Jily oneshots

I Forgot You Could Do Magic Too

by ViolettaVioletta

Long ago, Lily Evans had known she was destined for great things. She'd excelled in school, excelled in everything she tried, really, and had managed to secure a handful of very generous offers at some of the most prestigious universities in England- no small feat for anyone, but especially impressive for a young girl from the seedy part of Cokeworth (which was, admittedly, most of Cokeworth). She had been ready, at age sixteen, to go out into the world and make her mark on things. But then the accident had happened.

It had all happened so quickly that one only had to blink to miss it. Suddenly, Lily's parents were dead, killed in a car crash, and Lily and her older sister Petunia were left with a mountain of dept. Even with the scholarships she'd managed to secure, Lily knew that she couldn't leave, not now. And so she refused all of her university offers, telling anyone who asked that it was only temporary, that she'd just find a job for a few months or so, just enough to get back on her feet, and then she'd reapply to university, and have the life she'd always dreamed of. But a few months had turned into a year, and then to two, and there was still no end in sight. Little by little, Lily's dreams of greatness slipped away, until all that was left was an exhausted eighteen year old girl working at a liquor store by day and playing keyboard in a local band by night. Not exactly the glamorous, exciting life Lily had dreamed of, long ago.

She raps her fingers on the counter in front of her, staring at the clock on the wall. The shop would close in a little under an hour, and then she'd be playing at the pub with her band until around 3am, only to sneak in a few hours of sleep before she had to open the shop again at 11am. She sighs. She loves playing at the pub, of course, but it has been rather a while since she had had a proper night's sleep. In fact, she almost thinks she could drift off right now…

Ring! The bells on the door announcing the arrival of a customer startle her awake. She tugs at her long red braid, trying not to make it obvious to the customer that she'd been asleep. Apparently, she hasn't done a very good job.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" asks a cheery voice with a posh accent. Lily examines the man it belongs to. He's young, probably around her own age. His clothes are strange- he wears a clean white shirt and black pants, but the cuts are odd, as if it was thirty years ago. And while she shouldn't be thinking about such things at work, of course, she can't help noticing that, tall, fit and hazel-eyed as he is, he is… rather attractive. But he walks like he knows it, and that ruins it, as far as Lily is concerned.

"Of course not", she says, perhaps a bit roughly, "Just startled me, is all. Try not to be so loud, next time."

He picks up a bottle of wine that she can't help noticing is far from cheap. That is a bit surprising, they don't sell much expensive wine, not at a rundown liquor shop in Cokeworth. She supposes the man does have a posh accent.

"Is everyone in Cokeworth as rude as you?" he asks as he sets the bottle down on the counter, though his tone remains cheerful as he says it.

"Yes", she says simply. She gestures to the bottle. "Will that be all?"

"Yep." The man grins. "Unless you want to tell me what time you get off?"

Lily rolls her eyes. This isn't a first, of course. She knows she is attractive, and it seems that every night men come into the store and convince themselves that she thinks them as attractive as they think her. "I don't think so. You have a nice night, now."

The man's face falls. Clearly, he had been expecting a different answer. He perks up again in an instant, though, setting his face back into a grin. "Oh, come on now, Ginger…"

"Don't call me Ginger", she says flatly, "And the answer is no. I'm busy after work, anyway. Run along now."

The man puts a hand over his chest as if he had been wounded, and Lily rolls her eyes. Alright, perhaps he is a bit amusing. But she hadn't been lying, she really was busy. She gestures to the door, and he walks out, giving her one last look behind him as he does.