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Post by ashers on Apr 5, 2012 15:43:25 GMT -5
When: September 5th 1976 - Mid to Late Afternoon Where: Black Lake Who: Lily Evans, James Potter, Open OOC Notes: Thread closed and archived due to loss of player for Lily Evans
Lily didn’t know why she was sitting alone outside in the cold. She didn’t know why the crisp chill of the autumn had lured her out to walk the grounds and force herself to wrap up warmer than before. At this stage of the year, she was usually preparing for the year ahead, writing lists of things, preparing books to read, getting homework time tables done. Instead, she couldn’t find the energy. Sure she was still on top of all her homework, but she wasn’t obsessing as she usually did. Instead she let her hair get caught in the cold wind as it rushed red and gold leaves around her.
She’d always thought of this time of the year as the time for Gryffindor. The colours outside were the colour of their house. Okay, so maybe that was the only thing the same, but still, she always felt a peace wash over her at this time of day. She didn’t know why, it just seemed like the time that everyone would enjoy. She smiled to herself and pushed any fly away hairs behind her ear.
As she looked around, Lily thought about the year that was to come. It was going to be a very different type of year. So many new students, most of them, she had noticed, who didn’t sound American. It was strange that so many of them had come from the American school, yet none of them sounded as if they fit in such a school. Not that Lily was going to bring this thought up. It would be rude if nothing else. And the last thing Lily wanted to be was rude. But she did have to wonder if they weren’t exchange students, who exactly were they?
Sighing, Lily collapsed to sitting on the bank of the Black Lake, gazing out at the water. It was odd to feel like she had suspicions against others who were not the idiot group of Gryffindor and the Slytherin’s. Now there were a bunch of random people who she wanted to keep an eye out for to see if they were who they said they were. Of course, it did mean getting close to them before they would tell her anything, and even if she did get close to them, she doubted that they would tell her anything at all. She pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. She had to wonder what would be in store for everyone in Hogwarts, it definitely was going to be an interesting year, no matter what she had originally thought.
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Post by James William Potter on Apr 6, 2012 10:43:24 GMT -5
James decided to walk through the grounds aimlessly after a rather strange talk with Sirius about the new transfer students. It seemed one of them was nearly an exact replica of himself, but with different eye color. Not such a great difference all things considered. He was just too troubled with that information and had to think it through thoroughly before actually coming face to face with that particular transferred person. It was the first time James was actually trying to keep his distance from someone. He wanted to get into such encounter prepared. As much as possible anyway.
Unlike the Black family, which was broken and all over the place, the Potters were a small and core family. Their family tree portrait was not a Swiss cheese of blown out pictures. James was sure that such claim as the one this Harry person was making could not be true. There was, though, a slight chance that he might be wrong, so he sent a letter to his parents to confirm it or not and was anxiously waiting for their reply and keeping his distance while it didn't come.
The question was then, who really was that guy that decided he could simply say he belonged to the Potter line and expected James, out of all people, to simply believe it? This Harry was about to find out soon enough that James Potter was no dumb cookie in the pot and regret his lie dearly. Once that is out of the way, the identities of the other transfers who had come along would be revealed as well. He was starting to think that he should actually seek this Harry out armed with his wand to charm him into his real shape. Surely the guy couldn't be his copy for real. It could only be the works of some spell or potion.
His aimless and thoughtful steps ended up taking James in the direction of the Black Lake. As his eyes were met with the calmness of the water, he stopped walking and his thoughts went into a darker place. What if all those transfers were disguised Death Eaters wanting to recruit the Hogwarts students for Lord Voldemort? It wasn't such unheard of a tactic and those were dishonorable wizards anyway. This year could turn out to be way more dangerous than James had first imagined.
Though there was no point making conjectures or plans of action until his parents had replied to his letter. It could all be just a mistake and he really had a distant cousin, which could be very cool. If that was the truth, then James would make sure Harry learned how to live his life and all of its moments to their fullest, just like himself had been taught and was indeed overachieving in according to his point of view.
Deciding to relinquish all thoughts on that matter for a while, James just took in the beautiful scenery and was gifted with a particular sight. Lily was also here. Should he try another approach or leave her be? He couldn't do the latter, his feet just went forward as if they had an independent will of their own. "You seem to be in as a thoughtful state as I am, Evans. I guess this year will be special for us." James said, for the first time not actually with the clear intention of hitting on her as his own thoughts were also disturbed by another subject no matter how much he wanted to leave it behind for now. Could she be thinking about the same thing? That would be a first. Though it was better to go with the flow and not overthink everything too much. Evans might just yell at him as usual...
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Post by ashers on Apr 6, 2012 11:51:37 GMT -5
Lily stretched herself out slightly and sighed, this definitely was going to be an interesting year, no matter what happened. She didn’t think she’d be able to keep tabs on every single Gryffindor that was now in the castle, because there seemed to be a lot of them. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed slightly. She didn’t know how she’d get the recommended dose of sleep while she was trying to do everything else that she had to do. But she’d have to find a way.
She heard the voice before she saw who it was, but she instantly knew it. Potter. She rolled her eyes and huffed slightly before turning to him and trying to force herself to be nice for now at least. “I can’t be bothered to be hit on or pranked today, Potter, so I’m willing to talk if you’re going to be normal or nice.” She said slowly as she rubbed her forehead. She was trying her hardest to be open minded and be at least a little nicer to her fellow Gryffindors, including the idiot group.
She sighed and frowned slightly as she thought about everyone that had come in, she turned to James slowly, and looked at him curiously. “So you met your twin yet?” She asked him curiously, wondering what James thought about this kid, if he knew anything about him. Lily didn’t know what to think of them really, the kid seemed nice enough, but she didn’t know if she entirely trusted all of the transfer students. Something didn’t add up that Lily didn’t fully understand, which was pretty frustrating.
Lily sighed once more and looked out at the lake. She didn’t know what to think, she really didn’t. She was just happy that so far there hadn’t been that much homework, and the stuff they did have, Lily could understand it to some extent. The only problem was that she hadn’t had time to just relax, with everything going on her head hadn’t just gotten lost in something that she would usually get lost in, no reading for fun, no relaxing, just constantly thinking about homework, and class work, and prefect duty, and transfers. Everything that she had to think about was now constantly running through her mind. She was pretty sure that soon she’d have her head explode.
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Post by James William Potter on Apr 6, 2012 14:34:45 GMT -5
The huffing was expected as was the first part of her answer, but the second half of her sentence caught James a bit off guard, which wasn't exactly something easy for someone to achieve. Also Lily wasn't yelling at him this time. Something was actually bothering her enough that his presence wasn't bothering her as much as usual. Of course, James wouldn't loose the chance life was offering him.
James took a seat over the grass besides Lily, not as close to her as he would've wanted to give her space and not be blown off in a second, he then sent a brief look towards her pretty green eyes and smiled. "No problem, Evans. I have too much on my mind right now. That is why I'm here. Meeting someone, especially you, was just a welcomed bonus..." He replied honestly and smiled again. His eyes behind his glasses were glowing now. "Be nice. OK. I think I can do that..." He said with a hint of mischief, though less than his usual quantity of such, then he focused his eyes on the water ahead and let his hands get in contact with the grass by his sides.
Then came the somewhat dreaded question he didn't want to answer. He better just go with what his gut feeling was telling him since his talk with Sirius. "Sirius has told me about him." James replied with a tone of voice that was unfitting of his usual self. He was actually serious now. "This new transfer student is lying, Evans. I have no cousin in America or anywhere else in this big world. For years I am getting used to the idea that I'll be the last Potter once my elderly parents are gone. Now this guy shows up out of the blue saying that absurd and expects me to believe it? I'm pretty sure it would be foolish to do so, though I've sent a letter to my parents to check on this story." His words had a special emphasis on occasion when his feelings showed. He was indeed upset with all this falling with a parachute in his life cousin story.
"Why would someone deliberately choose to impersonate me, kind of anyway, and claim something that is easily rebutted? I don't see a point to this and this is what is driving me crazy about it." The honesty in James' words was flowing like never before in Lily's presence. Maybe for the first time since they had met onboard the Hogwarts Express, the ever proud James Potter was actually showing her a true piece of his mind. He felt robbed of his certainties, betrayed and angry at this impostor probably out there only trying to mess with his head and those of his friends.
"He is an impostor, Evans. I know my parents' reply will confirm so. I need to be prepared before I can face him... so no I haven't seen him yet nor I think I will be able to do so anytime soon. Just keep your guard up around him, OK? Promise?" James said and for a moment his hazel eyes locked with Lily's green ones. There was a deep sadness in them together with a need for a certainty that she would look out for herself when around that impostor.
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Post by ashers on Apr 6, 2012 15:47:06 GMT -5
At his comment about meeting her being a welcomed bonus, Lily couldn’t help but roll her eyes. It sounded like a pick up line, but instead of getting up and moving there and then, she decided she might as well give him at least a chance. She watched him slowly as he said he’d be nice, but she heard the mischief in his voice. She raised an eyebrow at it in warning. She couldn’t deal with it, and she would easily start to hit him and then walk away if he started anything. “Warning before you start, you’re on thin ice to begin with so any form of flirting will be met with me aiming my wand at you.” She told him simply.
His answer to her question was surprising, more because of the tone that he spoke. He didn’t know this cousin, and instantly thought the kid was lying. She was pretty surprised at it. “It’s not possible that this kid’s just a really really really distant relative that you don’t know? He genuinely looks like your twin, besides…like one thing.” Lily was hesitant to tell James about Harry having eyes very similar to hers. She didn’t know what to make of it, she knew that much at least. “I mean, why would Harry lie about being part of your family?” She asked him slowly.
Lily blinked again in surprise as he went back to the comment about being impersonating him. “I don’t think he is. Look, maybe he got it wrong, or maybe it’s part of your family that broke off a while ago that was long lost years and years before your parents were born and he’s only figured it out now.” Lily said trying to think about it rationally. To be honest, she didn’t know what was rational though. She didn’t think that this kid was lying and just impersonating James, one because who would want to impersonate James, and two because what would come out of it?
When she saw the worry and confusion in his eyes when he asked her to keep her guard up around this new person, Lily couldn’t help but be completely shocked. Okay, she knew that James Potter always hit on her, that he constantly made jokes, and Lily had always assumed it was another way to wind her and Snape up. But there was a real fear in his eyes, something she didn’t think she’d ever seen in him. She licked her lips slowly and tried to think rationally. “I’ve spoken to him, he doesn’t seem bad, he definitely doesn’t seem dangerous.” She said. Lily turned to him so that she was facing him. “I don’t believe they’re who they say they are, I mean all of them apparently go to school in America, and yet they don’t have American accents which is really weird, but I don’t think I have to keep my guard up either. We all hide secrets.” She sighed and pushed her hair back slowly frowning to herself. “I can’t come up with a rational and thoughtful reason for who they are, but I don’t think we have to worry.”
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Post by James William Potter on Apr 6, 2012 19:27:52 GMT -5
Lily's warning was expected and his reply to it was a chuckle. He couldn't hold himself. "I'll do my best to behave, Evans. Honestly I just wanted to be alone and think, but now... I might as well talk about what's in my mind. It may help." James replied and then focused his eyes on the water ahead so Lily wouldn't feel the need to pull out her wand at him. The last thing he wanted in his whole life was to find himself in a duel against her. He could face everything but that.
"We're magical, Evans. You know as much as I do that are a variety of ways for one to gain the appearance of another with whichever little changes they choose to make to the original." James said. He was indeed having a very bad feeling about this whole story. "Trust is what to be gained, Evans. Trust. No matter how cynic or insane one may be, they'll at least listen to their family in most cases. I'd do more than just listen to my family, but I won't even listen to this Harry person. At least not for now, not until I'm sure." He continued trying to explain his point of view.
"Maybe it could really be a distant relative, reason why I'm waiting for a reply from home before taking any kind of action towards him." James explained and then sighed. For a moment his chin fell a few inches to then be raised again as he looked towards Lily again. "Don't get me wrong, Evans. Having this distant relative would be a blessing to me. I have my dear friends and they are like my family, but actually having a blood relative who is about my age would be awesome in more ways than one to me." He said honestly and then hugged his arched legs and rested his chin on his knees.
"It is wonderful how you can always find a way to see the best in people, Evans." James said in an admiring fashion. His eyes matching his words showing his pride of her. "Though many dangerous things don't look or seem to be that way." He warned in a serious tone. "The world is not as safe as it used to be anymore." His tone of voice became distant as he said those words. He had heard many things meant to be kept secret while shielded in the unseen safety offered by the cloak of invisibility he had received as a family heirloom when he came to Hogwarts.
"If only I was the only one who had suddenly gained a long lost relative maybe I wouldn't be so distrustful of all this, but I'm not." James revealed. There were others, several others, that I could figure out just today. Now there is what you've just said. They don't even sound American. Everything I've heard so far tells me to be at least careful. I'm not as oblivious as most paint me to be. I'm alway joking, yes, but I'm always paying attention as well." James said and then turned to face Lily fully.
"You should be careful as well, Evans. Even though you're a new witch, you're powerful in your own right. This... whatever this is... could end up hitting you hard too and I wouldn't be able to live with that..." He raised his hand to caress her cheek but stopped himself in time and straightened his body to look at the lake again. After all he had made a promise not to try anything and intended to keep it. It was time to get his act up again. He had just showed too many pieces of his mind. Though was that so bad anyway? He started to consider that fact as his eyes got lost in the water ahead.
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Post by ashers on Apr 6, 2012 20:10:54 GMT -5
She was pretty surprised at the fact that James seemed to be doing what he said, keeping his eyes off her, behaving. She didn’t want a fight, not right now, but she was ready if she had to. She sighed and pushed her hair back. “Alright.” She said, deciding that for once she’d trust him, only this once though.
“Think about it logically okay?” She said slowly. “If he was using polyjuice potion, it would be short term, and he’d have to have hair from the head of the person he was turning into. That would be you. Have you suddenly gotten a bald patch? Another way would be he would be a metamorphmagus, but even then they change subtly, hair colour, nose, all that, and then morph back unless they really concentrate, but most don’t. Or it could be a charm of some sort, but how could he hold a charm up that long at our age, he’d have to be some genius prodigy, and from the conversation I had with him, he isn’t a prodigy. I don’t know any other ways of the level of change he’d have to go through for so long to change everything but his eye colour.”
Okay, she was probably sounding a bit insane, but she didn’t entirely understand why he was so distrusting of this new boy. She watched him slowly. “Okay, I understand that you’re unsure, but I think you’re being a bit over the top. Okay, you don’t have to like someone, but you can’t avoid him because of this, at least speak to him once before you decide if you trust him or not.” Lily reasoned.
She listened again at his comment about family, realising in the back of her mind that the only conversations she and James ever had were to do with debates or arguing, even now they both had two different sides of the argument. She watched him and nodded. “Then why don’t you give him a chance?” She asked him slowly. “You don’t have to believe him just yet, but at least you can get to know him a bit right?”
Lily couldn’t help but blink in surprise and confusion at the compliment of seeing the best in people, but she couldn’t help but snort slightly. “I don’t see the best in everyone, still don’t see the best in you.” She pointed out slightly, smiling a little to show she was trying to make a joke. She then shook her head and sighed at his next comment. “Come on, Potter, you don’t think I know about the dangers of this world? The wizarding world has never been safe for someone like me, mudblood remember?” She hated that word, but it made people realise she knew that she was not accepted. Lily Evans was proud to be a muggleborn, but she knew that pride wouldn’t get her through the war, and most likely after school, she’d end up in the grave because of her blood, and her stubbornness to back down.
She sighed as he began on his distrust comment about other long lost relatives. She nodded, listening as he spoke. “James, I’m agreeing that I don’t think they are who they say they are, but from what I’ve picked up, from all the ones I’ve spoken to, I don’t think we should be so quick to judge them. I know that Harry is lying about something, I know that there’s something odd about him, about all of them, but at the same time…” She laughed slightly and shook her head looking away. “I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think that we have to worry.” She turned back to James and looked in his eyes. “This doesn’t mean I don’t want answers, I want to know who they are too, I just think that hiding away from them isn’t the way to go.” She said, hoping he caught her meaning. “My mum always said, it’s easier to catch flies with honey, not vinegar.” She said hoping to make the hint a bit easier to understand.
When he went to touch her she was surprised that he stopped himself, she was glad he stopped, but surprised at the same time. James Potter had always tried to get her, so why had he stopped? Apparently he was changing, that was a foreign thought. She blinked slowly and looked at him. “He has my eyes.” She said truthfully, unable to stop herself, she frowned and shook her head. “When I first saw him, I thought it was you and a stupid prank, then I spoke to him, and he didn’t say anything like you would and realised he was a transfer.” She shook her head. “If it’s got something to do with me, it has something to do with me, until then I’m not going to single out people who are obviously almost as confused as us as to why they’re in a new school with a bunch of witches and wizards who are obviously suspicious of them.” She said with a nod, trying to get the conversation away from the awkwardness that it was with her comment about the boy having her eyes.
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Post by James William Potter on Apr 8, 2012 19:23:37 GMT -5
James had full intention to keep his promise to Lily, to behave himself, no matter how difficult it was for him not to get closer while being so close to her. Some say that learning is to see by the right angle things you've always known. Thus being James also knew, somewhere within his mind, what was actually wrong between himself and his dear Lily Evans.
They were living different moments within their lives despite having the same chronological age. But which of them was in the wrong moment? Lily, trying to be a responsible 'adult' when she was still just a teenager, or James, who didn't recognize the time had already come to make a step towards adulthood and begin accepting greater responsibilities? Maybe he was the one in the wrong. Maybe the time had come to accept that a moment of his life was closing for another to start.
Though at the same time it was difficult to leave behind what one knew to go seek other things, even when knowing that some of them might bring a greater sensation of happiness at the end of the journey. To accept and embrace that it is time to change is a difficult endeavor even for the wisest of people. That is why growth generally comes out of pain and, in James Potter's case, the sore feeling of rejection he rarely knew before...
James shook his head affirmatively as Lily described known ways to acquire the appearance of another. Her last words though were the key in his point of view. "That is exactly the point, Evans. We may be great students, but we are just students. Who is to guarantee that this Harry and the others are even our age really? Because they say so? The enemy has many faces and may know things we are not allowed to learn... either by choice or natural limitation." He said in a distant tone of voice, his eyes still fixed on the lake ahead. Sure he was proud of himself and his achievements and it showed on how he talked about being a great student, which was true, but his words also showed a hidden and unconscious sense of humility in that he knew there was still much for him to learn about magic.
Lily just didn't know that James' greatest fear was to place his trust in someone that would later use it against him. He was also a kinder person at heart than most believed due to some of his pranks, which on certain occasions were indeed mean to their recipients, especially Snape. Could he keep his emotional distance against a skilled liar who would be out there using his own vulnerabilities against him? He didn't know if he could, reason why he had chosen to be cautious faced with the current situation. "I understand what you're saying, Evans, but what if..." He started to say, but then his words started to trail off. Should he actually say what was in his mind out loud?
"What if I like what I see and hear too much, but in the end it's actually no good? That is the danger of looking at the mirror, especially when it can talk back at you..." He said with an uncertain tone of voice, deciding he would keep the honesty flowing and trust Lily's judgement. If he really loved her, and he believed he did wholeheartedly, then such trust should come with the territory together with a willingness to show himself at his lowest as well as his highest, no matter how difficult it could be.
James jovially laughed at Lily's trial at a joke, turning to look at her again and simply answering in a similar tone of voice. "Oh... I assure you that I have my redeeming qualities. I just don't know which they are yet... Still looking for them." Then she said something that made him very unhappy that they were having this conversation. "Evans, let's be in accord on this if nothing else in this life! Never, ever say that word again! It's only used by those who are shortsighted and ignorant, none of which you are. Your family may not have a history of magic in it, but it doesn't disqualify you in the least! Never allow anyone to convince you of this nonsense! You are one of this school's best students and who can't see it is an idiot." Potter spoke vigorously and his total disapproval showed in the fire present in his eyes as he spoke. This whole prejudice against muggleborns was completely senseless in his point of view.
James listened carefully to Lily's next words. He did see where she was coming from and that there was wisdom in them, but maybe she was just stronger and wiser than he was. Could he fool the enemy if the transfers were indeed the enemy? If one asked anybody within the school ground's, they'd answer that James Potter could possibly fool anybody alive and he would agree with such point of view mostly, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. "You're right, Evans. It's the whole keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer deal... Especially while you're still figuring out which is which, right? Then we return to the dangers of a mirror, even if an imperfect one... I guess that is the main point for me when it comes to Harry. I have no fear to deal with the other transfers in such a manner as the one you've described, but him... I'm unsure if I can do it with him..." He answered honestly.
James was caught totally by surprise when Lily said that this Harry had her eyes and it showed in his expression because he couldn't hold it back no matter how much he tried. All kinds of red alerts began to sound in his mind again. His feeling that someone really did his homework to screw up with his mind just grew ten fold after that revelation. Her eyes were what he loved the most about Lily physically, not that he had ever told anyone about it. Could someone be reading his mind to lure him into a trap? He didn't like that thought at all... "I know it's a lost cause for me, out of all people, to try to convince you of anything, but I still think that caution is necessary until at least some of the mysteries surrounding these people are unveiled." He said because he was just too shocked to think about anything else to say.
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Post by ashers on Apr 10, 2012 20:02:01 GMT -5
Lily watched James with a sudden interest. She didn’t know why he was being nice to her, she didn’t understand a lot of what James Potter did, but she was enjoying the simple and nice company she was holding with him. Sure they were conversing of lies and trickery, which is what they always seemed to do, but it could have been worse.
She rolled her eyes at the comment of others being wizards and witches older than they looked. “James.” She said slowly, not even realising that she hadn’t called him Potter. “Do you honestly believe that Dumbledore would have let them into the school? I’m not saying that they’re telling the full truth, because I don’t think they are. But…I think we have to remember that no matter what, Dumbledore would always put the pupils first.” She sighed and pushed her hair back. “Besides, they would have to be fantastic actors to be able to hide skills above and beyond when some of them can’t seem to even string two words together, have you seen some of the new Slytherins? They look dumber than the Slytherins we already have.” She said.
She really listened to what he said, she hadn’t ever heard him speak like this. She frowned and shook her head. She wasn’t entirely sure how to phrase it, so she slowly pushed her hair back and sighed. “Then, talk to him while someone else is there as witness.” She said shrugging. “You can’t hide from this, we all have fears, some of them are worth trying to tackle.” She said. Lily didn’t understand why she wanted him to talk to the boy, probably because she knew they were family. Though Lily had a great relationship with her parents, she’d always longed to get back the relationship with her sister, but never had. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear she looked at James. “If he is family, you can’t shut him out, he’s probably already confused and freaked out enough, if you’re the first family member he’s going to meet, how’s he going to feel if you shun him?” She asked. Lily couldn’t help but feel as if someone should attempt to be kind to someone, she always liked thinking about the best in people, this time was no different.
Lily couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face as he laughed at her joke. “Well, if you figure out what they are you’ll have to tell me and I’ll attempt to stop hating you so much.” She said as she sighed and looked at the lake. She frowned and watched him as he seemed very annoyed at her comment about being a mudblood. She smiled softly and shrugged. “I don’t believe the nonsense.” She told him calmly. “But others do, and I’m simply telling the truth. You-Know-Who isn’t going after purebloods or halfbloods unless they’re proven traitors. He’s after muggleborns, people like me. You said the world wasn’t safe anymore…” Lily trailed off and shrugged sadly. “Never has been for me, second day of school some kid tried to hex me because of my blood status. I wish it wasn’t true, but that word’s going to hang over my head all my life, no matter how long or short it is, and then it’ll probably hang over my death too.”
Lily was very calm about this, which probably seemed odd to anyone else listening to what she was talking about. She had come to the conclusion long ago that she would die from this war, for a few reasons, one because she was muggleborn, and two because she wasn’t going to keep quiet and roll over and die. Lily would fight for the war, she knew she would, and it would eventually get her killed. So, though she didn’t want to die, she had quickly accepted that it would happen at some time in her life.
She hadn’t ever seen the unarrogant side of James, she’d always seen him explaining his good side, so to hear him admitting weakness was a bit of a shock. She pushed her hair back slowly and looked at him. “Well, why not just talk to him. You don’t have to have a full blown conversation or anything, just…say hi. And if you find you’re struggling, then we’ll figure a way around it.” She said to him, unsure of why she was so willing to help him at this moment. It was a strange feeling, to speak to James Potter and not feel like she loathed him with a passion.
She was surprised he was still adamant to try and get her to change her mind about the transfers, but she could hear the shock and fear in his voice. Licking her lips slightly she sighed and pushed her hair back. “Alright…” She said slowly and hesitantly. “I will hold off a little, I’m not saying I won’t talk to them, or be nice to them, but I won’t go out of my way to befriend them.” She said as she nodded. “That’s not saying that I won’t become friends with them though.” She added just to make sure he understood where she stood.
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Post by James William Potter on Apr 13, 2012 23:09:00 GMT -5
For a second there, James' mind strayed from the conversational topics to the fact that he was actually holding a conversation with Lily and she hasn't shouted at him even once until now. OK. She did threaten him once, when she had warned him to be nice and stay at a distance, but still no shouting... He was doing something right this time and he couldn't help but smile as he thought about it.
James couldn't help but broaden his smile when Lily called him by his first name, also something uncharacteristic of their usual conversations, or better, discussions, or should one say verbal fights? Whatever... It was the greatest proof of self restraint when he didn't reply in kind, still keeping his earlier promise to her. "Yeah, it seems sensible, Evans. Dumbledore wouldn't willingly place us in danger. A horde of Death Eaters would give some sort of bad vibe out to someone like him. It doesn't mean that some of them couldn't have just embarked with the harmless ones, though. A few bad vibes in an ocean of good vibes could easily go unnoticed even for Dumbledore, I guess..." He said in accordance to her statement. It was possible he was just making connections between completely uncorrelated facts. He wasn't one to easily admit it, but he could make mistakes just like anyone else.
James then looked in Lily's direction again and felt an urge to simply tell her something that had been troubling his mind for a while. Actually it had hammered within his head the whole Summer and just Sirius knew about this besides himself. "Maybe I'm being a tad paranoid about all this. It's just that I've heard some things that I wasn't supposed to have heard while walking about before Summer break and then all this unexpected people falling with a parachute on our heads all at the same time, obviously lying about something... I just... I don't know... Maybe I just connected dots that only exist in my mind..." He confessed as his thoughts drifted away again. Was he being paranoid? Well, all he knew was that caution would be his friend in whatever this situation really was or turns out to be.
James couldn't help but let out another small jovial laugh at Lily's comment about the new Slytherins. "Yeah, they are really hand picked, aren't they?" He replied, much of the old, the well known to Lily, James showed in that smug reply and the smile that accompanied it. Right after though that smile and vibe disappeared from his features, which returned to the thoughtful state of before as he considered her next idea.
Potter nodded affirmatively. "Yeah. Sounds like a good idea, if I were willing to put someone else in potential danger just to safeguard myself. Not going to happen, Evans. If I have to face this, then I'll just face this. Whatever happens, happens... to me... only." James replied assuredly. He wasn't willing to place any of his friends in any real danger on his account, even less Lily. Truth be told, he'd do that to not even a distant acquaintance.
Lily's words echoed within James' mind. What if this Harry was really a part of his family and he was persistently avoiding him like that? What kind of vibe could that create for a future relationship between them? Worse, James knew exactly how Harry would be feeling because that was how he felt before coming to Hogwarts and meeting Sirius, Remus and Peter. Alone. His parents were awesome people, but sometimes they were just too old to comprehend him. James had always missed to have kids of his age to grow up with and though he had a couple of friends, it was different. They never had the chance of being really close. James kept silent and decided not to say anything about this topic right now, but it was obvious that he was thinking and there was a glint of repent in his eyes. He shook his head slightly in order to return his attention to the conversation.
"For one... I've just remembered... I'm not prone to prejudice. That has gotta count as a plus sign, no?" James asked with a smile. One could count on him to brag about his qualities. At least the ones he could identify in himself. "If I discover more of them, I'll let you know. It's a deal." He said still talking with that underlying hint of mischief that just brought a lighter vibe to the whole conversation.
Hearing Lily speak those words with such intonation, which clearly implied that she was resigned to an unfavorable fate, gave James an urge to hold her in his arms and comfort her. Instead, he just dug his fingers on the grass to his side as if doing that would allow her to feel his strength through the soft earth that was connecting their physically separated hands. "Then it looks like we have something in common, Evans. We're targets of a dark lunatic psychopath." He said trying to raise her morale. "Blood traitor with honor here." He said with a proud smile pointing at his heart with his free hand.
"I couldn't care less about all this blood purity nonsense and if I have to fight for something, it'll be against that. Soon will come a moment in which we'll all have to choose where we stand and this is my position, no matter where it might take me. Probably it'll take me to an early grave, but I don't really care about this too. The alternative is much worse in every way..." He said with conviction, yet there was a level of serenity in his words too. Lily wasn't the only one who had made peace with her probable fate. If James knew something about his future, it was this: he'd die on his feet, fighting all this nonsense back to its source.
"Also, we both know me and that I'll certainly find a way to further piss off You-Know-Who somehow... Whatever, like I said, I don't care. Have such a person hate you is a statement to your true character and that is what really matters in the end. If you gotta go, at least go for the right reason and doing the right thing..." His rebellious side was talking now and it really wanted to go against the whole idea of some people being better than others. James just couldn't see Lily as some inferior creature, but he also easily transferred such thinking to other Muggleborns as well.
His eyes locked with hers again for a moment as he said. "So..." That simple word lingered until James himself broke eye contact. "You win, Evans. I'll talk to him. It doesn't mean I won't take my precautions, but I'll talk to him." He replied and smiled as he looked towards the lake again. He was proud of himself. It wasn't easy to go face something you were afraid of and didn't trust could be any good, but he was now decided to go anyway.
James then just nodded and replied. "I didn't really expect any other answer from you, Evans. It's OK, really. If you'll at least be attentive, that might be enough." He said resigned and still worried, but after this conversation his own levels of suspicion were beginning to lower somewhat. Maybe he could leave the lake today with his soul cleansed in more ways than one.
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Post by ashers on Apr 16, 2012 16:57:33 GMT -5
Lily watched him slowly and saw his smile broaden, but frowned not knowing why, but too caught up in what she was saying to tell him to stop smirking. She sighed and pushed her hair back as she listened to his response. She sighed and rolled her eyes as he seemed adamant of the fact that some of them could be bad. Okay, she couldn’t really say that they weren’t all bad, because she didn’t know all of them personally. She sighed slightly and pushed her hair back. “Okay, I will admit that it’s very hard to see some of the bad in a lot of good, but if there is such a large amount of good we shouldn’t be worried right?” She couldn’t come to the same conclusions as James, it didn’t make sense to fear so many people when you didn’t know anything about them.
A frown appeared on her face as he spoke about things he shouldn’t have heard. “Well what were they?” She asked slowly, curious as to what had him so wound up he’d blame people they didn’t know. She understood that paranoia of the time, she had some of it too, and she got you had to be careful. But she couldn’t understand sheer panic for people they didn’t know. She wouldn’t be surprised if the people were more scared of the original occupants of Hogwarts than the original occupants were of the new strangers. Lily was a firm believer of innocent until proven guilty, and so far none of them had done anything to discourage that idea.
She rolled her eyes slightly at his comment but knew he was telling the truth. She wouldn’t say it though.
Lily raised an eyebrow at him when he spoke about potential danger. “…Wow. Do you even realise how you sound Potter? He’s our age, he’s here because Dumbledore let him in, he’s done nothing wrong, and you’re treating him as if he should be thrown into Azkaban for existing.” She said, unable to explain the reason she was protecting the kid. “I get you’re worried about who he is, but why would he want to hurt anyone? I can’t see your reasoning.” Lily said sighing as she pushed her hair back slowly. “Just…lay off him.” She said.
When he said about not being prone to prejudice, she rolled her eyes and grinned slightly. “I beg to differ, Potter, you’re extremely prejudice against Slytherins.” She pointed out before prodding his shoulder jokingly. “So that does not count, come up with another one.” She joked slightly as she laughed slightly.
She looked over at him and smiled sadly at his comment about being a blood traitor with honour. She sighed and shrugged. “You could get out of it, I’m not saying you should, but if you just kept your head down they’d leave you alone.” She wasn’t jealous of purebloods or anything, she just knew that a lot of them could have gotten out of everything if they just kept their heads down. Lily on the other hand, had no choice in the matter, she would have to fight and try to keep her life, or die. Either way her options seemed very violent and would probably end with her dead.
She listened to his words and watched him slowly, blinking in surprise. She had never heard this serious honest and mature version of James. She’d known for a long time now that he wasn’t the same as some of the other purebloods she’d seen around the school, but this was something she’d never expected from him…maturity, determination, and just complete realisation that what he was going to do could be something extremely dangerous with extreme consequences. “I think you found your redeeming feature.” She commented slightly before smiling slightly.
She heard the rebellious side in him and kinda rolled her eyes. He was rebelling for the right reasons, but she’d heard that tone a lot and just expected the worst from it. She shrugged. “I’m not out to piss him off, just stop him from hurting any more innocent people.” She said as she leaned back. It was a given that Lily would fight for what she believed in, she did it every day in school, and would constantly argue her point to make sure someone would realise what type of person she was, but even she was worried of what could happen after she joined the war, not for her own safety, but for that of the ones she loved.
She was surprised that he said he’d talk to Harry. Blinking slightly she frowned. “Really?” She asked slowly before turning around herself a bit. “Is this an alternate reality where James Potter actually listens to me? Or are you pulling my leg?” She asked in a teasing tone. It wasn’t often that the two of them saw eye to eye, mainly because Lily didn’t listen to him anymore because of the teasing and asking out he’d done for a while, so this was strange for her. After a moment she nudged him slightly with her elbow. “I’ve talked to him, and he’s alright, but, if you do want someone there while you talk to him, I’ll come and talk to him with you, no matter about the ‘risks’.” She said in a serious voice.
She smiled and shrugged slightly. “I don’t give in easy, it’s something to do with the red hair, or so I’m told.” Lily rolled her eyes and smirked. She definitely was a fiery red head and wasn’t willing to do anything that she didn’t want to do.
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Post by James William Potter on Apr 21, 2012 14:24:40 GMT -5
James raised both his hands towards his folded knees and rubbed them against each other in order to clean up the one whose fingers had been dug into the earth. "Maybe. There is still the fact that good can turn evil, yet evil seldom turn good and is now in an active campaign to gather more followers... I guess I wish to say that... I know it is sad and all, but I am no longer willing to give out my trust as freely as I used to do..." He said. It would be clear in his tone to an observant listener that he was letting go of the idea that all of the transfers were immediately evil just because their arrival was unexpected, yet he also wouldn't let his guard completely down around any of them.
"Like I've said before, the Death Eaters are trying to gather more worthy members into their questionable cause and let's just say... that they are no longer waiting until after our graduation day for this anymore..." Potter gave as a reply to Lily about the things he had heard. Potentially there were already some Death Eaters within Hogwarts, if they were old students, some of the transfers or just trying to slither inside the campus in some other way without being detected he could not tell, so he was decided to be attentive to anything strange. Lots of new students all of a sudden, certainly did fit the profile of strange at first sight. Reason for his paranoia.
James was taken aback by Lily's sudden protective outburst over his look alike and couldn't help but express it in his facial features. Some strange thoughts began to inhabit his mind. Would she ever defend him like that? Worst of the worst thoughts he had by far: would she fall for that guy? Yes, cousin or no cousin, James was now very jealous of Harry... Record shows that he doesn't tend to be exactly nice with people he is jealous of over Lily. Snape is there as living proof of such fact...
"Hey, you're acting like a mother bear defending her cub! You don't really know this guy as well and I must recall you of one fact... First impressions can be very deceiving sometimes..." He replied a bit heart stricken. James was nothing but a highly perceptive young man. He always knew just by looking into those emeralds if Lily wanted to kill him swiftly or with touches of cruelty. Her eyes were by now like open books to him. He pierced them with the most penetrating look he could manage and it only confirmed his earlier suspicion. Lily did seem to like Harry better than himself. James was both hurt and worried by that realization.
Then as if to alleviate the conversation somewhat, Lily began prodding his shoulder and talking about his prejudice against the Slytherins. He just looked at her with a surprised face and smiled broadly like the idiot in love he was around her. After all, she had touched him first, right? Prodding the proverbial uneasily sleeping dragon... "Actually they are the ones who are highly prejudiced people. I only have sense of justice. So it does count..." He insisted, resisting not to return the prodding in kind... for now. The last thing he wanted was for Lily to start shouting and go away. This was certainly their largest conversation to date. No, it was actually the only real one they have ever had...
James shook his head negatively as Lily told him about the fact that he could get out of being a blood traitor if he kept his head down. Would she ever realize that his greatest wish, marry her, a Muggle-born, would make him totally unable to redeem himself in their eyes? Not that he cared to do so anyway. "I don't want to get out of it, Lily." He said honestly, not resisting to use her first name even though he knew she hated it when he did so. Too late to take it back now...
"I feel good and I know it is right when I stand up for the Muggle-borns here at Hogwarts. I don't think I'll ever be able to stand aside and let such things slide when I'm very able to fight... I won't save myself at everyone else's expense." He revealed. Yes, he did things that weren't right some of the time, but the inverse was also true. James Potter could be a complex subject to understand to say the least... One thing though should be clear to any who knew him even slightly. He was no coward and never ran away from anything for any reason.
James smiled broadly at the words 'redeeming feature'. They seemed even more flattering coming out of Lily's mouth. Was he daydreaming? Did he get accidentally hit in the head during Quidditch training again and was hallucinating? Or was Lily Evans really saying that... to him out of all people? He slightly pinched his own arm to confirm it was all true. This was really happening. "Are you, Lily Evans, really saying that I, James Potter, can redeem myself in your eyes after being a pest for five years? You made my day!" He just bursted out and then couldn't stop an even broader smile from escaping his lips. He desperately began to repress an instinct to kiss her that was trying to overtake him.
James nodded affirmatively to her next statement. Maybe he'd have to explain his previous words a bit? No problem. "Me too. Me too. It's just that knowing me and which are my only two real ambitions in life right now, the pissing off part will eventually happen. I intend to become a very effective Auror, you see, and I also do intend to commit the most irredeemable act in his elitist point of view. So, yeah, it'll happen..." He said giving further details on his thoughts on the matter. There was a determined serenity in his tone of voice again.
James smiled broadly at her reaction to his giving in about at least go and talk to Harry. "Really, Evans. No legs being pulled at all and for the record, I always listen to you when you say something even if it's not directed at me but I'm on natural hearing range. I don't ever eavesdrop on you on purpose, so don't freak. OK?" He gave a tiny space for a small laugh. "It's just that I don't always agree with you. Honestly, I just really disagree with you on one subject..." He confirmed his earlier reply and teased her a bit about his ability to listen to her. Obviously the subject he was talking about at the end was the pranks he pulled on others.
James pondered about her offer for a few seconds. By one hand, being besides Lily without a fight again would be awesome. By the other hand, he would never forgive himself if this ended up being more dangerous than she was thinking it was. He just smiled as he loved the feeling of her touch, even though she was just teasing, nudging and prodding him. Never mind, she was nevertheless touching him and that made him idiotically happy. "I think I'll go alone. At least the first time. Maybe, in a later occasion, we can do so together?" He explained and then offered. It seemed like a good compromise to James. This way he could do his own gauging before exposing Lily further.
As if it could be possible, James' smile grew even more as Lily mentioned her inability to give in easily. "As if you have to tell me that, Evans. If someone knows this, that is me..." Now it was his time to tease her back. It was true as well. He was nothing but persistent and she was nothing but resistant. Was that maybe the problem? He made her feel like she just had to resist him? James knew by experience that his Lily could be just as fiery as he was able when defied or crossed.
That being said, he could no longer stop the instinct that was trying to overtake him a few moments earlier. Now it was James that was touching Lily's shoulders, but less teasingly. He was more like resting his hands there as he took a slight impulse to close the distance between them. He changed his mind midway, just placing a gentle kiss on her forehead and then said close to her left ear. "Thank you very much for everything you just did for me, Lily. I do feel... lighter now."
James then stood up to his full height, waiting for the first shout and the probable end of this very nice conversation. Couldn't he have just tried a little harder not to do that? He knew it was an unwise thing to do, but it was too late now. What was done, was done. An idiotically happy smile couldn't leave his face anymore, no matter how much he would've wanted it to go away, so he slightly turned from her to hide it. "Sorry for that... I broke my promise..." He apologized with a muffled tone of voice. "I guess it's time to go make good on the other one?" He said half asking and giving a step away in order to go try reaching this supposed cousin of his while desperately hoping Lily would forgive him for his slip up before he left.
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Post by ashers on Jun 27, 2012 15:43:01 GMT -5
She watched him slowly and listened to what he said, she smiled lightly and blinked before mumbling. “The web of our life is a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” She hadn’t realised she’d said the quote out loud until she had. She looked at him and nodded slowly as he said he didn’t think he could give his trust out as freely. “Okay. Then trust me, I’m not saying that he’s who he says he is, but I am saying give him a chance.”
When he spoke about the Death Eaters, Lily smiled and shrugged. “I just don’t think that he’s a Death Eater. I might be wrong but he doesn’t scream Death Eater to me, besides, even if he isn’t all nice and everything, not every bad person is a Death Eater, some of them are just mean for mean’s sake.” She said as she huffed and thought about things. The truth was that Lily had no clue about these people, but she preferred not to make snap judgements until she’d actually seen what they were like. She liked to see how people acted and reacted before she made judgements, like how James had offended her by insulting her friend all those years ago.
She blinked at him and raised an eyebrow at him at his comment on first impressions, but didn’t say anything about it. “I just think you’re being too harsh, I mean what happens if this guy is who he says he is and then you go and treat him like the scum of the earth, his own family, it’s not going to be a good feeling. Trust me, I know how it feels when someone you thought you’d be able to trust calls you worse than scum.” She said almost recoiling into herself as she crossed her arms and frowned, thinking about what Snape had said so long ago.
When he came up with a come back as to why he was prejudice against the Slytherins, she rolled her eyes. “Nope, not a redeeming quality, you judge them because of their house before you get to know them, granted most of them are probably like you expect them, but you don’t give them a chance to prove your theory right or wrong.” She didn’t even realise that she was being hypocritical as she spoke the words.
She looked over at him and looked at him confused as he said he didn’t want to get out of it. A part of her didn’t understand, she wanted to get out of the damn war, and would if she could, well maybe…she listened to him as he spoke. She bit her lip and smiled, shaking her head. “That’s inspiring. Mad, but inspiring.” She said as she huffed and pushed her hair back. She shook her head and laughed humourlessly. She’d never understood why he hated muggle borns. It was something she’d never been able to understand, sure she was used to it by now, but still it was so odd and strange to her.
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the massive grin on his face as she said redeeming feature. “I am saying that you have a chance, don’t let it go to your ego, and don’t think that things have changed, Potter, you’re still a pain in the neck.” She said, but a small smile playing on her lips. It was true that she still wasn’t Potter’s biggest fan, but there was something that she could see in him now that she hadn’t seen before, she wouldn’t say that it would mean that she would enjoy his company or anything, but it was definitely putting him lower down on her list of hated people.
Lily raised her eyebrow at the dark headed boy as he spoke of what he wanted to do. “An auror? Hell Potter I thought I was getting rid of you after school, guess not.” She said in a slightly jokey fashion. She pushed her hair back and sighed, looking up at the sky. “I don’t understand the prejudice, people can’t exactly help where they come from, I didn’t exactly ask to be a witch.” She mumbled, thinking about all of the trouble that had come from having damn magical blood.
She rolled her eyes and felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks at his comment about listening. To make sure that he didn’t comment about it she shook her head and sighed. “So it’s more that you listen and just don’t take notice of what I say?” She teased him. She wasn’t about to ask what the subject was, because this was James Potter and she knew that it would probably end with some form of duel if she made him say something that would annoy her. And if it was something they disagreed on, it was highly probable that they’d begin to fight again.
She watched him and nodded, though she made a mental note to make sure that she was keeping an eye on both of them, just in case she was there when they had this meeting and it ended badly, and from how James was reacting to just the thought of this kid, she was pretty damn sure it could end very badly for everyone.
She blushed more as he spoke about not having to tell him that. “Well you’re not exactly Mr I-Give-Up-Easy either! If you weren’t so damn persistent I wouldn’t have to continuously get annoyed at you and I might have actually given you a chance before this!” She said as she playfully shoved him looking extremely amused.
She was more bewildered than anything as he kissed her forehead and then spoke tenderly in her ear. She blushed and pulled away quickly, looking down at her feet as she tried to hide her face, knowing that her face was probably bright red from how warm and flushed her face felt.
She blinked, not entirely sure how to react to how he spoke about apologising for his promise. Wait, he was apologising for her. She shook her head. “You know what Potter? Sometimes you surprise me, I never expected you to apologise for something you did.” She said, not entirely saying that she forgave him, but at the same time, she wasn’t hitting or attacking him. It seemed as if they were actually making progress.
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Post by James William Potter on Jun 28, 2012 3:06:49 GMT -5
James raised an eyebrow at Lily's quote. It sounded introspective and true to him, yet even though he agreed with its meaning he did not know its origin and was a bit too proud to ask her. "That was nice to say, Evans. I agree that both joy and sorrow are a part of everyone's path. You cannot escape either and they usually come all bundled up." He answered thinking about what she had said next. His feelings for Lily were a good example of his words. The joy of being in love came bundled with the sorrow of her constant rejection of his approach.
"OK. I trust you, Evans." He replied to yet another of her pleas to listen to Harry. "Do you think I'm one of those?" James asked offhandedly after her comment that some people are mean for mean's sake. He did not think he was. He didn't see what he did as mean, though some did show a dislike for it. Yet he usually went to find another target after that, except in especial cases like those of Death Eater wannabes. Those he was mean to for the sake of what he saw as punishment.
James felt guilty for turning their conversation to a topic that caused Lily to be upset even though it was not his intention. He remembered very well that fight last year. By one hand, he was glad that Snape was away from Lily now. He had never trusted the Slytherin boy. By the other hand, this still caused Lily to suffer and that simply breaks James' heart. "I know. It's just so surreal and unlikely. Everything you knew just simply isn't like that anymore from night to day. It's something that takes time to assimilate, Evans." He decided to give that as a reply. It could answer both their situations really in his point of view and he felt the need to help her. The idea of having family of his own age, which could live just as long as himself ahead also fitted his words perfectly.
James chuckled slightly. "Are you listening to yourself, Evans? I think most students in this school can be blamed for the same behavior really..." He replied in his usual jovial way about his views on the Slytherins. "Now you're being a bit unfair to me. I do give people a chance. Not as much as you do, true, but let's just say that I think Andromeda Black was really misplaced when she was sorted for one... If I acted as you've said, I wouldn't even think that..." He added to prove his point.
"No. I'm not mad. I just won't let a psychopath decide what I can or cannot do with my life or how people should act towards other people since I'm very capable to decide for myself already." He answered to her comment about his feelings on the war. "I can see through this and it is very simple really. If you scare off your enemy just enough, you may not even have to fight him. Fear is also a form of communication, Evans." He added with a somewhat colder tone of voice. "Besides... I've never been shy to make friends or enemies on principle alone. This is no different a situation." He finished with a certain level of maturity on his voice. This war was forcing him to evaluate where his beliefs were and thus grow a little out of such realizations.
"Oh... and here I was thinking that just maybe... you had seen through my mask and finally noticed that I'm the man of your dreams disguised as the idiot you despise..." He said jokingly and then laughed openly at his own half joke. He really did hope that would happen someday though. "On a serious note now... I know I do seem to have a big ego sometimes, but I'm not all that bad really, am I?" He asked because he just couldn't see where all this ego talk was coming from when it came to Lily's perception of him. Maybe it was because there was a lot about him and his actions that she did not know a thing or two about. Maybe it was because he liked to be on the spotlight a bit too much.
"I'm a pest remember... You'll never get rid of me. I'll always be there by your side until the very day I die." He answered in a similar tone to which she had used previously. Seeing her change in stance, James prepared himself to reply more seriously to her next comments. "I'm right there with you, Evans. My father always taught me that the world likes to cleanse itself from time to time and that when magic is concerned it happens through squibbing and muggleborn birthing. You guys are the proof that there can always be a new beginning even when all seems to have been lost. How can someone hate hope? I can't wrap my mind around it... I really can't..." He told her what he thought on all the crazy blood supremacy mania out there. True, his father did have some Potterish ideas that weren't shared by many or any outside their core family.
"There you are... being unfair to me again, Evans." He said with that spoilt child that didn't get the toy he was expecting tone. "No. I do listen to you and I do think about what you say. See... I've spent a good part of my Summer thinking about why you think I'm conceited and if I agree or not with that assessment. I came to the conclusion that... well... you're half right. I do seem to be a lot worse than I really am sometimes..." He answered honestly, yet still jovially as usual for him.
James didn't even try to protect himself from the playful shove he received, he just let his body flow with the movement. Years of Quidditch helped a lot with that. After regaining his upper body balance he simply raised his left hand. "Guilty. I confess." He said smiling. "I solemnly swear that I will try my best to not annoy you anymore, Evans. I just can't guarantee my success at this endeavor..." He said just half joking. He was making a version of the Marauder's oath and he'd try his best to put his money where his mouth currently was.
James was surprised not to be at the receiving end of any attacks after his small slip up. Was that a sign that things were changing between them? His hope raised to new heights as he suppressed a huge grin into a simple smile and then replied with a humbler tone of voice than he had used during this entire conversation. "I am not beyond seeing the error of my ways, you know... It is just that sometimes I don't see errors that others do in my ways and so feel no need to apologize to them. I was wrong now... I know so... then I apologized. I take my promises seriously, Evans. You can rest assured that what I say, I'll try my best to also accomplish... always."
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Post by ashers on Jun 28, 2012 17:20:48 GMT -5
Lily smiled at his reaction to the quote and rolled her eyes amused. “Shakespeare has a way with words. I saw a few productions of a couple of his plays over summer.” She said smiling at the memory. She tucked her hair behind her ears and laughed shrugging. She probably sounded insane. But this was Lily so she didn’t really care.
She smiled slightly when he said he trusted her, she didn’t understand why since she constantly knocked him back and probably put his head through the ringer, but she was thankful he did trust her. She frowned at his question about if she thought he was mean for means sake. She thought about it for a moment then shook her head. “No, you sometimes act without thinking about how what you’re doing effects people, like your pranks, but you’re not intentionally mean.” She told him honestly.
She listened to what he said and looked over at him. “It seems impossible that he’s not related to you James. I don’t know how to explain it, I just don’t know if he’s lying about everything. I’m not saying that he’s telling us the complete truth, but I think that if he’s lying to us about anything, it’s probably for a good reason.” She said, trying to be as fair as possible.
Lily couldn’t help but laugh at James’ comment of her being misplaced. “Slytherin stands for more than just purebloodedness you know? He wanted those who were ambitious, so maybe Andromeda is just ambitious. Also, I would like to point out all of the first years in Slytherin. Not all of them are instantly bad, the same way that though most people assume it, not all Gryffindors are loud and obnoxious. Some people.” She looked at him intently, showing that she was talking about him now. “Stand out from all the rest and make people only remember that about the houses.” She said very calmly.
She listened to him and looked at him. “But you don’t have to get hurt. You’re in a position that could put you into some serious trouble. I get you want to do good, but I, and I should say I don’t mean this cruelly or insultingly, I don’t understand how one person could change a war you know?” She said slowly. The trouble with this war was that Lily had seen all of the dark parts of it. She smiled sadly at him and told him the truth that she felt. “The only reason I’m fighting is because I know that one way or another, I am going to die because of this war, and I have to decide if it’s going to be with me lying down and taking it, or fighting til the end, protecting others from what he does. I’m not going to live a long life.” She told him with a tone that didn’t sound as if she’d given up, but that she’d accepted what would happen to her. She’d figured this out about a year ago and had decided then, at first it had terrified her, but then after months of thinking about it, she’d just come to accept it.
She rolled her eyes at him joke but smiled. “Keep dreaming Potter, I’m starting to be able to tolerate you, it doesn’t mean that we’ll end up married with a kid.” She told him as she sighed and flopped backwards starting at the sky as she did. She chuckled when he asked about his ego. “You’re getting better with it, but you do really have a massive ego, learn the word modesty.” She shrugged and looked at him. “You’re a good wizard, a good quidditch player, and all of that, but you know it and you like to show people how good you are. It’s kind of egotistical, or at least I think it is.” She said as she pushed her hair back. Lily herself knew that she was a good witch, clever and kind and just a good person, but she would never admit to it, and would often blush when people said it. Maybe it was just the different ways that they were brought up.
She smiled when he called himself a pest, she was inclined to agree with him, but thought it would be best not to say anything. When he spoke about hope and other things to do with magic, she looked at him and smiled slightly shaking her head. “That’s sweet, James, but I think you’re wrong about muggleborns being hope. If we were hope people wouldn’t be trying to kill us for existing.” She said with a shrug. Plus it was something to do with James indirectly calling her hope that didn’t sit with her well. Lily stood up for what she believed in, but at the same time she enjoyed sitting back and blending in, she didn’t want to be anything that could be seen as hope or anything like that, she just wanted a nice quiet life with a family, not that it would happen in this world.
Lily looked at him sceptically as he said about thinking about why she thought him to be conceited. “Okay then, I will give you a few things of how you’re not conceited, in a way of how I think about you.” She said nodding as she thought about them. “You obviously know about Remus and you didn’t single him out because of it. You seem to always try to make people laugh, though I still stand by my previous statement of you don’t think about who you hurt and how far you go.” She looked up at the sky while thinking of reasons that she could say. The truth was she didn’t pay any attention to the good, which probably wasn’t very good. She bit her tongue and thought, her brows furrowing slightly as she thought. “Sorry Potter, I can’t think of much else.” She said with a slight laugh. “Now if you wanted me to list your bad traits I could be here for a few hours.” She teased.
She laughed when he spoke of trying not to annoy her anymore. “Well I hope that you’re successful, it will make this school year a hell of a lot easier for the both of us.” She said with a smile.
It was odd, but there was a part of Lily that very much wanted to kiss this new side of James she was seeing. Frowning to herself, she looked away and scolded herself mentally for ever ever thinking that. She could not fall for James Potter, if she did she would never hear the last of it from anyone.
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