Lily was quite sure that she hated him. James Potter. The name made her feel rather sick, sick of his pathetic attitude due to the large swelling of his head. Frustrated, and incredibly tired, Lily threw herself onto her bed in the seventh year girl's dormitory, and thought about what had just happened for the 54th time. James stinking Potter had asked her out again. Not making any real effort, at all. He simply shouted his usual line – "Hey Evans! How about you go out with me?" across the common room, obviously still suffering from the same pathetic illusion that she was going to fall head over heels for him.

Lily glanced out of the window from the dormitory to the clock tower, and decided that past midnight was far too late for anyone to still be left in the common room, especially James, and that it would be safe for her to collect her school work which was left behind her as she stormed out in rage. She slipped into a robe, and began to walk quietly down the stairs to the common room.

As she reached the table where her homework was still scattered, she saw none other than James fast asleep on the chair. Trying to be as quiet as she possibly could, Lily gathered her transfiguration essay and shoved it into her bag, but paused suddenly when she noticed a brown package lying on the table. It had only to words on it, neither explaining who was leaving the package and why. The only two words on there were 'Lily Potter.' "As if!" she snorted to herself, but did not hesitate to curiously open the package.

She instantly recognised it as a penseive, swirling with what seemed like thick silver liquid. Lily knew better than to play with this, it could be something someone did not want her to see, but it was addressed to her, and the feeling of sheer curiosity that was consuming her was far too much, and she leaned her head over the penseive.

Eleven year old James Potter was standing on the Hogwarts express, holding several open packets of chocolate frogs in his hand. Opposite him, was a young Lily, who was covered in squirming chocolate frogs, obviously terrified – as she thought that they were real. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew stood laughing behind him, as James pulled an innocent face, and said "sorry… I must have slipped." Lily threw him a dirty look, tossed her red hair hard over her shoulder, and stormed away into another compartment. James was treated to several pats on the shoulder and words of congratulations from the three boys, and he then said, "I couldn't help it! She's kinda cute!"

Twelve year old James Potter was sitting in transfiguration, aimlessly drawing on his page, he threw a glance across the class to Lily, who had her head bent over scribbling the notes from the board with a look of intense concentration that he found rather attractive. He started writing her name on his piece of parchment, and tracing over it until the ink was wearing through. A young looking Professor McGonagall asked a question to the class, that sounded blurred to James, but Lily's hand shot up in the air instantly, and answered. When McGonagall congratulated her with a "Well done Miss Evans!" James laughed and retorted with, "Well done Miss Evans, for being an utter know-it-all!" He was given a detention and a nasty look from Lily's direction, but still muttered under his breath, "I can't believe how incredibly smart that girl is…." his parchment now reading 'Lily Evans, the gorgeous genius.'

Thirteen year old James Potter was standing in the common room putting on his clothes for Hogsmeade, getting ready to empty his pockets of change in Honeydukes and Zonkos. About to leave the common room, he paused when he saw Lily walking down from the dormitories, and said heartily "Evans!" She tossed her hair again, like she always did when she was frustrated, grunted "Potter" back in his direction, and then tried to leave. "Hey Evans, how about you go out with me?" James asked her for the first time. Lily laughed at him and left the common room, leaving James standing alone. His face had fallen, sadness and disappointment turning all his features dull. He sat down on the common room floor looking extremely teary and mumbled to himself, "Maybe next time."

Fourteen year old James Potter was walking into the great hall for breakfast rather late, when he spotted Lily sitting at the Gryffindor table alone. Smiling, he sat down next to her, and brightly greeted her with "Morning Evans!" She glared into her breakfast cereal, obviously recognising the person who was taking his seat next to her. "Potter, don't even think about trying to ask…."

"Hey Evans, how about you go out with me?"

"I told you not to bother asking."

They continued in silence, with James looking sideways at Lily more often than he was raising his spoon to his mouth. In fact, the spoon was just moving around on the table, scratching. Finally, Lily stood up,

"Potter, that scratching is so bloody annoying."

"Evans, that attitude is so bloody annoying."

And she left in a huff, leaving James to finish carving 'L.E.' into the table in the great hall.

Fifteen year old James Potter was sitting by the lake, surrounded by Sirius, Remus and Peter. Lily had just stormed off, leaving him to deal with the aftermath of being called a 'toe rag.' Sirius tried to tell him that he could have any girl in the school. James replied with that he only wanted Lily. Remus told him that he should lose some of his ego, and James said to him that he would for Lily. Peter told him that Lily was a pretty girl, and James told him that Lily was the most incredible, beautiful person in the universe.

Sixteen year old James Potter was standing in the hall blocking Lily's entrance to the common room. "Let me in!" she screeched. Lily tried to move James' arms away from the portrait hole, but he wouldn't budge.

"Hey Evans, how about you go out with me?"

"I will if you let me in."

James gasped, and dropped his arms immediately, as he let Lily climb through the portrait hole.

"Kidding Potter! I'd never go out with you. Ever. The chances of me going out with you are about as great as Sirius being sent to Azkaban for helping Voldemort." Lily shut the portrait hole in his face. James slid down the painting onto the floor, feeling completely helpless. He started to cry. Lightly at first, but it became extremely heavy, and he couldn't control himself. He wept. He was about to raise his hands to cover his face, but the backs of them were covered in 'J.P & L.E', which made him cry even harder. The fat lady looked down at him, "There, there. There are plenty of fish in the sea." James turned his spotty face to her and replied,

"But I love her."

Twenty five year old James Potter was sitting in a large white house, staring out the window. He had a large grin on his face when he turned back to face a room which was newly decorated as a nursery, and saw Lily tucking a small baby into a crib. He walked over to her, hugged her tightly, and said, "I can't believe all I've been through to get you, and finally Harry." Lily smiled at him, and kissed him softly. "I can't believe I spent too much time hating you, you perfect perfect man!"

When Lily returned to the common room after spending what felt like forever in the penseive, she sat down on the floor with her jaw hanging open trying to understand what she had just seen. James Potter? Really loved her? Had thought about marrying her? Spent all his time torturing her, because he wanted her more than anything?

She was positively stunned.

She turned to look at James, who was still sleeping on the couch behind her, and felt a sudden pang of guilt. She had been so horrible to him. She had made him cry! And, when Lily continued to dwell on what she had seen, she felt even worse for thinking only a few hours ago that she hated him. Crawling over to the couch, she moved close to James, and stared up at him from the floor, drawing her face to him so that they were level. She stared at him for a long time, her breathing becoming heavy on his face.

"Sirius, I don't wanna go to the kitchens and get food now!" James mumbled in his sleep. He scrunched up his face, and opened his eyes and gasped when he saw Lily sitting barely inches away from him.

"Evans!"

"Potter."

"I, what, er, what are you doing?"

James glanced at the table and saw that the penseive was sitting there, out of its brown packaging. He turned a deep shade of crimson, which happened very rarely, as he realised what Lily must have seen.

"I saw that, Potter," she whispered softly to him.

"You, erm, weren't meant to see that until Christmas, Evans," James muttered back shyly.

"I think I needed to see it now, I would have hated to see on Christmas day how horrible I've made you feel in between now and then."

"So, y-you didn't like it??" James asked, horrified with himself.

"No no! I loved it Potter. It was the most beautiful gift. I thought that every one of those occasions you were just finding an excuse to ridicule me, and now, now I know better!"

James began to smile again.

"Hey, James?"

James looked at her, gaping, she had called him by his name, and for what he was relatively sure was the first time.

"Yes, Lily?"

"How about you go out with me? You perfect perfect guy."

He beamed. James had never been happier.