A/N: Hey, so hear I am again with another one-shot. Seems to be all I write now. It may not be the best, but it was fun writing it. Hope you enjoy it!- embracing

Summary: Lily is a listener to all except James Potter. James Potter always listens to Lily Evans. What happens when everything changes?

Listeners

Lily Evans had always been a listener. She had never been the one to fretfully explain to her friends the biggest disaster in the world, and tell them that they had to find a way to get her out of it. No, Lily Evans had always been that friend. She listened hard, concentrating, and then would give her small piece of advice. A small piece yes, but always the right piece.

Although there was just one person that she never listened to. And that person of course, was James Potter.

James Potter had always listened to Lily Evans. Always. Except for every single time he asked her to go out with him. He didn't believe that the answer would always be 'no', you see?

However, on this particular day everything would change.

Lily held up the diary that, in her point of view, had been taken hostage from her room and read by the boy in front of her. James Potter.

'How dare you!' she accused.

'I didn't-'

'Don't you dare deny it, Potter! I can't believe it. All my personal thoughts are in this diary, and you had the nerve to read it!'

'I'd never-'

'Potter. I know that you want to go out with me and everything, but how do you expect me to like you, when you go and do things like this?'

'I-'

'What did you think it was some sort of joke? Lets go spread Lily's secrets all over the school. Oh, what a blast!' She was pacing the room now, her hands in the air. The whole common room was staring at the two in disbelief.

'Well, when you come to think of it…' Sirius trailed off as Lily sent him a death stare. He was twirling his wand, sitting lazily in the armchair, occasionally sending sparks from his wand to impress the ladies.

'Don't you start Black, you're just as bad as him!' Sirius sunk lower in his chair. He had no idea how his best friend could handle Lily. One glare sent him running.

'And you,' she said turning back to James, 'you are an insolent, bratty, arrogant, over-confident, insolent-'

'You've said that already,' Peter said, counting on his fingers. Lily gave him one look that sent him flying for the portrait hole.

'Lily-'

'Shush! Where was I? Argh!' She threw her hands up in frustration.

'Silencio,' James muttered, pointing his wand at Lily. Lily gasped, or would have gasped if she could. Her hands flew to her throat. She glared at James.

'Look Lily, I'm sorry, but if you'd have listened to me I wouldn't have had to.' He cleared his voice.

'Okay, so I took your book. It was lying there on the table. You must have left it there last night. So, I thought I should give it back to you, before you freaked out or anything. I always see you scribbling in it Lily, I knew it was personal. I didn't want anyone else, a person like Padfoot say, to read it and spread your thoughts all over the school. I didn't read a thing, I just came back to give it back to you, when you started accusing me of being things that I'm not!'

Lily scoffed at this.

'So you think I'm an insolent, bratty, over-confident bastard, well that's no news to me. But, would you really think that I'd sink as low to read your personal property? For the smartest witch in the year, Lily, you can be pretty stupid now and then. Sometimes I wonder why I don't just give up on you!'

That had really hit her deep. Lily turned away from him, not wanting him to see how much he'd hurt her. And as she ran up the stairs to her dorm, James did something he thought he'd never do. He gave up on her, and never listened again.

And the saddest thing of all, was at that very same moment that he gave up on her, Lily fell head over heels in love with him, because for the first time she had started listening.

Lily Evans stood in the empty common room, staring out at the dark grounds, which was slowly being eaten by a thick fog. It had been six months today, the day of her birthday, since that day last year that had changed her whole view on life.

It was amazing, the change that could occur in the small amount of time that was half a year. There had been that fateful day where it had started, the day that she had started listening to him; then, there was that period in time where they had both avoided each other; the diary, which had been filled with her thoughts of loving him, instead of hating him; then the holidays had come and went, leaving her with a very smart badge, indicating her to be the next Head Girl; the panic attack she had had when she saw that he was the Head Boy, and annoyance she had felt when she found that she could no longer avoid him; the friendship that they had built while working together; and the many a time where she had tried to get over him. All that in only a space of six months.

A couple of tears escaped from her eyelids, slowly making their way down her cheeks.

She heard the heavy footsteps of someone stumbling down the boys' staircase. She whipped her head around. And it wasn't just one of those ordinary boys trying to stay up past curfew. And it wasn't Sirius Black trying to escape to Hogsmeade to get some firewhisky. No, it was James Potter, without his shirt on.

Lily's heart immediately started beating faster and she had to hold back a groan that threatened to escape her lips.

'James,' his head snapped up, 'What are you doing?'

'Lily? Is that you?' He squinted at her; she noticed that his were absent. She tried to avoid her eyes, but found herself being drawn back to his defined back muscles and finely grooved abs. The sight of it almost stopped her from speaking. He took a step towards her and she sucked her breath in. His dark, ruffled fringe did not hide his hazel eyes that were unfocused and staring at the window that he thought was Lily.

'Where are your glasses?' she asked. He took another step towards her, and tripped on a book that had been left behind, stumbling until he was much too close to her. Her heart got caught in her throat.

'I've lost them!' he exclaimed. Taking another step towards her. Now, in Lily's opinion, that was far too close for him to be. She could barely breath. She needed him to get away, now!

'Umm, would you, err… like me to help you find them?' she asked, stuttering over her words. He took another step towards her, his face breaking into his famous lopsided grin. They were barely a ruler's length apart.

'That'd be great Lils,' he said closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her, a bit too low on her back. Her heart literally stopped. She removed her hands and placed them further up on her back.

'Oh,' he said releasing her, 'sorry.' She stepped away from him and her heart once again started working. She started curving away to begin searching for his glasses.

'Hey, wait a moment,' he said, grabbing her hand and tugging her back to where she was before, very close to him. He raised a hand to her cheek and wiped away the remaining tears that had parked on her cheeks.

'Why are you crying?' he asked as another tears splashed on his hand.

'Oh, it doesn't matter,' she dismissed, turning her head. He used his hand to bring it back again.

'Yes it does,' he insisted. She sniffed.

'It's nothing.'

'I still want to know.'

'Fine,' she huffed, 'I just thought you'd remember, that's all.' He smiled.

'Remember what?' he laughed.

'My birthday,' she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear. She looked down at her feet. He dropped his hand suddenly, as if he had been burnt.

'I just thought, you know, how you had remembered all the other times. Well I thought that you'd remember this time as well, but you know, since you've definitely moved on now…' She looked up to see him staring at her in disbelief.

'What?' he asked.

'Well you know. You never ask me out anymore and you seem to have had too many girlfriends for me to count on both my hands and feet! You've given up on me.'

'That's stupid,' he mumbled, but seeing her face added in a whisper, 'Is that what you think?'

'Well, yeah.' She dropped her head so that her hair fell as a shield over her face, hiding the tears that kept dropping. He stepped towards her.

'If I thought of a way to make it up to you would you let me?'

'Make what up to me?' she asked, remembering that he was basically blind, and lifting her head.

'The fact that I forgot your birthday,' he said, taking a couple of steps towards her.

'Yeah, okay.' So he took one last step towards her, then dropped his lips to her…

'Umm, James, why did you just kiss my nose?' He gave a little chuckle.

'Well, I had been aiming someplace else, but since I'm practically blind, I misjudged. But, before you hit me, or scream at me for trying, I'd just like to say that I am very sorry that I forgot your birthday.' Then he squeezed his eyes shut, as though he was preparing to be hit over the head. She smiled to herself.

'James?' she asked. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She put her hand on his cheek and rose to her toes to give him a small kiss on the lips.

Her breath escaped her as James, having found her lips, pulled her back to him and kissed her. His kiss was heart stopping. Urgent, but soft, his strong lips making her go weak at the knees. She pressed her tongue to his lips. She smiled as she heard him groan as he responded. He pressed against her harder and she felt her body mould into his as his kisses became more eager.

They finally broke apart, gasping for breath. They stared at each other, never letting go of one another. Their breath was rugged, and mingled together. She bit her lip, not used to their knew use. James smiled down at her.

'Does it make up for it?' he asked. She smiled back at him.

'No, I think I need just one more thing.'

'Oh! And what would that be Miss Lily Evans?' he asked laughing softly, lowering his mouth slowly towards hers.

'Only you would know,' she whispered, leaning her head up to capture his lips once more.

Three boys sat on the boys' staircase laughing amongst themselves.

'Lucky Prongs wore his contacts today,' Sirius said, before they all cracked up in hysterics.