#jily fic

[ghostofbambifanfiction]

I have been working my way through Jingle-Holy F*ck and The First Time Divorcees Club by @theesteemedladydebourgh since last night and I just want to express my remorse for every "other" love interest (for example, Skylar) that I ever inflicted upon you guys because when you are writing fic torturing your readers is so unserious but when you are READING it all logic and reason flies out the window and suddenly you are impatient and scared and panicking even though you KNOW what the endgame is going to be, btw both of these fics have altered my brain chemistry and I'm incapable of being cool about them. Olivia I am ready to fight you in the parking lot.

[formerlympp]

When Lily jokingly tells her owl to deliver a letter to "the love of her life", i.e. Marlene McKinnon, her owl misinterprets the directive and, to her horror, her ode to James Potter’s arms lands squarely in his lap.

Read on AO3; 2.5k

[doesposts]

OMG I honestly didn't expect that I would like it. But Merlin, this is a great story. Very Sexy couldn't tear herself away. I literally sighed at work while reading. I can't wait for the next chapter

once more to see you, a canon-setting university professor james & grad student lily au

rated E, jily, side pairings, infidelity, secret relationship, age gap, they do fall in love! they are lovers, D/s & kink, angst & romance, lily & james povs

Lily is a second-year apprentice with Horace Slughorn at The Universitas Magistrorum of Hogwarts studying untested applications of Transfiguration to Potions. James is the best Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, so she begins to attend his classes, and his office hours—all of them. James has a wife and two children and Lily has a boyfriend. They both have responsibilities, their work, their family, their morals. But they have a connection: intellectual, physical, emotional. And they fuck nasty about it!

[unconventional-lawnchair]

Too Much Like Me

Potter!Reader tells her dad she's been asked on a date.

Summary: James finds out Lily's type in men is apparently genetic.

Wc: ~1.7k

CW: Just chaotic fluffy hijinks - a jab about Americans

“Dad.” You trailed James into the kitchen, fighting to keep your voice calm despite the storm brewing ahead.

But James Potter, in all his dramatic glory, had gone entirely deaf. Arms flailing like a prophet warning of doom, he roared, “Family meeting!”

“No! No family meeting!” you yelped, lunging for his arm. You barely stifled a laugh as he flailed harder, like a fish trying to escape the net.

James spun around, courtroom-drama style, and gasped at you with the intensity of someone catching their child red-handed with a cursed artifact. “Fred Weasley? Our Fred Weasley? That Fred Weasley?”

“Yes, that Fred Weasley,” you groaned, dragging your hands down your face. “Merlin’s saggy balls, I regret telling you already.”

James slammed his hand on the counter for emphasis, pivoting toward the sitting room like a man possessed. “Lily!” he thundered, shaking the walls. “Lily, get in here! Your daughter’s lost her mind!”

“Dad, for Merlin’s sake!” You tried to grab him again, but James had started pacing now, looking like a wizard unjustly accused of crimes against decorum.

“Not in my house! Not under my roof!” He spun around, hazel eyes bulging with a level of betrayal that deserved an award. “Fred Weasley doesn’t know the meaning of curfew! Or- Merlin help us- a respectable bedtime! Do you think I’m letting that chaos into my family? After all I’ve sacrificed? For you?”

“James,” came Lily’s voice, calm but laced with amusement. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, her lips twitching. “What are you yelling about this time?”

James turned to her, a man on the brink. “Fred Weasley! He asked her out! Our daughter! On a date! Alone! With no chaperone!”

Lily blinked, then turned to you with a grin brighter than a Patronus. “Oh!” she gasped, her eyes lighting up. “He finally asked?”

James froze mid-tirade, pointing an accusatory finger at his wife. “Finally? What do you mean, finally? Have you been... supporting this? Encouraging it?”

Lily shrugged, her grin widening as she pushed off the doorframe and sauntered into the kitchen. “He’s a lovely boy, James. Polite, clever, charming. He reminds me of someone I used to know.”

“Don’t you dare—” James began, his tone low and dangerous.

“You,” Lily finished brightly, jabbing him in the chest. “Fred’s just like you were. All mischief and charm. No wonder she likes him.”

James gawked at her like she’d suggested selling their house to a pack of trolls. “That’s exactly why she can’t date him! I was Fred Weasley, Lily! Do you know what I would’ve done if someone let me date their daughter?”

“You married her,” Lily said sweetly, leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek, winking at you as it effectively stunned the red mess that was your father.

James froze, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air, completely derailed by Lily’s well-placed jab and affectionate kiss. He finally managed to sputter, “That’s- That’s completely different!”

“How, exactly?” Lily teased, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms again. “Because if I recall correctly, you were a menace, Potter. A charming menace, but a menace nonetheless. Fred’s cut from the same cloth, and you turned out all right.”

James spluttered, gesturing wildly at you. “Because this is my daughter! She’s not supposed to fall for charmers like Fred Weasley! I can’t just let this happen! Where’s the fatherly dignity in that?”

“Oh, James,” Lily sighed, patting his shoulder with exaggerated pity. “I hate to break it to you, but you lost your ‘fatherly dignity’ the day you wore those matching Christmas jumpers with Sirius.”

“That was solidarity!” James barked, his ears reddening as he straightened his posture in a futile attempt at reclaiming authority. “And anyway, this is different. I’m supposed to protect her! Shield her from the heartbreakers and mischief-makers of the world.”

“Fred’s not a heartbreaker, Dad,” you said, exasperated but amused. “He’s actually- dare I say- nice? And maybe even mature? A little bit?”

James looked like he might faint. “Mature?! You’re telling me Fred Weasley- the bloke who turned all the Quidditch goalposts into giant marshmallows- is mature?! What next? He’s taken up knitting?”

“Knitting would be a good look for him,” Lily quipped, clearly enjoying herself. “Very soothing hobby. He could knit you a jumper, James, to match that dignity you’ve misplaced.”

You couldn’t help but snort at the visual, and James threw his hands up, pacing the kitchen again. “I can’t believe this. I’m being outnumbered in my own home.”

“It’s called democracy- like the Americans,” Lily said, smirking as she leaned against the counter. “And right now, you’re the losing party.”

James stopped pacing to glare at her. “Fred acts like a damned American..” He mumbled before he raised his voice. “This is treason. Pure, unadulterated treason.”

“James,” Lily replied patiently, though her lips twitched with amusement. “You’ll survive.”

At that moment, Harry wandered into the kitchen, his face set in curious confusion as he surveyed the scene. He held a plate of leftover treacle tart, chewing leisurely. “What’s with all the shouting, then?” He asked, his tone disinterested but his eyes sparkling with intrigue.

James immediately pounced, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “Your sister has decided to go on a date with Fred Weasley, Harry! Fred Weasley! What do you have to say about that?”

Harry blinked at him, clearly trying to piece together the situation. Then his gaze slid to you, and his smirk grew as he swallowed a bite of tart. “Fred, huh?” he said, his tone dripping with amusement. “Nice. Bold choice. Never a dull moment with a Weasley.”

“Bold-? Harry!” James looked genuinely wounded. “This is a betrayal! Your own sister-"

“Is an adult,” Harry interrupted, shrugging. “And you’re acting like she’s run off to marry Voldemort’s ghost.”

“Don’t give him ideas,” you muttered under your breath, earning a snort from Harry.

“Not helping, Harry!” James barked, looking thoroughly frazzled now. He pointed at you again. “Fine! Go on your date! But I’m watching him. One toe out of line, and-”

“And what?” you challenged, grinning now as Lily watched on, clearly entertained. “You’ll duel him? Turn him into a marshmallow like his Quidditch goalposts?”

James opened his mouth, floundering for a retort, but Lily stepped in, tugging him gently away from the center of the chaos. “Come on, love,” she cooed soothingly. “Why don’t we sit down, have a cuppa, and let the kids handle their own lives for once?”

James sighed, finally deflating. “Fine,” he grumbled, shooting you one last suspicious look. “But mark my words- an eye for an eye! Harry, date his younger sister!”

Harry froze, the bite of treacle tart halfway to his mouth as the words sunk in. His eyes darted between you, Lily, and James, clearly trying to figure out if this was his moment to fess up or quietly Disapparate.

“What?” James demanded, noticing Harry’s hesitation. “What’s with that face? Don’t tell me you’ve already thought about it!”

Lily covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. You, on the other hand, burst out laughing immediately, doubling over as the image of James putting two and two together hit you.

“Why are you laughing?” James barked, looking between the two of you like he was missing the punchline to a joke everyone else got. “What’s so funny? Harry, explain yourself!”

Harry, clearly seeing no way out, sighed and placed his plate of treacle tart on the counter. “Dad,” he started, bracing himself, “I’m already dating Ginny.”

James froze. Completely, utterly froze. His jaw hung slack, his hands hovering mid-air like a malfunctioning automaton.

“You’re what?” He whispered, his voice teetering on the edge of shock and betrayal.

You howled with laughter, tears forming in your eyes. “Oh, Merlin, this is priceless!” You gasped. “Dad, your face- your face!"

“James, breathe,” Lily advised through her own laughter, leaning against the counter for support. “You’re going to give yourself a stroke.”

James finally snapped out of his trance, his eyes narrowing into sharp points of indignation. “Ginny?! Ginny Weasley?! First her with Fred, and now you- how long has this been going on?”

Harry scratched the back of his neck, clearly trying to make himself look smaller. “A while.”

“A while?" James repeated, his voice cracking. “Define ‘a while.’ A few days? Weeks?”

Harry hesitated. “Since... fifth year?”

“Fifth year?!" James bellowed, looking like he might explode. “That’s years! Years, Harry! And you didn’t think to tell me?!”

“What was I supposed to say?” Harry shot back, clearly frustrated now. “‘Hey, Dad, by the way, I’m snogging Ron’s little sister’? That would’ve gone over well.”

“Well, it’s certainly better than me finding out like this!” James cried, gesturing wildly at nothing in particular. “My own son! Betraying me! I raised you better than this, Harry!”

Lily wiped her eyes, still chuckling. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic, James. They’re clearly happy, and Ginny’s a wonderful girl. You love her.”

“That’s not the point, Lily!” James snapped, his hands flying to his hair. “It’s- this is-!Fred! Ginny! My children and their Weasleys! What’s next? Ron’s going to marry into the family, too?”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Well... technically, Hermione-"

“No! They got her too!?" James cut him off, throwing his hands in the air. “Don’t even tell me! I won’t survive it! This is it- this is how I go. Betrayed by my own family and buried in a sea of Weasleys.”

You leaned against the counter, wheezing with laughter. “Dad, you’re being ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous?” James turned to you, his face a picture of righteous indignation. “You don’t understand. I fought a war for this family- for this! And now my legacy is going to be a house full of Weasleys!”

“Sounds cozy,” Lily teased, patting his arm. “You’ll come around, James. You always do.”

James groaned, sinking into a chair as if all the fight had been drained out of him. “Fine,” he muttered, waving a hand dismissively. “Fine. Date your Weasleys. Marry them. Name your kids Fred and Ginny Jr. for all I care.”

You patted his shoulder, grinning. “Love you, Dad.”

He shot you a glare but muttered, “Love you, too. But don’t think for one second I’m not watching Fred like a hawk.”

“And Ginny?” Harry asked, daring to push his luck.

James pointed a warning finger at him. “You, young man, are on thin bloody ice."

Lily hushed James as she patted his back, leading him out of the kitchen. He continued to blabber on, muttering something along the lines of;

“Is this my fault?”

“Merlin, does Molly know?”

“Bloody redheads- OW!”

[rainydayathogwarts]

The map - Remus x Potter!Reader

Summary: In which james gets suspicious about remus and his sister. marlene, sirius and lily cover up for them. ft. jily no warnings! 0.4k+ wc :)

Remus had tried making it a point of having the marauders map with him every time he snuck away from the other marauders to meet you, afraid of James discovering how often you two met up alone. His excuse? Well, it was his map after all. Just like James had the invisibility cloak, Remus was the primary owner of the map. And if anything happened, there was always Sirius, Marlene and Lily who all knew of your relationship and could try steering James away from the truth.

Today, however, James and Sirius were planning a harmless prank on a group of Hufflepuffs who they had made a silly bet with, and were using the map to plan their route to the common room. Sirius had been vigorously scribbling down some illegible notes and James's gaze had wandered, aimlessly scanning the map to watch the little name tags move around. It was only when he spotted your and Remus's names floating around near the library that he let out a little "Huh." Sirius's head lifted up from his paper to glance at his best mate, asking "You alright?" James nodded, pointing to where your names were. "They've been in the library for ages now." Lily and Marlene, who'd been facing the two boys, glanced up curiously.

It didn't take Sirius a second to cover up for you, stating "Well they're both really nervous about acing their ancient runes exam." James hummed in agreement, leaning back against the couch behind him, eyebrows furrowing in deliberation. "Have you noticed how much time they've been spending together recently?" James's tone was completely reflective, without a hint of accusation. Sirius shrugged, panicking slightly. "Kind of, I guess."

Lily hummed, trying to conceal any revelations "Yeah, they are pretty good friends." James sighed, looking up at the ceiling, missing the alarmed looks shared between his friends. "I wonder if they like each other." Marlene's nervous laugh had James glimpsing down at Marlene dumbfoundedly. "Them? No way!" She giggled, trying to cover her slip up before hurriedly going back to her homework. James straightened up, observing his friends' behaviour. "Am I missing something?" He questioned, squinting his eyes at the three Gryffindors. Lily looked up at him with a reassuring smile, standing up to round the table before plopping back down next to James. The boy instantly wrapped his arms around her waist, looking deeply into her eyes as she began playing with the hair on the base of his neck.

"No, sweetheart. 'S far as we know, they're just friends. But even if they weren't, at least it'd be someone like Remus looking after your sister, not some idiot." James nodded at Lily's soothing words, letting her take his mind off the topic.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. Maybe I should try setting them up."

[novvabee]

The Wrong Color

Summary: poly!jegulily x reader, Y/N and Lily wear the boys jerseys at the Gryffindor vs Slytherin game.

cw: suggestive

word count: 1.3k

The lovely Scottish morning light was always so peaceful when it glowed through the black lake and the Slytherin dorm room windows. The light fractured and bloomed along the green bed sheets you were tangled in. It would have been perfect, if only your boyfriend wasn’t running around the room looking for all his quidditch gear.

Regulus always gets like this before games, but especially games against your rival house, the house that your other boyfriend and girlfriend are a part of; Gryffindor. You love the other half of your relationship, but man, could they be annoying. You liked the rivalry, it made things fun, especially since it was two against two, you and Regulus, and Lily and James.

Regulus was worked up last night, meaning you two didn’t get much sleep, meaning you both woke up late and now he was rushing to get to breakfast before the match. 

“You know this is your fault right?” he explained to you. “If you hadn’t stayed the night-”

“My fault?” you interrupted sounding amused. “If I’m remembering correctly, it was you begging ‘please please, I’ll do anything-”

It was his turn to interrupt you, this time with a kiss. He broke away and smiled down at you. He looked godly in this light.

“You'll be in the stands cheering for me today right?” he asked, the smile still lingering on his lips.

“Of course not! You know I can't play favorites,” you explained “Plus why would I? I hate you.” You said, joking of course.

He raised his brows and cocked his head to the side. “Oh really? Was that hatred last night?” he asked before kissing you again, laying you back on the bed and climbing on top of you. 

You really wish you could stay like this, but you giggled and pushed him off, swatting at his arm saying “You’re already late! Go!”

He took your command and breezed out the door of his unshared dorm room, a perk of being a prefect. 

Right, now it was your turn to get dressed, only you and Lily had been scheming. You were going to show up in James’s spare Gryffindor jersey, and Lily in Regulus’s. You had always just worn your own house colors or the correlating boy's extra jerseys, but you and Lily wanted to see their reactions. 

You pulled on the red and gold, pairing it with some jeans and converse, a very casual, very James look. You looked at yourself in the mirror, it felt so unnatural, but that was the fun of it.

You met Lily outside your common room before heading to the stands to get a good seat. 

  Seeing her in the green and black jersey was odd, but she was striking, as always. The green brought out the colors in her eyes, making her red hair stand out even more. She was gorgeous.

“You look good in green.” you blushed as you told her.

She scoffed as she took you in. “You look good in red,” she said. “Come on, we should get going before all the front row seats are taken,” she wrapped her arm around your shoulder, pulling you into her side and kissing your temple. 

You two caught up with Marlene and Dorcas, both sporting their own house colors, Marlene in her own jersey, and looked at you and Lily in slight bewilderment. 

“Uh, I think you two grabbed the wrong tops when dressing this morning.” Marlene examined, raising an eyebrow at the pair of you.

You looked at Lily, then back at your friends. “Huh, guess we were rushing.” you said, smirking. Lily nudged you with her hip, but the four of you continued on walking to the pitch.

Once there, you had gone right up to your usual spot, Peter had dutifully saved you all seats. You took yours, front and center, and waited for Lily to return from the concessions stand with the butterbeer you asked for. 

You turned and made small conversations with Peter about the previous quidditch matches and yesterday's boring potions lecture. 

“Oh, uh… by the way, what’s with the uh,” Peter said pointing to your choice of jersey.

“Just wanted to be supportive, that’s all,” you said with a fake tone of innocence.

He chuckled. “Yes but, on today of all days? They might just knock each other off their brooms.” 

“Oh don’t worry, Pete,” you said, “Lily is in Regulus’s.”

All of your friends knew about your relationship, and were happy for you all. They never judged or misunderstood anything, something that your entire group of friends was known for, being accepting and understanding of all types of love. 

They did, however, love to see the games the four of you played with each other. You four were known to prank and tease and provoke each other, but it was always in good fun and always stemming from the house rivalry. Other than that, the four of you didn’t play when it came to your relationship, you were wholly devout to each other, no matter what house you may belong to. 

Lily came up the stands, promised butterbeer in hand, and sat herself right next to you. She had perfect timing, the boys were about to start playing. 

James zoomed by on his broom, Regulus hot on his tail, warming up and having some fun teasing each other before the real game starts.

“Gyffindor has this in the bag.” Lily announced to all of your friends.

“Mmm, I’m pretty sure Slytherin has the better record this year.” you replied and shot her a devious smile.

“Remind me, who won the cup last year?” she questioned, giving you the same deviousness. You replied by playfully rolling your eyes, hitting her knee with your own.

The high pitched whistle sounded, signaling the start of the game. It was an intense, brutal rush of back and forth. Both teams playing hard, fighting for the win and the glory that comes along with it. The game turned dirty and aggressive almost immediately.

The match was tied, coming down to the final moments when you watched both your boyfriends diving and spinning toward the ground before pulling up at the last minute. They were no doubt chasing after the tiny golden snitch. 

You leaped to your feet, tracking them both the whole way. James was reaching out his hand, the snitch almost within grasp when Regulus suddenly slammed into his side, knocking James away, putting himself closer to the snitch instead. James didn’t take this lightly, he zoomed back to Regulus’s side and the two shoved and shoved. You would have been more concerned, but this is exactly how each match ended, the two of them fighting for the golden ball. 

The boys rerouted their course, heading straight over the section both you and Lily were sitting in. This must have been some sort of plan devised by Regulus, because this change made James’s gaze slip, fall to both Lily wearing Slytherin green and you in Gryffendor red with big yellow block letters spelling out ‘POTTER’.

This slight break in attention, the hesitation, allowed Regulus to capture the snitch while his opponent was distracted.

You cheered and hugged Dorcas, feeling prideful for your house’s big victory, Regulus taking a lap around the pitch. Lily cheered as well, not as much as you of course, not wanting to admit defeat, but still proud of her boy. You took her by the hand and pulled her along down to the field to meet your boys.

James met you first, flying down a bit disappointed, but obviously happy for Regulus. He spotted you and immediately hugged you. This sweet gesture was a guise, pulling you close to his body only to whisper “This is your fault you know,” into your ear.

You giggled. “Believe it or not, that is not the first time I have heard that sentence today.” you said, pulling away and looking up at him. He had that smirk, that look spread across his face, one that often came after he lost. Perhaps you wouldn’t get much sleep tonight either.

[ifyouknowmenahyoudontt]

i genuinely think that the shift from the old marauders to the new one where every straight ship even the canon and most important one (i.e jily) and that whole jegulus/all the other made up ships that make no sense come from a place of fetish. yall LOVE to turn characters into little stereotypes and that whole constant obsession w homosexuality is not helping any cause. most of view view homosexual/queer relationships as more angsty or interesting in a way that’s so strange to me. ships could follow the most standard plot line but still be considered angsty cus they’re queer and why is that? this fandom has taken such a strange turn.

you are making sexuality such a strong and central point in a character importance more than any other trait of their character. and those head canons just end up erasing the most important things about these characters

james potter was a strong and good man. he developed from his arrogant teenage self into a good man fighting for a good cause. but now you made him into a twink that is in love with a death eater/ a member of the family that abused his best friend all his life. james and sirius’s relationship was a central point of their characters. and james’s love for lily is a central point as well??????

sirius being turned into a overly feminine gay drama queen, even though what WAS important about him was his loyalty his strength and his honor??? but all of that was forgotten. HE CAN BE GAY WITHOUT ERASING HIS ORIGINAL PERSONALITY. stop painting him into a stereotype of a gay man.

regulus black is getting the recognition that is to be given to sirius. his character was not some brave rebel vigilante that fought for justice. he was a pureblood supremacist.he was a deatheater. yes he is important to the story but he was not what you made him.

lily evans is the most important character of the series. she’s the reason it exists. her and james’s love is the center point. but it was pushed away by you people to focus on your strange fetishized view of gay men. this MAJOR character whose love for her son and husband literally MADE the story got cast away as a secondary character.

important topics like sirius’sabusive family, lily and james’s courage and love….was remplaced by ridiculized view of characters

make characters gay cus we don’t know anything about them yes okay that’s why wolf star was a major part of the fandom. but the complete shift of every single characters identity is just bullshit.

[maluceh]

Hi :) I was wondering what are your favorites jily fanfics, if you happen to read any. Would love some recommendations 'cause your art really got me into this ship yk

along with this one i had many asks asking for fic recs, sorry it took me so long but i got @daiziesssart to help me make a doc of all the fics we’ve read that we have liked and also a few that have been recommmended to me, i hope it helps <3

[stagprongs]

james after seeing someone make lily laugh at an auror meeting

james : you can kiss my wife , you can take her to bed , but you cannot make her laugh

( realising what he said )

james : I wanna go back. you can kiss my wife , but only i can take her to bed and make her laugh.

( sirius snickering outside the frame , james pausing again to think what he just said )

james : i wanna go back. only i can take my wife to bed , comma , and make her laugh

[here-am-i-sitting-in-a-tin-can]

James Potter learned his passion in the good old-fashioned school of lover boys

[petals2fish]

How it feels when you find someone that ships jily in 2025:

[jilytoberfest]

Jily Reading List

While the Jily community here on Tumblr is big, active and so much fun to interact with, there are more Jily fics on AO3 that don’t get as much attention and love as they should! So here’s a reading list from writers who – to the best of our knowledge – haven’t made an appearance here! Read and comment!

If anyone happens to know any of these authors on Tumblr, feel free to tag them!

way to go tiger by allikatt

Cooler in theory but not if you force it/To be, it just didn't happen by BathtubBanana

a midnight blaze by Caffeinatedreamer

The Return by cwannabe5

I'm Afraid Knot by depressed_and_nauseous

Perfectly Amazing by graciesdorm

I'll keep your brittle heart warm by Iphigenniaa

Rival, Revel! by madllily

i'll crawl home to her by officialzepresentation

sometimes home is a well-worn coat by ohevans

my mind turns your life into folklore (i can’t dare to dream about you anymore) by petitecanard

The Sun Isn't Too Bad Actually by starry_eyed_thief

In Limbo by thisisdd (thisisnotdd)

Pretty When You Cry by touyastreasure

Funfetti by Written_Willis

[takeariskao3]

*this image has been peer reviewed

[three--eyed--cat]

!! james potter, moodboard !!

[petalsandantlers]

for @jilymicrofics / january prompt n.13: stress (353 words) AO3

Lily Evans is, to put it simply, overwhelmed. Between studying for NEWTs, her Head Girl duties, and keeping a certain someone out of trouble (why she even bothers, she has no idea), she feels like she might explode. The common room is noisy, the fire too warm, and McGonagall’s bloody Transfiguration essay is 4 inches shorter than it’s supposed to be.

James notices. He always does, really. 

He sits down next to her quietly, and gently pushes A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration aside. She opens her mouth to angrily protest, but he places a hand over hers, warm and steady. 

“Lils,” he says softly, “You’re going to turn into one of McGonagall’s teapots if you don’t take a break.”

“I don’t have time for a bloody break!” she snaps, stress bubbling over. “Some of us actually have to do the work, you know!”

James doesn’t flinch, just keeps looking at her with those bright, hazel eyes, his hand never leaving hers. A beat or two passes in silence, until Lily drops her gaze and mumbles a shame-faced apology, knowing that it really was unfair of her to say that—James had been a brilliant Head Boy despite having even more work than her - what with being Quidditch Captain and all.

James, being James, took it all in stride. He reaches into his bag with his free hand and pulls out a blank bit of parchment and slides it across the table. 

“What’s this?” she asks warily.

“A stress list. Write it all down.”

She hesitates, but something about the calm in his voice makes her pick up her quill. She writes furiously—exams, patrols, Petunia, her parents, the war, everything that’s been sitting heavy on her chest. By the time she’s done, her breathing feels a little less shallow.

James reads it over, nodding thoughtfully. “Alright,” he says, tapping the page. “We can tackle this. Together. But first,” his trademark grin slowly spreading across his face, “hot chocolate?”

Lily stares at him, her lips twitching into a reluctant smile. Somehow, James Potter always makes the weight on her shoulders feel lighter.

“Hot chocolate,” she agrees.

[formerlympp]

happy belated birthday

“Happy belated birthday, Lily!”

“We wish we could have celebrated last week—”

“No more apologies!” Lily said firmly. “You are ruining the fun!”

“Sorry.”

Truthfully, Lily had been a little sad that most of her friends were unavailable to hang out on her actual birthday the previous weekend, but she certainly wasn’t angry about it. They were all in their thirties after all, and being an adult put a damper in most things, but especially, she discovered, birthdays.

They’d more than made up for it tonight, however, having spent the evening at a fabulous Italian restaurant before retreating back to Lily’s flat for cake, snacks, and buckets of alcohol. Lily already knew she’d be paying for the two glasses of wine at dinner and decided if her Sunday would be spent nursing a hangover, she may as well ply herself with margaritas and make it worthwhile.

She was sipping her third in between bites of her birthday cake—an unpleasant mixture with more sober taste buds, surely—when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Mary cried out, jumping unsteadily to her feet before Lily even sat down her plate.

“Don’t tell me you ordered more food, Mary! We’ve already eaten our body weight in tortilla chips and salsa, not to mention—”

But Mary was out of sight without replying and Lily’s interest left with her brunette friend. It didn’t take long for Mary to return, though when she reappeared, she had a tall man—a man dressed as a firefighter—following behind her.

“Look what I happened to find!” Mary announced loudly, gaining the attention of all the girls in the group. “Is it getting hot in here—?”

The sudden uproar of her friends nearly startled Lily into dropping her drink. A couple of her friends ran quickly to the kitchen, empty glasses clutched in their hands, nearly knocking over another couple of women who were digging through their bags, searching for something…

And then Lily realized what she would have spotted immediately in sobriety.

“Mary… Mary, you didn’t!”

Mary, looking quite pleased with herself, was about to reply, when a second man came into view behind the first and stole her attention.

“Two?!” came a gleefully tipsy whoop from somewhere behind Lily.

“What’s this?” the second man said. “What’s the emergency, James?”

“Oh, they’re in character,” Mary announced to the room.

“We’re in what—?”

The first man, James evidently, swore loudly before turning to the man behind him and urgently saying something in a low voice. Suddenly the second man let out a bark of laughter before backing out of the room. His laughter continued even after he’d ducked out of site.

“Look, there’s been a mistake,” the man called James began, casting an uneasy look at Mary and then behind his shoulder.

“It’s quite all right,” Mary said in her most assuring voice. “I only ordered one, but we’ll pay both of you, not to worry. This is Lily—” Mary gestured, “—our lady of honor, tonight—"

His face turned a violent shade of pink, and Lily realized what he was about to say a second before he said it: “No—no. That’s—it’s not that. We’re not strippers. We really are firefighters and came here in response to a call to the station.”

Silence fell over the room at this before the group of girls broke into a furious round of giggles.

“Mary! You called the actual bloody firehouse?”

“This is the last time we put you in charge of anything!”

“Quick, someone snap a picture—”

Mary looked a mixture of embarrassed and deeply amused. “Oh, sod off, all of you!” She rounded on James, who appeared to be trying—and failing—to make himself blend in with the floral wallpaper behind him. “You could make it clearer on the internet, when people search, you know!”

James cleared his throat. “Erm. I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Mary, leave the poor man alone,” Lily said, now rising to her feet, surprisingly steadily, and heading toward the pair. “He’s only trying to do his job. Go have a glass of water, love.” She turned to James and then nodded toward the hallway. “Let's get you out of here.”

He looked relieved at her suggestion and did not linger a moment longer than he had to, not even to say his last piece to Mary, which Lily found commendable. Lily led the firefighter to the front door, but before opening it, turned to face him.

“I’m terribly sorry about the mix-up. I hope we didn’t put you out too much.”

James smiled for first time, seemingly more at ease now that he was away from the rowdiness he’d unexpectedly walked into. “It’s all right. This will make for a good story. Although…” James leaned back to look out the window of her front door before his attention returned to her. “Although I reckon my mate is going to enjoy taking the mick for a while.”

“Nonsense,” Lily said. “Take the ego boost. A bunch of women thought you made a living taking your clothing off.”

He laughed in reply, and Lily enjoyed the sound of it. She wasn’t wrong, he was very nice to look at. Especially a moment later when she was met with a lopsided smile.

“Well, I reckon it’s always good to have a back-up plan if I need a career change.”

“Just keep the outfit, if you can.”

“Yeah?”

She cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks pinken under his focused gaze. “Yeah. You… haven’t you ever heard the saying, women love a man in uniform?”

James laughed again and nodded. “Yeah, I suppose I have. Well look, I’d better go. And you need to get back to… what is it, a hen do?”

“Oh, no, just celebrating my birthday.”

“Really? Well, happy birthday then.”

“Thank you. It’s been an interesting night, to say the least.”

“Well if it gets more interesting in a bad way,” James began, now rummaging around in his coat pocket, “which I hope it doesn’t, mind… you can reach me here.” He proffered a small business card out to her, and she took it without hesitating.

“James Potter… what kind of firefighter carries calling cards on him?”

The lopsided smile returned. “Depending on if I hear from you… the lucky kind, I reckon.”

Lily laughed, tucking the card safely in her hands as James reached for the door. She was going to need to store this card somewhere for her more trustworthy sober self to find in the morning.

“It was nice meeting you… Lily, I believe it was?”

She nodded. “It was nice meeting you, too.”

As she watched the small firetruck drive away, Lily couldn’t help but wonder if she might have just received the best belated birthday gift in her life.