A/N: I've gotten a lot of reviews saying they've heard this idea before, and I can honestly say that I never attempted to copy anything, and I have never read anything like it, so please don't send me anything saying I've copied anyone's work…

With that done, I'd like to say that this chapter might not be as good as it could have been because I wanted to update before I go back to hell (school), but anyway, here it is.

Chapter 3:

Potter's House

Lily awoke the next morning, but not the way she would have liked. No, it was not the chirping of the birds or the beautiful sunshine. It was the Awakening Charm she'd set on herself the night before so that she could avoid an argument with James if she'd happened to be late. And she was far too tired to think about dealing with him, of all people.

Lily blinked a few times, fighting the sleep that was threatening to engulf her. She sat up, shaking her head slightly. She had not slept well the night before. She'd been lying awake, dreading this moment. As much as she would have liked delaying it, she knew she couldn't. You can't delay fate, and she knew it. The only thing she didn't understand was why in bloody hell fate would want her to suffer at James Potter's house for two full weeks.

She pulled her covers off and slid her feet regretfully down towards the cold, stone floor. Lily winced slightly as her warm feet instantly froze, and looked out the window. It was a terribly bleak, gray day. Funny how it reflected her mood. But then again, whenever it was cloudy out, she always was in a terrible mood, and she never fully understood it.

Lily showered and dressed as quickly as she could. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair, not fully aware of why she need to look nice. Or maybe she was trying to put off meeting Potter. Yes, that was definitely it.

She walked back to the dormitory, a frowning. She wouldn't be back here for two weeks. Bloody Potter.

"Lily dear, were you going to leave without saying goodbye?" Lily turned to se Autumn sitting up in her bed, smiling. Lily grinned at her.

"Of course I wasn't!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to hug Autumn. "I would rather I wasn't going at all…"

"And don't I know it," Autumn said with a subtle smirk. Lily pushed her playfully. She was really looking forward to spending Christmas with Autumn this year. Lily forced down the anger she was feeling and smiled at her friend. Autumn smiled back, and said, "Well at least he's not all over you anymore! I mean, how long has it been since he's asked you out?"

Lily stopped smiling. How long had it been? A month? More? Lily couldn't remember if she'd bothered her at all this year - other than being a cocky git, that is. Maybe he really had stopped liking her. Oh, thank the glorious heavens above!

"I don't know," Lily said in response to her friend's question. There was an awkward silence between the two, while Autumn leaned over the side of the bed, only to emerge with a beautifully-wrapped present.

"This," Autumn said, pointing at the package, "is your Christmas present. And you are not to open it until Christmas. Mark my words, Evans. There's a charm on it to make sure."

"Aww, Autumn, why wouldn't I wait?" Lily said with a laugh, remembering the past few early presents she'd gotten… and opened. She just couldn't help it; she couldn't wait.

"I know you too well, Lily," Autumn said as Lily tucked the present in her trunk, nestling it safely in her sweaters. "Lily you should be going - look at the clock!"

Lily glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 7:55! Oh, great. Just when she was happy, she had to be reminded of James Potter in the Common Room, waiting to take her to her doom. Wait, he was her doom. Either way, he was going to make her suffer. Incredibly. Lily almost wanted to cry.

"You're right," Lily said with great disdain in her voice. She swiftly latched her trunk and pulled Truffles' carrier out from under the bed. He mewed up at her, as if to say he was staying there, but Lily would not hear of it. "You're coming, Truffles, whether you like it or not."

He obeyed ungratefully and Lily clicked the door shut behind him. Meanwhile, Autumn was on her bed, giggling quietly behind her hand.

"What?" Lily asked, an eyebrow raised at her almost hysterical friend.

"You talk to your cat. That's all," Autumn said, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Yeah, so," Lily said, looking down at the box where Truffles was settling down. Was talking to Truffles really that weird?

"It's just a tad bit… odd, but don't worry about it," Autumn said, a smile still on her lips.

"Right," Lily said awkwardly, smoothing her shirt and wondering how many people thought it was weird that she spoke to Truffles that way. He just seemed to listen well. Lily glanced at the clock. "Well, I should be off. I'll see you in two weeks."

"Bye, Lily flower," Autumn said with a laugh.

Lily paused by the door long enough to throw a glare at Autumn before exiting the room dramatically. She stopped outside to button up her cloak, and dragged her luggage down the stairs to the common room. It was empty. How dare he send her that note and have the nerve to go ahead and be late himself!

"Right on time, Evans,"

Lily jumped at the sound of James's voice. Her eyes darted around the room and rested on the couch before the fire, where a messy, black-haired head had risen above the back of the seat. He sat up and smirked at her.

"You," Lily said accusingly, just realizing she had her wand pointed at his chest. James rose, stretching his tall, graceful figure and walked over to her.

"Yes, me," he said with a mocking smile. He looked down at her wand, an eyebrow raised. "What are you going to do, hex me?"

"Actually, I hadn't thought about it before, but now it doesn't seem like such a bad idea," Lily said defensively, taking a step closer.

James just chuckled and ruffled his hair before calling rather loudly up the stairwell, "Padfoot! Get your arse down here! We're going to be late!"

"Oh, that's rich," Lily said, slipping her wand back inside her robes, "Black can be late, but I'm not allowed -"

"Evans, Black is late for everything. There is no telling him not to be," James said through gritted teeth before moving again to the stairwell and shouting, "Padfoot! Don't make me come up there!"

"Oy, Prongs, shut up!" Sirius grumbled, emerging from the stairwell and poking his friend in the head with the end of his wand. Lily crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Can we get a move on, please?" Lily begged, glaring at the two boys.

"Anxious to get to Potter's, are we?" Sirius asked, a mischievous smile on his face. Lily felt the heat rise in her neck, and she whipped out her wand.

"Say that one more time -" Lily spat through gritted teeth.

"Now, now, let's not get testy," James interrupted sarcastically, pushing down Lily's extended arm. She put her wand away and grabbed hold of the trunk and Truffles' carrier. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

Lily followed a few steps behind the two boys, utterly dreading what was to come.

--
The train ride had been quite uneventful. She'd pulled out a book and read peacefully as the two boys joked, ranted, and even debated girls in her presence. But for once, it didn't bother her. Somehow, the lull of the train, the beautiful scenery of the countryside, and the sensitivity (or pure mush) of the romance novel she was reading put her in an almost blissful, trancelike state.

It was when they arrived at the train station that she'd been surprised. James's parents hadn't been there to pick them up, and he'd dismissed it saying that they were very busy working. So, instead, James hailed a taxi in the London rain, and they'd all squished inside, James of course in the middle, trying to keep Lily from going at Black. But, Lily had to admit, the ride wasn't too awful. James and Sirius had ended up asleep on each other's shoulders.

Lily blinked twice as the taxi stopped suddenly at the beginning of a dirt road. It was at that moment that she finally realized she was no longer in the city, but surrounded by rolling, white (from snow), countryside. It would have been beautiful; if it hadn't been pouring outside.

Why had they stopped?

"Thanks, we'll be off then," she heard James say, passing some money to the driver in front. He looked at her, then to the door handle. "Go on, Evans. Get out."

Lily was slightly angry at him for pushing her out into the rain. But mostly, she was confused. Why would they stop here? There wasn't a house in sight! She gaped at James as he urged her out of the car, then followed her to the back of the taxi, where Sirius was already unloading their luggage.

"What are we doing?" Lily inquired, pulling her cloak more tightly around her body as the taxi pulled away, it's tires slopping in the slushy road.

"We are walking," James said simply, dragging his trunk behind him. Lily followed, glaring at him. Leave it to Potter to make them walk in the rain!

"Why?" Lily demanded, pulling her hood over her head. She'd had no idea how hard it had been raining until she'd been made to walk in it!

"Because the taxi doesn't go any further than the beginning of this road," James replied curtly, not looking at her. The hair that had not been covered by the hood of his cloak was now sticking to his forehead, and streaks of rain were running down his glasses.

"Potter, just because I'm muggleborn does not mean I've never heard of the Knight Bus," Lily said sourly, hoping that Truffles wasn't getting too wet. He was bloody heavy.

"Are you daft, Evans?" James was looking at her now as if she was crazy. She heard Sirius chuckle quietly behind her. "My parents are Aurors, and you never know who could be riding that bus!"

"Oh," was all Lily could manage. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, James did have a point.

She continued to walk silently. They passed a few farmhouses, and she had to admit the scenery wasn't at all bad. The only really horrible thing was, however, that the rain had begun to leak through her cloak, and she was beginning to feel the wetness against her skin. If she got sick, she was blaming James. After all, he was the one who put her out in the middle of this horrible weather!

Lily was surprised that Sirius didn't walk much during the ride or while they were walking. It truly was out of his character to be so quiet. Lily dismissed this, because she didn't hardly mind him keeping his annoying mouth shut.

"So," Lily said, breaking the silence after a few minutes, "I'm surprised you're not taking Girlfriend Of The Week home with you." She looked up at James, smirking.

"Wow, you're right!" James said sarcastically. "If you hadn't noticed there was no Girlfriend Of The Week, or last week, or the week before, for that matter!"

Lily looked at James wide-eyed, not knowing exactly what to say. As a matter of fact, she really hadn't noticed him not handing around girls all the time. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen him walk a girl to class! What had happened to the Ladies' Man?

"It is kind of sad, isn't it?" Sirius piped up, causing both Lily and James to glare at him. "I'm sorry Prongs, but it's true." As Lily could see, Sirius chose his times to speak very carefully.

Lily was too busy getting over James's newfound singly status to notice that the two boys had stopped, and she walked right into James's back, receiving a mouthful of wet cloak.

"Ew," Lily said, scrunching her nose as she wiped her tongue off on her hand. "When was the last time you washed that?"

James just shrugged and said, "Well, this is it."

Lily looked up to the house in front of her. What she saw was hardly what she'd expected of a Potter house. It was an average, two-story farmhouse, with a thick red door and a golden knocker. Remnants of green ivy wove it's way across the white surface, and snow-topped hedges decorated the front. Lily couldn't help but let her jaw drop. Even though she could see James's family had a good amount of money, she'd thought they would have flaunted it more.

"Are you coming, Evans, or are you going to stand there in the rain?" James asked, an eyebrow raised. Lily frowned.

"Of course I'm coming!" Lily replied angrily, grabbing Truffles' carrier and her trunk and moving towards the door, which James unlocked, then held open as she stepped inside. Lily couldn't help but be again, surprised at his actions.

She stepped out of the way as Sirius and James followed her inside. The house was, indeed, very nice and homey. To her left was a comfortable living room, where a fire crackled softly in the fireplace, and soft Christmas music wafted into the hall. To her right was a spacious dining room, with a long, polished table and a formal chandelier.

She looked to James, who was unbuttoning the front of his cloak, and tossing it onto the coat rack beside the door.

"Your coat?" he asked, holding out a hand. His face was very genuine, and Lily could see that the rain had penetrated the shoulders of his shirt because it clung to his body. Not that she was looking at it, of course.

Lily quickly unbuttoned her cloak and handed it to him. He paused, looking at her softly for a moment, before hanging the piece of clothing on the rack. Why had he looked at her like that? Lily shuddered. James was now smiling at two people who were making their way down the stairs. Lily assumed these people to be James's parents.

Both looked to be quite happy. His mom had long, mahogany hair that was pulled into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were a honey color, tired but joyous. Lily watched as she ran over to her son and engulfed him in a tight hug, which (Lily was more than surprised) he returned.

James's father was a tall man, with hair almost as unruly as James, although it was speckled with flakes of gray. His eye were hazel, much like James's, and were hidden behind glasses. If his father were a bit younger, Lily probably would have mistaken them for brothers.

"Oh James! How are you?" his mom asked, her arms still holding him tightly around his neck.

"I'm good mum," James replied with a smile, kissing his mom lightly on her cheek and then moving to hug his dad. Lily felt a slight twinge of jealousy as she watched this, remembering the not-so-warm welcome she received from her sister every year, and how picky her mom always was when she saw her.

She shook her head slightly. She was not jealous of Potter's family!

"And you must be Lily!" James's mother had turned on Lily now, and took her by surprise with a large, welcoming hug. "Oh dear, you're soaked! We'll have James show you to your room so you can get changed - and by the way, you can call me Laura - James, come here. Show Lily where she'll be sleeping - and oh, this is my husband, Wilson -"

"- you can call me Will -"

"- now James will show you upstairs," Laura finished. "We'll worry about the more technical stuff later, like Sirius controlling himself when it comes to the refrigerator."

They all laughed, Lily included, as Sirius emerged from the dining area looking quite lost. In his hand, he held a newly-made sandwich.

"C'mon," James said, taking Lily's trunk and leading her up the stairs. Lily held Truffles' cage and followed him down a lighted hallway, where, at the end, a table sat, decorated with flowers. "This is your room," James said, gesturing to a room to her right, "Sirius and I are right across the hall."

Lily nodded and walked into the spacious room. A large, double bed sat in the middle of the opposite wall, neatly made with a bunch of pillows. There was a door to a bathroom, and a large chest of drawers on the wall for her to put her clothes. The carpet was plush and soft under her feet. She almost smiled. It was a beautiful room.

James shuffled past her and dropped the trunk by the end of her bed. Lily watched him silently, overwhelmed at the fact that James could be so… gentlemanly. What had happened to him? She blinked as he ruffled his hair, his hand on the door handle.

"I'll meet you downstairs when you're ready," James said, turning to leave.

"J- Potter," Lily stumbled, and he paused in the doorway, a questionable expression on his face. "N-never mind." Lily waved her hand as James closed the door behind him. Was she going to thank him for helping her? Had hell frozen over? Lily pinched herself and blinked, only to find herself still standing in the middle of a guest room at James Potter's house.

Lily shrugged out of her wet clothing and pulled on clean, dry, clothes. This was going to be an interesting few weeks.

Sorry if that was a tad boring. Had some writer's block! If you have any ideas on what you'd like to happen, let me know, so I can incorporate them. I'm not exactly sure where this is going, so a little input could help.

And don't forget to review!