#strangers to lovers: jily

[siriuslysnuffles]

Reputation Chapter 2: Dress (Part 1)

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve updated this story, and, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure where I was headed with this story when I started it over 3 years ago. However, hopefully it’s still enjoyable! 

This can also be read on AO3 and FFN. 

Inescapable, I’m not even gonna try. And if I get burned, at least we were electrified

–Taylor Swift, the icon

It’s twelve past seven in the morning when she wakes up in an unknown bed accompanied with the worst headache she’s had since the Giant Squid Incident of ’76. She takes note of the sheets adorned in badgers and the stuffed badger she was holding close to her chest, and she recalls the horrors of the night before. Teasing his posh accent, the mischievous look in his hazel eyes as they flirted, her embarrassment after their kiss, and—most importantly—the vast amount of badgers. And yet, despite the badger fascination, James Potter still didn’t even make the top 5 on the list of weirdest guys she had ever gone home with. Although, he did hold the top slot for the most frustrating . . . for more reasons than she cared to admit.

She should be more embarrassed about the previous night, but well . . . it’s hard not to find it endearing when a cute guy takes you home and tries to sober you up, especially someone as incredibly wholesome as James Hufflepuff Potter. She turns over and sees his tousled head that—even in her hungover state—she would kill to run her hands through. Her fingers touch the edges of his hair, which is quickly disrupted by the sound of a chuckle coming from the corner of the room. Her heart rate accelerated . . . maybe she would have to kill.

She quickly sits up—dropping Bludger in the process—not focusing on who the intruder was but rather on protecting them. (This was war.) Despite her wandless state, she begins uttering the first curse that comes to mind, ‘Furnun—’

‘Really, boils?’ The unfamiliar voice interrupts. The sound sending a sharp pain to her head. Bloody. Fucking. Whisky. After taking a moment for the throbbing to slow down, she notices the curly hair and the leather jacket from the night before. Her heart rate slows down, and she feels the body next to her move. So, she was finally meeting the notorious Sirius Black.

She heard stories about him during her time at Hogwarts. Stories about the grey-eyed boy who looked like he wanted to destroy the world, stories about the boy who seemed to hold a hatred for most people. She would hear girls whisper in the loos, comparing his beauty to that of the Greek gods: beautiful with pain and anger. Most people wondered how such an angsty person managed to claw their way into Hufflepuff in the first place (as ludicrous as it sounded, it was even rumored that he bribed the sorting hat itself). However, she hadn’t given him much thought during their overlapping years at Hogwarts, well . . . besides the fact that he hung out with the cute Hufflepuff chaser.

Yet, she could hardly regard him as someone capable of such angst as he made his way over to the bed she shared with said chaser, a grin on his face as his eyes shifted to the stuffed badger.

The corner of his mouth twitched. ‘Really, Prongs? You do that with Bludger present?’

She heard a groan, followed by the sound of the stuffed animal in question being thrown as James shifted onto his side. For a Quidditch player, you’d think he’d have better aim. But, she supposed this wasn’t the first time Sirius Black had uninvitingly disrupted his friend’s peace when the latter had company over—albeit this was likely the least eventful session he’s disrupted. Nonetheless, Lily laughed as she turned onto her side, now facing James. And without a shred of hesitation, she breathlessly—perhaps with a bit of dramatisation—said: ‘How dare you treat Sir Badger that way?’ With a pout, she reached for the wand that lied forgotten between them and summoned Bludger from the space he landed next to Sirius’s leg. ‘He deserves better,’ she said, clutching Bludger to her chest once more.

James eyed her, an eyebrow raised with his lips twitching now, ‘What are you going to do about that, Evans?’

Her eyes turned to him, gazing briefly at his lips. ’I—‘  The sound of a cough disrupted her. She threw an annoyed glanced at the boy who simply shrugged and smirked.

’Seriously,’ James uttered, sitting up and glaring at the unabashed party. ‘Don’t,’ James warned as a twinkle in Sirius’s eyes grew.

‘You’re no fun.’ Sirius pouted.

‘As much as I enjoy your company first thing in the morning, Padfoot, is there a particular reason you decided to grace us with your presence?’

Lily noticed the quick glance he shot her way before saying, ‘We’ve been called in to work.’ She took his raised eyebrow as an indication that it was time for her to get going.

She saw the pair of them exchange glances and quickly got to her feet.

‘Fine,’ Sirius said before turning around.

She shot James a puzzled look. ‘He doesn’t happen to be a legilimens, does he?’

James laughed as he got up as well, stretching his arm in a way that would have had anyone drooling. Really, men with attractive arms had an unfair advantage. She could image lic—. His reply interrupted her train of thought. ‘No, he’s just been around me for over a decade, so he basically knows my reactions to most things.’

‘Your fellow Hufflepuff.’ She picked up her shoes and dress from the floor before meeting his eyes again. ‘Does he have extensive Hufflepuff decor in his room, too?’

‘Oh, it’s much worse.’ He enunciated as he came closer to her. ‘Puts the entirety of Hufflepuff house to shame . . . I’ll ask him if I can give you a tour sometime, if you’d like.’ He ruffled his already distraught hair.

Bloody fucking hell, even his sheepishness was cute. That was not fair, no one should look so cute that her ovaries were at risk of exploding. Fuck.

‘Anytime.’

***

‘So, Lily—‘

‘Said the funniest thing,’ Sirius interrupted three weeks later.

James pouted from his place on Edgar Bones’s sofa, ‘That’s not what I was going to say.’

The former arched his eyebrow, ‘Oh, really?’

‘Well . . . she did owl me a funny story the other day. You know how—‘

Sirius sighed heavily, ’Just ask the bird out already, Prongs.’

’It’s not that easy. It’s not like I can just say “I think you’re brilliant and would love to take you out, but I’m actually a member of a super secret Anti-Voldemort organization and might be called in for secret missions at any moment. Also, the hours are terrible.”’ Sirius laughed. ’Plus,’ James continued. ‘Have you seen her eyes, Sirius? They’re so green. Like I have no bloody idea how I held it together that night.’

‘Post-mission adrenaline?’

‘Unless you slipped me some liquid luck.’

Sirius scoffed. ‘You think I would waste liquid luck on your love life?’ He shook his head. ‘No amount of luck could help you there.’

‘Oi, don’t make me jinx you,’ James teased.

‘What’d Padfoot do now?’ Remus asked, taking a seat next to James. Peter followed suit, taking a seat next to Sirius on the floor.

’The usual,’ James said at the same time that Sirius uttered, ‘Why do you always think I’m up to something?’

‘Because we literally made a map that says we’re up to something,’ Peter reminded him.

‘And, we’ve met you,’ Remus said with a knowing look.

Sirius pouted. ‘Prongs is in love with the bird he met at the pub a few weeks ago, and—like a good friend—I’m encouraging him to ask the bird out.’

‘I’m not in love,’ James objected as more Order member began infiltrating the livingroom.

All three of them shot him skeptical look; all three of them had experience with how fast and headfirst James fell in love.

‘I’m not,’ he repeated as Dumbledore began the meeting.

James’s mother had always had a saying about being careful what you say because things so easily become a reality. Had he known that, he would have said her named a long time ago, would have prayed it even.

The room quieted as she made her entrance. Her green robes appearing to swoosh around her, her red curls seeming to bounce energetically, and James couldn’t imagine anyone not instantly falling in love with her.

‘Lily Evans,’ he whispered.

‘Oh, this should be good,’ Sirius chuckled.

‘Ah, I’m glad you could join us tonight,’ Dumbledore said as Lily took a seat next to a tall, slender lady with striking, platinum blond hair. ‘I’d like all of you to give your warmest welcome our newest member, Miss Lily Evans.’ She gave a small wave and looked around to observe the other members. She thought she’d recognized a few members from Hogwarts—Professor McGonagall, of course . . .  a boy with mousy brown hair . . . and a boy with sandy brown hair who she thinks had been the prefect a few years her senior. She was a moment away from looking away before she noted the boy next to the former prefect.

‘Oh god,’ she whispered as she heard Dumbledore introducing her as a former Head Girl and current potioneer at the Ministry. Her hands began shaking as their eyes locked, their secret moment in the crowded room going unnoticed as Dumbledore continued with whatever logistics he had been discussing before her arrival.

‘All right, Evans?’ he mouthed. Everything stop around her for a moment.

Finally, she responded. ‘All right, Potter,’ she mouthed back.

She turned back to focus on Dumbledore, but a ball of anticipation bounced around in her stomach as she waited for the meeting to be over.

‘. . . and, lastly, James and Sirius, Lily will be joining you two on your next undercover mission.’

A torturous, earth gravitating, lovely, fucking bloody hell.

‘Yes, sir,’ she heard Sirius say, a hint of amusement in his voice.

#jily fanfiction #Lily Evans #James Potter #jily #au #hufflepuff!james #multiple chapters au #multichapt #siriuslywriting #friends: prongsfoot #strangers to lovers: jily #ch: order members #complicated jily #friends: marauders #friends: blackevans

[theresthesnitch]

I Just Can't Stay (Away)

28.4k words, Rated: E, Complete, James/Lily. Happy birthday, @mabelexclamationpoint

It's the perfect meet-cute on the plane. They kiss in the airport, and promise to see each other again soon. Then, they find out the devastating truth: their parents are getting married. That should be the end, but it turns out, James and Lily have a hard time forgetting about their new step-sibling.

Read it here on AO3.

#i just can't stay (away) #james potter #lily evans #jily #step-siblings #strangers to step-siblings to lovers #snitchwrites

[hp-fanfic-archive]

Beekeeping in the Daylight by halictus Pairing: Remus/Sirius, James/Lily Rating: T Word Count: 50k Podfic available here Read by: HelloCheshire, read by (ashata) Length: 5 hours Sirius is helping James and Lily conquer as many of their irrational fears as possible before they have their baby, in order to not pass on their fears. One day, Sirius takes a panic-stricken James to a friendly (and handsome) beekeeper. Slow burn, strangers to friends to lovers.

#wolfstar #wolfstar fic rec #wolfstar podfic #wolfstar podfic rec #jily #jily fic rec #rating: t #25 to 50k words #50 to 75k words #muggle au #hp fic rec #hp podfic #hp podfic rec #modern au #halloween #beekeeper au #strangers to friends to lovers #strangers to lovers #get together #found family #parenthood #mlm ship

[doorlene]

fame au where dorcas was the valkyries' electric guitarist and marlene is the lead singer. barty, pandora, regulus are co-stars for a thriller (& romance) film + peter's their director. james and lily are a love team, and evan is directing their new film, and mary is their makeup artist. sirius and dorcas are supermodels, and remus is a runway director.

#im working on this au rn!! #it's such a queer mess #mwpp #mwpp fame au #marauders era fame au #marauders fame au #fame au #lux wip #jegulus #platonic jily #jealous james and jealous evan #friends to enemies to strangers to lovers dorlene #pre established wolfstar #secret marylily #theres more #but i dont wanna give away too much yet #tee hee #also tell me if this has been done before

[wolfstarshipping]

Snow in June by BrigidFaye (25.561 words) Rating: Mature Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, minor Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, minor James Potter/Lily Evans Potter

magical AU

Summary: Remus Lupin clashes with every old money, pureblood New Yorker he meets. They’re the trustees he shouted at from protests, the college president whose office he picketed, the board members whose orders he ignored. They are elitists who look sideways at his blood status and back away in alarm when he’s not cowed by their lunaphobia. Currently they're the guests who don't always respect the wilderness retreat where he now works as a caretaker. This winter, Remus has been working with the wealthiest, most impeccably pedigreed downstater he’s ever known. And damn it if James Potter isn’t growing on him. Working with James' best man isn't going to complicate anything… is it?

Comment: This was such a wonderful magical AU, and it has awakened a deep love for lumberjack Remus in me that I didn't know I had before, but now I want MORE! I love BrigidFaye's writing, and all the magical elements in the story, especially the tume bubbles were just so wonderful, I loved everything about this fic!!

#wolfstar #remus lupin #sirius black #wolfstar fic rec #fic rec #Snow in June #BrigidFaye #magic AU #20k-30k #pov remus #texting #Remus: bi #Sirius: bi #Remus: werewolf #Jily wedding #strangers to friends to lovers #american AU

[ncoincidences]

All the fics I read this year, part 1: ship I read most this year —

It's James/Lily !! I've read about 80 fics for Jily this year! I've linked them all down below and limited myself to describe every fic in only a line to fit Tumblr's 4066-character limit (I don't think I did any of them justice though ,:) they're all amazing and incredible in their own way). They're not sorted in any order - it's a chaotic mess ,,:,,)

Kindly Stopped for Me* by @nodirectionhome-ao3 - Lily survives AU, an angsty fic with great badass Lily moments!

Lay All Your Love On Me* by @athenasparrow - Jily Hogwarts fic that also has smut :D

The Art of Identification by Athenasparrow - cute one-shot featuring amortentia :D

She Will by @relyingonoldships - ANGSTY! gather your napkins. I have warned you.

The Summer I fell in Love* by @annasghosts - Muggle meet cute + summer love <3

Finding Lily by Annasghosts - unique premise + fake dating for the win :D

Things That Haven't Happened Yet by @kay-elle-cee - SMUT

the silence in the sorrow by kay-elle-cee - secret relationship during war + battle angst

to ache, to hope by kay_elle_cee - unplanned pregnancy that explores both James and Lily's emotions

i'll be fine, i'll be good* by kay-elle-cee - Slytherin!Lily AU focussed on Lily's character + secret relationship

Tall Dark and Glasses by @jamesunderwater - lovely writing and a heart-melting meet cute!

Meet Me At The River by @charmsandtealeaves - PEN PALS JILY, absolutely adorable fic!

Laundry Day by charmsandtealeaves - cheeky fic

Midnight Dip by charmsandtealeaves - ALSO cheeky 😏

Call Me By Name by charmsandtealeaves - feat. Phone Call sex 😏 and strangers to lovers!

Incoming by charmsandtealeaves 'call me by name' but James POV and it's so good!!

Wake Me Up (When September Ends)* by charmsandtealeaves - Hogwarts Jily 7th year coming of age :)

Love Birds by charmsandtealeaves - fluffy ridiculous rom com au where James cannot be separated from his accidentally acquired duck and Lily is a gorgeous vet :D also features insanely cute doodles :D

Something Black and Blue by charmsandtealeaves - what's making Lily Evans so late to her own wedding?

Sugar Quills by charmsandtealeaves - SWEET x

Padfoot's Nose Knows by charmsandtealeaves - indeed sirius can smell the good news from a mile away!

The Exchange Principle by charmsandtealeaves - cute body swap fic!

Nom De Plume by AnnaBtG - !!!!! unique concept! secret erotica writer James needs Lily (his coworker who's totally NOT his muse) to pretend to be his persona but Lily hates his guts...... or does she 😏

Haircut by PetalsToFish - James gets a new haircut!!

Lipstick by PetalsToFish - James bought Lily a lipstick and she's trying it out 😏

WILF by PetalsToFish - Wizard I'd Like to Fuck 😏

Reputation (Wildest Dreams Version) by PetalsToFish - Slytherin!Lily + enemies to lovers fic <3

State of Grace (Never Saw You Coming) by PetalsToFish - Lily never saw James coming..... literally. a car accident meet-cute (no one's hurt tho :))

Prodigal by PetalsToFish - slightly angsty, exploring Lily through her years at Hogwarts from first year

Girl Crush by PetalsToFish - actually Peter's POV centred around Jily

*[The asterisks next to a fic indicate that I haven't caught up to the latest chapter update]

#ciden recs #jily #james potter #lily evans #fic rec 2023 #this was a pain to format

[florenceafternoon]

━。゜✿ jily fic recommendations ✿ ゜。━

This post is just some of my current favourites because I don’t think I have the energy to make a master list right now. Personally, I like to read aus so if you're looking for canon stuff this isn't the post for you.

For reference, anything in italics is taken from the summaries on ao3.

in pursuit of the study of magic by @thequibblah

An immortal magician au or, "we had a really bad breakup three hundred years ago, but neither of us realised the other is immortal until we met today"

I recommend you listen to About You while reading this

Growing (in love) by casablancas21 (on ao3)

Uni au where "James Potter has a lot going on for him. His uni years have been the best he's ever had and his friendliness, popularity and charm go a long way to place him as the go-to bloke if one's looking for a good time. Nevertheless, his final year of school finds him struggling to keep up with the social energy that once enthralled him. He's having a hard time figuring out how to set his own boundaries and what to do about his future. He's also having a really hard time figuring out Lily Evans."

I must admit that Lily's comebacks are so good I've used some during class debates in sociology this year. Truly, the dialogue and dynamics between characters in this fic are so good. Pretty sure this is the one with the kebab

Golden Waltz by evanspotter (on ao3)

Lily Evans wants to be the best ice dancer in the world, which means she needs to find a dance partner ASAP. After two failed partnerships, her coach gives her one last option: James Potter.

This fic is the reason I neglected revising for midterms. It also caused me to go into a deep dive into watching tapes of Olympic ice dance programs specifically Virtue and Moir.

on the way home by keep_driving (on ao3)

Lily was living abroad and pinning from afar. After an abundance of "phone calls, mixtapes, and long waits," Lily is finally coming home. I believe this fic is inspired by the song You Are In Love.

When I say jily is friends first, and lovers second this is what I mean

Dancing With Our Hands Tied by @athenasparrow

But despite his best efforts, he couldn’t take his eyes off her figure as she moved effortlessly in rhythm with whatever song she had playing. He learned she was wearing more than a t-shirt when she slid across the kitchen on her socks, throwing her head back to sing words James wished he could hear.

OR: In a world where social distancing reigns supreme, two strangers find themselves confined to their apartments with love only a window away.

The way I binged this fic at school between classes. love love love

The Season by @missgryffin

This is a regency (Brighton) au where "James Potter, Duke of Peverell, has returned to London just in time for the season, where Miss Lily Evans is about to make her debut. Only, he’s not looking for a wife, and she’s not particularly interested in a husband."

I love the dialogue between Lily & James as well as Sirius & Lily's relationship (for those who know Brigerton, it reminds me of Ben and El's relationship).

A Misstep Of Fate by hogwartslivy (on ao3)

A muggle historical au where "he waited for her on the edge of ballrooms and in the shadows of parties. He waited to dance with her, to spin her in his arms, to be the one she laughed and smiled with. He thought he was doing the right thing, allowing time to pass them until they were ready, so he had waited. But it seems, he made a misstep. He's waited too long now she's slipping through his fingers."

My boy is stupid and in love but it's okay because she is too. Their idiots, but they’re my idiots

Let Me Love You by @thejilyship

A Princess Diaries au in which "with only a month until she's set to take the throne of Gryffindor, Lily is informed that she'll have to get married or choose to give up her throne. She never thought she'd have to even entertain the idea of an arranged marriage. Enter, James Potter."

chaos ensues and Emma deserves long service leave (the place would fall apart)

foreigner's god by clarewithnoi (on ao3)

answer to a Tumblr prompt: "we were lovers in a past life" but the current incarnations are enemies-to-lovers, and they don't remember anything from their past selves.

The back and forth between them is so good. low-key I teared up a bit but it has a HEA

An October of Unconventional Courtships by @ghostofbambifanfiction

Two phones. Thirty-one days. Eighteen tuxedos. A Jilytober texting fic.

A classic that everyone should read

Shelf Awareness also by @/ghostofbambifanfiction

Modern bookstore au where "It's too far out of her way and she's wasting so much money, but Lily can't help but return to the bookstore every weekend, where her passion for good literature has, perhaps, been unexpectedly reignited by the messy-haired, pun-making, rather handsome bloke who works there."

One of the first ever jily fics that I read and I fell in love with their dynamic straight away

Careless Texter also by @/ghostofbambifanfiction

Answer to the prompt, “I left my phone number on the bathroom stall wall and you text me about your day and your frustrations for a month & it’s really nice and cute but I still don’t know who you are,” with some twists and differences.

Trackside by @hogwartslivy

James Potter is Formula One’s most impressive young talent, making up one half of the championship winning team at Gryffindor Racing. He’s got a reputation for playing dirty on, and seemingly off, the track but when an article quoting a particularly vulgar comment made by him at last years final Grand Prix is released, it seems he may have pushed it too far. Potter faces two options; fix his public image or give up his seat.

When my two obsessions meet

it's (always) you by @kay-elle-cee

A multiverse of 31 meet-cutes for Jilytober 2023.

Honorable mentions to chapter 3 for high!Lily and chapter 7 for fulling my love for jily regency aus

Key Limes by cgner (on ao3)

Fame au "in which Academy Award winner Lily Evans discovers the periphery of internet fandom and the mysteries of Prince James’s gold star system."

Because James is actually just a giant build a bear and lily is an icon as always.

See You At the Next Stop by kayrma (on ao3)

Lily Evans meets a posh-looking bloke with messy hair on the way back to London, and for once in her life she actually enjoys a train ride. Maybe having a spontaneous seat partner isn't that bad after all.

Shoutout to the notes on this fic because whoever wrote it is a mood

Nom De Plume by @annabtg

James Potter, renowned potioneer, has a secret side career as an erotica writer under the pen name of Scarlett Goldwing. When his latest book starts to take off, and Scarlett is asked to promote it at a public event, he has no other option but to recruit his colleague Lily Evans to pretend to be Scarlett. The only problem is, Lily Evans hates his guts… or does she?

(Rated E for later chapters)

Like did you read that summery because personally I was waiting for the author to complete the story so I could binge it

victorem (requires an ao3 account ) by gryffindormischief (on ao3)

(Olympic) Ice dancing au. "When God closes a door, sometimes you have to jump out a window."

Lily and James (and Sirius) aka the dynamic duo

Phone Service by @confuded-gryffindor

Moddern muggel au "in which James and Lily meet twice, both through their phones."

some with arrows, some with traps by @isahorcrux

Fame au. "Then: James Potter was a beloved child star and the lead of a popular YA franchise. Lily Evans was just getting her big break as his romantic lead in the third installment. While their chemistry got rave reviews, if the rumors are to be believed the two actors can barely stand to be in the same room together.

Now: Lily’s paid her dues and ten years later she’s the most in-demand actress in Hollywood. And James...after back-to-back flops at the box office, he’s just looking for a break and a chance to prove he is the amazing actor everyone thought he was going to be."

Much Ado About Nothing, but make it Jily

The group chat is the level of chaos me and my friends extrude every free line we spend together

Charred Pineaple Margarita's and a Bagel by @chiechie97

The guy at the coffee shop was hot. Hot and he knew her order. But that didn’t mean ANYTHING. Especially when he seemed to know everyone’s order. And besides, Lily is far too busy to be thinking about the hot guy that always has her breakfast waiting for her. Right?

Lily and Remus are me

and i know you too well to say you're perfect by @ofmermaidsandmarauders

“Yeah, you were a pretty big moron.” “Hey, I said idiot!”

Lily's not really sure when James Potter, soccer extraordinaire, took over her life with Harry.

What the summery said

The next few fics are all by @wearingaberetinparis or ritaskeetered (on ao3) who is the reason I joined the jily fandom. Single handedly enabled my obsession and I've never been more thankfull.

The Very Regency (Un)Ladylike Guide To Fortune-Hunting

Regency au. "Without thinking highly either of men or matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want." (Jane Austen)

Lily Evans finds herself wanting, or: so her sister seems to believe. While out on the hunt for a fortune - again: that would be Mrs Dursley mostly - the affection of a number of suitors is most welcome. Especially when a young Viscount's heart is set aflame.

Screaming, crying, punch me in the face (Lily's version)

Jump (For My Love)

Royalty au "When you are the Prince of England, the last thing one might expect is to be jumped from behind by the most beautiful woman one has ever seen, who - in turn - seems to have no clue at all and mistakes one for someone else. Surely, Prince James has the right to be disproportionately upset about this. The question is; does he need to?"

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Olympic au. James, being half Greek, had always dreamed of one day going to the Olympics. Now, at his second Winter Olympics – having won a surprising bronze medal at his first one – James has been dubbed Team GB’s hero before the games have even started.

Lily, being the daughter of a waste collector, had always dreamed of one day making her parents proud by exceeding their expectations. Now, she finds herself on a plane to China together with her boss, Minerva McGonagall, and a crowd of winter athletes representing Team GB at the Winter Olympics of 2022.

The paths of James Potter – overenthusiastic snowboarding hero – and Lily Evans – passionate overachiever – cross at the 2022 Winter Olympics when James Potter is asked to be Team GB’s flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony (and quite a few times after that as well).

The repetition of "James, being half Greek..." worked so well for the flow. I don't know how to describe it

A Game Of Thrones

Modern royalty au. Lily Evans had never imagined she would meet Prince James, but when she does at St Andrews' annual Christmas Pub Crawl, her whole world is turned upside down. For who thought that a girl like her - with a sister that reads "Hello" magazine like it's the Bible - would end up with a prince like him?

Euphemia Potter you will always be famous

flowers

A musician au that hilights sexisim in the music industry. "Singer-songwriter Lily Evans has played gig after gig, has been the opening act to many a headliner, but her big break seems a million miles away. When one night – after playing in her friend Marlene McKinnon’s bar – she receives messily scrawled lyrics on a napkin by a certain Monty Python, her life and career are turned upside down, leading her all the way to the Grammy's."

Lily my love, you deserve everything you've worked for

If You Knew Who Was Talking

hopelessly_devoted and genuinely-conflicted form each other’s support system online, cheering one another on as they battle their way through an unrequited (and most definitely unwanted) crush on the person their parents are trying to set them up with.

In the real world, James Potter and Lily Evans find themselves hopelessly devoted and genuinely conflicted when battling their persistent infatuation with the last person they would have ever liked to fall for, stubbornly fighting their family’s and friends’ convictions that they were born to be together.

If only they knew who was talking.

FOOLS the both of them.

glitter in the sky, i’m spinning out waiting for ya

For her thirtieth birthday, Marlene McKinnon and Mary McDonald gift Lily Evans the thrill of a lifetime: a tandem skydive. What no one expected? For Lily to end up in the hospital as a result with her ankle covered in soul marks.

everybody is a sexy baby, and i'm a monster on a hill

Ficwriter au. "James Potter and Lily Evans are fandom famous. Both are prolific and popular writers within the Marauders fandom, but they have completely ignored the other's existence for two years after a Tumblr misunderstanding. Now, they are paired up for the Valentine's Marauders Challenge and - forced to interact - they find out that they may be more compatible than they ever could have imagined."

Is this not the dream?

fastening myself to you with a stitch

Fame au. "Anyone who has never heard the names Lily Evans and James Potter before must be a boomer. The two actors have dominated the box office with their films in the past nine years, more often than not starring opposite one another. Whether tasked to portray mutual pining, passionate hatred or fiery love, Potter and Evans make the screen positively buzz with the taste of opportunity."

it's all happening without me

Normal People (Sally Roony) au. "At school, James and Lily pretend not to know each other. James is wealthy, popular and the star of his school’s football team, while Lily wears second-hand school uniforms, is the school pariah and resented for her smarts. At James’ house, however – meeting there due to Lily’s mother’s housekeeping job – they form an intense connection they desperately try to conceal to the outside world.

A year later, James and Lily both attend Hogwarts University where James has found his feet and made friends he had longed for his entire life, while Lily remains uncertain and haunted by her problematic past.

Throughout their years at university, James and Lily circle each other, trying to resist the magnetic pull between them, whilst coming to the realisation that the both of them may be more religious than they ever thought they were."

Mother knows best. Mary, never question your writing skills because this fic proved that you are a phenomenal writer. The emotions you evoked coverered the entire range of human emotions

It's Coming Down, It's Coming Down Series -

Weird, But Fuckin' Beautiful

When Lily Evans is invited to spend Christmas with the Potters, she finds that she can simply not refuse. It’s an offer she cannot resist for several reasons, the most important one being that she would much rather spend the holidays with Fleamont and Euphemia than she would with Vernon and Petunia.

So what if she had conveniently forgotten (or has she?) about the fact that the Potters have a son - a Formula 1 driver at that - who she can’t seem to get off her mind? (Mightily annoying that, seeing as he has made clear exactly how he feels about her and it’s not exactly giving her any hope.) It’s not as if she can’t control herself.

Or so she very dearly hopes…

Tonight Feels Impossible

But after a night spent together in a hotel's honeymoon suite, she doubts she ever will and fears it might be her downfall.

To All The Kudos I've Left Before

Ficwriter au set in university. "Fanfiction is the guiltiest of pleasures that Lily - twenty years old and studying at Hogwarts University - freely and happily indulges in. She reads fanfiction whenever she has a moment to herself and goes crazy whenever her favourite author - Artemis - updates or uploads another one of his works to Archive Of Our Own. Leaving them comments and the ensuing banter between them back and forth - however fleeting - makes her heart race and preoccupies a fair amount of her thoughts, which - in turn - angers her best friend.

James Potter has never had to suffer from an inferiority complex. His parents and friends are supportive of his every endeavour and this includes his habit to write fanfiction and put his written work out there in the void for his readers to enjoy. His readers are highly supportive too - Lilium being his absolute favourite - that is, until he starts to receive the vilest of comments from a number of guest accounts and starts to question his entire online existence.

What Artemis and Lilium don’t know? That they might know each other a little better than either of them ever bargained for."

The title says it all ❤ ❤❤

#jily fic rec #jily #lily evans #james potter #jple

[ashshmee]

ok so for jegulus i really see their relationship as being lust before like. physical attraction before they’re able to admit that they actually like eachother. it takes a lot of time before they can work through their worries of all of the reasons why they shouldn’t be together before they finally realize there is no way they can possibly live apart.

jily is THE slow burn. like strangers to enemies to indifferent toward eachother to friends to lovers to everything to eachother. like i need hundreds of thousands of words of them working through the many emotions they have of eachother before i can accept them getting together. and then they are obviously the most adorable ever.

regulily just get eachother. they have the same brand of trauma. hot take but i think they would get together so easily. like they would be awkward and shy together but they wouldn’t care to much because at least they are. together that is. at least they finally have someone who sees them as more than a second choice.

and jegulily is. i don’t even have enough words to explain all the things i think their relationship is.

yes this is all brain rot from my fic here is my secret in which i share my neurodivergent sad french boy regulus, sweetie pie with female rage lily, and asshole to sunshine boy pipeline james agenda, all while speaking my jegulily truth <3

#jegulily #jegulus #regulily #starchaser #sunseeker #sunflowerseeker #sunstargazer #waterlily #stargazer #regulus black #regulus #james potter #lily evans #marauders #marauders era #harry potter #hims #fic: here is my secret

[kay-elle-cee]

WIP Tag

Thank you for the tag @aidanchaser, this is really neat and I don't think I've seen this tag before!

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends!

(Alrighty, so we know my main focus for the foreseeable future are my 2 AUs, but I'll throw in some smaller fics that might get worked on here and there)

Titles

In Search of Something More — Regency Jily AU, strangers-to-married-to-lovers.

in the latter days (working title) — This is my first war AU fic. I believe I've been pretty tight lipped about it as far as plot goes, and want to keep it that way until I'm 100% certain I actually like it (lol) but I will divulge the fact that the Order fractures.

restless waves-verse Microfics/oneshots (Pirate Jily)

Post-Dead Man's Chest Willabeth angst (POTC, not Jily)

Currently untitled Alight With Happiness fest fic for day 3, Thrice Defied, featuring a Jily wedding of sorts.

Upcoming Scenes and Details

I'm really excited to write the small ways in which James and Lily start getting closer and get to actually know one another though they're already married.

I have a fight I'm really excited to write. It's an argument that gets really nasty and does end with tears and you know I'm rubbing my hands together greedily.

Look I'm SO EXCITED to get to baby Harry in this universe, but I also really want to circle back and write Lily and James' first I love you moment because it's been VERY CLEAR in my head since I outlined the original story.

I have most of this written, but I'm excited to look at it with fresh eyes and really dial up the angst with misunderstanding.

Hi hello I am so ready to write Lily fighting Death Eaters while wearing a billowy-sleeved wedding gown you don't even KNOW. It's been in my head as a single image for about 18 months now and it's finally HAPPENING.

Tagging @charmsandtealeaves @jfleamont @nodirectionhome-ao3 @isahorcrux @athenasparrow @eastwindmlk @tinyluminaryzombie @jamesunderwater @annabtg @alittlebitofeverything23

#tag game #wip #kelsey writes

[goldencherriess]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

Hi! So sorry for the late response, but I'm finally answering! Life has been very eventful lately haha.

It was so hard to choose only five favourite fics I've written (they're all my babies), but eventually I've narrowed it down:

Time after Time (simply because there was a lot of historical research put into it and I love history) - Loki x Fem! Reader

The Revaria Chronicles (fantasy AU! with pirates and an enemish strangers to lovers! Only one chapter out, kinda on hiatus, but never forgotten. I'm planning to write some more for it, don't worry) -Stephen Strange x Fem! Reader

Soulmates (the friends to lovers trope with a pinch of angst, basically. Oh and Jily makes an appearance) - Remus Lupin x Fem! Reader

Sentiment (you can cut the tension with a knife!) - Sherlock Holmes x fem! Reader

Aaand...

Storms (which you can find on my ao3! The protagonist is a strong willed girl who only wishes to discover herself. Only two chapters are out: a prologue and a first chapter, can't wait to write some more of it, it takes a lot of work though and lately I didn't find the time) - Percy Jackson x Fem! Reader

#mail 💌 #mochie85 #mutuals my beloved #fanfic writing #laura answers #loki x reader #stephen strange x reader #remus lupin x reader #sherlock holmes x reader #percy jackson x reader

[theresthesnitch]

Ooo whats it about?

😅

Listen, you're going to have to trust me.

It's Jily. Strangers to Step-Siblings to Lovers. I know. I've actually had a lot of fun with it though, and I think you'll enjoy it too. There's a snippet below the cut that gives the vibe.

~*~

Lily smiles as she grabs his phone, sending herself a quick text. “You better. Otherwise, you’re leaving me to the mercy of my future step-brothers, and I can’t be responsible for what happens then.” 

James pulls out his phone and hands it to her. “Here, put your number in, and I’ll make sure you get out of the house at least a little bit this week.” 

“Well, for the sake of your future step-brothers, I guess I’ll have to.” He takes a step closer, still holding her hand, and Lily can feel her heartbeat speeding up. “I know we just met, but I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t ask now. Can I kiss you?”

She inhales sharply, certainly not expecting that now. Nor how much she wants to. “Yes,” she says. 

James cups her face with one hand, his warm and slightly calloused fingers gently threading into her hair. He dips his head, and their lips meet.

Her eyes are closed when he pulls away. “I’ll see you again soon?”

~*~

James straightens his bag on his shoulder. “Ready to go, then?”

“No, we’re picking up Allen’s daughter too. She’s supposed to be arriving at the same time you did, so I told him I’d grab her too.” 

James wrinkles his nose. “Petunia? You offered to pick up Petunia?”

“No, the other one,” Sirius says, looking back down at his phone. “She says she’ll be out in a bit.” 

“The one who avoided meeting us at Thanksgiving?” James asks. “What’s her name?”

Sirius looks up blankly. “I don’t remember. Luis, maybe?”James raises an eyebrow. “You think Allen’s second daughter is named Luis.”

“Excuse me, I think you’re waiting for me?”

James’s stomach drops when he hears her voice, and he doesn’t turn immediately. Sirius, on the other hand, smiles at her. “Yeah, are you Allen’s daughter then?” 

“Yes, that’s right.” 

James starts to turn slowly as Sirius speaks again. “Great, then we’re here for you. I’m Sirius and you are–” 

“Lily,” James says as he turns to see her. 

“James?” She says it like his name is a question. 

“You’ve met?” Sirius says. It’s a moment before the realization comes over his face. “Oh, oh, this is just priceless. Are you the girl from the plane then? The one he kissed?” They don’t say anything, and Sirius laughs. “Oh, god. This is going to be fun.” 

#snitch answers asks #snitches get snippets #jily #step-siblings #strangers to step-sibilings to lovers #i just can't stay (away)

[just--vi]

my fics 😌

I write a lot of Wolfstar and Jegulus but don't be fooled I will ship just about anything...

Complete

Young Blood - A Wolfstar/Jegulus-centric coming of age road trip AU focusing on family angst, falling in love, coming to terms with one's sexuality, and navigating all the hurdles that come hand in hand with being young and dumb.

YB part 2 (aka "The Little Blue House on Main Street") is in progress! But each can be read as a standalone fic.

Love by the Seaside - A Wolfstar strangers-to-lovers falling in love fic with background Jily. Set in Cornwall, Remus moves to the sea after a particularly rough breakup and winds up stumbling across someone who reminds him an awful lot of someone he used to know...

You're Losing Me - An angst-ridden Wolfstar oneshot that's largely canon compliant and set in the few weeks before Sirius' imprisonment, exploring mistrust and Peter's hand in manipulating their tenuous relationship.

Under the Glow of Neon Lights - Annnnd we're rounding it out with smut. Pure smut. Remus x James x Regulus smut. Porn without plot. Enjoy!

WIPs

The Little Blue House on Main Street - A university AU featuring Wolfstar, Jegulus, and Pandalily (with some honorable mentions), exploring identity, falling in, out of, and back into love, and again, being young and dumb.

Where the Light Gets In - A fame / band AU featuring a variety of ships (but Wolfstar and Jegulus centric). Lightly gossip girl inspired. LIGHTLY.

For the Love of Ducks - And finally, a Wolfstar with background Jily sick fic. Remus is sick, and he wants nothing more than to feel normal. Sirius is absurdly beautiful and decidedly not normal, and Remus just can't get enough...

#my fics #wolfstar #jegulus #rosekiller #pandalily #marylily #marauders fanfic

[pteropodidaes]

it's been a while since i interacted with the marauders fandom, (like a month or two) but one recurring theme that i saw was the drastic recon of a lot of the slytherins in that era.

i remember when your main cast in your average marauders fic was mostly gryffindors, and then a lot of the antagonists were slytherins. barty and evan were almost always villains (bullies, toxic exes, etc) and regulus was an angst device for sirius. nowadays, the main cast is split into two main friend groups, gryffindors and slytherins. most gryffindors have a slytherin they're paired with (lily and dorcas [which btw i remember when dorcas was a gryffindor], james and regulus, etc etc). the slytherins all have family issues where their parents are blood purists and they don't agree with them and it's a whole thing blah blah blah

i like that there is more diversity in where the characters come from, but there is so much nuance that is stripped of these characters to make them all get along. regulus is the number one victim of this.

i've noticed there is a desire to make the characters people like morally good. they preach about grey characters, but when it comes down to it there is always a justification for the "bad" things they do. sometimes people do bad things because they believe bad things. regulus is a bad guy. he is a death eater, he gets the dark mark and everything. a lot of people write that regulus secretly agreed with sirius the whole time, but it makes it so much more interesting if sirius and regulus's morals actually clash instead of regulus just agreeing with his parents. i personally love when sirius and regulus are close in their childhood and then it changes as they both mature and find themselves.

i think if we look at the characters realistically, regulus barty and evan would never truly get along with people like james and sirius. they're both righteous people (ESPECIALLY james) who would not tolerate blood purism. and that's interesting to explore and to write! sirius watching his brother become a complete stranger who resents him because their morals conflict is so interesting!! you don't have to take away murky morals from a character so they can make out with your fav... which leads me to my next thing.

the jegulus boom. i remember when jegulus was a crack ship and now i think it's literally up there in popularity with wolfstar. i used to ship it as a joke, and in the beginning it was cute but honestly i don't see this ever being an actually healthy relationship. again, james has very strong morals and he would not tolerate regulus being a death eater. he would also ALWAYS choose sirius and he wouldn't stay in a relationship with someone who would cause sirius so much pain. there are a select few circumstances where i see them in a select few dynamics??? but i just don't see it happening.

it's sad because i feel like lily has been tossed aside for fandom's new bl ship. like i love wlw ships with all my heart but sometimes it seems like they come out of people wanting to do something with the canon female love interest. jily is such a beautiful and adorable ship, and the chemistry is honestly so much better than jegulus if i'm being honest. lily is also such an interesting character and you can still get your enemies to lovers fix out of jily. you don't need to compromise the morals of both james and regulus for your yaoi.

it always struck me as weird that these canon death eaters are suddenly heroes now, as in they never believed this shit at all and they're actually victims of their families and society and stuff. don't get me wrong, they definitely are, but it would be better if it wasn't just "i always thought this is wrong and i'm the rebel in my family!" people in these systems actually do get brainwashed and manipulated, and they do believe these things wholeheartedly.

i understand the whole thing with marauders is that there is no canon and you can do whatever you want, but sometimes the characters are just so flat. regulus is interesting to me because he was a bad person but he ultimately chose to sacrifice himself for something good. there's also the issue with changing the characters to the point where they're completely unrecognizable from canon. jkr is a shit writer, but that doesn't change the fact that james has been repeatedly described in canon as a righteous man with incredibly strong beliefs. he may have been a little shit, but never to the point where he would date a death eater. he literally pantsed one upside down and washed their mouth out with soap.

i'm also not saying the old fics were better. there used to be a LOTTT of inconsistency with the characterization of a lot of side characters like dorcas and mary and marlene. i love that the new fandom has given these characters a chance to shine. (well, the male ones at least...) i'm also also not saying that the slytherins should be just bad guys again. i feel like we've flopped from making them total assholes to angels that rebel a little bit.

i could honestly talk about the issues within the marauders fandom for literal hours, but the slytherins are something that has bothered me for a while now. don't be scared to make your skrunklies evil, they don't even have to be evil the whole time you can give them a killer redemption arc 👍

#this is messy i wrote it at midnight and i'm sick #we need to talk more about how everyone has done lily so dirty #ship who you want but objectively jily is better than jegulus idc #lily and james have more chemistry in their pinky toes than james and regulus do #harry potter #marauders #james potter #sirius black #lily evans #regulus black #anti jegulus

[alittlebrownbat]

My Year-End Wrap Up

It's nearing the end of the year and I've read a lot, and I mean a lot of fics this year. Millions of words worth of fics. Refusing to acknowledge I have a problem; that's something I'll face in 2024. It's become my nighttime routine and my favorite thing to do before I fall asleep. I thought I'd do a little roundup of my favorites. They're mostly Wolfstar with a smattering of Dorlene and Jily. These are them, in no particular order:

Let's Play Pretend by MsAlexWp - I had trouble choosing between this and A Potter's Field, which I also highly recommend. I followed this work in progress (now finished) all summer and it was an absolute delight. R/S are both young, single parents and pretend to date to appease the nosy ladies in Sirius's building. It is chicken soup for the soul and will make you both laugh and cry. I can't wait to reread it.

The Fragile House of Black by @fantismal and Jormandugr - This is a series that has a brilliant interpretation of the Prophecy. I don't think it's a stretch to say it's the best magical AU I've ever read. It also has a few Peter POV chapters and gives a backstory for why the betrayal happened, something I feel was undercooked with the original series. Heavy on Black brothers healing. It is perfection.

The Many Lives of Sirius Black by enigmaticblue - A bring back Black treat, also a series. Sirius goes through the veil and meets Regulus, who presents him with a series of doors which will allow him to restart during specific years. We get to explore what it would have been like through each choice.

Honey Honey by @aeoneskova - Marlene is teaching in the muggle world after essentially being exiled for trying to prove Sirius's innocence. That is, until an underfed boy with a scar and glasses ends up in her classroom. This is heavily influenced by Matilda. Marlene is a bad ass loner who can do it all.

The Hand that Feeds by @rollercoasterwords - A canon-compliant Dorlene enemies to lovers fic following the two from Hogwarts through the first war. It gives us an explanation to why Voldemort killed Dorcas personally. This backstory is canon to me.

10 Reasons to Go to Michigan by @greyeyedmonster-18 - Remus returns to his roots in the Upper Peninsula after abruptly leaving a 10 year relationship. This is about finding yourself again, and sometimes finding a little something more. It's just utter perfection. Sirius being a literal potter makes me chuckle.

Just What the Doctor Ordered by @wrapped-up - Sirius finds a stray puppy who he names Padfoot and brings him to the local veterinarian, Dr. Lupin, for help. This is about heartbreak, and finding love, and growing up. It was hard picking just one by wrapped-up because everything she writes is a work of art.

Under a Big Blue Sky by @eyra - Sirius and James, two wealthy city slickers, help out on the Lupins' farm for lambing season. If you liked God's Own Country, I highly recommend this, and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend both.

Don't Panic by redspottywellies - Lesbian Sirius and Remus absconding with Harry after the events of 10/31/81. This fic does action better than any I've read. Pure brilliance.

all the lonely people by superloonyluna - What would you do if a beautiful stranger asked you to join in an all-night heist?

The Archivist by @wanderingbandurria - An author and an archivist team up to uncover the mystery behind the commune in West Godric's Hollow. There is so much thought that went into world building for this fic.

Favorites Under 10K:

Signs of Affection by Kittycargo

Marlene McKinnon is Not a Coward by AllThisandLoveTooWillRuinUs

Never Doubt that It Was Real by @soloorganaas

Basilisks, Boggarts, and Boyfriends, Oh My! by optimisticdinosaur

I Love You A Latte by @jamesunderwater

My favorite WIPs:

As The Worm Moon Dies by @rollercoasterwords

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts (can't lose either way) by @greyeyedmonster-18

Dead to Me by @jamesunderwater

Right Back Where We Started From by @soloorganaas

Darklands by @newsom

Happy reading xx

#fic recs #year end wrap up #wolfstar #jily #dorlene

[caramelapplesauce]

endorsed fic recs by me :)

Harry Potter Fandom (AO3 unless stated otherwise):

an october of unconventional courtships by GhostofBambi -  jily (james x lily); texting fic; muggle au

insane lord mortem by TheFeistyRogue -  crack fic; time travel

all my cards are here by haey1 - muggle band au; wolfstar (remus x sirius); jily (lily x james); dorlene (marlene x dorcas)

life and times by jewels5 (not on AO3) - jily (james x lily); mostly canon compliant (i actually don’t completely remember); sorta enemies to lovers

pad feet... padfoot! by Dreamer821, Larry_the_Potato - one shot; wolfstar (remus x sirius); very angsty and sweet; there are pretty serious mentions in here so be warned

can’t outrun love, but still gonna try by jamesilver - one shot; drarry (draco x harry); love potion but not what you expect; cheesy but adorable; oblivious harry (of course)

running on air by eleventy7 - one of my favorites; drarry (darco x harry); time turner fuck up; detective auror harry; trapped draco

all the young dudes by mskingbean19 - very controversial, i know but classic; canon compliant; remus pov; wolfstar (remus x sirius); jily (james x lily)

dancing on our own by maraudquxxrs - mostly canon compliant; perciver (percy x oliver); dancing around their rooms; idiots in love

the lad that loved you by MollyMaryMarie - angsty but like only in the second chapter; wolfstar (remus x sirius); hidden relationship; a lot of smut

turned tides by rsbarelle - canon divergence; jegulus (james x regulus); wolfstar (sirius x remus); regulus leaves home

lessen my load by moonymoment - laundromat love; muggle au; wolfstar (remus x sirius); failed at hiding; dorlene (dorcas x marlene); jily (james x lily)

disintegration by moonymoment - vampires and hunters; not finished; wolfstar (sirius x remus); sorta jily (james x lily); jegulus (james x regulus); marylily (mary x lily); vampire war; dorlene (dorcas x marlene); will drag you in by the hair

best friends brother by zeppazariel - muggle au; so so angsty; platonic regulus and remus; jegulus (james x regulus); wolfstar (remus x sirius); chef regulus!!; not available anymore

quite like us by alaraini - texting fic; wrong number; jegulus (james x regulus); established wolfstar; fluff so sweet it will rot your teeth

carry your baggage up my street by regulusprongs - texting fic; jegulus focused (regulus x james); probably other ships that i don’t remember; not finished; super sweet and fluffy; oh! marylily owns a bookstore!

chimaera and the wolf series by keysie - includes horcrux hunt and the missing link; regulus and remus platonic soulmates; remus “corrupts” regulus; wolfstar (remus x sirius); jily (james x lily) in horcrux hunt; jegulus (james x regulus) in the missing link; unfinished; but very good

staying stranger by 3amandcounting - starts off texting but is more prose now; not finished; wolfstar (sirius x remus); gender insanity; adhd sirius; demisexual remus; as much angst as there is fluff; fall in love over text

the summer of 1978 by postman - call me by your name except not in a creepy way; jegulus (regulus x james); endgame jily (james x lily) (yes they are endgame its call me by your name based); super sweet; devastating ending honestly

art heist, baby by otrtbs - if you don’t read a single one of these except this one, that would be so so okay; art heist (obvi); be gay do crimes; jegulus (james x regulus); wolfstar (sirius x remus); rosekiller (barty x evan); dorlene (marlene x dorcas); found family; main character death; bittersweet ending; this fic is incredible

dear cousin, love regulus by LLAP115 and XxTheDarkLordxX - regulus writes letters to draco; trying to be good draco and regulus; drarry (draco x harry); and most importantly: DRACO AND NEVILLE FRIENDSHIP!! (i loved their friend ship so much)

#i will add more as i read more #marauders era #golden trio era #hp marauders #the marauders #marauder girls #jegulus #rosekiller #wolfstar #dorlene #marylily #drarry #perciver #texting fic #sobbing crying throwing up #canon compliant #non canon #canon divergence #muggle au #modern au #letter writing #neville and draco are besties #just ranting

[rose-of-the-grave]

The Wait Was Worth It

Pairing: Lily x James

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! ❤️❤️❤️ I hope you enjoy and as always I'm the author (please don't repost).

Jily Gift Exchange 2024

@siriuslychessi

Masterlist Read on Ao3

Warnings: Friends to lovers, idiots in love, miscommunication, angst, fluff, secret admirer, pining, slow burn, happy ending, Valentine's day, love confessions, and kissing

Word Count: 3,374

Description: James is trying to move on. Lily thinks it's too late. With some help from their friends them might finally be on the same page.

Taglist: @sylveryfire

It was Lily Evans’ seventh year at Hogwarts and the infamous NEWTs were rapidly approaching. In an effort to do well she, along with some of her friends, had been studying together. Among these friends was James Potter. Over the course of the last year or so they had become tentative friends. At first it had been awkward considering Lily had spent years hating him but they had eventually reached a common ground in their mutual friend, Remus.

Lily, Marlene, Dorcas, James, Remus, and Sirius had all decided upon spending time at the library after classes to study. They were an odd group to be sure but surprisingly they got on fairly well. This was why Lily was preparing her notes to take with her to the library when an owl appeared at her dorm window.

She didn’t normally receive much mail, usually just letters from her parents. She had never gotten a letter from her sister, Petunia, except for holidays and even then it had become far scarcer as the years went on and the two of them grew further apart. It was for this reason that Lily was quite shocked to see that the letter was from her sister.

After spending a few minutes just staring blankly at the contents of the envelope she slid it into a drawer and left for the study session.

When she reached the common room she was surprised to see only James, Sirius, and Marlene.

“Hey, I’m ready to go. Where’s Remus and Dorcas?”

They turned towards her with guilty expressions.

“Remus was invited to study with some Ravenclaws and Dorcas,” James looked over at Marlene who turned to look at her and said, “She has detention.”

“Oh. So it’ll just be the four of us then?”

“Three. I also have detention.” Marlene said before hurrying out of the common room.

“Make that two.” James turned to look at Sirius who then continued, “Last minute Quidditch practice.”

And so Lily and James were left standing awkwardly in the Gryffindor common room while their friends ditched them.

“So…” Lily trailed off.

“Yeah.” He agreed, scratching at the back of his neck. Neither of them were quite sure why but it was evident that their friends had all collectively decided to do something else.

“How come you don’t have Quidditch but Sirius does?”

“I’m not exactly sure.” He laughed nervously. James had a feeling Sirius wasn’t actually going to play Quidditch, the same way Lily suspected that neither Marlene nor Dorcas had detention. If they had then they would have told her earlier. No, none of them had been telling the truth, that was clear.

What they couldn’t figure out was why their friends had done so. Determined to still study they soon decided to head to the library regardless of their friends’ plotting.

The two of them sat at one of the tables in the library and studied separately for about an hour before Lily could no longer focus. Sure James had at one point started to make paper airplanes and raced them against each other but she had somehow managed to remain mostly focused on her History of Magic notes. The words started to blur and all she could think about was her sister. She sighed. Eventually she would have to send a response but for now all she could think about was just how distant they were. She and Petunia used to be so close before Lily had gotten her Hogwarts letter.

Now they were strangers.

“What’s on your mind?” James asked.

Startled, she looked up at him, “What?”

“You just sighed again, what is it?”

“Oh. It’s nothing.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to but just know that I’m willing to listen if you do want to talk.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

They both turned back to their respective studies, ignoring each other once more. How on earth could the history of magic be so boring? Lily had always thought that it was just the teacher but now she realized it was also the material. It listed everything matter of factly without really examining other perspectives. Out of all magic creatures one would think that there was no way dragons could ever be boring. They would be wrong.

Desperate for a distraction, she allowed her thoughts to wander. Inevitably she started to think of home. She missed her parents. This past Christmas she had been told that they would be too busy for her to come visit but she had still wanted to see them. They had been gone for most of the time and their minds had all seemed preoccupied whenever they did have some quiet time to simply catch up.

Lily sighed.

“Merlin’s sake Evans. Just tell me.”

Her cheeks flushed from embarrassment, James hadn’t exactly been quiet and now the whole library was staring at them. Once they all got bored everybody returned to what they had been doing previously.

“I got a letter from my sister.”

“Oh, what about?” They hadn’t been friends long but he did know a little about her rocky relationship with Petunia.

“It was actually a wedding invitation.”

“I gather you’re not happy about that?”

“Well, I’m happy that she’s getting married. Personally, I don’t really like her fiance, but if he makes her happy then fine.”

“So, what’s the issue?”

“That’s all that was sent. An invitation. No note, no letter, nothing. I guess I should count myself lucky that she even sent me an invitation. I know that we don’t get along that well anymore but I thought that she would at least send something more than just a piece of paper saying that I am cordially invited to her wedding.” As she ranted, she did her best to keep her voice low. With every word, she grew more upset.

He winced, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m not even sure why I’m so surprised.” Lily shook her head and closed the book in front of her. “You know what, maybe I should go lie down and rest. I can study over the weekend.”

James stood up and gathered up his things. “I’ll go with you. I think I’m done for the day.”

They both put their books away and left the library in silence. It wasn’t that far of a walk from the library to the Gryffindor common room. There were still some people in the hall but Lily assumed most were outside. It was a fairly nice day out so most of the younger students were probably out there having fun. She remembered when that used to be them. Now it was hard to believe that there was a time when they weren’t stressed about tests.

The common room was mostly empty, their friends still missing. James walked her over to the bottom of the stairs before stopping. She turned around to face him.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” He shrugged. “It’s what friends do.”

Friends. It was still a bit odd to think that she and James Potter were friends.

“Still, thanks.” She hesitated before asking, “Can I have a hug?”

He smiled. Merlin, why did she have to pick that moment to notice that he was attractive? She knew subconsciously that he wasn’t hard on the eyes, she had been well aware of that fact for two years now but she had always just ignored that fact. Now, it was staring her right in the face both literally and figuratively.

He wrapped her tightly in his arms, enveloping her in his scent, the same scent that she had struggled to recognize the year before in the Amortentia. Thanks to her being a bit shorter than him he was able to tuck her head underneath his chin. She had thought that hugging him might be weird but it simply seemed natural.

They stood there, hugging for a minute or two before she pulled away.

“See you at dinner.” She said, taking a step up the stairs without turning.

“See you Lily.”

----------------------------

It was a regular Friday morning. The great hall was full of hungry, exhausted students grabbing something to eat before heading to their classes. After a very long night of studying Lily could barely keep her eyes open. When she left the dorm Marlene had still been half asleep and extremely cranky.

Sitting at the Gryffindor table she watched as her friends all sat in various states of exhaustion. Dorcas was sitting on one side of her, James on the other. Remus and Sirius were sitting across from them. Lily had been surprised to see them all out of bed in time for breakfast, it wasn’t uncommon for one or two of them to get to the great hall late to grab a quick snack before running to class.

Remus sighed, “I wish you'd just admit when you've made a mistake.”

James, stirring his coffee serenely, replied, “I prefer it with salt.”

He raised his mug to his mouth and took a sip without flinching.

“Do you ever drink so much coffee that you feel kinda dizzy, then the world is moving in slow motion, and then you're drifting through space and time, and then you can see everything and nothing while being lost in the void?” Sirius mused.

James looked at him with an eyebrow raised, “...No?” while Remus nodded.

“Excuse me? Hi.”

They all turn around to see a Hufflepuff standing there. Lily was fairly certain they had Potions together.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?”

James was facing away from Lily, and she heard him say, “Sure.”

He turned back towards his friends.

Dorcas was the first to say something, “Did you just say yes to a date this weekend?”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?” He asked, looking around in bewilderment.

“It’s Valentine’s Day.” Remus said.

“Oh.” He turned pink.

Suddenly Lily’s food became very interesting.

After a few seconds the conversation resumed but Lily wasn’t focused on it.

Dorcas nudged her gently, “Hey, I’m going to take Marlene some food.”

“Okay, see you in Potions.”

“See ya.”

Dorcas got up and walked away, holding some food. Lily turned back to her food, making eye contact with Remus. She arched her eyebrow in question and he simply flicked his eyes over to her right where James sat in deep conversation with Sirius about penguins.

“I’m just saying, what’s the point if they can’t fly?”

She rolled her eyes but smiled.

The great hall had started to empty, students heading to their first class of the day. Standing up, she looked over at Remus and said, “Come on, don’t want to be late.”

--------------------------------

“So, you’re going out with that Hufflepuff tomorrow?” Sirius asked from where he lay on the ground of their dorm.

James sighed, “Yeah, guess so.”

“You don’t seem that enthusiastic.”

“I’m just tired.” He yawned before asking,”Did you think that Lily was ignoring me earlier?”

“Now that you mention it she was acting a little off.”

“I wonder what’s up with her.”

Remus snorted from where he sat on the bed.

James looked over at him, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”

“You know something, don’t you?”

Remus shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Oh, come on Moony, tell us.” Sirius said. “Poor Prongs might go mad if he doesn’t know.” He joked.

James threw a pillow at him.

“Maybe if you’d been paying attention, you’d know.”

James tossed one of the other pillows at him.

Sirius retorted, “You know what? We're clever too, Moony.”

Remus laughed, “Oh yeah? What's the difference between a gamete and a zygote?”

James, narrowing his eyes, warned his friends, “Don't fall for it, Padfoot. He's just making up words.”

“Seriously, what is it?”

“Siriusly.” Sirius chimed in.

Remus groaned, “Not again.”

Sirius just grinned. That joke never got old.

“Fine, but you can’t tell her that I said anything okay?”

“Just tell me already.”

“So she didn’t actually say anything.” He started, “But when that Hufflepuff came over during breakfast this morning she started acting a little weird. At first I was sure it was nothing but maybe it was.”

“What are you saying?”

“Figure it out, that’s all I’m going to say.”

James pondered over what little his friend had said before coming to the conclusion that maybe Lily didn’t get along with this particular Hufflepuff.

“Does Lily not like her?” He asked.

Remus shook his head, “I give up.”

“What? Tell me.”

“Maybe she likes you.” Sirius suggested.

“Who, Lily? No. She doesn’t.”

“I’m right aren’t I?” Sirius asked Remus. “You think she was jealous.”

James turned, wide-eyed, to face him. “Wait, really?”

He tried his best to not get too hopeful, he and Lily were friends. He was fairly certain that that was all she would see him as and he didn’t plan to wait around any longer just to get his heart broken. He was trying to move on. But maybe, just maybe there was a chance after all. He couldn’t deny that being her friend had made him like her even more than he had before. She was easily one of the best people he knew.

“Like I said, I don't know for sure.” Remus warned.

---------------------

Lily spent her Saturday morning trying to be as productive as possible, not wanting to think about a certain fellow Gryffindor and his date. That didn’t last long though. Soon enough Marlene and Dorcas were telling her that they should go to Hogsmeade instead of spending their weekend sitting around in the castle. Reluctantly, Lily got dressed to go with them, abandoning her studies for the next day.

“Come on, it’s finally nice out!” Marlene said.

The flowers were starting to bloom and the sun was shining down on them. It was still a bit chilly but she was right, it was nice out.

The trio walked along the path to Hogsmeade, Lily hanging back a bit while her two best friends excitedly discussed their plans for later. Why did Valentine’s Day have to exist? All it did was give everybody the opportunity to rub their relationships in people’s faces. She loved her friends, but she just wished that she didn’t feel just a little bit jealous every time they went to hang out with their girlfriends or boyfriends.

Lily was happy for them, really she was but she couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter.

When they reached Hogsmeade they went to get some candy before going to get butterbeer. They were all seated in the corner when Lily spotted a few familiar faces.

“Hey, come join us!” She waved at Remus and Sirius. That’s when she saw James, who had previously been hidden behind them. All three of them joined and they all started to talk. When Marlene brought up the date. A few minutes later Lily excused herself, saying she felt tired and that she was going back to the castle.

She stood up, pulling her coat back on.

“See you guys later.”

“Wait, I’ll walk with you.” James offered.

“No, that’s fine. You wouldn’t want to miss your date, would you?” She smiled thinly, trying to seem like she was fine.

Soon after James said that he wasn’t feeling well and that he was going back up to the castle as well.

“What about your date?” Marlene asked.

“I’ll let her know that I couldn’t make it.” He shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

Once he was gone, the four remaining friends all exchanged glances.

“Merlin, their idiots!” Dorcas exclaimed.

“Yeah. James isn’t even going on that date, he canceled last night.” Sirius informed them.

“Wait, really?” Marlene asked.

“Yeah.” Remus said. “At this point, I don’t think that they are ever going to realize that they both like each other.”

“I know, right. Marls and I are sick and tired of hearing about Potter this and Potter that. She’ll go on and on about him but the minute we imply that she likes him she starts getting defensive.”

He agreed, saying, “James isn’t much better. He keeps saying that he’s moved on but when I mentioned how weird Lily started acting after he got asked out he kept on asking if we thought she liked him.”

Marlene adds, “And have you seen the way they look at each other when they think the other isn’t looking? I swear they are so oblivious it's embarrassing.”

“Maybe we should lock them up in a room together and not let them out until they admit that they have a crush on each other.” Sirius said.

Remus relied, “Or we could just arrange for them to meet up with each other. I mean, it is Valentine’s. Maybe if we could make them each think that they have a secret admirer or something.”

“We could send them each a note telling them to meet them up at the Astronomy Tower or something.” Dorcas offers.

“That’s actually a great idea.” Marlene said. “Let’s do this.

---------------------------

When Lily and James got back to their respective dorms they were each surprised to see a red rose sitting next to a note on their beds. Both told them to meet them up on the Astronomy Tower and were signed “From your secret admirer”.

Grabbing their wands, they both headed there. Lily got there first and started to look around, wondering who had sent the note. After a few minutes she got bored and decided to sit down and wait to see who showed up. An eternity later she finally heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Keeping her wand out and ready she waited patiently for the person to reveal themselves.

“James?” She asked incredulously.

“Lily? What are you doing here?”

“Meeting someone. What are you doing here?”

“The same.” James admitted.

“Oh.”

There was a long and awkward silence before Lily remembered something.

“So, how was your date?”

There was a long pause before he replied, “I didn’t end up going.”

“Oh. Why not?” She asked, trying not to seem too curious.

He shrugged, “I liked someone else.”

She looked over at him. She knew it would hurt but she had to ask, had to know.

“Who?”

His eyes flicked up to hers. He looked like he was about to say something but then he didn’t. His jaw clenched. James sighed and looked away again.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Is it someone I know?” She asked.

He hesitated before saying, “Yes.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“It’s just…I’m pretty sure that they don’t like me back.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. That sucks.” She said while wishing that she was that person.

“Yeah.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’m sort of in a similar situation.”

He looks at her, confused. “Who couldn’t love you? You’re beautiful and smart and kind. Whoever it is, they’re an idiot.”

“Thanks but it’s a little more complicated than that.”

Furrowing his brow, he walked closer to her, suddenly towering over her from where she sat on the ground. “Who is it?”

“You.” She muttered underneath her breath, far too quiet for him to hear.

“What?” He asked, sitting down next to her.

“You.” She looked down, not meeting his gaze. Did she really just say that out loud?

He said nothing. After a few beats she finally looked back up, wondering what he was thinking. Did he no longer want to be friends with her? Did he hate her?

He lifted a hand to her cheek, wiping a stray tear that was rolling down her face. Leaning in slowly, he brushed his lips against hers.

“I like you too.”

She smiled, pulling him back in for a kiss.

-----------------------------

The next morning when they awoke, they were surrounded by their friends. After spending some more time up in the Astronomy Tower they had walked back to the common room but decided to sleep on one of the couches, not wanting the night to be over.

“Morning.” Sirius said with a shit eating grin.

They both flushed, looking back at each other and smiling. James wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It might have been seven years since they first met and James fell head over heels for Lily but they could both agree that the wait was worth it.

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