Untouchable

Stardrops

Summary: Lily Evans was beautiful, intelligent and mysterious. People saw her as untouchable. James Potter was a handsome, outgoing and popular. The two despised each other –determined to keep their relationship strictly that of enemies. But as time went on, they began to grow up and developed feelings much deeper than hatred. Their mutual fear of love disappeared when they learned that love really does overcome everything.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings and basic plots of the Harry Potter novels belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing.

Chapter One: The Last Year Begins

September 1st came once again as the summer reached its end. The sun which shone so rarely in London once again went into hiding for another three seasons to wait for the next summer, and as the rainy, muggy weather returned, children once more packed their bags to return to their various boarding schools. The platforms of the train station were crowded with families bidding farewell to their offspring. Dressed in prim uniforms, complete with hats, trousers or skirts neatly ironed with creases in all the right places, starched white shirts with not a wrinkle in sight, and navy ties to match the blazers they wore with their school emblems carefully stitched on the left hand pockets. The scene looked remarkably like that described in a children's storybook.

Busy as the station was, it was strange that no one noticed the pairs and trios of people dressed in jeans and t-shirts pushing trolleys piled high with trunks of books, clothes and occasionally the odd owl or cat in a cage or carry box casually disappearing right before their eyes. As Muggle children returned to their schools, so too did the students of the wizarding world return to their beloved Hogwarts.

Behind the secret barrier between platforms 9 and 10, another platform hidden from the non-wizard people was busy with bustling mothers and fathers preparing their children to board the train. Luggage porters irritably threw trunks and suitcases into the luggage compartment, much to the dismay of the mothers who cried out in disapproval for fear that the padding on the suitcases may not be enough to protect whatever treasures their children may have packed. Students flurried about, giggling in groups and squealing in recognition of friends they hadn't seen during the summer. Scared looking first-years stood on the edges of the platform, slightly out of the way of the crowd, as if they hoped to disappear entirely.

Lily Evans watched the scene with a benign smile from the window of the Head Carriage, a compartment of the train that was reserved for the two students in seventh year that Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, deemed Head Boy and Girl of the school. Lily had received the badge during the holidays and was ecstatic. She resolved to work harder than ever before this year and to prove that Dumbledore had made the right choice in making her - a muggle-born witch - a leader of Hogwarts.

"Train leaves in five minutes!" called out a cheerful looking man with reddened cheeks, presumably the driver of the train. Immediately the pandemonium increased and mothers began sniffling at the sight of their children leaving for another term at school. Hands waved and students rushed about the train, determined to find carriages for themselves and their friends. As the train pulled out from the platform, many students cheered and called their last goodbyes to their parents. The school year had begun once more.

Lily pulled a book from her bag and opened it at the marker she'd carefully placed. Her ankles delicately crossed and her hands grasping a thick, serious looking book, she looked the very picture of respectability. She couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of returning to school. She loved her parents dearly, but her sister was more than she could bear. Petunia, a Muggle, had never been particularly fond of Lily, but since finding out her sister was a witch, Petunia went out of her way to be nasty to Lily, and no matter how hard she tried, Lily could never find a good enough retort to any of Petunia's insults.

Smiling sadly to herself, she looked around the empty compartment. Outside were thundering footsteps as groups of chattering students found compartments to share, but Lily sat alone once again – just like she had done every year. She'd never really had many friends at Hogwarts. That was the price she'd had to pay for being the top student. She put her work before anything, and that had left little time for socializing. There had been times when Lily wished that she'd had someone there to talk to when times got difficult, but this year, she assured herself, there would be no time to even think about these things. This year was her last year at Hogwarts.

She would face her Head Girl responsibilities and her N.E.W.T.S, which were her only chance at getting the grades to fulfill her dream of being an Auror. She knew that this year would really count for her, and it was that fact that drove her to work so hard.

Another thought popped into her mind. Who was the Head Boy? Perhaps Remus Lupin – he was an extremely clever, responsible, all round nice boy. Maybe Frank Longbottom – he was also a clever wizard, perhaps a little less confident, but still a responsible student. As long as it wasn't Lucius Malfoy or Severus Snape. She could cope with anyone but those two boys.

There was a knock at the compartment window. Lily looked up as the door opened, ready to smile at whoever was coming to join her. As a person walked in, Lily's eyes first met the shine of a badge on their chest, reading HB – obviously meaning Head Boy. Her eyes slowly shifted upwards to meet the eyes of –

She changed her mind. She could cope with anyone but Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, or James Potter.

"All right there, Evans?" James smirked at her as he waltzed in; obviously very satisfied with the horrified expression Lily wore. She couldn't imagine spending a whole year sharing duties with James Potter. This had to be a mistake.

Lily's face fell completely, her attempt at a weak smile completely failing. "Y-you?" she stuttered. "You're not – no way – you're the Head Boy!"

James puffed his chest out a little more, proudly confirming her with a nod and a smug sigh of contentment. "Yep. Guess we can't avoid each other as much this year, can we?"

Lily gave a short, annoyed laugh. "What do you mean? You spend half your life following me around with every intention to insult and aggravate me, Potter. I hardly think that could be called avoidance. Now if you don't mind, I've some reading to do."

She returned her attention to her book, hoping that this would give James the obvious hint that she was completely finished talking to him. James, however, who was looking at her in amusement, sat down on the seat opposite her and observed her as she read, desperately trying to ignore him.

He had never understood Lily Evans. She was so incredibly serious, always reading and studying. The library was like a second home to her, and James was certain that this year, if she kept reading at the rate she always had, she would actually manage to read every single book in the library. She never took time for relaxation or fun, never joined in parties or games, and consequently had no friends. She had no enemies, but no one to really rely on or share things with. She was like a shadow. No one really knew Lily Evans. Girls admired her natural beauty, intelligence and her (usually) sweet nature. Boys were interested in her but were never allowed close. She was a complete mystery to the entire population of Hogwarts.

James was a little intrigued by her, but mostly just made fun of her. James shared one thing in common with her – they were the top two students in their year, something which always astounded Lily. She was the total opposite to him. James was Quidditch Captain, adored by girls all over Hogwarts, extremely popular with boys as well as girls, charming and now, he was Head Boy.

Lily however, had never had a boyfriend. She'd never been kissed, and never been on a date. That was not to say she'd never been asked, for boys often desired her, but she never accepted anyone. This was something else about her that James would never understand. James loved girls. He never stuck with them for long, he was certain to go through at least two girls in a month, but he loved being with girls and definitely didn't complain about being one of the most desired males at Hogwarts.

One of his favourite ways to torment Lily was to ask her out all the time. He knew she would never say yes, another thing which astounded him. Every girl he ever hit on completely fell for the Potter charm, even though it was a well known fact that the longest relationship he'd ever had was two weeks, and that was with a girl from Ravenclaw who had moved away. But he was considered the most desirable male at Hogwarts, competed only by Sirius Black, James's best friend, who was also a womanizer and something of a hottie. The two boys were the Sex Gods of Hogwarts.

And still Lily refused him every time he asked her out. The first time he'd asked her had been as a bit of a joke between him and the rest of the Marauders, but he'd pretended to be serious to see what her honest reaction was. She had given him an appraising look, and then said in a forced polite tone, "No, thank you." Then she'd turned back to the parchment she'd been working on at the time to complete her essay. James had been completely shocked, and since then had been intrigued by her. She was the only girl who had ever refused him.

It had actually hurt his ego. He'd never been rejected before. And since then he'd felt a mixture of interest and dislike of the Gryffindor girl. This was the main reason he teased her so much.

"Would you please stop staring at me? I'm trying to concentrate." Lily's eyes never left the page as she spoke in a completely emotionless voice. James blinked and smirked again.

"I'd stop staring, but you know Evans, I can't until you agree to go out with me."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Potter, we've been through this. I'm never, NEVER, going to go out with you, all right?"

James studied her. "Why not?"

Lily paused and finally looked up. "Excuse me?"

"Why won't you go out with me, Evans? If I'm going to be rejected, surely I deserve a reason." James waited in anticipation.

Lily replaced her bookmark and leveled him with a cold expression. "Which reason do you want?"

James blinked. "There's more than one?"

Lily counted them out on her fingers as she spoke. "One, you are a complete imbecile. Two, you only ever ask me out as a joke. Three, if I did go out with you, I would be your girlfriend for a total of a week – IF I was lucky enough. Probably not even that long. Four, we have absolutely nothing besides this badge in common. Five, and lastly for now, because I simply despise you, Potter."

With this final word, she picked up her book and her bag and headed off to the change rooms to change into her robes, leaving a stunned and somewhat miffed James behind her.

Blinking in amazement, he shook his head and leaned back in his chair, nodding his head as he digested what she'd said. "Wow … who would have thought Evans would have it in her to say something like that?" he said aloud to himself.

Footsteps came thundering down the corridor. Three boys fell into the room, one on top of another on the floor. On the bottom of the pile was the sandy haired, grey eyed, attractive Remus Lupin. In the middle was a plump boy with dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes – Peter Pettigrew. On the top, laughing victoriously, was a dark and handsome boy; James's best friend, Sirius Black.

"Welcome, Marauders. Wouldn't want to make an entry now, would we?" James chuckled.

"You're in here alone," Sirius observed. "We thought you might have been with Evans again, you know – annoying the crap out of her like you normally are."

James looked indignant. "I don't annoy the crap out of her … well, not much anyway."

Remus snorted. "Yeah, sure."

"She was in here with me before anyway," James admitted. "She was reading, and then I came in and she was forced to talk to me."

Peter smirked. "Did you ask her out again?"

James looked as innocent as he could. "Well – I may have suggested it …"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And?" he asked, grinning. "Did she bite your head off and tell you all the reasons why she wouldn't?"

James shifted positions in his chair casually and examined his wristwatch carelessly. "Something like that, yeah."

All three Marauders turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "And?" Sirius probed. "Tell us what she said!"

James relaxed and admitted, "She said I was an imbecile, that she'd never go out with me cos she'd only last a week if that, and that she hated me. That's the basic gist of it I suppose."

Remus whistled. "Wow … I think you're starting to annoy her a little."

Peter laughed. "A little? Yeah, perhaps."

James looked thoughtful. "I don't know why she doesn't just give in to me. Every other girl has so far." Peter snorted derisively, and James continued. "No, seriously. Any other girl falls for the Potter charm like a flash. Why doesn't Evans just agree to go out with me already? And why is she getting so annoyed at me so easily? All I'm doing is asking her out. Most girls see that as a compliment. She's always got to be so bloody difficult, doesn't she?"

Sirius, Remus and Peter simply exchanged glances. "Prongsie, haven't you gotten over that yet? You asked her out in third year, and at least every week since then. You've kinda earned that irritation from her, don't you think?" Remus said, choosing his words perhaps a little less carefully than he should have. James glared at him.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" James narrowed his eyes.

Sirius examined his fingernails very closely as he said, "Do you think perhaps the reason you pay her out so much is because maybe you actually like her?"

James gaped at him. "Me? L-like Lily Evans?" He burst out laughing.

Sirius, Remus and Peter all looked at each other in confusion as James finished his fit of sarcastic laughter. "Look, mates, the day I like Lily Evans is the day the Severus Snape gets a girl! Well – at least – the day he gets one without drugging her. She's a complete snob, a workaholic and has no understanding whatsoever of the word fun! I don't like her. No one does. It's not just a coincidence that she has no friends!"

Silence met this statement, and all three of his listeners sat somewhat still, looking slightly embarrassed. James looked at them all as if they were mad. Remus tilted his head slightly to the doorway, where Lily stood, one eyebrow raised as he took in her presence.

"Evans," he nodded to acknowledge her, trying to ignore the cold feeling that now wrapped his stomach tightly and all the while wishing he'd at least kept his voice down.

She said nothing, rather just nodded to the other three boys sharing the compartment and then left. A hollow silence followed her departure. Sirius and Peter were looking anywhere but at James, while Remus looked carefully at James who was staring at the doorway where the beautiful, untouchable Lily Evans had stood only a moment before.

"Shit," muttered Sirius quietly.

"Oh well," James said, brushing any guilt he felt to the back of his mind. "Game of Exploding Snap, anyone?"

&&&

The Marauders were silent once more, the only noise the night rushing past the window. Sirius was sleeping, his head resting on Peters shoulder. Peter was reading, and Remus was staring out the window. Lily had been forgotten – by everyone except James. He still remembered how hurt she'd looked when he'd turned to see her listening to what he'd said.

"Just because I told the truth, suddenly I'm the bad guy," James muttered to himself grumpily. Remus looked up.

"What's wrong, Prongs?"

James looked up hastily, unaware that he'd voiced his thoughts. "Oh – sorry, just thinking out loud." Remus nodded, but looked thoughtful. James could tell Remus knew how bad he was feeling about what he'd said earlier.

"Why don't you just leave her alone, James?" Remus asked quietly. "If you don't like her, perhaps this is not the best thing you could do. Why do you pay so much attention to her if you don't even want to be friends with her?"

James threw up his hands in frustration. "Because! Because she's so irritatingly perfect! She's so clever and beautiful and snobby and thinks she's just soooooo great - and it annoys the hell out of me!"

Remus arched a brow. "You think she's beautiful?"

James froze for a moment before leaning back casually. "Pfft. She's better looking than most of the girls at Hogwarts. But loads of girls are beautiful. Just because they're good looking doesn't mean I fancy them. What's your point?"

Remus gave him a sarcastic glare. "Because I think the reason that you pay so much attention to her is that she's the only girl you can't have. She's beautiful, like every other girl you've ever snagged, but unlike all the others, she doesn't like you in the slightest. And it kills you, doesn't it?"

James gave a short laugh. "For someone who's meant to be a Marauder, you talk a lot of crap, Moony."

"And on the subject of Lily Evans, James Potter, so do you." Remus shook his head and once again absorbed himself in the darkness shooting past at a frighteningly furious speed outside. James sat, frowning and grumpy, pondering what Remus had just said.

It was true. Lily Evans was beautiful. She had gorgeous, shiny red hair that she always pulled back in a ponytail. It was usually slightly wavy and seemed to curl perfectly against her robes while she worked in class. Her skin was pale, typical of redheads, and slightly freckled from being in the sun. But most astounding at all were the beautiful green eyes that shone from her face, glowing with pride whenever she got a good grade or a correct answer, that narrowed with anger every time James made a crack at her, that seemed so full of emotion but yet so shielded and guarded at all times.

James sighed and tried to forget about her. She was only a girl. He'd had so many before, and was likely to have more in the future, and none of them stuck in his mind as anything other than people he'd had romantic contact with. Most of them were on friendly terms with him still and that was the way he liked it. No strings, no possibility of having to worry about hurt feelings and angry remarks being thrown his way.

So why did the thought of Lily Evans sitting alone on the train, hurt and upset by James's unintentional insults, make his stomach clench with what was undoubtedly guilt?

He couldn't even be bothered thinking about it. She was a girl. Only a girl. And with that thought, James curled up in a ball on the seat and went into a doze with troubled dreams.

&&&

A/N: Hello and welcome to all my readers! Please review and tell me how it's going so far. I'll try to update regularly, but only if I get reviews because otherwise it seems pointless. If you bothered to read it, just drop me a tiny review, even one word or as some people have done on other fics of mine, just an emoticon! They brighten my day immeasurably.

This is my first serious attempt at a Lily/James. I really hope it turns out well. Anyone with ideas or suggestions, you are welcome to drop them in reviews or emails, I try to work in every suggestion or idea that is dropped by me. Any input, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

Look forward to hearing your feedback! Hope everyone enjoys the story, and feel free to read any of my others. Some of the earlier ones are cringe quite crappy, I must admit. :P