Lily Evans stared at the sentence she had just written, thoughtfully. She wished she could say that her thoughts were on the essay she was working on for Potions…but they were not. Rather, her thoughts were on a certain James Potter. Her mind wandered to the boy who had plagued her thoughts as of lately. She had always had a small crush on the boy…but his arrogance and immaturity had kept those feelings at bay.
Now, he had become much more humble and had finally grown up…and those good traits had easily begun to overcome the negative traits she used to notice. Of course, now that Lily had begun to really fancy him…he had stopped his consistent pleas for dates.
Lily sighed in frustration as she scribbled lightly on the corner of her paper. At that moment, her close friend Alice looked up from her own essay. "Thinking about Potter again, are you?" Alice asked.
Lily shrugged. "Of course…when I finally begin to fancy the boy…he changes his mind," she voiced quietly.
Alice frowned. "I don't think he's changed his mind, Lily… Anyone can tell by the way he looks at you that he still fancies you. Maybe, you just need to somehow let him know how you feel."
Lily had considered that possibility. She had rejected James over and over again through the years. Maybe, he was too afraid to ruin the friendship that had sprung between them during their time as heads. Lily suddenly felt trapped in the confines of their small dormitory. "Alice, I think I am going to go for a short walk," she said, softly.
"Okay," Alice said, returning to her essay.
Lily quietly tiptoed down the stairs and glanced around the common room. She saw three out of the four Marauders sitting by the fireplace poring over a map. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew were James' closest friends. Lily wondered momentarily where James was, but instead of asking his friends, she quickly snuck out before they noticed her appearance.
Lily walked down the hall, and slipped out into the dark night. They had another hour until curfew so she had a few minutes in which she could spend in the cold night air. She walked towards the Quidditch Pitch and realized instantly where James was. She saw the broom in the air first as James dived to the ground, and pulled up at the last minute.
Lily smiled softly, and sat down on the grass watching James. He looked so handsome, she decided. His jet black hair was even messier than normal due to his flying. She couldn't see his hazel eyes at the moment, but she could definitely imagine them. She waited patiently for him to see her as she leaned back on the ground. Lily fancied James. She knew it was the truth, and thus, she made a quick decision that she needed to tell him. James had put his heart on the line constantly for her. Now, it was Lily's turn to take the plunge, and desperately hope that he fancied her still.
At that moment, James noticed her. He pushed the broom down to the ground, and climbed off. "What are you doing out here?" he asked as he lay on the grass next to her, staring up into the sky.
"I wanted some fresh air," Lily answered. "I saw you flying so I decided to wait until you came down."
"Is everything okay?" James asked. Lily could hear the concern in his voice. "It seems like there has been something on your mind, lately."
"You changed, James," Lily said, turning in the grass onto her side, and facing him, as she leaned her head up on her elbow.
He mimicked her actions. "Well," he said, his voice soft as he studied her. "I realized what a prat I had been. And that I really didn't want to be remembered that way."
"You grew up," Lily added.
She could see his confusion as he answered, "I guess I did."
"I'm glad," Lily whispered, softly, desperately wanting to reach and touch his messy locks of black hair.
Lily could see what looked like hope in his eyes, and she decided to take the final leap. She reached a hand out and touched his dark hair. She heard him take a sharp intake of breath, and felt the courage rise inside of her. He did not speak. He just stared at her. Then, Lily leaned back having become uncomfortable on her elbow. When James followed suit, she curled up next to him and rested her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating softly within his chest.
"Lily," she heard his strained whisper, and she shushed him. She didn't want anything to mess up this moment. She could feel his hand touching her red hair, and she sighed softly. Then, she looked up into his beautiful hazel eyes and closed the distance between their lips. She could feel his surprise, but he quickly responded to the kiss, pulling her closer. His hand moved around her waist, and Lily could feel years of pent up passion in the simple kiss. Then, Lily pulled away and smiled.
"I never thought this would happen," James said as they sat up. He quickly pressed his lips to hers again and pulled her close to him.
"I always liked you, James Potter," Lily said, her emerald eyes sparkling. "I just couldn't be with you until you shrunk your amazingly big head and grew up."
He laughed, his eyes sparkling with uncontainable joy. "Lily Evans," he said, his voice still soft. "Will you go out with me?"
"Yes, James Potter," Lily whispered, kissing him once again. "Yes."
Then, James stood up, and pulled her to her feet. They quickly began the short trek to the castle and walked together hand in hand up to the Gryffindor common room. They stepped inside and Lily saw the Marauders look up. She saw them glancing from James to Lily and their entwined hands. James walked Lily to the bottom of the girls' stairs, and Lily realized that he had barely noticed his mates.
He smiled softly at her, and then said quietly. "Can I kiss you good night?"
Lily nodded as he leaned down and pressed his lips softly against hers. Lily could hear wolf whistles and whooping sounds, and she laughed to herself as she pulled away from him. "Good night, James," she whispered.
"Good night, Lily," he whispered back.
With that said, Lily turned and walked up the stairs to her dormitory. She couldn't keep back the smile on her face as she entered the dorm and found her roommates asleep. She would have to tell Alice tomorrow she decided.
Other nights, Lily Evans had fallen asleep imagining what it would feel like to be in James Potter's arms, to kiss him softly, and to hold his hand. Tonight, Lily Evans fell asleep knowing what it felt like to be in James Potter's arms, to kiss him softly, and to hold his hand…and she knew that no one else could ever make her happier.