I don't own Harry Potter.

Seventh Year Lily Evan sighed. It was 4:00 on December 16th, 1977. In exactly sixteen minutes and sixteen seconds Potter would come and ask her out. For the 84th time in the past seven years. She just couldn't wait.

If you missed that sarcasm…it was sarcasm.

James Potter had become quite infatuated with her during late November of First Year. One day he had come up to her, told her that he loved her, and simply walked away. Lily had been thoroughly baffled.

What confused her even more was when James came up to her again two days later. "What's your favorite number?" he had asked her.

"Sweet sixteen," she immediately replied. "Why?" But the messy haired boy had not heard her ask the question. As soon as she answered his inquiry, he sprinted down the hall to meet up with his friends.

For the next three weeks James did not regard Lily in any romantic way. She thought that he had gotten over his little crush on her until December 16th, 1971. He had swaggered up to her after Charms, their last class of the day, and asked her out. She promptly refused, seeing that it would not be fit to lead someone on that she did not like.

Crushed that he was rejected, James slunk away. He turned back at her one time and said, "Happy 4:16 Lily." Lily looked down at her watch and sure enough it was 4:16. At the time, she did not realize this significance and thought that the boy was mental.

Exactly one month later, James came up to Lily on a Saturday and asked her out again. Lily still refused. "Check your watch," James told her as he turned to leave. It was 4:16.

The next time James asked Lily out it was February 16th, 1972. The two were still First Years, although the year was quickly coming to an end. "Lovely Sunday isn't it Evans?" James had asked her. "Care to go out with me on a stroll?" "No thank you Potter." "It's okay, I'm used to it by now. Great time, isn't it?" A confused Lily checked her watch to see that it was 4:16.

A similar scenario continued all throughout First Year. Once a month James would ask out Lily, get rejected, and tell her to check the time. It was always 4:16.

Lily thought that she had escaped her pursuer over the summer holidays. But alas, one day in July a great big eagle owl flew into her window. It carried a letter that read.

Hullo Lily! July 16th, 1972

Happy 4:16. This is Clarinet, my pet owl. If you could so kindly send your answer to the following question back to my house with him it would be very nice. Especially since I'd like my owl back. (I've given him strict orders not to come back unless he has a reply!) Would you like to meet me at Diagon Alley to join me for some ice cream next Saturday? (My treat of course.) Please reply as soon as possible.

James

Lily had written a simple one word reply on a small piece of parchment and sent Clarinet on his way. Her last thought was that James had named his owl rather oddly and that he would hopefully no longer disturb her holiday.

Exactly one month later Clarinet returned with another letter, asking Lily to meet his owner at Diagon Alley again. This time there was a small postscript that read PS – Have you noticed a pattern? Cheers to a wonderful 4:16!

Extremely confused, Lily sent the same reply back with Clarinet. As soon as he had flown out the window, Lily's eyes widened in realization. James asked her out once a month. At the same time.

James always asked her out on the sixteenth day of the month at 4:16…The sixteenth minute of the sixteenth hour of the sixteenth day of each and every month. Although Lily was not positive, she was sure that if she counted the seconds he would start to ask her out on the sixteenth. Her favorite number.

Incredibly flattered that someone paid that much attention to her and her favorite number, Lily decided that when 4:16 of September sixteenth rolled around she would agree to go out with James.

After Potions on September sixteenth Potter strutted up to Lily. "Evans, looking hot. I'm going to do you a favor and ask you out. Lucky you." Appalled by his attitude change, Lily rejected him quite rudely on the spot. This had not been the same sweet boy that wrote to her over the summer. He was arrogant and cocky, just another big headed jock. As Lily walked out of the Potions Dungeons, the clock changed to 4:17. Despite being a bigot, Potter had been right on time.

And that's how it went at Hogwarts. Every sixteenth second (Lily once counted) of the sixteenth minute of the sixteenth hour of the sixteenth day Potter would ask Lily out. Sometimes it was loud and public, like that one time by the lake during Fifth Year, or others it was quiet and private like last March in the library. No matter how it was done, it always ended the same – with James getting rejected.

The odd part was that no matter where Lily was, Potter made sure that he was there to ask her. Even when Lily didn't see him coming, he just literally popped out of nowhere. She would describe it as magic, but seeing as she goes to a school for magic in a castle that likes to rearrange itself for fun, this would not have the same affect as it would in the Muggle world.

One time Lily hid in the loo during Third Year to avoid the dreaded 4:16. Potter went in and asked. June of Fourth Year she was swimming in the lake. Potter comes up from the bottom with a snorkel and asks. Last month she had been in her dormitory with Alice and Mary. Potter flew up to the window and asked. No matter where she went he was there and asked. Lily had given up on hiding from the boy, finding it much less embarrassing to be caught in a public place, like this corridor by the Ancient Runes class.

And it was now December 16th again, exactly seven years after Potter first asked her out. Lily glanced at her watch which was set to Potter Standard Time. It had just turned 4:16.

Sixteen more seconds of a stress free day…

Ten seconds to go. Any minute now Potter would be rounding the corner.

Five…four…three…two…one. POTTER!

Lily glanced up the hallway, but it was the same as it was sixteen seconds before – empty. She looked behind her, expecting him to be there wearing his lop-sided grin. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Bewildered and hurt, Lily walked confusedly down the hall. Potter was the most obsessively punctual person she knew. Everything had to be perfect all the time. So why hadn't he come and asked?

Potter was the one thing in her life that always remained the same. No matter what her grades were, if she was in a fight with Alice or Mary, or was having a bad hair day Potter was always the same. Merlin, she had even set her watch by the boy!

Extremely upset, Lily stopped at what seemed to be a comfortable spot (but was actually as cold and hard as the rest of the castle) and sat down. To her uttermost dismay, she began to cry. Over Potter. It wasn't full out sobbing and weeping, mind you, but the tears were definitely rolling down her face all because James Potter did not show up at precisely 4:16:16.

While Lily sat crying, she heard heavy footsteps that were all too familiar. She slowly looked up and there was James standing with his lop-sided grin. She glanced at her watch. 4:17:07. "You're late," she sniffled quietly,

"I know," he answered crouching down to her level. "Why are you crying?"

"Because you're supposed to be the one thing that stays the same in my life!" Lily sobbed, her emotions flowing loosely now that Potter was actually there. "A-a-a-and you were late! You don't love me, you lied to me all these years!"

"Lily, I love you. Go out with me?" James asked her, staring deeply into her eyes.

Lily took a deep breath and searched his dark hazel eyes. She looked at his full face and…

xXx

"Dammit!" a sandy haired boy swore, glancing at his watch and back to a piece of old parchment. "When I told him to be late this month I did not mean by fifty-one seconds!"

"He's got OCD Moony, it's not his fault," Sirius replied lazily next to him. "Everything in James Potter's life must be perfectly set on schedule or in the correct spot at all times. All you have to do is have some fun with it." He walked over to James's dresser and pulled open his sock drawer, which were alphabetized by the material they were made out of. He took out two identical looking pairs – the only difference was that one was cotton and the others were nylon. He switched the pairs, shut the drawer, and walked happily back to his fellow Marauder.

"See Moony wasn't that fun? He'll realize that something's wrong, but won't be able to figure it out for a while! It'll drive him mad!" Torturing his neat freak of a best friend was one of Sirius's favorite pastimes.

"Shut it I'm trying to watch," Remus said the little dot labeled James Potter moved closer to Lily. "I think he's asking her now."

"What d'you think she'll say since he's late? If you were right, she's probably really upset," Sirius pondered.

"I dunno Padfoot," Remus answered, his eyes never leaving the parchment. "I'm hoping that the shock of his being late will sway her into saying – WHOA BABY!"

Both teens were stunned as Lily Evans moved closer to James Potter. The dot seemed to pause for a second until it moved right over the other dot so it was covering the other, the names blurred together underneath making them possible to read.

"Mischief managed!" Sirius said quickly. The parchment cleared itself as the two teens looked at each other with very pink, shocked faces.

"So erm…kitchens?" Remus asked awkwardly.

"Kitchens! Kitchens are good!" Sirius agreed hurriedly. As the two raced out the door, he added, "Let's not go by the Runes Corridor Moony!"

Oh goody another one shot! Haha, I'm really starting to love these things. This idea has been in my head for a while and it feels good to get it down on paper...or up on the screen...or whatever I just did, lol. If you review...I'll be super duper happy!

Isabel