I'm here for you; always.

Summary: Being seventeen is never as easy as it appears. Somehow, through trauma and horror, love seems to sprout between the most unlikely of pairs. But it had always been undeniable; the passion between both Lily and James had always been there.

Genre and Rating: Romance and Angst. Rating M, just to be safe.

Disclaimer: For Dumbledore's sake, people. If I had invented Harry Potter, would I still be writing fan-fictions?

Author's Ramble: I just got the new book and finished it. How awful was that ending? I was practically in tears. Screw that, I /was/ in tears. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Keep reading, people. I swear, it gets better.

Chapter 4 : I want to trust you.

I just need to sleep on it, Lily thought. I sleep on it, and all these feelings just go away. I mean, he can't have changed that much. There's nothing he can do to change my mind and make me like him…right…?

Soon after her array of confusing thoughts, she had become dead to the world. Collapsed back onto her pillow, her lips slightly parted and her red hair in bright contrast with the white of her pillow.

'Think she read the letter?' Tyler asked.

Caitlin picked up the torn and empty envelope 'What do you think?' she said in a reply, showing the blond girl the used envelope.

'Okay. She read the letter…How do you think she took the whole thing?' Tyler asked.

Caitlin rolled her eyes 'Do I look omniscient to you?' she asked, turning on her heel and walking over to her own bed, throwing herself down on it and turning to face the wall. Still looking confused, Tyler shrugged and walked slowly over to her own bed.

Within minutes, all three of the girls in the dormitory that night were fast asleep beneath the blankets of their warm beds.

-+-+

'Now, I need your help.'

'What for?'

'Ty.'

James looked over at Caitlin, who was standing right behind him as they both walked around in the library, Caitlin tailing his every move.

'What about Hanson?' he asked, his eyebrows knitting together curiously.

'I need your help.' Caitlin chimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet, her old and worn sneakers squeaking against the floor.

'I know. You've said that already.' James said, eyeing her curiously

'She's sad. And lonely. Help?'

'What do you want me to do about it?' he asked, still not catching on.

'Help me find some one to hook her up with.' She sighed, pulling on James' arms. Tyler had never been one to speak for herself. She was the quiet, timid kind of girl that kept all her secrets and wishes locked up inside her. She was glad to have friends like Lily and Caitlin, who stood up for her when people would pry and tease. And Tyler was thankful that they treated her unlike the rest of the school.

'Like who?'

'I dunno.' Caitlin giggled 'You're smart, think of some one…'

'Sirius?'

'Eww. No. Gross. She doesn't like him very much, something about being a womanizer or something, something…'

James rolled his eyes 'Remus?'

'What's he like?'

'Smart, quiet...quieter, anyway…er…loyal.' He said thoughtfully.

'Sounds wonderful.' Caitlin said 'Okay. I helped you with Lily, you help me with Ty and Remus.'

'Bu-'

'Help me, or there won't be any more tips about how to win Evans over.'

James sighed. She wasn't exactly leaving him many options. 'Fine.'

'Wonderful, darling.' Caitlin beamed, spinning once in a circle and walking off towards the library doors.

'Wait!' James called after her.

Caitlin stopped and turned around, looking at him and twisted a strand of ebony hair around one finger. 'Hmm?'

'Did Lily read the letter?'

'Uh-huh.'

'And? What did she say?' he exclaimed, grabbing the girl by the shoulders and shaking her lightly.

She calmly removed his hands from her arms and stepped back. 'Simmer down, lover boy. I wasn't in the room, and I haven't spoken to her. She was asleep when we got back last night, awake and gone before we were this morning.'

'Where were you last night?' James asked, suspiciously.

'That's not your concern…' Caitlin mumbled, turning to leave again and disappearing around the corner, leaving James standing there with a book limply in his hands.

-+-+-

'How's Anna?' Remus inquired, as each of the Marauders sat on the floor in their dormitory.

'Anna? Oh, Anna…I don't know. Dumped her a few days ago…' Sirius sighed, taking a sip from the glass of butterbeer that he, like the rest of them, was nursing in his hands.

'How long did that relationship last?'

'A week?' Remus tried

'Three days?'

'A month?'

'Nah, it couldn't be a month.'

'Dudes, how 'bout I just answer you, instead of listening to you argue about how long I can keep a girlfriend. Cause really…It's starting to get a bit clichéd.' Sirius sighed

'Never knew it bothered you.' Remus said with a shrug

'I know why…You like some one, don't you?' James said, pointing an accusing finger at his best friend.

'So, he likes lots of people?' Remus muttered

'I mean really likes some one. Not that whole date 'em and drop 'em, kind of liking.'

'Is that true?'

Sirius shrugged 'I don't know. Leave me alone.' He said, waving his hand impatiently.

'Well, who is it?' James asked, smiling lightly as he downed the last few drops of his butterbeer.

Sirius sighed and shook his head. 'No one. Leave me alone…' he got to his feet, and placed his now empty glass on his bedside table, walking out of the dormitory.

'Ouch.' James muttered.

-+-+-

Lily sighed, pulling her cloak closer around herself as the evening wind was beginning to grow colder. Caitlin and Tyler were probably sitting up in the library, still 'working' on their potions essay. When Lily had left, they were still talking about nail polish and snakes, so she figured that it would be as good a time as any to think about things. And where better to sit, alone, and have a chance to clear her mind and express her thoughts, than outside by the lake. It was a beautiful sight, to see the sun setting far off over the rippling lake water, soft grey clouds moving in around the light.

She sighed lightly and jumped, uttering a soft yelp as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked around to see Sirius, lowering himself to sit beside her.

'Gods, Sirius. You scared me.' She sighed, leaning back onto her hands.

'Sorry.' He smiled 'I wasn't expecting to see you outside after hours. Something about abiding every rule know in the history of man?'

'Ha, ha.' Lily replied, sardonically. ' I just need a few hours to think about things.'

'The letter James wrote you?'

'How did you know about that?' Lily asked, looking over at him with her eyebrows raised.

'I saw him struggle to write it. Never seen such concentration on his face…It was scary.'

Lily gave a light laugh.

'He really does like you, you know. And it's starting to get annoying, 'cause you're all he ever talks about.' Sirius said 'With good reason, of course.'

Lily smiled over at him. 'I don't know Sirius. I mean, he is different…'

'I know. Look at what you've done to him. You've got his mother thinking something's wrong, 'cause there hasn't been a letter from Dumbledore sent home yet.'

Lily shook her head. 'What should I do?'

'You already know what I think you should do. You already know what everyone thinks you should do. No one else can tell you what to think.'

She sighed, and fell backwards onto her back; her arms sprawled out at her sides and her eyes snapped shut.

'Give him a chance Lily; shut him up. He's crazy about you, and for some reason, I think you're quite found of him as well. What can you lose by going on one date with him, hmm?'

'You're right.' She said, opening her eyes and smiling up at him. 'Thank you, Sirius.'

Sirius smiled, that lopsided grin of his that had everyone's heart melting in an instant. 'Glad to be of assistance, Miss Evans.' He said, getting to his feet and bowing before walking back up to the castle.

'Ask her out, Sirius.'

'What?' Sirius exclaimed, stopping and turning around to look at her with an eyebrow raised.

'That girl, the one that you like…Ask her out. I think you'd make her quite happy.'

'How did you kn-'

'Girl's instinct.'

Sirius didn't need more explanation than that, and he left Lily by the lake, deep in thought as she lay sprawled out over the grass.

His advice had sparked something at the back of her mind. It wasn't often that she would credit him for being right, but this time…he was. She would give him a chance. There really wasn't that much she could lose by it was there? She smiled, finally reaching an answer to her complicated array of heart filled questions, and sat up, thinking that she would go and tell him right now. She would ask him to next weekend's Hogsmeade trip, and everything would be perfect. She laughed out loud at the though, and gathered her things into her bag again.

Lily hadn't heard the quiet footsteps, as a blackened figure crept up behind her. But she felt its cold hand press itself over her mouth, and failed to let out the scream that died right there in her throat. She felt a pain in her head as a heavy, metal weight came into contact with her skull and she could feel slow drops of blood dripping down the back of her neck. The figure crouched down in front of her, staring at her with narrowed eyes.

That was the last thing she saw before she collapsed backwards onto the grass once more…

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Authors Ramble: Yeah, I know. Awful ending, short chapter. Blah, blah blah…Thank you for all the reviews so far everyone. Keep reading and reviewing and yada, yada…