Chapter Text
They’re walking together after Transfiguration class, as has become habit for them. Their friends are ahead of them, happily chatting away, but Lily hangs back a bit and nudges James with her elbow.
“Dueling Club tournament is next week,” she says casually, nodding at a flier tacked to the board outside the Great Hall.
“Yep, looking forward to it,” James replies, as he steps aside to usher Lily into the Hall ahead of him.
She steps inside, then pauses and looks back at him over her shoulder. “Do you want to train together?”
Lily’s looking at him when she speaks, right in the eyes, so he knows she’s talking to him. Still, James’ hand jumps to his hair in surprise. “You’re asking me?”
“Yes.” She’s scowling now, and she turns around and continues walking towards the lunch table. “You’re one of the best in our year, and if I’m going to win this thing—”
“Hold on, now, Evans,” he says, grabbing her shoulder gently and turning her to face him. He points to his chest and smirks. “I’m going to win this thing. I’m not one of the best—I’m the best in our year.” He ignores the voice in his head whispering that Remus is better; Remus isn’t in Dueling Club, so his skills really aren’t relevant right now. James lifts his chin. “Winning the tournament’s a piece of cake.”
Lily snorts. “Brilliant. Since you’re so confident, you won’t mind helping me out, then. Consider it an act of charity.”
“Heh. Alright,” James says, with a nonchalant shrug. “Meet you by the lake after supper?”
There’s a satisfied gleam in Lily’s eyes when she answers, “I’ll be there.”
“Great,” says James, nodding. Lily has turned and started walking towards the lunch table again when James calls her name. “Oh, and Evans?”
She turns back with a sigh, arms folded and eyes narrowed in suspicion, but James only puts a hand to his chest and gives her a quick bow.
“Just so you know, training with you isn’t charity.” He ruffles the back of his hair and grins. “It would be my pleasure.”
“You lot don’t have to come,” Lily protests, as Mary, Dorcas, Remus, Peter, and Sirius make to follow her and James from the Great Hall after supper that evening.
“We absolutely do,” Remus counters.
“Aye. Wouldn’t miss it,” Mary agrees.
There’s really no arguing with them, so they all troop down to the lake together. James and Lily find a flat spot along the shore, large enough for them to stand twenty paces apart without tripping over anything, and their friends spread out around them, lying in the grass or leaning against trees. The sun is low over the lake, giving the whole scene a gentle glow.
James ruffles his hair absently. “So, how’d you want to do this? Are there particular spells you want to work on, or should we just have a mock duel?”
“Hmm.” Lily thinks for a moment, then says, “Let’s duel, if you don’t mind. That’ll help me figure out what I need to focus on before the tournament.”
“Alright. Ground rules?”
“Same as the Club, I think—no Stunning, and nothing that causes permanent injury, draws blood, or breaks bones.”
“Take the fun out of it, why don’t you?” Sirius whines, and Lily rolls her eyes.
James smirks. “Alright, let’s get on with it.” He bows to Lily and she does the same, and they settle into a ready stance.
As soon as they’re set, Lily makes a quick motion with her wand, shouting, “Rictumsempra!” A jet of silvery light shoots towards James.
James, ever light on his feet, laughs as he dodges the jinx. “If you want to tickle me, Evans, all you’ve got to do is ask,” he says, his eyes dancing.
Lily growls and jabs her wand at him again. “Flipendo!”
He dodges once more, then flicks his wrist and calls, “Locomotor Mortis!” Lily throws up a Shield Charm, and now James has to dive to the side lest his own rebounding spell end up locking his legs together. He does an (unnecessary) somersault, and while still on the ground he sweeps his arm in an upward curve. “Ascendio!” he yells, but he aims too high, and the spell wooshes over Lily’s head.
James has barely regained his feet when she sends a Tripping Jinx his way, and he stumbles and falls back to his knees. Mary lets out a loud whistle of support.
Lily beams proudly and sets her feet. “Flipendo!” she tries again, at the same time as James yells, “Incarcerous!”
Her spell sends him stumbling back a few steps, but James’ Binding Spell still shoots out of his wand and catches her flat-footed. Thick cords wrap around her, starting at her ankles and working their way up until she’s fully bound and gagged. Her eyes go wide as James saunters towards her, smirking. Sirius and Peter are cheering loudly as James approaches, watching her fruitless struggle against the bindings.
And then, suddenly, she’s falling.
James rushes forward without thinking, and next thing he knows, she’s laying in his arms, staring up at him. Her cheeks are flushed pink and her green eyes sparkle in the setting sun. He’s breathing a bit heavily from his quick sprint to catch her, his chest heaving and his heart pounding like a bass drum.
There might be more to it than physical exertion, but James doesn’t have time to consider that right now.
He’s about to speak, ask her if she’s all right, when there’s a loud cheer from behind them and their friends burst into applause. He nearly drops her in surprise, but he manages to right her instead, holding her by one shoulder to steady her as he lifts the binding spell.
“Nice shot. I didn’t expect that,” she says, as the cords unravel at her feet. She pulls gently away from him and doesn’t meet his eyes, rubbing her upper arms where the bindings had been. “Thanks for catching me, at least.”
“Of course,” James says firmly, without thinking. “I’d never let you fall.”
She blinks and her lips part slightly, as though she’s about to say something, but she doesn’t. The air between them feels charged, electric, and James can hear the heavy drumbeat of his heart in his ears again. The moment seems to stretch forever.
“Oi! Are you two going to flirt all day, or are we going to see another duel?” Sirius yells, and Lily starts in surprise.
The moment ends. James sighs. “Let’s train somewhere with more privacy next time,” he suggests, and Lily quickly agrees.
“Alright, Evans?” James asks, as he strolls into the Room of Requirement. To his surprise, his feet sink into the floor a little bit. He raises his eyebrows and taps a toe against the soft surface. “What’s going on with this?”
Lily is leaning against a heavy wooden desk, twirling her wand. “I thought we should have somewhere soft to land if we fall,” she explains. “Plus, it’s like running in sand. If we can dodge spells here, it will be easy when we’re back on a hard surface.”
“That’s brilliant,” James says, impressed. “And this room is perfect, should be fewer distractions in here than down by the lake.”
“Right. Our friends can’t come in unless we invite them.”
“Exactly,” he says, though he had been thinking more of the distraction of the rose-gold light of the afternoon sun reflecting off Lily’s hair. His lips tilt in a cocky smirk. “Ready to train?”
“Ready,” she replies, standing up straight and giving James a grin of her own.
He loves that smile, the carefree one that says she’s ready to have fun. He walks to the other end of the room, then turns to face her, brandishing his wand with an elaborate flourish.
“Potter,” she admonishes, the smile veering towards fondly exasperated now, “be serious.”
“I’m not Sirius, I’m James,” he corrects, and Lily groans. “Sorry, I had to.” He flashes her another smile. “Let’s get started. Another practice duel, or something different?”
“Let’s duel again,” she says, pursing her lips and sticking out her chin stubbornly. “I owe you one.”
James laughs. “You can certainly try,” he teases. “Ready?”
They bow to each other and begin to fight. This time, James goes on the offensive immediately, shooting a Jelly-Legs Jinx in Lily’s direction. The jinx hits its mark, and Lily collapses like a newborn foal trying to stand for the first time. She squeals as she hits the floor, and James doubles over in laughter.
That’s his mistake. “Langlock!” she cries, and his laughter abruptly ceases as his tongue freezes against the roof of his mouth. He gasps in surprise, as much as he can, and from the floor Lily points her wand at his feet and shouts, “Lubricam Terram!”
James’ feet slip out from under him like he’s a cartoon character stepping on a banana peel. He grunts as he lands on his back, and hears Lily murmur, “Finite Incantatem.”
He sits up, expecting to have regained the use of his tongue, but it’s just as frozen as ever. Meanwhile, Lily has restored her legs to their normal state and is striding towards him with a pleased smile on her face.
James thinks quickly. He can do some wordless magic, though, ironically, he can’t lift the spell she’s put on him without speaking. The first spell that comes to mind is Levicorpus, and he’ll never use that on Evans. Too close to unpleasant memories for the both of them. He needs something lighter.
She’s only about five paces away when he goes for a Tripping Jinx. She clearly wasn’t expecting him to keep fighting, because she doesn’t even dodge before his spell hits her and sends her stumbling. She lands next to James on her hands and knees, glaring at him, and he smiles his most charming smile.
Lily’s too competitive to be swayed by his charms, though. She sounds extremely satisfied when she says, “Petrificus Totalus!” and James’ body goes rigid. He falls on his side and blinks up at her, and she flops over to sit beside him cross-legged.
“Told you I owed you one,” she mutters, poking him with her wand.
He can’t really nod to give her the acknowledgement she deserves, so he just fixes his face into what he hopes an appropriately humble expression. It must satisfy her, because she smiles and lifts both curses.
“Well done, Evans,” he says, wiggling his tongue around and enjoying its freedom. He gets to his feet and grabs her hands to pull her to hers. “Wasn’t expecting you to keep your wits about you after I’d turned your legs turned to jelly.”
“That’s what you get for underestimating me,” she says, chin in the air. But she gives him a conciliatory nod and adds, “Although I wasn’t expecting you to throw a silent Tripping Jinx at me.”
“Yep, gotta keep an eye out for nonverbal spells,” James says, nodding. “But you’re right, I underestimated you, and lost my tongue for it. It won’t happen again.” He grins and raises his eyebrows. “Shall we go another round?”
True to his word, he doesn’t underestimate her this time. The moment he sends a jinx flying her way, he raises a Shield Charm just in case she sends something back. He’s quick on his feet, and even with the shield in place, he darts from side to side so she doesn’t have an easy target. She dodges his first jinx, and his second, then goes on the offensive herself, trying a Tickling Charm and the Langlock Curse again, but James’ shield holds.
He drops it every now and then to send other spells flying at her, hitting her with another Tripping Jinx and following it with a Binding Curse, like he used in their first duel. She trips when the first spell hits but rolls out of the path of the ropes flying from his wand. From the ground she calls, “Flipendo!”
The spell glances off James’ shoulder and spins him around, giving her time to scramble to her feet.
They’re circling each other now, James alternating between holding his shield and dropping it to shoot sparks, water, and, one time, little birds in her direction. She Vanishes the birds and counters with a Bat-Bogey Hex, which James blocks with his shield just in time.
Raising his shield has left his legs vulnerable, though, and Lily yells, “Locomotor Mortis!”
His legs snap together, and as he begins to fall, he sends the first jinx he can think of her way—a Stinging Jinx.
James hits the floor with a grunt just as his spell catches Lily in the face. “Ow!” she cries, dropping her wand. “Fuck, Potter!”
She snatches her wand from the ground and marches towards him to do Merlin-know-what, but James yells, “Expelliarmus!” and her wand flies out of her hand and into his. He winces, almost apologetically. “Sorry, Evans.”
“Dammit!”
“Should’ve done a full-body bind again,” he advises as he sits up. Her face is starting to swell, little angry red welts appearing around her cheeks and forehead, and he grimaces. He lifts the Leg-Locker Curse from himself and stands. “Duel’s over, right?”
“Yes,” she grumps. “Give me my wand. And fix” –she gestures to her face— “this.”
“Right,” he says. He hands her her wand, then grabs her chin to look closely at the damage he’s done. His heart seizes when he sees her beautiful eyes nearly swollen shut. “I’m sorry,” he says again, sounding more sincere this time.
He circles her face slowly with his wand, murmuring the incantation for a Deflating Charm, and the swelling subsides. The hand that’s holding her jaw drifts higher up her face of its own accord, but once it’s there, James allows himself to brush his thumb across Lily’s cheek. “There,” he says softly.
“Thanks.” Her voice is quiet, too. His hand is still on her cheek. Her skin still looks pink and tender, but her eyes are wide open and as bright as ever.
James wets his lips, wanting to speak but not sure what to say, and Lily suddenly jerks away from him. “Well, I guess that’s enough for today,” she says briskly, turning and walking back towards the large desk at the front of the room. “Anyroad, I ought to go put some Soothing Solution on my face.”
“Oh, right,” James says. His hand feels empty now. He runs it through his hair, disappointed. “See you later, Evans.”
“See you, Potter,” she replies. But she turns back before she leaves the Room of Requirement, an enigmatic smile on her face. “Same time tomorrow?”
He’s reminded, as they practice, that Lily is one of the top students in their class for a reason. She’s such a quick study. Everything she’s learned from their prior sessions—staying in motion, not letting your opponent off the hook until they’re disarmed, keeping an eye out for nonverbal magic—she’s putting to use now. They’ve agreed no Stinging Jinxes today, but they’re flitting around the room like bumblebees themselves, pausing only briefly, always sending spells flying at each other but rarely landing any hits.
They’ve already dueled twice this afternoon, and each has claimed one victory. Now they’re on round three, and they’re both breathing heavily after eight minutes of ducking and dodging with no solid hits. Instinctively, James tries for a different tactic. He shoots a silent spell, a jet of blue light, towards her, but his aim is intentionally off—a bit to her right. Knowing she’ll dart left, he immediately aims for where he expects her to be and yells, “Rictumsempra!”
She can’t avoid his shot, he’s timed it too well, but she was certainly thinking ahead. Before she even dodged the blue light, she’d thrown out a spell of her own with a cry of, “Flipendo!”
The attacks hit their targets at about the same time, and Lily bursts into laughter as James goes tumbling through the air. He flips head over heels away from Lily, finally landing on his back on the squishy floor. She’s still on her feet, giggling uncontrollably as the Tickling Charm works its magic, so he shoots a Seizing Spell to further incapacitate her. The streak of white light that emits from his wand wraps around her like a rope—though more fragile than a Binding Spell—and drags her towards him.
He puts more force behind the spell than he intends, and Lily, nearly curled into a ball because she’s laughing so hard, comes flying into him like a cannonball.
“Oof!” he grunts, as she lands on top of him. He gently pushes her shaking body off his, then waves his wand and lifts the Tickling Charm. Her laughter subsides and body relaxes, her legs straightening and her stomach unclenching.
James falls backwards onto the cushioned floor with a groan. “Alright, Evans?”
She giggles again, clutching her stomach, and his eyebrows lift in confusion. He sits up and peers at her, wondering if he’s done something wrong with the Charm, when she stops laughing and her lips twist in a smirk. “Expelliarmus!” she says, and James’ wand hops right out of his hand to rest on her stomach next to hers.
“You little minx!” he cries, leaning over to snatch his wand back. She laughs again and rolls away to hide both wands, but James easily rolls her over again and pins her on her back, holding her wrists above her head with one hand.
They’re face to face now, and, god, she’s beautiful, beaming with pride and panting with laughter. James is staring. He thinks he should stop, but he can’t, not while he’s looming over her, propped up on one elbow, still holding her wrists and caging her upper body. His lower body is settled almost between her legs; she’s got one knee bent and their hips are pressed together, and James can’t tell if the heartbeat he’s feeling is hers or his own.
She takes a slow, deep breath, and he realizes he’s probably crushing her.
“Oh, sorry!” he says quickly, clambering off her body and landing on his arse next to her. But instead of sitting up or pushing him further away, Lily grabs his forearm and gives him the kind of smile that holds a secret.
“You know, if you wanted to tickle me, Potter,” she says, “all you had to do was ask.”
James blinks, his brow furrowing in surprise. “What?”
“I said, if you wanted to tickle me,” she repeats, slowly, still smiling that cheeky smile, “why didn’t you just ask?”
James inhales shakily, but his own tentative grin spreads across his face. “Evans,” he says in a low voice, and before he can finish the thought, she’s leaning towards him, tugging his arm with one hand and reaching up to grab the back of his head with the other.
Their lips meet with a crash like thunder. James’ head is spinning, and Lily’s pulling him closer, and he’s threading one hand through her hair, trying to feel as much of her as he can whilst remaining upright because Merlin knows he might actually lose consciousness if they continue this while horizontal. She’s kissing him firmly, like she’s been waiting to do it, like she wants him to know she means it. He wraps a hand around her back and pulls her closer still, because he needs her to know he means it, too, and she lets out a little sigh of pleasure.
He pulls back for a moment and stares at her, her pupils blown and a small but victorious smile playing at her lips. He leans in to kiss her again, less desperately now. Gently, tenderly. Like they’ve got time, because maybe, he thinks, we do.
When they finally stop, he rests his forehead against hers and takes a deep breath.
“Evans?” he whispers. “Where’d that come from?”
“Well,” she begins, and her eyes are impossibly huge from this angle, “I’ve learned a lot this past week. My footwork is so much better, and I’ve mastered the Flipendo curse and learned Silencing your opponent isn’t enough to win a duel.”
“Mmhmm,” James murmurs, “So is this…a thank you?”
“No!” She laughs and shakes her head. “I’ve learned a lot about dueling, and my strengths and weaknesses, and all that. But I’ve also learned…I really like spending time with you. And I want to keep spending time with you.” She smiles impishly. “Even after I win the dueling tournament.”
“Oh-ho, aren’t you confident!” he says, grinning and kissing her nose. “What makes you so sure you’re going to win?”
Lily kisses him again, hard and fast, and when she looks up her eyes are twinkling. “Oh, I dunno,” she says with a casual shrug. “I had a really great training partner.”