The Last Time I Ask You This

A Lily and James One-Shot

Summary: Lily has always said no. Will it ever become too much for James to handle? What happens when James tells her this is the last time?

Lily stood in the corridor, right in the center of the corridor. James Potter was walking away and for the first time, Lily saw him not smile. He wasn't serious. He will just go back to the same old James Potter, asking every ten seconds to go on a date with him. Lily turned and just walked into Transfiguration, not even taking notice that James was also supposed to be in this class as well until halfway through role call, when said boy did not respond to his name being called. Even McGonagall took pause to see where the idiotic Transfiguration genius was at. Lily glanced at Remus, who happened to be sitting next to her, and even he looked confused.

"Mr. Lupin, would you take the privilege and inform me as to where Mr. Potter is?" Everyone in the room turned to look at Remus, Lily included.

"I don't have a clue, Professor…" Remus turned and gave a questioning look to Sirius, who looked just as clueless as the rest of the class.

This was just the first incident of the missing Potter.

The next Hogsmeade trip was coming up and Lily Evans was preparing herself: James Potter never failed in asking the girl to every Hogsmeade trip since third year. She was fully prepared that morning when she walked into the Great Hall only to be shocked into a frozen state. James Potter was kissing a black-haired girl she recalled being in Hufflepuff – and clearly was not the initiator. When the girl backed away, James was still staring into space. Sirius was laughing at the stunned quidditch player and Remus was looking directly at Lily. The girl giggled.

"Now you have to take me to Hogsmeade," she said, smiling at James cheekily. James merely nodded numbly. Lily frowned.

This was the first incident of Potter leaving her alone.

When in her dorm two weeks later, Lily Evans decided that she should scream. No real reason behind her decision, really, other than the idea that she was going to loose it if things kept going the way they were. So when all the girls came up to the dorms at the sounds of "death and strangulation," Lily should not have been surprised. And when she went down into the common room, to escape the room that was slowly closing in on her, she saw James smiling hesitantly at the same girl he took to Hogsmeade, and Remus was again watching her, calculating her. Lily quickly left the common room to sit under the beech tree, not sure as to why she was crying.

This was the first time Potter looked at any other girl than her.

And as Lily watched him now, watching him on the field of the quidditch pitch, shaking hands with the Hufflepuff Team's captain, she felt herself remembering that day just two months prior.

"Lily!" James shouted from halfway down the corridor. Lily internally groaned. What is wrong with this guy? Can't he just get the hint? She slowly turned. People glanced over for a second, but continued on their way almost immediately.

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily said, trying, just this once, to be civil with the boy. James gave a slight frown before speaking, quietly this time.

"May I talk to you for a moment?" Lily narrowed her eyes before nodding and James lead her to the empty alcove in the wall. He seemed nervous.

"I promise, this is the last time I ask you this. And please don't shoot me down right away. Let me talk first!" He rushed forward as Lily motioned to speak. She calmed slightly. "I really, really, really like you, Lily. I know you don't think I do, but you are the only girl I have ever willingly invited to Hogsmeade. Just once I really would like to go on a date with you. I swear this last time I ask you this, and if you don't believe me, just ask Remus." James paused in his monologue. "I will never ask you again: will you please go to Hogsmeade with me?" Lily frowned.

"Potter, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to go out with you. I. Don't. Like. You." James looked down at the floor and back at Lily before quickly turning away and hurrying off. Lily walked out of the alcove and watched him go. James didn't smile this time.

James was serious. Lily watched James on the pitch as he caught the quaffle and threw it to Jones and Jones back to him, making it past his girlfriend, who just happened to be the Keeper for Hufflepuff. Someone sat next to her and Lily turned at saw that Remus decided to take residence in the bench next to her. He was watching the game, but turned to Lily after a moment.

"Hello, Evans." Lily just stared at Remus.

"You never call me Evans," she said after a moment. Remus just looked at her before returning to the game.

"I figured it was best to not be quite as friendly anymore. Especially seeing that if you ever want to hang out with me, James would probably disappear in a heartbeat to hang out with Maria." So that is his girlfriend's name. Figures I don't know her.

"What does Potter have to do with our friendship, Remus?"

"Nothing. Other than the fact that I don't like people who hurt my friends. He was dead serious when he talked to you the last time. He's not asking you out again. He can't take another rejection. If Maria hadn't kissed him in the Great Hall that day, he wouldn't be at this game. He would still be trying to fight off Sirius' attempts to crack open what is going on inside his head. Everyone in this school knows that James is just settling for someone right now, even Maria."

"If everyone knows that, including her, why doesn't she just break up with him?"

"Because. James couldn't handle that. And she is willing to be second best if it means he can have some smile on his face. She is the only one he goes to now-a-days if he wants to escape things." Lily looked away from the accusatory look on Remus' face and at the match, Hufflepuff had taken a time out and James was talking to the team. Lily stood and left the pitch, suddenly not interested in the game.

As she heard the cheers in the common room that night, Lily thought back and realized that just one stupid move changed her entire world around. A week without James Potter made her realize it, but Remus' words hit home:

She needed James and she would never get him back.

Author's Note

I have had a couple of requests for a second chapter and I am considering doing so. But you will all have to give me some time. I have to update my other stories and I also have summer courses through a local college as well as my job. A second chapter to this is not as high on my priority list as my homework, job, other current stories, and friend time. But I promise I will get something out for this. All I require is a little time. And a few more reviews asking for more chapters. And maybe time to actually come up with a way to get them together. I actually stumped myself on how to get them together in just one chapter and i want to keep this one one to two chapters long.