Perfect

James sat beside Lily, her face was a light peach color and her breathing had returned. He gently pressed his index finger and middle finger to her neck. The pulse was strong and he heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would've done if she had died. He didn't understand his feelings, but he understood hers.

To some people he was perfect. But he knew he wasn't, he'd never be. He had so much to live up to and he knew he never could. His father founded and ran the UKAB (United Kingdom Aurors Bureau) how was he supposed to beat that? His mother was beautiful and not to mention the most talented animagi he'd ever seen. But that didn't matter anymore. They wanted him to be something he wasn't, perfect.

*~* Hey dad, look at me
Think back and talk to me

Did I grow up according to plan? *~*

After days and days of sitting there with her, his thoughts couldn't move from his parents. They were so flawless and he just ruined the family. He shook his head as his eyes watered slightly. It was strange to think that he, popular, handsome, funny James Potter had the same problems as unpopular, wallflower, muggle born Lily Evans.

'What a world.' He thought silently. His eyes returned to her sleeping body. She still hadn't awoken, and he still hadn't gone to class. Just then her eye lashes started to flutter, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the swirling emerald pools, even if they were filled with confusion, they were the nicest eyes he'd ever seen.

"Hi Lily." He said meekly, very out of character for him.

"What's going on?" her voice was throaty and loud. "Why am I here?" she looked up at him, her eyes were now filled with pain. "Why am I still alive?!" she started to sit up.

"Shh, lay down" he gently pushed her back into the cot. "Take it one step at a time Lils, slowly ok."

"Lils?"

"Look, I found you in the prefects bathroom." She went silent and looked down and her hands, fiddling with the bed sheet.

"I'm so sorry James. I was hoping it would be anyone but you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I take it you read the letter?" He nodded. "Like I said, you noticed me. I didn't want you to have to clean my mess up; I didn't want you to see me like that. I must've looked bloody awful." She smiled weakly. "No pun intended." He chuckled.

"Well Lily Evans it is nice to see you smiling, I haven't seen movement from you since the train ride. You've been asleep for a week and a half. I thought you were going into a coma!" She laughed lightly and yawned. "I should go now, I haven't been to class since I found you, no one else has been in here, and since we're hidden by a screen, no one would know where to find me anyways." Lily smiled bitterly.

"No one's come looking for me? Well that's no surprise."

"Just forget about them Lily."

"Forget about YOUR friends?!"

"MY friends?! Listen to me, ¾'s of those people are not my friends. The only people in the entire world I trust are Sirius, Remus, Peter and…oh never mind."

"No tell me, you've told me this much. And tell me quick 'cause I'm falling asleep."

"I trust you Lily."

~*~  Do you think I'm wasting my time
Doing things I wanna do?
'Cuz it hurts when you disapprove all along. ~*~

Lily sat up in bed and looked at her wrists. The scars were still pretty obvious; Madame Pomfry said they'd get white soon. The screen was gone as she was no longer asleep. The door to the Hospital Wing soon broke open and there was James Potter, cheeks red from Quidditch Practice in the cold. Lily grinned; he was there all the time.

But James wasn't smiling, in his hand he held a letter, and it looked important.

"What's that about James?" He threw it on her lap, she reached for the parchment and she heard him say:

"It's from my parents." Her eyes blurred, she hadn't tried reading yet, and her eyes still hadn't adjusted again. She sighed.

"James I can't read it, please just tell me what it's about. I hate to see you like this." He sat down on the side of her bed.

"It basically says my father thinks I'm wasting my life playing Quidditch and spending time with you." She gasped and suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"Sp…spen…spending time with me?" He nodded sadly.

"They have all these rules and expectations and sure my father isn't against muggle born's…but he wants me to marry a pure blood. He looked into her eyes, which were full of unshed tears.

"He doesn't want you to be my friend?" she couldn't help it anymore and the tears spilled over. "It's just not fair!" he looked at her sadly and nodded.

"It's not fair at all, they just don't understand."

*~* And now I try hard to make it
I just want to make you proud
I'm never gonna be good enough for you

I can't pretend that I'm all right
and you can't change me. *~*

James resented his father for everything. But as he left the Hospital Wing that day, he hated him.

'How could he do that? She's a girl, a girl that I'm friends with. I enjoy spending time with her. I get this…feeling when I'm with her. It's almost like we've known each other for years and yet we only met because she planned to take her own life.

I feel like I'm in a prison because of them. They're too many rules to follow and they say the stupidest things…not be friends with Lily pfft, I would never end my friendship with her, she's amazing. One day, I swear I won't take this anymore. I won't listen to him. He can't be my dictator forever. One day I'll be old enough to do what I want to, and be friends with who I want to and say what I want to and prove to the world that I'm not perfect…and you know what? He stop me.'

James strides became longer and his eyes rose…just in time for him to run into Sirius.

"PRONGS!!!!!!!!" Sirius hugged him so hard he knocked his equipment out of his arms and he couldn't breathe. When Sirius finally let him go, James gasped for breath.

"Sirius I saw you a half hour ago at Quidditch practice."

"Yes but whenever we don't have practice or class you're in the Hospital Wing! Dude, I don't even know why. One would think that one's got a crush on one student nurse." Sirius winked. James laughed, it was nice to talk to his best friend again, but it was also nice to know that Lily wasn't going to hurt herself again. He sighed and looked at Sirius' expectant face.

"It's not Poppy Pomfry Sirius you idiot. It's someone else. Do you remember Lily Evans?" Sirius' face fell.

"That red head who's a total loner?"

"That's not fair Sirius, you don't know her." James was getting defensive and here's where a fight would ensue.

"And you do Mr. I-Know-The-Entire-Wizarding-World-Potter?!"

"Yes I do know her! She tried to kill herself three weeks ago and I found her Sirius! I walked into the prefect bathroom and she was sitting in a bathtub of blood, she had slit her wrists. I saved her life and I want to be her friend. I want her to trust me I want her not to feel alone because THAT'S WHY SHE DID IT SIRIUS! BECAUSE SHE WAS ALONE!" James picked up all the things he hand dropped and walked off. Sirius stared after him.

~*~'Cuz we lost it all
Nothing last for ever
I'm sorry I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late and we can't go back
I'm sorry I can't be perfect~*~

Lily was finally being let out of the Hospital Wing and she was finally happy. If it wasn't enough to get James as a friend, along came Sirius. He wanted to know all about her, he wanted to understand. Soon after that came Remus and eventually Peter. Lily found herself going from a girl who wanted to commit suicide because she was all alone, to a girl who was enjoying everything she could do now, just because a few people took the time to care.

James smiled when Lily walked into the room. She was finally ok. Her clothes were too baggy, as she had lost a lot of blood and not to mention a lot of weight trying to recuperate. James decided her was going to take her shopping soon. He knew she barely had enough money for schoolbooks, only because her family hated her.

"Guys! Lily's here!" James called up the staircase and Lily heard the thundering down, she laughed to herself and smiled at James.

'She's amazing' he thought to himself. 'I just need my parents to realize that.'

~*~ I try not to think
About the pain I feel inside
Did you know you used to be my hero?
All the days you spent with me
Now seem so far away
And it feels like you don't care anymore. ~*~

James attached the note to his owl, Volo.

"Take this to mum and dad, Volo. As fast as you can please it's important." He exhaled noisily and looked around the empty common room. It was late and he'd been up for hours writing the letter to his parents. He told them that they couldn't run his life and if he wanted to be friends with a muggle born or even more they couldn't stop him. He said he just wanted them to meet her and make an opinion on her based on her personality, not on the fact that her parents weren't wizards. He sat down on the couch and awaited the response.

James opened his eyes groggily and noticed that it was morning. There was a blanket over him, an owl on his leg, a pillow under his head, a Lily on his feet. Wait…a Lily on his feet?

"Morning James!" she smiled, he groaned.

"You are too perky you know that?" she laughed

"I don't remember anyone ever saying that about me."

"And too loud too." He added, receiving a smack on the arm.

"Who's the owl from?" she moved off his feet and he sat up, stretching.

"My parents, most likely." He picked up the letter and read it quickly. "Lils! They want to meet you!" he smiled and hugged her.

"I'm in!" she jumped up to do a dance, he laughed and her pants started falling down. She pulled them back up.

"You need some new clothes Madame." She looked at her feet.

"I'm fine James, I don't need anything really." He could see her blushing.

"Lily, I'm going to do this for you because if you're going to come home with me on spring break, you'd best have some clothes that fit." Lily smiled at him, he stood up. "Now what do you say mah dea'h that we go and have some breakfast?" he gave his arm to her.

"I'd agree with you Monsieur." They both laughed and walked out the portrait hole.  Sirius and Remus looked at each other.

"You know what's going on don't you Si?" Sirius nodded.

"It looks like it's real this time."

"Have you noticed that the sluts don't hang around us anymore? Since Lily arrived we haven't been as…'popular'." Sirius smiled faintly.

"Yea, that's true Remus, but we also have a hell of a lot more fun! Are you ready?" Remus acquiesced and they ran off towards the Great Hall, all ready to streak and make everyone's day.

*~* And now I try hard to make it
I just want to make you proud
I'm never gonna be good enough for you
I can't stand another fight
And nothing's alright. *~*

"James" Lily giggled. "No I'm not going to buy this I look ridiculous!" James shook his head fiercely, knocking his glasses off his face. Lily laughed harder.

"You do not look ridiculous! I know that my parents are planning on having a fancy affair, they ALWAYS do. Come on it looks fabulous and we're just about done this is our last stop." Lily looked down at the pink puffy princess dress and she started laughing again.

"There is NO way you're going to get me to wear this." She gasped for a breath.

"FINE!" James said, exasperated. "Try this one." He threw her a simple black dress from the chair beside him.

"I don't even know if it's my size…"

"Just try it on." When Lily stepped out of the dressing room, James' mouth was wide open. She looked fantastic. The dress wasn't low cut, it wasn't short, it was perfect and she looked like the kind of girl his parents would want to meet. He smiled and stood up. "You look breathtaking." She smiled shyly. "Now let me pay for it, leave it on, grab your things. We need to hurry! We're going to miss our port key."

~*~Nothing's gonna change the things that you said
Nothing's gonna make this right again
Please don't turn your back
I can't believe it's hard just to talk to you
'Cuz you don't understand. ~*~

Lily looked in astonishment at the house in front of her. It was a mansion; no; more then a mansion it was an estate. The house itself looked at least a hundred years old and it was covered in ivy and the circular driveway was cobblestone. It was nighttime and in every tree was what seemed like little Christmas lights but what were really tiny glowing faeries. She felt her jaw go slack. Everything was lit up and even the stars seemed to stand out more.

"If you're ever planning on having an outside affair, plan it on a night that my mother is having a party. God himself would not rain on Christine Potter's

Parade." She laughed and looked over at him. He looked like he belonged, she felt nervous for she knew she didn't.

"It's cold out here." She shivered inside her coat, more from anxiety then from being chilly.

"Don't worry Lily, you do too belong." She looked at him confused but he just grabbed her hand and started walking towards the immense front entry.

~*~'Cuz we lost it all
Nothing last for ever
I'm sorry I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late and we can't go back
I'm sorry I can't be perfect~*~

A/N this was kinda fluffy…mental note: make more happen. Well this was really just a transition chapter. The song was 'Perfect' by Simple Plan. Hope you liked, tell me what you think.