A/N: First off guys, I am so so so sorry it's been like 4 months

A/N: First off guys, I am so so so sorry. I know it's been like 4 months. I never wanted to be one of those authors that never updates, but things get busy and I get lazy, lol. So I'm sorry.

Another reason I didn't update was because I didn't actually know what Lily was going to ask. Finally I decided to just write the first thing I came up with, so here it is. Please review!

Chapter 7

"James?"

"Lily?"

"Did you mean it, all those years? When you would ask me out?"

His face looked confused, and a little bit worried. "What do you mean?"

I was starting to wonder if the past years had been a misunderstanding. "Well, you never acted like you were serious. Everyone (including me) thought you were just joking. That's why I got so angry-and insulted you so often. Sure, what I said was true, but I wouldn't have said it had you not humiliated me."

Now he just looked angry. "You were humiliated? So many people acted like I ruled the school, and then I couldn't even get one girl to go out with me after 2 years?"

I shook my head vigorously. "No, no one was laughing at you! Don't you see? They thought you were kidding! We all thought it was a prank. Except for you and the marauders, maybe, everyone thought that you were just doing it to embarrass me."

"But I wasn't!"

His angry tone silenced the both of us for a minute. I looked down to see that our hands, previously clasped, were now in our own respective laps. His were clenched into fists, and mine were nervously fidgeting with the hem of my wrinkled blouse.

Finally he spoke, and when he did his voice was bitter. "So it was just a misunderstanding then. For years I thought you hated me, thought you meant everything you said, when really you were just embarrassed. I embarrassed you, when I thought I was embarrassing myself."

"That's not completely true. You were really only embarrassed in your mind; and anyway, I might've said some of the things I said anyway."

He looked surprised. He looked up from where he had been staring at his fists and turned his head sideways, staring me straight in the eye. "Why would you have said those things to me?"

Here was what I had been trying to avoid. "Well, James, the truth is a lot of it was true. You were cocky, and obnoxious, and self-centered, and you thought you owned the school and everyone in it. You bragged and hexed people and were immature." He opened his mouth to interrupt but I lifted my hand to stop him. "I'm not saying you're still like that: you obviously aren't, or I wouldn't be sitting here. But I never lied. At least, in my opinion I didn't."

Now he just nodded. "I guess I understand."

I sighed in relief. "I'm glad."

"Is that why you didn't say yes, then? Because you thought I was joking?"

I nodded, a smile creeping its way onto my lips. "And because you were a royal prat."

He mock-glared at me. "Well, I'm glad you changed your mind then."

Just as I was opening my mouth to reply, the door opened. Maggie, a 6th year prefect for Hufflepuff panted her way into the room, her frizzy hair in disarray. I began to berate myself inwardly for giving the prefects the password to the heads' dorm 'in case of emergencies'. Though Maggie was a sweet girl, she was an awful gossip and by this time tomorrow the entire school would know that the two heads had been sitting alone in their common room holding hands. And that was before the rumors got exaggerated.

"Did you need something?" James asked, looking as annoyed as I felt.

"Sorry," she gasped, "Sorry. But it's that Bellatrix Black. She's got a few young Ravenclaws locked in a potions classroom, feeding them lies, and I just thought you two should stop."

James didn't look annoyed anymore; he looked angry, which was just how I felt. He stood violently, inadvertently yanking me up with him, and we made our way out of the common room together.

"Where is it, Maggie?" I asked while beginning to speed-walk in the general direction of the dungeons.

"In the room furthest from Professor Sulghorn's office-" how predictable, I thought, "the one where he keeps his stores of ready-made potions."

It was at that moment I realized how serious this was. Among his stock, I knew (though most did not) that Slughorn kept Veritaserum. Who knows what Bellatrix Black, three vials of the most powerful truth potion that was still legal in Britain, and a few unsuspecting students could add up to?

"Marjorie, why don't you go round up the rest of the prefects and bring them down to meet us?" James asked, seeing the look in my eye.

"It's Magg-"

"Hurry, then." His eyes were angry, and anyone with an ounce of sense could tell that this ability to command was what had made him Quidditch Captain and eventually Head Boy. This time she didn't hesitate.

"What's the matter?" he asked me as soon as she was out of earshot. We were hurrying down a flight of stairs, our hands by our sides.

"Slughorn keeps Veritaserum, Amortentia—a whole manner of powerful potions in his stock. I know it's locked, but considering it's Bellatrix Black…"

He was as worried as I was as soon as he heard. We unconsciously sped up.

Finally we had arrived at the room. James opened the door to see three little Ravenclaw girls huddled into a corner. Bellatrix was holding a steaming vial and cackling at them. It was Veritaserum, I realized, recognizing the scent and appearance of the deadly potion.

Shoving Bellatrix aside, James picked up two of the girls in one arm and the last in the other. Wordlessly I grabbed their hands and led them out of the room, leaving him to deal with Bellatrix.

&

I brought the 3 shaking girls down to the kitchens, tickled the pear without my usual smile, and got a mug of tea and a slice of cake for each of them. Then, levitating the food in front of us, I brought the girls back to the Heads' room. Unfortunately, there were prefects mulling about our room (I'd have to change the password later) and they swarmed me when I entered. Not intending to scare the girls more than they'd been scared already, I brought the three of them to my bedroom.

"Are you going to make us drink potion?" one girl blurted out as soon as the door was closed.

"No, no, of course not. Now, how old are you all? And all Ravenclaws?"

"2nd year," the same girl answered for the three of them.

I nodded. I didn't know how to go about asking them what had happened without getting them upset, but I did have to know. "What were you girls doing when Bellatrix found you?"

Finally a different girl spoke up. "We were just eating dinner! We didn't do anything wrong."

The last girl, who had kept her eyes on the floor for the duration of the time I had been with the three of them, spoke. "No, you weren't just eating, Yvonne. You were talking about what you had read in the paper this morning. And saying how your father had told you all kinds of things about what he did for work, remember?"

I frowned. "Where does your father work, Yvonne?"

"He's the head of the auror department," she said, "He tells me and mum all about what goes on—I know all about the attacks. I was just telling them-"

Once again the previously quiet girl spoke. "Yes, showing off your knowledge as usual. Bellatrix obviously figured she could use your knowledge of what the aurors were thinking, and so she pulled aside the three of us."

"Why all three, though?" I asked.

The girl who had told me that they were 2nd years shrugged, but the last girl, the wisest one, spoke. "Well, my mother's an Unspeakable. And Emily's dad works close to the Minister."

I nodded. More and more, it was becoming clear to me how serious this was. "How would you girls like to pay the headmaster a visit?"

A/N: Well, hello, I just threw in a whole plot. Isn't that exciting? Well, anyway, I hope you liked it. This took me a while to write and it's not my favorite, so feed back is much appreciated. Please review!