A/n: Wow! I cant believe I'm starting chapter 13 already! Ooookay this is unusual….this is the second time I'm updating this story in the middle of the week. Well, at least I'm starting this chapter Monday morning, it might not get done until tonight, and some of you may not read it until Tuesday or Wednesday.

Arrite; screw that! I started this chapter a while ago&& I'm trying to finish it before I loose some of youu from reviewing D cause I really do appreciate those reviews…and you know who you areee!

When they all got back to the common room, no one was there. But of course it was a beautiful day, and most students were outside somewhere, or in Hogsmeade. The 7th years just didn't want to go this time. I guess they had enough of Hogsmeade trips for a while.

"Lily, are you okay?" Was the first thing out of Theresa's mouth when everyone caught their breath. They ran from the great hall, just in case Alicia and her gang decided they didn't have enough, and came after them again.

"I-I think so," Lily replied a little unsurely. "James, what about you, are you okay?" Lily said taking a few steps closer to James.

"Don't worry about me, Lils. I'm fine," James said, looking down at her with a slight grin.

"You're all bloodied up! Look at that gash on your arm!"

"I've suffered worse."

"We should go to the hospital wing."

"We should stay right here." Lily looked at James puzzled.

"Why? It could be really bad and we have no way of knowing how bad it really is. We need to tell someone what they did!"

"That's the thing Lily; we can't. They might come after you again." Lily froze at James's last statement. She realized he really cared about her. He wasn't thinking about himself; he was just concerned for her safety.

"Then what do we do?" Lily asked, not realizing that silent tears were slipping down her face.

"Well first, you have to stop crying." James said, wiping the tears from her cheek with his thumb. "And I think this would be the perfect time…….to start homework." He said with a grin. Lily laughed a little.

"Wow; homework? On Saturday afternoon? What has gotten into you James Potter?" Lily asked mockingly.

"It's your entire fault; you've been influencing me too much!" James said playfully.

The five of them sat down and did their homework for a good hour or so. If a few of them were doing the same assignment; they would do it together and Lily ended helping almost everyone with some assignment or another. They all turned to her when they were having trouble with something. James took advantage of this to say something witty. You will find out soon enough what I mean.

"Hey Lils? I know this'll be the third time I'm asking you for help; but I don't quite understand the Charms lesson from yesterday and therefore I have no idea what this essay Flitwick wants us to write about has to be on." James said, looking at Lily with puppy dog eyes.

"Okay. Well, it's the banishing charm…." But James never heard a word more of what Lily said about the banishing charms they had learnt in Charms yesterday. He already knew it, and had his essay done.

James stared dreamily at Lily for a while; until he realized she had stopped explaining. He stretched, and yawned and started his second essay for Professor Flitwick. As Lily started helping him with it, and bending over his parchment to help him; he stopped her mid-sentence.

"Hey Lily?"

"Mhmm," was all she said in reply, because she was re-writing some of James's words and making them sound more like a 7th year wrote them.

"You're beautiful and…Iloveyou," James said so quickly that Lily didn't realize what he had said until a few minutes later.

Before anyone could comment about what he just said to Lily, James rather quickly again, "I'm awfully tired all of a sudden; I think I'll go to bed now." And with that, he dashed up to his dorm.

When he was gone for about five minutes; Lily looked up from his essay with her mouth wide open, to look at Liz, Beth and Theresa whose facial expressions mirrored hers.

"Did-did he just say w-what I think he said?" Lily asked them quite unsurely.

"I believe so," Liz said in reply; while Theresa and Beth just nodded their heads.

"D-do you really think he loves me?" Lily asked; her words getting stuck in her throat.

"What do you think-" But Theresa never got to finish her sentence; because at that instant the portrait hole opened and Alicia and her crew that were in the Gryffindor house entered the common room.

"Why if it isn't Icky Evans? (A/n: trying to go for alliteration; for those of you who don't know what it is; LOOK IT UPP…not quite sure if that's it….E and I sound alike in that instance, right?)"

Lily and her friends ignored Alicia; and started to pack up their books. But Alicia got in the way of that. She put her hand on the book Lily was just picking up from the table; and prevented her from putting it in her backpack.

"What do you want?" Lily said with a raised voice. It wasn't quite yelling yet; but just a step below that.

"Ooo! Evans is getting snappy with me? What, is it past your bedtime or something?"

"Leave me alone," Lily said; knocking Alicia's hand out of her way; and stuffing that last book in her backpack. Lily threw the bag over her shoulder and tried to follow her friends up their dormitory stairs; but Alicia grabbed her shoulder as she was turning and forced Lily to look at her.

"Stay away from Potter, and we'll leave you and your weird friends alone." Alicia said in a very threatening way.

"First of all; his name is James; second; I will do whatever I want, and if you hurt my friends I will personally make sure you never see the light of day again; and thirdly; I do remember saying, LEAVE ME ALONE," Lily had shoved Alicia away from her; and rushed up the dorm stairs. But she didn't get to the top without Alicia trying to stop her with some curse….

Meanwhile; James had heard Lily's shouting and of course stepped outside his dorm to see who was bothering her. He had every intention of pounding whoever wasn't leaving her alone into a pulp. But what he saw scared the hell out of him.

A/N: dun dun DUNNN I know; I'm cruelly evil! IM SORRY but the first few to review will find out WHY I left out on a cliffie. Hope you liked it! constructive criticism is always appreciated; no matter how mean you are! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW