The Magnificence of Rain

It's raining in my town as I type this, and I just felt like writing this, and posting it, even though it isn't entirely to my satisfaction. :) It's just something short and sweet, so enjoy!

Rain.

That was what Lily Evans was watching so intently on a Saturday afternoon, while the rest of the Gryffindors around her lounged around, looking for something to do. She was sitting there, simply staring out the window, her eyes moody and pensive, and her body still, like it always when she concentrated hard on something. Water droplets – tiny, fragile, and almost crystal-like – dripped from the window sill, and made trails across the thick glass that separated her from the world outside. Wind blew, people talked, drops fell, but Lily was sitting, motionless, and watching it all as though it was all she could focus on.

"Hey Lils," James Potter said, bouncing up to her and sitting on the empty space beside her, shattering her mood like he was so talented at doing. "How are you?"

"Fine – up until now, that is," she said with a sigh, turning to face him.

"Well, that's mighty rude," James said, pretending to be offended. "Making a simple query seems to have become a crime now. What's the world coming to?"

"I was trying to enjoy the rain, Potter," Lily said shortly. "Do you mind?"

"Enjoy the rain?" James questioned incredulously. "How do you enjoy rain?"

"How can you not enjoy rain?" Lily countered.

"You can't play Quidditch," he complained. "You can't go outside and play sports because the water gets in your eyes. You can't do anything but stay indoors when it's raining, and that's boring."

"You are about as deep as a Petri dish," Lily scoffed. "Rain is a stunning occasion."

"Hey, I resent that," James said lightheartedly, swatting at her shoulder. "And rain is annoying; how is it stunning?"

Lily exhaled irately. "Rain is stunning because it's…it's a true miracle. It's cleansing, and it's restful; there is nothing better than to know that while you sit inside and enjoy yourself, life goes on. Things grow and thrive in rain; you find yourself thinking about life and death, wondering how they work…rain makes you think a little deeper about the bigger, more important things in life. Your mind is free to wander in places you normally don't let it go; you may think about a hollow ache no one could empathize with, a love that no one would understand. The rain can and will hold your secrets for you; upon realizing that, you then wonder how you got thinking about such a subject. The answer is rain, which starts the marveling process all over again. It's incredibly thought-provoking, and that is the magnificence of rain."

As she spoke, Lily forgot that she was talking to James, and was lost in her own feelings. When she was done describing rain, she looked back at him, and his usually arrogant and jokey front was gone. Instead of looking at James Potter, the egotistical jerk, she was looking at James Potter, the boy with startlingly deep hazel eyes who seemed to comprehend what she was trying unsuccessfully to say; the change was striking and beautiful even, in its own way.

"That was really profound, Evans," he said softly. "I think I like the rain now."

James had never spoken to her like that. Ever. He was always flirting or trying to say something stupid whenever she was around, and now that he wasn't, she found herself kind of liking him a little bit. Not a lot, but a little. There was definitely a difference.

After a long moment of silence, James said, "You know, since you've called rain a phenomenon, I discovered that there's something comforting in hearing the trickle of water on the window outside and talking to the girl you love."

Lily found herself blushing at this remark. "Thank you, I suppose."

Another silence. Then, Lily said, "Listening to rain is soothing."

"You know what else I like to do in the rain, besides talk?" James asked.

Lily shook her head. James's smile became wide, but excruciatingly engaging as he leaned forward, put his hand on her shoulder, his fingers in her hair, and gently brushed his lips against hers; he was obviously waiting for her response to such a rash movement before he tried to kiss her deeper. He moved a little farther away, looked into her eyes, and waited; just waited. Lily thought for a moment, and then whispered in his ear, "Rain makes me do strange things sometimes. You'd better not tell anyone about this."

With that, she came forward and kissed him again; it wasn't anything too intense either – it was perfect. Lily found herself liking it more than she should. James's arms were enveloping her, and pulled her body closer to him, never stopping his mouth from moving across hers.

When they stopped, Lily could smell laundry soap, new clothes, grass, and something else that was so sweet it made her heart ache. James undoubtedly smelled nice. She gave him a small smile, and said, "I like the rain."

James grinned back, his face glowing. "I like it too."

And so, as water droplets continued to trickle across the window, as wind whipped past the castle of Hogwarts, and as the Gryffindors continued to slouch about, Lily and James sat on the couch in the common room, Lily in James's lap with her head on his shoulder, to watch the rain in silence. After a few minutes of this, James's hand crept towards Lily's hand, and he shyly took it in his own, stroking it, loving the tenderness of it. To that, she smiled a smile that no one would ever see, and he sighed a sigh of pleasure that no one would ever hear.

Like Lily said, the rain would hold their secrets; a glance here, a quick kiss there, an interaction and an experience on the whole. Rain would keep them thinking about unexplainable things – little phenomenons – while adding another one to the list; the love two people could have for each other. And then, as both Lily and James thought about these things and many more, they would wonder how they ever got to thinking about such a subject; the answer was rain, which would start the marveling process again – another long kiss may possibly even be shared.

And that is the magnificence of rain.