Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Author's Note: I am back. Yes. At least for a while.
This is like, the fourth revision of this chapter so I hope it's okay. Thanks also to my lovely beta, Four and Twenty Blackbirds.
Summary: When Lily finally admits her feelings for James, he seems to have given up on her. Instead, she puts in an ad in the lonely-hearts column in the school's newspaper.
Chapter 1: Given Up On You
On September 6, 1974, Lily Evans was enjoying the end of summer down by the lake on the grounds of Hogwarts with her two best friends, Aurora and Elisabeth. Elisabeth was lazily flipping through The Daily Prophet, not really bothering to read anything.
"Can you believe how much homework we've got?" she asked, "and it's bound to get worse."
"Uh-oh", Aurora said with a smile, "little miss 9-outstanding-OWLs starting to regret the number of NEWTs she's taking?"
"No", stated Elisabeth. "I'm just considering whether or not I can allow myself the time to relax right now."
"Leave it be", Lily said and smiled absentmindedly, "it's the last of summer."
"Lily dear", Aurora said, "are you alright? I've never seen you care less about homework than now."
"Seriously, Lily", Elisabeth said, "your grades were almost as good as mine, and you're only taking one fewer NEWT than me. You ought to have nearly as much to do as I. How come you aren't stressed out?"
"I've worked out my revision schedule for the weekend, I'm sure I'll have enough time," Lily said and smiled. "Besides, I got some done last night when you were at the school magazine's meeting", she told Elisabeth, "and you" – she pointed at Aurora – "were busy watching the Quidditch team's tryouts."
"Ernie Jefferson was trying out for beater", she mumbled. Though she didn't have a real boyfriend, Aurora always had love interests that rarely lasted more than a week.
"Oh, yeah, about the Mirror!" Elisabeth exclaimed. She had been appointed editor-in-chief of the school magazine, The Hogwarts Mirror, after several years of writing for the magazine.
"What about it?" Aurora asked.
"Guess what!"
"What?" Lily asked.
"We'll be having some new features this year," Elisabeth said quite secretively. "For example… The Lonely-Hearts Column!" She looked at Lily and Aurora with a large expectant smile on her face, awaiting their responses.
"Seriously?"
"We're putting up ads in the common rooms, and in order to get your ad in the first issue we need your ads next week."
"Don't look at me", Aurora said, "I'm not gonna advertise…"
"Me neither", said Lily.
"Oh come on! Don't be scared. Besides", she added to Lily, "if you meet some one else, your lover boy James might give up on you."
"Actually, he hasn't been bothering me much lately. Besides, I would never dream of putting an ad in the first issue; I'd first like to see how the school responds to the column," Lily explained and glanced to her right, toward the castle.
"What are you looking at?" Aurora asked.
"Nothing," Lily declared a bit too quickly. "What time is it? Is it dinner yet? I'm starving."
"Not quite yet," Elisabeth said, after consulting her magical watch. "Half an hour to go."
"Oh, look Lily", Aurora exclaimed, "there's your dear lover boy."
"What? Where?" Lily questioned rather enthusiastically while looking around.
Aurora and Elisabeth exchanged knowing glances.
"Er . . . Lily?" Elisabeth questioned in a strange voice, "Why the excitement?"
"What? Oh, it's nothing. I haven't seen him around, that's all. Was a bit surprised." Lily was a terrible liar, and her friends exchanged another set of knowing glances while Lily demonstratively looked away from James and his friends. "Oh, I hope he's not coming here."
"Looks like that kind of luck wouldn't be yours to have," Aurora said slowly. "He's headed this way."
"Lily," Elisabeth asked innocently, "You haven't changed your mind about James, have you?"
"What?" Lily asked. "No way! He's an unreasonable idiot. Seriously."
But she couldn't help looking up as the four boys passed, waiting for him to say something, like another marriage proposal, or beg for a date again. But he did neither of those two things; indeed, he said nothing at all. He even refused to look at her.
"He's ignoring me," Lily mumbled to herself.
"What did you say?" Aurora asked.
"Nothing", Lily murmered.
"Lover boy is ignoring you," Elisabeth said. "Looks like the little speech – er, tantrum – you threw last time has finally gotten to him."
"I s'ppose so," Lily said.
"Not missing him too much, are you?"
"No," Lily firmly lied.
"Lily! Hey, Evans! Wait!" James was hurrying along the corridor to catch up with Lily, who had been the first one to leave the classroom.
She stopped and spun around, her hands on her hips, looking fairly annoyed. "What do you want, Potter?" she asked.
"Listen", he said, and panted slightly, "I… er, I…" It wasn't like him to be unable to speak like this.
"I haven't got all day, you know", she sighed and made a gesture as though she was about to head off.
"Wait!" he exclaimed. "I…" – he shifted his weight to one side – "listen, Lily – I'm getting really tired of being turned down every time I try to ask you out-"
"Great!" she snapped, "Maybe you are finally getting the message."
"- so I've decided to try something else," he continued.
Without any warning, he just bent down and kissed her. It was a sweet, light kiss. Lily didn't fight it, and was actually beginning to lose her resistance toward kissing James Potter, when he drew back. She stared into his face for a little while, looking confused.
That's when she slapped him.
"How dare you," she hissed. "How dare you just come up in the corridor and kiss me?! You arrogant bastard, I wouldn't go out with you if you so were the last person on earth!"
"Lily-"
"DO NOT INTERUPT ME! I will say this once, and only once. If you EVER bother me again, I will report you for sexual harassment."
With that, she spun around and marched away. And with that, James Potter left her alone.
Lily knew she lost her temper easily, and she didn't find it okay that James had just kissed her there, right on the spot. But neither of those was reason enough to yell at him like that and threaten to report him for sexual harassment.
Ok, so she had been a little harsh on James, but that was no reason for him to be ignoring her? Or was it? Had he really taken what she said to his heart? He couldn't possibly be afraid of being reported for sexual harassment, could he?
Or had he given up on her?
And seriously, why did she care?