Wanted!
When Lily fails to find a boyfriend by the end of her sixth year, her mother gets to action, and her mother will stretch as far as Hogwarts to ensure that Lily will return with a boy by summer. Too bad James Potter seems to meet the qualifications.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognized.
Uuuuuuuuuughhh!! I know I shouldn't be writing a new fic, but I just wanted to start on an LJ story. But I hope you enjoy this story anyways!
Please review. XD My first Lily/James fic.
Update: Rewritten! The story wasn't written very well, so I had to rewrite it! Not much has really changed, so if you've read it before, you don't have to reread; the plot's still the same. Sorry!
Chapter One: How to Start School
There is something to be said if a Head Girl ever needed to take attitude therapy. Unfortunately, this was the case of Lily Evans, whose mother declared that Petunia's been dating lovely Vernon Dursley for quite a while now, and still, every summer, Lily would return home without a boyfriend. She was seventeen already, and never once had she dated anybody. "You're attractive," her mother said, frowning. "I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want you. You're not cruel to anyone at school, are you?"
"Of course not," Lily protested, always uncomfortable whenever her mother brought the subject up. Petunia would often eavesdrop, a delighted smirk playing on her face, having beaten Lily at something for once. Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Mum, I've told you, I'm never intentionally mean!" Indeed, this was a bit of an understatement, for Lily was generally nice, but she wasn't one to compliment herself. She was far too modest for that.
"And I've heard you," her mum readily agreed, "but if you're attractive, intellegent, and kind, you should've had boys flocking over you ages ago!" She hesitated for a moment, examining Lily closely. "Maybe it's your style--how about we go to the hairdresser's tommorow and--?"
"No, Mum!" Lily said, shielding her head so that her mum couldn't grab ahold of her red hair to envision a new style. "You're acting like I'm a present to give away! I'm not! What's wrong with being me?"
Her mum sighed, shaking her head as she ran through the refrigerator, looking for eggs. "There's nothing wrong with you, Lily, dear. It's just that you don't have a boyfriend--that's what I'm concerned about." Fumbling with the egg carton, her mum continued doubtfully, "Are you quite sure you're nice to everybody at school? I'm not so--"
"Yes, Mum," Lily said, exasperated. She'd gone over the same line about ten times every hour, every day. It annoyed her to no end; she was looking forward to the start of school just to be free of her mother's continuous nagging--and she had no intention of mentioning Potter's constant requests of asking her out. If she did, she guessed things would only be worse. "The only exception, or exceptions, I guess, is James Potter--I've told you about him, remember?--and his friend, Sirius Black, but that's because they--"
Her mum did not bother to listen to what else Lily had to say. With her selective hearing, she had only heard Lily mention two boys' names under the list of who she was mean to. "Two boys?" her mum said, aghast. "You've been rude to some boys? Well, no wonder why no one wants to go out with you, Lily, dear! You've got terrible behavior!" she scolded, and so it had begun. Over the course of the summer, she had enrolled Lily in classes that was meant to improve her attitude.
Lily was forced to go, though she was apprehensive about the whole ordeal. Who knew what type of people would be there? She might meet someone as obnoxious as James Potter. She might even meet some people worse than that. Try as she might, she just couldn't persuade her mother that there was nothing wrong with her.
The teachers would report back to her mother and say, "I don't see anything wrong with Lily. She's a wonderfully sweet child. She doesn't belong in here," but her mum would just tsk them all away, ignoring their words, muttering something incoherent, which Lily could only assume had to deal with boyfriends.
It was a great relief when school started once more, for her summer was dreadful. Nine months free of her mother's nagging of her relationship status! It was something she could only dream of over the course of her vacation. She quickly hugged her mum good-bye without much remorse. "Be sure to bring back home a boy this year during Christmastime, Lily," she reminded her, a completely serious expression cast upon her face. "It's your last year at Hogwarts, and I don't want to see you dying as an old widow. I want my grandchildren sometime, you know."
Lily's cheeks flushed red as her mum continued to speak. She glanced around nervously, praying that no one had heard. Imagine if word got to James Potter! --That insufferable, annoying, git! "I know, Mum," she muttered, turning away, desperate that her cheeks return to their normal color. "I'll see you in a few months. Bye, then." And, before her mother could mention anything else, she ran through the barrier.
She lugged her suitcase around, waiting to climb aboard the Hogwarts Express while looking over heads, searching for her friends. A smile crossed her face as she saw Alice running toward her, dragging her own luggage behind her.
"Lily!" Alice exclaimed, almost jumping onto Lily. She embraced her friend and said, "You made Head Girl, didn't you?" Lily beamed and nodded. "I knew it! Didn't I say she would, Lora? Didn't I?"
Behind her, a brunette girl grumbled, but smiled all the same at seeing Lily. "Yes, you did," Lora agreed, "and all the time, too. It was somewhat dreadful; I daresay that everyone knew that she'd turn out to be Head Girl. You didn't need to constantly bring it up."
"Oh, don't exaggerate, Lora! It was only once or twice--hey, Lily, you didn't reply to any of my owls over the summer! Why didn't you?" Alice said, transferring the topic of conversation onto Lily's exciting summer.
Lily sighed and shook her head. "My summer was terrible this year. Worse than usual, I mean," Lily said. "Look, I'll tell you when we get on the train, alright? Let's get our stuff on here, first."
The other two agreed, for her request was rather reasonable. They helped hoist each other up onto the train and walked down the aisle, searching for an empty compartment. Finding one, they shoved their items beneath their seats and closed the compartment door behind them.
Alice couldn't contain her eagerness for much longer, for she instantly demanded that Lily tell them of her summer. And, after some protest, Lily finally gave in and agreed to share. Hesitating before she started, she said, "I was sent to some camp to have my attitude set straight--since, of course, if I can't get a boyfriend, it must mean that I have attitude problems."
"Lily, with attitude problems?" Lora repeated, a teasing smile surfacing. "Why, I never thought I'd see the day to have those two terms combined!"
Lily shot her a glare that cautioned her to stop. It was clear that she didn't enjoy her time at the camp.
"Petunia must have had a good laugh at that, didn't she?" Alice said, sympathizing with Lily.
Lily nodded. "She enjoyed it, to say the least." She let out a somewhat bitter laugh. "It was dreadful. The people there were all formerly in gangs. I've only been offered drugs, I don't know, about fifteen times? And when I declined, they laughed at me. And don't get me started on hygiene. Their bathrooms were atrocious!"
"At least it's all over now," Lora said encouragingly.
Lily nodded and sighed. She turned away and said, "I've got to meet up at the Heads compartment. I'll see you sometime later." She grabbed her robes and left, going to the back to change. When she returned, she dropped her Muggle clothing into her luggage bag and went ahead, alone, down the narrow corridor to the compartment.
She briefly wondered who would be the Head Boy. She was certain they'd be well acquainted, for it was obvious that every Head Boy had to be intelligent, self-disciplined, and a proper role model. What she did not expect, however, was Dumbledore, a person who Lily had once considered as a wise man, deciding that James Potter was the one that fit most into all three categories.
She knew that he was intelligent enough, but the other two, she was certain that he lacked any sort of self-control. He was arrogant, cocky, and terribly conceited, and those characteristics did not seem to be the amiable qualities required to be a role model. "Oh, Merlin. Has Dumbledore finally lost it?" she said, shocked, upon sliding open the door to the compartment. "Of all the seventh year boys, he chose you to be Head Boy? You weren't even a prefect!" She threw an accusing finger at him.
Before James had a chance to respond, however, she chuckled lightly to herself. "Oh, of course," she said, waving her hand. "You must've nicked it from somewhere." Glaring at him angrily, she said, "All right, who did you steal it from?"
"No one." Under Lily's hard stare, James removed his badge and tossed it over to Lily, who barely caught it and fumbled around with it. "See if it's genuine."
He watched, amused, as Lily spun curse after curse onto it, hex after hex, and when it came out unharmed and just as gleaming clean as it was before, she chucked it back at him as hard as she could. As a Chaser, he caught it with ease. "That badge might be genuine," she agreed, "but I wholeheartedly refuse to believe that you are the Head Boy. You still haven't proven that you hadn't nicked it, you know."
She folded her arms and glared at him hard, waiting for a response. "What can I say, Evans? Dumbledore thinks I'm perfect for Head Boy!"
At this, she barked out a laugh, scoffing at the idea of him as Head Boy. "You never fail to make me laugh. Now tell me, who is the real Head Boy?"
He blinked once.
He blinked twice.
Finally, he awkwardly stood up and said, "Me."
Lily sighed wearily, saying, "Your act is getting tiring and obnoxious. Now, tell me who the Head boy is so I can go find him!"
"Why find him when he's right here?" James said, a teasing smirk on his face. However, the smirk was quickly wiped away when Lily's wand was whipped out.
Those in the neighboring compartments could hear shouts coming from the Head compartment. They looked at each other, amused, guessing which spells Lily would use. Finally, the shouts grew muffled, then turned to silence. The silence did not last long, however, until a shriek was heard and the door slid open, with a fuming Lily stalking out of it and an amused James following her.
During the first meeting with the prefects, Lily refused to look at James.
Three guesses why.
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Dear Professor Dumbdoor (I think that's how it's spelled, pardon if I'm wrong),
Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Anna, and I am Lily's mother. I'm not sure how this owl thing works, but I heard Lily talk about it and I decided to give it a try myself. I have some rather important matters to discuss, and forgive me if I am blunt.
I would like to address the fact that Lily (who happens to be made Head Girl, and I thank you for doing that) has gone without a boyfriend for the past six years. Now, as a mother, I am worried that Lily has a terrible attitude and will never find a suitable boy.
I am well aware that many people have told me that Lily is a perfect child with a spirited and polite personality. However, I would like to see this for myself. Besides, even with any attitude she has, her method of finding a boyfriend has not worked for the past six years.
Needless to say, I want to help her. I have made some preparations already. Please reply soon.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
ANNA EVANS
Dumbledore grinned at the letter, chuckling as he read Anna's version of his name. His eyes skimmed it once mre as he fed the owl bits of bread crumbs. It seemed all very clear that Anna Evans was not aware of the Lily Pursuit (thus named by the staff), and Dumbledore did not feel that he was the right person to inform her of all that.
And as... what was the word he was looking for? -- amusing as the Lily Pursuit may be, they'd like to see it done and over with by the end of seventh year.
With that, Dumbledore dipped his quill into the ink before writing his reply. As he finished signing his name at the bottom of the letter, he gave it to the owl who fluttered out the window, disappearing into the distance.
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Lily stumbled out of the train, massaging her temple. Finally. That word was such a relief in her mind. After a long, torturous train ride, she was finally free. Not only did she have to spend some of her time with Potter--of all people!--her friends kept on teasing her about it, driving her insane.
She desperately needed some fresh air. Inhaling deeply, she looked around and climbed into one of the horseless carriages, Lora and Alice following closely behind her. She pointedly ignored them every time they mentioned Potter's name, or the fact that she was Head Girl. No longer did that title seem such a privilege; it seemed as a torture, for it meant more time spent with James bloody Potter.
When she entered the Great Hall, she sat down and hoped that the ceremony would go through quickly so that she could return to her dorm earlier and have the rest she was questing for. The wait was no easy task, however. As Dumbledore stood up, Lily recognized that the opening ceremony wouldn't be as calm as she'd hoped it would be.
Level One: Complete.
Level Two: Begin!
"Welcome to Hogwarts, and prepare for another exciting year--"
At this, Sirius interrupted and shouted, "--brought to you by the Marauders!"
The first years looked utterly confused, but the older students grinned, expecting another--and final--year filled with pranks. Lily groaned in exasperation, but Dumbledore didn't seem to mind. "We will be expecting much more than the expected excitement--or something along those lines. To first years, and all others who need reminding, the Forbidden Forest has been named for a particular reason, and we believe that you are clever enough to find the reason being..."
It was the typical start of term. The speech, the poem, the Sorting, the food--everything.
And the excitement?
POOF.
Lily winced. She'd thought much too soon. Turning around, she was afraid of what she'd see. Glancing at the Head table, she gasped and nearly dropped her fork. She bit her lip to contain the laugh that wanted to come out and shot four particular people a murderous glare.
For who else would cause all the professors' attire and facial appearance to imitate one of another professor--especially one of another sex?
"Eww, look at Professor Slughorn! He so doesn't look good in lavender. And look at his curls! They're horrible to look at!"
"Yeah, and look at McGonagall. That hat definitely does not match her robes--"
Lily pointedly ignored Trisha and Mya, Gryffindor's two biggest gossipers. Putting her head in her hands, she groaned.
She definitely wasn't prepared for another year. Not with the Marauders.
And, though she wasn't sure about others, she wasn't asking for a second helping of Professor Dumbledore's so-claimed excitement.
POOF.
"Ahaha, hey look guys, Evans has got an afro and a goatee!"
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