Popsicles and Potter Boys

A/N: Woot! It's a miracle; I finally wrote something! This little plot bunny attacked my mind while I was eating a blue freezie and I just HAD to write it down. But in the story I changed freezie to popsicle because I doubt they had freezies in Europe in the 70's. Thank you to all my lovely betas including, Maraudette, and JoneyHaleMalfoy. You guys are the best! Now, on with the story!

Disclaimer: Dammit I forgot about this. Anyways, do you honestly think I'm a billionaire author who will be remember for years to come? No, I didn't think so. NOW, on with the story!!

She was doing it again; Lily Evans was sitting on the brick ledge in front of her house sucking on a blue raspberry popsicle. It was a routine for her. During the summer holidays, on every exceedingly hot day, she'd pedal down to the shops and buy a blue popsicle to enjoy on the ledge. Doing that gave her time to daydream about things that would make her feel calm and happy. It may have sounded a little odd but ever since she was a little girl she would beg her mother or father to get her a popsicle. But she would not be content if she didn't have the blue variety. It had to be blue.

Blue was always such a calming color for Lily. It reminded her of oceans, and clear skies, and her mother's bright cerulean eyes. Many people thought green was Lily's favourite color because of her own eyes, but in truth she detested the color. It made her think of vomit, icky green bugs, and Slytherin. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust just at the thought of those things (particularly Slytherin).

Not only was the color comforting to Lily, but the popsicle itself tasted wonderful. It had a sweet combination of blueberry and raspberry that made her taste buds tingle with pleasure. The other flavours of the ice treat were not quite as satisfying. Red tasted like medicine, orange left her with a weird aftertaste, white tasted very odd, and purple just wasn't her fancy.

Lily looked out onto the quaint neighbourhood as she always did when she was on the ledge. She watched little children run and jumped through their water sprinklers, squealing all the while, couples walking their dogs, businessmen hurrying along to do their jobs, James Potter looking at her through his windo-

James Potter looking at her through his window!?

Lily could almost hear the needle scratching on the record. What on earth was he doing? But no sooner had she looked closer to see if she was right did the familiar messy jet black hair disappear behind his curtains and out of sight. Lily rolled her eyes. It had been two years since James Potter had moved into her neighbourhood (right across the street from her no less), and he still hadn't ceased in his infernal spying.

Although, the fact that James Potter was watching her didn't seem quite as infernal to her anymore. All throughout sixth year, James had appeared to have become a bit mellower in his ways of pranking. Sure he tricked and hexed the occasional Slytherin, but he didn't taunt and act superior towards the little first years anymore. Immaturity still seemed to be one of his traits however, but for some reason, when he acted immature, it was almost seemed funny rather than so annoying that Lily was nearly reduced to pulling her hair out. It was almost…cute?

No, no James Potter is not cute! Lily thought sharply. He is an insufferable annoying git even if he is a bit nicer now and just a mite less immature...and looks really nice whenever he comes back from a Quidditch game, and when he's studying, and…okay so maybe he's a bit cute, but he's still annoying!...Kinda….oh Merlin.

She sighed. There was no use in staying outside anymore now that thoughts of James Potter plagued her mind, and the boy himself was obviously watching her every move. Lily slid off the ledge and hurried back up the pathway towards her house, throwing her bare popsicle stick into the garbage can as she went. When she opened the door, the comforting smell of her mother's cooking reached her nostrils. Lily breathed in and sighed. Steak and mashed potatoes; her favourite dinner.

As she walked into the kitchen, Lily's mother, Anne Evans, looked up and grinned. “Hi sweetie, are you hungry?” she asked.

Lily nodded, “The only edible thing I had today was my usual popsicle so naturally, I'm starving!”

Anne rolled her eyes and shook her head. "But of course, now come here so I can actually give you some food for a change."

"Ha ha mum."

Just as Lily sat down and pulled her meal towards her to devour, her sister, Petunia, stormed into the kitchen looking very disgruntled about something. What had annoyed her became clear when she threw down an envelope sealed with wax in front of Lily.

“Here, this came for you.” She said stiffly, “Next time, tell those freak teachers of yours to send those blasted owls directly to your room rather than disturbing my peace in the living room.”

“Petunia.” Anne said sternly.

Lily looked up at Petunia and replied dryly, “Thanks sis, love you too.”

Petunia huffed and stomped out of the kitchen with her nose in the air. It was common knowledge in the Evans household that Petunia did not tolerate anything remotely magical. Indeed, Lily was surprised that her sister had not shrieked when the owl came to deliver her the letter.

Shaking her head, she opened up the Hogwarts letter to see what school books she would need this year. The envelope was heavier than usual and to Lily's surprise, when she turned it over to see what was causing the extra weight, a gold badge with the letters “HG” emblazoned on it slid out onto the table. Lily's heart sped up. Was this badge what she thought it was? She quickly grabbed the letter that came along with it and read.

Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen out of the many students attending Hogwarts to be this year's Head Girl. Your academic and organizational skills with surely benefit in the running of the school. Good luck to you this year.

Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress

Lily shrieked with joy and jumped out of her seat, proceeding to do a little happy dance, all dinner forgotten.

“Lily! What on earth is going on?” asked a male voice from the doorway of the kitchen. Mark Evans, Lily's father, had undoubtedly heard Lily's shouts and had come to see what had happened.

“Mum, dad! I'm Head Girl this year! I got picked!” Lily exclaimed, euphoria shining in her emerald eyes.

“Congratulations, honey!” Anne said happily, giving her daughter a tight hug while her husband read the letter that Lily had dropped. Suddenly, a smirk found its way onto his face.

“Lily, did you know there's a P.S.?” he said in a would-be nonchalant voice but the mischievousness in his eyes gave him away.

Lily's brows furrowed. “No, I didn't see that. What does it say?”

Still smirking, Mark read out loud, “P.S. We hope that you will enjoy working alongside James Potter who will be the Head Boy this year.”

Mark watched in amusement as his daughter seemed to freeze in her place. Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. James Potter is going to be WHAT this year!? She screamed in her mind. How could he have gotten the Head Boy position? And what was this weird feeling that suddenly erupted in her stomach? It felt like excitement but she knew it couldn't be because she wasn't excited about James being Head Boy. Really, she wasn't!

“Well, this will certainly be an interesting year.” Anne said while trying to stifle the laugh threatening to escape her mouth.

Lily couldn't help but privately agree.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Months and months had gone by since that faithful day when Lily Evans received her Hogwarts letter. It was nearing summer at Hogwarts and an unpleasant heat wave had swept over the entire castle. Currently, Lily was on a date in Hogsmead with Amos Diggory who insisted on going to the Three Broomsticks to try and cool off. Lily didn't know who he was kidding. The Three Broomsticks was stuffed with people and was by no means a place to cool down. But she was much too tired from the heat to argue so she let herself be dragged by Amos towards the pub.

When Amos had ordered each of them ice cold pumpkin juice (Lily thanked Merlin and all he had to offer that Rosmerta served that drink during the summer) he started rambling on about he was planning to achieve a career as a professional Quidditch player when he left Hogwarts, or something to that extent. Lily was trying her hardest to listen but the heat often drove her into a daze and the only thought that flitted through her mind was how much she wanted a blue raspberry popsicle at the moment.

After what felt like several sunlit days (although it was probably only a half an hour or so), Amos suggested a walk alongside the lake. Desperate to get out of the stuffy pub, Lily instantly agreed. Before long, they were strolling casually along the shore while talking about random things such as what homework they had finished already and which house they think will win at the end of the year (the latter developed more arguments than the former). Lily realized that when Amos was not busy babbling on about Quidditch he was actually a very interesting person to talk to.

Suddenly, Amos stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Lily.

“Amos? Are you okay?”

He didn't answer but instead, he started to lean in towards her. His face was so close she could count every miniscule freckle on his face. He was going to kiss her. Now Lily Evans had kissed her fair share of boys in her past (she was seventeen after all) but now, Lily Evans was going about to kiss Amos Diggory; one of the most handome boys in all of Hogwarts. Excitement mounted inside her at the thought. And suddenly, his lips were upon hers and she felt-

Nothing. Abso-bloody-lutey nothing. No fireworks, no nerves jangling, no sudden wedding plans. Nothing. This wasn't how a kiss with him was supposed to be! It unnerved Lily to think that she had gotten along so well with this boy and yet felt nothing other than platonic feelings for him.

Amos pulled away and searched Lily's eyes for any indication that she had enjoyed her first kiss with him. As he leaned in a second time Lily put a hand to his chest to stop him. It wasn't fair for Amos to be led on by her if she didn't feel any romantic feelings for him whatsoever. Amos looked confused at her. Lily took a breath and spoke, “Listen Amos, you're a really nice guy and I'm grateful to be your friend but I just don't feel anything for you that way. I'm sorry” she finished looking down at her shoes.

Amos stepped back looking a bit hurt but he managed a smile on his face, “It's alright, I think what I feel for you is just a crush anyways nothing more.” He held out a hand for her to shake. “It was fun while it lasted Lily, hope you have better luck with somebody else.”

Lily shook his hand awkwardly and asked, “Who on earth wants to be with someone as book-wormish and bossy as me for the rest of their lives?”

A smirk appeared on Amos face. “I dunno, I can think of a certain Gryffindor marauder that seems to be willing for the position.” Lily's eyes widened and he chuckled and walked away after saying a quick goodbye. But he barley started to walk before turning around again and saying, “Don't let him go Lily. You might actually have a real future with him.” And with that, he left for good.

Shaking a bit, Lily lowered herself upon a rock near the shore of the lake. What was Amos talking about? How could she, Lily Evans, have a future with the infamous James Potter? It was absurd! They would always fight and never get along…or would they? They certainly weren't fighting anymore. Since they were the Head Boy and Girl in their year, they had spent a lot of time together and had become what you could call friends. Sure they might have their spats every now and then but never a full-blown argument anymore. She and James were exact opposites; she was by-the-book, he was spontaneous. She loved the peace and quiet, he would combust into flames if he didn't get some excitement. But didn't they always say, “Opposites attract”? And a fun-loving adorable idiot might be just what she needed to put some excitement in her life. Maybe, just maybe, they could work together.

“Lily?”

She spun around on the rock. It was James Potter. How ironic.

“Hey James.” She said quietly. James approached her and Lily saw that he had a hand behind his back evidently hiding something from her. What was it? He sat down next to her cautiously, careful not to reveal whatever he wanted to keep away from her.

“What happened to Amos?” James asked casually but Lily could tell that it he didn't know how her date went, he would break down completely.

Lily shrugged. “He kissed me,” James visibly winced “but I didn't feel anything for him. I didn't want to lead him on so I told him that, and he told me it was alright and left.” Lily conveniently left out the part where Amos told her that she had a good chance for a relationship with James.

James nodded looking relived. Lily's eyes kept on straying to the hand that James had concealed behind her back. If there's one fault Lily Evans had it was that she was extremely curious. So curious in fact that it neared on the border of nosy. Because of that, the fact that she didn't know what James had was killing her. So she asked, “Hey James, what is that behind your back?”

“Hmm? Oh, it's just something I got for you I hope you like it.” He answered running his unoccupied hand through his hair nervously.

Lily immediately went into protests. “James you didn't need to give me anything! It's not a special occasion so I don't deserve a gift!” She really didn't want a gift she didn't earn. It made her feel so selfish. James was getting too kind for his own good.

The boy in question looked a bit uneasy. “It's not so much a gift as it is a peace offering for being such a prat to you for what, six years?” He shifted in his seat and held out the mysterious gift. It wasn't pearls, it wasn't a ring, it wasn't even a diamond pin. It was a blue raspberry popsicle.

Jaw dropping, Lily timidly took the treat from James' hand. Her open mouth closed and turned into a grin which could have lit up a whole room. “How did you know I love these?” she asked quietly.

James chuckled a bit. “Well as you know, I've been watching you from my window ever since I moved across from you. Sorry if that seems stalker-ish but you know how infatuated I am with you.” Lily noticed that he didn't say, “was with you” and her heart skipped a beat. “Well anyways,” he continued, “every time I looked outside, I would see you sitting on the ledge in front of your house eating a popsicle, and it was always blue. So I figured those were your favourite and I got you one from Hogsmead as a, `please forgive me for being such a jerk to you went we were younger' gift.” he finished looking at Lily, silently asking her to say if he was forgiven or not.

Lily felt a sudden rush of gratitude towards the boy -no, man beside her. It made her feel so content that he had taken the time to get her absolute favourite desert. Granted you could find popsicles anywhere but it was the thought that counted. “You know James, this may be the most thoughtful gift I've ever received. Thank you.” She said before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. James reddened slightly.

“So, am I forgiven?” James asked as Lily started licking the popsicle. Lily giggled and ruffled his hair making him shout in protest.

“Yes, you great big git, you are forgiven.” James' face split into a smile that could rival Lily's when she was given the popsicle.

They sat there on the rock chatting about this and that in a way Lily and Amos never could. The popsicle was soon finished and Lily pocketed the stick so she could throw it out later.

It was nearing dusk so James suggested going back inside before their friends have a panic attack wondering where they were (although, something told them that Lily's friends would be more concerned about their well-being than James' would. With the marauders it was, “The more danger, the more excitement!”). They both hopped off the rock and started for the castle, talking all the way to the common room.

When they got to the stairways that led to the boys and girls dormitories, James suddenly grabbed Lily's arm. “Er Lily?” he started with a voice that certainly was too high to be his own. He quickly cleared it and continued, “Thank you for being so nice to me these past few months. It's a really pleasant change from the yelling and punching you used to do.” Lily bit her lip in guilt but James didn't seem to notice. “I deserved most of that and don't blame you if you want nothing more than friendship with me. But I just want you to know that if you ever want to have something more than friendship, I'm still willing. I won't move on unless you truly want to, although I don't think I'll ever move on completely from you, I just want to to kno-mmppph!!...mmmm….” James' rambling monologue was cut off because something was obscuring his mouth. Lily's lips to be exact, and by Merlin did it feel good. Her lips still tasted like the blue popsicle and it drove James crazy.

For Lily, it was exactly how a first kiss with a gorgeous boy was supposed to be. Fireworks were exploding behind her eyes, to say that her nerves were shaking would be an understatement, and she had already gotten the china plate patterns down for their wedding.

The last thought that flew through Lily's mind before she completely melted into James' embrace was, Well, what d'you know? Amos Diggory was right…I should send him a gift.

How right he was indeed.

A/N: See that nice little green button down there? Doesn't it look so inviting? Press it!! I spent about two days writing this story (one word: procrastinating) and yet it takes you only about fifteen seconds to review. So please review! (cyber popsicles of your choice of flavour to all those who review!^_^)

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