SUMMARY: Lily Evans spent 6 years telling herself that she and James Potter were not meant to be. But there are only so many times a person can be told "you're meant to be" before actually starting to believe it. First fanfiction, please review! Criticism welcome.
YEAR ONE: JAMES POTTER
Lily Marie Evans walked through the drafty, stone corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, trying (in vain apparently) to reach the dungeons for her potions lesson before the crush of students could make her late. She was so intent on getting there on time, on being able to soak up more knowledge about magic, that she didn't notice them until too late. Those 4 bloody miscreants, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. The four boys had impressed everyone with how close they were despite it only being the 3rd month of their first year, and impressed everyone even more with their creative talent for humiliation. Everyone but Lily, that is. "Oi Evans!" Shouted the Potter boy from across the hall, "you know that if you don't get that scrunched look off your face the wind will change and you'll stay like that right?" He had walked over to her and tugged on one of her hastily-assembled plaits. "Bugger off Potter! I'm trying to get to my lesson" Lily replied peevishly, she really couldn't be late. "Come on, Evans. We're in the same potions class, you're not going to be late" he said matter-of-factly "You couldn't possibly know that!" Lily was getting more infuriated by the second, who did this Potter boy think he was? He barely knew her and he was constantly bothering her, ever since he and that Sirius Black had antagonized Severus Snape (Lily's best friend) on the train, Potter had appeared more and more often, annoying her and humiliating Sev on a weekly basis. "Touchy, touchy Ms Evans, you know it's rude to talk to such handsome boys like that" Sirius Black had strutted up during their conversation and was now hanging just behind Potter how can he strut? He is 11 for gods' sake thought Lily. "Look I really don't have time for this, so as unpleasant as this has been, I must be off" Lily said, "see you later." She grudgingly added, her mother always taught her to be polite, and Lily would be damned if it was Potter that caused her to ignore her mother's advice. "Aww come now Evans! Leaving so soon? You know that we're meant to be, right?" For once, Lily didn't have a response, she just stared, rather incredulously, at James Potter, who was grinning cockily back. Without another word Lily turned and flounced down the corridor leading to the dungeons. Meant to be. Yeah, dream on Potter.
YEAR TWO: SEVERUS SNAPE
Lily was down for breakfast early, so early in fact, that she was one of only two students in the Great Hall. The other was a young, sallow and pale boy by the name of Severus Snape. When Lily walked through the doors she nodded a quick greeting to the staff table at the end of the Hall and hurriedly sat down next to her friend. "Morning Sev" she crowed brightly, Lily Evans had always been a bit of an early bird. Especially when she was at Hogwarts, the thought of being back at the magical school for another year excited Lily so much she was waking up even earlier than usual. "Hey Lil'" He replied sullenly. "Everything OK? I mean, I get it's early, but this was your idea, I did tell you that I could sit with you at normal breakfast time". Snape's head shot up at this statement. "You? Sit here? When every other Slytherin is around? No, you can't do that Lily!" He was getting so defensive that Lily was rather taken aback. "Why? Because I'm a muggle-born, Gryffindor? I can't sit with all the precious purebloods?" Lily replied, her eyes narrowing dangerously, he better choose his response carefully she thought. "N-no Lil" Snap stuttered back "It's just frowned upon! Not because you're a muggle-born!" He added hastily, spotting her glare at last "just in general, it's kind of an unspoken rule, you just sit with your House at mealtimes, show solidarity and all that." Lily knew he was lying, he had a very obvious tell of twitching his nose whenever he lied to her, but she didn't want to fight, so she responded with "OK" and left it at that. "Guess what I heard earlier today?" She asked him a few minutes later, "a few girls were saying that Potter and I were meant to be" that caught Snape's attention. He started choking on his pumpkin juice from laughing. "Oh, yeah" he replied sarcastically, but there was something else in his tone, something almost bitter that Lily couldn't quite place. "You and Potter are definitely meant to be together, I'm sure you're soulmates". Lily threw her head back and laughed, this, this was the boy she was friends with. "I know right, should I plan my wedding now or later?" "Oh definitely wait a while, weddings are really expensive." He seemed more relaxed in the conversation now that they were joking about Potter. She looked over to the doors of the Great Hall, they were slightly ajar and the noises of students waking up and heading to a delicious breakfast could be heard. "I better go" she said wistfully, "See you later Sev." And she headed towards the Gryffindor table without a backwards glance.
YEAR THREE: REMUS LUPIN
"Hey Remus" 13 year old Lily Evans said, sitting next to him on the squashy armchair in front of the fireplace. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be going home for Christmas?" Lily asked him. Of all the 'Marauders' Lily could only stand Remus Lupin, clever and quiet with sandy hair and blue eyes, he was the only Marauder that was genuinely nice to Lily. "Mum and Dad went away on holiday to Australia, so they asked if I wouldn't mind staying here, what about you? I thought you loved spending Christmas with your family?" he said to her. "Oh…I've never seen Hogwarts at Christmas and thought it might be worth it, turns out I was right" Lily replied with a soft smile. The truth was that the animosity between her and her older sister, Petunia, had reached a breaking point earlier in the year and Lily didn't want to be around that kind of hatred at Christmas. "Right" Remus replied, he looked like he didn't believe her for a second. The two students sat in silence for several minutes, soaking up the warmth of the fire. "So where is your usual band of miscreants? Up to no good?" Remus smiled at her and laughed faintly, "Actually those three are at home for Christmas, they told me they would stay here with me but I wouldn't have a bar of it…it's not like they can stay with me anyway" He had muttered the last part and Lily felt she wasn't meant to hear it. "Why not?" she asked promptly, she had always been nosy, it was a weakness of hers. "I…I…Um…Well it's not….They would just be pranking all the time and I don't like to take much part is all". Now it was Lily's turn to not believe him, "Uh-huh" she said sceptically, but she didn't press any further, Remus Lupin was usually a pretty open book, so if it was something he wanted to keep quiet Lily trusted he had a reason. "Speaking of Marauders though…" He trailed off "James was asking about you." Lily sneered in disgust "Potter? What could he possibly want?" Remus laughed at her expression, "Actually he wanted to know what he could buy you for Christmas, he said, and I quote, 'what would she like that wouldn't make me look like a prat?' I believe Sirius suggested his head on a silver platter, but I digress". Lily was rendered momentarily speechless from this news. Potter wanted to buy her a gift? For Christmas? That didn't make him look like a prat? Remus smirked in a smugly satisfied way. "I knew you wouldn't know what to make of it!" he exclaimed triumphantly, "You know Lily, if you got to know him, the real him, I think you would realise just how perfect for each other you really are." Lily still hadn't regained function of her vocal cords so she just stared at him. Remus grinned at her again, "Merry Christmas Ms Evans." He said as he walked off to the boys' dorm.
YEAR FOUR: MARLENE MCKINNON AND MARY MCDONALD
"Lilyanna Carina Arianna Evans" said Marlene McKinnon and Mary McDonald in creepy synchronisation. "Literally none of those are my names, aside from Evans" Lily responded without looking up from her Transfiguration text-book, she really needed to finish the required reading. "We are declaring tonight a Home-work Holiday! Come on Lils! We bought you're favourite lollies and then some from Honeydukes last time for this express purpose!" claimed Mary, an average-height, very pretty girl with light brown hair and chocolate-y coloured eyes. "Come on Evans! We've been waiting for this all week, and I will tie you up and throw that Transfiguration book in the rubbish if I have too. Don't test me!" Lily couldn't help but laugh "ok, girls, OK! I am putting the book down Marly! No throwing it out! Agreed?" Lily said. "Agreed" Marlene replied. They ended up on Lily's bed, doing all of the muggle clichés, painting each other's nails, gossiping about boys, binge eating chocolate from Honeydukes and drinking glass after glass of butterbeer and various soft drinks the house elves had kindly provided. "OK, ok, ok, ok, enough useless chatter!" Marlene declared "Ms Lilyana Maria Arianna Evans-" "still not my name" "FINE THEN! LILY! I have a question and, as we are your best friends on the planet, you must answer honestly! No Lily, you don't have a choice" Marlene added after she caught Lily's look. "Lily, what, EXACTLY, do you feel for one Mr James Potter?" Lily couldn't help it, she started laughing. "Oh come on Marly! With an intro like that I was expecting a hard question! I don't like Potter at all!" It was at that moment that Mary decided to chip into the conversation "See that's the thing Lily, we don't believe you're being 100% honest, and not just with us but with yourself too. We just want to make sure that if you do actually like him, just as a friend!" She added after seeing Lily's glare "that you don't hate on him too badly, after all he can be a pretty good friend." Mary continued. Lily was about to laugh it off again, but something stopped her. A little voice she had heard since her first year. Yeah Potter was a prat, but there were moments when he thought no-one was looking that he had acted sweet and caring. She had seen him defend Peter from the blood-purist Slytherins, she had seen him in the library tutoring a tiny Hufflepuff boy in transfiguration. She had seen him passionately encouraging the House quidditch team and every time she saw those moments, she always thought I could be friend with this boy, the sweet and generous one who puts others before himself. Not the arrogant prick that he acts like though. Her silence seemed to be all the answer that Marlene and Mary needed, they nodded with smug smiles on their faces, "Just remember what we said Lilyanna, after all you two are meant to be!" Marlene said with a wink. "Ha, ha." Replied Lily, before the girls left the conversation behind.
YEAR FIVE: MINERVA MCGONAGALL
Minerva McGonagall prided herself on many things. Being a professor at Hogwarts, being the head of Gryffindor House and being personally selected by Albus Dumbledore were only a few. However she was most proud of the students in her House, especially one Ms Lily Evans. Lily Evans was, arguably, the brightest witch of her age, she was brave, loyal, determined and kind. She never let anything stop her. But if the transfiguration professor had to hear Lily Evans and James Potter arguing in the corridors one more time. She was going to, as the teenagers say, 'lose it'. But the fates were not on her side it would seem, because not two minutes later she heard in the corridor "come on Evans, one date and I'll stop pranking Snivels" "Potter can you BUGGER OFF?! I'm busy!" "That wasn't a no Evans!" Minerva could almost hear the smile in Potter's voice. "Let me make myself crystal clear then shall I? I. Will. Never. Date. You! No matter who the other option is, so can you do me and everyone else a favour and just LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE?!" The professor didn't need to hear anymore, she burst out of her office and shouted "Ms Evans! There is no need for such language in the corridors, get inside my office now!" Lily was so surprised by this she couldn't even defend her actions, she just stood there gaping like a fish, while James was standing there trying to stifle his chuckles. "But Professor-" "Now, Ms Evans" the teenage girl in question threw a poisonous look over her shoulder at the young boy, who just wiggled his fingers in return and swaggered down the corridor. Lily Evans sighed in defeat and sullenly walked inside her Head of Houses' office. "Professor McGonagall I can expl-" "Ms Evans" the professor cut in firmly, "I do not require an explanation, that boy manages to push all of your buttons, but I do expect you to ignore it by now" She shot the teen an annoyed look, Lily had the good grace to look ashamed "Yes professor." "Now, I won't punish you this time Ms Evans, but please try to avoid such public confrontations from now on, off you go." "Thanks, Professor" Lily said, in fact, the teen was almost through the door when the Professor said "Oh and Ms Evans? Do yourself and everyone a favour and go out with the boy already. I've never seen two people so suited from one another. Close the door when you leave will you?"
YEAR SIX: SIRIUS BLACK
"Hellloooo Ms Evans!" Shouted an excited Sirius Orion Black from halfway down the corridor, "my, aren't you looking particularly beautiful today" "Shove off Black" Lily replied with a smile. After her falling out with Snape at the lake, Lily had found it surprisingly easy to fall into friendship with the school's local Mischief Makers. "Ms Evans, I thought we had a bond! How could you say such a thing to me?" Replied the handsome boy, placing a hand over his heart in a joking manner. "Oh, please do forgive me! Mr Black I meant nothing by it!" Sirius let out a loud guffaw at that "no harm, no foul Tiger Lily. Come on, let's get to breakfast I'm starving" Sirius linked arms with the girl and dragged her down the corridor to the Great Hall. They were about to walk in when Sirius suddenly pulled Lily into an alcove behind a tapestry. "Sirius! What the Hell?!" Lily cried out indignantly. "Look Lil, I'm sorry but I really need to say this." "Say what?" Sirius took a deep breath and said very quickly "James is my best mate Lily" "Yeah, I know, literally everyone knows" replied Lily in a snarky way. "I mean it Lily, and as my duty as his best mate, I need to know, are you ever going to accept that you and he were meant to be?" "You have got to be kidding me!" Lily cried out "I just wanted to go to breakfast Black! And instead I'm in a dusty alcove talking about a guy that I have no idea how I feel about!" Lily slapped her hand over her mouth after realising what she had said. "Evans, what do you mean by no idea?" "I…Um…Well, see, I actually meant that…" Lily trailed off unsure what to say. Sirius couldn't help the shit-eating grin that spread across his face "give it another year, yeah Ginge? We'll see what happens. Now come on, I really am starving" he said as he held the tapestry open, that grin still plastered on his face.
YEAR SEVEN: LILY EVANS
Lily Evans, Head Girl of Hogwarts, top of the class in Charms and Potions and an outstanding student in all her other subjects, was hiding in a broom closet. Why? You might ask. Well the reason was rather simple, the reason, Lily mused to herself grumpily, had messy black hair, dark hazel eyes and, as she just discovered, an incredibly toned and attractive chest from all the quidditch he played. "Like what you see Evans?" The boy in question had said when he caught her staring at him. Lily couldn't even remember what she had replied with, she just knew she had to escape their Heads dorm, which suddenly felt very cramped. So now here she was, hiding in a closet on the 7th floor of Hogwarts, way after curfew and having a mental breakdown. "This can't be happening, it can't be happening, it really, really, really, can't happen!" But try as she might to tell herself otherwise, she knew it had happened. She had succumbed to what everyone else thought. She was falling, and falling hard, for James Potter, James Potter with his cute hair, bright eyes and mischievous smile. And it was breaking her. "Lily" she heard, No, no, no, nonononononono NO! He can't have found her hiding place! He just can't have! Lily nearly wailed, but she managed to contain her thoughts. "Lil, I know you're in there, and I also know that you've probably charmed that door locked within an inch of its life. So are you going to let me in nicely or not?" Damn him! Damn, damn, damn him! Damn him for never giving up on her, damn him for his pretty eyes and killer eyelashes, damn his stupid crooked smile, damn his messy hair and most of all DAMN HIM FOR KNOWING HER BETTER THEN SHE KNEW HERSELF! She still hadn't responded when she heard him say "Lilyanna Carina Arianna Evans if you don't open this door I will break it off its hinges!" And damn him for using Marly and Mary's name for her she thought with a sigh as she, reluctantly, stood up from the floor, undid the locking charms and opened the door. And there he was, standing in all his 6'2 glory, James Potter was looking at her with the cutest concerned eyes she had ever seen. No Lily! Pull it together, he doesn't like you that way anymore, just move on! "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or will I need to go and nick some veritaserum from Sirius' stash?" "Sirius has veritaserum?" Lily asked unable to help herself, so what? I'm a potions nerd! She thought when she caught James' questioning look "Of that whole sentence…that is the part you question?" Lily just gave a silly little half shrug. "OK enough is enough" James suddenly exclaimed, pulling her out of the closet into the open corridor. "Tell me what is wrong, and don't try pulling any bullshit where you say you're fine. I know that you know that I know you better than that." Lily raised an eyebrow at his disjointed sentence. "Damn it ALL Evans! If you don't talk to me now I really will get that fucking truth potion!" Lily sighed and leaned against the wall, next to the door of the closet that she had just been removed from. "I don't know if I can tell you James" she said so quietly that he had to lean closer. "Bullshit! You can tell me anything and you know it!" He exclaimed unhappily "You basically sprinted from our dorm a few hours ago and I want to know why! You haven't run away from me since 5th year Lils, if you suddenly hate me again, I have a right to know why!" He thought she hated him? Of course he did, she had treated him like shit for their first 5 years at school together. But she couldn't help it, the words that came out of her stupid, fat mouth. "You think I hate you? Merlin's bloody beard Potter! Are you completely blind?!" Her voice was getting louder by the minute, but she couldn't help it, it was like everything she'd been hiding for the past year came rushing to the surface at the speed of sound. "I have tried to hate you this year! Just because it would be. So. Much. Easier!" She punctuated each word with a punch to his chest "but no matter how hard I try I can't and you have no idea how much that hurts! Because instead of being able to hate you in peace like I have for the past 5 and some years! I might bloody well love you!" She was breathing heavily at the end of her rant and her eyes slowly began to widen as she realised what she had said. James was standing there frozen in shock, "You know what?" Lily continued "Never mind me, just going stir-crazy from sleep deprivation, honestly I'm a certified hazard I should be removed from this school for the safety of others, I'll be going now. Bye James!" Lily said all of this very quickly, her voice getting higher and higher as she got more distressed, that was another bad habit of hers, rambling when she was nervous. She skirted around James' still frozen form and was halfway up the corridor before James, apparently, came back to life. "Lily!" He called after her "Lily!" But she was so lost in thought and self-conversation that she didn't hear him. So James did what James Potter did best, he chased Lily Evans. She was already in the Charms corridor by the time he caught up with her, she still showed no signs of knowing he was behind her, until that is, he took her around the waist and pressed her up against the wall next to Flitwick's Charms classroom. "Did you mean it?" He asked her, they both knew what he meant, but Lily played innocent anyway "Did I mean what?" She asked, "Lily Marie Evans, did you mean what you just said?" He asked frantically, he had to know. He had been waiting years for her to come around, for her to love him as much as he loved her, he had to know if her was dreaming or not. "Yes." She said so softly and sadly that he could barely hear her. "Well fucking FINALLY!" He yelled out and without any thought or warning, he kissed her. It was nothing like either of them imagined, it wasn't the perfect first kiss of romantic movies. It was intense and passionate and messy like all first kisses are, it was a clash, noa war, of tongues and teeth and both of them loved it. When they finally pulled away for air three buttons on James' shirt had come undone and Lily's hair was in knots. Both of their lips were swollen and bordering chapped and they were both grinning like absolute morons. "So does this mean you believe me now?" James asked hesitantly. "Believe what?" Lily replied, contentedly. "That we're meant to be?"