"Oh, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" a deep male voice cried, as Lily fell to the ground with a loud smacking sound. "I'm so sorry!" it repeated frantically, as its owner fell to his knees beside her, having heard the sickening sound of her head impacting against the cold stone floor.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm okay." Lily quickly tried to reassure the familiar voice from her sprawled position. She put a hand to the back of her head, checking the area where she'd bumped it for permanent damage, and finding nothing too serious or fatal, she just rubbed the tender spot cautiously.

"It's not your fault," she continued miserably. "It just seems to be one of those days."

Surprising her, the male voice chuckled and she looked up quickly, suddenly realising why the voice had sounded so familiar. It was James Potter. Well, that was just typical. After all, who else could it have been? It seemed like she couldn't do anything even remotely idiotic or stupid without him being around to witness it anymore.

Feeling like a clumsy idiot, she attempted to cover her embarrassment with a frown. She opened her mouth furiously to shout at him for laughing at her, but he held up his hand and spoke before she had the chance.

"Don't get angry, Evans, I was laughing at the situation, not your misfortune."

She frowned, but for once decided not to comment, as it would only lead to an argument she didn't need to have. Instead, she sighed tiredly and placed a hand to her temple and made circular motions, trying to ease away the horrible headache that seemed to be forming.

"You too, huh?" he sighed, recognising a familiar look of stress painted clearly across her face-- the look that was so similar to the one he saw on his own face every morning in the mirror. The one that showed signs of problems that went beyond the normal worries of too much homework or one too many detentions.

She turned her head towards him curiously. As soon as he knew he had her full attention, he looked directly into her eyes, desperately trying to convey his sincerity, and he apologised again. "I really am sorry. I just got a letter and I was a little distracted… I haven't been having a very good day either," he finished, releasing a long, dismal, breath.

"I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," she admitted grudgingly, meeting his warm hazel gaze, before her own eyes developed a mind and will of their own and started to look his form over intently, taking in every detail from his wild hair to his lean body, right down to his muddy shoes.

He started to fidget and she felt herself blush slightly when she realised he knew she was checking him out. She reddened completely when she realised he had been appraising her, too.

"Either way, I'm sorry," he finally said, breaking through the awkwardness that had settled over them, and extending his hand to help her up off the floor. "I've got to be at least twice your size and I just knocked you on your arse." He grinned charmingly. "That's got to hurt no matter whose fault it is," he joked, still holding her hand.

"How my arse feels is none of your concern," Lily stiffly told him, pulling out of his grasp a little self-consciously. She added, "I guess you're right though, getting knocked over by you does kind of feel like getting hit by the Hogwarts Express."

Choosing to ignore her slightly hostile attitude towards him, he threw his head back and laughed. "Whoa, Evans, spirited as always, I see. I could actually argue that it is my concern, especially seeing as it's my fault that it may be hurt, but if I offended you…well then, I'm sorry for making a joke in such poor taste."

She tried to be angry at his nerve and his ability to be charming, even when talking about her arse, but his laugh was infectious, and she'd been having such a bad day that she found she didn't have the energy or the will to be angry at him. So, for the first time in a long time, she forgave him instantly.

"My arse is fine, thanks," she said, surprising him by not yelling and, instead, making a joke. "I've survived much worse knocks," she continued, confirming she wasn't angry after all.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her. He chose not to comment on her unusual attitude towards him, deciding to just be thankful that she was even talking to him.

"A delicate thing like you," he continued, following her example and trying to keep the conversation light, "just exactly where and when have you been knocked about – is there someone I need to go rough up?" he asked, pretending to get ready to storm off in search of an unknown foe.

"I am not delicate!" she protested firmly, wiping the playful smile off his face as he realised he'd said something he shouldn't have.

She straightened out her lithe frame, trying to appear bigger, but all she really managed to do was draw his attention to her breasts; impressively, though, his gaze only lingered for a second before coming up to rest on her face again. She coughed uncomfortably at his obvious approval before adding, "I can do my own roughing up, thank you very much." She defensively pulled out her wand so fast it was a blur, just to prove her point.

At her vehemence, ,James took a hasty step back and eyed her wand with a mixture of fear and admiration.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I was just joking you know, trying to be witty. I can see now that I failed miserably, as usual," he said self-depreciatingly, continuing to hold his hands up in a placating gesture.

She watched him for a while before snorting, "No, no, I'm sorry, again – it's just a bit of a sore spot for me. I ummm…I just got a letter too…from my dad… and I'm a little wound up."

"Really, why?"

When she raised her eyebrows at his nosiness, he shrugged. "Most people like receiving letters from home… unless your family is like Sirius's of course," he added thoughtfully.

"No, it's nothing like that." She was quick to reassure, before explaining, "It's just that, my father seems to think I'm too delicate for anything and everything, and chooses to remind me of that fact at every bloody opportunity." She finished by waving the piece of parchment, that he assumed to be the offending letter, under his nose despondently.

"Umm…" James stalled trying to think of a way to respond, but she didn't give him a chance.

"Can you believe he even tried to stop me from coming back to Hogwarts, the safest place in England?!" she cried angrily, going off into her own little rant. "I actually had to make promises and sacrifice certain activities to be allowed to come back. I had to agree not to fly my broom, not play Quidditch, not to go to Hogsmeade!"

James eyebrows rose higher with each sacrifice mentioned, but he frowned heavily when she continued with, " And I just barely managed to convince him to allow me to continue to date – I'm seventeen for goodness sake, shouldn't I have some bloody say in my own life?!" she finished, breathing heavily.

She calmed down a little before continuing, talking more to herself now than him. "—I know he's just trying to protect me but, honestly, it was years ago! I was just a kid and this summer was just a one off!"

"What happened to make him think you're delicate?" James inquired hesitantly. He'd tried not to ask but found he couldn't stop his mouth from forming the words. He had always been curious beyond belief about the girl in front of him, and it seemed today was no different.

Lily raised her eyebrows and he was quick to apologise, absently noting that they both seemed to be doing a lot of that. "I didn't mean to pry."

"Of course you did," she said, smiling slyly at him. "But you're being awfully polite and kind today, so I think I can let it pass," she assured him, causing him to blush. "Oh, and you're blushing too, that's adorable!"

"I am not adorable!" he mimicked her, and she laughed outright.

"Okay, how about dashing? Does being 'dashing' satisfy your manly pride?"

"Yes, that's much better," he answered cheekily, feeling incredibly pleased with himself for being able to make her laugh. "So you were saying…?"

"Saying what?" she asked, confused.

"About being delicate. Why would your father think someone as feisty as you are, is delicate?"

"Oh that…" Lily said, her smile dropping.

James didn't bother to answer and just gazed at her steadily, worried that if he said too much she would clam up and their first civilised conversation in months would be ruined.

Lily looked back, and felt herself falter. She was amazed that after only a few moments of decent conversation with him, this boy who was normally so annoying had made her feel like she could tell him something she had only her told best friend. He gave off an aura that made her instinctively want to trust him; he always had, and that was probably why she had always been so disappointed when he proved to her that she shouldn't and couldn't. It had always frightened and confused her how could he have two such very different and conflicting sides to his personality. It just didn't seem possible, and so she had always felt very wary of James Potter.

Deciding that she could trust him this time, she said, "I can't believe I'm going to tell you this, but okay. I suppose after unloading on you like I did, that you deserve some kind of explanation."

"You don't have to tell me," he was quick to reassure, noticing her hesitance. He did not want her to attack him later, if she realised what she'd done by confiding in him and regretted it.

"No, it's okay. I just try to avoid the topic at school, because it's easier that way. I don't want people to think I'm weak or treat me like I could break at any moment – so I'm not exactly used to talking about it."

"Umm…is this something we need to sit down for?" James tentatively asked, a little worried.

Seeing the look on his face, Lily smiled. "Oh dear, there's no need to worry, Potter. I'm sorry, I'm making it seem so serious, aren't I? It's not nearly as bad as it must be coming across!" She chuckled. "I'm just a little over sensitive about it, and not because I'm delicate, but because the whole thing is just ridiculous! I'm fine, but my father just doesn't seem to ever believe me!"

James gave a relieved smile. "Oh, okay. Well, get on with it then."

"Impatient little bugger, aren't you?"

James shrugged unremorsefully. "Yeah, but you already knew that."

She nodded, smiling fondly. "I guess I did," she said, before suddenly becoming thoughtful. "Ummm… you know I'm Muggleborn, right?"

Receiving a nod in the affirmative, she continued. "Well you see, to make a long story short – when I was younger I had an – I was – taken ill, and it was really serious." Her eyes flashed to his face, to check his reaction to this statement. He looked sympathetic and curious as he waited patiently for her to continue.

Feeling slightly braver, she went into more detail."I…I didn't know I was a witch at the time, my family didn't even know magic existed, which was really unfortunate because…I had somehow contracted a wizarding disease."

James frowned, not really understanding where she was going with this conversation ."Okay…"

"Well," she carried on, sensing his confusion, "because it was a wizards disease, the muggle doctors had no idea how to treat it. So I went a really long time without any proper treatment, and of course, the longer I went without treatment, the worse it got. Much worse, actually."

"Shit," responded James, once he realised the full impact of what she was trying to tell him.

"Yeah," replied Lily, before continuing. "Luckily, just as it was getting incredibly bad, another witch, who was visiting a Muggle friend in the hospital, saw me and recognised what I had instantly. I was quickly taken to St Mungo's, where I was cured in a relatively short space of time, but I was still badly affected and the prolonged exposure without treatment had made me physically weak. It scared my parents so badly that when I received my Hogwarts letter they were, understandably, terrified of magic and what it would mean for me."

"I can understand that," James admitted thoughtfully. "You're their little girl and considering the way they were first introduced to this world, in a hospital with a sick daughter, I imagine that that would make any parent nervous."

"Yes, well, in the end I managed to convince them to let me come, obviously. I think that they realised that I didn't quite fit in, in the Muggle world, and that there was something different about me. They realised that I needed this place, but my dad's never been the same since, no matter how right he knows the decision to let me come was."

"It probably doesn't help that they don't understand this world. One of the only times you really needed your parent's help they couldn't do anything, no matter how much they wanted to. I can't imagine how that must feel."

Lily sighed. "I know and you're right. I know his attitude is really a fear of the unknown, of something he can't control, understand, or protect me from, but that doesn't make the consequences any easier to live with."

"And your mum?"

"She's much better about it all, much calmer, but I think that's probably because my dad does enough worrying for the both of them," she chuckled humourlessly.

"You should do something about it if it really bothers you that much," James offered, his usual 'all or nothing' attitude shining through. "If it affects you so badly," he continued, looking at her seriously, "then prove to your father that you are capable and that you can take care of yourself. Eventually, he's just going to have to let you grow up and make decisions on your own, and trust that you won't do something stupid or get hurt."

"You sound like you're talking from experience," Lily noted, shaking her head a little in disbelief.

"Yes, well…" he shrugged uncomfortably.

She eyed him for a moment and when he refused to meet her gaze, she took in a deep, offended breath. "Hey, come on!"

"What?" he asked shiftily.

"Well, I just spilled my guts to you - return the favour! That way I know you're not going to go around telling everyone I nearly died."

"DIED?!" James exclaimed. "You didn't tell me that!"

She shrugged. "What does it matter now that I'm fit and healthy? So come on and tell me your dark secret, James Potter!" she goaded, slapping his arm lightly.

"Which one, Lily Evans?" he asked with a smile, nudging her back with his shoulder.

"Seriously," she said after a brief encouraging smile, "who better to tell, for a new perspective on your life, than someone who doesn't like you enough to filter their answers? I know we've never really gotten on and that has meant we've remained practically strangers, but you know you can trust me."

"We do get on!" She raised her eyebrows. He added grudgingly, "Sometimes."

When she still looked sceptical, he argued, "We're in the same year and in the same house and I had that huge crush on you at the end of fifth year, so I doubt it's accurate to call you a stranger."

"Maybe not," Lily interrupted, "but you only think you know me, while, really, you only know what I look like and my basic statistics: name, age, and class ranking. But you know nothing about me, and vice versa. Let's not pretend differently."

"Fine, but it's not really my fault. You've never been particularly forthcoming with details about your life, no matter how hard I tried – and you're not like that just with me either, you're like that with most people."

Lily shrugged. "I'm a private person."

"With many secrets, obviously," James remarked dryly, referring to their most recent conversation.

"People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Prongs." Lily emphasised his nickname, purposefully reminding him of the last time she'd tried to have a serious conversation with him, when she'd asked why the Marauders had such strange nicknames.

"Don't," James firmly stopped her. "Don't ruin it by starting a fight now."

Lily frowned, but decided she didn't want to ruin this miraculous truce either and let the matter drop. Instead she said, "Fine, but stop avoiding the issue – has anyone ever told you that you're very good at redirecting a conversation?"

He grinned roguishly. "Damn, I've been caught!"

"Come on," she wheedled. "It's only fair, and if you really want to get to know me then this has to be a two way exchange."

--

AN

And volia a new fic is born!

Firstly, I'm sorry, I know its been a little while since I posted but have no fear I haven't forgotten you nor was I eaten by polar bears LOL - I was just suffering from a bit of a writer's drought/laziness

So this is a new multi chap fic that I've actually been working on for a while and have already written quite a few chaps for, however, I would like you, as the reader, to make a decision for me - you have a choice between:

Short chaps with quick updates or;

Longer chaps with longer updates

I'm easy either way – I actually cut this first chap in half, it was much longer but then I decided to split it up to add a little intrigue (in the hopes it would make you want to come back and read to find out what James's problem is)

If you want the next chap by sunday... you know what you have to do ;D