Sure, James Potter was good looking. Maybe he did single-handedly win the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor.
But none of that ever impressed Lily.
And she wasn’t sure why she started to go to Quidditch games more often or why she liked to stare absentmindedly at James Potter as he ran his fingers through his frustratingly annoying hair.
Truth be told, she never hated James Potter, and it was the Slytherins that made her sick.
James Potter just never had been her particular brand of tea, even if the rest of the school seemed to secretly (alright, so not so secretly) admire him and Sirius Black.
Lily was different, like she had been her entire life.
She didn’t like the thought of falling for James Potter’s trap; then she would just be like one of those silly girls that spent more time learning beauty charms than studying Transfiguration (a subject that Lily noticed James Potter was so remarkably apt at).
Even though Mitchell Leavins was a complete gentleman and a prefect for the last three years, he somehow lacked the charms and character traits that Lily was attracted to.
Mitchell just didn’t have the ability to make her laugh even though the Daily Prophet headline told of yet another mass killing of Muggles by the Death Eaters.
Mitchell also lacked that fierce loyalty that would make him almost blind to someone’s imperfections because of how loyal he was.
Lily didn’t want to admit that Dorcas was right when she said that the things Lily looked for in a man were the things that could be found in James Potter.
Admitting that James Potter was the kind of man that Lily was looking for felt like defeat.
It was true that they were now friends (if James had somehow gotten the message through her thoroughly confusing messages), and it was true that he was tolerable (if Lily considered being kind and always talking to someone tolerable).
Lily felt like she had been fighting a battle against stereotypes, and she didn’t like to lose.
Lily also wasn’t one to fall for someone easily; she could safely say that she had never been in love before.
But there was something stirring deep down inside of Lily that made her almost afraid.
It was the feeling of absolute joy when she saw James Potter laughing happily with his best mates, and it was the feeling of overwhelming pain when she saw James Potter in silent despair after yet another death.
Backtracking, Lily wasn’t sure when it started.
Perhaps it was when James had come back after Christmas break looking and acting like a completely different person.
Perhaps it was when James had started to make a conscious effort to stop randomly hexing people for fun.
Perhaps it was when James had taken his Head Boy responsibilities very seriously when he was assigned the duty.
Perhaps it was when James had coldly dismissed a very talented fellow Chaser from the Gryffindor Quidditch team when she openly insulted ‘talentless’ people like Peter and all Muggleborns.
Perhaps it was when James had given her a chaste and unsure kiss on the forehead and subsequently gave her a stomach full of twittering butterflies.
But somehow, there was something that Lily couldn’t deny as she watched James and his friends amuse themselves and some younger students with entertaining charms outside by the lake.
Whatever it was that was happening was the start of something new.
And though Lily would never admit this aloud until she gained the courage that she should have as a Gryffindor, Lily was a hundred percent positive that the passionate feelings stirring inside her could only be described in one word.
Love.
Love for James Potter.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this!
This was started as an independent one-shot until I got inspiration from a wonderful review to extend it and finish it for the Jily Challenge by sour_grapes_snape.
Lily was harder to write than James, but regardless. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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