'If there's somebody calling me on

She's the one '

Robbie Williams -she's the one

Lily Evans sat alone in the dark and deserted common room; all of her fellow Griffendors had long gone to bed and she was left alone to sulk in front of the glowing fire. The flames had receded and all that remained were the glowing, orange coals that cast a dull light over the room as she hugged her knees close and occasionally wiped away a rebellious tear that dared to break through her steely resolve. He had been her first insight into the magical world that she so dearly loved, it was he that first told her about Hogwarts and all of the enchanting things that fate had led her to. Severus had introduced her to this dream and now he was introducing her to a nightmare. It was in her nature to see the good in people, even the good in arrogant James Potter, but she was naïve. She had refused to see the side of Severus that everyone around her had seen for so long; the mud-blood hating, dark arts loving boy who aspired to join the man who was to become the darkest wizard of all time. They had chosen their separate paths and parted ways but just because they had chosen their fates did not make it any less painful.

James' mocha brown eyes fluttered open for the hundredth time that night. No matter how hard he tried, sleep would not come. It was like some thing was niggling at his soul, keeping him from rest. The dormitory that surrounded him was concealed by darkness that only Lupin's snores could penetrate. Frustrated by his inability to sleep, James threw of his covers and padded down to the common room, wearing the track pants he had been too lazy to exchange for pajamas earlier that evening. As he rounded the corner of the spiral stairs the out line of Lily Evens became visible, the orange light of the fire shone through her curly, auburn hair like autumn leaves falling gently to the ground. He could not see her face from the foot of the stairs, only the line of her body starkly contrasted by the angular frame of the fire place. He was transfixed by her and longed to be close to her. Even the sharp scorn of her bright green eyes which he regularly received made his pulse quicken. It was a cliché but he really had never met anyone like her, there was something about her eyes; they held both fire and compassion, fierceness and gentleness. She intrigued him and he irritated her beyond belief - but at least that meant her had her attention. He wasn't sure how long he stood their watching her before he realized she had tears slowly slipping down her face, each tear caressing each curve of her face, catching the light of the glowing coals as it fell to the grown. He longed to wipe those tears away and for his hand to be caressing her face; it shocked him that something so sad could be so beautiful. Almost silently he moved towards her, his walk free from the confident swagger that carried his persona. Lily was consumed in her thoughts about betrayal that it was not until James had actually touched his strong hand to the skin on her shoulder that she realized she wasn't alone. She jumped at his touch, knocking the pile of books that had been stacked next to her into the smoldering coals.

Flashing her eyes at him, she stood.
"Is it at all possible to get away from you, ever?" she snapped, turning her back to him. James lowered his eyes, and for the first time Lily had ever seen, did not say a word. He stooped and pick up the topmost book form the pile, the edges of the pages were glowing red, smoldering like the fire. Picking up her wand that lay on the floor, he extinguished the fire and mended the book, making the pages flick through one by one. It was only then that he realized he was holding her diary; the very out pouring of the heart that he so longed to be his.
Seeing his eyes scanning through the pages Lily grabbed the book saying "God, you really think you own everything don't you!"
His firm seekers grip refused to let go as she drew closer to him, pulling at the diary.
"James, give it back."
She grasped the book in both hand brushing her hands over his in her hast.

Ignoring the bolt of electricity that shot though her at his touch, she snatched is back and hugged it close. A mixture of anger and pain hid behind her emotive green eyes. James looked down at his feet and a strange, thick yet comfortable silence formed between them. When James finally lifted his eyes, Lily's face was once again conserved by a curtain of her hair.

Steadying himself, he cleared his throat hoping to dislodge the lump in his throat.

"Lily, are you okay? What's wrong?"
There was a softness to his voice that she had never heard before. It was the first time that she could remember him addressing her by her name instead of heckling Evens at her. His manner took her off guard but her rebuttal showed no weakness.

"Why James, it's not like someone who has the emotional capacity of a thimble could ever understand."
She had shot an arrow at this newly unguarded James and fully expected him to shoot back at her, following the pattern of all their interactions from the moment her emerald eyes challenged his dark ones.

In reply he simply moved his eyes over her pale face as if searching for anything beneath the surface, looking for a weakness in her iron cast defenses. Lily was shaken by the unprecedented response and looked back into his eyes, searching for a reason.

Taking a guess at the cause of her tears, James murmured, "I'll murder that slimy git for making you cry."
Slimy git was the usual reference used by the four Marauders for Severus Snape .

Instantly Lily snapped.
"Don't call him that," she said as tears welled in her eyes she looked up to the roof as if looking to the heavens to hold back the tears.

"What and just ignore him calling you - calling you that?"

The thin layer of control that had been holding the welling wave of tears snapped and tears flowed freely down her face. Suddenly, anger at the whole situation filled her and the torrid sea of emotion that had been storming within her transformed to an anger of hot molten lava. Her hair shone like the hot lava that filled her and she spun launching her self at James.

"You - don't - know -the- first thing - about -anything!" she sobbed, hitting his chest with her tightly clamped fists. James' strong arms grabbed her hands, holding her still until she stopped struggling against him and felt her shaking with tears against his broad chest, his quiddich toned arms holding her close and her tears falling on his bare chest.

The helpless Lily Evens that was buried in his chest was not the girl that James knew. Lily was fierce and firey. She had eyes that could cut through him but beneath it all she was guarded. He had never realized it until now but she was one of the scaredest people he knew. She hid behind her book and her quick comebacks to stop people from seeing the softer side of her. Not that she was uncaring; James had never known anyone to be so concerned about the people around her. No, it was more that she didn't want to be categorized as if she took pride in being a walking contradiction - beautiful yet smart, popular yet caring, girly yet strong. It was almost as if she wanted people to be confused about where she fit because she didn't want to fit into any mold at all.
As he brushed his fingers over the ends of her wavy hair he realized that it was the incomparable complexity of Lily Evens that drew him too her. He sat there holding her for hours as the fire beside them slowly died to ashes. Lily merely let the tears flow, ignoring the nagging sensation as if she had found where she belonged in his arms or the desire she felt. Her teenage eyes noticed the ripple of his muscles when ever he moved despite her distress.

In spite of the complex emotions that surged underneath the surface of both of them, the connection that they held in those few isolated hours were the basic human need to be cared for. They were both freed from their expected actions and no longer had to project the images they had so carefully constructed to conseal the raw emotion that possessed more power than all the spells in Hogwarts. They were simply two people who ignored the nagging of their brains to fill the silence with ideal words that communicated so little. The language they spoke there in the darkness was of heartbeats, intakes of breath and sighs, holding the other close free from explanation and apology.

They were simple two people sitting in the dark; him holding her cause he needed to be held and her clinging to him because he was willing to see her as she was and just hold her. Nothing more, nothing less.

To anyone who may have crept through the portrait hole or peeked down the stairs, the intensity and simplicity of the event would not have been apparent, for the experience was one of the most profound things to live but the most confusing to watch.

Like Lily herself, the situation was a contradiction, for only two words can describe it: magic and love.

It wasn't until light started creeping through the common room that reality seem to break the unknown spell that had been cast between them. Slowly Lily drew herself away from James and stood, her eyes staring straight back into his. Her eyes were transfixed by the connection that was so new yet so strong. She turned and picked up her books as James stood up. "Goodnight, James," she said softly as she descended up the stairs to her dormitory.
James simply smiled and noted that her absence had brought a hollow in his chest and a yearning that flowed through his veins like the oxygen that kept him alive.

It was right then that he decided in the darkness that he would never rest until she was happy, that he would scourer the earth for her heart's desire and sacrifice himself for her life, her happiness, her laughter and her smile.

The head boy could never have known that the proclamation he made in his heart would be tested in a different kind of darkness.