A/N: Thanks for the ONE REVIEW!!! I feel so unloved! PLEASE READ N REVIEW SO I KNOW WHAT TO DO FOR THIS FANFIC!!!

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Chapter Four

The Turning Point

James chuckled. "I don't exactly think she likes me very much. Get to know her Dad, she's not that nice of a person…to me at least."

"Sure she isn't. Anyway, let's go," said James' parents, and he left.

Upon their arrival back at James' house, Sirius was already waiting. "YOU GOT EVANS TO GO OUT WITH YOU?!" he screamed, as Lily and her mum drove in.

"Calm it down, Sirius. Anyway, no, I didn't, our parents got to know each other during the school year and they made this huge arrangement so I have to go to a baseball game!"

"What's baseball?"

"Muggle sport," said James, as someone else cut in.

"It's a sport in the Muggle world where there's two teams going against each other. The pitcher throws the ball at the person batting and sees how far he can hit it. There are four bases that he runs to, seeing how far he can get without getting out. If he swings at the ball and misses or tips the ball backwards, it's a strike. Three strikes equals one out. Three outs per team per inning. If the person batting doesn't swing because they feel the ball is too high or too low or something of the like, and the umpire sees it, it's a ball. If the ball could have been hit though it's a strike. It's confusing, you have to see to understand," said the voice, which belonged to Lily.

"Evans, I thought you weren't exactly looking forward to this," said James, confused.

"I'm not looking forward to three or four hours of torture with you at a sport you don't understand. I am looking forward to the game though, as it's two of my favorite teams against each other," said Lily.

"Who?" asked James and Sirius simultaneously.

"The British Badgers against the Austrian Angels," said Lily.

"Oh," said James. He hadn't heard of 'baseball' or these teams previously; growing up in a magical home had its positives and negatives.

"Can I come, man?" Sirius asked. "I want to see things from a, er, Muggle perspective!" he said mockingly. Lily walked away hurt.

"I have the feeling there's something she isn't telling us."

"James, get a grip. Enjoy your time with her at the game," he said, laughing, then he got into his mum's car and they drove off.

The game came quicker than James would have liked. He and Lily still hadn't made up, so he couldn't consider the time coming to be a 'date' as much as he wanted it to. He was still angry at her, but it all came down to one thing: no matter how pissed off she made him, the next day nothing mattered, her beauty took away all the bad things in the world.

At five-thirty, Mr. Evans drove off with James towards Chambridge Park. It was the baseball park that the game would be taking place in. Lily's mother was bringing her, as that was the house she had been in for the day.

They took their seats and then Mr. Evans went to the front of the park to wait for Lily. James kept the seats saved, and couldn't stop thinking about Lily. Five minutes before the game, Mr. Evans showed up—without her.

"Where's Lily?" he asked Mr. Evans, who shrugged.

"Her mother's probably running late, the bloody woman."

"Oh," said James, disappointed.

However, the second the National Anthem started playing, Lily was standing right next to her father (he had an aisle seat). Once the anthem stopped, Lily was forced to go into the middle, right next to James. Once the home team (the British Badgers) were up, Lily asked her father if she could get some food, and he gave her some Muggle money.

"They don't take Galleons here darling," he said, then Lily walked off. "Oh, and get something for James here too honey."

"She doesn't know what I like, I'll go with her," said James, standing up and running up the stairs to catch up with Lily.

They got in the line, which was, at this time, at least a fifteen-minute wait.

"Why were you running late?" asked James.

"No reason you'd be interested in," said Lily, shunning him yet again. Remembering the scene in the Charms classroom, he waited silently with her for five minutes before speaking again.

"Who's that?" he asked her, pointing to a short man with a Badgers cap on.

"You two want to play?" he asked, coming over.

"Play what?" they asked simultaneously.

"Come with me," he said, bringing them to the dugout of the Badgers.

"You two are going to participate in the game here. Miss here will go first, and you Mr. will go second. All you're doing is spinning your head on a bat ten times then running around the bases, and as you reach the bases you get a prize. On first base there's an autographed yearbook. On second base there's a baseball cap for the Badgers, on third there's a bat and ball set, and on home plate there's some money, depending on how much time you end up with having left. Questions?" he asked, and Lily and James stared at each other.

"So what are your names?" asked the man.

"I'm Lily and this is James," said Lily, pointing at James.

"Okay. Once this inning is over you two will come out and compete.

The two stood in silence for a few minutes. As soon as the teams were off the field, the funny man brought Lily and James out to the field.

"Hello everyone and it's time for our Dizzy Bat Race," said the man, and everyone in the stands clapped. "Today our competitors are James and his girlfriend Lily!"

"I'm not his girlfriend," said Lily.

"She's not my girlfriend," said James at the same time.

"Oh, that takes away the excitement, but anyway, then this is just plain old James and Lily! Each of you will spin on the bat ten times…"

He repeated what he had told them earlier, but James wasn't listening. All he kept hearing in his head was Lily's quickness to say she wasn't his girlfriend.

"Ready, set, and GO!" said the man, and the two started spinning. James had decided to let Lily win, it would give her the pride she needed, and then maybe he could tell her later in life. As she put down the bat after her tenth time, James was starting on his ninth. By the time he started running, he tripped. He reached first base and started heading towards second base, but Lily was not only a faster runner but the spinning hadn't made her dizzy, whereas James tumbled forward from second and ran across the grass towards home. He tumbled on top of Lily once he made it there, and the audience laughed.

"Remind me not to do anything that would make me look like a fool again," said James, trying to laugh it off. However, Lily wasn't letting this go. She could easily make a fool of him right on the field, and he knew it. But she didn't.

"Our winner, Lily!" said the man, and Lily smiled. Suddenly, three other guys she didn't know had hopped onto the field, as if she was a veela. But they didn't know what veela were, so how could that be?

James pulled Lily up and carried her off the field and into the hall they had gotten down using. When he set her down on her feet again, she looked nearly dead, as she wasn't moving a muscle. He pulled out his wand and used the spell he had learned by reading one of the books Lily had given him the past year.

"Ennervate!" he whispered. As the park was a Muggle place, he knew any wand usage they saw wouldn't turn out well. Suddenly, Lily stirred, and saw where she was. She blushed furiously.

Why is she blushing? James thought. The only reason a girl blushes is when she's embarrassed or likes the guy, and I'm inclined to think the second choice.

"Lil?" he asked. Lily stared at him, almost romantically. "Why are you blushing?"

"I don't know. Why were you holding me in your arms? I thought I made it clear—"

"At least you're still yourself," James said, smiling. Lily followed suit by smiling as she regained control of herself and they walked back into line for food.

After buying something to eat, a familiar face showed up by them, and only Lily was happy to see him—

"Severus?"

"Snape?"

"Hello Lily, Potter," said Snape, mouth watering.

"Don't say my first name so close to his last, it makes it sound like we're married."

"Is 'Hello Potter, Lily' okay?"

"No, that sounds like you're saying last names before first.

"God, you flip out over something as miniscule as this? Anyway, good job on that Dizzy rat base or whatever it was—"

"Dizzy Bat Race, yeah."

The rest of the night passed with Lily and Snape so close to holding hands James couldn't stand it. He ran off to find one of his friends also at the park—

"Sirius?"

"Hey, man! Good job!"

"What?"

"You got Lily to appear in public!"

"Oh yeah, that," said James, walking away.

"YOU SO LET HER WIN!" said Sirius, and James looked at him strangely.

"How did you—I mean, what gave you that idea?"

"It's written all over your face, man!"

"Oh. Anyway, yeah, I did. Why does it matter?"

"Didn't you hear? Snape asked Lily out, and—"

"What?"

"Snape asked Lily out!"

"WHAT DID SHE SAY?"

"No, from what I heard. I only heard her screaming from the opposite side of the ball park," said Sirius, laughing.

"That's good then!"

"What? Why is that 'good'? That means he likes her, you bloody chicken! If she only said no because she still feels too young, you have some competition.

"Competition? Between me and Snape? Come on, Sir, even she has more brains than that."

"Not if it means it'll get you off her case."

"What do you mean?"

"Look. There's an upside to having one of the girls in Lily's dorm who is Lily's best friend as your girl. Vanessa told me some things—"

"Like what?"

"Like what Lily's been muttering in her sleep lately, and like what Lily writes in her diary every night, and like—"

"What else?"

"—And like how she feels about Snape and yourself. She doesn't like how you nearly stalk her," said Sirius. James stepped back.

"I don't stalk her!"

"I'm just repeating what Lily said," said Sirius.

"I need to go—"

"No you don't, James. Leave Lily be, that's what she wants you to do," said Sirius as James walked away despite Sirius' callings "LEAVE LILY BE!"

When James returned to their seats, his seat was occupied…by a man named—

"SNAPE! Out of my seat NOW!"

"Rubbish! My seat, my Lily, my—"

"NOT YOUR LILY!"

"Then who does she belong to?"

"NO ONE!" screamed Lily and James simultaneously. Lily gave him one last look before running off.

The rest of the night was uneventful, unless you count the post-game fireworks.

The next few weeks flew by, including the Quidditch World Cup, which the Whimbourne Wasps won. Finally it was time for the new term, where the new classes would begin. James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, and Vanessa had all signed up for Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Arithmancy. Peter had only signed up for Divination.

At the first new class of term, Divination, James found himself both happy, angry, and completely confused.

This woman, this Professor, was insane. She went by the name Professor Trelawny, and it was her first year teaching.

"Broaden your minds!" she repeated for the tenth time that class.

"What a load of rubbish," said Lily, who had been told to sit next to James because 'they had all the power in the world together, but none apart.'

"Beat me with a wand, Lily Evans, demeaning a teacher!"

"I know you're loving this Potter, but I'm not."

"I know you're not!"

"I never said you didn't!"

"You are confusing."

"I know that."

"Do you like being confusing?"

"Do you like being confused?"

"What?"

"What what?"

"Okay, now you're really confusing me."

"Then my job is done."

With that, Lily stopped talking and making all the smart remarks.

The following day an owl came for Lily. After reading the letter, she ran up to the dorms, crying. Why? James wanted to know, but he wouldn't find out, as she refused to say.

It finally came time for the first Quidditch match of the year. Practices had been being held for at least five nights a week, as the captain was insanely obsessed with Quidditch. It was, in fact, his last year at Hogwarts, so it was only natural to be obsessed with it.

"Hello all, and welcome to today's Quidditch match! Today's game: Slytherin vs. Gryffindor!

"The Bludgers are up, followed by the Snitch. There's the Quaffle, it's Lily Evans of Gryffindor. She passes to Vanessa Prewitt, back to Evans, then Potter, then Prewitt, and its IN! Ten-nil for Gryffindor!" said the commentator, Robert Jordan.

Gryffindor fans erupted in the stands and no one saw the Slytherin seeker diving for the Snitch—no one except James.

"JONATHON, GO! IT'S THE SNITCH!"

All eyes were suddenly on Jonathon and the Slytherin Seeker—Lucius Malfoy. Lucius had a good head start, but Jonathon had the better broom—he was catching up—

A Bludger came out of nowhere, obviously hit by one of the Slytherin Beaters, and hit Jonathon in the arm. He held onto his arm as he grabbed the golden air in front of him and tumbled to the floor, Golden Snitch in fingers.

"160 to nil, GRYFFINDOR WINS! NOW LET'S HEAR IT FOR OUR FAVORITE TEAM!"

"Jordan—"

"Sorry, Professor, won't happen again."

McGonagall looked at him strangely.

"At least not today."

The team walked back up to Gryffindor tower after Wood's pep talk to find McGonagall standing there, looking very grim.

"Lily Evans?"

"Yes, Professor?" she replied, and McGonagall led her out of Gryffindor tower. James listened using his Eavesdropping hex again.

"It appears that your father has passed away, Miss Evans."

With that, Lily was already running into the common room.

James followed her until he could no more—as she was in the third year girls' dorms, he didn't want to make a fool of himself yet again.

For the next few weeks, no one was able to get Lily out of her room. She sat there, wasting away time, sleeping most of it. Every day, without fail, Lily was nowhere else to be found but her bed, and if she wasn't there she was in the bathrooms.

She went to one class a day maximum, and that was on her good days. As Christmas came, still no one was able to get her out of her dorm.

That is, until Christmas day, when Gryffindor tower was completely empty. Her father's funeral was set for December 29, so she went home for the holidays. Her mother, the parent that owned the house next to James, was also rarely seen. It seemed that her father had caught pneumonia and couldn't rid himself of it. Her mother was now also suffering from pneumonia as well.

On Christmas, Lily had received several well-wisher presents, however didn't accept them graciously. She couldn't take it when everyone thought she needed help—she found those people to be the ones in need of help.

However, after her father's funeral, an owl arrived for Lily. It was from James, who was vacationing in Iceland.

Lily,

I know I'm probably one of the last people you feel like hearing from, he had written, but listen to me. Don't let this get to you. Knowing him, he wouldn't want sympathy, same as you. Just know that people are indeed thinking of you.

James

Upon the new term, Professor Dumbledore made an important announcement.

"There is a new class that can be taken," he said. "It is an invention class, where you can create your own hexes and charms. It is only available for the completion of this year and the next four years, as that is as long as the teacher will be with us. That is all. Anyone wishing to sign up see their head of house. You must be in third year currently to sign up."

James ran to McGonagall and nearly knocked her down to make sure his name was on the list.

Lily, Vanessa, Sirius, and Remus had all ran up to the front as well. It was then that James heard Lily's stunning new news.

"We're moving," she said, and James couldn't help but stare at her.

"WHAT?!" he said, quite upset.

"My dad found a better place at the other side of town…so we're moving."

"Oh," said James, now upset. He had given up on Lily awhile ago—or had he?

As the new class, 'Invention', started the following week, they had a quite interesting first class…

James took to the invention part right away, and after one class he already had created a hex—one that would change anything you point your wand at to turn into shampoo when you said the spell "Ophomas!"

He started using this spell on Snape in large quantities—Snape had to escape and eat a half hour beforehand or Potter would have cursed his food and goblet.

Lily created a charm. When you said something, it would write down what you said. It came to be very useful when your hand was tired.

Sirius had invented a hex—it would make the recipient start giving someone a lap dance—the person of the same sex nearest them. It made for a very interesting prank.

Remus invented a spell—but it had to be used with caution. It was a Time-Travel spell, and it took you twenty years ahead of your time. He couldn't tell Sirius or James about it, as he knew they would immediately jump at the chance of seeing their future. But Remus let it slip that he had created such a spell accidentally—and James and Sirius did as he expected—jumped at the oppurtunity.

"Time travel could really affect our futures," said Remus, but his friends wouldn't listen. They used the spell, grabbing Remus so he would come with them, and they were off in Hogwarts, twenty years from then.

They were in the Gryffindor Common Room. A boy with messy jet-black hair was standing there ahead of all of them.

"Bloody hell James, he looks just like you!"

And so he did. The boy was a spitting image of James, except his eyes. "She has Lily's eyes though," said James, looking at Sirius.

"I think this is your son," said Sirius, as James faced him.

"But that would mean the son is Lily's too—the eyes he has only belong to her."

"HARRY POTTER!" screamed a boy from the third year.

"What is it 'Mione?" asked this boy Harry.

"Harry, eh? Not my first choice," said James, and before Remus could tell him something of importance, Harry and the girl turned their way.

"What is this Harry?"

"I don't know," said Harry, and James, Sirius, and Remus stared at him.

"Remus, you didn't say we could communicate with the future!" said Sirius happily.

James looked at Harry, surveying him.

"Black, may I say you look a whole lot younger than in those WANTED posters. I need to take you to Professor Dumbledore, it's dementor's kiss for you," said Harry, and Sirius looked at James.

"I'm thirteen bloody years old, I haven't done anything yet!"

"Uh, yeah you have. You sold my mum and dad to Voldemort, don't deny it!"

"Harry?" said James, and Harry looked at him.

"DAD?!" asked Harry, confused.

"Yeah, I guess we'd better be going—"

"—Now?"

"Yeah," said James, turning to Remus. "What's the spell to get us out of here?"

"The exact reverse of the spell to come here," said Remus.

"Harry, can I have a slip of parchment please?"

"Sure—"

"Harry, how can your dead father be here?"

"I don't know," said Harry, as James, Sirius, and Remus all read the spell backwards and disappeared, opening their eyes in their own time once more.

"Wait—did I hear Harry correctly?"

"Which part?"

"That I die."

"Yeah, and something about me being on the run from Azkaban or something of the like—strange, strange boy."

"Yeah. Strange."

The rest of the year passed with no new occurrences, unless you count how James had started to leave Lily be, not annoying her 24/7.

When James arrived at King's Cross station at the end of the year (Gryffindor won the House Cup yet again, third year running), he saw Lily go off with her friends and parents, heading home with his own.

"We have new neighbors—it seems the others left," said his mum, and they left to head home.