Disclamer: You know the drill. I own nothing whatsoever blah, blah, blah...

I really love this chappie and i hope all of you reviewers do to. Thanks to those who have reviewed so far. Sorry I haven't updated in a long time but school and nonwriting thoughts blocked me from updating. Sorry!

Chapter 3- year three: Why me?

Two figures stood on a desolate beach. It was twilight and the purplish glow of the fading sun gently spread itself over the surface of the water. On the left stood a man, whose face was hidden from view by the shadows. He wore a cloak, black, deep as a night in which the stars have all gone out and left only the calm caress of nighttime. On the right was a woman. She had her hood up and most of her face was concealed by it. She also wore a cloak, but hers was white, silvery as the side of the moon that two lovers gaze at. These two had the feeling of familiarity. As though you had known them all of your life but for the moment could not bring it to the foremost of memory.

At that moment, the two people game together in an embrace that revealed the love they shared. Their bodies longed for the others tough, the feel of their combined warmth. As they pulled slightly apart to look into each other's eyes, they transformed into two owls, one black and the other white. They took off together over the ocean, skimming over the waves. As the vision faded into oblivion, the two owls were flying off into the distance, wing tip to wing tip.

Lily and James woke up simultaneously in their dorms.

Today was Christmas. Presents from around the wizarding world come to the students of Hogwarts on Christmas morning. Lily and James were in for a surprise this morning.

"Oh. Who are you?" Lily asked quietly, so as not to wake her dorm mates because it was only 5 in the morning. A jet-black owl perched on the end of her bed. He looked at her through pure white eyes and slowly blinked in response to the question. Lily inspected the beautiful creature and found a note bound to his leg.

Dear Lily,

This owl is my gift to you. He is very powerful and smart. When he was very young he survived a magical accident, which unfortunately, caused his eyes to turn white as you can probably tell. I will leave it up to you to choose a suitable name for him. Keep him close, for one day you may need him.

Lily pondered the unsigned note for a few minutes. Presently she became aware of an unwavering gaze upon her. Looking up, she looked right into the eyes of her new owl.

"So… I guess you need a name." As she said that an image sprang into her mind. The face of the man from her dream wavered in front of her eyes. Unbidden a word escaped her lips, Diaxellion. It sounded so right and Lily knew that that was the owl's name. "Diaxellion" she repeated as she reached out to stroke his feathery head, gently.

James rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them of the dream that still hung around him. Then slowly he peered through his fingers at the end of his bed. What he saw made him sit up straighter and gap as wide as the back of a minivan. A silvery owl stood on the end of his bedpost, looking directly at him with a look of intelligence that only Lily could match. "Whoa" he said under his breath. "You're one heck of a surprise gift."

The owl gazed at him for a few moments and when James still hadn't removed, or for that matter even noticed, the note attached to her leg, she stuck it out pointedly. James quickly untied the scroll of parchment and began to read.

James

I hope this owl reaches you in good health and cheer on this fine Christmas morning. I know she is a surprise but I know she needs you as much as you need her. She can be strong willed at times but do not let that come between you two. Watch out for her and do not be afraid to let her watch out for you. I think you already know her name.

James stared blankly at the note and then flipped it over. No signature. He let out a breath of frustrated air and looked up at the waiting owl. As he gazed into her pure black eyes a picture surfaced from the dregs of his memory. A beautiful woman, her face concealed by the white cloak she wore draped around her shoulders and a name, Saphiliorey.

"Is that who you are?" James gave the owl a questioning look. She gazed back at him, accepting the name as her own. James stroked her beak affectionately. He already loved her.

And then Sirius ruined the moment by falling out of his bed onto the floor with a resounding thunk.

As the days flew by for the third years, Lily and James spent much of their free time with their owls, just talking with them. Madison understood that Lily needed that time to be alone and wasn't jealous, but accepting. When they did get together though, there was one topic they loved best, boys.

"James asked be out again, Madi. I don't understand why he just won't give up. This is like the third time I've had to say no to him." Lily said as she collapsed into a chair by the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. They had just returned from completing all of their homework for the weekend and were looking forward to a long Saturday afternoon of chatter and a Sunday of sleep. "He's really getting on my nerves."

"He's not that bad. Just say yes, Lil!" This comment never failed to get them started in a furious debated that seemed to cause the hours to fly by. After a few hours of friendly bickering Lily and Madison stopped for a few seconds to think over a new attack at the others defense. Pondering what to say to Madi's latest response of, 'but what has he ever done to you?', Lily turned her head to look out the window. She saw Diaxellion sitting there. He had obviously been waiting to catch her eye. When he was sure she was watching he raised his wings and flew out over the grounds in the direction of the lake.

Lily turned back to her best friend and sighed. "I'm so sorry, but I have to run. Di needs me." Her friend nodded understandingly.

"It's ok. I'll be here when you get back." She looked around for a second. "Wait. Maybe over there instead." She said, pointing over to where a few cute boys were sitting chatting. Lily laughed and headed out of the common room. A few moments after she left a body detached itself from the crowd inside the common room and slipped out the portal, after taking another quick glance at the window.

The hallways weren't that crowded today because there was a Hogsmeade trip that weekend. Lily and her friend had decided to stay behind. Lily because the third year prefects, her and Remus, were stuck behind to watch the school (Someone had to do it. Not that they wanted to, but older kids can be very intimidating, especially armed with a wand and more years worth of knowledge.) and Madi had decided to stick around for Lily's sake.

As Lily was walking down a deserted hallway, a hand shot out of the dark opening of an adjoining corridor and fastened itself around her wrist. The hand pulled her roughly down the corridor till she and her attacker stood in darkness. She was trapped against his chest, Lily was certain it was a he, with one arm around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides. His other hand reached up and covered her mouth to stop her scream for help. Her attacker was older than her and stronger. She didn't think he was a student, angry about her getting top grade on the test in charms last week.

"Well, Miss Evans. Tsk, tsk. You should know better than to wander the school all alone like this. Too bad you won't be able to learn from this mistake." A cruel voice hissed into her ear. Lily was frantically trying to reach her wand in her pocket but the hand around her waist merely gripped tighter, choking her. She fought for breath, but couldn't get any air to her lungs with the hand over her mouth.

"Expelliarmus!" a voice yelled, and Lily's attacker was thrown backwards against the wall. His fingers scrambled to keep a hold over her, but only succeeded in ripping the hem of her robes. Lily fell forward onto her hands and knees and gasped for breath for her starving lungs. Her attacker got right up from the floor as though he hadn't even hit the wall.

"Another time Evans." He spat out her name like some foul word that burned his lips while speaking it. With that he was gone. Lily looked up as her rescuer offered her a hand up. It was James.

"Are you alright?" He asked, searching her face. Lily looked into his distressed hazel eyes.

"Yeah. I'm ok. Thanks so much for saving me." Then Lily remember why she had been out in the halls in the first place. "SHIT!" I am so screwed." Lily began to run towards the Entrance Hall, but James' hand stopped her. When it locked onto her wrist she jumped, how could she not, she had just been ambushed that way.

"Where are you going! We have to get you to Professor Dumbledore's office right away." James yelled at her.

"No way!" Lily yelled right back, her anger flaring up. She pulled her arm away and began hurrying towards the grounds. "This is way more important. And I'm so already late." By now the two were in the Entrance Hall, facing each other. Lily looked furious, but James had remembered that he had something important to do outside and was late also. He didn't know what Lily was doing, but he was too preoccupied to worry at the moment, he could do that later.

As Lily was leaving the common room, James had been looking out the window. Across his field of vision, Saphiliorey had flown. She had waited to catch his eye and then flew out over the grounds. This was always her cue for him to come and talk to her because something important was going on. He immediately excused himself from his friends and left through the portrait. He had seen Lily walking down the hallways in the direction of the front doors and decided to follow slightly behind her so as not to disturb her thoughts.

Lily pushed her way out through the front doors, expecting Potter to go and run to tell the Headmaster what had happened. To her surprise, when next she looked around, he was following her. "Stop following me!" She yelled over her shoulder. They had reached the lake and Lily turned to face him while searching for Diaxellion. He was nowhere to be found.

"I'm not following you!" he yelled in return. His anger was at its limit also. "I have business of my own out here. Why do you think that this only has to do with you!"

"James Potter! You take that back!"

"No. And you can't make me!"

Lily was about to fly at Potter and punch him, when two owls swooped between the pair, causing them both to take a step backwards.

"Diaxellion!" Lily said, shocked as he flew to her shoulder and dug his claws into her robes.

"Saphiliorey!" James said in the same position. After studying her face for a moment he turned to gaze at Lily's owl. He gaped. Lily was doing the same while gazing at his owl. After a few more seconds of sorting out his thoughts he said "Your owl…I've seen him before…in a dream." Lily gaped wider at this announcement.

"I saw him, and your owl in a dream too!" Lily told him. "Did…um…oh yeah, Saphiliorey come with a note?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't signed. You?'

"Same!" Lily sat down on the grass beside the lake and James joined her. "Christmas, right?" James nodded his head fervently. "I wonder. Why us, and why me just a minute ago?"

"I dunno. Maybe because were the top wizard and witch of our age?"

"How'd you know that?"

"Dumbledore." James said simply. The two sat there on the lakeshore for a moment lost in their own thoughts. Diaxellion and Saphiliorey were flying spirals around one another over the water. Then,

"Lily. Will you…"

"No James. I will not go out with you. Good day." Lily said and stood up leaving a very sad and confused third year behind on the grass. Diaxellion detached himself from the flight pattern and flew off over Lily's head to the owlery. Saphiliorey flew down to perch on James' knee.

"Is that what was so important? Getting Lily and me together about the dream?" he asked her. She just stared at him out of one eye.

For the rest of the school year James kept close tabs on Lily and was always close by in case of trouble. Dumbledore had not seemed that surprised about the attack and cautioned Lily to stay with someone at all times. Sometimes she felt like she was being watched, but all she saw when she turned around was James and his buddies. It annoyed her, but deep, deep down in her heart where she dared not venture, she was happy he was there to protect her.

The only other surprise that year was Remus coming clean about his being a were-wolf to her. She accepted him, of course, and worried about him, but didn't go to drastic matters, like his other friends. When the end of school rolled around, Lily was to be found in a compartment with Madison, chatting the day away and feeding treats to Diaxellion, who had developed a sweet tooth for Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Beans. James and the other Marauders were in the compartment right next door equally busy discussing how their summers were going to go. Sirius was going to stay at James' house and Remus and Peter were coming over for a few weeks in the middle.

For those newly finished third years, life was calm and peaceful, but outside evil was brewing and one of its many eyes was fixed on Hogwarts.

That's the end of chapter 3

maybe 4 will come soon? love yal!