Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Knut for your Thoughts?
By The ORIGINAL Meathead

Lily Evans sat silently next to the Hogwarts Lake, her favourite place just to sit and think, with her knees drew up to her chest. She shivered. She had come down to the lake straight after dinner, slipping out hopefully, unnoticed.

The last few months had been tough on her and she had been looking forward to going home for Christmas break. Having to deal with all the students in her new role as Head Girl as well as keeping up with her homework and extra study for her NEWT's was tiring for sure but she had managed to keep top of every class...except transfiguration.

In all her other subjects she barely had to strain herself to keep in no. 1 position but with Transfiguration she had to work three times as hard just to get average marks. Professor McGonagall was even thinking of getting someone to tutor her.

But that wasn't what she had come here to think about. She had come here to think about some new feelings that she was currently experiencing that concerned her, very handsome, very popular, new partner. James Potter had somehow secured the position of Head Boy, his past record of pranks and detentions seemingly inconsequential to his appointment.

For as long as Lily could remember, she had loathed James. The reason? Well, she couldn't remember that. All she could remember was that nearly every time she saw Potter, he would ask her out and she continually rejected him.

She had seen him as nothing but an arrogant, bullying toerag and as she had told him many times, she would rather go on a date with the Giant Squid than with him...if he didn't fix his attitude problem, that is.

Much to her surprise when they met again on September 1st on the train to Hogwarts in the Heads compartment, he had changed and now, nearly four months later he still hadn't asked her out once.

Lily had to admit that she kind of missed all the attention. No matter how many times she yelled and screamed at him she couldn't deny the fact that she loved getting showered in compliments.

What girl wouldn't want the most popular, most handsome, most sort-after guy in the school telling her how beautiful she was? A strange girl indeed.

However, Lily was soon used to not getting as much attention and now, other guys apart from Potter have even started to ask her out, but she still rejected them. This caused rumors to fly around the school saying that she had fallen for someone. That had then started the questions and rumours of Who? How long? Why?

Lily mentally snorted. How could someone question why they had fallen in love? Love just happened, it didn't come with a yearly planner that told you who you were going to fall in love with, why you loved them and when it was going to happen, it didn't tell you if it was just a crush or even if you were going to fall out of love.

Lily sighed and shifted so that she was lying on her back looking up at the night's sky. How she wished she had a book like that that could answer all her questions. She heard the soft crunch of shoes on grass walking towards her. She flipped herself over onto her stomach and looked up into the eyes of the person who had been the stimulant of her slightly melancholy thoughts.

"Hey James," she said softly, her stomach filling up with butterflies.

"Hey," he replied, "Do you mind if I join you?"

Lily shook her head in reply and moved over so that there was room for him to sit down next to her. She propped her head upon her hands and turned to face James. She gave him a small smile and could see the happiness in his eyes as he returned the smile. 'I guess a smile does go a long way, big or small,' she thought.

"It's going to rain."

Lily glanced up at the sky and saw dark, heavy, rain clouds heading their way. In the distance thunder rumbled. James leaned against the tree behind him, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Lily took this time to observe him. He was handsome, very very handsome and there was no denying that. His black hair never lay flat, it was always ruffled, looking windswept and although Lily hated to admit it, it suited him perfectly and added a certain playfulness to his features.

Even though his eyes were closed right now she knew that they were a deep hazel color that could draw you right into the depths. The thing that had her most intrigued was that they seemed to be looking right into her soul.

After a few minutes James eyes flicked open and Lily quickly withdrew her gaze.

"Knut for your thoughts?"

Lily considered her answer before saying in a soft voice that was barely heard, "How do you know when you're in love?"

She quickly looked up at James to see his reaction. Unsurprisedly, there was a look of surprise on his face. After a few seconds silence Lily sighed and lay back down on the ground with her head in her hands, not expecting an answer.

So when James started talking a minute later she looked up, surprised. He had once again lent back against the tree and closed his eyes. He started off slowly.

"Love is hard to describe...when you're in love, you feel like you're this huge bubble of happiness that could burst, at any time, if rejected. Only the strongest of loves can withstand much of that. Sometimes...people try to hide their love for some by smothering it with another emotion."

He cracked open one eye to see if she was listening and when he saw her watching and listening attentively a small smile appeared on his face.

"When they smile at you, you feel like your heart could explode with bliss and when they talk to you, you go weak at the knees. The thought of them with someone else nearly drives you mental with the pain, but deep down you know that someday you will end up together, you know that you were meant to be."

Heavy silence followed this until Lily murmured, "wow."

"So, my dear Lily flower," James teased, "Have you fallen in love?"

Lily looked him straight in the eye and without hesitating said, "Yes."

Several emotions flashed quickly across James's face before he said in a soft voice, "Whoever he is, he's the luckiest guy in the world."

Lily opened her mouth in surprise. She spent a few seconds contemplating how to answer but finally she decided that it was better not to answer. She slowly turned over what James had said about love in her head. It suddenly struck her just how much James knew about the subject.

Her heart contorted with pain at the thought of him with someone else. Her mind drifted back, once again, to her younger years. Even though James had asked her out a numerous number of times, she wasn't sure if it was something as deep as love, for all she knew it might have just been a silly crush. Still, no matter how infuriated he had made her feel, she knew that if he had stopped asking her out sometime last year instead of this year, she would have missed the attention dearly. Lily came to a quick decision.

"James," she said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you...are you in love with somebody?" she asked timidly before quickly adding, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to you know." but she still looked at him hopefully.

He refused to meet her eye, as if afraid of what he might see in reaction to his answer.

"Yes," he replied softly, but Lily could hear the pain in his voice and it sparked her curiosity.

Knowing that this was a dangerous subject and wanting to keep their friendship in tack she said in a soft but curious voice, "How long?"

James took his time replying but when he did he said, "I don't really know when it turned into love," he said slowly, "I developed a crush on this girl...in first year. My first thought about her was 'Gods she's beautiful.'" he sighed. "My view on her hasn't changed to this day."

He paused, glancing down at Lily who was transfixed with his story, not knowing just how closely she was related to it.

"By third year I had realised that the feelings I harbored for her went deeper than that a normal crush and it took me two years to come up with the courage to ask her out but…she rejected me," he sighed once again, "For the next week I was falling apart on the inside, but I learnt to...uh...survive, I suppose you could say, with small interactions with her every now and then."

He leant back against the tree behind him, closed his eyes and sighed, still refusing to look Lily in the eye. After listening to what he had to say Lily had a fair idea of who it could be and after a few minutes of silence she spoke.

"Hey James..." she trailed off.

"Hmm?"

"Can you do something for me?"

Lily moved so that she was sitting on her knees directly in front of James.

"Only if it requires me not moving or opening my eyes."

Lily stayed silent for a moment before nodding. She realised then that James couldn't see her nodding so said in a soft voice, "OK but you might be a bit surprised."

James smiled a small, sleepy smile saying, probably without thinking, "I know you too well to be surprised."

If anything this hardened Lily's resolve, she smiled a secret smile. "Whatever you say James, whatever you say."

Lily, using her Gryffindor courage, leaned forward and brushed her lips gently against James' lips. James' sleepy disposition immediately became alert. Who could sleep through electricity like that?

"Did you...did you just kiss me?" James said his voice hoarse from emotion.

Lily just nodded, not trusting her voice just yet. James just looked at her, too shocked for words. Keeping in mind that actions spoke louder than words, James leaned forward catching Lily's lips with his own. He looped his arms gently around her waist.

Lily unconsciously slipped her arms around his neck to bring him closer, deepening the kiss. They pulled apart a few minutes later, breathless.

"I love you Lily Marie Evans, with all my heart, forever and always."

"And I you James, and I you."

The End.

Please R&R. ALL comments are welcome. :-)

Sam