hazy_reflection | James/Lily Piece

Title: Last Chance
Word Count: 737

He always watched her from a distance, sometimes from behind a tree in the courtyard, sometimes from behind a bookshelf in the library, other times from the opposite corner of the Common Room. He couldn't help it, not really. There had always been something about her fiery spirit that he had always admired. In fact, that spirit was a large part of what had initially sparked his interest in her way back when he had first seen her in first year. That and her vibrant red hair. Who couldn't notice that? Still, he couldn't help but notice it anymore: there was something different about her firecracker personality when she was hurting.

James had first really began to notice it last year, the middle of their fifth year, when Lily's relationship with Spencer MacMillan ended rather abruptly. It became even more noticeable to him this past October, when Lily had an extremely loud argument with the overly exaggerated Tiberius McLaggen. Apparently, McLaggen had really only wanted one thing, and Lily had barely managed to figure it out. She was lucky that she only got out of that spat with a scratch on her cheek and a chunk of hair singed away. Tiberius, on the other hand, had ended up in the Hospital Wing for a week, for reason only known to Madam Pomfrey, Lily, and Tiberius, who would never admit that he was beaten by a girl.

Her pain wasn't easy to see, but for someone like James, someone who watched her as much as he did, it was something that he couldn't help but notice. Of course, it had all started when he had offered her an ear soon after both of her breakups. The first time, he had immediately shot him down, calling him a tireless git, telling him that he should give it up and that he should find a better way of getting a girl than by catching her off guard. Her words, however harsh they may have sounded, still gave James the idea that she was exhausted, that there was something there that she was just tired of anymore. The second time, he had again offered his ear and even a shoulder for her to cry on, but she turned him away again, with the same harsh words and again with the weary tone behind them. She had slapped him that time, flipping her hair over her shoulder and leaving him only her backside as she walked away. Suffice it to say that even with the stinging cheek, James didn't mind watching her walk away.

Time passed, though, and he kept watching her, hoping that somehow he would be able to show her that there was more to him than what she saw. He watched as she found yet another boyfriend, watched as they had their ups and downs throughout the year. It wasn't until the Leaving Feast that that relationship erupted. Fortunately for Lily, it was a quiet breakup this time, but no less hurtful. James knew that he'd probably get slapped again, or maybe worse, if he tried to offer his help, so this time he wrote her a letter. It took him all night to write it, with no help from his fellow Marauders, of course, and when he finished, it was all he could do not to rip it up. He knew what he wanted, though, and the timing had to be perfect. It was his last chance.

So they left Hogwarts, boarded the Hogwarts Express and made their merry way back to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. James watched as Lily and her friends exited the train and then beckoned for Sirius, Remus and Peter to follow him. The four boys strode purposefully up to the small group of girls and then, without a word, James simply pushed the note into Lily's hand and walked away. Now he would just have to wait.

Two days later, he was sitting on the grass in the backyard of his parent's home, wondering if Lily had even bothered reading the letter. He didn't have to wait long to find out. A small pop reached his ears, and he turned toward it, standing as soon as his brown eyes connected with her green ones. She was holding the note tightly in one hand.

"Did you really mean it?" she asked quietly. He nodded silently, and she rushed into his unsuspecting arms.

Title: Two Days Later
Word Count: 428

Lily had only just arrived home, telling her parents that she was tired from the trip and that she probably wouldn't be around for supper. After kissing them both on the cheek, she hurried into her room and shut the door, dropping down onto the familiar pillows under her window and pulling the letter from James out of her pocket. She had already read it once during the car ride home, but she had to read it again.

Lily,

I know I'm the last person you'd want to read a letter from, but just hear me out, all right?

Those horses arses don't and can't ever realise what they've mistreated. But the truth is, you've been mistreating yourself as well. I've heard what the other girls say about you. You never talk about your problems. I say it's about time you did. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm here to listen. And I promise I won't say a word. I'll even let you cry and not tell anyone about it. Not even Sirius. And when it's all said and done, we can go back to Hogwarts and pretend you still hate me.

I know you've got your apparition license. And I know you're damn good at it. Just show up at my place two days from now at two in the afternoon. My parents will be there and everything, so you don't have to worry about anything. I'll even send Sirius away. Please consider it. I just want to help.

James

She read it through a few more times and then reached up to set the letter on her bedside table. She didn't touch it again until two days later.

It was one forty five in the afternoon, fifteen minutes before the time James said she should show up. Lily had spent the morning listening to Petunia complaining about her trunk and asking why "all that filth" had to be stored in Petunia's closet. Not wanting to be around to hear the explosion that would erupt from her father, Lily rushed to her room and snatched the letter off the table. She checked the clock on the wall. Not two o' clock yet. Surely James wouldn't mind if she arrived a little early? Without giving it another thought, she disapparated, reappearing on the vibrant green grass of a well-kept lawn surrounded by a border of vividly coloured flowers. James turned to look at her from his place on the grass and then stood, their eyes connecting as he did.

"Did you really mean it?"

Title: Listening and Learning
Word Count: 1101

Things changed drastically as the weeks passed. Lily visited James practically everyday, causing a lot of muttering from Sirius. Still, being a good friend, the young Black left his fellow Gryffindors to their times together, though James never did find out where his best friend went off to. He was grateful, though, because without that alone time, Lily would never have opened up to James the way she did, and James would never have opened up to Lily.

In just a month, James learned more about Lily than he had learned in the past six years they had spent together at Hogwarts. He learned about her family, and that her only sibling hated her for possessing a magical gift. He learned that she lived in an all-Muggle neighbourhood where no one around her except for her family knew that she had extraordinary powers. He also learned that, no matter how popular Lily Evans was at Hogwarts, she didn't really have any friends outside of school.

She always tried telling him that she was okay with it, that she didn't mind spending the majority of her summers alone. James knew better, though. He could tell that she wanted company, that she had longed for a friend from Hogwarts to go out for a night on the town with. He could tell that she yearned for someone to talk to, someone to go over the things she had learned at school during the previous year. He wanted to tell her that she could have owled him if she'd wanted someone to talk to, but he held true to his promise and just listened to whatever she said.

He listened as she justified to herself why she had gone out with Spencer MacMillan, that brainless git. He listened as she called herself name after horrible name for even considering that ruddy ponce, Tiberius McLaggen. He listened to her quiet musings as she wondered what she had done wrong with Pierce Eldridge. He'd been listening to all of this over the time they spent together, and in the middle of July, James finally broke his promise and said something back to Lily.

"Jeez, Evans. He's a bloody Slytherin! Merlin's beard! You deserve better than one of those idiots." He stood up from his patch of grass and went to sit beside her near the flowerbeds. "Sirius is just barely better than Eldridge," he joked. Lily managed a weak smile as she shook her head at him.

"I don't think it would have mattered who it was, Potter," she told him, putting a sarcastic emphasis on James's last name. "It just wasn't meant to be." She picked a flower and gazed at it silently before reaching over and plopping the colourful bit of flora on top of his shaggy head. She stared at him with a look of amusement as he went crosseyed in an attempt to see where she had put the small flower. After a couple of failed attempts at shaking it loose, he reached up and plucked it from his own hair and then reached over to tuck it behind her right ear.

"Looks better on you anyway," he told her with a wink. She gave him one of her famous "You Idiot" eyerolls before falling back onto the grass with her eyes closed. James watched her for a moment, wondering how, underneath all her harsh words and snappy comebacks, she managed to let such idiots step all over her.

"You know, Evans," he started quietly.

"You really are thick, aren't you?" Lily interrupted. When she heard no response, she sighed and opened her eyes, leaning up onto her elbows. "When are you going to start calling me Lily?"

"Ev--er, Lily..." he said, catching himself before he called her Evans again. "I didn't think you wanted me to," he continued softly. She smiled at him and then laid back down on the grass.

"I remember the first time you called me Lily, back in first year. Do you remember?" James smiled, remembering the occasion.

"I remember."

"Your voice was so cute," she continued, "and I loved how you said my name. I still do. I don't know what it is. It's just the sound of your voice. It's oddly comforting. I like to listen to it."

And listen she did. Through the end of July, she listened as he told her about growing up in a pureblood community that tried to turn him into something he didn't want to be. She listened as he told her about always wanting a sibling around. She listened as he told her about the first time he'd ever been pranked by Sirius Black and how they became practically inseparable after that. She listened as he told her about meeting Remus and Peter, and how the four of them became the best group of friends ever. She listened all through August, hearing about potion mishaps and about backfiring charms in the boys dormitory.

Finally, August thirty first had rolled around, and James realised that Lily knew practically everything there was to know about him. And he was actually okay with it. It felt very comfortable, but something in his gut made him feel like something was missing. After a long day of conversation, Lily and James walked into the sitting room of the house, since Lily didn't feel like Apparating home. She smiled at him, thanking him for being so understanding and for letting her come over so often during the summer. She called him a wonderful friend and then reached out for his hand, giving it a squeeze to let him know that she really was grateful. He held onto it, though, staring into those beautiful green eyes and wondering if he was right about the feeling in his stomach.

"Lily. Can I tell you one more thing?" he asked her quietly, "But you've got to promise that you won't tell anyone that you know, not even Sirius." She nodded solemnly, so he told her. Looking into her eyes, all he saw was understanding, and he knew that she would never tell anyone.

"You secret is safe with me...Prongs," she said quickly. She moved just as quickly, kissing him lightly on the cheek and then waving goodbye to him as she stepped into the fireplace, disappearing in a whirl of flashing green lights. James could only stand there, the feeling in his stomach now spreading over his body until it had reached the point on his cheek. It was a warm feeling, a feeling of comfort, and James finally realised that such a feeling must be love.

Title: Accepting What's to Come
Word Count: 1989

The start of Seventh Year was a mad rush. Lily and James had scores of new responsibilities as the new Head Boy and Head Girl. Their school friends gushed over the new badges, though James and the other Marauders had been quite shocked about it. They had all, of course, expected Remus to get it on account of him being prefect since fifth year. Still, it was entertainment to all of them to watch James fumble with the first years and it was always amusing when James's temper got the best of him and Lily had to remind him that being responsible would get easier with time.

Lily, of course, took it all in with a little more grace and ease than James had. Having been Remus's prefect partner for two years, she too couldn't understand how James had become Head Boy, but she was thrilled nonetheless. She loved that she would be able to spend more time with James, even though it was more for school business than anything else, but it still made her happy. She especially loved that he wasn't trying to hide the relationship, as she had expected him to. His letter had promised that they could go back to their usual "relationship" once back at school, but Lily had found that she didn't want that, that James might be different than her other boyfriends, so she had no intentions of hiding how close they actually were. As time went on, Lily and James both realised that their Head student duties were becoming a bit of a burden, along with the relationship and being a club president and quidditch captain and getting schoolwork and homework done all at the same time. Balancing their lives was difficult, but they both managed to do it with smiles on their faces. Most of the time, anyway.

Things seemed to be going so well for everyone that it came as a big surprise when Lily entered the Gryffindor Common Room one day in tears. Remus and Sirius cornered her first, blockading the way to her girlfriends and pulling her back out of the Common Room before anyone else could. They walked her away from the room, down the hall and away from where the masses would be walking by. She assumed it was so she could make a scene without making an idiot of herself. At that moment in time, she really didn't care. They stopped in front of a large tapestry, and then looked at her is if they were waiting for her to explode. It was a bit frustrating to her, as though they wanted her to perform like a dog, but she needed to talk to someone, and who better than the best friends of the person she wanted to talk about?

"You two...has James told you anything--mentioned anything about...why--" she cut herself off, trying to find the right words. Even venting had to be done correctly. She started pacing and talking to herself. "He's just stressed out, too much to do...didn't realise what he was getting into..." She kept babbling for a good solid five minutes before she realised that Remus and Sirius had not only been listening to her, they had been pacing with her. She turned harshly on them, the tears gone from her eyes, only to be replaced by a look of extreme anger.

"The ruddy arse is YOUR friend! What would make him do something like this?!" She watched as they looked at each other and then as they started pacing, one going one way, one going the other way. Suddenly, they both stopped, each grabbing one of her arms, and proceeded to drag her through a door that hadn't been there before.

"Hey! WAIT!!" she cried as they pushed her rather roughly into the room. Well, not precisely a room. Once she regained her footing and her eyes registered to the dim light, she realised that it was more like a closet, but bigger than your average closet.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded of them, raising up to her full height in an attempt to look as menacing as possible. Remus backed off just a little, but Sirius just leaned against a wall and grinned at her. She just looked at him, becoming innerly frustrated because she never felt that she could intimidate the pretentious Sirius Black.

"Well, Evans, you wanted to know why James would dump you like he did, right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her as her jaw dropped. Remus threw his hands up, exasperated by the glibness of his friend.

"Sirius, did you have to be so cold about it?" he asked.

"Cold? No. But it'd be easier on her if we didn't beat around the bush, don't you think?" Without another word, Sirius disappeared, only to be replaced by a large black dog. Lily shrieked, not being prepared for such a thing to happen. Remus, being prepared but still not liking it, just sighed.

"James was just being protective, Lily," he told her quietly. Lily shook her head.

"But...why? I already know that, that he's a...he told me his secret already. I figured that Sirius at least knew about it, but...I guess I always realised he had to be able to do it too." She stopped, letting it all sink in. "Does that mean, are you and...and Peter?"

Remus smiled sadly at her.

"Peter, yes. But not me." It was then that Sirius changed back to his human form and joined the conversation.

"Not in the normal sense, anyway," he added, brushing a strand of thick, black hair behind his ear. Lily still looked like she didn't understand, so he went on. "My dear friend Moony, here," he said, jerking a thumb at Remus, "only changes his form during the, uh, high point of the month." Lily gasped. Remus hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Lily. He was trying to protect you," he told her, pausing for a moment before continuing, "...from me."

"From you. You're a...but, how?" She didn't even wait for a response from him. Instead, she reached out and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, Remus! I can't imagine how that must be for you. Every month! Hiding it from everyone!" He shrugged out of her embrace, slightly embarrassed by the attention.

"At first, it was just my secret. But, every month? And since the beginning of first year? I couldn't keep it from them forever." Remus walked toward a corner and sat down in a chair that hadn't been there before. A heavy sigh escaped his lips before he continued speaking again. "They tried their hardest to figure out where I was going off to each month. I felt horrible that I couldn't tell them, that I had to lie to them all the time. But the harder I tried to hide my secret, the harder they tried to uncover it. And uncover it they did. James didn't like the thought of me going through it all alone." He stopped talking, letting a short laugh escape between sentences. "Little twelve year old James, trying to save me from the big bad wolf inside myself. He swore he'd make it better..."

"And for a while, I did, didn't I, Moony?"

"James!" Lily whirled toward the doorway. "How did you--"

"That doesn't matter," he interrupted, stepping quickly into the room and closing the door behind himself. "I didn't want you to find out, at least, not like this anyway. This wasn't supposed to happen. And I never wanted to hurt you," he told Lily, before turning to Remus, "or you. It wasn't supposed to come out. You told me I could, but it wasn't mine to tell."

"So...you dumped me because Remus is a werewolf?! You DUMPED ME because you didn't want to HURT ME?!" It didn't take a Ravenclaw to realise that Lily was angry, or that she was hurting. "WHAT KIND OF IDIOT DO YOU THINK I AM?! WHAT KIND OF IDIOT ARE YOU?!?" She started pacing the length of the small room, causing Sirius to jump back against the wall toward Remus's corner.

"James. Relationships are built on trust," she said forcefully, still pacing. "I understand that you were just trying to protect...that you were just trying to protect all of us," she continued, waving a hand at Sirius and Remus to include them as well, "but I still don't understand."

"There's too much at stake, Lily!" James insisted. "If the wrong person found out that you knew--" At that point, a cough that wasn't really a cough sounded from Sirius.

"Padfoot," Remus said quietly as he reached a hand out to touch Sirius's elbow, nodding for James to go on.

"If the wrong person found out that you knew...I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're too dear to me, and if anything were to happen because of something I'd done...I could never forgive myself. I don't deserve to have you..."

"You don't deserve her anyway, Prongs old pal," Sirius laughed loudly. Both Lily and James turned and gave Sirius good long looks. It was Lily who broke the stare first.

"You may not think he does, Black, but...no one really cares what you think," she told Sirius as she turned James back to face her. "But I do care what you think," she told James quietly. "I know that you think you need to protect me, but I'm a big girl. Really. I am. I'm smart enough to fix your potions mishaps, I can beat you in Charms anyday, and before today I could've said that I was even better at Transfiguration than you. I'm quick enough to realise when I'm walking into danger, and if I can handle you and Sirius and Remus and Peter all together along with all the rest of Hogwarts then maybe, just maybe, I can handle the fact that our friend Remus is a werewolf! It's almost as if you didn't even stop to think about this..."

"He didn't," Sirius quipped, not bothering to even try hiding his snickering.

"SHOVE IT BLACK!" Lily snapped at him, her hand hovering over where she kept her wand. She glared at him, her emerald eyes shining with anger that he could be so cavalier about the whole episode.

"Lily," James said quietly, reaching for her chin and trying to bring her focus back to him. She jerked out of his hand, backing away and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Lily, you know I care about you. And you're right. I didn't stop to think that you would go to Sirius and Remus for explanation. I didn't stop to think that they would think telling you would fix things. But...I know that I love you, and that I don't want this to break us apart." He stepped closer to her, quickly grasping her hand in his before she could pull away. "You said that relationships are built on trust. I didn't trust that you would be strong enough to hold a secret with this much power behind it. I didn't trust that you, you with your amazing intelligence and wit would be able to fathom that your fellow student is a werewolf. I didn't trust that you, Lily Evans, would still want to be with me after all the secrets I've kept from you." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it gently, kneeling down in front of her and gazing up into her eyes as though he were looking into the depths of her soul.

"I didn't trust the feelings that you've shown for me, the secrets that you've shared with me. But right now, I'm trusting my own, and hoping that you'll accept my apology, and that you'll accept me." He bowed his head for a moment, as though to say a silent prayer, and then looked back up into her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued...

Word Count: 691

It wasn't really a question, but then again, Lily technically didn't give him an answer. not at first anyway. With a loud shriek, she jumped at him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck.

"Evans, you are hugging him, aren't you?" Sirius piped up from the side of the room, a mischievious grin on his face. "You're not trying to strangle him or anything? Because I think he's turning blue."

"Oh James, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as she loosened her grip on his neck.

"You have nothing to apologise for Lily, not if that means what I hope it means," James told her before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I mean, if you're sure. Because--"

"James!" Lily interrupted him loudly, throwing her arms back around his neck and resting her head on his chest. "Of course I'm sure," she said quietly, leaning her head back to plant a kiss on his cheek and then leaning back to look at him. "I've got to write my parents!" she cried, making Remus and James jump. With one last kiss, she let go of James and left the room, her face glowing brightly. As soon as she was out the door, Sirius attacked James.

"A proposal?! What happened to breaking it off? What happened to carefree and free of heartache, free of regret?" Sirius bombarded James with his questions, not stopping until James finally got a word in edgewise to interrupt him.

"Padfoot! You think I would do this if I didn't mean it? Besides, not asking her would have been a regret," James told Sirius with a smile. He reached a hand up to pat his friend on the shoulder. "I'll see the two of you later, though. I have my own owl to send." With that, he quickly departed the room, not giving either of his friends a second look. After James left, Sirius turned to the only person left in the room. Remus was still sitting in the corner, not having said a word through the entire exchange.

"It's what he wants, and they're both happy," he said quietly, answering Sirius's unspoken question.

"I didn't--"

"You didn't have to. I know that it's only been five months, but if it makes them happy, I'll support them wholeheartedly," Remus told him with a small smile.

"Well then, let's go be supportive!" Sirius exclaimed, pulling Remus out of the chair and leading the way out of the Room of Requirement.

After leaving the owlery, Lily could hardly contain herself, she was practically skipping down the halls. Until she "practically skipped" down the wrong hall...past the wrong door.

"Lily," came a stern, but quiet, voice from the room she had just passed. "Pardon the pun, but please don't tell me you're trying to skip out of this? You're already late. Can't you at least be on time once this year?"

"Severus..." she started, shuffling slowly through the doorway. "I just...I--I have a good excuse this time?" She shrugged her shoulders and tried to look as cute and forgiveable as possible, her green eyes shining above her wide smile.

Severus just raised an eyebrow at her and then folded his arms across his chest. "Haven't I told you before that you shouldn't bother with excuses? They make no difference to anyone, and as I've told you before, I don't care, so long as you learn from it and arrive on time next time," he told her sternly, glancing down at the stirring stick in his hand, then into the cauldron, then back up at her. "Though, I have learned to make exceptions for you," he added, his voice so quiet that she could barely hear him. She could see his face from the doorway, and though his mouth wasn't smiling, his eyes were. Lily smiled happily and rushed over to stand in front of the desk he was working at.

"I have some fantastic news!" she blurted out. When all he did was raise an eyebrow at her again, she reached over and gave him a light punch on the shoulder before continuing without a response from him.

"I'm getting married!"

Title: The Enemy of My Former Enemy Was My Friend
Word Count: 1069

Lily was shocked. She couldn't remember a time when she had rendered Severus Snape speechless. It was almost as though he weren't there. His eyes were hazy, his lips were parted as his mouth hung slightly open, it was a bit scary, if anything. It wasn't a sight she was used to.

"Severus?" she said hesitantly, wondering if she should reach across and poke him. She didn't need to, though, because he chose that moment to "come back".

"You're...getting married," he said quietly, his eyes staring blankly at her. It wasn't really a question, more of a statement.

"James. He asked me to marry him," she breathed, her excitement beginning to take over again.

"You've...fallen in love with him."

"Of course I love him Severus! I wouldn't be marrying him if I didn't!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "What is this? I thought you would be happy for me." His odd actions were starting to unnerve her. Over the years, she'd been able to get him to at least treat her as a human being, a manner completely separate from the way he tended to treat the rest of their schoolmates.

"You fell in love," he repeated. "Or did you?" He had stopped stirring the potion when she had told him the news, and now he picked up the stirring stick and began again. "How can you be sure? He comes in, sweeps you off your feet, comforts your broken heart, and now you're in love? He's completely wrong for you Lily!"

Severus Snape usually never raised his voice. He had always told Lily that it was a waste of energy to yell, that he had more important things to spend his time doing than to yell at people. But he was yelling now. And even more unusual, he was yelling at Lily, the person he had always been able to talk rationally with about anything.

"It will be the biggest mistake of your life, you realise that, don't you?" he asked her quietly, his small, dark eyes staring through his curtain of black hair at her bright unblinking eyes.

"It won't be a mistake Severus. The only mistake here is that you're stirring that potion the wrong way. It's best if you stir in a seven counterclockwise, one clockwise pattern." She huffed and then began pacing in front of the desk. "And besides, you could at least pretend to be happy for me. I consider you one of my best friends, and I know that I'm not just a Potions buddy to you."

"I have already told you once before, I will not lie to you, or to anyone else. Not even in this matter. As a friend, your happiness is important to me, but I do not believe that you can find such a thing with James Potter." He spat out the name as though just saying it created a foul taste in his mouth. He sat down at the desk, resolving to the stirring pattern that Lily had reminded him of.

"Severus! I love him! I. LOVE. Him. Please, please don't let this come between us. I know that you're bigger than this. A boyish grudge shouldn't keep you from wanting to see me happy." She was breaking, pulled apart by her emotions. Part of her wanted to break down, to cry and plead with him. The other part wanted to yell and scream at him, accuse him of being a horrible friend.

"I know what you want me to say, Lily, and I will not say it." He stood finally, his gaze locked on her, watching her every move as she tried to change his mind. "You're not going to change my mind. And I'm quite sure that I can't change your's. There isn't much more to say here. I will also wish you the best, you know that. But I firmly believe that this is not what's best for you."

"I can't believe you. I can not believe that you wish me the best when you won't even be happy that I'm getting married! What kind of friend are you?" It was a low blow, and she knew it, but she was getting frustrated, and frustration didn't always bring out her pleasant side. "It's been years, Severus. Are you really going to let your hatred of him come between us?"

Severus's eyes narrowed dangerously, but his voice was still as firm and cold as ever.

"It was never my intention and you know it. You have always know that Potter and Black despise me, that they have never accepted who I am. I never did anything to provoke them, yet they continually antagonised me throughout the years. And yes, I thank you for trying to stand up to them for me; you know I would do anything to repay your kindness." He sat back down in his chair, though he never broke eye contact with her.

"Then why not this? Why not now?" she asked him, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"I have told you why," he said softly, finally breaking his gaze away from her's and looking down at the cauldron in front of him. "There are things that are happening that you could not possibly understand."

"And there you go again, being all cryptic," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"I am not being cryptic, Lily. I am merely avoiding the subject," he told her, his eyes once again locked on her's.

"This is unbelievable. You pretend to be my friend, you pretend to care, but now, when I need your friendship and support the most, you can't tell me why? Yes, I know that you think James and Sirius don't care for you, but I do. And that should be all that matters. A friend would know that. I don't know when you stopped being my friend, Severus Snape, but I'm beginning to think that maybe you never were." Lily didn't have anything left to say after that. Her body language told him that she was tired and exhausted from their exchange, but her eyes told him that she was far from being defeated. She strode quickly to the door, glancing back only once at the dark figure sitting at that desk, before she left the room.

It would be one of the last times she spoke to Severus Snape. All she could think of now, was James.

Title: Preparations
Word Count: 1746

Lily's parents had been thrilled at hearing the news of James's proposal. James's parents were equally thrilled, though there were a few worries about having a "safe mixed wedding". Lily and James had no worries, though. For them, life moved on with no problems, and all they knew was that they had each other and that was enough for them. As the months passed, Lily, though already an avid quidditch fan, attended matches--and even practises--with even more enthusiasm than ever. James found himself slipping into his Head Boy duties with much more ease, his nerves seeming to calm even faster whenever Lily was around. They became one of the most charming couples that Hogwarts would ever see.

With news of their engagement flying through the Common Rooms, they also became one of the most popular. Girls approached Lily at any chance they could, telling her how lucky she was to have landed a guy like James Potter. James got a slap on the back every corner he turned, congratulations coming from every which way that he had to conjure heating pads every night just to ease the pain on his back. He never complained about it, though, because he always had something better on his mind.

It definitely sapped up every minute of their spare time. Lily and James had both insisted to their parents that they could handle school and making preparations and setting deatils for the wedding. Their parents had also agreed that it would be better not to include Muggles and magical people alike, so preparations for a double wedding were in order as well. Despite what a lot of their fellow students were saying, the happy couple was doing just find. They had already figured the date for the big day by the time the winter holidays rolled around.

"Oh, James!" Lily squealed as they walked out across the courtyard. "My parents so do appreciate that your family has agreed to help with the second ceremony." She wrapped her arm around his elbow, leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked along. "I do too, I can't imagine getting married and not having my parents be there to see it. Of course, they understand about hiding the wizarding world from the muggle world, but it would be so hard on them to be the only non-magical people there!"

"But they wouldn't be," James mused ignorantly, "your sister will be there too."

Lily lifted her head off his shoulder and slapped him upside the head before leaning her head back down. "You know what I mean!" she said with a giggle. He smiled as he kissed the top of her head, his hair falling in front of his eyes.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Lily," he told her quietly. "And that includes getting my parents to do anything you want for our wedding," he added with a grin. She smiled back at him as she lifted her head off of his shoulder again, raising her free hand to brush the hair away from his face.

"Then...I suppose that means you'll be getting a haircut for the wedding, doesn't it?" she asked, her smile turning into a mischievious grin.

"Only if you get one too!" he told her, reaching he free hand up to muss up her hair.

"James!" Lily cried loudly, trying to pull away as James continued to play with her hair. "James, sto it! I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore later on! Do you want me to go in looking like I stopped somewhere for a quick shag?!" James only grinned at her as his hand moved from her back to her waist.

"James!" she shrieked again, this time managing to pull away from him and put a little distance between them. "James Potter, I demand that you stop that this instant!" she cried, still laughing and trying to dodge his tickling hands. James only kept grinning as he lunged at her, tackling her to the cold ground below and tickling her mercilessly.

"You do want to--marry me, don't you?" she asked him, gasping between breaths as the laughter escaped her, "because it feels like--like you're trying to kill me!" she told him, tears running down her face from laughing too hard. By that time, James had managed to roll her over and sit on her stomach to pin her down, his boyish face grinning like that of a child who'd just been given his first Christmas gift.

"You know better than to ask me that!" he cried as he pounced on her to start tickling again. He only did it for a few seconds before he stopped, though. "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want to, Lily," he told her gently as he got off her stomach and rolled to lay down on his back beside her. "You are the most amazing person I have ever known. I am going to love spending the rest of my life with you."

"You're so sweet," Lily told him quietly, her bright green eyes shining like emerald stars. "I can't think of anyone else I would want to share my life with." She smiled and turned to kiss him. "But if we don't get up off the grass we're going to be in a ton of trouble," she told him gently, pinching his cheek teasingly. "And I, Mister Potter, can't afford to waste any time in detention." She lifted herself up off the ground and offered a hand to help James up. "Besides, there are other things we could be doing," she added with a smile.

"There's no one I'd rather do--"

"James!" Lily hissed loudly, a hand raised to her mouth as her cheeks turned crimson. "What am I going to do with you?" She wagged a finger at him and sighed. "Oh James, so many things are changing. What's life going to be like in ten years?"

"All I can say to that, my love, is that it's going to be wonderful, because I'll be with you," James said softly, pulling Lily into a hug.

"Hey you two crazy love birds!" came a familiar voice from off to the side.

"Padfoot..." James said as he turned and made a face at the owner of the voice. "Have I ever told you that you have the worst timing ever?" The figured stepped out of the shadows, both hands shoved into the front pockets of his black slacks, holding back the open flaps of his robes, revealing a thin white t-shirt underneath. He shook his head playfully, his shoulder-length black locks flying freely around his handsome face.

"I know," he said with a wicked grin and a twinkle in his eye. "But Dumbledore himself searched me out to come and look for you," he said, pointing to Lily, "and you," he added with a raised eyebrow to James, "are late for our monthly appointment?"

"Blast it all, I'm late!" Lily breathed as she gathered her dropped things and gave James a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll talk later!" she cried as she hurried away.

"Now that's not a bad parting gift," Sirius murmured, watching as Lily rushed away.

"That's my future bride's behind you're ogling, Black!" James cried, brandishing his wand as a sword, ready to defend his lady's honour. "You fiend, you would covet that which was not your's?" He grinned devilishly at Sirius, who was grinning back just as wickedly.

"You think you can defeat me, Potter?" Sirius cackled maniacally, brandishing his own wand.

"Pettigrew could defeat you, Black!" James replied, the wide grin still on his face.

"Oh come on James! Peter?? That's a low blow, Prongs," Sirius said, shaking his head with feigned sadness, putting a hand to his heart. "You have pierced me through!" he cried, dropping to the ground.

"Ah, Sirius my friend, that's what you get for looking at my fiancee's arse," James told him with a wink.

"It's a compliment!" Sirius insisted.

"Well, no more compliments, all right?" James told him with a serious expression on his face.

"All right, all right. No more watching her walk away," Sirius joked. They smirked at each other, James landing a light punch on Sirius's should as they began walking out to the Whomping Willow.

"So where is Peter?" James asked as they crossed the grounds.

"Said he'd meet us there," Sirius answered, "that he had something to do before we went to take Moony out for his monthly walk." He shrugged, bending down to pick up a small rock and throw it out towards the forest. "I'm glad he's grown out of his stalking phase. I couldn't stand him just following us around all the time."

"It wasn't that bad Padfoot," James pointed out. "He just wanted friends. And now that he's our friend, you shouldn't speak so poorly of him. Besides, he's always stood up for him against those Slytherins who keep badmouthing you behind your back."

Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically. "Like I care what that lot says about me," he snorted. "Their opinions are about as important to me as a mountain troll's, not that any of them matter anyway." He muttered something under his breath and then looked up at the darkening night sky. "Besides, they're all talk anyway."

"Good," James said quickly, "then that's settled." He hesitated, wondering if now was the right time to say it. "I want you to be my best man," he said quietly after waiting a few moments. Sirius stopped walking, turning to look at his best friend with a serious expression.

"Well you certainly took long enough," he said sternly, waiting a minute before letting the usual doggish grin back onto his face. James couldn't help but laugh.

"You knew I'd ask you eventually," he said with a shake of his head. "Besides, I'm not sure Moony would accept, and Peter's not right for the job. You're my best friend. It's only right that you be there on the day. But for now, it's Moony's night, so let's not share this just yet." They both nodded, turning back to the sight before them. There, they saw a large rat trying desperately to reach a funny looking knob on a root of the Whomping Willow. They started forward, only to jump back as a large branch swung just where they had been standing. James sighed loudly.

"I swear. One day, that boy is going to be the death of me."

Title: A New Find
Word Count: 1800

If the students in the hall hadn't known any better, they might have thought that the thunderous noise echoing through the hall was a herd of elephants. In reality, it was James Potter, racing over the stone floor toward the library. As soon as he reached the door, he headed straight toward the Potions stacks, ignoring the sinister gaze from Madam Pince. He was already late to meet Lily for their tutouring session and he wasn't about to let the librarian hinder him any longer. He'd rather have her be mad at him than have Lily be mad at him. He stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he arrived at the meeting spot, though.

"What are you doing here Sni--" He stopped himself from calling the Slytherin "Snivellus", a habit Lily had been trying to break him of. "Snape?" he finished, his voice quiet and cold. His hand hovered over his back pocket, ready to draw his wand and defend himself if Severus Snape tried anything.

"Oh, come off it, Potter," Snape muttered sullenly, rolling his eyes at James as he unfolded his arms from over his chest. "You don't want me here, I don't want to be here," he drawled, almost as though he were bored."

"Then why are you here?" James asked, still keeping his distance.

"I am here to deliver a message on behalf of Lily and Professor Dumbledore. They apologise for the inconvenience," Snape started, pulling a crinkled piece of parchment from the pocket of his robes, "but apparently Lily has a more important appointment and she decided to postpone yours," he added with a mocking grin. James looked ready to jump Severus for the note.

"Professor Dumbledore has also requested that I--"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Snivellus!" James cried, forgetting momentarily that he was in the library. "There's no way I'm going to give you the satisfaction of--"

"I didn't think you were able to give anyone any kind of satisfaction, Potter!" Severus retorted. "You filthy piece of--"

"OUT!" Madam Pince hissed fiercely as she turned the corner of one of the bookshelves. Her eyes were wide and wild as she stared them down, advancing on them as they both backed away from her and hurried towards the library's exit.

"This isn't over, Potter," Snape muttered as he hurried down the hallway in one direction. James stared after him, perplexed by what had just happened, but desperately wanting to run after Severus and hit him with every surce he could think of. Instead, he wandered up to the Gryffindor Common Room. Once there, he gave the password to the Pink Lady, ignoring her quip about him looking rather surly, and walked quickly through the Common Room and up to his dorm room. After seeing no one there, he pulled open his trunk to retrieve his special map, only to discover that it wasn't there.

"Just great," he muttered, slamming his trunk closed and flopping back onto the bed. His fiancée was in another meeting with the Headmaster and his best friends were nowhere to be found, having taken with them his only possible method method of finding them. He sighed, bringing one arm up to rest behind his head. He felt exhausted now that his adrenaline had stopped pumping after his little run in with Severus Snape. Perhaps a short nap before quidditch practise. He closed his eyes and, before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

It seemed like not a minute had passed, but suddenly a hand was shaking James roughly as a heavy wad of clothing landed hard on his stomach.

"James...James!! Will you get up already?" a voice called to him. James sat up quickly, blinking rapidly to try and adjust his eyes to light again.

"What the--"

"Practise, you ponce!" Sirius yelled at him. "The team's all down on the Pitch waiting for me to fetch you." James nodded and jumped off the bed, stripping off his school robes and changing quickly into his practise robes.

"Merlin, Padfoot, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I--" His apology was interrupted by Sirius's all too familiar laughter. James spun, his eyes on the small clock on Remus's bedside table. The small clock that read nine thirty eight.

"Sirius, you ruddy bastard!" James cried as he picked up and threw his pillow at the other boy.

"Come now, James," Sirius quipped as he easily ducked the pillow. "We've had this discussion before. I may be a lot of things, but we both know I'm not a bastard. My family's hatred of me proves that!" His doggish grin only made James smile and shake his head.

"All right then. But you're still a bloody wanker," James said as he pulled his school robes back on. "How could you let me sleep through practise?" he asked, falling back into a sitting position on his bed. Sirius just shrugged.

"You were asleep. And it looked like some of the best sleep you've gotten in a while," he answered, leaning casually against one of the bedposts. "But don't worry. We still practised, and the team understands."

James flopped backwards onto his back on the bed. "Exactly what is it that they understand?" he asked, closing his eyes and waiting for the answer he knew Sirius would give.

"They understand that you've got things to do," Sirius told him with a wicked grin.

"Sirius!"" James exclaimed, still lying back on the bed with his eyes closed. "I have a responsibility to make sure the team stays on top! We've got to play our best in every game if we're to win the cup this term!"

"I told you! Don't worry so much," Sirius repeated, just shrugging away what James had said. "I know what you were going to have us run. I wouldn't have let you sleep if I didn't think we could do it without you."

"I just don't want anyone to think I'm shirking my duties," James said with another sigh.

"For the last time: they understand!" Sirius practically screeched. "Sheesh. You're starting to sound more and more like Lily every day." He boosted himself away from the bedpost and jerked his head toward the door. "Come on. You missed dinner anyway, and I think I've found the way into the kitchens. Grab the cloak, too. You might be Head Boy, but I don't feel like serving detention this week." James lifted himself off the bed and nodded, retrieving his invisibility cloak from his trunk right as Remus walked in.

"Moony!" Sirius greeted their friend loudly, "James and I were about to confirm the location of the kitchens. Care to join us?" he asked, snatching the cloak from James and throwing it around his body so that only his head was visible. Remus chuckled lightly at Sirius's antics.

"You're the witness, by the way, James," Remus said with a smile. "The kitchen is behind a painting with a fruit bowl on it." He dropped his satchel onto his bed and then reached over to pull the cloak off of Sirius. In one swift move, Remus de-cloaked Sirius and tossed it over to James. "Peter's on his way up. You haven't told him about the cloak yet, so unless you plan on telling him tonight, I'd get going." James and Sirius looked at each other and dashed out of the room, glancing at the clock as they did. Nine fifty, just enough time to get out without raising too much suspicion before curfew. Once out of the Common Room, they checked the hallway to make sure no one was there and then James threw the cloak over the both of them.

"So," James whispered as they made their way down to the floor where the kitchens were, "Moony says it's behind a painting of a fruit bowl. Where do you think they are?"

Sirius chuckled quietly. "I know it's behind this huge painting of a forest on th eedge of a meadow," he whispered back to James. "I saw Filch going in one night. Lucky for me that crazy cat of his wasn't anywhere to be found or Filch would've caught me for sure." They walked in silence until they arrived at the painting Sirius had mentioned.

"This is the one," Sirius whispered, the excitement evident in his voice. A swift look left and right showed an empty hallway, and Sirius grinned as he reached a hand out toward the painting. "Four knocks on the tree with three knotholes and then, Remus Lupin, eat your heart out!" he exclaimed quietly as he knocked on the painting. It swung open as was expected, but it was what was behind the painting that wasn't expected. Rather, what wasn't behind the painting.

"Dammit!" Sirius swore under his breath. "Moony will never let me live this one down," he added with a small smirk.

"Maybe you'll get luck and it won't be behind the fruit bowl either," James offered as the two of the made their way back toward the painting Remus had mentioned.

"You know I'm not that lucky, Prongs," Sirius muttered as he shook his head. "Too bad he never mentioned how to open it," he added in a murmured tone. They both shrugged out of the invisibility cloak after looking around to make sure the coast was clear and then began to run their hands all over the painting.

"There's got to be some sort of trigger," James mumbled as his fingers grazed an apple.

"What're we supposed to do, tickle it?!" Sirius exclaimed, tickling the pear near where his hand was as a joke in an attempt to dull his frustration. To his surprise, the painting swung open, just barely giving him time to jump out of the way. "That was supposed to be a joke," he muttered as James walked through the opening and into the kitchen.

"You realise I'm never going to let you live that down, right?" James joked as he nudged Sirius in the ribs while passing him.

"You tell anyone about this and the whole school finds out about you know what," Sirius threatened, giving James a knowing grin.

"You wouldn't!" James hissed, jaw dropped, staring at his best friend with a look of astonishment on his face. "You would...of course you would." He sighed as he pulled a bunch of items off a table and stuck them in his pockets before heading back toward the entrance. "All I'm going to say is that you had better not get any ideas about saying any of that at the wedding." Sirius just chuckled.

They were grinning from ear to ear as they left the kitchens. A quick glance in each direction and they were back under the cloak, whispering and laughing all the way back up to Gryffindor Tower.

Continued here because the post got too large...