Mandrakes

 I’ve wrote some drabbles about James and Lily because they are like so romantic! (‘: Review please and don't worry, there's more coming up. This on takes place in their first year!

Okay, here it goes!

It was the first day of the Christmas Break, every student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was enjoying their fun-filled morning tussling in the snow or sleeping in. But Lily Evans, on the other hand, was making her way through the snow down to the greenhouses. How DID I get detention in the break? She thought angrily to herself. James Potter, she replied bitterly and thought back to the day when McGonagall issued her the detention.

Lily was hurrying along the dim corridors at night. It was dangerously close to curfew and she was determined to not receive a detention. It was, after all, her first year at Hogwarts. She wanted to keep her nose clear, unlike Potter, who had already received at least one detention from each teacher in the first term. Speaking of the devil, Lily thought as she rounded a corner and saw James Potter with his three cronies, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew who basically worshipped Potter. They were in front of McGonagall’s office with a box. They were all smirking and taping thin cylinders to McGonagall’s office door. Lily knew they were up to no good.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Lily shouted. Sirius, Remus and Peter dashed away but Potter stayed, obviously unaware of what was happening. Lily tip-toed close and saw that he was taping firecrackers to the door. At his feet was a box of Zonko’s Non-flame Firecrackers. Lily narrowed her eyes and picked it up, ready to smack Potter with it but the office door suddenly swung open and McGonagall was glaring icily at them. The box of firecrackers in Lily’s hands and Potter was still holding a firecracker.

“P-p-professor!” Lily gasped. “I can explain!”

But Professor McGonagall was in no mood to listen, “Potter, Evans.  You will have detention tomorrow morning with Professor Sprout at the greenhouses. 20 points will be deducted from each of you.” She stared at them coldly for another moment and slammed the door in their faces. Then the firecrackers disappeared.

“Potter!” Lily spat, turning to the boy who still had a lopsided grin with his horn-rimmed glasses askew.

“What?” James Potter replied cheekily. “It was your fault you picked up the box of firecrackers! You can’t blame me!” But Lily was too angry to reply.

“Good morning, Professor Sprout,” Lily and James chorused.

“Ah, two helping hands, just what I need!” Sprout said cheerfully. “Now, the mandrakes plants have died from the cold so we need more seeds from the Forbidden Forest. There are patches of Wild mandrakes that you can take seeds from but be careful, ask nicely or they’ll bite!”

James and Lily stared at the professor, completely dumbfounded by the task.

“No questions? Brilliant! Start right away!” the professor then immediately waddled back into the greenhouses.

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“OW!” James cried, sucking on his bitten finger. He had many small, round wounds on his hand now, thanks to the evil mandrakes. “You know, Evans, you can help as well.”

“It was you who got me into this mess, Potter,” Evans said unhelpfully. “Besides, I’ve got enough seeds already.”

“Share some with me?” James pleaded. “My hands are going to be bitten off anytime soon!” The corners of Evan’s lips curled slightly, “Serves you right, Potter.” James sucked up his pride and continued to ask the plants. This was ridiculous! It was talking to leaves then getting attacked by them. What was worse was Evans was right beside him! Why did it have to be Evans? The pain in the arse?

But I’m going to beat her in every subject, James vowed silently. But a small voice said at the back of his head, she’s bloody smart and you know that. Especially in Potions and DADA, which was James weaker subjects. Whatever! He argued back, I’m just going to have to prank my way to revenge then I wi-.

“OW!” James yelped, snapping out of his thoughts. The mandrake had bitten him again. He looked up at her; glossy straight red locks of hair, startling green eyes, a splash of freckles across her creamy cheeks. Her pink lips were parted and turned upwards in a smile and flashed a smile of milky straight teeth. He heard Evans giggle.

Something clicked inside him. He didn’t know what it was, he didn’t know what it meant but he did know that something changed about Evans. She had giggled. She had feelings too. Then James suddenly realized: Lily Evans was human too.