"Dear Lily,

Meet me on the Quidditch pitch after the match today. I want to show you something.

Yours, James."

Lily had received the note at breakfast that morning. A handsome tawny owl had alighted in the bowl of porridge, stuck out its leg importantly, and stolen a piece of her bacon before flying off to perch on James' shoulder. James had then caught Lily's eye and winked.

Now, Lily sat in the front row of the stands, feeling all the excitement tingle through the crisp air, watching the match: Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw was in the lead, 120 points to 70, and it had been going on for two hours at least. The Ravenclaw chasers were particularly good this year, and the Gryffindor keeper was struggling. All dignity aside, Lily was jumping up and down screaming wildly with the rest of the Gryffindors and some of the Hufflepuffs, who always cheered for both teams when their team wasn't playing. Suddenly, James made a spectacular dive strait towards the Gryffindor stands—strait towards Lily!

Surprised, Lily looked down. The snitch was hovering by the stands, directly in front of Lily's seat. If she were to lean over the edge, she might've been able to catch the snitch herself. She looked back up to see the Ravenclaw seeker racing after James, but it was in vain; James had nearly 200 yards advantage. Lily would have been cheering him on, but he was coming right towards her a top speed. The other people around her were looking nervous and were trying to move out of the way. Lily was frozen, and all she could do is watch as he got closer and closer; 200 feet, 100 feet, 50 feet, 30 feet, 10 feet!

When James was practically on top of her, Lily jumped backward into the people behind her with a yelp, hands over her head. But the impact she expected never came. Instead she heard cheers erupt all around, and she looked up to see James hovering by the stands, his face level with hers, looking at her with a slightly cocky gin on his face. Lily smiled back, relieved they had both survived. Then James flew back down to join his teammates, and people began to file out of the stands.

After everyone had cleared away, Lily walked out to the center of the Quidditch pitch. There she stood, alternatively staring at the note and glancing around looking for James.

"Hey, Evans," a voice said from behind her.

With a gasp Lily spun around to see James hovering just above the ground on his broomstick.

"Merlin's beard, James!" Lily yelled, clutching her heart. "You scared me half to death!

James laughed. "Sorry. Did you enjoy the game?"

"Yes, you made a very spectacular catch and I'm sure all the girls wanted to throw their bras at you."

James laughed so hard at that he almost fell off of his broom. "And did that include you, Evans?" he managed to gasp.

"Please," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I saw you smiling at me after I caught the snitch!"

"I was just relieved that you didn't kill me!"

"Fair enough," James said with a shrug.

"So, what did you want me to meet you out here for?" Lily asked.

"I want you to take a ride with me," he said.

Lily blinked with surprise. "Excuse me?" she said.

"I want to take you flying. Y'know, on my broomstick?"

"And what makes you think I'd want to do that?" Lily asked, crossing her arms.

"Come on, Lily!" James said in the "irresistible" voice Lily had heard many times before. Then he drifted over and bumped her gently.

Lily laughed, but tried to still sound annoyed. "Thanks, but I don't fly. I've never even been on a broom other than when we had to learn in first year."

Wide eyes, James stared at her, his hand over his chest for dramatic effect. "So you've never really flown before," James said. "Now you have to come with me."

"I don't know."

"C'mon, you'll be perfectly safe with me. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," James smiled.

Still, Lily hesitated. Just last year she'd detested this ridiculous boy. But this year he seemed to be changing. He didn't pick on anybody anymore (well, except for Snape), and she'd actually seen him standing up for other students who were being bullied. And strangest of all, Lily was starting to notice things she liked about him. Many things.

"Please," James said with his playful smile, reaching his hand out to her.

At James' smile, Lily melted. She took his hand and climbed up behind him, then encircled his waist with her arms.

"Ready, Lily?" James asked.

"I am," Lily said.

"Then hold on tight!" James cried. And with that, he kicked off from the ground.

The chill wind rushed past them, stealing Lily's breath as they shot upwards. Lily looked over her shoulder to see the ground shrinking away from them, and she clung on tighter to James' waist. In response, James rubbed one of her hands with his and slowed their ascent a bit. When the leveled out, Lily straightened up and gazed around them, taking in the view. It was incredible to see the Hogwarts grounds from the sky. The mountains seemed to stretch on forever, and the black lake shone like a mirror in the fading light. She felt so light, so free.

"This is amazing!" Lily laughed.

James looked back at her and grinned. "Glad you came?"

Lily nodded, giving James a gentle squeeze. She saw a blush creep up James' face and she giggled.

"So, are you ready to have some fun now?"

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, feeling a bit nervous.

"Do you trust me?"

"I…yeah."

"Then it's time to soar!" James roared.

He leaned forward and they sped up, racing over the grounds towards the lake. Then he dived, and they were streaking towards the glassy surface. Lily screamed, not with fear but with exhilaration. The wind whipped through her hair and stung her eyes, and she clung on to James with all her strength. Just when she thought they must hit the water, James pulled them out of the dive. Then he leaned over, tracing his fingers through the water. Lily did the same, and James grabbed her hand and guided it around, tracing patterns in the frigid water. Suddenly, the giant squid appeared from the depths right in front of them. Lily shrieked and James swerved wildly up and to the right to avoid the creature, both of them getting splashed in the process. After a moment's shocked silence they both burst out laughing, and James directed them back to the castle. Lily sighed and rested her head on James' shoulder, enjoying the lovely view and, more than she'd have liked to admit, the feel of James in her arms.

"You know Lily," James said, "I never thought you were just a pretty face. I know you never believed that, but it's the truth. I always thought you were the most amazing girl I'd ever met. And I still do."

Unexplored feelings began to tingle in Lily's stomach, and she barely noticed as they touched down on top of the astronomy tower. Lily stood, but her legs were weak after all the adrenaline, and she stumbled. James caught her.

"Thanks," Lily said. "For…for everything. The ride, I mean."

James smiled. "I'm glad you came with me."

"Yeah, me too. Flying, it's absolutely amazing. I know why you never want to get off your broom now."

They both laughed. And before Lily had quite finished, James had rushed forwards, grabbed her face in his hands, and kissed her. The force caused Lily's head dip back and James leaned over her. The pure passion of the kiss shocked Lily into not fighting against it. And after a moment, she found she enjoyed it. Her hands entangled themselves in James' wild hair, and she allowed her mouth to open against his.

The kiss didn't last as long as Lily secretly wanted it to, but suddenly James had ripped himself from her arms and ran towards the edge of the tower. With one last beaming look back at her, he leapt from the tower onto his waiting broom and sped away.

It's odd, Lily thought, how you could think you know someone and in just one moment realize you're wrong. She stood there for a long moment, her fingers touching her lips as though they were looking for proof that the moment had happened. And in the blink of an eye her heart was changed, and she smiled.