"So, ready to tango?" James asked with a glint in his eye Lily couldn't quite identify.
"Yeah, sure – actually, James, wait. We need to talk."
"Oh, Lily, surely you can't be breaking up with me already!"
"James!" Lily hit him again, and was prepared to do it again and again; because even though she was opposed to physical violence on principle, it was literally the only thing that worked on James. "Shut up. Can't you take this seriously, just for once?"
"Is something wrong, Lils? Is it Snape? Did he... do something?"
"No, James, nothing's wrong. And it isn't Snape. It's you, actually."
"Me? But I haven't hexed anyone for ages, even when they would've deserved it!"
"James. Just shut up and listen for once in your life, will you?" She waited a while, but no protests arose. "Thank you. Anyway, you haven't done anything – or rather, you have – but it's a good thing. I just wanted to say sorry for using you as a personal handkerchief, and thanks for letting me."
"Hey, it's fine."
"Really? You don't mind that I seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time crying on your shoulder?"
"Of course not, Lily. Why would I mind? I –" love you, he finished in his head. What he said out loud, however, was "I'm your friend. That's what friends are for, yeah?" If Lily noticed his slight hesitation, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she closed the distance between them and gave James a hug.
"Yeah. You know, though, in a weird way, you're kinda my best friend." He gave her a squeeze.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I don't know how it happened... but yeah."
"All the more reason to be your personal hankie then, eh?"
–––––
Gryffindor's second Quidditch match of the season was against Slytherin. Since Slytherin had lost to Ravenclaw by ten points, and Gryffindor had yet to play Ravenclaw, they had no way of knowing the team's level of skill, but James was optimistic.
The day of the match dawned grey and rainy, something that wasn't lost on Marlene McKinnon, the Gryffindor seeker and a great believer in superstition. The small fourth-year couldn't eat anything at breakfast, no matter how much James tried to convince the team currently gathered around him that they needed to eat or they'd be blown away by the wind. He himself, however, didn't touch a thing. After a few more minutes of practically shoving food down Marlene's throat, he stood up and said, "Right, team. Let's go." As he passed Lily he bent down and whispered, "You're coming, right?"
Lily nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"That's the spirit." Lily rolled her eyes at the enthusiasm James displayed at the mere thought of her watching him play, but nevertheless rose and headed towards the Pitch after finishing her breakfast.
No matter how optimistic James had been, it had mainly been on the behalf of his team. He himself was having trouble concentrating, something due in no small part to the fact that a certain red-haired Head Girl had declared him her best friend. It wasn't exactly the declaration of everlasting, undying love that he'd hoped for, but hey, it was a step in the right direction and he'd be crazy not to take it. And James Potter was many things, but crazy wasn't one of them. Not when it came to Lily Evans – as long as crazy in love didn't count, he was actually quite sane in that department.
It took three jabs on the shoulder for James to realise that Sirius was talking to him. "Prongs, mate, time to go."
"Ah. Right. Go." He led his team out of the changing rooms and on to the Pitch to much cheering, trying his best not to look in the stands lest he saw Lily and lost all hope of even the slightest amount of concentration. However, five years habit led him to do a sweep of the stands before he could stop himself, and he spotted Lily's flaming head next to the slightly more subdued ones of Remus and Peter (he had actually managed to show up this time). She saw him looking in her direction and waved, and that's when James knew all hope was lost (however melodramatic that may sound).
Madam Hooch flew the Quaffle up, released the Bludgers and the Snitch, and the game was on, and James still couldn't think of anything but the fact that he was Lily's best friend, something he thought he'd never see.
Although, in a way, being Lily's best friend wasn't so hard – it's not like there were many candidates. Everybody knew that Lily was the type who kept to herself, which generally equalled little to no friends. It was only this year, as she began to get closer to the Marauders, that people began to refer to them as Lily Evans's friends, a term not commonly applied to anyone but Severus Snape, and not even him since the end of fifth-year.
A passing Bludger shook James out of his thoughts, and as Sirius hit it in the other direction, he yelled at James. "Prongs, get your head in the game, man! That's the third Bludger I've had to save your pretty little arse from!" James shook his head as if to clear it and acknowledged Sirius with a nod and a grin that could be interpreted as apologetic, and attempted to re-discover the thread of the game. Slytherin was up by about a hundred points – how was that possible? James could have sworn he'd only been out of it for a few minutes. But even as he watched, the Slytherin chasers scored twice in quick succession, bringing the score up to 120-0 in the snakes' favour and answering James's unspoken question. Oh.
He flew back towards the middle of the game, trying to banish away all thoughts of one very attractive Head Girl, but it was hard. One of his other chasers, sixth-year Jack Pritchard, threw him an odd look, but he ignored it (to the best of his ignoring abilities at the moment) and looked around for the Quaffle, turning just in time to see it once again fly past their keeper, Eli Campbell. 150-0 for Slytherin.
With a sigh, James turned his back to their goal and flew towards that of the Slytherins. Apparently understanding his intent, Elizabeth Spinnet, the final chaser, caught Campbell's pass and headed for the goal, tossing it to James at the last minute like they had practised so many times before. He aimed for the goal (or that's what it looked like), but the shot went wide and a green-clad chaser grabbed the Quaffle before anyone fully realised what had happened. James Potter, miss a shot? It was unheard of. James himself was still trying to process it when he heard Sirius fly by Marlene. "McKinnon, catch the Snitch as soon as you see it, understand? Never mind that we're losing by about a million points. With James playing the way he is, there's no way we're winning this game." Marlene nodded, and within five minutes, the game was over, with the final score being 190-150 to Slytherin. James called his team over.
"Listen, guys, good game." Sirius shot him a look. "All right, all right, it was a bloody awful game, but that's all down to me. You hear me, Campbell? The fact that those Slytherin scum slaughtered us has nothing to do with your skills as a keeper. It's my fault. I was... distracted." Cue another look from Sirius. "Now, I'm not saying that's an excuse, but it's all I've got. You're just gonna have to take this as a lesson on the importance of a fully-functioning team, yeah? All right, hit the showers." They all left, except for Sirius. James sighed. He knew exactly what was coming.
"You were distracted, huh?" Typical Sirius – direct and to the point. "This... distraction wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain red-head sitting next to Moony and Wormtail over there, would it now?"
"Well... um... it depends on how you look at it, really?
"Is that a question, Prongs?"
"No?"
"Prongs!"
"No, Padfoot, it's not a question. And quit sounding like McGonagall, will you? It's freaking me out."
"Hey! I do not sound like McGonagall, thank you very much."
"And there you go again."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sirius said good-naturedly. "But hey – you okay, mate?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Actually, I'm better than fine. I am –" and here he lowered his voice conspiratorially "– I am Lily Evans's best friend."
"Wait, so we lost the match because you're Lily's best friend?"
"Yes?"
"Jeez, Prongs. Priorities much?"
–––––
The day of the ball came much faster than Lily was anticipating, and it was all too soon that she found herself standing in front of the mirror trying to decide whether to leave her hair down or put it up. Eventually, she decided on down, since her dress (white with a small black sash, as per the dress code) was sleeveless and an updo left her shoulders feeling naked, not a very pleasant sensation. With a sigh, she made sure her dress covered all the necessary parts, gave her curls one last fluff and stepped through to the Common Room, where she had arranged to meet James exactly one minute ago.
Evidently she wasn't the only one to notice this slight tardiness, as James (looking unexpectedly handsome in a white tux) peered at an imaginary watch and said, "Lily Evans, late? Who would have thought it." Lily did her best to look offended, and James laughed. "Come on, Lils, only joking. You look absolutely stunning, by the way, as always." He offered her his arm. "Ready?"
"Actually, James, I've been thinking..."
"That's never good, is it?"
Lily ignored him. "... are you sure this is a good idea? Us going together, I mean? Because people are going to think that..."
"Look, hey, we've been over this. Pretty much everyone knows we're only going as friends, and even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter, would it? We know the truth."
"I guess," Lily conceded with a sigh. She took the arm James was still offering and together they headed for the Great Hall.
"Yeah, sure – actually, James, wait. We need to talk."
"Oh, Lily, surely you can't be breaking up with me already!"
"James!" Lily hit him again, and was prepared to do it again and again; because even though she was opposed to physical violence on principle, it was literally the only thing that worked on James. "Shut up. Can't you take this seriously, just for once?"
"Is something wrong, Lils? Is it Snape? Did he... do something?"
"No, James, nothing's wrong. And it isn't Snape. It's you, actually."
"Me? But I haven't hexed anyone for ages, even when they would've deserved it!"
"James. Just shut up and listen for once in your life, will you?" She waited a while, but no protests arose. "Thank you. Anyway, you haven't done anything – or rather, you have – but it's a good thing. I just wanted to say sorry for using you as a personal handkerchief, and thanks for letting me."
"Hey, it's fine."
"Really? You don't mind that I seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time crying on your shoulder?"
"Of course not, Lily. Why would I mind? I –" love you, he finished in his head. What he said out loud, however, was "I'm your friend. That's what friends are for, yeah?" If Lily noticed his slight hesitation, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she closed the distance between them and gave James a hug.
"Yeah. You know, though, in a weird way, you're kinda my best friend." He gave her a squeeze.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I don't know how it happened... but yeah."
"All the more reason to be your personal hankie then, eh?"
–––––
Gryffindor's second Quidditch match of the season was against Slytherin. Since Slytherin had lost to Ravenclaw by ten points, and Gryffindor had yet to play Ravenclaw, they had no way of knowing the team's level of skill, but James was optimistic.
The day of the match dawned grey and rainy, something that wasn't lost on Marlene McKinnon, the Gryffindor seeker and a great believer in superstition. The small fourth-year couldn't eat anything at breakfast, no matter how much James tried to convince the team currently gathered around him that they needed to eat or they'd be blown away by the wind. He himself, however, didn't touch a thing. After a few more minutes of practically shoving food down Marlene's throat, he stood up and said, "Right, team. Let's go." As he passed Lily he bent down and whispered, "You're coming, right?"
Lily nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"That's the spirit." Lily rolled her eyes at the enthusiasm James displayed at the mere thought of her watching him play, but nevertheless rose and headed towards the Pitch after finishing her breakfast.
No matter how optimistic James had been, it had mainly been on the behalf of his team. He himself was having trouble concentrating, something due in no small part to the fact that a certain red-haired Head Girl had declared him her best friend. It wasn't exactly the declaration of everlasting, undying love that he'd hoped for, but hey, it was a step in the right direction and he'd be crazy not to take it. And James Potter was many things, but crazy wasn't one of them. Not when it came to Lily Evans – as long as crazy in love didn't count, he was actually quite sane in that department.
It took three jabs on the shoulder for James to realise that Sirius was talking to him. "Prongs, mate, time to go."
"Ah. Right. Go." He led his team out of the changing rooms and on to the Pitch to much cheering, trying his best not to look in the stands lest he saw Lily and lost all hope of even the slightest amount of concentration. However, five years habit led him to do a sweep of the stands before he could stop himself, and he spotted Lily's flaming head next to the slightly more subdued ones of Remus and Peter (he had actually managed to show up this time). She saw him looking in her direction and waved, and that's when James knew all hope was lost (however melodramatic that may sound).
Madam Hooch flew the Quaffle up, released the Bludgers and the Snitch, and the game was on, and James still couldn't think of anything but the fact that he was Lily's best friend, something he thought he'd never see.
Although, in a way, being Lily's best friend wasn't so hard – it's not like there were many candidates. Everybody knew that Lily was the type who kept to herself, which generally equalled little to no friends. It was only this year, as she began to get closer to the Marauders, that people began to refer to them as Lily Evans's friends, a term not commonly applied to anyone but Severus Snape, and not even him since the end of fifth-year.
A passing Bludger shook James out of his thoughts, and as Sirius hit it in the other direction, he yelled at James. "Prongs, get your head in the game, man! That's the third Bludger I've had to save your pretty little arse from!" James shook his head as if to clear it and acknowledged Sirius with a nod and a grin that could be interpreted as apologetic, and attempted to re-discover the thread of the game. Slytherin was up by about a hundred points – how was that possible? James could have sworn he'd only been out of it for a few minutes. But even as he watched, the Slytherin chasers scored twice in quick succession, bringing the score up to 120-0 in the snakes' favour and answering James's unspoken question. Oh.
He flew back towards the middle of the game, trying to banish away all thoughts of one very attractive Head Girl, but it was hard. One of his other chasers, sixth-year Jack Pritchard, threw him an odd look, but he ignored it (to the best of his ignoring abilities at the moment) and looked around for the Quaffle, turning just in time to see it once again fly past their keeper, Eli Campbell. 150-0 for Slytherin.
With a sigh, James turned his back to their goal and flew towards that of the Slytherins. Apparently understanding his intent, Elizabeth Spinnet, the final chaser, caught Campbell's pass and headed for the goal, tossing it to James at the last minute like they had practised so many times before. He aimed for the goal (or that's what it looked like), but the shot went wide and a green-clad chaser grabbed the Quaffle before anyone fully realised what had happened. James Potter, miss a shot? It was unheard of. James himself was still trying to process it when he heard Sirius fly by Marlene. "McKinnon, catch the Snitch as soon as you see it, understand? Never mind that we're losing by about a million points. With James playing the way he is, there's no way we're winning this game." Marlene nodded, and within five minutes, the game was over, with the final score being 190-150 to Slytherin. James called his team over.
"Listen, guys, good game." Sirius shot him a look. "All right, all right, it was a bloody awful game, but that's all down to me. You hear me, Campbell? The fact that those Slytherin scum slaughtered us has nothing to do with your skills as a keeper. It's my fault. I was... distracted." Cue another look from Sirius. "Now, I'm not saying that's an excuse, but it's all I've got. You're just gonna have to take this as a lesson on the importance of a fully-functioning team, yeah? All right, hit the showers." They all left, except for Sirius. James sighed. He knew exactly what was coming.
"You were distracted, huh?" Typical Sirius – direct and to the point. "This... distraction wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain red-head sitting next to Moony and Wormtail over there, would it now?"
"Well... um... it depends on how you look at it, really?
"Is that a question, Prongs?"
"No?"
"Prongs!"
"No, Padfoot, it's not a question. And quit sounding like McGonagall, will you? It's freaking me out."
"Hey! I do not sound like McGonagall, thank you very much."
"And there you go again."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sirius said good-naturedly. "But hey – you okay, mate?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Actually, I'm better than fine. I am –" and here he lowered his voice conspiratorially "– I am Lily Evans's best friend."
"Wait, so we lost the match because you're Lily's best friend?"
"Yes?"
"Jeez, Prongs. Priorities much?"
–––––
The day of the ball came much faster than Lily was anticipating, and it was all too soon that she found herself standing in front of the mirror trying to decide whether to leave her hair down or put it up. Eventually, she decided on down, since her dress (white with a small black sash, as per the dress code) was sleeveless and an updo left her shoulders feeling naked, not a very pleasant sensation. With a sigh, she made sure her dress covered all the necessary parts, gave her curls one last fluff and stepped through to the Common Room, where she had arranged to meet James exactly one minute ago.
Evidently she wasn't the only one to notice this slight tardiness, as James (looking unexpectedly handsome in a white tux) peered at an imaginary watch and said, "Lily Evans, late? Who would have thought it." Lily did her best to look offended, and James laughed. "Come on, Lils, only joking. You look absolutely stunning, by the way, as always." He offered her his arm. "Ready?"
"Actually, James, I've been thinking..."
"That's never good, is it?"
Lily ignored him. "... are you sure this is a good idea? Us going together, I mean? Because people are going to think that..."
"Look, hey, we've been over this. Pretty much everyone knows we're only going as friends, and even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter, would it? We know the truth."
"I guess," Lily conceded with a sigh. She took the arm James was still offering and together they headed for the Great Hall.
