The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

The Story of the Goblin King

James was sitting in Potions, focusing on his textbook before class, his hair flopped over his forehead as he leaned against his elbow and read the properties of a shrinking potion, eyes glazing over a sidebar on the shrivel fig and the differences in effect of a fig picked on a full moon night to a fig picked any other day. The dungeons were cool and there was a fly buzzing about near the front of the room, probably escaped from one of the jars of them in the storehouse, and James could feel his head getting quite heavy with sleep.

"Good morning, James."

He opened his eyes and focused on Lily Evans, who had done her hair into a long plait down her back, a Gryffindor red ribbon tied about the end of the braid. He nodded to her as she set down her book and cauldron on the table top next to him, and scooted to one side to allow room for her to sit, kicking his sack with the tip of his trainer. Lily adjusted her jumper as she took her seat and flattened her tie with her palm. She glanced his way, and her braid fell over her shoulder to hang down her back. It looked copper in the darkness of the dungeon, compared to it's usual brilliant red.

James turned back to his text book.

Lily cleared her throat, but he didn't look up. She cleared it again. Finally she pointed to the book. "Shrivel figs."

He looked up at her, "Yup."

Lily nodded. She didn't know where she'd been going by pointing them out - she hadn't thought it all the way through, she'd only thought he might look at her if she pointed at something on the page before him. But she flushed now and looked down herself because she didn't have a point and her brain was doing the fuzzy thing again... especially since he hadn't shaved and he had a little bit of stubble about his chin and neck. Not enough to be gross or unkempt or anything, but just enough that he looked manly, and not at all like a little boy, and it made Lily feel a rush of heady feelings that tingled all through her veins.

James turned back to his book.

Lily felt a lump grow in her throat.

Around them, students were streaming in, including Sirius and Remus, who had slept in even after James had tried rousing them. James and Peter had gone to breakfast together without them, and Peter, of course, didn't have potions so he'd left James to go to the library with Wendy, which was when James had come down to Potions early. Sirius winked at Lily as he took his seat languidly next to Remus at the front, and puckered his lips, pointing at James. Lily flushed and gave him the finger, glancing at James to make sure he hadn't seen what Sirius had done. Sirius snickered, then turned back to the front of the room just as Horace Slughorn arrived.

Gathering up her courage, Lily reached over and tapped James's shoulder.

"Evans?" he asked, looking up from the textbook as he slid a spare quill in to hold his place.

"How are your marks in History?" she asked.

James looked surprised, "Alright, I suppose."

"Would you be keen on helping me out with it a bit?" Lily flushed.

James's surprise only heightened. "Me? Help you?"

"Yeah," she said, and her cheeks burned hotter. Especially since, out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Sirius Black grinning at her from across the aisle between their desks. "It's just - an - an especially tough assignment."

"What's the assignment, then?" James asked, pushing the book aside and checking his potions kit over.

"You know it, you've got it too," Lily said.

James shrugged. "I dunno, Remus usually reminds us of things we're supposed to be revising... See, Remus is smarter about that sort of thing, so we've made it his job," James explained.