AN: Sorry for the late update. Like I said, I've been so incredibly busy. Thanks to my faithful reviewers for not deserting me. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. :)

Disclaimer: You know the drill...

Chapter 27: Almost Over You

A couple of months had passed. James had been discharged from St. Mungo's already. Now, the group was hanging out at The Three Broomsticks. The three guys were at the bar, joking around with Madam Rosmerta, while their girlfriends were at a table together, sipping their drinks and chatting. Lily had really come to think of Phoebe and Elsa as best friends. They had grown so very close already. In so many ways, they were different, yet they had a lot in common too. "Honestly, Lily, I do not know how you put up with James before," Elsa was saying. "He can be so obnoxious!"

Lily laughed. "Ah, the real James is fun, isn't he?"

"He's a pain!" whined Elsa. "He's so tough and conceited, it's a headache! Can I just whack him over the head and turn him back into Evan?"

"If he's that terrible, why are you still dating him?" Phoebe teased.

"I have no idea." Elsa turned to the guys. "I must be nuts."

Lily rolled his eyes. "Come on, Elsa. You know exactly why. He's the epitome of arrogance, that's for sure, but he's a sweet guy when you get right down to it. I mean, this is the guy who would hex a waiter senseless for a girl." She chuckled at the memory. "It happened once when I was going out with him. There was this waiter who was being quite friendly, if you get my meaning. You should've seen him when James got through with him."

Elsa leaned in with interest. "What happened to the guy?"

"Well, I saw some boils, some tentacles, some antlers...oh, and the classic warts. We practically had to sneak out of the restaurant after that display."

Elsa and Phoebe grinned at each other as their imaginations worked. Then Elsa turned to Lily, who was gazing over at...James? Sirius? Elsa couldn't tell which. "Lily, I want to ask you--are you cool with me and James going out?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, of course I am. Would I be encouraging you guys if I had a problem with it?" Lily replied, smiling.

"It's just that you guys had so much history...Are you willing to give all that up?"

Lily fixed her eyes on Sirius. "Well, James and I did go through a lot together. And I'll always appreciate those memories. But that love story's ended now. I've grown to really like Sirius--it's him I'm happy with now. I'm over James. Completely."

That night, James was up at the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts. This place always been his favorite spot to sit and think. He'd brought some firewhisky, which he downed as he continued to brood about Lily. Even after two months, he still could not stop thinking about her. Still couldn't stop loving her. He had hoped that dating Elsa would erase Lily from his mind, but it hadn't worked. It was still Lily he wanted. "What do I have to do?" he called out to the sky.

"You could stop being such a stubborn prat and be honest with yourself."

James whirled. Sirius was standing behind him, arms folded across his chest. "What are you doing here, Padfoot?"

"I came for a chat."

"I'm not in the mood. Go away."

Sirius ignored his comment. "We need to talk about what a gutless coward you are. What do you have to do, James? Do I have to spell it out for you? You can lie to Elsa. Lie to Lily. To Remus. Phoebe. You could even try lying to me. But one thing you can't lie to is your heart."

"What are you talking about?" James was seriously hating this conversation.

Sirius drew back his fist and punched him right in the face. James touched his cheek in shock. His best friend was breathing hard. "Potter, I've never hit you in my entire life. I've never dared to. But you deserve it. You deserve a huge beating right now. Wake up, James! You and I both know what you feel for Lily. Why are you still cowering here, refusing to do anything about it?"

"I don't want to hurt her anymore!" James exploded. "She went through a year of misery already because of me! I don't want that to happen again!"

Sirius sat down beside him. "I know. And I know you know that I'll devote myself to making Lily happy. But with me, her happiness is never going to be complete. You know why? Because she loves you. Think of how happy you two were before. She may have gone through a lot of sorrow. She may still go through more at your side. But because you love each other, that makes all the difference." He fished an envelope out of his robes. "Lily went to visit her parents. This is a Knight Bus ticket to Muggle London." He held it out, as if offering it to James.

James took it all in. After a few minutes, he turned to look at Sirius, the ghost of a smile on his face. "What about you?"

Sirius sighed. " 'It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done.' It's a quote from one of Lily's Muggle books. A Tale of Two Cities. I recommend you read it. Good story."

James got it. Slowly, he extended his hand and took the envelope. "What do I have to say?"

Sirius grinned and grabbed one of the bottles of firewhisky. "There's nothing you have to say. Just go get her!"

AN Again: Hope you guys like this chappie. Yes sigh James is going after Lily. I think the ending is pretty obvious now. I kinda had a hard time putting this situation into writing; that's one of the reasons why it took so long. I mean, who wants to see one of their favorite couples vamoose? But the real storyline says Lily and James end up together, so who am I to interfere with that? :) Next few chapters will be for the Lily/James fans. Please continue to R andR! :) I still love you all! :)