Title: Life Goes On and People Grow Up

Author: Evil-Angel-911

Summery: Things have changed for both Lily and James. It's there 6th year and life has turned upside down. Will they make it through alone? Or will they get some help?

Disclaimer: I am not the genius that is JK Rowling. Any character you recognize is completely hers.

Chapter: 4 – James and His Obsession

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(A/N- sorry if this chapter sticks having a brain fart and don't know what to write but I swear next chapter gets interesting again and you get a little focus on Mr. Remus Lupin.)

The great hall began to empty out after the feast until only 6 people remained, all Gryffindors.

Lily stared down at her empty plate, mind still abuzz from talking to James. It had brought so many unwanted memories. Memories of loss, of hardship, of her life. She wished the past would stay there but no, it wouldn't. No one knew the whole story.

James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter stood by the great hall doors watching the girls just sit in silence.

"Why are we here Prongs? We all know you have a crush on her but, really, don't become her stalker!" said Sirius.

"I'm not her stalker. I want to make sure she goes to the common room. She's in danger."

"Why is she…." Said Remus.

"I wonder if they know it's her?" James mumbled quickly, ignoring Remus. "I wonder if she knows it's her? I wonder if I'm the only one who knows? I wonder.."

"Whoa Prongs slow it down. Know what?" said Sirius seriously. James had only ever gotten like this once, and he had lost a quidditch match. Sirius was still hurting after how many plays James made him play with him.

"That there after Lily." James said deadly silent. James turned to his best friends to see looks of aw on their face.

"Bu..bu.. but why her?" asked a stuttering Peter. He always stuttered when scared, shocked, excited, talking, sleeping, doing anything really.

"I don't know but I think they're after me too." Said James looked back over to Lily. "I was in muggle London and a boy who looked EXACTLY like me was killed by a death eater."

"Ok really James. How exact could this be?" asked Remus.

"I was there." Said Sirius, "When the death eater got him I almost ran up to him screaming JAMES but them I realized James was still next to me. I had no idea Lily was going through the same thing.

"You were at your uncle's, Padfoot." Said James, "You didn't see what I saw, hear what I heard. You didn't go through it like Lily and my parents did."

"SHHH!" said Remus who had disappeared so he was sitting down close enough to Lily to hear.

"Get my cloak wormy." Said James silently. Peter nodded and ran out of the room. The boys inched closer to hear the conversation that had just started.

"Lily come on. You need to get over it." Said Alice looking sympathetic.

"I already told you I don't what your sympathy! And HOW IN HELL am I supposed to forget! I saw my best friends murdered, what part of that don't you understand. They would have murdered me with the chance. I know they were after me! Not them!" James smiled. He was so relieved Lily knew. "Before you tell me to get over it, you need to think about this from my point of view. Next year, I have no one! NO friends. You're the only one I have left at all. My sister hates me, my parents can't do anything about anything any more. I want someone to make it all better but no one seems to care to try that hard." Her eyes were filling with tears.

"Lily, I swear, you have friends. You may not recognize them yet but they'll help you, and while I'm here, I'll help." Alice said standing up and reaching for Lily's shoulder. Lily remembered how James had helped her forget and remember at the same time and smiled. That had been great. She shook the thought from her mind. 'It's Potter. The jackass that took off Snape's underpants, though after what he said to me.' Lily smiled.

"Ah!" said Alice, "There's my favorite smile." Lily let her smile fade into a simple smirk.

"Are you satisfied now? I smiled. Are you content?" said Lily trying not to laugh, or cry, which ever that feeling in her gut was telling her she need to do. She figured it was cry, she was usually crying by this time.

"Am I ever content Lily?" said Alice with a laugh

Lily let out a small laugh. "You're pretty content around, your lover boy, Frank!" Both girls burst out in fits of giggles as the boys sat in silence listening to them gossip. It had switched so quickly from death to boyfriends it was mind boggling.

"We so need to get you a boyfriend!" said Alice seriously.

Lily began to laugh harder almost falling off her seat. Now this was ridiculous, all thoughts of crying were over. "Me! A boyfriend? Who on earth would wanna talk to me for more than an hour let alone on a date? I'm not that interesting, hell, I'm boring. Plus, I'm no where near as good looking as you. I don't think I could get a boyfriend if I tried. I mean, who would wanna to date me?" The boys all raised their hands. James had raised is hand a little too fast and almost fell. The girls didn't notice this at all. They didn't even know they were there.

Alice laughed. "Ok Lils," she said sarcastically, "You're not pretty at all with your pretty red hair and shining green eyes that reduce all boys into mush in your hand." Lily blushed. "Common, I'm not retarded, how long have I been talking to you, dinner and more. Your not boring Lils. You need to take a chance!"

Lily's eyes became serious. You can tell Lily's emotions through her eyes. The happier she is the brighter her eyes, the more serious or angry, the deeper. James liked to make Lily mad because he loved the dark green eyes almost as much as the bright green ones. Lily's eyes were almost dark. "It's too risky for me to take a risk. Bad things happen even if I don't risk. What will happen if I do take risks? You know how accident prone I am!"

"Lils!" said Alice jumping over the table and sitting next to Lily. "I know and you know what you want to be out of Hogwarts."

"An auror." Lily said with a nod.

"Right!" said Alice with a smile. "No risks there huh?"

Lily's eyes turned black and Alice backed away. Last times Lily's black eyes were seen, there was a new definition of red headed temper. She had almost killed the marauders. "Don't even talk to me about being at risk. I'm at risk every step I take because I'm muggle born or as most like to call it a MUDBLOOD!" Lily screamed standing up and falling backwards.

Wormtail ran into the great hall in the cloak and threw it over James.

"Thanks!" he said to Peter silently. "Now all of you go. You don't need to hear this. I do!"

The boys nodded knowingly and walked out the door. They didn't need to see another big topic swing from the girls and another bright green to dark green incident. James inched himself closer to the girls.

Lily got back up and sat back down, head in hands. She let out a soft cry and continued to cry silently into her hands. Alice moved her hand to rub her back but Lily lifted her head up and pushed her away. "Get away from me. I need to be alone." Alice nodded and headed towards the head student common room in Gryffindor tower.

James sat and watched the miserable Lily cry, it was more than he could take. He ran to the doors of the great hall and took off the cloak and looked towards Lily. He was going to try and dry her tears even if it took him all night and a trip to the hospital wing.

"Lily?" he called.

Lily's head shot up and she quickly did a tear drying spell on her face, she didn't want to let James see her like this. James took the seat next to Lily. "Are you ok?"

"Not really." She said honestly. "It's a little much being back here with out them."

"I understand what your saying." He said, scooting a little closer to Lily but still giving her room.

Lily looked James with dark eyes, not black, just dark green. "How would you know? Seen a friend die in front of you?"

"Yes and almost died as well." He said honestly. Lily looked shocked. "It took a while to get over. It happened in third year. I was always close to my grandfather, he was taking me to do that muggle thing fishing. It's a great thing really. Sitting with your family holding your pole as straight as possible while talking about nothing. My grandfather was a wizard, good one too. Auror and all, even at the old age of 105. Never felt the need to retire."

Lily listened closely to James' story. It was going to be sad, she was going to cry and right then, she didn't care. "We were driving through Diagon Alley when the car got a flat. My grandfather was mad about muggle things. He lived in a muggle neighborhood, only Potter to ever do that. So we got out and he was showing me how to change a flat when out of an Alley, out came one of my grade school friends, Tomas. Tomas and I look a lot alike. Both of us at the time were wearing out glasses and had our hair messy. His is usually neat but he had been running. As soon as he saw us he ran towards us. He and I could have been twins that day. Both in tan shirts and Kakis he ran over. He started mumbling fast about death eaters and what really scared me was he said they were talking about me, they were chasing after him because they thought it was me."

"Oh My Merlin!" gasped Lily, eyes brimming with tears.

"My grandfather ran into the alley way, Voldemort was there, he killed him special. He dissaperated deciding to let them take care of two under aged wizards. That wasn't very smart. They shot everything at us, all the unforgivables. I got hit with the Crutiatus curse. Let's just say, hurts like hell is newly defined. I'm so glad you dodged it." Lily smiled. "I managed to get away, I don't really know how, but not before they got Tomas. I think they let me go, thinking they had gotten me. They died because of me."

"As did Melissa and Kate for I." said Lily looking down letting her tears fall.

James looked at the wall instead of Lily. "I saw."

"What?"

"I saw it all. You could have died. I was never more afraid in my life. I tried to get help, to get out of the room my parents locked me in, but I couldn't, damn unbreakable glass. But you'll make one hell of an Auror!" Lily didn't know weather to smile or frown.

"I…I've got to go to bed." She said

Both took to their feet and headed towards Gryffindor Tower. At the fat lady she turned to James, "How much did you see?"

"Up until you were hugging them."

Lily smiled with tears in her eyes. "Your parents are wonderful. I hear you talk about me a lot. Pickled toad." The portrait swung open and they walked inside.

"Of coarse I talk about you. My parents wonder why I'm not head of every class. You're the reason." Lily smiled again.

They wished each other good night and went to there rooms where Lily cried herself to sleep in her empty room with only one bed and James slept with dreams of Lily, Grandpa and Tomas.

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Love it? Hate it? Tell me! And check out my new fan fiction, Lily's curse. It helped me fix my writer block for this story. Hope to get the next chapter done tomorrow. Sorry if I can't.

You know you love me

Melissa