[On Hiatus] It Was Meant to Be (A James and Lily Story)

Chapter 26

Lily's eyes hesitantly roamed over the entirety of the Great Hall, trying to find her friends. She sighed in relief as she spotted Mary and Alice on the far side of the room, chatting quietly. As she made her way over to them, she quickly glanced over at the Slytherin side of the room, her heart clenching as she laid eyes on Severus.

He was deep in conversation with his other housemates, sliding a piece of parchment across the table. Lily couldn't make anything out since she was so far away, but she sighed and walked over to Mary and Alice.

He's not the same person you knew before, she reminded herself, clenching her jaw.

Lily dropped her textbook on the table and slung her schoolbag off of her shoulder, resting it on the bench. Alice smiled at her and Mary made room for her on the bench. Lily took her seat, flipping open her textbook.

"Hey, I need your help with Transfiguration. I can't seem to understand this unit on transfiguring ourselves to become more powerful. It seems like everything McGonagall says goes over my head these days."

"Trust me, Lily, if you don't know what's going on, I have no hope. I've just been writing whatever comes to my head, praying I don't get a T," confessed Mary.

Alice gasped. "Now, don't do that! How are you going to learn anything if you keep up that attitude?"

"I've pretty much given up. NEWT's aren't that important, are they?" deadpanned Mary, but Lily knew she was just joking.

"Don't pay attention to her, Lils. Let's work through that theory together, I'm also having trouble understanding it," Alice said, reassuringly.

As Lily and Alice worked side by side, Mary worked on her Divination journal. Occasionally, Mary would groan as she tried to think of new creative ways to predict her future. Lily smiled to herself. She had really missed studying with her friends and she was glad she could spend some, albeit short, time with them.

At that exact moment, James Potter walked into the Great Hall, Remus by his side, shouldering his schoolbag. He didn't seem to notice Lily, but she had looked up from her notes, her eyes following him as he took a seat near the middle of the Hall. Of course, this did not escape the notice of Mary and Alice.

"Is there anything going on between you guys?" Mary asked.

"Between me and James? No, of course not!" replied Lily, hotly. She averted her eyes from his figure and reread the paragraph in her textbook.

"Lily, you have to admit, you are definitely closer to him than before," mentioned Alice, hesitantly.

"Yes, but that was before he was a complete arse to me!"

"So you agree that you were close to him before he was an arse?" asked Mary, raising an eyebrow.

Lily felt her face go red and spluttered, "No, Mary! Of course not!"

Alice placed a hand on her arm, "Lily, it's okay if you fancy him. You don't have to prove anything to us."

Lily opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it again, realizing that she really needed someone to talk to. She didn't want to hide it from two of the people she trusted most.

"Okay, yes, I do fancy him," Lily conceded.

Her admission was met with a squeal from Alice and a slight nudge from Mary.

She felt a huge weight fall off of her chest as she tried her best to hide the smile on her face. Yes, she fancied James Potter. And why shouldn't she? It was clear that he was attractive, the majority of Hogwarts agreed on that count. But, for Lily, it was more than that. He was funny and charming and so so so kind. He didn't hesitate to speak his mind, whether it was for something trivial or serious. She genuinely enjoyed being around him because as arrogant as he was, she found him endearing.

"It's about time!" exclaimed Mary.

"When did this happen, Lily?" asked Alice, her face lit up with a smile.

"I dunno. I realized it at our last Hogsmeade visit," said Lily, "But, I don't want to date him or anything."

Alice frowned, "What? Why not?"

Lily sighed. "I- I just can't. We're so different, in more ways than one, and I-"

"But Lily, you fancy him! Poor boy has fancied you for as long as I can remember. Give him a chance!" interrupted Mary.

"Good god, you sound like Sirius," groaned Lily, burying her head in her textbook.

"Sirius? Sirius Black? You've discussed this with Sirius Black?!" gasped Mary.

"Not extensively... he just told me to give James a chance."

"And why aren't you going to give him a chance?" questioned Alice, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Because- well- because he was an arse to me!" Lily said, trying to find the right words.

"But you still fancy him?"

"Yes."

"And you refuse to date him?"

"Yes."

"If he asked you, right now, at this moment, would you say yes?" hypothesized Alice.

"This discussion is pointless because he obviously just sees me as a friend! He hasn't even asked me out at all this year."

"Well, he did try to kiss you, Lils. I don't think he's lost interest completely yet," Mary smirked.

"And right after, he proceeded to tell me I was manipulative and controlling!"

"Well-" began Mary, but Alice shushed her by giving her a pointed look.

"You're right, Lily. We trust you to sort it out yourself. But, Mary and I are always here for you if you ever need anything."

Lily sighed, grateful to Alice for knowing when to relent. Mary still looked like she had a few questions to ask, but instead, she focused on a figure behind Lily who was approaching their table.

Lily turned around and saw David Carter standing in front of them, his hands casually in the pockets of his robe.

"Hey, Lily. Mary," he said, nodding towards Mary. Mary gave him a small smile.

"Hello, David," said Lily, wondering why he had decided to come up to them.

"Er- I actually just had a quick favor to ask," started David, wringing his hands behind his back.

She shared a surprised look with Mary who said, "Of course, what is it?"

"Well, erm, I was wondering if I could get a copy of your Charms notes. I wasn't really paying attention and I know that Lily, you're brilliant at Charms."

There was a moment of tense silence as Lily processed what he just said.

When it seemed like Lily was not going to respond any time soon, Mary quickly began to ruffle through the papers in her bag. "Here, I have my copy. You can borrow them," she said, producing a sheath of parchment.

"Oh, thank you, Mary," David said, a shred of disappointment visible on his face.

Once David was out of earshot, Lily turned to Mary. "What was that about?"

"He wanted notes," said Mary, nonchalantly.

"What does he need notes for? He's a bloody Ravenclaw!"

"Why're you asking me? I dunno," Mary shrugged, returning to her journal.

Lily shared a look with Alice who just gave her a small smile and returned to her textbook. Lily shook her head and put the entire interaction to the back of her mind. Her gaze returned to James Potter, who was furiously writing on a piece of parchment, occasionally murmuring something to Remus beside him.

Lily sighed and went back to her work, pushing all thoughts of James Potter out of her mind.