I was out on the radio starting to change
Somewhere out in America, it's starting to rain
Could you tell me the things you remember about me
and have you seen me lately?

"Have You Seen Me Lately?" by Counting Crows

Chapter Three: The Unknown Agreement

James Potter awoke the next morning at approximately 5:45. Not being able to go back to sleep, he decided he could go for a jog and clear his head for the day. So he pulled on some running shorts and a sweatshirt over his tee shirt and headed down to the common room to put on his trainers.

There, he saw none other then Lily Evans, reading by the fire as the sun rose up, letting in orange light from the windows. James, remembering their argument from the night before—and that they hadn't yet made up or had a real conversation--- was cautious as at her presence, and took a seat opposite of her.

"Good morning." greeted James as he put on a trainer.

Lily, who was absorbed in some novel that James couldn't see the title for, jumped up, just realizing someone was in the room with her.

Noticing who it was, she continued to read. "Morning."

"What are you reading?" asked James conversationally.

Lily barely took her eyes off the page as she turned it. "It's a Muggle book, you wouldn't know of it."

James grinned; his mother was a peculiar bibliophile and had had James read a variety of books growing up. "Try me."

Lily looked up at James, who was still grinning. She sighed.

"It's The Secret Garden." replied Lily, rather unwillingly.

James stood up now that his shoes were fastened and tried to remember the book he read as a child. "Isn't that a children's book?"

Lily glared at him with her lips pursed. "It's a wonderful book, Potter, but I suppose you wouldn't know a good book if it kicked you in that big head of yours."

"I never said there was anything wrong with it. I just fancied you reading some French classic like Les Miserables or The Count of Monte Cristo."

With his words, James left to go on his run.

"He is such a prat!" she exclaimed once James had left the room. She threw her book onto the opposite couch and put her head in her hands. She couldn't help that James's words from the previous night came echoing back to her.

"Well obviously, Evans, you don't know me very well!"

Did she know him as well as she thought she did?

Lily shook the strange twinge developing in the pit of her stomach and decided to go get dressed, not without grabbing her novel from its place on the sofa.

"This is NEWT level Transfiguration. I expect everyone to pay attention, take notes, do their homework, and I expect nothing less then Excellent work." droned Professor McGonagall with her typical seventh year NEWT class first day speech.

James was barely paying attention, he didn't really need to. He could receive an Outstanding in this class with his eyes closed.

The warm air made it easy to drift off to sleep, and between staring at the back of Lily's head and looking out the window he began to drift off to sleep.

"Now class, our first topic of the year is to transfigure a toad into a Cheshire cat."

James awoke abruptly. The last thing he needed was McGonagall catching him asleep on the first day of school. He was Head Boy, after all.

"I understand that this is somewhat of a review for some of you." her eye lingered on James and Sirius. "But I insist that you take it seriously."

Sirius yawned dramatically and with a swish of his wand he had transfigured his toad into a purring Cheshire cat. James grinned and changed the color of the cat from an orange to a bright green. Pretty soon, the cat was a rainbow of colors and McGonagall was towering over them dangerously.

"I said to take this seriously, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black." McGonagall's voice menacingly stern.

"Oh but we are, Professor." grinned Sirius. "We just wanted to make our cat a little more…decorative. Everyone's cat was orange."

McGonagall's frown almost faltered as she left the boys alone, resigning herself from a further argument.

James and Sirius shared a grin and James turned towards Lily, who he was able to see was having some difficulty.

He knew that Transfiguration wasn't her best subject and that it took her a lot of studying and practice to achieve the marks he got in the class with no effort.

James sucked in his breath and walked over to the table in the front of the class, where Lily and Allison were sitting.

"I know we've already gotten credit, Allison, because McGonagall saw when you transfigured it. But I've got to get it." insisted Lily. Allison knew better then to argue.

"Alright." sighed Allison.

James grinned as Lily swished her wand in concentration, not realizing he was in front of her.

"Oy, Lily, care for some help?" James asked, in a polite manner.

He didn't expect Lily to glare at him quite like that.

"No Potter, I'll get it myself." snapped Lily. "Just because you can do everything without trying doesn't mean the rest of us can."

James shrugged. "You're swishing your wand wrong."

Lily stopped her wand movement in mid air. "What?"

"I said you're doing more of a flicking movement, like you do for charms--you need to relax and try to swish more."

James extended his hand to reach for hers in order to pull her hand into the right motion. Lily pulled away.

"I can do it myself."

"Well prove it then."

"Alright."

Lily took her wand in her hand and did a smooth swish with her wand while pronouncing the incantation. The toad changed into a furry, gray Cheshire cat.

Lily stared at James with a triumphant look.

"Well all the other cats came out orange." replied James. "But I like yours better."

He grinned at Lily and Allison and left to return to his table.

Lily huffed. "See, Al, this is exactly why I don't like him!"

"Because he showers you with compliments? Or is it because of his much needed advice?"

Lily lowered her eyes dangerously. "Because he is an arrogant show off."

"Oh, right." replied Allison, rolling her eyes.

This went ignored by Lily and she focused on Professor McGonagall, who was telling them to change their cats back.

"Oh great." huffed Lily, looking at her purring cat. "I just got it like this."

James Potter walked the corridors that followed to the Heads Quarters, it was after regular curfew, but as a Head and a seventh year, he had an extended one, and he used it to his advantage as he returned from flying out in the Quidditch pitch. As he rounded the corner, he ran into none other than Allison Prewitt, Lily's best friend.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Allison." apologized James. "I wasn't really looking where I was going."

Allison brushed her robes off and smiled. "I was hoping to find you anyways. I guess this is better then Lily finding me trying to get you out of the Heads Quarters." laughed Allison. James raised an eyebrow.

"I had a good reason made up to be there if she found me, too." she smiled. James grinned, but his eyes remained questioning.

"What did you want me for?"

Allison stopped her laughing and focused on James. "I wanted to talk to you about Lily."

"What about her?" asked James, excited at having a conversation about Lily with the second best thing then actually having Lily there herself, her best friend.

"It's more about today." added Allison on a second thought. "In Transfiguration."

James nodded. "Yeah? What about it?"

"You can't just…try and help her like that. She doesn't like it."

James looked appalled at the mere suggestion of never offering to help Lily in a time of need. "But she was flicking her wand wrong, it would have taken ages for her to figure it out if no one had told her!"

Allison smiled weakly. "That's just it, James. Lily likes figuring out things herself. She doesn't like to be helped, she wants to prove she's just as good as the purebloods, she wants to prove she's better, and it doesn't help her confidence at all when someone like you offers her help."

James almost laughed. "Someone like me, Prewitt? I think it's just me."

Allison shook her blonde head. "No, someone like you…pureblooded."

Realization came over James. "You mean I shouldn't offer her anymore help?" James asked incredulously.

Allison nodded.

"But what if she really needs it? You know she's stubborn!"

"If she really needs it, she'll ask you for help. Honestly, James. You claim to be in love with her. Do you even know her?"

Any trace of a smile left James's face at that question.

Allison gave a reassuring smile and waved goodbye, leaving James standing in the empty corridor.

He continued his way, his broom slung over his shoulder, thinking to himself.

Did he really know Lily Evans? He knew she beautiful, intelligent, and kind-- but did he really know her? He always bragged to the Marauders that he did, he knew when she would come to breakfast, what she would eat, that she chewed the end of her quill when writing essays, that she loved watching Quidditch but hated heights, but James decided, he did not know her in the right way. He knew her no more then in a stalker-esque way, he had no experience of what it was to be in her presence. Then again, Lily made sure he did not have that knowledge.

As the portrait hole swung open and James found himself in the common room, where Lily was intently working on Transfiguration homework, James decided he could only do one thing: apologize.

He walked up to her, in a loud manner, hoping she would look up from her work. She did not, however, so James plopped down on the couch beside her. He knew that she knew that he knew she was ignoring him, and he could feel the tension glowing from her.

"Good evening." James greeted, in what he hoped was a pleasant tone.

Lily, still not looking up for her work, replied. "Evening. Where have you been so late?"

James grinned…was she starting a conversation? No—he decided, she was inquiring why he was out and what he was doing. She probably thought he was hexing first years.

"I was out flying a bit, stressful day, it always relaxes me." James answered. He looked down at Lily's work, she was recopying notes from Transfiguration that day, the theory behind animal transfiguration to be exact. "What are you working on?"

Lily's red head lifted up, she looked at him, studied him. Perhaps studying if he was sincere.

"I'm studying what we did today in Transfiguration." Without waiting for his response, but wondering when James was going to leave, she looked down at her paper.

"What do you want?"

James almost smiled, last year…just a few months ago, he would have asked for a date. He knew better now.

"I actually wanted to talk to you, er, about Transfiguration today."

Lily looked up from her parchment, and she forced her green eyes to look at him.

"What about it?"

"I wanted to apologize."

Lily was almost stunned—if James hadn't started off a conversation just like this before their argument yesterday, she would have been completely shocked.

James took no sign as a sign to continue. "Yes, I wanted to apologize for assuming you needed help." James breathed. "At least, my help."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "It's alright, it ended up working anyways. No big deal."

James laughed. Lily didn't seem to know what was so funny. "No big deal? Lily you nearly went into convulsions at the thought of me offering help. That means there was something wrong with it—and after much deliberating, I've figured you out—this part of you—out. I was wrong to offer. I am sorry."

Lily couldn't help but stare at him now. She wanted desperately to ask what he had figured out about her, but she couldn't because that would show interest in an conversation with James Potter. And she did not want that.

James, done with his apology, figured it was the best time to leave, before she could decide to be mad at him, at least.

"Good night, Lily."

"Good night, James."

Lily was somewhat shocked at James's behavior that night, and had decided right then that she was going to find out all about James Potter, because she couldn't go on loathing him without knowing why, and right now, she just didn't know.

James was elated that Lily---the mystery of Lily--- had just called him by his given name. She had never done that before without being practically forced to or without 'Potter' on the ending. He decided right then that he would have to get to know—really get to know---a girl that could make his head spin like it was at that moment.