A fortunate encounter. (Lily)

[James Potter]

James was making his way back to the Gryffindor common room, after his conversation with Jaimi. He had his broom in his hand, and was thinking about what Jaimi had suggested he should be like, when he was with Lily. "I mustn't call her Evans, and not be a total idiot arond her." He muttered quietly to himself, as he walked with his head down.

James looked up, as he heard footsteps coming from up the corridor, and saw Lily, coming toward him. He gulped and thought. OK be normal...be normal. When they were closer, he smiled . "Hello Lily. How's things?"

[Lily Evans]

Lily stopped searching trough her bag and sat back in the armchair with a sigh. It wasn't here, she must have left it in the library.

"I'll be back in a bit." she said getting up and walking over to the portrait hole. She pushed it open and the fat lady gave her usual greeting to which Lily responded with a smile. She continued down the corridor away from the fat lady and round the corner. She took a shortcut down a concealed flight of stairs and into another corridor, which James Potter had just come round the corner of.

She stopped in moment of indecision about whether to run back up the stairs and go the long way round, or continue down the corridor. Unfortunately in that instant Potter looked up from his contemplation, if indeed he was capable of such high a brain function, and saw her. Squaring her shoulders she continued towards him, and was shocked by the almost genuine smile and polite greeting. It caught her off guard and she couldn't reply for a moment. It was then that she noticed that his smile was slightly forced.

"What now Potter?" She snapped.

[James Potter]

He kept the smile on his face, as she struggled with what to say. When Lily finally spoke, the smile slipped a little and his face became a picture of innocence. "Nothing? I was just saying Hello." He shifted the weight from one foot to the other, and looked at the floor, while he thought about what to say next. "Umm How are you?" he asked eventually, the smile returning to his face, less forced this time. "Where are you off to?"

[Lily Evans]

Lily saw the smile slip slightly as he defended himself. She raised an eyebrow, in an 'I'm sure' kind of manner and did not reply. She watched as he shuffled his feet before he finally spoke again.

"I'm frustrated Potter, so don't start with me and make it any worse." she said with a sigh. "I'm not telling you where I'm going because knowing you, you'll follow me and annoy me so much I'll have to hex you, again."

She crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive posture and stood in the middle of the corridor. She wasn't going to move until he left and was safely near the common room, which was where she assumed he was going as he could have no other reason to be heading that way up this corridor as he did not take ancient runes.

[James Potter]

James didn't quite know how to react to her response. He stood there a moment and thought to himself. OK. Am I really that bad? He decided to take a deep breath, and try and continue with his new tact of being more normal with her. "Lily." He began slowly. "I'm sorry if my past behaviour, has made you not trust me and to be honest, I don't blame you for reacting the way you have." He moved a step closer. "But I can assure you, that I don't mean to cause you trouble, and I only wanted to know where you were going, because I thought you might like some company." He looked at her with a genuine expression on sheepishness.

He moved to one side to let her pass, and leaned his back against the wall. "Still, if it makes you feel better I won't delay you any longer." He sighed and thought to himself that Jaimi was right. This is going to take time, but Lily was worth it, and he would take as long as was necessary to win her affections. "Oh, I just want to say before you go. That while I was out flying today, it occurred to me that I have been a real idiot when around you, and I don't want to be like that anymore. I was hoping that maybe we could start afresh and maybe you could learn to like me, as much as I like you." He stopped and watched for her response, before adding. "It would be nice if we could be friends... No ulterior motives or pranking possibilities. I seriously would like it if we could just be friends, and maybe spend a little time together." He looked at her with huge puppy dog hazel eyes behind his glasses, which he absent mindedly moved up his nose a little, so they sat on the bridge better.

[Lily Evans]

Lily took a few tentative steps past him waiting for the other marauders to jump out of nowhere and pull the prank on her. She had seen it happen to so many others so many times before. "As much as I would love to have discussion with you about whether I trust you or not Potter I have somewhere to be getting to." As she continued down the corridor his next words stopped her in her tracks and turn around.

She almost laughed, for a moment he had seemed sincere and then he ruined it by going over the top, there was no way in a million years he could be serious about being friends with her. The maruders weren't friends with girls. Remus avoided them as did Peter, James flirted with them and Sirius dated and dumped them, and this had only started towards the end of last year. How Sirius picked up how to pick up so many girls so quickly was beyond her, but she wasn't interested in any of them. Remus could be nice enough to talk to, but be friends with James Potter. It was laughable.

"And you came up with that all by yourself did you Potter?" She turned again and walked away shaking her head half amused half annoyed. If he thought she would fall for that then he had another thing coming.

[James Potter]

When she had stopped, he inhaled and held his breath. He didn't realise how long it was before he breather out again, but he was disappointed with the response he'd got from her. When she questioned whether he had come up with this on his own, he sighed heavily, and as she walked away again he spoke with some uncertainty. "Well, yes. I know it's not the best thing I've eveer come up with, but I am not exactly used to this kind of thing."

He slouched and stuffed his hands in his pockets, and sloped toward the common room. "I'll keep trying though Lily."

[Lily Evans]

Lily didn't hear what he said, but it obviously wasn't important enough for him to say it loud enough for anyone except a bat to hear. She walked around the corner without a backward glance. That book had better be where she left it or this day was just going to get worse.