Normally, Lily would have been depressed if something along these lines had occurred. However, she found herself angry. It was her fault, and she knew it. There were a group of people willing to trust her with their lives, how could she have let them down? She kept telling herself that it was an accident; that she didn't mean for it to happen. But the thing that mad her so angry was that she thought James and the boys were different. She had gotten close to them, something she had promised her self she wouldn't to with anyone, for fear of being hurt again. But now she did the hurting, and she couldn't stand it.

She knew it was her fault. She was angry with her self… but it was so much easier to be angry with him…

James' attitude prior to their conversation at the hospital was downright sickening. It seemed as if every girl in the school would have given himtheir left leg to replace his injured one. James seemed mysteriously un-capableof re wrap his own bandage, letting the nearest attractive girl insist on doing it for him.

The night before the OWL for History, Lily intended to attempt to gather any useful information last- minute style. She placed her books on the small table with the wilting plant near the wall in the Gryffindor common room. An owl flew into the window and across the room where unfortunately the mauraders and half a dozen girls sat. She heard Sirius mutter as usual, 'A letter not at breakfast means a letter from home…'

"James, tell us what happened again, would you?" Asked a fourth year, thinking she had a chance.

"Well, since you guys like the story so much… It was getting later and later, but I knew I had to complete the task the headmaster appointed to me, I knew lives depended on it." He ruffled up his hair, "then, all of a sudden, a flying leriquis swooped do-"

"I thought you said it was a whirling jay dirby?" said a sixth year.

" Uhh, no, that was before. No, no it was definitely a flying leriquis… anyway, it swooped down and gashed my leg with such force, that it immediately died right after because of… erm, the intense friction!"

Remus and Peter tried to stifle their laughs. The girls ate it right up.

"I was almost back on track with my quest, when Snape showed up--"

"Oh, I bet you hexed him like crazy, James. You're so tough."

"Just for you, sweets." Lily's quill tip broke. 'Due to the intense friction…' She thought.

James went on, " Snape was mental. He was foaming out the mouth and blubbering things…"

He went on vividly describing to the eyelash flittering girls what his brain told him had happened that night, while Sirius opened his letter from home.

In that very instance, James and Sirius were two completely opposite people they resided on the extreme sides of the spectrum. James was faking emotions for reasons Lily could not deem justifiable. Sirius however, clearly showed deep emotions that no being could ever create or imitate by any means, simply because of what was written in his letter.

"James, how is it you manage to be so cool?"

"Oh, you know that I'm only trying to impress you." Lily was sure he had made eye contact with her. Just for a second.

Lily had enough. The only studying getting done here wasby the flock of unicellular teenage girls studying Potter's every move.

XXX

Lily meant to enjoy her afternoon after her History exam on the backfield near the lake. However, it seemed as if everyone else was enjoying something going on near the tree.

She stood watching furious from the sidelines for what seemed to be like hours before she remembered something. The Potter Policy…

XXX

The missed classes provided plenty of time for James to think. It was then did he realize that he was using his brain even more so than if he had been in class. Funny how that worked. Funny how he actually thought more there than in the place where the Wizarding Society had set up for one to think and learn things…

It was funny how little James asked 'Why' in any of his classes. Maybe he would understand some subjects a lot better if he asked the question more often. "Why is the only question worth asking," he remembered Lily saying. After Lily had walked out of the hospital wing, it painfully occurred to him that it was going to be a quickly less commonly asked question. Lily was the only person practically willing to allow 'why's', and was the main thing he asked in conversations with her, although, in his head, a plethora of other questions accumulated.

The main one being, " why don't you see it?"

He had a feeling he wouldn't be seeing much of her from now on.

After all of his thinking in the hospital wing he realized it was his fault, he just wished he had been able to tell her when she was there:

He had asked her to do something, without letter her ask 'Why'.

LILY POV
James was picking on the Slytherin boy again. Lily didn't understand his fascination with both himself and this, although greasy, poor kid.

"Leave him ALONE!" she cried, sounding demanding.

"All right, Evans?"

Who was he kidding? Although… to be called Evans again, a term she was only referred to when in a debate with him, itresurfaced the high she used to receive very often when she was in an argument. It was surprisingly… nice…

"Leave him alone," she repeated. She had to remember – he lies, he stretches the truth, he's a PIG! "What's he done to you?"

"Well," he held his hand up to his chin as if to think on the question, "It's actually more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"

A disgusting wave of laughter made its way across the crowd. It's all about the attention. That's all it's about, the attention and the girls who happen to be in the vicinity, that's all. "You think your funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter!" she said his name with such force, she could feel her throat strain. "Leave him alone."

JAMES POV:

Five minutes ago, this was going to be revenge on Snape. Now, it was his only excuse to talk to Lily. All of his attention was on her. Who Snape was or even what year it currently was took back seat in his brain. His only goal was to keep power with her – to make sure she stayed, just she he could hear her voice…

Then he realized what he was doing. If he just said it, just asked, maybe things would be better. It would be his way of apologizing, even. And then they could go back to how things were. " I will if you go out with me, Evans." It almost hurt to call her Evans in a situation like this. "Go on… go out with me," please, "and I'll never lay a hand on old Snivelly again." Although, Snape seemed to be vaguely distant. But it was perfect, he still had the power. It was a compromise almost, and hestill seemed confident, as if he didn't care.

She took it in, only somewhat confused. "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!"

"Bad luck, Prongs," he heard Sirius say. "OY!"

James turned to have the tip of Snape's wand to close for liking. A blinding flash. Pain below his right eye. James went to grab his wand, trying to ignore the blood. Another flash. Snape was upside down, his robes over his head to reveal his skinny, pallid legs… and a pair of graying underpants.

James smiled at the pleasing cheers from the crowd.

LILY POV:

Could this get any more difficult? She thought, "Let him down!"

"Certainly," James said. She could see and sense his attention switch from the Slytherin, back to her. He flicked his wand upward, and the boy collapsed to the ground.

Sirius picked up where James left off. "Locomoter mortis!" The boy went stiff.

This is getting frustrating… pathetic… most of all… tiring… Lily thought.
She pulled out her wand, promising herself she wouldn't be hesitant, and she wouldnt be hesitant likeshewas before in the Great Hall"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you…"

"Take the curse off him then!" Just stop… please stop…

JAMES POV:

James had won, he knew it. He had achieved his goals, and at the same time, too. He had, for the most part, gotten revenge on Snape, and he had the power with Lily. He had said exactly the right things, done exactly the right things to keep her here, even if she said she wouldn't go out with him, he had won the game. He muttered the counter curse. "There you go…. You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus--"

"I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her!" Snape spat it out as if he was waiting for the opportunity to say it. It left everyone in shock.

"Fine," she said with amazing confidence. "I wont bother in the future. And I wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus."

How dare he… "Appologize to Evans!" He roared, wand out and pointed again. It was a different game now.

"I don't want you to make him apologize, " she said. "You're just as bad as he is!"

"What?" he yelped, confused. "I would never call you a-- a you-know-what!" Why would she even think that?

Whatever it was he said wrong made her furious.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you just got off your brookstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – im surprised your broomstick can even get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!" she turned on her heal and hurried away.

"Evans! Hey, EVANS!