A/N: Thanks guys for all you reviews on the last chapter, and I hope this satisfies your questions :D

Chapter 12 part 3:

"I don't know whether good is the right word," Lily started, "it's hardly interesting,

confusing maybe, regretful? I don't know."

James sat and listened, waiting for Lily to continue.

"Don't you think it's interesting how the first people you meet on the Hogwarts Express, in your first year, become your friends? It's like the train knows where you should sit, and who you should meet, for that to happen," Lily rambled, looking at the fire, her eyes distant. "Well, that's how it was for me. I met two strange, but intriguing first years on that trip. And to look at us now, you'd hardly even know how much we used to like each other really would you?"

"Your not telling me you became friends with Snape and Semasky on the train are you?" James asked slowly.

"I am. Because we did. It wasn't a friendship where it was all laughter and easygoing, random chats. It was odd, and unexpected, but mostly it was fitting. The three of us were loners, and felt a little out of place, and I guess just having each other was a comfort on that first day."

James nodded, but he wasn't sure whether he fully understood where Lily was going with this. I mean Snape and Semasky being her friends? That just seemed, too surreal.

"Once we were sorted however, things changed. You would think that after knowing each other for only a few hours it wouldn't matter much that we were sorted into different houses. I mean, we would make new friends, there would be no real loss. But for some reason there was," Lily continued. By this stage she was looking at James, seeing if he could understand at all. And although James was trying, he couldn't. To him losing Snape as a friend would have been a welcomed pleasure.

"The three of us agreed. We all knew what was necessary to keep up appearances for our house. Severus, especially, could not be seen to be associating with a Gryffindor, a muggleborn one to boot. And although, that didn't bother Olivia in the slightest, she agreed that it was better to keep things discreet," Lily laughed slightly, "Merlin, I sound like we are in a Shakespearean tragedy or something."

James looked at her bewilderedly, "Huh?"

Lily laughed, "It's a muggle thing, sorry."

"Right," James replied slowly.

Lily continued, "So that's what we did for the next few years, we stayed friends, we weren't the closest of friends, there is no doubt about that. The girls I met in Gryffindor, are possibly closer to me than Olivia and Severus, but those two were, are, still important."

James shook his head, "But that doesn't make sense Lily. For starters, I have heard the way Snape speaks about you, no friend would say things like that, and second although you have abused me countless times for my treatment of Snape, I have seen the amusement you are trying to hide despite your pretence of being angry."

"True. But Snape kept up appearances, I am not so sure that is the case anymore," she frowned. "And, well, some things were amusing, and I would have reacted the same way if you had have done those pranks to any of my other friends," Lily shrugged, "but not the ones where you crossed the line, and I made you aware of that."

James sighed, he knew all about those moments, and didn't really need a reminder of them. He still thought Lily had overreacted at times, but he didn't think they would ever agree on that.

"Ok. So the three of you are friends?" James asked for confirmation, and receiving a nod off Lily in answer, "Right….Olivia I can understand, sort of, but Snape? Come on Lily, he is so much further into the Dark Arts than any other student in this school, and he is a rude, ugly, evil, little git! How can you be friends with him?" James asked exasperatedly.

Lily frowned at him, and sat thinking for a while, "His fascination of the Dark Arts was more, I don't know, a learning interest?"

"That's crap Lily," James interrupted, not believing that for a second.

"It's not really, he was fascinated by it all yes, but it didn't mean he agreed with it all, and supported the use of it."

James narrowed his eyes, absolutely baffled by Lily's naivete, "But he has used it, you know he has."

"Well, that brings us to the fight," Lily said. "The three of us haven't been as close lately. Actually that's a lie, we haven't been since the beginning of sixth year really. Olivia and I still are, but it's different with her, but Severus became more withdrawn, and submersed in his learning of the Dark Arts."

She turned to face him, crossing her legs underneath her, "So the fight?" she asked. "I was telling Severus to be careful, to make sure he kept his eyes opened, and to be wary of the contacts he was making. I may be muggleborn and out of the loop with many of the Wizarding Families, but I know enough, and have been warned enough to know that the people Snape's befriending, are anything but good news. I had heard things about him that didn't bode well, and that's why I confronted him. I also told him that he was far more immersed in the Dark Arts than he should be and that if he wasn't careful he'd get stuck and wouldn't be able to turn back. He responded by telling me that was hypocritical, that the people I was getting closer to were, well, lets just say he didn't have anything nice to say."

James glowered, "He was referring to us wasn't he?"

Lily nodded, "He is blinded by so much hatred, I don't know. I know that the way you treat him doesn't help his opinions of you all, but I also know it isn't one sided, and that he can be just as much of a git to you, as you can be to him."

Lily twirled her ring around her finger. James wasn't sure he agreed with Lily's take on him and Snape's relationship, but he wanted her to finish the story, so he let it slide.

"So anyway the argument got heated, I told Severus that if he was going to make the choice to get closer to the evil little gits that are showing interest in him, than he is going against everything I believe in, and that I couldn't be friends with someone that cold, and ignorant. And he pretty much said the same," Lily said sadly, "though I think you pretty much caught that part of the conversation, well most of it."

James nodded, even though it still didn't make sense. Lily and Snape friends? It was just wrong. In his mind they were polar opposites, everything James admired in Lily, was completely opposite to Snapes nature, hence why he hated him so much; Snape stood for everything James despised, while Lily reflected everything that James admired in the world, in people. Lily may have thought that they were meant to be friends when they were young, but for James, he and Snape were meant to loathe each other.

"What about Olivia?" James asked, wanting answers to the questions running inside his head.

"What about her? Olivia is a friend. I know how she appears, and I know what you guys think of her, but you don't know her like I do. It's just different with her," Lily explained tiredly.

James couldn't hold it in any longer, "Oh come off it Lily! This is a load of shit! Are you so naive to not know what all this means? Are you so naive to think that Semasky won't follow Snape. She showed her loyalty downstairs, she went straight after Snape, she didn't even back you up! Merlin Lily, we aren't talking about a tiff between friends here!" James exploded. He had to get this through to Lily, he didn't think she would act so blindly.

Lily turned on James, the anger that was bubbling behind her eyes had burst to the surface, so that her green eyes flashed with fire.

"Don't treat me like a nieve little girl James! Of course I know what all this means! There are more important things in this world than Quidditch and pranks, so maybe you are the naive one, maybe you should worry about something more important, and stop telling me I am naive and that I don't understand the way this world works!" Lily yelled at him, her face red with anger.

James' temper burst at that, "That's what you think of me? That I don't think anything is important besides pranks and Quidditch? I guess that's why I gave up Quidditch Captain, and why I wanted to be Head Boy then huh? I can't believe you think that, I don't even know why I bothered wanting to be your friend so much, if that's how I knew you were going to see me. You're a fucking hypocrite Lily!"

By now, both of them were facing each other on the lounge, breathing rapidly, and red with anger.

"You kept wanting to be my friend so you could get into my knickers," Lily retorted coldly.

James blood started boiling, he couldn't stand to be near her at the moment, and that was possibly the first time he had felt like that. He stood up to go, and walked towards the portrait hole joining the Heads Room to the Gryffindor common room.

o-o-o-o-o

So is that what you were expecting?...