A/N: So here's Chapter 3. I'm back on a semi-regular work schedule, and suffer from ADLBD (Attention Defecit Lazy Bum Disorder). Updates won't be as frequent, but your lovely reviews could change that!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own nothing.

Chapter 3: Konstantine

Something Corporate

Lily lay flat on her stomach in the center of the bedroom she shared with her sister, reading one of the books she had purchased in Diagon Alley almost one week ago. One week ago, when she had actually started to feel something in place of hatred for one James Potter; that is, until he did the very thing she had always hated him for to begin with. One week ago, when he had been the person she'd always wished he was.

Shrill screams echoed up into Lily's room, causing her to jump in surprise. God, not another owl, Lily began to think resentfully. James had taken to sending her at least three owls every day, all begging for her forgiveness. Usually, Lily would throw the letter away after reading the first sentence. On one instance, however, she kept the letter as a bookmark.

The screaming started to take on an excited tone, which piqued Lily's interest enough to draw her to the sitting room of number sixteen, Crown Close. Lily apparated to the kitchen, dashed for the sitting room, and skidded to a halt outside the room containing her family and one extra person. This extra person was Vernon Dursley, a stuffy man who had been dating Petunia for the past two years.

Petunia hung by her bony arms to Vernon's neck while bouncing around excitedly, the large man's face getting redder by the second. He kept glancing back and forth between a bouncing Petunia, a shocked Mr. Evans, and a beaming Mrs. Evans in the midst of dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Slightly confused, Lily was about to ask what was going on when she saw a slight glittering on Petunia's finger. Her ring finger. Lily's eyes bulged as a happy grin took over her face for her sister, despite their constant struggles.

It took the occupants of the sitting room to notice Lily standing at the door. Petunia skipped towards Lily and threw her arms around her younger sister in a loving embrace, something she hadn't done in six years. "He proposed!" Petunia gushed. "Vernon proposed!"

No matter how much she disliked Vernon or how different she and her sister were, Lily couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at Petunia's newfound happiness. "Congrats," Lily wished her sister and her new fiancée before taking a seat next to their mother on the sofa. "When's the wedding?"

"This December," Harriet Evans said, hugging her youngest daughter against her business jacket. Harriet's long brown hair was twisted into a professional bun at the back of her head while her dark blue eyes brimmed with tears of joy. "They've decided to wait until you come home on holiday."

Lily felt an uncomfortable gaze upon her. She turned to see Vernon Dursley gawking at her with a twinge of fear. More than aware of this man's contempt for anything out of the boring ordinary (which included Lily's entire world), Lily shifted awkwardly and spoke to Vernon. "That was very kind of you." Vernon nodded in affirmation.

"Vernon's also offered for me to move in with him until our wedding," Petunia said to no one in particular as she stood next to her future husband, still beaming.

This caused quite a stir on Mr. Evans' part. Rising to his full height, he caused a shorter Vernon to shrink out of intimidation. "Now wait just a damn –"

CRASH. A sound equivalent to that of a rhinoceros dropping from mid-air traveled through the ceiling above their heads. Lily instinctively whipped her wand out from her belt and began to creep up the stairs, more than aware of the sudden bulge of Vernon's eyes at the sight of that ten and-a-quarter inch piece of willow. Mrs. Evans followed Lily closely, soon joined by her husband, daughter, and future son-in-law.

Lily's hand shook as she reached for the door latch. With the rise of a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort, the wizarding world was far more dangerous than it had been when she was first introduced. People, both Muggle and magical, had started to go missing, most of whom were found dead not too long after. Fear had taken hold of every member of the magical community and had forced everyone to be on their guard. Finally, deciding Voldemort was not traipsing about her bedroom in broad daylight, Lily opened the door.

Aside from Voldemort himself, the last person Lily wanted to see stood in the middle of the room. James Potter was parked in the center of the bedroom with his wand out, levitating an oak dresser back into place. A gasp from behind him (belonging to Vernon) caused James to turn around, allowing the dresser to crash back to its place on the ground. "Lily!" James exclaimed, a bright smile on his face as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

Aghast, Lily just stood there. That is, until the invisible dam that kept her words back disappeared. "Potter! What in the name of Merlin are you doing in my room!"

"Whatever happened to 'James,' Lily?" James asked, his trademark lopsided grin plastered on his face. A pang of hurt hit James as Lily didn't correct herself. James ran his hand through his hair again, aggravating Lily even more. Despite this annoying habit of his, Lily didn't fail to notice that all sense of joking and playfulness was gone from him for the moment. "Actually, I'm here for two reasons. One," he said as he picked up a book from the floor next to him, "is to return this to you; you left it in Diagon Alley." James handed the book to Lily, which she immediately snatched without taking her eyes from him. "Second," James continued, "I'd like to apologize to you, in person, for what I did. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over…"

The apology trailed off as James glanced down at his feet and caught a glimpse of the contents of a spilled dresser drawer. With his wand, James raised something green into his sight. Something green and lacy, which he noticed bore the initials 'LE.' All sense of decency momentarily left James as he stood there, entire face reddening as he ogled what was obviously a pair of Lily's panties.

Lily's eyes bulged almost clean out of their sockets before narrowing dangerously. She stomped forward and grabbed the underwear out of James' wand grip and slapped him straight across the cheek hard enough to cause a small trickle of blood to flow. For the first time ever, Lily saw something she'd never seen before in the eyes of James Potter: Fear. "Get out, GET OUT, GET OUT!" Lily screamed as she chased James towards the window, book perilously raised in a position to strike. James tried to explain away his behavior, but was greeted by a close swipe of the book. Next thing he knew, he was toppling backwards out of the second story window while the Evans family screamed "NO, LILY!" from inside.

James closed his eyes, and with a crack narrowly missed crashing into the unforgiving ground and instead fell onto a sofa in his own house, one that was already occupied by a reading Remus Lupin.

"OW!" Remus yelled, followed by a string of expletives as James' feet landed on his lap, digging his book into a very undesirable area. James apologized as he moved his feet to the floor and stared at them. Remus glanced at James and caught sight of the blood still running down his cheek. "Merlin, what happened?"

"She slapped me," James said flatly. He touched the spot tenderly and winced in pain. He rested his elbows on his knees and ran both hands through his hair and growled out of frustration.

Remus was watching James carefully as Sirius strolled into the room, whistling a popular song. He greeted his friends with a nod before settling on the floor to resume a solitary game of Exploding Snap.

Sirius ceased his whistling when his eyes returned to a rather glum James. Nodding towards his best friend, Sirius asked Remus, "Something happen with Lily?" Both James and Remus nodded in reply. Shaking his head in pity, Sirius then noticed the blood on James' cheek. "Merlin, what happened! Did she hit you?" Expecting some other answer, Sirius was quite surprised when James nodded in the affirmative. The cards in front of Sirius exploded at that moment, adding to his surprise.

James removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose, ignoring the explosion. "I don't get it," James said to no one in particular. "What's with her?"

Remus closed his book and set it on top of a pile of ashes. "Prongs, tell me what happened," Remus said, turning towards James.

James recounted everything to his friends. The botched apparation to the top of Lily's dresser; his attempt to right it; her arrival; the almost apology, interrupted by Lily's less-than-innocent underwear. "Then she chased me out her window, and I ended up back here." James concluded.

Silence stretched from all corners of the room as Sirius and Remus gaped at their friend. Sirius, eyebrows still smoking, broke the silence. "So…What you're telling us is…You didn't finish apologizing to Lily because you were too busy eyeballing her undies?" James nodded resignedly. A grin wide enough to rival the Grand Canyon spread across Sirius' face. "Wo-o-o-ow!" Sirius exclaimed, shaking his hand like he had just touched something hot. He rose to his feet and slapped James on the back. "Didn't think you had it in you, Prongs!" he said before settling in a nearby armchair.

"Oh shut up, Padfoot," Remus said, scowling at his smirking friend. "James is trying to get Lily to not despise him, remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Sirius thoughtfully. "Why does she hate him again?"

James answered this question. "Because I'm an arrogant, bullying toehead."

"I believe the term she used was 'toerag,' Prongs," Sirius said. An object that greatly resembled one of James' trainers went whizzing by Sirius' head, forcing him to duck. "Alright, alright! I'll stop talking!"

"Thank goodness," Remus said moodily. "Listen, Prongs. Why don't you just lay low until we go back to Hogwarts? Don't owl Lily, don't try and meet up with her, anything like that. It'll just make her angrier."

James lifted his eyes from the floor to meet Remus'. "Always the voice of reason, Moony." Remus recognized the pain in James' eyes that only a girl could bring. "It's funny…She won't even call me 'James' anymore."

Sirius and Remus eyed each other nervously as they watched their friend leave the room.

Hours later, back at number sixteen, Crown Close, things weren't much better for Lily.

Mr. Evans had spent the better part of an hour yelling at Lily regarding the sudden appearance of James Potter, every now and then resorting back to a rather risqué undergarment.

Petunia had announced her decision to move out of a house where strange men appeared and disappeared without warning, sparking another argument between Mr. Evans and one of his daughters.

After dark, when everyone had gone to sleep, Lily sat up in front of the fireplace. She held the written apology she'd received from James days ago in her hand, unfolded and read over several times.

Lily had no control over her hands as they tore the letter to shreds in front of her eyes. She picked a piece out of the pile of confetti to keep her place in the book she had been reading; Lily failed to notice this piece held the signature of James Potter. The paper was soon moved into the fireplace as Lily struck a match and threw it atop what was once a letter of sincere apology.

As Lily watched the paper burn she felt, for the first time, true hatred for James Potter.

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A/N: Chapter 3 at last! I'm trying to coordinate the songs with the content and/or feel of the chapters from now on.

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