Thank you for the reviews, I really appreciate it! On with the second part!

Nothing is mine, but I wouldn't mind a James. Wouldn't we all.

"Oh for Christ's sake, Lily! Get your face away from that goddamn window and be a normal human being!"

Alice is screeching at me again, as she seems to like doing. This is the fifth night I've plotted myself down in the exact same armchair, in front of the exact same window and stared out at the exact same grounds.

I whine back, splaying my hands across the panes of effortless glass, "Leave me alone, I'm depressed."

"Over what? The would-be kiss you chickened out of? The fact that you chickened out of not only that, but stepping into the forest?"

"You are awful grumpy tonight, Alice Longbottom," I bite back, huffing crossly which causes the window to fog up.

"So are you, Lily Potter."

WOAH. Woah, woah, woah. Hold on. Pause, rewind, play. Did she... did she just refer to me as James'... oh, Merlin, minor panic attack. She just called me Lily Potter.

Thank goodness the room is relatively empty and nobody seems to give a damn. I swivel away from the window and stare at her smug face, ready to blast the look off when my tense body seems to relax and a wave of something washes over me, wipes my anger away, reveals something.

I like James Potter. Crap.

Alice smiles triumphantly, noticing that I've finally seemed to grasp it. "If you have a girl with Four-Eyes, you better name her after me."

"Never," I declare, pausing a moment when I realize I haven't actually dismissed the idea of me and James having... children together. "I mean, its never going to happen."

Alice untangles her legs from their folded position and wanders over to me, giving me a kind smile yet a smile that I know really means I-have-figured-you-out-you-rotten-liar. "You should find him," she sings obnoxiously in my ear, perching herself on the arm of the chair.

"Go away," I mutter pathetically, glancing out the window again just in case I missed something happening out on the grounds.

"Lily," she starts calmly, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and giving me one of those side hugs, squeezing me unintentionally to her chest. I try to squirm away. "I think that if you go find Potter right now - oy, quit moving - you might feel a lot better about this entire ordeal."

"What entire ordeal?" I ask, finally giving up and settling myself into her shoulder comfortably. What a great friend.

"You know, the chickening out and the forest and your hidden desire to romance Potter - "

Never mind, I'm going to slaughter her with my bare hands. "Those are just minor problems in my life, not ordeals. That's a bit of a stretch, Longbottom."

Alice sighs. "Whatever you say, Potter. But seriously. Quit your bitching and whining and forest-watching and go find the blasted boy."

"I'm going to get my heart... hurt," I whisper to her quietly, as I gaze out the window at the sky instead of the slopes of green grass.

She pulls away, blinking those huge crystal blue eyes down at me. "Hurt?" Alice gapes. "Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be! I'd be another... notch on his... bedpost..." God, I am so lame.

Much to my astonishment and annoyance, Alice bursts out laughing. I stare at her weirdly as she leans forward, still laughing her pretty little head off. "I am never talking to you again," I announce.

"Are we even talking about the same guy here?" she asks me once she composes herself. "James Potter? The one guy in this school who has always - no matter what, even if you didn't want him to - looked after you? The guy who asked you out forty seven times in one day? Who declared his love for you in fourth year while standing on a table in the library? Who has recently grown up and showed himself and proved himself? The really, really hunky one who is a lovely flirt all of a sudden? A really lovely guy all around? The one who would do anything for you?"

She's on a roll.

Alice takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. I can't help but grin just slightly; she's going to have gray hair before she's twenty. "Lily, if you even think that James would even consider breaking your heart... you're stupid!"

I gasp. Stupid?! Nobody calls me stupid!

"Take that back!"

"Nope," Alice says proudly, lifting her arm away from me and slipping off the arm of the chair. "Not until you go get your man, woman!"

"What are we, cave people?"

"Lily..."

"I'm going! Don't get your knickers in such a knot, Frank will have a hell of a time undoing them."

--

So, here's the deal. I don't go looking for James. I'm too much of... well, pussy. I'm afraid. Since when have I been so afraid of things?

I don't track down the man Alice thinks I'm going to repopulate with, but I do find myself wearily gazing at the forest, less than five feet away from it. I'm progressing, taking baby steps. If we did it in baby steps, I'd probably be fifteen feet away from it which sounds so much better than five.

I tilt my head to the right, thinking the forest might look a little nicer. No luck. Maybe looking at it from the left?

I'm not sure how long I've been lingering in this same spot, but its probably going on multiple hours by now. The sun left about three minutes ago, leaving the grounds just slightly lit. I want to high tail it out of there once its completely dark, but the really robust part of me telling me grow a pair and stick it through.

When the sun was descending further and further behind me, I couldn't help but remember what James had said yesterday.

Its kind of orange and red, like your hair. You kind of outshine the sunset. Sunset versus Lily Evans, you would win.

It's probably bad for my health, thinking about James Potter so much. I sigh miserably, my legs giving way. I slump down on the cool grass, bend my knees up and rest my elbows on them, letting my arms dangle above my feet.

This is so stupid. I am so stupid.

James should quit withering away his time over me. There's probably a million eligible ladies out there that would do everything in their power to be the best girlfriend in history. He'll probably end up marrying one of them because he'll probably end up coming to his senses soon and realizing what a waste I am.

Such a high self-esteem I have.

I purse my lips, narrow my eyes. I imagine the forest would be doing the same if it, you know, had a face or something resembling one. That is it. Today ('tonight' would make more sense) Lily Evans is going to walk into the forbidden forest.

And hopefully not perish painfully.

I clamber to my feet and square my shoulders determinedly. Its just a forest, Lily. Imagine it as that little park you used to play in with Petunia. Just like that.

I take huge strides forward. One, two, three, four, five, six, I'm past the edge, seven, eight, I am officially standing within the boundaries of the forbidden forest.

I look over my shoulder briefly, clearly able to see the spot where I was cowering earlier. Easy smeasy. But now since I'm finally in...

I don't need to go any further or anything.

--

Its been at least half an hour or so, right? Long enough to legitimately boast to those who know (knew, I guess) about my absurd fear that I overcame it?

I think so. Way to go, Lily. You did it. Okay, now just turn around and - "

"Investigating?"

Oh, no. I shut my eyes tightly, willing the nearby tree to come alive and swallow me whole.

"Yes," I answer cautiously, turning around fully. I already know who it is.

James smiles reassuringly at me. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I'm like two feet in, its can hardly be considered a huge feat or anything… but I'm telling people differently," I fidget with my hands. Since when did I fidget in front of James? I only do it when I'm nervous.

What the heck, stop fidgeting!

He tucks his hands into his pockets, shrugging those broad shoulders that I would really love to run my hands across. "Still, you're standing in the forbidden forest. Officially. You can now formally say that you have been in it."

"Yeah." My voice is quiet. "I guess so."

"Proud?"

Am I? I don't know.

"I guess," I reply with a shrug of my own shoulders. "I probably should've done it first year when everybody else was accomplishing it and crossing it off their list of things to do before they die."

"People have those?" James pulls a face. "Like, literal lists? I just keep a tiny one in my head."

I look back over my shoulder in between the dark trees and the wild bushes. A shiver runs up my spine. I can't believe I'm doing this. I am so insane, I have lost all neuron skills. "What's in there anyways?"

"In the forest? All sorts of things," James says casually. "Unicorns, fawns, centaurs, thestrals and some even say they've seen a huge spider or two. And then you've got the normal deer, rabbits, bugs. Its not too bad." He pauses. "I've been in there a fair few times and I've yet to be killed."

I make a noise of acknowledgement as I continue to look intently into the forest. I hear James' footsteps as he comes closer to me, apparently noticing how enthralled I am at the moment.

"Do you want to go explore further?"

At first, the answer is a huge fat no. My imagination is successfully running amok with the idea of whopping spiders and monstrous thestrals. I'm quite content with screaming my response and running full steam back to the school with my tail decisively between my legs.

But then neurons seem to start working again and I unearth an alternative answer, an alternative way that question can be perceived. I am going to do this, I am seriously going to do this, fear be damned.

"Yeah, I do."

James still thinks we're talking about the forest, silly boy. I know he's probably smiling at me. He appears in my peripheral sight, stepping over some branches with his hands still in his pockets.

"Good, let's go then."

I stay where I am. "James," I begin slowly. "I'm not talking about the damn forest."

He stops, his back to me. I imagine the cogs whirling around in that head, trying to figure out what I'm saying. He seems to be unable to though, and turns to me with a totally bemused expression on his face, clear through the dark even though it must be at least one in the morning.

"What do you mean?"

James doesn't make his way back to me, which means I have to advance further into the forest. But this is so worth it; adrenaline is pumping and I keep telling myself that this will have a huge pay out. My feet move on their own accord because the rational part of me is telling me to RUN LIKE HELL.

"Potter." My voice is ridiculously affectionate. I am such a girl. "I'm willing to explore further."

"Yes, you said that. I get it, but I was talking about the – "

"And I wasn't," I counter slyly, now standing in front of him, gazing up. "Think about it."

He does. A little crease appears in between his eyes, which are narrowing slightly, his mouth tightening. A hand comes up and runs through his thick hair, messing it up even more than it was before naturally. The hand drops to his side and just when I'm about to throw my own two into the air and scream my undivided love for the guy, James gets it.

The brown of his eyes are huge now, wide and shocked. His lips spread into a huge smile revealing pearly white teeth, a little dimple appearing on his left cheek which I know means he's truly… happy. A blush materializes on my own face and I sort of wish I wasn't doing this but its way too late for that.

"You…" He struggles. "You are very odd."

"Shut up, James." Yes, the first name thing was on purpose. I smile genuinely up at him, nervous and excited and giddy all at the same time. I'm having a system overload and I'm not sure which mode this is, but I like it.

Suddenly he's smiling too, but it's more mischievous and I'm afraid there's something behind me so I start to revolve around. I don't get very far; his arm comes out and slides around my waist, tugging me up against him.

My gasp barely leaves my lips when his are covering them, kissing them, paying colossal attention to them. That's it, this ship has sunk and I'm doomed.

Doomed but so lightheaded because James Potter is kissing me and the rumors are true, he's simply brilliant at it! So I do the rational thing and gently press my lips against his in return, feeling his grin beneath them. Cocky git.

He presses his hand against my lower back, causing me to get even closer. I don't fight the urge that makes me take his simple white shirt in my fists, holding him to me. I've never felt so connected like this, but I've also never felt so carefree, so… unafraid.

All too soon for my (and probably his) liking, the alarm in my head goes off signaling I need air, but James is my air and I'd rather just keep kissing him. Reluctantly, very reluctantly, I pull away from him.

We're both breathing embarrassingly heavy. I open my eyes to see James already gazing down at me, wearing that same grin that I felt.

"I never thought I'd end up in the forbidden forest, let alone kissing you in it," I whisper to him, feeling his chuckle rumble in his chest. Oh, yeah, I'm still holding tightly onto him. Whoops.

"Any regrets?" James asks me, his hand lazily making circles that bring warmth to me.

"Not really." I release his shirt and run my hands along his shoulders (like I've always dreamt of doing) and up through his hair. My heavens, this is quite the turn on.

James smiles, leaning down and resting his forehead against mine. "Do you want to go further?"

"You better be talking about the forbidden forest now, mister."