OK well here is the deal!!! This is Chapter nine; I was in a hurry to post it because I haven't posted anything in such a LONG time. I want to thank you all for the reviews PLEASE keep them coming. I love hearing from y'all. And as always these are not my characters. They are JK. Rowling's

The weeks passed and still nothing unusual seemed to happen. James watched Snape and Malfloy more closely owing mostly to the lack of excitement. He figured nothing was something. So, to ensure peace, he found himself going out of his way to catch pieces of their conversation in the hall or library. But with the upcoming Quditch tryouts, he was finding it harder and harder to keep up.

His day consist of an awful routine… classes, studies, Head Duties, then if he was lucky on the week ends, he would run a few drills with any body wishing to try out for the Gryffindor team.

On a particularly wet practice in early October, James had been knocked off his broom on three occasions due to the wind. The drills he was running with Peter were not improving Peter's lack of talent, and the mountain of homework kept calling to him from the back of his mind. After his glasses were splattered with mud once again, he decided he had enough.

"THAT'S IT!" he yelled to Peter through the howling wind, "NO MORE FOR THE DAY!"

"WHAT?"

"I SAID GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE!! WE'RE DONE!"

James landed causing another splash of mud, while Peter toppled off his broom three feet above the ground. James helped him up and they proceeded into the men's showers. James took off his muddy clothes, turned on the hot water with his wand, and began to wash.

At first, he thought the low hiss was coming from the faucet, but after he rinsed his hair and stepped back a bit out of the warm jets, he realized they were two voices. The first he recognized as the blubbering pitiful sob of Peter….the next was the hiss of….was it Snape?

James turned the water off. Wrapping a towel around him, he went to investigate.

As he entered the locker room, he saw worm tail backed into a corner as Snape was threateningly brandishing his wand.

"What is going on here?" James asked casually.

Peter ran out of the corner under Snape's arm, and coward behind James.

"J-James…he's trying to curse m-me….he wants t-to….."

" I want nothing from you, miserable little worm…" Snape spat as his merciless eyes were alight with hatred.

"Then what the bloody hell were you doing pointing your wand at him?" James said coolly.

"Pest control." Snape sneered.

"Well shove off before I give you a detention….or a fat lip."

Snape's lip curled as he glanced over James and Peter. He brushed imaginary dust off the sleeve of his robs, and then said, "It won't be long…all will know." With that, Snape left the locker room.

Peter fell to the floor and began to sob hysterically.

James went through the motions of the rest of the evening. He so wanted to know what Snape had meant. What was it that all would know….was it a dark plot? Was it something that Snape and Malfloy had their hands in? He also long to go straight to Dumbeldore with his findings, but he had to go to London earlier in the day, and professor McGonagall said he wouldn't be back till later that night. He sat in his empty dormitory alone on his bed staring out at the stormy.

A soft knock on the door pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Come in." James said picking up a quill and began to scribble at the Journal entry he was making before his thought had taken over.

The door creaked open and Lily stuck her head in. "You have a minute?" she asked.

She looked so beautiful. What other word could explain it? Even in her jeans and blue muggle tee-shirt, and her hair loosely pulled back she stole his breath away. He took her in for a moment examining her movements, her lines, her curves, and those gorgeous eyes.

"Sure." He said closing his journal and setting it on his night stand. "What's up."

Lily came in and sat on the corner of James's bed. He could smell her now. It was something very unique something very light and fresh, but terribly intoxicating, something that resembled the smell of wisteria on a hot, humid, summer night.

"There has been another raid…this one in Hogsmead. Two Auros have been injured and one bystander was killed. They apprehended the death eaters before any body else died, but still…." Her voice trailed off here.

"Any idea who the bystander was?" James asked. Lily shook her head.

"No, but I know it was a young woman, about twenty-three, I heard she was trying to protect her son from a stray curse."

"How awful." James felt the bottom of his stomach drop. Hogwarts was the one place in the world he felt safe. Now because of Voldmorte, the only living relative he had was his mother, and the safety of Hogwarts was being threatened.

"The first years are pretty shaken. They don't feel safe here." Lily said slowly.

"I don't either for that matter." James said voicing his thoughts. "It's like sanity can't be found. I don't remember what it felt like to not live in fear."

"The first years have never known it." Lily said sympathetically. "We must be strong for them."

James sat in silence staring determinedly at a spot on the floor. He could feel Lily 's eyes watching him.

"I've never seen you like this before." She said.

"Like what?" James asked looking back at her.

"Like… you're afraid."

James stifled an amused sigh. "I would have to be foolish to not be."

"Yes…but it just seems out of character for you."

"God, Lily, I'm a human. To fear is to be human."

Lily smiled a small smile then slid closer to him. "It's nice to know that you know you're just a man. And it's better to know that you have real human emotions. James stiffened another snort as he scooted closer to Lily. "There's quit a bit about me that you don't know."

Lily laid her head on his shoulder. Her smell made him weak all over. The feeling of her silky hair on his neck released all tension. He was so close to her….and yet nothing could be done.

"I want to learn, James." She said in barley more than a whisper.

James was beside himself. He knew he hadn't heard her correctly. He sat up and fixed her with a curious look.

There was a strange, new, beautiful look about her. Something about her eyes grabbed his attention more so than usual. "Oh God, she's beautiful." He thought to himself trying to catch his breath.

"James, did you mean what you said to me on the Platform?" The question was the same as it was on the train, but the tone was so different.

He couldn't help himself he had to reach out and touch her hair…just the strand by her face. He tucked it behind her ear and before he realized it was stroking her cheek with his hand.

"Every word…sense the day I met you." And before he could say anything else the flood gates were opened and Lily Evans leaned in and up.

Her lips were like velvet, soft and luscious. The textures of her hair and skin and lips awakened a fire in James that had long ago been snuffed out. His greatest dream was here in his arms at this moment and all was perfect in the world.