Chapter Two:

Friends

It had been two weeks since I had arrived at Marlene's house. I knew I would have to face Petunia and my parents eventually, but I was enjoying myself too much at the McKinnon household to want to leave. It felt good not to have Petunia's beady eyes glaring at me from across the room, or to have her huff in disapproval every time I spoke about Hogwarts.

Life with the McKinnons was like a really good dream that I did not want to wake up from. Marlene and I would take walks around the small town, gossiping and joking about any schoolmates we ran into or any nosey neighbors we encountered. Sometimes we would even flirt with the local muggle boys. Mrs. McKinnon would cook us dinner every night and Dorcas would come by every couple of days. Mum had sent over a rucksack of clothes for me, but I knew I would have to eventually go back home. I had left all my school books and possessions behind.

Marlene and I spent most of our mornings outside on the patio. Her mum always made us such a large breakfast that it sometimes took us hours to finish it. Besides, they had a beautiful garden and lake behind their house. On one particular morning, a tall boy with messy black hair strode toward us, clutching a broom in his hand.

"Hey, Evans," he said, grinning at me.

"Potter." I nodded curtly. James gave me one last grin before turning to face Marlene.

The only downside to staying with Marlene was having to deal with Potter on a daily basis. James, Dorcas, and Marlene's families had known each other so long that the three of them had practically grown up together. In fact, it was perfectly acceptable for James or Dorcas to show up at Marlene's house unannounced and spend the night, no questions asked.

Though I hated to admit it, the truth was: James was a lot...nicer this year. He didn't flirt with me quite as much and stopped asking me out every chance he got. It gave me the opportunity to enjoy his presence sometimes. He was still as arrogant as ever, but it was true what Marlene and Dorcas had said. I had to admire what a great friend he was. After Sirius had a falling out with his parents a few weeks ago, James and his parents didn't hesitate in allowing Sirius to live with them. And when Dorcas was upset and needed to talk, he put away his teasing attitude and listened carefully to what she had to say. And when Marlene needed a laugh, he and the other marauders were more than happy to come over, telling jokes and planning one of their stupid pranks. As much as I hated to admit it, I was starting to really like the marauders, and I couldn't imagine not having them around. The past two weeks really gave me a different perspective on them.

"How is Sirius doing?" Marlene asked. Sirius had been having a difficult time this summer. Apparently, he had had enough of his family and had run away. Though Sirius was many things, he was not like Severus, caring more about how pure a person's blood was over how pure their hearts were.

James sighed, looking concerned. "I think he's doing better now that he's left. He actually seems happier."

"Are you sure that his newfound happiness has nothing to do with Dorcas?" Marlene asked, smirking.

James grinned. "If he's happy, then I'm happy."

Marlene hesitated. "I love Sirius, you know that...but he's kind of a player, isn't he?"

James sighed. "Yeah, but I've already told him: if you hurt Dorky, then I'll hurt you."

"And what did he say?" Marlene asked.

"He laughed in my face! Can you believe that!" James replied, shaking his head in outrage.

"I'm sorry," I said, interrupting their conversation, "but Sirius and Dorcas?"

"Hard to believe, huh?" James asked, his face lighting up when I spoke to him.

"I just don't see them...together..." I said.

"Why not? Dorcas is gorgeous and Sirius is a good looking bloke, albeit not quite as handsome as me, but still," James said rationally.

"Relationships aren't just about looks," I snapped at him.

"Dorcas isn't exactly a delicate little flower. She's just as wild as Sirius," James told me.

Marlene nodded. "I can't believe we didn't see it before. They're perfect for each other...she's one of the few people who can handle him."

I looked between the two of them in disbelief. Were they forgetting about all the girls at Hogwarts who were found outside the Gryffindor common room, crying over Sirius Black? I certainly didn't want Dorcas to be one of them.

"I think she can do better, that's all," I muttered.

Marlene and James stared at me.

"Sirius is my best friend," James said quietly. "He's one of the greatest blokes I know."

"Well, you obviously need to meet new people," I snapped.

"Lily!" Marlene said sharply.

"You are so self-ritcheous, you know that?" James said angrily. "Well, not all of us are perfect, Lily. Normal people make mistakes. Sirius and I have both made our share of mistakes, but we've been working to change that. We've been trying to become better people. And it really doesn't help when there are people like you, sitting on your damn pedestals, judging the rest of us."

I stared at him in shock. James had never yelled at me before. Ever.

"I-I didn't mean..." I trailed off, at a loss for words. I never realized he actually cared what I thought.

"I'll see you later," James said to Marlene before storming away.

"Lily," Marlene said gently. Before I realized it, I stood up and ran back inside her house. Of course, Marlene followed me. "Lily, stop!" she exclaimed, grabbing my arm. I turned to face her and hot tears trickled down my cheeks. I couldn't believe I was crying over James Potter.

"He's right," I said tearfully. "I'm a horrible person. I'm judgmental and rude and I deserved much worse than what he said."

"No, you didn't." Marlene said sharply. "Listen, I can understand that you don't like James and Sirius, but you're not a horrible person. But you do owe them an apology."

"When did I become this person?" I asked. "I've become such a horrible person that even Potter, the most arrogant person I know, thinks badly of me."

"Lily, the fact that you just called him arrogant isn't helping," Marlene pointed out, smirking.

"And it's not just him! I've been horrible to my parents too." I wailed, ignoring Marlene. "I should have never stormed out of the house like that! Oh my mum is probably a mess...and Dad's already sick. He doesn't need the added stress..."

"Lily, that's enough." Dorcas said from the doorway. I jumped, not having realized she was there. "Get a grip. If you want to make things right, then make it right. Don't sit here and cry about it."

"Dorcas, you could at least try to be more sensitive," Marlene told her.

"That was me being sensitive," Dorcas said.

"Well, you obviously need more practice at it."

"Hey, Lily needs to hear the truth!"

"Not the way you said it!"

"No, she's right, Marlene," I said, wiping my tears. "I need to talk to James. Where is he?"

"Out in the backyard. Remus is talking to him."

I nodded and headed out the back door. Outside, I saw Remus murmuring something to James. James was nodding, but I could tell he was upset. Was it because of our fight?

"James?" I said tentatively.

He looked up and was surprised to see me. "Evans. Hey."

"I'll give you two a moment," Remus said, smiling encouragingly at me.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier...it was stupid..." James said, looking guiltily at me. I noticed his light brown eyes weren't twinkling like they usually did. Instead, they were filled with sadness and worry. At once, I knew there was a lot more going on than I could have ever imagined. James was going through something, and I wanted desperately to know what it was. I wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay.

After a moment, I took a deep breath. "I should be the one apologizing," I said, wincing. "You were right. I judged you and Sirius before I even knew you. The truth is, in these past two weeks...I've grown to...tolerate you."

"It actually pains you to say that I'm not such a terrible person, doesn't it?" James asked, looking amused. Still, the twinkle in his eyes didn't return; they were still clouded with worry.

"I don't agree with the way you treated Severus," I said defiantly. I had held a grudge against James for so long because of Severus; I knew how badly the two hated each other, and I felt obligated to hate James, as well. I felt sad thinking about this. If I had realized sooner that Severus would turn out to be such a horrible friend, then maybe James and I would have been friends...

"And I don't agree with the way Snivellus treats others," James said hotly. Clearly he wasn't going to apologize for what happened with Snape.

"Neither do I," I admitted.

"But I am sorry for everything else I did. Especially any pain I caused you," James said gently.

"And I'm sorry for everything I did to you too," I apologized, putting my hand on his arm. I didn't know why, but it wasn't awkward or weird touching James...it felt so right, so natural.

"So, can we start over then?" James asked hopefully. "Friends?"

Friends. The idea sounded strangely appealing to me. Two weeks ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of me even spending more than five minutes alone with James and actually enjoying myself. But now. Now, I had seen what a great friend James could be. I saw how much he cared about Sirius, how he stood up for him and defended him. I saw how he respected and listened to Remus, how he cared about him, no matter what others said. I saw how how he took care of Dorcas and Marlene, almost like a big brother would take care of his little sisters.

"Friends." I agreed, a small smile playing on my face. The twinkle in his eyes returned for an instant, and he smiled.