Sixth Time Lucky

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and accept no credit towards it. I am not the wonderful J.K. Rowling nor am I in any way affiliated with her.

Warning: instances of bad language.

This has been in the works for a while now and I'm so glad to have finally finished it. Feedback is always welcomed!

Have a wonderful day/night!

The first time James Potter turns up on Lily Evans' doorstep, it's 1972 and she's just got home for the Christmas holidays when her mother tells her that there's a visitor at the door.

Lily's confused; Marlene and Dorcas are staying at Hogwarts and Mary's gone to Wales, but she skips down the stairs anyway and tries to ignore Petunia peeping out from behind the kitchen wall.

She turns to the door, expecting to see one of her friends from her old primary school but who should be standing there but James Potter, the irritating Gryffindor in her year who tripped her up earlier today on the train, looking sheepish and red-faced.

"Er, here." He says, thrusting a hair ribbon at her, one Lily recognises as her own. "You dropped it when I, erm-"

"Pushed me?" Lily says, trying to sound angry but at the same time kind of amazed that this boy would go out of his way to give back a silly piece of ribbon.

"Yes." Says James and coughs uncomfortably. "Anyway, my parents heard Sirius talking about it and they said I should come apologise. So, sorry." He shoves his hands in his pockets and Lily wonders what the rest of their year would think if they saw cocky, confident James Potter with his head bowed and his face tinged a bright shade of crimson. She takes the ribbon from his outstretched hand.

"Thanks." She says. "And it's okay. About knocking me over."

Lily hears Petunia shuffle behind her and instinctively she turns to look at her sister, who has an eyebrow raised and is staring at James' messy hair.

"Not to be rude or anything," Lily starts and her fingers tighten around the ribbon. "But how do you know where I live?"

James mumbles something incoherent and then speaks up a little clearer.

"I- er, I heard you telling Mary on the train."

Lily doesn't know what to say to this so she keeps staring at him, the ends of the ribbon dangling from her hand.

"Er," James looks up the street to where a middle aged couple is sitting talking on a bench and Lily speculates that they are his parents. "Can I come in?" He seems to be staring very intently into her eyes; Lily has never held eye contact with a boy for so long and she feels herself flushing. She's about to say yes when Petunia mutters something under her breath and again Lily looks at her. Petunia has been so distant lately and Lily doesn't think that inviting another boy with magical powers and untidy black hair into the house will do her any favours with her sister. So, Lily bites her lip and smiles a small smile at James.

"No, sorry. We're about to have tea."

"Oh." James looks crestfallen and his head drops slightly lower. "Oh, okay. Um, have a nice Christmas."

"You too," Says Lily and starts to close the door. "Thank you for returning my ribbon."

"S'okay." James says and turns on his heel. "And sorry for tripping you up."

It's not until Lily gets back upstairs to her bedroom and resumes her packing that she wonders if maybe he pushed her to get her attention.

Lily is thirteen the next time James Potter appears outside her house.

It's especially awkward this time because Sev is staying for supper and they're lazing on the cushions in the living room when the doorbell rings and Petunia rushes from the dining room to go answer it. She comes into the lounge a few seconds later, purposely avoiding looking at either Sev or her sister and says

"Lily, that boy's here again."

"What boy?" Says Sev at the same time as Lily jumps up and says

"Who?"

"How should I know?" Snaps Petunia and Lily wants to twist her stupid blonde hair off. "The same one who was here at Christmas last year. Tall, glasses, brown eyes. Messy black hair, you really should tell him to find a hairbrush, Lily." She leaves the room as quickly as she came.

Sev and Lily both realise at the same time who this mystery person is and there's a scary second where Sev's eyes seem to grow even blacker but then he blinks and says

"What does he want?"

And even Lily can tell that his nonchalant tone is an act.

"I dunno." She shrugs. "Better go see."

"I'll come too." Sev says, standing up, and Lily can see him reaching for his wand.

"No." She tells him firmly. "Stay here. You two can't even be in the same school without trying to kill each other, let alone room."

Sev looks disgruntled but sinks back onto the sofa as Lily heads for the front door. Sure enough, James big-head Potter is standing in the exact same place he was last year and he looks even more sheepish. This time, however, Lily doesn't smile at him. She can quite clearly remember how many times James has hexed Sev already this term.

"What?" She says coldly and to her delight she sees him falter.

"I, er, Evans-"

"My name is Lily." She tells him pointedly and James goes red again. Lily is quite sure that if she wasn't a girl he would've jinxed her already for contradicting him. Arrogant toe-rag.

"Sorry." He says and Lily feels a tiny bit mean for snapping at him.

"I got you a Christmas card." He says and holds out a red and gold envelope. Gryffindor colours. Lily's heart melts a little and her frosty exterior starts to recede.

"Thank you." She says and suddenly feels a little embarrassed. "I didn't get you one."

"It's alright." James shrugs and watches her slit the envelope open and pull the card out. It's one of those animated ones, like the chocolate frog cards she collects, except this one has thirteen pretty reindeer swooping in and out of sight and a flurry of snowflakes surround them as they dip and dive amongst the mountains. Small, tinkling sleigh bells sound out and, unless Lily's very much mistaken, the noise is coming from the card.

She opens it and James almost seems to hold his breath and she wonders what's so special about her that makes him give her Christmas cards and return hair ribbons and show up on doorsteps uninvited.

She's about to read what it has to say when Sev emerges from the living room, frowning and crossing his arms.

"Lily, what's taking you so long?" He stops when he spots James and Lily sees James mouth tighten.

"What's he still doing here?" Sev demands, looking as though he's just found something unpleasant on the bottom on of his shoe.

"Er," Lily looks helplessly between the two of them, praying to God that they don't start a fight in the middle of the hallway because her mother will not be very impressed.

"I was giving Evans a Christmas card." James says coolly and straightens up so that he's standing a good few centimetres taller than Sev.

"Lily." Sev corrects in a snappy tone and Lily notices that James doesn't apologise this time.

"Let's see this card, then." Sev says suddenly with a cruel grin and if looks could kill, Sev would've been dead twice over by now. "See what the famous James Potter has to say."

Lily is torn between two perspectives. On one hand, she supposes James sort of deserves this for being so mean to Sev throughout the term. On the other, there definitely shouldn't be so much pleasure in Sev's voice.

"That is Lily's card." James says hotly and Sev's grin grows even wider.

"Give it here, Lily." He says and snatches it before she has a chance to pick who's side she's going on. Sev scans the card, smirks, and begins to read it out loud in a high-pitched voice whilst James is turning redder and redder (though from embarrassment or anger, Lily can't tell. She thinks it might be a mixture of both).

"'Dear Lily,'" Sev starts in a horrible mocking voice. "'I hope you have a merry Christmas. You do celebrate Christmas, right? Only because Sirius told me that Muggle families don't and then Remus told me he was lying and I wasn't sure who to believe. But, if you don't, have a nice holiday. James. PS: you have very pretty hair.'"

Lily's eyes are drawn automatically to her

red locks and then back to James who's the colour of a tomato.

"I'm warning you, Snivellus," James says, red-faced and furious. "If Evans wasn't around right now-"

"Oh, how noble." Sev sneers and Lily feels so uncomfortable that she just wants to shut herself in her room and forget that this ever happened. "Wouldn't want Lily's- what was it again? Oh yes- pretty hair to distract you."

"That's it." James says, reaching for his wand. "Just you wait till we're back at school, Snape, just wait. Hey, Lily," he adds in a scathing tone. "Surely you don't want to hang out with this loser?"

"He's my-" she says and then stops because she's not sure what Sev is to her anymore. "He's my- best friend."

"Oh." Says James and looks taken aback. Lily can almost see the triumphant look on Sev's face. "Well, if you're sure, Evans. Merry Christmas." He glares at Sev but doesn't say anything else as he turns to go.

"The card was nice." Lily says suddenly. "And we invented Christmas, by the way."

She doesn't think she's ever seen James' smile grow so wide.

James doesn't visit next Christmas.

Lily doesn't tell this to anyone but secretly, inside, she's a little disappointed.

She gets over it soon enough though, when she goes back to school and finds him acting even more pompous as usual, like his head's swollen to twice it's previous size over the holidays. She often catches him whispering to Sirius in the common room, stuff usually along the lines of "I know we can do it. We're bloody geniuses, just wait." She doesn't ask him about it because he seems to be ignoring her lately (which suits her just fine, she doesn't care or anything) but she does wonder why he's spending all these late nights in the library with Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

He's still picking on Sev more than ever and that does bother her so one day she works up the courage to tell him to stop, thinking he'll listen because this is the same boy who gave her a moving Christmas card and returned her fraying hair ribbon, but to her horror, he simply laughs.

"Calm down, Evans. I'm not doing any harm."

Sev opens his mouth to protest but a large soap bubble floats out instead. From behind her, Lily hears Sirius and Peter dissolve into laughter and James is smirking too so she prods James I-can-catch-the-bloody-snitch-look-at-me Potter right in the chest and mutters a few choice words before hauling Sev off to the infirmary.

She doesn't speak to James for the rest of the term so it's a bit of a surprise when he shows up at her house the day before Easter Sunday (but then, it's sort of becoming his thing now so should she really be that shocked?)

She almost doesn't open the door to him but then she decides she might as well listen to what he's got to say because this better be good. She's expecting an apology or at the very least an uncomfortable shoulder shrug so when he puffs out his chest, shoots her a brilliant grin and says hi, she's taken aback.

"I meant to come at Christmas." James tells her, running a hand through his hair and God that's irritating. "But me and Sirius and Peter are busy working on something to help Moony so I couldn't. But I can come again in summer to make it up to you and actually I was going to anyway so- are you okay, Evans?"

"James," Lily says slowly, breathing through her nose because she's trying really hard not to start screaming. "I thought you were going to apologise."

"Apologise?" James looks confused. "I just did. Look, Lily, I'm really sorry I couldn't see you at Christmas-"

"I don't bloody care wether you came at Christmas, James Potter." Lily says, her voice rising now. "In fact, I don't care if you never show up on this doorstep again but I want you to say sorry for the way you've been treating Sev all year!"

James looks crestfallen for only a moment before he starts arguing back.

"I don't see what you see in him, Lily, honestly, everyone knows about the- the Death Eaters in Slytherin and Snape's well on his way to becoming one if you ask me-"

"Nobody bloody asked you, James!" Lily snaps but there's a flicker of doubt inside of her because she's heard these rumours too and if there's anyone who fits the bill of malicious, dark arts loving Slytherin, it's Sev. "He's my friend and I-"

"Not your best friend anymore, then." James shoots back and they're just interrupting each other back and forth, it's pathetic. "Lily, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"You're the one doing the hurting." Lily retorts, feeling the heat in her cheeks rise, the pounding of her heart get louder. "Bullying my best friend, laughing at me- where's the boy who gave me that Christmas card last year?"

"You still have it?" James looks suddenly hopeful and Lily is so disgusted she just needs him to leave.

"Go." She says, trying hard not to shout. "Just go, now."

"Why?" James says indignantly and look at him standing there who the hell does he think he is with his hair and his glasses James buggering Potter-

"Because I'm going to see Sev." Lily says, just to spite him and slams the door in his face.

Much to her delight, James doesn't visit at summer or Christmas or the next Easter and so she isn't forced to have uncomfortable conversations with a raven haired boy at her doorstep anymore.

Her mother asks once what happened to that nice boy who came knocking at the door occasionally but Lily gives her such a murderous glare that Mrs Evans quickly looks away, changes the topic to Petunia's new beau, Vernon and glosses over the subject.

James may not show up at her house anymore but he's still trying to get her attention at school, slipping her notes during Transfiguration and sitting near her at the lunch table and once, even trying to find a way to infiltrate the girls' dormitories to leave her a bunch of flowers only to have a blaring alarm go off and somehow causing Sirius to become covered in green goo.

She ignores him as best she can until that fateful day down by the lake when she's lying next to Marlene who's complaining about the exam and Mary sits up and peers in the direction of the school.

"Something's going up there." She says and Dorcas clambers to her feet.

"It's that James Potter." She reports and immediately Lily loses interest. "And Sirius Black and- oh, Snape!"

Lily sits bolt upright immediately, almost slapping Marlene in the face with her hair.

"What's happening?" She asks through gritted teeth, her fists clenched, hoping to God that Sev hasn't been stupid enough to pick a fight with James because that's just asking for trouble.

"Potter has his wand out." Dorcas tells her. "So does Black. I can't see much from here. I think James is messing with him. With Snape." She looks nervously at Lily who stands up and grabs her wand.

"Right." She says and is about to storm over there when Marlene grabs her arm.

"Lily, calm down, please. It's not that big of a deal. Snape deserves it, really, you should've heard him at lunch earlier, boasting about the dark arts, acting like he's about to turn around and curse one of us any day- just leave it."

"He's my friend, thank you very much." Lily says coldly because he is, right? And she strides away toward James and Sev and Sirius, screaming at them, hating the fact that she's giving James the satisfaction of looking him in the eye for the first time in over a year.

"I don't need help from a filthy little mudblood like her!" Sev yells and Lily can hardly believe he's just said that and there's white noise ringing in her ears and all she can hear is Marlene's voice in her head, repeating over and over "He deserves it, he deserves it, really."

Lily goes home that summer and cries, cries because Marlene was right and she was wrong and Sev was her best friend and she tries so fucking hard to fit in and he just goes and tosses that word at her like it's nothing- he has no idea of the walls he's just breached.

But mostly, she just cries because yes she's a godamned muggleborn but what does that have anything to do with anything?

It's the middle of July when her mother comes knocking at the door, telling her that she has a visitor.

Lily assumes that it's just Marlene or Mary or Dorcas or perhaps all three coming to cheer her up or maybe it's that asshole Sev come to apologise and she can punch his fucking nose in but when she goes downstairs, so reminiscent of a Christmas evening four years ago, there's a tall boy with fancy glasses and hazel eyes and untidy black hair staring back at her.

"What do you want, James?" Lily says and she's shocked at how tired her own voice sounds. James takes one look at her watery eyes and red face and immediately hugs her for about three seconds before awkwardly stepping back and dropping his hands to his side. To Lily's surprise, she doesn't feel tempted to yell or scream at him so she just stares and waits for him to answer her question.

"He shouldn't have said that." James says at once. "Absolutely, no way, that's disgusting, the bloody nerve of him, you're so much better than that, Evans, you've got to understand, you're fucking amazing and if he can't see that then he's bloody blind which I bet he is anyway, who the hell can see anything out of those greasy curtains of his and I'm gonna torture him and you better have not dared believe a word that loser said because you're brilliant and you could beat him in class or the real world any day and-"

"James." Lily says so quietly she thinks that James won't have heard but he has and stops speaking at once. "James, like I said before, I don't want you to make him apologise."

"But he should!" James says indignantly. "He called you a- a, you-know-what!"

Lily's not sure what she was expecting from James but she knows that this is the best she's going to get so she turns and is about to walk back up the stairs to resume her crying and possibly rewatch an old Disney film when James grabs her arm.

"And I'm sorry too because I probably didn't help things back then. Sirius is as well." James adds hastily. "I'm sorry for being a jerk and an asshole and picking on your friend and showing off with the snitch and being so cocky and just being James bloody Potter because I probably get on your nerves all the time and-don't get mad-that may have been the intended effect."

"I- what?" Lily's not quite sure she's heard correctly and James sighs.

"Please don't make me say it again, Evans, it's humiliating enough the first time round."

"It may have been the intended effect?"

Lily quotes and James looks sheepish.

"I thought that the best way to get your attention was to irritate you because then maybe you'd notice me."

"That still doesn't excuse bullying Sev."

Lily says and folds her arms because yeah, Sev is an asshole and she never wants to speak to him again but she's also not quite sure she's ready to accept James it's-more-the-fact-he-exists-if-you-know-what-I-mean Potter. James groans.

"Me picking on Snape was nothing to do with you, Lily, honest. I just can't stand the bloke. And," he gnashes his teeth, "with good reason." When Lily doesn't say anything, he squeezes her hand. "Look, Lily, I know I've probably screwed everything up and I'm a stupid bloody fool and, look, here you go, James Potter is a buggering, ugly git- but I would really like to be-" he swallows hard. "Friends."

For the first time in what seems like months, Lily smiles.

"You can take off the ugly," she tells him. "And okay."

James' grin could mimic the bloody Cheshire Cat and Lily's about to tell him this before she remembers that he's probably never seen Alice in Wonderland.

"Aren't you ever going to invite me in?" James asks teasingly and Lily realises for the first time that their entire conversation has been taking place with them just either side of the threshold.

"In your dreams, Potter." She says as she closes the door, dancing over to the stairs and feeling light, like the weight has dropped from her shoulders.

The next time James visits her outside of Hogwarts is the following Easter, just after his birthday, and this time he's armed with a chocolate egg and a fluffy toy chick and she's come prepared with a normal muggle card and a book about quidditch as a birthday present.

She can't help the smile that crosses her lips as she bounds out from the kitchen to see him standing - in true Potter fashion - just outside the threshold, clutching the egg and chick so tightly that she thinks it might break.

"Hey, Evans." He says when he sees her and he's grinning too, showing off pearly white teeth- and how the hell are his teeth so white? "Happy Easter- is this another festivity you lot invented?"

"Yep." Says Lily, accepting her presents and handing James' gift over. "This is for your birthday."

"Excellent." Says James but before he can tear the paper off, Lily lets out a sudden laugh and steps aside from the door.

"Would you like to come in? I've just realised that you have never stepped over that doorstep before and you've been here five times."

"Oh, Evans, I thought you'd never ask." James says gleefully and practically leaps into the hallway, running into the kitchen to introduce himself twice over and thoroughly assuring Lily's parents that no, he is not a mass-murderer and yes, he is incredibly competent with a wand (at this, Petunia lets out a small shriek but luckily James ignores her) and absolutely, he would like to stay for tea, it smells amazing.

Lily's mum does that completely mum-like thing where she winks and asks if the two of them are dating, to which Lily immediately cries a firm no and James looks rather offended for about a millisecond before recovering and offering to show the family how to clean the dishes using only a one syllable word and a flick of his wand.

When Lily has finally dragged James off to the living room, she watches him open his present and give her a one-armed hug, yelling happily about how Remus always buys him school stuff and Sirius always gifts jokes and pranks from Zonko's and Peter only gives chocolate and now Lily's given him a book about quidditch, quidditch!

"So," Says Lily when James has finished flicking through his book. "How've your holidays been?"

James lets out an incredibly dramatic sigh and Lily wonders how she could've missed this side of James Potter for so many years.

"Horrifically dull, I hate to say. Mum banned us from playing pranks on my cousin, Ella, and locked up my supply cupboard of pranks and there's not much else to do."

"Well, except to get through that massive pile of homework we've been set." Lily reminds him and then adds in a puzzled voice, "us?"

"Oh, of course, you don't know!" Says James and Lily shakes her head. "Sirius moves in with us last Christmas- his family are practically You-Know-Who supporters and they're awful, no kidding, Lils- and it makes a very pleasant change not being an only child for once."

"Wish I was an only child sometimes." Lily sighs and glances at the closed living room door. James follows her gaze and grabs her hand lying dormant on her lap.

"Don't worry about your sister." He tells her, squeezing her fingertips. "It's natural for siblings to clash, especially when they are as different as you and Petunia."

"When did you get so wise?" Lily looks up at him, a smile threatening to grace her lips. James taps the side of his nose.

"That would be telling, Evans." He pauses. "Suffice to say, Remus reads a lot of psychology books and he likes people to test him on them."

Lily laughs and in that moment, she and James are forever.

They go for a short stroll around the back of the housing estate after they've devoured the delicious dinner Mrs Evans made ("with an oven!" James says in delight "wait till I tell Sirius!"), just walking and talking and watching the sunset.

"I've really liked getting to know you properly this year." James starts, with a cautious edge to his voice. "It's nice not having you threaten to hex me wherever I go." He tries for a nervous laugh but judging from the strange sound that comes out, the chuckle died in his throat. He stops suddenly, right in front of an avenue of trees, the warm setting sun streaming onto their backs, and takes both of her hands.

"Lily Evans, I would very much like you to go on a date with me."

Lily stops.

She looks at James with his anxious brown eyes and thick curly hair and perfectly shaped cheekbones and wonders if she can imagine a world where she and James kiss in Madam Pudifoot's teashop and hold each other close in the common room and hug tight before bed and she's trying, trying, trying-

But she can't.

Aside from the obvious fact that James Potter is actually kind-of attractive, Lily doesn't know if there is any actual romantic intentions behind her oh-yes-well-his-hair-is-quite-nice facade so she bites her lip, wrings her hands, and sighs.

"I don't think I'm ready for that, James."

And he doesn't complain or moan or huff or stomp as he has the previous two times he's asked her out but instead nods, smiles, and drops her hands.

"Alright, then. I can take a hint. Still friends, though?"

"Absolutely." She tells him as they turn their back on the sunset and start to walk away, together, hand in hand, and definitely- probably -(maybe) just friends.

The funny thing is, Lily wasn't actually planning to be home for Christmas.

She'd wanted to spend her last Christmas at Hogwarts surrounded by her friends- and, yes, James too- but her mother had sent an anxious owl saying that Petunia and Vernon were stopping by for their last dinner before they moved down to Surrey for good and of course, Lily's parents had wanted Lily to be present.

So, here she is, being absolutely bored to tears by Vernon Dursley who is telling the table a fascinating story about a mixed up drill order when the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it." Lily says immediately, jumping out of her seat and knocking her sparkling water over (Petunia frowns) "won't be a minute."

She sprints down the hallway, glad of a slight reprieve, even it is probably just the postman delivering a late Christmas card.

"Hello." Says James Potter when the door opens and Lily swears that her heart stops.

And, really, she shouldn't be surprised. This is, what, the sixth time he's shown up uninvited on her doorstep without a hint of warning and secretly she knows that she loves it.

"Thank God you're here." Is the first thing she says and pulls him inside. "I'm practically falling asleep listening to Vernon bleeding Dursley in there."

"Well, that's why I have concocted a cunning scheme to rescue you." James says and shakes out his bedraggled hair. Lily raises an eyebrow.

"Alright, we- meaning Sirius, Remus, Pete, and Marlene- have concocted a cunning scheme to rescue you." James amends, looking slightly put out.

"And, pray tell, what does this cunning plan entail?" Lily asks, just to humour him.

"You'll see." James says irritatingly and sidles into the dining room. "Terribly sorry to interrupt your food, Mr and Mrs Evans, Mrs Dursley, Mr Dursley- we met at a restaurant once, don't you remember? You told me I was unemployed- anyway, forgive me but as Head Boy," he flashes his badge triumphantly "of Hogwarts-" Lily sees Petunia flinch "-I am here to inform you that Lily must return to school at once in order to fulfil her Head Girl duties."

"Oh, gosh." Mrs Evans says and puts down her knife and fork. "Right now?"

"Right now." James confirms and Lily almost laughs at his sheer nerve. Mrs Evans looks the pair of them up and down.

"Very well. Of course you must go back to school, Lily. Go collect your things, there's a dear, and do try and come back tomorrow if you can. You wouldn't want to miss Petunia and Vernon's departure."

"Yes, I effing well would." Lily whispers in James' ear and James masks a snicker under a well-timed cough.

They escape from the dull and dreary dinner in fits of giggles, dancing out into the dark night, red and black hair mixing together, green and brown eyes locking, and suddenly they're running, yelling, shrieking up to the stars, breathing in the cold air and feeling the adrenaline pump through their veins.

And James is laughing, waving, chatting animatedly about something but all Lily can see is the boy standing in front of her who she's slowly fallen in love with and she thinks it might be a miracle that of all the soulmates in the world, she gets blessed with James Potter. And suddenly she's leaning forward on her tiptoes, grabbing his face and pressing her lips onto his, feeling electricity ignite them on fire and beneath the icy sound of the wind, their hearts are pounding in what must be perfect synchronisation and if that's not a sign, then Lily doesn't know what is.

"Took...you...long enough." James pants when they finally break apart, his eyes shining with the excitement of a man who's just had his wildest dream come true. "I tell you what, Evans, you're a bloody good kisser."

Lily laughs and shoves him playfully.

"If you're angling for another one, Potter, don't push your luck."

"Sirius is never going to believe me without proof, Lils." James says and grins. "So, you'll have to kiss me again at some point."

"I don't know," Lily says. "I was under the impression that I was kissing you because I wanted to."

"Please, go on a date with me." James says immediately, hopefully, and Lily knows that she means it with all her heart when she kisses his cheek, ruffles his hair and whispers

"Yes."

Aaand, there we go.

Thank you all so much for reading! Please lemme know what you thought!

Thank you all again! Xx