Disclaimer: So... of course Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling

Halfway through 5th year, James Potter realized that he was in love with Lily Evans. He had had a crush on her since 2nd year, sure, but in 5th year he realized that he was in love with her, for real.

James had no idea what to do with this information. He knew she hated his guts, even if he couldn't understand how anyone could do that, and that she'd probably not say yes even if he'd tell her he loved her. Which he did. Repeatedly. It didn't hurt trying, right? That was a part of why he had kept asking: he couldn't take a no. He didn't know how, since she was the only one in his life to ever tell him no. It had become an obsession to make her say yes, simply because a yes wasn't a no.

But now he realized he really wanted to go on a date with her. A real date. So he kept asking. He could spend hours just watching her, how her wonderfully red hair flew in the wind, how her green eyes would light up when she talked about something she was enthusiastic about. How beautiful – and scary – she looked when she blew up and became furious. How she never blushed, but when she did, her face became red, and she looked so sweet.

His friends teased him for this, sure, and while Sirius kept encouraging him he knew none of them ever thought he would get a yes. Sometimes he thought so too, even if those times admittedly was few - he knew she had to realize how great he was eventually - but hey, there was no harm in asking, right? If he stopped people would think it strange since had asked her at least once a week since he was twelve, and he enjoyed the attention. He also enjoyed her attention. When she was angry with him was practically the only time she looked at him or spoke to him, so it was a way to get it.

He was in love with Lily Evans, she was intelligent, beautiful, kind, funny, she stood up for herself and her friends and the right thing, and she had this special charisma he hadn't noticed earlier, that made people want to please her. And she had such a beautiful laugh, which made him want to smile. James was infatuated. That much was obvious for everyone who knew him. For the people outside his little group of close friends – the Marauders – and family, who he kept talking about her in front of, he didn't show anything of this, though. After all, he was James Potter. He had a reputation to uphold. He couldn't show them how he practically would do anything for Lily to look at him and smile.

So he kept asking her out on dates. He did everything he could to impress her. But he was a fifteen year old boy, and his only experience with girls outside family and those he had met during formal dinners with other important pureblood (sometimes halfblood) families only his countless girlfriends that simply were interested in him because he was handsome and popular and a god at Quidditch. They had been nice, really, but they hadn't taught him anything about how to do something like this, how to get someone like Lily like him. So of course he failed spectacularly.

Until 7th year.


Well, I decided I might as well put this here too. Because... what have I got to loose?

This might get a part 2, about 7th year, what do I know? It's not that good, but hey, I posted it anyways! I know nothing of romance, okay? I've only had fictional crushes since I was like eight, no real guys. Or I guess I've had crushes, but I've not been in love with someone real since then. I'm in no hurry, I've got years before I need to settle down.

This was short, anyways.

Edit: I've written about 7th year in Lily's POV now, but it is its own story: Lily fell in love at seventeen since I thought it deserved its own story, and when I asked a friend they thought so too.