Word count: 38,381 ; 4/5-6 chapters [WIP] [It will be 5 unless the word count gets truly ridiculous...which is always a possibility]
Summary: "I still can't stand you." Or so Lily Evans tells James Potter, repeatedly, throughout a series of hookups their seventh year, until it's a claim she can no longer make.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 12/?
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Characters: James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Arabella Figg, Mary Macdonald (Harry Potter)
Additional Tags: Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders, Slow Burn, Friendship, jily
Series: Part 1 of Deerstalking
Summary:
James Potter thought the biggest challenge of his Fifth Year was going to be defending the Quidditch House Cup as the newly minted Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. However, he's three best friends certainly aren't helping to keep things simple. One friend needs James's help, which entails a very dangerous and illegal extracurricular project; one decided to go out and lose his virginity over the summer, and the third wont shut up about breasts. Add to that a greaseball determined to get him expelled, political unrest, and a swotty ginger girl who keeps popping up and making James feel things. Suddenly being a sixteen year old wizard doesn't seem as simple as it one did.
5th Year canon MWPP fic from James's POV. Part 1 of the Deerstalking series.
6th year Jily, prompt #3 from @jilytoberfest. Read on AO3
“We make a good team.” James beamed when Slughorn handed back essays and scores from their most recent practical exam before dismissing the class.
Team. These are not the words Lily would have previously used to describe her and James Potter. Housemate. Friendly acquaintance. Friend adjacent. Those descriptions felt more comfortable to her. But he was right, they had complementary strengths which allowed for some incredible magical theory discussions. While working on their term assignment, James had offered her new perspectives and ideas that she may not have considered or would have known to consider with her muggleborn background. And her sound understanding of fundamentals allowed for them to explore ways to begin implementing some of those theories into their work.
“Who woulda thought, huh?” James gave her shoulder a friendly nudge with his own.
His enthusiasm was infectious and Lily allowed herself to share a soft smile in return, “Yeah.”
“Well, see you around, Evans!” James called as his stride elongated and he hurried down the corridor to catch up to the Marauders ahead of them.
As she found Mary in the hall, she reflected that she would actually miss working with James.
Hi all! This is a story that originally wrote for the IWSC, but I ended up rejecting it because it didn't fit the theme well enough. But, I am quite partial to what I wrote, so I still wanted to post it :). I hope you enjoy this little Jily AU!
[Theme] Preserving a reputation.
[Action] Skinny dipping
[Setting] Hotel
----------------
Bubbles
James is standing on the cold, wet concrete, wearing nothing but a towel, his clothes piled in a lump by his feet. He had not been expecting this.
"Make sure you turn on the bubbles."
Lily shivers next to him, also wrapped in a towel. His mind immediately pictures what's underneath, and as a result, he ties the cloth a little tighter around his hips as he conjures up a series of images to combat his body's natural reaction.
Padfoot eating a meat pie. Filch and Hagrid wrestling. Dumbledore doing a strip tease. Moaning Myrtle crying in the shower. Severus Snape in knee high boots…
"What are you waiting for?" asks Lily. "The bubbles?"
Right. The bubbles. James knows how to turn on the bubbles. Of course he does — any other Muggle in his mid twenties would know how to turn on hot tub bubbles.
Quick, make something up. "I think it's broken."
"No, it's not," she says with a chuckle.
"You try then."
Lily brushes past him and fiddles with the mechanical box thing. The hardware lights up and buzzes before the water erupts, creating foamy waves that dance in the moonlight.
"How'd you do that?"
"Magic."
James laughs, maybe a bit too enthusiastically. He could have used magic to get the bubbles going — too bad he's supposed to be a Muggle.
Lily steps forward into the hot tub and drops the towel at the very last second before disappearing under the bubbles. The fact that James sees nothing sends his imagination running wild.
Padfoot eating a meat pie.
"Well, come on in!" says Lily as she flashes her flirtatious smile.
"Close your eyes," demands James.
"Really?"
"It's only fair."
With a dramatic sigh, Lily claps a hand over her eyes. "Fine. My eyes are closed."
"No peeking," James warns before submerging a foot into the steaming, bubbling water, unraveling his towel, and plunking into the abyss.
"Can I open my eyes?"
"Yes."
Lily removes her hand and smiles at James sitting across from her. "Hi."
"Hi."
The reality of the situation hits James like the Hogwarts Express. Lily Evans is near perfect — her wet hair is plastered to her cheeks, its auburn color muted just enough to showcase her perfect smile and splattering of freckles. She's adventurous, hilarious, intelligent and fun — everything James has ever wanted.
But she's a Muggle.
"What do you think of the hotel?" asks Lily. She shifts her weight, which causes her chest to float above the surface for a split second before it's engulfed by bubbles again. "Nice, isn't it?"
Filch and Hagrid wrestling.
"Very nice," he says.
Her father owns the hotel chain, which explains why she has access to the grounds. James wasn't expecting her to invite him to the hot tub, and he wasn't prepared, having left his swimmers at home. It turned out okay though, because she wasn't prepared either. Skinny dipping it is.
"I'm surprised you didn't know how the key worked."
James narrows his eyes at Lily, playfully of course. "Well, I apologize. I'm used to regular keys."
"How long has it been since you've been to a hotel?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because every hotel has key cards now."
Shit. It's a stupid Muggle thing he should have known about. He should have just hidden his wand inside his sleeve and used Alohomora to open the lock. She wouldn't have noticed, would she?
Why does the girl of his dreams have to be a Muggle?!
"Okay, you got me. It's been a while since I've been to a hotel."
"I'll just have to give you the full experience then." Without breaking eye contact, Lily floats into the center of the hot tub, now inches from James.
Dumbledore doing a strip tease.
"And what does that entail?"
"Oh, you know. A hot shower. A warm bed. Games."
"Games?
"Yes. Games."
"Like what?"
Without warning, Lily rises to her feet. She's standing waist deep in the water, her wet hair plastered strategically to the front of her body to preserve her modesty. "Like the game you've been playing on me all along."
"What—?"
Lily reaches behind James and scoops up his clothing and towel, before launching them both across the pool deck. In addition to the soft plop of his clothing hitting the pavement, there's a clack clack clack as his wand tumbles from his pile of clothing and rolls away.
"Hey!"
He didn't realize it was possible to feel even more naked now that his wand is out of reach.
Lily beams, clueless to his predicament.
"Lily—"
"What, you don't want to get out of the water?" Her eyebrows raise pointedly and James can't help but smile.
"Maybe you can go get my clothes for me. Since you chucked them."
She shakes her head. "Nah. I don't think I want to."
"Well, that's too bad. It's not like I have a magic wand to summon them back." The words slip out of his mouth unfiltered, but that's okay — she'll probably read it as sarcasm.
"You can use mine."
Lily's green eyes lock with his, challenging him to ask questions. He pauses, unsure if she's being serious or playing along.
James clears his throat and gulps before continuing. "You're a witch?"
Lily nods. "Ilvermorny. To answer your next question."
"How long have you known?"
Lily laughs and tosses her head back, her glossy hair shimmering in the glow of the patio lighting. "From the start."
"You've always known?"
"I've always known."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I wanted to see how far you'd take it."
James' cheeks light up a telling shade of pink, and not from the hot tub heat. He took it a lot further than he'd expected, and now Lily knows.
x
It all started at a Muggle restaurant. It was Sirius' birthday, and all he wanted was to get completely pissed at a bar where none of the employees would think to counteract refilling charms. As a result, their one pitcher of beer became bottomless, and their single purchased entrees turned into all-you-can-eat buffets. James had to admit it was a brilliant idea. Dishonest, but brilliant, made even more so by the beautiful Muggle girl making eyes at him from across the room.
"I bet you can't get a Muggle girl," Sirius had said as he watched James' gaze flit over to her table.
"Sure, I can," said James, feeling his shoulders stiffen by a rush of Gryffindor competitiveness.
"Without breaking the Statute of Secrecy, of course," added Remus.
James had a reputation to uphold — not only did he never back down from a challenge, he had a long running streak of luck when it came to the ladies, and he couldn't break it now. He rose to his feet, straightened out his jacket, and took a deep breath. "Watch me."
A tad tipsy, James stumbled to her table. Lily's table, he soon found out.
"I'm James."
"Lily," said the girl as she eyed him from head to toe. "And this is my sister, Petunia."
"Nice to meet you both," he said before turning his attention back on Lily. "You're pretty."
He'd be the first to admit it wasn't his smoothest line, but something about the girl caught him off guard. She wore a knowing smile that made him wonder if she saw through his little act.
"And you're drunk!" she piped back.
"That's a weird way to pronounce 'handsome'," said James as he held up his half-full glass of beer. "And I've only had this much."
"So you're a lightweight?"
"You could say that."
Uninvited, James plopped down into the third chair at the table. Lily looked at her sister and shrugged. "So, you're joining us?"
James glanced back at his friends watching him from their table. Sirius held up two thumbs. Of course he was joining them; his reputation was on the line. "Yep."
And that was that.
It didn't end that night. Everything about Lily captivated him, so from then on, James became a Muggle. Or at least he pretended to.
And Merlin, it was complicated being a Muggle. Over the few short weeks they'd been seeing each other, he learned how to play Muggle football, operate a television, ride a bicycle, and purchase cinema tickets. He discovered how ovens worked, how not to blow electric fuses, and how to use Muggle post. It was a lot.
But Lily was worth it.
It was worth it to watch her smile so wide that dimples formed on her cheeks, to feel every jolt and spark whenever their hands touched, to have the world melt away when she kissed him for the first time. Then the second, and the third.
It was definitely worth being naked together for the first time in a hot tub at a fancy hotel, bubbles and all.
x
Lily brushes a finger along James' arm, breaking him away from his reverie. She's inched even closer now, yet the bubbles still disrupt what would otherwise be a perfect view. "James."
Her whisper sends a cascade of shivers down his spine.
Moaning Myrtle crying in the shower.
"How did you know I was a wizard?"
Lily lets out a laugh. "Because you're a shit Muggle."
"I'm a shit Muggle?"
"You don't even know how hotel keys work!" she says, playfully shoving his shoulder.
"I was figuring it out!"
"Also, you were wearing a Quidditch jacket at the restaurant when we met."
"I was?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
Lily then closes the distance between them, pausing in front of him, moments away from sitting on his lap.
"How long do you think you would have kept it up?" she asks softly.
The silence that follows is laced with tension, the air tight enough to cut with a severing charm. Or scissors.
It's a big question, one that breaks a dam within James' mind, unleashing images of a future with Lily. Sure, he's thought about it — Muggle dates, training his parents how to act and what to say, an elaborate, magic-free wedding. He's imagined telling SIrius that yes, he did get a Muggle girl. Not just for a night either; he married her.
"I reckon… forever," he mumbles.
"Forever?" asks Lily with a raise of her eyebrow.
"Or at least until—" James pauses, a smile on his face as he imagines the destructive forces of childhood accidental magic, and the culprit responsible. Maybe he'd have scraggly black hair like James and jet green eyes like Lily. "Until it came up."
James tenses as he awaits Lily's response.
It's too soon, isn't it?
But then she smiles. "Until it came up, huh?"
Maybe it's not.
"Are you mad at me for lying?" he asks. Most girlfriends would be, after all.
"No," says Lily, reminding him once again, that she is not 'most girlfriends'. "I'm flattered."
The words hang in the hair for a moment, louder than expected now that the buzz of the bubbles has stopped. James' eyes float down to the water, which becomes clearer with each pop, revealing the blurry, distorted image of Lily's naked frame.
Severus Snape in knee-high—
Screw it.
He doesn't finish that thought, instead opting to tug a laughing Lily onto his lap, his self-consciousness dissipating as the final bubbles disappear.
His heart thumps heavily in his chest as he leads her towards the sofa. He sits down, pulls her gently down next to him and turns to face her slightly. He can’t stop looking at her. Her dark red hair is curled neatly, she’s wearing no make up so he can appreciate her natural freckles and complexion. Her eyes seem greener than usual, but it's probably because he hasn’t let himself look at her straight on like this since they last slept together. He doesn’t really know what to say to her now she’s here.
Excerpt: But she had it here, literally in her grip, and she knew she would be an absolute fool to let him go now.“I want this, too, James.”
Read on ao3 Previous Chapter Next Chapter Series Master List Master list
Chapter 6: darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis (Rated E)
The next few days of Lily’s life were chaotic. Between making the trek back to Buckingham to start up her royal duties again, most of her brain had been focused on one thing.
James.
Time felt borrowed when they were alone together.
They were running around, helping make sure everything was packed and ready for the train ride back to London when Lily realised it was just the two of them in the hallway. She turned around and James looked at her question. Lily reached back for his hand, while her other one opened the door nearest to her and she pulled them through, doing a quick sweep with her eyes to make sure they were alone.
“Princess?” was all James got out before Lily was pushing him against the door and kissing him as she had thought about all night and morning.
There was little hesitation from James to kiss her back. Her toes curled as James tilted his head and wrapped his arms around her to pull her flush to his body. Lily’s hands tangled in his hair as their lips slid together, the faint taste of mint toothpaste still on their breath.
A tension formed in Lily and she never wanted anyone as badly as she did James at the moment as his warm hands slid up her back, making her shiver. It had been a long time since Lily had had sex and James making her feel more pent up than ever.
Lily teased the crease of his mouth with her tongue and when James parted, Lily realized that she could do this every day and it wouldn’t be enough.
But then there was the sound of footsteps coming down the hall and the reality of what they were doing made them pull apart, standing still until the footsteps retreated down the hall.
“We should probably—” Lily began, pulling away.
“Yeah,” James said, releasing her and patting his hair down.
It kept happening though.
The night they returned to Buckingham, Lily texted him to come to her room. He barely knocked on the door before Lily pulled him into her room, kissing him.
It vaguely crossed her mind that should talk about this, but the thought shot ice-cold anxiety into her heart. She knew there were two options here. One; This is casual for James and he was just aiming to get into her pants. Two; he wanted to actually date her.
There would be fanfare, hoops to jump through, and scrutiny at every turn if they dated. Not to mention the press would grab any skeletons in his closet and air them for the world to see for nothing more than entertainment. Hell, his whole family would have to do interviews with the firm and then he would have to get approved.
Maybe Lily had picked up too many romance novels or killed her brain cells by spending too many nights watching romcoms with Mary and Marlene, but she didn’t want that. She wanted to get to know a person through conversations and late-night talks, not the front page of the Daily Mail.
But the words were always stolen by the feel of James’s lips, his hands, his everything. So, they didn’t talk about it.
Not the next morning, when Minerva left the room and Lily found herself with a hand wrapped around his tie, pulling him down into a kiss not ten seconds later. Or when they made out for five minutes at Lily’s office at her charity, they sprang apart with seconds to spare before someone knocked.
It wasn’t until James had her pinned against the ugly sofa in her sitting room, kissing her like it was his sole purpose in life and Lily had already bitten back two moans as James’s finger traced the outside of her thigh that had been exposed. She was aching and moments from grabbing his hand and moving it between her legs.
He pulled back suddenly, Lily trying to follow his lips before he pulled too far and Lily was forced to open her eyes and see those brown eyes blink at her.
“Everything okay?” Lily asked, breathlessly.
“Yes, it’s great,” James assured before swallowing, a nervous expression on his face. “Fantastic, actually.”
It was quiet for a beat and Lily turned her head to the side, her eyes never leaving his. He looked like he was trying to find the words to say but right when she was about to speak up, James started talking, looking more and more nervous.
“I’ve really enjoyed this but there’s something you need to know before we go any further,” he said.
Suddenly, it clicked in her mind; how it was mostly her who deepened the kiss or had wandering hands along his body.
“Have you never done this before?” she asked before James could say more. James made a choking sound but Lily continued. “Because that’s okay! I mean, we don’t have to do anything you don’t—”
“Christ, Lily!” James exclaimed, cutting her off. “I’m not a virgin.”
Lily relaxed back onto the sofa with a soft “oh” and her face heated up but when she glanced into his eyes, they started shaking with laughter. Lily stuttered out apologies between laughs as James’s forehead rested on her shoulder.
Once the laughter died, James raised his head and looked at her again. Lily ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that was growing more comfortable for the both of them.
“So, what were you going to say before?” she asked, her voice low. James took a second, his eyes assessing her like he was trying to find an answer before he even asked a question.
“This isn’t causal for me, Lily,” James murmured like he was scared to say the words louder. “I don’t… I don’t know if you feel the same or what it even means exactly, but yeah, I want this.”
Lily felt the sensation of her stomach swooping as if they went over a bump too fast. It was entirely positive, Lily knew that much as her heart thudded loudly. It was terrifying. It was electric. It was everything Lily knew she wanted but couldn’t have.
But she had it here, literally in her grip, and she knew she would be an absolute fool to let him go now.
“I want this, too, James.”
Lily wished she could memorize this moment and that she felt; her head against the armrest, the feel of James’s hair beneath her fingertips, and a soft smile on his face as he looked down at her.
He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before pulling away again, sensing words were still unspoken on her part. It took her a second to find the words, James patiently tracing a pattern on her thigh.
“It… it’s a complicated process,” Lily spoke up. She focused her gaze on James’s throat. “The firm would have to approve you. They’ll dig into your past, your family, and your friends' past. And then it would be a matter of time before the media finds out and they will turn on you, James. You’ll be wishing ‘heartthrob’ was the only word in their vocabulary.”
“And I’d have to leave this job,” James finished. Lily closed her eyes and nodded.
“And you’d have to leave this job,” she echoed.
Nothing but the sound of their breathing could be heard until James sighed.
“Then what if we keep it like this?” James posed. “A secret.”
Lily opened her eyes and found James’s brow to be furrowed.
“Secrets don’t stay that way long here,” Lily warned.
“It doesn’t have to be a long time,” he said. “We keep it a secret until we’re ready.”
Until we think we can withstand everything, Lily heard between the lines.
A million possibilities flicked through her mind. The staff would know instantly, but it was doubtful that they would tell someone that would force Lily to have to do it the traditional way.
“From our friends? Your brother?” Lily asked. She had already told Mary and Marlene about their stolen moments and Lily doubted she could keep something as big as this from them.
“I trust them to keep it a secret,” James said with confidence. Lily had yet to meet James’s brother, but she couldn’t imagine James would have that much confidence in a person without reason. “And I wouldn’t want to lie to them.”
The more people who knew, the more likely it wasn’t going to stay a secret for long, Lily knew rationally. But it was so tempting to have something so special like this, even if it was behind closed doors.
Lily’s train of thought got derailed by James tracing patterns on her thigh again and once Lily’s mind was made up, she agreed to it by pulling him down to her into a hot kiss that seeped the tension out of her body with every move of his tongue.
Her hips canted forward, looking for friction where she needed it the most, but James squeezed her hip and held it down. A moan of frustration escaped her lips and James pulled away, chuckling lightly.
“James,” she whined breathily against him.
He pressed a kiss to her lips and then to her left cheek before speaking. “Call me old-fashioned, but let’s have a date first, yeah?”
Lily whined again, mostly because his sweetness made her want him more, especially with him trailing kisses all over her face.
“How can we have a date?” she asked as James’s lips kissed up her jawline.
“Creatively,” he replied. “I’ve been coming into your rooms for months after hours. Surely no one would bat an eye if come in with flowers and takeaway.”
Lily conceded to that point before her eyes shot open. James had spent evenings with her since he started and no one cared. The staff must have already thought they were fucking but not a single word about it had reached the firm.
James sensed her tension and pulled away, looking at her from above her, batting his large brown eyes at her in question.
Suddenly, it didn’t seem like a big deal to have this secret.
“Okay?” he asked.
Lily swallowed and nodded.
“But you better stop touching my thigh if you don’t plan on doing anything until we have a date,” Lily warned with a devious smile.
~~~
James' self-imposed rule started a war they weren’t prepared to fight.
His hand would linger on her lower back. She’d brush a hand across his shoulders as she walked behind him. She forbade him from coming to her rooms at night but it didn’t stop the steamy exchange of text messages that gave her no choice but to bring herself to release by hand.
On the day of the date, Lily had to sit through meetings. About what, she wasn’t quite sure, all she knew is that Vernon was droning on about something while Lily tried not to stare directly at James who was up against the wall right in front of her. She had seen him in a suit countless times but God, it really did something to her to see him in one.
Lily wanted to twist that tie around her hand and pull him down to kiss her. She wanted to feel the lines of the jacket before she pushed it off his shoulders. She wanted to feel each button as she undid them to expose his chest. To hear the clank of the belt as she loosened. To feel muscles work in his thighs as Lily traced her hand up it before she could take him in her hand and—
“Lily?” her father said, jarring her out of her thoughts. She jumped and looked around to see everyone looking at her expectantly. Her face heated up.
“Sorry, what was that?” Lily asked, straightening her posture and regripping her pen.
“We asked if your plans for your birthday were solidified,” Petunia’s haughty voice rang out.
“Yes, they are. There will be a banquet on Thursday and then I’ll be celebrating at Anmer with my friends,” Lily replied, trying to gain her composure.
“Excellent,” her mother said, before moving on.
She looked at James only to see him biting back a smile. Lily looked away before she smiled back.
When the meeting adjourned, Lily followed Minerva out of the room and to her office, James trailing along behind her.
“Captain Potter, do you mind giving The Princess and I a few moments?” Minerva asked James when they were outside her office door.
James nodded when a spark of anxiety shot through Lily’s body like she was a child about to get scolded. She didn’t look at James as she followed Minerva through the door and the click of the door felt like a roar of thunder.
“Have a seat if you please, Your Highness,” Minerva said, taking quick strides so she was behind her desk before Lily even had the tufted brown leather chair pulled out.
“Everything okay, Minerva?” Lily asked, straightening her skirt and avoiding looking at her.
“You’ve been distracted lately,” Minerva said, getting straight to the point. Her tone wasn’t scolding, more probing.
“It’s been a crazy few months,” Lily replied, finally looking Minerva in the eyes.
“Hm, indeed it has, Your Highness,” Minerva agreed. She laced her fingers together and sat them in front of her on the desk, her pale hands complimented but her fine french tip manicure. “I’m left to wonder if someone is causing you this kind of distraction.”
Lily’s stomach bottomed out but she kept her face even and her mouth shut. Words can’t get twisted if none are said.
Minerva, the very one who trained her in this art, arched an eyebrow and waited, their eyes never leaving each other. It took Lily a few moments before she felt the cracks in her resolve.
“I don’t know what you’re implying,” Lily said, finally.
Minerva hummed again in a more knowing tone.
“You are not obligated to say anything to me, Your Highness,” Minerva said after a moment. “But I just would like to remind you that I am here to make things easier for you.”
Lily’s heart turned a fraction in confusion at her words. Minerva’s knowing blue eyes looked at Lily, unfaltering. Lily’s leg started shaking.
“I know that,” Lily said.
“Good,” Minerva said.
The silence felt deafening but Lily didn’t break.
“I will keep that in mind for future endeavours.”
Minerva sighed, breaking. “Very well, but it would do you well to keep your focus in future meetings.”
Lily swallowed and nodded, as Minerva stood up to get James so they could discuss more scheduling. Lily made a point to not let her gaze linger on him, but there were times when Lily felt the heat of Minerva’s stare.
~~~
Lily’s been on dates before that were straight out of a romance novel. Her first boyfriend that had been official when she started uni had been the son of a tech billionaire with a nice smile and beautiful hair. Most of their dates consisted of private rooms in the best restaurants in the country or on a yacht sailing in the Mediterranean.
Nigel had started out sweet. He didn’t bat an eye with the amount of paperwork he had to sign to be with Lily and he was genuinely smart. But Lily saw a lot of entitlement that was more on Petunia’s level than hers. Their relationship had ended off the coast of Greece when one of his friends grabbed Marlene’s ass and Nigel had been concerned with the frozen margarita Marlene spilled on his yacht furniture when she had dumped it over the guy’s head.
She dated a few heirs, all of which had been born and trained to try and be married into royalty. They had the right hobbies, spoke the right languages, and had generic business smiles that their mothers made sure to tell them would look beautiful painted in the halls of a palace. Most of them had been sweet, but only had a title in mind when it came to Lily. They would take her out to fancy restaurants, and sit next to her at all the events, making an effort to show that they would make a great life partner for Lily when it came to all things royal. But they didn’t care about Lily as a person.
Fancy people with fancy titles showing off their fancy things, that’s what it came down to every time.
She knew that James would be different. She didn’t know his financial situation, but she doubted he had a private yacht docked in Greece on a Captain’s salary, but she didn’t know what to expect.
It was James in a light blue jumper and dark jeans with a shy smile, a bag of takeaway in one hand, a bouquet in the other, with a bottle of wine tucked under his arm.
It was sitting on the floor, using her coffee table as a dining table, wine glasses filled too high, and a paused film in the background because they couldn’t stop talking to each other.
“You know I nicked this from the kitchen,” James said, swirling the wine around in his glass.
“James!” Lily exclaimed, amused.
“I’m bad with wine, okay? Sirius tried to give me recommendations, but I couldn’t find any of them and I didn’t think I could get one that would impress you on my own.”
“Can I be honest with you?” Lily said, scooting closer to James on the floor. “I’ve had expensive wine but nothing tastes better than the kind Marlene would get at uni that came in a box.”
She didn’t know if it was the memory of it that was colouring her opinion too much, but sometimes she longed for that boxed wine that would sit in their fridge. It was sweet with the bitter alcohol taste and gave them all headaches, but she loved it so much more than the kinds of wine that dried her mouth out.
James hummed, amused. “The first time I ever got drunk was from that wine.”
“Yeah?” Lily prodded. Her feet tucked under his thigh and she hugged her knees. Of all the things she wanted to do to him, this was safest. The wine and all the tension she had been feeling over the week were being kept at bay. Lily wanted him so bad, that it was almost embarrassing.
“Yeah, we were at a party, I think? I remember it was a dare and downed the whole box. I don’t remember much other than ruining Sirius’s shoes and the worst headache of my life the next day.”
Lily laughed. “The first time I got drunk, I was fourteen and kept sneaking sips of champagne at a dinner party. Nobody noticed until I was swaying and then I puked near the Prime Minister of Japan’s wife.”
James threw his head back laughing, and Lily’s eyes traced down his neck at the sight of it. “How mad were your parents?”
“Enraged,” Lily replied. “I had to take etiquette classes and was grounded for a month, I think.”
“Did you get grounded a lot as a kid?” James asked, turning a bit so was facing her.
Lily didn’t need to think before she nodded. “All the time. On purpose.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because it got me out of things I didn’t like,” she said. “Polo matches, dinners, and public outings. That was until they noticed I was doing it on purpose, so that stopped, but I had one year of absolute bliss. Were you a troublemaker?”
James snorted. “I can’t even begin to tell you all the things Sirius, Remus, and I did when we were young. My parents went grey early from us.”
“I thought you were a disciplined soldier?” Lily said sarcastically. James shot her a look.
“If younger me could see me now, he’d be disappointed, that’s for sure.”
“Would he be disappointed if he saw it right now?” Lily questioned.
James laughed. “God no, Lily. Growing up, every boy had a thing for you.”
Lily scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sure they did.”
“It’s true!” James pointed out. “There were magazines with your picture on it that would get discussed at the lunch table. Hell, Remus stayed in the closet, claiming he had a crush on you until year eleven.”
A laugh escaped her lips. She mentally filed that away for when she was able to meet Remus.
James moved her feet out from under his leg, his hands warm on her calf, and moved so Lily’s legs were across his lap. She got closer until she was just a hair away from sitting on his lap.
“Fifteen-year-old me wouldn’t know what to do if he knew he had you,” James said, the tip of his finger tracing a pattern on one of her legs as she watched the way his lips moved to form the words.
“Does twenty-five-year-old James know what he would do? I have a few ideas if you’re out.”
Lily couldn’t find it in herself to be embarrassed, not with the way James’s eyes darkened.
“No, he knows exactly what he wants to do,” James whispered. “That's all I’ve been thinking about.”
“Me too,” Lily breathed out. “You were driving me mad today.”
“I could tell with the way you were staring at me,” James replied, his fingers trailing up to the inside of her thigh and all her nerves started to sing. “It was driving me mad because I couldn’t do anything about it.”
“You can,” Lily pointed out, his fingers teasing the seam of her trousers higher and higher on her thigh. “You can do something about it right now. Starting with taking me into the bedroom.”
“Gladly.”
Lily stood up so fast that the world spun for a second but James was there to steady her with his lips, capturing her in a kiss that was chaste until Lily gathered her bearings and licked the seam of his lips; tasting the wine from James’s lips better than she could have imagined.
They pulled away for a brief moment, heading towards the door that led to Lily’s room. It didn’t last long and Lily’s back found the door as James kissed her hard. Lily’s body was a wildfire, raging without her control. Every touch from him felt it was striking a match as he kissed her against the door. She needed to breathe but she felt like if she separated from him, she’d drown.
They eventually broke apart, Lily panting while James kissed her jaw and down her neck. His day-old stubble scratched against her skin with his lips soothing it seconds afterward. James knew better than to leave marks, but Lily found herself wishing he would find her pulse point and suck it into his mouth, marks be damned for the thrill that would fill her whole body.
His hands went down her back only to stop at the waistband to tease her with a finger. Her blouse was tucked in and he wasn’t feeling her skin but it was so close that Lily let out an impatient whimper and released the hold she had on him to untuck her shirt.
“Getting a bit impatient, are we?” James whispered into her ear as his finger now touched the smooth skin of her stomach. She could feel his smirk and it did something to her. The tone of his voice, like he was praising her and patronising her at the same time made her feel even more tension in her gut.
“I’ve been nothing but patient,” Lily fired back. “I’ve been waiting all week for this.”
“You have,” James agreed, his voice low. Both of his hands appeared on her, running along the waistband and her skin, making her shiver. He squeezed one of her hips. “You should be awarded for it then, right love?”
The noise that left Lily's lips was one she’d never heard before. No one had ever spoken like this to her and she loved it. She loved it so much that it already felt worth the wait.
“Yeah,” Lily breathed out. “Please.”
James squeezed her hip and his other hand snuck up, cupping the back of her neck as he pulled away after pressing a light kiss to her cheek.
Lily opened her eyes and looked at James, who was looking at her with a small smile on his face and his gaze so open and vulnerable. A different kind of heat flooded through her; a warm affection. If her cheeks weren’t already aflame, they would have lit up now at his softness.
“What do you want?” James whispered in a tone that only lovers got to hear.
“You,” Lily replied in the same tone, her hands readjusting the grip she had on his jumper. His smile got a little wider and she pulled him to her, desperate to feel his lips against hers again, which he obliged for a moment before pulling away again.
“How do you want me?” he asked.
A million different ways this could play out shot through her mind but she needed something and needed it now and then again later. He squeezed her hip again and it made her mind up.
“Anything,” she breathed out. “Now.”
Lily barely had time to register the smirk James gave her before he was pulling her into an open-mouthed kiss that made her toes curl. She melted into it, letting him kiss her like the feel of her tongue was the only thing he needed.
She felt the bite of impatience when he continued to keep his hands everywhere but where she wanted him. She decided to let her own hands wander, uncurling the fabric of his jumper and instead going lower and under it. Lily's hands touched warm skin, firm beneath her fingers. And there were indentations: James had abs.
Lily was going to give a standing ovation to the army at the next Trooping.
She brushed against his nipples, loving the surprised noise he gasped into her mouth. She worked for her hands around and lightly dug her nails in, earning a shiver from him before she pulled away.
“James, please.”
“Yeah, okay.”
They pulled away, letting Lily open the door to her bedroom and lace her fingers through his as she pulled him through the threshold. The door had barely clicked shut behind him before she let his hand go and tugged on the bottom of the jumper in a question.
James reached behind him and lifted his jumper off in one swift motion, exposing the expanse of warm brown skin and taunt muscles. Lily barely got to appreciate the view before she was wrapped up in his arms, a light kiss pressed to her cheek that lingered. Lily let out a tiny gasp when his hands tugged on the hem of her shirt.
“I think it’s time we take your clothes off too,” he whispered, his breath fanning against her cheek.
She nodded in consent before James started lifting her shirt up. It joined the floor and James’s arm came around her waist, pulling her to him, the exposed skin warm and making her tingle all over.
It wasn’t long before James was walking her back towards the bed, his lips warm and insistent. The back of her legs hit the bed and Lily pulled him down with her, his weight covering her as he kissed her.
It took only a few minutes before the overwhelming feeling of more washed over Lily as James' hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples and making her shiver as a small noise escaped her lips. James hummed, pleased at the reaction.
He started kissing her everywhere: her chin, her neck, her collarbone. It felt like he was everywhere but where she needed him to be.
His thumb ran along the lace of her bra in a question his mouth was too busy to ask. Lily whispered out a yes only moments before James was pushing the lace down exposing her breast and putting her nipple into his mouth.
The gasp that left Lily’s mouth was loud as his tongue flicked the nipple. His other thumb rubbed circles around the other. Lily lavished in the feeling, arching up into it to chase the electric feeling. He was gentle but teasing with his tongue, making Lily gasp into the air and tangle her fingers into his hair.
James pulled away, kissing her lips again. She didn’t know what she need more: his lips on hers or her body.
“Can I go down on you?” he asked, between kisses.
That. That’s what she needed more.
James got off her, tugging his trousers down. Lily got to admire the view as she sat up and unclasped her bra. She always knew James was fit, but seeing it all out on display for her felt like it was unreal. He had definition, but he wasn’t like the star of the action movie. He had hard lines in all the right places, with a sprinkling of chest hair that grew thicker towards his pants.
Feeling cheeky, she tossed her bra towards him. He caught it with a smirk on his face.
“You’re absolutely stunning, you know that right?” he said, releasing her bra to the floor.
Lily’s cheeks went red but his gaze never left hers. James took purposeful strides over, coming back onto the bed.
“You know, they hide your freckles a lot?” he whispered as Lily laid back down, ready for him to be back on top of her. “It’s only a few, and they’re faint, but I love them.”
“People don’t like imperfections,” Lily replied, though her heart was soaring.
James retook his spot over her, impossibly warm, and arousing. Lily closed his eyes as he started pressing soft kisses to her cheeks. Lily closed her eyes, the softness of the moment melting her.
“How could anyone see them as imperfections?” he whispered against her cheek.
Lily was stopped from replying as he kissed her on the lips.
Adored, that’s what she felt. Cared for. Appreciated.
It was only a matter of time before her skirt was getting pulled off her and her thighs were getting more attention than he imagined. She was smiling widely until he nipped a bit at one, drawing a noise of surprise from her lips.
“James,” Lily issued a warning.
He looked up, blinking his deep brown eyes innocently at her. That sight alone made her want to moan.
“What? Surely I can leave a mark here?” he asked.
He shouldn’t, but Lily couldn’t find it in herself to stop him as he kissed her thighs and lifted her legs onto his shoulders.
James checked in with her one last time, her firm yes making him smirk again. The first stroke of his tongue made her legs twitch and a soft moan spilled from her lips. The second made Lily arch her back, desperate for more. She lost count after that.
He teased, flicking his tongue around her clit, then rubbing it in circles. Lily moaned when he developed a steady pace, lapping his tongue against it in just the right rhythm that Lily had no choice but to lace her fingers into his hair and keep him there. His fingers appeared with soft touches, searching for any other areas that made her breath catch.
The world could be collapsing around them and Lily wouldn’t notice. There was only him in her mind and the feeling of her pending orgasm lighting flames around her body. She touched herself, too, her hands coming up to tease her nipples to add fuel to the fire.
The fire turned into a blaze as his fingers and tongue worked together. Lily felt she couldn’t breathe as her orgasm approached, but that didn’t stop the breathy moans that escaped her lips.
“Just like that James,” she managed to get the words out, but he didn’t need the instructions.
Lily had to clap a hand over her mouth to stifle the moan that left her lips as the orgasm washed over her and the subsequent moans that followed as James kept going, letting her ride out her orgasm until her legs shook and she was so sensitive that it almost hurt.
She was boneless as James pressed kisses over her whole body. Her inner thighs, the dip of her hips, the valley between her breasts, and her neck.
“You good?” he whispered, pressing soft kisses into her neck.
“Great,” she replied, though it felt like a bit of an understatement.
He hummed in the positive and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before moving so he was by her side instead of on top of her. Lily let out a noise akin to a whimper, missing the weight on top of her. She had no choice but to turn on her side and snuggle up, her head resting on his chest with her leg thrown over his.
Lily took a second, basking in the afterglow and James’s warmth before the feeling she was ready for more. Her hand trailed down his chest, slowly before stopping at the waistband of his pants. It was satisfying, feeling his breath catch beneath her.
“You don’t have to,” James said.
“I want you.” Another hitch in his breath.
Her hand went under and found its destination. She took him in her hand, hearing the sharp inhale of James’s breath. Lily teased him to get an idea of what she was dealing with. She moved her hand up and smiled against James’s chest when a small noise escaped his lips as she moved her thumb over the head.
“This good?” Lily asked, moving her hand up and down.
“Yeah,” he breathed out.
She kept her pace slow, lavishing in the intakes of his breath. He was a good size for her based on what her hands could feel. Lily debated what to do before she realised she would be good for anything, absolutely anything to keep those noises coming from his lips.
Lily picked up the pace a bit, making the arm that James had around her hold her tighter. Lily left her comfort, propping up on her knees, to see him. The rise and fall of his chest, his bottom lip between his teeth, and his mess of hair spread out on the pillow.
He pushed his pants down his thighs, desperate for more. Lily obliged, her hand on him in an instant as she positioned herself between his legs before she could take him into her mouth.
The low moan made Lily want to know everything she could do to get more of those noises. What little experience she had in this particular area, trying to focus on her coordination and also appreciate the sounds from his lips.
Taking a second to breathe, Lily pulled off of him, her hand working at the base while she pressed sloppy kisses on the shaft while she breathed. She realised his fingers were tangled in her hair.
“God, you’re doing so well, love,” James said, a needy edge to his voice.
The praise went straight down south, enough to pull away from him completely, her mind completely made up. She needed him, needed him now.
“Can you fuck me?” Lily asked, batting her eyes at him.
“Do you want me to?” he asked, propping up on his elbows to look down at her.
She took him into her mouth once again, keeping her eyes locked to his, loving the look on his face; an opened mouth, eyes wide, his hair a tangled nest, and the rise and fall of his chest.
“Yes,” Lily said when she pulled off again.
“I have condoms in my jeans,” he said, sitting up.
“I have them closer,” she said, gesturing to the bedside table that was closest to James. He wasted no time reaching over and opening the drawer. Lily took this opportunity to tease him a bit more.
Lily lightly scratched the inside of his thighs making him fumble a bit when reaching into the drawer. She traced the v-line with her fingers earning a look as he opened the box of condoms. She slowly pumped his cock after that, earning him dropping the condom packet on his stomach as his hips jerked. And she got a moan when she pulled his skin down and lightly sucked at the tip.
But James could tease too. Lily met his eyes again, a smug smile on her face with the hopes that James would be a mess, but she was met with a look of confidence as he tore the condom wrapper with his teeth. It made Lily feel so turned on that one second, she could have him moaning beneath him and the next, he’d give her a look that made her feel like she knew exactly what he wanted to do with her.
Their eyes never left each other as he rolled the condom on. They didn’t speak either as James cupped her face and led her back to his lips, the sound of their shared kisses and sharp breaths the only noise to reach Lily’s ears.
Lily let out a noise of surprise as James flipped them over, her on her back and him covering every inch of her.
“Are you sure?” he asked, the words whispered against her neck.
“Yes,” Lily replied.
They moved around, getting into a comfortable position. A pillow under her ass and James on his knees in front of her. James entered her slowly, cautiously allowing her to get used to the stretch. It didn’t hurt it felt so good that she wrapped her legs around him and lightly scratched his back to encourage him, but he kept his pace, a low moan at the back of his throat.
Obscenities left her mouth as he bottomed out and then slowly pulled back, a sharp spark of pleasure going through her body.
“Alright, love?” James whispered. Lily could only manage a positive hum that quickly turned to a moan as he slid in again, forcing Lily’s eyes shut. “You feel so good.”
“Fuck, so do you,” she breathed out. She opened her eyes again, just to see the expression on his face; his bottom lip between his teeth, and the outline of his features coming through the window. Lily reached forward, rubbing her hands down his torso as he pushed in again and though Lily could have held back her noise of approval, she chose not to just to see how he looked, the pleasure making him open his mouth a bit, a curse leaving his mouth under his sharp intake of breath.
Maybe it was because it had been so long for her, but she never quite had sex that felt like this before. It had always been quick, Lily and her partner doing it to fill a need, but this? It felt like she could do it all day. She’d let James spend weeks or months exploring her and trying to find ways to make her moan. She wasn’t just chasing an orgasm here, but rather the need to feel close to him.
When their eyes met and James smiled a bit and Lily forgot how to breathe for a second. He stopped his hips and instead leaned forward to kiss her.
“What do you need, love?” he asked her.
The only word that crossed her mind was “You.”, but instead she whispered “Harder.”, which is how she found one leg up, resting on his shoulder and his hands gripping her hips tightly.
She came with James’s words of praise in her ear between the sounds of his pleasure as he came, and the sheet fisted, and sound fuzzy in her ears. Euphoric. Earth-Shattering. All consuming.
James was kissing her face when the world came back to her, gentle brushes of his lips all over. Lily hummed as he kissed her forehead and opened her eyes to meet his. James cupped her face and nudged his nose against hers.
“Stay?” she whispered.
James answered with a sweet kiss on her lips. “I will,” he breathed out.
They cleaned up and then quickly tangled together on the bed, skin to skin, her head on his chest with his heartbeat in her ear.
James fell asleep quickly, but Lily found herself not wanting to drift off so soon. This feeling of ease was rare and she’d be remiss to not bask in it when she had it.
By the time she closed her eyes, dangerous fantasies played in her mind of this, of them, of a future. The last thing she thought of was a happily ever after.
The Common Room is bustling with victorious Gryffindors, celebrating their first match — and win — of the season. Every so often a cheer rings out from across the crowd, disembodied hands lifting glasses into the air amongst a mass of red and gold. James is leaning against a wall next to Sirius, periodically sipping out of a truly horrendous concoction of alcohol, surveying the events before him. The fifth years playing an infantile game of Spin the Goblet; Peter and Remus drunkenly belting the lyrics to ABBA; two of his team members reenacting the most brutal points of the match.
And there she is. Lily. She’s pulled away from her friends and headed — alone, he notes — to the table full of drinks he and the boys nicked from Hogsmeade earlier in the day.
It’s always something. Something that draws him towards her, regardless of who else is in the room. Something that pricks the hairs on the back of his neck when she enters, or laughs, or hell, even breathes. It’s this inexplicable, fated thing that unsticks his feet and sends him sauntering over to her now.
“Evans,” he greets, his voice deceptively steady. He leans against the table. “Enjoying the party?”
Lily had begun eyeing the room with distaste almost before she was entirely through the door, not because it was hideous — in fact, it was quite nice — but because of who she had to share it with.
“Look, I’m not happy about this either,” James lied through his teeth said, plopping his bag down on the room’s only bed. “But I already told you, I can’t sleep on the ground, it’ll-“
“Throw out your precious back, yes, yes, I remember,” Lily cut him off, moving to the other side of the bed and setting her suitcase on the ground beside it. “I just wish that when I’d received the invitation to see an Arrows game it would have come with a little side note saying that I wouldn’t be sleeping alone the night before.”
“Remus handled the room assignments,” James added, almost defensively.
“I’m sure he did,” Lily said with a huff, not because she didn’t believe him, but simply because she had nothing else to say.
Lily knew very well that Remus had paired everyone off when booking rooms at the small inn, and she knew very well that the reason he said he paired Lily and James is because they were the only two currently un-coupled. But she also knew the real reason he’d stuck them together: Remus hated her.
He hated her. But it wasn’t the usual kind of hate where you could just hate the person back and be done with it, oh no. It was a special kind of hate. The kind where a friend will say some terrible, hateful thing like, “Before we go grab our room keys you should know that you’re rooming with James and no, there aren’t any other rooms available and yes, it’s too late to switch,” and he’ll stare while your mouth hangs open (angrily!) with this smirk on his lips and this look in his eyes that says “This is for your own good, Lil,” when it’s clearly not for your own good because now you have to share a bed with the infuriating boy that you haven’t been able to stop thinking about for the past three months, two weeks, and five days.
