Prologue.

End of fifth year.

It started with a cigarette.

Lily had a nasty, secret habit of them - she thought it was secret. No matter how much perfume she doused her robes in, everyone around her could still smell the obvious stench of cigarette smoke on her.

James found her sitting on the very edge of the Astronomy Tower, legs dangling off, five crushed cigarette butts scattered carelessly around her. He came there to clear his head many times, too, and had had a hunch that she'd be there when her seat at dinner remained empty.

He settled next to her warily.

She stiffened immediately.

The night sky was clear and starry and she kept her eyes fixed on it, smoking silently.

"I didn't know you smoked." When James spoke, it was quiet, as if he hardly dared speak the words.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Potter." The reply was quick and sharp.

"I'd like to change that."

Lily dropped her cigarette off the edge of the tower - regretting it immediately - and turned to stare at him, eyes flashing.

"You'd like to change that?" she demanded furiously. "Well, here's a chance: leave me the hell alone, Potter. Leave my friends alone. Stop hexing people just for the hell of it. Stop incessantly asking me out on dates. Just - stop!" She tried to deliver the last word with force but it came out broken. She drew her knees up to her chest and began to cry, quietly at first, but then her sobs came out in loud, jagged breaths.

James sat, not sure what to do, not sure if he should even be there. Her words seemed to have no affect on him. Then, cautiously, he reached out and placed a light hand on her shaking back.

Her shoulders drew together as she tensed instantly.

"Relax, Evans," James said. "It's just me. It'll be alright."

"How can you say that?" Lily asked, voice muffled by her knees. "How can you say that after what happened today?" The events being Severus Snape, her best friend in the whole world, calling her a Mudblood in front of all of her friends. What James had done to him was normal, expected even, and paled in comparison. She didn't care about that because she didn't care about James Potter.

"Well - I guess I don't know," James admitted. "I know it's absolute shit right now. I mean - I'm a right bastard and I can be an idiot at times, and I could never imagine being called…you know…and what you're going through. But once you hit rock bottom, there's only one way to go, right? Up."

Despite herself, Lily laughed, and maybe it was the ridiculousness of the situation that caused James to give a small chuckle himself.

She drew a deep breath and sat upright again, wiping her eyes. "You are a bastard," she told him. "Impolite, not nearly as funny as you think you are, frustratingly handsome, and stupid. But that was surprisingly insightful."

"Wait, you think I'm handsome?" James asked feigning surprise, moving his hand to his heart. "I'm moved, Evans. Truly."

"Obviously," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, how else would you have managed to sleep with all the girls in our year?"

"Um, my charm and Quidditch skills?" James responded. "Also, hey. I've only slept with half. It's Sirius who's gone through all."

Lily smiled again but it was faint and tired.

"I'm just so exhausted," she whispered. "Of it all. Of the difficulties with Severus. Of always fighting with you. We're in the same House, for Merlin's sake. We're supposed to be on each other's side. We haven't since the day we were Sorted."

James was going to make a quip about how he wasn't the one who always started the fights, but thought better of it.

"I'll make you a deal, Evans," he said. "Let's take this summer to think things over. I know I can be an obnoxious prick. I suppose you're right, half the people I hex don't deserve it - " she raised her eyebrows at this and he quickly amended his statement - "alright, most of them, and I could take a break from asking you out. But why don't we change things up when we get back to school? Why don't we try out being friends?"

"Heaven knows it'd be a change," Lily allowed. Already, this was the first civil conversation she and James had had since first year. Especially given the events of earlier that day.

"So. Friends?"

"I'll think about it," Lily said. "If you really make an effort."

"Ah, if there's one thing about me, Evans, it's that I make an effort when it comes to you," James boasted and Lily raised an eyebrow, already searching for her cigarette pack, making it clear that the conversation was over.

James took this as his cue to leave and stood, hand going up to his hair automatically.

But he lingered even as Lily lit up and leaned back against a pillar.

"Um, one more thing, Evans."

"Yes?"

"Smoking will kill you, you know."

She smiled and turned her head away so as not to give him the satisfaction of seeing that he had amused her.

"Piss off, Potter."

"Alright, alright, I'm going."

And so he did and Lily returned to her cigarette, but his words lingered and she crushed it out halfway through.

It started with a cigarette, but it ended with James and Lily Potter.

hello, hello, all.

after years of hiatus and only really writing one-shots for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, i have been struck with sudden inspiration to tackle my favorite love story in the harry potter world: that of lily evans and james potter. the fic will start with the summer leading into sixth year and continue at least up until the end of seventh year, possibly with time-jumps, for i do have a life outside of fanfiction ;) that being said, i am most excited to write my own version of my favorite couple and see where the journey takes me.

to anyone who cares to review: thank you in advance! i have stopped writing for reviews, and more purely for the pleasure, but i do read every single one i receive and thoroughly enjoy seeing when people like what i have written, so don't hesitate, even if it's criticism!

until the next one,

-jily