It was an uncharacteristically cold day as he approached platform 9 ¾. He had rid himself of his painfully cold mother, Eileen Prince. He now waited alone by a column for his friend's bright, wine-red hair. Severus had not seen her since the beginning of the summer; her father had been promoted, and used the extra money to drag Lily and her family around the country for a vacation all summer.

"I'm sorry, Sev" she had moaned as they sat by a small river in the back of the park. It was their traditional meeting place, where they spent hours upon hours every summer. "You know if I had a choice, I would stay here for you." And she smiled up at him.

The three years they had gone to Hogwarts together, and that smile never failed to make the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. And he didn't see that smile for the next two months.

But now, as he waited by the column on the first of September, he would be warmed by her traditionally over-excited greeting of a hug, fawning that he looked too slim or that his hair had gotten too long. And, almost as if on cue, he saw her flaming hair bobbing over the many first-years nervously glancing this way and that. But before she could rush over to him, she was stopped by someone.

It wasn't like her to scowl, but she glared at whatever the cause of her pausing was. As Severus tilted his head slightly, he scowled as well. James Potter, in his idiotic nerve, Severus thought, had some notion that Lily would enjoy being stopped with questions of what she had done over the summer. To Severus' enjoyment, however, she ignored Potter and dashed to the pale, silky haired boy she had been longing to see all summer.

"Oh Sev, you can't imagine how awful Petunia was this summer! Always teasing me about you, I had half a mind to hex her myself!" Lily wrapped her slender arms around Severus' ribcage (the top of her head barely reached his nose, now), much to the irritation of James Potter, who was still watching her.

"I'm sure it was more tolerable than my summer." He said plainly.

She looked up at him and grimaced slightly. "I guess so. Oh well. We're going back to school!" She was always so happy, Severus thought. The complete opposite of him. How could she stay so happy with someone who lurked about in the shadows like he did?

"Hey Snivellus, try not to grease up Evans so much. I want to at least be able to hold her hand without it slipping at the New Term ball."

Severus glared at James while Lily... giggled? What had gotten into her brilliant head this time?

To Severus' dismay, Potter was only further encouraged by that. But, with Severus looming over Lily, he decided not to push his luck.

"He's not as horrid as you make him out to be, Sev." Lily said in a tiny voice that Severus was torn by.

"What's it my business if you go to the ball with him? Or if you let him hold your hand? Or if you s-" He stopped himself, flushing bright red, especially in contrast to his usually pallid face.

Lily scowled at him. "Yes, what business of yours would it be? Just like it's none of my business that you hang around Mulciber, or Bellatrix Black, or" she shuddered, "Lucius Malfoy!"

Without waiting for his reply, she stormed off, only to be rejoined by Potter and his fanclub of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. He headed towards the back compartments, anyway, where he and Lily usually had one to themselves.

James Potter glanced nervously back at Severus Snape. He would be fuming if he noticed Lily standing so close to him. Oh well, he thought, Severus could think what he liked, Lily Evans was sitting with him, Sirius and Remus this year!

"Sorry I was so rude earlier," she had said, "I hadn't seen Sev all summer and I was in a hurry."

Did she really have to talk about him though? "That's okay" he replied, "I guess I don't know the feeling, since Sirius usually stays with us the entire summer."

"I'm pretty sure I exist for the soul purpose of stealing your food, Prongs." Sirius grinned at him as Lily giggled.

She was so pretty. And she was finally talking to him without scowling! Would it be this year? He was fifteen since July, after all. He had really matured in the past three years, and she must have noticed! Not that she hadn't changed at all. She had gotten taller, her hair longer, her face more defined. As she walked, he took notice of what she was wearing. A light pink dress that fit to her waist perfectly. She was perfectly proportionate in every way.

"James?" he heard her say. He looked up at her nervously, had she noticed his eyes? He hadn't been trying to be... well...

"James, this is Jenny Pevuren. She said she wants to ask you something." Lily smiled at him and walked over to chat with Sirius.

"Hi James." Jenny smiled at him. It was nothing like Lily's smile. She was pretty, in that fake way. She wore too much makeup. Her hair was a yellow-blonde, with blue eyes that looked somewhat devoid of emotion. "I was wondering... Would you care to escort me to the New Term Ball?"

Oh, damn. He had forgotten. "Err..." his mind raced, what could he say? "I've... already asked someone!" Her face visibly fell. He felt bad, especially since he had lied.

"Oh.. Okay. I'll see you in McGonagall's first Ravenclaw-Gryffindor class, then." She pouted, and hurried away to join her friends.

"She looked upset." Lily frowned.

"Something about Astronomy over the summer she forgot to do." James muttered. "Lily would you go to the Ball with me?" In an attempt to be heard, he had shouted, and several people (including Severus) now stared at him.

Sirius laughed. "Let's hope she's the only Lily here, mate, or you're in trouble."

Lily glanced back towards Sev, who was determined to glare at the pavement while he walked to the back compartments. "Sure, James." She smiled at him.

They all glanced at the clock, which now read 10:53. "We should hurry." Remus said.

"Yeah, c'mon Lily!" James grinned at her, but she was still biting her lip and glancing back towards that greasy git Snape. Why did she even talk to him, anyway?

"Alright." she muttered, and took his hand into their compartment for the journey back to school.

Once settled, Remus and Sirius sat on one side of the compartment, and James with Lily on the other. Lily had determinedly tucked herself in the corner with Magical Means for a Magical Evening. Since she would be going to her first real ball, she figured she would brush up on how to dress, and maybe figure a nicer way to do her hair. It was also a nice distraction from thinking about how angry Sev must be with her right now. She would think of a way to make it up to him, of course. He never seemed to stay angry at her for very long, no matter how much she felt to have deserved it.

"Wow, Lily, I'm surprised your nose isn't paler than the rest of your face with all the time you have your nose in a book." Sirius laughed, breaking his concentration from a game of cards with Remus, and James aimed a half-joking kick at his shin.

"What are you reading?" James inquired, scooting close to her. "Oh, you don't need to be reading that. You can wear anything to the Ball and still look wonderful." He smiled at her. Not his usual dopey grin, but a genuine smile.

She poked his head away from her own jokingly, on the bridge of his round-rimmed glasses. "Good, I was hoping I could borrow Sev's jacket."

Sirius rolled around in fits of laughter on his half of the compartment seat while Remus snickered. James' face turned bright red, and suddenly the thread hanging from his black sweater was very interesting. However, he was determined to know her better. He needed to. She was finally talking to him! "I think blue would look really pretty on you." he said.

She gestured absent-mindedly to her wine-red, firey hair in a manner that said "I think otherwise. He scooted closer to her once more, so that their hips were almost touching.

"Is there something you intend to pry from me, James?"

Sirius couldn't help himself. "Your clothes." He snickered uncontrollably.

Lily's face was as dark red as her hair as she slammed her book shut and took her bag from the top of their compartment. She was probably going to hang out with Snivelly again.

"What'd you have to go and do that for, Padfoot?" James yelled.

"Sorry Prongs, you know I can't help myself. He grinned. "Don't worry, she'll be angry with me, not you."

James stared irritably out the window of their compartment, waiting for time to go by.

Lily slid open the door to their usual compartment carefully. "Sev?" she inquired of noone in particular.

Severus looked up from his own book and brightened slightly at Lily's voice, then his mood dampened further at remembering why she was so late. "Off snogging Potter, are we?"

She opened her mouth to defend herself as soon as he realized how cutting his words had been. "Sorry." he muttered, as he went back to his book. She laughed, being the only person used to his sarcastic mannerisms, and sat down next to him.
"Don't apologize when we both know you don't mean it." She grinned and poked his ribs.
He frowned at her. "You know I mean it for you, Lily."
She blushed, and pulled a book out of her bag. "So, do you want to hear how Potter and his friends embarrassed themselves this time?" She asked.
"Sure." he said, and listened quietly to her recount of it. He shivered at Potter's face being so close to Lily's. "Why did you agree to go to the ball with him, Lily?"
She blushed slightly, only this time out of irritation. "He's not as bad as you make him out to be, Sev. And it's not like I would willingly go with anyone but you, and Merlin knows you're not going to a ball."
She was right about that, he had to admit. "But still.." he struggled to find the words. "Potter? Really, Lily?"
"Let's just not talk about it. I need to get my school robes on, we're going to arrive soon.

As soon as everyone had filtered into the Great Hall, and the first years had been sorted, the traditional feast started. Lily glanced over to the Slytherin's table at Severus, who was staring at Mulciber's lack of table manners in disgust. She was giggling at his expression when Alice nudged her.
"Lily, are you listening to me? Frank Longbottom asked me to the New Term ball!"
"Oh, that's great Alice. What did you say?"
"I said yes, of course! Has anyone asked you, yet?" She inquired, with a barely noticeable flick of her eyes towards slytherin's table.
"Yes, actually. James Potter."
Several girls surrounding them gaped at her, a few in jealousy. One girl asked if she had slipped him a love potion.
"Oh, stop it!" Alice said loudly.
They ate in silence after that, only to be interrupted by Dumbledore ending the feast with his usual announcement of Quidditch trial dates for each house, the usual warning about the Forbidden Forest for the first years, and other trivial announcements for the popular clubs.
Back in the Gryffindor commonroom, Alice and Lily sat in front of a window while students filtered in, tired from the feast. One boy got the staircases mixed up and attempted to walk up to the girls' dorms, causing it to turn into a slide and causing mayhem for several minutes.
"There's always one, eh?" a mischievous voice whispered into her ear.
She started, and realized James had crept behind her. She scowled at him, and he laughed.
"Oh no, I'm suddenly very tired. See you later, Lily." Alice said, and rushed up to her room.
And with that, Lily was in the darkest corner of the commonroom with James.
"Sorry about Sirius, earlier. He's.. well, Sirius." He ruffled the back of his hair nervously, not that it made any difference, it seemed.
"That's alright, I suppose. There's probably some truth to it anyway." She grinned wickedly at him, causing his face to turn startlingly close to the color of her hair.
"Well yeah- Wait no, I mean... Of course you're... Well I'm not going..." He was at a complete loss for words. And she was giggling at him! "You're very pretty." He stated lamely.
Lily stifled her snickers. "Thanks." They sat next to the window for several minutes in silence, when she realized..
"Oh no! I forgot my ring on the Gryffindor table." She groaned.
"We're still allowed out of bed" he said cheerfully, "I'm sure it's still there."
They walked out of the commonroom together, towards the Great Hall, where they saw several Ravenclaw girls debating who would ask their Seeker to the Ball.
"Yes! It's still here!" She darted towards where she and Alice had been sitting, and slipped the ring over the middle finger of her right hand. "Thanks, James." She grinned up at him.
He's almost as tall as Severus... And he IS pretty handsome.. And he hasn't sneered at anyone, or tried bragging about his skilled catches of the snitch last year.. Her thoughts trailed along this route as they made their way to the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Wow, it's really deserted." He pointed out as they arrived.
"Yeah, that's a longer walk than it is to Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw tower.." she mused.
"Hey, Lily?"
"Hmm?" She raised her eyebrows at him, and noticed that he looked uncharacteristically serious. She realized how much he had aged since just the previous May. His jaw was much more defined, his shoulders were wider..
And then she noticed that he had been leaning ever so slightly towards her. Oh god, was he about to do what he thought he was? She didn't really know what she thought about it. SHe had never kissed anyone! She had only just gotten to really know James!
Her mind raced frantically as she felt one of his hands on her waist. Not restraining at all, in fact it felt rather nice, as his right hand tilted her face up to his. And as his lips were just about to meet her own..
"STUPEFY!" a familiar voice shouted from the entrance to the tower. The reddish light, of course, hit James square on the back. Unconscious, he toppled onto Lily, his weight pinning her to the ground. As Lily struggled to breathe, someone lifted James from her and helped her up.
And, without saying a word, Severus ran from Gryffindor tower.

Severus was absolutely seething with anger as he raced back through the now empty Great Hall and back to his common room.

"Password?"

"Salazar!" He spat, and raced up the stairs to his room, shared now with Regulus Black.

He laid on his bed, trying to calm his breathing. That disgusting brat, Potter, had been honestly about to kiss Lily.

His Lily. And she hadn't tried to even back away.

He turned over, determined to shove the thoughts into the back of his mind, and went to sleep.

Lily sat by James until he stirred (it only took about five minutes) and he immediately tried to jump up and return a curse to whomever had stupefied him.
"They're gone!" Lily shouted, "But we have to go back up to our dorms."
"Alright." He muttered. "But first.." He cupped Lily's face in his hands and kissed the girl he had been after these past four years. The girl who would always be perfect to him. And he could have jumped with complete glee that she didn't seem at all bothered.
In fact, Lily was much less than bothered by this. As James pulled away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. She almost hoped someone would pass by, and severus would hear of it.
"LOVERS IN THE HAAAAAAAALL. LOVEEEERSS IN THE HAAAAAALLLL. OOOHHHH, SLYTHERIES AND RAVENCLAWS AND HUFFLEPUFFSIES EVERYWHERE WILL HEAR OF POTTY'S NEWEST SCANDAL." Peeves the Poltergeist, already? Lily thought. And then, she realized, that she had been pinned (not uncomfortably..) up against the wall by James. Their faces were both quite red as they went through the hole behind the Fat Lady's portrait and made their way to their own rooms.

The next morning, at breakfast (After they had received their new schedules, and discovered that she, Peter Pettigrew, James, Sirius and Lupin shared several classes with each other and Slytherin) Lily walked over to sit with Severus.
"Hey Sev!" she said brightly, and she could feel James' eyes on the back of her head.
He glared up at her, causing her smile to falter. "What do you want, Lily?"
Lily was taken by surprise in the cold tone he used. She felt her lids get heavy, and moisture gather under them. No, she was not going to be upset by Sev's bad tone with her so easily.
"I wanted to sit and read with you in the morning, like we usually do, silly." Her voice cracked, revealing that she was not nearly as happy as she was moments earlier.
"Shouldn't you be eating Potter's face off?" He sneered. "Come to rub it in my face, have you?"
Lily did not say anything, she simply stood there, blankly staring at him. He stared back.
And then, she started crying. Bawling. Tears ran wildly down her face as she whimpered and sniffed. Severus immediately snapped from his sarcastic mood, which was replaced by fear and guilt as he tried to apologize. He tried to put his hand on her shoulder, and she pushed it harshly away.
Oh god, why did everyone have to stare? Severus thought. And of course, to make matters worse, Potter was striding towards their table with Black and Lupin close behind.
"Please, Lily, I-"
She turned and tried to run from him, only to slam into Potter, who staggered slightly before wrapping his arms around her and leading her away, with a cold glare towards Severus.
Re-infuriated, he yelled after her, "So that insufferable git can comfort you and I can't even apologize! You win, Lily! Have it your way!"
His face bright red, he stormed off to get to Ancient Runes early.