CHAPTER TWO

Title: Behind These Words

Author: Tiffany

Summary: It's the final year for Lily Evans and James Potter. They must survive the pressure of school work, the quarrels with friends, but now as Head Boy and Girl…each other.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine!

Feedback to Reviews: did you guys know seven is my favourite number? only one less. XD

FountainInk: i hope the expectations don't go down. sniffles

lilfarie: LoL they've always been in love. well…you might question my talent after this

PhoenixFyre88: thank you. this one isn't.

piegirl10164: LoL. i agree to that. :)

Loz727: hmm…i don't know. this is how i pictured james and lily to be. :)

pippapear: LoL. standing ovation? XD yeah, sorry, i'm making him quite a horrible person (sluggy, that is).

About this chapter: You know how last chapter was quite good? well this one is quite…BAD! :'( i promise, promise, promise the next chapter is really good! :) just…think of this chapter a bridge chapter. .

Chapter Eleven: In-Between

"I HATE Sirius!" Mindy yelled on the first of November.

"Really?" Lily said, half paying attention. Mindy only talked about Sirius lately. "A few weeks ago you said you loved him."

"I did NOT!" Mindy said hotly. "I would never love Sirius Black. He's a selfish, think-he's-the-best MORON!"

It appeared Mindy was still cut after the break-up with Sirius.

"What did he do now?" Lily asked patiently. Normally Mindy would reply 'nothing' and that would be the problem as he would be acting like she didn't exist.

So Lily was surprised when Mindy didn't say this.

"He didn't sneak me into the Halloween party! He offered other people, other girls but not me! I was stuck, practically with brainless Griffindors and a not-funny Peter while every other Gryffindor was at Sluggy's party!" Mindy raged.

"It wasn't that good," Lily lied. The only reason why it was good was because James gave her a present and an almost kiss.

"Don't lie, Lily," Mindy said. "I've heard from the girls in that club. They were trying to ride James up the wall but apparently you got in there first."

"What?!" Lily yelped jumping up from the grass she was so leisurely sitting on. "We didn't do anything!"

"No, not at all," Mindy said sarcastically. "Just heard you were groping, kissing and grinding James Potter."

"WHAT?!" Lily gasped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did people really perceive her to be promiscuous? Unaware of what she was doing, Lily was unattractively pulling at her hair. Lucky her best friend was there to tell her.

"Lily, Lily," Mindy said rolling her eyes. "Stop trying to go bald. Don't you realise gossips always tend to go way out of proportion? You were they so you would know what happened. I, on the other hand, was not and am upset that you didn't tell me how the rumour came to be."

Lily felt miserable. She had always told Mindy everything and ever since she had this strange bond with James, she had been keeping so much from her. She just wanted it to be a 'little secret' between her and James. She was being so selfish lately.

"I don't really know what's going on between me and James," Lily explained. "Like I always thought I hated him but now…I don't know. I think that I could possible…oh Merlin, I can't believe I'm going to admit this…but…I think I might like like him."

Lily felt her cheeks flushed at her confession and burrowed her face in her hands. She fell back down next to Mindy on the grass. Her words were out in the open. She had feelings for James Potter.

"You think you might like like him?" Mindy echoed. "How could you say you think that? Because I know it's a fact. Don't deny it, Lily. You have feelings for James. It's just hidden behind all those things you yell at him."

"But why would I like him?" Lily moaned. She felt like she was a little girl having a huge crush on the jock of the school. Wasn't she supposed to be of age?

"He's good-looking, witty, smart, sporty, gold-hearted, brave – must I continue?" Mindy asked rolling her eyes.

"What about annoying, arrogant, show-off, mean bully?" Lily argued.

"That was two years ago. He has changed a lot, heck, he even stopped hexing Snape unless Snape hexes him first!" Mindy exclaimed.

Heck, Mindy was right. James had deflated his head and was now a mature adult. And double heck, she liked him.

"What do I do?" Lily whispered. "I never thought I'd be one of those girls who would fall for James Potter."

"Isn't everything already perfect in James's and Lily's World? I mean, why was there even that rumour?" Mindy asked.

"I wouldn't say perfect," Lily said grimly. "It's just…nice. I think the rumour started from when he gave me a present for our 'two-month' friendship. It was beautifully wrapped and it was the Snitch he always played with. I was really touched. And then we were about to kiss before Sluggy came and yelled I won 100 Galleons."

"That's beautiful," Mindy said misty-eyed. "A friendship present. We have to buy each other one, one day. And all those times you two spend together, there hasn't been another moment he tried to kiss you?"

"Well, there was this one moment," Lily recalled. She remembered everything about James. "I was in his dorm, don't give me that look – we had something to discuss, and we were about to kiss before Sirius interrupted."

"Sirius?" Mindy said with a foul look. She seemed to really hate him lately. "How did he interrupt in James's dorm?"

"Ah…" Lily said trying not to wince. Could she tell Mindy about the mirrors? Might as well. It wasn't like the mirror connections were unheard of. "James and Sirius have an enchanted mirror where they can talk to each other."

Mindy was grumbling and no longer look interested in Lily's messed up romance life.

"Exactly like Sirius. Ruins everything."

"It was an accident," Lily assured. She knew Sirius would do anything for her and James to get together. Sirius had offered help but Lily had denied believing she didn't want to be with James. Now she did but she couldn't exactly tell Sirius that.

"He's such a player and I was a fool to fall for him," Mindy said with a look of disgust.

"Isn't…James?" Lily whispered.

Mindy glanced at her sideways.

"James doesn't ask girls out unless it's you. They ask him out and he answers politely yes if she's pretty. But he explains the terms: they just have one date and the day after they shall remain friends. Sirius, on the other hand, asks out any pretty girl and his term is to dump them whenever he pleases!"

Lily nibbled her bottom lip. How far had James gone with a girl? Suddenly she felt inexperienced. She had always worked so hard at school and school wasn't everything.

"Firstly, where do you hear this from? Girls tell me nothing about James; they only ask questions about him as if I'm suppose to have the answers. And secondly, I thought you dumped Sirius," Lily said.

"Jeez, for a smart which, you can be quite dense!" Mindy laughed. "Girls feel threatened by you because you're the only one James wants. And speaking of which, just make a move on James! I bet he'll be happy about it. And – argh! – Sirius! HE dumped me! He can go bang a wall for breaking up with me because I don't want a tattoo of his name!"

Lily laughed.

"He's still maturing, he'll get around it," Lily assured. "And, honestly, do you think James might, you know, like me?"

"Yes." Mindy's answer was quick and full of confidence. "I see the way you two look at each other whether it's an argument or a conversation. It's want."

Want. James was a want? Probably.

"You're the bestest friend," Lily said hugging Mindy. "You should tattoo my name to remind you of how grateful I am to have you as a friend."

"Ha, ha," Mindy said sarcastically not returning the hug. "Firstly, bestest is not a word, you're suppose to be smart. And if I ever get a tattoo it'll be 'Mindy and Lily Friends For Life."

"I'll remember that next time I write an essay," Lily said and felt slightly confused when she thought she heard what she said before. "And for that tattoo, I'll always have a matching one in my heart."

Mindy winked at her and returned her hug.

…………………………………………………………

"Why does he look like that?" Sirius asked Remus.

"He does look rather strange," Peter squeaked.

James Potter's friends were talking about James Potter himself, who was less than a foot away from all of them.

"Lily," Remus explained.

"Evans?" Sirius asked confused.

"Evans?" Peter echoed.

"Lily," James murmured lovingly.

"Prongsie, you look love-sick," Sirius said looking somewhere between disgusted and amused.

"You had the same look on your face when you were with Mindy," Remus said plainly.

"Did not!" Sirius said hotly. "That stupid witch won't tattoo my name! All the other girls said they would!"

"You never asked any other girl," Remus pointed out.

"How would you know?" Sirius snapped.

"Because I suggested telling Mindy to tattoo your name eons ago and you said it was such a great idea and a shame you never thought of it yourself," James said breaking from his trance. "But why dwell on broken romance when there is a brewing one?"

He seemed to fall back into his trance again.

"Mindy and I never had romance," Sirius snarled. "We just had…"

"Sex?" Peter squeaked with shining eyes.

"NOTHING!" Sirius roared. A group of people looked at him and he scowled at them. They frowned back and turned away. Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I think I might have romance will Lily. She seems to be letting me snog her," James murmured then a cloud then passed his face. "But we keep getting interrupted!"

"Seize the opportunity next time!" Peter encouraged. "Where no-one can interrupt!"

"Pah!" James said tiredly. "When would that be? What next wonderful moment would come by where Lily decides it'll be okay to be snogged by me? The only two times was when she was touched. The first time I let her onto the huge secret and the second time, I gave her a present."

"Give her a present then," Sirius said sourly. He was still in a foul mood for some reason.

"There's nothing coming up," James said with a frown. Or is there something coming up? He could only think of Lily lately so wasn't quite sure of future events until his head was cleared.

"A month and a bit is Christmas," Remus explained. "Followed by New Year's. And I think it's her birthday on January. February also holds Valentine's Day."

"Her birthday's in January?" James asked alerted. Damn, all these years and never even knew her birthday. Shame on him.

"I think so," Remus said with a frown. "She mentioned something like that when we were Prefects."

"See!" Peter said beaming. "You have three months where you can give her presents and she'll be flattered! She'll be yours in no time!"

"And she might tattoo your name," Sirius said with an angry roll of his eyes.

James smiled. Yes, he had many opportunities to give Lily more presents that she deserved and to win her over. Christmas, New Year, possibly her birthday and Valentine's Day. He would treat her right. Treat her like the world. Because although they weren't together, she was the world to him.

And he had a month and a bit to prepare his ideas.