December 10, 1977

Ever since first year, the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin quidditch match was highly anticipated. Now it was seventh year and the tensions were running very high. The entire week before the match James had made the Gryffindor team practice for several hours.

The morning of the match Lily woke up to find Mary pacing the room and muttering quietly.

"Mary! Calm down, why are you pacing?" Lily said getting up quickly and rushing over to her friend. Lily lead Mary to her bed and sat her down on it.

"It's just… this is our last chance to beat Slytherin once and for all. I mean those nuts are all aiming to join You-Know-Who and I really, really want to beat them, even if it's just at quidditch. Plus James has been really putting on the pressure for the whole team. He really wants to win."

Lily sat down next to Mary.

"You know, staying up and pacing around is not really going to help with that."

"I know." Mary sighed and leaned on Lily's shoulder.

"But, I really want you to beat those Slytherin prats too."

Mary laughed.

"I think that all the practice that you've been doing, plus your natural skills," Lily winked at Mary, "will get you through to a win without a problem. Plus we're already ahead of all the other houses in points, so there's no need to worry about that."

Lily stood and pulled Mary up after her.

"Let's get breakfast."

o0o

Mary left breakfast early to put on her quidditch robes, which left Lily sitting alone at breakfast. Lily pulled a book from the pockets of her robes, and began reading as she ate.

"Hey Evans, you coming to the match?" James said sitting down next to her.

LIly set her book down. "Of course, Potter. I will be supporting my friend and my house."

"I'll look out for you in the stands." James winked at her and started to stand.

Lily covertly yanked him back into the seat.

"James, you're pushing the team to hard. Mary was pacing when I woke up. She's really nervous, and I can only guess the rest of the team is the same way, except maybe Sirius. You know people perform better when they don't feel as stressed. Maybe ease up a little?"

"Yeah, I'll give them some slack. Thanks, Evans." James leaned over like he was going to kiss her, but seemed to realize that there were other people in the Great Hall and leaned back.

He smiled and left.

o0o

Lily walked with Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas, mostly Alice because Dorcas and Marlene were very affectionate.

"Lily, wait up!" Remus called from behind them.

Alice and Lily stopped walking and waited for Peter and Remus to catch up.

"So think we'll win?" Peter asked holding up a Gryffindor flag.

"I have full faith in the Gryffindor team." Lily said confidently.

They found seats in the stands. Lily had decided to put on all her Gryffindor merchandise and was fully decked out in red and gold.

An explosion of cheers from around them made them look down onto the pitch. Emerging from the locker rooms were the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams. James looked calmly confident and Lily scanned the other players for signs that he'd let off the pressure. Mary looked excited, Sirius looked unperturbed, Lily didn't know the rest of the team, they were all in lower years, but they looked generally excited.

"Captains shake hands!" Madam Hooch called out when the teams had made it to the center of the pitch.

Lily watched as James grittingly grasped hands with the Slytherin captain, who seemed to be smiling evilly, maybe that was the distance or perception.

Madam Hooch's whistle blew and the teams launched into the air. Even after almost seven years in the wizarding world, watching each quidditch match, and Mary blabbing about the holyhead harpies, Lily still didn't really get quidditch.

Before she could recognize what had happened, the entirety of Gryffindor had rose up in a wave of cheers.

"Remus, what happened?" Lily asked as she went along with the cheer.

"James scored!" Remus said clapping excitedly.

"Right!" Lily said still confused.

Lily turned her attention to the game and tried to find Mary. Instead she saw James holding the quaffle and zooming towards the Slytherin goal posts.

Another cheer rose up as the quaffle flew through the middle goal post.

Lily looked around for Mary, she was flying close behind a Slytherin chaser, who was clutching the quaffle tightly and zipping towards the Gryffindor goal posts.

A bludger came zooming at the Slytherin chaser. They collided and the quaffle dropped, right into the hands of Mary who turned right around and rushed the Slytherin keeper. Another ten points for Gryffindor.

"WOOH! GO GRYFFINDOR! GO SIRIUS!" Remus cheered.

"What, why are you cheering Sirius?" Lily asked.

"Oh," Remus blushed, "He sent the bludger towards that Slytherin chaser, which allowed Mary to get the quaffle and score."

"Right." Lily said and turned back to the game.

Lily had never seen the team play so well. In practice they had always been pretty good, but they were whizzing all over the place, they were unified, they were unstoppable.

One after another Gryffindor scored, there was no chance of the Slytherins catching up. They were up 30, 40, 50, they were up 80 when a gigantic cheer rose up around Lily.

"Remus, Remus! What happened?"

"Oh Thomas Heron caught the snitch. Games over, nice though?"

"Yeah."

o0o

Lily sat by the fire that evening sipping on butterbeer while the rest of the common room celebrated the win against Slytherin. She had congratulated Mary on her scores, but she didn't really like large crowds and all of Gryffindor was stuffed into the common room.

Peter came back in carrying more food and butterbeer. He brought it over to where James and Sirius seemed to be having a drinking contest. Lily stood and walked out of the portrait hole.

She heard someone rushing towards the portrait hole. "Going for more butterbear!" They called.

James emerged from the portrait hole looking around. His eyes landed on Lily, who was sitting against the wall.

"Congratulations, James!" She said standing.

"Thanks. You alright?"

"Yeah." Lily walked over to him and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"I watched you playing today."
"Yeah?" James smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yeah, and I saw the rest of the team play. You've done a great job this year, James, that's the best I've seen them play."

"Well, I listened to you. I told them right before the game, 'Listen up folks, this is our time, and we're going to give those Slytherin pricks hell and we're going to win!' and then they all cheered and well look what your wonderful advice did. We won!"

"That was all you, James. You coached them, you pushed them, and you scored like seven times!"

"Well, I did do that." He smiled. "I'm glad you came today."

"Me too, Potter."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Potter."