Just a reminder, this is in James Potter's POV. I have little idea on how to narrate a lovesick arrogant boy's opinions, but I did my best and I hope you aren't disappointed. This chapter is my longest one yet, and I'm not very sure exactly how to narrate a date... but... oh well. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Chapter 11

I run my hand through my hair again, and Sirius groans impatiently. "You look fine, James! Evan's going to love you!" "You sure?" I reply uncertainly, turning in front of the mirror. God, what is this girl doing to me? She's making me bloody nervous! Long-sleeved white button-up and dark blue jeans – classic and sophisticated, exactly what Colette Prewett – who secretly dates Sirius – claims Lily loves... Yes, I think of her as Lily, unlike what I talk to her with, because I know one day she will love me back... Lily Evans is beauty and perfection in human form. Though I have to admit I was quite shocked at what she did. She practically shattered me. Then, she decided to apologize and I conned her into this dream today... Oh, I can't get her out of my head. I am so in love with her. I've been in love with this angel since I first set eyes on her in year one. Too bad she's friends with that two-faced git Snivellus. She deserves someone better, someone like me. Someone who really cares, someone who is good enough for her... She gave me a huge blow in the ego when she rejected me in the first year. Ever since then, I've been hounding her, because I'm so head-over-heels with her, my whole world revolves around her heavenly presence and adorable attitude. Let's face it – she's hot, she's smart, she's friendly, she's perfection with attitude, and well, a little less perfection. I mean, at least she's not a Mary-Sue, or one of those stuck-up sluts like Mabel Boot or Melanie Malfoy. And she's so beautiful. Her hair is actually scarlet, not orange, and her eyes... The beautiful rich emeralds that shine with so much emotion...

In short, I am lovesick and completely blown over for Lily Evans. I swear on my grave she's my soul mate, and she's doing something really powerful, because I am not corny, but I'd do anything for her, and when she smiles I just wish I was the one making her smile, and that when she cries I want to be her shoulder to lean on, and when she's upset I want to rip up anyone that made her sad, and I...!

"James Potter it is already seven o'clock! Do not leave your date waiting!" Sirius yells at me. I scowl before comprehending what he said. Merlin, it's already seven o' clock? How long have I spent trying to perfect my looks? Two hours? Three hours? This woman is taking over my life! But she is so freaking worth it... I take one more glance at the mirror and adjust my glasses before Remus, Sirius and Peter shove me out the door so roughly it was purely Seeker's reflex that I managed to stay upright and catch the cloak that's thrown out after me. I scowl at the closed door before glancing at my watch. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! I sprint out of the dorm, down the stairs and towards the Great Hall. My hand absentmindedly leapt to my ruffled hair as I glanced around fervently. Where is she? Where is she?

Then my eye catches her. She's leaning against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible, her hands in her pockets, an adorable blush creeping over her soft pale freckled cheeks. She's dressed in a cream blouse veiled in dark blue lace and elbow-length sleeves, and tight jeans that make me want to drool over her, and tall heels that accentuate her long beautiful legs, and a navy-blue leather jacket wrapped snugly around her. Blue is not her best colour, but she looks delicious in it all the same. Her flaming hair which I adore to no end is twisted gorgeously into a French twist set with a gold and sapphire comb.

She hasn't seen me yet, so I just stand stock-still for a moment and take in her form as a grin stretches over my face. I have finally got Lily Evans on a date with me! Then she sees me, and my grin widens further as she blushes darker. She shifts uncomfortably as I take my time swaggering over and flushes to the shade I doubt can get any darker.

She looks at me, almost coyly, from under her long lashes as she smiles tightly at me and I almost swoon. "Evans," I smile widely. "Potter," she mumbles, averting eyes.

"Shall we go?" My mouth almost hurts from the huge grin stretched across it, but I can't seem to stop smiling. She nods a little. Seeing her in such an adorable state makes me incredibly happy. Actually she almost always makes me incredibly happy, but she's just so sweet right now I feel like I could burst from excitement.

"Where to?"

"Um, I don't know, shall we go to, I don't know, Honeydukes, first?" she mumbles, flustered. She's so cute when she's flustered. "Sure thing, love," I grin. She opens her mouth, ready to retort, but I can see her mentally biting her lip. I'd prefer that she didn't mind sincerely, but this is my chance to make it sincere, so I just enjoy it.

It's a cold day. The snow's not yet fallen, but there's a frozen gale whipping around, and Lily shivers. I automatically slip my cloak over her, and she gives me a strange look, and I just smile innocently at her. "Thank... you," she mumbles stiffly. I do my best to stifle laughter and quip a straight face. As we walk along, I can sense she's trying to keep her distance, but the cold is drawing her closer to me.

When we enter the crowded little shop, she relaxes and sort of slides away a bit, only to have me move even closer. "What shall we look at? Let's look at the pranking sweets..." I gleefully drag Lily to my favourite part of the entire sweet shop.

"What about this one?" I say excitedly, shoving a box in her face. "Wriggling Toffees, why would I want that?" she asks, perplexed. "And, why would I want Cockroach Cluster, or Bogey-Flavoured Lollipops?" I sighed. "To prank people, of course!" My eyes widened as I clutched her arm and gave her puppy-dog eyes. Pranking people is so fun! Especially that git Snivellus... But I shouldn't tell Lily that.

"OK, fine," she says, rolling her eyes. "What about these?"

And I find myself thinking, who knew Lily Evans was so good at finding the perfect candies? I think her particular favourite was a cream-flavoured macaroon filled with a powder that makes your voice all squeaky and high-pitched – partially because she actually tricked me into trying it... She practically rolled on the floor in laughter when I screamed, "Lily Evans, what have you done to me!" in a voice higher than Rosalie Brown's, and that's saying something. I was kind of pissed at first, but she looked so happy, I just brushed it away. What is this woman doing to me? Basically, we bought half the shop, and I figured out Lily's favourite candy – honey-topped, chocolate-coated raspberries. Who knew Lily was so unhealthy? As we exit Honeydukes, we hear a strange – and familiar – sound. From the corner of my eye, I see it, and I try to steer Lily away, but she frowns. "No, really, Potter, what is that sound?"

"Nothing! Nothing," I exclaim nervously, trying to drag her away from turning the corner.

"Potter, unhand me this minute or else!" she threatens, waving her wand, the dangerous glint of the fierce little lioness lighting up her murderous green orbs. I really shouldn't have, but hey, Lily Evans menacingly threatening to hex you – I'm too young and handsome to die!

"Really, Evans, it's none of your business! Heh, heh, you might be disturbing a very private-private moment..." My nervous chuckle dies down when Lily jerks me – she's pretty strong for someone her size – around the curve of the wall. Her hand on my elbow drops, and so does her jaw.

Lily Evans has figured out the two-year secret – that her best mate is dating my best mate and are making out three feet away from her against a wall.

"COLETTE DIANA PREWETT, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" she screams. The couple in front of her break apart, and for a moment, little Prewett's face expresses the type of shock someone gets when they are unexpectedly stabbed, or caught snogging your best friend's worst enemy's best mate, aka now, and her face drains completely of blood – and so does Sirius', because there's no kidding with Lily when she's this mad. Then, Prewett stiffens and grins sheepishly.

"Um, hi, Lily... Meet my, uh, boyfriend, uh, Sirius Black," she mumbles nervously, averting eyes. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I can practically hear her saying that to herself.

"How long? How long?" Lily demands furiously, seizing Prewett's upper-arm in a vice-like grip. I wince for Prewett's sake – that grasp looks like it could leave black-and-purple spots on her arm permanently. When Prewett doesn't answer, Lily half-screams, "How long, Colette?"

"Two years," Prewett whispers, turning her cheek, her eyes glistening. Lily sighs and releases Colette's arm, her eyes unforgiving, her mouth a cruel line of steel.

"Colette," she says in a soft, dangerous tone. "Colette, why am I angry at you?"

Prewett's voice trembles as she spoke, and I felt sorry for her as she grasps Sirius' hand for encouragement. "B-because I'm dating James Potter's best friend."

"No." Prewett looks up and meets Lily' cool eyes in surprise. "Then-then, why are you mad? Aren't-aren't you angry I'm dating Sirius?"

Lily's beautiful eyes were filled with compassion and internal beauty and genteel, and she says softly, "No, Colette, I'm not angry you're dating Black – that's Andromeda's job." That leaves us all bamboozled. What? She's not mad because of that? Then why the Hell was she so worked-up?

"It's because, Colette," Lily's voice half-broke, "I thought you knew that you could trust me. The blow of realizing you don't trust your best friend enough to tell her your boyfriend. I can accept Black. If this is who you are, I can cope with it. Your my best friend, Colette, and I respect every one of your decisions, regardless how foolish they are, lest they are evil. Colette, realizing you didn't trust me – that's what made me so damn upset. That my best friend couldn't trust me, didn't see fit to tell me her 'secret' for two bloody years. Don't you know that I love and respect you, Colette? Don't you know I'd do my best to work with whatever you say or do? That I'd always stand by your side? Why don't you trust me when I trust you? This is what friends... this is what friends are for, Colette. I would've understood."

Prewett looks at her, utterly speechless, her eyes glittering, her jaw hanging. Lily just looked at her with beautiful sad angel eyes. "Lily," Prewett whispers, shaking. "Lily, I'm so sorry. I just... I didn't want you to feel upset." "I know," Lily give her a watery smile as they envelop each other in a hug, sobbing into each other's arms. What the heck – what just happened? I exchange a look with Sirius. Girls.

Finally they break apart. "Who knows?" Lily asks.

"The Maradaurs and our girl-group."

"So, I was the only one it was kept from?"

"Um, yeah. You see, Lily, we agreed that you wouldn't be very pleased, if you, er, found out," Prewett mumbles. I was currently feeling very awkward. Hello, I'm not an emotional teenage girl! Sirius clears his throat, and the two girls jump, throw him a nasty look and continue their conversation. "Colette, you have to trust me in the future," Lily implores, looking deep into Prewett's eyes. What I would do to have her stare into my soul so pleadingly...

Prewett swallowed, smiled brightly and nodded. Lily gives her a megawatt smile which makes me start dreaming, and they both kiss each others' cheeks. Why doesn't Lily kiss me? I'm the one she's dating!

Anyway, with that, it's all the mushy bye-bye, and Lily talking to Sirius ("I swear, Black, if you hurt her I will hex your balls of and make it bloody hurt, am I understood?") and we took off. Her eyes are glazed over, and I can see she's concentrating hard on her thoughts. She's all tensed-up and stiff, so I lead her to the Three Broomsticks for a drink to calm her down.

When we enter the noisy pub, her tensed shoulders loosen, and I place a hand on her shoulder. She tries to shrug me off, but I tighten my hold. "Evans," I whisper in her ear. "Hunter is here." She immediately re-tenses. I grin internally. Derek Hunter is her most aggressive admirer. Even though she doesn't know it, Lily has half the boys in school panting over her, but as I said, she doesn't know. Which has nothing to do with me. Unless you count me telling Sirius to threaten them into staying away or we'll personally – ahem – do something about it – cough-cough prank cough-cough embarrass cough-cough take away their 'family-jewels' cough-cough. Which should not be counted.

Anyway, despite all the warnings, Hunter went ahead and told Evans he was crazy for her. Her expression was priceless. If I remember correctly, she laughed and asked if he was serious. When she realized he was serious, she threw a vase at him, screamed and fled for her life. She learnt about thirty spells on warding off people that afternoon, because Hunter lives up to his name.

Okay, I'll admit it, Hunter is quite a looker, he's on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team and he's got a couple of brain cells in there. But at least Lily doesn't care figs for him, because she's mine and he doesn't deserve her one wit.

At first Lily ignored him, but then he tried to make a move on her, and Remus happened to be passing by and saved her, and ever since then, Lily wouldn't go near him with a ten-foot broomstick, though he stalks her. Very, very creepily. Not like the way I stalk Lily. Kind of.

Anyway, back to the present. Hunter shoots her a lascivious wink from where he's having a drink with his mates, and she tosses back a scathing look, leaning a little closer into me. He then shoots the innocent little old me a dirty look, which I return with the James Potter smirk.

I turn my attention back to my little angel. "Let's go get a drink," I say. She nods and we walk over to Mister Rosmerta. "Two Butterbeers, please."

He gives us a glance from where he was serving a bunch of foreign wizards, doing his best to decipher the garbled English and serve all eight of them. "Claire will get you in a minute. Claire – Claire, come here a minute, love, and serve these customers for me, please!" A pretty little girl of nine or ten, Claire Rosmerta, his daughter, with flyaway blond hair and bright eyes bounces forward, her cheeks flushed.

"Ooh, Lily, you have a boyfriend!" Claire chirped excitedly. "Two Butterbeers, I presume?"

Lily begins spluttering but I just grin brightly. "Yep, took her long enough, isn't it?" Claire giggles as she pulls two bottles of Butterbeer from under the counter. "Four Sickles." I reach into my jeans pocket and pull out four of the round silver coins, and I'm about to pass them to Claire when Lily exclaims, "Wait, wait!" She extracts a couple of Sickles from her back pocket and continues, "We'll split it, it's only fair that way." That takes me aback. All the rich pureblood girls my parents forced me to take out during the summer – like that snotty Melanie Malfoy and Amelia Bones, who isn't that bad, or Jeanine Parkinson, who is worse, and even Andromeda Black, one of Lily's friends, who was decent except that Sirius kept me with all the big-brother talks and stuff – they were all different. I had always been expected to pay for everything, always been expected to make all the sacrifices. Well, Lily Evans is different, I guess. Maybe she's not pureblood or filthy rich, but she's better than the rest any day.

Anyway, in the end I get my way, with a breathless-from-laughter Claire and a slightly disgruntled Lily Evans, who stiffly thanks me. Merlin, she's so cute when she's awkward! We take a seat near a window and Lily releases a soft sigh as she sits down and takes off my cloak and her jacket.

A screechy shriek pierces the air, and Lily and I both wince. We turn and see – oh, Merlin, save me. It's that Mabel Boot girl. She's my scariest fan yet, I've found her spying on me in the most unsuspecting times. She's always at the Quidditch Pitch when I'm practicing, always hovering close by during meal-times, sitting as near as possible during Gryffindor-Ravenclaw classes, and I swear for half a year half my food was spiked. The memory of her makes me shudder – love-crazed woman.

"Ev-aans!" she screams, screwing up her ugly little eyes. "What are you doing with my Jamsie?" I cringe. Jamsie? Where the Hell did that come from?

Lily calmly looks at her. "Having a drink," she says smoothly. "Care for one?"

Boot looks ready to blow up. Her face is turning purple – not from her horrible taste of make-up, though it could be possible – and her eyes are bugging out like frogs'. Her fists are clenching and her knuckles are white against the skimpy black-lace outfit that reminds of a hooker and leaves very little imagination. "You," she squalls in fury, her over-made-up face blotchy and squashed-up, her finger accusingly pointing in Lily's direction. "You will pay for this! Jamsie is mine! He will see that we are meant for each other, one day!" Now that thought is utterly revolting.

"Really?" Lily says coolly, sipping her drink. "What are you going to do? I'm completely terrified. I'd rather die than see your painted face."

"Well, I'd rather be a slug than seeing your snotty face!"

"Hey, guess, what, I'd rather you be a slug, too! Don't you think there are a few similarities, James, dear? I mean, there the eyes, and the nose, can you see it? Oh, wait, and the hair, she has about as much as a slug, don't you think? Pretty similar, if you ask-"

Screaming in rage, she lunges at Lily and tackles her to the floor. I can't exactly remember what happened next, I was blinded by my rage – as I earlier mentioned, anyone hurting a hair on my Lily's head makes me mad enough to skewer the empty-headed bigoted moron that has the audacity to insult her!

All I know is that I'm currently grabbing Boot's upper arm, pinning her roughly to the glass-and-Butterbeer-littered floor. Every eye is intensely focused on this big drama unfolding. Lily is on the floor, gasping for breath, her hand clutching her delicate pale cheek. An angry scarlet line stretches over her flawless features, marring the creamy complexion. In Boot's hand is a fist of Lily's beautiful lustrous red hair. The sight of Lily tearing up in the pain of the deep cut and Boot ripping out some of her hair releases the wild monster within me, and I roar in a rage, "You little bitch!" I raise my hand to deliver a blow on Boot, and a well-earned one at that, and my fist would have contacted her paint-caked face of Lily hadn't grabbed my wrist.

"No, Potter, don't hit her!" "Evans, get off, she bloody deserves it!" "No! Please, stop." Lily looks at me desperately, an epitome of innocent and angelic beauty, of compassion and forgiveness. I reluctantly release Boot, and she scrambles gracelessly to her feet.

"Oh, you will pay for this, Lily Evans!" she howls, running out of the now-silent pub.

For a moment, there's no sound but Lily's and my heavy breathing, and to me, the hard pounding of blood surging in my ears, the rapid thump of my aggravated heart. When I look around, every eye is still on me. "What are you looking at?" I snap raspily at the crowds, maybe harsher than I meant to. Maybe it was my voice, or just it all taking hold of her, but suddenly Lily releases a loud sob, covers her mouth jerkily, hiccups, and flees.

"Wha-Evans, wait!" I cry in horror. I stumble to my feet and take off after her. Sheets of rain blur my vision as I try to lock it on her retreating figure, and I tear after her. I can see her blurry outline stumble towards the castle, and I dog her steps.

She finally stops under a towering, gnarled, leafy willow by the Black Lake. I see her hide her face in her beautiful tiny hands, her small silhouette barely visible in the shady darkness, but her soaked red hair, slick against her back, flames.

"Evans, Evans," I croon softly as I approach in a few quick steps. She doesn't move, save the racking movement of her sobbing little figure as she slowly slides to the muddy floor. I rush forward and scoop her upwards, half-carrying her as she buries her face in my chest and sobs. My heart breaks at her pitiful state and the way she cries so freely.

My knees buckle and I kneel on the muddy grass-beds, Lily clutching by shoulders, crying into my shirt, my arms wrapped around her small figure. "Oh Lily, what's wrong? Please tell me, you're breaking my heart," I whisper softly. She can hardly speak, and her words are so choked I can barely make them out.

"Because, Potter, because of you! Because of you all these-these conflicted emotions. Because my best friend couldn't find the right to tell me that she was dating Black. Because of you Mabel Boot despises me. Because of you I can't have a day's peace in my life. Then, you nearly hit her. You nearly hit a girl, just because she gave me a little scratch!"

"A little scratch! Evans, your whole face..." Horror reflects in my eyes as I try to wipe the scarlet blood leaking over the beautiful pale contrast of her skin, and my heart pains even as I heal it with my wand.

"But, Potter, it would have made you as petty as her!" Lily continues. "Because you would have use violence, not even to set it right, but to give her 'what she deserves'! Because you recklessly tried to hurt her! Hurt her! Sometimes, I wonder if you have any morals at all. For revenge, unnecessary and violent and foolish vengeance! Don't you see what you're doing? Potter, you're bringing yourself almost to her level. There are ways to solve that, ways other than viciously attacking her like a-like a monster!"

My face darkens, and I open my mouth to protest, but she places her soft tiny finger on my lips, silencing me, and continues, her eyes downcast, as she whispers, barely audible in the relentless shower of rain, looking strangely pretty with dark streaks of mascara sliding down her face and red hair flying all over, "And because I don't want to believe..." She looks me in the eye, through the windows of my soul, and I feel a shudder at the intense scrutiny, of pleasure and unknown fear. "I don't want to believe that I love you." And her lips meet mine.

She tastes sweet, just like the two times before...

The first time she kissed me, I thought it was a distraction, but my mind kept wandering, kept bringing me back to that beautiful moment. All this positive psychology, it opposes of my heart. In honesty, I'm scared. When I first met Lily Evans, I fell for her so heavily I could have bloody proposed on the spot at the age of eleven! For five years, I tried to convince myself it was puppy love, but the feeling just grew stronger and stronger, and I knew that Lily was my soul-mate – but I don't know if I'm hers. I don't deserve her. I just love her so much my heart aches every time I look at her. Even every flaw, I embrace it. I embrace her existence. She is my life.

The first time she kissed me, I thought it was a distraction. But I began to hope she was actually falling for me – but I feared cruel disappointment. But I hoped, as a human does of his most desperate dreams, unconditionally, and when she kissed me the second time I wanted to believe she loved me – but I was scared. When it came to Lily, all my Gryffindor courage is evaporated. I had always feared unrequited love. She broke my heart every time she carelessly rejected me, like I meant less than nothing to her. But I kept trying, trying because of Gryffindor hope. Trying because I couldn't bear to lose her. I could tell she wanted someone sweet and caring – I'd be exactly that if she'd let me. I don't know how to prove my love any other way than I have been futilely attempting hopelessly.

The second time I wanted to believe she loved me. I was halfway there, but I had to be wary. She could be just playing – teasing, and I don't know if I can take that.

But this third time she's kissed me, this time that she's admitted she's falling in love with me. She doesn't want to believe it. Must she hate me so? If she fell in love with another, left me forever, my purpose of life will have seemed to disappear. But she has admitted she's falling for me – and Merlin, I just want to believe it so bad...

But this third time she's kissed me...

I can savour her sweet flavour, inhale the delicious, fresh scent of lemongrass, taste her – her aromatic lemongrass scent, her flavour of honey and coffee and unnamed flavours – I don't ever want to let go. I can feel her little hand running through my hair, and I can feel the other running up my back, sending tingles up my spine, and I feel my hands slipping over her back, my fingers caressing her little head, cupping her soft cheeks, the smell of rain enhancing her fresh scent...

I never want to let go, but unfortunately even wizards and witches need oxygen, and we break apart. We draw in huge rasping breaths, and Lily takes a step back – and trips on a clump of mushrooms.

My yell mingles with her scream as she topples into the Black Lake.