James/Lily are my OTP but as it turns out I don't have their multi-chap. So I am making one.

Everyone knows what happened, Lily chose James but no one knows how it happened... my take on the 'Jily' lovestory.

Summary: James and Lily call it a truce on the last day of their Sixth Year. Follow them through the summer and their final year at Hogwarts. As they discover not just others but also themselves and their potentialities.

Chapter 1

The Truce

These were dark times, true. Dark Lord was gaining power, true. Many were choosing the Dark Path, true. People were disappearing, true.

But when you are seventeen and going to attend your seventh year at Hogwarts it seems as if, there is a cheerful air around you and you are in your own fairy land. In the back of your mind you know that this is the last chance you can act like you don't care and that you are kids and everything is fine. In short, this is the last time you can delay 'facing your monsters' or Death Eaters for that matter.

That is what they thought and believed and hence, Lily Evans and James Potter had called it a truce. Yes a truce!

It was the last day of their Sixth Year and in all honesty the school was tired of the spats between Lily Evans and James Potter, so their closest friends, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows and Alice Fortescue*. And Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew decided to make them sit and talk some sense to them and then they called a truce...

6th Year Girls' Dormitory:

"I think you should call it a truce," said Marlene.

Lily Evans just glared at her best friend as though she had suggested that she take the Dark Mark. The red hair and fiery temper went along, or maybe they came as a package deal. Well, if Lily was being completely honest with herself she did not mind Potter all that much, he was fine, funny, and well humour was needed in these Dark Times otherwise everyone would have been dead due to the darkness. But the thing about James was that he bullied in a way, he used the reason of pranks as a decoy.

Playing pranks was fine, but only on Slytherins was bullying and besides if we judge people just on their houses how are we different from pure-bloods judging wizards and witches only on blood status? In the end we become hypocrites, don't we?

But that was also not enough to hate the boy, the fact she despised him was maybe because her ex-best friend despised him but in the end Severus was not her friend anymore... He had made his choice and maybe it was no use to try and save him... He was a lost cause, wasn't he? And they had not talked for a whole year. She had not been alone, no. On the other hand Marlene, Alice and Dorcas became the best friends any girl could ask for. So, now what was there to hate Potter? His big ego needed deflation and he needed to be a little more serious and responsible and...

"You know, you don't actually know him, so you have to give him a chance and get to know him before you judge him." Dorcas said to Lily, probably reading her mind. But Lily had to accept that Dorcas was right. She looked at Alice for her suggestion who shrugged and said, "Look at it this way; you hate it being judged on house or blood status; so aren't you judging them on their 'Marauder persona'? You actually don't know them. Besides, next year would be our last year and we would like to eat without the two of you fighting."

Lily looked grimly at her friends as she thought over the situation, "Fine" she conceded after a while I am ready to call a truce and be civil to him and not shout at him as soon as I see him if he promises not to ask me out every time he sees me just to piss Snape and not to threaten every guy who asks me out into cancelling the date."

Marlene smirked, "Don't worry boys are working on that..."

6th Year Boys Dormitory

"You are joking, right?" James Potter looked at Sirius, Remus and Frank questioningly, Peter was as usual in the kitchens getting some food. "You cannot be serious!"

"Actually, I am Sirius." Sirius said. That was usual, whenever anyone said 'serious' Sirius would say, "I am Sirius."

James rolled his eyes and said, "Please be serious, Sirius." And the boys chuckled.

"We are austere, James." Frank said, using the synonym of 'serious'. Frank was not close to the Marauders that much but he had been dragged into this by his girlfriend, Alice, who being Lily's best friend was directly involved in this. "You and Lily have to call a truce."

"Call a truce?" James asked, "I don't even fight with her!"

The boys in the room, even Sirius looked surprised at that.

"Okay, let's put it this way... You have to stop asking her out every moment you see her and stop threatening her potential boyfriends," Frank said calmly, "Honestly, you sound like a world-class stalker this way."

"I love her why can't she date me? And I don't threaten her 'potential boyfriends,'" James whined, "I just tell them I love her a lot."

James sounded like a two year old not getting his favourite toy.

Remus rolled his eyes, "James, you have to show her your true self if you want anything with her. She sees you as the 'jerk James Potter', JJP for short."

"What?!" James exclaimed, looking surprised.

Everyone in the room wondered, whether James was delusional or just in denial with the fact that Lily Evans hated him.

"Yes," Frank supplied and even Sirius nodded.

"But I just want to show her that I love her..." James said.

"Hexing every boy who looks her way is not a legitimate way of showing affection, Prongs." Remus said. Generally, the Marauders didn't use their weird nicknames in public. Explaining the origin of the names is difficult. Sirius and James explained the names with weird stories which were all imaginary, of course.

"So you think that if I... I just let her go, she will notice me?" James asked uncertainly raking a hand through his already unruly hair.

"If she sees the real you, she might notice you, she needs her space James." Remus said, "And maybe she will like you."

"Yes, you are asking her out since Fourth Year, I think now you should give her some space and wait for how things turn out." Frank said kindly.

"Are you sure?" James asked and the three boys nodded.

"Fine," James agreed, finally.

And so, the Marauders and Frank headed to the Gryffindor common room, where the girls were waiting for them.

"So Potter," Lily said eyeing James in a way that he was going to explode any moment.

"Look, I am sorry if my asking out bothered you so much... Um, I will give you your space and as it is our last year next, let's just start fresh and enjoy the next year?" James said in a rush, his statement ended in askance.

"Fine," she conceded and James smiled and being his cheeky self extended his hand, "I am James Potter."

"Lily Evans," Lily smiled despite of herself and they shook hands.

So how was it? Please tell me you don't hate it!

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Tell you a secret? I have next four chapters planned.

For Harry/Hermione fans, I have started a MC Harmione too. It is called The Lesson Of Love.

Love and virtual cookies,

Anka