#jilychallenge

[fleadme]

@jilychallenge day 4 bingo - snowball fight

James is the one on the bottom if you couldn’t tell 😹

[practicecourts]

December Jily Challenge Bingo list

Loveliest Tumblr friends, I've got one big full @jilychallenge December bingocard for you, and it's not even extensive, so many other amazing holiday fics that I could swap these for. So feel free to add to this bingo card or share your own!

Some are old, some are new, most are jilychallenges, some are not, some fit the prompt better than others, but they are all lovely and full of winter holiday vibes.

Buying presents:

You Two Are Dancing in a Snow Globe Round and Round - tinyluminaryzombie - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @tinyluminaryzombie

light up the static sky - charmingwillow - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @charmingwillow

Fireworks

even brighter than the moon - ginemrys - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @ginemrys

Find me waiting for you under the mistletoe

Mistletoe Mishaps - Chapter 1 - AnnaBtG - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] - @annabtg

Snowball fight

Midnight Train To London - TedwardRemus - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @tedwardremus

Do You Want To Build A Snowman? - Practicecourts - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]

Teaming Up - Joyseuphoria - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @joyseuphoria

There's only one tree left

You Need to Branch Out - charmsandtealeaves - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @charmsandtealeaves

Christmas cards

I deserve the truth - Nena96 - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @nena-96

KISS ME BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR

new year's eve don't fuck around - theesteemedladydebourgh - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @theesteemedladydebourgh

Yule Ball

meet me in the afterglow - koalasmiles - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @savannah-5555

There's only one bed

It's Coming Down, It's Coming Down - ritaskeetered - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @wearingaberetinparis

baby, it's cold outside - ohmygodshesinsane - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @ohmygodshesinsane The longest night of the year

Midwinter Magic - Practicecourts - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]

Ugly Sweater contest

Heart On Her Sleeve - catj101 - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @booksarelife-stuff

Working (late) on a holiday

Resolutely Lily - Sapphire16 - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @sapphire1616

Taking A Shot At You - AnnaBtG - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @annabtg

Jily in every universe

can this be a real thing, can it? - Zephyrcove - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] by @zephyrcove

In Need of a Christmas Miracle - charmsandtealeaves - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] by @charmsandtealeaves

Jily Challenges | Archive of Our Own

Snow Cherubs & Delayed Deer - YouBlitheringIdiot - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] by @blitheringmcgonagall

Happy Holidays, You Filthy Potters - itsjamespotter - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] by @jamesunderwater

added because HOW COULD I FORGET TO ADD THIS ONE? JILY IN EVERY UNIVERSE by @maluceh

nutmeg, Cinnamon and Orangepeel

Moodboard Family Traditions - orphan_account - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]

Hot chocolate

Underneath the Tree - Chapter 1 - womeninthesequel - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @women-inthe-sequel

DInner with the INLaws/ meeting the parents

Home for the Holidays - lightningthief - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @notorious-lightning-thief

Ice Skating lessons

Skating on Thin Ice - Chie (Chierafied) - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @chierafied

Slugclub's Infamous Christmas Party

Hair - scriibblehere - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @scriibble-fics

Harry's first Christmas

The Candle Of Hope - AnnaBtG - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @annabtg

Choices and Consequences II - sweeetbabe - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @sweeethinny

Scarves and mittens

Snow Magic - Practicecourts - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own]

Lucky Charm - EastWindmlk - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @eastwindmlk

Lights

Starlight - Elastic_Heart31 - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @suzyq31

Aurora - Chie (Chierafied) - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @chierafied

Secret Santa gone wrong

A Greyhound Bus Christmas - PetalsTheFish, gryffindormischief - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @petalsthefish & @gryffindormischief

The Naughty List - abihastastybeans - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @abihastastybeans

spiked eggnog

Snow Globe - Chapter 1 - charmsandtealeaves - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @charmsandtealeaves

Hugging just for Warmth

I've Got My Hate to Keep Me Warm - Dizzy_Bird - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @dizzy--bird

Coming Home for the holidays

One Kiss at Midnight - EastWindmlk - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling [Archive of Our Own] @eastwindmlk

All I Want For Christmas is You by @thejilyship (a last minute addition but so very very fitting with the prompt ;-)

[juniperpyre]

whiskey & honey, a jily meet the parents one shot

for the january @jilychallenge, partner is @eastwindmlk, prompt, ten of cups: shattered dreams, broken family, domestic disharmony

Lily is having James over for the first week of the Christmas holidays to spend time with her family as her serious boyfriend. Her family has some difficulties with the concept of a Lily in a serious relationship. or, Lily has never cried in front of James and she's not looking to break that streak this holiday.

“You’ve formulated all of these plans without me. It seems I’ve rubbed off on you.” Lily pushed his glasses back in place as he spoke. “Thank you, darling.” 

There was such tenderness in his voice, yet none in Lily’s when she answered, “You’ve overblown your influence, Potter.” 

“I’m simply observing cause and effect, Evans.” 

“Of course, you haven’t taken a moment to consider that I’ve been like this since we met, and this is only the first time you’ve been privy to my plans.”

James had long since undone her plait, but continued to comb his fingers through her hair, giving Lily tiny shivers of pleasure with each gentle tug. 

“I knew there was a reason I adored you so.”

Sweet words disarmed her more than any retort; would she ever be used to him?

[petalsandantlers]

fireproof

theme: short and sweet partner: @annabtg prompt: she finally fell in love with someone who could handle her fire.

a small fluffy exchange written for @jilychallenge's february prompt enjoy xx

“You’re staring at me again,” James teased, nudging Lily gently with his elbow. “Am not,” she shot back, scrunching her nose. “Quit being such a prick.” “Oi, rude!” James gasped in mock offense. “You’re the one gawking at me like I’m the last Chocolate Frog in Honeydukes.” “Gawking? Don’t flatter yourself, Potter.” “Too late,” he smirked. “You love me, admit it.” Lily rolled her eyes, biting back a grin. “You’re an insufferable git, you know that?” “And yet, here you are. Cosied up with said insufferable git.” “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, nudging him playfully. “Don’t get used to it.” “Too late, love,” James quipped, eyes sparkling behind his wonky glasses. “You’ve gone and spoiled me now. Inflated my ego a bit.” “Prat,” she whispered, leaning her head back. “Oi, don’t get short with me,” he chuckled, bumping his knee against hers. “I’m a delight, really.” “More like a menace.” “Menace? That’s rich, coming from the girl who jinxed Mulciber’s eyebrows clean off last week.” Lily grinned. “He deserved it.” “Course he did,” James agreed, leaning closer. “You’ve always had a bit of fire in you.” “Someone’s got to keep you marauding lot in check,” she said with a cheeky grin. James squeezed her hand, his voice turning soft. “Good thing I’ve got a soft spot for fiery redheads, then.” She blushed, though she refused to give him the satisfaction of teasing her for it. “Lucky me,” she whispered. “Lucky me,” he corrected, smiling warmly. She finally fell in love with somebody who could handle her fire, Lily thought, resting her head on his shoulder. And Merlin, wasn’t she glad it was him.

read on ao3

[eastwindmlk]

This month's @jilychallenge took a while to get started but when I had the idea this morning it came through!

Prompt: “everything is just a competition for you… isn’t it?” “isn’t it for you, too?” & the trope Fake dating I only really focused on the second one. Partner: @annabtg AO3

She could have picked any time to ask him a favour, honestly, there would have been plenty of times better than rushing this between classes. But her Intro to Alchemy class was right next to his Ancient Runes and it made sense to walk together. It made sense to fill the silence with idle chatter, the weather, their class and inevitably the Hogsmeade trip that weekend. 

Lily sternly reminded herself that there was no time like the present. Especially because it was already damn near impossible for her to catch a moment without Sirius in earshot. So, she sucked in a deep breath through her teeth, which faltered their steps. “You alright, Evans?” James asked at the sound and presented her with the opportunity. 

“Yeah,” she replied, her voice flipping unconvincingly, and an awkward smile made the corners of her lip jump up. “Yes,” she said again, this time more firmly, before rushing into her next words before James could get a remark in. “I’ve been meaning to ask you for advice, rather an insight.” 

James’ eyebrows slid up towards his hairline and he nodded slowly. “An insight? Into what?” he replied, his curiosity carefully measured, as if she had not learned to read him like her favourite book over the past few months. 

Lily wrung the strap of her bag, hoping to dispel some of the nervous energy that settled in her fingers. “Well, I was thinking of asking Sirius to go to Hogsmeade with me. Think he’d be keen?” The words stumbled out of her mouth clumsily, an uneven rhythm that betrayed her uncertainty. Still, her gaze did not waver from his face. 

So, she saw his eyes narrow and the smile on his lips grow tight while he processed her words. She watched James run his tongue over his teeth under his lips before nodding curtly. “I reckon he’d be keen, you two are mates,” he answered after, what she assumed was him assessing her intention behind her question. 

“I wasn’t going to ask as mates, though,” she pointed out and watched the mildly amused mask slip for a moment. 

His jaw tight, teeth clenched as James smiled back at him. “Didn’t know you fancied him like that,” he remarked, his tone flat. 

“What’s not like?” 

“Yeah, I guess. I don’t know if he’s keen but…” 

“But what?”

They paused at the door of his classroom and they peered inside to see Sirius already in his seat. “But nothing,” James muttered, his shoulders slumping as he deflated. “I’ll check with him, alright? See you for rounds.” 

“Not if I see you first,” Lily shot back with a bright smile, her fingers brushing along his sleeve before grabbing his hand and giving it a brief squeeze. Only to turn away before he could react.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

Come evening, Lily stood waiting for rounds when around the corner came, not her Head Boy. She tried to not be disappointed at the sight of Remus, she liked him, and it would hurt him to see her be less than glad to see him. But she was disappointed. “He wasn’t feeling up for it?” she asked when she fell into step with him. 

“He’s been…” 

“Moping?” 

“You could say that,” Remus said with a scoff and an affectionate smile on his face. “Care to tell me why James is being a miserable sod, or should I guess?” He gave her a side-eyed glance and a bump with his hip, trying to encourage her to say something. 

Lily just hummed and shrugged while pulling a face. “Nothing that didn’t need to be done,” she answered, a smug smile playing around her lips. “So, neither of them said anything to you then?” 

Remus stopped and grabbed her hand when Lily didn’t to tug her around. “Neither?” 

Well, shit. “Freudian slip,” Lily said, her lips pressed into a thin line. She made an attempt to pull him along to continue their rounds. Remus wouldn’t budge. He just dug in his heels and let her attempt to move his dead weight. “Oh come off it!” she complained, trying to put all of her weight into pulling. 

“Tell me,” Remus said calmly, letting his hand go slack, and she could feel her fingers slip. Lily was forced to put her efforts to move him on pause. “How bad can it really be?” At that, Lily clicked her tongue and decided to completely give up on making him move; Releasing Remus’ hand to tuck hers under her armpit, hugging her own chest with a sour expression on her face. 

Lily jutted her head towards the empty hallway, her eyes darting around the collection of paintings—One more willing to wag their tongue than the next—and hoped that Remus would understand. 

Reluctantly, Remus followed and walked beside her in companionable silence while they rounded off the first floor. 

They were stuck on a staircase that decided to move while they were on it when she spoke. “I asked James to ask Sirius to come to Hogsmeade,” she explained, her head moving from side to side as she made her confession. 

“Is that it?” Remus chuckled and she didn’t need to look to know he was wrinkling his nose in amusement. 

The laugh died when she added: “As my date.” The silence that followed was heavy, filled with shock and confusion. It lasted long enough that Lily was irked by the way it made her nervous and decided to shoot Remus a glare. 

He was clearly trying to work out what to say, his mouth opening and closing like a fish on dry land. So, she gave him a moment to recover and climb to the top step, waiting for the stair to connect once more. 

“Well,” Remus eventually started, his tongue pressed to the back of his teeth while he, again, mulled over his words. “That is not something I expected to hear.” 

Lily deadpanned and breezed out through her nose. “If Potter wanted me to go with him, he should have asked,” she said casually, a knowing smile spreading across her lips. Which did not go unnoticed by Remus who only had to raise a brow to entice the words out of her. “I’ve asked him out at least five times now and he somehow always misconstrues my intentions. So, I decided to give him a little nudge.” 

“By asking out his best mate?” 

“By having his best mate stand me up and be forced to finally take me on that bloody date himself,” she corrected and watched as Remus’ attitude pivoted from shocked to impressed. 

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

The morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Lily’d made sure that she was early just in case James decided to head out before everyone else. She was standing reading as she leaned against a pillar in the courtyard, huddled in her cloak against the morning chill when he passed her by. 

“Big plans?” Lily asked from the shadows and watched James jolt in surprise, turning to look where her voice had come from. She flashed him a smile and stepped into the early afternoon light. 

James offered her only a polite smile, eyes making a quick sweep from crown to sole, no doubt taking in her date outfit. A dress she knew he liked, she’d caught him staring at her in it several times. It had been a deliberate choice, and she was glad she made it when she watched him gulp. “No, just a quick trip. Nothing special,” he said with a shrug. 

Lily smiled softly and hummed. “Picking up some supplies?” 

“That’s the plan.” He nodded and he jumped up to his hair to smooth it back. “What about you? Have anything special planned for your date?” It was clear that he was uncomfortable asking this, but he really was doing his best to be a good friend. 

This realisation almost made Lily cave and confess the plan to him, but they were so close. All she had to do now was deliver the hook. “Oh just, you know, date things. That is if Sirius hasn’t overslept too much. Was he on his way when you headed out?” 

James’ expression shifted the instant she asked her question. “No? Was he supposed to be?” 

Lily just nodded and hummed innocently, like she didn’t know this was going to happen. “We were supposed to meet fifteen minutes ago.” 

He blinked a couple of times, turned to the castle and then back at Lily before petting his pocket, presumably for the super secret mirror only everyone knew about.”Are you sure? Cause he was still in bed when I left.” 

“Yeah, pretty sure we said ten,” she told him, forcing the corners of her lips downward, making a real attempt to look disappointed. “I’m sure he’s just forgotten the time and is rushing now,” she said optimistically, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be there for at least another forty-five minutes to check if things worked out. 

James’ brows knit together while his focus shifted between her and the bridge leading to town, his teeth massaging his bottom lip. “You know what? How about we wait for him to show over a butterbeer?” 

“I thought you wanted to be quick?” 

“Well, I also want my best mate to not be an arse but seems like I won’t be getting my way today regardless. So, I’d rather spend it with good company.” 

“You don’t have to chaperone me, I’ll be fine,” Lily protested, mostly for posterity. 

James laughed at this and offered her his arm. “It’s no bother, I hate seeing you disappointed.” 

She gladly hooked his arm through his, letting herself be pulled closer, leaning into him as they started down the path to the village. “So, you’re my substitute date then?” 

“I wouldn’t say that, but I could be if you’d want me to be.” 

Lily fell silent for a moment, letting the words hang between them as she worked up the courage to say the words. “I’d love a real date with you.” 

They stopped suddenly, James pulling her to a halt so abruptly she nearly pulled out of his grip. “Do you mean that?” His voice was smaller than she’d ever heard it before, uncharacteristically uncertain. 

“Yes.” was all the answers she could give him, all the answers he should need. 

The crease between James’ brow deepened, the look in his eyes intense. “Then why didn’t you just ask me?”

A pained smile painted across Lily’s lip, recognizing the pain behind the words.  “I did. I have. You just…” 

“All those times? The last trip? The lake? The library?” 

Lily nodded as he listed several of her attempts to do something romantic with him, and he’d assumed it had been just her being friendly. “All those times,” she confirmed, her shoe scuffing the cobbles. 

James raked a hand over his face and groaned. “So, then, why ask Sirius?”

“To get your attention,” she replied simply, matter-of-factly. “If you’d think we’re dating, if you’d think that he stood me up you’d do… Well, this.” Lily motioned vaguely between them and the world around them.

James sucked his teeth and looked away, clearly frustrated. “It worked,” he muttered, clearly irritated. 

She stepped forward, closing the space between them, and lifted her hand to cradle his cheek. A rush of warmth crashed over her when he immediately leaned into her palm, his eyes closed. “You are both the worst,” he complained as he turned his head to kiss her palm. 

“Bad enough to not want that date?” she questioned, her heart hammering against her ribs, fast and painful. 

“No, I, shamefully, have to admit that you need to do a lot more and a lot worse than this to make me turn down a proper date with you,” he told her earnestly, his eyes soft as he looked at her again, this time feeling different. 

“Then let’s go.” 

[jilychallenge]

Join the sweet fun of this month's Jilychallenge! Prompts will be as sweet as candy ;-) and we're welcoming anything short and sweet (but if you have a sweet tooth you're welcome to keep the sweetness going as long as you want ;-) how to enter February's Jily Challenge:

please reblog this post by the 31th of January and tag with what you'd like to make (for example #one-shot, #writing, #art, #drawing, #mood board, #playlist etc. You can be as vague as or specific as you like) Please note that a reblog without tags is not a sign-up.

At the beginning of the month, we will assign you a partner and you will receive your prompt (here or on the JilyChallenge Discord- dm for an invite). Keep an eye on this blog or Discord and please check your messages on Tumblr.

Each creator makes their own creation, collabs are encouraged but not the aim of this challenge. 

(optional) please follow the jilychallenge Tumblrblog for updates.

(optional) join the Jily Challenge on Discord (send an ask for an invite) for beta help, chatting and mental support.

when posting: 

creators should try to post their entries by the end of the month (What to do when you miss the deadline?)

please tag your partner and the jilychallenge in your post (including the theme and your prompt, if possible)

we will reblog all entries tagged #jilychallenge

if you post your art or story on ao3, please add it to the collection of Jily Challenges 2025

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to send us a message or ask! If you have an idea for a theme for an upcoming month we'd love to hear it!

[tinyluminaryzombie]

...Nah She Didn't

For the Febuary @jilychallenge, partner: Aelig Prompt: you could send me a voice recording of you saying how you hate me and i'd still listen to it all day.

[princeteddy]

Written for April 2025 @jilychallenge littlest moments of love Partner: @tedwardremus Prompt: Breakfast in Bed

An eight year love story told through eight years of bluberry muffins <3

[chierafied]

Betting on It

For @jilychallenge May 2024 | Theme: Muggle AU (+ shirtless May) Prompt: A friend coaxed us into playing strip (game) and you take off your shirt in the first round and it’s distracting. I lose the next round and my entire dress is gone and oh, winning is easy now since we’re both distracted Partnered with the wonderful @joyseuphoria ❤️💕🩵 Banner Photo by Laine Cooper on Unsplash

Trigger warnings for: alcohol mention, partial nudity, swearing and gambling

Read on AO3.

If Lily hadn’t downed those last two tequila shots, she might’ve wondered how she ended up here: squinting at the cards she’d been dealt while sneaking appreciative glances at the very impressive set of abs. They were a piece of art, really. Worthy of being displayed at the Louvre. Though she was delighted they were on display here and now. Really, ah, appreciative.

It had, of course, all been Sirius’ fault. The parties he threw were a legend on the campus, and an opportunity to let loose was all Lily needed right now, after somehow surviving the previous gruelling two weeks. As it always was at the end of a term, she’d been peppered with deadlines for various papers with other miscellaneous course work needing to be turned in — all the while she was somehow expected to study for the exams for her remaining courses.

So when Sirius had slid into her DMs with the party invitation, Lily had accepted it right away. She’d showed up at his party, and had gone on her merry way drinking, laughing, chatting and dancing the night away.

But all parties, even the best ones, eventually had to wind down. And somehow, as everyone else had been leaving, Sirius had coaxed her to stay. There had been that bottle of tequila and things started to get fuzzier from there. There had been boasts. A dare. A deck of card being brandished. And now there were abs.

Such glorious, glorious abs.

“Lily?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you need to change any cards?”

“Sure.”

Lily tossed out two cards from her hand and picked two from the deck to replace them. Then, she squinted at her shitty hand in confusion. Fuck. Had she just thrown out her queen? She hadn’t meant to do that. She slanted a glare at the stupid, distracting abs.

“It’s the moment of truth, people! Cards on the table.”

Holding out onto hope that someone had even worse a hand than she did, Lily laid down her cards. As her gaze skittered from one set of cards to the next, that hope sputtered and died. She’d lost the bloody round.

“YES!” Sirius exclaimed, all giddy. “I win again!”

“Your loss, Lily,” Remus said, nudging her shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah…”

Now, under any other circumstances, being a lone girl playing with three guys, Lily would have chosen her next move differently. But one of those guys was Sirius and the other was Remus and the third… Well.

If it had been just the abs, she might have still played it safe. But it wasn’t.

It was the messy dark hair falling onto his forehead in a tousled curl. It was the line of his jaw that seemed made for biting. It was the breadth of his shoulders, the flex of his forearms. It was that cocky, crooked grin of his. It was the way he’d made her laugh in five seconds when they’d met, earlier. It was that light, buoyant feeling bubbling inside after their brief chat. It was the way her skin tingled under the weight of his stare.

And, sure, the abs didn’t hurt.

Lily straightened, and as her fingers gripped the hem, she locked her eyes with James Potter. And held the stare, pulling up her dress, watching the way the hazel eyes twinkled and the pupils widened. Her vision was briefly obscured by the dress as she pulled it over her head, but the little choked sound she heard was gratifying. Once she tossed the dress behind her, she was rewarded by the sight of flushed cheeks and the column of his throat soundlessly working.

Sirius was dying of laughter while Remus stared at her, one eyebrow raised.

Lily glanced at him and shrugged, though the muffled groan following her gesture had a slow smile spread to her lips.

Remus rolled his eyes and dealt them all a new hand.

Lily picked up her cards but didn’t look at them. She was, instead, staring at James, who didn’t seem to be able to take his eyes off her.

Good. Lily grinned at him.

She loved poker, but she was moving onto a new game. One that promised to have more satisfying rewards.

[blitheringmcgonagall]

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

So this is a day late and technically this is for the February @jilychallenge but sticking to rules & me wasn’t going to work 😬🤣

My prompt was the bold quotes below. Thanks to @princeteddy for the chats!

“you changed me for the better”

“I never thought you needed changing”

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

This is from BLAME

What then?

Chapter 11: You Go Sleep

(Excerpt)

Lily would understand. A small sacrifice to save the Wix world. Lily never called Voldy by anything other than his real name.

“I’m not coming to fight you, Riddle, I’m coming to kill us.”

He threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself and disappeared into the night.

Keeping reading: chapter 10/11

[enbysiriusblack]

december jily bingo: complete !!

@jilychallenge

buying presents

fireworks

find me waiting for you under the mistletoe

snowball fight

there's only one tree left

christmas cards

kiss me before the end of the year

yule ball

there's only one bed - also posted on ao3

the longest night of the year

ugly sweater contest

working (late) on a holiday

nutmeg, cinnamon, and orange peel

hot chocolate

dinner with the inlaws/meeting the parents

ice skating lessons

slug club's infamous christmas party

harry's first christmas

scarves and mittens

lights

secret santa gone wrong

spiked eggnog

hugging just for warmth

coming home for the holidays

[fleadme]

@jilychallenge December bingo day 1 - buying presents

Happy holidays!

[tedwardremus]

Summer Fling Don't Mean A Thing

Written for the September 2024 @jilychallenge Prompt: exchange students are announced at the opening feast, you are assigned to show them around (perhaps there’s history between them? Summer fling or fight Partner: @sophie-hatter-jenkins

Prongs: Well She and I…. did other activities together Padfoot: by activities, you mean… Wormtail: PRONGS HAS A GIRLFRIEND? Moony: No wonder you enjoyed summer school so much Prongs: It wasn’t summer school! Padfoot: So what’s the issue? Camp girlfriend break up with you? Prongs: Well I told her I’d write to her when the summer ended  Padfoot: And you didn’t Prongs: I tried but everything just felt so stupid on parchment Moony: And did she send you a howler? Prongs: Worse. She showed up at Hogwarts today.

[siriuslychessi]

For September's @jilychallenge partner @petalsthefish

Wordless

AO3 | FF

Prompt: A new teacher for DADA assigns partners for the year and you are partnered with your worst nightmare (your crush’s best mate or your crush him/herself)

Magnus Elderberry had been Hogwarts’ 6th DADA Professor in as many years since the class of ‘77 started attending it. It seemed that no matter what the school could not keep a Professor for that class no matter how good they were. They were not sure if it was the lack of payment, or if the rumour that the job was cursed was true. 

The older man was strict but he made sure that along their rigorous syllabus they would also have practical lessons. 

“This first term you will be paired with the same classmate, the distribution will be aleatory as we do not play favourites in this classroom. You will all learn nonverbal spells and since this is a taxing endeavour your partner will become both an ally and a competitor. At the end of term there will be a nonverbal duel tournament, the best partners will gain 100 points to their houses.”

A collecting murmur could be heard through the classroom, there was something terrible about being stuck with someone you despised, but the promise of 100 points for duelling had the class excited. 

The names were taken out from a bowl one by one, and Lily watched every piece of paper with such force she actually thought that she would be able to change the name on the paper if needed. 

Last year she had a fall out with her best mate, Severus Snape, and after that she did not want to be stuck with him as a partner for the next foreseeable future. Yet the name that was paired with hers was not a Slytherin, but a fellow housemate. 

Sirius Black, one of the top students of the class, great marks and James Potter’s best mate approached the place where she was standing and smiled at Lily. “Evans, this is going to be interesting.” he smiled, his hands in his pocket as he waited for her to say something. 

They didn’t use to get along, Sirius and her. Mostly because he loved to mess with Severus, as much as Severus liked to mess with him, and Lily as a good friend always sided with her oldest mate, instead of his housemate. That was until the mudblood incident, and ever since then Lily’s life had seemed to change 180º, her and Severus did not speak anymore, and Sirius…

She was not sure about Sirius.

Today they were practising just simple nonverbal protecting and disarming spells, to start the terms, something to warm them up for the things to come. Apparently in preparation for their NEWTs they would get nonverbal and wandless classes, and this was just a small step in that direction. 

“The motion of your wand needs to be more precise when words are not used, at first they would try to conjure the word in their heads, which was good practice, but in time;” Professor Elderberry said, “it will come as easy as walking, you won’t think about the word, but of the use of the spell. Making your magic work seamlessly with your thoughts.” As he finished the explanation he summoned one book from the other end of the classroom, demonstrating what he meant, and then put them to work. 

The class spread around the classroom to start practising. Lily did not dare to look at Sirius, not because she disliked him, but because she was afraid that he would see something in her that she was not sure was anything. It was probably nothing.

Well it was something if it bothered her so much, but it was probably not anything consequential. Or was it?

She had been so confused since last year that just thinking about sharing the class with Black would end her. She had enough on her plate with the broken relationship with Snape, Petunia’s ever growing disdain and now… well… it did not matter.

Sirius stood in front of Lily, wand in hand and looking at the shorter woman a bit amused. Lily was a brilliant witch and hilarious when she was not in a crusade to try and justify Snape’s decision and actions, but he did not remember the last time they were paired together. He was about to ask how they should go about it when a loud “I won’t spend the rest of the term working with him!” could be heard from where the Professor stood. 

“Mr Snape, as explained, there is no favouritism in this class. Groups are not to be changed for the remaining term. What was not clear.” The Professor said calmly.

Snape looked at the Professor and at James Potter, who stood next to them waiting for the scene to play out. 

“Professor, it was clear, but you can not expect me to work with Potter, that is not possible.” Snape said quieter, just so the professor could hear.

“May I know why you think that?” The Professor asked, once again, calmly. He could be persuaded but it seemed that Severus Snape did not have a proper reason to give.

If it were any other Professor they would know why Snape and Potter could not work together, but the new DADA Professor was just clueless. Explaining how Snape and James did not like each other and kept hexing each other whenever they got the chance would make Snape confess to things he did not want faculty knowing, as he played innocent in those occasions, 

“Are you not up to the challenge?” James’ voice was almost teasing, but he was not dumb enough to get detention. He had no issue working with Snape, he disliked him, but he was not going to cause a scene just because he got to learn how to hext and disarm him without even saying a word. 

James was also clear that even with the small tantrum, Snape was not dim and he would probably also master the spells quick enough for there to be any serious trouble. The main issue was, how long would they last before they would be at each other’s throats? How many points would they get deducted that the 100 points from the assignment would seem like child’s play in comparison? 

Neither of them were sure, but at the moment James seemed to have the proverbial upper hand facing the Professor and Snape was not liking it. 

“Shut up, Potter. Let’s finish this.” Snape reluctantly went to another corner of the classroom for them to do the exercises. 

At the other end of the room Lily Evans was watching them, she had been so focused on not getting Severus that when she got Sirius she forgot that someone would get her former best mate. If she would have had to guess who would be paired with Severus, never in a million years she would have imagined James. Both boys were catalysts for each other’s worst qualities. 

“Worried about your mate, Red?” Sirius said behind her, looking in the same direction where Snape and Potter were standing in front of each other, the tension palpable as a bomb about to explode. 

“I’m sure James will be okay.” Lily said dismissively, because Snape certainly was not her friend anymore. 

A smirk formed on Sirius’ lips, now focusing his attention on Lily rather than his mate and the git. “So, it is James now?” a teasing tone could be heard in Sirius’ voice and Lily had to mentally hit herself. She had been so close to not show any kind of change or favouritism towards James until she managed to find exactly how she felt, but her mouth had to slip at that very moment. 

“Well, I don’t call my mates by their last name, Black.” she replied, trying to be nonchalant, yet a small blush crept to her cheeks betraying her.

Sirius put a hand on his heart, fainting hurt, “You don’t consider us friends, Red, that’s hurtful considering I rather like you.” and he was sincere, Lily could be a lot of things, but she was a nice bird with a decent sense of humour and a nice head above her shoulders. He was annoyed at Prongs’ crush on her, but Sirius could not put that blame onto the redhead. 

“Let’s just try to get through this class and maybe my fondness for you will grow.” she joked, making Sirius chuckle and nodding, letting slide just this once that he saw more than a friendship growing between Lily and James. 

Sirius took out his wand but did not raise it against Lily at first, he seemed a bit bored of the class already and Lily found it nice that they were not just doing lectures but actual practice. Yet, the older Black seemed to be done with the class already and that peeved Lily. “Do I bore you so much already? You haven’t even given me a chance to do anything.”

Sirius arched his brows in disbelief, “Red, I have nothing but respect for you, but I’m afraid the lesson is not quite as thrilling.” he admitted, making sure that his face showed more than just boredom. He was so used to being around people that knew that Blacks had just the same resting face that he forgot other people might not be. 

Lily looked at her fellow Gryffindor, not sure what to think. Sirius did seem to be making an effort, and she knew that for all his flaws he was rather honest, sometimes brutally honest. “You think the practice lesson is boring? Nonverbal seems like a challenge.”

It was true that for most young wizards nonverbal spells were a challenge, Sirius was not the exception, even with his brilliant mind it took him a while to master them. But he and his friends were trying to become animagi, and that was something that used nonverbal and wandless spells, plus potions and a lot of preparation.

Lily Evans did not know that.

“They are,” he admitted, “but does not mean we all learn it at the same pace.” he admitted as much, as he could not admit trying to become an animagi.

“You already know how to do nonverbal magic?” Lily said impressed, even when she tried to get ahead on her studies to not be the only clueless muggleborn in the school, yet no matter how far she went it seemed that she was always behind.

Sirius just nodded for a reply, he did not want to reveal much, not every pureblood decided to practise ahead, even if you had the advantage of doing magic at home while others might not. He tried changing tactics, because otherwise it sounded like bragging, “Your mate James can also use it.” he teased a bit, hoping they could move forward from the reason why he knew certain things.

“He does?” Lily asked, turning to look in James’ direction. Like an invisible force would not allow her mind to think in anything else other than James for more than 5 minutes. 

At the other end of the class Severus and James were moving, almost mirroring each other. Severus was trying to disarm James, while James defended himself and also tried to disarm Severus. It was like a  mesmerising dance, where you could not help to get invested, as both wizards were skilled and their movements were fluid. You could not catch one spell when the other was already being casted. 

“Seems like Snape also knows a thing or two.” Sirius admitted. In reality Sirius didn’t think Snape was an idiot because of his ability to learn, it was on what he chose to learn and who he associated with, but that didn’t have anything to do with that particular class. 

Watching the two wizards fight made Lily feel something, and not, it was not whatever was feeling for James, but a kind of envy. Severus seemed always so knowledgeable and taught Lily many things, but she also realised that he was hiding much more than his hate for the people of her kind. She felt him patronising her for what felt like the millionth time, and he was not even talking to her!

“Sirius, we can’t let them win.” Lily was determined, he could not let Snape win, nor James, even if he was a bit better than before, his ego was big enough. “I want those 100 for us, not Gryffindor, us.”

Sirius laughed at Lily’s determination, not mockinly but amused that seeing two people duel ignited in her the need to win and be better, that was exactly the Lily he liked to see. “Let’s do this, Red, we’ll wipe the floor with them.” and with that they set up to work. 

Learning how to master the nonverbal spells took longer than she wanted. Sirius was a great partner, he was supportive but he did not take it easy, he was driven and he did not let her slack in any sense, yet he understood that she was starting in a path he already mastered. 

By the end of the class Lily was almost able to wiggle Sirius’ wand without saying the word, but the spell was not as strong as it should be. Sirius could have let her take his wand easier, but that would not do her any good, she needed to actually master the technique. 

“That was progress, Red, I could feel you almost pulling it that last time. Some people could not even get to do it on their first attempt.” Sirius praised her as they gathered their things.

“Not good enough, I want to be able to do it by next class.” Lily had decided that she did not want to feel left behind, that Severus had some sort of advantage over her, she hated to feel like that, she justified it all her life due to him having a witch for a mother, but not anymore. “Do you mind meeting a couple of times before the next class to practise?” she hoped he wouldn't, but she knew that he might not like to do this, after all he was already bored with the lesson.

What didn’t Lily expect was Sirius liking that passion of her, determined to do better and to take no for an answer. Lily was far from dim, Sirius knew as much, but this new facet of her intrigued him as much as he liked it. 

“You’ve got it.” He smiled at her, “We can figure a schedule later, now if you don’t mind I’m famished and supper is calling my name.” he winked at her and left to join his friends. 

Their first Defence had been a Thursday, that meant that their next one would be a Tuesday, they had 4 days to get this sorted and Lily was going to take advantage of it. On Friday Sirius appeared in the empty classroom as promised, they talked for a bit and then started practising. Sirius kept encouraging her but it seemed that no matter what she did not manage to get the spell right. 

They tried again on Saturday, and it was not for Lily’s lack of enthusiasm and hard work, or Sirius’ will to help her and explain. The results were the same, she did not budge Sirius’ wand from his hand, and she was getting frustrated with the whole situation.

“You are thinking too hard about this, tensing up won’t make your wand respond like you wish to.” Sirius had offered as advice before they went their separate ways; she needed to relax but she could not do so, which frustrated her even more.

Lily tried not to think about it, she tried to go about her day as usual, and just focus on the spell once she met Sirius. She arrived at their usual empty classroom and sat on top of the teacher’s desk as she waited for her partner to arrive, and while she did so she thought about the class and how it seemed that she was the only one that could not master the technique. 

Sirius was usually very punctual, but Lily noticed that it was 10 minutes past their meeting hour and she got worried. Did he grow tired of teaching her? Wouldn’t he tell her that they were done and they would not continue the tutoring? She thought Sirius’ would, but they were not exactly closed. 

Lily was about to give up on waiting and just go back to her dorm, maybe ask one of her dorm mates to help, when the door cracked open.

The person at the other side of the door was not Sirius Black, he was almost as tall as Sirius, and had jet black hair, but it looked like swept by the wind. His eyes were not grey, but hazle, and there was a small blush around his cheeks as he entered the room. “Evans?” he called before opening the door completely, his expression apologetic, “I’m so glad you are still here, Sirius told me he promised to help you out, but he also promised Remus.” James excused his friend, “Remus is abysmal at potions and Sirius is the best we’ve got.” he admitted, “Sirius sent me to help you, said you needed help with Defence?”

Sirius was a dead man walking. Lily had decided there and then, because he somehow knew and still sent James Potter to help her, when she was trying to defeat his big head and Severus. No matter how much wandless magic the Black heir knew, Lily would kill him.

“Evans?” James’ voice was soft, hoping that he did not come out as a git, he already had done so in previous years and after talking to his mum he thought he could do better. 

“Uhm, yeah?” she replied, looking at him, not knowing he needed an answer to anything.

“I’ve asked if you don’t mind me helping you instead.” James' eyes seemed almost pleading, she remembered him asking her out, but last time it felt like a dare, this time his plea seemed different.

Lily shook her head and moved down from the desk, “Not at all, but you are teaching me to beat you.” she warned him as she stepped to the place of the classroom without furniture.

“Is that so?” James asked amused, taking his cloak off, preparing himself for a session of spell practice.

“Yes, I’m taking those 100 points.” Lily smiled, daring him to question her drive and her capacity to do so, positioning herself a few feet from him, wand in hand.

James chuckled and shrugged. “I won’t give up that easily.” he replied, not belittling her but actually taking her seriously. She was not sure when was the last time she had a study partner that took her as seriously as Sirius and James had done so. Maybe Mary and Remus, but she usually studied with Severus, trying to spend time outside of the classrooms. “Come on, Evans, show me what you’ve got.” he dared her, and she complied.

Lily had tried with all her might to disarm James, as she had done with Sirius. She was willing the spell out of her, thinking it loud enough, but the wand in James’ hand did not move from there. 

Once more, she moved her wand in a spiral, as the spell required. It was a clear motion, maybe a small one, but you could see her trying to cast that spell with all her might. And once more James’ wand did not move.

James moved from his defence stance to a normal one, and looked at Lily. They had been going at it for a while and there was no progress, which made Lily almost want to cry of frustration, but she couldn’t, not in front of Potter, maybe when she went back to her bed. 

“You are giving up on me, aren’t you?” she said softly, putting her wand away.

“What?! No!” James shook his head and approached her, trying to comfort her in some way, but James Potter was clueless in comforting girls, much less Lily Evans. “I was not, I promise.” he said sincerely hoping she would see that it was true, that his words were not empty. “I was just wondering what is going through your head when you try to do the spell.” James explained looking at her, waiting for an answer.

Lily looked at him, and furrowed her brow trying to think. Her hands moved again, her wand making a smaller spiral motion as she closed her eyes for a second trying to focus on what she usually did when trying to disarm James, and not in his cologne, or how close to her he seemed to be. After a few moments she opened her green eyes and looked at his. “Just the spell, nothing much, I also think of the word, as the Professor explained.”

James nodded understandingly, and moved backwards again. “I think that’s the problem, you are thinking of a word, but not what the spell does. Remember when Flitwick was teaching us the levitating spell?” he asked, excited that he thought he figured out what was wrong with Lily’s technique.

It took the smaller witch a moment to get it but then it hit her, “Imagine where you want the feather to go,” she replied, getting to what James was saying.

“Exactly!” he beamed at her, “So we need you to remember how the spell feels. I want you to try to disarm me, like normal, forget about this being nonverbal, do it a few times, until the word loses meaning, but pay attention to everything else. How does the spell feel, how your wand pulls, how the magic flows.” he explained, going back to his defensive position, waiting for her to take the lead. 

Lily nodded at his instructions, they seemed mad, but at this point she was willing to try anything as long as she was able to learn this. 

“Expelliarmus!”

Her body moved as usual, she remembered how she used to feel the wand pull, because the word helped her to make it come to her. But when they took the word away all she could think was of the aid of said word and not what it was supposed to do. She repeated the spell a few more times, sweat going down her forehead as the wand in James’ hand moved but it was not enough to move it, but the smile on James’ face grew with each attempt, Lily might have not made it yet, but she was getting close with each cast.

Eventually James’ wand flew from his hand, and a victorious Lily smiled at him. It felt like a simple spell but it had taken so much effort she was not sure what had changed. 

“Now give it back, and remember that feeling.” James instructed and she followed his instructions, as it seemed it was doing something more than whatever her and Sirius were doing previously. 

They were back at their places, Lily preparing to attack, James preparing to defend. And Lily moved her wand again, this time not repeating the spell in her head, but pushing towards what she wanted, James’ wand, which was moving more than the previous attempts. 

It took him a couple more times, Lily was beginning to lose faith once more, but then, when she least expected it, James’ wand was flying towards her, and all she could do was catch it and laugh.

“Yes! I did it!” she celebrated, moving closer to James, giving him his wand, “Thank you!” she said excitedly and bounced in her place before turning and giving James a hug. Getting the spell had felt so amazing, like a barrier had been lifted and now she could do more than she ever imagined, but it took her mind a bit to catch up on what her body was doing. 

She was hugging James Potter. 

James, who had been a git up until now, who was always bragging on how amazing he was and it was to be a Gryffindor, who had also helped Mary when Mulciber had attacked her. Who stopped hexing younger students for the fun of it, and started fighting the injustices he saw. And who made her feel confused, exasperated and elated, all at the same time.

She could feel James’ arms around her, and asked herself when they had become so toned, because he was a lanky 14 year old boy not so long ago. She wondered when he had gotten so tall, and when did his jaw became so pronounced that she could see him clench it a bit before speaking? 

He was trying to be so careful of not breaking whatever was happening that it took Lily a second to understand that he was speaking again. “I knew you could do it, Evans.” he smiled at her once more, and she unwrapped her arms from his neck, feeling awkward to have hugged him so suddenly. 

“Thank you, you were the one that broke the code.” she admitted, smiling back at him, trying not to blush.

“You did all the work, it took you less time than me to get it working.” he conceded, “So technically, you’ve won.” He was joking, she knew that much, but he was not mocking her and her effort, just her competitive vein, a tad bit. 

“I have.” she replied proudly, but not because of managing a spell (even when it felt amazing) but she had finally understood what she was feeling for James Potter, and that was a win on its own.

[jjameslily]

FALLING (FOR FOOLS) | Read All Chapters on A03

Written for @jilychallenge's September Prompt: James takes Muggle classes and they go on a class outing and he asks Lily for help to blend in.

Partner: @fullb1n-blog

This was my first challenge and I'm late, but I accidentally hammered two of my fingers so editing was tricky for a few days... don't ask. Enjoy and Happy Jilytober, friends!

“You can’t be serious,” she muttered under her breath.

Lily stared at the pile of clothes and magazines that had begun to overtake the desk in the small section of the library they’d taken over for the last two hours. With her brow furrowed in disbelief, all Lily could think was one thing. 

She cannot believe she agreed to this. 

She watched as he began to transfigure more clothes, copied from the images he’d torn out of the magazines Lily’s mother had sent. 

James, who was now holding up two shirts for her to inspect—one tie-dye tee with garish hues that hurt Lily's eyes to look at and the other a classic white oxford shirt that was somehow more baffling for its simplicity. He stood there looking impressed with himself, his eyes darting between the two options with an almost comical amount of concentration. 

She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to fend off her growing sense of exasperation.

His head snapped up, eyebrows raised. “What? What’s wrong with this one?” He pointed to the crisp collared shirt.

With a deep sigh, she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “You do realize this is all for one day, right? You’re not infiltrating the Muggle world permanently?”

“Well, I don’t want to look like an idiot.”

She raised an eyebrow, smirking at him. “You say that as if it’s not your usual state of being.”

James gasped, feigning mock offense at her words. “I resent that.” He dropped the shirts in his hands onto the pile. “You just have a talent for making me look worse than I am.” 

“Or maybe you just have a talent for making it too easy.”

He shrugged, a lopsided grin appearing. “Maybe I’m just trying to impress you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, is that what you’re meant to be doing? I thought being an arrogant toad was just who you are.”

James leaned in, closing the space between them as he braced his hands against the desk. His face now mere inches from hers, eyes glinting with mischief. “Guess that’s why I need your help, isn’t it?”

Lily’s heart gave a traitorous skip, the air between them suddenly charged with something unspoken. 

Lately being around him had felt like this—a pull she couldn’t quite fight. She tried to ignore the heat spreading up her neck, threatening to give her away, and instead fixed him with a sharp look. 

“Could you at least behave if you’re going to hold me hostage, Potter?” she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray her.

James chuckled, the sound deep and lazy, sending an involuntary shiver through her. He leaned back just enough to still linger in her space. “Only if you do, Evans.” 

His words were met with silence as her gaze dropped to the table, where her fingertips had unknowingly drifted close to his, brushing lightly against his hand. The moment she realized, she snatched her hand back, clearing her throat in a flustered attempt to recover.

She caught the glint of amusement in James’ eyes, the corner of his lips twitching as he tried to suppress a laugh. He was always like this—flirting just to get a rise out of her like it was some kind of game. And annoyingly enough, he was good at it. 

It was infuriating.

It had been infuriating for the last two weeks. 

———

Lily knew should have walked out the moment James Potter strolled into her Muggle Studies class. She should have known that it would only end with her getting tricked into some kind of ridiculous scheme in his relentless need to drive her mad.

Her quill practically froze midair when she caught sight of him sauntering in from the corridor, his usual self-confident smirk plastered across his face. He should have been on the Quidditch pitch. She knew—and she definitely wasn’t keeping tabs on him—that he was supposed to have a free period. He was supposed to be forcing all the other sixth-year players to follow the ludicrously meticulous— albeit a little bit impressive—training schedule he had planned out for the entire year. So, why was he here and not there? Not that she cared all that much. 

But what had really thrown her off was the absence of his usual entourage. No Sirius Black causing a commotion at the door, no Peter Pettigrew ready to jump in with some prank of his own, and no Remus Lupin quietly chuckling in the background, pretending he didn’t egg them on.

It was just James.

Alone.

Sliding into the only empty seat in the room just across from her. 

Of course.

He smiled at her, his usual nod and “ Evans” in greeting. She looked away, returning her attention back to her desk, scribbling absolutely nothing onto her parchment in an attempt to remain focused on anything else. 

He was glancing down at his textbook, his brow slightly furrowed as he flipped through the pages, clearly lost. 

A small, traitorous smile crept up before she could catch herself. Focus.

But her gaze had refused to cooperate. It kept drifting back to him, eyes trailing over the odd mix of precision and disorder before her, as if he’d carefully crafted his appearance to look effortlessly unkempt. His tie was just a bit askew beneath his vest, and though his robe was neatly tied, one side was beginning to slip off his right shoulder. His black curls, always a little wild, tumbled over his forehead, brushing against the glasses that perched precariously on the bridge of his nose.

On anyone else, it might have looked sloppy, a sign of carelessness, but on James Potter, it seemed intentional, almost... charming. A charm she would deny ever noticing, yet here she was, unable to look away.

She tapped her fingers against the edge of her desk, silently scolding herself. 

She hated him. 

Hated his confidence, his messy charm, the way he managed to take up space even when he wasn’t saying a word. 

Absolutely. Totally. Without question.  

But, as much as she tried to focus, she couldn’t shake the nagging thought. 

She’d never noticed just how distracting James Potter could be.

Lily watched as he pushed his glasses up his nose with a quick and careless movement, his fingers brushing against the curls that fell into his eyes… Merlin’s sake.  

“Ms. Evans?”

Professor Harwicke’s voice sliced sharply through her thoughts, jolting her in her seat and mercifully derailing the path her thoughts had been heading.

It wasn’t until then that she realized James had his head tilted in her direction.

Lily quickly snapped her attention to the front of the class, cheeks burning as her professor’s gaze lingered between the two of them. 

“I will take your silence as acknowledgement,” he said, not giving her a chance to respond.

“Now that you have all been partnered up,” the professor called out, “Please remember this outing is meant to be educational. You will be expected to submit a joint field report and analysis comparing the atmosphere, social interactions and cultural significance to a related Wizarding event of your choice. Please include your observations on the similarities and differences in audience behavior or even music appreciation as one of the main events will be the band.”

Lily, now completely tuned in—her somewhat unjustified irritation with James (only somewhat) still lingering—caught just enough of the professor’s words to understand what the hell just happened. 

A festival. In a Muggle town. Paired up. Safety precautions. 

Her eyes widened as the realization sank in.

As soon the lecture ended, Lily hurriedly gathered her things and turned on her heel towards where Professor Harwicke was climbing the steps into his office. 

“Professor?” she called out, her voice barely audible over the noise of the students packing up and chattering amongst themselves. 

The professor glanced over his shoulder at her, stopping just outside his office. “Yes, Ms. Evans?”

“Is there any chance I could switch partners?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady as she climbed the steps up to him. “I think there may have been a mis—”

The professor didn't let her finish. He folded his arms and gave her a pointed look. “You were paired for a reason, Ms. Evans. I expect you to take the assignment seriously.”

Lily opened her mouth to argue, but Harwicke cut her off again. “My decisions are final,” he said, “I suggest you make the best of it.” 

“But professor—”

“No buts,” he said, his gaze softening just a fraction. “Consider it a learning opportunity, Ms. Evans. Both of you may benefit from it more than you realize.” And with that, he entered his office and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

The most devastating closing of a door she'd ever heard. 

When she turned around she found James leaning casually against the wall at the bottom of the steps, waiting for her.

“Trying to trade me in, Evans?” he asked, clearly taking pleasure in her failure to do so. 

She huffed. “Unfortunately, Harwicke’s return policy had a tight window.”

James pushed himself off the wall as she brushed past him, a grin spreading across his face as he followed her across the room towards the door. “You know, I’m hurt. I think we’ll make great partners.” His voice had that familiar teasing lilt, the one that made her want to both roll her eyes and— well, never mind.

“And what makes you think that, Potter?”��

“Well, for one, you’re smart enough to keep us out of trouble, and I’m charming enough to get us into it.”

“Oh, so I’m the brains, and you’re… what? The bad idea?”

James chuckled. “Maybe, but you’re stuck with me now.”

She spun around, catching him off guard for a moment as he halted to stop much closer than she’d thought he was. “Did you need something, Potter? Or should I expect you to follow me to my dorm?”

“Is that an invitation?” James said, still smiling as if her obvious annoyance went right over his head. 

“You’re delusional,” she said stiffly. Though his closeness had a confusing effect on her—it was infuriatingly impossible to ignore despite her best efforts. 

“Just thought I’d check-in. I figured you’d want to talk about the assignment.”

“As long as you don’t draw too much attention to yourself, Potter—which I’m sure is a monumental task for you—we’ll be perfectly fine,” Lily replied, her voice laced with dry amusement. She tried to step past him, but he sidestepped smoothly, blocking her path.

James tilted his head, pretending to consider her words. “You’re right.”

She blinked. “What?”

“It is very hard not to attract attention,” he said, flashing her a wide smile. “I assume you were referring to my extraordinarily handsome face?”

“Actually, Potter, I was referring to that loud mouth of yours and your insatiable need to cause trouble.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender, “Alright, Evans. You win,” he paused, eyes lighting and Lily could practically see the ideas forming behind his eyes. “You should help me.”

“Help you?” she repeated, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

“Yeah,” he said, leaning forward with a sly smirk. “Help me.”

“What are you on about?” she asked, folding her arms, entirely unamused.

“If I’m so hopeless,” he said, “help me blend in.”

Lily shook her head in disbelief at him. The idea was laughable. Her, of all people, helping James Potter blend into Muggle society? Not a chance. 

“And I would waste my time doing this, why exactly?”

“Because how else am I to turn into someone who can walk through a Muggle festival without causing chaos? Think of it as your civic duty.”

“You overestimate how much I care about your ability to blend in, Potter.”

“Come on, Evans. Here’s your chance to mold me into something halfway decent.” His smile widening. “You know, for the sake of education. I’d be a shame to get my partner in trouble because I didn’t know any better.”

She gave him a long, measured look, lips pressed into a thin line as though weighing her options. “You’re impossible,” she finally said.

“And yet,” James said, leaning just a little closer, “here I am. Your partner for the week,” he responded, seemingly taking the mild insult as her reluctant agreement. 

“Unfortunately.”

“Oh, come on,” he nudged her gently with his elbow. “We’ll make a great team. You’ll see.”

Lily finally met his eyes, and though he was being his usual insufferable self, his eyes looked at her warmly, a sincere gleam in his eyes. Whatever it was made her feel unsteady, so she masked it with exasperation—a much more familiar feeling she could handle. “I highly doubt that, Potter.”

“We’ll see,” he said, his voice softer now, but still teasing. “Who knows? By the end of this, you might even like me.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” she said and turned, leaving him standing there. 

As she stepped into the corridor, she found herself acutely aware of the lingering warmth from his closeness, and the faint scent of something sweet like cinnamon that somehow refused to leave her thoughts—just like that idiotically annoying smile he wore on his face when she’d turned to leave.

[eastwindmlk]

That little nudge helped loads! Here we are with the august @jilychallenge

My partner is the lovely @aeligsido

Our prompt:

“I’m a Disney face character and you’re my canon movie counterpart but the mutual attraction is real and it’s becoming harder and harder not to call you by your real name instead of stage name.

There are 3k of Disney fluff under the cut!

As many a morning James and Sirius strolled into the crew area arm in arm, laughing back and forth about something the other had said. Both cast a glance at their lockers, only to find that they, in fact, did not pick up wardrobe yesterday.

“So, any idea what we’re up to today?” Sirius asked, pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth while the pair of them tried to figure out where their assignments would take them for the morning.

James made a questioning sound in the back of his throat trying to recall his schedule for the day and drawing a blank. “I think I am in Magic Kingdom today. But… Yeah, no. That is all I got,” he answered eventually. The two of them impatiently waited to look at the shift roster on the wall.

Sirius shouldered him out of the way, just as they got to it. His fingers walked down the list of names. “Fucking shitballs, I’m up for Gaston, again,” he complained.

James snorted, schooling his features into a mask of mock seriousness. “Padfoot, not in front of the mouse!” he scolded, his head jerking to Peter passing by, the giant mouse head in his arms. The three of them locked eyes for one long, silent moment before dissolving into side-splitting giggles and a firm back slap from Remus, who passed looking awfully comfortable in his steward gear.

The four of them met at the summer selection program and later moved into a flat together, where they split the outrageous Paris rent into a more comfortable number. It was nice having friends at the job when the days were long and more physically demanding than he had ever imagined they could be.

“I…” James turned his attention back to the stained printout, following the slightly faded ink of the perpetually low ink printer to his name. “Eric!” He finally concluded, rather relieved to not be stuck in something too warm. The heat had been stifling the past few days and Kristoff had been absolute murder. By the time he was backstage he practically had to peel the costume off his body. His under layer completely drenched.

He was utterly and completely content with his assignment when Sirius had to go and ruin it all. “Who is your redhead?” The phrasing was deliberate and not appreciated, the eyebrow wriggle was downright insulting.

James made very sure that his mate knew just how he felt about his question by mustering his sharpest, most unimpressed look. Which was mostly inspired by his GCSE English teacher, who did not share the same fondness for exploring the boundaries of creative, yet school-appropriate, smartassery. “I know what you’re trying to make me say,” he pointed out tiredly as he scanned the list once more. Looking at the character names, his fingers slowly follow the line marked ‘Ariel’ back to the names, praying that it is literally anyone but-

“Lily Evans,” he groans, his shoulders sagging as he resigns himself to a shift of psychological torment and a night of relentless teasing. “Fuck me.”

Which earned him two very distinct responses simultaneously.

“Not in front of the mouse!” From Remus.

“It would be about fucking time.” From Peter, who was the only one that withered at Remus’ glare. - It simply did not hold the same sort of heat that the other two were used to. Private school privileges, they’d once called it.

Sirius draped an arm over his shoulder, making use of the half an inch height difference. - they’d measured – his silver eyes glancing around as a smile curled onto his lips. “If you need a moment to… relieve yourself before your shift, I’ll collect wardrobe,” he teased with a wink, earning himself a firm elbow in the ribs, which did nothing to stop him from laughing loudly at his friend’s predicament.

“Very funny,” James repined, his hand jumping to his hair, trying to smooth out the frizz, inwardly cursing the humidity for making it untameable. Well, more untameable than it usually was. “She just…”

There was a collective groan. Remus ducked out with just awkward finger guns to announce his departure. “Yeah, I need to get to Studios, Kingsley is always early. So… imma dip too,” Peter announced, glancing down at the head his his arms before hurrying off.

James peered after them a slight hurt look fading in his eyes, his lips pressing together into a thin line. “I think I scared them off,” he said with a disappointed huff.

Sirius just nodded slowly, placing a wet kiss on his cheek. “You’ve been mooning pretty hardcore over Evans the past few weeks.” This information was new to James, who had been certain that he had contained himself. He knew for a fact that he more than once, or twenty times, stopped himself from mentioning her.

He pushed his hand under his glasses and groaned. “I am such a goner, am I not?”

“That is not the word I’d have chosen, but yet.”

“What-”

“Canard.”

James peered out from over his hand with a deadly glare which only resulted in Sirius shuddering dramatically and grasping his chest for his amusement. “Maybe you make a point. I resent the point because I am not just blindly waddling after her, but I guess. Maybe. Have you seen her, though?”

Sirius’s tongue darted out of his mouth the way it always did when he was stalling and he did not have the patience for it today. “Just spit it out!” James grumbled, letting out a sharp breath before adding a reluctant “Please.”

“Well, she is lovely. I really cannot disagree with you there,” Sirius started and James could just feel a ‘but’ coming up. He sunk his hands into his pockets, waiting for his friend’s judgement. Trying to look as casual as he could as he strolled alongside him. “However,” -There it was. - “You’ve been down bad and she’s clearly not reciprocating your advances. We’re worried.”

James’ eyebrows slid upward in surprise. “There is a ‘we’?”

Sirius nodded, shoulders putting up nonchalantly. “Basically just the gang. Since we’re subjected to your endless lionising-”

“Lionising? Nice one, Pads,” he interjected, offering a half-mocking, half-exparated look.

“-Merci, anyway. Your endless lionising over this, albeit, lovely woman that does not even give you the bloody time of day. Is she still ignoring that drink's invitation?” James laughed, a single, awkward bark as his hand jumped to his hair and his lips pressed together into a slightly pained smile. “Yeah…” he started to say, his eyes not quite meeting his friend’s when he rushed through the rest of that answer. “That might be because I never actually sent that text.”

He met Sirius’s glare with an apologetic grin and let his shoulders sag when Sirius groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I suppose that does the trick. Just so you know, I turned down tickets to a really good cabaret singer in solidarity and I am miffed, maybe even a little peeved”

This time. James did actually shrink away from him, genuinely feeling bad for not actually having worked up the nerve to ask her out. “I did ask her in person, sort of,” he said, his tone doubtful.

“Care to define ‘sort of’?”

James pushed his tongue against the back of his teeth for a moment, clicking his tongue as he nodded slowly. The more he considered it, the stupider it sounded. But Sirius was not the type to let this go. So, he kept his eyes on his shoes. Scuffing his converse on the linoleum floor of the backstage while admitted. “I asked her, in passing, if she wanted to come for drinks,” he muttered, risking a glance up at Sirius. “She…uh. Asked for a rain cheque because she had a jujitsu class.”

Sirius’ expression went from expecting to unamused. “So, you asked again, right?” His head tilted forward, wordlessly pressing the question. “Right?” Sirius repeated, this time a little louder and a little firmer.

“Right…” James repeated his voice sliding through half an octave, which should be telling enough. And sure enough, he could hear the impact of his friend’s palm against his forehead and the frustrated exhale.

They fell silent for a moment, the only sound between them was the sliding of metal hangers of the clothes rack, trying to find their costumes for the day. The tension mounted while garment bags were pulled and styrofoam heads with wigs were clamped under arms.

“It’s not like I intended to never ask again, but she also didn’t bring it up herself either.” James continued their conversation once they were out of earshot of the biggest gossip on property. Rita, their dedicated wardrobe attendant and custodian of their personnel paper. Which was gossip disguised as noteworthy crew news.

They knew better than to give her even the smallest of sound bites if they wanted her to stay out of their business.

“Look, mate. I know that she makes you nervous-”

“-Terrified, really.”

“Alright, terrified then. That has never stopped you from doing anything before. Still doesn’t-” Sirius paused to give a warning to James not to interrupt as they sat down at their stations. “So, why can’t you relocate some of that courage to ask out a girl who is actually into you.”

James’ eyes narrowed for a moment, trying to gauge how much of Sirius’s words were bullshit. Or rather, encouragement. He did not really see the difference in this case. Before heaving a dramatic sigh. “You can’t know that,” he accused, his voice nothing more than a mutter.

Sirius leaned over, an arm wrapping around his shoulders as he squeezed him close. “James, my dear, clueless friend. I know. I have been her prince too. She sure as hell does not look at me that way.” His shoulder received a shove and when James looked at Sirius again his back was turned, silver eyes gazing over his shoulder. “Now, be a darling and braid my hair?”

His fingers combed through the silky, black locks while he twisted them together in a tight plait. “Are you sure it is affection though? Because watery eyes might just be… allergies? I think she mentioned grass pollen at some point.” James was sure that if he had not had Sirius’s hair in his hands, his friend might have turned around to glare at him.

“She’s into you, I promise!” Sirius vowed while he wound the elastic around the end. Letting it drop between his shoulder blades for Sirius to pin it in place. “Just try it!”

James trusted his best mate, of course, he did. He just could not help but wonder, what if he was wrong? What if it was really just allergies or acting and what if she didn’t really have a jujitsu class? She could just as well have been avoiding him and that is why she never asked again. Clearly, she had no issues asking people if she’d asked Sirius to a show.

Now that he thought about it, maybe she liked Sirius. Which was when he started to spiral. Or spiral worse than he had. Or worse.

By the time that Sirius' flick to the forehead snapped him out of his thoughts, he was fully convinced that she had severe allergies, her main one being a severe aversion to one James Potter. But she humoured him because she was actually in love with his best mate.

“Oi! James protested, rubbing at the spot before shooting Sirius a half-hearted glare which his friend returned with such vigour it made unease crawl down his spine. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Then don’t think stupid things,” Sirius shot back instantly, making James bristle indignantly. How could he even know what he thinking? As if he could hear him, Sirius answered that question too. “Because you’re my best mate.” His expression softened and a hand gripped his shoulder reassuringly. “It is also written all over your face.”

At that James made an attempt at composing his face and wondered if there was any point to it. Sirius just had a way of knowing. Fixing the mark Sirius’s reprimand had made in his make-up, James contemplated. Doing his best to actually consider his friends’ opinions instead of letting himself be tempted by the spiral.

He was fixing the wig, plucking at the synthetic strands to have it sit just right when James finally gave in. “ Fine, I’ll ask her the moment we get backstage, okay? One last try.” It couldn’t hurt, right? His fingers ran nervously along the collar of his shirt, his eyes closing while he took a moment to really feel the character. Mentally preparing himself before the mere sight of his princess would render him completely useless.

“Break a leg!” Sirius encouraged him. From behind his hands grasped him firmly by the shoulders and steered him out of the door to where he knew they would be meeting. His heart thumping against his ribs, his entire body tingling with excitement. Or maybe it was nerves/ He could never really tell.

Regardless of how unhealthy it might be, the sensation was exhilarating. Just what he needed to get him pumped for hours of smiling and interacting with guests. He often joked that this feeling must be the magic of the mouse. Usually, when he said this, his friends would call him a dork. They weren’t wrong.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a swish of sea foam green, a cascade of copper curls and his heart skipped. She was beautiful, she always was. But he could not help but resent the costume. The make-up covered up the light dusting of freckles along her nose. The wig could never quite capture the charm of her natural auburn locks.

His princess was beautiful, but the woman underneath outshone her a thousandfold.

“Lovely of you to show up,” Lily told him teasingly, fluttering her lashes at him. “Ready, my prince?”

James drew in a deep, steadying breath and offered Lily his arm with a brilliant smile. “For you, my princess, any time,” he replied, glad to hear his voice was steady as they walked down the tunnel that would lead them right to the gates of The Magic Kingdom. All the while listening to the easy chatter between her and Sirius.

Normally he would mix himself in, and join the conversation. But normally he was also not working up the courage to ask Lily out. Actually, ask her out this time. No hiding behind after-work drinks or casual hang-outs.

Even though Sirius insisted that Lily liked him, he couldn’t help but wonder if Sirius was just as blind. The way she smiled at him just felt flirtatious and she had asked him on a date. The final nail in the coffin was the way Lily blew him a kiss before they parted ways.

Without Sirius there to stop him from overthinking this, all James could do was focus on the work. Not on the words that spun in his head. ‘Pick me, choose me, love me.’ But he wasn’t some medical drama heroine. He was just… Him. Chances were that he would sound creepy rather than romantic.

The words spun in his head until only the last two remained and every time he looked at her they bubbled up to the tip of his tongue where he had to force them back. Now was not the time or the place. Not to ask her out and certainly not to shout ‘love me!’ at her.

He doubted that it would ever be the right time to do that. Shouting his feelings off the rooftops might just need to stay proverbial.

James was glad for the busy day, with lines of people waiting to meet them. Priding himself on making people blush and fluster as they posed and chatted. Only occasionally falling silent when he would catch a glimpse of Lily, ethereal and charming while she mentioned fins and dinglehoppers. Hugging crying, snotty little boys and girls with the grace of a princess.

It was in one of these moments that someone caught him looking. A boy, maybe twelve, not that he could tell anymore. For all that he knew this boy could be anywhere between eight and seventeen. Regardless, this one was observant. “Are you in love with her?” he asked and completely took James by surprise.

For just a moment, he fell completely out of his role. Hazel eyes lingered on the captivating form of Lily, looking angelic while she pushed her curls over her shoulder. “Very much,” he breathed, a longing smile on his lips. “Lil- She is my princess, after all. I couldn’t imagine loving anyone else.”

His eyes landed back on the boy, who beamed at him. “Do you think everyone gets a princess?” The question coaxed a soft chuckle from his lips. James crouched down, placing a firm hand on his shoulder as he looked him straight in the eye. “Yes, I think there is a princess, or prince, out there for everyone. As long as you are brave enough to go and find them,” he said resolutely and watched proudly as the boy nodded. “Just remember to be smarter than me, alright? When you find her, don’t let her go back to the ocean first. Sea witches are rather nasty business. Ask her.”

The boy nodded so eagerly, that James worried he might hurt his neck. “Alright then, you go ask the lovely lady with the mouse pin about the very special necklaces and pick one you think she’ll love.” James winked at him as he nudged the boy towards their steward for directions. Only caught a glimpse of him dragging an adult towards Main Street as the next person stepped forward.

For just a moment, James turned to look at Lily at the same time that she sought his eye. Her smile was almost shy, eyes darting away as if caught. In that moment, James wondered two things. One, if maybe Sirius could be right and two, how insufferable his friend would be when he was forced to admit that.

That was something to deal with later. After he finally asked his princess to the ball.