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Need to Know Basis


Lily climbed up the stairs of the stands of the pitch and slid into a front row seat, leaning against the frame and staring down at the grass. James was standing below, the Quidditch set before him as he tossed the quaffle into the air and caught it a couple times, then put it down on the ground and untied the snitch from the case, grinning as he unleashed the little gold ball. The snitch zipped around him a few times before he reached out, snapping it from the air with a quick hand, a smirk on his face. He released it a second time, jumped onto his broomstick and kicked off, following it into the sky, doing loop-de-loops through the air, his robes flapping in the wind behind him as he spiraled across the pitch, following the sparkling, winged ball.

Lily bit her lips as she watched him warm up, waiting for the others to arrive. She’d forgotten how smooth his broom-handling skills were, how well he ducked and swept across the pitch. It was almost hypnotizing, and she couldn’t help but understand some of the girls that she’d always tirelessly mocked for sitting about in the stands drooling over him in the past.

As though her thoughts had conjured them, Marlene and Annalee McKinnon, Carly Shaw, and McKenna Alliston came up the steps to the stands, talking excitedly as they slid onto one of the benches. “He’s just so bloody handsome,” McKenna was saying. “And he’s single. Broken up with Maryrose, on the market and everything!” She swooned a bit and squirmed with excitement, looking over the pitch.

“That hair.”

“Those eyes. All brown and wonderful.”

“And that facial hair. He’s so manly.”

“I’ll bet he has brilliant muscles under all those clothes! If only the Quidditch robes were a bit tighter!” McKenna fanned herself. “He is soooo good looking. By far the best looking Quidditch player this year. The closest is Jasper Odair. You heard he got Captain for Hufflepuff?”

“He deserved it!” said Marlene, smiling.

“Yeah. But James Potter is definitely the best looking,” McKenna said dreamily.

“He really is,” Annalee said, “Bit of a pill, though. Not very good at concentrating. He’s sort of a horrible boyfriend.” She yawned.

“I’d rather see Sirius Black anyway,” whispered Carly Shaw.

“Is he even trying out?” asked Annalee, looking around.

“Probably,” Marlene said.

McKenna looked at Carly, “Have you broken up with Andy, then?”

Carly turned red, “Yes. I had to. I mean it’s been some time since we were really… happy… and I only stayed with him over summer because of… of what happened…”

“Poor Andy,” muttered McKenna.

“Yeah,” Carly said. “But anyway, I’d really like it if Sirius Black were playing some quidditch. It’d be a fair distraction, if you know what I mean?” She grinned.

“Why does it matter?” Marlene laughed, “He’s gay, remember?”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t watch and enjoy the view!” Carly said excitedly. “Besides - are we sure that he even is gay?” She grinned, “I bet I could turn him back.” She ran her hand over her jumper.

Annalee leaned closer and whispered, “Oh he’s gay. He’s definitely gay. I heard that he and Remus are doing it,” she said knowledgeably.

“Oh how awkward,” McKenna made a face.

“I know,” Annalee said, “Poor Peter was saying he walked in on them together in the dormitory and Sirius Black chased him off. Or would’ve done if he could’ve -- being in the position he was in sort of limited his mobility… if you know what I mean.” She cleared her throat.

“No!” Marlene leaned forward, jaw dropped. “But - but he was always so --” she stopped and shook her head, “Nevermind.”

Carly’s voice was a whisper. “You aren’t saying Peter suggested that -- that Sirius Black -- He’s not -- the girl?”

Annalee smirked and leaned in, about to tell them exactly what Peter had said, when suddenly there was a shadow looking over them. Lily had turned around and stood up, “I’m sorry. Do you gossips have nothing more to talk about than things that aren’t any of your business?” Lily raised her eyebrow pointedly.

“Sorry,” said Marlene quickly, blushing. She inched away from the others, as though physical distance from them would take her out of the blame for the conversation at hand.

Lily stormed off without waiting for them to answer and found her way a few boxes from them, setting herself back down, angry. She could just imagine how mortified Remus would’ve been if he’d heard them talking about it! Besides that, but a strange zinging jealousy had shot through her when they’d been talking about James Potter, too, and she clutched her fingers ‘round the bench seat. They needed to mind their own business.

Lily noticed the first years all clustered together across the pitch, watching the pitch with wide grins, holding giant bags of popcorn, pointing down at the pitch. Vivian held a sign that said Go Potter! and Ollie was standing on the bench behind Wally, holding onto his head for balance, so he could see better over the rail of the box.

Macy noticed her looking over and waved, which made Liam, Darcy, Dexter, Wally, Ollie, and Vivian look over and wave, too. Lily smiled and waved back to the lot of them.

Below on the pitch, James was organizing the students that had come out to the pitch to try-out for the team. He had quite a collection - several second years, and the usuals as well. He was looking to replace the Keeper, one Beater, and one Chaser because of people who had either graduated or were just not playing this year. He pulled a clipboard from his bookbag and glanced up at the Bell Tower, trying to recall what it’d been like working with Derek Bell way back when he had first started playing Quidditch himself.

James did his best to sound as confident as possible and he ran his hand through his hair repeatedly, trying to release his nervous energy elseways. He directed the two guys trying out for Keeper to go up to the rings and for the people trying out for Chasers to head up and warm up to shoot some goals at the hoops… He looked up to direct them where they were supposed to be and his eyes met Lily Evans. He waved timidly and she waved back.

James felt his face flush and he quickly turned back to pay attention to the try outs, jumping on his broom. He grinned at Meg Johnson as he flew up from the ground, “Oi, Meg… Wanna race and see who can catch the snitch first?”

Meg grinned, “You’re on, Potter.”

James grinned and released the snitch from his fist, watching it zoom away, spinning off into the sky, where the light was slowly dying away. He watched for the snitch out of the corner of his eyes while he flew about, assessing the students trying out. Every now and then he would pull a quick move and laugh when Meg Johnson dropped her broom to follow after him only to learn that he was faking seeing the snitch. James did actually spot it a couple times and he would glance at Lily to see if she was watching, but once she was looking over at the first years and another time she’d turned to glare at the cluster of her friends -- who he noticed she wasn’t sitting with. He wondered why.

Finally, it happened - the perfect moment. The dying sun caught the glint of the snitch and James spotted Evans looking very nearly directly at it and he grinned, his eyes sweeping the pitch to see Meg Johnson had just spotted the snitch too, and James’s adrenaline spiked.

Perfect, he thought.

A challenge.

And off they went.

Lily’s eyes flickered to him just in time to see him lean as far forward as he could, sending his broom into a nearly perfectly downward dive for the snitch. Lily inched closer forward and watched over the edge of the stands as James dropped several yards, arm outstretched. He and Meg reached the snitch at nearly the same time, but James was just a few inches closer and locked his fingers around the tiny ball.

“Yes!” whispered Lily excitedly. Across the pitch, the first years were shrieking with excitement and she could hear Dexter’s loud shouts of whoaaaa, whoaaaa as James went spinning to loop about, so that he was flying, hanging upside down, his cape hanging from his shoulders as he grinned past Meg toward where Lily Evans sat in the stands. Lily blushed as James winked at her, turned the broom and swept back off across the pitch.

When he reached the pitch James blew a whistle he’d tucked into his pocket, motioning for everyone to come down and land so he could announce the final team members, having seen enough of their skills to make his choices for positions. Everyone landed and James said, “Alright, gonna name off the team… stay if you’re on the team, we’ll get your robes put together for you and get the schedules and everything… I’m sorry to everyone that doesn’t make it, you lot were all pretty brilliant, but there’s only so many positions.” He smiled, took a deep breath, and announced, “Alright… here we go. Chasers… Myself, of course. Alice Prewitt and Ellen Dodge. Beaters… Tobias Clement and Frank Longbottom… Seeker... Meg Johnson… and last but not least, Keeper… Nigel Pennick.”

Frank jumped excitedly and hugged Ali as the others high-fived or consoled one another. James stood awkwardly on his own, watching everyone react, an island in a sea of happy revellers, and he smiled, holding his broomstick. He looked back up at the stands but Lily was gone from her seat and he sighed and bent down to replace the balls to the Quidditch case. The bludgers were giving him fight in getting in the box, so it took a moment to replace them in. Finally, James clicked the locks closed on the box and a shadow blocked the sunlight from his eyes. He glanced up to the silhouette of Lily standing above him.

“Evans?”

“Hey Potter.”

“Thanks for coming to the try-outs, it’s always nice to have a, uh, an audience.” He paused. “You… er… see the catch I made of that snitch?” James double checked the lock on the quidditch box, then stood up slowly, staring at the box, not quite daring to look at her.

“Yeah… Good job,” Lily said.

“Thanks.” He squinted at her - the last gold rays of light right in his eyes.

“Sirius didn’t come,” she pointed out.

“Oh. Yeah, no he didn’t. He’s… he’s with Rey. Full moon tonight,” James added under his breath.

“Right,” Lily nodded. “You lot never have told me how it is he does that.”

“Need to know basis, Evans,” he said lowly.

Lily nodded. “And I don’t need to know.”

James looked at her. “Actually…” He glanced at the dying sunlight, and the trees beyond the pitch, then back to her. “Would you like to know?” he asked quietly.

Lily’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re serious?”

“No, but I’m mates with him,” James said, grinning.

“He’d be proud.”

“Very.”

“So… so how does he do it, then?” she asked, excited, staring up at him.

James asked, “Can we go for a walk? I’ll… I’ll show you.”

“Show me?”

“Mhm.” He grinned, eyes twinkling. “I… uh.. I think you’ll be staggered.” His lips twitched.

“Okay,” she said, having a feeling she was missing something, based on the look on his face, but she didn’t know what exactly. “Let’s go.”

James reached up, unbuckling and shrugging off his Quidditch robes so he was wearing just the slacks and jumper, “I’ll just put these and my broom up and we’ll go.”

Lily nodded. “Alright.”

Turning, his nerves picking up, James ran to the locker room where everyone was going to get their new quidditch robes and the schedules. As he jogged up, he caught Frank’s arm. “Hey. Frank. Can you do me a favor, mate?”

“What’d’ya need, Potter?”

James glanced over his shoulder. “I need you to see to it that everyone gets their robes and schedules alright. I’ve gotta go somewhere.”

Frank looked surprised, “Everything alright?”

James grinned, “Evans… I gotta talk to Evans.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

“Ohhh, well.” Frank grinned back, “Yes. I’ll see to it, of course. Go. And good luck mate.”

“Thanks.” James handed Frank his robes and broomstick. “You’re the best.” He turned and bolted back out of the locker room to the pitch, where Lily Evans was waiting for him.