Lily Evans

"I’ve been told a few times but you can tell me again if you’d like, so long as you are still talking to me." He said with a slight smile. His plan had been carefully figured out. He knew if he had made it known who it was from the beginning that it would have the opposite effect but this way, this way she at least had given him a chance without knowing that he was giving her a chance. He had planned it perfectly, sending a flower and a line of poetry for each day of the bet and as such he had the date planned completely. When she smiled and she asked when the date was he grinned brightly, hands out of his pockets. “Right now..and it’s a surprise.” It wasn’t a Hogsmeade weekend but James wasn’t about to take Lily to Hogsmeade for their first date, that was such a cliche it made him want to gag. No, he had planned a nice afternoon for them and he reached out, taking Lily’s hand heading outside in excitement. 

"Right now?" She asked, her eyes going wide with surprise. Oh, she was surprised. She figured she'd have at least a day to prepare for a date with James Potter, but apparently that was not the case. He probably thought that she'd had three weeks to get ready for this date, but that hadn't been her concern. Part of her had truly believed that he wouldn't be able to go the three weeks without getting into trouble or annoying the living hell out of her, but he had and no she had to own up to her side of the deal... not that it was particularly hard with the poem and flowers. Before she knew it, her hand was in his and he was leading her outside. "You're really not going to tell me where we're going?" 

James nodded, hands in his pockets. It had all come to fruition and James wasn’t sure if Lily was angry or what. "Yes….well…the words I can’t really take credit for." He ran a hand through his hair, not out of the desire to have it look like he just hopped off a broom but because James Alexander Potter was nervous. “Everything through day 19 was Byron…and then the last two days…they were actually from a letter from Keats to the woman he loved.” James shrugged, putting his hand back in his pocket. “I just…wanted you to feel special…to know how special I find you…and the flowers…well…those are your favorite so that is a no brainer. They’ve been your favorite flower since the day I met you.”

"Do you know how bloody infuriating you are?" She asked, looking at him with a slight frown. Lily Annabelle Evans was not mad, but she was annoyed. This whole time all of those lovely notes and her favorite flowers had been coming from James Potter; why couldn't he have just signed the first one? But then again, she knew why. If he'd signed the first one, she probably would have been annoyed rather than charmed like she was without his signature. He was being incredibly sweet, something she wasn't used to coming from the Marauder, but slowly her frown melted into a small smile as she shook her head. "Alright. You've won. When and where is our date?"

"Yes Lily?" 

"You?! The lines of poetry, the flowers. They've all been you this whole time?" Lily was bewildered. James Potter and Poetry didn't belong in the same sentence and to hear herself even utter it seemed like it was out of the question. Still, the handwriting all matched, it wasn't like he'd taken on the identity of some other suitor. She wanted to know who had revealed her favorite flower to him, but she stopped herself from uttering out all of those useless questions. She felt a little embarrassed. She'd kept every single note he's sent as various bookmarks in her school textbooks and she knew that he'd seen them. There was no way in hell he was ever going to let this go.

[Delivered to one Lily Evans, a single purple Calla Lily and a note]

"James Alexander Potter!"

[Delivered to one Lily Evans, a single white Calla Lily and a note]

Boring! I’d much rather be practicing charms or defense than reading about some historical war. 

Alright, well you've got me there.

Evans,

Potter,

"Chasing you is one thing, not pranking people…especially Snape who bloody well deserves it…is another. But fine. You let Mary and Marly in on this.” He took her hand and shook it, glaring at her. “I am so in love with you right now Evans and I hate you for it. I don’t need luck. I have sheer determination on my side. I will see you in three weeks for our date.” He let go of her hand before he pressed her against a wall and kissed her, turning and walking away, muttering about women and bloody impossible.

Lily knew better than anyone that Severus Snape deserved pranking after what he'd done to her, but this would be a very big test for one James Potter, seeing as how the boy hadn't passed up a moment yet to pick on Severus. "Fine, I will." She said, with a grin. The glare in his eyes amused her.She laughed a little as he walked away from her, muttering under his breath. 

Owl to Lily Evans

Potter,

"Three weeks is a very long time, Evans. Not to mention you seem to convince yourself that every single bloody thing I do annoys you…so this doesn’t really seem like a fair deal. However, I will agree to it. To show you that I am a better person than you think me to be. You want me to fail, that is why you’ve set up this deal…because you believe I will fail. I will not fail, Evans."

"You've been chasing me for years, Potter. Three weeks is nothing. If you like, I'll let Mary and Marly in on this and they'll keep me honest about if you're truly annoying me or not." Lily smiled a little at James' determination and stuck her hand out to shake on the deal. "Good luck, Potter."

"…what sort of deal?"

"You manage to go three weeks without pranks or bullying anyone - Snape included - or annoying the bloody life out of me... I'll agree to this one date. Sound fair?"

When it comes to me wanting to not be bored, I’d really rather not. Especially with all this extra work that the professor wants us to do. 

The Goblin War can be very interesting, Marly! You've just got to focus on the right things, really. 

"It’s not in my nature. One date, Lily. "

"How about a deal instead?"

"Lils, I am a charming guy! I can’t help that other women are charmed by me but what I’m saying is that I will work extra hard to only be charming to you. Charming you is the only thing that matters any way! We are a glorious match! Stop looking for reasons to say no and just say yes! One date! That’s all I ask for."

"Blimey, you're not going to give up, are you?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like! I’d throw in the towel, I’d stop being so bloody charming to every other girl and remain charming only to you! This, my dear Evans, is pivotal in wizarding history because when a brilliant and beautiful wizard is destined to be with a beautiful and brilliant witch and that moment finally happens, the wizarding world takes notice! Because it isn’t every day that such beauty and brilliance can be found in one glorious match!"

"See, I used to think that you were only charming to me and now I come to find that you've been this bloody charming to other girls as well. I learn something new every day, I suppose, and now I feel much less special. Perhaps we're not such a glorious match after all."

"And all I’m saying Evans, is that we should be dating right now. Come on. Do you want to study the bloody Gobling War or do you want to make an honest man out of the James Potter? This is a very important turning point in wizarding history as well!”

"Merlin's beard, Potter. What does that even mean, 'make an honest man out of you'? The James Potter, eh? Tell me 'the  James Potter', how this is pivotal to wizarding history."