I'm terribly sorry to everyone who was dying for me to update, I've been absolutely overloaded with work, but I'm just about finished now! (Thank GOD!)

Thanks to everyone who updated, I'll try and do separate thank-yous at the end of the chappie so I'm not in debt or anything.

The holidays are in a few days (I'm so happy!) so hopefully I'll manage to finish the story in those two weeks!

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Lily

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I walked down the stairs the next morning, in my grey sweatshirt and rattiest jeans. I had had the biggest crush on James Potter just a few days ago. Now, as I watched him sleep on our couch with his hair flopping over his eyes, he couldn't have appealed to me more than a mosquito. No other guy could be more disgusting and obnoxious and... hot.

I shook my head to get rid of that thought, and spotted something on the fireplace. A small jar rested on the mantelpiece, full of something white. It had obviously been previously hidden behind the family portrait resting there, but it was sticking out a bit.

I grabbed the jar and opened it, sniffing the powder. It smelled like... ashes. Yep, it was definitely Floo powder. Once, my friend Amelia had showed me how it worked in the second year. But what was Floo powder doing in our house?

Then I remembered Grandma, and how she sometimes travelled to her friend's places by fireplace- although she did hate it when soot got into her hair, and she disliked the way Floo travel made you so dizzy. She often said it was bad for her old head.

So I ignored the Floo powder and walked straight past James, into the kitchen.

Grandma was already at the stove making scrambled eggs, and Fluffalina was sitting in Mum's wooden mixing bowl on the counter... just a slightly unhygienic notion.

"Oh, hello, dear," Grandma said, turning and smiling at me. She pointed at Fluffalina. "Don't you think she looks just adorable? I was getting out all my utensils and she just hopped in, sweet, isn't it?"

"Yea," I said uneasily. "Did you sleep well, Gran?"

"I was alright," Gran replied, turning back to the stove. "But Fluffalina wasn't very happy... my poor Fluffy-kins was so cold in your mother's bedroom, she disappeared around ten and didn't come back until six o'clock this morning. At my house she has her own room with climate control, darling, you know that."

Fluffalina turned to me and growled, as if telling me off for not having climate-control in the house.

"So, dearie," Grandma said, "How much scrambled egg do you want?"

"I'm actually not that hungry," I admitted.

"Oh, come on... breakfast is the most important meal of the day! The ones who eat the most are the smartest!"

Trust James to walk in at that very moment, rumpling his hair so it looked even messier and yawning.

"Jeez, I'm starving..." he spotted the eggs. "Oh yum, are those all for me?"

"Sure are," Gran said happily, and dumped the whole saucepan on his plate.

I glared and Fluffalina growled. I was proud to hear that Gran's poodle didn't like James either... although Fluffy-kins didn't seem to like anyone except Gran.

"Mm," James said, munching on a mouthful of egg. "Oh, this is tasty. See, Lily?" and opened his mouth to show me a whole lot of churned up, squashy egg.

Gross.

I looked away, out the kitchen window to the cloudy day outside. It was the middle of summer, yet the clouds were a dark greyish colour and had gathered around the sun, blocking it out. I had been intending on going back to the pool, WITHOUT JAMES this time, but that was obviously not an option now.

"Well," Gran said cheerily, taking James's plate away from him, "I have to go visit Fiadora Loxins. She's terribly ill, and I knitted her a scarf." Gran gestured to her carpetbag. "I'll be back before five, dearies."

"Are you going by Floo, Gran?" I inquired.

"No," Gran replied, and got out her carpetbag. "Why do you think I bought a transporter?" She opened the carpetbag, and for some weird reason, stood in it. "Don't go outside, loves, it looks as if it might rain." Then, in the space of a few second's time, she knelt down in the carpetbag, said "The Loxins house!" very loudly, and disappeared.

Fluffalina hopped out of the wooden bowl she was sitting in, and trotted out of the room.

"Wow," James said, drinking straight out of the milk carton without getting a glass.

If she had a Transporter, why was the Floo powder on the fireplace?

"Gimme that," I snapped, grabbing the milk carton from him, and put it back in the fridge. "Now, listen here, James."

I looked straight into his gorgeous- no, very normal- hazel eyes, and spoke. "Don't you dare touch me, or talk to me. For the rest of the summer holidays, you're not to come near me. And when we go back to Hogwarts, none of this ever happened."

James just raised one perfect eyebrow at me. "So I'm supposed to tell my mates I spent my summer holidays in France?"

"There's nothing wrong with France," I said scathingly. "I don't understand why your mother didn't just take you there in the first place."

"Because she didn't want me bothering her," James replied. "And mind you, she won't be happy when she finds out your mother ran out on us..."

"SHE DIDN'T RUN OUT!" I shouted. "And if you don't like the way you're being treated, you can just LEAVE!"

Outside, a rumble of thunder sounded. It was far away, but low and ominous.

"I WOULD leave, except my mother TOLD ME to stay put!" James shouted back. It was the first time I'd heard him raise his voice, and I backed away slightly. "You think I wanted to stay here, Lily? You think I wanted to stay in the same house as my biggest crush?"

"Wha-what?" I said, caught off-guard. James... had a crush on me? Before he'd even come to my house?

"Thaaaaaats right, Evans. Remember in our first year? All those cartwheels and water bombing? I was trying to impress you! And then, in the second year, I sent you flowers every Friday."

"I thought they were from Ken!

"No way... Ken's dumber than my last two girlfriends put together!"

"Exactly... if you had such a crush on me, than why did you date other girls?"

"In the third year, I figured out that you didn't like me... so I started dating other girls to make you jealous."

I felt dumbstruck. James Potter... still the most popular guy in school... who'd always liked me.

"Lily, I'm not going to give up on you. I believe in love at first sight, you know, and that first time I saw you on the Hogwarts train you were the most beautiful thing I'd seen on the planet."

As the first fat raindrops started falling outside, I realised something. James was unnaturally hot, and that caused me to feel self-conscious in front of him. But he was also a wonderful human being, and it felt like... I was falling in love, or something.

I did not like that thought.

"I hate you, Potter," I said softly, and was shocked at how cold my voice sounded. "I hate you so much."

That time, I wasn't scared of him. I faced James, and our eyes locked. He looked wounded, but that didn't fool me.

"So... what am I supposed to do about it?" James's normally confident voice was kind of quavery.

"GET OUT, THAT'S WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!" My patience had snapped in half. "I DON'T CARE HOW WET OR COLD IT IS, I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU GO, JUST LEAVE ALREADY!"

James looked torn as he glanced out the window and saw the rain, now falling so thick and fast it looked like sleet. "Lily-"

"LEAVE ME AND MY FAMILY ALONE!" I picked up the nearest thing I could find, a plate which rested on the counter, and chucked it at his feet. It shattered on the hard floor, and some of the china must have cut him because he yelped in pain.

"Alright... Lily... I'm going..." and he literally ran to the kitchen door, the cuts on his legs sporting little streams of blood.

"AND DON'T COME BACK!" I screamed, watching him struggle with the kitchen door to get it open.

Suddenly, a cold voice came from the corner of the room. It pierced my heart just to hear it.

"Oh no... we couldn't have that."

I turned quickly, just in time to see the small light figure of Fluffalina transform- into something much bigger, something much stronger, and something much more deadly than a little poodle.

"Fluff-" James managed to choke out, but his voice died as the Animagus stepped out of the shadows of the kitchen, and faced both of us with a cold, cold smile on her face.

"You can't possibly leave, James. You see-"

Her smile grew even wider, and it sent shivers up my spine as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a wand.

"- the Dark Lord needs you both."

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I'm sorry if that was too short, or if it was too mean a cliffhanger, but I've got some ultra-awesome stuff planned for the next few chapters. Including what Fluffalina's true identity is, and what's going to happen to Lily and James, etc.

Thanks heaps to all my reviewers!

Nina- You spelt sentence wrong. Thanks for reviewing, anyways.

Prettyprincess- I hope to review heaps more now that my school's finishing off third term, so keep your eyes peeled! Aww you're so sweet, you know that?

Lilykins- This is all so confusing, all this non-magic and magic stuff. Maybe Lily's grandmother was muggle-born too? And I didn't make any of Lily's parents wizards... oh well. Never mind... can you just pretend it all makes sense?

True4u- Awww that's the sweetest thing I've ever read! Thanks heaps, and I hope I keep it up... lol.

Veggy-mite- Um... I'll try.

Becky6- Thanks! 

Sunni07- I'm not sure about the getting-sick-through-the-computer thing, but thanks for reviewing!

Egg-n-head- For your information Fluffalina plays a very special part in this! And Nina just laughed at me...

Marauders-Wzrd10- Yea, I liked the jabbing thing too, lol. Although I do feel a little sorry for James!

KLLRS- Hopefully you got a good night's rest and will be able to write something a little longer this time! Lol!

Anonymous- Oh well, that's just the way guys are sometimes.

Tiffani- Good to know you love it, and also good to know you're still laughing.

Shortnsweet9013- I'm sure you'll understand what the title means when you finish the story. But they are poor little things, aren't they? Lol.

Sirius'-muggle13- I'm glad you liked it!

Rumi- I think that's what FanFiction is all about, making your own twists to the story and stuff. I'm sorry if you don't like the way I've done my story... but it can't suit everyone's tastes.

Winky-wink- Ahh I can be such a drama queen!

Wagtail- Good to know you like it!

Moonlizard- It took me awhile to figure out what XD meant, but thanks for your review!

Wow... So many reviews... I'm eternally grateful! Thanks heaps, everyone, and I'm sorry if I forgot anyone! But stick around for the next chapter, and keep smiling!