#lily009

The music was thundering, James was sure the walls were vibrating. Or perhaps it was the condition he found himself in. Returning to school had left him stressful beyond means, beyond the words he could explain to her—to anyone. That lingering fear sat behind the tip of his tongue, desperate to fall. If he could not stop his friend from being hurt, cherish and hold onto their hearts in a way James felt the school should’ve seen them for what they were—what the hell was he doing then? The party had been thriving for the most part, long before the redhead who occupied his sights walked through the portrait hole and a chorus of ‘SURPRISE!’ broke from the collection of her peers. Even James had to hand it to Marlene—she did a good job.

But Lily’s arrival to the party was a little late on James’. For one—he might’ve been most definitely almost if not totally drunk by that point. Another point—Marlene had actually convinced him to dance on one of the tables with her. Avidly a fan of dancing, there were few things James wouldn’t do unless his inhibitions were down—this was one of them. But he didn’t linger long, bidding goodbye in favour of the birthday girl’s company. No—he should’ve been thinking—a room full of their housemates, their friends from other houses all crammed into the common room as the haze of smoke, liquor bottles being passed around. Certainly if there was a Prefect willing to sell out the Head Girl on her birthday, James might’ve done something about it—but the crowd tonight proved otherwise.

Moving through the crowd as her mates dispersed around her as he slipped a hand around her waist, pulling her close. “Happy birthday, Lily!” James called over the music, a cheeky grin, as he bent down, pressing a kiss to her lips. He was far too happy, too enthralled at the sight of her when she walked into the Common Room, like it was some beacon calling him home. Muffled sounds and a sudden cheer erupted as James broke the kiss to look around before catching her gaze. “Fuck,” He whispered under his breath. Lips parted, mouth dry for a moment, sheepishly smiling down at her. “Took care of telling people, huh?” He whispered, close enough for her to hear his voice, unable to hide that joy. “Are you having a good birthday so far?” He could only hope.

James didn’t leave much of an explanation. The Jasmine flowers were left on her bedside when she woke. The photograph was courtesy of Mary Macdonald, taken when the pair of them weren’t paying attention. The small charm was for Lily to add to the charm bracelet he’d seen her wear, charmed to make the head shake when tapped with the end of a wand. James gave no context as to why it was a stag. All that was scribbled into the neatly bound package was his scribble: