched his hair in his hand.
"Thanks. Severus taught me that."
Of. Freakin'. Course.
James didn't know what to say after that because anytime Lily mentioned Snape, James had an odd feeling in his chest. One of jealousy and frustration. Not knowing how to deal with that feeling, James took the next ingredient, wormwood, and threw it at Lily, "You, Evans, have worm-wooded your way into my heart."
Once it landed in her hair, Lily shrieked in anger, "What the hell, Potter?"
She then proceeded to grab the powdered root of Asphodel and threw it on James making his black hair turn white from the powder.
A tiny bit of the root landed on Sirius and to join in on the fun, Sirius threw the valerian sprigs into the class causing a full-blown food fight—or rather, potion fight.
Yes, potions did not come very easily to James. But expressing his actual feelings to Lily without some dramatic show… yeah, that didn't come very easily either.
Lily Luna Potter
People always joked about the Potter family having a kid in every house. Her parents especially. When she sent home a letter telling them she was sorted into Ravenclaw, they were so proud. Complimenting her on how smart she was and that she was going to fit in great.
Three years later and she still couldn't fit in.
She got along with them, don't get her wrong. She sat with the Ravenclaws. She ate with the Ravenclaws. She told jokes and sometimes they laughed. But she didn't fit in. She thought of herself as the dumbest out of them all. After all, the others got sorted into Ravenclaw. She just chose to be there on a whim.
She always struggled in class and she couldn't even answer the door's riddles to get into the common room, always waiting for someone to join her so they could answer. If anyone noticed how dumb she was, they didn't comment. After all, even if Lily was stupid, she was good company and fun to be around. She never let anyone in on her insecurities. She was the one who encouraged people, she didn't let others know she was weak.
Everything was fine until the Ravenclaws had potions. This was a combined class with the fourth years and Lily was happy to see Scorpius sitting in the back of the class. Sadly, she couldn't move to join him because she was partnered with Theresa Boot, a fellow third year Ravenclaw. She was nice enough, but became really defensive when people questioned her intelligence. That was why Lily and Theresa usually made a good pairing, Theresa did all the work and Lily praised her for her intelligence. They were creating the Draught of Living Death and once again, Lily and Theresa were partners in crime creating the draught.
Lily usually did whatever Theresa asked her too, but one step through her off.
"We have to cut the Sopophorous bean," Theresa said, reading the next step.
Something about that threw Lily for a loop. She remembered her dad talking about the "Half-Blood Prince" and his potions tips and tricks.
"Hey, Terri. I think it might be better if we smash the bean with the knife," Lily said, casually.
Theresa raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I think I heard it somewhere." Lily scratched the top of her head.
"You, Lily Potter, can't seriously be giving me advice about potions."
"I'm just saying, I think that smashing it would be a better alternative," Lily reasoned, not understanding why the girl was becoming so defensive.
"Everyone!" Theresa announced sarcastically.
"Theresa…" Lily warned.
"Lily Potter, here, is giving me (me!) advice on how to do my potions. Have you ever heard something so absurd?" Lily turned bright red in embarrassment and shame, while the other Ravenclaws laughed at Theresa's jibes. Theresa didn't stop there. "Tell me, Lily, have you ever answered a riddle to get to our common room? Or do you just stand there and wait for us to come save you? Do you even try anymore?"
All the insecurities Lily kept hidden away came up to the surface. Her heart beat faster in her chest as her fight-or-flight response screamed RUN.
"You know, Lily," Theresa continued, "You did good keeping your mouth shut. But you had to go ahead and ruin all that by telling me what to do in potions. Potions! Which, by the way, you suck at more than all your other classes. I groaned when I got paired with you, Potter. Why are you in Ravenclaw anyway?"
"Theresa…" a voice said, in a low, almost threatening voice, "Watch it."
The students turned to look at Scorpius in the back of the class. He had never spoken. Not once in this class. But here he was, sticking up for Lily.
While the Ravenclaws were staring at Scorpius in shock, Lily managed slip out before anyone could spot the stream of tears falling from her face.
Nobody noticed… except for Scorpius.
Ignoring the hollow protests of the professor, Scorpius took his belongings in one hand and made sure to grab Lily's bag with the other, and raced out the door in pursuit of her. This was the first time he broke the rules. Spoke up in class. Ditched. All for Lily Luna Potter. He found her, hiding in one of the hidden corners of the castle, knees drawn to her chest as she sobbed quietly. When she heard his footsteps, she quickly tried to wipe her face clean and hide the tears, but it was too late. Lily was too distraught to say anything and Scorpius was a man of very few words so he dropped her bag next to her and considered leaving, but decided against it and sat on the brick wall next to her.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Lily felt the need to talk. "I get it," she said, her voice hoarse after her sobs.
"What do you get?" Scorpius asked.
"I get why you don't want to be friends with me," Lily had more tears trickle down her face, "You're so smart. Everyone is. They read books. For fun! And they know everything about everything." Scorpius looked at her with concern, but still didn't say anything, so she went on, "I don't belong here. To Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat..." She smiled mockingly to herself. "The Hat wanted to put me anywhere but Ravenclaw, but I insisted."
"Why?"
Lily let out a short laugh and looked to the ceiling causing some stray tears to fall down. "I don't know, Score. Cause I'm stupid?"
"Stop saying that," Scorpius said, shortly and abruptly.
"What?" she turned to look at the blond haired boy.
"You're not stupid, Lily."
Lily snorted softly, using her sleeve to wipe away at the leftover tears on her face. "Yeah, okay. Tell that to the other Ravenclaws."
"The other Ravenclaws can go prick off," Scorpius retorted fiercely. Lily looked at him in shock. This was the most Lily had ever heard Scorpius speak and she spoke with such passion and vigor. For her. "You are one of the smartest people I know," he told her, "And I am not just saying that to make you feel better because I wouldn't lie to you. No one else can do what you can, Lils. No one else I know can read social situations like you. No one can make friends as fast as you. No one can cheer up the most depressed person like you can. You know how to make people smile. You remember the weirdest, smallest details about people." Scorpius spoke more than he ever did before. Using words in a way he only did when he wrote. "It's not even people. The way you observe how the world works and you can just tell what's going on without even having to ask. You are intuitive and witty and stubborn as hell in the most wonderful way possible."
He let out a huff of air and looked at her with fire in his eyes. "No one is as passionate as you. As determined as you. As strong as you. There is no one like you, Lily Luna Potter, and that is exactly what Ravenclaw needs."
"They don't need me," Lily said, softly, her face turning red again, not from horror and embarrassment, but from love and appreciation.
"What they don't need is another perfect cookie-cutter Ravenclaw like Theresa who is just like everyone else. You are so good at singing. You joined the Hogwarts choir and now, the group actually sounds good… even with the frogs!" Lily giggled at that, making Scorpius grow more confident. "You know, a big part of Ravenclaw is the value of creativity and originality, but everyone seems to forget that in favor of the notion that all Ravenclaws are 'big book reading nerds,'" Scorpius quoted what Lily had told him in first year.
"You remember that?"
"Just because I don't talk, doesn't mean I don't listen, Lils."
"You called me Lils." Lily smiled.
"You call me Score," he reminded her.
"I like it."
"I like it too," Scorpius replied with a small smile.
And so they sat there, in comfortable silence, the beginning of a friendship and romance coming into bloom.
Yes, being a Ravenclaw did not come easily to Lily. But getting Scorpius to be her friend… yeah, that didn't come easily either, but she finally made it!
They get drunk really fast…
James Potter I
The Gryffindors had just won the Quidditch match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. It was a tough game from beginning to end, but the Gryffindors won in the end. James had walked into the locker room after the wild applause and celebration to hear—
"Party in the Gryffindor common room tonight!"
James cheered along with the rest of the team and they all cleaned the mud and dirt from themselves as each player began clearing out, patting James on the shoulder as they left.
"James," Sirius exclaimed, hopping on the back of his best friend. "Mate, you know what we need for the party?"
Alcohol. Duh. That was the answer to any adolescent party.
James laughed as Sirius threw his arm around his friend as they walked out of the locker room. "Sirius, we can't get that much alcohol for that many people. And we really shouldn't be drinking, it might mess with our furry solution."
James didn't explicitly say, but after learning of Remus's struggles as a werewolf, the Marauders wanted a way to support their friend— by being Animagi. Remus protested, but James could not just stand around and watch his friend suffer alone. They devised the plan for James, Sirius, and Peter to be Animagi in third year, but the process was hard and they were still practicing into their fifth year. They were almost ready and James figured if they practiced for a month or so, they could fully secure their Animagus forms. They had already chosen nicknames for each based on the first animal part they formed. However, training to be an Animagus was hard work and James figured that drinking might throw them off their game.
"Prongsy, you're like an old grandmother who worries too much, come on! How bad will it be? We have the invisibility cloak, we have the map, what more could we need?"
"Two more years so we're legal," James reasoned.
Sirius threw his head back in frustration, "James! It's just one night. We just won what could have been the most important game of the year… of our lives… of our—"
"Alright, alright." James threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "I'm in."
Sirius grinned so wide, he bared all his teeth. "This is going to be—"
"Awesome! I feeeeeeell awwwwesome," James slurred, as he swayed around the room.
It was James's first time trying firewhisky and it was quite a sight to see.
The usually cool and suave teenager was now wobbling about every which way, laughing at the most random of things.
"Why, why, why do they say aweSOME anyway?" James threw his arms around Remus and leaned his full body on the young wolf.
Remus, struggling under the weight of James, asked, "Huh?" He, thankfully, was still sober (and smart) because he chose not to touch any of the suspicious bottles of liquor.
"Cause Mooonnnnnnny... just think about it. Cause... cause awesome is soooooome awe and not all of it. Like, like, like awful. AwFUUUUULL of awe. Get it, Moony, get it?"
Remus managed to drag James to an empty seat of the couch and dropped him on it. "Yeah, I get it, James. And I don't think this much alcohol is good for you."
"I've only had oooone," James protested.
Remus raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "Seriously?"
"And a half," James added timidly.
"You are quite the lightweight." Remus chuckled.
Remus saw Lily Evans walking towards them, her hands on her hips. "Potter, you're stupid party is keeping me awake when I am trying to get some sleep. I get that you won your stupid broomstick game, which is great for you, I guess, but some people need to—"
"Woo-hoo!" the sound of drunk Sirius came out of nowhere and Remus knew it was the sound of drunk Sirius about to do something stupid.
"Lily, please watch James, he's super drunk and I need to make sure Sirius is okay," then he ran off to find Sirius and save him from doing anything else stupid.
Lily tried protesting, but Remus was already gone. She turned to look at James who was staring at her unabashedly. Lily crossed her arms, feeling uncomfortable at how deeply James looked at her. She wanted to leave him, run back to her room, and stuff her face into a pillow to block out the loud music and voices, but she couldn't have James die while she was told to watch him so she just stared back. "What is it, Potter?"
"You are awful, Lily Evans."
"Excuse me?"
"Issssa compliment, Lilykins. If I was uncomplimenting you, I would call you awesome or awenone."
"Alright then," Lily took a seat next to James and prayed that Remus would return soon.
James took a string of Lily's hair between his fingers and began to twist it around softly. Normally, Lily would have batted him away, but she just decided to let him so she wouldn't have to talk to him. "Hairy," James twirled and untwirled Lily's red-hair around his fingers and then let it fall down.
"Yes, you're playing with my hair."
"No, I want to name our first kid after your hair. We'll call him Harry," James giggled.
"Merlin, you're drunk." Lily rolled her eyes.
"No, you're drunk. I'mmmm James."
"Yes, you are. And it seems like Remus isn't coming anytime soon, so I'm gonna get you to bed, okay?"
"Mmmmm," was James's only reply.
"I'll take that as a yes." Lily looped James's arms around her shoulders and struggled to get James up the stairs into his room. "You gotta help me out, Potter. I can't carry you up these stairs."
"How come girls can come up the guys' stairs, but guys can't come up girls' stairs?" James asked drowsily.
"Cause guys are pervs," Lily replied as they finally made it to the top of the staircase, the music still booming heavily in their ears.
"Girls are pervs too," James argued. "You wanna take me to bed."
"To sleep! Who's being the perv now?"
"We can be pervs together," James mumbled as he fell face-first into his pillow.
"Woah there, Potter." She turned his head so only part of his face rested on the pillow. "We can't have that pillow suffocate you to death, that's my job," she joked.
"Why do you hate me?" James asked softly with almost child-like innocence.
"I was only joking about the suffocating thing."
"You hate me."
Lily sighed and sat at the end of James's bed. "I don't hate you, per say. You're just wild and different from me, but you are persistent in gaining my affection and it just seems like you're playing with me. I don't feel like a person to you, I feel like a thing you want to gain and win." Lily poured out all her emotions knowing that James would most likely forget all of it in the morning. Lily tried to think of an analogy James would understand and said, "Like a snitch."
"You win a snitch in quidditch and you win the game," James explained obviously.
"I know the basics of Quidditch. I took the flying class in first year."
"Winning the snitch is pretty great."
"Yeah, I would think so." Lily bounced a few times on the bed to get comfortable. "And winning me is like winning the snitch? Well sorry to burst your bubble but—"
"I'm a chaser," he interrupted.
"Huh?"
"I don't focus on the snitch. Even if it is the most important part of the game, I wouldn't want to waste my time searching for something that only shows up at the end. I love flying and playing the game. I love quidditch. Not winning."
Lily bit her lower lip. "I don't get it." She was starting to feel nervous; James spoke with such eloquence, she wondered if he was even drunk at all.
"I love everything about you, Lily. Your hair, your eyes—"
"My looks," Lily finished for him.
"Your compassion, "James continued, "Your dedication. Your humor. Your wit. The way you dot your 'I's'. The look you have on your face in the morning before you had breakfast." James had a goofy grin on his face as his eyes drooped in and out of consciousness.
"My grumpy face?"
"It's like an old cat."
Lily giggled, "My morning face is an old grumpy cat and you like that?"
"I love that. And if you said yes, the first time I asked you out, I would have loved that. If you say yes, the millionth time I ask you out, I would still love that."
Lily gulped. "I really appreciate what you've told me and I learned more about you today, but I don't think I'm ready to really date yet. I mean, I have dated before but dating you, I feel like that would be a whole other adventure. Not that adventures are bad." She continued rambling, not really seeing James's reaction, "And I get that you have strong feelings for me and I feel like I could have strong feelings towards you too, if I let myself. I mean, you are attractive. Anyone with eyes could tell you that, but I just don't know if I'm ready yet, but I want to be and for some strange reason, I think I might even consider saying yes. Someday soon." Lily took a deep breath after expressing all her emotions and waited for James's reaction. She was met with silence. "Potter? Potter?" Lily checked to see if James was okay, only to hear his light snore.
She smiled softly and used her hands to brush his soft hair out of his face, something she had wanted to do since second year. A part of her was glad James didn't hear her confession. A part of her was disappointed. She left his room that night, unsure of everything she knew before.
The next morning, Lily saw James at breakfast, his head resting on the table, obviously hungover. "Had a good night, huh?" Lily joked, sitting across from him.
"Why is everything so loud?" James complained.
"Probably that dreadful music from last night still echoing in your head," Lily remarked as she took a bite of her egg and toast.
"I had a dream where you liked me back and you said you would go out with me," James said quietly.
Lily laughed nervously. "Only in your dreams, Potter."
James let out a half-hearted laugh and poked his greasy bacon wishing it would fly away and take his hangover with it. "Yeah, I guess so."
Lily Luna Potter
"Why did I agree to this again?" Scorpius asked, as Lily dragged him by hand to the little bar on the east side of Hogsmeade.
"Because we're friends now and friends go out and do fun things."
"Do I have to?" Scorpius whined.
"Score, we've already had this conversation a million times!"
And they did. After much repartee between the blond haired boy and red haired girl, Lily finally convinced Scorpius to join her and a couple of her friends and many, many cousins on a drinking escapade far from the eyes of Hogwarts.
Scorpius complained that he was awkward and wouldn't fit in, but Lily promised she wouldn't leave his side. When she looked at him with those chocolate brown doe eyes, Scorpius was a goner…but he wouldn't tell anyone that. So here they were, inside a wizarding pub that served "extra beer-y butterbeer", as Lily called it, to underage witches and wizards.
Before he knew it, Scorpius was bombarded by a family of red-heads, all part of the Weasley clan and Lily's cousins, and after a while Scorpius was actually having a pretty good time. He didn't have many friends, as people didn't want to associate with the son of a former death eater, and after a while Scorpius grew to accept that, pushing people away even before they had a chance to push him away first. Lily was the first to break through that barrier, and now, surrounded by the Weasley family, Scorpius could feel them chipping away at his wall too. Whether they genuinely liked him, or if Lily threatened them to be nice to him, or if they were just too drunk to care if he was a Malfoy, Scorpius enjoyed being part of the group.
He didn't drink too much, just a few small sips here and there, but Lily on the other hand, completely let herself go, as in she took a few more sips than Scorpius and ended up completely drunk out of her mind. "Score, Score, Scooooooore!" Lily yelled right into his ear.
"Lils, I'm literally right here. What is it?"
"I want to have your babies, Malfoy," Lily wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, but in her drunk state, it ended up looking more comedic than sexy.
"Merlin, Lily." Scorpius rubbed his hands on his face in embarrassment. "I thought we were friends."
"I asked you to be my BOYfriend in our first year."
"And I said no."
"You also said no to being friends, yet here we are." Lily waved her arms, gesturing to herself and him.
"Here we are indeed." Scorpius sighed, holding a giggling Lily up by the armpits as she leaned backwards into his embrace. "Lils, I want to be your friend, but I don't think I'm good enough to be a boyfriend. I honestly didn't even think I was good enough to be your friend, but somehow—"
"Karaoke!" Lily gasped, completely distracted from Scorpius, "Score, let's do it!"
Of course she would want to do it. She was a wonderful singer with the voice of an angel, while he was most definitely not.
"I don't think that's such a great—"
And he was on the stage, a microphone in his hand.
How did that girl get him to do anything she wanted?
The music started playing and Scorpius watched as she sang along to the music and the lyrics, bobbing her head. He had never heard the tune, so he assumed it was some muggle song. It was strange they had muggle karaoke at a wizard bar, but after Voldemort and the war, wizard-muggle integration was top priority to prevent any rising Voldemorts. Students at Hogwarts were even starting to use pens to write papers!
Lily sang into the microphone, something about Romeo and being alone together. She pointed at Scorpius to do the next line.
"I don't know this sooong," Scorpius sang back.
Lily sang about princes and princesses, swaying to the music as she waited for Scorpius to sing the next part. But Scorpius could only nervously twitch as he felt his hands become slick with sweat.
"BABY, JUST SAY 'YES'!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Yes?" Scorpius replied into the mic.
All in all, the experience was new to Scorpius and he hoped he would never have to go through that again. Singing was never really his forte and even while Lily was drunk, she could hold a tune much better than Scorpius could ever do sober. At the end of the song, Lily and Scorpius jumped off the stage and joined their friends who were cheering for them.
"That was so much fun, Score!" Lily bounced excitedly, her skin gleaming with a thin layer of sweat.
"Yeah," Scorpius half-heartedly agreed. He wanted to be an uncontainable ball of energy for Lily, just like she was for him, but Scorpius just couldn't find the courage to sing a few lines, let alone do all the wild and crazy things Lily would want to do with her boyfriend. That was why Scorpius was so cautious around Lily. He didn't want to let her down when she would inevitably realize that Scorpius would only hold her back. "Lils, I'm feeling a little tired, I think I'm gonna head back to Hogwarts now."
Lily stumbled to get up. "I'll come with you."
"No, Lils. It's okay. Trust me, I'm sober. I can get home on my own. You have fun with your friends okay? Tell them I said goodbye."
Lily looked confused as she watched him walk away, wondering what she did wrong to make him leave like that. That night, she would drink more and more until she completely forgot the whole night. But for some reason, the next morning, the only sound in her head were the chords to the tune of a muggle song, a song about Romeo and Juliet.
As she groggily piled breakfast on her plate, she hummed to herself, "This love is difficult, but it's real."
Author's Note: A very special thank you to GhostyDuck on Wattpad for creating two alternative book covers for this fic! Here are the links (just remove the spaces): pin . it /3GkR8qD and pin . it /3lIUdIf