Chasing Lily Evans

Lovable Potter

"Oh my, Alice," Lily laughed, "Calm down a bit!" She grinned at her red-faced friend, along with Marlene, as they discussed her new boyfriend. "It's not very serious," she said, flushing, "We just got to talking over the summer and he told he liked me, and well, you know how I felt..."

"Well, well, who would have though little Alice would be the one to get tied down first?" Marlene smirked, biting daintily into an apple tart.

"Tied down?" Lily scoffed, "I think it's wonderful. You should have seen the way he looked at her when he saw her in the train..."

"Why, you looking for someone to tie you down, too, Lily?" Marlene said, teasing, as Alice laughed heartily. Lily looked at her imploringly, to which Alice shrugged as if to say, you deserve it.

"So," Marlene said, trying to keep a straight face, "Who have you thought about all summer, Lils?" Lily opened her mouth to retort, but then she remembered her stupid smile as she wrote letters to Remus, and though it was nothing, really, she knew if Marlene found out, it would certainly not end well for her. As she speculated what her friends would make of that news, an unnecessary blush crept up her cheeks, which happened whenever she was uncomfortable.

"Lily's blushing," Alice gaped, "Has the world finally gone mad?" Marlene gave her a knowing look, "So who is it, Miss Evans? Come on, don't be shy, I'll tell you all about my conquests too." Lily struggled to repress her discomfort and tried to change the subject by scoffing, "Conquests? My, my, you're quite the player, aren't you, just like...." her cheeks reddened further, thinking about him catching her declaring her love for him.

"You were going to say Potter, weren't you," Marlene laughed, "Oh dear, Lily, I never pegged you for someone who liked the bad boys...."

"You're one to talk," she retorted, "Or do you not have his initials scribbled on your hands, this very moment?"

"That's a different matter entirely...."

"Girls," Alice motioned, "There's someone behind you."

"Well, hello, ladies," a deep voice called out from behind them. "Black," Marlene greeted, giving him a cool glance. "The lovely Miss McKinnon, as emotional as ever, I see," Sirius grinned, an arm slung over James' shoulder. James grinned, but a softer, more bashful grin than Lily remembered.

"Well, it's rude of you to keep us standing but not to worry," Sirius said, swinging a leg over the bench, "We accept your invitation to dine with you."

"Where's the rest of your entourage?" Lily asked, a tad coolly, remembering the spat with James. "Oh, Peter's talking to this girl he fancies and Remus should be here about... now!" Sirius smiled, motioning to a startled Remus.

"Hullo," he said cautiously, as Sirius clapped him on the back. "Come, sit with us, Remy," James said,  chuckling. Remus was already suspicious of their intentions but when he saw James discomfort, his mind was blown. He had never seen James feel any emotion other than surety and never seen him in a state other than that of perfect ease and superiority. And so it was with burning curiosity that Remus took his place next to Sirius, not realising that it was directly opposite to Lily.

"Hi, Remus," she smiled and he stuttered, "Uhm, hello, Lily." Lily frowned a bit at the formal greeting but let it go; she couldn't blame him when the tension here was so incredibly thick.

"So, Alice," James said conversationally, "What'd you do this summer?" Alice looked helplessly at Marlene and Lily but said in a steady voice, "I wrote to my, er, friends and I visited this exotic greenhouse in Australia."

Alice's shyness was nowhere to be found ten minutes later as she talked about the different types of Mandrakes she had seen and James sorely wished he had asked Marlene instead, or perhaps sat at another spot. "Yeah," James said, when Alice concluded her thesis and everyone at the table was stifling giggles, "That's very interesting. So, Marlene," Sirius rolled his eyes, "What's your favourite Quidditch team?" Marlene tapped her chin for a moment and replied, "The Chudley Cannons." James and Sirius glared at her incredulously and said in unison, "Are you mad?"

"No, I just think they're nice, not that I care much about Quidditch anyway..."

"Oh God, she doesn't like Quidditch anyway but she has the nerve to like the Cannons..."

"The Tornadoes are the runners up this year, aren't they?"

"Their seeker is terribly stupid, though..."

"But the Cannons has the worst Beaters, they keep hitting their Keeps, for some reason..."

As the three of them argued heatedly about this in a life-or-death manner, Lily grinned at Remus who rolled his eyes. "If you think this is bad," he whispered to her, "You should see the boys dormitory during Quidditch seasons." Lily laughed, "They are passionate, aren't they?" Remus shook his head sarcastically, "Now why would you assume that?"

"I don't understand it, I never really liked Quidditch, anyway," Lily shrugged, and suddenly there was pin drop silence at the Gryffindor table. "You don't like Quidditch," James repeated, as if trying to understand Ancient Runes. "She doesn't like Quidditch," Marlene confirmed with a resigned air. "You don't like Quidditch," Sirius huffed, as if it were the most offensive thing in the world. "How could you not like Quidditch?"

Lily shrugged, "Ever since I got knocked off my broom in first year, I never quite had a taste for it, I'm afraid."

"You just don't know how to fly," James explained, "That's why you don't understand what a great sport it is...."

"Maybe you could, er, teach her, James," Marlene said, smirking. Lily glared at her friend as James was caught off-guard. "I, er, I would, um," he stuttered as Sirius nudged him and Remus stared at him with be-wonderment. James Fleamont Potter, stuttering?

"Of course he will," Sirius grinned, "You know our star Chaser loves giving certain redhead girls Quidditch lessons with no ulterior motives— ow, I'm talking, James." James glared at him and shook his head, "I wouldn't have any problem teaching you," he looked at Lily, trying to summon some confidence and bravado, "If you wanted to learn." Lily was about to nod to this lovable, bashful James but words from everyone floated in her head.

How long before you fall for Potter's charms?

Worship Potter, like every other girl does!

It's just a matter of time before you succumb to my charms....

"No, thank you," Lily said coolly, causing James to shrug and walk away while Sirius shook his head in disappointment. "Shame," he said, getting up, "He's such a handsome young man, too." His laughing attracted the attention of many students at the Slytherin table as he was splattered with a bucket of gravy, mysteriously floating and dropping itself on his well-groomer head.