Hey there

This is a one-shot written by request about James and Lily's earlier interactions; why she hated him, when he began to like her, ect… Won't say any more since it almost three in the morning an I really must sleep lol

Luv y'all loads!

Lili

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He wasn't quite sure when he'd first noticed she was pretty.

Redheads had never really been his thing; the freckles that usually covered the girl from head to toe seemed more like endless splatters of ketchup to him than anything else and blondes were just much more easier to come by. Interchangeable. Plus they usually had bigger tits.

Evans herself had NEVER been his thing. Braces painted green to match her fluorescent eyes were a serious turn off for even the horniest of young males. Add in the ginger hair, huge, seriously MEAN mouth and way too big a brain for her own good, and the girl was nothing more than a waste of space in the school's female population.

Lily Evans was the total sum of every physical and character trait he hated in a chick. Completely and utterly unshaggagable. And therefore unworthy of even his attention.


Lily remembered perfectly the day she decided James Potter was a waste of finite resources. Clean drinking water, food and even oxygen could have been much better spent saving some poor starving orphan out in Africa, instead of keeping the arrogant, over-bearing spoilt brat alive and healthy.

It was of course entirely coincidental that the day Lily Evans first decided she hated the school idol, was also the day he smiled at her. Not the heart-stopping trademark smirk he unleashed so often on the poor unsuspecting girls who followed his every move with their goggling eyes. Oh no. THAT she could have dealt with. THAT she could have raised an eyebrow at with perfect composure and could have carried on her daily life as planned. But could he be obliging? Could he make just a tiny effort to live up to even her ridiculously low expectations? No. Instead, he had to smile.

And what a smile…

A real wide, winning grin of mischief that somehow shook the foundations of her thickest walls around her heart and made her breath treacherously catch in her throat.

Because James Potter wasn't supposed to smile like that. Wasn't supposed to be anything other than smarmy and lecherous and obnoxiously charming when he wanted his own way and he certainly wasn't supposed to have what could only be called a devastatingly pretty smile. Everything else about Potter was pretty. His eyes, his hair, his skin; they were ALL lovely and perfect and she acknowledged all that with a mature adult composure she was rightfully proud of. Pretty boy he definitely was. Didn't make him any less hateful.

She hadn't counted on his smile.


He remembered when she'd first sparked his curiosity. Merlin he would never forget THAT day. The embarrassment would still make him cringe inwardly at the memory for years after. He, James Potter, had lost a Quidditch Match. Or rather had been absent from said match, leading to Gryffindor's first defeat since he'd joined the team a year ago. And it was all because of Macey Grey. Blonde snivelling wimp that she was.

James Potter was on the rampage, swearing to the entire school that the brainless bimbo who thought that spiking his pumpkin juice with some obviously dubious "Felix Felicious » was going to pay for causing boils to cover the school Quidditch star from head to toe. The Marauder's had been planning the prank all day and all night, the nastiest one the foursome had thought up so far. The dumb, deluded Hufflepuff was going down, pigtails and all.

The boys had sent the blonde a letter, supposedly from a friend, telling her to meet in the Transfiguration Classroom during Lunch Hour, which was coincidently her next class. The boy's waited outside under the cloak until the girl came, hair pulled up into a bun under her hat, and cloak wrapped tightly around her against the cold, and walked unsuspectingly into the empty classroom. The Marauder's had smirked with evil relish as the screams had rang out load and shrill, until Macey classmates had arrived for the lesson. The expressions of shock had been priceless and the boy's had carefully snuck inside to admire the results of their handiwork.

Sure enough, in the centre of the room, the girl's feet were stuck to the floor, preventing her from moving as four buckets of red, green, yellow and blue slime, emptied and re-filled on top of her. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws laughed and giggled until finally the spell stopped seconds before the bell rang. The buckets disappeared, all the slime apart from that which had covered the victim had vanished too until only the girl stood there soaked and multi-coloured from head to toe.

It was only when she'd finally drawn out her wand and scourgified the gunk, did the bright red hair and green eyes indicate that this was not Macey Grey.

Lily Evans had marched from the room in silence, ignoring the giggles and catcalling after, with her nose in the air as if nothing had happened. But that hadn't been what had shocked him.

The first time James Potter had really, really looked at bookworm, Slytherin-loving Lily Evans had been that evening in the Common Room when she'd marched up to him and asked that he count Macey's dept paid.

James had goggled at her, but she'd held his gaze earnestly.

"A Slytherin blackmailed her to put that potion in your glass. She was too scared to refuse. "

"You knew about the prank? » James stared baffled by the possibility. "And you went in there anyway. »

Evans hadn't flinched. Instead, the smuggest little grin had pulled up the corners of her mouth as she shrugged innocently.

"You're not the only good eves-dropper in the school Potter. » Her face became instantly more solemn.

"Besides, she didn't deserve it. »

And then she'd walked away, without another word and James had stared dumbly after her, mouth still hanging open and wondering vaguely how he'd ever thought she didn't belong in Gryffindor.

Yeah, that was the day she'd stumped and confused him. But that had been all. And it sure as hell didn't mean she was pretty.


It was ten o-clocks at night and she and the girls were reading one of Jenny's trashy magazines. The school's biggest flirt was reading aloud yet another of the silly quizzes that analysed you and your poor excuse for a love life to determine your personality. The questions would change magically for each person to avoid cheating of any kind and seemed to fit the girl in question with almost spooky accuracy. It could have made them take the results a little more seriously. It could have made them pause to wonder about the future. But of course right then, it only made the four teenagers laugh like tomorrow would never come.

Alice had already been declared a lover by nature, who would find her soul-mate and live happily ever after. The girls had giggled until their eyes had wept as fourteen year old girls always do when confronted with the foolish notion of Prince Charmings and Lifetime Loves. It had been Emily's turn next and she'd scoffed at being dubbed a rainbow chaser. So what if she wanted perfection and so what if that perfect man she'd described surely had to exist only in books and dreams. A girl was allowed to be picky.

And then it was Lily's turn, her laughing protest summarily ignored by the other three as Jenny began to bludgeon her with question after question. Most were easy; some were merely silly, but a select few had her pause and bite her lip in thoughtful concentration, her eyes vaguely wandering over the almost empty common room as she gathered her thoughts. The Marauders as they called themselves were too close for her comfort, joking and showing off as always on the opposite couch and the sound of one particularly arrogant growl of laughter grated on her nerves more than all the rest. But ignoring them was second nature by now, and the foursome didn't hold her interest.

It was the very last question, and years later she would still remember it perfectly. Jenny's eyes widened as her tongue stumbled for the first time that night over the words. The room seemed to quieten. Maybe it was her imagination but it seemed like the four heads across the fireplace from them froze rigid, even though not a single one turned. It was enough to make her eyes rest there as she puzzled over an answer. Green eyes stared into black hair she didn't really see as the syllables rolled slowly off her tongue, deliberately and honestly and weighing every word.

"No. If I really loved him. If he really was the one, I wouldn't care if he was werewolf. "

Jenny may or may not have breathed a sigh, Lily couldn't really recall. What she did remember was that mop of shaggy black hair being tossed away as the owner turned his head. She remembered blinking out of her daze, a faint blush colouring her cheeks as those annoying pretty eyes locked with hers for once empty of all arrogance or derision. She'd waited, prepared for the smirk or the mocking curl of the lip he so often threw her, prepared for the superiority on his face to spark her temper and clench her jaw in reaction.

But she wasn't prepared for his smile.


The day he'd never forget, was the one he knew he really, really didn't like her. And would never ever like her even if his life, soul and capacity to father children all depended on it.

It was a rubbish day anyway. The weather was foul, Slytherins were foul and therefore James Potter's mood was also foul. Basically the match had been cancelled. McGonagall had apparently forgotten what the House of Gryffindor stood for and had declared to the school that in light of the snowstorm outside the upcoming match was to be cancelled until further notice. For SNOW. His win and his victory party were being put on hold because of bloody frozen water.

James was not happy.

The common room was almost empty as he slammed the portrait hole shut behind him with enough force to make the Fat Lady topple onto her large behind. Jenny looked up sympathetically as he stomped past on his way up to the staircase before turning back to priss-pot Evans as soon as she thought he was out of earshot.

"So, come on Lily, be honest with me, » James' fist was on the handle to his dorm when the next words made him pause in reluctant curiosity.

"Which would you rather kiss? SEV… "James almost smirked at the unconcealed dislike in his cousin's tone.

"OR my dastardly cousin? »

He didn't really care. Obviously he didn't. He knew what the answer was going to be before she said it, the smirk curling his lips as he thought of somebody lip-locking the Slytherin, fingers sticking in his greasy hair. But for some stupid reason he waited. Just to be sure. Be certain. Not that he wasn't already of course and not that it really mattered anyway. But just…to hear her say it.

Then there came a snort.

"Easy question; Severus, a thousand times over. At least I know where his mouth HASN'T been. "

Red spots ignited before James' eyes. The door slammed behind him, this time hard enough for the walls to shake.

Later that day, Severus Snape was landed in the hospital wing with seven broken bones, green skin and lips bigger than frankfurter sausages.

From that day, Lily Evans was a stuck up, prissy little bitch who deserved to drown in grease and also became the girl he hated more than anyone else in the school put together. No way in hell would he ever admit she looked a little more decent without those damned braces. Pretty? Sure. Pretty as the giant fucking squid!


It wasn't in THAT precise moment that she knew.

In that moment as his eyes lit up in approval and his annoyingly soft lips pulled gently upwards, all she could think about was how perfect a smile could be. She couldn't remember his arrogance or his bullying and indiscriminate cruelty. She couldn't remember the hearts he'd broken and the couples he'd torn apart. She couldn't remember why she'd disliked him so strongly for so long because that single smile put every other smile she'd ever seen to shame.

All her past crushes, her two boyfriends', no other smile could compare to the one that made James Potter's face glow like a morning sunrise.

Realisation came ten seconds later.

It was precisely ten seconds later that she knew she hated him. She remembered it down to the second because at that moment James Potter turned his face and his smile away to suddenly wink devilishly at Mary McDonald. The smile was gone and it was as though a light had gone out.

Right then, Lily Evans knew that she would never hate anything in the world more than she would hate James Potter.


He was pretty sure he remembered the day he'd realised she wasn't ugly. It had been a day full of surprises that one, he could recall ruefully. After all, it's not every day you find out your "woman-hating, only-good-for-shagging-and-giving -head " best mate in the world, decides he's going to invite the one girl in the world you also hate, to your bloody birthday party.

It was the 27th of March, a typical wet rainy day and James had been in a bad mood. His latest fling had decided she wanted him to declare their relationship openly. That of course was not going to happen. His two other "girlfriends " would have both blown a fuse if they'd found out that the words "his one and only " weren't supposed to actually be taken literally. So he'd had to dumb her, and as she was the best shag his now sixteen year old self had had so far, it made for a rather shitty birthday present.

So to take his mind of that slight annoyance, James had spent the last few hours wandering anywhere but the Gryffindor Common Room. A grin tugged at his lips, his "Surprise " Party was due to start in roughly three hours time, not that he was supposed to know. Just like he wasn't supposed to know that Pete was in the Kitchens giving orders to the House-elves on the food, Remus was setting up decorations with the boy's fan clubs in the Common Room and Sirius was somewhere around the castle inviting their usual crowd. James' only job for the day was to look shocked and Remus and Sirius wouldn't be fooled anyway.

The thought of his best mate's ironic smirk brought answering smile to his own face. Nah, Sirius would know by now that James knew almost every detail of what was being planned and was therefore exerting his massive IQ to imagine some ingenious last-minute surprises that would catch his friend off-guard. James' hazel eyes gleamed at the yearly challenge. Bring it on mate. He James Potter would NEVER be surprised.

Sure enough at ten thirty precisely Remus found him on the Quidditch Pitch with an excuse to accompany him back to the castle. James had played along, smiling innocently at his friend who was eyeing him with heavy suspicion all over his pale features. The secret passages made the trip back to Gryffindor Tower take barely ten minutes and when they arrived in front of the winking Fat Lady, James obliged by climbing first through the Portrait hole. And right on cue, the word "SURPRISE!" was screamed louder than a herd of elephants.

The party had been one of the biggest social events of the year. Everybody who was anybody was piled into the round room, all lined up to throw themselves onto his chest or shake his hand. The team was there, Jenny's already impressive curves encased in a scarlet, skin-tight dress with obnoxious little Jamie grinning appreciatively at her side. His role-model Jason Wood lounged nearby, the shiny Captain's badge glinted on the Seventh Year muscled chest. Amanda looked highly desirable in a pretty powder blue strappy number, her sleek blonde hair impeccably placed in an elegant twirl on the top of her head and Nathan completed the Chaser's trio with his spiky hair that was almost as unruly as James' own.

Mick and the other guys were there too, along with the thirty or so acceptable member's of the newly created Marauder fan-clubs. The Weasley twins Fabien and Gideon were already downing fire whiskey in the corner, passing out the goblets with sly grins to Frank and his fellow sixth years. James laughed inwardly as Frank grinned and shook his head. Wise move mate.

Finally his fellow Marauders stood proudly at the end of the line, waiting deliberately until the music had resumed and the guest had returned to either drinking or dancing. Peter looked almost bug-eyed with his eyes round with excitement and his grin stretching from sticking-out-ear to sticking-out-ear. Remus was calm and collected as ever as he clapped the birthday boy on the back with a knowing smile.

As for Sirius, well, his brother had honoured the occasion with a handsome grin that had many girls swooning from the sidelines, violet eyes glowing with wicked amusement as he lounged gracefully forward, flicking his hair arrogantly away from his face as he did so. James' eyes narrowed. There was smugness on those three faces; a LOT of it.

"Happy Birthday. "

That was it. A brown hand disappeared into Sirius' pocket and returned grasping a wrapped gift that could only be ten square centimetres in size. James took it with a suspicious grin, one eyebrow lifting questioningly as the package weighed almost nothing in his hand.

"Why do I have the feeling this is an "I O U a present " or something equally not funny. "

The three boys grins widened but they said nothing, nodding their heads wickedly for James to open the wrapping. He did so, gaze flicking from one innocent face to the other, trying to catch someone off-guard. Nothing.

The last of the paper fell away, flying snitch and broomstick dropping forgotten to the floor as James' fingers suddenly trembled on the thick bundle of folded parchment in his hand.

"You are kidding me… "

James mouth was half-open in disbelief but Peter, Remus and Sirius still simply grinned manically back at him as he stumbled to unfold the parchment and feast his eyes wonderingly upon it.

"You finished it… "

The words were almost gasped. James simply stared in stunned amazement as the Map spread out before him. Every name was there, every charm complete. After working on it for almost an entire year, it was finally finished; he was holding it in his shaking fingertips.

The Marauder's Map.

Remus spoke first, amber eyes sparkling in triumph.

"We didn't want you to know how close I was to finishing the last charm. Sirius swore that this year we would finally get a look of actual surprise on your smug face. "

James was still speechless as he touched the treasure in his hands like it was made of gold and Sirius' smirk couldn't be any smugger as the dimple danced wickedly in that lean cheek. Then finally James managed to stammer

"You did it. You really did it. "

Remus shook his head and glanced proudly at the other two.

"Nah. WE did it. "

The night had been going so well. Peter and Remus had been dragged off to dance, the first eagerly, the other with resignation. Only Sirius remained at his side as James examined the Map in minute detail, questions and expression of amazement carrying over the deafening music every now and then.

"Dammit, you can follow Filch's every bloody move. We'll never be caught out of bed again. "

James peered closer, ignoring the urge to rub his eyes and push the unfamiliar contacts into the back of his head. He'd only started wearing them a month ago, giving in to Jenifer Backbones pleading to at least TRY them. What was it with girls and his eyes.

In was as this question was passing through his brain that one particular name suddenly leaped out at him from the parchment. Lily Evans. Here. In his Common Room. At HIS party. What the…?

James spun round to Sirius, eyes already snapping furiously.

"Who the hell invited Evans? !" he demanded through gritted teeth

Sirius met his friends pissed off gaze with an expression that could have frozen lava.

"I did. "

The words didn't seem to register. James could only stare as Sirius matched him look for look, his eyes bright but firm and unembarrassed, his posture as infuriatingly nonchalant as ever. Long tapered fingers held the goblet of spiked fire-whiskey in a graceful yet loose grip, his gaze clear as a bell despite the fact that this was far from his first. James gaped as that theory went out the window. Sirius was NOT completely sloshed or out of his head.

Happily for the continuation of the party, James' wicked sense of humour suddenly took over, saving the moment. He burst out into a shout of throaty, evil laughter, looking round the room eagerly for the hardly missable copper curls.

"You managed to get Evans to a party. Now this mate, I gotta see. "

Sirius' brows lowered but he repressed the acid comment, debating internally whether to find Lily and warn her that she'd been found out. It was really his fault after all. He'd been the one who'd asked her to come, coaxing and blackmailing alternatively until finally the promise of taking her to see the kitchens made her cave. Sirius still wasn't quite sure why he'd pushed the point so hard. He knew that James detested Lily, knew that there was a strong likelihood of this ending in another roaring blaze of tempers the two were famous for.

But she'd been down the past through days, something about her brother Andy who had been hit by a drunk driver when she was still quite young, around this time of year. He'd wanted badly to see that smile again, the one that lit up the room and almost made him feel human again. It was selfish, he knew that too. But he needed that smile so badly.

And she'd agreed, eventually. Though seeing the malicious glint in his friend's eye as he smirked around the room, this could be another of those times when following his instinct was not going to pay off. But in that brief moment it had taken to wonder this, James was already gone.

Slipping through the writhing teenagers on the dance floor took time and effort. Every oestrogen filled female seemed to pounce as he tried to sidle past her, pressing her body parts to his chest in a highly distracting way that seriously hindered his progress across the room. And then, right when he was considering saying "What the hell " to Evan's change character and persuading the leggy blonde sixth year to accompany him upstairs to see his birthday broomstick, he saw her.

It was the dress that did it, his subconscious was already declaring defensively. ANYONE could look good in that dress, even the school priss. Look, it pointed out arrogantly; the almost transparent white gossamer that flowed down to just above the knees was deliberately eye-catching and hormone-awakening. Just as the delicate high heels were an outright invitation to admire those long creamy legs. An outfit like that could turn the ugliest frump in Hogwarts into an angel and tonight it had quite simply done it's job. A little too well. It wasn't HER. It was the damned DRESS.

Unfortunately, whatever excuses his brain valiantly came up with, the fact remained that right there, right then, nobody in their right mind could call Lily Evans ugly. And hating said Lily Evans as he did, that was a serious, serious problem.

But she was NOT pretty.


It was cruel and unfair and unsporting she lashed inwardly and silently, as Mary moved to his lap.

No one should be allowed THAT smile.

Not Mary, or Taylor or Jennifer, Amanda or any other girl.

Nobody but her.

The one person who could never have it.


In later years, he'd laugh about how long it finally took him to admit the truth. The Marauders would mock him for his blindness and force him to choke out the words and the obvious fact he'd so long denied.

Even the day he'd accepted Dale's stupid bet, he'd stubbornly declared her a carrot-topped dwarf to his inner conscious. She had grown up a bit, over the years, her braces were long gone and ok, no one could argue that her tits were pretty perky for C-sized goodies on such a tiny frame.

She wasn't an eyesore fine, but actually pretty? Nah, not on his watch.


So all she could do was hate him for showing it to her. Hated him for flaunting it. Hated him for having this one more perfect thing that put all his other perfections to shame.

Disliking him wasn't enough. She knew she had to hate him, hate him so much that that smile would never again reappear to taunt her. So with fierce determination and resolve, she did exactly that.

Because she really did love that smile.

Thinking back, he really didn't know when she'd first caught his eye and quickened his pulse. But, if he really thought about it, there was that one blinding moment when he actually realised how God damn pretty Lily Evans really was.

It was the July the thirty-first and he was just wrapping up stage two of the plan. The tolerating part was over, she enjoyed seeing him when he turned up at her work unannounced. That day, he'd strolled into Flourish and Blott's round two-thirty, glancing round casually for her burnished curls. She was standing up a ladder, replacing a dusty manual up on the top shelf, left leg lifted for balance, right arm stretched as far as it would go as she wobbled precariously on her toes.

It had been the most cliché, cheesiest thing James Potter had ever admitted to, but, when she fell, as fall of course she did, his muscled arms were already out to catch her.

Her mouth had been open in shock and pink was already colouring her cheeks as he lowered her slowly to the ground. There faces had been inches apart, so close he could count the thirteen freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose and the seven flecks of dark green in those emerald irises. They'd warmed with relief and laughter under his transfixed gaze and her lips had spread into the most adorable smile he'd ever seen.

She'd raised a laughing brow when he hadn't even moved to release her, a bubble of humour hovering on her lips. And Merlin help him, he remembered the words he'd breathed wonderingly over her creamy skin, almost in disbelief.

"Evans…you really are…pretty. "

Her cheeks had flushed bright red and his had almost done the same as he stepped back abruptly, kicking himself mentally for the most un-cool words he'd ever spoken. It had been her peal of laughter that had made him turn his head warily, and her mischievous grin that had kept it there.

"You are too…. " She'd twinkled up at him, and added sweetly

"When you smile. "


Hope you liked! Please read and review and tell me!

Luv you!

Lili

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