*It's official...i love anyone who reviewed. You ROCK! ::grins::*

*anyway it's because of you wonderful people that I'm writing this 2nd chapter (quite frankly I didn't expect to do one...)*

~Disclaimer: unfortunately I own nothing that seems remotely familiar to you. If I did I would be filthy rich and probably not writing in here, like a certain JKR. ::sigh::~

Chapter Two

Exchanging Glances

"...so then Mum and Dad gave me permission to get a sex change operation. " said Jordan to Lily during the start-of-term feast in the Great Hall.

"WHAT?! Jordan, why in hell would you want to—" Lily broke off as she realized Jordan was laughing. "What?"

"You have been so wrapped up in staring at a certain someone who shall remain nameless," said Jordan, while turning her head to stare directly at James, "that you haven't realized that I said that to get your attention.  You haven't paid a speck of attention to me since we got off the train!"

"Sorry, Jord." Lily said feebly. "But I wasn't—"

"Staring?" broke in Kiara, one of Lily's other good friends. "Don't deny it, Lils. You were.  I was watching you the whole time Jordan ("and Dumbledore" said Jordan.) were talking.  You haven't taken your eyes off him all night!"

"It's a wonder he doesn't have two holes on the side of his head where your eyes bored into him." put in Jordan.

"Jeez, is it any wonder I love you guys?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"Not at all!" Kiara teased impishly.

*

                Kiara and Jordan weren't the only people to have noticed Lily staring at James.  Three out of four of the Marauders had noticed as well.  "What are you three smirking at now?" asked James. "It seems like that's all you've been doing since Platform 9 ¾.  What are you planning?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Sirius said with a grin. "Perhaps you haven't noticed that a little redhead has been burning holes into your head—"

"Whenever you weren't boring holes into hers." interrupted Remus.

Peter looked down the table. "Ha! It looks like her friends have noticed as well."

                James quickly looked back down the table.  Sure enough, Lily's friends all appeared to be teasing her and she was blushing crazily, shaking her head.  He thought he might be falling in love with her blush.  It made her look so cute and vulnerable.  Not that she wasn't cute normally, downright gorgeous actually, but it added a little something.  He saw her dart a glance at him between strands of hair and quickly looked away.  She was probably only looking because she heard his friends raucous laughter.  It couldn't possibly be because she was interested, could it?

                "James, James, James." Sirius' voice seemed to blare across the Great Hall. "You just can't keep your eyes off her, can you?"

                James could feel his cheeks turning red.  He made a mental note to rip out Sirius' voice box next chance he had.  "I was only looking because you mentioned her friends.  It's a natural reflex that I'm sure you've done before." muttered James.

"Of course we have, Prongs!" Remus said. "But we usually don't keep staring for, oh, I don't know, five minutes after the fact, do we, Padfoot?"

"No, not at all, Moony, old friend." agreed Sirius heartily, while Peter nodded his head rapidly, looking rather like a yo-yo without a string.

"You guys are too much." James said. "I'm going.  I'll see you in the common room."

*

                Down the Gryffindor table, Lily had just made a similar statement. 

She was getting tired of being teased about James and if she sat around listening to that a second longer, she'd be likely to hex someone.  She didn't have a crush on him. No.  Not at all.  The idea was almost laughable.  She just liked looking at him.  He had such nice chocolate brown eyes.  They were so deep, you could almost drown in them.  Lord knew she surely had.  And his arms!  He had his sleeves rolled up at Platform 9 ¾ so she could see how strong he was. She wondered what it would be like to be held in those arm.  Lily shook her head almost the second that thought ran through her head.  She most certainly did NOT wonder...well, okay, maybe she did.  But that didn't mean she liked him!  It just meant that...she liked being held by a pair of strong arms.  Yeah. That was it.

"Hey, Li-Evans." said a familiar voice, much too close to her ear.

                She looked up and realized she had been so preoccupied that she had walked right into James. "Oh! I'm sorry! I-I didn't see you there." she stuttered.

"It's alright. I'm just as much at fault...this time. I didn't see you either." answered James.

"What do you mean, this time?" asked Lily. "That other time was your fault too, sort of.  You should have been watching where you were going."

He smiled.  She noticed, against her will of course, that he was even more handsome when he smiled. Such white teeth.  Then she realized he had said something. "Sorry, what?"

"I said, I was watching where I was going. It was you who wasn't paying attention.  And also, do I have something on my teeth?  You were staring."

"I'm not going to get into that again with you." Lily said with a bit of a grin (and a hint of a blush). "And no you don't have anything on your teeth.  I just, um, spaced out a bit.  Also, do you think you could let go of me now?  People are starting to come out of the Great Hall and they're probably staring."

                James realized, with a start, that she was right.  He let go of her like she was a scalding hot poker. "I, uh, sorry?" he said bashfully.

                Lily smiled up at him, for he towered over her 5'4 height at 6'3.  "It's alright," she said. "Obviously, it didn't bother me much or I would have said something before.  And obviously it didn't bother you, or you would have let go sooner.  I should go now.  I'll see you later."  She waved at him and wandered off to where her friends were standing, with huge grins on their faces.

                James was left standing amid the crush of people exiting the Great Hall, pondering what exactly she meant by that last comment and remembering how right it felt to hold her in his arms.  He was still standing there when his friends finally left the Hall about 3 minutes later.  They liked to avoid the rush.  "I thought you were going to meet us in the common room, Prongs." came Remus' voice. "Whatever are you doing, standing out here by yourself?"

James quickly snapped out of it. "Nothing, guys.  I had a brilliant idea for a prank to play on Snape, but I forgot it.  I was merely trying to remember it." he said, wondering where that excellent lie had come from.

"Augh! You forgot it? Prongsy, you disappoint me! Clearly this girl is making you more addle-pated than ever!" Sirius stated.

"Padfoot..."began James wearily.

"Yes, Prongsy, old buddy?"

"Do me a favor and stuff it before I do it for you."

*And God said, "Let chapter two be completed." And it was. And it was good.

Then God said, "Let the readers pour in the reviews." And they did.  And it was good.*

Yes, that's a hint.  It doesn't do well to anger God, ::grins:: so there's really nothing you can do but review.  Think of it this way...the sooner (and the more) you review, the sooner I'll have chapter three out.  And God will be happy. What a bargain!!