Baby, Just Say Yes || Jily & Scorily || ✔️

They Empathize

James Potter I

"Merlin, you are the most spoiled, self-obsessed person I have ever met!" Lily yelled at James from across the dining hall. The two hate-birds were having their daily face-off and the on-lookers watched with glee, excited for dinner and a show.

"Self-obsessed, Evans? The only thing I'm obsessed with is you!" He retaliated, his face full of unbridled mirth.

There was a collective groan from the peanut gallery and James relented. "Alright, alright. I'll think of a better one next time."

"There better not be a next time because if there is I'm gonna... I'm gonna..." Lily took a second to figure out her response, "I'm gonna feed you to the Giant Squid!"

"Already used that one!" A Hufflepuff called from her table.

"Got anymore popcorn?" A Ravenclaw asked from his seat.

"I've got you, mate." Sirius leaned over from his table and handed the student a bowl full of the savory snack.

"You know, you guys need to be more creative with your back and forth," another Gryffindor student commented off-handedly. "It's our fifth year for Merlin's sake, we've seen it all."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lily said heatedly from her spot in the room, her hands on her hips, "Are we boring you?"

"A little bit... yeah," a Hufflepuff answered honestly. There was a murmur of agreement rippling through the hall.

"Face it, you two," the Hufflepuff said, gesturing towards James and Lily. "This has gone on for far too long. The sexual tension has simmered away from just the plain ol' arguing. The only way to bring it back is gonna be if you two finally hook up for real."

"I'm okay with that," James agreed while Lily, completely aghast, spluttered, "Sexual tension?"

"I agree," a voice from the Gryffindors sounded. "Their whole Romeo and Juliet thing is getting kinda boring."

"Yeah, I would have read Romeo and Juliet if the two characters hooked up," the Gryffindor sitting by them joked. "Might have made it more interesting."

"First off," James responded to the complaints, taking a seat next to Sirius and Remus, "Evans and I are certainly not Romeo and Juliet because Romeo and Juliet both die at the end and that's not gonna happen to us because we're not stupid."

"Oi! Spoilers!" A voice from the Ravenclaws called out.

"I wouldn't say that's the reason we're not Romeo and Juliet," Lily defended as she also took a seat at the Gryffindor table. "They both died for love and that's the most important thing. It wasn't stupid that they died. It was noble."

"It could have been avoided. If they just communicated with each other and didn't keep secrets. If the Montagues and Capulets just stopped fighting, if֫—"

"If, if, if. There are so many what if's but only one epic love story." Lily threw her hands up. "They were star-crossed lovers, Potter. Their love was doomed from the start, but it was the time they had together that mattered. Don't you get that?"

The audience watched their back and forth repartee with intense focus. The dining hall had never been that quiet.

"I just wished they had more time together," James responded honestly.

"Me too," Lily smiled wistfully. "But that's what makes Romeo and Juliet so special, isn't it?"

At that, there came a scoff from the Slytherin table. "There's nothing special about some crazy muggle's book. This is so bloody stupid."