I wasn't planning on posting this until Halloween for jilytober but I got called into jury duty lmao so enjoy this witch!Lily and muggle!James smut-fest fellow jily friends! Just remember, they don't die in fanfiction! Unless you're me and kill 'em off all the time even in AU's...but we won't go there in this fic...

Lily placed a spell on James from the moment he first saw her dancing in the fallen autumn leaves.

She's walking fast, the wind blowing the red and gold leaves from the trees as the same pace that her feet swept her. She's holding back her red hair and laughing at something her friend says. It's not her green eyes that capture his attention through the window of his storefront or the way she twirls down the busy street as if she has not a care in the world…it's the way she's dressed that makes James Potter pause and take a second look.

She's wearing a robe of green velvet; similar to one he'd sold with a witches costume to a girl from the Uni down the street. The long skirts wrap around her legs. The sleeves touch her fingertips when her hands are at her side. Her shoes are black with a strap that goes around her ankle.

It's like something from right out of the movie Hocus Pocus.

Halloween is close and James considers that she must've been on her way to a costume party when he sees that she's with other woman her age dressed like witches. He really gets a good look at her when she pauses as she passes his costume shop windows. Her sharp eyes are attached to something in the window that isn't James. He considers standing up from his desk so that her eyes flutter to him but he is too busy seeing what she's interested in.

It's a witch's hat, pointed at the end. She says something to one of her mates. They both laugh and her friend keeps walking. That's when her eyes look up from the hat and land on him at he desk beside the window. It was quick and almost hard to recognize since she turned away, but he thought he spotted a bit of red splash against her pale cheeks.

James would've dismissed her, could've dismissed her, if she hadn't reappeared the next day. She enters the store while he's sorting through fake mustache's and the door shuts, echoing through the shop like a cannon. She's wearing a cloak, like a fairy Princess would wear in a movie like Lord of the Rings. She's got braids in her hair today, keeping her fringe from her eyes. She has a wide-eyed gaze when he jumps up from his stool in surprise. She is shorter than he expected, a foot shorter than he is.

"How can I help you?" he manages to choke out.

She turns her head towards his window front, "I wanted to try on that hat in the window."

James nods, not really sure what else to do except go over to the window and take the hat from the display case. The fabric of the hat was well worn and James is certain Sirius had found it in a thrift shop downtown. Still, it made the girl's face light up divinely as she placed the hat over her braids. The rim of the hat framed her circular face and when she smiled she looked like she should've been in a film.

"What do you think?" she asks, hardly able to keep her delight to herself.

James looks around and spots a mirror on the shelf beside an arrangement of fake vampire fangs. He holds up the mirror and she looks in the reflection at herself. She primps her hair, tilts the hat so it sits lopsided on her head, and manages a hearty laugh that makes James feel as if he is a fool.

"I quite like it." She pulls him from his reverie and he shakes his head.

"It fits your outfit well." He awkwardly moves the mirror away from her face so he can see her properly, "You'll make a beautiful witch."

Her face is red and she rips the hat from her head. James is worried he has offended her so he steps forward and she takes a tentative step back, as if she is afraid of him.

"I didn't mean to offend you." He says, "I just assumed…"

"You're quite perceptive." She lifts her eyes to his warily, "What's your name?" she asks, folding her fingers into the witch's hat.

"James." He replies sweetly, "And you?"

"I'm Lily."

"Like the flower?"

Her smile erupts again, lighting up even the darkest corners of his shop, "Yes."

"Well Lily," he motioned to the hat, "If you love the hat, it's yours free of charge."

She is flabbergasted by his offer, "Really?"

James shrugged, "Sure, sold off the paired costume yesterday and the girl didn't pull off the hat as well as you so she left it."

Lily eyes him uncertainly, as if she's not sure about his actions, "But muggl—erm—don't people pay for things?"

James chuckled, "Well yeah," he agreed, "But not when a person is giving something as a gift."

She brushes her fingers across the fabric of her hat, "You're very kind."

She turns to walk away and he can't help but ask her almost desperately, "Are you in University around here?"

She has one hand on the door and it slips as she considers him with her kind eyes, "No I've already graduated. I work for a—I um—well I do things."

He can't resist the smirk that flutters across his face next, "I do things too."

"Prat." She mumbles but she looks pleased by his teasing, "What I mean to say is that I work in a shop."

"Me too." He gestured around to the costumes, "We're open year-round though. Come back at Christmas and we'll have all the red stockings you'll ever need."

"Why on earth would I need red stockings for Christmas?" Lily laughs, stepping closer to the desk again, her eyes intrigued.

"To hang by the fireplace?" James replies, tilting his head at the girl.

"Well that seems silly." She places her new hat on her head so she can lean against his counter and smile warmly at him as if he's offered her some juicy news.

"Where else would Santa put candy and coins?"

"Santa?" she is puzzled again and it's an adorable expression.

"How do you not know who Santa is?" James laughed, "Who brought you gifts as a kid?"

She uncomfortably shifts, "erm, they'd just appear under the tree." She replies, "Who brought you your gifts?"

"Santa!" James half laughed, not believing her, "You're an odd girl, Lily."

"You're an even odder boy James." She replies with a flirtatious smirk that causes his stomach to flip.

"Hallows Eve must be your favorite holiday." James guesses.

Lily tilts her head at him, "Why is that?"

"Because you're wearing that witches costume."

Something alters in her eyes and she bits her lip, stepping away from his desk. She shuffles for the door before he can get another word out.

"Thanks for the hat." She says somewhat dejectedly.

Worried he has botched something up he launches over the counter and shouts, "Wait!"

She had the door half opened and the wind knocks her hat from her head, sliding it back across the floor to James' feet. Lily watches hesitantly as James leans down to pick up her hat. He dusts it off and walks over slowly to her. She has wide eyes as he places the hair back on her head, adjusting it so it's slides over her braids. Their eyes meet and she licks her lips softly.

"I wasn't making fun of you." He says softly, "I think it's cute, your outfit."

She squeaks a thank you and he laughs at her nervous wave. He watches as she races off down the sidewalk, her shoes crunching through the leaves from the trees. He thinks he might fancy her. He hopes to see her again on Hallows Eve and even keeps the store open later incase she decides to stop by.

He doesn't see her and he assumes she's way too col to care about seeing a loser from a costume shop again. Instead of moping he goes out with his mates to a costume party. He dresses as a wizard for fun, subconsciously thinking about the little redheaded witch. Hallows Eve ends and everyone jumps into the Fall season. James' costume shop stops selling maps to all the haunted places in Britain and starts pulling out holiday wear.

It's November fifth and a light frost covers the brown leaves littering the ground. James is opening the door to his shop, holding a cup of coffee in one hand as he jingles the keys with his other. He is so busy he doesn't hear the footsteps coming up behind him or see the flash of red hair at his shoulder.

"Hello."

He recognizes the friendly manner and turns hungrily. Sure enough, Lily had returned and he is startled to see she is still wearing a witch costume even though it is well past Halloween. He raises an eyebrow at it, admiring the new color of green that happened to be festively embroidered with leaves. She is leaning towards him with a bright pink smile; in her hands is a warm bead loaf.

"Hello Lily," he says, almost uncertainly, afraid she would disappear.

"I—I never got to pay you for my new hat." She tells him bashfully, "Everyone at work loved it."

"I told you it was no bother." James forgoes opening the costume shop, content to stare at her outside where she looked the most visually genuine.

Lily bits her lip and pushes the loaf towards him, "please?"

James takes the loaf from her, feeling sparks when their fingers brush. Lily colors and kicks a bit at the frosted leaves with her black shoes. He marvels that the loaf was somehow still warm despite the chill in the air, like it had just been taken from the oven.

"It's pumpkin bread." She tells him keenly.

"Cool."

"I hope you don't mind me stopping by again," she leaned on her toes, "my flatmate said you'd probably forgotten about me but it was very kind of you to give me one of your hats and I wanted to thank you."

"I don't think I could forget you..." is all James manages and she smiles the widest he's ever seen.

"What kind of shop is this?" she asks with interest after another moment of silence.

"Want to come in?"

She nods eagerly and he opens the door to the shop. He places the loaf of bread on the counter beside his coffee as Lily makes herself at home and begins examining the shelves of his shop as if it were her first time looking at fake vampire fangs and Christmas sweaters. James takes to turning on the laptop on the counter incase any paying customers come in.

"So you sell odd clothes?"

James turns to see Lily holding up one of the dresses from the discounted rack towards the back of the shop. It's a Wonder Woman costume, not entirely accurate in detail. Lily is holding it up to her body wonderingly and James imagines she'd look pretty great in the costume.

She is awaiting his answer so he nods, "Yeah, it was a pretty popular costume for Halloween this year."

"So you do dress up as other things on Hallows Eve."

"Of course." He snorts, "What else would you do?"

Lily is scanning the rack of clothes and chuckles softly, "Marlene said it was odd."

"What's odd?" his computer is on and he is able to watch her move around his shop, touching everything as if she was right out of a fairytale and had never seen an ipod or a lava lamp. She is letting her fingers follow the shelves, her eyes wider than dinner plates.

"What did you do on Hallows Eve?" James asks her.

Lily moves on to examine a jewelry chest filled with dress necklaces and earrings, "Oh, well I worked at my shop and then we grabbed a butterbeer from—"

"What's a butterbeer?" James screws up his face in confusion.

Lily bites her lip, as if she'd said something she shouldn't have, "It's a drink."

"Is it good?" he leans on the counter, enraptured with her slight hum of insignificance.

"I prefer firewhisky."

"You are the oddest woman I've ever met."

"And you are the oddest man I've ever met." She replies back, pulling her shoulders tight, looking fiery for a moment instead of stuck in a constant state of confusion.

James takes a sip of his coffee before apologizing, "I didn't mean it in a bad way," he clarifies, "I only meant that you're unique."

She hums softly again, acknowledging his apology. He watches as she wanders her way back over to the counter, leaning up against it beside him. Lily is quiet as he rips off a bit of bread from the loaf she brought and stuffed it into his mouth before he said anything else to upset her. She watches him expectantly and he swallows the bread with a smile.

"That was good!" he rips off another piece, "Did you bake it?"

"I'm afraid that I can't bake." Lily laughs candidly, "My flatmate made it for me."

"You asked your flatmate to make me a bit of bread?" he is surprised that she is so honest.

She admitted, "All I said is that I needed a bit of her pumpkin bread to get into someone's good favor."

"You wanted to get in my good favor?"

"I certainly wanted to make a good impression."

Lily flushes and he feels himself go red too. Her hand brushes against his and he feels sparks again. He considers leaning down a bit so he could knock shoulders with Lily but he is slow with his movements. There is something about Lily that makes him think of a doe, about to flee a field at any sign of danger. James touches her elbow gently and she jerks her head to stare at him expectantly.

"Consider myself impressed."

Her green eyes glow in the dim shop and James knows that he will never be the same. She visits almost every morning after this. She never stops wearing her funny clothes and sometimes James is certain she'd wear the witch's hat that he gave her year round. He fancies the Hell out of her though and doesn't care what she wears as long as he keeps coming back every day with a look in her eyes he cannot forget.

Lily sometimes brings him what she calls firewhiskey. He can't find it in a shop and she tells him she gets it special ordered. James is drinking it with her one night as he stays late at the shop to put up fairy lights in the rafters. The buzz from it is unreal and he finds himself wanting to kiss her as the night goes on.

He doesn't though; she edges away from him when he tries.

They don't talk about it again but she continues coming to his shop everyday.

She likes his shop, she tells him so one November night while he is sorting through a new shipment.

"What do you like about it?" James asks her cheekily, "me?"

She chucks a set of dice at him and he ducks, laughing. She is sitting on his counter, her legs swinging out in front of her. James leans forward and she leans forward too, their noses almost touching.

"What do you like about it Evans?" he uses her last name, knowing it gets a rise out of her.

"It feels magical." She points to the glowing fairy lights on the rafters and the racks of mismatched outfits, "And eclectic."

"Magical and eclectic." He smiles, "I like it."

His eyes search hers as they sit there under the radiance of the fairy lights. The alternating red and green strands above them light her up in a way that cannot be matched by the synthetic light from the lamp to their left. Her red hair has fallen into her eyes and he reaches up to brush it away. He tucks the strand behind her ear and she sucks in a breath and gets down from his counter, walking away from his touch as if he'd set her on fire.

He felt like he was going down in her flames.

Lily is helping him rake up dead leaves in the alleyway a few days later when he meets one of her mates. The girl confronts her arrogantly as Lily's laughing on his steps, teasing him about the leaves that keep sticking to his jumper. James watches as the girl drags Lily off so they can argue by the pottery shop. Lily is frowning a lot and he can tell by the other girl's stance that Lily is being ripped to shreds for something.

"Hey now," James walks over, his rake still in hand.

The girl looks at James with a dismayed face and Lily glances over her shoulder as James walks up threatening. Lily's cheeks are red from anger and she had her arms crossed over her chest defensively. James glared at Lily's companion.

"If you're just here to yell at her then you need to leave."

"I'm sorry but I don't remember inviting you to this conversation." The girl is wearing a blue and silver hat with a bird on the front.
"Anything to do with Lily," he states, "Concerns me."

"You're a stupid muggle." The girl retorts and James frowns.

"I'm a what?" he snorts drearily, "Is that even English?"

The girl rolls her eyes and pointedly looks at Lily. Lily sighs, as if exasperated. James had heard that sigh more than once over the course of getting to know her. The girl reaches out for Lily, as if trying to take her away. Lily stood firmly at James' side and James felt a rush of smugness.

"Come on Lil." The girl tries to entice Lily.

"Petty," Lily snaps at the girl, "I will not." Petty's mouth drops open and James grins with pride, "I want to hang out with James. I like James, all right? I don't give a damn what you or anyone else thinks."

Petty glares, "Don't come crying to me when this all goes down in dragon fire, Lily."

Lily's supposed 'friend' turns the corner and disappears. They are silent, the wind blowing their freshly raked leaves around their ankles as they stare at the brick wall of the shop. James leans the rake on the edge of the building and assesses Lily. She is staring at him with a new look, a stubborn one that he had come to love.

"She seems nice." He finally breaks the silence with a fresh joke.

"Sorry." Lily murmurs to him, "She was—she's not quite a fan of how much time I spend here."

"Bully for her, I'm quite a fan of how much time you spend here."

James tucks his hand around one of her cheeks, making her green eyes look at him instead of the ground. His thumb brushes against her soft skin and he can't remember who kissed whom first but soon they're stumbling to the back of his shop. Lily is more than enthusiastic with her kisses. She is biting and licking her way into his good graces. Her fingers are in his hair and they fall into a pile of unsorted costumes, legs tangling and fingers grasping for more. He presses her into the silks and sashes, his hands keeping her face steady as he kisses her tenderly. Her fingers are tugging at his hair, pulling at his cheeks and burying into his shirt. He is moaning against her lips as she presses her hips up into him keenly.

"I meant what I said," her yearning gasps enamor James as he kisses his way to her collar, "I like you, a lot."

He is left breathless when he pulls away to stare at her under the golden light filtering down from the rafters. Her red hair is fanned out around her head, mixing with the fabrics below her. Lily's chest rises and falls as they stare at each other ardently.

He tells her the truth, "I've fancied you from the moment you walked through that shop door."

"That makes the two of us." She breathes happily, "I just didn't know how to tell you."

"Then let's stop talking."

She throws her head back, laughing like a little kid, her fingers wrapping into his shirt to draw him back in for another stunning kiss.

She is around even more now, something her friends have apparently not been happy about. She sometimes comes into the shop with a bit of a frown but James quickly manages to erase it with a kiss and a lesson in computers. His computer fascinates Lily; apparently her family doesn't have one. He spent three days showing her cat videos on youtube and another whole day teaching her about Facebook. In turn, she dedicates herself to organizing and decorating his shop in a way that turns it from magically eclectic to eclectically magical. She keeps the shop in an organized chaos that somehow draws more people in. Everything in the shop has a spot, instead of the shop having a spot for everything. James mates came in one day and declared Lily needed to do a number on James' apartment. His sales are up because everyone loves Lily, who has a way with the customers.

James' mates have met Lily many times now. James' flatmate Sirius spends his spare time with Lily now, teaching her how to dress like him after she complimented his leather jacket. Sirius dresses her up in outlandish cloths and she seems to love it, always trying on all types of costumes. James loves that Sirius has basically accepted Lily as another addition to their little flat. She visits even more often, sometimes even falling asleep on the sofa at night. She never stays the night though and James has a feeling her friends have something to do with that.

James is accustomed so much to her weird outfits and odd behaviors that he doesn't question when she walks around in robes and cloaks. Even at Christmas, Lily is dressed in pretty dress robes to meet James for dinner. So the day after Christmas, when Lily walks into his shop in jeans, James almost doesn't recognize her.

He's at the counter sorting through bills when she walks through his front door. She is wearing a tight fitting jean trouser, that's the first thing he notices, because her legs look unbelievably long. Her shirt is white and blowy, puffed at the sleeves. She looks typical, nothing like a witch, with her hair up in a high ponytail. Her shoes lace up and click together as she stares anxiously at James.

"You look different today." He undertakes the task to choke out a few words.

"Less like a witch?" she asks.

James tilts his head at her and considers her question. Even though she as dressed in normal clothes there was something still so…witch…about her. The way her green eyes pierced into his eyes, the slight curve to her lips, it all reminded James of an enchantress casting a spell.

And she stands there, just beaming at him. He has to shake his head a couple of times before he literally jumps over the desk (like the first day they met) and pulls her into his arms. Lily giggles as his lips smother hers zealously, his hands dragging up and down her body. Lily is smiling into his kisses, her back hitting the door to his shop readily as she presses her hands into his back. James kisses her nose, then her mouth and then drags his teeth along her jaw.

"Sirius thought you'd like this outfit." She laughs when he nibbles behind her ear, "I thought he was barmy."

"Not barmy." James' fingers are playing with the strings keeping her shirt tied, "You're still a witch though, Evans." He tells her with a smile, "One who has got me under her spell."

"I don't like the trousers," she laughs when he presses his hips into hers, "And I quite fancy the warm practicability of the cloak."

"Cloak shmoak." James stopping kissing her neck to look at her seriously, "I'll keep you warm."

She seems to believe him as he continues to press her into the door. He feels like the luckiest bloke alive when she settles into his kissing against her neck, her fingers dragging through his hair. Her nails scratch his scalp and her lips hungrily meet his. James knows she doesn't fancy the trousers but he can't help but praise them as she wraps one leg around his waist to try and tug him closer.

He doesn't care that they're in the middle of the shop, or that a customer could walk in at any moment, all he cared about was the way Lily moaned into his mouth when he buried his fingers into her blouse and ripped at the strings. She is keeping him distracted from his ultimate goal, to remove her flimsy top, with her tongue in his mouth. He finally manages to get his fingers inside the fabric again and she tears her mouth from him with a glint in her eyes.

"You want my shirt off?" she asks breathlessly, playfully, "But I put it on for you."

"Of fucking course." He complains, "Fancy taking off for me though?"

She laughs, "I guess."

"Take it all off, God."

Lily draws back suddenly, or as far as she can, she she's plastered between the door and James, "What?"

Lily's leg drops off and her foot hits the floor with a loud thud. James smirks and reaches behind her to lock the costume shop door. Lily watches him with muddled eyes as he wraps both his arms around her waist to draw her in. He tries kissing her again but she blocks him with a hand.

"What?" she repeats.

James rolls his eyes, wondering how obvious he was going to have to get, "Lily, I really like this outfit and all, but I'd rather see you taking it off."

She blinks and then swallows, "Why?"

"Why?" He half laughs, "Because I'm in love with you, you mad girl."

"Well, fuck."

That is not the answer he is expecting. It effectively ruins the mood and he finds himself souring considerably at the fear written all over her pretty face. He pulls away from Lily and crosses his arms, the mood entirely abandoned by her horrendous glance at the door.

"You don't love me." She seems to be convincing herself, not him.

"I do." He encourages ardently with a roll of his eyes, "I thought that was pretty damn clear."

"Oh no." she whines, her fingers are sliding up to her hair, "No, no."

"Come on Lily," he says somewhat crossly, "I haven't been snogging you in the stacks for no reason the last four weeks."

Lily's green eyes flash instantly at him, almost as if she's livid now, "I can't—we can't—"

"What are you mumbling on about?" he asks, grabbing her wrists so she couldn't run out the door from which she came, "Lily, what's up?"

"You love me?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Thought it was obvious?"

"I love you too."

"Glad we have that settled." He tries to lean in for another kiss but she shakes her head.

"I do love you, James." And he believes it in the way her cheeks flush and her fingers clasp to his frantically but something is still wrong, "But..."

"What's wrong Lily?"

She stares at him like he's everything; "I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you."

He blinks, "What?"

Irately she rips herself from his grip again, "I wasn't supposed to—I'm not really—Marlene was right, this was so stupid—now you'll hate me and I'll have to wipe your memory—"

"Hey, hey." James snaps and her eyes lift to his again and she seems to relax when he places both hands on her shoulders, "I could never hate you."

She looks as if she believes him, "James, I'm not like you. I don't use computers. I don't have a cell phone. I didn't even know what a movie was before I met you."

James snorts, "You're right, you're technologically inept—that doesn't mean anything. My dad couldn't use a stove at all before he met my mum. We'll manage."

She shakes her head, "No James," she's shaking now, staring at him as if worried he was going to disappear, "I'm not—I'm not talking about something silly. I'm different, different. You said yourself I always dress like a witch."

James stares at her, "Well yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't love you. Sometimes I wear socks with sandals. You wouldn't hate me for that, right?"

Lily presses her fingers to her temple, a sign of dissatisfaction, "This goes beyond fashion choices, James."

"Did you vote yes in brexit? Because I swear to God, I won't leave you even if that was the stupidest—"

"James, I'm a witch." Lily blurts out, cutting him off from his rant.

He is unable to comprehend, "Pardon?"

Lily pulls away from James and reaches into her trousers, pulling out a stick with pretty patterns carved into it. James stares at it as Lily swallows deeply before waving the stick in the air. Suddenly, snow is falling inside around them. It touches James, melting on his skins hot contact. It sparkles under the fairy lights that Lily so admires. It glows different colors under her magical touch, just before it reaches the ground and disappears as quickly as it had come.

"How'd you do that?" James asks suspiciously.

Lily takes another step towards him and he steps back uncertainly. He cannot believe his eyes and she seems upset by his retreating so she winces and stands her ground.

"I'm a witch." She says again, "Not like the ones in that movie you made me watch. Not even a close. I'm a proper, wand bearing, potion brewing witch."

"A witch?"

Lily nods, encouraged by his talking, "You might think magic isn't real," she tells him, "But it's the only world I've ever known. My family is all magical. I normally don't come to this side of town but one of my friends is muggleborn and we passed your shop and—I wasn't supposed to come back but you sort of surprised me."

"Surprised you?"

"I liked your smile." she flushes and he feels the corners of his mouth lift.

"So you wave that thing," he points at her stick, "And anything can happen?"

"Yes."

James watches as Lily conjures up a string of bubbles that float to the ceiling. He watches as they pop one by one. Lily is patient; somehow knowing she has stunned him into silence. He now understands why Lily doesn't always seem to understand things like the computer and regular clothes.

"I wanted to tell you the second we met." She whispers next, "It's just, we're not supposed to tell muggles about our world."

"Muggle?" he's heard her friends say that word, so offensively in his direction.

"A non magic person." Lily explains, "You're a muggle."

"And you're a witch." He states, dazed.

Lily tucks the wand into her ponytail, something that seems entirely natural for her to do. James shakes off the bizarre feeling and pinches himself to make sure he's not dreaming. Lily hesitantly reaches out for him, her eyes trained somewhere between the floor and his abdomen. He realizes that she is scared. He takes a giant step forward and places both hands on her face, lifting her lightly to her tiptoes.

"You're not supposed to know about me." She repeats, still not looking at him, "We're supposed to keep our identity a secret. That's why my friends don't like me being with you."

"Then why did you tell me?" he asks softly.

Her eyes meet his, "I don't want to keep anything from you. I fell in love with you."

James bends down and presses his lips ardently to hers, exhibiting how grateful he is for her trust. She pushes her body into his, keenly kissing him back, and her fingers finding their way into his shirt. He is vaguely aware of the air around them buzzing, he is aware of the way her heart beats into his chest as she kisses him, he is totally okay with being cast under her spell.

He rips away from her only to grab her hands and lead her to the back of the shop again. She tugs lightly, keeping him from leading them to their favorite pile of clothes. Her eyes are sparkling as she considers him.

"Want to go to my place?" she asks, slight flush to her cheeks from his kissing.

"Do we take a broomstick?" he teases and she laughs, the sound like chimes in his ears.

He watches as Lily whips her wand from her ponytail. She grabs his hand with a wink and all of a sudden the world around James shifts. He feels as if he's being tugged through a tube and then the feeling is gone.

He's standing in a white walled room covered in plants and twinkling bubbles filled with light. The plants litter every corner of the room and a black cauldron sits on a desk opposite a bed. The floating lights drift around James as he realizes that he is inside a witch's house for the first time. Lily is gauging his reaction, as if waiting for him to scream and run away. There is nothing scary about this bedroom. It is magical with the floating lights and the plants create an organized disarray to it all.

"It's magically eclectic." He tells Lily, playing on her words about his shop.

Lily smiles so wide that he feels as if the room only glows brighter. He is aware that in her room, she has let down all her walls just for him. Even if he doesn't quite understand what being a witch means, he knows that he loves her simply for being her.

James reaches out to take her wand from her hand. She watches nervously as he places the wand on her desk beside the black cauldron. A stack of notes next to the computer is written in her curly handwriting. There are various vials filled with the strangest contents. He now knows why lily spent so long examining his shop when they first met—other worlds were fascinating.

"If no one can know," he says slowly, "Then I'm assuming your kind and my kind don't usually mix."

"They do." Lily smiles reassuringly, "It's just harder for relationships like ours...Marlene had a muggle bloke like you once and he broke her heart when it became too much."

"What happened?" James asks.

"Marlene told him the truth and he tried to get her locked up." Lily admitted, "He thought she was crazy. He had to have his memory wiped."

"I definitely think you're crazy," James takes another few steps, bumping knees with her, "Crazy, bloody amazing!"

She flushes happily, "You haven't even seen real magic yet."

"I'm looking at it." he breathes.

Lily takes that opportunity and wraps her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, lurching him forward. His hands busy themselves with the buttons on her trousers as she kisses him senseless, her fervor never waning. Lily shimmies from the trousers as James unbuckles his own, kicking them off. Their shirts are next, meeting each other on the floor just as skin met skin.

James tries to take it slow, savor every piece of her, but she is leading him to her bed with a sparkle in her eyes. Her ponytail is swinging against the bare skin of her back as he unhooks her bra and lets it fall to her floor. Her green eyes glimmer in the dull light from her bubble lamps as she pushes him to sit on the edge of her mattress. She continues her heated kisses as she straddles him and presses her body into his.

She says between kisses, "I love you."

He feels as if he's been transported into some sort of dream world and is not at all sad about it. Lily groans into his mouth as James lets his fingers trace her chest and press into her skin. She shifts on his lap when he lowers his lips to her neck and it's enough to drive him spare, her core rubbing into his erection. She is eager to show her affection, her mouth leaving kisses on every part of his body it can reach.

"Fuck Lily," he protests as she rolls her hips into him once more, "I won't make it long if you keep—"

Lily is pleased with her game though and continues her swaying without second thought. James decides to distract himself by dragging his fingers down her sides until they reach the flimsy fabric she wore at her waist. He tugs on the lace impatiently before letting his fingers slip between her legs. She drops off her teasing the moment his fingers rub against her knickers and James earns an explicit sigh from Lily.

"I'd imagine sex with a witch is the same as any?" he teases as her lips part in pleasure from his insistent friction between her legs, "Find that magic spot?"

"Muggle prat." she is smiling through and pressing herself into his touch.

He lifts his fingers off her in retaliation and she frowns at his conceited grimace.

"Not a muggle prat now, am I?" he asks.

"Oh, just fuck me already."

Lily sits up off his lap and James almost sighs in relief at the release of pressure as she shimmies out of her underwear. James gulps when she suddenly sends him a devious grin. She seems enchanting as she straddles him again, nothing else separating their craving bodies from each other. She kisses him slowly, using a lot of tongue and guiding him so that they are soon lying down. He flips her so that she's underneath him and he begins by kissing her lips, her neck, her bare chest, and all the way down until he reaches where she is so desperate to be touched again.

He begins by sliding his fingers up and down her wet skin, stopping to swirl his thumb around her clit several times. Lily's own fingers are gripping her sheets and she's staring at the ceiling with her chest rising and falling hastily. He pushes his fingers against her in light and then rougher cues. Soon Lily has her pretty eyes shut sharply and she's panting as he brings her to a point where there's not enough friction and she's asserting herself into his touch.

"James, you're fucking good with your hands." She whimpers and he smirks as she bucks into his fingers again.

James pulls his fingers away and Lily opened her eyes with a look not to stop while he was ahead. James has other ideas. Lily sits up, her skin flushed from James' efforts that were nowhere near done. Her hair was coming from its ponytail as she reached to grab for his bare shoulder, yanking him back down with her. They're kissing and it's fucking amazing but they both want more, so much more.

Lily hooks one of her legs around James' waist and she rocks her hips into his, teasing him. James tries to reach his fingers in between them again but Lily has moved them entirely so that she's able to slide down easily and wrap her fingers around his length. James almost calls out at the feeling of her cold fingers, giving him a few virtuous tugs. Lily positions herself over him and they both exhale in relief as James receives reciprocation for his efforts. She is so soft and so fucking hot that it feels magical. He knows that he'll never want to have sex with anyone else ever again.

He feels as if he's lucked out as Lily plants butterfly kisses all over his body.

He feels as if he's dreaming as she curls up next to him when they're done crying out each other's name in refrain.

He feels as if he's never going to let Lily go, not even after the sun disappears from her window.

Hours later, Lily plays with her wand, creating colorful bubble trains across the room. She's talking fast, the colors of the bubble chain fading as they get farther from her. She tells James about her magical school and her sister, who was born to two magical parents like Lily but doesn't like muggles after some arsehole broke her heart. Lily tells him about her friends and her favorite shops at the wizarding market. Lily tells him all about her magical world and he falls in love with it as quickly as he fell in love with her.

They go for a walk after her flatmates leave for work the next morning. There are no more leaves on the trees but they still litter the ground and Lily crunches her way through them spiritedly. He watches her red hair swing playfully about her shoulders when she tucks her wand into her pocket. She's got her witchy clothes back on and she's so happy that it radiates off her smiles in his direction. He holds her hand as she guides him to a hidden store corner where she can snog him properly and he feels the magic all round them.

Lily has put a spell on James and truth be told, he could care less.

Thanks for the read, hope it was all you wished for and more.

xxx

petals

PS

HAPPY JILYTOBER