DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm not claiming ownership. I'm not making money off this. It's simply for my enjoyment, as well as the enjoyment of those who choose to read it. Proceeding.

Pink.

Rosy pink.

James's cheeks were flushed from running all the way from the Heads' dorm to the Great Hall for dinner. Apparently, staring at the object of his affections was very time consuming (although he had learned this years ago).

As he entered through the tall double doors, he looked around the large room. People from three of the four house tables admired him from afar. His untidy black hair, smoldering hazel eyes, and muscular Quidditch build made him quite a catch, but his heart belonged to one girl only. The question was if she would ever find out the truth.

He made his way to his usual spot at the Gryffindor table next to the Marauders, Lily, and her friends. He wasn't in a talkative mood. He wasn't even in a stare-at-Lily mood, and this was a rare occurrence. He was feeling contemplative. He robotically spooned some mashed potatoes on his plate, deep in thought about his current dilemma. He was most certainly in love with Lily Evans; that much was obvious to anyone with eyes. They were friends—even what James considered best friends—now, and he couldn't risk losing that with her. He'd worked so hard to gain her trust. He sighed. Despite having many of the girls at Hogwarts fawning over him, he still had so much to learn about women.

James continued to eat his meal without a second thought to what was entering his mouth when Sirius spoke. "So… are you going to tell us or are we going to have to beat it out of you later?" he asked with a small smirk. James merely gave the Marauders a look that said everything, and all eyes were averted at the redhead sitting next to him. Her head was buried in an Arithmancy book, desperately trying to learn the formulas before the exam the next day. She looked up, feeling their stares burning through her. "What?" she asked clearly annoyed that her studying had been interrupted. The boys simply shook their heads, and they went back to their business.

The meal had been a quiet one. James was just finishing up his dinner as he glanced at the clock. It was almost time for the Prefects' meeting, and he was totally prepared. Beneath his golden goblet was a black notebook filled with thoughts about the changes he would bring as Head Boy. He fingered his badge, tracing over the 'H' and 'B', the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. This badge had brought him one step closer to his ultimate goal, being with Lily. It was his most prized possession.

A flash of red to his left brought pulled him from his thoughts. Turning to the beauty beside him, his smile widened.

"Are you ready for the meeting?" Lily asked him, as if she were expecting him to forget.

"Of course I am," James gestured to the notebook. She picked it up, flipping through the pages.

"These are great ideas, James. I have to say, I'm impressed," Lily said, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

"Thanks, Lils. I've been putting that together ever since I got my head boy letter," James said, almost beaming that she had actually complimented him on his planning. "So… What else do you have in mind for this year?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could do some kind of Christmas ball. You know, like the Yule Ball they hold during the Triwizard Tournament?" Lily suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea, Lily. We'd have to start on it soon, though. Christmas is in less than a month," James pointed out.

"Okay, that sounds good. Do you want to start planning for it now?" she asked, cocking her head to the side and furrowing her brows as if she were thinking deeply about something.

"It couldn't hurt. People need time to pick out dress robes and… find dates and stuff," he glanced up at her while chewing on his lower lip a bit, but she was busy scribbling something down on a piece of parchment. Feeling slightly disappointed that she did not catch his hint, he began to follow her example and started to write down some ideas, his quill gliding swiftly across the page. He contemplated their relationship. What did she think of him? Would she ever see him as he saw her? He didn't know, but his Gryffindor qualities wouldn't allow him to simply sit there and pity himself. He had to find out for sure.

"Hey Lily?" James said, his voice coming out slightly choked. So much for Gryffindor qualities.

"Yes, James?" Lily answered.

"I was just wondering-" he began, but he was cut off by a deep voice calling out toward him.

"HEADS UP, PRONGS!" Sirius Black yelled, pointing to a red quaffle flying toward the table in front of him. James just watched as the ball soared through the air and landed right on top of his goblet, knocking its contents onto Lily. She screamed.

"Sirius," James said, clenching his teeth. Sirius would pick just that moment to throw a damned quaffle toward him. "Why in the world do you have a quaffle at dinner?"

"Well, I guess I just got bored. Have you ever noticed that there's nothing to do at dinner but eat? I mean, doesn't that get a little mundane after a while?"

"IT'S NEVER BOTHERED YOU BEFORE!" James yelled, his body tense. The professors glanced over at him, looking puzzled. The Head Boy was losing it. This did not bode well. Just then, a gasping noise behind him made him spin around. There stood Lily, clutching her throat.

"Lily? Lily, what's wrong?" James asked with a worried tone in his voice.

She pointed to the pumpkin juice that had been spilled all over her. "Allergic," she managed to choke out.

"Oh my gosh, Lily. I'll take you to the hospital wing. Just try to breathe, okay?" he instructed, shooting a death glare at Sirius and clutching Lily's wrist. She shook her head roughly, fighting for air.

"Can't run," she gasped.

"That's okay, I can carry you. Just promise me you'll keep breathing, Lily. Just keep breathing," James pleaded.

Before any of the professors could reach them, he scooped the redhead into his arms and started the trek toward the hospital wing. It was just their luck that it was on the other side of the castle. Sprinting swiftly through the corridors, he managed to dodge most of the statues and students along the way. Lily's breathing had gone from short, loud gasps to shallow, struggled breaths that were few and far between. James was terrified of would inevitably happen if he made it to the hospital wing only a few seconds too late.

At last, he spotted the large red doors at the end of a long corridor. He sprinted as fast as he could, knocking over a first year Hufflepuff with Lily's feet. Throwing open the doors, he began to shout, "MADAM POMFREY, HELP! HURRY!"

"Hold on, Mr. Potter, I'm sure this can wait," Madam Pomfrey said as she dressed the wounds of a Slytherin who had been burned by a Blast-Ended Skrewt. The healer was used to the Marauders being overly dramatic with minor injuries, so she didn't think twice about the urgency in James's voice.

He looked down at the pale, limp body of the girl in his arms. "HURRY, PLEASE! SHE'S NOT BREATHING!" James pleaded. This caught Madam Pomfrey's attention. She hopped up, abandoning the burn, and rushed over to Lily. She placed two fingers at the base of her neck checking for a pulse.

"What's wrong? Is she dead? Can you save her?" James's mind was overflowing with questions. Lily—his Lily—wasn't breathing.

The old witch moved around frantically, trying to think of spells that could save the young girl laying unconscious on the bed. "I don't know, Mr. Potter, I don't know."

A/N: Cliffie! Okay guys, I'm really sorry that I haven't had time to update. My classes are crazy this year, and I have a lot of homework. I'll try to get you at least one or two chapters per month if I can. Once again, I know this chapter is short, but I am most definitely not good at writing long chapters. For this I apologize. Anyway, do you see that little periwinkle button on the bottom left? Click it, and REVIEW!