Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

They're in: Seventh Year

Recap:

Frustrated thoughts popped into her head. Why couldn't these guys notice me last year? Why now? I haven't changed since the beginning of the year; it's nearly the end of December.

Why now?

Furious with boys in general, she crawled into bed silently cursing boys and the logic behind their queer actions.

ABC.

James wasn't quite sure as to why Lily was acting the way she was, but he was quite sure he knew why guys just suddenly started to take interest in Lily...

Chapter Sixteen: Unfinished Words

It was weekend already, which meant that they had three weeks until school started up again. Most students would be going home for Christmas, but she had immediately signed up to stay at Hogwarts like the past six years.

Recently, she had taken to sitting out on the Quidditch field and watch snowflakes as they fell silently to the ground. Sometimes, James Potter would come out and sit with her in silence. It was a comfortable silence, and each time he came to sit outside with her Lily, liked him more and more.

Ever since she had rejected him he had been nothing but nice to her. It's as if she hadn't really said no, and he was still waiting for her response, doing nothing wrong so that she would say yes although they both knew that Lily had said no.

A slight smile appeared on Lily's face as she saw out of the corner of her eye a lone figure coming down from the castle. When he got to her, James sat down as usual next to her, but this time, James interrupted their usual silence. "I'm staying at Hogwarts for Christmas this year." Usually James went home, but this year James created a story about needing the time to study for his N.E.W.T.'s and his parents had believed him.

"Oh," Lily responded. She looked at him, "Me too." They sat in silence for a long while before James broke the silence once more.

"I know why they keep asking you out."

Startled, Lily asked, "Who?" even though she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"AuLumier, Lipscomb, Wilbourne..." he trailed off.

"Well, why then?" she inquired, sitting up.

"Because of me."

Lily was confused. "What are you talking about?"

James explained, "You see, they know I like you, which is why I asked you out," Lily was being perplexed even more by every word James said. "They also know that you said no. They all want 'Potter's girl.' They compete against each other."

"I... I don't understand..."

"Before Anna and I started going out, somehow it had slipped that I was going to ask her out. A lot of guys started to ask her out, trying to get her before I could. It's like they're competing for the ultimate prize. Most of the guys here think of girls as things. Which ever girl was wanted by the most popular guy, they would try to get that girl before the said popular guy did."

"So," Lily said slowly, "they like or want me because you want me?"

"Yes."

They lapsed into silence once more, but this time it felt a little awkward to Lily. She laid back down on the snow. "Why did you say no?" James broke the silence again.

Lily didn't respond, she just stared at the sky. Suddenly, she started moving her arms and legs.

"What are you doing?" James said, staring at her strangely.

"I'm making a snow angel." She laughed at James's expression and he started to laugh too.

She stopped moving. "Why did you stop?"

"I can't get up."

Confused, James questioned, "Why?"

"I'll ruin it; my hand print will be on it..."

Their thoughts strayed away from present time and into a world of their own. Unexpectedly, James had a bright idea. He stood up abruptly.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere. Give me your hand."

It was Lily's turn to be confused, but comprehension dawned on her face and gave him her hand. He pulled her up and she looked down at her snow angel. "I've never made a snow angel without a hand print," she whispered, turning back toward James who was still holding her.

"Lily..." They both noticed how close they were to each other.

She gulped and whispered, "Yeah?"

"Lily, I--" Laughter rang in their ears.

"What's going on here?" a cruel voice reached them. James muttered a string of colorful curses.

"What do you want?" he asked them coldly.

"We don't like Mudbloods and we don't like blood traitors. This seems the perfect opportunity to get rid of both in one go."

Fury was etched into James's face. "Why don't you go back into the dungeons? We won't bother you, you won't bother us." Before he had even finished, he knew it was useless.

Severus Snape and Bellatrix Black laughed cruelly. "Yeah, right, like we'd pass up an opportunity like this!" Bellatrix said shrilly.

Everyone at school knew that Snape and Black were dating, even thought everyone (including Snape) knew she would jump at the chance at being with Rodolphus Lestange. He had been her boyfriend for a year before he graduated Hogwarts and moved on to bigger, better things.

James found that his hand had traveled to his pocket without his consent and was gripping his wand tightly. He noticed Lily do the same.

Apparently, both Slytherins had noticed too, because before anyone knew it, Snape had yelled out, "Levicorpus!" and with a flash of light, Lily was hanging upside down by her ankle.

"Let her down!" James shouted, getting angrier by the second.

"As you wish," Snape flicked his wand and Lily fell to a crumpled heap on the snow.

"Impedimenta!" James yelled as Bellatrix had opened her mouth to curse Lily.

Snape glowered, "Chagricious!" James was blown backward and fell down about ten feet away.

"No!" Lily gasped.

Unfortunately, Snape had heard Lily and turned his attention toward her, "Sectumsempra!" A long, deep gash appeared on her face and she was bleeding profusely.

"Stupefy!" Lily wheezed and Snape fell crumpled to the floor.

It was now Lily and Bellatrix. James was struggling to get up a few feet away. They circled around each other Lily growing paler by the second. Finally deciding that she would make the first move, Lily shouted a well-aimed Jelly-Legs Jinx, but Bellatrix's reflexes kicked in and ducked in time.

"Is the wittle Mudbwood afwaid to use big, bad curses?" she laughed cruelly. "Cruc--"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Lily interrupted and Bellatrix instantly went rigid and fell over, landing on her face.

Lily wore a triumphant smile until she remembered about James. "James!" she called out as she reached him and fell to her knees.

He looked up at her, "I'm fine. You're bleeding."

The curse had worn off completely, working much like Impedimenta. He stood up and realized just how much she was bleeding. Lily was very pale, almost white and her robes were shining with blood.

"I know," she said weakly. He put her arm around his shoulders and assisted her to the castle. Halfway there, she had fainted from the lack of blood.

Worried beyond belief now, James hurriedly carried her into the castle and toward the Hospital Wing. He ignored the few students who were out of lunch early and had gaped at him. Within minutes, he had finally reached it.

"Madame Pomfrey!" He saw the young nurse grumble, but her grumbling ceased immediately when she saw Lily.

"Put her down on the bed!" she said commandingly and James did so. The nurse passed her wand expertly over Lily's wound on her face and left. She returned seconds later with a smoking, red potion and forced it into Lily's mouth.

"What happened?" she asked.

James told the story and retold it when asked to tell Professor McGonagall and Professor Snicket, the Head of Slytherin, and then once more to Professor Dumbledore. By the third time he was retelling the story, Severus Snape was being floated into the infirmary by Professor McGonagall, with Bellatrix walking at her side, seemingly bored. Apparently Professor McGonagall was still angry at the two Slytherins because she didn't care too much when Snape kept bumping into the walls.

abc.

The moonlight was shining through the window and Lily and James were the only ones in the infirmary. They were fine, but the nurse had insisted on keeping them overnight, but she had let out the two Slytherins without reluctance.

Neither had been able to sleep. Lily's thoughts were plagued with what James was going to tell her before they had been interrupted. What was it about? Was it about her? What was he going to say?

James thoughts were being plagued too for the same reason, but both had different thoughts. James was focusing on how Lily would have reacted to his confession. Would she hate him? Would she confess her undying love to him? Three little words, eight letters. He had gotten the first one out too; he was so close to saying it:

I love you.

spotted kitten: Okay, from now on, updates will come less frequently because school is starting up again (I got my sched. today and I'm already hating sophomore year...) and other clubs/activities/projects etc. I will be doing. I will not abandon this story again (still feeling guilty about that). I'm thinking that you can expect updates from 2 to 4 weeks. If after a month I have NOT updated, e-mail me, bug me, IM me, w/e. (BTW: currently doing ch. 9 of rewriting).

Also, thanks to those who reviewed (101! YAY!) chapter 15: taniita, Emrisah, TeArS oF fAtE, faerielights804, and Crazy4Cocopuffs (I dunno what happened, I blanked out on that? I'll try to get him with a girl ).).