Disclaimer: The characters are the property of the amazingly talented J.K Rowling! I'm only borrowing the characters and world that she has so brilliantly created.

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Beta by: ilovethedotgame

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Chapter Nine: Tangled Emotions


James lay on his back, arms folded underneath his head, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom in the Potter Manor. He thought of Remus and Sirius living on their own while he was stuck living in his parents home until he was married. He hated it. He felt as though he was confined in a cage with no escape in sight.

The end of the year had come alarmingly quickly. N.E.W.Ts had been just as difficult and exhausting as predicted, but James had been pleased with his marks, not that they truly mattered. No matter his scores, he would have gotten into the Auror program because of his father's position in the ministry and not because of his own merit.

It disgusted James. He remembered how proud he was when he made the Quidditch team in his second year. It was the first time he had achieved a goal through his own abilities and not through family connections. It had given him a sense of accomplishment as nothing else had until he was made Head Boy.

So much had changed in the weeks that had past since they had left school. He, Alice, Sirius, and Lily were all in preliminary Auror training together. They were still studying defensive theory and had yet to do any practical training, but the days were still long and rigorous.

As wrong as he knew it was, the thing James most looked forward to in training was seeing Lily everyday. The more time he spent with her, the more he was attracted to her. He wanted to be make her laugh, and he wanted to protect her. He wanted to experience everything life had to offer, and he wanted to experience it all with her.

He loved her. There was no denying it anymore. This new thought simply refused to disappear into the back recesses of his mind. He loved her, as simple as that.

Except it wasn't simple. It was anything but simple.

L … J

"Micah, you're a great guy, but we need to end this," Lily told her bathroom mirror. She frowned at her reflection. Everything she thought of sounded terribly cliché and trite, but she had to break up with Micah. She had let it go on much too long as it was. Term had ended five weeks ago, and she was still dating him.

Micah had never actually asked her out; he had rather taken it for granted. He was such a sweet guy that she hadn't been able to find it in herself it hurt him, but she knew that she was hurting him by not breaking things off.

"Lily!" Hestia's voice came through the door, "you're going to be late if you don't come out of there!"

Lily sighed and opened the door. Hestia stood there, one hand raised as though she had been about to pound on the bathroom door. "Do I have to?"

Hestia gave her a pointed look. "If you want to dump him, you do."

"Don't phrase it like that," Lily wrinkled her nose. "You make it sound so cruel."

"Well, it will be," Hestia pointed out. "The bloke's infatuated with you, Lily."

Lily shook her head, thinking of how hurt Micah was going to be when she broke up with him. "I know."

L … J

"Mother… can I talk to you?" James stood in the doorway of his mother's sitting room, his heart beating rapidly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"Of course, dear," his mother said, setting her book down on the low table in front of her and patting the seat next to her on the couch.

Sitting down next to her, he tried to say what he had approached her to talk about. "I…I…"

"Just say it," his mother said warmly, smiling at him.

"Do I have to marry Hestia?"

Dorea bit her lip and lowered her head. "James, I thought we passed all of this when your father went to Hogwarts to talk to you after you took that other girl to Hogsmeade. I wish it didn't have to be this way, James. I didn't want this for you, but you just have to make the best of it. Hestia's a lovely girl, and you two are friends. Surely being married to her wouldn't be so terrible?"

James sighed heavily. "It might have worked, but something's… happened, and I can't be content with Hestia."

He could tell by her face that she understood what he meant by the look in her eyes . "Oh, James…" Dorea said, reaching over to him and touching his face. "I'm sorry." She paused. "It's Lily, isn't it? Hestia's friend. I remember how you looked dancing with her at Christmas…"

James nodded. "How can I marry Hestia when I'm in love with her best friend?"

"Do you really love Lily or is -" Dorea began to ask, but James cut her off.

"No, I truly love her, mother. Believe me, I've spent a lot of time thinking about this. I'm sure."

"There's nothing I can do, James," his mother sighed softly. "You know how the blood contract works just as well as I do."

"Exactly!" James exclaimed, feeling hope rise in his chest. "Since Hestia has legal control of her parents' finances and estates she can sign to annul our betrothal."

"I would sign to end it in a minute James, and even if Hestia would agree, your father never will. You know he won't, James."

James pulled away. "I know that we'll never know if we don't try."

"We?" his mother questioned softly, her sad blue eyes meeting his.

"I need your help," he explained, placing his hand over her smaller one. "I can't do this alone. It's time for father learn to listen to you."

"I'll do what I can, James," Dorea said after a long moment. "But I can't promise anything. Please don't get your hopes up, dear."

L … J

Lily tossed her purse on the coffee table and flopped onto the sofa with a loud sigh. Rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, she took a deep breath.

"That bad, huh?" Hestia said, sitting down on the edge of the couch.

"Oh, Hestia…" Lily brought her hands down from her face and looked her friend in the eyes. "He was so completely crushed. I feel terrible. If you could have seen his face…His eyes were actually tearing."

Images of Micah's distraught expression kept flashing in front of her eyes, and Lily grabbed a pillow and held it over her face.

"Think of it this way," Hestia told her, pulling the pillow away from Lily's face. Lily frowned and made a grab for her stolen pillow, but Hestia held out of her reach. "Listen to me!"

"Fine," Lily sighed.

"He would have been even more hurt if you had let things go on longer than they did. Imagine if he had gotten to the point of wanting to introduce you to his family. You really didn't date that long; he shouldn't have been so attached to you so quickly."

"But he was," Lily replied, feeling more like a horrid person by the moment. "He told me once that he had liked me since the start of term, but he'd been too shy to ask me out. I never should have agreed to go with him to Hogsmeade in the first place."

"Why did you agree?" Hestia asked.

James' face swam before Lily's vision, but she hastily pushed it away. "I just...he's a nice guy, and I thought I would at least try to see if I could fancy him…and then he just assumed that we were dating, and I never had the heart to tell him otherwise."

Hestia was silent for a moment. "To see if you could fancy him…" she repeated, as though pondering the words aloud. "Do you mean fancying someone because they fancy you?"

"I suppose," Lily answered, wary of the direction the conversation was going. "But I can't care for someone just because they care for me. There is something nice about knowing a bloke fancies you, and I suppose it is somewhat endearing, depending on who the person is, of course."

Hestia smiled, then paused. "Do you…do you think that James will ever love me?"

No! Lily's mind screamed, her chest constricting painfully. "I don't know, Hestia. But I think no matter what happens, there will always be respect and friendship between you two."

"There was a time we didn't even have that," Hestia said softly. Lily thought back to their early years at Hogwarts, remembering James' evident resentment that he was bound to her friend. He had even been so bold as to take a girl to Hogsmeade in fourth year. James' outward rebellion was quickly quashed when his father showed up in the middle of Transfiguration, demanding to speak with him. After that incident, James had been downcast and sullen for several days. No one but his closest friends knew exactly what had happen between James and his father, but Lily assumed that a verbal dressing down and a punishment of some sort had taken place.

Hestia had never been indignant of her betrothal, choosing to accept her sealed fate calmly. To Lily's knowledge, she had never fancied James before their last year at Hogwarts.

"Sometimes I wish I didn't care about him like I do," Hestia admitted. "But it's a nice feeling, fancying someone. You know?"

Lily nodded. She did know; she knew all too well. "Do you love him?" Her words surprised her and Hestia as well.

Hestia was silent for a moment. "I think I might…" she giggled softly. "I've known him my entire life, and I enjoy his company. I know so much about him as a person…we can just sit and talk, and it doesn't have to be awkward."

"I…I don't feel very good," Lily lied. Sitting up quickly, she made a dash for the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against the warm wood for support.

She had been sure that Hestia would say her feelings for James were nothing strong or permanent. But Hestia was in love with James….There was no hope for she and James now. Hestia's signature was needed to annul the betrothal, which she would never do if she loved James and desired to spend her life with him. Even if Hestia was willing to end the marriage, Lily could never take James away from her friend knowing what she knew now.

"Lily?" Hestia knocked on the door, her voice anxious. "Are you all right?"

"I – I'm fine," Lily called, attempting to disguise her choked voice. Tears stung her eyes, and she bit her lip trying to keep Hestia from hearing her crying.

"Okay…well, I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything." Footsteps sounded, moving away from the door, and Lily let herself slide down to the floor. Resting her forehead on her knees, she allowed a small sob to escape.

Despite what she had repeatedly told James, Lily had always held on to the tiny hope that he would somehow persuade his father to annul his betrothal, and she and James would be allowed to be together. Now that hope was gone, dashed into thousands of pieces in less than the span of five minutes.

L … J

James raised his hand and knocked on the door to Lily and Hestia's apartment. He waited for a moment and then knocked again.

"Coming!" Lily's voice called, and James' stomach clenched uncomfortably.

The door opened, and there she was in a pair of faded jeans and a light green top. "James!" She said, clearly surprised at his presence. "Come in."

James had only been inside the apartment a few times before, one being when he, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had helped the girls move all of their stuff in. There was a small living room with an adjoining kitchen and two small bedroom separated by a bathroom. It wasn't much, but it was theirs, and James was envious of the freedom it afforded them.

"Is Hestia around?" He asked, trying not to think about the strand of hair that was falling in front Lily's eyes. He dearly wanted to reach out and tuck it behind her ear, but he didn't dare. "I need to talk to both of you."

"Both of us?" Lily asked as she led him to the couch and waved at him to take a seat.

He nodded. "Dumbledore has Order business he wants me to tell you," he told her, referring to the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization led by Dumbledore, devoted to fighting Voldemort and his followers. He and Lily had been approached by Dumbledore at the end of their seventh year and had joined the Order immediately out of Hogwarts. They had then recruited their friends who felt similarly about Voldemort's actions.

"She's not here right now. She has training tonight," Lily explained as she sat down on the far end of the couch.

"Well, I can tell you the message and then talk to her later. Of course, I'll need to perform some security charms on your apartment first."

"We already have several quite powerful enchantments –" Lily began, but stopped when he pulled out his wand and waved it in a high arc above his head. "That should do."

"What did you do?" She asked, looking quite confused by his actions. Clearly she'd been expecting something else.

He felt himself grin. "Marauder's secret. The other guys would positively murder me if I told you."

Lily looked taken aback. "Are you telling me that your security spell is something that you four made up at Hogwarts?"

He shrugged and smiled mischievously. "It worked for us. We were never caught."

Lily seemed to consider this then paused. "I've always wondered, why did you four refer to yourselves as marauders?"

"Because of all the adventures we had during full moons. We learned a lot about Hogwarts; secret passages, hidden rooms, things that live in the forest…the possibilities are endless when one owns an invisibility cloak and is an animagus."

"You never did show me your invisibility cloak!" Lily accused, attempting to look angry with him, but unable to hide her smile.

"Never?" He remembered promising to show it to her, but he couldn't remember ever doing so. "Oh, well…" He pulled the silvery substance out of the pocket of his trousers and tossed it at her.

She caught it deftly in her hands, but nearly dropped it. He laughed as the material slid through her fingers.

"It's almost as though there's water inside of it!" she marveled. He watched her run her fingers over the silver material and wished that she was running her fingers through his hair instead.

He didn't mean for such thoughts to enter his mind. They simply did so of their own accord whether he wished it or not. And if James was honest with himself, he liked thinking about the possibility of being able to be with Lily.

"So, what's the message?" She asked, handing him back his invisibility cloak. Their hands brushed, and his heart fluttered at the contact. Judging by the blush rising on her cheeks, the contact had affected her as well.

"We're moving headquarters to somewhere safer."

"Safer?" Lily echoed, her face unbelieving. "Do the death eaters suspect our location?"

"Dumbledore suspects they might. That's good enough for me," Taking his wand from his pocket, he muttered a few choice words and flicked his wand twice. A piece of crisp parchment appeared, and he grabbed it, handing it to Lily.

Lily glanced the parchment and raised her eyebrows in shock. "So close to Hogwarts? Is that wise?"

James shrugged. "Voldemort won't try and attack Hogwarts with Dumbledore there. The - " he paused, unable to speak the name of the location. "The new headquarters will be safe enough. Dumbledore and Moody will see to that."

"Hm…" Lily nodded, apparently thinking about something else. "When's the next meeting?"

"You'll be contacted by way of Patronus when Dumbledore sets a date," he paused, brining his gaze to meet her eyes. "I talked with my mum last week."

Lily's voice was neutral. "About what?"

"Ending my betrothal to Hestia. She's on our side, Lily. She agreed to try and talk to my father."

"James…"Lily began hesitantly, her facial expression positively torn.

"I know you think it's impossible, but we have to try," he argued, reaching out and taking her hand. Her skin was cold, and she was trembling slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Things are…things have changed," Lily said quietly, looking at their intertwined hands; refusing to meet his eyes.

James felt as though something cold and leaden had been dropped into the pit of stomach. Did she mean that her feelings for him had changed? "Do you not…" he swallowed with some difficulty, "want to be with me?"

"I think we'd be better of as just good mates," Lily whispered as she withdrew her hand from his.

"No…" James said more to himself than Lily. This could not be happening. It wasn't possible. He had just realized that he was in love with her; she couldn't have stopped caring for him. She just couldn't.

"I'm sorry, James." She told him, her voice breaking.

He nodded and stood, feeling quite awkward. "I'll be back tomorrow to let Hestia know where the new Order headquarters are."

Lily saw him to the door, avoiding his eyes the entire time. "I'll see you at Auror training on Monday," she told him.

The door closed behind him with an ominous click, and he stood in the hall for a moment, not quite believing what had just transpired. She no longer cared for him…it wasn't supposed to be like that. He loved her. He was supposed to convince his father to end his betrothal, and then he would be free to be with Lily. Hurt and loss welled up inside of him, his chest tight with emotion.

He swiped quickly at his eyes, angry that a girl had driven him to tears.

L … J

Lily watched as James and his dueling partner circled each other, wands drawn. The other student raised his wand, but James was quicker and threw up a shield charm immediately followed by expelliramus. The duel should have been over, but James sent another spell at his partner, sending him crashing into the wall behind him.

"Bloody hell, Potter!" his partner exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head in annoyance.

"A death eater wouldn't have been as forgiving as I was," James replied, his voice devoid of any emotion.

He had been this way for several weeks now. He was constantly on edge and extremely irritable. Lily had barely spoken to him since she had lied to him about her feelings but the conversations they had held had been stilted and awkward at best. Lying to James wasn't something she had wanted to do, but it was for the best. Hestia loved James, and her best friend deserved to be happy. Lily hoped that James would be able to move on if he believed that she had done so.

Lily thought back to the day she had told him she was over him. He had looked as heart broken as she had felt, but she hadn't dared let her emotion show on her face. She knew she had hurt him deeply, but she hoped that he would be able to overcome his feelings and move on.

She hoped that she would be able to as well. But somehow, in letting him go, he felt more hers than ever.

L … J

James lay lounging on his bed looking at a picture of Lily and himself that Hestia had taken on a trip the three had taken to the London Zoo earlier that summer. The sun in the picture was reflecting off Lily's hair causing it to seem as though it were glowing. She looked so happy, standing there, in front of the reptile house.

There was a knock on the door, and James hastily stuffed the picture inside the advanced transfiguration book resting on his nightstand.

"Go away!" he yelled.

The door opened and Sirius strode in.

"How did you get in here?" James asked, not bothering to tell Sirius off for walking in uninvited.

"I used to live here," Sirius scoffed. "I know how to manipulate the household staff."

"I'm going to murder Dingle," James intoned, referring to one of the many house elves who staffed the Potter manor.

"Don't do that. He always brings me all the chocolate éclairs I can eat." Sirius replied grabbing James' desk chair and dragging it next to the bed. "All right, what's got your knickers in a twist?"

"Huh?"

Sirius gave James a pointed look. "You know what I mean. Something's up. You've been acting funny for the last couple weeks."

"I'm fine," James lied, looking Sirius in the eyes.

"Mate- you're not fine. Half of he time you're silent and moody, and the other half you're snapping at everyone and everything. Something is wrong, and I'm not going to leave here until you tell me. "

James bristled. "I could hex you five ways from Sunday –"

"You could, but your wand is across the room on your desk, and mine is in my pocket," Sirius drawled. "But it's a lovely thought."

James sat up and glared at Sirius. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just out of sorts. Now leave me alone."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "I'll just get Remus to tell me."

James was suddenly wary. What was Sirius playing at? "There's nothing for Remus to know."

"Are you sure? Because back at Hogwarts I could have sworn there was some sort of secret between you two."

"You're imaging things," James replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"Hiding something about your relationship with Hestia?" Sirius prompted. "Unrequited feelings, perhaps?"

"I don't love her," James snapped irritably.

"Of course you don't. She's like your sister," Sirius stated, resting his elbows on his knees. "You're in love with Lily."

"No I'm not," James scoffed, trying desperately to keep his façade in place. It was difficult when the interrogator was his best friend of seven years.

Sirius shrugged. "I think I suspected that you fancied her a long time ago. A lot of little things just started adding up, you know? The little looks you'd give her, how much time you started spending with her outside of Head duties, how protective of her you were when I was trying to get a date with her. Remus knew didn't he?"

James sighed. Sirius knew beyond a doubt; there was no point in pretending anymore. "He figured it out on his own. I didn't tell him."

"Moony always was the insightful one. So, what's got you in such a snarky mood?"

Running a hand though his hair, James told Sirius the entire story from beginning to end. When he had finished, Sirius leaned back in his chair and whistled.

"Do you enjoy making your life difficult?" Sirius questioned flatly.

"What do I do, Sirius?" James asked, distractedly running his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time. He was sure that by now his hair was completely on end, but he couldn't find it within himself to care.

Sirius leaned over and grabbed James' advanced transfiguration book, opening and taking out the picture James had been looking at before Sirius had walked in uninvited. He examined the picture for a moment then turned to James.

"You fight for her, of course. Girls like Lily Evans don't come around all that often."

"I would, but you heard what I said, she doesn't love me," James said, his heart constricting as he remembered in the incident at Lily and Hestia's flat.

"You can be so thick sometimes, mate," Sirius handed the picture back to James. When James merely gave him a quizzical look, Sirius sighed. "She lied to you. Think about it. No one just stops fancying somebody out of the blue."

"Why would she lie?"

"Hestia's her friend," Sirius pointed out as though the entire matter was purely cut and dry. "She may want to be with you, but she wants her friend to be happy as well. Stealing her mate's boyfriend isn't exactly something that promotes friendship."

"She's not trying to steal me away from Hestia," James frowned.

Sirius shrugged. "I know that, but some people wouldn't see it like that."

Like my father, James thought bitterly. The first task was to convince his father to cancel the betrothal. It was going to take every ounce of his strength and perseverance, but James was determined.

"Thanks, mate," James said, climbing off the bed. "How about some of those chocolate éclairs?"

Sirius grinned broadly. "I thought you'd never suggest it."

L … J

"Happy Birthday, Alice!" The small crowd of friends cheered as Frank led Alice through the doorway of the Leaky Cauldron.

"You guys didn't have to throw me a party," Alice blushed as she sat down at the head of the table with Frank and Lily on either side.

The party progressed well, everyone catching up with their friends and enjoying their food. Then suddenly at the other end of the table James burst out laughing at something Sirius had said. He gripped the table as he tried not to choke on the large gulp of butterbeer he had just taken.

"Are you okay, mate?" Remus asked him.

Lily watched as Sirius whispered something in James' ear. James made a funny choking sort of sound and suddenly butterbeer sprayed out of his nose.

"James! That's gross!" Emmeline, who was sitting across from him, squealed over everyone else's laughter.

"That hurt!" James protested, wiping his nose with a napkin. Instead of inspiring pity, this statement only made everyone laugh harder.

Lily clutched her sides, unable to catch her breath from laughing so hard. James made such a funny picture, trying to look chagrined by everyone's laughing at him, but unable to stop laughing himself. Merlin, I love him, she thought.

Lily stopped laughing. Love? Did she love James?

"Lily? Are you all right?" She felt Alice rest a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah…I…" Lily desperately searched her mind for answer. "I just remembered…I'm supposed to have tea with my mum next Saturday. Petunia's coming." There, it was the truth, so she hadn't even had to lie.

"Oh, that's too bad you and your mum can't have a bit of time alone," Alice sympathized.

Lily nodded and forced herself to concentrate on the conversation at hand and to pretend that her mind wasn't elsewhere.

L … J

Lily sat on the couch in her living room thinking about her revelation the other night at the Leaky Cauldron. Hestia was out window-shopping with James as a kind of date. Lily buried her face the pillow she had brought from her room, wanting to cry with the loneliness and jealously welling up inside of her.

Did she love James? Or was her heart simply responding to the knowledge that Hestia loved him also? She turned the question over and over in her mind, examining her feelings for James.

She had always heard that when you loved someone, that you would know automatically, but she was finding that this was not the case. If Hestia were not a variable, would she be quicker to admit that she loved James?

"Yes," she whispered into the soft fabric. Hadn't she known at the end of seventh year when she had danced with James at the Quidditch victory party? She had admitted to herself that night that given the chance she would marry James because…

"I love him," she said softly, her pillow soaking up her tears.

L … J

"James…" Hestia began uncertainly.

"Hmm?" James replied, his eyes scanning the front window of Quality Quidditch Supplies. They had the newest broom model from the Cleansweep line in, and he wanted to go into the shop and examine the broom -

"I was thinking…and, well…."

The balance was supposed to be hundreds of times better than that of the now outdated model. The speed was rumored to be –

"James!"

He jumped, feeling his face grow warm at having Hestia catch him being inattentive. "Yes?"

Hestia sighed and fixed him with an unappreciative stare. "I was trying to talk to you."

"Oh," It sounded ridiculous, but he couldn't think of what else to say. "Carry on."

"It's just…we don't act like a normal couple."

"In case you haven't noticed, we aren't a normal couple. Normal couples actually want to be together." His words were harsh, and he knew it, but he didn't expect them to cause the reaction they did.

Hestia stopped walking and stared at him, hurt evident on her face. "James…"

"I'm sorry," he sighed wearily, running his hands through his hair. "I didn't mean that being with you is repulsive or anything. I just meant that we're both in this relationship against our wills."

"Why can't you just accept what our parents planned for us and be happy?" Hestia cried.

"Happy? How could I possibly be happy with this arrangement? How can you?" James demanded, allowing years of frustration to flow forth unchecked.

Passersby glanced warily at them arguing, but neither James nor Hestia paid them any notice.

"It's easier to accept it than to fight it," Hestia exclaimed. "You think I've always accepted it so willingly? There was a time when I would have given anything to get out of this engagement. But the reality is, we can't. We just have to make the best of it, James."

"No, we don't. We can get out of this. If I can persuade my father to agree to sign the annulment papers – " James stopped at the look on Hestia's face. She looked…broken, somehow.

"Is the idea of spending your life with me really so terrible?" she asked quietly.

James paused, searching for the words to say. "You're my friend. We'd have to live together as husband and wife and everything that that implies. I don't...I don't want to marry you. I thought you understood that."

"But…" Hestia began, and to James' extreme horror, tears spilled from her bright blue eyes. "I want to be with you!"

James felt his heart stop. No, this couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. "Hestia -"

"Maybe you don't care about me in any sort of romantic manner, but I care about you!" Hestia nearly shouted. "I'm willing to be married to you and to make ours a real marriage. I'm willing to try James, but you aren't even willing to consider the possibility that we'll be able to make a marriage between us work!"

With that, she turned on her heal and stormed off in the opposite direction and turned down the next alley. There was a resounding crack and he knew that she had Apparated back to her apartment. James stared at the spot where Hestia had stood only moments before, his mind racing. She cared for him? She wanted to be married to him? When had this happened, and why hadn't he noticed?

Had he really been so caught up in his feelings for Lily that he had failed to notice Hestia's interest? Had she been extremely subtle? Or – a voice in the back of mind nastily suggested - had he not wanted to see her interest and pretended that her feelings about their marriage must be the same as his?

James ran both of his hands over his face and took a deep breath. He should have seen her interest. But he hadn't wanted to see it; he was too preoccupied with his feelings for her best friend. He had caught her staring at him on several occasions, and he should have known when she kissed him on the cheek on Valentine's Day.

He was a daft, blind prat, and that was all there was to it. But what was he going to do to make things better between them? Did he even want to correct what had happened between them? He was glad that Hestia knew the truth now, or at least part of it. She still didn't know that he was in love with Lily, and he hoped to keep it that way for some time.

Merlin, what was he going to do?

L … J

"Please be home, please be home," Lily pleaded under her breath as she stood on the front stoop of the home of Alice's parents.

The door swung open and Alice appeared, looking quite frazzled. "Lily!" Her voice held surprise and worry. She didn't open the door, leaving Lily standing on the doorstep.

"Alice, I need to talk to you," Lily explained, feeling desperate. She hadn't known whom else to turn to. Alice was the only one besides James that knew about her situation. And she certainly couldn't have gone to James.

"Uh…" Alice's eyes darted back and worth. "I don't think…er…this is really a bad time…" she stammered.

"I've just realized I'm in love with James and I –" Lily blurted out, but stopped abruptly, feeling the blood drain quickly from her face.

There, standing behind Alice, was Hestia.


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