Legal Disclaimer: See Prologue.

Author's notes: This chapter isn't quite as long as the previous two, but I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. I hope you all like it! Please Review!

This chapter is dedicated to Gwen.

Chapter 2:

New Beginnings

James ran a shaky hand through his hair. He had a vague thought of a hole wearing in the carpet of the Heads' Compartment as his feet wandered in aimless circles, mind racing.

That look on her face when she saw me… she's not happy. Not happy at all, he thought to himself. She hates me again, I know it, she does… why?

As he was about to answer himself, the compartment door slid open to reveal a very irritable Lily Evans. She threw him a contemptuous glance and sat down.

James looked at her furtively as he continued his pacing. Should I say something? No, she'll throttle me.

He ran his hand through his hair again.

"I hate that", Lily said quietly.

James looked up at her. "Why?"

She didn't look at him. "Because it's a stupid thing to do. It doesn't make you look more attractive. It makes you look like a git."

It does too make him look more attractive a voice in the back of her mind said.

"I never thought it made me look more attractive", James replied, hurt.

She looked at him, sitting there with his head hanging. Great, now I feel bad for hurting his feelings.

Lily sighed mentally. "Sorry", she mumbled.

James looked up. "For what?"

Lily's eyes flashed. "If you're too stubborn to admit your pride got hurt just now, than I take it back!"

James shook his head and leaned forward, gazing intently into Lily's eyes. "You're a very angry person, you know. You have no reason to be so damn hostile."

If he were expecting a retort, he would have been disappointed. Lily stared resolutely in the opposite direction.

James observed her closely, determined to make it better somehow… at least civil.

"Lily – " he started, but was interrupted. Lily had rounded on him so fast he jumped. She wore that same cold, hard expression she had worn when she used to yell at him for asking her out.

"Shut up James! How do you always manage to do this to me?"

James stared at her blankly. "Do what to you?" he asked.

"Ruin everything! Remus was supposed to be Head Boy! No, you ruin the first five years of Hogwarts for me by stalking me, waiting around every corner, even in the loo sometimes – oh no, yes you did I remember and so does Raine Bones form Ravenclaw", she threw at him when he attempted to interrupt. Oh, yeah, I remember that now, he thought. He would have laughed, but feared for his life. Lily pressed on. "Then when I finally start to believe there's something more to you, you decide that you've completed your life's mission of making the one girl who'd turn you down accept you and you treat me like some insignificant piece of gum stuck to your overpriced shoes, you stuck up, know it all, little JERK! Now, NOW you ruin my last year by making me spend it entirely with you!"

She stopped, breathing hard, and James waited until the blood in her cheeks had receded slightly before speaking. It gave him enough time to process what he had just heard.

"What a minute, now, you wanted me to leave you alone! You told me about three hundred and sixty nine different times to leave you alone! And I didn't ask Dumbledore to make me Head, Lily, I didn't! You think I want to be stuck with someone who hates me all year!"

"Oh, piss off James! You expect me to feel sorry for you or something? You want me to say I don't hate you? I thought we were going to be friends or something, but oh no! Not the great James Potter! He had to make sure that everyone knew he had finally gotten Lily Evans to be nice to him so he could just act like he didn't know her! Just because Charity thinks you had good intentions at heart doesn't mean I believe your cock and bull story – not even a bit!"

James stared at her. "You mean to tell me you're mad at me for doing what you asked me to do because you changed your mind about what you asked me to do without telling me you didn't want me to do it anymore… or something like that?"

Lily opened and closed her mouth several times, looking remarkably like a goldfish, James thought, but no sound came out.

Ah hah! I won! James thought, a savage satisfaction coming over him.

Her face reddened, and James prepared himself for a second round, but it never came. Instead Lily stood up staring at him angrily, her bottom lip quivering.

"Yeah, I guess so. Everything's so black and white in your little world isn't it? Anyone with common sense would've know that I - ", she gulped, a single tear escaping from the corner of one of her red eyes as James stared at her in absolute horror. She continued onwards, oblivious, "Anyone with any common sense would've known that us getting along would mean there's no reason to avoid me!"

She looked at him, choking back tears, a mental war waging in her head as she decided whether or not to say what she wanted to say.

"You know, you… Why couldn't you have left me alone any day before that day, then? ANY DAY BEFORE THAT ONE!"

And with that, Lily turned as hurled herself out the compartment door, tears flowing freely down her face.

James stared at the closed door for a full minute before he could tear his eyes away.

What have you done now, Prongs? He asked himself, ashamed and disgusted.

Lily threw herself into the empty Prefects' compartment and pulled her knees to her chest sobbing.

Why am I crying?

She knew, deep down, she was crying because he was right… partly. She had insisted on him leaving her alone. She had done it for years.

But wouldn't any normal person have wanted to be friends with someone they proclaimed to like so much? Especially when that someone wants to be friends with you back? And said 'someone' actually let you kiss her on the cheek with out breaking your nose?

Lily heard the door slide open and pulled her wand out, ready to hex James.

"…Yeah, hang on! I've left my wand!"

That's not James…

Charity stared at Lily's wand in fright. "Lils, what'd I do?"

Lily laughed a sad, wet laugh that sounded more like a sob. "Sorry, I thought you were James."

Charity sat on the floor next to Lily. "What happened?" she asked.

Lily explained the whole thing, word for word, and waited for Charity to speak.

Charity looked as though she was choosing her words very carefully.

"Lily, have you ever really spoken to James since that day?"

"No. Why should I have? He's been ignoring me since."

Charity fought hard not to shake her head at Lily's stubbornness. "Okay, maybe not. But lets just say that he left you alone because… because maybe he thought you'd like him more that way?"

Lily looked at her, and almost laughed. "Yeah, right. You know, I can't believe I'm crying over him! Why should I care what he says, you know? Oh, I've made a fool out of myself…"

"No you haven't. You just care more about him than you want to, it's perfectly natural."

"I don't care about him though", Lily protested.

Charity sighed, standing up. "Lily, I love you, and I'd do anything to help you, so I'm going to try and do that. You're being a baby. You're being stubborn and I don't know what you can't just admit that he's hurt you! He couldn't hurt you if you didn't care what he thought and you know it. I think you're fabulous, I honestly do, but you keep pushing people away form you and eventually they're going to stay away. Maybe that's what happened to James, maybe not, but I do know you're missing out on knowing the truth. I'm going back to my compartment. See you later."

And with that, she left. Lily stared after her, righteous indignation rising.

That's not true. I don't push people away and I don't care about James Fat-Head Potter.

Oh, that's mature. 'Fat-Head', a voice said.

Who the hell are you.

You're conscience, you ninny.

Ninny? Now who's mature?

That's not the point.

Then what do you want.

To tell you do care about him and you did push him away. You spent five years pushing him away.

Yeah but, why'd he have to listen to me only after I've started liking him?

I don't know. I'm your mind, not his. But I can tell you that he wants to start over.

How do you know?

Listen, baby doll, I don't know anything you don't already know. I'm just here to push it to the front of your mind. I work for you.

Oh. Well, in that case, I order you to shut up and leave me alone about it.

Lily heard the door slide open again, and looked up to give Charity, who must be coming to apologize, a rather large piece of her mind. But, for the third time that day, she had been expecting the wrong person.

"McGonagall wants us to do patrols now", James said, closing the door behind him.

"Fine", Lily replied, struggling to keep her voice even.

"Lily, I didn't mean to make you upset."

"You didn't, just drop it, please."

He caught her hand as she turned around. "I need you to know why."

She sat down, unable to resist hearing this. "'Why'? 'Why' what?"

James sighed. "You know 'what'. Lily, that day in fifth year, I was so happy that you were being nice to me. I was so, so happy about it that I decided to back off from you. I figured if I tried to ask you out again afterwards that you would've told me off for trying to take advantage of your friendship or something. I was trying to do what you wanted me to do, you know? Please tell me you understand."

"Okay, I might understand that if I understood why you felt the need to ignore me completely for the whole next year!"

James looked down. "I'm sorry. I thought it was what you wanted, honest. Lily", he said as he looked up and into her eyes.

"That was mighty stupid of you wasn't it?" Lily said savagely.

James held her gaze with difficulty. "Lily, I need you to understand something: I'd never do anything to hurt you. Never."

Lily felt the same warm feeling in her stomach that she had felt looking into his eyes so long ago.

She let out a breath she had been involuntarily holding. "Okay, James, let's say that I believe that. What are we going to do now?"

James shrugged. "Start over?" he asked hopefully.

Lily smiled slightly. Stupid conscience. It'll never let me forget this.

"Okay, James, I guess we can start over… But that doesn't mean we're friends or anything right now."

James smiles, "We'll, the sooner we're friends the better, because I have a feeling we're going to be spending a lot of time together."

"Of course we will, we're the Heads."

James shook his head, still smiling. "Not just on duty, in our free time too."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Think about it - Your best friend and my best friend are together now… like, seriously together."

"I guess you're right, I'd never really considered it… hmm."

"We could keep them company if you go out with me."

Lily didn't even think. She balled up her fist and went straight for his nose.

"HEY! I was just playing around, I swear!" James yelled out, grabbing her fist.

They looked at each other for a moment. Then Lily started laughing. "I knew you were going to say that."

"No you didn't!"

"Oh, piss off, yes I did!"

"PATROLS! NOW!"

"Coming Professor!" they yelled in unison, scurrying out of the compartment, down the hall, laughing all the way.

When Lily and James walked in the Great Hall some many hours later, laughing and joking about first years andsenile teachers, astonishment graced all the features of every single one of their friends.

Lily plopped down between Charity and Alice, who looked like she was about to cry from shock.

Lily leaned over to Charity, and whispered, "I'm sorry. You were right - I was acting like a baby."

Charity merely nodded, still gaping at Lily, who just smiled.

As Dumbledore began his traditional start of term speech, Sirius was making obscene suggestions as to why James and Lily had suddenly hit it off so well.

"All alone up there in that compartment? Yeah, I bet you're getting on fine with her now you sly dog, you. Did she – "

Bewildered, Sirius grabbed his throat. Although his mouth continued to move, no sound came out. He looked around the table and Lily winked at him. His silent mouth began moving furiously, protests and obscenities being thrown about, but not heard. He had obviously realized that Lily had just used a Silencing Charm on him from under the table to the general approval of all in earshot, even Charity.

They listened to the rest of Dumbledore's speech intently.

"…Many of us here have lost loved ones in recent days and I am sorry to say that more casualties in this battle of Good and Evil will most likely occur. We mustn't let the sacrifices of those gone to be made in vain!"

Dumbledore looked around the Hall, pausing in his speech for dramatic effect, raised his goblet and said, "Let us toast!

"To coming together during this time of great distress! We must forget old differences and forge onward in new bonds of love, trust and friendship! To New Beginnings!"

Everyone in the Great Hall followed in suit. "To New Beginnings!"

As Lily put her goblet back down, she noticed James looking at her from across the table.

"Great man, Dumbledore. A truly great man."

Lily tilted her head to the side and raised her drink to James. "To New Beginnings."

"Does this mean we're friends now?" he asked.

Lily rolled her eyes, but then smiled. "I guess it does, Potter."

James looked at her for a moment. He smiled. "To New Beginnings", he repeated.

As they drank to each other, Lily Looked up at the staff table and could have sworn that, just for a second, she saw Professor Dumbledore smiling at them.

Well, here you go people! I hope you enjoyed it. Now for those of you who think I may be moving through the story line too fast, don't count your eggs before they're hatched. Trust me, little ones, I know what I'm doing… I think, lol. Thank you to all who reviewed the story and to those of you who are going to continue reviewing the story! I do it all for you!. I'll be replying to your reviews form last chapter on the review board shortly!

BrittanyRose, the original 'Fleur'