Disclaimer: No disclaimer this time due to lack of creativity.

Review-thankyous: (or however that word is to be written, if it even exists)

Sunni07 – Urk. I don't even want to imagine.

Aly DragonChild – Yes James was Head Boy, it's in the books (don't know which, though). Someone pointed out to JKR that he wasn't a prefect but she said that you don't have to be a prefect to be Head Boy or Girl.

Angel of Slytherin – ::does victory dance:: Wohoo! And be patient, James is in this, I promise.

ViviBlack – Thanks for your comments, as nice as always =)

Palmetazo – Thanks for the review and your kind words. ::smile that could light up the darkest of nights::

Chapter 4 – Closer... or maybe not

"So, beginning to feel like home, huh?" Sirius asked.

It was an evening; a couple of weeks later, and Hermione did no longer have to pretend that she couldn't find the way around in the castle, which was very nice. They were sitting in the common room, Lily and Hermione had been doing homework when Sirius and James had approached them.

"Yes", she said. "It's great."

"It's nice having you around", James said with a smile that could melt the coldest girl's heart.

Hermione got a really strange feeling in her stomach. Why was she feeling this? She was definitively not supposed to feel this.

"Stop flirting, Potter", Lily said with a groan. "It's so obvious."

"Why wouldn't I be allowed to flirt with whomever I want to?" James asked innocently. "It's not of your business, is it?"

"Shut up", Lily said, her face growing redder.

"The only reason why you wouldn't like me to flirt with other girls would be if you liked me", James said teasingly.

"Have you got a problem, Potter?" Lily spat furiously. "I mean, please, just drop it, okay? I have never done, do not, and will definitively not ever like you."

"Is that a promise?" James replied.

Lily snorted and rose from the couch where she had been sitting. "See you around", she muttered to Hermione and walked out through the portrait hole.

"That was mean", Hermione said.

"She's mean to me!" James exclaimed.

"Sure, mate", Sirius said. "But you're never going to win her over if you behave like that. Look at me, women wants gentlemen, isn't that true, Alyssa?"

"Oh yes", Hermione said.

"I don't want to win her over any more", James said. "I'm sick and tired of her just snapping me off, thinking that I am an insensitive brat just because of something I did in the past."

"What did you do?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Long story", Sirius said with a sigh.

"However", James said, "I don't give a damn about her any more. May she think whatever she thinks and do whatever she does."

Sirius raised his eyebrows critically. "But, Prongs, I thought you really liked her."

"I did! But that's over now. Finito. The end."

Hermione bit her lip nervously. "I'm going to bed", she said and rose from the couch.

She went up in her dormitory to make herself ready for bed. It was rather late, and she was tired. But when she finally crept down into her bed, she just couldn't sleep. She lay awake for several hours, thinking, worrying, until she finally fell asleep in the crack of dawn.

Amy woke her up – something very unusual, since Amy usually slept very late. So obviously, Hermione had done so as well.

"What time is it?" Hermione mumbled sleepily.

"It's 7:30, classes starts in forty minutes", Amy said, and Hermione practically threw herself out of bed.

"Why hasn't anyone woken me up?" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice as she rushed into the bathroom.

"It's not like it's late or something", Amy said through the bathroom door. "It's rather early, actually."

"Yeah, for someone who doesn't eat breakfast", Hermione said as she literally threw her robes on.

"I do eat breakfast! At least if I'm up this early."

By this time, Hermione had finished her morning rituals, in less than half the time it usually took her, and the girls had company down to the Great Hall. Hermione at once caught site of Lily, who was sitting alone, looking miserable. And apparently, Amy had done the same.

"Come on, let's go and make Lil' some company", Amy said and the two of them set of, sitting down opposite her.

"Hey, what's up?" Amy asked. "You look kind of... run down."

"I'm just tired", Lily said, although it was very obvious that she was lying. Her eyes were puffy and swollen and her nose was red. Plus, her hair, which usually was lying perfect, looked rather messy.

"Come on, Lil', you can tell us", Amy said while filling her plate with bacon and eggs. "That's what friends are for, isn't that right Alyssa?"

Hermione nodded while grabbing a muffin. "That's right."

Lily took a deep, hesitating breath. "James and I", she began, her voice shaking, "we kind of had an argument last night."

"You always have arguments", Amy interrupted.

"Let her talk", Hermione whispered.

"And we both said those horrible things", Lily continued, like if she hadn't been interrupted at all. Tears were filling up her eyes. "But the worst part is that he was right, and I was wrong. Everything he said about me was right, but the things I said about him were both mean and lies."

"Why are you so upset, Lily?" Amy asked. "You don't usually look like this just because you've had an argument."

"You don't get it!" Lily sobbed. "He said I was a bitch, a-"

"He called you a bitch?" Amy said and began to rise from the table. "I'll tell-"

"No, don't!" Lily cried and Amy sat down again. "Because he was so damn right! He said he really liked me, and such – in a mature way, not like he usually does – but then he said he doesn't any more, because he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to like someone like me! And I just went on, calling him names, and nothing what I said was true."

"Oh, Lily", Hermione said. "I... I don't know what to say, really."

"Classes starts in ten minutes", Lily said and tried to wipe the tears away with the back of her hand. "We'd get going."

"Holy cow", Amy said. "And I haven't finished my homework. Er... see you guys later", she shouted because by now, she was half the way out through the Great Hall."

Author's Note: Okay, I know the chapters have been a little short lately but... I mean, I haven't exactly got anything more to write so then it's just getting boring if I try to fill it out with a lot of crap just to fill more pages.

Now I'm going to be out of town for a couple of days (not too long though), and hopefully my mailbox will be full with review alerts when I get back. But that is all up to you.

Have a nice day,

Megafreak