the beauty in others

lily j. evans. 17. head girl. gryffindor. order of the phoenix. somehow fell in love with one james potter. messy but she's kind.

[empiregalaxy]

[gardenofevans-blog]

empiregalaxy‌:

“Remember that, Sansa, when you come to play the game.” 

                                                              “What … what game?” 

“The only game. The game of thrones.”

[gardenofevans-blog]

alionheartedprig‌:

If anyone had told him that there would come a day when James Potter would choose prefect rounds over a party … James would not have believed it. But here he was, far happier to be with Lily on rounds, rather than at the party. Being with Lily generally made him happier though, despite how difficult the beginning of the year had been. He didn’t even want to know how the party was going or what was happening at it. Everyone deserved a chance to relax and enjoy themselves, and seeing the way the dorm had cleared out, he thought the rest of the students would get the chance to do that. Which left the corridors relatively free for him and Lily. 

“Oh, yes. I don’t even want to think about the seventh floor. It doesn’t even exist in our world tonight,” he said quickly, reaching for Lily’s hand in a habitual move that he didn’t think about any longer. With his free hand, he reached to run his fingers through his hair. “So which way are we headed?”

It wasn’t that they were neglecting their duties by avoiding the party, Lily reasoned with herself. Everyone seemed in need of a good break from reality, and maybe the party was meant to satisfy that. If anything bad were to happen, she and James would be the first people there, but, for now, it was nice to have a quiet moment in the corridors. She was struck for a moment by how different James seemed - a mix of growing up and the situations they had found themselves in during recent months. He was still who she had fallen in love with, that would likely never change, but there was something far more serious about him.

When his hand reached for hers Lily immediately laced her fingers through his, a habit she didn’t even think much of, as her spare hand found a resting place higher on his arm. At his question, she paused in her tracks, thinking of the letter she had received earlier in the week. “Actually -” Her green eyes found his hazel as she paused for a moment, before taking in a deep breath, “I have something to tell you.” 

[gardenofevans-blog]

Who: Lily Evans and James Potter @alionheartedprig When: March 18, 1978 Where: Hogwarts corridors

Lily had scheduled herself and James for rounds on this particular Saturday far before any murmuring of a party had started, and even now, knowing full well that there was one in full swing, she didn’t regret the decision. The new year was proving to be a challenging one, keen on throwing blow after blow in the face of the students at Hogwarts. Perhaps a party was what some people needed, but Lily was happy to be alone with James, even if they were technically working. 

The halls were quiet enough, and though it was futile, Lily hoped it would stay that way, or that everyone would at least have the sense to be quiet as they headed back to their respective dormitories. It seemed she had barely had a moment with James in the recent weeks, and certainly not since the letter from St. Mungo’s had come in. Looking over at him as they walked, she raised a brow, and offered a small smile, “We’ve agreed to completely avoid the seventh floor then?”

[gardenofevans-blog]

Who: Lily Evans and anyone When: March 16, 1978. After classes. Where: Hogwarts grounds

The letter had come with the morning owls at breakfast. A small envelope, addressed to ‘Miss Lily J Evans’ from St. Mungo’s. Her entire future would be determined by what it said, and breakfast was a bit too early in the day to be dealing with all of that.

The redhead had gone about her day as usual, trying to ignore the pit forming her stomach through her classes, the envelope seeming to add ten pounds to her school bag. It was a nice enough day out, so Lily had retreated outside, under one of the trees, to get some studying done while it was still light. She was placing her books back into her bag when the envelope fell back into her lap.

“I suppose I can’t avoid it for much longer,” she mused, unaware that another had joined her.

[gardenofevans-blog]

alionheartedprig‌:

James should have stuck it out in the locker room, and he should have figured out what was going on with Andrei, and he should have recruited subs for times like this. And he shouldn’t be so upset over a Quidditch, when there was so much other shit going on right now. He just wanted to be alone and sort through his emotions and the safest place for that was probably somewhere in the castle. 

He should have counted on Lily, however. His quick footsteps slowed, then came to a stop as she intercepted him. “I needed some air,” he said, shrugging without thought and flinching almost immediately. “They’re all - I won’t do any good in there right now. Everyone needs a chance to calm down, including me. I was heading … I don’t know.” He almost said he was going to find Madame Pomfrey but that wasn’t true, and Lily would know better than to believe him. “I know this is really unimportant in the grand scheme of things,” he added tiredly, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. “I’m just … I don’t know, Lily.”

“Hey, hey.” Lily locked eyes with James, her brows knitting. She had expected him to be upset, but he didn’t need to be thinking the way he was, at least not in the current moment. Watching as he flinched, she shook her head - “Here,” - she took her cloak off, before casting a simple cutting charm over the hood. It separated from the rest of the fabric (she would fix it all later), and with a swish of her wand the ends grew a bit longer, before tying themselves into a neat bow. Sticking her wand in her waistband, she stepped closer to James, carefully sliding her makeshift sling over his head, resting it on his good shoulder, and gently moving his arm to rest in it.

When she finished, Lily met his eyes again. “You’re allowed to be upset. That’s fair. Yes, there are bigger things going on, but Quidditch is your escape. You’re allowed to be upset when it doesn’t work out.” As she spoke, she noticed other students walking by and watching, and her eyes shifted, before she gave a quick shake of her head. “Hang on.” Raising her wand again, she spoke quietly, “Accio invisibility cloak”. Within moments, James’s cloak was soaring to the pair, and Lily guided it to land on him. Soon, her boyfriend had vanished, and Lily could have just as well been talking to the air.

Looking in the direction that he had just been, Lily only hoped that James would listen to her. “Follow me, okay?” Her voice was still quiet and gentle, before she began making her way through the crowd and towards the castle, cradling her own cloak and avoiding eye contact with those around her.

[gardenofevans-blog]

Who: Lily Evans and James Potter @alionheartedprig When: March 11, right after the quidditch game Where: Somewhere in between the locker room, the seats, and the castle

The game had not gone well, but Lily couldn’t focus on that right now. She was soaked through, red hair sticking to her face, as her shoes sloshed in the puddles. Honestly, the entire world of magic at their disposal, and wizards couldn’t figure out water proof cloaks?!

She was in a hurry, brushing past dejected housemates and excited Hufflepuffs as she made her way to the locker rooms. James was sure to be in a sour mood, but she was more concerned about his shoulder. They could work through the loss with time, but his injuries needed attention, and if she knew her boyfriend at all, he wouldn’t be voluntarily going to the Hospital Wing.

Pushing past a rejoicing Hufflepuff first year, Lily looked up, squinting through the rain as she recognized a figure not too far off. “James?” She called, quickening her pace, until she was in front of him. “James? What are you doing out here? I thought you’d still be in the locker rooms with your team...”

[gardenofevans-blog]

alionheartedprig‌:

He moved quickly to sit with her; it had been hard giving her space but he wanted her to have what she needed. He’d never been through a loss like hers, and then everything with Glenda on top of all of it had been a lot to process. But it was good to sit with her again and not feel like he needed to leave her alone. “What’s it about?” He didn’t know much about Muggle books - reading in general had never really been something he was invested in. “I’m sure that must have felt odd. Are you glad you brought it?”

As he moved closer Lily let her head find a resting spot on James’s shoulder, one hand still holding his as her other began lightly tracing patterns on his arm. There was a comfort in him, something that she had not been able to find in anything or anyone else. “It’s American, actually. By a man called Henry James - a young woman trying to find herself and fighting against a society trying to force her to be something. Having his books is like having a small part of him still here.” Lily realized that it probably sounded incredibly boring to James, most people didn’t care quite as much about books as she did. Leaving her head on his shoulder, she took in a breath, her voice softer as she spoke. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been the best girlfriend lately. I know I’ve been pushing you away.” She moved her head so that she could see him. “We’re going to get through this.”

[gardenofevans-blog]

alionheartedprig‌:

James stepped closer when Lily turned, face softening when their eyes met. “Just needed to see you, that’s all. But I can go again, since you’re clearly very busy with your book.” He moved closer though, reaching for her hand as he did. “I mean, I’d much rather stay with you, of course.”

“No - no.” She shook her head, scooting over a bit to make room for him to join her. Lily knew that she hadn’t been the best girlfriend in recent weeks, and that James had done more than understand that she had needed time and space to process what was going on. “Sit with me?” She laced her fingers through his, before moving the book from her lap to the side. “It was on my Dad’s shelf, one of the ones he’d always point out when I was small. It felt almost wrong to bring it back here.”

[gardenofevans-blog]

Curled into her favorite window seat, Lily hadn’t realized that someone had approached her - how long had they been there? Shaking herself out of her thoughts, and carefully dog-earing the page of the book she was reading, she quickly pushed a stray red hair away from her face, before swinging her legs so that she was facing the other person. 

“I’m sorry - did you need something?”

[gardenofevans-blog]

alionheartedprig:

“I know I don’t, but it’s fun to play the game, don’t you think?” He wouldn’t be interested in it otherwise, but he would take any excuse to kiss Lily that he was given. Seeing her helped ease his worries, a little; she didn’t seem any worse than normal. James hated feeling helpless, and he had never felt more helpless than watching Lily deal with her grief. He could only do so much and it didn’t seem like enough, but he didn’t know what else he could do. But he shrugged those thoughts away for the time being, focusing instead on Lily as she kissed him. “No, but if you do, I’ll stick it in your braid too. You could have a whole braid full of roses.”

“I suppose it could be fun.” Lily offered with a smile. She wasn’t usually one for these types of games. Though she had quite the competitive streak, competing with classmates for affection wasn’t quite her idea of fun. Any excuse to spend time with James was welcome, though. It turned out that Head duties, mixed with everything that had happened in the year, meant that Lily Evans had spent very little time alone with her boyfriend. Grinning, she took a moment to look at her braid, before her eyes returned to James’s. “A braid full of roses?” Her smile turned to a playful grin. “Will you be the one taking them out later?”

[gardenofevans-blog]

zhenyaselwyn:

WHO: Zhenya Selwyn & Anyone WHERE: Hidden Alcove WHEN: February 17th 1978, 1:21pm

Zhenya’s fists clenched briefly in anger as she sat curled up in her spot, her wounds still making it difficult for her to be able to breathe properly. She would make that bitch Charlotte pay. Whilst some may say she was hiding from her peers, she truly wanted a space to be able to think through what had happened. She hadn’t had a moment to herself since the attack, having been surrounded by the constant flurry of Aurors, curious students and the other patients. Zelda’s words hit her as she thought about the repercussions of this event. Did she have doubts about her path? Absolutely. She doubted following her Lord, especially when he hadn’t been taking care of his followers at Hogwarts at all for the past few months. She was self-preserving at nature, and if it meant of taking care of herself first — then she would. However as she heard the flurry of footsteps nearing her, she immediately gripped her wand from her holster as she began to state coldly, “If you’re looking for a place to stay, go elsewhere. This space is taken.”

The past few days were a bit of a blur to Lily. Glenda was still missing, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit responsible, but, her mind was starting to turn, working through everything that had happened. When she had heard about the attacks it made immediate sense to go the Hospital Wing to help as best she could. It was only now hitting her how strange it all was. She had spent hours tending to and caring for people who would have liked to see her family dead. She hadn’t had time to think of it in the moment, she was too focused on the spells and potions that would make them alright, but now it was haunting her. She hadn’t even realized that someone else was in the corridor until she heard the voice. Stopping in her tracks, Lily could feel her blood going cold. “Zhenya.” She didn’t regret healing the other girl, she could never regret that. “I - I hope that wound is healing properly.”

[gardenofevans-blog]

mm-mckinnon:

Despite the disagreeing tone that was laden throughout the rebuttal to her point, practically asking for confrontation, Lily was once of the few people who would not be met with such vigor. A long friendship had built a strong foundation of trust that was hard to come by these days, if it all. The treacherous walls that Marlene so expertly put up around her became a simple illusion, a poorly executed slight of hand around Lily. A rare occurrence for Marlene indeed. Her sigh was long and heavy as she tucked a knee towards her stress, feeling her joints tighten in a pleasant way. How good would a run be now, free and fast with the sting of winter air across cheeks. It was what she needed.

“I know, they need to protect the students, especially the younger ones, but I feel like they should be doing more.” Marlene admitting somebody else was right, also something that Lily was one of the few people to every experience. “It’s just, well, we wouldn’t have had to do anything if they were doing their jobs. If they had any sense of what was actually going on here.” But the lot of them still would have found a way to try and help, to try and fight. If you were in the Order, it was in your nature. “Are you thinking about Glenda a lot?” Marlene looked over to Lily with a softness and good intentions in her eyes despite the bluntness of the question.

Marlene hadn’t invited her to, but Lily sat next to her, and was soon imitating Marlene’s stance, her knees pulled to her chest and her chin resting atop them. She could understand the other girl’s frustrations, and even agreed with them, but after what had happened when the Order had tried to take matters into their own hands, she wasn’t about to argue with any of the aurors. In fact, if she had things her way, she wouldn’t spend much time at all talking to the aurors after giving her statement. Lily already felt awful about what happened, and she didn’t appreciate older wizards telling her how reckless and thoughtless her actions had been - she realized that much.

“I’m not disagreeing with you. There’s so much more they could be doing, really, on all fronts.” It seemed more than a bit ridiculous to her that a group of five students had been able to find Charlotte in such a short amount of time, but the group of highly trained aurors hadn’t been able to locate her in days. With Marlene’s question, Lily raised her head a bit, and offered a small nod. “I feel awful, Marlene. I mean, she’s slept across from us for six and a half years and now she’s gone and -” She took in a shaky breath. “I just feel like I should have done more in the moment.”

[gardenofevans-blog]

notapurebloodprince:

It was going on two years since Lily Evans had ended her friendship with Severus Snape. The following months had been hard, perhaps the hardest thing he’d ever had to experience in his entire life. It had taken a long time of being sad, of wanting to die, to finally make an attempt to move forward in his life without her. He had finally done so. He had thrown himself into his studies, into his work with The Dark Lord and his followers. He had invented spells, perfected potions, and pushed himself in every conceivable way. For all intents and purposes, Severus Snape should not care about whether or not Lily Evans was upset, not anymore. And yet, when he looked at her, looking like that, he could not help but to stop and to worry.

So, he asked. And to his great surprise, she had something to say to him besides a vehement insult, or a snide remark. In fact, that she even had anything to say to him at all was a shock, but he kept his face impassive, lest he reveal his inner feelings. He watched her face closesly, the face he had come to know so very well since he was but a boy. She wasn’t even trying to hide how sad she was, but that was a good thing. He would have been able to see right through it, without a single doubt in his mind.

Her eyes met his, and he found it hard to breathe for just a moment. She didn’t look at him very often, not anymore, and he found himself slightly floored by the pleasure of making eye contact with her. Still, he did not betray this. Instead, he just listened. He found his usual frown deepening into something a little more as he processed her words. “Your father…” He replied, eyebrows pulling together. Severus did not often like the company of muggles, but the pair that had created Lily Evans were an exception. “I’m sorry,” He said truthfully. Maintaining his distance, he cleared his throat. “Is– is he going to be alright?”

Two years ago, Lily would have never imagined that Severus Snape would be the one she was talking to about her father. When he had called her a mudblood her entire world turned on its head. Finally, she had seen what everyone had been practically shouting at her, and it was something that could never be taken back. Severus had made his views and his allegiances perfectly clear that day, and every day since then. And that was something that no amount of apologizing could fix.

Today, though, was entirely different. Lily had found herself in such a state that any words cast in the past seemed entirely unimportant - they weren’t gone, and the hurt was certainly still there, but with every thing else going on, she couldn’t even bring herself to focus on them. The fact of the matter was that Severus was the one who had approached her, and so, Severus was the one hearing all of it.

When he spoke again Lily shook her head, an almost immediate response. Severus was one of the only people in the school that knew her father, and though he had made his opinion on muggles quite well known, that fact couldn’t be erased. “He died, Sev.” Her voice was broken as she spoke. It was one of the first times she had said it out loud, and that alone made her entirely unaware of referring to Severus with the nickname that she hadn’t uttered in eons. She could feel hot tears welling, and she looked up, willing them away as best she could. “He’s dead. He’s not going to be alright because he’s gone and dead because muggles don’t know how to cure cancer and the wizards don’t have a potion to fix it and none of it even matters because they won’t fucking work together -” Her voice was rising before she stopped, her eyes falling once more as she she shook her head. “And he’s dead.”

[gardenofevans-blog]

peter-aka-wormy:

WHO: Peter Pettigrew and Lily Evans  WHEN: Tuesday, February 14th, 1978. WHERE: Courtyard, Valentines Dance

@gardenofevans

There was a part of Peter that knew he wasn’t a good person. He was selfish and sneaky and oftentimes didn’t care whether or not bad things befell other people so long as his own ends were met. However, there were some things that were outside of his realm and a major one of those was hurting Mary MacDonald. In his eyes she was the only person that he didn’t have to fear losing. Her heart was too pure. That’s what had made him seek Lily out. It was lucky that she had red hair, otherwise he might not have been able to do it. 

Peter waited until she was alone to scurry his way up to her. “Lils?” he questioned, eyes trained on the final flower resting in his grip, “I’ve got a question to ask you”. Color erupted on his face as he realized how this probably looked to her. Him, standing in front of her with a rose asking if he could ask her a question and he suddenly felt the need to amend his words, “Not about you! About the person this is for!”

James had left for a moment to find Sirius, and Lily was left to her own thoughts, roses now woven into her her braid. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would last at the party, but she hadn’t seen all of her friends yet, and wanted to at least say hello to them. When she noticed Peter approaching, she offered a soft smile, before her mind registered the rose and the question.

“I - uh - Peter -” She was about to stammer out a reminder that she was in fact dating one of his best mates, but when he added the amendment she let out a long sigh of relief. “Oh.” Thank goodness. Raising a brow and tilting her head, her smile grew a little out of curiosity. “Well who is it for then?”

[gardenofevans-blog]

alionheartedprig:

James and Lily hadn’t come down together but as soon as he arrived, he started looking for her. He’d been given the roses but there was no reason to keep them, because there was only one person he was interested in kissing - and there she was. Pushing through the crowd, he reached for her hand with his free one as he waved the roses in her direction. “I was given these but they’re all for you, so it was a little pointless. But here, you can have them.” Taking one free, he broke off the stem and carefully slid it into her braid before pulling back to wink at her. “Do I get a kiss for that?” His voice was light as he spoke, but it hid an undercurrent of concern. He’d been watching Lily since the end of the month, trying his best to offer support without being overbearing.

Lily’s face immediately lit up when she recognized James. Mask or not, she’d be able to tell the mess of hair anywhere, and when he began speaking, she actually felt like she could melt. Merlin’s name, what had happened to her? Her brows furrowed together for a moment as he broke the stem off his first rose - what on earth was he doing? - but when he slipped it into her braid her smile only widened. “You know you don’t have to give me a flower for a kiss.” She could hear the concern in his voice though, and knew where it was rooted. Lily Evans had been anything but herself over the past two weeks, and had grown to appreciate that care James had given her more than she could say. Standing on her tiptoes, she gently kissed him, before lowering back down and giving him a look. “Do I have to give you a rose for a kiss back?”

[gardenofevans-blog]

slriusblck:

glittering-glenda:

puffpuff-alice:

alionheartedprig:

James normally didn’t have a problem with strategizing but this felt different. He was distracted by everything that had gone on, he was having a little bit of trouble focusing. Lily’s presence helped though, and everyone had good ideas. Sneaking up on her was a lot better than trying to attack head-on. And they didn’t want her to get too far into the forest. “We’re a lot better off if we can catch her by the edge of the forest. There’s too much that could go wrong deeper in, and I’m not sure how far the anti-apparition charm lasts.”

He began moving with Lily’s gesture, scanning the map as the group moved off once more. It took a bit of time before Charlotte popped up again and he paused, glancing from the map to their surroundings. “Okay, if we spread out a little, I think we should be able to get her.” Tapping the map where she had appeared, he compared their position to hers. “See, we can come up around her and then if we’re all ready, we should take her out without any problems.”

@puffpuff-alice​

Alice had to almost hide her smile at the approval of her idea. Sure she had thought if was a great idea, but she worried about what the others would think, if they would agree with her. She was probably just in her head too much, constantly over thinking her every decision. This was something that she always did, but in this situation it was even worse. If she made a bad decision now, one of her friends could get hurt which was the last thing she wanted. 

She nodded along as the others spoke, they all had very good points. They all also seemed to agree as to what needed to be done. Which was especially good since they did not need to be fighting among themselves while one a time frame. “Who’s going with who then?” There were so many more questions she wanted to ask, everything that could go wrong running through her head. 

@glittering-glenda​ 

Glenda looked around the group, calculations and ideas running through her head. It was a good idea to start out in at least pairs, wandering alone into the forest wasn’t a good idea. “Potter and Black - you’ve been working together since the first year.” It only made sense to send them together, no matter how close James and Lily had become.

“Lily, Alice - you two work well together. When we find her, you can go back an get the aurors. The three of us will keep hold of her until they get here.” The pairings left her on her own, but she wasn’t about to change it. She was strong, she knew that, and she would make it through. She took a moment to look around the group, daring anyone to challenge her, before nodding. “We should get going, then.” Without giving anyone time to disagree, she began walking towards the forest.

@slriusblck​

Sirius wasn’t always the best at coming up with plans- he was more used to reckless decisions along the way. However, the Marauders had come up with plenty of them over the years and they were…usually able to somewhat stick with them. He nodded when Glenda said he and James would go together. Even if he was a bit riled up about the Map, he and James knew how to work together. 

He didn’t oppose any of Glenda’s plans. A part of him realized she’d be alone in the plan, but she looked like she’d be able to handle it. “Got it. Let’s do this.” Sirius was already relatively near James, but he moved so they’d be able to walk together, and followed right after Glenda. He pulled his wand out of his back pocket, gripping it tightly. The groups made their way through the trees, getting closer to Charlotte with every turn. “We’re near her,” He spoke, uncharacteriscally quiet. 

@gardenofevans​

Lily wanted to argue against Glenda - anyone going by themselves seemed like a less than stellar idea, and she wasn’t a fan of the notion of her and Alice leaving the others behind. The other girl left very little room for disagreement though, and before Lily could get anything out, the group was on the move. Alright then. She gave James’s shoulder a quick kiss before moving to be beside Alice.

They started into the forest, and it wasn’t long before she heard Sirius’s voice. Nodding, she pulled out her wand, before motioning for Alice to follow her. Glenda moved even further, and the group was in the position to be able to hit Charlotte from any angle she might come from. As soon as they had her, Lily and Alice would go. Hearing a rustling in the leaves, Lily turned, wand raised and ready.

@alionheartedprig​

[gardenofevans-blog]

mm-mckinnon:

WHO: Marlene McKinnon and anyone WHEN: February 17, 1978. Morning. WHERE: Ground floor hallway, overlooking Transfiguration courtyard

With everybody finishing up breakfast, that was exactly where you would expect Marlene not to be. Having been caged up with a great deal of the school just a few days prior, every bit of Marlene that was generally a people person had run itself tired on just that, people. Something inside her was running a bit wild, the part of soul that refused to be caged, took orders from nobody. Yet here she was. Watching as yet another unknown Auror paraded through the courtyard as if he was protecting the place, like he could stop anything. What a load of Hippogriff shit. 

Marlene curtly nodded at the unfamiliar face, taking an angry bite of the apple she had nicked from the Great Hall much earlier that morning before students had started filing in. The students shouldn’t just be watched, they should be trained. Taught to defend themselves instead of rely on the unreliable. How long would it take for the school to realize that. “Ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath to whoever seemed to stand by where she now sat perched on a bench, looking out the window longingly to the skies. “What good is it to just trap everybody a little bit more? More security. More rules. Less actual protection.” 

Lily had been antsy for the past - well, to be quite honest, Lily Evans had been antsy from the time she was born, but, recently, had been feeling particularly restless since the events that had happened following Charlotte’s attacks. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible for Glenda going missing, and now they were going on two days with no clue as to where the girl may be. Lily’s stomach was in knots, and the thought of breakfast made her queasy. Excusing herself from the table, she had exited the Great Hall, and was now wandering through the corridors.

Girls have an uncanny knack for being able to recognize their best friends anywhere, from any distance, at any angle, and so when Lily’s eyes landed on a familiar figure, her pace quickened, and soon, she was near enough to Marlene to hear what she was saying. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall, looking down. “I don’t know Marls. They still haven’t found Glenda. I can’t imagine what would happen if someone else went missing trying to walk to Care of Magical Creatures.” She didn’t necessarily agree with all of the precautions and rules, and they had certainly made her life more stressful, but she was beginning to wonder if the school could handle another event like this.