The Stag and the Deer: A collection of Jily one shots

Flying

It was a beautiful day, the birds chirping in the trees and the sun shining, but the Hogwarts grounds were empty. It was the day of the trip into Hogsmeade, only Lily had decided to stay behind, she didn't really feel like going out. She had received a letter the morning before from her parents, and it was safe to say that Lily was feeling homesick. She often did in the summer term and especially this year as she had not been able to go home at the holidays. 

So Lily was curled up in front of the fire in the common room, it was not giving off heat rather a cooling breeze. She sat and stared at the red and gold banners adoring the fireplace, wishing she were on her own comfy couch with her mum's homemade lemonade and the smell of her cooking. 

A crash woke her from her daydreaming of home. She turned around to see a bundle of robes at the bottom of the stairs to the boy's dormitories. 

Lily jumped up in surprise leaping over to help the boy up.

"Thanks Lilyflower." James pushed his glasses back up onto his nose and blew the mop of hair that had fallen into his face out of his eyes.

"Oh, it's you." Lily said, "Here." She waved her wand fixing the fait crack that was on James' glasses. He hadn't even noticed it was there.

"Thanks," James paused looking into Lily's deep sad eyes, "Hey are you ok?"

Lily pushed the tears that had formed at her eye away, "Yeah, I'm just missing home and my family. I just want to go home and see them again, I feel like I haven't seen them in ages."

Lily wiped her face again then narrowed her eyes at James, "Anyway why haven't you gone to Hogsmeade with everyone else?"

 She could have sworn she had heard Sirius that morning planning on all the sweets he wanted to buy at Hogsmeade, and him and James were never that far apart.

"Oh, I didn't feel like it, I wanted to..." Then light filled his eyes, "I know how to cheer you up, I promise you'll feel much better." 

He started jumping around like an excited puppy, "Come with me."

"Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise. Please." His eyes widened and Lily couldn't resist his cuteness so nodded her head. Before she had time to say anything though James had grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the common room. He ran down the hall, Lily trailing behind him.

"James, really?" She panted as they passed the great hall, "I can't keep up."

"Sorry." He slowed down but they were still going too fast for Lily to catch her breath and ask where he was taking her.

They ran down by the lake towards the quidditch pitch.

James left Lily standing in the middle of the pitch before he ran to the storage room to get two brooms. As he ran back Lily started to realise what James' amazing idea was.

James held out a broom to Lily, "This is what I always do when I feel homesick, nothing beats flying high above everything on a broom." His grin was wild and excited.

"Uhh, yeah I don't think I can, this is a really bad idea."

"No you'll be fine, I've got you."

Lily cautiously mounted the broom, why was she doing this?

James smiled and took her hands sliding them higher up so she was holding it in the correct place. "Here like that."

Lily blushed, her hands still warm from where they had touched.

"And then you just kick off."

"I don't think I can."

James smiled at her encouragingly, "You can do anything Lily. Anything." The words were sincere and took Lily by surprise.

"Y..yeah." She kicked lightly off the floor and hovered in the air. 

"That's it, now lean forward."

She started to accelerate forward. James jumped on the other broom coming beside her. "Now lean right. That's it."

For hours they were out there; Lily was flying through the air, darting around the pitch, all thoughts of home completely vanished. She would chase James through the air and he would go slow enough for her to almost catch him then at the last minute somersault or dive out of the way. Their laughter could be heard from the castle, where people were starting to return from Hogsmeade.

James signalled for Lily to land and she flew over to him knocking his shoulder almost tipping him. He laughed as they reached the floor, falling into a heap of giggles and broomsticks.

"Thank you James." Lily's eyes were still flickering with laughter but her voice was sincere, "Really thank you, I needed that."

He gave her a nervous half smile. "Me too."

He jumped up pulling her up with him. "Same time next week?"

"Yeah definitely."

"It's a date then" James eyes widened, realising what he had just said, he hadn't meant it like that, but Lily grinned up at him, "Yeah, it's a date."