A/N: This is the last chapter, guys. A little angsty, yes, but you'll like it. And if you don't shrug thanks for reading anyways. :)

livingdead2010: Thank you! Thanks for reading!

The Big Dance: Wow, um, thanks! Yes, you find out in this chapter who sent the note. It's kinda insignificant, but eh, I don't know how to explain it. It's not really a big deal, I guess. But you do find out. Thanks again!

EmpressM: Haha, thanks! I lovelovelove Sirius, so I tried to make him as true to his clichéd character as possible without being clichéd myself. lol. If that makes any sense… Anyway, I'm glad you found him funny! Thanks!

dancingkeys164: Wow, really? Does that mean my chapters aren't long enough? Teehee. Just kidding. Here's more for you! And thanks!

oxymoronique: Thanks a lot!

Coco-Pop: I came up with the D.E.C. in a dream one night and thought "why not?" and added it to my story. I needed a public place where Severus could meet Lily so the confrontation could happen, but where no teachers were likely to show up. After all, we can't have Sirius and James in any trouble, can we? Especially when James is the Head Boy! Haha, thanks for reviewing!

Emerald Hazel: Thanks, I'm glad! Here's more!

Jersey Princess: Ha! I was contemplating making her just say yes to throw everyone off guard, but let's face it. That would be so Out Of Character for Lily to do… so instead… you'll see! Thanks for reading!

PleaseExcuseTheOrneryPenguins: eyes widen I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Your four selves are kinda scary… Sorry again! Here's more! runs away

TenkunoMeiou: helps you up For your sanity, here's more!

Little One: Thanks, I'm glad you love it! More for you!

cylobaby: See, if we had more people around like you to tell James that, then he wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place… "Ten points to insert House here!"

anonymous: aw, I wish you had put a name… I like to know who I'm talking to, so I can thank them for reviewing my story. So I hope you get this and know who you are! Thanks for reviewing! And here's more!

Fairie Childe: LOL! Yay! (And then, after you a few more people reviewed and I ended up with 321!) I'm so happy! does a little dance Thanks for reviewing!

chikichiki: Here I am! I found myself! I'm back! Yay! Thanks for reviewing! Don't cry:)

Angelic Little Flower: Sorry! Here's more! Thanks!

PammaPoo: Of course I'll write another long fic! I don't know when, or what about, but I definitely will! I'm working on ideas right now! So don't worry! Be happy:) And thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing that belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Eighteen – Wiggly

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"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she yelled. "JUST STOP IT!"

James's heart pounded. This was it. This was his chance. Just like before. Except, everything was different now. Wasn't it?

He swallowed again. He was mildly aware that he was shaking. And everything was so QUIET. James took a deep breath.

"I will . . ." he started nervously. "I will . . . if you go out with me . . . Lily." This silence had to be the loudest most deafening noise he had ever heard. "Go on . . . go out with me, and I'll never," he was whispering now, "I'll never lay a hand on him again. I promise."

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Lily's was shaking with nerves, anger, apprehension, fear, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. There was a lump of something so huge stuck in her throat that she couldn't have said anything if she wanted to. She was mildly aware of tears cascading down her face in angry torrents, and largely aware that all eyes were on her.

Everyone was staring at her.

As if a light bulb had suddenly clicked on in her brain, a whole lot of things started to make sense at once. The letter, for one. James had written it… or Sirius. One of them had written it in order to get her and Snivelly out here. They had planned this confrontation.

They had planned this.

"Lily…?" Kathryn whispered from somewhere on her right.

That did it.

Turning around, Lily suddenly sprinted towards the doors at the far end of the courtyard. She was so muddled that she had no clue which doors they were, the ones that would take her where she most needed to be, or the ones that would take her farthest from where she most needed to be. She really didn't care, much. She just knew that she wanted to be as far away from everyone as possible.

She burst through the doors, hearing shouts of worry and anger behind her. Immediately, a flash of light flooded through her body and the relocating spell found her at the entrance to the D.E.C. Great. Apparently, at the moment, it was where she most needed to be. She cursed, hating her rotten luck, and frantically looked around for somewhere to hide. She couldn't go back to the common room. Her dorm was the first place her friends would think to look for her, and besides, Lily thought miserably, depending on which doors they took, they might be transported to wherever she was, anyways, because in their minds they "most needed to be" wherever she was in order to comfort her.

There was suddenly another flash of light, and Lily quickly took a step back cursing herself again for not getting away fast enough.

"Lily!" a breathless voice said. Lily looked up. Potter. The last person she wanted to see right now.

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James stopped. He had no idea what to say now that he had caught up to her. As soon as she sprinted away, he was so shocked that he hadn't known what to do. However, quickly regaining his sense, he shouted at Sirius to "take care of Snape" and took off running after Lily, hoping against hope that he was going through the right set of doors.

She looked terrible. Her face was tear-streaked, and her eyes were scarlet. But at least she wasn't crying as much, anymore.

"Lily…" he said again, softer this time. James was getting really worried now. She wasn't saying anything, just standing there staring at the floor. "Lily!" He reached out to touch her arm, but before he made contact, she snatched her arm away, and jerked her head up, blinking furiously.

"Don't touch me," she hissed. "Don't you dare touch me."

James's eyes widened in surprise. "Lily, I – "

"Shut up, James Potter!" she spat, viciously. "I don't even want to look at you right now!"

"L-Lily – "

"I SAID SHUT UP!" she shouted. Then, her eyes went wide, as if she was surprised at what she had just done, and she covered her mouth with her hands.

James didn't know what to do. She didn't want him to talk, so he wouldn't talk. Fine. But she didn't seem to be saying much of anything, either, and they couldn't just stand here. Eventually, someone would appear here looking for Lily, or James, or… James started. No one would appear here, he realized. James was here because he needed to be. And he believed that he and Lily needed to be alone right now. So whoever tried to follow them would most likely be transported to the other side of the school. Genius.

She gave another sudden sob and slid down the wall until she was sitting down. She had drawn her knees up, and had wrapped her arms around them, refusing to look up at him.

James couldn't stand this. Regardless of what she wanted him to do he had to say something. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know that's probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but I'm so sorry. I didn't know how else to get you to talk to me. I wanted to… to ask you out, but… but you were avoiding me, and I had to get your attention somehow – "

"So you sent that note," she said, quietly, calmly.

James's turned bright red. He nodded, unable to get the words out. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable standing up, and sat down across from her, leaning against the opposite wall. This hallway is awfully narrow, he thought, absentmindedly. If both of them stuck their feet straight out, they'd be touching each other.

"I'm sorry I avoided you," she said. He looked up at her, and noted that she was now blushing. But she was looking at him. "I couldn't have made it easy for you," she continued, "but honestly, James, you couldn't think of any other way to get my attention? At all?"

James shrugged, unable to think of anything to say.

"Because I've been plenty embarrassed before," Lily said, "but that was a whole new level of humiliation."

James had never felt worse, including that time in fifth year. Because this was so much worse. Evans had admitted that she liked him! She had said it herself! He had been waiting for that moment ever since he'd laid eyes on her. And what had he done? Gone and mucked it all up. There was no way she'd ever even think about going out with him, now. He might as well just - "I'm sorry," he mumbled, miserably. "If you want, I'll just – "

"Don't you want to know why, Potter?" she said, staring at him. Potter. She was back to Potter. He couldn't discern the expression on her face.

"I… I suppose," he said. Yes, please, he thought, hollowly. Tell me the reason why you never want to see me, again. Tell me how much you hate me, how much of a bloody prat I am.

Her unblinking stare was starting to creep him out.

"Because, Potter, while you and Black were putting hex after hex on Severus, I was standing there silent. Trying to figure out how best to stop you. And then, you know what I realized?" Lily asked him. He shook his head, numbly. "I realized that I was afraid. Not afraid of you, or Sirius, or Severus, but I was afraid that if I tried to stop you that you wouldn't like me anymore. Because, as ashamed as I am to admit it, even when you were torturing someone, it wasn't enough to make me stop liking you."

James stopped as she paused. He wasn't breathing now. Does she… does she still…? He realized that he was too afraid to ask her.

"And so I thought I must be a horrible person," Lily continued. "Because after all, what decent person likes someone who tortures someone else for fun?"

"It wasn't for fun," James insisted.

"Right," Lily said, sarcastically. "I suppose it was meant to be romantic?"

James lowered his gaze to the floor again, now embarrassed beyond words. What had he been thinking?

"But wait, there's more," Lily said, speaking up again. "Because after I finally found my Gryffindor courage, and realized that I was still wearing a Head Girl badge, I yelled at you, and let me tell you there's nothing more scary that standing up to someone you like. I was sure that you wouldn't like me anymore. Positive, in fact. And then, you did something astounding. You asked me out."

James kept his eyes fixedly on the floor. He knew he was terrible. He knew he was horrible. But did she really have to repeat the whole horrendous ordeal? This was painful enough…

"Potter, that was the worst moment of my life," she whispered.

Apparently, not that painful.

James felt an unfamiliar prickling behind his eyelids, and took a long shuddering breath, bringing his palms up to press against his eyes. He could not start crying right here, right now. Not in front of her.

"The worst moment of my life," she repeated in the softest voice he had ever heard her use. "There I was, thinking I had completely ruined any and all chances that I had with you, ever, and then you asked me out. I should have felt ecstatic, right? Elated, happy beyond happy. But I didn't, and do you know why, James?"

He shook his head, digging his palms even more painfully into his eyes.

"Because… I wanted to say yes."

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Lily kept her eyes open, and stared across the hallway at him. He was covering his face with his hands, she supposed, so he wouldn't have to look at her. Lily wasn't even sure if he had heard her last sentence, until he uncovered his face, and stared at her wonderingly. Lily started in surprise. He had been crying?

His hazel eyes met her emerald ones, hesitantly. "You… you still like me?" he said, hoarsely.

Lily nodded, no longer trusting her voice. She forced herself not to look away from him. It turned out to be a good thing. Because if she had looked away like she wanted to, she would have missed the wonderfully brilliant smile that spread across his face. Her heartbeat wouldn't have sped up, and she wouldn't have felt compelled to smile back.

Before she knew what was happening, he was on his feet and holding a hand out to her. Without any hesitation at all, she took it, and he swiftly pulled her to her feet. Their eyes met and Lily blushed, well aware that he was going to kiss her. She closed her eyes, and heard him whisper, "I've waited weeks to do this again…"

A powerful electrical sensation seemed to zip throughout her entire body, then his lips touched hers, something sparked, and she was on fire.

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A/N: Sigh. It's done. Finally. Don't ask for any more chapters because it's done. And I really don't want to write a sequel because I've never really been a fan of Post-Hogwarts. Just not my piece of cake. Thank you people for pushing and pushing and emailing me, and just plain being annoying as hell. Without you, I would have never finished it. Seriously.

Ariana S.