One Story
by Regan

Rating: G
Ship: Lily & James
Canon: Books 1 - 6
Genre: Romance
Status: In progress
Length: 970 words in 1 chapter
Published: 16 Jul 2006
Last updated: 16 Jul 2006

After a small spat with Lily, James finds himself stuck with a classic case of infatuation.

From the Unofficial Portkey Archive: https://portkey-archive.org/story/6317/

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1. Sedate

'Because you’re amazing, and I don’t think you realize it.'

'Because I’ve waited seven years for this.'

'Because I can be the one to feed you chocolate covered strawberries…'

Merlin, she was so cute when she was mad. Her eyes burned with that same passion he had longed for since first year;
since the first day he had ever laid eyes on her. She was unlike any other he had ever dated. Though, all other birds
were used merely as distractions – something to take his mind off of her. But, it never had any effect. She was just so
intriguing, and nobody else could take her place, no matter how many members of his fanclub had tried.

Flasback

And there he stood, leaning casually against the cold stonewall of the dungeons, trying to hold the attention of Ms.
Evans herself, who was clearly trying to pass him on her way out of Potions, and rather eager to get as far away from
him as possible, and onto her next class.

“How about Hogsmeade, this weekend, Lils?” James chanted, flashing the most charming grin he could muster, tacking a
subtle wink on the end for just the right effect.

“No.” Was her simple, flat, emotionless response, as she brushed by him, heels clicking away as she hurried down the
corridor.

“Why won’t you go out with me, Evans?” He called after her, not expecting any response at all, he turned his back, and
proceeded down the dingy hallway in the opposite direction.

“The day you can give me one, just one, single, good reason, why I should go out with you, I will,” echoed down the hall
behind him, voice belonging to none other than Lily herself. James did not turn around to look at her, as he could
clearly picture the exact expression that adorned her face in his mind. That very one she used when ever time she mocked
James. Her tone held a certain ‘I know you can’t do it’ aspect to it, something that irked James to no end.

/Flashback

Which is exactly where all of that had landed him one day later: the library. It was rare you would find James in the
library on his own spare time, as he would most often be using it to plan some outrageous prank against arch enemy,
Severus Snape, but not today.

Today, he was seated in the furthest corner of the library in complete, utter silence, except for the occasional sound
of crumpling parchment, or the sound of his quill forcefully scratching out what he had written in his oversized,
messing handwriting.

'Because I’m unbelievably handsome…'

Who would’ve thought writing just one reason as to why she should go out with him would be so hard? Oh, how he wished
Moony were there, to talk him through this. He was always good with smart-sounding words. Perhaps he could just explain
to Remus his situation, and ask for a little advice. Hell, advice? He wanted Lupin to write the damn thing. Or even
Sirius, he had a way with the ladies, or so it seemed.

A subtle thump could be heard as James dropped his forehead onto the table, releasing an overdramatic sigh. His raven
hair hung in a careless grace in every direction atop his head. The scarlet and gold striped tie was hanging loosely
around his neck, and his white button-up shirt wasn’t tucked in. As he finally raised his head once again, he began to
twirl the quill around each finger aimlessly scanning the library for some sort of inspiration.

And there it was – er, she was, his source of determination for this whole thing. He had spotted a familiar blurb of
adorable red hair through a separation of books on one shelf, and it appeared as if she was browsing the bookcases.

A sudden rush of confidence overtook him, as he quickly rose from his chair, hazel eyes rooted solely upon none other
than Lily Evans herself. Moving swiftly away from the table, leaving it in complete chaos of littered parchment and
broken quills, he turned down the very isle where Lily was seated, thumbing quickly through the pages of a thick, rustic
looking textbook. He cleared his throat rather obviously, from lack of knowing what to say.

As she heard this, she snapped the book shut, placing it carefully back where she had found it, and raised her eyebrows
in question at James. “Yes?”

Why did he have butterflies in his stomach? It seemed as though every word he could possibly think of to describe her
was stuck in his throat. Get a hold of yourself! Say something! He thought frantically, but no words came. Instead he
stood there, clearly clueless, without saying a single thing. It was only when Lily turned her back to him, and started
walking away that he spoke. “Lily, wait!” Merlin, what was he doing? What made him think he could speak to her normally
now, more than any other occasion?

But, this time, when he opened his mouthed to speak, everything seemed to flow. “I can’t give you just one single good
reason. Not because there isn’t one, but because there are so many. Maybe I like you for the way your forehead creases
when you’re mad, or how you bite the end of your quill when you’re taking notes. Maybe it’s because I just can’t seem to
get enough of you, no matter how long I stare at you in class everyday. Maybe it’s because no other bird in this school
can hold my attention longer then a few seconds, yet I can stay perfectly content just listening to you yell at me.
Hell, even hearing your voice is like my own heaven. So in all truth Lily, you were right. I really can’t give you one
single good reason as to why you should go out with me.”
