The Conquering of Lily Evans

The Conquering of Lily Evans

James Potter.

Quiditch player extraordinaire.

Lovable prankster.

Modest intellectual.

Defender of the innocent, and punisher of evil.

And one of the most popular guys at Hogwarts.

Any girl would be crazy not to want me, right? I could have any girl I want, right?

Technically.

I could have any girl at Hogwarts, all but one.

Lily Evans.

To Lily Evans I was none of those things I just told you, which I am. To her I was a conceited prat, a troublemaker, a 'disgusting toerag,' as she would put it. Though, it wasn't always like that.

I remember when we first met.

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I rolled my cart across the Kings Cross Station, my parents only a few steps behind me. "So, what now?" I asked standing between Platforms nine and ten.

"Dear, you run through that wall, there, you see it? That'll take you to the Hogwarts Express. Just watch your father do it. Go on," she said signaling at my dad.

He quickly and inconspicuously waltzed towards the wall and disappeared in the blink of an eye. "Now, would you like me to go first, James?" I looked at my mother and nodded.

I had traveled magically before, but never like this. I watched my mother do exactly as my father did and disappear just as quickly. I looked around to make sure that no one was looking. But someone was.

It was a young girl, about my age. She was just staring; it was rather rude I must say. I looked around no one else was near me, she must be looking at me.

I looked back at her; she was moving closer towards me. Two flustered looking adults were just behind her.

"Hullo, umm, are you going to Hogwarts?" she approached me in a very quiet manner. I looked at what seemed to be her parents, then back at her and nodded. She let out a sigh of relief, and pointed towards the platform. "Do you know how to get on?"

"Yeah, come on," I made my way towards the wall. "You have to just kind of run at it."

They all looked at each other. "But," her father spoke this time. "She'll crash."

I shook my head. I explained. Then, I explained again. And I explained a third time. There were only ten minutes left until the train left. I was beginning to get a little frustrated. "Just close your eyes and run at it," I said as calmly as I could. "Now, we don't have much time."

They looked at each other once again. "I'm ready," she said as she faced the platform. Turned around and kissed her mother and father goodbye.

"Remember to write," her mother said.

"Be safe!" she was reminded by her father.

She ran right through the wall. I waved at her parents.

Four minutes left, my turn at last. Run. Run. Run. Wall. Crash? No. Exhale.

"James Potter!" My mum sounded like she was gonna bite my head off. "It was very nice of you to help out Mr. and Mrs. Evans." I smiled.

"James," it was her. "I don't think I introduced my self properly, I'm Lily Evans." She extended her hand and I shook it.

After that Lily and I were rushed into the train. We found a compartment that was somewhat empty. There was only one person in it. His name was Severus Snape, weird kid he was. He left shortly after though. Lily and I spent the rest of the train ride talking.

I met up with Emily Douglas, my neighbor and almost like my sister, she and Lily got along well. I also made a new friend, his name was Sirius Black.

The train ride seemed to take minutes because of how much fun we were all having. Afterwards we went to the castle to eat and be sorted. We all ended up in Gryffindor. What a coincidence.

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But that was then. I was an innocent, little eleven year old boy. Everything changed when we entered our third year.

I had become a Marauder. The Marauders were a group that consisted of four troublemaking, adventure seeking boys, all in the Gryffindor house. There was me, James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. We were what every girl wanted and what every guy wanted to be.

I was also one of the greatest chasers the Gryffindor team had ever seen, I was at the top of most of my classes, and I was becoming a hormonally driven teenager. I was at the height of 'cool.' And I wasn't the only one that thought so, everyone did. That is, everyone except Lily.

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It was a breezy September night and I lay lazily on the sofa by the fire, alongside my fellow Marauders. Glad to finally be at Hogwarts. Slowly but surely the common room began to empty out. Not one person failing to call out one of the Marauders names as they sleepily headed up the stairs.

"I'm bored!"

"Sirius, you're always bored." Remus became incredibly more outspoken after we found out.

"I'm hungry!" Sirius whined as a group of second year girls giggled as they waved at Sirius on their way to bed.

"I know," I just got an idea to cure myself from Sirius' contagious boredom. "Let's get food from the kitchen!" The other three Marauders looked up at me with mischievous smiles. I knew what that meant. "I'll go get it."

I quickly headed towards the dormitories looking forward to another midnight adventure. Just my luck. Guess who decided to go up to their dormitory at that exact same moment? None other than the prettiest girl Hogwarts has ever had the pleasure contain, Lily Evans.

"Hullo there, Lily," I said as pleasantly as possible.

Without looking up she said, "Hi James."

She had been acting rather cold to me lately. Like last week, when I played that prank on the Slytherins in the Great Hall; and when we caused that 'riot' in Transfiguration. It was not really a riot, more like a very small unintentional outburst.

"What's wrong Lily?" I asked, truly concerned.

She smiled... a fake smile. I could tell. "Nothing just tired that's all."

She tried to make her way around me, I moved. "Come on, Lily, spill."

"No." She moved, and so did I. She sighed. "Look James, I'm tired and you're in my way. So move."

"No."

"Fine," she pulled out her wand. I stood there. Never has anyone ever pointed a wand at me. Well, other than a Slytherin. I. Was. Shocked. I knew she had some mean hexes up her sleeve, but never did I imagine she would direct them at me.

She made her way to walk around me. I grabbed her arm. She now placed her wand directly between my eyes. I smiled.

"Lily!" I said, in an extremely annoying voice. "Now you wouldn't want to injure to the top Chaser in Gryffindor and ruin their chances at winning the Championship, now would you?"

I glanced at my mates watching from afar. They were in just as much shock as I was.

She looked disgusted, utterly perturbed. "Potter, the Quiditch team doesn't solely depend on your meager talent."

That was cold. And since when did she call me Potter! "Lily..." My grip on her arm was still firm.

"No! You know what? I'm tired of you! With you're 'James Potter is so magnificent' attitude. It's driving me crazy! I don't think you've realized just how much you've changed. Ugh, let go." I did as she said, shocked for the second time that evening. She had been holding this in for a long time, it was obvious.

I looked back at where my friends were sitting, each of their faces mimicking my own. I shook my head, hoping they would take as a signal that I was no longer hungry, or bored, or looking for adventure.

I slowly made my way up the stairs with my head bowed.

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Things were never the same after that. The more she would reject me, the more infatuated I became with her. And just as she would call me Potter, I would call her Evans. I thought it was endearing, Sirius just thought it was sad.

The years went on and Lily just wouldn't budge, her opinion of me stayed the same. But I, like a fool, became more and more, well, confident, or, as Sirius would say, conceited.

Lily became Gryffindor prefect, along with Remus, in fifth year. Fifth year, I'll never forget it. That year all our hard work had finally paid off. We had been working two almost three years to help Remus in some way.

Don't you know? Remus is a werewolf. And we finally found a way to help him. This was the year we did it, the year the guys and me became Animagus. It was our biggest, most illegal, most secretive stunt yet. And we felt like we were on top of the world because of it.

This year was when things really got serious. I knew that Lily was the only girl that I would ever want to be with. And she had never loathed me more. We had our rows, but none like the one we had at the end of our fifth year.

I'm not going to bother telling you about it though, I'm sure you've heard about it, it was our biggest, most public, most humiliating row yet. Funny thing is it happened because I asked her out.

Believe it or not it was the first time I had ever asked a girl out. Don't get me wrong I've had my share of girlfriends, but they all kind of came to me. Lily was the only who didn't.

And now as I stand here, a sixth-year at the height of my popularity, Quiditch captain for crying out loud! (Am I being conceited? The guys say I am. I don't think so.)

I, James Potter, the popular, loveable, good-looking, confident hero will conquer Lily Evans if it's the last thing I do.