"James Potter! The end of term exams are in three days! How do you expect to pass if you don't study?!" Lily berates, face flushing and voice straining, "Here, I've already memorized these." She pushes a stack of cards into his hands. "Study," she orders.
The other students watch the exchange with exasperated looks that seem to scream, "finally, maybe now we can study." The library as well as all four common rooms are packed. Books and parchment and notes and various writing utensils and students cover every possible surface. Term finals begin in three days, and now even the most lackadaisical student—James Potter—is in the process of reviewing all seven years of his wizarding educational career.
James peers blankly over these mysterious cards that were forced into his possession.Goblin Wars, the top card reads.
"I do believe my Lily wants me to attend the Goblin Wars, with her. It must be some fine eating establishment in Hogsmeade," James smiles amicably.
"No James, they're flashcards," Remus sighs with a great display of restraint. "It's a muggle thing. I helped Lily write some of those. The front has the topic while the back of the card answers who, what, when, where, why, and how. And I believe Lily has openly expressed her lack of interest in developing a deeper relationship with you."
"Yeah, I know…" James mutters to himself as he half-heartedly flips through the stack of cards, "But I can still dream…"
Warlock Convention of 1763. flip. Salem Witch trials. flip. The Centaur Negotiations, 1298. flip. International Quidditch Convention, 1074. flip. James sits in deep reverie as the mechanical movement lulls him into such a state. 'Maybe Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail were right. Maybe I should just give up. I heard she was going to Hogsmeade with Longbottom, anyways.' James sighs and rubs the gap between his two eyebrows.
'Maybe it just isn't meant to be.' James thinks morosely as he flips through some cards later that night. He has trouble sleeping. All logic tells him that he should give up on his pursuit of the ever elusive Lily Evans. But he simply cannot balk at any (however slight) chance he has. He will impress her, he decides. Show her that he could be studious. He will do anything for her to love him back.
Grindelwald. flip. The 16th Century Pureblood Movement. flip. The Muggle Act, no. 637. flip. James lies in his bed with closed curtains. He uses his wand to produce enough light to read. It is late, just how late, James does not know. Last time he checked it was 3:47 am. But that was twenty-seven cards ago. 'I memorized 140 cards,' James tries to coax himself to continue, 'just three more to go.' Muggle Movement of the mid-19th Century. flip James stifles a yawn. Berlin Research of Old Magic flip. Love. Wait. Love? This piques James' interest. In all his years in Professor Binn's class he cannot recall anything that mentioned love, but then again he tends not to recall anything from that class. flip.
"Who:" James reads Lily's neat cursive, "Everybody, well, mostly everyone, but I suppose most relevant is hopefully the infamous James Potter and me." James reads on in earnest.
"What: What do I love about him? I honestly have no clue. He is pig-headed, has an ego the size of Hogwarts, in never properly groomed. But I suppose that he is who he is."
James' heart pounds in his chest as he feels his ears heat up.
"When: I don't know when it started. I guess sometime between the end of 6th year and the beginning of 7th."
James almost squeals, but of course men do not squeal.
"Where: Hogwarts.
"Why: Why? I really have no idea. James Potter infuriates me to no end. He is the bane of my existence. He drives me mental with his over-inflated ego. Yet, I could not—no, I refuse to—imagine life with out him I suppose I love his persistency, his goofy smile, the way his eyes reveal his true feelings, the way he always grins for no apparent reason, the way he looks so innocent while he sleeps through history of magic class, they way he rubs his eyes after said slumber…the list could go on forever. But I suppose I really do not have an answer as to why I love him. I just do."
James gapes in disbelief.
"How: How did I come to love him? I really don't know. I guess he's a bit like a disease. First he infects you, it really doesn't take much. I never noticed it at first, but slowly and surly his infection spread into my thoughts. By then it wasn't long until he claimed my heart.
"Notes:" James reads on with a smile plastered on his face. "Sat. 10 a.m. Astronomy Tower."
Lily loved him, he can not believe it. Forget sleep, James has a date with Lily in less than five hours when he will give her a flashcard of his own and return all 143 of her meticulously written cards…Goodness. What should he wear?