#April Jily challenge

[jilychallenge]

Thank you for signing up for this crazy month's Jily Challenge! Without further ado (or any pranking at all, Marauder's honour, swear on the map & all that) here are your partners for this month's challenge!

@wearingaberetinparis & @jamesunderwater

@eastwindmlk @charmsandtealeaves @thelighthousestale

@harryissuchalittleshit & @tinyluminaryzombie

Your prompts will be Owled shortly (if you haven't heard a knocking on your window before Friday come boop our noses, here or on Discord.

[jilyawards]

April

late afternoon, early spring light (completed, 2.2k) by @ohhevans. Rated G.

“You’re causing a raucous, Evans,” he says, “drunk, knocking over glasses, tickling me, very unbecoming behavior of a Hogwarts Head Girl, if you ask me.” “The Head Boy is the one who got the Head Girl drunk,” she says, “so I think you’d be better off blaming him for the raucous.” -OR- one more happy birthday to james potter

it’s a game of give and take (completed, 10.2k) by @fishyspots. Rated T.

That horrible Halloween night, James and Lily wake up with matching curse scars and a missing child. Six years later, they get him back.

all your life you've never seen (completed, 4k) by westeriss. Rated G.

Lily knows all his friends; of course he’s probably curious about hers, about her whole life outside Hogwarts since she doesn’t really talk much about it during term. “I wasn’t really friends with anyone in primary,” Lily tells him absently, words fluttering from her lips, then sips at her coffee to stop any more. It's bitter, without cream, and ugh. Her quip has James shifting, though, leaning a bit closer. He sets his cup on his knee. “What d’you mean?” ----- James visits Lily the summer before seventh year, and accidentally, maybe, sort of learns she's Cokeworth's resident enigma. Just a little scene in the middle of their early months of dating, between sixth and seventh year of school.

You light up... my phone (completed, 247 words) by @abihastastybeans. Rated T.

March Jilymicrofics Prompt no.25: Echoes Lily receives texts from a drunk James

Big Plans (completed, 3.7k) by @yallthemwitches. Rated E.

A menace. That’s what she had called him yesterday when he had pushed her up against one of the wooden beams under the quidditch stands. “You’re going to be the death of me,” she had said, her hands easily undoing the drawstring of his quidditch trousers. “You’re going to be the death of me because I could shag you everyday for the rest of my life and still not be satisfied.”

birthday mornings (completed, 807 words) by @petalsandantlers. Rated G.

in honor of james' birthday, just a short, fluffy microfic of jily being cute

(be) as you've always been (completed, 2.7k) by @juniperpyre. Rated G.

it's the morning of James' 21st birthday and he's in bed with Lily and Harry. they discuss having another baby, fear, and hope.

emergency contact (completed, 1.8k) by @gigglesandfreckles-hp. Rated G.

The intern clears his throat. "I can’t legally—" He swallows, eyes darting up at her like he already knows this is about to go badly. “Release private information about Mr. Potter to you.” Lily blinks. “I’m his wife.”

Dinner Can Wait (completed, 4.7k) by @livelaughlovetoread. Rated E.

James made eye contact with Lily and immediately knew they were not going to make it to dinner without getting their hands on each other.

Method Acting (completed, 23.6k) by @yallthemwitches. Rated T.

“Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” How many times over the years has he said those words and when did he actually start meaning them? All of them--every single bloody time.

a love that won't ever let go (completed, 1.2k) by @petalsandantlers. Rated G.

written for jily challenges march 2025 prompt: drown in my own tears by ray charles partner: Merlinsbbeard

Oh My God, She's Insane (completed, 7.6k) by @annabtg. Rated M.

When the Order of the Phoenix discovers that Lucius Malfoy, rich bachelor and womaniser extraordinaire, may secretly be a Death Eater with access to an item that could be the key to bringing down Voldemort, Lily Evans comes up with a brilliant plan: to seduce him into inviting her to his house, and then take the opportunity to snoop around for information. James Potter, her mission partner, is less than thrilled with this idea.

I’m So Afraid I Sealed My Fate (Even Statues Crumble If They’re Made to Wait) (WIP, 75.6k as of 30 April 2025) by tulipslilliesiloveyou. Not rated.

Six years ago an owl with Lily Evans’ Hogwarts letter was sent—six years ago, that owl never made it. Until now. Following a great tragedy, with nowhere else to go, Muggle-raised Lily Evans has no other choice but to accept her identity as a witch and enroll at Hogwarts as a seventh-year. Six years ago, James Potter started at Hogwarts—with just one year left, he already has his future figured out: move-in with his mates, help stop the Blood War, win the Quidditch cup. But the moment he lays eyes on Lily Evans, everything changes. A beautiful mystery tangled in a hidden destiny that threatens to break them both—as long as it doesn’t tear down the rest of the world first.

How to Not Win Friends (with your girlfriend's father) and Influence People (completed, 1k) by @eastwindmlk. Rated M.

James and Lily have the house to themselves... Or so they think.

Find the previous months' recs: November & December | January | February | March

[tedwardremus]

I Don't Love The Dog More (Promise)

This was written for the February 2025 @jilychallenge Prompt: I don't love the dog more. Promise. Partner: @nyxinparadise

This fic is actually a sequel to a fic I wrote for April 2024 Jily Challenge, My Dog Said I Can't Go Out With You. You don't need to read that fic first to understand what is happening in this story but it would probably be fun if you did :)

James Potter had a great life—truly top-notch. He was the Quidditch captain, which meant he could bask in the glory of every Gryffindor victory, lead a team of talented players, and, most importantly, regularly show off in front of the entire school. He had secret adventures with a werewolf once a month, which sounded like the premise of a bad horror novel but, in reality, was one of the best parts of his life. Running through the Forbidden Forest with his best mates, transforming under the full moon, wild and free—it was the kind of thing most wizards could only dream of. Academically, he was no slouch either. He was on track for top NEWT scores. And then there was Lily Evans—Merlin, he was dating her. The most brilliant, fiery, utterly gorgeous girl in the world. And she liked him back. Him. James Potter. It was nothing short of a miracle. Yes, life was good. Fantastic, even. If only he could figure out where his brilliant girlfriend had disappeared to.

[arianatwycross]

Hi my tumblr name is arianatwycross (this is not my real name but you may call me A or Ari) I'm a pommy that lives in Australia, I have a golden retriever that owns my heart and I'm addicted to cheesy romance novels.

I write mostly Jily but have been known to delve into Romione and am dipping my toe in some wolfstar!

last updated 18.03.24

Jily

Multi-chapters:

The Process of Wanting- University Muggle AU / Jily-microoops March prompts

Headlines - Muggle AU / Popstar James

once upon a dream - WIP Hogwarts AU / Lily has a crush

To send or not to send? - (Two Parts) 2023 April Jily Challenge / Theme: Letters, Notes and Texting

A (not so) bad day - (Two Parts) - Hogwarts idiots in love

We'll be a fine line -WIP a chapter a day for jilytober 2022 / a muggle au

Only for the Summer -WIP Rated E / Muggle Job AU / Friends to Lovers

Beach Reading -  Rated T. July 2022 Jily Challenge / Theme: Summer Prompt: “i really, really need this summer job, so please stop distracting me with your wiles/good looks. you’re going to get me fired”

The Art of Fake Dating - WIP written with @vertraymer / For the Mixed Up Writer Fest 2022 / Prompt: Fake dating AU!

Unlearnable - WIP, Rated M. Muggle AU. Angst.

Strawberry Lipstick State of Mind - Rated E. Canon. Seventh Year.

Just a touch - Rated E

Teenage Kicks - Rated E / Celeb AU with minor wolfstar

you are the sun - Rated M (Three-parts) Muggle AU/Secret Relationship

One Shots:

Skinny Dipping Part 1 - a jilymicrofic

Just the two of us - Hogwarts / Forced proximity, Hurt/Comfort

A Sweet Meet Cute - Muggle AU, small town romance

A romance of their own - Jily Valentine Gift Exchange 2023 / Celeb AU

Wet, Cold & Bothered - Rated M / 2022 Jily Challenge December Christmas challenge; prompt: Snowball fights

Muggle Christmas Traditions - Rated G/ 2022 December Christmas Jily Challenge. Prompt: The night before Christmas

The One Where Remus Has no Filter - Rated G. Jily Challenge December Christmas challenge

a year and 22 days - Rated T. Summer of Jily 2022 / lyric: all that I know is you caught me at the right time —"golden hour" (kacey musgraves) Scenario: late evening with friends in the garden

The One Where Petunia Can't Drive - April JilyChallenge / Meet uglies + prompt "i hit you with my car/broom and was the only one to visit you in the hospital"

two fools - Rated T / Feb 2022 Jily Challenge romance theme + prompt " “It’s not like I've thought about kissing you, or anything…”

Shut up & Kiss me - Rated M / December Jily Challenge, Winter theme. Muggle AU

Crush Phase - Rated T. Muggle AU

A Year Later - Rated M / Jily Challenge August 2021 . Muggle AU

consciously unaware - Rated GA / Jilytober 2021 bingo (5 prompts in one). Canon, friends to lovers.

Say my name - Rated M. Canon.

Romione

Multi-chapters:

Backseat Rider - Rated T / Muggle AU

One Shots:

Willow - Rated GA. Written for M.Windsor for the 2021 HP Romione Discord Secret Santa!

It’s better In the front seat… - Rated M (Backseat Rider One shot)

Confessions - Rated E / Canon

Books & Freckles - Rated T

Nobody Compares - Rated T / Muggle AU, professional football player Ron

Wolfstar

Skinny Dipping Part 2 - a wolfstarmicrofic

Teenage Kicks Spinoff coming soon!

[blitheringmcgonagall]

P.S. I Still Wait for You

Every time I think of you I always catch my breath And I'm still standing here And you're miles away And I'm wondering why you left And there's a storm that's raging Through my frozen heart tonight I hear your name in certain circles And it always makes me smile

 I spend my time Thinking about you And it's almost driving me wild And that's my heart that's breaking Down this long distance line tonight

I ain't missing you at all Since you've been gone away I ain't missing you No matter What my friends say

Missing You by John Waite (1984)

 @jilychallenge @jilychallenge2023

@sosohh My partner in fic: just about made it in unfinished 🤣🤣

Prompt:

Words we should never have left unsaid and/or PS I still wait for you

  He still doesn’t know why she left. She never explained. Worse than that, she never said goodbye. He can’t even remember what she was wearing the last time he saw her. He hadn’t spoken to her for a few days, she had been busy with her new job, he’d been busy with his. They’d just won the war. A miracle. He was trying out for a place on the English Quidditch team, she had just been accepted onto the Healers Training Scheme in St Mungo’s. They had been together for two years, sharing a flat. He had never felt happier. Sirius had just done the preliminary exam for the School of Law – and been accepted, much to Walburga’s horror, if the Howler had been anything to go by. Remus had turned down his offer to finance him through an apprenticeship or to buy him a bookshop to manage, and instead had gotten himself a precarious job in a second-hand bookshop. Typical Moony. Peter had started a shit job in the Ministry of Magical Transport and promptly started looking for another one, rightly so.

It was a time of potential, excitement, euphoria. Voldemort was dead. And then she had disappeared.

She was fine. Marlene and Dorcas had been in touch with her. Relocated to Canada. Montreal. He didn’t even think she could speak French. He didn’t know what she was doing there. She had cut herself off from the wix world completely.

He isn’t missing her at all, since she’s been gone, it’s been nearly three years. He’s fine. He gets up every day, showers, apparates to Puddlemere United grounds in Dorset, and trains himself into the ground. Meets up with his mates regularly. Eyerolls at the obliviousness of two of them – dancing around each other, saying nothing. The evenings are the worst.

He spends too much time thinking about her. He needs to stop. She’s fine, he’s fine, they are all fine. He still has a tiny passport sized picture of them in his muggle wallet, taken at a funfair in a photo booth. He is grinning like an idiot, glasses askew. She has her head thrown back, mouth wide open, eyes shining. It’s in black and white and doesn’t move. He pretends he’s forgotten. But it’s still there, behind the pound notes he hardly ever uses. Like his heart. Still stuck in 1981.

He hears her name in certain circles – acquaintances from the class of ‘78. Despite everything, despite himself, hearing her name always makes him smile. He’s transported back to his school days. The incessant banter, the witty comebacks, the arguments over the tiniest things – excuses to talk to each other. Both smitten. Both madly in love. Or so he had thought. So had they all.

But they had been wrong.

“Lily Evans – do you hear much from her?”

“Do you guys keep in touch?”

“What’s she at these days?”

He pretends it doesn’t hurt, each time.

“We lost touch,” he says, making it sound so relaxed, so trivial, so grown up and disinterested.

He tried dating other people since she left. For two years. It wasn’t fair on them and it wasn’t fair on him. Now he doesn’t bother. He just needs to get his arse into gear and meet the right person. Or perhaps he still waits for her - an irrelevant, outdated postscript. He hasn’t tried contacting her. He isn’t a weirdo. He respects her decision. He just thinks if he knew what he did wrong it would somehow make it all more bearable.

 ***

 Remus and Sirius finally get together. He moved out, hoping that might move things along. He’s right. When it finally happens it’s domestic, uncomplicated. They talk late into the night one evening, over a bottle of red wine. Sirius has been hinting for years that he loves Remus, but the oblivious arse is too thick to notice it. And yet, he is the one to make the first move.

There’s no turning back. They get together in September – warm sunshine, hazy languid warmth hanging on to the glorious ebbing of summer. By October they are engaged. November and it’s done nothing but rain for weeks on end and they are planning a wedding. He and Peter are best men.

The date of the Wedding is December 21st, Winter Solstice. She had left on December 22nd, 1981. He isn’t missing her at all.

“She’s coming,” Sirius tells him, sticking his chin out, ready for a fight; but his eyes are guarded, like he’s concerned, protective.

“What?”

“We invited her.”

He knows who she is.

“Why?”

“Remus wanted her to be here. I wanted her to come. She was one of our best friends.”

He doesn’t answer, clenches his jaw and fidgets with the mug of tea in his hands. He can’t veto his best friends’ wedding guests. But he wants to. So badly. He clears his throat, stares at the grain of wood on the table, says nothing.

Sirius waits. He doesn’t feel anything. Except perhaps frozen.

“Alright,” he says eventually.

His voice sounds gravelly, scratchy, like someone else is talking. Sirius stands behind him, places a hand on his shoulder, squeezes it tight.

“Thank you,” he says.

Like he understands how big a thing this is.

He has four weeks to get used to it.

He doesn’t.

[wearingaberetinparis]

April Jily Challenge: If You Knew Who Was Talking

Fic written for the April @jilychallenge, loosely based on the prompt: “Haha if we lived together you would get more sleep because I would always make you come to bed with me.” “Haha, if you lived with me, we would get very little sleep, Hahahahaha.”

Word Count: 6532 Words

hopelessly_devoted and genuinely-conflicted form each other’s support system online, cheering one another on as they battle their way through an unrequited (and most definitely unwanted) crush on the person their parents are trying to set them up with.

In the real world, James Potter and Lily Evans find themselves hopelessly devoted and genuinely conflicted when battling their persistent infatuation with the last person they would have ever liked to fall for, stubbornly fighting their family’s and friends’ convictions that they were born to be together.

If only they knew who was talking.

[sosohh]

@jilychallenge | Partner: @blitheringmcgonagall  | April 2023: Letters and Texting.

Prompt: First date - “ Words We Should Never Have Left Unsaid / P.S I Still Wait For You’.

I’m so sorry it’s late but I literally had to force this thing out of my birth canal. xoxo

Also mahoosive thanks to @blitheringmcgonagall who helped me decide the most embarrassing events to happen in chapter 1

Read it on AO3

Words we should (never) have left unsaid 

or 

I just keep waiting for the day when I’m not an idiot around you.

If you asked James Potter if he loved the theatre, he would answer very diplomatically that ‘yeah, it was alright’, and ‘sometimes the tunes get stuck in your head, you know’, and ‘my mother brought me up on a diet of show tunes, I can’t help that I sing them out loud sometimes, God’. 

As a matter of fact, being a naturally curious and inquisitive (and sometimes lonely) child, Euphemia Potter had enrolled her son into a summer of theatre classes in the hope that it would use up his endless energy and perhaps guide her son onto the path of acting so that she would always have some free theatre tickets. As naturally, if her son chose that path, she was sure he would succeed.

So when she was called into the theatre to ‘chat’ about James, she was surprised (yet also unsurprisingly unsurprised) to learn that James had gone AWOL for an hour, only to be found backstage watching the technical crew pull on the fly ropes for My Fair Lady – ‘accidentally mum, I swear!’ and had zero intention of retuning back to rehearsals about ‘being a tree in the ocean’ (James’ words). Euphemia Potter, being a woman of many talents, strong maternal instincts and an unprecedented prowess at sniffing out the places and things her son was interested in, managed to sweet talk the theatre into allowing her son to apprentice backstage on weekends, which lasted until he gained enough qualifications for him to earn a paid full-time technical position at the theatre.

And so, nearly 15 years later, James Potter found himself backstage during a performance of the touring production of Cats at the WNAC, having only just started the same week.

A few years ago he done a refresher training residential week and quickly became friends with an extremely tall Welsh man called Remus. They’d stayed in touch, Remus often staying at his and his best friends’ London flat whenever he was working on a production in the city, and a month ago Remus had been in touch about a technical position opening up at his venue. And James, looking for a change in life, scenery and jobs, had applied and got the job.

So here he was, backstage in the labyrinth of a new theatre, belting out Memory along with Grizabella who was singing over the tannoy.

‘Touch me’, he sang, ‘It’s so easy to leave meeee – oof!’.

Rounding a corner, James collided into something soft and firm.  Someone, he mentally corrected. Something soft and warm and -

‘You’re dangerously close to my boob right now.’

‘Oh my god’ – James jumped as though he’d been shocked and stepped back quickly, and in doing so, walked into some lockers which lined the corridor.

His curses now joining the clang of the metal and Grizabella’s voice, he could swear the silence from this stranger was louder – or maybe that was his embarrassment he could hear. Blowing through the corridor like tumble-weed.

‘That’, the woman deadpanned, ‘was either incredibly bad timing or I need to make a trip to HR’.

James cringed. He could well imagine the phone call to his mother if she found out he’d been suspended in his first week pending investigation into inappropriate conduct.

‘Oh, it was definitely incredibly bad timing.’ He closed a locker door which had swung open with the force of his hit and had come to a stop near his ear but the locker door popped open again and slowly creaked to a stop. ‘I would never -’ he cut off, embarrassed, just as Grizabella let out another cry of ‘Touch me!’

The woman laughed – prettily, he thought, before internally berating himself; ‘Not the moment, Potter!’ - and motioned to his head, which he still had a held in his hand to soothe the pain from the locker.

‘Do you actually need me to have a look? I’m a first aider.’

‘That would only honestly make this situation more embarrassing,’ James said, grimacing at the thought, before shutting the locker door again, only to hear it pop open a second time, ‘so no, I’m good. But, thanks.’ He dropped his hand, even thought his head was still smarting.

‘Um, right. Okay, well,’ she gestured past James and towards the crew room. ‘Is Remus in there? I need to have a chat about finding the WOC’s Gobo - I think they’ve definitely misplaced it but they’re looking to blame someone...’

‘Oh, good luck.’ James said wryly, ‘I’ve been trying to find him for ages. I think he’s ignoring my texts because I thought his dinner was ravioli and not tortellini and God forbid I don't know my pasta. Also, if I deviate from this path that I've learned around the building, I just know I’m going to get lost.’

She laughed again, ‘Yeah, this place is a bit of a maze, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Mind, if you’re only here for a week, maybe you need to put some chalk on the walls or something?’

‘Oh, I’m not – I work here, I’m not with Cats.’

She looked at him for a beat, and then with some confusion asked him;

‘Oh, sorry. I just thought – I mean, I could hear you down the corridor singing all the lyrics’.

James flushed and laughed awkwardly, his hand making his way back to the base of his head, willing himself to rid the redness he could feel creeping its way up his neck.

‘It’s my mum’s favourite musical so..’ he trailed off, trying to laugh through a smile, which in hindsight, surely made him look even more bizzare.

‘Right.’ She said, and when the silence almost got too painful she added; ‘Um, well, I better get – I’ll just teams Rem...’ before starting to walk away.

And for some reason, some strange reason which made him question his sanity for the next 12 hours straight and sporadically for a good few days later, he saluted and called after her;

‘Cool, okay, well, bye. And sorry for almost touching your boob. I honestly wouldn’t - well, I mean, you do have nice boobs - not that I’ve looked! Or touched! God. Sorry.’ And with a final note of desperation he added, ‘Bye’. Then he turned around and promptly walked straight back into the locker door.

He could’ve sworn he saw a second bail of tumble weed blowing past in his mind’s eye. Along with an actual trickle of blood with passed his eye from the now angry looking cut above the eye socket.

Ten minutes later, patched up and with a first aid form sheepishly all filled out, he finally located Remus, and accosted him with a nonchalant (or so he thought), ‘Remus, who’s the woman that works here with ginger hair?’

Remus, put down his fork of butternut squash macaroni and said, ‘That’d be Lily Evans, Front of House and she’s not going to HR.’

‘How do you know?’ James cried and sunk into a chair in mortification.

[ginemrys]

happy accident

JILY CHALLENGE | APRIL 2022 | @jilychallenge

@ginemrys vs @redheadreader7

theme: meet-uglies

prompt: "you punched me in the face while gesticulating wildly to a friend"

word count: 3762

huge thanks to @practicecourts for beta-reading for me!

read on ao3

Breakups never usually hit her very hard. In fact, she was usually the one to end the relationship.

So when her boyfriend of almost a year broke things off with her, Lily didn’t know how to feel. She was hurt, of course, she had felt as though she’d come close to falling in love with him. But some tiny part of her had also been relieved. As if she had known the inevitable was coming. 

Still, that didn’t stop her from suffering for a while, her nose constantly red from crying, her eyes bleary. And her roommate, Marlene, had done her best to be supportive, supplying Lily with cups of tea, ice cream and a bottle of vodka on a particularly rough evening. But the time for mourning was over, as Marlene had so eloquently exclaimed one Friday afternoon as Lily wallowed in self pity on the sofa. Now was the time to let her hair down and get herself a rebound shag. 

Once she had squeezed into the tight dress that barely reached her mid thigh that Marlene had supplied her with, Lily let her friend paint her face in makeup, concealing the dark circles and puffiness that were the result of almost a fortnight of tears. For the first time in a while, as Lily looked in the mirror, she felt hot. 

“Ready to go, Lil?” Marlene asked from the doorway of Lily’s bedroom, eyeing her friend with a proud smile on her face. Lily couldn’t blame her, she’d done a fantastic job of taking her from a zero to one hundred in the space of a couple of hours. 

“Yeah. Fuck it.” Lily said resolutely, grabbing her small bag and throwing the silver chain around her shoulder. Both women wobbled down the staircase of their building and clambered into the uber that was waiting to take them to the bar Marlene had picked. Lily was already regretting her choice of skyhigh heels, but they did make her legs look fantastic. 

Marlene rambled on about a girl she had a crush on, some instagram influencer who had the most beautiful skin she’d ever seen, but Lily wasn’t really listening as the car drove through the busy streets of Central London. Lily and Marlene’s flat was a little further East, neither able to afford a place closer to their work in the West End. Lily’s dream was to one day be a performer on the West End, that’s why she was currently entrenched in drama school. But working as an usher in the theatres that she longed to perform in someday, seemed at that moment to be as close as she would ever get. 

With a sigh, Lily turned her eyes from the passing lights from outside of the window to look at  her best friend. Marlene understood what the look meant, understood that she needed to quit talking about crushes and the thought of relationships. Lily was still fragile. 

It seemed hours later that the uber finally came to a stop, the two women thanked the driver before climbing out of the car. The same old smell of London filled their nostrils, the air thick with the pollution of the capital city. It was a warm evening, the slight breeze sending Lily’s curls rustling against her cheek. 

Marlene let out a soft squeak, her hand wrapping around Lily’s as she dragged her over to the entrance of the bar. A short wait later, they finally handed their ID’s over to the bouncers and walked in.

Whatever Lily had expected from the bar, this certainly was not it. Usually when it came to Marlene’s picks they ended up in fairly dingy places that sold cheap shots or something new and indie. But this bar could only have been described as bougie. High walls covered in beautifully framed paintings and mirrors, low lights hanging from the ceiling creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The place was loud, music pounding from large speakers in the walls, but not so loud that one couldn’t hold a conversation. Lily knew they were close to Knightsbridge, a place renowned for being posh and a popular living place of many celebrities, but never had she expected Marlene to bring her to a bar that looked like it was built exclusively for celebrities. 

“Oh my god, that’s Zendaya!” Marlene whispered in Lily’s ear, her voice incredibly high-pitched. 

Lily however was looking at her friend in shock, her jaw hanging open slightly. “How in the hell did you get us into a place like this, Marly?”

“That would be my fault.” said a woman’s voice, prompting her to turn and see the very same influencer that Marlene had been banging on about in the car. With a grin, Marlene leaned up to kiss the woman’s cheek. Once they parted, Marlene’s new… friend… reached over to shake Lily’s hand. “Dorcas Meadowes. I’m guessing from your expression that Marlene hasn’t told you about us yet…”

“You asked me to keep it quiet!” Marlene hissed, punching Dorcas lightly on the arm. “I respect your wishes, Dor!”

“Uh…” Lily had apparently forgotten how to speak, completely out of her element. “Hi, I’m Lily. Evans- Lily Evans. I’m um…”

“Yeah, your first time here will do that to you, Lils.” Marlene laughed softly, her arm now wrapped around Dorcas’ waist. “Listen, I hope you’re not mad I didn’t tell you about us? We’ve only got together recently and you were so sad about Fabian, I…”

“God, Marly, of course not! I mean- A bit of pre-warning would have been nice but… I’m just glad to see you happy.” Lily smiled, reaching forwards to hug her friend. “Now, I want to buy us all drinks so we can celebrate you two. Dorcas, what’s your poison?”

Lily squeezed her way up to the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice her. Her eyes were drawn by a group of rowdy men beside her, all of them drinking beers and laughing loudly. She sighed deeply, realising the bartender was all the way down the other end.

Pushing herself up on her toes, Lily leant across the bar and waved to try to get his attention. But she moved at the same time as the guy next to her, who laughed heartily at something one of his friends said, his hand flinging back across the bar as he responded eagerly to his friend's joke. It just so happened that Lily’s face had moved into the exact spot that his hand had decided to venture to, causing quite the collision.

“Fuck!” 

Both Lily and the asshole that had hit her cried out the word at the same time, Lily’s own hands moving to her nose which was throbbing painfully. 

“I’m sorry! Oh god, I’m so sorry.” The man said, turning to face her completely whilst simultaneously gathering up napkins from the bar for her to press against her nose, which had decided one punch was enough for it to bleed. 

Lily hated that her pain threshold was so poor as a few tears slid from her eyes, one hand moving from her nose to accept the napkin from the man. He was still spouting apologies as his friends chuckled behind him, one of them looked like he might throw up from trying to hold back his laughter. 

At least the man was nice enough to help her towards the bathrooms, Lily thought as he pushed through the crowd with one hand while the other rested on her elbow. Most men would shoot a small apology, not even acknowledge what they’d done, or worse try to feel her up as they led her through the room. 

The bathrooms were down a small corridor which was significantly quieter than the rest of the bar, the man no longer had to shout to apologise to her. 

“I’m so sorry I hit you, I can’t- I can’t believe I did that. I didn’t look…” 

“Clearly.” Lily mumbled, irritated. He had apologised enough in her eyes, now it was just starting to get annoying. 

He seemed to get the hint, blushing heavily under the dim lighting. Lily thought that he looked somewhat familiar, his messy black hair and stylish glasses that sat on his perfectly chiselled nose. Whoever he was, he was just her type. Maybe she would have even flirted with him, had he not just attempted to punch her lights out and given her a nosebleed that likely would ruin her dress.

Lily sighed as she pushed open the door to one of the disabled bathrooms, not really wanting to try to wash blood off of her face in front of a bunch of rich women who would do nothing to help except look at her disapprovingly. What she hadn’t expected however, was for the man to follow her inside, rushing to run the tap. 

“I… I can do this on my own, you know.” She said thickly, her voice still muffled by the blood soaked napkin. 

“You might think so, but I’ve had my fair share of bloody noses,” he replied, grabbing some paper towels to swap with the napkin, “it can’t hurt to have help.” 

She was so surprised that she let him steer her to sit on top of the lid of the toilet. She watched him as he threw away the napkin and soaked some more paper towels in warm water. 

“Lean forwards.” The man said when she went to tilt her head back. “They lie in films with that, you could choke if you lean back.” 

“Are you a doctor or something?” 

“Nah, just had basic first aid training.” He smiled brightly as she glanced at him, holy hell was he attractive. Lily sighed and did as he said, her eyes closing again. 

A few awkward minutes of silence passed between them before Lily finally pulled the towels away from her nose, no longer bleeding. A sigh of relief escaped her, the bleeding ceasing meant the less time she had to be in this uncomfortable situation. 

The man took a step closer to her, a damp paper towel in hand. ��Are- Are you alright if I-? He gestured towards her face, which was undoubtedly covered in blood. 

Lily nodded, her body tensing as he crouched down in front of her to gently wipe the towel around her nose. She winced a little, it was very tender. He must have hit her hard for it to still be smarting like this, she just prayed it wasn’t broken. She didn’t fancy explaining that at work.

“I’m um… I’m James, by the way.” He said, causing her to meet his eye. He gave her a soft smile as he said it, his cheeks pink. “I… I feel you’re owed an introduction after my rudeness.”

“Lily.” She replied, her own face warming slightly. His eyes were such a beautiful shade of hazel she felt as though she might melt if she stared into them for too long. “And… I- It was an accident, I’m not mad. Annoyed, sure, because I really needed a good night out but… It wasn’t your fault, it was just bad timing.” 

His smile brightened and Lily thought her heart might burst at the seams. He was so… So beautiful. If she had found him hot before, it was nothing compared to how she felt when he smiled at her like that. His smile made him beautiful. 

“Well, at least once you’re all cleaned up, let me buy you a drink? As an apology?”

It was Lily’s turn to smile then as they gazed at each other, unblinking. She nodded slowly, her traitorous eyes slipping down to glance at his lips. “A drink…” She whispered softly, feeling herself start to lean towards him. His hand had frozen against her cheek, still holding the now pink paper towel. “A drink… Shit! Marlene!” 

James moved back like he had been stung as Lily dug in her bag for her phone, pulling it out to see a flurry of texts and missed calls from her best friend. 

Marleeeeene: Where are you?

Marleeeeene: Lily, I’m thirsty!

Marleeeeene: The queue can’t be that long!

Marleeeeene: Lily Evans, pick up the phone or I’m telling security you’ve been kidnapped, I can’t find you!

“Sorry.” Lily looked at James before hitting Marlene’s contact on her phone. Her friend answered after only one ring, the music from the bar pouring loudly from the speaker. 

“Lily!” Marlene basically screamed, sounding not far from hysterical. “Where the hell are you? I thought-”

“Marly, I’m fine! Some guy accidentally punched me so I’m in the bathroom sorting myself out, you know I bleed and bruise at the slightest touch. Don’t worry.” Lily rolled her eyes at James as she spoke, making him smile softly. He did look rather guilty as she explained the story to her friend, his eyes turning down to the floor at the mention of his mistake. 

Lily had to endure Marlene asking about a thousand questions, most of which were “are you okay” and “is the guy hot” which Lily had to surreptitiously avoid answering. As she spoke to Marlene, James had started clearing up the bathroom, throwing away the paper towels and washing down the surfaces. Lily checked her reflection in the mirror, impressed with the job he had done. He’d wiped off a lot of her makeup in the process, meaning her freckles were now on display to her annoyance, but he’d manage to wash away any traces of blood. The only evidence that remained of the injury was a slight swelling and redness to her nose. 

“I’ll be back in a minute, I wont worry about getting you and Dorcas drinks, yes.” Lily said to Marlene, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor. All she wanted to do was get out of this room and have a shot of something strong. “Yep, I’ll come and find you or text you if I find myself someone hot to go home with.” Another eye roll that led to a chuckle from James. “I love you too, I promise I’m fine. See you in a bit.” 

“She sounds fun.” James smirked, leaning against the wall of the bathroom as Lily hung up the phone and placed it back in her bag. 

“Yeah, she’s a good friend. Slightly deranged and too horny for her own good, but a decent human being.” Lily replied, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Thank you, by the way, for helping. Not many people would do that.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he shook his head, “it was the least I could do after punching you in the face. I think I’ve gotten off lighter than you.” 

“Well, I appreciate your kindness nonetheless.” Lily smiled warmly, chewing on her bottom lip. “I should…” 

“Right, yes! Um… Go find your friend.” He took a small step away from the door. “Don’t forget that I owe you that drink, I’m sure I’ll still be at the bar with my hands firmly in my pockets.” 

She laughed softly, taking a step forwards to unlock the door. “I’ll bear that in mind. See you around, James.”

“See you later, Lily.”

---

“Lily Marie Evans, I can’t believe you got punched in the face by James fucking Potter and didn’t sleep with him as a thank you for cleaning you up!” Marlene basically yelled the next morning. Well, it was more like noon by the time her hangover had improved enough to allow her to crawl out of bed.

After the punching incident, Lily had found Marlene, telling her she wanted to go home. It had been too much for her, the whole ordeal. So she’d climbed into an uber, tears slipping down her cheeks as she mourned her broken heart once again before climbing into bed the second she’d gotten home. It hadn’t been until around twenty minutes ago when Marlene had entered Lily’s bedroom that she found out that the James that had punched her hadn’t just been any old James. No, instead he had been James Potter, lead singer and guitarist of the band The Marauders and the group of men he had been laughing with were his bandmates. 

When Lily hadn’t come back to cash in the drink that he owed, he’d found Marlene since he’d spotted them together once Lily had left the bathroom. He had explained who he was, what had happened and had handed Marlene a card with his name and number to give to Lily. 

Blushing, Lily looked down at his surprisingly neat handwriting. He had signed it simply as James, but Marlene had recognised him instantly. She was currently waving her phone in Lily’s face, his instagram account open.

“James Potter, Lily!” Marlene was almost struggling for breath, her hand on her heart. “The Marauders! How- How did you not recognise him?”

“Because I only listen to their music!” Lily snapped, her hand batting away Marlene’s phone. “I’m not like you, I don’t obsess over musicians. I like their music, that doesn’t mean I follow them on instagram or know what they look like!” 

“But…” Marlene sighed deeply, sinking down to sit on the edge of Lily’s bed. “But he’s given you his number, that must mean som-”

“He felt guilty, Marly,” Lily said, shaking her head, “he probably felt he really owed me that drink and wants to apologise again. It doesn’t mean he wants to see me or-” But her voice trailed off as she thought back to that one moment in the bathroom. He had been leaning in too, hadn’t he? Or had she just imagined that as she’d gazed into his beautiful, beautiful eyes.

“Just text him, please?” Marlene had an odd sort of smile on her lips, like she knew. Like she knew exactly what Lily was thinking. Damn Marly and her perfect perception. 

“What do I even say? Thank you for almost breaking my nose then dealing with the catastrophic nosebleed that followed?” Lily rolled her eyes and flopped back against her pillows. 

“Exactly! Maybe not quite in those words but… Just acknowledge that you appreciated the help and maybe he’ll offer to get you that drink another time.” Marlene winked at Lily, still scrolling through his instagram. “I mean, you’re both young, both hot. You both live in London and you would have quite the meet-cute story to tell your grandkids…” 

---

What was she thinking? Why had she agreed to meet James Potter for coffee in Central London, when she could be doing a hundred other things instead? Lily sighed and ran her hands through her hair again as she sat in the coffee shop where they had agreed to meet. She was twenty minutes early out of sheer panic. She had been in a right state ever since he’d replied to the text she’d eventually sent. What if Marlene was pranking her? What if the number wasn’t James’ at all and this was all some elaborate joke? 

She sighed again, fingers automatically clicking the lock button on her phone to check the time and see if he’d messaged her. Which he hadn’t of course, as it had only been thirty seconds or less since Lily had last checked. Was this a date? Or was it just two acquaintances meeting up? Or-

“Lily?”

Her stomach flipped as Lily looked up to see James standing next to her table, a cap covering his messy shock of hair. She couldn’t exactly blame him, even though she loved his hair since he was apparently some big celebrity. He couldn’t be seen meeting up with a nobody like her, could he?

“Hey.” She managed to force a smile, gesturing to the chair opposite her. “How- How are you?”

“I’m okay, I… Well, honestly, I was going to ask the same question of you.” His eyes searched hers as he took a seat, the look on his face making her breath catch. She hadn’t imagined how his gaze made her feel then. “You look as though you’ve healed nicely.”

“There wasn’t that much to heal,” Lily smiled, her fingers playing with her charm bracelet nervously, “you didn’t hit me that hard, don’t worry.” 

“Good.” He chuckled, seemingly relieved. “Can- Can I get you a coffee? You left before I could buy you a drink the other night.” 

“Oh, yeah… I didn’t really feel up to staying, I just…” Lily sucked in a deep breath. “It wasn’t all because of you as to why I went home. I- I got broken up with about a month ago and that night was my attempt to get over it. Obviously things didn’t go exactly to plan…” 

“Ah, I see…” James cleared his throat before scooting his chair a little closer. “I don’t blame you for leaving, I actually left after I gave your friend my number. I’m- I’m glad you texted me though.”

“You are?” Lily’s eyebrows raised, she hadn’t expected him to be so open with her. 

“Yeah, I am.” He grinned that same bright smile that made her heart flutter. “I hoped you might give me a second chance, a do over at meeting you. I mean- You’re someone that I would like to get to know better, if you’d let me…” 

“I’d like that.” Lily smiled back at him, her nerves starting to ebb away. “As long as I won’t get in the way of all of your fans.” 

He blushed, his eyes dropping from hers. “Damn, I was hoping-”

“-I didn’t know who you were when we met. I mean, I like your music but I didn’t know it was yours.” Lily interrupted, her hand instinctively reaching across the table to cover his. “I didn’t sidle up to the bar to get punched by you cause I’m a stalker fan. Marlene recognised you and she told me.”

“Does it sound crazy that I’m glad?” He almost winced as he said it, his hand moving beneath hers so that he could lace their fingers together. “I… It’s so hard to find… I don’t often bump into people that don’t know who I am.” 

“Bump into?” Lily teased, shaking her head. “It was a little more than a bump, Potter.” 

“And I am so sorry for that, I’ll never stop.” He shook his head, smiling again. “I- If you would let me, I’d really like to take you out on a date, Evans.” 

“Well, I guess…” Lily pretended to muse on it for a moment, her face warm and her smile wide. “I guess punching me in the face was a happy accident, wasn’t it?”

[ofmermaidsandmarauders]

quarantine diaries 2020

my submission for the april @jilychallenge! 

check it out on AO3 or FF

Week One, Day Four

“Hey, Lil? Do you know where the backup Lysol wipes are?” James’ voice was muffled due to his head stuck under the washroom sink, searching for said container.

“Yes, you put them in the bathroom closet. Remember? You didn’t want to bang your head on the-” Lily’s voice trailed off as James did just as he had predicted in the previous days, the back of his head smacking on the chestnut door frame. Her soft chuckles filled the space and the sound made him smile, despite the dull throbbing in his skull.

“Riiiiiight.” James moved to the closet and grabbed the wipes, doing another washing of the counters and sink. Lily stood in the doorway with a small smirk on her face as she watched him with amusement settled on her features.

“James, neither of us have used the bathroom since you came in here and did a deep cleaning of the washroom two hours ago. I don’t think this is necessary,” she teased, stepping into the bathroom. Lily stopped after a few steps when James held a hand up to keep her from coming any closer.

“Lily, we must take this virus seriously. They said during the press conference that we must be cleaning every few hours to ensure that things stay clean!” James sounded exasperated as he tossed another wipe into the wastebasket and then stared down his girlfriend. 

“Who said to clean every few hours?” Lily asked, genuinely sounding concerned for this directive.

“The government, Evans! Do you even watch the news?” James pushed past her at this, his eyes rolling back. Lily had to stifle a giggle as she followed him out to the kitchen, knowing that this cleaning routine would continue until he became sick of the scent of bleach products.

Week One, Day Six

 “Hey Lily, do you think I’d look good as a blonde?” James called from the bathroom, turning his head slowly back and forth as he studied his bone structure.

“You’re not dying your hair to look like, Joe Exotic!” Lily yelled back from the kitchen.

“Damn it. Lily said I can’t do it, Sirius,” James muttered, shutting off the fluorescent light as he picked his phone back up. Lily grinned to herself as she heard Sirius swear over Facetime, his plans obviously foiled.

Week Two, Day Three

 “Lily!” James scolded, stepping in front of her from moving any further into their home. “You need to put your clothes in the wash immediately, what are you doing?” He sounded very concerned, pulling his own sweatshirt over his head.

“I’m going to take it off in the bathroom… Where I’m going to go shower… And will put on clean clothes…” She took a few moments to tell him this, not fully understanding his point.

“During the press conference yesterday we were told that we should change our clothes and put them in the wash immediately after coming in from outside. I swear, if it weren’t for me you’d probably be sick by now!” 

“James Potter, you are being ridiculous. We were out in the garden, not interacting with other people.” Lily rolled her eyes and then pulled the sweatshirt over her head, taking her top with it. She couldn’t help but get annoyed with the constant stressors of James and the press conferences, but she understood he was trying to keep them safe.

“Oh… Well, thank you.” James’ cheeks turned pink, despite having seen her naked hundreds of times. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he cast his gaze down to his feet.

“You won’t catch coronavirus from looking at me, James.” 

“I know, I know. I’m sorry,” he murmured, stepping towards his partner. Lily glanced up at him, the corners of her lips tipping up a fraction.

“I’m just nervous. I don’t want either of us to get sick. It’s week two inside and I feel like I’m already losing my mind. I want to just go back to normal and have our friends over for a board game and movie night. Not that I’m not happy to be stuck inside with you…” His ears tinged pink as he realized he might be offending her. Lily, obviously not offended by the remarks, took a few steps forward and held his face in her palms.

“No touching faces,” James breathed out in a warning, though a smirk spread on his lips after he said it. Lily rolled her eyes and then tipped her own face up to meet his for a brief kiss. “Let’s go wash up.”

Week Three, Day Five

 James spent a few hours perusing social media, abandoning all hopes of working on the new advertising campaign that he was supposed to be developing and was due the following Monday.

“What should we have for lunch?” Lily asked, raising an eyebrow as she entered the spare room and noted James’ slouched position in his chair. She sat down at her own makeshift desk, opening her laptop as she opened Postmates to decide between restaurants.

“Hm?” He murmured, only half registering what she asked.

“I thought we could order in for lunch rather than try to put something together and be only half satisfied. Maybe falafel? Or barbecue?” Lily’s stomach grumbled as she glanced at the pictures from her favorites screen on the delivery app, only to be disappointed to find that the falafel shop was closed.

“What? We can’t order out. What if one of them has the virus? Then we contract it because we ate their food. No, no. I’ll just make us some mac and cheese again, don’t worry about it,” he quickly remarked, waving his hand as if the thought of ordering was absurd. 

“James, I’m not eating mac and cheese for lunch, again. No mac and cheese. No grilled cheese. No ham and cheese. I never thought this would happen but I am so sick of cheese. I just want something satisfying that we don’t have to cook. And the likelihood of us catching the virus because we ordered from a restaurant is so slim. I need you to… Just chill. Okay? I’m ordering us burgers for lunch.” As she clicked through to place their usual meal, she watched James as he huffed a bit, glancing down at his phone a few times. She could see that he had more to say on the matter but was keeping it to himself. “What?” “Well, if we’re ordering I’d prefer falafel.” 

“Too bad, they’re closed for two weeks,” Lily retorted, placing the order before he could say anything else.

“This virus has taken everything from me!”

Week Four, Day Two

 Finding some jolt of productivity, James finished two projects that he had been putting off for some time. At the end of the day, he realized he hadn’t taken the time to watch the daily press conference with coronavirus updates. For a moment, James sat back in his chair and started to freak out. How will he know what the statistics are for cases? How will he know the proper conduct for going out to the store should the need arise? His breathing quickened as he tried to think of all of the unknowns that had occurred.

Then, a follow-up thought occurred. It was the first day in weeks that he hadn’t had a gripe in his stomach as he watched the news, awaiting updates, hearing the death toll rise, wishing the world would go back to normal.

For the first day since quarantine started, James had been able to relax. He had taken the time to focus on his work rather than the impending doom happening outside of his door.

Lily popped into the room just then with a wide smile on her face and a mask in her hand. 

“Up for a walk?” She inquired, waggling her eyebrows as if she had suggested they engage in something much more sinister. Usually James turned down the opportunity for a walk. He was fearful of running into a stranger that would be a carrier without a mask. Instead, he felt motivated today. A walk would do them both some good, even if the mask was a bit difficult to breathe through.

“Let’s go,” he responded, taking the mask from her hand and pressing a kiss to her forehead. At least he had Lily to keep him happy.

Week Five, Day Six

 “I think if I have to stay in this house for another second I am going to go absolutely bonkers!” James exclaimed, slamming his fists on his desk. He was sick of waking up and walking into the other room to go to work, then ending his day and transitioning back to his bedroom. He needed space, freedom to do something.

“As opposed to your usual, calm and stable state of mine?” Lily teased, arching an eyebrow as she walked towards him, her arms outstretched. She placed her hands on his shoulders to try to calm him down. “Hey, it’s okay. Why don’t we go for a walk or something?” She looked outside at the impending storm clouds and chewed on her lower lip. “Or maybe we could go for a drive instead?” 

“No, no. I need to be out. Like, out as in out with friends sitting at a bar and just having a pint. Or wandering aimlessly around the shopping centre until I find a store that I want to go into. I just want normal,” James whined, pressing his chin to the top of Lily’s head, his hands holding her hips. “Why can’t life be normal?” 

“I know, James. It sucks, but life isn’t normal and the best thing we can do is stay home and keep ourselves and others safe.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I can’t absolutely hate it,’ he mumbled beneath his breath, tucking his face into her neck now. “I think if I didn’t have you I would’ve gone insane by week three.”

“James, you wouldn’t have lasted a week.”

Week Six, Day Six

 “Sirius, no. You absolutely are not coming to sit outside my door and talk with me through the glass.”

“Why not? It would be fun. I miss your face, James!” Sirius pleaded over the phone, his handsome face filling the screen. James was adamant that he would not be participating in any social distancing meet-ups. He had read the statistics and knew that neither he nor Sirius had the actual willpower to stay six feet apart from one another. The two were like magnets and would accidentally break the social distancing. It was a risk he was refusing to take.

“You can see my face right now, Sirius. Don’t be ridiculous about this. You can see me when a vaccine has been found,” James told him, a sad smile on his lips. James really did miss his best friend.

“That could be over a year from now, mate. You’re the one being ridiculous about this.” Sirius was stubborn, but James’ anxiety was more stubborn. Sirius knew he was arguing for a losing battle. He wouldn’t be able to change James’ mind. Lily had been checking in with Sirius as well and had been trying to convince James that this would be a good idea, but he had held firm with her too. Even while laying naked in bed, where she was sure she’d be able to change his mind. 

“I know, I know. It sucks. I just…. I can’t risk it. I can’t let either one of us get sick. So we’ll stay here in Godric’s Hollow until it’s safe to go out again. Stay safe.” James waved and then hung up the call, feeling a wave of emotions take hold, ones that he couldn’t specifically identify. He put his head into his hands, taking a few deep breaths as he tried to just figure out what was going on in his head. James felt like he wanted to cry. A hard cry, like one he hadn’t had in years. He felt his eyes fill with tears and he became instantly angry at himself. 

James knew he was privileged. He and Lily both had the opportunity to work from home. None of their friends or family was sick, and they all seemed to be staying inside as well. There was nobody close to them they really needed to worry about, and yet James felt like all he did was worry. He just wanted to give his best friend a hug. It felt so stupid, something they didn’t even do regularly, but he couldn’t help it.

A soft cough came from the doorway, the light creating a halo behind Lily’s head.

“James? Are you alright?” She asked softly, stepping into the room. Lily knew the answer, but asked anyway. Giving him the opportunity to verbalize his thoughts felt important, especially as he had a conflicted look on his face. 

“I’m just being stupid, ignore me.” Despite his flippant tone, James’ hands stretched out to hold hers tightly.

“It’s not stupid. You’re allowed to be sad. And angry. And whatever else you’re feeling. You’ve been such a rock through all of my mood swings. I think you were bound to have one,” Lily reassured him, letting her hand slip from his so that she could massage his scalp.

If he was her rock, she was his lighthouse. She brought light in when he felt dark and brightened his spirits until he felt like he could continue on. 

“I just… I know we’re so lucky to have the privileges we do, but I just wish I worried less about the people I love. There’s no reason to worry, I know that, but I still do.”

Lily sighed and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, wiping under his eyes. “I think it’s absolutely normal to worry. We’re living in the middle of a global pandemic. It’ll be alright. And in the meantime, I’m here for you to share your worries with.” “Y’know, I worry about you most of all, Evans.” His lips quirked up into a small, cupping both of her cheeks.

“I worry about you more,” she teased, letting her lips hover over his for a moment.

“No way. I worry about you most.”

Week Seven, Day Four

 “Lily, NO!” He yelled, holding both of his hands up. “Stay back!” James reached across the counter to grab the Lysol disinfectant spray, holding it up as a weapon between them.

“Wh-what? James! You’re being ridiculous. Help me put the groceries away!” Lily was holding back her laughter, opening random cabinets to put away cans and cereal boxes. 

“We have to stay at least two meters apart at all times! Otherwise I could catch coronavirus if you have it. You could be asymptomatic!” Although his logic would be sound if she was a delivery driver, she was his wife and they had been living together for weeks now. She relayed this information to him again but he refused to listen. “All news organizations report that at least two meters between people, even loved ones, is important to avoid spreading germs!”

“James, you used my toothbrush last week until you could run out to the pharmacy for a replacement after yours fell in the toilet.” She rolled her eyes, pausing as she turned to him. Lily pretended like she was going to launch herself at him from around the island countertop, his eyes widening as he jumped back. “Lily!!” He screamed, the Lysol container flying into the air. He scrambled to catch it but the container fell to the floor with a clang, bouncing as it rolled over to her feet. 

“Hm, it seems I have the disinfectant now. How will you ever protect yourself?” She teased, tossing it back and forth between her hands before she set it on the counter. 

“Stop being ridiculous and put the groceries away.”

“Fine,” James muttered, but not without ensuring there was at least some distance between he and his wife at all times.

Week Eight, Day Four

 One more day and it would be Friday. That’s what he reminded himself as he climbed under the blankets on their large bed. James closed his eyes for a moment, only opening them as Lily joined him in their bed. It had been a long day of working at home, both of them fielding phone calls for their respective roles. He had been grateful when the day was done and they agreed to order in for dinner. 

Reaching over, James pulled Lily closer to his side of the bed. Her nose pressed against his bare chest as she lay silent for a few moments.

“It’s been a rough few weeks, hm?” She whispered, her left hand raising to rest on his cheek, thumb tracing his lower lip.

“Yeah. I know I don’t say it enough, but thank you. Thank you for putting up with me, and loving me, and just being you. I think I’d die without you, Evans,” he murmured softly. His lips pressed a soft kiss to the pad of her thumb before catching her hand in his own, holding it against his chest. 

“No one else I’d rather be stuck in quarantine with.”

[jilychallenge]

absolutely screaming about this one....

To the Potter Boy I Hated Before

Written for @jilychallenge2023 / @jilychallenge, April 2023.

Prompt: Because it’s so much easier to express your thoughts in a letter one writes everything he/she feels about the other in a (long ardent) letter. Frustrations, observations, speculations of what he/she wants to do with the other. Never meant to ever be read, of course. Instead of ripping the thing to pieces or burning it in the fire…

Partnered with the super lovely @abihastastybeans 💖

ALSO on AO3

I

Petunia Evans glared at the door that her freak of a sister had just slammed shut, storming out of the house. Petunia’s chest heaved as the shrieks and shouts from a minute ago still seemed to echo in the air around her.

Good bloody riddance! She thought to herself venomously, as the insults Lily had hurled at her wormed their way into her heart, sunk in their barbs and lodged in.

She should have stayed in London. She shouldn’t have wasted any of her precious holiday coming back to Cokeworth. It wasn’t worth it, not when seeing her parents meant having to see the abomination she had the misfortune to be related to.

How dare that freak judge her! Vernon was a wonderful boyfriend, precisely because he was everything Lily wasn’t and would never be! Besides, Lily didn’t have a love life of any kind so she really didn’t have a leg to stand on. It was pathetic. She was pathetic. And she was going to pay.

Menace glinted in Petunia’s eyes as she marched upstairs. She burst into Lily’s bedroom, startling a hoot out of the caged owl in the corner. An owl! Her parents had bought it for Lily earlier that year for her birthday. Petunia sneered at it, this manifestation of eccentricity in her parents’ ordered home. She loathed it, and everything it represented. But it would serve a purpose today.

Petunia crossed over to Lily’s desk. She grabbed a small jewellery box and dumped the few old rings and necklaces inside onto the desk. Then she removed the false bottom of the box and dug out the key. Fingers trembling with both suppressed rage and glee, she jiggled the key in the lock of the desk’s top drawer. It clicked open and Petunia yanked open the drawer. Eagerly, she rummaged around it, knowing just what to look for. And she found it. The letter.

A smile spread slowly as Petunia pulled it out and studied the inked name on the back of the folded missive. She drummed the letter against her thigh as she skulked across the room.

Petunia opened the window first, then approached the cage. She fumbled a little on the latch but managed to open it. The cage door fell open, and the bird and the woman scorned stared at one another.

“Here.” Petunia thrust the letter out to the flea-riddled creature. “Deliver this to James Potter.”

The owl ruffled its feathers, then snatched the letter from Petunia, hopped to the open door of its cage and then, in a blink of an eye, flew silently out of the window.

Petunia slammed the window shut with savage satisfaction and laughed.

II

Dear James

I hate your face. I hate the way you strut around Hogwarts like you own the place. I hate how you muss up your hair. I hate your stupid grin and the way you frown when you’re writing a paper. I hate how you tap your foot and hum under your breath, even at the library. I hate how you offer your pudding to Remus. Or how you always keep an extra quill to give to Peter when he loses his. I hate how dedicated you are to Quidditch. I hate how you look when you fly. I hate how you never back down from a fight. I hate how you always ask me what I’m reading. I hate that you know who Jane Austen is and that you get so excited about everything Muggles do. I hate how easy and effortless you make Transfiguration seem. I hate how brilliant you are. I hate the way you roll up your sleeves. I hate the way I can’t ignore your laugh.

I hate all these feelings you make me feel. They’re so inconvenient and it was easier when I could honestly say you were a loathsome, arrogant toerag. But I guess I have just been lying to myself for a long time because the truth is…

Sometimes, you get this serious look in your eyes and I can’t look away. Sometimes, you smile at me and my heart stops beating for a second. Sometimes, you know just the right thing to say and your words stay with me for days and weeks. Sometimes, I can’t stop staring at you, and hoping that you’ll glance back at me. Sometimes, you have a way of focusing your attention on me. For those fleeting moments, I feel like we’re the only people left in the world.

But that doesn’t matter. Because we’re not the only people left in the world.

More than anything, I hate the way you look at her. I hate seeing you hold her hand. I hate when you kiss her forehead. I hate when you lean towards each other and whisper in class. I hate how it breaks my heart every time I see you two together. And I really, really, really hate that I’m not her.

And I hate myself for feeling this way.

I want to punch your stupid face. I want to hex you into oblivion. I want to grab your cloak and pull you close. I want to bury my fingers in your stupid hair and muss it up for you. I want to taste your grin. I want you to kiss me and make it count.

I can’t stop thinking about you and it’s making me crazy.

I want it to stop. I don’t want to feel this much. I don’t want to long for something that’s not mine to have. I don’t want to be in love with James bloody Potter of all people. I can hear the universe laughing at me and I’ve had enough.

So I’m writing it all out here. Purging myself of these tangled emotions on this paper. Sealing these futile feelings in ink and hoping they stay gone. Hoping I’ve set myself free of them and of you.

And I'm hoping you’ll never read this letter which is why I'm not going to send it. I hope you'll never know. It's better that way. A clean break. Let me take my leave of you in silence and hold on to my pride at least, now I've failed to hold on to my heart.

All my love,

III

The first thing that struck Lily as wrong was the silence. No soft hooting, no rustle of feathers, no nothing. She scanned her bedroom closely. The window was closed. Nothing looked disturbed. Except for the empty bird cage in the corner, its door fully open.

Her owl was gone. How? Where? Elliot was clever but he would not have been able to open the latch by herself. And even if he had escaped his cage, he couldn’t have got much further. The door of her room had been closed and the window – There was something off about the window. The curtain was too crumpled up.

Lily frowned at it. Was this Petunia’s doing? Did she think she could get rid of Elliot by letting him free? Lily scoffed. She let Elliot fly free and hunt every night. The owl was fully domesticated and bonded with Lily, besides. He’d be back.

So Lily propped the window open and left a few owl treats on the sill for Elliot. Smiling, she turned back from the window and noticed her desk.

The top drawer was ajar. Not closed as Lily had left it. And the key she always kept hidden was stuck in the lock.

Oh no.

Heart in her throat, Lily ran across the room and pulled the drawer open. Her frantic gaze searched the familiar contents of the drawer. At first, it looked like all was in its place, but then… Then, she realised something was missing. Lily slammed the drawer shut and leaned against her desk. She drew in a desperate breath that stayed shallow. The letter was gone.

The letter was gone – and so was her owl. Lily’s stomach dropped as a ball of lead lodged inside. Shit. Oh shit. Petunia couldn’t really have… Of course, she could. She definitely would, the hateful, vindictive, bloody –

Lily inhaled. Sighed. Inhaled again. And tried to figure out how the hell she could get herself out of this mess. Dread was creeping along her veins and the flutter of panic pressed at her temples. Maybe there was still hope. Maybe there was still time. Maybe James hadn’t read the letter yet. Her heart drummed against her ribs as she willed her numb legs to cooperate.

Lily ran. Out of her room, down the stairs. Down the hall, towards the front door. If she was fast enough, she could Apparate and catch Elliot before he ever delivered the cursed letter. Or break into Potter's room and steal it before he had a chance to read it. Lily wasn’t too pressed on the details yet, all that mattered now was haste.

She was through the door now, planning a step or three ahead, but her brain screeched to a halt. Her knees locked and the gravel scrunched under her feet as Lily stopped. Her chest heaved, her cheeks flamed and her eyes grew wide as she helplessly stood and watched James Potter stride up the garden path.

Or maybe it was too late, after all.

Shit.

“Got your letter,” James said in a greeting as he stopped a yard from her, waving the damning bit of paper at her.

“What letter?” Lily countered, trying to keep all her stupid emotions from showing on her stupid face.

“This one,” he replied, brandishing the letter of doom once again. “Don’t need a signature to tell me who it’s from, not when I recognise the owl that delivers it and the handwriting.”

Lily’s shoulder sagged. Her head fell. “I’m sorry. It was stupid. You weren’t meant to read it. I had a fight with my sister and she –”

“Caroline broke up with me,” James said.

Lily blinked. “What?”

“Last month. Met someone else over the summer.”

“What?” Lily repeated.

“And even if that hadn’t happened,” James continued, ignoring her feeble stammers, “I would have broken up with her after reading this letter.”

Lily swallowed. She gathered her courage and looked up, met James’ eyes. He was staring at her, his gaze both serious and searching. She felt his attention fix on her, almost a physical tug. And the birdsong and the hum of traffic fell away.

James took a step. Another. He brushed her hair away from her face and let his thumb rest on her cheek. His voice was low when he spoke next.

“Lily Evans, I’m going to kiss you.”

His hazel eyes were alight and he was grinning at her, the smile so bright her heart ached and swelled. Her hand landed on his chest and fisted on his t-shirt. Tears burned in her eyes but her smile was so wide her cheeks hurt. Slowly, she slid her other hand into his hair and leaned in.

“Make it count,” she whispered against his lips.

And James did.

[jilychallenge]

UPDATED WITH BUTTERFLY 🦋 FIC added- just FYI me figuring there must just not have been a challenge that month…since I couldn’t find your fic, is a compliment of sorts in itself :)

Dear Ray, Sweet Charms,

As I was looking up this month's sign ups, I noticed something... Your name was not there, perhaps you forgot, perhaps you are a little busy which is absolutely fine! BUT I thought I'd take a look at your Jilychallenge history...

Since September 2022 (two years ago, people) you have signed up for every challenge and have posted within the set dead-lines for every one!

For special events you've even written more than one fic (December Jily Calender 2022) and all your stories have been absolutely lovely!

Let's put them all down here, people check out these fics, their stunning banners and leave your love for a wonderful person who has given us so much !

Back to School - September 2022

Jilytober- no jilychallenge

Nostalgic Tropes November 2022

December Calendar 2022 - Eat Snow

December Calendar 2022 - You Need to Branch Out

December Calendar 2022 - Resting Grinch Face

January 23 - One and One Is Two

Valentine Fic Exchange - no Jilychallenge

February 23 - Feelings keep running the Red

March 23 - Ties That Bind ( Soulmates)

April 23 - Meet Me At The River

May 23 - Mother's Day May

June 23 - Ice Breaker (collab with @jamesunderwater)

July 23 - Midnight Dip

August 23 - A Reason To Fight

September 23 - Sugar Quills

Jilytober - no Jilychallenge

November 23 - The x-Change Principle

December 23 - Mistletoe Adventures

Jan 24 - Fight Or Flight Response

February 24 - Grey Carpet Area

March 24 - The Stag Prince Across the Sea

April 24 - Knight in Shining Armour

May 24- Hockey and Headaches

June 24 - To Take Up An Oar

July 24 - The Co-habitation Agreement

August 24 - ...

... We can safely say you hold the record of consecutive jilychallenges, this post is therefore dedicated to you!

Thank you @charmsandtealeaves for all your jily-challenge support

[practicecourts]

Not the Doctor

written for the @jilychallenge

My lovely partner was @arianatwycross

Not the Doctor, a meet-ugly that happens in the hospital (so much for the prompt ... ) Let me know what you think ;-)

playlist

ALSO @redrobyn285 made me a moodboard and its so good!!! THANKS SO MUCH I LOVE IT !! look below the cut at your own risk (dr James Serrano Potter is there too I promise)

[jilychallenge2023]

this looks like a great story! Multichap Muggle AU 💕

@jilychallenge2023 @jilychallenge | partner: @wearingaberetinparis

Month: April Letters, Notes, and Texting

Prompt: “Haha if we lived together you would get more sleep because I would always make you come to bed with me.” “Haha, if you lived with me, we would get very little sleep, Hahahahaha.” “… haha is that so?” “Mhmm, haha.” “Haha” “Haha”

((I’m sorry this is so so late! And the prompt does get involved - just in a later chapter ;) ))

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

haha, unless…

Lily Evans is not a problem-causer, really, truly - she’s just surrounded by them. How is she supposed to have a normal life when her roommates are completely barmy, her sister hates her (and is planning a wedding), and now some random blokes from Marlene’s class are barging onto her sofa every week to interrupt a hitherto sacred space.

It’s not as if she wants James Potter to be attacked by chavs, become Jesus, buy her coffee, or listen to her ramble about Petunia. Mostly that’s his fault.

Really.

chapter one: make herpes reimburse you

[available on Ao3]

[cauldron-full-of-magic]

My story from @jilychallenge April 2022 prompts

This is unfortunately late from the April Meet Uglies challenge. I lost my original draft when it was nearly complete and didn't have it in me to recreat it until this week! My partner was @chierafied

*****************************************************

Lily was wandering through Diagon Alley, the warm July sun fell on her freckled shoulders as she followed the winding paths between shops. She had left her home early that morning on hearing the news that Petunia and her horrid boyfriend coming for lunch. She found herself longingly drawn back to the magical world that seemed so far away every summer There wasn't any goal for her trip that day, other than avoiding being at home for as long as possible. She'd been browsing through the shops for several hours now, and had just stepped back into the crowded main corridor after leaving Flourish and Blotts. Several new books weighed down the bag on her shoulder, and Lily had set her sights on a quiet table at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

Several minutes later, she was seated bellow the shade of an umbrella, a large sundae on the table in front of her. She rummaged through her bag before pulling out a book. The pages drew her in, and she was lost within the story soon. Shadows of the people who were passing by danced on the the pages as she read. Her spoon scraped the bottom of her sundae when a shrill laugh caught her attention. Lily looked towards the sound, but there were many people bustling by. She went back to her book, but a moment later the same shrill laugh erupted from the same spot. This time the crowd had thinned and she saw long blond hair. She recognized the girl as a Ravenclaw from the year below, Jillian something she thought crinkling her nose. The same girl who had asked James to the last Hogsmeade weekend of the school year. She felt her pulse rise at the annoyance of the memory. Her gaze lingered and as the crowd thinned more she saw a tall boy with messy black hair trying to back away from the girl. It was James, and he looked as though he was extremely uncomfortable and searching for any escape. But Jillian was pawing at his chest and something in Lily snapped. She stood up, heart hammering, and nearly toppled her chair.

"Potter!" she greeted enthusiastically waving towards him as she got closer to where the two stood. "What took you so long? I've nearly finished my ice cream waiting." James looked slightly confused, but Lily was determined to have him realize that she was giving him a way to get away from this girl who clearly made him uncomfortable. "Remember, we were supposed to meet?" she looked at her watch, "though I guess I'm a bit early."

"Erm," James fumbled looking nervously towards Jillian who looked completely livid. Before he could say anything more Jillian started to yell.

"So this is who you're supposed to be meeting then? You told me you were meeting the guys! No wonder you were being so secretive about why! All summer long you never have time for me because you're 'too busy with the guys' and the one day you have a few free hours you make plans with another girl afterwards?" Jillian's cheeks were pink and her chest heaved up and down as she glared at a wide eyed James whose mouth was hanging open slightly. Jillian let out a strangled scream, stomping her foot in frustration, "that's it James, we're over!" She spun on het heel and stormed off.

Lily felt the heat rising in her cheeks, and a heavy sensation in the pit of her stomach. James was staring at Jillian's retreating back and he let out a slow shaky breath. "James, Merlin, James I am so sorry! I had no idea! You just looked like you were trying to escape and Merlin James I'm sorry! I had no idea you're seeing Jillian. Hang on I'll go explain to her it was a prank, I'll fix this." Lily turned to follow Jillian, but she felt a hand grab her wrist and she felt her heart flutter at the touch.

"Don't" James said finally finding his voice. Lily looked up at him and he looked down giving her a crooked smile. "You don't have to do that Evans. I've actually been trying to end things with her since the end of the school year when she got it in her mind we were dating. But I couldn't ever do it. The guys have been giving me the hardest time all summer. They actually have a bet going on if things would be ended by tonight. Looks like I'll be making off with a nice bit of pocket money from them all. I'm the only one who wagered that things would be ended today." He gave her another wide smile, "shall we?" James said gesturing towards her table where her abandoned book and sundae sat.

As he moved towards her table Lily paused for a moment, unsure of exactly what had happened. Just then, James looked over his shoulder "are you coming?" The twinkle in his hazel eyes captured her attention and she followed him to her table. Maybe she'd thank Petunia for her day away from home, Lily thought as James pulled out her chair for her. He bounded around to the chair across the table and sat down enthusiastically before asking how her summer had been. "Oh, it's getting better now" she said with a grin.

[wearingaberetinparis]

7 UP

Thanks @practicecourts for the tag! Rules of the game: post the last seven lines of your WIP (or the one you're currently working on?!).

Taken from my April Jily Challenge document. I've been paired up with the amazing @ohmygodshesinsane this month and am writing a oneshot titled If You Knew Who Was Talking!

(Read the snippet below the cut.)

I'm tagging @ohmygodshesinsane, @annabtg, @mppmaraudergirl, @annasghosts, @charmsandtealeaves and whomever else might like to do this!

“I’m just not keen on a blood bath today,” she answered breezily. “Hmm,” he nodded, lips twitching just the slightest, “I agree that it would definitely dampen the mood on the day we commemorate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.” She didn’t have a chance to reply for he placed his hand halfway down her back – not low enough to make her lose her breath, but certainly unexpected enough to make it hitch – and applied some light pressure with his fingers. “Let’s make our way in. Mum has been slaving about the kitchen for hours –” “Typical,” she responded, her voice a higher pitch than it usually was, but luckily this didn’t seem to be something Potter truly paid attention to. “She’ll never change,” he agreed with her, a fond smile playing at his lips. That was another thing she had found she had a weakness for: she loved a mummy’s boy.

[sosohh]

Words we should (never) have left unsaid

or

I just keep waiting for the day when I’m not an idiot around you.

Chapter 5 now up on AO3.

Thanks for joining me on my first multichap ride!