6

"What are you doing here?" Lily raged.

"No, no, I think the question may be, perhaps, what are you doing here.see Lily you're supposed to be in class.everyone else is in class. You're skipping aren't you? Oh no! I expected better from - "

"That doesn't belong to you Potter," she hissed.

"Well Evans, technically it doesn't belong to you either - "

"That's besides the point. How could you go through my things??" She looked at James with a mixture of hate, disgust, and horror.

"Lily," he said calmly, moving closer to her, "You see, this all has to do with logic. Let me reexamine the information quickly for you.a summary. I catch you out late at night in the hall, on the same night Malfoy's trunk is vandalized. You're being chased by none other than: Lucius Malfoy. Obviously I can assume you stole whatever it is he wants back. It also happens that I, on my way out observed you looking at a book in quite a secret agent fashion, no one around. You spoke spells to it, you went over it repeatedly. I figure you must be desperate to know - "

"James," interrupted Lily, her patience running out, "what are you getting to?"

"But that's the question Lily, what are you doing with this book? You risked expulsion and some serious physical harm to get it - I see things can be either one of two ways."

James walked even closer, looking her directly in the eye. "You wanted this book for information or a way to hurt Malfoy. Either that's because you know he's evil and want to get rid of him, or - "

"Or - " Lily was stone. Again her expression became unreadable, like a cloud had passed over her face. "or because I want to get rid of him, take his place. Get my foot in the door, maybe?" She hesitated. "Is that what you think James?"

James didn't say anything, he just looked at her face, waiting, waiting for some emotion to betray her. He needed to know what he was dealing with.

"Get out." It was a quiet order. Lily stared up at him, her eyes flickering with something.what is was James didn't know.

"No, Lily, you owe me an explanati- "

"Get - Out," was all she could mutter. This time it was louder. She tried to grab the book from his hand; he pulled it out of her reach.

"Lily, I'm serious here, you'll leave me no choice - "

"Get Out." The last time was quite loud, Lily was not playing around. Previously in disbelief, James began to realize she wasn't going to tell him anything. The situation had brought him beyond frustration.

"Fine Evans, fine, whatever you say - " he muttered, storming out, slamming the door behind him.

The second she heard the crash of the door, Lily Evans collapsed onto the bed, face held in her shaking hands, unable to hold in the flood any longer. Gasping for breath she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. It was useless, her entire face was drenched. Slowly, she drew her legs up onto the bed, and clutching her arms close to her chest, curled into a ball around them

He had gone through her things. What else had he found?

* * * * * * *

James wasn't touching his dinner. As Remus, Sirius and Peter ate and remained oblivious, James glanced down the table at the pair of Eva and Belle, talking cheerfully. No Lily. Dinner was almost over and she still wasn't coming. Not able to take the suspense, James got up and went to sit by the two girls.

"Hi Arabella, Eva," he greeted the two. He noticed Alice Rowley and the Hufflepuff named Angela eyeing him from different points of the room. Great, the thought, massaging a temple and preparing for the ensuing migraine.

"Hey James," said Eva. Belle nodded and gave a small wave, she was busy chewing.

"Just you two tonight?" he added, as if this were his first time observing it.

"Yep," said Belle. Eva was not so easily fooled. She watched him carefully.

"Yes, Lily said she wasn't hungry," she explained.

"Oh," he responded. "That's too bad..." Belle and Eva were both looking at him strangely now.

"Yeah - were you hoping she had left school perhaps? Joined the circus? Navy?" asked Belle, not expecting his previous response. Potter caught their suspicion, and diverted it.

"Oh of course not Belle. The circus would never take Lily," he grinned. "Well, I'll leave you ladies to your dinner, I have some homework to do - " claimed James, rising and leaving. Alice and Angela both chose to get up at the same time. He began to walk faster, and as soon as he hit the dining room doors, he sprinted towards the tower.

* * * * * * *

There was knocking on her bedroom door. Lily had cleaned up well before her roommates had retuned, telling them she wasn't feeling well enough to go to class or dinner. They had believed her, and now she had some more time to herself.

If it were Eva and Belle at the door, they would just come in, they wouldn't knock.

"Who is it?" she called.

Behind the door, James winced. He thought if he could get in easily, Lily would have to listen to him. Now he wasn't sure he could even get past the door.

"It's James," he answered truthfully.

"Oh James? Well then Potter, since when do you knock? In fact, why don't you just come in and rummage through my belongings, why ask?"

"Ok, Lily, I get your point. Now, can I come in?"

"Ha! Are you serious?" she laughed from her side of the door.

"It's about the book," said James.

Suddenly the door was flung open in his face. "Take the book, you jerk, and shove it-"

"Ok, ok, I know. Evans, just let me in."

Against her better judgment, she held open the door a bit. After James entered, she sat on her bed, looking at him expectantly. He paced the floor.

"I've thought about this," he said, "And I decided, whatever it is you're doing, I'm involved." He looked at her.

"How about you f-"

"See Lily, if you're going to destroy people, or Lucius, or something horrible, I need to be there to stop it. I'm going to be watching you. If I see anything suspicious, I'm going to take you down. I have no concrete reasons to report you now, but I might. On the other hand, if you're fighting against Malfoy, I'm not leaving you to do it alone. I think you could handle him alone, but I don't think you know exactly how powerful his friends are, and what they'll do to you." His pace stopped near the bed, where he crouched and looked at her. "I need you to tell me what's going on, Evans."

Lily smirked. "What makes you think I'm going to tell you anything? I don't trust you Potter."

"It seems you have no choice. I have the book. I know this is important to you, otherwise you wouldn't have broken into Lucius Malfoy's trunk. You need it, you need it to continue. You go by my conditions, or you don't go at all," he finished.

Lily was playing with the sleeve of her robe, twisting the slack around the end of her hand, her fingers, repeating. James knew she was thinking. The sleeve stopped.

"You can go where I go, you can assist me. But I don't tell you anything I don't find necessary. In fact, no questions Potter, I won't answer them. This is the worst idea you've ever had, and I just wanted to make it clear that I, for the most part, despise you."

Standing and giving her a small smile, James responded with "Likewise Evans." He turned to leave, and just before he disappeared out the door Lily added: "If you even touch my things again, and I mean ever - "

Without turning around James laughed and said, "Deal." After giving her a small wave, he left. Passing him on the way in were Eva and Belle. They looked down the hall at James and then over at Lily, with raised eyebrows.

"Ummm Lily - is there any reason why James Potter was visiting you - in our bedroom - while you're wearing a, um, bathrobe?" asked Belle.

Lily looked down, she had forgot about wearing her bathrobe when she was angry with James. But Lily was quick - "He brought me our Divination assignment, he had to finish reading my hand before he could write a scroll about it," she answered.

Eva and Belle accepted this, but reluctantly.

"Reading your hand, you say?" Eva used a raunchy tone. Lily threw a pillow.

"You're both hopeless," she announced.