Alright?

Lily Evans wants to lose her virginity before her big apprenticeship. Surely someone is down to help her out… no?

A Trivial Proposition

Oooo this is such a good question! Ty for asking! In terms of Jily HCs, I have a few... (No idea if I'll end up writing any of these into fics, but I had so much fun brainstorming).

I enjoy writing Lily as a studious, secretive little genius lol, but I think more realistically she had a type of magical intelligence that was akin to Harry's. Very intuitive, not necessarily "booksmart", but quick-witted, unconventional, and innovative. I like thinking about James and Lily as having a narrative arc where they go from thinking they're polar opposites -> to seeing how they're deep down the same. I imagine there was some sort of conflict during Seventh Year with Slytherins where she and James have to fight against them together. And they're both surprised at how in sync they are. Lily knows a few borderline-Darkish Magic curses from her friendship with Severus and James is simultaneously taken aback and in awe of her.

Petunia and Vernon were ofc very judgmental and difficult with James for about a thousand different reasons, but I imagine he was the first to be rude to them. I think Lily would have given James an abridged retelling of the drama that went down with her sister, trying to be kind about the whole thing. But this wouldn't have stopped him from being angry that Some Lady and Her Annoying Husband Were Mean to the Woman I Love. His protectiveness and tendency towards black-and-white thinking would have made his meeting with them a complete disaster. Like, he would have been an utter, unrepentant dick.

James started noticing and being interested in Lily from about second year on, but he wouldn't have had a full-blown crush until about fourth year. I imagine there was some sort of Moment when her "goody-goody" facade would have cracked and he sees how passionate and fierce and formidable she is, just like him, and that would've done it. I think he was probably very jealous of her proximity to Severus. Watching Lily defend him and be so loyally devoted to him would have a) reminded James of his dynamic with the marauders, and b) made him instantly covet her attention. James sees Lily as someone who loves just as strongly as he does and that's what makes him want her.

I don't think James was a prankster type, à la Fred and George. I think he was just arrogant and into experimenting and didn't really care about breaking rules. But I think when he and Lily are first "sort-of, kind-of dating" in Seventh Year, he would have tried really hard to make her laugh and gone a bit too far. Like, Lily's brewing a bunch of potions and to see what she'd do, he just drinks one of them randomly. So, then she has to transport him to the Hospital Wing in a panic and ends up doting on him and fretting about him while Madame Pomfrey tries to reverse whatever ill effects this had. And, no, he doesn't regret this one bit.

Sirius is the first person James tells that Lily is expecting a baby. He does this while they're on some mission for the Order and using his motorcycle for transportation and he nearly crashes it.

James definitely picked fights with boys who expressed interest in dating Lily while at Hogwarts. I don't think he planned to do this, and he regretted it (somewhat) afterwards. But I do think he had these moments of impulsivity and immaturity despite trying very valiantly to take the high road and be okay with Lily not choosing him. For example: some lad he considers to be fathoms beneath Lily is contemplating asking her to Hogsmeade and so he finds some flimsy pretense to jinx him and thwart his plans. All with plausible deniability, of course.

James proposes to Lily with his grandmother's ring. I imagine there was a minor lull in the war, possibly with one of them being injured, and they took some time off to go camping. I imagine they took up in some very scenic places in Northern Scotland, where they just try to forget about everything else in the world. I go back and forth about whether I think James would have proposed while they're out in nature against some beautiful backdrop (because he's still trying to impress her, always, and in a fit of happiness Lily makes all the flowers around her grow) or if he would have blurted it out impulsively while they're in bed.

Lily does accidental magic all the time when she's happy. On their wedding day at Godric's Hollow, she causes flowers to grow and bloom. She also has a tendency to make objects disappear and reappear without being conscious of it. While they're in hiding together, James becomes very acquainted with her ability to do this. Sometimes, she'll be like "I'm so frustrated, I can't find my comb," and James'll be like, "well, where do you think it would be?" He makes her close her eyes and tell him. Then, when she opens them and it's exactly where she said it was, she'll think it's a coincidence, but he'll just smile and think she's amazing.

he begs for harry sleepovers alllll the time after they move him to the nursery so of course lily agrees for father’s day (and birthdays, and christmas, and at least once a week for whatever excuse she can find because she loves it too). they have the slowest, sleepiest morning with breakfast in bed and then the three of them go to the park and lie on a blanket under the sun because summer has finally arrived and it’s a perfect day!

they count the freckles on harry’s face until james worries that they didn’t apply enough sun cream on him and so they head home, stopping to get ice cream on the way. harry goes down for a nap and james and lily plot out all the things they want to show harry this summer. lily insists on making james’s favourite meal for him which is great in theory but it’s really just james’s favourite because he loves making it so he forces his way into the kitchen & they work together instead. harry toddles around in his walker, hitting their shins repeatedly.

chapter thirteen

Her book flies off the desk and lands upside down on the floor with a loud smack.

“Shit,” James mutters.

He blinks behind his glasses, looking momentarily startled awake, then winces as a yawn catches him halfway through.

“Er—sorry, Professor,” he calls toward the front of the classroom.

He bends immediately to retrieve Lily’s book, but Flitwick is faster. With a flick of his wand, the book lifts neatly from the floor and deposits itself back onto the desk with an emphatic thud.

The look Flitwick sends James leaves no room for confusion.

Lily bites down on a laugh until the professor turns away and resumes writing on the board.

“Just go to sleep, Potter,” she murmurs. “That's the third time.”

jily modern au where lily is going through it until she meets james at a bar and he treats her right :)

Hope you feel better soon 🖤

Not a fever dream, friend. :) Unfortunately, I have become afflicted with the "starting too many WIPs" curse and now have yet another spawn I'm responsible for and tinker with sometimes. Started out as a silly thing and then became kind of non-silly. Sort of. The premise is Jilypad from Sirius' POV. 👿

(S/o my beta-reader @feed-the-birdss who gave really useful feedback that's helped me write the next few chapters!)

Could I interest you in a snippet, by chance? 👀

Kudos are great, Reblogs are great but it can feel so quiet without the comments. Even just a few words of encouragement, appreciation and deserved gratitude can go a long way!

If you don't know what to say, you can always:

May

In Love and War (WIP) by Icepen. Rated M.

After a horrible summer before her Seventh Year brings the war to her doorstep, Lily Evans knows one thing for certain-- she will not be safe at Hogwarts anymore. Her position as Head Girl, her new friendship with the Potter heir and the disgraced Black heir, the sudden and tragic murder of her parents all shoves her into a limelight she never wanted. Learning to cope with her grief and her trauma, Lily needs to navigate the treacherous waters of her new situation as the war against people like her escalates in the world she is about to graduate into.

flying lesson (completed, 3.7k) by @allrightevanss1123. Rated G.

lily evans, 11, muggle-born, anxietic as fuck and there's a human megaphone yelling instructions beside her. or james potter, 11, sees the muggle-born girl looking confused during their first flying lesson and decides he needs to help her. because thats what gryffindors do.

stuck here, with you!! (WIP) by @allrightevanss1123. Rated M.

Lily, as the respectable Gryffindor Prefect, had to mentor James Potter in the Hospital Wing for a week because Remus’ ‘sick week’ and Potter’s quidditch accident overlapped together. or James cracked tf outta his skull and heard LETSSS GOOOO

Whoever You Want (WIP) by @allrightevanss1123. Rated M.

​Lily had known him for quite a long time now—James Potter and his weird hair, his desperate jokes, and those horn-rimmed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t help but make a fool of himself in front of her every single time. But Lily had never once considered turning him down as "resisting," despite everyone else calling it that, talking about his charm and how cute he acted, how much he fancied her. He was...pretty resistible, really. ​Until he wasn't, at least.

Stone Cold and Rock Hard (completed, 2.4k) by @neverenoughmarauders. Rated T.

Lily let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. ‘James,’ she laughed. ‘When a boy and a girl agree to grab a drink in Hogsmeade, they’re going on a date.’ — Or: James Potter gets undressed and Lily Evans dives into the Black Lake for no reason whatsoever.

The Night Is Over But I'll Still Dance With You (completed, 2.7k) by @gingerqueen0567. Not rated.

Lily is so excited for the prom! Nothing can ruin the night, right?

What's In A Name Anyway? (completed, 2.5k) by @yallthemwitches. Rated T.

“Wait,” he says slowly, his heart somersaulting like it’s been taken for a ride on a broomstick, “A crush on McLauren or me?" Lily shoots him a pitiful look. “Please don’t make me admit I fancy you after basically seeing you naked,” she says bitterly, wiping at her eyes. “I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Second chances (completed, 3.5k) by @vivianjily. Rated M.

James thought he'd made peace with the slow burn of it—becoming Lily's friend, earning back her trust, hoping that eventually she'd see him as more. Then Benjy Fenwick makes her laugh and James realizes he's been fooling himself.

love struck (completed, 3.1k) by @sapphireleo. Rated G.

A love story told in colors of carnations (that he first thought were roses). Ending is kinda angsty. Red. Purple. Blue & White. Pink. More white.

BLAME (completed, 36.7k) by @blitheringmcgonagall. Not rated.

“I take full responsibility for my actions, Sir, I know that you’re going to have to expel me. There is no excuse for what happened. I’m sorry to have to put my parents through this. And Professor McGonagall, I just really wanted to tell her how sorry I am and …” His voice trailed off. Dumbledore’s cold periwinkle eyes regarded him intently, as though engaging in some complicated mental Arithmancy. “If Severus Snape corroborates what you just told me, I’m afraid that is correct, you will be expelled, Mr Potter.” A Marauders What If...? What if James had been blamed for the Prank? What if he got expelled at the end of Fifth Year? What if there was never a Lily Evans and James Potter, Head Boy and Head Girl? If they parted enemies, if they never got together in their final year in Hogwarts? What if the marauders lost James? What then?

Sweet Thing (completed, 5.7k) by @stonecoldhedwig. Rated E.

“Ask me,” he says softly. The room is so quiet, James thinks he can hear the sound of her heartbeat alongside his own. “Tie me up.” **** Or: Lily and James explore that little kink they discovered on Christmas Day.

Operation Love Languages (completed, 5.3k) by @exalthia. Rated T.

“The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate? Moony, what in the name of Merlin’s crusty toenails is this?” asked Sirius, derisively squinting at the cover. “‘Mate,’ is that some werewolf shit?” “I told you, it’s a Muggle book. I think it could help James. Listen, this bloke says there’s five ‘love languages,’ and they’re different ways of showing your love for someone depending on what’s important to them: physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, gift giving, and acts of service. Our boy has been doing none of these, and look where it’s gotten him. He’s got to woo her.” Love languages, James thought, sounded about as woolly as divination, but if they somehow helped him win Lily over, he’d do anything. He’d even probably attempt to fight the giant squid. Not bare-handed, though, he valued his life, lovelorn as it was. OR—Lily has been unimpressed with James' efforts to win her over, so he tries a new tactic. A Muggle one.

Hard Work (completed, 4.5k) by @feed-the-birdss. Rated T.

Lily Evans is drowning in the effort to belong. James Potter has never had to put effort into anything. Somewhere between broken quills, failed patronus charms, and head duties, they figure out what effort is actually worth.

four a.m. knows all my secrets (completed, 2.6k) by @jilyflowers. Rated E.

They fit together so perfectly, two pieces of a puzzle, a comfortable reminder of what she’s got, rather than what she’s lost. It's a quarter past four in the morning after a rough Order mission, and James and Lily can't sleep.

Ultraviolet (completed, 2k) by @deadlysansa. Rated G.

Emails between Lily and James & co about a missing notebook.

I’ll be Home for Christmas (completed, 4k) by @vagueshadows-fics. Rated E.

I’ll be home for Christmas. The words echo warmly in his mind, a stark contrast to the brutal cold of his present reality. He’d said those words with cavalier confidence mere days ago, his hands on Lily’s waist as he kissed her goodbye on the doorstep of the small cottage they’d moved into only a few weeks ago. He can almost picture her now, cocooned in the safety of their new home — her cheeks flushed from the heat of the kitchen, humming muggle Christmas tunes as she stirs a pot of hot chocolate. The image feels like a beacon of hope in the suffocating cold of this mission. James intends to keep his promise. Or: When a routine reconnaissance mission goes sideways, James is determined to find a way home in time for Christmas

need you like a heartbeat (completed, c500 words) by @oakheartedmuse. Rated G.

"He needed her like a heartbeat and there she was, amusing herself with his suffering." Or, James is sure he's losing his mind, but it's mostly because of the heat and this certain redhead...

jily engaged and carefree and so much in love

chapter ten: the promotion

Petunia has always held fast to the belief that soft mattresses lead to bad posture, and that bad posture is the gateway to moral decay. She’d preached this particular philosophy over countless Sunday dinners, her fork perfectly poised as she articulated how a sagging spine inevitably leads to a sagging ethical framework, all while casting pointed looks at Lily, who has always preferred to be as cozy as possible. It is one of Petunia’s many rigid guiding principles, right up there with the proper way to fold towels and the absolute necessity of polishing silver every fortnight, regardless of use.

So when Lily wakes up on the firmest mattress the Midlands has to offer, it doesn’t take long for her to remember that she hadn’t fallen asleep in her own bedroom last night, but Petunia’s.

With James.