One Step Closer...Part I - James

[Lily Potter]

Nov. 13
Prefects Bath

♥The day we met

Frozen, I held my breath

What a long and arduous week it had been. One would think that by the second year of being a prefect, it all wouldn’t be so stressful but Lily felt the pressure still. The pressure of enforcing the rules, the expectations of being a model student, the reputation she had worked so hard to build, it all needed to be maintained on the daily. As well as her coursework and clubs and preparations for her N.E.W.T.’s, her relationships with friends and...well the boyfriend department was currently empty.

That was maybe for the best as there seemed not enough room to juggle what she already had on her proverbial plate. It would be nice, having someone to decompress with, tell her woes to, hold when she felt worried or overwhelmed. She missed Danny -he understood her so well and helped grow all the best parts of her, and introduced her to what it meant to share a closeness with someone that was more than friendship- but it was for the best they were no longer together. He was off in the world, being dashing and brave and pursuing his career, and she was here at Hogwarts, still striving for greatness. They would not have been able to fulfill themselves and their relationship, not without difficulty. It was for the best.

Lily sighed, floating her hands out into the water and gathering bubbled to bring to her nose for a sniff. Divine. Smiling as she reached over to turn the taps, stopping the flow of colorful, fragrant bubbles. Rising from her position beside the bath, her feet cold on the stone floor, she padded her way over to her bag of toiletries and pulled out a soft flannel. Lily let out an audible groan as she gave a good before bath stretch, pleased there was no one around to hear it in the late hour. Gryffindor was probably still celebrating their victory, Slytherin sulking in their loss, and most of the rest of the castle would probably be turning in soon. The prefects bath was all hers.

With deft fingers, Lily undid her braid, shaking out her long red hair before twisting it up into an off-kilt knot on the top of her head. Reaching for the tie on her robe, she let it slip to the ground and puddle at her feet, gooseflesh rising over her body as the cool air hit it. Quickly she got into the warm water, sinking into the tub up to her chin, Lily closed her eyes with a sigh...only for them to immediately pop back open at the creaking of the door. She glanced around, her mouth parting in shock as someone entered. "Potter?" Ugh, communal baths. It was no wonder muggles faded them out ages ago. How awkward! "What are you doing here?"

[James Potter]

"What d'you - what d'you think - I was coming for a swim - why are you here, Evans?!"

James hastily shut his eyes and his mouth, turning his back to the pool, but not before he'd seen a few things.

Not - nothing under the water, the bubbles had clouded it adequately, but there was a discarded robe and a ready towel on the edge and Lily Evans in the bath, and that was more than enough to put him in a state. And it shouldn't. It shouldn't. All he'd wanted - not that James thought he'd be believed at this point - was to have a little time to himself to soak in what had happened today. After months of feeling like he did nothing but attend class and practice and make plays while trying to find time for his friends, wanting nothing more than to be successful in his first match with a Captain's badge on his chest, his team had done it. He had done it. If they could continue in this trajectory, the Cup could be theirs in the spring. It was truly within their reach now that they had a victory on the calendar, and James had been exhilarated ever since their Seeker caught the Snitch. The high had carried their team off of the field and into the celebration in the common room, where the play-by-plays and merriment continued without him.

The exhilaration hadn't muted, he was just as pleased as he'd been a few hours ago, but he needed...a minute. Their success meant that theirs was the team to beat, that theirs was the team to target, that theirs was the team to undermine at any possibility. He expected extra scrutiny to be put onto their bookings, bonus banter from amiable opponents and a need to brace for frustration from the others, a greater need than ever for the team to present a united front... And they would do it, they would, he could handle it. He could keep his temper while making it clear that theirs wasn't the team to mess with. If he could just get a minute alone, a minute in quiet.

The perk of using the prefect's bath wasn't one he'd taken advantage of hardly at all since term began, and he'd thought it the proper place to have some time to himself. And, truth be told, he sorely needed to freshen up. But to find it already occupied with the girl whose name he'd taken to doodling only a few months ago - a habit that had forcibly stopped after her lack of feeling for him was made clear at the lake - was a shock to the system indeed. "D'you want me to go?" James asked the door, realizing as he did what a stupid question it really was. One of these days you'll stop turning into an absolute idiot around her, won't you? "Sorry, er - I'll go, it's fine."

[Lily Potter]

“I’m a prefect!” Lily shouted indignantly, her voice echoing a little in the open space. All at once she was annoyed and embarrassed by the whole situation. How dare he question her, she was a prefect, and, and she was there first! It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him just that when she thought better of it. That sounded childish and...unfair. As Quidditch Captain, he had just as much right to be there as she did. More even as he probably smelled like death warmed over from the intense match he had just played. Lily bit her lip, uncomfortable with the turn of events her solitary night had taken and unsure of how to maneuver it. It's probably karma for basking too much in your good luck.

James had turned away from her almost at once, something she respected and appreciated, he was a rascal but she could admit he was also a gentleman, and she could tell this was making him as uneasy as she felt. Which helped to put her a little more at ease. Lily was contemplating allowing him the bath and taking solace elsewhere or demanding he vacate, when he spoke again, giving her an  easy solution to her problem. Yes! Yes, that’s what I want! But...was it really though? For propriety yes, it was best if he went. But technically he didn’t have to, and she felt like a real jerk being the one to ruin his plans. He had played an amazing great game, and Doe caught the snitch to win the game, he deserved some relaxation. If it were anyone else she wouldn't have felt half so out of place...

“It’s a communal bath.” she blurted out before he could make a hasty exit. “And it’s massive.“ Lily rushed on, unsure of why she suddenly felt so insistent about him staying. It was probably her sense of fairness prevailing, it was just wrong to make him leave a place he could rightfully use. She may be a prefect but she swore she wouldn't let it get  to her head, if she started banishing people, what was next? “We won’t even be near each other. Besides, I - I won’t be long.” Pulling on some of her usual sass and confidence she gave a cheeky grin, even if he couldn't see it, she suspected he could hear it in her voice. “You need it more than me anyway, I can smell you from here Potter.” Lily paddled back to the wall and found the seat built into it, plopping her bum on it and waiting patiently for James Potter to make his move.

[James Potter]

"Captain!" James shot back in kind, needlessly gesturing to himself as he fought back the shock of coming across her like this. It wasn't that they didn't spend time together - they shared more classes than not, a fact he had noticed and wondered if she had in September and it wasn't like he didn't share as many classes with half their year - but it was always in company. Classes full of a grand mix of students these days as schedules shifted with the greater choices they had, the dining table and the common room were always rowdy with their fellow Housemates, and in-between it all they were sandwiched in with their friends. And that was for the best, wasn't it? The fight at the lake at the end of last term was still vivid in his memory - unlike the gash on his cheek, courtesy of his least favorite Slytherin, of which only the slightest scar remained - and while they argued in good fun in class, things hadn't escalated to that scale again. 

As shitty as the day had become, and as much as he didn't want her hurting because of him, James didn't regret his part in it. Snape had had to be pushed for him to snap, to finally admit what he was under the layers and layers of grease, and he knew it had to be better for Lily these days, to have him completely out of her life. And...she'd revealed more that day than she'd likely wanted to. She'd known why James messed his hair, she'd seen him and the stolen Snitch, she'd seen him using hexes because he was annoyed or bored. She thought he was an arrogant, bullying toerag, with a head so big that his neck shouldn't be able to hold it up properly. And he knew the takeaway of the day was bigger than Lily notices, especially as she'd been rather strong with her dismissal of his proposal, but it stuck in his memory all the same.

Now, though, hovering at the door, waiting for her to tell him to just leave her be, James wondered if she still thought all that to be true. 

It shouldn't matter. You should go. What are you -

"You can not," James returned, head spinning, and he smiled over his shoulder in surprise as the redhead gave him the okay to stay. "Can't smell anything in here besides whatever's in those bubbles. What is it, lilac?" Her shift in tone and confidence relaxed him - well, it sent him from unease to excited - and he chuckled as he took a towel from the corner. The lad made a show of moving to the far end of the pool, and hastily undressed, shorts kept on as he jumped in. Breaking through the thick layer of foam to resurface, he laughed, wiping at his bubble-covered face with equally bubble-covered hands. "Merlin, Evans, could've squeezed a few more bubbles in, couldn't you?"

[Lily Potter]

Indignation fumed within her, as it always did when she and James were rowing. Well, she admitted that wasn’t really the case now, they had had /real arguments that left her flushed and frustrated but this wasn’t like that. This was filled with embarrassment and awkwardness but the feeling in her chest was the same. ‘Prefect!, ‘Captain!’ Now that they had established their roles in the castle and how this placed belonged to them both, some of the anger leeched out of her. But the embarrassment? That remained. As she stared at his back, willing him to leave, but telling him he could stay, Lily didn’t know what she was about.

Why was she smiling? Was did she suddenly find this situation amusing? “Can too.” she countered. Though it was a lie, he was right, she couldn’t smell anything but her bath she had filled for herself, but would now be sharing with James Potter of all people. But she wasn’t about to tell him that! Best he think he smelled rotten and that was the reason she was inviting allowing him to stay. “And vanilla, and hibiscus and whatever else was available.” she supplied as he made his way around to the other side of the tub, as far away from her as possible, her eyes tracking his progress. She looked away dutifully as he undressed but not before she caught a glimpse of his bare chest and a flush ran up her neck.

His leap into the water had her head snapping back up in his direction as bubbles surged toward her, rising up to her chin. His head reappeared, a hat of suds and a white face on the surface and she laughed. She actually laughed, because it was funny, really funny. “You look ridiculous,” she commented before she could stop herself. And then she laughed again at his words and she thought she must be delirious or something, she never was so amused with him, or rather she never showed it. She chalked it up to the relaxing warm water and the impossible situation they found themselves in. With none of their usual friends or classed to keep them at bay, they were alone, for maybe the first time ever. Her arms floated out to bring more bubbled into her chest and she inhaled deeply. “Some of us like to smell nice Potter.” she joked.

[James Potter]

Had they really ever been alone? Definitely not like this. Even when they'd been some of the last in the common room, sharing a table, the fires dimming with him scrambling together a forgotten project and her reading ahead, a wall of books and scrolls separating them - there were always others around. James thought they'd long found their footing around one another regardless - never a dull moment or thoughts held in besides the stupid unrequited things he had to stop himself from word vomiting out - and was more surprised by their situation than by the shouting that ensued. But their exchange - "Prefect!" "Captain!" - got him laughing after a moment's quiet, the absolute absurdity of the not-an-argument kicking in. And Lily was letting him stay, even smiling as maybe she realized the same thing as him. 

"Perfect. Never smelled like a garden before, why not try it out today?" James laughed as he gathered what he needed, trying not to grin too broadly as he realized that they'd return to the common room smelling the same. This is how her hair always smelled so good, this particular mix of botanicals - Sh*t. This is what it was. He hastily looked away as he undressed, fumbling a bit more than the occasion called for it as a not-entirely-unwelcome thought hit him. Earlier in the fall when they'd brewed Amortentia, he'd thought the flowery notes in his potion's vapors were from the garden at home. But while he was no expert in flowers, he knew enough to know that a tropical plant would be no match for their winters. So it wasn't home that he'd smelled, along with broom polish and the damp of the forest at night. Evans. It was Evans. You should have realized it was her, of course it was Evans. Haven't moved on one bit, have you...

He jumped in, feeling jittery with the realization, and rose to her laughter. That made him grin despite his instinct to bite his tongue, to keep his discovery in, and after his bubble-covered hands were worsening the situation, fiercely shook his head. Bubbles spraying out, James laughed with her and swam to a seat across the bath. "Yeah, yeah, I know you do," he teased, bracing himself with shoulders and elbows on the floor behind. "You know, I'm actually glad to run into you. Saw you in the stands, but you disappeared after the match. Whole House storms the pitch to celebrate, minus a prefect? It was a pretty big day for us, what gives?" 

[Lily Potter]

Once they were passed their mutual indignation at their unexpected encounter, they both settled into the bath, the same bath. She knew he couldn't see anything private on her and Lily liked to think she couldn’t see anything either, and really, she couldn’t…but she had taken a peek, and well, who wouldn’t notice a body like that? What red-blooded witch wouldn’t still be thinking of it? She gathered more bubbles around herself, as if they could shield her from her own runaway thoughts, as if they could stop them. How was she to, though, when he sat like that? Like the breadth of her shoulders was on display. Pulling her eyes back to his when he said things like smelling of a garden and knowing that she always did. She reasoned that her reaction to this chance meeting with James Potter was simply due to the fact that she had never really been in this situation. Not with anyone. It was complete coincidence that it was James, perhaps if it was Remus it wouldn't be half so awkward or even Peter, who probably wouldn't of stayed longer than a 'hello' 'goodbye'. The fourth marauders she would not speak on but suffice to say even he would have caused less of a blush than James Potter was. Get hold of yourself! With that in mind she fell back into her normal 'mood' that she held around him most days: slight exasperation. 

Lily gave her companion a pointed look and an admonishing scuff. “As you said James, I’m a prefect. I have responsibilities to attend to.” Alright, maybe that wasn’t the entire truth. Yes, some of the prefects needed to be around to help keep the masses in line and back in the castle with no major incidents, however, she didn’t necessarily need to be one of them. The whole of it involved this bath mostly, and also, yes, avoiding all the celebration. Which she tried to do as much as possible. Sometimes because she just preferred to do other things, like now, other times just because she didn’t want to be crammed into all the raucous, and very, very few times, because she was afraid of too much fun. And there was such a thing as too much fun. It usually came in the form of alcohol. She didn’t like that line of questioning so she picked up on something else and jumped on her own query. “Surprised you noticed with everyone ‘storming the field’. Been keeping tabs on me, Potter?”

[James Potter]

James.

If pressed, the sixth year would heartily proclaim that he'd been the first of the pair of them (easily imagining how readily Lily would argue that they were nothing of a pair) to use the other's surname, even though he couldn't possibly be certain, or precisely nail down why it'd come to be at all. It'd become habit so long ago, developed within their rivalry - sometimes personal, sometimes academic, sometimes both. Perhaps underneath everything, they used it in an attempt to keep each other at an arm's length, for constant bickering exhausted all and suited no one. And certainly, finding his footing with the other girls in the dorm had come much more smoothly. Not to say that James was well-liked by the lot - Dorcas in particular made it plain enough when she was done with "his nonsense" - but he never questioned where he stood. Lily, though - Evans - left him guessing.

That's just because you want things to change. You're wanting to read into everything.

So maybe - maybe Lily's slip-up could be simply chalked up to the surprise of them being here together. Or maybe it was because she didn't feel such disdain towards him these days. Or maybe, maybe, it had nothing to do with anything at all.

Then why is it hard for her to look you in the eye?

On his end, James was very pointedly keeping his eyes above the waterline. To the best of his ability. Eyes were drawn to movement, weren't they, so when she reached out to pull another round of bubbles towards her, and the water kept rippling from his jump too, rushing into her bare shoulders and chest -

He swallowed thickly, trying to pretend that they were at the lake, and it was summer, and the whole of their year was together in their swimming costumes, throwing each other around and racing to the depths...

"Prefect responsibilities," James deadpanned, helped back to the moment, to normal, by the appearance of her usual tone. "Prefect responsibilities?" he repeated, letting out an incredulous burst of a laugh. If there was something going on, surely Remus would've told him. "What d'you have to do on a Saturday afternoon? If you didn't want to come to the party, you could just say, I'm not here to badger you about it." Not to say he wasn't curious. The warm water, the bubbles, lapped placidly around him. The boy reached behind for a washcloth, hibiscus in the air, and doused it, starting to work the grime off of his arms. A slow grin lit his face as the redhead went on, throwing his words right back at him. Sure I have, but - 

"Don't sell yourself short, people notice when you're not around. What'd you think of the match, anyway?" He couldn't exactly admit that he'd been wanting to hear her thoughts on the match. Particularly, on how he'd done as the team lead. Their first match of the season, James's first as Captain - they'd won, but by a small margin, their Seeker bringing in far more points than he and the other Chasers did. He'd found it difficult to manage his duties as Captain and Chaser in the same heartbeats, but they'd brought it as a team, no one hurt or embarrassed, and he'd keep learning... It shouldn't matter what Lily thought on it, not really. She wasn't involved in the sport, she didn't fly, she didn't keep up with the pro teams as far as he knew. She would care as a member of the House, and in support of Mick. But her opinion mattered to him, it did. Would she notice he was able to take something seriously? That he actually was seen as a leader - he hadn't appointed himself, after all - and was already proving himself worthy of his new responsibilities?

[Lily Potter]

Stop looking at him like that.

    Tell him to stop looking at me like that!

        It’s awkward for the moment, that’s all. It’ll pass.

Merlin, she hoped it passed soon. They were housemates now for many years, shared so many classes and friends, and activities. This was no different than any of those times but there was nothing here between them but bubbles and two people who mutually needed to bathe. They could share the prefect's bath with no awkwardness, she was sure of it. Though James made it hard to move past that when he questioned her reasoning for not being at the victory celebrations. She kept the blush from her cheeks but not the quirk of her lips at his expressionless voice. The quirk grew to a smile as he repeated it yet again, this time more incredulously. He clearly wasn’t buying it but Lily wasn’t the type to give in so easily, even if he was doing his best to distract her. “Oh really, for someone not here to badger me about it, you seem to be doing a pretty good job at it. Someone had to stop the younger students from trampling one another on the mad dash back to the castle. Can you think of a better person than me?”

By the end of her challenge, she was staring at the water again to keep from watching him wash. It seemed awfully intrusive and she wasn’t confident of what her face would look like. She had never been in this situation! To keep from looking like a weirdo she took up her own cloth and more soap to scrub away the day with. She focused on that until Potter drew her attention again with his response and his follow-up question for her. The former made her smile fondly. There were people, her roommates, Remus, Charlotte, Daisy, and others, who she knew would notice her absence, but these people were dear to her and would know where to find her. It was the joy of having good friends. The latter made her brows pucker.

Lily wasn’t much of a Quidditch fan, not like some of the other students, but she did appreciate the game. It was rigorous physically but it also required a great deal of mental input and coordination. She had done her due research on it early on when she had first come to Hogwarts. It was such a central part of wizarding society, the younger her thought it was paramount to belonging to know as much as possible about it. Therefore she was well versed in the history of the sport, as well as known tactics and of course, all the rules. She felt James was looking for an honest, informed opinion from her, and at the moment, she felt generous. “The team has improved leaps and bounds in working together. It’s more cohesive, the match today proved that I think. I guess, that would be congratulations on you. I did notice them looking to you for the cue on many occasions and given the win Gryffindor secured, we can see you did not steer them wrong. Also, to make sure your head doesn’t get too inflated, I also noted some missed opportunities due to speed. Could be faster, could always be faster.” Also, to be fair, James was one of the fastest. But she wasn’t going to go around telling him that!

[James Potter]

James had gotten her smiling again, and while that brought a self-satisfied one to his face, her words made him grin incredulously. "You think this is me being a pest? C'mon, this is nothing, but - fine - you had legitimate prefect duties that took you the rest of the day, getting every last one of the littleuns to their common rooms, and you weren't avoiding your House. I've dropped it, see?" He held up his open hands in peace, however little he believed she was telling him the full story, and bit back questions as he returned to his washing. James really hadn't thought he'd been badgering her already - he could be much more annoying prying persistent - but what did you know, he'd excelled without trying. He simply was curious, he couldn't quite help himself. It wasn't unusual for their prefects to attend even the rowdier parties, but Lily was hardly, if ever, present.

Did she not find the idea fun, or was she worried about her badge? Or was something else going on that made solitude preferable to being surrounded by everyone? Despite his usual fondness of company, he understood that well - hell, he needed this little break from the riot. As his eyes flitted back to her as she took up a cloth too, James had a similarly fleeting wondering if they ever would be at a spot where they could admit such things to each other. It'd taken time, even with his closest mates, for all of their secrets to come out, for their conversations to delve deeply beneath the surface, for that kind of trust to form...but it was so easy to forget that they hadn't always been the way that they were now. And while he was glad that some of the awkwardness of finding each other here had passed, that they were getting into their normal banter, that she was smiling and brushing off his questions with acceptable excuses - they always just kept each other on the surface, didn't they?

Well, yeah. Only get to fighting when it gets personal.

That was hardly a fun thought to ruminate on, and as talk turned to the match, he tried to let it go, for now. That was made easier by seeing that Lily had seen actual, marked progress in the team. James knew he was grinning like a fool, he'd paused even any pretense of washing as he focused on her, and he let out a knowing laugh as she critiqued him. He was only one of the fastest players at this school, but it was fair - he had the advantage of a top-notch broomstick, summers of training, a foolhardly sense of invincibility, nurtured talent and drive and parents who supported his endeavors. Not all of his teammates could claim as much, and he could do more in their time together to up their skills and confidence, give the encouragement that his mentors gave him...

"Hold on - was that almost a complement? I'm blushing, Lily, that must have been difficult for you." He sent her a cheeky grin from across the bath, resuming his washing in markedly higher spirits. "Thanks," he continued, sincere if still slightly too proud, reaching over his shoulder to get at his back. "And you're right - there's room for improvement, always is. This was just our first match, didn't expect us to be perfect just yet. But I think we're onto something good here, I do." And because, truly, he couldn't resist a challenge - "And it's good to know I'm not the only one keeping tabs."

[Lily Potter]

If she had a galleon for every time she had rolled her eyes at James Potter, well, she would be as rich as him, wouldn’t she? Lily added another galleon to her invisible bank. “I’ll put that on my list of things you’re pants at. Letting things go.” He was right about one thing, he could be far more annoying than he was now. And she was glad that he was letting it go, somehow she didn’t think James the extrovert could understand why she preferred her own company on occasions such as these and she really didn’t feel like talking about it anymore. It wasn’t like it was a personal slight!

They lapsed into their bathing and Lily relaxed a little more. It wasn’t as awkward as it had been when he had entered but she stood by her opinions that muggles had the right way of it. Baths were meant to be private. They weren’t meant to be conversation places, even if the conversation wasn’t going half bad. On her part she felt her answer was more than satisfactory, though, she hoped he didn’t expect much more from her on that front. She knew about Quidditch but she didn’t always enjoy it and definitely did not know as much as James did. This was likely a subject he could run circles around her with.

Another eye roll. Another galleon. “Nearly a compliment and it was torture.” She punctuated her words with a splash of water in his direction, the tease clear in her voice. As he went on she listened intently, rinsing the soap from her shoulders. Or tried to. There was a copious amount of bubbles and she wasn’t getting very far in her venture. It kept her from looking too sharply at James at his last words, though, and that's what she really needed. Lily refused to let him bait her into illogical defensiveness. “Don’t be too flattered Potter, anyone with half a brain watching that match today drew the same conclusions as I did. I’m not watching you that closely.” For some reason, she felt a twinge of guilt, as if she wasn’t being completely honest. But that was ridiculous! Still…”Only close enough to make sure I don’t fall prey to a prank.”

[James Potter]

"You keep a list? Would love to see it when we're back at the Tower. Unless you keep it on hand?" More amused than offended, James tried and failed to stop a shameless grin as he looked across the bath at her and that roll of the eyes he had, evidently, earned by asking questions. The thought of Lily Evans recording his failings as diligently as she took notes on far more important subjects was simply too much - she had to be joking. She was. He was almost entirely certain that she was. Remus will know. He didn't quite know what to make of it, that a witch well known around the castle for her goodwill was taking the time to track his faults, and could only laugh that the thought had crossed her mind - even if it wasn't true. It probably wasn't. No, no - she was messing with him, without a doubt.

Not one to be scared off - okay, sure, from one line of questioning - he asked after her impressions of the match, and was not disappointed. She really had paid attention, enough to give a fair critique, and just as James couldn't resist tossing a tease her way, so too did Lily send a splash towards him. He grinned and sent a spray of water back, further tease or argument - one in the same? - abruptly caught in his throat. She was intent on washing the pastel bubbles from her shoulders, trying to, anyway, an entirely too-good tactic to win a point against him - and his eyes shot back up to hers, about to concur that the castle should be in agreement on today's showing. But his brows rose as her tone shifted, unsure at its uncertainty, only for it to be his turn to groan, giving an exaggerated roll of the eyes as he leaned his head back, legs stretching as his body rose.

"Oh come on, it's been ages since you were anywhere near one. Except by accident." Now that both he and Remus had school-appointed responsibilities, there was significantly less time for the four of them to put their heads together. However, they were in better shape than last year, none of them distracted by O.W.L.s and all of them confident in their monthly excursions after a full year at it. What would she have to say, this Lily who was so devoted to her prefect duties that she missed every House party, if she knew the truth? That their early pranks, while entertaining, had allowed them to build the foundation they needed to accomplish so much more together? That they had managed, by fifth year, more complex magic than perhaps any prior Hogwarts students had? Running with a werewolf as animagi, creating the tools they needed and using the ones they were gifted? "They're a lot of fun when you're on the other side of them, you know," he mused, grinning at the ceiling. "Bet you could pull of something grand, if you put your mind to it."

[Lily Potter]

“Very funny, Potter.” Lily said with an exaggerated sigh. Where exactly did he think she was hiding a list in the bath? Why would she bring it in the first place? Younger her would have gotten heated and questioned him on all these things. She could see now that he was teasing, trying to get a rise out of her, and this time, she would not be giving him the satisfaction. There wasn’t even a list! Not a physical one at least…”It was a joke, don’t let your head get any bigger. It's crowded enough in here.” She couldn’t let James know she thought about him enough to keep even a mental list. He would probably get the wrong idea.

The conversation moved off from the list of observations and Lily was surprised yet again at how easily they seemed to be flowing from one topic to the next now that the awkwardness had passed. They were even talking about his past antics in a lighter tone. Well, he was at least. “Accident or not, I have no desire to be your next victim. ” Lily was still sore over many of the so-called pranks they had gotten away with over the years. They were all uncalled for though she acknowledged they were quite good; a few of them brilliant bits of magic even, she also found some of their ‘pranks’ to be downright cruel. Which is one of the reasons why at his last her jaw dropped in indignation. 

“What? Absolutely not!” she said at once. How could he even suggest that she be the one to prank someone else? It’s fun on the other side he says, as if! His statement about her being able to pull off something grand, well…she tried not to think too much on that. One: because it make her feel strange when he said it, the way he looked at her, his tone…and Second: because her mind got away with her even when she was expressly trying to rein it in. At his words her mind immediately because of fabricating scenarios in which she had executed the most elaborate prank in Hogwarts history. In one of them, she was even in war paint and a feathered headband and there was a forest crowding the fourth-floor corridor. Lily shook her head, unsure of how long she had been staring off into the distance. She looked across at James, then ducked her head and dipped her body back into the water all the way up to her lips this time to try hiding her smirk. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said a lot more softly than before, and she knew he could hear in her voice the amusement. “I would never.” And she wouldn't but it wasn't against the rules to think about it. Right?

[James Potter]

He chuckled as Lily shot down the soon-to-be infamous list, heaving a great sigh as she went on.  "Merlin's beard, Evans, you make it sound so serious." Victim. As if almost every last one of their targets hadn't done something to deserve their interventions and left true victims in their wake. Would she prefer that he and the boys just leave the medusas be, let them run rampant through the castle, free to make life miserable for everyone else? Including some of their closest friends? The systems in place did nothing to rein them in - not with Meredith Mulciber wearing the same prefect's pin as Lily and Remus - and their parents, either governors on the board or rich enough to buy one... No, no - justice, karma, whatever you wanted to call it - he and his mates would deliver. She had no qualms taking them to task either, in her way, and Lily Evans would never be anyone's victim. Nevertheless, grin on his face and soapy hand to soapy heart, he pledged, "I promise you won't, on my honor as Captain."

And, well - he had to see her face, and propped himself up again to see one terribly disgruntled Lily Evans. James beamed, biting back a retort when he saw her slip into the same kind of look she got when asked a provoking question in class - one with no discrete right answer, but one she was still determined to find. He settled against the side of the bath, quietly, smile softening as he watched her think. He'd been joking, there was no way she'd all of a sudden turn prankster - but even so, she would be grand. And she knows it. On her own, with her friends. With him. The rare times they'd been paired up for debates or projects, well, James wouldn't fool himself and say it'd been smooth sailing. But the end products, once they were done bickering about the unimportant and important bits - sometimes left struggling to remember which was which by the time the library closed - were good. Lily was brilliant, and it'd been a joke - but he had no doubt she could do it, if she wanted to. She'd figured out everything else she set her mind to, didn't she?

Her thought on the matter bringing her to a satisfying conclusion, the ripples from their movement, the mermaid humming a new tune - something pulled Lily back from her reverie, and James was caught staring. Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, and he felt the color rise in his ears as she disappeared under the waterline. She emerged, just barely, wet hair speckled with bubbles and green eyes laughing. And James smirked, slipping under the surface to match her and tread water, bathing long forgotten. Their pranks weren't always for getting people back for things - sometimes, everybody just needed a laugh at lunch or in the common room, when the days were dragging or exams were looming or the Prophet got them down. "Course you wouldn't...not even if no school rules were broken? And it was all in good fun?"