A/N: my leg itches.
On her way back to the common room, Lily heard footsteps and instantly knew who they belonged to.
"Leave me alone, Potter," she said without turning around. "I'm not in the mood."
"How did you know it was me?" James asked with that goofy grin, easily catching up and falling into step with her. His eyes were on her, but she was determinedly looking at the people in the portraits in the hall, who were all watching their transaction with amusement.
Still refusing to look at him, she muttered "Intuition. Now leave me alone, I know you and Alli are up to something."
"And what makes you say that?" Laughter was twinkling in those hazel eyes now, and Lily recognized a challenge. If she said it had something to do with her, she'd be conceited and it would seem that she took the fact that he liked her more seriously than she let on. If she said she had noticed, he'd think she had been watching him, maybe even checking him out.
What came out of her mouth was, "What are you guys going out or something?", which made him stop dead in his tracks. Lily kept walking, still set on not looking at him. She was pretty successful, too, until she felt strong hands grab her shoulders and turn her around, forcing her to look him dead in the eye.
"There is only one girl in this school I have my heart set on going out with. The same girl I've been after for years, trying to impress, trying to look good for. And that girl insists on throwing me off every time. Maybe if she would open her eyes, she'd see the changes I've been making."
Lily was stunned for only a second before then she found her voice. "Changes? What, have your thoughts gone from Quidditch-Girls-Quidditch-Girls to Girls-Girls-Girls?" She turned and stalked off again, almost knocking over poor Professor Flitwick ("Do watch where you're going, Miss Evans!")
"Lily, please." The simple tone of his voice made her stop. It sounded so.. Honest. Vulnerable. Sincere. Un-James. She turned slowly to see that his gaze had moved to the carpet near her feet. Since when was Potter shy?
"When was the last time you saw me with a girl? It's you I want, even when you're yelling at me or throwing text books at my head. Please take me seriously. I'm trying to change, even Dumbledore noticed!" he said, fingering his Head Boy badge. "And it's all for you. You want to know what Alli has up her sleeve? She saw the change in me and asked me what I was up to. She realized I was serious and has been trying to prove it to you ever since." He paused, and Lily realized that Potter was telling the truth. Was she such a monster that she had never noticed!?
Of course she knew he fancied her, but she thought it was simply because she was one of the few girls who refused to give in to him. She thought she was a conquest in his eyes, not taken seriously. As they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Lily raked her mind for something to say to him, but he spared her by continuing.
Finally looking up into her eyes, the emerald orbs that captivated him so much, he spoke a question of two words. Two words that started a legacy.
"One date?"
Looking into his eyes, she saw something she'd never seen there before: self-doubt. He'd asked a question without knowing the answer. He had taken a risk, and it was time for her to take one too, to give him a chance.
"One date."