"LEAVE ME ALONE, POTTER!"

"I'm sorry, Evans! I didn't mean to upset you! I was just trying to help!" James yelled after Lily's fleeing figure as she stormed towards the common room portrait hole. The two of them had gotten into another one of their famous arguments. They had been lesser this year after the day at the lake last year. James had tried to talk to Lily again and tell her how truly sorry he was for everything that had happened, but she mistook it as him being a 'stupid toerag git' and got into another argument with him.

Lily halted in her retreat when she heard James' reply. She had tried to leave before she started crying, but she couldn't hold herself together this time. She turned around with the tears fresh on her cheeks, shocking all but two people in the room, her best friends, who had seen her cry over Potter before. "You didn't mean to upset me, Potter? Well than what in the name of Godric Gryffindor has your goal been for the past six years? I must say that I am oblivious to any other motive." Lily's voice was no longer shouting, just cold and defeated. James had hurt her, and now she just wanted to know why he insisted on doing so.

"I- I'm so sorry, Evans. I never meant to hurt you!" James looked at Lily, his heart actually breaking at the sight of the damage of what he had done. "I Just wanted to say sorry! I wanted to make things right with you."

"Make things right with me? You don't even know me, Potter. Why does it even matter? It's done. It's over. Just. Let. It. Go." Lily stepped away from the portrait hole and now made her way towards the staircase to the girls' dormitory.

"You're wrong." James didn't intentionally voice this, but it slipped out as it was on his thoughts, and Lily heard him.

"What?" Lily asked, stopping in her tracks a second time.

James lifted his head up from where it had fallen in the direction of the floor with shame and despair. He now realized that he had spoken aloud and repeated himself, louder this time. "I said you're wrong."

"About what, Potter?" Lily sighed exasperatedly as she asked her question, tired of fighting.

"I do know you. . . And it does matter that you know I'm sorry. It may already be done, and there may be nothing that I can do to change things, but I am sorry and I can do that much. I am so sorry that you got hurt, Lily. I never wanted you to, and yes, I was an idiot to think that you wouldn't, but I didn't think. I'm so sorry, and I wish that you never had to go through that, but I wouldn't change it, because it would've happened eventually, and while the way it did wasn't the ideal way, at least no more pain came from it." James paused before speaking again.

"Like I said, I do know you, Lily. I know that you didn't want to hear that, but I also know that you needed to. You aren't as strong as everyone thinks you are, and you get hurt just the same. I needed you to know that I was sorry, because even though you'll deny it, it actually means something to you. To know that I cared about what I did, and while I may not regret what I did to Snape, I regret what I did to you in the process.

"I see you, Lily. I do. I know who you are and even though it scares you, you can't deny that. I know the facts and behaviors of one, Ms. Evans, and even though you don't believe that, it's true."

Lily stayed in a shocked silence for a minute before she realized that he was done talking and she registered the general silence of the common room. She didn't understand how he called her out. It didn't make sense. So, Lily did the only thing that she could at the moment. She retaliated.

"That doesn't prove that you know a damn thing about me, Potter." He looked at her, and then decided to make one last effort.

"Lily Marie Evans. Muggle-born. Sister to Petunia April Evans. Daughter to Rose and Harold Evans. Your birthday is January 30th, 1960. You found out that you were a witch at age nine, not when you got your Hogwarts letter. You and your sister do not get on well, and that's why you usually stay in the castle over holidays. You want to be a healer when you graduate school and aim to be Head-Girl next year, even though you doubt you'll get it. You pull your hair into a bun when you're especially tired or are trying to do a challenging homework assignment. You never cry in front of people if you can help it, especially your friends-you don't want them to see you weak. You managed to cast a corporeal patronus at the end of last year, and you try to not let people know what it is, because it's compatible with mine. Your patronus is a doe, and mine is a stag. You hate the color pink because it reminds you of Valentines Day; your least favorite holiday. Your favorite color is orange, even though it clashes with your hair. You blush more when you are angry than when you are embarrassed, because when you are embarrassed, you chew on the inside of your cheek since it is less noticeable. You're doing it now. People assume that you never have consumed an alcohol more concentrated than butterbeer, but I know that you have had firewhiskey, and it is, indeed, your favorite. You don't hate anyone, not even me. You know what it is like to be hated, and you made a promise to yourself at eleven that you would never do that to someone. Need I go on?"

Lily stared at James in disbelief as he recollected things about her that she had tried to keep secret.

James took her silence as an okay for him to continue. "Lily, I know that we fight and that you don't like me, but I know you. As much as we defy each other, we are also the same in a couple ways. No matter how close you are with your friends, you feel alone most of the time because Emmeline and Dorcas, as much as they try, can't understand what you have to go through everyday when you walk through the halls. People assume things about you, call you names, and target you. The same happens to me. We both have to deal with things we don't want. We are tied to be the top of the class, but you are slightly better at Charms and I am slightly better at Transfiguration. But, most of all, we are both tired of fighting. You are tired of everything I put you through, and I am tired of putting you through it all.

"So I'm just asking for a truce, a chance. You can get to know who I am, and we can finally be done. If you don't like who I end up being in the end, then we can be done. I'll stop chasing after you, and we can go our separate ways. What do you say, Evans?"

The common room stayed silent as the two of them stood across from each other, eyes searching for answers. Finally, Lily broke the silence.

"Truce. G'night, Potter." Lily spun around and went to her room, the call of, 'Goodnight, Ms. Evans', following her up the stairs.