EVANS.
the sigh of a hard-working student caught her attention and lily glanced at her watch. for the first time in her aimless march through the castle, noticing the late hour. and her turning the corner was not so much determined as resigned, a shred of sympathy weedling through her chest. that is until a familiar crop of messy hair and hunched over shoulders came into view. his voice enough to confirm the surprise. ❛ oh. you– ❜ her own greeting was pathetic. in her hesitation, a bright flush rushed to her cheeks. brow furrowing in a rare moment of confusion she quickly hid the weak moment as james shifted to see her, surprise melding into something flatter. why did he always seem to catch her off guard ? set her on a teetering edge of uncertainty ? but he made no attempt to clear up the mystery of his appearance. it wasn’t so much the lateness, as that was completely normal. as it was the sight of him silent and engrossed in a task. she didn’t answer right away, rather than bother to ask, choosing to find out for herself. her steps were light as she came to study over his shoulder. her gaze absorbed by the assortment of names and musing instead over the flash of relief that had found his features at her appearance. ❛ what is this ? … i can do all this, j–potter. ❜ she corrected herself and blamed the late hour for her words lacking their usual condescending edge. finally meeting his eye, lily withdrew with a tug at his sleeve. ❛ come on. up up. soon is now. you should be in bed. ❜
POTTER.
he didn’t miss the immediate reaction that came from the redhead . the way she hesitated on her words and furrowed her brow not out of contemplation but surely annoyance . it was enough to make him turn back to his work , tired and embarrassed of the same old game they played ━━━ like kids . children tugging on ponytails and calling each other names and never really acknowledging their maturity , all in the name of proving their superiority . he was tired . she could have it . anything to make her happy . his eyes were only drawn back to hers at the slip of his name , gaze flicking to her and then back to his work , trying desperately not to think about the last time she might’ve called him james . ❛ i know you can . doesn’t mean you have to ━━━ you do too much , it makes me feel like i’m useless . ❜ the words he spoke weren’t bitter . perhaps weary . perhaps defeated . a useless boy , doing all he could to make things right . glancing at her fingers which gripped at his sleeve , he half-smiled , grabbing her hand with his and tugging her down to the chair beside him . ❛ nah ━━━ you can join me , though . two heads are better then one , eh ? ❜
