A/N: I've already written many chapters to this story, so updates will be frequent—as long as my internet isn't being stupid. your reviews and suggestions are still welcome!

Chapter Four: Not Enemies and a Third Apology

Two weeks had passed since that night in the common room, and Lily could put it off no longer. They had to meet and plan Hogsmeade and Halloween, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore would start asking about their progress, and Lily was stressing, they had none. Actually talking to James is what had been the problem, she decided. In the last two weeks, he had been around her more often, but had said nothing to her. He sat with his Marauders and her friends at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He would talk to Allison, Ellie, and even Jacob, but would not say much more then different variations of 'hello' or 'goodbye' to her. She could catch him staring at her every once in a while, but when she looked at him he would turn his head. She wouldn't let anyone know that it was getting to her—except Allison, who had picked up on it after a few days.

"How am I supposed to ask him to meet with me to plan when he won't even speak to me? It's like I don't exist!" complained Lily as they made their way out of Advanced Muggle Studies and to lunch.

Allison smiled. "Isn't that just what you always wanted?"

Lily's cheeks flustered. "Don't get me wrong—it's nice that he leaves me alone, but for Merlin's sake, we work together, we have to get things done!"

"Oh well there's your problem." came the voice of Remus Lupin, who must have heard their conversation, as he was trailing only a few feet behind them. The other Marauders had found the class a complete waste of time and saw no use in taking it.

"What do you mean?" inquired Lily.

Remus gave her a weak smile. "It seems to me a couple of weeks ago you told James that you couldn't just 'be friends'. You told him that you couldn't get along after the years of animosity."

Allison looked at her incredulously, Lily had told her of that incident, but Lily had made it sound more as if James was being the one who wouldn't get along.

"Darn it!" cried Lily. "I guess I'll have to talk to him after lunch. We have to get our duties done! I don't want McGonagall to think we are being immature."

"But you are!" giggled Allison.

Lily shot her a glare as they reached the Great Hall.

Half way through her meal, she decided to ask James for a word after lunch. If she didn't do it now, she might put it off even longer.

"Potter, er, I mean, James." greeted Lily, she had tried to call him James more often now that she was attempting to get to know him a little more, but a lapse in greeting occurred often.

James, who was shoveling potatoes in his mouth and laughing with Sirius, stopped in mid swallow as he heard Lily calling his name. He smiled. His first name.

Sirius rolled his eyes as he watched James finish swallowing, and then turn his attention towards Lily.

"Yes, Lily?"

"Can I have a word with you after lunch?"

James nodded, and turned back to Sirius, it wasn't till he was sure Lily couldn't see his head turned around that he beamed.

"What does the wench want?" asked Sirius, who insisted on calling Lily things like wench every once in a while in hopes of mild discouragement towards James to quit his pursuit. It hadn't worked in four years, and it surely wasn't about to start now, so Sirius wasn't surprised to see James throw a quick glare at him before answering.

"She wants a word." he whispered.

"Oh well let's just throw a party. Moony, Wormtail, you hear? You're invited." replied Sirius sarcastically. Remus grinned and Peter laughed heartily before choking on a potato and being assisted by Remus in dislodging it.

"Oh sod off.," replied James, rather light heartedly.

Once James had seen Lily was done eating, as she ate at a slower, daintier pace than he did, he asked her if she was ready.

Lily nodded and took a sip of pumpkin juice before gathering her bag and saying goodbye to Allison and Ellie.

Lily led him to just outside the Great Hall.

"You wanted a word, Lily?" he asked.

Lily nodded. "Look, I owe you an apology."

James grinned. "You're apologizing to me? Well isn't this just a turn around."

Lily shot him a look that clearly said 'don't try me, Potter'.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for snapping at you after our meeting with Dumbledore---you're right. We do need to put aside our differences and work together."

After a few seconds of analyzing Lily's words James extended his hand.

"Friends?"

Lily took his hand and looked him in the eyes. "Not enemies."

James gave a weak smile as they shook hands and Lily quickly let go.

"We need to get together and work." prodded James. "I've come up with several ideas of my own, but we really need to collaborate."

A small smile crossed Lily's lips, and James's heart fluttered. "Yes, we really need to. We meet with McGonagall in a week. How about tomorrow night?"

James grinned. "Sure"

"Prongs, I can honestly say that I don't understand you." started Sirius as they lounged in the Gryffindor common room, playing Wizard's chess before James's meeting with Lily.

"What do you mean?" asked James as he took one of Sirius's pawns.

"He's talking about your infatuation with Evans." replied Peter from the couch, where Remus was helping him study.

"See, even Wormtail figured it out!" laughed Sirius as he corned James's king into check.

James rolled his eyes. "If you don't get it by now, then there's really nothing I can do to make you understand."

"Prongs, she practically hates you!" exclaimed Sirius.

James moved his king to safety. "No she doesn't. And besides, before this year, I'd been nothing but an arse to her, she didn't really have a reason to not hate me."

Sirius sighed. "Alls I'm saying is, there are plenty of girls, and I know you're set on Lily, but look around Prongs. Plenty of girls would like to date you. Probably more then just a butterbeer and a kiss on the cheek type of dating, too." Sirius gave him a cheesy wink.

James moved his queen so that it cornered Sirius's king. "Check."

Sirius moved a different piece and went on talking. "But she doesn't like you. I'm saying this as your friend, Prongs, Remus and I have talked about it, and we think if she hasn't come around by now, then you might as well move on."

James, elated that Sirius had ignored the dangerous position his king was in, moved his queen and knocked Sirius's king of the board. "She's coming around this year. Check mate!"

Sirius pouted. "That's not fair, I was preoccupied!"

James shrugged. "Shouldn't have been trying to talk me out of liking Lily." James checked his watch. "I've got to go meet her."

"Fine. But when you come back, we are through!" squealed Sirius, throwing the chessboard to the side and giving very unrealistic sobs.

James rolled his eyes, picked up his bag, and went to meet Lily in the library, the place she insisted on meeting.

He reached the library five minutes before the time agreed upon, and found Lily in the back of the library, in a section where no other students were.

She smiled when she saw James. James beamed back at her; she must be having a good day. James took a seat across from her and pulled out parchment and a quill with ink.

"Ready?" asked James.

Lily pulled out her planner and some extra parchment and nodded. "Yes."

"So would you like to discuss when the Hogsmeade trips should begin?" asked Lily.

James nodded. "Usually they start in October."

"When classes and everything are in routine." added Lily in agreement.

"How about the first weekend in October?" James rubbed his chin in concentration and then moved his hand dangerously close to his hair. He seemed to think better then to put his hand through it, as he knew how Lily absolutely hated it. "Quidditch practice starts that week."

At first, Lily thought it an off-the-wall comment, and then she understood. "Yes, and everyone needs to be able to get their supplies."

James grinned. "Exactly."

After a few hours, James and Lily were able to plan the attentive Hogsmeade dates through Christmas time, and were able to get started on the details for the Halloween banquet. Lily had suggested a costume contest, and James had eagerly obliged and had come up with the details.

As Lily closed her notebook and put it in her bag, a large yawn escaped her, she covered her mouth with her dainty hand and smiled. James stretched and returned the smile.

"Long night?" grinned James. Lily nodded.

"Yes, before this I had been trying to figure out that Transfiguration assignment, but to no avail."

James smiled slightly. He wondered if he should ask her if she needed help, but he remembered Allison's precautions.

As they left the library, James deliberated within his mind. As they came to the portrait, a tactic struck James.

"I have some homework left to do too—Charms." started James. Maybe he could get her to help him, since she loved Charms so much.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't know you did homework." Lily grinned at him mischievously as James started to retort. James caught on that she was kidding.

"Well, you can't get this position doing nothing, can you?"

"I always figured you jinxed some Ravenclaw to do it for you." replied Lily, in the same mischievous manner.

James gave her a lopsided grin. "I wouldn't do that. I only hexed Slytherins, remember? And they aren't exactly good at homework."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "You didn't need to go off hexing everyone like that—just because you could."

James sensed her darkening mood and his flags went up. "Look, Lily. I know I wasn't the greatest guy in the world. And I promise that I had other reasons for hexing people—not just because I could." He wanted to say that he only hexed people when she was around, hoping to impress her. It never did work, and he couldn't exactly blurt that out to her.

Lily's eyebrow went up, and for a minute she wanted to ask what his reasoning he had, but one of the nymphs on the painting began asking them if they were just going to stand there all night, she'd like to sleep. James mumbled the password and walked in, heading to the table in the room where his bag was and getting to work. Lily followed him to her desk, where her work was scattered across the table.

"You really are doing your homework.," stated Lily, in some sort of amazement.

"And you really do need help in Transfiguration." noted James, looking at her desk, where her notes cluttered.

Lily grimaced at him. "I don't need help—I can do it on my own, I just need to figure it out—myself."

James looked at her. "When are you going to stop being so stubborn and accept help? Everybody needs help every occasionally, Lily. No one will think any less of you for taking a hand every now and then."

Lily studied him for a moment. He really had been paying close attention to her. "I'm sure the Slytherins would."

James looked aghast. "And since when did those filthy little buggers matter? They're trash; you don't need to pay any mind to them."

"Oh James, their opinions do matter!" retorted Lily. "They're the ones with the connections, the ones that are going to weasel their way into power, they're the once that are going to manipulate people into believing what they think is right!"

"Well they shouldn't!" argued James. "One day they'll be gone and people won't give a damn what fraction of your blood is magical!"

"One day, maybe!" replied Lily, her temper subsiding somewhat as she thought. "But right now they are the ones that are gaining power, the ones that are manipulating their ways through society. So for right now, at least, I have to prove myself. Maybe one day I won't have to."

"You don't have to! Do you really think that they will respect you once you've finally "proved" yourself? No-because Lily, you've already proved yourself capable! You're Head Girl, for Merlin's sake. You are one of the brightest witches in Hogwarts—hell; I'd say the magical world. You're amazing, and if they couldn't see that before you became Head Girl, and they can't see it now, they're never going to see it! They are prejudice!"

Lily looked like she had been slapped.

James calmed down a bit. "I'm sorry, it just gets me so—"

"Don't apologize, you're right." replied Lily, still appearing somewhat dazed by James's words. "But still—I'd just like to do things myself. It's just who I am."

"I know." replied James in a calm tone. "I know how stubborn you are—I admire it. You don't fold. In the words of my father, it shows good character." James smiled weakly at her, before gathering his things and heading to his room.

"If you need any help—feel free to knock." added James as he walked to his room.

Lily nodded, and tried to get back to her work. However, she couldn't concentrate. She couldn't stop thinking about James, because right then—he seemed like a different person, but a good different. Moreover, although she thought it was different-- new, she knew it must have always been there. She had just never witnessed it first hand.

Still, she never knocked on his door.

chikichiki: thanks for reviewing! I've always wanted a Cheshire cat too, but I'll settle for my calico.

A/N: Everyone please review!