A/N:Thank you very much, reviewers! Near the same time I finished amending this part, I received my fifth review for part eleven, much to my delight. Wouldn't everyone (especially Jedi Knight Bus) like to see a longer segment? Well, the next one's looking pretty long (written, anyway)! I deeply encourage reviews, as they strongly motivate my typing...but I can tell you that part thirteen will take awhile to type...whatever, though. It's gonna be great! (Yes, I'm very excited.)

Enjoy!

Jedi Knight Bus: Yes, that tends to be my problem in writing. I make things happen too soon. That's a really good idea you have about having James tell Lily for something in return...if I were you, I'd write a fic about that. It's your idea, so I can't do it. Good luck, if you so decide.

EmpressM: Don't we all hate them? But that's life, unfortunately.

cherokeegirl47: Updated as soon as I could! I'm glad you like it.

Jen: Thanks!

ebtwisty9: Thanks, I tried my hardest to make it sound believeable.

Part Twelve: Sniffs and the Terror of the Night

Lily and James traveled the lengthy path to a remote rim of the forest. Here the fluxweed was abundant. The full moon provided enough light for them to work by.

Lily tried her best not to over-exert herself, so she wouldn't become sweaty. She had no clue as to why she cared what James thought of her body odor…

James' close proximity was a bit distracting for Lily, practically intoxicating, although she would never admit it aloud. He smells good…I wonder what cologne he uses… She sniffed him as quietly as was humanly possible. Hmmm…like peppermint, but better.

Before she could chance another whiff of her partner, he said, "Lily, hand over Mr. MacDougal's bag. I've got a whole bushel cut already." Lily gave it to him, and their hands met for a second. She jerked away and turned back around as quickly as she could, for her cheeks were flushed. Nonsense, Evans, complete and utter nonsense. This is James Potter you're blushing over.

I told you so, the voice inside her head reminded her.

Shut up, she ordered.

Suddenly, Lily heard the rustling of something behind her. She turned again, and gasped as she saw a humongous wolf towering over her and James.

It looked as if the wheels in James' head had immediately begun turning as he noticed the problem as well. He quickly whispered to her, "When I count to three, you take the fluxweed, the broom, keep on the Invisibility Cloak, and get the hell out of here."

"But James—"

"Just do it, okay?"

Lily let out a shallow breath and nodded.

"One…two…three!"

She ran and ran until she reached the edge of the lake and sat down. I hope James is all right. I'll never forgive myself if he isn't.

What was that, Lily?

It'd be my fault is all.

Yeah, right.

Voice, I'm getting really sick of you.

I'm getting sick because you won't admit your feelings.

James is my friend and nothing more.

I guess I'll have to accept that for now. It's a step in the right direction in the least. With a hopeless sigh, the voice vanished yet again.

Lily stood up with her wand at the ready. There was no telling what might be coming. Wow, if I'd known Remus was a werewolf…I might have been nicer to James' friends. Now I'm scared half to death that he might attack me…oh, this is messed up.

A white stag soon emerged from the shrubbery and headed for her. Since she had a good feeling she knew who the creature was, so she lowered her wand arm and didn't back away. She took off the cloak to show James she was there. James transformed back into his normal state (though still on all fours), breathing heavily, as though he had just put forth a great deal of physical exertion. Lily noticed there was a small gash across his left cheek, probably from where Remus had attacked him.

Lily looked into James' hazel eyes worriedly with her emerald ones. "Are you quite all right? James, what happened? That was Remus, wasn't it?"

Her penetrating stare seemed to calm him. "Yeah, I'm…I'm fine." He sat down beside her. "Moony…well, he sensed your presence, which I guess is pretty unusual because he was in his wolf state, and so he was a bit fearful for my protection, I suppose. We battled it out until he realized it was me. You know, he can't really talk when he's transformed, so I don't even know—mmm-mm…"

Lily had pressed her hand to his mouth. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You were babbling. You're going to wear yourself out worse than you already are, and that's not such a great idea since you're the one flying us back across the lake." She released him.

"Okay. Let's just…go back. We've got more than enough fluxweed."

Lily nodded her agreement.

James picked up his broom and helped her onto it, and they began to retrace their flight back to the broom shed.

Neither said anything until they heard a wolf's howl from the forest.

"That's good ole Moony for you," James said, chuckling.

"It must be so hard for him. How does he deal with it?" Lily asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. He keeps to himself about that stuff…you know…emotions. Guys aren't so open with it," James said, fairly blindly.

She laughed out loud.

"What?" asked James, trying to keep his eyes on the chosen path. Controlling a broom with Lily Evans in back of him was not the easiest task in the world, he'd found.

"Nothing, it's just kind of cute when you try to explain things you don't fully understand."

"You think so, huh?" James did a spinning move on his broom, causing Lily to shriek and clench him around the middle even tighter than she had before.

She lashed out at him. "James Potter! I thought you'd know better than to do that while I'm on a broom with you!"

Now, of course, it was his turn to laugh (yet he had secretly enjoyed her calling him cute; this is James Potter, after all). "It's so cute when you scream like that."

"Point taken," Lily grumbled, loosening her grip on him ever so slightly.

The two basked in the serenity of the moonlit evening and only spoke again once safely back in the Gryffindor common room, where they wished each other a good night and ascended their respective staircases without looking back.