29: James Potter - Flowers

House: Ravenclaw

Requested by: rubythethirdd

 James Potter and I had been together for almost six months now, and I adored him. I had had feelings for him for quite a while but was trying to deny it, until my close friend and study partner made me realise.

- Flashback -

"You like him, don't you?" Remus asked as James walked away from our table, with Sirius and Peter trailing after them. As always, Remus and I were sat in the library on the same table we were every Sunday to study.

"What?! That's absurd," I scoffed, looking back down at my work sharpish.

"It's okay to admit it, (y/n)," Remus chuckled and I rolled my eyes. "Plus I think he might have eyes for you too."

"Huh?" I was shocked, my eyes wide as I looked at Remus with surprise.

"See, you do like him," he said, poking my arm.

"Whether I do or not doesn't matter, he's head over heels in love with Evans and there's nothing I can do to change that... nothing," my voice trailed off, fiddling with my large quill.

"Oh please, that was just a little year three crush," Remus said but I wasn't so sure. "There's nothing between them (y/n), trust me, we'd know. They're nothing more than friends now."

"He doesn't have any feelings for her?" I asked and Remus shook his head with a smile.

"You've got a chance with him," he said but I scoffed, not believing it.

"Even if James no longer has feelings for Lily, it doesn't mean he'd say yes to me," I said and Remus sighed.

"Just think about it," he said and for the remainder of the night that's all I could think about. For days he played on my mind and whenever I saw him I found myself tensing up. Remus continued to tease me about him at each of our study sessions in the library. I always told him off whenever this happened, it irritating me immensely.

One Sunday I was waiting for Remus, tapping my foot impatiently as I waited at our table, checking my watch every few minutes and tutting under my breath. He was already half an hour late, and if he took a minute more I was just going to get up and leave. That was until a shadow was cast over the table. "Finally Remus- James!" I exclaimed when I realised it was my crush. He stood there sheepishly, shifting his weight and rubbing the back of his head.

"(y/n), can I talk to you for a moment? In private?" He asked nervously, and I nodded following him out of the library and towards an empty corridor. "Okay so... there's something you need to know - Remus has been trying to get me to tell you for months but I guess I've not had the confidence," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"You? Not having confidence?" I teased and a small blush came to his cheeks.

"Yeah, you see I... I have these feelings for you... I was wondering if maybe you'd let me treat you to a date in Hogsmeade?"

- Flashback Over -

And that was how our relationship began. After the first couple of dates in Hogsmeade he asked me to be his girlfriend which I happily accepted, not even thinking about his past feelings for Lily. He was such a romantic, planning dates all the time and not wanting to leave my side, saying he missed me when we were apart. Remus told me during one of our study sessions that apparently he talks about me all the time, to the point where it was irritating the boys. He was so sweet and kind that I couldn't understand how Lily didn't fall for him.

A small part of me did still worry about her though. She was a lovely person, and it was obvious why people would be attracted to her but that's what made me worry. Was I just a re-bound, a replacement until James finally caught her eye and he could leave me in a matter of seconds to be with her? It was just my self-consciousness talking but sometimes it liked to take ahold of me and get under my skin.

"(y/n)? You alright?" James asked one morning, me joining him for breakfast. He noticed my low mood, me thinking back to last night when I said my goodbye to him near the Gryffindor common room just as Lily rounded a corner and asked James to walk her back to the common room. He waved a goodbye to me and led her, the two of them laughing happily and her touching his arm.

"Yeah, fine," I had to lie, it'd be too petty to bring up my self-consciousness.

"I've got a surprise for you," He said playfully as he put together on a plate my favourite fry-up ingredients before handing it to me. I was pleasantly surprised he had paid attention to exactly what I liked and how I liked it.

"What?" I dared to say and he looked at me mischievously.

"You'll have to wait and see. But I'll need you to meet me by the Black Lake on Saturday, say around 11:00?" He suggested.

"What do you have planned?" I asked skeptically and he laughed.

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?" He teased, kissing the top of my head. "Don't worry, you're gonna love it-,"

"James!" Lily's voice sounded and I spotted her skipping towards us. "Oh, hello (y/n). Shouldn't you be on the Ravenclaw table?"

"Oh-,"

"Nah the teachers don't pay attention to that kind of stuff at breakfast. You're alright here," James said directly to me. "What can I do for you?" He turned back to Lily.

"Well next week we have the mock exams for charms, so shall we get some studying in? Say, this Saturday?" She asked and my heart sank, knowing he'd probably skip our date to be with her.

"No can do I'm afraid, this Saturday is a very special day and I'll be spending it with (y/n)," he said, wrapping his arm around me making my cheeks heat up.

"Oh, well perhaps Sunday?"

"Can't do that either, we have the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff," he said and she pouted.

"Fine," she walked away in a huff.

"I-it's okay James, if you want to spend Saturday with her then you can..." I mumbled and he looked at me, shocked.

"What are you talking about? I'm not gonna leave my girlfriend on our sixth month anniversary!" He exclaimed and then it clicked, me having admittedly forgotten about the date. "You forgot, didn't you?" He teased.

"No!"

"You're a bad liar," he laughed.

"Is sixth months really something to celebrate though?" I asked.

"Of course it is!" He beamed and I couldn't help but laugh at his adorableness.

- Timeskip -

It was Saturday, in other words my boyfriend and I's six month anniversary. When I went down to breakfast I had hoped to see him sitting at the Gryffindor table, but when I spotted his friends and he wasn't amongst them I couldn't help but pout. "Hey guys," I announced my presence next to them. "Where's James?"

"At the Black Lake," Sirius answered and I quickly checked my watch.

"Already? It's only 09:30!" I exclaimed, scared I had gotten the time wrong.

"Relax, he's just sorting a few things out, told us to tell you to meet him there at 11:00 for your anniversary celebration," Sirius said and my eyes widened.

"'Celebration'?" I questioned.

"We weren't meant to tell her that part," Remus hissed at Sirius.

"James has a 'celebration' planned?" I asked.

"Not really, it's just something for the two of you. Now we'll leave it at that, go have breakfast," Remus dismissed me with a mischievous smile making me laugh. I waved at the boys and went over to my friends at the Ravenclaw table but not before I heard Evans asking after my boyfriend. I gritted my teeth but tried not to let it get to me - I didn't want to be the over-protective type after all.

I sat at the table and wondered what James had planned, having learnt over the six months we had been together that he was the romantic type hence why he wanted to celebrate this occasion. I kept on checking my watch, getting more and more excited with every passing minute. Around me my friends couldn't stop teasing me, embarrassing me a little but I couldn't help it, I just wanted to see him.

When the time finally came I jumped up from the sofa I was sitting on in the Ravenclaw common room and with a quick goodbye to my friends, I ran through the corridors of the castle. He had never specified a particular place along the edge of the Black Lake so I walked around a little bit of the perimeter, my eyes peeled for any sign of my boyfriend. In the distance I spotted him, him waving to me before walking into the woods on the edge of the lake. I furrowed my eyebrows and ran after him, through the trees until I found him standing in an opening.

"Happy anniversary, (y/n)," he said, his arms open. As I stepped closer my mouth dropped open and my eyes widened as before me I saw such a beautiful sight. The opening was covered with many different breeds of flowers, all different colours and the sun shone down through the trees upon them making them even brighter. In the middle of the opening was a picnic blanket which James was stood on, there being food in a basket by his feet.

I felt like I was going to explode with happiness, him going way beyond expected. I ran up to him and fell into his arms, holding onto him tightly. "James this is so sweet!" I exclaimed, pulling away and looking at the gorgeous flowers.

"I wanted the very best for my girl," he said with a smile and I couldn't help but kiss him passionately. The tight hold he had on me felt good, and for that glorious moment I felt my jealousy of Evans disappear. "C'mon then," he sat the two of us down, me cuddling up against his side. "Here," he handed me a small wrapped up box.

"James you didn't have to get me a present!" I said, guilt flooding me as I hadn't gotten him anything.

"I wanted to. Now open it," he said, seemingly excited so I did as was told to reveal a jewellery box. I opened it up and gasped when I saw a silver locket with a beautifully intricate design. "Open it," he whispered in my ear, kissing my temple. I did as was told and couldn't help but smile when I saw a picture of he and I in it, the two of us smiling before leaning up to kiss each other.

"James this is... this is too much," I whispered, looking up at him.

"Do you like it?" He asked in a whisper and I let out a chuckle.

"Like it? I love it," I said and he let out a sigh of relief. He hooked it around my neck for me, it fitting perfectly. We shared a love filled and passionate kiss before the pair of us laid down and tucked into the picnic he'd brought along for the both of us. It was a perfect morning together and he'd collected all my favourite foods, feeding me some of the sweet treats. "How did you find this place? These flowers are beautiful," I complimented.

"The marauders and I were out one evening, running through the forest and we just stumbled across it. I was surprised at how well-kept it was to be honest, apparently undisturbed by anyone," he said and it was true, all of the flowers looked perfectly in blossom. "What's your favourite flower?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh, er, probably (f/f)," I said and he plucked one from the masses around us, turning and tucking it behind my ear before pulling me in for a gentle and loving kiss.

"It suits you," he whispered and I tried desperately not to appear as flustered on the outside as I was on the inside.

"What about you, what would you say if your favourite flower?" I asked.

"Hm... probably a lily," he said and my stomach dropped. His favourite flower having the same name as the girl he used to crush on? The girl I'd been self-conscious about? The girl who seemingly enjoyed trying to flirt with my boyfriend?

"O-oh... really? What do you like about them?" I asked, trying not to associate the flower with the person but it was immensely difficult.

"Well I think they're beautiful," he said and a pain hit my chest. All that was in my mind was Evans, thinking that James was talking about her and me unable to stop assuming that James liked lilies so much because of her. "I know what you're thinking," he suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"You're thinking 'I bet he likes lilies so much because he used to have a thing for Evans'," he seemed to read my mind. I tried to deny it but I kept on tripping over my words, and the look of slight pain and confusion on my face told him everything he needed to know. "Do you know what the lily represents?"

"Huh?" I said again, surprised by this question.

"My mum's somewhat of a botanist, so I've picked up a few things. The lily is meant to represent purity. The sweet and innocent beauty of it is meant to represent life. These are all things that remind me of you, hence why it's my favourite flower."

I was lost for words, feeling guilty for assuming the worst and finding it shocking that it reminded him of me. "R-really?"

"Really."

"W-wow I... wasn't expecting that," I admitted and he sighed, etching closer to me.

"(y/n) I've noticed that you seem uncomfortable whenever Evans is around, but I swear to you I have no feelings for her. You on the other hand, well I wouldn't of done this for you if I didn't like you just a little bit," he teased and I hit his arm whilst trying to hold back a chuckle. "Promise me to never doubt the feelings I have for you, because I love you."

My heart almost burst with happiness and I couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get that way... I guess I just doubt myself sometimes. But I promise, it'll never happen again," I said and he nodded.

"Good, I want you to know how much I love you," he said and I nodded.

"I love you too James, so much," I whispered and he smirked.

"Good," he whispered, before pulling me in for a romantic kiss that made all my worries flutter away.