AN: It’s a bit long, and I wanted to get it posted so I didn’t do too much editing. enjoy!
If there were ever a place James Potter would consider himself to be at peace, it would be here. Alone at midnight, bathed in the light of a thankfully waning moon, laying in the carefully kept grass of Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. Sure, it was a bit cold with the Scottish wind whistling around him as he wasn’t exactly dressed in his warmest clothes. The scarlet button-up he wore was thin, even with his thick woolen vest pulled over it. In his haste to flee the castle, the only cloak he thought to grab was great for subtly, not warmth. Even so, here, at night, with no crowd in the stands, no broom in his hands he took solace in the fact he was no one to the abandoned arena. He was not Number 07 Potter, Quidditch Captain, nor James Potter, Gryffindor and Head Boy, nor Jamie Fleamont Potter, sole son of the renowned potioneer and his loving wife. With no one around and only his thoughts, he could step away from his responsibilities for a moment. After all, the towering hoops gave no thought towards the sneered Potter, blood traitor and enemies of Slytherins and Death Eaters alike. The firm ground didn’t protest to bearing the weight of the well-worn Mr. Potter, who at age 17 had already been called to fight in a war he was all too aware of. He was too hidden from the thick cover of the forest to be Prongs, marauder, brother, and protector of his own as they struggled with their fear, their anger, and in Remus’ case, their curse. Yes, James Potter was nearly at peace, left with only one identity, one that these days seemed impossible to shake. Even here, he could not cease to be James Potter, the boy madly in love with Lily Evans.
Even out in the cold, James couldn’t forget how everything had seemed to be afire. With every fireplace roaring, and nearly every student from fifth year above filling the transformed Great Hall, James could feel the stray beads of sweat gathering at the nape of his neck. He would have tugged at his collar then if it weren’t for Remus’ arm resting casually on his shoulders. The fact that his dark eyes were alight in a way that rarely happened so soon after a full moon filled James with a warmth he could not so easily disregard. Especially when the low peals of Peter’s laughter beside him were so delightfully distracting. He didn’t have to taste the drink Sirius had practically forced in his hand to know that it was spiked, but the burn of Firewhiskey balanced the holiday punch well. If the first drink had him sputtering, the genuine smile on his best friend’s handsome face had him taking a second. Absorbed in his own corner of the world, he was still all too aware of the flame flitting across the room, fanning a fire inside him he had long since hoped to extinguish.
Lily Evans was a vision in her carefully tailored emerald dress robes, a single silk strap cutting across alabaster skin, her fiery hair curled and pinned elegantly to the side. She wore the color combination better than any of the other festive students, than the giant Christmas trees standing proud, than the mistletoe James had helped hang himself. If his field of vision were to extend beyond Lily, he might have noticed he was not the only one having these thoughts, as several other sets of eyes followed the beloved head girl across the floor. Instead a well-placed punchline from Remus had Peter drawing James back into the fray. With a fleeting look towards Lily conversing with Marlene McKinnon, he turned back to the Marauders.
There they stood, shoulder to shoulder with near identical grins that, if James weren’t used to, would be mildly terrifying. James barely found it disconcerting.
“What? Is my shirt on backwards? Did Pads shave a design into the back of my hair again? Oh god- you didn’t lace my drink, did you? Liquor is one thing, but you know even I have standards!” His expression was one of mock horror, and he was personally patting himself on the back for a riveting performance when Sirius shook his head. Looking to Remus and Peter, who gave him an affirming nod, he stepped forward, putting his hand on James’ shoulder.
“Prongs, my guy… Just go ask her to dance.”
Despite the fact he had spent a good deal of time watching the aforementioned her throughout the night, it took James a second to realize what Sirius was suggesting he do. Rolling his eyes, he shrugged his friend’s hand off, hoping it came across as casually as he was aiming.
“Nah, I mean, she’s having fun, we’re having fun-“ Peter snorted, earning a scowl from James and an elbow from Remus. “Guys, we’ve had this discussion. I’m done making moves on Lil- Dammit, Sirius! Stop giving me that look.”
Remus, trying to spare himself of the wrestling match sure to ensue, stepped forward then, throwing another elbow into Sirius’ stomach as he caught sight of his wiggling eyebrows.
“What Padfoot is trying to say, is that you can ask her to dance without making any moves. You’re Head Boy, she’s Head Girl… It’s probably some sort of unofficial tradition.” The pointed look Remus gave him was encouraging, a direct contradiction of the crude hand signals being thrown behind his back.
James considered it, deciding Remus was right. After punching Sirius in the arm and ducking away before he had time to return an attack, James refocused, taking no time at all to locate Lily… her head thrown back in laughter, cheeks flushed as she spun in the arms of some Ravenclaw James didn’t recognize. He could acknowledge it was a rash reaction. But it didn’t stop him from disappearing into the hall, pulling the invisibility cloak from his back pocket and sneaking away.
And now, the boy who loved was here, sprawling under the watch of a sky full of stars and four decorated towers, his chest aching with cold and something he refused to name. Eyes closed behind his glasses, James intertwined his fingers with the frostbitten grass, yearning to sink just a little bit further, until Lily Evans was but a seed planted in his mind.
“James?”
A quiet, but familiar voice stoked the fire within like a hot poker, and he opened his eyes. Standing above him, green silk peeking out from behind a winter cloak was the flower herself.
Neither of them said anything, yet the silence was not awkward. It was accompanied by the rustling of the Forbidden Forest and punctuated by the sound of the Giant Squid breaking the surface of the Black Lake. A moment, or perhaps a lifetime later, Lily shrugged, making up her mind on an argument only she seemed to be having. With all the grace she could muster on a grassy field in heels, she sank to her knees, comfortable only when she was laying besides James, close enough he could feel the heat radiating off her in waves. He did his best not to scoot closer, to tiptoe, not sprint across the hot coals, but he couldn’t resist turning his head to face her. He was only half surprised to find she was looking back, no real explanation on her face as to why she had left her date to find him here. James could only hold his tongue for so long before asking the question that was plaguing him the most.
“Aren’t you worried you’re going to ruin your dress?” He inquired, reaching over to gingerly brush his knuckles across a piece of the fabric closest to him, all too aware of how close he came to brushing her side. Lily shivered, and James told himself it was because of the wind.
Lily shook her head then, proving she also lacked concern over the state of her hair, which James could see was already falling out of its pins, loose tendrils curling around her neck. Again he fought the urge to twirl one around his finger, to feel her pulse beneath his fingertips.
“I’ve heard magical dry cleaning does wonders. Besides, it’s just a dress. The real question is, aren’t you afraid you’re going to ruin your circulation?” Lily motioned towards his half extended hand and the reddened fingers now nearly clenched into a fist.
She made a disapproving noise before reaching for it, slender fingers shooting electricity up James’ arm as she pried them out of the ball they were in. “If you keep them like that any longer they’re going to freeze like that. Then you’re going to snap them off trying open them. And even you can’t fly without fingers”
The statement was ridiculous coming out of Lily’s mouth in such a matter of fact tone, and James couldn’t help the short “Ha!” that escaped, nor the wide smile that continued to nearly split his face when she laughed too.
“Well then maybe you should help warm them up, Evans”
It was meant to be a quip, a sassy piece of banter not unusual for their interactions. Instead, it came out quieter, almost soft, inflections in all the wrong places. Lily didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she looked thoughtful before wrapping both her hands around his, closing the few inches of distance left between them as she shifted.
There was another silence, during which James considered the pros and cons of interrupting, asking how she found him, why she decided to look. He didn’t get any further than opening his mouth before Lily turned her head towards him, her voice somehow but steady yet unsure.
“You know, you could have asked me. To dance, I mean… I was waiting. Marlene told me there was no way you wouldn’t be over. But then Marlene suggested David show me how to Waltz- I was bloody awful, by the way. By the time I looked back over, you were gone…” She let her voice trail, but he could hear the question behind it, could see the concern reflecting in her gold rimmed eyes.
A million thoughts flashed through James’ mind, a million questions, an itemized list of three years’ worth of moments he had long since stopped trying to overanalyze that suddenly seemed to have new meanings. But…
If there were ever a place James Potter would consider himself to be at peace, it would be here. With Lily past midnight, bathed in the light of a thankfully waning moon, laying close enough he could hear every breath she took, her hand in his.
Talking could wait.
Turning his palm until it pressed against hers, James let out the breath he hadn’t meant to be holding when she curled her fingers around his. Her smile was nothing extraordinary, just a slight upward turn of her tinted lips, but it was enough. Pressed shoulder to shoulder in the carefully kept grass of Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, James Potter was content with being the boy in love with Lily Evans.
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My dabble for the January Hogwarts location Jily Challenge.
It’s my first jily fan fiction and I kept getting stuck and kind of rushed it in the end. I’m also tired and my spelling sucks even when I’m not, so I apologise in advance.
Edit: Read a slightly updated version on AO3
It was a cold, windy and rather wet saturday in January and Marlene had dragged Lily out to the quidditch pitch for the game Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. Much to Marlene’s surprise it hadn’t taken as much convincing as she had expected, but she had a certain suspicion why. And watching her best friend now only solidified her theory.
„You’re staring, Lily.“ Marlene’s voice was bone dry but her eyes were sparkling with laughter.
Lily looked a little startled when she answered. „No I’m not, who would I be staring at? I’m just watching the game.“ She knew her voice was too fast and she also knew that she barely even liked Quidditch, so that wasn’t the best answer.
But somehow she couldn’t stop her eyes from always going back to one player. No matter how often she tried to follow the game, the commentators announcements of goals kept surprising her. Unless of course Potter had made them. It was insane, she didn’t even like him, but something about the way his hair was now naturally in disarray, his glasses kind of crooked and his face full of concentration and joy made her unable to look away for too long.
Yes, he was an arse most of the time and he had proofed that time and time again. Especially last year. But this year? She couldn’t explain it, but something was different. He looked at her different, or maybe she looked at him different. But their interactions seemed more real and more honest. She had to admit she kind of liked that.
But she had always given him the cold shoulder, their relationship was build on that. As was her image, if she was completely honest. Their friends seemed to notice, as was obvious by Marlene’s slight chuckles she could hear beside her and choose to ignore. Remus was also catching on, or at least it seemed like it. He kept making these odd comments about liking someone you weren’t supposed to like and similar stuff. But he always shut up and seemed to disappear when anyone else joined their conversation. Sometimes he even blushed, which could mean that it was all about him and whoever he might fancy.
Remus was actually siting a few rows above them, but Lily was too distracted to see the clear indication of who he might fancy. Marlene wasn’t though, she amused herself by watching all the early spring feelings that apparently had invaded her friends. Lily was obviously hypnotised by James Potter, but she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t take her eyes of certain players.
Remus, for example seemed rather interested in a certain beater that was just now high-fiveing James after hitting Rowle with a bludger. He was a lot less obvious then Lily though, but that wasn’t difficult right now.
Even more obvious was Alice, who was obviously flirting thru smiles, winks and lip reading with her boyfriend and back-up keeper Frank Longbottom thru smiles, winks and lip reading. But they were Gryffindors dream couple, so they didn’t have any reason to hide their feelings.
Adam, the commentator and a fellow Gryffindor sixth year, had noticed their flirting as well and was now publicly teasing them about it. „Oy, Longbottom, pay attention to the quaffle, not your Girlfriend. I know you’re only Bonnet’s back up, but you still have to protect the rings.“
Marlene laughed at the blushing couple, McGonnagal’s poorly concealed grin and Adam’s sung face. Adam was actually really funny and cool, but most people overlooked him because of the Marauders. Lately he had been more involved in their little group though. All of them had become closer. It wasn’t girls against boys, or James’ friends against Lily’s friends all the time anymore. She really enjoyed that, the hostility had gotten old and they didn’t even have two years left together in Hogwarts. It was time to grow up and prepare for the world outside of Hogwarts. A world that was more dangerous then ever. All of the could use as many friends and support as possible. After all, she knew her friends, they would probably all join the fight agains Voldemort one way or another.
Her rather dark thoughts got interrupted by Adams voice, which informed them that the seekers seemed to have spotted the snitch and the most exiting part of the game (in her eyes at least) was starting.
Lily was still thinking about her friends and their relationships while watching James when Marlene, as well as most people around her jumped up cheering, because apparently Gryffindor had won. Quickly she followed their example, blushing furiously because she had been distracted enough to miss the excitement of Sanders catching the snitch for Gryffindor.
Lily caught James’ eye when she was leaving the quidditch pitch with Marlene. „Uhm, I think I want to walk around for a little. The common room will be so crowded and loud.“ She quickly excused herself from a smirking Marlene. „Allright, I’ll see you later.“ Marlene continued into the direction of the castle, catching up to Adam while Lily followed James to the quidditch field.
He grinned at her when he saw her come around the stands. „I thought I had seen you look at me during the game.“ He teased her and she couldn't help blushing.
„I was watching you play. Isn’t that the point of all of us freezing on those bloody uncomfortable stands?“ She shot back, but with less venom n her voice then she usually used in her comebacks to him.
He smiled at her. „Well yes, but watching the game and watching me are two different things.“
Lily rollet her eyes. „Oh shut it Potter.“ Her voice was surprisingly soft and somehow they had gotten closer. „You watch me in the library. So I get to watch you in the air.“
Now it was James’ turn to blush. „Okay, you got me there. So what if you don’t only watch me in the air, but join me?“ He pointed at his broom that was leaning agains the wall of the building with the changing rooms. Lily looked surprised, she wasn’t much of a flier. Of corse she had learnt it like all the other students and she wasn't afraid of it, but it was a method of transportation to her, not a sport or a recreational activity. But she nodded anyways and climbed onto James’ broom behind him.
The night was clear and cold, with lots of stars and the castle looked even more magical from above with all the lit windows. Her arms where wrapped around James’ back and she couldn’t stop smiling. „This is amazing James, thank you.“
He turned his head back to her and just smiled at her. And in that moment she decided that she wouldn’t say no, should he ever ask her out again. She might even ask him out, if he didn’t.
When they headed back to the castle about half an hour later, their hands found each other. Both of them blushed a little and smiled, but neither pulled their hand away until the reached the fat lady.
The rest of the evening and the next day they spent with their friends. It had snowed during the night and the grounds transformed into a snowball war zone. Laughing they fell back into the snow, not knowing what the future held. Not knowing that not on of their friends would survive the next 25 years. Not knowing that they were the lost generation of the wizarding world.
@almostalyssamarie replied to your post: Guys help meeeee
It’s when he says “I’m the damn fool that shot him!” Grammatically, it should be “I’m the damn fool who shot him,” because Burr is a person, not a thing. Hope that helps :)
GOD BLESS YOU MY FRIEND I CAN FINALLY FUCKING SLEEP TONGIHT OH MY FUCKING GODS
