Sidebar Image courtesy of astralsymphony.
Sidebar Image courtesy of astralsymphony.
In honor of our beloved James’s birthday (which it still is…er, somewhere). Please ignore any and all mistakes that are undoubtedly in this. It’s 1:30 and I’m too lazy to read it over. I’ll do it in the morning and promptly die of shame from all the stupid errors. Other than that, enjoy! =)
It was the first time in weeks that she’d heard her mother laugh, a soft, surprised chuckle that struck Lily’s ears like a blaring alarm. She turned instantly at the sound, searching the room for her mother’s familiar form, but robustness must have been a Dursley family trait because Lily couldn’t spot a single thing beyond the stalwart wall of Vernon’s hefty relatives. The engagement party had been going well so far, a bloody miracle considering this was the first time that the Evans and Dursley clans had mixed, not to mention the minor setback of Lily having to split her time between greeting guests and consoling her weeping mother just before the party had begun. Now if she could only manage to shake off the lot of Petunia’s mates who’d cornered her as she was fetching drinks and who seemed incapable of doing anything other than staring at Lily as if she were some kicked puppy while they murmured their condolences.
“Poor Petunia,” simpered Mary, one of the bridesmaids. “No one to walk her down the aisle.”
“Excuse me,” Lily said, because even if she hadn’t heard yet another laugh that sounded like her mother’s, she’d had enough.
Extracting herself from the circle of sympathetic henwits was a task, but proved to be a timely one when a group of Dursley relatives apparently decided it was time to join the buffet line just as Lily had successfully squirmed away, giving her her first clear view of the room…and of the gift table, with the noticeable pair standing just beside it.
Her heart pulling in her chest, Lily made her way towards them.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Mrs. Evans’s eyes twinkled. “James was just telling me quite the joke.”
“I can’t believe you’ve never told her the one about the witch and the Niffler,” James said.
“She doesn’t know what a Niffler is.”
Mrs. Evans scoffed. “Perhaps it took a bit of explaining at first, but I got it!” She looked towards James in shared exasperation. “Honestly. My own child. Such little faith!”
“Never fear, Mrs. Evans,” James replied. “I like to think she doubts the ones she likes best.”
As Lily’s mother let out a fresh peal of quiet laughter, Lily snaked her hands about James’s arm, curling her fingers into the stiff material of his white dress shirt. She tugged gently.
“Dance with me.”
James nodded and followed along silently, but they had barely made it to the dance floor before he was already pulling her closer and speaking softly at her ear.
“Before you start griping,” he muttered, “you said no funny business, not no being funny. And some things a wizard just can’t control, Evans.”
“Oh, isn’t it hard to be you?” Lily shook her head, moving in time to the faint sounds of the music. Her fingers stroked at James’s shoulder. “I didn’t pull you out here to scold you, you know. I haven’t…she…this is the first time she’s laughed in quite a while.”
“Oh.” James’s hand rubbed a gentle pattern at her back. “Good, then.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“Of course.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“What, and miss seeing you in this dress? For shame, Evans.”
The laugh burst out of her before she could think to stop it, sounding short and rusty, not at all her usual. Lily realised then that perhaps it wasn’t only her mother who hadn’t laughed for ages. And perhaps it wasn’t only her mother who found a partial remedy in the easy charm of a funny boy.
She dropped her head down against James’s shoulder, closing her eyes and letting herself be comforted.
Drabble by bcdaily, art by astralsymphony
something super quick; happy valentine’s day.
All right, I just need to say this. I think it’s insulting to tell someone they are not a true fan/cannot ship Jily/judge them in any way based on the fanfics they like. I mean, seriously, just think about it for a moment. Does that in any way apply to the rest of your life? Don’t you value your…
Does this actually happen? Granted, I find myself in an awkward position in terms of experience with this, but I have never known people in our little L/J fandom to judge each other on what they read and/or don’t read. They might say things like, “You’re not a true fan” in jest, but it’s not meant seriously or maliciously. They’re not actually discounting anyone’s tastes. Not that I’ve ever seen, anyway. So I’m just curious. Is this actually a lot of people’s experiences?
“You missed the party,” Lily commented as James Potter walked through the portrait hole, his shirt slightly undone and hair looking messier than usual.
“I tried to escape, but Filch was ruthless tonight.”
She was still in her party dress: a jade green number that sparkled with tiny yellow beading along the bodice and flowed to the floor in a light, chiffon wave down her front. She watched as he shifted uncomfortably before her, tucking his shirt into his trousers in a feeble attempt to match her manner of dress.
Taking a step towards him, Lily sighed. “It was quite possibly the best Gryffindor Christmas Extravaganza yet. McGonagall only interrupted once, and by that point all the fourth years and younger had gone to bed so it got handled calmly. I performed one hell of a Silencing Charm around her office after that.” She was smiling, the space between them closed significantly. He crossed his arms, thinking they must look dumb just hanging limply at his side.
“You look – stunning.”
“You look like you’ve been polishing trophies for four hours.”
James let out a laugh, and the sound echoed around them in the empty Common Room. He felt warm, despite the heavy snowfall that was taking place just outside. “Yes, well. I did a smashing job, I’ll have you know. Quite a productive detention.”
“Be that as it may,” Lily began, chin tilted to look up at him as she stood directly in front of him, “you missed our dance.”
“Our dance?” he inquired, an eyebrow lifted upwards and a small smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth.
“I was saving one for you.”
“Is that so?” She nodded. “Well we’re in luck. It just so happens that my best dancing occurs after I’ve just had a four hour detention.”
Lily laughed as he pulled her towards him, wrapping one arm around her waist while the other hand reached for hers. “There’s no music.”
“Such luck!” he exclaimed. “Not only am I best at dancing after four hours of detention, but also when there’s no music!”
He twirled her around, the fabric of her gown billowing delicately at her ankles. She smiled as he brought her close against his chest. They swayed in silence for several minutes, the only rhythm belonging to the sound of her heartbeat in her ear. When they stopped, she remained in his hold, relishing the feeling. And without a second thought, she looked up and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
“Happy Christmas, James,” she said, thankful for the dark of the Common Room that she hoped disguised her flushed cheeks.
Check out the community for some fabulous fanworks for the next two weeks, lovelies! Help us bring in the holiday season with Lily and James. And don’t forget to leave the authors and artists comments!
“Your ears are overly large, did you know that?”
James cracked open an eye. “I’m sorry?”
Lily shifted on top of him, propping an elbow next to his head. Her chin fell into her palm. “Your ears,” she said. “They’re large. Enormous, even.”
“My ears are bloody fine.”
“They’re really not.” She shifted again—to get a better look at his ear, James suddenly realised, and instantly batted her away. But the girl proved determined. She merely swung around to gawk at the other one. “I can’t believe I’ve never noticed before. They’re positively disproportionate.”
“They’re fine.” But James’s hand seemed to lift of its own accord, tracing the outline of the appendage with uncertain fingers. Lily’s grin broadened. James’s hand snapped back down to the bed. “They’re not!”
“Oh, don’t have a cry about it. It’s not complete rubbish.” Lily’s fingers followed the same path his had. “I bet your hearing’s stellar.”
“Your eyes are squinty,” James returned, then caught her hand. “And you’ve the longest, boniest fingers I’ve ever seen. Like claws.”
“Is that the best you’ve got?”
James sifted his hand through her hair. “And you’re a ginger.”
He earned an indelicate snort at that, one muffled against his shirtfront as Lily dropped her elbow and buried her face against his chest. James kept his fingers hidden amidst the ging. Her claws scraped a gentle pattern against the skin above his collar.
“Just face it,” she sighed. “You’ve got big ears and shitty wit. I’m better looking and infinitely more clever. You’re never going to do better than me, Potter. Not ever.”
“We’ll see, Evans. We’ll see.”
art by astralsymphony; drabble by bcdaily
“so fall down, I need you to trust me. go easy don’t rush me. help me out, why don’t you help me out” (maroon5)
I adore so many things about our lovely little niche of Lily/James fandom, but there is one thing—one rather prevelant thing—that drives me absolutely mad. And it’s this little piece of wonderment right here:
James changed for Lily.
Guys…no. Just no. No, no, no, no, no. If I had a nickel for every time I heard this—and every subsequent time I wanted to weep—I would be a very rich lady indeed. Do people realise what they’re saying when they claim this? That they are reducing James character to absolutely nothing? I know it sounds “romantic” or whatnot, but think about this for a second—what if someone said the same thing about Lily? What if they said, “Lily changed for James.” You would not be aww-ing or applauding her. You’d be going, “WTF? Where the hell is your self respect? You don’t change for a man!”
So why is this any different for James?
I’m not saying that James didn’t change necessarily or that Lily didn’t reap the benefits (though arguments can be made that it wasn’t as big of a change as everyone wants to make it out to be, but that’s another rant for another day), but the fact that so many people reduce it to a simple act done to impress a girl is absurd. It’s more than absurd. In your act of creating a fanciful romantic tale, you turn James into a fraud. You give him one layer and one layer only. How could anyone want to do that to this wonderful, brilliant character? Whyyy?
James Potter was a human character. He was more than just his love for Lily. So many people build these huge back stories for her, but they find no need to do the same for him. Why o’ why? He’s got life drama, too! We shouldn’t discredit that.
Sorry for this mini-rant, but I somehow came across this about three times today and it became a bit too much. Stop shitting all over our beloved James. I know you think you’re doing him a service, but you’re really not.
Here’s to remembering the good, even on a sad day such as this. Thank you, Bee, for creating so many good moments to pick from.
*Also, I am a rambler. So, apologies for that.
In honor of our beloved OTP, who brought as much to each other’s lives as they’ve brought to ours. James&LilyPotter
[Oneshot, Lily/James]
Just say something perfect, something I can steal. Say, look at me, baby, we’ll be fine, all we’ve gotta do is be brave and be kind. (The National.)
Sign up for the LilyJames_fest’s Season Greetings holiday exchange! Bring some L/J love into your holiday season! The more people who sign up, the more L/J goodness we all get. =)
**The deadline for participating is tomorrow (10/21)! Make sure to sign up! <3**
