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lily evans (ungilded) wrote in loremrpg,
@ 2011-03-14 21:59:00

Entry tags:

james potter, lily evans

Characters: Lily Evans and James Potter
Setting: Gryffindor common room, September 14, late evening
Content: SFW
Summary: Lily is minding her own business in the common room, when James does not so much cross the line as take a flying leap over it.

In Lily Evans' mind, there was very little that she liked as much as she did a good book. Even rereading books she'd read a million times before. Just the act of reading relaxed her, which was definitely something she needed at the moment. Not only was she still adjusting to classes and homework after the summer, but she was also adjusting to dealing with Potter and company after her lovely summer of peace. Once she finished her homework, she felt she was overdue for some Lily time, and anyway, she needed to read so she could have something to discuss at Book Club this week, and so she changed into her pyjamas and curled up on one end of a squashy sofa by the fire.

Instead of reading an old favourite piece of literature, Lily had decided to crack a relatively new piece of literature that her mother had given her when she came home over the summer. The American muggles had all been talking about it, she said, and she thought it was something Lily would enjoy. The book was The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan. True to her mother's recommendation, she found it fascinating. Lily had noticed that muggle women were more likely to be housewives than wizarding women, but she hadn't given any particular thought to it herself. She found the muggle author's point of view interesting, and she was more or less lost in the book when she was distracted by the sound of the portrait hole opening.

Of course it was Potter, the person she least wanted to see right now. Lily glanced at her watch and saw that it was approximately thirty seconds before curfew. "Cutting it close, are we?" she commented. Normally she would just have ignored him, but tonight, perhaps spurred on by the passion of the book she was reading, Lily was the one to confront him.

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stagswagger
2011-03-15 08:01 am UTC (link)

As Lily's eyes drooped shut momentarily, James continued to stare silently at her. He couldn't quite fathom why she had such an intense reliance on her wand, specifically considering there was little need for it with his guard lowered. James just assumed it was a matter of her having the one-up on him. Hell, he would have offered his wand to her if that meant it helped ease her tension that much more. However, James wasn't too entirely sure she wouldn't make off with it to save future students from his senseless pranks. He could only see himself tomorrow, attempting to explain to the Marauders why he couldn't help them finish the touches on their upcoming prank on the Charms wing.

Despite Lily's confused expression, or rather in light of it, James was granted a little more time to truly look into her eyes. It might sound cheesy, but he rarely received such benefits unless he managed to catch her dazing or staring intently at something in class. He could hardly blame himself for going crazy over those eyes now that he had a proper look at them, and frankly couldn't understand how Sirius didn't pick up on such an obvious bit of perfection within Lily's person. Granted, James was a little biased, but that was beyond the point!

All sense of uncertainty diminished when Lily took her seat next to James. It gave him an extra bit of confidence to continue forward. He was tempted to say something along the lines of 'not so bad now, is it' but thought the better of it. In no way did he want to turn Lily off to this rare opportunity to get along. James decided to branch out a bit and turn ever so slightly to face her a tiny bit more, repositioning his arms lower on his torso so as to still remain casual. He just didn't want to miss out on those tempting nonverbals Lily offered so frequently, and staring straight ahead would do that. Fortunately, he turned just in time to see her fidget with her curls again, James watching her every move as she did while smiling goofily at her. It took a few seconds for him to get himself back in check, James clearing his throat as Lily continued her thought about the band.

"Tom Jones. Sounds familiar. He's Welsh, innit he?" James asked, almost 99.9% sure of the answer prior to asking it. Giving Lily a bit of leeway to dispute the fact might help her open up a little more though, so he let it rest for a second before continuing. "Sirius let me listen to some of his stuff before. We went to a muggle football match and heard the Welsh singing the chorus of 'Delilah.'" Before he had realized what he was doing, James had taken the conversation back over. A bit put off by his discovery, the boy switched the attention back to Lily. "You like Tom Jones then? Reckon you'd ever want to see him again if given the chance?"

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ungilded
2011-03-15 08:15 am UTC (link)

Though Lily knew that some wizards did listen to Muggle music, she was still a bit surprised that James knew who Tom Jones was. He wasn't necessarily her favourite artist in the history of time, or anything, but it was something, and more of a connection than she ever expected to have with James Potter.

Actually interested in something he had to say for once, Lily listened to his story and tried to ignore the thought that she was currently having a perfectly civil conversation with James Potter. She even smiled when he mentioned the song. "Yes, well, we're proud of our own," she commented, remembering a few football matches with her father and even her sister when she could be persuaded to come. James had continued to talk, however, and she had more to respond to. "Yeah, I suppose I do. I mean, of course, a twelve year old in a pub, I thought everything was wicked, but I do like his music." Lily did not respond to the question about seeing him again, because James being James, he would likely turn up with Tom Jones concert tickets next week, having procured them from Merlin knows where. After a beat, though, she kept talking. "Really, I just miss music at Hogwarts. Wish I could have a record player in my dorm somehow, but it wouldn't play with the magic even if I did. Be fun to listen to things with mates, swap records, dance like no one's watching, and all that, you know?" Her anxieties about this conversation were drifting away as it progressed, and so she let herself look up at James as she finished that sentence, hoping to make her point.

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stagswagger
2011-03-15 08:40 am UTC (link)

The fact that James could provoke a smile from Lily was somewhat shocking to him, regardless of the fact he was shooting for just that. Usually that was only accompanied by some cold, disconnected laughter or just following another reprimanding him and his mates. He was happy to take it for what it was at this point in time, returning the smile all the more.

James picked up on the alteration in Lily's facial expressions and how much more interested she seemed when he mentioned 'Delilah.' Though the song seemed a bit creepy at points, he couldn't deny that he had picked up on the connection the Welsh had taken to the tune. Whenever their players did something fantastic, or at the very end when they had actually won that one match, James heard the chorus ring out as loud as day. It was a catchy tune despite it's peculiarity, and James was glad to have made the association with Lily. Just like Sirius had instructed him, he was making headway by showing common interests. Granted, he didn't have near as much of an interest in Jones prior to that very moment. He made a mental note to attempt to seek out tickets as soon as humanly possible, if not for him to escort Lily then for the hopes of reaffirming that this little conversation truly did happen.

"You dad really sounds great. My dad would have had to go through mum if he attempted to do that when I was your age." Okay, so it wouldn't have been too hard for Charlus despite that fact, but it was still the point that counted. When Lily continued on about music at Hogwarts and how she longed for a record player, James mentally began to work through ideas on how to incorporate magic into the creation in hopes of satisfying Lily's desires. He couldn't deny it would benefit the entire Gryffindor tower if one was within a student's possession, but even greater still was his desire to make it a reality for the sake of giving Lily that which she desired. Though part of him wanted to be her hero in that respect, the greater part of him just wanted to see her smile at him like this again. He figured in the future they could expect further discord, and this perhaps was his next big safety net. He'd have to work to make that a reality, but he figured with the help of his mates it was manageable. Failure was never an option for James.

When Lily closed off her statement with a question, James gave a lopsided half-smile. He nodded in agreement before adding to her remark. "I think it could do the lot of us some good when you put it that way," he remarked. A few strands of Lily's hair fell into her eyes again, and without really thinking, James reached up to brush them to the side as she had done so frequently before. However, that contact with her skin left him feeling an unavoidable urge to linger. He knew it wasn't something she owed him, and truly he probably shouldn't have even touched her without asking permission at this point, but James wasn't exactly thinking straight. His hand slipped away from her briefly, as if he was about to fully retract it, but as if his brain was sending mixed signals to his hand and his face, James' eyes remained fixed on Lily's. Then they trailed to her lips, at which point there was no turning back. He had to take the plunge or forever regret it. With no further hesitation, James cupped his hand just below Lily's ear and leaned in for a gentle, albeit intentional, kiss.

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ungilded
2011-03-15 08:52 am UTC (link)

When James mentioned that his father would have had to go through his mother, Lily laughed. Sure, it was a small laugh, a chuckle really, but it was leaps and bounds of progress. "My dad's always had a way with my mum. She can't say no to him, not really." Again, Lily was remembering. Even as a kid she had always known that her parents truly loved each other, and maybe that notion combined with the arguments in the book she was reading was what had put her off her game a bit tonight.

Off her game or not, she was fairly sure she'd never seen James Potter smile like that before. He was more commonly found with a great, ridiculous grin, or a mischievous smirk, but this? This was a real smile, and Lily liked it rather better than his usual arrogance. Though there was a part of her brain still screaming at her, wondering what on earth she was doing sitting here conversing with James when she had her wand back now, she couldn't help but smile too after a look like that.

That was when things started to change, however. First James reached out and brushed some hair out of her eyes. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was playing at, firmly ignoring the butterflies that were trying to flutter in her stomach, but before she could say anything, their eyes were locked, and then suddenly, they were kissing.

At first, Lily did not pull away. If she were completely honest with herself? Yes, of course she was attracted to James Potter. Not his arrogant persona, but when someone so attractive and charming paid so much attention to you, and then went to so much trouble just to get you to talk to them, it was difficult not to. That, coupled with the surprise and a healthy dose of instinct kept the kiss going for several seconds longer than Lily would have logically preferred.

Then, suddenly, her brain kicked into high gear. James sodding tosspot Potter had just kissed her! The arsehole who bullied Slytherins, who had made her best friend's life a living hell for years, who thought the world existed to revolve around him, he had kissed her and she was kissing him back? All at once, her eyes shot open, she brought her hands up to his shoulders, and she shoved him away, letting out a horrified gasp. The hand not still holding her wand came to cover her mouth.

After just a moment, though, that horror shifted to anger, and she leapt up from the bench. "I can't believe you! I should have known," she said, eyes shining with fury. Lily hadn't hexed him all night, but thought that for this heinous violation of her wants and personal space, he deserved the worst she could think of. After about two seconds, she decided that would be a stinging hex to his privates; perhaps that would stop him thinking with them next time. Hex delivered, Lily turned around and ran off, back towards the Tower as fast as her feet would carry her. And here she had thought for a second that there was more to James' feelings for her than a desire to get in her pants and then check her off his list. She knew better than that now, at any rate.

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