It was my birthday. My seventeenth birthday. The biggest birthday of a witch's life, supposedly. It was an ordinary Wednesday. I woke up to the sun filtering in the crack of my curtains. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before I got up, got dressed, grabbed my necessary books, and went to breakfast.

Half way out of the common room, I realized that none of my friends had found me yet. Not even the Marauders. I hadn't seen anyone in my year. Which was strange. And everything was quiet. However, I enjoyed my peace while walking down from the tower.

I wasn't stopped once, however I noticed that some of the younger students kept whispering about me as I passed. I rolled my eyes and looked away. No one was going to ruin my birthday. Once I walked into the Great Hall, I figured out why they were staring at me.

There was a giant banner levitating over the Gryffindor table that read "Happy Birthday, Lily!" I felt the blood rush to my cheeks instantly. Damnmyredheadgenesthatmakemeblushsodeeply. I had told my friends that I didn't want them to do anything for my birthday. I hated having the attention drawn to myself.

My girlfriends all rushed up to me, squeezing me tightly. A peck on either cheek from them as well.

"It wasn't our idea!"

"We knew you'd fuss over all the attention!"

"Don't kill us, we jut wanted you to have a good birthday!"

"You only turn seventeen once!"

The three of them were rambling so fast that I hardly caught all of what they were saying. A gift from the three of them was shoved into my hands, but I was hardly paying attention. If it wasn't their idea, then who did come up with the idea?

My attention turned. Following them were the Marauders, of which only Remus dared give me a hug. Sirius and Peter just smiled. However, James was standing behind them, almost shyly, which wasn't like him at all. Ofcourse.JamesPotter.Thiswashisbloodyidea.

I eyed him suspiciously, before he came forward, hugging me. Forcing myself to forget my anger with him for a few fleeting seconds.

"Happy Birthday, Lils," he said, handing me a thin, rectangular box.

I raised my eyebrows. "What's this?"

"What every witch and wizard gets for their seventeenth birthday!" He smiled at me, happily.

I opened the box slowly to reveal a delicate gold watch with alternating rubies and diamonds outlining the face of the watch. A regal-faced lion centered on the face. His paws would twist around to tell me the time. I couldn't help but smile.

"Its beautiful, James!"

He smirked, "You called me James."

"Yes, Potter! I do have manners..." I rolled my eyes at him, before smiling again. "Thanks. Its really beautiful."

"You're welcome. Its from all of us Marauders, really, but mostly me."

I peered around his shoulder at Remus, Sirius, and Peter. "Thanks guys! Its wonderful!"

They all mumbled their 'you're welcome's and moved down the table to finally eat their breakfast. They looked like it was all James's idea and money. But I let it go.

"Can I help you put it on?" James asked, kind of sheepishly.

"Sure," I said, handing him the box.

He took it out, letting the light catch it. The way it shined was stunning. I held out my left wrist, and he moved to fasten the clasp. His fingertips brushed against the inside of my wrist, sending chills up my arm and down my back. Once the clasp was secure, his hands lingered over the watch for a few more seconds.

I stood, peering at his face as he stood in front of me. He let his gaze drift to my face. He smiled genuinely at my reaction. This was the closest I had allowed him to be near me voluntarily in a few years. He moved his hand to my face, brushing my cheek lightly and then tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"Happy Seventeenth, Lils," he almost whispered.

For half a second, I thought he was going to kiss me. And for half a second more, I might have been okay with it. However, I knew that these feelings were probably just my teenage brain talking for me. But at the surface level, I knew I hated him.

His hand brushed my cheek again; his touch light as a feather, sending a tingling sensation down my neck. He smiled at me, almost knowingly, before leaving to join his friends for breakfast.

I stood there, completely frozen for a few seconds longer before being dragged to the table with my girlfriends. They were all snickering for how I acted with James; how I stood so close to him and allowed him to touch my face without screaming at him for being a git.

I dismissed them by saying I was just grateful for the gift. I showed them the watch. They were all shocked by its beauty. I couldn't be so harsh to him when he had just given me the most gorgeous birthday gift that I had ever gotten.

"James must have spent a fortune on this!"

"Its so beautiful!"

"Lily, you're so lucky!"

"James really does love you, Lils." That was their consensus.

I tended to agree with them at this moment in time. That was the adult part of my brain speaking for me. He spent a good sum of money on this watch. I couldn't be rude when I really was grateful. My parents wouldn't have known that it was customary for a witch to receive a watch for her seventeenth birthday.

However, I had to remind myself that he was an arrogant pig-headed prat. That's how he always had been, and there was no way that that was going to change. There was no way that I had actually wanted him to kiss me a few minutes ago. I brushed the feeling off. It was my birthday, and it was going to be a good day.

James Potter was just a start to my good day. And no matter how I felt about James Potter, I was not going to let that effect my seventeenth birthday! I was wearing the most beautiful watch in the school, from the most beautiful boy in school. Wait,didIreallyjustthinkthat?

I shook my head to relieve myself from thoughts about James Potter, however, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful he actually had become. He wasn't the little fifteen year old boy who was always hitting on me that I used to know. He had actually grown up a little bit. He had gotten rid of his old childish habits. Well, not the one of him ruffling his hair, I noted as he ran a hand through his untidy hair at that particular moment. But the one of cursing Slytherins for no reason had stopped.

And he had stopped being callous with Severus, even though he and I weren't friends anymore. I glanced to the Slytherin table where Severus Snape was seated. He glanced up, almost as if he sensed my eyes on him. I gave a half smile and turned back to my girlfriends.

So maybe James Potter wasn't the prat that I had always thought him to be. Something fluttered in my stomach. Ohgosh.IjustadmittedthatJamesPotterhasgrownup...andisn'tthatbad.Theworldmustbeending!I sighed. This day was going to be very interesting. Every class with none other than James Potter.

At least I'm seventeen. Legally an adult. The world can end if it must, but there is no way that James Potter will ever get to me.