A/N: Song is by Carrie Underwood. I acknowledge the fact that Molly and Arthur were never in the first OOTP, but it works in this story. Sorry about that guys, I usually try to keep my facts 100%.

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I Told You So

Lily Evans hated it. She hated being home with her mother and father trapped in the little house again. She was a few months away from turning nineteen and sitting around like all the muggle girls her age getting ready to go to college, but she had finished her education almost a year ago and should have been on to bigger things.

But she had no where to stay anymore. It had seemed such a good idea to get the small apartment in Hogsmeade with James when they graduated. Rosmerta had given James a good job to start off a bit on his own, and she had been so kind to them.

It was Lily's own fault she was back in her parent's home now. She had left and she knew her place was filled. James needed someone to help pay rent on the apartment anyways. His father had warned him he wasn't putting a penny into such a "typically young love idea. Let's go get an apatment and all will turn out just dandy." Mr. Potter had said it, but they never bothered to listen.

Everything was supposed to turn out perfect. They were going to get married and have a child. The war was supposed to be over soon and everything would have been "just dandy". But it wasn't. Sirius had come after joining the Order and convinced them it was a good idea to join. Lily didn't regret that. She regretted what the Order did to them.

It taired them apart. James was always tired, having to work the job at the Three Broomsticks and do Order buisness. Lily's work with the Daily Prophet became more stressful with the news of the war worsenning. They had nothing to take their anger out on then the other person.

Even Peter had told them to stop it. Peter, who rarely spoke let alone say a word to make anyone angry. He told them to stop fighting, that they were going to ruin all their plans. They didn't listen.

That was the problem. Lily accused James of never listening, but she never listened to him. She just kept bringing up pictures in her head of what he used to be like before he changed attitudes. She ket letting herself forget he was changed now.

A knock at the door of her room caused Lily to jump as she tore away from her thoughts. "Lily, sweety, dinner is on the table." Holly Evans's singsong voice filled her daughters ears.

"I'll be down in a minute Mum." Lily heard her mother's feet travel back down the stairs and she quickly followed.

"You are looking a bit more cleaned up today." Lily had barely opened the kitchen door when she heard her father's voice. She only smiled, because she knew he was right.

"Order meeting late tonight." Lily slid into the chair she used since she was five and they had moved into this house after a terrible aciddent at school with a few of Lily's classmates that needed to be forgotten. No one in the family, or the school staff, ever blamed Lily. No one knew back then she could do something like that.

"Lily, I really know it's not our place to get involved we being," Her mother stopped for a second as she thought.

"Muggles, Holly. The term is muggles." Lily laughed slightly as her father rolled her eyes. You thought after eight years with the term her mother could remember it.

"Thank you Richard. Lily, I know we are only muggles giving an opinon but you should stay out of this order stuff. It's only going to get you into more trouble."

"I'll be fine mum, honestly. I just report basic rumors and such I hear through my work with the prophet." I wasn't going to tell her James and I had just barely escaped with ou lives from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself twice. That wasn't anything she needed to know.

"Lily, you know what happened the last time you didn't listen to our advice." Lily knew her father was refering to James. She would come home on Holiday complaining about the boy and then a month before she graduated she asked to move in with him. They told her it was a bad idea. Four months later she was back on their doorstep.

"Dad really. The war is almost over. Even you must sense it. The disapperances and strange murdurs on your news are getting less and less frequent. A few more months, a year at most and they whole ordeal will be behind us." Her father nodded and filled his mouth with more of his dinner.

The murdurs were less frequent on the muggle news not because they weren't happening, just because the Ministry had been doing a better job covering them up.

The dinner concluded in silence. Lily barely touched her vegtables, but her parents didn't argue as she chucked them down the sink. Lily pulled out her wand and quickly cleared the table to her mother's delight. "Thank you Lily!" The voice was barely audible to Lily as she ran back up the stairs and into her room.

Lily grabbed her favorite traveling cloak and tossed her hair into a quick ponytail. "Mum! I'm leaving!" Lily called out from her door loudly and vanished with a loud crack as her mother turned up the kitchen radio.

She was early when her feet hit the ground in front of the castle gates. She was always early, even when she had walked from Hogsmeade. Lily murmured the pass code and quickly slipped through the opening.

She heard his voice behind her, murmuring the same passcode. The absence of another voice with him startled her. She wanted to turn around and see if he was alone, but she kept walking. Lily knew James saw her ahead of him but he didn't say anything as he covered the distance in between them in a few strides.

"Good Evening Evans." He spoke as if they barely knew each other.

"Evening Potter." She wanted to say so much more to him but kept silent. He didn't respond.

Suppose I called you up tonight and told you that I loved you
And suppose I said "I wanna come back home".

Lily glanced over her should quickly, glancing the smoke rising from the chimmineys of Hogsmeade. She loved the little village; she loved always being surrounded by magic. At her parents' home, they turned up the radio to make sure the sound of her apparating wasn't noticed. In Hogsmeade the crack was one of the more common sounds. That's why that village was home.

She looked at James. He was so tall now, maybe a few more inches then the last time they fought in the small apartment kitchen. The kitchen that she had spent a month making perfect. The scarlet window curtains that watered the flowers on the window sill for her, and the small Oriental rug from her parents'. She had left it all when she walked out.

Lily knew her want to go back there was not just to pick up those few things, but to stay even if it meant all the fighting.


And suppose I cried and said "I think I finally learned my lesson"
And I'm tired a-spendin' all my time alone.

Lily sighed as she continued walking with James. She wanted to shout that she wouldn't leave again, that she knew it couldn't be perfect and all the fighting was better then the little room she was going back to after the meeting.

His black hair always shone so bright in the moonlight. Lily wanted to laugh as she looked at the tangled mess. It was always messy but for a year she had been helping to flatten it in the morning. Now, without her help, he looked fifteen again.

If I told you that I realised you're all I ever wanted
And it's killin' me to be so far away.

Lily had come to hate the nights alone at her parent's home. He always put up with her temper even when she never put up with his. He would try to calm her down even though he knew it would never work.

Her parents wanted her out of the house as much as she wanted out but they weren't going to show it. Her father had even offered her money for her own apartment in Hogsmeade, but she turned him down. She didn't want to live on her own. Alone was so much harder then being with him.

Would you tell me that you loved me too and would we cry together?

Lily wanted him to start the conversation. Have James tell her that it was alright, she could come home. She wanted the tears that had been wanting to fall for three months to fall in his arms and see tears of joy in his eyes.

But she knew she was replaced. Even the absence of a woman clinging to his arm confirmed it. He would have come with Sirius or Remus. The girl just wasn't in the Order. He hadn't wanted Lily in the Order either. Maybe now he just had someone who listened to him.

He had loved her since she couldn remember, always dropping the stupid pick-up lines when she walked by. Pretending to need tutoring just to spend time with her. Well, he did need the tutoring, but his goal was to spend the time with her.

He still had to love her. She could scream and shout at him for hours and he would end it with a kiss and say "I love you, you know that?". The fact that she had walked out on him couldn't change that. It hadn't changed her feelings towards him.

Or would you simply laugh at me and say:

But Lily knew it had all changed.


"I told you so, oh I told you so

I told you some day you come crawling back and asking me to take you in

The redhaired girl stood up from the old wooden table and walked into the bedroom, pulling the suitcase out from under the bed.

She waved her wand as James entered the room. The clothes flew into the case and it snapped shut. "Lily, what are you doing?" His voice dropped from the shouting tone had he used only seconds before. Now it was just a simple question.

"I'm done." She grabbed the case and pushed past him into the kitchen once more.

"What do you mean you're done? Done with what? The Order? Your job at the Prophet? We have enough money, you can quit! I've told you that! And I never wanted you in the Order! It's dangerous! Drop out while you still have your life!" Tears were filling her eyes swiftly.

"I'm keeping my job and I'm staying in the Order. I'm done with you." Neither spoke nor neither moved.

"Done? After everything?" His voice reminded her of the first time she said no to him. He had just played a prank on Severus and thought she would have enjoyed it so asked her out. Then she thought he was only a rotten toerag.

"Yes. Sure, I hate my job! I hate the Prophet! I hate how it tries to cover up everything going on with the war but what I really hate is coming back from where ever I did my work that day to this! I hate coming back to you!" He didn't look at her as she started towards the door.

"Merlin's beard Lily! Don't leave!" His voice was shouting again. His hand was pulling back into the kitchen, furthuring her from the door.

"I've had enough James! It's over!" She pulled away from his grasp and ran out the door.

"You are going to come back! You are going to ask me to take you in again and pretend it never happened! I know you will!" She could barely hear his scream as she ran into the street.


I told you so, but you had to go
Now I found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again".

Lily could hear the words in her head, the last words of their relationship. He had told her that she would want to come back, that she would be back. She could hear him say "I told you so" as he slammed the door shut in her face. That was why she never went back.

And worse, what if they new girl answered. The girl would laugh and say James was on to better things. He probably was.

"I can give you the rug and the curtains from the kitchen back. I didn't know where to send them, so I took them with me." His voice caught her offguard as they crossed the threshold into the castle. She tripped on the threshold bottom and he caught her. He always caught her. " trip there everytime." And everytime he was there to catch her.

"What do you mean? Took them with you?" Lily didn't really care about them anymore. They reminded her too much of him.

"I moved about three days ago. To Godric's Hollow. I finally had enough money for a nice little house and the perfect one showed up on the market, so I took it." Lily knew what he meant by perfect. They had dreamed it up for months.

The house would have a nice little fence with a small yard in the front and a bigger one in back. It would be in a neighborhood, like Godric's Hollow, that they could live in town but not have to hide their magic perfectly. There would be three bedrooms. One for them, one for a child, and one for an office that the two of them would share.

Now James had the house without her.

If I got down on my knees and told you I was yours forever
Would you get down on yours too and take my hand?

"You can keep them. I don't have anything to do with them." She wanted him to keep them so they could have them in their house together. A perfect little house in Godric's Hollow, it was what they always dreamed.

Now he was just rubbing it by telling her. Letting her know he was going to have their dreams without her.

The castle was beautifully decorated. Had it really been just a year ago that Lily had spent Christmas day in Jame's arm on the couch by the fire in Gryffindor tower. That they laughed together at the awful Christmas card Petunia had sent her?

She wanted him to take her hand again like he used to as they walked through the stone castle where they first met. Where they went to school together. Where they first fell in love.

Would we get that old time feelin', would we laugh and talk for hours
The way we did when our love first began?

The two were curled up on the softest couch right in front of the fire. "Merry Christmas, Lily." James handed her a small gift beautifully wrapped.

"You got a houself to wrap it for you again, didn't you?" Lily laughed as she admired the perfect packaging. Ever since she had jokingly commented on his poor gift wrapping skills, James had found others to do the work for him.

"Peter actually. I'll tell him he's as good as an elf. He's the right height anyway." The two laughed together as Lily slowly opened the box.

"Oh! James! It's beautiful!" She pulled the thin chain out of the velvet box. "Who picked it out for you?" Her voice was teasing as she played with the small charm in her fingers.

"Come on Lil, I'm not that bad! And it's a snitch! Only I would pick that for my little snitch." Lily laughed as she slid the chain over her wrist, letting the golden charm glimmer in the faint light.

"I love it James." She kissed him on the lips and curled into his arms. The two talked late into the night until Lily fell asleep. When she woke, James was there still holding her in his own sleep.

Would you tell me that you'd missed me too and that you'd been so lonely
And you waited for the day that I returned.

James sat in the small window seat of the apartment. When Lily didn't go to a café to work she loved curling up here to do her editing, watching the busy streets of the town. She wanted to move here every since their first trip. The idea of an all magic community enthralled her.

He clutched the papers in his hand. He never brought up the small house in Godric's Hollow because with her angry at everything else, he didn't want to disappoint her. The papers were in his name for two months already. He was only waiting for thing to move. The girl he needed a family friendly house for.

"James Potter! If you are going to be late for your last day of work, I'll cut your final pay in half!" The woman was standing in the middle of the street as she called up to James before going back into her pub. James sighed as he spun his wand a final time to put final things in boxes before the move.

He had to accept it. She wasn't coming back.

And we'd live in love forever and that I'm your one and only
Or would you say the tables finally turned?

Lily sighed as the gargoyle leaped aside for them. The two continued up the stairs in silence. She felt her bracelet fall down onto her lower wrist and she quickly shoved it back under her sleeve. The motion went unnoticed by James.

Most of the Order was already there when they arrived. Lily felt multiple pairs of eyes look up at them. Did they all believe the two had gotten back together? James saw Sirius, Remus and Peter and silently made his way to join them.

Lily didn't see Sirius smirking at him over the fact that he entered with Lily. She didn't see Remus shrug apologetically when he realized they weren't back together.

"Lily!" Molly Weasley beconned Lily over to her and her husband.

"How are the twins?" Molly beamed at the thought of her newwest addition to the family.

"Terrible actually. Oh, don't get me wrong dear. They are quite healthy, but at eight months they are already causing so much trouble. But I guess even a rabbit would seem like trouble after Percy. He was always such a good baby." Lily nodded as the woman spoke, filling in her on each of the five children. "I still would like a girl though. Perhaps the next one."

"Another child already Molly?" Lily wanted to laugh. She had meant the Prewett family through Fabian, who was a year a head of Lily at school. She had taken immediate liking to his elder sister who had acted almost as Lily's own wizarding mother.

Bill had been born when she met Molly; he was barely a year old. Then came Charlie in her second year, Percy right before the start of sixth year and the twins shortly before she graduated.

James had told Lily that Molly had twins. It was April Fools day when they were born so Lily hadn't believed James until she got the letter herself. Sirius had laughed and said they were going to be trouble if they were born on April Fools. So far, it sounded like he was right.

The thoughts found her looking at James again. This was only their second full meeting since the split. Everyone had been working seperatly, Lily sending her own findings to Dumbledore whenever she actually got something worth sharing, which was rare.

He wasn't really smiling or joking around with Sirius like he normally did. He was just leaning against the wall with his eyes shut, but as he opened them Lily looked away.


Would you say: "I told you so, oh I told you so
I told you some day you come crawling back and asking me to take you in

And again Lily got the urge to run up to him and ask him to take her back to Godric's Hollow with him. She just wanted to wrap her arms around him again and swear it would never happen again. It wouldn't, now that she truly knew how it felt to be without him.

James had told her that she would feel like this and Lily never listened. He had told her everytime she started to leave that she would come back and she always came back before she walked out the door.

It was only her pride that kept her away so long once she actually did walk out. Her pride would heal, but it was too late now.

She had heard him say it before teasing her. It was the beginning of their seventh year and she finally agreed to have a date with him. The first words that came out of his mouth had been "I told you so." And if she went running over there to kiss him once more, he would only say the same thing.


I told you so, but you have to go
Now I found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again".

She looked up at him again and this time he was laughing along with Sirius and Lily smiled. The four Marauders were all laughing now and Lily didn't bother to find out why like usual. Because finding out why meant having to go over there herself.

Lily heard Dumbledore enter the room as it fell silent. "I really would have appreciated it if you all had tried to be a bit quieter as you entered. We do have students asleep, and as the four, who will go unnamed," He stole a quick glance at the Marauders before continuing. "Who usually were wondering the halls past hours have graduated, all our students are actually in bed." The whole room laughed knowing Dumbledore had meant the four casually leaning agaisnt the wall pointing the blame on someone else.

It was souch typical, and in Lily's more recent opion adorable, behavior for them. She didn't listen to everything else Dumbledore said except stare at James when he wasn't looking in her direction.

"Go back to him Lily." She wasn't sure where the voice came from and she glanced over her shoulder to find Arthur Weasley not paying attention to Dumbledore as well. "It will only make things simplier for both of you."

Without caring if anyone else saw she turned around to face him. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't he give you that bracelet? He sent it to Molly for approval last year." Lily glanced down to her wrist to see the snitch bracelet had fallen down again. "You wouldn't still be wearing that just because it is pretty if you were over him. And think of him alone in that new house. Molly and I went to visit once; the first thing Molly said when we were walking up the path was how much the house made her think of you." Arthur Weasley slipped back towards his wife and Lily could speak to him no more.

He was alone. Arthur had just confirmed it. James hadn't found anyone to replace her. She looked up at him to find him looking back and as they made eye contact, she held up her wrist just enough so he could see the tiny snitch charm sparkle in the light.

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