Hey! My name is Brenda and I will be the author of this fan-fic. I wrote this about three years ago and after modifying it, I typed it and now I am posting it here. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks for reading!

SUMMARY: For decades, The All-Terrible Lord Voldemort has sought to take over the Muggle and Magical worlds, but there is something, or rather someone, he needs before he can accomplish his lifelong plot.--- Lily Evans' past haunts her while she struggles to make it through her 7th year at Hogwarts. James Potter's persistence is confusing her and she is unsure that she hates that arrogant, egoistical boy because he isn't so self-centered any longer . . . Little does she know that James Potter isn't the only man after her skin.

I Solemnly Swear...

A Lily and James fan fiction by Brenda

Chapter 1: Behind the Sunflowers

Another typical night in the city of London, England. The stars twinkled like glittery diamonds against the velvet, dark sky, the stubborn crickets sang endlessly to the lull night, and the lights of the squared houses all over the cities blacked out one by one. And even though it was the windiest night yet, a seventeen-year-old by the name of Lily Evans sat out in her back yard.

The beautiful siren day dreamed— there was nothing else left to do. Sighing deeply, Lily swung back and forth on the swing-bench on her back yard. She focused her emerald green eyes on the star-clashed sky and dreamed on . . .

"FREAK!" shrieked an unpleasant voice from inside the Evans residence that made Lily jump. "Mum said to come back inside, NOW!"

Lily rolled her eyes at her stupid horse-faced sister's voice and gathered the books that she had been reading moments ago but later abandoned. She was about to stand up from her swing when something swished above her head. If it wasn't for her quick reflexes to bend down, the thing would've crashed straight into Lily's forehead.

Lily straightened up and turned around to see what had caused the slight commotion. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she realized what it was. Perched on the swing's recliner was a sculptural, tawny owl. In its beak it carried an official looking envelope along with a parcel that was tied around its leg.

Untying the parcel around the owl's leg, and giving it an affectionate ruffle atop its head, Lily held it onto the night so it could spread its mighty winds and soar into the night. After Lily stared after it for a few minutes and watched it disappear, she settled back into her swing and opened the envelope first. Inside was her annual welcome letter to Hogwarts. But this year, its contents were different:
Dear Miss L.A. Evans,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been announced Head Girl by our school council. Under new circumstances set by the Magical-Human Resources Department of the School Board, the selected Head Boy and Girl will be tested on their inhabiting skills; therefore, the selected will be obligated to share a new dormitory set out for them. Your badge is provided in the parcel attached. Congratulations and we hope to see you September 1st!

Sincerely,
Professor McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

"What?" said Lily to herself once she had finished reading the letter. The letter she had just received was the weirdest ever. She knew that the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was known for being a bit off his rocker a few times but this way too much. On the other hand, she couldn't help but to be delighted for being head girl. "I am Head Girl," she told herself.

"FREAK!" came Petunia Evan's voice once again, shaking Lily's happiness a bit. "I TOLD YOU TO GET YOUR PATHETIC SELF OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!"

"Coming!" yelled Lily back. "You don't have to be so polite!"

Before Lily did anything else, she set the bewildering letter aside and picket up the parcel, wrapped neatly with thick, brown paper. With shaky, excited fingers, lily carefully opened the parcel and opened the lid of the box. Lily gasped. Inside, laid neatly among a scarlet piece of silk, was an alluring golden badge; it could stun anyone. Lily beamed as she saw a large "HG" stamped across the gold of the badge, and engraved on the bottom was "Lily Evans."

Before Petunia would yell at her again, Lily began gathering her stuff once again, but as usual, she was interrupted once more. Something moved among the towering sunflowers along the fence. Lily turned quickly but only to see a dark shadow move across the ground. She furrowed her eyebrows and advanced slowly toward the sunflowers.

"Who's there?" she asked cautiously as she drew nearer to the sunflowers. She reached out slowly to search amidst the leaves of the looming flowers. "Hello?"

But before she knew what was going on, Lily saw a figure standing there. Out of instinct, she tried to scream but a hand reached out of the darkness to cover her mouth and muffle the sound. The harder she tried to scream, the tighter the hand pressed against her mouth.

"Shhh, Lily," said a voice in her ear. "Don't scream. It's me." The force pressing against her face was released and she was free to turn around and see who had given her such a fright.
Lily stared. Even though this person was hidden in the shadows, she recognized him immediately. "What . . . " Lily realized she was too loud and paused for a second before looking over her shoulder to check that nobody saw them. "What are you doing here?"

The guy in the shadows and smiled. He took a step forward, where the moonlight hit his face. His hazel eyes glimmered in the light of the moon behind his glasses, his jet black hair could've never been messier, and his good-looking face flashed Lily a smile. Any girl would've been willing to sell her soul for James Potter's smile, any girl that is, except Lily Evans.

"Just came over to pay you a visit, is there anything wrong with that?" He slammed the skateboard he had been holding on the ground to rest his foot atop it.

"Shhh!" said Lily, looking over her shoulder once more. "There is when it's almost eleven at night!" said Lily trying her best to keep her voice low. "And stop making noise."

"Eleven at night?" he asked looking down at his watch. "Whoa! Time does fly by when you're having fun."

"I don't even want to know how you've been having fun," said Lily immediately and eyeing him suspiciously. He winked and smiled.

"So, What's a beautiful nymph like you doing out here so late?" he asked after there was silence. Lily blushed, as she always did when James sweet-talked her, but she kept a stern face.

"Potter," she began. "To the point. I know you didn't stop by to say hi and to speak your mushy wish-
wash to me."

He stood silent for some reason. "Just came by to invite you over tomorrow to my place," he said, ignoring Lily's previous remark. "We are just going to hang out by the pool, you know."

Lily crossed her arms and studied James' face. There was a lurch on her stomach as she realized she'd probably hurt his feeling with the 'mushy wish-wash' comment. And even worse was the fact that she was beginning to care whether she hurt his feelings or not after she had done so for ages. "Fine," she said finally. His eyes lit up once again. "Fine. I'll go tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" he said, unable to believe his ears.

"Yeah, I am positive." He smiled and she couldn't help but to smile back.

"Tomorrow, at midday, I'll see you there,"

"LILY!" shrieked Petunia more enraged than ever. "FOR THE LAST TIME, COME INSIDE NOW!" Both Lily and James jumped. Lily looked over her shoulder and saw Petunia's silhouette through the screen of the kitchen window.

"You have to leave now," she said looking back to James. "She can come out here and see you. My mum would kill me if she knew I was out here at eleven speaking with a neighbor boy."

James nodded. "I wouldn't want her to kill you. I'd die myself," he said as a blushing Lily urged him out through the back door of the garden. He climbed his skateboard but before he had done so, Lily had the impression that he wanted to kiss her badly. She was grateful he didn't.

"LILY!"

"Coming!" she yelled back as she heard the rolling of James' skateboard fade away in the distance. She quickly gathered her books and her Hogwarts mail and rand back into the house. To her relief, Petunia hadn't seen James or anything that had happened outside.

Without a word, Lily clasped her belongings tighter to her chest so Petunia wouldn't take them away and burn them like she tends to do behind Mr. and Mrs. Evans' backs. She climbed the stairs to her room and locked herself inside. Stretching out slightly and yawning before going to bed, Lily took a last look at her badge. After smiling at her own victory, she reclined in her pillows and slept . . .