Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and ideas originated from Ms. J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the inspiration to write a fan fiction story at last. :D
A/N: Special thanks to KP for helping me out with my first ever fic! ;P
I Will
It's hard to believe James Potter has caught and broken the hearts of almost every girl at Hogwarts. Yes, I know everyone says this, but it's true.
"There's that girl….What's her name?" James said as he and his marauder friends were discussing his impossible love life on the way to transfiguration class….If one could truly call it love.
"You mean Elizabeth Lee?" His friend Remus asked. "You only said you loved her 'cause she bought you the entire Honeydukes for your birthday!"
"Yeah," James recalled with a dazed expression in his eyes. No, he was remembering the candy, not Elizabeth.
"Well, the owners bought it back." Another friend, Sirius, blurted out. "After that you dumped her and went for…ummm….You know, I never could remember all their names. Luckily I made a list!" The boy took something from his pocket and unrolled a scroll of parchment that reached to the tips of his toes.
Remus and James gaped in disbelief, James' other friend Peter stared in utter admiration for the dark-haired fifth year.
"Sirius," Peter whispered, "You're so cool!"
Sirius rolled his eyes and said, "Shut it, Peter, before the whole school thinks I swing in another direction!"
"Never mind, Sirius," Remus said before Sirius could even start naming names in his list, "You made your point just with the length of that thing."
James knew he had had so many girls who worshipped the very ground he stepped on; he could just step up to one and snog her and that would be it…she loved him, but that never really made him feel better. There was always something missing. He remembered a time when he was in his first year at Hogwarts when he ran into a girl….What was her name again? James thought to himself. Why did he always have trouble with names? Anyway, this girl—whoever she was—caught his eye from the instant she stepped into his part of the train (A/N: I forgot what they were called…compartments?).
"Can I sit here?" She asked him. "I can't seem to find one that's neither filled with first years nor taken by older kids."
"Sure." James replied. He wasn't looking at her then; he was too busy counting the wizard cards he collected from all those Chocolate Frogs he'd eaten from the trip to the train station.
"What was that? You were mumbling."
"I said," James looked up, "I-I-I…" James seemed to have lost his voice then. "You've got pretty eyes." He said instead, smiling.
"I guess I'll take that as a yes." The girl sat down in front of him. "I'm…I'm" What was her name?
James couldn't remember what he and the girl did during their time then in that compartment in the Hogwarts Express, but he knew that at that time he was either half –listening, staring at her pretty eyes, or showing off his wizard cards. He also knew that at some time in his life, he would kiss her—marry her even, if that was possible! Unfortunately, James forgot about her during the Sorting Feast. He wasn't paying anymore attention due to the fact that he and his new friends were talking and planning a prank to play and who would be their first victim. He was too busy to notice where that pretty-eyed girl was sorted into and too busy to remember her 'til every Valentine's Day when eccentric fan girls would SCREAM declarations of love to him and 'til right about now. But he knew…he loved her.
"I don't really know why." The boy muttered under his breath. "But I just do."
Who knows how long I've loved you
You know I love you still
"Where is she again? Did I ever run into her? I'm sure I did, but when?"
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to I will
James continued thinking of her. He smiled. She was so pretty, and there was something about those eyes of hers. James always remembered those great green eyes even when he didn't remember the girl. He loved her…but what was her name?
For if I ever saw you
I didn't catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same
Either way, he still loved her…
Love you forever, and for ever
Love you with all my heart…
"James?" Someone was calling him. Was it she? "James what are you thinking of?"
"I love you!" James blurted out.
"Ah! Get away from me! Sirius, James has gone queer on us!"
"What?" James blinked and was out of his daze. It was only Peter. Ugh!
"What were you thinking of, Prongs?" Remus asked with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Were you thinking of that Honeydukes- birthday- gift -thing again?"
"You always look like that when you think about it, you know." Sirius cut in.
"Like what, may I ask?"
"Like this." Sirius stared gaping at a passing seventh year with drool falling down to his chin. "Like that!" He finished.
"Padfoot, you're a great, prat and an ar…"
James heard a girl laughing. There was something about that laugh, something familiar…
And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loudso I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
"You've got a nice laugh, you know that." James told the girl. He had just finished telling her a joke.
"Well, thank you; but I would prefer it if you told a better joke. I was laughing more at how silly you looked than how funny your joke was."
James was about to cry out indignantly, but she cut him short with her giggling, and he couldn't help but smile. "What did you say your name was again?"
"I'm…"
"JAMES, WATCH OUT!"
James got out from another train of deep thought to be greeted by an opening transfiguration class door. BOOM!
"Ow…" The poor boy mumbled
"Are you all right, Potter?" A pair of worried green eyes looked down upon him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been hit on the head by a door, but I'm…" James looked up. It was her! He recognized those eyes, and the hair, those red waves that framed her face, came back to him, too. "It's you…" He said rather stupidly.
"Yes, Potter, it's me. Now how many fingers am I holding up?" She held two fingers in front of his face.
"What's your name again?"
"Lily, Potter, Lily Evans. For heaven's sake, we've been in the same house for four years!"
"We have?"
"It figures. You've been too busy with your arrogant little pranks, strutting around Hogwarts like you own the place, and leading poor girls to broom closets to remember me." There was a trace of pain in her voice.
"I'm sorry. Will you go out with me?"
"We go to the same classes and…excuse me?" She couldn't believe her ears.
"Will you go out with me?" James asked once more.
Remus rushed in. "James, are you all right?"
Sirius pounced onto Remus' side. "Do you remember your name? Who you are? And-- most importantly--me?"
Peter came last, "James you just got hit by a door."
"Yeah, I didn't know that, Wormtail." James rolled his eyes at his friends' stupidity.
"Seeing as you're all right, Mr. Potter, kindly get up and get into class." Professor McGonagall said, looking down on the messy-haired boy. "Come now or you'll be late for my class."
James didn't understand a single thing in transfiguration or in any other class for that matter. All he did was look at Lily. She's a lot prettier now, he thought. He watched her as she took down notes, or giggled with her friends all the way 'til dinner time…
For the things you do endear you
To me…
That was when James got nearer to her again.
"Evans!" He yelled.
She turned around with a smile on her face fresh from another round of giggling with her friends. "Yes?"
"Hi!" Gosh that sounded stupid!
"Hello to you, too, Potter." Lily replied with a raised eyebrow; she wasn't smiling anymore. "What do you want?"
"You haven't answered my question yet."
"What question?"
"Lily Evans, will you go out with me?" James was smiling. He knew she would say yes.
"No."
"Good…wait…WHAT?"
"No, Potter, I won't go out with you?" Lily was frowning. Her pretty eyes were harsh and cold.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to be part of that stupid list your friend Black makes."
I hate you, Sirius! James thought. "But…but…Can't you think about it first?"
"I said no, Potter, and that's final?" Lily walked away shaking her head, not looking back at a puzzled James.
"No one ever says no to me…" Most boys by then would have decided to stop, but James only found Lily's refusal another quality he liked in her. "She's something I got to work for." He enjoyed the thought of that…
For the things you do endear you
To me…
Remus, Peter, and Sirius didn't know what on Earth happened after their friend got that painful hit on the head, but after that, they saw something change in James.
"So, whose the lucky girl I'm adding to this week's list?" Sirius asked James one Friday night.
"No one." James said quietly.
Sirius' eyes grew large in disbelief. "NO ONE! You haven't added any girl to this list for two straight weeks!"
"Are you sure you're all right, James?" Remus asked. "You've been like this ever since McGonagall bopped you on the head with that door of hers"
James sighed, "I'm fine." He was smiling, remembering that moment when he finally remembered the pretty-eyed girl's names…Lily.
"Its Evans isn't it?' Peter sagely declared. "You've been getting that Honeydukes stare since you asked for her name (which you should have already known with her being our housemate for four years)."
"Yes, it's….Peter? Did you actually say something smart for once?" James answered, and with that Remus and Sirius carried on a whole new discussion about the real Peter being captured by sinister butterflies and sporks (A/N: Ahem, KP:P) being replaced by a smarter clone. Peter was trying to defend himself…in vain.
With that strange conversation going on between his three friends, James was finally able to be left alone to think of Lily.
"I'll keep asking her out 'til she finally says yes." He told himself, and deep inside he could hear himself saying. "Because I've loved her since before…and I always will."
Ah, you know I will
I will…
End
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Please R/R (read and review). :D