Of fireplaces and slight romances{James}

[LILY MARIE EVANS]

-----------------------------

It was her last and seventh year at Hogwarts for a red haired Gryffindor girl that was sitting by one of comfy arm chairs by the fireplace. A book was laid open in her lap. She was supposed to be reading it but her mind kept wandering off. Emerald green eyes glanced down at the title of the book. It was a set of short scary stories muggle style. Her mother had given her the book for her birthday last year and since then she couldn’t keep it away. It was stuff from her old movies. The Headless Horseman was one of them. The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile as Lily Evans glanced down at the book. To think she could have been a muggle and not notice about the magical world was simply ridiculous. She reached up and started to play with a few strands of her hair. Twirling it in between her fingers as she let her mind wander while closing the book. Head Girl. It was something that Lily had wanted to achieved ever since her fifth year. When she was made a perfect. She had looked up to the other Head Girl, who was also a Gryffindor, as a role model of some sort. They did get along after all. She propped her elbow on the arm of the chair and laid her chin on her palm.

Try as she might, Lily could not get her mind wrapped around the fact that James was the Head Boy. James Potter. James the toe rag. Bully. Arrogant. There were more names that could not be repeated. Everything boiled down to their fifth year…..no, Lily thought to herself, frowning now. I can’t think about that. I won’t think about it. She could still see herself in her pajamas, arms folded and glaring at Severus Snape that night. It had taken her little less than a couple of weeks to get over it. It didn’t help that James was constantly asking her out. She scowled heavily at the thought of the Charms class the month before school had let out for the summer holidays. He had done one of his dramatic poems and Lily wanted nothing better to do than to whack him over the head with her book. Or even better, charm his lips shut so he wouldn’t talk again. Last year had been one of gossip for the two of them. Lily had given in and agreed to go on a date with him. A lot of students were surprised to see the two of them together. Enjoying the time and not arguing, which in itself was a big surprise. James had surprised her that day.

Merlin he surprised her every day. She was watching him closely, seeing him slowly growing up. And it was about time to, Lily thought to herself. Her eyes were glazing over now. She bit down on the inside of her cheeks. Last year was her last year for freedom. Last year was her last for doing what she wanted. Dumbledore was dead. Lord Voldemort had taken over the wizarding world. Ever since her seventeenth birthday, Lily had placed protective charms over her house. It was something that Petunia heavily protested until the red haired girl, in muggle clothing, had said this would save their lives. Lily was the brightest witch out of her class. At the top of everything. She knew what the Ministry would think if they found out. Let them, she thought to herself. It’s not my headache anymore. A small sigh escaped from her lips as her ears pricked forward, hearing footsteps. She jumped a bit, thinking that no one would be up this late at night. An hour before midnight to be exact. “Whoever’s behind me better have a good excuse for being up this late.” She tried to repress a sigh. “Unless you’re like me, who can’t sleep no matter what.”

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Tagged. James!
Words. 659
Notes. Lily wants some alone time with him.
Credits. The template is credit to Laura

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[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

whether we’re together or apart we can both remove the masks
AND ADMIT WE REGRET IT FROM THE START

Sleeping was not something that James liked doing. Not these days at least. He remembered being a lazy teenager. Going to bed at midnight and waking up at midday. Or if he went to bed later because he and Sirius had been on a night-time expedition he usually wouldn’t rise until mid afternoon. These days compared to everything else that was going on in the world however, sleep seemed unimportant and frankly a waste of time. He could be doing more important things at night like hunting down Death Eaters, or at least practicing spells on how to defeat them. Truth was, his brain was too wired to sleep these days. Too busy worrying and stressing about well, everything. From classes (and what they were being forced to learn/do in them), to the war that had been lost and about Lily.

Wonderful, brilliant, fiery Lily Evans who was even more at the centre of his thoughts these days. Not only because she was a muggleborn and he spent day and night fearing for her safety but because this was their final year together. Merlin knew where the two of them would be this time next year and James was hoping and praying that they would be together. He had to make this year count. He had to win her over truly and completely. They had made huge headway last year on their date but there was still reluctance there, James could sense it. He had tried every trick in the book. From poem recitals, to huge romantic gestures, to public declarations of love, trying to make her jealous and also keeping his distance. None of them had worked.

This year he was going to cut all of that and just be James. Sort of. Because James was the sort of guy that would do all of those crazy things anyway. But the idea was to tone it down a little. Besides, given the current climate he was sure that A) he wouldn’t get away with doing any of that and B) It was rather disrespectful to try to. Neither of those reasons however were going to stop him from hunting her down in the middle of the night if he had to. Though it seemed as if he wasn’t going to have to go to much trouble because she was in the common room. He felt something very much like relief flood through him and the butterflies exploded to life in his stomach. He was constantly fearing for her safety, he just had to get a look at her and make sure she was in one piece. And now that he had realised they were alone in the common room he just had to take advantage of that fact.

With a huge smirk on his face, he crept up behind her. "I'll give you two guesses as to who I am, Evans." James said in his bright and cheery voice. He stood behind her, putting one hand over each of her eyes. "But if you don't get it right on the first go I will be very disappointed." He wondered how she'd react. It depended on her mood he supposed. He was waiting for her to fling his hands away and whirl around and glare at him in that amazingly attractive way. James was determined to make her mood improve. "If its sleep you're wanting, Evans, I can carry you upstairs, cuddle until you fall asleep; maybe even sing you a lullaby?" He suggested, his tone slightly joking but with a hint of seriousness. After all if by some miracle she agreed he was hardly likely to say no. He'd jump at the chance.

WORDS 614
TAG Lily
NOTES Ta-dah!

[LILY MARIE EVANS]

-----------------------------

She continued to frown at the fireplace, all of her senses were on high alert. When the person began to speak she rolled her eyes. Lily made a face as her eyes were covered and she folded her arms across her chest. “Potter. Kindly remove your hands from my eyes before I jinx them shut. I won’t hesitate in doing so either.” It was odd that James would appear when she had been thinking about him a few seconds ago. Speak of the devil and he shalt appear. She quirked an eyebrow as he continued to speak. “I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to that.” Her voice had gone dry, very dry. “When pigs might fly of course. Now. Hands off.” Lily attempted to take them off from her eyes. Her heartbeat was slowly going back to normal. Her emerald green eyes were blazing with anger. They were lucky they were in the common room. He was lucky they were alone. Merlin he was lucky he was James and not another pureblood. She finally, and forcefully, lowered his hands. She had half the urge to bite down on his fingers. Just to teach him a lesson but she decided against it. She did give him a warning glare as she whirled so that half of her body was turning to him.

The other half was sitting where it was previously. “Couldn’t sleep either could you?” The teasing and loathing was gone. It was replaced by a serious look as she turned her whole body around. She rested her arms on the head of the chair. The glare was gone. The one thing that Lily loathed was feeling helpless. Feeling helpless in a situation where she basically had only half control. It was only half control because she was now Head Girl. Half control because she was a muggleborn. It was something that Lily had always hated. Always loathed. The thought that someone was basically worthless because of their blood status. In a way the red haired girl figured she was lucky that someone liked James kept her company. Despite the fact that he can be annoying at times. Highly so. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. The book slipped from the arm and onto the carpet. Her cheeks having a faint pinkish tone to them, Lily quickly bent down to pick it up. She ran a hand over the book cover, her mind whirling idly with ideas and thoughts. She eyed James out of the corners of her eyes. If given the chance, would he be able to survive in the muggle world?

Lily could not help but to let out a small snort at the thought. Nah. She was being ridiculous. James wouldn’t last a mere fifteen seconds. She beckoned to a chair that was next to her on the right. “Come and sit down would you. It would be a lot easier for me.” The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile. She slowly turned around into a very comfortable sitting position. “And no Potter, I will not sit on your lap if that was what you were thinking.” Once again, her voice was extremely dry. Her emerald green eyes glimmered with something that no one could place. Delight perhaps. Delight at the fact that the one person who was up with her was James. She sighed, frowning now, confused. She was confused at the direction her thoughts were going in. One minute she loathed James. The next she was ‘fanning’ over him. She bit down on the inside of her cheeks shaking her head at herself. Oh Merlin she needed some help. Perhaps she should organize a girl’s night with her friends. Lily made a mental note to do just that the next day when she saw them.

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Tagged. James!
Words. 636
Notes. Lily wants some alone time with him.
Credits. The template is credit to Laura

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[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

whether we’re together or apart we can both remove the masks
AND ADMIT WE REGRET IT FROM THE START

He waited with that stupid cocky grin on his face, the one he always wore when he thought he was being funny. Of course Lily wasn’t all too amused by him. He decided, in that immature way that still had a tendency to shine through every now and then despite him growing up a lot over the last couple of months, to not listen to her and he kept his hands covering her eyes. ”I wouldn’t put it past you, Evans.” He chuckled at her threat but made no movement from his position. "Pigs flying? That can be arranged. Anything for you Lilyflower." He knew that he stood a very good chance of being hexed by her, he had spoken the truth, he knew exactly what Lily’s temper was like but he also knew he stood a very good chance of getting contact out of this and that was thankfully exactly what happened.

His heart pounded violently as he felt her smooth hands make forceful contact with his calloused ones and revelled in the softness and the differences between them. One of his hands could cover both of hers. How he would love to do that, eclipse her delicate fingers, eclipse all of her, hide her away from the evil that was pressing itself in on them from the outside, creeping and seeping closer like some unassailable toxin intent on suffocating them all. She was pushing him away now but all he could do was stare wide eyed and slack jawed at the motion and feel the ache in his heart when she quickly let go. He knew before she turned around that her bright green eyes had fire burning behind them; her tone of voice made it clear that she was irritated by his behaviour.

He didn’t care. Truth was he liked arguing with her so if she wanted to start a fight about it then he was more than happy to have one. The blazing rows meant heat and passion and fireworks erupting between them, they were stolen moments when her attention was solely on him. But the anger faded from her fast and if anything the picture he saw on the face in front of him made him feel all the more worse. This was the side to Lily he hardly ever saw but the side he knew was there. The weak and vulnerable, scared part of her, the reason why he wanted to eclipse the world around her and make it just the two of them. His expression changed from smirk to soft seriousness, giving her a small nod in reply. He watched the book slip through her perfect pale fingers but he didn’t laugh or tease her, instead his lips twitched upwards into a small smile as if he found the action endearing which he did. And his hazel eyes followed the graceful curve of her back as she bent down to pick it back up, trying desperately to work out where the dimples at the bottom of her spine were under her clothes and enamoured in the way her luxurious red hair fall around her face.

He blinked, long and hard, all too aware that his thoughts were bordering on obsessive. He blinked again, his mouth forming an ‘o’ of surprise as she invited him to sit down. He wasn’t sure that this had ever happened in all of their time at Hogwarts. The expression on her face unnerved him slightly as well. As much as he did like this softer less aggressive side of Lily it was also an unknown entity and he wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with it. He was fast losing his confident swagger and becoming a dumbstruck idiot. Fighting and playful banter he could do. This was new to him. Part of him wanted to run away or at least attempt to bring the atmosphere back to teasing, offence and banter but he knew that was a stupid idea and so he let his legs take him over to the sit she indicated, flopping unceremoniously and rather clumsily down into it.

He laughed loudly at her remark. It was usually he who made the playful comments. ”I wasn’t thinking that.” The traces of a smirk began to show again. ”I was thinking I could sit in yours.” His eyes flashed at her but he looked down at the arm of the chair, his fingers running up and down it idly. An almost undetectable sigh escaping his lips. ”No I couldn’t sleep.” He said, going back to her earlier question. ”I’m worrying too much. Over you mostly. I had to come and make sure you were alright.” He looked up, honesty in his eyes. ”Are you alright? Talk to me.” He leaned forwards, pushing his glasses up his nose, his hazel eyes intensely scrutinizing her as always.

WORDS 787
TAG Lily
NOTES Ta-dah!

[LILY MARIE EVANS]

-----------------------------

Lily made a slight face at him as she slowly turned around. The fire, it seemed, was crackling loud. She watched as the small embers danced over the wood. Her gaze was transfixed on it. She switched as he called her by one of his nicknames for her. “Unless you want to be hexed Potter I’d suggest to cut the nicknames. Gets old after a while.” Really, what was going on with her? Time was, she would have pulled out her wand and hexed him a few seconds after. Teach him a lesson not to annoy her. She couldn’t help but to snort at her thoughts, shaking her head. As if that would ever stop him from doing that. “Sure you don’t have a death wish going on right now?” There it was again. The teasing tone to her voice. “Because I can make it happen one way or another. And you wouldn’t like the consequences of that I know.” She tried to keep up with her cross side. The side that was more commonly shown around him and his idiot friends. Well, minus Remus of course. They had actually gotten along quite well. She huffed as she took his hands off him. Those haunting emerald green eyes glittered like stones.

“Do that again and you wouldn’t like what’s coming to you.” She warned. “Potter, by now you should know when not to annoy me.” Really. This has been going on ever since their first year. Well her first train ride when she mentally declared him an instant enemy. The nerve of him to, she thought as she remembered that day very well. A bit of color rose in her cheeks. Life was simple back then. All she was worried about was to worry about her grades and spending time with Severus. All she really was worried about was to stay clear from Potter and his gang. And now…Lily shook her head. She had a lot to be worried about now. Her life was on the line as long as she behaved. A small shudder ran through her as she imagined the punishments. She didn’t want that. Merlin no. Lily pushed those kind of thoughts away from her mind. She placed the book on the table that was in front of the fireplace. No more reading for her tonight. There was enough that had kept her mind occupied. Still, it was worth being distracted over that was for sure.

The red haired girl watched him with an amused look as she straighten. She pushed a couple of strands of her hair that had fallen in her eyes. Annoying really. She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Of course you weren’t Potter.” She drawled ever so slightly. “Trying to protect your mind.” Her eyes narrowed a bit. “If you haven’t noticed we are far from that ever happening.” Lily grew quiet when he said he couldn’t sleep. That made two of us. “You’re always worried about me. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” She retorted but stopped almost instantly as he asked if she was alright. She hated the way he looked at her. As if he was trying to pry the thoughts from her mind. Lily took a deep shaking breath. “I hate it.” Her voice was soft. “I hate the changes here. I hate the fact that I’m…basically worthless now. Before my main worry was to pass with flying colors. Memorize the latest spells they taught us. Now….I have to worry about behaving. Making sure that I’m on track.”

She didn’t stop to breath. Her mouth continued on as if it had a mind of its own. “I have to worry constantly about my own life. It’s…ridiculous! This whole set up they have now. As smart as I am, I don’t have to pretend I still don’t understand the ways of the wizarding world. How most people behave. My main thought….” It was here that she paused, debating whether or not to tell him. But she went on anyways. “My main worry is having to be under a Slytherin’s rule. Dumbledore…I’m surprised that the new headmaster had allowed us to be Head Boy and Girl. I guess he feared what would happen to him.” She attempted at a small laugh. Her eyes filling up with tears. Oh no. This was not looking good. “I saw them at the Hall. The Slytherins. Throwing disgusted looks. One of them is bound to claim me. You…you’re safe. Well sort of. It’s all going back to Hitler and what he did.” She ran a shaking hand through her hair. This was a side of her that was more hidden from the rest of the world. “The concentration camps….that could be next. I’m more…terrified than ever.” She shook her head, trying her hardest to stop the tears from coming. That failed.

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Tagged. James!
Words. 810
Notes. Despite the freaking crappy internet at the library here it is!
Credits. The template is credit to Laura

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[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

whether we’re together or apart we can both remove the masks
AND ADMIT WE REGRET IT FROM THE START

All the colour in the world around them seemed to drain as he watched her talk. The world around them became dark, grey and black. His easy-going playfulness and her being cross at him was just a prelude, just a premise that they had to go through every time that they saw each other. She was right, it was inevitable that he would try and annoy her, he couldn’t stop himself he liked that look she gave him, all intense and fiery, her eyes gleaming brightly. As dangerous as he knew Lily Evans could be with a wand, he always had to test the waters. It was the daring Gryffindor Lion within him. Plus that glare really was attractive. He reckoned if she realised just how much he liked it, that she probably wouldn’t do it anymore. But now the real reason for both of their insomnia was appearing and rather than putting him at ease, it worried James more.

He cocked his head to one side. Usually he would make a comment about her probably not being able to look after herself properly but in these times he knew just how much at risk she was and the honest truth was that she would struggle by herself, she needed people to look after her. He knew she hated that fact. She was too stubbornly independent for her own good. But James would get through to her if it wasn’t sinking in already. He simply sat quietly, letting her speak. He could tell not to interrupt, he could tell that this was weighing heavily on her mind and that it was helping her just to get it all off of her chest. He felt glad that she didn’t mind telling him. These were her deepest, darkest fears after all and he was that ‘arrogant toe rag Potter’ and yet here she was. He ran a hand through his hair, not ruffling it like he normally did, but in contemplation, if anything he was flattening it down. The movement must have looked odd. He was only carefully deciding on his words.

”I’m not going to lie to you Lily, or sugar-coat it because you know the truth. You are in danger. They’ll do anything to you. Anything.” He stressed the word, trying to make her see the level of atrocities that could be coming her way. He was going to make her feel better though, it wasn’t his aim to increase her fear of course not, Merlin no. He just wanted to make her understand. ”You don’t stand a chance on your own. You’re a brilliant witch,” He paused to smile softly, adding weight to his compliment. ”But it won’t be enough. Like you said, you have no rights. But I do.” He wondered if she could see yet what he was trying to tell her. Her talk of the Slytherins was enough to tell him that she was terrified of being claimed by one of them. ”I can claim you. Please.” He knew he didn’t have to ask, if he wanted to do it, these new rules said that he could, she didn’t get a choice. But it was important to him that she did.

A sigh escaped his lips as he contemplated her thoughts on her being Head girl, nodding in agreement with her. ”I think they want to give the illusion that they still play by the rules. They have to keep everyone onside.” Truth be told he wasn’t sure if anything Lily did was going to be took notice of but still, she had the title and not a Slytherin. He tore his thoughtful gaze from the fire where it had rested and back to her to see tears. He didn’t even think about doing it, he just stood up and went over to her, despite her earlier words about not wanting to sit close to him, he gently lowered himself to her side, wrapping an arm around her before he even realised that he’d done it. He briefly looked apologetic, sorry for his actions but he didn’t regret doing it.

Instead he kept his arm around her, his voice murmuring softly spoken words in a comforting tone. He hated seeing her like this, he wanted to fix her and protect her and make sure the confident, short-tempered Evans was in there still somewhere. But a part of him did like seeing this vulnerable side. In her desperation was she finally opening up to him? And would she see this side to James? The caring, sensitive thoughtful, loyal person who would die to protect the ones that he loved? ”Lily listen to me,” His brain didn’t register that he had used her first name properly for the first time ever and that he wasn’t supposed to call her that. ”You are going to be okay, I promise. I know it’s scary and dangerous but we’re fighting back. And I’m going to look after you. I know you think you don’t need looking after,” He added quickly, giving her a smile. ”But I’m going to do it anyway so you might as well let me. Trust me, we’re going to be fine.” His hazel eyes searched her face, as close to her as he had ever been in his life and he had to fight back the urge to kiss her.

WORDS 893
TAG Lily <333
NOTES So James started working... I think he’s eager to show her his sensitive side!

[LILY MARIE EVANS]

-----------------------------

She grew instantly quiet at his words, her breathing quickened. Claim her? Merlin was he serious? Right off the bat Lily knew that was a stupid question. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be claimed by the likes of him. Over the years they had been nothing but annoyances, more so on James’s part. The bullying, the constant asking her out when they were old enough. But last year…something had changed. Lily started seeing him in a different light. Granted he was still the arrogant bully but Lily suspected he had grown. Matured. It was evident on their date last year. Silence stretched between them as she pondered her choices. Well, she really didn’t have much to think about. Could she actually risk having a Slytherin claiming her? A shudder ran through her as she shook her head at herself. She gazed at James, emerald green eyes not leaving his. “What would be the difference?” Her voice broke and cracked. “You’re more than likely in the same boat as myself with them calling you a blood traitor. The extreme ones at least.” With him she would feel safe. She didn’t have to worry about being used for anything. Experiments or testing spells or potions.

He wasn’t a stranger. He was someone who she knew already. Her eyes glittered as she had already made up her mind, her cheeks flushing a bit. “James, as long as I’d known you were always a bully and arrogant little piece of work. Time was I could hardly stand being in the same room with you. You were always up to something.” She wasn’t sugar coating anything. “I’m being honest. Something changed between us. If there was an us. I….I would feel more safer around you than any other pureblood. So yes. I am letting you claim me.” Lily leaned back in her seat, taking a deep sharp breath. Both of them were right. As of right now Lily did not have any rights at all. All of them were at the hands of her owner. Owner…..it was strange. Having noted James as her owner. The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile. She was right. She would, and did, feel safe with James. Merlin only knows what those Slytherins would end up doing to her. Just the mere thought of that made her shudder again. Those would give her nightmares that was for sure. She shook her head again, this time to clear her thoughts. And to clear the slightly awkward silence.

“I know I’m in danger. My whole family is in danger. I fear leaving them this year. I’m scared of them dying James. I’m scared of them dying because of what I am.” Her brain hadn’t registered the fact that she had said his name. Numerous times to be of fact. Lily wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t used to opening up to him. Telling him of her worries and nightmares and hopes and dreams for the future. She made a slight face at his words. “I can look after myself quite fine thank you very much.” She replied. The harshness of the words were lost in her sniffling. Trying to wipe away the tears. She didn’t push him away. She didn’t tell him to drop his arm. Instead Lily felt ever so grateful with him nearby. She leaned up against him, taking a deep breath and trying to compose herself. The red haired girl tried to blink away the tears furiously. She hated feeling this way truth be told. Merlin she hated showing her weaknesses, breaking down in front of the prat that was James Potter. The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile. Her thoughts were saying one thing, her actions completely another. Her shoulders slumped a little.

The smile slowly fading from her face. Lily laid her head on his shoulder briefly. “Thank you.” Her voice was extra soft. “I’m just….scared of what’s going to happen. Scared of what’s going to come next. I just…” She trailed off helplessly unsure of what to express she was feeling right now into words. Not to mention what she was thinking. Silence soon spread between the two as she straightened up. Lily dashed away the tears somewhat impatiently. Now she was exhausted. I should go to bed, she thought but she was wide awake now. Her mind was on overdrive at what had happened. She stretched out and then curled up on the chair, her gaze never leaving him. Lily was startled to find out that she didn’t want to go away without him. Not now anyways. She sighed as she shifted a bit, getting comfortable. “…How was your summer?” Lily winced at those words. It was a really stupid thing to think of but right now, it was a way to break the silence.

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Tagged. James!
Words. 810
Notes. Blehk a bit shorter but it could be better!
Credits. The template is credit to Laura

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[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

whether we’re together or apart we can both remove the masks
AND ADMIT WE REGRET IT FROM THE START

He waited with baited breath. Please Merlin let her say yes. He prayed. He couldn't stand to watch by and see her with somebody else. Whoever it was. If a Slytherin took hold of her then her life would be ruined, Merlin only knew what sort of hell they might put her through. Even if another pureblood with good intentions like himself claimed her, James really wouldn't like it. He wanted her, he wanted to be the one to protect and look after her and he thought his heart might just burst with hurt and jealousy if he had to see her with someone else. In a strange way he would feel betrayed if she said no. They were James and Lily. They should be together. Without Lily there was no James and without James there was no Lily.

He understood what she was saying. It hasn't occurred to him until she said it, as this was a sort of spur of the moment asking if he could claim her. Well he had thought about it briefly when he found out the new rules but he hadn't planned to come downstairs in the middle of the night and ask her today. He bit on his lip then shook his head. "It won't be a problem. They made the rule they have to stick by it." He said it with a steely determination. He wasn't going to let them take Lily away from him. Anything but her. He sat there and took her insults. Albeit grudgingly and with a defiant frown on his face. He hoped there was a 'but' coming or she was headed somewhere with this. He didn't come down here to let her offend him.

But then she agreed and it felt like all the stars and planets had aligned and everything in the universe had fallen into its proper place. Just for a moment all was good in the world. It wasn't exactly happiness he felt mostly it was relief. Relief because now he had the power to keep her safe and she couldn't get mad at him for it. She had said yes right? Not only was he relieved but startled too. Because she had given James a sort of power over her. Not that he would abuse it in any way, of course he wouldn't but still, it showed a hell of a lot of trust. He let out a breath that sounded quite like a gasp. "Thank you Lily. I promise you, you won't regret it. I'm not going to take advantage or of this situation or anything, I just want you to know that. I only asked because I feel this burning need inside of me to make sure that you're safe." He smiled at her. Not his mischievous 'I'm up to no good smile' but a smile that lit up his whole face because the girl he loved had made him happy.

And Merlin, the urge to kiss her was so strong again. And there was a moment when they both looked into each other’s eyes during that long slightly awkward silence that stretched between them where he so easily could have done it. Just leant forward and put his lips against hers. But as soon as the moment presented itself, it was gone and there were tears and worrying and her head and her arms and her body leaning against him and his brain was going dizzy with the contact and the clean, shower fresh smell and her hair tickling his neck... And then she said his name and he had to look down at her, craning his neck in surprise. But her words soon eclipsed that and once again his limbs seemed to act of their own accord and his head rested on hers briefly before he kissed into her hair and mumbled the only thing he could, "I know. Me too. It's okay. We'll make it through this. I'm here for you. Whenever you need me. I'm always here." She moved away from him soon after though and James imagined that not only had he crossed some social boundary (and was now quite thankful he hadn't full on kissed her because he didn't want to ruin things not when they were actually going well between them for once) and that also she just want quite ready to let him have too much.

He understood, but he also hoped that it was a start. He couldn't help but let out a small sigh of disappointment though but he quickly smiled at her again. Because he was happy. He sat at the other end of the sofa, leaning against the arm rest so that he could see her, elbows resting on his knees. ”It was okay...” That’s an outright lie James, it was awful. He sighed and shook his head. ”Sirius moved out of mine. Probably for the best because dad’s getting pretty ill now.” Why was he telling her this? She didn’t care about his life. He stopped and forced the smile back onto his face. ”How about yours? Are things any better with your sister?”

WORDS 856
TAG Lily
NOTES I think I rambled more than gave you anything productive....

[LILY MARIE EVANS]

-----------------------------

The red haired girl frowned for a moment. She was not liking the thoughts that were running through her mind right now. She ran a hand idly through her hair. Lily was not liking the new circumstances at all. She could voice her displeasure at the new rules. She could voice her opinion and what she actually thought of it. Of course that was not possible. Any sane person would want to obey with the new rules and laws. If they wanted to be alive by the end of the year. A horrible thought occurred to her. One that made her take a deep sharp breath. Would the headmaster make all the muggleborns stay here for the holidays? Or would he leave this all up to their owners? She eyed James, biting on the inside of her cheeks. After a moment she shook her head at herself. Lily was being ridiculous. Crazy. She knew there was no way that James would stop her from going to her family. This moment hit her fully. If anyone had been going to claim her, she was glad it was Potter. She listened to his words and she frowned. There was some truth to it. “Yes. They made the rules and they can change it to suit their needs. What is there to say that tomorrow would be different? I’m not pretending I still don’t understand pureblood politics. It’s all just rubbish.” The words were coming out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I’m so glad that you and your family are not from the same root as they are.”

Lily mentally kicked herself. There wasn’t a single reason that she thought that things could be different this year. Maybe James had decided to leave the immature prat behind. There was hope on that statement. She studied his face carefully after she had allowed him to claim her. The situation could have gone differently of course. James could have stalked straight up to her and told her that he was claiming her and she would have no rights. She gave him a small shaky smile. “Let me tell you this James, if you ever try to lay a hand on me or anything like that. Abuse me and you will find my wand stuck up in a not so pleasant place.” Her emerald green eyes were hard as stone. The threat was harsh enough. Lily doubt that he wouldn’t do such a thing but it was good to lay some ground rules. Even though it should have gone the other way around. “We’ll be spending time with each other more anyways I suppose. Us being the Head Girl and Boy. Any rumors or anything like that Potter, I swear by Merlin you won’t be happy.” To prove her point she folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She couldn’t help but to wonder what his reaction would be. She was ready to run away if he so much raised his hand to her.

She relaxed a bit at his words. Her expression softening as she made a face at him. “I know you want to take care of me James, but I’m seventeen now. I’m a big girl and can take care of myself you know. I do thank you. It could have been anyone else that could have claimed me. Who knows what they would have done. I’m just glad it was you.” It took Lily a few minutes to compose herself, still blinking away tears. If there was one thing that she tried hard not to show it was weakness around James. It was something that she had practiced ever since their first year. When he was an even bigger prat. She tensed up a bit when she felt him kiss her hair. Her hand itched to slap him but she stopped herself. She slowly glanced up at him after moving away from him. Kiss me dammit,, she found herself thinking. Kiss me Potter. Oh Merlin her thoughts were being crazy tonight. She settled for wiping away her tears instead. “Thank you James. Quite honestly in all I would never imagine us being in this situation that we are now. Well, more so last year when we started…going out. I thought we were more destined to hate each other forever really.” Of course Lily could not help but to think about the past. It was a bit crazy really.

Her gaze rested on him as she made herself comfortable on her chair. The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile at the mention of Sirius. She had a startled look on her face. “I hope he makes it through James.” Lily was sincere as she reached up, lying a hand on his arm. It was a miracle that he was still sane. She frowned at his question. “It went okay as well. I got reacquainted with a couple of childhood friends of mine from primary school. As for Tuney…she’s engaged. To a walrus of a man!” her eyes flashed with anger. Lily disapproved of Vernon. He was not a good match for her sister. “I don’t know what she was thinking when she agreed to him! Those two are complete opposites!” She burst out, telling him everything that had happened. “The man is such an oddball! I don’t know why she puts up with him!”

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Tagged. Wifey.
Words. 903
Notes. I'm getting mah muse back!
Credits. The template is credit to Laura

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[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

whether we’re together or apart we can both remove the masks
AND ADMIT WE REGRET IT FROM THE START

He shook his head at her words. He didn’t expect her to understand completely, she was muggleborn after all and had only spent six full years in the wizarding world; it was unlikely she would ever get a good grasp of the pureblood way. ”Will you stop worrying?” He said it softly, with a small smile on his face to hopefully put her at ease. ”Purebloods are proud creatures but even my family knows that persecuting muggleborns is wrong.” How could anyone possibly steal magic? If you had magic in your veins then why did it matter where it came from? Saying that, James knew that his parents would still be slightly disappointed if he broke the pureblood line by marrying a halfblood or a muggleborn. It was something to be proud of. James however would feel prouder for breaking tradition.

Okay this was more like the Lily Evans he knew and loved. Well, honestly he loved every version of her but he had to admit, this side was what had drawn him to her in the first place. He knew to take her threats seriously but he couldn’t help but smirk slightly. It just made him laugh. Not because he found her funny, he wasn’t sure exactly why, probably because she seemed like her usual self again and he loved her. ”Do you really think I would hurt you in any way?” He asked, raising a brow. ”The day I cause Lily Evans pain will be a very grim day indeed. Partly because I know you’ll kill me.” He nodded, making it clear he very much understood her threat and was taking it onboard. For a change. But of course both of them knew well that the chances of James abusing her were nearby impossible however it was common knowledge he wanted to date her. ”It’s good to know the idea of you and me offends you so much, Evans.” He said it in his cheery, joking voice but inside he was hurting. ”At least I know where I stand.” He added slowly, unable to help the small line that creased his forehead from showing. ”Not that I would ever use this as an excuse to make you be with me or make it look like you were.” That was far from how he wanted them to happen. He’d rather nothing ever happened between them than forcing her with him.

He looked back at her again, his expression quite sombre but he broke into a huge grin at the way she was glaring at him, all arms folded acting all high and mighty like she was the one calling the shots around here. Which he supposed she was. If Lily Evans said that breathing wasn't cool then James would try his damnedest to obey. "Merlin you look sexy when you're mad." He smirked truthfully. He knew he was heading the right way for a smack around the head but the words just slipped out like they usually did. He was glad she didn't stay threatening for long though however even if her next words made him roll his eyes. Women. Why could you never win with them? They always had to have their own way. So James would let her have this one. "Yes Lily you can look after yourself." What he didn't say out loud was, 'but I'm still going to keep a very close eye on you anyway.'

He gave her another soft smile. "You're welcome. It would've killed me to see you in someone else's hands. Besides, I'll just leave you be, it'll be like things have never changed." That was an odd thing to say he realised since James didn't often leave her alone. Perhaps apart from head boy and girl duties he would now though, because he knew that was what she wanted and this year Lily needed to have the easiest ride possible. He raised his eyebrows but only briefly, his expression still soft and his words quiet and sincere. "I don't hate you Evans." He looked at her like he was going to say something else but his lips remained pressed firmly together and eventually he looked away again. Thoughts of his sick father replacing the unspoken words in his head. I love you. he felt the warmth of her hand pressing against his arm and his gaze switched to stare at her fingers, a slightly puzzled look on his features as if he didn't quite understand why they were there. He had let out a sigh of relief after he had gotten away unscathed after kissing her head and now she was willingly touching him. On the arm. It was all totally in comfort obviously there was no level of flirtation but still he couldn't quite believe it. Perhaps both of them were changing.

He found himself having to gulp back his own tears as he nodded though he didn't believe his dad would make it through. He appreciated Lily's words and action and he gave her a trembling smile to show it. He was glad when she started talking again, it was easier to listen to her, he could listen to her all day long and it distracted him from his own worries. She was the perfect escape for him. So he nodded as she spoke, his face rapt with intrigue and attention because he was getting a snapshot into her life, it felt like they were friends and it was nice. More than nice, it was amazing. ”That’s rough. I guess she is your sister though so as long as she’s happy with him. Do your parents like him?” He asked, unable to keep a hint of worry from his voice. So he imagined it was highly unlikely he would ever meet her parents and certainly not as her boyfriend but still he wondered what they’d think if she married a wizard.

WORDS 983
TAG Lily and my wife
NOTES I think I love them way too much!

[LILY MARIE EVANS]

-----------------------------

Lily only huffed a bit when he asked her to stop worrying. She made a slight face at him. If there was anything most people would be surprised to notice was that she was a general worrier. And there was a lot of things that she worried about as of late. Worrying about whether or not she would excel with her Head Girl duties. Worrying about the fact that she had to work double time to keep on top of her homework from her classes. Her sister marrying a pitiful excuse for a human being. She shuddered at that thought. “You know I always worry James.” Her voice was extra soft. “You know I always worry about everything.” Her emerald green eyes seemed to glitter in the glow of the fireplace. “I try not to of course.” She instantly fell silent at his words as she shook her head. “At least your family is…sane for a pureblood. If that was the right word. Do you know your father’s side of the family or your mothers at all?” It was a question that Lily was curious about. She could not help but to wonder just exactly how old his family really was. It was this thought that she choose to voice. “I know most purebloods are from very old families. But…..I’m curious about something. How far can you trace your linage back?”

It was something that Lily was always interested in. She would have to try it this summer as a hobby while she was working. That was a completely solid plan. The place of work? St. Mungo’s. She had researched it and actually went to the Wizarding Hospital before the new laws changed. Now she was worried that she would not be able to work there anymore. Her dream job was to become a Healer. She never was that interested in working at the Ministry of Magic. She bit down on the inside of her cheeks in thought. Like any other place the ministry was corrupted. She began to believe the theories that went along with it. A small sigh escaped from her lips as she glanced up at him. Worry filled her eyes. She kept her main thoughts to herself. She was not sure whether or not James would appreciate those things. The truth of the matter was that it was JAMES POTTER that she was thinking about. She felt it was rude to ask whether or not his parents did approve of the fact that they were dating. Even more so would they approve of the fact that the only reason James did claim her was because she felt comfortable around him. They knew each other.

The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile at the smirk on his face. Her eyes glittered like cold stone. She was being serious about her threat. “Just making sure you understand and agree to it James.” The coldness was starting to slip through. Her warm side was starting to show again. The playful Lily. “I would not take any stuff from you. Partly because I know a few good hexes that would leave you regretting laying a hand on me.” She folded her arms across her chest. It was as if she was settling things. She could not help but to laugh softly. “I’m just being cautious as ever James. Making sure the power does not go directly to your head. That is the main thing I’m worried about. I know you all too well.” She gave him a small shaky smile at his next words. She could not help but to tell him what she was thinking at that moment. “At least I know I still have my free will.” Lily winced, soon regretting those words. “Sorry. I…couldn’t help myself.” She was now looking at him weary. Afraid that she might have pushed things too far. Afraid that she might have caused him a reason to smack her. She shook her head again. She was being foolish. She knew that James would never hit her.

Still, she could not be too sure. Lily huffed again as she stuck out her tongue. “Thanks Potter. I’m glad that’s the only thing you’re focusing on.” She laughed. Usually she would slap him on the head but she was being friendly tonight. The Gryffindor Head Girl glared at him suspiciously as he agreed that she can look after herself. What was he thinking this time? Knowing James it was not a pleasant thought at all. She smiled softly, finding herself telling him, “Sometimes I would like to be near you. I think our date last year had…opened me up a bit. I like your company.” She softened a bit. “I know you and your ways. At least with you I know I’ll be safe from harm. That’s the most comforting thought right now. Really, you don’t want to read my mind to know what I’m thinking.” She took a deep breath, watching him carefully. “….I know you don’t. It’s just my paranoia sinking in.” That was partially true. Lily was completely caught off guard by how….how sincere that was. She leaned up against him. Maybe this was what she needed. A familiar face, a familiar touch. Even if it was the annoying Potter boy.

She continued to watch him carefully, now worried as ever. She was worried about his father now. She knew he would pull through. Lily had to stay firm in her own beliefs that he would. It must be heart wrenching to see a parent sick like that. She raised her head from his arms letting out a dark snort. “That’s the problem. I’m not sure if she’s truly happy with him. I guess it’s because….because she wanted to desperately escape the family. Escape the abnormal behavior that’s me. He is normal enough but boring to listen to.” She paused for a moment. “Well mum doesn’t seem too happy with him but I think she cares a lot about Petunia being happy. I think dad resents him but he won’t say it out loud.”

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Tagged. James!
Words. 1016
Notes. Holy fracking cow. I think her muse exploded somewhere O.o
Credits. The template is credit to Laura

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[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

whether we’re together or apart we can both remove the masks
AND ADMIT WE REGRET IT FROM THE START

He wanted to lay here with her all night, holding her and every so often pressing gentle kisses into her sweet smelling hair. Just the two of them and the crackling of the fire as it slowly burned out. But he didn't want to let his thoughts get ahead of himself, the fact that he was letting himself think those things meant that he was getting his hopes up. He could however quite easily settle for the two of them talking. And talking was what they were doing. Talking, not fighting. That was the very important difference. It was almost as if they couldn’t quite be bothered to argue anymore. They were both past bickering and hating each other now that they were quite clearly on the same side. And once again, James found himself using a phrase he had used often recently: There were more important things to worry about.

But sitting here with Lily, talking into the night helped to distract him and to feel better even though their conversation often bordered on the serious issues in their lives right now, he felt comforted by her presence and there was something romantic about the whole thing. Or was that just him getting ahead of himself again? He nodded, thinking carefully about his family history and once again finding himself pleasantly surprised by Lily’s astuteness. ”All of the purebloods are related in some way, I’m sure you know that. I never met my grandparents or any other family member really but our line, on my dad’s side can be traced way back, probably to some of the first witches and wizards.” He didn’t even realise that whilst he was talking, his thumb had found her arm and was softly stroking there. ”We’re an old family; I’ve heard lots of stories.” His mind wandered to his invisibility cloak, locked safely in his trunk upstairs.

He continued to playfully smirk at her, glad that there was still this playful side between them. ”Oh I understand and I agree.” He admitted, glad that he had managed to turn what was a serious issue into a laugh and a joke. That was what James Potter was best at; lightening the mood. He raised his eyebrows, half amused, half appraising. ”It won’t go to my head. Honestly Lily, it’ll be like nothing has changed. You’ll live your life and I’ll live mine. You won’t even have to see me if you don’t want to.” He didn’t like saying that last, but he figured he probably should because it was true. He didn’t want to make Lily feel like she was “owned.” He wanted things to be as normal as possible for her and that meant that despite James claiming her, he would actually do nothing about that extra power he had over her. He wasn’t going to use it at all; it was simply a protection against the Slytherins.

He waited with baited breath for a hex to come flying at him or to be smacked hard on the arm or, Merlin forbid it, in the crown jewels. But nothing bad ever came. He slowly lowered the arms he had raised in poor self-defence just in case and smirked at her once more. It pleased him no end that he had gotten away with that comment, maybe he was softening her up. ”Well it’s the truth!” He said defiantly. ”It’s not the only thing I focus on but it’s a nice bonus.” He couldn’t help it, his hazel eyes quickly darted down then back up her body but he had the gentlemanly grace to look away quickly and a light pink tinge of embarrassment did appear on his cheeks. He wasn’t Sirius, eyeing up who was the fittest girl for a one night stand. He was far, far from Sirius in that respect. He realised he had actually never “checked” Lily out before. But he quite liked the look of what he had glimpsed a few moments ago.

Slowly, he lifted his eyes back up again, the softness in her voice drawing him back in. Once again he found himself extremely surprised by her words and he could almost feel the shift in paradigms. Something had most definitely changed between them. It might have been a gradual process he realised as Lily talked about their date last year, but tonight was the night that made James feel, for the very first time, that he might actually have a shot with this girl. Something that he had stopped daring to believe would ever happen. His hands found her again, showing his comfort, willing her to fall into him again so that he could hold her and heal her. He took a deep breath. ”So.... perhaps we could go out again sometime then? I know things are difficult for you at the minute, I know our life is in total chaos but you help me see clearly. You’re the one constant in my life and I want to be that for you. So another date? Something to look forward to perhaps?” His tone of voice was hopeful even if his previous words had been sincere and full of conviction.

Talk turned to family once more and he listened to her intently. He wanted things at home to be perfect for her since it was far from perfect for her at school. Did her sister realise what danger Lily was in this year? Would she be more kind to her if she understood properly? James hoped so. ”At least your family are understanding but if your sister isn’t happy with him...” He trailed off sighing, unsure of what to say because he couldn’t make things better but he desperately wanted to. ”I’m sure your sister is happier than she lets on and Lily, I doubt she wants to escape you. It’s probably you being paranoid again. She must understand how serious things are in the wizarding world now?” He asked, his previous thoughts coming to light. He wondered how much the muggles could really gage and if they understood how much potential danger they were in too.

WORDS 1020
TAG Lily and my wife
NOTES I just realised I took quite a while to reply, I apologise!

[LILY MARIE EVANS]

-----------------------------

At first Lily was not sure what to do. She was not sure whether or not if she wanted to get up and storm out of the common room. She was not sure if she wanted to scream or yell at James to hurt him even further. The red haired girl closed her eyes as she shook her head at herself. She was being a complete and total idiot. All it took was a few choice words from her mind to snap back to her old self. She had to behave. She owed him much more than that. Idly she wondered if she even had the heart to hurt him. Certainly they had a lot to say to each other throughout the years. Throughout the years of constant bickering and her telling him to leave her alone. Of her telling him that he was nothing but an arrogant and a bully. Her mind wondered slightly to the incident in their fifth year and she winced a bit. She had every right to shout and scream at him. After all, he was the one who tortured poor Severus. Her moment of interfering had backfired and it was then that she released things were different between them. A small sigh escaped from her lips as she thought that her mind was playing tricks on her. One minute she was feeling angry and hurt and the next minute she was feeling confused. Mood swings, she thought with another sigh. Oh what fun.

She needed something to distract her thoughts. Who knows what else her mind will turn to thinking. It was certainly stubborn enough. His next words had brought her out of her dark thoughts. She made a slight face as she nodded. “You know how I do my research James. Trying not to appear too stupid when it comes to different subjects like these.” Lily was quiet for several minutes, thinking his reply through. “So there’s some inbreeding that’s going on if you are all related then?” She winced at her question after realizing that it was completely and utterly stupid. Lily was now curious as she looked up at him. “I thought there would be one huge pureblood family reunion going on every few years or so. You know, they’ll get together and remember things and talk about how stupid they were.” She was now curious to a fault at this subject. “The old families usually have a lot of money and power to their name don’t they? They usually can get away with most stuff you see or hear about?” One of her favorite generas to read was the Victorian Era. She had a lot of books, both fiction and nonfiction, about that era. It was where she had gotten her knowledge from. She mused a bit to herself as she shifted a bit trying to get comfortable again.

In a way it was the middle ages for the wizarding population. The old families with a lot of money and power to their name. The old families with servants and maybe a mistress or two. Oh and not to mention inbreeding as a possibility. A small shudder ran through her spine at the thought of that. She was quiet when he started speaking. At first Lily didn’t want anything to do with him from that fateful encounter on the train ride. She had made it a habit to walk out of a room when he walked in. She had perfected a couple of well-known glares on the boy. It was strange at how things took a turn for what could say would be better. “I find myself liking your company now James.” The words that had slipped out of her mouth were honest. She bit down on her lip, nervous all of a sudden. “But thank you for being the first to claim. No doubt a lot of them were probably eying and wanting me. Wanting to break my spirit and my temper and everything else really.” There were simply no words to describe at how much Lily appreciated it. At least with James she can try to live the life that she had been living these past six years.

The red haired girl couldn’t help but to snort at him. “I can’t count the number of times you had said that in passing. Remember when you got down on bended knee in class, POTIONS, of all of them, and asked me out. I thought I was going to die.” Lily shook her head at him. Merlin he had foolish attentions. “Forget about me. I thought Sev-” It was here that she stopped and looked down. Forget about James, she was the one being foolish. Foolish for bringing him up. An awkward silence spread between the two of them. After a while she looked up at him slowly. The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile. “I think by now you know the answer to that James. I enjoyed our date and would love to do it again.” Even though she was not a bit surprised, Lily could not help but to look startled. “I should feel honored. Even though I might not look like it, I still have my…self-doubts. Some of which you know by now. ” Her tone was soft. She quirked an eyebrow at him as the conversation switched to Petunia. “Every time I started talking about the wizarding world she ends up storming out of the room. There had been times where she talked over me trying to drown me out. I’m not exaggerating when I said things where bad.” She found herself telling him everything, spilling her heart out. She found herself telling him of the times where she had tried to get Petunia to sit down. Especially this summer when the new laws where revealed. Her parents had known about the danger their youngest was facing. They even tried to get her to stay home. She found herself crying. There was no doubt that Lily was terrified, downright terrified would be a more better term to describe it.

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Tagged. Wifey.
Words. 1017
Notes. I'm getting mah muse back!
Credits. The template is credit to Laura

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[JAMES IGNOTUS POTTER]

whether we’re together or apart we can both remove the masks
AND ADMIT WE REGRET IT FROM THE START

It was beginning to amaze him just how insecure the Head Girl and possibly the most intelligent (and in James’ eyes, the prettiest) girl in the school really was. Had this vulnerable, insecure side always lay beneath her feisty, independent exterior? James had not ever begun to think that she would be this insecure especially about her intelligence of all things. She was bright and picked things up easily, astute and hardworking there was no way she could ever sound stupid talking about anything even if she wasn’t well informed on the subject she always had something worthwhile to offer up; he could tell that by the way she was talking about the lives of purebloods and in fact she was more informed on the matter than she seemed to think. ”Lily I don’t think you could ever sound stupid talking about anything.” He told her with a soft smile. ”You seem to know more about the subject than me!”

He made a face at the mention of inbreeding. ”Oh yeah. Purebloods having been dying out for a while now and it turned out the only way to keep the pureblood line going was by marrying a relative. Trust me I do not plan on going down that route that’s for sure.” He snorted at her next words. ”I think a lot of that does go on, but my family have certainly never turned up to any event like that.” Again he pulled a face. He could not imagine himself and his parents sitting around with Sirius’ family for instance and chatting. He imagined that it was mostly the pureblood fanatics that just organised those sorts of events and pureblood supremacy was probably the topic on the cards at such gatherings but he didn’t really want to tell Lily that. ”You only have to look at how strict and powerful some of the purebloods in this school are to know that their parents will be ten times worse. Corrupt Lily honestly, there’s even bad blood in my routes I know it and that’s one of the many reasons why I am not proud to be pureblood and cannot wait to break that stupid tradition.” An angry frown had creased his forehead but it softened as his gaze settled on her face and once again he had images of Lily being the person he married, who carried his child. He seriously had to get a grip on his fantasies.

He shook his head to clear his mind but not long after he realised if he had to shake his head again. Was he hearing her correctly? She actually enjoyed his company now. A smile lit up his face, his eyes gleaming in the glowing firelight. ”You’re welcome.” He answered her quietly. ”You don’t need to think about those sorts of people claiming you anymore.” Once again he was hit with so much relief. At least now she was as safe as she could possibly be. At least now James could stake his claim and tell everybody to back off her because she was his. He wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it because quite honestly he did not see Lily as his possession but if it had to be done to protect her then it would be. It was good to see that she was grateful even though it did pain him greatly that things had come to this. This was not the way he had imagined finally winning Lily over to his side. But then, he was quickly realising, that life wasn’t picture perfect with a fairytale book ending, it didn’t go the way you wanted it to, you just had to make the best of what you had and that was exactly what the seventeen year old intended to do.

He couldn’t help but snicker as she recounted the many times he had asked her out; there sure were a lot of them and so it actually heartened him that she remembered some and could pick out moments quite clearly. Surely that must mean she had been flattered? Though he supposed people remembered the moments when they were angry quite clearly too. ”You loved it all really, Evans.” He smirked, quick to return to using her surname now that banter was ensuing. "Otherwise why would you have remembered all those times so clearly?" He was about to say something else playful but she brought up Snivelly and that just killed the moment completely. He couldn’t help but feel bitter and jealous that in this moment of time between them that was proving so pivotal and special she had still managed to start thinking about Snape. It dampened his spirits considerably and he didn’t care that an awkward silence broke out. He needed a moment or two to compose his thoughts again and to reassure himself that whatever had been between her and Snape was most definitely over now. Wasn’t it?

But Lily rescued the situation by making his entire year and agreeing to go out on another date with him. He grinned at her, his hand jumping happily to his hair and messing it up. ”Brilliant. I can’t wait.” He simply gazed at her quietly for a while but realised that he was probably embarrassing her and blushed and looked away until she started talking about her sister again. He let out a sigh, disappointed and upset to hear how bad things had gotten between the two of them. James was an only child and so he couldn’t really understand but he thought that if he had a brother or sister that there was no way he would ever disown them. Family was family and you should be loyal to them no matter what. ”I’m so sorry Lily.” His arm wrapped around her shoulders, hugging her to him. ”That does sound awful but she’ll understand one day. It’s just hard....” He trailed off, noticing the tears and his heart broke a little; unable to stand seeing her in such pain.

He wasn’t sure what made him do it, he just knew he had to do something to try and make her feel better and that just simply hugging her didn’t feel like enough. And when someone was so lost and confused like she was, wasn’t having someone love them the way to fix the hurt? And Merlin be damned if James Potter couldn’t love Lily Evans. And so he kissed her. His lips found hers through the tears and after the ”Hey, shhhh, come here.” He found his forehead resting against hers, found his hazel eyes darting to find her emerald, found his nose gently rubbing against hers as he leaned forward, hesitated and then pressed his lips against hers, just for a moment. Just for a moment James forgot how to breathe. And just for a moment the world stopped.

WORDS 1129
TAG lovely laura with lovely lily
NOTES might've got carried away... don't hurt me I couldn't help it!

[LILY MARIE EVANS]

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The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile. She could only try to imagine what was going on in that head of his. That thought was enough to make her snort but somehow she was holding back. The red haired girl gave the other boy a shake of her head. Her cheeks held a faint blush to them. They were beginning to crack the surface of what she was thinking. She held a worried look in her eyes as she bit down on the inside of her cheeks. “I do admit that I feel a bit stupid.” She confessed to him. She then tried to look anywhere but at him. She finally settled her eyes on the fireplace. Lily was surprised that she had confessed this inner part to him. This was something that she had always kept to herself no matter what. She glanced down at the thought of their encounter last year by the quidditch pitch. She could not help but to make a face as she remembered she was confessing her inner thoughts. Confessing that, somehow, she knew she was not going to get old. Going to get old with her friends and family. Lily could honestly say she had no idea as to why she was thinking this way. The up and coming war does tend to make one reflect on the future.

Her status right now was uncertain. She was, after all, a muggleborn with no rights. Lily was trying hard to wrap it around her mind. “I do a lot of research in the library from time to time.” She also admitted with a sigh. “As much as I would like to admit it there are some things that even I don’t know.” The red haired girl shuddered at the thought of inbreeding. “That does make sense.” She commented slightly with a face. “Surely they realize that they might end up….crazy I guess I would want to call it?” Lily hesitated trying to choose the right words. The last person she wanted to offend was him. There were no other words to call it actually and Lily idly wondered what his response to that would be. She let out a dark snort. “I think I’m glad you’re not going to do that. I can just see you marrying your fifth cousin twice remove or someone along those lines if you know what I mean.” It was here that she held a thoughtful look. Lily made it a mental note to talk to her parents about their family history. It was a topic that she always had interest in. She had overheard a couple of purebloods boosting that they could trace their lineage back to where time actually began.

She had a feeling that some of them might have been lying but it was hard to tell really. Lily couldn’t help but to snort. “I can only imagine that event. Purebloods hanging around talking about domination while their kids run wild or whatever it is they do. Just like any other normal event I suppose.” She grew instantly quiet at his words. She could only name a few. “Macnair and Mulciber I’m pretty sure.” The red haired commented thoughtfully counting on her fingers. “Mulciber for playing that awful so called prank on Mary in our fifth year. He is just down right evil. EVIL.” She stopped for a moment there taking in a deep shaking breath. She was preventing herself from another rant. Lily let out another snort. “That’s one way of putting it. I think that everything’s corrupt nowadays especially before the takeover. One of the reasons why I didn’t trust the Ministry back then. One more reason why I never thought about going into the Ministry. Too much corruption and politics.” She sighed shaking her head. Her attention was now on him and his words were a bit unnerved. “Would your parents be angry and cut you off from the family if you did break tradition?”

Lily was not honestly sure what to think right now. Her mind had gone blank for a couple of seconds. All of this was completely new to her. She felt strangely guilty as if it was her fault that he was this way. Going about breaking traditions. She tried pushing that thought out of her mind for now. She gave him a small shaky smile. “I owe you one James. I couldn’t imagine being by anyone other than you. The Slytherins for instant.” A small shudder ran through her spine at the thought. At least with James she knew the rules so to speak. She knew what he was like and was capable of. Merlin, with him she could feel comfortable, but not too comfortable enough. She still wasn’t sure about the claiming. Truth be told she found it ridiculous. Of course she could not do anything as of this moment. She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh really Potter?” She drawled. “Loving the attention and the complete embarrassment afterwards? The staying up late planning your death?” there was a teasing tone to her voice as she attempted to lightly slap him on the arm. That all went away as an awkward silence spread between the two of them.

She was mentally kicking herself for bringing up her childhood friend. Stupid, she thought to herself, wanting nothing better to do than to beat herself up. “Stupid idiot.” Lily found herself muttering as she turned and buried her face in her hands. “I do nothing but completely ruin the mood.” The silence had somewhat disappeared as she gave him a shy smile. “We’ll set up a time and a day for when we’re not usually swamped by school and duties." She leaned up against him, feeling nothing but comfort. It was a wonderful feeling especially after a few seconds ago. Lily snorted a bit. “I have been trying to get her to understand. James, Petunia is highly against magic. Against all I stand for. Ever since….” Her voice faltered as something hit her right then and there. “Ever since she wrote to Dumbledore asking for permission to come with me….” Oh she was completely stupid now. She let out a sniff as she turned to face him and her breathing stopped for a minute. They were close. Comfortingly so. Emerald eyes gazed at the black haired boy. Her eyes grew wide when he kissed her. She thought about pushing him back. Thought about sprinting to the dorms and hiding there for a week. Lily surprised herself by kissing him back, shifting a bit to get comfortable, wrapping her arms around him. Yes, this was perfect.

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Tagged. Wifey.
Words. 1,110
Notes. James and Lily time!
Credits. The template is credit to Laura

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