From a Different Angle by butterflykisses
Chapter Notes: This is my first one-shot submitted...ever. It's rather short, but I hope you enjoy it!
James woke up bright and early on a Saturday in November, something very out of the ordinary for him. Well, today wasn’t just any ordinary day for James Potter. Today was 'The Day'. It had finally arrived, and he was nervous.
He grabbed a towel and robes and headed to the bathroom for a quick bath. No soap bubbles, or hot water, just in and out. He wanted to be in the common room when Lily descended from the girls’ dormitory, and she always rose earlier than anyone” eager to greet the day.
With his hair still a bit wet, he threw himself on the couch and laid waiting for Lily, his mind busy with frantic and nervous thoughts. What if she says no? , he thought to himself. It wouldn’t be the first time, he answered himself. But this is it. I’m not asking again. What if I don’t end up with her? I love her so much; I hope she feels the same way.
A flash of red hair.
Here it goes. James stood from the couch. Lily stopped walking, clearly surprised to see James up so early.
“James, what are you doing up at this hour? It’s barely 7:45! You usually sleep until 10, at the earliest, on a Saturday!” she said remembering the few times when she had to go into the boys’ dormitory to get him and Sirius out of bed. She smiled recalling the look on his face when saw Lily standing over him. He thought he was dreaming.
“Well, good morning to you too, sunshine!” he smiled and walked over to her. “Actually I woke up at this beastly hour so I could talk to you about something that’s been bothering me lately.”
She raised her eyebrows, very interested.
“But first let’s get some breakfast and I’ll tell you about it afterwards.”
She smiled and shyly went through the portrait hole ahead of him. They walked into the Great Hall, talking and discussing possible ways of getting more involvement out of the first and second years.
“Well, they’re young and fresh to the school and don’t know very much about the school and the activities it has to offer. I remember my first day here-- I was so intimidated by the grandness of the castle and the professors. I felt overwhelmed with excitement and nervousness. I would’ve really wanted someone I could have been able to talk to, kind of like a mentor,” Lily reminisced her early years at Hogwarts. She was eating a small plate of eggs and buttered toast, while James, on the other hand, was tucking away a plate full of eggs, toast, fruit, and pancakes. He pushed down some dry toast with a swig of tea, his morning drink.
“Well, how about if we pair up a first or second year with an older student, say, in their fifth and sixth year? That way the younger has at least two years with the same older student, and they create a nice little bond?”
Lily looked at James in astonishment. “How come I didn’t think of that?”
James shrugged and smiled, and finished eating his breakfast.
A short while later, James and Lily were strolling through the grounds. Talking, laughing, and just getting to know each other better. The weather was getting colder with each passing day and the trees were slowly losing their crimson and ginger leaves.
Lily carefully watched James, the way he walked, the way his glasses stayed on a small bump on his nose, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about something funny. Just the way he was.
After the walk, they settled under the tree the Marauders usually inhabited during break times. James had clearly run out of things to say, because he was staring off into the clouds, tilting his head this way and that, looking at each cloud in a different view.
“Look at that cloud.” he pointed to one that looked like a wonky star. “What do you see?”
Lily studied it, “I see a star.”
“Tilt your head this way.” He instructed and gently moved her head so she looked at it from a different angle. “Now what do you see?”
“A spider!” Lily laughed at how it had changed just by looking at it from a different point of view. She looked at James now, at a different angle. She could see the happiness in his eyes when she laughed. “How did you do that?”
James shrugged his left shoulder and cast his gaze down from the sky, “I like to look at the sky; it reminds me of Quidditch and riding my broom.” He hesitated. “But I mostly stare at it when I’m bored in class and want to distract myself and daydream.” He chuckled.
“Oh! I only just remembered! You said you wanted to talk to me about something that’s been bothering you. What was it?”
James raised his gaze back to the sky, as if searching for an answer. He sighed and turned to Lily. “Lily,” he began, “do you like having me as a friend?”
She relaxed a bit, “Of course I do, James! You’re fun to be around, and you’re always willing to help.”
“Is that all you want from me?” His eyes searched hers for some sort of sign, but he noticed her confusion. He clarified, “Do you just want to be friends? Is that all you want?”
Lily sighed and looked at her hands resting in her lap, realizing what this was about. It had seemed kind of out of the ordinary for James not be following her everywhere this year and constantly asking her out. She had noticed he was a bit more distant, more grown-up, and more mature. He didn’t pick on as many students, although he did play a practical joke on a random guy in their year every now and again. But he seemed more relaxed and understanding than he had been in the previous years.
“James, you’re a very great friend to me, better than any others have been, and I thank you for that.” She paused, thinking carefully on how to express her feelings.
James kind of looked defeated. “Then I won’t bother asking my last question.”
Lily looked up in shock. James was never one to accept defeat, or even acknowledge it. He started to get up but she stopped him. “James, I wasn’t finished.”
He looked at her and relaxed against the tree, he nervously ran his hands through his chaotic midnight black hair.
“What I was saying was you’re a great friend to me and I can tell you really care about me. But even more than that, you want to make me happy. That alone means more to me than any present anyone else could give me.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly as if never wanting to let go. “And you know what?”
Is this really happening? He looked at her in disbelief. “What?”
“I want to make you happy too.” She stood up and pulled him up by the hand she was grasping. She pulled him close and hugged him. “James Potter, will you be my boyfriend?”
He squeezed her tightly, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “Yes, Lily Evans, I will be your boyfriend.”
He pulled back and looked at her. She looked different from this angle, kinder in a way. She drew her face up to his and kissed away the tear.