"Evans, Lily!" Lily stood up at her name call and slowly approached the teacher's table. Professor Ferox, the defence against the dark arts teacher, handed her her marked exam paper. She only looked down at it after reaching her seat again. A "D"? She swore internally and thrust the paper inside her bad. Is this how she was going to pass her NEWTs? Sure, these weren't NEWTs, but still they were the first term exams! How does everyone expect students to manage the increased syllabus of every other stupid subject? The feeling of failure rose inside her chest and and a tear came to her eyes, threatening to fall. She brushed it off and somehow managed to sit through this last class of the day with clenched teeth. As soon as the class ended, lily escaped the classroom, while offering some excuses to her friends as to why she wouldn't be there for dinner.
What she wasn't aware of, was the scrutinizing gaze of James potter that had been examining her from the second she got her test back. He'd been very happy with his own grade of course! And he'd been waiting to see his happiness reflect from her face too, when she saw her grade. But he couldn't. Instead, what he saw there had been a frown, and to his horror, a tear. It had broken his heart. He'd been waiting for the class to end so he could talk to her, but she didn't wait for even a second before dashing out of the classroom. It took him a minute to escape his friendsband when he finally did, she was nowhere to be seen in the corridor outside. But he knew just what to do.
He pulled out a piece of parchment out of his pocket. Tapping his wand at it he said,
"I solemnly swear that I'm upto no good"
The thing suddenly became lively and turned into a map of the entire castle, showing where each and every person, pet, or ghost was. Lily Evans Lily Evans Lil- there she is! Heading towards an abandoned classroom was a dot labeled Lily Evans. He sprinted in that direction, and within a minute, stood outside of the door of the said classroom. James looked down at the map to confirm once more. Yes she was inside. Now he just had to go in. But why was he suddenly feeling nervous at the prospect? He shook his head, now was not the time to think about the many-effects-Lily-Evans-has-on-him. So he took a deep breath, and pocketing the map, stepped in.
Lily looked up startled, and turned around just as quickly. Her one hand immediately started shoving something that looked suspiciously like her test paper inside her bag. The other went up to her face, doing something that looked awfully like wiping tears. So she had been crying.
"Evans! What are you doing here?" James asked, suddenly acting like he had entered the classroom accidentally and was surprised to find her in there. He mentally smacked himself. What kind of question was this to ask from someone who has obviously been crying?
She turned around again to face him.
"Nothing, I just- what are YOU doing here?" Lily asked.
"Oh I- um. I was looking for you because Marlene said she couldn't find you for dinner!" He lied.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. He was clearly lying, she had already informed Marlene and the others that she wouldn't be at dinner.
"Stop lying Potter." She said bluntly. She wasn't in a mood for games.
He looked surprised that she knew so easily.
"Okay okay I will. But only if you tell me what's wrong."
"What's wrong? Nothing is wrong! Why would anything be wrong?" She feigned cheerfulness.
"Oh I don't know! Maybe because you have these puffy eyes? Come on Evans, you can tell me. What is it? I mean if you want to that is..." he trailed off.
God damn it! Why did he have to come and ask her what was wrong when she was at her vulnerable-most, and be so gentle about it? Unwelcome tears again made their way down her cheeks. Apparently she'd been holding them back. Great! Now she is crying in front of him! She couldn't see his expression, thanks to the tears, but she was sure he must be looking disgusted.
"Oh no!" But his tone didn't hint toward any disgust at all. All she could hear was concern. For her. He hurried over and patted her awkwardly on the back, and handed her his handkerchief. Lily took it, a bit baffled by the entire situation, dried her eyes quickly, and gave it back without meeting his eyes.
"Alright Evans?"
She nodded, raising her gaze to her eyes. Why would his eyes make her heart flutter, she wondered.
"I'm sorry for bothering you, I'm just-" she began saying.
"I'm not being bothered at all." He told her calmly. "Now tell me what's wrong?"
He was addressing her with a tenderness that one usually reserves for five year olds. Or their lovers. Oh God what was she thinking! She should stop thinking at once.
"Uh.. nothing. Its not even that big of a deal now that I think about it with a straight mind, it's just I was a bit sacred about... studies."
"Lily you are literally the brightest-"
"No I'm not! I literally failed the test we just received back!"
"Many people have failed that test! It was difficult."
"Oh yeah? What did you get?"
He hesitated, then said, "An E."
"See? And I can't even produce a corporeal patronus!"
"Most of the student-"
"I saw you producing yours the other day! Its a stag isn't it?"
"Umm.."
"I'm failing because I'm just not competent enough."
"That is not true at all, lily" Do first names always have this effect on people? Lily thought. "Ok what was your in our charms test?"
She thought back, "An E."
"And potions?"
"An O..."
"See? And I've got an A on charms! And.... don't tell anyone but... a D on potions!"
She stared at him. "Really?"
"Yes! What do you think? All of us are finding our seventh year easy? Not in the slightest! But what we know is that we're all together in this. We'll cross this together!"
"You're scared about NEWTs Potions?"
"....yes. Not that anyone knows that I am..."
She laughed. "Okay okay I'll keep it a secret."
He seemed relieved at her laughter. It was so clearly visible on his face that lily felt inexpressibly happy at his concern about her well being.
"You will do it Evans. We all will."
"Yeah, I believe you."
"But I'm not asking you to believe in me at all. I'm asking you to believe in yourself. Because I do. "
He needs to stop speaking right now, lest she loses control and kisses him, she thought.
"Thank you, James. I believe that you can do it too. Oh and if you need any help with potions, I'm here."
His face lit up, as if he had just received a brilliant idea.
"Yes! Okay so you can help me with potions and charms, and I can help you with DADA and transfiguration."
"Sounds good!" She said happily.
That was how Lily and James began studying together. The next term exams' result brought identical grins on both their faces. The results also witnessed that they weren't just two friends anymore, but two lovers. Everything was exactly as he had said it would be.
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I solemnly swear I'm upto no good.
swipe to read.
how she is stuck between her present and her future.
“You sit on the imaginary seashore just to feel the nothingness of your eyes, and the lost spark like a diminishing firecracker, you are burnt up inside and you like nothing but a pen and the ink flowing inside it like the unanswered blood in your veins.”
“Everybody around you is looking forward to cherish you and pat you on the back but you hate giving them those chances and now, are cutting of every bonestring that stands up to do so.”
“You have found your way into painting a blank canvas with a few allegoric words and nobody seems to resonate with the filled pop of colours and thinks about this world as graying hair of a deteriorating human organism.”
“You put a ruler between the two puppets your life laughed on, and now the long passage of time where you stopped moving your hands and your fingers got stuck like the way they wanted to, has been hitting you on your head and you seem to bleed out question marks and no answers whatsoever.”
“The horizon is a blur from where you are standing and your past smile was actually a disguised storm taking its shape and every nature's shriek informed you but you were blindfolded except the corners of your eyes, which apparently are termed blind spots.”
“Get your head straight, get up from the stone, and lift your hands up to wipe the fog off your cornea so that you are left with a feeling of success and victory.”
‘That’s what I can’t do, can’t you comprehend?’ I cry.
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