Lily pushed her hair back slowly and raised her eyes to meet his. "James, we've been through this. You know that I'm not going to agree to date you." She said, exasperated.
"Lily, please, would you consider it? Just think about it before you say no?" James pleaded, holding his hands out, palms up.
The redhead sighed. He looked so vulnerable right now. She peered at him, taking note of the whole picture. It was fairly pathetic. "I don't know what has given you the impression that I've been telling you no for the past two years on instinct alone Potter." She paused, and took a deep breath. "But if it will convince you, I'll wait until tomorrow to give you my answer."
His whole body sagged, and his jaw dropped. "Wha- I mean- You're really go- Lily?"
"A time should be agreed on. I don't want this to be a bother." Lily ignored his dumbstruck expression and checked her wristwatch in a businesslike manner. "We'll meet here in the common room before breakfast. 5:30 am. I'm not going to alter my schedule for you Potter, so you'd better be on time."
The boy nodded fervently, but not more words would come out of his mouth.
"Goodnight then." She turned away, but spun back quickly. "Potter, do try to keep this contained. This isn't a matter that the whole school needs to be privy to."
James nodded again, and Lily quickly disappeared up the stairs to her room. He gaped after her, gesturing wildly. It took a moment before he turned around to look at the other students in the common room. "Did anyone else just hear that?" He half shouted.
"Well," a brunette 7th year said briskly, "we were all trying to give you a bit of privacy to be rejected again."
"B- But that's- That's not what happened!" James stuttered, "Alice, she said she'd think about it!"
Alice Prewitt looked at his exuberant face and smiled sadly. "James, thinking about it doesn't necessarily mean she's going to accept this time."
"But don't you see?" James said, almost to himself. "This could change everything."
"James, go back and sit with Remus and Sirius." Giving him a little push in the right direction, he toddled off. "They'll sort him out." She muttered under her breath.
Alice trudged up the stairs wearily. Her bag of books was heavy, and it was only a few weeks into the term. N.E.W.T. level classes were so much harder than she'd given the older students credit for in previous years, and as proud as she was of her Head Girl badge, she was almost starting to wish that Dumbledore had given it to someone else.
She opened the heavy oak door to the 7th year girls dorm room, and spotted Lily on the floor, laying full length, stretching. She smiled as Lily let out a deep breath. Lily Evans could be found on the floor for several different reasons. The most common was if she wasn't feeling well, for some reason she just gravitated to the floor. Another reason was studying for exams. The stress would overwhelm her, and she would lie for hours, just breathing deeply and occasionally murmuring spells.
But those two activities always involved curling up with a blanket and a pillow, and if for the first reason, a box of tissues was usually involved. If for the second reason, there was usually a wand in her hand. But when Lily was found stretching, it usually only meant one thing. James Potter.
Alice threw her books down next to her bed, and sat primly while Lily stretched first her right leg, and then her left. "You know, you really shouldn't get his hopes up like that." Alice chided sensibly.
Lily stopped stretching and looked up at her friend. "How is it that you always know?"
"I always do, my dear. And while I'm quite sure that James will refrain from contacting the Ministry to tell them what happened, and most of Slytherin won't find out, and maybe a handful of Hufflepuffs, but I'm not sure that James really understands the word 'contained', if you know what I mean." Alice said calmly.
"He's so insufferable." Lily complained half-heartedly. She sat with her legs folded and looked up at her friend. "And he gets more and more pathetic looking every time. Why can't he just give up on me?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure what you're complaining about. He's not bad looking, and he gets decent marks. And he's got hobbies. Hobbies are nice," she said wistfully.
"Just because Frank wasn't on the quidditch team and doesn't run around with his mates breaking as many rules as possible within a time limit doesn't mean he doesn't have hobbies Alice." Lily said reassuringly.
"I do think a bit of fresh air would do him good though." Alice examined her nails as she spoke. "You know, I think maybe giving James a real chance might be the best for both of you. And the rest of Gryffindor house."
"Alice-"
"No, listen. You and I both know that he's not insufferable. I know you think he's funny. It kills you not to laugh at his friend's pranks, and I know you only go to quidditch matches when Gryffindor is playing." Lily opened her mouth to protest, but Alice pressed on. "I don't know how you've managed to keep this up so long. Am I really the only one who can see through your façade?"
"What façade?" Lily asked stubbornly, but refused to meet her eyes.
"You're attracted to him." Alice stated bluntly. She got up and pulled back the covers of her bed as she continued to speak. "I really don't know how everyone else is so oblivious. The way you look at him sometimes almost embarrasses me. You work so hard to make everyone think you're above such things, but it's very clear to me."
Lily stood up too, and got her pajamas out of her trunk at the same time as Alice. "I don't even know what you're talking about." She lied defiantly. "I don't look at him any differently than I look at Lupin or even one of the 5th years."
Alice laughed. "Remus is almost like a brother to you. Don't even try to compare him to James. With James, it's different, you look at him like you'd like to have a few quality hours in the Room of Requirement together."
Now it was Lily's turn to gape at her friend's audacity. "I most certainly do not!"
"Lily, lets not argue about this. We both know that I'm right." Alice said seriously. "What could be so bad about dating James? Honestly? Is there a real reason behind all of this rejection?"
The two girls stared at each other for a long time. In silence, they both changed into the pajamas and settled into each of their beds. They breathed slowly and quietly, but finally Lily spoke. "Alice, I don't want a relationship. I don't want to fall in love."
Alice turned on her side to look at Lily, but Lily kept her eyes on the ceiling. "Potter isn't the kind of boy that wants anything less than the real deal. He'll want to hold hands and kiss in public and write love letters. And someday he'll tell me he loves me, and then want to marry me. I don't want any of that."
Quiet came again, and stretched out before them, but Alice didn't break it. Minutes passed slowly, and they could hear a slight commotion from the common room as, no doubt, one of the Marauders caused a small explosion.
"I wont deny that I find him attractive, but really, that doesn't change anything. He thinks about forever. I'd only ever want him physically. I'm not heartless, but I know I'm not going to fall in love with him, and I don't want to hurt him when he finally realizes it." Lily whispered.
Her friend sat upright, and looked at her with a thoughtful look on her face. "You know, that could work." She grinned. "Just explain to him the terms and conditions."
Lily listened to Alice giggle at her own boldness, but found that she was listing to quiet snores almost an hour later. She tossed and turned, an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach making her feel unsettled. Sliding out of bed with very little noise, she sat on the floor quietly. "Maybe Alice has a point…" She whispered, but no one heard her.
James didn't go to sleep that night. As soon as he bumbled his way back to where his friends were sitting, he sat down and grinned at all of them wordlessly. "Has someone taken pity and cast a cheering charm on him?" Remus asked casually. "Goodness knows we should thank them, so we don't have to deal with another round of depressed James for a week."
Sirius peered at his best friend through his long, fringed hair. "Looks like he's got all the symptoms. Far away look in his eye, difficultly focusing on the conversation, and an idiotic smile on his face." He frowned. "This is a little disconcerting Mooney."
"What did she say James?" Remus asked without looking at him. He was writing feverishly on a late paper for transfiguration, catching up for missing the last class due to his monthly 'sick day'. "Merlin knows why he keeps doing this to himself."
"She… She didn't say no." James let out, and his grin grew wider.
"So Lily has extended her vocabulary. What was the exact terminology in your rejection this time Prongs?" Sirius asked eagerly.
"Sirius, don't use James's rejection as an excuse to not write your essay for Professor Kettleburn." Remus said tiredly.
"You have such little faith in me!" Scoffed Sirius, but it didn't escape his friend's eyes when he pushed it onto the floor. "Come on James! Tell us exactly how she crushed your heart and soul this time!"
"She didn't reject me!" James exclaimed.
Remus looked up, startled. "You don't mean to say that Lily Evans, after two years of rejecting you, has agreed to go out with you?"
"She's thinking about it. She's going to tell me in the morning!" James looked like he could have danced around the room.
Sirius and Remus exchanged a dark look. "Has she really?" Sirius asked unconvincingly, but his tone of voice escaped his elated friend. "James, we're going to head up to the room now. Get a little more done on this paper."
Remus looked at his other friend, equally startled. "What?"
"Come on, you know its too distracting down here." Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. "James, why don't you stay down here and… keep smiling?"
Sirius gathered the books while Remus picked up their parchment and quills. Together, they made their way up the stairs to their dormitory. "Sirius, what on earth?" Remus started, but Sirius cut him off.
"That girl has risen to a new level of cruelty, Mooney. I don't see what she's playing at, messing with Prongs like this. I know she's been a good sport about it for some time now-"
"Two years might count as a bit longer than 'some time' Sirius, but I think I understand you."
"I just hope she doesn't do any lasting damage this time." Sirius said, seriously. His eyes were dark with worry. "James stakes too much on that girl, and I've always thought that it was a bad idea."
The two boys got into bed, essays forgotten on the floor next to the pile of books that Sirius had dropped unceremoniously. "Do you think he's going to stay down there all night?" Remus asked.
"Without a doubt." Sirius said, a little sadly.