Authors Note: Okay, so another really long chapter, but what can you do right? Anyway this one used to be separated into i think 4 seperate chapters so that i could leave people in a lot of suspense I guess...anyway now it justall happens and ends at once. If I have any new readers reading this for the first time, tell me if you think that the having long chapters is better or worse, because I dunno if you like for things to resolve nicely or for cliff hangers...even tho the story is completed. I dunno, i think both r kinda nice in their own way- it's what youall think that matters tho, so review and let me know!

Chapter 2
A Betrayal and A Letter

The week was not even over and already Lily was stressed to the breaking point. The classes had been more challenging than she had ever imagined, the end of tomorrow and the weekend seemed like ages away. When people said that fifth year was the hardest, she thought they were only saying that to frighten her, but her teachers were already piling them with a heavier workload than ever. In divination she had been told by her teacher that one close to her would betray her soon, and Lily could not stop thinking about James. She worked with her friends during herbology, but had looked up every second to gaze at him, working across the room with Sirius and Lupin. Peter was nowhere to be found during that class. She had avoided speaking to James all week, and so far had managed to avoid all contact. She had, in fact, attempted to avoid even thinking about his name, but had not, so far, succeeded. They had not spoken since potions, and Lily was so confused that she did not want to talk to him, in case her emotions ran away with her during her brains temporary absence. It seemed to be going AWAL more and more recently.

Lily, sitting in the common room, was surrounded by books, graphs, charts, and wet essays covered in her small, slanted handwriting. She had written two out of five of her essays, and although they were not due for a week she wanted to get a jump start.

Holly walked over and plopped down on the chair next to her.

"I'm so bored, I can't buckle down and do any work. What should I do?" Holly asked.

"Leave, regardless of whether or not you are capable of focusing, I need to, so scat." Lily laughed, although she was serious.

"All right," huffed Holly, walking away, "you're such a sour puss, lighten up will you?"

"I'll try, as soon as I finish this diagram about the life cycle of flubber schnocts, and my essay about how to get rid of mulching garboles, a chart of what the sky looked like on the exact moment I was born, and three more essays, I will be sure to lighten up." Lily realized that she was shouting, and the room had gone completely silent. Everyone was staring at her. "I'm sorry Holly, I didn't mean to explode at you, there is just so much stress." At that she left to post a letter to her mother, asking the exact time she was born.

XXX
Severus gritted his teeth. He had to do it. There was no other option. If he wanted to get Lily back, then there was not other choice. He had called up a favor from a girl in his house. She had agreed, and was willing to participate without telling anyone, he had made her a potion to get rid of some terrible acne, and she owed him. He was on his way to mail a letter to James Potter, addressed and written by his accomplis. It was from his mother, or so he would think. Rebecca had been more than willing to be the subject of the letter, the daughter of Mr. Potter's boss. His mother wanted James to introduce her to people, and be kind to her. They were to go around together whenever possible. Lily would be crushed. As much as Severus loved Lily and hated to see her hurt, if he ever wanted to be with her, he needed to get James out of the picture. Severus could not compete with James Potter, he was good looking and cocky and girls loved him. What was Severus when measured against that?
He smiled as he ran down the corridors. Lily was as good as his, he thought as he ran up the stairs to the owlry. Just as he opened the door James Potter himself came out, holding Lily in his arms. What had happened to her? Was she all right? What had he done to her? Snape knew he must act fast, he ran into the owlry and tied his letter to the leg of a beautiful golden and brown owl. He then rushed out into the hall, but realized that he had no idea where James had taken Lily. He slunked back to the Slytherin common room, dejected. But it would all be over soon, and he would no longer feel dejected anymore.
XXX
Previously…
Lily was trying to coax an owl down from the rafters when the door behind her opened. Ignoring it, she went on trying to tempt the owl. Looking up at it with her big green eyes, she made noises in her throat to convince the owl to come to her. When nothing happened, she tossed her hair and pouted.

"Use mine," said a familiar voice in her ear. Muscular arms came around her holding an owl. It was brown, with traces of gold in its feathers. Lily gasped with a combination of awe over the beauty of the owl and the shock of someone coming behind her, startling her, and engulfing her in their embrace. She turned around slightly, not moving her body, to see who it was.
She had just enough time to see that James Potter was standing over her, offering his owl and smiling so charmingly that any girl would fall for him, when she did fall. Literally. Just before passing out she felt herself being lifted into strong, comfortable arms.

A few hours later she woke up to the sounds of shrieking girls and saw the face of James. Why was he everywhere she went? Was there nowhere she could go to escape him?

"Lily? Lily? Can you hear me? Are you all right?" His voice sounded like it was coming from the far end of a football field. She shook her head, then nodded it, then looked into his eyes.

"She's okay guys, you can stop freaking out now." James said from that far end of the football field, addressing people who Lily could not hear. But after a moment she could hear them, loud and clearly. Emphasis on the loud. There was some yelling mixed in with the 'Oh my goodness'-ing.

"How did you guys get here? How did you know I was hurt?" Lily asked, thoroughly confused and with and aching head.

"Sorry, I went and got them. I didn't like to leave you in case you woke up, but I thought you would want them here." James looked rather sheepish, as if he was a little boy and had just been caught taking cookies before dinner.

"Thank you. But how did I get here? Where am I? What happened? How did you get up to the girls dormitory? Are you really a girl?" Lily asked him, thoroughly confused and hoping that he wasn't really a girl.

"haha, no I just stood there screaming that you had been hurt and in all of two seconds they were down the stair badgering me with questions. I carried you here, and this is the hospital wing. You fainted. It must be exhaustion, have you been sleeping at all?"

"Yes, of course," Lily told him. She had been sleeping. Just not very much. "Thank you for carrying me here, I'm really sorry for doing that to you. It's good that you were there, otherwise I would have been up there forever, until I rotted away to nothing."

"Yeah, Lily, we need to talk. That's why I came to find you, but maybe now isn't the best time?" He looked around at her friends, then at her lying in the hospital bed. Lily was saved a response by the bustling Madame Pomfrey.

"Out, all of you. Lily needs rest." She declared, shooing them out of the hospital wing.

"I'll sleep here, I don't mind. I want to make sure she's all right." James gallantly offered.

"You might not mind, but I do, now out. Lily is under a lot of stress, I am giving her a potion now and then I will be having several words with her teaches. Honestly, students passing out in the first week. During exams, that I've had, but this is ridiculous." Madam Pomfrey said darkly.

"What is in the potion? Is it going to kill her or anything?" James asked doubtfully.

"Would I be likely to poison a student. You are a little over protective aren't you? It is going to cause her to have a dreamless sleep so that she will not have nightmares about essays following them and telling them to write more or some such nonsense. Now get out." They all left. Lily smiled a little to herself at James's over-protectiveness. It was sweet of him to be worried. The 'we need to talk' was very cryptic, however, and made her more than a little nervous. Why was he being so strange all of a sudden? I mean, they were not even friends until the week before. They still weren't really. She had caught him staring at her during classes occasionally, but he had never really said more than two words to her since the second year. Before that he never left her alone.

"Thank you Madame Pomfrey," Lily said accepting the potion. She swallowed it in one mouthful, cringing a little as she got shivers up and down her spine. She quickly fell into a dreamless sleep. Halfway through the night the potion must have worn out, because she had a very strange dream.

XXX
She was walking down a corridor, holding hands with James. They were gazing at each other and laughing at a joke he had just told when he stopped laughing and started looking past her. Confused, she turned around. Standing there was a tall girl with dark brown hair that stretched as long as Lily's. James dropped her hand and went over to the girl. He grabbed her hair and whispered 'your hair is so shiny, is it as soft as it looks?' she giggled and they stepped around a corner and started making out.

Snape was watching from the end of the hall, his arms held out to her. She started towards him, but the expression on his face was now one of triumph as he looked at James and the unidentified girl. He looked evil, standing in the glow of the hall torches, cackling at the sight before him. Lily spun in circles, not knowing what to do. Her heart was breaking over James. She looked back at
Snape who was running towards her and suddenly the only thing that mattered was getting away from him. She ran, but everywhere she turned he was there. The dream played out several times. Every time she tried something different, first trying to keep James from seeing the girl, then starting to run before James even saw the girl. No matter what she did, Snape appeared, cackling and smiling in triumph.
XXX

When Lily woke up the next morning she was confused and panting. She asked Madame Pomfrey if she could go to classes.

"Only if you think you can darling. I would suggest taking the day off, rest, get some fresh air, do some homework, anything, but if you want to go to classes, it is your decision. How did you sleep?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I think I will take the day off, if that's okay, and I had a very disconcerting dream, but I'm fine. I feel much better." Lily went down to the breakfast hall and sat down between Alice and Sirius, James was nowhere to be seen.
"How goes everything with you? I heard you passed out doll face? What was that about?" Sirius said, playfully tugging her messy curls.

"I passed out." Lily said shortly, not really caring for his tone or his hand in her hair. She jerked her head away. Sirius was highly aggravating, and yet in an oddly flattering and amusing way. Only he could pull that off.

"Care to elaborate?" He asked, his hands now settled demurely in his lap.

"Stress. Maybe. I don't know. Pass the pancakes. Where is James? Get your filthy paws off of me you pervert." While Lily had been talking Sirius had started moving his hand down her neck and rubbing her back. 'So much for demure,' Lily thought cynically.

"Calm down, I thought girls liked it when guys asked them what was wrong. And I was so not being perverted, I only touched your back, and can you blame me, those pajamas look so good on you, and your bunny slippers, they just turn me on, what can I do? Oh and my boy is over at the Slytherin table. He left right after the mail came, I don't know what's up." Sirius told her, smiling widely and innocently.

"Oh." Lily was slightly disappointed, she had been hoping to see him and arrange to meet him later. She scanned the crowd for him and saw him chatting up a girl whose back was towards her. Suddenly the girl turned around.

"What's wrong Lils?" Alice patted the side of her face, sounding concerned.

"What happened? You look like you saw a ghost, no offense Nick." Alice waved down to the ghost sitting several seats down the table who was entertaining several first years with his tale of how he was murdered. He seemed in very good spirits today.

"That girl," muttered Lily in a quiet enough voice so that no one else would hear. Fortunately Sirius was occupied in pouring pepper into Peter's drink. "I had a dream about her, she was in it."

"What girl? You aren't making sense darling, what dream?" Alice asked.

"The one who James is talking to, in my dream, I'll tell it all to you later, but it ends with them hooking up." Lily told her sourly.

"I thought you weren't supposed to have dreams, didn't Madame Pomfrey give you drugs or something?" Alice asked.

"They didn't work, I told you, that's her. They were making out. Oh my god!" Lily said, looking over to James and the mystery girl again and looking horrified.

"What?" Alice demanded, looking around for a fire or some sort of disaster.
"They are totally flirting, do you see them? His hand is on her leg, and it is totally above the knee. Why, what is she doing? She's scooting closer to him!" Lily said, looking closely at the two.

"How can she? She's already practically on his lap." Alice sounded outraged. By this point they were speaking loud enough for the people around them to hear, although Sirius appeared to be oblivious.

"Well," said Holly, "you guys aren't dating, are you, and until you are he can flirt with whoever he wants. Unless you agreed to be seeing each other exclusively? Did he ask you out?" Holly asked, sounding interested.

"No he did not, but I bloody well thought he might. I don't know why I'mso upset over this. It's stupid. You're right, we weren't dating. We haven't done anything but talk. You'd think that he would realize he shouldn't have some other girl on his lap!" Lily said, still outraged.

"Hey babe, if you want to make him jealous, I'll make out with you, or you can sit on me...?" Sirius sounded hopeful.

"You are a terrible friend." Lily informed him, looking at him stormily.

"You're mad at him, remember? Be on my side for once, and if I happen to get a noncommittal hook up in the process, who am I to complain?" Lily turned around and did not even grace him with a response, Alice however told him to shove several things in very profane language. She also mentioned that Sirius never in his life had committed to anything, so therefore all of his hookups were noncommittal. He admitted that she had a point.

"Girls, I'm not going to classes today, Madame Pomfrey told me I didn't have to, so I'll be out under the Chestnut tree catching the last sunlight of this year. Come out at lunch, or after classes, whatever. We can do work." Lily suggested, standing from the bench and looking darkly at James, not knowing why it bothered her that she was not the only girl he was flirting with.

"Oh, yipee. I can hardly wait!" Holly rolled her eyes in accompaniment to this sarcastic statement. "Exactly what I want to do, spend all day in classes and then go do homework. Why can't we have some fun?"

"Because then we will be doing homework all day Saturday. Is that what you want to do? Pick my work up for me will you, and don't say anything about my dream to James, okay Alice?" Lily asked.

"What dream," Holly called over her shoulder as they were herded out of the hall with the rest of the crowd.

"Alice will explain, gotta go, see you guys later." Lily was cut off by the bell. She was left sitting alone in what had, moments before, been a bustling crowded noisy room. She looked up at the ceiling to find that the sun was already bright, betokening a warm day for comfortable studies on the lawn.
After going upstairs and changing into low rise worn in jeans and a hot pink tee shirt with black edges, she slipped on her pink flip flops and went outside slinging her back pack over her shoulder. Her friends had apparently gathered her things up for her the night before, and everything she needed was there. When she got onto the lawn she chose a place in the semi shade and conjured a flat surface to write on. She first read through her essays from the night before, correcting and editing, she then completed her diagram on the life cycle of flubber schnocts. By the time she had done that and completed half of an essay for Professor Ewing, the girls had come to join her for lunch.

"Oh joy, I haven't even finished yesterday's workload and here you guys come with more. Did you grab food for me or no?" Lily asked.

"Sorry, I forgot," said Caroline, sounding sincerely upset.

"No problem, make yourselves comfortable, feel free to move my stuff, I'll run grab some food, anyone need anything? No Caroline, don't get up, I am capable of walking to the castle for food thank you." Lily made her way to the castle. She felt out of place in the dining hall. Everyone was wearing black robes except for her. She had a sudden urge to pull her shirt down and hide the inch of exposed midriff. As she walked over to the table Sirius whistled.

"Hey, aren't you hot, where have you been hiding those curves? Baggy robes do not do you justice." Lily walked over to him, grinning despite of herself. She leaned in next to him to grab some food.

"All right, enough. Get me the potatoes and sandwich stuff." Lily said, a smile tugging the edges of her mouth in spite of herself.

"No meat?" Sirius asked, curious.

"I'm a vegetarian and have been since two summers ago when I saw the meat being made. If you can't watch the animals be killed, don't eat them. Where is James?" Lily told him, looking around the hall. Usually James sat with Sirius, Peter and Remus all the time.

"That philosophy would kill me, but to each his own. Why so much interest in Jamesie? I believe he went off to the library with a mysterious stranger with long legs, as I couldn't help but notice. He's been with her all day." Noticing the expression on Lily's face he said, "but she has nothing on you, your hair is much nicer." He snickered and elbowed Peter. When Peter started laughing Sirius gave him a look of disgust and turned back to Lily. "Jealous?"

"Of course not, he can hang out with whoever he wants, and stop trying to touch me, I see your hand. Just give me my food and leave me alone." Sirius laughed, throwing his head back.

"Just my little joke, Lily. I don't mean to make you so mad. I promise, I will keep my hands to myself." Sirius told her, placing his hand over his heart.

"Well, you do make me mad." Lily told him, scowling with all her energy.

"Woah, touchy, my offer still stands by the way." Lily went back out to the grounds and plopped down on the ground, conjuring a pillow underneath her as she fell. Her friends looked at her in wonderment.

"I never knew you were that good, or do you get better when you're angry?" Janette asked her.

"Good at what?" Lily was genuinely perplexed, was her nose red? Was she making a weird facial expression?

"Magic silly," replied Alice and Janette together. You just conjured a pillow while falling through the air, I can't do that." Alice told her, smiling.

"I've always been able to do that, ever since we learned the conjuring spell, and yes, I am mad. That louse James Potter." She responded all of their unanswered questions. "Sirius just told me that he's been going around all day with that girl. Who is she? What do you know about her. I want to know everything by the end of today, okay? Who the hell does he think she is? He better not talk to me again. Ever. He is going to get it. I have never seriously hurt anyone, but with god as my witness I will hex him into a million pieces. The nerve of him! Maybe that's what he meant when he said we need to talk.

Maybe he's been dating this girl forever and I was just someone he flirted with as a once off. I can't believe him!" Lily said, waving her arms and pounding one of the pillows she had conjured in her irritation.

"Maybe you're blowing this out of proportion. I'll talk to you later. Try to get some work done and we'll see you after classes end okay? Promise me you wont hunt her down and kill her in the mean time?" Janette requested, looking suspicious.

"Of course I wont. I promise." Lily gave Janette an exasperated look. "Stop mommying me Jan, you know I hate it."

"But you know I love to, I'm everyone's universal mother while we are away from home, so get used to it. Get some rest." Janette told her, grinning at her irritation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and stay warm, button up, don't do drugs, no fire whiskey until I'm 18, whatever. I get it thanks." Lily said, looking back at her essay.

XXX
Snape had decided not to go to his afternoon classes that day. He walked across the lawn to where Lily was sitting and watched from a distance as her friends departed. Now was his chance. He needed to do it now.
Okay. Deep breaths.
XXX

Lily looked up and saw that the shadow on her papers belonged to Severus.

"Hullo, why aren't you in classes?" He asked conversationally. "I needed to talk to you. I've seen you and James around. Are you two together?" He demanded, skipping straight to the point. He knew she had probably noticed James and the other girl around together by now. She was bound to be mad.

"Not anymore, he is, apparently, seeing someone else." Lily told him coldly. She had no interest in discussing this with Severus of all people. Besides, she shouldn't care! James and her were nothing, nothing at all. They were not even friends.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Does that mean you'll take me back?" Severus asked her eagerly, expecting her to say yes with every fiber of his being.

"Severus, I didn't break up with you because of James, I didn't even like him then." this was not entirely true, but he does not have to know that, it would only hurt his feelings. "I broke up with you because things weren't going anywhere, I felt like out relationship wasn't working out, so I thought it would be a good idea to take a break." Lily explained to him, as patiently as she possibly could.

"But James is with someone else." Severus said again, trying to understand this information.

"I know Severus. That does not mean I want to be with you though." Lily told him reasonably.

"Yes you do. You do. You have to. Why not? What did I do? He doesn't want you, I do." At this point Severus was freaking out and on the verge of tears. Lily opened her mouth to respond, but he had started babbling again. "You have to date me. You need to. You need to." He kept on repeating this over and over again. Lily was panicking. She did not know what to do. She did not wasn't to hurt his feelings, but he was scaring her.

"Get away from me Severus." He had started walking towards her, just like he had in her dream, with his hands outstretched. The only differences were that he had been smiling then, and now he was crying. Also, she had her wand. Raising it in her hand she pointed it at him. "I warn you Severus, I'm a much better witch than you are, I could hex you silly now. Get away." Severus turned and ran away.

Shaking a little, Lily turned back to her essay. For the rest of the afternoon she worked steadily, stopping only once to shift to a shadier part of the tree. She finished all of her homework, and got a good dent into her new assignments for today. She was just starting to get a headache when she heard the final bell. She hoped that her friends would be as tired with studies as she was. When she saw them approaching her from the castle she started putting away her work.

She ran to greet them saying, "I feel like me head will explode if I do more work. Lets savor the sunlight. Don't even tell me how much homework I have. I refuse to worry about it until tomorrow." Lily told htem.

"I second that." Agreed Holly and Alice.

"Me two." Said both Jannette and Caroline.

"Let's go to the lake and put our feet in. Soon it will be too cold to even come outside, let alone soak out feet in the lake." Lily suggested. They ran, giggling across the lawn just as four boys walked out of the castle.

The girls sat by the lake, laughing, gossiping, sharing information about the mysterious girl who James had spent so much time with, and listening to Lily tell about her confrontation with Severus.

"Look over there," said Holly, pointing obviously to Sirius and James.
"Look at him, Quiddich season hasn't even started and he already plays with that stupid snitch. And look at him messing with his hair. How cocky do you get?" Lily sounded very jealous and bitter, but her friends said nothing.

"Yeah, what a bastard." Caroline said, much louder than she normally would have.

"What the hell are those two doing?" Lily shielded her eyes and peered at Sirius and James, they appeared to be attacking a smaller boy with long, greasy hair.

"Oh my god, that's Severus! I need to go stop them. He's a terrible dueler, he's going to be killed, James and Sirius are the best in the year, after me of course." Lily said, laughing as she knew it was not true. She was good with book work, but when it came to dueling she was nothing special, whereas James and Sirius were quick at thinking of the spells they could use. James was incredible at defense, everyone knew that. And offense too. Should be with all the practice he had attacking people Lily thought angrily.

Lily ran across the lawn towards the boys. When she arrived, Severus was frozen in the air, his wand several feet away. James was washing his mouth out with pink foaming bubbles.

"Leave him alone James. Stop being such a bully!" James turned around to look at her and said something that made everyone laugh. Severus reached his wand and pointed it at James. A long cut appeared on his face. Lily turned to Snape, disgust in her eyes. James pointed his wand at Sirius, turning him upside down and revealing his underpants.

"Stop it, both of you, you're acting like two year olds. James, you'd better leave him alone." She pulled out her wand and pointed it at him and Sirius. James looked nervous.

"Don't make me hex you Lily." James said, shifting.

"Hah, I'd like to see you try, take the curse off of him. NOW!" James flipped Snape right side up.

"You were lucky that Lily was here Snivelous." James told him, spitting and little at his feet.

"I don't need a filthy mudblood to fight my battles. Stay out of it and mind your own business for once." Severus yelled angrily, seething at Lily. The crowd was still laughing at him.

"Don't you dare speak that way to her." James turned around. Lily looked like she had been slapped. She turned around and ran away, not looking back.

"Sirius, get him for me." He ran away, looking back once to hear Sirius say

"who wants to see what's under Snape's underpants?" Everyone was laughing again. James ran, he was faster than Lily and soon caught up with her. They had reached the outskirts of the forest and there were trees all around them. Lily looked at him and tried to run past. He blocked her and grabbed her, pulling her towards him. She started hitting him, beating her fists into his powerful chest. He held her until she had stopped hitting him and her tears had subsided.

"What's wrong? Why are you mad at me?" James asked, gripping her tightly so that she would not run away. She was crying now and did not look as if she had the strength to run, but you never knew.

"Are you kidding? Are you screwing with my mind?" He looked around and pulled her down next to him on a dried out log. "You were seeing another girl that whole time. And you led me on."

"What other girl. There is no other girl. I only like you. Lily, I've had a crush on you since the first year, do you really think I would blow it on some other girl?" James asked her incredulously.

"Obviously. You've been with her all day. Breakfast, lunch, Sirius said you were with the unidentified long legged beauty at every opportunity." Lily said resentfully, looking away with embarrassment. She hated that she was so jealous.

"I got a letter this morning telling me to hang out with her because she was my dads boss's daughter. Turns out Snape told her to write it. She didn't even know who my dad was and had never heard of his business. That's why I was beating on him."

"Snape told her to write a letter to you, saying that she was your dads boss's daughter and you needed to hang out with her? Why? How did you find out?" Lily asked, shocked at Severus's behavior.

"I saw her handwriting. It matched the note. Not to mention she had never heard of the company. I figured it out in the morning and spent the rest of the day getting the whole story. Were you jealous? Does that mean Lily Evans is not, in fact, perfect? Is the elite Lily who has constantly called me a cocky bastard and refused to associate with me for five years actually has feelings for me? I'm speechless." James said, sounding happy.

"For someone who is speechless you sure talk a lot. Shut up and kiss me." She said, smiling with pleasure. He lifted her up onto his lap and kissed her. It felt so natural, being with him. His strong arms fit so gently, yet firmly, around her waist. His lips were the perfect size and they were so warm and soft. She would have happily stayed in his arms forever, just being held by him made her forget her mountains of work, the pressure of OWL's, and Snape, first loving her, then hating her. She closed her eyes and felt the kiss deepening. He was pulling her close to him. She ran her fingers up his spine, feeling him tense his muscles. She smiled, opening her mouth under pressure from him. She let her tongue roam freely in his mouth. She almost moaned with pleasure. James Potter sure knew what he was doing.

Authors Note: Hey, so I hope you all enjoyed that fluff. Lily and Jame's first kiss, how sweet, how romantic...now review.