Disclaimer: JK Rowling is the proud owner of the characters, setting, and everything else Harry Potter. Only a few characters and the plot are mine.

Summary: Although Lily has never liked James, he somehow is changing. Lily finds herself feeling things she's never felt before and she's scared. The last time she was close to someone, they were ripped apart from her but eventually she allows James inside. But someone doesn't want Lily and James together and will do anything to keep them apart.

A/N: This is my first story to publish on this site so bear with me as I figure everything out. I would really appreciate reviews (and constructive criticism!) so as soon as I receive a few, I'll add a new chapter! Enjoy:D

1. Stay Away From Him

"Lily Evans, get down here!"

Lily sighed as she placed her journal aside and slipped off her bed. She put her bunny house-shoes on and walked down the stairs. Her mother was standing at the kitchen table, her reddish-brown hair looking distraught, and her face red with anger.

"Yes, Mum?" Lily said politely. She had no clue what she was sent down there for so she decided to not accuse her mother of assuming things and instead be well-behaved.

"Don't give me that sass, young lady! You know perfectly well why you're down here," Her mom said aggressively.

"Actually, I don't. And I'm not trying to give you any sass," Lily said innocently.

"Uh-huh. Well, I'll just let you find out for yourself, then," Mrs. Evans said and she handed her daughter a piece of parchment. Lily could have sworn she saw her mother's face twitch into an almost half smile, and then quickly disappear.

Lily looked down at the paper. It was a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; she could tell by the design on the parchment. It's the middle of the summer and I already received my school supply list, so what could this be? She thought to herself. But then, as she read the letter, her jaw dropped, her heart began beating faster, and she looked at her mom, who had a proud grin placed upon her face.

"AH!" Lily screamed and then started jumping up and down with excitement. Her mom opened up her arms and Lily ran into her, so hard that her mom lost her balance and had to take a couple steps backward to regain herself.

"I can't believe it's me! I can't believe they chose me!" Lily said excitedly.

"I'm so proud of you, Lils," Her mom said, beaming, using "Lils", Lily's nickname that only her family and closest friends knew.

"I'm proud of myself too!" Lily said and her mom laughed.

"I'll have to make myself a bumper sticker that says, "'My daughter is Head Girl at a Magic School!' That'll make the neighbors talk!" Lily's mom said jokingly and they both laughed. "Petunia! Guess what your sister just received in the mail!" Mrs. Evans called to Lily's younger sister, who was a Muggle, or a non-magical person.

"Don't know, don't care," Petunia yelled from her room. Rock music flooded the house as she turned her stereo louder.

Lily was used to Petunia's attitude by now…her sister had tried to stay as far away as she could from Lily's "terrifying magical life". Lily quickly forgot about her sister not caring and walked back upstairs, a smile upon her face, clutching the letter to her chest. She walked into her room and decided to write to her best friend, Mandy. Lily picked up her feather pen, grabbed a piece of parchment, and began writing. When it was finished, she read it over.

Dear Mandy,

How are you? I'm doing well…Actually, I'm doing great! Guess who's Head Girl? I'm so excited! This year is going to be so much fun! I hope you're doing well! Mum said you could stay with us for the rest of the summer. And since there's only 2 weeks left, she said she'd take us to Diagon Alley to get our supplies a few days before school starts and then stay in The Leaky Cauldron until school! It would be so much fun so send me a reply!

All my Love,
Lily

Satisfied, Lily walked over to her owls' cage. Her owl, Jade, was a rich brown color with lighter brown feathers around her face and her green eyes glistened with sparkles (hence, the name Jade). She was a beautiful owl and her dad had given Jade to Lily just before the accident…Lily didn't want to think about that memory so she mentally stored it in a file cabinet in her mind. She tied the parcel to Jade's leg and sent her out the window. Lily watched her fly away until she could see her no more.

•••••

James watched as his beautiful neighbor watched her owl fly out the window. The gorgeous girls' auburn hair waved in the wind, and James could see her bright green eyes all the way from across the street. The girl noticed James watching her, gave him a scowl, slammed the window closed so hard that James thought for a second it would shatter to pieces, and pulled the curtains together so forcefully that part of the curtain ripped. James chuckled to himself and turned away.

I'll have her some day, James thought to himself enviously.

James had liked Lily Evans since the first day he had seen her, which was when he was 4 years old. And every time Lily saw James, she scowled, even when she herself was at the age of four. James had been a stuck-up little boy and he had chased Lily around the playground trying to kiss her until the teachers scolded him. James was still a stuck-up boy but he no longer chased Lily around playgrounds. He trapped her in corners and tried to kiss her. He set up plans so that the only way Lily could escape was to go out with James. But she always seemed to get away and every time she got away, she gained more hatred towards James. That spunky little girl always outwitted James. But James wouldn't let her get away this year, nope. She's going to be wrapped around my fingers, James thought happily as he skipped downstairs. Being the clumsy one in the family, his feet ran ahead of him and he fell to the steps beneath him, quickly bumping each step till he hit the tile on the first-floor. He gently rubbed his bottom as he stood up, and he limped to the kitchen, where he continued to stare at Lily's bedroom through his kitchen window.

•••••

Lily hopped onto her bed happily and opened her diary.

Dear Diary,

I can't believe I'm actually Head Girl! I was kind of expecting it and all, but it feels so good to confirm it! I wonder who Head Boy will be…I hope it's not Potter…He was just watching me out of his window. That stupid prat… Will he ever figure out that I will NEVER fall for him? Probably not, he'll most likely stalk me all my life. I'll go into my kitchen one morning to fix break feast for my wonderful husband and Potter will be there with that dumb mischievous grin of his, trying to persuade me to run away from my loving, dear husband of mine, leave my three little children, desert the country with him, and start a new life. Ha! And I never can understand why so many girls like him! I do have to admit that he is good-looking and all, but how can they like him when he's so full of himself! He walks around school thinking no one is better than him, winking at random girls, who squeal and start jumping up and down with excitement, and passing through classes by being the class clown. And that friend of his, Sirius Black, who is by all means, handsome, walks around school just like James. Now, I have to say that Black is actually worth getting excited about if he touches you or compliments you because he is hott! But Potter? Ugh! And then Remus Lupin is the smartest and most sensible of the three, or four, if you count that rat, which follows them like a puppy dog. I don't know why Remus hangs out with Potter and Black. They're just putting him in trouble and Remus actually has something going for him in his life, while Potter and Black just fool around.

Wow! I sure did go on about The Mauraders! Where was I? Oh yeah, Head Boy. If it's Potter, I'll die. No, I'm thinking about Potter again!

Okay, new paragraph. I think Remus or possibly Arnold Weasley will be Head Boy. They're both extremely smart and I don't think they've had a single detention in all the years that they've been at Hogw-

"Lily! Petunia! Dinner's ready!"

Lily placed her diary aside and yelled back to her mom, "Ok! I'm coming!"

She slipped on her house shoes again and walked down the stairs.

"Not hungry!" Petunia yelled from her bedroom and Lily rolled her eyes at her mom.

"Guess I'll leave some in the fridge for her…again," Mrs. Evans said more to herself than to Lily.

"What are we having?" Lily asked happily. Her mom's cheerful mood about Lily's being Head Girl had now floated to Lily herself.

"A special dinner for a special girl!" Her mom said. Lily rolled her eyes. "You'll see in a minute! Just sit down and make yourself comfortable."

So Lily did as her mom said, and went into their den where their dining table was. She sat down in the same spot that she had sat in since she was 4 years old, which was when they moved there. Lily waited patiently and played with her napkin in the meantime.

Just as Lily was going to place her napkin in her lap, she heard her mom scream. Lily jumped out of her chair, sending it flying backwards, and ran full speed towards the kitchen.

"Mum? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Lily said as she rushed around the corner into the kitchen. Mrs. Evans was straddled on the floor, leaning against the kitchen cabinets, her hand against her chest, her heart beating hard and fast, her eyes wide with fear, and her legs trembling.

"Lily Evans. What a wonderful surprise," A strong voice said behind Lily.

Lily's eyes grew wide with fear as she slowly turned around. She regained her courage and tried to make herself look like she wasn't afraid. A dark figure was standing at the other end of the kitchen. The person didn't look to be any older than Lily, and she quickly wondered what a boy was doing in her kitchen. You couldn't see his face, because of a black hood covering it. Actually, you couldn't see any of his body, for a cloak covered all of it. The only thing that Lily could see, were his bright yellow snake eyes that stood out on the contrasting black body.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Lily said fiercely.

Her mother whimpered behind her and hoarsely whispered, "No Lils."

Lily ignored her and stared straight into those yellow eyes. As soon as her eyes met the strangers', it seemed as though he had shot her eyes with lasers, and Lily quickly looked away, her hands covering her eyes. An image of her father passed in her mind. Oh God, please no. Not Daddy, Lily thought desperately.

"You don't like seeing your Daddy, do you Lils?" He asked heartily. Lily heard her mom gasp behind her. Lily scowled at the stranger before her.

"Don't ever use my nickname again with your filthy lips," Lily threatened angrily.

"Oh, I think I will use it every time I want to…Lils," He said pronunciating 'Lils' so it sounded as bad as 'Satan'. Another image of her father flashed in front of her eyes, only this one was when he was dueling with his enemy, her father's last duel ever.

"NO!" Lily screamed. There is no way I can defeat this person if I let him get to me because of Daddy, Lily thought and tried to put her father away from her mind.

"Lily, Lils," Her mother whispered behind her.

Lily turned around to face her mother. She had never seen her mother looking older than she did now. Her worry lines showed worse than ever, her eyebrows arched in a feared way, her lips quivering, her eyes looking frightened.

"Mum," Lily mumbled and reached out to touch her mother's hand. Her fingers were an inch from her mother's when ropes shot out from behind Lily and wrapped her mother up against the cabinets behind her.

Lily spun around. "LET HER GO!" She yelled.

"No, she's just a distraction to you, another one, and I don't need that," He said and without seeing it, Lily could tell he was smiling. Lily scowled again. "I don't think your father would appreciate that." And he shot Lily with another image of her father, of her father dead, lying below his enemy, who was laughing evilly.

Lily couldn't see anymore, everything was so blurry. She realized she was crying. Wiping away her tears, she looked back up at the mad boy before her.

He looked down at his wrist and somehow, Lily figured that he was checking the time. "Eh, I've got more important things to do so let's just get this over with," He said lazily, and then became completely still and serious. He looked as though he was hypnotized. He said in a stern voice, "The reason I'm here is one main reason. Stay away from him. Don't go near him. Don't talk to him. Don't let him get close to you. Don't fall for him. Just stay away from him and you'll be fine. And remember, I don't like that nickname of yours, so whenever he or anyone else says it, you will know I'm watching."

And then he was gone.

•••••

dreamergirl86 - Thanks, I really appreciate the review!

girlsrule4ever - Thank you, I'm glad you like it! I tell you what, as soon as I get 2 more reviews, I'll post the next chapter!