**The bolded dialogue and the whole scene in the flashback was from J.K. Rowling's Order of the Phoenix, chapter 28, Snape's Worst Memory U.S. edition pages 646-648. Chapters One and Two were last updated 26/10, 2009**
Chapter 1: Summer's End August 1976
James Potter quietly sat on his bed, thinking hard. He sighed, his dilemma with Lily on his mind. How could he accomplish such an unattainable goal as to get her to come on a date with him. He'd tried for two whole years to get her to notice himrather than his ego the size of Russia as she had so eloquently put it.
He'd put up with the jibs made about his ego if only she would agree to go out with him just once in his life. Yes, he'd been wanting to take her out on a date for two years, but in truth he'd been in love with her for over four. For reasons unknown, the fates decided he would fall in love with the only girl that wouldn't give him the light of day or dark of night.
He exhaled noisily and stretched out on his bed with his head resting on top of his arms, contemplating so hard he didn't take note to the trouble coming in the form of his best friend Sirius Black.
"Hey, Prongs, stop sulking and come play Broom tag with me!" Sirius bellowed as he leaned very close to James's face.
"Ouch, Padfoot… that's my ear you are screaming in!" James spat rolling on his side to get away from Sirius and giving him a very dark look. "A bit of space would be nice, thank you!"
"Oh, is Prongs in an irritable mood? Do you need you a lie-down?"
"No, I'm in a very good mood!" his words contrary to the annoyance clearly heard in his sharp tone.
"Then it must be that Jamieis in Lily Land and doesn't want to be brought back to the real world," Sirius teased.
James, trying to cover-up his embarrassment, said waspishly, "Don't call me Jamie! And no Sirius, I was just… just," James's voice trailing off lamely, his mind suddenly blank.
"Just thinking how nice it would be to snog Evans senseless?" Sirius stated mischievously with a lopsided smirk.
"No… I… I," James muttered as he glanced about the room looking for a distraction to catch Sirius's attention. "Was just thinking how nice it would be if… we… could go outside and play some of that Broom Tag you mentioned!"
Sirius just rolled his eyes and then good-naturedly agreed to go play a rousing game of Broom Tag.
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"So, Padfoot, when are you going back home?" James asked while they were walking back to the Manor after their game.
"Oh well, Prongs, truthfully, I don't think I'm ever going back."
"What? You're running away for good?" asked James shocked though not completely unexpected since James knew his family's tenuous relationship, but to end it so abruptly, it was a lot to take in.
"Well yeah, I've had enough of all their crap they give me."
"I know my parents will love that you're staying here. Have you approached them about it, yet?" James asked, knowing the answer before Sirius replied.
"Nope," Sirius said making a loud popping noise on the P. "Hey Prongs, I'm going to the kitchens to get me a snack. Do you want something?" Sirius headed in the direction of the said room after they had reached the back terrace.
"Umm no. I don't think I will, actually. I need to go in my room and write a letter to er…"
"How about I'll get myself a snack while you go and write a lovepoem to your oh so secret crush." Sirius snickered annoyingly.
"I am certainly NOT writing any love poems for your information," James said as they crossed the long hallway in order to get to their selected destinations.
"But it might be about a certain person who could do with a little prodding in the right direction," he said quietly to himself as he continued to his bedroom and shut the door with a quiet click.
"Lily, come downstairs, please. I need to take your measurements for your bridesmaid's dress!" Carrie Evans called up to her daughter.
Lily sat on her windowsill looking away to her door and trying her hardest to pretend she couldn't hear her mother's summons.
"Now, Lily, I don't have all day. I still have to sew three other dresses for Petunia's wedding!" Carrie tried to coax Lily downstairs.
"Fine. I'm coming, Mum, just let me finish…" Lily yelled as she tried to stall the moment she had to go down to help with the wedding.
"Now Lily Elisabeth Evans!" Carrie finished as she left the stairway and going to the living room to join her other older daughter Petunia Evans, soon to be Petunia Dursley.
Lily finally complied with her mother's call, tromping loudly down the stairs to the living room also joining the wedding preparations.
"I'm here now… let's just get this over with," Lily replied with a slight edge in her voice.
"What? Aren't you happy that you won't have to deal with me anymore? Oh, of course, you're just upset because I'm the one who's getting the attention and you think it's only you who should get it," Petunia sneered.
"Now Petunia, you be nice to your sister," chastened her mother.
"Don't worry mother she talks to me this way all the time, I'm used to it by now," replied Lily.
Petunia only whipped away from Lily and tried to ignore her completely.
"Dash it all. Will you two at least try to act civil around each other for one moment please? It would help us just a little with the tension that's being brought on by all of the stress of the wedding," their mother said trying to settle the uncomfortable moment brought by her two quarreling daughters.
"Okay, Mum. I'll be compliant for you," Lily answered sweetly giving her most innocent look.
"Yeah, that's right, Lily, kiss up to Mum and look all sweet and innocent even though we all know that's not true." Petunia put in.
"Girls, please, I must insist that you stop all this nonsense right now," Carrie said. "I can't take much more and Petunia you'll need to check the guest list to see if it's right."
"Can you take my measurements now, Mum," Lily said looking out the window. "I want to go outside soon. It looks inviting and nobody has a great dislike for me there."
"Oh, Lily, please, you're not disliked. We both love you to pieces even if we show it differently," Mrs. Evans tried to console her daughter.
"Speak for yourself," Petunia murmured under her breath, fortunately for Petunia her mother didn't hear her.
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Lily sighed to herself as she sat on the old Victorian tree swing that hung in the oak tree planted in front of her house.
"What are you doing outside, Lily? Shouldn't you be inside helping?" said a quiet voice behind Lily.
"Dad you scared me half to death! Don't do that!" Lily's heart beat furiously in her chest. "When did you get home?"
"Right now," her father replied sitting next to her on the swing. "I thought I would catch a moment with you, no need to go into the mad house just now. But I dare say, don't let your mother hear me say that."
Lily giggled. Her father started chuckling and they both enjoyed a carefree moment from all the stress endured because of the quick-approaching wedding. Lily and her father chatted together sitting on the old swing like when she was younger until a shrill voice interrupted them.
"Lily, you need to come in and help me with some more projects NOW!" cried Petunia loudly.
"All right keep your hair on I'm coming… I say, can't a girl have any peace in this place?" Lily took her dad's hand and pulled him to his feet then they both walked in the house as Lily prepared for more insults from Petunia.
The Plan
First thing to do: Capture Lily's heart. But if that gets to be too hard, just accept the fact that she might not feel the way I feel. Try to just be her friend first and see how that works out before expecting more.
Second: Stop cursing Snape - Lily's really hates that and you can't forget why you're doing all this for. Catch Lily and don't let her go. If I can get her then it'll be a miracle!
"Prongs? What are you doing up here; you've been gone forever it seems!" Sirius whined as he entered James's bedroom.
"I'm doing nothing that concerns you, that's for sure," James said while trying but failing to hide the list from Sirius.
"Hey, what do you have there Prongs? Oh no… not a letter to Evans? I don't think you've ever had the nerve to even send them to her. Just kept in that "secret" sock drawer of yours."
"No I'm not writing anything like that for your information, and what in the heck are you doing going through my personal things?"
"Just curious and you and I both know you don't care whether I'm in that drawer or not. Well let me see that paper at any rate, it would give me a laugh and you know how much I love to laugh."
"No way, Padfoot, this is personal, besides you couldn't catch me anyway," James grinned.
"Is that a challenge?"
"I guess it is…" with that James ran down the hallway and past several unused guest rooms and raced down the spiral staircase and he threw open the front doors and flew down the path that led to the backyard.
"I'll get it from you Prongs, whatever it is…" the latter yelled to James, as he quickly caught up to his friend.
Not knowing Sirius was close, James slowed down to take a quick breath. Sirius took a running jump and tackled him to the ground near the edge of the wooded area the Potters' owned. Forcibly, he stole the letter from James.
"Hey give that back NOW! That's mine you little…" Sirius ignoring James scanned the parchment before him.
"So there Prongs I caught ya… you. What is this? Just friendshuh, James? When did you decide to do this? I don't believe I've ever heard you say anything like that. Especially if you're talking about Lily!" Sirius said incredulously.
"What! You don't believe I can do that? Just being friends?" asked James giving Sirius a look of determination. "I can and will do it! Just watch me!"
"Now you've looked at my personal belongings I demand that you give it to me!" James yelled sticking out an impatient hand.
"Are you really going to try and not pick on Snape, either? That's our favourite past time activity!"
"Yes as a matter of fact I am! Now I will have my plan thingy back now," James demanded.
"Wow. I never thought that my little Jamie would ever grow up so soon," Sirius drawled out the last word and then wiped away pretend tears and handed James his parchment.
"Oh just shut up if you want a snack from the kitchen."
"Did you say snack? I'll beat you to the kitchen!" Sirius interrupted.
He had stopped pretending to cry and instead ran in the direction of the mansion laughing uncontrollably.
Rolling his eyes, James followed slowly to the kitchen, thinking of his new plan and what reason could possibly answer the question why Sirius could never act like his name.
"Good night, Mum, Dad, Petunia. I'm going to bed, I'm tired." Lily called to her family. She shut her bedroom door and changed into her nightgown and climbed into her bed.
Looking up through her bedroom window into the clear night sky, Lily started to think about what a boring summer she had, with only the wedding planning to keep her busy.
Lily wanted something else to occupy her vacation time; anything would do, just nothing that had to do with weddings. She wished she could owl some of her own friends to vent all her frustration about only doing the little boring details and having to sit through all the endless discussions of the wedding. She also wished upon wishing that she had a best friend to confide everything to who lived close by. Lily wanted to be anywhere but here, having to deal with her mean sister and the nonstop talk of the upcoming marriage ceremony at the end of August.
The end of August. Now that's the only thing that Lily had been looking forward to all summer. Usually every summer holiday was spent in a new and exciting location where she could learn new and enlightening things, but this year she'd had to stay in her own house and learn the tedious details of putting a wedding together.
But going on the Hogwarts Express via Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was to be the best event since getting home. Then she'd be able to be back with all her friends, schoolwork and heck even annoying persistent Potter would do for a good distraction. Potter, now that's something she hadn't had enough energy to think about in awhile. 'Why does he have to be so annoying about going out with me,' Lily thought to herself. 'I mean why would he be that desperate? I'm not even half as popular as he is with all his "fan clubs" and other such things… 'He'd just dump me once we went out after a week or something awful like that….' "Oh snap out of it Lily stop thinking about HIM! Oh my what has gotten in to me, I can't start getting comfy with Potter. He's insufferable." Lily whispered to herself. It was well known at Hogwarts that Lily and James didn't get along in the slightest, especially after the incident in their 5th year by the lake. 'Humph that stupid Potter, and to think that Severus did nothing to deserve all that humiliation and embarrassment.' Lily thought back to the end of last year after she had taken her O.W.L.s. ~Flashback~ Lily and her best friends, Tory, Kathleen and Nicole, were sitting and chatting about anything and nothing with each other after taking their Defense Against the Dark Arts exam on the lake edge with their feet dipped in the refreshingly cool water. It was relaxing to get a break from the stress of exams, but the quiet was broken when they heard yelling from behind them in the distance. "What was that?" Tory asked looking around to the source of the noise. Across the lawn people were circled round a group of boys and a guy with jet-black hair who stood out among the crowd that was getting progressively bigger by the second. 'I'd know that head of hair anywhere,' Lily thought, disgusted with the person she knew to be a bully, and seeing with grim satisfaction that she was right about being a bully. Right in front of the girls' eyes they saw the boys picking on Severus Snape a fellow 5th year in Slytherin, with James and Sirius looking very smug, and James's wand pointed at Severus. 'Oh I'm so sick of Potter and his stupid stunts he tries to pull and attacking Severus for no reason at all. Is he going to get the idea that no one should act like that?' she growled soundlessly and then indicated to her friends that they should see what was happening and then she and her friends pushed their way up to the front of the group that was gathering around Snape, James and his friends. Lily noticed that Remus wasn't participating, but neither was he trying to help the Slytherin. Pettigrew wasn't standing up like Black and Potter were, but he was laughing along with Black as they continued to humiliate Snape, and by the looks of it, Snape had been hit with the Impediment jinx. As Lily marched closer to the boys, she heard Potter tell Snape to clean his mouth and then she heard him cast the cleaning charm at Snape, making him choke on the foaming bubbles flooding out of his mouth. Lily saw red, nothing could stand in her way from helping the poor boy that was helpless to defend himself, she was so upset that she couldn't stay silent anymore because of the harassment being given. The words flowed out of her mouth like water from a fount. "Leave him ALONE!" she thundered. Both Potter and Black twisted around to see her in a towering rage and she was annoyed to see that Potter had raised his hand up, running it through his hair to make it look messier than ever before. Potter tried to talk with her, but she wasn't to be deterred from what she had come to do, and that was to help Severus. She again demanded Potter to release Severus but Potter only asked her on a date for what seemed like the hundred thousandth time. As she told him she would rather date the Giant Squid she noticed Snape had retrieved his wand. Before he could do anything Black alerted Potter and as he turned around his cheek was hit by a spell from Severus. Lily did not hear what it was that had been cast. Quicker than she could blink Severus was upside-down, hanging by his ankle. The surrounding spectators were cheering and the repulsive bullies were roaring with laughter. Snape righted himself and half raised his wand. Black quickly cast a full-body bind on him and his limbs snapped together causing him to fall flat on his face. Yet again she yelled for them to leave him alone, and though Potter argued with her he finally let him go and said, "There you go you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus—" But before he could finish, he was interrupted by Snape. "I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" She was shocked, hadn't she just tried to defend him? Hadn't she just spent the last twenty minutes fighting with Potter to let him free? Was it all for nothing Potter then tried to get Snape to apologize to her, but she'd had enough. If Snape didn't feel grateful then that was his prerogative, but Potter was another matter completely. Didn't he understand the arrogance that radiated from him a mile away? Didn't he understand that bullying the innocent was just as bad? After telling him exactly what she thought of him and pointed out the things that frustrated her the most she then twisted around and hurried off back to the castle with her friends in toe. 'Stupid Potter! He just doesn't get it does he! Well I'll just ignore him from now on....' Slowly, Lily fell into a fitful sleep thinking of all the other times Potter left her tossing and turning. She kept wondering whether he'd ever change into a gentleman while pledging in order to keep herself together she would avoid him like the plague. How hard could that be? Little did she know, it wouldn't be as easy as she thought. I don't know what's happening to right now but It's really ticking me off! It keeps changing the paragraph spaces so that there is TOO much space in-between! Done venting. Here's my REAL Authors Note: Thank you for taking the time to read this! I have to thank my Beta Blue Leah, who has helped me tremendly! She never gets sick of me emailing over and over and over and over and over and OVER agian with reguards to my stories! Please review so I know you like what we've put together for your enjoyment. Thanks. Please Vote! I will be shutting the voting in a few weeks! ~bkwrmgrl87
Lily was irritated with herself as an involuntary smile tried to slide up on her face. To keep from smiling she shouted again to let Severus be. Potter finally listened to her, but it wasn't as smoothly as she had imagined for Potter jerked his wand and Snape tumbled down in a messy heap.
She heard him yell her name but Lily took no notice of him and waited for her friends to catch up with her as she neared the castle. She thought back to the promise she needed to keep if she wanted her sanity to stay in check. But that would be easy; and that was to keep ignoring him, and not just as he screamed for her to go back to where she had just left.
~End Flashback