A/N: Well this was going to be a one shot but it got way too long. Oh well. This is my first Lily/James fic…I haven't even read that many of them. So, if I've inadvertently copied someone's idea I'm sorry, it certainly wasn't intentional. Great minds think alike eh? Enough with this, lets get to the story.

Disclaimer: All of it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Brothers, blah blah blah.

Never again. Never again will I fall for Potter's smooth talk. I always knew there was a reason I hated him.

I remember back in third year when I was young, stupid and smitten with Potter for some unknown reason. Well, not unknown. I was amazed by his skill in Transfiguration, entranced by his talent on the quidditch pitch, and his messy, windswept hair simply drove me mad. I practically threw myself at him whatever chance I got.

Well, I didn't throw myself at him per say, because I am Lily Evans, and Lily Evans doesn't throw herself at anyone, least of all some silly boy. I simply…tossed myself at him, very gently.

Well perhaps, not so gently. Black picked up on it, and Merlin knows if Black could figure something out it had to be blatantly obvious.

Needless to say, he and the other "Marauders" took it upon themselves to make my life a living hell. I was a bookworm, shy, and didn't have many friends. So I was of course the perfect target for four boys with the combined brain mass of a walnut. Well, three boys; Remus never really liked to join in their jokes.

Why I didn't start hating him then I have no idea. I didn't even begin to feel a twinge of dislike for him. Not until he started dating my popular, beautiful dorm-mate Marlene McKinnon. Pettigrew had the genius idea of this new way to crush my spirits. He suggested James go out with her, and purposely…display affection in front of me.

With much prodding from my best, and only, friend Dorcas Meadowes I cornered Potter outside Zonko's on one Hogsmeade weekend. The conversation is still burned in my memory.

Shy, quiet me tapped James on the shoulder as he and his gang exited the joke shop. He turned around with a winning smile, which faltered slightly when he saw me.

"Oh, hello there Lily." He said, and made to turn back to his friends.

"James I-I need to talk to you." I said, unable to meet his eyes.

"Uh, well, we were going to the Three Broomsticks just now, can we talk later?" He said, casting a pleading glance at Sirius.

"We were?" Peter said stupidly, then squealed in pain as Remus stomped on his foot.

"Tell you what mate," Sirius said grinning. "We'll get you a butterbeer and save you a seat so you can spend some time alone with your fair maiden." He gave James a huge wink and strode away, pulling Lupin and Pettigrew with him.

James' expression looked murderous as he turned roughly towards me, but his face softened slightly as he looked into my eyes. "Ok then Lily, what did you want?" He asked, giving me a small smile.

"Um, well. Um." I said, staring at the ground.

"Yes?" He prodded.

"I—uh. I well, I f-fancy you." I said, face burning.

"I know." He said shrugging.

"Well, do you—ah, fancy me as well?" I said meekly.

He gave me an appraising once over. "I suppose I could. But I'm dating Marlene. You know that." He said, eyebrow raised.

"Right." I said. He started to walk away, but I called after him. "Wait!"

He stopped, not even turning to look at me.

"But if you could fancy me, why are you dating her?" I asked, hoping against hope his answer wouldn't break my fragile thirteen-year-old heart.

He looked over his shoulder at me, said breezily. "Because I can," and continued down the street to the Three Broomsticks and his three cronies.

I raced to the carriages that would take me back to school. I was devastated. How could the object of my affections be so arrogant, so insensitive, so unfeeling? Surely there was some good in him. Surely I didn't have that bad of taste.

That's when my dislike of Potter started, but it certainly wasn't when it ended.

I observed him throughout the rest of the year and continually was met with his "Because I can" attitude. While it made the Marauders famous—or infamous, depending on who is telling the story, it made anyone deemed unworthy by the foursome into dung.

One day, before Potions class began James started jinxing a Snape, a pale, greasy, harmless Slytherin. Angrily I marched up to him and demanded to know what he was doing.

"Hexing Severus, what does it look like Evans?" He said jovially as Sirius laughed appreciatively.

White-hot rage boiled inside me. "But why! He didn't do anything, how could you do such a thing!" I screamed.

"Ah Lils, certainly you of all people know why." He said smoothly. Quickly he took the jelly legs jinx off Snape, and put a full body bind on him. He lowered his head so his mouth was right beside my ear. "Because I can." He whispered.

"Tarantallegra!" I shouted. Potter's legs began flailing uncontrollably. "Never call me that again." I said icily, and quickly preformed the counter curse on Snape.

As I helped him up I noticed the tears of rage in Snape's eyes. Unfortunately, so did Black. "Oi! Snape! Stop sniveling!" He cried, insensitively across the corridor at Severus.

"Don't be giving me orders, you blood traitor!" Snape spat at Black as he pushed me away.

"Fine. Have it your way…Snivellus." Sirius said. The new nickname for Snape was met with a roar of laughter from all the Gryffindors, including Potter, whose legs were still jerking uncontrollably.

I was given detention for my spellwork, but hexing Potter was more than worth pickling toad spleens for three hours.

When James snogged a vacant-eyed, blonde Hufflepuff a week before summer holidays I was the one to hold Marlene and allow her to cry on my shoulder.

"I don't understand." She gasped through sobs. "Why would James do such a thing?"

"Because James Potter is a git." I said grimly.

"Why do you hate him so much?" She asked curiously.

I sighed. "Because he can make a smart, pretty, funny, amazing, nice, brave girl like you feel like this." I finished with a smile at her.

"Thanks Lily." Marlene hiccupped, and smiled back through her tears. "You know, you've really changed a lot this year. You've come out of your shell."

I thought back to what I was like at the beginning of the year and nodded. "Yes, yes I suppose I have."

"I'm glad." Marlene stated.

The next day at breakfast I was surprised when an owl brought me a letter. I was not expecting anything from my parents, and they were my only correspondents. I tore the seal and my eyes scanned the scratchy writing.

Evans,

I'll save you the trouble of asking why I did it.

Because I can.

Yours,

Potter

My hands shaking with suppressed anger I glared down the table where James was sitting. He caught my eye, winked and shot a cocky grin in my direction.

Luckily we were leaving the next day so I didn't have to go through the torture of interacting with Potter any more my third year. Instead I went home to my family and had the worst summer of my life.

No, I didn't have fights with my parents. No, I didn't accidentally use magic. No, I didn't have more than the usual amount of arguments with Petunia. I became…"pretty". I didn't realize it at the time. In fact I didn't realize it until I arrived at King's Cross…at the same time as the Potters.

James and his father were straining to lift James' trunk onto a trolley. It was a difficult feat, considering how many pranking materials Potter could seem to fit in one piece of luggage. Mrs. Potter was standing beside them, laughing at her husband's and son's efforts.

I sped up my walking, attempting to pass Potter without him noticing. Unfortunately I walked behind him just as he succeeded in situating his trunk on the trolley. He backed up to admire his work and smacked into me. I sprawled out face first onto the stone floor, mentally adding one more thing to the list of things I hate about James Potter.

"Oh, my Miss. I am so sorry." James said as he helped me up.

"Don't mention it." I grunted.

"Ok then." Potter said, obviously confused.

"Lily!" My mother swooped down on me. "Oh Lily darling, are you all right?"

"I'm fine Mum." I said quietly, pushing her away.

Meanwhile, Potter's eyes were popping out of his head. "Evans?" He said in disbelief.

"Yes?" I said defiantly.

"W-wow, you sure have changed." He said, giving me an appraising once over for the second time. "I didn't even recognize you."

"James?" Mrs. Potter asked smiling. "Who is this young lady?"

"Oh, this is Lily Evans mum. She's in my year and in Gryffindor." James said, not taking his eyes off me. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Pleased to meet you Lily." Mr. Potter said, extending his hand for me to shake.

"Likewise." I said, trying to figure how two people as nice and courteous as Mr. and Mrs. Potter appeared to be could possibly have produced a son like James.

My parents and the Potters quickly fell into conversation, leaving James and me to walk in front of them in awkward silence. When we finally reached the platform I began to say good-bye to my parents.

"You mean there's no way for you two to get on the platform to see her off?" Mrs. Potter asked incredulously.

"Unfortunately, no." My father sighed. "I'm always worried sick whether she got through all right or not. We make her owl us as soon as she gets to school."

"Well, Lily give me your trolley." Mr. Potter said briskly. "James, give yours to your mother and help Lily through the platform." He turned to my parents. "We'll see them off, then come back and tell you how it went."

"Thank you." My mother said gratefully. "Be good Lily! I love you. See you at Christmas."

"Bye princess." My father said, pulling me into a hug. "Take care of yourself, ok? Love you."

"I love you too." I said to my parents. "Bye! I'll owl you soon!"

I turned to James who was holding out his hand to me. "What?" I asked.

"I'm helping you through the barrier." He said, flashing a grin at me.

"I don't need your help." I said briskly, beginning to walk towards the barrier by myself.

"Lily, don't be rude, James is only trying to help."

"Yes princess, let him help you."

Sighing I stopped and allowed James to catch up with me. He reached me and slid his hand into mine. I flinched, but allowed him to pull me through the barrier.

Just before I made it all the way through I swear I heard Mrs. Potter say, "They look simply darling together, don't they?"

"Here you go princess, the Hogwarts Express." Potter said as soon as we appeared on the other side.

"Don't call me princess." I snapped. "And let go of my hand!" I added as an afterthought.

"Of course your majesty." He smirked as his parents appeared with our luggage.

I thanked Mr. and Mrs. Potter for their trouble, then set off to find my friends.

And so "The Evans Crusade" (as Black christened it) began.

A/N: So…how am I at Lily/James? I know James is a big fat jerk, but Lily had to have some reason of hating him. Please tell me if I should continue or stick with Ron/Hermione. Thank you for reading!