The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

Do You Reckon People Snog on Ducks?

Do You Reckon People Snog on Ducks?

Despite how James pleaded on Lily Evans' behalf, Charlus Potter refused to bring her to the dungeons to visit Jasper Odair. "It'll hurt him more than it'll help him," Charlus explained. "It's against the rules of the Ministry and if we're caught, it's bound to come up in his trial and that's the last thing he needs is another thing to go against him in that courtroom. It's quite enough he's got already. I will gladly bring a letter to him, but that's the best I can do." Charlus paused and, recognizing the glint in James's eyes, he added, "Do not go. I mean it." He stared at his son pointedly.

"C'mon dad, we're not going to get caught," James argued, but Charlus simply refused.

Lily and James went outside and sat on the steps of the front porch of the Lupin house instead and Lily crossed her arms, hugging her own shoulders, as she stared at her knees. James bent over himself so he was holding the toes of his trainers. He stared at his feet for several long moments, then turned his head so his cheek rested against his knees, knocking his glasses a bit askew, and he stared at Lily. "Sorry he wouldn't do it."

She shook her head.

"I'm sure Jasper would've liked to see you. I know I would. If I was in jail. Or any day really. I always like seeing you." James flushed, realized he was talking too much, and turned back to looking at his toes.

She looked over and she could see his mouth moving as he told himself off for talking too much. Lily watched him a long moment, studying how his hair sort of hung over his forehead and his glasses were crooked. She took a deep breath, "Potter?"

He looked over.

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever for, Evans?"

"I freaked out a little bit back at Diagon Alley when I saw Jasper on that paper," Lily explained. "I... I imagine how I reacted must have hurt your feelings and... well, I didn't mean to do that."

James shrugged, "Honestly, it's about right, isn't it? I doubt even one more thing could've gone wrong on that... ice cream... get together... with... a, er... a mate." He didn't want to upset her if she hadn't thought it was a date.

Lily said, "I thought it was a lovely ice cream get together with a, er, mate," she said, echoing what he'd called it.

He could see her eyes were twinkling.

He asked, "Evans... was it a duck?"

"Excuse me?"

That conversation was in the old timeline, you idiot, James realized. She doesn't remember it. For her, it never happened.

He drew a deep breath - nothing like creating his own bleedin' artefact... "There's two kinds of things in the world, Evans," he said, and he sat up... leaned back against the steps, trying to be cool... he ran his hand through his hair... gave her that winning Potter smile... and said, "There are ducks, and there are dates."

She had an eyebrow raised, an amused smirk already playing over her lips.

"So if this wasn't a duck... then it was a date, see?"

Lily's blinked and thought about what he was saying, trying to keep up with him. She thought him goofy. He couldn't blame her if she did. It was pretty goofy, even in context, but it was especially goofy out of context. He grinned for good measure at her. She bit her lip, then, just as before, "So everything in the world is either a duck or a date?"