Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, JKR does :) If I did, mind, I would make sure James and Lily didn't die, because they're so cute :)

"Every little trait how ever small, makes my very flesh begin to crawl, with simple utter loathing, there's a strange exhilaration in such total detestation, it's so pure, so strong. Though I do admit it came on fast, still I do believe that it can last, and I will be loathing, loathing you my whole life long." - Wicked

Chapter Four: What is this Feeling?

The bubbles tickled her bare skin in the warm, clear water. A smell alike lavender mixed with the purest sugar swept around the room that seemed to be almost dewy with the heat of the glistening water, a sharp contrast to the bitter cold autumn's day outside. Through the vast foggy windows that stretched from the ornate gold ceiling down to meet huge, pristine mother-of-pearl tiles, shone the mixture of hues that portrayed the early sunset. Purples, pinks, yellows, reds and oranges all lit up the glowing room, making it seem much more perfect - almost heavenly. A soft dripping was the only noise, which was quickly silence to finish off the image of perfection.

Translucent skin met transparent water as Lily Evans closed her sea-green eyes, trying to burn this moment into her mind forever. The water around her seemed to hug her bare body, sending all of her troubles into a place far, far away. Just what she needed, and with the strip of parchment that she had earlier received placed at a safe distance from the edge of the enormous bath that took up most of the floor of the Prefects' Bathroom, she allowed a small smile to creep onto her face. Her feet no longer ached from running from the dungeons up to the owlery, and then onto the Gryffindor common room. Now her poor toes seemed almost weightless as they floated atop the healing water.

Wasn't love a funny thing? The exhilaration it caused, the butterflies flapping their fragile wings, the sudden power that your stomach acquired to perform cartwheels and somersaults, and the frantic beating of heart against ribs. And all Lily had received was a letter, or what could be better described as a note. Who from was a painful mystery; a mystery that Lily was determined to solve, no matter what she had to do, the measures she had to go to. Cocky, but in a fun way, carefree, enchanting and thoughtful. Perfect? It seemed so. Was he that guy? Was she that girl? She could only hope so. Strange how just yesterday she'd been Little Miss Independent, almost mocking the idea of Lonely Hearts, and now she was a pile of, well, mush.

Slowly, she lifted herself out of the bath and onto the soft cotton of her white towels, wrapping herself up in one and ruffling at her red hair with another, her curls limp and hanging straight from the water that was dripping off the strands to land around her feet. For a few moments, she just stood there, looking pensive and grinning, before crossing the room to dress in the clothes that she had brought along with her. Dropping her towel, Lily pulled on her plain white briefs, bending over to pick up her matching bra from the pile. But when she stood up, she was no longer alone.

The noise of the portrait that hid the entrance to the bathroom closing made Lily start, her arms moving to cover her completely nude upper-half. Her head snapped around to see who it was who had just walked in on her, wearing nothing but white pants. Please let it be a girl, Lily's mind shouted, her eyes wide in horror as she dropped her hair to cover the upper half of her bare back. No such luck. One hundred percent male, one hundred percent in shock, and one hundred percent not a prefect, stood James Potter.

For a few moments, all the two could do was gape open mouthed at one another, both sets of cheeks flushing a sudden pink. It took Lily less time to recover, and she was snatching up her towel before James had even blinked – if he was at all able to. There she was, the love of his life, standing afore him, wearing only pants. That kind of thing only ever happened in his dreams, and if he hadn't lost all power to move, he would have pinched himself. This was better than any fantasy, this was reality. And yet, he couldn't allow his eyes to stray lower than her own, though every part of him was begging to explore her smooth body.

"Get the hell out!" Lily screeched at him, waking her from his reverie. No witty comment coming to mind, he turned on the heels of his black converse, and threw himself out of the doorway, leaving Lily alone as she fell to the floor, tossing on her clothes. Outside, James leant against the stone wall surrounding the portrait, his heart fluttering excitedly and his stomach wringing itself into knots. Every male part of him was begging him to go back in, grab her by her perfect hips, and kiss her embarrassment away. It was only the sane part of him that over-ruled his desire, instead leaving his brain muddled and confused. He had just walked in on Lily Evans getting dressed! Surely he should be happy? Only he wasn't. No, James Potter was hit by the sudden sadness that reminded him of what he would never have, and it hurt; a lot. And what did James do when he was sad? Act like a jerk, is the answer to that.

"You sure know how to make a guy's dreams come true, Evans!" He called to her as she pushed the portrait open, hiding behind her mass of red hair that was probably the same colour of her cheeks, and that was his cue, to slip into the bathroom.


Lily threw herself down on the sheets of her four poster, the rushing of footsteps chasing up the stone steps after her, the harsh mutters of her friends' voices reaching her ears as they tossed worried words to one another. "Lils? Lily, are you okay?" Quinn called out to her, running through the heavy door into their dorm, Taylor, Amie and Katy close behind. Just moments before, they had witnessed Lily run through the common room, her small frame shaking uncontrollably, hair damp and limp down her back, tears slipping down her pale face. There are a few sights that you never want to witness in life, and seeing their usually down-to-earth friend in such a state made their hearts throb and the smiles to drop off their faces. Now, with all four girls crowded around Lily, they glanced at one another uncertainly. Quinn grabbed the wooden hairbrush off the bedside table, gently brushing out the knots in Lily's crazy hair whilst stroking it softly in an attempt to calm her sobs. The others just sat there, worried looks on their faces, for they were unsure of how to react. Your best friend really does know you better than any other.

"That's right, sweetie. Cry it all out." Quinn soothed, intertwining her fingers with Lily's slim ones, squeezing them gently as Amie twisted a strand of red hair that she had just pulled out from Lily's eyes. A few more sobs slipped from her lips, her face hidden in the mattress that was rapidly getting soaked from both tears and her soaking hair. Quinn frowned slightly, tucking her free arm around the red-head's slim waist in a kind of retarded hug. "Lily Bear, you're getting your sheets damp, and we don't want you to catch a cold now, do we?" At Quinn's gentle but demanding words, Lily sat up and dropped her head onto her best friend's shoulder, her sobs subsiding a little as Quinn restarted stroking her long hair. Pushing a strand behind Lily's small ears, Quinn looked down into the glistening green eyes, wet with tears. "Do you want to tell us what this is all about?"

Lily grimaced, her pink, chewed lips still wobbling a little from crying, and her eyes were on the verge of turning bloodshot. Quinn stopped a sudden tear by pressing her thumb to it, proceeding to wipe the rest of the brine out of her eyes too. "James Potter just walked in on me in nothing but my pants!" She choked, hiding her face in Quinn's neck out of embarrassment. She couldn't help it, Quinn Reynalds laughed, the mellow sound bubbling up from her throat and slipping past her lips into the room. Once she'd started, she couldn't stop, taking no notice of the mortified face of the girl burrowing into her shoulder, and those seated around her. Instead, she shrugged. Perhaps it was the frivolity of her best friend, whose head was cast back in laughter, or perhaps it was all the pent up anger dying to get out, but whatever it was, Lily Evans began to chuckle. Gotta laugh or you'd cry.


"I just saw Lily Evans naked."

James dropped onto his bed, staring blindly up at the wood above him, his mind a million miles away in some place beautiful. His stomach rolled energetically, almost as if it was in anticipation for something, and his heart seemed to tremble, even a quarter hour after seeing that exact sight of such a beautiful girl who smelled of honey and looked just as tasty. A thud sounded across the room as Sirius dropped a huge book onto the floor in surprise – why he was even holding a book in the first place was a mystery to them all. "No. Way," he replied, leaping onto the bed beside James, his palm raised ready for a high five. This was exactly what he needed, to get his mind off of the picture burning into his brain and joke about it with his friends, laugh about every single detail and then plan something stupid, like stealing the exact pair of pants and hanging them from the astronomy tower. Tempting. James, reaching his own hand across to his wide eyed companion, was interrupted by Remus' hoarse voice, as he also dropped down next to James, though seated with his feet firmly on the floor. "I wondered why she was crying," he muttered under his breath, unaware that James could hear his every word. For, indeed. Remus had seen her dash to her room like a scared little rabbit. Ten minutes later, James had appeared, swaggering through the portrait hole in his usual annoying manner, jet black hair ruffled in a completely gorgeous way, slightly damp as water dripped down his tanned face, his glasses slightly steamed up.

James' hand dropped mid-journey, as he turned to stare at Remus, whose face was riddled with a frown. "Wait, Evans was crying?" He bit down on his lip hard, blood forming on the torn skin, a frown settling on his own face as he mirrored his friend's concerned expression. He'd never meant to hurt her, just stop himself from tearing apart on the inside. Needless to say, it really hadn't made any difference. He was still feeling the ache of his heart longing for the one thing that it could never hold, his lips aching to kiss her own, and his fingers wishing to intertwine with hers. Doesn't un-requited love suck?

Silence befell the Marauders as every set of eyes turned to James, whose face seemed to be suddenly distorted in... anger? Or was it sadness that he was feeling in his moments of pain? "Dude, were you really that bad?" Sirius asked suddenly, seeming to have plucked the words out of this air. His mouth lolled open as he stared at his best friend in disbelief. In the moment that their eyes met, even James' foul mood couldn't stop the grin spreading onto his face, alighting his dark blue eyes as he elbowed Sirius sharply in the ribs. The pair laughed care-freely, a noise which only grew greater as Sirius toppled off the edge of the bed as a result of his excess laughing. In fact, even Remus cracked a smile.

"No, dumbass!" James managed to gasp between laughs, his sides aching. "She was in the Prefects' Bathroom, and I kinda, maybe, a little walked in." At this fact, Sirius' face crinkled with a new round of laughter, forcing him to collapse onto his back. "You... legend," he gasped, pounding his fists against the hard wood floor as tears formed in his eyes. If that was so, why was the last thing James felt was legendary?

A/N: Bleurgh, these chapters are really short :/ I'll make the next few longer, fingers crossed. Thanks for all the subscriptions guys! I love you. I have to say, I pretty much love this chapter, just because of James being an idiot and his stupid comments. Next chapter will be up soon :) Hope you enjoyed it! ~ evermorekisses