James held his breath, awaiting the inevitable explosion. It had been a while since they'd fought. He had made a concerted effort to reign in his pranking this year, to do well in his classes and most importantly stand a chance with Lily. Still, like every time before, he gazed into her piercing green eyes and for a fraction of a second thought he saw mirrored his adoration, before snapping his thoughts into line and perceiving the furious anger radiating from her in waves. He could almost feel the pulsing irritation that he saw in the tightness of her full red lips. She was a live wire, counting down to the tipping point.
James smirked and she lost her hold on the strained calmness she was aiming for. She erupted and launched her small form at his muscular chest.
"JAMES POTTER. How DARE you smirk at me. You'd think that taunting the first years was enough but I see how it is," Lily cried, grabbing hold of his tie to better look him in the eye. James made no move to defend himself, wishing that Lily would finally realise that he hadn't committed any crime. He wished that she would see that he'd given up with the endless pranks that his friends still performed. Lily was still oblivious, hollering for the whole common room to bear witness to James' foolishness.
"His lordship James Potter has to saunter about the castle, actually proud of the fact that he set Peeves on poor defenceless..." Lily trailed off. Here, where she could smell his shampoo and register the repentance in his angular face, her anger had faded almost as quickly as it had been unleashed.
She knew that she should be mad at Potter. She should want to throw him across the room for his unacceptable actions but there was something about the way he was looking at her that made her halt her tirade. She couldn't quite tell whether it was the way his mane of coarse black hair hung lazily over his right eyebrow; whether it was the vulnerability she saw in his periwinkle eyes or whether it was the way those same eyes were gazing into hers intensely; but instead of the fiery heat that turned her vision hazy with anger, she felt a much more subtle heat that caressed her with it's delicious warmth.
Lily was halted in her tracks, confused by why she wasn't still angry with him, why she couldn't make herself return to the explosive state she'd been in seconds before. She straightened herself up, took a step away from him and spun on her heel, leaving a very startled and confused James Potter standing in the side of the common room, longing for her delicate fingers to once again grab his tie, for her to once again find herself within his breathing space.
He made no move to follow her in his confused haze, standing instead with an uneasy coldness permeating the space that she had just vacated.
...
Lily gazed at her reflection in the cold glass of the Heads' bathroom mirror. Her pupils were wide and her face flushed with the pink of freshly twirled candyfloss. Turning her gaze to the frost glazed window, she began to sift through her muddled thoughts. She was trying to think of an explanation, any explanation, to contradict what her consciousness was trying so hard to suppress. The reality was that somewhere along the course of the year, she'd fallen for James Potter. She splashed some cold water over her face and tried in vain to ignore the jittery feeling that resided in her stomach when his features invaded her thoughts.
She reflected upon the past year and tried to pinpoint the moment when her hatred had subsided enough to lead to what she was feeling now. She supposed that after the death of his parents in sixth year, he'd lost some of the boyish mischief that had led the Maraudauders to pull of some of their more extravagant plans. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen James harm any student this year. He'd matured into his head boy badge and the responsibilities thrust upon him by his parents early grave.
Although he had always been physically attractive to the majority of the student body, her hatred of his snooty arrogance and persistent proposals had kept her feelings at bay as they'd been distorted by anger. Thinking about him now as she was, she couldn't understand why she hadn't wanted him before. She couldn't fathom why she'd said no so many times. True, she hadn't condoned their friendship, let alone attraction, before this final year but she couldn't deny that James Potter was handsome.
She realised that this year, he'd become less of an asshole and more of a loyal friend. He'd given up asking her out, maintained his distance and tried to be reliable with his patrols and head boy duties. In fact, whilst pacing the stony corridors and stairwells of the castle, his amiable chatter had replaced her easy going relationship with Severus after that friendship left her bleeding. She was so grateful for his presence and newfound maturity that lately she'd find herself going to James rather than Remus, her closest friend at school. She was so grateful that he was there to look after her when she was her most vulnerable, even if he had been a prick in the past.
She shouldn't really be surprised to find that in moments when her temper was short, her normally rigid control was also somewhat lacking. She reasoned that she did rather fancy Potter. It was strange that it had taken such anger to reveal her feelings to herself.
Lily walked towards the bath and turned a few taps. She'd always loved the Heads' bathroom, but especially the swimming pool sized bath with a hundred different taps, each releasing a different type of bubble or colourful water. She made certain that the door was locked and settled herself into the warm water to calm herself down. His face invaded her calm thoughts and she allowed it, imagining what it would be like if she finally accepted one of his proposals. Would he be a good kisser? Surely, having dated almost the entirety of the female student body. She remained in the bath until her skin was wrinkled and her muscles were sleepy, fantasizing about the black-haired seeker.
...
James was flustered. He had been trying to forget about their latest confrontation for the whole afternoon to no avail. His potions essay was so far only ten lines long, and Snape had asked for a whole roll of parchment. Whenever he tried to write another sentence, thoughts of the ginger haired beauty invaded his mind. He decided to jog down to the Quidditch pitch to let off some steam.
About halfway there with his thoughts still in the castle with Lily, James tripped over an enchanted paving slab and found himself flat on his back, arms splayed out around him.
"Merlin. Peeves," he yelled in exasperation. His shouts dissipated into the cold winter air as he remained sprawled on the icy ground. He hadn't the energy to lift himself back up so he laid there on his back, eyes fixed on the golden sun which was sitting low in the sky and casting lazy rays over the castle to illuminate the grey walls with a rich orange glow. He sighed as he was reminded of her flowing locks, too often remembered bouncing as she too often stormed away from him.
He was glad that she'd allowed them to become closer this year. He'd tried so hard to tame himself for her, to become more mature now that he had no parents to take care of him. It seemed to be working. She came to him sometimes now when she needed advice. Those were his best times, when he could comfort her and see her radiant smile once more illuminate her beautiful face. He couldn't help but long for more, as he had done since first year. He was fed up of pretending that he no longer fancied her. Truth was he only wanted her more now that they weren't constantly fighting.
He hauled himself onto his feet and headed towards the warmth of the castle, fantasizing about Lily for the thousandth time.
...
"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me on Sunday?" James asked hopefully, trying to keep an even tone in case she rejected him again.
It was the last day of term and almost a week since their confrontation and James was feeling brave. He had taken Lily aside after astronomy with the Ravenclaws, pretending to need help with a potions essay from the 'brightest witch of her age.'
She'd been happy to help, indulging herself with admiring his deep blue eyes staring into hers and his gratitude when she pointed out that gillyweed wasn't a by product of the digestive system of a unicorn. James was captivated by the way she rolled her emerald eyes at his stupid questions. He smiled as he saw the corners of her pink lips tilt upwards into a half-smile, amused by her incomprehensible hold on him. Her eyebrows raised in mock distaste as he asked for another use of gillyweed. Lily was stunning.
They'd reached the end of his essay by the time he summoned the courage to ask her out. How many times had he done this before? He knew that this was a last ditch attempt. Beforehand, when he'd ask her, he had known almost certainly that she would say no. It had still hurt his pride and feelings every time but now there was a chance that she might say yes, the thought of being rejected was heartbreaking. He steeled himself, setting the hard line of his jaw and bracing himself for a no that could follow his question. Lily watched him as he swallowed, the muscles in his face rippling and his throat catching.
Lily responded to his question with a simple 'yes.' She didn't think about what it meant, she didn't care what people would think and for the first time in her life, Lily Evans accepted James Potter's proposal with a smile.
James' grin spread from ear to ear. It started somewhere between his lungs and threatened to burst his ribcage. Lily saw it manifest as a twinkling in his ocean blue eyes and a goofy grin that stretched his features. She smiled straight back at him, and he fell in love once more with her beauty and decided that an explosion was worth it if it produced this radiant afterglow. She pulled his on his red and gold tie and once more they found themselves in each other's breathing space. He grabbed hold of the base of her shirt and pulled her even closer.
They were so close that he could see each individual auburn eyelash framing her beautiful green orbs, so close that she could smell the scent of butterbeer lingering in his floppy black hair and so close that they could both feel each other's warmth through their grey uniforms. They both stood, entranced, as they gazed into each other's eyes.
After what felt like a lifetime to both of them, James closed the breathing spaced and captured Lily 's soft lips with his own. She breathed into his open mouth and sighed as she tasted the butterbeer and boy that encapsulated his very essence. He was ecstatic. Lily Evans was the best kisser he'd ever encountered. She tasted of strawberries and fizzing whizbees and she was driving him crazy with her fists entangled softly in the hair between his head and his neck.
"Lily," he breathed as he gently left a trail of kisses to her ear and back again. "Merlin Lily, I'm so glad you said yes."
"Me too," Lily replied sweetly as James reasoned that his heart was going to explode with happiness. He kissed her again, more tenderly than before.
"I love you, you know," he whispered into the soft spot behind her ear, half fearing that she'd storm away like so many times before. He knew that there was nothing he could do to deserve her, to hold her, but he knew that he would try to protect her and make her happy. Her smile was so beautiful.
She made no move to run away so James held her tighter in the cradle of his arms, still embracing her as through she were the most precious treasure. Lily adored the way he was looking into her eyes and leaned in to kiss him again. She would never get tired of kissing James Potter.
"I love you too," she replied. James's answering beam was dazzling until it turned into a scowl when the bell rang, signalling an end to their break and the start of another lesson. They walked together, holding hands in comfortable silence, occasionally glancing at each other and smiling.