Thank you so much for all my reviews! They really inspire me! I don't own anything! Harry Potter characters - J.K.Rowling, Fairy-Tale based things - whoever invented them.

Chapter 3 – Cinderella's Dream

Cinderella has a dream. It is the same dream as, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and every other fairy-tale princess. Cinderella has to work and do chores for her evil stepmother. Her dream is to run away and marry prince charming, and live happily ever after in a kingdom far away, and that just happens to be the same dream as Lily Evans's... but will it be a happy ending for Miss. Evans?

(James P.O.V)

A week had passed in the summer holidays and James had done pretty much nothing. That is quite a serious situation for James – the Marauders only had 7 weeks left to plan, test and buy products for the opening grand beginning of term feast – after all it was their last. But James had a certain redhead on his mind. He kept picturing her face and imagining what it would be like to be with her forever. It would be pure bliss. He didn't have her though. He didn't have the girl he loved. He loved the way she walks, he loved the way she spoke, and he even loved the passion in her eyes when she slapped him back in the beginning of 5th year. He loved everything about her. But it was simple that day– he missed her. But it was the hardest of them all to deal with. He missed her every summer, when he never saw her, not even walking in the halls.

But then a thought struck James – he couldn't believe he had never thought of it before. He was going to simply visit her. Easy. One little thing broke James' simple plan – she wouldn't want to see him. So how to see her, without her chucking him out? Sirius walked into James' room at that precise moment.

'Hey James, your mother said she ran out of food, I didn't eat THAT much! Geez, don't you EVER go food shopping?" Sirius stormed into the room whining.

' We DO go shopping, but when you're here, you tend to eat all of it.' James replied, an edge to his voice.

'Geez James, no need to get stressed out. Thinking about Lily again?' Sirius finished knowingly whilst he sat on the bed, as James sat on the window seat in his bedroom in Potter Manor.

'I miss her.' He said vulnerably as a frown reaching his chin formed.

'Well, one solution to that! Grab your broom, and lets go see her then! And I know what you're going to say – that she doesn't want to see you, so that's why we're going to charm ourselves to blend into out surroundings. Not just a pretty brain – pretty good mind too!' Sirius said proudly, admired by his own ability to think on his feet that quick. He wasn't going to tell James that he did a similar plan to spy on the girl next door one summer. It just wasn't necessary for him to know!

James pounced up and said, "That's a brilliant idea! Come on!' and grabbed his broom and pulled his wand out from his pocket and muttered a spell. He suddenly became invisible. Whilst he shouted down the stairs telling his mother they're going out for a bit, Sirius turned himself invisible and grabbed his broom from his wardrobe in his room – he lived in Potter Manor till the end of 7th year because he ran away a few years before – he was just waiting until he inherited his money from a relative. This was going to be his last summer there, but that won't stop him from visiting though!

James ran back in the room and immediately opened the window and stood on the balcony, whilst he sat on his broom and waited for Sirius. Shocked by his determination, Sirius followed him and together they flew over the paddocks and lake in Potter Manor. The two boys flew over houses and roads for hours, whilst James strained to remember her address from when he sent her a letter and tracked the owl – hey! He did need to know where his uhh, mere crush, lived. But the whole time, James wondered, did he really love Lily - as in love her. You know it's not just a crush, but is it love? James has said it before to her, but it never really occurred to him that he himself wasn't taking it seriously. It was love after all. 'All too confusing' he thought as he dived into a road named as Privet Drive. He knew Lily lived in number 4, but he couldn't quite see the numbers. Then, suddenly, as though his prayers had been answered, Lily stepped outside the front door of her house. She held a watering can and watered the plants –was nothing too unusual.

But then a woman came outside and walked towards Lily. She pulled her up by the back of her sweatshirt in the boiling hot weather, and pushed her inside. James thought that the look of disgust upon the women's face was quite unusual. He felt he was drawn to the situation somehow, like a magical force. He rode his broom to the edge of the house, looking in the windows as he flew round the house. He couldn't find Lily or the woman James assumed was her mother anywhere, until he peered through a small window of the laundry room. Lily and Cassandra stood there. Cassandra shouted something James couldn't hear, until he did a spell to make him able to.

"You little disgusting bratty bitch! How dare you go out into the front where people can see you! What if someone I knew came past? What would they think if they saw you? Filth! They would think that I lived in a crappy home with disgusting stepchildren, when really I have a wonderful stepchild – Petunia! I'm ashamed that I have you legally stuck to me. Just wait a few weeks when you turn 17, and I'll chuck you out. You should have been put in an orphanage. Away with the other filth." The evil stepmother hissed at Lily.

James was shocked by the harshness of the woman he saw before him. Was she Lily's stepmother? He could see tears threatening to fall from Lily's eyes, and suddenly had a pang to go save her, but once again he could feel that magical force, almost telling him to wait for something.

"YOU TOLD ME TO WATER THE PLANTS! JUST BECAUSE THOSE PLANTS INCLUDE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE ME, YOU SHOUT AT ME! THAT'S IT! I'M FED UP WITH YOUR ORDERS AND SCREECHING! I'M FED UP WITH THE KICKING AND SLAPPING! AND THE PUNCHES GET PRETTY ANNOYING TOO!" Lily shouted at the top of her lungs, being sarcastic during the end. Cassandra's face was one for a picture. It was torn between shock and anger.

"I'M FED UP WITH LIFE ALL TOGETHOR! EVER SINCE I CAN REMEMBER, I'VE BEEN SLAVING AROUND LIKE CINDER BLOODY ELLA! IT'S NOT FAIR! WHAT HAVE I DONE? NO, WAIT, I KNOW! I KILLED MY MOTHER! WELL, MAYBE I DID! BUT I WAS JUST BORN! HOW WAS IT MY FAULT?" Words poured out of Lily, words she never even thought of speaking. How could she be speaking to them like this? Oh boy... I'm gonna pay for this! But it didn't matter because she kept on ranting and shouting at her.

"YOU MAY THINK I'M SELFFISH, BUT I'VE NEVER COMPLAINED! NOT ONCE! BUT WAS SHUNNED ON DAY ONE! WHY? JUST WHY AM I HERE ON EARTH?" Lily seemed to have been shouting to God, more than Cassandra now. She sucked in her breath to shout at Cassandra once more, but the evil woman hit her across the face, blood splattering everywhere. It was a mix between a punch and a slap. A gaping whole seemed to emerge out of nowhere on the side of Lily's face, blood freely pouring out. Cassandra, not sensing enough for the unworthy child, kicked her in the stomach, and made collapsing to the floor. She took one more hit on her head and Lily fell. Without knowing, the poor teen said quietly,

"Where are you my prince?" Tears gently made her way down the side of her face, mixing with the blood.

James was speechless. How could someone do that? He felt Sirius beside him, and saw him gawping at the scene. Without realising what he was did, he smashed through the back door in the laundry room, only then realising the spell had worn off, and took out his wand - aimed at Cassandra.

"How could you do that to her?" He said quietly, but anger in his eyes. "How?"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TWO?" Noticing Sirius come in behind, wand raised, holding the brooms.

"That doesn't matter. James is saving Lily and getting her out of here before you kill her, you god damn bitch." Sirius said furiously.

"Huh! I'd like to see you try!" Standing over Lily's bleeding body. She didn't quite notice the huge power element in the sticks they were holding.

James just smirked, and with a flick of his wand and a mutter under his breath, she was thrown unconscious against the wall.

He ran towards Lily's unconscious bleeding body, he scooped her up and got on his broom, putting her in his lap. She wasn't too tall, and fit perfectly on his lap, as he was very tall. He wrapped his cloak around her and carefully set off towards his house where his parents can heal her – his mother was a healer, whilst his father was an Auror.

Later that night, Lily awoke to an unfamiliar room, in a very cosy warm bed. There were fresh flowers around her room, and heavy curtains at a huge window. She could make out through the gap that it was very dark outside. How did she get here?

Then it all came back to her. She was fighting with Cassandra, and then she hit her, but that still doesn't explain how she got here. Sitting up against her large bed's headboard, she looked around trying to guess where she was, when a tall, dark, messy haired boy poked his head round the door.

"James?"


That's it for chapter 3!

Sorry that it's shorter than the other chapters, but I have a lot of homework, but I will be writing all week long to try and give you a longer chapter 4!

Thank you sooooooo much for all those reviews! It really made me happy when I saw e-mail in my account from fanfiction!

To Alaranth-88, I took your advice and have tried towrite in past tense, but half way through I tend to forget or get mixed up because I'm dyslexic and that is the part of English I most struggle with! If anyone would be willing to be my beta-reader, then please e-mail me, or if they know anyone that would be willing to do so, that would be good! I just need someone to double-check it for me!

Sorry if you found it a bit annoying when reading! I apologize.

Also to Alaranth-88, there IS a reason why Dumbledore was so OOC. I was thinking it when writing it, but you'll see later on. I was really worried about how out of character he was, but there was a reason, and lets just say he was determined to get Lily to Hogwarts for more than one reason...

(That may sound confusing... but you'll see eventually!)

I really am grateful to all those reviews, and I would also LOVE to have you review, please. I really love them; they brighten up my day and totally inspire me (like i said before ;o) lol)! So please review, thank you sooooo much.

Love

Leo Behaviour

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