Late Realizations
It was the perfect Hogsmeade day. Snow was on the ground and was lightly falling from the sky. All around people were smiling and laughing, including Lily Evans. However, if you looked close enough you could see that her smile didn't reach her eyes. Her smiles and her laughs looked and sounded forced.
Lily laughed again at another one of Mary's jokes, though her mind was elsewhere. She was completely miserable but she couldn't bear to ruin the mood on such a lovely Hogsmeade day like this. And it is all Potters fault, she thought to herself sadly. This was probably the first time that she wasn't fuming over something that Potter had done. Instead she felt rather depressed. Why was it, when she finally realized that she was in love with him he had to give up on her? She regretted telling him not to ask her out anymore. Now she felt unsure if he even liked her anymore. He was cordial and polite but he never gave her that special smile like he used to, or made any grand romantic gestures. She glanced quickly to her left where Potter was standing only a few meters away, smiling at Emmeline Vance.
Emmeline and Lily were usually very good friends, but right now she had never hated her more. She was sweet, caring, brilliant AND beautiful all in one. She and James would likely end up together forever, she thought desperately. Suddenly she heard quiet giggles and James' wonderful laugh. She looked over to see James bowing down to Emmeline holding the door open to the Three Broomsticks, with a huge pile of snow on his head. He shook his head making his unruly hair messier still and gave Emmeline a smile. Lily's smile. Lily felt her heart break a little bit more at the sight. James noticed her standing and watching them and for the briefest second of time hazel eyes met green. It may have just been her imagination but she swore she had seen a look of longing in his eyes before he looked away. And her smile. He had given her the smile she knew and loved. She hasn't seen it in so long. For that one second she felt as though James still loved and wanted her. And hopefully for that brief second, he could see that Lily Evans loved him too.