Masterpiece

Disclaimer: Everything Harry Potter related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros., etc.

Summary: Every girl wants to be like Lily Evans and find her James Potter.

Posted: 9/28/07

Masterpiece

They'll say, "Every girl wants to be like Lily Evans and find her James Potter." And in their mind they'll envision a masterpiece of flesh, a god of a man to go along with one of the greatest love stories ever told.

He'll be tall...tall and thin, with messy, jet black hair and a long perfectly shaped nose; and oh, forget-me-not hazel eyes! They'll picture him in his majestic Quidditch robes, with smudges of dirt and sweat around his face: caressing his cheek, accenting his forehead, my what a divine specimen even through the filth! They'll hear his beautiful promises. The proclamations of love: The gorgeously crafted words that would win any girl's heart.

And maybe they'll picture just how this perfect pair of lovers fell in love. They'll concoct in their own mind what happened. Some will think he grew up -- he became the man who would give his life, give everything he had, for his wife and newborn child. Some will think that it all began in seventh year when they entered as Head Boy and Girl. She finally saw how marvelous he truly was. Others may see him as Prince Charming. They'll see him saving her, him proving his love without words. He'll heal her pains, stop her sorrows and in turn, earn her heart.

Yes, what a wonderful story, they'll say. What a beautiful romance! As Lily overcomes her stubbornness, as James proves his value. And together they ride off into the sun that never seems to set.

Forget Romeo and Juliet - every girl wants a love like Lily and James'. Every girl wants her gorgeous Prince on his noble steed to come and save her, to come and show her what love means.

It's true. They'll say, "Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James." To be loved and cherished and saved. But it wasn't James who saved Lily. It was Lily who saved James.

She should've known it would turn out all right. Maybe not how she'd imagine--maybe not how she'd ever think she wanted it; but she should've known from the bright, lively, sunlit day that all would be well.

She was seventeen with, pardon the muggle phrase, the world as her oyster. Her future was as far as the eye could see; the sky, the limit. She wore a beautifully polished badge upon her robes. Finally, she thought, smiling to herself as she boarded the train, a reward for my hard work. She was Head Girl; she had every privilege a student could have; she had the respect of a fine headmaster, Albus Dumbledore; she had--a door hit her squarely in the face.

A gruff voice behind the door growled, "What the fuck?"

Stumbling back, with her head pressed firmly on her forehead, Lily could still distinguish the voice of James Potter.

He turned his head around and saw her. His voice softened slightly--the growl subsided to a mere wolf.

"Lily!"

She didn't pause to wait for an apology she wasn't sure would ever come; instead she ducked past him and kept walking. As Head Girl, she had to promptly meet the Head Boy, whom she assumed to be Remus Lupin, and prepare for the Prefects to come aboard -- a conflict with Potter wouldn't fit into her schedule.

She heard treading footsteps behind her and was slightly amazed to see James following her. Pushing any aggressive thoughts out of her mind, she pushed the compartment door open and found, when she attempted to close it behind her, it resisted.

"What--" she said under her breath.

It wasn't until he turned around to yell, "Watch where you're going, you little prat! Do you know who the fuck I am? James Potter, that's who--" that Lily noticed the Head Boy badge on his robes.

"Potter?!"