Jily oneshots

An Accidental Date

by WeasleyWannabee

Lily checked her watch for the fifth time that afternoon, sighing as she noted that he was now nearly an hour late. She felt angry and humiliated all at once, sure that others in the Three Broomsticks had noticed how her head snapped up every time the door opened, sure they were eyeing her with pity knowing she'd been stood up.

Still, she reflexively looked over when the door swung in once more, though of course it wasn't him. Instead, James Potter began to wind his way around the tables, catching her eye and giving her a little wave before settling alone at an empty booth across the room. This only served to make Lily feel more self-conscious, although she knew James wouldn't react cruelly if he knew her situation. He'd tease her, certainly, but he'd find a way to make her laugh about the whole thing in the end. She'd been surprised at how swiftly she'd come to appreciate this about him in the last year, after they'd stopped arguing so much and actually become friends. It had been convenient timing, too, as they'd been made Head Boy and Girl for the current year, a job that had been infinitely easier to manage now that they got along.

Lily almost considered joining James in his booth, if only to have someone to vent to, and was halfway out of her seat before she realized that, of course, he was probably waiting to meet a date here as well.

She hesitated for a moment and was on the verge of leaving the pub before deciding that pretending she'd intended to come in alone was preferable. Ordering a butterbeer at the bar, she carried it back to her table and pulled a book out of her purse. It quickly afforded the escape reading always did, leaving her so oblivious to the outside world that she jumped when someone spoke very nearby.

"Evans, I think I've been stood up," James Potter announced as he slid onto the bench across from her.

He looked so stunned by the fact that Lily had to smile as she stowed her book back in her bag. "Even the mighty must fall, Potter," she informed him solemnly.

He sighed. "Yeah, I s'pose I shouldn't have expected pity from you. Still, it's a bit rude, isn't it?"

"That I'm not pitying you? Trust me, pity is not a pleasant thing to receive."

"No," James waved this suggestion away, "I meant it's rude she didn't just tell me she didn't think I was worth her time." He grinned. "You've done it—it's not that difficult, is it?"

Lily chose not to answer this. "Well, you don't know for sure she meant to stand you up. Maybe she just forgot."

James wrinkled his nose. "That's hardly better."

"Maybe she's in the Hospital Wing."

"Bit extreme for getting out of a date. Although I'll admit I've done it."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Well, then, maybe this is karma."

"I always thought I existed above the laws of karma."

"There's your problem. Although if it makes you feel any better, I'm in the same situation."

James's brows knit briefly, and then his eyes widened with realization. "You've been stood up as well?" Lily nodded. "I thought maybe you really had just come to read alone. Seems like something you'd do."

Lily flushed and glanced away, sure he was mocking her.

Noting her blush, James assured her, "That wasn't a judgment, Evans, just a simple statement of fact." When Lily didn't reply, James ducked his head in an attempt to meet her eye. "Isn't it something you would do? Especially considering you were, in fact, just doing it?"

Finding it difficult to argue with this, Lily met James's gaze with a little shrug. "All right, yes, I do sometimes come to Hogsmeade only to sit in here or Honeydukes with a book. But it's not a useless pastime, you know. A lot can be gained by reading books."