57A/N Hi all! Just a few quick notes to some of my (many!) reviewers who all get cookies!
Shygirl135- HUGE compliment! Thank you!
WickedIsMyCrack- That comment was my favourite too. :-)
CL7- Sorry for keeping you waiting so long. :)
Live4eva- JKR described the kitchens as I did but jumping on the table and moving people was my idea.
Amberjoe- I think you were closest with the cookie question! Double cookies for you! Congrats! :D
Enjoy!
Lily struggled down to the Great Hall with the weight of her pile of books. They covered everything that they could possibly be taught on in today's classes. Alice and Mary looked on exasperated as she both refused to accept anyone's help or use magic. Dropping them onto the table in the great hall she sat down next to James.
He immediately turned to her to apologise by bowing his head. "Lily, I'm really, really, sorry."
Lily was flustered by this. "What on earth for? What have you done now?!"
"I got you in a detention this afternoon remember."
Lily had forgotten about this. "Oh, I'm not mad at you James."
James raised his head for the first time. "You're not? But you're always mad at me at breakfast."
"And this time you have an actual reason to be. Why aren't you? Go on hex him!"
They both spun around. "Shut up Sirius." Lily and James said in unison.
They faced each other again. "Why aren't you?"
Lily shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose I've got you in detention enough times over the years."
"You will let me make it up to you, won't you?"
"There's nothing to make up for, honestly!" She laughed.
"Can I carry your books for you?"
"No."
"You never let anyone help you do you?" he asked earnestly.
"Maybe I prefer it that way."
"Alright." James sat back as Lily was relieved that he had given up, for all of ten seconds. "Lily Evans, I dare you to let me do you have a favour." Lily couldn't help but grin at the look of triumph on James' face. He had her beat. "Do you think you can handle that?"
"Fine, you can carry my books for me if you're that desperate!"
"I will," He stood to leave picking up her books as he went. "But that's not the favour. I have something else in mind."
"What?" Lily had from past experience many reasons to be suspicious.
"You'll see."
He over dramatically blew her a kiss and left the room leaving Lily blushing, playing with her food and once again trying to avoid Alice and Mary's smiling gaze.
Lily went to each of her lessons that day finding her textbook for each lesson on her usual desk when she arrived, and James sat at the back paying her very little attention, although when he noticed her staring at him he smiled back. Lily would automatically revert to her scowl. It had been standard practice for six years. Unfortunately this would only cause James' grin to grow bigger, and Lily to blush and look away.
"Alice you've got to help me!"
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I can't stop looking at," Lily paused as James was nearby talking to Professor Flitwick, "him!" She jerked her head in his direction. Alice just laughed this was not Lily had hoped to get from her best friend. "This is a serious problem! You've got to help me!"
"Why is it a problem that you like him? He likes you too remember."
"Shush!" Lily glanced at James, "And I don't!"
Alice raised her eyebrows. "I can't help you if you're in denial Lily."
Lily glowered at Alice before her gaze drifted back towards James who was walking over to her. "I'm not, but I still think I need help."
"And I still think you're an idiot." Alice said cheerfully.
Before James had reached their desk Professor Flitwick addressed the class. "Ok, that'll be all for today. For homework please review protective charms of the home and I'd like a foot of parchment on the fidelius charm and its uses for next Monday."
"Hey Lily."
"Hey." Lily could only murmur in reply to James as she began to put her copy of 'The standard book of spells grade 7' into her all but empty bag. However, before she could manage this he had taken it from her hands.
"I thought you were letting me carry your books today?" He sniggered as Lily attempted to glare at him. He silently summoned his bag from the back of the classroom and due to the weight of it was knocked backwards into a desk.
"Always the gentlemen aren't you." Lily said sardonically.
"Well someone has to be, and it's definitely not Sirius." He swung the bag over his shoulder and nodded to the previously mentioned marauder. He looked back to Lily who remained sat in her seat watching him. After a while James broke the silence. "Are we going to the common room then?"
"I'm waiting for Alice."
James looked amused by this and leant towards her, still maintaining eye contact. "Lily, she's already gone."
Sure enough, when Lily looked around the classroom she found it empty except for herself, James and Professor Flitwick who spoke next. "Off you go, I have a remedial class waiting. Miss Evans I assume Mr Potter has told you that your detention is cancelled, Mr Potter I will see you at 6 o clock."
Lily followed James from the room and accidentally bumped into a broad shouldered boy making his way in. "Oh, sorry."
A voice with unexpected malice replied. "Don't speak to me mudblood."
Before Lily could do more than gasp James had pinned the boy by his throat and had his wand on the tip of his nose emitting sparks. "50 points from Slytherin and if you ever use that word again you'll get more than a singed noise do you understand Mulciber?"
"I don't take my orders from blood traitors." James' nostrils flared and he looked quite demented. Mulciber tried to spit in his face as a final insult.
Lily acted instantly rushing forward and getting in-between them. Pushing James gently against the opposite wall and lifting his wand above his head with her hand. "No! He's not worth it James."
"Let me at him, just one curse, please Lily you know he deserves it." James snarled.
Mulciber ran into the Charms classroom and closed the door behind him, laughing all the way.
James continued to struggle to give chase until Lily put her hand over his heart which seemed to placate him immediately. He lowered his wand and Lily hugged him tightly as he breathed heavily into her hair. She could still feel his heart hammering inside his chest. He wrapped his arms around her slowly. After a few minutes of silence James seemed to have calmed down.
"You didn't have to do that you know." Lily said quietly into his chest.
"Perhaps not," he said slowly, "but I really hate that word."
"Me too, but you don't have to worry about me James."
"But I do." Lily looked up to find James looking down at her, his face impossibly close. "I know you can take on three of them in a duel but that doesn't mean I don't worry. It's probably because you're worth a million times more than them. At least you do to me." He smiled tentatively.
Lily lost the power of speech, something that seemed to occur with increasing regularity lately.
A crash echoed around the corridor as Peeves knocked over a suit of armour. They jumped apart and James ran his hand through his hair again, while looking shyly at Lily.
"Come on." Lily linked her arm in James' and pulled him off down the corridor towards the stairs. "So why don't I have a detention then? What did you do?"
"I told Flitwick that it was my fault that you didn't get time to study for the test. I said I'd left a homework assignment to the last minute, and had forgotten about head patrols. You had to do it instead."
"Thank you, but why? You ended up in the hospital wing."
"Don't worry about it; I just did you a favour." He smiled as he opened up the common room portrait and they both stepped inside.
Lily now remembered the dare and spoke without thinking, "but that doesn't count."
"Huh?"
"For the dare, it doesn't count."
"Why doesn't it?"
"Because I didn't ask you to do it." Lily said firmly.
James looked thoroughly confused, although he knew better than to try and test Lily's stubbornness. At least he had learnt something from the disaster that was fifth year. "Fair enough, but you realise what this means?"
"You still have to do me a favour."
"Or I get to take you on a date tonight."
"I'd rather you did me this favour. I really need your help."
"Now?" he said as he heaved the bag which was bursting at the seams with heavy books on to a coffee table, laid himself out on a couch and closed his eyes.
"Before the end of the day. Then I don't have to spend anymore time with you than is entirely necessary." Lily smiled as he chuckled. Lily walked over and pushed his feet off the sofa and sat down next to him. "I want you to teach me how to fly a broom."
James sat bolt upright. "Really?"
"Yes, really." James looked like all his Christmas' had come at once. "Will you do me this favour? Please?"
"Of course I will." James grin was very infectious and Lily found herself smiling back as he placed his hand on hers stroking it lightly. "I can't right now though. I've got a detention, and more important than that I need to eat."
"Me too." Peter appeared out of nowhere as usual.
"Third, let's get to the Great Hall. Come on Moony get your head out of that book for ten minutes we're off." Sirius shouted across the room. Remus, knowing better than to delay Sirius from his dinner saved his page and made his way towards the fat lady.
"What time can you be ready?" Lily asked.
"I'm not sure." James was clearly rearranging his schedule in his head, to make time for Lily.
"Come on James." Sirius had grabbed James free arm and was pulling him away, which James was clearly resisting as best he could. Their now outstretched hands lost contact.
"Around 8?" He said pathetically, as Sirius forcibly dragged him out of the portrait hole.
"Great. Meet me here then." Lily waved to him.
James beamed, "Ok, Lily. It's a date."
"It's a dare!" Lily shouted at the portrait hole as it closed. James didn't respond but she thought that she heard loud footsteps and James issuing Sirius a death threat.
James came down the stairs at 8 o clock sharp carrying his broom over his shoulder. He smiled to Lily and they moved towards the exit. "So, why am I teaching you to fly? No offence Lily but you've never really shown much interest in becoming a Quidditch player, -
"Or dating one." Sirius muttered while rubbing the lump on the side of his head. Neither heard his comment; apparently they were distracted by each other.
"I want to become an Auror and you have to be at least capable on a broomstick to pass the training. The only time I've been on a broomstick was first year and you remember how badly that went…" Lily trailed off.
"I can't believe you resented me for catching you." James grinned which Lily returned shyly.
"I know. Anyone else would have thanked you, but not Lily Evans! It was your fault that I fell off though."
James raised his eyebrows, "and how is that? All I was doing was flying around-"
"Exactly." Lily cut him off, "I was watching you instead of concentrating. I'd never seen anybody 'flying around' before."
"I was a show-off wasn't I?" James seemed to be fondly reminiscing.
"Yes, you were."
"You don't think I still am, do you?"
"No, I think I hexed you enough to stop that sort of behaviour." Lily said as James nodded in agreement. "I'd like to think I'm partially responsible for your reformed character."
"Partially?" James held open the portrait, "Lily, I think you're entirely responsible." He smirked.
"Thanks, for tonight James."
"No problem, I had a really good time. Maybe next time I can get you to fly your own broom instead of sharing mine." He jested gently as Lily blushed. "Don't get me wrong, it was much nicer holding onto you than trying to catch you. I think I've bruised." He said rubbing his ribs while trying not to laugh.
"Shut up!" Lily hit him playfully on the arm. They walked back through the passages of Hogwarts towards Gryffindor tower. It was long after curfew and the castle was eerily quiet.
"It's strange; I'm used to the corridors being busy. I think we might be the only people wandering around the castle."
"Yeah." James grabbed Lily's hand and stopped suddenly. "Us and Filch."
"Students! Students out of bed! Stop right there!" He screeched in his raspy voice from the other end of the corridor. They could only make out his shadow moving towards them.
James sighed, "This way."
"But that's a dead end."
"Trust me." Lily nodded and James led her into a side corridor.
"He'll catch us for sure now." The footsteps we're growing closer as James quite calmly pulled a glossy material from under his robes. He crouched and silently waved Lily to come towards him wrapping what appeared to be a cloak around them. Lily gasped, "I know what this is, it's-"
"Shush." James whispered in her ear. He leant over her to check that the cloak covered them both entirely.
Filch appeared around the corner and rushed past them without even seeing them. When he was out of sight James stood pulling Lily with him, still standing close together as they moved down the corridor.
"So, an invisibility cloak." Lily said slowly. "This explains a lot." She couldn't see his smile but she knew it was there. After a while Lily realised what was happening. "We've lost Filch; we could take the cloak off now."
"That's right Lily." James snaked an arm around her waist, keeping her even closer. "We could."
Lily had the distinct feeling that removing the cloak was the last thing James wanted to do at this moment in time and she didn't seem to mind either. They entered the deserted common room and James finally pulled the cloak off of them both.
"Instead of being squashed together under that why didn't we just use disillusionment charms? We can both do them perfectly well."
"I know, but it was much more fun using the cloak don't you think?" He said cheekily.
Lily looked for a change of subject to avoid answering that question truthfully, which would be far too embarrassing. "You know tomorrow is the last day of our agreement?" Lily realised how James must have heard this as he winced; formal, blunt and unfriendly. Exactly how Lily used to treat him.
James composed himself first. "I know. I've got something planned already." He said backing towards the stairs.
"I'm looking forward to it." His smile returned at this. "Good night James."
"I'll win you over tomorrow Lily," he said knowingly, "one way or the other."
As James disappeared Lily's words caught in her throat. 'But you already have.'
"I went to the library and found something that might interest you." Alice said pointing to Lily's pillow and the book upon it without looking up from her own.
"'Twelve fail-safe ways to charm witches'" Lily looked at Alice sceptically. "Sorry Alice but I'm still not gay."
Alice was unperturbed. "Then why haven't you kissed James yet?"
"Has it ever occurred to you that I just don't like him that way?"
"It has, but I realised that's just a lie." Alice smiled sweetly.
Realising she was never going to win this one, Lily brought the conversation back to the book sat on her lap. "So what's this about?"
"There's a bit in there about conjuring flowers and how long they survive. Page 63."
Lily flicked to the relevant page.
'Pro meus diligo (non-verbal) is a charm that creates a posy of flowers for a gift to a witch. It is conjured with a circular movement of the wand while concentrating on the witch you love. The posy created will be different depending on the caster's object of affection. The type of flowers, size, colour and scent can change. The other factor that can change is the flower's lifespan before they die. Much like a patronus' strength is determined by how happy the memory used is, the stronger the feelings of love, the longer the flowers will survive. Flowers will usually survive around 24 hours but in rare cases of strong emotion can last up to 36.'
Lily glanced to her posy of flowers sat on her nightstand. 48 hours on they were as fresh as they were when they were conjured. Lily knew what this meant and placed a hand on her heart. "Oh my."
"I know," Alice grinned cheekily. "And look at the back page. Apparently it's tradition for each guy who uses the book to add a heart, their initials and the initials of the girl they like."
Lily did so and found the page covered in hearts. Most were faded and smudged; she went to the most recent additions. J.F. + J.F., G.L. + M.M…
Lily eventually found a few that were of more interest to her.
'F.L. + A.P.'
"Frank?"
Alice nodded grinning from ear to ear. "Keep going."
'S.B. + All girls!'
"Sirius!?"
"Yeah. It does explain a few things though. I'm sure you'll recognise the next one as well."
Lily did.
'J.P. + L.E.'
"I went to the library and found something that might interest you."
"What do you mean?" James asked Remus while searching his floor for his pyjamas.
"Page 63," Remus said passing a book to him. "Next to euphoria."
"'Potions for the troublesome prankster', how did you get this? It's in the restricted section."
"Being a respectable student has its advantages. I told Miss Pince that I was researching antidotes after a recent spate of pranks."
"Remus you flirt. Carry on like this and dear Irma will pop the question soon." Sirius laughed.
"Oh shut up. Just look at the effects will you."
"'Venenum pro hostes hostium'," James scanned the page, laughing to himself. "Oh, this is perfect, and it only takes an hour to make. Let's get brewing."
"Way ahead of you James." He nodded to a cauldron containing of what at first glance appeared to be pumpkin juice in the corner of the dormitory. "A trip to the kitchens tomorrow morning and Mulciber will regret ever using that word."
"You understand that I would've hexed him on the spot if Lily hadn't stopped me. I should've hexed you as well Padfoot after this afternoon."
"Sure you would, and I've already explained. I was hungry." Sirius decided to try and change the subject as James glared daggers at him. "So what've you got planned for tomorrow?"
"Well I've been thinking about it lots. What Lily likes, where to have it, how to impress her without seeming desperate." Remus and Sirius seemed impressed by the thought James had put into this. "Anyway after all of that… I've got nothing."
The three boys talked for a long time and eventually James felt better. It seemed that he already knew what Lily's perfect date was but didn't have the confidence to carry this plan through. That's where Remus and Sirius came in.
"Anyone want some pumpkin juice?" Peter came out of the bathroom, but his three friends who were in deep conversation waved him off.
"So what about the final dare?" Remus asked.
"And what was wrong with my suggestion?" Sirius whined.
"Don't be stupid. We need Lily to admit her feelings for James; you know how stubborn she is. She can't be forced."
"That's true." James said quietly. "So what are we going to do?"
"I have an idea." Remus glanced over his shoulder after hearing a yelp. "Hold that thought." He stood and raised his wand towards Peter.
"Peter that wasn't pumpkin juice you muppet!" Sirius roared with laughter and James immediately joined in as the effect of the potion became clear.
"Well, at least we know it works now!"
James and Lily both feel asleep late that night after discussing what would happen tomorrow in great depth with their respective friends. Both knew that Lily's unrelenting stubbornness held them back and they both strived to find a solution to this.
A/N A lot happens in this chapter! What do you think will happen in the next chapter? Fave parts? Characters? Lines? Things to Improve? I read every single review so let me know!
University is awesome! I've been so busy but now it's the holidays so here is the next chapter. I've just had swine flu too so have been bed ridden!
I have a vote on my home page with some suggestions for one-shots I'm thinking of writing. I'd appreciate your opinion on which you would find the most interesting to read.
Cookie Question: What does 'Venenum pro hostes hostium' do to people who drink it? It's Latin and translates as 'potion for the enemy'. The best/most accurate/inventive/funny answers get cookies!
Thanks for reading and reviewing for those that do, ;-P
Ginger-Whinger
DON'T FORGET to add the story alert if you want to know when the next chapter is posted! (If you haven't done already!)
LIKE THIS STORY? Then check out my profile for more J/L stories like this!