Lesson in Trust
The morning of Lily's first flying lesson with James started hours earlier than any sane person would wake. She couldn't explain the nervousness or excitement she felt, unable to place her finger on what about the whole situation would dare make her feel such emotions. Lily glanced around her dorm room, satisfied that all of her mates were fast asleep still. No one stirred in the early morning light that glowed through a thick blue gray haze.
Lily had always been an early riser, to say the least. Normally, she would bounce from the room calling back her cheerful morning greetings to the others in her dorm and anyone she happened to pass that wasn't a Marauder. Lily crossed the dorm room and stood in front of the vanity. She took her brush and ran it through her hair, wondering why she cared how her hair looked. Shrugging, she pulled her hair up in a simple pony tail.
Dressed in simple navy trousers not unlike the ones that the boys wore, Lily buttoned up her dressy white shirt and pulled on her socks and shoes. She left the dorm room, glancing back at the girls, hoping that they would wake on time without Lily's bright and cheery voice. Lily headed to the Great Hall, not wholly surprised to find it nearly deserted. She ate quickly, trying to suppress her nerves with eggs and toast with orange marmalade.
Lily found the pitch with ease, despite never having been on the field before. She had borrowed one of the school brooms and paced the pitch with it in her hand. Lily tried to keep her mind distracted but it kept up its tumultuous churning which, in turn, made Lily's stomach churn.
"Ugh," Lily groaned as she felt the eggs and toast threaten a show of pyrotechnic force to rival any Chinese firework display.
"Don't throw up on my pitch. Use the can," James warned as he appeared out of seemingly no where from the stands.
"I am not going to throw up," Lily lied as she glanced over at the metal trash can located near the edge of the field. It seemed to beckon her, but Lily refused to heed its call.
"Good," James said seriously as he glanced at Lily's borrowed school broom. His own was a piece of genuine craftsmanship, its handle created and fitted for James.
"Are you alone?" Lily asked as he stopped once he was within arms reach. He half smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. I figured that you wouldn't want an audience," James said as heat rose slightly to his cheeks. He had actually begged Sirius to stay away, knowing that Sirius couldn't help but make comments that were neither appropriate nor appreciated. James' eyes met Lily's eyes for a moment and he saw disbelief and acceptance in her gaze.
"Gee, thanks," Lily said genuine surprised that James had thought of her feeling enough to make this a private lesson. Lily's stomach clenched suddenly, as if realization that she would be alone at his mercy and a wave of nausea made Lily run to the trash can.
Used to nerves of his Quidditch players, especially one in particular, James was not upset or disturbed by the sights and sounds of vomiting into the metal can. In fact, he had done in one time or another himself. He waited patiently and held out to her a piece of black licorice to her.
"It will help with the nausea and the after taste," James offered as she balked at the idea of eating it. Black licorice was definitely not her favorite type of sweet; it tasted to medicinal in her opinion. Reluctantly, she chewed and swallowed. It did make her feel less nauseous and if nothing else, that nasty eggs and orange marmalade covered toast taste was out of her mouth.
"Thanks," Lily said again, surprised that he was so different when he wasn't showing off in front of his friends. She suppressed the smile that was threatening to break through her indifferent look.
"So, first, you have to get to know your broom," James said. He looked at the school broom again and shook his head. "That's no good."
"It is a school broom. If you forget, I am not a fan of flying, or of falling, therefore I don't see the need to own a broom," Lily said as she held the broom in her hand as if she was holding something putrid and revolting.
"Look at my broom," James instructed holding his broom out in front of him, both of his hand supporting it. "See how the twigs in the brush are even and streamlined?"
"Sure, rub it in that you have money, Potter," Lily retorted rolling her eyes at him. James frowned.
"I wasn't rubbing anything in, really. I was just trying to prove a point. You can't learn to ride on that," James defended as he pointed again to the school broom, the twigs bent out at odd angles on the brush. The handle had been, well, handled by many people and therefore the broom had no one real master, no one it claimed allegiance to. Like wands, brooms had masters and allegiances, followed codes and rules, and adapted to the demands and desires of its master.
"Well, this is all I have to work with, so we will have to make it work," Lily replied curtly as she tore her eyes away from his spectacular broom. She, who knew nothing of the styles and brands of brooms, knew that James' broom was top of the line and was a spectacular piece of equipment.
"Use mine," James said suddenly as he thrust it rather unceremoniously into her hands. He took the school broom and tossed it aside, towards the trash can. Lily looked down at the broom that was now in her hand, feeling it vibrate ever so softly in her hands. She looked at James, her mouth formed into a little surprised oh.
"Are you sure?" Lily asked uncertainly. "I mean, I might ruin it."
"I am certain, and I know you won't ruin it. After all, I am your teacher," James said rather confidently. Lily nearly cracked a smile. She didn't need him reminding her how full of himself he was.
"Ok, so I have to get to know your broom?" Lily asked as she looked at the broom she was holding in her hand.
"Well, yes, but you can't hold it like that," James chastised softly. "You look like you are handling something dark and dangerous."
"Have you ever seen me fly?" Lily asked. James shook his head.
"I was in the infirmary the day everyone else learned to fly," James reminded as he stepped closer to Lily. He pushed the broom closer to her, her arms bending at the crooks of her elbows.
"Ask Sirius about it sometime," Lily said bitterly as she allowed the broom to come as close as nearly a foot from her. "He got a really good laugh and I nearly shoved the broom down his throat. I wasn't raised to use a broom for riding, just cleaning."
"Mmm-Humph," James murmured as though he wasn't really listening. He was circling her as Lily stood there looking at his broom. She scrunched her nose up as she studied it, not really clear why she was looking at the piece of wood so carefully.
"You are a seeker," Lily said. It wasn't meant to be a question but James looked at her and felt he needed to reply to her.
"I am the Gryffindor seeker, yes," James said as he looked at her. She was making a face as she looked at him over the broom that was now lying still across her outstretched palms.
"What am I supposed to be doing?" Lily asked skeptically as she stood there with the broom.
"Getting to know your broom," James reminded her.
"Your broom, and anyways, I know that," Lily said. "But why?"
"Because you have to earn the broom's trust to ride it without a problem," James said as he took the broom in his hand, smoothing the handle with the palm of his hand. It vibrated slightly, like a cat's purr, in his hand. "You have to gain control over it, master it."
"But it is your broom," Lily challenged. "Its loyalty will always lie with you."
"Yes, but I handed it to you," James said. "It relinquishes enough control into your hands if you prove worthy."
"Hey, no one said I would have to prove my worthiness to a broom," Lily complained. "We didn't learn this when we were being taught to fly."
"I know," James said seriously. "So much is passed off as not important in things like wand lore and broom lore."
"This is ridiculous," Lily said as James pressed the broom into her hand. He kept his hand on it while he made sure Lily grip remained tight just below his.
"Do you feel anything?" James asked as their hands remained touching ever so slightly. Lily paused and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the broom completely.
"I don't know what I am supposed to be feeling," Lily said exasperated.
"Ok," James sighed as he pulled the broom from Lily's hand. He rested it well away from them. He turned his back on the broom and walked to Lily's side. "Apparently, you are having a problem getting the broom to trust you completely."
"Can you blame it?" Lily quipped. James cracked a smile.
"No, but I think it has more to do with the fact that you don't fully trust me," James said. Lily shot him a look and grinned despite herself.
"You think?" Lily replied before she realized she had spoken. James looked at her a little affronted, but said nothing to this remark.
"Ok, so how do I prove to you that I am trust worthy?" James murmured to himself as he thought aloud. He was facing her now, his back to the broom. He looked at her as the wheels turned in his head.
"What?" Lily asked as he smiled.
"Your biggest fear is that I am going to kiss you," James told her. She looked at him in wary disbelief.
"No its not," Lily said. She nearly believed it herself.
"For this purpose, just try to believe that is your biggest fear," James guided her, still a few feet or so away from her. "Can you do that?"
"It'll be a stretch," Lily lied but she nodded.
"Ok, Lily, no matter what, I am not going to kiss you, ok?" James told her firmly. She nodded.
"Ok," Lily said as she watched James step closer.
"Do you still believe me? With me standing this close?" James asked. Lily couldn't help but grin. She was at least an arms' length or more from him.
"Yes," Lily said. James took another step forward.
"And now?"
"Still believing you," Lily replied despite the fact that her heart had decided to pick up the tempo slightly. James took another large step forward, now standing directly in front of her. She forced a smile to show she was ok.
"Still good?"
"All's good," Lily stated though it seemed that her breathing had increased to match her heart slightly. James was mere inches from her now, his step bringing him closer to her than he had ever been before.
"Good?" James asked as his blue eyes remained permanently fixed on her green eyes.
"Yeah," Lily breathed. She swallowed nervously.
"I am not going to kiss you," James murmured as he leaned forward, his mouth so closed to hers that Lily wanted to lunge forward and come the other three millimeters that stretched before them.
"Oh," Lily whispered in a breathy sort of way, unable to complete the two letter response. James opened his eyes, suddenly aware that he had closed them and he looked into her eyes that seemed to darken slightly at the proximity of their bodies. He could feel her breath mingling with his own. He pulled back immediately and put some distance between them.
"Very good," James grunted as he forced his hand through his hair. He focused on the broom, his back to Lily. He willed his body to relax and calm down before his physical discomfort became apparent to her. Finally satisfied that he had regained control over himself, he turned back to Lily.
"Ok, so does the broom trust me?" Lily asked him. She seemed cool and unaffected, but James suspected (or perhaps he hoped) that she was a riled up as he had been. He hadn't meant for it to happen, he had always liked her, but today's interaction made him realized that there was more to it than attraction and desire. He couldn't put his finger on it, exactly, the way he felt about her, but he knew she had to have felt it to.
"I don't know," James replied as he walked behind her slight and looked at the broom. "I guess... you ought to try and summon it."
"Ok," Lily said as she inhaled deeply. "Accio broom!" She dictated forcefully to the broom. The broom jerked up off the pitch and flew directly into her open hand. Excited, she cheered and swung around to face James. Broom still in Lily's hand, her hand and the broom collided hard with James' face. The sound of broken bone seemed to be magnified a hundred times over the pitch.
"Damn it," James swore rather nasally as his hands went to his nose. Already crimson blood oozed and flowed down James' face, staining his own shirt.
"James!" Lily cried out as she tossed the broom aside. She pulled out her wand. "Let me try. Move your hands."
"Ok," James groaned as he pulled his hands away from his face. The blood was raging rampantly down his face. Lily's eyes were enormous with fright and her wand hand was shaking like a leaf.
"Epi... uh, epis… Oh, I don't know why I can't remember the spell," Lily groaned as she shoved her wand in her back pocket and clenched James' nose shut roughly with her bare hands, ignoring the blood that seemed to engulf him. "I am so sorry!"
"It was an accident, Lily, its ok," James said nasally as he watched his traitorous blood creeping down her arms and spreading in intense contrast to her white shirt. "You're getting blood all over yourself." He felt obliged to tell her though he was reveling in the way she was cradling his face with one hand and pinching his nose shut with the other.
"Ooh, I don't care," Lily moaned as she swayed slightly, her skin suddenly becoming clammy and pale. The sight was getting to her.
"Should we go to the hospital wing?" James asked out of concern for her more than his own well being.
"No, not yet. I think the bleeding has stopped," Lily said faintly. Sure enough, she pulled her hand slowly away from him and the once torrent river of blood had stalled out and no longer flowed. She sighed and collapsed onto the grass.
"It was an accident, you know, no problem," James said as he grinned at her while trying not to touch his now very tender nose. "You were just excited about mastering the trust of the broom."
"You really don't think it is going to trust me now that I spilled the broom's true owner's blood," Lily quipped darkly as she glared at the broom. James sat down next to her.
"If you like, we could spill your blood," James teased. She laughed and shook her head, covering her eyes with her hand.
"Not if I have to look like you," Lily groaned as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek, smearing a bit of James' blood on her face.
"You don't look that much better," James said as he grabbed the tail of his shirt and wiped away his blood from her face. She looked at him a bit surprised at the gesture. They sat in silence, just looking at each other. James could feel himself yearning to lean closer and kiss her. She stood.
"You need to head to the infirmary and get that nose fixed," Lily said as she stepped a few feet from James. "Accio broom." Without hesitation, the broom leaped from the ground and landed gently in her palm.
"Hey, our lesson isn't over," James complained as he rose to his own feet. "I haven't even got you flying."
"There is always next time, James," Lily said before she thought about what she had just said. She slowly looked over at James, a surprised but delighted smile plastered on his face.
"I thought that you had only agreed on the one flying lesson, Lily," James taunted tenderly. Lily smiled and threw him the broom. James caught it effortlessly in his hand.
"You are, after all the best teacher, and how am I to deny being taught when the best is at my disposal?" Lily quipped with a grin on her face. "I am going to take a shower and you need to get up to the infirmary. Your face is already starting to bruise."
"Ok, then, Lily," James said as he held back and chose to watch her exit the Quidditch pitch, her body practically taunting him mercilessly. "She is going to be the death of me, for sure, and I say bring on the gallows."
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