Lily

Chapter 3: Out of Frustration

Horror stricken…not due to her hysterical outburst or puffy eyes, because at this moment all that flew from her mind…but for the fact that she was unable to tear her eyes from the boy's defined chest.

She felt heat radiate off her cheeks. But she couldn't avert her eyes no matter how much she wanted to. "I-I'm sorry. I thought the bathroom was empty." She stumbled to her feet, trying to wipe away the stray tears from her cheeks as the messy-haired boy continued to stare at her. Why did I have to run into Potter again? "I-I'll just be leaving now…"

"Wait! Lily, wait a second!" The towel he had clutched in his hand dropped and was forgotten on the floor as he stepped closer to her. "Are you ever gonna tell me what's wrong?" His brown eyes flickered slightly. And it was oddly comforting to her.

My mother had brown eyes…

She was a rather petite woman, dark auburn hair and soft eyes. She always wore the same blue apron when cooking. It had been stained quite a few times, but her mother argued that it was special to her. No one ever thought to throw it out. The vanity in her room was full of make-up and Lily loved playing in it when she was a child.

"Lily, darling! Don't touch that!" Mrs. Evans had just opened her bedroom door and there her youngest child was sitting at the vanity, make-up streaks all down her cheeks. Red, blue, brown, any color imaginable.

The little girl had now picked up a dark shaded lipstick. "Lily, put that down!" Her mother crossed the room and snatched the lipstick from Lily's small hand before she was able to stick it in her eye. "What have I told you about my vanity?"

"N-Not to go in it." Lily's bottom lip started to quiver. "I-I just wanted to have pretty eyes like you."

Mrs. Evans sighed and wrapped an arm around the little girl. "Honey, you have beautiful eyes. Don't ever try to change them."

A warm arm was still around Lily when she came out of her daze. It was soothing to have something to hold onto as she cried. The warmth shifted and for a horrible moment Lily thought it was going to move away. But instead she felt the warmth encircle her completely.

The arms weren't thin and delicate like her mother's. But big and…kind of wet. The realization that this definitely was not her mother flooded her senses. It brought her crashing back to reality and she pushed the arms away. She had walked in on Potter half-naked and the chest she couldn't tear her eyes from was now pressed against her side, somewhat stilling her shaking form.

She disentangled herself from him and stood up from the cold marble floor, only to see those damn brown eyes again. They were filled with such confusion and worry. He wanted to know.

Lily pushed loose strands of hair from her face, almost shivering from loss of the warmth she had been so closely pressed up to just moments ago. "I'm sorry again. I don't know what got into me…" It was an awkward statement, but it was the only thing she could think of at the moment. She just wanted to hide under her bed sheets and never have to face Potter again.

"Lily, this is ridiculous." He sighed in frustration. "Why won't you just tell me? You have these walls up…and I try to be patient and I try to understand…but I can't watch you tear yourself apart like this!" His voice had become gradually louder, no longer possessing the soothing quality it always had. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

The awkward air that was felt just moments ago changed. Anger began to boil within her heart. It always seems I'm the one to blame…that I'm the one everything leads back to. At fault for her parents' death and now for the way she chooses to live her life…how ironic, coming from a boy who he himself should be blamed for so many things here at Hogwarts. For an instant, she could have sworn it was Petunia standing in front of her instead of Potter. "It's not my fault!" Her voice quivered in anger. "It's not my fault they are dead and it's not my fault how I deal with it!" It flew from her mouth so quick she didn't even have time to muffle it with her hand. Her eyes widened in embarrassment and thoughts of her own stupidity. She suddenly felt vulnerable and exposed under his gaze.

"Dead?" There was a pause. "Was it your parents, Lily?" He too seemed taken aback by her sudden outburst.

But the length it took him to finish processing it, Lily had fled out the door and down the corridor. The sound of her shoes resonated against the stone walls and then she was no longer in his sight.

Everything seemed to make a bit more sense to him now.

A/N: Thank you for all your lovely reviews! I'm sorry this chapter is somewhat short. I just got back from a trip and I am running on very little sleep at the moment. Please give me some feedback!