An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
The Books Shall Not Be Besmirched
written for @jilychallenge august 2025
prompt: They go from absent or silent good students to * hooking up in the restricted section* (or they argue too loud)
partner: @siriuslychessi
For most of their academic careers, Lily Evans and James Potter were the kind of students Irma Pince didn’t need to think about.
Oh, she noticed them, certainly. That mop of Potter hair, like a cursed broom bristle permanently mid-shed. Evans with her Gryffindor Prefect badge so shiny it practically blinded her when the sun hit it through the tall windows. Always polite. Always quiet. Potter barely came into the library except to shout about Quidditch practice or to flirt poorly (and loudly) with Evans, who typically ignored him with an air of practiced disdain, which Madam Pince most certainly approved of.
But seventh year… seventh year changed things.
Thank you for signing up to the AugustJily challenge where we celebrate the many, many lovely works that were created with Jilychallenge prompts over the past years, through this month's prompts: A first line and a last line from a previous published jilychallenge fic.
Not participating this time, or time to spare and need some inspiration (or just craving a little more JILY goodness?) Read, comment and kudo these lovely works celebrating JILY LOVE on ao3 in the Jilychallenge collection! (and why not share your new finds or old loves with us, tag us to let us know ;-)
Without further ado, here are this month's pairings:
@sapphireleo & @tedwardremus
@charmsandtealeaves & @alohaemora
@petalsonparchment & @wearingaberetinparis
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In hindsight, James could probably recall six separate occasions where he had almost kissed Lily Evans. Almost being the operative word in that sentence.
I've Been Watching You (And I'm Trying Not To Feel It)
Written for November 2025 @jilychallenge
Theme: Cards Against Humanity
Prompt: They said we were crazy, they said we couldn’t put [Getting so angry you get horny] inside of [Strong female characters]. They were wrong.
Partner: @annabtg
Lily considered herself a reasonable woman.
She liked to have her fun, she wasn’t exactly a stickler for rules, and she was never shy about speaking her mind. She worked hard, and she did her best to treat everyone kindly—even when they didn’t always return the favor. (Like Lily’s older sister, for instance.) Lily firmly believed that people deserved basic decency.
Unless, of course, that person was an absolutely arrogant, self-centered show-off who strutted around as though breathing made him superior to everyone else.
In short, Lily believed everyone deserved respect, except James Potter.
Which, in her opinion, was a perfectly reasonable hill to die on.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Poppy Pomfrey & James Potter, Poppy Pomfrey & Lily Evans Potter, James Potter & Lily Evans Potter
Characters: Poppy Pomfrey, James Potter, Lily Evans Potter
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hogwarts Hospital Wing, Hate Crimes, POV Outsider, Lily Evans Potter Needs a Hug, James Potter Needs a Hug, James Potter is a Good Friend, How is that not a tag, Jily Challenge, Protective Poppy Pomfrey, Mentioned Sirius Black, Mentioned Remus Lupin, Pre-Relationship, Head Girl Lily Evans Potter, Head Boy James Potter
Summary:
Poppy Pomfrey doesn't like many of the children that come under her care at Hogwarts.
But when James Potter comes to her door holding a limp Lily Evans in his arms. She suddenly remembers why she keeps coming back to work every year. And why she's so fond of some students in particular.
Jily Challenge September 2024
@jilychallenge @nena-96
Prompt: exchange students are announced at the opening feast, you are assigned to show them around (perhaps there’s history between them? Summer fling or fight
Partner: @tedwardremus
My first Jily Challenge! I took some liberties with the prompt, which I think is allowed, but if not, let's just pretend I didn't know any better!
Let's also pretend that I always meant for this to be the start of a new multi-chapter WIP, and didn't spend ages trying to convince myself that I could tie it all up in a one-shot...
Bahramdipity: the suppression of a serendipitous discovery
Lily Evans, Ilvermorny Potions teacher, is excited to be joining the staff of Hogwarts as part of a year long teaching exchange programme. But first, she’s going to make the most of a few days in London…
Rating: Mature
Read Chapter One on AO3
Snippet below the cut:
Lily loved her room at The Leaky Cauldron. It oozed old world charm, with its ancient dark floorboards, wooden chandelier topped with dripping candles, and total lack of any right angles anywhere. There was an ensuite bathroom with brass taps and slightly questionable plumbing, a fireplace just begging for a roaring fire (curse the fact that it was August), and a wonderfully squishy armchair.
However, the jewel in the crown was the bed. Lily had never slept in a four poster before, and it was pure bliss. It had a supremely comfortable mattress, crisp white linen, fluffy pillows and a very attractive man asleep in it.
Granted, the man wasn’t technically one of the fixtures and fittings, being a recent acquisition, but he definitely improved the general amenities of the room.
She’d met him in the pub downstairs, where she’d been having a quiet drink whilst pondering what a bored, single witch could do to fill the final evening of her short stay in London. Enter her very own, highly entertaining Prince Charming.
They’d gotten talking at the bar, and it wasn’t long before he ditched his friends to join her, waving away their pointed comments and catcalls. From that point on, he’d provided just the distraction she needed.
Now, as tendrils of morning sunlight crept across the sheets, Lily examined him carefully. He was tall (taller than Lily by several inches, and she was hardly short herself), and leanly muscular, all long lines and sinew. His sooty hair spilled messily across the snowy pillow, which she would have put down to the energetic pursuits of the night before, if it hadn’t looked exactly the same when she’d first clapped eyes on him.
