Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that are familiar to you. They are owned by J.K Rowling, and this fan fiction is written solely for entertainment…but don't you wish!

Chapter 26: A Fling…Thing.

I had never really gotten mail in my two years at Hogwarts and I was severely surprised when a letter dropped in my lap one morning. Lily and Alice were busy reading their own mail and took no notice of it. Kelsey, on the other hand, had. When the letter fell to me, Kelsey glanced at Alice and Lily then back to me, giving me a quizzical look. I shrugged at her; I myself not knowing who it was from. She gestured me to open, which I did.

I raised my eyebrows. It was from Cecily. It was addressed to only me, so I hid it slightly under the table so I wouldn't be forced to read it aloud.

Dear Caroline,

I feel bad not addressing it to all of you but there are some matters in here that concern people that are probably sitting around you so make sure they don't read this. Well, they can hear this part:

I'm doing much better. I'll be back to Hogwarts after the winter break. There are a few more things Marlene and I have to sort out concerning my parents' deaths. Thank you for all of you guys' support through this. It'll be fine, I promise. Okay, this is private: Alice wrote me the other day again about Lily. What are you going to do? Has she said anything to James yet? I don't know about you but I think it's ridiculous she won't tell him. Caroline, you and Lily see him more than others because you're in Quidditch. You have to say something. DO something. She must have slipped something by now. I'm not even there and I'm worried about this. Keep me updated.

Alright, this concerns YOU only. What the bloody hell is going on with you and Kelsey now? PLEASE tell me you've made up! I will be very disappointed if you aren't. It was such a stupid argument.

Here's some information for anyone's benefit. Keep reading the Daily Prophet. You-Know-Who's been killing more. Some aren't even wizarding families. My sister wants me to return to Hogwarts sooner because it's one of the only places safe now. Unfortunately, my parents liked to collect things and it's going to take longer than we thought. I just want you to make sure your families are safe.

I hope all is fine for now and I'll write again soon.

Sincerely,

Cecily McKinnon

"Caroline?"

I looked up at Alice.

"Who's the letter from?"

Damn.

"Oh, my mum."

Kelsey raised her eyebrows at me.

"Your mother? Has she ever written before?"

"Er, well, she tries but she's still not used to the whole owl thing."

Cecily and Lily nodded and went back to what ever they were doing. Kelsey had not taken her eyes off me. I mouthed that I'd explain later and she reluctantly went back to her business.

After our last class of the day, I managed to get hold of Lily without James around-a miracle in its own right. She turned and grabbed my arm almost immediately and dragged me a little ways from the crowds of students.

"I wanted to talk to you." She said.

"About what?"

"I'm worried about something."

I immediately thought of Snape.

"It's probably rubbish, but-"

"What is it?"

She looked at me intently.

"I'm worried about me and James."

"What? Why?"

"I'm worried it's going to just come to a plateau. And just…" Lily cut horizontally through the air with her hand. I didn't say anything. She exhaled and flung her hands to grip my arms.

"I don't want that to happen! It's not happening right now, let me tell you (I smirked at this) but I just get so paranoid of like where we're going to be in say, five years. (My smile faded) But I love him, Caroline! I love him so much, I just…I don't want anything to happen."

I smiled.

"Lily, I'll promise you something. And you really have to trust me on this because I know. Seriously. You and James will be together for a VERY long time. Just don't think about that right now. You're both young. Wing it. You're going to be together for a long time. I know."

Lily's distressed expression softened and she smiled.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better."

"No, seriously. I KNOW."

She smiled and shrugged.

"Thanks. I know its rubbish. I'm just being daft."

She turned.

"I think I'm going to talk to him about it though." She said.

"Good. Communication is good."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

I watched her walk away, shaking my head and smiling to myself. A plateau… Ha.

Lily, paranoia diminished, still agreed to herself she would talk to James about it. Then she would know exactly how he felt about it. How serious he felt their relationship is or should be and she would be able to sleep better. She waited for him to come out of Defense Against the Dark Arts and took his arm the second she saw him emerge form the door with Sirius. James jerked towards her, not realizing who it was but he smiled when he saw that it was Lily. She smiled at him and pulled him closer so he could hear her.

"I need to talk to you in private." She said. James immediately thought of what had been bothering him for days now. Ever since the morning on the couch. Now, she was finally going to tell him. He didn't want to upset her and hadn't pressed the matter and now this was it.

"Okay." He said. He turned and nodded at Sirius, who understood and hurried off. James turned back toward Lily.

"Come one. We'll go to the lake." He said, taking her hand.

They stood under the shade of the birch tree, their hands locked and Lily, looking at James's profile, wondered if she should truly tell him what she was thinking. She was so worried he would be insulted and she really WOULD ruin their relationship. No, she told herself. It's better just knowing what he thought so I won't think about it every bloody second.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" James asked, breaking her thought. Lily chewed at her cheek and turned so she was standing in front of him. She sighed and looked up at him. James could hear his heart pounding in his chest. This it, he thought. She was going to tell him what was wrong. What had been killing him for days now.

"James, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Please don't take this offensively. Please...I just need to know." she said quickly.

"Are you all right?"

"Me? I'm fine. It's just..."

James watched her intently.

"Do you see this," she motioned her hand back and forth expressing her point she was talking about the two of them, " As just something that's going to go away?"

"What?"

"I mean, do you see the two of us as like, just a fling...thing?"

"What? Why are you asking me this?"

"I'm so sorry James! I really am! I just-I just want to know if you see me as...something real or-or just something that you're just going to-"

"Lily."

"Yeah?" Lily exhaled, her voice quavering nervously. She looked down at their hands.

"I'm sorry, James. I didn't mean-" she let go of him and began to turn around, ashamed of herself. I never should have asked, she thought. James quickly took her hand.

"Lily, wait."

He pulled her back to him and lifted her chin.

"What made you think that I didn't take our relationship seriously?"

Lily didn't answer. She just stared at him. He raised his thumb and brushed it over her lips.

"Because I do." He said. Lily continued to just stare at him, having lost her voice.

"Here, I want to give you something." He said. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a gold necklace in the shape of a flower. In the middle was a fair-sized diamond.

"Oh, James..." Lily breathed. She delicately touched the side as if it would shatter at her touch. " You got this for..me?" she asked as if it wasn't possible.

"It was my mothers." he said. Lily's hand shot back to her side.

"Oh, Merlin. I can't take that. I don't deserve something that was your mother's!" she gasped. James smiled at her modesty.

"No, let me explain."

He took it in his palm to show it to her.

"My mother hoped that she'd pass it on to her daughter, who'd pass it on to her daughter and so on and so on but she got me instead."

"Oh, I feel sorry for her."

"Do you want to hear this?"

"Yes, of course. Sorry."

"Anyways, she never got a daughter. So, when I turned sixteen, she gave it me and she said that I would give it to the one person who I cared for and loved more than anyone else as, well, a substitute for a daughter I guess."

Lily let out a breath and touched her collarbone.

"And…you're giving it to..."

James was so close to Lily now that she couldn't finish the question.

"Yeah, I am." His voice was barely a whisper. "Because that one person, that person that I care for and love more than anyone else, is you. I've carried it with me everyday since she gave it to me. I always knew I was going to give it to you."

"But you got it when you were sixteen. That was before we-"

James smirked. "I know."

Without taking his eyes off her, he lifted the chain over her head and around her neck.

"Even in a hundred years, it'll always be meant for you."

At this, Lily burst into tears. Before James could say something, Lily flung her arms around his neck and clung to him so tightly, she barely had her feet on the ground. James wrapped her arms around her, not only trying to support her but himself. His eyes widened and he exhaled into her hair in shock.

"Well, I'm glad you like it, I didn't quite expect this but it's always-"

"Oh shite James..." Lily sobbed into his shoulder. "I just ask you if you took this relationship seriously and then you gave me this...You have no idea how selfish I feel! I don't know why you do all this for me, James. I don't deserve it."

"You deserve all of it, Lily."

"No I don't. Merlin, why are you so nice to me? After all those years and after all those things I've said and you still put up with me and tell me that you love me when you could do so much better than me..."

James couldn't help but smile into Lily's hair. HE should be the one saying that.

"S-so, I'm take it you like the necklace?" he asked.

Lily laughed through her sobs.

"Like it? I love it! I love it so much, James. So much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed like an excited 10 year old receiving a birthday present. It made James's grin wider. It wasn't for a few seconds that James realized that Lily hold on him may be a bit too tight.

"I hate to ruin the moment Lily, but oxygen is really becoming an issue."

Lily laughed and pulled back. She smiled at him and shook her head; her eyes still brimmed with tears. She leaned back into him, her nose brushing his. She put a finger to his lips before she reached up and slipped his glasses of his face.

"Too bad." she whispered. James barely had the time to smile before Lily had brought her lips to his. They met perfectly, they fit perfectly and there was nothing else more perfect despite the fact that James was close to the need of life support (right now, he could have cared less). James tightened his grip around her waist, lifting her off her tiptoes. Lily had her arms wrapped around her neck-Good thing too because she would have gone tumbling out of James's arms if they weren't. Lily's doubts were completely and utterly gone and would never return to her mind again. Then again, nothing was on their minds at the moment. Besides each other, of course. It had become perfectly clear to both of them that this was never and never will be just a fling...thing.

"It's no use, Sirius!" I slammed by Transfiguration book down. The table shook and Madame Pince glared, thin-lipped at me, which I could have cared less of what that old hag thought. Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I have never heard of someone with less patience than you. Look, just try again."

I raised my wand.

"Concentrate on pronunciation and think hard on it."

I strained my brain for a long moment and then tried the spell again and for the first time in my life, it worked perfectly!

"Did you see that!" I exclaimed excitedly to Sirius, bouncing in my seat.

"See?" he said, grinning. "You can do it; just concentrate and it's not hard."

I did it successfully four more times and Sirius had to take my wand before I wet myself.

Halfway through Charms, I glanced around me uninterestedly when suddenly the breath left my lungs. Lily had walked in and there was Snape. I closed my mouth quickly so Sirius wouldn't see that I had dropped my jaw. He was still explaining a charm, so I frantically turned back to him, trying hard not to concentrate on Lily, who was now in a great deal of distress. Why on earth would Snape pull that with Sirius only a few tables away? How daft can he get? I hadn't realized I was staring at Lily and Snape…until Sirius reminded me.

"Hey! Caroline! Hello…?"

I jerked my head back to him. Come on, Lily. If Sirius sees Snape doing this…

"What?"

"What are you looking at? You look like you just looked at the most attractive man on the planet." He began to turn around.

"No!"

I jerked his head back towards me. He creases his brow and laugh.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. Just let me see what he looks like!" He turned around again. I looked away. Oh no…

Suddenly Sirius burst into laughter.

"Him?" he exclaimed, jerking his thumb toward where Lily and Snape had been standing. Lily and Snape had both vanished! Now, there stood an obese second year Hufflepuff with very bad skin, I might add. I glared at Sirius, appalled as he barked with laughter.

"Shut up. The guy left."

"Right, right."

A/N: Okay, this one's short too. SO SORRY. Just trying to get it out before people kill me. I'll update as soon as possible. Love all of you! Bye!