Hero of the Story || James Potter x Hermione Granger Fanfiction

27 | something always brings me back to you

"But you see," Lily continued, "he shows all of these sides when he's with you." Hermione glanced at Lily in surprise, prompting the older witch's smile to widen. "I think it's really sweet, how he truly treats you, Hermione. Potter was never like that to me and I doubt he'd even be like that to me if we ever did get together – Merlin forbid."

Lily continued to blink unseeingly at the Black Lake, oblivious to the myriad of emotions crossing over Hermione's face. "So, in summary, yes I did think of trying to date James Potter before," she continued, followed by a disbelieving laugh. "But that curiosity fizzled, now that I have my own sourpuss whom I love more than life itself."

"Love?" the brunette breathed out in surprise.

The redhead's cheeks turned a lovely shade of red upon realising her slip-up. "It's inevitable, Hermione," she pointed out with a shy grin. "We've been friends for years, even longer than our friendship with you. I know people always thought I'd stop becoming friends with him or that Sev would choose his Housemates and their stupid beliefs over me, but I seriously cannot understand that. Maybe like how James Potter shows himself to you, I'm the only one who has seen all the sides of Severus Snape. And let me tell you, Hermione; I love them all – the good, the bad, and the sourpuss."

Hermione stared at Lily and noticed how there was a lovely smile on her face, her green eyes shining extra brighter today. The softness of her expression was enough to clench Hermione's heart tightly, forcing her to look away.

She had forgotten this was Lily Evans, the woman who was famously known for her undying love for her son. If it weren't for Lily's love, then Harry wouldn't have been saved at all.

When Lily Evans loved, she loved hard and fierce.

"I wasn't really meaning to say this today," Lily continued, oblivious to the inner turmoil in Hermione. "Sev insisted we should wait to tell you until after NEWTs, but with your ridiculous questions, maybe you need some reassurance that I will never, ever date James Potter."

Hermione quizzically looked back at Lily, but the redhead still held her gaze towards the horizon.

"Sev asked me to move in with him at Spinner's End after graduation," she revealed. "I've told my parents already and they instantly agreed. I did tell you they love Sev, so they knew he'd take care of me properly." Lily chuckled and stretched her arms heavenward, luxuriously bending on her side until she heard a satisfying crick. "I can't wait to tear his whole house down and make it liveable."

The brunette thickly swallowed. "You seem awfully set to spend your future with Sev," Hermione whispered.

Lily's green eyes glinted under the bright sky, eyes that belonged to her best friend. "I always knew I'd be stuck with him until the end of time," Lily confessed with a brilliant smile. "And, to tell you the truth, I can't bloody wait."

___________

March 14, 1978

James Potter was distracting.

Very distracting to the point that Hermione couldn't properly study her Arithmancy textbook. The words and numbers all seemed jumbled in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to stay put so that she could devour the new information she needed for her essay.

Hermione glowered darkly at the oblivious seventh year, whose head was buried behind a Herbology textbook. His glasses were precariously perched on the tip of his nose, and James kept on distractedly pushing them up, only for his glasses to slip down once more.

The brunette had found out recently that she liked to look at James the most when he was studying. There was something about the way his forehead creased in concentration, or how he'd mercilessly nibble his bottom lip in deep thought that captivated Hermione's attention. The green in his hazel eyes was always most prominent when he was deeply in thought like this. Sometimes, James would silently mouth words repeatedly until he was satisfied he'd put the words into his memory.