Disclaimer: Say it with me. Jo. Owns. It. All.

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Chapter Five: James and Joe

………

The days slipped by, and before Lily knew it, it was April. The teachers were piling on the homework in preparation for NEWT year.

One night, Lily was up late doing an essay for Potions in the common room. The portrait hole opened suddenly, and Lily was about to yell at whoever it was since it was well past curfew, but when she saw who entered the common room, she hesitated. It was James.

Lily's friends had subsided somewhat about badgering and teasing her into admitting that she liked James, but the whole ordeal was still a sore spot. Therefore, she wasn't very happy that it was him interrupting her studying.

Sirius followed him into the common room. Lily opened her mouth, ready to tell them off, but she closed it abruptly upon seeing the looks on their faces. Sirius's face was almost reprehensible. James on the other hand, looked absolutely livid. He was angrier than Lily had ever seen him. Neither of them seemed to notice that Lily was sitting by the fire. The moment the portrait of the fat lady swung shut, James started yelling.

"I can't believe you did that! What were you thinking? You obviously weren't thinking at all! Don't you realize, Sirius, that Snape could have been killed? I could've been too, for that matter! I know you hate Snape, but you exposed Remus, and you could have been the cause of two murders! All because of some silly little grudge you have against Snape for calling you a blood-traitor in first year! And how do you think Remus is going to feel when we have to break the news that he almost killed someone? You could have put him in Azkaban! Not to mention yourself! These stupid pranks have got to stop!"

"You know what, James? Not all that long ago, you would have thought it was funny! You would have gone along with it and thought it was brilliant! But ever since you fell in love with Lily, you've changed. You might have been an arrogant prat before, but at least you were fun! Now you're just a stuck-up spoilsport!"

James's voice got dangerously quiet. "At least I have my priorities in order."

Sirius didn't even bother to answer. He just turned around and ran up the stairs to his dormitory.

James went and sat down in front of the fire. It was then that he noticed Lily. His voice was sharp. "Have you been sitting here the entire time?"

"Yes. James-"

"Lily," he said. There was an urgent edge to his voice. "You have to swear not to tell anyone any of what you just heard! You have to promise, Lily."

"James, I already know about Remus's problem. I figured it out in second year, and then I asked him about it. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone. About everything that you just said-"

"Let me guess. Now you think I'm even more of an arrogant prat because I just yelled at my best mate."

"No. Well actually, you are an arrogant prat, but I think that was really brave. It takes a lot of guts to yell at your best friend like that." James stared at her. "What?" Lily asked.

"You called me James! And you're actually being nice to me!"

Lily blushed. "Well, it didn't seem very nice to call you Potter after all that. And there's no reason for me to not be nice to you as long as you're not being completely arrogant or asking me out every other second."

"Are you saying that you'll be nice to me if I try not to be such a prat and I don't ask you out? Very often," he added with a smirk.

Lily smiled. "I'm not making any promises." She yawned. "I guess I'll go to bed now."

"Okay. 'Night, Lily."

"Good-night." When she was half-way up the stairs, she stopped. "Oh, and James? I know you're mad at Sirius, but I think the world would end if Hogwarts' biggest troublemakers ceased to be best mates."

James mumbled something indistinct.

"Just think about it."

………

April 28, 1977.

Dear Diary,

Okay, fine, I shall finally admit it. I think I like James. Just a little bit. I've never seen him so mad as he was last night. I was finishing that two-foot essay for Potions that stupid Slughorn assigned (speaking of which, there's another of those boring Slug Club parties for the end of term. Yuck!), when James and Sirius came into the common room. It was really late, and I was so totally about to tell them off for being out past curfew, but James beat me to the yelling. I don't really know much about the situation, but apparently Sirius told Snape how to get past the Whomping Willow, where Remus transforms, and Remus almost killed Snape. Anyway, James cast a quick silencing charm so no innocent sleeping Gryffindors would become victim to his temper, and then he let Sirius have it. Afterwards he was being really cute and overprotective, and I told him that I thought he was really brave. He asked why I was being nice to him, and I said as long as he isn't asking me out all the time, I don't have to hate him. No one will ever know of my feelings for him! It's just too weird. I can't believe I like James Potter! Merlin!

Today during Herbology, Joe Thomas asked me to Hogsmeade. I accepted. He's okay-looking, and pretty nice from what I've heard. He's just the thing to get my mind off James. Hopefully.

Love always,

Lily Marie Evans

………

"Hey, Lily?"

"What, Potter?"

"It's Potter again?"

"I'm trying to do my Transfiguration essay, and you're bugging me."

"Oh. Sorry. Do you need help? I'm pretty good at Transfiguration."

"No, thanks. What did you want to ask me?"

"Oh, yeah. Wanna go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

Lily sighed. It was the first time she had been almost sad to turn him down. "Sorry, I'm already going with someone."

James didn't seem daunted in the slightest. Lily realized he never expected her to say yes. It's because he doesn't know how I feel, yet. What do I mean 'yet'? I'm definitely never telling him. Besides, I'm planning to forget all that. James and I could never be together. Not after all the times he's asked me out and all the times I've yelled at him. It wouldn't make sense.

"The Giant Squid again? I thought he broke up with you!" James grinned.

Lily smiled back. "No, actually, it's Joe Thomas."

"Joe Thomas? He's a Hufflepuff, isn't he?"

"Yes. James, promise me you won't go hex him or something."

"Why would you think I would do that?"

"It's written all over your face."

"I'm that obvious, huh?" James grinned.

"James, promise."

"Okay, Lily, I promise."

………

But when James saw Lily with Joe, he would have hexed him into next week if it weren't for his promise to her.

They were walking to Hogsmeade hand in hand, Lily laughing at something Joe had said. James was jealous, to say the least. No, he was furious. Why did I agree to not hex him? Maybe I can convince Padfoot to sneak up behind him. No, I promised Lily. She would be really mad at me if she ever found out. Things are going so good between us, too. I wouldn't mess that up for the world.

James settled for glaring at the back of Joe's head, accidentally doing nonverbal magic and bat-bogey hexing him.

Lily, surprised by the sudden change in her date, looked over her shoulder for the perpetrator before quickly muttering the countercurse.

Luckily, James had ducked behind the nearest tree once he figured out what he had done. He smirked at the newly-found possibilities. Then Lily's words of the previous night came back to him. "James, promise." "Okay, Lily, I promise." He scowled. Stupid conscience!

………

But once in the Three Broomsticks, James forgot about his conscience and his promise to Lily.

Joe had bought Lily a butterbeer, and they were sitting in the corner booth, his hand on top of hers. Joe leaned forward to whisper something in Lily's ear, and she smiled. A few minutes later, he leaned forward again, this time not to whisper, but, James was sure, to kiss her.

James smirked and turned all his concentration to Joe.

………

Joe was leaning towards Lily. He's going to kiss me! she realized. She leaned forward too, closing her eyes. She opened them abruptly, however, when Joe gave a squawk of pain. Joe's teeth had suddenly started growing like crazy. Lily backed away in shock. Her gaze fell past Joe, on James. He was gloating. She looked back at Joe and put two and two together. I am so going to kill him! He promised! She started to get up to go yell at Potter, but then she realized she should probably put Joe out of his misery. She took Joe's hand and led him back to Hogwarts to the hospital wing.

………

"Potter, you are so dead!"

James was almost scared. He had been victim to Lily's temper many times before, but never like this.

"Lily, I'm sorry that you're mad, but I'm not going to say sorry for hexing Joe. He deserved it. He was going to kiss you!"

This was not the right thing to say. "You…you prat! I can't believe you hexed him because he was going to kiss me! You are such a bloody prat! You really need to get a life, because if I catch you spying on Joe and me again, you aren't going to have one! That's a promise!" She stormed up to her dormitory and slammed the door behind her.

………

May 1, 1977.

Dear Diary,

Today was Hogsmeade. Joe and I were having a wonderful time, and then we went to get butterbeers in the Three Broomsticks. Joe suddenly leaned forward, and I'm sure he was going to kiss me, but all of a sudden, his front teeth started growing. I looked past him and spotted Potter. I knew he had done it, but I decided to wait and yell at him later. I took Joe up to the hospital wing, but by that time his teeth were already almost to his feet, poor boy! Hopefully Madam Pomfrey can fix him up. I'm sure she can.

So then I came back to the common room, and Potter was there. He's so stupid sometimes! I mean, seriously, if I knew that I was going to get chewed out (by a redhead, no less!) I would so totally hide up here in the dormitory! But like it mattered, anyway! I was going to chew him out either way, whether right now or the next time I saw him. He said he was sorry for making me mad, but not sorry for hexing Joe! That made me even madder! I know he likes me and all that, but I thought he had grown up enough to not hex my date just because he was going to kiss me!

I hope Joe doesn't think I'm the one hexing him or something! That would be awful, because even though he was once just a way to forget about Potter, now I like him a lot.

Corinne and Karen just walked in. I guess I'll tell them all about my date.

Love always,

Lily Marie Evans

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I don't really like this chapter that much, but whatever.

I might update one more time this week, but I won't next week at all, because I'll be at church camp.

Thanks to my reviewers: sumrandomperson, Tavyn, Applescruffs, genuine scence, crazy turtle, MusicalDragons, lupin-is-mine, phantomphreak91, TrubySC53, Tabitha Elizabeth, ShiningWishingStar, whitetiger72, PrettyPadfootLover, Mariann, White Camellia, Irish62442, yeahimabandgeek, Sadiler, maraudersrock77, Soulessaru, RonniekinzLuvr, LouLou, Raining Silver, maraudergirl7, potatochips, imogen, AbitheuUnited, Rachel E. B., Phoenixheart, Knubbelchen, and hplovesme.

Please review, people!