Disclaimer: all characters, places etc., are the property of J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Prompted by DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows: "Okay, okay. It's totally awesome for McGonagall to be McGonagall and I think it calls for a McGonagall Appreciation Post. I think it would do well in the Marauder area. Maybe at a Valentine's Ball (or just during the date) James/Sirius/both would just corner Minnie transfigure roses give it to her and peck her on the cheek and dance. Maybe from Lily's point of view when she's starting to like James and realize he's not so much of a git anymore. I don't know."

#5 - Second Thoughts (A.K.A. The Minerva McGonagall Appreciation Post)

When she'd been a little girl, Lily had always dreamed of her fairytale prince. She had painted herself not as a damsel in distress, but as a strong princess who wasn't waiting for her perfect man to come along and save her – she was simply waiting for him to show up and sweep her off her feet. As she grew older, she realized that Prince Charmings were few and far between, but she didn't give up hope. She was sure that she was going to find her prince, no matter how long it took.

Of course, when her Hogwarts letter had arrived, she'd momentarily forgotten the fantasy and focused instead on the wonder of being a witch. She had been so caught up by the magical world that she never knew existed that it wasn't until she actually arrived at Hogwarts that she remembered her dream. She had searched eagerly for him in the Great Hall during the Sorting, and she'd been especially intrigued by a boy with messy dark hair and round glasses.

A few days into her first term at Hogwarts, she learned that the dark haired boy was called James. And then not soon after, she had learned that he was actually a bit of a prat. He joked in class, he pulled pranks on teachers and he was bullied other students – like Lily's friend Severus. However, James was at his worst when it came to the Transfiguration teacher and the Head of Gryffindor house, Professor McGonagall. James and his best friend Sirius constantly tortured the professor, though to her credit, she could hold her own with them. Lily had always been irked when they pranked Professor McGonagall. She was Lily's favourite teacher – after Professor Slughorn, of course – and Lily didn't think she deserved the inconvenience. Besides that, Lily kind of identified with the professor. She liked to think that McGonagall was like her - searching for her prince charming.

So Lily's opinion on James was a bad one, although that didn't stop him from asking her out at every chance he got. She rejected him numerous times even during that first year at Hogwarts, and as the years wore on, the rejections piled up. By the time their seventh year rolled around, Lily was sick to the teeth of saying 'no' to him. She was also sick of searching for her prince, who had yet to show up even after seventeen long years.

Her lack of a prince meant that she was spending yet another Valentine's day alone, though matters were made even worse this year by the introduction of the Valentine's Ball – an absurd idea put forth by Professor Dumbledore in an effort to make the children more sociable. Lily was one of the only girls without a date, and she spent most of the dance hovering by the refreshment table with Mary MacDonald. She scanned the Great Hall with disinterest, though she straightened up a little when she spotted James and Sirius striding across the Hall. They looked suspicious – they were up to something, she could tell. She excused herself and followed them, noting with dread that they were heading in Professor McGonagall's direction. She hoped they weren't going to embarrass her.

She stopped a few yards away and watched as they snuck up behind the professor. She didn't seem to notice them. Before Lily could cry out, James and Sirius each threw an arm around the professor. They leaned in and pecked her on the cheek before magically producing two beautiful bouquets of red roses.

"For you, madam," Sirius said grandly, dropping into a sweeping bow. He grabbed Professor McGonagall's hand before she could step away and dragged her into a waltz, which she was surprisingly quick to go along with.

"For putting up with all of our shenanigans," James added, grinning at the twirling couple. "You are truly a wonderful professor and we hope you will do us the honour of being our Valentine."

Professor McGonagall's face grew red. She stepped away from Sirius and she started to scold the pair, though Lily could tell that she was struggling to avoid laughing. As if he could sense her watching, James caught Lily's eye and winked at her cheekily, sending chills down Lily's spine.

Maybe, she thought fondly, he wasn't such a git after all.

Oops. I got kind of off topic here. So it's kind of like Lily's Prince Charming/Minerva McGonagall Appreciation Post. Oh well. Please review and prompt! :)