Talent For Trouble

she/her | Gryffindor | 20 I relate to Lily Evans cause Harry Potter is my son and I wanna marry James Potter

[magixbeans]

The meaning of my username

[tedwardremus]

World Cup Watch Party

The boys had been turned away from six pubs.

Six.

Every one of them was packed shoulder to shoulder with shouting supporters draped in red and white scarves, tankards already sloshing over as the wireless crackled with pre-match analysis. Every doorway had a queue spilling onto the cobblestones. Every window glowed with the promise of a seat that had long since been claimed.

Peter emerged from the latest pub looking thoroughly defeated and exhausted.

"Let's just go back to my place and listen on the wireless," he groaned. "I'm tired of walking."

"Nonsense, Wormtail!" James declared. "This is the World Cup! England hasn't made it this far in nearly fifty years. History is happening tonight. We're supposed to experience it with other people."

"Preferably, people already drunk," Sirius added.

Peter threw his hands into the air. "You three are exhausting."

Remus blinked. "Three of us?" he asked. "I'm not the one insisting we keep marching around Diagon Alley."

"You encouraged him," Peter accused.

"I said, 'I'm sure we'll find somewhere,'" Remus replied.

Read More on AO3

[sceptixfakemon]

this heatwave fucking sucks how am I going to serve my liege like this

[sceptixfakemon]

im never leaving this hellsite

[sceptixfakemon]

i swear if this is the second stupid sword picture post i make that gets to 10k i'll just go kill someone

[sceptixfakemon]

FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!!!!

[sceptixfakemon]

NO

[firefeufuego]

Look you don’t have to publish this for your own sake but regulus in canon was a coward who only showed his regret when he knew he’d be dead and didn’t have to face the consequences. Same as Snape pretty much. Lily did so while alive. She’s the MVP

Haha thank you! I had more to say but the children have apparently never encountered discourse before, which is so strange when they so often try to start it.

You’re so right, and even the false equivalence between Lily and Regulus as characters and moral actors is an insult to their ‘queen’. And yet, the thing is that They also know that, hence the constant disavowal of canon. What drives me crazy is how so many people are on that post with a seemingly earnest bewilderment as to why anyone would dislike Regulus as if we’re all in the same fandom and share their characterisation of him.

Like I don’t care if it’s all fanon for these people, they seem to be having fun most of the time and I love that for them. But could there at least be some acknowledgment of the allegorical bigotry and facism they’ve chosen to build that fanon off of and that people are More than entitled to have a negative view of that foundation and even perhaps that choice. Maybe that makes them uncomfortable.

Maybe it should.

[innerchildabortionclinic]

also I don't think parents "these days" are uniquely terrible, I just think neglect is showing up in new ways as technology progresses. today's ipad kid would've been wandering around in a ditch alone all day and night before. parents not wanting to have to deal with children is not a new phenomenon.

[loveridden1999]

a good fan edit will change how to you listen a certain song forever

[bottledmemories]

[jilyawards]

June

Deerstalker (completed, 100 words) by @annabtg. Rated G.

Lily Evans goes shopping for a new hat.

Thinking of you/What you would do (completed, 2.4k) by @brightestwitch123. Not rated.

where Lily Evans holds a man's hand (not James Potter's) and is completely normal about it

jealousy, jealousy (completed, 1.2k) by @spookydanamulder-multifandom. Rated G.

On the way to their sixth year at Hogwarts, Lily Evans and James Potter try very hard not to be jealous of each other (they fail).

Testament of Youth (completed, 3.6k) by @neverenoughmarauders. Rated T.

‘Now time seems precious,’ Robert McGonagall had said quietly. Three months later, James finally understands what he meant.

Profile Match (completed, c300 words) by @tedwardremus. Rated G.

James isn't sure if he failed or succeeded at online dating

touch and go of don't know what to say (WIP, 59.6k as of 30 June 2026) by @gigglesandfreckles-hp. Rated T.

It’s not as though anyone else will be awake at whatever ungodly hour it is anyway. He’s wrong. There, in front of the fire, her long dark red hair tumbling loose down her back in a way he never gets to see in the daytime, because it’s always pulled into a tight plait, is Lily Evans.

A Risk Worth Taking (completed, 9.8k) by @jilyyall. Rated T.

Lily Evans lives in two different worlds, but she has always made an effort to share her experiences with her parents. They know about Hogwarts. They know about magic. They know about her friends. They do not know about James Potter. When a day in London turns into an accidental run-in, a slightly awkward lunch, and a conversation she can't avoid forever, Lily is forced to confront a frightening truth: building a future with someone means letting them into every part of your life. It does not necessarily mean they will remain there forever. Sometimes, that's a risk worth taking.

ANTI James Potter club (completed, 12.4k) by @vivianjily. Rated T.

Lily Evans starts the Anti-James Potter Club in sixth year, but she can never finish writing its charter. Article Five—the one meant to explain the club's real purpose—stays blank. By seventh year, as war closes in on Hogwarts, she realizes hatred requires distance she can no longer maintain. James keeps appearing in moments that unravel her certainties: protecting first-years, fighting for the defenseless, looking at her like she's worth dying for. When they join Dumbledore's resistance together, the lines blur between enemy and ally, between conviction and something more dangerous. Somewhere between combat training and their final exams, Lily understands what she's been resisting all along.

when it's too heavy to carry (remember) (completed, 3.5k) by @sunlit-di-s. Rated T.

These days, she sees Potter more often than not, being the youngest members of the Order together with complementing skills.

A Christmas Miracle (Or, what to do when your girlfriend tries to seduce you at the Christmas gathering) (completed, 2.2k) by @yallthemwitches. Rated M.

He needs an exit strategy—or at least a single brain cell to tell him to calm the fuck down. Could it really be possible that of all the shoddy lessons he’d slogged through in his pathetic quest for ‘education’, not a single one could have been ‘ What to do when your extremely fit girlfriend is unintentionally (?) giving you a hard-on at the family Christmas gathering?’ Life is so inconvenient. And cruel.

going for gold (be my home) (completed, 13.9k) by @harryissuchalittleshit. Rated M.

After breaking up with her partner after their second Olympics, Lily is in need of someone that can rival her skills and work with her. But having a bit of mean reputation on and off the ice, she has gone through her fair share of skaters. Enter James Potter, her former crush and a world class hockey star. Either they're headed for gold or last place.

Also check out the previous months' lists: January | February | March | April | May

[snapcracklepop-myjoints]

making the radical claim "11 year old children should be taught how to make extremely simple food" has resulted in people making arguments like "I wasnt allowed to plug in electronics until I was 16 and I think this is super normal actually" and "children dont know what ratios are so its unfair to expect them to be able to comprehend the idea of adding equal amounts rice and water to a rice cooker" and I gotta say originally I thought maybe I was being too judgy but now I feel very secure in my opinion because what the fuck

[hannah-snow]

Children might not know what ratios are in the sense of 1:1 notation, but they are more than capable of understanding 'you have to use the same amount of water and rice otherwise it goes wrong'.

[hannah-snow]

In addition to this, cooking is an excellent way to teach children scaling and ratio in Real Life.

[ohifonlyx33]

"Children don't understand-" AND THAT'S WHY IT IS YOUR JOB TO TEACH THEM????? LIKE HELLO??? THEY CAN LEARN??????

[meadowsofashandwisdom]

I learnt fractions because of cup and tablespoon measures. It's an excellent way to teach ratios.

[jilyawards]

May

In Love and War (WIP) by Icepen. Rated M.

After a horrible summer before her Seventh Year brings the war to her doorstep, Lily Evans knows one thing for certain-- she will not be safe at Hogwarts anymore. Her position as Head Girl, her new friendship with the Potter heir and the disgraced Black heir, the sudden and tragic murder of her parents all shoves her into a limelight she never wanted. Learning to cope with her grief and her trauma, Lily needs to navigate the treacherous waters of her new situation as the war against people like her escalates in the world she is about to graduate into.

flying lesson (completed, 3.7k) by @allrightevanss1123. Rated G.

lily evans, 11, muggle-born, anxietic as fuck and there's a human megaphone yelling instructions beside her. or james potter, 11, sees the muggle-born girl looking confused during their first flying lesson and decides he needs to help her. because thats what gryffindors do.

stuck here, with you!! (WIP) by @allrightevanss1123. Rated M.

Lily, as the respectable Gryffindor Prefect, had to mentor James Potter in the Hospital Wing for a week because Remus’ ‘sick week’ and Potter’s quidditch accident overlapped together. or James cracked tf outta his skull and heard LETSSS GOOOO

Whoever You Want (WIP) by @allrightevanss1123. Rated M.

​Lily had known him for quite a long time now—James Potter and his weird hair, his desperate jokes, and those horn-rimmed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t help but make a fool of himself in front of her every single time. But Lily had never once considered turning him down as "resisting," despite everyone else calling it that, talking about his charm and how cute he acted, how much he fancied her. He was...pretty resistible, really. ​Until he wasn't, at least.

Stone Cold and Rock Hard (completed, 2.4k) by @neverenoughmarauders. Rated T.

Lily let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. ‘James,’ she laughed. ‘When a boy and a girl agree to grab a drink in Hogsmeade, they’re going on a date.’ — Or: James Potter gets undressed and Lily Evans dives into the Black Lake for no reason whatsoever.

The Night Is Over But I'll Still Dance With You (completed, 2.7k) by @gingerqueen0567. Not rated.

Lily is so excited for the prom! Nothing can ruin the night, right?

What's In A Name Anyway? (completed, 2.5k) by @yallthemwitches. Rated T.

“Wait,” he says slowly, his heart somersaulting like it’s been taken for a ride on a broomstick, “A crush on McLauren or me?" Lily shoots him a pitiful look. “Please don’t make me admit I fancy you after basically seeing you naked,” she says bitterly, wiping at her eyes. “I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Second chances (completed, 3.5k) by @vivianjily. Rated M.

James thought he'd made peace with the slow burn of it—becoming Lily's friend, earning back her trust, hoping that eventually she'd see him as more. Then Benjy Fenwick makes her laugh and James realizes he's been fooling himself.

love struck (completed, 3.1k) by @sapphireleo. Rated G.

A love story told in colors of carnations (that he first thought were roses). Ending is kinda angsty. Red. Purple. Blue & White. Pink. More white.

BLAME (completed, 36.7k) by @blitheringmcgonagall. Not rated.

“I take full responsibility for my actions, Sir, I know that you’re going to have to expel me. There is no excuse for what happened. I’m sorry to have to put my parents through this. And Professor McGonagall, I just really wanted to tell her how sorry I am and …” His voice trailed off. Dumbledore’s cold periwinkle eyes regarded him intently, as though engaging in some complicated mental Arithmancy. “If Severus Snape corroborates what you just told me, I’m afraid that is correct, you will be expelled, Mr Potter.” A Marauders What If...? What if James had been blamed for the Prank? What if he got expelled at the end of Fifth Year? What if there was never a Lily Evans and James Potter, Head Boy and Head Girl? If they parted enemies, if they never got together in their final year in Hogwarts? What if the marauders lost James? What then?

Sweet Thing (completed, 5.7k) by @stonecoldhedwig. Rated E.

“Ask me,” he says softly. The room is so quiet, James thinks he can hear the sound of her heartbeat alongside his own. “Tie me up.” **** Or: Lily and James explore that little kink they discovered on Christmas Day.

Operation Love Languages (completed, 5.3k) by @exalthia. Rated T.

“The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate? Moony, what in the name of Merlin’s crusty toenails is this?” asked Sirius, derisively squinting at the cover. “‘Mate,’ is that some werewolf shit?” “I told you, it’s a Muggle book. I think it could help James. Listen, this bloke says there’s five ‘love languages,’ and they’re different ways of showing your love for someone depending on what’s important to them: physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, gift giving, and acts of service. Our boy has been doing none of these, and look where it’s gotten him. He’s got to woo her.” Love languages, James thought, sounded about as woolly as divination, but if they somehow helped him win Lily over, he’d do anything. He’d even probably attempt to fight the giant squid. Not bare-handed, though, he valued his life, lovelorn as it was. OR—Lily has been unimpressed with James' efforts to win her over, so he tries a new tactic. A Muggle one.

Hard Work (completed, 4.5k) by @feed-the-birdss. Rated T.

Lily Evans is drowning in the effort to belong. James Potter has never had to put effort into anything. Somewhere between broken quills, failed patronus charms, and head duties, they figure out what effort is actually worth.

four a.m. knows all my secrets (completed, 2.6k) by @jilyflowers. Rated E.

They fit together so perfectly, two pieces of a puzzle, a comfortable reminder of what she’s got, rather than what she’s lost. It's a quarter past four in the morning after a rough Order mission, and James and Lily can't sleep.

Ultraviolet (completed, 2k) by @deadlysansa. Rated G.

Emails between Lily and James & co about a missing notebook.

I’ll be Home for Christmas (completed, 4k) by @vagueshadows-fics. Rated E.

I’ll be home for Christmas. The words echo warmly in his mind, a stark contrast to the brutal cold of his present reality. He’d said those words with cavalier confidence mere days ago, his hands on Lily’s waist as he kissed her goodbye on the doorstep of the small cottage they’d moved into only a few weeks ago. He can almost picture her now, cocooned in the safety of their new home — her cheeks flushed from the heat of the kitchen, humming muggle Christmas tunes as she stirs a pot of hot chocolate. The image feels like a beacon of hope in the suffocating cold of this mission. James intends to keep his promise. Or: When a routine reconnaissance mission goes sideways, James is determined to find a way home in time for Christmas

need you like a heartbeat (completed, c500 words) by @oakheartedmuse. Rated G.

"He needed her like a heartbeat and there she was, amusing herself with his suffering." Or, James is sure he's losing his mind, but it's mostly because of the heat and this certain redhead...

Also check out the previous months' lists: January | February | March | April

[ladydiamond456]

snowy day at station

jily

[ashotofogdensoldfirewhiskey]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

The result of listening to Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” on repeat, an unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter, and the fact that the name “James” was already in the lyrics. Loosely based on “betty,” “august,” and “cardigan,” but it’s jily. Muggle AU, modern setting.

His eyes snap to her as though she’s standing beneath a spotlight. Her hair is loose, tumbling in soft waves beyond her shoulders. She’s wearing a yellow dress the color of sunshine. Her green eyes are sparkling, the twinkling lights above her reflecting in them like starlight. She’s beautiful. And she’s wrapped up in Benjy Fenwick’s arms.

[jilyawards]

March

smoke breaks (completed, 753 words) by @apalapucian. Rated T.

From the short story collection crossbow, gun, and magic (and other stories).

Phases of Longing (completed, 15.7k) by @jilyyall. Rated T.

Five weeks. It had been five long weeks since she’d seen her best friend, but Lily Evans could never forget James Potter’s adorably awkward, gangly limbs and stupidly short hair or the glasses that never fit his face right. It was just a given that James was disproportionate in an endearing sort of way. He had been for as long as she’d known him. The boy who came back from his summer in France, however, was not. The boy who came back from France was fit, and Lily wasn’t certain how she felt about that.

The Prophet's Fable (WIP, 163.4k as of 31 Mar 2026) by @petalsonparchment. Rated M.

Lily liked to believe (no, she insisted) that she could handle the visions. That if she just stayed calm and clever enough, she could outwit fate like it was an overdramatic diary entry, not a prophet's fable. The trouble was, fate didn’t seem particularly interested in being rewritten. And Lily (brilliant, stubborn, and slightly sleep-deprived) was both a Seer and a Muggleborn. A cursed combination, really, when all she wanted was to kiss some cute boys, become Head Girl, and hold her friendships together without worrying she might someday dream of them all ending. It was all a bit much for a girl who also kept having visions about a certain boy with messy black hair.

the arrangement (WIP, 21.8k as of 31 Mar 2026) by @vagueshadows-fics. Rated E.

“It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, Evans. Simple quid pro quo — you help me, I help you.” Or: All James wants is to pass his next Muggle Studies exam. All Lily wants is for Bertram Aubrey to notice her. Maybe they can help each other.

The Cohabitation Agreement (WIP, 5.9k as of 31 Mar 2026) by @charmsandtealeaves. Rated T.

His mum seems to think he’s arrogant, forgotten his roots. James wants to prove to her that she’s wrong and he can in fact stand on his own two feet and doesn’t require coddling. Her sister’s insane house rules are driving her nuts and if she has to endure Vernon’s snoring for another day she might just have a mental breakdown. Lily is determined to succeed in her own space. There’s just one problem: they’ve both signed the lease and paid the deposit in a rental scam. So it’s cohabitate or admit defeat to their loved ones. What could possibly go wrong?

Internally Evans (WIP, 7.5k as of 31 Mar 2026) by @maraudersinparadise. Rated M.

Intern Lily Evans's greatest passion is surgery, and she will not allow anything to get in the way of her future. Not even that resident James Potter.

Also check out the previous months' lists: January | February

[krasnoarmeyets]

anyway you should always remember that all those foreigners you see dying on the news are just as real people as you are who have just as much interiority as you do. there is nothing about you that makes you more important and it is by pure chance that you are not in their position. in fact, this holds for all of history. every person, no matter the horror of the fate that befell them, had just as much interiority as you do. i feel like some people haven't fully internalized this.

[kosmogrl]

september was practice… in october I’m getting my shit together

[kosmogrl]

in november I'm getting my shit together

[kosmogrl]

in december I’m getting my shit together

[kosmogrl]

in february I’m getting my shit together

[kosmogrl]

in march I’m getting my shit together

[jilyawards]

February

Scarlet Haze (completed, 6.4k) by @nodirectionhome--ao3. Rated M.

She glares at him. “Just trying to make sure Albert didn’t make a colossal mistake in choosing you. We’re going to win the Cup this year, if you can manage to stay on your broom.” OR A tale of Quaffles, Snitches, Bludgers, and two young Gryffindors ready to fall for each other.

last first kiss (completed, 3k) by @sapphireleo. Rated T.

The first time he wanted to kiss her. The first time she wanted to kiss him. Their last first kiss.

Early Riser (completed, 2.3k) by @yallthemwitches. Rated T.

“This is stupid, Evans.” There’s a silence, then Lily turns her head, eyes glassy. “What? You climbing in bed with your mate's woman friend just to be an asshole?” Lily says quietly, voice attempting to remain steady. “Yeah, it’s pretty—” “No. This. You and Prongs. Hiding shit badly and for no reason. I mean, for fuck’s sake the fact that you just referred to yourself as his ‘woman friend’ just proves to me how delusional you’re being.”

A Small Seed of Something (completed, 2.1k) by @yallthemwitches. Rated T.

James’s eyebrows raise, grin blooming. “There is nothing dramatic or delusional about saying that being with you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Evans. That’s a fact. Way better than quidditch, I reckon—” “Oh my god.” Lily sits up, half sputtering, half laughing. Taken aback, James gives her space, propping himself up on his hands with an eyebrow cocked. “Nothing is better than quidditch for you,” Lily says defiantly, cheeks burning. “Right. Well, you are.” “It’s not possible.” “It’s my barometer we are using to measure these things, Evans. So yes, actually. It is possible. Nice try though.”

First Kiss (completed, 5.9k) by @petalsonparchment. Rated T.

“You’re being really weird,” she said, blunt as ever. “Am not,” he replied automatically, which was exactly the sort of thing someone being extremely weird would say. “You stopped dead in the middle of the path and stared at me,” she’d stepped back up the hill, removing more space between them. “You looked petrified, honestly.” He hoped the grin he gave her was charming and didn’t look as remotely frightened as he felt. “I was appreciating the view.” That wasn’t a lie, because he wasn’t talking about the lake. One of Lily’s eyebrows arched with surgical precision. “The view is behind me, James.”

happy bloody valentine’s day (literally) (completed, 11.5k) by @apalapucian. Rated M.

Lily, feeling ridiculous that she feels more nervous now than when faced with five armed Death Eaters, says, "Look, I don’t — not — feel the same way." He turns to her. Processes that. Then, "You like me?" Lily purses her lips. "Yes." "As in — ?" "Yes." "As in you want to kiss me, and — ?" "Yes, James." "Oh."

Never Enough (completed, 1.1k) by @annabtg. Rated G.

It's the last day of the school year. The sixth year Gryffindors are having a lazy evening in the common room, and James is sitting next to Lily.

Closing the Gap (completed, 2.3k) by @heldinconstellations. Not rated.

She knew the pattern by heart now. They would flirt, tease, then draw the line and settle back into the safety of familiarity. But Godric be damned, it had been a whole year and an almost kiss of this cycle now. Maybe it was the firewhiskey, or just her sentimentality, or both, but she was done playing. She looked him square in the eye, her voice dropping into something dangerous. "Or, we could actually spend the night.”

bad idea, right? (WIP, 12.3k as of 28 Feb 2026) by @gigglesandfreckles-hp. Rated M.

In her first year at uni, Lily Evans broke her own heart. She always thought her relationship with James was simply an issue of timing and that things would eventually work themselves out. It's been nine years now...and she gave up on that hope long ago.

Louder Than Words (WIP, 21.4k as of 28 Feb 2026) by @loverlupins. Rated E.

Lily Evans wants to be the subject of Schumann’s Papillons, dreamy and ethereal. She wants to let herself bloom like the flowers in this early spring, resilient despite the frost that clings to their petals each night. She wants to live, forget, and relinquish all that she left behind in 1978 — and may just do so, when she sees (rather, hears) James Potter for the first time. Or, the one where Lily is tired of keeping herself from what she wants, and James is the (infuriating, glorious) new student in Professor McGonagall’s piano studio who is more than happy to oblige.

The Years (WIP, 9k as of 28 Feb 2026) by @ghostofbambifanfiction. Rated M.

"Growing up is losing some illusions, in order to acquire others." Coming of age, falling in love, and everything in between. Snapshots of moments across time.

You've ruined my life (By not being mine) (completed, 5.6k) by emmathecasualauthor. Rated G.

Lily Evans had realized that she was rather in love with James Potter about two months ago. This, she thinks, is by all accounts the worst thing that has ever happened to her.

this is the worthwhile fight (WIP, 77.6k as of 28 Feb 2026) by @ohhevans. Rated T.

“Yes. I think it matters.” James is shocked at how soft his own voice is, but even more so at the pause in her footsteps. They’re quiet for a second, and then he hears them approaching. “Why?” She asks, slowly, slowly walking back towards him, rejoining him at the wall. “Two more years at this place and nobody will care how many O.W.L.s we got last year or who was a prefect or Quidditch captain. Voldemort won’t care. This,” she gestures at the air around her, “won’t mean anything when we leave here.” “But it means something now, doesn’t it?” – It is sixth year and everything has changed, everything is changing, nothing is the same, nothing is different at all. This is a story of love and of loss (like every story that has ever been told), and of growing pains and growing up. Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, new friendships forged and old ones not forgotten, alone and not alone with their changing minds, falling in love and falling into place when the walls are falling down around them, everything is falling out from under them. OR A long form, slow burn, canon compliant tale of Lily Evans and James Potter, and all the people they love, have loved, have lost.

Also check out our January list!

[ouabhs]

jacks never had a bad track. “Glad to know you’re thinking about me when you kiss your husband.” BANGER. “But for tonight, let me pretend you’re mine.” ICONIC. “I’d probably kill another man if I found him with you like this” LIFE CHANGING. “There is nothing of equal value to me”. UNMATCHED.