A/N: I was asked to continue, so I did. I had a bit of trouble getting it right, and it still isn't perfect, but I don't want to mess with it anymore. This really is it for this one though, folks. I am not continuing. If you want to see how their relationship goes, then go read one of the other excellent stories in this section. Sorry, but I don't write relationships well at all.

Cookies to Sheyana, lilah lee, Agnus1014, Mische, Hazelocean, and Mubaki for reviewing. I hope this satisfies you as far as continuing goes.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all the characters therein belong to J.K.Rowling. I am just a lowly college student playing with her characters.



Lily found herself distracted the next morning as she got ready and went to class. She kept remembering the events of the night before.

Could I really have misjudged them so badly? Am I really that terrible a judge of character? Was I wrong?

These were not exactly pleasant thoughts. For one thing, she hated to be wrong. For another, realizing how terribly she had treated her fellow classmates made her feel a little guilty.

That feeling vanished when she arrived at breakfast. Snape was indeed sporting blue hair, and he looked none too happy about it. Lily sneaked a peek at the marauders, who looked far too innocent. Remus said something to Jam—Potter, who shrugged and replied. Both were fixedly not looking at their rival as laughter spread through the great hall. Sirius, on the other hand, was roaring openly in mirth. Peter, beside him, was snickering into his pumpkin juice. Lily shook her head, but decided not to interfere. She wasn't sure she could face any of them just yet this morning. If she did, it would just turn into a shouting match, if not a duel. And she didn't care to humiliate herself yet this morning.

Open your eyes, Remus had said. Very well, she would try. She observed all four marauders from the corner of her eye as she took another bite of toast.

Remus looked tired, as he always did around the full moon. He was picking at his breakfast. Jame—Potter was doing the same, though he looked more dejected than tired. Sirius was inhaling his food at an impossible rate, and Peter seemed to be doing the same. Remus and James Potter seemed to be having a half-hearted conversation. She watched James run his hand through his hair without checking to see who was watching.

Some girl from Hufflepuff boldly took a seat between James and Sirius. She took one look at Sirius and turned away in disgust before focusing on James. She said something, to which James shook his head. When she said something else, he replied briefly, stood, and left. The girl pouted after him for a moment before latching onto Sirius, who had finished eating and seemed surprised to find a girl hanging on his arm.

"Lily? Are you alright?"

Lily shook herself mentally and forced herself to reply to her friend. "I was just thinking. Let's go." She stood and picked up her bag, deciding not to look at the marauders again.

She managed to ignore them through Charms and Transfiguration. It helped that they didn't disrupt either lesson with laughter, pranks, or inappropriate remarks. That in itself was surprising, but welcome. Any interaction at lunch she avoided by eating quickly and then heading to the library.

It was with great reluctance that Lily returned to the common room to meet James that afternoon after Defense Against the Dark Arts. To her surprise, he was waiting for her. Even more shocking was that he was alone. No Sirius, no Remus, not even a circle of girls gushing about his hair or his talent. The common room was empty but for him, staring at the fire.

He looked up as she took a seat. For a moment, she thought she saw something in his eyes, but then it was gone as his customary smirk appeared. That irritated her to no end, so she scowled at him.

"Good afternoon, Evans."

"Let's get this over with. Did you finish your half of the report?"

"Of course," he replied nonchalantly. He stretched his legs out and put his hands behind his head.

She gritted her teeth. "May I see it?"

He grinned at her. "If you must." He reached into his bag without looking and tossed a piece of parchment to her.

"Why must you be such a git?" she demanded rhetorically as she focused on his report.

"May I see your half?" he asked, ignoring her comment.

Lily grunted and handed it to him. They were silent for several minutes as they read the reports. At last, she looked up. James was still bent over her half of the report. His hair was messy, but it looked good. Catching herself, she shook her head. Hesitantly, she remarked, "This is really good."

"No need to sound so surprised, Evans," he replied coolly. "Yours is perfect, of course."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'of course'?"

He shrugged and handed it back to her. "You do everything to the best of your ability. So of course, there wouldn't be anything to fix. I assume you wanted to give it to McGonagall?"

She was a trifle taken aback. "Yes. How do you know I do my best?"

He shrugged again and stood, stretching lazily. "I used to watch you. It's like you believe you have to be better than everyone else at everything, just because you were muggle-born. You don't, you know. Have to prove that you're better, I mean. You're already one of the smartest and most talented witches at Hogwarts."

Lily was blushing. She could feel it, and she only hoped he wouldn't look at her. It wasn't just what James was saying, it was the way he said it. So matter-of-fact, as if he knew it so well that he didn't even have to question it.

He made as if to leave, but she couldn't just let the conversation—what there was of it—end like this. "I'm not perfect, you know," she blurted out suddenly.

James met her eyes with a gentle smile. That smile hit her like a blow to the gut. It said that nothing mattered but her. It said she didn't have to be perfect, or the best, or anything but herself. How could one smile say that?

"No," he replied at last, over his shoulder. "But you're as close as they come."

"Why did you stop asking me out?" Lily asked in a small voice. She couldn't meet his gaze, so she stared at her hands. She wondered if he would make a joke of it, or take it as an invitation to start.

"Because you didn't like it when I did, and you always said no," he answered in all seriousness. "I decided I was only annoying you and hurting myself, and it just wasn't worth it."

"Oh." Now she felt tiny. Did it really hurt him when I said no? Was it more than a blow to his ego? How can I be sure? I've got no way to know if he's being honest. Remus might know, but I'm not sure I want to go to him with this. Besides, he's more likely to support his friend than be brutally honest. Maybe I should figure this out on my own.

"Why do your friends love you so much?" she asked abruptly, looking up to see his reaction. She had seen and wondered, sometimes, at the bond among the marauders. She couldn't help it. She was puzzled by what held Remus to the rest of them.

He blinked. "Because that's what happens when you would die for one another. You become friends. What brought that on?"

It was her turn to shrug. "Just trying to figure you out." Now he'll make some flirty remark, and I can go back to being annoyed at him.

"Why do you want to figure me out?" he asked curiously. He had turned back to face her, evidently realizing that this conversation was not over.

Well, that wasn't quite what I was expecting… "Just pondering something Remus said."

James frowned. "What did he say?"

"Never mind." Lily didn't know how to deal with him when he was like this. Playing pranks, acting the prat, even asking her out in that cocky voice she could handle. She knew how to react to those things, because they had played through each scenario hundreds of times. But this serious, earnest James…she suddenly felt that she didn't know him at all. As if he was so much more than she had ever guessed.

She couldn't deal with this right now, so she picked up her bag and stood. She walked swiftly to the staircase to the girls' dormitories before turning and telling him, "If you asked me out, James, I might say yes." Then she raced up the stairs, before he could digest her statement.