Okay, wow, so happy holidays everyone! I'm sorry I really take FOREVER to update... please review! hahha... and not even a happy holiday. er. we could pretend that I mean St Patricks day, and just a wee bit early... so enjoy!!! and PLEASE review!!!

What You Don't Know

Lily threw her books into her shoulder bag. 'Right, well, I don't know when I'll be back, so wish me luck,'
'Yeah,' Alice grinned, 'you'll need it,'
'I know,' Lily muttered dryly. 'I know the odds are against me, but I shall return! It is my promise!' She threw her arms out dramatically.
'See ya later,' Hestia looked up, smiling over her Herbology textbook. Though smart, Hestia had always loved plants. Lily thought she definitely spent too long on her Herbology homework.
'Thanks for the sympathy,' Lily mock-glared and then turned and ran from then room. It really wouldn't do to be late for her detention. Once outside she entertained thoughts of turning back and saying something about the stupidity of James, but thought against it.
She decided to break the stupid pact she had made with herself. James wasn't worth it. Anyway, she had already insulted him, and she might as well get the pleasure of making him miserable.
Well, she amended, sort-of miserable. She didn't really fancy the idea of him being completely miserable.
So just make him miserable enough, she told herself.

*

James was taking his time, walking leisurely along the corridor to the potions room, where Madame Zinc was waiting. His detention was supposed to start in five minutes, but James wasn't worried.
Not about detention.
Lily, being Lily, was most likely already there. Which meant he would have to face her right away. And so far, every apology that crossed his mind was stupid. If anything, they would make Lily hate him more than she already did.
If that was possible.
He could always go down on his knees and recite poetry. Or Shakespeare. But he didn't know any good poems off the top of his head and he was hopeless at writing it, and Shakespeare was a Muggle thing so she might think he was making fun of her for being a Muggle, or think he was trying to impress her- which he was, but never mind- or maybe...
Maybe, James thought dully, he could just pretend it hadn't happened. Lily probably didn't even remember... right?
Or, he could always say that he was sorry and he didn't mean it and he didn't know what came over him- spur of the moment type thing- and that he didn't really hate her, and could she please forgive him?
No, he wanted to apologize in a way that made Lily forgive him, not in a way that made a fool out of himself.
But maybe that wasn't possible.

*

'Two minutes,' Lily gasped. 'Stupid detention starts in TWO minutes,'
James, of course, had been supposed to tell her about the detention, but he hadn't. Instead Hestia had relayed the message, when Lily had made her way to the girls dorm, fuming about James. She wouldn't tell her friends what James had said, but it was clear nonetheless that it hadn't been about a detention.
Now she had two minutes to get to the dungeons, and if she was late-- Lily didn't want to think of the consequences. She didn't mind getting attention, or getting in trouble, but if she got more detentions-- it would interfere with Quidditch, homework, her social life--
Lily had to laugh at that last one. 'Yeah, wouldn't want to miss out on one of those many dates,' she muttered.
She whirled around the next corner, quite determined not to be late. She was so close to the dungeon-
-She crashed into something hard, sending her sprawling across the corridor floor. There was another thud as the thing she had crashed into fell to the floor as well. Lily opened her mouth to aplologize, seeing that it was in fact, a person. But then the person got to his feet, dusting off his robes and turned around.
'I'm really-' he began, then stopped. Lily's mouth also froze open.
She was NOT going to apologize to James Potter.
Instead she got off the ground and ran the last few feet to the door, flung it open and shot James one last glare. That seemed to shake him to his senses, for he sprinted into the dungeon.
'Right on time,' Madame Zinc hissed as the door thudded shut.
Lily sighed. Too bad about that-- it would have been nice to see James get another detention.
He was staring at her, that much she knew. She also knew he wanted to apologize. But there was no way she would just accept it. No, he had to make it good.
Madame Zinc was explaining their detention. They would be cutting up and bottling potion ingredients. Sounded thrilling.
'I will be back in a few hours to release you,' Zinc concluded with a menacing glare. She swept imperiously from the dungeon.
Lily mentally cursed her for not forbidding them from talking. She carefully avoided James' eyes as she glanced down at the mound of plants in front of her. She picked up the knife and sat down, still not saying a word. She was not going to make this at all easy for him. Hah.
'Lily--' he tried.
'I have a knife, James, so shut up,'
'Lily, I'm--'
'And I'm not joking James,'
'Lily, I'm real--'
'James!' she growled.
'REALLY REALLY REALLY SORRY SO SHUT UP AND LET ME APOLOGIZE!' he exploded.
'I DIDN'T ASK FOR AN APOLOGY FROM YOU! I DON'T EVEN WANT ONE!'
'YES YOU DO!'
'WHAT? WHY WOULD I WANT THAT?'
'Er--' James turned red. He hadn't meant to say something like that. 'Because!' he cried. Lily rolled her eyes.
'I still have a knife, James, so leave me alone,'
'Lily?'
'WHAT?'
'When I say sorry, I mean sorry in the sorriest of ways,'
Lily turned to face him, but he was giving her puppy dog eyes, and she was shocked. 'James!'
'What?'
'Just... stop!'
'Why?'
'Because you're.... annoying... that's why!'
'You're not really mad are you?'
Lily thew the knife onto the table and buried her head in her arms. 'Why me?' she moaned. James cautiously came closer, very wary of just how close that knife hilt was to her fingers...
He crouched beside her. 'You aren't really mad at me,'
'What?' He had surprised her into facing him. Her first instinct was to recoil at the nearness of his face to hers, but she refused to back away from him... 'What makes you say that?'
'You called me James,'
And everything went reeling inside her head. They had shouted at each other, yes, but- but- he had called her Lily, and she had called him James...
'Fine. Apology accepted. Now get to work,' she snapped.
'Yes Ma'am,'
She turned to glare at him but he was already turned away. She wanted to burst into tears. He had been so close... he was so beautiful... so wonderful... she wanted to be with him more than anything, and she couldn't. He sent her a simpering smile over his shoulder.
'We're friends!' he announced cheerfully. Lily stared at him.
'What? James, it takes a lot of butterbeer to get someone acting like this, but knowing the Marauders, you guys got fire whiskey somehow, because this is not-'
'I'm not drunk,' James told her, still cheerful.
'Then why are you proclaiming out friendship?'
'Why can't we be friends?'
'This from the boy who attacks me the one time I try to be friendly,' Lily muttered sarcastically, refusing to let him see how much he had hurt her, how much he was still hurting her by dangling in front of her how easy it would be for them to be together...
James winced. 'I really am sorry about that. Can we... move on from there...?'
'Sure. It's forgotten,'
'Really?'
Lily glared at him. James sighed. 'I was afraid it was one of those things,'
'What of what things?'
'Those dangerous, sarcastic, girl-mind games,'
'Uh huh. Well, congratulations, you won the prize. It's one of those things,'
'I hate girls,'
'Now is when you see a counselor,'
'A what?'
'Never mind,'
'Fine,' he muttered grumpily. Then he brightened somewhat. 'Is it, perchance, a good thing?'
'No,'
His face fell again. 'Why I got my hopes up...' he began. Lily almost smiled, but caught herself. He had been a total jerk to her before. She was not going to give in. Instead she raised her eyebrows at him, and turned her attention back to chopping roots. The pile in front of her seemed normal enough, but as soon as they were cut, the roots had a pungent stink.
James, too, had finally begun to cut his plants she noticed. They sat opposite each other. James must have felt her eyes on him, because he glanced quickly up. 'Having fun?'
'Far from it,' Lily told him dryly. James laughed.
Lily didn't bother to tell him that the joke hadn't been for his benefit. He wouldn't have listened to her anyway.
She didn't think that he would, at least. But somehow, she suddenly wasn't so sure. All she was really sure of was that James was, most assuredly, an enigma.