Title: The Bodyguard
Chapter 2- James Potter
(A/N: Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who reviewed, I enjoyed reading them. Well, here's chapter 2.)
For once in a long time, Lily decided to walk home. Meaning that it would take a little bit over an hour. Walking always seemed to clear her mind. She needed some fresh air and most importantly, she needed to think. Night was fast approaching, the sky turning a dark blue.
"I'm a bitch," she said out loud to the cool breeze.
The wind blew her red hair that was escaping from her ponytail.
The way she acted towards James when she came back from the bathroom made Lily wince. She couldn't believe how rude she acted in front of him. Many times, Amanda, getting the idea of what was going on, gave Lily sympathetic glances, which only made Lily feel even worse.
"I never knew how kind Potter is at times," Lily whispered to no one in particular as she kicked a rock aside.
The worried and concern glances that he kept giving her didn't go unnoticed. Practically everyone in the room knew that something was going on. But Lily had remained cold towards him. She only answered him if necessary, her responses short and bitter. The hurt that reflected off James' eyes made Lily want to run out of the room.
But it's for the best, she thought. Right?
Lily would have continued to dwell upon her sad and depressing thoughts if she hadn't heard that noise. A small branch broke in two somewhere behind her.
Stay calm, she commanded herself sternly.
Lily continued to walk through the forest, casually putting her hands in her robes as she ducked under a long branch that would have most likely hit her square on the forehead. Her fingers grabbed her wand sitting alone in her pocket while she muttered under her breath about groceries she had to buy.
Act normal, she ordered.
Lily stopped, pretending to be fascinated by an ugly looking object by her feet. The moment her feet came to a halt, she heard it. Footsteps. Someone was definitely following her. But two seconds later they stopped.
What if it's him She thought. The idea of her stalker only a few meters away from her, made the fear she'd been hiding the last couple of weeks, rise up.
There's no point of running to my house, he knows where I live, thought Lily panic-stricken.
Where could she go? If she went to Amanda's, he would know where her friend lived. Lily had promised herself that she wouldn't get her friend involved anymore. She was already involved.
Then I have to get rid of him, she thought. On the count of three, I attack.
One.
Lily tightened her grip on her wand. She started to walk.
Two.
Lily slowed her pace, taking carefully steps.
Three-Before Lily had the chance to turn around to find her intruder, a cold and strong hand clamped on her mouth, muffling her yells.
"Quiet Lily. It's me, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you," whispered a familiar voice. The hand clamped against Lily's mouth let go and she whipped around to see the person in front of her.
"James? What the hell are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.
He grinned sheepishly at her, his left hand ruffling his jet-black hair.
"Sorry, it's just that I didn't want you to run away. It looked like you were going to attack me," he explained, still grinning.
"It's alright," said Lily hesitantly, rubbing her jaw.
He could have been more gentle, she thought. James stopped grinning, an odd expression on his face.
"Lily, I mean it. I'm really sorry okay?" he said, his tone suddenly serious. He took a step forward and in an instant, grabbed her arms bringing her closer to him.
"James, what are you doing?" she asked in surprise. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the sudden furious expression on his face.
"Are you alright?" she whispered. She was now wishing that she didn't walk home.
What's wrong with him? Why is he acting so weird? It's really unlike him, thought Lily. She gave a yelp as James' grasp on her arms tightened.
"Let go of me. You're hurting me. James, you're hurting me!" she cried, trying to push him away. She stared at him in horror, seeing a malicious glint in his usual warm hazel eyes. She could feel his hot breath on her face and she didn't like it one bit.
"Lily, why are you always afraid of me?" he asked, staring at her intently, ignoring her cries and protests. He was close enough to kiss her and that was the last thing that Lily wanted from James.
"I'm not afraid of you, you idiot. Now let me go," Lily yelled angrily. The furious expression on James' face disappeared and he gave her a blank stare.
"Oh, sorry, I got carried away," he mumbled quietly as he released his grip on Lily's arms. He took a few steps back and stared hard at the ground, frowning at it. Lily couldn't tell if he was angry or was just thinking.
What's wrong with him? she thought as she stared at her arms. There's definitely going to be a huge bruise tomorrow morning.
"It's just that you always push me away," he whispered sadly. He turned to face her, his eyes sad and filled with hurt. On normal circumstances, Lily would have given in to those beautiful eyes but not today. Not after what just happened.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't do that in the first place," answered Lily, glaring at him. She felt no sympathy whatsoever.
I'm not going to let you cry on my shoulder, you jerk, she yelled in her head. You're not going to trick me like that from now on.
She silently cursed herself for thinking that maybe…just maybe James had changed. His behavior in the morning and right now was so different. It was like they were two different people.
Lily froze, fear making her unable to move.
It was like they were two different people, she thought in horror, her eyes widened in realization.
The man standing a few feet away from Lily wasn't James Potter.
No, James would never do something as horrible as that, she thought, pushing aside her little school grudge. So, who is he?
That instant, Lily knew that she needed to get away from this man. He was dangerous. The hair at the back of her neck stood up.
The man impersonating James stared at her.
"Lily, are you alright? You look really pale. Like you saw a ghost," he said, reaching over to touch her, a look of concern on his face.
Don't touch me!
"Maybe you should sit down."
Get away from me!
"Here, have my cloak, you're freezing like an ice cube," he continued, putting his black cloak on Lily. His hands rested on her shoulder as he made her sit down on the ground. He started to lightly grab a curl of red hair that escaped from her ponytail, playing with it between his fingers.
"You have such beautiful hair," he whispered. Lily could feel him move closer and closer until his nose was in her hair. Then he sniffed in her scent.
"Get away from me!" yelled Lily suddenly. She quickly stood up. She threw the cloak at him and before he could do anything, she apparated in front of her house.
"Lily, are you alright?" asked the same male voice.
He's here, he followed me, thought Lily terrified.
"Leave me alone," she cried, closing her eyes.
She felt a warm hand hesitantly touch her upper arm and she looked up to stare at James Potter.
"What did you use to call me in first year at Hogwarts?" she asked suddenly. James gave her a confused look.
"I don't know how this is going to make you feel better, but I used to call you Pumpkin Girl," he said, waiting nervously for her reaction. But what happened next surprised James once more. Lily flung her arms around him as though her life depended on it and started to cry.
James stood there dumbstruck for a few seconds before he gently hugged Lily back, wondering what in the world was happening to her.
Must have had a bad day, he thought, looking down at her.
He looked around to find everything oddly quiet. No cars or people passed by and all the lights in the house were turned off. But if James had looked more carefully around him, he would have noticed a man with jet-black hair standing in the middle of the park, his fists clenched in anger.
End of chapter 2
(A/N: Don't know about you guys, but that kinda freaked me out when I was writing this. Hope you're finding it more interesting. Well, bye for now!
blue sapphire lady)