James Potter & Lily Evans

Jily Fandom Rec List 2025! Send in your recs!

Jily Treasure Hunt Bingo! Can you find everything? Read, comment and rec! We have two bingo cards currently up: Winter Edition | Spring Edition

Dear Jily readers, welcome to round three of our event: The Jily Treasure Hunt Bingo! Can you find everything?

The process is simple: Read fic, complete the bingo, make your list, then send it in as an ask or post it and tag us so we can reblog it! Once you're done, you can check out other people’s lists for recs!

We had one additional submitted cards from January-March, by @annabtg (bingo card) and one submission for April-June by @loverlupins (bingo card). Thank you both!

Rules:

Works must be Jily and written or updated sometime from 1 November 2025 onwards.

You must use a different work for each square!

You can fill the squares with fics you’ve already read, go hunting for fics you haven’t read before, or mix it up.

For multichaptered fics, reading one chapter counts (but why would you stop at one??).

There is no time limit, but for an added challenge, you can do the bingo more than once!

Please remember to leave kudos and comments on the fics you read!

*Note: We won't be veto'ing the lists for including works created before 1 November 2025, but we strongly encourage you to stick to the timeframe given so you have a nice variety of works to choose from when it's time to send in your nominations!

**Note: You are also welcome to continue to submit the winter and spring bingo cards

Without further ado, the bingo card!

June

Deerstalker (completed, 100 words) by @annabtg. Rated G.

Lily Evans goes shopping for a new hat.

Thinking of you/What you would do (completed, 2.4k) by @brightestwitch123. Not rated.

where Lily Evans holds a man's hand (not James Potter's) and is completely normal about it

jealousy, jealousy (completed, 1.2k) by @spookydanamulder-multifandom. Rated G.

On the way to their sixth year at Hogwarts, Lily Evans and James Potter try very hard not to be jealous of each other (they fail).

Testament of Youth (completed, 3.6k) by @neverenoughmarauders. Rated T.

‘Now time seems precious,’ Robert McGonagall had said quietly. Three months later, James finally understands what he meant.

Profile Match (completed, c300 words) by @tedwardremus. Rated G.

James isn't sure if he failed or succeeded at online dating

touch and go of don't know what to say (WIP, 59.6k as of 30 June 2026) by @gigglesandfreckles-hp. Rated T.

It’s not as though anyone else will be awake at whatever ungodly hour it is anyway. He’s wrong. There, in front of the fire, her long dark red hair tumbling loose down her back in a way he never gets to see in the daytime, because it’s always pulled into a tight plait, is Lily Evans.

A Risk Worth Taking (completed, 9.8k) by @jilyyall. Rated T.

Lily Evans lives in two different worlds, but she has always made an effort to share her experiences with her parents. They know about Hogwarts. They know about magic. They know about her friends. They do not know about James Potter. When a day in London turns into an accidental run-in, a slightly awkward lunch, and a conversation she can't avoid forever, Lily is forced to confront a frightening truth: building a future with someone means letting them into every part of your life. It does not necessarily mean they will remain there forever. Sometimes, that's a risk worth taking.

ANTI James Potter club (completed, 12.4k) by @vivianjily. Rated T.

Lily Evans starts the Anti-James Potter Club in sixth year, but she can never finish writing its charter. Article Five—the one meant to explain the club's real purpose—stays blank. By seventh year, as war closes in on Hogwarts, she realizes hatred requires distance she can no longer maintain. James keeps appearing in moments that unravel her certainties: protecting first-years, fighting for the defenseless, looking at her like she's worth dying for. When they join Dumbledore's resistance together, the lines blur between enemy and ally, between conviction and something more dangerous. Somewhere between combat training and their final exams, Lily understands what she's been resisting all along.

when it's too heavy to carry (remember) (completed, 3.5k) by @sunlit-di-s. Rated T.

These days, she sees Potter more often than not, being the youngest members of the Order together with complementing skills.

A Christmas Miracle (Or, what to do when your girlfriend tries to seduce you at the Christmas gathering) (completed, 2.2k) by @yallthemwitches. Rated M.

He needs an exit strategy—or at least a single brain cell to tell him to calm the fuck down. Could it really be possible that of all the shoddy lessons he’d slogged through in his pathetic quest for ‘education’, not a single one could have been ‘ What to do when your extremely fit girlfriend is unintentionally (?) giving you a hard-on at the family Christmas gathering?’ Life is so inconvenient. And cruel.

going for gold (be my home) (completed, 13.9k) by @harryissuchalittleshit. Rated M.

After breaking up with her partner after their second Olympics, Lily is in need of someone that can rival her skills and work with her. But having a bit of mean reputation on and off the ice, she has gone through her fair share of skaters. Enter James Potter, her former crush and a world class hockey star. Either they're headed for gold or last place.

Don't forget to send in your recs for our Jily Fandom Rec List! Send us a DM or an ask (anonymous or not) with your favourite Jily fics written or updated anytime since 1 November 2025!

Here are the previous months: January | February | March | April | May

Also check out our previous years' lists: 2024 | 2025

May

In Love and War (WIP, 367.2k as of 22 June 2026) 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, 6.9k as of 22 June 2026) 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, 53.5k as of 22 June 2026) 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...

Don't forget to send in your recs for our Jily Fandom Rec List! Send us a DM or an ask (anonymous or not) with your favourite Jily fics written or updated anytime since 1 November 2025!

Here are the previous months: January | February | March | April

Also check out our previous years' lists: 2024 | 2025

April

Never Have I Felt This (WIP, 97.6k as of 30 April 2026) by @sidlarsson. Rated M.

“You know I’m mad about you,” I said, my voice textured. “I—fuck, Evans, I know it’s obvious. It's bloody obvious. I want to go out with you. I want you to go out with me.”   After a long pause, in which I sucked in and then licked my lips, but she still hadn't said anything, I urged in a quieter tone, “Go on… go out with me.” Hogwarts fic - James Potter POV where he's an asshole, but disastrously and completely head-over-heels in love with Lily Evans.

Mystery Of Love (WIP, 21.1k as of 30 April 2026) by @versipellis21. Rated T.

A story of Lily Evans' life from the week she got the letter that would change her life forever up to the moment she died. Following her teenage years at Hogwarts, as she finds a new family within the walls of the castle to make up for the loss of her old one, the struggles of growing from girl to woman in a world she doesn’t feel like belonging in, as the beginnings of a war creep up on her, making friendships to last until the end of time, and learning to return the love of the boy who loved too much, the unexpected pregnancy in the middle of the war she had got caught up in, and how her fierce love for her son would change it all.

Beneath the Beech Trees (WIP, 14k as of 30 April 2026), by @missgryffin. Rated E.

It’s always been like that, her and James. Heated; a little toxic; more than a little crazy. Maybe, this time, they’ll finally figure it out.

Must Love Dogs (WIP, 10.8k as of 30 April 2026) by @petalsonparchment. Rated T.

Before heading off to a lecture at university, James Potter leaves his Labrador retriever, Padfoot, locked inside the flat. Unfortunately for James, Padfoot soon grows dreadfully bored and teaches himself how to slide open the front bolt. Naturally, this results in an entirely unsanctioned adventure beyond the flat. Out in the world he meets Lily Evans, a sharp-witted English student who quickly wins him over with biscuits, praise, and the sort of attention any self-respecting Labrador (and, frankly, James Potter) would find utterly irresistible.

Confessions on the Quidditch Pitch (completed, 3.8k) by @jilyyall. Rated T.

James Potter is a right fool, but Lily Evans knows just what to do with him.

Kiss All The Time (What If All I Need Is You?) (WIP, 22.1k as of 30 April 2026) by @wearingaberetinparis. Rated M.

“Because… I think it’s what I want, you know. Just enjoy a low-stakes fling.” His friends shared a look. “I’m serious,” he added. “James –” Remus’ brow was crinkled. “What if we bet on it?” A Jily AU with some sprinkles of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Don’t Make Me Over (completed, 1.3K) by @deadlysansa. Rated G.

James kisses Lily without thinking. Seventh Year Jily drabble.

Penguin (completed, c300 words) by @sapphireleo. Rated T.

"Will you be my penguin?" "Will I be your what?" "My penguin."

Jilytober Vignettes (oneshot collection, 51k as of 30 April 2026) by @siriuslysnuffles. Not rated.

A series of canon-compliant vignettes about James and Lily being hopelessly in love (or completely in denial about it).

Choice (Caution to the Wind) (completed, 5.2k) by @kay-elle-cee. Rated E.

“It’s just…” When she speaks again, her voice is softer. It’s tired, but not absent of a sharp quality to it. “Between the war and the Ministry…I miss feeling like I had a choice. I sometimes feel like things just happen and all I can do is react.” Or: Lily finds a small way to take her life into her own hands.

Little Boys and Their Lost Loves (completed, 8.7k) by @pensivepenseive. Rated T.

Although he was only eleven years old, James Potter knew at first sight that the red headed girl was someone he had to stay far away from.

The fuss about kissing (completed, 1.1k) by @exalthia. Rated T.

In which James finds it inexcusable that Lily thinks she doesn't like kissing and offers to show her what she's been missing.

A Hostage Situation (completed, 2.5k) by @formerlympp. Rated G.

Lily learns that magic cannot cure every possible ailment, but her boyfriend certainly can.

Sundress (completed, c850 words) by @missgryffin. Rated M.

James seeing Lily in a sundress for the first time

In the Comfort of Your Arms (completed, 1.7k) by @jilyyall. Rated T.

After a very bad week, Lily Evans finds herself unable to sleep, and the only person that can possibly offer her any peace is fast asleep in his own dormitory where she is definitely not allowed, especially not in the middle of the night. Good thing the Head Girl isn't too fussed about following the rules.

Christmases When You Were Mine (completed, 4.9k) by @harryissuchalittleshit. Rated T.

Lily misses the train to go home for the Christmas holidays and finds herself stuck with James and Sirius for the next two weeks. In that time she comes to change her opinion about the pair of boys, but especially one James Potter. Sixth Year AU

Dear Jily readers, welcome to round two of our new event: The Jily Treasure Hunt Bingo! Can you find everything?

The process is simple: Read fic, complete the bingo, make your list, then send it in as an ask or post it and tag us so we can reblog it! Once you're done, you can check out other people’s lists for recs!

We had three submitted cards from January-March, by @vagueshadows-fics (link to card), @neverenoughmarauders (link to card) and @bloodonthetracks93 (link to card). Thank you all!

Rules:

Works must be Jily and written or updated sometime from 1 November 2025 onwards.

You must use a different work for each square!

You can fill the squares with fics you’ve already read, go hunting for fics you haven’t read before, or mix it up.

For multichaptered fics, reading one chapter counts (but why would you stop at one??).

There is no time limit, but for an added challenge, you can do the bingo more than once!

Please remember to leave kudos and comments on the fics you read!

*Note: We won't be veto'ing the lists for including works created before 1 November 2025, but we strongly encourage you to stick to the timeframe given so you have a nice variety of works to choose from when it's time to send in your nominations!

**Note: You are also welcome to continue to submit the winter bingo card

Without further ado, the bingo card!

Don't forget to send in your recs for our Jily Fandom Rec List! Send us a DM or an ask (anonymous or not) with your favourite Jily fics written or updated anytime since 1 November 2025!

Here are the previous months: January | February | March

Also check out our previous years' lists: 2024 | 2025

March

smoke breaks (completed, 753 words) by @apalapucian. Rated T.

From the short story collection crossbow, gun, and magic (and other stories).

Phases of Longing (completed, 15.7k) by @jilyyall. Rated T.

Five weeks. It had been five long weeks since she’d seen her best friend, but Lily Evans could never forget James Potter’s adorably awkward, gangly limbs and stupidly short hair or the glasses that never fit his face right. It was just a given that James was disproportionate in an endearing sort of way. He had been for as long as she’d known him. The boy who came back from his summer in France, however, was not. The boy who came back from France was fit, and Lily wasn’t certain how she felt about that.

The Prophet's Fable (WIP, 163.4k as of 31 Mar 2026) by @petalsonparchment. Rated M.

Lily liked to believe (no, she insisted) that she could handle the visions. That if she just stayed calm and clever enough, she could outwit fate like it was an overdramatic diary entry, not a prophet's fable. The trouble was, fate didn’t seem particularly interested in being rewritten. And Lily (brilliant, stubborn, and slightly sleep-deprived) was both a Seer and a Muggleborn. A cursed combination, really, when all she wanted was to kiss some cute boys, become Head Girl, and hold her friendships together without worrying she might someday dream of them all ending. It was all a bit much for a girl who also kept having visions about a certain boy with messy black hair.

the arrangement (WIP, 21.8k as of 31 Mar 2026) by @vagueshadows-fics. Rated E.

“It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, Evans. Simple quid pro quo — you help me, I help you.” Or: All James wants is to pass his next Muggle Studies exam. All Lily wants is for Bertram Aubrey to notice her. Maybe they can help each other.

The Cohabitation Agreement (WIP, 5.9k as of 31 Mar 2026) by @charmsandtealeaves. Rated T.

His mum seems to think he’s arrogant, forgotten his roots. James wants to prove to her that she’s wrong and he can in fact stand on his own two feet and doesn’t require coddling. Her sister’s insane house rules are driving her nuts and if she has to endure Vernon’s snoring for another day she might just have a mental breakdown. Lily is determined to succeed in her own space. There’s just one problem: they’ve both signed the lease and paid the deposit in a rental scam. So it’s cohabitate or admit defeat to their loved ones. What could possibly go wrong?

Internally Evans (WIP, 7.5k as of 31 Mar 2026) by @maraudersinparadise. Rated M.

Intern Lily Evans's greatest passion is surgery, and she will not allow anything to get in the way of her future. Not even that resident James Potter.