Disclaimer: Aren't these annoying? JKR's is JKR's, while the rest is MINE. MINE. MINE. MINE.

A/N: Yay! New reviewers! Kudos to all of you! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! To let you know, half of chapter 4 is completed!

pokefreaks13 – Thanks! I'm so glad that you're all enjoying it!

Angulgurl – Another happy reviewer... I could cry... I hope I don't disappoint anyone with this next chapter. I'm writing longer chapters now :)

evilpillow – Lol, Chapter Three is here! I don't believe in updating every five weeks or so, so I hope no one has to wait too long. Enjoy!

Babigirl2246 – Thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad you like the variety, and I'm going to write with more events now... hopefully it works out okay.

You reviewers are awesome... I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!


Chapter 3: Second Attempt

Lily's rancid mood continued on for the rest of the week; the little apologizing fiasco had a most unpredictable aftermath. Although everyone expected James to give up on Lily or to hold a grudge against her, he only chased after her more persistently. Every chance he got, he tried to stir conversation with her and although she sometimes found him charming conversation, she never told him so. Apparently, she was still intent on keeping up the impression that she was still mad at him. Which no one with a brain could believe.

Thursday afternoon in the Common Room while Lily and James were off to do Head Girl and Head Boy duties, Mona, Phyllis, Sirius, Remus, and Peter decided to study together. Phyllis and Peter were working on their History of Magic essays, Sirius and Remus playing wizard's chess, and Mona was cheering them on enthusiastically. Clearly, she had stuffed herself silly with thick bars of caramel that day at lunch, always accompanied with Butterbeer.

"C3, Remus, C3!" she yelled, her voice slightly slurred by all the Butterbeer she had. Remus snorted with laughter, shaking his head. He ordered his bishop to E5, where it ruthlessly bashed Sirius's pawn. Mona's face fell.

"What did you do that for?" she asked angrily.

"I have my reasons, Mo. Do you honestly think me to take chess advice from someone who swigged five bottles of Butterbeer in one afternoon?"

"Four and a half, Lupin, four and a half!"

"No difference."

Mona grimaced and prodded Sirius in the shoulder impatiently.

"Is he always this annoying?"

Sirius smirked, but a slight dash of pink seeped into his cheeks. No one noticed, as he laughed outwardly when his knight stabbed Remus' bishop repeatedly, forcing his blush away.

"Hey, keep it down over there! Some of us are trying to work..." Peter mumbled, twirling his quill absently.

"We're as quiet as mice, Pettigrew, so stop your whining!" Mona shouted, making Remus flinch. "Please, Mona, lay off the Butterbeer next time."

She simply scowled at Remus. "Sod it, you bloody cretin."

"Did you get how the Goblin Affairs started?" Peter asked Phyllis, puzzled. Phyllis didn't answer, but continued scrawling furiously at her work. "Nng." was her reply.

Scratching his nose with his quill, he craned his neck to see her work over her shoulder. Abruptly, she snatched it out of view.

"Peter, you wanker, keep your bloody eyes on your own work before I snatch them out." she snapped, frowning at her parchment. Peter made a face at her before turning back to his own work.

"Phyl, I didn't know you were an insufferable grouch while working," Sirius laughed, glancing over at her. Her head shot up and she glared at him, her icy blue eyes blazing mercilessly. Her face practically spelled out fury and contempt.

"Whatever, Black. Whatever." she replied sourly, turning back to her essay. Sirius gestured questioningly to Mona and Remus, who both shrugged nonchalantly.

"She still hasn't forgiven you, Sirius," Remus said softly. Mona tilted her head slightly, thinking.

"I doubt she ever will." she said thoughtfully, glancing at him. Sirius nodded distractedly, gazing at the chessboard. "Your move, Moony," he said to Remus.

"You know, I don't know why Lily hates you guys. You're not that bad," Mona said absently, watching Remus' queen step on the remains of Sirius' knight. Remus nodded absently, his mind on something else. Sirius looked up for a brief moment, stared at Mona, who was undeniably pretty to him, and returned to the game. He had tuned in just in time to see Remus making his way to his queen. "Bloody hell, Moony, show some mercy, will you?"

Eventually, Remus won the match and the satisfaction of watching Mona bash Sirius to pieces. Her moods were always in their extremes after a session of Butterbeer, and it was quite entertaining to watch her vent her frustrations after seeing her drink so much Butterbeer.

"My god, Sirius, aren't you an idiot! Losing to a lunatic like Remus... I am ashamed. He's always acting like he knows things we don't and there you go, losing to him in chess! I mean, Lily could beat him in chess, I've seen her do it! And you do know Lily sucks at chess, right? If she sucks, what do you think that makes you?"

In time, everyone was able to tune her out.

Meanwhile, Peter was desperate for some History of Magic answers.

"Who were the goblins that filed the Equal Rights document?"

"Nng."

"I think Dulfry the Desperate was one... what did you put?"

"NNG. I'm working."

"Awww, come on Phyl, just one name...?"

"BUGGER IT, PETE, YOU MADE ME SPELL 'IRREFUTABLE' WRONG!"

Peter had opened his mouth furiously to retaliate before the portrait hole burst open, revealing an outraged Lily and an exasperated James.

"If you think I'm going through with this, then that just proves it!" she stormed, whirling around to glare at him. Her glare was so fierce that Sirius, Remus, and Peter had to cringe.

"Proves what, Evans?" James said, frustrated.

"That you're an insane git who's desperate for a date!" Lily raged. Sirius, Remus, Peter, Phyllis, and Mona jumped at the word 'date'. Lily and James were going on a date!?

"Well, you did need an escort to Hogsmeade and Dumbledore liked the idea!" James retorted, unable to hide a faint grin. Lily's emerald eyes widened.

"YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE!" she screeched, before turning on her heel and stalking up to the girls' dorms. James stared after her for a moment, unmoving and jaw slack, then collapsed onto the couch by the fireplace, fuming.

"Er," Sirius started uneasily. "I guess this isn't a good time to ask what just happened..."

"What do you think!" James spat, burying his face in his hands. Sirius, Remus, and Peter exchanged looks before awkwardly returning to Phyllis and Mona.

"I'm going to talk to Lily before she rips the other girls apart," she said finally, standing up. James glared at her through a small gap in his hands.

"What, are you going to console her for going out with a jerk like me?" James shot. Phyllis shook her head impatiently.

"Hell, James, don't bite my head off, please. It's just that, knowing Lily I know she's going to take out all her anger on someone innocent – and well, I wanna make sure it's not Eleanor and Ramona."

Everyone watched as Phyllis hurried up the stairs, before Mona stood up too. "I'm one of her best friends, you guys, so I think I have to make sure she doesn't end up in Azkaban too. See you around," she nodded and followed Phyllis up the stairs.

There was a long moment of awkward silence. Finally, Remus spoke.

"Is it just me, or is this Lily-James ordeal becoming exceptionally tiring?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Prongs must be off his rocker, Moony, to have fallen for a girl like that."


Eleanor Harper and Ramona Franworth exchanged frightened glances as they watched Lily pace around the dorm, raging and glaring daggers at everything, animate or inanimate. They knew of the famous redhead tempers, but were alarmed to see Lily like this. But then again, it wasn't so surprising. Although she was usually good-natured and easygoing, her quick temper was always borderline. Everyone knew that once it started it never stopped.

"I cannot believe him... he volunteered himself to accompany me in Hogsmeade, for Head Girl duties! It could've been anybody, like Frank Longbottom or Ethan Prewett, but nooo... it's always Potter! And you know what Dumbledore does, he does the most impossible thing, he... ARE YOU LISTENING!?"

Eleanor, who had managed to tune her out by staring around the room, jumped and looked up at Lily. "Uh, yeah Lily, we share your sentiments." she said dramatically.

But Ramona was shaking her head, smiling slightly. Lily rounded on her, glaring sternly.

"And what is your problem, Franworth?"

"Oh, Lily, you don't see it, do you? Why do you think he does all these things?"

Lily stared at her for a long beat, then reddened.

"To annoy me." she replied stoutly.

"You know that's not it."

"Just get to the point!"

"I don't know why you hate him so bad. He's changed. He doesn't hex people in the corridors for fun anymore. He's... grown up. A little. Sure, some things he says are slightly egotistic, but he means it in a joking way," Ramona said with a sweet tone that clearly said 'Shut up and listen, I'm in my element'.

Eleanor nodded knowingly. Lily just stared. Was that even possible? she thought, until it began to sink in. She's not lying... he has changed. But I haven't.

"That's his issue, isn't it? Until I see that he's truly changed, I'm not giving in. He can flirt all he wants, but it won't get him anywhere," Lily said haughtily.

Eleanor and Ramona exchanged exasperated glances. "Well, I tried," Ramona said under her breath.

The door opened and Phyllis and Mona stepped in, looking tired and annoyed. "You two all right?" Mona asked.

"We're just fine. Luckily, Lily realized that jinxing people doesn't really solve problems." Eleanor said, smiling. Lily threw her a dirty look.

"Whew," said Phyllis. "Personally, Lily, I don't feel like being friends with a serial killer. It's a scary thing."

Mona nodded solemnly in agreement. Lily decided to ignore these joking comments.

"I cannot believe Potter! Do you know what he did!?"

"Actually, no. We figured that asking would be a blunt death wish," Phyllis said.

Lily narrowed her eyes at her two best friends, daring them to make another crack. Under the power of her gaze, Phyllis and Mona instantly looked down, Mona saying hastily, "We're hushing, we're hushing."

"To start, you do know I have Head Girl duties in Hogsmeade, right? It was James' brilliant idea to accompany me!"

Phyllis and Mona stared blankly at her for a moment, not saying anything. For a second it looked as though Phyllis would say something, because she opened and closed her mouth several times, before Mona actually spoke.

"Well..." she started tentatively. "... is this supposed to mean anything? Him walking you to Hogsmeade?"

Lily's jaw dropped as Eleanor and Ramona burst into peals of laughter. Lily's eyes widened, making Phyllis and Mona feel incredibly stupid.

"Oooh, you two are in for it," Eleanor said as Ramona warned, "Brace yourselves."

"ARE YOU DENSE!? DO YOU TWO TAKE THIS AS A JOKE!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?" she shouted incredulously. She got a shrug out of Mona and a sputter of indignity from Phyllis.

"It means," Lily said, smarting. "that James and I are going on a date."

Phyllis' and Mona's jaws dropped. Although Lily was giving off a dangerously furious radiation, Eleanor and Ramona were howling with laughter. Swallowing their din of mirth, they rushed out of the room, leaving Phyllis and Mona to resume the chain of laughter.

"Are you kidding?" Mona asked, her lips twitching as though desperately itching to break into a smile. Phyllis shook her head, flashing a knowing smile at Lily. The redhead flushed.

"I never thought I'd see the day..." Phyllis added, now beaming. Mona snorted with laughter, and that broke the restraint. Both girls flew into completely inappropriate fits of laughter, letting Lily fume.

"Well, I don't see anything amusing about this, you two dolts."

The blonde and the ravenhead laughed their last chortles before beaming perceptively at Lily, probably imagining the lovely family she and James would have. However, Lily was oblivious to their musings and thought they were mocking her.

Lily sniffed and hustled out of the room, her head held high. Phyllis and Mona exchanged amused looks.

"Bet you 5 Galleons she'll make him look like Snape," Phyllis said at the exact same moment Mona said, "Bet you 5 Galleons she'll make him talk backwards all day."

"You're on," Mona agreed, shaking Phyllis's hand with mock formality.


The Marauders' reactions were quite similar to Phyllis's and Mona's: amusing incredulity, then endless laughter. During the whole telling, James stared miserably at the warm fire, willing it to turn into Lily Evans's face, smiling blissfully back at him. Eventually, the Marauders' laughter subsided and they all stared at him, smiling evilly.

"So Prongsie, boy, what's the plan?" asked Sirius gleefully. James didn't look up.

"What plan?" he asked dully.

"Of what to do during the date! Where to go, what to say, you know, all that crap."

"It's not a date, Siri. It's a day full of Head Girl duties." James muttered, still not looking up. Sirius shook his head pityingly, as though James was but a little boy crying over spilt milk. Remus, however, looked thoughtful.

"It may not be a date, Prongs, but it certainly is what you and Lily need. Just a day of light conversation and little pleasures, not romantic candlelight and sweet talk. If you just talk and treat her like an equal rather than a trophy, then she may not come back in a fury at the end of the day. You never really know with these things," he said, still reading A Guide Against the Dark Arts and not looking up from the page. Sirius turned to scowl at his friend.

"And how do you know all of this 'What Lily needs' drivel?"

"Think about it, Padfoot," Remus said delightfully, finally looking up from his book to smile benignly at Sirius. "I am the only Marauder who has her permission to call her Lily, am I right?"

James grimaced at him and threw a pillow that smacked him in the face.


To James, the days before Hogsmeade dragged on too long. To Lily, the days before Hogsmeade went by too fast. Either way, Hogsmeade came on a bright Saturday afternoon. While Lily and James would be doing Head Boy and Girl duties, Phyllis and Mona would be visiting Hogsmeade with Sirius and Remus, just for fun. And also to spy – wait no, spy is too harsh a word... observe is more like it – the royal couple.

Miraculously, Phyllis and Mona were able to drag an extremely reluctant Lily down to Honeydukes, where she would be meeting James. Although Mona came out red and irritable and Phyllis uncharacteristically grouchy and fearful, Lily had left both unscathed. When Lily had turned her back, the two decided to make it that she looked a bit less disheveled and magicked her hair neat and glossy and her robes smooth and velvety. Before heading off to meet Sirius and Remus in the Three Broomsticks, they prayed desperately that Lily wouldn't find out, or it'd be their heads.

Head held high and wearing a glare that says 'Keep out of my way if you want to keep your legs', Lily met James near one of the chocolate shelves. She laughed to herself when she saw that he had attempted to tidy his hair, but to no avail. But she did have to admit that it looked neater than usual.

"Hello, Potter," she said formally. He turned and smiled cheekily at her like he usually did in greeting.

"Ah, Evans. I see you've tidied up. Willing to make an impression, are we?"

Lily raised an eyebrow and looked down at her robes. They were sleek and even, as opposed to how they were before when she had attempted to hex the living daylights out of Mona and Phyllis. Realizing what the two had done, Lily made a severe mental note to brutally murder them later.

"Hmph. Still think you're funny, don't you Potter? Don't pretend that your hair just mellowed itself on its own, you git."

"Why, Evans, you noticed!" James smiled that impish smile again, daring her to talk back. Lily flushed, flustered. She could never say anything right when he was smiling like that. She didn't know why; maybe she always got too angry to speak right when he did that, or it was just... something else. Something she couldn't fathom.

"Well, Potter, let's get this over and done with, why don't we?"

"Very well, your Majesty," he replied sarcastically as they walked through Hogsmeade, still smiling that damn smile. She couldn't keep her mind off it, how it annoyed her to no end, yet... she couldn't take her eyes off of it either. He noticed her staring and raised his eyebrows.

"And you say I stare, Evans."

"Wha-what? I wasn't staring, I was just..." she trailed off, knowing that James wouldn't believe any excuse she could pull from the back of her mind. They walked through Hogsmeade together, occasionally commenting on the most random things. To everyone's surprise, they strolled around Hogsmeade, laughing. And with Lily laughing voluntarily.

However, both came to a stop, something suddenly dawning on them. Lily frowned in bewilderment, while James smiled in comprehension.

"What were the errands I was supposed to do that Dumbledore mentioned? How come - what, what is it?" Lily asked him impatiently, watching him smirk. He looked down at Lily, his hazel eyes twinkling mischievously (A/N: Although I know that he is supposed to be near Harry's height, who is not really tall, I still like to pretend James is. So please, just play along...).

"Nuh uh, Lils, I'm not telling. But I have to say, I always thought that Dumbledore was a great man..."

"What, Potter? Tell me."

"I will tell if you call me James."

"Fine, James. Now what do you know that I don't?"

"I'll tell if you let me kiss you."

"Don't push it, James."

"Awww... just one time, Lils? Please?"

"NO. Now answer my question."

"You mean the one that went, 'Does my darling James know that I, Lily Evans, have loved him since the instant I set eyes on him?'"

"Quit pushing your luck, Potter."

"Fine, fine. Grouch."

"Git."

"Spitfire."

"Wow, Potter, that's probably the most flattering thing you've said to me at all today."

"I can beat that."

"Then by all means, do try."

Taking a deep breath, James closed his eyes for a moment, exhaled, and then hesitantly opened his mouth.

"Lily, every time I see you, I'm practically blinded by your beauty, and I lose all words. I know I hide it well, but every moment with you drives me crazily nervous, makes me frantic inside. The way you smile, all the strength you give off. I go crazy. And honestly, you look loveliest when you're furious. You give off such a strong sense of determination and energy that I don't care if your anger is directed at me. Everything about you... everything... is..." he struggled for the word. "Everything about you is ethereal."

There was a stunned pause following his speech, James gazing at Lily lovingly and Lily staring back in astonishment, jaw slack. She looked like she was actually going to smile, and her bright green eyes danced, until the admiring glow in her eyes dulled, only to be replaced by a stony coldness. James' heart plunged. He had been as heartfelt as he could, desperately searching for the right words to describe Lily, although he knew there were none and never could be. In his eyes, she was simply beyond words.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Potter," she said coldly, glaring at him. James' smile vanished.

She spun on her heel and started to walk away until James' imploring voice stopped her. And stopped her is putting it mildly.

"I meant it."

Lily's heart skipped a beat. He meant it? Potter really meant all that? Could James Potter possibly say something so lyrical and... mean it?

Despite herself, a few tears welled up in her eyes, no matter how frantically she willed them away. She couldn't let Potter see her cry, he had always thought she was so strong and she couldn't blow it now... but his words rang in her head and warmed her up inside. No one had ever said anything to compare with what James had just said. Absolutely nothing.

Even if he told her she had eyes like a goddess, hair like a nymph, or a complexion like an angel's, it wouldn't have affected her as well as what he had just confessed to her. Blinking back her tears, she turned to face him and watched him carefully.

"You... you really meant that?"

James nodded, smiling faintly. Lily blinked a bit more and stared up at him, starting to smile.

"Even the part about how I seem when I'm furious?"

James laughed and hugged Lily, and to his surprise she hugged him back. He had wanted it to be brief, as to make his risk of death smaller, but found he couldn't. She was hugging him back. How could he let her go?

Lily pulled away gently and surveyed him awkwardly. Passerby (particularly Hogwarts students that knew them) were now gawking at the two and whispering intently, but James and Lily ignored them. All Lily cared about was what James would do next and all he cared about was making sure he didn't make an arse of himself during that rare moment.

James half-smiled, suddenly feeling uneasy. "So."

"So."

Silence. Then –

"The Three Broomsticks, then?" James suggested.

"The Three Broomsticks," Lily agreed, walking with him down the road. He glanced at her and she him, but both remained completely silent.

Suddenly, the comfortable atmosphere between the two was gone.

A/N: By my standards, I'd say this was a good chapter. Very mushy and dramatic, but that's what makes a romance, right? Love is an odd thing. But it does get a little angsty, since both Lily and James are confused about one another. Hehehe... Lily has a little crush... Now, the next chapter is just a bunch of stuff James says to Sirius and Remus that make you think. And a little something else. ::snickers evilly::

So please review! I Heart Reviews!