RAVISHMENT

Author: Queen Nightingale

Pairing: JPLE

Comment(s): This takes place when they're in their later years, just becoming great friends.
And BTW, when I'm referring to 'ravish', I'm talking about the urban dictionary definition,
the modern-day connotations of the word. Not 'rape' as one reviewer stated,
but as I quote from dictionary dot com: "3. (to) Fill (someone) with intense delight; enrapture."

"I am an old man, but in many senses a very young man. And this is what I want you to be, young, young all your life."

- Pablo Casals

"I'm going to take off your skull," he said, his hot breath whispering onto the skin of her collarbone, the two of them in the back of the Divination classroom, "and I'm going to break it. I'm going to make a tiny cut right here -" He pressed his lips to the side of her neck "- and I'm going to pull your skull bones out, shard by shard, from the skin around your head. Then I'm going to glue the pieces together, Muggle style, and wear them as a crown. And everyone will see this beautiful white diadem, and wonder where it came from."

She felt his lips press against her neck, and she inhaled sharply.

"Mister Potter!" A sharp voice rang out from the front of the classroom, Lily's face heating up as James casually removed his lips from her neck, "What do you think you're doing to Miss Evans?" The entire classroom swivelled around, and James smirked as Lily sank lower into her seat.

"Ravishing her, of course."

"You're so fucked in the head!" Lily said, glaring at James after Professor Caldwish turned her attention back to the frantically keening Trelawney girl at the front of the room, "What are you playing at?"

"I'm not playing at anything."

"You're not playing at anything?" Lily's voice started to go shrill, and James made eye contact with Sirius, who turned around to look worriedly at Lily's rapidly heating face, "You're going to – oh, I quote – ravish me? You don't even know how to ravish a girl!"

At that comment, James quickly turned his head to face her, rather than ignoring her and doodling on his star map.

"I don't know how to ravish a girl. Really, Lily? I nearly had you cream your pants right there."

Lily blushed furiously, but her upper lip curled into a sneer.

"Did not."

"Look down there," James said, motioning for Lily to follow his line of sight, "See that Hufflepuff? Meg Finch, or whatever? In one day I got her to date me."

"It's Meg," Lily drawled, unimpressed, "Not exactly a world class conquest."

James' eyes widened, "Harsh."

"The truth sometimes is."

"Everyone knows," James continued, rolling his eyes with boredom, "that I can ravish a girl. Make her go mad with longing" Lily snorted "and desire. However, no girl has yet been capable of ravishing me."

Lily looked at him, shocked with realization.

"In your dreams, Potter, I don't just ravish anyone," she hissed at him, James grinning widely and turning back to his star map.

"Miss Evans, I feel a premonition coming onto me about you," Professor Caldwish said from the front of the class, dreamily waving her arms about, "I feel that you will be working very well if I separate you from Mr. Potter!"

"No need, Professor Caldwish, " Lily replied back loudly, James stifling a laugh from beside her, "I'm feeling pretty confident in our working abilities!"

"Why did I take this course," James muttered to himself, glaring at his quill, "It's complete batshit."

"It is not," Lily sniffed, carefully staring at her star map and chewing her bottom lip, "I love it. If I ever had a child, they would love it too. It's too much fun."

"Yeah right. No son of mine would love this course, I can tell you that right now."

"Good thing we won't be having children together then," Lily retorted, focusing harder on her work.

"Oh, come on Evans, what do you say?"

"What do I say to what, James?"

"Well, are you going to ravish me?"

Lily snorted and put down her quill, turning to face James' smirking face.

"If I even wanted to ravish you, you would be mine in a heartbeat," Lily said, glaring at him.

"Yeah? With your track record of – wait, oh that's right – zero dates?"

Lily felt her face heating up with humiliation, but she held back the stung tears of irritation and continued glaring at him.

"I haven't found the right guy," she commented, turning away from James and focusing back on her star map, scribbling something beside Jupiter, "Not that it's any of your business, Potter."

"Maybe it's because you don't try."

"I don't want to try, boys come to me, not the other way around," Lily said, nose to her paper, James amusedly leaning back in his seat and watching her.

"Yeah, there's such a long line up."

"Shut up, you're such an asshole," Lily swivelled her head around and snarled at James, "You're so fucking ... mean. Or harsh, or something."

"The truth often is."

Lily scowled at him.

"Oh come off it, ickle wittle Lilybunchkin" – Lily snorted – "ravish me. It would be so much fun!"

"For you, yes," Lily replied, still writing, "However, it would be embarrassing and awkward for me."

James was silent for a bit, watching her scribble.

"I'm sure you'd be okay at it," James said, halfheartedly.

Lily's jaw mock-dropped, and she raised her arm frantically.

"Yes, Miss Evans!"

"You should come over here right away, Professor Caldwish, I think there's something wrong with James' brain, even more so than normal!" she said loudly, James rolling his eyes in exasperation and leaning back in his chair, "I think this time he thought so hard that he broke his brain!"

"It was just a compliment, Lily," James said, turning his attention to Professor Caldwish, "My brain isn't broken, I'm okay."

Professor Caldwish sent them both a cold stare, "Please continue working, the two of you."

"Smart ass," James commented, Lily turning back to her work and chuckling to herself, "Now, that was mean."

"Don't worry, you couldn't even break your brain if you wanted to," Lily said, "It's not even possible."

"Because I don't have a brain? Haha, wow, so witty there Evans, kills me every time."

"That's my objective."

"So, what do you say?"

Lily arched an eyebrow at James, who grinned at her.

"Oh, come on Lily, I won't tell anyone," he said, smirking, "It would be our little secret!"

"How the hell would I even ravish you, anyways?" Lily retorted, still writing on her work, not making eye contact with him.

"I don't know, send me flowers or something," James replied, waving his hand around nonchalantly, "Whatever. Or do kinky shit. It would be fun."

"For who, exactly," Lily said, continuing to write.

"You, of course."

Lily sighed exaggeratedly, placing down her quill and turning to face James, who was momentarily struck by the size of her green eyes. She started to whisper, and move towards him.

"You want me to ravish you?" Her eyes were the size of saucers, and James felt his words get stuck in his throat. She started to move closer to him, and then suddenly she was straddling him in his chair, and James made a throaty grunt, startled.

"Evans, what are you - "

"Shhh," she whispered to him, placing her lips gently against his ear, lightly biting his earlobe. James stifled a moan, suddenly incredibly aware of their surroundings, "I'm ravishing you, just like what you wanted."

"Mnurhhh."

Lily snapped back, her spine rigid, and started madly giggling at the strangled look on his face, "You can't handle it! You actually can't handle it!" Her head lolled back and her long red hair pooled on the table, her neck exposed to him, her chest heaving with laughter, "You were actually turned on!"

"I was not," James said sullenly, crossing his arms and glaring at the redhead madly laughing on his lap, "I was not!"

"I ravished you! I actually legitimately ravished you!"

James unceremoniously scooped up both her legs together and deposited her back on her chair, Lily still snorting and heaving with laughter. He licked his quill and sullenly started to write gibberish on his star map.

"I turned you onnn, I turned you onnnn," Lily sing-songed into James' face, blatantly not writing anything and swivelling around to him, laughter bubbling in between her words.

"You didn't at all," James said suddenly, rearing up and glaring at her, "I was just worried you were going to embarrass both of us when Caldwish wonders why you're on my lap."

"Which is why you went, and I quote," Lily started laughing again, tears pouring out of her eyes with glee, "Mnuuurrrghhhh." She started howling again with giggles.

"It's not that funny!" James said, stubbornly turning to face his paper, feeling for the first time his face heating up, his fists clenching.

Lily's laughter calmed down, and she noticed his rigid stance. She sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"So I'm not allowed to tease you when I ravish you, but of course you can always make fun of me."

"You practically sexually assaulted me!" James said, smirking a bit as her face darkened.

"I did not!"

"You didn't even say anything," James said, mock-yawning, and turning back to his paper, "That was not ravishing."

Lily's jaw dropped, and she glared furiously at him.

"That was ravishing!"

Suddenly James was up and started to straddle Lily, whose face contorted from his body weight, and from the sparks of laughter pouring out of her mouth.

"James," giggle "stop it!"

"Oh, Lilayyy," he said, wrapping his arms around her neck and giggling girlishly, "I want you to fill me up, I feel so ... needy! Let me grind my ample buttocks into your open and warm loi-"

"MR. POTTER!"

Lily started to howl with laughter as James froze and turned around to face Professor Caldwish and the rest of the class, who were staring at him with a mixture of shock and awe.

Sirius burst into loud laughter from his corner in the classroom.

"Lily, you vixen, turning Prongsie into such a needy little sluu - "

"Mr. Black, that will be enough! Mr. Potter, kindly remove yourself from Ms. Evans! This will be your final warning!"

James casually stood up then plummeted into his seat, Lily still feverishly giggling and snorting.

"Nice ravishing, Potter," Lily said once Professor Caldwish turned around, "Great job there."

James smirked.

"I do it best, after all."

Lily inhaled deeply on the cigarette she was dangling between her fingers, leaning against the tree in front of the lake.

She closed her eyes and unconsciously tilted her head up slightly, letting the smoke slowly trickle out of her open mouth, before finally exhaling it all.

James was standing behind her, watching her lean against the side of the tree and stare blankly at the lake. He cleared his throat, and Lily turned lazily, swivelling around to face him.

He stood there for a second, drinking her in. It was a weekend, and she was wearing a light green summer dress, with lace along the bottom and the décolletage, a wide-brimmed straw hat perched on her head, her long red hair swivelling around her figure. She had the cigarette carefully dangled between her fingers, and a slow smile dripped off her languid, red lips.

"Yes, Jamesiepoo?" she said, mockingly, James still standing there a bit in awe, "I know I look fantastic, no need to stare."

"You smoke?"

"No," Lily said, staring longingly at the cigarette that she played with in her hands, "I just wanted to chill out for a bit."

"They'll kill you, y'know," James smirked, coming closer to her and then carefully sitting down in the ground, motioning for her to join him.

She flicked the cigarette to the ground, grinding it into the dirt with the toe of her high heels, ignoring his statement.

"I can't sit on the ground," she said, pouting, James carefully watching her from his position. As he watched her fidget, she took off her hat and leaned it against the tree, her hair red and persimmon and lovely, the tulle from her skirt popping out as she leaned over.

"Sit on my lap," he motioned, leaning back with his elbows, his hair tickled by the wind's fancy. Lily quickly glanced down at his tanned, slightly freckled arms, and then grinned at him.

"Sure I won't ravish you?"

"I've got protection!" James replied, pretending to rifle in his jean pockets for a condom, Lily starting to laugh, "I'm good."

Lily suddenly plopped down on him, not exactly gracefully, keeping her legs together and wrapping her arms around his neck, James starting to chuckle.

"Dainty."

"You know it, maestro," Lily retorted, snuggling into his chest and letting her legs curl down around his.

After a few minutes of content silence, the two of them staring happily at the lake and the beautiful blue sky, James started to speak.

"So why are you so dressed up?" he asked, curiously, looking down at the ball of red curled around his chest, "It's just the weekend, not even a Hogsmeade trip."

"Petunia came to London and I had to meet her there," Lily said, snarling a bit unconsciously, "She's my little sister. She's getting married, this was for the bridal party."

"Ah," James looked down at her head, his eyebrows furrowed, "Isn't it a bit early to get married? How much younger is she than you?"

"A year. So she'll be marrying a year from now when she's eighteen. The ugly pig she's marrying is twenty four, it's disgusting."

"Oh."

Lily looked up at James and smirked at him, James looking wide-eyed back down at her.

"Do you ever want to get married, James?"

"That's a dangerous question, m'dear," he replied, a Southern accent strongly present in his voice, Lily giggling at him, "But truly? Maybe. One day."

"You're such a romantic."

James froze.

"Me? Not at all," he retorted quickly, his eyes darting away from hers, Lily smiling knowingly.

"You are, it's written all over you, that's why you're so big, and bold and exciting," she said, grinning at James, who roguishly smiled back.

"Evidently."

"You're just a sweet, little, hopeless romantic," Lily said, her eyes widening in mock sadness, "Who wants to love and burn for a perfect girl of his choice."

"Let's go swimming," James said suddenly, ignoring her.

Lily gasped with laughter.

"No way! In what?"

"Our underwear, evidently," he said, standing up, still carrying her in his arms, Lily pounding on his chest and laughing.

"Put me down!" she said furiously, still giggling, as they approached the edge of the water.

James quickly placed her on the ground, then took off his socks and shoes, rolling up his jeans and wading into the lake, grinning at Lily, who looked sceptically at his jean's hem, which was getting more and more wet as he waded deeper.

"Come on in, I dare you," he said, opening his arms up and grinning crookedly at Lily, who was standing on the shore with her arms crossed and lips pursed, "Oh come on Evans, you know you want to ravish me here."

"There are people around," she hissed at him, a smile nonetheless popping up on her face, "What will they think?"

James looked around and spotted a Ravenclaw couple sprawled out on the other side of the lake.

"They're on the other side! There's no-one here! Who gives a shit?" he said, grinning and baring his teeth at her.

Lily smiled back at him, then with a moment's hesitation, started to slowly remove her heels, James staring at her as she daintily bent over to undo the straps around her thin ankles.

"You're taking too long," he said teasingly, starting to wade back to the shore, Lily looking up from where she had just pulled off her heels.

"Don't you dare, James, don't you - eeeekkk!"

She darted out of his grasp and started to run down the shoreline, but he quickly grabbed her and tossed her lithe frame over his shoulder, casually walking into the water with her tulle skirt exploding around his shoulders.

"Don't you dare, James, don't you dare, James, I'm being serious, I'm being serious!"

With a giant plop, he dumped her into the water, Lily shrieking and quickly standing up, completely soaked. They stood there for a while, Lily scowling at him, as James tried to stifle the chuckles rising up from his chest.

"So sorry Lily, I must have slipped," he said quickly, a loud laugh escaping from his mouth before he could hold it back, "It was an accident, I didn't mean it – eyowww!"

Suddenly Lily jumped on him, pulling her arms around his neck and slamming both of them into the water, James gasping for air and completely drenched, his red plaid shirt soaked with the water, droplets on his glasses and dripping down his face, with his hair plastered to his head.

"Whoopsie daisy, James," Lily said, laughing madly, her pretty green dress soaked and plastered against her skin, "Just an accident, I swear."

James' eyes widened, then he grabbed her and shoved them both into the water, Lily's happy screams echoing around the nearly empty lake.

Then they were floating side-by-side, both silent and a bit tired, staring up at the pure blue sky, decorated with white cotton ball clouds.

He turned and stared at Lily, whose eyes were closed with a small smile curving on her face. He hadn't seen her this carefree in a long time, and as he bobbed in the lake, he enjoyed the sight of her green dress floating on the water around her, and her red hair, tendrils snaking around her head. A particularly enchanting water droplet trailed down her cheek, from the side of her nose, and he wanted desperately to touch it, but he controlled himself and turned away from her.

He didn't mean to insult her all the time, especially in class. He was pleased that she hadn't dated anybody, to be honest – it meant she was all the more his, which he firmly believed she was.

It hadn't been easy becoming her friend, after all the past history between him and – he shuddered unconsciously – Snivellus, but once her friendship with Snape disappeared, he liked to think that he filled a spot in her life. Made it less empty, less lonely for her.

He liked to imagine her as a palette. As a blank oil canvas, even – with blotches of brilliant colours, peacocks and magentas and blues and gold, of course gold, all splotched along the sides. But in the middle would be the outline of a circle, and he wanted to be the giant red paint blob in the middle. Her heart.

There was something just right about them. There was something so comforting about arguing with Lily, because she was never truly angry with him, never honestly enraged by his comments. He could tell that she held back, especially around him, for some odd reason, so he liked teasing her. Liked making the red rise deliciously in her cheeks so that her hair matched her skin colour. He wanted to break her fragility, rip it apart and graft his bones to her, so that she wasn't so fucking nice.

He wanted, in all honesty, for her to be his. He wanted to own her, possess her gossamer spirit and her gossamer soul – but he didn't want to place her in a cage, in a gilded prison. He wanted to watch her dance along the shoreline, spit fire at him in class, and most of all, smile widely at him after it all. He wanted her to do all this for him, with him, because of him.

He wanted the sky to suddenly turn black, the moon to pop out and stud it with stars, planets, the black holes of his imagination. He wanted to float beside her, Lily in that beautiful green dress, and hold her hand. To stargaze, to just be.

He wanted to be her everything. If he married her – if, he emphasized in his head, because he cockily knew he could – he wouldn't care where it was. He would marry her in front of her family if she wanted, in front of her friends, with his Marauder brothers present or not. Or he would marry her on a boat, in the middle of the ocean, with just a priest and candles floating around them. It wouldn't matter where, and who, or what the fuck they were wearing – he just wanted them to be. Forever. Floating, adrift, perfect and real and bleeding.

He loved her, he realized with a jolt.

"So," Lily's voice spoke up, a bit hoarse from being unused, both of them still floating side-by-side, "Is this normally how you ravish your women, James?"

James didn't reply, and Lily sank into a standing position, her feet touching the pebbled ground of the lake, turning to him worriedly.

"I'm just kidding Jam- "

Suddenly he stood up, picked her up as if she was a ragdoll, Lily curling her arms around his neck, her legs straddling his waist, James standing in the shallow part of the lake with water gushing off of both of them, his face frozen beside hers.

"No," he said softly, Lily's eyes wide and intense, "This, is how I ravish Lily Potter."

And he kissed her, his hands skimming over her lovely waist, Lily pressing her body lightly against his with need, James stumbling a bit back from their combined weight, the two of them sweet and gentle, and not totally perfect, the sun and clouds gently trickling down onto their dazzling new skins.

She noticed her new last name, but didn't even care.

And it was brilliant.

"Remember the days of the hot wind ripping through your hair as you sped down a big hill on your bike? Remember closing your eyes every now and then as you made your descent, braving the risk of hitting a pothole at the wrong angle and colliding with asphalt? You let go of the handlebars occasionally, something that, if she had seen you do, your mother would have grounded you for a week. You rode your bike like the speed demon that you thought you were, delirious to the rest of the world, in a state of utter exhilaration. Nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and everything to experience. Life is not a series of events that can be coldly calculated, with levels of achievement that deliver you to a final height, where you 'win'. It cannot be paused or have the channel changed to something better. There is nothing better than to live a life, to see the world without the vertical lines cast from the TV screen, to be a part of the grand scheme of things. Remember looking forward to getting off the school bus, and jumping on your bike, ready to explore the same places that you saw the day before? Remember the daylight suddenly disappearing, another day over, a sense of dread of having to return home rushing through you as you went up that hill that earlier had give you so much joy? This was the world and you knew it, you saw it, you felt it. It was real and you looked forward to it ...

It's still there and you've been away too long."

- Anonymous