He loved her. He loved the way her eyes shone like two emeralds, and the fiery gleam of her hair. He loved the way she couldn't help but laugh at his jokes, and the way her laughter chimed through his ears.
Lily.
She loathed him. She loathed the way his unruly, raven hair curled at the nape of his neck, and the way his glasses sat crookedly upon his nose. She loathed his robes with their pristine edges which so often had mud and dirt caked into them, and the way his mouth widened lazily into a smile every time he saw her.
James.
Chapter One.
Lily smoothed her hand down the brick wall of the corridor, trailing it around the corner and down the grand set of stairs to the Great Hall. Tonight's the big Halloween feast, My last one at Hogwarts, ever, she thinks. This year, Lily will have her last everything at Hogwarts. Her last potions class, her last exams... Last fights with Potter, she thought sadly. She didn't know why the thought had saddened her, she loathed the boy. But their arguments had made up a large portion of her time at Hogwarts (especially now that they were Head Boy and Girl, sharing a dorm together), and she had to admit, she would miss the two of them bickering back and forth. Ridiculous, she thinks, he could care less if he ever sees me again, and with that thought still in mind, she floats around the corner, entering the Great Hall for her last Halloween feast.
James nervously tapped his foot against the stone floors, his food untouched (which he usually crammed down in a few seconds) in front of him. Today's the day; I'm going to get Lily to go out with me. This was his last chance. He might never see her again after they leave Hogwarts; he wanted to at least get a proper date with her. James continued kicking his foot around on the stone floor, chewing on his lip nervously while he searched for her.
He supposed he could have done it anytime, in the morning in their dorm, before bed, between classes, anytime. But he didn't know, this time just felt... right.
"Oi, calm down mate, I'm sure it'll all go swimmingly," said Sirius, his mouth dribbling with pumpkin juice. James just shook his head and looked back toward the entrance doors to the great hall, running his long, slender fingers through his messy raven hair.
He was just about to give up and go back to eating when a long flash of fiery hair came around the corner, which could only belong to the lovely Lily. She walked down the Gryffindor table, her head bowed and her arms crossed, not looking at anyone. He stood up and tried to say something, but she just went around him and down the table, sitting with Alice.
Now, you'd think James would've taken a hint and just sat down, but being the stubborn James he was, he followed her to her bench and plopped down just centimeters away from her. "'Lo, Lily," he said with a smile. Lily nodded in his direction and went back to picking at a cherry tart, crumbs piling on her plate. James coughed, "Er, Lily? Well you see I've been asking you for a few years now and I dunno I thought maybe you'd wanna go out with me this weekend? To Hogsmeade? I mean it's fine if you have other plans or you're busy or something or you just don't want to but I just thought-" Lily cut him off mid-ramble with a blank stare, and said, "James, I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you this weekend."
James jaw fell slack and he licked his lips, trying to get some words out. "Really? Are you sure? Positive?" he cut himself off then, chewing on the corner of his lip while he waited for her response. For the first time of the night, he saw the corners of Lily's lips twitch up in a quick smile, a murmur of a laugh spilling out. She pushed her hair behind her ear and said, "James, you'd think after all these years of you begging for a date, you'd just accept it rather quickly, don't you think so?" James went red and let out a nervous chuckle, "Er well yeah you'd think so. But yes, great, I'm glad. I'll meet you at the entrance to the Great Hall then, yeah?" Lily nodded and gave James a quick smile, still fiddling with her cherry tart.
A lop-sided grin split across James face, and he slid a clumsy hand through his hair, making it spike up in all directions. He did a quick wave and went to walk away, but stopped mid-step and pulled a note out of his pocket. He turned around and sat it in front of Lily, spinning back in the opposite direction and walking away before he could see her face. He figured she'd say something later when they were in the dorm together.
James swaggered back over to Sirius, who was now accompanied by Remus and Peter, his two other best friends. He threw himself down on the bench lazily and stared into space with his goofy grin. Peter, who was sitting next to him, poked him with a short, pudgy finger and said, "Oi Prongs, I take it it went well?" James just continued looking around with that same goofy grin, not wanting to ruin his cloud nine feeling.
Lily stared down curiously at the neatly folded note sitting in front of her. Her thumb caressed the crisp edges, and she wondered what its contents were. She decided to leave it for later, when she was alone back in her dorm. Well, mostly alone, apart from James.
She took the note and tucked it away into the breast pocket of her button up, deciding not to think about it for the time being. She continued picking at her bit of cherry tart, idly listening to the conversations going on around her. She hadn't realized until now that not only her best friends, Alice and Dorcas, but the whole table was staring at her. She didn't know who was more shocked, herself or the people who had just witnessed her saying yes to a date with Potter. Looking around her now, she caught a few envious stares of some girls who had always fawned after James.
Soon enough, Lily was back in the Head's Common Room, sitting in her favorite recliner with her feet propped up in front of the fire. She let out a deep sigh as she took the note out from her pocket, bracing herself for what it would say.
Inside the note was a sketch, not the best sketch either, but James had never been an artist. Dainty flowers covered the page; roses, daisies, tulips, sunflowers, and, of course, lilies. The sketch was done in black ink, except for the lilies, which were colored bright yellows and oranges. She was so engrossed by the flowers that she almost didn't see the faint loops of cursive scrawled beneath the flowers that read, "You're the most beautiful flower I've ever seen, Lily, and I've seen a lot of flowers."
Lily felt a grin split across her face, and she hurriedly folded the note back up. She wasn't going to be like the other girls who practically swooned at the antics of James Potter, she had dignity.
Who was she kidding? She smiled to herself again and hopped out of her recliner, headed back to her dorm to get ready for bed. After she had pulled on her favorite nightgown and a pair of socks her mother had knitted for her before she left for Hogwarts, Lily crawled under her covers. She rolled over to face the single window in her dorm, looking out at the bright full moon. Lily knew that James and the rest of the Marauders, as they called themselves, would be out somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, just like every other full moon for the past six years. She had learned over the years to stop trying to figure out all their secrets.
Lily smiled contently to herself, pulling her quilt up to her chin. She looked forward to the morning, to her date with James and anything else that would happen. She went to sleep, feeling optimistic about the day before it had even begun.
Out in the Forbidden Forest, James looked happily up at the moon, wondering if Lily was looking at it too.
Hey guys! I don't know if anyone remembers, but I actually published this chapter, along with 3 others, about two years ago. I've decided to rewrite and publish them again. So, here it is! I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think in the reviews! :)
