liliumss

[liliumss]

long time no see | james & lily

@going-stag​

Being back in London felt strange to James. This was partly because he spent the last two days inebriated, shutting down pubs with Sirius and Remus. This odd feeling could also be blamed on the fact that this was no longer his home. He didn’t have a home. In the past few years he’d rarely been in the same place for more than a week or two. James had grown accustomed to life on the road. While there was an air of familiarity here and he was enjoying catching up with his oldest friends, he couldn’t help but feel fidgety, like he needed to be across the country somewhere fighting someone for something.

All that being said, his anxiety immediately calmed when he spotted Lily at the meeting. What was a loud restless roar in his head, quieted down to nothing but the dull buzz he’d grown accustomed to over the years - it kept him on his feet. He wondered how she was doing; where she was staying, who she was seeing. They’d tried writing each other for a short time when he first left, but that communication, or lack there of, only proved to make their separation harder. James never wanted to leave Lily, he felt he had to. How happy would they really be in constant fear, putting their lives in danger every time they stepped out the house? He left so they could actually be together in peace, and he thought things had certainly progressed in that direction. Even if he and other members had to sacrifice their lives to get it done.

James had just wrapped up his story to Kingsley about a rather nasty Death Eater he faced in Sweden and said his goodbyes when Lily approached him. He’d been preparing for this moment from the very second he returned, rehearsing every word, now he was speechless. So instead he doesn’t say a word, he does what feels natural to him, what had been natural to them. He smiles, steps forward, erasing the casual distance between them, and wraps his arms around her into a hug. 

While they weren’t exactly on the best terms, and hadn’t said the most pleasant things to each other last time they spoke. James still loved her. That fact couldn’t be denied by space, time, or bloody Death Eaters. He takes in the smell of her hair before taking a step back. He’d almost forgotten the feeling she gave him; like he was weak in the knees but able to run a marathon if she asked him to. 

“Yes I am, alive. No thanks to Sirius, I didn’t think it was possible to drink that much whiskey.”

James chuckles and runs a hand through his untidy black hair. He scratches his beard, which had grown rather long, and adjusts the collar on his shirt - all this as if just realizing how unkept he must’ve looked. 

“I’ve missed you Lil…”

Of all the reactions Lily expects, the most likely one doesn’t even cross her mind. As James pulls her in close, she lets out the breath she was holding onto and doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around him as well. The hug is fierce for both of them; it settles something in Lily that she didn’t know was loose. Seeing James is one thing, but feeling his arms around her and hearing his heartbeat, however briefly, against her ear does wonders for the worry she clings to. When they step back it takes everything in her not to tug him close again. She hides her fretting hands in her coat, keeping it draped over her forearms where her hands are clasped together tightly.

The laugh James gets is genuine. The smile on Lily’s face broadens. It’s delightful to hear they all went drinking, getting into trouble the way they did before the war started running their lives. “Your mistake for underestimating how much booze Sirius can put away,” Lily jokes. 

Her eyes follow his nervous movements. The hand in his hair, the scratch to his beard, and the touch to his collar all feel so familiar to her. He looks just as ruggedly handsome as he did when she last saw him and it’s a struggle not to reach out and run her fingers along the edge of his beard to tease him for it. 

The confession makes her chest grow tight. All the unsaid, unresolved things between them rear their heads again, choking her out. “I’ve missed you too, James.” Her voice betrays how much she means it; Lily has never been able to hide how she feels about James and a bit of time and space hasn’t changed that. She still loves him, and it comes through in the way she says his name and how relieved she sounds to see him. 

They can’t linger here forever though. Most everyone has gone by now, and Lily knows she should eat some proper dinner at some point. The idea of going out doesn’t really appeal to her either though, and judging by the bags under James’s eyes, she can’t imagine another night out works in his favor either. 

“I don’t know what your plans are, but I started some soup before I left the house. Have you eaten yet?”

Lily knows that she should probably tread a little more delicately, but things between them have never been delicate. Explosive collisions, sure, but delicate? That’s just not how they do things.

[liliumss]

long time no see | james & lily

Lily would be lying if she said the war hadn’t started to wear on her. It feels like they’ve been fighting it endlessly since they graduated, and even a bit before that. Deciding to go into healing has helped with some of the fatigue; she has an opportunity to help people in a way that isn’t just attending Order meetings and hoping for the best outcome. Still, there’s plenty of that too. 

She listens attentively to the reports, although her eyes occasionally drift to the familiar and missed faces in the corner. It’s been a while since she’s seen James, Sirius and Remus. They were all scattered to different regions, sent to help and recruit. Lily has been worried about all three of them; her time tangled up with James left her caring for Sirius and Remus like brothers and James -- well, her fondness for James never really went away, as much as she willed it to when she was left behind feeling heartbroken and angry. 

She’s settled in the few years since then. A few times she tried her hand at other relationships, but the strain of the war or the strain of concealing her magical identity or the strain of her schedule always kept those from taking off. That was fine; the universe was telling her clearly it wasn’t the right time for a relationship. She could handle that -- just as she could handle James returning and them remaining friends. 

When the meeting is dismissed, Lily takes a deep breath and lingers in her spot for a bit. Alice comes over to speak with her, sitting beside her on the chaise. They speak quietly of serious things and frivolous things, revel in the joy of being alive for a bit before Frank calls her over and she gives Lily a sweet goodbye. 

Lily stands then, grabs her jacket where she’d draped it beside her and glances around the room to see who all is left. Not many, other than James who seems to be chatting with someone as well. Lily lingers a moment, until the friendly face leaves and she can approach. 

She offers a soft smile and keeps a friendly distance between them. “Hey. I heard you were back in town, but I’m excited to see you alive and well. How does it feel to be back in London?”

@going-stag​

[liliumss]

seekerbenjy​:

-

“You’re buying the next round for bringing up that bloody gif.”

“I do loads of cool shit and that’s the stuff they circulate? I blame Sev for half of it-you can tell him I said that. Prick.”

He does another shot and the giggle that escapes him is bitter. 

“And fine, don’t tell me, but when I end up in there because I wasn’t told cautionary tales, that’s on you.”

Benjy raises his eyebrows at her menacingly and then smiles, flagging the bartender over and ordering two Gin and Tonics for them as well.

“What else are you up to then? Other than mocking me online and denying me the joys of disclosing private patient information?”

-

"Oh come on, it's not all that bad," Lily says with a fond smile. She's seen that GIF nothing short of a million times. It's pretty bad. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Quidditch player that didn't have some sort of GIF like that. Accidents happen, but Lily knows that doesn't soften the pain of having an embarrassing moment caught on camera for the world to see. Frankly, she can't imagine her less than perfect moments being put on replay for others to see.

"Sev?" Lily raises a brow, wondering if he's always been Sev to Benjy or if she's missing something here.

She shakes her head with a laugh. "You're utterly ridiculous." And that's one of the many reasons she loves hanging around with him. Benjy always manages to lighten her mood and she appreciates that greatly. Lately, it's been hard not to feel a bit crushed by everything.

"Much of the same, honestly. When I'm not working I try to squeeze in visits with friends. It's been intense. Lots of work, feel dead tired all the time," Lily admits with a sheepish smile. "But I'm doing alright! I don't mind it, especially knowing that it's the final push."

[liliumss]

discord | poet & lily

liliumss#1540: i got a cat and i've had him for one day and i would die for him already

liliumss#1540: anyways how are you today??? hopefully good?

[liliumss]

xmaryxmacdonald​:

Hearing from Lily had been a pleasant surprise. They ran in the same circle during their schools days but only checked in now and then after Mary had graduated a few years before Lily. Mary did appreciate hearing from though it always stood in stark contrast how little she’d done with her life when she saw other people close to her age thriving. 

Mary was still a bit hung over her large sun glasses blocking out the sun. Walking up towards the cafe, she saw Lily’s read hair and gave a small wave before walking towards the door. 

Smiling widely Mary sat down across from Lilly. Lifting her sunglasses off her face. “Hey! I’m so happy this worked out. It’s been ages.” 

-

“It has, I’m so glad to see you again.” Lily likes reconnecting with old friends and seeing what they’re up to. It always seems that others her age are living such interesting, varied lives. Lily pretty much exists in a state of work or sleep, rarely doing anything else. 

“What have you been up to recently?” 

[liliumss]

thearthurweasley​:

He glances up from his phone and his crossword game, stuck on the clue, quickly and sloppily, 8 letters. Arthur smiles at the woman as she speaks, trusting her on no basis other than the fact she looks fairly similar to Eugenie.

“Oh I’m sure you’ll be capable of mending this-” He holds up his pathetically broken arm. “I almost did it myself but I’ve only ever had practice on fingers and well, didn’t wanna muck it up.” 

Arthur is talking too much, an annoying habit when he’s anxious, and hospitals always made him anxious. He realizes then that thanks to the raccoon escapade, he’d forgotten to take his meds-another excellent thing to add to the list of wonderful things happening today.

“I grew up with a lot of siblings-kids break their fingers all the time you know, I’m not like, a serial finger breaker. Sorry-hi. I’m Arthur Weasley. W-e-a-s-l-e-y, like the animal but you know, not quite.”

“Erm…should just be the arm that’s giving me trouble.” Arthur realizes he should probably stand so he does abruptly and regrets it, now feeling too tall and too exposed. Arthur swallows hard, willing the panic surging up in his stomach to go away.

“Fell off a fucking ladder, is all. Nothing major.”  

Broken arms are really quite simple, so long as the bones are all in the right places and the individuals can mind the noise. She can do a proper cast too, but most people greatly prefer the wand. “You’re right, that should be no problem at all,” Lily smiles. “It’s probably best that you didn’t try and heal it on your own. Most people believe healing magic is a simple as waving your wand, but it works a lot better if you’re familiar with the anatomy and -- well, let’s just say you did the right thing by coming here.” 

“Nice to meet you, Arthur.” Lily smiles politely. Lily nods as she listens to his story, considering the best line of treatment. “Well, I can heal up your arm, but we’ll probably still need to take you to the back to check out your head. I’d like to be sure there’s not trauma. Basically, I can clear you for a concussion, but we’ll need a doctor or fully-fledged healer to take a look as well,” Lily explains. 

“Now -- you may want to sit while I examine your arm.” 

[liliumss]

seekerbenjy​:

—

“Fucking hell I’m tired just listening to you.” He grabs the mini giggle water cup and drops it into the tall glass of red bull-the drink starts to fizz and giggle, and Benjy quickly raises the glass to his lips and draining it all in one gulp. A loud giggle escapes Benjy and he grins at Lily as she follows suit.

“Your eyes burning yet?

“That’s the best, part, Lils!” 

The alcohol hits the back of his skull and Benjy needs more-but he’s not trying to kill Lily with alcohol poisoning. Instead, he grins at her and pokes the back of her hand with his pointer finger.

“I miss you, numpty. Like, a lot. But its cool youre chasing your dreams and shit. I do have a serious medical question for you.” He pauses dramatically, failing at keeping his smile in check.

“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to pull out of someone’s arse?”

-

Lily watches as he takes the shot, a fond smile on her face as she shakes her head. “Your ridiculous, Benny.” Still, she copies his motions, downing the liquid before her own giggle escapes. “A little bit,” she admits, setting the glass down. “Gimme another wing.” She takes one without waiting for a response, eating it while he asks his questions. 

She swallows and wipes her hands just in time for Benjy to ask his ridiculous question. A real laugh bubbles out of her this time and Lily shakes her head. “Thankfully, nothing too bad recently. We mostly leave that sort of thing to the first years. But, believe me, you do not want to know the answer.” 

Her smile softens as she regards the mess that she calls one of her three best friends. “Benny, I missed you too. It sucks that all I ever see of you is that one GIF of you taking that tumble off your broom.” She reaches forward and playfully ruffles his hair. 

“Alright, another shot?” 

[liliumss]

princehdg​:

He spends as much time watching Lily as he does watching the cats. Her joy is palpable, and he finds himself in the practice of appreciating the relationship between them. Though it’s something he thinks about frequently, he knows that he doesn’t communicate with Lily enough about her presence in his life and the impact it’s had. Even if he didn’t want a cat as badly as she did, he knows that they’d find themselves here eventually– there are few things that severus finds he can deny Lily. 

When she calls him over to the cat, Severus immediately knows that if they don’t get this cat, they need one just like him– old and calm, Severus has a hard time imagining a rambunctious kitten taking to their hectic schedules and inconsistent lifestyle too well. He reaches out, scratching between Oscar’s ears and the cat lifts his head leaning into the touch as a light purr is head from his throat. 

“Well he seems to like me, so the hardest test has been passed.” 

-

Lily laughs softly and nudges her shoulder against Sev’s. “You’re not that difficult to like. Just a little prickly. He recognizes a kindred spirit,” she teases. She watches in amazement as Oscar leans into the pets, a slow rumble coming from his throat. “He’s so precious...” Lily watches the exchange with a fond smile, heart already aching for the cat. 

Someone behind them clears their throat. Lily turns, seeing a plump man with a kind smile and a t-shirt that reads ‘STAFF’ in bold lettering. “Would you like to meet Oscar in one of the greeting rooms?” He offers. 

She turns her head back to her best friend. “That’s up to you.” Her answer is obvious enough, given her excited grin and eager demeanor. 

[liliumss]

the-elias-boot​:

–

Eli smiled up at her, chuckling awkwardly.  “I… I honestly didn’t think you would say yes.  I… that totally isn’t like me.”  He figured that being honest with her was the best bet.  He was still the awkward and hyper Eli he always was at Hogwarts, he simply had a huge social media following.

“It’s nice to see you too,” he replied easily before stirring his hot chocolate a little more.  “Life’s been a bit crazy.  Just got back from Tahiti, actually.”  He needed to finish that piece for the Prophet and continue to plan his Instagram posts about the travel.  “And you?  How’s life?”

-

Lily laughs and pushes her hair over her shoulder, crossing her legs under the table. Her hands come to rest in her lap. “Well, I suppose I can’t say anything because I agreed. That’s not normally how I roll.” Not that Lily really rolls with anyone these days. Until Em, her dating life had come to a screeching halt. Now... Well now it’s suspended in some confusing state that Lily couldn’t even begin to decipher. 

“Oh that’s really neat! Have you been doing a lot of traveling?” 

“Oh jeez, busy as ever.” She chuckles a bit, brushing some hair back from her face. “I’m in my third year of my healer residency at St. Mungos. Almost a full fledged healer and I can’t believe it.” She smiles gently. “It’s been a wild few years. The program is pretty intense, but it’s very enjoyable.” 

[liliumss]

Lily likes to stay busy on her off days, despite the desperate need she has to rest up and get some proper sleep. So when she finds that she has a free day off towards the end of the month, she hits up Remus for some much needed catch up. They agree on a time and a place, a late afternoon at a coffee shop that’s middle distance from them both. 

When the day comes, Lily’s busy playing with the cat and almost misses their meeting entirely. She’d been planning on walking, but after seeing the time, she decides to apparate. She arrives only a few minutes late, bustling in with an embarrassed flush on her cheeks. She spots him in a back corner, looking as delightfully put together as he always does. She heads over, smiling brightly. 

“Hello, Remus! How are you?”  

@remusjluupin​

[liliumss]

marlowesees​:

Rather than digging through her own bag to find her case, Marlowe chucks her mouth guard inside and plops down on her arse to start unlacing her skates right there on the floor.

“Don’t know what you could mean by that. ‘Plenty to talk about’…everything has been completely and totally normal.”

“How about The Pink Spoon?” she asks, yanking off one skate with a grunt.

“Uh huh, sure.” Lily rolls her eyes and starts packing up her things, shoving her foot into her sneakers once she’s packed up. “Sounds awesome to me. God, I could use a good drink right about now.” Not too many, since she’s got work tomorrow, but one or two couldn’t hurt. 

“You ready yet?” She teases, bumping her shoulder to Marlowe’s. 

[liliumss]

theemvance​:

And there she is: redheaded and…so, so beautiful.

She’s always been the beautiful one of their group, though, Em thinks to herself. Lily Evans had the hair and the eyes and the freckles in just the right places. And standing in front of her, Em is hit with both that fact, but also that she has no earthly idea what to do with her hands.

Or the rest of her body. But she moves anyways, following Lily through the door, training her eyes to look at anything else besides her.

It dawns on Em that she has never been to Lily’s new apartment, nor has she been in the space she shares with that Snape person.

“Soup? Yes, yeah, soup, good. Soup good. Bowl?” Em nervously opens cabinets that she has never seen before, itching to find something and use her hands. When she finally procures one, she places it next to the warm pot, inhales, and gathers her thoughts. 

“Hi. Sorry. I’m…hi. How’s it going?”

Em’s avoiding looking at her, and for a moment Lily cannot possibly fathom why. Then it hits her that maybe, just maybe, Em swiped on her profile because she’s attracted  to Lily -- just as Lily is to her. Man, they’ve really gone and stepped in it now, haven’t they? 

The apartment is a mixture of Lily’s style and Severus’, a distinct melding of two different preferences, yet, somehow, it works. It’s comfortable, cozy, and cluttered, but Lily wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Em starts to stammer through her sentence, but Lily doesn’t question it. Honestly, she’s surprised that she’s been able to keep herself together. She feels so nervous, and the tension in the air is practically suffocating. “Right there -- yeah, you found them.” Lily laughs softly and grabs a ladle, stirring the soup. She takes one of the bowls and dishes out a hearty portion before doing the same with the other. 

“It’s going. I’m exhausted from work, but it’s, ya know. Nice. A nice sort of tired.” Lily clears her throat, grateful that she doesn’t have to look at Em while she gets the soup. “And you? How’s practice going?” 

Lily turns the burner off and grabs two spoons, dropping one in each bowl before taking everything to the table. “Uh -- do you want some water or anything?” 

God, this feels like a slow disaster. 

[liliumss]

When Lily had reached out to Mary for coffee, she’d half been expecting that the other woman would be too busy or otherwise unavailable. However, she’d been pleasantly surprised to see that Mary had some free time and would love to get coffee. After a few more texts back and forth, they settled on a lunch spot. Lily would have some time between shifts, so it was perfect to grab a late lunch, around 1 PM. 

Lily, somehow, managed to not only arrive on time, but early as well. She snagged them a table at the busy cafe, somewhere right next to a window. Frankly, she was surprised it was still available. While she waited for Mary to appear, she pulled out her phone, tapping away at her messages and Instagram. 

At the jingle of the bell above the door, Lily glances up, grinning when she notices Mary. “Hey!” She waves, beckoning Mary over. 

@xmaryxmacdonald​

[liliumss]

healer-bones​:

—

Ed nodded.  “It has its moments.  When the boss is on our side.  We’re part of a team, but… sometimes it feels as though we’re lackeys.”  He let out a soft chuckle.  “There’s no way to do both.  You’re stronger than I am.  I’ve been in the ER… but never as a doctor or resident or anything.  It’s stressful just being there.  I bow down to you, Lily…”

-

Lily laughs and gives a fond shake of her head. “Sure it’s stressful, but that’s just part of the fun. I’m not sure I could stand not being able to be with patients every day. Besides, who knows if I’m actually qualified to be in research. I’m just a healer, hardly a doctor.” She’s thought about going through the full program, but frankly, Lily’s had just about enough of school. 

“Are you allowed to talk about what you’ve been working on recently?” 

[liliumss]

thearthurweasley​:

The ER || Arthur and Lily

As soon as he hits the ground, Arthur knows he’s fucked up.

That fuck up is further confirmed by the raccoon he had been attempting to save off of the roof of his condo chattering angrily at him as the bastard easily climbed down and scampered across the yard, out of sight.

“Motherfucker.”

His whole body feels numb, which means something is definitely broken. Arthur takes a few moments to let his breath settle as best it can before he tries to sit up. Wonderfully, he’s able to-so his back is probably fine. Or fine enough, at least. He gingerly examines his legs, but when he gets to his left arm-his wand arm-Arthur knows a trip to Mungo’s is on the docket. For all his skills he’d learned helping his parents raise his nine siblings, the one thing he didn’t trust himself to do was mend bones.

He groans, partially out of pain and partially out of annoyance because the ER is sure to be busy on a Saturday. Could he apparate with a broken arm?

Arthur shrugs, turns on the spot, and, when he lands in front of St. Mungos, violently throws up in the hedges.

He sighs, resigns himself for a painful afternoon, and walks through the doors to the ER.

@liliumss

St. Mungos on a Saturday is like a shopping center in the US on Black Friday. Even though Lily is fresh from shift change, she knows it’s going to be a long afternoon and an even longer night. She’ll probably end up staying past her 3 AM clock-out time, but she doesn’t mind all that much. The on-call room has beds that are comfortable enough. 

Only an hour after shift change and the waiting room is filling up. Lily is often one of the few nurses grabbed to go empty as much as she can, since she’s trained in the magical healing arts and can do the quick fixes. It’s not necessarily by the books, to heal people before they’re officially logged in the system, but it’s a necessary evil to keep hospital beds open for those who are in dire need. 

So she talks to the nurses at the front desk and gets to work on the little things. It’s triaging essentially, evaluating patients and letting the nurses upfront know who needs to go back the fastest, and who can stand to wait a little longer. 

After about an hour of this, with occasional breaks because her pager goes off because they need her back in the ER, she reaches a man with a shock of red hair just as bright and vibrant as her’s. She smiles kindly at him and approaches, spotting the twisted shape of his arm right away. 

“Hello, sir. My name is Lily and I’m a healer in training. Don’t worry -- I promise I’m very capable. I’m just going to evaluate you, fix up what I can, and then we’ll see if you need to be seen in the back. How’s that sound?” She always starts with the same introduction. People always call her qualifications into question given that her badge says “RESIDENT HEALER” in big, bold letters; so, she finds it best to address it right off the bat. 

[liliumss]

Marlowe aka “Doris Slay” in action/mid-fall

Taken by Lily who quickly abandoned the camera to help her team mate up. Circa 2019

[liliumss]

ATLAS FRACTURED TASK NO. 1: SOCIAL MEDIA

While Lily enjoys social media, she’s never seen it as anything more than a tool to see what her friends are up to. She posts what she wants when she wants, without much care for how people will regard her. Although her accounts are public, not many people follow her. Primarily, she’s followed by old school friends, current friends, and coworkers. Despite the falling out she had with her family, she still follows them on social media. However, she hasn’t checked to see if they still follow her. She does have her sister Petunia blocked though.