DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling is definitely my hero, and anything you recognize belongs to her. tear

Lily was exhausted. She had spent the night with her friends in Gryffindor's seventh-year girls' dormitory, and they hadn't slept a wink. It would be one of the last times they were all together at Hogwarts, as there was only a week left of classes. They had found loads to talk about, everything from N.E.W.T.S to Professor Flitwick's new hairstyle (seventies or not, the mullet was not working for him). She trudged down the hallway, deciding to spend her Saturday sleeping instead of doing homework.

When she got to the heads' dormitories, Lily muttered the password and the portrait hole swung open. She dragged her feet through the common room to find a steaming mug of hot chocolate sitting on the coffee table by the chair in which she normally sat. There was a note next to the mug. It read:

Lily,

I'm really sorry we got off on the wrong foot here at Hogwarts. I hope that you have seen me change this year. I'm not the way I used to be, I promise. Please meet me back here at noon; I'd like to make things right with you before we end our time together.

-James

When Lily finished reading the note, she couldn't help but notice that there was a slight smile on her face. She quickly returned her expression to the normal solemn one she usually wore before glancing nervously at the clock.

Well, at least I have an hour before I'm forced to deal with Potter, thought Lily.

After drinking her hot chocolate, she quickly took a shower and changed into some clean robes. She had given up on sleeping when she had seen her favorite drink sitting on the table. Sugar did interesting things to her, and there was no use trying to sleep until that night. Lily sat down in the chair closest to the fireplace with a book in her lap. She was just about to open it when the portrait hole swung open. Lily looked up to see James Potter, grinning from ear to ear.

"I didn't think you'd come," James sat down in the chair next to Lily. He conjured two more cups of hot chocolate and handed one to her. She accepted the mug, and remained quiet. There was an awkward silence, and then James continued.

"You got my note then?" he asked Lily and she nodded. "I really meant it, Lily. I don't want to leave this school on bad terms with you. If you think about it, we've been through more together than anyone else in this school."

And it was true, though Lily hated to admit it. They had started off in first year as sworn enemies. As they grew older, James began to fancy Lily, but she hardly returned his ardor. And now, they were both the head students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, forced to live in the same dormitory. How she hated him. How she loathed him. How she wanted to wrap her hands around his muscular neck and just squeeze until there was no life left in him. How she wished… how she wished she had never pretended to hate him in the first place. It was, by far, her biggest mistake yet. Lily had never been one to show her feelings, especially when it came to whom she fancied. Nobody knew that it had been James all along. They simply thought that she was over the whole romance thing. She had them all fooled.

Even James.

The horrible thing was, he had stopped fancying her a year ago. And there was nothing she could do about it.

He began to speak again. "I think we should be friends. We should stay in touch after Hogwarts. Does that sound good to you?" James asked, nervousness apparent in his voice. Lily nodded, and the look in his eyes changed.

"Lily, I need to tell you something," he fiddled around with his now empty mug. He looked at her in a way that she had never seen him look at anyone else before. She couldn't recognize this emotion. "I know I've been immature in the past, but please realize that I never meant to hurt you. I spent three years trying to impress you, and I guess I just gave up after last year. If I've come off as cross this year, I apologize."

"It's fine, James. Really. It's been quite a relief, actually," Lily lied. Now why did I say that? She mentally kicked herself. Stupid ego.

Lily looked up at James, who looked genuinely hurt, but he continued to talk.

"I just wanted to tell you that I look up to you. You've been so calm, even though You-Know-Who is back and everyone around you is panicking. I truly look up to you. And I want you to know, Lily Evans, that I have fallen totally, completely, head-over-heels in love with you."

Lily looked at him, eyes wide. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Please say something," James pleaded, his hazel eyes burning into Lily's emerald green ones.

"Oh," Lily finally managed to choke out. "I just remembered I have to… umm… do something. In there." Lily gestured to the door with her name spelled out in gold. She slowly rose to her feet, and looked at James once again. He looked right back at her, and began to advance toward her. She took a step back, and he followed suit, taking a step forward. This pattern continued until Lily felt her back slam against the wall. She was trapped.

"Do you know what?" James asked with a mixture of anger and hurt in his eyes. "I think you're scared. I think you're afraid to commit to someone. You think too much. You're always trying to please other people, to do what's expected of you. Why don't you ever think of yourself?"

"What do you mean, Potter?" Lily spat back, taken aback. She had to admit, he was exactly right. She was afraid, but there was no way she was going to let her guard down. She wouldn't let him see her weaknesses.

"I think you're afraid to admit that you love me too," he said, taking a step forward. They were now only inches apart.

Lily responded in the only way she could think to. She raised her right hand and slapped him hard across the face.

James was silent, though it was apparent that he was hardly stunned with this reaction. Lily raised her left hand and attempted to slap him again, but he caught her hand and pinned it against the wall. She tried again with her right hand, but he repeated his previous reaction. Lily was now confined against the wall, both hands overhead, tense fingers intertwined with James's.

There was only one more thing she could think to do, and it happened so quickly that she had no time to stop herself. She leaned her head forward and brushed her lips against his.

It took James no time at all to begin kissing her back. It was better than Lily had ever imagined it would be. Their fingers relaxed overhead, and Lily slowly brought her arms down and wrapped them around James's neck. He brought his hand to her face, stroking her cheeks and warming her heart. The kiss started out slowly, but it soon became more heated as Lily continued to caress James's lips with her own. She felt his tongue brush across her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth willingly, allowing him to explore her mouth. She was kissing him with all the passion that had built up over the past seven years, and he returned it with an equal amount of fervor.

Lily knew this had to be what heaven was like.

After a while, oxygen was beginning to become an issue, and they pulled apart, gasping for air. James wrapped his arms around Lily's waist and pulled her into a tight hug. She buried her head in his shoulder, wanting nothing more than to stay like that forever. Then Lily spoke.

"James?" she said. "I love you too." And she meant it. Nothing that she had ever done in her life felt more right than simply giving in.

A/N: I hope you liked it. Please review:)