Hey y'all! I'm brand new here…all I've ever done is read stories, but I'm excited (nervous, too) about actually getting some of my stuff out there for others to read. I've dabbled in writing before, but I only let one of my best friends read it. So I will gladly accept any criticism, because I know there will be lots of room for improvement.

I ship a ton of couples, but Jily has to be one of my favorites. So my first piece will be for them. It's a three –shot. And, um….it's long. REALLY LONG. Like, you're probably gonna be all we-get-it-James-is-nice-now-can-they-just-kiss-alr eady-so-we-can-all-go-home? But I hope it's not too bad.

Enjoy!

All rights to the one-and-only Rowling.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!"

"You make me SICK!"

"I don't need help from filthy Mudbloods like her!"

The words played themselves over and over again in James Potter's head. The sixteen year old Quidditch Captain had taken advantage of the bright autumn morning and was flying laps around the pitch. His fingers tightened around the broomstick handle, his knuckles turning white from his strangling grip. He yanked his broom into a steep dive, allowing his toes to brush the grass as he pulled up. Flying had always been a source of venting for James, and as he'd woken up at an ungodly hour on a Saturday anyway he'd headed for some pitch.

"Oi! Prongs!"

He sighed to himself. Temporary solitude seemed to be all he could get nowadays. He came to a graceful landing and walked towards the three Gryffindors standing at the edge of the pitch. Remus Lupin's thin face was etched in concern as he watched his mate approach. Sirius Black was almost exactly opposite, looking instead rather annoyed, rolling his eyes at Peter Pettigrew who stood next to him. Peter seemed to be concerned like Remus, but also watchful of whatever Sirius might say. James came to a stop before the three and raised his eyebrows questioningly at them.

"Mind sharing what's so important that you had to come bother me?"

"Look mate, we've had quite enough," Sirius said exasperatedly, "Remus made us get up and come check on you."

Now it was Remus's turn to roll his eyes. "I didn't make you lot do anything. I said I was coming to check on James and that the two of you were welcome to come along or meet us at breakfast."

"But you woke me up," Sirius whined.

"Only because you're too lazy to get up before noon, you great-"

"Would someone please just tell me what you're doing here? I'd like to get back to flying if it's not too much trouble," James cut in harshly.

An apologetic look briefly flashed across the two boys' faces, but then Remus set his mouth in a stern line.

"James, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong is my three idiot mates decided to come bother me for no reason. "

"No, Prongs," Sirius said, "We want to know what's wrong."

James knew what they wanted, but he was tired and cranky and Merlin but he just wanted to fly in peace, was that really too much to ask?

"Is it what happened with Snape after our Defense O.W.L.?" Peter asked quietly. The look that the three boys gave James told him there was no point in lying. He turned his gaze to the dewy grass at his feet and let out a long, slow breath.

"Yeah." The simple admission surprised his friends and it took them a moment to catch up when he suddenly turned on his heel and strode towards the equipment shed.

"Why is that still bothering you? Evans has insulted you loads of times before and you've not been this torn up about it."

"Because before last June I've never thought she was right." James said, his voice flat and defeated.

The silence that met this statement was deafening. Remus looked at his friend and sighed. "Look, Prongs, I think you're being a bit sensitive to her criticism just because you fancy her. You're not a horrible person."

James ran a hand through his hair before remembering that was yet another thing that Lily Evans had shouted at him about that day by the lake. He groaned and decided he might as well make a clean breast of it.

"This is nothing to do with how I feel about Evans. I just think she might have had a point. We're always showing off, messing with Snape, trying to get a laugh by making somebody look stupid. Have you ever thought that maybe we're the ones looking stupid? We're sixth years, and what have we got to show for it?"

"What have we got to show for it?" Sirius repeated incredulously. "Are you kidding me? We're top of our year! We're animagi! You're Quidditch Captain and you hold the all-time school record for highest number of goals scored in a single match for Merlin's sake! What d'you mean, what have we got to show for it?"

James's eyes flashed in the way that told Remus things were about to head south. He cut in quickly.
"Pads, why don't you and Wormy head up to breakfast? We'll join you in a bit."

Sirius looked like he wanted to argue, but Remus shot him a look and he headed off the pitch. Peter clapped Remus on the shoulder before hurrying after Sirius, leaving two of the Marauders alone.

Remus scrutinized James for a moment before he spoke carefully. "Are you referring to the fact that you cost Evans her best friend, the fact that she thinks you're an immature toerag, or the fact that you were an immature toerag?"

"Look, I just want to start being a nicer bloke. Is that some sort of crime?"

"It is if Evans is the only reason."

James sighed again. "Look, I can't exactly sit here and tell you that I don't care what Evans thinks of me. But I can tell you that this has nothing to do with it. I've started….noticing things. Things I've been completely oblivious to before she said something. How the first years are scared to even come say hello or ask how to get to the library because they're afraid we'll turn their hair blue. How nobody comes to us for anything other than a laugh because that's all we're ever good for."

Remus gaped at James, too stunned to say anything for a moment. He shook his head as if to regain his composure and asked, "D'you reckon maybe Lily said all those things because she was angry at Snape? He was her friend and then he hurt like that in front of half our year. Maybe she was taking it out on you."

"Yeah, she was angry, but she still had a point, didn't she?"

Remus didn't know quite what to say to that.

/

Lily Evans, studious she might be, decided that there was definitely something about taking the night off from studies in order to get some much needed sleep. Despite the fact that she still had eight inches of a nasty Transfiguration essay to write and five chapters to read for Charms (she didn't even want to consider the mountain of Potions work waiting for her), she felt refreshed and more awake than she had since before the summer hols. She quickly buttered her toast and reached to pour Marlene's pumpkin juice so it would be ready for her. True to her nature, Marlene had overslept by nearly an hour and would not have time for a proper breakfast before the first Quidditch match of the season. They were playing against Ravenclaw, and Lily glanced across the Great Hall to see half the Slytherin table sporting some kind of the blue and bronze. She rolled her eyes and tucked in to her own breakfast while keeping an eye out for Marlene. She really did need to hurry if she didn't want to be late.

"Evans."

Lily immediately stiffened. She knew that voice, how many times had it said her name over the past three years? She turned slowly to see James Potter decked in his Quidditch uniform, flanked by Sirius Black who was dressed identically apart from the gold C on James's chest.

"Yes?" The inquiry came out harsher than she meant it to, and she almost felt guilty when she saw Potter flinch at her tone.

"Is Marlene alright? She's usually down here by now." His voice was careful, as though he was afraid of her getting angry over a mere question. The fact that he was making her feel guilty did make her angry, though, and so she snapped, "Why? Afraid you might lose your precious match without her? I thought you were the whole team, Potter."

"Not anymore."

His voice, now quiet, rendered Lily speechless. She sat and stared at James Potter as though she'd never seen him before, which, she thought to herself, she never had seen him like this before – timid, quiet, no flashes or showing off, and not once had he ruffled his hair since he'd spoken to her. She realized she was gaping at him and decided to take the olive branch (if that's what it was, anyway).

"She slept a bit late by accident. She should be down in a moment."

He nodded. "Right then, thanks. Tell her we'll be down in the locker rooms once she's eaten, would you? There's no rush, we've still got a couple hours before warm up."

Still baffled, Lily nodded her assent and watched the two teens walk away, but not before she caught the reproachful look Black had sent her way when Potter wasn't looking.

She didn't understand; the last real encounter she'd had with Potter was that awful day by the lake last term. She didn't think it was dreadful of her to blame him for what happened, although she supposed he never meant for it to go as far as it did, and she knew deep down that Severus was just as in the wrong as Potter was, but that didn't make the sting of the memory any less painful.

She shook herself from her musings; she didn't feel like starting the day off cross by dwelling on the ways James Potter had made her life more difficult. She looked up in time to see Marlene come hurrying down the aisle, her scarlet team robes billowing slightly behind her. Her hair hadn't been tied back with its customary scarlet ribbon, and she was trying to pull on one of her boots while walking. By some miracle she managed not to fall as she collapsed on the bench next to Lily, reaching for her waiting goblet of juice. Lily wasn't surprised in the least by this performance; it happened more mornings than not. She reached a hand to Marlene's arm to slow her from downing her juice in one go.

"Potter stopped by and said to tell you there's no hurry. Take the time to eat something, will you?"

Marlene let out a great sigh of relief and turned to sit properly on the bench while reaching for the bowl of cereal. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Lily while she fixed herself breakfast.

"Potter stopped by, eh? I didn't notice any screaming or blood smears on the floor. Was he too preoccupied to grate on your nerves?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Actually, I think he was bit scared. I reckon he feels guilty for last term."

Marlene suppressed her own eye-roll. Guilty didn't exactly depict how James had felt for what had happened that day; she'd kept up correspondence with him over the summer and knew just how much he'd beaten himself up for it. She'd been the only one he had told about all the letters he had started to write Lily, how he had never worked up the courage to send them because he didn't think he had the right to ask her to forgive him. She knew better than anyone the amount of growing up that James Potter had done over the summer, and she also knew (although James himself didn't) that Lily was going to learn of his new found maturity first hand.

She kept these thoughts to herself, however, and simply said, "Well, he'll probably come round to apologize eventually. More than Snape has done."

"Excuse me," Lily interjected, her temper flaring, "Severus came by that very night to say he was sorry!"

"Yes, and then he kept in touch during the summer? See him on the train a few weeks back? Seen him since here at school? What about in between classes?"

Lily's temper deflated just as quickly as it had come. "I know. You and Mary and Alice were right all along. He chose that path a long time ago, I was just too foolish to see that."

"Sweetie, you weren't foolish. You were young and didn't want to think badly of your friend. There's no harm in that. I reckon James feels guilty that you lost that friendship because of him, but you shouldn't still be angry at him because it would've happened eventually anyway."

Lily didn't want to agree, didn't want to think that Severus would've turned on her like that if Potter hadn't riled him up, but she didn't see the point in arguing either. Marlene spooned the last bit of cereal into her mouth and stood up.

"I'll see you at the match, yeah?"

"Yeah. Good luck."

And with that Lily was once more left alone to dwell on the ways James Potter had made her life more difficult, but also the one way he had surprisingly done her a favor without meaning to.

/

The match had come and gone – Gryffindor the victor, of course – and Lily was watching the after match celebration party from her favorite squashy armchair by the fire. Remus, the other Gryffindor prefect, had promised the alcohol would be controlled, and she had been pleased that she had yet to run interference because Black and Potter were trying to smuggle firewhisky to third years. She was content to watch the festivities from the edge of things, mostly because she kept thinking of her and Marlene's breakfast conversation. Maybe Snape did stab her in the back, and maybe James Potter was a bit of an idiot and maybe he did start the whole thing, but she realized that it wasn't fair of her to blame him for what Snape had done.

The subject of her musings suddenly popped up out of nowhere, laughing and trying to pull Black's arms from around Marlene, who seemed a bit tipsy and was finding it difficult not to slosh her drink everywhere as she wobbled towards Lily. Black was, Lily decided, utterly sloshed. He was at least five metres away and she could already smell him. Potter, on the other hand, appeared to be sticking with butterbeer tonight and was completely sober.

Sober certainly described him once his eyes landed on her. The smile melted off his face immediately, to be replaced by a look of concern and – Lily recognized it now – guilt. She decided then and there to take matters into her own hands. She got up quickly and grabbed Potter by the arm and dragged him with her out the portrait hole before she lost her courage.

She turned and faced him, noticing that he looked equally shocked that she had come near him voluntarily and terrified that she had him in a secluded corridor with no witnesses to his what sure to be a violent demise. She fought a laugh that a boy who was at least twice her size, and one of the most athletically gifted individuals to ever walk the corridors of Hogwarts, was afraid of her.

"Look, Potter, we need to talk."

His face, if possible, paled even more

"Evans, you need to know that I'm sorry for that day by the lake. I shouldn't have been picking on Sni-Snape. He was your friend and I screwed that up. I really am sorry."

His apology was sincere to the core- Lily could see it in his face, his posture; hear it in his voice how desperate he was for her to believe him. Until then she hadn't understood how badly he felt about the whole mess, but now she felt a little guilty herself that she had made him feel this way.

"I tried writing to you all summer, but I felt like a prat, putting an apology for something like that in a lousy letter, but it was killing me to leave it this long, and I-"

"Blimey, Potter, shut up a minute, will you?" Lily broke in on a laugh. "I didn't bring you out here so you could apologize."

He blinked. "You….you didn't?"

"No…actually I wanted to thank you."

His jaw dropped, and she took it as invitation to continue.

"Marlene, Mary, and Alice have been trying to tell me since our second year that Snape was bound to end up where he is now. I didn't want to listen, but if I had then what happened at the lake wouldn't have surprised me. He would have cut me loose one or another eventually, and if had been later it might've hurt even more. So I guess I owe you a favor…sort of."

James had never been so stunned in all his life. Here was this girl – this beautiful, brave, strong, infuriatingly-perfect girl – and she was thanking him because he had cost her her best friend.

"Erm…you're welcome…although I still don't understand how that was a favor."

Lily allowed a wry smile to peek through.

"I don't either. I just know that I don't blame you anymore, so maybe now you'll stop acting like a scared pup around me, yeah?"

Now it was James's turn to laugh. She had summed up his actions perfectly. Still, he had to tell her before she left –

"Hey, Evans."

She stopped from starting through the portrait hole to rejoin the party, feeling slightly apprehensive. Here they had just had their first ever civil conversation, and if he went and asked her out she really thought she would kill him then and there.

"Just so you know…I'm trying not to be such a toe-rag anymore."

She smiled at him then, a real smile that sent his heart rate skyrocketing and his skin flushing and he really hoped he hid it well from her because he didn't want to screw this up, no matter how beautiful that smile was or how big and bright those green eyes were. So he simply stood and waited, his hands in his pockets as she studied him in the moonlit corridor. And then she spoke, and her words sent a warm feeling all through him that made him feel as though he'd just drunk a whole mug of firewhisky in one go.

"I can tell. Keep it up, and I just might have to tell the giant squid he's not my favorite anymore."

Then she left him alone with his ridiculous grin and the feeling of hope that he couldn't quite manage to squash in his chest.

/

Soooo...good? Dreadful? Otherwise? Should I continue?