Say all you want, Lily was never going to say yes to Potter.
Really, he should know that by the middle of sixth year. He had ruined her friendship with Sev, and all her friends would do was smile sadly, as if to say 'You'll get there one day'. Maybe she was being a bit harsh, she amended mentally. It wasn't like he was completely at fault, but he was always evading her privacy, always in her mind. She just wanted to be left alone! Was that too much to ask? Apparently so.
"Hey Evens!" A loud voice rang out through the hall. Why he had to shout, she had no idea, they were sitting at the same table. Lily gritted her teeth.
"What, Potter?" She said somewhat irritably. James flashed a charming smile. By now, the whole table was listening discreetly. It was their daily source of entertainment after all.
"Hogsmeade, you, me, and a whole lotta' talkin'." He proposed cockily. Lily hesitated, thinking. It did sound nice, and lately Potter had been a lot more mature, hexing people less. He had taken to being a prefect surprisingly well. Lily shook her head quickly, ridding herself of those treacherous thoughts. He has annoyed you constantly for 5 years now, she reprimanded herself harshly. He is a bully, no matter what happens. He hurts Sev. But Sev hurt you, a nasty little voice at the back of her mind whisper. She pushed that thought away.
"No, Potter," She answered with an annoyed sigh. "Not happening." She glanced a look at him, and was surprised to see he didn't even look disheartened. In fact, he simply shrugged.
"Sure." He replied, turning back to his toast. Lily started. He never had done this before, never ignored her. She was surprised by the feeling of emptiness that washed over her. Finally, he had realised that she wasn't interested. Wasn't that good? Although, he did seem sadder as she continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye. And his sadness, she realised, made her sad. As much as she pained her to admit it, Lily cared about him.
The day continued without much event, aside from Marlene dumping whoever she had been seeing. It had been a big drama that dinner, and only Professor McGonagall managed to break it up after many jinxes. Looking forward to a quiet evening Lily left the common room to start her rounds that night. An hour passed without commotion, and lost in thought, Lily walked around a corner and straight into none other than James. He spun and, on seeing who it was, grinned at her.
"Ah, Lily-flower! How are you this fine evening?" He asked, half mockingly and half teasing. Lily scowled up at him, whilst rubbing her head.
"I was fine," she started angrily, only to be cut off.
"No no, its fine flower, I was just on my way up..." James trailed off after realising that she wasn't yelling at him, only staring at him. "Have I got something on my face?" He asked worriedly, patting his hair and cheeks frantically. Lily giggled shyly.
"No, you're fine." She mumbled. James smiled shyly back, running his hands through his hair one last time.
"Well uhh..." he cleared his throat, moving away, "best be off." Lily watched his retreating figure, with a mix of confused feeling inside of her. On impulse she ran after him. Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at judging distances, and ran straight into his back for a second time.
"Oof, Lily, some would say you're doing that on purpose!" James teased turning around to face her again. To his surprise, she was the one smirking. And he liked it.
"Maybe I did." Lily answered boldly, trying to calm her breathing. Calm down, she told herself, he's not a dragon. James just smiled a half smile at her attempt of flirting.
"And?..." he continued expectantly. Lily gared at him, but her lips were twitching.
"And, I was thinking that maybe Hogsmeade is a great place to go for a walk." Lily finished before she could talk herself out of her crazy idea. James's mouth hung open in shock.
"Wha.. wait... WHAT?" He practically shouted. Lily grinned a little.
"No need to shout, James. Meet you after breakfast?" she brushed past him without waiting for a response. As she walked down the corridor to the Gryffindor common room, she heard a great whoop of joy follow her. She smiled, a full smile. Neither had said yes.
Because say all you want, but Lily would never say yes to Potter.