James was flat on his back, staring up at nothing. He tossed the snitch up and caught it, then again. The tiny wings whirred in his hand, but his mind was not on it. James was not thinking it might have been a lark to try out for Seeker, or having regret for having once more nicked it despite numerous warnings, nor was he even thinking it wished he had a bludger right now. Instead, he thought of Lily, and that look she'd just given him.

Of all the looks he had ever been given, it was the best. There he'd been, carrying on with Sirius as usual, laughing, and then he'd come around the corner, and there she was. Their eyes met and everything shifted. Ah, he'd thought, there she is. It was an odd thought. He had not been searching for her, had not had a message for her, and hadn't known she would be around this particular corner. It was more that he'd been looking for that particular expression on her face for longer than he'd cared to think about: wide open smile, sparkling green eyes, long hair falling into her face. She was pale, Lily was, but the tepid sunlight caught on her white throat in this... dazzling way. James had stopped suddenly, causing Remus to collide with him. He could not have cared less.

There she was.

"All right, James?" she asked, as though she'd called him James this whole time they'd been at Hogwarts together. Always before, it had been 'Potter' (or, even worse, 'you wart').

"I'm excellent," said James. Sirius was pulling at his arm, tugging him along. James tried to pull out of his grip, but Sirius just would not let that happen. Then, finally, desperately, he shouted: "Lily!"

Unbelievably, she was still looking at him, smiling, as though she understood he'd wanted to call her 'Lily' in the same way she'd called him 'James'.

Hours later, he still could not stop thinking about it. He sighed, lingering over the moment he'd come around the corner.

"Give it a rest, James!" Sirius said, evidently having reached his limit.

"What's his distraction, anyway?" Peter asked.

"Evans," Sirius and Remus chorused.

"Lily," James corrected.

"Lily Evans?" Peter asked, shocked.

"Yes, Lily Evans, you knob," said Sirius, though with affection. "Where have you been?"

"I had to go to the library," Peter said, defensive.

"I didn't mean today, I meant... James has liked Evans for ages."

"You like Evans?" Peter said.

It was the disbelief in his tone that had James sitting up on his elbows. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. He and Lily were two perfectly normal people, and it would be perfectly brilliant for them to start dating each other. His brow knit.

Peter looked everywhere but at him; at the last moment, seemed to muster all his courage and said: "It's just my mum always said it's just that much harder when you're dating a — a muggleborn."

James ground his teeth together. Peter's mum... was nearly the only thing he didn't like about Wormtail, who was normally a good sort. But Prudence Pettigrew was... not a dark witch, did not hold He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in any esteem whatsoever, was kind to Peter's friends, and yet... She was a pureblood whose father had died of a lingering curse. Her mother, having gone 'round the bend, blamed magic for everything, disappeared into the Muggle world, dragging Prudence with her. She'd remarried a Muggle, the violent sort, and Prudence, upon receiving her Hogwarts letter, broke all ties with her mother and Muggle stepfather.

"Lily's a witch," said James.

"Well, yes..."

He and Remus exchanged an uncomfortable glance. The 'but' that hung in the air never materialized.

"You know, Wormtail," Sirius said, thoughtful, "you sound like one of my uncles."

"That's not true! No, I don't!" Peter looked so alarmed at being compared to a Black he took a step back and tripped over his robes and fell to his arse. James couldn't help roaring with laughter. "I would date a half-blood, I'm no blood purist—"

"Calm down," said Remus, "we know."

James flopped back onto his back. It didn't matter. Lily had more magical talent in her little finger than Peter did in his entire body — he shifted guiltily at the thought — but even if she had been a Muggle... even if he'd turned some corner in Muggle London, and she'd smiled at him the way she had today? Muggle or not, he still would have thought: Ah, there she is.