A/N- some of this is reference to a fanfiction I write a long time ago and then scrapped because I didn't really like it anymore. Quick basiscs - James and Lily had dated for a while during 5th year, but James cheated on her. so Lily hated him. There's minimal reference because I've tried to edit it out, and I don't wanna confuse anyone! Thanks for reading!

I was sitting in the library, quill in hand, writing an essay on an ordinary day in the beginning of February, a few days after I turned 17. That's a long description for one day, but I swear, it was an ordinary day. After having spent six and a half years at Hogwarts, trust me, I knew an ordinary day when it happened. McGonagall had just assigned us all a twenty inch long essay about the concepts behind transfiguring something simple into something more complex. Since Transfiguration is not one of my best subjects, I was beyond frustrated.

A dark-haired figure walked up behind me and before he even had the chance to speak, I retorted, "Potter, one word and I'll hex you into oblivion." This had become so routine that I didn't have to even think about what I was saying. However, this time something pulled at my naval, trying to tell me to ease off and be nice.

"Evans!" he said, startled, "You don't even know what I was going to say!"

I hadn't looked up from my essay, and I wasn't planning on it. I had work to do. I didn't want to be distracted. Again, routine. Just say what you always say and he'll go away. "I would really prefer to finish my essay in peace. So if you could leave, that would be great. Okay? Okay. Goodbye!"

I flipped a few pages in the book that was open in front of me. Since he was Head Boy and I was Head Girl, we shared a separate common room. I had no escape from him except the library...and yet, here he was! Not leaving me alone, per the usual. He sat down next to me. I sighed in frustration, but pretended I didn't notice. I skimmed a few paragraphs and scribbled down a few sentences. I had gotten good at working while he was trying to get my attention.

I could feel his eyes probing my face as I tried with all of my might to focus on the essay that was in front of me.

Forget about him, Evans. Just because he's gorgeous...no wait, he's not gorgeous! What are you thinking, Evans?! Get your head back into the game. You hate James Potter. He is not gorgeous. He's an arrogant prat. Yes, that's what he is. A stupid, arrogant, yet very beautiful prat. Ugh, bad Evans! Quit thinking about him. Focus on your essay!

I sighed again as whatever it was tugged at my naval. There was no use. I couldn't focus with him breathing down my neck.

"Potter, seriously, you need to go away. I came here hoping to get away from you. I'm trying to write this stupid essay for McGonagall. I have no idea what I'm doing, and I can't think with you here." My words didn't have their usual force behind them. I was being gentle with him. But why the hell...?

"Ahh, so I do have a string on your heart! You can't think when I'm around because all you can think about is me!"

Yes, that's right, beautiful prat. Wait, beautiful? … But if I tell you that, then your ego will inflate to the size of the globe. Opposite of what I want right now...which is for you to go away! Hold up, is that really what you want, Evans? Don't you want his company? NO! I don't want his company! I want him to go away and leave me alone …. Yeah! That's it.

"No, that is the opposite of true. I can't think because I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, and with you right there, I can't even have my space to think."

"You do know that Transfiguration is my best subject, right? I could help you?"

"No thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Really?"

"Yes, thanks."

"So you do want help?"

"No, Potter. Go away."

"But I don't want to go away."

"I came here to get away from you. If I wanted to see you, I would have stayed in our common room, where you and your friends always are."

"But I wanted to see you, hence why I followed you here."

I rolled my eyes. Obviously, our usual banter wasn't going to work today. This conversation wasn't routine. And he wasn't going to go away. So I was just going to ignore him. I went back to scribbling on my essay. I knew I wasn't making much progress, and I wasn't going to. There was no use. I had no idea what I was doing. I'd have to ask Remus later. There was no shame in asking Remus for help. However, asking Potter? Yeah, right. That would be admitting defeat. I sat back in my chair, staring at my much to short essay. And someone was staring at me. Guess who.

"Potter! I told you to quit staring at me and leave me alone!"

"Nope. You asked me to go away. I declined gracefully. What you asked already was for me to go away. Mind you, you didn't ask very nicely, Evans."

"Fine. Potter, would you please quit staring at me, please leave me alone, and please go away!"

"Thank you for adding please."

"You're welcome. Now go!"

"Again, I decline gracefully."

I scowled. Though the fact that he was admitting to being graceful was sort of humorous.

"I seriously can help you, Evans. Transfiguration is my thing!"

"I'm fine, Potter, thanks." I started shoving books back into my bag. I figured I might as well go back to my room and be comfortable. If I was getting nothing done in the library, nothing was going to get done ever.

I took my book bag and slipped it over my shoulder. I got up to leave only none other than James Potter was blocking my path.

"Potter, please get out of my way!" I said through gritted teeth, trying my best to stay polite.

At the beginning of the year, we made a pact to be kind to each other since we were sharing living quarters and had to patrol corridors all the time together. I was doing a good job, until he started acting like a puppy dog who wanted all my attention. Maybe its not a bad thing that he wants your attention... That was my naval talking. I pushed the thought from my head and focused on trying to get past the road block that stood solid in my path.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business, Potter." I pushed past him and out of the library.

His long legs caught up to me in about 2.5 seconds though. Damn it, Potter...just leave me be! Though the fact that you're trying to stand in my way is kind of sexy...

"Lily, wait up!"

"Its Evans to you, if you don't mind!"

"Fine...Evans...just stop for a minute!"

He had gotten in front of me and blocked off the hallway so I couldn't push past.

"What is it, Potter? I have other things I need to be doing."

"No, you don't! Your schedule is free."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I saw your calendar!"

"You read my calendar!? Potter!"

"Hush, Lily. You left it open, I didn't go snooping."

I snorted. "Well, get on with it. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to ask you how you were doing."

I stared at him blankly. "You tracked me down to ask me how I was doing?"

"Well, uhh, yeah. I – uh, guess so!"

"You couldn't have waited until you saw me at a meal or something?"

"Nope, I couldn't wait."

"Potter, you are so pathetic!" I ducked under his arm and kept pushing on my way up the stairs to our common room. If only we didn't share living quarters. So ridiculous. I had no escape from him.

I knew he was behind me. I could hear his footsteps and his breath as he tried to catch up.

I got in front of our portrait and gave the password : "mulberry bark".

He followed right behind me.

I dumped by book bag into one of the chairs and went to stare out the window, hoping that he would take the hint and leave me alone. Surprise, surprise...he didn't take the hint. I could feel his eyes on the back of my neck. Self-consciously, I reached up to tuck a strand of stray hair behind my ear.

"What do you really want, Potter?" I asked, turning around to face him.

"I really want to know how you're doing today."

"I'm just fine, thanks, if you must know."

"Wonderful!"

"Okay, so now that you know that, are you going to leave me alone?"

"This is my room as much as it is yours!"

I sighed. He was right. I couldn't kick him out. And if I left, he'd just follow me again. He had that stupid map, and he could find me in a heartbeat. I stepped away from the window and went to one of the chairs by the fireplace, settling myself into it. He was still staring at me anxiously. I rolled my eyes, pulled a book out of my bag and started to read.

He cleared his throat obviously.

I glared at him. "Potter, what the hell do you want?"

"Nothing. I just like to look at you."

"Well, I don't appreciate being looked at by you!" I was trying hard to be routine.

He pouted.

"Quit looking at me!"

"I can't! You're so beautiful. Its hard to quit looking at you."

My heart melted a little bit; my routine comebacks flying straight out the window.

He called me beautiful. How can I shun him from that? Why does he bother me so much anyway?

I thought about it for a second. No real reasons as to why I hated how he paid me so attention. Girls liked attention from gorgeous boys, right?

"Okay," I said simply.

He looked at me puzzled. His eyes searched my face. "Wha-" he paused, still confused. "Wait, what?"

"I said okay. You said you can't stop looking at me. I said okay."

"So wait, I can keep looking at you?"

I looked away from him, unable to stare into his overly-honest eyes. They were such a pure hazel color; I just wanted to drowned myself in them. "Yeah, I guess so," I replied, nonchalantly.

His mouth hung open, gaping like a fish out of water.

I flipped a few pages. I could feel my heart beating faster than usual.

Wait, did you just give him permission to stare at you, Evans? Why the hell would you do that? That's the last thing you want! Now he's going to think that he has permission to stare at you all the time. But those eyes! So pure, so curious, so beautiful. Stop it, Evans! Quit calling him beautiful! He's not. He's an arrogant prat! Yeah, that's it. An arrogant prat! Not the gorgeous, beautiful, wonderful, sexy Quiddicth player everyone says he is...yeah! That's right.

"I'm confused now. You just gave me permission to stare at you?"

My words faltered me. "I- uh, yeah. I guess I did."

"Why?"

"Do you not want permission to stare at me?"

"I have no idea." His brow furrowed, thinking. "Its such a strange thing to be given permission for."

"I suppose."

He snorted, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"What's so amusing?"

"You like my attention."

"Wha- I- ... No I don't!"

"Yes, you do! You like my attention all the time!"

I blushed tomato red. Damn you, redhead complexion.

He eyed me. "You like my attention." This time, his voice was full of the smirk that was plastered all over his face. "She likes my attention." His tone changed again as he talked to himself, pure shock filled all four words. But his smile reappeared. "You like my attention! You like my attention!" He stood up, giddy as could be and paced around the room, practically chanting those four words.

"James!" I caught his attention by using his first name. "Okay, fine. I do enjoy your attention. Even if it drives me nuts at times."

He quit pacing and came to kneel in front of my chair. Quickly, I pulled my book back in front of my face, trying to forget about him and what we were just talking about.

Keep calm, Evans. Its okay. So what if you admitted that you enjoy his attention? That's not admitting that you possibly have feelings for the famous James Potter. Wait, do I have feelings for him? Damn, has he actually gotten to me?

Butterflies flitted about my stomach as I internally argued with myself. Feelings for James? Never.

I peeked over the top of my book.

Oops, bad idea. Those damn hazel eyes are trying to lock onto mine...and shit, they just did!

"Lily," he dared to use my first name, "have I finally melted your heart? Broken through your shell? Knocked down your reinforced walls? Stormed the castle of your heart? Defeated all the monsters placed in my way to keep me from rescuing you from yourself?"

"Rescuing me from myself? Really? Are you serious?"

"No, I'm James Potter. Sirius is my best mate, though, so you're kinda close."

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Potter. The 'Sirius, serious' joke is a little cliché after nearly seven years of going to school with that bastard."

"I'm slightly offended! He's my best mate and is certainly not a bastard."

"Well, now that we got that cleared up, I'd like to go back to reading, thanks."

"No, no, no, no! You can't just go back to reading! You just admitted something very serious," he tried not to snicker at his own pun, "and we can't just go on with our lives! We need to talk about this."

"Well fine. You talk, I'll read. And if I find the need to interject something, you have my word that I will."

I pulled my book back up in front of my face and skimmed a few lines, waiting for his words to fill my head with his soothing voice. But they didn't come. Instead his hand appeared over the top of my book, as he pushed it away from my face again. His beautiful eyes meeting mine once again.

"Lily..."

"What, James?"

"Do you- err, perhaps, do you have feelings for me?"

His eyes had a lock on mine. Two pools were sucking me in. I had never seen a look so pure and yearning for the truth. There was no lying to him while he looked at me like that. I simply couldn't. Every bone in my body wanted to tell him that I loved him. No more playing around. There was simply no way.

"I- umm, yes."

I looked down, blushing again, and unwilling to see the expression on his face. I was embarrassed to be admitting that I had, in fact, given in to the charm of James Potter. After nearly seven years, I couldn't deny it anymore. James Potter had gotten into my skull and shaken things around a bit. No longer could I tell myself that I hated him. No longer could I tell myself that I didn't want to feel his skin against mine. No longer could I tell myself that I didn't want his tongue down my throat or vice versa.

Wow, that was a little...graphic...

I looked back at James' face. I had never seen him so confused yet happy.

"Am I dreaming?"

"No, James. You're not."

"So you did just tell me that you feel something for me?"

"Yes."

"Wow...okay. Umm, so hypothetically, if I asked you out right now...you would say yes?"

"I might."

"Would you throw something at me?"

"Probably not."

"Would you hex me senseless?"

"Most likely, no."

He let out the remaining air in his lungs. "Okay, well, here goes nothing! Lily Evans, apple of my eye, light of my world, would you, please, go out with me? Please?"

He was almost pleading with me. It was so damn cute.

I was planning on playing with him some more, but since his gorgeous smiling eyes had found mine again, I had no heart to make him suffer anymore.

"Yes. James, yes."

His eyes lit up even more than I thought was possible. His smile took up his entire face. He ran his hand through his hair, unsure of what to do next. He was ecstatic; I had never seen him so happy in all of the six years, five months, and five days that I had known him. But then his face fell.

"Wait a second. You aren't shitting me, are you? You're being serious? No puns this time."

"No. I'm completely serious."

"You're not playing with me?"

"No. Not at all."

"Serious?"

"Serious."

"You're sure?"

"James! Yes, I'm sure," I said with a giggle. It wasn't surprising that he wasn't completely sure that I was being serious. I had messed with his head so much that it makes sense to have to check that I was being 100% true with him. All of this messed with my head too. I was suppose to hate him, but I just agreed to be his girlfriend. All day...hell, all year, my brain had been playing ping-pong with itself about what to think about him. And here it was. I had fallen for him at last.

In one fluid motion, he leaned in and pressed his lips into mine. He pulled away after a split-second, to check the expression on my face. I'm sure it was somewhere between a smile of confusion and a smile of pure bliss. In that tiny little peck of a kiss, I realized that this was the missing piece of my puzzle that would make me complete. I knew this, he, is what my life was missing. James Potter.