fic: the stag and the doe
title: The Stag and the Doe
prompt: Animal
characters: James/Lily
words: 1987
rating: PG
note: For my mixtape lover prettylanguage~♥! Warning: fluff, fluff, and more fluff.
The Stag and the Doe
“Expecto Patronum!”
Silvery mist burst from her wand, ethereal and transparent - but it was shapeless, and as she scrutinized her Patronus with a scowl, the ghostly vapour vanished from within the classroom. A soft voice spoke from behind her shoulder.
“That was better, Lily.”
She glanced back at the DADA Professor and sent him a meek smile before the wizard clasped his hands behind his back and wandered around the rest of the room, examining other students’ Patronuses.
Wasn’t perfect, though, Lily added as an afterthought, staring at her wand (Willow, 10 1/4", swishy) between her fingers as though it was the fault for her poorly-defined form of a Patronus, not her memories.
Her concentration was lost when a silver beaver passed by her legs. The Professor had told them the Patronus Charm was simple in theory but hard to perform correctly, yet others in the class were summoning corporeal forms so it couldn’t be that difficult. She searched her mind again for a happy memory - the moment she first discovered she was a witch at age eleven…
‘Freak!’
She shuddered when Petunia’s shrill voice entered her head. As happy as she was at the time she learnt she was a witch, the reminiscences of her sour, jealous sister took over. She pushed the image of sneering Petunia to the back of her mind and dug for a happier memory.
She recalled her favourite playground in her neighbourhood where a large chimney overlooked the skyline - it was there which stood her favourite set of swings. There was nothing she enjoyed more than swinging; she would swing so high skywards, as though to kiss the clouds (sometimes she tasted candyfloss in her mouth). Back and forth she would go, higher than her sister - always higher than Petunia. She would think of trapeze artists from the circus her family visited every year (“They’re such freaks!” Petunia would always gasp), and she would launch herself off the swing and into the air like an acrobat and fly, as though invisible wings had sprouted from her back, touching the ground afterwards like a cat landing gracefully on their feet.
Sev would never swing...
Severus, Lily corrected herself quickly. Snape, she corrected herself again.
‘I don’t need help from filthy Mudbloods like her!’
Her stomach dropped when Snape’s words resurfaced her thoughts - it stung her more than Petunia’s did. She could block out Petunia’s voice and forget her face until she returned home, but with Snape stood on the other side of the classroom - always somewhere nearby in the castle - it wasn’t so easy.
She glanced over at Snape; he was struggling to conjure up a Patronus as well and was getting increasingly more frustrated. A small, warm smile flitted across her lips at the thought that they were in the same situation, until she remembered they weren’t friends anymore. Snape’s gaze eventually met hers; he was looking over at her apologetically with familiar coal-like eyes. She wasted no time in turning away with a frown.
She was glumly looking down at her shoes when she felt she was being watched. She had a sneaking suspicion who the culprit was and spun in the direction of the Marauders: she was being plainly ogled at by James Potter. Sirius Black was by his side sharing an elaborate Dumbledore-is-gay theory with him, but James was more immersed in staring at her rather than listen to his friend prattle on. What bewildered Lily was the fact that he wasn’t wearing the silly, flirtatious grin like he usually reserved for her. His gaze spelled out nothing but compassion and comfort, and if his eyes could speak volumes, it would say: things will look up. But Lily distinctly thought otherwise, trying her hardest to the hide the blush James had caused to creep across her cheeks as she avoided his stare, stuck out her wand and spoke the incantation again.
***
She was either ludicrously determined or a striving perfectionist, because she’d asked permission from Professor McGonagall later that evening to use her classroom to practise her Patronus Charm. She would not rest until she got a corporeal form.
“Expecto Patronum!” she said loudly, thrusting her wand arm out straight.
She glared at the weak haze that was released from her wand; she’d seen stronger mist shoot out of a kettle. She felt like throwing her wand at the other side of the room in defeat. Instead, she leant against a desk to take a breather. Every time her Patronus didn’t improve she became progressively more wound up, and it was hard for her to evoke a happy memory in a bad mood, knowing she wasn’t getting anywhere.
She was contemplating heading back to Gryffindor Tower when she heard a door creak open and someone enter the room. She guessed it was McGonagall, until she looked over and saw it was James Potter. She stood up straight like a rabbit caught in headlights.
“Hi,” he said, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click.
“How did you know I was in here?” demanded Lily at once.
“I have my ways,” he answered with an air of mystery. Lily took particular notice of a blank piece of parchment he tucked into the back pocket of his trousers. “What are you doing in here?” he asked curiously.
“Not that it’s in any of your business,” Lily started tetchily, becoming more flustered with every measured step he took towards her, “but I’m practising my Patronus Charm.”
“Show me.”
That had been said far too close to her ear for her liking. James was right next to her now. Lily looked up at him bemusedly. “What?”
“Your Patronus - show it to me,” he murmured. A pleasant shiver ran up her spine and she blamed it on a sudden peculiar fondness for the cold.
“I don’t have to show you anything, Professor Potter,” she sneered. James cocked an eyebrow at her.
“I’m not leaving until you show me.”
Lily blanched; he had to be bluffing, but the challenging look in his eyes said he wasn’t. If she was stubborn enough they’d be here all night…
“Oh alright,” Lily surrendered, and James smiled victoriously.
She was fine performing the charm amongst a busy class or by herself, but summoning a Patronus with only James watching her made her unbelievably nervous. She fiddled with her wand awkwardly. James noticed her discomfort.
“Take your time,” he told her gently, and it was his uncharacteristic tenderness that made her snap into action. She allowed a cheerful memory consume her - then with a wave of her wand, spoke the incantation in a steady voice. She prayed with all her might that the Patronus would appear strong, but it looked frailer than ever before. In barely seconds the silvery mist was gone, and Lily stared at a crack in the floor in humiliation.
“Why aren’t you laughing at me?” she asked James quietly when he hadn’t spoken for several moments.
“Why would I be laughing at you?” he responded in bewilderment.
“Because my Patronus is pathetic...”
She almost yelped when James delicately took hold of one of her wrists, looking her straight in the eye when he argued, “It’s not pathetic. Your memories just aren’t happy enough.”
“How tragic,” Lily added miserably. More words were spoken next too close to her ear.
“Lily, let me help you.”
“How?” she answered dreadfully, wondering what James was up to. Her eyes positively bulged out of her head when he cupped her chin in his hand. “What are you doing?” she gulped, forgetting how to breathe.
“I’m giving you a happier memory,” he said, before leaning in to kiss her.
The instant their lips came into contact she made a sound of gripe at the back of her throat, quickly trying to wriggle away. That was until her brain caught up with what was happening and she realized escaping James’ mouth was really the last thing she wanted. She’d entered a state where she was wholeheartedly limp and light-headed, and she wanted nothing more than to bask in that feeling for all eternity. Her eyes fluttered shut as she grabbed fistfuls of the front of his robes, pulling him closer, intensifying the kiss as he slid a hand around her waist. There was a tremendous amount of fear filling her insides because, after all, this was utterly daft and baffling, but a great sensation of happiness had surmounted, and with a memory like this she felt like she could call up a Patronus so powerful it could protect every single person within the castle.
When they finally pulled away for air, James wore the silliest grin on his face and Lily looked as though she was about to faint at any second. “Now try the Patronus charm,” he smiled cheekily.
“You certainly think highly of yourself,” Lily pretended to glare at him. “What makes you think a stupid kiss from you would be a happy enough memory for a Patronus? Maybe I found it entirely disgusting.”
“The smile on your face makes me think otherwise,” James pointed out, and Lily reddened, unable to stop the ends of her mouth curling upwards. He gestured to her wand; he was still waiting for her to perform the Patronus Charm. She looked straight at him and thought of the kiss moments before; remembering every pleasant detail, so much the mere recollection was like kissing James a second time. With that strong, clear memory in her head, she swished her wand and spoke the incantation, “Expecto Patronum!”
A glowing light gushed out of her wand, so powerful she had to take a step backwards and shielded her eyes from such intense brightness. Her stomach somersaulted when the light collected and took a form: a stunning silver-white doe was skipping about the room.
“Oh my goodness,” Lily couldn’t help but mutter, trembling all over.
“She’s beautiful,” James smiled from ear to ear. Lily could not even begin to fathom how she could create a creature so handsome. “You get an ‘O’ for Oustanding,” he said in his best teacher voice.
“Thank you,” she told James breathlessly, unable to take her eyes off the moon-bright doe as it trotted elegantly around the room, leaving a glittering trail behind her. It was then she heard James speak the same incantation, and for a second time she had to protect her eyes when a shimmering beam spurted from his wand. She watched the light gather into a shape: a proud silver-white stag stood before them. Lily was floored yet again.
The stag and doe regarded each other inquisitively and tiptoed up to one another, footsteps noiseless. They stood close, nudging one another in familiar, affectionate behaviour, until the doe settled her head on the stag’s strapping back.
“Why do our Patronuses fit?” Lily asked with bated breath once she worked up the courage to speak.
“Why not?” James cocked his head at her and shrugged in a charming manner, and Lily debated whether to kiss him for that reply or punch him squarely in the face. At long last their Patronuses disappeared and Lily wondered what would happen next.
“Is kissing how you help everyone with their Patronus?” she questioned James, curiosity getting the better of her.
“I would think not since I helped Sirius with his Patronus, and the only thing I’d touch his mouth with is a toothbrush, knowing where his dirty mouth has been.”
They both tried to keep straight faces but dissolved into gales of laughter, shoulders shaking with mirth. Once they managed to regain their cool, James held out his hand for Lily to take.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said.
Lily had officially had a taste of James Potter and there was no going back. Bashfully, she nodded, clasped her palm to his warm one, and followed him out of the classroom.
prompt: Animal
characters: James/Lily
words: 1987
rating: PG
note: For my mixtape lover prettylanguage~♥! Warning: fluff, fluff, and more fluff.
The Stag and the Doe
“Expecto Patronum!”
Silvery mist burst from her wand, ethereal and transparent - but it was shapeless, and as she scrutinized her Patronus with a scowl, the ghostly vapour vanished from within the classroom. A soft voice spoke from behind her shoulder.
“That was better, Lily.”
She glanced back at the DADA Professor and sent him a meek smile before the wizard clasped his hands behind his back and wandered around the rest of the room, examining other students’ Patronuses.
Wasn’t perfect, though, Lily added as an afterthought, staring at her wand (Willow, 10 1/4", swishy) between her fingers as though it was the fault for her poorly-defined form of a Patronus, not her memories.
Her concentration was lost when a silver beaver passed by her legs. The Professor had told them the Patronus Charm was simple in theory but hard to perform correctly, yet others in the class were summoning corporeal forms so it couldn’t be that difficult. She searched her mind again for a happy memory - the moment she first discovered she was a witch at age eleven…
‘Freak!’
She shuddered when Petunia’s shrill voice entered her head. As happy as she was at the time she learnt she was a witch, the reminiscences of her sour, jealous sister took over. She pushed the image of sneering Petunia to the back of her mind and dug for a happier memory.
She recalled her favourite playground in her neighbourhood where a large chimney overlooked the skyline - it was there which stood her favourite set of swings. There was nothing she enjoyed more than swinging; she would swing so high skywards, as though to kiss the clouds (sometimes she tasted candyfloss in her mouth). Back and forth she would go, higher than her sister - always higher than Petunia. She would think of trapeze artists from the circus her family visited every year (“They’re such freaks!” Petunia would always gasp), and she would launch herself off the swing and into the air like an acrobat and fly, as though invisible wings had sprouted from her back, touching the ground afterwards like a cat landing gracefully on their feet.
Sev would never swing...
Severus, Lily corrected herself quickly. Snape, she corrected herself again.
‘I don’t need help from filthy Mudbloods like her!’
Her stomach dropped when Snape’s words resurfaced her thoughts - it stung her more than Petunia’s did. She could block out Petunia’s voice and forget her face until she returned home, but with Snape stood on the other side of the classroom - always somewhere nearby in the castle - it wasn’t so easy.
She glanced over at Snape; he was struggling to conjure up a Patronus as well and was getting increasingly more frustrated. A small, warm smile flitted across her lips at the thought that they were in the same situation, until she remembered they weren’t friends anymore. Snape’s gaze eventually met hers; he was looking over at her apologetically with familiar coal-like eyes. She wasted no time in turning away with a frown.
She was glumly looking down at her shoes when she felt she was being watched. She had a sneaking suspicion who the culprit was and spun in the direction of the Marauders: she was being plainly ogled at by James Potter. Sirius Black was by his side sharing an elaborate Dumbledore-is-gay theory with him, but James was more immersed in staring at her rather than listen to his friend prattle on. What bewildered Lily was the fact that he wasn’t wearing the silly, flirtatious grin like he usually reserved for her. His gaze spelled out nothing but compassion and comfort, and if his eyes could speak volumes, it would say: things will look up. But Lily distinctly thought otherwise, trying her hardest to the hide the blush James had caused to creep across her cheeks as she avoided his stare, stuck out her wand and spoke the incantation again.
***
She was either ludicrously determined or a striving perfectionist, because she’d asked permission from Professor McGonagall later that evening to use her classroom to practise her Patronus Charm. She would not rest until she got a corporeal form.
“Expecto Patronum!” she said loudly, thrusting her wand arm out straight.
She glared at the weak haze that was released from her wand; she’d seen stronger mist shoot out of a kettle. She felt like throwing her wand at the other side of the room in defeat. Instead, she leant against a desk to take a breather. Every time her Patronus didn’t improve she became progressively more wound up, and it was hard for her to evoke a happy memory in a bad mood, knowing she wasn’t getting anywhere.
She was contemplating heading back to Gryffindor Tower when she heard a door creak open and someone enter the room. She guessed it was McGonagall, until she looked over and saw it was James Potter. She stood up straight like a rabbit caught in headlights.
“Hi,” he said, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click.
“How did you know I was in here?” demanded Lily at once.
“I have my ways,” he answered with an air of mystery. Lily took particular notice of a blank piece of parchment he tucked into the back pocket of his trousers. “What are you doing in here?” he asked curiously.
“Not that it’s in any of your business,” Lily started tetchily, becoming more flustered with every measured step he took towards her, “but I’m practising my Patronus Charm.”
“Show me.”
That had been said far too close to her ear for her liking. James was right next to her now. Lily looked up at him bemusedly. “What?”
“Your Patronus - show it to me,” he murmured. A pleasant shiver ran up her spine and she blamed it on a sudden peculiar fondness for the cold.
“I don’t have to show you anything, Professor Potter,” she sneered. James cocked an eyebrow at her.
“I’m not leaving until you show me.”
Lily blanched; he had to be bluffing, but the challenging look in his eyes said he wasn’t. If she was stubborn enough they’d be here all night…
“Oh alright,” Lily surrendered, and James smiled victoriously.
She was fine performing the charm amongst a busy class or by herself, but summoning a Patronus with only James watching her made her unbelievably nervous. She fiddled with her wand awkwardly. James noticed her discomfort.
“Take your time,” he told her gently, and it was his uncharacteristic tenderness that made her snap into action. She allowed a cheerful memory consume her - then with a wave of her wand, spoke the incantation in a steady voice. She prayed with all her might that the Patronus would appear strong, but it looked frailer than ever before. In barely seconds the silvery mist was gone, and Lily stared at a crack in the floor in humiliation.
“Why aren’t you laughing at me?” she asked James quietly when he hadn’t spoken for several moments.
“Why would I be laughing at you?” he responded in bewilderment.
“Because my Patronus is pathetic...”
She almost yelped when James delicately took hold of one of her wrists, looking her straight in the eye when he argued, “It’s not pathetic. Your memories just aren’t happy enough.”
“How tragic,” Lily added miserably. More words were spoken next too close to her ear.
“Lily, let me help you.”
“How?” she answered dreadfully, wondering what James was up to. Her eyes positively bulged out of her head when he cupped her chin in his hand. “What are you doing?” she gulped, forgetting how to breathe.
“I’m giving you a happier memory,” he said, before leaning in to kiss her.
The instant their lips came into contact she made a sound of gripe at the back of her throat, quickly trying to wriggle away. That was until her brain caught up with what was happening and she realized escaping James’ mouth was really the last thing she wanted. She’d entered a state where she was wholeheartedly limp and light-headed, and she wanted nothing more than to bask in that feeling for all eternity. Her eyes fluttered shut as she grabbed fistfuls of the front of his robes, pulling him closer, intensifying the kiss as he slid a hand around her waist. There was a tremendous amount of fear filling her insides because, after all, this was utterly daft and baffling, but a great sensation of happiness had surmounted, and with a memory like this she felt like she could call up a Patronus so powerful it could protect every single person within the castle.
When they finally pulled away for air, James wore the silliest grin on his face and Lily looked as though she was about to faint at any second. “Now try the Patronus charm,” he smiled cheekily.
“You certainly think highly of yourself,” Lily pretended to glare at him. “What makes you think a stupid kiss from you would be a happy enough memory for a Patronus? Maybe I found it entirely disgusting.”
“The smile on your face makes me think otherwise,” James pointed out, and Lily reddened, unable to stop the ends of her mouth curling upwards. He gestured to her wand; he was still waiting for her to perform the Patronus Charm. She looked straight at him and thought of the kiss moments before; remembering every pleasant detail, so much the mere recollection was like kissing James a second time. With that strong, clear memory in her head, she swished her wand and spoke the incantation, “Expecto Patronum!”
A glowing light gushed out of her wand, so powerful she had to take a step backwards and shielded her eyes from such intense brightness. Her stomach somersaulted when the light collected and took a form: a stunning silver-white doe was skipping about the room.
“Oh my goodness,” Lily couldn’t help but mutter, trembling all over.
“She’s beautiful,” James smiled from ear to ear. Lily could not even begin to fathom how she could create a creature so handsome. “You get an ‘O’ for Oustanding,” he said in his best teacher voice.
“Thank you,” she told James breathlessly, unable to take her eyes off the moon-bright doe as it trotted elegantly around the room, leaving a glittering trail behind her. It was then she heard James speak the same incantation, and for a second time she had to protect her eyes when a shimmering beam spurted from his wand. She watched the light gather into a shape: a proud silver-white stag stood before them. Lily was floored yet again.
The stag and doe regarded each other inquisitively and tiptoed up to one another, footsteps noiseless. They stood close, nudging one another in familiar, affectionate behaviour, until the doe settled her head on the stag’s strapping back.
“Why do our Patronuses fit?” Lily asked with bated breath once she worked up the courage to speak.
“Why not?” James cocked his head at her and shrugged in a charming manner, and Lily debated whether to kiss him for that reply or punch him squarely in the face. At long last their Patronuses disappeared and Lily wondered what would happen next.
“Is kissing how you help everyone with their Patronus?” she questioned James, curiosity getting the better of her.
“I would think not since I helped Sirius with his Patronus, and the only thing I’d touch his mouth with is a toothbrush, knowing where his dirty mouth has been.”
They both tried to keep straight faces but dissolved into gales of laughter, shoulders shaking with mirth. Once they managed to regain their cool, James held out his hand for Lily to take.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said.
Lily had officially had a taste of James Potter and there was no going back. Bashfully, she nodded, clasped her palm to his warm one, and followed him out of the classroom.