Settings of Fate

Settings of Fate

A sigh escaped her lips as she turned a page in the textbook, titled 'The Developments of Muggles Since the Late 19th Century'.. one she was reading for Muggle Studies, of course. It was rather late, and she was really tired. She realized that being settled in front of the fireplace, in a pouffy armchair, under a blanket, and wearing your pajamas could make you tired as soon as she began to doze off. Lily, you smart girl.. fall asleep in the Common Room, why don't you? Someone might come down and steal your covers or something! She shoved the voice away and drifted off to sleep. The time was 11:30 at night.

She woke up about forty-five minutes later, a cold draft waking her slowly. The fire had gone out, due to a soft wind from the window on the stairwell, which was propped open a bit. She threw a log on the fireplace, mumbled a spell, and the common room was filled with a warm, flickering light once more. She went to close the window, but tripped over the rug, falling onto her face. She thought she heard someone sniggering at her, but it was just her imagination -- who would be up at 12:15 in the morning? Her question was soon to be answered, though. She got up, a bit dazed from the fall, and started towards the stairwell, nearly running into the wall -- that's how tired she was. Now she was positive someone was laughing at her.. but she didn't see anyone or anything -- until a clatter arose behind her. She turned around and spotted a pair of black-rimmed spectacles on the floor.. very familiar black-rimmed spectacles, indeed. Her mind clicked: James Potter was down here.. he had to be! Unless it was Peeves, going around invisible and stealing people's glasses and whatnot.

Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "Who's there?" She started feeling around for someone, looking utterly ridiculous with her arms waving around in the air. Feet went across the floor, and a horrendously loud clatter fell upon her ears as the chair she had been sleeping in went sliding two feet from its original position. She bent down, patting what looked like the air, feeling something rather solid. She grasped the thing that was hiding the person. A gasp was drawn in quickly; the person she had just uncovered was James Potter!

"James!"

"Alright, alright, it's me, don't have a bloody cow, Evans," he snapped at her, rolling over onto his back to look at her. Never you mind the fact that he was dressed in a set of pajamas under the unique cloak. "So uh, can I have my cloak back? It was a present."

"What the devil do you think you're doing, sneaking around while everyone else is asleep?" She said angrily, pointing a shaking finger at the cloak. "There's your bloody cloak.." She offered him a hand to help him up, nonetheless.

"None of your buisness, Evans. I don't know if i've made that perfectly clear yet." He took her hand and stood with her help. "Could you do me a bit of a favor and hand me my glasses? I'll be out of your hair once I sort everything out."

"Here's your glasses, Potter.." She picked up his cloak for him, thinking it was necessary, since she had dropped it. "What sort of cloak is it that you have there, anyway, Potter?" Her voice was full of intrest, intrigued with the fact that a simple cloak could make you invisible! Of course, she thought about the horrible things he could do with it.. like spy on girls changing in the Prefect bathroom, but shoved that thought away.. it was more likely of Sirius to do that. She raised an eyebrow, tucking a strand of auburn behind her left ear.

"Just your normal, average, cloak. Give it here?" He got a bit snippy with her, his eyes looking at her dangerously, a strange look in his eyes.

"Well, someone's got a temper, don't they?" She looked at him, her emerald hues focused on his hazel ones. "What do you say?"

A step nearer to her was taken, making her gasp. He looked down at her, his eyes and face suddenly expressionless. "Please." It was a simple statement, without any expression whatsoever. Yet she succumbed to it.

Her hand went limp, letting the cloak fall from her hand into his, her eyes boring into his. "That's all you had to say... was please..." She sighed softly, looking at the cloak before returning her eyes to his, wondering what his next words would be. Her heart beat faster.

"What else do you want me to say?" His eyes stayed expressionless, though she could almost hear the fluttering of his thoughts. A look inside his mind would tell you that he was thinking.. There are a million things I could say.. you're beautiful.. I've wanted you all along.. I love you..

She went pale with the thought of what she had to tell him next: she absolutely had to tell him, for her secret love of him had been secret all too long. A deep breath was taken on her part before she spat it out. It was hard for her, though. "That.. that you.." She went extremely red in her cheeks and got quiet. "That you feel the same way about me that I feel about you."

"Oh, Lily..." Now expression showed.. one that shocked her beyond belief. There was a warm glance to his eyes..love? No! What changed her mind extremely quickly was the fact that she felt his warm kiss upon his lips.. and everything went blank to her. Except the fact that James loved her, and she loved him, and the world was oh-so-right now.

Nothing changed that fate-filled night (except the fact that Lily and James became a couple), nothing they could feel or see, anyway (besides love). Although somewhere in the universe, a piece of the puzzle settled into place.. and the rest of their lives were set on a cord of Fate, one that would be cut a few years later, a year after the birth of their only son, Harry James Potter -- the Boy Who Lived. The rest is history.