"Er, yah...sure...okay. Well...I'm going now...without you," James said before walking back into Zonko's.

James counted to 10 in his head, then looked out the window to make sure his friends were out of site, before running across the street and into Zelda's.

He walked up to the counter where a cheery young witch with short blue hair stood. "Hello there, would you like to try our Unicorn's Breath perfume? It's new and-"

"No thank you, my friend...Lily...she was just in here and she was looking at a necklace."

"Buying a present for a crush, eh? Well, we have many necklaces, you'll have to be more specific."

"She had dark red hair, and brilliant green eyes and-"

The woman smiled, "The necklace love, not the girl."

"The- what? Oh," He blushed, "Um, it was silver- on a silver chain and I think it was blue- or maybe purple, I couldn't tell."

"Hmmm," The witch walked from behind the counter and thought, "Actually, the description of the girl helped fine. I think it was," she pushed some necklaces a side and picked one up, "No, not this one...aha, here it is. Beautiful really. But, quite expensive," She looked over her shoulder at James, "Maybe another one will be fine?"

"No, it's okay. I have the money."

The witch smiled, "Willing to go the distance then? Hmm...I know just the thing." She picked up a small, silver jewelery box with a heart engraved on it. "You can have this as well. Free of charge."

He smiled gratefully as she walked back behind the counter, ringing it up. He dumped a few galleons and knuts on the counter before her and she looked him up and down as he left. "Don't let her go," she said softly.

He smiled, "Don't worry. I won't." And he left, placing the box and necklace carefully in his pocket and running to find the others.

"What took you so long mate," Sirius asked.

"The wizard who sold me the Sugar Quill had just gone on break. I had to wait in line and buy more," He lied, picking a Sugar Quill from his pocket.

Sirius laughed. Lily looked at him curiously, "And you actually bought more?"

He shrugged, "Why not?"

"Oh...no reason," she smiled cheerily.

James looked at her oddly, "Yah."

Lily really was tired of faking that cheery smile. It just felt fake. So she smiled one more time at James and looked down and watched her shoes as they walked. Really, she was just confused.

Truthfully? It was James. She had always hated him, no questions asked. He was conceited and rude, and he always bugged her about going out with him, but only because she was the only one who wouldn't. But what he just did to that guy? He HIT him for hitting on her. And they were actually laughing around each other earlier. But...he was still conceited. Sure, maybe he was, at times, bareable...like now...and maybe, just MAYBE, he'd matured a little bit in the past seven years, but wasn't he still hitting on her constantly, and hitting on just about every other girl above 5th year for that matter? And he was still SO conceited and they weren't friends. This was, truthfully, just about the third time they had ever really even hung out. But, were they still enemies? ...Most days. She really just wasn't sure.

She was taken from her thoughts by James slipping his arm around her waist and leaning into her ear. "You okay," he whispered, truly sounding concerned. This just made her more confused. She still hated him more than half the time but right now she felt almost...guilty for it.

She looked around her, they were in the ice cream shop, but James had pulled Lily aside without her realizing it. "I'm fine." She smiled to show that she really was okay. He didn't look like her believed her. "I just feel a little bit...under the weather. I'll be okay." It was the truth...well, a version of it anyway.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the castle and lay down? We'll walk you there and-"

She smiled at his concern. When she realized that his arm was still around her, her smile faded for a second. She took his hand from her hip where it lay and spun around out of his grip. She held his hand in both of hers and looked at him, smiling reassuringly, "I'm sure."

He looked shocked at how...nice she was acting. She realized it and took her hand from his and walked away to the ice cream counter. "Working your charm to make James pay for everyone, eh," Sirius asked jokingly.

James came up behind them, "Nice try Sirius. Not even Lily could do that."

At this Lily turned around, eyes big and lips pouting, "Jamesss..."

Sirius sniggered and whispered to Remus, "Wanna bet?"

Lily stepped on Sirius' foot and continued, "You see...the girls and I...we really don't have enough money after all that butterbeer and shopping. And we were wondering Jamesieee," she paused and bit her lip, looking away faux-nervously, "if you could just...you know, pay for one little-"

James sighed. "Fine, fine," he said, defeated. Sirius let out a loud, barklike laugh. James looked at him. "What're you laughing at? I'm paying for the girls, not you."

Sirius stopped laughing instantly. "Wha? Come on."

"Sorry mate, i just don't have enough after that second set of Sugar Quills."

"Pleaseeee Jamesieeee," Sirius said, wringing his hands and batting his long eyelashes.

James shuddered, "That's just disturbing." Sirius glared at him. Remus chuckled. Lily laughed loudly and Ada, Chloe, and Mischa beamed.

Lily looked around at everyone. She loved being here right now, but she couldn't let James pay for her ice cream, she'd feel guilty and, besides, she had just enough money for a small ice cream. She turned to James, "James, you-"

He looked at her play-accusingly, "You want me to pay for Sirius and Remus too then?"

Sirius looked up hopefully but Lily just chuckled softly and shook her head. "Shush. Lily, say yes!"

"Hahah. Sorry Sirius," Lily said, turning towards the boy but then looking back at James, "It's okay. I just wanted to see if you'd actually do it." Her smile widened. "I have enough for an ice cream."

"Sorry Lily, but I already said I would, and you wouldn't want me to lie would you?"

"Like that'd be a first."

"Oh but Lily, are you calling me a liar?"

"Well, if the shoe fits wear it."

"...I don't need a fashion tip thanks."

"It's an expr-nevermind. What about yesterday and the divination homework eh? What was that?"

"That was just...a...errrrr..."

"Next in line...Next in line," Called an elderly wizard from behind the counter.

"You really should be employee of the month," James said, ruffling up his hair, smiling at the wizard. His nametag read William.

The gang just laughed. Lily ordered first, "A small chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in a bowl please."

"Is that all," the wizard asked.

"Yes, thank you." She reached to her robe pocket for her money, but James had already done so and layed his money on the countertop. Lily slid his money aside and put her own there, smiling at William. James slid hers back and his forth. "I'm paying for myself, thank you," Lily replied to the wizard, who was raising an eyebrow at the two.

The wizard grinned and said in a deep voice, "Miss, I have granddaughters of my own. You're a young lady, and here's a tip; when a boy is this eager to pay for you, let him."

Lily looked at the wizard, knowing he was trying to be nice. "It's the twentieth century. Equal rights for women and men. I don't need a ma- a boy to help me."

"Oh, I'm sorry miss, I wasn't trying to imply that at all. It's just..."

"Thank you," she said, sliding James' money away once more. There was a note of finality in her voice. William sighed but took her money muttering something about chivalry.

After James had payed for the three girls he turned to Lily, "You know, you really didn't have to do that."

"Do what," she asked irritably.

"I could've paid for you. I paid for the rest of the girls."

"Well I'm sorry, but I don't need you to pay for me James. I can p-"

"Do you have to do this all the time? Would it really be so horrible for you to let someone else take care of you for once?"

Lily glared at him coldly. "If it was you? It would be far worse than horrible," She started to turn and walk away, but stopped and looked back at him, "And today I actually thought that you, that maybe- maybe you had changed," her voice raised reasonably before falling into a deadly whisper, "I was wrong. You'll never change."

She walked away but he followed her. "Lily. LILY! Dammit Flower listen to me!"

"STOP IT WITH THAT IDIOTIC NICKNAME!"

"Lily! Never change from what? All I did was try to buy you an ice cream for Merlin's sake! You know, here in the wizarding world we call that being nice."

"Being NICE? You don't even know the meaning of the word nice. You bully people around like you're king of the world!"

"Lily," Ada said as Remus said, "James," both warningly. They went unheard.

"I don't know the meaning? ME! You say I'm conceited and rude, and yah, maybe I can be. But you? You're so much worse. You're stuck up and you act as if you aren't. You act as if you're higher than everyone else! Just because you're bright and beautiful. But right now I don't think I've seen anyone uglier."

Sirius didn't notice that either was genuinely angry, he thought it was just them bickering like usual. He chuckled. "Yes you have James. What about Marie Cook? Fifth year...Hufflepuff. And Roberta Vane? Remember, we thought she was Robert an-"

"Sirius," Remus asked.

"Yah Moony?"

"SHUT UP," everyone chorused.

Lily shook with anger. "At least I don't pretend to be interested in someone just because they're the only person who wouldn't go out with me in a second if I asked but then go off and flirt with every other girl in the school! And you think I think I'm better than everyone else? Well newsflash, I DON'T. But you? You go around as if you're a GOD or something. With an ego that big, I'm surprised you even fit through the portrait hole! And you're always ruffling you're stupid hair."

"LILY!" It was Ada. Ada, the sweet, quiet girl who rarely rose her voice. Lily stopped talking, semi shocked, still shaking.

"WHAT!"

"Shut up. Just SHUT UP!"

"WHAT!"

"Will you be quiet and maybe listen to James for once? He's not trying to do anything wrong! All he did was try to buy you an ice cream and you flipped out! He wasn't trying to say that he's better than you or trying to say that you needed him or something. He was just trying to do something nice. The ONE time he isn't just trying to get into your pants or something," James began to protest but Remus hit him in the stomach quickly to stop him, "and you start acting like a total...a total BITCH!"

Lily looked taken aback, and slightly hurt. "I- You- Well if that's the way you feel than you can just- you can just find yourself a new best friend!" Lily screamed. She threw her ice cream at the ground and ran out of the shop. There was a loud CRACK! as she apparated to just outside the Hogwarts gates. She ran and ran and ran until she was out of breath and looked around, realizing she was inside the castle. She started pacing, not knowing what to do. She wanted to cry. She wanted to have not just screamed at Ada and not faught with James. She wanted that ice cream. She wished she didn't have to always try on clothes only to put them back on the shelves. She wanted a comfortable bed to sleep in and just forget her problems for a little while. She stopped pacing as she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

"Who's there," she called, before looking at the wall...the door...But it was just- there was no-ohhh. "Room of Requirement," she said quietly before opening the door and walking in to see what she had unknowingly wished for.

She walked into a medium-sized bedroom. The, with posters of Lily's favorite band all over them. There was a big bed directly across from the door with crimson and gold blankets, a fridge in one corner of the room, a television in the other, and all over the place were pictures of her and her friends, smiling and waving and hugging. She walked to the fridge and grabbed out a container of chocolate ice cream, 'A girl's true best friend', she thought as she walked to the bed and jumped in it. It was very comfortable. 'Oh bother. Now where do I find a spoon?' As she thought this a spoon appeared in her hand. She smiled and looked at the TV, which was by the door she had just walked in- 'Wow!' The wall the door was on was completely tye-dye; and explosion of yellows, red, blues, green, purples, and oranges.

Lily sat against a plethora of pillows, watched a sappy romance movie, and ate ice cream until she grew tired and fell asleep.