Thanks so much for all the reviews! They make me so happy! I would have got this up sooner, but I went camping and all.... Anyway, it's summer so I have nothing better to do than update.... -sigh-. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review!!!

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. Blah blah. I thought up the plot, but that's about it.

What You Don't Know

Chapter 11

People are not what they seem.

Lily had realized that a long time ago in relation to James. On the surface, he was the height of cool. He was a Marauder, he was brave, funny, fearless, and heartless.

Oh, Lily had been justified in hating him for several years. James did seem to bring it upon himself.

She wasn't entirely sure when she looked deeper.

Maybe when she realized that half the time he was hexing someone, he was doing it to protect someone else. [Yes, she realized that he used to do it just for fun. Boys will be boys. James wasn't perfect. Besides, he had stopped that now.]

Or else when she told herself that James, Sirius, and Peter had to know of Remus' condition. Someone heartless and shallow wouldn't keep a friendship through barriers like that.

She saw the way he laughed.

And when did she realize that he was just as capable of laughing at himself as he was as laughing at others?

And who would have thought that James would ever be able to have such deep thoughts. Certainly he was smart. He never studied and he was top of the class, along with her. [And Sirius, but Lily was never quite sure how that worked. Sirius was yet another enigma.] But he was also... wise?

Lily couldn't help but giggle as she pictured herself. 'Yes, mum, I really do like him. It's just- he's so wise,' It was a rather odd thing to say about somebody.

'What's so funny?' Alice asked, entering their dormitory.

Lily rolled over onto her stomach, propping her head up on her elbow to study her friend. 'You're back late...So, how's Frank today?'

'Frank? I was- studying,'

'Yeah, right. Lying is a sin, mate,'

'So good of you to look after my salvation,'

'It's what I'm here for,' Lily said seriously and now both she and Alice dissolved into giggles.

'Okay, spill: how do you go from so depressed to so happy in one day?'

Lily opened her mouth to answer ['James Potter'] and then realized how absurd that would sound. She closed her mouth. Then opened it. As Alice scooted over to join Lily on her bed, Lily had never felt closer to her friend than now. She knew Alice could keep a secret. Suddenly she wanted to tell.

Nothing came out.

This whole admittance thing was quite difficult, wasn't it?

Lily tried a new tactic: 'You're awfully happy, too, eh?'

Alice sighed contentedly. 'Frank is so great, Lily. And I have my best friend back! Now, out with it: whose the lucky guy?'

'What?'

'Come on, Lily! The only explanation for your undeniable, sudden cheerfulness, has got to be guy-related. So, come on- who do you like?'

'Hate that girl instinct thing,' Lily muttered, rolling away from Alice, who was now giggling insanely, and bouncing up and down.

'Tell, tell, tell!' she commanded.

'Jammmphhmmpffpf...' Lily told her pillow.

'I can't hear you,' Alice practically sang. Lily groaned.

'Oh, you're obnoxious,'

'It's usually you! Now you've admitted you like someone-- out with it! Tell all! Who is it?' Her blue eyes were dancing.

'Potter...' Lily said so softly she wasn't sure that she had said it or just mouthed it.

'Who?'

'Potter... Potter...'

Alice shrieked, something Lily had been expecting, but the manner of her shriek- happy, delighted, excited, took her rather aback. 'I knew it! I knew it! You're in love with Jamelsreeee-'

Lily clamped her hand over Alice's mouth. 'Shut it,' she hissed.

Alice nodded.

'Good. You're quite loud when you want to be,'

'I KNOW- but I can't help it!' Alice was squealing and bouncing up and down. 'That is just so wonderfully, amazingly perfect!'

'What? Why?'

'Because! I mean, Frank and I have thought for ages you two are meant for each other,'

'Right. That's why he hates me,'

Alice waved her hand. 'He hates you about as much as you hate him,'

Lily snorted. 'Doubtful,'

'... But true nonetheless,'

'That implies that he likes me, which he doesn't, because he likes someone else,'

Alice raised her eyebrows. 'Who?'

'I don't know,' Lily admitted.

'Good. Perfect. Oh, yay, this is so exciting!'

'Not really,'

'Sure it is! You've proved the whole love at first sight thing,'

'What? Look, Alice, you're slightly off your rocker... I've hated James...'

'When did you stop hating him?'

'Well. I never really hated him. Not like we all do Bellatrix or those people. It was more like......'

'Love spats?'

Lily whacked her friend. 'No. But he did manage to get on my nerves like you can't believe. But then in fourth year, I realized that I... didn't hate him... At all,'

Alice gaped at her. Are you telling me that you have had a crush on James Potter since at least fourth year?'

'Er...'

'You dork! And you never told us?'

'Er...'

'This is serious!'

Lily stared at her friend for a moment, and then they both began to laugh. 'So, why did you guys start to hate each other in the first place?'

Lily was silent for a moment. 'Oh, I don't know. Stupid reasons. We were eleven, after all,'

'It's funny to think that we were ever that scrawny,'

Lily nodded. 'Tell me about it,'

'So, does this explain James' interest in you?'

'What do you mean?'

'Hello! He's practically stalked you for the past two weeks, and then today you guys went on a walk together! A walk! You should have heard the common room! They thought that you two were either drunk, under the imperious curse, or otherwise tampered with.'

Lily smiled. 'He practically stalked me?'

'He barely spent any time at all with his friends. Just ran off to the library every free moment,'

Lily blushed. 'Oh yeah. Well, he is sweet,'

Alice clutched a pillow. 'Right. Girl talk time,'

'No. Let's talk about Hestia,'

Alice sighed. 'I don't know what to do,'

'Me either,'

'Oh, wait- yes I do,'

'Really? What?' Lily asked, leaning forward.

'Ask James!' Alice giggled.

Lily whacked her with a pillow. 'I have a better idea,'

'Which is...?'

'Well, Hestia is nice. She's very sweet and serious. She's also rather pretty,'

'Yes, I know. I'm not usually friends with losers,' Alice said. Her friend was much giddier than usual.

'I'll take that as a compliment. My point, however, was that we should find some sweet young man who agrees to take Hestia out. Then have a heart-to-heart girl talk with her and convince her that Malfoy is a creep,'

'Should we tell her what he's doing?'

Lily frowned. 'I don't know. Hestia doesn't like being kept in the dark, but she's being so different, I just don't know what to do. She's not herself anymore,'

'You could say that again,' Alice agreed.

'She's not herself anymore--'

'I was kidding,'

'Oh,'

---

'No, I don't think I will,' James said, smirking at his friend.

Sirius had yet to find someone willing to undo the silencing spell that Lily had placed upon him earlier that day. The quiet was just too nice.

Remus pretended that he didn't know what was the matter, but James merely laughed.

'She is quite good at spells like that, eh?'

Sirius looked as though the lack of being able to joke and tease his friend was killing him. His eyes bugged out and his mouth moved rapidly. James laughed again.

Finally, Sirius grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment and scribbled furiously: 'UNDO THIS CURSE!'

He thrust it at Remus.

Remus read it, glanced up at Sirius, and asked mildly, 'What curse, Padfoot?'

Sirius turned rather purple.

The dormitory opened and Peter and Frank entered, chatting amiably.

'Alice is a sweet girl,' Peter was saying.

'She sure is. I really like her,' Frank agreed. 'Hey guys,'

'Hello,' James said, going back to his Qudditch Weekly magazine.

Remus nodded his head. Sirius turned a very interesting shade of green.

'Whoa, mate, did you consume too much butterbeer?' Peter asked worriedly.

Sirius thrust the parchment at him.

'What curse?' Peter asked, confused.

'I CAN'T TALK, YOU IDIOT,' Sirius scrawled, pushing the quill down so hard that the nib snapped off.

'Can't talk? Why not?'

Frank grinned. 'Lily sure can make one heck of a silencing spell, eh, Sirius?' James and Remus both snorted. 'Speaking of Lily... You took her on a walk,'

'Er. So I did,'

Sirius looked pained.

'I thought you hated her,' Frank pressed.

Remus looked up. 'Far from it, mate,'

'What?' Peter said. 'Far from it?'

'It means Prongs here doesn't hate Lily,' Remus explained.

'Oh. Wait, yes he does,'

Frank grinned widely. 'No, he doesn't,'

'What?'

'You don't take people that you hate on walks,'

'All right, all right, I don't hate her,'

Remus looked delighted. 'Since when?'

'Since... Oh, third year,'

Sirius keeled over.

Frank and Peter's mouths dropped open.

'That... That's a long time, mate,' Remus said, eyebrows raised. 'What's with all the fighting then?'

'Well, she hates me,'

'No, she doesn't,' Frank said, catching up with the conversation.

'What do you mean?' James asked.

'You don't go on walks with people you hate,' Frank pointed out, smirking. Remus and Peter laughed.

But it was true, James realized. Which meant that Lily didn't hate him. He suddenly felt like singing. Instead, he did something rather stupid. In a burst of happiness, he took away Sirius' silencing spell.

As soon as he did it, he wished that he hadn't.

'YOU LOVE LILY!' Sirius burst out.

Even Remus looked horrified. 'Padfoot, mate, don't say that,'

'Why not? James loves Lily, James loves Lily, James loves-'

'Because if you do, we'll put another silencing spell on you,' James said, quite annoyed.

'Oh. Fine.'

James went back to his magazine.

'Can I at least whisper it, then?'

---

Okay, well, Chapter 11 is finished! Sorry that it's not too long. And then next one might even have some... Lily and James interaction. Hehe. Finally. I hope the format worked. I'll try to fix it if it didn't. All righty then.... Please review!!!