Rendezvous by the Lake
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. These characters belong to JK Rowling. The plot, however, belongs to me...well, most of it.
Summary: Lily and James had many rendezvous by the lake over their years at Hogwarts. Some were more pleasant than others.
Year Two
It was second year and Lily was naïve.
She was sitting by the lake with her feet dangling in the water. She was thinking, just thinking.
She was taken aback when a pair of hands covered her eyes from behind.
"Guess who," a voice said in her ear.
"Potter!" she yelped, springing to her feet and scurrying away from the lake as fast as she could.
"Now, now, Evans," James said with a shake of his head. "I'm not going to push you in the lake. I've done that before. It's a used trick. Why would I go and do something like that again?"
"Then what are you up to?" Lily narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Whatever do you mean?" James asked innocently.
"You're always up to something," she muttered.
"Not today," he replied.
He lay down in the grass and looked at the sky.
"So how have you been, Evans?" he asked. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you in, what, three weeks?"
"I liked it that way," Lily muttered.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you to speak up?" James scolded. "It's not very ladylike to mumble like that."
"Are you my mother?" Lily spat.
"No, I'm pretty sure I'm not," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Damn you, Potter."
"Aww, Lily," James pouted. "That wasn't very nice. You hurt my feelings."
"Good."
"What did I tell you about that incoherent muttering?" he berated.
Lily rolled her eyes.
"I saw that," James said sharply. "That's not ladylike either."
"Screw being ladylike!" she exclaimed.
He gasped in mock horror and covered his mouth.
"I'd have thought better of you, Lily," he said. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
"You sound like Sirius," she told him. "And stop calling me Lily. It makes it sound like we're friends."
"Aren't we?" he asked.
"No, we are most certainly not!"
"That hurts," he said, placing his hand over his heart.
Lily scoffed.
"So what do you really want, Potter?" she asked.
"I've just come to bid a friendly greeting and to make sure you are getting along well," he said innocently.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You don't believe me?" he asked.
"I most certainly do not," she said firmly.
"What must I do to prove that I can really be a good person?"
"You would have to go back in time and redo all of first and second years," Lily said.
James seemed to consider this for a moment.
"That can be arranged," he finally said. "I will need permission from the Ministry and bit of help from my friends I'm afraid, but it's all worth it for you, luv."
"How dare you mock me," Lily seethed. "I should teach you to bother me…"
He caught her wrist with his hand as she was reaching for her wand.
"Let me go, Potter," she insisted. "Let me go!"
"No," he said firmly and caught her other hand as she made to slap him with it.
He chuckled.
"Not quite fast enough," he muttered.
Lily let out an exasperated sigh.
"Fine," she said. "What do you want?"
"I just want to know why you dislike me so much," he said simply.
"I dislike you because you never leave me alone and you're always coming up with new ways to make my life miserable," Lily told him.
"So if I just left you alone, you wouldn't hate me anymore?" he asked.
"Yes."
He paused for a moment to contemplate his options.
"No, sorry," he said after a short pause. "Can't do that."
"And why not?"
"Because you fascinate me, my dear Evans," James said.
Lily gave a strangled cry of frustration.
"You see," James continued. "Ever since I first met you last year in this exact location, I'll have you know, I've found you to be a most extraordinary person. You are extremely intelligent yet you can't seem to be able to take a joke. Every time we pull a prank, you act like it's the crime of the century. It's terribly annoying yet amusing at the same time. I can't quite figure out what makes you tick, but one day I'll discover what goes on inside your head and you will rue the day you messed with James Potter."
Lily shook her head in amusement.
"You should hear yourself, Potter," she teased. "You sound like the villain in an old romance novel trying to defeat the brave and noble hero. Only, you're a bit more presumptuous than most which puts you at a slight disadvantage."
"I don't know what you are talking about," James said in a sarcastic tone. "I am the brave and noble hero and you are the villain who must be defeated. The townspeople have nothing to fear. I will protect them by thwarting you and your dastardly plans."
Lily giggled.
"You're so over the top, Potter," she laughed. "But it's funny when you're not trying to ruin my life with your pranks."
"Ruin your life?" James cried, jumping to his feet. "Why I never! I would never dream of doing such a thing. You must be that poor, confused damsel in distress I was told to rescue. Oh, I'm so glad I found you before it's too late. Who knows how much longer you would have been able to stand the torture of the lies the evil prince has been feeding you. But now I have found you and after I fight the evil prince, we will ride off into the sunset on my noble steed and live happily ever after. The end."
"But where, oh Prince Charming, is the evil prince, or your noble steed for that matter?" Lily questioned in a sweet voice.
"Why does that matter?" James retorted. "I will find the dark Prince erm…Prince Sirius some other time! Quick! Before it is too late! We must flee this place at once!"
"And how do you propose we do that?" Lily asked.
James silenced her and raised his hand as if reaching for something.
Several seconds later, a broom came hurtling towards them and landed neatly in James's raised hand.
"How-?" Lily began, but James cut her off.
"There is no time for questions, milady," he said as he mounted his broom.
Lily glanced warily at the hand he extended to her. She was not sure she should take it. It could be another one of his ruthless pranks.
But he did not wait for her. Losing his patience, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the broom along with him.
Lily shut her eyes to avoid seeing the ground growing far away, the lake and trees shrinking as they rose steadily higher. She clung to James without even realizing it, but he did. He noticed the way her arms wrapped around him and how the higher they went, the tighter her hold on him got.
"My, my, Lily," he teased. "You aren't afraid, are you?"
"No," she said firmly, opening her eyes and loosening her grip around his middle. "Of course not. That would be stupid."
"And a bit childish, don't you think?" he continued to tease. "I mean, you can't live in the Wizarding world and be afraid of heights. It's almost unnatural. Everybody loves to fly."
"Yes," Lily said shakily. "I know, but I don't quite trust you. Do you think we could land now?"
"As you wish," James replied.
He brought the broom down so that their toes barely touched the ground, but then flew out over the lake.
"Potter," Lily said warningly. "I want to get down on dry land this minute."
"Or what?" James asked. "What will you do if I refuse to move the broom?"
"I'll- I'll-" Lily stammered. "I'll push you off the broom into the lake and then fly myself to safety."
"Will you?" James asked mockingly. "I'd like to see you try."
Lily hesitated for a moment.
"Oh, all right then," she said finally.
She gave a feeble attempt to push him into the lake, but even with all her efforts, he barely even budged.
"Tsk, tsk, Evan," James said. "That was pathetic. Is that really the best you can do?"
"No!" Lily said firmly.
She tried once again to push him, but once again failed.
With a huff, she gave up.
"Are you quite finished yet?" he asked.
Lily sighed in defeat.
"Yes."
James cheered for himself and took a victory lap around the grounds on his broom, taking Lily along with him.
"Potter!" she shrieked. "This isn't funny! Let me down!"
"I thought you said you weren't scared," James smirked.
"I am!" Lily cried. "I am hopelessly afraid of heights. I can't stand being on a broom. I just want to get down. Let me down!"
She hit him on the arm but quickly put her hand back on the broom to steady herself.
"Ow!" James winced, rubbing his arm where Lily had hit him. "You hit hard for a girl."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Lily muttered, trying not to look down.
"Just don't do it again," James laughed.
"I can't make any promises," Lily said through clenched teeth.
James took the hint and brought the broom back to the ground.
Lily quickly hopped off before he could change his mind and take off again.
"So," he began. "What were you doing before I dropped in for my visit?"
"Thinking," Lily said simply.
He nodded and watched silently as she put her shoes and socks back on.
A loud war cry made her jump slightly. She turned to see Sirius Black jump out from behind a tree.
"I have come to take back Princess Lily," he said. "I must return her to her rightful home with me!"
He threw his head back and let out what he considered to be an evil laugh.
Lily giggled.
"You heard that conversation?" she asked.
"Silence woman," Sirius cried. "You have no say in this."
James quickly jumped to his feet.
"Prince Sirius," he said loudly. "I will not allow you to take Princess Lily. She belongs with me now. If you want her, you will have to kill me first."
Sirius pulled out his wand.
"So be it," he muttered darkly.
James drew his wand and the two began to sword fight.
Lily laughed all throughout the scene. It was amazing how immature these two boys were. They acted like a couple of six year olds.
"Face it," Sirius cried. "You will never win!"
"Good always triumphs over evil!" James said.
With that, James thrust his sword at Sirius, hitting him in the chest. The latter stumbled backwards and fell to his knees.
"Curse you," he whispered hoarsely before letting his head fall back and his eyes close.
"He's dead!" Lily cried. "You did it!"
She ran to James and hugged him. Then, realizing who it was she was hugging, she quickly let go.
James cleared his throat.
"You belong to me now," he said with a grin.
"I belong to no one," Lily huffed.
She turned away from him and folded her arms over her chest. He spun her back around to face him again.
"You belong to me," James repeated. "And I deserve a kiss as my reward."
Before Lily knew what was happening, James Potter was leaning in to kiss her. She did not know how to react. Luckily, she did not have to.
Leaping up from his position on the ground, Sirius Black started to run, catching Lily by the arm as he did so and dragging her along with him.
"Black!" James cried. "You cheated! You`re supposed to be dead!"
"That's why I am the bad guy," Sirius called back. "And you are the loser."
Lily simply laughed and allowed herself to be pulled along. James Potter came chasing after them. Lily simply stuck her tongue out at him.
The three twelve year olds spent the better part of an hour running around and just being themselves.
When Lily began to grow tired, she stopped and so did the other two boys.
"So where do you think Snape is?" Sirius asked.
"I don't know," James replied. "But I think he's overdue for his daily visit."
"We should go find him," Sirius stated.
"We should," James agreed.
And with that, the two boys wandered off to cause trouble.
And just that quickly, Lily Evans was left alone and forgotten by the lake.
But she liked it that way.
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