Nothing Less

"Give me one good reason to believe you, James Potter!"

"Lily, I swear--"

"Don't you swear anything to me! You've been going out with her since January! Don't even try to deny it!"

"All right, I won't. But Lily--"

"Shut up, James Arden Potter, just shut up! I am not finished with you yet!"

"Obviously, James," said a boy with white-streaked brown hair and bright gray eyes from the sofa nearest the fireplace. He had his Transfiguration textbook on his lap, but his eyes were fixed on the quarrelling duo. "Milady will never be finished with you."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your tone, my dear Remus?" This time the speaker was a black-haired, blue-eyed boy with a lazy grin on his face. He wasn't even pretending to be studying; he stared at the other boy with avid interest. "James, mate, I never knew your middle name was Arden. Named after anybody?"

"Grandfather. My father's side."

"Arden Potter?"

"Uh-huh. Arden Lamont Potter III."

"Poor guy."

"That's almost as bad as Peter Peyton Pettigrew," said the boy in question. He had mousy brown hair, brown eyes, and was at least half a foot shorter than the shortest of the other three.

"Yeah, I know."

"EXCUSE ME!"

All four boys quickly fell silent as the russet-haired girl said, "I am not done, and I will thank you to stay out of it!" Turning to James, she said, "Now, as for you--"

"Why are you so bothered, Lily?" A strange look crossed James's face, as if this thought had just occurred to him.

"I--excuse me?"

"I asked, why are you so bothered by my going out with Isadora Harian?"

"I--well--James--she's a Slytherin! And you know Severus Snape's had his eye on her since fifth year!"

"That's exactly why he wants her," said the black-haired boy. "Can't let Sevvy-boy have all the fun, you know."

"Lily--I don't think that's what's bothering you," James said, his blue eyes locked onto her bright green ones. Was it just him, or did they seem a bit too bright?

"Oh don't you? Well, Mr. I-Know-Everything-About-Lily-Evans, what is bothering me, then?"

"I think--I think--oh, never mind."

"No, James, what do you think?" piped up the black-haired boy, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. "Do you think--could it be--"

"Nah," put in the boy called Remus.

"Sirius, I don't--" Lily was trying to stop him, but it was in vain.

"Could Our Lady Lily have finally fallen for Prongs Potter?"

Lily silently cursed her blood as it rushed to her cheeks from whatever useful position it had previously been occupying. "Of course not, Sirius Black. Are you insane? This is James. He's been my friend since third year. I couldn't imagine being in love with him. I just don't--we don't--it wouldn't work out. Sirius, no, you're crazy."

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Remus murmured audibly. Lily shot him a Look.

"And your friend James is in love with Isadora Harian."

"He is not!" Unbidden, the words escaped her lips, with much more force than she would have intended had she wanted them out in the open in the first place. What am I thinking? Lily reflected. I don't make sense to myself!

"Ah ha! Someone's jealous! James, I think you need to have a talk with this girl. She's fallen head over heels in love with you!"

"Oh, really! Sirius, for once in your life, live up to your name!"

"Ah, but my dear girl, I am named after the Dog Star, not that terribly boring emotion which you seem to want me to be."

"Boys! Honestly!" Lily turned and ran up the stairs. James, looking after her, saw her shoulders begin to shake by the time she reached the top of the stairs. He stood there for a moment, indecisive about whether or not to chase after her and try to explain, but then he sat down. He didn't feel like being screamed at twice in one night.

"James, go after her," Remus said instantly.

"Remus..."

"She was crying, James."

"Oh, so you noticed it too?"

"If you noticed it, why aren't you doing anything about it?"

"He's too smart, Moony, my mate," said Sirius. "Doesn't want to get yelled at again, am I right, James?"

"Right you are, Padfoot." But James kept looking at the girls' staircase. "Besides, Remus," he said suddenly, "I...she...that's not..."

Sirius came to the rescue. "What Prongs here is trying to say is, that's the girls' dormitories. A mere male would never stand a chance in there."

"That's never bothered you before, Sirius," Peter said, almost jealously.

Sirius laughed. "Well, I've been invited!"

"Not always."

"Oh yeah? Tell me when, then."

"Well, there was that time in second year when you ransacked the first-year girls' dormitory because Henrietta Birch snubbed you."

"And then when Phaedra Eldon said she needed help unpacking her trunk, you were there."

"And then later that night," said Peter, "she said it again, and you'd been up there for three hours already! If I didn't know you, Sirius, I would've thought you'd been snogging, instead of packing."

"Ah, yes. Good times, those." Sirius leaned back, his arms behind his head, a smug smile crossing his handsome features.

"But that's not the point," said Remus. "Come on, James. Go apologize to her."

"James, you really should," said Peter suddenly. "I know I would, if I was in love with Lily."

James shot out of his chair. "I am not in love with Lily Evans! If Isadora heard you say that..."

"If Snape heard you say that..."

"All right, all right, already! I'll go. If I'm not back in an hour, you'll know you'll find my demolished remains under Lily Evans's bed in the girls' dormitory."

"Either that, or you'll have made up, and we'll find your demolished remains on Lily Evans's bed in the girls' dormitory."

"Oh, shut up, Padfoot." James started up the staircase, the other boys' catcalls echoing in his head.

She doesn't love you, Potter, he told himself. Keep calm. Just stay cool. You'll tell her you only went out with Isadora because she asked you and because you couldn't stand Snape having anything pretty. And because...Lily turned you down.

He frowned, remembering December's Yule Ball. He'd asked Lily to be his date for the evening, but she'd declined.

"Oh, James, I'm sorry, but Lennox Walcott already asked me."

"You're going with a Ravenclaw? And the Ravenclaw Seeker?"

Her face had turned red. "Yes, why not?" He should have seen the dangerous glint in her eye, he realized now, but like the fool he was, he'd just kept barreling on.

"Lily, you deserve better than that! You deserve a Gryffindor--someone like--"

"Someone like you?! Ha! James Potter, you've elevated yourself so high I'm surprised you haven't hit your head on the ceiling!" She'd flounced off then. He'd spent the Yule Ball by himself. He'd been asked several times to dance, but he didn't want to. He just wanted to sit and watch the candlelight glance off Lily's beautiful auburn hair as Walcott twirled her around the dance floor.

Now, he resolved, he'd talk to her. He didn't know if she was Walcott's girlfriend or not, but he'd sure find out.

Lily ran up the stairs. She was never speaking to James Potter again, never. How could he go out with that...that...Slytherin? Just to get back at Severus? She doubted that.

She collapsed on her bed, shoulders shaking with sobs. How could I have thought he liked me? James Potter, the famous Quidditch player, the handsomest boy in Gryffindor (except maybe for Sirius)--how could he like plain little Muggle-born Lily Evans? I'm his friend. Just a friend. That's all I ever was to him.

But a friend used to be good enough for you, said a nagging little voice in her head. What more could you possibly want?

His love, Lily responded, with a fierceness that surprised even her. I want James to love me as much as I do him--with all of his heart and all of his soul.

Good luck, said the nasty little voice sarcastically. But what about Walcott?

I don't love Lennox. He's nice enough, but I don't love him. I love James.

Yes, but James will never love you back, said the cruel voice.

And why not?

As you said yourself, you're just plain little Muggle-born Lily Evans. You're not good enough for the likes of him.

Lily fell asleep crying.

James knocked on the door softly. "Lily?"

There was no answer.

He knocked again, a bit louder this time. "Lily?"

No answer.

He turned the doorknob cautiously. "Lily? I'm really sorry, I--"

That's when he saw her.

Curled up on her bed, her face turned toward him, red hair fanning out across her shoulders and across the pillow. She looked so peaceful. But--what was that? Tear tracks down her cheeks? James felt a stab of remorse. Why had he been such a git? How could he have made the beautiful Lily Evans cry?

She was so beautiful, she took his breath away. He loved this girl.

Loved.

James gasped out loud. Love is a strong word, he reminded himself. I don't love Lily Evans. I like her, just like I like Isadora Harian.

But you don't like Isadora Harian, said a voice in his head.

So what? Then maybe I don't like Lily.

No, you don't like Lily. You love Lily.

You're completely mad. You belong in St. Mungo's.

Whatever, James. You know as well as I do that's not true.

Just shut up and let me watch her in peace!

He studied her features. The pattern of light freckles fanning across her tanned nose--he was still amazed at how tan she was. Redheads weren't supposed to be tan, were they? Sirius thought Lily used Zenon Yorick's Brown-All-Over Tanning Potion, but James thought it was natural. Lily wasn't the type of girl to do that. And her eyes...but James couldn't see her eyes right now.

Lily sighed and moved slightly in her sleep, and a piece of hair fell across her nose. Before he could think, James was across the room, his index finger lightly touching Lily's skin, bringing the piece of red glory back to its resting place by Lily's perfect ear. Bending over, James breathed in her scent...she smelled of vanilla. His favorite.

Isadora had always smelled of lavender--beautiful, but cold and overpowering. Just like Isadora herself, with her flawless, made-up skin, her cutting remarks to all but himself and Severus Snape, and the way she wanted to control him. That's why he'd broken up with her a month before. He didn't know who'd told Lily about their "relationship"--probably Isadora herself. She wanted him back, but there was no way on this earth he would ever again be more than an acquaintance with Isadora Harian. Or any Slytherin, for that matter.

James found himself kneeling on the floor by Lily's bed, looking at her face, hoping against hope that she would open those beautiful green eyes so he could lose himself in them.

Then she did.

"James!" she gasped.

He leaned over and kissed her.

Her kisses were everything Isadora's were not--they were innocent and pure, yet at the same time captivating. He reached over and ran his fingers through her rich auburn hair. Oh my God. I do love her. After all these years, he'd finally been able to admit it to himself. I love her more than anything on this earth, including my own life. How could I have made her cry?

As for Lily, she was in heaven.

When they broke apart, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"For what? The kiss, or Isadora?"

"Both."

"Don't be sorry for the kiss. James, I--I think I love you."

"I love you too, Lily." She stood up and he put his arms around her, holding her close.

"James?" she whispered in his ear. "Why don't you call me 'milady' like Remus and Sirius and Peter?"

"Because," he said, holding her at arm's length and staring into her eyes with a serious expression on his face, "to me, Lily Marie Evans, you are no lady."

He felt her stiffen, but only held her tighter.

"No, he continued, "you are no lady. You are nothing less than a queen."

She buried her face in his sweater. Oh my goodness. I'm going to cry!

"Nothing less than the queen of my heart," he elaborated, stroking her hair.

Finding her voice, she managed to choke out, "And you, James, are the king of mine."

His blue eyes blinked. "Lily..."

"Hush," she whispered, putting a finger to his lips and gently bringing his face down to hers.

But when they broke apart again, her beautiful green eyes held a troubled look. "But James...what about Isadora?"

"Who?"

"James..."

"Oh, her. Consider her history."

"Oh, James...Severus will be so happy..."

They both laughed.

And he kissed her again.