His Final Year

Chapter Eight: Hoping, Not Believing

The first week of school flew by fast. The students didn't have any homework, but they knew they'd have a ton the following week. Everyone took advantage of their free weekend and had tons of fun with their friends.

James and Lily hadn't seen much of each other outside of class, but whenever they hung out in their Head dorm, they had a great time. They really liked being so close to each other.

Patrolling the halls every night was always fun too. As Heads, they were to patrol the halls every night from 9-10:30. They were always very responsible, but they also let themselves have fun. As usual, Lily was laughing hysterically at some stupid story James had just told. James started laughing too…her laugh was very contagious.

"Ah, ah, ah…not being very responsible are we?" They spun around and saw, none other, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. James moved ahead of Lily to slightly block her.

"It's past hours Malfoy. I suggest you both go back to your common rooms now."

They both laughed. "Isn't it cute Lucius? They think they're superior to us! A Potter and a Mudblood…how adorable!"

Lily saw James tense a little. She knew the Mudblood hit a nerve with him. She thought he would start throwing punches, but he stay surprisingly calm. Lily put a hand on his arm and glared at the two. "Go, both of you."

Lucius dropped his smile and stepped forward. "I'm warning you Mudblood, I will get you someday." He shot a quick glance at James. "Potter won't always be around to save the day. One day, you'll be all alone, but I'll be there. Just you and me Mudblood."

With that Lily stepped forward and, with one swing, punched Malfoy right across the jaw. He hit the floor with a split lip and a bruised ego. Narcissa grabbed him and pulled him up. They both gave Lily and James one finally glare before leaving. Lily turned and looked at James, who seemed as though he were about to cry. Before she could say anything, James grabbed her and hugged her tight. She didn't know what the hell was wrong with him, but she smiled and put her arms around him too.

"I'm so proud of you! That was…that was…that was freaking awesome! You're my hero Lily Evans!" She laughed as he pulled away. He cupped her face with his hands. His smile faded as he just stared deep into her eyes. Lily started getting really nervous, unsure of what he was doing or going to do. She just stared at his eyes. "You have the most amazing eyes Lily." He spoke in such a soft whisper it nearly made her weak. He was so tempting. He seemed to be almost inching in closer, getting so close everything seemed to disappear around them. They were almost in their own little bubble…a little bubble that scared Lily to death.

"James I-I don't know-" She was more scared than she ever had been in her life. She was always so in control of everything in her life, always sure of what was going to happen next, always knew exactly what to do and say. Everything she ever seemed to know just flew out of her mind. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. She sure as hell didn't know what was going to happen next. James just continued to stare into her eyes.

"What Lily? Tell me…" She shut her eyes, unable to keep them open. He couldn't believe what the hell he was doing. How in the hell did they get like this? He could tell she was getting scared. He saw it in her eyes. And it caused him to panic. He wanted to be near her, to touch her, to be with her; but he didn't want to ever scare her.

She opened her eyes and grabbed his hands. "I think we should keep patrolling." She took his hands off of her face and walked off. He sighed and just watched her leave. What in the hell was that? You might have just ruined everything you had going with her! He just sighed again and slowly started to follow her, hoping but not believing that he hadn't just ruined his chance to keep Lily, even as just a friend.