Disclaimer: Only the plot and a few extra characters that I invented belong to me- the rest, unfortunately, are JK Rowling's.

A/N: I'm sorry the last chapter was so short! Please review! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Thank you. I hope you like it-I had a hard time writing it, and I know it's not very good, but it gets better, I promise! At least, I think it is…

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Denial

Months passed and I tried to ignore James Potter. It was hard, and there were times when I wanted to laugh at his jokes and pranks with everybody else. Whenever this happened, I just had to remind myself what he had done to Snape, and then I would be able to walk on with a perfectly straight face. It wasn't fun, hating him, but I didn't want to be his friend anymore. Not that he didn't try to be mine. He would show off in front of me, ruffling his already messy hair and grinning, and asking me how I was. Just to spite him, I would be perfectly friendly to Remus, Peter, and even Sirius (I had forgiven him- I convinced myself it had been a one-time thing with him). I would walk to charms with James's best friend, even flirting with him sometimes, and waving to Severus Snape in the hallways. I stopped being nice to Snape, though, as whenever I greeted him he would either ignore me or say something along the lines of "stay away from me, mudblood."

I had successfully ignored James until one day in charms.

"Today we will practice the summoning charm. It is very simple. Example: accio ink bottle!" Because he hadn't specified any one ink bottle, all of the class's came flying at him at once, breaking as they made contact with his body and desk. The class couldn't help erupting in laughter. "Ah-" he cleared his throat, filling his mouth with ink in the process, "Repairo!" All thirty-one of the bottles put themselves back together, and with a "scourgify!" the ink was gone from the professor, his desk, and the floor.

"Now that you have seen how it's done," Professor Flitwick said (this brought several giggles and even he had to smile a bit), "you will be passing a ball, using the summoning charm, with a partner. Take turns summoning the ball from your partner. Don't get too excited, though. I have already paired you with one of your classmates very carefully. No playing around." at this he looked pointedly at the Marauders "The partners are the following: Miss Brown with Mister Alexander, Mister Black with Miss Emma Grey, Miss Evans will be with-" I held my breath, Not Potter! Not Potter! Not Potter! running over and over in my head at amazing speed and desperation but- "Mister Potter…" My teeth clenched as I looked at my partner, who grinned and waved back.

"Come on, Lily- it wasn't really that bad."

"Yes, it was, Potter. I can't believe you could be that cruel- to Snape, or anyone! I don't know why I was ever friends with you!"

"Because I'm handsome, charming, intelligent, and swept you off your feet the moment we met?"

I smiled a bit. "Literally," I replied, and he laughed.

I made him laugh?

Yes, you did.

Oh no! I wasn't supposed to make him happy! I hate him! …. don't I?

I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you.

Who are you anyway?

You.

You are? That doesn't make sense.

Yes it does. It makes perfect sense.

How, exactly?

You, my dear me, are having an inward battle. An argument within yourself. A fight between your two different faces. In short, you're in denial.

Can you answer just one more question for me, please?

Another one?

Yes. Are you the good one of my faces?

Decide that for yourself. You should know. I'm you. By the way, you might want to start doing something, because James-er- Potter, excuse me, is looking at you very strangely.

Okay.

I looked at James and found that, indeed, he was staring at me with one eyebrow arched so high that it was lost from sight in his messy black hair. "Lily? Are you okay?"

"Yes. Yes. I'm fine. Accio ball!"

"Hey, Lily-flower can I ask you a question?"

"First of all, you just did ask me a question. Second, do not call me Lily-flower."

"Sorry. Lily… why are you mad at me?"

I just looked at him. With the ball still in my hands, I walked away from him, to where Rose and James Alexander were practicing. I had almost reached them when a voice behind me said: "Accio Lily Evans!" and I was almost immediately stuck on the lap of James Potter, who was sitting on top of a desk.

"Potter! What are you doing?" I screeched.

"Sorry! I didn't count on you landing on my lap. I just wanted you to come here," he replied coolly, "but this isn't so bad, is it? I think it's kind of comfortable."

My eyes met his, and I wasn't sure whether to slap him or laugh. I ended up doing both. My hand made contact with his face as I burst out laughing and as he sat there, shocked, I whispered, between giggles, "Idiot." He grinned. I couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"Does this mean we're friends again."

I stopped laughing and bit my lip. "I don't know. Will you promise me something?"

"What is it?"

"Will you promise to never- never ever- pick on anyone ever again?"

"Even Snivellus?" He looked disappointed.

"Even Snivellus."

"Oh…oh, all right. But I can still pull harmless pranks, can't I? And help plan them with the other Marauders?"

"That'd be fine, I suppose."

"This is awesome, Lily!" Before I had time to realize what he was doing, he gathered me up in a bear hug.

After ten or fifteen seconds, I looked around and noticed everyone was staring at us. "Ahem. James?" He looked up. His eyes went wide. After he grinned more than a bit sheepishly and waved, all of our classmates but Rose and James Alexander went back to their work. They both came over to us, smiling.

"Well, that was interesting," Rose said, eying us both, "I guess you're not mad at him anymore, then, Lily?"

"Um…I don't think so…"

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More months passed, with the Marauders and myself friends again. James kept to his word, pulling no more physically harmful pranks on Snape or anyone else. However, it wasn't rare to see a sign saying 'kick me' on Lucious Malfoy's back or hear Snape's gasps after swallowing a bit of firewhiskey that just magically appeared in his pumpkin juice, both situations courtesy of a certain James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin… and oh, yeah, what's-his-name, something Pettigrew.

Before I knew it, end-of-the-year exams were in less than two weeks, and I was frantically studying for them, giving up meals and spare time to pour over my schoolbooks. The Marauders were as easeful as ever, copying off each other's homework and assignments, and wondering why I even cared. "Because," I would say, "They're my grades. Would I ever amount to anything if I didn't score high on these tests?"

"Well," Sirius said once, "You could take up a muggle profession which fascinates me- you could pick up trash! Lily the super trash woman! Doesn't that sound great? Or maybe you could build me one of those motorbikes! I don't think that job would pay very well, since I probably won't have the greatest salary myself…."

I replied calmly: "How about this? You shut your mouth, and keep it shut until…oh, 'til about three weeks from next Thursday. How does that sound? Good? Great!"

He couldn't exactly reply, as I had hexed his mouth shut, and didn't plan on reversing the spell until breakfast the next morning, maybe later. When he found this out, however, her did the only thing he could to make me undo it: he tickled me.

"S-stop it, Sirius! I'm s-serious- S-Sirius-he- stop!!!" I stuttered between giggles- I'm very ticklish, to my great distress. He shook his head and pointed to his mouth with an evil glint in his eye. "Oh, fine!" I gave in, and within seconds Sirius was blabbing nonsense loudly in my ear, just to annoy me and make sure I never did it again. I finally found sanctuary in my dormitory.

"Argh! Can it get any worse?" I groaned, sinking onto my bed.

"One thing you should never to do to Sirius Black: hex him," Rose said, coming in.

I nodded. "We should write that down. Actually we should write everything you should and shouldn't do around him and call it: The Book of Do and DO NOT's Around Sirius Black. Original, isn't it?"

"Even better: What You Should Know About the Marauders."

"Perfect! We'll start after exams!"

It was Rose's turn to groan. "Lily, you need to stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Exams are not that important!"

"And who's the one that's going to fail them?"

"Not the person who loses all of her sleep to studying."

I didn't have anything to say to that except: "I don't lose all of my sleep!"

The next morning, I was buried in Strange Beasts and Strange Spells to Fight and Protect Them in the Great Hall, absently crumbling my toast. I knew I had dark circles around my eyes and my hair wasn't the most attractive in the wizarding world at the moment, but I didn't care just then. "

"Rose?" I asked as I heard my friend sit down next to me with a huff, "Can you pour me some pumpkin juice, please? I don't have time. "

Without a word Rose snatched my schoolbook out of my hands. "I need that, Rose!"

"What did we talk about last night?" she snapped.

"I don't care! I need to study!"

"Lily, this is an advanced book! You won't need it until at least fourth year!"

"You never know what might show up on the exams!"

"I do know that we won't be asked to fight off a dementor. You are being ridicules!"

"Similar to the spell riddikulas, used to baffle, humiliate, and destroy a boggart."

"That's it! Open your mouth, young lady!" I was going to say "You're not my mother!" but I only managed the first word before a piece of toast covered in blueberry jelly was stuffed in my mouth. I choked, but started to chew, and by the time I had swallowed, I felt glad for food. I soon was eating like an animal, as I hadn't eaten anything for days.

"Lily?" Sirius asked, his eyes wide with mock horror, "Are you feeling alright? You're eating faster than I do! Not to mention more!"

I ignored him, but soon I felt tiredness creep over me. I hadn't felt it before I started eating. I realized what happened. It was, after all, Rose who had given me the food, and she had been raving about my losing sleep. "Sleeping potion…."I managed to mutter before falling fast asleep on the shoulder of whoever was next to me.

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"How long was it supposed to last? She's slept the day away!" it was Sirius's voice.

"I don't know. She needs the sleep, anyways, though. It's okay. I just hope she won't be upset when she wakes up." Rose. The traitor. Oh, well. I had to be grateful to her for what she did, though I wasn't going to tell her. I hadn't felt so refreshed in…I don't know how long.

"You know what else? She's awake. And listening to us." Rats! Found out. I love eavesdropping, but I'm not very good at it- never was. I opened my eyes and saw that I was in my dormitory.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Sirius greeted as I sat up on my bed, "Or, should I say: good evening!"

"What time is it?"

"You just barely missed dinner."

"Great," I said with a sigh, "I'm so hungry I could eat a dog -no- a deer."

"You don't have to do that," Sirius said, bringing forth a box, "we brought some food up from the feast."

"Thank you." I opened the box to find all kinds of delicious foods, which I dug into immediately.

"Whoa! Slow down, Lily-flower!" James said as he came in.

I suddenly stopped eating. "What are you two boys doing in here? This is the girls' dormitory!"

"Calm down! It's not like we're doing anything!"

I sighed, still too tired to yell for too long. Exams are in ten days! I thought. "I've got to study." I started to get up, but my friends stopped me.

"No," James told me, "No more reading, reciting, or memorizing days worth of nonsense that you have no need for until you get some more sleep. We'll wake you up tomorrow morning. Maybe by then the circles under your eyes will be at least halfway gone." With a sigh that was half fake, I consented, and fell back asleep before my head hit my pillows.

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"I don't see what I was so worried about," I said happily as we walked out of our last exam, "Summoning charms? Defeating some pixies? Repotting snapdragons? Give me a break!"

"Speak for yourself," Rose said grumpily, rubbing one of her fingers, which her snapdragon had taken a little chunk out of, "I will hate herbology from this day forward."

I laughed and headed for the Great Hall. I practically bounced as I sat down next between Sirius and James. "Well, you seem cheerful today," Sirius commented, "I guess exams went okay, then, Lily-flower?"

"They were miraculously easy, Siri," I replied with a smile. Rose scowled.

"Apparently Rose doesn't think they were," James said with a small laugh.

I had just taken a big bite of potatoes when Professor McGonagall walked-no strode toward me. "Miss Evans, the headmaster would like to see you in his office. Please come with me." I swallowed quickly and nodded. Did I do something wrong? Was I in trouble?

Waving goodbye to my friends, I followed the Gryffindor head of house toward two stone gargoyles. "Ice mice," the professor said, and the gargoyles leaped aside, revealing a doorway and staircase.

We approached Professor Dumbledore's (sp?) desk, and he looked up, his eyes smiling behind his half moon glasses. "Please sit, Miss Evans," he said. I sat and began twiddling my thumbs.

"I'm sure you have no idea why you're here, but, out of curiosity, may I ask if you do? Have an idea, that is."

"Er…no, professor. Should I?"

"That is not necessary, since I will be telling you anyway. Professor McGonagall" I hadn't noticed she was still here "has shown me and told me of some of the work you have done in her class and I have found it beyond satisfactory, besides that incident with the caterpillar, of course." At this eyes twinkled and I colored a bit at the memory. "Your other professors have done likewise, and I am very pleased. I haven't seen someone with your brains since Tom Riddle walked these hallways. I am sure that your scores on this year's exams will be excellent and, unless they prove otherwise, I would like to extend to you the opportunity to attend third year classes next year." My eyes went wide and I felt my mouth drop open. "Would that present a problem, Miss Evans?"

"No-no, it wouldn't professor!" I said, finally finding my voice, "That would be wonderful!"

"Well, then. It's settled. Congratulations!"

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A/N: first update of the year 2005! How cool is that? Please review!