Lily Evans had a problem, and that problem had a name… James Potter. To be fair, James Potter had been Lily's problem since her first year, first because he was such a bully to Sev, and then because he wouldn't wait three seconds before trying—yet again—to ask her out. Now her problem was very different, Lily Evans liked James Potter, and now she didn't know how to tell him.

Having entered their Seventh year James and started asking Lily out less, normally only once a day, but Lily had been saying no for so long it often escaped her lips before she remembered that she actually wanted to say yes. Besides, a part of her wondered if James really meant it, he'd been asking for so long. Also, if she was going to be completely honest with herself, just saying yes seemed a bit to anticlimactic, after five years of being pursued by the cocky Quidditch player, she felt like she should do something… different.

"Hey, Evans, you want to go with me to Hogsmead this weekend?" James called from across the common room, interrupting Lily's musings.

Yes she thought, but what came out of her mouth was, "There isn't a trip to Hogsmead this weekend."

"So?"

"We're Head boy and Girl… No!" Lily shrieked, and then went back to pretending to work on her Potions essay, while in actuality, she continued daydreaming about James, wondering how on earth that arrogant prat had wormed his way into her heart. Who was she kidding, she knew the exact moment.

Lily heard the portrait hole close behind her, seemingly creating a permanent wall between her and her ex-best friend. She was so mad at Sev, and she knew she'd never speak to him again, but mostly she was sad. Sad that he was heading down a path where she couldn't follow, and sad that they'd end up on opposite sides of what was sure to be a terrible war. She was grateful that the Common Room was deserted as she let the tears fall, that was, by far, the worst part about not being at home, there was no good place to cry. She didn't even bother walking over to one of the many chairs, she just slumped to the ground and let the tears fall as she buried her face in her knees.

"Hey-Oh…" A very unwelcome voice made its way to Lily's ears

"Go Away." Lily wanted to die… or more accurately she wanted to kill Potter. This was all his fault, if he hadn't been goading Sev, none of this would have happened. In her heart she knew that it wasn't James's fault, but she wasn't ready to admit that—and she could be mad at him for being there now at the very least.

"Lily, are you okay?"

"Potter, I mean it, just go, for once in your meaningless existence let me be!" Lily looked up so that she could properly glare at him, and that's when she saw something she didn't think was possible from Potter. Sincere concern.

"No." Lily hid her head back in her knees again, fine if Potter wanted to stay there and watch her cry, there really wasn't anything she could do about it, she felt him sit next to her.

"This is about Sni-Snape isn't it?"James's voice took on a harsher tone, "About what he said."

"It's not about what he said, it's about what it means." Lily huffed, bitterly, though she wasn't sure if it was directed towards James or Sev.

"You're upset, because you're a muggleborn?" James asked. If Lily hadn't been crying she would have hexed him.

"No, idiot, it means that I've lost Sev."

There was silence as James apparently didn't know how to respond, but he didn't need to. For some reason saying it out-loud made Lily feel better, and soon she was about to staunch the flow of tears.

"If you ever say anything about this ever again—" Lily's threat was interrupted by a quiet laugh.

"Lily, I like you, why would I want to humiliate you?"

"It has been you're daily past time for the past three years." Lily snorted, James let out another laugh.

"You feel humiliated? I'm the one who's rejected publicly on a daily basis, and then mocked by my friends for it." James smiled. Lily looked at him in shock, she'd never thought of it like that, that James was actually putting himself out there, knowing she'd say no, just for the chance that she might say yes.

"You could stop asking." Lily mumbled.

"And give up on you? Never." Lily rolled her eyes, Potter was such a moron. Lily got up and began heading towards the girls dormitories.

"Hey Evans?" Lily turned around at the sound of his voice, not even he would be as tactless as too… "Will you go out with me?"

"Is the Giant Squid still single?" Lily spat and then turned on her heels and marched up to her room.

Lily didn't know it then, but that moment was the first time she realized that James really cared. Now, she finally cared back, and miraculously he hadn't given up, but now what?

James was never far from Lily's mind, when she was working on her homework, when she was trying to fall asleep, during all of her classes. She just needed a good way to tell him, a way to show him, that after all these years, he'd finally succeeded in winning her affections. Lily was thinking about what she might do as she headed down to the Quidditch Pitch for the Gryffindor v.s. Ravenclaw game.

"Hey Evans!" Lily looked up to see James standing a few feet ahead of her, already dressed in his Quidditch uniform, "Wish me luck?" And then it hit her. Lily grinned and walked right up to James, and before she lost her nerve, she kissed him, full on the mouth.

"Good luck." She grinned, and then made her way to her to the stands. It was several minutes before James shouted after her.

"Hogsmead—weekend—you?"

Lily had to stifle her laugh, before she shouted back, "We'll talk after the match."

The final score was 510, to 20.