Chapter Eighteen

James watched as everyone was gathering in the Great Hall for supper a few days later, his first official day out of the hospital wing. Though still nursing his head wound and a few bruises, he had his strength back and his injuries didn't get into the way of his classes and activities. Not to mention he was anxious to see Lily, to hear what was going on with her and Travis.

He walked through the doors and looked around, sighing at the beautiful sight. It was so good to be back in civilization instead of being cooped up in that room, staring at the same spot on the ceiling, continuously reliving Lily's kiss in his mind... Okay, well maybe it wasn't so bad. Maybe he could make it happen again . . .

He saw the Marauders saving him a seat that the table. "Hey, James!" They all cheered loudly. He waved and headed for his seat, but a vision of loveliness stopped him dead in his tracks. Lily was running up to him, squealing in excitement.

"Oh, my, gosh - James!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and allowing him to swing her around as they both laughed. He so enjoyed holding her and it surprised him when she didn't bother to loosen her grip. She simply looked into his face, their noses nearly touching. "You weren't due out of there for a few more days, at least." she said grinning.

"Well, after some real good medicine, Madame Pomfrey just said I was well enough to go." he said smiling, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. She looked up at him strangely, pondering his emphasis on the word 'medicine' and what kind he was referring to. Surely he had been unconscious during that kiss that she had so thoroughly enjoyed.

"Um, Lily, people are staring. You can let go now." he said for her reputations' sake, though he didn't really want her to let go. She pulled away and blushed, then walked him to his seat.

"Happy to see James again, Lily?" Remus said winking at his friends.

"Of course. I was really worried about him." she said, ruffling his hair as he sat down.

"How about a kiss then?" Peter said with a smile, causing Lily to gasp.

"Just on the cheek, Lily." Sirius said, grinning mischievously.

Then she turned to James, to see him tapping his cheek, waiting for her kiss. Sighing, she leaned over to administer the kiss, but he turned his head at the last second, so instead she placed a quick kiss on his lips. She pulled away, her heart racing as she felt and electric shock on her lips, but when the four boys started laughing, she simply shook her head, smacked James playfully on the arm and laughed as she returned to her seat with Nancy and Jenny.

"So was that the medicine, James?" Sirius asked with a knowing smile.

"Yup," James replied, watching Lily as she took her seat, then smiling back at her as she flashed a smile at him from down the table. "That was the best medicine."

---

On this early December day, Lily and James were crunching in the snow heading back towards the castle, coming back from checking on the Flobberworms at the request of the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. They were joking and laughing as they made their way back to the school, just like good friends. James' heart was so attached to the sweet young beauty, and it seemed as though she didn't even know. Either that, or she didn't care.

"So, how's it going with Travis?" James asked, though he really didn't want to know. "I mean, after this whole attack and all."

Lily sighed. "It's kind of difficult right now. He's so self-centered and bull-headed, you know?"

"Yup." James nodded with a laugh, "I do know."

Lily suddenly stopped in her tracks. "James, I feel so bad talking to you about this." She said hesitantly.

"Don't worry about it, Lily. Maybe I can help you with your problem. I am your friend, after all."

Lily then sighed in frutration. "I don't know what to do with him, James. I'm thinking we're too different. Travis is so stubborn."

"Wait. You mean, you're not stubborn?" James said. She smacked his arm when he laughed.

"You know what I mean, James. We're just too opposite. He just doesn't understand me. And when we disagree about something, and we can't get along, it just makes me more sure that no one understands me better than . . ." she suddenly stopped herself and blushed.

"Me?" James said, finishing her sentence with a smile. He turned to her and held her at arms length, seeing the confusion on her face. "Lily, I don't know what to tell you to make your relationship with Travis better, mainly because I personally don't want it to. But I want you to know that I am trying. I'm trying to change for you, I'm trying to be happy for you, I'm trying to make you happy. I don't care who you're with as long as you're happy. And if that means that we can only be friends right now, then so be it. But if you're not happy, then maybe some changes are in order for you."

Lily turned from him, not wanting him to see the tears welling up in her eyes. Maybe he was right. Maybe Travis wasn't the one for her. Everything seemed so right, so perfect with James. Everything was pointing to James. Even though it went against all the logic in her head, everything in her heart was screaming to her that James belonged there.

She started to turn back to him, "James, I -" but just then, something freezing cold ran down her back and she screamed.

Wriggling and screaming, trying to get the snow out of the back of her robes, James only stood by laughing with a snow covered hand. When she was finally snow-free, she grinned mischievously at him, bending down for her own handful of snow.

"You wouldn't dare." James laughed. But when a snowball splattered on his face and a laugh erupted from Lily, he wiped the snow from his face and a grin covered it. "Okay girl, you asked for it - Now, it's on!"

And so it began, a war of wild flying snowballs. Both of them laughing and screaming, refusing to let the other win. When James started to fall back, he suddenly bent over, grabbed an armful of snow, then ran to Lily and dumped it on top of her, laughing loudly as he ran away. But Lily was quick - she grabbed a handful and chucked it at him, hitting him square in the head. When he fell to the ground, however, she suddenly remembered his head injury, and gasped. Running over to him, she fell to her knees beside him.

"Oh, James! I'm so sorry! Are you all right?" she said loudly, looking down, leaning over his face, his closed eyes. Then suddenly, his eyes popped open and he rolled over so that he was now leaning over her, her back in the snow. They were both now breathing hard and laughing softly, snow and damps spots everywhere on their robes.

"That was a cheap trick." Lily said with a wide grin.

"Hey, I'm a trickster, that's what I do." he said, settling down closer to her. He looked at her face the beauty of it intoxicating. Her rosy cheeks and nose from the cold, her snow mingled with her frazzled hair covering her face, her red chapped lips . . .

Lily's poor heart was probably going to beat itself out of her chest; the way James was staring at her sent her pulse racing. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, Travis had no power over her emotions like James Potter did. Travis never made her feel like this. She sighed nervously, her breath coming out as a little puff in James' face. He smiled, bringing up his hand to brush away the stray strands of hair and the snowflakes off her face, causing her breath to catch at the warm touch of his glove. She licked her chapped lips, trying anything to entice him into bestowing her with another taste of the warm glorious kiss that was only his.

But he simply shook his head and stood, holding his hand out for her to take. "You know, you're not making this very easy." he said.

"What?" she said, taking his hand and when he pulled her up, he smiled down at her.

"Resisting you." he replied.

As he held her hand as they walked the remaining distance back to the school, Lily decided that she would begin to listen to her heart instead of her head all the time. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, after the past few moments with James, she knew that she couldn't deny it anymore. She did like James - a lot. She had been extremely disappointed when he didn't kiss her and had the perfect opportunity. She wondered what could have been stopping him, then one word popped into her mind - Travis. She felt with a surety that that would be the change she would have to make. For her own sanity and happiness - and for James'... maybe it was time to let Travis go, after all.

---

A/N: Hmm, how's that?

Uno Mas Chappie - coming upa!

-shakes head at sorry attempt for spanish-