Chap 2

"James?" Lily yelled. A million things to day flashed through his head, but all he managed to do was to repeat himself.

"Hey Lily".

Suddenly he wasn't the charming stranger she thought he was. Before her eyes he transformed from the mysterious man into just James Potter. His deep brown eyes faded to hazel, his adorably ruffled hair instantly became too messy, the voice that had seemed so mature seemed younger and more average. She was disgusted with herself. She, Lily Evans, had begun to fall for James Potter. Shaking herself out of it she turned back to him.

"YOU KNEW WHO I WAS THE WHOLE TIME?" she shouted. For the first time in his life James had no idea how to answer back. He could lie to her and make it worse or he could tell her the truth…and make it worse. So he shrugged.

"YOU DID KNOW DIDN'T YOU?" Lily put her face in her hands and sank down onto a bench. She had no idea why this was such a big deal, it just was. He sat down next to her and tried to talk to her.

"I knew when I helped you up. No one else has eyes like you Lily," he had intended it to be a compliment but she just became more enraged. Glaring at him one last time, she got up and swept inside. He sighed and put his face in his hands. He had mucked it up. Again. He roared in frustration and threw his mask as far as he could across the gardens.

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"That's was a lovely party wasn't it dear?" her mother asked her on the way home.

Lily didn't think she could stand what her mother would be like; if she told her that she had spent all night with James Potter, so she shrugged. Her mother looked at her concerned, she had thought that Lily would be more excited about it, after all she had spent weeks talking about it before and now she would not say anything about it.

"I guess I'm just tired," Lily said in reply to her mother's questioning look. The rest of the journey home was silent. Her father drove, her mother had given up starting a conversation and Lily just stared out of the window, thinking of her mysterious partner. He had seemed so different, but underneath the mask he was James. Just James.

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"Petunia I'm tired. Leave me alone,"

"Get yourself a loser?"

"Did you just hear me?"

"Did you?" Petunia persisted

"Not exactly" Lily replied, trying to shut the door on her sister.

"That's not an answer, did you dance with anyone?"

"Yes,"

"Who?"

"Since when do you know or care about any 'freaks?'" Lily asked. "It was no one."

Now goodnight!"

"You're embarrassed," Lily shook her head. "Yes you are, why? Who was it?" Seeing Lily blush, something clicked in Petunia's mind.

"It was that boy you hate!" Lily looked up at her so fast Petunia knew she was right.

"Oh! Does Mum know? I bet you'd hate for her to find out!

"Yes she does know," she replied defiantly.

"Really? Then it's okay if I go and talk to her now?"

Lily did not know what to do. She could let her sister find their mother who would tell everyone or she could stop her and give Petunia the satisfaction of knowing she was right. However Petunia saved her the decision by yelling down the stairs:

"Mum! You'll never guess who Lily danced with!" Suddenly she appeared at the bottom.

"Lily? You told me you didn't dance with anyone," Petunia turned a malicious glint in her eye and mouthed: 'shall I?' Lily shook her head fiercely.

"That boy she hates!" She shouted then smiled sickly sweet back at Lily.

"Bitch!" hissed Lily, knowing that she was going to get pelted with questions by her mum who would then looked triumphant and say 'See? He's not as bad as you thought he was, I told you he was a nice boy"

"You danced with James, Lily?"

Still scowling at Petunia Lily shouted,

"No. She's making it up,"

Their mum sighed. She had just been deprived of an excellent piece of gossip to share with her friends. That her daughter was going out with the son from one of the most important and richest families in the wizarding world.

"Petunia, stop winding up your sister!"

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Lily was awoken from a very strange dream by a tapping on her window. Stumbling, she let it in without a second thought. She didn't recognise it, but she took of the message and began to read:

Lily,

I'm sorry. For everything. I swear I'll make it up to you. When are you going to London? Can we meet?

Yours

James

The scrawled writing was so familiar to her that she did not need to read the signature underneath. She wanted to kill him, couldn't he remember that they hated each other? One dance couldn't change that. But then, he was trying to reconcile, maybe she should meet him. All night she was deciding whether to or not and by the time morning came she quickly scribbled a note back and went back to bed.

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"Why do you look so miserable?" Sirius asked, looking up from the book he was reading. James did a double take, Sirius reading? James tried to talk but no words were coming out.

"You look like a fish." Sirius told him.

"You're……….reading?" James stuttered. Suddenly Sirius looked uncomfortable.

"Um…yeah…. well…. something…. might…..I SAID MIGHT…..have happened to your TV,"

"Oh god, Sirius what did you do this time," Sirius tried to reply but James realised that he was too tired to listen to his excuses. "Never mind, tell me tomorrow."

He climbed up to the room he was sharing with Sirius. Normally he would be able to find a spare room somewhere in his parents' house, but for the summer his family were staying in their small house by the beach. James hated having to share a room, he could not wait until they went home and he could finally have his room back. He liked spending time with his best friend but 24/7 was too much for anyone to spend with Sirius.

Sensing that he should leave his friend alone, Sirius decided that he would question him about the ball tomorrow. He would have loved to go, but he knew his family would be there and he could not face them just yet.

Two weeks before he had had a huge argument with his parents while his younger brother just stood behind them and smiled smugly at him, occasionally nodding at what their mother yelled at Sirius. It was ugly. Sirius stood and took it all, until he found himself shouting and screaming back at them. The old woman, for the first time in her life, was silent but before she could continue her rant, he was gone. Grabbing his stuff he stormed out of the house, praying that he would never have to go back. Once he was out of the house, he sprinted out down the road and out into London. Except he didn't know where to go. He caught the Knight bus to James's house, without thinking. It was only once he was there that he thought that James might not want him. He had no reason to be scared as he knocked on the door and immediately Mrs Potter pulled him into a giant hug.

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James couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about what Lily had said to him. She was right. He should have told her when he realised who she was. Getting up he called his owl and made her wait while he wrote a quick letter. He sent it before he could change his mind and went back to bed.

"Aren't you going to wait for her reply?" Sirius asked sleepily. James glared at him before turning to face the wall. Sometimes he really hated him.

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"What are you kids doing today?" James's mother asked them the next morning.

"Mum, we're eighteen. WE'RE NOT KIDS!" Not hearing back from Lily had put him in a bad mood.

"Well, I'm going out today,"

"Who are you going to see?"

"Violet Evans,"

Sirius immediately turned to James, who had turned pale. Normally he tuned out of regular family conversations, not being regular family, but at the mention of Evans he became interested.

"That's Lily's mum right?" he asked James's mum. She looked surprised.

"You know Lily? Yes that's her mum."

"Yeah I know Lily, but not as well as James obviously," he smirked. She looked questioningly at her son.

"It's nothing mum. Have fun," James said as he pushed his mother out of the door.

"Do you want to live on the street?" James hissed at Sirius, who was about to reply when he saw an owl fly into the kitchen.

"Hey look! Its your girlfriend,"

"What are you, seven? Grow up you loser," James said with a look of disgust as he opened Lily's letter. It was heart-breakingly simple:

James

August 8th. Outside the Leaky Cauldron 11 o'clock.

Lily

"That's today!"

"What?" Sirius asked disbelievingly. "Does she enjoy making you run around for her?" James shrugged and grabbed a shirt, followed by Sirius.

"You're not coming,"

"Yes I am,"

By the time James could reply, they had sprinted down the road and were on a train.

"You're not following us around," he said definitely.

"Oh, please! Like I would want to watch your sordid business with her. I am going to find a house,"

"About bloody time to!"

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Lily was bored. She had been waiting outside the Leaky Cauldron from 30 minutes and James was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she turned around to head inside as James came speeding down the road.

"LILY! LILY WAIT!" She looked him up and down as he stopped. He had obviously been running for a while. He was out of breath, his shirt was half on, his hair was even messier than usual and he appeared to be having difficulty talking.

"Late……. sorry…. not my…….fault…." He panted. She raised an eyebrow.

"Then who's fault was it?"

"Siru…Siri…..Suri…." Not being able to pronounce Sirius he gave up. "His." He pointed at Sirius who was dragging himself exhausted down the street.

"You brought HIM with you?" she said outraged.

"Not coming……..buying…..house…" he struggled to regain his breath. Lily waited patiently for him before asking any more questions.

"He's not coming with us, he's buying a house?" James nodded. "And it was his fault you were so late?" He nodded again.

"Why did you run?" she asked. "Why didn't you just apparate?"

James stared at her. Why the hell hadn't they apparated? They had sat on the train and run for a mile when they could have just appeared.

"Anyway. Can we go now?" She linked her arm through his and they started off for Diagon Alley. James only turned round once, for one final smirk at Sirius.