Magic

23: James x Lily ~ Accompanist

"—28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and up." Sirius finished, snapping for the final time and then dropping his hand. Lily lifted her head slowly and gripped onto her chair for support.

"I hate the vertebrate exercise." she muttered, trying to shake off the lightheaded feeling. (If you want to know what this is, just ask below)

Sirius snorted. "You went too fast the first time and fainted. It was the most I've ever laughed in years."

"Shut up, git. Let's just get on with it." Lily said, rolling her eyes playfully.

Sirius smiled and played a few notes on the piano. "One, two, three,"

The smile faded from Lily's face as she remembered that this would be their last day together. "If music be the food of love, sing on, sing on, sing on, sing on, till I am fill'd, am fill'd with joy. For then my listening soul you move..." She stopped singing and fell on her knees. The tears rolled down her cheeks and splashed onto her white sundress. "Sirius," she whispered.

Sirius's hands left the piano and he stood, extending a hand to her. She took it, and he wrapped his arms around her. He felt sad, too, but it wouldn't make her feel any better to see him cry as well.

"I'm sorry, love. But I think you'll like James. He's wonderful at music." Sirius whispered soothingly. "Besides, he is sort of fit."

Lily laughed a little and wiped her tears away. "I'm just going to miss you. You're the best accompanist I've ever met, and we've been working together for 13 years,"

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to miss you, too. But we'll still see each other, and you'll get to meet someone far more talented than I am."

"No one is ever going to be as talented as my brother."

~

Lily checked her watch and almost screamed in the middle of the street. She had five minutes to arrive at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. She began to run, instantly regretting having worn such uncomfortable shoes and clothes. She began panting about half way through, and her calves felt as if they were on fire, but Lily only ran faster. She couldn't be late, not on the first day.

Finally, she reached the shop where she was to meet James Potter, and opened the door, stumbling inside. She was wheezing by that point, and she gripped onto a nearby table tightly. Lily looked up, her green eyes scanning the crowd. Her eyes froze when they met the face of a young man. He was tall, tanned, and muscular. He, too, saw her, and he pushed up his glasses, smiling crookedly. His hazel eyes shone, and Lily forgot how to breathe.

Sirius was right, she thought. He is fit.

He walked toward her and smiled. "Hi, I'm James Potter. Are you Lilith Evanson?"

Lily pressed her palm against her forehead. "Sorry, did Sirius Black tell you that?"

James Potter nodded, a smile beginning to form on his face. "I'm assuming he didn't inform me correctly."

"It's actually Lily Evans." she said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry." he said, smiling sheepishly. "I guess it's a good thing that Remus told him his new partner's name is Margaret Mason when it's actually Marlene McKinnon."

"Remus? As in Remus Lupin?" Lily asked excitedly.

James nodded. "He and Sirius are my best friends."

"I've known them since I was 4 years old." she said thoughtfully.

"Oh wait—you're the girl, then. Remus fancied you for years." he laughed. Lily loved the sound of his laugh, and the way his dimples would appear when he did.

"So did I, to be honest, even though I never knew you. It's strange, I know. You just seemed like such a beautiful person, the way they would talk about you." James continued, a small smile appearing on his face.

Lily felt her cheeks turn pink, and she laughed awkwardly. Here he was, a gorgeous, attractive, beautiful boy, telling her he'd fancied her platonically for years. "Is that so?"

James laughed, shaking his head. "Let's get started, before I scare you off."

Lily smiled warmly and nodded. She'd always miss Sirius, for as long as she lived. That was for sure. But maybe, just maybe, James wouldn't be such a bad accompanist, either.