31 Days of October - October 4 - Ficlet: James & Lily (No challenge)
Title: James & Lily
Summary: A flying lesson.
Characters/Pairings: James Potter & Lily Evans
Genre: Romance ish
Rating/Warnings: None
Medium: Ficlet
October Prompt: Witch's broom
Word Count: 612
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: No, thank you.
James wrapped his arms around Lily, loosely.
"Watch those arms, Potter," she said, which he knew she'd say. But a quirk at the corner of her mouth made him think maybe she was teasing him. That was new. He didn't know how he was meant to react to that, so he startled, his forearm brushing under Lily's chest.
James sputtered out a 'sorry' but it came out in a squeak. She laughed. Musically. Angelically. He was incapable of concentrating anymore. "Uh --"
"I thought you were going to teach me how to fly," Lily said after a moment. Her own attempt at flying -- only during flying lessons first year -- had been disastrous. She never wanted to relive it, but when Potter insisted that he could teach anyone to fly -- his exact words were "I could even teach a kneazle to fly!" -- she decided to take him up on that challenge.
"I am," James insisted. "All right, here. Hold onto the broom up here at the neck." She tightened her hand around it. "No, no," he said, "not like that. Not like you're strangling the broom." Hesitantly, he lifted her fingers from it and rearranged them. "Here, carefully, like this. The broom will act better if you're not trying to break it in half."
Lily let out a puffy breath. "I told you I don't like heights, right?"
That was incomprehensible to James, who liked little more than flying high above everything, the wind rushing through his hair and the feeling that nothing was above or below him. "I'll be with you the whole time." That hadn't been the deal, but he had a feeling she wouldn't complain. She nodded.
James showed her how to hold the broom, how to mount it, then he joined her, sitting just behind her. "I'll do everything. All you have to do is sit still and not panic. All right?"
Lily nodded again. "I swear, Potter, if you let me fall …"
"I'm not going to let you fall, Evans," James said. He hooked an arm comfortably (or at least, he tried to make it comfortable; it sure felt good to him his arm brushing her side, over her stomach) around her and then kicked off the ground.
A choked gasp came out of Lily, and he squeezed his hand over hers where it held the broom. "You're fine. Just relax." He took advantage to move a little bit closer to her. She let him. In fact, she didn't complain or smack him when he leaned his face around closer to her. But that was because she had her eyes tightly closed. Her breathing was shallow.
"Evans," James said, nudging her lightly. "Look, you're flying. Open your eyes."
She shook her head.
"It's okay, really. You can look."
Slowly, she opened her eyes, one at a time, to find that they were moving slowly over the ground, about six feet above the grass on the Quidditch pitch. She had expected him to take her higher, to show off. But he didn't. He listened when she said he was scared of heights, that she didn't like flying.
"Now," he said, easing his hand away from hers, his thumb sliding against the side of her palm. "You've got this. See? See, you're flying."
A laugh, surprising both of them, bubbled up from in her throat. "Oh my god, wow, I'm actually flying."
He sat back, shivering at the loss of close contact. "See, Evans, told you. I can even teach you to fly."
Lily rolled her eyes, but James noticed she didn't argue. He grinned. Baby steps, he thought. He could do this. He could absolutely win Lily Evans over.
Sarah / Gryffindor / 20 points
Summary: A flying lesson.
Characters/Pairings: James Potter & Lily Evans
Genre: Romance ish
Rating/Warnings: None
Medium: Ficlet
October Prompt: Witch's broom
Word Count: 612
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: No, thank you.
James wrapped his arms around Lily, loosely.
"Watch those arms, Potter," she said, which he knew she'd say. But a quirk at the corner of her mouth made him think maybe she was teasing him. That was new. He didn't know how he was meant to react to that, so he startled, his forearm brushing under Lily's chest.
James sputtered out a 'sorry' but it came out in a squeak. She laughed. Musically. Angelically. He was incapable of concentrating anymore. "Uh --"
"I thought you were going to teach me how to fly," Lily said after a moment. Her own attempt at flying -- only during flying lessons first year -- had been disastrous. She never wanted to relive it, but when Potter insisted that he could teach anyone to fly -- his exact words were "I could even teach a kneazle to fly!" -- she decided to take him up on that challenge.
"I am," James insisted. "All right, here. Hold onto the broom up here at the neck." She tightened her hand around it. "No, no," he said, "not like that. Not like you're strangling the broom." Hesitantly, he lifted her fingers from it and rearranged them. "Here, carefully, like this. The broom will act better if you're not trying to break it in half."
Lily let out a puffy breath. "I told you I don't like heights, right?"
That was incomprehensible to James, who liked little more than flying high above everything, the wind rushing through his hair and the feeling that nothing was above or below him. "I'll be with you the whole time." That hadn't been the deal, but he had a feeling she wouldn't complain. She nodded.
James showed her how to hold the broom, how to mount it, then he joined her, sitting just behind her. "I'll do everything. All you have to do is sit still and not panic. All right?"
Lily nodded again. "I swear, Potter, if you let me fall …"
"I'm not going to let you fall, Evans," James said. He hooked an arm comfortably (or at least, he tried to make it comfortable; it sure felt good to him his arm brushing her side, over her stomach) around her and then kicked off the ground.
A choked gasp came out of Lily, and he squeezed his hand over hers where it held the broom. "You're fine. Just relax." He took advantage to move a little bit closer to her. She let him. In fact, she didn't complain or smack him when he leaned his face around closer to her. But that was because she had her eyes tightly closed. Her breathing was shallow.
"Evans," James said, nudging her lightly. "Look, you're flying. Open your eyes."
She shook her head.
"It's okay, really. You can look."
Slowly, she opened her eyes, one at a time, to find that they were moving slowly over the ground, about six feet above the grass on the Quidditch pitch. She had expected him to take her higher, to show off. But he didn't. He listened when she said he was scared of heights, that she didn't like flying.
"Now," he said, easing his hand away from hers, his thumb sliding against the side of her palm. "You've got this. See? See, you're flying."
A laugh, surprising both of them, bubbled up from in her throat. "Oh my god, wow, I'm actually flying."
He sat back, shivering at the loss of close contact. "See, Evans, told you. I can even teach you to fly."
Lily rolled her eyes, but James noticed she didn't argue. He grinned. Baby steps, he thought. He could do this. He could absolutely win Lily Evans over.
Sarah / Gryffindor / 20 points