It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

Twenty-Six

"To love at all is to be vulnerable." - C.S. Lewis

      "You're a fucking dumbass, Evans." 

     Lily Evans turned to see James Potter leaning with his arms cross over his chest beside the giant, golden bird that served as her exit from Professor Dumbledore's office. She did her best not to stare, but James Potter had grown into a rather handsome man. His messy, black hair paired with his hazel eyes and smug smile, it made it rather hard not to stare. She found it annoying, really.

      "And how's that, Potter?" She questioned amused, not willing to apologize for her earlier behavior. Severus Snape had it coming, she thought to herself bitterly. 

     He pushed himself from the wall and took a step towards her. "You attacked a student right in front of the teachers."

     Lily shrugged. "Serves them right. Honestly, Severus is lucky I didn't punch him before today. He had it coming. You know it, and I know it."

      "And, being Head Girl?" James was baffled that Lily Evans wasn't appalled at her behavior. Yes, she was no goody goody, but she took her responsibilities very seriously.

      Lily snorted with another smile. "If anything, I've made the student body more fearful of me. Gotta whip those prefects into shape, ya know?

      James took another step towards her. Lily's eyes widened, taking in the proximity of their faces. "And what if you had been hurt?" He whispered. The thought of her being injured was enough to send a shudder rippling down his spine.

      She licked her chapped lips. "Give me more credit than that."

     "Do you think I could have handled it?" He whispered, staring intently into her green eyes, that in this moment seemed to be endless. 

      "Why wouldn't you?" She glanced for the briefest moment at his pink lips.

      That's when it happened. James Potter leaned forward, putting both of his hands on either side of the girl's face, and placed his lips on hers. He wasn't aware of how long he had wanted to kiss her, until she placed her arms around his waist and kissed him back.

      An explosion of colors happened against the black backdrop of Lily's eyelids. It was a mess of images and colors inside her mind making her feel things that she had never felt before. It was as if she could see some point to all of this– the hurting and the wanting and the pain and the war and the confusion. There was some glimpse of her forever in that red and gold kaleidoscopic palette happening in her vision. 

      They stayed that way for awhile; how long- neither of them could say. Between Lily's frantic heartbeat and James' roaming hands, they were both lost in the other. When they finally pulled apart, they both had bleary eyes, dazed by kissing the other. 

      "We have a test soon," Lily said. She internally groaned, as that is not the kind of thing you say after kissing the boy you like. I am a fucking dumbass, she thought to herself.

      James laughed. "Yes," he said, reaching out to hold the tips of her fingers. "But, before I can worry about that, I wanted to ask you to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

      Lily's smile looked as if it could split her face. "I would like that."

      James mirrored her grin, feeling as if his heart may leap straight through the bounds of his ribs. "You like me, Lily Evans," he said lightly joking. 

     She glared at him playfully. "What gave me away?"

     "Oh, I dunno, something along these lines." He lowered his lips to hers again, eager to kiss her for the second time. Kissing her was like nothing he had experienced before. He had kissed his fair share of girls–and Sirius once on a dare–but nothing had ever made him feel this way. He knew then and there that he would never be able to kiss anyone ever again because it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be this.