Lily sat on her bed and stared down at the picture in front of her. It was taken right before she had boarded the Hogwarts Express for her fifth year. Her mother had forced her to find her fellow Gryffindor prefect and pose for the camera. She and Remus stared up from the picture and waved. However, right behind the newly appointed prefects were James and Sirius goofing around and making fun of them. James kept running up and messing Remus' hair while Sirius tried to give both of them bunny ears. Lily couldn't help, but think how young and carefree they looked. James' face was more mature now and his eyes showed more wisdom and pain, not to mention he had grown another five inches since then.

Lily let a tear slip down her cheek. She was upset at herself for letting James get too close to her. She had promised herself a long time ago that she wouldn't let herself be a victim of her emotions. She had learned with her sister that letting a person get too close meant they could do irreparable harm to you. For a long time she had mad a conscious effort to keep a lot of people at an arms length so she couldn't get hurt. Although she was on friendly terms with her other Gryffindor roommates, Chloe was her only true close friend. She had made the mistake of letting down her guard with James and she was too stubborn to believe that she was falling for him. Seeing him with another girl was starting to make her confront her true feelings. She hated that she spent so much time thinking about him and she wanted things to go back to the way they were when she didn't care about him.

Chloe, Marlene, Alice, Hallie, and Brianna interrupted her thoughts when they came into the room singing "we are the champions." They stopped in their tracks when they saw Lily wipe away her tears. Chloe walked over to her best friend and put her arms around her for comfort.

"Lils what's wrong?" Chloe asked sympathetically.

"Don't tell me you were rooting for the bloody Slytherins," Marlene said sarcastically.

Marlene had always been good at diffusing situations with her humor. She had a quick wit that made her the center of attention wherever she went. She was a pure blood, but her family respected all wizards and many of her relatives were actively combating Lord Voldemort. With the death toll rising she had learned that a sense of humor was extremely useful.

Lily blinked back more tears and tried to fake a smile. She was determined not to let on that James Potter was the cause of her anguish. She knew exactly what would happen if she told the girls what was going on. They would create more drama then was necessary and she was already exhausted from the situation.

"Oh I'm fine. I had a bit of a run in with some unpleasant Slytherin fans, some words were exchanged that's all," Lily lied weakly.

Chloe looked at her friend and could tell that she was lying. When Lily Evans was not telling the truth she always looked down and her ears would start to blush. She also had the annoying habit of twirling her hair around her finger, but Chloe decided not to press it further. She knew that Lily would tell her when she was ready.

"Don't let the nasty Slytherins get to you Lily, you are much better than that," Alice said sympathetically.

Alice had always been the mother of the group and knew exactly how to console her roommates. She had a nurturing nature and always had kind words of wisdom. She always was the most sensible of the girls because she didn't have a fiery temper like Marlene or Lily.

"Come on Lilikins we are about to have a bit of a victory party in the common room, come join us and you will feel much better," Chloe said in an attempt to distract her friend.

Lily feigned a headache and told the girls she would meet them downstairs in a bit, but she needed to rest. Chloe gave Lily a skeptical look that showed her they would be talking later on. Her roommates finally left her in peace and Lily lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. She tried to clear her mind, but she eventually kept coming back to a tall figure with messy black hair and hazel eyes that were covered by glasses.

"Hey Evans have you ever ridden a broomstick before," James shouted at her.

It was her first year at Hogwarts and Lily and the rest of the Gryffindors were having a flying lesson with Madame Hooch. James was showing off as he was quite experienced on the broom already. Sirius kept egging him on to kick off and leave the ground when the instructor wasn't looking. Remus looked on in frustration and tried his hardest to keep James grounded while Peter admired James' courage to defy a teacher.

"It's very easy Evans. All you have to do is use a bit of force and the broom will do whatever you want," James continued.

Lily had never seen a magical broom before and the idea of getting on one and flying terrified her, but she was the only muggleborn in her class and she didn't want to look silly.

"Don't be ridiculous Potter of course I've ridden a broom loads of times," Lily retorted. "I could probably fly circles around you."

James and Sirius started to laugh. They both had been riding broomsticks since infancy. James had been trained since childhood to play quidditch and he was an excellent flyer, but he wanted to see what the feisty redhead was made of. He loved being challenged and surely Lily would prove to be great entertainment.

"Fine, show me then. I'll fly up and you come meet me and we will have a race," James said confidently.

Sirius nodded his head in agreement as he proclaimed himself the official of the contest. Lily looked at the broomstick in her hand and couldn't believe she had been so foolish.

Their big break came when a hufflepuff, Ollie Liston, fell from twenty feet up and Madame Hooch was forced to take him to the hospital wing as it looked as if his arm might have been broken.

"No one leaves the ground while I'm gone," Madame Hooch warned.

Sirius and James smiled at each other and James mounted his own shooting star and soared thirty feet into the air. He turned around to look at Lily and motioned for her to come join him. Lily tried her best to gulp down any fear she had. She gripped her broomstick tightly as she sat on. She kicked against the ground and prayed that the broom would follow her instructions. To her amazement she found herself slowly ascending to where James sat perched on his broom. He looked at her and smiled in amazement. He was sure she would never make it off the ground.

"Not bad Evans I'm slightly impressed," James said with a grin.

"Yes well let's get on with it then," Lily said gingerly.

"Excellent, I love a girl who is up for a challenge. We will fly across the field and the first one to reach the north tower wins," James said as he stipulated the rules.

Lily squinted her eyes and looked off in the distance towards the North Tower. It was nearly half a kilometer off in the distance. It was then she looked down and saw how high up she was. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright James on your mark," Lily said shakily.

James pointed towards Sirius who was ready to give the signal to fly. Lily saw Sirius drop his arms and James shot off. Lily tried to get her broom to move and after several seconds wasted in cursing, she started to move. James seemed to be at least 10 meters in front of her and she had no hope of catching up. She could hear the cheers for James as he did loops and rolls in the air.

Suddenly a strong gust of wind hit Lily and her broom began to respond the pressure. Her grip loosened and she started to slip off of her broom. She felt herself dangling in the air and then she had no choice, but to let go. She was plummeting faster and faster towards the ground. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain that would ensue.

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she opened her eyes to see James pulling her onto his broom. He set her in front of him as he guided the broom to safety. She had never felt so safe before. He put his feet on the ground and helped Lily dismount the broom. She was still a bit shaky so he handed her a piece of chocolate to calm her nerves. She didn't really know what to say or how to thank him. She stood their awkwardly staring at him until she finally spoke up.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

James ran his hands through his hair and started to grin from ear to ear.

"No problem I'm glad to be of service," he said with a smile.

With that he ran off to join his friends. Sirius slapped him on the shoulder and congratulated him on a beautiful piece of flying. Remus just admonished him for potentially causing a dangerous situation.

Those were the days before James had started being an utter prat. He had started the torture in their third year. She had scored better then him on a defense against the dark arts test and he thought that was unacceptable. First he decided it would be funny to turn her hair a lovely shade of green. Then he decided to practice his vanishing charms on her potions essay and the potions master had not been forgiving when she tried to explain what had happened to her assignment.

To make matters worse he had thought it was funny to send Severus Snape love letters from her. She could still see the look of embarrassment on his face when he had come over to the Gryffindor table during the Halloween feast with the letters in his hands and she had to tell him it wasn't her. He was crushed and that was the day she learned how cruel James could be.

Yet, James had changed and Lily had to recognize that. He was incredibly passionate and determined. He was loyal and noble despite his best efforts to hide it and she had to admit that he was an incredibly talented wizard although she would never tell him that.

With her head swirling in thoughts, Lily finally managed to drift off into a light sleep and soon she was dreaming. Her dreams were flashes of James and the memories she had of him. He constantly grinned at her as she continued to recount how her live managed to intertwine with his.

Lily's dream suddenly flashed forward and she heard a terrible voice cackling at her. She was holding the baby again and she was cornered in a room. She was desperately searching for an escape, but she was left with out an exit.

"Give me the boy you silly girl," the voice said

"No not Harry, take me," Lily pleaded

A flash of green light went off and Lily woke up and bolted up right. Her forehead was covered in sweat and her cheeks were flushed. She tried to control her breathing. She walked over to the sink in her room and splashed some water on her face. She felt as if the dream were a continuation from the one she had the other night, but she couldn't understand what it meant. Was the baby hers and why was she being attacked? Terrifying thoughts raced through her head as she considered the different interpretations for the dream. The music from the party downstairs kept her from thinking clearly. She wanted to go downstairs and be with her friends so she could take her mind off of things, but the idea of seeing James made her stomach turn.

She decided to pretend as if nothing had ever happened and to treat James as she had before. If she let him know she was upset he would get the wrong idea and she certainly didn't want that. So she ran a comb through her hair and put on a bit of lip gloss and went down to join the festivities. Immediately Chloe came over and brought her a butter beer.

"Look who finally showed up," Chloe said with a smile.

The room was buzzing with activity and Sirius and Marlene seemed to be the ring leaders. They were jumping from couch to couch trying madly not to spill their butterbeers as they sang the Hogwarts School Song loudly and out of key.

"...Hogwarts Hogwarts Hoggy Warty Hogwarts
Teach us something please
Whether we be old and bald or young with scabby knees
Our heads could do with filling with some interesting stuff
For now they're bare and full of air
Dead flies and bits of fluff
So teach us things worth knowing
Bring back what we've forgot
Just do your best we'll do the rest and learn until our brains all rot..." (AN: I got this from so who knows if it's accurate and I do apologize if it's wrong, but I thought it would be fun.)

Lily suspected the two were victims of a large intake of sugar and were letting out the stress from classes, yet she couldn't help but laugh when they ran into each other and knocked heads. Both Sirius and Marlene stumbled back and looked around for a bit, but were back jumping on the couches and singing in no time.

Lily attempted to make small talk with a few members of the quidditch team. Amanda and Edgar Bones prattled on about their amazing passing maneuvers and Lily desperately tried to pay attention. Yet she found her eyes wandering around the room looking for someone in particular.

James was sitting over in a corner of the room and was staring out of the window. The rain had just started and it was pelting the windows hard and fast. He could hear the wind ripping through the trees outside as he continued to stare out into the blackness. He was at a loss about how to handle Lily. He needed to show her how much he cared, but he didn't want to scare her off. Remus had suggested simply talking to her, but when it came to Lily, James had never been good with words. Sirius advised him to send flowers and candy, but he thought it was too sappy and Lily would get creeped out. Peter was no help as he was abysmal in his dealings with the opposite sex so James was left to his own devices. He considered sending Lily a gift, but soon shook the idea off. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't see someone and sit next to him.

"Great game today James the wronski feint was a brilliant move and Lestrange didn't know what hit him," Lily said cheerily.

She was determined not make things return to status quo. She thought that if she willed the situation to not exist it wouldn't. Her plan was to simply play it off and hope that James would not make an issue of her display on the pitch, but in her gut she knew that James was not the type to just let things lie.

James stared at her with a baffled expression on his face. She looked almost friendly and it certainly wasn't the move he was expecting from her. He thought she would turn a cold shoulder for a couple of days until he could figure out a way to make it up to her. However, she was sitting next to him acting cool and collected. He knew she was hiding something.

"Did I miss something? I was under the impression you were angry with me at the moment," James pressed.

Lily bit her lip and her ears started to flush. It was extremely difficult to look James in the eye and lie to him. She had to muster up her courage and stand her ground.

"I'm not mad and I apologize for my display I acted like a child I don't know what came over me. Emmeline is a really nice girl and you should be so lucky to have a chance with her," Lily said with a laugh to make it look as she was bantering playfully.

James looked at her in disbelief. Was she really trying to ignore everything that had happened? He was so tired of all the mind games that he wanted to just lean over and kiss her so she could get her head straight. That was what she really needed, but if she wanted to continue down this path he would meet her every step. He wanted to see just how far she would go before she would let her emotions take over.

"Yeah I've been thinking of asking her to the next Hogsmede trip. Since you are the head girl and she's a prefect, can you put in a good word for me? I would really appreciate it," James said with a grin.

Lily was struck by his words. Was he really serious about Emmeline? Had she really lost him? She didn't know how to respond. She couldn't tell if he was playing a game or was being honest with her. She was determined not to let him get the best of her though.

"Sure what are friends for I'll go talk to her now," Lily said with a smirk.

James knew she was just toying with him and punishing him for acting like a dolt. He didn't think she was truly being serious so he decided to give her permission to be his wing man. He knew she would crack.

"And that's what we are Lily, good friends. I mean you are almost like a sister to me after all that has happened this year," James said with his infamous Potter grin.

His sister? He probably thought of her the way he thinks of Sirius, Remus and Peter. She couldn't believe what he was saying. He was asking her to help him pick up a girl. James was supposed to be trying to pick her up, not Emmeline Vance. It was almost infuriating. Still she had to keep it cool because she wasn't ready to admit her real feelings.

Lily got up from the seat she had shared with James and went to look for Emmeline. James stared at her in disbelief and prayed that Emmeline was no where to be found. He couldn't believe she was going this far. He was going to be saddled with a date soon and he couldn't stand the idea of stringing Emmeline along. Lily stood up on one of the red couches and tapped her wand to her throat.

"Sonorous," she said quietly.

The whole room fell silent as they saw their head girl scan the room.

"Sorry to interrupt the festivities, but will Emmeline Vance please come forward," Lily shouted over the students.

James stared at her incredulously. The rest of the students were baffled at her behavior. Only Sirius and Remus knew why Lily was acting in such a strange matter.

Soon the blonde haired beauty made her way to where Lily was standing. She looked almost frightened and worried she was in trouble. She had no idea what Lily wanted from her, but she did as she was told. She stood in front of Lily and stared at her directly in the eye.

"Good you are here. I have a very important message from James Potter. He would like to know if you are available for the next Hogsmede trip and since we are such good 'friends' I thought I would help him out," Lily said proudly.

She was amazed at herself for being able to stand up in front of the entire room. She tried not to think about the consequences of her actions, but her point in little charade she was putting on. James wouldn't get the best of her.

Emmeline looked over to where James was sitting and nodded her head. Her cheeks were flush with embarrassment as she retreated back to her group of friends.

"Ok she agrees James so lets resume the party shall we," Lily said in a whimsical mood.

She hopped down from the stool she had been standing on and went over to survey her handiwork. James stared at her in complete disbelief. He had never been out done by anyone, especially a girl. He had to give her credit for her pluck and tenacity.

"I can't believe you did that," James managed to stammer.

"What are friends for and after all you did ask me to put in a good word for you. I believe my method was efficient and effective," Lily said with a smile.

"Well played I believe this round is yours, but you may have lost in the overall scheme of things," James said as he got up from his seat. He shook is head in amazement because Lily Evans never ceased to keep him on his toes.

He stretched out his aching muscles and decided to turn in for the night. He was in no mood to listen to Lily gloat and if he stayed too long Emmeline might get the chance to corner him for details about their "date."

"Sweet dreams James," Lily said as he walked up the stairs.

James kept his back to her and waved her off. He was not going to go down that easily. He was going to win Lily's heart and she would come around eventually. It was just a shame they were wasting so much time playing silly games.

Lily stood in the middle of the common room and felt the warmth triumph engulf her body. She had successfully handled a potentially dangerous situation in which her feelings might have been exposed. She could feel nothing, but pride in herself and with that she retired for the night thinking things could not possibly improve. Yet at the pit of her stomach James' words bothered her. Had she really lost even though she was experiencing a temporary victory? She shook her head at the thought and hoped for a sleep that wouldn't be plagued by thoughts of James, although she knew that was impossible.

AN: I know I haven't updated in a while, but I have been on vacation and without access to a computer. I hope this chapter is good although I am starting to get discouraged by the lack of reviews. So if you review I will be a very happy girl. Anyways its late so sorry for the typos, but I am just so tired. Oh and thanks to the person who inspired this chapter because sometimes mind games are just that fun