I've got a good feeling I'm just takin' it all in

Treat People with Kindness, Harry Styles

"I'm telling you, she's been acting odd all week"

"And I'm telling you, she likes you, Prongs" Remus replies, giving James one of his classic I'm arrogant-but-kind about it smirks.

James couldn't let himself think that. Years of Lily rejecting him had made him doubt her actions and behaviours towards him.

"She made me a tea this morning"

Remus watched James as his friend stared absently out of the library window.

"Was it any good? She always forgets sugar in mine" Remus teases.

James looked at Remus with a hint of a smile.

"Yeah, she remembered just how I liked it. Isn't that weird?"

"Yeah, weird" Remus grinned softly at James. James was in complete awe and Remus knew that this was the start of something too powerful for even him to comprehend.

"Isn't this a good thing?" Remus prompted.

James really looked at Remus then, like he was searching Remus' face for the answer.

"Yeah, I think so. I just don't want to ruin anything."

"Just try not to do anything stupid to upset her and you'll be fine"

She started with making him tea along with hers in the morning, then she let him help her with her homework, even high fiving him when they both worked together and got a complex equation correct. She sat next to him sometimes at meal times, but tried to mix it up by sitting next to Remus or even Sirius or Peter.

She wanted to be friends with him. She wanted to be friends with his friends. She was starting to enjoy having more than just Mary and Marlene in her life. She spent the last two years being awfully lonely and depressed and she wanted more out of her last year at school.

She refused to publicly acknowledge that her friendliness towards James was just because she actually quite fancied him. She wanted to believe that she was just being friendly because she wanted to make her life easier. And it was easier. Herself and James had come to an easy impasse. But that's what it felt like to her, an impasse. Her body wanted more, merlin, even her mind wanted more. She felt so compelled to talk to him that it made her feel slightly feverish at times.

It wasn't anything in particular that switched her gears regarding James Potter. It was nothing and also everything about him that changed her mind and even then, she would probably say it wasn't a fact of her changing her mind it was more the fact that she was just opening her eyes up to those around her. She had been so deeply ingrained in her own sad emotions and experiences over the last two years, that she hadn't bothered to understand the people around her. But now that she was dwelling in the same living quarters as him, she couldn't help but notice things that made her think differently about him.

At first it had been odd watching him pursue menial everyday tasks, like brushing his teeth without his glasses on, watching him work his tie until it was perfectly knotted, or how he couldn't drink his tea in the evening without a biscuit. But then it had turned endearing. She liked his quirks and his familiar behaviours. Then it turned to her watching him interact with others, his friends and his classmates, even the way he interacted with teachers got her intrigued. The moment she realised she actually enjoyed his presence and respected him was when he turned up to a prefects meeting, carrying copies of the agenda and some cupcakes. She had asked him what the cupcakes were for and he had replied that one of the Ravenclaw prefects had lost their grandma that morning and had been sad all day. She hadn't even realised he had friends outside the Marauders.

That day she felt the first spark of jealousy ignite inside her chest. Who was this Ravenclaw girl that James cared so much about and why had she never heard of her? Did he like her? This was quickly shut down by none other than Remus, who always seemed to understand Lily before she did. He had quickly mumbled something about the Ravenclaw girl, Carla Yen, being an old family friend of James that James only saw as a little sister and Lily quickly believed this. She watched as Carla smiled softly at James when he offered her a cupcake and she gave him a one arm hug that looked too familiar to be anything but friendly.

But then she remembered James offering her biscuits and she realised this was just a thing he did for friends. He was just naturally a giver and Lily wasn't anything special. Shortly after this thought, he gave her a cheeky wink and offered her a strawberry cupcake before mumbling "I know Strawberry's your favourite". She quickly forgot all about her intrusive thoughts from just moments before.

She was digging herself into an agonizing crush and was probably going to collapse under the weight of James Potter.

Knowing that James was a hot commodity around Hogwarts and experiencing the hot-fueled jealousy that day, she decided to take things into her own hands. Lily Evans was definitely not one to stand at the sidelines, even in her grief-filled daze just last year, she had never let anyone push her to the side. She had gotten a few ideas from Ella flirting with boys over the summer and she was tempted to test them out on James. She counted her lucky stars that they got to share a common room.

She had come back from her bi-weekly run around the grounds. It was something her therapist had suggested. Exercise was good therapy, it made her lungs feel breathless in a way that reminded her of being alive, it cleared the clouded thoughts from her stuffy brain on bad days and she could admit she enjoyed the way her body improved with the regular exercise - more stamina when climbing the many steps of Hogwarts, the weight and muscles she put back on from not eating enough during her depression. Her stomach now had the slightest curve of muscles along her abdominals, something she had never had before. It made her feel strong and capable.

So as she entered their shared common room, she conjured a towel and began to wipe the sweat drips from her face. She knew James would be up by now, probably finishing his shower and getting dressed into his school uniform. She waited patiently, making it look like she was still stretching from her run, when he appeared from his room and stopped dead in his tracks.

Lily had deviously worn her best sports bra for her run today. She had started her run with a sweater on, knowing the cool chill of the October weather to be unforgiving but she had taken off the sweater once entering the common room. Now all she wore was her black (very-supportive) sports bra. The bra that made her boobs look perfect, lifted just the right amount that gave her great cleavage. She had left the sweat dripping down her chest and her stomach, knowing that it would probably give James a suggestive thought or two.

"Morning, Potter" she cheerfully greeted him.

He was looking shamelessly at her chest and she grinned triumphantly. She coughed, trying to stop the chuckle that threatened to escape her throat.

"Right, morning" he quickly recovered and tore his gaze from her body to her eyes.

She cocked an eyebrow, daring to acknowledge that he was staring.

"You run?" was all he asked instead.

"Uh yeah, twice a week actually" she answered before taking her towel and wiping her neck.

His eyes followed the fabric as she swiped her skin dry.

"Uh, you look good"

She looked up to find his cheeks a gorgeous red. He was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and after just a few seconds seemed to realise what he just said.

"I mean.." She could tell he was trying to think of something else to say so she saved him the trouble and laughed instead.

"Thanks Potter, now I gotta shower before breakfast so I'll see you later" she quickly dismissed him by flashing him a charming smile and stepping towards the bathroom, knowing he was watching her every move.

She thought that went pretty well.

James recognised the twinkle in her eye when she caught him staring. He had started to see it a lot more frequently over the last few weeks. Normally when she was outwardly teasing her friends or even as most recently as giving Sirius and Remus a look that made even him wonder what was going on. He wasn't normally out of the loop on things, but ever since Lily had joined his little friendship circle, he had found himself getting lost in Lily's presence and forgetting that others were around him.

He started to think walking out to Lily Evans in a sports bra was something she did on purpose. Just a few months ago, Lily would have yelled and probably hexed him if he blatantly stared at her body like that.

He had to find Remus.

Remus was the one to tell James that Lily liked him, so therefore Remus would be able to explain what just happened.

He found his friend in his old dorm room. He was sitting on Sirius' bed, both of them smiling, their thighs pressed against each other and Sirius's hand gripping Remus' knee. James was used to this, he knew his two best friends were closer in a different way to him. They had an air of comfortability that James knew was because of their shared trauma. Both having a tough upbringing and a less than ideal home life.

They both flinched away from each other when James entered the room but James had no time to dissect their behaviour as well as Lily's.

"Moony, if a girl lets you openly stare at her while she's wearing nothing but tracksuit bottoms and a sports bra, what does that mean?"

The two boys opposite stared at him in shock. Remus was the first to respond, his state of shock quickly turning to amusement.

"Do you honestly think I have any idea when it comes to girls' Prongs?"

Sirius chuckled, earning a slap on the knee from Remus.

"Why wouldn't you? You're friends with them and talk to them more than me!" James protested.

"Yes but I wouldn't have a clue if they were flirting or not! Is this about Lily?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

James opened his mouth before shutting it quickly.

"Prongs, if Lily Evans is not hexing you to oblivion for staring at her boobs than she is definitely doing it on purpose" Sirius interrupts, giving his best friend a smirk.

"Why would Evans want me to look at her?" James whines, completely confused and befuddled.

"Because she wants you to fuck her" Sirius bluntly states, earning another hit from Remus, this time on the back of his head.

"Ow" Sirius groans.

"Not everything is about fucking, Pads" Remus says through gritted teeth.

"That's not what you said last night" James hears Sirius say under his breath.

"What do you mean?" James interrupts the pair, causing Remus to fluster and sit back and away from Sirius.

"Nothing, he's just being cavalier. But James, she likes you. I already told you that. She's probably just flirting, trying to see if you're interested"

"She knows I'm interested! I've been telling her since I was fourteen!"

"You backed off last year, maybe she thinks you don't like her anymore" Remus shrugged.

James pondered this. He had backed off, had stopped asking her out, had stopped trying to get under her skin, he had pushed that all to the side when he realised Lily just needed a friend. This year, being co-heads had made him realise that Lily wasn't just a pretty girl, she was someone he could laugh with, study with and lead with. She was his friend and maybe she thought he had ultimately friend-zoned her after all this time.

He could admit there were only so many times a man could be rejected.

His feelings towards Lily almost instantly swelled in his chest, rising and crashing against his rib cage. All of a sudden he felt like he couldn't breathe, he didn't just have a measly crush on Lily, he truly liked her, fancied her and maybe could even see himself love her. If he wasn't already there, of course.

"Oh for fucks sake, now look at what you've done!" Sirius throws his hands in the air and gives Remus a tired look.

"He's gone back to level 5 Lily pining"

James narrows his eyes at his best mate.

"Have not" he argues weakly.

"James, you've gone full puppy dog eyes on us. Lily stands in front of you in a sports bra and you've lost your marbles! Can you imagine what he'll do when she actually lets him take her top off?" He asks Remus, mirth sparkling in his grey eyes.

Remus smashes his lips closed, obviously trying not to laugh at James' expense.

"Shut up Pads!" James picks up a pillow from Peter's bed and throws it at Sirius. He hits his mate squarely in the face, earning a loud 'umph'.

"Where's Pete?" he asks the boys, noticing the absence from his bed.

"Oh shit, we said we were right behind him...like fifteen minutes ago" Remus curses, looking at his watch and giving Sirius a stern look.

Sirius gives Remus his classic shrug and grin before turning on his heels. Remus sighs before picking himself up from the bed.

"C'mon James, Lily will be at breakfast and I bet she will be sitting right beside you this morning" Remus teases, dragging James from his awed-filled daze and out of the boys dorm room.

—-

Remus was wrong, which was actually quite unusual but Lily sat next to Sirius with Remus on her other side that morning, which was altogether unusual in itself. She had sat next to Sirius a few times before but this time she blatantly chose to sit next to the grey eyed boy. Even Sirius raised his eyebrows up at the act.

"Morning Lily pad. Normally a professor has to force you to sit next to me, guess today's my lucky day"

Lily and Sirius were friends, they had been since she started at Hogwarts. They had been consistently paired together for projects due to their last names and at first Lily had scoffed and chastised Black for his antics but over the years they had come to a steady respect for one another. They weren't overly friendly, maybe they were just friendly acquaintances but they did get along inside the classroom. It was outside the classroom that Lily couldn't stand the boy. Something James had always been envious of. In the past, he couldn't even get the basic respect from her in the classroom.

"I'm getting soft in age, I've come to the conclusion that you boys aren't that bad...sometimes" she added.

James saw his opportunity.

"Lily Evans admitting she likes us? Are you feeling ok today?" He grinned at her from across the table.

"I said you weren't that bad, not that I liked you Potter" she smirked.

James smirked back, he had to admit he loved the banter that had conjured between them over the last few weeks. Yes, it confused him thoroughly but it made his blood tingle and his nerves race, like he had just completed a successful Porskoff Ploy against the Slytherin Quidditch team. He had never felt so excited and nervous talking to another person before, but with Lily it was always present, always shocking and always thrilling.

He watched with a sly interest as Remus whispered something into Lily's ear and he watched with even more interest when she flushed a pretty red at his words. He cocked an eyebrow as Remus' eyes met his and was met with an amused grin before his mate tucked into his breakfast.

Peter had also noticed the exchange and whispered loudly to James, "Does Evans like you now?".

James grimaced, hoping Lily hadn't heard Peter's terrible attempt at whispering and shook his head. Peter was probably just as oblivious as James when it came to girls, for a popular group they weren't the most successful with the other gender.

"No Pete, think she just enjoys hanging out with all of us" he replied half-heartedly, trying to distract himself with the sticky caramel pancakes in front of him, a delicacy he only allowed himself once a week. They didn't seem too appetising this morning.

He was pulled out of his wallowing by his best mate throwing a corner of toast in his direction, narrowly missing his forehead.

"What the-" he groaned, narrowing his eyes at Sirius.

"What's up buttercup? You're not eating your pancakes." Sirius gestured to the uneaten breakfast on his plate.

"Not hungry"

"Not hungry for your favourite? Are you alright mate?" Sirius laughed.

In the corner of his eye, he watched as Lily's head turned, watching the two of them converse.

"Pancakes are your favourite?" she asked.

His heart thumped heavily in his chest at her voice.

"James has caramel syrup pancakes every Friday, Evans. It's the only thing he looks forward to every week" Sirius grins widely, giving James a cheeky wink.

"Why every Friday?"

He turns to look at her now, curious about her question.

"Well I don't look this good by eating pancakes every morning Evans" he grins, his cocky confidence coming to his rescue.

Waiting for her inevitable eye roll, he watches instead as she blushes and dips her head to her own breakfast, cinnamon oatmeal.

He flashes his eyes to Sirius, hoping to Merlin that he had also seen that reaction. Sirius was also watching Lily, eyes wide and amusement threatening to appear from the way the corners of his mouth twitched.

Lily had continued to eat her oatmeal, her eyes focused on the bowl in front of her. Sirius looked over at James and wiggled his eyebrows at him. He flicked his eyes to Marlene, who had been buttering her toast beside him, she was also watching Lily with an amused expression.

Sensing his attention, Marlene looked up at James and pulled her lips into her mouth, trying to stop an excited smile from escaping. James shook his head in question, his own smile threatening to expose the lightness he felt in his chest at the thought of Lily Evans being bashful because of him.

Meanwhile, Mary watched the group as they had their silent conversation around their breakfast.

"Can someone pass me the orange juice please?" she asked, breaking the amused tension that had seemed to freeze her entire friend group.