Chapter 1
boy and girl lock eyes across the room,
he swore her smile made flowers bloom.
"James Potter!" read out Professor McGonagall, Sorting Hat in hand. The olive-skinned boy walked giddily over to the stool, as Lily watched in interest, chin set on her hand. The boy next to her - Sirius? - let out a whoop, to which James responded by pushing his - very messy - hair back and winking.
"Mr. Potter, would you please sit down before saluting your fans?" Professor McGonagall deadpanned, clearly unimpressed. Potter turned to face her, a boyish grin on his face, before disappearing under the old hat.
It only took a few seconds before the hat yelled out: "Gryffindor!"
Their table erupted in cheers, as Sirius screamed at the top of his lungs and threw his arm around the blond boy sitting at his side. Lily rolled her eyes - seriously, was all this necessary? - but clapped politely as James hastily handed the hat to Professor McGonagall and ran down the stairs to the Gryffindor table. Sirius stood up and grabbed a smiling James' arm to sit him down between him and Lily - effectively pushing her to the side, and making Marlene spill her water.
"Hey, watch it!"
"Come on, she'll be fine, it's just water," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Lily huffed and crossed her arms, but moved over to let James sit. But he was still standing next to the empty seat, staring at her, grinning sheepishly.
"Hi, I'm James!" he said, holding his hand out towards her.
Lily narrowed her eyes, looking doubtingly at his extended hand. "Yes," she said slowly. "So I heard."
He awkwardly pulled his hand back, while the boy sitting next to Sirius - she was pretty sure his name was Remus - shook his head dismally. He ran his hand through his hair, then-
"You have nice eyes," he blurted out. Mary snorted, then started to cough into her elbow, looking way too amused for Lily's taste.
"Really?" she turned to mouth to her, but Mary just smiled and turned to talk to Marlene.
Lily turned back to James, who was now leaning on Sirius - who was too busy engaging in a one-sided conversation with Remus to notice, or care. "Thank you?"
He beamed and then, as if that was the cue he was waiting for, sat between her and Sirius. He then turned to face her, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand.
"So, what's your name?"
"Lily. Lily Evans."
"Like the flower!" he exclaimed, looking proud of himself.
Oh. My. God.
"Obviously."
She then noticed Severus staring at them from the line for the sorting. She silently shook her head. He gets easily jealous, convinced she's going to replace him with the first person who comes along and wants to be her best friend. He was terrified of not being sorted into the same house as her. She gave him a thumbs up, and a smile, but he didn't look too relieved. Lily sighed, and turned back to James, who had been watching the exchange with a frown on his face.
"You know Snivellus?"
"Sorry?"
“You know,” he said, tilting his head towards the center of the hall, a grimace on his face. “ Him. ”
She frowned. “Severus, you mean?”
Sirius leaned forward, and rolled his eyes. “Yes, if you want.” He had an aristocratic turn to his voice, and an accent that she couldn’t quite place. She wanted to shove her fork in his eye.
“Yes, well, he is my friend.”
Sirius gave a dramatic sigh, throwing his head back and putting his hand on James’ shoulder.
“Jamie, she can’t be the one, I fear.”
Severus had just been called for the sorting, so Lily ignored Sirius and stood up, trying to see him over the pointed hats. He walked furtively over to the stool and sat down, letting the professor put the hat on his head.
James ignored him, still looking at her, confused. “Snape? Snape is your friend?”
“What? Do you have a problem with that?” she said, nervously twirling the ends of her hair. Why was it taking the hat so long? Couldn’t it just put him in Gryffindor and get it done with?
“Yes, of course I have a problem with it. I mean have you seen him?” she heard James say, but it didn’t matter, because the hat had finally made its decision, and placed Severus in Slytherin.
Lily groaned and sank into her seat as Severus glumly took off the hat and walked over his new housemates, covering her face with her hands. He was going to hate her.
“Knew that slimy git would end up in the dungeons,” James said smugly. “That’s where his kind goes.”
A sudden burst of anger raced through her, and she raised her head, slamming her hand on the table. “Shut. Up!”
Everyone around them fell silent. James stared at her, eyes wide, raising his hands in surrender. “I was just jok-”
“I don’t know what exactly you and your friends have against him, but you don’t know him, ,” she yelled, anger bubbling up in her throat. “So shut up , and leave us alone.”
She stood up briskly, glared at him one last time, then went to sit between Marlene and Emmeline Vance, a girl in the year above them. Lily covered her face with her hands, setting her elbows on the table. She sighed loudly, as Marlene smoothed down her hair.
“It’s okay, don’t listen to them.”
“It’s fine. I don’t care what Potter has to say about my friends. He isn’t one of them,” she mumbled.
That was when Lily decided that she would always hate James Potter.
“Mate, I told you you couldn’t trust a girl who looks at the greasy mop on Snivelly’s head and doesn’t find a problem with it.” Sirius stood on his bed, undoing his tie.
James sighed. “I just don’t understand why she defends him so… so… so ardently . It’s Snape , for Merlin’s sake. I mean I spoke to him once and knew I wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.”
He took his shirt off, balling it up and throwing it in the general direction of his trunk
Remus glared at him while meticulously folding his uniform and placing it on a shelf. He had barely spoken to them since his sorting. James really needed to know if he hated them or if he was just shy.
“Remus, what do you think?”
“I think, that maybe she was right, and you should leave them alone,” he mumbled.
James gasped, spreading his arms. “But did you see her?”
Peter laughed from under his covers - who sleeps before ten?
“James has a cruuuush,” he said, in a singsong voice.
James felt his cheeks heat up. “Stop it. I don’t. Am I not allowed to want to be friends with a girl?”
“Sure you are,” he chuckled. “Alright, that’s it. I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks. G’night.”
“Night, Pete,” said Sirius, slumping on his bed, hands behind his head.
James sat on his bed, and ran a hand through his hair. “What did I do ?”
“Well, for starters, you called her best friend a slimy git. I’m not an expert, but I doubt girls like that,” Remus whispered. “Now stop talking and let the poor boy sleep.”
“Remus, you’re my best friend,” mumbled Peter.
“Cheers.”
“James, we’ll figure out your little crush tomorrow, yeah?” Sirius yawned, pulling the covers over his chest. “Me, personally, I need my beauty sleep. Night.”
"Fine," he sighed, pulling his covers and laying down.
He laid there in silence for a while, but he couldn't stop thinking about dinner.
"Sirius?" he whispered.
"Yes, James?" the other by asked, a slight note of exasperation in his voice.
"She really did have a nice smile."
"Yeah, she did."
James felt his lips quirk up, before he closed his eyes, drifting into sleep.
That was when James decided he would one day be Lily Evans' friend.