disclaimer: written by lexie-H

Eleven year-old James Potter tapped his watch impatiently. Why wasn't it moving? Dang it, he had to know what time it was-if he was late for class again, and his mum found out (somehow, she always did-how he'd never know, but she did), he was worse than dead! He sighed in relief as a girl his age walked past him-maybe she could tell him what time it was.

"Hey, you!" he called. The redhead turned around.

"What?"

"Can you tell me what time it is?" The girl glanced at his wrist where his watch was fastened.

"Why don't you look at your watch?" she huffed before walking briskly away before he could explain that his watch was stuck.

"Darn!" twelve-year-old James Potter cried, tapping the face of his watch. Once again, his watch had stopped working, and he couldn't remember the spell to get it working again. He needed to meet his friends at noon, and he had no idea what time it was. He smiled happily as the current object of his affections, Lily Evans, came into view.

"Evans!" he exclaimed happily. She glared at him.

"What do you want, Potter?" she snapped.

"Can you tell me what time it is? My watch-" Lily cut him off.

"Is on your wrist. Look at it," she said before flouncing off. James sighed. His friends were going to kill him if he was late...

"Damn!" thirteen year old James Potter cried in exasperation. "Every year! Sirius, do you have your watch on you?" The black haired boy across from him shook his head.

"No, mate; I never wear my watch. Why?"

"Every year, my damn watch stops working just when I need it to work! Last year it was when you, me, and Peter were going to talk to Remus about his 'illness' and first year it was the day I was late to McGonagall's class for the eighth time in the first three weeks of school, and Mum pitched a fit," James explained. "This time, I'm going to be late for Quidditch practice if I don't figure out what time it is soon."

"Well, mate, you're in luck-Evans just walked in, and you know she always has her watch on her," Sirius said, grinning. James groaned.

"Sirius, she never gives me the time of day!" he muttered. "She's always the one I see too, right after my watch breaks, but she never tells me what time it is-she doesn't even let me explain that my watch has broken!"

"Well, maybe this time'll be different," Sirius suggested.

"Fine," James grumbled. "Evans!"

Lily turned. "What, Potter?"

"What time is it?" he asked, crossing his fingers.

"Potter, you're wearing a watch-why don't you just look at it?" she snapped before walking away to the girls' dorms and disappearing up the stairs before James could reply.

"Told you so," James muttered to Sirius. Sirius just grinned.

"Hey, James!" Sirius called to his messy-haired friend. James turned.

"Yeah, Sirius?"

"Can you tell me what time it is? I've got an appointment with a broom closet," the grey-eyed fourteen year-old said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. James grinned and looked down at his watch.

"Shit," he groaned. "Not again!"

"What?" Sirius asked.

"My watch is broken!"

"Mate, I think you may need to get a new watch."

"No, I just need to find Remus-he knows a spell to fix it, and I can never remember it." As James finished speaking, Lily Evans walked past the pair on her way to the Library to do her homework. James sighed. Well, maybe fourth time was the charm. "Hey, Evans!"

Lily turned, giving a soft groan at being spotted by her stalker. "What, Potter?"

"What time is it?"

Lily shook her head. "Good God, Potter! Get a new watch!" she cried before turning on her heel and walking away, ignoring James' protests.

"Damn it," he muttered before grabbing hold of the next kid to walk past and demanding to know the time.

"Son of a bitch!" fifteen-year-old James Potter yelled. His watch had broken, again. This time, he was risking being late for detention. McGonagall had warned him that if he was late, he'd be watching the Quidditch games from the sidelines for the rest of the season. He just couldn't let that happen! For the fifth time in five years, Lily Evans, the "love of his life" as his friends jokingly referred to her as, was the first person to come across the distraught young man.

"Evans!" he cried. Damn, he was starting to get a sense of de ja vu.

She looked at him. "What?"

"What time is it?"

Lily shook her head. "Get a new watch, Potter." With that, she walked off.

James Potter was suspended from Quidditch for the rest of that year.

"Prongs!" Peter cried.

"Yeah, Wormtail?" James said, turning.

"I've got to go to the Library for tutoring at one, but I can't seem to find my watch. Do you know what time it is?" the chubby young man asked hopefully.

James glanced at his watch and groaned. "Goddamn it!" he cried. The frustrated sixteen year-old tapped the face of his watch. You would think, after six years, he could remember what that damn spell was to fix his old watch.

"What's wrong, Prongs?" Peter asked, slightly surprised.

"My fucking watch broke again! Every year!" he said angrily. Once again, James saw Lily Evans walk past him.

"Hey Evans!" he yelled, hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, this would be the one time that she would take pity on him.

She turned and sighed. "What, Potter?"

"What time is it?"

"Get a new watch, Potter." Seriously, de ja vu.

Seventeen year-old James Potter flung his watch across the room in frustration. For the seventh year in a row, his damn watch had broken again. "Bloody hell," he muttered. He stomped down from his dorm to the Gryffindor Common Room, looking around for someone, anyone, to tell him what time it was. The only person he found was Lily Evans. He groaned, glancing wildly around for someone else, anyone else. There was no one else. Maybe she'd take pity on him this time...

"Hey, Lily?" he started.

"What, James?" she said, not even looking up from her book.

"What time is it?"

"4:15. Why?"

"THAT'S IT, LILY!" he yelled, frustrated. "I CAN'T HELP IT IF MY FUCKING WATCH KEEPS BREAKING! CAN'T YOU JUST -wait, what?"

Lily looked at him, stunned. "I said it's 4:15. What's your problem?"

"Oh. Well, every other time I've asked, you just tell me to buy a new watch. Why did you finally decide to give me the time of day?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Because this time your friends didn't jinx it," she answered, getting up and walking up to her dorm, hiding her smile.

"SIRIUS! REMUS! PETER!" James yelled. Lily burst into laughter at the top of the stairs. She never did find out what happened afterward, but Remus, Sirius and Peter never did try to mess with James' watch again. The same time the next year, James was on time for his wedding to Lily Evans. She gave him a new watch as a wedding present.