Ordinary Day

Ordinary Day

Just a day, just an ordinary day

Just trying to get by...

Lily sighed as she walked around the lake. It looked so calm and subdued... the absolute opposite of what she felt.

Life was awful.

N.E.W.T.s were approaching fast, and even though she was the best in her class, she couldn't help but get that jittery feeling in her stomach whenever she thought about it.

Her best friend, Riana, had been killed over Easter break by Lord Voldemort. Riana had been her only friend, really, and she had never bothered trying to make any others... she and Riana were inseparable.

And, perhaps worst of all, James Potter still hadn't noticed her.

Lily sighed. James would probably never notice her now. There was no Riana to pull her into strange situations, and she was too shy to go up to him and talk with him.

Lily had loved James since her very first day at Hogwarts. Ever since she had laid eyes on him, she had known she wanted to marry him someday. His eyes were a beautiful shade of hazel, his black hair was so cute the way it stuck up at odd angles, and though she would rather die than admit it to him, the way he made it stick up more by running his fingers through it made it even more adorable.

It wasn't just the fact that he was handsome - although that was a major factor of it. He was nice. He was mischievous, true... she had stopped him from almost killing Severus Snape several times... but she still wasn't sure if he even knew her first name. He was overall kind and gentle, if a bit unruly. Whenever he had spoken to her in the hallways (it had always been just a passing greeting, true), but he had always smiled at her in a way that made Lily's knees go weak and made her head spin.

But he still hadn't noticed her.

Lily shook her head and sat down on the edge of the lake. She pulled out the Hobbit and began to read.

"What are you reading?"

Lily's heart skipped a beat.

It was him.

"A book," Lily muttered, trying to avoid James's eye.

"I meant specifically," James said, sitting next to her. Lily froze.

"The Hobbit," she muttered. She tried to start reading, but he interrupted her again.

"Is it good?"

"I could probably find out a lot more easily if you would go away." Now where had that come from? She hadn't meant it and he knew it.

"Whoa, cool it, Evans, I was just asking." There was silence for a moment as James watched her. Then he looked up at the sky.

"What do you reckon is up there?"

Just a boy, just an ordinary boy,

But he was looking to the sky.

"What?" Lily asked, putting her book aside.

"I mean what do think is out there?" James asked easily. "You must have wondered what could be up there... haven't you?"

"Well," Lily said, watching the sun set, "I think that there's... something. I don't know what, but I think there's something out there that controls whatever we do... something that tells us what to do, and we're compelled to do it... something that always speaks to us..."

"Like God?"

"I guess so."

"What do you think it's telling you now?"

Probably to run away from you now before I get in over my head, Lily thought. "I don't know," she said out loud. "I never know. I can just sort of - feel what it wants me to do, and I do it."

James was silent for a minute. "You want to go for a walk, Lily?"

Lily's heart soared. He knew her name. He wanted to go on a walk with her...

"I guess," Lily said, shrugging slightly. They both got up.

"Do you like being popular?" Lily blurted out. James looked at her as they started to walk around the lake.

"Do I like it?" James asked. He thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I like all the attention, but... I just want to find something. To do something, you know? Something that people will remember me for. And if being popular helps, then yea, I guess it's OK, but to be honest, I wish people would just leave me alone sometimes."

As he asked if I would come along,

I started to realize,

That everyday he finds just what he's looking for,

Like a shooting star,

He shines.

"I wish someone would just show that they know I exist," Lily muttered. "I wish someone actually knew how I felt, you know? But it's just not like that." Lily sighed.

"You were Riana Clark's friend, weren't you?"

Not trusting herself to speak, Lily nodded. "It's awful what happened to her," James muttered. "I mean... one day I see her walking down the corridor reading a book, the next, she's gone." James shook his head. "Voldemort killed my parents, too. I know how you feel."

Lily very much doubted he knew how she felt unless he was in love with himself too.

James walked very slowly, watching her. Lily blushed. James softly reached out and held her hand.

Lily felt as if she was going to have a heart attack right then and there.

He said,

"Take my hand...

"Lily..." he whispered. "I... we only live for so long, Lily... and you're Muggle-born and Voldemort's already tried to kill me once... this might very well be the last chance I get to say this... I love you, Lily."

Lily trembled violently. James Potter loved her. James Potter, her crush for seven years, who had always ignored her, was standing here in front of her saying that he loved her.

"I've always loved everything about you," James said, speaking more to the ground now than to her. "I love the way you smile, I love the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh, I love the way your hair falls on your shoulders, I love how you're so smart and funny and beautiful... I love how confident you are that you can do anything you want, because you can, Lily, I know you can, you're the most intelligent person I've ever met, and I love you... well, now that I've said that and you're looking at me like I'm from another planet, I'll just - go now." James turned.

"Wait," Lily whispered.

... "Live while you can.

Don't you see your dreams lie,

Right in the palm of your

Hand?"

James turned back to her, hope in his eyes.

"I... you're so sweet," Lily said quietly. "That's what's so great about you. You've always been so kind and considerate to me, even when I interrupt you, or stop you from pranking Snape, you're always nice to me, even when I don't deserve it..."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," James said, looking down.

"No... no, actually I'm saying it because I love you too, James Potter."

"You don't mean that."

"Actually, I do," Lily whispered. "I've always loved you, since the very first time I laid eyes on you... you're gorgeous to me... every time you smile I feel my head spin... every time you laugh it resounds in my head... every time you look me in the eye I go weak in the knees... and every time you make your hair stick up, you make me want to feel your hair, and I can't sleep at night, and when I do I dream about your face..." Lily felt herself start to choke and looked at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"No, Lily..." James said. "No, please don't cry... please, Lily, don't cry now..." Slowly, he put his arms around her and brought her down to the ground. "Don't cry," he whispered. "I'm here."

James held Lily tightly until finally she stopped crying.

"I love you, Lily," James whispered into her ear. "I always have and I always will... forever."

As he spoke, he spoke

Ordinary words, though

They did not feel.

Lily looked up at him. He was looking down at her and smiling gently, fighting tears of his own. And she felt something that never before in her life she had felt...

She felt loved.

"Can I kiss you?" James asked in a whisper. Lily nodded slowly and closed her eyes.

For I felt what I

Had not felt before,

And you'd swear those words

Could heal.

She felt his lips cover hers and felt like a thousand fireworks had gone off inside her. He held the back of her head gently as he moved his mouth over hers and Lily responded slowly, as if she were in a dream. It certainly felt that way. When James finally pulled away to breathe, Lily looked up at him with pure adoration in her eyes.

"I love you so much," she whispered.

As I looked up into those eyes,

His vision borrows mine.

"Not nearly as much as I love you," James whispered.

And he kissed her again.

And to know he's no stranger,

For I feel I've

Held him for all of time.

"It's getting late," Lily muttered. "People will wonder where we are..."

James sealed her lips with another kiss. His kisses were so gentle and soft, it was like kissing a cloud, but surely a cloud would not feel this good...

"Let them wonder," James whispered. "Just don't leave me now."

He said,

"Take me hand,

Live while you can,

Don't see your dreams lie

Right in the

Palm of your

Hand?"

"Lily..."

"James?"

"Do you really... do you really love me?" James asked, so she could hardly hear him.

"Yes... yes, James Potter, I love you."

James closed his eyes. They were now lying at the very edge of the lake. James sat cross-legged and Lily rested her head on his shoulder. "Why do you love me?" James asked, looking down on her. Lily smiled up at him.

"I'm not sure why," she said quietly. "And I'm not sure how. And I don't know what I ever did to deserve you. But whatever it was, it must have been very, very good. But there is one thing I know: that I love you. You're the only person who really understands me."

Please come with me,

See what I see...

"It's almost dawn," James mumbled. "We ought to go back."

Lily held him tightly. "I don't want to leave you."

"And I don't want to leave you. But we have to."

James kissed Lily once more. "Some day," he whispered, "we'll go to the stars, just you and me. And we'll be with each other forever."

Lily kissed him back lightly and stared into his eyes for a long time. Finally, she stood up and grabbed her book. "Come on," she said. "Let's go back."

Touch the stars,

For time will not flee,

Time will not flee,

Can you see?

The next morning Lily woke up in her bed. She sighed. She had had a wonderful dream. She had dreamt that James Potter had told her he loved her and they had spent the whole night by the lake. Lily shook her head... if only it had been real.

Just a dream,

Just an ordinary dream,

As I wake in bed.

She sighed. She was unbearably tired. She didn't want to open her eyes... it had been such a lovely dream... she rolled over and hoped against hope that it hadn't just been a dream... it had seemed so real...

And the boy, that ordinary boy,

Or was it all in my head?

Did he ask if I would come along,

It all seemed so real.

She heard arguing at her dormitory door.

"You can't come in, Lily's asleep, besides, this is a girls' dormitory, go away!"

"I don't think she's asleep anymore!" hissed a male voice. "You woke her!"

"I'm not asleep," Lily announced, her voice muffled from her pillow. "But I'd like to be."

"Lily," the male voice pleaded. "I know you're tired, I am too, but I wanted to ask you something..."

Suddenly Lily recognized the voice. She drew a sharp breath.

James Potter.

"Go 'way, Michelle," Lily muttered. "Leave. Now. Please."

Michelle sighed and closed the door behind her. Lily waited until she was sure she was gone before flipping over and looking at James.

"What you want?" Lily asked groggily, trying not to blush.

"Lily... were you and I walking by the lake last night, or was I just dreaming?"

"Huh?" Lily asked, sitting up straight. "You - I thought - I wasn't dreaming?"

But I looked to the door,

And I saw that boy,

Standing there with a deal.

James looked at her questioningly. "I - did you - did you mean it?"

"Mean what? Oh, when I said I loved you?" Lily blushed. "Uh... yea."

"Me too."

"Oh."

"Oh."

"Right."

"Right." James cleared his throat. "Could I - kiss you again?" Without waiting for an answer, James grabbed her and kissed her once, for a long time. Lily held her breath. When James finally couldn't breathe anymore, he drew away, blushing furiously.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Just because it's morning," Lily said in a low voice, "doesn't mean I don't love you anymore. I've loved you for seven years... why would I just stop?"

James smiled slightly. "You still want to go to the stars with me?"

"And not with anyone else." Lily smiled slightly.

It hadn't been a dream.

He said,

"Take me hand,

Live while you can,

Don't see your dreams lie

Right in the

Palm of your

Hand?"

"Do you... want to tell anyone?" James asked quietly.

"Let them find out on their own," Lily muttered. She kissed him again, this time on the cheek... quickly, true, but it was still a kiss. James held his hand up to his cheek.

In the palm of your hand...

"Okay," he said, smiling. "You know I almost feel bad for the rest of the world."

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Because you're all mine now," James said, grinning. "And I'm never going to let you go."

In the palm of your hand...

Lily and James walked down to the Great Hall holding hands that day. Half the female population of Hogwarts goggled at them, shooting glares at Lily. Sirius chuckled.

"And it's about time, mate," he said as Lily and James sat across from him.

"Good morning yourself," James answered cheerfully. "Pass the marmalade."

That day was not much different from any other for Lily. She still had to live through classes, she still had to study, and Riana was still dead.

Just a day, just an ordinary day,

Just trying to get by.

There was, however, one difference. James was there beside her, helping her handle everything that was thrown at her.

And Lily knew that now she could face the world again, as long as James was by her side.

Lily and James both grew up to be Aurors. They married in March of 1978. On July 31^st, 1980, their first and only son, Harold James Potter, was born.

As long as Lily lived, she never forgot that night. Always, in the back of her mind, she thought about it. She thought of how lucky she was that what happened on that night did.

On that night, Lily and James changed the course of history. Because they fell in love, Harry Potter was born, and he changed the world.

And that was how James Potter did something worth remembering.

Just a boy, just an ordinary boy,

But he was looking to the sky...