1. He never wipes that silly grin off his face.
Lily looked around the lawn, smiling. The colors were perfect. Her auburn hair matched perfectly with the colors of the vibrant autumn leaves, and the cloudless blue sky coordinated with the ribbons on the white chairs.
2. Every single girl at Hogwarts wants his attention.
"Lily, hun, the guests are coming soon. You should really go get dressed now." James reminded her with a lighthearted smirk. "By the way, your hair looks absolutely lovely."
"Thanks, James." Lily smiled as they turned away from each other. She really did need to hurry up; in just an hour, 104 of her closest friends would be here to see her on the best day of her life.
3. He looks perfect without even trying.
Lily was back in the Gryffindor common room for the first time in two years. It had been set up with extra mirrors, stools, and clothing racks just for this occasion.
"Lily, stop messing with your hair and put on your dress!" Mary grabbed Lily's wrist, stopping her just before she reached the curls framing her face, and laughed.
"I hope I'm not this obsessed with my hair on my wedding day" Mary cackled, and Savannah piped up,
"You won't be - nobody is as much of a perfectionist as Lily."
4. He rules Hogwarts, its grounds, and its students.
With her dress on, her hair finally secured under a veil, and time to spare, Lily looked out the window of her old common room. From high in Gryffindor tower, she could see down the sloping lawns, over chimneys and towering trees, all the way past the black lake to the forests in the distance. She remembered her first day at Hogwarts, when the school had seemed so intimidating. Today, eight years later, she knew each path through the grounds like the back of her hand.
5. He's head boy.
As Lily walked through the castle, closely followed by Mary and Savannah (still shrieking with laughter), it took all her willpower not to cry. The rooms and corridors of Hogwarts held some of her and James's best memories; here they had had their first kiss, and here Lily helped James magically dye Mrs. Norris green. Each footstep echoed in the cold stone hallways, reminding Lily of late-night patrols and stolen moments. These memories seemed so distant - marks of a long-past childhood that, if not gone already, would certainly vanish today.
6. He's a pureblood.
Approaching the throng of eager guests, Lily bade Mary and Savannah goodbye and watched them join the rest of her friends from out of sight before beckoning her mother towards her.
"Lily, dear, you look stunning; almost as good as Tunia looked on her wedding day," she teased.
"Gee, thanks mum," Lily quipped before pecking her mother on the cheek.
"I've just had a nice chat with James's parents, and they've introduced me to the rest of his family. There's so many of them, and they're all so sweet!"
"You know, mum, I'm sure the rest of the guests would like to hear from you as well. Have you met Remus yet? I'm sure you'll just adore him." Lily steered a protesting Mrs. Evans back towards the crowd.
7. He's always messing up his hair.
As the ceremony began, Lily watched James. Compared to the James she had spoken to earlier in the morning, this James seemed so… clean. He wasn't wearing his glasses - a sight Lily had only seen two or three times before. For once, it looked as if he had at least tried to comb his hair - unsuccessfully of course. Lily could tell he was trying his hardest not to break out into a grin while listening to the minister's soft speech.
Everyone in the crowd looked exceptionally tidy. Savannah had exchanged her usual bright red lipstick for something more modest, Petunia had somehow managed to make Vernon shave - something he rarely deigned appropriate in the presence of "those unnatural folks" - and Sirius had tied his long hair back in a neat ponytail.
8. He is a natural at quidditch.
Lily had never thought of herself as the kind of person to get cold feet on her wedding day, and she wasn't. As the music began and she stepped down the aisle, though, the possible bad outcomes chased each other through her head, all followed by the horrific "What if I trip?" She tilted her head slightly downward, just to check that her feet were still moving. Looking back up, she caught James's eye, smiling tentatively. He smirked back, and winked; Lily could hear his teasing voice ringing in her ears:
"Come on Lil, it's not that hard. Just put your left foot in front of your right, then right in front of left; almost as easy as riding a broomstick."
9. He always knows just what to say.
Lily had been to weddings before, but she couldn't remember the minister talking for this long before the vows. At Tunia's wedding, it was obvious that the couple had asked the minister to keep it as short as possible - Tunia was never a patient sort. Lily had expected the minister's speech to be long and unbearable, but now that he was talking about her life and her love and her James instead of Tunia and Vernon, Lily couldn't help but listen and smile and think "This is my wedding day."
10. He doesn't want anyone but Lily Evans.
"Do you, Lily Dawn Evans, take James Christopher Potter as your lawfully wedded husband…?"
"I do."
"And do you, James Christopher Potter, take Lily Dawn Evans as your lawfully wedded wife…?"
"I do.."
As the minister pronounced them husband and wife, Lily looked up into James's face. The crowd of friends and family entirely forgotten, she smiled at him and took his hand just before he pulled her into a tight embrace and they kissed for what felt like the first time. As they broke apart, James leaned forward and whispered "Mrs. Lily Potter," and they grinned at each other, turning to face the crowd.