The story of James and Lily

Friends

Lily's pov
I stare back at my reflection and sigh, running my fingers through long auburn hair sat in its loose curls as i smooth down my robes and exit my door. I'm greeted by James sat on the steps leading down to our common room. His face lights up as he sees me and i can't help but smile.. "You ok there potter" I smirk. "Of course Evans" "I was just wondering if you wanted to....." he cuts himself of and pauses for a second, my heart stops at the anticipation. "Walk down to breakfast with me" he finishes with a smile. "Uh, yeah sure why not" i laugh lightly, a small nod nagging in the back of my mind, i was so sure of what he was going to ask me. Pushing the thought away i follow James out of our room in a rather awkward silence. I go to say something as we round the corner to the great hall but as his fingertips brush past my wrist i instinctively pull black in a retreat diminishing any hope of a conversational topic i may have had. 

Its impossible not to nice the occasional odd stares from passers-by in the corridor and i can only imagine how strange we look so i hardly blame anyone. "Oh this is ridiculous" i groan reaching out and placing my hand on James's arm to stop him. He turns and both out gazes are automatically drawn to where we are touching, i drop my hand and shake the feeling off. "What's ridiculous?" he asks frowning. "This....us...we can't carry on like this," i say shaking my head and motioning between us. "It's weird". "So what do you want to do about it?" James asks, ducking his head down a little so he's edging ever so slightly closer to me. "I think we should try being friends i mean i know we've known each other for years, but we've never been friends, not really anyway.......what do you think?" i suggest. After a second of not so in-depth consideration James smiles and puts out his hand towards me "Okay Evans, friends?" he grins, his eyes locked firmly on mine. I look down at his hand before taking a small breath and shaking it "Friends". I'd be lying if i said it wasn't strange to hold his hand again, the singular time this happened before we were just children and it was a small clumsy gesture of comfort. We pull apart and i nod once turning to carry on towards the great hall. We come to the open doors and upon seeing our friends in the usual spot we have come accustomed to them being all together in we start to walk over. "Oh and if we're going to be friends," i say catching his attention just before we sit down. "It's Lily" i smile turning straight away and walking the rest of the way to the table. James hesitates a few seconds before following me, smiling ever so slightly as he sits opposite me, the small development in out friendship known only by us.

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Lily's pov
James and I have been getting along well and our plan to be friends seems to be running along smoothly, something that while i am happy about still confuses me. He hasn't really changed that much and yet i truly like the time we spend with each other. But my. complicated and baffling relationship with James Potter is hardly something to be wondering about so early in the morning and so i leave my room in the hope of thinking about anything else.  "Morning Lily" His voice beams as i get to the last step. I internally sigh, of course not. "Morning James," I say politely as I walk ahead of him.

 As we arrived in the great hall for breakfast I notice my friends sat in a different place to our normal one by the marauders. I give James a questioning glance but he shrugs and goes to follow me to my seat. "Um, James would you mind giving me a moment," I ask "of course lily-flower" he replies with his signature smirk, I smile shyly after him and take a seat next to Alice and place some food on my plate, forcing away the image of him smiling down at me. "So mar what's up?" I question, not looking up at her"NOTHING GOD WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP ASKING ME THAT" she spits angrily slapping her hand down on the table. i drop my fork with a clattering to my plate as i jump at her outburst "Sorry i asked" i mumble under my breath looking to Alice for some guidance and picking my cutlery back up 'Sirius' she mouths giving me all the information i need, while not official the two of them have been spending all most every waking moment together, going against everything their lack of commitment in the past has made them known for.  I sigh and prepare myself for the shouting as i ask my next question. "what did he do?" i whisper knowing there's no need to say his actual name. "I just don't see the point in it anymore, for weeks he follows me around like a lost puppy and then I catch him with some blond tart draped all over him in the common room"  I can see the pain in her eyes that she's clearly trying to mask with anger. The next three periods are spent with her insisting that she doesn't care and they weren't that serious anyway, of course, we none of us were expecting it to last but there's something different about them together. 

When the end of the day comes around i decided to go and see Sirius myself, after an hour of searching finding him slouched against the wall in a heap on the dusty floor in a deserted corridor. Silently i walk over and slide down the wall next to him. "I suppose you hate me now" he sighs rolling his eyes and looking very tired, exhaustion clear on his face. "Don't be ridiculous" i say nudging him. "I can't say you're my favourite person in the world after what you did but i don't hate you". "I didn't even do anything though that's the thing". i frown in confusion "She's just some sixth year that i don't even remember the name of, she just went for me and Mar didn't even give me a chance to explain, besides even if i had of started it, she knew what i was like, she's not exactly a stickler for commitment herself now is she, i see her flirting with half the guys in the year, acting as if i don't even exist". "Sirius," i say quietly, i knew they must like each other a little at least but not this much, granted it's not some huge declaration of love but i have never seen either of them this caught up over someone. "It doesn't matter anyway, its all over now". he grumbles not looking up as his head sits bowed on his shoulders. "Do you want it to be?". "No of course not," he says as if i have suggested something completely insane and giving me all the justification i need to know this is far past a small fling. "Then tell her" 

Before i know it we're walking down the corridors towards the great hall, Sirius said he'd think about it but i know he's going to say something. As we get nearer James emerges from around a corner, expression merging into a bright smile. "managed to crack him did you" he laughs, walking over to us. "Yes, i did" i grin proudly looking up at the two of them. 

"he's pretty invested in her you know," James says raising his eyebrows as we enter our dorm.  "Yeah, i noticed that. it's kind of odd to see, both of them acting like that" "yeah it is" he agrees laughing lightly. i pause as he starts to gather up the quiddich equipment he left cluttered around the common room. "I suppose it not really something he'd have thought of" i shrug. "What do you mean?" James asks keeping his back to me as he turns around searching for his missing trainer. "Commitment, keeping to one person, it doesn't really seem like it's his thing" "I guess not" he mutters absentmindedly starting to walk up the stairs to bed "What about you....is it your thing?" i ask a little nervously, James freezes and turns, equipment in his arms and a wide smile on his face. "I'm not Sirius".                                                                                                                                            "That's not what i asked", he takes a deep breath still smiling and adjusts his grip on the things in his arms "Yeah it could be my thing, if i was with the right girl there's no way i'd mess that up" he smirks turning and leaving me standing there with nothing else to say. "Good night Lily" he shouts as his door closes behind him and im left alone. "Goodnight James" i breathe hardly loud enough for me to hear.