:PREVIOUSLY:

James pulled Lily up first. Then he pulled himself out of the water. His body shook from the cold as he conjured a thick blanket, wrapping it firmly around Lily's form. He picked her up and carried her to his house wordlessly. Everyone followed closely, not uttering a word.

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---this is in James' POV I guess… Like, in the HP books, it's always in Harry's mind, but this'll be James'…then it'll switch off, I guess. It's going to change a lot. Hope you don't mind---

James hurried up the stairs, careful not to drop Lily, and into his room. He took off Lily's skates, cloak, and scarf. Then he put Lily in his bed, pulling the covers up. Her hair was icy, her skin was white, and her lips were getting blue. She was shaking.

James could sense the others behind him. He conjured some chairs and a tub of hot water with a clean, white cloth. He lightly dabbed Lily's forehead and cheeks with the cloth. James held onto Lily's shaking hand, only to realize that his was shaking, also.

After a while of dabbing, he conjured a towel to dry Lily's hair. The others quietly left James and Lily, sensing that he wanted to be alone.

Right after they left, he broke down in silent sobs. He cried for hours. After five hours, the color was coming back to Lily's face and she stopped shaking. James had stopped crying, but hadn't bothered to wipe off his tearstained face. He hadn't bothered to change his clothes, either. He stayed by Lily's side the whole time. People came in and out quietly, checking on them.

It had been 12 hours already, and it was now four in the morning. James was still wide awake, staring at Lily's angelic face. It was his entire fault. If he didn't want to go ice skating, she wouldn't have fallen in. James was starting to catch a cold, but he didn't care. He wouldn't leave. Around five o'clock, he fell asleep, laying his head on the bed next to Lily's hand.

James woke up at 8 o'clock, and Lily was still not awake. James rubbed the sleep out of his bloodshot eyes. Lily was breathing normally now, and he was relieved. James was afraid of what Lily would do when she woke up. He heard the door open. He turned to see Ginny silently walking in towards them. She gave him a small smile. James tried to smile back, but his mouth just wouldn't move. He could see that Ginny was in a bad state, too. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was pale. If that was how she looked, he didn't want to know how he looked.

"How's she doing?" Ginny whispered.

"S-she's breathing better." James whispered back. His voice was hoarse because he hadn't talked for over fifteen hours.

At that moment, Lily stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. She awoke.

James had a pained look on his face and he stood up slowly. He walked to the door with shaky legs. With one more pained look at Lily, he left.

James didn't know where to go, so he went to the Quidditch pitch in his backyard. It was enchanted so the ground would be kept sand at all times, and the weather would be perfect, unless they changed it. He lay down on the sand, staring up at the gray-blue sky pointlessly, with his hands behind his head.

- - - -

"Ginny, what happened? What's wrong with Potter?" Lily asked groggily. She tried to sit up. Her head was a bit woozy.

"Er- you fell into the pond while ice skating." Ginny answered quietly.

"Oh-urgh." It was all clear to her now.

"Why's Potter acting like that?" Lily asked.

Ginny gave her a sympathetic smile, "Lily, he saved you. He didn't hesitate, either. He dived right into the water to save you. He carried you up here and took care of you all this time and never said a word. Ever since you were here, unconscious, he was here. He didn't eat, he barely slept, and he didn't talk."

"Oh," Lily whispered.

"He's feeling guilty. He thinks that it's his fault that you fell in. He probably has a cold- that's what it looked like- but I don't reckon he cared. All he cared about was you-er, your well being." Ginny said softly.

"But it's not his fault… I wanted to try by myself, I was reckless. I wasn't being careful enough," Lily said really quietly.

Ginny gave her a tiny smile.

Abruptly, Lily got up and ran out of the room.

Ginny smiled and looked at the door that banged into the wall as Lily slammed it open. This is where it all starts… Lily loves him. Her heart wants to open up to him but she just won't let it.

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Lily quickly padded down the gleaming, wooden stairs with her bare feet, instantly regretting not sliding down the banister. Her long sleeves were extra long, covering her hands. She had the same sweatpants and shirt on from when she went ice skating. She paused at the end of the stairs, catching her breath and thinking of where he would be.

She searched through the rooms of the whole house, and then it struck her. She hit her forehead with a hand. She was so stupid! Lily ran into the kitchen; where everyone was, ignored them, and shoved open the patio doors. She stepped down the deck's stairs and stopped at the bottom. She saw a lonely speck lying in the middle of the sand. She sighed and walked slowly through cold snow with her bare feet. The snow bit her toes, but she took a breath and tried to ignore it. She walked onto the warm sand and stood in front of James' figure lying on the sand. He was looking up at the blank sky.

"James?" she whispered.

James looked up at Lily. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them. He got up and looked down at her. He looked questioningly at her, and when she didn't speak, he let out a small, shaky breath.

"I hate myself so much." James finally whispered hoarsely.

Lily shook her head in anger, "James, you didn't do anything! If you did anything, you saved my life. It's my fault. I was too careless. I take the blame, alright? Please, James, don't blame yourself. Don't do this." Lily pleaded quietly.

"The thought of you dead, Lily—it messes me up," James whispered throatily.

"James- I'm really sorry." Lily whispered. It took her a whole lot to say that to him. Then she put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She didn't know what made her do it, but it was necessary.

James hugged her back hard. He felt anguish- relief- guilt- helplessness.

"I'm so sorry…" Lily whispered again. Tears prickled her eyes and dropped down onto James' shoulder. She felt him start to shake, and could tell that he was crying, also.

This was her fault. She made him like this. And she was the sorriest than she had ever been.

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It was 12:30 pm when they finally had lunch set up. Lily and James wordlessly went back inside. Nobody asked or said anything. They ate lunch in silence. Even Sirius knew it was serious and stayed silent.

They mostly sat around for the rest of the day. At four, James' parents came home. They all had a silent agreement not to tell them.

- - -

Harry wanted to know how Lily was doing, but he understood that James needed to be with Lily. A little while later, he heard that Lily awoke. She saw her blurry form speeding across the kitchen and outside. All of them that were in the kitchen surreptitiously walked to the window to see what was happening. They were surprised to see James out there; they hadn't known he was there. They saw James and Lily talked for a little while, and then hug- for a long time, so they decided to get lunch ready. A while later, James' parents came home.

"So, what did you do today?" Maria asked them.

"Nothing," they answered in unison.

Maria and Henry raised their eyebrows.

Around five, Lily and Ginny left. They said their goodbyes quietly.

-----

The next day, they all woke up early. James seemed a bit out of it, but otherwise, everything was normal. Raye had gone back to Hogwarts the night before.

"Do you think they're coming today?" Hermione asked.

They were all sitting in the living room, drinking butterbeer or tea.

Harry shrugged.

"James, how're things with Lily?" Remus asked. They all looked at him in praise; nobody had the guts to ask him that.

James shrugged slightly.

"Oh, come on, you can't avoid the topic forever." Remus said loudly.

James scowled slightly. "I don't really know. It's just tense between us."

"So you guys pretty much avoid each other?" Remus pressed on.

James nodded shortly. "Yeah. Pretty much."

"I think you should talk to her. It's obvious that she's not willing to talk first." Sirius said.

James flopped back in his seat and sighed. He muttered something, but nobody heard him except Harry. "Life is fucked up."

"You got that right," Harry replied heavily.

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The next morning, Harry woke up around eight thirty. He padded down the hallway with only a pair of sweats on and slid onto the banister. He slid down, but he noticed people at the bottom of the stairs, about to go up them. Harry's eyes widened as he slid faster and closer to the bottom- and the people.

"AARGHH!" Harry yelled as he fell into them.

A leg was now on his chest and a knee collided with his side.

"Padfoot needs Mrs. P's aid," a muffled voice said in a pained voice.

"Prongs needs his Mum's aid first." another muffled voice said.

"Well, Harry needs Prongs and Padfoot to get off of him because he's in bloody pain." Harry said, groaning.

Someone walked over to them. It was Sirius1.

Sirius1 raised his eyebrows. "You all should get a room. It's not a very pretty picture to see."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Just help us up Sirius, will you?"

Sirius1 grinned, "But it's funny to see you like this!"

"Sirius, when I get up, I'm going to curse you with every spell I know," Harry warned.

Sirius1 quickly helped them up.

"Harry, Mum said the Weasleys were coming over today." James said after they were up on their feet. He was rubbing the back of his neck where Sirius' middle finger jammed into it.

"Really? That means… Bill and Charlie are there, too," Harry said, calculating quickly, "are they coming too?"

"Yeah, I think so. Ginny can come if she wants… you know, she might want to see her Mum." James offered.

"Okay, great, I'll go ask her now. I'll floo over to Lily's place." Harry said. His right ankle was numb, his head ached, he had nasty bruises on his bare chest, and his side and chest hurt. He limped over to the living room and got some floo powder. He cautiously stepped into the large fireplace and threw in the floo powder. He didn't know for sure if Lily's house was connected to the Floo Network.

"Lily's House!" Harry yelled clearly. He tried not to breathe too much and he found himself falling out of the fireplace a moment later. He heard a high pitched scream. His glasses were askew, but he didn't care. With great difficulty, Harry stood up. Soot covered his hair. Harry saw a woman and a man. The woman was clutching her chest, looking at Harry with wide eyes.

"Er, hello," Harry said feebly.

"A-are you one of Lily's friends?" the man asked.

"Yes, er- no, not really. I'm her professor." Harry said.

The woman looked surprised, "You hardly look older than our Lily!"

"I'm eighteen years old," Harry said.

"What in the heavens happened to you? You're hurt!" Lily's mother said, "I'll get Lily's older sister to help you with that."

"Oh, no, really it's-" Harry protested.

But Petunia was already walking over. Petunia in this time had blonde wavy hair, a pointed nose, and a perfect body. When she came over, her eyes widened slightly at Harry's nicely toned chest.

"Mother, father, who is this charming fellow?" Petunia asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"Oh, never mind that, Petunia, dear. He's hurt. We need you to sort him out," Lily's mother said hurriedly.

"Yes, mother." Petunia led Harry to the kitchen.

"So, where are you from?" Petunia asked while filling a tub with hot water.

Harry bit his lip. "Surrey," he finally said truthfully. Right in this very house, in fact.

"Really? What's your name?" Petunia asked.

"Harry Donovan," he answered.

Petunia walked over and took his left hand, "Hmm, I don't see a wedding ring. Are you single?" she asked. She got a cloth and dabbed Harry's chest lightly with the cloth. He winced slightly at the pain.

'Oh, sweet Merlin, Aunt Petunia's hitting on me!' Harry thought furiously, trying not to turn green, 'that's so wrong…'

"No, my girlfriend is Ginny." Harry said shortly.

Petunia gaped. "Y-you mean that freak friend of Lily's?"

"Ginny is not a freak." Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Then you're a freak, too!" Petunia shrieked. She dropped the cloth and backed away.

"Look, Petunia, you're more of a freak than anyone could ever be. You say anything bad about Ginny, Lily, or my friends in front of me again, I'll make sure you look like a freak, too." Harry growled threateningly.

Petunia gave a little shriek and ran out of the kitchen. Harry smirked. Lily and Ginny came walking into the kitchen.

They were both pink in the cheeks and nose and were wrapped tightly in coats and scarves. They each held shopping bags in their arms.

"What're you doing here, Harry?" Lily asked curiously.

"What the hell happened to you?" Ginny demanded, looking at Harry's bruised chest.

"Just fell down some stairs. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to see your Mumtoday. She's coming to James' house around lunchtime." Harry said.

Ginny's eyes brightened, "That would be brilliant! If Lily wants to go, of course," Ginny added.

Lily thought for a moment, then smiled. "Of course we can. You should see your Mum," she said.

"Thanks so much! Let's get ready. Harry, stay down here and talk to your grandparents. They're really lovely people!" Ginny said enthusiastically.

Harry nodded. Ginny and Lily left the kitchen and went up the stairs. Harry walked to the living room where Lily's parents were.

"Er, hello… again," Harry said awkwardly.

They both turned. Lily's mother smiled at Harry, "Have a seat," she offered.

Harry took a seat across from them on a couch.

"We haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Jonathan Evans and this is my wife, Rosalind." Jonathan said.

Harry nodded, "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. How's our Lily doing in school?"

"She's one of the brightest students at Hogwarts." Harry said, smiling.

"That's good to hear. Lily hasn't been complaining about this James Potter boy much during the holidays, though. She used to complain every day of how he was so immature and that sort. Did, er, anything happen when she was there?" Rose asked.

"No, not really. I guess James… grew up." Harry answered.

"Where did you live before teaching? An exotic wizarding town?" John asked.

"I was brought up by non- magical people." Harry answered carefully.

"MUM! DAD! WE'RE GOING! HARRY? WHERE ARE YOU?" Lily's voice rang throughout the house.

"In here, Lily," John said loudly.

They came over. "Now, that's not a way to speak to your teacher, Lily!" Rose chided with a frown.

Harry chuckled, "Oh, no, that's fine. Students can call me anything while I'm not teaching a class. Mr. Donovan, Harry, Hey Ugly, whatever."

"Are you ready, Ugly?" Ginny asked with a grin.

Harry grinned back at her, "Alright, maybe that's going a bit far," he laughed and nodded in reply.

"Mum, Dad, we're going to the Potter's house," Lily said to her parents.

"Have fun," Rose said.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Evans." Harry said politely, bowing to them slightly.

Rose smiled warmly at Harry.

"Bye Mum, bye Dad," said Lily.

"G'bye Mr. and Mrs. Evans," Ginny said.

Harry just nodded politely because he didn't know them well enough. They apparated to the Potter's house. Lily was already there, and about ten seconds later, Ginny appeared.

"What took you?" Lily asked.

Ginny just shrugged in reply.

"We're here!" Harry hollered. He summoned a tee shirt and pulled it on.

Remus, Sirius, Hermione, Sirius1, and James came in. They greeted each other quickly.

"The Weasleys aren't here yet. It's 11 o'clock. We've got an hour to spare." Remus said told them.

"Five more days until Christmas!" Sirius said randomly.

"Then a week until holidays are over." Sirius1 said.

They all nodded somberly, wanting the holidays to last forever.

"So, what shall we do while we wait?" Ginny asked.

They thought for a moment. Lily's eyes brightened.

"Let's bake Christmas cookies!"

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So… how was it? Not what you expected? Perfect? Okay? I don't know… this story seems to get more boring and boring as I type it. Maybe it's because I know how the story will go. I just hope I don't disappoint you all. Well, tell me what you thought of it.