DENY. → jily

nine

James looked at the beautiful colours on the canvas, almost as beautiful as the girl he was painting. He knew Lily would probably call him a dork if she found out that he was painting a picture of her without even having her model for him, but he knew her face well enough to know what it looked like without having it in front of him. His theory was that if you loved someone, you would never forget them. If you did, then it wasn't really love, was it?

He had just finished her eyebrows when the door to his outside workshop opened, revealing his mother, her hair in a low bun and her white dress looking far too large for her small frame.

James had never really looked at her properly, never really looked at the way her eyes formed wrinkles when she laughed, and even when she didn't, they wouldn't go away. He noticed the way her mouth had lines when she smiled, and the way her skin looked a little too big for her bones. Her hair was thin too, and the colour had changed from a light brown to a dark grey. He had always known his parents were older than most people's his age, but it was only now that he really saw it.

''Hey, honey. What're you painting?'' His mother said, sitting down in the wooden chair that James was standing beside. He shrugged.

''Nothing much, just a random painting,'' He said. His mother raised an eyebrow. She could always tell when he lied.

''Hmm. You've never put this much effort into a 'random painting' before, have you?'' She said, smirking at him, knowing she caught him out in his lie. She may have been old in age, but she wasn't in heart. He pretend-glared at her, then rolled his eyes, setting his brush down on his easel so he could talk to her better.

''Look, it isn't 'just some random painting', its actually of a girl who's really important to me.'' He said, and his mother laughed.

''Me, then?'' She jokingly asked, raising an eyebrow as he glared at her.

''Yeah, of course, because you have green eyes and red hair.'' He said sarcastically. ''No, not you, mum. My girlfriend, Lily Evans.'' As his mother stared at him in half-shock, half-amusement, he thought about how nice it was to say the words 'my' and 'girlfriend' and 'Lily Evans' in the same sentence.

''Oh my god, James! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would've invited her for dinner and gave her presents!'' His mother said, her hand over her heart like she was swooning over them.

''That's exactly why I didn't tell you.'' James said, rolling his eyes, which made his mother pretend-glare at him.

''Oh, shut up, you. I can't believe it! Our little Jamesy! Oh, it seems like only yesterday that I was the girl you wanted to marry!'' She said, wiping a tear from her eye as James scrunched up his nose.

''First of all, I'm not moving away, she's my girlfriend, not wife, and second, ew. How long ago did I say I wanted to marry you? No offence, but I can't imagine anything worse!'' He said, and she laughed.

''Honey, neither can I. But you know how kids are,'' She said, smiling at him. And he did know how kids were. He was best friends with Sirius, after all.

''Whatever, mum. You're still trying to marry me for my sexy hair.'' He said, winking at her. She laughed.

''Hon, your father has hair of his own, and I'd much rather his hair over yours.'' She said, and James gagged, like he always did when his mother and father were acting 'lovey-dovey', as he and Sirius described it.

''You're so gross. And leave me alone, I need to finish this for art class.'' He said, squirming away from her arms that were trying to envelope him in a hug. Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes.