Summary: Voldemort is out for her. No one knows why he murdered her parents or why he wants to kill her. Lily doesn't either but all she knows is that she doesn't need Aurors watching her back. Especially James Potter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter but I do own the plot!

Leave Me Be

By: blahblah

My stomach grumbled furiously. "Do you want something to eat?" I asked Claudia who sat down immediately in a chair.

"Sure," she said, placing the owl cage on the table. I grimaced. If one dropping is on my table…

I opened the refrigerator, searching its contents. "Um…how about cookies?" I said sheepishly, glancing at my pantry.

"Okay," Claudia said shrugging.

"Or muffins," I muttered. I grabbed a jar of cookies, a package of muffins, and a bag of pretzels. I dropped the snacks on the table and sat down.

"How healthy," Claudia said sarcastically. She grabbed the bag of pretzels and began to open it when a loud pop distracted her.

I jumped and looked up. Sirius was beside Claudia and immediately grabbed a pretzel from the bag. He crunched on it loudly. I whirled around and saw Frank and Potter. Or should I call him James now?

"Food?" I offered. Potter glanced over at me, distracted. Frank merely took a muffin and chewed on it thoughtfully. Everyone had a sullen face except Claudia who smiled weakly at me. I managed a slight smile and chewed on an oatmeal cookie.

We ate in an uncomfortable silence, exchanging looks once and a while. Even Sirius, to my surprise, had a serious (no pun intended) look on his face. Claudia finally dropped the pretzel bag and stood up, brushing down her pants.

"Will you be okay if I left?" she asked me.

"Yeah," I said standing up. "Thanks." She hugged me tightly, and I was suddenly reminded of my already crushed ribs.

"Be safe," Claudia chided, "and listen to the boys. And don't mope. I'll come over tomorrow morning before work."

"Okay," I replied. "Thanks for everything." She released me and waved. "Bye, Frank!" She then turned to Sirius and Potter. "Black, Potter." She nodded at them politely.

She Apparated with a pop. I sighed in exhaustion. "I'm going to take a shower," I announced. I quickly emerged from the kitchen and walked down the hallway, anticipating a relaxing shower.

I emerged from my bedroom, rubbing my hair with a towel. I pulled out my wand, magically drying my wet auburn locks. I drew nearer to the kitchen, suddenly stopping at Potter's voice.

"It's my fault," he said miserably. "Voldemort's after me, not her. If I hadn't dated her… I thought he would leave her alone if I left her."

"It's not your fault, mate," Sirius said consolingly. I stopped in my tracks, listening carefully. They were talking about me…

"She hates me," he continued. "But I did it because I loved her."

I held my breath. My mind whirled. I crept to my bedroom and closed the door softly. I slid to the floor, pondering on what I had heard.

"I did it because I loved her." His voice echoed in my head, disappearing into darkness, awakening a memory I never wanted to remember.

The bright red Hogwarts Express bellowed out smoke, allowing the crowds of students to climb aboard. A wave of black robes swished about, and heavy trunks were dragged around. Chattering filled the air, and their backs were to Hogwarts. And some of them would never see it again.

I stole a look over my shoulder, staring at the many towers and windows. A last glance of Hogwarts as I knew it…my second home. Tears filled my eyes. It was always hard to say goodbye. I learned that that day.

I dragged my ridiculously heavy trunk along, waiting for my turn to board. I lost Claudia in the crowds, and now I searched for the Marauders. Or a particular Marauder I should say--a messy haired Marauder. I looked around.

"JAMES POTTER!" I looked around, recognizing Claudia's voice. "YOU ARE SO DEAD!" I looked around and immediately spotted James running toward me, a grin across his face.

"Help!" he gasped breathlessly. I laughed at the sight of a furious Claudia with bright green hair, and purple dots speckling her face.

"YOU--!" Claudia tried to tackle James when I intervened. "Don't kill anyone on the last day," I chided. James laughed and stuck his tongue out. "And as for you…" I glared at him. "You grow up." He looked offended.

I laughed merrily and kissed him. "You're so silly," I said playfully.

"And charming!" beamed James. I laughed again. Claudia impatiently glared at us. "I look hideous and you're flirting. PLEASE TURN ME BACK!"

"Alright, hold on," James said pointing his wand at her. With a flash, Claudia's hair was restored to its dark tones, and her face turned into its natural golden color.

"Thanks," Claudia said grumpily, lifting up a lock of her hair.

"Now, can someone help me with my trunk?" I said. James immediately grabbed my trunk and pulled it onto the train and into a compartment. Claudia climbed aboard easily and followed James. The compartment was already filled with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, laughing loudly.

Claudia took a seat beside me. "So, will you miss Hogwarts?" she asked.

"Yes," I said immediately. Sirius shrugged. "Well, I'll miss the food," he said wistfully. I grinned.

"I'll miss Snivellus," James said. We all laughed.

"I'll miss Professor McGonagall," sighed Claudia. Everyone stared. "What? She liked me." I snorted.

"Or Professor Flitwick," she continued. "Hogsmeade!"

"Pranks," piped in Peter. "Arrogant eggheads," I chimed, staring pointedly at James. They all giggled.

The train began to move and I shifted toward the window, watching Hogwarts disappear. I felt a sudden verge of tears form in my eyes.

It was always hard to say goodbye.

Sirius and Claudia slept peacefully, oblivious to the fact that they were leaning against each other. Peter played Exploding Snap with Remus, and James beckoned me to an empty compartment. I sat down across from him.

"What?" I asked concerned. "Anything wrong?"

"No," James said. "I mean, yes." I looked at him critically. "I…erm…can't see you anymore."

"Don't be silly! We'll see each other," I said laughing.

"No… I mean, it's over," James said slowly.

"W-what?" I said. Surely I heard wrong?

"It's over," James said loudly. "I'm sorry, but I like someone else. Goodbye, Lily." He left the compartment, leaving me sitting there, stunned.

A wave of sorrow hit me immediately. I felt tears spring to my eyes.

I closed my eyes and opened them. A tear rolled down my cheek. I had heard so many goodbyes that day that my heart felt like it would break. Including that goodbye from James…

But what did he mean 'I did it because I loved her'?

The Gryffindor inside roared. I opened the door and hurried into the kitchen, staring at James who immediately stopped talking. I drew a deep breath.

"What do you mean 'because I loved her'?" I asked sharply. My cheeks were stained with dried tears, stinging them. He looked up at me with his stunned expression on his face.

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! I'd just like to thank a few people:

SushiiSquirrel -- Thank you! Hehe. I try to keep them all in character. J

misakichi1 -- Thanks for reviewing!

californiagurl -- Thanks for the advice--I'm trying to keep her emotions down to a minimum as of now… Thank you for reviewing!

Marauder4eva -- Aw, thanks! In this chapter, I revealed what happened but not all…