It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was History of Magic. Sirius and Peter were fast asleep while James chewed on his quill and Remus dutifully took notes. Lily looked across the room from her seat beside Alli. Was it just her, or did James look nervous? She took in the way he chewed on his quill and stared out the window at the Quidditch pitch. 'That's it,' she thought. 'He's just thinking about Quidditch; I should have known. And he's probably chewing on a sugar quill. Some things never change.'

But surprisingly, she wasn't bitter towards him. She almost thought he looked cute. Then she turned back to her lessons.

"...They were persecuted by many, just because of who they were. As it was the late 1600's, Witchcraft was being looked down upon Lyla DuBaer was extremely powerful but muggle-born, and others disapproved. They fell in love despite those who were trying to separate them, and there was said to have been a prophecy made that they would some day save all that is good. A year after their..."

Professor Binns's voice was like Nyquil to the usually attentive Lily. Eventually she gave up on notes and put her head down.

Across the room, James was thinking about Lily. There was a Hogsmeade trip the next weekend, and as it grew nearer, James grew nearer to losing his breakfast. He thought about the advice Sirius had given him.

'How Ludicrous was that!' he thought. 'I've never had to ask for advice with girls! Ever. What's wrong with me?' That girl did something to him. She made him almost powerless.

'At least I went to the right person for advice,' he thought, bemused, thinking about his girl-magnet of a friend. Sirius definitely had it where the ladies were concerned. He almost laughed thinking about what his other friends would say. Caring Remus would say "Make sure you treat her like a princess. Be polite and act like a gentleman, and maybe you could bring her flowers. I think Lilies would be appropriate." Inexperienced Peter would say "Let her know who's boss. And make her think you're powerful; who isn't attracted to power? Tell her about your heritage, that'll get her going."

But suave Sirius had given him the best advice, and it really proved that when it came to girls, Sirius knew exactly what he was doing.

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That day was nerve-wracking. Every time Lily looked up, she caught James looking at her. His gaze made her nervous, though she didn't know why. That night at dinner she caught him again.

She wasn't listening to Alli at all because her thoughts were louder than the buzz of the Great Hall; However, she did hear it when a soft voice said "Fancy a walk?" in her ear. She didn't need to look up to know who it was, but did anyway, and found herself looking into the hazel pools that had been sneaking glances at her all day. She quietly followed him out of the hall, noticing the head master watching them as they left. She couldn't help but think that Dumbledore's gaze was significant for some reason.

"What's up?" she asked as they started for the big doors leading outside, then mentally kicked herself. 'What's up?' she thought. 'Could I be any more lame?'

"You looked bored," he said with that smile.

'That smile,' Lily thought. 'There's something about it.. He always looks happy. To be with me? It's like he has a secret from the world, or like he knows something nobody else does. Why do I find myself grinning like an idiot whenever I see that smile?'

"Yeah," she replied brilliantly.

"Want to see my favorite place on the grounds? It's nothing big, I just go there from time to time. To think."

"Ok," she replied, still grinning like crazy. 'STOP IT!' she mentally commanded her face, but it only made her smile harder at the very thought that she was going mad. James Potter was driving her mad- That was the secret behind his smile. 'It's probably claimed millions of victims,' she thought. 'Maybe that's what happened to Hitler. James smiled at him and he went insane and disappeared. Oh, stop being such a muggle!' She was so glad that he couldn't read her thoughts that it made her almost giddy.

"It's on the far side of the lake.. Not a long walk, and it's such a beautiful sunset."

'Why am I talking about the sunset?!' James asked himself.

"I bet you take all the girls you want to impress there," Lily said.

"You're the first. The guys don't know about it, not even Sirius. It's been my secret and special place since first year." James led her around the Weeping Willow and towards the lake, where to Lily's surprise, there was a small clearing at the end of the forest. She had never been to this part of the grounds before, and as she looked closer, she gasped.

Over the lake, a rock gently jutted out like a jetty. The stones glistened like colored glass, but Lily somehow knew she wouldn't get cut. Where stone met water was fresh and clear blue, the water forming little waves. Awestruck, Lily absently pulled off her shoes and socks and walked to the edge, sitting sideways and dipping a toe in the water.

James followed her and sat behind her. "I thought you might like it," he said. Lily couldn't even speak, for she had just noticed hot the setting sun made the colorful rocks glow. "When I would get overwhelmed or sad about something, I would just come here. It feels like its some kind of ancient sacred place or something." He stopped talking and shook his head. What was he talking about? "Anyway.. Lily, I wanted to thank you, for, you know... deciding to give me a chance." His smile suddenly grew awkward.

"You know, I probably would have given you a chance sooner, but.." Her eyes, those bright green dazzling eyes, were suddenly sad and filled with tears. "I'm not the most open person. My father left my mom when I was 10, and my mom was crushed. She was so in love with him, she literally didn't know what to do with herself without him. As a child I watched love tear my mother apart, and I vowed to never let anyone in my heart. It probably sounds stupid," she said. James reached out a finger and gently wiped away a single tear.

"Not at all," he murmured. "Go ahead, keep talking. You'll feel better once you say everything you need to."

"I don't know, maybe I'm a fool. It just broke my heart to see my mom like that. The light in her eyes went out."

"Does she have the same eyes as you?" James suddenly asked. There was such light in Lily's eyes, he could never imagine it going out. There was more than light, there was fire. When she was passionate about something, they positively glowed.

"Yes," she said. "But they're dull now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall to pieces on you. I'm such a mess; you bring me to this beautiful place and I turn into an emotional mess. I'm not usually like this," she said, staring at him in wonder. "I don't know why, but I really feel like I can confide in you."

"Always," he said with that gentle smile. Lily mirrored his smile at once. 'Damn him,' she thought. 'That thing really is contagious.'

"You can talk to me about anything," he continued. "And I think you should know that, looking into your eyes, I don't think anything could put that light out. You're so passionate about life, you spread that light on others. Its remarkable." With that, he reached out with two fingers and put them under her chin, gently lifting her face to meet his gaze and put his lips on hers in the most gentle and softest of kisses. His lips spread warmth throughout her, and suddenly her shuddering subsided and she knew she'd be ok.

"So," he said with that same soft smile, "I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to Hogsmeade next weekend. As a date, officially."

Once she could speak again, she whispered "That would be lovely. So, James, tell me about your family. I mean, by now the whole school knows I'm a muggle-born, thanks to those Slytherins. What about you?"

"My parents? My dad's an auror. Top-rank, actually," he said proudly. He looked like such a little boy, excitedly talking about his father. "And my mom works for the ministry, she's part of the Wizengamot. We live in a place called Godric's Hollow." Suddenly he seemed nervous. "Have.. Have you ever heard of Godric's Hollow?" She shook her head and he seemed relieved. "Ok. Well, it's getting kind of late, the sun is completely set. I don't want you to have to walk back in the dark, so I'll walk you up to the castle."

Lily was only too happy to go- She had so much to tell Alli. And she had some thinking to do. Some real hard thinking.

A/N: OK, there's Lily's secret. (Which really isn't a secret since I told you in chapter uno.. But I didn't tell James, did I?) Now, what's James's secret? Here's the double update like I promised, happy reading and GO REVIEW!

-Ria