Disclaimer: I'm not JKR, blah blah blah..
Lily Evans was a smart young woman. She knew exactly what she was looking for in friends, and she would not settle for a man who was beneath her standards. She wasn't cocky by any means, but she knew her worth and she had been taught from a young age that she needed a man who would see her worth and respect that, someone who would treat her like an equal.
So she developed a series of checks to do when any person of the male species took her on a date.
1) Did they pick her up on time? Tardiness meant they didn't care or didn't think it important to be punctual. She learned this after her first 'date' with Sam from Hufflepuff in her first year. He arrived a half hour late and though he was polite, she could immediately tell that he had no interest in her and was merely use her to make his friends jealous. She treated him nicely, but declined any further offers.
2) Did he only talk about himself? Cockiness was a huge no-no in her books, and Merlin's beard was it irritating. When she finally got to go on Hogsmeade trips in third year, a kind Ravenclaw named Michael had asked her. She agreed, and he took her to the Three Broomsticks. There, he decided to spend the whole time telling her about how his father had taken him on a trip to Bermuda and how he was a natural at both water skiing and driving his new boat. Needless to say, Lily practically ran away as soon as she could find a way out of that.
3) Was he kind to the waiter? Now, while this step may have seemed insignificant, it was crucial. Any boy could treat one woman kindly for a while, but if he had no respect for other people, how could he ever respect her as a human being? By sixth year, she finally got a date from Amos Diggory. She'd had a bit of a crush on him because of his good looks and thought luck was on her side. He was punctual, arriving 15 minutes early and he asked her all about her classes and her family and they laughed and chatted with great conversations. It was when they had made it to the fancy restaurant that the alarms started ringing in her head. He hadn't even greeted the waiter with a smile or hello before he began barking orders about champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Lily wasn't a picky eater and was shocked at his crazy request. Constantly through the meal, all she could notice was how he would constantly complain about his meal and rarely even glanced at the waiter. He didn't even leave a tip. She was disgusted and despite his good looks, she refused to ever go on a date with him again.
4) This tip was important to her. Her dad had told her before her seventh year, "Lily, you need to find someone who treats you like a princess. Not in a shallow way, but someone who will see you for the wonderful person you are and who will have you treat them the same. That's the only way a relationship can work." Looking back, Lily Evans had never been on a date with someone who treated her like a princess.
And in her final year at Hogwarts, everything changed.
James Potter changed. She'd seen it in sixth year but now it was prominent. He was Head Boy and he took charge. He was calm under stress, he was great at helping those in need, and surprisingly, he was kind. Gone were the days of constant vanity. James now thought about the bigger picture and those around him. He started using his talents for good.
So, when he asked her after a few weeks of back and forth flirting, Lily Evans agreed to go on one date with James Potter.
He passed check number one with flying colors. He was five minutes early, looking smart and even holding a small bouquet of picked wild flowers in his hands for her. She grinned at him and together they walked to the village. It was mid-October, so it was mildly chilly. He offered her his jacket when she started to shiver. It smelled like him; like cinnamon and broomstick.
Check 2 was also a success. The whole time they laughed and joked about nothing and anything. They debated on which teachers were their favorites and he told her jokes that made her laugh so hard they had to stop walking and take a break because her stomach hurt. He asked her about the future and she asked him about his family. It was a constant back and forth with them, but it challenged her and she loved it.
She was nervous when they sat down for lunch. They were later, around 2 when arriving, so it had mostly cleared out when they grabbed a booth. James had changed a lot but she worried that maybe somewhere deep down he was still the same James who thought only about himself. Her doubts were whisked away when a pretty older woman came over to their table and handed them small menus and he glanced up and thanked her, even reading her name off of her tag. Each time she came around, he was gracious about asking for refills and he left a very generous tip, probably larger than the meal cost itself.
So when they arrived back to their shared Head's common room, she was content with the date and thought that she would take a nice nap before dinner time. That was, until about five minutes later, she heard a knock on her bedroom door and opened it up to see James standing in a ridiculous outfit. He had on a simple suit of armor and held a sword in his hand.
"James," she laughed, "what are you doing?"
"Come along my fair maiden! I'm rescuing you!" he shouted.
"I wasn't aware I needed to be saved," she giggled.
"Oh come on Lils, let's play dress up! You can be a princess! I know you love those old muggle fairytales!" His eyes were lit up, and she could only imagine what he had planned for this. She vaguely recalled telling him about liking fairytales but it had been a while ago and she couldn't have known that he'd remember.
"One condition," she said, "I get to wear a crown and a cape. I have always preferred capes over dresses."
"As you wish," he winked.
He grabbed her hand and whisked her down the stairs to the common room which he had somehow transfigured to look like a grand ballroom. On a stool sat a pair of glass slippers, a large golden crown and lastly, a long, red, silk cape. She squealed and reached for the items, laughing at the absurdity of it all. James Potter really did like to do things his way.
When she turned back around, he had a huge smile on his face and held out a hand, "M'lady," he said, bowing.
"Why thank you Knight! How can I ever repay you for saving my life!" she asked dramatically.
"Well, I could think of a few ways," he winked and she blinked, "but first, we dance." And with that, her favorite song, Dear Prudence, began playing from an unknown source.
As they danced, she couldn't help but think about how far they'd come. She used to hate him, then they were friends, and now she could only hope that maybe they could be more.
Her dad would be proud. She knew she'd found her prince, one who would always treat her like a princess, literally and figuratively.
With that thought in mind, she leaned on her tiptoes and kissed James lightly. It was soft and sweet and everything she ever dreamed of. Lily Evans was the luckiest girl in the world, she'd found the prince to her princess.
Okay it's super mushy but whatever I guess it's valentines day and I thought why not even though you know I dont have a valentine. Thought I'd share the love. Anyways, it was kinda thrown together quickly so please try not to judge. Thanks for the read, and reviews are always appreciated!
xoxo