Lily Evans and the Marauder's Secrets

Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

Monday morning, I'm relieved to see Professor Dumbledore at breakfast.

"Lily!" James meets me halfway up the table. "Did you see –"

"Professor Dumbledore's here? Yes."

Together we make our way to the staff table.

"Ahh, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans," Dumbledore says, smiling and putting down his glass of pumpkin juice.

"Professor, we have so much to tell you," I say.

"Not here," Dumbledore says. Many of the other professors watch us curiously; Professor Flitwick's fork keeps missing his sausage because he's paying us far more attention than his breakfast. " Could you both make your way to my office this evening after dinner? Around eight, shall we say?"

"We'll be there, sir," James says.

So with that scheduled, we head on our way to Potions.

When we arrive, I take a seat at the back table. James lingers without sitting, a frown drooping his expression.

"We're keeping our relationship so private I can't even sit with you?"

"Of course not," I say, glancing around to make sure no one is close enough to hear him. Satisfied his comment about our hypothetical relationship has gone unnoticed, I start to unpack my bag. "You're welcome to sit here."

"With you and Snape?" James says in disgust. "I think not."

I sigh. "You're probably right. That would not be a good idea."

"Come sit with me, Lily," he pleads.

"No," I say. I pull a small package from my bag and set it in front of the seat next to me. "It's Sev's birthday, and I'm sitting with him."

"Fine," James says. He reaches out and squeezes my hand in a farewell kind of gesture, but I startle and whip my hand away, eyes darting around the room again.

"Merlin, Lily," James mutters, pulling back and ruffling his hair.

"Sorry," I whisper, already feeling bad. It's clear I've hurt his feelings, but he just shakes his head and leaves to sit with the Ravenclaws without another word.

Severus arrives before I wallow for too long and lights up when he sees me waiting with his present.

"Wow, Lily!" he says in shock when he unwraps the gift.

"Is it alright?" I ask anxiously. I'd picked it up in Hogsmeade before Christmas, and I'm glad Sev and I got back on good terms so I could still give it to him. Nestled in the brown paper wrappings is a silver watch.

"You shouldn't have," Sev says, almost reverently picking it up. The face gleams emerald green, black planets slowly orbiting the edge.

"I know you didn't get one for your seventeenth birthday last year, and it's just secondhand, but it's tradition and I thought–"

Sev covers my hand with his, his skin cool. The movement stops my babbling. "Lily. It's perfect. No one's ever gotten anything like this for me before. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I say, blushing slightly, and he beams. He's so happy I'm glad I stuck to my plans and sat with him and not James.

But later, after we've started our Dreamless Sleep Solutions and spent the time chatting and laughing together, I go to the sink to wash the eel blood off my hands and catch James stealing a look at me. His expression makes it clear this isn't the first time he's glanced my way, and he looks crushed. I duck my head quickly before he can tell I've seen, finish washing up, and go back to my table with Sev.