Guess what? I don't own harry potter! Enjoy the story.

James potter strutted out into the sunlight confidently, followed, as always by his best friends and fellow "marauders" as they liked to call themselves, a ridiculous name in lily's opinion. They were all quite tall for their ages, with the exception of peter Pettigrew, who was instead quite round, but the enormity of the main entrance to Hogwarts seemed to dwarf the Gryffindor third years. But what James potter appeared for a moment to lack in body size he made up for in head size, or at least that's what lily Evans thought. She would often refer to him as a "the big headed toe-rag" or "quiditch brains" and her views were fully supported by the black haired Slytherin with whom she was sharing a spot under the tallest tree by the lake, relaxing and lazily looking over her potions notes.

When James saw her with her flaming hair blowing about in the autumn wind and looking a bit more like a forest fire than a ponytail he broke out into a lopsided grin.

"Alright Evans?" he asked strutting up to the pair sitting under the tree.

"Was 'til you came along" lily replied not looking up from her notes.

"Just ignore them, they only do it to get a reaction out of us" Severus Snape muttered to lily moving closer to her, a little too close in James's opinion.

"I don't believe I made the mistake of talking to you snivellus." James said taking a threatening step forward.

Snape only backed up a little closer to the tree, but lily wasn't having any of it, she was a Gryffindor and she wouldn't take this sitting down. Literally. She stood up and stepped directly in front of James, she stretched her neck up a bit in a failed attempt to hide their massive height difference, and said "leave him alone potter." The words were simple enough but her tone implied a not-so-subtle or else.

James noticed her attempt to make herself look intimidating and counteracted it by taking a step towards her and tilting his head down dramatically just to remind her he had at least a head on her.

A crowd began to form around them, as usual when it looked as if a feud would break out between James and lily, the reason being that lily was notoriously clever with her comebacks and James could make anything she said into something flirty.

"Oy I'm not that short, eyes front solider" lily snapped.

"Just admiring my future Mrs. Potter" James winked cheekily.

"Oh in your dreams" lily said in a raised voice.

"Every night" James confirmed causing lily to blush.

"Prongs, no offense mate, but I think you'd better keep your fantasies about Evans to yourself." Sirius butted in causing James cheeks to burn a red bright enough to rival lily's own blush.

"Whose side are you on?" James asked him with a look of betrayal.

"Brilliant more marauders" lily said noticing for the first time that James' posse along with half their year was now watching them "you're like viruses but more…"

"Devilishly handsome?" James butted in.

"More athletic?" Sirius suggested

"Don't flatter yourselves I was going to say irritating" lily said

"some would say irritating others would say enduring, how about you decide over tea, say next hogsmeade weekend, madam puddifoot's, Four o'clock?

"hmmmmm" lily said with a finger on her chin in fake consideration "I think I'll stick with irritating, and, no offense love, but I'd rather date the giant squid, it may be thirty meters long but it's still not as big as your ego. See you around potter, unfortunately."

The crowd Ooooo-ed loudly and laughed as lily strutted away proudly, with a quick "come on Sev."

Severus looked less than pleased at being protected by a girl and then obeying her when she told him to come, but he reluctantly followed lily with much muttering about taking care of himself.

Lily tried to hide the grin spreading across her face. That was a clear win for her leaving them at 3-2 in lily's favour. Not that she was keeping count, obviously. She hated fighting with James potter. Didn't she?

********time skip to seventh year*********

James potter walked out into the light of the setting sun alone. The years had only improved his looks and he was now one of the most attractive boys at Hogwarts, his mischievous hazel eyes and devilish smirk made lesser girls swoon and his quiditch skills earned him the position of team captain, making him yet more popular with the opposite sex, and a few members of the same sex. But at the moment his hazel eyes were dark with concern and his confident smirk was nowhere to be seen.

"You alright James?" lily asked touching his shoulder soothingly. They had become quite close recently, he had stopped asking her out and had become significantly less of a Prat, and once those undesirable qualities were gone lily began to see that he was kind, witty and quite good company.

"I'm… yeah….I'm good, great I just… um I think I… well what I mean to say is… that...Um..."James started.

"Is the great James potter at a loss for words? The man who has never stopped talking as long as I have known him? The man with the endless supplies of witty and snarky remarks?" lily said grinning.

James smiled a bit "I just….I have a question for you"

"Spit it out then"

"I will, Christ woman let me get myself together."

"Okay Mr. Moody, but I have class tomorrow so try not to take all night."

James laughed lightly "Okay… so we've known each other for a while now, and it's not like third year when I just thought you were fit, I mean I still think your fit but it's more than that, it's…"

"James?" lily asked grinning.

"Yeah" he said nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"Shut up" she said grabbing his face with both hands and pulling his lips down to meet hers. His lips were cool and soft against her own and only took a second to respond to her movements. He smelled like spearmint toothpaste and old leather, from the dark brown jacket he wore almost permanently since fifth year. His arms found their way around her and his quiditch callused hands rested on the small of her back, rubbing small circles into her thin sweater with his thumbs.

They broke apart grinning when the need for air surpassed the need for each other's lips.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lily asked giggling.

"Because you just sucked my lips off mid-sentence." He said smirking

Lily blushed and looked at her feet in attempt to hide it.

"Go out with me Evans?" he asked, his usual smirk lighting his face up.

"Well I would rather go out with the giant squid but I hear from a very notable source that he is in a serious relationship with a mermaid, so I suppose you'll have to do."

James laughed "well I guess I owe a certain mermaid a thank you note then"

"But we'll only be together until fish breath gets her claws off my man, squid, whatever, deal?

"It's more than I could've asked for. "James said kissing the top of lily's head.

"So as a novice boyfriend do I get a clue as to where to take my lovely date?"

"Anywhere but madam puddifoots" lily said.

"Why? What's madam puddiefoot ever done to you?" he asked.

"well her tea shop assaulted my eyes with a hurricane of pink frills for one, and one of those little cupids always throw confetti directly into my drink when I go, once I didn't notice and I spent the remainder of my date with gold confetti in my teeth." Lily said scrunching up her nose in distaste.

"Fair enough well find a better place" James said

"A place with less confetti, three broomsticks maybe…" lily suggested.

"Sounds perfect" James agreed. Wrapping his coat around lily.

"I'm fine James, I've got a sweater you've only got a t-shirt under that" lily protested

"Your lips are blue, just take the jacket."

"I don't need it"

"Then I don't either." James said stubbornly walking in the cold evening air in his t shirt, holding his jacket over his arm.

"James I can see your breath, put on your jacket."

"I feel uncomfortably warm, you put on my jacket."

"James" lily said in a warning tone.

"Lily" James said mocking her tone.

"Give me the damn coat." Lily sighed

"Atta girl" James said grinning and draping the coat over her shoulders.

"Your cold" lily said a few minutes later

"Lily I will tie that coat to your back" James said

"You're not denying it, come on, its big it will fit both of us" lily said opening up the jacket so James could join her.

They stumbled into the Gryffindor common room a few minutes later looking like a pair of uncoordinated conjoined twins. They took off their shared jacket and went to warm themselves by the fire.

"Thanks for the coat" lily said handing it back to him.

"Keep it, it looks good on you, and I only bought it to impress you anyway."

"You've had this for three years." Lily said with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been trying to impress you for a while" James shrugged.

"And just why would you think a leather jacket would do the trick?"

"All the muggle boys you like wear them" James said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And you thought if you wore one id fancy you?" lily asked laughing.

"Well it worked didn't it?"

"You're such a prat."

"You still love me"

"Yeah guess I do" lily said smiling.

And that's how they spent the rest of the night, sitting by the fire, laughing, chatting and bickering about whatever came to their heads, sneaking in a few kisses and putting off their studies until well past midnight.

So that's my version of how Jily got together, this was supposed to be for jily week but my math teacher has no respect for the harry potter fandom and assigned much more work than could possibly be good for my health, so yeah sorry about that. Hope you liked my little one shot, if you did please leave my review etc...etc. Thanks for reading ;)

'til next time,

-Jess

Aka TheBookLoverUpTheRoad