Disclaimer: Yay 4 JK.

A/N: I really don't know what I'm going to write about this chapter, so if it's sorta random, I'm sorry. I know what I'm putting in the dance though, I think. I've basically got an idea in my head. I might not be able to post much for a while though because I'm starting softball and it takes up a HUGE amount of my time.

The Rivalry of James and Lily

Year 2 - Chapter 2

Thriller

"James, shut up! I need to concentrate!" Lily said urgently. The gryffindor third years were in another transfiguration class in late November, and Lily was struggling, once again, to transform her candle sticks into roses.

"Mr. Potter, I must request that you restart those tutoring lessons with Ms Evans every other Thursday," Professor McGonagall said, looking disapprovingly at Lily's plain candle sticks.

"Can't someone else do it, Professor?" James asked desperately.

"Absolutely not. You have the highest grade in this class, and the greatest potential in this subject. Plus, maybe if you two see enough of each other outside of class, you'll quit continually bickering."

"Lily, you're such an idiot. This stuff isn't that hard," he mumbled after the professor left.

"James, I'm sorry! Maybe if you stopped pestering me while I'm concentrating I would be able to do it," she retaliated back.

"Whatever, like that would change anything."

"Seriously, James. I'm trying my hardest. Doesn't that count for anything?" she replied.

"Obviously not."

"Ugh! You're so immature!" she exclaimed, and she slammed her books back into her bag and stormed out of the transfiguration classroom. Luckily, the bell rang just as she left, so there was no chance she'd get a detention for leaving the classroom too early. She stomped her feet as she walked without any real destination. She just wanted to get away from everyone - okay, mainly James - for a while.

"I hate him," she mumbled over and over, a tear fighting to escape from her eye. She suddenly ran into something in front of her.

"'Lo, Ms. Evans," said a powerful voice.

"Oh hi, Hagrid, how are you?" she said, blinking the tears away.

"I'm 'right, but you don't look so good," he said, sympathetically.

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Rough lesson, that's all," and she bade him goodbye and continued walking along her no-destination trail. A few minutes later, she wandered past a tapestry, and found herself in front of the picture she had uncovered in her second year. Perfect. She had nearly forgotten about the secret room hidden behind the painting, but it was exactly the kind of place she was looking for right now. No one could find her. She pulled the latch and entered the cozy scarlet and gold room.

Why does he piss me off so much? Why can't I just blow of his comments like I do with the Slytherins? she asked herself. Eurgh, I hate him! I really hate him!

She sat in that room for what seemed like hours, staring at the hangings of the pour-poster bed. When she finally started to really look around the room, she noticed a giant box in the corner, and of course, began to investigate it. What was it? It definitely hadn't been in there last year. She examined the box, noticing that there was a lightning bolt on the side. She opened it, and found it was filled with different joke items from Zonkos. She also saw there was piece of very old parchment, and some jars that looked like they could be filled with potions ingredients. Random. Who would have put this here?

She glanced down at her watch. Eek. She had Divination in 3 minutes and the classroom was about 20 minutes away. She bolted out of the secret room and started to run down the corridor, but just as she turned the bend she ran straight smack into someone running just as hard in the other direction. The force of the collision knocked her to the floor, and a bunch of bottles clattered around her.

"Oh, I'm so sor-," she started, but then stopped mid-sentence. To her horror, she was now face-to-face with James.

"Where are you going?" they asked at the same time.

"Divination, where you're supposed to be going," Lily replied.

"I'm just putting these things away," he said, pointing to the scattered items.

"Alright, whatever," Lily mumbled, helping James pick the bottles up, and handing them to him. He looked at her surprised, but she didn't seem to notice that she had just helped her worst enemy. She set off towards the classroom, rubbing the side of her head where she had hit James. She decided not to start running again because she kept having mild dizzy spells, which she figured had to do with the golf ball lump just above her left ear. Suddenly, she heard an incantation behind her.

"What the-?"

*** Meanwhile, James was running towards the picture. He had decided to keep his marauding tools in the secret Gryffindor room since no one else would be able to find it. And even though he had told his best friends about it, and even showed them where it was, they couldn't get into it on their own. James had to be there to open it. He figured only people who Godric Gryffindor wanted to open it could open it.

Beyond Zonko's items, he was also hiding potions ingredients. He, Sirius, and Peter had decided to become animagi so they could accompany Remus in his transformations. They had discovered in a book from the restricted section of the library, which James had stolen under his invisibility cloak, that there were two difficult processes to master to become an animagi. One was a transfiguration, and the other was a potion. The boys had begun to collect some of the ingredients for the potion, but some were so rare, they were worried that they would never find them. James figured the room was the safest place for storing the ingredients they had, since he was the only one who could get inside of it.

After James threw the bottles in the box in the corner, he quickly rushed off to Divination. He was now 2 minutes late, and still 20 minutes from the classroom. He stopped however, when he heard a moan coming from a classroom to his left. He pushed open the door.

"Lily? What are- Oh my God! Help me someone!" he yelled. He looked down at her. She was as white as a ghost and shaking.

"James," she mumbled. "Watch out."

"Watch out for what?" he questioned, urgently. He started scooping her up in his arms to take her to the hospital wing.

"It's.... a.... trap," she breathed.

"What?" he asked, bewildered. "Come on, Lily, you hit your-."

"So, we finally meet Mr. Potter," spoke a chilling voice.

James swiveled around, Lily in his arms. He set her down against the wall. She was now mumbling something uncontrollably. It sounded like, "Alex, Kate, Help James," but he couldn't completely make it out. He set her down and took out his wand.

"Who are you?" he asked, for the speaker was wearing a cloak which did not show his face.

"Who am I? I am your worst nightmare," he said in a hiss. "Maybe you would recognize my name - Lord Voldemort."

James stood there, his wand raised. He had never felt so much hatred towards one person in his whole life - he was physically trembling - yet he couldn't move. This person had killed his parents and so many others. Why couldn't he move? He glanced at Lily, then Voldemort raised his wand.

"And now ends Godric Gryffindor and Lily Potter," he stated triumphantly.

James maintained eye contact with Voldemort, expecting to feel a hot pain any second, or at least some sort of discomfort, but a shuffling to his left distracted both of them.

"My last name is Evans!," a shaking, but angry voice cried.

"Stand aside silly girl," he heard Voldemort say, almost lazily.

"No," Lily replied defiantly.

"Then I will make you," he hissed.

And then James heard two incantations. He wasn't entirely sure, but they sounded like Crucio and Expelliarmus. Lily dove to the ground, dodging Voldemort's spell, and jumped back up to her feet almost as fast. All James could do, however, was look on in horror as Lily fought Voldemort with her amazing charms ability. He made a note to himself to give her more credit for that if they got out of here. Lily's face, he noticed, looked horrified, of course, but also determined. It was as though she was fighting not only for herself, but for someone else, too. James heard footsteps running down the corridor.

"We're in here!" James bellowed, trying to attract some help. But this disrupted Lily's concentration, and before James could help her, she was hit with the Cruciatus curse.

She screamed as she fell to the floor, convulsing. But her screaming stopped almost as soon as it started, for when James looked up, Voldemort had disappeared. He obviously was afraid he might have to face a force of teachers.

However, the cause of the footsteps was only Alex, but Voldemort did not return.

"Lily, Lily! I got your message- Oh my God, James, what happened to her?" she yelled, diving down to her good friend and trying to shake her awake.

"It... it was Voldemort, Alex. We need to get Dumbledore. She seems to be really hurt." He had a strong note of urgency in his voice.

"Kate went to get him. James, are you serious? It was You-Know-Who? But what'd he want with Lily?"

"I really don't know. How'd you know we were in trouble?" he asked.

"Oh, well you know how good Lily is at charms, and the other day we stumbled upon this one that allows you to communicate telepathically if you're really in trouble. Lily, Kate and I decided we shoud try it. We didn't think it would actually work," she explained.

James heard more footsteps coming down the corridor, and Dumbledore and Kate entered the classroom, breathless. Dumbledore magicked up a stretcher and turned to the three consious students.

"James, Alex, Kate, meet me in my office," he said, "The password is 'sugar quill.'" And then he led Lily to the infirmary. James, Alex and Kate didn't say a word to each other until Dumbledore arrived. Dumbledore settled behind his desk and looked at the students over his spectacles.

"James," he started, "like I told you before, you need to be careful. You can't wander around the castle alone anymore, and I'm afraid I don't think Lily should either. For some reason, she is involved in this now, too. Voldemort appears to be targeting both of you."

James gulped, and he heard gasps from the two other girls.

"You all have been very lucky tonight. If it hadn't been for the charm Lily performed with you two girls, James, here, and Lily, might both be dead. Please get back to your dormitory. I need to conduct a full raid of the castle," Dumbledore said. Seeing the strained look on all three of their faces, he added, smiling, "You may visit Lily, but only for a little while."

The three made their way down to the hospital wing to find Lily awake, but very confused. She didn't exactly remember what had happened to her, but the whole ordeal was foggily sitting in her memories. She looked out of the window to try to hide her tears. Her body really hurt.

Oh, I wish James would go away. I don't want him to see me cry. Wait, why do I care? It's just James. And then she let tears cascade down her face like a waterfall. Kate draped her arm around Lily, and Alex simply comforted her. James just sort of stared at her awkwardly. Almost like he wished he could do something to help. Within a couple of minutes, Madam Pomfrey shooed James, Alex and Kate out of the wing.

That night, however, James knew he needed to talk to Lily alone. He had to explain to her about what Dumbledore had said. And he had to fill her in about who he truly was himself. At midnight, he slipped on his invisibility cloak and made his way to the hospital wing.

"Lily! Psst.."

"Ahh... Not Harry! Huh... James, what are you doing here?" she said, bewildered.

"Who's Harry?" he asked. Please don't be a boyfriend

"Some baby I keep having dreams about. He looks kinda like you actually..." she trailed off.

"I think it's good you're in the hospital wing," he laughed, but he was also very relieved Harry was only a little baby. Wait, why was he so worked up about this Harry kid?

"Whatever, Potter. Anyways, why are you here? Please don't play any jokes on me now. I hurt," she groaned.

"No jokes, Lily. I've got to talk to you. You know Voldemort is now after you right?" he asked.

"Yea, Dumbledore filled me in today. He couldn't tell me why he was after me though. It was weird," she said.

"Did he tell you I actually am Gryffindor's descendant, and that's why he's after me?" he questioned.

"No, he didn't mention that. You're seriously his descendant, James? Is that why you're parents were killed and everything?"

"Yea, I guess."

"But how is that connected to me? Why does he want me too? I don't get it," she muttered.

"Neither do I," said James. "But Lily, you've got to be careful. I know we aren't exactly friends, but if something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

I did not just say that, James thought.

"Okay, what did you do with James Potter?" Lily asked, laughing.

"Yea, well ,what I mean, Lily, is you're a lot more fun to terrorize than a Slytherin," he said, attempting to cover up his last uncomfortable statement.

"Oh," she said. James noticed she sounded a little disappointed. But he said goodnight, and they never spoke of their late-night conversation to anyone.