〖Paris never changes, I know my way about...〗

♬ 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 ~ 𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦 ♬

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

In the beginning, Paris has been a mystery to Lily Evans. When she begun her year of studying abroad here at the age of 20, being presented with a foreign country and all its splendour proved a little difficult to navigate. There were never ending street corner bistros and cafes along the city square; so many, in fact, that one could hardly visit the same one twice. She often tried to see as many different cafes as possible, amassing a list of all her favourites in case she should ever come back.

It was spring time when she visited the Rendezvous Patisserie... Paris in spring was Lily's absolute favourite time of year, cherry blossoms adorned the street corners and the sun kissed her skin, leaving behind a light dusting of freckles on her peach tinted cheeks, like elicit kisses from an unknown lover.

The Patisserie was your traditional French frequent; the overwhelming aroma of fresh coffee nearly masking the delight of warm cakes and pastries wafting from the open door. The atmosphere was almost magnetic, luring in their customers and encasing them with sweet smells and inviting, blush-pink decor.

Lily entered the shop and was immediately hit with the intensity of its allure, almost like she was under a spell; even the staff were impossibly beautiful.
There were two people serving coffee and cake at the bar and three or four serving staff, bustling around to the soft cadence of a record player she spotted just behind the front counter.

Behind the tills, preparing the coffees and offering charming smiles to their customers, were a boy and a girl, both with hazelnut brown hair –though the girl's was slightly lighter and the boy's sat in a shock of glossy curls while the girl had hers tied into two French braids (which Lily found incredibly fitting).

She made her way up the counter and smiled at the hazelnut haired girl behind the till; only once she was close enough did she notice her eyes were a similar brown, however they were speckled with chocolatey flecks.

"Bonjour, parler-vous Français où Anglais, madamoiselle?"
The girl spoke easy French but Lily knew the city well enough to know when a person's accent was learnt, this particular girl was very likely English.

"Je préférerais parler anglais, merci," Lily replied, completely unsure if her tense was correct but soon forgot about it when the girl smiled.

"Oh, thanks goodness! I've been speaking French for nearly ten years and yet I still feel incompetent in this shop!"

Lily laughed –noticing the boy from behind the counter turn at the sound– she glanced up at the menu behind the girl.
"I'd love a latte with vanilla, please?"

"No problem," the barista smiled at her before angling her head to face the boy, who'd taken to leaning on the coffee machine, "James! Do me a favour and rustle up a vanilla latte, the machine hates me today and I don't want to poison this lovely girl!"

'James' studied the barista, then Lily in turn before flashing them both a grin. "I'm on it."

There weren't many customers at this time of day, the lunchtime rush had died down, leaving a trickle of people dwindling like the final few spots of pink light before the sun settles down for the night. So Lily took a seat at the counter, perching on one of the leather high stools while she waited for the male barista to finish making her coffee.

It had been a while since she'd found an establishment run by two English people, usually she'd have to stumble through her French to order what she just did –and normally she'd be perfectly happy to– but there was something exciting about finding people from back home, even if they were just beautiful strangers.

And, for Lily, it was becoming more and more clear just how beautiful they were. Lily couldn't help but watch as the boy called James bustled around the workspace, moving deftly as he prepared her order.

"Don't look too closely," murmured a voice in her ear. She jumped to see the female barista that had served her, chocolate eyes sparkling with humour.

"Why not?" Like whispered back.

"James is one of those people that should be looked at, admired, but not touched. Like the porcelain dolls you see in antique cabinets."

This analogy startled Lily, but more so the way the girl said it, sounding almost fond when her words made this James character out to be something slightly perilous.

"Your partner?" Lily didn't think so, they looked too similar to be together but nevertheless she felt the words leave her lips before she could stop them.

Regardless of the flippant manner in which Lily asked the question, the barista giggled, utterly delighted at the assumption.
"Oh no, not at all. He's my half brother –same mother– and he's pretty much my best mate, too. I'm Alice, by the way."
Alice held out her hand to shake which Lily took.

"So what's so repellant about your brother?"

"I wouldn't say repellant as much as magnetic. He's got a talent for allure, I've seen it before. It's almost drug-like. Far too romantic to handle," Alice leaned in so James wouldn't hear them as he finished off the latte art in her cup, "it makes it virtually impossible for him to have casual relationships. He loves quickly and brightly, like a shooting star."

"Are you a poet? You speak beautifully."

"Thank you! I'm an aspiring author. It's a bit of a hobby while I'm busy in here."

Lily smiled, "that's amazing. You'll be a fabulous writer."

Alice blushed, "thank you! And I don't even know your name?"

"Lily."

"What a gorgeous name."
But it wasn't Alice that spoke. James had placed a coffee and a pastry in front of her winking when she looked up to see where the voice had come from.

"Oh— um... thank you?"

"No worries, enjoy. I got you a pain-au-chocolat, not because you're incredibly pretty –which you are– but because you seem like the type of person that forgets to eat while they study."

Lily looked down to the delectable looking pastry, then back up at James who was smiling in a manner that made her heart flutter despite itself. It felt like magic, just how easily he could tell that about her; because it was true, she does forget to eat while studying.
"How did you know I was studying?"

James nodded to the tote bag lying on the stool beside her, laptop and notebooks peaking out.
"Wasn't that far of a reach," he commented easily, wiping his hands on the nude brown apron he wore.

"I suppose. Well... thank you."

"My pleasure, lovely."

"It's Lily.

"They're the same thing from where I'm standing."

Lily blushed a deep pink, matching the leather seats around her and James chuckled, winking at her again before leaving her alone with her coffee and uni study-notes while he tended to another customer.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Alice was right when she said James was magnetic. The whole atmosphere of Rendezvous Patisserie was intoxicating, pulling her back each and every time. Her mission to visit new cafes was long since abandoned in favour of visiting James and Alice in their Patisserie that seemed to be laced with magic.
Everything in Rendezvous was addicting. The smell of baked goods and chocolate; the taste of the lingering sweet coffee on her lips; the soft music floating from the record player; even the staff were impossibly beautiful. Everything was too good to be true...

The first time Lily noticed that Rendezvous Patisserie wasn't as it seemed was two weeks after she'd first stepped foot in the compelling ambiance, she'd been coming almost everyday since.
That particular day was a lazy Sunday evening, a few hours before they usually shut. A glorious sunset spilled through the windows casting more shades of pink and orange across the light wooden floors.

James was out by one of the tables, not far when where Lily sat by the window, to be close to the sunset, with notes splayed across her own table, joined by her third cup of coffee and a slice of lemon cake Alice had insisted she try.

The table James was serving had three small children sitting at it, along with a tired young woman –clearly their mother– who was desperately trying to help James settle the squabble between two of the children. They seemed to be fighting over sweet treats, pulling a plate between them.
Lily knew it was going to smash about a minute before it did, eventually it fell off the table and cracked to pieces in front of her eyes.

"Oh! Je suis très très désolé!" The mother apologised vehemently before ordering the fighting children (apparently called Jean-Luc and Vivianne) to apologise to James.

"Non, non petites enfants! C'est bonne!" James reassured, patting them both on the head before picking up the plate and disappearing to go and fetch a mop for the chocolate cake splattered on the floor like mud.

Only once James had gone did she realise he'd picked up a perfectly undamaged plate. Though she could have sworn she'd seen it smash...

She must have made a mistake. It would have been the logical assumption, and, as a uni student, she valued logic. There was absolutely no way James could have mended a clearly smashed plate without her even seeing it. Those kind of things weren't possible.

James hadn't paid her any heed since serving her a fresh latte, decorated with an intricate flower. He stood, lazily behind the counter, leaning on the back wall and surveying the room while Alice disappeared into the kitchen.

Time didn't seem to have any place in Rendezvous Patisserie. It passed her by like sand slipping through an hourglass, or through her fingers, disappearing once it had passed through. Being in the cafe gave her impossible amounts of time to think, to think about Paris, what she was doing here, but most prominently, to think about the boy behind the counter.

Alice had warned Lily about James. He wasn't the sort of person to love with half a heart; he was full-on, romantic and blazing, blinding with charm and adoration. Alice had told Lily he loves like a shooting star, but she wondered if perhaps his love was more reminiscent of a firework? Either way, she was right about one thing, he was captivating; like a solar eclipse– she knew not to look directly at into the sun, but it only made her want to stare longer and harder.

"Daydreaming about me, I hope?" A voice standing above her teased.

Lily looked up and was met with glittering hazel eyes, resembling a forest– muddy and mossy, but also specked with molten gold, and Lily was under no doubt that he could hypnotise her with those eyes.
James smiled, a boyish smile that only made him look more delightful and dangerous at the same time.

"Of course, I have an endless amount of research for this paper but I spend my days dreaming of you, darling!" She teased sarcastically.

He laughed at that, taking her engagement as an invitation to sit with her. That was another thing about James, she didn't need to tell him anything, he somehow knew exactly what she was about to ask– which in this case– was to sit down next to her.

"Is that a fact? Because I'll let you into a secret," he leant up close, his breath tingling her ear, "I spend my days daydreaming of you too, darling."

He was mocking her –darling. It was supposed to be patronising, but somehow he'd managed to turn it on her and make it something she wanted to hear again. She had no idea how he did it. Perhaps he was magic?...

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Lily became a regular customer at Rendezvous Patisserie in the coming months, visiting as often as she could, which she slowly began to realise was because she was addicted to the place. It's allure penetrated her dreams, filling her subconscious with the smell of chocolate, the taste of coffee and the sight of James behind the counter...

She gradually became good friends with the two Patisserie owners during the time she spent in their cafe, gossiping with Alice and flirting with James. There was something electric about being around him, like there was a tangible buzz between them– she could get high on it. James Potter (as she learnt his surname was) felt like heroin. Completely all consuming and highly dangerous...

"You need to try this!" James grinned, pushing a small plate towards her.

"Are you trying to fatten me up?"

James looked at her with a condescending eye.
"No, darling, but perhaps I should. You spend hours in here and only eat the pastries I put in front of you."

"That's because you and Alice are magical bakers. And I do eat when I go home, don't worry about me!"

To the unobservant, they might have missed the subtle, seemingly insignificant, widening of James' eyes towards the word 'magical'; but to those paying attention, like her, it would have slotted another piece of an absurd puzzle together.

"Whatever you say, darling."
Darling. The nickname had stuck onto her over the past few weeks, Lily tried not to love it as much as she did, but such things were difficult when his voice was as equally charming as the rest of him.

With a winning smile, he pushed the madeleine towards her, across the counter, offering her a pastry fork while producing his own.
They sat in silence for a while, sharing the sweet delight in tranquil.

"How do you manage to make things like this from scratch while also serving out here? It's a wonder you have time for much else!"

James flashed her a look that told her his answer shall forever remain a mystery.
"No charge for the madeleine, I ate as much as you so really I shouldn't touch my own stock."

Lily laughed, "thank you, James. It's getting late, you'll need to close in a while anyway."

If he was disappointed he didn't show it. There was only a smile on his lips, presenting dimples that brought out the mischief in his eyes.

On her way out, Lily passed the kitchens. Alice must have been in because the door was left open just a crack and she could hear her humming, sweet tones filling the air, mingling with the smell of icing sugar and caramel.

She decided to pop her head in the door and say goodbye to Alice when she saw what she was doing in the kitchen.

Lily's mouth fell open. This was not real. And yet her eyes did not deceive her when she saw numerous bowls of cake batter floating through the kitchen into various ovens. Alice stood in the middle of it all, waving a wooden stick around to command the otherworldly scene.

All of a sudden, Lily was reminded of the broken plate she'd seen a few weeks ago. It was definitely broken, and then it was unscathed. Just like that. Just like magic...

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

It was two weeks before Lily even mentioned what she's seen. Her and James were alone in the cafe, well past closing time and Alice had already gone home.

Everything seemed different when the patisserie was closed. Midnight shone through the windows, casting vertical lines through the blinds and giving the place an atmosphere impossible to recreate anywhere else.
The smell of chocolate and coffee never frayed and yet it was softer at night, especially when the rain came lashing down earlier, the aroma of fresh mud cheapened the richness of the pastries.

She'd made an effort not to say anything to either of them about what she'd seen in the kitchen. But once she'd seen it, there were things impossible to overlook. Like the fact her coffee never went cold, no matter how long it had been in front of her while she studied; and the fact that they never seemed to run out of cakes and pastries, no matter how many were bought they never ran out of supply.

"James? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," he replied, his apron abandoned on the counter as he leant forward to catch her words.

"How does this place run? Really? What does it run on?"

James froze. He knew what she meant, fine well.

"Lily..."

"James."

He studied her for a moment, looking deeply into her eyes, searching for something there.
Lily hopes to god that he found it...

Eventually, an agonising yet dreamy few moments later, James offered her his hand.
"Come on."

Lily took his hand, ignoring the burn of electricity as she hopped over the counter to join him. Up close like this, holding his hand, Lily was caught off guard once again, at just how dangerous it felt to be so close to him. He smelt like coffee, chocolate and a million other things she couldn't quite determine from the rest of his smells.

James led her through the double doors into a storeroom she hadn't noticed before, or perhaps it hadn't been there before?

The storeroom was dark, save a set of what looked like multicoloured fairy lights hanging from multiple levels on the wall... no, in the air. They weren't fairy lights– they were floating orbs.

In truth, this room wasn't a storeroom at all. It was something else entirely. In the corner was a pile of blankets, dimly lit by some gold orbs and on the shelves was a mix of old leatherbound books and glass jars of various colours, shapes, sizes and states of luminescence.

"Ja—"

He held out a hand to quiet her before letting it fall to her shoulder, rubbing soothing circles on her skin.
"I wanted to show you this. This is what Rendezvous runs on. This place is where me and Alice practice our magic. We make ingredients for our food here, we relax here– it's basically a place we can be ourselves without having to hide. Where we can be magic."

Now Lily was glad he'd quietened her, because she was absolutely speechless. Her head was spinning. Everything was spinning. He held her still, both hands now on her shoulders– the only tangible thing on earth while it spun out of shape around her.

"Darling, I know this is hard to take in. It's absolutely insane– I know– but me and Al have been wizards all our lives and... I really like you, Lily. I really do, and I want you to know everything about me before you decide if you like me as well."

Still Lily said nothing, but looking into his eyes seemed to quiet the screaming in her mind and the spinning behind her own eyes. He was real. This was real.

"You want me to show you?"
Surprisingly she found herself nodding.

"Okay, okay," James took a small step back and drew a stick out from his jeans; a similar stick to the one she saw Alice wave around in the kitchen. Only now did she register it was a wand.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Lily gasped involuntarily as a translucent blue stag leapt out the tip of his wand, seamlessly cantering around the room. It was perhaps the most majestic thing she'd ever seen.
It wasn't long before the stag's attentions landed on her and began excitedly galloping around her shoulders, instantly flooding her with every happy memory she'd ever had. It was peculiar how many of those memories took place in this very cafe...

"James, it's beautiful... it's... where?... wow!"

He shot her a flooring grin before allowing the stag to shrink back into his wand and the soft blue light disappeared, leaving behind the only light from the floating orbs.

"I understand if you need time away from the Patisserie to process this, or if you don't want to come back at all, just—"

She cut him off with her lips over his, smiling as she felt him gasp in surprise before a mirroring smile played on his lips too. In that moment the only thing she'd ever wanted to do was kiss him. He'd looked so vulnerable, so real, so bloody magical.

When they pulled away his hands were placed gently on her waist, his thumbs softly drawing circles on her hipbones. Her hands were in his hair and round his neck. They didn't stop smiling.

"Alice told me not to get too involved with you the first time I came in here. She saw me ogling you and warned me you were trouble."

James laughed at that, throwing his head back in glee but never once loosening his grip on her body. The technicolor lights changed the colour of the skin on his neck, reflecting spots of blue, pink and purple across the expanse of his neck and the shiny hazelnut curls atop his head.
When he calmed himself down enough, he tilted his head back down to look at her, his eyes being the last thing to capture the light of the orbs. The hazel irises tinting all sorts of wondrous shades while his pupils twinkled similarly. Everything about him was breathtaking.

"Did she now?"

"She told me you could be a little bit addictive, it was best to back away before you fell in love with me, or vice versa."

There was every sincerity in his face when he said his next words, his gaze burning into her skin, searing this moment in her memory forever.
"Alice has a way of talking pretty, but often she's absolutely wrong– or at least she says the wrong thing for the right reasons. It's the magic that intoxicates people, that's why this place does so well. And I think she could tell that I'd find you just as magical as you found everything here." James smiled softly at her, moving his hands from her hips to settle on her back, pulling her even closer.
"I think she was trying to protect us. Me from having to lie to you, and you from being lied to. Well, I've told you now. So... if you'll still have me?"

He was looking sheepish again, one of his hands twitched on her back, probably with the natural instinct to run it through his hair, but he didn't let her go, instead he held her fast, gripping her to him.

"Of course I'll have you. Every single minute of every single day. I'm not afraid, I'm not worried. I promise, this..." Lily gestured between them, "this means something. At least to me, it does."

This coaxed a chuckle from somewhere deep in this throat, "it means something to me too. Even when your year abroad is up, I'll still spend every spare moment with you."

"How will you travel so often?"

He chuckled again, raising an eyebrow at her. She followed his eyes down to the wand in his hand.
"That won't be a problem, darling," he said intriguingly, and he'd barley let go of her before he disappeared into thin air with a crack.

Lily jumped, suddenly missing the arms around her and the smell of coffee and delight. She needn't have worried, however, because almost as soon as he was gone there was another sharp crack then the same pair of arms snaked round her waist behind her, and a tender kiss was placed on her cheek.

"I see, cocky little shit."

He laughed in her ear, "maybe."

"Just let me turn around so I can kiss you again and then you can show me more of this magic malarkey."

"Yes, ma'am."

He did just that.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

A couple of years later Lily found herself back in Paris, this time permanently. Rendezvous Patisserie still smelt as intoxicating as it did the first time she'd entered it, except this time she lived in the flat above it, with a husband and a baby boy...

A baby boy that didn't surprise her one bit when he begun ruining cakes without touching them, and icing them without looking. Somehow she couldn't even bring herself to be surprised when he managed to crawl into an oven and escape with nothing but a lightning shaped scar... Because this was her family. And it was magical in more ways than one...

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

I've always wanted to write something like that. Might make something similar into a real project?...