The Doe & The Stag {James Potter & Lily Evans}

The Duel of Red & Green

Sidebar: If you'd like to see Marlene's perspective on this chapter, visit my other story, Violet Hill.   

Several weeks passed without much consequence, aside from the occasional need for Lily to give out detentions or take points away from students who'd become a little too rowdy.

Lily's days quickly fell into a rhythm of getting up, showering, walking down to breakfast with James, sharing her meals with her friends, going to classes, lunch, more classes, dinner, and then a few hours of downtime to do homework before going back to the dormitories at the nine pm curfew.

Up until late September, James had discontinued his habit of hexing other students (to Lily's knowledge, anyway), which became the basis from which their friendship grew. The more time she spent with him, the more she found that Marlene had been right around him. He could actually fun to be around. He'd managed to restrain his vanity at some point and she could even see bits and pieces of humility in him. She'd been trying to look for the good in him, as Marlene suggested. It was odd, the way she found herself actually looking forward to being around him. And she couldn't figure out what it was, but when they were around each other, there was a strange energy between them. But she didn't want to think about what that could be just yet.

When James finally did hex someone, he wasn't the one to start the fight (possibly for the first time in his life, Lily thought). As if that wasn't enough of a pleasant surprise to Lily, he had also been minding his own business when it began.

Gryffindor's Quidditch tryouts were being held, and as James was already Captain and Chaser, he had been intently watching a scrawny but quick scrap of a second year finish trying out for Seeker. The kid, Enoch Romerra was remarkably agile in the air for a second year, a natural-born talent.

Lily was watching from the sidelines from Dorcas and Mary, never much of a Quidditch player herself the way Marlene was. Marlene was down there on the field with the rest of the players, and Merlin, was she doing great. Lily had forgotten how good of a beater she was, until she watched her closest friend zip around the field, knocking away bludger after bludger.

The three girls in the stands made sure to give loud, supportive hollers whenever Marlene made another save, which was often. Doe was paying no attention whatsoever to the tryouts, as she didn't really care about Quidditch, instead choosing to chat up Mary. She didn't find Quidditch tryouts all that interesting, preferring to put all her energy instead into the actual games, but she still kept an eye on the field while they chatted.

Lily found her gaze on James a few times, funnily enough. Although she was an avid Quidditch fan, and she found the tryouts fascinating, she couldn't help but to look at him. His uniform only reinforced the idea that there was lean muscle underneath, and as much as she tried to resist thinking about it, well, he did look rather fit.

"I keep telling her, she needs to get rid of Henry, but she won't listen." Mary said to Doe.

"I don't exactly fancy waking up in the middle of the night with a water demon around my neck either, but it's Marlene." Doe replied. "She'll bite my head off for asking and I'd rather not start that argument with her."

"Couldn't you just get rid of him? You're good with creatures."

"And just where would I put it? I can't about toss a water demon into the Black Lake, can I? Or send it on its way under an owl."

Mary sighed. "Lily? Any ideas?" The blonde looked over at her.

However, Lily wasn't paying much or any attention to their conversation. Instead, she watched the tryouts, and occasionally, James. "Oh, I definitely agree," she said absent-mindedly.