Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the quotes that I marked with an "*", both are the products of J.K. Rowling. (Though let me make very clear that I do NOT agree with her views, trans women are women and anyone who disagrees can and should leave).

Originally a oneshot, this story is split into eleven chapters strictly because it is entirely too long for a oneshot. The remaining chapters will be uploaded every Wednesday between now and February 23rd, so keep an eye out.

This story has literally lived inside of my mind for years. It has not stop pestering me to write it and so here I am, determined to get it written and put into the public domain so that I can finally be at peace. Without further ado:

Starlight Eyes


Year One

September 1st, 1971

Youthful faces stare in wonderment and amaze. Candles float, banners sway, whispers echo. Rows of seated strangers anxiously hang onto every word as the next name is shouted to be sorted.

James Potter!

Silence. Nobody dares to move an inch or make a peep as he walks up to the stool. He makes one short sweeping motion to adjust his robe as he sits and waits for the sorting hat to touch his head.

In the crowd of students anxiously waiting their turn, Lily Evans watches his every move. But not because she is intrigued by him per se.

It's his eyes.

The thought swirl in her mind as she stares, mesmerized by the stars in his eyes. Logically she knows eyes don't twinkle, but his seem to define reason. She muses on this for many moments before she realized something.

He's staring right back at her.

Just in the nick of time, Lily snaps out of her intrusive thoughts when she hears the sorting hat bellow her name. She approaches the stool and anxiously twiddles her thumbs as the sorting hat's thoughts flood her mind.

Ah yes let's see here...brave, yes very brave...and very intelligent as well...hmm...where to place you...very difficult indeed...

Please don't sort me with starlight eyes, anywhere else, I beg you, please.

Starlight eyes?...Ah yes...you are referring to Mr. Potter...why are you so against him? It seems you barely know him...

I don't know him, but his twinkling eyes bother me. They're just not logical. Please, sort me in any other house but his.

Ah...well it seems the stars are aligning out of my control...I'm sorry my dear but I shouldn't fight it...better be...

Gryffindor!

Loud cheers are all Lily hears, but she solely focuses on finding a seat as far away from him as possible. Spotting a friendly-looking blonde girl, she sinks down next to her and introduces herself. "Hi, I'm Lily Evans. Do you mind if I sit here?"

Flashing a dazzling smile at Lily, the blonde girl takes Lily's hand into her own and shakes it. "Be my guest. The name's Marlene McKinnon, it's nice to meet you."

September 15th, 1971

After the excitement of the first couple weeks dies down, Lily finds herself studying outside near the Great Lake with Severus on a dreary Wednesday. Her textbook slowly levitates in the air the moment "wingardium leviosa" leaves her lips. "Great pronunciation Lily, it seems like you're picking up on spells quickly. Why don't you try practicing transfiguration next?" Severus asks her, watching her book slowly descend down to her lap.

Before Lily can reply, a loud bang breaks her concentration and her book harshly plops down on her lap. Aggravated with the interruption, she whips her head around to look at the source of the noise.

It's him.

For a moment she soaks in the view. He's laughing his arse off next to a scraggly black haired boy with blue tinted skin. She watches as the other boy claps him on the back, praising him for a prank well done. They begin walking in her direction back towards the castle and Lily can't help but to meet those eyes again.

Except this time, he barely spares her a passing glance.

She knows she shouldn't care, after all they're practically strangers. But his twinkling eyes bother her for reasons she cannot comprehend. She dwells on the fact that he barely noticed her, wondering why he bothered to stare at the sorting ceremony. What was so different about this time? It bothers her that she didn't get the chance to study his eyes this time. She theorizes that the only reason they twinkled during the sorting ceremony was because they were reflecting the bright candle flames. Logically, that was the only possible explanation.

This time however there were no candles, or anything else to encourage the twinkle. The brief moment their eyes met, she noticed his twinkled just as vibrantly as they did during the sorting ceremony. She could attempt to claim that she was just imagining things. But it had already happened twice now, an unlikely coincidence.

"Lily, are you doing alright? You look a bit pale."

"Did you notice how that boy's eyes twinkle?"

Both Lily and Severus startle when hearing each other speak at the same time. Severus' expression quickly changes from concern to confusion. "What boy are you referring to, Lily?"

"The one that passed us just now, James Potter. I noticed it at the sorting ceremony and again as he passed us. His eyes twinkle and it's simply illogical! I don't understand how or why but they're extremely vibrant. Please tell me you've noticed them too?"

Severus blinks and stares at her for a very uncomfortable amount of time. "I don't believe I've noticed, no. Why do you ask?"

Sighing, Lily turns back to her belongings and takes her transfiguration book out of her bag. "Nevermind, I think I'm just seeing things. Let's turn our attention to transfiguration and forget about it."

October 31st, 1971

A panicked voice rouses Lily from her slumber. "Wake up, Lily! It's an emergency!"

Groaning, Lily slowly opened her eyes to see Marlene strewing clothes across her bed. Reaching over to check her alarm clock, she let out an aggravated sigh. "Marls, what kind of emergency could possibly require my help on a Sunday at 6 o'clock in the morning?"

"Only the most urgent kind! I have yet to decide what to wear tonight for the Halloween party! I have so many choices and it's just so overwhelming!"

Rising from her bed, Lily affectionately patted Marlene on her shoulder. "It's not that big of an emergency Marls, I'm sure you'll figure out something. I'm going to take advantage of an early morning and read in the common room before it gets too noisy. Good luck with figuring out your costume."

Plopping herself in front of the fireplace, Lily opened Pride and Prejudice and continued to read where she left off. She had become fascinated with the idea of Mr. Darcy, and the more she read, the more fascinated she became.

Completely engrossed in the novel, Lily fails to notice how much time has passed. That is, until she feels another person plop down next to her on the other side of the couch. She looks up at the stranger and notices he looks incredibly unsure of himself. Shrugging to herself, she continues reading until she hears him clear his throat and speak.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, I just couldn't help but notice that you're reading Jane Austen. She just so happens to be one of my favorite authors. And obviously you seem to like reading, which is really neat because I also enjoy reading. My other friends tend to tease me about my love of reading, and none of them enjoy it like I do. Of course, I know they only tease me out of love but it's nice to meet someone that shares a love of reading, you know? So how are you enjoying the novel so far? That particular one happens to be my second favorite of hers. My first favorite is of course Emma because of Mr. Knightley but Mr. Darcy is a close second. Not to say that I'm romantically attracted to them! But I do enjoy their characters because they seem like-

The common room door swinging open interrupts the stranger's rambling and Lily locks eyes with James again as he climbs through the entrance. She tries to turn her attention back to the stranger because she doesn't want to be rude, but his twinkling eyes mesmerize her once more. Before she can look for too long, his eyes shift to the stranger sitting next to her and he beams with pride.

"Remus! You'll never guess what just happened! I feel like I'm on cloud nine!" James exclaims, pulling Remus off the couch into a celebratory hug.

"Let me guess, you've managed to prank McGonagall? I wouldn't be too proud if I were you, she's known to be brutally strict." Remus replies, softly smiling at James' excitement.

"No, even better than that! I've figured out the perfect solution to your furry little problem! It'll probably take a few years to perfect, but...wait a moment I forgot we weren't alone." He turns his attention to Lily and she notices his smile becoming forced. "I'm terribly sorry, would you mind leaving us alone? I can only share this confidential information with my friend here."

"For your information, I was here first. I think it's rather rude of you to ask me to leave when I've been here longer than either of you have. If you must have a private conversation with your friend, might I suggest going elsewhere? Because I'm not budging." Lily crosses her arms and stares at James, determined not to back down.

"Of course we can move, we're so sorry to bother you. And you can forget about my rambling, I don't know why I had to talk so much. Let's go, James." Remus stands up from the couch and begins walking towards the stairs. But before he gets far, James puts a hand on his shoulder and stops him from going any further.

Turning his attention to Lily, James also crosses his arms and stares back at her. "You don't own the common room, you know. I have every right to have a private conversation with my friend here. The polite thing to do would be for you to leave because this is the only private space we have to talk. Our dorm is busy with people preparing for the Halloween party and we don't know of any other private place to talk. You are simply reading a book which can be done in the presence of others. So can you please go read somewhere else and let us have this private space to talk?"

Deciding to ignore him, Lily returns to her novel and continues reading. But before she can get very far, her book is snatched from her hands.

"Oi, it's not nice to ignore someone when they're asking you politely to leave. Can you please go somewhere else?"

Lily jumps off the couch glaring harshly at James. Reaching forward, she snatches her book back from his hands and clenches her fist. "It's also not nice to demand that I leave when I was here first! Who the hell do you think you are telling me what to do? I'll have you know that I've been studying spells and I'm not afraid to use one to defend myself. Now I highly suggest you leave me alone before I do something you'll regret." Opening her book back to where she was reading, Lily sat back down and proceeded to ignore the shocked expression on James' face.

James opens his mouth to reply but Remus stops him with his hand on his shoulder. Before James can say something else, Remus takes him by the arm and walks out of the common room. Before they leave through the door, Remus apologizes to Lily for disturbing her peace and expresses his interest in continuing their conversation later.

In the evening, Marlene helps Lily get her witch costume on, helping her synch up the corset that the costume came with. "Why in the world would you dress up as yourself for Halloween, Lily?"

Flashing a smile, Lily responds "it's the dramatic irony Marlene! I didn't know I was a witch for most of my life until Severus told me and I want to embrace who I'm supposed to be. I think being a witch for Halloween is the perfect start to my years here."

"Suit yourself, though I think you ought to show more of that lovely body of yours. Anyways, can you help me get my costume on? I'm also supposed to wear a corset and I wouldn't be able to put it on myself."

Lily helps Marlene sync up her corset and they head to the party together. When they reach the Great Hall, Lily notices that the long tables have vanished and in their place are round tables, embellished with black and orange décor. Lily and Marlene exchange a look and immediately head to the dance floor ready to have a fun night.

As the time flies by, Lily and Marlene become the life of the party on the dance floor. They dance and laugh their heads off, releasing the stresses of first year through having the time of their lives. And for a small moment, Lily and Marlene are completely entranced by each others company, forgetting about everyone else around them.

Their entrancement is shattered when Lily feels a soft hand on her shoulder. "Mind if I join you?" James asks, stepping forward and waiting patiently for her reply. Lily raises an eyebrow at him and turns her attention towards Marlene. "C'mon Marls, let's go to the dessert bar. I'm suddenly not in the mood to dance anymore."

Before Lily reaches the dessert bar, she turns around and notices James staring at her. She rolls her eyes but before she turns back around, she notices that his eyes seem a little duller than normal.

And for some reason, this bothers her more than his starlight eyes.

November 23rd, 1971

The sound of leaves crunching is the first thing Lily hears when she exits the castle and makes her way towards the great lake. It had been a long day of classes, which was exactly why Lily could not wait to meet up with Marlene. Reflecting on how close they had become during the first couple of months, Lily doesn't notice where she is walking and manages to trip herself over a tree branch.

While her arms flail, she attempts to catch herself before she falls so that she doesn't fall flat on her face. But before she can quickly stick her arms out to catch herself, she feels a pair of arms around her waist, pulling her back upright. She lets out a relieved sigh when she steadies her balance and turns around to thank whoever saved her.

But before the appreciative words can come out of her mouth, she takes one look at her rescuer and lets out an irritated groan.

"That's no way to thank someone who saved you from getting injured. Surely at least a thank you will suffice? After all, I did just save you from a bad fall." Letting her waist go, James Potter steps back and crosses his arms.

"I'm not going to let your presence ruin my evening. Thank you for catching me, but don't expect me to like you now. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

James' hand on her shoulder stops Lily from moving past him. "I'm sorry, why do you have something against me? I don't even know you."

"Really? You don't remember how you treated me in the common room on Halloween? Because I do. But I don't have time to argue with you, so if you would kindly move-

"What in the world are you talking about? I don't even remember interacting with you on Halloween," James interrupted.

Placing a hand on her forehead, Lily lets out a loud sigh and decides to just ignore his question. "Nevermind, just forget about it," she says, stepping around him and continuing on her way.

She puts her hands in her coat pockets and continues walking down the path towards Marlene. Lily refuses to look back, hoping that James isn't following her.

But it seems like fate had other plans.

Before she could go much further, Lily feels a hand on her shoulder and she is ticked.

"Don't touch me again. Ever."

Even she is surprised by the tone of her voice as she turns to face him, but she's not willing to back down from this. She refuses to let him disrespect her again after he humiliated her in the common room.

While her aggravated thoughts race, she barely catches the words that come out of his mouth. "You're right, I shouldn't have touched you. I'm sorry about that. But seriously, what are you talking about with the common room? Did I say something to upset you?"

Lily really doesn't want to reply, but she looks into his eyes and she's shocked by what she sees. His eyes twinkle like usual, but there's a look of genuine confusion etched across his face. Can a bloke really be that daft?

"You came in with your friend while I was minding my own business reading in the Gryffindor common room, and you asked me to leave when I had been there first. Any normal person would have either quietly held a conversation in a different part of the common room or left to go somewhere else. So the fact that you thought your conversation was more important than me being there, even though I was there first and had every right to be, was extremely inconsiderate and rude of you. And now, you keep getting in my way when I'm clearly trying to get somewhere, so I think that's also incredibly rude of you as well."

James snorts and rolls his eyes, "well I also had every right to be in the common room, and it wasn't like I didn't politely ask you. But I do see your point and I do apologize for being rude and inconsiderate. Do you think we could start over?" He sticks out his hand towards Lily and gives her a hopeful expression. "I'm James Potter, it's nice to meet you. What's your name?"

"Lily!"

Both heads turn to look at the source of the third voice and Lily realizes it's Marlene. Upon Marlene getting closer to them, Lily also realizes that her hair is now a bright bubblegum pink.

"Marls! What in the world happened to you?"

"It's that damn Black, he tricked me into drinking a potion claiming it would help me pass our upcoming potions test. I should've known better! As soon as I swallowed one sip, my hair turned this hideous color! Help me get my revenge, would you?"

James bursts out in laughter and both of the girls harshly glare at him. "This is no laughing matter Potter, because you're next if I have anything to do with it! You'd better watch your back," Marlene snarls before turning to Lily. "Would you come with me to Professor Slughorn to get this reversed?"

"Of course Marlene, let's go right away. The sooner we get your hair fixed, the sooner we can start plotting our revenge!"

After Marlene's hair was fixed and she was sent on her way, she met up with Lily in the library and they headed towards an empty table. "I managed to find a seventh year potions book, so let's find the best potion for revenge!" Lily exclaimed, opening the book to the table of contents.

An hour had passed before they found the perfect potion, but one of the ingredients they had no idea where to find. "We might as well try a different potion recipe, because unless we ask a seventh year I don't think we'll have much luck with this potion," Marlene sighs, staring down at the page in disappointment.

"We can't give up hope just yet Marls, because we know where to find all of the other ingredients. Surely someone will be willing to help us, especially if it's someone who has also been pranked by Sirius. How do you know him again?"

"I don't really know him, I just know he pranked me. He's got quite a reputation around the school as a prankster and I'm ready to put him in his place."

"Well, I happen to know him personally, and I agree with you Marlene. His pranks have gotten out of hand and he does need to be put in his place."

Both women turned to look at the source of the voice and their jaws dropped. Standing there with lime green hair is none other than the boy Lily had previously met in the common room.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Marlene asks as she stares Remus down. Sensing the tension in the room, Remus immediately assures them that he's there to help them.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you both, but I overheard your conversation. You're planning on pranking Sirius, correct? I happen to know where you can find the last ingredient you're looking for and I would also like to get my revenge on him. I figured if I helped you, we could work together and put him in his place. Does that sound good?"

Lily looks at Marlene to see what she wants to do and is surprised to see Marlene beaming. "Absolutely! Anyone who is willing to help me find the last ingredient is considered a friend to me! What's your name by the way? If we're working together, I figure we should get to know one another."

"I'm Remus, Remus Lupin" It's nice to meet you." Lily watches as he reaches his hand out towards Marlene and they shake hands. He also extends a hand out to her, but Lily just shoots him a skeptical look.

"Weren't you the one who was with James Potter in the common room that night that he tried to kick me out? I understand you had nothing to do with that, but you still associate yourself with him and Sirius. Why should we trust you?"

"Believe me, I'd be asking the same question if I was in your shoes. But they're really good once you get to know them. They just get carried away sometimes with pranking, and so I completely agree that they need to be put in their place. I figured if I offer you both my friendship and my willingness to help you find the last ingredient, you'd at least consider it?"

"Well, considering you were polite to me earlier and you were the one who dragged him away, I'd say you're trustworthy enough. Now, where can we find that last ingredient?" Lily asks, reaching across the table and shaking Remus' hand.

"Excellent. Let's get started then."

December 25th, 1971

The potion had taken approximately a month to brew, but today was the day that Lily, Marlene, and Remus would finally appreciate their hard work. They were also excited that it was Christmastime because everyone would be gathered for the feast, maximizing Sirius' humiliation. However, what Remus and Marlene didn't know was that Lily was planning to humiliate James as well and slip the potion into his drink. She wanted him to feel just as humiliated as she was in the common room.

The morning began as any other Saturday, except the common room was exponentially filled with many Gryffindor students. Lily could hardly see the common room door through the commotion of people exchanging gifts and wishing each other a Happy Christmas. She makes her way through the crowd and steps out of the common room before she hears her name being called.

"Lily! I'm so glad I spotted you. I know you agreed to start over with me and so I figured I'd get you something for Christmas because that's what friends do, right? Happy Christmas!" And before she could even protest, James shoves a present in her hand and gives her a warm smile.

She looks down at the gift and looks back up at his hopeful expression. And for a moment, she understands Remus' point. She thinks it's highly thoughtful of him to get her something even though they're just acquaintances. And for the first time ever, she gives him a small smile as a token of her gratitude.

"Thanks Potter, I appreciate the present. But I'm afraid I didn't get you anything, so I don't think it's fair of me to have it."

"I didn't expect you to get me anything, so don't worry about that! But please, open yours because I think you'll like it. At least, I hope you will," he replies, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

Lily wastes no time in opening her present and she is shocked to see an emerald necklace glistening back at her. "Oh Merlin, this looks expensive! I really can't accept this gift Potter, I'd never be able to afford anything that could compare."

She looks up at him and notices that his eyes are twinkling brighter than usual.

"I saw the way you looked at the necklace just now, Lily. I want you to have it, don't worry about the price. I hope this proves how sorry I am for being rude to you before. Do you think we could start calling each other friends?"

She remembers how she planned on pranking him and immediately feels guilty. He went through all the trouble to pick out a Christmas gift that she absolutely adores and she was going to humiliate him in front of the entire school in a few hours. In her defense, she didn't trust his apology last month but the gift proved he was genuinely sorry. She reflects on this for a moment before looking back up at him and nodding her head. "Sure, we can be friends. As long as you promise to help me put it on?"

While she turns around and lifts her hair, she reflects more on their new friendship. Would this friendship really be genuine, or would she find herself in the midst of his pranks along with Sirius? She still wants to stick to the plan to humiliate Sirius, but she isn't sure just how effective it'll be.

"I've got it on now, turn around so I can see it on you," James' voice breaks her racing thoughts.

She turns around and looks into his eyes while he focuses on the emerald hanging around her neck. She notices his eyes seem brighter, if that is even possible.

"You look amazing Lily, I'm glad the necklace suits you. I hope you wear it for the rest of the day, because it matches your outfit perfectly. Happy Christmas Lily, I'll see you later," James says as he turns around and heads down the corridor.

But before he can get very far, Lily finds herself moving on her own accord. "Potter, wait!"

His response is immediate. James turns around and looks at her quizzically. Once she reaches him, Lily leans forward and lightly kisses his cheek. "Happy Christmas, Potter. Thank you for the present."

James tries to keep his cool, but Lily notices his eyes twinkle brighter than she has ever seen. He awkwardly coughs and nods to her before continuing his way down the corridor. Lily decides to walk in the opposite direction to avoid any more awkwardness.

Later in the evening, Lily sits next to Marlene at the Gryffindor table and looks over at Remus. He gives her a reassuring smile and Lily feels butterflies in her stomach. Would their plan even work? She supposed that now was as good of a time as any to find out. She feels Marlene nudge her and gives her a nervous smile.

She didn't really pay attention to Dumbledore's speech because she was too excited about what was going to happen soon. But the moment he encouraged everyone to begin eating, all thoughts turned to the feast in front of her. She grabbed a little of everything the table had to offer, excited to try all sorts of new delectable foods.

A few minutes into her feast, she feels Marlene nudge her again. She looks over at her and Marlene signals to look at Remus, who is currently pouring their potion into Sirius' goblet. She tries not to stare at Sirius as he drinks from it a few minutes later, but she can't help to see the show.

The effects are immediate. As soon as Sirius drinks from the goblet, he releases a cry of surprise and drops it, spilling the remaining liquid onto the table. He begins violently coughing, scaring James and Peter as they try beating on his back and offering him water. But their help is to no avail, because Sirius soon finds himself turning green. He frantically looks down at his body and realizes that he is growing too big for his clothes. Soon enough, his clothes rip which exposes more of him. He tries to call out for help but realizes he can no longer speak. Instead, his voice comes out with a large grunt, much deeper than he's used to. He looks down at his body and realizes it looks at lot uglier now.

When he's done transforming, he runs out of the Great Hall, everyone laughing at him while he passes by. Lily notices that James immediately heads to the front of the hall, frantically trying to get the professors' attention.

She sees him lean down and ask Dumbledore a question, which Dumbledore simply nods to. Walking up to the podium, James raises a glass and clinks it, determined to get everyone's attention. In a span of merely 10 seconds, the entire hall goes silent and all eyes turn to look at James.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt the festivities. But someone has clearly gone too far with pranking Sirius and I'd like them to come clean. You don't have to admit it to the entire school but please come find me later to discuss it with me. I know he's been pranking people but that doesn't give you the right to do something so horrific towards him when you don't know the reasoning behind his pranks. Thank you, that is all."

Stepping down, James makes his way back to the table and Lily's eyes follow him. He glances at her and gives her a small smile before engaging in a close conversation with Remus and Peter.

"I'm never confessing, and neither should you. Sirius got what he deserves and there's nothing more to it. Plus, it's not like the potion was really that bad. It'll wear off in a few hours or so and by that point he will have hopefully learned his lesson." Picking up a piece of roasted chicken, Marlene shoves it in her mouth and gives Lily a reassuring smile. "I see the guilt on your face, Lils. But you shouldn't feel guilty, he had what's coming to him. Plus, James isn't perfect either so he has no right to defend Sirius in front of the entire school. Don't sweat it."

Lily sighs and turns her attention to her food. She knows Sirius deserved it, but she feels guilty for upsetting James. After all, James didn't prank nearly as much or as badly as Sirius did. Maybe she shouldn't have offered to help Marlene get revenge.

Around 9 in the evening, Marlene bids Lily goodnight and heads up the stairs to their dormitory. Lily decides to stay by the fire and read, just to make sure James and Sirius are alright. She is more worried about James since he seemed upset by the prank more than Sirius.

Before she can get too far into her book, she feels someone sit next to her and immediately looks up to see Remus.

"I didn't expect James to react the way he did. I thought he would find it funny as well. Guess we went a bit too far there, eh?" Remus asks, nervously chuckling.

"Remus, as much as I think Sirius deserved it, I feel absolutely terrible about Potter's reaction. Do you think Potter would ever forgive me if I told him the truth?"

"I would strongly advise either telling him now while it's still fresh or committing to never telling him. Because if you decide to tell him later, he's going to be angrier than if you come clean now. And I promise I'll be there with you if you decide to tell him since I was involved too."

Squeezing Remus' hand, Lily shoots him a soft smile. "Thank you, Remus. Your friendship means the world to me."

Remus opens his mouth to reply, but the common room door loudly opening interrupts his train of thought. Both Gryffindors turn to look at the source of the noise and see Sirius back to normal, walking with a purpose. He glances at Remus and silently motions for him to follow him up the stairs to the boys dormitory.

Before Lily can say anything else, Remus lets go of her hand and follows Sirius up the stairs. Lily sighs and tries to turn her attention back to her book, only to be interrupted once again by James sitting next to her. She immediately tenses at their proximity, and James notices it.

"Are you alright, Lily? You seem...stressed."

Lily refuses to look at him, instead deciding to stare intensely at her book. She can feel his gaze on her, but she's not in the mood for friendly banter. Especially since she feels the guilt eating her alive. She hopes he will eventually get the hint and leave her alone. But after thirty minutes of comfortable silence, she flinches at the sound of his voice.

"I hope I didn't offend you earlier with your Christmas gift. If you feel too guilty to wear it, I completely understand. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with how expensive it was, I just honestly thought you'd enjoy it. Also, I'm really sorry if you were uncomfortable with the whole cheek kiss. I know you kissed me but you really didn't have to. I hope I didn't make you feel obligated to, that was never my in-"

Lily's hand on his makes James immediately shut up and his eyes lock with hers. She notices that his hands have developed callouses, most likely from Quidditch. Her delicate fingers lightly trace the callouses and Lily notices James involuntarily shudder. She immediately snaps out of her thoughts and opens her mouth.

"It's not that, Potter. I love your present, and I'm very thankful for it. The kiss was just a small token of my gratitude, nothing more. I'm just already worried about the end of year exams, that's all! Anyways, your poor hands are already so hard from Quidditch practice. I know a soothing ailment that will help soften them up and prevent more from forming. Let me run up to my dorm really quickly and I'll grab it for you!"

In no time at all, Lily walks back down the stairs into the common room and makes her way over to James. She grabs his hand and squirts the cream onto his palm. "All you have to do is rub the cream between your hands and rub it on the fingers that are calloused. You'll have softer and rejuvenated skin in no time!"

James eyes her skeptically, but does as she instructs and rubs the cream onto his fingers. He watches in interest as his fingers lose the callous and revert back to what they were before he began practicing Quidditch. He turns to her in amazement and her heart skips a beat when she sees the way he looks at her. But before she can decipher his look, his facial expression changes to concern.

"Lily, are you sure that's all you're stressed about? You know you can tell me anything, right? Of course, I don't mean to pry or make you feel uncomfortable. But I just want you to know that I'm here for you." James lays a cautious hand on her shoulder and immediately takes it off when he notices her tense again.

Lily inwardly sighs, knowing that she won't convince him unless she really acts the part. "Yes James, I think I'm incredibly tense from all the stressing I've been doing about our final exams. After all, you can never start too early to study for them! But I think I've got some serious shoulder tension from all the stress I've had. Do you think you could give me a shoulder massage, if it's not too weird?"

"Yes! I mean, I guess that would be fine. But what would I get out of it?" he jokes.

"I don't know, name your reward and I'll do it," Lily shrugs. Surely an 11 year old boy couldn't have too ridiculous of a demand.

Oh how wrong she was.

December 31st, 1971

"Sirius, no! I don't know where you got the firewhiskey from, but you cannot have it here! If we're caught, we'll lose more house points than we have, and I know you don't want to lose to Slytherin!"

Lily watches as Sirius loudly groans and heads out of the common room with the bottles he brought in. She turns her attention to James who is currently engaged in a deep conversation with Remus and decides she can wait. Turning around, she notices Marlene playing Gobstones with another first year and sighs. New Years is less than an hour away and she currently has no one to talk to. She decides to go get some fresh air and think about things.

As she walks, her mind drifts to the time she has spent so far at Hogwarts. She would never admit it to anyone, but she has immensely enjoyed hanging out with James over the past few months. She dwells on their friendship, wondering if he actually expected her to go through with his reward. She sincerely hopes that for the sake of their friendship, he doesn't.

Her mind drifts to Severus afterwards, realizing that she hasn't spent as much time with him as she would like to. She feels guilty for it, until she realizes that he hasn't made much of an effort either to hang out with her. Perhaps they allowed their schoolwork to get in the way of their friendship, but Lily was determined to set things right.

Just before she reaches the door that exits the castle, she hears someone call her name. She turns around and looks up to see Peter trotting down the stairs. "Lily, it's almost midnight and James sent me to find you. Do you think you could head back with me?"

Surprised that Peter found her, Lily nods her head and turns around to walk with him. Initially, she feels awkward around someone she doesn't know too well. But the entire time they walk, Peter keeps her completely entertained. By the time they arrive at the common room door, her stomach hurts from laughing and her face is hurting from smiling so much.

"You should be a comedian Peter. You certainly have the skills for it." Peter gives her a soft smile and holds the portrait door open for her to step through first.

"James is waiting in the dorm for you. I'm going to go talk to Remus but I'll see you later!"

And just like that Peter walks away, leaving Lily to head towards the boys dormitory stairs.

When she reaches the door, she knocks on it and hears James run across to the door. He opens it with a beaming smile and pulls her in, quickly shutting it behind them.

"Do I really have to do this?" Lily groans, stepping away from James. As soon as the words leave her mouth, she notices a change in his demeaner. His smile quickly drops, his body deflates a bit, and his eyes seem duller than normal.

"No, I'm not going to make you do anything you're not comfortable with. Go count down with your friends, Lily. Happy New Year."

She watches as he walks away from her and sits on his bed, trying his best not to look at her. For a moment, she feels torn between leaving and going to sit next to him. But before she can decide, she hears voices cheering downstairs as people begin counting down.

Twenty-three, twenty two, twenty one, twenty!

She looks at James who seems very interested in his bed linens. Would it really be so terrible for her to grant his one request?

...Seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen!

She realizes there isn't much time left and he still refuses to look at her. She thinks back to how good his massage was and quickly makes up her mind.

...Eleven, ten, nine eight!

She strides over to where he's sitting, pulls him up by his tie and leans in.

...Four, three two one! Happy New Year!

Lily briefly hears everyone shouting welcoming the New Year, but she's too distracted by her lips on his. She knows this will probably complicate things further between them, but for the moment she enjoys the feeling.

When she pulls away, her heart leaps at how vibrant his eyes are. She quickly lets out a steady breath to calm her quickened heartbeat and backs away further from him. She suddenly feels awkward and shy, wanting to be anywhere but there in the moment.

"Potter, I need you to understand that there's no deeper meaning behind what I just did. I'm simply fulfilling your request since you did give me a nice massage. I do wish you a Happy New Year and I look forward to spending time with you this year, but strictly as friends, okay?"

James' shocked expression never falters, even as Lily goes to leave. She glances at him one more time before closing the door behind her.

At breakfast the next morning, James seems happier than Lily has ever seen him. She walks up to join them and hears part of their conversation.

"...I think if we start interrogating people today, we can easily figure out who turned Sirius green. The good news is not many students stayed behind for Christmas, so there's not too many people it could be. What do you say, Remus?"

Lily notices Remus' face turn pale, and she has difficulty hiding her own guilt. She sits next to Marlene and grabs some sausages before turning her attention to James.

"What makes you think you'll catch the culprit so easily, James? You know the Slytherins aren't going to be very cooperative with us." Peter points out, munching on a biscuit.

"Surprisingly, I don't think it was the Slytherins. Their table is at the other end of the hall, how would they be able to spike Sirius' drink without any of us noticing? No, I think it was someone in our house. Someone who probably distracted us while they slipped the potion in his drink. That's why I want to start interrogating everyone in Gryffindor, except us of course."

"I'm going to go take a nap, I'm not feeling so well," Remus suddenly announces, standing up and walking out of the hall. James furrows his eyebrows in his direction before returning his attention to everyone else.

"That was weird, I wonder what Remus' problem is. I'm going to go check on him," Sirius says, getting up and following Remus.

"And then there were four. Oh well, we can continue planning without them. Now, I'm thinking that me and Peter can go talk to the students fifth year and up while you ladies interrogate the fourth years and under. We might not get a confession, but we can at least get a general idea of who may be guilty."

Lily looks at Marlene and silently asks her if they should come clean. Sensing what she's thinking, Marlene gives her a slight nod and that's all the confirmation Lily needs.

"James, would you like to go on a walk with me?" she asks, trying not to draw too much attention towards her guiltiness.

"Right now? Right when we're about to start interrogating people? Surely our walk can wait, we've got work to do."

Lily rolls her eyes and decides to use a tactic she knows will work. "If you can catch up with me within the next minute, I'll give you a kiss." With that, she gets up and strides towards the doors that lead to outside of the castle.

She doesn't have to wait long because as soon as she opens the door and steps outside, she hears loud footsteps behind her. She feels a warm hand grab her arm and twirl her around, coming face to face with James.

He stares at her expectantly for a moment and she contemplates whether or not she should stick to her promise. But in the end, she decides that he may not want her affection once he finds out the truth. So despite the butterflies in her stomach, she shakes her head and takes a step back.

"No James, I didn't actually mean I'd kiss you. I just needed to talk to you privately without everyone else around. Walk with me, would you?"

Thoughts are swirling in Lily's head the further away from the castle they get. Was now really a good time? Especially since they all seemed to be on good terms? Remus' advice echoed in her mind; if she didn't tell him now, she would never be able to without serious repercussions.

"Err...Lily, are you alright? You seem troubled."

"I'm the one who pranked Sirius, James."

Both Gryffindors are surprised that they spoke at the same time, but James recovers a lot quicker than Lily.

"What?"

For the first time in her life, Lily feels genuinely fearful. His voice, usually smooth and melodic around her, is cold and devoid of emotion. His eyes are ablaze with anger and pure malice.

Choking back a sob, Lily quickly wipes a tear that threatens to fall down her face and opens her mouth. "James, you're scaring me. Please don't look at me like that."

"I don't think you understand, Evans-

At the mention of her surname, Lily flinches but James doesn't seem to notice. She can feel his body heat and his breath on her face as he gets extremely close to her.

"Sirius is my best friend, I would do anything for him. Honestly, I'm not even mad about the prank because it wasn't that terrible. Sirius himself said he respected whoever did it because he has been frequently pranking people. But you don't even know the reason why he pranks people in the first place! So to prank him when he has never directly pranked you, and to keep this a secret from me for an entire week is bullshit! I gave you a chance to confess, I specifically said in my speech that I'd like whoever was guilty to come clean. And you sat there and pretended like you were innocent and you would help me find the culprit when it was you all along! Honestly, I think you're the nastiest witch I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. Don't even bother saying anything else, I don't want to hear it. Consider this friendship over!"