Author's Note: Too long, too long, I know! And I would love to grovel at all of your knees, but that's not possible, so I'll do what is possible-SORRY! I have reasons, which are explained later, but I'll let you read for now.

Thanks to the reviewers, as always….

Via-Lady of Masbolle (India? WOW!)-hey im me-Windowseat Wonderer-NightShine (Wow, long review! Thanks, and I think you're right about the St. Nick thing…)-My Divinest-Tanya J Potter -Funivia-barnesisnoble (Cool name…)-Jersey Princess

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning came, and Lily was already awake. She had barely gotten any sleep last night, and now it felt as though someone had hit her over the head very hard. She doubted she could move even if she tried. Meanwhile, Anna was up and walking around the room.

"Are you going to get up? C'mon Lily, it's the weekend!" She said to her happily. Lily groaned. If it weren't bad enough that she'd just ruined her whole relationship, she now would have the whole day to try and avoid James, not just during classes.

"Is something wrong with you?" Anna asked, sitting down on Lily's bed. "You don't look very well."

"I think I'm really sick," Lily said, pulling the covers over her head. "I don't think I'm going to get up today."

"Well, I don't think you're sick, I think something else is wrong with you," Anna said, and Lily felt her weight leave the bed. "But if you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

Lily kept the covers pulled over her head for another five minutes. Anna still bustled around the room, humming to herself and saying hello to any of the other girls who happened to walk in ("Morning, Alice!"). After Lily was quite sure they were alone, she pulled the covers off and sat up.

"I-" She began, finding that it had become extremely difficult to talk, "It's just, I've-well…"

"Yes…?" Anna said. Lily felt tears well up in her eyes.

"I've done such a horrible thing…really bad," Lily said, and Anna looked at her sympathetically.

"Oh, Lily, really, sneaking into the kitchens isn't going to get you expelled, and it's certainly nothing to get so worried about," She replied, but Lily could tell she was being sarcastic.

"It's not funny," Lily said. "I really have done something bad. I hate even thinking about it. I've ruined everything."

"Ruined wh-oh. Does this have something to do with James?" Anna asked tentatively. Lily only nodded, she was sure if she spoke she'd burst into tears. "Well…do you want to talk about it? What happened?"

"I…he told me last night that he got an offer to play professional Quidditch," Lily said. "And he basically told me that after we were done with school, everything between us would have to be over. If he played Quidditch, I mean."

"He said that?" Anna asked incredulously.

"More or less," Lily said. "But I…well, I just got so angry with him. I completely overreacted. I was just…crushed."

Lily explained the rest of the conversation to Anna, nearly word for word, leaving her friend gaping at her by the story's end. Anna stood there, completely shocked, and eventually she spoke.

"You said all of that to him?" She asked.

"Yeah. I can't believe it either," Lily said, and Anna sat back down on her own bed.

"Did you mean it?" Anna asked. "Because if you really meant what you said, there's no reason you shouldn't stand by what you told him. You shouldn't apologize unless you're truly sorry."

"What do you think? Do you think what I said was true?" Lily asked, and Anna sighed. She stared first at Lily, then off into space for a moment.

"I think," She began, and Lily could tell she was choosing her words carefully, "that you overreacted a tad-well, actually quite a bit. However, I also think-and I'm being honest-that we got a little reminder of what the old James was like."

"I didn't even let him explain," Lily said hoarsely, "I didn't talk it over with him, and I completely overreacted. It's my fault."

-

James had awoken in a rather different fashion. He had gone to bed, not bothering to complete his homework, and had fallen asleep almost immediately. He had gotten up earlier than anyone else in the dormitory, and was busily brainstorming ideas for Valentine's Day. He was hoping that no one would even ask him if something were wrong.

Sirius and Peter woke up considerably later, and Remus had still not returned (nor would he for another day). Both Sirius and Peter were too tired at first to even notice that James was awake and falsely cheery. However, by the time they went down to breakfast, Sirius had at least begun to notice something was up.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked James, who was eating his breakfast at light speed and constantly scanning the Great Hall in case Lily came in.

"Oh, yes, yes, fine, I'm fine," James said quickly. "Nothing wrong. Fine is my middle name!" Sirius looked at him warily. Damn, James thought to himself, That was idiotic. Completely overdone. Maybe next time I should just keep quiet. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

"Well you seem a little…er…what's the word I'm looking for…" Sirius trailed off. "Well, you seem a little off your rocker, actually."

James, as he had planned, didn't say anything, just kept eating his toast and smiled at his friends. Sirius put down his spoon.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?" He asked.

"Nuffing," James said, through a mouthful of toast.

"Liar. What happened?" Sirius continued.

"Lily," James said, gazing behind Sirius and looking panicked.

"What happened with Lily?" Sirius said, a mischievous grin spreading over his face. "Did you two-"

"No, Sirius, Lily," Peter said, looking at the Entrance to the Great Hall. Sure enough, Anna and Lily had just entered the Great Hall and were looking around for a place to sit. They were looking up and down the Gryffindor table; they looked over at Sirius and then moved to sit as far away from them as possible.

"Well, why are they so upset?" Sirius said, turning back to face James, and found that James had disappeared. Moments later, he stuck his head up from under the table.

"I have to get out of here," James whispered. "Now."

"Why?" Sirius asked, but James gave him a murderous glare and he decided not to pursue the subject. "Well, it's going to be tricky. After all, they are sitting right down there and unless you've got the Invisibility Cloak with you, they're bound to see you."

"Thank you for the positive attitude, Sirius," James said. "Now can you stop talking about what's going to go wrong and start thinking of something to get me out of here?"

Ten minutes later, the three Gryffindor boys emerged from the Great Hall. Luckily Lily hadn't seen James, but they weren't so sure Anna hadn't noticed that Sirius and Peter had somebody hiding behind them as they left.

"That was a terrible plan, Sirius," James said. "All those years of planning pranks and you can't even think up something better? 'Oh James, just crouch down behind us and nobody'll notice!' Right."

"Hey, it worked," Sirius said. "Lily didn't notice a thing…well, that might have been because she didn't even look at us the whole time." James groaned. How could he have been so stupid last night?

"Now I think you've got some explaining to do," Sirius said, and the three boys slipped into a hidden compartment behind the tapestry in the Entrance Hall.

Minutes later, James had recapped the entire story for them, and even in the dim light he could see their horrified faces. He waited a moment, hoping one of them would say something and wondering whether he wanted to hear what they had to say.

"What? Aren't you going to say anything?" James asked, and he saw Sirius and Peter exchange glances. He heard Peter trying to disguise a laugh as a cough, but it was unmistakable.

"Well, it's not really funny," Sirius said, looking at Peter meaningfully, who stopped laughing, "but that was slightly tactless. No offense or anything. It's just maybe…maybe you should have phrased it differently."

"Like how? There was no other way to 'phrase' it!" James said, frustrated. Sirius shrugged.

"I dunno. I probably wouldn't have done any better in your situation," Sirius said, "not that I would be in your situation."

"What's that supposed to mean?" James asked, and Sirius gave another shrug.

"Well, I'd never get an offer to play pro Quidditch," He said. "And even if I did, if I had a girlfriend like Lily, and I'd been trying to get her to like me since I was eleven, I doubt I'd even have to give the matter a second thought. Sorry if I'm going all 'Remus' on you, mate, but I'm just telling you what I think." James sighed. He hated to admit it, but Sirius was right. If he hadn't been such an idiot, if he'd have kept his mouth shut and given the whole thing more thought, he'd have realized that Lily was much more important than playing Quidditch.

"She hates me now," He said miserably. "I've been so stupid. This is all my fault."

-

The rest of the day was relatively boring, and James only had to try and dodge Lily once more in the Common Room. He supposed she must have told Anna as well, which meant that they would both be out for his blood-and though he knew Lily was much to kind to truly hurt him, he wasn't so certain that Anna wouldn't. Luckily for him, this meant that he could have all the time he wanted to plan out her surprise for Valentine's Day. He spent most of Saturday and at least half of Sunday shut up in the Boys' Dormitory.

Remus came into the dormitory at about noon on Sunday and found all three of his friends sitting on their beds silently. Sirius was twirling a Dr. Filibuster's firework in between his fingers, Peter was actually trying to make his Sneakoscope go off, and James was writing on a piece of parchment.

"Wow, I never thought I'd live to see the day when Sirius was actually quiet," Remus said in a mock amazed voice. Sirius glared at him and looked as though he wanted to throw the firework at his friend's head. "Are you guys…are you all okay?"

"Two of us, yes," Sirius said. "One of us, no."

"Have you even left this room all day?" Remus asked.

"Same answer," Sirius replied.

"Well why hasn't James left the room all day?" Remus asked.

"I think he's trying to figure out how to create a rift in the space-time continuum," Sirius said.

"Why would you automatically assume it's me that hasn't left the room?" James asked indignantly.

"Because Sirius and Peter can't sit still for half a day, that's why," Remus said, sitting down on his own bed. "So, what did you do that merits going back in time?"

"I don't think you want to know," Sirius said, with a hint of smugness. "It's really bad."

"Sirius, will you shut up?" James asked, and, ruefully, he told the story to Remus. Luckily, Remus didn't gawk at him, nor did he laugh.

"Oh…wow. That is bad," He said. "So are you…are you actually broken up?"

"Er…I…I'm not really sure, now you mention it…" James said. "She did say that whole thing about just breaking up with her and getting it over with, but I'm not sure if she meant it, or…"

"So…what are you going to do about it?" Remus asked.

"Well, I'm drawing up a plan here," James said. "But I think I'm going to need all of your help."

"Are we going to have to get within ten feet of Anna?" Peter asked. "Because you know her, that one time she found out that Sirius had put the Bat-Bogey Hex on her…"

"Are you saying you're not willing to risk your well-being for your best friend?" James asked. Nobody spoke. "I'll take that as a no, and actually I don't blame you. She is a little scary, isn't she? But I do need your help."

"Of course we'll help you," Peter said. "We are your best friends, after all. Through thick and thin, and whatever else they say." Peter's Sneakoscope emitted a long, shrill whistle at that particular moment. He seemed to have broken it somehow and no one could figure out how to turn it off, so they ended up chucking it out the window.

-

"So, I'm a little confused," Anna said. "Are you two actually…broken up, or are you just arguing?"

She and Lily were sitting in front of the fire in the Common Room. It was Sunday night, and though Lily had suggested they go to the library, they had decided against it, given Anna's most recent experience in the library.

"Er…actually, I have no clue," Lily said. "I hope we're not broken up."

"I suggest that before you have a nervous breakdown, you find out how bad your situation actually is," Anna said airily.

Lily sighed heavily. If she could only do something, anything to make what had happened disappear from history altogether. She put down her quill absent-mindedly.

"Man," Anna said, sighing, "you really do have it bad for him, don't you?" At that particular moment, two fifth year girls came walking over to them, looking apprehensive. The girls kept elbowing each other and saying, "No, you ask!" Finally, the girl on the left spoke.

"Hi, you're Lily Evans, right?" She asked in bossy voice, with her hands on her hips.

"Yes," Lily said, wondering what was going on.

"Well, we-" She began, but stopped when her friend elbowed her again, "I mean, I was just wondering if you're still going out with James Potter. Because I haven't seen you two together, and-"

"Of course I am," Lily said, forgetting that she actually had no clue about the status of her and James' relationship at the moment.

"Really?" The girl asked, raising an eyebrow. Lily could tell that the girl didn't believe her. "Well he seems to be avoiding you a lot lately, hasn't he? I'd make sure everything was okay, if I were you."

"Well, you aren't me, so you really don't know what's going on between me and him," Lily snapped. " And I'd really appreciate it if you'd stay out of my business."

"Okay then, thanks," The girl said rudely, and she and her friend walked away. They joined a group of their friends who leaned in close to hear what the girl had to say. After she had told them, they all stared at Lily momentarily, looking disappointed.

Lily looked at Anna, who clearly was trying to contain her laughter.

"I'm so glad you think that's funny," Lily said scathingly.

"Well…it's like…they've got a waiting list or something," Anna said, giggling. "They probably live for the day when they might get their chance to go out with James."

"Whatever. Who cares?" Lily said. "We're not broken up."

"A minute ago you said you weren't sure," Anna replied.

"It doesn't matter!" Lily said shortly, and Anna fell silent for a few moments.

"I wonder if James has a thing for blondes," Anna mused. "That girl who came over here was rather pretty…"

"Are you doing this purposely to torture me? I'm not stupid, I can see them with my own eyes!" Lily burst out angrily.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Anna said, getting up from her chair and walking toward the stairs.

"Fine! Fine, you go to bed, I've had enough of you anyway!" Lily replied.

"Good night," Anna said in a sing-song voice, clearly unperturbed by Lily's display of hostility.

-

"Okay, I think she's walking toward the stairs," Sirius whispered, "Get ready."

"Don't you think she's even more liable to kill us if we ambush her right as she's about to go to bed?" Peter asked worriedly.

"That's why we're going to grab her arms so she can't hit us," James replied.

"What about her legs?" Peter asked.

"Peter, this is serious," Remus said. "It's not just an opportunity to touch one of her legs."

"I was just worried she might kick one of us!"

"Right, Peter," Sirius said. "As long as you're thinking like that, why don't you kiss her so she can't bite any of us?"

"Really?"

"Peter, don't be an idiot!" James hissed.

"Shut up, all of you, she's nearly reached us," Sirius said. "Get ready…"

As soon as Anna reached the foot of the stairs up to the Girls' Dormitories, Sirius reached out and grabbed one of her arms and pulled her back to where they were standing.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked, and Sirius put a finger to his lips. "Don't you tell me to be quiet Sirius, I've got half a mind to kill all four of you right now!"

"Well, it's a good thing you've got the other half of your mind to stop you then," James said. "I need you to help me with something."

"Well, bloody hell, James, is it really necessary to attack me on my way to bed?" She asked. "You could have just asked, you know, like people normally do when they need a favor!"

"I…er…aren't you…mad at me?" He asked, starting to feel stupid. He should have thought of this; Anna was far too level-headed and smart to take sides in this. Surely she would have formed her own opinion on the matter, and she wouldn't want to kill him just because Lily did.

"Oh, is that what this is about? Lily was the one who exploded on you James, not me," Anna said. "And Sirius, you really can let go of me now." Sirius obliged, and she glared at him.

"Well, Lily hates me, and you're her best friend, so I figured that you would too," James said defensively.

"I'm not that stupid, James," Anna said, crossing her arms. "I can tell for myself what's going on, and I can most certainly decide whose side I want to take."

"Then you'll help me?" James asked brightly.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Anna said, waving her hand impatiently. "I've already been trying to help you. Do you know that there's a group of girls out there who are in love with you, and have practically decided which of them gets first pick at you?"

"Er…no," James muttered. "That's actually kind of creepy."

"You're telling me," Anna replied. "But Lily's seething with jealousy over it."

"Really?" James asked. He shook his head. "No, no, no, that's not how I want this to be. Don't try and make her mad or jealous to come back to me, okay? I just need you to make sure she does something."

James told her the details of his plan. After she promised to help him, and they promised not to try and attack her anywhere again, she went up the stairs to bed, as did the four boys.

-

Lily woke up on Valentine's Day. It was this time of morning she liked best of the whole morning; the moments where she wasn't completely awake, nor was she asleep. For a few seconds, she would always forget that she and James were at odds, and that they hadn't spoken since their fight. Then the reality sunk in, and it did even more so on Valentine's Day.

She didn't know exactly why it pained her more than usual. She had always hated Valentine's Day-it was such a cutesy, fake holiday. All these couples went out of their way to show their love for one another, and for the rest of the year, things were back to normal. But today, it would have been the first Valentine's Day she would have spent with James, and she began to understand what was so great about Valentine's Day, as long as you had someone you truly, completely loved. She felt a twinge of pain in her heart as she thought of him, but she decided to put him out of her mind, or at least to try to.

It proved to be much harder than she had thought. The first person she saw when she entered the Common Room was James, and scarcely five minutes after she and Anna had been in the Great Hall, eating breakfast, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter came in. It also didn't help that there were signs of love and couples everywhere, and it seemed as though she could hear every girl exclaiming over what her boyfriend had gotten her from a mile away.

Then the morning post came, slightly different than usual, for today there were enormous packages of chocolates, bouquets of flowers, and enormous red and pink cards being delivered. As Lily looked miserably upon the others around her gleefully accepting their gifts, a school owl swept down in front of her and dropped a single piece of parchment.

"What's that?" Anna asked, surveying the parchment with curiosity. Lily sighed.

"I'd say it's probably the official notice of the end of the world," She said. "Or at least, for me it is."

"Try not to be so cheerful," Anna said sarcastically, returning to eating her food. Lily picked up the parchment and looked at the seal on it: red wax, with a heart in the middle of it. She thought she should maybe burn this before reading it; some psychotic secret admirer was the last thing she needed right now. However, she caught a glimpse of James out of the corner of her eye, and it seemed the mere sight of him was enough to make her open it.

She quickly read the contents, which were written in careful, precise writing that she didn't recognize.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Go to the trophy room

To find your first clue.

"What does it say?" Anna asked. Lily rolled her eyes. She couldn't have imagined this day would get any weirder, but it certainly had.

"Someone's trying to send me on a bloody scavenger hunt," Lily said, "so I'll discover their undying passion for me." Anna pulled the paper out of Lily's hand. She expected her friend to scoff and make fun of her about her secret admirer, but her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Anna said, standing up. "Come one, we've got to follow what it says!"

"Are you kidding?" Lily asked, but she stood up as well. "I'm not going to try and understand the ravings of some lunatic who probably has some sick obsession with me!"

"Well, fine, I'll do it for you then," Anna said, and she began to walk out of the Great Hall.

Lily stood there, while the two sides of her conscience were at war-should she follow Anna, or just leave her to it? Should she care? What did it matter if some unknown person was admiring her from afar, when James was sitting a few feet away, and he was the only person she could see herself in love with, the only person she wanted to be with? Why did Anna always have this effect of making her question things?

Heaving a sigh, and not really knowing why, Lily followed her friend out of the Great Hall, not aware that James was watching her as she went.

Author's Note: Sheesh…you wouldn't think one chapter would be such a hassle. When I first wrote this, I wasn't really paying attention to the fact that I had switched Anna's character to a completely new personality. So I had to go back and rewrite her part more level-headed, less biased. Then I had to go back and change a bunch of grammar, because I realized I'd been writing dialogue slightly wrong. A few more tweaks here and there, and then I had to finish it out. I would have written more if I were up to thinking of more clues and if it wasn't already 12 pages on word. Anyway, sorry for taking so long, but I really have been busy. We switched classes, took our exit exams…blech. So I'm trying to cope with all the homework (math) and still keep up in everything outside of school.

Please review…it makes my day to hear what you have to say.