She hated him

She hated him. She knew she did.

But, if she hated him so much, then why was he the reason she was laying here, at midnight, contemplating every aspect of any possible relationship they could ever have?

That was one question she couldn't answer.

She was obsessing over something that didn't even exist. Lily Evans was a sensible person. Sensible people did not lay awake at night thinking about people they hated.

But, like James always said, 'Love me, hate me, it's still an obsession, and anyway, there is a fine line between love and hate.'

She hated to admit it, but he did have a point.

No! She couldn't think like this. She hated him, he was an arse. He bullied people, at least, he used to, this year, however, he had barely pulled any pranks at all.

And he was head boy, he had matured, he was different.

He knew when to make jokes, and he knew when to be serious. She had started counting on him in more than just head's duties. She had even started to consider him a friend, trusting him with things she told no one but Josie, her very best friend of all.

But if they were only friends, maybe, then why in the name of Merlin, was she staring at the drapes of her four poster bed at midnight, sleep deprived, to think about the boy that she used to hate, the boy that might be a friend.

What had she done to deserve this confusion?

And finally, at midnight, staring at the drapes of her four-poster bed, Lily came to a conclusion.

She knew exactly what she had done to deserve this. She had broken all the rules.

You see, her and James had developed a pattern, he asked her out, she said no. They had broken that pattern in seventh year, instead settling for a tentative friendship, neither daring to push farther. So she had broken the rules.

She had, quite simply, fallen in love. With James Potter.

The one boy she knew wouldn't hurt her. The one boy she knew really loved her.

And finally, she loved him back.