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jilychallenge · 3 months ago

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NAILED YOUR FIRST CHALLENGE!!!

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FALLING (FOR FOOLS) | Read All Chapters on A03

Written for @jilychallenge's September Prompt: James takes Muggle classes and they go on a class outing and he asks Lily for help to blend in.

Partner: @fullb1n-blog

This was my first challenge and I'm late, but I accidentally hammered two of my fingers so editing was tricky for a few days... don't ask. Enjoy and Happy Jilytober, friends!

“You can’t be serious,” she muttered under her breath.

Lily stared at the pile of clothes and magazines that had begun to overtake the desk in the small section of the library they’d taken over for the last two hours. With her brow furrowed in disbelief, all Lily could think was one thing.

She cannot believe she agreed to this.

She watched as he began to transfigure more clothes, copied from the images he’d torn out of the magazines Lily’s mother had sent.

James, who was now holding up two shirts for her to inspect—one tie-dye tee with garish hues that hurt Lily's eyes to look at and the other a classic white oxford shirt that was somehow more baffling for its simplicity. He stood there looking impressed with himself, his eyes darting between the two options with an almost comical amount of concentration.

She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to fend off her growing sense of exasperation.

His head snapped up, eyebrows raised. “What? What’s wrong with this one?” He pointed to the crisp collared shirt.

With a deep sigh, she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “You do realize this is all for one day, right? You’re not infiltrating the Muggle world permanently?”

“Well, I don’t want to look like an idiot.”

She raised an eyebrow, smirking at him. “You say that as if it’s not your usual state of being.”

James gasped, feigning mock offense at her words. “I resent that.” He dropped the shirts in his hands onto the pile. “You just have a talent for making me look worse than I am.”

“Or maybe you just have a talent for making it too easy.”

He shrugged, a lopsided grin appearing. “Maybe I’m just trying to impress you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, is that what you’re meant to be doing? I thought being an arrogant toad was just who you are.”

James leaned in, closing the space between them as he braced his hands against the desk. His face now mere inches from hers, eyes glinting with mischief. “Guess that’s why I need your help, isn’t it?”

Lily’s heart gave a traitorous skip, the air between them suddenly charged with something unspoken.

Lately being around him had felt like this—a pull she couldn’t quite fight. She tried to ignore the heat spreading up her neck, threatening to give her away, and instead fixed him with a sharp look.

“Could you at least behave if you’re going to hold me hostage, Potter?” she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray her.

James chuckled, the sound deep and lazy, sending an involuntary shiver through her. He leaned back just enough to still linger in her space. “Only if you do, Evans.”

His words were met with silence as her gaze dropped to the table, where her fingertips had unknowingly drifted close to his, brushing lightly against his hand. The moment she realized, she snatched her hand back, clearing her throat in a flustered attempt to recover.

She caught the glint of amusement in James’ eyes, the corner of his lips twitching as he tried to suppress a laugh. He was always like this—flirting just to get a rise out of her like it was some kind of game. And annoyingly enough, he was good at it.

It was infuriating.

It had been infuriating for the last two weeks.

———

Lily knew should have walked out the moment James Potter strolled into her Muggle Studies class. She should have known that it would only end with her getting tricked into some kind of ridiculous scheme in his relentless need to drive her mad.

Her quill practically froze midair when she caught sight of him sauntering in from the corridor, his usual self-confident smirk plastered across his face. He should have been on the Quidditch pitch. She knew—and she definitely wasn’t keeping tabs on him—that he was supposed to have a free period. He was supposed to be forcing all the other sixth-year players to follow the ludicrously meticulous— albeit a little bit impressive—training schedule he had planned out for the entire year. So, why was he here and not there? Not that she cared all that much.

But what had really thrown her off was the absence of his usual entourage. No Sirius Black causing a commotion at the door, no Peter Pettigrew ready to jump in with some prank of his own, and no Remus Lupin quietly chuckling in the background, pretending he didn’t egg them on.

It was just James.

Alone.

Sliding into the only empty seat in the room just across from her.

Of course.

He smiled at her, his usual nod and “ Evans” in greeting. She looked away, returning her attention back to her desk, scribbling absolutely nothing onto her parchment in an attempt to remain focused on anything else.

He was glancing down at his textbook, his brow slightly furrowed as he flipped through the pages, clearly lost.

A small, traitorous smile crept up before she could catch herself. Focus.

But her gaze had refused to cooperate. It kept drifting back to him, eyes trailing over the odd mix of precision and disorder before her, as if he’d carefully crafted his appearance to look effortlessly unkempt. His tie was just a bit askew beneath his vest, and though his robe was neatly tied, one side was beginning to slip off his right shoulder. His black curls, always a little wild, tumbled over his forehead, brushing against the glasses that perched precariously on the bridge of his nose.

On anyone else, it might have looked sloppy, a sign of carelessness, but on James Potter, it seemed intentional, almost... charming. A charm she would deny ever noticing, yet here she was, unable to look away.

She tapped her fingers against the edge of her desk, silently scolding herself.

She hated him.

Hated his confidence, his messy charm, the way he managed to take up space even when he wasn’t saying a word.

Absolutely. Totally. Without question.

But, as much as she tried to focus, she couldn’t shake the nagging thought.

She’d never noticed just how distracting James Potter could be.

Lily watched as he pushed his glasses up his nose with a quick and careless movement, his fingers brushing against the curls that fell into his eyes… Merlin’s sake.

“Ms. Evans?”

Professor Harwicke’s voice sliced sharply through her thoughts, jolting her in her seat and mercifully derailing the path her thoughts had been heading.

It wasn’t until then that she realized James had his head tilted in her direction.

Lily quickly snapped her attention to the front of the class, cheeks burning as her professor’s gaze lingered between the two of them.

“I will take your silence as acknowledgement,” he said, not giving her a chance to respond.

“Now that you have all been partnered up,” the professor called out, “Please remember this outing is meant to be educational. You will be expected to submit a joint field report and analysis comparing the atmosphere, social interactions and cultural significance to a related Wizarding event of your choice. Please include your observations on the similarities and differences in audience behavior or even music appreciation as one of the main events will be the band.”

Lily, now completely tuned in—her somewhat unjustified irritation with James (only somewhat) still lingering—caught just enough of the professor’s words to understand what the hell just happened.

A festival. In a Muggle town. Paired up. Safety precautions.

Her eyes widened as the realization sank in.

As soon the lecture ended, Lily hurriedly gathered her things and turned on her heel towards where Professor Harwicke was climbing the steps into his office.

“Professor?” she called out, her voice barely audible over the noise of the students packing up and chattering amongst themselves.

The professor glanced over his shoulder at her, stopping just outside his office. “Yes, Ms. Evans?”

“Is there any chance I could switch partners?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady as she climbed the steps up to him. “I think there may have been a mis—”

The professor didn't let her finish. He folded his arms and gave her a pointed look. “You were paired for a reason, Ms. Evans. I expect you to take the assignment seriously.”

Lily opened her mouth to argue, but Harwicke cut her off again. “My decisions are final,” he said, “I suggest you make the best of it.”

“But professor—”

“No buts,” he said, his gaze softening just a fraction. “Consider it a learning opportunity, Ms. Evans. Both of you may benefit from it more than you realize.” And with that, he entered his office and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

The most devastating closing of a door she'd ever heard.

When she turned around she found James leaning casually against the wall at the bottom of the steps, waiting for her.

“Trying to trade me in, Evans?” he asked, clearly taking pleasure in her failure to do so.

She huffed. “Unfortunately, Harwicke’s return policy had a tight window.”

James pushed himself off the wall as she brushed past him, a grin spreading across his face as he followed her across the room towards the door. “You know, I’m hurt. I think we’ll make great partners.” His voice had that familiar teasing lilt, the one that made her want to both roll her eyes and— well, never mind.

“And what makes you think that, Potter?”

“Well, for one, you’re smart enough to keep us out of trouble, and I’m charming enough to get us into it.”

“Oh, so I’m the brains, and you’re… what? The bad idea?”

James chuckled. “Maybe, but you’re stuck with me now.”

She spun around, catching him off guard for a moment as he halted to stop much closer than she’d thought he was. “Did you need something, Potter? Or should I expect you to follow me to my dorm?”

“Is that an invitation?” James said, still smiling as if her obvious annoyance went right over his head.

“You’re delusional,” she said stiffly. Though his closeness had a confusing effect on her—it was infuriatingly impossible to ignore despite her best efforts.

“Just thought I’d check-in. I figured you’d want to talk about the assignment.”

“As long as you don’t draw too much attention to yourself, Potter—which I’m sure is a monumental task for you—we’ll be perfectly fine,” Lily replied, her voice laced with dry amusement. She tried to step past him, but he sidestepped smoothly, blocking her path.

James tilted his head, pretending to consider her words. “You’re right.”

She blinked. “What?”

“It is very hard not to attract attention,” he said, flashing her a wide smile. “I assume you were referring to my extraordinarily handsome face?”

“Actually, Potter, I was referring to that loud mouth of yours and your insatiable need to cause trouble.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender, “Alright, Evans. You win,” he paused, eyes lighting and Lily could practically see the ideas forming behind his eyes. “You should help me.”

“Help you?” she repeated, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

“Yeah,” he said, leaning forward with a sly smirk. “Help me.”

“What are you on about?” she asked, folding her arms, entirely unamused.

“If I’m so hopeless,” he said, “help me blend in.”

Lily shook her head in disbelief at him. The idea was laughable. Her, of all people, helping James Potter blend into Muggle society? Not a chance.

“And I would waste my time doing this, why exactly?”

“Because how else am I to turn into someone who can walk through a Muggle festival without causing chaos? Think of it as your civic duty.”

“You overestimate how much I care about your ability to blend in, Potter.”

“Come on, Evans. Here’s your chance to mold me into something halfway decent.” His smile widening. “You know, for the sake of education. I’d be a shame to get my partner in trouble because I didn’t know any better.”

She gave him a long, measured look, lips pressed into a thin line as though weighing her options. “You’re impossible,” she finally said.

“And yet,” James said, leaning just a little closer, “here I am. Your partner for the week,” he responded, seemingly taking the mild insult as her reluctant agreement.

“Unfortunately.”

“Oh, come on,” he nudged her gently with his elbow. “We’ll make a great team. You’ll see.”

Lily finally met his eyes, and though he was being his usual insufferable self, his eyes looked at her warmly, a sincere gleam in his eyes. Whatever it was made her feel unsteady, so she masked it with exasperation—a much more familiar feeling she could handle. “I highly doubt that, Potter.”

“We’ll see,” he said, his voice softer now, but still teasing. “Who knows? By the end of this, you might even like me.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” she said and turned, leaving him standing there.

As she stepped into the corridor, she found herself acutely aware of the lingering warmth from his closeness, and the faint scent of something sweet like cinnamon that somehow refused to leave her thoughts—just like that idiotically annoying smile he wore on his face when she’d turned to leave.

#september jilychallenge 2024 #maker: jjameslily #jily #jple #jily fic #jilychallenge #first jilychallenge

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sophie-hatter-jenkins · 3 months ago

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Bahramdipity - Chapter One

Written for the September 2024 @jilychallenge

Prompt: exchange students are announced at the opening feast, you are assigned to show them around (perhaps there’s history between them? Summer fling or fight

Partner: @tedwardremus

My first Jily Challenge! I took some liberties with the prompt, which I think is allowed, but if not, let's just pretend I didn't know any better!

Let's also pretend that I always meant for this to be the start of a new multi-chapter WIP, and didn't spend ages trying to convince myself that I could tie it all up in a one-shot...

Bahramdipity: the suppression of a serendipitous discovery Lily Evans, Ilvermorny Potions teacher, is excited to be joining the staff of Hogwarts as part of a year long teaching exchange programme. But first, she’s going to make the most of a few days in London…

Rating: Mature

Read Chapter One on AO3

Snippet below the cut:

Lily loved her room at The Leaky Cauldron. It oozed old world charm, with its ancient dark floorboards, wooden chandelier topped with dripping candles, and total lack of any right angles anywhere. There was an ensuite bathroom with brass taps and slightly questionable plumbing, a fireplace just begging for a roaring fire (curse the fact that it was August), and a wonderfully squishy armchair.

However, the jewel in the crown was the bed. Lily had never slept in a four poster before, and it was pure bliss. It had a supremely comfortable mattress, crisp white linen, fluffy pillows and a very attractive man asleep in it.

Granted, the man wasn’t technically one of the fixtures and fittings, being a recent acquisition, but he definitely improved the general amenities of the room.

She’d met him in the pub downstairs, where she’d been having a quiet drink whilst pondering what a bored, single witch could do to fill the final evening of her short stay in London. Enter her very own, highly entertaining Prince Charming.

They’d gotten talking at the bar, and it wasn’t long before he ditched his friends to join her, waving away their pointed comments and catcalls. From that point on, he’d provided just the distraction she needed.

Now, as tendrils of morning sunlight crept across the sheets, Lily examined him carefully. He was tall (taller than Lily by several inches, and she was hardly short herself), and leanly muscular, all long lines and sinew. His sooty hair spilled messily across the snowy pillow, which she would have put down to the energetic pursuits of the night before, if it hadn’t looked exactly the same when she’d first clapped eyes on him.

Continue reading on AO3

#harry potter fanfiction #james potter #lily evans #jily #jple #jily challenge

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