Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone.

Summary: James and Lily are friends who love each other but as in a lot of cases they both think the other doesn't feel the same way so neither knows how the other feels. Will they ever realize they both feel the same way?

Authors note: I love Lily and James stories and I'm a total romantic at heart so I thought I'd write this one and see what you think. This is the second chapter of my story and I hope you enjoy it. I thank everyone that has sent me a review even though I can't read them (grumbles incoherently about ff.net under breath), but hopefully it will be back to normal soon so please don't let that put you off reviewing as I love reading what you think. Anyway on with the story.

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Lily awoke to feel someone softly stroking her hair out of her face. She felt strong arms wrapped around her protectively and wondered where she was and why her neck was so sore. She opened her eyes slowly savoring the feel of this person's arms around her because she knew who it was but she also knew this would be the only contact she got from him because he could never feel the same way about her as she felt about him, never.

"Morning," a deep male voice said breaking into her reverie.

He must have noticed my eyes opening, Lily thought as she turned her head slightly to smile into the big, brown eyes staring down at her. Lily felt so contented in his arms that she didn't want to speak and ruin the moment so she laid her head back down against his broad chest savoring the smell that was totally unique to him, a mixture of wood and aftershave. Lily didn't know when her feelings for her best friend, James Potter, had changed she just knew they had. Lily remembered how suddenly James talking about the girls he liked and asking her advice about them had caused her pain, she remembered how confused she'd felt the first time she'd felt this and how suddenly with amazing clarity she'd realized why she felt like this, she loved him. Lily felt a sharp stab of pain however as she realized that James obviously had never and would never feel the same way about her, the only thing he could offer her was his friendship and she was glad to accept that.

"Lily?" James whispered gently turning her face to him.

"What James?" Lily replied.

"Morning," James said again.

"It is?" asked Lily.

"Yep and we are going to be late for breakfast if we don't hurry up".

"James Potter," Lily said with a smile on her face while pushing her self up into a sitting position "Is that all you ever think about?"

Lily watched James as he put on a wounded look and said his voice full of mock pain:

"Lily I'm surprised at you how could you even thinks that? I think about lunch and dinner as well".

James got up quickly as Lily started to laugh and took a mock swipe at his head.

"I'll wait for you in the common room," he called over his shoulder leaving Lily laughing by the window.

~

As Lily stepped out of the shower she noticed a bunch of wilted, black lilies lying on her bed. No, please no, not again Lily thought as she started walking slowly and cautiously over to her bed dreading what else she'd see lying there. As she walked closer her spirits plummeted as she noticed a white card lying on top of the flowers with her name scrawled messily across the front in black ink. With trembling fingers she picked up the card not wanting to know what was written on it but needing to.

Dear Lily,

Maybe you thought I'd forgotten about you but you must know I never will. You haunt my dreams and my every waking moment. I don't know what it is about you but I just know I have to have you. Remember you shall always be mine no matter how much you fight it, you are mine and no one else's.

L.M

Lily dropped the letter as if it had burned her and gave out an audible cry sinking to the floor in despair. Why me, she wondered, why can't he just leave me alone? I've told him often enough, why me? Tears slipped soundlessly down Lily's face as she looked at the flowers lying on her bed contrasting against the stark white of her sheets.

"Lily," James cried racing into her dorm.

He ran over to her and Lily buried her face in her hands as he looked down at her not wanting him to see her like this. She sensed him kneel down beside her and gather her against him for the second time that day holding her gently as she cried.

"Lily," he eventually said lifting her tear stained face up to look into her eyes, "what's wrong? Please tell me".

Lily looked up into his eyes filled with compassion and knew she had to tell him.

"I thought he'd forgotten. I thought he'd leave me alone," she choked out between sobs.

"Malfoy," James bit out angrily.

Lily nodded her head and pointed her trembling hand at the letter lying beside her on the floor where she'd dropped it. She watched James pick it up and start to read it. As he read it his face started to change colour and she watched him clench his hands so hard his knuckles turned white.

"I'm gonna kill him," James muttered under his breath so that Lily couldn't hear him because he didn't want to worry her.

"Lily," he said grasping her shoulders, "this is what you're going to do. You're going to go into the bathroom and wash your face, then we are going to go down to breakfast together. You are going to sit and eat and laugh at the Gryffindor table giving no sign to Malfoy that this has upset you, understand?"

Lily nodded at James who enveloped her in a quick hug.

"You're better than him Lily don't let him win, you know I'd never let him hurt you. Now go wash your face".

He got up and gave Lily a gentle push towards the bathroom watching her as she walked in and closed the door behind her. How dare Malfoy do this to Lily, he thought, I'm going to kill him. How dare he hurt her like this, why can't he just leave her alone? James clenched his fists by his side imagining punching Malfoy in the face; the thought brought a slight smile to James face. At that moment he saw Lily coming out of the bathroom looking fresh faced and with no sign of the tears or panic he'd seen in her face less than five minutes ago. He then watched amazed as Lily turned her wand on the flowers and the card and muttered a quick spell under her breath, which sounded suspiciously like "explodeius", and then with an amazing burst of white light the flowers and the card exploded into thousands of pieces. James whistled appreciatively at her while Lily smiled at the thousands of pieces floating out of the open window.

"My lady," James said with a mock bow offering her his arm as he straightened up, "shall we go down to breakfast?"

"Thank you my lord," Lily replied laughing as with a slight curtsey she put her arm through his and like this they went down to breakfast.