The Runaway

It had been two weeks since she had last heard or seen from Sev, and Lily was just about ready to scream with worry. She had always listened to him when he told her to never go to his house. “It's not very exciting, and my parents aren't really big on company.” She never asked why he would show up to the park sometimes bruised. She only asked once, they were 12 and he had brushed her off easily. “Lily, show me one boy who doesn't have bruises or scrapes. It’s nothing to worry about.” But she did worry. All the time. She saw how Sev would tremble sometimes; saw how when she moved to fast towards him, he flinched. And now he wasn't showing up at the park or even trying to leave a message if they just missed each other.

Petunia had gotten bored of teasing her about missing “That awful Snape boy.” only just a few days after she began to suspect something was amiss. Sometimes Sev’s dad wouldn't let him leave the house, but never this long. He also couldn't afford an owl or a phone otherwise Lily would have messaged him by now. She was imagining all of the worst scenarios at her dining table when she over heard her parents talking.

“Well, apparently something is getting built up where Spinners End is now. Eleanor said that whole neighborhood is getting demolished here soon.” Her mother mentioned quite casually as if she hadn't given Lily some extremely important information on her best friend.

“Hm, wonder what they're building? What did they do about the residents? Surely they had to have given them someplace else to live?” Her father flipped through the newspaper, and Lily scrambled to get to the kitchen. Her mother was preparing dinner, moving vegetables from the cutting board to a pan when she looked confusedly at Lily.

“Spinners End is gone? Or, or will be?” she was given an admonishing look for interrupting, but she ignored it in favor of looking pleadingly at her mother. Luckily, her mother only tutted and moved on the answer her question.

“Well, that's the news anyway. Why the interest?”

Tuney came in the kitchen then and grabbed some juice, “She meets that weird boy that lives there. Guess you won't be seeing him ever again.” She sneered.

“Oh, Tuney, don't be like that! Sev would have said something, or at least given some kind of message if he was leaving!” Would he still be going to Hogwarts? What if he was moving out of the Isles? Who else was going to tease Potter and Black with her? Who was going to copy her Charms homework? Who was going to tell her all about the latest potions experiment he was doing?

“Maybe he didn't have time, sweetie. Eleanor said it was all rather sudden.” Her mother tried to reassure her, but Lily could already feel the tears on her cheeks.

“Why wouldn't he say anything?” She whispered wetly before running up to her room. She closed the door and threw herself onto her bed, trying to stifle her sobs. It seemed rather selfish to cry about it, but it hurt her a lot that Sev just left without a word. Hopefully she would see him at Hogwarts, but how could she be sure? How could she know where he was or where he was going to be forever now?

She cried some more into her pillow.

It was evening when her parents called her down from her room for dinner. She rubbed at her face, long dry but no less gross. Taking the time to wash her face, Lily went downstairs feeling a little better after crying but no less sullen.

She sat there, picking through the food her mother had made, half listening to the talk around the table. Apparently Tuney started seeing some boy from her school, Victor or something like that. She was asking if they could spend sometime together tomorrow. Her father seemed apprehensive, but her mother readily agreed.

“It’s good to have fun in the summer! Where will you be going Petunia?”

“He wanted to go get lunch in one of the eateries in town. Vernon says that there’s one that serves the best panini’s, but if I wanted to go get pasta instead there was a small restaurant that serves great carbonara.” She went on about how some of her classmates either agreed or if their boyfriends took them places. Lily continued to push around her roasted potatoes.

Eventually the topic shifted to her, “What about you Lily, dear? Any boys you like?”

She paused in her plate rearranging, thinking for a bit. Severus was the only boy she really hung out with. She liked him plenty, but she didn’t want to date him. He was like that one person she could tell anything and he would accept her every time. There was something about him that just radiated warmth and safety, even if his color palette was practically nonexistent. It was like despite being swathed in a sick grey, he held a brightness around her. She shrugged after some thought. “Dunno, haven’t really looked.”

Her mother hummed, “Well, there was that boy, Stephen?”

“Severus. We’re not like that, mum, just friends.” Did Severus even like her like that? The thought wasn’t off putting, just odd. Not that it mattered. She thought. He was gone, and she had no way of finding out where he could have moved to.

“Well, what about boys in your school? They have Houses, right? Any one there you think is cute?”

The image of messy black hair and mischievous eyes flashed in her mind before she shook her head. James Potter was the most annoying, foolish, and mean boy she had ever met. Well, Sirius Black was all of that too, but James always found her and tried to talk to her. If he fixed his attitude, she wouldn’t mind talking to him more. But he and his friends always pulled horrible pranks on Sev.

Not that Sev never retaliated. She remembered the jinx he sent Sirius’s way one year. The fool had been limping for days afterwards.

“None worth my time at the moment.” She replied, trying to ignore the giddiness her heart felt when thinking more of James. She could have a crush just fine, but she refused to chase it with a jerk.

“That’s a good girl.” Her father muttered, taking a bite. “Boys are foolish, anyhow.”

“But dad, you were a boy.” Tuney spoke up. It made everyone, Lily included, laugh a bit.

“True enough, my flowers. But still, boys always tease who they like. They aren’t taught any different, you see. And when they have a girl they like, they tell everyone who knows her to leave her alone and it’s just a hassle.”

An idea began to form in her head. James liked her. That much was obvious even without her father saying something. And he always thought she and Sev had something going on, practically accused Sev of it constantly. Perhaps if she played her cards right….

“What about girls then, mom?” She asked, if only to keep the conversation going. “What do girls usually do if they like someone?” It made her mother pause as she thought it over.

“Well, I suppose my friends and I always tried to talk about things the boys liked. Ask them questions and such. Not that they had anything terribly exciting to say most of the time.” A wistful look came across her mother’s face as her father seemed to be realizing something just then.

James liked Quidditch. He liked Quidditch and was great at Defense Against the Dark Arts.

They ate some more, her parents going back and forth about neighborhood gossip, with Tuney chiming in every so often. Lily kept quiet and she started to eat, a plan coming together slowly. After dinner, she helped her mother clean up and put away any leftovers. Her mother spoke up again as they wiped down the counters.

“Maybe he’ll phone or send a letter once he’s settled in his new home, Lily.”

“Huh? What was that?”

“Severus. Maybe they’re busy with the move and he hasn’t had the time to call or write. Moving a whole house gets rather busy, you know.” She dried off her hands and looked back to Lily. “Don’t worry, dear. If you two are close friends, then surely he’ll reach out.”

She smiled, her mother’s words actually making her feel better. “You’re right, I was just shocked is all. It….it hurt that he left without saying anything, but I’m sure he would have said something if he could.” Her mother smiled back and shooed her out of the kitchen.

Walking into the sitting room, Lily found her father. “Dad?”

“Yes, Lils?”

“Do boys talk to people they think are rivals too?”

He could hardly believe his eyes when the owl brought the letter. James sat there at the breakfast table in shock, staring at the unopened envelope until his mum told him to open it.

Lily Evans had written him a letter. It was addressed to him and only him. Almost reverently, he opened the envelope taking care not to rip anything. Pulling the paper out, he began to read the looping script.

Dear James,

I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for always brushing you off. I’m not really used to boys really wanting to talk to me. Well, Severus talks to me, but we’re neighbors and have been friends for forever, so I guess he doesn’t count.

I was wondering what you were doing for the rest of the summer, and if you and I could talk some more? Are you practicing for Quidditch try outs? Do you have to since you’re the Captain?

Anyway, write me back! Or call me, if you have a phone. A phone is faster, but I don’t mind writing.

Sincerely,

Lily

She had written down a series of numbers beneath her name with a small note saying that it was her phone number. James knew about phones, but he knew that his parents didn’t own one. She also mentioned that Snape didn’t count as a boy in her eyes! Maybe Snivellus never had a chance to begin with!

He was so elated that his feet began bouncing wildly.

“What’s got you so happy?” Sirius asked after taking a drink. He had a catalogue of flats open in front of him. Some of them were crossed out while others had notes written beside them.

“Evans sent me a letter.” He preened, “Hey, mum, do we have a phone?” He got up from the table, ignoring the look on Sirius’s face.

“No James, we don’t. We’ve always sent letters, you know that.” His mum was knitting in the sitting room, but had paused when he came in, holding the letter to his chest like a lifeline. “Why the interest?”

“Well, you see,” He showed her his prize, “I have a classmate who is from a muggle family, and she said that I could call her using a phone as it would be faster to talk.” He tried not to bounce as she read the letter slowly. The look she gave him was almost calculating.

“James, do you know how to use a phone?” She asked, her tone the same as it always was when she knew something he didn’t. Usually when he was about to get in trouble.

“Well, no. But it can’t be too hard to figure out, right? They come with instructions, don’t they?” He pulled the best pleading look he could. He could just write to Lily and say he didn’t have a phone, but he liked talking to her. Even if most of her responses to him so far were for him to knock it off and that he should be worrying about his grades and not what she and Snape are doing.

His mother pinned him with another long look. The older he got the harder it was to convince them he wanted something bad enough. They watched each other for a while longer as Sirius joined them, catalogue rolled up and tapping his shoulder.

“What’s this about a phone? Why do you want a phone, Prongs? Just send a letter. Owls are pretty fast as it is.” Sirius had a point, but the idea of actually talking to Lily and hearing her made James’ chest tight. He looked at his best friend with exasperation.

“I know that, but I want to talk to her. And now that I know its an option, I would like to try it.” He turned back to his mom, “Please? I’ll take care of it.”

She said nothing as she looked back to the letter. Her face had some wry amusement on it, but she handed it back to him, “I’ll ask you father and see what he says. Until then, you’ll have to write to her.” It would have to do, and hopefully his dad would agree to get a phone and he could talk to Lily next time.

“Thank you, mom.” He grinned at Sirius who stuck his tongue out. “Help me write this out, Pads.” He grabbed his wrist and led them to his room. Once inside, he sat down at his desk and pulled out the parchment he usually kept for Prof. McGonagall’s essays. Sirius threw himself down onto his bed with a huff and opened the catalogue again.

“Why is she messaging you now of all times?”

“Maybe she’s finally realized how great I am now the Snape isn’t there to bother her.” James shrugged as he began drafting his response. Dear Evans, He scratched that out. Lily. Yes, that was better. Should he say that his summer was boring without her in it? Was that too much?

“Exactly my point, Prongs. Snivellus isn’t around and all of a sudden she talking to you. You don’t find that odd?”

“I don’t know, Padfoot. All I know is that I might have a chance, and I’m going for it.”

Drafting the letter was a lot of back and forth with Sirius and rejected scraps. By the end of it, James had composed a good two feet of a letter to send to Lily filled with news on his summer and the promise to try and get a phone. He didn’t mention seeing Snape in London, seeing as this letter was between him and Lily.

He was half tempted to let his mother read it to make sure it was nice, but decided against it to avoid the embarrassing conversation that would lead to. Tying the letter to the family owl, he sent it off with high hopes and a high heart.

This next year was going to be different. He just knew it.

The letter she received from one James Potter was the most boring textbook letter she could have received in the entirety of her life. Lily drudged over all two feet (2 feet of a letter, was he joking?) to see if there was something she could latch onto and ride in her quest for information. So far it was nothing but antics with the other two boys he hung out with and Quidditch with even more Quidditch.

Lily didn’t mind Quidditch. She liked attending the matches just like everyone else, but Potter took it to a whole new level. He reminded her of some muggle men she saw in the neighborhood trying to impress the older girls with their vast amounts of useless car knowledge. The only thing she could even think of talking about that wouldn’t make her brain melt was either talking about Remus or the fact that James’s father got interviewed for the Daily Prophet over a potion he made.

She didn’t really care about learning more about Sirius Black if she was being honest. Sure he was good looking in that rugged bad boy way, but he was a down right ass. Remus Lupin was the quiet friend in the trio. That and he was on consideration for Prefect, like her.

To hell with it.

She would write about both. Better to cast both out and see which one James latched on to. Hopefully his parents would say yes to the phone and they could just talk. She had a feeling she could navigate the conversations better that way.

She sent off the Potter owl after she added all of her little lures to the envelope. A flower sticker here, a small doodle next to her signature there. All signs of a whimsical girl talking to a dreamy boy. Luckily, James Potter wasn’t brightest light on the block. Intelligent? Yes. Bright? Not a chance.

She wrote back! Oh Merlin and Godric, she wrote back.

Mostly asking questions about his father’s work and Remus of all people, but James didn’t even mind it. He saved the latest letter with the other one in his desk drawer.

In the next reply he would send her would include his newest phone number. He wanted to call her immediately, but his mother said that it might be rude if he didn’t let her know he got one first.

After sending his owl with a shorter message, James waited by the phone for days. Every time he had to walk away from it, he would ask if it rang when he returned.

“No dear, nothing yet.”

“It is plugged in, right? We did that correctly?”

“Yes James, we did. Don’t worry, her parent might have her busy or she may have friends over.”

Not Snape, though. A little voice whispered triumphantly. A fleeting thought of what the git was doing with Remus’s family passed through his mind.

And then the phone rang.

Lily grinned like a cat who had cornered her prey when she heard the breathless voice of James Potter on the second ring.

“Yes, hullo? This is the Potter residence.” It sounded rehearsed and it was pretty endearing if she admitted it.

“Hi, this is Lily Evans. Can I talk to James, please?” She made sure to lilt his name just right.

“Oh, uh. This is James. Uhm, hi Lily.”

Hook. Line.

“Oh that’s great! I’ve been wanting to actually talk to you. I’ve been really excited ever since you said you were getting a phone. Now we can talk whenever we want.”

And when she listened to the nervous reply, she knew she had him.

And sinker.