The Room of Requirement

By: neen

Just a little note to help reduce the confusion…this story takes place in their SIXTH year! Thanks.

The Lake Incident

"That dratted Potter and his stupid stalking," Lily muttered under her breath as she walked back from Hogsmeade.

She had found that Hogsmeade trip to be extremely dull without Serenity shopping with her. Serenity was away, no doubt snogging Sirius to death, Lily thought bitterly, wishing she had a boyfriend herself.

"You could." A tiny voice had come out from her mind.

Lily stopped in the middle of the corridor. "What?" She asked out loud. "Who?"

"James Potter."

"Potter?" Lily voiced aloud.

"How'd you know I was behind you?" A sheepish James walked to the front of her and grinned.

Lily looked startled. "I didn't. NO! I did," she said finally when she realized the outcome of her, 'I didn't' would have been James's cue to say, "You've been thinking about me?"

"How are you?" James asked good-naturedly as the two resumed walking again.

Lily wanted desperately to get out of his circle of attention and looked wildly around for an escape. She couldn't possibly run out of a window and sighed.

"Just dandy. You?" Lily asked, looking stiff.

"Excellent. A walk outside perhaps?" James asked casually.

Lily squinted her eyes at James, contemplating. Lily did not say anything but followed James out the door to the lake.

James smiled as he saw Lily walk out beside him. She looked positively radiant. The sun's rays had caught her hair and made it look a brilliantly bright red. Her eyes looked warm and very green as she looked at him. Lily gave him a half smile. Being outside made her happy.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lily laughed at James's dreamy expression on his face.

"You're beautiful, Lily," James said softly, never taking his eyes off her.

"Sod off, J—Potter," Lily snapped, looking away. Unknown to James's hurt eyes, Lily had blushed. No one had ever said that to her before. But this was James Potter, her enemy, for Merlin's sake.

"You haven't noticed?" James looked pained as Lily tore her eyes from the rippling lake to stare at James.

"Notice what?" Lily's tone was biting, caustic.

"You still don't like me? Even as a friend?"

"No," Lily responded immediately as she did not meet James's eyes, knowing very well that she was hurting James. She ignored her guilty conscious.

"Oh."

An awkward silence fell in. Lily sneaked a look at James, who looked crestfallen.

"Can't we be friends, then?" James's voice had hopefulness in it.

Lily looked away again. She could not bear to look at him with such a hopeful and optimistic face on.

"It's not possible, Potter," Lily said, staring at the water. They had come to the mossy banks now.

"I see. Erm, good day, Lily," James said quietly and turned to leave.

Lily had turned around quickly and lost her balance. "Oh!"

She plunged into the lake with a loud splash.

James whipped around rapidly. "Lily?"

"LILY!" James roared as he saw her figure starting to sink at an alarming rate. He quickly ran, throwing off his robes in haste, and jumped in the lake, chasing her.

He got her. He struggled and kicked the dense rock on the edges of the lake and brought Lily up to the surface.

James swam vigorously to the edge and laid Lily there on the mossy bank. He was exhausted and had barely enough energy to pull himself up from the lake.

Suddenly, he felt something grab at his waist, pulling him swiftly down. He gulped one last breath of air before he got dragged into the water again.

"Lily's safe," he thought as the Giant Squid lowered him through the lake.

o.O.o.O.o

Lily woke, her clothes sun-baked and spluttered out some water before breathing in greedily. She had been so afraid that she would get drowned. Thank Merlin for—that's right, who did save her?

Lily sat up slowly, puzzled, as she tried to remember who she was with. A moment later, it came to her. She had been walking with James Potter. James had just turned to leave. And—she, she had turned around too. But why? To say goodbye? To tell him to wait? To look at his retreating back with a pang of disappointment?

But the thing was…where was he? Lily glanced beside her and noticed James's cloak sitting there on the mossy bank. She knew that James would not leave his cloak. So James had saved her, obviously. But, where did he go?

As much as Lily did not want to admit it, she knew that James Potter would rather die than leave her alone, especially when she almost drowned. She squirmed with guilt and looked around desperately, hoping with all her might that James would pop up.

Lily glanced over at the peaceful lake and wondered. The lake seemed eerily quiet and Lily felt what happened. James was in that lake—because of her.

She stood to the edge and started crying. "I'm so sorry, James…I can't believe I was so stupid! It's all my fault—mine. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be down there, becoming a snack to the Giant Squid. Oh, if you don't come out, I'm never going to forgive myself. If you come back, I won't be mean to you anymore—I swear. James, come back—I'm sorry. I lied…I lied! James, I—I think I love you…" Lily said softly, staring at the lake as tears snaked down her face.

The lake started rippling through. Lily stared hard, praying James would pop out.

James indeed, popped out, his head looking enlarged as Lily saw he had placed a Bubble-Head charm to stop him from breathing in water.

He smiled at her. "Hi, Lily."

Lily managed a weak smile as she struggled not to throw her arms around him and sob. "Hi."

"So you're all right, now?" James asked as he swam back to the shore.

Lily nodded, still shaking with fright that James had died.

"Sorry that I kept you worried. The Giant Squid was kind of hard to get away from," James said.

Lily did not know why, but she snapped into her fiery, stubborn demeanor. "I wasn't worried, Potter. Not one bit."

"No? Oh." James held out his robe to Lily. "Here."

Lily took it gratefully. Even though her clothes were dry, she was still shivering for some odd reason. "Thanks."

"Not a problem," James said, his face expressionless. Lily glanced up and saw his normally handsome face looking quite unreadable.

James held a hand out to Lily. Lily took it and James helped Lily up and quickly stuffed his hand back in his pants pocket after Lily stabilized herself. His hand was cold.

"Come on," James said quietly and the two walked back to the castle silently.

o.O.o.O.o

"And then we walked back," Lily finished telling Serenity about the lake incident, skipping over her breaking down at the edge.

Serenity looked dumbfounded. "That's all?" she asked, looking flabbergasted.

"What do you mean?"

"No thank you? You didn't say anything to him?" Serenity asked, an incredulous look on her pretty face.

"I—I forgot," Lily said shamefacedly, looking down.

"You should be nicer to him now, Lily! He saved you. Wizard's debt, obviously," Serenity chided her best friend.

Lily stared at Serenity a minute before grudgingly agreeing, "Fine."

Serenity beamed. "Good!"

o.O.o.O.o

James had walked back into the boys' dormitory, feeling disheartened.

"What's wrong, Prongs?" Remus asked quietly and Sirius nodded, "Yeah, what's with you today?"

James then told his two best friends about the lake incident.

Remus looked pleased and Sirius grinned.

"Blimey, she must really not like you," Sirius said, laughing.

Remus shot him a warning look before smiling at James, who looked even more miserable at Sirius's words. "Don't worry, Prongs, you did the right thing. She'll feel indebted to you and she'll like you soon enough. Don't worry."

"Hope so," James said, a forlorn expression on his handsome face.

"She will," Remus said, nodding his head firmly.

James just sighed in response.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait!

Hope you enjoyed it!