"Really, Ma'am, I'm fine"

"You're not fine until I say you're fine, now lay back"

Lily sighed, and acquiesced. Last night had been quite the ordeal. She'd never thought that McLaggen would ever harm her – ever. When she met him in the corridor, she'd relaxed. She should have run. But all in all, she was lucky. James had shown up, and rescued her.

He'd waited with her in the Hospital Wing until he fell asleep where he was sitting and slumped over off of his chair. Madam Pomfrey then woke him up and practically forced him out the door. Lily's cuts were healed in a matter of minutes, and it turned out that she'd actually gotten a bone-bruise from falling out of bed earlier in the week. She was physically sorted out in less than five minutes, but the emotional strain took longer to get a handle on.

Madam Pomfrey had let James stay so long only because he calmed Lily. When McLaggen was brought in (still unconscious) and restrained to the bed they put him in, Lily nearly ran out of the Hospital Wing. It was James who nearly pinned her to her bed, whispering comforting things. She clung to him, not really being soothed by his words so much as his presence. He convinced her to eventually take a Calming Draught, and she immediately felt the effects. Then it was her turn to be there for James.

Every time he would glance over at McLaggen's bed, his hands would start shaking. Lily hadn't noticed this until he took hold of his wand, and accidentally made it snow. She took his hand in both of hers, and kissed it. He looked at her, and clenched his teeth. He explained how he'd seen McLaggen tear out of the party as soon as she'd left, and he'd gotten suspicious. He excused himself from the party to follow McLaggen, but got there a little late. He wouldn't stop apologizing the entire night.

When James had been forced out of the Hospital Wing, Lily felt free to sleep. She was given a Potion that put her out almost instantly, and woke up the next morning feeling rested from an uninterrupted sleep. Madam Pomfrey was now examining her, but Lily felt physically fine. McLaggen had been blocked from view with curtains surrounding his bed. Lily was grateful for that at least.

When the check-up was complete, she was given breakfast and made to eat all of it before she could officially leave the ward. When she finished the last drop of milk, Madam Pomfrey gave her Hestia's dress back, and some of her own robes, which had been pressed.

"I had some House-Elves bring your own clothes down from your dormitory. I didn't suppose you'd want to walk about the school dressed in the hospital gown or the dress from last night, ruined as it is" Madam Pomfrey told her conversationally.

"The dress is ruined?" Lily asked frantically, unfolding it. And sure enough it had a large rip near the hem and blood stains down it. The shimmering effect looked quite lackluster.

"Hestia's going to kill me" she whimpered.

"Well if she's got her head on straight she'll forgive you for it" Madam Pomfrey replied with an air of impatience.

Lily finished dressing, when Madam Pomfrey took the dress and gown out of her hands, and set them on the bed. She placed her hands on Lily's shoulders, and positioned her so that they were eye-to-eye.

"Evans, I'm sorry about last night. Now if you ever feel the need to come down and unwind, don't hesitate to come back for a Calming Draught. If you ever feel threatened by McLaggen again, be sure and alert your Head Boy or Girl, or a teacher immediately. I want you to know that McLaggen was highly intoxicated last night; I don't know how many times I've told Slughorn to not include alcohol in his parties…but Mr. McLaggen was also under the influence of pipe weed. Do you know what that is?"

"No" Lily answered truthfully.

"It's a drug, Lily. It's a powerful stimulant that increases aggression and decreases brain function. It's dangerous. If you see any pipe weed, or anybody using it, please alert a professor at once" Madam Pomfrey urged.

"I'm a prefect, Madam Pomfrey. Of course I will. Is it on the list of banned things?"

"It's illegal. Not just in Hogwarts, in the Wizarding World"

"I'll make sure to keep an eye on it" Lily muttered.

"It smells like mint, and the smoke is blue" Madam Pomfrey reiterated.

"Yes, ma'am"

"You may go" she said, dismissing Lily. And Lily was glad to leave.

She walked through the doors and found the Marauders and her friends waiting for her. James was still wearing the clothes he wore the night before. Secretly, Lily swooned. He hadn't even left her to change? Lily gave him her sweetest smile.

Alice and Mary ran up to her and enveloped her in hugs, and immediately began stripping McLaggen of all the dignity he possessed. Clearly, they had heard what happened. After her friends and Remus and Peter gave her some room to breathe, Sirius meandered up to her with his eyes bloodshot and his hair even more tousled than usual. He gave her a hug, which surprised her, but she could tell that he was majorly hung-over.

"How are you doing, Padfoot?" she giggled.

"Well, Lily, you might have to check and see whether the dungeon is still there or not. I might have drank it"

"How are you, Lily? Are you okay? Are you sure you should be leaving the Hospital Wing?" James asked her, hurrying forward.

"I'm fine. Thanks to you" she smiled at him again, and walked toward him to hug him. He caught her and wrapped his frame around hers. She had to resist sighing in contentment. When they pulled apart, Lily noticed barely-concealed smirks on Alice, Sirius and Mary's faces. She had to hide one of her own.

"Thanks for coming down to see me, but I think I'm going to go change…which isn't illegal, by the way" she teased, looking at James. He smiled sheepishly, and ran his hand through his hair. James grabbed her hand, and the group walked back to the Gryffindor Tower together, intermingling.

"I still can't believe McLaggen…I mean, what if he did more than just kiss you?" Alice asked disgustedly once the girls had reached their dormitory.

"I don't know if he would have" Lily said absentmindedly. Pretending to think that he would never have forced more than that of her was easier to comprehend, and easier to get over.

"But what if he would have? What if that was like, his plan?" asked Mary.

"But he didn't"

"Because James beat his ass" Alice muttered.

"Cheers to that" Mary responded.

"So, James asked me last night if I would see him today…do you think he was asking me to Hogsmeade?"

"Probably"

"Yeah, and in any case, after what happened last night, James is going to stick to you like a brand new pack of wart plasters"

Lily nodded, but couldn't help but feel nervous anyhow. Would this be like…a date?

"Holy crow, what should I wear?"

Her friends laughed, and helped her assemble and outfit.

Around thirty minutes later, Lily left the dormitory feeling confident. She looked quite striking (if she did say so herself), and hopefully fully recovered. She walked down the staircase, trying her hardest to seem graceful and definitely okay. She glanced around for James, wondering where he'd be waiting for her.

But the common-room was practically empty, filled only with second and first years.

Lily's heart plummeted, but she strained to not let that show. She half-turned to Alice and Mary, and gestured them forward; she caught the looks of apprehension that they were exchanging.

"Let's just go" she muttered, shrugging.

She couldn't help but feel surprised and a little hurt that James wasn't waiting for her. Wasn't he really concerned about her, or was that just until he found out that she was going to be fine? But what if he wasn't really over her and McLaggen? What if he was still angry with her, and she had just cornered him last night, and he almost kissed her out of instinct? What if –

But Lily never got to finish her thought. Half-way out of the portrait-hole, she'd run into somebody carrying food, and was now sprawled on the floor, covered in breakfast goods. She scoffed, and angrily looked up at the culprit who hadn't been looking where they were going (not the she had been, either…) and her anger instantly seeped away.

It was James, just as covered in food as she was. There was a moment where neither of them knew what to say.

"I…I thought you might be hungry"

Lily couldn't stop her mouth in time; it fell open, and then fell into a smile. She jumped up, and ignoring the fact that they were both covered in everything from cereal to pumpkin juice, she hugged him. He returned the hug, gladly, but then held her at arms' length.

He pulled out his wand, and began siphoning the liquids and crumbs and things that stuck to both of them.

"So, are you hungry?" he asked her when both of their outfits were good as new.

"No, Madam Pomfrey made me eat before I left the Hospital Wing"

"Oh, that's good, then"

"Yeah…"

And they sat there in an awkward silence.

"Hey, Lily, Mary and I will meet you at the Three Broomsticks…later on" she smirked as she dragged Mary out of the portrait-hole by the elbow. And this left James and Lily alone.

"Thanks for getting me breakfast, even if I did put it all over the floor. That was really…sweet of you"

"Well, I do what I can" he replied, smiling.

And again, neither of them knew what to say. Lily's frustration was growing; she wanted to go to Hogsmeade with James, but he wasn't making any move to ask her. Hadn't he implied that he wanted to go with her yesterday, or was he just asking if he would see her today?

And what if he still wasn't over the McLaggen thing?

And that thought was Lily's tipping point; something in her brain snapped from the strain of the straight week it had been on edge. She didn't care if James wasn't 'over' the McLaggen thing or not; he was going to get over it, dammit, because he didn't work so hard to get her for so long to give up now; especially not now that she was crazy about him too. Oh hell no.

Lily grabbed his hand. He looked moderately surprised, but Lily didn't give him time to react.

"Where do you want to go today? That new place, Zonko's Joke Shop, is supposed to be pretty cool"

"Y-yeah, sounds fun" he agreed, smiling. He seemed to have a thought, however, and his smile vanished. "Unless you want to go with your friends…"

"What? Nah. If I wanted to go with them I would have" she replied simply.

And he smiled again.

It was only a little while later that they were standing in the middle of High Street, being gawked at by a few Hogwarts students coming out of Schrivenschaft's. Lily felt a blush slide over her face, but concentrated only on the conversation she and James were having. He seemed to have noticed the on-lookers as well, for he stood up a little straighter, and he stepped between Lily and the gossips slightly.

"Er..so where d'you want to go?" he asked her. She looked around, as if there was going to be some sort of sign that would tell her where she could go that would ensure that they would have a good time.

"Three Broomsticks?"

"Sounds good to me" he answered, sounding relieved. She supposed he was relieved because she had not suggested Madam Puddifoot's. She felt like she could blush at just the thought of sharing one of those cozy tables, sipping coffee with James being surrounded by snogging couples. She didn't think they were quite ready for that level of discomfort.

They managed to grab two seats by the bar, which was a first for Lily. Usually she had to settle for a seat below the staircase or beside the restrooms, crowded as the place always is.

Madam Rosmerta came sidling up to where they were sitting only a moment after they'd sat down. She smiled at James, completely ignoring Lily. She found that this annoyed her, but also gave her a feeling of deep satisfaction she couldn't quite figure out.

"Good to see you again, James! Not with Sirius today, I see" she said, looking at Lily for the first time.

"No, I'm on a date today" he replied, grabbing Lily's hand. Lily's heart sped up to about a hundred miles an hour; he'd said date. With his next sentence he introduced Lily to Rosmerta formally, and asked for two butterbeers; Madam Rosmerta walked away to get them with a slightly miffed air.

"First name basis, huh?" she asked him, teasing.

"You know how I get around" he lightly joked back.

"Well you must be top-dollar to have our drinks getting here so fast" Lily said as their drinks arrived.

"Well…"

"James!" she laughed, elbowing him slightly. But he caught her elbow, and spun her around on her stool so that they were facing each other. The next thing Lily knew was that they were kissing.

The kiss naturally ended, and Lily's face was on fire; much to her surprise, so was James'. He took a long breath in, a leaned his forehead against hers. Lily began to feel slightly embarrassed by the PDA, so she leaned back, but made sure to scoot her stool so close to his that they were touching. He intertwined their arms so that they were holding hands, and Lily started massaging his hand with her thumb. And then they talked over their butterbeers like nothing had happened.

Mary and Alice came in an hour or so afterward, surprisingly accompanied by Sirius and Remus. Lily and James gave up their spot to meander over to a larger table with their friends. Lily noticed that Peter was absent, but didn't ask; she didn't think they knew, either.

After The Three Broomsticks, James took her to Honeydukes, and they poked around for a little while. Lily had a fine time talking about sweets with James, which turned out to be something he was avid about. After they had left the shop, James told her he forgot something, and doubled back. Lily thought that this was rather odd, seeing as he hadn't really brought in anything to leave behind. Upon going back into the shop to look for him, she found James at the till, having purchased everything she'd told him she took a fancy to. She hit him with the bag.

Regrettably, though, the date had to end sometime. Lily still relished that he had said that it was a date. The two talked about Quidditch peaceably up until about half-way to the Gryffindor Tower. James was in the middle of telling her about why wizards don't use Golden Snidgets anymore when they heard a piercing cry ring through the hall. They both faltered, and exchanged curious glances. And at the same time, they set off to find the source.

And it was completely unexpected.

Lily and James rounded the corner to the deserted hallway, and found none other than Severus Snape brutally dueling with a wandless McLaggen. Snape was yelling indiscriminate things at him between curses, and with each spell, McLaggen became more and more incapable of regular speech.

Lily and James stared for a second, stunned. But it was when Snape let loose a spell Lily didn't know, 'Sectum Sempra', and McLaggen began pouring blood from his torso, that Lily sprang into action. She jumped from James and over the bloody, weeping McLaggen, and tackled Snape to the ground. Forgetting magic, she tried to physically wrest Snape's wand from him. He put up a fight, however, and it ended up where Lily was pushed to the side. She swiped her own wand from her pocket, and tensed in a dueling stance. She noticed James was still standing where she'd left him. He was casually withdrawing his wand as Snape turned to Lily, but did nothing more.

"You're…you're going to defend him?" Snape asked her, venom and hurt leaking from his voice.

"Look what you've done to him! He'll be lucky if Madam Pomfrey ever sorts him out!"

"All the better for what he did to you!"

Lily had half-expected that he knew (why else would he be dueling McLaggen?), but to have it confirmed was hard to swallow. She'd been assuming that nobody knew but her and her friends.

"Who told you that?" she asked throatily.

"Who cares how I know?" he asked as he strode toward her, reaching a hand out to her, wand at his side, "It's true. And he doesn't deserve to ever be able to lay eyes on you again"

"So what?" she asked, disgusted, "You were just going to 'take care of it'? Make sure that he got what was coming to him?"

"So you could be safe again…"

"'So I could be safe' my ass! You did this for you"

And with that she turned and walked past James, who turned and followed her.

"Where are you going?" Snape called after her.

"I'm going to Madam Pomfrey to have him picked up" she called over her shoulder. She started to continue walking, but then a thought struck her, and she slowed. She turned to face a thoroughly distressed Snape.

"Why would you care about what happened to me, anyway?" she asked him point blank.

Her question seemed to shock him. After the initial surprise, though, he clamped his jaw shut and looked at the ground, avoiding her gaze.

"Why wouldn't I?" he murmured. Lily looked at him curiously for a moment, before feeling James grab her hand and pull her gently toward him. He breathed something in her ear that sounded remarkably like, 'told you so' before he pulled her away from Snape and toward the Hospital Wing.