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James Potter was extremely late.
Now, James was no stranger to being late for work. Just last week he decided to take a quick afternoon nap before his shift, only to wake up three hours later in a complete panic. Today, he was on very thin ice indeed.
James pulled up to the B&Q at exactly ten past three and threw his bike to the ground next to the rack, not even bothering to lock up. He made the calculation on the ride over and decided that at this point in his life, his job meant more to him than his crappy bike. He sprinted through the store to the back, wiping sweat from his eyes and forehead as he ran.
“I’m here!” he cried as he burst into the employee lounge. He knew he must look a mess, but it didn’t matter. He had made it. Sort of.
Sirius looked up from his crossword. “About time. You know Sandy would have wrung your neck if you were late again.”
James hinged at the waist and put his hands on his knees and panted heavily, trying to regain some semblance of control over his lungs.
“Alright,” Sirius grinned and stood up from his spot at the table, stretching, “I’m off. My shift ended fifteen minutes ago, but I had to see if you’d get here in time. Don’t have a heart attack, now, because I wasn’t paying attention in that mandatory CPR class.”
“Give - me - your - vest,” James said between pants, holding out his open hand for Sirius’ orange vest, “I don’t have - time - to get mine.”
Sirius shrugged and handed over the vest. “Enjoy being me for the day. I think you’ll find it much preferable to your own life.”
“Thank you. Now fuck off.”
--
Despite being on bad terms with the boss for his perpetual tardiness, James managed to snag his favorite section assignment. He loved the warm, earthy smell of the Outdoor & Garden section. When the store was dead he wandered amongst the seedlings, small houseplants, and exotic ferns that lined the aisles of the greenhouse. A small water feature trickled away nearby, which created a calming atmosphere as he helped shoppers fill their gardens with begonias, liriope, and gerber daisies.
The store was blissfully dead today, so James was free to explore the new shipment of plants that had come in last night. There was a lovely display of orchids that lined the aisle before the checkout counter, enticing shoppers to include one last, beautiful purchase in their shopping carts.
James had loved plants ever since he was little. His mother used to force him to help her garden as a punishment for being rowdy. One time when he was eight, he and Sirius had accidentally smashed her favorite vase containing a bunch of pink roses. Instead of delivering one of her famous lectures, Euphemia instead opted to show James how he could make it up to her by cultivating his own rose bush. James tended to the plant, cut his own blooms, and arranged them into a brand new vase. To this day he kept that vase safely on his coffee table.
James smiled as he gently lifted the orchid’s face to his own. The tiny plant winked up at him, its purple petals open as if to welcome him. He had a special fondness for orchids. Orchids were beautiful and delicate, but tricky to care for. He found their duality fascinating.
“I’m sorry, can I ask a question?”
James jumped, shaken from his daydream about orchids. He turned around and nearly gasped to see the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She had nearly waist-length auburn hair, which stood out in stark contrast to the explosion of green plants surrounding her. Her skin was pale, and she had two sharp dimples at each corner of her lips, even when she wasn’t smiling.
But it was her eyes that had taken him so aback. He might never have truly seen the color green before now.
James shook his head, forcing himself back into the present moment. “Yes, sorry, how can I help you?”
The girl frowned slightly as her eyes roamed over the store. “I was wondering if you could help me find some plants.”
James laughed. The girl looked back at him sharply, an eyebrow raised. “Oh, sorry,” James winced at his own stupidity, “I thought that was a joke.”
The corner of her mouth turned up slightly. “Right. Well, I’m in a bit of a pickle. I need a plant that is absolutely impossible to kill. I’m talking indestructible. If there’s ever a nuclear apocalypse, this plant needs to be alive for the aftermath.”
“Uh-” James said thickly, glancing around, “well, I’m not sure about an apocalypse, but I think I can help you out. Can I ask what brought you in today?”
The girl was momentarily distracted as she eyed his badge. “Sirius. That’s a lovely name.”
“Oh,” James started. He had forgotten that he’d taken Sirius’ vest. “Actually, my name-”
“So since we’re on a first-name basis, Sirius, I might as well tell you that my ex-boyfriend is a complete prat,” the girl said emphatically, “we were breaking up - for the third time, mind you - and he told me that I was a ‘cold-hearted bitch who couldn’t even keep a cactus alive, let alone a relationship.’ I mean, can you believe that?!”
She looked up at him with so much exasperation that he nearly stepped away from her. “I'm very loving! And nurturing! He’s just an idiot! Like, excuse me for wanting him to take one night off from palling around with his arsehole friends and have a nice dinner with me. Yes, I really am a frigid bitch for that. Anyway, I’m here to prove him wrong.”
James stared at her, slightly dumbfounded. He had absolutely no idea what to say next.
“So, Sirius,” the girl raised her eyebrow once more, “do you think you can help me out?”
He felt himself nod slowly. “I’ll do my best.”
She beamed at him. “Excellent. Now, show me something I can’t kill.”
--
They started in the small houseplant section. Their mission was made more difficult by the fact that the girl had a cat, David Bowie. “That’s his full name, mind you,” she smiled at him, “no nicknames allowed.” This meant that most easy houseplants were a no-go, as they were poisonous to cats.
Ten minutes later, the girl pushed a Ponytail Palm, a Spider Plant, and a Red Prayer plant in her cart. Three houseplants that were nearly impossible to kill.
“I just hope I remember to water them,” she said fondly as she examined her new plant children, “I think that was my problem last time. One time I forgot my nighttime watering, and they all died. Poor things.”
James stopped dead in his tracks. “Hang on,” he cautioned, “what do you mean, ‘nighttime watering’? How many times a day did you water them?”
The girl blinked up at him. “Three,” she said defensively, “breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right?”
James nearly fainted. “No!” He cried, making a woman in the aisle next to them jump, “good god, woman, once every few days, tops! You drowned the poor buggers!”
Shit, he thought as he felt his face go red. He’d surely insulted her now. He should never be trusted to talk about plants around women, ever. Especially women with eyes like that.
The girl, however, threw her head back and laughed openly. “Thank god,” she choked, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, “I thought I killed them with my withering personality. Turns out I just murdered them in cold blood! Blimey, that’s a relief.”
James laughed nervously. He was extremely grateful that she hadn’t been offended. He really needed to learn how to keep his cool about plant care. “I’m sorry, I just meant - just spray them with a water bottle to keep the leaves moisturized between waterings. That should suffice.”
She smiled broadly at him. “Whatever you say, plant man.”
They finished up in the houseplant section and made their way to the flower section.“Now, calla lilies are super easy to care for,” he pointed to a group of pink lilies on display, “but they can be poisonous to cats, so that might not be your best bet.”
The girl laughed and picked up a plant. “Yeah, that and I can’t own lilies on principle.”
James frowned. “Why’s that?”
She looked up at him. “It’s my name. Lily. So, Lily can’t own lilies, can she?”
James felt her name roll around in his head. Lily. Lily. Of course she would have a flower name.
He pointed to a group of African Violets a few meters away. “These are great for getting started. They’re small enough to keep on your desk or bedside table, require only a little light, and they’re non-poisonous. They’re essentially impossible to kill until they die naturally.”
Lily picked up one of the small pots and held it up to her face to examine it closely. The pink of the violet’s petals was identical to the shade of her lips.
“Well, aren’t these lovely? I’ll take ten.”
James couldn’t help but laugh. “Blimey, you’re really trying to show your ex, aren’t you?”
She shrugged and put the flower in her cart. “He shouldn’t have called me a cold-hearted bitch.”
“No,” James breathed as he watched her select more Violets for her cart, “he shouldn’t have.”
After twenty minutes, Lily’s cart was fit to burst. He’d tried to talk her out of getting too many plants at once, but she had insisted that she would be able to care for them all (“trial by fire, right?”).
James had an idea as she wheeled her cart to the checkout counter. He grabbed one of the orchids from the last-minute display and held it out to her.
“I think you should get this one too,” he said boldly, “orchids are my absolute favorite flowers. They’re beautiful and cat-friendly. However,” he said carefully, remembering her penchant for killing plants in the past, “they’re tricky to take care of. They can be temperamental and stubborn, and sometimes they die if you even look at them wrong. But if you can keep them alive, I swear you’ll feel like magic.”
She said nothing for a moment, her eyes darting back and forth between himself in the flower. She seemed to be doing the mental math on whether it was worth it to spend fifteen pounds on a flower that could die at any moment.
Then, at last, she took the plant from his hand, brushing his thumb with her own as she did. She examined the flower just as she had done with the African Violets. James held his breath.
“Alright,” she said slowly, then grinned up at him, “if you’re okay with sending this flower to his doom, I’ll take him.”
James felt his insides swoop. “Brilliant.”
The cashier at the end of the row rang the bell that meant he was ready for the next customer. Lily put the plant in her cart and turned to James. “Well, thank you for all your help today, Sirius. I do believe that I’ll be able to keep these plants alive after all.” And with a little wave, she was off.
James watched her go with a sinking feeling in his chest. He desperately wanted to ask for her phone number, but it didn’t feel right to end their interaction by hitting on her. Not to mention that she thought his name was Sirius, and the thought of correcting her after all this time was too excruciating. No, he would just have to remember this day fondly. The day he let Lily walk out of his life with twenty-five new plant children.
--
The autumn breeze whipped sharply at Lily’s cheeks as she hurried down the sidewalk. She swore under her breath and pulled her jacket around her more tightly. Five more minutes to the B&Q, and she was absolutely freezing. Still, she was on a mission, and not even the cold could deter her.
The store was mostly empty, given that it was a Tuesday morning, so she set about finding the closest sales associate. She walked into the plant section she had visited all those months ago to find it blissfully warm, even on the chilly October day. Finally, she spotted a bright orange vest two aisles over.
“Hello,” she said brightly as she approached the man kneeling before her. He was crouched on the ground, counting orange clay pots on his fingers.
The man swore under his breath. “Blimey, you’ve made me lose my count. Now I have to start all over.”
Lily frowned. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’m looking for Sirius?”
The man looked at her sharply, then straightened up. “Yeah? You’ve found him.”
“No, not you,” Lily squinted at his badge. Sure enough, the pin read “SIRIUS” in big block letters. “I spoke to a Sirius a few months ago, but it wasn’t you.”
The man called Sirius laughed loudly. “You must be talking about my idiot friend, James. The prat’s always late, so he snags my vest instead of getting his own. Lazy bugger.”
Lily frowned again, trying to remember her interaction with the other Sirius. “No, that doesn’t make sense. He told me his name was Sirius. At least, I think he did.”
She looked back to the real Sirius to see him eyeing her curiously. “Hang on,” he said, a wicked grin forming on his face, “you’re the girl who’s hopeless with plants, right? Rose?”
“Lily,” she narrowed her eyes at him, “and how do you know that?”
“No shit,” he threw his head back and laughed heartily, “are you really the plant girl? He didn’t stop talking about you for weeks. Damn, I wish he was here so I could see him make a fool of himself in front of you.”
Lily felt her cheeks flush. Had the so-called James really not stopped talking about her for weeks?
Sirius smirked when he saw her cheeks go red. “My god. You like him too, don’t you?”
“What?” she said as she felt herself flush even deeper, “No, of course not, I just-”
“Then why are you here asking for him?” Sirius asked in a maddeningly cheeky tone.
“Because I had something to tell him!” She knew she must be a deep shade of maroon at this point. “Can you just give him a message for me, please?”
Sirius leaned against the table and crossed his arms, still smirking. “I’ll do you one better. I’m going to go ahead and ask you out on his behalf. I’m his best mate, and have total authority in this matter.”
Lily scoffed. “Yeah, that’s going to be a no from me, thanks.”
“Oh come on!” He yelped, throwing his hands into the air. “You clearly like him. You came all this way to tell him something. Just go out with him, will you? What could go wrong?”
Lily considered this for a moment. She had thought “James” was charming when he’d helped her all those months ago. She still remembered how his hair fell into his glasses when he leaned over to examine a plant, or how his forearms bulged as he lifted one of the heavier ferns into her shopping cart. Plus, his love for plants was endearing. What did she have to lose?
Finally, Lily nodded. “Alright,” she said, then pointed a finger in Sirius’ face, “but if he turns out to be a murder or psychopath I swear to god-”
“I promise, he’s a perfect gentleman,” Sirius said as he pumped a fist into the air, “here, give me your phone number. Have him over for home-cooked Italian food on Friday at seven, he’ll love that.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “I can’t cook Italian food.”
“What a wonderful coincidence,” Sirius winked as he handed her his phone, “James can.”
--
“You know I hate surprises.”
“You’ll like this surprise, I promise.”
“Why don’t I trust you?”
“Because I’m incredibly untrustworthy.”
James groaned and banged his forehead lightly against the car window. Sirius had enticed him into the car with promises of pizza and beer, but then as soon as they reached the highway had announced that James was going on a “surprise adventure.”
“Would you slow down, please?” James groaned into the cool glass, “you drive like a lunatic.”
Sirius scoffed. “I’m sorry if I’m in a hurry to deliver you to the best night of your life. If you’d rather get out and walk, that could be arranged.”
Sirius skidded off the highway and into a trendy-looking neighborhood full of apartment buildings and loud pubs. James wondered dully if Sirius had taken him all this way just to get a pint somewhere new.
“Read me that address, will you?” Sirius motioned to the piece of paper crumpled up in the cupholder.
James frowned, then pulled the paper out. “1202 Newbury, apartment 301.”
Sirius squinted at the numbers on the building to their right, then came to a dangerously abrupt halt. “Alright, here you are. I’ll pick you up at 11, or I’m happy to get you in the morning, if you catch my drift.”
James frowned at him. “What, you’re not coming too?”
“Nope,” Sirius said through his maddening smirk, “trust me, you won’t want me there.”
James looked up at the apartment again in disbelief. “You honestly can’t think that I’m going into a strange apartment, alone, just because you say it’s an ‘adventure.’”
Sirius looked affronted. “I’m hurt that you don’t trust me! You’ll have fun, I promise.”
Grumbling, James exited the car and slammed the door behind him. Sirius rolled the window down for one last call of “make good choices!” before peeling off the curb and hurtling back into traffic.
James approached the front doors to the building and tried to pull them open, but found that they were locked. To his left sat a call box and a key fob. Clearly, he wouldn’t be able to get in without a little help.
Sighing, James approached the call box and punched in three, one, zero. A few moments of silence, then a voice answered through the speaker.’
“Hello?”
“Hi,” James said awkwardly, “Um, it’s James? I think I’m supposed to be here tonight.”
The door buzzed loudly behind him as it unlocked. “Come on up,” the box called cheerily.
The building was old, and James eyed the elevator with some trepidation before deciding to take the stairs. Surprise or no, he figured he would enjoy tonight more alive than dead. It didn’t take him long before he found the right door, and after letting out one final anxious breath, he knocked.
Once again, silence. Then, the sound of a latch being pulled back, the creak of a deadbolt, and the door opened. James’ mouth dropped open.
“Hiya, James,” she beamed at him brightly. Lily, the girl from the flower shop. She looked just how he remembered, except her hair fell to her shoulders instead of her waist. Still, those green eyes were hard to forget.
James blinked stupidly at her. Words, Potter. It was time for words now.
“How did you - I mean, where did you - how did you find me?”
Lily furrowed her eyebrows at him. “I’m sorry, didn’t your friend-”
“Ah,” James realized all at once what had happened. The sneaky brat. “You’re the surprise, then.”
She smiled shyly at him. “I hope that’s alright. He said that you’d be excited. But if you’re not into it, that’s alright, I understand-”
“No!” James nearly shouted in panic, “Of course I’m into it. I mean, I’m happy to see you. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
Lily beamed at him again. “Right, well, if you’ve got that sorted, would you like to come inside? I have something I need to show you.”
James felt his heart quicken. Answer her, you bloody moron! Go inside!
“Yeah, I’d love to.”
She opened the door wider so that he could step inside. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by brown.
A dead, brown Ponytail Palm drooped sadly in the corner. A crispy-leafed Spider Plant hung from the ceiling. Even the Red Prayer, a plant James previously thought was impossible to kill, sat shriveled by the window. They were all dead. Every single plant that Lily had brought home that day at the B&Q, dead and gone.
Except-
“Come, look here. It’s the only one that lived,” Lily said proudly as she pointed to the pot on the coffee table.
The orchid was immaculate. The vibrant, purple petals opened wide to reveal a beautiful little face. There was even a new bud growing from the sturdy stem below. The flower looked brand new, despite it being the middle of autumn.
James looked at Lily incredulously. “How did you-”
“You said it best,” Lily said as she smiled fondly at the orchid, “keep it alive, and you’ll feel like magic. I don’t even care that the rest of them died. This little one here makes me feel magical.”
James’ breath caught in his throat as he watched Lily gaze down at the flower. She’d remembered what he said about orchids all these months later. She cared enough to try her hardest to keep the flower alive. And now it bloomed more brilliantly than any orchid he’d ever seen.
“It’s beautiful,” James muttered as he ran his finger gingerly along the outermost petal, “well done. You should take over for me in the plant section.”
Lily laughed heartily. “I’m sorry, haven’t you noticed the carnage around you? I’m not cut out to be a plant mom after all.”
“I think this little guy would beg to differ,” James chuckled. He grinned down at Lily. “So, do you think I could take you out for some dinner?”
Lily smiled sweetly at him. “You know, a little birdy told me that you cook great Italian food, and I just happen to have fresh pasta and tomatoes from the market.”
James laughed. “Want to show me to the kitchen?”
Lily flashed him that brilliant smile once more, then led him to the kitchen. James was quite sure he’d died and gone to heaven after all.
Nevermind that he had never once cooked Italian food in his life.