Life is no bed of lillies
Disclaimer: If you think I own anything in this story besides the idea, think again!
Chapter 1: Determination, disguised dementia and discouragement
As a child, James Potter was one of many things. He was a privileged boy whom many thought of as an angel. James was a wealthy pureblood child with strong wizarding talent, even as a young boy. He had loving parents, kind friends, looks and brains, although the last two were quite unrelated.
At the age of 6, he came to the realisation that he had a 'weakness', if you could call it that, for redheaded girls. Little did he know that this weakness would one day become his downfall.
When James boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time at eleven years old, he befriended three very different boys by the names of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Together, they formed an exclusive group, the Marauders. Needless to say, James was the leader of this group. All four members were sorted into Gryffindor, along with a certain girl who had caught James's eye. Her name was Lily Evans. In the years to come, James would find himself calling Miss Evans 'my favourite redhead'.
During James's fourth year at Hogwarts, he found himself rather attracted to Lily Evans. Unfortunately, the girl did not return his affections. His fifth year at the school found him falling in love with Evans, but by sixth year, his feelings were out of control, and he knew he loved his 'Lily blossom'. Lily never did agree to that name though.
James knew that Lily and he had had differences in the past, so without further ado, he set out to make his favourite redhead fall desperately in love with him. Of course, he forgot the slight problem that might have made his life easier had he taken it into account: Lily's temper.
Current Day
James always knew he was loved by his peers, even if the majority of his fans were female. As he strutted down the Great Hall towards his fellow Marauders one morning, many of the students were staring at him or attempting to get his attention. It was a pity, really, that the one girl he lavished his attention upon never really reciprocated his feelings or affections.
James sat down next to his friends, coincidentally placing himself next to Lily as well. Leaning his head on her shoulder, he asked if she had slept well.
"Sod off, Potter. You know perfectly well that I didn't sleep well. You put roses in my bed, with thorns nonetheless!" Lily fumed, proving that she was perfectly capable of getting angry in the early hours of the morning.
James quickly raised his head off her shoulder and stared at her, attempting to look innocent.
"What roses, my Lily flower?"
The Gryffindors nearby snorted and quickly resumed eating as Lily shot them a death-glare. Really, with her frightening glares and James's fame throughout the school, the two of them could very soon become the most well-known dangerous couple!
"You know perfectly well what I mean, Potter! Don't ever try anything like that again, or I swear by your broomstick that I'll hex you into oblivion!" the angry redhead yelled, her face a matching colour with her famous hair.
She stood up, grabbed her bag and walked out of the hall, a cunning smile on her face. Lily was, after all, an intelligent girl, and knew that James would never let anything happen to his beloved broomstick, no matter how much he wanted a girl's attention.
The Marauders stared at the vicious girl, and continued their meal. James, though, needed a bit more persuasion from his best friend. This persuasion came in the form of a glass of milk on the Head Boy's head.
"Padfoot! What the hell was that?" yelled James, springing up from his seat quickly.
"What? I thought you might need to eat your food before I steal it!" Sirius replied innocently while cackling to himself at the splendid idea of pouring milk on one's head.
Remus muttered a quick cleansing spell and the liquid instantly disappeared from his friend's hair.
Sitting back down, James began his breakfast while staring into space thoughtfully. He had to admit, the idea with the roses hadn't been his best one, especially roses with thorns! Well, what was he to do? He knew that he had to come up with an idea that would eventually win Lily over, but what exactly was that idea?
I'll do anything I can, even if it means lobbing off someone's head, James thought with conviction while plunging his fist into his bowl of porridge, unaware that he was doing so.
"Say, Moony, can I borrow your head for a minute?"
There was no need whatsoever for anyone to comment on the odd looks that James received.