Lily (Evans) Potter

[Whylorinda]

Oops! You're entirely correct-I had forgotten about Charms and being popular. Has anyone actually said that she was probably the brightest witch of her age? Because James is (as we know) pretty much fantastic at everything besides Potions, yet Harry isn't that great, academically speaking. And if both his parents were fantastically brilliant it follows that he should be as well, as things like that are often inherited, yet the only subject he really is fantastic in is DADA. I rather imagine Lily as very smart, but not entirely the academic type-at least not with all her subjects. Didn't Jo say that she was more like Ginny than Hermione?

[cmwinters]

Oops! You're entirely correct-I had forgotten about Charms and being popular. Has anyone actually said that she was probably the brightest witch of her age? Because James is (as we know) pretty much fantastic at everything besides Potions, yet Harry isn't that great, academically speaking. And if both his parents were fantastically brilliant it follows that he should be as well, as things like that are often inherited, yet the only subject he really is fantastic in is DADA. I rather imagine Lily as very smart, but not entirely the academic type-at least not with all her subjects. Didn't Jo say that she was more like Ginny than Hermione?

I don't know that it's ever been stated in so many words, but she was Head Girl.

Figuring only 5 kids of each gender in each house a year (which equals 40 students per year, times seven years, is less than 300 kids in Hogwarts at any given time. Jo said that Hogwarts has roughly a THOUSAND students, so that's probably not a good assumption to make), she was still picked out of all her collagues to be Head Girl. You don't get picked to do that on looks and charm.

Harry isn't that good at his schoolwork because he doesn't apply himself to it - he's got the raw talent. And we know James was fantastic at Transfiguration, and probably good at Charms, and because he was Head Boy, probably *good* at other subjects, but we don't know that he was fantastic at, say, Arithmancy or or Astronomy or Ancient Runes or Herbology, for instance. The Marauder's Map was a fantastic piece of work, but I'm not entirely sure how you'd apply any of those topics to that map.

And a lot of people think that Lily and Ginny are MarySues in that they tend to be good at EVERYTHING. Hermione's main failings are her slight lack of social graces, her lack of balance in academics versus anything else, and her lack of subtlety, none of which Lily or Ginny seem to lack.

[kbell]

what do you think Lily's job (and James/rest of Marauders) jobs were?


I know this is the Lily area, but I figured I'd bring up the others anyway

I know I could always say they wanted to be Aurors or something, but that's so clichéd and overused, honestly

so...any thoughts?

[SiriusismyCrony]

Time for me to post my thoughts.

Originally Posted by princesskate
I always imagined Lily knowing that she was smart, pretty, fun to be around ect... and that gave her confidence and allowed her to be cheeky. Unlike James, the confidence didn't go to her head and allow her to be arrogant. But I do think there are a lot of similarities between James and Lily, which may be why they sometimes butted heads.

I agree that Lily probably know she was smart, pretty and fun to be around. Or at least she accepted her friends and peers telling her so. Girls tend not to believe everything they're told, especially on their looks.
I do believe she was cheeky, but not often to authority. If Slughorn said she was cheeky, maybe he saw it while she was in a group of peers or maybe she was willing to be cheeky to him?
I also think that you are 100% correct on them "butting heads" because of their similarities. I've found that many people tend to not get along as well with others that have nearly the same personality as them. If they're outgoing, they want the spotlight so having someone else there that is also outgoing enough to want the spotlight wouldn't work for them -- therefore allowing some reason for that person to dislike the other.
If they want everything done their way and come to meet/work with someone that also wants everything done their way I would imagine that these people wouldn't get along that well either.
Putting two people together in a room that love process might sound like a good idea, but often times their processes are just a tiny bit different, allowing for disputes to occur.
Really, the only people I can see getting along if they had the same personality would be introverted people. And yet, it's likely that they would be so quiet that nothing would ever get done.

Originally Posted by kask
Lily was either in her late teens or very early twenties when she had Harry. She was brave and talented, in the Order of the Phoenix. But all of sudden, she's pregnant. She doesn't know what will happen with the war and she's incredibly young. She can't do as much for the Order in terms of helping, because she has a small son to take care of.

I really like this idea, although I agree with previous posts on the idea that she wouldn't dislike Harry but more James. Or moreover she would probably just get into arguments with James because none of the other people from the Order were there.
Perhaps instead of James actually being the one at "fault" it was Dumbledor? But because no one really wants to get upset with Dumbledor (he does seem fairly hard to become upset with, doesn't he?) she just takes it out on James. Not to mention mood swings as such.
(By the way kask, I really like the idea!)

Originally Posted by Fizzing_Wizbee022
Do you think that its possible that Lily and James were friendly during their time at school prior to seventh year? I'd always kind of pictured them running in the same circles given that they were in the same house and everything. James would obviously be a lot more flamboyant and well known, but I can see them enjoying the same kind of people

I think that it is quite possible they were friendly. In fact, it seems really plausible.
As other people have mentioned, they were in the same year for such a long time, they probably had some classes together and they even probably talked in the common room.
Seeing as they seem to have similar personalities (and yet so different) it makes complete sense that they would run in the same circles. Although, I don't see this happening really early on, James being pureblood and at the stage where girls are "disgusting".
I personally see them becoming friends as they got older and maybe their friends started to become interested in the others' friends.

SiriusismyCrony's Random Rambling on Lily Evans/Potter


I personally see her as someone that people could come to if they needed help, or just needed to talk. She doesn't easily forget things and once you've upset her she might "forgive" you on the outside but not completely forgive you on the inside (possibly why she doesn't seem to like her sister all that much either?).
She is willing to stand up for what she believes and doesn't often cry or show her deeper emotions in public. Such as who she likes, or when she is really hurting or upset. I imagine she would probably show when she's really happy or angry... as well as other emotions.
I think that she would be very good at charms (as other people have said) because why else would JK have mentioned her wand in that sense? Her other good subjects would obviously be Potions and most likely Muggle Studies (I'm sorry, can't recall the class name at the moment) because of her background, and she was probably interested in Transfiguration. I think that there have to be a few subjects she'd resent, so she wouldn't be good at them. She might have been bored when in History of Magic, possibly because she felt she already knew everything the teacher had to say?
I do think that she, like most every other girl, went through a time in her life where she was really interested in the idea of dating and romance. Yet, she didn't want to admit it because her friends/peers all liked the same boys she did.

/Rambling

[mankytoes]

Oops! You're entirely correct-I had forgotten about Charms and being popular. Has anyone actually said that she was probably the brightest witch of her age? Because James is (as we know) pretty much fantastic at everything besides Potions, yet Harry isn't that great, academically speaking. And if both his parents were fantastically brilliant it follows that he should be as well, as things like that are often inherited, yet the only subject he really is fantastic in is DADA. I rather imagine Lily as very smart, but not entirely the academic type-at least not with all her subjects. Didn't Jo say that she was more like Ginny than Hermione?

I think Harry didn't live up to the standards of his parents because he has so much to deal with, his focus is often away from his schoolwork. How many charms lessons has he spent whispering to Ron about various mysteries? Think about all the times that most students had time to focus fully on school, but he was thinking about the philosophers stone, the chamber of secrets, the triwizard tournament, the return of Voldemort, horcruxes ect. Its not suprise his grades weren't brilliant (though above average, I would imagine).

I've got to the point in my fan fiction where i've got to mention any jobs that Lily might have. They have left school a year. I don't imagine Lily just staying at home, I think she would go out and get herself a job, but i'm not sure what. I did think she was an auror, but that isn't canon, and doesn't really fit with my story. Any ideas?

[cmwinters]

I've got to the point in my fan fiction where i've got to mention any jobs that Lily might have. They have left school a year. I don't imagine Lily just staying at home, I think she would go out and get herself a job, but i'm not sure what. I did think she was an auror, but that isn't canon, and doesn't really fit with my story. Any ideas?

I have always thought of Lily as an Unspeakable working in the Department of Mysteries. Maybe she was studying the locked (love) room?

[Ryan The Wizard]

I never really figured Lily as a working girl to be honest. Once she was with James, she settled down and became a housewife. So what I would suggest, if James and Lily aren't ready to marry in your story, is to give her a part-time job at the "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" of the time. Or some other shop like that.

[kask]

I never really figured Lily as a working girl to be honest. Once she was with James, she settled down and became a housewife. So what I would suggest, if James and Lily aren't ready to marry in your story, is to give her a part-time job at the "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" of the time. Or some other shop like that.

Lily? A house-wife? I don't see that at all! Obviously this isn't Canon, but Lily (from what we know) was very talented and smart. For Severus to fall for her, she must have been something very special. I don't see her settling to be a housewife. There's nothing wrong with it, of course, I just don't see Lily doing that. She seemed very driven. I don't think she'd just not have a career and live off of James' money.

I always saw her as a Healer-in-training or working for the Ministry, but maybe stopping to go full-time Order after a little bit.

[Phoebe Gruzelieur]

Lily's job: I think she'd do something that was important and meant something to her, so a lot of it really depends on how you develop her character.
Some suggestions:

• Unspeakable
• Working in the Department for magical Creatures
• Law Enforcement Squad
• Teaching at Hogwarts (maybe as a favour for Dumbledore?)

But really, you just have to use your imagination, and find one that suits your Lily!

[meryal]

I'm working on a James/Lily one-shot and I'm trying to avoid the clishe of her being afraid of heights. In my fic, she is good at flying, but since she's good at flying, she's suddenly intellegent, athletic(ish), and pretty. What clear flaw could she have that stands out enough to keep her from being a Mary-Sue?