Hey y'all! First of all, thanks to the twelve people who reviewed and to everyone else who read this story. Thanks again! You're support is really appreciated!

Chapter 11

It was around 9:30 when James finally got back to their suite. It could have been said that he and Rachel had had a long, really long date, but in truth, he and Rachel had returned at around 8 and had hanged out in Rachel and Ryan's suite, and was joined a few moments later by Ryan himself, who had had just finished his date with Sharon with a promise to talk to her the next morning.

FLASHBACK

"James, it's over 9 already, why don't you return to your suite?" Rachel said tiredly as Ryan joined them after coming from his bedroom.

"Oh come on Rache! Just one more game of Wizard's Chess, please? Come on, I know I can beat you at this one," James pleaded pathetically of the girl. Just anything not to make him leave, because, for some reason, he was afraid of what Lily might say or do to him. Ryan looked as if he was about to explode with laughter at his cousins' behavior.

"Look James. We have played Wizards Chess 20 times already. And out of the 20 games we've played, you have lost 19 of them. So could you just please just save your own pride and spare yourself the humiliation and go back to your own suite?" Rachel persuaded, looking close to agitation, although her eyes sparkled with amusement at what she had just found out about James's feelings for Lily earlier.

"But―"

"James, listen. Tomorrow is the formal breakfast of the delegation, as well as the opening activities, and I really want to get some rest. Please James, if you're still alive by tomorrow, considering how Lily might yell your head off- but that's besides the point- I will see you. Whatever happens, we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Ryan!" James turned to his cousin, who was watching the display with an equally amused expression. "You won't let me leave, will you? You can't just kick out your own cousin!"

"Actually James, Rachel has a point. Good luck. Bye now," Ryan said, siding with Rachel.

"This is a conspiracy! A conspiracy I tell you! You all want me to suffer. Why? Why?" James cried out hysterically, looking very much like an idiot. To himself, he said, "Bye-bye pride, hello insanity".

Rachel stood up and pushed James towards the door. "Good night James".

"But―" It was no use. He was out and the door was locked. James sighed, knowing he could hear his cousin and friend's laughter from the other side. He then made his way to his own suite, being as slow as possible.

END OF FLASHBACK

Finally, and, in James's opinion, too soon enough, he reached his suite. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Lily Evans was sitting down on the couch, her hands folded demurely on her lap, looking so calm as if she didn't have a constant headache because of the person in front of her.

"Er, you, wanted to see me?" James asked.

Lily stood up, took out her wand, and cast the room-silencing and door-locking charm with such coolness that made James even more nervous.

"Yes Potter, I did," Lily said, still in a very even voice as she faced him. "It's because I wanted to ask you two particular questions. One," Suddenly, her voice turned into a yell. "JAMES MICHAEL POTTER WHY THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO THAT?"

"Do what?" James said, playing dumb. Bad move.

Lily smacked him upside the head. "FOR RUINING MY DATE, YOU JERK! DO YOU KNOW HOW EMBARRASSED I WAS THAT YOU ACTED LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF JAKE?"

"Obviously I don't know, otherwise you wouldn't be yelling at me," James pointed out. If possible Lily got even madder at that.

"YOU ARROGANT GIT! DON'T YOU THINK ABOUT ANYONE OR ANYTHING ELSE BESIDES YOURSELF!"

"Excuse me, I don't think only about myself. I also think about my family, my friends, my studies, how much I hate pureblood maniacs, especially Snape and Malfoy, and, oh yeah, who to ask out next". James answered cheekily. He, thankfully, decided to leave out the fact that Lily was one of the persons he thought about, actually thought about the most.

Lily gave him a frustrated glare. "POTTER! Would you quit it with the damn smart-ass remarks! I can't argue with you properly if you just stand there looking all calm and cool!"

"So, you admit that I'm cool? I knew it. No one can resist me. What's next? You admitting that you're in love with me?" James answered with the same audacity, but silently wished that the last part would really become true.

Lily gave him a death glare. Seriously, if looks could kill, James would probably be six feet under by now. "James…..Potter….I'm serious…quit it with the stupid answers!"

James merely took out his wand, said a non-verbal spell, and from the tip of his wand, an annoyingly grinning hologram of Sirius appeared and said, "HEY! You're not Sirius, I am!" (I know, over-used, but I just love this pun. Lol)

By now, all the anger Lily had felt towards him had reached its boiling point. "Potter," she said in a deadly angry voice, "I swear, if you don't quit it with the stupid answers, I will hex you into oblivion. Now, answer my first question: Why the hell did you ruin my date? Is ruining my life your sole aim?"

"Hmm, let me think about that for a while," James said. Then, he continued, "Nope. No reason comes to mind. I guess I felt like annoying you, that's all," He decided to leave out the fact that he did it because he was insanely jealous.

"You didn't answer my second question," Lily said.

"That's because you only told me to answer your first, if I remember," he replied, making her even more angry.

"AARRGGH!" Lily yelled out in frustration. All her rational thinking flew out the window as she reached the nearest thing to her and hurled it right at James. But, the thing hurled at him was a pillow, and it, obviously, didn't hit James so hard.

"Haha, you didn't hurt me," James mocked in a childish voice. Sometimes it was bothering to see James act like a complete idiot and fight with the girl he liked.

Screaming again in frustration, Lily picked up the next closest thing she could find and hurled it at James again. Unfortunately, this time, that thing was a very, heavy hard-bound book that was set on the coffee table.

"Haha you didn't―" James made to mock again, but wasn't able to continue on the count of having the book collided suddenly with his head. He fell down and yelled, "OW! Bloody hell, woman, do you really want to kill me?"

"YES!"

"Oh, well, never mind," James said lamely, not being able to speak properly as the aftereffects of the collision still hurt him.

Lily took deep, deep breaths and said, "Listen Potter, tomorrow is the formal breakfast and opening activities, and I want you to keep as far away from me as possible, do you understand?"

"How am I supposed to be far from you if the delegates of one school have to stay together the whole time?" James pointed out again. Bad move number 2.

"James Michael Potter, you had better shut the hell up and get out of my sight before I hurl something else at you that will cause you even more pain," Lily hissed.

Remembering something, James asked, "One more question, though. You said that you had two questions to ask me. What's the second one? If I recall correctly, even though you already asked two questions, I'm sure that the second one was merely a follow-up. So what's the proper second question?"

Lily breathed an angry sigh, although her cheeks had strangely tainted a nice shade of pink. "Oh, um, that. Well, if you must know, I have to ask you this. Why were you screaming "Lily will you go out with me?" last night while you were asleep? Your annoying voice kept me awake the whole night".

Oh shit, James thought. You see, the night before, he had been dreaming of one of the times in fourth year when he would still constantly ask Lily out. But, how could she hear his voice if he just spoke it normally?

"How're you able to hear that?"

"Hmm, let me see…I think you unconsciously cast the Sonorus Charm on yourself. If I'm not mistaken, you were dreaming of the time back in fourth year, just a few days after Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. I was by the lake, and many people were there, and you suddenly cast the Sonorus Charm on yourself and said, 'Lily will you go out with me?' You're voice was so loud and I was so embarrassed. It was one of my favorite memories".

James's face and heart kind of soared at hearing this. Was it possible that Lily seemed pleased by this? Aloud he said, "Really? Why?"
"It was one of my favorites because I also remember saying a big no, telling you to get a life, and hitting you on the head with my Charms Book for blurting out what happened a few weeks ago in the Head's and Prefects Meeting," Lily continued, a slow smirk forming on her lips. "No wonder Summer Thompson didn't say yes when you tried to ask her out just so that she could talk to me into going out with you".

"Hmm, can't argue with that piece of logic," James mused. Silence seemed to reign for a while, and then Lily spoke.

"Oh yeah, where was I? Right. POTTER GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lily resorted to shouting again. And with that, she stormed out of the main room and into her bedroom.

James was alone. "Okay, what the hell just happened? First she was yelling at me, then she quieted down, and then yelled at me again. I really don't get her sometimes. And how can I 'leave her alone' if she was the one to leave first?" And with that, he retreated to his room, still shaking his head.

Lily was sitting on her bed, trying to make sense of what had just happened, and how she was presently feeling. One sentence seemed to remain in her mind:

If I really, really hate and am mad at Ja-Potter, then why do I feel so damn guilty for yelling and throwing a book at him?