A/N: this chapter has been written for some time, but I was never sure I liked it. Then, after chapter twelve, I didn't think it worked. But you tell me.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you see here. The songs aren't mine (although I wish they were), and neither are the characters.
Last chapter:
Lily had been looking down the table at him, but when he looked at her, she was staring moodily at her breakfast. 'What is with him?' she wondered, thinking about last night.
'What is with her?' James wondered at the same time, also thinking about last night.
'What is with them?' Remus, Sirius, Serindra, Sandra, and Alice wondered, thinking about the scene they'd walked into.
It was almost Christmas time, and nearly everyone had gone to enjoy a final Hogsmeade trip, before the end of semester. Only one person, or so she thought, was going to stay at the school for Christmas. Her parents were going out of town for some business engagement they'd had planned. Lily Evans would either be staying at Hogwarts or go spend the Christmas break with Petunia. She chose to stay at Hogwarts rather than with her sister.
Lily looked out of the window. She was ecstatic when she saw the snow on the ground. She was sixteen and still loved playing and making snow angels in the snow. She looked at the book in her hand and decided to go put snow clothes on. As she walked up the stairway she nearly ran into James, who was coming down. She was curious to know why he wasn't out with his friends in Hogsmeade. He looked at her in surprise. "Sorry, Lily," he said, trying to keep her from falling. She was shocked and it showed, she knew. She felt a blush rise up on her cheeks, and hid her face behind her long red hair.
"What's the matter? Why are you blushing?" James asked in concern. Lily raised her eyes and smiled at him. She stepped back and half-walked, half-ran up the girls' staircase. What is going with me? She wondered as she looked at the mirror. This was certainly not her, what had caused her to blush like that? She never blushed. Never. Okay, just pretend this never happened. No, that wouldn't work. What the heck was wrong with her? She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She turned half around, looking for her winter clothes. Not seeing them, she walked over to her trunk.
There they were. Hanging on her four-poster. She grabbed them and walked to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she was dressed and ready to play outside. As she walked down the steps, she spotted James reading the book she'd abandoned. Reading it! She tried not to make too much noise, but something caught James' attention. He looked up. She held her breath for what felt like a whole ten minutes before James moved at all. He was busy taking in her snowsuit and made her feel uncomfortable. "Hmm, red works well with your hair, Lils," he said finally, teasing her lightly. She let out her pent-up breath on a sigh of relief.
"Well, that's possibly the only color that does work with it, seeing as that's my hair color," she responded, grinning too. James shook his head in mock shock.
"She actually has a sense of humor," he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. She pushed him over, and they both landed on the floor. She blushed as she realized she was on top of him. She braced herself, and stood up.
James looked rather dazed by their short contact, but he smiled at her. Lily felt her heart beating terribly fast against her rib cage. What is wrong with me? She wondered silently. This is James we're talking about. Though come to think about it, he is rather hot. Where the hell did that come from? Her thoughts continued in this vein for about ten minutes, as she walked out into the cold winter afternoon.
"Hey, Evans!" James called, and Lily turned around. She got a snowball full in the face.
"James Potter, what the hell was that for?" she shrieked as she wiped the snow from her face. James was teasing her, and she knew it. But did he have to act all innocent?
"I thought you had a sense of humor, Evans. So what's wrong with me throwing a snowball at you?" James taunted her, teasing in his tone.
Lily didn't answer, just threw a snowball back at him. This started a snowball fight, ending when Lily got snow in her ear and James had some down his neck. They went back to the common room to get warm by the fireplace.
"So, what are you doing for Christmas?" James asked, as the sky got darker outside.
Lily shrugged, making no comment. James took her silence well. "Well," he said huskily in her ear, "You could stay at my parents' house."
Lily felt rather disconcerted. She looked at him, a look of surprise on her face, and in her pretty green eyes. "They wouldn't mind, would they?" she asked quietly.
James grinned. "Sure, they won't mind," he told her.
Lily felt confused. 'What is going on with me?' she thought. She could feel James' breath on her cheek. She didn't look at him, but her cheeks burned and she felt the blush rising on her neck.
She stared at the fire for a few minutes, then, she couldn't stand it anymore. She looked at James and he kissed her gently. She hadn't been this close to him since the Halloween Ball, or the day after when she'd told him to give her room for mistakes. Boy, was she still embarrassed by that outburst. She hadn't meant to say that, not at all. She didn't want to chase James away again, but she didn't know why. Her heart obviously knew but her head refused to cooperate.
--
Somewhere there's speaking
It's already coming in
Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind
You never could get it
Unless you were fed it
Now you're here and you don't know why
But under skinned knees and the skid marks
Past the places where you used to learn
You howl and listen
Listen and wait for the
Echoes of angels who won't returnLily was listening to the radio she had charmed to work on the school grounds. Thinking about the words of the song and James at the same time.
He's everything you want
He's everything you need
He's everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
He says all the right things
At exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you
And you don't know why
You're waiting for someone
To put you together
You're waiting for someone to push you away
There's always another wound to discoverThere's always something more you wish he'd say
She sat bolt upright. This was the song she'd danced to with James at the Halloween Ball. She had felt a weird sensation then, but it was nothing to how she felt now.
She felt lonely, but she hadn't realized that was what she had been feeling. With James around she felt whole, as if the part that had been missing was back in place.
He's everything you want
He's everything you need
He's everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
He says all the right things
At exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you
And you don't know whyBut you'll just sit tight
And watch it unwind
It's only what you're asking for
And you'll be just fine
With all of your time
It's only what you're waiting for
How come she'd never noticed it before? Why had she begun to second-guess her feelings for him without realizing it?
Out of the island
Into the highway
Past the places where you might have turned
You never did notice
But you still hide away
The anger of angels who won't return
He's everything you want
He's everything you need
He's everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
He says all the right things
At exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you
And you don't know why
I am everything you wantI am everything you need
I am everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
I say all the right things
At exactly the right time
But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why
And I don't know why
Why
I don't knowAt first, she was relaxing against the tree-trunk, but she heard her name called and stood up, stretching.
James looked first at her, then at the enchanted radio, which was now playing 'holding out for a hero.' (A/N: I'm not sure if that's how you do titles of songs in fanfics, so bear with me here LOL)
"What were you doing, Lils?" he asked curiously. He looked unsure of what to do, and Lily didn't know what she wanted to do, but it seemed natural to her that she take the first step. Which she happily did. James seemed even more unsure of what to do, but he also seemed to relax and smiled at her.
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise HerculesTo fight the rising odds?
'Good, at least he's not angry with me,' Lily thought. She smiled and stepped back. She answered him calmly. "Just listening to the radio. Why?"
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night toss and turn and dream of what I need
"Because," James started, looking worried, "I was wondering whether you'd dance with me."
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strongAnd he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fightLily giggled. "Why would you think that I wouldn't, hmm?"
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
James sighed in relief. He stood up, and helped Lily up after him. He pulled her close and she went willingly.
Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
He twirled her around, and Lily laughed in exhilaration. What the two of them didn't know was that they were being watched.
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fightSerindra, Alice, and Sandra watched James and Lily, a smug look on their faces. "You think they realized what we've known for a while?" Sandra asked quietly. The other two just shrugged and silenced her.
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life"Okay, stop! Stop!" Lily said, trying to catch her breath. James sat down on the grass, and leaned against the tree. "What exactly are we listening to?" he asked, curiously.
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I would swear that there's someone somewhere
Watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach
Like the fire in my bloodLily decided to turn off the radio before another of her favorite songs came on and showed James what she really thought of him.
"Why'd you turn it off?"
Lily just shrugged. "It's just my favorite song, that's all."
"Really? Then why are you blushing?" James asked casually.
A/N: sorry if you were expecting something else, but I've had this chapter written out for a while, and after last chapter, I didn't know what to do. Like it? Hate it? Please tell me. And I'll try to see if I can help you understand the chapter. It's kind of confusing, isn't it? But anyways, please review!
