"Thanks for coming; I know you still are hesitant about me…no that sounds stupid." James turned back on his heel and paced the room again, his hand automatically going back to his hair. He looked at the room around him. A fire was roaring in a fireplace, and a soft red couch sat in front of it. Next to the couch sat a small end table with a piece of folded parchment sitting on it. James made his way over to the paper and noticed Lily headed down the corridor. "Mischief Managed." He wiped the map blank and stuck it in his pocket. He sat on the couch and stared into the fire until he heard the soft creaking of the door being opened.

"James?" Lily stuck her head in the door.

"Come on in." James turned and smiled at Lily, inviting her to sit on the couch. Slowly, she entered the room looking it over. She sat cautiously near the end of the couch.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Lily smiled nervously, tapping her fingers on her knees.

"Well, um, this is hard for me to say, but, uh," James cleared his throat, "I, uh, I need your help." Lily glanced at him, but he was staring into the fire.

"What?"

"I need your help."

"Like how, school work?"

"Um, no, not quite."

"Well, if you want me to help, it would be nice to know how I'm going to help you." Lily's temper was beginning to rise.

"I want to be better."

"Better?"

"Yeah, I, um, I really don't know how to ask."

"Well, give me something to work with here."

"Everything you say about me, it's true. I am stubborn, stuck-up, annoying, irritating, irrational, and a bully. I don't want to be like that anymore." Lily started over at James, her mouth hanging open slightly, but he continued to stare at the fire. "I didn't think you would want to help me, I still don't think you will want to help me, but there's nowhere else to go. Sirius would be more of a hindrance than a help, Peter might die of a heart attack if I ask him for help, Remus has enough going on with his…" James paused, "…mother being sick, and any other girl in school would flounce around me and tell me I'm perfect." James turned to Lily, who was still staring at him with her mouth half-open. "Right, that's what I thought." He said, standing, "Thanks for listening, I'll see you around."

Lily stared after him for a second, and then when he placed his hand on the door knob, Lily called out. "Potter! Potter, wait." Lily stood and crossed the room to where James was standing. "I'll do it."

"Really? You'll help me?" James smiled. Slowly, Lily nodded. James let out the same little laugh of triumph that he had laughed when she agreed to meet him there.

"Oh thanks, Lily, you won't regret it!" Without thinking he pulled her into a hug. Then jumped back almost like he had been burnt. "Sorry," he said sincerely. Lily nodded. "So, when should we meet back for our first rant?" Lily asked. "Does Friday sound good?"

"Yeah, I guess that will do." Lily sighed.

"Great, it's a date!" James smiled as Lily glared at him, "Or not." He shrugged, "Whatever works for you."

Lily rolled her eyes and made her way out the door, "See you Friday, Potter."

-+-

"Oh, for the love of God!" Sam smacked her quill onto her paper. "Why do I bother? Where is Lily? She'll understand all this." Sam gestured wildly to the page in front of her.

"I'm here, I'm here." Lily slipped around a bookcase and settled down at the table Beth and Sam were sitting at in the library.

"Oh thank God, this is pathetic." Beth gestured wildly to Sam with the end of her pen, "I explained potions as simply as physically possible, and she still doesn't get it. I just gave up."

"Here." Lily pulled Sam's textbook near to her, flipped about five pages, and then pushed it back to Sam. Sam scanned the page, her eyes widened, and then she began writing frantically.

"Wrong potion?" Beth asked. Lily nodded and smiled. "Well, that would explain why she didn't understand why we would add unicorn hair. Where were you just now anyway?" Beth asked, turning back to her notebook.

Lily glanced nervously at Beth's notebook. "Um, no where really. Just looking around, you know. I've never noticed some of the rooms in this castle. They really are quite amazing."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get out of this smuffy room." Sam slammed her potions book shut and charged around a bookshelf.

"Sometimes I wonder if she knows that she creates words. Maybe she just thinks smuffy is an actual word." Beth sighed; flipping to the back page of her notebook where she and Lily kept track of Sam's made up words. "So for November, 1976 we have 8 smuffys, 9 hentias, 16 noffs, and 2 swoas. Wow, and it's only the 12th."

Lily rolled her eyes and followed Sam out of the library.

-+-

Beth's Notebook

Lily is not a good liar. She was with James, but I only know this because I talked to Remus. Remus suggested that James try to act more like the person Lily wants him to be. Now, I don't believe in changing yourself for someone, but if James started acting just slightly like Lily wished he would, then I know I would like him more. Hey, what can I say, the boy is a bit stuck up. Anyway, I'll have to see how this works out…maybe Remus and I will be able to get them closer…maybe…who knows.

""